THE HEBRAIC MONTH OF KISLEV
On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, during the month where we are all getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving in America, we enter into the first day of Kislev on the Hebraic Calendar for 5784.
What does this period of time mean to Christian’s living through today’s world. What will the month of Kislev reaveal to God’s people as we journey on this earth while headed toward God’s Kingdom of Heaven?
It means a lot of things.
THE SACRED MEANINGS IN KISLEV
Following God’s annual sacred calendar is a very prophetic way of living. I highly recommend that all Christians study God’s times and follow God’s calendar through life.
Each year sacred time passes by and proves out to us that there are things in each month that require our spiritual awareness.
Please don’t misunderstand this. I’m speaking of Christian spirituality; NOT pagan spiritually. Please throw those horrid horoscopes that you have been viewing into the trash.
Why not look instead into the Hebraic calendar meanings which God originally set into motion when He created time and set us down inside of it. God created a calendar especially for those who chose to follow and obey Him. It is a calendar that all Christians should come to know and understand.
If we observe and pay very close attention to the holy scriptures, we can stay more focused on the many ways that God has designed for us to live inside of our very special gift of time.
One way of understanding this is to look back over the things that have already happened in the month of Kislev. Just open up your history eyes and take a look at the events of Kislav that we know from the past.
NOAH’S ARK LANDED IN THE MONTH OF KISLEV
Going WAY back in time; we can remember that the Ark holding Noah and His family landed safely on dry land during the month of Kislev. Noah and his family had miraculously survived The Great Flood. As Kislev started, they were still in the times of those great rains; but as the month culminated; they landed safely onto a fresh new and sinless earth.
This reminds me of the turbulence of many of the times from our own past. Looking back over the last few years, I can see how we all have experienced some fearful moments and events in our daily lives. We have persevered and trusted God through all of those moments. He will now bring us too into a safer place in time; just as the day when Noah’s ark landed. We can trust Our Great God to deliver us safely through any troubles in life.
Though the rains were still falling, and the flood waters had not yet completely disappeared; Noah felt hope on that day the ark landed. He now had solid proof that God had protected his family and kept them through the storm. All of the scofferes who had laughed at him for building the ark were now gone. Noah was happy for his family. They were going to survive! There was only a very short time left to endure before they could get back to a normal and abundant life.
GETTING BACK TO NORMAL AND ABUNDANT LIVES
I want to hold on to that thought as we enter the Thanksgiving season of 2023 and continue all the way through the Christmas season.
Hope is one of the subjects of Advent as we travel through the traditions of this season. The thoughts of Advent should give us great joy. Hope is good and Jesus has provided it for us. This Kislev; let us all increase our hope and anticipation of the upcoming season. Together we can now begin to look forward to what God is going to do next.
AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH
Kislev reminds us of how our own lives can be so much like that time of Noah. As a matter of fact the scriptures tell us that the end-times will be “as in the days of Noah.”
Some times start out in chaos. Catastrophic things can happen before all the rains end. But then we hit this bump in the road. We realize that the possibly exists that we could land in a place of safety.
It is important for us to remember that God has his loving hands on the Ark of the World during these times of storms and greatly pounding rain.
We tend to think the troubles will never end. The future looks so very uncertain. Then; one day arrives with its sunshine. God has completely turned the chaos into order again. Kislev seems to be a time for trusting God to see us through whatever the chaos of the day may be.
LOOK FOR THE MIRACLES
Towards the end of Kislev; God seems to love to send miracles to the earth. They seem to happen unexpectedly after times of great turmoil. In this blog I write about them every year. I’ve come to call these times the “glorious impossibles.” You can catch those articles in this summary if you like: https://wordpress.com/post/theinseasonlifestyle.com/31038.
The term “glorious impossibles” is a phrase that I borrowed from my years of teaching Godly Play to children. It fits the time of Kislev and works the same way for God’s grown children too.
There are so many examples in history which reflect this change in our annual seasons and time. The first thought in my mind is the amazing miracle of the very first Hanukkah.
Just in case you haven’t yet discovered this; the Hanukkah story foreshadows the story of Jesus. One great miracle is symbolic of the greatest miracle that shows up later.
God teaches us slowly in time. We often see shadows of the stories that are to come later. He opens our hearts and minds to the concepts; then they appear in our daily lives. If we are paying attention we can notice them when they arrive.
Hannukah is coming soon. It begins on December 7th and ends on December 15 in the year of 2023. The miracle of Hanukah shadows the time later when we will be celebrating the conception of Christ – Emmanuel – Christ with us!
December 25h occurs on Tevet 13 in this year of 5784 on the Jewish calendar. So in the month after Kislev we will know the whole truth of all of the symbolic miracles of Hanukkah which we saw shadowed back in Kislev.
The time will culminate with the celebration of the greatest miracle of all; the time that Jesus came to live inside the womb of Mary. God came in the form of a baby and made the world a miracle. He sent down the true and living Light of the World.
ANCIENT AND MODERN WORLDS EXPERIENCE THE SAME
Christians living in today’s world have found themselves living through frightening times of tyranny. Yet; as I look around in this month of Kislev; I also see God is helping us to survive. Actaually, God is helping us even to thrive in spite of our enemy’s plans.
Like in the days of Joshua in the battle of Jericho; God is providing miracles. Our Father is constantly sending the right people to fight for us. Even as trouble comes both from the right and the left; God is providing the global defense that is needed for us to maintain until Christ comes again.
I highly recommend that you begin to notice the amazing patterns of this time as you go through year-after-year of your own life. We can see the global patterns, the local patterns and the individual patterns. God is never sleeping. He is ever vigilant to keep His people in the palm of his hand.
In this month of Kislev I pray that you see and experience more unexpected miracles than you have seen in the months past.
I ask that you continue to hold on to God, and that you realize Kislav is a month of great miracles from God.
A MONTH OF GREAT MIRACLES
Kislev is full of signs from God.
They are all around each of us! If only Christians of today could open their eyes to notice them.
One sign for Noah and his family was the rainbow that God put in the sky to remind us that we have sinned; but God has promised to keep his Covenant and not destroy us for our sins. We have been given grace through the precious covering of Jesus that reigns over the doorposts of our hearts.
The family of Noah had the blessing of this great sign from God.
The True Church is still thriving in the period of an abundant time of grace. The doors to our salvation have not closed on our people. Pray that all will enter in during this time of grace and miracles.
A TIME FOR BEING THANKFUL FOR OUR BLESSINGS
Noah and his family were very grateful and thankful for God’s blessings to them.
This period of gratitude we call Thanksgiving which occurs during the month of Kislev on the Jewish calendar just naturally coincides with the secular month of November.
During this time period, we are all celebrating Thanksgiving in America. This year, of all years; we should be giving thanks that we serve a covenant-keeping God. We can know that if we follow His ways; He will always be there and provide for us.
Maybe you have heard that shortages may be coming and food supplies may not be there anymore. Perhaps you have made yourself ready and like Joseph have stored things away. Even if you have not done so, but have simply put your trust in God Almighty for your provision; know that He is for you and He will show you how to live abundantly in spite of the conditions of this world.
Noah’s survival of the flood was just one miracle we remember in this month. The rainbow was just one sign. There are so many more which we could name.
ANOTHER GREAT SIGN IN THIS MONTH
Kislev was also the timing for God’s Great Miracle of Light which lit the Temple at Hanukkah.
The Greeks had been miraculously defeated by the Maccabees. It was the very first great miracle of Hanukkah. God’s Temple was then thoroughly cleansed and purged from the idolatry and desecration which Antiochus IV brought into the sanctuary.
After a total cleansing; God’s people once again worshiped God in His Sanctuary. The worship went on for eight days straight. There was only enough oil to light the Menorah for one day; but God allowed that oil to last all eight days!
The oil lasting for eight day was yet another great miracle that happened during the month of Kislev.
This too was another great sign from Heaven. When we need for God to provide for us during modern times, He will.
THE LIGHT OF HOPE
In all of these dark days and times; we can see God bringing the light of hope unto his people.
In today’s present world many have traveled through a time of much demonic oppression. Satan and his demons know that their days are numbered. They have been trying to bring us back to the the same sins of the people of Egypt when they worshipped false and fake gods in the past.
But; God’s truest prophets have been speaking out loud and clear. They have been busy and faithful leading the people away from spiritual oppression which many controlled by the demonic would like to use to wreak havoc on this earth.
As born-again children of God, we must keep praying and trust God to reverse this trend. Ask God to contain this evil and turn our present state back into a place of godliness and obedience to His commandments. Kislev brings us into the time of hope; a time that will help us to walk through the darkness and into the light again.
A MONTH WHERE DARK TURNS TO LIGHT
This month is the darkest month of the year, with the sun shining fewer and fewer hours each day. The month is not known for its light; yet God sends us ways to see through the darkness. He provides ways for His people when there doesn’t seem to be a way.
Thanksgiving and Hannukah are events where we can gather to show God our thanks and adoration. During this month we must make every effort to let Him know how much we depend on the strength and wisdom we draw from Heaven.
Kislev is a month where darkness turns to light.
It is a month of struggles which unexpectedly turn into blessings.
Kislev is a time of recognizing our God and giving thanks and gratitude to Him for how He is the One who reverses every curse and turns those curses into blessings for those who follow Him.
KEEPING SACRED TIME
The Hebrews use many calendars each year. They use certain calendars for certain subjects (agriculture, government, civil things and sacred times.) For the most part we can narrow this down to a sacred calendar and a civil calendar. The same months and days are used for each calendar; they just start and end on different times.
Kislev is the third month of the sacred calendar; and the ninth month of the civil calendar.
The Hebraic, sacred year always portrays the things of Messiah to us. Of course; many of the Jewish people following this calendar haven’t seen that far yet.
Christians following the Hebraic calendar (which God gave to His people long ago) would associate these things with Jesus Christ; who we believe is our Messiah. Many of the Old Testament symbolism of the ancient calendars relate also to the New Testament Gospel when you take the time and make the effort to take a closer look.
THE GREATEST MIRACLE OF KISLEV
A few of us Christians have come to believe that Jesus was born to Mary during the time which we celebrate in the Fall of the year, called The Feast of Tabernacles.
After the time of the original birth of Jesus; we know by this month of Kislev, the baby child who was laid in the feeding trough of the animals would now be about three or four months old.
Yet; If we were in the year BEFORE his birth (the time of waiting for our King to come to earth) we would know that the tiny seed/embryo would have been planted inside Mary’s womb. It happened during this month of Kislev.
This greatest miracle of all; the Conception of Christ, probably happened originally on the darkest, shortest day of the year.
The winter might have been very hard that year.
Darkness must have lingered long.
But the sign from God was an angel named Gabriel. The gift from Heaven was the seed of God coming together with the seed of David to bring us a King/Messiah.
This is one of the greatest secrets hiding inside of the month of Kislev.
Now the world knows the story.
The Light of The World has come to us and now we can see!
As you travel through the month of Kislev; may all of your darkness turn into light. May the new birth you have experienced from knowing Messiah bloom and blossom and grow. Allow God to turn it into a beautiful and robust time of health and fruitfulness. Let Him carry you through the year with confidence and grace.
God is for us!
Kislev is the month to look for miracles.
Open your eyes and look up!