Dates of Elul in Scripture
Start of Temple Re-building and the Finishing the Wall that set apart Jerusalem
Haggai 1v 14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Yeshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked at the house of Jehovah of hosts, their God, (15) In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, (ELUL) in the second year of Darius the king. Temple rebuilding started in Elul.
That same worship echoed in Jerusalem after the sanctification and the setting apart of Jerusalem was completed in the month of Elul. As we read in Nehemiah, “The wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul (sixth month) after fifty-two days. It happened that when all our enemies heard this, and all the nations around us saw, they fell greatly in their own eyes, for they realized that this work was accomplished by our G-d.” (Nehemiah 6:15-16)
It was a time of desiring truth (8:1) Ne 8:1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses.
It was a time of separation (9:2) Ne 9:2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers
It was a time of true worship (9:3) Ne 9:3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshiped Jehovah their God.
Those are the reforms that will come to the people called “Christian” who are by His name according to His purpose.
There is a month of E.L.U.L still coming – one last Great Revival – for the first fruits. A people reconciled to their God called to fellowship and to again sing a song of Moses. The king is still in the field but a short time.
So let us look if we can see any Repentance and Revivals marking the Month of Elul in history.
Luther nailed his 95 thesis to Wittenberg in 1517 and in 1520 published “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church.” In January 1521 he was ex-communicated by the Pope and in April 16th 1521, he faced the Diet of Worms, which forever split him from Rome.
210 (3 x 70) years went by…
August 13th 1727 Moravians and by 1730 in the USA – The one I discussed in detail two months ago under UNITY is the Moravian Revival which started the First Great Awakening (1730’s and 1740’s) . The Holy Spirit filled a prayer meeting of 300 and started a worldwide revival that influenced the Wesley’s. The revival spilled on the shores of the USA in 1730 under the preaching of Whitefield and Edwards. This swept the North East of the USA.
70 years went by….
August 1831 – Second Great Awakening (1830’s to 1850’s) Church membership in 1800 Kentucky was only five percent of the population and on the frontier; immoral activities appeared nearly as rampant as they do today. Ministers of the day lamented the profaning of the Sabbath, prevalence of vulgarity in speech and action, rampant fraud, drunkenness, gambling, lewdness, and an overall disinterest in spiritual matters. Travelers began arriving on Friday, August 6, 1801 amidst a downpour of rain. About 12,000 persons, 125 wagons, 8 carriages, 900 communicants. Patterson writes, “suppose so large a congregation assembled in the woods, ministers preaching day and night; the camp illuminated with candles, on trees, at wagons, and at the tents….. August 1801 – Cane Ridge Revival that transformed the frontier and created what we call the Bible Belt. Between 1800 and 1803, the Kentucky Baptists gained nearly 10,000 new members while the Methodists reached more than 6,000 in just two years. This swept the South and West of the USA. (Hint…. the NW has not yet been touched by historical revival)
210 (3×70) years went by …
Now it has been another 210 years…… (3×70) ….or 490 (7×70) years since Luther to 2010. The 1st Great Awakening prepared a nation for the Revolutionary war the 2nd Great Awakening prepared us for the Civil War…..There is one more Great move of God left to prepare a remnant for the future numbers of our dead.
So the design looks like this:
- (A) 1520’s – Luther – Babylonian captivity of the church…
210 years
- (b)1730’s – 1st Great Awakening
70 Years
- (b)1800’s – 2nd Great Awakening
210 years
- (A) 2010’s It has been 490 (70×7) years since Luther. Time to restore all things.
A-b-b-A Design
Worldwide Move of God was followed by two minor moves and now a Worldwide Move is due….
It has been 490 years since Luther wrote The Babylonian Captivity of the Church and was ex-communicated in 1521. Like an Ezra who took 49,700 out of Babylon, Luther led a remnant out of Rome. He planted an altar of Grace, and “Saved by Faith” in the Sacrifice of Yeshua as the only altar, with baptism and communion our only sacraments.
Luther was anti-Semitic so we inherited his flaws:
1) Replacement Theology (Church replaces Israel) denies Romans 9-11. This leads to bad Eschatology for Yeshua never fulfills the promises made to Abraham and never sits on David’s throne and His Kingdom is never established on this earth. Rome is left to rule the earth.
2) Use and validity of Law as done away with. Leads to Anti-nomianism.
3) Sabbath and the Holy Days of God or Prophetic Feasts of the Lord are still a mystery to the Reformed church at large.
The Reformation cried “Solo Scriptura” but Rome laughs as we continue to observe changes they made. Our obedience to their changes of scripture is proof we acknowledge their authority to change scripture and the clear teachings of God. The altar Luther built has stood now for 490 years as an incomplete work. As in Ezra’s day the altar stood alone. It was built on a foundation of the old but work was stopped after two years.
It was another August, another month of Elul, that the word of the Lord came to Haggai. It is time to finish the house. It is time to restore all things. We need to look past the changes of Constantine in 325. A.D. and restore the faith taught and practiced by the Apostles with only “Solo Scriptura” for our guide.
Haggai 1v 2 – These are the words of the Lord of armies: This people say, the time has not come for building the Lord’s house.
Let us not be “This people” but may He call us “My People”… Let us return to the Lord with the prayers of Ps 27 and Ps 51 during the month of August (Elul)
Ps 27:4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.
David said I live in Cedar and God dwells in a tent. His heart was right. Do you live 24 hours a day for you and God gets 10 minutes of sleepy prayer time?
God has judged our McMansions and all the work of our hands and found them wanting…..
Hag 1:9 You looked for much, and, lo, it came too little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. And by my order no rain came on the land or on the mountains or the grain or the wine or the oil or the produce of the earth or on men or cattle or on any work of man’s hands…
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.
The bride needs to make herself ready. Yeshua is a city of refuge all of us who through sin have His blood on our hands. God bless you in this most solemn month as we prepare for our soon coming King. Seek Him now for He is in the field.
