The biblical month of Adar is the twelfth month in the biblical calendar. It is the month of ‘the glorious presence of God in the dark cloud’ because the word ‘Adar’ means ‘glorious, darkness, cloud’.

 

Adar is the month that is aligned with Naphtali who was the sixth son of Jacob and the second son of Rachel’s maid Bilha, whose name means ‘timidity, modesty’.
Naphtali means ‘My battle’.

 

In a Biblical leap year, also called a ‘pregnant year’, the ‘additional’ month Adar I – Aleph is added to the regular month Adar, so that the regular month shifts to the second place and is called Adar II – Beth.

 

If we put together the letters of the two months within the time period of Adar, we get the Hebrew word ‘Ab’, which means ‘father’.

 

Thus, this ‘pregnant year’ reveals a special dimension of the Father who wants to bring forth His promise for us and to restore it where it has been lost.

 

The reason for this addition of a whole month in a leap year is that the biblical calendar is a ‘lunar calendar’. This means that the biblical calendar is based on the lunar year and is therefore about eleven days shorter than the ‘solar year’, which means that the biblical leap year helps to compensate for the shortened days every three years.

 

God, as Creator of the earth and the whole universe, has determined to connect the biblical feasts with the planets of the firmament (cf. Genesis 1:14-19), which means for us that the feasts fall in the corresponding seasons. Passover is celebrated in the spring, Shavuot in the summer, and Sukkot in the fall, so Adar II was added to secure the feasts in the proper time frame in the future.

 

Genesis 1:14-19:
14 And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so.
16 God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening, and there was morning – the fourth day.

 

Through this explanation, we can also see that the time frame of Adar I is the period of adjustment and correction in which an incurred loss is compensated to generate growth that continues into the future.

 

 

Naphtali is the sixth son of Jacob and is a doe or female deer that operates in acceleration and has a communication of splendor (cf. Genesis 49:21).

 

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he gives goodly words.

 

It means that Naphtali brings forth words of beauty in order to unlock the locked realities of Heaven. The locked realities of Heaven are like the dark cloud that surrounds God. It is the darkness that protects the hidden things of God from the unholy.

 

Naphtali’s beautiful speech is capable to change atmospheres and he understands as well the principle of God’s justice (cf. Deuteronomy 27:13).

 

Deuteronomy 27:13:
13 And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.

 

A curse from God is a prophecy of the realities that are present at the moment and how they will manifest themselves destructively in the future.

 

Naphtali is a female principle – bride of Christ who operates in her God given authority through Jesus Christ.

 

A doe can get out of ‘traps’ as ‘thick shrubbery’ by leaping which is a kind of floating into a higher dimension (cf. Psalm 18:33; Habakkuk 3:19).

 

Psalm 18:33:
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.

 

Habakkuk 3:19:
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

 

This principle shows that Naphtali in his nature is capable to operate multi-dimensional. Naphtali is pregnant in his heart mind with the possibility of God by favor (Note: God’s word) in order to manifest it on earth (cf. Genesis 49:21 i.c.w. Luke 6:45a.c).

 

Genesis 49:21 (Blessing of Naphtali by Jacob):
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he gives goodly words.

 

Luke 6:45a.c:
45a A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart,… 45c For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

 

This reveals that his speech is the vehicle in order to bring the non-existent into existence.

 

In all the births of the sons of Jacob, we can read about their mothers’ conversations with themselves according to their personal circumstances, which led to the identity of their sons, but with one exception, namely Benjamin.

 

Only with Benjamin the instruction of the father changed the identity of the son, which was given by the self-talk of his mother Rachel (cf. Genesis 35:18).

 

Genesis 35:18:
18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

 

As mentioned before the dimension of Naphtali includes to move on the heights of God and to speak beautiful words as well being equipped with favor and blessing.

Furthermore Naphtali is called to posses the west (back) and the south (right) (cf. Deuteronomy 33:23; Habakkuk 3:19).

 

Deuteronomy 33:23 (Blessing of Naphtali by Moses):
23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess the west and the south.

 

Habakkuk 3:19:
19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

 

 

In accordance to God’s word, the Lord appeared to Moses on mount Sinai in ‘a dark and thick cloud’ that is in Hebrew (‘Ab’) described as ‘a dark cloud, a threshold or stairs on which a person is going to a portal’ (cf. Exodus 19:9.16-20).

 

Exodus 19:9.16-20:
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. …
16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.
20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

 

The dark cloud represents in this context the spirit of the fear of the Lord which leads to the beginning of wisdom (cf. Psalm 111:10).

 

Psalm 111:10:
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endures for ever.

 

The spirit of the fear of the Lord is linked to the color purple and the number ‘7’ (cf. Isaiah 11:2).

 

Isaiah 11:2:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; …

 

The color purple as well the number ‘7’ are the signs for the accomplished priesthood and kingship of Jesus Christ in that we are called to live in (cf. Revelation 1:5; Revelation 5:10; 1 Peter 2:9).

 

Revelation 1:5:
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, …

 

Revelation 5:10:
“… 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

 

1 Peter 2:9:
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

 

The spirit of the fear of the Lord is the influence of God that brings us into accountability for position.

 

The fear of the Lord does not mean to be frightened in any way, but rather to have an understanding of the reverence, the wonders, the majesty, the power, and the dominion of God in life.

 

The Spirit of the Lord’s fear contains all that God encompasses. It instructs us about the areas of holiness, intimacy, worship, reverence and justice.

 

Furthermore, the Spirit of the fear of the Lord teaches us how to gain access and bring divine order and its application towards the world around us (cf. Proverbs 22:4).

 

Proverbs 22:4:
4 Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honour and life.

 

The good, beautiful speech of Naphtali means for us today that we should be ready to receive the ‘glistening words’ of God through our intimate relationship with Him in the dark cloud. By doing so, we are able to transmit God’s wisdom and goodness to those around us.

 

The Hebrew word for ‘goodly’ is ‘shepher’ and is derived from the Hebrew root word ‘shâphar’ which means ‘to glisten’.

 

 

The land of Naphtali in link with the land of Zebulun are the recipients and carriers of the manifested light of Jesus as Messiah (cf. Matthew 4:13-16).

 

Matthew 4:13-16:
13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali – 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – 16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

 

Naphtali is the light principle of the end as he is the last tribe of the last unit of the tribes of Israel to direct to the new beginning of eternal life in resurrection power (Note: Zebulun – third tribe of the first unit of the tribes of Israel) in accordance to Revelation 21:6.

Revelation 21:6:
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

 

 

The biblical month of Adar is linked to the feast of Purim, the word ‘Pur’ means ‘lot’, where Haman the adversary of the people of Israel tried to destroy the Israelites by casting ‘the lot of time’. The ‘pur – lot’ fell on the 13’th of Adar (cf. Esther 3:7), but God rescued them through His intervention by the wisdom of Esther so that Haman and his family got judged and died.

 

Esther 3:7:
7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

 

This means for us today, that the month of Adar and Purim is a sign that we should break decrees which are set against us in order to secure the generations (cf. Esther 9:21-28).

 

Esther 9:21-28:
… 21 that they should celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar
22 as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote to them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23 So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them.
24 For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction.
25 But when the plot came to the king’s attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back on to his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles.
26 (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them,
27 the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed.
28 These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews – nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.

 

The lot of God as the guidance of the Holy Spirit is falling in this season on the ‘tail’, because it is the month of Adar that finishes the holy year within the cycle of redemption to come in sync with the cycle of blessing (cf. Psalm 16:6; Proverbs 16:33).

 

Psalm 16:6:
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

 

Proverbs 16:33:
33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

 

The time frame connected with the tribe of Naphtali points to the moment when God’s people come to their fullness, moving towards the perfection of the capacity to produce. It is the time when the righteous, those who are in God, begin to move in the dimension of their perfection through Jesus Christ (cf. Colossians 1:28)

 

Colossians 1:28:
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully (Note: perfect) mature in Christ.

 

The potential that resides in a believer in Christ will begin to manifest and move beyond the material into the actual spiritual.

 

 

Naphtali is aligned with the tribes of Dan and Asher who belong to the last and fourth unit of the tribes of Israel. They are called ‘the rear guard’ and are placed in the north (see Numbers 2:25-31).

 

Asher (means ‘blessedness’) and Naphtali (means ‘my battle’) belong to the camp of Dan (means ‘judge’; cf. Numbers 2:25-31; Numbers 10:25-28). Dan is the leading tribe of this alignment.

 

These three tribes establish ‘the tail’ of the tribes of Israel and could also be viewed as the ‘last three stairs’ in the time cycle of God within the year cycle of redemption.

 

Thus the time frame of Naphtali is a time that operates like a ‘ladder’ in order to bring angelic movements and connect distances and time because the tribe of Naphtali is linked to the 12’th biblical month within the cycle of redemption.

 

Naphtali is the fruit of his mother’s wrestling that opened a new realm of heaven.

 

This means involving God in faith to the point where we release our capacities into the greater manifestation of His favor. Through this, we enter into the provision of heaven, which means creating an atmosphere that can come into existence and manifest triumph on earth.

 

Behind the calling of Naphtali, namely to take possession of the west and south, lies also a mystery of God.

 

 

The west is in a biblical context linked to the ‘back side’, because the east in a biblical context is connected to the front.

 

The west indicates a phase of time coming to an end and at the same time prepares the new beginning, the sunset as the beginning of the new day.

 

The face of the eagle of the four living creatures of God is linked to the west because it is at last mentioned in Ezekiel 1:10. The faces of the four living creatures of God are in the book of Ezekiel connected to direction in contrast to the book of Revelation where the beings are connected to position (cf. Revelation 4:7).

 

Ezekiel 1:10:
10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being (front-east), and on the right side each had the face of a lion (south), and on the left the face of an ox (north); each also had the face of an eagle (back-west).

 

Revelation 4:7:
7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.

 

The direction of the faces of the four living creatures of God in the book of Ezekiel are calling us to expect a time of God’s visitation in the midst of challenge whereby the position of the four living creatures of God in the book of Revelation gives us a new understanding about the ‘hierarchy’ and government of God.

 

It is the eagle that is linked to the spirit of the wisdom of God and the spirit of the knowledge of God.

 

The west is as well connected to the blessings of God and to the teaching about the mysteries of God (cf. Luke 12:54; Deuteronomy 32:2).

 

Luke 12:54:
54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.

 

Deuteronomy 32:2:
2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

 

 

The south is in a biblical context linked to the ‘right side’, because the east is connected to the front.

 

The south directs to the presence of great light and heat which is connected to drawing near to God (cf. Song of Songs 4:16).

 

Song of Songs 4:16:
16 Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread everywhere. Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.

 

It is about the illumination of God as ‘The sun stands in the south at its highest point.’ and His holiness and victory over the enemy through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ at the cross (cf. Job 37:17; Luke 12:55; Psalm 118:15-16; Exodus 15:6.12).

 

Job 37:17:
17 You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind, …

 

Luke 12:55:
55 And when the south wind blows, you say, “It’s going to be hot,” and it is.

 

Psalm 118:15-16:
15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: ‘The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!’

 

Exodus 15:6.12:
6 Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy. …
12 ‘You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies.

 

The face of the lion of the four living creatures of God is connected with the south because it is mentioned in Ezekiel 1:10 with the right side. The lion of the four living creatures is linked to the spirit of the Lord and the spirit of the fear of God.

 

 

The biblical month of Adar is the time frame where we should find our identity and supply in the invisible world like the disciples as they threw on the command of Jesus their net out and caught a large number of fish.

 

This large number of the catch of fish was ‘153’. The number ‘153’ is the numeric value of the Hebrew term for ‘sons of God’ (cf. John 21:5-6.11).

 

John 21:5-6.11:
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. …
… 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

 

In Matthew 17:27 Jesus commands Peter to throw the line of his fishing rod into the lake and tells him, that the first fish which he will catch has a four-drachma coin in its mouth to reduce the tax burden for Jesus and him.

 

Matthew 17:27:
27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

 

The ‘first fish’ is linked to ‘the power/might of God’ because the number ‘1’ is related to the Hebrew letter ‘Aleph’. It is as well the letter of the ‘Father’.

 

If we put the supernatural relationship with the Father first, He will bring release into our personal financial system of supply (cf. Luke 12:31).

 

Luke 12:31:
31 But seek his kingdom, and these things (provision) will be given to you as well.

 

The apostle Paul writes to the Colossians to be united in love which is the love of the ‘hidden world’ – the first love of God to be enabled ‘to have the full riches of complete understanding in order that we may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.’ (cf. Colossians 2:2-3)

 

Colossians 2:2-3:
2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

 

Through this ‘hidden love’ we get access to the mysteries of Christ.

 

 

The supply of the ‘hidden world’ as the supernatural realm of Heaven can only be released in our lives if we set the eyes of our heart on the things above where Christ is and reigns as King of Kings who is seated at the right hand of God.

 

This is the battled area where we can better and fully understand what it really means to be hidden with Christ in the Father. With that kind of understanding we have the possibility to enter into a greater realm of His glory (cf. Colossians 3:1-4 i.c.w. Hebrews 11:6).

 

Colossians 3:1-4:
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

 

Hebrews 11:6:
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

 

In Adar, this entry into a greater dimension of God’s glory is accompanied by the conclusion and sincere termination of a period of time, which requires our courage to take a ‘leap’. It is necessary to overcome existing obstacles in the royal favor, which is opened to us only in humility and advances God’s Kingdom in its expansion on earth (cf. Proverbs 22:11).

 

Proverbs 22:11:
11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

In Genesis 28:10-11 it says that Jacob was on his way from Beersheba to Harran, where he arrived at a certain place at sunset, the end of the day. At this place he decided to spend the night and took a certain stone from many stones to serve as his pillow.

 

Genesis 28:10-11:
10 Jacob left Beersheba (Note: ‘well of the oath’ or well of the ‘seven’) and set out for Harran (Note: ‘way, street, crossroad’).
11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.

 

While Jacob was lying on the ground of the place of the city of ‘Luz’ and the stone he had chosen with his head, he received a dream. In this dream he saw a ladder unfolding upwards from the ‘earth realm’ into the realm of the heavens, so that the top of the ladder was reaching into the sky.

 

At this he saw the angels of God ascending and descending it while the LORD, who is YAHWEH was standing above the top of the ladder, speaking to Jacob and blessing him (cf. Genesis 28:12-15).

 

Genesis 28:12-15:
12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.
14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

 

 

In the context of the visitation, it is clear that Jacob moved forward with the power of the oath of his forefather Abraham, which is associated with the number ‘7’. Abraham dug a well in Beersheba and used seven lambs as a sign of proof of its discovery to king Abimelek, so the well was named by Abraham ‘Beersheba – well of the seven’ or ‘well of the oath’ (cf. Genesis 21:28-32a).

 

Genesis 21:28-32a:
28 Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29 and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”
30 He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.”
31 So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there.
32 After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, ...

 

Thus, Jacob made his way to Harran in the ‘power of the oath’ or ‘seven’ in the structure of the Lamb. Based on Revelation 5:6, we know that the Lamb of God has seven eyes and seven horns and stands before the throne of God.

 

Revelation 5:6:
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

In a prophetic context, lambs can be, among other things, a sign of Jesus Christ revealing Himself in His kingdom reign, which is accompanied by triumph.

It may sound unusual to some but the Lamb of God is full of the attributes of revelation.

These attributes of the Lamb of God are as following:

 

It is so important that we accompany the Lamb of God and stay under the lamp of God’s kingship. The lamp of the kingship is the light of the Lamb. It is the light of renewal that we need in order to go forward in a new structure of the LORD.

 

Furthermore, the structure of the Lamb of God encompasses Jesus’ temporary time on earth and His victory over sin, death and the devil (cf. Colossians 2:12-15).

 

Colossians 2:12-15:
… 12 having been buried with him (Note: Jesus Christ) in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

 

 

It is no coincidence that Jacob moved and walked in the way of decision (Note: Harran) with the power of the Lamb related to the promise of his grandfather Abraham.

It is Jesus Christ who is the way to the Father, the truth and the life (cf. John 14:6).

 

John 14:6:
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. …”

 

When we walk in the way of truth and life, which is Jesus Christ, and choose the way that the Holy Spirit wants to lead in this time, it results in a new dimension of God’s visitation giving us a greater understanding of the portal of the biblical times.

For this, it is necessary that we close an old phase of time and allow the Spirit of Truth to lead us into a new phase of time.

 

This principle is revealed by Jacob, as mentioned earlier, as he was lying down at sunset in the region of the city of ‘Luz’ which means ‘almond tree’. The sunset in the region of the ‘almond tree’ as well as the lying down is an indication that a temporary personal time was completed and the LORD focused on the ‘lunar time’. This ‘lunar time’ is associated with the moon and the stars, which announce His months and feast seasons (cf. Genesis 1:14-19).

 

Genesis 1:14-19:
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.
16 God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening, and there was morning – the fourth day.

 

The position of the sun is associated with the period of the hour and the moon with the period of the month. The stars in their orbits set by God indicate, among other things, the seasons and point to the potential of the promise. From this we can assume that it is the dimension of God’s long suffering and goodness, since a month carries more time than the period of an hour (cf. Genesis 15:5 i.c.w. 2 Peter 3:9).

 

Genesis 15:5:
5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

 

2 Peter 3:9:
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

 

Jacob’s settlement in the region of ‘Luz’ exposed the setting up of a ladder that extended from the ground with its top into the heaven or heavens.
A ladder is composed of two poles in which rungs are fitted.

 

Since the ladder was established in the region of ‘Luz’ linked to an ‘almond tree’ and the blossoms of the almond tree announce the spring season in Israel, it shows that the LORD opened a new time. And this new time was accompanied by His presence, His house as well as the open portal of heaven (cf. Genesis 28:16-17).

 

Genesis 28:16-17:
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

 

It is the LORD who watches over His time and the promise of His word, which is evident from the additional Hebrew word for ‘almond tree – šāqēd’ as being similar to the word for ‘to be watchful – šāqad’ (cf. Jeremiah 1:11-12).

 

Jeremiah 1:11-12:
11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”

 

It was God who was at the top of the ladder, and we need to know that the top in Hebrew is ‘rō'š’ and in a biblical term is associated with the beginning of the month or of a year (Note: Rosh Chodesh, Rosh ha-Shana). This means that in a prophetic context a new phase of time was established, which had to go together with an exchange of angelic powers.

Here, the two spars of the ladder can be seen as the two cycles of God’s time as the cycle of blessing which begins with the month of Abib/Nisan and the cycle of redemption which begins with the month of Tishri/Ethanim. So the rungs on which the angels ascended and descended can be seen as the respective biblical months connected with the tribes of Israel from the sons of Jacob. Furthermore, Revelation 21:12 states that the gates of the tribes of Israel are assigned to an angel.

 

Revelation 21:12:
12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

Thus, it reveals to us that the angels of God are assigned to the tribes of Israel and move in the God-assigned dimension of time. Since time is not literally touchable and God, the Heavenly Father is Spirit (cf. John 4:24), it also shows that the setting up of the ladder in ‘Luz’ was related to a spiritual dimension of time.

 

 

God met Jacob in the plural as what we call the Trinity (Note: God the Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and in the singular, revealing Himself as ‘’ằlōhîm’ which is plural, and also as ‘YAHWEH’ which is singular, representative of the Father.

 

It should be noted here that the ladder in Jacob’s dream extended from the realm of the singular to the realm of the plural, which is evident from the Hebrew words for earth which is ‘äräẓ and singular and heaven which is ‘šāmajim and plural.

 

So God met Jacob as YAHWEH (Note: singular) at the top of the ladder in the realm of the fullness of heaven (Note: plural), while Jacob slept on the ground in the earth realm (Note: singular).

 

Here the angels of God first moved from the realm of the singular (Note: earth – ‘äräẓ), so that the angels from the realm of the plural (Note: heaven – ‘šāmajim) came to Jacob in the earth realm.

 

Genesis 28:12 states that first the angels of God ascended and others descended. The reason for this exchange of angels was that Jacob was in a time of transition, namely from the land of promise (Note: Beersheba) to the land of ‘pioneers’. This time of transition was in order to prepare the field for the future generations that would later be blessed through him (cf. Genesis 28:14-15).

 

Genesis 28:14-15:
14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

 

The angels of God who were appointed to the land of promise ascended and the angels who were appointed to the pioneering phase by God descended.

The pioneering angels are angelic powers that help us as God’s people to obtain success in the earth realm to manage the natural things in our new walk with God so that we can reveal the visible breakthroughs of God before men.

 

There are angels who are exclusively ordained by God to cooperate in the spiritual realm and there are angels who are ordained by God to assist us in the natural realm, as it is written in Hebrews 13:2.

 

Hebrews 13:2:
2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

 

Jacob’s dream resulted in Jacob recognizing the presence of God, His house, and access into the heavens of God, so that the stone he used for himself as a pillow now became an anointed stone, as he set it up as a pillar of stone and poured oil on it.

 

In this context, he gave the place a new name, changing it from an almond tree ‘Luz’ to the house of God ‘Bethel’ (Genesis 28:18-19).

 

Genesis 28:18-19:
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.
19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

 

This clearly reveals that the place where Jacob stayed overnight was transformed. Here the place changed from the character of a single tree (Note: Luz) to the character of a house. The house (Note: Bethel) points to the fellowship of saints in the provision and presence of God (Note: in the form of ‘’ēl šaddaj’) (cf. John 14:2).

 

John 14:2:
2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

 

 

It is no coincidence that Nathanael, according to the Gospel of John, as the fourth called disciple of Jesus, was also associated with the region of a tree, which was a fig tree.

The name ‘Nathanael’ means ‘God has given.’ And the number ‘4’ is connected to the Hebrew letter ‘Daleth’, which in turn is connected to an ‘open tent entrance’ or an ‘opened wing of a door’. This numerical value was already a reference to the open portal of heaven of which Jesus later spoke to Nathanael, in that he and the people of Israel would see the angels of God ascending and descending above the Son of Man, much as Jacob experienced (cf. John 1:50-51).

 

John 1:50-51:
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”
51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

 

According to His word of knowledge Jesus saw Nathanael sitting beneath a fig tree (cf. John 1:48).

 

John 1:48:
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

 

The fig tree is a representation for the people of Israel and is one of the most important fruit trees in Israel. Moreover, it bears fruit three times a year, at the God appointed times of the biblical feasts which are Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot (cf. Exodus 23:14-17), although the figs are inedible in the spring and a reference to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ at the Passover time.

 

It is no coincidence that the fig tree is indirectly mentioned by name in the creation account (cf. Genesis 3:7-8).

 

Genesis 3:7-8:
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

 

We may assume that after the fall Adam and Eve stood close to the fig tree or even beneath it, because they used its leaves to cover their nakedness or to even hide behind it from God. The Lord said, Adam and Eve were allowed to eat from all the trees in the garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which was located in the center of the garden (cf. Genesis 2:9.16-17).

 

Genesis 2:9.16-17:
9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. …
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

 

Hence we can see that God set apart the fig tree from the other trees in the garden or rather, He emphasized it so that it received the place of a chosen tree, as it was located in the center of the garden.

 

In a similar way God chose His people Israel and their capital Jerusalem from among all the peoples on earth as His special possession and placed them in the center of the peoples on the earth (cf. Deuteronomy 7:6-7 i.c.w. Ezekiel 5:5).

 

Deuteronomy 7:6-7:
6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.

 

Ezekiel 5:5:
5 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.

 

The fig tree became a test for Adam and Eve to submit to God’s instruction in order to live in a pure relationship with God or, on the other hand, to oppose His instruction and be removed from the relationship in direct closeness of God.

 

This explanation reveals that God challenges us, mankind, as we have to decide whether we are for His chosen people (Note: Israel) or against them.

 

 

Looking at the place where Nathanael sat beneath the fig tree, his name and his position as the fourth disciple called by Jesus, we can see that he functioned in his spiritual position of authority and that he had a spiritual understanding of Israel’s position and its capital Jerusalem.

 

As God is spirit and as Nathanael’s identity means ‘given by God’, we recognize that Nathanael knew his place of authority in the spirit (cf. John 4:24a).

 

John 4:24a:
24a God is spirit, …

 

Nathanael also had a territorial understanding of the position of regions or cities in the spiritual realm. We can see this when we look at the answer he gave Philip by telling him that normally nothing good can be expected from Nazareth, because its inhabitants had only little faith for the Messiah, as was confirmed later (cf. John 1:45-46 i.c.w. Matthew 13:58).

 

John 1:45-46:
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

 

Matthew 13:58:
58 And he (Note: Jesus) did not do many miracles there (Note: Nazareth) because of their lack of faith.

 

Nathanael had a humble, earnest heart and was willing to submit to the instruction of the revelatory truth given to him by Philip despite his knowledge about Nazareth; so Nathanael left his place beneath the fig tree and entered into the presence of the son of God (cf. John 1:47-48).

 

John 1:47-48:
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

 

There is a deeper revelation when Jesus while speaking to Nathanael mentioned the fig tree in connection with calling him a true Israelite, because the fig tree is a symbol for the people of Israel.

Because Jesus had spoken a word of knowledge, Nathanael sensed the authority of Jesus Christ in the realm of the spirit by acknowledging Jesus as Rabbi (Note: complete authority in the word of God), Son of God (Note: complete authority in the true relationship with God, the Father) and King of Israel (Note: complete governmental authority; cf. John 1:49).

 

John 1:49:
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

 

 

Because of Nathanael’s faith and his knowledge, Jesus Christ granted him the right to see greater things which were connected to the exchange of angelic powers in the regions by the presence of Jesus (cf. John 1:50-51).

 

John 1:50-51:
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”
51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

 

Looking at John 1:50-51, we see clearly that all believers in Christ who identify themselves with the divine choice of the people of Israel and the knowledge of the Son of God, will begin to see the heavens open and the angels moving up and down in the presence of Jesus.

 

The reason for this we find in Zechariah 2:8b, where it states that Israel holds the position of the apple of God’s eye with Jerusalem as its pupil; as Christians coming from the Gentiles, it enables us to view our life and environment with enlightened eyes in order to advance with confidence into our future with Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 2,8b:
… 8b for whoever touches you (Note: Israel) touches the apple of his eye – …

 

 

The ascending and descending of the angels of God over Jesus Christ reveal the exchange of angelic powers which is similar to the exchange of angels at the time of Jacob, when he was in a time of transition and received a promise from God (cf. Genesis 28:12-15).

 

Genesis 28:12-15:
12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.
14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

 

The ascending and descending of the angels over Jesus Christ is an indication for the high movement of the angels from God’s throne room, and they are assigned to carry His secrets in the shape of scrolls in order to reveal them for this time. These secrets can only be received by those who identify themselves with Israel as God’s chosen people and are aware of the significance in the realm of the spirit and who have truly submitted to Jesus Christ as head. Moreover, this supernatural ascend and descend is related to the increase in knowledge of the glory of the LORD (cf. Habakkuk 2:14).

 

Habakkuk 2:14:
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

 

In summary, we learn from the walk of the disciple Nathanael the principle of spiritual identification, because we need a spiritual as well as a higher perspective, so we can keep our focus on the Almighty in times of aberration and confusion among the nations.

 

Only God’s choice, grace and sovereignty as Father creates the movement of the Spirit through the Son in the people of God; this in turn enables the body of Christ to have access to the glory of the LORD according to Isaiah 60. And this glory movement gives birth to the true bridal structure of the heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Isaiah 60:1-2 i.c.w. Revelation 21:2.9-14).

 

Isaiah 60:1-2:
1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

 

Revelation 21:2.9-14:
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. …
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

 

Let’s be willing to enter the new time the Lord has prepared and let go of the things which have had to end as the promises given by God are not only for us, but for the securing of the generations.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm