THE GREAT FEAST

Publication #98.106

"And the child grew, and was weaned: and ABRAHAM made A GREAT FEAST the same day that Isaac was weaned" (Gen 21:8).

There is only one other place in the scriptures where the words GREAT FEAST are used, which are translated from the Hebrew words gadowl mishteh. Mishteh means "drink; by impl. drinking (the act); also (by impl.), a banquet or (gen.) feast (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance). We find it in the passage of Esther: "And THE KING loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins (Psa 45:13-16; Song of Sol.1:3-4, 6:8-9); so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the king made A GREAT FEAST unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, ACCORDING TO THE STATE OF THE KING" (Est 2:17-18).

What love the king must have had for Esther. It took more than a whim to remove the crown from his first queen and place it upon her head, and then to make such a feast could have shown no greater honor to any person. He was so enamored by her beauty that he decreed a rest to all His kingdom while showering his people with the substance of himself (gifts according the state, or open hand of the king). Sounds like something Jesus might do, doesn't it? Indeed it does. Like Jesus, not only did he lavish her with the greatest of honor, he gave gifts from his own hand to every soul in His entire Kingdom. With Jesus, His Kingdom compasses all: "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Psa 24:1). He gave of His substance — His life — that they all would enter His rest and live.

It Is believed by more than a few that this Great Feast is the same as the feast (chag, a festival, or a victim therefor. Strong's....) of Tabernacles (cukkah, a hut or lair. Strong's....), saying, it is the one we have been anxiously awaiting over the years. This feast is a wonderful and very necessary feast; but please consider- it is a solemn feast. It is a feast designed for a victim, a feast made for an offering by fire. It is a feast to pour out the drink offering. It is not one where the people are drinking and celebrating. Tabernacles, is a feast we make, and it is unto the Lord. We give to the Lord our best, while the Great Feast is made by the Head of the household, by the king, by the Lord. In this feast, He gives to us His all!

Tabernacles is a feast that blesses the Lord rather than one that blesses the people. Although The Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration of sorts, i.e., in remembrance of being delivered from Egypt (the world) -it is a season of deprivation and living in huts. The Great Feast has to do with the head of the family (Abraham) heaping his best upon the household and all who are in attendance. When the king has a Great Feast, it reflects the same. He gives of Himself. Whether it is the head of the household making the feast due to weaning the son, or it is the result of the king's overwhelming joy and love for his bride - the feast is held on the highest order and in the most grand chambers. It is either in the man’s home, or it is in the king's palace -which are one and the same. A man's home is truly his palace, and blessings are the norm of the hour. There are no sad faces, and sacrifices are not a consideration. It's a time to celebrate with food and drink, which is unlike the feast of Tabernacles.

I, for one, believe we have been in the feast of Tabernacles for some years now, while many feel it is yet future. However, whether past, present, or whether it still awaits us, I see no reason to contend. For one thing is clear, there is A GREAT FEAST! Our Father is doing the preparing, and it is for the entire household, which includes the princes and even the servants. It is a time of great celebration, and there is not the slightest suggestion of a sacrifice. The atonement for sin is in the past, and burnt offerings and drink offerings are not a part of the Great Feast. It is a time of rejoicing; for the King has found unprecedented love and great favor in His queen.

The other cause for A GREAT FEAST is when Isaac was weaned, who typifies the Sons of God. The weaning may be painful to him for a short time; but even with this, he soon adjusts to the new diet of meat and meal and eventually wine.

Today, we are seeing, I believe, the remnant of the Body of Christ being weaned. And this prompts our Lord to prepare a great feast for His household.

Throughout the world there may be a famine of hearing the word of the Lord, as the prophet said would come (Amos 8:11). It is no mystery that they do not know what it is to feast on such a life-giving thing as the Word, and I am not talking about having a mere knowledge of the scriptures. Hearing the Word of God goes much deep than listing to someone preach and taking into our minds the letter, and then living the best way possible from what we can reason from it. There is more to it than that, much more, for that matter.

Even in the face of spiritual famine there are those who are not going hungry. Our Father has made a great feast over the years in and among many. They are eating well and drinking good wine.

Why is it, do you suppose, that some are feasting while so many are not? There are numerous answers; but one is simply that some have been weaned, and some have not been weaned. The feast is because the New Man of promise has come of age and draws no more from his mother's breast. The table has been spread, and it has been this way for quite some time.

A number of them are just now being weaned, it is a new thing for them. For others it is past event. Whichever is the case, milk can no longer satisfy.

Those new to this diet are loving it. Day by day, they are becoming more accustomed to eating strong meat and drink, and we expect it to get stronger and better for us all. It is a day that compels a great celebration. It is a day that all those in the body of the elect are weaned. As wonderful as the first principles of Christ are, not one soul is to have his life perpetually dependant on the first elements of our lives. And praise God! We are seeing that those principles are being left, not forsaken, but left. People of vision are building up from those tried and proven foundations- and the election of sons is being made sure.

This is the day when milk is no longer drawn by any of the Isaacs of Christ's body-and A GREAT FEAST is in preparation for the whole household. Great God Almighty! No wonder, we are hearing such a great and tremendous word today, a word that cannot be covered and held back forever. Flesh, as it is torn, must open and reveal that which lies within. Christ’s glory begs release. The Kingdom of God is urging to be unveiled for all the world to see and be blessed thereby.

Since the day our Lord Jesus entered the world, the Kingdom of God has been with us. Upon the cross of Calvary, He finished the work of restoration of all, and His resurrection declared the victory. When He rose from the dead, He not only possessed His soul, but He took His body with Him as well. That trumpet of resurrection sounded long and clear the truth of who He was. The peals thundered the eternal call that He was indeed the Son of God who died and took away the sins of the world. When He rose from that dark tomb He brought everyone with Him. Every soul for which He died rose to life and ascended with Him. They all were in His loins when He died, they were all in Him when He rose, and they will all come forth in that same likeness of resurrection, for their seed was in Him on that occasion as well. If they don't come to the same life, some part of Himself will remain unsaved and lost forever, which is an impossibility.

While suspended between heaven and earth, eternity wrapped itself around that moment in time as Jesus declared - IT IS FINISHED! The reconciliation of the world was made sure! HE FINISHED HIS COURSE! He did that which pleased his Father! Praise God! Can you see that? IT IS FINISHED! IT IS COMPLETE! IT IS A DONE DEAL!

You may not see it, but I can, along with countless others. And the mystery is this: all it takes for anyone to see the finished work is to be on the side of the veil where the finished work exists. All it takes is to be written in the book that no man can open except the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David. With this criteria, the mystery unfolds with clarity, and it is an easy thing to declare with our Lord-IT IS FINISHED! Furthermore, when the proper hour comes, He shall open the book and loose the seven seals that hold us, and all whose seals are loosened will be read of all men. They will see those things that are finished and awaiting their release in the earth.

Ah, my friend, if you are not behind the veil, if perchance you abide blindly in the world, or in the outer courts with obscured vision, wait until the fury of God's indignation is past, and you too will see it. When the thunder rolls, once the veil is removed, after the seals are broken and the book is opened, you too will see it. That which is finished, the perfection of God's will, the heartbeat of Jesus, will be seen in all its glory. His thundering voice will open the heavens of every soul with the revelation of the finished work of the cross. His word will pierce the earth, shaking it greatly and rending the veil over people's hearts. Every stone will be rolled away from every tomb. In like manner, every stony concept will be rolled away from every dark mind, and the dead shall rise to life. Not only your eyes, but every eye shall see it together and know the reality of God’s will and purpose for mankind. It is their manifest destiny to see it, yet not only to see it, but to also come into it. Echoing down to our day are the immortal words of Jesus, resounding from behind the veil we can still hear His resolve-IT IS FINISHED! With such a declaration sweeping through the heavens and over the earth, that which is hidden in the clouds of His people are compelling them to open and rain heavily upon the barren land.

Unknown to the groaning creation is the absolute, irrefutable, finished work of the cross and resurrection of Jesus-but they will know it. If this does not come to pass, God is not God and Jesus is not the Son of God who always does the will of His Father. What God has wrought in Christ-He will bring to pass. What Jesus has finished-He will manifest to every eye and every soul! If He fails in this, He fails His calling. If He does not see the travail of His soul, He doesn't make it an election sure, and the one hundred scriptures I have compiled over the years are a fagot of lies made for the fire. They might as well be laid at the foot of the cross and burned to ashes along with everything pertaining to the Sacrifice, and be remembered never again. (Scripture list - "100 reason to believe in the Sovereignty of God and the Salvation of All" - free upon request.)

It is a sad epitaph apostasy has carved upon the stone that could not hold Jesus. Their words testify that the One who died for all the world cannot or will not fulfill His mission of love. By and large, after all the glowing words are preached about Jesus and His undying love for creation, they end with His ultimate defeat in not being able to finish the work He was sent to do. Their testimony, in effect, is that love fails. Although Paul said, LOVE NEVER FAILS; and Jesus proclaimed, IT IS FINISHED- they don't believe either to be true. They may say they believe Jesus is all powerful; however, their sermons portray Him as inept, weak, or uncaring enough to circumvent man's feeble will. When it is all over, as they believe and teach, only a small fragment of humanity will escape an endless torment in the blasting furnace of unbearable hellfire.

At times it may seem that I have a low tolerance for people who embrace such erroneous concepts, which I do not. I understand where they are coming from, I've been there myself, and there is no condemnation on my part whatsoever. However, it is with those who know better, it is with the ones who are willingly ignorant, that troubles me. They are especially troubling when they teach and incite others to believe a lie. They are the ones I have little patience with; for they unjustly bring men into servitude and bondage. My heart yearns for the release of those held behind the gates of hell. It is the spirit which binds them that is my enemy, but never the prisoners.

If a person, however, by choice joins himself to such an enemy, becoming one spirit with it, and my word pierces that spirit- that person is likely to be pierced as well. When a person is one with a lie, and the lie is exposed, the individual is thereby exposed as well. I can't help that. This, however, is different from people being deceived by those who are masters in the craft of religion.

Brethren, we know there will be those who prey on people's ignorance and those who fall prey to their devices; but let it not be with us. Let us be weaned from fantasies and imaginations that would rule in our lives. Fantasies are thoughts of children and not men. If there is no great feast being prepared for us, then we too are guilty of still feeding upon the first principles of the doctrines of Christ.

The first principle are good, and again I say-they are good! The first principles are necessary for every child of God in the beginning, or else he would never live to be weaned. You just don't want to be forty years old and have the pastor parting your beard to insert the milk bottle for every Sunday morning feeding. There comes a day when you must pick up your knife and fork and cut into some good meat and eat by yourself. If we are still dependant on this man or that woman for our daily milk, or bread, then like infants, we are co-dependant. Being co-dependant means that we do not know how to receive directly from our Father. It means that without someone, like Moses, telling us what He is saying, we will never know His voice or His ways. It means that as long as any one person (or persons) is our source of life-we are co-dependant and have yet to be weaned.

Until the child is weaned, there is no cause to call a great feast. It is business as usual. The rest of the household will continue from day to day eating their common diet of cornbread and beans. I personally like cornbread and beans, and at times I feel there could be nothing better. It is one my favorite dishes, especially with some good Jalapeno peppers to go with it. On occasion, however, we have feasts fit for a king, and the cornbread and beans have a way of losing their appeal during those special times. That is the way it is when the Lord makes a Great Feast. All the first principles and routine teachings lose their appeal.

Although it is not a rarity in all areas of Christianity to see people mixing a little solid food with their milk, in most cases it is not the strong meat the writer of Hebrews referred to in 5:11-14. "Strong meat belongs to them who are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." And please know, this discernment goes far beyond what most call good and evil. It is more than comparing one's actions with what we read in the Bible, which entails judging after the seeing of the eye. And it is not finding out if your brother or sister fits into the same square hole wherein we fit. That is self-righteous judgment when our own lives become the standard by which others are judged. Indeed, much can be said on the subject of having our senses exercised to discern both good and evil; but we will disappoint some and not entertain that thought. I will, however, say this one thing about it: spiritual discernment is greatly lacking today, and this shortcoming is a testimony of spiritual infancy.

MOCKING

"And the child grew, and was weaned...And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac" (Gen 21:9-10).

When we are weaned and start hearing from our Father comes the mocking from our half-brother, Ishmael. Until being weaned, the son of the Egyptian woman had no problem with Isaac. It is likely that they played together, ate together, and they may have slept together. Whether they did or did not, we can be assured that they came to know and care for each other to some degree as brothers will do.

This scenario is the way it was with us when we were drawing from our mother's breast for our livelihood. As long as we were desiring the milk of the word, Egypt (the world, our half-brother) had no problem with us. When we went to church meetings, the world was there too. When we worshipped and prayed, there was Brother Egypt as well. He was not bothered by our religion. Neither did ordinances, creeds, and rituals turn him away; for Ishmael himself can be a very religious fellow. He can shout hallelujahs and genuflect with the best of them.

The fact is, at one time there was as much of Ishmael in our lives as there was the son of the promise. So you see, as long as we were but babes and little children in our Mother's arms, we posed no threat. Brother's place of authority was secure. The old man, Adam, if you please, was content and went along for the ride.

This all ended, however, when we were weaned, and we began to receive the rich, strong meat of the word. And he was especially threatened when he saw our Father making a great feast in our lives. Things suddenly changed. He no longer had free reign over or lives. Rather being swayed by the carnal mind, we were being led by the Spirit. With us in the presence of our Father-Ishmael knew his days were numbered.

Fun times were replaced with mocking which must have been akin to Sanballat and Tobiah's mocking when Nehemiah was building the wall of Jerusalem: "...They laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?" (Neh 2:19). And, "...Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall" (Neh 4:3).

We felt the ridicule from within and without. These words kept ringing in our ears: "Just who to you think you are to think you are a son of God? Are you someone special? You sound like some sort of an elitist." If our evil conscious was not condemning us, then those with which we once had fellowship ridiculed us. They felt threatened by us. At times we wondered if we were truly who we felt that we were, and were doing the right thing by leaving the church. The accuser of the brethren accused us day and night (Rev 12:10); but eventually, he was cast out of our heavens, and we gained victory over him.

Once weaned and with a mission placed in our hearts, we no longer fit with man's religion, man's world, or man's anything. The old order could no longer nurture or influence us, and due to our very presence-we were, and still are at times, a great threat to that system. One or the other, Isaac or Ishmael, had to go. In their case it was Ishmael. And likewise in our personal lives-the world and the devil has been cast out. We are no longer of the world or the devil. Although we are in the world, as Jesus said, we are not of the world.

In a different scenario, we are the ones who were driven out, and found ourselves in the wilderness, in caves, and prisons; but this speaks of other things. These are experiences orchestrated by the hand of our Father for the purpose of bringing us to maturity, tried and proven.

Our testings are not to be compared to Ishmael being separated from us. At the time of weaning, the world is cast out, while at the time of testing for maturity, we are the ones driven out and into the wilderness. Seems ironic to the natural mind, but the wisdom of God is never understood by such a mind.APPEARING BEFORE THE LORD

"But Hannah went not up; for she said...I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever." (1 Sam 1:22).

It seems that there are at least three camps among Christians today: 1) those who want to appear before the Lord after they die; 2) the people who expect to be 'raptured' before, or after, 'the great tribulation'; 3) and the ones who desire to appear before Him in this present time. The first, of course, is far from reality, and the second is merely a modification of the first. The third comes closer to what can be expected; but even in this camp of thinking, many fail. And why is this? There are various reasons, yet we see one main cause-it is due to not being weaned.

Every Christian on every level of maturity, no doubt, has a relationship to some degree with their Father, or at least they should have; that is, if they are not 'bastards' as we read in Hebrews 12:8. Yet having some sort of relationship with our Father is not the same as appearing before Him and being taught of Him. So long as we are of unqualified age and must trust in our mother for nurturing and growth, we cannot appear before the Lord. We are not yet called the Sons of God as long as we are in her arms. We are children and under the tutorship of others, as Paul wrote: "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father" (Gal 4:1-2). All we can know is what she and the tutors tell us about Him. We hear very little of His voice. The revelation of our Father's will is foreign to our ears. When His voice is not heard, we are void of revelation and must rely on others to tell us about God-we are lowered to the letter that killeth; or at best, the milk of the word that is reserved for children.

There is a time to desire the sincere milk of the word. There is nothing wrong with milk in its proper season; but once a person becomes of age, it is time for weaning and ascending from that foundation. We are never separated from the foundation of beliefs and experiences upon which the rest of our building is anchored; but we should never believe the foundation is all there is. We must continue as yielded vessels and become the workmanship and building of our Father. This is what happens upon appearing before the Lord-we grow up, we mature, we come to full age!

Babylon, however, will never allow her imprisoned people to appear before the Lord. They belong to her, so she believes, and will keep them under her care forever-if she could. She drunkenly drinks their blood, and will do so as long as she possibly can. She will drain every ounce of life from their souls as long as they are bound by her apron strings of spiritual ignorance. It is by their blood that she maintains any similitude of Christ's life, and she will of her own never relinquish her hold.

However, with the true Church-Jerusalem from above who is our mother, NOT Babylon, the church system, which is from beneath-it is a different matter. Like Hannah with Samuel, Jerusalem from above who is the mother of us all, will insure that we leave her tutoring side and join ourselves to Father. Yet she will not allow us to appear before Him too early. It is after we are weaned from her breast that she will forebear and make sure we appear before the LORD-and there abide forever.

Paul spoke along these lines of abiding forever in his first letter to the Thessalonians when he mentioned the great cloud of saints being seized together by the Lord and meeting with Him in the air (in the full awareness of Him). And in this place of fresh, life-giving breath of the Spirit- we shall ever be (1 Thes. 4:16-17). It is not "up there somewhere in the clouds" where we shall ever be-but in here where we are in Him where we shall ever be. Biblical heaven and air are not physical places in outer space or in the sky above the earth. They are positions, or realms, in Christ Jesus, and this is the habitation of the clouds. His people are the clouds of witnesses, and it is from therein that He appears with such revelation, all who see His appearing are caught up, i.e., seized inwardly into that lofty place of the life-giving air.

Notwithstanding, before this catching away, before being ‘seized’ (raptured in spirit), we are released from our mother to appear before the Lord and be taught and trained by Him. At first, we may not have sensed His ever-abiding presence; at least, not until we grew older, like Samuel. After some maturity set in, we heard his voice calling our name. Even then, it may have taken a few times before reality sank in and we came to know the voice of the One who spoke. That is the way it was with Samuel-he grew, and the LORD was with him, and did not let one of his words fall to the ground that he spoke (1 Sam 3:19). As it was with him, it took us a little while to recognize the voice of the Lord when He first spoke. And now, they who are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God (Rom 8:14), and not one word from their anointed lips will fall the ground. (And I did say anointed lips, not carnal lips).

The term, "appear before the Lord," is used seven times in the Bible, and on every occasion except one — the males (young and old) were the ones who appeared three times a year. And if Hannah's account with Samuel is taken, only the males who had been weaned appeared before the Lord (Exo 23:17). The one time the females appeared before the Lord is recorded in the 31^st chapter of Deuteronomy: "...At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law" (Deut 31:10-12).

We can see the progression here. First, the males (young and old), the firstfruits, the Sons of God, appear before the Lord three time times in a year. This, we have been doing over the years. And we have been making a way for those who will come in with us at the end of the seven years (Seven: "Shevah, from the root word (savah), to be full or satisfied, have enough of" (Number in Scripture by E.W. Bullinger, Kregal Publications). Thus, this appearing after seven years speaks of the fulness of times. It is then that all of Israel (men, women, children, and servants) will appear before the Lord. Although this is a great assembling before the Lord, it is not the last one. Coming into view will be the assembling of all men, women, and children in all the world. The assembling of His elect is merely a foretaste of what is to come when every tongue will confess in swearing allegiance that Jesus Christ is not only Lord, but with deep love, their confession will be that He is their Lord to the Glory of God their Father! Hallelujah!

A GREAT FEAST is being made by the Lord for those who are weaned, and who are appearing before Him. If they are not yet weaned, how would it be possible for them to be raised up as manifested Sons of God in the earth for which creation eagerly awaits? The world's deliverance will never come from infants, babes, and toddlers. Only those of maturity, those who have been tried by fire, those who have been proven will stand as God's Sons and bring the salvation of Jesus to the world and reconciliation to all.

Praise God! We have been weaned from every vestige of milk, good or evil, and we have appeared, and are appearing, before the Lord. In His right hand we are held and led onward. By His word do we live, move, and have our very being! Again, Praise God!

Elwin R. Roach

My Fathers House and the Kingdom of God