Trumpets

Monthly Spiritual Manna                                                                        Vol-19: No.4. Apr.2019

Trees:
Gen 1:11  And Elohim said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
Elohim created the trees to provide fruit and grain for man and as food for animals and birds. (Gen.1:29-30). While we see many kinds of trees all around us, not all are fit to be eaten. Some trees are dried up-they have no life in them, they are like skeletons-not useful at all ! Some trees are diseased, they spread their diseases to other trees and spoil them. Shade giving trees give shelter and shade to man and beast. Flowering trees make the trees colourful, beautiful and give sweet5 fragrance. They are pleasant to see and smell. Fruitful trees provide food and nourishment to man and beast.
Man is like a tree, created to live on land. What kind of trees are we?

Dry trees: A dry tree has no life in it. It is useless and fit to be cut down and cast into the fire. Some people are like these, they have no life in them, they go through life without any purpose or goal, they are lazy, slothful and are of no use to anyone. But even to such people, Elohim gives hope. “… neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.” (Isa.56.3). A dry tree is an emblem of that which is barren, useless, unfruitful. By the law of Moses such persons could not be enrolled or numbered in the congregation of the Lord (Deu_23:2.) These external barriers to the full privileges among the people of Elohim would be removed. All classes and ranks would be admitted to the same privileges; all would be on the same level (see Isa_56:5).

Diseased trees: Elohim created all human beings in perfection, with good health and sound mind. But, because of a sinful lifestyle, their lives have become diseased; they cannot live a healthy life, spiritual or physical. They cannot be helpful to themselves or others. They themselves are in deep pain and grief.

Shade giving trees: Some people are like shade giving trees who are in shelter and comfort and are a comfort to others also. (Psa.1:3).Their leaves never die and form a canopy to give shade and shelter to others. They are green and prosperous and allow others to enjoy their shade and protection. They are godly people and others trust them in times of need.

Flowering trees: People who are like flowering trees are always cheerful and happy, making their surroundings also pleasant. Like their colourful flowers they allow their fragrance to spread from them to others. Their sweet scent makes their words and deeds blessed. They encourage themselves spiritually in the Lord through the Holy Spirit’s direction in their lives and help others leading them to Elohim. This is the second step of growing spiritually, the first being like a green leaf.

Fruitful trees: Elohim expects human beings to be fruitful trees which can be cherished by others. Fruit gives strength to the body and spirit makes people live. Elohim says that without fruit the trees are useless and have to be cut and thrown into the fire (John.15:1-5; Isa.5). If we don’t bear fruit as in Gal.5:22, we are not divine in nature. Our spiritual life is dead which slowly degrades our physical life. We start doing things tempted by satan. We do not want to listen to Elohim’s instructions and slowly our spirits get enslaved to satan’s power which leads to death and our souls will be cast into the lake of fire.
So we should love the Lord and follow his instructions to bear fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, temperance, which is the divine nature. We should grow spiritually to enter into the Kingdom of Yahweh which is in heaven.

Which of these five types of trees does your life resemble?
If you are just like a shade giving tree, please grow up spiritually and bloom into flowering and fruitful trees for the Lord. But if you are like a dry, diseased tree, repent and ask the Saviour to cleanse you and  mould you  to become fruitful trees.
Easter eggs and hot cross buns:
What connection is there between Easter and eggs or hot cross buns? Nothing !
The following excerpts from Alexander Hislop’s book “The Two Babylons” shows their pagan origins!
The bunny and eggs are pagan fertility symbols that were used to celebrate the vernal equinox and the beginning of new life – not in a spiritual sense, but simply the time when trees bud, green returns to plant life, the time for planting of new crops, etc. Even the name “Easter” is a derivative of the fertility goddess Ishtar (Babylonian), Astarte (Phoenician), or Ashtoreth (Canaanite).
The hot cross buns of Good Friday, and the dyed eggs of Pasch or Easter Sunday, figured in the Chaldean rites just as they do now. The "buns," known too by that identical name, were used in the worship of the queen of heaven, the goddess Easter, as early as the days of Cecrops, the founder of Athens--that is, 1500 years before the Christian era. "One species of sacred bread," says Bryant, "which used to be offered to the gods, was of great antiquity, and called Boun." The prophet Jeremiah takes notice of this kind of offering when he says, "The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven." (Jeremiah 7:18). It is from the very word here used by the prophet that the word "bun" seems to be derived.

The origin of the Easter eggs is just as clear. The ancient Druids bore an egg, as the sacred emblem of their order. In the Dionysiaca, or mysteries of Bacchus, as celebrated in Athens, one part of the nocturnal ceremony consisted in the consecration of an egg. The Hindoo fables celebrate their mundane egg as of a golden colour. The people of Japan make their sacred egg to have been brazen. In China, at this hour, dyed or painted eggs are used on sacred festivals, even as in this country. In ancient times eggs were used in the religious rites of the Egyptians and the Greeks, and were hung up for mystic purposes in their temples.
"An egg of wondrous size is said to have fallen from heaven into the river Euphrates. The fishes rolled it to the bank, where the doves having settled upon it, and hatched it, out came Venus, who afterwards was called the Syrian Goddess"--that is, Astarte. Hence the egg became one of the symbols of Astarte or Easter…”

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