Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. John 7:37-38 New American Standard Bible (“NASB”)
The text, taken from the Gospel of John, is referring to an occasion which in Hebrew is referred to as Shemini Atzeret, or the 8th day of the 7-day long feast known as Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles. In ancient times, the 8th day was normally included in the feast, and as indicated above, was referred to as the “great day”.
According to Dictionary.com, this was the day the priests prayed for rain for the crops for the coming year, and the people remembered those who had died. According to Judaism 101, those who practice Judaism in present days believe that while the Feast of Tabernacles is for all mankind, the great day of the feast was reserved for an more intimate celebration only for the Jewish people.
If you are NOT Jewish, and worse, consider yourself to be a religious outsider, we have wonderful and exciting news for you: If you are thirsty to know God and His righteousness, Jesus himself has invited you to come to him and drink freely! You are NOT required to be Jewish, you are NOT required to join a church or a denomination or any religion whatsoever, and you are certainly NOT required to be a religious “insider” with all the right buzzwords.
Judaism 101 has this right: it is an intimate celebration! And YOU are cordially invited (read “cordially” as meaning “with sincere, never-failing love”). Dear reader, you may be thinking, “if God knew me, he would never invite me, much less lovingly invite me.” You’re wrong on both counts. In fact, he DOES know you and has always known you. AND he in fact loves you and always has. He loves you so much that, while you were indeed his enemy, he gave his own son–Jesus–to pay the death penalty for all your wrongdoing. Now, Father’s ready for you to get to know him better.
Shemini Atzeret, the great day of the feast for 2015, passed a few days ago (Sunday evening, 10/4 to sundown 10/5). In the run-up to the feast, a group of overcomers meeting in Branson, Missouri, petitioned Father in the divine court, to decree that it begin to rain. Not to rain with water, but to fulfill what the seasonal rains symbolize–the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the earth, so that whoever is thirsty may drink freely of the water of life offered by Jesus.
This is what was foretold by a man named Joel, a very long time ago. He was repeating what God had told him that he planned to do in the latter days:
It will come about after this that I will pour out my spirit upon all mankind…Joel 2:28 NASB
“(A)ll mankind…”–that includes you, dear Reader.
And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD (YHWH) will be delivered.” Joel 2:32
We are happy to announce that the petition was granted, and a decree was issued in the heavens and announced in witness in the earth: the time has come for all who are thirsty to drink freely from the living waters of Jesus. All who do so, trusting that Jesus will keep his word, will never thirst again, exactly as he told the Samaritan woman at the well, so many years ago.
(W)hoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. John 4:14 NASB
If you are asking yourself, exactly how do I “drink” this water, here’s how. Imagine your heart is a cup. Turn it up and ask, either out loud or quietly in your mind and heart: Jesus, if you are real, please pour some of your living water into my cup; I’m sooooo thirsty for what is real and true, and I’m ready to drink of the water you have offered.
This is what Joel meant by “calling upon the name of the Lord.” If you can trust, trust this: You have just been delivered and eternal life is yours. Walk in the expectancy of seeing Jesus do miraculous things in your life.
Blessed are you, O Lord our Messiah, for you have begun the process of turning the world upside right. Go swiftly to the Reader who just trusted you and fulfill your promise of a fountain of living water. We are ready to see your kingdom come!!