Friend, co-laborers with God - identity in divine partnership!

1 Corinthians 3:9  For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. 

From the very beginning, God’s intention for humanity was not simply to live before Him, but to work with Him. In Genesis, before sin ever touched the world, the Lord placed Adam in the garden “to tend it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). This was not a curse or a burden — it was a sacred partnership. God formed the garden, but He entrusted its cultivation to man. From the start, heaven and earth were designed to operate together, united in purpose, reflecting divine collaboration rather than human independence.

This reveals something profound about your identity: you were created to co-labor with God.

You were crafted to steward what He creates, cultivate what He plants, expand what He initiates, and manifest what He desires. The very first commission ever given to humanity was not to rest, nor to escape responsibility, but to join God in His work and extend His order across creation. Partnership wasn’t added later — it was built into your design.

And even when the fall fractured humanity’s ability to steward creation, the design itself was never lost. In Yeshua (Jesus), it has been fully restored. Paul declares this stunning reality: “We are God’s fellow workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Not spectators on the sidelines. Not passive observers. Not servants who only obey commands. Fellow workers — partners in the Father’s business, sons and daughters trusted with Kingdom responsibility. Salvation did not rescue you from purpose; it restored you to purpose. The cross didn’t remove your calling; it redeemed it. The Spirit wasn’t given so you could stand still; He was given so you could co-labor with heaven on earth.

Just as Adam was entrusted with a garden, you have been entrusted with a field — the field of your calling, your influence, your relationships, your gifts, your assignments, your ministry, and the sphere of authority God has given you. Stewardship was humanity’s first mandate in Genesis, and in Messiah it becomes the first expression of your true identity. What God entrusts to you, heaven expects you to cultivate. What He places in your hands, He intends to multiply. What He plants in your heart, He desires to see bear fruit.

To co-labor with God means you are carrying His heart into the world, working with His strength rather than your own, building what He initiates, planting what He provides, watering what He entrusts, and harvesting what He brings to maturity. Every step, every assignment, every act of obedience is divine partnership in motion. Your stewardship today is preparation for your stewardship in eternity. Yeshua said, “You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many” (Matthew 25:21). Earthly faithfulness becomes heavenly authority. Co-laboring now becomes co-reigning later. You tend fields in this age so you can receive kingdoms in the next.

You are not called to wander aimlessly through this world. Rather, you are partnering with the Creator of the universe. Heaven does not see you as weak, insignificant, or incapable. Heaven sees you as a trusted steward of divine assignments — one worthy of receiving tasks that carry eternal weight. God does not need you to accomplish His will — yet He chooses to accomplish His purposes through you. This is an honor beyond comprehension: the God who spoke galaxies into existence calls you His co-worker.

And you do not labor alone. The Spirit empowers you from within, the Son works through you, and the Father guides you alongside His own purposes. Your labor is not striving — it is synergy. It is a divine partnership unfolding in real time. You carry heaven’s resources, heaven’s authority, and heaven’s mandate into every task you undertake.

Friend, rise and take your place in the story God is writing. Lift your head and recognize that you are entrusted, empowered, and anointed to build with Him. Do not minimize the field God has given you, and do not bury the gifts He has planted within you. Everything He entrusts to you carries eternal purpose and Kingdom significance. Work with heaven’s strength, steward with heaven’s wisdom, labor with heaven’s love, and build with heaven’s authority.

You are not only saved; you are sent.
You are not only redeemed; you are commissioned.
You are not only loved; you are trusted.

You are a co-laborer with God — created to cultivate His Kingdom on earth and destined to steward His glory in the age to come.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George (Baltimore) & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Editor's Note: Happy Thanksgiving to all our U.S. readers! Have a blessed holiday!

Friend, the new creation: identity beyond the old self!

Colossians 3:1-3  If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

One of the most powerful truths of the gospel is this: when you came to Yeshua (Jesus), God didn’t upgrade your old life — He ended it. Salvation is not renovation; it is resurrection. Your old identity didn’t get repaired — it got crucified. Scripture declares, “If anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

This is not a metaphor — it is heaven’s legal record of your life. The day you believed, the old you died. Your past was buried with Messiah, and your new identity was raised with Him. “For you died, and your life is hidden with Messiah in God” (Colossians 3:3). You didn’t just receive forgiveness — you received a completely new nature, born from resurrection life, not from your past story.

Your heavenly identity is no longer tied to old wounds, old patterns, old labels, or old failures. Those belonged to a version of you that no longer exists. The enemy can only whisper to the corpse of your old self — but heaven speaks to the new creation you have become. The accuser calls from the grave; the Spirit calls from the empty tomb.

To walk as a new creation is to stop digging up what God buried. You cannot carry grave clothes while trying to live in resurrection life. The renewed mind doesn’t try to fix the old man — it awakens to the new one. “It is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Your identity is now found in His life, His Spirit, His power, His righteousness. Heaven sees Christ in you — and sees you in Christ.

You are not a sinner trying to be righteous — you are the righteousness of God learning how to walk. You are not a prisoner trying to escape — you are the free learning how to live free. You are not an orphan searching for home — you are a son or daughter discovering your inheritance. You are not the old creation striving into the new — you are the new creation shedding the memory of the old.

Your identity is not the sum of your past — it is the fruit of His resurrection. You are new because He is new. You live because He lives in you. You are whole because He has restored you. Heaven does not see you as improving — heaven sees you as reborn.

Friend, stop wrestling with a ghost — the old you is gone. Step out of the graveyard of who you once were and into the resurrection life you have been made new to walk in. Let the Spirit renew your mind until every thought, every word, and every step flows from the truth of who you are in Him. So rise and walk in resurrection life — alive with His power, clothed in His righteousness, and radiant with His image. The old has passed away, the new has come, and heaven rejoices over the new creation you have become in Him.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George (Baltimore) & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, the Father's delight: identity rooted in His love!

1 John 3:1  Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 

One of the most neglected truths in the Body of Messiah is also one of the most transformative: You are the Father’s delight. Not His burden, not His disappointment, not His afterthought -- His delight.

Identity does not begin with what you do for God; it begins with how God feels about you. Before you lifted a hand in worship, prayed your first prayer, or took your first breath, the Father loved you with an everlasting love. His delight in you is not based on your performance but on your position in His Son.

At Yeshua’s baptism, before He healed a single person, preached a single sermon, or performed a single miracle, heaven opened and the voice of the Father thundered: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

Notice this divine pattern:
Identity first, assignment second.
Belovedness first, ministry second.
Delight first, destiny second.

The Father speaks the same identity over you. Because you are in Yeshua (Jesus), the words spoken over Him are now spoken over you. Heaven’s declaration over your life is not, “Do better.” It is: “You are My beloved child, and My delight is in you.”

Many believers live their entire lives trying to earn what God has already given -- love, approval, acceptance. But you cannot earn what was freely bestowed before your beginning. You didn’t enter God’s love through your behavior; you entered through your birth -- your spiritual birth into His family.

Identity rooted in love is unshakable. It silences shame, heals wounds, and crushes the orphan spirit. When you know the Father delights in you, fear loses its voice, striving loses its grip, and insecurity loses its power. You no longer live to be loved -- you live from love. You no longer fight for approval -- you move from approval.

This love is not fragile or fleeting. It is eternal, unchanging, anchored in the very nature of God. "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1). The Father doesn’t love you minimally -- He lavishes love upon you. He pours it out in abundance. His pleasure rests on you, not reluctantly, but joyfully.

The Father’s heart is not distant or guarded. He rejoices over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). He has engraved your name on the palm of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). He numbers every hair on your head (Luke 12:7). His thoughts toward you outnumber the grains of sand (Psalm 139:17–18). You are not merely accepted -- you are celebrated.

And when the Father delights in you, He speaks blessing over you. In Jewish tradition, fathers bless their children weekly -- not based on behavior, but identity. The heavenly Father does the same. He speaks life over your destiny, affirmation over your identity, and joy over your future.

The enemy attacks where identity is unclear because he knows that a son or daughter convinced of the Father’s love is unstoppable. You will never walk in your full identity until you know the Father’s heart for you. You will never walk in confidence until you know you are cherished. And you will never walk in freedom until you receive the love that sets you free.

Friend, let the striving cease. Let the fear dissolve. Let the orphan spirit be silenced. You are not fighting for a place in the Father’s heart—you already have one. Stop measuring His love through your failures and start receiving it through His faithfulness. Lift your eyes and let His delight wash over you until every lie of unworthiness breaks. You are His beloved child. You are His delight. You are His joy. Rest in the embrace of the Father who loved you first, loves you now, and will love you forever. Let His delight define your identity -- because the One who formed you has called you His own.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George (Baltimore) & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, citizens of heaven: living from a higher kingdom!

Philippians 3:20-21  For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21  who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. 

When you came to Yeshua (Jesus), everything about your identity shifted -- even your citizenship. You may still walk upon earthly soil, but heaven has become your true homeland. Paul reveals this profound reality when he writes, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Yeshua Messiah” (Philippians 3:20). This is not poetic language; it is a legal and spiritual identity. The limitations, systems, or identity markers of this world no longer define you. You belong to another Kingdom -- a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, governed by a King who cannot be dethroned, and marked by a glory that cannot fade.

Heaven is not simply your future destination; it is your present identity in Messiah. You were born from above, sealed by heaven, filled with heaven’s Spirit, and assigned heaven’s purpose. You carry the DNA of the Kingdom. You operate under its authority. This means you live differently because you see differently. While earth reacts, heaven rules. While earth fears, heaven trusts. While earth clings, heaven releases. While earth fights for position, heaven walks in purpose. While earth seeks recognition, heaven rests in identity.

When the reality of your heavenly citizenship truly takes hold, everything begins to shift. You stop striving for human approval and begin walking in divine assignment. You stop being shaped by culture and instead become one who shapes culture. You stop interpreting your life through the pressure of earthly circumstances and start seeing from the perspective of heaven. As Paul exhorts, "Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Messiah in God" (Colossians 3:2–3). To live as a citizen of heaven means your viewpoint rises to where your spirit already sits -- with Him in heavenly places. You no longer view life from the valley but from the throne room. You no longer interpret identity through adversity but interpret adversity through identity.

As citizens of heaven, we are also ambassadors of heaven on earth -- representatives of divine justice, peace, authority, and reconciliation. Heaven has assigned you to reveal its values, express its culture, carry its power, and demonstrate its heart. This world does not shape you; you are sent into it with the culture of another Kingdom. And as a citizen of heaven, you live under heaven’s protection. Earthly kingdoms may rise and fall, but your citizenship is eternal. Earthly identities may shift and change, but your heavenly identity is immovable. Earthly nations may be shaken, but the Kingdom you belong to stands forever.

This world is not your home; it is your assignment. Your loyalty is to your King. Your identity flows from above, not below. Your destiny is shaped by eternity, not time.

Friend, lift your eyes and live from where you truly belong. Once you realize that you are a spiritual being having an earthly experience — not an earthly being trying to reach heaven — everything changes. You begin to live as a heavenly citizen with a divine purpose for this brief and temporal world. Let heaven define your priorities, decisions, values, and vision. Do not let the noise of this world drown out the voice of your King. Walk with the dignity of one who belongs to a royal Kingdom; speak with the authority of heaven’s ambassador; live with the purity of one set apart; and move with the confidence of one protected by His reign. You are not simply journeying toward heaven — you already belong to it. So live as a citizen of the Kingdom that cannot be shaken, for the King Himself lives within you.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, kingdom authority: power to overcome darkness!

Luke 10:19-20  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

When you were born into the Kingdom of God, you were not placed into a position of spiritual survival — you were placed into a position of spiritual authority. Yeshua (Jesus) didn’t merely save you from darkness; He empowered you to overcome it. Your identity in Messiah includes not only love, adoption, and righteousness, but also kingdom authority to tread on the powers that once tried to destroy you.

Yeshua declared this authority plainly: “Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Authority is not a feeling — it is a position. It is not something you earn — it is something you receive. It flows from who you are in Him, not from what you do for Him.

Heaven sees you seated with Messiah in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). From that position, all forces of darkness are under your feet because they are under His feet — and you are in Him. This is why you do not fight for victory; you fight from victory. You do not strive to overcome; you stand in the One who already has.

Many believers walk in fear because they do not understand the authority they carry. The enemy knows what you have been given — he only hopes you do not. But the moment a son or daughter of God recognizes their authority, hell trembles. When you speak in the name of Yeshua, demons must flee. When you resist the devil, he must run. When you stand in faith, darkness loses its grip.

You are not a victim of spiritual warfare — you are equipped for it. The same Spirit that empowered Yeshua in the wilderness now empowers you. The same authority that silenced demons, healed the sick, and crushed the works of darkness is the authority placed upon your life. For Scripture says, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

But kingdom authority is not harsh or arrogant — it is rooted in identity, steeped in intimacy, and expressed through love. Kings rule; priests intercede — and you are both. You carry the authority of a king and the heart of a priest. Authority without intimacy becomes cold; intimacy without authority becomes timid. In Messiah, you are called to walk in both — the tenderness of the priest and the boldness of the king.

When you speak forgiveness, the shackles of guilt break.
When you speak truth, deception is shattered.
When you speak life, death loses its voice.
When you speak the Word, darkness bows.

And you do not fight alone — heaven fights with you. The Captain of the Lord’s host stands behind your decree. Angels are sent forth on assignment when you pray according to His will. You are not swinging earthly weapons — you are wielding heavenly authority.

Authority is not the absence of battle — it is the guarantee of victory. The enemy will challenge you, but he cannot defeat the One who lives within you. You carry the name above every name, the blood that silences accusation, and the Spirit who cannot be overcome.

Friend, rise up in the authority given to you by your King. Do not shrink back when darkness presses — advance in the power of the Spirit. Speak the Word. Stand your ground. Take dominion over every lie, every attack, and every shadow.

You are not powerless.
You are not vulnerable.
You are not weak.

You are a king-priest in the Kingdom of God — anointed, empowered, and commissioned to overcome every work of darkness. Walk in your authority. Declare His victory. Advance His Kingdom. For the One who reigns lives in you — and His victory is now your identity.

Shabbat Shalom -- walk in His victory this weekend as you rest in Him! Be blessed and we'll see you first thing on Monday!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, a new name: identity defined by God's declaration!

Revelation 2:17  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."

All throughout Scripture, when God called someone into a new destiny, He gave them a new name. A name wasn't merely a label -- it was an identity, a calling, a destiny spoken into being by the mouth of God Himself. When the Almighty changes a name, He is not describing who you were -- He is declaring who you are in Him.

Abram became Abraham -- exalted father became "father of many nations."
Sarai became Sarah -- barren became "mother of nations."
Jacob became Israel -- deceiver became "one who prevails with God."

Each new name carried divine purpose and heavenly authority. It was God's way of rewriting a person's story, breaking the identity of the past, and revealing their destiny in the Kingdom.

And beloved, the God who renamed them also renames you. In Yeshua (Jesus), you are no longer called by the names your past gave you -- sinner, broken, rejected, unworthy, forgotten. Heaven calls you by a name that reflects who you are in Christ, not who you were in Adam. God does not speak to your failures; He speaks to your future.

Revelation 2:17 unveils this mystery: "To the one who overcomes... I will give a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it."

Think of this -- heaven has a name for you that no one else knows. A name whispered from the heart of God, spoken in love, tailored to your identity, your calling, your story. A name that only your Father can give. A name that carries your destiny.

Yeshua Himself promised that His sheep would be called by name. "He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out" (John 10:3). He does not lead you with labels -- He leads you with identity. The world may call you one thing, but the Shepherd calls you by the name heaven has written over your life.

In Yeshua you have been given names that reflect your true nature: Chosen. Redeemed. Beloved. Son. Daughter. Priest. Overcomer. Bride.

But these are only the beginning. Above all of them, the Father has spoken something personal, unique, eternal -- a name no one else knows but you and Him. This name carries your identity, your purpose, your calling. It breaks the power of every false name spoken over you -- every insult, every wound, every lie the enemy ever used to shape your identity.

The new name God gives is not earned -- it is received. It is the fruit of intimacy, identity, and transformation. As you walk with Him, the more clearly you hear it. The closer you draw, the more deeply it shapes you.

Heaven's name over you is stronger than every label the world has tried to place on you. It is louder than the voice of shame, bolder than the wounds of your past, and more enduring than any earthly identity.

Friend, lift your heart today and ask the Father to speak His name over you. Silence the voices of the past, the accusations of the enemy, and the labels of men. Listen for the whisper of heaven -- the name spoken from the throne, the name written on the white stone, the name that reveals who you are in Him. You are not who you were. You are who He says you are. You carry a new identity, a new destiny, a new name. Let heaven's declaration define you -- for the Father has named you, and His word is final.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, the temple of the Holy Spirit: identity as God's dwelling place!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  20  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. 

From the dawn of creation, God’s desire has always been the same — to dwell with His people. In Eden, He walked with Adam in the cool of the day. In the wilderness, He filled the Tabernacle with His glory. In Jerusalem, His presence descended upon Solomon’s Temple with such weight that the priests could not stand to minister. Throughout Scripture, the heart of God beats with a single longing: to be with His people and to dwell among them.

But these sanctuaries were only shadows — temporary dwelling places pointing toward something far greater. God’s ultimate desire was never to dwell in tents or temples made with hands. His plan was to make His home in you. Paul reveals this profound truth, saying, “Do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

When you came to faith in Yeshua (Jesus), you didn’t just receive forgiveness — you received God Himself. The same Spirit that hovered over the waters of creation, the same glory that filled the Holy of Holies, the same power that raised the Messiah from the dead now dwells inside you. Heaven moved into your heart.

This means your identity is not shaped by weakness but by indwelling glory. You are not defined by what you feel — you are defined by who lives within you. You are not ordinary; you are a living sanctuary, a mobile temple carrying divine presence everywhere you go. The glory that once rested behind the veil now rests inside your spirit.

And as His temple, you carry a holy purpose. In the Old Covenant, the temple was set apart, consecrated, and treated with reverence — not because of the building, but because of the Presence inside. Likewise, your life is holy not because of your performance but because of the One who fills you. You are set apart as a vessel of His glory, chosen to reveal His nature and host His presence on earth.

Through the Spirit, you have become a place where heaven and earth meet. Everywhere you go becomes a sanctuary of hope, a refuge of peace, and a gateway for the Kingdom. You are not just carrying the Spirit — the Spirit is carrying you into divine appointments, empowered moments, and holy assignments.

Remember the promise of Yeshua: “If anyone loves Me… We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). Heaven has taken residence in your heart. The King of Glory did not merely visit you — He moved in. The fullness of heaven has taken residence in your heart. Not a temple made with human hands, not a structure of stone or gold, but your very life became Their sanctuary.

This revelation truly changes everything. You are not abandoned, empty, or powerless. You are filled, chosen, indwelt, and anointed. When the enemy tries to convince you that you are alone, your identity as the Temple of the Living God rises up with a greater truth — God is not merely with you, He is in you. The lie of isolation collapses under the weight of divine indwelling. The Almighty has made your heart His home, and no darkness can stand where His presence dwells.

When fear whispers that you are weak, the voice of the Spirit within you thunders with resurrection life. The very power that raised Yeshua from the dead now flows through your being. You are not operating from human strength but from divine energy, supernatural courage, and heaven’s authority.

You are a living ark of His glory, a vessel of His power, and a carrier of His presence. The God who once filled the Holy of Holies now fills you. And because He lives in you, no weapon formed against you can stand, no lie can define you, and no force of darkness can overpower you.

Because you are His temple, purity becomes your joy, holiness your privilege, and intimacy your identity. You are not striving to find God — you are learning to walk with the God who lives within you.

Friend, honor the Presence within you. Live with the awareness that every breath you breathe carries the fragrance of heaven. Let your heart become an altar of worship, your mind a sanctuary of truth, and your life a vessel overflowing with the Spirit’s power. You are not just a believer — you are God’s dwelling place on earth. You are His temple, His sanctuary, His chosen vessel of glory. Walk in the awe of this identity — for the Holy One lives inside you.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, ambassadors of the Kingdom: reprenting heaven on earth!

2 Corinthians 5:17-20  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19  that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20  Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 

Every believer carries a divine assignment — an identity rooted not in earthly citizenship, but in heavenly representation. When you came to faith in Yeshua (Jesus), you were not only redeemed and restored; you were commissioned. Heaven did not merely save you from something — it saved you for something. Paul declares, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Messiah, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Messiah’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

An ambassador is more than a messenger — they are the authorized representative of a kingdom. They carry the voice, the will, and the authority of the one who sent them. They do not speak their own opinions; they speak on behalf of the throne they represent. They do not operate from the culture around them, but from the laws and values of the nation they belong to.

You are heaven’s ambassador — not someday, but now. You carry the message of reconciliation, but also the authority, character, and presence of the King Himself. The very Spirit of God dwells within you so that when you speak, heaven speaks; when you act, heaven moves; and wherever you walk, the Kingdom advances.

Yeshua said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). This means that the same mission, the same heart, and the same Spirit that empowered Him now empowers you. He came to reveal the Father — and now you carry that same calling: To reveal the Father’s heart to a world that has forgotten Him.

As ambassadors, your life becomes a bridge — connecting earth to heaven, brokenness to wholeness, darkness to light. You carry a ministry the world desperately needs: the ministry of reconciliation — the divine invitation calling humanity back to the God who created them.

But this identity carries authority as well as compassion. An ambassador walks in security, knowing all of heaven stands behind their mission. You do not move through life as a powerless wanderer but as one backed by the full weight of the Kingdom of God. When you speak forgiveness, chains break. When you declare freedom, captives rise. When you proclaim the gospel, heaven breathes on your words.

This is why Messiah said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). You are not trying to bring heaven down; heaven is already inside you — flowing out into the world through your life, your voice, your compassion, your authority.

Kingdom ambassadors do not blend into the culture around them — they transform it. The world’s values do not shape them but carry and reveal the values of Heaven. Politics, society, or circumstance do not define your identity — it is defined by the Kingdom that sent you and the King whose authority you carry.

Wherever God places your feet, that place becomes embassy ground — holy territory where heaven’s will is meant to break in. You are not merely a believer; you are heaven’s representative, stationed in a foreign land with a divine mandate to manifest the Kingdom.

Friend, step into this identity with boldness and humility. You carry the heartbeat of heaven — the message that God is reconciling the world to Himself through His Son. Speak as one sent. Walk as one commissioned. Love as one empowered by the King. You are not just surviving this world — you are representing another one. You are not just living for God — you are living from God, sent out by His authority. You are heaven’s ambassador — chosen, empowered, and entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. Go forth in the authority of your King, and let the world encounter heaven through you.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, the mind of Messiah: seeing from heaven's perspective!

1 Corinthians 2:16  For "WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD THAT HE MAY INSTRUCT HIM?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Every transformation begins in the mind. What you believe about God — and about yourself in Him — shapes how you walk, how you respond, how you live. You can be redeemed in spirit and yet still live bound if your mind remains shackled to earthly thinking. This is why Scripture commands us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). True identity takes root when your thoughts come into alignment with what heaven already declares about you.

When you were born of the Spirit, your spirit was made new in an instant — but your mind must be renewed through truth. Heaven’s language will always contradict the noise of this world. The world says, “You are what you do,” but heaven says, “You are who I created you to be.” The world defines you by your failures; heaven defines you by the finished work of Yeshua (Jesus). The world calls you broken; heaven calls you beloved. Transformation happens the moment your thinking begins to agree with heaven’s view — when your inner dialogue echoes His eternal Word.

Paul wrote, “Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Messiah” (1 Corinthians 2:16). To have the mind of Messiah means you begin to think from above, not beneath — not as a slave begging for breakthrough, but as a son or daughter who sits with Him in heavenly places. And more than that — you think as one whom He has ordained as a king and a priest. As a priest, you perceive God with intimacy; as a king, you perceive the world with authority. Heaven’s perspective is not poetic sentiment — it is divine reality. When you think like heaven, fear loses its grip, shame has no place, and peace becomes the atmosphere of your heart.

Yeshua modeled this perfectly. He walked the earth yet thought from eternity. Surrounded by storms, He carried calm. Faced with hatred, He responded with love. Even upon the cross, He saw redemption where others saw defeat. This is the mind of Messiah — anchored in the Father’s truth, unshaken by circumstances, and filled with heavenly perspective.

The renewed mind does more than shift your thoughts — it transforms your sight. You begin to interpret life not through wounds but through worship, not through limitation but through love. The renewed mind doesn’t ask, “What do I lack?” but declares, “His divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). It no longer asks, “Who am I?” but confidently answers, “I am who He says I am — His royal priest, His beloved child, His ambassador on earth.”

To walk in your true identity, you must think from your true position. You are seated with Messiah in heavenly places — not striving from the earth upward, but reigning from heaven downward. As a king, you decree His will into the earth. As a priest, you carry His heart into every place you go. This heavenly perspective transforms everything: trials become training, battles become platforms for glory, and every season becomes an invitation to reveal the nature of the One who lives within you.

As Colossians 3:2–3 declares, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Messiah in God.”

When your thoughts dwell in heaven, your life begins to reflect heaven. As your mind is renewed, you become a living manifestation of divine reality — heaven’s witness wearing human skin.

Friend, lift your gaze. Think from where you are seated — not from earth’s confusion but from heaven’s clarity. Allow the Spirit to retrain your thought life until your mind becomes a mirror of Messiah’s heart. Reject every thought that speaks less than God’s truth. Agree with His Word until your thoughts roar with His perspective. You have the mind of Messiah — so think like heaven, walk like a son, and rule like a king-priest who carries divine understanding and authority. Transformation begins when your thoughts rise to where your spirit already sits — in heavenly places with Him.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, seated with Him in heavenly places: living from victory, not for it!

Ephesians 2:5-7  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  6  and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 

When you were united with Yeshua (Jesus), something supernatural happened — something far beyond what your eyes can see. You were not only forgiven and restored; you were enthroned. The Word declares that God “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). This is not a future promise — it is a present reality. Heaven sees you not as struggling to reach victory, but as already seated in victory, reigning with Christ in the eternal now.

God exists outside of time. He sees the end from the beginning — the finished work, not the process. From His eternal perspective, you are already glorified, already victorious, already seated beside His Son. The Father does not see you as trying to earn authority; He sees you walking in it. You are positioned in Messiah above every power, principality, and force of darkness. Heaven’s view of you is not earthbound — it is enthroned.

You were raised with Him not just to observe heaven, but to operate from it. You are called to bring heaven’s reality into earth’s chaos — to release divine order where there is confusion, healing where there is brokenness, and truth where there is deception. This is what it means to live as a king and a priest before God. As Revelation declares, “He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father” (Revelation 1:6). As a priest, you draw near to minister before Him in worship and intercession. As a king, you rule and decree His will into the earth. Together, these identities define your calling — intimacy with God and authority in the world.

Yeshua said, “Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). This authority is not something you fight to gain; it flows from where you are seated. You do not wrestle for victory; you enforce it. You do not strive to overcome; you stand in the One who already has.

This is your position: you are seated with Him in heavenly places. The battles you face on earth are fought from above, not below. When the enemy whispers lies of defeat, you can look down from the throne of grace and see him under your feet. When circumstances shake, you can rest in the One who reigns above it all. You are not a victim of circumstance but a vessel of dominion — called to tread upon every force that opposes the kingdom.

The Father invites you to see as He sees — outside the realm of time, beyond the limits of earth, into the eternal now where His will is already accomplished. He calls you to live from that perspective — to speak from heaven’s authority into earth’s need, to act from victory instead of striving toward it. When you pray, decree, and walk in obedience from this place of rest, you release heaven’s atmosphere into the earth.

Friend, stop fighting for what has already been won. Lift your eyes to where you truly are — seated with Messiah, crowned with righteousness, clothed in glory, and filled with authority. The throne you sit on is not a symbol; it’s your position of power and peace.  Walk as one enthroned in Him — declaring His will, subduing darkness, healing the broken, and bringing heaven to earth. You are not reaching for victory; you are releasing it. You are not striving to overcome; you are standing in the Overcomer. You are seated with Him in heavenly places — reigning from His rest, carrying heaven’s authority, and revealing His dominion on the earth.

Have a blessed weekend -- enjoy your time with the Lord -- Shabbat Shalom! See you bright and early Monday morning!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, clothed in righteousness: from shame to glory!

1 Peter 2:9-10  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  10  who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 

From the very beginning, humanity has been trying to cover its own shame. In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned, their first instinct was to hide and to sew fig leaves together — a desperate attempt to conceal the awareness of their nakedness. Sin exposed what was lost, and shame became humanity’s garment. But even in that moment of failure, God revealed His mercy. He clothed them Himself, covering their shame with the skin of a sacrifice — a prophetic foreshadowing of the redemption to come, when the blood of the Lamb would one day cover the nakedness of mankind.

Ever since that day, people have tried to clothe themselves with the coverings of this world — success, appearance, status, religion, and self-righteousness — yet none can truly cover the soul. Only God can remove the garment of guilt and replace it with the robe of righteousness. Isaiah rejoiced in this revelation, declaring, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels” (Isaiah 61:10).

In Yeshua (Jesus), that prophetic promise was fulfilled. The same God who covered Adam and Eve now covers you — not with temporary garments, but with His own righteousness. Through the cross, Yeshua took off the filthy rags of sin, shame, and striving and clothed you in His perfection. Paul explained it this way: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the Great Exchange — your sin for His righteousness, your shame for His glory, your old identity for His divine image.

But this righteousness is not merely a covering — it is a calling. You have not just been forgiven; you have been clothed for divine purpose. Just as the priests in the Temple were washed, anointed, and clothed before ministering before the Lord, so too you have been prepared and adorned by the Spirit to serve in the presence of God.

Revelation declares that Yeshua “has made us kings and priests to His God and Father” (Revelation 1:6), and Peter affirms, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

You are no longer an outcast hiding in shame, but a royal priest standing before the throne — washed in the blood, anointed by the Spirit, and clothed in garments of light and authority. The righteousness you wear is not just for your covering; it is your commission — a holy empowerment to carry His presence and reflect His glory in the earth.

Heaven sees you differently than you often see yourself. The Father does not see the stains of your past — He sees the splendor of His Son. The accuser may try to remind you of your failures, but those garments were taken off at the cross. You are no longer wearing the cloak of condemnation; you are clothed in covenant. No longer wrapped in regret, you are robed in redemption.

Every morning when you awaken, heaven sees a royal heir dressed in the garments of grace. You carry His righteousness, His authority, and His fragrance. You were once covered in the dust of the earth — now you are covered in the glory of heaven.

Friend, lift your head and walk boldly in your new garments, for you are no longer defined by what was — you are defined by Who you wear. Cast off the garments of the old life — the cloak of shame, fear, and guilt — and put on the robe of righteousness your Redeemer has given you. You are His beloved bride, adorned in beauty, crowned with honor, and radiant with His presence. The garments of heaven were not given for display but for destiny — to walk in intimacy, authority, and victory. When heaven looks upon you, it does not see the torn rags of who you once were but the royal robes of who you are in Him. You are clothed in Him — to radiant in His beauty, accepted in His presence, and empowered to reflect His glory to the world. Stand tall, walk worthy, and rejoice in your identity — for you are clothed in righteousness, covered in salvation, crowned with glory, and commissioned with purpose — forever His.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, adopted into the Father’s family: from orphans to heirs!

Romans 8:15-17  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."  16  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  17  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Every heart longs to know where it truly belongs. Deep within every human soul is the question of identity — Who am I? Where do I come from? It’s why, when someone is adopted in the natural, they often spend years searching for their biological parents. There’s an ache to know their true origin, a longing to connect the story of their beginning with their present. And until that longing is resolved, there is often a sense of incompleteness, a struggle to move forward — because to understand where we are going, we must first know where we came from.

Spiritually, humanity lives with that same ache. Sin severed our relationship with our Creator, leaving the human heart wandering like an orphan — searching for belonging, identity, and love in a broken world. We chased affirmation in achievements, relationships, and recognition, but nothing could quiet the orphan spirit that longed for the Father’s embrace.

Then came the miracle of redemption — the moment heaven’s plan was revealed through Yeshua (Jesus), who came not only to save us from sin but to bring us home. Paul wrote that “you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Messiah” (Romans 8:15–17).

Through Yeshua, the Father restored what sin had fractured. We are no longer slaves to fear or orphans searching for belonging — we have been adopted into the family of God, fully accepted, fully loved, and fully known. Adoption in the kingdom is not second-best — it is God’s highest expression of love and inclusion. In the ancient world, adopted children received the same rights, inheritance, and authority as natural-born heirs — and so it is in Yeshua.

When you came to faith in Yeshua, you didn’t just receive forgiveness — you received family. The Father didn’t just pardon you; He claimed you as His own. You were not merely rescued from sin; you were brought into His household with full rights of inheritance. Heaven has signed your adoption papers in the blood of the Lamb. You now carry His name, bear His likeness, and share in His inheritance.

And just as many who are adopted long to know their true parents, so too every believer must come to know the Father — not just as Creator, but as Abba. Until you truly see yourself as His child, you will live like a spiritual orphan — striving for love instead of resting in it, performing for acceptance instead of living from it. But once the revelation of His fatherhood grips your heart, everything changes.

You begin to walk not as one trying to earn love, but as one already loved. You stop striving for identity and start living from it. The orphan spirit loses its grip because the Father’s voice silences every lie, declaring over you: “You are My beloved child; you are Mine.”

Friend, heaven knows your name. The Father Himself has chosen you, adopted you, and sealed your inheritance with His Spirit — an inheritance that can never fade or be taken away. You were never meant to wander through life searching for belonging; you were created to dwell in His house, to rest in His embrace, and to live from the security of His love. So stop searching for identity in the shadows of this world — the One who formed you has already found you. Let the Spirit of adoption rise within you until every trace of the orphan spirit is silenced.  You are no longer an orphan or a stranger — you are family. An heir of God and co-heir with the Messiah, chosen, beloved, and forever His. In Him, you’ve found where you came from and discovered where you are going!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, born of the Spirit: identity received, not achieved!

2 Peter 1:3-4  as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,  4  by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 

In the kingdom of God, identity is not achieved — it is received. You cannot earn it, perform for it, or inherit it through bloodline or status. It is a gift born from above. Every effort of man to define himself apart from God ends in frustration, but the new birth offers something that no human striving ever could: the life of God implanted within.

When Yeshua (Jesus) spoke to Nicodemus, a respected Rabbi of Israel, He revealed the foundation of true identity. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old?” Yeshua answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:3–6).

In that conversation, heaven unveiled the mystery of transformation: our first birth gives us life in this world, but our second birth — the birth of the Spirit — gives us life in the kingdom. The first birth makes us children of Adam; the second makes us sons and daughters of God. This is not religion — this is rebirth.

To be born of the Spirit means that your origin has changed. You are no longer defined by your earthly past but by your heavenly source. You were not just forgiven; you were reborn. The Spirit of God Himself breathed new life into your being and placed within you the seed of divine nature. As Peter writes, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness… that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:3–4).

This means that your identity is not something you work toward — it is something you wake up to. You don’t become a child of God by effort; you recognize who you already are in Him. You were born from above — conceived by grace, sustained by the Spirit, and destined to reflect His glory.

When heaven looks at you, it does not see a struggling soul trying to measure up; it sees one in whom the Spirit of Messiah dwells. You carry within you the very breath of God — the same Spirit that hovered over creation in the beginning, the same power that raised Yeshua from the dead. You are no longer of this world but born from above, set apart to reveal the life of the One who lives in you. Having received the Spirit of adoption, you are no longer bound by fear, for that same Spirit now bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God, and from deep within your renewed heart rises the cry of sonship — “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15-16).

That cry of “Abba” is the sound of your true identity — heaven’s declaration that you belong, that you are loved, and that the very life of the Son dwells within you. Your new birth gave you a new voice, the voice of sonship echoing in your heart, reminding you that you are His. So stop striving to become what you already are. You are no longer defined by the flesh but by His Spirit within you. Each day, let the breath of God remind you of your origin — born from above, chosen before time, and filled with the life of Yeshua.

Friend, walk as one who carries heaven’s DNA, for the Spirit of the Living God has taken residence within you. You are not a vessel of weakness but a temple of glory, designed to manifest the life of Yeshua wherever you go. You have been born of the Spirit — not merely touched by God, but transformed by Him from the inside out. You are sealed by grace, marked as His own, and sustained by the very power that raised Yeshua from the dead. The fire of His presence is not a passing feeling; it is the essence of who you now are. So let every step testify to His redemption, let every word reveal His truth, and let every moment carry the fragrance of heaven. Let the life of God burn within you — radiant, unshakable, and eternal.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, the resurrection: new life, new identity!

Luke 9:23-24 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 

The cross was never the end -- it was the doorway to new life. When Yeshua (Jesus) rose from the grave, He didn't rise alone. In Him, we too were raised into a new identity -- no longer bound by the old nature, but alive in the power of resurrection. The same Spirit that rolled away the stone now lives in every believer who has placed their faith in Him. As Paul wrote, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection" (Romans 6:4-5).

The resurrection is not only a past event — it is a living reality that defines who you are right now. The same power that shattered the grip of death now flows through you, because heaven sees you in Him. When the Father looks upon you, He no longer sees your past, your failures, or your striving — He sees the life of His Son beating within you. The tomb was emptied so that your life could be filled — filled with His Spirit, His righteousness, and His divine purpose. When Yeshua rose, you rose with Him; when He stepped out of the grave, heaven declared a new identity over you. The old you — marked by sin, shame, and self-effort — was buried forever, and in its place, a new creation emerged. Heaven now beholds you as robed in His righteousness, radiant with His glory, and restored fully to His image — a son or daughter alive with resurrection life, seated with Him in heavenly places.

But resurrection life is not lived out just once; it is embraced daily. Yeshua said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). The call to take up our cross daily is not an invitation to suffering for suffering's sake -- it is an invitation to continual transformation. Each day we choose to crucify the flesh, to silence the voice of the old man that longs to live again, and to walk in the identity purchased for us 2000 years ago.

The apostle Paul declared, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). This is the essence of resurrection living -- to die daily to the self that once ruled us and to live daily by faith in the One who now dwells within us. Each surrender becomes a resurrection moment, where the old falls away and the life of Yeshua rises stronger within.

Beloved, resurrection life is not reserved for the future; it begins now. The same Spirit that raised Yeshua from the dead empowers you to overcome the pull of the flesh and to walk in the newness of life. Every morning is a resurrection invitation -- to leave the grave of yesterday behind and to walk in the light of His victory today. You are no longer defined by what was buried but by what has risen.

Every choice to forgive, to love, to obey, and to trust -- every moment you die to self -- resurrection power flows again. You were never called to live by willpower but by resurrection power. The grave could not hold Him, and it cannot hold you.

Friend, take up your cross daily and follow Him -- not as a heavy burden, but as the pathway to life. In every surrender, there is freedom. In every death to self, there is resurrection power. This is your identity now -- crucified with Him, raised with Him, alive in Him. Walk in resurrection power. Live in resurrection identity. Rise daily in His life -- for the same Spirit that raised Yeshua from the dead now lives in you.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, the cross: the great exchange!

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

2 Corinthians 5:21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

At the heart of redemption stands the cross — not merely a symbol of suffering, but the place of divine exchange where heaven met humanity. On that hill, everything that separated mankind from God came face-to-face with His holiness and love. Our sin, our shame, our striving, and every false identity we ever carried were nailed there. In that sacred moment, the broken reflection of humanity was exchanged for the radiant image of the Son. As Paul writes, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

This was the greatest transaction in eternity — the righteous One became sin so that the sinful might become righteous. The Son of God took upon Himself the distorted identity of fallen humanity so that we could receive His divine nature. The cross was never just about forgiveness; it was about transformation. It wasn’t only the cleansing of guilt — it was the beginning of our restoration back to glory.

When Yeshua (Jesus) lifted His voice and declared, “It is finished,” the curse that began in Eden was broken forever. The false identities we wore — the labels of failure, fear, rejection, and shame — lost their power. The blood that flowed from His body became the ink that rewrote our story. The cross became the dividing line between who we were and who we are now. Paul captures this truth, saying, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Beloved, this is the mystery and the miracle — the Great Exchange. Your old self was not repaired; it was crucified. Your new life is not a remodel of your past, but a complete rebirth in His image. You no longer live as a reflection of Adam’s fall but are called to be a reflection of Yeshua’s victory. The cross is not the end of your identity; it is the beginning of your true one.

Every scar of the Savior declares your worth, and every drop of His blood testifies that you are no longer who you once were. The world may try to name you by your failures, but heaven calls you by His righteousness. The cross has spoken a better name over you, just as the prophet Isaiah declared: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).

Friend, hear this with power and conviction — it’s time to stop trying to repair what God has already crucified. The old man cannot be fixed; he must remain buried. Lay down every false label the world, the enemy, or even your own thoughts have placed upon you, and let the cross alone define who you are. When you came to Him in faith — when you bowed your heart before the cross and surrendered your life into His hands — something supernatural happened. You did not simply turn over a new leaf; you were reborn. This is the unstoppable power of the Great Exchange: He took what was ours — sin, guilt, and death — so that we could receive what is His — righteousness, sonship, and eternal life. Your identity is no longer written by your failures but sealed by His finished work. Behold the cross and see who you have become — beloved, forgiven, righteous, and redeemed — a child of God, fully restored to the image of the Son. And when this truth pierces your heart, when you truly grasp that your striving is over and your identity complete in Him — then, beloved, you will enter His perfect rest.

Shabbat Shalom and have a great weekend ... see you bright and early Monday morning!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, the Word became flesh: the perfect image revealed!

John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 

Hebrews 1:3  who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 

When humanity lost its reflection of the divine, the world grew dim. The image of God — once radiant in mankind — became blurred by sin and separation. Yet God’s purpose never changed. From the beginning, His desire was to dwell among His creation and reveal Himself fully. And in the fullness of time, that eternal plan was fulfilled: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

In Yeshua (Jesus), the invisible God became visible. The eternal Word stepped into time, clothed Himself in humanity, and walked among us — not only to redeem us, but to reveal to us who we were always meant to be. As Paul declared, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). Yeshua didn’t simply come to show us how to live; He came to restore in us the image of God that sin had marred.

Every word He spoke, every act of compassion He displayed, every moment of obedience He walked out reflected the very heart of the Father. In Him we see the true design of humanity — perfect love, perfect humility, perfect unity with God. He was not a distant deity but Emmanuel, God with us, walking the dusty roads of earth to bring heaven near. Through His life, He revealed what humanity looks like when completely surrendered to the Father’s will. Through His death, He tore down the wall that separated us. And through His resurrection, He opened the way for us to once again bear the likeness of our Creator through the indwelling Spirit.

The writer of Hebrews captures this mystery perfectly: “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). In Yeshua, the fullness of God’s glory was embodied — and in Him, the fullness of our identity is revealed. When we look at Yeshua, we are not merely seeing what God is like; we are seeing what we were meant to be. He is the mirror of divine identity, and as we behold Him, we are transformed into that same image from glory to glory. The more we gaze upon the Son, the clearer our reflection becomes.

He came so that the Word would no longer merely dwell among us, but He now lives within us. Yeshua, once veiled in flesh, now makes His home in the hearts of those who believe. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Friend, hear this with the fire of the Spirit — the restoration of your identity begins and ends with beholding Him. Fix your gaze upon Yeshua, the living Word, and see yourself through His eyes — not as the world labels you, but as heaven knows you. Let His life define your worth, His truth renew your mind, and His Spirit reshape your very nature. He is the visible image of the invisible God, and as you behold Him, you are being transformed into His likeness. This is not religion — it is rebirth. This is the divine journey of identity: from broken image to restored glory, from shadow to substance, from distance to divine union. So lift your eyes, beloved — behold Him until His reflection becomes your own. Behold Him. Reflect Him. Become like Him.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, the Redeemer’s seed: God’s plan to restore His Image in us!

Galatians 4:4-6  But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  5  to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  6  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" 

Even in humanity’s darkest moment, when sin fractured the image of God and separation entered the human story, hope was not lost. The same God who pronounced judgment also spoke redemption. The instant Adam and Eve fell, the voice of grace broke through the curse, declaring a promise that would echo through all generations: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15). In that single verse, God revealed His plan of restoration — the coming of a Redeemer who would crush the power of the deceiver and restore the identity and fellowship humanity had lost.

This was not merely a curse upon the serpent — it was the first prophecy of salvation, the protoevangelium, the “first gospel.” In one sentence, God revealed His plan to restore what was broken and redeem what was lost. The Seed of the woman — a prophetic foreshadowing of the Messiah — would one day crush the head of the deceiver and reclaim humanity’s stolen identity.

Even as Adam and Eve were driven from Eden, God was already setting in motion a divine plan that would span generations. Through the unfolding story of Scripture, the bloodline of redemption began to flow — from Abraham to Isaac, from Jacob to Judah, and from David to the promised Seed, Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. Born of a woman and born under the law, He came to redeem those held captive by sin and restore them to their true identity as sons and daughters of God.

As Paul writes, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Galatians 4:4–6). Through the Messiah, the Spirit of adoption restores the voice that was lost in the Garden — the cry of identity, intimacy, and belonging: “Abba, Father.”

From the very beginning, God’s heart was restoration. He would not allow His image-bearers to remain bound by the serpent’s deception. Every covenant, every sacrifice, every prophet pointed toward this singular hope — the coming of the Seed who would undo the curse and restore communion between God and man.

This is the nature of our God — He never abandons what He creates. When mankind sinned, He promised salvation; when mankind fell, He foretold a Redeemer. His love declared redemption before judgment was ever spoken. In Yeshua, that ancient promise found its fulfillment. The promised Seed came — bruised for our iniquities, wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5), yet victorious over sin and death. Through His sacrifice, the serpent’s power was crushed, and the image of God in humanity began to be restored. As Scripture proclaims, “And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20).

Friend, hear this with the fire of truth — no matter how shattered the mirror of your life appears, redemption was etched into your story before your first breath. You were never forgotten, never abandoned, never beyond His reach. From the beginning of time, God’s plan had your name written within it. The promise of the Seed was not a reaction to sin — it was the heartbeat of a loving Father who purposed restoration before the foundation of the world. What sin shattered, grace is rebuilding. What was lost in Adam is restored in Yeshua. He is the fulfillment of that ancient word — the living proof that God keeps every promise He has ever spoken. The Seed has come, the curse is broken, and the path back to God stands wide open for those who will return to Him. Step into that redemption, walk in that restored identity, and lift your voice as a true son or daughter — crying out from the depths of your spirit, “Abba, Father!”

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, the fall: when identity was lost!

Genesis 3:7-9  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9  Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 

In the beginning, humanity walked in perfect harmony with God — clothed in His glory, at peace with His creation, and secure in His image. Adam and Eve knew who they were because they knew the One who formed them. There was no striving, no insecurity, no question of worth. Their identity flowed from unbroken fellowship with their Creator.

But when sin entered the world, that reflection shattered. The serpent’s deception was not just about disobedience — it was an attack on identity. "Did God really say…?" (Genesis 3:1) was more than a question; it was a seed of doubt meant to separate humanity from the truth of who they were. When Adam and Eve reached for what they already possessed — the likeness of God — they traded intimacy for independence, glory for guilt.

From that moment, humanity began defining itself by shame, fear, and separation rather than by the divine image. Mankind began to see itself through the eyes of failure rather than through the gaze of the Father. Instead of walking with God, mankind began running from Him; instead of bearing His likeness, mankind built identities out of what was lost.

Every generation since has repeated the same pattern — seeking identity in possessions, achievements, culture, and pride, while the echo of God’s voice still calls through the ages: "Where are you?"

Sin didn’t erase the image of God — it obscured it. The mirror was cracked, but not destroyed. Deep within the human heart remains a longing to return to that original reflection — to be known, loved, and restored.

Friend, every distortion of identity began in that moment of separation. When we look to the world to define us, we repeat Adam’s hiding in the garden. But God still calls our name. His desire is not to condemn us, but to restore the image that was lost. The sacrifice of His Son was the Father's answer to the fall. In Yeshua (Jesus), the image is being restored, the shame is being covered, and the fellowship once broken is being renewed. Now is the time to step out from behind the trees of fear and shame — to stop hiding and come back into His light. You were not created to live fragmented, defined by failure. You were created to walk in His likeness. Return to your true reflection — the image of God restored in the face of the Messiah.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, created in His image: the original identity!

Colossians 1:15-18  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  17  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18  And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 

I’m beginning a new series about finding our true identity.

As a pastor in Israel for over twenty years, I’ve seen many lose their way—not because they didn’t love God, but because they never truly understood where their identity lies. Too often, people define themselves by their heritage, work, calling, or title, yet these are only temporary reflections. Our worth isn’t found in what we do or where we come from, but in who we are in the One who created us. Our true identity is discovered only in the Messiah — the One through whom all things were made and for whom all things exist.

Everything begins with Him — Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah — the visible image of the invisible God. Our purpose, our design, our very being flows from His nature. When God said in Genesis 1:26, “Let Us make man in Our image,” He was speaking from within that eternal fellowship — Father, Son, and Spirit. Humanity was formed to bear that image, to reflect His love, holiness, and dominion upon the earth.

Our original identity wasn’t earned — it was bestowed. It came when the breath of God filled Adam’s lungs and His likeness was imprinted upon the human soul. But when sin entered the world, that image was fractured. Ever since, mankind has been searching for meaning and worth apart from the One whose image we carry.

Only in the Messiah is that image restored. He came not merely to forgive us, but to remake us — to restore the divine likeness that sin distorted.

If we want to discover who we truly are, we must first behold who He is, for He is the true Image—the perfect reflection of the Father. When we fix our gaze upon Him, we begin to see who we were always created to be. As the apostle Paul declared, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) In beholding Him, our identity is revealed, and in reflecting Him, we are continually transformed into His likeness.

Friend, if we genuinely want to know who we are, we must find our identity in Him! It is only when we see ourselves through the eyes of our Creator that our purpose comes into focus, for we were never meant to mirror the world — we were made to reflect Him. God fashioned us in His image and likeness, breathing His very nature into our being, and until we align our hearts with that truth, we will keep chasing shadows of identity that can never satisfy. Let us no longer define ourselves by what we do, where we come from, or what others say about us, but by what He says — by His Word, His love, and His glory. When we behold Him, we discover ourselves; when we reflect Him, we become whole. Only from this place — from our union with the Messiah — can we truly understand who we are and walk in the fullness of our divine calling.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Friend, the eternal sabbath -- from creation to the eighth day!

Genesis 2:1-3  Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2  And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. 

Hebrews 4:9-11  There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10  For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11  Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 

When we read the creation account in Genesis, every day ends with the same rhythm: “And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day… the second day…” But when we come to the seventh day — the Sabbath — something extraordinary happens. The pattern breaks. There is no mention of “evening and morning.” The text simply says, “God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and made.”

From the very beginning, the Sabbath was different. It did not end because it was never meant to. It pointed beyond time — a divine whisper of eternity woven into the first week of creation. The absence of “evening and morning” was God’s hint that His ultimate rest would have no sunset, no ending — an eternal day when His people would dwell with Him forever.

This was the promise that the writer of Hebrews spoke of: “There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever has entered His rest has also rested from his works, as God did from His.” (Hebrews 4:9–10) The Sabbath of creation was not merely a command to pause from labor — it was a prophecy of redemption. Humanity’s fall broke that rest, but through Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, the door to it was reopened. Through Him, we can enter that rest now — not just by ceasing from work, but by ceasing from striving, by trusting fully in His finished work on the cross.

And yet, there is still more to come. The Eighth Day — the eternal Sabbath — lies ahead. It is the day when time itself gives way to eternity, when the temporary rest of Shabbat unfolds into the everlasting peace of God’s presence. The early believers understood this mystery deeply: that the seventh day pointed to completion, but the eighth day pointed to consummation — the final dwelling of God with His redeemed creation.

The rest of God is not just a pause — it is a person. It is found in Yeshua, the Lord of the Sabbath, the One who said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The invitation still stands: to enter His rest now by faith and to await that coming day when rest will never end.

Friend, so lift your eyes beyond the cycle of days and weeks. The seventh day marks completion, but the eighth day calls you into communion — the eternal morning where there is no night. Let His peace rule your heart today, for soon the dawn of the Eighth Day will break — and the King will say, “It is finished — enter into My rest.”

Shabbat Shalom ... have a GREAT WEEKEND and we'll see you first thing on Monday!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Editor's Note: As we continue this deep dive into Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day—the climactic culmination of all the feasts—if it feels a bit “meaty,” go back through the earlier devotions. Each one builds line upon line, revealing the profound truth of this day: the ultimate fulfillment when God will tabernacle with us for eternity!

Friend, the eighth day: the millennial shabbat and eternal rest!

2 Peter 3:8  But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 

In the divine rhythm of creation, God's week of work and rest was more than a record of time -- it was a prophetic calendar of redemption. The apostle Peter wrote, "With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8). The early Church Fathers discerned in this pattern a mystery: the six "days" of creation represented six thousand years of human labor and struggle, to be followed by a thousand-year Sabbath -- the seventh "day" of rest -- the Messianic reign of Christ on earth, when righteousness and peace would fill the world. This seventh millennium, they taught, would be the great Sabbath of history -- the fulfillment of the rest first sanctified in Genesis.

But beyond the seventh comes the eighth day -- an age beyond time, when the temporary gives way to the eternal, and the reign of the King unfolds into unending communion. The early believers gathered on the first day of every week — celebrating it as the eighth day, the Lord’s Day — a weekly remembrance of the resurrection.

For them, it was more than a day of worship; it was a living sign that the new creation had already begun in Messiah, and that the power of His resurrection was even now transforming the world. They honored the Shabbat, yet also gathered on the Lord's Day, not merely to mark time, but to proclaim a truth: that the resurrection was the dawn of a new age, and that eternity had already broken into this present world.

In this, we see the pattern echoed in Shemini Atzeret, the "Eighth Day Assembly" that follows the seven days of Sukkot. Just as that sacred day stood apart -- a pause beyond the feast, a divine invitation to linger with God -- so the eighth day of redemptive history points to eternity itself. It is the moment when time yields to timelessness, when the King says to His redeemed, "Stay with Me a little longer."

The Lord's Day is thus a type of eternity -- distinct from the "Day of the Lord," which speaks of His return in judgment. The Lord's Day looks forward to the final Sabbath rest, when the King will dwell among His people, sin will be no more, and creation itself will enter its everlasting peace -- not measured in sunsets or centuries, but in the radiant presence of God.

Friend, we now live in the overlap of the ages -- after the six days of labor, on the threshold of the seventh of reign, awaiting the dawn of the eighth. Let your heart rest in the hope of that eternal day. Let every redemption, every restoration, every soul set free whisper of what is coming. For the King is even now preparing the world for His eternal Sabbath -- the eighth day, the day beyond all days -- and His voice still calls: "Stay with Me... for I am making all things new."

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Editor's Note: As we continue this deep dive into Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day—the climactic culmination of all the feasts—if it feels a bit “meaty,” go back through the earlier devotions. Each one builds line upon line, revealing the profound truth of this day: the ultimate fulfillment when God will tabernacle with us for eternity!

Friend, the Prophetic Connection: Bikkurim, Pentecost, and the Final Harvest!

Revelation 14:14-16  Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."  16  So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. 

When the Lord appointed His feasts in Leviticus 23, He wove together a rhythm of redemption — a divine timeline that begins with Firstfruits (Bikkurim) and blossoms into Pentecost (Shavuot). God commanded Israel to count seven full weeks from the day of the wave sheaf offering — forty-nine days — and then to celebrate the Feast of Weeks on the fiftieth day. What began as a single sheaf lifted before the Lord became a countdown to the greater harvest — a shadow of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the global gathering of souls that would follow.

On that fiftieth day — the beginning of the eighth week — heaven once again touched earth. The same Spirit who raised Yeshua (Jesus) on Bikkurim descended upon the disciples in Jerusalem. Flames of fire appeared above their heads, and they began to speak in every language under heaven. What had begun with one resurrected body on Firstfruits now multiplied into a living harvest — three thousand souls saved and filled with the Spirit’s power. The Feast of Weeks had become the Feast of Witnesses, and the firstfruits had become a field in full bloom.

This prophetic pattern continues to unfold through time. Bikkurim was the seed — Shavuot was the first harvest — but the Final Ingathering is still to come. In Revelation 14, John sees the Son of Man seated on a cloud, a sickle in His hand, ready to reap the earth’s great harvest. The story that began in a garden ends in glory; the firstfruits have become the full field of redemption. The resurrection of Yeshua was not the conclusion but the beginning of the harvest season — one that continues until the final trumpet sounds.

The Spirit poured out on Pentecost was not a new Spirit but the same power that raised Yeshua from the dead. Bikkurim revealed the miracle of resurrection; Pentecost revealed the harvest through the miracle of resurrection life. The same fire that brought Yeshua from the tomb now fills His people, making them the vessels through which God gathers His end-time harvest.

Following the pattern of Shemini Atzeret — the Eighth Day Assembly — Shavuot (Pentecost) came at the close of seven full weeks and the dawn of the eighth, marking the moment when time touched eternity. It was the day when the temporary became timeless — the beginning of an outpouring that would never end, as heaven’s fire filled human hearts with eternal purpose and power.

Friend, the harvest has already begun. The seed has risen, the Spirit has been poured out, and the sickle of the Son of Man is being sharpened for the final gathering. The same resurrection power that raised Yeshua now lives in you — not to be remembered, but to be released. You are not just a witness to resurrection; you are the fruit of it, called to carry that life into every barren place. Live as one who knows that Pentecost was not the end of the story — it was the spark of the final harvest fire. So lift your eyes — the fields are white, the nations are waiting, and the Spirit is moving. The first sheaf has been lifted, the fire has fallen, and the Lord of the Harvest is calling: “Come, gather My harvest — for the time to reap has come.”

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Editor's Note: As we continue this deep dive into Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day—the climactic culmination of all the feasts—if it feels a bit “meaty,” go back through the earlier devotions. Each one builds line upon line, revealing the profound truth of this day: the ultimate fulfillment when God will tabernacle with us for eternity!

Friend, the wave offering: the sheaf and the savior!

Ephesians 1:6  to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. 

On the Feast of Bikkurim (Firstfruits), the priest would lift the first sheaf of the barley harvest and wave it before the Lord “to be accepted on your behalf” (Leviticus 23:11). It was a sacred act — a declaration that the first belonged to God and that the rest of the harvest would be blessed because of it.

Fifteen centuries later, in perfect fulfillment, Yeshua (Jesus) rose from the grave on that very morning. When He appeared to Mary Magdalene, she reached out to embrace Him, but He said, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17). Why? Because the true Wave Offering had not yet been presented. Before His followers could touch Him, the Risen Messiah would ascend to the Father, to be accepted on behalf of all who would believe.

In that divine moment, the pattern of Bikkurim was completed. Just as the first sheaf was lifted before God as a sign that the entire harvest belonged to Him, Yeshua was lifted into Heaven as the Firstfruits of resurrection — the assurance that all who are His will rise in like manner. His ascension was not a departure, but a presentation. The Firstfruits was accepted, sanctifying the full harvest of souls that would follow.

Paul later writes that we are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Because He was received before the Father, we are received. Because He lives, we live. Because He was the first to rise, we know that the harvest is certain — the firstfruits have already risen, and the rest will follow in glory.

Friend, the sheaf has already been waved. The Firstfruits has been lifted. The Risen One has gone before you and been accepted on your behalf. You are not striving for acceptance — you are living from it. The Father has already said “yes” over your life because of the Son. Let this truth settle deep in your spirit: the harvest is guaranteed. The same power that raised Messiah from the dead will raise you. The same acceptance that welcomed Him welcomes you. Lift your heart like the priest’s sheaf and wave it before the Lord — an offering of worship, gratitude, and surrender. For the Firstfruits has been presented, and because He lives, you are part of the harvest that will surely come.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Sea of Galilee, Israel)

Editor's Note: As we continue this deep dive into Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day—the climactic culmination of all the feasts—if it feels a bit “meaty,” go back through the earlier devotions. Each one builds line upon line, revealing the profound truth of this day: the ultimate fulfillment when God will tabernacle with us for eternity!

Friend, the appointed day: the Feast of Bikkurim and the promise of resurrection!

1 Corinthians 15:20-24  But now Christ has risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruit of those who slept. 21  For since death is through man, the resurrection of the dead also is through a Man. 22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive.  23  But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruit, and afterward they who are Christ's at His coming; 24  then is the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He makes to cease all rule and all authority and power.

In the divine calendar of God’s appointed times, Bikkurim (Firstfruits) holds a mystery that stretches from the fields of Israel to the empty tomb in Jerusalem. This feast was celebrated “on the day after the Sabbath” following Passover (Leviticus 23:11) — what we now see as the eighth day, the day of new creation. While the nation of Israel brought their first sheaf of barley to the priest to be lifted before the Lord, giving thanks for the beginning of the harvest, something eternal was taking place beyond the veil of time: Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah rose from the grave.

It was not coincidence — it was divine choreography. The same morning that the firstfruits of the earth were lifted before God, the Firstfruits of resurrection was presented before the Father. The priest in the Temple waved a single sheaf as a promise that the full harvest was yet to come; and at that very moment, Yeshua, the true Priest and Offering, rose as the guarantee that death itself had been defeated and the greater harvest of souls was assured.

Paul captures this mystery beautifully, declaring that Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Just as death entered through Adam, so life now comes through Messiah. In Him, all will be made alive — first Yeshua, the Firstfruits, and then all who belong to Him at His coming (1 Corinthians 15:20–24).

Just as Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day, stands apart from the Feast of Tabernacles — separate yet completing it — so the resurrection of Yeshua stands as the eighth day of creation. The first seven days marked the work of God’s hands; the eighth day marked the birth of His new creation. On that morning, time itself shifted.

What once seemed final—death—was shattered by His resurrection, which opened the doorway to eternal life. The curse of Adam was undone in the Second Adam, who rose as the Firstborn of a new and redeemed humanity.

Bikkurim is not just a feast of grain — it is a feast of guarantee. It declares that what God begins, He will complete. The sheaf lifted before the Lord was a pledge that the full harvest would follow, just as the resurrection of Yeshua is the pledge that all who belong to Him will rise. His resurrection was not the conclusion of redemption — it was the first fruits of it.

Yeshua is the true Bikkurim, the Firstfruits of the new creation. His resurrection was not just a miracle — it was a pattern. It fulfilled the feast down to the very hour and set the rhythm of redemption in motion. He is the first to rise never to die again, and His victory ensures ours. Every believer who walks in the power of His resurrection becomes a living testimony that the harvest is coming — that what was sown in weakness will be raised in glory.

Friend, the eighth day has dawned—the tomb is empty, and life has broken through the soil. The same Spirit that raised Messiah from the dead now breathes in you. Give Him your first—your worship, your trust, your heart—and watch Him turn surrender into harvest. For the Feast of Bikkurim declares: what was buried will rise, what was broken will bloom, and what seemed finished has only just begun. This is the power of the eighth day—the day of resurrection, the day of firstfruits, the dawn of new creation in Messiah.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Jerusalem, Israel)

Editor's Note: As we continue this deep dive into Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day—the climactic culmination of all the feasts—if it feels a bit “meaty,” go back through the earlier devotions. Each one builds line upon line, revealing the profound truth of this day: the ultimate fulfillment when God will tabernacle with us for eternity!

Friend, Shemini Atzeret and the Jubilee -- the great release of the eighth!

Revelation 21:3-4  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.   4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 

In God’s divine calendar, everything moves in rhythms of seven — seven days, seven weeks, seven years, and seven cycles of years. Yet when a cycle of sevens reaches its completion, something extraordinary happens: a new beginning emerges — the eighth.

Just as Shemini Atzeret follows the seven days of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) as a sacred “eighth day,” standing apart yet completing the feast, so the Jubilee follows seven cycles of Shemitah — seven sabbatical years of release.  The word Shemitah (שְׁמִטָּה) comes from the Hebrew root שָׁמַט (shamat), meaning to release or let go. It refers to the Sabbatical Year, when God commanded Israel to let the land rest, cancel debts, and free servants (Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 15). It was God’s rhythm of mercy and trust — a time to release control, reset the heart, and rest in His faithfulness.

After seven sets of seven years--forty-nine years of labor, rest, and release--came the fiftieth year, the Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-10). It was not merely another Shemitah, but something far greater: a divine reset, a holy interruption, a year set apart from all others. After seven full Shemitah cycles, this single and separate year stood as the eighth--distinct yet connected--just as Shemini Atzeret follows the seven days of Sukkot. The Jubilee was the super-cycle of release, the pattern of patterns, pointing beyond the boundaries of time itself to the eternal Jubilee, when every chain will break, every tear will cease, and God's people will dwell forever in His rest.

In every Jubilee cycle, inheritances were restored, debts forgiven, and captives set free. It was, in essence, the ultimate eighth—the fullness and completion of a fifty-year rhythm—pointing to the same divine pattern revealed in Shemini Atzeret, Jubilee is the sacred “eighth” of years.

Prophetically, this points to the Great Jubilee still to come — the day when Yeshua (Jesus) will return to proclaim liberty to all creation. As He once read from Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18–21). After closing the scroll, He declared, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” In that moment, Yeshua revealed Himself as the very embodiment of the principle of Jubilee — the living fulfillment of God’s promise of release, restoration, and redemption.

And yet, we still look forward to the final Jubilee — the moment outside of time, the ultimate release and restoration when all creation will be made new.

Shemini Atzeret is the yearly prophetic picture of that eternal Jubilee — the day beyond the seven, the feast beyond the feasts, the pause that opens eternity.

Every Shemini Atzeret, every Shemitah, every Jubilee, every season of release, and every act of redemption points toward that climactic fulfillment — when the King will dwell with His people, and every debt, sorrow, and bondage will be no more.

Friend, we are standing at the edge of God’s great release. Let every season of waiting and every moment of surrender prepare you for the freedom of the eighth. What has been lost, He will restore; what has been bound, He will set free.  The King is calling, “Stay with Me just a little while longer … soon I am making all things new.”

Shabbat Shalom -- have a great weekend -- we'll see you bright and early on Monday morning!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Jerusalem, Israel)

Editor's Note: As we continue this deep dive into Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day—the climactic culmination of all the feasts—if it feels a bit “meaty,” go back through the earlier devotions. Each one builds line upon line, revealing the profound truth of this day: the ultimate fulfillment when God will tabernacle with us for eternity!