This is a large plate of meat, saints, but I wanted to serve it to you before the start of Hanukkah. Chew it at your leisure!

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In my last blog post on Hanukkah, I discussed the completion and inspection of tabernacle components on 25th Kislev, 1st day of Hanukkah, which begins at 6pm on 10th Dec 2020. There is another important anniversary on this auspicious day—the murder of Abel by his brother Cain.

Gen 4:3  And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. Gen 4:4  And Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat portions. And the Lord had respect and regard for Abel and for his offering, Gen 4:5  But for Cain and his offering He had no respect or regard. So Cain was exceedingly angry and indignant, and he looked sad and depressed.

So, on what would later be the first day of Hanukkah, two different inspections took place: the inspection and approval of the tabernacle components AND the inspection and acceptance or rejection of the offerings of Adam's two sons.

The word for 'respect and regard' is sha'ah. It also means 'to inspect or gaze at'. Just like Moses inspected the work of those who had made the parts for the tabernacle, so too, God inspected the two offerings. One was done according to the pattern of the shedding of the blood of a lamb for sin and the fat belonging to the Lord. The other son brought fruit from that which was cursed; the ground. The word sha'ah also means 'to spare'. In Malachi 3, we see that those whose names are written in the Book of Remembrance are spared as a man spares his own son who serves him. These are the ones who fear the Lord and who tremble at His Word. Isaiah 66, the passage that speaks about God coming to judge His Body, mentions this same group of God-fearing saints as God contrasts two different groups of worshipers:

Isa 66:2  For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands. Isa 66:3  [The acts of the hypocrite's worship are as abominable to God as if they were offered to idols.] He who kills an ox [then] will be as guilty as if he slew and sacrificed a man; he who sacrifices a lamb or a kid, as if he broke a dog's neck and sacrificed him; he who offers a cereal offering, as if he offered swine's blood; he who burns incense [to God], as if he blessed an idol. [Such people] have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations; Isa 66:4  So I also will choose their delusions and mockings, their calamities and afflictions, and I will bring their fears upon them--because when I called, no one answered; when I spoke, they did not listen or obey. But they did what was evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.

It is those who are obedient, who tremble at His Word and who choose that which delight's God's heart that will be approved and experience His continual presence in their midst. Those who choose their own ways and ignore God's voice are appointed calamity and darkness. In a sense, God is separating the light from the darkness and calling it what it is!

Promoted or Passed by

 The Lord spoke to Cain and said that if he did well, he would be 'accepted'. This Hebrew word also means 'exalted in rank'. In other words, promotion is coming to those whose offering passes inspection on the first day of Hanukkah. And the only reason Abel's offering passed inspection is because it was modelled after the offering of the Lamb of God, whereas Cain offered the fruit of his own sweat and labour digging the cursed ground. There is only one offering which is acceptable to God. Our righteous deeds are as filthy rags! What will you be presenting on the first day of Hanukkah—the Blood of the Lamb of God or your own fleshly efforts at getting God's attention? Do you rest in the finished works of the Lamb of God or do you try to perform to get God and man's attention and approval? God is looking for His heavenly pattern manifested in the earth—nothing else! He seeks His will done on earth as it is in heaven, not the will and efforts of the flesh.

Gen 4:6  And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? Gen 4:7  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.

Brother against Brother

It is often said that Stephen is the first martyr but actually Abel's blood was the original sound byte of the martyr cry for vengeance released in the earth realm. Paul mentions that the Blood of Jesus releases a better word than the blood of Abel, which called for vengeance (Heb 12:24). And in the Book of Revelation, we read of the souls under the throne who utter the same cry:

Rev 6:9  When the Lamb broke open the fifth seal, I saw at the foot of the altar the souls of those whose lives had been sacrificed for [adhering to] the Word of God and for the testimony they had borne. Rev 6:10  They cried in a loud voice, O [Sovereign] Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood upon those who dwell on the earth?

So, let's look at the dark deed that happened on this first day of the festival of lights:

Gen 4:8  And Cain said to his brother, Let us go out to the field. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Just as in the beginning, at this time of the end, those who are of the spirit of Cain will again rise up and hand their brothers over to death. This Hanukkah in 5781 marks the onset of the worst of that season. Note that Cain got his brother into the place where he was vulnerable to attack by suggesting they go out together to the field; feigning brotherly camaraderie, he lured his own brother to destruction. So shall those who are truly worshiping the One True God be betrayed even as they go out into the harvest field.

I have written extensively on the martyrdom that shall occur in the time ahead. For those who are new to this blog, please read Dove Chronicles VI, Dove Chronicles VII pt 1  & 2 to find out what the Lord has shared about this topic.

Transference of a Curse

Originally, God cursed the ground after the sin of Adam and Eve, but when Cain murdered his brother, the curse which the earth carried was transferred to Cain. Those who wilfully operate in direct opposition to the Word of God bring a curse upon their earthen vessels, just as the sons of Eli did. The endtime battle will have the sons of the curse pitted against the sons of the blessing, but it is a spiritual battle carried out through earthen vessels surrendered either to the God who is Light or the god of darkness. Part 2 of Dove Chronicles VII describes how Heaven sees this battle.

Gen 4:11  And now you are cursed by reason of the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's [shed] blood from your hand.

How interesting—just like the earth opened its mouth and absorbed the flood of the dragon in Rev 12, so God says the earth opened her mouth to receive the blood of the first martyr. Is the description of the earth opening her mouth in Rev 12 alluding to a vast increase in martyrdom as the woman flees?

The Mark Indicates the Mindset

After the murder, God put a mark on Cain:

Gen 4:15  And the Lord said to him, Therefore, if anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark or sign upon Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. Gen 4:16  So Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Just as the mark Cain received was a form of worldly protection, those with the mark of the beast are spared persecution because they identify with the one who was a murderer from the beginning. Those who choose the fear of the Lord are choosing death rather than betraying their Lord.

The  Kingdom of Heaven is making distinctions. When God inspects our offerings on the first day of Hanukkah, some are marked for elevation and light and some for desolation and darkness. Nod means 'vagrancy, exile' and the mark on Cain signified that he had been rejected by God. Cain left God's face; he fell away or walked away from the presence of the Lord after being rebuked and taking out his anger on his brother who had God's approval. In the absence of God's influence, he began to bring forth the purposes and plans of the evil one from whom he got his motivation.

The Counterfeit City and The Heavenly City

Gen 4:17  And Cain's wife became pregnant and bore Enoch; and Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch.

After Cain killed Abel, seed was released and fruit was born. The Enoch we are familiar with was the 7th generation from Adam, but there was a counterfeit Enoch from line of Cain, who was the 3rd generation from Adam. There is always a real and a counterfeit, and the counterfeit shows up from the bloodline of Cain; in fact, he was the son or seed of Cain, just as Nimrod was. John tells us that Cain was of the wicked one:

1Jn 3:11  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, That we should love one another. 1Jn 3:12  Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. 

So this son of Cain called Enoch furthered the line of the wicked one in the earth. In the same way in this endtime, there will be those who walk with God and those who walk with the enemy—and the counterfeit name themselves by the same name as the righteous seed—they call themselves 'Christians'; followers of God, but their hearts carry the thoughts of the wicked one. Enoch means 'initiated', but into what? In the case of Cain's son Enoch, it was initiated into darkness, living away from the face of God in exile, becoming part of a city (a company) built by a murderer and filled with the dark thoughts and plans of satan himself.

Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, was initiated into walking with God and being filled with His revelation light; being a foundational building block of a heavenly city, not built with hands. Did you know Enoch wrote his books for the endtime remnant? Look what the first verses of chapter one say:

'1 The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be 2 living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed. And he took up his parable and said -Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is for to come.' 

Two cities—one heavenly, one earthly; fleshly and filled with darkness, and one heavenly in positioning and focus. The earthly city called Enoch was built FIRST away from the face of God, in rebellion. In the same way, the  Antichrist, the one instead of Christ, appears before the true revealing and return of Christ. And he will have a body of people who serve his nefarious purposes. What is being built in the earth in the season ahead is the counterfeit city, the one world religion—named for the initiates into dark worship of the one who masquerades as God, and proceeds to harass and murder those who please God by their choice to remain holy.  This onslaught only builds and populates the heavenly city at a greater rate.

Jealousy always manifests with a targeted death assignment; a desire for the righteous person to be removed so that their place may be taken over. In the time after Hanukkah, brothers and sisters who have had their offering rejected will be jealous of you because they see the Father's favour in your life and they know you are approved and accepted. Hatred and envy will cause them to become launching pads for great attack against you. We see this recorded in the life of Joseph:

Gen 37:11  Joseph's brothers envied him and were jealous of him...

Act 7:9  And the patriarchs [Jacob's sons], boiling with envy and hatred and anger, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him...

Throughout the history of the church, jealousy has been at the root of the persecution that has been suffered. We see it among the early disciples, where their homes are attacked:

Act 17:4  And some of them [accordingly] were induced to believe and associated themselves with Paul and Silas, as did a great number of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. Act 17:5  But the unbelieving Jews were aroused to jealousy, and, getting hold of some wicked men (ruffians and rascals) and loungers in the marketplace, they gathered together a mob, set the town in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring [Paul and Silas] out to the people.

And we see the root of jealousy which bears the fruit of murder working in the hearts of the Pharisees when they plotted to kill Jesus:

Mat 27:17  So when they had assembled for this purpose, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to set free for you, Barabbas, or Jesus Who is called Christ? Mat 27:18  For he knew that it was because of envy that they had handed Him over to him.

Barabbas means 'son of Abba', so people were presented with someone whose name declares he is the son of God, but  in actuality, he was a murderer and the people chose the counterfeit, the one instead of Christ! Here we see the pattern for the days we are headed into. The masses will choose the one who appears instead of Christ; the Antichrist, and urge those in power to hand the Body of Jesus over to death. In the same way as during the trial of Jesus, the crowd worldwide is going to applaud and embrace the one who claims to be son of God, but he is a murderer from the beginning. He is of the seed of Cain. These very same people before Pilate were listening to the teachings of Jesus and enjoying the miraculous bread supply days before, but somehow they were vulnerable to the influence and mind control of those eaten up with jealousy and hatred... And so it will be again. Those who in previous times were eating at the tables of their Christian neighbors will be the ones betraying them to the authorities during the time of the mark of the beast.

Jas 3:16  For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices.

Hanukkah, the anniversary of the death of the first martyr, is a marker which signifies the time of brother betraying brother has now begun. Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword and it appears first in His house. Division and betrayal will manifest all over the earth. Precious remnant, you must ask God to teach you how to love those who hate you and forgive those who hand you over to imprisonment and death. Jesus set the example. He said, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing."

Hanukkah Announces the Shakings

On the eve of Hanukkah, God spoke to Haggai and announced the great shaking season would begin. Notice also the mention of brother killing brother:

Hag 2:20  And a second time the Word of the Lord came to Haggai, in the twenty-fourth of the month, saying, Hag 2:21  Speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth. Hag 2:22  And I will overturn the throne of the kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. And I will overturn the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will come down, each one by the sword of his brother. 

The time when God shakes everything that can be shaken begins now. And what cannot be shaken will remain. Offer to God the worship that pleases Him as we enter this time; comes wearing the robe of righteousness purchased for you by the Blood of the eternal covenant and know that His approval and blessing is upon you, because you have built according to His blueprint and lived in alignment to His pattern for holiness.

Hag 2:23  In that day, says the Lord of Hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and will make you like a signet; for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of Hosts. 

Hanukkah also marks the release of a new level of authority on the inspected and approved bondservants of the Lord. It is the time when God chooses His appointed signet rings and sets them in place to decree. May you be part of that company. And may you be strong in the knowledge of the Father's favor and light upon you as you fulfill His will in the earth. Do not be moved by the assault of those burning with envy. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, Who, for the joy set before Him, ENDURED the cross.

Selah

Mat 10:21  Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children will take a stand against their parents and will have them put to death. Mat 10:22  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake, but he who perseveres and endures to the end will be saved

1Jn 3:13  Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you. 1Jn 3:14  We know that we are passed from death unto life, in that we love the brethren. He that does not love his brother abides in death. 1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 

Joh 15:19  If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you. Joh 15:20  Remember that I told you, A servant is not greater than his master [is not superior to him]. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word and obeyed My teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. Joh 15:21  But they will do all this to you [inflict all this suffering on you] because of [your bearing] My name and on My account, for they do not know or understand the One Who sent Me.