Tap • Tap • Tap

For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:3

You enter the auditorium and find your seat. Muffled sounds stir all about as coats are removed and people take their seats. The air yields the occasional fragrance of sweet perfume, and the ambient lighting softens your surroundings. The stage is set for the orchestra members to sit in a semicircle fashion. You nestle into your seat and begin to survey each musician as he walks onto the stage to take his place. Each player enters in a reverent manner. Instruments soon appear, and everyone seems to be in an expectant mood. Amidst the whispers of the audience, the tuning of instruments echoes around the room. A chord is sounded in one part and answered by several others. The drummer exercises a pattern like the distant thunder of a storm. The cacophony of sounds can only be appreciated individually as they lack synchronization.

Entering the stage, the conductor steps to the podium. A different sound is heard. It is not very loud. You notice it primarily because every musician ceases his tuning practice and silence replaces the chaos. The conductor takes his baton and makes a series of sharp taps on his music stand. All is quiet and still. Even the audience seems to obey the taps as every eye turns toward him. The conductor motions, and the next sound is in sharp contrast to all that has been heard before. Every instrument sounds with bold volume and in symphonic union with each other. Your spirit is lifted as the conductor’s plan and the musicians’ performances are made one. You lose all sense of individuals playing, and the orchestra becomes the splash and surging surf of a rising tide. You are awash in the harmony of the sound of all the instruments playing together.

This word picture was supplied to me recently to illustrate our present array of prophetic voices and messages. We are like a group of musicians waiting for the conductor to take the podium before a planned performance. Each prophetic voice has a part and an instrument to play. Some sound the warning, some practice the melody of repentance, but all are tuned to the Gospel. We are not very synchronized, nor are we all in precise step with one another, but we are all in agreement that the Conductor is in charge. Very soon, everyone will hear the tap-tap-tap, and then we will all await His motion of command.

World events and a yearning to know God’s plan bring us to the auditorium. Some prefer the sound of a particular instrument over another, some dispute the value of various compositions, and some discredit the skill of individual musicians, but when the Conductor makes His distinct sound with the baton, all will be brought to attention.

I am beginning to hear the tap – tap – tap sound of the Conductor. Jerusalem is beginning to make that sound. That which follows is the planned performance of God. There will be movements and melodies, the trumpets will be featured in this performance, and the crescendo will sound with claps of thunder and choirs of angels. It will be a stirring performance unlike any orchestra that has ever played before. It will be the climax of the ages, and the standing ovation will last for a thousand years.

Consider this moment in the spring of 2025…

Five red heifers were taken to Israel in September 2022. They are being watched to determine if they will satisfy the requirements for the “sacrifice of the red heifer.” To complete the sacrifice, one of the five animals must be certified as acceptable (there can be no white hairs in its hide). Presently, three of the animals have been disqualified.

The sacrifice requires the “clean place” on the Mount of Olives to build a pyre, leading to the complete consumption of the animal down to the ash. These ashes are then collected for the purification ceremony. A small amount of ash is mixed with water and then sprinkled upon the priests that will serve at a future altar service. That altar service will be a “great earth altar” on the Temple Mount for ordination and the bringing of the daily sacrifice. The ordination will last seven days. On the eighth day, the morning and evening lambs are offered, serving as the daily sacrifice. At that point, God recognizes that altar as set up for Him. These are prerequisites before the end comes.

The moment of silence with tapping stops, and the world takes note of the beginning of the end which comes on the day that the daily sacrifice is stopped. Either the morning or the evening lamb sacrifice ceases. That is the moment that the prophecy of the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel begins. Listen to what Yeshua says about this.

This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand—

Matthew 24:14–15

As you know, the translators are the people who have brought us the modern Bibles that we study. In the original language there is no punctuation. Commas and periods are supplied in their translations to make it readable for us. Allow me for a moment to play translator and repeat as clearly as I can what Yeshua said.

“The end will come when you see the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet.”

When the translators added the phrase “and then the end will come” to the previous sentence in verse 14, they altered the entire meaning. The end does not come when the Gospel is preached into all the world! That has been going on since the Messiah gave the Great Commission to the disciples. Daniel did not prophesy that the Great Tribulation begins after the Gospel is preached in all the world. He prophesied that the end comes when the altar is shut down and the image is set up (the Abomination of Desolation).

Christian prophecy teachers have been speculating about when the Gospel will be preached into all the world. Many of them have claimed that this was completed through the work of missionaries, the printed Bible in all languages, and the advent of mass communications (radio, television, and the internet). The end has not yet come!

But when the phrase “the end will come” is attached to the next thought, it lines up perfectly with the prophet Daniel. Yeshua follows that complete thought with these words:

For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Matthew 24:21–22

Daniel is even more specific than Yeshua’s words in giving the number of days for the Great Tribulation.

But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time. “Many will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. “And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. “Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days!

Daniel 12:8–12

1290 days for the tribulation is a shortened time to get to the 1335th day. Maybe this is why Yeshua said, “Let the reader understand.” ■

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The Master Gardener

Gardening is one of my favorite activities to relax and enjoy my home. I look forward to springtime to plant my garden and pot some flowers. I do not have a “green thumb.” But I do have a small “victory garden” in the backyard with a 12x4 foot planter box. This is more than enough area for me to grow some tomatoes. Tomatoes are my thing. Oh sure, I grow some other stuff like peppers and snow peas, but tomatoes are the thing that gets me out there watering and puttering every day. It is probably because of my mother’s and a favorite uncle’s interest in gardening. I observed them enjoying the activity. Should you make the mistake of visiting my house during the growing season, you will be led on a tour of the garden area. By your willing participation you will be judged as a gracious guest. If you do not show much interest, I will give you some water to drink and send you on your way. For those who enjoy my tour, they receive a spiritual teaching. “A righteous man is like a well-watered garden.”

If you stop and think about the parallels between our faith and gardening, it is very profound. We have all seen the garden that has been overrun by weeds and lacks water and nutrients. There is almost a sadness for what could have been. You can picture a man who has not followed the Lord. Uncultivated ground is the hope of a better future ignored. The joy of a clean, well-kept garden is both soothing and satisfying. Weeds are a perfect parallel to distractions in this world, choking out the best plants and their fruit. Insects that spoil the fruit and plant are like the work of our great enemy. Just as each plant requires attention for its basic needs, so a righteous man needs daily attention to his walk. A well-kept garden is the picture of a mature, spiritual man walking uprightly before God.

When I go into my garden early in the morning or evening, I remind myself that my life is like the garden. It has a season of planting, growing, and harvesting. The measure of the garden is its yield of fruit. Just as I go out to inspect and care for the plants, so the Lord looks in on me, but He is even more faithful. The Lord and I have a very pleasant time in my garden reviewing my life and determining my needs for improvement. Gee, that's nice, Monte. What is the point? Where is this going?

Did you know that the Lord is into gardening? Did you know that the Lord had the first garden? Did you know that the great spiritual dilemma we are all facing has to do with events and circumstances in that garden? Did you know the greatest work of Yeshua (our redemption) and the answer to our great dilemma was accomplished in a garden?

Most of us are familiar with the story of the Garden of Eden. The Scripture says that God planted that garden and placed Adam in the garden. It was God's garden, not Adam’s. This is a particular point to take note of, because the owner has the right to put restrictions on what can and cannot be done with the garden.

And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.

Genesis 2:8

I always share with people that Adam had the greatest job in the world. He was a gardener. He did not have to worry about the bottom line and all the expense of garden operations; that was the Lord's problem as the owner. Adam got to see the labor of his hands, the direct result of his efforts each day. He had a great boss to work for, too. But then, you know the rest of the story. The enemy came to kill and destroy. By deception, man misappropriated something that was not his, the tree of life. The result was that Adam was fired from the best job with the best boss.

Therefore, the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

Genesis 3:23

Instead of the Garden of Eden, Adam had to garden in the same dirt he was made from in his creation. He had to do all the work, not just the fun part. He had to select the plants, dig the ground, find the water, and hope for the best. Worse yet, he had a new boss - himself. Still further, Adam's garden had other plants that he did not want. He had weeds! The Lord described Adam's garden this way.

Both thorns and thistles it [Adam's new garden] shall grow for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Genesis 3:18–19

Now if we were to stop at this point, we have a pretty good understanding as to why a lot of things in our life are the way they are. The frustration of weeds in a garden is a whole object lesson by itself, as compared to the frustrations of our mortal life. I have never met a gardener who did not have a few choice comments about weeding - and how it is backbreaking and miserable.

Personally, I hate to weed. No matter how good the hoe is, it still is a waste of perfectly good time as far as I am concerned. When I see other gardeners hoeing the weeds, I am amazed at their steadfastness and faithfulness to the task. It is not that I do not want those attributes in my life; it is more like I want to be smarter than the weeds. This is probably why I enjoy my garden more than ever. I found a solution to the weeds. It is not chemicals. It’s something much better.

There is a parallel to our spiritual lives in this gardening secret. The solution to garden weeds is also the solution to our great spiritual dilemma. So, what is this great gardening secret? It is called mulching. Mulching is a covering for your garden. Mulching is organic material that prevents weeds from making it to light. It keeps the ground moist and protects the plants you intend to grow. If you mulch your garden with a good covering, you won't have to weed. Gee, that's nice, Monte. Is this why you wrote this little article?

No, silly, it is not about mulching; it is about the spiritual covering of Yeshua and what He does for us! Don't you get it? Yeshua is our covering for sin. This is the work of Yeshua in the garden of our lives! He is our atonement, our covering! The head covering of an observant Jew is called a kippah. It comes from the word Kippur. The day of atonement is “Yom Kippur." A kippah is a covering of the head. It symbolizes that I am covered (in subjection) to the King of Israel. Who is the King? Yeshua, the Messiah, is King! But even more than this, listen to what the Gospel writers tell us about the greatest work of Yeshua, His death, burial, and resurrection. Take note of how this great covering was provided and where these things were done.

When Yeshua had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, into which He Himself entered, and His disciples.

John 18:1

The words that Yeshua spoke were at the Passover Seder. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane, which means olive press, just after the Passover meal. The words were about the broken bread used at the Passover Seder. This bread was symbolically buried and raised to be the best part of the Passover dinner. Yeshua went to the garden to be pressed into new oil, to be arrested, to become the bread that is broken for us. But why did He go to a garden? Because He was going to correct the problem that happened in the Garden of Eden with God and man. If Yeshua did not correct the original problem of Adam, then He was not the real solution.

After Yeshua's trial, He was taken to a place to be crucified. After His death, He was placed in a tomb for burial. But take note of where the crucifixion and burial took place according to Scripture.

Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid.

John 19:41

Do you think this is a coincidence? I do not think so. I think God is working a great plan and hoping that we will get it. The problem began in a garden called Eden; the solution was provided in another garden by the work of Yeshua, the Anointed One. Did you know that orthodox Jews are absolutely convinced that the Temple Mount, in fact all of Jerusalem, is the original Garden of Eden? I agree with them. Supporting this contention, the book of Revelation says that the “Tree of Life” will be planted in Jerusalem during the millennial kingdom and all the nations will come to eat of it. The “Tree of Life” is only planted in God’s Garden. Adam was banned from eating of it after the fall. Yeshua has become a new Adam to bring back the Tree of Life for us. Truly, Yeshua was a new Adam for us, just as the Apostle Paul teaches.

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:21–22

So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

1 Corinthians 15:45–49

God has used the concept of growing and plants to illustrate major spiritual lessons. The Messiah’s parables of the sower, of small seeds growing into great plants, and the agricultural season of harvest are but a few of His many illustrations. But maybe the greatest illustration is that of a righteous man being compared to a tree. Psalm 1 gives a very powerful illustration of this man.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night and he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

Psalm 1:1–4

Jeremiah shares a similar passage.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7–8

The understanding of Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17 is based upon the prosperity of a healthy tree firmly planted, with all the water it needs. Climbing the branches of that tree is the added perspective of life gained by faithfulness in the spiritual walk. As the tree grows, the size and breadth of spiritual understanding increase. Consider with me some of the details of this instruction.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! The reverse is also true. How unhappy is the man who walks with the wicked, stands with sinners, and sits with scoffers? Please take note of where the unhappy sit. Most believers will not choose to be with the wicked nor with sinners, but they will sit with scorners, especially if they are scorning other brethren. There is nothing delightful about scorning others. It is a miserable business, sapping unbelievable amounts of life and energy from the participants. It is not the behavior of a righteous man or woman. A scornful person is like a dead tree with no covering for anyone. Their fruit is dry and rotten. Their branches serve as perches for vultures and other unclean things. They are waiting to be cut down and taken to a fire.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night... The delight of a righteous man is Torah (the law of the Lord). He thinks (meditates) on the Torah day and night. For the Torah to be such a delight, he must be getting joy and pleasure from it. He must be a man who understands and senses the very presence and wisdom of God in it. Did you know that the Torah is called the “Tree of Life”? When comparing God, the instruction of Torah, and various ministries of God, I see the three basic parts of a tree: roots, trunk, and branches. God is our root; we are the branches. I compare the Torah to the trunk of a tree specifically. The trunk lifts up and supports the branches with its leaves and fruit. The trunk also serves as the conduit of nourishment to the branches from the root system. Without the trunk, without the Torah, many believers are simply struggling to find roots and God’s deep nourishment. It is a spiritual fact. Any ministry or man who tries to bear fruit in God’s Garden without the truth of Torah will be disappointed with the results. He will seek the deep things of God and find shallowness instead. He will ultimately turn to other men, looking for the way of success. In sharp contrast to the scoffer who loves the attention of other men, the righteous man chooses the pleasure of God and what God has to say in the Torah. These are not idle words; they are his life. This is the man who is compared to the Psalmist’s tree. The other man is described as chaff, which is blown away.

“…and he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” A tree that is firmly planted is one with large roots. Those roots must go down deep so that the wind does not topple the tree. Those roots must be spread out to support the upper growth and spread of many branches. The righteous man has stability and growth that is not seen. His root system must be every bit as impressive as any branches seen. In fact, many trees have a root system that is twice the size of the branches. This root system is described by Paul.

As you therefore have received Messiah Yeshua the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Colossians 2:6–7

Whenever a new tree breaks forth from the ground, the root system is crucial to its continued success and growth. Leaves and early fruit do not ensure future success and survival; the root system determines the plant’s future. The root system must find a source of water to continue the growth of the tree. Therefore, when the Scripture speaks first of “firmly planted by streams of water,” it speaks to the essential truth of every tree’s success. It also speaks of our spiritual success as righteous men. The olive tree is frequently compared to Israel. The olive tree is known for its root system. Even if you cut off or kill the trunk and branches, the olive tree will bring forth a new shoot and a new tree from the same root. The Messiah is equated with this new shoot.

Most people envision the Psalmist's tree by a river. While that is a common picture of large trees, it is not the one described here in Scripture. The tree described here has the water brought to it. The word for “streams” of water can be translated as “canals.” We are describing a tree that is being irrigated. The righteous man is irrigated by God with the water of His word. Thus, his delight is in the word of God. Now, a different picture is beginning to emerge. It is a picture of cultivation and nurturing, a planned growing area by the Master Gardener. Did not Yeshua tell us that our heavenly Father was a husbandman of trees who breaks off dead branches, grafts in others, and gathers the dead branches for burning? That is the kind of activity associated with an orchard of trees, trees that are irrigated, pruned, and protected from other elements. A tree by a river can be washed out along the bank. Its fate is more happenstance than according to a plan. The tree described by the Psalmist and Jeremiah is according to God’s plan and order.

The protection of the tree is described by Jeremiah specifically ... and [the tree] will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. In an orchard, the husbandman provides cover and extra water in the time of burning heat. If there is a severe drought, the canals of water are sure and do not cease; therefore, the fruit does not cease. In like manner, a righteous man does not suffer loss through the drought of life. He is sustained by God’s word and continues to produce in season. Every spiritual man I know can testify to how God has sustained them in a dry season. He can also tell you that the fruit produced was very good.

The final attribute of this special tree is its leaves and continued growth, ...which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. Prospering in all seasons and always seems like an impossible dream, but it is a natural result of a righteous man who has left the “wants” of the world and been satisfied in his “needs” by God. For him, happiness is achievable; it is called contentment and “Shalom” (peace).

On the other hand, the wicked have no peace and can never be satisfied. They are blown about by every wind. The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Isaiah said it bluntly.

“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 57:21

Yeshua brought out an even deeper role that He performs for us. Not only is He a covering (an atonement) for us, but He is also the roots, the nourishment, and the very strength of the plant. He spoke to this central concept in our faith, comparing Himself and us to a grapevine.

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

Again, the truth is simple and clear, yet profound. Abiding in God is where the water, the roots, the strength, and the success are found for the plant. Without the vine and its root system, its nourishment, no fruit will be formed.

These are simple, basic lessons of our faith. This is why I like to garden and why I find myself deep in thought about spiritual things. It is the simple things like the dirt. Adam was made from dirt. It is about seeds that have died being buried. Yeshua died and was buried. It is about new life coming forth from those seeds in the earth. It is about Yeshua coming forth in the resurrection of new life. It is about weeds and thistles, spiritual distractions, and temptations. It is about mulching and Yeshua being a covering to suppress the weeds of life. It is about birds and bugs attacking the fruit. It is about our enemy coming to steal and destroy. It’s about harvest and the taste of first fruits. Yeshua was the firstfruits of many brethren. It turns out that gardening has a lot to say about our faith; simple as it may be, it is very profound. No wonder that God was a gardener and Yeshua came teaching about gardening.

Many of you know me for my Torah teaching. If you do come by my house, do not be confused by my zeal to show you my garden and greenhouse. I just want to show you what the Lord is trying to teach me in the Torah. I know it is simple, but it is also very profound. A righteous man is like a well-watered garden. And, when you inspect my many varieties of tomatoes, you will hear me say, “The difference between you and a tomato plant is that the tomato plant does not have complex emotions. But they can teach you a lot.” ■

Shalom,

Article written by Monte Judah

* Scripture references from the NASB