News & Jewish Betrothal Customs

News & Jewish Betrothal Customs

May 22, US Time

US President Donald Trump dropped another bombshell! The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on the 22nd, US time, that "Harvard University will no longer be able to admit foreign students." Existing international students must transfer or they will lose their legal status in the United States.

Trump's move signifies an escalation of friction between the White House and Harvard University. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, stated that the Trump administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, anti-Semitism, and colluding with the Chinese Communist Party on campus.

For the 2024-2025 academic year, Harvard University enrolled approximately 6,800 international students at its Cambridge, Massachusetts campus, accounting for 27% of its total student body. In response to the new Trump administration policy, Harvard University lambasted the administration's actions as illegal and pledged to provide counseling to students as soon as possible.

At the Last Supper, the Lord Established a Covenant

The Lord Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Passover in the Upper Room; this room was provided by Mary, the mother of John Mark, for the Lord's use. The Lord's Last Supper took place here; after His resurrection, He spent forty days with His disciples here; and on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended here, with one hundred and twenty people praying in unity.

On the night of Passover, God's Son, Jesus Christ, established the new covenant in the Upper Room, which is the covenant of marriage between Christ and the church. The following are customs from Jewish wedding traditions, which help us understand how the Lord established this covenant:

According to general Jewish custom, the father brings his son to "propose marriage" to the prospective bride's family. The woman's family would know the proposal day in advance; if the woman is willing to consider it, she opens the door for the men to enter and share a meal. At the end of the feast, the father picks up a cup of wine and hands it to his son; if the son agrees to the marriage, he drinks from the cup and then "offers it to the woman." If the woman also agrees, she takes the cup and drinks the remaining wine.

The betrothal covenant is sealed by both parties drinking from a single cup. Is this not just like the Passover Last Supper, when Jesus took the cup, gave thanks and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:25)? He drank from it, and when the disciples took the cup He offered, they drank the remaining wine of the covenant, thus completing the marriage covenant procedure between both parties.

Cindy Jacobs' Testimony 2

One day, this topic came up among a group of intercessors and friends. They asked me about the progress of my book, and I shared with them the struggles I faced regarding writing about a mistaken bridal chamber experience. One of them told me that she had helped a woman who had been deceived by an incubus. The following is the woman's story.

This young worship leader, named Gloria (not her real name), deeply loved a handsome young man; they were engaged, but he suddenly died. This left Gloria heartbroken, and she desperately missed him. One day, as she was worshiping God while playing her guitar, she felt someone else in the room with her; and to her surprise, a spirit resembling her fiancé entered the room. At first, it was truly unbelievable, but because being with him felt so wonderful, she let down her guard.

After all, as she understood it, that person came when she was worshiping God; perhaps because her grief was so deep, God allowed this to happen. As time went on, this deception deepened. She mentioned this to a friend, who then brought it into the prayer room, asking God to reveal to Gloria who this spirit was and to enable her to break free from its influence.

Soon after, when Gloria was worshiping God, she again felt that "thing" in her living room. When she went in, she saw him lying on the sofa; but to her great surprise, his form was utterly disgusting and repulsive. Only his eyes looked like her fiancé's. God revealed the incubus's true form, so she sought counseling and broke free from the evil spirit's influence.

Jill Shannon's Testimony (Demonic Sexual Temptation)

I woke up at 4 AM on Wednesday, waiting on God. As soon as I lay down, I immediately felt a spasm, seemingly originating from my pelvic area. A strange sensation began to spread throughout my body; it was not unlike the pleasant feeling when the Lord's presence manifests. I share this openly and honestly to bring a warning to others, so that holiness and the profane can be clearly distinguished.

We should understand that the sweet enjoyment of the Lord's heart communicating with His children's hearts is absolutely different from the counterfeit sexual pleasure that comes from the enemy. The pleasure sometimes felt when the Lord's presence descends can be seen as the glory, love, and power of God, along with accompanying grace. His primary purpose is not to give us pleasant feelings, but to have intimate communion with us. When I first felt that unfamiliar pleasure, the distinction between the genuine and the counterfeit seemed obscure and difficult to differentiate.

I felt the spasms in my abdomen grow stronger, engaging many muscles in my body with a wild, strange intensity, an unusual way and degree of pleasure. Perhaps I was somewhat alert; I have never been a pleasure-seeker, and I did not delight in this. I began to feel startled and out of control by these feelings, which were imposed upon me without my consent, and I didn't know how to stop these actions. Besides fear, I didn't perceive any demonic presence. Strangely, it didn't occur to me at the time that three days prior, the Lord had warned me: "I will allow Satan to test you!"

I returned to the hotel at 4 PM to rest, feeling very tired. When I lay down, Kayla was already asleep! The spasms suddenly started again, and I felt panicked and afraid. I still thought it was from Jesus, so I told the Lord I didn't want this manifestation, but it continued without stopping. I began to say, "If this is not from the Lord God, I reject it in the name of Jesus!" But the spasms did not stop. I then began to recite Psalm 23. As soon as I started reciting it, it stopped! So I reasoned: "This might not be from God, because as soon as God's Word came out, it stopped."

After the evening meeting, it was late when I returned to the hotel; by the time I went to bed, it was about midnight. When I lay down and Kayla was asleep, the spasms started again; at this point, I was certain it was an attack, not from God, but I was still confused as to how it made my body move against my will. I recited Psalm 23 again, but this time it didn't work. I then switched to reciting the Lord's Prayer, and indeed, as soon as the first line came out, it stopped immediately. I recited the Lord's Prayer four times in a row before I felt secure enough to sleep, and indeed, I had an undisturbed night until morning. Nevertheless, I still couldn't clearly see the whole picture.

After attending meetings all day on Thursday, I returned to the hotel at 4 PM to rest. As soon as I lay on the bed, it started again. I had had enough! The Holy Spirit finally told me directly, "It's that bed!" I was terrified, jumped out of bed, onto Kayla's bed, and told her what had happened. As I lay on her bed, my body was calm and peaceful, which confirmed that the source of the attack was from that bed. Kayla knelt beside my bed and began to cast out the demon. She felt some resistance, and then the demon left! A few minutes later, I mustered the courage to try my own bed again, and there had been no disturbance since then.

When I review this incident, it's clear I overlooked one thing: when entering a hotel, one should first do a cleansing work for the room and the bed. Because we don't know how many evil things might have happened in that room; even if a Christian stays there, they might still be disturbed. In this encounter, I had no choice but to be attacked! Because God had warned me beforehand. However, this counterfeit experience was violent, and even when I asked it to stop, it showed no respect for my will. I could not passively allow myself to be ravaged by it; I had to actively reject it, otherwise, it would have turned into worshiping Satan.

I lacked discernment (which brings shame to my face), but I resisted to the best of my ability; therefore, in the eyes of the Lord, I triumphed in this test. I give glory and thanks to Him, because He helped me overcome this trial. The Scripture says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

On Saturday, we flew home from Birmingham. After unloading our luggage, it was already late, and I felt utterly exhausted when I went to bed. As I was deep in sleep, it was 1 AM; God allowed me to see, through a vision, the evil spirit from my hotel room standing beside the counter. It had a large, bald, ugly head, and its upper body was like a wrestler with a bare, broad chest. Its lower body was thick, reptilian, with a very long, disgusting tail. This ugly and annoying evil spirit occupying my bed was truly unbearable. If believers' spiritual eyes were opened to see the terrifying faces of these evil spirits, they would no longer indulge in the pleasure of sin.

The Bible warns, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God" (Hebrews 10:26-27).

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