In the Gospels, there were three women named Mary I want to focus on:
Mary, the mother of Jesus
Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus
Mary Magdalene
All three are tied to the Feast of Tabernacles. Mary, the mother of Jesus, received the Word of Our Heavenly Father, chose to be in unity with HIS Word, and was impregnated by HIS Word. HIS Word became flesh. Luke Chapter 1 explains:
“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
The Glory of THE LORD overshadowed her and fertilized her egg. By superimposing a higher realm of existence onto a lower realm, a manifestation of Tabernacles was initiated. The glorification process could manifest to all men after this one woman said “Amen”. The first Son of the “sons of GOD” came as our example of the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. This act of unity allowed the higher realm to operate within her.
Mary of Bethany was the sister of Lazarus.
John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
It was this Mary who prepared the feet of Jesus. It was this Mary who preferred to hear His Words rather than be busy with the cares of the world. She would witness a pre-Tabernacles resurrection event of her brother Lazarus. The New Testament Greek name Lazarus, has a numeric value of 144. The term “the elect,” used in Romans 11:7 to describe the 7,000 “remnant” in the days of Elijah, also carries a numeric value of 144. This number refers to the resurrected ones, as the parable of Lazarus implies. Mary of Bethany was in the middle of the “hidden” Tabernacles revelation that her brother represented.
Mary Magdalene’s initial encounter with Jesus was one of deliverance where He cast out seven demons:
Luke 8:1-3 NKJV – Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve [were] with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities–Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.
Her deliverance and subsequent life of following Jesus encourages us that no matter what our personal history, Our Heavenly Father will cleanse us so that we may fulfill our calling. Notice who was “funding” the Gospel. It was the women who were mentioned by name. It makes you wonder if the men were dealing with idols of the heart… greed. Mary Magdalene was a witness to His crucifixion along with the Beloved Disciple:
John 19:25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
Mary Magdalene was the first witness of Jesus’ resurrection and glorification.
Mar 16:9 Now when [He] rose early on the first [day] of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
Now that is quite an honor to bestow on only one person in history. A woman who once had seven demons is now the first witness of glorification. This Mary had seven demons. The number 7 means Spiritual Perfection. In this case, it was the ultimate spiritual imperfection, the ultimate impurity. Could these seven demons be tied to the seven deadly sins found in Proverbs 6:
16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Sowing discord is the opposite of promoting unity. Are we not to seek the Truth which is the basis of unity among the brethren? Imagine a demon-possessed woman following Jesus and walking in sin. He turns to her and casts out the demons who have plagued her. She is delivered. Now she is able to fulfill her calling as a first witness to the Tabernacles manifestation. This should give all of us hope. If we will walk in Love and unity, we too will see our part in the Tabernacles manifestation.