Month: April 2018

The Mystery of Solomon’s Chok!

As with all posts this subject cannot be taken as a separate focus, as everything is connected.

Other facts and information have to be included in order to make sense of it all as we fit all the seemingly unrelated pieces of this puzzle together. Having said that, before we look at the reason behind Solomon’s Chok, included is a brief pictorial recap. on the fact that Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, is typified as the Alef.

See the last post for reference to the Hebrew Alef Bet (Alphabet). Click links below.

NAIL I AM

https://www.minimannamoments.com/alef-bet-alphabet/

Each area we look at is like the Word itself, it cannot be contained within finite parameters and it is a huge challenge to condense all the relevant material for one area of focus, into a single meal! If anything is left out it’s due to lack of space and not to the lack of its importance.

This is part 1 of 2, to allow us to take time to absorb the pictures and text, which will enhance our understanding of both the seriousness and the joy, with which our Messiah fulfilled His destiny; and gave us the perfect WAY back to Himself.

Jesus/Yeshua is the Aleph-Bet (Alphabet).The beginningand the end

The Alef/Aleph and the Tav  Alpha and Omegathe First and the Last.He IS the first from Genesis to the last in Revelation.The alef or first letter is an OX head in the pictograph and as mentioned that Jesus/Yeshua is not only symbolized in scripture by a Lamb and a Nail and a Lion and Fire but also as the Red Heifer.There is also the reference in Ezekiel to the Red Heifer/Ox/Bull with the Four Faced Man. 

Ezekiel 10:14 Describing the cherubim each had 4 faces. 

“… And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.” (Ezekiel1:5). “Four” is the number of creation and signifies the world.

Also each of the 12 tribes of Israel positions in the wilderness. (Again, everything is connected).

The Four Faces of A Spiritual Man exemplified in Jesus/Yeshua

 Ezekiel: He is the “Wonderful Four-Faced Man” (Ezekiel 1:5-6)

In Daniel: He is the “Fourth Man in the Burning, Fiery Furnace” (Daniel 3:25)Ezekiel 1:10″As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle”. Both the bull and the ox are ‘cattle’, (heifer and cow).

Having established Yeshua is typified as Alef/Ox/Red Heifer.. (it was also referenced in the last post;)

..here is the unusual ritual law of the parah adumah (red heifer) and it is identified as the subject of Solomon’s Chok.

In fact, the Talmud states that of all the taryag mitzvot (613 commandments), this is the only one that wise King Solomon could not figure out.

This ritual is considered “chok” within the Jewish tradition, meaning that it defies rational sense. It is a Hebrew word meaning beyond the range of human reason, though some of the sages speculate that although the priest obediently offered the sacrifice as demanded by God, Solomon apparently did not understand why Numbers 19 declared that the priest would be “unclean until evening.”

Chok from Chukkim (חֻקִּים) are statutes divine decrees given without a reason.

These laws can seem irrational to human reason!

Mishpatim (מִשְׁפָּטִים) are laws given for a clearly specified reason (i.e., logical laws, for the prohibitions against theft and murder.)

Note: eidot (עֵדוֹת) are testimonials (from the root ‘ed, “witness”) that commemorate or represent something, they commemorate or symbolically represent something, (e.g. to wear tzitzit, eat matzah on Passover) the eidot occupy a sort of “middle ground” between the rationally understandable mishpatim and the supra-rational chukkim.

The Scriptures are filled with various imperatives of one kind or another. The Hebrew word mitzvah (מִצְוָה) generally means “divine commandment” (mitzvot is the plural form). The various mitzvot found in the Torah may be further divided into the subcategories of chukkim u’mishpatim (Deut. 4:5):

Why was this sacrifice so puzzling to King Solomon and the Jewish sages? Well, the sacrifice of the red cow just doesn’t fit the pattern of any of the other sacrifices given in the Torah.It’s a paradox, a puzzle, a question…

Here is the hidden mystery in the symbolism of the red heifer for its meaning is a clear foreshadowing of the sacrifice of the Jesus the Messiah /Mashiach Yeshua to deliver us from death and here are 8 reasons why:1 It was the most unique sacrifice in the Torah. Unlike other animals that could be offered to the Lord, a completely red cow was extremely rare and one of a kind.

2 The red heifer (Parah Adumah) had to be a perfect specimen that was completely red, without blemish in which there is no defect. (Possibly alluding to uncorrupted DNA; Yeshua the Last Adam = to First Adam, whose DNA was also perfect and uncorrupted.) The rabbis interpreted ‘without blemish’, as referring to the color, that is not having so much is a single white or black hair.This is the only sacrifice in the Torah where the color of the animal is explicitly required. Furthermore the parah adumah was never to have had a yoke upon it, meaning that it must never have been used for any profane purposes. Yoke also alludes being in captivity and in bondage to a master who placed the yoke upon the subject as slavery.  3 It was the only sacrifice where all the rituals were carried out outside of the camp (and later, outside the Temple precincts).

Unlike all of the sacrifices that were offered at the brazen altar, the parah adumah was taken outside the camp to be slaughtered before the priest, took some of its blood and sprinkled it seven times before the Mishkan, that by designating it as a purification offering.

That is, the “blood applications” of this sacrifice occurred in a location apart from the Levitical altar.

Then the red heifer would be burned in its entirety unlike other Levitical sacrifices including the fact that all the blood of the sacrifice was to be burnt in the fire as well.

4 It is the only sacrifice of blood in the Torah of Moses. In other words, the blood of the red cow was not drained out but rather was burned in the fire.(All the items that God required them to use were significant and heavy with meaning that would only be fulfilled and make sense when Messiah, Jesus fulfilled them in every detail.)

5 It was the only sacrifice in Torah that ritually contaminated the priest who offered it, but made the one who was sprinkled by it clean and that explicitly cleansed from the contact with sin and death. Anyone or anything that came into contact with a corpse, (the embodiment of sin and death) was required to be purified using the water of separation.The purification procedure took seven days, using stalks of hyssop dipped into the water and shaken over the ritually defiled person on the 3rd day and then again on the 7th day. After the second sprinkling the person undergoing the purification process would be immersed in a mikveh (water) and then be unclean until the following evening.

Purification on Third and Seventh Days Required In order to be fully purified from contact with a dead body, a person had to be sprinkled with the ashes of the Red Heifer (mixed with water) on the third and seventh days: Numbers 19:11-13

 

Based upon the understanding that the Biblical Holy Days, (the Appointed Times of the Lord, Leviticus 23), provide the prophetic pattern and timetable of God’s Master Plan of Redemption pointing to the true Messiah; we can see that Yeshua’s death and resurrection follow this detailed prophetic timetable. 

There may also be a prophetic connection between the 3rd and 7th days for purification with the ashes of the Red Heifer and the 3rd and 7th days of the 7-day Feast of Unleavened Bread prophetic cycle.

In the Spring: 

Passover – (Death of the Lamb) (Deliverance of Israel)

Feast of Unleavened Bread – (Yeshua, the Bread of Heaven was without sin.) 

         Firstfruits – (The Risen Christ was presented in Heaven before His Father.)

Pentecost – (The Spirit was poured out. 

            Messiah began to write His Law on the hearts of Israel.)

     In the Fall: 

Feast of Trumpets – (Warnings of Judgment Day approaching) 

Day of Atonement – (Judgment Day) 

Feast of Tabernacles – (We will tabernacle with Him.) 

In preparation for Passover, purification from sin was necessary.

For those who had been in contact with the dead, purification by the sprinkling of the ashes of the Red Heifer was the only way purity could be restored.

According to this prophetic picture, Yeshua, as God’s Red Heifer, provides the purification necessary to partake of Messiah Yeshua as God’s Passover Lamb.

According to this prophetic timeline, Yeshua was crucified on the day that the Passover Lambs were sacrificed (14th of Nisan) and He resurrected on the third day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (17th of Nisan). The Feast of Unleavened Bread covered a period of seven days from the 15th through the 21st of Nisan, the first and seventh days being days of holy convocation, annual Sabbath days when no work was to be done. 6 The items used to cleanse tzaraat (“leprosy”) were burned along with the sacrifice. In other words, the sacrifice would incorporate the means of cleansing from defilement and uncleanness.

It was the only sacrifice that paradoxically contaminated the priest who offered it, that made the one who was sprinkled by it clean.

7 It was the only sacrifice with the ashes were preserved and used (all of the sacrifices required at the ashes be disposed of outside the camp).

8 It was the only sacrifice in Torah that explicitly cleansed from the contact with sin and death. Anyone (or anything) that came into contact with a corpse (the embodiment of sin and death) was required to be purified using the mei niddah/‘water of separation’.

Hyssop (ezov, in Hebrew,) (symbol of humility); a Scarlet thread, (symbol of blood that ties everything together); (the scarlet thread dye color came from the crimson worm!)

a cedar stick,(that pierced Messiah side would then be thrown upon the burning parah adumah (these were the same items used to cleanse tzara’at). In other words the blood was assimilated into the ashes of the sacrifice, which were then gathered and mixed with water to create the, ‘water of separation’ mei niddah, for the Israelite community.

The life is in the blood to deliver from death and why Jesus/Yeshua had to die and shed His Blood to give us life.The word separation harkens to Zechariah 13:1 ‘on that day there shall be a fountain open for the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and from niddah.’ It means moved, (i.e. separated), and generally refers to separation due to ritual impurity. Medieval Biblical commentator Abraham ibn Ezra writes that, the word niddah, is related to the term menadechem (מנדיכם), meaning those that cast you out.

According to Jewish tradition this sacrifice was to atone for the sin of the Golden calf, though the Torah it self does not make this Association.

The Lord Jesus/ Messiah Yeshua is the perfect fulfillment of the parah adumah, since He was completely without sin or defect. 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 8:46.

He was sacrificed outside the camp. Hebrews 13:13.

He made Himself sin for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21;

The sprinkling of His blood makes us clean, (1 Peter 1:2; Hebrews 12:24; Revelation 1:5;) and the water of separation that His sacrifice created, is the means by which we are made clean from the impurity of sin. Ephesians 5: 25– 26; Hebrews 10:22In learning that the sacrifice of the red heifer was meant to create the “waters of separation” (i.e., mei niddah: מֵי נִדָּה) for the community.

The sages state in this regard: “God created the cure before the plague,” meaning that His love is the foundation of all things: עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה / Olam chesed yibaneh: “steadfast love built the world” (Psalm 89:2).Just as God created mankind only after He created the pathway of repentance (i.e., the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”: Eph. 1:4, Heb. 4:4, Rev 13:8), so the purification from death was likewise foreseen and provided. 

The “waters of separation” ultimately refer to our purification (i.e., identification) with the death of Yeshua (Rom. 6:3, 1 Cor. 10:13; Gal. 3:27).

There were four types of sin offerings. Three of these were killed or slaughtered at the slaughtering arenas within the temple proper, “before the presence of the Lord. (Lev 4:4) All three had their blood sprinkled seven times before the Inner Curtain which veiled the Holy of Holiest. All three sin offerings had their bodies carried out of the camp to be burned to ashes on the altar outside the camp.By understanding the crucifixion of Jesus with all the shadow-pictures of the Hebrews, we seeJesus as the fulfillment of the sacrifice of the Red Heifer.  

The Holiest of all the sin offerings was the sin offering of the Red Heifer.

The red heifer, offered as a sin offering for purification of the collective congregation of Israel was slaughtered according to the dictates of the Lord of Hosts to Moses outside the camp of Israel. (Numbers 19:3)The blood of the red heifer was sprinkled outside the camp, the body burned to ashes, and then the ashes through some mystical process, (chok) that transcended even the wisdom of Solomon, when it was mixed with pure spring water, it bestowed holiness and purification as it was sprinkled over not only people, but over the land.  They purified the temple with it. They could purify the entire city of Jerusalem if needed or the entire Land of Israel.  

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, our way to holiness would come only through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus/Yeshua, the Son of God.  It was Jesus/Yeshua, who was sacrificed as a ‘sin offering’ not only to bring holiness for His brethren the Jews and the “Lost Sheep of the House of Israel” but to all people.  It was they, who by belief in the sacrifice of the blood of Yeshua are “adopted” and “grafted” into the literal and spiritual House of Israel.    

SYMBOLISM:

Yeshua (Jesus) IS the red heifer. His blood (the scarlet) is cleansing when applied by Yeshua Himself (the “clean man”) using the water (Holy Spirit) and Hyssop (a symbol of cleansing).

During the 3rd millennium, from the first sin, the LORD made a promise covenant with with Abraham concerning his “seed”. All of the faithful ARE children of Abraham (Gal. 3:29). 

It is interesting that the LORD commanded Abram to bring a heifer, as one of the animals to be sacrificed for the covenant ceremony (Gen. 15:9). The ashes of the red heifer, would one day be used for cleansing.  Four hundred thirty years later (to the day) the Children of Israel left Egypt, at midnight on the 15th of Nissan – after a meal of unleavened bread (Exo. 12:41).  This means the LORD entered into covenant with Abraham on the night which would later see the Passover Meal – The Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

During the 7th millennium, Yeshua will “sprinkle” us (cleanse us) while we spend a thousand years with Him. At the end of this 7th day – we (redeemed Israel) will be “clean” of the harmful effects of our life on this earth, where we have all “touched death.” 

NOTE: Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus were not able to keep the Passover after touching the body of Jesus. They would have kept the “Passover” 30 days later, as prescribed by the Law (Num. 9:10-12). Today is the 30th day of the Omer and Pesach Sheni—a Second Passover! Pesach Sheni 2018 is observed on April 29 (14 Iyar).

The holiest of all the sin offerings, was the fourth sin offering, the Red Heifer.

Unlike the other sin offerings, the Red Heifer was walked over to the Altar on the Mount of Olives (outside the camp of Israel/Jerusalem) and there burnt in its entirety.

The difference of the red heifer and the other sin offerings was that the other three were absolving sin, giving the recipient freedom from sin or in a sense, salvation.  On the other hand, the ash of the red heifer was to bring purification and holiness. 

Just as the Red Heifer was sacrificed “outside the camp” in contrast to all other sacrifices that took place in the Tabernacle or Temple, Jesus was sacrificed outside the city of Jerusalem. In contrast to the normal male animals sacrificed, the Red Heifer was the only female animal the Law commanded to be sacrificed. Significantly, our Lord was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a female slave.”

Alfred Edersheim gives this explanation of the deep meaning of the Red Heifer.

“As the first manifestation of sin which separates man from God, defilement by the dead required a Sin-offering, and the ashes of the red heifer are expressly so designated in the words: “It is a sin-offering.” (Num. 9:17) But it differs from all other sin-offerings. The sacrifice was to be a pure red color; one “upon which never came yoke; and a female, all other sin-offerings for the congregation being males….

But what distinguished it even more from all the others was, that it was a sacrifice once for all, (at least so long as its ashes lasted); that its blood was sprinkled, not on the altar, but outside the camp towards (westward) the sanctuary; and that it was wholly burnt, along with cedar wood, as the symbol of imperishable existence, hyssop, as the of purification from corruptions, and “scarlet” which from its colour as the emblem of life.

Thus the sacrifice of Highest Life, brought as a sin-offering, and, so as far as possible, once for all, was in its turn accompanied by the symbols of Imperishable existence, freedom from corruption, and fullness of life, so as yet more to intensity its significance. But even this is not all. The gathered ashes with running water were sprinkled on the third and seventh days on that which was to be purified. Assuredly, if death meant “the wages of sin,” this purification pointed in all its details, to “to the gift of God,” which is “eternal life” through the sacrifice of Him in whom is the fullness of life.” (The Temple, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Michigan. 1987, pages 348-349)

View towards Temple Mt from Mt of Olives.

Jerusalem showing location of Red Heifer Bridge.

THE MOUNT OF OLIVES ALTAR FROM THE TIME OF ADAM

Most Jewish scholars believe that from Adam to Abraham (Genesis 22:2) this particular altar was located on Mount Moriah (Temple Mount). According to The Torah Anthology, Adam constructed the first sacrificial altar vs.16 and it was successively rebuilt by Abel, Noah (or his son Shem), and Abraham. But it is essential to understand that there were TWO altar sites in Jerusalem of central importance to God’s Master Plan of Redemption: the altar on Mount Moriah which is profoundly significant in God’s plan of redemption.

The Lord told Abraham to take his “only son, whom you love” and offer him as a burnt offering: Since Isaac was no longer a child, as is generally depicted, but rather a young man in his thirties, it is clear that he voluntarily allowed his father to bind him for the sacrifice. v21This picture foreshadows the willing sacrifice of Yeshua in accordance with His Father’s will. And like Abraham laid the wood for the sacrifice on his son Isaac, the crossbar for His crucifixion was laid on Jesus/Yeshua’s shoulders to carry to the place of sacrifice:

They took Jesus [Yeshua] therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross[bar], to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha (John 19:17).

“YOU HAVE NOT WITHHELD YOUR SON, YOUR ONLY SON, FROM ME” (Genesis 22:11-12), The translation that can be made from the original Hebrew of Genesis 22:8, regarding Abraham’s reply to Isaac concerning the lamb for the sacrifice.The conventional translation is: And Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8a).

The alternative translation is:
“God will provide Himself AS the Lamb for the burnt offering…” vs.23. Wow!

What a profound prophecy regarding the promised Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua, who offered Himself in our place as the atonement sacrifice for our sins!

The lamb is described as a burnt offering, meaning that the entire lamb was to be burned as an offering to God.

A burnt offering also represents complete submission to God’s will.In prophetic fulfillment, Yeshua totally submitted Himself to the will of Father God, offering Himself entirely as the sacrifice required to pay the price for all humanity’s sins.

As YHVH-Yeshua (pre-incarnate) provided a ram in place of Isaac, YHVH-Yeshua (incarnate) provided Himself, the Lamb of God, as the sin atonement sacrifice for each and every human being. Note that a ram was provided in place of Isaac, not a lamb (Genesis 22:13). This seems to confirm the true meaning of Abraham’s words as a prophecy about the Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua.

As the ram’s horns were caught in a thicket (interwoven branches of a bush), vs.24. Yeshua’s head was caught in a crown woven out of thorn branches:

24 The Hebrew word sobek (Strong’s #5441) refers to “branches interwoven, a thicket” (William Wilson, New Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies, p. 443; Spiros Zodhiates, The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, p. 81).

Here, the Temple was built, where the Shekinah (Divine Presence) manifested inside the Holy of Holies above the Ark of the Covenant. And here, the Messiah will seat Himself on His throne in His Temple during the Millennial Kingdom; AND equally important is the altar on the Mount of Olives.

The site for the sacrifice and burning of the Red Heifer, and the burning of the Day of Atonement bull and goat sin offerings. It is believed that it was here that the first altar for, sin sacrifice, was established at the place where Adam and Eve first sinned; and it was here, Messiah Yeshua offered Himself as the ultimate sin sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of all humanity.David went to the summit of the Mount of Olives, the place “where God was worshipped”. Not until David’s son, Solomon, was the Temple and its altar built on Mount Moriah. This clearly shows the summit of the Mount of Olives as a place of worship prior to the Temple and such a place of worship would have included an altar for sacrifice. 2 Samuel 15:30, 32

As previously explained, it is highly probable that the altar on the Mount of Olives goes back to the time of Adam, when the first animal sacrifice for sin was made. David was shown a vision of the crucifixion (which he recorded in Psalm 22) at the very place where his descendant, Messiah Yeshua, would be crucified, on the summit of the Mount of Olives.

The Mount of Olives is frequently mentioned in the New Testament. Yeshua spent much time with His disciples on the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39; John 8:1).It was on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Temple Mount, that Yeshua wept over the city of Jerusalem and prophesied concerning the destruction of the Temple, the end of the Age, and His Second Coming (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:3-4).

It was over the Mount of Olives that Yeshua rode on the donkey foal during His entry into Jerusalem, crossing over the Kidron Valley to the Temple Mount (Matthew 21:1; Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29, 37).

Yeshua spent His last night on the Mount of Olives prior to His arrest (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; Luke 22:39).

And Yeshua was crucified, buried, and resurrected on the Mount of Olives (Hebrews 13:11-13).

The Word of God shows that the Gate of Heaven is located above the Mount of Olives. This is place of Jacob’s Beth-el; where the angels ascended and descended from the Heavens.

Here the prophet Ezekiel had a vision of the Shekinah (Glory Cloud) leaving the Temple and moving to a position above the Mount of Olives before it disappeared into Heaven (Ezekiel 10; 11:23).

Messiah Yeshua ascended into Heaven from the Mount of Olives (Luke 24:50-52 Acts 1:9-12).

Therefore, logically as there is no co-incidence with God; it would follow, that the altar on the Mount of Olives was located directly under the Gate of Heaven.

Somewhere on the top of the Mount of Olives was once located the Red Heifer altar. No ruins of the altar remain, unless buried deep under cement or buildings.

This is probably the best EXAMPLE of what the Red Heifer Altar might have looked like on the Mount of Olives.

In 1980 by Adam Zertal uncovered an altar at Ebal Israel believed to be the altar of Joshua, with a later altar built over it.This altar had been purposely covered with stones to either hide it, or preserve it. It is 10 feet high and  around 25 x 30 feet in width and length.  The walls are 5 ft thick with a fill to make it flat on top. There is a 23 x 3 foot wide ramp leading up to it with the same ledge and smaller ramp along side the larger one. Beneath this altar is another smaller, 6.5 ft round, altar built on the bedrock. The smaller altar is thought by many to be the altar of Joshua that we read about in the scripture. It was built around 1250 BC. The larger, rectangle, altar above it is dated to around 1400 BC.The front portion of this altar had two large stalls where the animals were kept. Also different compartments were found within the stalls was used to contain the items needed for the sacrificing of the animals.When the Temple was built in Jerusalem the altar on Mt Ebal was abandoned.  

The Red Heifer sacrifice was performed on the summit of the Mount of Olives in a direct line of sight to the entrance of the Temple on its eastern side. The animal was placed on its left side, head toward the south, and face turned westward toward the entrance to the Temple.

According to the Mishnah, the High Priest who sacrificed and burned the Red Heifer was able to look directly into the entrance of the Temple when the blood was sprinkled (Middot 2.4):

All the walls that were there [on the Temple Mount] were high, with the exception of the eastern wall, so that the [High] Priest who burned the [red] heifer stood on top of the Mount of Olives and was able to see directly into the entrance of the Sanctuary [Temple] when the blood was tossed. vs.3 God gave the commandment regarding the Red Heifer sacrifice:

Based upon God’s instructions, the Red Heifer (Hebrew parah adumah):… refers to a red-brown, unblemished, and unworked cow that was sacrificed and burned (Num. 19:1-8); its ashes were then kept “for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin” (v. 9). The cleansing in view had to do with corpse contamination (vv.11-22). This ritual included several unusual features, such as the requirement that the slaughtering take place OUTSIDE THE CAMP (instead of on the altar [of the Temple])… (emphasis added). The Red Heifer had to be entirely red (reddish-brown); at least three years old, although an older animal was acceptable; perfectly free of any physical blemish or defect; and never previously yoked or used for physical labor (Numbers 19:2).

The Red Heifer Bridge

Several references are quoted confirming the same details.

(Significantly, during the second Temple. The high priest performed the ceremony facing the temple while on top of the Mount of olives). (the Talmud recounts that the high priest performed the blood applications of the red heifer while gazing out the temple and at the holy of holies from a mountain opposite the temple mount.)Yeshua was led like the holiest sacrifice, the Red Heifer, from the Temple Mount through the Eastern Gate along the ritually clean, arch-over-arch causeway/ramp that connected the Temple Mount to the summit of the Mount of Olives.

This was the only path from the Temple to the summit that afforded ritual purity necessary for an acceptable sacrifice.

From the summit of the Mount of Olives, there was a clear view into the Temple. Just as the Red Heifer’s head was turned to face the Temple as it was sacrificed, so too Messiah Yeshua faced the Temple as He was crucified – the ultimate and holiest of all sacrifices for the atonement of humanity’s sins.

This heifer must be brought to the “Mount of Anointment”, A PRECISE LOCATION ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, OPPOSITE THE EASTERN GATE OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT. There the heifer must be slaughtered and burned. Afterwards, its ashes are mixed together with natural spring water. It is this solution, called by the Bible “the waters of sanctification,” which is used to sprinkle on those who are impure (emphasis added).5

During the Second Temple period, the Red Heifer was led out of the Temple area through the Eastern Gate, over the Kidron Valley and up to the summit of the Mount of Olives via a ritually clean, stone arch-over-arch causeway/ramp. The Eastern Gate: There was no need to change this system during the Herodian period [the time of Messiah Yeshua], so it can safely be assumed that it would have been through this gate that the Red Heifer was led out to the Mount of Olives during that time period as well.As previously explained, the Red Heifer was sacrificed “outside the camp”, “outside the gate”, meaning outside the Eastern Gate of the Temple Mount. Certain other sacrificial animals were also burned at the same site, but the Red Heifer was the only animal actually sacrificed at this location.

Certain instructions were given to Moses concerning the sacrificial altar of the Red Heifer. It was to be built “outside” the city. Outside the city was given as 2000 cubits (2,916 ft @ 17.5 cu) to the east from the tent tabernacle. It was to be made of un-hewn natural stone from the immediate area and have four walls, filled in with layers of stone until it had a flat surface on top. It must have a ramp, not steps, and a ledge around the altar on three sides and along the ramp down one side.  From the altar the priest was to sprinkle the blood seven times towards the tabernacle.The place “outside the camp” was 2000 cubits (3000 feet) east of the city, according to God’s commandment for marking city limits:

“You shall also MEASURE OUTSIDE THE CITY ON THE EAST SIDE TWO THOUSAND CUBITS, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities” (Numbers 35:5, emphasis added).

What does “outside the camp” mean?

Conclusion coming in part 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAIL I AM

 

How does a NAIL join everything from Genesis to Revelation, and what is the connection between the Alphabet and Messiah Jesus/Yeshua?

First last? … Alef Tav?

Nothing Jesus said was without deeper meaning … so to what was He referring? and why did He say that?It was a direct confirmation of the prophetic statement in Isaiah 44:6

In the book of Genesis and in the very 1st verse, the plan of God, (YHVH) was clearly revealed; sadly, we miss it’s impact because we read our english translations and not the original language in which it was written. 

Everything is connected and that is why we cannot neglect what we call the old Covenant/Testament and especially the fact it was written in the Hebrew language. God chose and created it specifically. When some of the secrets and mysteries, hidden within the texts, are revealed and become clear, in the light of our current position in His timeline; it gives us the unique ability to look back and see the fulfillment of His plans so far.

First, we need to reference the alphabet, without which we would have no text and no written scriptures! The decree by the King of the Universe to not add, or take away from His Word; and the precise copying of the original scrolls, ensures the accuracy of His original meaning to be maintained for millennia.

The Hebrew language is the Alef Bet.

If unfamiliar with the alef bet, it’s the root source of our alphabet, comprising the 22 consonants, letters of the Hebrew language. (No vowels like our a,e,i,o,u, but speech marks to indicate where to pronounce them, so the word makes sense.)

Alef is the first letter and tav is the last letter.

In the Greek language: Alpha/Alfa is the first letter and Omega is the last letter, (as referenced in many translations.)

For more details of the Hebrew language click links:

ALEF BET Our Alphabet

https://www.minimannamoments.com/ancient-pictographic-hebrew-language/ 

Over time the shapes of the letters have changed, just as they have in other languages, and that’s why we miss so much of their definitions.Each letter has meanings and is a picture describing those meanings.

Pictured here is the first and last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet known as the “Alef & Taw/Tav.”These two letters represent eternity or (the beginning and the end). ancient above, modern belowThey were created from the beginning by YHWH at creation. (Phonetic pronunciation adding in missing vowels, YaHuWaH).Here, Alef is the first letter, Tav is the last and the letter Mem is in the middle. Together they spell Emet, the Hebrew word for TRUTH.Jesus said of Himself, I AM the TRUTH …

In the original Hebrew Scriptures we can actually see these letters in the text but the English translators left them out:Bereshiyth (Genesis) 1:1 In the beginning Elohiym created את ALEF & TAW the heaven and ואת WAW, ALEF & TAW the earth.The Alef Tav appears in the first verse of the Bible:

Genesis 1:1 King James Version (H853)
“In the beginning God created H1254 the heaven and the earth.”

H853 Genesis 1:1 Hebrew Old Testament ברא ית H7225;  ברא H1254;  אלהים H430; את ה מים H8064;  ואת H853 האר׃ H776

Here is how it reads in the original Hebrew Old Testament:

Bereshiyth (Genesis) 1:1 In the beginning Elohiym created את ALEF & TAW the heaven (shamayim) and ואת WAW, ALEF & TAW/TAV the earth (erets).The first and last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet is called the “Alef” (A) and the “Taw”/Tav” (T).

These letters are seen in Ancient Paleo Hebrew Pictographs as “the ת and the two sticks, the cross א red heifer”, or the ox head.

 The letter Vav or Waw is a picture of the nail or the tent peg.

The ‘Vav‘ pictures a tent peg or nail.It means to secure, connect, or establish.Hence, the message in these three letters is: “the red heifer sacrifice, the nail, and the cross!” 

Here also the TOKEN or SIGN or COVENANT

Since there are 22 Letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and YaHuWaH created us in His image and by the ‘spoken word‘, (made up of letters,) these letters contain ‘frequencies’, by which everything in the material world exists! There is an interesting ‘coincidence’ that there are 22 strands in the human DNA. (Wow!)

In our English Bibles, Genesis 1:1 reads like this, “In the beginning H7225 God H430 created H1254 (H853) the heaven H8064 and the earth.” H776

Remember Hebrew reads from right to left.

This Hebrew word (H853) is a word that appears hundreds of times in our Bibles.

Two examples of this are: One in Ruth where the Name of God is not found in that book, except as Alef Tav.and second in Numbersin connection to the prayer shawl/tallit and recalling His commandments by looking at the zitzit.

BUT, (H853 את ‘eth) is not translated.

This is the Hebrew word th which is comprised of the two Hebrew letters EP. The Hebrew literally reads, “In the beginning God created (ALEPH/TAV) the heavens and the earth.”  iIn “Or orah”, Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezritch, explained first words of Torah:Bereshit Bara Elohim Et – “In the beginning God created et” (Gen 1:1). Note that et is an untranslatable word used to indicate that “a definite direct object is next”; (thus there needs to be an et before the heavens and the earth). However, Dov Ber points out that et is spelled – Aleph-Tav, an abbreviation for the Aleph-Bet. Aleph is the first letter letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Tav the last, so, he reasoned, in the beginning God created the Aleph-Bet.Since God did this before creating the heavens and the earth, the letters are considered to be the primordial “building blocks” of all of creation.

The “otiyot yesod” (foundational letters – the Hebrew alphabet).

In other words the Hebrew Alphabet was given prior to the creation of heaven and earth and subsequently used to create all things.At creation, Elohiym first created the Hebrew Alphabet and then He used those letters in His alphabet to “speak the word” whereby everything was created: Ibriym (Hebrews) 11:3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of Elohiym, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.As there are 22 letters in the Hebrew Alphabet, and our Mashiyach (Messiah) is the WORD who became flesh in John 1:1, it means that the Hebrew Alphabet is a schematic of him.

Every single letter in the Ancient Paleo Alphabet is also a pictograph/picture of our Messiah/Mashiyach, and we are created ‘in HIS image’ with 22 strands in our human DNA! These letters contain ‘frequencies’ or sound waves by which everything in the material world came into being and is held together.

In other words, life itself and all matter. However this word et, is not a translatable word and therefore goes unnoticed.YHWH (YaHuWaH) used the Alef Tav in the Hebrew alphabet to illustrate a prophetic picture of our Mashiyach (Messiah), as the sacrificial animal (the red heifer) being nailed to a cross!After the Exodus when the children of Yisra’el were in the wilderness, they began to murmur and complain against YaHuWaH, and so He sent fiery serpents to bite them and many of them died (Numbers 21:6). But many of them began to repent and when they did, YaHuWaH instructed Mosheh (Moses) to make a pole and put a fiery serpent on the pole for them to look upon and then they would not die from being bitten by the serpent.This was a prophetic shadow picture, of the future Mashiyach (Messiah), who would become a curse for us (John 3:14). But later on this image of the serpent on a pole became an idol that was used for worship and YaHuWaH was against this.Being far from an expert on Hebrew studies, however, up till now the subject is fascinating, as the Hebrew alphabet is very unique and quite amazing. It consists of twenty-two letters that are all consonants. A combination of dots and dashes placed either above or beneath the individual letters give further indication of how the words sound. The Hebrew alphabet comes to us from its earliest form, pictographs/pictures/glyphs.

Words were constructed by putting pictures together illustrating a characteristic of a word. An example is the word “father”. The Hebrew word for father is spelled “ab” in English. (Now familiar as ABBA and also as AV, as in AVINU.)  In Hebrew it consists of the letters aleph and bet. The aleph represents an ox for strength or leadership and the bet represents a family or house. From this we get the beautiful picture the Father Who is the strength and leader of His house and family.

Explanation: The ‘Ox Head’ is the pictograph for the ancient letter ‘Aleph’; the first letter of the Hebrew language/alphabet.

The ‘Crossing of the two sticks’ is the pictograph for the ancient Hebrew letter ‘Tau’ that is the last letter of the Hebrew language/alphabet.

However it is not the end, signifying the initiation of a covenant ‘without end’.

These two words placed together called Aleph-Tau/Tav constitute a sacred Paleo Hebrew word, which cannot be translated into any earthly language, other than the ancient Hebrew text, i.e.: Gen 29:35. Psalm 34:1;117:1; 2Chron 31:2; Jer 33:11; Zeph 3:20 and others. Written in its original form the Alef Tav. Source: Strong’s Hebrew Paleo Hebrew Dictionary No.853In this illustration of the “Alef & Taw,” in it’s earliest ancient form it shows us a picture of the red heifer

(the ox head) being nailed to the “two sticks” of Eze- kiel 37:16 (the stick of Ephrayim & Judah).Mashiyach is the “Alef & Taw” which means “the first and the last” or “the beginning and the ending” (Revelation 1:8; 1:11; 21:6; 22:13).The last Hebrew letter, the “Taw” is shaped like a cross because it means that we must come to the “end” of the old sinful nature. In Tehilliym (Psalms) 51:5 Dawiyd (David) declared: “Behold I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”Our Mashiyach came to put an end to this sinful nature—not the Mosaic Law! This is precisely why Jesus/Yeshua commanded us to deny ourselves, take up our cross (stauros) daily and to follow Him (Matthew 16:24).

Exodus 12:13 Now the blood shall be a SIGN (Hebrew word – OHT) for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.As we have just seen, the word for “sign” in ancient Hebrew is “oht”. It was also used in Genesis to designate God’s covenant sign with Noah, (the rainbow). And we see now the same word again, in Exodus, identified with the deliverance of the Jewish people from the tenth plague, when the angel of death passed through all Egypt to strike the firstborn. Anyone under the “sign” of the blood was spared.This “sign” of deliverance for the ancient Israelites, spelled “aleph”-“vav”-“tav” in ancient Hebrew letters, explicitly, the sign of blood on doorposts and lintel, also clearly spells out, “leader”, “nail”, and “cross”.Just as blood on the doorposts was the only sign of deliverance for Israel, the cross of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus, the Christ), is the only sign of deliverance from eternal death for all mankind. [Acts 4:12]

The mystery of salvation was originally revealed in the very letters God used to unfold its story.In the ancient Hebrew He speaks to us from the beginning of time, that the sign of the covenant would be “the leader who was nailed to the cross”.

We should have no doubt of the Father’s love for us! What is even more interesting is that the word “Taw” is the Hebrew word for “mark” as seen in Ezekiel 9 and it is a mark that Elohiym puts on the foreheads of his elect who are sealed. The letters in the word “Taw” even tell a further message:

Taw, Waw, AlefThis means: “the cross, the sacrificial animal, and the nail.”
 The Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) spoke of this “mark” as being a “mark” that he bore in his own body:

Galatiym (Galatians) 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of יהוה YaHuWaH יהו ו Yahuwshuwa.

Below is an illustration of how the progression of the letter “Taw” (Tav) has undergone changes over the centuries, as seen by the illustration above. The “cross” or the “Taw” was never meant to be an idol or an object of worship to be used as some sort of “talisman.” The “cross” or the “Taw” is a symbol of self-denial.

 

Hebrew for Jesus  

I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. (Isaiah 43:11)

Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach is YHVH in the flesh.

Jesus’ statement in Revelation 22:13 now has even greater meaning:
 Jesus said “I am the Alpha and the Omega”. In Hebrew He would have said “I am the Alef and the Tav”.
 Isn’t this just like our God, “declaring the end from the beginning”? Isaiah 46:10 Chazown (Revelation) 1:8 I am the Alef and the Taw, the Beginning and Ending, says יהוה YaHuWaH which is, and which was, and is and who was and which is to come, the Almighty. Mashiyach was revealing himself as YaHuWaH in His resurrected state!

Chazown (Revelation) 1:11 “….I am the Alef and the Taw, the First and the Last.”In Revelation 1:8, 1:11, 21:6, 22:13, the Messiah is called “the Alef & Taw” (Alpha & Omega) in Greek. The entire Hebrew Alphabet is a schematic of him! Could this be that the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21), includes being restored to the Edenic Language from creation? 

A clear picture of God’s plan!
The ALEPH (God robed in the flesh) dying on a CROSS (the TAV).

Psalm 119, the longest Psalm in the scripture, is divided into 22 sections.

It titles each section by a letter of the Hebrew Alphabet from Alef to Tav.

Psalm 119 is all about the Word of God.

Jesus is the Living Torah!

We see a perfect picture in Zechariah of Messiah, the Aleph Tav, being pierced and mourned. The King James Version inserts ‘Him’ however it’s not there in the Hebrew.

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon

(H853)

whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)The numeric value of ALEPH is ONE! The ALEPH therefore represents first and foremost the oneness of God.
In some Hebrew translations of the New Testament we find the Aleph and the Tav inserted:

John 1:1 King James Version

(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1 Hebrew New Testament

Jesus is the Aleph Tav!

Interestingly the ALEPH and the TAV reveal the Plan of Redemption right from the beginning!

The Ancient picture  is a type of “mark”, probably of two sticks crossed to mark a place similar to the Egyptian hieroglyph of , a picture of two crossed sticks. This letter has the meanings of mark, sign or signature. The Modern Hebrew, Arabic and Greek names for this letter is tav (or taw), a Hebrew word meaning, mark. Hebrew, Greek and Arabic agree that the sound for this letter is “t”.

The King James Bible wanted to give the phonetic sound to the name of Jesus, so in the story of Luke’s Gospel they transliterated the name that the angel is heard to say to Mary…

Luke 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (transliterated Joshua) and He shall save His people from their sins, that is prevent them from missing the mark.

Matt 1:21 She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins, [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].

The apostle John writes, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (I John 3:4). The Greek word for “sin” is hamartia, an archery term for “missing the mark.” We could say that sin is not just making an error in judgment in a particular case, but missing the whole point of human life; not just the violation of a law, but an insult to a relationship with the One to whom we owe everything; not just a servant’s failure to carry out a master’s orders, but the ingratitude of a child to its parent.

The apostle John declares that sin is the transgression of God’s commandments (I John 3:4, KJV), including the two great commandments Jesus spoke in Mark 12:28-31. The word translated as “sin” literally means “to miss the mark.” Combining these principles gives us a very broad definition of sin: Sin is imperfectly loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and imperfectly loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Sin is missing the mark of what God wants us to do. James 4:7

The word “sins” found here in Matthew 1:21 is the Greek Bible word “hamartia.” It is the most common New Testament word for “sin”, and the basic meaning of it is “to miss the mark.” But it does NOT mean “miss the mark” in the way many of us would think of it: like an archer, who was trying to hit the right target, but just couldn’t do it. No, this word means “to miss the mark” of the standards that God set for us regarding the way that we should live:

I Peter 2:24 says “He Himself bore our sins (our “hamartia”, that same word used in Matthew 1:21 for missing the mark) in His body on the cross” so that we could be reconciled to God. Our Judge loved us, and paid the penalty for our sins.Mary was told to name her son “Salvation” for He would save His people. Simeon, the old man in the temple waiting for the Messiah, held up Yeshua and said, “Mine eyes have seen the Salvation of Israel.”

And now we can see why Yahuwshuwa called himself “the first and the last” in Revelation 1:8, for he came to represent the “the firstborn” symbolized by the first letter in the Hebrew Alphabet, the א “Aleph” and he also came to represent the last-born symbolic of the last letter in the Hebrew Alphabet, called the ת “Taw!”

Or also known as the Alpha and omega

Alef is an ox strong or first as in AV or AB which is Father also written Avina= or Abba 

 ayin vav shin yod

The etymology of “Jesus” is simple. In the Greek Scriptures, Ὶησους, Iesous is a transliteration of the Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ, Yeshua. Exchanging the “y” for an “i” at the beginning, and adding an “s” on the end is common in Greek, i.e. יְהוּדָה, Y’hudah (Judah) becomes Ὶούδας, Ioudas (Judas). From the Greek, Ὶησους, Iesous was transliterated into the latin Iesus, and finally came into English as Jesus. Yeshua (Hebrew) to Iesous (Greek) to Iesus (Latin) to Jesus (English).The Meaning of Word “Mashiach”

The word “Messiah” (mashiach) comes from the verb mashach, which means to smear or anoint with oil, usually for the purpose of dedicating or consecrating something (such as a temple vessel) or someone (such as a prophet, priest or king) for the service of Adonai.

Also, for the title “Messiah” the Hebrew word Mashiyach from the Hebrew text; the letters appear as: Mem, Shin, Yod, Chets (MSYC)

The sacred names of deity as they have been removed 7,000 times from the original Hebrew Scriptures. Instead of “the LORD” four English letters to represent the four Hebrew letters in our Creator’s name: Yod, Hey, Waw (or Vav), Hey as YHWH (called the Tetragrammaton).

Hebrew Letter “vav” at one time was a letter “waw” pronounced as a long “u” sound when used as a vowel. But it also doubles as a consonant that has the “w” sound. Sometimes, this letter “waw” makes the same blowing sound as in the word “who” as if you are going to “whistle.” Below are a few resources that show the historic evidence for how the Hebrew letter “waw” became a  “vav” in Modern Hebrew through the Germanic influence.

Pictured above are the four Modern Hebrew Letters that make up the name of our Heavenly Father, and then you will see the Ancient Paleo Pictograph Letters above them as they were written by Moses and the Yisra’elites about 3,000 years ago and earlier. In Exodus 3:14-15, YaHuWaH told Mosheh what proper name He is to be called for all generations:

Yod, Hey, Waw, Hey: YHWH

In Ancient Paleo Pictographs, these letters are seen below from right to left as follows: Yod (hand or arm); Hey (breath or spirit); Waw (nail or tent peg); Hey (breath or spirit); 

These four letters are called “the tetragrammaton.”

The Father’s name has 4 Hebrew Letters (YHWH).

The latter 6 commandments in the Ten Commandments tell us how to love our fellow man, and Yahuwshuwa Messiah came as “the son of man” so it is fitting that there are 6 Hebrew Letters to his name (YHWSWA).

The Yod, Hey & Waw are unique to the Father’s name which is the name of salvation! If you remove the Hey (the breath or spirit of Yah) and you remove the Waw (the nail), you are removing the prophetic pictures of his name YaHuW. By calling our Messiah with these Hebrew letters we are making a prophetic declaration every time we use his name:

YaHuW means “hand, behold, nail” and then the other word for “salvation” (shuwa) is added to say “hand, behold, nail, is salvation.”

This end-time prophecy tells us that people will be calling upon the Father’s name for salvation:

Yowel (Joel) 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of YHWH shall be delivered: for in mount Tziyown (Zion) and in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) shall be deliverance, as YHWH has said, and in the remnant whom YHWH shall call.

Original Hebrew Name: YaHuWaH יהוה

I and My Father are One

Lower case letters have been inserted into YHVH, YaHuWaH to aid in pronunciation.

The word “God” has been restored to the Hebrew “Elohiym”, and the Messiah’s name has been restored from “Jesus” to ancient Hebrew for “Joshua” which is represented by six Hebrew Letters: Yod, Hey, Waw, Shin, Waw, Ayin (YHWSWA).The spelling of the name of our Messiah as Yahuwshuwa can be seen in the Strong’s Hebrew Concordance #3091. The modern spelling is Yehowshuwa because of something called “the pre-tonal shortening rule” that was purposely invented to conceal the name of our Heavenly Father. After the Babylonian Captivity, the House of Judah deliberately placed a “ban” on pronouncing the name of our Creator and today in Judaism, they simply refer to him as “ha’Shem” (the name) or “Adonai” (master).

(The difference between a transliteration and a translation. A transliteration is a spelling to make you sound the word. A translation is the use of another word in another language that means the same thing.)

Then Christian scholars learned of their transliteration mistake and went back to use the Greek transliteration which was even further away from worse than Joshua. The Greek text had tried to do the same thing and tried to phonetically sound the name with “Iesous.”

Then Christian scholars translated the Greek Iesous into Jesus.

Christ christos = anointed is the same as messiah which = anointed.

This is not stir up controversy on different spelling or variation on pronunciation but rather to highlight the Alef Tav and the prophetic meanings.

The Alef & Taw is prophetically a picture of Yahuwshuwa Mashiyach. He is the “Alef” because he is also the “Red Heifer” which sanctifies the altar of our hearts. He is also the “Taw” as He is the physical representation of the Two Sticks or Two Trees for the Two Houses of Ephraiym & Yahuwdah.Yahuwshuwa Mashiyach laid down his life as the “Alef” or the Red Heifer, on the “Taw” or the “two sticks” for both Yahuwdiy (Jew) and Gentile to gather together his sheep from the Two Houses of Yisra’el!

The Congregation in the Wilderness Arranged in the Shape of a Cross or Taw

Many people in the Messianic and Hebraic Roots community are offended at the Roman symbol called “the cross,” because it was used as a pagan symbol for Tammuz and Mithras. But long before the pagans hi-jacked this symbol, it was used as an illustration for the Alef & Taw.

Pictured above, we see that the Twelve Tribes of Yisra’el were arranged in the shape of a “cross” or a “Taw” in the wilderness. Each of the four creatures shown above are also mentioned in Ezekiel 1:10 as “the living creatures.” The fact that our Mashiyach Yahuwshuwa was nailed to two trees in the shape of a “Taw” (two crossed sticks) is highly significant because this shows that His bride (Yisra’el) is His body, and He bore our sins upon His own body:

1st Keefa (Peter) 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed. Romiym (Romans) 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Mashiyach, and every one members one of another.Once again we see that the bride—the body of Messiah is joined by the two crossed sticks or the Taw!

  All Hebrew letters also double as numerical quantities and so each letter represents a number. Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin

Yod: has a numerical value of 10 and its meanings include: Work, Hand/Arm, Activity, Deed.

Shin: has a numerical value of 300 and its meanings include: Destroy, Consume, Devour

Vav: has a numerical value of 6 and its meanings include: Join, Nail, Establish, Secure, Attach, Man’s number (created on the sixth day)

Ayin: has a numerical value of 70 and its meanings include: Eye, See, Understand The four-letter name of Yeshua therefore, has a numerical ‘weight’ of 386 and can meaning something like:

The hand/activity/work or deed that destroys/consumes or devours the established/security/man’s eye/understanding.

Or more simply, it could mean something to the effect of:

The work that destroys the establishment of the eye!

We can also look at it this way: Yeshua is…

The hand that destroys the establishment of the eye!

This is a great description because Yeshua (Jesus) is the one who has and will destroy all the work of the devil!

In Hebrew, the name of God is spelled with the letters, YHVH [Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey]. Therefore, again reading right to left, we can derive the following meanings from those letters 

Yod: has a numerical value of 10 and its meanings include: work, hand/arm, activity deed.

Hey: has a numerical value of 5 and its meanings include: reveal, show, mercy, grace or when used at the end of a word means: “who/what/that comes from.”

Vav: has a numerical value of 6 and its meanings include: join, nail, establish, secure, attach,man, man’s number (created on the sixth day)

Hey: has a numerical value of 5 and its meanings include: reveal, show, mercy, grace or when used at the end of a word means: “who/what/that comes from.”

The four-letter name of God, therefore, has a numerical ‘weight’ of 26 and can mean something like:

What comes from the activity/work or deed revealed in the nailed/man (of Mercy/Grace).

Or more simply, it could mean something to the effect of:

The work of Mercy that comes from the nailed man of Grace.

The doubling of the meaning of the letter Hey in this word shows us that the two are of each other, or in other words, they are one and the same: Grace and Mercy revealed/what comes from or through Father and Son, who are both one; a concept Jesus Himself said was true,

NAIL I AM

Please don’t leave this page before making certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Hidden Mystery of the Kallah

The Hidden Mystery of the Kallah כַּלָּה ; phonetically pronounced (kal-law’).

These days there is much chatter about the signs of the times, end of days and Jesus soon return. The catching away from 1 Thessalonians is often termed the rapture.

Also called the Parousia and the blessed hope of Titus 2:13

 The rapture is an eschatological term used by certain Christians, particularly within branches of American evangelicalism, referring to a end time event when all Christian believers will be “caught up”, translated into the clouds, in a moment in time, to join the Lord in the air. 

In fact the specific word ‘rapture’ itself does not appear anywhere in the scripture text however It has become a much used by word and originated right out of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible.

…deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus.. –1 Thessalonians 4:17 (Latin Vulgate)

In the New American Standard Version, the English phrase, “caught up,” is used. The same phrase is used in the King James and New International Versions. .” In the Latin Vulgate, one of the oldest Bibles in existence, the appropriate tense of rapio appears in verse 17. (Raptus is the past participle of rapio, and our English words “rapt” and “rapture” stem from this past participle.)

So this term “Rapture” comes from a Latin word, “rapio,” that means “to catch up, to snatch away, or to take out.” It is, in turn, a translation of the Greek word, “harpazo. the Harpz, the “snatching up” of the Church.

The Latin equivalent of the Greek Harpazo is the Latin verb rapio, “to take away by force.

The very definition of the word “harpazo” that we get the word “rapture” from, is: to openly and forcibly snatch something from someone.

Strong’s Greek Concordance #726 harpázō – properly, seize by force; snatch up, suddenly and decisively – like someone seizing bounty (spoil, a prize); to take by an open display of force (i.e. not covertly or secretly).

Notice in the preceding definition, “harpazo” means to “openly seize” – not covertly or secretly.

 Used in the late 16th century (in the sense ‘seizing and carrying off’): from obsolete French, or from medieval Latin raptura ‘seizing,’ partly influenced by rapt. This post is not attempting to focus on or to prove/disprove any of the options proffered by believers. Intended only to show Messiah’s use of and reference to ancient Israel and the Jewish/Hebrew wedding and how it relates to forthcoming events; and to those that have already occurred, including the fulfillment of the promise which our Lord confirmed at the Last Supper: John 14:1-3

This is a wide subject however this focus is on the wedding part.

The elements of a Jewish wedding normally include the following: one chosson (the groom), one kallah (the bride), and a ceremony sometimes referred to as kiddushin. Separate steps usually accompany a traditional wedding: Shidduch – it’s a match! Vort – formal engagement; Ketubah – or Betrothal marriage contract.

We the believers in Jesus the Messiah/Yeshua Ha Mashiach are His kallah /Calah. kallah /Calah is Hebrew for bride. (Seems both spellings are used.)

It may be easier for ladies than for men, in identifying with being a bride. The likeness is simply for God’s purposes, and to reveal His covenant and the deep close relationship that the children of Israel have with Him; which would be a reminder for them beginning with Moses at Sinai.

This mystery is hidden in the Hebrew covenant of a marriage and the wedding ceremonies in which the focus was originally more on the groom than the bride!

Looking at Isaiah 62:5: “For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee. And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”

In the first part of this verse in Isaiah it appears that Israel is playing the role of a bridegroom rather than a bride if we consider the word sons as male. Then in the second part he is addressing Israel as if they were to be a husband to God, as this second part of the verse declares that the ones he is addressing are now the bride to God who is in the role of the bridegroom.

The word bridegroom here is katan, which is another word for marriage. This word for marriage has the idea of joining together in complete truth and honesty.  When God as the bridegroom is married to us He is joined to us in complete truth.  Remembering here Jesus words, “They that worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.”  John 4:24.

So that is God’s side of the deal, He is the bridegroom, but what are we as the bride or Kallah? In it’s primitive form the word Kallah has a double lamed which represents prayer with uplifted hands.

Hebrew letter Lamed

This word is a picture of reaching up to your lover with an open empty heart asking him to fill your heart with his presence.   The root word is a little strange because it means both a filling or completion and a wasting away.  However, the sages chose this word to represent a bride because a bride is to fill her heart with the desires of her bridegroom while her own desires waste away. Hard for us to understand, as this flies in the face of our modern thinking.

 God gave us a marriage relationship to help us understand our relationship with Him.  It cannot be just one sided, looking to God as a bride to a bridegroom, there is the other side of the coin to consider, our beloved God has a heart similar to the heart He breathed into us.

Just as our hearts can be broken, so too can we break His heart. He has chosen to make Himself vulnerable to those He loves and love Him in return.

We must make sure we do not break His heart.

כַּלָה is the Hebrew word for bride is Kallah, (Calah) which comes from the root word Kalah meaning; to finish, complete, prepare, to make perfect (in the sense of totality rather than of being unblemished) and to consume. (Strong’s #3618 and 3634).

There is also the meaning in this word of something fulfilling its purpose. Also means daughter in law.

From the Cross Jesus said, “It is finished” or in keeping with our Hebrew word for completed/fulfilled.

Jesus returns to initiate the catching away of believers.

Lekhah Dodi means “come my beloved,” and is a request of a mysterious “beloved” that could mean either God or one’s friend(s) to join together in welcoming Shabbat that is referred to as the “bride“: likrat kallah (“to greet the [Shabbat] bride“).

Chatan: Hebrew word for groom.

Strongs 2860 Chathan חָתָן

phonetic pronounced (khaw-thawn’) חָתָן

The biblical word chatan means both son-in-law and bridegroom, (most scholars believe that the initial meaning was only son-in-law, and that bridegroom was a later development) and ‘ka•la’ also means daughter-in-law.

In the Hebrew wedding song: “The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom [hatan] and the voice of the bride [kalah].” the voice of those who shall say, Praise the Lord of Hosts; for the Lord is good; for his mercy endures for ever; and of those who shall bring the sacrifice of praise to the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, says the Lord’.

Jeremiah 33:11

The wedding in Jesus day began with an agreement between the bride and groom, like engagement today. The bridegroom Journeys to the bride’s house for the covenant is made at her house.

Applying the process to believers, the Bridegroom has already made his visit! We are engaged, we are betrothed to Him.

At the time of this agreement a formal document called the Ketubah , was signed.

The Ketubah Agreement or covenant of marriage/ betrothal, included a price to be paid for the bride. In Hebrew the Mohar/Mohair.

We sometimes know it as a Dowry.

It was considered that the husband and his family were gaining an asset and the bride’s family were losing one.  And the price was according to the wealth of the Groom’s Father. The choice of whom the Bride would be and the Bride price or Mohar as it was called, was to reflect the Father of the Groom’s honor, integrity and stature; His future generations were at stake. Even if the Bride’s family was not wealthy, if the Groom’s Father was, the price was to reflect his wealth.

At that time the couple was considered to be married, even though the marriage was not consummated. She belongs to him now, for she has been “bought with a price’, and this purchase has been witnessed and confirmed.

Matthew 26: 27-28
“Then having taken a cup, after He gave thanks He gave the cup to them saying, “You must all drink from this, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out on behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.”

Luke 22:20
“This is the cup of the New Covenant in My blood which is being poured out on your behalf.”

Considering the stature and wealth of the heavenly Father, what would be a better fitting price for the Bride of Christ, the Church other than the life of His Son.

Jesus already paid the ultimate price for us His bride. By giving up his life for us at Calvary’s cross. The father of the bride may accept the bridal price.  If he does, then it is up to the bride to accept the offer of marriage.  She (the bride to be) accepts his offer when she drinks from the cup filled with wine or grape juice.

In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the renewed covenant in My blood. As often as you drink it, do this in remembrance of Me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Master until He comes.  1 Corinthians 11: 25-26

After the wine is drunk, the young man says the words in John 14:2-3:  “In My Father’s house are many rooms.   I go to prepare a place for you.  And, if I go to prepare and place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also”.

This is not so we can have a mansion of our own and do nothing but sit around. It is so we can be with Him and to share eternity with Him and be a part of the future He has planned for us.

The groom then went back to where he came from, his father’s house. He prepared a place, usually on family property, for the couple .

This Ketubah has 2 parts involving a shared cup of wine, with one at the initiation of the agreement and the other at the consummation.

The first part happens at the initial acceptance of the agreement with the sharing of the first cup of wine.The second part happens when the wedding actually happens with the sharing of the second cup of wine. 

The groom steps on the glass breaking it to indicate that this is a serious commitment and just as serious as the shattered glass is not repairable. 

Notice how Jesus says to do the New Covenant, Communion, in remembrance of Him. He is the Groom going away. But He will return for His Bride and bring her unto Himself.

I Corinthians 11:25-26
“Likewise also the cup after supper saying, “This cup is the New Covenant by means of My blood: you must regularly do this, as often as you would drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  For as often as you would eat this bread and you would drink the cup, you are proclaiming publicly the death of the Lord until He would come.”

Mark 14:24-25
“And He said to them “This is My blood of the covenant which is being poured out on behalf of many. Truly I say to you that never again am I drinking from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”

When we take the Cup, Communion, we are remembering Him, the price He paid with His Body and His Blood; this is symbolic of the first cup of the Ketubah.

We should also stop, pause and rejoice in that: The next time the Lord takes the cup of wine again, it will be with us, His Bride. This will be symbolic of the second cup of the Ketubah. We should take Communion in honor of Him as He has asked, but also with the comfort and intent of someday, being with and sharing the Wedding Cup with Him at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. 
The entire New Testament (New Marriage Covenant) is a reflection of the Ancient Jewish Wedding, whereby Yeshua, the Bridegroom, will one day come back for His Bride (all 12 tribes and those grafted into the olive tree, One New Man).

Right now He is preparing many dwelling places in his Father’s house (John 14:2) for his Bride.

When we choose to accept the offer of the Lord, as Lord and Savior, we enter into a covenant relationship.  We are betrothed to the Lord spiritually and we reject all other gods and idols and stay faithful to Him. We are like the Bride of those days, in that we have all the legal rights of being betrothed, even though the marriage is not complete until the final ceremony. 
Having been bought with a price, the Bride now keeps herself for him.

During this time, the Bride is to be eagerly awaiting his return.

Then the Father of the Groom will tell his Son to go snatch up his bride.

1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17

It is important to realize that in the Ancient Jewish Wedding, there is no date set for the wedding unlike in our western world.  The custom back then was that the date was to remain a mystery and only the father of the groom had an idea of when the wedding would take place.

Only when everything was completed to the fathers satisfaction would he tell his son to go and get his bride.

This is where at the reference (Matt 24:36).  that no one knows the day nor the hour when he will become for his bride, but the father only.

Because neither the bride nor groom knew when the father would say it was good enough, it was critical that they both needed to be ready as the finishing touches were about to be completed.

This prophecy is a reflection of the Fall Appointed Feast Days of Yom Teruah (The Feast of Trumpets) as it is accustomed for the High Priest to say, “No man knows the day or the hour.”  The reason for this saying is that no one would know on which day the sighting of the crescent moon would appear that would be necessary in order to initiate the feast day celebrations starting with Yom Teruah.  Here we see the connection with the wedding as well as with Yom Teruah.

Scriptures attributed to Yom Teruah are (1Thess 4:16-17)(Rev 19:7-9).

The couple do not see each other again until the day of the wedding but spend their time in preparation for it.

As was the custom, the bride was to prepare herself for the wedding ceremony that would take place from one to two years from the acceptance of the proposal.

(For us it has been 2000+ years (1000 years as a day?) and we are still waiting for Him to come and get us, His Bride). There is much anticipation of this event and it is meant to be a surprise for the Bride as the Bridegroom comes as a thief in the night at the Appointed Time/Feast (Mow’ed).

For the bride, life seems the same, she lives with her family doing daily activities, she is married but What has changed? Everything! For she is now CALAH.

God came to our house as Jesus 2000+ years ago and made a covenant with us if we said yes to Him. Then the bridegroom according to the Hebrew custom leaves to return to His home, His Father’s house. Jesus returned to heaven and where we are now, these are the days of separation. The bride in her house, Earth. The groom in His House, heaven.

John 14:2-3:  “In My Father’s house are many rooms.   I go to prepare a place for you.  And, if I go to prepare and place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also”.

We are still in this in the present world, still in the same House, everything seems the same it looks unchanged. But, something unseen has changed, not the exterior House or the world around us. However, we have changed inside, and we are no longer OF this world even though we are still IN it.

The time of preparation:

Again, it’s important to realize that the custom was, the wedding date was to remain a mystery and only the father of the groom had an idea of when.

The wedding was a prophetic type of the coming Messiah set in for the children of Israel as a symbolic preparation of the spiritual life enacted as the marriage process. The wedding, the covenant, the betrothal, the holy convocation, the rehearsal. This was on purpose so every time two individuals became a couple they enacted God’s eternal plan out in their own lives.

Just as many modern Western ceremonies today, have a rehearsal dinner or Church rehearsal meetings to go through the order of ceremony to be performed at the appointed time. So the cycle of 7 appointed times of the Lord throughout the year are also a rehearsal and a preparation for the fulfillment of God’s plan of the ages through Jesus and His coming as Messiah in fulfillment of those prophetic events.

So is the wedding a type and shadow of His relationship with us and why He referred so much to it. The people of His day who were around Him listening to Him were familiar with such events and understood the process. It made sense to them and it’s why He used it to explain His mission, Ministry and ultimate future in relationship to us, His Calah.

After the building of the wedding chamber/room is complete, and after the father has determined that his son is ready, then the father would send His son back to where the bride would be eagerly awaiting his return from her hometown (Earth) to retrieve her for the Wedding.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Master is coming. Matt 24:42

Then the groom would go for the bride, often at night and she would have to be ready.

The guests too would be notified at the last minute.

At that time, there would be a procession led by the bridegroom back to where the bride is from (Earth).  The processional wedding party would stop outside the town, and there would be a cry made for the bride with the sounding of the shofar to go out to meet the Bridegroom.

14 For if we believe that יהושע died and rose again, so also Elohim shall bring with Him those who sleep in יהושע.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Master, that we, the living who are left over at the coming of the Master shall in no way go before those who are asleep.

16 Because the Master Himself shall come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of a chief messenger, (archangel) and with the trumpet (Yom Teruah) of Elohim, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first. 

17 Then we, the living who are left over, shall be caught away together with them in the clouds to meet the Master in the air – and so we shall always be with the Master. 1 Thess 4:14-17

50. And this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood is unable to inherit the reign of Elohim, neither does corruption inherit incorruption.

51. See, I speak a secret to you: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound,

and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.1 Corinthians 15: 50-52

 

The following is a parable by Yeshua describing how there will be those who would not be made aware of the times of His second coming and will miss this moment.

“Then the reign of the heavens shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” (Matt 25:1-13)

 

“Now while the bridegroom took time, they all slumbered and slept.

6. “And at midnight a cry was heard, ‘See, the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him!’  (Matt 25:5-6)

At the voice of the Bridegroom calling them up, Messiah Yeshua comes out of heaven with a trumpet blast, to gather His whole Bride for the wedding, and the 7 days in the chuppah. The “bride has made herself ready”.  He collects His Bride who is alive and waiting for Him on the earth. As betrothed brides, they were supposed to be preparing for their wedding, sewing the various garments, purifying, learning, etc. in anticipation of the Big Day… but 5 grew drowsy and were sleeping.

They were to keep a light in the window during the nighttime and have more oil on hand, ready to make the journey to meet the Groom.

Without a light in the night, how would they find their way to meet the Groom? They would stumble and fall, stray off the path being unable to navigate in the dark.

They were to “meet up” with the Groom and head for the Wedding Ceremony, Honeymoon and Marriage Supper.
Five of the betrothed made it, Five did not…. All ten had the opportunity. 

Five had their heart in it were focused and kept to their purpose. These 5 stayed on course with well supplied lamps, trimmed wicks and fresh oil on hand. This is how we must be as the betrothed Church waiting for our Groom, Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.

Only the “prepared ones” will make it. There will not be any second chances.

Those arriving late will be locked outside the door. We must remain passionate for our Lord and be able to stay on course through the darkness, and many times that darkness can seem very heavy.

We must set our hearts and live our lives as the prepared Bride of the Lord.

The parable of the wise virgins, of Matthew 25:1-11, shows us that only the prepared Bride gets to go into the chuppah with Him.  The guests are shut out.

“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.  (Matt 25:10)

The bride, and her family would go out to meet the bridegroom.  The bridal company (bridesmaids) would join the procession back to the bridegroom’s hometown (Heaven). It is clear in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 that Paul was speaking to a Jewish audience who understood the cultural idoms of the day.

The true meaning is to “take by surprise.” And the Lord makes it clear to His church through His Word, that He does not want us to be taken by surprise but on the contrary for us to be faithful, alert and watching.

The phrase is not about the Lord being like “the kind” of a “thief” that would come in the night by sneaking in and sneaking out. In the day and age of Jesus and the apostles, most people lived in one or two room houses. Anyone would know when someone came in or out, including in the night. Jesus will be coming “like” a “thief in the night” in that “He will take the world by surprise” when He comes to get His church.

When he spoke of, “as a thief in the night,” those listening would realize that he was possibly speaking about the Captain of the Temple that may have been the high priest.  The Captain’s job was to make sure that the watchman or guards were not sleeping but rather doing their job. If the Captain of the Temple found any guards asleep, then he would set their garments on fire with his torch. ‘Not found naked’, as he would have ripped off his clothes to save from being burned.

Thus, the Captain of the Temple was known as a Thief in the Night.  The term/idiom, A Thief in the Night, was used by Jesus/Yeshua Himself and is used to identify a sleeping or dead church.

1 Now, brothers, as to the times and the seasons (mow’ed), you do not need to be written to. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of יהוה comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then suddenly destruction comes upon them, as labour pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. (1 Thess 5:1-5)

Returning to the wedding reference:

and when his father approved of the apartment or house, the son would come for his bride and the wedding ceremony would take place. Today the ceremony takes place under a chuppah, a prayer shawl over 4 supports representing the room that was prepared.

Once the ceremony is over, the two would go into the bridal chamber (chuppah) for 7 days (now known as a honeymoon). The tradition of a husband staying home with his new wife for the first year of marriage symbolizes the millennial reign the 1000 years, (1day=1000 years), when we rule and reign with Him

Revelation 14:1-3; 20:1-4; Romans 8:17

Picture this: It was in the early morning while it was still dark, the Morning Star Shone upon his opening tomb.

Everyone was sleeping as it was still during the hours of darkness and rest for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jesus arose, His rising did not disturb the slumbering citizens. The watchmen of the night saw and heard nothing to alert them that in the spiritual realm everything has changed. For them it was just another early morning and that they would begin in the natural realm just like any other.

It may well be that it is very early in the morning while it is still dark, when 1 Thess 4:16 occurs; when only the morning star is shining that the believers who make up Messiahs body on earth shall be called up to Him joining the dead in Christ who have been raised exactly a twinkling of an eye before them.

Like Him, somewhere in the earth His saints will awake, while the children of the night and darkness are still sleeping. Not one will be disturbed and as on that morning in Jerusalem, the rest of the world will not hear the voice of the archangel, nor the trumpet that calls them to His side.

He will awaken each one when the hour arrives. The words of Isaiah 26:19 Will accompany the quickening. ‘awake and sing you that dwell in dust.’

 What does the phrase “in the twinkling of an eye” mean? Many say it is “faster than a blink.” Whatever it means, it’s very very fast! The next question is, “what happens in the twinkling of an eye?” This verse in 1 Corinthians 15, may be one of the most misquoted verses of all time.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

It says “we shall be “changed” in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. It does not say that the Rapture happens in the twinkling of an eye.
In the previous verses..

“As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

 For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

This whole section of scripture seems to be about “how we shall become like the Lord.” How “corruption” is not fit for heaven. The flesh and blood bodies that we now have are mortal and of corruption.

Both the bodies of the saints in heaven and those who are still alive, must be made “fit for heaven.” It is about the speed of the changing of the bodies and remains, not about the speed of the Rapture.

Our very DNA miraculously revived and made alive supernaturally as the power of the risen Savior re-creates all bodies new and in His image.

The first rays of the sun penetrate the darkness of each saints grave, one massive unprecedented miracle around the globe simultaneously re-creating each and every child of God who died in faith believing in His return.

The rays of His glory will penetrate each one, pouring into the depths and as the shadows of the morning and the eastern clouds slide away hope is rewarded and mortality is flung aside and all at once the uprising glorified bodies changed at the speed of light, faster than an eye blink we meet Him in the air, the Lord of glory, Creator of the heavens and the earth, the King of the universe.

(From quantum physics considerations, this transformation, “in the twinkling of an eye,” will possibly occur digitally in 10-43 of a second.) 

His Glory like the Star of Bethlehem which heralded His first coming and shone beams of light guiding those seeking Him into His presence;the star of the morning will again shine beams of light to direct us Heavenward. A new path for us but also the last leg of the journey along life’s Way, in the Truth and to the everlasting Life He promised.

The sleeping church, or believers who do not understand the Appointed Feasts, may miss the wedding!

1“And to the messenger of the assembly in Sardis write, ‘He who has the seven Spirits of Elohim and the seven stars, says this, “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

2“Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before Elohim.

3“Remember, then, how you have received, and heard. And watch and repent. If, then, you do not wake up, I shall come upon you as a thief, and you shall not know at all what hour I come upon you.  (Revelation 3:1-3)

The wedding takes place and the bride and the bridegroom are married in the bridegroom’s hometown (Heaven).

(Maybe under the grooms prayer shawl/ chuppah)

The bride and the bridegroom would consummate the marriage in the bridal chamber built by the bridegroom at their new home, while the entire wedding party would wait outside the bridal chamber. 

Once the consummation had taken place, there would be a great celebration as the wedding party would last for 7 days or less. (Marriage supper of the Lamb 7 years)

And he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” Revelation 19:9

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him praise, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife prepared herself.”

8And to her it was given to be dressed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the set-apart ones.

9And he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true words of Elohim.”  Revelation 19: 7-9

After 7 days or less of celebration, a processional of the entire wedding party would return back to the Bride’s hometown (Earth) to continue with the celebrations. (Messiahs second Coming.)

They really DO live happily ever after!

 The Archangel whether it be Michael, Gabriel, Rafael or another, whose voice we shall hear is like a morning call for all of us. It’s time to wake up to arise, weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning of our resurrection.

Encourage one another with these words.

He will receive us and so shall we ever be with Our Messiah.

“He came among His own people, but His own did not take* Him. And so many as did receive Him, He gave them authority to become children of God, to those who believed in His name, they are not from blood and not from the desire of flesh and not from the will of man but were begotten from God. ” John 1:11-13

*take: This word means to take as your betrothed, speaking of the intimate relationship Y’shua came to seal.

Jesus did not come just to be lightly received. He came from the Father to bring us back to Him. To “take Jesus, to receive Him,” meant to “believe in His Name in a life changing manner.” It was (and is) entering into a Covenant relationship with our Holy God. Because He called us out, chose us. Note it says, He gave them authority to become children of God, not just became children of God.

 “The coming of the Lord” will be “unexpected” by those who “are not watching and waiting” for Him.

This great day will surprise the lost “as” a “thief in the night.” But God’s people – who are not of the night nor of darkness – will be looking for Him. God’s people know the signs and nearness of His coming and are watching for Him.

The Amplified Bible has verse 4 as this: “But you are not in [given up to the power of] darkness, brethren, for that day to overtake you by surprise like a thief.”
There may not be much more time to trim the lamps or seek more oil… We should decide which of the groups we are a part.

For the bridegroom cometh and when ever He comes, let‘s make sure that we are awake, prepared and ready to go with Him.

The wedding process is already in motion and we are His Calah/Kallah, כַּלָּה,  pronounced (kal-law’).

Even so, maranatha, come Messiah!

Extra Point of interest to explain what were Jewish Night Watches:

The Jewish people in the Old Testament divided the 12 hour night into three military watches instead of hours. Each watch was 4 hours long.

The first or “beginning of the night watches” was from sunset (or for practical purposes, 6pm) until 10pm and was mentioned in Lamentations 2:19.

The “middle watch” is from 10pm until 2am and was mentioned in Judges 7:19.

The “morning watch” was from 2am until 6am and was mentioned in Exodus 14:24 and 1 Samuel 11:11.

“Night watches” are also mentioned in Psalm 63:6 and Psalm 119:148.

Each new 24 Jewish day began at sundown (or 6pm.) That is why the Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown.

In contrast our Roman days begin at midnight.

Jewish Daytime began at 6am; and ends at 6pm for counting hours. The first hour is therefore 7am; the second hour is 8am; the third hour is 9am, the sixth hour is noon or 12pm; and so forth.

Examples of some time references

Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44 – “from the sixth hour” refers to noon and “until the ninth hour” refers to 3pm

Matthew 20 – In verse 3 “third hour” refers to 9am/ “Sixth and ninth” hours in verse 5 refers to noon and 3 pm/  “eleventh hour” in verse 6 refers to 5pm

Acts 2:15 – “third hour of the day” is 9am

Acts 3:1 – “ninth hour” is 3pm

Acts 10:3 – “ninth hour” is 3pm

Acts 10:9 – “sixth hour” is noon

Acts 10:30 – “during the ninth hour” is 3-4 pm

Acts 23:23 – “third hour of the night” is 9pm

 Roman Night Watches: Rome takes over in the time period between the Testaments and rules the Jewish people. The Romans broke their number of military watches into four 3-hour watches. These were called:

First Watch, also called Evening Watch  – sundown, 6pm to 9pm

Second Watch, also called Midnight Watch – 9pm to midnight

Third Watch, also called Cock-crow or Cock-crowing Watch – midnight to 3am

Fourth Watch, also called Morning Watch – 3 am to sunrise, 6am

Some Roman watches are mentioned in the New Testament:

Matthew 14:25 – “fourth watch of the night” refers to 3-6am

Mark 13:35 – “evening”, “midnight”, “when the rooster crows”, “morning”

Luke 12:38 – “second watch” refers to 9pm to midnight and “third” refers to midnight to 3am

Note this was the reference to Peters 3 denials by Jesus!

 Older versions of the Bible say the Gospel of John used Roman time. (Again, Roman time is how we keep time.) Newer versions of the Bible say the hours mentioned in John are Jewish time. Looking at the context of the verses, I would agree with Jewish time.

John 1:39 – “the tenth hour” could refer to the Roman time of 10am or the Jewish time of 4pm.  (4pm makes more sense.)

John 4:6 – “the sixth hour” is perhaps Roman time of 6am or Jewish time of noon  (The heat of the day at noon makes more sense.)

John 4:52 – “the seventh hour” is either 7am Roman time or 1pm Jewish time.  (Again, Jewish time makes more sense.)

It’s not clear why scholars of the newer versions have decided it is Jewish time in the Gospel of John. Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written between AD 58-67. John was written about AD 80-90 when the Roman Empire ruled and the Jewish people had been scattered after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Perhaps when John wrote the gospel most people kept time by Roman standards and that is why older versions say it was written with Roman time. But John being Jewish, the advancement in scholarship of ancient texts and the context of the verses makes the thought feasible that he wrote using Jewish hours.

When reading the Bible is it critical to know the Jewish hours and the Roman watches? Not really, but it helps with context of the passage. For instance in Matthew 14:25 when Jesus comes walking to the disciples on water it was the “fourth watch” or 3:00 to 6:00am. Matthew 14:22 tells us Jesus had the disciples get into the boat and go before Him. Verse 23 tells us Jesus went to pray and then evening came. This means the disciples had been in the boat over nine hours and may have been battling the storm a long time before Jesus came to them. That would be enough time to become really terrified! Is that crucial to the text to know that? No, not really – you get the point of the passage without that knowledge, however knowing the context makes your understanding richer. 

Please don’t leave this page before making certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Midweek Mannabite

This video was sent in and is posted here for you to watch and be encouraged by and also to please pass on to as many as you can.

Shelia writes: This video was made at the request of many people to whom I sent the written message over the past several months.

This is the only video I have ever made and it is of my testimony of Jesus and of a wide awake, open vision that he gave me of the end time and His return…that was in 1976 when I was 13 years old. In January, the Holy Spirit brought to mind that this July was 40 years since He gave me that vision…I don’t know the significance of that other than the fact that a 40 year period is important in prophecy…anyhow, I’ve been on point like a bird dog ever since…

I try to send this message to 50-100 people a week randomly. I have prayed that God will lead me to send this to those who need it most and that they would be able to discern the truth in it. I don’t believe in accidents, if you received it, it was intended so. People wonder what reason I have for sending it to them in particular.

Many are going through things in their lives now that make them question, make them hungry for something tangible in this crazy time we live. People need something real to believe in now, when everything is totally not what it seems. Jesus is that Reality. I would like to clarify that what I had was not a dream. I was tired, but I never went to sleep. What I had was a wide awake, full-on, full color, dimensional vision of the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise His Name.  I have been sharing the video since 2010 and I will be sharing it when He splits that northeastern sky…but recently, there is a fire in my belly and I’ve been sharing this like a crazy person…Jesus is coming, I feel it…can you? Here is the video…and may the Lord bless and keep you until that Glorious Day…

Below is the link to the video of Sheila’s vision of the Return of Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HY9GtXGvwY&index=5&list=LLtysruP3VK3vCcmWldmrz6g

Please click link or paste to your browser.

I hope you will be blessed by this message and that you will share it with everyone you know. God Bless and Keep each of you.

Lion photo shared by CB Stevens. Thank you!

It has come to our attention that people with a phone have difficulty reading the video, so here below is the text…

My Vision of the Return of Jesus Christ.

The Word of God says that young men have visions and old men have dreams. I was a young girl when I had a vision from God. I was 13 years old when it happened and it hasn’t happened again since that hot July day in 1976. I’m getting old, but not one detail of that vision has ever left me. It was profound and life altering, yet as a young girl I didn’t know what it meant or recognize what a significance it would prove to be in my life and others. I pondered it for a while and eventually I just got on with life, and though I put it aside, it never went away.

For the past five years, this vision has been in my thoughts constantly, pressing me to write it down and share it with the world. The Holy Spirit won’t leave me alone about it; I have to do it. I can’t sleep at night for thinking about it; I feel like a grape in a wine press. The need to do this is pressing and oppressive and urgent. I find it ironic that I grew up in the middle of the Bible belt, yet I had not been to church more than two or three times in my life and that was limited to Sunday school when I was a much younger girl. I had no idea of the symbolism or what these strange things that I would see would mean to me or anyone else. Church, God and the Bible were not a part of my family or our lives.

My Mom was taken to church as a child and baptized as were all good Southern Baptist in her day. I don’t recall that she ever went to church as an adult, nor do I ever recall seeing a Bible in our home. I do remember the plaque with praying hands in the den that hung there for many years as it did in many southern homes. We were never taught how to pray or worship or praise God and as an adult, this is something that I am just now learning. I do have to add that when my sisters and I were very young, I remember Mamma teaching us how to say our prayers at night. You know, “Now I lay me down to sleep…”Oh, yes, then there was the print over my bed, the one with the little boy and girl crossing a broken and crumbling bridge, and a beautiful guardian angel in a pink dress was helping them safely across.

That was the extent of my Biblical teaching.

Nothing that I learned in our home prepared me for what God would show me. I remember that right before I had this vision, I was fond of telling everyone that I was an atheist. Never mind that I really didn’t know what that meant, let alone the ramifications of what I was saying. I think I was doing it for the shock value, like all teenagers in the 70’s. But God heard me loud and clear and saw past my smart mouth. He knew the disobedient path that my life would take and he knew it wasn’t going to be pretty. I guess he figured I needed a visual aid to bring me back to him. It only took me 30 years or so, but I am home now.

My family had finished Sunday dinner, which is lunch to those who aren’t from the south. Everyone decided to go down to the river for a swim and fishing, but, for some reason, I did not want to go. I felt tired and I just wanted to lay down for a nap, so my Mamma allowed me to stay home alone for the first time ever. It was like any other dry, sultry, boring day in mid-July in South Georgia. We lived out in the country in the middle of dusty plowed fields, dirt roads and woods. Everything looked kind of brown and crispy, like it needed rain bad. The corn field across the road in front of the house was starting to turn brown and die.

As soon as everyone left, I went to my bedroom, which faced out the front side of the house and looked out onto our front yard, which had a semi-circular dirt driveway and beside the left entrance was an old dogwood tree which had to be at least a hundred years old. Highway 341 ran from east to west in front of our house, which faced north, and the cornfield I spoke of earlier was on the other side of the highway. There was a slight rise in the middle of this field and you could not see the trees on the other side, so it looked like an ocean of corn that went off into the horizon.

As I lay across my bed looking out the window, contemplating what I saw before me, I began to hear music in the distance. I specifically heard it in my right ear and the direction from which it came made me think of the high school band which practiced several miles southeast from where I lived. When conditions were right we could hear the band playing, but usually only heard the faint beat of drums. This sounded like trumpets and as I was thinking this to myself, I began to notice the music getting louder and louder, coming closer and closer, very quickly.

Within a few seconds the sound wasn’t just something that was exterior, but it was inside my head as well, reverberating throughout my entire body. It was so loud and it sounded like lightning crashed directly over my head and, in that split second, the trumpet sound thundered throughout my body and throughout the entire world…everything was dark and my bed and the earth shook so violently.

In a flash, I was no longer lying on my bed, but I was standing outside my bedroom window in the front yard and I beheld the scene in front of me with tremendous awe. It was still my front yard, only now everything was different. It seemed as if my entire range of vision was a huge 3D movie screen and I was in the middle of it.

The trumpets continued to sound and I saw that the blue, sunny sky had turned black and the clouds churned and the wind blew with a violence that I had never experienced.

The corn field was now a sea of wheat that was golden brown and ripe for harvest and I could see every stalk of wheat individually, billions of them. And I watched as the wind thrashed the wheat until it was beaten down by the storm. I now know that the Bible speaks several times about, in the end time, when the wheat is ripe for harvest, how the wheat will be separated from the tares. The tares are gathered and bundled together for burning and the wheat is gathered into the barn.

Then I noticed the dogwood tree. It was mid-July, so of course I know there should not have been any blossoms on it, they usually bloom around Easter…but the tree was in full bloom. I had never seen anything like this. You couldn’t see any leaves on the tree because of the thousands of dogwood blossoms. It looked as if it were lit from within, by a glowing whitest of white, neon light and it glowed gloriously against the darkened sky.

Now, I know the Bible says no man knows the day nor hour that Jesus will return, but if we watch for the signs, we can know the season. I have always felt that He might come back in the spring when the dogwood tree is in bloom. Of all the things that could have been highlighted in a vision; why the dogwood tree? I believe there is a specific message here.

(Update: recently, I prayed about this and I feel the Lord placed into my spirit that this represents the fullness of the gentiles coming in).

Just as I was taking all of this in, lightning filled the sky and the trumpets thundered over head again and in an instant there appeared two angels. They were dressed in white robes, facing each other up in the air and blowing golden trumpets.

They were huge and filled the sky in front of me and I knew that the entire world must be seeing this as well. When I say huge, I mean like the size of the highest mountains, literally.

I didn’t think the trumpets could get any louder, but they grew louder still, building to a great crescendo and I heard a great shout that was louder than anything that you could imagine. And with that shout, it’s as if the earth fell silent, the black, violent clouds began to roll back onto themselves from the center of the northeastern sky and I saw light in the distance. It was more a combination of light and clearing of the clouds in the distance that got my attention.

As I looked up at this shaft of light and clearing sky, I saw what seemed to be fluttering and movement in the distance. As it came into view, I saw Jesus on a white horse and behind him were millions of angels and saints on white horses.

It was at this moment, when I realized what I was seeing, that it disappeared and I was back in my room lying on my bed.

Everything was back to normal and I was again looking out at a bright, sunny day. As a 13 year old girl, I had no idea what I had just experienced. I had no frame of reference; I didn’t even know what a vision was. I’d never heard of such things. I certainly didn’t tell anyone about it. I didn’t know how, and I didn’t want my family to think I was crazy, but, to be honest, I was starting to think I was.

Time passed and I filed it away in the back of my mind where it gathered cob webs for many years. Every once in a while I would think about it but always re-filed it as an unsolved mystery. After all the years of pondering about it, I finally picked up a bible in 2009 that had a concordance and looked up the word trumpet.

The first scripture it sent me to was;

Mathew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The next scripture I was lead to was

1Thesalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

I know that what I was shown was from God Himself and since that day, I have known that I would see Jesus come back for us in my lifetime.

The time is urgent and God has really pressed upon me to share this with you. Please let me know how you feel about this.

If you are a Christian, I hope this blesses you and gives you reassurance and that you will share this with others.

If you’re not a Christian, I beg you to repent now and ask Jesus to forgive you and be the Lord of your life because our time is very short.

The one question people always ask is why I feel this urgency now. The only way I know how to explain it is that I remember how I felt when I had the vision. I didn’t feel like I was seeing it through 13 year old eyes. I remember how I felt emotionally and physically and spiritually. I felt then like I feel now and that’s the only way I know how to articulate it.

Whether you believe this was a vision of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, or, if you believe this was a glimpse of the Rapture to come, even if you don’t believe at all, no matter your eschatology, just know that it was real and every word of this is truth…if you have even a measure of the Holy Spirit, you already know that.

For some reason, God chose me to deliver this message to you at this time. I’m not a preacher, nor a teacher. I’m just a mamma and a grandma and a sinner in need of a Savior…and I found Him…I am the least likely person to be chosen to deliver such an important message.

I have pondered and prayed about this and I feel God gave me the following analogy: You have two clay pots, one is perfect, the other full of holes and cracks. Which one lets the most light shine through?

 

God Bless Us All, In Jesus name, Shelia D. Hughey, 10/2010 Georgia, USA

Please don’t leave this page without assurance that your resurrection day is set. In days of uncertainty, here, there is complete confidence that we can trust the words of His promises and be encouraged in the hope and future of life eternal in the presence of a loving Heavenly Father…

Who gave His life for us.

Make certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.