What Or Who Is A Fuller?

There is a scripture in Malachi that refers to

the day of His Coming

and asks

who will stand when He appears….

then Malachi compares the Lord God to

a refiners fire and fullers soap.

Malachi 3:2 

“Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before Me, and The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His Temple the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says The Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? “For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to The Lord.”

The day of His coming is not a reference to an actual appearance at that moment. We are so used to the words Second Coming and the appearance of the Lord in the skies as a future event, that we automatically reference this to the Second Coming of Messiah.  Here is what is known as on-going prophecy, meaning it is a prophecy with a fulfillment in the time it was given and it occurred shortly after Malachi gave this prophecy; but it was also a picture of a future event and recorded for us because there will be an event similar to this that will take place in the future.

In light of the times in which we are living and the recent popular interest in the book of Revelation taking a look at what Malachi was prophesying may help us to further understand what our Heavenly Father requires of us.

We have looked at the refiners fire in a previous post but what or who is fuller?

It may surprise us to discover that this word is found five times in several scriptures other than Malachi 3:2 in both the TaNaKH (Old Covenant) and the Brit Chadashah, (ReNewed Covenant):

2 Kings 18:15-17; Isa 7:3; 36:1-2. Mark 9:2-3,

Who is a fuller and what is the significance of the fullers soap, in some translations launderers soap, and where was the fullers field located?

In Hebrew borith mekabbeshim:

alkali of those treading cloth.

3526 [e]
mə·ḵab·bə·sîm.
מְכַבְּסִֽים׃
launderer/fuller’s

1287 [e]
ū·ḵə·ḇō·rîṯ
וּכְבֹרִ֖ית
and like soap

of bor
Definition: lye, alkali, potash, soap
NASB Translation: soap (2).

בֹּרִית  noun feminine lye, alkali, potash, soap, used in washing Jeremiah 2:22Malachi 3:2

Jeremiah 2:22 
HEB: וְתַרְבִּי־ לָ֖ךְ בֹּרִ֑ית נִכְתָּ֤ם עֲוֹנֵךְ֙
NAS: And use much soap, The stain
KJV: and take thee much soap, [yet] thine iniquity
INT: lye and use soap the stain of your iniquity

Malachi 3:2 
HEB: כְּאֵ֣שׁ מְצָרֵ֔ף וּכְבֹרִ֖ית מְכַבְּסִֽים׃ 
NAS: fire and like fullers’ soap.
KJV: fire, and like fullers’ soap:
INT: fire A refiner’s soap fullers’

Englishman’s Concordance

ū·ḵə·ḇō·rîṯ — 1 Occurrence 

Strong’s Lexicon 1287

borith: Soap, Lye, Cleansing Agent

Original Word: בֹּרִית
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: boriyth
Pronunciation: bo-REETH
Phonetic Spelling: bo-reeth’
Definition: Soap, Lye, Cleansing Agent
Meaning: vegetable alkali

Derived from the root בָּרָה (barah), meaning:

“to purify” or “to cleanse.”

While there is no direct Greek equivalent for “borith,” the concept of cleansing and purification is echoed in Greek terms such as καθαρίζω (katharizo – Strong’s G2511),

meaning “to cleanse” or “to purify.”

The term “borith” refers to a cleansing agent, often understood as a type of soap or lye used in ancient times for washing and purification. It is associated with the process of making something clean or pure, both in a physical and metaphorical sense.

In ancient Israel, cleanliness was not only a matter of physical hygiene but also had significant religious and ceremonial implications. The use of cleansing agents like “borith” was common in daily life for washing clothes and personal hygiene. In a religious context, purification rituals often symbolized spiritual cleansing and renewal, reflecting the importance of purity in one’s relationship with God.

Using what is said within the context of the sentence there are clues which help us to develop a sense of its definition.

What or who is a fuller?

Understanding the role of a fuller and his ancient occupation can provide us with valuable insights into the cultural and historical backdrop of biblical times, enriching our comprehension of the scriptures. By exploring the concept of a fuller in the Bible we can gain a fresh perspective on familiar passages and characters, which sheds light on their experiences and challenges; creating a deeper connection with the timeless wisdom contained within the pages.

For many centuries, the process for making soap was a closely guarded secret among select Jewish families.

With the cloth soaking in soap and water, the fullers beat with a stick or stomped on with their feet to remove stains.

 

Raw wool scouring; aqueous and/ or solvent washing.

Carbonizing. Scouring.

Fulling /crabbing/Felting (Anti-shrinking treatments)

Wool Bleaching.

Carbonizing : is done to remove the cellulosic impurities from wool by treatment with acid or acid producing salt.

Fulling:cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities.

 

    The patriarch of the Jewish nation, Abraham, was presumably nurtured in Akkadia, the most advanced civilization of its time. It is written that Abraham and his entourage emigrated from Akkadia (Biblical Shinar) to establish himself and his posterity in Canaan.
Mesopotamian statues and iconography, dating from earlier than 3000 B.C. into the Akkadian period, depict woolen textiles of diverse weaves, some richly patterned and others with looped fringes. The cleansing and coloring of these textiles was a sophisticated and secret art. The Jews became privy to those secrets, and that knowledge was one of the mainstays of the textile industry as it was practiced by the Jews in the Diaspora into the modern era.
Malachi 3:2 – But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
Before the dyeing of wool can take place, the oils have to be removed, a process called “fulling.” A number of  bleaching and detergent substances (“soaps”) were used in ancient Akkadia. The bleacher or “fuller” took his Akkadian name from the azalog (soapwort plant). He also obtained the necessary caustic alkalis from wood ashes (potash) or plant ashes (soda). (Hebrew History Federation – Dye-Making A Judaic Traditional Art – Fact Paper 21 – Samuel Kurinsky –

For further interest: publications.iaa.org.il/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1126&context=atiqot

“Researchers baffled by unique, mysterious Jerusalem structure from First Temple era Channels unearthed in City of David site, last in use around 9th century BCE, likely formed part of city’s economy due to location near temple and palace.”The site will be open to the public next week as part of the 24th City of David Studies of Ancient Jerusalem event” (The Times of Israel).

By MICHAEL HOROVITZ 30 August 2023″Archaeologists recently unearthed two unique structures used for an unclear purpose during the First Temple period 2,800 years ago in Jerusalem’s Old City, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Wednesday.

The installations, dating to around the 9th century BCE and found at the City of David archaeological site, were likely an important part of the economy, due to their proximity to the royal palace and temple.

Field of the Fullers in the City of David:

  “Three Vs were uncovered in a complex of rooms carved into the bedrock near the Gihon Spring, the oldest section of the city whose founding dates back to the fourth millennium BCE.”

http://www.biblicalarchaeologytruth.com/the-fullers-field.ht

 

The term “Fuller” comes from the Latin word “fullo,” which means someone who works with fabrics or textiles, cleans and whitens clothes. Fullers were responsible for cleaning, bleaching, and softening cloth and garments, a process known as fulling.

The role of a Fuller was crucial in biblical times as they played a significant part in maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness. Fullers worked with different types of fabrics, including wool and linen, using techniques such as washing, beating, and treading on the cloth to remove impurities and achieve the desired texture and color. Heavily fulled fabric looks like felt.

Fullers were also symbolic figures in the Bible, this symbolism is further highlighted in passages like Psalm 51:7, where King David prays for cleansing, saying, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

The significance of Fullers in the Bible extends beyond their practical role in textile care to represent deeper spiritual truths of purification, renewal, and holiness. Their work serves as a metaphor for the cleansing power of God and the transformative process of becoming spiritually washed and renewed. It represents cleansing, purification, and restoration; highlighting the importance of inner purity and spiritual renewal in the lives of believers. Through their laborious task of cleaning and whitening fabric, Fullers offer a powerful illustration of God’s work in purifying and sanctifying His people. This imagery emphasizes the thorough and transformative process of purification that God’s presence brings to His people.

A “fuller of cloth” is actually a person who gathers and cleans newly woven cloth to remove oils, dirt, and other impurities. The fulling process involves beating or pressing the cloth to make it denser and more durable.

Fulling, also known as tucking or walking,

(Scots: waukin, hence often spelt waulking in Scottish English),

is a step in woollen cloth-making

which involves the cleansing of woven cloth.

Below is a sign noting the location of the first fulling mill in the United States.

2 Kings 18:17: “And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.”

Isaiah 7:3: “Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field;….”

 

A Fuller’s field is mentioned in Isaiah 7:3. where the prophet Isaiah told King Ahaz to ask for a sign from God, but the king refused to do so, saying he would not put the Lord to the test. Isaiah then responds by saying, “The LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” This prophecy ultimately refers to the birth of Yeshua haMashiach/Jesus Christ. The mention of a Fuller’s field serves as a vivid illustration for the prophetic message being spoken.

Isaiah 36:2: “And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field.”

Malachi 3:2: “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:…”

Mark 9:3: “And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.”

In Kings and Isaiah, we read that a “fuller” is connected to pools and conduits (channels of water).

The word full is from the Anglo-Saxon fullian,

meaning to whiten.

To full is to press or scour cloth in a mill.

This art is one of great antiquity.

En-rogel (q.v.), meaning literally “foot-fountain,

has been interpreted as the “fuller’s fountain,”

because there

the fullers trod the cloth with their feet.

There is a field in Jerusalem, the fuller’s field which existed early in Bible History. The first mention of it is in the time of King Hezekiah (Kings of Israel and Judah), when the “invade and conquer” Assyrians (Ancient Empires – Assyria) were threatening the land of Israel:

“And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the House of The Lord [see “My Father’s House”], and in the treasuries of the king’s house. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the Temple [see Temples] of The Lord, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.” (2 Kings 18:15-17 RSV)”In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.” (Isaiah 36:1-2 RSV) 

And The Lord said to Isaiah, “Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field” (Isaiah 7:3 RSV)

Secondly, Malachi speaks of a fuller using soap.

in Micah 3:2, the idea of fuller’s soap should be understood in the same way as refiner’s fire. With the refiner’s fire, someone would bring a lump of gold or silver and the refiner would use fire to burn off the dross and purify the precious metal. Similarly people would bring their wool to the fuller and he would use soap to clean the wool and remove the impurities so that what is left is pure wool.

Perhaps the reason soap doesn’t sound too much of a threat is because the metaphor is misunderstood. The gold or wool being refined or purified is not an individual, but it is the nation itself. In verse 1:1, Malachi was speaking Gods words to Israel.

The question, “Who can endure his coming?” When the fullers soap comes, only those who are pure will remain. It will certainly not be the sorcerers, adulterers, those who speak falsely or the those who oppress the hired worker, the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger, says Malachi.

Before this statement given by Malachi we read that the priesthood has been defiled; they offer polluted offerings, they have turned from God and refuse to listen to Him, profaning God’s covenant. Malachi therefore warns them that God is coming in judgment, and if they do not turn back to Him they will certainly not be able to stand at His coming. For He is a refiner’s fire who burns away the kind of dross that they represent and He is a fuller’s soap Who scrubs and beats out the kind of dirt and defilement that they represent.

The refiners fire purified the metal by melting it down completely so the dross hidden within it could be removed. Using fullers soap was a process that made the material become whiter than it normally was, as white as it possibly could be achieved by any other process. The soap used had a strong pungent odor and was very unpleasant, also the process involved trampling or beating the material to obtain the desired result.

For believers going through either or both of these processes is to ensure that we will have some measure of confidence in the presence of the Lord at His coming. 

We will be tried, our faith tested through our endurance by how we keep His commandments. This may feel as though we have passed through the process of a refiners fire or of the fullers soap. While this may seem harsh and overwhelming, we have His promise that He will always be with us to give us strength, He will not give us more than we can handle.

We are always to remember He loves us more than anything, or He wouldn’t have given us commandments to help us avoid many of the hardships of life if we chose to follow them. Things won’t always turn out the way we might hope as we view it with our current understanding and desires, however we will become exactly what our Father wants us to be. He understands us, He has endured more than any test or trial we will ever be given to pass through here.

Messiah arrives suddenly, and begins a cleansing work among His faithful followers, all of whom are still in the flesh needing spiritual maturity which includes sanctification and character adjustment.

This seems to align with what Messiah describes in Revelation 3 at the church in Laodicea. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…. I will come in and dine with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne…” We should take note that the condition of being a conqueror seems to follow participating in the feast. In the previous verses He also describes some issues found with His disciples when He arrived. “You say, ‘I am rich…not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire [note the connection with the refiner’s fire metaphor in Malachi] so that you may be [actually] rich, and white garments [which are what fullers produce in their cleansing vats] so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”

This does not seem to be about a national cleansing and subsequent judgment, but that even among sincere people, whom He has called, there is considerable need of cleansing and maturity. He loves us and that’s why He comes to us as His sanctuary on earth, corrects us, and uses the refiner’s fire and the fuller’s soap to make the gold in our characters pure; and the stains of sin to be washed away with His blood leaving our garments pure white.

The ecclesia/called apart ones, are already experiencing these refining and correcting influences. May we be patient, obedient, and repentant whenever the cleansing message of His presence is with us. 

Mark 9:3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

A fuller is said to whiten raiment (clothes).

A fuller is simply one who fulls

meaning: bleaches or cleanses laundry.

In Bible times, clothes were washed by beating them with a bat, or stomping on them, in a tub of water. Various alkaline substances were used as a crude detergent.

fuller –  כָּבַס, H3891, to trample or tread;

γναφεύς, G1187).

One who cleans, shrinks, and thickens newly shorn wool or cloth. Also in ancient times the fuller often dyed cloth.

The root of the Heb. word כָּבַס, H3891,

meaning “to tread,”

suggests what was chiefly involved in the fuller’s art.

A Little More Historical Information:

Before material could be used for a garment, it was necessary first to free it from the oily and sticky substances that stuck to the raw fiber. This was done by first washing the material with some cleansing substance like white clay, putrid urine, or nitre which was made from the ashes of certain plants that grew in Egypt. Soap was unknown in ancient times. The material was then washed free from the alkali by many changes of clean water or by boys treading on it in a running stream. After that it was placed in the sun to dry and bleach.

The fuller’s trade was an essential part of ancient textile production. Fullers used various natural substances, such as clay, alkaline plants, and soapwort, to clean and treat fabrics.

The process often took place in designated areas outside city limits due to the odors and waste produced. Fullers would tread upon the cloth in vats of water to agitate and cleanse it, a method that required physical strength and endurance.

While soap may have been employed (Malachi), natron or salt was equally helpful here (see “nitre” in Proverbs 25:20 and Jeremiah 2:22). Cimolite (picture below), a white clay, or chalk were used as “bleach” or whitening agents.

 

Fullers Soap  בֹּרַית מְכִבְּשֵׁים ,

borith’ mekabbeshin’,

alkali of those treading cloth, i.e., washers’ potash;

Septuagint. ποία πλυνόντων, some alkaline or saponaceous substance mixed with the water.

Mention is made Proverbs 25:20; Jeremiah 2:22 of nitre

Nitre is found in Syria, and vegetable alkali was obtained from the ashes of certain plants.

Fullers soap

 Hebrew. phrase, וּכְבֹרִ֖ית מְכַבְּסִֽים,

consisting of a term בֹּרִית,

H1383, alkaline salt, natural lye

extracted from the Asiatic soap plants

such as Mesembrianthemum cristallinum;

Salicornia solacea; Salsala kali and the like (cf. I. Löw, Die Flora der Juden [1924-1934]) which are reduced by burning to produce a pasty mass used as a bleach, esp. in the presence of olive oil.

The other term is

כָּבַס, H3891, “to tread,” “knead”

and thus to wash in the Near Eastern fashion.

Where was the location of the Fullers/launderers Field?

Isaiah 7:3 : Then the LORD said to Isaiah, ‘Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Fullers/Launderer’s Field.

The Fullers/Launderer’s Field is a location associated with the work of fullers, indicating a place where cloth was processed and cleaned. This setting provided a backdrop for the prophetic encounter between Isaiah and King Ahaz.

As in Kings and Isaiah, fullers worked in a field outside the city of Jerusalem. They needed large spaces to air or dry the laundered articles. Also, since their work involved pungent and unpleasant odors, they were situated away from populated areas. Because of the odors given forth in the process of fulling, the fuller’s shop was usually outside the city.

The Fullers Field

fool’-ers feld, (sedheh khobhec):

In all references occurs “the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fuller’s field”; this must have been a well-known landmark at Jerusalem in the time of the monarchy. Here stood Rabshakeh in his interview with Eliakim and others on the wall, clearly the highway was within easy earshot of the walls.

2 Kings 18:17 Isaiah 36:2;

Isaiah met Ahaz and Shear-jashub his son here, by command of Yahweh (Isaiah 7:3). An old view placed these events somewhere near the present Jaffa Gate, as here runs an aqueduct from the Birket Mamilla outside the walls of the Birket Hamam el Batrah, inside the walls; the former was considered the “Upper Pool” and is traditionally called the “Upper Pool” of Gihon. However, these pools and this aqueduct are said to be of a later date. 

 Another view puts this highway to the North side of the city, where there are extensive remains of a “conduit” running in from the North. In favor of this, is the fact that the North was the usual side for attack and the probable position for Rabshakeh to gather his army; it also suits the conditions of Isaiah 7:3.

Further, Josephus (BJ, V, iv, 2) in his description of the walls places a “Monument of the Fuller” at the Northeast corner, and the name “fuller” survived in connection with the North wall to the 7th century, as the pilgrim Arculf mentions a gate. West of the Damascus gate called Porta Villae Fullonis.

The most probable view, however, is that this conduit was one connected with Gihon, the present “Virgin’s Fountain”.  This was well known as “the upper spring” (2 Chronicles 32:30), and the pool, which, we know, was at the source, would probably be called the “Upper Pool.”

In this neighborhood-or lower down the valley near En-rogel, which is supposed by some to mean “the spring of the fuller”- is the natural place to expect “fulling.” Somewhere along the Kidron valley between the Virgin’s Fountain and the junction with the Tyropeon was the probable scene of the interview with Rabshakeh; the conversation may quite probably have occurred across the valley, the Assyrian general standing on some part of the cliffs now covered by the village of Siloam.

We are learning that a fuller’s job was to cleanse and whiten cloth and in Jerusalem, the cleansing process took place in a fullers’ field outside the city because of the smell. Dirt and oils were removed from the wool so that it would be pure white and ready to be dyed.

As already mentioned on the Mount of Transfiguration referred to in Mark 9:3 and Matthew 17:2
There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light

Luke 9:29
And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white.

 

Daniel 7:9
As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
,

Messiahs clothing being exceeding white as snow, this was far beyond the work of any human or earthly fuller/launderer. It was a supernatural manifestation of our Heavenly Father’s holiness, purity and righteousness, giving a glimpse of His Glory which will be revealed very soon as He return like fullers’ soap to wash away the filthiness of sin!

“But who can endure the day of his coming?

Who can stand when he appears?

For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.”

Looking at the Micah’s similes:
This metaphor highlights the transformative power of divine intervention and the call to righteousness. The spiritual symbolism of fulling in scripture often relates to purification and holiness. In the same manner as a fuller cleanses garments, God is depicted as cleansing His people from sin and impurity.

Malachi says, when the Lord returns, no one will be able to stand before Him. The Lord’s holiness and judgment will be as a refiner’s blazing fire and as a fuller’s bleaching agent. The idea of standing before the Lord is associated with withstanding or standing up to; sinful human flesh will not have the strength, the right, or the desire to resist the Lord in His glory. Psalm 76:7; Revelation 6:17.

The two similes help clarify why no one will be able to stand in the Day of the Lord. First, Malachi 3:2 says the Messiah will be like a refiner’s fire, an allusion to the process of purifying metal. A refiner uses a fire to heat metal to a molten state; then he skims off the dross that floats to the top. The refiner’s fire is, of course, maintained at an extremely high temperature, and such a high degree of heat is the prophet’s picture of the testing people will face on Judgment Day. All judgment has been entrusted to the Son. John 5:22. Upon His return, the intense flame of His judgment will purify the earth, removing the dross of sin.

Second, the Messiah will be like a fuller/launderer’s soap. As we have learned, this type of soap was caustic and quite effective in producing bright white clothing. The HCSB translates it as cleansing lye. When Messiah returns, He will cleanse the world of all impurity and every stain of sin will be scrubbed away. The account of Jesus’ transfiguration contains a reference to His purity, and uses language similar to Malachi’s: “He was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than any launderer in the world could bleach them”. Mark 9:2–3.

This passage described the Transfiguration of Yeshua/Jesus, where His garments became exceedingly white, surpassing the capabilities of any earthly fuller, emphasizing the divine nature of the transformation and the purity associated with Messiah.

The goal of Yeshua/Jesus will be to judge wickedness and purify His people: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness” Malachi 3:3. Like the refiner’s fire, He will burn away the impurities of the priests. Like launderer’s soap, He will wash away their uncleanness. Deuteronomy 4:29; Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 6:29–30; Ezekiel 22:17–22; Zechariah 3:5. The priests in the millennial kingdom will then be able to offer sacrifices from a pure heart. The sacrifices in those days will be similar to those when the temple was first built: “The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years” Malachi 3:4.

The refiner’s fire and fuller/launderer’s soap indicate the holiness and burning judgment of the Messiah when He returns to reign in Jerusalem at His second coming. His purifying brightness and absolute holiness will affect those who serve Him, creating a cleansed temple and purified priesthood. “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him” Isaiah 40:10.

How is the Savior like a refiner’s fire or like fuller’s soap?

A refiner’s fire is an extremely hot furnace (1,600–1,800˚F) in which gold and silver were melted. Impurities would rise to the surface, making it easy for the refiner to blow or scrape them away, leaving the pure metal.

A fuller’s soap was used to whiten wool, so that it could be dyed and used in cloth.

The Hebrew root of the word fuller, kabas (כָּבַס), means to wash or to tread. The fuller would use a strong soap and would beat or stamp on the wool until the impurities had been removed.

Strong’s Lexicon 3526. kabas

kabas: To wash, to cleanse

Original Word: כָּבַס
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kabac
Pronunciation: kah-vas
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-bas’)
Definition: To wash, to cleanse
Meaning: to trample, to wash Word Origin: A primitive root

G3068 (louo): To bathe, to wash

– G4150 (pluno): To wash, to cleanse (specifically garments)

As the Hebrew verb kabas primarily means to wash or cleanse, particularly in the context of laundering garments, its often used in the Old Testament to describe the physical act of washing clothes, but it also carries a metaphorical sense of purification and cleansing from sin or impurity.

In ancient Israel, washing garments was an essential part of daily life and religious practice. The act of washing was not only for cleanliness but also held ceremonial significance, especially in preparation for worship or participation in religious festivals. The process of washing clothes involved beating or treading them in water, often with the use of soap or alkaline substances. This physical act symbolized spiritual purification, reflecting the importance of holiness and purity in the Israelite community.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin a prim. root
Definition to wash
NASB Translation

fuller’s (3), fullers’ (1), wash (38), washed (8), washes (1).

The Savior paid the price for us to overcome our impurities and return to the presence of the Father. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He paid a price which we could not pay, but that doesn’t mean that the process of accepting His gift will be easy or painless.

So the job of the fuller was to make the cloth fuller, more suitable for weaving or sewing. So as we walk with the Lord there should be a cleansing, we need to experience the bleach, wet, beat of our spiritual fibers to a consistent and desirable condition- fuller. It’s how we become more like Jesus/Yeshua, which is the goal. We need to prepare, we need to be full, meaning: consistent and desirable. Just as in immersion of baptism symbolically, our sins are washed away, so as we are out in the world from day to day, we must be continually refined and cleansed.

Like the purifying process, it may seem harsh, and impossible at times, but it is all meant to prepare us to be an offering in righteousness when He returns for His family.

As we come to a greater understanding of Him and His Word, this is how we gain our very own testimony and relationship with our Heavenly Father and a strong and true relationship with Messiah Himself. Every one of us needs our own experience in the life we are living for Him, and as we mature we begin to have a greater understanding of the Word. Then we are made full, cleansed and refined, this is His plan for us.

It is up to us to allow His fuller’s soap to be applied to us in the most beneficial way.

The imagery of fulling in Scripture serves as a powerful metaphor for the sanctification process. Believers are called to be purified and made holy, reflecting the righteousness of our Heavenly Father and His Messiah. The fuller’s work is a reminder of the thorough and sometimes rigorous process required to achieve spiritual cleanliness, a theme which resonates throughout the scriptures, emphasizing the need for repentance, renewal, and the pursuit of holiness in the life of a believer. By allowing His process in our lives we will have assurance that we shall be able to stand in the day of His appearing.

Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…Don’t put it off one more moment…

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.

You are now Born Again by the Holy Spirit of the Living God and you are part of the ever growing family of believers. You will never be the same again!

Thoughts On Love During Omer

As the week of Unleavened Bread – Matzah are completed, it is not an end in itself but rather a transition into the next season and within that week, there is a Moed without an official name, though some call it yom haBikuriym, day of the first fruits. Lev. 23:9 -16

At this appointed time the sons of Israel are commanded to bring an omer to the priests. An omer is simply a sheaf of the harvest, specifically a bundle of grain from the beginning of the first crop. The priest is then to wave the omer before the Lord as a wave offering so that the omer and the entire harvest as well will be accepted.

This is also significant of Messiah and His resurrection from the dead, being the first fruit of the harvest of souls that will be gathered in at the final spiritual harvest. He was’ waved’, presented  before the Father and His offering of Himself was accepted. The children of Israel were further instructed …

Then from the day of your bringing in the omer of the wave offering count 50 days and you will bring near a new offering to the lord.

Counting from the omer began this year, according to one Hebrew calendar, on 24th of April and will extend to 11th June when Shavuot/Pentecost begins.

There is some dispute concerning which day the counting is to begin, and has been since before Yeshua/Jesus day. This dispute hangs on the interpretation of Lev. 25:15 which says the counting is to begin from the day after THE shabbat.

The time to begin the count could be the day after the first day of the feast of matzah, the 16th day of the first month; which is the day after the 7th day Shabbat week of rest/no work. or the day after the last day of the feast of matzah. The current Jewish calendar fixes the date for the wave offering on the 16th day of the 1st month, the day after the 1st day of the feast of matzah. This is because Judaism considers the 15th day of the first month to be a Shabbat. Hence the day after the Shabbat, according to this interpretation, is the 16th of the month. According to scripture however, neither the first nor the last days of the feast of matzah, are notated within the text as shabbats, they are simply designated as days to do no regular work. Since the days of the month fall on different days of the week every year, the ocurence of the 7th day Shabbat during the feast changes from year to year. The date is always the same but the day varies, which can sometimes be on a weekly Shabbat day; i.e. Friday evening to Saturday evening. Remembering in Hebrew the days are as scripture reads in Genesis – day one through day 7. In Hebrew, day= yom, not as we designate the 7 day week named as Monday through Sunday.

The days are named simply by their numerical order in the week, and a Hebrew week starts with Sunday. “The First Day” Sunday in Hebrew: Sunday in Hebrew is Yom Rishon which literally means “first day”. It is written like this in Hebrew:

יום ראשון

Monday is the second day in the Hebrew week. Thus it is called Yom Sheni which literally means “second day”. Written like this in Hebrew:

יום שני

Tuesday in Hebrew is Yom Shlishi which means “third day”. Written in Hebrew this way:

יום שלישי

Wednesday in Hebrew is Yom Rvi-ee meaning “fourth day”. Written like this in Hebrew:

יום רביעי

Thursday in Hebrew is Yom Chamishi, you guessed it! Yes, it means “fifth day”. This is how it is written in Hebrew:

יום חמישי

Friday in Hebrew is Yom Shishi, meaning “sixth day” and this is how it is written in Hebrew:

יום ששי

Saturday Shabbat. This is how we write Yom Shabbat or Shabbat in Hebrew:

יום שבת or simply שבת

The modern Hebrew calendar has been designed to ensure that certain holy days and festivals do not fall on certain days of the week. As a result, there are only four possible patterns of days on which festivals can fall. Note that Jewish days start at sunset of the preceding day.

 

This time of counting is the combined period when Yeshua/Jesus was 40 days on earth after His resurrection and before His ascension; and it included the added 10 days He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until the promise of the coming of His Holy Spirit. These 7 weeks are an important link between the first 3 feasts and the last of the 4 spring appointed times. They call for introspective thought on our lives and to focus on where we are walking daily.

Are we on that narrow Way?

Are we staying true to our commitment to Him?

In the agricultural sense, this is a season of growth, are we growing and maturing spiritually, ready for the harvest soon to come?

The counting from the Omer is a feature of Israel’s calendar that instructs her regarding the correct time to harvest and make an offering from the mature wheat crops. As we walk through the spring Moedim, we can also see a picture of our own walk with Messiah.

At Pesach/Passover, we are reminded of being set free from sin, then during the Feast of Matzah, we have opportunity to practice walking in our unleavened-ness.

As we count from the Omer, we are like the wheat crops growing toward maturity, ultimately destined to become an abundant harvest for Messiah. During this season of counting we can focus on certain spiritual themes such as: sowing, growing, increase, being fed and nourished by our Heavenly Father and being mindful of how we are growing in obedience toward maturity in Messiah.

One very important area is love, everything we do must be done in the love of the Father; which was very evident in Messiahs life.

This is a key to holiness.

1 Thess. 3:12-13 11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and Jesus our Lord guide our steps to you [by removing the obstacles that stand in our way]. 12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; 13 so that He may strengthen and establish your hearts without blame in holiness in the sight of our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His [ a]saints (God’s people).

Our Fathers desire for us is that one day, at the coming of the Lord, we will stand blameless in holiness before our God and Heavenly Father. By what means does He expect us to come to this state of perfection/maturity? As we find ourselves right now, how can we hope to achieve such a perfect/mature state?

Our Father must have some miracle plans of intervention in order to make us appear before Him with all His Holy Ones – His Kedoshim.

When we think of holiness, we usually liken it to levels of sinlessness. In other words, we think we are holy when we are able to resist acting on our physical desires and not fall into sin; and we think that to be really holy, we need to achieve some state of being, where we no longer even have any sinful desires. However, Paul shows us that holiness can be much more human than that and he indicates that holiness is present when the Lord causes us to overflow in love toward one another and toward everyone.

Only when we increase and overflow in such love will we receive the strengthening of our hearts to be blameless. When our hearts are weak we are too easily led away into sin. Strengthening in blamelessness comes as we take the focus off ourselves and pour out love toward one another. We are holy, not simply because we keep ourselves from sinning, but because we give away the love in our hearts; we walk the way the Master walks, we lov

1Cor. 13:4 love suffers long and is kind.

e the way the Master loves. Being holy is not just a matter of being on our best behavior, it requires our submission and active surrender to the Holy One. We do not automatically possess the inner strength to be blameless because of anything we do or think, it is the Lord alone who makes holiness grow and increase in our lives. Let’s choose to humbly and willingly submit and walk in God’s ways, and then yield ourselves fully to Him. He is the one who causes us to increase and to overflow in love

toward the strengthening of our hearts, to be blameless in holiness.        

1Cor. 13:4 love suffers long and is kind.

Love is not premeditated, it is spontaneous, that is; it bursts forth in amazing ways. Paul’s description of love doesn’t speak of precise certainty of how it will show itself. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by making statements such as: now I’ll never think any evil thoughts and I’ll believe everything that Jesus/Yeshua would have me to believe.

No the characteristics of love is spontaneity.

We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus/Yeshua before us as our standard but when His Spirit is having His way with us we live according to His standard without even realizing it. Then, when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions; which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there.

The nature of everything involved in the spiritual life of God in us, is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past. We all have 20 20 vision in hindsight!

The fountains from which love flows are in our Heavenly Father, not in us. It is careless of us to asume that the love of God is naturally in our hearts as a result of our own nature.

Human love is inherently selfish.

His love is there only because it has been poured out in our hearts by His Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5

If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us, and when we look back we will not be able to figure out why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love within us.

The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit given to us, Who abides within. As we continue on our way towards Pentecost/Shavuot, let’s prepare our hearts and purge ourselves from any hindrance to receiving a fresh outpouring from those cleansing purifying flames; and be ready to be filled afresh with all the fullness of the One Who can complete the work in us. As we engage in this process and let the overflow of His love pour out to those around us, it will enable us to be all He has called us to be.

Keep counting family!

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

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

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

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, (chokthat 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who Lights Up OUR Life?

Its that season again everywhere we look there are lights!Even in the nations in the southern hemisphere, where Christmas is in the summer season, there are still lights to celebrate the ONE,

 WHO WAS and IS and always will be, the light of the world. Jesus, whose Hebrew Name is Yeshua.

The birth of the Messiah over 2000 years ago is what we remember at this time of the year.

It is the celebration that heralded salvation for mankind, which was prophesied 700 years before inand fulfilled in 

Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:14-15)

There is another ‘Festival of Lights’, at this time in Israel’s Calendar; called by a Hebrew word, phonetically transliterated as both, Chanukah or Hanukkah.

The Hebrew word means ‘dedication’ and is therefore also called the Feast of Dedication.

Although Chanukah/Hanukkah is thought of by most as an exclusively Jewish holiday found in the Old Testament, in reality the only place it is mentioned is in the Gospel of John 10:22,23

‘At that time it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, it was winter, and Yeshua/Jesus was walking in the temple, on Solomon’s porch.’So it would seem the most famous person ever to celebrate the festival of Chanukkah was Jesus, the one who is the light of our lives.We all called to be the light of the world and not hide it under bushes or anything else for that matter!

so lets take a look at what Chanukkah is and how it involves a menorah!
In a nutshell, Hanukkah is historical and documents record that the first Chanukah/Hanukkah Was performed on the 25th of Kislev in 164 BC.

This feast commemorates the Jewish peoples freedom from Greek rule and the purification and rededication of God’s house, the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BC.

This victory climaxed with the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164BC Not surprisingly Israel’s national symbol on their parliament building the knesset and their National Seal is the seven branched menorah.

It was described in Exodus and stood in the Holy place and it’s not the star of David symbol, that is usually associated with the nation.Israel is called to be a light to the nations. Are we living a life full of light?Are we constantly filled and refilled with Holy oil, so we can stand in the Holy place in worship and then take the light to those around us?It’s our heritage and our national calling to live life as a holy menorah of the Lord.Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world’; and we are to let the light of His indwelling presence shine forth and then, He can draw all people to Himself Hebrews 1:9.

We must be filled up with the oil of His Holy Spirit and the fire of His will must burn brightly in every one of us.Olive oil symbolizes knowledge of Torah which provides spiritual illumination. We are to be the heavenly light in the world’s darkness.Whether you are Jewish or not, if you are born again you are grafted into the Olive tree of Israel you are a citizen and a part of Israel.   Ephesians 2:14, 15Whether you know it,

or believe it,

or not;

that’s what the Scriptures say.Jesus was Jewish, descended from the children of Israel. You cannot separate Him from His roots, any more than we can deny our own families heritage, or the Judaeo-Christian/Hebrew roots of our faith.Hanukkah is a time to appreciate all we have to be thankful for.We express our thanksgiving to God for protecting us and providing for our needs.Chanukah begins on the twenty-fifth day of the Jewish month of Kislev. The Jewish calendar is primarily based on the lunar cycle, and its dates fluctuate with respect to other calendar systems.Thus the first day of Chanukah can fall anywhere between November 28th and December 26th. this year it , begins at sundown on Tuesday, 12 December 2017. The Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the Festival of Lights and the feast of dedication and It is referred to one time in Scripture in the Gospel of John 10:22,23Both Christmas and Chanukah are actually known as the “Festival of Lights.”  The focus of each holiday is about God showing His salvation and supernatural miracles that lasted eight days and continues to illuminate our lives even now.For believers, Christmas celebrates the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus/Yeshua, the Light of the World, who was born to save the world from their sins.

Mary and Joseph were traveling to Bethlehem to register during a Roman census, and the shepherds still had their flocks out by night (Lk.2:1-8). Shepherds would likely not have had their flocks out at night in December because it is too cold, which is an interesting point.

(food for thought!)It’s also unlikely that any ruler would compel people to travel many miles mostly on foot or riding animals, to register for a census when the likelihood of bad weather would have made such an effort self-defeating. Some scholars say it is possible that Jesus was born on one the appointed festival dates, likely in the fall around the time of Sukkot, and not in the winter, as His coming then and in the future are in fulfillment of the promises foreshadowed in the annual cycle of feasts of the Lord. (All 7 Feasts are discussed in earlier posts.)

 However, the history of Chanukah is very interesting because it celebrates two miracles:

Chanukah celebrates the miraculous salvation of Israel as a tiny group of Israelites liberated the Temple from the mighty army of a vast Greek empire 164 years before Messiah Jesus/Yeshua’s birth. The second miracle was God’s provision of Holy oil for the Temple Menorah.

If the Jews had been wiped out during the warfare, the Messiah would not have been born, which in itself is a great reason to celebrate.

This 2nd century BCE victory of a small, greatly outnumbered and out-armed army of Jews, known as the “Maccabees,” over the mighty Greek army that occupied the Holy Land. The rebellion was in response to the Greek attempt to force a Hellenistic Godless lifestyle on the Jewish inhabitants of Israel.

The Maccabean Revolt was a Jewish rebellion, lasting from 167 to 160 BC, led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and the Hellenistic influence on Jewish life.The name Maccabee may come from the Hebrew word for hammer, or for hitting. It is also an acrostic for Mi Kamocha Ba-Elim Hashem! (Who is like You among the mighty, O God!) In the Hebrew, Chanukah is pronounced with the letter chet. The chet’s “ch” sound is not enunciated like the “ch” in child; rather it’s a guttural, throaty sound—like the “ch” in Johann Bach—which does not have an English equivalent. The letter “H” is the closest, but it’s not really it. So while some people spell and pronounce it “Chanukah” and others settle for “Hanukkah,” they really are one and the same.Chanukah means “dedication” or “induction.” Following their victory over the Greeks, the Maccabees rededicated the Holy Temple and its altar, which had been desecrated and defiled by the pagan invaders.

The word Chanukah can also be divided into two: Chanu—they rested, and Kah—which has the numerical value of 25. On the twenty-fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislev the Maccabees rested from their battle, and triumphantly marched into the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, ready to rededicate it.

The chanukkah menorah has 9 branches for lights the weekly Shabbat Sabbath menorah has 7 branches for lights. In addition to the eight main lights, the menorah has an extra helper candle called the “Shamash.” Since the Shamash does not count as one of the eight regular lights, your menorah should have the Shamash set apart in some way ― either placed higher than the other candles, or off to the side.On each of the eight days of Chanukah, the menorah is lit, a nine-branched candelabra, after nightfall (aside for Friday afternoon, when the candles are lit shortly before sunset). On the first night kindle one light plus the shamash (attendant or servant candle), on the second night kindle two lights plus the shamash, and so continue until the eighth night when all eight lights are kindled, plus the shamash. The menorah lights can be either candles, or oil and wicks.

The ninth candle is called the ‘shamash’, ‘servant’ or ‘attendant’ candle. It is used to light the other ones.This is significant as representing Jesus who as Servant and the Light of the world lights every other light.

Around 170 BC the Greeks under Antiochus the 4th Epiphanies, desecrated the temple

by sacrificing a pig at the altar. Idols were set up in its courts and it became in effect a pagan temple filled with degradation.Antiochus tried to eliminate Judaism, not so much by killing the Jews as by forbidding the practice of Judaism.. Reading Torah was forbidden, along with circumcision, honouring the Sabbath, and celebrating the seasons of the Lord. In 167 BC a priest by the name of Mattityahu Hasmonea started guerrilla warfare along with his sons and a few followers.As previously noted, his motto was from Exodus 15:11; Who is like you Lord among the gods? Mi camokha ba’elim Adona’y.

The initials of those words spell Maccabee which is the name that was later applied to Judas and his followers. Although spelt differently in Hebrew, their Hebrew word for hammer sounds like Maccabee. Therefore he was called the hammer, so the books of Maccabees history written in the apocrypha were about their successful wars. In 164 BC they took over the Temple.This was the first war fought over a principal, religious freedom, and was the first successful guerrilla war. And they drove out the invaders.

The Temple had been defiled and desecrated during the Greek rule but once the Maccabees recaptured it, they needed to repair cleanse and re-dedicate the Temple right away that is why it is called the Feast of Dedication.They removed the idols, cleansed its courts, repaired its chambers, restored its vessels, and went to rekindled its holy lampstand in preparation to rededicate it to God. The kindling of a seven-branched Menorah (candelabra) was an important component of the daily service in the Holy Temple.But a problem arose on that joyous day!

When the Maccabees liberated the Temple from the hands of the Greek invaders, they found only a small cruse of pure and undefiled olive oil fit for fueling the Menorah.

Dedication is an eight-day process that requires the use of sanctified oil for the menorah in the holy place, first room of the sanctuary. Tradition says that they could only find one day supply of oil, and it would take eight days to produce new pure oil. Rather than wait eight days to sanctify more, they began the temple sanctification process with a one-day supply. The Lord through a creative miracle made that one day supply last for eight days. For this reason and it is also called the Festival of lights.   

That gave the priests enough time to make more oil.
Historical documents record that the first Chanukah/Hanukkah Was performed on the 25th of Kislev in 164 BC.

This feast commemorates the Jewish peoples freedom from Greek rule and the purification and rededication of God’s house, the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BC.This victory climaxed with the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164BC.God has another sanctuary another Holy dwelling place He has created for His Presence. Each of us was created to be the dwelling place of God’s presence, the Holy sanctuary /Temple of his glory.

Man was created to be God’s temple but now the world is filled with the sanctuary /temples of desecration. Every life is made to be a sanctuary /temple filled with God’s presence but without God’s presence we become a sanctuary /temple desecrated, defiled, darkened, filled with idols, a sanctuary /temple created to be Holy but fallen from its true purpose.

We are to open the doors of our life and let God come in. We are to let him take out our idols, cleanse our impurities, restore our purpose, right at the heart, and fill our life with His presence. And when we rededicate and re-consecrate the sanctuary /temple to God, He will fill it with His Glory. Then, when we become the sanctuary /temple of God, life, our life becomes Chanukah/Hanukkah.

Ezek. 36:25–27; Jn. 10:22,23; 1Cor.3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16–7:1

The festival of lights commemorates the victory of God’s people over evil. There’s more to it, as it contains mystery. It’s not only a commemoration but a prophetic shadow.

It begins when an evil king set up an idol in the Holy place, causing the desecration of the temple, the abomination desolation.Messiah Jesus, speaks of an abomination desolation yet to come in the last days. So Chanukah contains a prophetic blueprint of that which will take place at the end of the age.

The account begins with the apostasy of God’s people. The people who know God and who were to keep His ways, even His ministers, turned away from God, and embraced the weight of the Godless and so it is now, the current spirit of the age.

And so it will be in the last days. There will be a great falling away, a great apostasy. The account goes on to document the rise of a world culture that seeks to merge all cultures into one and to compel everyone to abandon their faith. Any culture, Faith, people, or person, that stands in its way, it seeks to stamp out.

So it will be at the end of the age, a global culture, and the persecution of God’s people, a civilization that criminalizes the ways of God, abolishes the word of God, overturns the order of God, blasphemes the name of God, desecrated the sacred things of God and wars against the people of God, so it will be at the end days.Back then, even though most went along with the apostasy and the darkness; there was a remnant, who would not go along with it, who held strong and they became the resistance, the Maccabees. God anointed them and empowered them to overcome the darkness and to let in the light, so it is the Festival of lights.

We need to learn the Maccabee blueprint and follow its keys!

When we light the lights of the Menorah, during this weeks festival, this is how we overcome.

We fight the darkness by shining into it, the light of God; we stand with Him and will not be moved. We fight the fight by lighting up the darkness.

Dan. 11:32; Zech. 9:1314; Eph. 6:10–20; Rev. 12:11.
Jesus

Yeshua

is the Light that cannot be hidden.The Scriptures attest that Yeshua is the true Light (אוֹר אֱמֶת) that comes from eternity to give light and revelation for all mankind:

הָאוֹר הָאֲמִתִּי הַמֵּאִיר לְכָל־אָדָם
בָּא אֶל־הָעוֹלָם

ha’ohr · ha’amiti · ha’me’ir · lekhol · adam
ba · el · ha’olam

“[This is] the true light that shines to all men
who come into the world”
(John 1:9)

῏Ην τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον
ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον 

In the Gospel of John it is recorded that Yeshua said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (i.e., ᾽Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή). The Greek word translated “truth” in this verse is aletheia (ἀλήθεια), a compound word formed from an alpha prefix (α-) meaning “not,” and lethei (λήθη), meaning “forgetfulness.” (In Greek mythology, the “waters of Lethe” induced a state of oblivion or forgetfulness.)

Truth is therefore a kind of “remembering” something forgotten, or a recollecting of what is essentially real.  Etymologically, the word aletheia suggests that truth is also “unforgettable” (i.e., not lethei), that is, it has its own inherent and irresistible “witness” to reality. People may lie to themselves, but ultimately the truth has the final word… “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Greek scholars note that the word lethei itself is derived from the verb lanthano (λανθάνω), which means “to be hidden,” so the general idea is that a-letheia (i.e., truth) is non-concealment, non-hiddenness, or (put positively) revelation or disclosure.  Thus the word of Yeshua – His message, logos (λόγος), revelation, and presence – is both “unforgettable” and irrepressible.

Jesus/Yeshua is the Unforgettable One that has been manifest as the express Word of God (דְּבַר הָאֱלהִים).

Jesus/Yeshua is the Light of the world (אוֹר הָעוֹלָם) and the one who gives us the “light of life” (John 8:12). Though God’s message can be suppressed by evil and darkened thinking, the truth is regarded as self-evident and full of intuitive validation. (see Rom. 1:18-21).The Hebrew word for truth (i.e., emet: אֱמֶת) comes from a verb (aman) that means to “support” or “make firm.”  There are a number of derived nouns that connote the sense of reliability or assurance (e.g., pillars of support). The noun emunah (i.e, אֱמוּנָה, “faithfulness” or “trustworthiness”) comes from this root, as does the word for the “faithful ones” (אֱמוּנִים) who are “established” in God’s way (Psalm 12:1).

A play on words regarding truth occurs in the prophet Isaiah: אִם לא תַאֲמִינוּ כִּי לא תֵאָמֵנוּ / im lo ta’aminu, ki lo tei’amenu: “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all” (Isa. 7:9; so Faith Establishes the Sign). Without trust in the LORD, there is no stability… Truth is something trustworthy, reliable, firm, certain or sure.  In colloquial English, for example, this idea is conveyed when we say, “He’s a true friend…”, indicating that the loyalty and love of the person is certain. The familiar word “amen” likewise comes from this root. Speaking the truth (dibbur emet) is considered foundational to moral life: “Speak the truth (דַּבְּרוּ אֱמֶת) to one another; render true and perfect justice in your gates” (Zech. 8:16).

Jesus/Yeshua repeatedly said, “Amen, Amen I say to you….” throughout His teaching ministry, to stress the reliability and certainty of God’s truth (Matt. 5:18, 26, etc.). Indeed,

Jesus/Yeshua is called “the Amen, the faithful and true witness” (Rev. 3:14).

The relationship between the Hebrew and the Greek ideas seems to be that the revelation of God – the aletheia – is reliable and strong. The source for all truth in the universe is found in the Person and character of the LORD God of Israel. The self-disclosure of the LORD is unforgettable – both in the factual and moral sense – as well as entirely trustworthy. Aletheia implies that truth is something that should never be forgotten. Hence we are regularly commanded and encouraged not to “forget” the LORD (Deut. 8:11, Psalm 103:2, etc.), to “remember” His covenants, to “keep” His ways, to “guard” His precepts, and so on.During this Chanukah Season, and always, may the LORD God of Israel help us walk in the unforgettable and irrepressible radiance of His glory.

May God help us shine with good works that glorify God’s Name (Matt. 5:16). “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ (יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי־אוֹר), has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah” (2 Cor. 4:6).
כִּי־עִמְּךָ מְקוֹר חַיִּים
בְּאוֹרְךָ נִרְאֶה־אוֹר

ki · im·me·kha · me·kor · cha·yim
be·or·kha · nir·eh · ohr

“For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light do we see Light”
(Psalm 36:9)There seems to be some confusion surrounding the actual spelling of Chanukah. Part of the reason for this confusion may be due to the fact there is no exact English translation of the Hebrew word for Chanukah.

mmm received numerous emails requesting whether these different spellings might also be different holidays. To help clear up some of the confusion here are a number of the different spellings one might encounter Chanuka; Chanukah; Chanukkah; Channukah;  Hanukah; Hannukah; Hanukkah; Hanuka; Hanukka;  Hanaka; Haneka; Hanika; Khanukkah

While in the West, the most common spellings are “CHANUKAH” or “HANUKAH“, rest assured that they are all the same celebration.

Whether lighting the lights or not, Happy Hanukkah to every reader!More details can be found on last years posts at

https://www.minimannamoments.com/chanukah-or-hanukkah/

Hanukkah/Chanukah and Believers Today

Hanukkah/Chanukah and Believers Today