Tag: Earth

On The Threshold of a Divine Portal

Looking at the amazing connection between the Anochi of the flock and the DOOR WAY to our future.

While compiling the thoughts from Father for this post, a childhood memory of a sign on a door brought a smile; almost as much as at the time it brought confusion! It Read…

It was hard to know whether the shop advertising the sale of ice cream was open or closed!

Clearly the sign was broken but its funny how things become stuck in the brain! Even now, whenever a sign beckons

it raises a question.

Are they really

or clopen or maybe they’re simply clopsed?

One thing is sure… the WAY through the DOOR to the Father is always open and there is NO confusion!

Yeshua/Jesus said I AM THE DOOR

Strongs Hebrew 1817 deleth

Phonetic Spelling: (deh’-leth)

דֶּלֶת

The Daleth (dalet) Dalet (dāleth, also spelled Daleth or Daled) is the fourth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew letter D, is ד , the dalet,” meaning, he who possesses nothing of his own!

In man’s service of God, the dalet characterizes shiflut, lowliness, the consciousness of possessing nothing of one’s own.

Selflessness.

Together with the awareness of our own power of free choice, we must be aware that He gives us the power to achieve success, and not to think, that our accomplishments are our power and the strength of our hand. Free choice is no more than the expression of our will to participate, as it were, in the Divine plan.

The shape of the letter is two lines forming a right angle, with a corner point. Representing a man bent over.

The vertical line: represents selflessness and willingness to sacrifice one’s life for one’s people.

The horizontal line: submergence of the soul in its Divine Source.

The letter is based on a glyph of the Middle Bronze Age alphabets, probably called dalt “door” (door in Modern Hebrew is delet), ultimately based on a hieroglyph depicting a door and

Daleth also represents a doorway. The door stands in the opening of the house, the beit.

In other words, when the letter is placed in a word, you have to keep in mind that not only is it the letter ‘D’, it has the numerical value of 4 and symbolizes a door.

A door, the door is twofold: it opens two directions: in or out.

Doors keep things and people in or out for security and safety.

A door is a portal, a threshold, when we cross it we enter into a new area in the natural realm and a new dimension, another time and another place in the spiritual realm.

 

In the days spoken of in scripture, when an important person came to a home, an animal was sacrificed at the threshold of the door.

The threshold was considered sacred.

You were to step over it and never on it.

This may be one reason the blood was placed only on the lintel and posts in the Israelites homes at the first Passover because they were not to tread on it and we are not to trample the blood under our feet either. Hebrews 10:26-31

Today when you come to the threshold of a country they give the dignitaries the ‘red carpet’ treatment. The practice is rooted in this
 offering of the animal at the threshold of the doorway.

This is also seen after a wedding where the Groom traditionally carries the bride over the threshold entering into a new life together the same as we do when we are born again and enter new life.

 

The door to God’s house allows for the humble of Ruwach/spirit to enter. The door itself, the dalet, is the property of humility and lowliness, and bitul, the entrance WAY to TRUTH. The dalet is also the initial letter of the word dirah, “dwelling place,” as in the phrase “[God’s] dwelling place below.” Thus the full meaning of the dalet is the door through which the humble enter into the realization of God’s dwelling place below.

We begin to understand more reasons why He said I AM the DOOR. If anyone enters in by Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.

I AM the Good Shepherd.

In Him we see the Fathers’ name, and expression

The Nail (Yud) upon the Door of the tent (Hei) of Jesus/Yeshua, opens the veil/way /door/entry (Dalet) to YaHuWaH (Hei) Kingdom

And taking the last three letters we see The door is open before YHWH (YaHuWaH)’s Righteous house.

The Holy/Kadosh Yahrushalom, is the place where the Tent/House/Beit of our Father is (above), where Jesus/Yeshua placed His blood upon the door, as in the blood of the Passover lamb on the door.

The DOOR of the sheep

The sheepfold to which He was referring, looks like this..

The shepherd was literally the door blocking the entrance stopping any predators or anything else coming in so the sheep were safe.

Any predator would have to go through the shepherd first.

He also stopped the sheep wandering out unprotected.

So even if he slept, if the sheep tried to climb over him, he would wake up.

Shepherds tend God’s flock because they love those who God loves; they mirror His heart in regards to His people – the singular motivation for the shepherds is their love for sheep, just as God loves them.

Hireling’s have an altogether different motivation – they tend God’s flock for the money, for the prestige and sense of power, being in the lime light, to be esteemed by others – and just as EZEKIEL 34 declares, these hirelings – or false shepherds, will actually take advantage of God’s sheep, or even abuse them.

When danger comes, the hireling will abandon God’s sheep, whereas the shepherd will lay down his very life for his sheep!

1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.  9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 

א.אֵָמןאָמֵןֲאנִיֹאֵמרלָכֶםאִיׁשֲאֶׁשרלֹא

-יַבֹאּדֶרְֶךַהּׁשַַעראֶל

-ִמכְְלאֹותַהֹּצאןִּכיאִם-ַיעֲלֶהְבדֶרֶךְַאחֵרַּגָּנב הּואוְֹׁשֵדד:

  1. Amen amen ani o•mer la•chem eesh asher lo-ya•vo de•rech ha•sha•ar el-mich•le•ot ha•tzon ki eem-ya•a•le ve•de•rech a•cher ga•nav hoo ve•sho•ded.

ב.וְאִיׁש ַהּבָאדֶרֶךְהַּׁשַעַרהּוארֵֹעה ַהּצֹאן:

  1. Ve•eesh ha•ba de•rech ha•sha•ar hoo ro•eh ha•tzon.

ג.לֹויְִפַּתחהַֹּׁשֵערְוהַּצֹאןּתִׁשְמַעְנָהבְקֹלֹוְוהּואּבְׁשֵמֹותיִקְָראאֶל

-ֹצאנֹווְיֹוִציֵאן:

  1. Lo yif•tach ha•sho•er ve•ha•tzon tish•ma•a•na ve•ko•lo ve•hoo be•she•mot yik•ra el- tzo•no ve•yo•tzi•en.

ד.ּבְהֹוִציאֹוֶאת-ּ

כָל-צֹאנֹויֲַעֹברִלפְנֵיֶהןוְהָלְכּואַחֲרָיוהַּצֹאןִּכייֹדְעֹותאֶת-ֹקלֹו:

  1. Be•ho•tzi•o et-kol-tzo•no ya•a•vor lif•ney•hen ve•hal•choo a•cha•rav ha•tzon ki yod•ot et – ko•lo.

ה.ְואַחֲרֵיזָרלֹא ֵתַלכְָנהּכִיתָנֹוְסָנהמִּפָנָיוַיעַןקֹולזִָריםלֹאָידָעּו:

  1. Ve•a•cha•rey zar lo te•lach•na ki ta•nos•na mi•pa•nav ya•an kol za•rim lo ya•da•oo.

ו.אֶת-הַָּמׁשָלהַּזֶהָנָׂשאעֲלֵיֶהםיֵׁשּועְַוֵהםלֹאהֵבִינּומַה

-ֶּזהֲאֶׁשרִּדּבֶרֲאלֵיֶהם:

  1. Et-ha•ma•shal ha•ze na•sa aley•hem Yeshua ve•hem lo he•vi•noo ma-ze asher di•ber aley•hem.

ז.ַוּיֹוסֶףיֵׁשּועַוְַיַדּבֵרֲאלֵיֶהםָאֵמןאֵָמןאֲנִיאֵֹמרלָכֶםָאֹנִכיׁשַעַרַהֹּצאן:

  1. Va•yo•sef Yeshua va•y`da•ber aley•hem Amen amen ani o•mer la•chem ano•chi sha•ar ha•tzon.

Another characteristic of sheep: they follow after their shepherd that goes before them and leads them at the head of the flock. Goats are very different: they are not led by their shepherds at the head of the flock; rather Goat herders drive their goats from behind. This difference is significant in a special way: you see, sheep are led, but goats are driven.

JOHN 10:1-2

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  2 But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 

When He said that only a thief and a robber would try to climb over and not come in through the gate, there are 2 people identified here: the ‘robber/thief’ and the shepherd. They are marked by the way that they go in order to gain access to the sheep.

The shepherd goes by the door, which is the legitimate “WAY” to the sheepfold; the robber/thief goes by “some other way”. 

They must climb over a wall, and by so doing, they are exalting themselves. A true under-shepherd of Messiah Jesus Christ never exalts himself, but only Jesus/Yeshua – and Him alone (Luke 18:14)!

Any true shepherd will enter in among God’s sheep by THE WAY, just as our Chief Shepherd (as written in the Scripture, 1 Pet 5:4) is Himself – the Way.

False shepherds – who are in fact robbers and thieves, taking possession of that which does not belong to them, neither by purchase – (Jesus/Yeshua purchased us, His sheep, by His blood; Acts. 20:28) – nor by stewardship – (those that God has accounted as acceptable as His ‘under-shepherds’ 2 Cor. 3:1-6).

Both Acts and 2Peter warn us that there are those who are self-appointed authorities in today’s world, who claim to speak for God in the church, but are actually enemies of the cross (Phil. 3:18-19) and have risen up in our midst to draw others away from the Good Shepherd and into error and apostasy (Acts. 20:29-31; 2 Pet. 2:1).

Sheepfolds can still be seen today in parts of UK/Europe.

There was only ONE tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

There was only ONE door in Noah’s ark; any who would seek salvation from the coming flood would have to enter in there – there was no second door. 

There was only ONE way that led into the Temple’s Holy Place and the inner chamber the Holy of Holies – there wasn’t a multiple choice!

Likewise, there is just ONE door, ONE way to salvation – and that is Messiah; and The WAY to God’s sheep is by the DOOR.

There are many examples of Doors in the scriptures. One is Revelation 4:1 – …I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven.

“In the Spirit,” John goes through the open door into Heaven and in Rev.3:8, Philadelphia was given an “open door” to spread the Gospel unhindered.

The “open door” in Heaven is different. This open door is the physical entrance to the Kingdom of God, which today is still in Heaven. It will be open to those that had already spiritually entered the door to Heaven upon salvation and closed to those not saved:

Luke 13:23-28 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.

It is only through Jesus that we (the “sheep”) can enter the Kingdom (the pasture):

John 10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter through the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up by another way, that one is a thief and a robber. 2 “But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 “The doorkeeper opens for him, and the sheep hear his voice. And he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 “And when he has brought out his own sheep, he goes before them. And the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 “And they shall by no means follow a stranger, but shall flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 יהושע used this figure of speech, but they did not know what He had been saying to them. 7 יהושע therefore said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 “I am the door. Whoever enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and shall go out and find pasture.

10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to slaughter, and to destroy. I have come that they might possess life, and that they might possess it beyond measure. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 “But the hireling, and not being a shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. 13 “Now the hireling flees because he is a hireling and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd.1 And I know Mine, and Mine know Me, Footnote: 1Ezek. 34:11-12, Heb. 13:20, 1 Peter 2:25, 1 Peter 5:4. 15 even as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold – I have to bring them as well, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one shepherd. 

1Ezek. 34:23, Ezek. 37:24. 17 “Because of this the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, in order to receive it again.Joh 10:18 “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to receive it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

There is an interesting point in

Exodus 21:6 then his master shall bring him before Elohim, and shall bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl. And he shall serve him forever.

As we have read in John, Jesus/Yeshua is the DOOR.

It is not insignificant that the town of Silwan the area where Jesus/Yeshua was nailed to the tree means pillar or post as in a door.

When we are nailed to the door we are in fact committing ourselves for ever to Jesus/Yeshua.

Remember the fact that Jesus/Yeshua was sacrificed at the door or the same side as the entrance to the east side of the Temple as was the Passover Lamb. It
 was His blood that was shed at the door to Father’s house. Even the two door posts were made from Olive trees also known as the two witnesses.

In Eze 46:1 ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “The gate of the inner courtyard facing east is shut the six days of work, but on the Sabbath it is opened, and on the day of the New Moon it is opened. 2 “And the prince shall enter by way of the porch of that gate from the outside, and he shall stand by the post. And the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. And he shall bow himself at the threshold of the gate, and shall go out, but the gate is not shut until evening. 3 “And the people of the land shall also bow themselves at the entrance to this gate before יהוה, on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons. 4 “And the burnt offering which the prince brings to יהוה on the Sabbath day is six lambs, perfect ones, and a ram, a perfect one. 5 “And the grain offering is one ĕphah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, a gift of his hand, and a hin of oil for an ĕphah. 6 “And on the day of the New Moon: a young bull, a perfect one, six lambs, and a ram, they should be perfect.

This is all symbolic of the 7th Millennium when the door will be open and not shut. It is shut for the other six days of work.

Jesus/Yeshua is to be King during this 7th Millennium and He is the DOOR by which we must enter and cross over the THRESHOLD. It is His blood that has made the CARPET RED for our coming.

We read of the same in the Prodigal son in Luke 15:23 ‘And bring the fattened calf here and slaughter it, and let us eat and rejoice,

When this calf is killed it is done at the threshold of the door. The son is being given the red carpet treatment. The older brother never got this treatment because he was already in the house with the father.

I Am the Door

The Greek words translated “I am” occur exactly 37 times in the NT (in referring to the LORD).

I AM: Εγω ειμι

In Hebrew I Am is Anochi.

Strong’s Hebrew: 595. אָנֹכִי; (anoki)

 אָנֹכִי       ;

Phonetic Spelling: (aw-no-kee’)
Short Definition: myself

No doubt the most famous statement ever uttered in all of history begins with an unusual four-letter word: Anochi. The Ten Commandments. 

Fire and smoke poured from the mountain and the earth shook. The entire Community of Israel stood together in awe at the foot of Sinai as the Divine Presence thrust them into profound revelation. The thunder of awakening surged through each heart and mind as a transcendent voice spoke out: Anochi Ha-Shem Elokecha.

The literal translation of this thunder is “I am The Name, your God.” Whereas the people of Israel received this realization in an explosive flash, we can receive this truth gradually by examining and thinking on the mystical meanings contained in these three words:

Anochi is the Divine ‘I’ — a description of the Divine Self.

Hashem – as in “The Name” refers to God’s attribute of Infinity, that is ‘beyond’ and transcendent.

Elokecha, (also called Elokim,) is a plural term, referring to the Divinity that interfaces with the finite world of multiplicity: meaning, “your personal God.”

Anochi is a synonym for etzem or atzmus, meaning “Essence”—the ultimate context and totality of Reality. Essence is no-thing and every-thing, and yet it is neither nothing nor everything.

The “I” of Anochi is not only the I of existence, manifestation or form, it is also

the “I” of thing, and

the “I” of no-thing,

the “I” of finite and

the “I” of infinite,

the “I” of fullness and

the “I” of emptiness.

As the Israelites received the revelation of Anochi, they experienced their own limited human existence and at the same time, the unlimited Divine Existence in the absence of conflict.

In this revelation, there was no duality, only Unity. Nothing exists outside of Essence, thus Essence cannot be “experienced” ― our own self-consciousness distances our minds and ourselves from the experience.

Although Essence is beyond the finite and the infinite, it also embraces and constitutes both of them. For this reason, Essence probably holds the key to resolving the connection between the finite and the infinite, the natural and the spiritual.

We cannot become that which we already are so the process may be simply a matter of revelation. Again we need a personal apocalypse which comes from communication and developing relationship with the Father who is spirit; and this could be a meaning behind Jesus words in John 4:24, God is a Spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Because God is a Spirit, He longs to have fellowship/communion with our spirits where He can reveal answers to these questions. We need to meet Him Spirit-to-spirit. We should approach Him humbly, transparently, and honestly, withholding nothing. Also recognizing who He is, and realizing who we are in His presence. We need to not be reticent but rather fully embrace the spiritual side of our beliefs. We walk so easily in the carnal physical realm and miss so much that He is trying to impart to our spiritually hungry hearts.

The word means ‘I,’ referring to God – I the Lord Your God took you out of Egypt… But ‘ani’ is the common Hebrew pronoun for ‘I.’

Explained in the Talmud (Shabbat 105a), that Anochi is an acronym for Ana Nafshi Ketovit Yehovit. Simply translated: I Myself wrote [these words and] gave [them to you].

But on closer inspection the actual translation is far more intriguing: I wrote down My very Soul and gave it to you.

Or more poetically: My Soul is inscribed in these words that I gave you.

Anochi captures the essence and purpose of all existence: To inscribe and reveal the soul in our every word and in our every experience.

The opening of the Ten Commandments, Anochi, defines the essence of life’s purpose, of all our interactions and of all our words – to manifest the unifying soul in our fragmented universe.

Had God not inscribed His soul into the words, our relationship with the Divine would have probably remained detached.

ANOCHI 

אָנֹכִי 

John 10:9 I am the DALET/DOOR and

John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life: 

no man comes to the Father, but by me unless the Father draws him. (John 6:65)

It seems very restrictive, however, so is the narrow WAY and the natural man has no ability to come to God, nor does he even have the desire to come. Because his heart is hard and his mind is darkened, the unregenerate person doesn’t desire God and according to Romans 5:10 is actually an enemy of God.

The days of shepherds in Jesus/Yeshua’s time were simple and when He said I AM the Door they understood the concept perfectly. We have doors of wood glass metal etc., and many places have people on duty by those doors. Their job it is to guard the entrance but that individual is not expected to take the place of the door, merely to enforce the boundaries that it represents.

Today the door is still open. Seek him now, while He may be found. There will come a day when there will be no such option… just as happened to those in Noah’s day…and God closed the door. This is also reflected in the Fall Feast, Yom Teruah/Trumpets where the end of the ceremony is called Neilah means closing the gates.

Enter through the narrow WAY into the joy of the lord. Joy is the fullness of the relationship we have been developing and that is the key and secret of the believer’s strength.

The Anochi, the I AM, Shepherd of the flock, is the Dalet, the Door, as we wait on the threshold to enter into our heavenly future; just as He was the Dalet, when we came into His sheepfold crossing the threshold of New Birth. He and the Father are One/Echad and we are indeed on the threshold of a divine portal.

Please, don’t leave this page until..

you are sure you are through the DOOR and safely in the sheep fold.. He is calling YOU today..

we all need to born again from above..His Mercy and Grace are all you need…for therein is His forgiveness.

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

Its all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART 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. Amen.

 

A keruvim cherub – not quite like we imagined? PART 2

Moses was instructed to build the wilderness tabernacle or Mishkan where the Ark of the Covenant rested, having the Keruvim on its Mercy seat.Moses and Joshua

It was to be situated in the center of the camp and the 12 tribes laid out their tents around it in the shape of a cross aligned with the 4 points of the compass.

The tabernacle reflects Gods throne surrounded by the 4 Cherubim faces N-Eagle; S-Man; E-Lion; W-Ox; found in Revelation.

Next as food for thought, are some interesting conceptual points of view, many may consider controversial topics; they are included on purpose to make us think. We have forgotten how to think for ourselves. Often taking only what is given by those who have learned from other people, who in turn were taught by people and so on; and limited within the narrow restrictions of academic and doctrinal parameters. So please don’t switch off before considering the context and scriptural references included… remembering the levels of interpretation (PARDES).

CLICK LINK FOR EXPLANATION

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-rules-of-pardes/

Daniel prophesied that at the time of the end that knowledge would increase and again that is part of the apocalypse/the revealing, of the treasures old, (things forgotten) and new, things hidden until Fathers timing is optimum.

Many may cry heresy and yet the term is defined as: any belief or theory, that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization.

A basic definition of heresy, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, is “adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma.”

A second definition is “dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice.”

For example, accusations of heresy have been leveled against a group of believers when their beliefs challenged, or were seen to challenge, ‘Church’ authority. Some heresies have also been doctrinally based, in which a teaching was deemed to be inconsistent with the fundamental tenets of orthodox dogma.

Interestingly if we look at the teachings of Jesus/Yeshua in the light of the above definitions, it would seem apply to Him! Just maybe He was a heretic?? Isn’t that what the Pharisees accused Him of as well as blasphemy? Hmmmm! If that’s the case being labeled as such is not entirely a bad thing!

Part 2 includes a look at the possible connection to, and an explanation of, Mazzaroth. The constellations of the stars in the heavens.

Please understand, MMM is NOT in any way advocating or giving an endorsement of new age astrology.

The Definition of astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.

We are cautioned not to look to them, or their prognostic interpretations by astrologers; and should not use horoscopes to determine our future actions. Instead, we are to look to the Father in the name of Yeshua/Jesus for our destiny is in His Hands. Having said that, lets investigate the theory in light of scripture and how it’s connected to our original topic!

מַזָּרוֹת    Mazzārōṯ,

Mazzeroth is the Hebrew zodiac.

There is a theory that each tribe’s symbol parallels a constellation. The stars, created to be “for signs and seasons” (Gen.1:14), do give directional orientation and gauging for harvest. Some, think the Mazzeroth signs may predict the coming of the Messiah.

What does the Bible say?

Psalm 19:1 tells us

The stars were set in place by the Father and He named them one by one.

“He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names” (Psalm 147:4).

“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth” (Isaiah 40:26).

God named the stars to provide prophetic signs ordered according to their appointed times/ 7 Moedim/Feasts (i.e., “seasons”) of fulfillment.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs (oth – signifying something to come,) (Laoth – appearing as a signal), and for seasons (moed – a fixed or an appointed time), and for days, and years” (Genesis 1:14). See Romans 10:18.

The message declared by the stars is that The glory of God that is “above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1), as seen in the Person and work of God the Son, Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, the promised Seed of a woman, as foretold in the first Messianic prophecy. Genesis 3:15, declaring that our Savior would eventually defeat Satan (i.e., bruise the serpent’s head), though He would suffer (bruising His own heal) to redeem His people from their sins and take them safely home to heaven.

“And I will put enmity between thee [Satan, embodied in the serpent] and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).

This is the central theme.

God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees where astrology, abhorrent to God (Deut. 18:10-12, Isaiah 47:13,14), had flourished. God commanded Abram: “Look toward heaven, and tell (narrate) the stars, if thou be able to number (NAME them one by one) them. And He said, So shall thy Seed be (singular, referring to Christ; see Galatians 3:16). And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:5).

Abram surely knew the star names and the exact location in the sky to start naming them. (Not numbering them as in 1-1billion). Tracing the heavens from right to left, (same direction that Hebrew is read), and beginning with constellation Virgo; he would possibly have recited words such as: “VIRGO, SUBILAH, ZAVIJAVA, SPICA/TSEMECH¹, VINDEMIATRIX, COMA, IHESU, CHRISTOS, BOOTES, ARCTURUS, NEKKAR, AGENA, TOLIMAN,” which translates to: “The virgin who carries the gloriously beautiful Seed, the Branch (Messiah), the Son who comes down to rule, the desired Son, Jesus, the Christ, the coming Shepherd, the Pierced, the despised Sin Offering, the Beginning and the End.”

This was what was ‘counted to him for righteousness’, that he understood the prophetic declaration that the Father had placed in the heavenlies, ‘And he believed in the Lord;’ not simply that he could count the stars in the sky!

Job 38:31 names several specific stars (KJV). Which God Himself acknowledged in the series of questions that He asked Job, indicating that there was common knowledge of the star names among the ancient patriarchs of that age.

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth (the constellations) in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?” (Job 38:31,32).

The seven stars, the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades, apparently symbolize the Adamic Family. This could suggest a time cycle from the Age of Leo through the Age of Pisces, and the beginning of Aquarius?

The Pleiades.

Taurus is composed of two main groups of stars; the Pleiades and Hyades. The Pleiades are a star cluster with eta (η), Alcyone, as the principal star, situated on the shoulder of the Bull, also known as the Seven Sisters and Messier 45, or M45.

In Job 38:31, the Lord is speaking directly to Job and challenges him, asking if he can bind the chains of the Pleiades—the implication being that Job cannot, but the Lord can.

Talmud ( Bavli, Berakhot, 58b ) says that it has about 100 stars, understanding the word כימה as כמאה ke’ me-ah, “about one hundred” in Hebrew.

Job 9:9 “[God] alone spreadeth out the heavens…which maketh Arcturus (Bear) and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

The Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters and Messier 45) is an open star cluster in the constellation of Taurus.

Bear:

5906 `Ayish, ah’-yish; or `Ash, awsh; from 5789; the constellation of the Great Bear (perh. from its migration through the heavens):-Arcturus. Ayath. See 5857.

Orion:

3685 Keciyl, kes-eel’; the same as 3684; any notable constellation; spec. Orion (as if a burly one):-constellation, Orion.

Pleiades is the Septuagint translation of:

3598 Kiymah, kee-maw’;

from the same as 3558; a cluster of stars;

i.e. the Pleiades: Pleiades, seven stars.

“By His spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent” (Job 26:13).

-Note: SERPENS and HYDRA are two examples of this.

The prophet Amos also advised, “Seek him that maketh the seven stars (literally, Pleiades) and Orion” (Amos 5:8).

The obvious familiarity of the star names in the book of Job (accepted as the oldest book in the Bible) testifies to the antiquity handed down by Adam to his descendants. Ancient star charts can be found in virtually every civilization as observed in China, India, Babylonia, Persia, Egypt, Israel, Greece, Rome, Scandinavia, and in Central America and are a witness to a single, Divine origin by their phenomenal unity. Its not coincidence.

Psalm 8:3

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon Psalm 148:3

Praise you him, sun and moon: praise him, all you stars of light. Ps 147:4

He who made the Pleiades and Orion And changes deep darkness into morning, Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The LORD is His name. Amos 5:8

Bereshit (Genesis) 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

The Torah emphasises the importance of time and keeping track of time. Therefore, keep this in mind as we look at them. The astronomical bodies are to serve as:

Signs and for seasons and for days and for years

[If there will arise among you a prophet…] and he gives you a sign

‫אוֹת

(hebrew [meaning a sign) in the heavens, as it is stated in the case of Gideon [who said to the angel]: “then show me a sign

אוֹת

 (Shoftim [Judges] 6:17), and then it says [further], “let it be dry only upon the fleece [and upon all the ground let there be dew]” (Shoftim [Judges]  6:39).

Thus we learn that anytime we see an ot,   

אוֹת  a sign,

we are looking at a reference to the celestial object.

The very first mitzva, (Commandment/instruction), given to the Israelites, concerned time and it’s calculation: for the Passover Lamb!

And The Name Ha Shem spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month [shall be] unto you the beginning of months: it [shall be] the 1st month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of [their] fathers a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take [it] according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb Shemot Exodus 12:1-4

Showing us the importance of time and the astronomical bodies.

Season:

4150 mow`ed, mo-ade’; or mo`ed, mo-ade’; or (fem.) mow`adah (2 Chron. 8:13), mo-aw-daw’; from 3259; prop. An appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; spec. a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting also a signal (as appointed beforehand):- appointed ( sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn (-ity), synagogue, (set) time (appointed).

Years:

8141 shaneh (in plur. only), shaw-neh’; or (fem.) shanah, shaw-naw’; from 8138; a year (as a revolution of time):- whole age, long, plus old, year.

The father is the creator the adversary/hasatan/devil is the one who perverts and steals and copies he never had an original idea and the story in the heavens was perverted so we would miss it because we were told it was all rooted in the occult and forbidden knowledge.

It would seem that it is a correct statement that our destiny is written in the stars. His plan is there and Yeshua refers to the signs in the heavens moon and stars and where we will see the sign of the coming of the son of man, Look up not down when you see all these things for your redemption draws nigh.

The sons of Issachar were able to read and interpret the signs and we know the wise men saw His star in the East and knew it told of the birth of a king.

Interesting note that the scripture records that hasatan was not a fallen angel but was the anointed cherub that covereth.. Ezek. 28:14-16.

The definition of zodiac is: a belt of the heavens within about 8° either side of the ecliptic, including all apparent positions of the sun, moon, and most familiar planets. It is divided into twelve equal divisions or signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces).

Astronomy, (NOT Astrology) is the branch of science which deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole. It is the study of the stars and of the heavens and the movements of the heavenly bodies. However the mazzaroth is biblical astronomy Numbers 13:17.

Mazzaroth – The Hebrew Zodiac and the Gospel of Salvation…. 

and so not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, there are some interesting concepts connected to the cycles in the heavens.

Definitions and explanation.

Mazzaroth meaning prognostications, found only Job 38:32, probably meaning “the twelve signs” (of the zodiac), as in the margin

Mazzaroth is a Biblical Hebrew word (מַזָּרוֹת Mazzārōṯ, LXX Μαζουρωθ, Mazourōth) found in the Book of Job and literally meaning ‘a garland of crowns’. [1] but its context is that of astronomical constellations , and it is often interpreted as a term for the zodiac or the constellations thereof.

Masal (Lamed Shin Mem) in Gen. 1:14 “the task of separating and ruling” (masal) are notably, also a divine role here.

4216 Mazzarah, maz-zaw-raw’; appar. from 5144 in the sense of distinction; some noted constellation (only in the plur.), perh. collect. the zodiac:- Mazzaroth. Comp. 4208.

5144 nazar, naw-zar’; a prim. root; to hold aloof, i.e. (intrans.) abstain (from food and drink, from impuruty, and even from divine worship [i.e. apostatize]); spec. to set apart (to sacred purposes), i.e. devote:- consecrate, separate (-ing, self).

4208 mazzalah, maz-zaw- law’; appar. from 5140 in the sense of raining; a constellation, i.e. Zodiacal sign (perh. as affecting the weather):- planet. Comp. 4216.

Note its’ similarity to Mazzala shown as one of the Hebrew root words for Mazzaroth.

Mazzaroth occurs twice in scripture: 

Iyov (Job) 38:31-33 “Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up [God’s] dominion over the earth?

 

The second time it is in a slightly different form:

2 Melakim (Kings) 23:3-5 The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of HaShem to follow HaShem and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of HaShem all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel.

He did away with the pagan priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts.

 

 

 

The pictures found today in the zodiac were not developed by the Greeks, but were in place perhaps as early as 4000 B.C. predating even the civilizations of Sumeria.

These pictures were not merely arranged in haphazard order to aid in the tracking of the star movements, but with the purpose of depicting an epic narrative.

Authors like Bullinger and Seiss have suggested that there is a deeper meaning, one that goes beyond even the most illuminated of hidden/occult interpretations. The zodiac is a pictorial story of God’s plan of salvation on earth. (occult means hidden.)

Below some biblical meanings given to the Main Constellations and the stars within their groupings.

Constellation: Bethulah Meaning……Virgin:

Star…: Tsemech Meaning: Branch. Used exclusively of the M Messiah. Jer 23:5-6, Zech 3:8, Zech 6:12 Isa 4:2.

Star…: Zavijaveh Meaning: Gloriously beautiful. Isa 4:2

Constellation: Mozanaim Meaning……: Scales. Iyov (Job) 31:6, Eze 45:10

In The First group:

The Redeemer. “The sufferings of Christ.”

1 VIRGO  The prophecy of the promised seed. THE SEED OF THE WOMAN YESHUA THE INCARNATE SON.

Virgo, is depicted as a virgin in every ancient reference, holding in one hand abranch, and in the other a sheaf of grain, or seed, always associated with a child, “Shesh nu” in Egyptian, the desired son, the symbol of the incarnation of God on earth.

COMA. (= The desired). The woman and child the desired of all nations (in the most ancient Zodiacs). 

CENTAURUS (with two natures). The despised sin-offering.

BOOTES. The coming One with branch. 

2. LIBRA  The Redeemer’s atoning work. THE REQUIRED PRICE PAID YESHUA THE REDEEMER

Libra, the scales or in the earliest zodiacs, an altar. Its meaning is the measuring of a price. One of its stars in Arabic means, “the price which is deficient”, while opposite is a star whose name means, “the price which covers,” or atonement. Libra symbolizes the price of the conflict, the deficient works of man compared to the perfect and finished sacrifice of Jesus accomplished on the cross.

CRUX. The Cross endured. 

LUPUS. The Victim slain. 

CORONA. The Crown bestowed.

3. SCORPIO The Redeemer’s conflict. THE MORTAL CONFLICT YESHUA THE SUFFERER. SERPENS. Assaulting the man’s heel.

Scorpio,with his claws reaching out to influence the scales, is crushed beneath the foot of

Sagittarius,in the oldest pictures of the zodiac is a cherubim. This symbol is situated 1/3 rd of the way around the zodiacal circle. It had the body of both lion and bull with wings of an eagle and the head of a woman.  

OPHIUCHUS. The man grasping the serpent. 

HERCULES. The mighty man victorious. 

4. SAGITTARIUS The Redeemer’s triumph. THE FINL TRIUMPH YESHUA THE CONQUEROR

Sagittarius is the symbol of the incarnation, both God and man, animals representing the four corners of the heavens and symbolizing the aspects of God’s redemptive work on this earth, he is poised with his arrow drawn and pointed at the heart of the scorpion. Underneath him is the southern cross.

LYRA. Praise prepared for the Conqueror. 

ARA. Fire prepared for His enemies. 

DRACO. The dragon cast down. 

In The Second group: The Redeemed.

5. CAPRICORNUS  The result of the Redeemer’s sufferings LIFE OUT OF DEATH YESHUA THE SACRIFICE

Capricorn, the goat with the tail of the fish. To the Hebrews, the goat was the sin offering, Capricorn is posed with his foot under him and his head bowed, as if in death. The second half of this symbol is the tail of a fish, the most prolific creature in nature, the fish lives in the waters, symbol of life and God’s spirit. Out of the son of God’s death, comes everlasting life. 

SAGITTA. The arrow of God sent forth. 

AQUILA. The smitten One falling. 

DELPHINUS. The dead One rising again. 

6. AQUARIUS (D) The Blessings assured. BLESSINGS OUT OF VICTORY YESHUA THE LIVING WATER (SUCCOTH WATER LIBATION CEREMONY!)

Aquarius, the water bearer, the one pouring out life giving waters that symbolize God’s spirit, into the mouth of the fish.  This may have been a   reference to the instructions given to the disciples when you see the man carrying water jar follow him

PISCIS AUSTRALIS. The blessings bestowed. 

PEGASUS. The blessings quickly coming. 

CYGNUS. The Blesser surely returning. 

7. PISCES The Blessings in abeyance. DELIVERANCE OUT OF BONDAGE YESHUA THE LIBERATOR

Pisces, the fishes connected to the neck of the sea monster, one points to the center of heaven the other follows the ecliptic, the path of the earth around the sun. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

THE BAND. The great enemy, “Cetus.” 

ANDROMEDA. The redeemed in bondage. 

CEPHEUS. The Deliverer coming to loosen. 

8. ARIES The Blessings consummated. GLORY OUT OF HUMILIATION YESHU THE CROWNED LAMB. 

Aries, the lamb prepared from the foundations of the world, the unblemished sacrifice for mankind. with his foot poised to strike off the tether attaching the fishes to the neck of the sea monster. “He (Jesus Christ), came to set the captives free”.

CASSIOPEIA. The captive delivered. 

CETUS. The great enemy bound. 

PERSEUS. The “Breaker” delivering. 

The Third group. The Redeemer. “The glory that should follow.”

9. TAURUS Messiah coming to rule. HIS GLORIOUS COMING YESHUA THE JUDGE.

Taurus, the Bull. His horns, symbolizing God’s judgment, are pointed to the earth, one stabs the heal of a shepherd “Aquilla”, who holds his flock, Christ the good shepherd, received in our place God’s absolute judgment. In the bull’s neck is the Pleiades, the congregating of the judges, who come back to earth after their resurrection to judge the earth with Christ at his second coming.

ORION. The Redeemer breaking forth as Light. 

ERIDANUS. Wrath breaking forth as a flood. 

AURIGA. Safety for His redeemed in the day of wrath.

10. GEMINI Messiah as Prince of princes. HIS RULE ON EARTH YESHUA THE KING Gemini, the twins.

Castor is the suffering redeemer, and Pollux is the king. Symbols of the first and second coming of Christ.

LEPUS. The enemy trodden under foot. 

CANIS MAJOR. The coming glorious Prince. 

CANIS MINOR. The exalted Redeemer. 

11. CANCER Messiah’s redeemed possessions. HIS POSSESSIONS HELD SECURE YESHUA THE PROTECTOR.

Cancer, the crab. Originally it was the fortress, the impregnable enclosure of protection. In Egypt it was a scarab, the beetle that hatched from the ground and flew to heaven, the stronghold of the saved.

URSA MINOR. The lesser sheepfold. 

URSA MAJOR. The fold and the flock. 

ARGO. The pilgrim’s arrival at home. 

 

12 LEO  Messiah’s consummated triumph. HIS ENEMIES DESTROYED YESHUA THE VICTOR.

Leo, the great lion. “The conquering lion of Judah”, Jesus Christ, who will come again. The king that the apostle John traced back to that tribe of Israel. In his heart is the star called Regulus.

HYDRA. The old serpent destroyed. 

CRATER. The cup of wrath poured put. 

CORVUS. The birds of prey devouring.

——

This is the whole story of God’s atonement work on earth, its beginning and ending are symbolized by the sphinx – combining Virgo and Leo.

The lay out of the constellations tell the good news of salvation to mankind. Most people don’t even think about the fact La Crux (the cross) was a constellation before the Romans ever invented crucifixion.

There is apparently a key to understanding the celestial zodiac is found in ancient depictions of a mythical creature called a sphinx. This is maybe because Sphinx were often placed at entrances to palaces or temples of antiquity. Wonder where they got the idea from?!

This positioning implied power, authority and protection. The bodily form of the sphinx combines two to four animals, a lion, bull or eagle with the head of a human. The sphinx has remained an important symbol in our imagination and can be found in today’s fantasy games and literature.  The combination of all four creatures in one constitutes what is described in Ezekiel and elsewhere in the Bible as a type of angel.

The keruvim כְּרוּבִים

The word kerubim/ keruvim also has a meaning of “one who prays”, or “one who intercedes.” Cherubim or Kerubim/ keruvim are an order of angel described in the Bible and ancient texts as a combination of two, or more often, four creatures, including that of a human. Both the mythical Sphinx and the scriptural cherubim are “hybrid” beings combining two to four creatures.

As Solomon declared: There is no new thing under the sun. Is there a thing of which one might say, see this, it is new? It has already been for the ages which were before. Eccl. 1:10

The path of the sun among the stars is called the ecliptic. The 12 constellations that lie along the ecliptic form the Zodiac. The other constellations are divided into those north of the Zodiac and those south of it.

From one place on the Earth different constellations are seen at different times of the year. This happens because, as well as turning on its axis, the Earth is always moving around the sun, making 1 orbit each year. A star that is visible at night during 1 part of the year may appear close to the sun 6 months later; it would not then be seen at night.

Some constellations can be seen only from the Northern Hemisphere and some only from the Southern Hemisphere. The constellations of the Zodiac can be seen from both hemispheres.

Taking the summer, spring, winter, and fall equinoxes from the zodiac, they correspond to the faces of the four cherubim around His throne. The Bible tells us that the earth is His foot stool and in Isaiah; that there are 2 Seraphim over the throne. Seraphim translates from the Hebrew “fiery flying serpents”. The star sign directly over the North pole is Draco the Dragon.

On the fourth day God created the stars, the sun, and the moon. He created them for signs and for seasons.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The 12 star signs that orbit our equator make up what we call the Zodiac. They also corresponded to the 12 banners that the 12 tribes of Israel carried in the same order around the Tabernacle.

12 is an interesting number.  There are 12 constellations for the 12 sons of Jacob.  Each tribe in ancient Israel was represented by one of these 12 constellations.  The tribe of Levi, for example, was charged with the “balances of the sanctuary,” hence “Libra” typifies them. Judah, no surprise, is represented by “Leo,” the Lion of the tribe of Judah, since Yeshua/Jesus, THE LION of the tribe of Judah, came from that tribe.

The stars, too, were bounded according to the number of the sons of Israel.

Midrash Rabbah – Bamidbar (Numbers) 2:7. ACCORDING TO THE ENSIGNS (II, 2) There were distinguishing signs for each prince; each had a flag and a different color for every flag, corresponding to the precious stones on the breast of Aaron. It was from these that governments learned to provide themselves with flags of various colors. Each tribe had its own prince and its flag whose color corresponded to the color of its stone. [In Aaron’s breast-plate] 

Reuben’s stone was ruby and the color of his flag was red; and embroidered thereon were mandrakes.

Simeon’s was topaz and his flag was of a green color; the town of Shechem  שכם

was embroidered thereon.

Levi’s was emerald (smaragd) and the color of his flag was 1/3 white, a 1/3  black, and a 1/3  red; embroidered thereon were the Urim and Thummim.

Judah’s was a carbuncle and the color of his flag was something like the heavens; embroidered on it was a lion.

Issachar’s was a sapphire and the color of his flag was black like stibium, (antimony), and embroidered thereon was the sun and moon, in allusion to the text, And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times. (I Chron.12:33). 

Zebulun’s was an emerald and the color of his flag was white, with a ship embroidered thereon, in allusion to the text, Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea (Gen. 49:13).

Dan’s was jacinth and the color of his flag was similar to sapphire, and embroidered on it was a serpent, in allusion to the text, Dan shall be a serpent in the way (Gen. 49:17). 

Gad’s was an agate and the color of his flag was neither white nor black but a blend of black and white; on it was embroidered a camp, in allusion to the text, Gad, a troop shall troop upon him (Gen. 49:19).

Naphtali’s was an amethyst and the color of his flag was like clarified wine of a not very deep red; on it was embroidered a hind, in allusion to the text, Naphtali is a hind let loose (Gen. 49:21). 

Asher’s was a beryl and the color of his flag was like the precious stone with which women adorn themselves; embroidered thereon was an olive-tree, in allusion to the text, As for Asher, his bread shall be fat (Gen. 49:20).

Joseph’s was an onyx and the color of his flag was jet black; the embroidered design thereon for both princes, Ephraim and Manasseh, was Egypt, because they were born in Egypt. 

On the flag of Ephraim was embroidered a bullock, in allusion to the text, His firstling bullock (Deut.33:17), which applies to Yahoshua (Joshua) who came from the tribe of Ephraim.

On the flag of the tribe of Manasseh was embroidered a wild ox, in allusion to the text, And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox (Deut.33:17), which alludes to Gideon son of Joash who came from the tribe of Manasseh.

Benjamin’s was jasper and the color of his flag was a combination of all the 12 colors; embroidered thereon was a wolf, in allusion to the text, Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth (Gen. 49:27).

The reason, then, why it is said, ACCORDING TO THE ENSIGNS is because each prince had his own distinguishing sign.

(Note: Some of the pictures above do not contain all the elements described.)

The Months of the Hebrew Year are also connected to the signs.

The sign of Nissan is T’leh / Aries / Ram corresponding to Judah and the faculty of speech. This is the month the Jews overcame the Egyptian deity of the ram. Judah means “thanks”, related to speech and on Passover of this month the Pascal lamb was offered.

IYAR is Shor / Taurus / Bull corresponding to Issachar (Torah scholars) and the faculty of thought. 

 SIVAN is Te’umim / Gemini / Twins corresponding to Zevulun (Torah supporters) and the faculty of motion.

Tamuz is Sartan / Cancer / Crab corresponding to Reuven (means “see”) and the faculty of sight.

AV is Ari / Leo / Lion corresponding to Shimon (means “hear”) and the faculty of hearing.

ELUL is Bethulah / Virgo / Virgin corresponding to Gad and the faculty of action. This is the month of repenting, to purify our thoughts and deeds in preparation of Rosh Hashana.

TISHRI is Moznaim / Libra / Scales corresponding to Ephraim (fruitful) and the faculty of coition. In this month is Rosh Hashana on which we are judged, and hope to merit a productive new year.

Cheshvan is Akrav / Scorpio / Scorpion corresponding to Menashe and the faculty of smell.

KISLEV is Kashet / Sagittarius / Archer corresponding to Benjamin (warriors) and the faculty of sleep

Tevet is Gedi / Capricorn / Kid corresponding to Dan (judge) and the faculty of anger.

SHEVAT is D’li / Aquarius / Water Drawer corresponding to Asher (wealth) and the faculty of taste.

ADAR is Dagim / Pisces / Fish corresponding to Naftali and the faculty of laughter.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 

The true meaning of the celestial zodiac and the symbols of the ecliptic, the course the sun appears to travel the heavens, seems to have been lost to the majority of mankind. The purpose of the zodiac symbols can be understood by connecting the sequence of pictures in story form.

Take the summer, spring, winter, and fall equinoxes from the zodiac and they correspond to the faces of the four cherubim around His throne. The Bible tells us that the earth is His foot stool and in Isaiah; that there are 2 Seraphim over the throne. Seraphim translates from the Hebrew “fiery flying serpents”. The star sign directly over the North pole is Draco the Dragon.

But what is that connection? What point in the circle of heaven is its beginning?

Strangely the Sphinx may hold a key! 

Sphinx in Greek means to “connect or bind together“.

A sphinx combines the head of a woman

and the body of a lion.

This fixes the beginning and ending of the celestial narrative beginning with Virgo and ending with Leo!

What about the four creatures of a cherub?

Look to four of the brightest stars in the zodiac;

Fomalhaut in Aquarius (man)

Regulus in Leo (lion)

Antares in Ophiuchus (serpent holder, or eagle) and

Aldebaran in Taurus (the bull).

All four of these stars are arranged three signs apart, in the four corners of the heavens – the four fixed signs of the zodiac. These are the four creatures which combine to form scriptural cherubim. 

One final fact about the celestial equator is crucial: namely, that it does not remain fixed, but rather possesses a slow movement known as the “precession of the equinoxes.”

This movement, we know today, is caused by a wobble in the earth’s rotation on its axis. As a result of this wobble, the celestial equator appears to change its position over the course of thousands of years.

This movement is known as the precession of the equinoxes because its most easily observable effect is a change in the positions of the equinoxes, the places where the celestial equator crosses the zodiac.

In particular, the precession results in the equinoxes moving slowly backward along the zodiac, passing through one zodiacal constellation every 2,160 years and through the entire zodiac every 25,788 years. 

The infamous account of Ezekiel ‘s wheels, often misinterpreted, is more likely a vision of the hybrid living creatures who populate the celestial narrative. Ezekiel saw four-faced cherubim and the wheels which were assigned to them, the four faces of the cardinal points of the zodiac, and a reference to their movement through the heavens.

Ezek. 1:1 – 1:19

As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright  light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. Within it there were figures resembling four living beings.

And this was their appearance: they had human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze.[…]  As for the form of their faces, had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle.

Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another and two covering their bodies And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. And the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning.

Now as I looked at the living beings ,behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings , for the four of them.The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship as if one wheel were within another. Whenever they moved, they moved in any of their four directions[…]

This is the whole story of God’s atonement work on earth, its beginning and ending are symbolized by the sphinx – combining Virgo and Leo.

Interestingly there has recently been an adjustment to the 12 signs of the zodiac or mazzaroth as apparently there used to be 13. Then it was reduced to 12 when the Babylonians intentionally left out Ophiuchus, (now the “new” zodiac sign,) in order to make a tidy match with their 12-month calendar; ignoring the facts that the sun actually moves through 13 constellations and not 12.

Link to article https://www.today.com/popculture/your-life-lie-zodiac-has-changed-here-s-your-new-t103295

Apparently due to changes in the Earth’s alignment, the dates of many zodiac signs have changed, according to NASA and NBC. In addition, there may be a 13th Zodiac sign: Ophiuchus. between Nov. 29 to Dec. 17 between Scorpio and Sagittarius.

It is called ophiucus and means the serpent holder.

The serpent holder keeps the serpent from getting the crown, while everything hangs in the balance. He is crushing Scorpios head while he is stinging His heal!

Ophiuchus, the serpent holder, who in earliest times was depicted as an eagle. Ophiuchus ‘s foot is stung (wounded foot, like Oedipus) by the upraised tail of the scorpion, his other foot is above the scorpion’s heart. He restrains the serpent coiled around him from taking a crown.

Ophiuchus depicts the earliest prophecy in the Bible, “I will put enmity between the serpent and the offspring of the woman, it will strike at his heel, and he will crush (the serpent’s) head.”

It is to be remembered that 12 tribes were changed as from the original 12 tribes Dan was left out. (See Rev.7) Instead, Josephs 2 sons Manasseh and Ephraim were added in and Levi was left out Numbers 1 and then re-added in Rev 7. If Dan had remained there would be 13 tribes! Dan symbol is the serpent being the same as in Ophiuchus..Interesting?!

Wonderful fourfold blending –

sovereignty and humility; humanity and deity!

Ezekiel’s vision is seen again by John Rev. 4:6-8.

Most of us are likely familiar with the parallel which has often been noted between the four Gospel Accounts and the four living creatures in the opening vision of the prophet Ezekiel 1:10.

The lion symbolizes supreme strength, kingship;

the man, highest intelligence;

the ox, lowly service;

the eagle, heavenliness, mystery, divinity.

In Matthew we see the Messiah-King (the lion).

In Mark we see Jehovah’s Servant (the ox).

In Luke we see the Son of Man (the man).

In John we see the Son of God (the eagle).

It needs all four aspects to give the full Truth.

As Sovereign He comes to reign and rule.

As servant He comes to serve and suffer.

As Son of Man He comes to share and sympathize.

As Son of God He comes to reveal and redeem.

Face of a Man – The primary face of each of the four living creatures is that of a man. This typifies the Lord’s normal human life as seen throughout the Gospels.  On one hand He performed miracles, on the other hand He was so ordinary that people wondered, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (Matt. 13:55).

Face of a Lion – As king of the animals, the lion signifies reigning, victory, boldness, strength, and vigor.  To have the face of a lion is to aggressively stand against anything sinful or worldly. Though tender and lowly in His humanity, the Lord also expressed the face of the lion at the appropriate times.  the Lord was truly the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5).

Face of an Ox – The lion’s face on the right side is counter-balanced by the ox’s face on the left. The ox is a beast of burden, willing to serve, work, and sacrifice for others.  This is the Lord’s Slave-Savior life in us, as seen in the book of Mark. The Lord Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve others by giving His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Face of an Eagle – Throughout the Bible, the eagle signifies the soaring, transcendent, powerful divine life of God. This fourth face, the face of an eagle, is hidden in the rear. In a sense the eagle’s face is a secret, a mystery to those around us. This was Paul’s secret of sufficiency in Philippians 4:11-12. Perhaps few people may know how we can overcome so many earthly frustrations. But the buoyancy and transcendence is not of ourselves; it is sourced in the hidden divine life within us. The Lord was not suppressed by either persecution or praise. Although the Lord fed the great crowd in John 6, He immediately withdrew to a mountain alone when the people sought to exalt Him and make Him King. This was a manifestation of the face of an eagle, soaring above both tribulations and triumphs.

Summary – The four living creatures in Ezekiel express Messiah in four aspects: as a man, as a lion, as an ox, and as an eagle.  

Moreover, these four faces correspond to Christ portrayed in the Gospels:

the Man-Savior in Luke,

the King-Savior in Matthew,

the Slave-Savior in Mark, and

God the Savior in John.

As the four living creatures, we can express Christ in His all-inclusiveness.

Conclusion

God created all the stars in the sky before he created man. This means His plan for the birth of Christ, the death of Christ, and salvation all came before He even created man. He knew the exact dates for all events that would ever take place. No matter what your background, God will find a way to get through to you. This could include the zodiac, the decans, the tribes of Israel, and even stones.   

Yeshua is the alef and tav – beginning and end – from Genesis to Revelation. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the ox/red heifer, the man, the eagle, all reflected in the four-faced cherubim on the mercy seat and guarding the WAY to the tree of life and the throne of the father in the heavens.

The whole story was written in the stars of the heavens when creation began and Yeshua was there.

Before Abraham was, I AM.  John 8:48-59

The layout of the tribes in the wilderness was a pattern for the 4-faced-man’s character and ministry in the 4 gospels and reflected the 4 cherubim supporting Father’s throne and guarding the tree of life and upon the chariot in which He travels. The eyes are the spirits of God watching over His creation. The flaming sword of the cherubim may also be symbolic of the sword coming out of Messiahs mouth as He returns?

The golden box, is the Ark of the Covenant, on the lid / the mercy seat were keruvim; guarding the place of the presence of God. Ezeziel and John both had visions of the keruvim who were guarding the throne of God in the heavenlies, a lion, an ox, and an eagle were the symbols of 4 of the 12 Tribes facing the cardinal points of the compass, with the corresponding mazzaroth above them in the canopy of the heavens. Placed there as an annual and everlasting sign of covenant and for the appointed seasons of the Lord which is annually rehearsed declaring the promise of a redeemer and Messiah who is the fulfillment and the end from the beginning. Completed in Yeshua/Jesus, High Priest after the order of Malki-Zedek whose breastplate held the 12 stones of the tribes and is now the revealing mystery from Genesis to Revelation. The apocalypse of the Alef and Tav; the 4 faced man of the 4 gospels in the likeness of the keruvim! Who has opened the WAY back to the Father and the tree of life.

Or maybe it’s all just coincidence???

However it is a compelling theory!

More and more we see how everything is connected all the WAY through the Scriptures.

Shalom to all Mishpachah/Family and Friends!

Please, don’t leave this page until..

you are awakened to Messiah..

we all need to born again from above..

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

Its all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART 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. Amen.

Are We Boxed In?

The Ark of His Presence – Is It An Altar, A Weapon, A Throne, A Temple, A Footstool, A Box?

Sukkot begins at sundown sunday night click link for post

  https://www.minimannamoments.com/sheltering-presence-god/ 

which will give some extra information as Israel celebrates the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths which prophetically represents His presence dwelling with His people for ever when Messiah comes and He tabernacles with men.

Last week wasand central to the Yom Kippur observance in scripture is the Ark of the Covenant/Ark of the Testimony that was placed within the Holy of Holies, both in the wilderness Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Everything begins with the altar of sacrifice and prophetically foretells the offering of the final sacrifice of Messiah on the altar of the cross.

The day of Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement, was the one day of the year the high priest/Kohen Gadol would enter through those 2 golden doors going beyond the veil into the smaller area (15 x 15 feet/ 4.57×4.57 meters.) called ‘the Holy of Holies’/Kodesh haKodashim and contained ‘the ark of the covenant’.

When the doors were closed they were covered by a linen curtain embroidered with cherubim and palm trees. Picture showing size of cherubim in Solomons Temple.

He took with him the blood of the sacrifice for the sins of the children of Israel. 

He would sprinkle it on the ark of the covenant between the wings of the golden cherubim right on the part called the mercy seat.

The mercy seat is described as the footstool of God’s Throne in 1Chronicles 28:2.  Then King David rose to his feet and said:  ‘Hear me, my brethren and you my people.  I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God; and I made preparations for the building.’  (RSV)

The footstool of the throne was the place where the Lord met with the High Priest.  This covering of the Ark shows us the relationship between God and Messiah Yeshua/Jesus .

He was clothed only in a simple white linen robe made specially made for the day and wore no shoes on his feet; which were none of the usual items required for him to wear.

A white linen robe was what Yeshua/Jesus was wearing when Mary saw Him in the garden and as He is now our High Priest having placed His Blood on the Mercy Seat that begins to make more sense!

It is important to remember that there was no light source in the Holy of Holies and the High Priest had to wait for God’s presence to illuminate the room.

God’s presence in the form of His Shekinah Glory manifested between the cherubs wings, just above the top of the Mercy Seat. The etymology of the dwelling or presence of God is the Hebrew word Sh’cheenah or as we pronounce it Shekinah. Shkn .

In Rev. 22:5. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.

The Glory of the Lord or Chabod is also known as the Shekhinah.

There is a Hebrew term of relatively clear meaning for the Glory of the Lord, that being Chabod. Chabod has variants such as Ichabod meaning that the glory is departed, sometimes written I-chabod or I-kabod. Therefore, Chabod actually occurs in scripture and has relatively clear meaning for the Glory of the Lord.

Some scholars allege that the word ‘Shekhinah’ is actually a Chaldean or Babylonian term meaning ‘resting-place.’

Paleo Hebrew

Some perceive that the term Shekhinah refers to the Holy Spirit, a feminine aspect of God or even a separate female deity.

The Glory of the Lord is not the Holy Spirit and some might wish to consider that the most conspicuous mention of any form or visual manifestation of the Holy Spirit consists of its appearance as a dove.

Luke 3:21 And it came to pass, all the people having been baptized, and Jesus having been baptized and praying, that the heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove upon him; and a voice came out of heaven, *Thou* art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight

It is important to be aware that the term ‘glory‘, necessarily means light – that is to say – something that is luminous. This is a key and crucial point, that the Chabod or Glory of the Lord is light.

The Glory of the Lord frequently accompanies God’s presence and is something very similar to – but not exactly like plasma. Plasma could be described as a cloud of luminosity. Apparently, God can appear without the Chabod. While Plasma visually has cloud-like characteristics, the clouds frequently noted as being clouds and the Glory of the Lord are very separate things although at times the Plasma-like material is noted as being a cloud.

Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God. (JPS)

The Chabod is also similar to but not exactly the same as the aurorae that sometimes appear at the polar regions of the Earth. While these luminous phenomena do have some cloud-like characteristics, they are obviously not the same as actual clouds of moisture that did frequently, but not always, accompany the presence of the Chabod.

The Hebrew word rendered into English as ‘cloud‘, actually means ‘a covering’ derived from the aspect of clouds of water vapor covering the sky. In fact, most specific mentions of the Glory of the Lord pertain to the appearances of fire. Flames do occupy a physical space and are visually similar to luminous clouds.

Scripture records there is a Green rainbow around throne it may resemble an aurorae which is as close as we can imagine. 

God’s presence in the form of His Shekinah glory manifested between the cherubs wings just above the top of the Mercy seat. The etymology of the dwelling or presence of God is the Hebrew word Sh’cheenah or as we pronounce it Shekinah.

שכינה

The term Shekinah was many times used interchangeably with the word God. In the Jewish mind it always spoke of the fact that He dwelt in or rested upon those who merited His favor, whether an individual, a community, or the entire Jewish people.

Scholars also see the similarities between Shekinah (God’s Presence), The Holy Spirit of God (Heb. Ruach Elohim; Gr. Pneuma Hagion), and the Hebrew Bat Kol (The Daughter of the Voice, or God’s Voice).

It is interesting to examine the tradition of the Bat Kol which was the voice of God that proclaimed His will and intention, His judgments and His promises, His warnings and His commands to various people, communities, and sometimes to all of Israel. Jewish tradition always spoke of the Bat Kol. When the Torah was given at Sinai the Bible says,

Deut 4:12 “And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.”

The Bat Kal mysteriously sounded at extraordinary times and this was mentioned in Jewish tradition. For example, there is one account that indicates that at the very instant when God took away the soul of Moses with a kiss, the bat Kal rang out over the Israelite camp with the lament, “Moses is dead! Moses is dead!” It also is recognized to have given warnings or passed judgement upon evildoers as recorded in the book of Daniel: 4:28-32″ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven:’

The Bat Kol is represented in Jewish tradition by the symbol of the dove.

There is a saying among the teachers and Torah scholars that when God was not pleased with Israel’s behavior, the cherubs Wings pointed away from each other and the high priest would let the people know that God was displeased with the behavior.

The high priest placed the blood on to the Mercy seat directly under the presence of God and Israel’s sins were atoned for for another year.

The High Priest had to be pure and sin free or he would not survive the encounter with the glory of the Father’s presence.

The blood that he placed on the Mercy seat had come from the sacrifice however this sacrifice is no longer required as Yeshua/Jesus is the better sacrifice once and for all time.  Hebrews 9:23

In the same way the rebuilding of the temple is also unnecessary, as those who believe in Yeshua/Jesus understand that He was and is the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. However, it will be built in fulfillment of the prophecies in both Daniel and Revelation.

This is an extensive subject and this post barely scratches the surface but it is timely with the autumn appointed festivals of the Lord.

Taking a look at the Ark will hopefully give a greater understanding of its meaning and prophetic significance

The Ark was made following instructions given to Moses. Ex. 26 and 37.

 Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,

In Exodus 31:1-6 and chapters 36 to 39, Bezalel (Hebrew: בְּצַלְאֵל‬, Bəṣalʼēl, also transcribed as Betzalel), was the chief artisan of the Tabernacle and was in charge of building the Ark of the Covenant, assisted by Aholiab.

Ark in Hebrew also means box. This was not the first box that God had instructed a man to make.

Noah’s Ark was a box made of wood and covered in pitch.

The Ark of the covenant given to Moses was a box of wood covered in gold.

In Genesis 7:1 God says ‘come into the box/ark’, giving the understanding that He is already in the box and simultaneously He is with Noah. And He/God shut the door; (not Noah)! Gen 7:16.

There was only one door through which to escape the coming judgment! and as Yeshua said, ‘I am the Door‘!

The Lord shut them in.

He is still calling us to come to where He is and be in His presence and also to allow His presence to be within us.

Both boxes had to have a specific covering within and without. There is an interesting inference concerning the description of the pitch in Genesis 6:14. He said make a box of Gopher wood for yourself (not for everyone)! You will make compartments for family and animals. And will cover it within and without with pitch.

While the word is generally translated pitch, the word atonement is more appropriate although both are correct and obviously the translators used Pitch.

There are two words in Hebrew that are often translated ark.

Aron is used for the ark of the covenant means chest as in a treasure chest.

Aron is made from wood from the Acacia\ gopher\Shittim tree.

Ark of the covenant is an acacia wood chest since it was also used for storage for the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded and the tablets of the 10 Commandments. Note the similarity between Aaron and ARON of which Aaron became High Priest.

Another word for Ark is TEVAH and it is used for two objects:

Noah’s Ark and Moses Papyrus basket.

Noah’s Ark is tevat gofer literally a box of gopher wood.

Which was 450’ x 75’ x 45’ and took approximately 75 years to build.

Moses basket / a papyrus box, and while tevah means box, that was a huge difference in the size of the two; but it was still a box. Both Noah (& family) and Moses were boxed in.

Notice the coat of Tar or PITCH so it stayed waterproof until Pharoah’s daughter found it!

The Greek word kibotos means box but it is usually translated ark in English coming from the first translations from Latin. The Latin word is arca for both boxes.

Here is a thought provoking proposition concerning the covering of Noah’s box in Genesis/Beresheet. Always keeping in mind that there are no vowels a E I O U in the Torah scrolls only consonants.

Apparently the Hebrew does not actually say the exact words, ‘Cover it inside and out with pitch‘ but uses the K F R of the root of the word for pitch. So it reads KFR it within and without in KFR. Kefir/ kopher

גובה הצליל .

The point is, if it is referring to pitch, the substance, then all the interior it would be sticky! The reason to cover the outside with pitch is so it will stay dry and to keep the water out of the ark’s interior. How would having a coat of pitch inside prevent the water from flooding in, the full force of the water from the outside would push and separate the wood from the pitch. So there had to be an alternative reason/meaning behind this directive.

Another look at the root KFR shows that it is also a bush called camphor or henna that bears bunches of fragrant sweet smelling fruit and flowers. Maybe it was used for keeping the box/arks interior smelling fresh? Remember there were no windows, so no fresh air/ ventilation – but to be put on the outside too is not very likely.

There are however two more meanings for KFR, kafar means deny and kipper means made atonement. (As in Yom Kippur!) The two seem opposed in meaning, yet they would both make sense if applied to the understanding that the ark was constructed with God’s direction as a container for the survival of life on earth during the flood.

If we think about it, Noah is told by God that he is going to wipe out all life on the earth, with this understanding of KFR he could have been inferring ‘I want you to put your self outside of all that is around you, Deny KFR that they exist. So he is denying all those on the outside (KFR without,) for the people were denying Noah and were dismissive, derisive, with their unbelieving actions. On the inside (KFR within), to make the ark /box worthy of salvation. How? By dedicating it through an act of atonement, Kipper on the outside, coating of pitch. So all within are an atonement to the Lord = A KFR on the inside?

One final meaning of KFR is KOFER = ransom. Is it possible to think of the entering into the ark/box as a ransom for the saving/ salvation of the lives for those who made it through the flood? There was no covenant prior to the flood. Jesus /Yeshua was a ransom for many.

Ezekiel 37:1

The box of covenant and that He did indeed promise Noah and I shall establish my covenant with you; and the box was directed by God to hold the physical tablets of the covenant given to Moses.

It was made of planks of acacia wood, not plywood so it would have been very heavy. The size was 5 feet long 3 feet high and 3 feet wide.

The stone tablets were heavy as they had the whole Torah written on them.

It was covered in gold leaf, had a solid gold lid and solid gold cherubim on that lid. Then when it traveled it was covered with badgers skins; it would have waited over 1500 pounds.

It had two wood poles and was carried by four men? This would have been almost impossible. It makes one lean towards the Hebrew thought from the rabbis that the weight of the Ark was borne by God Himself; for it is said that the ark carried them NOT the other way around.

Noah was destined to bring deliverance and freedom going through God’s judgment by employing a box/ark of salvation; where His presence protected them to keep them secure and safe.

Moses was destined to bring deliverance and freedom to the children of Israel pronouncing judgment on Egypt and fulfilling the promised covenant added to Noah’s covenant and He instructed Moses to construct the Ark in which His presence could be with them. 

After the children of Israel had journeyed to Mount Sinai God told Moses on the mountain that He would pitch His tent among them on their journeys:

Exod. 25:8-9 “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.” When God revealed the pattern of the tabernacle and the WAY to approach Him He also declared exactly where He would meet Moses: Exod 25:22

Moses started life in a box/ark, to keep him secure and safe, which saved his life out of the waters of the Nile and pharaohs judgment against the Hebrews male babies.

A closer look at the ark of the covenant a box of gold.

The Ark was a 2 ½ x 1½ cubit, (3 3/4 feet x 2 1/4 feet or 1.14 x 0.68 metres), a rectangular wooden chest of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold, inside and out. Its’ lid being the Mercy Seat, with the Cherubim of glory facing one another; their wings outstretched. It had a gold molding or crown around the top; (a different word in Hebrew than the rim of the table and incense altar).

There are so many images that have differing shapes those included are to highlight certain aspects., e.g. above showing detail of crown.

Ps 99:1 The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved!

Exod. 25:17-22 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two Cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the Cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.’

The cover or lid for the Ark of the Covenant was made of solid gold and it was called the mercy-seat, atonement cover, ark-cover. Kapparah is the Hebrew word for this. This word is from the same root as the word for atonement; at this point, the parallel between atonement and this kapparah, as well as the generic concept of covering, is exceedingly important. In fact, in Hebrew the word Kapparah or covering and the idea of atonement are more-or-less synonymous.

The way that the kapparah works is that it literally covers The Law to avert judgment for those whose sins are to be forgiven. Through the mercy-seat some obtain mercy. The kapparah is the provision for mercy. The propitiation afforded through the kapparah relied in part upon sacrifice. In other words, the kapparah shields the transgressor from The Law housed inside the Ark. The penalty for transgressing any part of The Decalogue was death. Nearly everyone that ever lived was guilty of transgressing The Decalogue so it is highly probable that simply viewing the stone tables without proper remediation would automatically result in instant death. The mechanics of the kapparah appear many times in passages such as Psalm 32:1-2.

The mercy seat or covering pointed us towards the sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, and the covering of our sins with His blood.

Acacia wood is a beautiful, dense wood that comes from very fragrant and drought-resistant acacia trees that are indigenous to Africa and Arabia. In Israel, the range of the specie diminishes beyond the Negev. It is known in Hebrew as the shittah or shittum tree. Its wood is a finely grained orange wood that darkens with age and it is unaffected by insects. It is the source of natural-gum Arabic and also provides tannin.

The Mercy Seat was the lid or cover of solid gold the same size as the top of the Ark (2 1/2 cubits long x 1 1/2 cubits wide). At each end of the Mercy Seat, and of one piece with it, were two hammered gold cherubim facing one another. Their outstretched wings overshadowed the gold lid and their faces constantly looked down upon it. They were symbols of the presence and holiness of the Lord and are His chosen instruments of judgment toward any sinful approach toward the presence of the Lord and as they look upon the blood the wrath of God is appeased and they are at peace.

They represent the judgment of God.

– Their position indicates that God’s judgment upon Israel was averted because of the blood-sprinkled mercy seat

Jewish Tradition

According to the writings of the ancient sages the words of Ezekiel, “The had the hands of a man under their wings” (Ezek 1:8), refer to the hand of God which is extended beneath the wings of the Chayyoth (Cherubim) to receive penitents from the power of judgement” [Pes. 119a]

– The Cherubim are revealed by Ezekiel in chapter 1:5-10 as 4 living creatures, each one having 4 different faces, the face of a man, lion, ox, and eagle.

Man- This face spoke of mind, reason, affections, and all the things that encompass a human being.

Lion- The lion was always recognized as strong, fierce, and majestic. It was the royalist of animals.

Pro 30:30 Pro 20:2.

Ox- The ox was recognized as the animal who patiently labored for his owner. He was strong, able to bear a burden, and knew its owner.

Pro 14:4 Ps 144:14 Is 1:3

Eagle- The divine bird that flew above the storms, while below there was only sorrows, dangers, and distress. A swift bird strong and powerful, never becoming weary.

Pro 30:18-19.

Is 40:31 Ps 103:5.

Ex 19:4 `

Ezek 17:3 Hos 8:1.

The Cherubim were also the same fierce creatures who guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve had sinned. They wielded a flaming sword that turned in all four directions to protect the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:24).

So the outstretched wings of the cherubim were to provide a throne for the God where He would mediate His rule on the earth as a representation of the real throne in heaven:

1 Sam 4:4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. (NIV)

When God had spoken to Moses out of the midst of the cloud upon Sinai, He also told him that He would come down to speak with him in the midst of His people. It was from the area above the Mercy Seat that He did:

Num 7:89

The Mercy Seat was where the blood was sprinkled. between the judgment angels who were looking down and when they would see the blood the wrath of God was stayed. Lev 16:11-15

And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the sin offering which is for himself. (Red Heifer) – He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. “Then he shall kill the (scape) goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.

Because of the mercy seat the tabernacle was called “the tent of meeting”. Because here God met with man:

In the New Testament this Mercy Seat or atonement cover is spoken of twice. Heb 9:2-5 Rom 3:23-26

The Greek word for Mercy Seat is ‘hilasterion’. It is used here in Romans 3:25 where Paul says (literally) that God presented Christ as a propitiation or ‘mercy seat’. This means that Jesus Christ is the mercy seat.

The Mercy Seat did not derive its worth from the purity of its gold but from the fact that it was the place where the blood of sacrifice was sprinkled in the presence of Yahweh.

The word for “mercy seat” is the same root for the word “atonement”. It means to cover, cancel, appease, or cleanse.

The Greek equivalent is the word “propitiation”.

Lk 18:13 “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

The word “seat” speaks of a resting place so the mercy seat was the “place of mercy or propitiation”.

The Ark was overlaid with pure gold and had a gold crown.

Because only once a year on Yom Kippur could man enter beyond the veil; there had to be a veil separating man from the holy of holies.

This was mentioned first before all the other furniture in the tabernacle. The ark was right in the center of the camp and the glory cloud was seen above the mercy seat and above the back portion of the tabernacle.

The ark rested on the dirt floor of the Holy of Holies with its four gold rings that the gold poles were inserted through and left permanently in position.

Exod 25:10-22

The Ark of the Covenant was where Gods justice and judgement toward sin was satisfied.

Ex 25:22

Josh 3:6,13

1 Sam 5:7

1 Chr 6:41

2 Chr 35:3

Ps 78:60-61

What was inside it?

The 2 unbroken tables of stone, (The 10 Commandments).

It is important to note that the ark contained the two tablets of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments). Remember that God had made a covenant with Israel, but the people had broken it. In grace God renewed it and ordered that its enduring record, (the unbroken tablets) should be deposited in the holy ark. The Book of the Covenant, which dealt at length with other aspects of law and procedure, was deposited alongside the ark. But the 10 commandments were stored within the ark itself.

Exod 25:16 “And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.”

It is highly probable that the stone tables were housed inside the Ark simply to protect people from the penalty of death that automatically occurs and results from viewing the Decalogue.

The Ten Commandments more correctly called The Decalogue or The Law that God gave to Moses.

It is extremely enlightening to examine the root of the word Decalogue, which are traced from Greek and the prefix deca means ten. The suffix logue is from the root word logos ,meaning word. Therefore, Decalogue means the Ten Words. The Ark was made at Horeb near Mount Horeb and the name Horeb means “the desert or mountain of the dried-up ground.” Generally, the region is called Horeb and the mountain is called Mount Horeb. The mountain was located in the land of Midian, a portion of present-day Arabia.

Consider the essence of the Decalogue, it is apparent that the Ten Words could be considered the face of the document of The Law. In fact, lawyers frequently refer to the substance or text of their documents by the term face. The Law or Decalogue inscribed into the face of the stone tables automatically brings death without atonement! It is maybe relevant, and certainly not a coincidence, that no one can look upon God’s face and live!

Ex. 33:17

Two other items were also contained within the ark. One was a golden pot/jar containing an omer (24 liters) of manna (Heb. 9:4) as a memorial of God’s provision:

Exod 16:32-33 “ThenMoses said, This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ And Moses said toAaron Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.”

It was also a type Christ who was the living bread which came down from heaven:

John 6:50-51 “This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

The third item which would be added was Aaron’s rod that sprouted buds and blossoms and bore ripe almonds in a single night, authenticating God’s choice of Aaron for the priesthood. (Num 17; Heb. 9:4).

Num 17:7-8 “And Moses placed the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.”

Here is a A Type of Christ

The mercy seat protected man from the judgment of God represented by the judgment angels, the Cherubim. Because of the blood that was sprinkled on the mercy seat, man’s sin and guilt were washed away and the curse of the law has no effect. The mercy seat foreshadows the Messiah.

He is our mercy seat.

He forever stands between a holy God and sinful man. Just as the sins of the whole nation were atoned for by the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat, so also Messiah, by the shedding of His own blood atoned for the sins of the entire world.

1 Jn 2:2; Lk 22:20; Eph 2:13; 1 Pet 1:18-19; Heb 9:11-12, 28; Dan 7:9-10,13,14; Rev 5:1-13; Ps 99:1.

The ark of the Covenant was a picture of Messiah.

The Acacia wood speaks of the indestructible humanity of Jesus. He was 100% man. God Himself became flesh and suffered the agonies of the human experience. He was tempted, He was weary, He thirsted, He had to learn the Scriptures and learn obedience and to hear God’s voice and be led by the Spirit as a man. Not only does the Acacia wood tell us that He was 100% man but the pure gold that over-laid the wood teaches us that He was 100% God.

Jesus said “unless you believe that I AM you will die in your sins.” He used the same words (Heb. Eheyay asher aheyay) as when the Lord spoke to Moses at the burning bush. The Jewish Messiah was none other than Jehovah Himself visiting His people and becoming their savior by dying for the sins of the world and that is the etymology of the name Jesus (Heb. Y’shua ‘Yaweh has become salvation’). Jesus/Yeshua condemned the religious leaders for not recognizing “the day of their visitation.”

The crown of gold around the top of the ark speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus overcame the onslaught of opposition that was set against Him His whole life by the religious leaders, the wealthy Jewish aristocracy, Rome itself, and even all the power of the enemy. He overcame even death itself and rose triumphantly and was given a crown, and glory, and honor, because He is the King. According to John it was Jesus/Yeshua who Isaiah saw seated on the throne of glory with the angels crying ‘holy, holy, holy.’

The unbroken tables of stone set forth Jesus/Yeshua, as the One who perfectly kept the Law and never broke God’s Commandments.

The Bible says that He “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.” Jesus/Yeshua felt the pressure of temptation at its full intensity yet He never sinned. Even the look in His eye and the tone of His voice reflected the very perfections of the holiness of God Himself.

Aaron’s rod that budded also speaks of Jesus. Something that had died and supernaturally came to life again. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

The golden pot of manna speaks of Jesus as the bread of life who came down from heaven to bring food, the Word of God, to a world in darkness and dying of hunger.

It all points to Jesus.

Even the golden poles speak of the ever living and ever present Savior who is with us in all our journeying and will never leave us nor forsake us. If you were to examine the history of the ark there would be striking resemblances to the ministry of Messiah Jesus our Lord:

The ark went before the people – Yeshua/Jesus went before them:

John 10:4 “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

The ark was in the middle of God’s people – Jesus is in His people:

John 14:20 “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”

The people were to follow the ark – We are to follow Jesus:

Luke 5:27-28 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

And to keep on following on, the ark was always first to lead them. It was death to those that were enemies of God. The ark brought blessings and curses.

Isa 53:2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Matt 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

1 Pet 2:22 “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

Jn 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Jn 6:32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

Jn 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jn 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The ark was representative of the real ark in heaven.

The cross is the ultimate and cosmic altar of the ultimate and cosmic sacrifice the Lamb of God however the altar of sacrifice was only one part of the Temple.

The cross, this altar of sacrifice is not the end of salvation but the beginning.

It’s the altar of sacrifice that gives access and the ability to enter through the temple doors, to walk beyond the veil and to stand in the holy of holy’s.

The journey begins up the altar and if this is a eternal/ cosmic altar then it gives us access to begin our eternal journey.

As our high priest, Messiah gives us access to go where we could not go before, and to enter into that which we could not enter previously, enabling us to walk along the WAY, a path that we could not walk before.

As this is a cosmic eternal altar, it gives us power to enter the realm of the holy and to be seated in the heavenly places where we are to dwell in His presence – the realms of glory.

Now today The Presence Within the Holy of Holies Dwells Within the Believer in Jesus: 

Jesus said I am the temple (Mishkan) of God. When the glory (Heb. Sh’chinah) would come down like a tornado or funnel right through the roof of the holy of holies and the Presence would manifest on the mercy seat between the cherubim after the blood was sprinkled, (the mishkan).

That Presence was what Yeshua/Jesus said dwelt within Him.

And in fact Paul said about the church, “Know ye not that you are the temple (Mishkan) of God?” We, as the body of Messiah, have the same Presence dwelling within us. God doesn’t dwell in buildings now but within His people. 

1 Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

The kingdom of the heavens is within you and we are the sanctuary of God’s presence on earth – the holy of holies is within us and as we follow Yeshua/Jesus the Ark of our covenant He promises – I am in you and you are in Me -filled with the shekinah of His Ruach Hakodesh we are carriers of His presence – the lights of the world.

The Tablets of the law are written on our hearts. He is the Manna, the bread of life upon which we feed and live.

Aarons staff is The staff of life it’s the shepherds crook from Ps. 23.

The staff also makes the presence of the Shepherd real to the sheep. The staff, a long stick with a crook in one end (like a walking stick), was used  by shepherds to protect and tend their flock. There was a crook at one end of the rod, and it was with this the shepherd took hold of one of the hind legs of the sheep to pull it back.

Bread is the staff of life means, food is necessary to survive.

That a staff signifies power, is because it is a support; for it supports the hand and arm, and through them the whole body; with which we are to reach the lost sheep looking for the ones to draw them into His fold.

So we are containers of all that is needed to be a disciple we are equipped as an ark of His covenant with us.

Finally, the Ark would serve as the observable sign of Yahweh’s (the Hebrew name of God) presence to the Israelites until it went missing after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. The Israelites believed Yahweh to be their king, and by building it, gave them the ability to transport their monarchy were ever they went.

If Yahweh was their king/god, then He was their commander, which also made the Ark a military weapon.

(What is interesting about this is that the manufacture of not just the Ark but weapons also, took place at Mt Sinai.)

Therefore, the Israelites needed a symbol that they could look to and it put fear into the minds of their enemies.

As to its whereabouts today…There are prophesies and much speculation to that question but one thing is for certain when Father is ready for it to be found there will be an apocalypse! For it will be revealed at the perfect time for now lets be the chosen carriers of His glory every day and allow His light to shine in and through us. His blood will for ever be on the mercy seat declaring covenant fulfilled.

Don’t leave this page without knowing for absolute certain you are an ark. 

An ARON –

a treasure chest of His Presence!

Shalom Blessings for Sukkot!

click link below for more on Sukkot:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/sheltering-presence-god/

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Make certain Jesus 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.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

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

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

THE REVEALING – a conclusion

What is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?

The disciples asked the very same questions 2000+ years ago that we also ask today. His answers are the same today as they were to those disciples;  and given an option, it’s probably not what we would choose to hear either. According to Yeshua/Jesus own words, it is not going to be a pleasant time, as this is the time of Gods’ judgment on the rebellious world system.

These following verses which give Matthew and Luke’s account of the same event would seem to indicate that the words parousia and apokalupsis do refer to the SAME ONE COMING OF CHRIST.

In Matthew 24:37 it says …“But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming [parousia] of the Son of man be.” … And the same account in Luke 17:26, 30 says … “As it was in the days of Noah … Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed [apokalupsis].” This is how we are to find out the TRUTH. We need to compare scripture with scripture.

So why are the two Greek words used?

Parousia means presence, a VISIBLE return. And Apokalupsis means to reveal, a REVEALING OF THE TRUTH.

So to turn these two words into two separate comings would appear to make no sense.

They both describe the ONE event, the physical, visible, loud, fiery second coming of Christ, in which the truth will be REVEALED!!

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.

27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29 “Immediately after the distress of those day the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Yeshua said,

“…when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein.

For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

But when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”

Luke 21:20-28

Here are 2 separate events,

the sign of your coming and of the end of the age,

that we may have not really read but have just believed what someone told us without taking the time to check it out for ourselves. People tell you the truth as they know it, especially when they have believed what they were told. We have no reason to doubt someone’s sincerity, however they can be sincerely wrong and what we choose to believe will never change truth.

Loving Caveat:

This post may challenge long held beliefs, as it has for mmm, however living in ignorance and deception due to exposure to false teaching/doctrines in the past does not serve us well for the future. Knowing TRUTH is the only WAY that leads to LIFE and makes us FREE in HIM.

This is not about proving or disproving doctrine, or being right or wrong, as always its about TRUTH and the fact remains, that the ‘rapture’ in and of itself, is not as important as the TRUTH that, Messiah IS coming back for His Bride.

The attempt to condense this post failed miserably!!! To divide again would cause loss of focus in the content….so grab some coffee, or whatever is your yen, get comfortable, an apocalypse is coming, so enjoy the ride! This is most assuredly a Megamannamoment! Much Shalom from 1gratefulheart!

Most important and critical to all studies and conclusions is…What does the scripture say?

What does Yeshua/Jesus say?

1 The sign of your coming

2 The end of the age

The end of the age has the signs of the days of Noe/Noah and Lot. This look into the days of Noah has its own apocalypse, revealing facts that have been obfuscated and lost in time..

The sign of His coming. vs. 27-31

Days of Noah, days of flesh– Natural pursuits of the consumer flesh body.

Verse 28, days of Lot

Eating

(Consuming resources, all of these things are fleshly desires and indulging the flesh)

Drinking

Buying

Selling

Planting

Building

Until the day Lot came out of Sodom and it rained down fire and brimstone/meteors and killed them all!

Days of Noah, verse 26.

Eating

Drinking

Marrying

Being given in marriage, (much perverse unrestrained

behavior and lasciviousness).

Sinned against the animals and plants.

This one above on closer examination, could include genetic modification and interbreeding because they ‘sinned against the animals and plants’. No different to todays scientific trends.

Often overlooked for one reason or another, giants, the offspring of intermingling/interbreeding between humans and fallen angels! (Yes apparently it did happen! Og, Goliath, his brothers and the ones the spies encountered, (The Fallen Ones, Rephaim, etc.) were very real. Gives new meaning to ‘we were as grasshoppers in their sight’ and would explain the oversize/genetically modified grapes?!

They came from somewhere and there were more than just one or two. It’s simply that no one talks about it much as it’s become too controversial! The past gets buried, (literally,) or secreted away in vaults which are generally inaccessible to the public and over centuries, the various cultures collective memories fade as generations pass away. What was once common knowledge becomes the stuff of legend and no 21st century person is going to believe such ‘nonsense’! This may be quite a shock to the senses, however it is no joke and yes, that is 36ft or 10.97 meters! Too many bones have been documented to dismiss this simply as a hoax.

As always we encourage personal research. The mere fact that Genesis 6 mentions them and in connection with the Days of Noah, the correlation to End Times is enough to spark our curiosity. (If that’s you, type Gensix Giants in your browser for a site with information and one that also believes in Jesus.)

Here are several pictures of artifacts that appear to be genuine however, we know not everything on the internet is to be believed. First one was from 1895 before photographs could be manipulated.

Further information can be found at http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6658-giants

Indulging the flesh.

Opposite of abstinence, until the day Noah entered the box/ark and the floods came and killed everybody.

His days were noted by increased fallen angel activity.

Production of Nephilim offspring.

Transhumanism, i.e. creation of hybrids/clones.

Advanced technology.

Rebellion and hostility toward God.

Corruption of Gods creation, human and animal and plant GMO foods and animals.

Inter-dimentional Portals, breaching the barriers between natural and spiritual realms.

Men thinking of themselves as gods.

Worship of other gods.

E.g. 17 August 2018

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/satanic-temple-sparks-uproar-unveiling-083816170.html?guccounter=1

Satanic temple sparks uproar by unveiling statue of goat-headed, winged creature called Baphomet in Arkansas state capitol of Little Rock. U.S.A.

The days of Noah included the building of the ark and of course the flood itself.

Noah was pure/righteous in his generations meaning his DNA was undefiled. His bloodline was directly from Adam. 100% human DNA.

Some of the signs are not immediately obvious and many of the writings mentioned in the scriptures that shed much light on the end times; were not included in the canon of the Bible. (As determined by a small group of men at the council of Nicea.)

One of these is the book of Enoch.

Enoch was a important person, he is mentioned in Genesis 5:24. Enoch was the 7th from Adam, the son of Jared (Gen. 5:18) and the father of Methuselah (5:21; Luke 3:37). ‘He walked with God and was not for God took him’. So he had a very close relationship with God.

 

A little information about Enochs’ book:

We first learn of Enoch in Genesis 5 but it leaves us with questions. Hebrews 11 has the answers and Jude quotes Enoch! How did Jude come to know the words of Enoch? They are not in the Bible. The answer is The Book of Enoch. A book which is actually quoted not only by Jude, but also James the natural brother of Yeshua/Jesus.  The Book of Enoch chapter 68:1 “And after that my grandfather Enoch gave me all the secrets in the book…

The Book of Enoch; (also 1 Enoch; Ge’ez: መጽሐፈ ሄኖክ mets’iḥāfe hēnoki), is an ancient Jewish religious work, ascribed by tradition to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. The older sections, (mainly in the Book of the Watchers,) of the text are estimated to date from about 300 BC, and the latest part (Book of Parables) probably to the first century BC.

The Book of Enoch is not accepted as part of the Canon of Scripture as used by Jews, apart from the Beta Israel canon; nor by any Christian group, apart from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Eritrean Orthodox Church canon.

It is mentioned in Jude 1: 12-15. quoting Enoch 1:9

The quote is as follows: “In the seventh (generation) from Adam Enoch also prophesied these things, saying: ‘Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners spoke against him’.”

James 4:5 Jesus quoted it and so did the apostles

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Mat 5:5) The elect shall possess light, joy and peace, and they shall inherit the earth. (Enoch 5:7 {6:9}) 

the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the son (John 5:22). the principal part of the judgment was assigned to him, the Son of man. (Enoch 69:27 {68:39}) 

shall inherit everlasting life (Mat. 19:29) those who will inherit eternal life (Enoch 40:9 {40:9}) 

“Wo unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. (Luke 6:24) Woe to you who are rich, for in your riches have you trusted; but from your riches you shall be removed. (Enoch 94:8 {93:7}). 

Ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Mat. 19:28) I will place each of them on a throne of glory (Enoch 108:12 {105:26}) 

Woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born. (Mat. 26:24) Where will the habitation of sinners be . . . who have rejected the Lord of spirits. It would have been better for them, had they never been born. (Enoch 38:2 {38:2}) 

between us and you there is a great gulf fixed. (Luke 16:26) by a chasm . . . [are] their souls are separated (Enoch 22: 9,11{22:10,12}) 

In my Father’s house are many mansions (John 14:2) In that day shall the Elect One sit upon a throne of glory, and shall choose their conditions and countless habitations. (Enoch 45:3 {45:3}) 

that ye may be called the children of light (John 12:36) the good from the generation of light (Enoch 108:11 {105: 25}) 

the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14) all the thirsty drank, and were filled with wisdom, having their habitation with the righteous, the elect, and the holy. (Enoch 48:1 {48:1})

Sep 14, 2016 – In several of the Dead Sea Scrolls there is a complicated network of parallel … papyri showing portions of the Book of Enoch in Greek (P.Mich.inv. … Fragments of these books, Enoch and Jubilees, were also found at Qumran Cave 4: I Enoch in Aramaic,Sep 14, 2016 – In several of the Dead Sea Scrolls there is a complicated network of parallel … papyri showing portions of the Book of Enoch in Greek (P.Mich.inv. …

Doesn’t it seems strange that his book was not included? Reading his descriptions of the things God revealed to him may shed some light on why he was dismissed! Controvertial is a word often associated with Enoch. Makes one want to know why! What did they not want us to read?

For the curious a Free copy can be downloaded as a pdf at this link

The Book of Enoch – Scriptural-Truth.com
or paste the following in your browser
http://scriptural-truth.com/images/BookOfEnoch.pdf

Luke 17:30 it will be according to these things on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Lightning from east to west, clouds, power and great glory, (doxa or shekinah), angels with loud trumpet calls gathering the elect who apparently are still on earth.

It’s Not going to be hard to miss!

There is another option to Daniels 70 weeks suggesting that 69 have already passed and with 1 week left. The thought is that the last week which is indicative of a 7 year period began when Yeshua Messiah was born and further that the half of that ‘week’ was fulfilled by His 3 1/2 years of ministry. The conclusion being that the final 3 1/2 years is the time of Jacobs trouble/tribulation in the last days just prior to His return? An interesting interpretation!

On researching this subject there was no specific reference found in the scriptures pertaining to a literal period called the 7 year tribulation! Like most having been taught and believed in a rapture, it is somewhat disturbing to find the Word of God doesn’t seem to support that belief!

 

Remember when you believed in things like Easter Bunny/Tooth Fairy/Father Christmas.

We are ensnared by half truths and fables, (lies) and make believe, since we were little children. We were told stories that were pure fiction and when we find out they are not true we inevitably go through a process.

Shock – someone we trusted told us something that’s not true

Disbelief – don’t want to acknowledge the 1st and still want the ‘lie’ to be truth, so we may choose to continue to believe it until one day there is undeniable proof.

Anger – why did they do that and now I have to get over the issues

Reality – people don’t know everything and sometimes they lie! so can you trust what people say?

Sense of loss/sadness our bubble has been burst, our sense of reality has changed. Innocence is being diminished a little more.

Disappointment and disillusionment that we believed something that seemed wonderful only to have the illusion taken away.

There are similar feelings that accompany learning and realizing other ‘truths’. Especially spiritual ones!

Some are much more serious than a bunny and old men in red costumes.

However there is nothing worse than finding out something after the fact that is contrary to our strongly held opinions and doctrines and worse someone knew and could have told you.. Wouldn’t we rather know the truth however unpalatable and inconvenient at the time and have to deal with it now, and not when it’s too late? How many millions are going to cry out, ‘Why didn’t you tell me about salvation through Jesus/Yeshua’? Why didn’t you make me listen?

The Truth will make you free and it is the Way that leads to Life.

How can we be prepared if we don’t know what to be prepared for?

Charts showing various sequences of end time events

There is no debate of whether or not a type of rapture (as in Messiah/Jesus is coming for the saints) will occur; the Bible is clear on that question. There are 2 Comings He came the 1st time and He will return which is the second coming.

The catching away does not scripturally fit with a separate rapture, that is, apart from at the second coming!

What if there is not such a thing as the rapture as has been taught?

The Rapture is the belief that faithful Christians will be bodily caught up from the earth, suddenly taken out of the world, avoiding all the bad end time tribulation, to be united with the Lord in the air.  

However, not only did Yeshua/Jesus not mention a rapture, but the word “rapture” as such, does not occur in the Bible. 

What if we are looking for the wrong event?!

It’s all in the timing.

Reading the scriptures carefully gave pause for thought and after confirming some facts, the findings are presented here.

Yes, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus is coming

for the believers who are ready

and looking for His coming.

However, it clearly says in Thessalonians that those who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with Him in the clouds

BUT..it also says..

that our being taken up to be with the Lord will not precede the resurrection of the dead in Christ!

So when is the resurrection of the dead? Whenever that occurs….we are next!

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first. 

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:13–18,

The Greek term meaning “caught up” is harpazo, which means to seize suddenly or snatch. In Latin the word is rapio, which means to seize and carry away; it is from this Latin word that the term “rapture” comes.

The word ‘rapture’ is in the Bible if you have the Latin Vulgate!

Seems like we should be looking for the resurrection of the saints instead!

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 tells us that we shall be changed at the last trump. The LAST, that means there is not another trump after that one!

While it is true, that the word rapture is found no place in our English Bibles, it comes from the Latin word rapturo, (Latin) which means the very same thing as the Greek word harpazo (Greek) in 1Thessalonians 4:17.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Yeshua will Elohiym bring with Him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Father/YHWH, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Father/YHWH shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Father/YHWH himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of Elohiym: and the dead in Messiah shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [harpazo, rapturo] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Father/YHWH in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Father/YHWH.

 

This Greek word harpazo in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 means the following: to seize, to catch away, to pluck, pull, take (by force), and it has the very same meaning as the Latin word rapturo.

It is also the same word in Hebrew for taken in 2 Kings 2:11 which is laqach when Elijah was taken in a chariot of fire:

#3947 laqach law-kakh’ a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of application): —accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, up), use, win.

It is important to point all of this out because there are some that would try to argue that there is no such thing as a rapture/catch away but this is not the case. The issue is timing and that it has a different name. 

As already stated this word does not appear in our English Bibles, the word rapturo (Latin) or harpazo (Greek) or laqach (Hebrew), all mean the very same thing, as when the bridegroom comes and seizes his bride and carries her away into the marriage.

The five wise virgins will be taken into the marriage, while the five foolish virgins will be left out of the marriage, and then the door will be shut.

Interestingly, the Hebrew & Greek meaning for taken means to take into marriage while the Hebrew & Greek meaning for the word left means to divorce or forsake.

Some teach and believe, the ones who are taken is the bride of Messiah into a set-apart place, and then she returns with Him on white horses after a seven-day wedding.

The ones who are left behind are the ones who are going to be eaten by the birds of prey down here on earth on the Day of Wrath! (Revelation 19:21).

Matthew 24: 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

There is no debate among Bible scholars as to whether there will be a catching away/rapture, but much discussion has occurred over when the catching away/rapture will occur.

We must guard against the ‘itchy ears’ and ‘superficially interested’ in doctrine, or the desire for knowledge; just because we are satisfying our curiosity and want to be ‘in the know’! For we are to be doers of the Word and put into practice what we learn or it is not worth anything.

There have been five main theories put forward as to the timing of the rapture and they all surround what is known in prophetic biblical teaching as the “tribulation” period, which is mentioned by Jesus/Yeshua in Matthew 24 and described in great detail in Revelation 4—19.

The five hypotheses are:

First: Post-tribulation – believers are raptured at the end of the tribulation period, when Messiah returns in judgment  (Revelation 19).
Second: Pre-wrath – believers are caught up somewhere between the sixth and seventh seals described in Revelation.
Third: Mid-tribulation – living believers are taken in the middle of the tribulation period.
Fourth: A Partial rapture – only faithful believers are taken to be with Messiah at the beginning of the tribulation, with unfaithful Christians being left to endure it.
Fifth: (and most favored) A Pre-tribulation – believers are caught up to be with Messiah before the tribulation begins.

 

Here are a few brief historical facts

Research reveals that the origin is in fact from an interpretation by John Nelson Darby, considered by many to be the father of dispensationalism, he first proposed and popularized the pre-Tribulation Rapture in 1827-31 and it was further used by Darby and Schofield and then enhanced by the intricate detailed charts by Larkin.

Preached and taught so may times, it became a doctrine and was adopted by various denominations and even inspired movies and books like the left behind series.

This view was accepted among many other Plymouth Brethren movements in England. Darby and other prominent Brethren were part of the Brethren Movement which impacted American Christianity, especially with movements and teachings associated with eschatology and fundamentalism, primarily through their writings.

Influences included the Bible Conference Movement, starting in 1878 with the Niagara Bible Conference. These conferences, which were initially inclusive of historicist and futurist premillennialism, led to an increasing acceptance of futurist premillennial views and the pre-Tribulation Rapture especially among Presbyterian, Baptist and Congregational members.

[32] Popular books also contributed to acceptance of the pre-Tribulation Rapture, including William Eugene Blackstone’s book Jesus is Coming published in 1878[33] and which sold more than 1.3 million copies, and the Scofield Reference Bible, published in 1909 and 1919 and revised in 1967.

The main scripture used is Thessalonians 4: 16-17 where The word rapture is a transliteration of the greek word used and translated as caught up.

The term “caught up” in the verse is where we get the term “rapture.” This is because the Latin Vulgate translated the Greek word “harpazo” into the Latin word “rapiemur.” Both of these words have the idea of a violent snatching away, or capture.

Source(s): Latin Vulgate

If the rapture theory is a true Biblical teaching. Why was it not well known and popularized until the early 20th century?

Amillennialists and premillennialists use First Thessalonians 4:17 to teach that, in the future, Jesus will materially appear in the sky in such a way as to be visible and physically “rapture” the saved from the planet to meet Him in the air, and then to be materially changed and taken to Heaven.

First Thessalonians 4:17: Then [after the dead in Christ rise, v. 16] we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

The phrase caught up comes from the Greek harpazo which means to seize (Strong’s, Thayer’s, Bauer’s, et. al.; cf. Septuagint of Lev. 6:4 & Jug. 21:21 & 23), and Vine’s and Bauer’s specifically says that a suddenness is involved in the term. (A twinkling of an eye [1 Cor. 15:52] kind of suddenness you think.) An examination of harpazo reveals some interesting information:

It’s derived from the Greek term from which we get our word “heresy“—the term hairesis, which Vine’s says refers to ‘a … choice’ (from [the verb] haireomai [meaning] to choose’). Strong’s says that haireomai means “to take for oneself, i.e. to prefer—choose” (cf. Bauer, Mat. 11:12); i.e., so it’s a choice based on one’s preference.

The Greek term harpazo also carries with it the idea of “oneness,” i.e. making those things or … people … which a person prefers and chooses one with himself, implying of course that they are or become one with each other in the process. An illustration of a biblical example from the Septuagint (the Greek version of the OT):

In Job 24:19 harpazo is used of assimilation of water and sinners: As drought and heat consume the snow water, so the grave consumes those who have sinned.

Two of the scriptures focused on are Matt:24:41: Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Again consider that it’s the wicked one that is removed and the believer left, as in days of Noah and Lot!

and

1Thessalonians 5:4: You [the Thessalonians], brethren, are NOT in darkness so that this day should overtake you [the Thessalonian brethren] as a thief.

Who didn’t have an excuse of being overtaken by the day of the Lord? The Thessalonian Christians. Why? Because they not only knew the signs of Matthew 24, they believed in the Lord who spoke them, meaning that they had no reason to let anything bother them.

This is meaning that believers will NOT be in darkness NOR will it come like a thief for us, however it will come as a thief in the night for those unsaved and not ready. If we are in the light and ready we will see Him coming. We will hear the trumpet.

The sequence through the year being an annual rehearsal of the actual events that will all take place fulfilling what each of the 7 festivals/feasts/appointed days represent. The spring feasts have been fulfilled the fall/autumn ones are said to be also when Messiah returns.

They give detail about the first coming including the date on which He would arrive, the manner of His death, on the birth of the ecclesia the called out ones /church/ecclesia.

The rituals/ feasts speak of a natzal (or rapture) and also of a terrible time called the Yamin Noraim. Days of Acharit ha-yamin, the latter days, is the time of the promise of restoration of Israel.

Only when they are in tribulation, b’tzar lekha, as declared in Deut. 4:30-31. This agrees with Yeshua’s words in Matt. 24:21, foretelling of Israel’s coming troubles in the latter days.

Only after they cry out calling for Him to come saying,

blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.

Baruch haba be’shem Adonai.

Maybe that’s what we as believers need to be calling out?

Maranatha come Messiah Yeshua/Jesus in reference to Yeshua. Then they will they be delivered during the 70 birthpangs of the Messiah, otherwise called,

Chevlei Mashiach   חֶבְלֵי מָשִׁיחַ

(חֶבְלֵי הַמָּשִׁיחַ) the “birth pangs of the Messiah” (Sanhedrin 98a; Ketubot, Bereshit Rabbah 42:4)

or the Time of Jacobs Trouble.

This is the time immediately before the coming of the Mashiach. The world will undergo various forms of tribulation and is called Ikvot Meshichecha the Footsteps of the Messiah. A phrase that comes from Psalm 89:51.

It is this great test of faith during the Chevlei Mashiach that frightened Rabbi Yochanan to the point that he said, Let the Messiah come, but may I not see it!?

The years which are viewed as the birth pangs of Mashiach, are said to last for seven years, during which Israel will be refined spiritually in preparation of His arrival.

The 7 years is a combination of 2 periods of time of 1,260 days each.

(Matthew) 24:21: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

We need to read that scripture again!

(We gloss over it and do not fully understand the ramifications it implies, especially if we have believed we are to be ‘raptured out’ of here before any of that happens!)

Now we can see that the word time in the phrase times, time and a half times can actually mean several things. If we take the word, time, (mowed/moed), to mean a literal year, then the phrase means the following:

time = mowed in Hebrew = 1 year

times = two years

half times = six months

hence, times, times, half times = 3.5 years

We see that during this time the two witnesses will have a ministry of 1,260 days (3.5 years)

It makes it hard to continue to believe that we will be taken up to meet Messiah in the air before the Great Tribulation, when Matthew 24:29 makes it abundantly clear that Messiah will gather His elect, (we the believers), immediately AFTER the tribulation?

In order to ascribe to a pre-tribulation catching away of the bride, we would have to believe in two raptures for the righteous, but the Bible says in Revelation 20 that there are only two resurrections for two groups of people:

1.) One for the righteous and this is called the first resurrection.

2.) One for the wicked after the 1,000 years are finished.

In 1Thessalonians 4:16-17 the Apostle Paul/Sha’uwl says: ‘the dead in Messiah shall rise first, then we which remain shall meet them in the air.’

So as soon as we see the Abomination of Desolation, then shall be great tribulation (Matthew 24:15-21). The 2 witnesses will prophesy 1,260 days (3.5 years) and the false Messiah will speak blasphemies for 42 months (3.5 years).

The last half of Daniel’s 70th Week (3.5 years), picks up with the Anti-Messiah setting up ‘The Abomination of Desolation’, in the 3rd Jewish Temple, and this it appears is when the Tribulation period actually begins. (Matthew 24:15-21).

Concurrently, the two witnesses in Revelation 11 will also have a ministry that lasts for 1,260 days (3.5 years).

Jacobs’s Time of Trouble is for a time, times and a half, according to Daniel 12 & Revelation 12. As previously noted, the word time in Hebrew and Greek means one year and so time = 1 year; times = 2 years; half times = 6 months, hence 3.5 years. There is no place in scripture that specifically says that the Tribulation is ‘7’ consecutive years; although 1,260 days x 2 = 3.5 years x 2 = 2,520 days = 7 years!

The word tribulation both in Greek & Hebrew literally means persecution.

When they build the 3rd Jewish Temple, the man of sin, will sit in the temple and demand to be worshiped as God (2Thess. 2:4). Then he will probably become possessed, supposedly by the Messiah Jesus, but it will actually be Satan.

(There is already a strange rumor that they have cloned Jesus from the DNA found in the Shroud of Turin. Which it was thought was the burial cloth of Messiah and has recently been disproven).

Messiah Yeshua is said to make his appearance during the eighth ‘year’.

On the eight day, at the beginning of the eight day [also meaning “year”] the baby is to have its foreskin removed – i.e. the concept of a foreskin which acts as a barrier between man and God. We read in Zachariah(13:2) that God will destroy the spirit of impurity form the earth. This is believed that it will occur during the eighth year.

Some scholars say Yom Kippur is also the same day when Jesus/Yeshua Mashiyach, was circumcised as a baby boy, eight days after Hs birth; and some say it may have been on (our calendar) September 11th in 3 B.C.; which happened to fall on the Feast of Trumpets that year or Yom Teruw’ah. 

Why would the Messiah be circumcised on Yom Kippur? His Blood was sprinkled as an infant because His Blood would later on be the Blood of the Lamb that would be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat for Israel/Yisra’el. Hence, the blood released when His foreskin was removed is like the veil to our hearts that is removed when our hearts are circumcised. (Deuteronomy 10:16, Jeremiah 4:4, Romans 2:28). Interestingly in these aspects, it could be said that He fulfilled all three of the Fall Feasts at His birth, for He was born on Yom Teruw’ah (Feast of Trumpets), circumcised on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and He also dwelled in a sukkah (manger) with His parents during Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)!

(Ps. 19:5, Joel 2:16) the children of wrath who are caught off guard by, the thief in the night, are having bowls of wrath being poured out upon them and they still won’t repent. (Dan. 12:10, 1Thess. 5:2, Rev.16:15).

And then after 1000 years, we will go into the 8th day or the 8th millennium, which parallels to the last day of The Feast of Tabernacles. At the end of the Millennium, this present earth that we know of will pass away. This temporary earth, or shelter, that we dwell on, will be replaced by a New Heaven & a New Earth (Rev. 21:1).

At the end of the Millennium on the Last Great Day will be the white throne judgment seat of Messiah. (Rev. 20:11-15)

In a Hebrew Wedding custom, the bride is given a three-day notice that the groom is on the way. She hears the shouts from a three day’s journey in the distance and she knows that sometime within those three days, he will be there to catch her away. It is said that this could very well be the same period of 3 ½ days where the Two Witnesses will have their dead bodies lying in the streets and then at the sound of the 7th angel (7th trumpet), they are resurrected. (Rev. 11:11-15).

Here is why this feast is prophetically called, The day that no man knows. Not only does the bride not know the precise timing of when the bridegroom will arrive; (although she knows the approximate timing), but the enemy is not made privy to this timing, so that he cannot come and kidnap the bride away!

Another reason why Yom Teruw’ah is called, The day that no man knows, is because it cannot be determined by a fixed time on the calendar. It can only be determined by the first sighting of the new moon by the Two Witnesses. 

Also, in a Hebrew Wedding custom, the bridegroom (not wanting to make known the exact timing of his arrival to the enemy), tells the nosey people who inquire about the wedding date, no man knows the day nor the hour – only my father knows! (Matthew 24:36). This is a Hebrew Idiom for the Feast of Trumpets.

Only the wise will understand that all these trials and pains of the Chevlei Mashiach are part of a consecutive series of events orchestrated by God in which each new birth pang unfolds a notable occurence and is absolutely crucial and brings us that much closer to our desired goal of future redemption. But many will not understand and will not pass the test.

Zion will be comforted when Messiah Yeshua is received by Israel as the rightful king and He will set up His Kingdom for 1000 year reign of true Shalom. For those non Yeshua believing Israelites, it is the first coming of their Messiah.

We need to get the timeline in correct order. The 7 (messianic) festivals, are the biblical appointed times, God commanded the ancient Israelites to observe.

This is the reason why He commands His covenant people to celebrate and observe His seven annual feast days; ‘as a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.’ (Lev. 23:21). He wants His bride to be ready when He returns, therefore, He has given her these seven feasts as “holy convocations” (Lev. 23:8).
The Hebrew word for convocation, literally means a rehearsal. What is the bride rehearsing for?

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, as described in Revelation 19:7.  Without these seven feasts, the bride will not be ready to meet the bridegroom!
This is the reason why the traditional Christian Church does not fully understand prophecy. It is because some are keeping the counterfeit holidays of the Anti-Messiah, such as Christmas, New Years Day in January, Good Friday, Ash Wednesday, Easter Sunday, etc. These counterfeit holidays are patterned after the false Messiahs of the Roman Empire with their Julian & Gregorian calendars and are designed to keep us off course and in the dark concerning the times and seasons of Messiah.

This is why Rev. 18:4 commands followers of Messiah to ‘Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.’

The true bride will not mistake the timing of her bridegroom’s return, because she knows The Times & Seasons (1Thes. 5:1), which are The Appointed Times, Moedim/Mowediym, the seven annual feast days or rehearsals. There are those in the Christian Church who believe that our Messiah’s return is imminent, meaning that it can happen at any time. The justification for believing in His imminent return is a mis-understanding/mis-interpretation of

1Thess. 5:

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of YHWH so comes as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

From Paul’s warning, it says that only those who are in darkness are expecting His return to be like a thief in the night, but the children of light know when to expect His return, because they are already rehearsing His seven annual feast days!
The idea that the ‘Church’ will be taken by surprise without warning into what is commonly called The Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Once we realize that the bride is given clear instructions to observe the seven annual feasts from year-to-year it really has no scriptural foundation. These are the times and the seasons spoken of by Paul in 1Thess. 5:1 which are to help the bride to make herself ready, and to light her path into the marriage supper.

Rev.20:6 …’Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.’

There is no mistaking that there is a time period that is going to be a 1000 years, but when does it start? The popular mainstream teaching is that after the church is raptured, the saints spend 7 years in heaven with Messiah Jesus, while the great tribulation happens on earth. Then after the 7 years, they believe the church comes back to earth with Jesus where He will reign from Israel for a 1000 years.

From the following verse it indicates that the first resurrection may startsthe thousand year millennium.

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

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

So we have the second coming of Messiah in the above scripture, where He sends out His angels to gather the saved. The ‘dead in Christ’ rise first and then those who are Messiah’s and still alive at His coming, they are caught up with those who have been resurrected and they meet Messiah in the air.

A vital point to remember about the second coming of Christ, is that He does not touch the ground when He returns, we meet Him in the air. So this is the first resurrection above, and is it the starting point of the 1000 year millennium?

In Rev. 20:5 it says that ‘the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished’. The rest of the dead are those who are lost (the wicked), that were either killed at the second coming, or were already dead at Christ’s coming.  To support with scripture that the lost living at the second coming, ARE killed, look at the following verses:

Lk. 17:26-30 …’And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all … Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.’

When Messiah returns, the lost will be destroyed. Just like in the flood and the fire judgment of Sodom, ALL the lost were destroyed and only the righteous were left alive. And when does Revelation say the lost are resurrected? AFTER the 1000yrs.

The following verses describing what the earth will be like after the second coming of Christ …

Isa. 13:13 …’Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.’

Isa. 24:1 …‘Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste,

and turneth it upside down,

and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.’

To put it back to where it once was

Jeremiah 4:23-26 …’I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.’

Verse 27 of Jeremiah 4 says that the whole land is desolate, but God will not make a complete end. This matches with the truth that the earth will be ‘made new’, and we will inhabit this ‘earth made new’ after the 1000 years. So God is not going to totally destroy this world. He is going to ‘burn up’ all things in it (2 Peter 3:10) and then renew it (2 Peter 3:13).

Jer. 25:33 …’And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.‘

The wicked are destroyed at Messiah’s second coming. The saints go to heaven with Him.

One interpretation gained from the scripture above, is that the earth will lay desolate for the 1000 years! Is it telling us this is what the earth will be like during the thousand year millennium? If so, it won’t be a happy, peaceful place where Messiah reigns over the nations, it will be desolate, laid waste and empty! Could it imply that to Satan it will be as a “bottomless pit” to which he is bound for the thousand years? Time will show us if that scenario is accurate or not.

However by all accounts it seems l that we should be looking for the resurrection of the saints!

Jesus/Yeshua, was the first fruit resurrection from the dead. Then many people came out of their graves and walked into the city! Was this also a resurrection? If we are still alive at His coming, we will not be ‘resurrected’ but changed/transformed in the twinkling of an eye, at the speed of light!

Paul teaches that Christ will come at some future point in time for those who belong to Him. Those who are the “dead in Christ” will experience their resurrection first and be gifted with glorified bodies when He comes. Those believers in Christ who are alive at that time will then be instantly transformed from their earthly state to their eternal state, and will not experience death. Instead, they will be caught up, to be with all those who have previously gone on, to be with the Lord and be transferred to heaven. Paul speaks about this generation of believers who will not taste death when he says, “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, (die) but we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51).

This is a resurrection, a transforming. We will have to have new bodies because Corruptible cannot go into the presence of a Holy God and must put on immortality/incorruption.

The idea of just living our lives with a, ‘someday being raptured away before anything gets bad,’ may not be the reality, for the years of tribulation include all the events which are listed in Revelation.

Are we spiritually and physically prepared to endure to the end, however long that may be? Partway into the last years? Halfway in? or longer? There is nothing that tells us an absolute, except the resurrection of those who have died in Him. However it does point to His second coming at the end of the tribulation period.

Mathew 24:13 But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.

To endure means “to remain firm in a commitment to be true to the commandments of God despite temptation, opposition, and adversity.”

It would be easy on the flesh and soul to believe we get ‘scooped up’, before any of the events described actually begin. Many 1000’s of our brothers and sisters are however going through horrendous persecution for their testimony of salvation in Yeshua all around the world. Being wrong about the ‘Rapture’, would be fine in this instance, however better to believe the worst and hope for the best and be spiritually prepared for whatever unfolds as time moves forward.

However The Day and Hour is Unknown

36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

As to when the so called rapture will take place, no one knows the exact timing of the event. Messiah confirms this in Luke when He says, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).

Again being prepared and not needing it, is preferable to the shock that we were not ready and be one of those who hearts fail them for fear of what is coming!

That sounds pretty serious!

Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.

Fill those lamps with oil!

We must guard against the ichy ears and being superficially interested in doctrine or the desire for knowledge just because we are satisfying our curiosity and want to ‘be in the know’! For we are to be doers of the Word and put into practice what we learn, or it is not worth anything.

If our doctrine and beliefs are sound and on the firm foundation of the Rock of His Word and we maintain a deep relationship with Him, they will stand the storm of scrutiny.

This is simply to determine if we have some hard times ahead and what to expect and to give us an opportumity to be more prepared than we are today.

Just remember for believers, its NOT the end, it’s a transition into the next part of Fathers plan.

John 14:1-3 …’Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’

 Jesus said “I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I AM there ye may be”. 

Whatever is used to try and deceive prior to Messiah’s return, whether its pseudo aliens who supposedly created us, (which are in reality demons, evil spirits and fallen angels,) we know the devil is behind it.

Looking at the above verses, there will be no mistaking it when He does appear.

So for all believers, the apocalypse the revealing is NOT a one time incident, or some event to fear, but something to look at, as a way of being shown things we did not know before. Information that we can better understand concerning what The Ruach of the Father is trying to tell us. When we receive knowledge, then we are accountable for what we have been told.

It’s often a way of waking up a sleepy group of people and encouraging them to go forward, to grow and mature; and we can in fact live in the intimacy and safety of His Shalom presence, even while we remain here. Just as His chosen ones in the days of Noah and Lot, if we are in Him, we will be taken through the things to come.

We need to be about our father’s business, busy doing His commands and not focused on being scooped out of here avoiding any hard times. Let’s look to the author and finisher of our faith and trust His plan. Nothing is going to take Him by surprise and with Him nothing is impossible.

In a nutshell what we are being told is that,

If you seek to keep your life you will lose it, if you lose it you will preserve it alive.

Loving not our lives unto death but focused on Him just as Stephen did.

Flesh always wants the soft option and inevitably chooses the easy road. We are not of those who shrink back but are those who are to be very courageous.

The righteous are bold as lions (of Judah)

There are multiplied 1000’s of our brothers and sisters around the world who are tortured suffering and dying for their faith every day. If we cannot physically change their situation we can pray for them and in turn God will raise up intercessors for our needs.

Chazown (Revelation) 22:17 

“And the Ruwach ha’Qodesh (Holy Spirit) and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come…”

Be encouraged family we are awaiting the return of our King and He will NOT disappoint us. You are greatly loved!

May His Shalom surround, guard and keep you in Name of Yeshua, the author and finisher of our faith.

PLEASE Don’t leave this page before you make certain Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him because…

the sands of your TIME on earth are running out!

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/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. Amen.