Sapphire And 10 Sayings

At this date in God’s calendar we are over half way in the Omer count to Shavuot – Pentecost –

We normally associate this time with the giving of God’s Spirit by Ruach HaKodesh and the receiving of the Holy /Kadosh power of His presence into individual lives;

first by the disciples waiting in Jerusalem and since then to all believers ‘who so ever will’, ask and receive.

It’s the anniversary of the birth, genesis, the beginning of the called out – ecclesia; and also the anniversary of the Sinai covenant, together with the giving of Torah to Moses on the 2 stone Tablets engraved with the 10 commandments.

The ‘Aseret haDibrot -“Ten Commandments” to us, however, as it is written in the Hebrew scroll, it is not “The Ten Commandments” because The Torah calls it the “aseret ha-d’varim.”

In later rabbinic texts the collection is referred to as Aseret ha-Dibrot, Ten Sayings.

Both mean “ten statements,” or “ten utterances,” or “ten declarations,” but It is never referred to as the Aseret ha-Mitzvot, Ten Commandments.

On the 1st day of the month of Sivan, which was the third new moon since leaving Egypt, the children of Israel camped opposite Mt. Sinai. This was the same location where Moses had received his calling from the Lord with the burning bush.

Moses ascended the mountain and God commanded him to tell the leaders that if they would obey Him and keep His covenant, then they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation unto Him. When Moses/Moshe conveyed this message to the people they agreed and responded saying, all that the Lord has spoken we shall do.

Moses went back up the mountain and was told to inform the people to sanctify themselves prior to the Lord descending on the mountain in three days time. Exactly 7 weeks after the exodus, (49 days); on the 6th of Sivan, which was the morning of the third day.

As the children of Israel waited at the foot of Mount Sinai the Lord descended in billows of smoke and fire accompanied with thunder, lightning and the loud blast of the shofar.

The Lord declared the foundation of moral conduct that He required of the people by giving them the 10 Commandments –

Aseret ha-Dibrot

Literally the 10 sayings, (a translation based on the paleo-Hebrew

and Archaic Hebrew)

The words d’varim and dibrot come from the Hebrew root Dalet-Beit-Reish, meaning: WORD, SPEAK or THING;

thus, the phrase is accurately translated as the Ten Sayings,

the Ten Statements,

the Ten Declarations,

the Ten Words

or even the Ten Things,

but not as the Ten Commandments, which would be Aseret ha-Mitzvot.

עשרת המצוות

Judaism teaches that the first tablet, containing the first five declarations, identifies duties regarding our relationship with G-d,

while the second tablet, containing the last five declarations, identifies duties regarding our relationship with other people.

There is an interesting account in the Jewish writings describing this event and according to this account, Sivan 6 was the morning of a Shabbat and the children of Israel were woken up by the loud thunder, only to see the smoky fire and lightning bolts surrounding Mount Sinai. It is recorded that the sound of the shofar continued to increase in volume until the people were completely terrified.

Moses told the Israelites to draw closer to the mountain and as they did the heavens were ripped open

and the entire mountain was uprooted and suspended in the air!

The dirt and rock of Mount Sinai were transformed into pure crystal, so much so, that the children of Israel were able to look up through the transparent layer. Then suddenly the voice of the Lord called out to the Israelites, ‘either you will accept the Torah or be buried here’. The Israelites cried out again in response:

Kol asher diber Adonai na’aseh.

All that the Lord speaks we shall do.

The Lord then spoke in a single utterance all 10 commandments at once.

The heavens and the earth trembled and rivers reversed their course.

After the people regained their composure, the Lord slowly repeated the list of the Commandments (mishpatim) beginning with the first one: I am the Lord thy God who took you out of Egypt. As the Lord began speaking the second commandment however, the people began falling back in fear that they would die in His presence and begged Moses to be the middleman or mediator before God.

So the people stood far off and Moses came alone into the thick darkness where God was.

Here is an opportunity for us to show how grateful we are that the Lord has provided us with a greater mediator than Moses to enter into the darkness where God is.

Jesus the Messiah/Yeshua the Mashiach is our high priest of the better renewed-covenant based on better promises. Hebrews 8:6. By means of His sacrificial work, we can now draw near to God without fearing His wrath. The third day of Moses at Mount Sinai meant death and fear for ancient Israel; but the third day of Yeshua at Moriah means life and love for all of Israel and all grafted in believers forevermore.

Moses, Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu together with 70 of the elders of Israel, 74 in total, ascended Mount Sinai to eat a meal with the Lord to confirm the covenant.

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under his feet … a paved work of……[a] sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel he did not lay his hand. So they saw God, and they ate and [they] drank. Exodus 24:9

It is the same as our traditions today, after a wedding we eat a meal. From the ancient practice that after a covenant is sealed, you have a meal. Jesus/Yeshua sealed the re-new ed covenant in the upper room in the New Testament at the last seder/supper.

Here the elders experienced the magnificent glory of the God of Israel.

Under whose feet was a PAVEMENT of SAPPHIRES like the very heaven for clearness.

Ex. 24:9.10; Deut. 4:12; Ex. 33:20-23; Ez. 28:14.

 Other scripture that mention the sapphire stones and stones of fire:

Ezekiel 28:14-16 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC). 14 You were the anointed cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you so. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire

Mexican Fire Agates

[like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai].

 

The first foundation of the New Jerusalem is an emerald green crystalline hue, like jasper, with the Throne of God and the Almighty sitting upon it within its midst. The second foundation is the brilliant blue of sapphire, the same as the foundation below the throne of God, seen as the sea of glass, clear as crystal.

Sapphire refers to God’s chariot throne (Eze.1:26-28; 10:1). Without the refining work of the All-Consuming Fire (Job 23:10; Heb. 12:29) who sits on the sapphire throne; being a reality in believers’ lives, there is no throne room (intimate face-to-face) relationship like Moses had. This is where the fruit of perpetual righteousness, holiness – (set apartness), and truth is.

King James Version (KJV) … and as it were the body of heaven in his … that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire ..

Would there be any lasting, eternal ministry without the sapphire throne? The place under the feet of the God of Israel appeared to be paved with sapphire stone when heaven made contact with the earth. (Ex. 24:10). 

The figure upon this throne was the likeness of the glory of YHWH (Ezek. 1:28). Like the appearance of God to the elders of Israel, this too was God in the person of the Son. These two accounts of God appearing are of such a similarity that it is reasonable to conclude that the sapphire foundation and the sapphire throne are the same.

He saw Messiahs’ Throne as sapphire (blue). The firmament is a crystal floor extending out from Messiahs’ Throne that goes out into the vast Sea. It is the same color as the Fathers’ Throne.  Rev. 4:6; 15:2

Ezekiel 10:1, 20 was seeing the very same throne where Yeshua/Jesus is enthroned as the Lamb of God; which John saw concerning the end of the world.  The same scene is recorded in Revelation 4:6-9

It was after returning from the mountain with the elders that the Lord commanded Moses to go back up to receive the tablets of stone,

luchot ha’even,

inscribed with the 10 Commandments as well as other additional instruction and commandments of Torah which Moses had to learn plus the instructions for building the mishkan/tabernacle in which the presence of God would dwell in the ark along with the luchot.

   (Mitzvoth מצוות)

These were written by God Himself.

Ex 24: 12-18 verse 12 which I have written

KJV: and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone,

HEB: לְךָ֜ אֶת־ לֻחֹ֣ת הָאֶ֗בֶן וְהַתּוֹרָה֙

Tablets in Hebrew – LuChot – Strongs 3871 luach לוּח (loo’-akh) – a tablet, board or plank, a plate.

Or luach {loo’-akh}; from a primitive root; probably meaning:

TO GLISTEN;

a tablet (as polished), of stone,

wood or metal — board, plate, table.

 In traditional Jewish sources, the size and shape of the Luchot are derived in the Talmud based on the dimensions of the Ark.

   – written by the finger of God. Ex 31:18

The words were written in a new and very unique texts, we might call it heavenly texts, by the fingers of the Almighty. The letters were in use for some time until they were changed and later replaced by the present Hebrew texts, although the names of the letters remained.

The image below are the ten commandments in Exodus in the present Hebrew texts equally divided in two tablets.

 

Again according to ancient Hebrew Jewish texts, the tablets of stone were made of blue sapphire as a symbol of the heavens and God’s throne and written by the finger of God.

The Hebrew letters were said to be bored fully through the stone; (Ex 32:15) Which was a miracle since the inner part of some of the Hebrew letters e.g. the letter Samekh and the final Mem, floated in place.

Even more remarkable was that even though the letters were bored fully through the stone, both sides appeared normal, meaning, that the back of the tablet looked exactly the same as the front. (Shabbos 104a)

These were the tablets that were destroyed as Moses came down the mountain to find them worshiping the golden calf.

Later Moses was told to prepare a new set of tablets and once again go up the mountain where God would graciously reinstate His covenant with the children of Israel. He was followed by Joshua who remained at the base of the mountain; Moses re-ascended the mountain of God, which was still covered by a shining cloud of fire.

The ancient texts note these events: on the 6th Sivan Moses went up onto the mountain. On the 17th of Tammuz the tablets were broken, this was the first 40 days he was on the mountain.

On the 18th Moses burned the golden calf and judged those who were involved.

On the 19th he went up for 40 days and pleaded for mercy this was the 2nd 40 days.

On the 1st of Elul, He went up to receive the 2nd set of tablets and was there for 40 days. This was the 3rd forty days.

On the 10th of Tishri, God wholeheartedly restored His goodwill with the children of Israel and told Moses, I have forgiven as you asked and gave him the second tablets.

Understanding the timing of these events as explained in their tradition.

Festival of Pentecost celebrated as the giving of Torah

The 17th of Tammuz is observed as a time of national tragedy.

The month of Elul is a time of appeals for forgiveness, called selichot.

The 10th of Tishri marks the day of Atonement.

Some thoughts on this amazing scene:

Did the 70 elders see the sapphire throne of the place of His presence? Probably, as they were standing on it.

Where did the Luchot come from?

Did God cut them from the sapphire of His throne?

Exodus 24:12

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and [the] commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

The literal rendering in the Hebrew reads:

…I will give you tablets of THE STONE…

that’s the definite article. 

What stone is this referring to? The only other stone, that’s mentioned, is in verse 10 being the sapphire stone that His throne (the place of His presence) is made of. It sounds probable that the Ten Commandments were carved out of that blue sapphire stone that makes up God’s standing platform and throne. And in Exodus 32:16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on tablets. not only did God write it — God made those tablets.

Worth a mention here is Numbers 15: 37-39 “Speak to the children of Israel: [and] tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a BLUE thread in the tassels of the corners… And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them… that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy for [I am] your God. I am the Lord … God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt…

Why would BLUE in the tassels/zitzit of the prayer shawl/tallit, remind them of the commandments?

Could it be because the commandments were written on … BLUE… sapphire … stone?

https://www.minimannamoments.com/mysterious-secret-of-the-hilazon/

Also in Ex.28:31 “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.” For Aaron and his sons to wear as the priests.

Taken from the official historical document, Legends of the Jews, Volume 3 by Louis Ginzberg, page 118 and 119 “Moses departed from the heavens with the two tables on which the Ten Commandments were engraved and they were made of a sapphire-like stone.” “Ancient Jewish scholars state that the sapphire employed for the tables was taken from the throne of Glory.

The law was placed in the ark.

The ark is a symbol of the throne of God.

And between those two angels was the mercy seat.

Above the mercy seat the Shechinah Glory — which represented the very presence of God Himself, so here, in the most holy place of the sanctuary is the mercy seat, the throne, and what’s under the throne? …the tablets of stone made out of blue sapphire cut from the very throne of God!

…to be continued..

Shalom shalom!

Please don’t leave this site without knowing you are saved and assured that you belong to Him; with a deep conviction that you know where you will go, when your body can no longer sustain you in this realm. 

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

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship not Religion.

NOT SURE?

Then simply 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 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.

13 For Supper and Only 4 Cups?

Arba’ah Kosot

אַרְבַּע כּוֹסוֹת 

Four Cups of Wine

at their

Pesach (Passover) Seder.

סדר ‎‎פסח

Arba’ah (Arba) Kosot —

Hebrew for ‘four cups.’

In this case, it refers to the four cups of wine drunk at the Passover/Pesach Seder.

Passover is the name of the celebration of the release of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage.

It is celebrated with a feast called Seder, the evening meal that teaches of God’s miraculous deliverance described in Exodus.

Jesus/Yeshua and His 12 Disciples and every author of the New Testament celebrated Passover/Pesach.

In the year 196 A.D. the celebration of Passover was replaced with the worship of Ishtar, the Babylonian fertility goddess. The name Ishtar was written in Greek as Istar, due to the fact that there is no ‘sh’, sound in the Greek language. Because the Greek and Latin letters for I, are pronounced EE, Istar became Easter, when spelled with English letters. The celebration of Ishtar brought with it eggs and rabbits– symbols of fertility and reproduction. This was done by the then church leaders, to separate ‘christianity’ from the Hebrew/Jewish roots of our faith and belief in Messiah, to make it easier for heathens to become Christians by letting them retain some of the pagan customs.

Seder is the name of the Passover/Pesach meal.

This meal may be called a feast but it really is a modest meal.

In modern times frequently featuring lamb/roast chicken and although ample, never the over eating many associate with celebration dinners.

The Seder meal, which included ‘the communion’ even prior to Jesus/Yeshua’s death, was observed in every home and in extended families since the Exodus.

The four cups of wine, known in Hebrew as, arba kosot, are drunk by each participant at the Passover Seder meal.

(סדר ‎‎פסח – Pesach Seder)

Seder means, order, and is a reminder of the Passover meal eaten by the Hebrew people before they were delivered from bondage as Egyptian slaves.

The Passover was the reference to the final plague of the angel of death who had to PASS OVER the homes of the Israelites that had applied the Blood of the sacrificial lamb on their doorposts.

The word SEDER is the same root from which we derive the word ‘siddur’, (prayer book). 

The text of the Passover Seder is written in a book called the Haggadah, which means, tellingהַגָּדָה.

A retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Passover.

This begins with the youngest person in the gathering, asking The Four Questions, a set of questions about the proceedings designed to encourage participation in the Seder.

The Four Questions are also known as 

Mah Nishtanah נשתנה מה  

(Pronounced MAHN-isht-ahn-ah.)

This Hebrew saying originated in a religious context: it’s the beginning of first of the four questions asked during Passover, which asks “How is this night different from all other nights?”

The questions are included in the haggadah as part of the maggid which is designed to satisfy the needs of four different types of people:

the wise son, who wants to know the technical details;

the wicked son, who excludes himself (and learns the penalty for doing so);

the simple son, who needs to know the basics;

and the son who is unable to ask, the one who doesn’t even know enough to know what he needs to know.

At the end of the maggid, a blessing is recited over the second cup of wine and it is drunk.

Maggid: מגיד (a term used to describe two distinct concepts); The Story. 

The Passover became communion when Jesus/Yeshua, instituted it at His last Pesach Seder, His ‘last supper.’ Making it the remembrance of Him being THE Pesach Lamb (of God) and fulfilling perfectly the meaning of the Passover sacrifice. So communion came out of the SEDER and is still part of every Sabbath meal for an orthodox Jewish home as well as service in the synagogue. In ‘taking communion,’ we are reaffirming our covenant with God, each saying ‘everything I have is yours.’

The Seder that the disciples were to prepare for was to begin after sundown on Nissan 14 which was the Thursday night, ie at sundown at the start of the 6th day of the week, and eaten that same night. Ex. 12:6.

Remember the Hebrew day follows God’s original order in Genesis 1:5..

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Each day begins at sundown.

 

John’s text referred to the Seder in 18:28 and 19:14; this was not just any supper it was the Passover Seder Pesach meal פֶּסַח (Pesah, Pesakh pronounced pay-sak).

Every year it served as a reminder to the Israelites that they ate Passover with the blood of the lamb on the door posts then eaten in Egypt at the deliverance of the chosen people from their bondage as slaves and also as a rehearsal of their future coming Messiah.

This is what Jesus/Yeshua was literally about to do, in fulfilling the prophecies concerning Messiah, Son of Joseph, (משיח בן־יוסף‎‎, Mashiach ben Yoseph), being, the suffering servant.

He was about to break the bondage of the god of this world and set the people free by the sacrificial shedding of His own Blood.

It may or may not be clear to all that read, that the meal was and is very significant. Within the ‘order’ of how it was eaten, was hidden the secrets of our freedom.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

CUP 1

To start the Seder, a cup of wine was raised and a blessing recited to sanctify the table. This was so it can serve as an altar for the evening’s service, (of remembrance.)

This is the first cup and is called the Kiddush.

A silver Kiddush cup.

The Kiddush – from Kadesh, קדש,‎‎ means the sanctification and is recorded in Luke 22:17.

The first cup is mixed with water and wine. After the mixing occurred, (in a family setting,) the father begins with the formal blessing over the cup. The blessing over the meal is referred to in Luke 22:19 when Jesus/Yeshua raised the bread.

Each blessing He said started with ‘Blessed are you Lord our God King of the universe.”

The blessing over the bread continued with “who brings forth bread from the earth.” Bread in this context means everything we need.

After the blessing, the food is then brought out, which includes unleavened bread, bitter herbs, a bowl of sauce, and the roasted lamb.

This is known as the body in traditional Jewish sources the actual meal had not yet started. Before eating the exodus story is told.

These four cups are named using an excerpt from Exodus 6:

Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Exodus 6:6-7

The main theme of Cup 1 is

I will bring you out

from under the burdens of the Egyptians. This is the promise to remove the children of Israel from their bondage of heavy labor.

Luke 22:17 refers to the cup Jesus/Yeshua drank and He said the blessing in Hebrew /Aramaic as He gave thanks.

A second cup of wine is also drunk during the meal.

Already there is a difference to our traditional communion service, for we only ever have one cup or drink one sip from a communal chalice.

CUP 2

The Cup of Proclamation – the Haggadah cup – also called the cup of Deliverance or Judgment, (from the plagues.)

The second cup would be mixed, but not drunk. The father would “proclaim” what the Lord did for Israel in Egypt. It is at this point the son asks the question – why is this night different from other nights? The son’s question is connected to the drinking of the second cup.

The father would then answer by quoting a specific section from the Scriptures Deuteronomy 26:5-11.

5 “And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
26:5. A Syrian was my father…That is, Jacob; for though born in Canaan, he was a Syrian by descent, his mother Rebecca, and his grandfather Abraham, being both of Chaldea or Mesopotamia, which in Scripture is comprehended under the name of Syria.

This exchange between the father and the son displays how the Passover meal looks back to the exodus and redemption the Israelites received by God in Egypt.

The father then explains the parts of the meal – unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and the lamb. Explaining the significance of the meal was essentially the center of this part of the meal.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

To express their thanksgiving to God, the family would then sing the Hallel, ‘praise’; Psalms 113 and 114.

The Hallel is where our word ‘hallelujah’ comes from.

The main theme of Cup 2 is .. and I will rescue/deliver you from their bondage; as it tells of the exit from Egypt and from the slavery.

Some translations say ‘I shall save’, but deliverance is the primary meaning of the Hebrew.

For believers, this is an interesting parallel that should be in the walk of each disciple. As each receives the promise to be taken out of bondage and receives salvation by faith, the next step should be deliverance from all bondage.

Very few churches come through with deliverance and it has resulted with many churches full of ‘walking wounded’. In Jesus/Yeshua’s ministry it was recorded that at least one third of His time was spent in ministering deliverance, it goes hand in hand with healing and wholeness. This cup is a much needed one and little employed or ‘drunk’ today.

This cup is drunk during the meal and represents our walk with Him while proclaiming the freedom He bought for us. The blessing over the meal is what Jesus/Yeshua would have said in Luke. 22:19. Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the universe Who is bringing forth bread from the earth.

However this is not the end because there is a third cup which is taken after the meal and this is the one that Jesus/Yeshua lifted up as recorded in Luke 22:20.

CUP 3

The Cup of Blessing (for the food, i.e. the Passover sacrifice)

Called the Berakah cup – Cup of Redemption

The third cup would be mixed and this is where the supper officially begins. The family would finally eat the lamb and the unleavened bread. As customs change over time, it’s hard to be certain exactly how this actually was staged, however there was a blessing over the bread, and a serving of a small morsel of bread, and at the end the main course was eaten. Once the meal was completed, the father recited another blessing over the third cup and it was consumed.

The main theme of CUP 3 is I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Yeshua is the prophetic arm of the Lord the זרוע – Z’roah – strong arm – a roasted shank bone.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

Redemption came to Israel when they passed through the ‘Reed sea’.

The only redeemer in Hebrew is the kinsman redeemer (more on Ruth & Boaz link below) the one who pays the price to redeem his kin.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/50-days-later-an-earthly-and-spiritual-harvest-pentecost-shavuot/

The children of Israel and their descendants are His kin, His family and we are grafted into spiritual Israel.

This is the cup Jesus/Yeshua drank in verse 20 when He said that this was the renewed covenant in His Blood – this is the Cup of Redemption and He made it very personal and real as He was literally about to fulfill the prophetic type.

Each time we are ‘taking communion,’ we are renewing our covenant with the King of the universe.

The third cup of wine is poured, and grace after meals is recited. This is similar to the grace that would be said on any Sabbath. At the end, a blessing is said over the third cup and it is drunk.

The fourth cup is poured, including a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah, who is supposed to herald the Messiah, and is supposed to come on Passover to do this. The door is opened for a while at this point (supposedly for Elijah.)

The Seder closes with the fourth cup which is called the cup of Elijah, coming to announce the arrival of Messiah. This cup is not drunk.

A mini Seder is held every Sabbath in Jewish homes.

CUP 4

The Cup of Praise (the hallel cup) –

The remainder of the Hallel Psalms (115-118) would be sung. Psalms 115-118 are known as the Great Hallel. These psalms may not mean much to us today, however it is important to learn their significance, they were well known to Jesus/Yeshua and His Apostles/Disciples for the simple reason they would sing them every year for the Pesach/Passover.

The Hallel Psalms were like a script for the one offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 116). After Psalm 118 was sung, the meal was finished.

It is very pertinent to note that Jesus/Yeshua would have seen His own imminent fate prophetically declared in the Psalms. When He said, He had desired to eat this Passover with them He was saying in effect “My whole life I have eaten the annual Pesach Seder waiting for this specific year and now My life will fulfill the prophetic events in real time.”

The main theme of Cup 4 is: and I will take you to myself for a people and I will bring to you and you will know that I AM the lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

This represents the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land. (Here where God said He would go before them His angel… was it the pre-incarnate Messiah who went before them? In the same Way as He does for us today, as we cross our Jordan and enter into the Promised Land, where He leads and guides us until we complete our walk through this life.)

Spiritually, the fourth cup represents crossing into eternal life. As it is called the cup of Elijah which is poured but not drunk. It can only be drunk after Elijah comes heralding the return of Messiah and the beginning of the Messianic reign. (Some rabbis have taught that there are 5 cups by inserting one after the 3rd cup but before the cup of Elijah.) Traditionally the cup of Elijah announces the Messianic reign but we have not yet had the Messianic reign bringing peace-shalom, to all mankind. So we cannot yet drink the cup of Elijah.

Other pertinent facts about the 4 or is it 5 cups?

The four cups symbolize the Israelites freedom from the four exiles: The Egyptian, Babylonian, and Greek exiles, and the current exile which they hope to be rid of very soon with the coming of Moshiach. The words “cup of wine” are mentioned four times in Pharaoh’s butler ‘s dream (Genesis 40:11 -13).

Other Possible Reasons: There are 4 Cups of Wine at Passover. One view suggests that each cup of wine represents one of the matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. Therefore the Cup of Elijah is the fifth cup that appears at the seder?

Other examples of the special symbolic significance of the number four in the Haggadah are the Four Questions (“Mah Nishtannah”.) Four Sons, and the four types of food at the seder meal: unleavened bread (matzah), lamb, bitter herbs, and ḥaroset.

The four cups of wine should be drunk in a reclined position, as in Roman times reclining was a sign of freedom.  They did not sit up to a table on chairs as many artists have portrayed the setting.

In examining the Passover Seder, here’s some questions to ponder as we dig a little deeper– Did Yeshua/Jesus, finish the meal and how many cups did they drink?

Some possible answers…Firstly, Yeshua /Jesus vowed not to drink of ‘fruit of the vine’ until the coming of the kingdom of God, so was He speaking of the fourth cup?

 (Luke 22:18). This announced the fourth cup, the cup of praise for the coming of God’s Kingdom and His return as Messiah the King (בן־דוד משיח, Mashiach ben David).

Second, after the third cup, Yeshua /Jesus and Apostles/Disciples ‘sing a hymn” (Hallel, Psalms sung glorifying God and blessing Israel. Included in these songs are The Hallel Psalms (113-118) which were usually sung both at the end of the meal (Mat. 26:30, Mark 14:26) and during the offering of the Pesach sacrifice) and then they ‘went out,’ however nothing else was drank…. In both Matthew and Marks Gospels they speak of where Yeshua/Jesus makes reference to the fourth cup, but refuses to drink it. Did they leave before the meal was finished?

In Matthew 26:36-46 we are told Yeshua/Jesus and His Apostles/Disciples make their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here we read that Yeshua/Jesus prays three times for the cup that He must drink.

He said: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Luke 22:42

Consider this scripture Luke’s narrative of Jesus/Yeshua’s celebration of Pesach right before His death, it becomes apparent that he understood this tradition:

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying,This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. Luke 22:7,14-20

Jesus/Yeshua begins the celebration with the cup of blessing (Luke 22:17). The next cup in this text is the third cup, the cup of redemption or blessing after the meal.

So where is the second cup, the cup of plagues? And where is the fourth cup, the cup of praise?

With His first cup, Jesus/Yeshua started the meal (Luke 22:17).

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 1 Cor. 10:16

Jesus/Yeshua spoke of the second cup, the cup of judgment, shortly after the celebration with His disciples. This is the cup He drank on the cross.

The Scriptures mention three “cups” that Jesus faced in connection with His death on the cross. He confronted the cup of God’s wrath in stark reality in the Garden of Gethsemane.

As He looked closely at its contents, He prayed: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Luke 22:42

When Jesus arose from His final period of prayer in this garden, He was committed to drinking this cup completely. This is the judgment that we deserved, the plague He took by dying for us:

The second cup that Jesus confronted was the cup of sedation, a cup that would have a numbing effect upon Him, depriving Him of clarity of mind.

Jewish tradition says that kindhearted women in Jerusalem customarily provided wine mixed with myrrh or another deadening property for condemned prisoners to drink just before they were executed.

Matthew records that as Jesus went to the cross, “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink” (Matthew 27:34). Mark described the drink as wine mingled with myrrh (Mark 15:23). The drink offered to Jesus was a cheap Roman vinegar wine, which had a drug mixed in to dull the senses.

Is this cup, (or chalice in some translations), the fourth cup, the final cup of the Passover meal?

Between the giving of His body at the Passover/Pesach Seder as the sacrifice and declaring one of the cups as His own Blood, Yeshua/Jesus classifies His body as the New Passover, (Re-newed Covenant).

Once the meal is over, His blood will be literally poured out, and Yeshua/Jesus will be dead within the day as the sacrificial Lamb.

Did He finish the meal in the Upper Room or finish it with His death on the cross? Is this another reason for Him saying, ‘It is finished’?

The other cup in relation to Yeshua/Jesus’ death on the cross is also known as the Cup of Consummation.

However when we look at the final moments of His life on the cross, we notice the reference to “the fruit of the vine.”

Toward the end of His torturous six hours on the cross, Yeshua/Jesus called for another cup, a cup of refreshment. According to John, He said, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28).

The soldiers had a jar of sour wine available for their use. A kind hand took some of the wine, put it on a sponge, and lifted it to His lips.

Jesus “received the sour wine” (John 19:30).

This was the only personal request that Jesus made from the cross, and it was granted by some nameless person beneath the cross who heard His appeal for a sip of something to quench His thirst.

Of the second of these three cups, the one Jesus rejected, Matthew said, “They gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink” (Matthew 27:34). Mark wrote, “They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it” (Mark 15:23). The “gall” mentioned by Matthew must be a figurative term for “bitterness,” while the “myrrh” mentioned by Mark names the specific substance that produced the bitter taste. The myrrh could act as a narcotic, providing some numbness to His mind and body. When Jesus realized what He was being offered, He refused to drink it.

However, in Mark 15:23, does He drink, since the wine is filled myrrh, which would have dulled his sufferings?

Matthew 27:48 states, “a sponge…filled it with vinegar” is lifted up for Him to drink. The most interesting reference comes from John 19:28, which states that Jesus/Yeshua requests a drink and says, “I thirst.” Did He drink of the vinegar given to Him?

It would seem to indicate that He literally drank this cup while hanging on the cross:

During His last hour on the cross, Jesus asked for a drink with the words “I am thirsty.” John said that He made such a request in order to fulfill an Old Testament prophecy (John 19:28). He was no doubt referring to Psalm 69:21b ‘And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.’ The writer of this psalm was describing an awful trial that he was going through, but the Holy Spirit guided his words for a much higher purpose, using them to picture one aspect of Jesus sufferings on the cross.

For then in John 19:30, Yeshua/Jesus says, “It is finished.” When Messiah speaks these words, is He referencing the meal started at the Passover/Pesach Seder and not referring to His life or ministry? Was it there on the cross that Messiah finishes the Pesach/Passover meal, and drank the fourth cup?

Ex 6:6,7; set the pattern for the Seder, each cup representing a promise in those verses. These are referred to as the four expressions of Redemption

1 Cup of Sanctification (Kiddush: Thanksgiving to the Lord for ‘the fruit of the vine’)

2 Cup of Wrath (Maggid: After reciting the ten plagues; wine is also sprinkled on the table)

3 Cup of Blessing (Birkat Hamazon: After The main meal is consumed; the cup that over-flows)

4 Cup of Praise (Hillel: After the reciting of the last Hallel hymns, the end of the Passover)

The Scriptures likens the cup to our life, with all the sorrows and joys we experience and guides us to “drink to the bottom,” fulfilling the mission God has called us to. The cup of rejection and opposition, betrayal and regret. Like vinegar and gall, pungent and tart, making you wince and recoil. But not only that – for the cup is deceptively deep – there are hopes and joys in there, too. 

Matt 20:22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” Berean Study Bible “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered. Berean Literal Bible And Jesus answering, said, “You do not know what you ask for.

‘You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?’

If He were to ask us ‘Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?’ what would be our answer?

One final mysterious question for thought…. Luke 22:17-19 states And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you verse 20.
17 And having taken a cup, having given thanks, he said, `Take this and divide to yourselves, 18 for I say to you that I may not drink of the produce of the vine till the reign of God may come.’ 19 And having taken bread, having given thanks, he brake and gave to them, saying, `This is my body, that for you is being given, this do ye — to remembrance of me.’
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
17 And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He said, Take this and divide and distribute it among yourselves; 18 For I say to you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine at all until the kingdom of God comes.  Amp.

Does this indicate that He took just one of the 4 cups (which one of the cups?) and then told them to divide His portion from His cup!

Very significant… and how did one small cup divide between 12 other men’s cups? Unless, like the loaves and fishes, as they began to divide and distribute it, the wine (symbolic of His poured out Blood,) multiplied, as He had already ‘given thanks‘, just as He had for the feeding of the multitude.

Was there a miracle implied by this verse? That His cup would yield a miraculously never ending supply in His atoning blood, for all that would celebrate Passover with Him?… Just a thought!

My cup is poured out for you is My blood. Jesus/Yeshua’s blood/wine/water mix, was poured out into 12 cups, v.17; if there had been no cups it could not have been poured out. The water and the blood, it is also significant of that which was released from His body, by the soldiers spear piercing His side.

The Lamb died wearing a crown…

it ended in VICTORY and a perfect place to sing the Hallel-ujah!

Yeshua/Jesus, was the Lamb of God, fit for the Passover/Pesach sacrifice, because John, as a son of Zechariah the High Priest, (Luke 1:3), was legally allowed to declare lambs pure for a Pesach sacrifice.

‘Taking Communion’ came out of this celebration of Passover remembrance and when we take the bread and wine, remember these 4 cups combined into the cup we drink and all the Lord has done for us.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/scripture-based-prayers/taking-the-bread-and-the-wine/

Shalom, Shalom to all Mishpachah – family.

Please don’t leave this page until you have the assurance that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.
Not sure ..you can be…
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

Secrets Of A Life Filled With Feasts

Are we living life to the full?

A moedim-chaim?

There are several scriptures where the length of our life appears to be given a specific number of years. One is in Psalms 90:10. The days of our years are three score years and ten, which equals 70 and we often this use as an indicator of human lifespan. The other sometimes referred to is in Genesis 6:3.

Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” (Berean Study Bible) So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”

Notice this verse does not explicitly teach that mankind’s lifespan was limited to 120 years, however what are we to do with what we are allotted?

Interestingly the 120 year timeline was given 120 years prior to the flood, so maybe it was referring to the fact that humanity as a whole only had another 120 years to live before the flood came and not to the length of years that an individual could live?

Whether this is correct or not, our lives do have structure when we are His own, as believers in Messiah.

Is there is a pattern for His Ecclesia in His Moedim? (Annual appointed times for every year?)

In the cycle of life, they are not only for seasons and times of harvest in the agricultural year but they are also for remembrance and rehearsal…

They are also for indicating the promise of future prophetic fulfillment. Do the Moedim/ 7 feasts/appointed times; also have a practical application to our individual lives?

Pronounced moe-eh-DEEM – מועדים

Strong’s Hebrew: 4150. מוֹעֵד moed or Mow’ed: Appointed time, place.

There are many 7’s in the Scriptures.The KJV mentions the word 391 times.

The Gospel of Luke lists 77 generations from Adam to Jesus/Yeshua.

Important Note: the reference to words and their equivalent numbers in posts, is due to every letter in the Hebrew alphabet having a numerical value assigned to it, similar to Greek etc. (See charts below.)

(The first mobile cell phones used this same principle for texting).
MMM is NOT recommending occult based numerology and/or the use of numbers as in Horoscopes/dark arts, or connected to the magic and mysticism of Jewish Kabbalah.)
The definition of Gematria / ɡ ə ˈ m eɪ t r i ə / (Hebrew: גמטריא or גימטריה , plural גמטראות or גמטריאות , gematriot) is one of several methods of assigning a numerical value to a Hebrew name, word or phrase based on its letters.
Gematria is a type of numerological study that may be defined as one of more systems for calculating the numerical equivalence of letters, words, and phrases in a particular Hebrew text and to finding hidden meanings in the numerical values of words.

Gematria works on the premise that the letters of the alphabet can also be used as numbers, and therefore words and phrases acquire distinctive numerical values.
A well known example is that of Revelation 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of that beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six [666].

Proverbs has seven pillars of wisdom that are in the building of the house of the Lord which can now be applied to our physical bodies, as we are containers of His spirit – ruach, instead of the temple sanctuary of a literal stone building.

Torah – is the wisdom of God – understanding our life with wisdom – we are to get understanding – wisdom is for spiritual life.

The Ark of the Covenant

It was the heart of Gods’ shekinah presence.

 (Hebrew: אָרוֹן הַבְּרִית, Modern: Arōn Ha’brēt, Tiberian: ʾĀrôn Habbərîṯ),
also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a gold-covered wooden chest with lid cover described in the Book of Exodus as containing the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. The covenant on stone as Daniel saw in 2:34.

The Stone cut without human hands, is the child born without human hands. 

A virgin conception! 

The stone that was cut without human hands represents God’s kingdom.

This stone will replace all the earthly kingdoms (Revelation 21:1).

The renewed covenant written on hearts of flesh as prophesied by Jeremiah 31:33

Therefore entrance into the blessings of the Covenant, must come through Messiah Jesus/Yeshua/Yahshua alone, for He is the HEART of Torah.

The first letter of the Torah is b (and a v), a Bet (בּ) (bereishit –בְּרֵאשִׁית) Genesis; and the last letter of the Torah is l, a Lamed (ל) in the word יִשְׂרָאֵל – Israel . These 2 letters together spell the Hebrew word for heart which is l-v and lev with the vowel added.

The circumcision of the flesh regulation stated previously was a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant, but Christ circumcises those who have faith in Him, and this circumcision is of the heart [Rom 2:28-29] [Luke 22:20].

The seven pillars of His wisdom are continually maturing within our hearts and minds and as we become conformed to His image; this foundation gives place for the pillars of His life within us.

The pillars are integral to support the life of the spirit within. Cycling us continually towards His heart at the center of our beings. Returning to Him whenever we stumble or stray from His path.

Do the 7 pillars of wisdom perhaps also refer to the 7 Moedim?

Turn and keep on coming. Joel 2:12 AMPC. Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning [until every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored].

Jerusalem is built on seven hills just as Rome is, one reflecting the natural world, the flesh and the devil principles.

The other Jerusalem is the spiritual type and also reflects the shadow of that which is to come.

Even the new Jerusalem is the final dwelling place of all that is complete in shalom.

Ezekiel prophesied of the Rebirth of Israel. He gives a chronological order of events from the rebirth of Israel to the construction of the third temple (which is the end of Ezekiel prophecies).
Israel’s restoration prophesied by Ezekiel was to be physical then followed by spiritual. Ezekiel 36:36-7 Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel. 36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.
He prophesied of the hills!
and the people shall fill the waste cities as the flocks at the time of the great feasts covered the hills …

The 7 Moedim are an annual guide to the believer, both of that which has been fulfilled by Messiah; and also for the preparation and ongoing prophetic timeline on future events.

Taking another perspective, reveals that they also possibly hold the mystery of spiritual development, growth and maturity in each of our individual lives. Could this be one of the secrets to living a life fulfilled in the will of God?

Has God hidden the mystery of our life within the Hebrew year and His Moedim?

The annual cycle of the year begins with Passover – Pesach.

This is the beginning of our life in Him. It starts with salvation and as we receive the Lamb of God the pesach offering, our sins are taken away and we start a new life, sinless. The Power of the Passover/ pesach changes us and changes our future, our life will never be the same again. If it is, then consider if we are really walking in His provision, for out of true repentance comes the 180° turn around to go the other way the opposite direction.

The disciples, apostles, left the old way of life –leaving their nets behind them – have we left the things that held us? or have we compromised a little by simply adding Him into what we are content to remain with and want to keep and all we are familiar with? Can our families and friends see a change?? Are our lives really truly centered, focused and fulfilling the gospel word of Jesus/Yeshua? Or is our time with Him carefully slotted in and scheduled at our convenience?

The Moedim cycle of each and every year we live, presents an opportunity for reflection and change!

The power of Pesach truly releases us from bondage just as it did for the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. It ends the old life of slavery to sin and marks the beginning of a journey of life in and with God.

Pesach = Deliverance.

Set free to serve Him – willingly.

The second feast/ appointed time and level of our lives /walk/ journey with Him is our First fruits. Yom Resheet the day of first fruits the first day of the week of eating Unleavened Bread.

As we begin to walk in the power of His resurrection we begin to bear fruit in our lives.

The First Fruit of our salvation is the First Fruits of repentance and change.

First fruits of the unconditional love of the father flowing through us which pertains to life and all godliness in the image of Jesus. First fruits of the newness of life abundant, the joy of salvation and the glory of the father as we walk with Him. This is the first harvest. 

Omer count = Separation to Revelation.

Father will often separate us from old things in order to reveal to us new things and we become part of the ecclesia- the called out ones.

3rd Feast – next is our life experiences – Pentecost/Shavuot – the fire of the father in the form of the Ruach haKodesh.

Giving of the Spirit.

The promise from the Sinai covenant when Torah was first given.

He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Deep cleansing and preparation waiting on Him and learning among other things, patience!

Tarry here – we wait along the way for the infilling of the exousia, the raw power to make us ready, anointed and willing to do the works of God and to fulfill all that we have being called to be and do for His kingdom.

To go and make disciples, having first become one ourselves.

The fire burns away all the chaff from our hearts and enables the gold within to shine forth and empower us to reach forward for the next greater summer harvest in the life cycle.

The 4th harvest feast could be speaking of the harvest of our salvation as we GO forth for the fields white unto harvest but the workers are few.

Leviticus 23; Psalm 139:16

As we reap the rewards of blessing by giving life to others in sharing the true bounty of life abundant.

Fulfilling our calling in ministering both to the lost and to the Saints. 2 Cor.9:1; Heb.6:10.

This could represent the main period of our life as it continues and makes up the major content of our years.

Until we come into the fifth appointed time of our lives. Yom teruah the blowing of the shofar/ trumpet;

And then will come the time of trumpets, ‘the autumn’, ‘the fall’, of our salvation.

The golden years.

The finishing up of our reaping His harvest, the completing of its gathering in; and our time of preparation to meet our Heavenly Father.

Tying up the loose ends putting everything in order. Anything as yet left undone is quickly put in place, decently and in order. 

True shalom.

Nothing missing nothing broken, mislaid, misplaced or left undone. All is as it should be, no omissions or regrets, for soon will be upon us the remaining feasts in quick succession.

Yom kippur the day of atonement, the sixth appointed time of our life as we will stand alone before our heavenly father.

Panim al panim – face to face.

מָּנִים אֶלמָּֿנִים

Strong’s Hebrew: 6440. פָּנִים (panim or paneh) — face, faces

The Mercy Seat where the blood was sprinkled

Hebrew רחמים (pronounced rakhamim) is usually translated as “mercy.” Notice the IM! It’s actually plural in form, multiple mercies on the Ark of His Presence.

His MERCIES are new every morning!

In an earlier post we looked at Hebrew words including “face” (פנים, panim), “water” (מים, mayim), and even God (אלהים, elohim).

Then we shall behold Him, face to face. And see Him as He is. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 3:2; Rom. 14:10

It’s not in judgment for sin for we are already acquitted. (The great white throne judgment for those who are not His own, but the Bema seat of Christ, the judgment seat of Messiah, is for the works we have done in obedience to His call.)

The Holy fire of His presence will consume all that was not of His command and reveal only the gold of that which was His will. 1 Cor. 3:12-15

This leads us to Sukkot, 

the 7th and final appointed time in

 the lifecycle of a true believer will be to live, abide and stay with Him forever.

To Tabernacle in His presence, the booths containing His presence, His joy, His love, His blessings and its ultimate conclusion,

Shemini atseret – the eighth day of Sukkoth – the completion of reading Torah and Simchat Torah – the joy of the Torah.

The Eighth Day

8 represents a new beginning, meaning a new order or creation, and man’s true ‘born again’ event when he is resurrected from the dead into eternal life.  Eight is the personal number of Jesus. When we add together the letter values of the name Jesus in the Greek we get 888.

8th day– the great last day – eternity – the prophetic Torah complete – the day that celebrates the torah called, the joy of the torah, or rejoicing of/[with the]Torah

Hebrew: שִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה שִׂמְחַת

and the new beginning* – enter the JOY of your Lord

as He says well done you good and faithful servant – no more tears only JOY.

*Simchat Torah or Simḥath Torah (also Simkhes Toreh, Hebrew: שִׂמְחַת תורָה, lit., “Rejoicing with/of the Torah,”) is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret (“Eighth Day of Assembly”), which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishrei (mid-September to early October on the Gregorian calendar).

J udge

O ur

Y ears

Judge ourselves with JOY that we be not judged…

The Moedim and what they represent seem to be a cycle that should be an integral part of every believing ecclesia?

Although we are not to come under bondage again to the law as such; according to 2 Timothy 3:16. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So the Moedim have value for our training.

His Word both the written word and the living Word are mirrors for us and we should hold them up in front of our lives to see if the reflection is that of Jesus/Yeshua in us, the hope of glory. He is in the Moedim, the very essence and fulfillment of them both in our lives and literally. He is the only Feast that truly satisfies.

He is the Word –

He is the Heart of the Word/Torah –

His life is The Word –

Written not on stone in an ark but on our hearts; and we are now the ark of His renewed covenant

The container of His Ruach/Spirit –

The 7 pillars of His wisdom supporting His life within –

The corner stone of our faith – not cut with hands –

We see Him as we walk through every one of His Moedim and finally to join us to Himself in the marriage of the Lamb on that last great day! Hallelujah!

Shalom shalom!

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Shavua Tov Mishpachah & Chaverim!

Have a good week Family & Friends. 

Please Do Not leave this page without the surety in your heart that you have Messiah in your life and heart as the days draw ever closer to the end of the age..

NOT CERTAIN?

YOU CAN BE..

Make sure Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him. He is the fulfillment of the Moedim and truly is the Feast that will satisfy.

Its all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and very precious in His sight.

He longs to give you the Shalom He paid the ultimate price for..

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

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

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

Who Are Those Around The Throne?

שרפים

‘There are more things in heaven and Earth, …. Than are dreamt of in your philosophy..’

Please bear with the non-biblical quote for a moment – it’s there to make a relevant point.

Above is the well known phrase used by the title character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare; when Hamlet is speaking to Horatio, (Hamlet 1.5.167-8), He says, your philosophy (i.e., philosophy or learning in general). Hamlet suggests that human knowledge is limited: There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy [science].

The emphasis here should really be on “dreamt of”, as Hamlet is pointing out how little even the most educated people can explain.

The relevant point being, just how true this is, for in reality we know so very little about everything!! As the scripture says ‘Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.’

A fool is one who denies the reality of his creator. As usual, the Bible says it best in

Romans 1:22: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

In our humanity we often see things in a way that makes us feel comfortable, by adjusting our viewpoint. However, this can often means that our concept of those things is not as they really are.

It’s all a matter of perception.

We draw on personal experience and try to define an image from previously gathered information, which is not necessarily accurate, or relevant, to the new thing in front of us which is requiring definition.

A good example is what angels look like.

HUH?

In a previous post, we examined the descriptions of the seraphim on the mercy seat and the heavenly beings around Fathers’ throne; discovering they are not like the everyday creatures that we are familiar with. We have formed mental images of angels, gained mostly from paintings provided primarily by renaissance artists. Many of whom were under contract to the Vatican and religious authorities, who commissioned what they wanted for themselves and also what they chose the public should see.

The other beings mentioned along with the cherubim are the seraphim.

Seraphim

Hebrew: שָׂרָף śārāf, (sarap) this word seraph in the original

Plural שְׂרָפִים śərāfîm;

Latin: seraphim and seraphin (plural)

Greek: σεραφείμ serapheím

These are noted as the highest order or choir of angels according to christianity and the fifth rank of ten in the Jewish angelic hierarchy.

Remember the seasonal Carol?

They are the angelic beings who are attendants or guardians before God’s throne. They continually praise and glorify God, calling,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts”.

The only Bible reference is Isaiah 6:1-7.

Seraphim means Burners, the burning ones/glowing ones or Destroyers and as the closest Attendants at the Throne of God, they are represented as “standing” above the King as He sat upon His throne, ready at once to minister unto Him. This word, in the original, שָׂרַף, is used elsewhere only of the “fiery serpents” Numbers 21:6,8; Deut 8:15

The root-verb שרף (sarap) means to burn, and this is always in a literal sense. There are up to fifteen words in Hebrew that mean to burn, but sarap is used mostly in the sense of consuming or destructive burning.

The verb used to describe these Heavenly living creatures may hint that they glow brightly! Similar to how Moses’ face glowed brightly following his close proximity to God’s glory on Mount Sinai.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, and the people saw that the skin of his face was shining like a bright light, they were afraid to come near him.

Isaiah (6:2) saw the seraphim in a vision standing above the Father as He sat upon His throne. He described them as each having three pairs of wings,

with one pair they covered their faces (a token of humility);

with the second they covered their feet (a token of respect);

while with the third they flew.

They seem to have presented a general resemblance to the human figure as recorded in verse 6.

He saw their occupation as two fold:

First, to celebrate the praises of His holiness and power, verse 3; and

2. to act as the medium of communication between heaven and earth, verse 6.

Seraphim are so close to God that they are thought to be the angels of God’s unfathomable and endless love.

Scholars propose that in their true appearance they are so bright, that no mortal man could gaze upon them. However, they can apparently change their appearance when delivering messages to the human world. Isaiah was cleansed from sin by a seraph who touched a burning coal to his lips.

(Isaiah 6:6) Here one of them was the agent for burning the sin from the lips of the prophet with a coal off the altar.

The Hebrew word seraphim ser’-a-fim is not really a name as such, but rather what might be considered a category or group, a species or class of The First and Highest Order of created spiritual beings/entities.

The masculine noun שרף (sarap) denotes a fiery serpent and is used five times: Numbers 21:6 and 21:8, Deuteronomy 8:15, Isaiah 14:29 and 30:6. The exact same word is used in Isaiah 6:2 to describe the angelic beings known as Seraphim!

Sharrapu was a Babylonian name for the fire-god, Nergal. In Egypt there have been found eagle-lion-shaped figures guarding a grave, which have had the name seref applied. “Griffin” is the equivalent term in English.

First Mentioned: 3300-3100 BC

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle’s talons as its front feet. 

In heraldry, the griffin’s combination of lion and eagle gains in courage and boldness. It is used to denote strength and military courage and leadership.

in Hebrew theology as the three highest orders of attendants to the Father, Seraphim are connected with Cherubim and Ophanim, and are superior to the angels who are messengers sent on various errands.

The word Angel means messenger.

The Archangels that we are familiar with are:

Michael meaning He who is like God;

Gabriel = God is my strength;

Raphael = healer of God;

Uriel = God is my light.

As the cherubim were often represented by the storm-clouds, so the seraphim were symbolized by the serpentine flashes of the lightning; but we read none of this in Isaiah’s vision.

In the New Testament/Brit Chadashah, in Rev 4:5, the only possible equivalent is, the living ones (mistranslated as beasts in the KJV) etc.

In the Greek ζῷον verse 6 Strongs 2226 zoon (zoology) – A Living Creature, animal, a living being; not therion – translated beast.

These then appear to be literal angelic beings and are clearly different from the:

Redeemed Elders of Rev. 4:9-11,

Ordinary angels in Rev.5:1-12,

Seraphim in Is. 6:1-8 and

Cherubim of Ezek. 1:4-28; 10:1-22

Here, as in Isaiah, they appear nearest the Father’s throne, supreme in praise of His holiness.

1 Peter 1:16 (Lev.)

Young’s Literal Translation because it hath been written, ‘Become ye holy, because I am holy;’.

 

(16) Be ye holy; for I am holy.—

The better reading here is, Ye shall he holy; it is still, however, a command, not a promise—except that all God’s commands are promises. The command comes some five or six times in the Book of Leviticus, addressed not only to the Levites, but to all the people. It would, therefore, apply twice over to the recipients of this letter by virtue of their twofold consecration, in the old and in the new Israel.

8270 holiness, as SET APART for God: Believers are holy, in that they are to BE SET APART from the world as God’s own people. Just as certain days and items are holy because they are set apart for God alone. 

8271 holiness, purpose of: God in His holiness desires a holy people amongst whom He can dwell, and who can effectively worship, witness to and serve Him as they prepare for a future with God and to be like God.

The cherubim as we saw in previous post, Ezek. 21:22 Each one had four faces and each had four wings, with the form of human hands under the wings

They all had 4 faces: calf, eagle, man and lion.

It appears that the Seraphim,

who are known in our culture as

handsome human-like angelic creatures,

were known to the Hebrews as

snake-like fireballs!

We like to designate creatures either according to what they look like, or else by some terminology that only covers their specific species.

e.g. A horse is a horse and we are not too concerned with what the word horse might actually mean.

A horsetail is a plant that looks like the tail of a horse, and a sea horse is a fish with a horse-like head.

In Hebrew, however, creatures are known mostly according to their behavior. Since creatures usually display multiple defining behaviors, many creatures are known by more than one name — one of the words for lion (ari) comes from the verb to gather— and it also means that one description often covers more than one creature.

e.g., the word סוס (sus), meaning to flash or dart, denotes both a horse and a swallow.

This is Hebrew thought, and in this thinking, to be, IS to do.

In the Bible, the word שרף (sarap) is used in two different scenes. In the most recognized one, it denotes the flying, supernatural six-winged creatures that surround God’s throne in the vision of Isaiah.

In Revelation 4 john also has a vision of God’s throne and sees what seems the same creatures. However, here they have only one face each. One has face like a lion the second face of a calf the third face of a man and the fourth an eagle.

(Revelation 4:8). 

Both Isaiah, in

Strong’s Number: 06918 Transliterated: Qadowsh

Phonetic: kaw-doshe’

Definition: sacred, holy,

Holy One, saint, set apart

 and John hear these creatures cry “Holy, holy, holy”.

Greek λέγω

legó: to say, command. 

These creatures became known as the Seraphim, and although artists have tried to depict them, we really don’t have a clue what they may look like. To begin with, we don’t know their size, so they may be very small; small enough even to appear on someone’s head?? (Acts 2:3). Since their name is derived from a verb meaning, to burn, they may look like flames. However if their name was designed to indicate that is what they looked like, they would have been known by a word that means flame or fire. This is not the case because they are known as Burners or Destroyers.

They have six wings (Isaiah 6:2),

There is Scripture that seems to record that God has wings too!! (Psalm 17:8, 36:7, 57:1, 61:4, 91:4). Since we are made in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26), do we have “wings” as well??  The Seraphim’s wings may not look at all like birds’ wings that we imagine and are familiar with.

Seraphim have faces but their wings cover them, so they may look like anything. They have feet, also covered by their wings, but not necessarily human feet; and the word for feet is so general, that we still really don’t know much about their appearance.

The point is, that they are not what we are used to seeing, as far as creatures go, and their appearance is secondary to their raison d’etre. Their prime mission is to guard the throne and serve the Lord.

The word CRIED, or SAID, here, is not meaning a whispered religious tone,

but it’s a declaration,

a command,

an actionable directive;

because holy = kadosh = set apart;.

Separate and set aside (for His purposes).

The word CRIED in this verse is Strong’s Number: 07121

Transliterated Qara’

Phonetic Spelling kaw-raw’

Definition: to call, call out,

utter a loud sound,

recite, read, cry out, proclaim

And the next few words record

The posts (‘ammah) of the door (caph = threshhold) moved

Strong’s Number: 05128  

Transliterated: Nuwa`

Phonetic: noo’-ah

Definition: to quiver, totter, shake, reel, stagger, wander, move, sift, make move, wave, waver, tremble, vibrate

It would appear that the voices of the seraphim were loud enough to cause vibration and shaking which changes the understanding of this scene entirely!

The question of whether or not Seraphim are ‘angels’, remains a question. Biblical angels usually either look like humans or sound like them, and we don’t know if there are separate species of angels, or even if they exist as autonomous individuals.

Angels, Seraphim, Cherubim and spirits were created beings that’s about all we know, apart from what the scriptures tell us.

What we do know is that the Bible clearly indicates that there is much, much, more to creation than just us, even if we cannot see it all because it exists in another dimension beyond the scope of our physical eyes. Sometimes God opens our eyes like He did for Elisha and the chariots 2 kings 6:17-20

The other famous scene in which the word seraphim is prominently featured deals with the attack of the “fiery serpents” on Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 21:6).

It literally reads, “And God sent among the people the fiery serpents נָחָשׁ שְׂרָפִים

[saraphim naphashim] seraphim serpents”.

The word for serpent, nahash, is related to the words for bronze and the verb to divine, and the serpent scene of Numbers 21 may be about more than just an animal attack.

It has been suggested by certain Bible scholars over the years that that the creature referenced here may be the flying serpents.

Matthew Henry, in his famous Commentary on the Whole Bible writes:

They had impudently flown in the face of God himself, and the poison of asps was under their lips, and now these fiery serpents (which, it should seem, were flying serpents, Isaiah 14:29) flew in their faces and poisoned them.

The Lord then instructs Moses to create a שרף (sarap) and set it on a standard. Moses interprets the making of a seraph by making a “bronze serpent” — a nahash, nachash, nahashet; twice the word nahash, a fiery, burning, majestic being — and anyone who looks upon it is saved from the real ones.

Was the bronze image a Seraphim? One of Gods’ fiery attendants?

Apparently, the image of the bronze serpent was so impressive that the Israelites gave it a name —Nehushtan — and burned incense to it until king Hezekiah destroyed it (2 Kings 18:4).

Later still, Yeshua/Jesus compares His imminent crucifixion to Moses’ raising of the bronze serpent (John 3:14, also see 8:28 and 12:32).

Verse 8: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.”

This passage is a beautiful picture of how those bitten by the Satanic curse of sin cannot heal themselves from sure death; but they need only look in faith to Christ’s work on the cross to live. Indeed, Christ applied this passage to himself: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Yet it seems strange to employ the cursed snake (a symbol of Satan from Genesis 3:1 to Revelation 20:2) as the parallel of Christ.

While the Hebrew word naphash is clearly the word for common snakes, these commentators have concluded that the compound word saraphim – naphashim, should be translated “fiery flying serpents.”

It would appear that the saraph was a reptilian, snake-like creature, distinguished from common snakes predominantly by their ability to fly. the pterosaur identification is most reasonable. These flying snakes, or pterosaurs, could have attacked and overcome the Israelites from the air.

They would have formed an ideal picture of the Messiah, in that Christ was made like us, (made sin for us according to 2 Corinthians 5:21), but he was still fundamentally different (divine).

The winged serpent incorporates simultaneously the appearance of the snake and the lofty ability of flight in a unique animal. Moreover, the outstretched pterosaur on the pole would have formed a perfect cross!

It is likely that the New Testament author also referenced these fiery winged seraphim when writing to the Hebrews? “Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire” (Hebrews 1:7). The emphasis then, it would appear, is on the saraph’s bright, fiery nature.

The serpentine seraphim return in Isaiah 14:29, where the prophet foretells the destruction of Philistia, “from the root of the snake (nahash) comes a viper (tzepa, a word that indicates a snake producing venom), and his fruit (is) a flying seraph”. Actually, the word “flying” may also mean “dark”; see the name Ephah. The flying or dark seraph returns in Isaiah 30:6, where it is listed among the beasts of the Negev.

The other place where the term nacash is used is in connection with the garden of eden where the nachash conversed with eve. Well it was probably not a talking serpent but taking Ezek s description in 28:14 of the devil he was the covering cherub and Isaiah 14:12-14; the angel Lucifer as being one of the  created chief beings within the angelic class of creation of God.  

Ezek. 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Eve was probably accustomed to seeing the cherubim, seraphim and angelic host, seeing as they walked with God in the cool of the day. Neither did they show surprise at Lucifers presence, nor of the cherubim that blocked their return to the garden. So his appearance was not a shock or unusual to them.

This individual has a covering of 9 precious stones. 

Here is a fascinating parallel of the earthly Israel’s High Priest’s breastplate that also was covered with precious stones.  These 9 stones that covered Satan are an exact match for 9 of the 12 stones found on the High Priest’s covering (Exodus 28:17). 

Does this verse in Ezekiel reveals that Satan was a High Priest for God in heaven before he came to the earth? Are these stones and coverings just a amazing coincidence or is there some mystery information that God is revealing here?  On the High Priest’s breast plate there were 4 rows of three stones each.  Each row consisted of a different set of stones and each stone was unique.  We are told that these 12 stones on the High Priest’s covering were engraved with the names of 12 tribes of Israel.  However by matching off the stones found on Satan’s covering from the stones found on the High Priest’s breastplate it appears that Row 3 is missing completely.  One would think this is not an accident, it’s mathematically impossible for this to be a coincidence.  What does it all mean?  We could conclude that Satan lost three things that Israel had, or maybe Israel was given three things that Satan didn’t have?   

Anointing? Covenant? Relationship?

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Darby Bible Translation Thou wast the anointed covering cherub, and I had set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou didst walk up and down in the midst of stones of fire.

Anointed comes from a Hebrew root word that means to smear with oil.  David was anointed king this way by Samuel.  

But this word here means to “spread like wings” and it is the only time this word occurs in the whole Bible. 

However, it is still important to see that Satan is said to be “anointed” of God.  This is a direct comparison to Jesus who was also said to be “anointed” of God with the Holy Ghost and power in Acts 10:38. God anoints people in the earth to perform specific tasks.  What this represents is a special divine ability to perform the duties being assigned to them.  From this verse we understand that angels can also be anointed by God to do specific jobs and assignments.  An anointing can involve supernatural ability and power, divine knowledge or wisdom to do what we do not fully understand how to do.  This reveals a lot about Satan and his abilities.

Then Satan is called a “cherub

Information is revealed about angels and God’s relationship with Satan before he sinned.  Is it possible that one of these two cherubs either side of God’s throne in heaven was originally Lucifer?  Now Yeshua/Jesus is at the right hand of the Father could that mean Yeshua/Jesus has taken Lucifer’s old place of authority and power?

Ezekiel 28:14 is how God describes Satan to us, that he was an anointed cherub and that his job or assignment was to “cover”. 

This Hebrew word means to cover as a protector or as a guard.  It can also mean a fenced in hedge of protection.  It can also mean to entwine as in join together. 

Amazing definitions for they imply a covenant relationship and that is very important to know.  was God in covenant with the angels of Heaven, including Satan? 

In Isaiah 6:2 there is a word describing what appears to be an angelic being. This is also a winged creature that clearly flies using their wings. It is not clear that this is describing Satan unless you look up the definition of the Hebrew Word “seraphim” in Strong’s. This word is many times translated as “fiery serpent” seems to describe Satan very well.  We clearly know from Genesis and Revelation that Satan is the “serpent” so we have a link to a new titled reference for this spiritual being.  A fiery serpent is a great symbolic representation for Satan.

  1. Was a created being (Eze 28:13)

  2. Not created with evil in him (Eze 28:15)

  3. Was found with iniquity in him (Eze 28:15)

  4. Was in covenant with God the Father? (Gen 2-3, Gal 4)

  5. Was anointed by God for specific purposes (Eze 28:14)

  6. Was in a class of angels called “Cherubs” (Eze 28:14)

  7. Was also described as a “Seraphim”; winged fiery serpent (Isa 6:2)

  8. Was a Priest unto God? (Eze 28:13).

  9. Was called Lucifer a son of the early light (Isa 14:12)

  10. Named Lucifer means “Bright Morning Star”  (Isa 14:12)

Over the years Biblical scholars have speculated about the nature of the creature described in the Authorized Version as “the fiery flying serpent.”

“The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent,” (Isaiah 30:6).

Creationists over the years have suggested that this flying reptilian creature was a living pterosaur, still known in the region of Palestine at the time of Isaiah’s prophecy.1 Bible commentators have differed in their interpretation of these passages.

For example, E. J. Young writes of Isaiah 14:29:

“From one snake will come a poisonous serpent, and that poisonous serpent will produce another that is burning and flying.”2 He holds that Isaiah 30:6 references a real winged serpent and cites Herodutus 11.75; iii.109; and Ammianus Marcellinus xxii.15.3 (Marcellinus wrote in the fourth century about the ibis being a sacred bird in Egypt because of their encountering flocks of winged snakes, coming laden with poison from the marshes of Arabia, and overcoming them in the air, and devouring them before they quit their own region.) Motyer seems to side with the minority NIV translation “darting venomous serpent” but mentions “fiery flying one” as an alternate translation.4 The NAS renders this creature “flying serpent.” The Septuagint translation of Isaiah 14:29 is ofei petamenoi, which are clearly words for a flying reptile with no variants. From a more liberal scholarship perspective, the authors of the Revised Standard Version translate it “fiery flying serpent.” The BDB lexicon authors also render the creature “a flying serpent or dragon ” but go on to suggest that it had its origin in the Egyptian Serref and was “mythically conceived with serpent’s bodies (serpent deities).”

Since they are called seraphim…a term elsewhere applied to serpents (Num. 21:16; Isa. 14:29, 30:6), some scholars believe that they were serpentine or dragon-like in appearance. (Job 21.)

However, the chief meaning of the term may be “fiery” (Num. 21:6), so that the name of the snake is merely derivative (referring to their bite), and the use of the term for the ministering beings would indicate they were “fiery ones.”

There is no reason to dismiss automatically either of these possibilities. Composite figures are known from all over the ancient Near East, and while none is so far attested in Israel, it is possible that use was made of them. Such mysterious, awesome beings would be quite appropriate in this sort of vision. On the other hand, fire is everywhere associated with God’s holiness…so that it would be entirely appropriate for those who declare that holiness (v.3) to be “fiery” in their appearance.

Although to us its seems mythical, there are some historical and archaeological evidence in support of a pterosaur interpretation of these Old Testament passages.

Note that the nation of Philistia referenced in Isaiah 30 is geographically intermediate between the land of Israel and Egypt. This is the same region from which the ancient reports of pterosaurs come. Various historians told of small flying reptiles in Arabia and Egypt, recounted the virility of their poisons and described their predator, the ibis bird.18 The ancient authors Aristotle, Philae, Aelianus, Ammianus, Mela, Solinus, anonymous 4’th century Coptic monks, the 13’th century Armenian historian Matthew of Edessa, Solinus, Cicero, Aristotle, and Philae all reference flying serpents.

The well-respected Greek researcher Herodotus wrote:

There is a place in Arabia, situated very near the city of Buto, to which I went, on hearing of some winged serpents; and when I arrived there, I saw bones and spines of serpents, in such quantities as it would be impossible to describe. The form of the serpent is like that of the water-snake; but he has wings without feathers, and as like as possible to the wings of a bat.

In his third volume Herodotus goes on to tell how these animals could sometimes be found in the Arabian spice groves. He describes their size, coloration, and reproduction. It seems flying serpents were infamous for hanging in frankincense trees. When workers wanted to gather the tree’s incense, they would employ putrid smoke to drive the flying reptiles away.

Josephus’ account is particularly lucid. He tells of Moses, while still living in Pharoah’s court, leading an Egyptian army against Nubia: …but Moses prevented the enemies, and took and led his army before those enemies were apprised of his attacking them; for he did not march by the river, but by land, where he gave a wonderful demonstration of his sagacity; for when the ground was difficult to be passed over, because of the multitude of serpents, (which it produces in vast numbers, and indeed, is singular in some of those productions, which other countries do not breed, and yet such as are worse than others in power and mischief, and an unusual fierceness of sight, some of which ascend out of the ground unseen, and also fly in the air, and so come upon men at unawares, and do them a mischief,) Moses invented a wonderful stratagem to preserve the army safe, and without hurt; for he made baskets, like unto arks, of sedge, and filled them with ibes, and carried them along with them; which animal is the greatest enemy to serpents imaginable, for they fly from them when they come near them; and as they fly they are caught and devoured by them, as if it were done by the harts;

The Greek word used by Josephus for “snake” is the same one employed by Christ in John 3 (and also by Paul in I Corinthians 10:9) to describe the attacking serpents in the wilderness (ophis or ophesi in its the masculine, dative, plural form).

It is also the same as the Septuagint version of the wilderness account.

This is the common Greek word for snake, so perhaps there was no unique Greek word for pterosaur like the Hebrew “saraph.” Instead the Greek authors fell back on the phrase “flying serpent” as the way to distinguish the winged reptilian creature, just like the KJV translators did in English.

One thing is for certain there are more things in heaven and earth than we have any concept of even in our wildest dreams and imagination.

And just because it does not fit into our idea of what they should look like; the heavenly creatures that surround the throne, are there by Fathers’ choice, and His concepts and ways are not ours.

We may should get prepared to be truly wowed by the things that are prepared for us in our future, for as yet eye has not seen some of these magnificent and heavenly creatures

who serve Him day and night and while still on earth we can join them in their singing – LOUD VIBRATING COMMAND HOLY HOLY HOLY is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of His Glory.

Don’t leave this page without knowing that you are full of His Glory and saved by His Mercy

Remembering here, that mercy is also rachum racham, rachem.

Rachem/racham being the word for WOMB.

So the mercy seat could be said to be a kind of womb (prophetically), where the spiritual new birth was to be initiated/conceived and ratified in Jesus/Yeshua’s blood.

Out of the mercy/womb seat came new resurrected life FOR THE LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD and the reconciliation to the Father.

and Grace,

Mercy and Grace is the WAY

ADDED AS AN INTERESTING EXTRA..

Brief yet fascinating report of a creature called a Ropen:

Although some superstition surrounds this remarkable creature, there are consistencies in the accounts from around the island regions (peoples that do not have any communication links) that lend credibility to the claims. The most remarkable part of the description is that the creature is reported to have a biolumiscent capability, like a firefly. Carl Baugh of the Creation Evidence Museum conducted two Ropen expeditions to PNG with Jim Blume, one to the island of Umboi and another further north to the Manus region. While exploring around the Manus islands, it became clear to Blume and Baugh that the pterosaur-like creature reported in that region were a different species from those observed further south. It was smaller (about 1 meter wingspan), tan in color (by native reports), and reddish in its glow. Coloration in the reports from Umboi, on the other hand, vary from glittering black to a very dark grey. The bioluminscence color is described as a white/bluish glow. Indeed, many who see the glowing creature fly past them describe it as a shimmering white light with a rainbow of colors being thrown off.

On one expedition to PNG, Blume and Baugh followed up on reports from a particular island in the Manus group that claimed these creatures were living in the caves dotting the island. While in a boat in the early evening they observed what appeared to be an oval shaped luminscent flying object gliding from the hillside down along the bay. After observing the pulsing light-greenish light and looking through a monocular night scope for about 20 minutes they lost contact with the object. The next morning, Baugh snapped a picture of a strange clawed print on the muddy beach.

Could it be that a living pterosuar still exists today in PNG? Is this strange luminescence the reason that the ancient prophet refers to the flying serpent as “fiery”?

It seems that the Ropen posseses the ability to turn its internal light on and off at will. Also, reports suggest the presence of a secretion that drips behind when the underbelly glows. Reports suggest that this secretion is alkaline and burns the skin of those who come in contact with the creature!

PNG IS PAPUA NEW GUINEA FOR MORE INFO AND PICTURES GO TO
http://www.livepterosaur.com/ropen-info/

There REALLY ARE more things in heaven and earth…….!!

Please, don’t leave this page until..

you are awakened to Messiah..

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.