and where it was evident in the lives of biblical characters.
There are many references to the number 40 in both the old and new testaments. Mentioned 146-149 times. The English word “forty” appears 158 times in King James Bible verses. This breaks down to 134 occurrences in the Old Testament and 24 times in the New.
Hebrew Strongs #705
arbaim: forty
Original Word: אַרְבָּעִים Part of Speech: noun plural indeclinable Transliteration: arbaim Phonetic Spelling: ar-baw-eem’ Definition: forty
The number 40 is associated with seasons of probation and preparation where spiritual awareness is deepened. It also represents a time of leadership, fasting and victory as well as testings of faith, trials and chastisement. This chastisement is not the same as judgment, like the association represented by the number 9 which operates in connection with punishment of enemies; but rather is in connection to the chastisement of sons, family and of a covenant people who are loved.
As we are in the days of counting from the Omer, which comprise 7×7 weeks, equaling 49 days and on the 50th day is Pentecost/Shavuot. We are aware of the 40 days that Messiah remained with His disciples/talmidim after His resurrection and appeared to many.
As Shavuot/Penetcost is also the Moed/Appointed Time of remembering the giving of Torah to Moses/Moshe. We remember that Moses was called up onto Mount Sinai. Exodus 19:1-3 Moses went up the mountain and in v14 he came down; then in verse 20 he goes up the mountain again -25.
He goes up the mountain in Ex. 24:1-3 with others plus the 70 elders. In verse 9, they ate and drank. Moses went up in verse 12 -18 and stayed 40 days and forty nights; then in chapter 32:15 he came down again.
In chapter 34:1-4 it is recorded that Moses went up the mountain again. In verse 18 he was instructed to keep the feast of matzah. In 34:10 God says: I am making covenant. From verse 22 to verse 27 it records Moses was another 40 days and 40 nights on Mt Sinai and verse 29 tells us when Moses came down his face was shining.
Moses was up and down Mt Sinai several times and twice for 40 days and nights.
Exodus 24:18, 34:1 – 28.He was there in order to receive God’s Torah/teaching/instructions and directives for the children of Israel.
The first 40 years of Moses’ life entails him from growing up in Pharaoh’s royal household and living in Egypt until he slays a man and has to flee to Midian.
The second part of his life is spent as a shepherd in Midian tending Jethroes sheep in the wilderness, until God calls him at age 80 (2×40), to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.
During the last third of his life he leads the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness until he dies at age 120. 3×40 years.
Deut. 34:7
40 years is also applied as encompassing a generation according to Numbers 14:26-38 as with the children of Israel 40 years wandering while the generation died out.
Moses had sent spies, for 40 days, to investigate the land God promised the Israelites as an inheritance. Numbers 13:25, 14:34.
Believing the report of the ten doubters, the people lost heart and rebelled. They “raised their voices and wept aloud,” grumbling against Moses and Aaron, saying, “If only we had died in Egypt…Num. 14:1-10
Num 14:34
According to the number of days in which you spied out the land [of Canaan], 40 days, for each day, you shall bear and suffer a year for your sins and guilt, for 40 years, and you shall know…
They then had to experience the consequences and cost of disobedience and unbelief. The 40 year Wilderness wandering for what was only an 11 day journey!
God told Moses that Because of their sins and initial unwillingness to enter Canaan, God swore that the generation of Israelites who were 20 years old or older, (except for Joshua and Caleb), who left Egyptian bondage would not enter the Promised Land; they would wander in the wilderness until this generation died and a new one could inherit what the Lord promised.
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies
Hebrews 3:16 -4:11
Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against Me . . .
And your children shall feed in the wilderness forty years and bear your whoredoms until your dead carcasses have been consumed in the wilderness (Numbers 14:29, 33, HBFV).
Some more instances of 40:
The book of Exodus, KJV, is the only book that has 40 chapters.
The chapters Exodus 25, Numbers 29, Judges 6 and 11, 1Chronicles 7, 8 and 12, Job 31, Psalm 37, Jeremiah 23 and 31, John 18, Acts 8, 16 and 21, 1Corinthians 7 and 14, along with Hebrews 11, all have 40 verses in the KJV.
From the time they entered the Promised Land, to the time of King Saul, Israel was sporadically governed by a number of individuals known as Judges. Though they did not rule like a king, they nevertheless had a tremendous influence on the people, as they represented God and were inspired to execute His will. Judges who served 40 years include Othniel, Deborah and Barak, Eli and Gideon.
The first three human kings over the children of Israel, Saul, David and Solomon, each ruled for forty years (1050 to 930 B.C.). After the united kingdom split into two separate pieces, King Joash served 40 official years (39 actual years) as one of Judah’s better kings.
Absalom’s rebellion was near David’s death. The time cannot exceed the stated 40 years. Saul reigned forty years as first king Acts 13:21. And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom …
Abraham began his bargaining with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah if 50 righteous were found, then he asked if they could be spared if 45 existed Genesis 18:23 – 28. He then pleaded to save the cities if only 40 righteous people were found.
And he (Abraham) spoke to Him (the Lord) yet again, and said, “Perhaps there shall be forty found there.” And He said, “I will not do it for forty’s sake.” Genesis 18:29.
Both Isaac and Esau were 40 years old when they were first married Genesis 25:20, 26:34.
Elijah went 40 days without food or water at Mount Horeb. Yeshua/Jesus was tempted by the devil many times during the 40 days He fasted days in the wilderness, after His immersion in the Holy Spirit and before at the start of his public ministry.
40 days of repentance/teshuvah, is observed every year before Rosh Hashanah.
40 days from conception to the initial formation of a human baby, and 40 weeks of gestation until birth.
God flooded the earth by having it rain for 40 days and nights. Genesis 7:12.
After the patriarch Jacob (Israel) died in Egypt, the Egyptians spent 40 days embalming his body. Genesis 50:3.
God allowed the ancient Israelites, from time to time, to be harassed and dominated by certain enemies in order to chastise and humble them for their sins. The Philistines, in the southern and western parts of Israel’s land, harassed them from 1105 to 1065 B.C. God’s resolution to the harassment was Samson who would become one of Israel’s JudgesJudges 13:1, 1Samuel 7:13, 15 – 17.
The prophet Jonah powerfully warned ancient Nineveh, for 40 days, that its destruction would come because of its many sins.
And Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the Word of the Lord. And Nineveh was a very great city of three days’ journey across. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Jonah 3:4,
The prophet Ezekiel was commanded by God to first lay on his left side for 390 days for the Kingdom of Israel. He was then told to lay on his right side for 40 days for the Kingdom of Judah. This act represented, in years, the length each kingdom would suffer correction for their disobedience to God.
For I have laid on you the years of their (Israel’s) iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days. So you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have fulfilled them, lie again on your right side, and you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days; a day for a year; a day for a year, I have set it upon you. Ezekiel 4:5 – 6.
Yeshua/Jesus, just days before His crucifixion in 30 A.D., prophesied the total destruction of Jerusalem. Matthew 24:1-2, Mark 13:1-2. 40 years after his crucifixion the mighty Roman Empire destroyed the city and burned its beloved temple to the ground, A.D.70.
There are 21 words and phrases in the Bible’s original languages that are recorded exactly 40 times.
Number 40 is equal to 2 x 2 x 2 (or 2 cubed) x 5. Both 2 and 5 are prime numbers.
In the Hebrew AlefBet, the 13th Hebrew letter called Mem, has the numerical value of 40 and is thereby associated with the following: 40 days and nights of flood waters; 40 years in the wilderness; 2×40 days Moses was on Mt Sinai.
Traditionally the letter Mem has several related meanings: waters, people, nations, languages and tongues.
The name of the letter in its most ancient form resembles waves of water. With this in mind such sayings as: sea of torah, the ocean of knowledge and wisdom are often used.
Mem is regarded as the letter of water/mayim; symbolizing the spring of the Torah – Rivers of Living water, i.e. Gods Word. Just as the waters of an underground spring rise upward from an unknown source to reveal themselves, so does the spring of wisdom rise up from the mysterious Source that is our Heavenly Father. This flowing stream of the inner wisdom can be expressed through the gift of human speech. Proverbs 18:4 the words a man speaks are deep waters, a flowing stream, a fountain of wisdom.
In the Hebrew alef -bet, the letter Mem has 2 forms when it is written: an open form and a closed form.
The open form, peucha, is said to represent the revealed truth of God as demonstrated by Moshe/Moses. The use of the closed letter Mem, stumah, is said to represent the concealed truth of our Heavenly Father as was demonstrated by Yeshua/Jesus, the revealer of mysteries.
Matthew 13:10–11 10. The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”
and
Matthew 13:35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hiddenfromthefoundationoftheworld.
Yeshua/Jesus is the only One Who truly satisfies the inner thirst we have for real life, He is the only One Who can satisfy and quench our thirst. Faith/emunah in Him brings refreshment and healing for those He has called His own. John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
The letter M is represented in the Greek alphabet by the letter Mu.
The Old Testament writings use the word “forty” for the number 40. The ones containing the most, are the book of Numbers (19 times) followed by Genesis and Deuteronomy (15 times each). The New Testament books that use the word the most forty, are the book of Acts (10 times) followed by Revelation (6). It is first used in Genesis with its last appearance in Revelation.
And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters. Genesis 5:13, KJV.
The Hebrew word ephah, Strong’s Concordance #H374, is written 40 times in 29 Hebrew Old Testament verses. Its spelling stays the same in the KJV. It is found the most in Ezekiel (17 times) followed by the book of Zechariah (5).
An ephah is used in Scripture as a measure of dry goods such as flour, barley meal, parched corn, wheat and so on. It is roughly equivalent to 22 liters or 20 dry quarts. One of its first uses is in the book of Leviticus.
But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering . . . Leviticus 5:11, KJV.
Caleb, who was 40 years old, and Joshua, were two of the twelve spies Moses sent to the Promised Land, as previously noted, He and Joshua were the only two to have the faith to encourage the people to take the land God had promised them.
Forty-five years later he requested from Joshua the land he was promised for obeying the Lord. He received part of the hill country of Judea which included the cities of Hebron and Debir.
Joshua 14:7 – 15.
King Ahaz, who ruled over the Kingdom of Judah from 735 to 715 B.C., died when he was forty years old.
God’s law allowed a wrongdoer, in certain cases, to be beaten with 40 stripes (scourging) as part of their punishment. Deuteronomy 25:1-3. The Jews would later change this to 39 stripes in order not to exceed this amount per Deuteronomy 25:3. Both Messiah and the Apostle Paul were scourged five times by the Jews for preaching the gospel. 2Corinthians 11:23 – 24.
The Bible was written by 40 different people. There were 32 writers of the Old Testament and only 8; Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Peter, Jude, and Paul of the New.
A brief note on the covenants.
The Mosaic covenant, Ex 19:3-6, on the basis of the Abrahamic covenant and promise made to Abraham in Gen.15; God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt and established another covenant with them at Sinai. God used Moses as the deliverer and mediator of this covenant between Israel and Himself. It’s not a covenant of salvation but instead a covenant of blessing and cursing based on trusting and faithfulness on Israels part. The Mosaic covenant is similar to a marriage covenant/contract. This is called a Ketubah or a vassal treaty between God as husband and king, and Israel as His wife and people. It spells out the boundaries and guidelines of the relationship between them, and is summarized in Ex. 19 and 20. The Mosaic covenant includes blessings and security in the land for faithful obedience, Deut. 28; and curses and exile for faithless disobedience. Deut. 27.
The Mosaic Covenant further includes a promise that even though Israel will not keep this covenant fully, and will ultimately be removed from the land; God will not completely forsake them, but He will punish them and scatter them among the nations. From their exile God will circumcise their hearts and they will return to Him in repentance/teshuvah. The Lord will gather Israel back and atone for His people and the land. Deut. 30-33. This promise is to confirm and keep His promise to Abraham. This generation that made the covenant with God at Sinai was not able to enter into the land. The next generation reaffirmed the covenant and entered the land under Joshua, who was a type of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. Each generation of Israel in the land and diaspora must confirm the Abrahamic Covenant by the circumcision of their males; and confirm the Mosaic Covenant by binding the words of God on their foreheads, called teffilim. Though they waver in their faithfulness to the covenant, God remains faithful.
The promises of this covenant must be fulfilled. Messiah Yeshua/Jesus says in Matt. 5:17-19 that until heaven and earth pass away based on the covenant with Noah, the smallest letter or stroke of letter will not pass from the Torah /Mosaic covenant until it is all fulfilled.
Our Heavenly Father said through His prophets that, as long as the heavens and the earth remains, consistent with the Noahide Covenant, Israel would remain a people before Him. The Mosaic covenant is not a replacement of the covenants with Noah and Abraham. It is dependent upon them and along with them is presently in effect. The Davidic covenant also affirms and expresses the earlier covenants. Therefore the new covenant fulfills, adds to and completes, rather than merely replacing the previous covenants. Some denominations are mistaken when they claim that the new has replaced the covenant made between Moses and the children of Israel and God at Sinai. It is simply renewed and added onto the existing covenants, line upon line and precept upon precept. Messiah Yeshua/Jesus came to show us how to live them and complete them according to Gods teachings, ways and decrees, not mans rules regulations and laws.
The Highlight of Revelation, Sinai and the Messiah – Exodus 19:6
When the children of Israel arrived at Mount Sinai, Adonai made Himself known to all those people and gave them the Torah by the hand of Moses. Jewish tradition says that this encounter occurred on Pentecost/Shavuot – the Festival of Harvest or Weeks, based on the chronology and Exodus 19:1, 10–16.
Since the event is the highlight of God’s revelation to Israel, it is also known as the Festival of Revelation. At a earlier occasion when Moses encountered the burning bush, God declared that Mt. Sinai was the goal of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.When you have let the people out of Egypt you will worship me on this mountain. Exodus 3:12.
Throughout the Exodus story leading up to this climax, the Lord repeatedly declares that He will make Himself known both to the children of Israel; Exodus 6:7, 10, 29:46; 31:13 and to the Egyptians, Exodus 7:5, 17, 9:29, by His Mighty acts of deliverance. At Mount Sinai this process of self revelation reaches its climax, as all Israel witnesses God’s presence on the mountain. Exodus 19 Deuteronomy 5:2. They accept God’s instruction contained within the Torah. Exodus 24:3 –8
According to Jewish commentators the fact that the nation of Israel witnessed the Lord speaking to Moses from Mt. Sinai, established the Torah as Gods Word; a Word that includes Gods call to Israel to be a kingdom of priests /cohanim.
For me a nation set apart. Exodus 19:6.
Ex. 19:5 -7 the children of Israel and their 12 tribes were supposed to be a whole nation of priests, a kingdom of priests/cohanim, but it ended up with only the Levites being the priestly tribe out of 12 sons and their families.
Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Himself, is an even higher pinnacle of revelation. He doesn’t supersede Torah but rather embodies and perfectly fulfills/completes it. He has made His Word above His Name. Psalm 138:2 For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. |
Like Israel, called to be a nation of priests at Mount Sinai, and although they do not replace the nation of Israel, Messiahs followers are also a chosen people, the Kings Cohanim/priests, a holy nation, a people for God to process.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1Peter 2:9
Are our lives a true reflection of what we are called to be?
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord, Deliverer and soon returning King; and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past. I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
Exodus 2:10: “And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.”
We may not have realized that Moses was not named by God but by Pharaoh’s daughter. This child became such an important man in the plan of God, not only bringing the children of Israel out of bondage and leading them to freedom from their slavery in Egypt; but also being the one to receive the Torah instructions from the Most High. So it does seem a little strange that he had a name that means:
to draw out of water.
Meaning of משה Moses: Child, Rescued From Drowning In Water. Delivered, Extracted, Loan. Hidden, Covered.
From the Egyptian noun mes, child, or from (1) mo, water, and (2) uses, saved from drowning.From the Hebrew verb משה (masha), to extract from water, or the noun משה (mashe), a loan.From the Greek verb μυσω (muso), to hide or cover.
The ancient Hebrew rabbis, teachers and sages saw much more to the name Moses than just the first and most obvious one, that the definition of Moses meant, draw out of water.
According to the scriptures, it was Pharaoh’s daughter who drew Moses out of water, while his sister Miriam watched, those waters were the waters of the Nile river.
Ex.2:4 The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.
Egyptians did not worship the One True God of the Hebrews, they had many gods; most who were connected to the land and natural elements. Others included animals and other creatures, as well as fallen angels and demonic entities..
This daughter of Pharoah drew him out of the one of the most significant Egyptian gods. This god they worshipped was called Hepi, Hepi was a fertility god who was the god of the annual flooding of the Nile. When the Nile flooded, fertile solii was deposited onto the banks of the river. This gave them the ability to farm the land, raise good crops and provide food for the people.
A good question is, why was Pharaoh’s daughter’s at the Nile?
In Exodus 2:5 we are told that she came to wash herself or to bathe. This gives us an image of her coming to take a bath in the sacred waters, which was holy to the Egyptians. On second thoughts this is probably unlikely, because especially a daughter of Pharaoh who took luxurious baths in tubs filled with all sorts of fragrances, like myrrh and frankincense, would not on purpose choose the option of the Nile rivers’ questionable cleanliness.
The word used in Hebrew here for
washing or bathing
is rachats
which also means: to pour water upon yourself.
Strongs 7364 rachats: to wash, wash off or away, bathe
Original Word: רָחַץ Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: rachats Phonetic Spelling: (raw-khats’) Definition: to wash, wash off or away, bathe self
A primitive root; to lave (the whole or a part of a thing) — bathe (self), wash (self), to pour water upon yourself..
When the Nile overflowed, it was the signal that Hepi had arrived; and one of their beliefs was that as a fertility god it was said to cause women to become pregnant. It is likely that Pharaoh’s daughter’s went to Nile at the point of the flooding overflow when Hepi was said to have arrived. Women would anoint themselves with water from the Nile by washing, bathing and pouring water over themselves, hoping Hepi would cause them to become pregnant. We have to remember that their mindset was totally different from our modern western way of life and culture. In India today many people bathe in the Ganges river because it is a sacred holy river to them.
So for the daughter of Pharaoh to find a baby floating down the Nile in a basket it was like a gift from the god Hepi, especially for her.
Once she realized it was a baby Hebrew boy she knew she would face criticism and this is why she named him Moses meaning: drew out of the waters (of the Nile) indicating this child was a gift from the god Hepi.
Interestingly the name Moses also means to separate and as we know from the rest of the story in scripture during his life, he was actually drawn away from the gods of Egypt and separated from them.
Another connection is revealed in that the name Moses comes from the same root word as Messiah and we know that Moses was a picture, a type and shadow of the Messiah and in the same way that Moses would free his people from slavery in Egypt, the Messiah would come and free us from our sins.
If we take the name of
Moses in Hebrew isMOSHAH
משׁה
above are the Hebrew letters for M SH and H
and if we turn that first letter M/Mem, in the name Moses, into a preposition, which means the word: “from”, it would read:
from shach.
Shach means:
a little lamb.
This shows Moses’ compassion and the concerned feelings he had for others. It could also be a type and shadow of the future Messiah who would come as a lamb and deliver HIs people at the first Passover at the Exodus.
Remembering that in the Hebrew alefbet each letter has a numerical value and the rabbis/teachers have noted that words of equal value in the Hebrew language have connections to similar themes. The numerical value of His name Moses indicated that he would live a long life. Moses in Hebrew without the vowels is: Mem = 40, Shin = 300 and Hei = 5 for a total of 345. He lived for 120 years. The Hebrew word for the number 120 is beshagamwhich is spelled Beth = 2, Shin = 300, Gimmel = 3 and Mem = 40 and gives a total of 345.
The children of Israel called Moses,
Moses our teacher
which in Hebrew is Mosheh Rabeynu.
As previously noted the numerical value of Moses is 345, the numerical value of teacher is Resh = 200, Beth = 2, Yod = 10, Nun = 50, Vav = 6, a total of 268.
By adding 345+268 = 613. 613 is the number of commandments in the Torah and it was Moses who brought these commandments from the Lord God to His people.
One 19th century Hebrew teacher, Rabbi Hirsch, noted that the word Moshah has a similar sound to the word mosahwhich in Hebrew means: to melt away, to vanish.
We could take a cautionary message from this for ourselves.
Although Moses was probably one of the greatest people who ever lived, before the presence of God he became as nothing and just melted away and vanished. So too we, in our self elevated positions as teachers, pastors and church leaders need to mosah like Moshah; meaning we need to vanish by melting away in the presence of our Heavenly Father Who is the one true God, then, people will not see us, they will only see Him.
A little later in the book of Exodus in chapter 10 and verse 23 we read :
They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
We are all familiar with the call on Moses life to bring the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. There are memorable parts of the biblical account where God did many miracles and the plagues that came upon Egypt. One of the plagues was darkness. This was so disturbing to Pharaoh that he agreed to let the people of Israel go.
Why was Pharaoh so disturbed about total darkness, weren’t there candles, torches and oil lamps in all of Egypt? It only lasted three days, but when light returned the record tells that Pharaoh was very ready to let the people go.
The scripture says:
King James Bible And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.
Amplified Bible Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that darkness may come over the land of Egypt, a darkness which [is so awful that it] may be felt.”
Berean Standard Bible Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.”
Contemporary English Version The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch your arm toward the sky, and everything will be covered with darkness thick enough to touch.”
International Standard Version Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch your hand toward the sky and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that one can feel.”
(Hebrew Word References Above Are From Bible Hub.com)
These words describe the darkness as being thick and tangible, that it was not only be so dark that it was impossible to see anything at all but palpable and tangible in the way that it could be felt, like thick oil. If that is accurate no wonder Pharaoh was ready to let the Israelites leave!
“They saw not one another,” we are told, “for three days”
Exodus 10:23.
The darkness was one which “might be felt” Exodus 10:21.
Such a supernatural manifestation of absolutely impenetrable “blackness of darkness” would cause to anyone a feeling of intense fear and horror.
To the Egyptians it would be peculiarly painful and terrible. Ra, the sun-god, was among the principal objects of their worship, especially in the Delta, where Heliopolis and Pithoni were cities dedicated to him. Darkness was a creation of Set–the Evil Principle, the destroyer of Osiris–and of Apophis, the Great Serpent, the impeder of souls in the lower world. It would have seemed to the Egyptians that Ra was dead, that Set had triumphed over his brother, that Apophis had encircled the world with his dark folds, and plunged it in eternal night. This explains Pharaoh’s early call for Moses, and permission that the people should depart, with their families (Exodus 10:24): a promise of release which had the restriction, Only let your flocks and herds be stayed.
In order to have total darkness means that the creator of the universe had to put out the lights of the sun, moon, and stars for three days. Those who experienced the total eclipse on 8th of this month had a brief taste of that total darkness. Remember that the Egyptians worshipped the sun, moon, and stars. Their chief god was the sun god Ra. They worshipped the stars, they looked to the constellations to tell them when to plant their crops when to harvest them and when the Nile would overflow its banks and irrigate the land.
It was no coincidence that all their gods were being shown as no contest to the Creator God of the Hebrew children of Israel.
If the people of Egypt saw light coming from Goshen where the Hebrews were, it surely would have been even more disturbing.
It is very interesting that some of the Hebrew Rabbis teach that this light literally came from the people themselves. However it was not shining through them, rather it was reflected off of them. Giving the picture that the light where the Israelites were living was Gods’ Light reflected off them. This could have been the case, if His people literally had a light shining from their very being, and it is not impossible as Moses face shone after he had been in the presence of the Most High.
And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. Ex 34:35 KJV
The Hebrew says in this verse that there was‘or bemoshevotham. This literally means:
a light from within the dwellers
The use of the word “dweller” might also suggest angelic beings. Angels of light.
There is no doubt however that, this light, in Hebrew (‘or) was
a divine light.
Shekhinah שְׁכִינָה
Shekinah Glory is a Hebrew term that refers to the divine presence of God on earth. The word “shekinah” means “dwelling” or “one who dwells”. Shekinah Glory is often symbolized as a cloud or pillar of fire. The Hebrew Bible mentions several places where the presence of God was felt as a Shekinah, including the burning bush, the cloud on Mount Sinai and the wilderness Mishkan. The word shekinah does not appear in the Bible, but the concept clearly does. The Jewish rabbis coined this extra-biblical expression, a form of a Hebrew word that literally means “he caused to dwell,” signifying that it was a divine visitation of the presence or dwelling place of God.
The etymology of “Shekinah” is from the Hebrew word shākan, which means“to reside or permanently stay.”The rabbis used the term Shekinahto describe the presence of God amongst His people ( Exodus 19:16-18; Exodus 40:34-38; I Kings 6:13)- The glory of God dwelling in the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:1)– How God dwells in the mountain (Psalm 68.16-18; Joel 3:17)
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
This is the light of Genesis 1:3 when God said: “Let there be light.”
He had not yet created the sun, moon or stars this light was Divine light. God is light. 1John1:5 God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.
What the Hebrew teachers/sages do, is that they take the preposition and pronoun away from the word
bemoshevotham
be moshev otham
and the word moshev remains.
4186 moshab/moshev:
a seat, assembly, dwelling place, dwelling, dwellers
Original Word: מוֹשָׁב Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Transliteration: moshab Phonetic Spelling: (mo-shawb’) Definition: a seat, assembly, dwelling place, dwelling, dwellers
This is a literal play on the word Moshiach or Messiah and if the light coming from the people was reflected off them, then it was the Shechinah glory which was present in each household.
As the use of the word dweller here is a play on the word Moshiach/Messiah, could it also suggest that it was the Light of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus which was reflecting off the people?
The word Moshovotam spells out moshav tam which means: a complete resting place. And we know that wherever we find the light of our Heavenly Father we will find a complete peace, a resting place, His true shalom.
mo-shawb’: assembly, dwell in, dwelling-place, wherein that dwelt in, inhabited place, seat
Or moshab {mo-shawb’}; from yashab; a seat; figuratively, a site; abstractly, a session; by extension an abode (the place or the time); by implication, population — assembly, dwell in, dwelling(-place), wherein (that) dwelt (in), inhabited place, seat, sitting, situation, sojourning.
Scripture tells us in John 8:12 Messiah Yeshua/Jesus said of Himself :
I Am the Light of the World.
And
John 10:30-36 I and my Father are one.
This means: He is the light of God
and so in Him, we can find moshav tam.
If we can imagine just what it must have been like in those Hebrew households for three days living in the light of the Messiah, the true shekinah glory light of God? The same shekinah glory that would accompany them for the next 40 years and came to rest on the mishkan, dwelling with them?
Not only that, but if this concept is in any way accurate, to look around and see that shekinah glory light, reflected off the people around you, right before that first passover; must have been an amazing 3 days – not of darkness, but of the presence of God. What a miracle that must have given the Hebrew children a reason to praise and worship their Deliverer.
LIGHT FROM THE DWELLER –
‘ORBEMOSHEVOTHAM –
~אור במושׁבתמ
As Holy Spirit filled believers, the light of our Heavenly Father and Messiah dwells in us, in Him we live and move and have our being,(Acts 17:28); and because we are now representing Messiah, the light of the world, people around us should see
Messiah/Christ in us the hope of glory, the
or bemoshevotham
~אור במושׁבתמ
Light from the dweller!
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
The visible and authentic trust that Abraham showed in the Lord by his actions, was rewarded by him becoming the friend of God. 2 Chronicles 2:7.
There is another reference inIsaiah 41:8.
8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
LiterallyIsaiah 41:8 could be translated as
Abraham, who loved Me.
Abraham showed his love for Adonai through his faith accompanied by obedience as seen in Genesis 12:1, 4; 15:6.
In the New testament, James 2:23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God
James confirmed that Abraham was truly
the
It was Abraham’s faith that entitled him to be called
the
Moses was also called the friend of our Heavenly Father.
There was no one who had the same level of face to face intimacy with the Lord God that Moses had.
Exodus 33:11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
Exodus 33:11 HEB: אִ֖ישׁ אֶל־ רֵעֵ֑הוּ וְשָׁב֙ אֶל־ NAS: speaks to his friend. When Moses returned KJV: speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again INT: A man to his friend returned to
Original Word: רֵעַ Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Transliteration: rea Phonetic Spelling: (ray’-ah) Definition: friend, companion, fellow
There are several Hebrew words forfriend.
Were Abraham and Moses the only two given that privileged relationship, or are there others?
We crave that type of intimacy in human companionship, longing to be cherished and treasured; but sometimes there is distance or disappointment that make human relationships less than that which our Father desires for us.
However, in His plan of the ages our Heavenly Father knows our needs and when He sent His Son to walk and live among us, it was not only to restore covenant relationship through His sacrificial death; but also to form a close and lasting friendship with us, one that will endure not only through this life but throughout eternity. By His life, death and resurrection, He enabled us to call Him Messiah, Savior, Deliverer, Redeemer and amongst many others, also Hisfriend.
How do we know this?
Because in Messiahs own words in John 15:14 and 15
Amplified Bible I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father.
He calls us friends if we are obedient!
You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you.and he has told us everything He learned from His Father
and then says
16You did not choose Me, but I chose you. Meaning we were created to be His friends!
5384 philos: beloved, dear, friendly
Original Word: φίλος, η, ον Part of Speech: Adjective; Indeclinable Numeral (Adjective) Transliteration: philos Phonetic Spelling: (fee’-los) Definition: beloved, dear, friendly Usage: friendly; subst: a friend, an associate.
John 15:14Adj-NMP GRK: ὑμεῖς φίλοι μού ἐστε NAS:You are My friends if you do KJV: are my friends, if ye do INT: You friends of me are
John 15:15Adj-AMP GRK: δὲ εἴρηκα φίλους ὅτι πάντα NAS: but I have called you friends, for all things KJV: you friends; for INT: however I have called friends for all things
In Hebrew, a friend is a male or female person. In the Bible, a male is referred to as achaver,while a female is called achaverah.Chevarim being the plural for friends.
חבר
We are familiar with calling Yeshua/Jesus our savior Messiah Lord Master King but can we say He is also our friend?
How do we see or consider Him?
How do we appear to other people in our relationship with Yeshua/Jesus?
Is He just a task master and we the obedient servant; or is the relationship something deeper?
Are there examples of this kind of loving friendship in His Word?
The book Song of Solomon is a representation of our relationship with the Father and even more it’s a picture of His heart and it is very important that we come to understand and know what His heart is towards us.
The picture expresses the kind of love that is not only overflowing, passionate and bubbling over, but also as being active. It’s a love that’s always doing something, and always looking for a way in which to express its depth and commitment.
In Song of Solomon 2:10 the shulamite calls Solomon
her dodi
she is saying that she is
completing him in love.
Here we must understand the Hebraic thought, which is, that love is not complete until it is shared… and this is a direct reference from Messiah Yeshua when He said
they will know that you are my disciples because of the love one to another.
Shared love is this way too and necessary if we are to enter the heart of God.
We are to say to Him thatHe is our beloved. There is no one else but you. Not parents, siblings, children, grand or great grand, etc. Yeshua/Jesus said
these are my family those who do the will of my father.. Matthew 12:50.
Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29
Nothing and no one is to come between Him and ourselves…
Beloved is also transalated as dodi.
Dodicomes from a semitic root that meansto boiland its also a word used forlove; but not feelings, or a surface love ..it is the real unconditional love.
Unless we can call Him beloved/dodi do we have any right to enter in to His heart, to that deep and intimate relationship?
yadid: beloved 3039
Original Word: יְדִיד Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: yadid Phonetic Spelling: (yed-eed’) Definition: beloved
Psalm 127:2 HEB: כֵּ֤ן יִתֵּ֖ן לִֽידִיד֣וֹ שֵׁנָֽא׃ NAS: For He gives to His beloved [even in his] sleep. KJV: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep. INT: after that gives to his beloved sleep
Song of Solomon 2:10
The word yadiyad is made up from the word yad which is hand in Hebrew; and it’s repeated, making it to say or read
yadiyad or hand in hand.
Parents, mothers and children, siblings, friends and couples often
walk hand in hand.
It declares to whoever sees them that they share a special relationship.
Is this what people see of our relationship with Our Heavenly Father/Messiah, one of beloved friends walking hand in hand, side by side? Sometimes one in the lead pulling the other along and sometimes in the rear holding the other back?
There is an ancient belief in Hebrew culture that the heart was in the palm of the right hand and that when two people joined their right hands it was symbolic of sharing each others hearts.
It was the part of the body that does the most important functions for other people, and why we say, can I lend you or give you a hand?
Rather than a foot which hasn’t the same ability to assist someone!
We offer a helping hand or arms and hand to support another; and the ancient belief was maybe more of an indication that they realized a persons hand was the most usual outward expression of their heart, love and compassion.
It may bear a reference to the scripture God writing us on the palm of His hand, as they would have understood the deeper meaning with the ancient thinking of heart in hand names are written in His heart!? Isaiah 49:16
The modern Hebrew expression meaning
friend is yadiyad
literally hand in hand
Here in Genesis 28:16
Yod Daleth Vav Yod Daleth
yad i yad / yad v yad
with a v not an i is the same in Hebrew.
The word for knew here is yada and means more than just knowing. It’s a reference to the intimacy of a married couples relationship. As in Adam knew his wife and she conceived.
Yada is also constructed from the word Yad/hand and the same word from which the name David comes, as well as the word yadiyad.
People used to shake hands and it would be a mutual agreement or form of contract between them, saying lets shake on it. It’s obvious that a handshake held much more significance than it does today. Another reason the right hand was offered as a greeting, was to show the other party you did not have a weapon in your right hand.
It is a common custom now to offer our hand when we are introduced to someone for the first time; and it can indicate that in meeting them, there’s an initial action to sharing a future relationship either business, casual or friendship.
In days past the handshake had more meaning than a casual relationship; they believed that:
by taking someones hand and particularly the right hand, you were sharing each others heart.
This action has a much greater meaning, more than just help me out of this situation I’m in but – take my heart and let me take yours.
The ancient thought behind it is that of:
sitting at the right hand of our Heavenly Father.
It was a metaphor, an idiom, meaning:
sharing the Father’s heart.
yad: hand
Original Word:יָד Part of Speech:Noun Feminine Transliteration:yad Phonetic Spelling:(yawd) Definition:hand
Recall Hebrew letters also have a numerical value:
יד
Yod Daleth
The letters in the word Hand YD,
without the vowel letter a:
yod = 10 dalet = 4 = 14
2 hands joined =28
There is another word in Hebrew with the value of28 which is: kocha
The rabbis/teachers, say that when 2 words have equal numerical value, there is a connection that we should take note of. In this instance the two words with the value 28 could refer to:
two hands joined together is great strength!
Or in other words:
A friendship from which one can draw great strength.
This is what Messiah Yeshua/Jesus wants for us,
we are to draw great strength from
our yadiyad with Him
when He said:
I no longer call you servants but friends.
How is our relationship with Yeshua/Jesus?
Is He our yadiyad, our beloved friend?
Are we truly walking with Him hand in hand/ heart in heart..?
In the following verse He is calling us to come:
In the phrase in Song of Solomon:
come away with me
in the Hebrew text there is a lamed (a letter L), before the pronoun Me.
In the Hebrew language, when used as a preposition as it is here, the lamed is usually translated as TO or UNTOso it would read God is simply saying
Come to Me
He is calling us today…
come to me.
And just as the Father in the parable of the prodigal son, who ran to meet him. As we turn/teshuvah, and come to our Heavenly Father through Jesus/Yeshua, He will meet us, coming towards us… then we can become His friend.
Yes, we can be His servant, we can be present at all the meetings and be on time, and we can listen closely to His instructions and obey them. We can be loved by our Heavenly Father, but do we want to be yadiyad, hand in hand with Him?
We can be serving the Lord so much that we fail to realize that He is reaching His hand/His yad out to us. With the concept we just looked at, He needs another hand to complete the word Yadiyad – to be hand in hand.
He may be our Master, our King, our Savior but He wants to be more than that. He wants to be our friend, our Yadiyad, His hand in ours, His heart joined with our heartsand always to be and remain our Yadiyad: beloved friend.
Even more special is the fact that the relationship with our Heavenly Father can always be that of“beloved friend” because He always keeps His promises and longs to establish the relationship Yeshua/Jesus died for us to have.
We were made for God.
Song of Solomon 7:11
In the original Hebrew, the Shulamite woman is saying she is
for or to her beloved;
and if it follows that this is a picture of our relationship with God, then we were made for God.
God created us for Himself.
He created us just for Himself, for His pleasure.
The first purpose for our existence is that we were created to bring pleasure to our Heavenly Father.
Revelation 4:11 KJVS Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. He made you so that He COULD ENJOY YOU, both in this world and eternally in heaven
Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
Sometimes we get so focused on fulfilling our own pleasure, we never stop to think that our main purpose and function in life is to bring pleasure to the Lord.
We are created to bring glory to Him, to honor Him, to praise His glorious name, to thank Him for His abundance in our life and to praise Him for His abundant grace,
“everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:7
This is the very purpose of man – to glorify God in every way.
Ps100:3 says “Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his;”
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear, reverently respect God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Eccles. 12:13
He is really the only one we need to please, and He is the easiest person to please; because He designed created and equipped us to bring pleasure to Him.
Maybe some of us are not good looking or talented, but if He created us that way, then whatever we look like or are able to do, when we do our best it will always bring Him pleasure. We may feel we have no talent, but there is something about us that our father designed to bring pleasure to Him ,and if we ask Him He will show us what that is.
He is our beloved
and
His desire is toward us.
The most usual way to make contact with someone or something, is to reach out and touch with your hand. A touch of the hand is a universally understood sign of affection; however it can also be done in an aggressive move. In legal terms it’s the difference between assault and showing affection. It is also a way to express your desire for a deeper relationship.
We are His beloved and He is our beloved.
Are we ready to be His friend?
Are we ready to reach out and take the hand being offered to us?
Yes, there are more than just Abraham and Moses who are friends of our Heavenly Fathe; all HIs disciples were and as such then so are we.
Decide today to be yadiyad – hand in hand, heart in heart with Him, our beloved friend!
Proverbs 18:24
A man who has friends [ a]must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
He is our Yadiyad, let’s always walk side by side and hand in hand with Him.
Shalom aleikhem chaverim and mishpachah! Peace to friends and family. Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week. Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him. It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion. You are very precious in His sight. Not sure ..you can be… SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW… Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past. I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
At this point in the calendar, we are just a little over
40 days
since Passover/Pesach.
Luke 24:50 51 tells us
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.
Jesus/Yeshua appeared to them on many occasions in
different forms following His resurrection;
Revealing His Deity to them and
testing their faith in Who He was.
After these 40 days He ascended.
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a]from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
Luke 24:13-16
After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking along the way to the country. Mark 16:12 Amp.
After the Transfiguration happened to Yeshua/Jesus, we have no personal life experiences that are equal or similar to the events that Messiah went through from that time forward.
For 30 years He had appeared to be a normal man but He was living a perfect life as a Torah observant Hebrew/Jew/Israelite. The record of His life as written in the four Gospels by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John describes only approximately the last three years of His public ministry apart from His conception, birth, notable events in His early years to age 12.
Luke 2:40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
We must remember all we read in these 4 accounts, did not occur in just a single 12 month period. Going forward from the time of His transfiguration everything is unfamiliar to us from what we already know of HIs life and ministry.
His transfiguration on the mountain was a marker in time.
Matt. 17:2 Mark 9:2
1Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, [a]let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 8When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” Matt 17
Moses and Elijah were seen with Him and the glory He had laid aside was upon Him brighter than Moses whose face had shone with the Shekinah glory centuries before on another mountain.
and it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. Ex 34:29-35
The Voice of the Father spoke again
at the transfiguration
Matt 17:5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
just as He had done at Messiahs immersion;
when His Spirit of Holiness was imparted.
Luke 3:21/22
When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Moses and Elijah strengthened and encouraged Him prior to His fulfilling all He had come to do according to the Fathers will.
Matt.17:3
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.
He was to set His face toward Jerusalem, Gethsemane, the beating and the cross; the cruel stake of crucifixion, physical death, followed by the resurrection… and we have no experience of such an ordeal.
His execution stake/ tree/ cross is the dalet /door by which every person can enter into the life/chaim of God.
John 10:9
By His resurrection He has the right to give eternal life to anyone
By His ascension Messiah entered heaven/shamayim keeping that dalet/ door open for humanity, for whosoever will. Mark 8:34; Matt. 16:25; Matt. 20:27.
The Transfiguration was completed on the
mount of the Ascension
see the map below.
Luke 24:50-53 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
If Messiah had gone directly to heaven from the Mount of Transfiguration, He would have gone alone. He would have been nothing more to us than an unusual historical figure, but He turned His back on the glory once again and came down from the mountain to identify Himself with fallen humanity and become the sin bearer of the world.
Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ, God’s One and Only Son, laid aside His majesty to serve humanity. His death on the cross is the ultimate expression of servant leadership, when He obediently fulfilled the will of God.
Amplified Bible Phil.2:6-8 Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man]. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.…
His ascension from the Mount of Olives was the complete fulfillment of the Transfiguration.
Messiah returned to His original glory but not simply as the Son of God. He returned to His Father as the Son of Man as well.
John 17:5 Amplified Bible Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory and majesty that I had with You before the world existed.
Now there is freedom of access for anyone, straight to the very throne of God because of the ascension of the Son of Man.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16.
We can come boldly because Messiah’s Blood satisfied the fullness of the Fathers covenant as payment for sin. As the Son of Man, Jesus/Yeshua deliberately limited His omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience. But now and forevermore they are His in absolute full power and authority. As the Son of Man, Jesus/Yeshua now has all the power at the throne of the Father. From His ascension forward He became and is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Many will not understand the value of that until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.
Mark 13:26; Matt. 16:28. assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not
taste death
till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.
Many people fear and seek to avoid death at any cost, yet when we give our lives for the sake of Messiah Jesus, we see it as a sacrifice. This is because we don’t understand the value of death. Death is the doorway to something so much better and far, far greater.
He understood this…
For the joy set before him he endured the cross … fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith … at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb. 12:2.
In the verse above about tasting death…how do we explain what something tastes like to someone who has never tried or eaten it? For example to describe the taste of a pineapple or a jalapeno pepper is almost impossible, a person would actually have to taste it themselves.
He tasted death for all of us so we don’t have to.
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while [by taking on the limitations of humanity], crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering of death, so that by the grace of God [extended to sinners] He might experience death for [the sins of] everyone.
Hebrews 2:9. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
There’s no way for us to see the value of death until we actually pass through the death of this physical body into the realm/world beyond time, leaving behind this natural one and see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. His Kingdom which is not of this world/realm.
John 18:36. Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
Only then will we have a full understanding and we will no doubt wonder why we feared death at all.
In Matthew 16:28
shall not TASTE death
until they see the son of man coming in his glory.
The word taste in Hebrew/Aramaic is taim – טָעִים
טָעַם verbtaste, perceive –
pronounced: taw-am’
The first century understanding of this word was that it was used: to express the VALUE of what is eaten
and also
perception as the ability to distinguish between thoughts.
Strong’s Definitions. ta`am, taw-am’; a primitive root; to taste; figuratively, to perceive:
Ps.34:8 taste and see that the Lord is good.
Here in this Psalm the word for taste is taamu
also meaning:
to taste, to perceive
encouraging us to:
put the matter to the test of experience ( 1 Peter 2:3).
There is no other way of really knowing how good our Heavenly Father is.
He gives us a little taste here and now, of what lies ahead, what is to come for those who will take up their cross daily and follow Him for the joy that is also, set before us.
The revealing of the 40 days came by way of Messiah who was recorded as appearing 12 times to His disciples in His resurrected body. John 21:14; Mark 16:14; 1Cor 15:7.
It came also by way of the testing of their faith in that, Who He was revealed in all His Glory. A risen, resurrected savior, their Messiah, Lord and King.
In scripture, specifically the Ten Commandments/sayings, there is very clear instruction that no Hebrew/Israelite or child of God is to worship and bow down to any idol, person or thing, other than our Heavenly Father.
Luke 24:52 And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, Acts 1:9;
Matt. 28:9 and as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
And some of them were unsure because of this commandment and so they hesitated..
Matt 28:17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
And Emmaus Luke 24:52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
So when the disciples knelt down and said what they did, it was a very serious decision and confession as they were declaring that they believed He was none other than YHVH /Yaweh/ God Almighty. This is a point to remember when thinking of Jewish people who do not accept Jesus/Yeshua as Messiah; they see Christianity and Christians as bowing down and worshipping Jesus as equal to worshipping a forbidden idol putting Him before God and therefore violating the first of the commandments.
Only when the Father opens their eyes, as He did for Saul/Paul, will they see Him whom they pierced. John 19:37
One day our ascension will occur and only the Father knows when that day will be.
Ps 139:16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written. The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].
Meanwhile we are to work out our salvation soberly and faithfully, looking unto Jesus/Yeshua, the author and finisher of our faith and paying close attention to how we walk for the days are evil. Eph. 5:15 16.
Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people],
making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.
Violence is filling the earth once again, just as it was in Noahs’ day before the flood; and Lots’ day when the cities were destroyed by fire from heaven in the form of sulfurous meteorites.
and God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Gen. 6:13
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. Gen. 19:24.
We are to walk humbly and circumspectly before the Lord working the works of Him Who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light of (40) revealed knowledge.
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 Amplified Bible He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]
Having remembered His Ascension soon Shavuot/Pentecost will be here. A time to rejoice in the day in which prophecy was fulfilled; and Fathers’ Spirit of Holiness was released into the whole world, enabling Him to never leave nor forsake us and to empower those obedient disciples to fulfill His directive of Mark 16:15-18
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” And verse 19. So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
There’s just a few days left of counting from the Omer. (Day 44 this shabbat). It is a good time for us to prepare and test our hearts, if we haven’t already, so that we can be effective vessels, ready to serve our King..
now when these things begin to occur, stand tall and lift up your heads [in joy], because [suffering ends as] your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:28
Later, as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
Mark 16:15
Keep looking up family, for our redemption draweth nigh!
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
A look at the number 40,
The open form, peucha, is said to represent the revealed truth of God as demonstrated by Moshe/Moses. The use of the closed letter Mem, stumah, is said to represent the concealed truth of our Heavenly Father as was demonstrated by Yeshua/Jesus, the revealer of mysteries.
An ephah is used in Scripture as a measure of dry goods such as flour, barley meal, parched corn, wheat and so on. It is roughly equivalent to 22 liters or 20 dry quarts. One of its first uses is in the book of Leviticus.
We are familiar with Abraham being called 
We looked at the 
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