which will give some extra information as Israel celebrates the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths which prophetically represents His presence dwelling with His people for ever when Messiah comes and He tabernacles with men.
Last week wasand central to the Yom Kippur observance in scripture is the Ark of the Covenant/Ark of the Testimony that was placed within the Holy of Holies, both in the wilderness Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Everything begins with the altar of sacrifice and prophetically foretells the offering of the final sacrifice of Messiah on the altar of the cross.
The day of Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement, was the one day of the year the high priest/Kohen Gadol would enter through those 2 golden doors going beyond the veil into the smaller area (15 x 15 feet/ 4.57×4.57 meters.) called ‘the Holy of Holies’/Kodesh haKodashim and contained ‘the ark of the covenant’.
When the doors were closed they were covered by a linen curtain embroidered with cherubim and palm trees. Picture showing size of cherubim in Solomons Temple.
He took with him the blood of the sacrifice for the sins of the children of Israel.
He would sprinkle it on the ark of the covenant between the wings of the golden cherubim right on the part called the mercy seat.
The mercy seat is described as the footstool of God’s Throne in 1Chronicles 28:2. Then King David rose to his feet and said: ‘Hear me, my brethren and you my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God; and I made preparations for the building.’ (RSV)
The footstool of the throne was the place where the Lord met with the High Priest. This covering of the Ark shows us the relationship between God and Messiah Yeshua/Jesus .
He was clothed only in a simple white linen robe made specially made for the day and wore no shoes on his feet; which were none of the usual items required for him to wear.
A white linen robe was what Yeshua/Jesus was wearing when Mary saw Him in the garden and as He is now our High Priest having placed His Blood on the Mercy Seat that begins to make more sense!
It is important to remember that there was no light source in the Holy of Holies and the High Priest had to wait for God’s presence to illuminate the room.
God’s presence in the form of His Shekinah Glory manifested between the cherubs wings, just above the top of the Mercy Seat. The etymology of the dwelling or presence of God is the Hebrew word Sh’cheenah or as we pronounce it Shekinah. Shkn .
In Rev. 22:5. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.
The Glory of the Lord or Chabod is also known as the Shekhinah.
There is a Hebrew term of relatively clear meaning for the Glory of the Lord, that being Chabod. Chabod has variants such as Ichabod meaning that the glory is departed, sometimes written I-chabod or I-kabod. Therefore, Chabod actually occurs in scripture and has relatively clear meaning for the Glory of the Lord.
Some scholars allege that the word ‘Shekhinah’ is actually a Chaldean or Babylonian term meaning ‘resting-place.’
Paleo Hebrew
Some perceive that the term Shekhinah refers to the Holy Spirit, a feminine aspect of God or even a separate female deity.
The Glory of the Lord is not the Holy Spirit and some might wish to consider that the most conspicuous mention of any form or visual manifestation of the Holy Spirit consists of its appearance as a dove.
Luke 3:21 And it came to pass, all the people having been baptized, and Jesus having been baptized and praying, that the heaven was opened,22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove upon him; and a voice came out of heaven, *Thou* art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight
It is important to be aware that the term ‘glory‘, necessarily means light – that is to say – something that is luminous. This is a key and crucial point, that the Chabod or Glory of the Lord is light.
The Glory of the Lord frequently accompanies God’s presence and is something very similar to – but not exactly like plasma. Plasma could be described as a cloud of luminosity. Apparently, God can appear without the Chabod. While Plasma visually has cloud-like characteristics, the clouds frequently noted as being clouds and the Glory of the Lord are very separate things although at times the Plasma-like material is noted as being a cloud.
Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God. (JPS)
The Chabod is also similar to but not exactly the same as the aurorae that sometimes appear at the polar regions of the Earth. While these luminous phenomena do have some cloud-like characteristics, they are obviously not the same as actual clouds of moisture that did frequently, but not always, accompany the presence of the Chabod.
The Hebrew word rendered into English as ‘cloud‘, actually means ‘a covering’ derived from the aspect of clouds of water vapor covering the sky. In fact, most specific mentions of the Glory of the Lord pertain to the appearances of fire. Flames do occupy a physical space and are visually similar to luminous clouds.
Scripture records there is a Green rainbow around throne it may resemble an aurorae which is as close as we can imagine.
God’s presence in the form of His Shekinah glory manifested between the cherubs wings just above the top of the Mercy seat. The etymology of the dwelling or presence of God is the Hebrew word Sh’cheenah or as we pronounce it Shekinah.
שכינה
The term Shekinah was many times used interchangeably with the word God. In the Jewish mind it always spoke of the fact that He dwelt in or rested upon those who merited His favor, whether an individual, a community, or the entire Jewish people.
Scholars also see the similarities between Shekinah (God’s Presence), The Holy Spirit of God (Heb. Ruach Elohim; Gr. Pneuma Hagion), and the Hebrew Bat Kol (The Daughter of the Voice, or God’s Voice).
It is interesting to examine the tradition of the Bat Kol which was the voice of God that proclaimed His will and intention, His judgments and His promises, His warnings and His commands to various people, communities, and sometimes to all of Israel. Jewish tradition always spoke of the Bat Kol. When the Torah was given at Sinai the Bible says,
Deut 4:12 “And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.”
The Bat Kal mysteriously sounded at extraordinary times and this was mentioned in Jewish tradition. For example, there is one account that indicates that at the very instant when God took away the soul of Moses with a kiss, the bat Kal rang out over the Israelite camp with the lament, “Moses is dead! Moses is dead!” It also is recognized to have given warnings or passed judgement upon evildoers as recorded in the book of Daniel: 4:28-32″ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven:’
The Bat Kol is represented in Jewish tradition by the symbol of the dove.
There is a saying among the teachers and Torah scholars that when God was not pleased with Israel’s behavior, the cherubs Wings pointed away from each other and the high priest would let the people know that God was displeased with the behavior.
The high priest placed the blood on to the Mercy seat directly under the presence of God and Israel’s sins were atoned for for another year.
The High Priest had to be pure and sin free or he would not survive the encounter with the glory of the Father’s presence.
The blood that he placed on the Mercy seat had come from the sacrifice however this sacrifice is no longer required as Yeshua/Jesus is the better sacrifice once and for all time. Hebrews 9:23
In the same way the rebuilding of the temple is also unnecessary, as those who believe in Yeshua/Jesus understand that He was and is the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. However, it will be built in fulfillment of the prophecies in both Daniel and Revelation.
This is an extensive subject and this post barely scratches the surface but it is timely with the autumn appointed festivals of the Lord.
Taking a look at the Ark will hopefully give a greater understanding of its meaning and prophetic significance
The Ark was made following instructions given to Moses. Ex. 26 and 37.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,
In Exodus 31:1-6 and chapters 36 to 39, Bezalel (Hebrew: בְּצַלְאֵל, Bəṣalʼēl, also transcribed as Betzalel), was the chief artisan of the Tabernacle and was in charge of building the Ark of the Covenant, assisted by Aholiab.
Ark in Hebrew also means box. This was not the first box that God had instructed a man to make.
Noah’s Ark was a box made of wood and covered in pitch.
The Ark of the covenant given to Moses was a box of wood covered in gold.
In Genesis 7:1 God says ‘come into the box/ark’, giving the understanding that He is already in the box and simultaneously He is with Noah. And He/God shut the door; (not Noah)! Gen 7:16.
There was only one door through which to escape the coming judgment! and as Yeshua said, ‘I am the Door‘!
The Lord shut them in.
He is still calling us to come to where He is and be in His presence and also to allow His presence to be within us.
Both boxes had to have a specific covering within and without. There is an interesting inference concerning the description of the pitch in Genesis 6:14. He said make a box of Gopher wood for yourself (not for everyone)! You will make compartments for family and animals. And will cover it within and without with pitch.
While the word is generally translated pitch, the word atonement is more appropriate although both are correct and obviously the translators used Pitch.
There are two words in Hebrew that are often translated ark.
Aron is used for the ark of the covenant means chest as in a treasure chest.
Aron is made from wood from the Acacia\ gopher\Shittim tree.
Ark of the covenant is an acacia wood chest since it was also used for storage for the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded and the tablets of the 10 Commandments. Note the similarity between Aaron and ARON of which Aaron became High Priest.
Another word for Ark is TEVAH and it is used for two objects:
Noah’s Ark and Moses Papyrus basket.
Noah’s Ark is tevat gofer literally a box of gopher wood.
Which was 450’ x 75’ x 45’ and took approximately 75 years to build.
Moses basket / a papyrus box, and while tevah means box, that was a huge difference in the size of the two; but it was still a box. Both Noah (& family) and Moses were boxed in.
Notice the coat of Tar or PITCH so it stayed waterproof until Pharoah’s daughter found it!
The Greek word kibotos means box but it is usually translated ark in English coming from the first translations from Latin. The Latin word is arca for both boxes.
Here is a thought provoking proposition concerning the covering of Noah’s box in Genesis/Beresheet. Always keeping in mind that there are no vowels a E I O U in the Torah scrolls only consonants.
Apparently the Hebrew does not actually say the exact words, ‘Cover it inside and out with pitch‘ but uses the K F R of the root of the word for pitch. So it reads KFR it within and without in KFR. Kefir/ kopher
גובה הצליל .
The point is, if it is referring to pitch, the substance, then all the interior it would be sticky! The reason to cover the outside with pitch is so it will stay dry and to keep the water out of the ark’s interior. How would having a coat of pitch inside prevent the water from flooding in, the full force of the water from the outside would push and separate the wood from the pitch. So there had to be an alternative reason/meaning behind this directive.
Another look at the root KFR shows that it is also a bush called camphor or henna that bears bunches of fragrant sweet smelling fruit and flowers. Maybe it was used for keeping the box/arks interior smelling fresh? Remember there were no windows, so no fresh air/ ventilation – but to be put on the outside too is not very likely.
There are however two more meanings for KFR, kafar means deny and kipper means made atonement. (As in Yom Kippur!) The two seem opposed in meaning, yet they would both make sense if applied to the understanding that the ark was constructed with God’s direction as a container for the survival of life on earth during the flood.
If we think about it, Noah is told by God that he is going to wipe out all life on the earth, with this understanding of KFR he could have been inferring ‘I want you to put your self outside of all that is around you, Deny KFR that they exist. So he is denying all those on the outside (KFR without,) for the people were denying Noah and were dismissive, derisive, with their unbelieving actions. On the inside (KFR within), to make the ark /box worthy of salvation. How? By dedicating it through an act of atonement, Kipper on the outside, coating of pitch. So all within are an atonement to the Lord = A KFR on the inside?
One final meaning of KFR is KOFER = ransom. Is it possible to think of the entering into the ark/box as a ransom for the saving/ salvation of the lives for those who made it through the flood? There was no covenant prior to the flood. Jesus /Yeshua was a ransom for many.
Ezekiel 37:1
The box of covenant and that He did indeed promise Noah and I shall establish my covenant with you; and the box was directed by God to hold the physical tablets of the covenant given to Moses.
It was made of planks of acacia wood, not plywood so it would have been very heavy. The size was 5 feet long 3 feet high and 3 feet wide.
The stone tablets were heavy as they had the whole Torah written on them.
It was covered in gold leaf, had a solid gold lid and solid gold cherubim on that lid. Then when it traveled it was covered with badgers skins; it would have waited over 1500 pounds.
It had two wood poles and was carried by four men? This would have been almost impossible. It makes one lean towards the Hebrew thought from the rabbis that the weight of the Ark was borne by God Himself; for it is said that the ark carried them NOT the other way around.
Noah was destined to bring deliverance and freedom going through God’s judgment by employing a box/ark of salvation; where His presence protected them to keep them secure and safe.
Moses was destined to bring deliverance and freedom to the children of Israel pronouncing judgment on Egypt and fulfilling the promised covenant added to Noah’s covenant and He instructed Moses to construct the Ark in which His presence could be with them.
After the children of Israel had journeyed to Mount Sinai God told Moses on the mountain that He would pitch His tent among them on their journeys:
Exod. 25:8-9 “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.” When God revealed the pattern of the tabernacle and the WAY to approach Him He also declared exactly where He would meet Moses: Exod 25:22
Moses started life in a box/ark, to keep him secure and safe, which saved his life out of the waters of the Nile and pharaohs judgment against the Hebrews male babies.
A closer look at the ark of the covenant a box of gold.
The Ark was a 2 ½ x 1½ cubit, (3 3/4 feet x 2 1/4 feet or 1.14 x 0.68 metres), a rectangular wooden chest of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold, inside and out. Its’ lid being the Mercy Seat, with the Cherubim of glory facing one another; their wings outstretched. It had a gold molding or crown around the top; (a different word in Hebrew than the rim of the table and incense altar).
There are so many images that have differing shapes those included are to highlight certain aspects., e.g. above showing detail of crown.
Ps 99:1 The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved!
Exod. 25:17-22 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two Cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the Cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.’
The cover or lid for the Ark of the Covenant was made of solid gold and it was called the mercy-seat, atonement cover, ark-cover. Kapparah is the Hebrew word for this. This word is from the same root as the word for atonement; at this point, the parallel between atonement and this kapparah, as well as the generic concept of covering, is exceedingly important. In fact, in Hebrew the word Kapparah or covering and the idea of atonement are more-or-less synonymous.
The way that the kapparah works is that it literally coversThe Law to avert judgment for those whose sins are to be forgiven. Through the mercy-seat some obtain mercy. The kapparah is the provision for mercy. The propitiation afforded through the kapparah relied in part upon sacrifice. In other words, the kapparah shields the transgressor from The Law housed inside the Ark. The penalty for transgressing any part of The Decalogue was death. Nearly everyone that ever lived was guilty of transgressing The Decalogue so it is highly probable that simply viewing the stone tables without proper remediation would automatically result in instant death. The mechanics of the kapparah appear many times in passages such as Psalm 32:1-2.
The mercy seat or covering pointed us towards the sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, and the covering of our sins with His blood.
Acacia wood is a beautiful, dense wood that comes from very fragrant and drought-resistant acacia trees that are indigenous to Africa and Arabia. In Israel, the range of the specie diminishes beyond the Negev. It is known in Hebrew as the shittah or shittum tree. Its wood is a finely grained orange wood that darkens with age and it is unaffected by insects. It is the source of natural-gum Arabic and also provides tannin.
The Mercy Seat was the lid or cover of solid gold the same size as the top of the Ark (2 1/2 cubits long x 1 1/2 cubits wide). At each end of the Mercy Seat, and of one piece with it, were two hammered gold cherubim facing one another. Their outstretched wings overshadowed the gold lid and their faces constantly looked down upon it. They were symbols of the presence and holiness of the Lord and are His chosen instruments of judgment toward any sinful approach toward the presence of the Lord and as they look upon the blood the wrath of God is appeased and they are at peace.
They represent the judgment of God.
– Their position indicates that God’s judgment upon Israel was averted because of the blood-sprinkled mercy seat
Jewish Tradition
According to the writings of the ancient sages the words of Ezekiel, “The had the hands of a man under their wings” (Ezek 1:8), refer to the hand of God which is extended beneath the wings of the Chayyoth (Cherubim) to receive penitents from the power of judgement” [Pes. 119a]
– The Cherubim are revealed by Ezekiel in chapter 1:5-10 as 4 living creatures, each one having 4 different faces, the face of a man, lion, ox, and eagle.
Man- This face spoke of mind, reason, affections, and all the things that encompass a human being.
Lion- The lion was always recognized as strong, fierce, and majestic. It was the royalist of animals.
Pro 30:30 Pro 20:2.
Ox- The ox was recognized as the animal who patiently labored for his owner. He was strong, able to bear a burden, and knew its owner.
Pro 14:4 Ps 144:14 Is 1:3
Eagle- The divine bird that flew above the storms, while below there was only sorrows, dangers, and distress. A swift bird strong and powerful, never becoming weary.
Pro 30:18-19.
Is 40:31 Ps 103:5.
Ex 19:4 `
Ezek 17:3 Hos 8:1.
The Cherubim were also the same fierce creatures who guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve had sinned. They wielded a flaming sword that turned in all four directions to protect the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:24).
So the outstretched wings of the cherubim were to provide a throne for the God where He would mediate His rule on the earth as a representation of the real throne in heaven:
1 Sam 4:4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. (NIV)
When God had spoken to Moses out of the midst of the cloud upon Sinai, He also told him that He would come down to speak with him in the midst of His people. It was from the area above the Mercy Seat that He did:
Num 7:89
The Mercy Seat was where the blood was sprinkled. between the judgment angels who were looking down and when they would see the blood the wrath of God was stayed. Lev 16:11-15
And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the sin offering which is for himself. (Red Heifer) – He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. “Then he shall kill the (scape) goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
Because of the mercy seat the tabernacle was called “the tent of meeting”. Because here God met with man:
In the New Testament this Mercy Seat or atonement cover is spoken of twice. Heb 9:2-5 Rom 3:23-26
The Greek word for Mercy Seat is ‘hilasterion’. It is used here in Romans 3:25 where Paul says (literally) that God presented Christ as a propitiation or ‘mercy seat’. This means that Jesus Christ is the mercy seat.
The Mercy Seat did not derive its worth from the purity of its gold but from the fact that it was the place where the blood of sacrifice was sprinkled in the presence of Yahweh.
The word for “mercy seat” is the same root for the word “atonement”. It means to cover, cancel, appease, or cleanse.
The Greek equivalent is the word “propitiation”.
Lk 18:13 “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
The word “seat” speaks of a resting place so the mercy seat was the “place of mercy or propitiation”.
The Ark was overlaid with pure gold and had a gold crown.
Because only once a year on Yom Kippur could man enter beyond the veil; there had to be a veil separating man from the holy of holies.
This was mentioned first before all the other furniture in the tabernacle. The ark was right in the center of the camp and the glory cloud was seen above the mercy seat and above the back portion of the tabernacle.
The ark rested on the dirt floor of the Holy of Holies with its four gold rings that the gold poles were inserted through and left permanently in position.
Exod 25:10-22
The Ark of the Covenant was where Gods justice and judgement toward sin was satisfied.
Ex 25:22
Josh 3:6,13
1 Sam 5:7
1 Chr 6:41
2 Chr 35:3
Ps 78:60-61
What was inside it?
The 2 unbroken tables of stone, (The 10 Commandments).
It is important to note that the ark contained the two tablets of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments). Remember that God had made a covenant with Israel, but the people had broken it. In grace God renewed it and ordered that its enduring record, (the unbroken tablets) should be deposited in the holy ark. The Book of the Covenant, which dealt at length with other aspects of law and procedure, was deposited alongside the ark. But the 10 commandments were stored within the ark itself.
Exod 25:16 “And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.”
It is highly probable that the stone tables were housed inside the Ark simply to protect people from the penalty of death that automatically occurs and results from viewing the Decalogue.
The Ten Commandments more correctly called The Decalogue or The Law that God gave to Moses.
It is extremely enlightening to examine the root of the word Decalogue, which are traced from Greek and the prefix deca means ten. The suffix logue is from the root word logos ,meaning word. Therefore, Decalogue means the Ten Words. The Ark was made at Horeb near Mount Horeb and the name Horeb means “the desert or mountain of the dried-up ground.”Generally, the region is called Horeb and the mountain is called Mount Horeb. The mountain was located in the land of Midian, a portion of present-day Arabia.
Consider the essence of the Decalogue, it is apparent that the Ten Words could be considered the face of the document of The Law. In fact, lawyers frequently refer to the substance or text of their documents by the term face. The Law or Decalogue inscribed into the face of the stone tables automatically brings death without atonement! It is maybe relevant, and certainly not a coincidence, that no one can look upon God’s face and live!
Ex. 33:17
Two other items were also contained within the ark. One was a golden pot/jar containing an omer (24 liters) of manna (Heb. 9:4) as a memorial of God’s provision:
Exod 16:32-33 “ThenMoses said, This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ And Moses said toAaron Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.”
It was also a type Christ who was the living bread which came down from heaven:
John 6:50-51 “This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
The third item which would be added was Aaron’s rod that sprouted buds and blossoms and bore ripe almonds in a single night, authenticating God’s choice of Aaron for the priesthood. (Num 17; Heb. 9:4).
Num 17:7-8 “And Moses placed the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.”
Here is a A Type of Christ
The mercy seat protected man from the judgment of God represented by the judgment angels, the Cherubim. Because of the blood that was sprinkled on the mercy seat, man’s sin and guilt were washed away and the curse of the law has no effect. The mercy seat foreshadows the Messiah.
He is our mercy seat.
He forever stands between a holy God and sinful man. Just as the sins of the whole nation were atoned for by the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat, so also Messiah, by the shedding of His own blood atoned for the sins of the entire world.
1 Jn 2:2; Lk 22:20; Eph 2:13; 1 Pet 1:18-19; Heb 9:11-12, 28; Dan 7:9-10,13,14; Rev 5:1-13; Ps 99:1.
The ark of the Covenant was a picture of Messiah.
The Acacia wood speaks of the indestructible humanity of Jesus. He was 100% man. God Himself became flesh and suffered the agonies of the human experience. He was tempted, He was weary, He thirsted, He had to learn the Scriptures and learn obedience and to hear God’s voice and be led by the Spirit as a man. Not only does the Acacia wood tell us that He was 100% man but the pure gold that over-laid the wood teaches us that He was 100% God.
Jesus said “unless you believe that I AM you will die in your sins.” He used the same words (Heb. Eheyay asher aheyay) as when the Lord spoke to Moses at the burning bush. The Jewish Messiah was none other than Jehovah Himself visiting His people and becoming their savior by dying for the sins of the world and that is the etymology of the name Jesus (Heb. Y’shua ‘Yaweh has become salvation’). Jesus/Yeshua condemned the religious leaders for not recognizing “the day of their visitation.”
The crown of gold around the top of the ark speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus overcame the onslaught of opposition that was set against Him His whole life by the religious leaders, the wealthy Jewish aristocracy, Rome itself, and even all the power of the enemy. He overcame even death itself and rose triumphantly and was given a crown, and glory, and honor, because He is the King. According to John it was Jesus/Yeshua who Isaiah saw seated on the throne of glory with the angels crying ‘holy, holy, holy.’
The unbroken tables of stone set forth Jesus/Yeshua, as the One who perfectly kept the Law and never broke God’s Commandments.
The Bible says that He “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.” Jesus/Yeshua felt the pressure of temptation at its full intensity yet He never sinned. Even the look in His eye and the tone of His voice reflected the very perfections of the holiness of God Himself.
Aaron’s rod that budded also speaks of Jesus. Something that had died and supernaturally came to life again. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
The golden pot of manna speaks of Jesus as the bread of life who came down from heaven to bring food, the Word of God, to a world in darkness and dying of hunger.
It all points to Jesus.
Even the golden poles speak of the ever living and ever present Savior who is with us in all our journeying and will never leave us nor forsake us. If you were to examine the history of the ark there would be striking resemblances to the ministry of Messiah Jesus our Lord:
The ark went before the people – Yeshua/Jesus went before them:
John 10:4 “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
The ark was in the middle of God’s people – Jesus is in His people:
John 14:20 “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”
The people were to follow the ark – We are to follow Jesus:
Luke 5:27-28 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
And to keep on following on, the ark was always first to lead them. It was death to those that were enemies of God. The ark brought blessings and curses.
Isa 53:2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Matt 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
1 Pet 2:22 “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Jn 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
Jn 6:32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
Jn 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jn 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The ark was representative of the real ark in heaven.
The cross is the ultimate and cosmic altar of the ultimate and cosmic sacrifice the Lamb of God however the altar of sacrifice was only one part of the Temple.
The cross, this altar of sacrifice is not the end of salvation but the beginning.
It’s the altar of sacrifice that gives access and the ability to enter through the temple doors, to walk beyond the veil and to stand in the holy of holy’s.
The journey begins up the altar and if this is a eternal/ cosmic altar then it gives us access to begin our eternal journey.
As our high priest, Messiah gives us access to go where we could not go before, and to enter into that which we could not enter previously, enabling us to walk along the WAY, a path that we could not walk before.
As this is a cosmic eternal altar, it gives us power to enter the realm of the holy and to be seated in the heavenly places where we are to dwell in His presence – the realms of glory.
Now today The Presence Within the Holy of Holies Dwells Within the Believer in Jesus:
Jesus said I am the temple (Mishkan) of God. When the glory (Heb. Sh’chinah) would come down like a tornado or funnel right through the roof of the holy of holies and the Presence would manifest on the mercy seat between the cherubim after the blood was sprinkled, (the mishkan).
That Presence was what Yeshua/Jesus said dwelt within Him.
And in fact Paul said about the church, “Know ye not that you are the temple (Mishkan) of God?” We, as the body of Messiah, have the same Presence dwelling within us. God doesn’t dwell in buildings now but within His people.
1 Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
The kingdom of the heavens is within you and we are the sanctuary of God’s presence on earth – the holy of holies is within us and as we follow Yeshua/Jesus the Ark of our covenant He promises – I am in you and you are in Me -filled with the shekinah of His Ruach Hakodesh we are carriers of His presence – the lights of the world.
The Tablets of the law are written on our hearts. He is the Manna, the bread of life upon which we feed and live.
Aarons staff is The staff of life it’s the shepherds crook from Ps. 23.
The staff also makes the presence of the Shepherd real to the sheep. The staff, a long stick with a crook in one end (like a walking stick), was used by shepherds to protect and tend their flock. There was a crook at one end of the rod, and it was with this the shepherd took hold of one of the hind legs of the sheep to pull it back.
Bread is the staff of life means, food is necessary to survive.
That a staff signifies power, is because it is a support; for it supports the hand and arm, and through them the whole body; with which we are to reach the lost sheep looking for the ones to draw them into His fold.
So we are containers of all that is needed to be a disciple we are equipped as an ark of His covenant with us.
Finally, the Ark would serve as the observable sign of Yahweh’s (the Hebrew name of God) presence to the Israelites until it went missing after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. The Israelites believed Yahweh to be their king, and by building it, gave them the ability to transport their monarchy were ever they went.
If Yahweh was their king/god, then He was their commander, which also made the Ark a military weapon.
(What is interesting about this is that the manufacture of not just the Ark but weapons also, took place at Mt Sinai.)
Therefore, the Israelites needed a symbol that they could look to and it put fear into the minds of their enemies.
As to its whereabouts today…There are prophesies and much speculation to that question but one thing is for certain when Father is ready for it to be found there will be an apocalypse! For it will be revealed at the perfect time for now lets be the chosen carriers of His glory every day and allow His light to shine in and through us. His blood will for ever be on the mercy seat declaring covenant fulfilled.
Don’t leave this page without knowing for absolute certain you are an ark.
Make certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
What is the connection between a town, mud, blind eyes, a donkey, Sh’loh, a gift, a pool of water and Messiah?
Matthew records a time when 2 blind men followed Him calling out, “Have mercy on us Son of David”
Yeshua/Jesus asked them what seemed to be a redundant question!
What do you want me to do for you?
Matt 20:33,34.
He is asking us the same question today.
They answered honestly and to the point…
Lord that our eyes would open!
Is this a representation of the ‘two men’ inside of us; good and evil; old man and the re-born new man? Or is it because He wants us to consider our request and count the cost of true discipleship first?
‘Yeshua/Jesus had compassion touched their eyes and they immediately RE-gained their sight and they followed Him.’
This word EYES in Greek ὄμμα, ατος, τό OMMA. (Phonetic om’-mah).
It is used only here and in Mark 8:23 and can also mean EYES OF THE SOUL.
Once their soul was released from the prison of the blindness, they followed Him and did not take the benefits of their healing and selfishly go off and doing their own thing. They counted the cost and made a decision and commitment.
I set you free to serve/follow Me.
His GIFT of salvation and freedom is to become what was originally intended; that for His children to be with Him. Reconciliation with the Father and in Yeshua/Jesus to spread the gospel of reconciliation, showing the WAY of return, Teshuvah, and freedom from bondage and blindness. Those who come to Yeshua/Jesus just to gain advantage in their personal life and return to what they were doing before, apparently will not inherit the true blessings.
Our position is also of being released from prison and our eyes once blinded now see. So now our eyes are open, let’s take a LOOK at John 9 where there is another record of eyes being opened.
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
How can someone born blind RE-cover sight?
Could it be that his eyes were perfectly formed in the womb but by the time of his birth he was blind? The magnitude of this miracle is often under read –why?
Possibly because we have not realized that it would have involved a complete rewrite of the man’s brain.
A baby’s brain whose eyes are undamaged still has to learn how to interpret what is received from them. In a way, babies still ‘see’ nothing until the brain has formed the ability to interpret what they see through actual experience.
So someone who’s been blind since birth and who is suddenly miraculously healed won’t immediately ‘see’ the world as seeing people do.
An individuals view of the world is formed by inwardly processing information from external stimuli, from touch, taste, smells and sounds etc., and the sudden and massive influx of visual information would no doubt lead to confusion and bewilderment, and could most likely leave the man stunned and almost catatonic, not rejoicing as is recorded.
Starting to see after a lifetime of being blind is a completely different scenario than going blind after a lifetime of seeing, for that person has a memory and recollections to relate to.
So something else was going on here for he was not reacting in shock but rather rejoicing!
We need to think about it, for a moment at least! To heal someone who’s been blind since birth – requires their virtual death, as a blind person, and their subsequent resurrection, as a seeing person.
The real-Time it would have taken for the development of the eyes and brain to adjust was over-ridden by the Father of Creation and of Time and the past became the present instantaneously.
This miracle at Siloam, is one of such astonishing facts, that it places it on a par with the miracle at the Cana wedding. John 2:1-10.
This shows again that our time does not affect God and He is not constricted by it, for He is the same yesterday today and forever; He is
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4
As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
We need to appreciate the context here, as He was about to perform an outstanding witness to the coming Kingdom of God/Kingdom of the Heavens and fulfill prophesy. Ps 146:7-9. Opening the eyes of the soul and loosing prisoners. Is. 61:1.
Before this moment there had NEVER been such a miracle – it was unprecedented – that of healing someone blind from birth.
John 9:32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
Since the beginning, the days of Adam, the Genesis of TIME!
There was Re-covery of sight but not of this caliber, for this man’s eyes had never functioned.
So it was a Messianic sign!
This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in Him. And may have been the reason it was part of the message to John in prison that the blind receive their sight? Luke 7:20-22.
20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
He was doing the works He was sent to do by His Father.
As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world
Referring to the day, which speaks of Light; while Dawn alludes to redemption; and Night alludes to exile; which is separation from the presence of God.
He said in 9:5 ‘while I am here I am the light of the world’, when He left, we are to be the light of the world. Also that WE must do those works time is short!
There is a set time!
Here’s Mud In Your Eye! It’s an interesting saying, (or idiom). At first we may think it a harmful or unkind act, when in reality it was the opposite.
A Muddy Moment
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
Again here is some Hebrew thinking!
This was an accepted treatment among them, especially saliva from a fasted life! The people of that time believed that the spittle of the first born son of the father was anointed in healing. When Yeshua performed this action, they saw another sign!
He also used it to heal the deaf mute in Mark 7.
The Pharisees had prohibited this practice under their traditions which He was here to correct. However, today as we understand the fact that the blueprint of an individuals genetic makeup is contained within our cells, our blood and our saliva/spittle, it makes one wonder if He was in possession of greater knowledge and understanding that we have comprehended?
Prov 20 :12
Interesting note that if we rearrange the letters of ‘THE EYES’, it reads ‘THEY SEE’!
His DNA was in the spittle it was the DNA of His Father, the Creator.
This spittle brought healing, unlike those who spat on Him as He was abused. Matt 26:67, 27:30,
Their intention was understood both then and now as showing an attitude of disgust, disdain and disrespect to whoever person or property to which it is aimed.
Could this event also be in reference to His comment?
These things have I spoken unto you, … 12. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. John 16:12
and Matt 13:35/36
So that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the creation of the world”.
Yes, He did as His Father told Him and only that. The combination of the Father’s DNA within Him, (plus these days we know that the individuals blood type is that of its father as in paternity test!); together with the dirt of the ground, being the same creative material that ADAM was made from and was now also the same that He combined to place on the mans’ eyes.
Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
and 1Cor 15:46 The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual.
From a Hebrew Letter Addition standpoint, the word Adam is richer and fuller than just dirt.
The word Adam is composed of the following letters: Aleph, Daleth, Mem.
Aleph means strength,
Daleth means Door, and
Mem, means to surround.
From an addition standpoint the word would be translated:
Strength in the door surrounding.
To get a better grasp on the word, the pointing has some relevance here. The letter Aleph actually has a Qamets underneath It.
(A Quamets is an indicator that, ‘adds to’, what is there within the individual aleph-bet letters; it looks like a short, fat, capital letter T).
This Quamets indicates rootedness, or very sure, positive positioning.
The Daleth as well has a Quamets to it, denoting internal, again rootedness, or very sure positioning.
To take a look at the word more clearly the Aleph is well rooted, and the Daleth is well rooted.
In Hebrew scripture, the Daleth, or the door/gate is talking about governments, or positions of authority. Quite practically, the door to a house lets things in and let out. So he who guards the door is the gate keeper and regulates the content both inside and also outside the gate.
The word literally comes down to this:
Rooted Strength Coming of the House, Surrounding.
More particularly, this word denotes a strength of regulation with a particular purpose.
Could it be said that in this miracle, which incorporated dirt/Adam, that He was restoring more than physical and spiritual eyesight to the man? By using dirt, the healing gave him rooted strength coming out of his house (physical body) surrounding. Our eyes are gates to the soul/spirit, as are our ears and are to be guarded as a means to protect our inner man. Was the man also having the curse broken and dominion authority restored to his life?
As the word picture above shows, the House is emitting strength to go after curse, and surround it. In other words, curse will not overwhelm, but be surrounded, by a strength. That strength is an authority. That authority is the image of God in the earth, called Adam, or man.
The Theological Word Book of the Old Testament shows the word to mean dominion.
This fits with the Adamic call, that God called Adam that he is to have “Dominion.” This dominion calls a man to regulate life, all the earth and make sure all things flourish and live well. That includes, plants, animals, fish, reptiles, birds etc… and obviously mankind.
We would call this system of operation, Righteousness: the way things are to be governed and run in the civilized world.
Why people refer to dirt as the name for Adam, may come from the fact that Adam was created from dirt, and was to have dominion over even the very essence of his being, which is dirt.
As this is the Hebrew word for ‘man’. It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew אדם (‘adam) meaning ‘to be red’, referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian, adamu meaning ‘to make’.
Adam (אדם) literally means ‘red’, and there is an etymological connection between adam and adamah, adamah designating ‘red clay’ or ‘red ground’. Adam (אדם) means human being or person. Adam is also related to the words red and earth.’Adama’ (אדמה) is earth ‘adom’ (אדום) is red Adam (אדם) literally means man. They’re all spelled similarly in Hebrew but have different pronunciations. (Ad´am) [Earthling Man; Mankind; Humankind; from a root meaning red].
Then…
He healed the blind man on the Sabbath with the clay/dirt!
Yeshua/Jesus also was making a point concerning the Pharisees who had added laws.
Pharisee means ‘to separate’ and they had become separators of the people from the love of God using ridiculous extra man made laws.
The Sabbath did not become the Sabbath until God rested. – He did not rest because it was the Sabbath.
Jesus/Yeshua said the Sabbath was made for man so we could rest and be with the Father, being spiritually refreshed and it has a beneficial property for our physical bodies also.
The Pharisees had added so many rules and laws that it had become impossible to keep them all, and the original meaning and intent of the sabbath was diminished and marred by religious doctrine and traditions of men, making the Word of God of no effect.
They accused Him of breaking the Sabbath laws on 3 counts:
1 spitting on the ground,
2 making mud and
3 healing.
This no doubt is why He said ‘Sabbath is made for man, (to be with the loving father rest and receive from Him, giving the day over to the things of the Lord.) not man for the Sabbath’. We are not to be in bondage to man made rules and regulations. He was restoring the law of His Father and by His life and death He was renewing the covenant ADDING to it, making it a BETTER covenant. Heb. 8:7-12.
V 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
Pharisee = separated – divided, they became what they were called!
And they missed the monumental miracle.
verse 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So the man went and washed, and came home SEEing.
(As we come home seeing to the Father at salvation. Just like the prodigal son; we SEE and come to ourselves, recognizing who we really are and our world gets turned upside down/right side up!)
In verse 7 it was not coincidence that He told the man to GO to the pool of Siloam. In Hebrew it is the name Shiloh or shi loh meaning SENT or sending and also has the meaning, shilluhim, a gift to him.
(Salvation is Shiloh’s/MessiahsGIFT to us, His parting GIFT as He returned to the Father.)
Shiloah comes from the Hebrew verb שלח (shalah); basic meaning sent; to send out or let go:
שלח
It’s most used to describe the action of one person who sends another person somewhere, or to do something. (Genesis 42:4, Numbers 22:15). It also frequently describes God sending someone; (Exodus 3:12, 2 Samuel 12:1), an angelic messenger; (Genesis 24:7), or some other agent (Psalm 43:3).
Derivatives of this verb are: The masculine plural noun שלוחים (shilluhim), meaning a sending away (Exodus 18:2) or parting gift (1 Kings 9:16).
The feminine noun שלוחה (sheluha), meaning shoot or branch (as of Jesse) (Isaiah 16:8 only.)
Siloam in Biblical Greek
Σιλωαμ.
Take a moment to focus on the Pool itself for it has some unique meanings here which connect to previous posts and as we are seeing everything is connected.
The ruins of this pool were only discovered in summer of 2004.
There are Old Testament references to the Pool under the name Pool of Shelah (Neh.3:15) and Waters of Shiloah (Isa. 8:6). The pool of Siloam is referred to by Isaiah by (8:6) as Shiloah and by Nehemiah as Shelah (3:15).
The gospel of Luke makes mention of a tower that fell on people at Siloam and killed them (13:4).
Pictured above are ongoing excavations at the site.
It has been identified with the Birket Silwan in the lower Tyropoeon valley, to the south-east of the hill of Zion.
The length of this channel, which has several windings, is 1,750 feet, though the direct distance is only 1,100 feet. The pool is 53 feet in length from north to south, 18 feet wide, and 19 deep. The water passes from it by a channel cut in the rock into the gardens below.
Many years ago (1880) a youth, while wading up the conduit by which the water enters the pool, accidentally discovered an inscription cut in the rock, on the eastern side, about 19 feet from the pool.
The Siloam inscription above referred to was surreptitiously cut from the wall of the tunnel in 1891 and broken into fragments. These were, however, recovered by the efforts of the British Consul at Jerusalem, and have been restored to their original place.
It was located on the south side of the Lower City, the City of David in the Tyropoeon Valley. It was a man-made reservoir and the only permanent water source for the city of Jerusalem in this period, being fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring diverted through Hezekiah’s Tunnel .
And is located near the Temple mount at the end of Hezekiah’s tunnel.
It was the source of the water that was used to be mixed with the ashes of the Red Heifer for purification after touching the dead.
It was a long way to walk, about ¼ to ½ a mile from where Jesus/Yeshua put mud in his eyes. (Especially when one is blind.) This was the walk of blind faith and an act of blind obedience. For obedience brings light. Reminiscent of Naaman’s story in 2Kings 5:14
It is the Father that heals, not the action, however it was in the following of Jesus/Yeshua’s instruction, that showed his faith in Messiah. Sometimes it seems He tested their faith by requiring obedience to His words. Similar to the event in Num. 21:9 requiring the Israelites to LOOK at the bronze serpent.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
These public comments show uncertainty doubts and skepticism.
They asked the wrong questions they were all asking How? and the now seeing man was answering WHO!
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
The Pharisees were focused on WHEN and HOW and not on WHO and WHY and had already formed pharisaical dividing conclusions! The man’s declaration was revelation, an apocalypse, ‘He is a prophet’. So they had to send for the parents to confirm his story.
Here is where the parents declared, ‘we don’t know HOW or WHO.’ Because they were in fear of the Pharisees that had said that anyone who agreed that Yeshua/Jesus was the Messiah, would be put out of the synagogue.
(To be put out of the synagogue, meant they would be excommunicated and refused entry into participation and fellowship from the entire community.)
Contrary to his parents, the son had already counted the cost of his freedom and sight and testified boldly to the TRUTH and consequently he paid the price.
The parents knew the truth, saw the truth, counted the cost and were unwilling to pay the price; choosing instead comfort, security and stability.
This was the second of 3 chastisements under Pharisaical Law; First review lasted one week second cast out which lasted 30 days and 3rd the person was cut off permanently. For 39 days he would have been alienated from his people unable to do business under a curse and ostracized by everyone.
However, the story did not end at verse 34
for in verse 35
35 Jesus heard that they had cast/thrown him out, and when he found him, he said,“Do you believein the Son of Man?”
36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37 Jesus said,“You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
First, he was healed no longer physically blind. Then second, he believed and received Yeshua/Jesus as the Son of Man – Messiah and he was no longer spiritually blind.
V11 The MAN they call Jesus
V17 He is a PROPHET.”
V38 Then the man said, “LORD I believe,” and he worshiped him
The miracle of the healing gave the man physical sight and he had an apocalypse/revelation, that He was a prophet. Vs 17.22.25 but he did not know Yeshua/Jesus and Yeshua/Jesus purposefully went to look for him, in order to reveal Himself to the man so that he might be saved.
Fulfilling Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost and looking for the ONE.
In John 8:24. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
and Psalm 82:7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
John 9:41Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
He was comparing blindness to the inability to understand the scriptures. Had they not been capable He would not have held them accountable.
Yeshua/Jesus wants us to SEE to come out of the PRISON of a closed mindset, that the eyes of our understanding be enlightened but He also wants us saved and in relationship with Him.
We must not be caught in the devil’s trap, for it’s a snare when we have just enough of Jesus/Yeshua that we can’t enjoy the world and just enough of the world so we can’t enjoy Jesus/Yeshua. The snare of the devil is the one in which we are caught and turned upside down!
There are none so blind as those who cannot see. He called them blind fools.
16Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17You blindfools!Whichisgreater:thegold,orthetemplethat makes it sacred?18And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’…
Matt 23:16 -18
39 Jesus said,[a]“For judgmentI have come into this world,so that the blind will seeand those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
The man said,
I was blind now I see.
In other words,
I was in prison now I’m free.
Repentance is the only WAY/DEREK, back to LIFE/CHAIM. It is our only WAY and when our OMMA /soul EYES are opened, we SEE the TRUTH.
My son was dead/blind now he is alive again. We too are dead in sin until we are cleansed by the blood of the lamb/red heifer! Yeshua was the fulfillment of the red heifer.
This was an extended miracle… this was indeed to purely glorify the Father and fulfill the prophecy in scripture, that sight would be GIVEN (a GIFT) to the blind. This was the significance – a witness to them and maybe also to John, a code between cousins? Here with the muddy mixture of DNA and the obedience to walk, still blind, (Faith) towards the gift, where he was SENT. (A sent one by the Lord = apostle = one who is sent, who goes first, and this miracle was a FIRST); to the waters of Shiloh, that were the waters mixed with the ashes, (DNA, dirt, mud,) of the red heifer, a type of Yeshua! WOW!
Final point to further tie this in with the Messiah prophesied from Genesis to Revelation for He said I AM the Alef Tav.
Shi·loha town in central ancient Palestine, in Canaan on the East slope of Mount Ephraim: keeping place of the tabernacle and the ark; the dwelling place of the shekinah glory of the Lord; destroyed by the Philistines.
Shiloh, Shilo, or Silo
שילה
(Hebrew: שילה ; Latin: Silo) is a Hebrew word meaning “place of peace”
place = Machon
peace = shalom
(and all that shalom means)
showing He is indeed concerned with the whole person, not just a single problem.
Genesis 49:8-12 V9 concerns the Lion of Judah
V 10 the scepter shall not depart means that the future royal leadership of Israel will always belong to Judah. The kingship began 100’s of years ago when David was crowned.
Nor a scholar: The Hebrew teachers/Rabbis, say this is a reference to the descendants of Hillel who were known for ‘thinking outside the box’. Hillel was a highly respected Rabbi in Galilee as Yeshua/Jesus was growing up. We need to think like Hillel and become free of mindsets.
The Torah scholar being at his feet means Judah will always be loyal to the Lord.
Until Shiloh arrives, until Messiah comes; for the word Shiloh, is a composite of the words SH’LOH, a gift to him, a reference to the king Messiah to whom all nations will bring gifts.
This is a primary source for the belief that Messiah will come. The word doesn’t mean that Judah’s reign will end with the coming of Messiah, rather that once Messiah begins to reign, Judah’s blessing of kingship will usher in the Messianic reign.
Iakob Jacob in Biblical Hebrew
יעקוב יעקב
Jacob was not prophesying the entire picture of the end times however he did point to an important outline that Judah will succeed and will show God’s blessing to the world.
Pool of Siloam
V 11The donkey is a symbol of Peace SHALOM and humility as used by Yeshua for His triumphant entry recorded in Matt.21:1-11. (also in Mk. Jn. & Lk.) and is significant beyond the Zech.9:9 reference.
The very first mention of this event is in Gen 49:10-12! Messiah is associated with a donkey rather than a horse ready for battle; (as in His return at the 2nd coming), because here He is not depicted as a warrior but as a man of peace who represents prosperity, as in the metaphor of the vineyard parable.
Matt 21:5 john 12:15 Zech 9:9 are descriptions of Yeshua.
Rev. 19:11-13. Heaven is opened in Ezek. 1:1. A white horse in Zech. 1:8. and the one who sits on it called faithful and true and He judges in righteousness.
Clothed in a garment dyed in blood. Gen 49:11; Is. 63:1-3.
Here in Gen. 49 :11, binding his foal to the vine and his donkeys colt to the choice vine He washed his garments in WINE and his clothes in BLOOD of grapes. Rev. 7:14; 19:13.
Rev. 7:14. These are they who came out of great affliction and Dan. 12:1 and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
So here the reference to Shiloh and the connection to blind eyes of the soul being opened, is written from Genesis to Revelation with Judah’s scepter and Shiloh’s gift, to the garment dipped in blood of the lamb.
The final Fall/Autumn feast of Succot/Tabernacles/Booths has a specific focus on the Pool of Siloam. It is from this pool that water was drawn and a wine libation poured on the altar daily. It was called the Water Libation Ceremony as the waters of Siloam were likened unto the springs of salvation as Isaiah wrote in 12:3 the words, with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation is sung.
It was during that ceremony, on the 8th day of the feast, at this moment in the proceedings of pouring out the water, Yeshua stood and declared
Now on the last and most important day of the feast, Jesus stood and called out [in a loud voice], “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! John 7:37
(Here he was speaking prophetically about the Spirit which those who believe in Him would receive, pointing to the latter rains being poured out on all flesh. Joel 2:28. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given because Yeshua/Jesus had not yet been glorified.)
Not only is this idea closely related to the sending of the Messiah into the world by the Father but also one of the titles of the Messiah SHILOH in Gen, 49:10 and Is 8:6 and is actually translated siloam by the septuagint translators of Is. 8:6.
The people attending the week long feast of Succoth/Booths /Tabernacles would have completely understood the relationship of salvation with the Pool of Siloam. On this 8th day with much pomp, ceremony and a great procession they all went to the Pool of Siloam, drew water and then paraded to the temple and poured out the water as an offering to the Lord.
Is 12:2 2
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
His Life was
for us on the altar just like the water libation.
He poured out Himself – His life – like a drink offering!
One thing we know from having spiritual ‘mud in our eyes’, we were once blind and now we see!
Don’t leave this page without washing the mud from your eyes make sure you know Him as Messiah, Savior and soon returning King of Kings.
Destroy that yoke from your neck and get out of the devil’s snare and become His disciple and turn the world upside down (or rather right-side-up!)
Please don’t leave this page without turning upside down !
Make certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Rosh Hashanah is the start of a New Year in Israel,
It actually means “Head of the Year.”
And it will be the Hebrew Year
since creation, which really gives a clearer understanding of where we actually are in Father’s timeline.
Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days. It is the start of the 3 Fall/ Autumn, Appointed Times of The Lord/Feasts /Festivals.
A look at some fascinating facts, mysteries and scriptures connected with Israel’s Fall/Autumn Appointed Times.
The day on which Rosh HaShanah is celebrated is Biblically known as Yom Teruah (Day of the Trumpet Blasts)
The traditional Rosh Hashanah greeting is
‘shanah tovah’
which means,
good year!
The word U’Metuka
(and sweet) is sometimes added.
When is Rosh HaShanah?
The Hebrew date is always the same — the 1st of the month of Tishrei.
The dates of Jewish holidays don’t change from year to year; however, a Jewish year can change in length from 353 to 354 or 355 days long. A Jewish leap year can be 383, 384 or 385 days long and because the Jewish year is not the same length as the year on the civil calendar, the dates of holidays seem to shift quite a bit; consequently that results in the Israels High Holidays falling anywhere from early September all the way into October.
So what date is the holiday on the Gregorian calendar? This year, Rosh HaShanah begins at sunset on Sunday, September 9.
September, 2018 calendar with Jewish High Holy Days circled
Brief history explaining the reason for the two calendars and why are they different in length?
The civil Gregorian calendar is based on the solar cycle of 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time it takes the earth to make one complete rotation around the sun.
To correct the problem of those extra hours, an extra day is added to February every four years. This keeps the equinox (when the sun shines directly on the equator) occurring on generally the same date every year: March 19 or 20 and September 22 or 23.
The Jewish calendar is a luni-solar calendar. It considers three things: the yearly rotation of the earth around the sun, the daily rotation of the earth on its own axis, and the monthly cycle of the moon around the earth.
Each new moon cycle begins a new month or Rosh Chodesh.
However, there are approximately 12.4 lunar months in every solar year. In other words, a lunar year is about 11 days shorter than a solar year.
If the Jewish calendar were a strict lunar calendar that had 29.5 days in a month, every 16 years or so the Fall Feasts would be held in Spring, and Passover would be held in autumn.
To keep the Jewish holidays and appointed times in their correct seasons, every two or three years the month of Nissan begins earlier and an extra month is added. This 13-month year is called Shanah Me’uberet, literally, a pregnant year.
The additional month of Adar 1 (also called Adar Aleph) is added before Adar, which is designated Adar 2.
The addition of the extra month guarantees that Passover (Pesach) and the wheat harvest feast (Pentecost / Shavuot) occurs in the spring.
Between AD 320 and 385, Hillel II, the Nasi (Prince) of the ancient Jewish Sanhedrin, established the calendar that is used today which follows a 19-year cycle, realigning the lunar and solar calendars.
In this system the extra month is added on the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th years of the cycle. The current cycle began at the start of the Jewish year 5758, which occurred on October 2, 1997.
The Gregorian calendar, however, was created in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII and proclaimed the official civil calendar of Britain and the British colonies of America in 1752.
Below is a chart correlating the 7 Appointed Times with Prophetic Fulfillment in Messiah.
The Feast of Trumpets is also the anniversary of the creation of man. Adam, the first human being, opened his eyes to a world that appeared to have always existed.
More Interesting information of HebraicThought and Concepts.
The ancient Hebrew text ‘Book of Formation’, teaches that there is more to the universe than time and space. There is a soul.
Whatever is found in the universe’s soul is found somewhere in its space. And whatever is found in space, is found in time.
In the soul of the universe there is a consciousness from which all consciousness extends.
In space, there is the Land of Israel, a space from where all space is nurtured.
In time, there is Rosh Hashanah, a time from which all time is renewed.
Rosh Hashanah means Head of the Year.
Not just a starting point, but a head, a new beginning of time in which a new consciousness enters our universe. It is said, that whatever transpires in the coming year is first conceived in these two days.
That is why Rosh Hashanah is called the first day of creation, for only then did the world know it had meaning.
For Israel, on each Rosh Hashanah that scene is replayed, and new meaning is discovered in our world, and the world is born again. (Interesting concept!)
All the cosmos came to be because Hashem, (The Name), chose to invest His very essence into a great drama: the drama of a lowly world becoming the home of an infinite God. A marriage of opposites, the fusion of finite and infinite, light and darkness, heaven and earth.
We would seem to be the players in that drama, the cosmic matchmakers. With our every action, we have the power to marry our mundane world to the infinite and unknowable.
Apocalypse of the Teruah’s cry? A horn that cries?
How can an animals horn cry out?
It’s the cry IN the sound of the shofar!
It is part of hebrew thought that the first time a shofar was heard in creation was when God created Adam. God blew Adam’s soul into him, and the sound it made was the sound of the shofar. Just like God created mankind on Rosh Hashanah, on the anniversary of that day, God is recreating us.
Could it be said that we are God’s shofar?..
The sound of the shofar being blown is the sound of creation.
The breath represents the soul, and the instrument represents our bodies.
The shofar reminds us that when our bodies do the will of our soul, there is song and harmony.
Spirituality is represented by music because music sounds even more beautiful the more notes that are being played, unlike too much speech.
Do each of our souls have a mission to add to the harmony of the world?
The shofar is supposed to change us. It’s sounds are intended to invoke that nagging feeling inside of us that asks us to live a deeper, fuller life in the year to come.
There is a difference between simply hearing it and then going about our lives, and really listening to it and having its wailing sound transform us.
Even though it is not the anniversary of the creation of the entire universe, but that of the human being, it’s the true beginning, as all of time, as we know it, begins on this day.
Why? Because on this day, more than any other, the Hebrew thought is we are empowered to change lanes, to switch direction, to alter and transform our destiny and thereby the destiny of all of creation if as we believe everything is connected!
Through us, truth and goodness can become a flaming torch of light, which was once obscured in darkness and ignorance.
All is defined by destiny. Even the past is redefined by the arrow of its future. The very existence of that time that held that past is re-created once it achieves its hidden destiny. A destiny that only each of us can reveal.
For those whose focus is on Rosh Hashanah, the here and now that is all that matters; for it represents the first day of all of time, future and past.
In biblical times, the shofar was used to tell the people that the King was coming.
What is the correct etiquette when a King comes?
Most likely, we want to impress the King so we make an effort to perfect ourselves and our surroundings.
It was also used as a signal that war was coming. What is the strategy we adopt when war comes? Probably we prepare our weapons, form an army and we prepare to fight.
The shofar was also a tool to help break down barriers. When the shofar was blown at Jericho, the walls came crumbling down. This is why it is also known as the
Even though sometimes we change from the inside out, it is more often influences from the outside that really have an impact on us. Is it possible that the shofar is necessary because it is a powerful tool outside ourselves and helps us to improve ourselves on the inside?
Our actual bones are supposed to resonate with the sound of the shofar. Do we have the ability to not only hear what the sound is reflecting but to absorb its frequency and let it stir deep within our souls, so much so, that there is an effect on our physical bodies??
Throughout life, our soul is constantly being affected by outside influences: fashion dictates how we dress, advertisements tell us what we like, the media affects how we think, and the people that surround us dictate our reality. Yet, how often do we stop and really listen to the sounds that surround us? How often do we connect to what is inside of us and who is above us? How in tune are we with nature and the spiritual aspects of our lives? How much do the sounds of the outside world drown out the sounds of our soul?
With a new year comes a clean slate, the ability to correct our mistakes, with the power to transform into a newer and better self.
The shofar is our call to action – an alarm!
The power is within us. Once we hear the call, it is our job to make it real.
And so too, every morning, we are all reborn from a night-time taste of death.
Since Father created earth by His spoken word and creation is still in motion and at every moment—in the smallest increment of time—every particle of the universe is still being projected into being out of absolute nothingness, as it was at the very genesis of all things.
The feast of trumpets is the season of Teshuvah – the season of repentance/return.
Teshuvah is the Hebrew word from the root word SHUV meaning to return.
Hosea 3:4 -5 Jeremiah 3:22; Isaiah 30:15.
The great mystery is that in ancient times God has set up this entire age as a Hebrew year. The Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot, starts the civil new year, however on the Sacred Calendar it represents the end of the year, not the beginning.
So the season of repentance comes at the end.
Teshuvah has a double meaning; as well as returning to God, it can also mean physical return. So the days of Teshuvah contain another secret, that of an apocalypse, a revealing, that Israel must return to the land of promise and to Jerusalem.
Teshuvah is not just for a week for a season, but a lifestyle.
We are to live our whole lives with Teshuvah hearts and the greater the Teshuvah, the greater will be our continual returning to Him.
Teshuvah signifies that the time of Israel’s repentance and their subsequent return to Messiah will happen at the end of the age. So in a way the Hebrew year waits for Israel to repent and turn, Teshuvah, in order for it to come to its conclusion. This is why we are to pray for Israel to return to Messiah and why the Appointed Time WILL surely come.
The Rabbis/Teachers compare the coming Messianic era to the full moon, the hope of redemption and His coming is compared to the new moon.
The Talmud, (compendium of rabbinical teachings and discussions), teaches that when the Messiah returns, the moon will cease to diminish and remain as large and bright as the sun.
So while the celebration of the new moon reminds us of His coming, it also reminds us to renew our awareness of His Presence in our lives, and to push forward into the growth and change that He has for us, becoming all He created us to be.
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3–4)
In truth, we need only awaken the spark of God within our own souls. That spark within us connects with the Infinite Light of God above. The circuit is complete and a new cycle begins. For this reason we are called His children, and we call Him our Father. We are created beings, yet there is something of us that lies beyond creation. It is the One who sustains the universe who breaths within us.
On Rosh Hashanah, God is addressed as both
Father/Avinu/Avinou
and
King/Malkeinu/Malkaynou
Father, because there is something of Him within each of us.
King, because He dictates what will be and what will not.
Indeed, as we choose, so He will dictate.
Choose life.
Words to Avinou Malkaynou
Our Father Our King Hear our voice
Our Father Our King We have no King but You
Our Father Our King Renew For us a good year
Send us complete healing to the sick of your people
Our Father Our King
Inscribe us in the book of life
fill our hands with your blessing
Our Father Our King
Fill our storehouses with plenty
Our Father Our King
Hear our voice have compassion upon us
Our Father Our King Hear our voice
Our Father Our King Hear our voice
_______________
Avinu malkeinu sh’ma kolenu
Avinu malkeinu chatanu l’faneycha
Avinu malkeinu alkenu chamol aleynu
V’al olaleynu v’tapenu
Avinu malkeinu
Kaleh dever v’cherev v’raav mealeynu
Avinu malkeinu kalehchol tsar
Umastin mealeynu
Avinu malkeinu Avinu malkeinu
Kotvenu b’sefer chayim tovim
Avinu malkeinu chadesh aleynu
Chadesh aleynu shanah tovah
Sh’ma kolenu Sh’ma kolenu Sh’ma kolenu
Avinu malkeinu Avinu malkeinu
Chadesh aleynu
Shanah tovah
Avinu malkeinu Sh’ma kolenu
Sh’ma kolenu Sh’ma kolenu Sh’ma kolenu
A King speaks and his word is fulfilled. God speaks and the world comes into being.
When we speak the words of Torah/Scripture, they resonate in the heavens and beyond. Spoken words have sound and frequency which is part of creations makeup. Why? Because they are His words, and they are on the rebound to Him. He spoke, He said and He watches over His Word to perform it and it will not return to Him void. Is.55:11
The central observance and widespread custom of Rosh Hashanah is sounding and listening to the blowing of the shofar on both mornings of Rosh Hashanah. The shofar is made from a hollowed-out ram’s horn. It produces three ‘voices’:
tekiah (a long blast),
shevarim (a series of three short blasts) and
teruah (a staccato burst of at least nine blasts).
Click http link below for more information and on the mp3 bar to hear the different shofar sounds.
The shofar is blown at various intervals during the Rosh Hashanah morning service. When all added up there are 100 ‘voices‘ in total.
On Rosh Hashanah, we cry out from our very essence, from our spirit man, with the call of the shofar; Father replies, sending His very essence towards His creation.
The shofar cries out from the raw essence of the soul, to its Beloved, the One who is the raw essence of all being. It’s not a human voice but rather the howl of an animal horn and when its sound is heard it is so primal that the mind ceases to think and the heart skips a beat, the throb of life suspended for a moment in time.
That is the moment that heaven and earth connect. The base nature of our souls here on earth reach up to touch the divine essence above as He reaches down and the RE-union is made. Our souls press upwards bursting through the veil into the heavenly dimension, escaping the constraints enforced upon it by our earthly bodies.
For there are many things that are important even essential for us and often words flow out in a burst of emotion, rich words, expressive and vibrantly imbued with life.
And then, there are things that shake us to the very core – challenging all that we have known and believed.
Things that do not wait for the right words or the mind’s permission, in this case, the mind cannot fathom them, the most expressive words could not contain them. These are the things that can only break out in a cry, in a scream, and then fall into silence.
This is something of the sound of the shofar: From the very core of our souls our hearts crying, ‘Father! please don’t leave – let your presence remain always!’
Another significance of the shofar is to recall the Binding of Isaac which also occurred on Rosh Hashanah, in which a ram took Isaac’s place as an offering to God;
as we remember Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son, and pray that He should stand by us as we pray for a year of life, health and prosperity.
Rosh Hashanah is the start of the Yamim Nora’im (High Holidays).
At the time of writing, the Holy Day, (Yom Kadosh), of Yom Kippur, is just a week away and the people will gather in synagogues for 25 hours of fasting, prayer and inspiration.
The days in between are known as the 10 Days of Repentance,
or the Ten Days of Return/Days of Awe
and they are an especially propitious time for teshuvah, for returning to the Father. Before the
Yom Kippur is followed by the joyous holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah.
Parallels of Khataah – The Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur
The sacrifice that took away guilt and which was also the guilt, called the Asham. On the day of atonement there was a sacrifice that took away the sins of all Israel. It was a sacrifice of a parallel nature and contains a parallel mystery. It was called the sin offering it was the offering that took away sin.
Messiah was the old covenant/testament mystery revealed in the renewed covenant/testament, it was a shadow of Him as He was and is THE sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world.
In Hebrew the sin offering is called the Khataah. It has a double meaning. One is, sin offering, and it also means the sin itself.
As Messiah is the mystery, He is the Khataah and the same as in the mystery of the Asham.
(Asham = the sacrifice becomes the very thing it removes, in this case sin, more explanation to follow).
Messiah had to become sin itself in order to fulfill scripture. 2Corinthians 5:21 He made Himself who knew no sin to be sin. Matthew 1:21.
Both the sacrifice and the sin are called Khataah meaning that, not only does the sacrifice have the name as the sin but the sin has the name of the sacrifice that removes the sin.
Every sin has or carries the name of the sin offering and if Messiah is the sin offering, the Khataah, then every sin has His name, for every sin has the name of the sacrifice.
So in the Hebrew language every sin we’ve committed, repented of, been forgiven for and is now under His Blood, bears His name, the name of the sacrifice. So therefore He owns our sin. They are no longer ours, they belong to Him now, so we cannot keep them for He is the owner of them His name is on our sin.
Isaiah 53:7 – 11; two Corinthians 5:21
One of the sacrifices offered in the temple was called the Asham.
It was for a specific purpose it removed the guilt of the one who offered it up.
Asham means guilt offering.
However it also means the guilt, which seems to be a paradox, yet they do in fact go together.
How can the guilt and the guilt offering connect in this way?
Because the criteria of the Asham, the guilt offering, was that it could only take away the guilt of the one offering it by first becoming the guilt. A full representation and identification of it. The priests action of laying hands on the Head of the sacrifice was a physical indication of this.
As in Isaiah, he prophesied that Messiah would be crushed, pierced and wounded for our transgressions and sins. However in the Hebrew original text it says more and declares that His life would become an Asham.
The same word Asham, used also in Leviticus. Here it is referring to the animal sacrifices offered up by the priests to redeem the guilty.
In Isaiah it is not referring to animal sacrifice but of a human life, that of the coming Messiah.
Here he tells us Messiah is the Asham and the Asham is the Messiah. This indicates that not only does He die to remove our guilt but He becomes the guilt itself. Looking at His death, we see both the sacrificial act and the guilt itself. The guilt of our guilt literally nailed to the cross\tree
The conclusion is therefore, if Messiah is the Asham and the Asham is the guilt, when the Asham dies so does all the guilt and shame.
All have died and been removed, gone forever and why He could say these words from the cross,
And very timely the old year is finished too and now on Rosh Hashanah, the traditional start to the holiday feasts, begins with two loaves of round challah, (bread). The round shape symbolizes the cycle of life and the crown with which God is coronated every year as King of the Universe.
To add sweetness to demonstrate the wish for a sweet new year, the challah is dipped in honey before taking the first bite.
Many people eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah, demonstrating their wish for as many merits as the pomegranate has seeds. It is commonly said that the pomegranate has 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 mitzvahs in the Torah. However, this has yet to be empirically demonstrated by seed counters worldwide!
Rosh Hashanah emphasizes the special relationship between God and us: our dependence upon God as our creator and sustainer, and God’s dependance upon us as the ones who make His presence known and felt in His world.
Let’s Bless one another with the words
‘Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim,’
‘May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.’
You are loved! Abundant shalom and New Year blessings to every reader from your family and friends at MMM.
PLEASE Don’t leave this page without making that life-saving decision – time is running out. Don’t miss the day of your visitation!
The Shofars Voice is Calling for you today!
This life is NOT all there is!
You are not here by chance!
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…Don’t put it off one more moment…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
You are now Born Again by the Holy Spirit of the Living God and you are part of the ever growing family of believers. You will never be the same again!
Ever wondered what exactly is under that golden Dome on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel?
MMM takes A DEEPER DIG Under The Dome of the Rock; (“Kippat ha-Sela” in Hebrew; (“Qubbat al-Sakhrah” in Arabic).It is front and center almost every time we look at a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Often dismissed as something, not of much importance to believers in Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach, yet there remains a measure of curiosity and there is great significance to the location we may have overlooked or forgotten…..
…And what is the mysterious “Well of Souls”?
The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine and the Temple Mount is referred to as Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary).
Situated in the Old City of Jerusalem, it was built by the Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān.
The construction was initially completed in the late 7th-century, approx. 691 CE; (only 1300 years ago). According to the Islamic tradition, here Prophet Muhammad flew with the archangel Jabrail and met prophets Ibrahim, Musa and Isa (Abraham, Moses and Jesus respectively).
A rock rises towards the roof of the Dome. From this rock, according to legend, Muhammad ascended to Allah. Today, the Temple Mount is a home for the Al-Aqsa Mosque with the Dome of the Rock architectural complex. The mountain is open to tourists at certain times which are not related to the time of Muslim worship.
So why is it of any importance to us?
This mystery connects to events that have taken place over the last 5,000 years, thousands of years prior to the construction of the ‘Dome’.Then it was called Mount Moriah, on which was also located the mysterious city Urusalima, the forerunner of Jerusalem, (Salem).
Salim/Salem/Jerusalem is inscribed in the Tell el-Amarna Letters, an archaeological find dated to the 1400s BC.
The original name of Jerusalem was Babylonian, Uru-Salim, “the city of Salim,”or the city of Salem.
” Jebus” makes its appearance for the first time in the Old Testament (Judges 19: 10,11).In Hebrew, Yerushalayim.
Mount Moriah is the name of the elongated north-south ridge of rock that rises from the junction point of the Hinnom (Hagai) and Kidron valleys between Mount Zion to the west and the Mount of Olives to the east.It rises through the City of Davidand reaches its highest elevation just northeast of the Damascus Gatein the Old City.
The Temple Mount today covers about 45 acres and is built around the outcropping of the bedrock under the Dome of the Rock.
It is about 118 feet lower than the highest point of Mount Moriah.
Hinnom valleyKidron Valley
Jewish tradition holds that it is the very same site where God gathered the dust to create Adam before placing him in the garden.and in Genesis 22. where the Binding of Isaac for sacrifice by Abraham took place believed by many biblical scholars to be the same mountain in the region of Moriah mentioned in the Book of Genesis.There is a grotto inside the Dome of the Rock where limestone forms into a cave.In 1 Chronicles 21 it is identified as The Jebusite “Zion” was situated on the southern slope of Mount Moriah, above the Gihon Spring.
After King David captured the city he made it his capital and named it for himself: the ‘City of David’. The northern area of the mountain’s summit lay desolate for long after Zion’s capture by David. It was in fact still the private property of Araunah, the city’s former Jebusite king.For various reasons David did not confiscate the site of the Jebusite threshing floor but preferred to buy it from Auranah for full value: “So David paid Ornan ) the Jebusite [Auranah] for the site 600 shekels’ worth of gold.And David built there an altar to the Lord and sacrificed burn offerings and offerings of well-being” 1 Chron. 21:25, and a slightly different version at 2 Sam. 24:18-25.
The very same threshing floor where Ruth and Boaz were.
This purchase is an important fact since it demonstrates that the Jews received this area through a legal transaction. They have never sold the rights to Mount Moriah.King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site; and David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings. – 1 Chronicles 21:24, 25
The Old Testament describes how an army led by David, the second king of ancient Israel, breached the walls of Jebus around 1000 B.C. David then built a palace nearby and created his capital, Jerusalem. At the site of a threshing floor atop the mountain, where farmers had separated grains from chaff, David constructed a sacrificial altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt and peace offerings.It was here that King David brought the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets with the Ten Commandments.
In the course of time the mountain had acquired an aura of sanctity and was the subject of many traditions. Indeed, its sacred status may date back to the early Canaanite period, when it perhaps was the cultic center of “El Elyon,” god of Melchizedek, king of Salem:‘And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High [=El Elyon].’ Hebrew 7:1-3(Salem ancient name of Jerusalem). Gen.14:18.He blessed him, saying, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, creator of heaven and earth” Gen 14:18.
The Bible calls Yeshua, Jesus, the Great High Priest.
For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Isaiah 9:6
The tradition of “Jacob’s Dream” is also identified with Mount Moriah: “He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it. And the Lord was standing beside him… Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, … “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God and that is the gateway to heaven” Gen 28:10-18.
This is perhaps the most colorful representation of the essential nature of the site which some would later claim was the “navel of the world”.At the summit of Mount Moriah, traditionally, is the “Foundation Stone,” the symbolic fundament of the world’s creation, and reputedly the site of the Temple’s Holy of Holies, the supreme embodiment of the relationship between God and the people of Israel.According to the Second Book of Kings and the First Book of Chronicles, David’s son, Solomon, built the First Temple (later known as the Beit Hamikdash) on that site.Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. – 2 Chronicles 3:1Solomon dedicates the Temple.
Upon the completion of King Solomon’s Temple, famed for its sumptuous splendor, the Ark of the Covenant was placed within its confines.
The sanctity of the site is reflected in the graphic description provided by the Book of Kings: “the priests came out of the sanctuary for the cloud had filled the House of the Lord and the priests were not able to remain and perform the service because of the cloud, for the Presence of the Lord filled the House of the Lord…” 1 Kings 8:11.Solomon built his palace in the “miloh” (infill), area which separated the summit of the mountain and the Temple from the city below. This was also a concrete expression of the divine inspiration that was attributed to his kingship. Other palaces were also built nearby, such as the “House of the Forest of Lebanon” and the House of Pharaoh’s Daughter.
Solomon used dirt to fill in this east-west lateral rift, hence the area’s name: “miloh” (infill), or Ophel , from a Hebrew word referring to the road that ascended to the Temple from the city which at that time was topographically lower and seen as a name on some maps.
King Solomon, according to the Bible, built the First Temple of the Jews on this mountaintop circa 1000 B.C., only to have it torn down 400 years later by troops commanded by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who sent many Jews into exile. In the first century B.C., the Babylonian Army destroyed the First Temple in 586 B.C. The ark of the covenant disappeared, possibly hidden from the conquerors. Following the conquest of Jerusalem by the Persians in 539 B.C., the Jews returned from exile and, according to the Book of Ezra, constructed a Second Temple on the site.
At the summit of Mount Moriah, the supreme embodiment of the relationship between God and the people of Israel was realized. Upon the completion of King Solomons Temple, the Ark of the Covenant was placed inside, it contained the tablets with the Ten Commandments, the Jar of Manna and Aarons Rod that budded.
In the first century B.C., King Herod undertook a massive reshaping of the Temple Mount. Herod expanded and refurbished a Second Temple built by Jews who had returned after their banishment. He filled up the slopes surrounding the mount’s summit and expanded it to its present size. He enclosed the holy site within a 100-foot-high retaining wall constructed of limestone blocks quarried from the Jerusalem Hills and constructed a far more expansive version of the Second Temple.
It is here that, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ lashed out against the money changers (and was later crucified a few hundred yards away). The Roman general Titus exacted revenge against Jewish rebels, sacking and burning the Temple in A.D. 70.
We are familiar with the much photographed Western Wall, it’s one that’s easily recognizable together with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.The Western Wall is the holiest site for Jews. Thousands of people — Jews and non-Jews alike — come to this wall every day to pray.
But the commonly known religious site and tourist destination represents only the tip of the Western Wall complex. Its main treasures are found inside a tunnel excavated by Charles Warren from 1864 to 1870.
The tunnel follows the street level of the first century, which lies about 30 feet (9 meters) below the current level of the Western Wall plaza where the tourists and worshipers usually gather. It exposes magnificent stones measuring 45 by 9.8 by 11 feet (13.7 by 3 by 3.3 meters) and weighing 520 metric tons. The stones comprised the foundation of a retaining wall that King Herod ordered so he could create a level platform for the temple complex.
A significant site is found 150 feet (46 meters) inside the tunnel. Above picture is the sealed-off gate, close to the place where the temple’s most Holy place, KOTEL – the Holy of Holies, is believed to have been located. The site of the Western Wall and its tunnel are managed by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
The upper part of the Temple Mount where both temples once stood is controlled by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf foundation, financed by the Kingdom of Jordan. Arabs refer to the place as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary. The complex includes the golden Dome of the Rock, which stands on the supposed spot on Mount Moriah where Abraham prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice.
The area controlled by the foundation also includes the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site for Muslims who believe it was here that the Prophet Muhammad ascended to the “Divine Presence” on the back of a winged horse—the Miraculous Night Journey, commemorated by one of Islam’s architectural triumphs, the Dome of the Rock shrine.A territorial prize occupied or conquered by a long succession of peoples—including Jebusites, Israelites, Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, early Muslims, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans and the British—the Temple Mount has seen more momentous historical events than perhaps any other 35 acres in the world.
The Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls are classified as a World Heritage Site.
During the time of Solomon and of Nehemiah, the walls also encompassed the City of David, an area south of theTemple Mount.
So what exactly is under the golden dome?
The bedrock, or the actual stone, of the top of Mount Moriah. known as the Foundation Stone where all the aforementioned events took place.
(According to a medieval Islamic tradition, the Stone tried to follow Muhammad as he ascended, leaving his footprint here while pulling up and hollowing out the cave below. The impression of the hand of the Archangel Gabriel made as he restrained the Stone from rising, is nearby.) The Stone — known as Even haShetiya in Hebrew and es-Sakhrah in Arabic — is considered the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.)It can be seen covered by the Muslim’s Dome of the Spirits.
This is about 285 feet north of where the Ark of the Covenant would have sat on similar bedrock in the Jewish Temple. Today the Muslim’s Dome of the Rock covers that location.
The Well of Souls, also known in Christianity and Judaism as the Holy of Holies, is a partly natural, partly man-made cave located inside the Foundation Stone under the Dome of the Rock.
Below The Sakhra (rock) in the Dome and shows the possible location of the ark lower left part of exposed rock surface.
This is a closer view of the actual bedrock, or the original rock, from the top of Mount Moriah. It is located under the Muslim’s Dome of the Spirits and is located just outside the Dome of the Rock. Abraham would have walked across parts of this rock when he came up here to sacrifice Isaac.
This would be close to where the Jebusite threshing floor would have actually been located when David purchased Mount Moriah.
Looking across the pavement that has been built over Mount Moriah to create a level surface. This is the site of the ancient Jewish Temple Mount. The golden Dome of the Rock stands where the Jewish Temple formerly stood.Notice the location of Mount Moriah on this map showing Jerusalem’ topography.
In a cave under the sacred rock, there supposedly is a mysterious Well of Souls from which the spirits of the dead can be heard.
Whether it is true or not, the Temple Mount is a place of veneration of believers of the three world religions and has a unique energy that can be really perceived. The Well of Souls is a supernatural dimension that is guarded by the Archangel Azrael. It is said to hold power over life and death, and it acts as a receptacle for the souls of the departed. From a purely biblical standpoint, the Well of Souls is referenced as Sheol, the pit where un-regenerated souls are held until judgment.
The Foundation Stone in the floor of the
Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem.
Photo above showing:
1 The cage-like structure just beyond the hole covers the stairway entrance to the cave beneath the rock
2 The round hole at upper left penetrates to a small cave, known as the ‘Well of Souls’, below.
3 Rock (Al Sakhra) where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to the heavens.
The Well of Souls (Arabic: بئر الأرواح Bir al-Arwah; sometimes translated Pit of Souls, Cave of Spirits, or Well of Spirits in Islam), also known in Christianity and Judaism as the Holy of Holies, is a partly natural, partly man-made cave located inside the Foundation Stone under the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem.
The name Well of Souls derives from a medieval Islamic legend that at this place the spirits of the dead can be heard awaiting Judgment Day. The name “Well of Souls” has also been applied more narrowly to a depression in the floor of this cave and to a hypothetical chamber that may exist beneath the floor. The famed 19th-century British explorer Sir Charles Warren could neither prove nor disprove the existence of a hollow chamber below the cave. They believed the sound reportedly heard by visitors was simply an echo in a small fissure beneath the floor.For Believers, the site is known as the Holy of Holies (alluding to the former inner sanctuary within the Temple in Jerusalem) .
Both Jewish and Muslim traditions relate to what may lie beneath the Foundation Stone, the earliest of them found in the Talmud in the former and understood to date to the 12th and 13th centuries in the latter.
The Talmud indicates that the Stone marks the center of the world and serves as a cover for the Abyss (Abzu) containing the raging waters of the Flood.Muslim tradition likewise places it at the center of the world and over a bottomless pit with the flowing waters of Paradise underneath. A palm tree is said to grow out of the River of Paradise here to support the Stone.Noah is said to have landed here after the Flood.The Mosaic floor covers the opening to the well of souls.
The souls of the dead are said to be audible here as they await the Last Judgment, although this is not a mainstream view in Sunni Islam.
The Foundation Stone and its cave entered fully into the European Christian tradition after the Crusaders recaptured Jerusalem in 1099 and converted the Dome of the Rock into a church, calling it the Templum Domini, (Latin for the Temple of the Lord).They made many radical physical changes to the site at this time, including cutting away much of the rock to make staircases with 16 marble steps and paving the Stone over with marble slabs.
They certainly enlarged the main entrance of the cave and probably are also responsible for creating the shaft ascending from the center of the chamber. The Crusaders called the cave the “Holy of Holies” and venerated it as the possible site of the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth, since Luke says it happened in the Temple.
(Modern scholarship indicates that the Temple Holy of Holies was probably on top of the Foundation Stone, not inside it.)Here the original granary, (similar to picture above), where the corn was threshed or rather trodden out, upon the plain on either side, and winnowed from the Rock.The entrance to the cave is at the southeast angle of the Foundation Stone, beside the southeast pier of the Dome of the Rock (Sakhrah) shrine. On the way down, bedrock masses project in towards the stair; the one to the right is called “the tongue”. (because, according to legend, when Caliph Umar thought he had discovered the stone which was Jacob’s Pillar in his vision at Bethel, he exclaimed, “Es Salámo Alaykúm” (“Peace be unto thee”), and the stone answered Caliph Umar, “Alaykúm us Salám, wa Rahmat-Ullahi” (“Peace be to thee, and the mercy of God”).To the left (south) as one descends is a prayer niche where David prayed.
To the right is a shallower, but ornately decorated, prayer niche dedicated to where Solomon traditionally prayed; and where Abraham and Elijah and Mohammed met on the occasion of his night flight upon El Borak.
This mihrab is certainly one of the oldest in the world, considered to date at least back to the late 9th century. (Some even suggest that it dates back to the 7th century and to the time of Abd al-Malik, builder of the Dome of the Rock — making it the oldest in the world — but this is disputed.
The cave chamber is roughly square, about 6 meters on a side, and ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 meters (about 4.9 to ~8.2 feet) high.
At the center of the ceiling is a shaft, 0.46 meter in diameter, which penetrates 1.7 meters up to the surface of the Stone above. It has been proposed that this is the 4,000-year-old remnant of a shaft tomb. Another theory is that it represents a Crusader “chimney” cut for ventilation to accommodate lighted shrine candles.Still others have tried to make a case that it was part of a drainage system for the Temple altar of Sacrifice; that the cave was the cistern for the blood, which ran off by the Bir el Arwáh, (Well of Souls) into the Valley of Hinnom.
There are no rope marks within the shaft, so it has been concluded that it was never used as a well, with the cave as cistern. The ceiling of the cave appears natural, while the floor has been long ago paved with marble and carpeted over.So now we know what is under that golden dome and next time we see a photograph it will serve as a reminder of its place in our history and that it reveals another of the reasons for its ownership and possession being such hotly disputed territory.
Shalom..
Please don’t leave this page before making certain Jesus/Yeshua 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.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
You can have His love – His Forgiveness – His Grace and His Compassion and live like Royalty in the Womb of His Mercy..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…Don’t put it off one more day…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.You are now Born Again by the Holy Spirit of the Living God and you are part of the ever growing family of believers. You will never be the same again!
The Ark of His Presence – Is It An Altar, A Weapon, A Throne, A Temple, A Footstool, A Box?
and central to the Yom Kippur observance in scripture is the Ark of the Covenant/Ark of the Testimony that was placed within the Holy of Holies, both in the wilderness Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Picture showing size of cherubim in Solomons Temple.
There are so many images that have differing shapes those included are to highlight certain aspects., e.g. above showing detail of crown.
He forever stands between a holy God and sinful man. Just as the sins of the whole nation were atoned for by the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat, so also Messiah, by the shedding of His own blood atoned for the sins of the entire world.
Why people refer to 
verse 7 “
For more on the picture above click links 
or the city of Salem.
and Kidron valleys between Mount Zion to the west and the Mount of Olives to the east.
in the Old City.
Kidron Valley
There is a grotto inside the Dome of the Rock where limestone forms into a cave.
For various reasons David did not confiscate the site of the Jebusite threshing floor but preferred to buy it from Auranah for full value: “So David paid Ornan ) the Jebusite [Auranah] for the site 600 shekels’ worth of gold.
‘And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High [=El Elyon].’ Hebrew 7:1-3
(Salem ancient name of Jerusalem). Gen.14:18.
He blessed him, saying, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, creator of heaven and earth” Gen 14:18.
At the summit of Mount Moriah, traditionally, is the “Foundation Stone,” the symbolic fundament of the world’s creation, and reputedly the site of the Temple’s Holy of Holies, the supreme embodiment of the relationship between God and the people of Israel.
The Western Wall is the holiest site for Jews. Thousands of people — Jews and non-Jews alike — come to this wall every day to pray.
Abraham would have walked across parts of this rock when he came up here to sacrifice Isaac.
For Believers, the site is known as the Holy of Holies (alluding to the former inner sanctuary within the Temple in Jerusalem) .
The Crusaders called the cave the “Holy of Holies” and venerated it as the possible site of the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth, since Luke says it happened in the Temple.
Here the original granary, (similar to picture above), where the corn was threshed or rather trodden out, upon the plain on either side, and winnowed from the Rock.
On the way down, bedrock masses project in towards the stair; the one to the right is called “the tongue”. (because, according to legend, when Caliph Umar thought he had discovered the stone which was Jacob’s Pillar in his vision at Bethel, he exclaimed, “Es Salámo Alaykúm” (“Peace be unto thee”), and the stone answered Caliph Umar, “Alaykúm us Salám, wa Rahmat-Ullahi” (“Peace be to thee, and the mercy of God”).
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