While in Philadelphia, the Communist and Atheist pope calling himself as "Francis" declared that Jesus was a failure because He went to the Cross? The pope is a spiritual unbeliever and a theological MORON when it come to the value and prophetical significance of Jesus going to the Cross, and that being a measure of success both for Jesus and for those of humanity who want to be saved and enter into eternal life instead of dying twice, once in this world, and once more in what comes after that.
As someone who is supposed to be a spiritual leader of Christianity, the Roman Catholic Cardinals should had made it a requirement that anyone they elect is at least LITERATE regarding the Cross and its value as a success for all mankind, especially if they want people to be drawn to it and them. Is Catechism a forgotten or misplaced requirement for leadership there in Roman Catholicism? Apparently so for very many and especially this communist kisser of muslim feet twit of a pope.
So by example, I will share excerpts of what I have previously posted on the subject so as to allow the reader a fuller appreciation of the Cross without a book long version of what can be done regarding how a true leader of the Church could have or should have been able to teach.
The
Importance of the Cross should have been obvious
The Crucifixion of Jesus is the central theme of the New
Testament, and of true Orthodox Christianity. Through the ages since A.D. 30,
faith in ‘Jesus crucified' is an activity which, when properly placed, atones
for all sins in the world, for all time. This trust, in effect, is in turn set
upon the Foundation of the historical Resurrection of Jesus from the dead and
His Ascension back to Heaven before many witnesses. This being the case, it
should indeed be of great interest (to the believers of Christianity, and even
its most ardent critics), for the location of the Crucifixion to be a known and affirmed site.
In truth, the site has been on the lips of Christians since
the early 2nd Century A.D., with the citing of the Apostles Creed.1 The words from that Creed in the English
"He descended to the dead" or "into hell", translates the
Greek word "gehenna" for the words "dead" and
"hell". In Jerusalem, “gehenna” is the transliteration of the
Hebraic’s "ge-Hinom" -- or, “the valley of Hinom.” The Tradition of
the Apostles certainly was accurately kept, but the meaning behind the
like-sounding words of "ge-Hinom" and "gehenna" was lost
through bloody persecutions in the centuries that followed them.
The early Church suffered throughout the centuries, in every
place, but at differing times: via local rulers, governors, and even Roman
Emperors. In the successive centuries, the ignorance of the nations to the
Jewishness of their "Christian" faith was also manifest, for their
trust was supposed to be into a Judean born, and Galilean reared heir to the
Throne of Israel: the Messiah called Yeshua of Nazareth. Yet, as early as the
Roman bishopric of Sixtus in the 120s A.D., we see a slipping away of this
realization, until some restoration by St. Polycarp some 30 years later -- by
whom, our observation of Communion was given.2
The Communion is a direct symbolism of the Crucifixion of
Messiah in the “Egypt” of Jerusalem (i.e., the Kidron Valley), and in “Gehenna”
(the Hinom Valley): a location where the two valleys join, south and east of
the Temple Mount.
The Kidron was named after Egypt "spiritually" in
Revelation 11:8 based on two premises. First, was that it was a flash flood
channel, as seen in John 18:1 (and Jesus and the disciples would then have had
to cross it on bridges). And secondly, the walls surrounding the Temple Mount
were laid by hired Egyptian skilled stone cutters and engineers. Josephus tells
us that if we were to dig (by inference), to the depth the walls were in
Solomon's Day, the Southeast Temple corner and walls would go down to an imposing
400 cubit height / depth. He also states that most of this height was still
exposed in his day. Josephus, Antiquities 8.2.9.; 8.3.9; 15.11.5.; and Clement,
Stromata, 1.21 tells us that it was 80,000 Egyptians that aided Solomon with
the walls. It appears that the depth of the wall to a level previous to the
Roman sieges of 70 and 132 A.D. would need the removal of at least another
100-200 feet from the Southeast Corner and Eastern Temple perimeter. If that is
the case, we must also assume a minimum of 30 feet of sediment to the Eastern
valley slope of the Kidron, likely removed from the apex of Mount Olivets 4
peaks (and recalculated as well).
The partaking of the Eucharist is the Roman Church’s
compromise to Polycarp’s command to observe the Jewish Passover: partaking its
third cup of wine, and second Matzoh or afikoman. By keeping this teaching of
Polycarp, which came from John, which came from Christ, the historical aspect
of the tradition was kept through the ages for us to discern also.
The Greek of the New Testament tells us that when Jesus broke
the Matzoh, He distinctly did it in such a way, as to break the ends of it off
in a circle like fashion, as it the ends were leaves being plucked from a tree.
And it was this difference that separates His breaking of bread from all other
semikah (ordained by the laying on of hands) rabbis, before or since, who have
ever celebrated either a Passover meal or a Communion borne from its Festival.
The Roman Church under the bishopric of Anicetus did keep this
Communion, if for no other reason, than simply to honor of the wishes and
tradition of this 115-year-old visiting bishop of Smyrna, who was also a 30
plus year disciple of John, the most beloved Apostle of Christ.3 After all, how
one views Christ, be one a Gentile or Jew, more often than not, is just
considered as a matter of perspective. In our day, and for many centuries now, the Roman Catholic Church has ignored the Jewish roots of the faith they were originally entrusted with, and pretend that only they have roots into the First Century and to the Apostles, when the Coptic Church in Egypt also stands as a Testament, to which Roman Catholicism out of Vatican City glares at it with hate as a competitor and denies its value as a co-witness. Any true leader of the Church of Jesus Christ will appreciate and be able to theologically defend support for both the Copts and the Jewish Faith, because in effect, true Christians believe in a form of RESTORED JUDAISM, even if they are themselves in no way physically Jewish. No Christian replaces Israel, they merely attach themselves spiritually to what is True Israel, to which we label the Universal or Catholic Church...not "Roman" Catholic, simply the unseen and eternal Catholic Church or called out ones of King Messiah, whom we Gentiles (we of the nations) know as Jesus Christ.
The Cross represents our dead man of self to GOD
The Cross, in Christianity, is both central and the extreme
end in understanding GOD with any finality. In writing to the Corinthians, the
Rebbe Paul declared,
“The preaching of THE CROSS is -- to them that
perish --
foolishness; but unto us -- which are saved --
it is THE POWER OF GOD.”
foolishness; but unto us -- which are saved --
it is THE POWER OF GOD.”
(I Corinthians 1:18 - KJV, punctuation mine)
Why is it the power of GOD? Because it, the Cross, is the
means by which we may have a relationship with our eternal source: YHVeH
Messiah, -- whose very Name, YHVeH, comes from the sound of the breath of our
nostrils:4
showing us that He is our Life. The difference between man and
beast, is demonstrated by a comparison of Genesis 1:20, 24 (Hebrew singular,
nefesh hayah) with Genesis 2:7 (Hebrew plural, nefesh hayyim). In these verses,
the Bible shows that while GOD imparted a single or first soul into beasts and
man by the power of the spoken word, -- as YHVeH He breathed the breath of
lives (hayyim), i.e., a plural of two souls and a second life, into the
nostrils of man. Through this second life, and second soul, comes reason and
eternality. If we abrogate our responsibility to use this reason to seek out
GOD, we are then liable to a Judgment for failing to do so (Hebrews 9:27). We
find the pre-incarnate Christ, as YHVeH, to be the very “Being” who breathed
this breath and eternal soul into our first ancestor (John 1:4,9; Lamentations
4:20). Therefore, if this same YHVeH died for our behalf upon the Cross, and
rose again from the dead 3 days later -- then our eternal existence, and second
soul or second life (beyond this present and temporary –or fleshly -- one) is
either given or taken away, based on our response to that message.
The early Church Fathers, such as Justin Martyr, demonstrated
that the Cross is part of our human existence, present in masts of ships, in
shovels, in the carrying of banners, in mechanical engineering, and so forth
(Justin Martyr, First Apology, .55). The essential wood in those instruments,
of masts and shovels and the like, are Lebanese cedar, having a red tone and
oak-like strength. Therefore, even as Adam means “the reddish one”, so too,
might it be that the mast or vertical beam of the Cross, be made of the
red-toned cedars of Lebanon. And this is appropriate, too, as that very wood is
also used in direct reference to Jerusalem and those who dwell there as if they
were as prosperous and strong as the cedar trees of Lebanon (Psalm 92:12-13,
Song of Solomon 4:15-16, Isaiah 10:32-34, 29:17ff.). There again, we see a
direct symbolism of the Cross with Jerusalem, which once had a house of
Lebanese Cedar for the “ruler of Peace”(Isaiah 9:16) who like example was called
“Solomon” (I Kings 7:1-12, 10:17, 10:21): the same Solomon, whose cedar house
of Lebanon was once prominently displayed as the pride and joy of its king, in
Jerusalem.
I believe the horizontal beam of the Cross to have been made of Acacia. Thus giving the Cross a trinity of material origins and an allegory for Scriptural interpretation of John 10:16, of two distinct and differing woods, cut down and united by iron pins.
I believe the horizontal beam of the Cross to have been made of Acacia. Thus giving the Cross a trinity of material origins and an allegory for Scriptural interpretation of John 10:16, of two distinct and differing woods, cut down and united by iron pins.
The Cross, says Justin Martyr, is metaphorically a man with
hands extended; and just like the appendage of a nose to a face, so too, does
the Cross have such an appendage apparent to it (by means of an iron bracket
placed on the rear above the cross-beam). In Justin’s comparison, we see that even
as breathing through the nose can lift and empower a man, and difficulty
breathing through the nose can set him down, so too does “the rope and pulley
lifted up and set down the Cross through that iron bracket.”5
Man becomes a type of the dead tree,6
the bracket represents his nose (as it were): Christ is
crucified to man, (being the represented in the cross), as though both Christ
and Adam were back to back. Christ, the Living Second Adam is nailed to the
First Adam, who is dead in trespasses and sins, and represented by the dead
wood of the Cross:
“…the Cross of our LORD Jesus Christ, by whom
the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”
the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”
(Galatians 6:14, KJV)
By virtue of being his direct physical and spiritual
descendants, we are already in the First Adam, who is as dead as the Cross in
trespasses and sins. Our nature is already inclined and imbued with the
fallacies of spiritual sin. We are spiritually flawed from our very conception,
and this is manifest even at birth by the act of crying, rather than yawning
one’s first breath. By the joining of the two Adams as One, Christ so makes it
possible for him (the First Adam) -- and his descendants -- to transfer spirit
and soul through the activity of trust into the Living Christ on the Cross.
They are then given a completeness, in which the flaws of spirit and soul are
filled in by GOD’s own Spirit and presence. Man, in the spiritual realm of his
being, then becomes “baptized” or immersed into GOD, through Jesus Christ.
Thereby, we are crucified with Him, buried with Him, and
Resurrected with Him by a Baptism of Trust into Him on the Cross (Romans 6:3-5;
John 11:25-26). It is through the finished work of the Cross, and our faith and
trust into He who finished that work, by which we are to come alive even as
Christ is made alive again through the Resurrection (Romans 4:3,5,20-25; cf. I
Corinthians 15:1-54). With death, we undergo a transformation and teleportation,
receiving a body made without hands, eternal in the heavens (2 Corinthians
5:1-8,17); until we are added a recreated resurrected physical body, made from
the atoms of “the self which makes up that you” which is now aiding you in the
seeing, reading, or hearing of these words before you now.
The nose and the breath of GOD in symbolism at the Cross
The nose is the human appendage by which GOD breathed into
Adam the breath of Life (Genesis 2:7), so that man became more than just a
living creature, he became a living -- thinking and reasoning -- soul. It is
through the Cross, that the appendage of the dead nose of the First Adam,
represented by iron in the rear of the Cross, is made alive through a union
with the Living GOD in Christ. Adam and Christ -- through the Cross -- are back
to back. There is no sexual intercourse or union. There is no second breath
through the nose, either. Adam faces backward, toward the origin of his sin,
while Christ faces forward, toward eternity future. This confirms also the
innocence of Messiah upon the Cross.
The old man, looking back (as if to the Garden of Eden, as if
back upon the sin of his past), has no breath. Yet, Messiah -- while looking
forward -- ceases breathing and dies. All sin, past and future, is thereby
atoned for in the Cross - by YHVeH Messiah. The appendage of iron,
(representing that soul which is dead), is upon the wood of the Cross (that
tree which was once alive to GOD), is behind Christ, facing East. Contrariwise,
Messiah Himself (being truly alive to the Father), while hanging upon the
Cross, faces west. So that it is a trust-worthy saying that says,
“As far as the East is from the West, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us”
(Psalm 103:12 - KJV).
“As far as the East is from the West, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us”
(Psalm 103:12 - KJV).
Messiah has taken out of the way all trespasses-- those by
breath (that is all Spiritual Laws broken by man), and the handwriting of
ordinances against us (that is all the Physical Laws broken by man), -- nailing
them to the Cross (Colossians 2:13-14; cf. I Corinthians 6:9-10, 18). He,
Christ Jesus, has become our only mediator (I Timothy 2:5; Isaiah 43:25-26; I
Corinthians 11:23-26). It is only through YHVeH Messiah, Jesus Christ, that we
may have a right relationship with GOD the Father. This relationship is through
the unmerited grace that GOD (by His great loving-kindness) gives us. This
coming perfect relationship and oneness with GOD, which is perfected through
the Resurrection, is that of being His dear and beloved children. We are to
partake of just a tiny foretaste of that perfection in the now, by faith into Jesus.
This is accomplished by and through GOD the Holy Spirit, whom does so while
giving glory and honor to the Son, Jesus Christ.7
This, being the case, the Cross, as GOD’s perfect plan of
Salvation and Redemption of Mankind, ought then to be so much the more
important and central to us, and to our very existence.8
Acacia
"And in that Day, it will be that the mountains
will rain down YHVeH's Spirit,
as though flowing down forth an intoxicating New Wine;
and the hills will gush forth and flow with fatness;
and all the deep channels of Judah shall flow with Living Waters;
and an overflowing river shall pour forth as a artesian well-spring
from out of the House of YHVeH,
and a refreshing and watering it shall give as it fills (even)
the Valley of the Pierced Tree."
will rain down YHVeH's Spirit,
as though flowing down forth an intoxicating New Wine;
and the hills will gush forth and flow with fatness;
and all the deep channels of Judah shall flow with Living Waters;
and an overflowing river shall pour forth as a artesian well-spring
from out of the House of YHVeH,
and a refreshing and watering it shall give as it fills (even)
the Valley of the Pierced Tree."
(Joel 3:18, fully amplified from Hebrew, my translation)
It was while reading this prophecy that led me on the inquisitive
search for what the Bible truly teaches about the location of the Cross. At the
same time that the Living Waters gush forth from the Throne of YHVeH Messiah in
the Temple, the mountains will be thick with the Shekinah Mist of YHVeH Spirit.
The hills of Jerusalem will be “a very air of intoxication, and a refreshing -
restorative one at that.” I was particularly struck by the phrase, "Valley
of Shittim", which in the English, is translated as: "the Valley of
the Pierced Wood" or "the Valley of the Pierced Tree.” The pierced
wood or tree is a direct - inference to the Cross upon which Messiah was
crucified.{9}
When the Ark of the Covenant was made, it was constructed of
Shittah or Acacia wood. The Hebrew word “Aron”, for “ark”, is used both of the
Ark of the Covenant (which carried the 10 Commandments tablets and manna -
e.g., Joshua 4:7), and of Joseph’s coffin (Genesis 50:26). To some, the wood
itself is a dead thing bearing about dead things; while to others, it is merely
symbolic and a direct spiritual connection to eternal life. The one mindful of
“dead things,” has his mind on the direct concept of materialism. The other --
correctly ascertains the spiritual connection and representation: (his mind in
the heavenlies, while his hands and feet pragmatically operates in the sphere
of the earthly).
I believe that the vertical beam of the Cross, to which Messiah’s
feet were nailed with stakes, was made of the cedars of Lebanon.
The Crossbeam, to which the bends of Messiah’s wrists were pierced, I believe to have been made out of Acacia. However, this is only an unproven theory on my part. If the Cross were made of one sole wood, as “Shittim” implies, it probably refers only to Acacia. Even as there were two tablets of the Law of Moses in the 10 Commandments, so too, is this Acacia wood representative of the two hands of YHVeH Messiah: the One who spoke those Commandments to Moses.
The Crossbeam, to which the bends of Messiah’s wrists were pierced, I believe to have been made out of Acacia. However, this is only an unproven theory on my part. If the Cross were made of one sole wood, as “Shittim” implies, it probably refers only to Acacia. Even as there were two tablets of the Law of Moses in the 10 Commandments, so too, is this Acacia wood representative of the two hands of YHVeH Messiah: the One who spoke those Commandments to Moses.
When the Escape-goat of Yom Kippur was tied in the wilderness to
receive the sins of Israel, it was tied to the Shittim, also known to us as the
Acacia; its head wrapped about with a crown of scarlet wool, and having been
jabbed and spit upon (cf. Epistle of Barnabus 7.6 ff.). The shrub thought to
have shared the characteristics of the matron, Rachel. At the first, this seems
a harsh assessment. Acacia can grow as either a shrub or a tree. It yields a
non-tart edible food that is much like the pea pods. Some Acacia bark can even
be chewed like gum. In the desert, nomads in need of water, have been known to
cut up the roots of the Acacia about 4 to 5 feet from the stump, and chop up 2
to 3 foot sections.{10} The water is
then poured out into a water skin or it is sucked out of the root. On some
occasions, a clop of dirt is inserted into one end of the root. It is then used
as a temporary canteen (for that day), and carried over short distances.
Therefore, when Rachel is thought of, she is remembered for as the matron of
shepherds, who gave Jacob/Israel the strength to roll away the stone, and grant
the sheep a stream of overflowing life-giving waters (Genesis 20:6-9, cf.
vv.20, 17).{11} This is an allegory
of Messiah: Jacob representing Christ at the resurrection, and the children of
Israel and those believers from the nations, are symbolized by the sheep.
In Exodus 25:10, and again in chapters 36 and 37, we find that GOD
turns the Shittim wood into His dwelling place. Just like this example,
Christians point to the power of YHVeH at the Cross, -- as though it were also
GOD's dwelling place, captured in Time -- but reaching into every nanosecond of
all time, to the forevers of eternity.
The Acacia teaches us that, like the waters of the root, our life is hid in Christ (Colossians 3:3). When YHVeH Messiah died upon the Cross, the body of our sins -- from our conception to our deaths -- warped through time, to the Cross. Those who believe into Him, their sins entered into Christ Jesus, into His innermost being, and our second death was destroyed, in the all-consuming fire of who He really is (Hebrew 12:29, 1:3), being the same essence and inner substance as the Father. Our sins were not buried in the tomb with Christ, they were consumed -- once and for all -- in Him, at the Cross. At the moment He cried out, “My GOD, My GOD, why hast thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46){12} -- sin was paid for and consumed, “once (and for all time)” (Hebrews 10:10).
The Acacia teaches us that, like the waters of the root, our life is hid in Christ (Colossians 3:3). When YHVeH Messiah died upon the Cross, the body of our sins -- from our conception to our deaths -- warped through time, to the Cross. Those who believe into Him, their sins entered into Christ Jesus, into His innermost being, and our second death was destroyed, in the all-consuming fire of who He really is (Hebrew 12:29, 1:3), being the same essence and inner substance as the Father. Our sins were not buried in the tomb with Christ, they were consumed -- once and for all -- in Him, at the Cross. At the moment He cried out, “My GOD, My GOD, why hast thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46){12} -- sin was paid for and consumed, “once (and for all time)” (Hebrews 10:10).
To those of Heaven, beholding, the visage would have probably
appeared to the angels (of the next dimension) as miraculous as was the
Creation (Job 38:4-7). The Cross would have looked as though it were on fire
throughout, with black billowing smoke; a vacuuming effect of shadows and
multitudes of human spirits throughout the ages, from Adam to the end of human
procreation would have been witnessed as being absorbed into Christ’s chest,
into His innermost being, with every sin - vice - and uncleanness burned up
within. All this would have been as though it was an alternate reality or
dimension, and yet it was not. All sin, for all time -- was consumed within
Christ, as if He were the altar of the hearth of fire.
The Great Tree of Shechem, the prophesied Cross
“And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem
of the plain of Moreh…And YHVeH appeared unto Abram, and said,
‘Unto your seed will I give this Land.’
And there, he built an altar unto YHVeH, who appeared unto him.”
(Genesis 12:6-7)
of the plain of Moreh…And YHVeH appeared unto Abram, and said,
‘Unto your seed will I give this Land.’
And there, he built an altar unto YHVeH, who appeared unto him.”
(Genesis 12:6-7)
As stated earlier above, I believe the vertical beam of the Cross to
have been made of Lebanese Cedar wood.
The prophecy of the Cross is also found in Israel’s relationship
to the Great Tree of Shechem, from the time of Abram in 1981 B.C., until the
death of Absalom in circa 1040 B.C. In Genesis 12:6-7, YHVeH appears to Abram at
Shechem (“the shoulder”), in the plain of Moreh (“the Teacher”), while in the
presence of this great oak or terebinth tree. It is quite probable that this
tree was now about 367 years old, dating back to the receding of the floods of
Noah. Either Josephus places an equally old tree at Hebron, or he mis-locates
his recollection of this tree. In either case, Josephus cites that a tree, said
to have existed since the Flood (that is, the Creation of the world as they
knew it) still existed in his day (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 4.9.7)
The Great tree itself was representative of the very Name of GOD,
of EL.
EL comes from the Hebraic root word of “ool”, which word picture is best described as “the base of a great tree, which fibers are wrapped and rolled and twisted together in such power, that even the sharpest ax fails against it.”
EL comes from the Hebraic root word of “ool”, which word picture is best described as “the base of a great tree, which fibers are wrapped and rolled and twisted together in such power, that even the sharpest ax fails against it.”
Ezekiel 31:8-9 lists three types of trees that were in Eden: the
cedar, the fir or “pine” tree, and the chestnut. The Great Tree was not a
chestnut, whose bark annually peels off. The Great Tree was not a “pine tree”,
which sheds its needles and leaks sap, to defile an encampment with “litter”. The
Great Tree was a cedar, whose wood was used in the Temple and by the Kohenim at
the altar hearth of fire. Called
erez ארז in the Hebrew, this wood in Israel and Lebanon often has a
red tone, and is pleasantly odorous. It is ideal for beams and paneling, like Sequoia redwood, and such ERe(T)Z
was found in Solomon’s great house (I Kings 7:2 ff.), because it is frequently
free from knots and defects, and is a natural repellent to bugs and pests.{13}
In Genesis 33:18-20, Abram grandson Jacob returns to this tree,
and purchases his inheritance for 100 pieces of money. Here, at the Great Tree,
Jacob erects an earthen altar and calls this place: “El Elohe Israel”,
translated as, “El, the GOD of Israel.” To what was this tribute made? To the
ancient tree, which symbolized EL, the GOD of Israel, and His coming Cross. And
when Jacob fled his Father-in-law Laban, and hid the idols of his household, to
where did he run and bury them? He ran to this tree, symbolizing the coming
cross. It was here that Jacob hid his sins, received forgiveness of sins from
GOD, and then went forth in victory as a terror to all the enemies of GOD
(Genesis 35:5). Therefore all the sons of Jacob, he who is called Israel, are
called out to follow after the example of their father, and be born again --
believing into Christ, YHVeH Messiah, and His atoning work at the Cross.
In 1471 B.C., just
before the death of Joshua, we read how that the descendants of Abram did
gather under the Great Tree, erecting the Tent of Meeting, and placing the
Great Tree within the very Sanctuary of YHVeH (Joshua 24:19-28). The Tree
represents Messiah on the Cross. And making a Covenant with YHVeH, the children
of Israel brought forth a Great Stone, rounded without instrument, and raised
it up, erecting it in the shadow of the Great Tree, which was now some 877 years old. In the presence of the Cross, they took a
stone, symbolizing death; and raised it up, symbolizing the resurrection.
Stone or "eben" in Hebrew is spelled Alef-Beth-Nun. Separate Alef, which
letter represents the Name of GOD, and you will read Alef-BeN, or “GOD’s Son”.
Again, the Cross, as represented by the Great Tree, was central to a restored
and right relationship between Israel and GOD.
In Judges 9:37, we find this Great Tree again; but now, having the
power of divination granted unto it, and being called “the Tree of Prophecy.”
The word “Moreh”, on which plain this tree was located, being spelled backwards
as “Haram”, means “sacred”. Haram is defined as the surrendering and giving of
devoted service to GOD, or the giving up of something profane to its ruin or
destruction. The mount on which this Great Tree rested was called “Ephraim”
(doubly fruitful). But rearranged, we see that like Jesus, this Great Tree was
one of offence, for Shechem can be rearranged to spell “Makesh” in Hebrew,
which means a place of stumbling or falling. This is how we last know of the
Great Tree, sometime around 1040 B.C., Absalom, the son of David, passed under
this tree on his war mule, while in fighting his father’s armies in his
rebellion. This 1308-year-old tree, blown upon by the Spirit of YHVeH, reached
down and grabbed Absalom up by his hair, and crucified him by his head,
suspending Absalom helpless in its branches by the hair between heaven and
earth. David’s general, Joab, then took 3 arrows and pierced the Son of David
through the heart (2 Samuel 18:9-15). In the process, thus likening Absalom to
Christ: who for the sins of Adam, was pierced through the heart with the arrows
of 3 sins (the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life)
in our place, upon the Cross.
In the Valley of Shittim, the Valley of the Kidron, there flows a spring of "living waters" (an artesian well) of importance to Joel's prophecy. The well is called Siloam in the Greek, but Siloach in the Hebrew. It is this well-spring that GOD Himself will replace with living waters that pour from out of His heart, through the left side of His belly, from His throne, to fill this Valley in the Kingdom Times of our LORD -- times yet to come (Ezekiel 47:1ff; John 7:37-38; Revelation 22:1-2).
And strangely enough, when we look at the whipped body of Christ through the rabbinic teachings of Gematria, we see “GOD’s Love”. For 26 lashes to the back is the same numerical values as YHVeH (or ‘JeHoVaH’ or ‘LORD’), being 10 + 5 + 6 +5; while 13 lashes to the breast is the same numerical value as AHaVaH (or ‘LOVE’), being 1 + 5 + 2 + 5. Therefore becoming symbolically, the 39 lashes upon Christ’s body was “The Love of YHVeH,” or “YHVeH’s Love;” (this being a free translation).
So now we see that in Scripture, even the whippings have deep meaning and great significance for us: being the physical demonstration of GOD’s Love (for us).
For as it is written,
“For GOD so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever that believes into Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 - KJV)
Each hand and arm of Jesus represents branches to Him, our true Vine: one arm to carry the nations (or we Gentiles); and one arm to carry the Jews. Or we may counteract the Mormon position, and say that with one arm He upholds the Angels, and with one arm He carries mankind. The one group He prevents more from having fallen away; while the other, He wholly redeems. We are therefore called to be assembled -- joined together by Christ our head, -- even as there is one GOD, who is above all, in us all, and through us all”. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.17.3; Ignatius, Epistle to the Trallians, .11) And all this happens through the Cross!
Thought upon GOD’s love to us through the Cross:
“And let it not be, that I should glory, save in the Cross of our
LORD Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the
world.”
(Galatians 6:14)
Thought upon Selah and the
Cross from the Psalms:
“YHVeH is made known in the Judgment He has made and brought
about:
in the work of the bend of His Hands [.i.e., in His wrists]
in the work of the bend of His Hands [.i.e., in His wrists]
are the wicked ensnared (as in a noose). A Meditation. Selah!”
(Psalm 9:16, translation mine)
(Psalm 9:16, translation mine)
Selah: the suspension of both Time and Space.
When Time and Space are intertwined in a moment of eternity, we
see a synonym in "Talah" (תלה), the Hebrew verb that means, "to hang". In Isaiah
22:24, Talah is used to describe a "hanging like a peg" (perhaps 'on
a wall' would be a best word picture illustration for us). In Psalm 137:2,
Talah is descriptive of the "hanging" of a (traveling) musician's
lyre upon a tree in a foreign land. In Job 26:7, when the earth is described as
hanging upon nothing, while "talah" is used in this verse,
"selah" is visualized. However, the relationship between Selah and
Talah does not end there. In Esther 7:9, the Greek Version (LXX, or the
Septuagint) uses the Greek word "stauroo" in translating
"talah".{14} In other
words, after Haman was hung by a rope, he was impaled up high on the instrument
of death, like a peg some 50 cubits high, fixed as an example to all.
In Deuteronomy 21:22ff, after the offender 'worthy of death' is
stoned dead, he is then impaled and "hung upright" as though a dead
image. Yet, quite often, the neurological system is still somewhat active, as
many corpses may still have the post mortem "quivers". This aspect is
important, because TaLaH (as a root word) has a derivative in the Hebrew word "teli" (תלי), which literally means: "to quiver". The nails pierced the hands of
Christ through the bone in the bend of the hands at the wrists, right through
the major nerves. This will make the hands go limp, the thumbs to bend into the
palms, and the arms to quiver. Add a mildly breezy cold day in March, and strip
Messiah of all garments, and the whole body will shiver and shake. So it is at
this point that the next passage of Deuteronomy strikes home between Jew and
Gentile unbelievers alike, as the literal reading of Deuteronomy
28:66 (in
light of this) tells them:
"And your LIFE shall be hanging and quivering before you,
and you shall tremble with fear, and dread night and day,
because you do not believe into your LIFE." (Translation Mine)
and you shall tremble with fear, and dread night and day,
because you do not believe into your LIFE." (Translation Mine)
The LIFE that is talked about in Deuteronomy 28:66 is YHVeH Messiah, who is the way, and the truth, and the LIFE (John 14:6); who for us men and for our salvation, came down from Heaven, and offered Himself as a ransom/sacrifice for our sins. One of the disciples of John the Apostle, Ignatius, whom became bishop of Antioch of Syria, used the example of his "love name" as an illustration of "selah" for us. In either 107 or 116 A.D. (depending on which historical reference you accept), Ignatius spoke with Caesar Trajan in Antioch of Syria. At the time, Trajan may have been warring in the East and decided to visit Syria. Antioch of Syria was third after the capitol of Rome in Italy, and Alexandria of Egypt. Trajan addressed Ignatius of his knowledge that Ignatius was secretly called "Theophorus": 'he whom GOD lifts up.’ But Ignatius corrected the Emperor, before being banished to death by wild animals in the Coliseum of Rome, saying that "Theophorus" should actually be interpreted as 'he who has Christ within his breast.’ To Ignatius, every believer who has Christ, experiences "selah".{15}
Every believer is to be GOD - breathed
from within. We are given a new and eternal nature that lays sin dormant
(Romans 6:2-12).
There are many prophetical proofs too much to go at length here that show Christ was crucified at the Kidron and Hinom Valley Juncture on the Mount of Olives just outside the city. Eyewitness testimony from the First Century A.D. identifies this general location by reference in Revelation 11:8 regarding the coming deaths of the Two Great Witnesses while at Jerusalem. The Hinom Valley as the place of burning is spiritually compared to Sodom, which was consumed in fire; and the river wadi of the Kidron was spiritually compared to the Nile and compared to Egypt.
Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (KJV)
(8) And the fallen dead bodies / corpses of them
upon the Plateias / the (traveled) broad way / the outer darkness
[inclusive of forked or adjoining valleys used for travel]
of the Great City,
which is called by name Spiritually Sodom and Egypt,
where also the LORD of us was crucified. (AWPR)
There are many prophetical proofs too much to go at length here that show Christ was crucified at the Kidron and Hinom Valley Juncture on the Mount of Olives just outside the city. Eyewitness testimony from the First Century A.D. identifies this general location by reference in Revelation 11:8 regarding the coming deaths of the Two Great Witnesses while at Jerusalem. The Hinom Valley as the place of burning is spiritually compared to Sodom, which was consumed in fire; and the river wadi of the Kidron was spiritually compared to the Nile and compared to Egypt.
Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (KJV)
(8) And the fallen dead bodies / corpses of them
upon the Plateias / the (traveled) broad way / the outer darkness
[inclusive of forked or adjoining valleys used for travel]
of the Great City,
which is called by name Spiritually Sodom and Egypt,
where also the LORD of us was crucified. (AWPR)
The Selah
Instrument of Jesus Christ -- the Cross
In the Syriac of Ignatius' letter to the Ephesians, .9., Ignatius
clarifies this to us, writing:
"And you are prepared for the building of GOD the Father,
and you are raised up on high by the instrument of Jesus Christ, which is the Cross,
and you are drawn by the rope, which is the Holy Spirit;
and your pulley, is your Faith;
and your Love [Heb. “ahavah” - your GOD - breathed trust] is that Way
and you are raised up on high by the instrument of Jesus Christ, which is the Cross,
and you are drawn by the rope, which is the Holy Spirit;
and your pulley, is your Faith;
and your Love [Heb. “ahavah” - your GOD - breathed trust] is that Way
[or Path] which leads up on high to GOD."
When Christ was crucified, He was nailed to a Cross, and suspended
upon the Cross; the Cross being lifted up by means of a rope and pulley. So
too, by the Holy Spirit and Faith, Christ is lifted up and suspended in the
breast of every believer and our love of Christ is that Way, which we then
follow up on high to GOD the Father, through Christ our LORD. Selah.
The drawing up of the Cross, by rope-and-pulley, was accomplished
by means of metal stakes that were driven into the Cross; which was a more
sophisticated task than most modern scholars and lay people comprehend.
Tertullian, the renowned Carthaginian Christian lawyer who resided and
practiced in Rome from ca. 190 - 210 A.D., furthers our understanding about the
Cross upon which Christ was crucified, saying:
" 'His glory, is that of a bullock. His horns, are that of a
unicorn; (and) with them, shall He push the nations to the very ends of the
Earth.' He was not, of course, designated as a mere unicorn with its one horn,
or a Minotaur with two; but Christ was indicated in him -- a bullock, in
respect of both His characteristics -- to some, as a severe Judge; to others,
as a gentle Savior; whose horns were the extremities of His Cross. For the
antenna, which is part of the Cross, the ends are called horns; while the
mid-way stake of the whole frame is the Unicorn. His Cross is then, by this
virtue and in this manner, "horned". He is both now pushing all
nations through Faith, bearing them away from Earth to Heaven; and will then
push them through Judgment, casting them down from Heaven to Earth." (Tertullian,
Against Marcion, Book 3, Chapter 18)
Here we see a long metal protrusive stake through the back of the
Cross, which is called a "unicorn". We also see the inference to
metal spike also in the extremities of the Cross, likened to those Passover
strokes of Lamb's blood on the door posts and lintel, which are called
"antenna". It was to these that perhaps only 3 slaves were required
to winch up a Cross and set it, while the soldiers could do their job, and
stand guard; ensuring that the execution is carried out without interruption.
“Thou hast heard Me from the horns of the unicorns…”
(Psalm 22:21 - KJV)
“Thou hast heard Me from the horns of the unicorns…”
(Psalm 22:21 - KJV)
Again, in "An Answer to the Jews", Tertullian explains:
"For even in the ship's yard -- this is the name by which the
extremities are called, which is a part of (the Cross), -- the central pole of
a mast is (called) a ‘unicorn’. In fact, by this power and in and in this
manner (is) the Cross ‘horned’." (Tertullian,
An Answer to the Jews, .10)
Thus, the goal of the bull and unicorn in the symbolism of the
Cross, is to teach us about the nature of GOD. The shipyard tells us that we
are living in the midst of a Universe created around the Design of the Creator,
which central theme or purpose is the Cross. GOD is a Judge to the rebellious,
but gentle to those who are reverent of Him. In the shipyard, this was probably
the same attitude taken up by taskmasters, carpenters, and the various workers
-- be they slave or free. Respecting the treatment of those who act and obey
faithfully, these are to be treated gently. So it is, Tertullian demonstrates
that the mission of the Cross, seen on every ship and in every shipyard, points
to the mission of one's life: to pass from the Judgment of GOD, and to enter
GOD's gentleness and love: through Jesus, through the Cross.
Irenaeus likened the Cross, which is plated together with iron,
after the parable of Matthew Chapter 13,{16}
to being the “plough of GOD”, by which the Almighty “turns up the earth” (i.e., mankind):
“He has firmly displayed the plough, in that the wood has been
joined on to the iron, and has thus cleansed His Land; because the WORD, having
been firmly united to flesh, and in its mechanisms fixed with pins, has
reclaimed the savage earth. In the beginning, He figured forth the pruning-
hook by means of Abel, pointing out that there should be a gathering in of a race
of Righteous men.” (Irenaeus,
Against Heresies,, 4.34.4)
Selah also takes into account the Sacrifice of the escape-goat at
Yom Kippur, in His reclaiming the savage earth. For Christ (being without
guilt, without sin) takes upon Himself the sins of all Israel, and by
implication the sins of all mankind. Whereas the people whip and spit on the
escape goat from Temple to the Water Gate of the Kidron, Christ was beaten
about the face and head by over 400 - 600 open hand blows from the Gentiles in
the fortress (which represents Heaven), and whipped at The Pavement (which
represents the Bema platform of Moses' seat, hence representing Earthly
domains). For intestines or scarlet wool about the head, he was plaited with a
crown of thorns that not only pricked, and were pressed down with violence, and
bled Him; but made Him vomit so much that it must have felt as if every last
bit of food and drink was just sucked out of His small intestines. This
disgusting and vulgar detail, though prophesied, is left out of the Gospel
accounts. Therefore, every hangover or sickness that involves the activity of
nausea can now also be identified as a sin atoned for in the Crucifixion of
Christ. From thence, from Gabbatha, He was dispatched out of the city by the
same path as the escape-goat of Yom Kippur.
Selah! ...(Which means) “Suspended”
Selah at the Hinom Valley
As Christ looked down from Golgotha, He did so from a
mechanism of wood and iron, fixed with pins. He was suspended on high from a
fixture familiar to both farmers and sailors, to soldiers and civilians. While
in this suspended state, He suffered in agony and slow asphyxiation as long
thin stakes (or “nails”) were protruding through His anklebones and into the
bend of His wrists. These were driven mercilessly through His body, and into
the wood of the Cross. His agony was intensified in that the Romans nailed His
arms with one elbow up and one elbow down. This position is mimicked in modern
times as a type of anti-climax stage-freeze jazz-dance pose (often with a hat
in one hand). Its hidden meaning is to mock Christ at the Cross. If we invert
the Hebrew letter Alef (א), by 90 degrees onto its point, depending on the writing
style, we will usually see the intent of the letter as “Christ crucified”. This
position, which Messiah found Himself in, with one elbow up and one elbow down,
forced His bones out of joint over the course of His six hours of suffering
upon that Cross.
From this location, at Golgotha, Jesus would have looked to
the right up the Kidron Valley, where He was in; but also He would have looked
just a little off to His left and straight into the Hinom Valley as well. As He
looked into the Hinom, at about his 10 o’clock visual position, 12 o’clock
being due west, there Christ saw Judas the traitor, dead by his own hand in
suicide. This tract of land is known as Haceldama or “the field of blood” to this
day. Judas died, hanging on a tree limb over a small precipice on the southeast
Hinom, by means of a rope about the neck; in full view of millions who packed
the Kidron and Hinom Valleys, and just left him there. What is important to
note, is the silent affirmation of the historical witness to these facts.
Notice that there is never an accusation against Christ, of how that Judas sold
Him out, and then could not bear to look upon the face of his master or
“Raboni”. There is also never a refusal by the priesthood, to say that they did
not buy Judas off for 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. Had this occurred,
we would have a Talmudic account, a reference in Josephus, or by the Roman
historians: because the outcry would have been too great to not notice, and
utilize to put the Christians down as fraudulent. Yet, no record exists,
because Christians were called “Chrestians” by the Romans, which means “the
gracious (and honest) ones”.
Now, at about Christ’s 2 o’clock field of view, He would have
seen -- over the many hundreds of thousands of the multitudes who filled the
Kidron Valley -- the irrigation conduit of the Pool of Siloam, which emptied
out into the Kidron. As the masses moved, people ran to and from this conduit,
collecting water for the thirsty in the Valleys below. From the Cross, Jesus
was able to behold the processes of both death and life.
Selah in Gematriac context
In Gematria, Selah and Salah have a value of 95. This is the
same value as Hinom
(הנמ). Hinom, of course, is one of the
two valleys to which Christ was crucified, the valley of burnings. Here, every
8th feast Day of Tabernacles, the Jewish men of Israel burned their makeshift
huts, and gave thanks to YHVeH, in recollection of Isaiah 66:24,
which tells them that in the Kingdom, in the New Heavens and the New Earth,
"they shall go forth, and look upon the
carcasses
of the men that have transgressed against Me: [YHVeH]
of the men that have transgressed against Me: [YHVeH]
for their worm shall not die,
neither shall their fire be quenched;
and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” KJV
neither shall their fire be quenched;
and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” KJV
After the value of 95, the value of Selah and of Hinom: what
is being told to us about this valley and juncture south of the Temple Mount?
It is a place for one who is held in "contempt" or PUT (פוט).Both
Jesus who was cast out and crucified here, and on the other side of the same
valley, Judas Iscariot, who hanged himself on the tree while viewing Christ
crucified. The tree-limb, on which the body of Judas hung, snapped.
Judas was then plunged at least 30 feet or more below into the Valley of Hinom,
onto some sharp rocks, and was disemboweled. That Valley depth or even greater
has been covered since at least A.D. 70, when the Romans filled it during the
siege of Jerusalem.
Whether of a right heart, as a disciple; or through a sinister
intent, as a zealot or anti-Christian: we all "chase or follow
after" Tseda (צדא) YHVeH Messiah.
The wicked cannot help but to "bubble up and
froth over" Pachez (פחז) against
YHVeH's anointed, and YHVeH Himself.
They would rather offer up drink offerings to some mythical
"queen" Milkah/Malkah (Mem-Lamed-Kaf-He) of Heaven. King David sung
it of Messiah’s rejection by the people in exchange for idols in this way:
“Sons of men, until when is My Glory? For a
reproach (concerning this) will you love vanity and seek out a lie (instead)?
Selah.”
(Psalm 4:2)
At some of the modern Passover Seder Celebrations in America,
songs are sung also in reverence of “the queen of Heaven” in preference to
YHVeH Messiah. Those cakes eaten to the “queen of Heaven” also bore the sign of
the cross upon them. The custom of “dessert” still carries this form of
indulgence for the “theoi”, “the disposers”, whose god is the belly. Therefore,
the idolatry of Baal and the pouring forth of drink offerings to demons are not
far from our lips and acts of recognition in our own day. Sadly, this has been
embraced as part of the "Jewish ness" of the culture, much like some
of the ancient cults engaged in by their Fathers which led to the taking of
Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; and were rebuked by GOD, through
His prophet, for it (re: Jeremiah 7:18; 44:15-30).
At the Hinom Valley, we have the choice between two sights:
Jesus on the Cross, or Judas hung from a tree and then disemboweled upon the
rocks below. We have, after the value of 95, the choice of being able "to
watch and be observant" - Yiscah (יסכה);
or, to suffer "dishonor and shame", "to suffer
disgrace and confusion" - Kelimmah (כלמה). Jesus never failed, the failure of honoring Him was upon mankind, not upon He who spoke Creation into Being.
Ge-Hinom is called "gehenna" in the
Greek: translated as "hell", the "place of burnings".
Here, in the Plateia of the city, the outer darkness, is Naham (נהם): the "growls, snarls, and roars" which YHVeH Messiah says is the "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (cf. Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 13:50, 22:13, 24:51, and 25:30).
Here, in the Plateia of the city, the outer darkness, is Naham (נהם): the "growls, snarls, and roars" which YHVeH Messiah says is the "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (cf. Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 13:50, 22:13, 24:51, and 25:30).
Hinom is set in prophecy for a place in which Selah (סלה) is
Manah (םנה): "ordained, set, appointed" as
a measure or weight weighed out, carefully analyzed and considered. The Manah
refers directly to YHVeH Messiah. In the Hebrew, the Bread from Heaven is
called "manna"; and even though its spelling lacks the "H"
(ה), being
spelled as "man" (מן); yet after the Greek
transliteration, we see it pronounced as though the "H" were present
as "manna" (μαννα). The word manna, is taken to mean
"bread" in the Greek description of it: for example, John 6:32-33.
Literally, this Hebrew word of "manna" spelled as "M-N"
means: "What's this?"
In the New Testament, we read how that "manna" to
the First Century Hebrew, and to us, is the bread of Heaven. Jesus clearly
tells us in John chapter 6, that He is the True Bread, the true
"manna" from Heaven. Unfortunately, when many people look at Jesus
and the Cross, they cannot help but gaze in a lack of understanding and also
say "What's this?", without the comprehension of what they are
saying. In effect, "What's this?" is a correct answer, because
translated back into the Hebrew, their question becomes an affirmation of
identity: "manna", which translated means "What's this?"
After the value of 95, we see that this "manna"
which is the Bread come from
Heaven, is like the Chelbenah (Chet-Lamed-Beth-Nun-He): an
"odorous gum that is comparable to fat"
.
.
On the Cross, Adayahu (Alef-Dalet-Yod-He-Vav) "YH
has adorned" Him, in order to Miklah(Mem-Kaf-Lamed-He): "to
make complete or whole" Fallen Man.
The word Miklah also speaks of the formation of a pen or fold for sheep; and YHVeH Messiah talked about the building of His Church, and the restoring of lost sheep back into the fold of those who have been obedient to Him.
The word Miklah also speaks of the formation of a pen or fold for sheep; and YHVeH Messiah talked about the building of His Church, and the restoring of lost sheep back into the fold of those who have been obedient to Him.
The purpose of the Cross, as we also see in the value of 95
and the other things we have gone over, is the revelation of the knowledge of
Christ; and a right relationship with GOD. We see this with passages such as
"If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.” (John 12:32). “Selah”
Gematrically reveals the very identity of YHVeH Messiah, after the
value of 95, as: HaMelek (He-Mem-Lamed-Kaf) - "the
King", and Daniel (Dalet-Nun-Yod-Alef-Lamed): "
the Judge of GOD."
When Luke wrote Paul's Gospel in ca. July of 57 A.D., which
over 100 years later was referred to as Hebrews, he wrote of how that we are
called to enter into the rest that the LORD provides for His servants, saying,
"For we which have believed do enter into
rest…
For he that is entered into rest, he has also ceased from his
own works, as GOD from His.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest…." (Hebrews 4:3a, 10-11a) KJV
For he that is entered into rest, he has also ceased from his
own works, as GOD from His.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest…." (Hebrews 4:3a, 10-11a) KJV
That Sabbath rest is the Selah, it is a suspension of works and efforts directed at ourselves. This illustration can be seen in the very Hebrew words used for resting or ceasing on the Shabbat. In the Bible, the rabbis inform us how that GOD stops (Genesis 2:2), He rests (Exodus 20:11), and then the example is given us of what was on GOD’s mind at the making of the Sabbath. To which we are referred to I Samuel 25:9, where we see the example of King David’s “mouthpiece” / “logos” / “messenger” / “angel”, after having spoken what his king instructed him, he then has nothing more to say.
Therefore, the Sabbath rest of Selah is the activity of
stopping, being refreshed, and no further need for words. It is as if words
themselves, are become a form of "work". Thus, when we accept this,
we can accept the Gematriac teaching in 2 Kings 14:7, that the word Selah is
equated with Joktheel: which means "subdued by GOD". We are also
admonished by this, that on the Sabbath, the activity of speaking more than
what is necessary, is also a form of work. Therefore, if one is truly to keep
the Sabbath as according to the Law of Moses, he had best keep his prayers
short, true from the heart, and to the point. But according to the Law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2), which is free from the Law of
Moses (a Law dealing with sin and death), prayer ceases to be like a slave
addressing his King in a form of humility. Rather, prayer becomes more of a
friend to the Prince relationship (John 15:13-15), who are gladly welcomed and
honored as if family by the King, for the sake of His dear Son.
Thought upon Selah, the Suspension, and the Sabbath rest
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live….” (Galatians 6:20)
Gematriac insights to Azal and the Cross
“And you shall flee into the Valley of My Mountains,
for the Valley of My Mountains shall reach unto Azal.” (Zechariah 14:5a)
for the Valley of My Mountains shall reach unto Azal.” (Zechariah 14:5a)
The word Azal {Alef-Tzaddai-Lamed) is valued
at 121 in the Hebrew, and the holder of a pil’ly (Pe-Lamed-Alef-Yod), that
which is “a remarkable, and wonderful secret.”
That secret concerns an "unripe" (or aphiyl {Alef-Pe-Yod-Lamed}),
"pressed or urged" (alats Alef-Lamed-Tzaddai),
"Oak of the king" (allom
melek Alef-Lamed-Mem-Lamed-Kaf)
that is "slender like a lotus tree" (a tse’el Tzaddai-Alef-Lamed).
The Cross also is unripe and slender like the lotus, upon
which a King was hung, which also acts as a shade tree of sorts to which all
the nations press upon (cf. the Cross with Lamentations 4:20). And yet, the
Cross, the slender and unripe oak of the King, (revealed by Scripture
as the acacia,) which is pressed, and holds a remarkable and wonderful
secret.
Through Gematria, in the word Azal, we see that Messiah is
given to us by GOD, through His Holy Word, a value through the descent of YH
(being a yod י of 10) as Ya’ala
(Yod-Ayin-Lamed-Alef), which divided means “the wild goat (Yod-Ayin-Lamed) of
GOD (א).” This
is the sacrifice of the Scapegoat, whose life is to be given for the sins of
all Israel (cf. Leviticus 16:20-22; John 11:49-53). This activity directly
links with the Torah’s example of the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, in which a
ram (or wild goat prophetically) was provided in his place. From this
"base” to the non-believer, but "pedestal” to them that believe (the
mekownah spelled as Mem-Kaf-Vav-Nun-He), there rested Nineveh (Nun-Yod-Nun-Vav-He, "the
one of offense"), who in Gematria is “The Son”, i.e., "the
perpetuation" (Nun-Yod-Nun) “of VeH” (וה) - the
Spirit of GOD.
It was from the west-most portion of this valley of Azal, at
the gate of Siloam, in which the "bereaved" Messiah was "discarded
and forsaken" (alman (Alef-Lamed-Mem-Nun), and to
which the bride of Jerusalem, by way of a few corrupt rulers forced
"widowhood and bereavement" (almon - Alef-Lamed-Mem-Nun) upon the
nation of Israel.
The Cross is a hammenek (He-Mem-Vav-Nun-Kaf), it is "a necklace or ornament " of faith to the believer, but a chain of bondage to the unbeliever.
The Cross is a hammenek (He-Mem-Vav-Nun-Kaf), it is "a necklace or ornament " of faith to the believer, but a chain of bondage to the unbeliever.
The word Azal indeed holds a pil’ly or "wonderful
secret", for it is the combination of the Hebrew letter Alef (א), and
the word for "shade" in Hebrew, being "Zal" or
"Tsal" (צל).
Therefore, GOD's "shade", or the "Shade of the Right Hand"
as told by Psalm 121:5, is directly and prophetically linked to this passage
from Zechariah 14:5.
And what is the "wonderful secret"? "Zal"
or "Tsal" is the shortest form of "Tselah" (צלעה ):
"a rib", or "the side" of a person. This refers to Adam, to
which Christ is the “Second Adam”, whose “rib” (as it were) is to be His
Church.
It is through this Valley of the mount of Olives that the
river of YHVeH shall flow until it reaches the Jordan, and then will flow both
north and south from there (Ezekiel 47:1-8). This river from in origin from the
Throne of YHVeH: from the throne of YHVeH Father and YHVeH the Lamb (Revelation
22:1). Jesus tells us that it shall flow forth from the innermost part of His
being (John 7:38). The waters that flow out of the city of Jerusalem will teach
us to trust in the Salvation (literally "Yeshua" or "Jesus"
in Psalm 78:22) of GOD: Psalm 78:20,22. To not acknowledge Jesus as the True
Messiah, IN THAT DAY, will be to provoke the immediate wrath of GOD (Psalm
78:21).
Jerusalem truly belongs to the Jews, and the Jewish people:
the sons and daughters of Israel. In the phonetic form, Jerusalem is pronounced
as YaH - RuaH - SHALOM. Translated, this means, “YH’s shout
and proclamation of Peace.”
The word Shalom can also be pronounced after an alternate dialect as Šālēm. I Kings 11:4 and 15:3 will have this translated as being “perfect” and as “wholly devoted to”, in the sense of being complete and finished in wholeness (or as an accomplishment of work). Shalom can be divided into two words: Shay שי and Laham לומ.
Shay means “gift”. Laham means “a burning”.
The burning gift perfectly described the burnt offering or sacrifice which Christ, at the Cross, represents. The Cross is all about Jesus paying for your and my sins, and all you need is to by faith, receive this gift of grace. It is not by your works, it is a gift which like all gifts, is to be happily and trustfully received, knowing the good intent of the one giving the gift for our best: that's one demonstration of what an "act of faith" is.
The word Shalom can also be pronounced after an alternate dialect as Šālēm. I Kings 11:4 and 15:3 will have this translated as being “perfect” and as “wholly devoted to”, in the sense of being complete and finished in wholeness (or as an accomplishment of work). Shalom can be divided into two words: Shay שי and Laham לומ.
Shay means “gift”. Laham means “a burning”.
The burning gift perfectly described the burnt offering or sacrifice which Christ, at the Cross, represents. The Cross is all about Jesus paying for your and my sins, and all you need is to by faith, receive this gift of grace. It is not by your works, it is a gift which like all gifts, is to be happily and trustfully received, knowing the good intent of the one giving the gift for our best: that's one demonstration of what an "act of faith" is.
Now, "Zal" or "Tsal" is related to
"Zalaph", which means, "wound", because they are
phonetically joined as being synonymous in Gematria. They are of the same
hallway, and simply parallel doors of definitiveness to our understanding.
Gematria also opens up to us the significance of what "the wound"
which YHVeH Messiah suffered in His "side" is to be represented by.
In the Kingdom, when the waters proceed from the Throne of GOD, they are
actually issued from this spear lance wound in YHVeH Messiah’s left side. From
this wound in His side, the "issues of Living waters will gush forth":
one of the soldiers, with a lance, pierced the side of Him, and at once, came
out blood and water”(John 19:34). That amount probably being the equivalent to
the gold Water Libation pitcher of “three logs” (30 ounces), which was dipped
in the Pool of Siloam only during the Feast of Tabernacles (Babylonian Talmud:
Sukkah 4,9). This occurred only during Tabernacles, and even the Mishna repeats
that the waters of Siloach are “the well-springs of Salvation”(Sukkah 5). That
is, these represent “Yeshua”, and they are carried with joy and with the mass
waving of Palm Branches to mimic the sound of a rushing and mighty wind -- to
be brought up festively and welcomed into the Temple.
Hence, when the First Priests beheld the living fulfillment of
the Water Libation on Palm Sabbath (Saturday), they were supposed to welcome
their King and have a fire-torch dance ceremony in the Temple that evening
(Sukkah 4). Instead, He would leave the Temple quietly that evening, the last
one through the Eastern Gate before it was shut for the day (Ezekiel 46:2). By
remaining at the threshold of this gate, as Ezekiel 46:2 shows, we know the
precise location where Jesus stood to within a matter of feet; and where the
Apostles would fervently stake out in the first year after His death, burial,
resurrection, and ascension.
Living Waters from the Spear Wound of Christ
In Jeremiah 2:13 and 17:13, we read that YHVeH is the source
of Living Waters. In these passages, YHVeH is not only the "source"
of Living waters -- He is the "Maqor" or "mountain
artesian-wellspring" of Living Waters. This means that from within the
innermost part of His being, the flow of Living waters come.
The Living Waters that flow out from the Throne of GOD in the Temple at Jerusalem, will pour forth as a mountain artesian-well-spring, and find their origin from a trickle that dribbles forth from the side-wound of Messiah. From a trickling of drops, the water expands and expands over the course of distance, as if by the distance of 70 rods to the power of 7, until passing through Azal; it becomes a rushing and mighty river (Ezekiel 47:1-5). This teaching is what Jesus infers upon Himself (John 7:37), and reveals about Ezekiel 47:1-5, saying:
The Living Waters that flow out from the Throne of GOD in the Temple at Jerusalem, will pour forth as a mountain artesian-well-spring, and find their origin from a trickle that dribbles forth from the side-wound of Messiah. From a trickling of drops, the water expands and expands over the course of distance, as if by the distance of 70 rods to the power of 7, until passing through Azal; it becomes a rushing and mighty river (Ezekiel 47:1-5). This teaching is what Jesus infers upon Himself (John 7:37), and reveals about Ezekiel 47:1-5, saying:
" “As the Writing (has) spoke(n),
'out of His inner hollow, (from His heart), will flow rivers of Living Waters'.” " (John 7:38 - Translation mine)
'out of His inner hollow, (from His heart), will flow rivers of Living Waters'.” " (John 7:38 - Translation mine)
Again, that inner hollow, through which "Living
Waters" will flow from the throne of GOD (Ezekiel 47:1-8, Revelation 22:1)
is from the same wound as the burst
heart and pierced side of YHVeH Messiah, Jesus the Christ. In the Kingdom, the
very heart of Messiah will continuously flow forth with waters, as a perpetual
side of the Covenant of the Cross; and why we should place so much emphasis and
believe into His atoning work there.
“All the saints shall sit at Thy feet, and shall receive
of Thy words.
…and all thy children shall be taught of YHVeH, and great shall
be the comforting peace of thy children.”
…and all thy children shall be taught of YHVeH, and great shall
be the comforting peace of thy children.”
(Deuteronomy 33:3, Isaiah 54:13 - KJV)
YHVeH Messiah thus teaches us all, both the Heavenly and
earthly alike, that by the heart and loving-kindness of YHVeH is all life
based, depended upon, and sustained. Daily, and everlastingly, we will be
reminded of the Cross, and the sacrifice He made for us at the center-point of
all of time and space, in 30 A.D. outside the walls of Jerusalem, in the Kidron
and Hinom Valley. When John the Baptist declared,
“Behold the Lamb of GOD which taketh away the sin
of the world!” (John 1:29 - KJV) he spoke of an eternal
Victory by an eternal being, whom, by means of a Cross and your Faith into Him,
will remove sin forever. Adam’s fall came because of a failure to continue in
his active trust of what GOD said.
YHVeH Messiah’s shed blood atones for our sins and sin nature. Without the immersion of ourselves, by faith, into His death, which is de facto a victory by His going to the Cross, without that immersion by faith into His death, there can be no resurrection to eternal life -- only a second death. It is that crucial that we understand this.
YHVeH Messiah’s shed blood atones for our sins and sin nature. Without the immersion of ourselves, by faith, into His death, which is de facto a victory by His going to the Cross, without that immersion by faith into His death, there can be no resurrection to eternal life -- only a second death. It is that crucial that we understand this.
Pope Francis is an idiot when it comes to teaching or preaching regarding the Cross, and he is a failure and a child of hell rather than in any way being a genuine Christian. He has no concept of the power and value of the success of the Cross because he is NOT destined for heaven but for eternal damnation, and in my opinion, he personally acts with a motivation of a sort that seeks to take as many souls to hell with him as he can.
That's my input.
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1 One variant of the early Apostles Creed could have been
cited in this way at the confirmation Baptism of a new believer, before many
witnesses. “I believe in GOD the father Almighty, maker of the heavens and the
Earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only one-of-a-kind begotten Son, our YHVeH. He
was conceived by the power of the Spirit Holy, born of a virgin -- Miriam. He
was lifted up and crucified, died, and was entombed. He descended into Gehenna.
On the third day, He resurrected from the dead. He ascended up by the clouds
into Heaven, and sits on the Right Hand of the Power. From thence, He shall
come again with clouds to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Spirit Holy, the Separation of the Saints of Communion, the Atonement of Sin,
the Resurrection from the dead, and the ever-lasting life. (World without end.)
Amen.”
The phrase, “the separation of the saints of communion”, is a
reasonable assumption of the Syriac/Aramaic. This later was clarified to be:
“the Universal (Catholic) Church” - meaning that men and angels are both called
out as being dedicated to YHVeH Messiah, unto Christ. As to their separation,
and love for one another - “the Communion of Saints”, they are as incorporate
members, two sheepfolds that are part of the same flock, which is made possible
through the Passion of Christ. That is, by His crucifixion process, death,
burial, and resurrection; even the angels are part of the Church, the body of
Christ.
2 Roberts, Alexander and James Donaldson, The Ante-Nicene
Fathers, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1885, May 1989 reprint; Vol. 1, pp. 568-569.
Fragments from the lost writings of Irenaeus, .III
3 Ibidem, p. 41,The Martyrdom of Polycarp, .9 Polycarp
declared that he had been serving Christ for 86 years. By implication, to the
proconsul, Polycarp could only have meant that he had been serving as a bishop
for that length of time. Since a bishop assumes office at the same age as a
rabbi, being no less than 30 years old, as a master, 86 more from age 30 makes
age 116. Bear in mind, Polycarp still could have been a few years older still.
For example: in circa 109 A.D., Simeon, the son of Cleopas, died as bishop in
Jerusalem at the age of 120. Polycarp died a martyr on or about February 23,
156 A.D. This makes him appointed bishop in Smyrna by John six months to a year
before the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and 28 years before John’s own death
on or about Passover of 98 A.D. Polycarp, at the ripe old age of 115, made the
arduous round trip sea voyage from Ephesus to Italy, in order to visit and
instruct Anicetus in Rome. By celebrating the tradition of the Eucharist, we
celebrate the core of the Passover festival, the Cross of YHVeH Messiah: this
is the tradition of the Apostles; who in turn, are true sons of their
forefathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
4 Lamentations 4:20; Genesis 2:7
5 cf. Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians, .9 (shorter version).
Roberts, Alexander and James Donaldson, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1885, May 1989 reprint; Vol. 1, p. 53.
The Cross is lifted up and set by a mobile contraption that
uses a rope and pulley system. The Romans being experts in the art of war, always
had a like number of artisans, carpenters, masons, etc., that accompanied them.
Their service would have been as a form of enlistment, contractual in nature
for 5 years; or they would have simply been slaves. Therefore, such a force of
readily available artisans and engineers would have been present in Jerusalem,
and daily put to work by the Romans. The size of the detachment would have been
in proportion to the Roman presence. If the Romans had 600 soldiers plus
officers, for example, these contract workers could have then numbered between
200-400. These artisans would have been considered a non-entity, and it would
have been bad form for their mention by any of the Gospel writers and most
historians of the era. Cf. Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 3.5.1-2.
6 That is, the dead tree -- being the Cross -- is an allegory
for the “dead world”. Due to its intimation as Lebanese cedar, and red tone,
more specifically, the Cross becomes the First Adam.
7 John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:13.
8 “And the points connected with the Passion of the
LORD,
which were foretold, were realized in no other case:
For neither did it happen at the death of any man among the ancients
that the Sun set at mid-day, nor was the veil of the Temple rent,
nor did the Earth quake, nor were the rocks rent, nor did the dead rise up,
nor was any one of these men [beside Christ] raised up on the third day,
nor received into heaven, nor at his assumption were the heavens opened,
nor did the nations believe in the Name of any other;
nor did any from among them, having been dead and rising again,
lay open the New Covenant of Liberty. Therefore the prophets spoke not
of any one else but of the LORD, in whom all these aforesaid things
occurred.” 181-183 A.D. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 4.34.3)
which were foretold, were realized in no other case:
For neither did it happen at the death of any man among the ancients
that the Sun set at mid-day, nor was the veil of the Temple rent,
nor did the Earth quake, nor were the rocks rent, nor did the dead rise up,
nor was any one of these men [beside Christ] raised up on the third day,
nor received into heaven, nor at his assumption were the heavens opened,
nor did the nations believe in the Name of any other;
nor did any from among them, having been dead and rising again,
lay open the New Covenant of Liberty. Therefore the prophets spoke not
of any one else but of the LORD, in whom all these aforesaid things
occurred.” 181-183 A.D. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 4.34.3)
Roberts, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, p.512, 1989 reprint.
9 The likeness of entering this Valley (at Jerusalem
by Messiah) is seen in the historical anamnesis in the Book of Judges. In Judges
7:22, when the Midianites were defeated by Gideon and the 300, the survivors
fled to the “House of Acacia” or “Beth Shittah”, in the East. This location is
in the Jordan Valley, near where John the Baptist first baptized by the Yarmuk
and Jordan River juncture, before moving southward to Beth Bara. The
Ephraimites were called upon by Gideon to enter Beth Bara, and did so. The
house of Acacia represents the “ark” and the “cross”. The Ephraimites represent
all the race of Israel beside that of Judah, who will be cast into Israel in
the last days by a world wide Antisemitism that is sparked by the nuclear
flattening of Damascus, Syria (Isaiah 17:1). They come to faith through sack
cloth and ashes, like John the Baptist, at Beth Bara, and are reborn into a New
Israel in the Great Tribulation: in those last 3 ½ years before Christ’s
return.
10 Air Force
Manual 64-3, “Survival - Training Edition, U.S. Air Force” 15 August 1969; p.
A1-37
11 In its first mention in Exodus 25:5, Shittim / Acacia wood appears
between ram (and other) skins, and oil. When our First Father Adam sinned in
the Garden of Eden, He and our First Mother were clothed by GOD in the coats of
skins as a covering for sin (Genesis 3:21). The oil that follows the Shittim
wood, is oil for lighting (Exodus 25:6). John 1:4 tells us that in Christ was
life, and this life was the LIGHT of men.
And as we read the order of things in the Torah here in Exodus
25:3-8, we see the order of all things. In Exodus 25 verse 3, we see that first
GOD created His Sanctuary, which we call Heaven, by the representation of gold,
silver, and brass. Then we see in Exodus 25 verse 4 that GOD created the
angels, the cherubim, and man - through the colors blue, purple, and scarlet,
and that man was the last of these, yet destined as the centerpiece, being like
unto both angels and cherubim in one form. We then see in Exodus 25 verse 5
that the atonements, which precede the Shittim Wood, which wood, represent the
Cross. The Cross then leads to the restoration of man in Exodus 25 verse 6, for
the light of eternal life and the anointing of man occurs. The incense, which
represents prayer, shows an intimate restoration of communication between man
and GOD. In Exodus 25 verse 7, we see how that GOD destines man to be as a
priesthood unto Him; and in verse, that this plan is for all eternity, even as
GOD is eternal, and is the GOD of the living (for all live unto Him that are
His).
12 There is a
testimonial found in this quote of Psalm 22:1, that is revealed in the decipher of Atbash. At bash is the inverting code of the Hebraic alphabet.
The first letter and last letter switch places, the second and the second to
last letter switch places, and so on. Along with Gematria, this practice also
dates back to at least the Babylonian exile. Unlike Gematria, it is less
understood, and more tedious. Psalm 22:1 is an Atbash code of 5 sets of
trinity, as a testimony of the ordeal of the Cross and Israel’s crucified
Messiah.
Translated: “The people cut and oppress, the people cut and oppress;
Righteousness is branded and scarred,
Piety and Truth has been sweated out.
(Let it now) contract, and come to a close.”
13 Cedars are
already known in Israel and Lebanon to exceed 40 feet at their base
circumference, and 100-120 feet in height (cf. Harris, Theological Word book,
p. 70; Tenney, Merrill C., Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1963, 1964 edition, p.662); in order to stand out, the Great Tree of
Shechem would have had to dwarf such trees altogether. It would have been a
gargantuan type of tree never before seen, whose sheer size promoted awe and
worship: perhaps to the effect of branches stretching out 195 feet from side to
side; 225 feet in height; and a girth of 70 feet. But this is only personal
speculation. I might yet be underestimating its sheer original size.
14 Harris, R. Laird; Gleason L. Archer, Jr; Bruce K. Waltke; “The
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament”, Chicago:Moody Press, 1980, pp.
970-971
15 In the mind of Trajan,
Christians were still considered a Jewish sect; and it was the Jews of the
“Near & Middle East”, who were derailing his plans of conquest.
Therefore, the kindness and innocence of Ignatius was lost on the Emperor,
because of the equating of all Israelites leaders as being saboteurs who
preached and practiced sedition (whether openly or philosophically).
16 Matthew 13 shows first, the
parable of the seed. Jesus carries His cross, and then the Apostles sow after
Him (Matthew 13:11). The seed is scattered about, some making it properly into
their fitches, and bearing much fruit. That seed, which makes it into the
fitches, does so because Jesus guides the direction of that seed: which are
defined as being the “sons of the (Heavenly) Kingdom” (Matthew 13:38).
Therefore, the Cross brings forth that treasure which is both new and old for
every believer. The cross is the plough, and we are the seeds. Therefore, water
yourselves in the Word of the LORD: and grow, grow, grow.
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