News Letter 5852-024
The Shemitah Year
The 25th day of the 5th month 5852 years after the creation of Adam
The 5th Month in the Seventh year of the Third Sabbatical Cycle
The 3rd Sabbatical Cycle after the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Earthquakes, Famines and Pestilence
The Year of letting the land rest
The Sabbatical year that begins March 10, Aviv 2016 and goes to Aviv 2017
July 30, 2016
Shabbat Shalom to The Royal Family of Yehovah,
“Our Facebook Goals”
With this News Letter, we must now close the door on accepting anyone else for our Jerusalem Tour. Or until July 31. We simply must firm up on all our rooms and tours. Those of you who have paid by July 31st we look forward to meeting you.
We have also asked all of you who are already on FaceBook or any other social media group to join us on fb and help us to share this message of the Sabbatical and Jubilees there. You can do this just by joining us and then sharing our posts there with your friends and your groups. Sharing helps others to hear this message even if you do not feel you can explain it.
The other reason we have merged all of other fb pages asked you join us at the sightedmoon.com fb page is so that when I have a particular post that is getting many hits, I can then target it to many other groups or cities or nations.
For Example, last weeks article on Christmas the truth was doing exceptional so we boosted it, aiming at many of the Evangelical groups by name. James Dobson, Joyce Meyers, Ken Copeland, Joel Olstine and many others. And I did it for North America The UK SA, Aus. and NZ. My target audience was about 30,000 for the amount I paid out of $300. On my first week with the ad it was shown to over 56,500 people and received a number of comments from non believers. It was and is my hope that by reaching into these christian groups we might be able to entice them to come and begin to read the News Letters and there by, learn more of those things we are teaching here. The Sabbath, the Holy Days, and The Sabbatical years.
BUT>>> there is more. Do you remember where Abraham argues with Yehovah about if there were even as few as ten in Sodom would He still destroy it? How many are in your home city that keep the truth. Are there at least 10? With this tool on fb, you can through sightedmoon.com purchase an article and aim it specifically to your home town. I used the Ten Tribe video teaching for my home town and some other towns that are into their Scottish and Irish roots specifically targeting them. For $200 I would be able to reach about 16000 people over the month.
Each of you can do the same thing for your town or state or what ever area you want covered. Just send a donation for some amount and write me a note about which article you want posted to where. I will use half of your donation for your cause and the other half for this work as I see fit. If this sounds far to you then let us get to work.
We have recently done this with our video the Curses and had it placed in front of about 24,000 and we had over 700 now connected to our fb page and being shown articles from our web site and other posts in that line of thought. You can help again here by suggesting your friends like the sightedmoon.com fb page.
We did have this reply from Scott Miller after last weeks request;
Sorry – don’t do Facebook, surprised any Christian believer does. Twitter, facebook are not friends of those who believe the Bible and insist on following what it says.
How long til they pull the plug? How long til PayPal stops all ministries from receiving transactions because it’s hate speech?
I don’t use PayPal.
I am not asking anyone to join fb or paypal. Until such time as fb is shut down, we shall use what ever means Yehovah has provided, to reach as many as possible with this end time message before He closes the doors and we believe that time to be in 2020. So for now we are doing as much as we can with very little help. While some make excuses why they will not help, and other promise but never do help, we seek those who will help and who want to help. Please share our message on all your social media outlets. If you want to send a cheque then you can do that as well to our address above. There is no reason why you cannot help, except your own excuses that prevent you from helping this work. Share, tell others to read our books, or get them to watch the videos. You can do something.
“Burundi”
Last weekend James Relf, Jim Fincham and I met in Niagara Falls to discuss those things this work is doing and going forward with. Eric Bissell also joined us by phone. Some of the things discussed we have already shared with you. But there is much more that we have not yet shared.
Burundi Update from James Relf sharing information from Telesphore:
Well we are now close to one month away from our departure date for Africa. Which also means just over one month before The Feast of Trumpets, the beginning of the fall feasts. The summer has gone by so fast and our preparations for Africa have come along way. While the physical items may be ready to be packed up, there is still much work to prepare in our lesson plans.
As Yah began opening my eyes to new and even greater things within His Torah, that pull together not only all the Feasts of YHVH, but also the Sabbaths (including His Sabbatical and Jubilee Cycles), the Blessings and Curses, and He has incorporated them all into this neat guide called His Aleph Tav. The Pattern of the Mishkan within the Aleph Tav and the Paleo Hebrew, is the most basic guide we have for what Yah expects of us. So I will be using this pattern (Thanks to Eric Bissell as well) to teach with as my visual tools to guide and prove to them the “Whys” and “Hows” to reach this destination and why it is so important.
We have been trying very hard to ask for help in assisting this endeavour. Burundi is one of the 5th poorest countries in the world right now and after the upheavals that happened earlier in the year due to political unrest with the people, many people died and many tried to leave the country. While those who stayed behind were left to deal with curfews and an economy that has taken a huge hit. Many people lost their businesses and due to that their fundraising efforts have been hampered greatly. We can still use some assistance to cover some of the growing expenses. We would like to be able to hand out a copy of the 2016 Sabbatical Year Book by Joseph, as we now have a French version for them, but the cost will be about $3500 US. If we can cover this cost we will do it and if not, well then we cannot and will go with what Yah has provided.
Thank you all that have assisted so far with this trip.
Just last week we were informed by the Head of all the churches over there who has summoned us to come and help them out. They are many people and churches that have interfered trying to guide them in their spiritual efforts, and all have fallen short because they are not teaching the truth of Torah. The economy is suffering, the people are struggling not only to find the truth but also looking for some answers as to why God has left them and not helping them out. This is why after many years of preparation YHVH has finally opened this door for us to step out in obedience and the gap to represent Him in that country. Our journey this time will be to plant seeds and see how the message of truth is received. Our efforts for funding is still short of our goal and we could still use some help in that area. We are not going to beg for it, only just this. When the roles are reversed and it is you who is in need, we are told what did you do when someone needed help?? Our actions are everything in the His kingdom.
We have our book Remembering the Sabbatical year of 2016 redone in French now. It is on our web site for anyone to read. Telesphore has been reading this book and trying to teach it to his pastors. One of the conversations Telesphore and James had went something like this.
James: How are you doing teaching those things you learned in the 2016 book to your Pastors?
Telesphore: How can I understand these things when I have no one to teach me?
This sounds very similar to a passage in the book of Acts.
Act 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south, on the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is a deserted place. 27 And he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot he read Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and join yourself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran there to him and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Do you indeed understand what you are reading? 31 And he said, How can I unless some man should guide me? And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
July 28 2016 Update
Dear james
Be adviseded that you will be teaching into 3 different churches. I will send you the proposed schedule.. One church 80 will be attending, second 70 and the last more than 80. I am trying to reduce the people who want to attend who are coming from countryside. Every province is represented and later I will do follow up.
After your departure i will install a teaching center in each province i believe the Lord will provide.
Bishop Telesphore
James has told me that his whole life has been a training program for this time now to go to Africa. James has been studying the Sabbatical and Jubilee year teachings now for three years. He knows it. On top of this, James has also been studying the Aleph Tav teachings of Eric Bissell and is the only person I know of who can put the two teachings together and those things he has told me have me very excited to see the Mishkan connections in the Jubilee cycles and many other places. Yes there is indeed more to come.
To print the 2016 book cost $35 US in PDF form so that the pastors can each have a copy. That could be as many as 100 Pastors or $3500 just for the printing. Telesphore has only been able to raise $500 for food and lodging for those pastors to come and stay. If they are not fed then they must leave and break up the meetings a few times each day. If they are fed then James can teach for the entire time there morning afternoon and evening. We need your help. We need your help so we can help them learn these truths. What are you going to say to Yehovah on judgment day? I know I am going to say I did all I could with the little I had.
We are getting more and more responses from Africa. What is our response going to be?
Last year we went to the Philippines and it was unbelievable. We spent a great deal of our money to finance this trip and to help host the events. And you read about the success. We could sure use your help now to help finance this trip and the next one. Thank you.
“The Shemitah Year Aviv 2016-Aviv 2017”
The fall Feasts will be as follows:
Friday Sept 2, 2016 to Saturday Sept 3, 2016 will be the Feast of Trumpets if the moon is sighted. If not then the next day, Sunday, will be the Feast of Trumpets.
Assuming the moon is sighted then Atonement will be sunset Sept 11 to sunset Sept 12.
The Feast of Sukkot will begin on Friday evening Sept 16 and Saturday Sept 17.
The 8th Day will be Friday Sunset Sept 23, to sunset Saturday Sept 24, 2016
Pray to Yehovah and ask Him to reveal to you the truth as to when the year began and when to keep the Feasts.
Again I am going to share with you the commandments for the Sabbatical year, maybe each week until you have it memorized. The Sabbatical year began with the sighting of the moon on the evening of March 10, 2016.
1) Do not plant
2) Do not harvest
Lev 25:3 You shall sow your field six years, and you shall prune your vineyard six years, and gather in the fruit of it. 4 But in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest to the land, a Sabbath for Jehovah. You shall neither sow your field, nor prune your vineyard. 5 You shall not reap that which grows of its own accord of your harvest, neither gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It is a year of rest to the land.
3) You can eat what grows on it’s own.
Lev 25:6 And the Sabbath of the land shall be food for you, for you and for your servant, and for your slave woman and for your hired servant, and for your stranger who stays with you, 7 and for your cattle, and for the beast that is in your land, shall all the increase of it be for food.
4) Stock up on food in the 6th year.
Lev 25:20 And if you shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow nor gather in our increase! 21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.
5) Forgive any debts people owed to you by Sukkot.
Deu 15:1 At the end of every seven years you shall make a release. 2 And this is the manner of the release. Every man who has a loan to his neighbor shall release it. He shall not exact it from his neighbor, or from his brother, because it is called Jehovah’s release. 3 You may exact it from a foreigner, but your hand shall release that which is yours with your brother,
6) Read the Torah out loud at Sukkot so all can hear it being read.
We have linked you to the News Letter with the laws you are to read just by clicking the link above.
Deu 31:10 And Moses commanded them, saying: At the end of seven years, at the set time of the year of release, in the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel has come to appear before Jehovah your God in the place which He shall choose, you shall read this Law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people, men and women and the little ones, and your stranger who is within your gates, so that they may hear and that they may learn and fear Jehovah your God, and be careful to do all the words of this Law, 13and that their sons who have not known may hear and learn to fear Jehovah your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over Jordan to possess it.
And by now you should also have completed all your obligations to the widows, orphan, and Levites from your tithes for the 6th year that is now past.
Deu 14:28 At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year, and shall lay it up inside your gates. 29 And the Levite, because he has no part nor inheritance with you, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are inside your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied, so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
Ask Yehovah to bless you for having completed this task and then ask Him to bless your efforts as you keep the Sabbatical year and keep your food safe from decay or flood or hydro blackouts and from scavengers like rodents. Ask Him to protect it and to bless you for keeping His commandments.
Deu 26:12 When you have made an end of tithing all the tithes of your increase the third year, the year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (that they may eat inside your gates and be filled), 13 then you shall say before Jehovah your God, I have brought away the holy things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me. I have not broken Your commandments, neither have I forgotten. 14 I have not eaten of it in my mourning, neither have I putany of it away for unclean use, nor have I given of it for the dead. I have listened to the voice of Jehovah my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 Look down from Your holy dwelling, from Heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, as You swore to our fathers, a land that flows with milk and honey. 16 Today Jehovah your God has commanded you to do these statutes and judgments. You therefore shall keep and do them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 You have today said that Jehovah is your God, and that you would walk in His ways, and keep His statutes and His commandments and His judgments, and listen to His voice. 18 And Jehovah has taken you today to be His peculiar people, as He has promised you, and to keep all His commandments, 19 and to make you high above all nations which He has made, in praise and in name and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to Jehovah your God, even as He has spoken.
May Yehovah bless each and every one of you for keeping the Sabbatical year commandment and breaking the curses that are upon our nations because we have not kept them in the past.
“Migdal Eder & The Birth of Messiah”
This article is presented by Chad and Marilyn Wilhelm, who shared it with me last fall and I have waited until now to share it with you. It fits perfectly with our teaching last week on the birth of Yehshua being on the Feast of Trumpets. Again stop and think. Mary had given birth and would be unclean for 40 days.
Lev 12:2 Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, If a woman has conceived seed and has borne a male, then she shall be unclean seven days; as on the days of her menstrual impurity she shall be unclean. 3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying thirty-three days. She shall touch no holy thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are fulfilled.
And the nursing baby Yehshua would have touched her in order to be breast fed and each time the baby touched the unclean Mary, the baby too would be unclean.
Lev 15:19 And if a woman has an issue, and her issue in her flesh is blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days. And whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. 20 And everything that she lies on in her impurity shall be unclean. Everything also that she sits on shall be unclean. 21 And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 22 And whoever touches anything that she sat on, shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 23 And if it is on the bed or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until the evening.
So exactly how would the infant Yehshua be able to go into the Temple on the 8th Day of Sukkot to be circumcised as some teach you that His birth was on the 1st day of Sukkot. Just stop and think for a moment. It is impossible for the infant to go up to the Temple until at least 40 days after His birth. This is just another indicator we have that He was born on the Feast of Trumpets. More again on this next week. But this week I want to share this teaching from Chad.
The Greek and Hebrew fonts do not come across on this web site and are shown as ???. So if you want them they are all on Chads site which you can link to at the end of the article.
Migdal Eder & the Birth of Messiah
My sincere hope, brethren, is that by the end of this teaching, you will truly get a better picture of the birth of our Messiah rather than the traditional view that has become the norm passed down from the early Church Fathers. Tradition (not the Bible) says that Yeshua‘s birth place was in a cave over which the Basilica of the Nativity was built in Bethlehem. According to Origen of Alexandria (185 – 254 CE) the Roman Emperor Constantine, built a Basilica over this cave in the 4th Century at the request of his mother Helena. It was destroyed and the present basilica was built by Emperor Justinian in 530 AD. Origen of Alexandria wrote that it was generally accepted that Yeshua was born in a cave at Bethlehem which could be visited in his day. (Origen of Alexandra, “Against Celsus” in Volume 1, Chapter 51. )
There is no evidence that can be found within the Bible to support that claim! Let’s turn to a familiar passage of scripture and see what clues we can uncover from the text.
Revisiting the Birth: Clues from the Text
Luk 2:1-20 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” {KJV} (emphasis mine)
In verses 7,12, and 16 I have put in bold what the KJV has translated from the Greek Text. These are the words with the ‘Strong’s Concordance” reference: “ inG1722 a manger;G5336 “ however, when one looks at this particular text through an actual Greek Interlinear there is a missing Greek word. Here is what the text looks like from the Interlinear: “ ??G1722 IN ??G3588 THE ?????G5336 MANGER “ the Greek word ??G3588 is not translated as it should be- although it is of my opinion that the translators in an attempt to smooth out the text inserted “a” instead of “the”. Let’s now take a look at this interesting Greek word. According to the Thayer Greek Dictionary, this Greek word is defined as ‘the definite article’, “the” in its masculine, feminine or neuter gender…the demonstrative pronoun. Examples: “this”, “that”, or “these”. The next word that should be studied in this passage of Luke chapter 2 is “manger”. The Greek word here is G5336 ?????? phatne? fat’-nay (from the Strong’s Concordance). This word comes from the Greek word ????????? pateomai (to eat); a crib (for fodder): – manger or stall. Listed below are the Hebrew words that are most similar to the Greek word ?????? phatne? (these are also the Septuagint related words).
H18 ????? evus: a manger, stall (from H75 [ abas ] –to fodder, fatted, stalled) H723 ???? urvah : a herding place for an animal H1098 ????? belil : feed, fodder H7517 ??? rephet: a stall
This word G5336 ?????? phatne? could be translated as ‘manger’ but if we look into the ancient time and culture during Yeshua’s day, I’m of the opinion that this ‘manger’ was more of a stable or stall to house livestock. We will discuss this further in a bit.
Luke 2:15 “…Let us now go to Bethlehem…”
After the shepherds were told about the Messiah, how did they know where to go?
Luk 2:15-16 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Where would the shepherds have known to go in Bethlehem to find baby Yeshua? There were no directions provided… (more on this later as well).
What we know from the Bible about Micah 5:2 and Luke 2:1-20
Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem (Beit –lechem – ‘house of bread’– Micah 5:2). Luke records the birth place of Messiah as Bethlehem in Luke 2:11. Bethlehem is the city of David and of his father’s inheritance (1 Sa 16:4, 17:15, 20:6). Although the Brit Chadashah does not tell us where in Bethlehem Yeshua was born, the Tanakh does.
Location of Yeshua’s Birth
We are all familiar with this verse: Mic 5:2 “And thou, Beit-Lechem Ephratah, Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From thee to Me he cometh forth–to be ruler in Israel, And his comings forth are of old, From the days of antiquity.”
But do we go back and read the verses for context? Micah 4:1 – 5:4
Mic 4:1 “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
Mic 4:8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. Mic 5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.”
To summarize: YHWH explains what it will be like in the millenial reign of Messiah (4:1 – 4:7). Micah 4:8 – 5:4 explains what will happen before that day !
The significance of ‘Migdal Eder’
Mic 4:8 “And thou, O tower ???? of the flock ???, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.”
H4026 ?????? / ????? migda?l / migda?la?h BDB Definition:
- Tower 1a) tower 1b) elevated stage, pulpit 1c) raised bed
H1431 (ROOT WORD) ???? ga?dal BDB Definition: 1) to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to grow up 1a2) to become great 1a3) to be magnified
What did the Sages of Israel think about Micah 4:8 and 5:1-2?
Targums: Micah 4:8 “And you, O Messiah of Israel, who has been hidden away because of the sins of the congregation of Zion, the kingdom shall come to you, and the former dominion shall be restored to the kingdom of the congregation of Jerusalem.”
Targums: Micah 5:1 “And you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you who were too small to be numbered among the thousands of the house of Judah, from you shall come forth before me the Messiah, to exercise dominion over Israel, he whose name was mentioned from of old, from ancient times.”
The sages of old understood Micah 4:8 and 5:1-2 to be about the coming Messiah !
Yeshua’s Birth at Migdal Eder
Where have we seen these words before? Migdal Eder?
Gen 35:16-21 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. 17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. 19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. 20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day. 21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond (from) tower of Eder [Migdal Eder].
Why is this significant? Because even the sages of old understood this passage of scripture was a prophecy concerning Messiah! They understood that Genesis 35:21 and Micah 4:8 were connected! According to Targum Jonathan (Jonathan Ben Uzziel) Genesis 35:21 is written this way:
Gen 35:2 “And Jakob proceeded and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder, the place from whence, it is to be, the King Meshiha (Messiah) will be revealed at the end of the days.” (emphasis mine)
Shadow Picture of Messiah Yeshua
Just as the naming of Leah’s children reveals YHWH’s plan of Messiah: The Messiah came as Elohim’s Son [Reuben – ‘see, a son’]. He was heard [Simeon – to hear] by some and joined to [Levi – joined] by others. We should praise him [Judah – praised] because he paid the wages [Issachar – wages] of sin. Soon he will come to dwell [Zebulun – habitation] with us and He will rule/judge [Dinah – Judgment] over the whole world.
Also note how Rachel’s children are thematically connected to Messiah Yeshua:
Joseph: bread man, suffering servant, exalted to the right hand of Pharaoh, savior of Egypt
Yeshua: bread of life, suffering servant, exalted to the right hand of the Father, savior of the world.
What about Benjamin?
How is Rachel’s other son Benjamin a shadow picture of Messiah [thematically related]?
Gen 35:18-19,21 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni (son of sorrow): but his father called him Benjamin (son of right hand). And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. 21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond (from) tower of Eder [Migdal Eder]. Messiah was also born in Bethlehem, at Migdal Eder. He came the first time as a suffering servant, a son of sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). Yeshua now sits at the RIGHT HAND of the Father (Mark 16:19)… Our Heavenly Father will send him again a second time to return to put down iniquity and evil, set up the Kingdom, and rule/reign for a thousand years (Rev 19 & 20)!
Location of Migdal Eder
After Jacob left Bethel he came to Migdal Eder (the tower of the flock) and there Rachel began hard labor and as she delivered Benjamin she died and was buried there in ”…Ephratah which is Bethlehem” (Gen. 35:19). After burying Rachel, Jacob moved his flocks beyond Migdal Eder (tower of Eder/Flock). This would pinpoint the location as being near (to the North) to what is present day Bethlehem. This establishes that Migdal Eder, “the tower of the flock” was in Bethlehem.
Keep in mind that the area which is called Bethlehem in biblical times covered a larger area than does present day Bethlehem and Migdal Eder was in that city, or just on the outskirts of the city. The oldest tradition based upon Gen 35 and 48 places ancient Bethlehem Ephratah northeast of the current day city and about 4 miles south of the Old City of Jerusalem. This puts Migdal Eder very close to the modern day marker of ??? ??? (Kever Rakhel)- the tomb of Rachel. Isn’t it interesting that it is the third holiest site in Judaism. Our brother Judah continues to pray for Rachel and her children (tribes of Yosef and Benyamin)!
Significance of Migdal Eder and the Holy Temple
Now that we have begun to uncover some clues about where Yeshua was born, let’s see if we can incorporate anything to do with the Holy Temple and the Temple services. When the Temple stood, there was the twice-daily offering of a male lamb instructed in the Torah called the Tameed (continual) burnt offering (Num 28:3). It was the first and last offering of the day in the Holy Temple. This offering was specific in that it could only be a male lamb without spot or blemish. It had to be perfect, or Tameem (complete, perfect).
According to the Mishnah (Baba K. 7.7), expressly forbids the keeping of flocks throughout the land of Israel, except in the wilderness and the only flocks otherwise kept, would be those for the Temple-services (Baba K. 80a) [Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Edersheim pg131]
Who were the ‘Shepherds’?
“…and, accordingly, that the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds.” [The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Edersheim pg 131]
More than likely, these shepherds resided near Bethlehem were none other than the shepherds from ‘Migdal Eder’ who were well aware what the sages of old taught that the Messiah might well be announced from ‘Migdal Eder’ in Bethlehem. There is a good possibility that these Shepherds were either ‘Levites’ or designated Shepherds specifically trained to watch over sheep for Temple Services. I believe that they would have cared for and inspected each newborn lamb of any defects or blemishes and it was these ‘Levites’ (in my opinion) that declared whether or not these ‘newborn’ clean animals were acceptable for Temple service.
The sign:‘a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a THE manger’
The Greek word used here for ‘swaddling cloths’ is ?????????? sparganoo? spar-gan-o’-o G4683 [Strong’s] From ?????????? sparganon (a strip; from a derivative of the base of G4682 meaning to strap or wrap with strips); to swathe (an infant after the Oriental custom): – wrap in swaddling clothes. It is interesting that this Greek word is used because it comes from the Greek word ????????? sparasso? G4682, a verb, meaning to convulse or tear. Continuing on with the Strong’s definition: A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: prolongation from spairo (to grasp, apparently strengthened from G4685 through the idea of spasmodic contraction).
What I am getting at here is that this Greek word translated as ‘swaddling cloths’ was more applicable to preventing an newborn animal or baby from scratches or injury. To further emphasis my point, In the book “The Chronological Gospels” by Michael Rood, Rood comments on the swaddling cloths from Luke 2:7: “A child of the King and potential heir to the throne was salted and swaddled as part of the initial dedication of the child and in recognition of the parents’ responsibility to raise the child according to the straight path (Eze 16:4). Soon after birth, the child was washed with salted water and bound in the swaddling cloths with all of his limbs made straight…Swaddling cloths were made from priests’ garments that were no longer serviceable. This cloth was used for the wicks in the Temple menorah and for swaddling the sons of kings…” (pg. 52).
Harold Smith , in “The Birth- Revisited” writes: Approaching this subject from the Hebrew perspective will show, that while swaddling “cloths” were used in the handling of newborn babies, swaddling “bands” (as referenced in Job 38:9 (and Eze 16:4)) were used for subduing animals prior to sacrifice. These “swaddling bands” were strips of gauze-like cloth used to restrain a lamb being prepared for inspection before sacrifice to prevent thrashing that they not “blemish” themselves.
Could Yeshua, the ‘Lamb of Elohim, that takes away the sins of the world’ have been born at the birthing place (Tower of the Flock/ Migdal Eder) that was used to bring forth newborn lambs destined for the Temple? The place where the shepherds used to inspect the lambs of any blemish to determine if they could be used for Temple sacrifices? Not only the ‘Tameed’ offering (continual burnt offering), but also the Passover lambs for Israel and the High Priest? Could Yeshua have been wrapped in the clothing of the garments of Temple Levites?
“…Let us know go to Bethlehem…” (continued)
How did the shepherds know where to go? Harold Smith writes: “There was no need for the angels to give these shepherds directions to the birth place because they already knew. These were the men who raised sacrificial lambs that were sacrificed in the Temple. When the angelic announcement came, they already knew exactly where to go, as Luke 2 indicates, for the sign of the manger could only mean the manger at the base of the Tower of the Flock, as it is found in the original Greek wording of Luke 2:7,12 and 16! You cannot explain the meaning or direction of the sign they were given or their response unless you have the right manger (stall), the right shepherds and the proper Hebraic perspective.”
Extra Thoughts…
Messiah Yeshua, who is The Passover Lamb, came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey
Rabbinic tradition has the High Priest riding on a donkey going to and from Bethlehem (perhaps Migdal Eder?) with his Passover Lamb back into Jerusalem through the ‘Sheep gate’- why is this significant? In the book of Nehemiah we read the following: Neh 3:1 “Then Eliashib [H475] the High Priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.” [This was the 1st gate listed in
Jerusalem] (emphasis mine)
The meaning of Eliashib is a contraction of two words, ‘el’ and ‘shuv’, meaning El (God) will restore.
Petri Paavola, in his research of “Jerusalem’s gates spiritual meaning” writes the following: “The high priest Eliashib with his brethren and priests built the Sheep Gate and set up its doors. This is first gate mentioned. Spiritual meaning of the Sheep Gate is that the high priest was building it and that through the Sheep Gate lambs and sheep were brought to the temple, in which they were offered.”
Messiah Yeshua is the High Priest of the renewed Covenant, who is the Lamb, who was offered for the sake of our sins. The Spiritual meaning of the Sheep Gate is the death and offering of the Lamb (Messiah), through which sacrifice, blood and resurrection bring us forgiveness of sins and redemption. According to Nehemiah 3:1, the High Priest was setting up the doors of the Sheep Gate, which means that He is the Door of the sheep. What did Yeshua proclaim? John 10:7 “…I am the door of the sheep.”
*[Side Note] In my opinion, Yeshua came in through the sheep gate, ‘destined’ to be ‘offered’. Yeshua was hoisted on the execution tree at the same time the 1st Tameed offering was offered up in the Temple (the 3rd hour) and after the last Tameed offering at the 9th hour, Yeshua said “It is finished”… dying on that tree to redeem us of our sins (and to restore us back to the Father.) Just as Eliashib (meaning El will restore), the High Priest rebuilt the door to the ‘Father’s House’ –so too, does our High Priest Messiah Yeshua, who is the door, restores us back to the Father !!!
Putting all the clues together
What we know is that Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2). He was revealed from Migdal Eder (Mic 4:8). This Tower more than likely laid close to the town near the road to Jerusalem (old Hebron road – Hwy 60 in modern day Israel) and not far away from where the Tomb of Rachel is located (current day). The Mishnah tells us that the flocks which pastured there were destined for Temple sacrifices (Shekinah 7:4).The Mishnah tells us that the shepherds (who I believe were Levites) watching over them were specifically trained to inspect the newborn lambs for any defects. This same location of where newborn lambs were born and inspected, destined for sacrifice at the Holy Temple, is the same place that Messiah Yeshua was ‘born’. He was ‘inspected’ to be unblemished, and destined to be offered for us!!! The Shepherds (Levites) would have known the exact place to go look for this ‘sign’ at none other than Migdal Eder.
Here’s what I find fascinating about all this. First, it places Yeshua’s birth in the traditional location for Passover lambs to be born. Fitting, since He became the Passover Lamb of Elohim who took away the sins of the world. Second, it explains how the shepherds knew where to go to find the newborn baby — and why being wrapped in swaddling clothes would be a significant clue. Finally, it explains why those shepherds were notified as it was their holy calling to certify Temple-approved & Passover lambs upon birth.
Something else to think about…
Think of Messiah, as a newborn baby, wrapped or bound at the birthing place of the lambs ‘destined’ for Temple-Sacrifice. The Shepherds (who I believe were of the Levitical Priesthood), who had heard of the sage teachings of Migdal Eder, the Prophecy of Micah 4:8, 5:2 and Genesis 35:21 and the place where Messiah would appear. Think of all the connections of Messiah from his birth until his crucifixion… How much deeper can we draw from this then the Traditional ‘Nativity’ scene that so many people have come to believe?
Shalom & blessings,
Chad
www.returnoftheremnant.com
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs0AACIbJbI
REFERENCES
Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Edersheim 1993
The Birth – Revisited by Harold Smith
Where was the Birth Place of the Lord Jesus? – Cooper P Abrams III
Jerusalem’s Gates Spiritual Meaning
http://www.kotipetripaavola.com/
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithwalkers/2012/12/was-jesus-born-away-in-a-manger-at-migdal-eder/#ixzz3RZw43lZ2
Jerusalem Talmud, Babylonian Talmud, Mishnah Targum Jonathan KJV
I, Jacob Howard, wrote Dr. Charlie Dyer, who is the speaker on the Land and the Book Radio, a question about Migdal-Eder, mentioned in Micah 4:8. This was Dr. Dyer’s response.
Jacob,
Thank you for your e-mail, and thanks as well for your kind words! Denny and I both appreciate the privilege God has given us to serve Him in this way. You have encouraged us both!
As far as Midgal Eder is concerned, there is no universal identification of the site. But I do believe it was a real site. The best thing I’ve read on the subject is from Alfred Edersheim’s The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. (You can find his complete work online at Google Books.) I’ll include his quotation here, and then I’ll follow it with a few observations. (I’ll also highlight the key point he makes in the quote.)
But as we pass from the sacred gloom of the cave [i.e., he was just talking about the birth of Jesus in a cave] out into the night, its sky all aglow with starry brightness, its loneliness is peopled, and its silence made vocal from heaven. There is nothing now to conceal, but much to reveal, though the manner of it would seem strangely incongruous to Jewish thinking. And yet Jewish tradition may here prove both illustrative and helpful. That the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, was a settled conviction. Equally so was the belief, that He was to be revealed from Migdal Eder, “the tower of the flock.” This Migdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks which pastured on the barren sheep ground beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage in the Mishnah leads to the conclusion, that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices, and, accordingly, that the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds. The latter were under the ban of Rabbinism, on account of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances, and their manner of life, which rendered strict legal observance unlikely, if not absolutely impossible. The same Mishnaic passage also leads us to infer, that these flocks lay out all the year round, since they are spoken of as in the fields thirty days before the Passover—that is, in the month of February, when in Palestine the average rainfall is nearly greatest. Thus, Jewish tradition in some dim manner apprehended the first revelation of the Messiah from that Migdal Eder, where shepherds watched the Temple-flocks all the year round. Of the deep symbolic significance of such a coincidence, it is needless to speak.
—Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, pp. 186-87
If Edersheim is correct (and I believe he is), the location for Migdal Eder would be north of Bethlehem and near the old road from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. (That road is the old “Hebron road” one drives on between Jerusalem and Bethlehem today!) I believe this puts the location somewhere between the Jewish kibbutz of Ramat Rachel and Bethlehem, probably just to the west of Har Homa. There used to be an actual sheepfold in this area where I would take our groups but, sadly, it has been covered over by the modern road that now goes to Har Homa.
A key point here. Edersheim indicates that Migdal Eder was an actual spot, but he is not saying it was a town or village. Rather, the name means “watchtower of the flock” which seems to identify it as a specific pasture area for sheep. And the sheep that grazed here were those specifically destined for Temple sacrifice. In that sense the shepherds keeping watch over the temple sacrifices were the ones to whom God announced the birth of the ultimate “sacrificial lamb.”
I’m attaching a screen shot from Google Earth that might be of help in identifying the location for Midgal Eder. Note that Ramat Rachel is at the top of the picture and Bethlehem is at the bottom. The road running along the left side of the picture is the old Hebron Road, and Homat Shemu’el/Har Homa is just to the right of center in the picture. Based on Edersheim’s description, I would place Migdal Eder almost in the center of the picture…north of Bethlehem, just to the west of Har Homa, and east of the road from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Since the word means “tower of the flock” it is likely a high spot in this area where sheep would graze. The hills right around (or right at) Har Homa are probably the best possible location.
I hope this is helpful!
Charlie
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