The Covenant Made with Many for one week

Joseph F. Dumond

Isa 6:9-12 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Published: Jul 4, 2013

News Letter 5849-021
24th day of the 4th month 5849 years after the creation of Adam
The 4th Month in the Fourth year of the third Sabbatical Cycle
The Third Sabbatical Cycle of the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Earthquakes Famines, and Pestilences

 

July 6, 2013

 

Shabbat Shalom Family,

As I shared with you last week, I was teaching in Sarnia Ontario about the 70 Shabua of Daniel. This was two weeks ago. I was explaining to them the true meaning of those 70 Shabua. This is the subject of our next book that we hope to release this fall.

Over 400 pages of scriptural, historical and factual evidence showing you just how contrary all the teachings of Daniel 9:24-27 are today and how they all continue to hide the truth misleading you to think about the rebuilding of the Temple and the first coming of Messiah, when in truth it says nothing about these two things.

Immediately after that teaching I began work on the 2300 days of Daniel. I have been thinking on this subject for some time and have an ongoing discussion on fb about it. But as I began to create the power point presentation about this time period, I could feel myself becoming very depressed and sad. The shear magnitude of this thing is beyond my ability to fight against it. The horror of what is coming and I have no way of stopping it.

I began to now understand why Daniel was so sick when he was shown the meaning of the visions he had had on this.
As you read the following versus from Daniel note these things. Just how sick these visions made him even though he did not understand them all; that the angel was sent to enlighten Daniel and give him skill and understanding; and that he was told to know and to understand. And that an angel sent by Yehovah could actually be held up for 21 days. Satan and his demons can and do prevent Yehovah’s angels from doing their assignments. This is so stunning to me.

Also note the 70 years of Jeremiah are key to understanding all of this.

Dan 8:26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true. But you shall shut up the vision; for it shall be for many days. 27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick for days. Afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business. And I was amazed at the vision, but there was no understanding.

Dan 9:2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood the number of the years by books, which came of the Word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Dan 9:20 And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my cry before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God; 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, touched me in my severe exhaustion, about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 And he enlightened me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I have now come out to give you skill and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your prayers the commandment came out, and I have come to explain. For you are greatly beloved; therefore understand the matter, and attend to the vision: 24 Seventy weeks are decreed as to your people and as to your holy city, to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going out of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in times of affliction. 26 And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. And the people of the ruler who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. And the end of it shall be with the flood, and ruins are determined, until the end shall be war. 27 And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease, and on a corner of the altar desolating abominations, even until the end. And that which was decreed shall be poured on the desolator.

Dan 10:2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. 3 I ate no food for delight, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled.

Dan 10:12 Then he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to chasten yourself before your God, your words were heard. And I have come for your words. 13 But the ruler of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days. But lo, Michael, one of the chief rulers, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is yet for many days. 15 And when he had spoken such words to me, I bowed my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. 16 And behold, one looking like the sons of men touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who stood before me, O lord, my sorrows are turned on me by the vision, and I have kept no strength. 17 For how can the servant of my lord talk with my lord? For as for me, immediately there remained no strength in me, nor is there breath left in me. 18 Then again one like a man in form came and touched me, and he made me stronger 19 and said, O man greatly beloved, do not fear. Peace to you; be strong; yes, be strong. And when he had spoken to me, I was made stronger, and I said, Speak my lord, for you have made me stronger.

In the next book The 70 Shabua of Daniel we take over 400 pages to prove to you what the true meaning of Daniel 9:24-27 are. I am not going to cover all of that in this weeks tiny news letter. But I do want to point a out few things to help you get your mind set to understand the magnitude of what is going on. It is huge, just plain and simply huge.

There are a number of constellations that contain prophetic understanding about some of the end time events, that most ignore and want nothing to do with because they perceive the constellations to be astrology and not astronomy. We will quote many biblical versus as we explain each of the following constellations and how they are happening right now here on earth.
Read what Bullinger had to say on the largest constellation in the sky.

CETUS (The Sea Monster) ?The great enemy bound
26. Cetus (the Sea Monster)

When John sees the New Jerusalem, the Bride, the Lamb’s wife (Rev 21:10), Satan has been bound already: for we read, a few verses before (20:1-3) “I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, that Old Serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him [and kept him bound] a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled.”

This is what we see in the second section of the chapter–the second constellation in ARIES.

The picture is that of a great sea-monster, the largest of all the constellations. It is the natural enemy of fishes, hence it is placed here in connection with this last chapter, in which fishes are so prominent.

It is situated very low down among the constellations–far away towards the south or lower regions of the sky.

Its name in the Denderah Zodiac is Knem, which means subdued. It is pictured as a monstrous head, trodden under foot by the swine, the natural enemy of the serpent. The hawk also (another enemy of the serpent) is over this figure, crowned with a mortar, denoting bruising.

It consists of 97 stars, of which two are of the 2nd magnitude, eight of the 3rd, nine of the 4th, etc.

The names of the stars interpret for us infallibly the meaning of the picture.

The brightest star, ? (in the upper mandible), is named Menikar, and means the bound or chained enemy. The next, ? (in the tail), is called Diphda, or Deneb Kaitos, overthrown, or thrust down. The star ? (in the neck) is named Mira, which means THE REBEL. Its names are ominous, for the star is one of the most remarkable. It is very bright, but it was not till 1596 that it was discovered to be variable. It disappears periodically seven times in six years! It continues at its brightest for fifteen days together. M. Bade says that during 334 days it shines with its greatest light, then it diminishes, till it entirely disappears for some time (to the naked eye). In fact, during that period it passes through several degrees of magnitude, both increasing and diminishing. Indeed its variableness is so great as to make it appear unsteady!

Here, then, is the picture of the Great Rebel as shown in the heavens. What is it, as written in the Word?

The Almighty asks man:
“Canst thou draw out Leviathan with a fish hook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
Canst thou put a rope into his nose?
Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?…
Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
None is so fierce that he dare stir him up.”
Job 41:1-10, RV
But he whom man cannot bind can be bound by the Lamb, and He is seen with “the Band” that has bound the fishes, now in His hands, which he has fastened with a bright star to his neck, saying,
“Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling,
Even the dregs of the cup of My fury;
Thou shalt no more drink it again,
But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee.”
Isaiah 51:22, 23

“Behold, the LORD cometh forth out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity…
In that day the LORD, with His sore, and great, and strong sword,
Shall punish Leviathan, the piercing serpent,
And Leviathan, the crooked serpent;
And He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.”
Isaiah 26:21-27:1

“For God is my king of old,
Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
Thou didst divide (marg. Heb., break) the sea by Thy strength,
Thou brakest the heads of the dragons (RV marg., sea monsters) in the waters.
Thou brakest the heads of Leviathan in pieces.”
Psalm 74:12-14

I will urge you to go http://philologos.org/__eb-tws/ to read more about how Bullinger describes the one who breaks this Cetus and beheads this mighty serpent and sea monster. And also while you there look at the two fishes and the bands that bind the fish to the Sea monster and also at the constellation Andromeda.

The band that unites these two fishes has always formed a separate constellation. The Arabian poems of ANTARAH frequently mention it as distinct from the Sign with which it is so closely connected. ANTARAH was an Arabian poet of the sixth century.

Its ancient Egyptian name was U-or, which means He cometh. Its Arabic name is Al Risha, the band, or bridle.

It speaks of the Coming One, not in His relation to Himself, or to His enemies, but in His relation to the Redeemed. It speaks of Him who says:
“I drew them with cords of a man,
With bands of love;
And I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws.”
Hosea 11:4, RV

But it speaks also of His unloosing the bands with which they have been so long bound.
One end of the band is fastened securely round the tail of one fish, and it is the same with the other. Moreover, this band is fastened to the neck of Cetus, the sea monster, while immediately above is seen a woman chained as a captive. These both tell the same story, and, indeed, all are required to set forth the whole truth. The fishes are bound to Cetus; the woman (Andromeda) is chained; but the Deliverer of both is near. Cepheus, the Crowned King, the Redeemer, “the Breaker,” the Branch, is seen coming quickly for the deliverance of His redeemed. These are the three constellations of this sign, and all three are required to set forth the story.

Israel now is bound. The great enemy still oppresses, but deliverance is sure. ARIES, the Ram, is seen with his paws on this band, as though about to loosen the bands and set the captives free, and to fast bind their great oppressor.

And this Second Book closes by revealing to us this glorious “Breaker.”
Andromeda (the Chained Woman)
This is a peculiar picture to set in the heavens. A woman with chains fastened to her feet and arms, in misery and trouble; and bound, helpless, to the sky. Yet this is the ancient foreshowing of the truth.

In the Denderah Zodiac her name is Set, which means set, set up as a queen. In Hebrew it is Sirra, the chained, and Persea, the stretched out.

There are 63 stars in this constellation, three of which are of the 2nd magnitude, two of the 3rd, twelve of the 4th, etc.

The brightest star, ? (in the head), is called Al Phiratz (Arabic), the broken down. The star ? (in the body) is called Mirach (Hebrew), the weak. The star ? (in the left foot) is called Al Maach, or Al Amak (Arabic), struck down.

The names of other stars are Adhil, the afflicted; Mizar, the weak; Al Mara (Arabic), the afflicted. ARATUS speaks of Desma, which means the bound, and says–
“Her feet point to her bridegroom
Perseus, on whose shoulder they rest.”

Thus, with one voice, the stars of Andromeda speak to us of the captive daughter of Zion. And her coming Deliverer thus addresses her:
“O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold,…in righteousness shalt thou be established:
Thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear:
And from terror; for it shall not come nigh thee.”
Isaiah 54:11-14

“Hear now this, thou afflicted…
Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion;
Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem…
Shake thyself from the dust;
Arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem:
Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought;
And ye shall be redeemed without money.”
Isaiah 51:21-52:3

“The virgin daughter of My people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow” (Jer 14:17).

The picture which sets forth her deliverance is reserved for the next chapter (or Sign), where it comes in its proper place and order. We are first shown her glorious Deliverer; for we never, in the heavens or in the Word, have a reference to the sufferings without an immediate reference to the glory.

What these constellations are telling us is that the Israel pictured here as Andromeda and as the two fishes of Israel and Judah are bound up with the great Sea Monster Cetus, also known as the Serpent Satan and they can’t get away.

Andromeda believes the Sea monster is her lover and gives all she has to it. That is Israel gives all she has to the monster, who is the Beast; she gives so much to the beast in every way so that she even looks like the beast herself. The Sea Monster beats her and rapes her and chains her to the rock and is about to come back and kill her. This is when the Breaker also known in the constellations as Perseus comes to the rescue just in the nick of time. This is Yehshua! This is where we get all of our love stories from.

In Reality today, Israel is made up of the USA and UK countries. Judah is made up of the State of Israel. Cetus the serpent and monster is made up of the United Nations and the Nation of Europe. It is just huge and getting bigger each year and very soon it is going to take in the Nations of North Africa and the Middle East.

We are now going to reveal to you the covenant that was made with many. It was made by the U.N. in June 1972. Please note as you read this how many different agencies developed out of this agreement. Also note how big this agreement is and with how many nations and cites and states this covenant has been ratified with.

http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/environment/

In 1969, the first, iconic photos of the Earth from outer space touched the hearts of humanity with Its simplicity and beauty. Seeing for the first time this “big blue marble” in an immense galaxy brought home to many that we live on One Earth — a fragile, interdependent ecosystem. And our responsibility to protect the health and well-being of that ecosystem began to dawn on the collective consciousness of the world.
With the ending of the tumultuous decade of the 1960s, its highest ideals and visions began to be translated into practical form. Among these was the environmental vision — now, quite literally, a global phenomenon. As universal concern about the healthy and sustainable use of the planet and its resources continued to grow, the UN, from June 5 to the 16, 1972, convened the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, in Stockholm.

It was a landmark event, and its final Declaration contains 19 principles that represent an environmental manifesto for our times. In addressing the need “to inspire and guide the peoples of the world in the preservation and enhancement of the human environment”, it laid the groundwork for the new environmental agenda of the United Nations system.

“A point has been reached in history when we must shape our actions throughout the world with a more prudent care for their environmental consequences. Through ignorance or indifference we can do massive and irreversible harm to the earthly environment on which our life and well being depend. Conversely, through fuller knowledge and wiser action, we can achieve for ourselves and our posterity a better life in an environment more in keeping with human needs and hopes 
”

“To defend and improve the human environment for present and future generations has become an imperative goal for mankind.”

from the Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972), para. 6

Picking up on the energy generated by the Conference, the General Assembly, in December 1972, established the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which leads the efforts of the United Nations family on behalf of the global environment. Its current priorities are environmental aspects of disasters and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, harmful substances, resource efficiency, and climate change.

In 1983, the Secretary-General of the United Nations invited Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, a medical doctor, master of public health and former Prime Minister of Norway, to establish and chair a World Commission on Environment and Development.

Dr. Brundtland was a natural choice for this timely role, as her vision of health had long extended beyond the confines of the medical world into environmental issues and human development. In April 1987, the Brundtland Commission, as it came to be known, published its groundbreaking report, “Our Common Future” — which brought the concept of sustainable development into the public discourse.
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

“A world in which poverty and inequity are endemic will always be prone to ecological and other crises. 
 Sustainable development requires that societies meet human needs both by increasing productive potential and by ensuring equitable opportunities for all.”

“Many of us live beyond the world’s ecological means, for instance in our patterns of energy use. 
 At a minimum, sustainable development must not endanger the natural systems that support life on Earth: the atmosphere, the waters, the soils, and the living beings.”

“In essence, sustainable development is a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development; and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.”
— from the Brundtland Report, “Our Common Future”

The wide-ranging recommendations made by the Commission led directly to the holding of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which placed the issue squarely on the public agenda in a way it had never been before. Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992, the “Earth Summit”, as it came to be known, adopted its “Agenda 21”, a blueprint for the protection of our planet and its sustainable development.
Agenda 21, represented the culmination of two decades of focused attention, which began with the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held at Stockholm in 1972. Based on its conclusions, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was created, to become the world’s leading environmental agency. By 1992, the link between environment and development, and the imperative need for sustainable development was seen and recognized worldwide.

In Agenda 21, governments outlined a detailed blueprint for action that could move the world away from its present unsustainable model of economic growth towards activities that will protect and renew the environmental resources on which growth and development depend. Areas for action included: protecting the atmosphere; combating deforestation, soil loss and desertification; preventing air and water pollution; halting the depletion of fish stocks; and promoting the safe management of toxic wastes.

But Agenda 21 went beyond these purely environmental issues to address patterns of development which cause stress to the environment. These included: poverty and external debt in developing countries; unsustainable patterns of production and consumption; demographic stress; and the structure of the international economy. The action programme also recommended ways to strengthen the part played by major groups — women, trade unions, farmers, children and young people, indigenous peoples, the scientific community, local authorities, business, industry and NGOs — in achieving sustainable development.

[Please take special note of the subtle mention of the indigenous peoples. These are those group who are native to the land and who practice earth or nature worship.]

To ensure full support for the goals of Agenda 21, the General Assembly in 1992 established the Commission on Sustainable Development, as a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council.

The Earth Summit also led to the adoption of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (1994). In 1994, a Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, held in Barbados, adopted a Programme of Action that set forth policies, actions and measures at all levels to promote sustainable development for these states.

In what was called the “Earth Summit + 5”, the General Assembly held a special session in 1997 to review and appraise the implementation of Agenda 21, and make recommendations for its further fulfillment. The session’s final document recommended the adoption of legally binding targets to reduce emission of greenhouse gases leading to climate change; moving more forcefully towards sustainable patterns of energy production, distribution and use; and focusing on poverty eradication as a prerequisite for sustainable development.

The principles of sustainable development have been implicit in many UN conferences, including: the Second UN Conference on Human Settlements (Istanbul, 1996); the Special Session of the General Assembly on Small Island Developing States (New York, 1999); the Millennium Summit (New York, 2000) and its Millennium Development Goals (Goal 7 seeks to “Ensure Environmental Sustainability”); and the 2005 World Summit.

In 1988, UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) came together to create the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has become the pre-eminent global source for scientific information relating to climate change. The main international instrument on this subject, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in 1992. And its Kyoto Protocol, which sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, was adopted in 1997.
In 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002, to take stock of achievements, challenges and new issues arising since the 1992 Earth Summit. It was an “implementation” Summit, designed to turn the goals, promises and commitments of Agenda 21 into concrete, tangible actions.

Member states agreed to the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and a Plan of Implementation detailing the priorities for action. The Division for Sustainable Development of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs – which provides the secretariat for the Commission on Sustainable Development, and was already engaging in monitoring implementation of Agenda 21 and the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States – began doing the same with regard to the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

In January 2005, the international community met at Mauritius to conduct a 10-year United Nations review of the Barbados Programme, approving a wide-ranging set of specific recommendations for its further implementation. The Mauritius Strategy addresses such issues as climate change and rising sea levels; natural and environmental disasters; management of wastes; coastal, marine, freshwater, land, energy, tourism and biodiversity resources; transportation and communication; science and technology; globalization and trade liberalization; sustainable production and consumption, capacity development, and education for sustainable development; health; culture; knowledge management and information for decision-making.

At the Earth Summit, it was agreed that most financing for Agenda 21 would come from within each country’s public and private sectors. However, new and additional external funds were deemed necessary to support developing countries’ efforts to implement sustainable development practices and protect the global environment.

Addressing this need, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established in 1991 to help developing countries fund projects that protect the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities. It has provided $8.8 billion in grants and generated over $38.7 billion in cofinancing from recipient governments, international development agencies, private industry and NGOs, to support more than 2,400 projects in more than 165 developing countries and economies in transition. – It has also made more than 10,000 small grants directly to nongovernmental and community organizations.

GEF projects — principally carried out by UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank — conserve and make sustainable use of biological diversity, address global climate change, reverse the degradation of international waters, phase out substances that deplete the ozone layer, combat land degradation and drought, and reduce and eliminate the production and use of certain persistent organic pollutants.

To help advance the cause of sustainable development in a continuous fashion, the General Assembly also declared the period 2005-2014 as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The Decade, for which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the lead agency, aims to help people to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the future, and to act upon those decisions.

The list of UN bodies active in support of the environment and sustainable development includes the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The UN Global Compact engages the international business community in the observance of environmental principles, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a World Bank-UNDP-UNEP initiative, helps to fund it all.

In view of the crucial importance of the environmental perspective and the principle of sustainability, the General Assembly has declared a number of observances to catalyze positive action worldwide.

Among those currently in effect are the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2015-2014), and the International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, which began on 22 March 2005. In addition, the world community will observe the International Year of Natural Fibres in 2009, the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010, and the International Year of Forests in 2011.

Annual environment-related observances declared by the Assembly also include World Water Day (22 March), the International Day for Biological Diversity (22 May), World Environment Day (5 June), World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (17 June), International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (16 September), International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (6 November), and International Mountain Day (11 December).

This is what that original covenant made is Stockholm has turned into and it is not done yet. It does look so good and beneficial on the surface but it is those things in the document itself that are so revolting. Next we are going to show you the 26 principles of the original document.

 

Stockholm Declaration

The meeting agreed upon a Declaration containing 26 principles concerning the environment and development; an Action Plan with 109 recommendations, and a Resolution.[2] Principles of the Stockholm Declaration:
1. Human rights must be asserted, apartheid and colonialism condemned
2. Natural resources must be safeguarded
3. The Earth’s capacity to produce renewable resources must be maintained
4. Wildlife must be safeguarded
5. Non-renewable resources must be shared and not exhausted
6. Pollution must not exceed the environment’s capacity to clean itself
7. Damaging oceanic pollution must be prevented
8. Development is needed to improve the environment
9. Developing countries therefore need assistance
10. Developing countries need reasonable prices for exports to carry out environmental management
11. Environment policy must not hamper development
12. Developing countries need money to develop environmental safeguards
13. Integrated development planning is needed
14. Rational planning should resolve conflicts between environment and development
15. Human settlements must be planned to eliminate environmental problems
16. Governments should plan their own appropriate population policies
17. National institutions must plan development of states’ natural resources
18. Science and technology must be used to improve the environment
19. Environmental education is essential
20. Environmental research must be promoted, particularly in developing countries
21. States may exploit their resources as they wish but must not endanger others
22. Compensation is due to states thus endangered
23. Each nation must establish its own standards
24. There must be cooperation on international issues
25. International organizations should help to improve the environment
26. Weapons of mass destruction must be eliminated

[You have now read the covenant made at Stockholm and this agreement was to be all about the environment, but the first and most prominent declaration was on human rights. Now notice what those human right consist of.]

Human rights are “commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being.”[1] Human rights are thus conceived as universal (applicable everywhere) and egalitarian (the same for everyone). These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in local, regional, national, and international law.[2] The doctrine of human rights in international practice, within international law, global and regional institutions, in the policies of states and in the activities of non-governmental organizations, has been a cornerstone of public policy around the world. The idea of human rights[3] states, “if the public discourse of peacetime global society can be said to have a common moral language, it is that of human rights.” Despite this, the strong claims made by the doctrine of human rights continue to provoke considerable skepticism and debates about the content, nature and justifications of human rights to this day. Indeed, the question of what is meant by a “right” is itself controversial and the subject of continued philosophical debate.[4]

Many of the basic ideas that animated the human rights movement developed in the aftermath of the Second World War and the atrocities of The Holocaust, culminating in the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The ancient world did not possess the concept of universal human rights.[5] The true forerunner of human rights discourse was the concept of natural rights which appeared as part of the medieval Natural law tradition that became prominent during the Enlightenment with such philosophers as John Locke, Francis Hutcheson, and Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, and featured prominently in the political discourse of the American Revolution and the French Revolution.
From this foundation, the modern human rights arguments emerged over the latter half of the twentieth century.[6]

And this declaration on human rights has led to the following declaration on Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgendered Rights.

 

Sexual orientation and gender identity

See also: LGBT rights by country or territory
Sexual orientation and gender identity rights relate to the expression of sexual orientation and gender identity based on the right to respect for private life and the right not to be discriminated against on the ground of “other status” as defined in various human rights conventions, such as article 17 and 26 in the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 8 and article 14 in the European Convention on Human Rights.

Through the way many because of their religious beliefs claim that they support human rights in general while denying that LGBT rights are human rights, LGBT rights stand prominent in the very defense of the universal principle of the human rights. If human rights are understood in a way that makes it possible to exclude the basic rights of certain groups only because of certain religious and cultural prejudices, we find that the principle of universality is taken right out of the human rights, and human rights are transformed to a set of rules only reflecting certain historically values.[87]

Homosexuality is illegal in 76 countries, and is punishable by execution in seven countries.[88] The criminalization of private, consensual, adult sexual relations, especially in countries where corporal or capital punishment is involved, is one of the primary concerns of LGBT human rights advocates.[89]

Other issues include: government recognition of same-sex relationships, LGBT adoption, sexual orientation and military service, immigration equality, anti-discrimination laws, hate crime laws regarding violence against LGBT people, sodomy laws, anti-lesbianism laws, and equal age of consent for same-sex activity.[90][91][92][93][94][95]

A global charter for sexual orientation and gender identity rights has been proposed in the form of the ‘Yogyakarta Principles’, a set of 29 principles whose authors say they apply International Human Rights Law statutes and precedent to situations relevant to LGBT people’s experience.[96] The principles were presented at a United Nations event in New York on November 7, 2007, co-sponsored by Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
The principles have been acknowledged with influencing the French proposed UN declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity, which focuses on ending violence, criminalization and capital punishment and does not include dialogue about same-sex marriage or right to start a family.[97][98] The proposal was supported by 67 of the then 192 member countries of the United Nations, including all EU member states and the United States. An alternative statement opposing the proposal was initiated by Syria and signed by 57 member nations, including all 27 nations of the Arab League as well as Iran and North Korea.[99][100]

This Brethren is the Covenant made with many as spoken about in Daniel 9:27. It began officially on June 16, 1972. A jubilee cycle later or one Shabua later as Daniel says;

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. The many are the 192 nations that have signed up for Agenda 21 and all the States and Provinces and Cities and Municipalities around the world. It is beyond huge and is monstrous in size.

That one week is one 49 year period of time. It began on June 5-16, 1972. When you add 49 years on to this you arrive at the year 2020. Actually you must count them starting with the year 1972.

As you should be able to see this agreement goes against the Torah commandments about homosexuality and the gay life style. This UN declaration condemns those of the Christian and Jewish and Muslim faiths and supports those who practice earth worship and nature worship; The Indigenous people of the earth. This is why when you see a large Government ceremony it is always begun with native dancing and prayers-to the “Mother Nature”.

When you learn that Mother Earth or Mother Nature was a god worshiped by the ancients and is continued today as Earth Day or Mother Earth Day and is now called Save the Environment Day. One of the lovers of Mother Earth whose name was Cybele was Apollo who was also known as the Sun god.

In many places in this covenant made with many, are blatant references to Cybele who also known as Daphne and who is also known as Gaia. Gaia and Apollo are the gods of the Mother Earth and the Sun. The Un charter refers to them by name in the document itself.

Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded. And I saw a star fall from the heaven to the earth, and it was given the key of the abyss. 2 And it opened the bottomless pit. And there arose a smoke out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 And out of the smoke came forth locusts onto the earth. And authority was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have authority. 4 And they were commanded not to hurt the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months. And their torment was like a scorpion’s torment when he stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it. And they will long to die, and death will flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for battle. And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 And they had hairs like the hairs of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron. And the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. And their authority was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in Greek his name is Apollyon.

http://www.contenderministries.org/UN/gaia.php

Contender Ministries
Posted: October 06, 2002

Anyone who has studied the global environmental movement has no doubt heard the term “Gaia”. Gaia is a revival of Paganism that rejects Christianity, considers Christianity its biggest enemy, and views the Christian faith as its only obstacle to a global religion centered on Gaia worship and the uniting of all life forms around the goddess of “Mother Earth”. A cunning mixture of science, paganism, eastern mysticism, and feminism have made this pagan cult a growing threat to the Christian Church. Gaia worship is at the very heart of today’s environmental policy. The Endangered Species Act, The United Nation’s Biodiversity Treaty and the Presidents Council on Sustainable Development are all offspring of the Gaia hypothesis of saving “Mother Earth”. This religious movement, with cult-like qualities, is being promoted by leading figures and organizations such as former Vice President Albert Gore, broadcaster Ted Turner, and the United Nations and it’s various NGO’s. Al Gore’s book “Earth in the Balance” is just one of many books that unabashedly proclaims the deity of Earth and blames the falling away from this Pagan God on the environmentally unfriendly followers of Jesus Christ. The United Nations has been extremely successful in infusing the “Green Religion” into an international governmental body that has an increasing affect and control over all of our lives.

So, what is this new cult of Gaia? It is basically a rehashed, modernized version of the paganism condemned by God in the Bible. Science, evolution theory, and a space age mentality have given it a new face, and made it sound more credible to a modern world, but it is the same paganism in all of its evils. There have been other religious movements that have presented similar revelations about the deity of a living earth, but Gaia has succeeded in uniting the environmental movement, the new age movement, Eastern religions, and even the leaders of many Christian denominations behind a bastardized version of paganism where the others weren’t able to.

The Gaia hypothesis can be credited to James Lovelock. Lovelock worked for NASA during the 1960’s as a consultant to the “life on Mars” Viking spacecraft project. Lovelock’s theory claims that the earth’s “biota”, tightly coupled with its environment, act as a single, self regulating living system in such a way as to maintain the conditions that are suitable for life. This living system, he believed, was the result of a meta-life form that occupied our planet billions of years ago and began a process of transforming this planet into its own substance. All of the lifeforms on this planet, according to Lovelock, are a part of Gaia – a part of one spirit goddess that sustains life on earth. Since this transformation into a living system, he theorizes, the interventions of Gaia have brought about the evolving diversity of living creatures on planet Earth. From Lovelock’s perspective in space he saw not a planet, but a self-evolving and self-regulating living system. His theory presents earth not as the rock that it is, but as a living being. He named this being Gaia, after the Greek goddess that was once believed to have drawn the living world forth from Chaos.

The idea of Earth as a living, divine spirit is not a new one. Plato said “We shall affirm that the cosmos, more than anything else, resembles most closely that living Creature of which all other living creatures, severally or genetically, are portion; a living creature which is fairest of all and in ways most perfect.” As today’s version of paganism, Gaia is eagerly accepted by the new age movement and fits neatly into eastern mysticism, but science was needed to gather in the evolutionists and science-minded humanists. For these people, Gaia was made palatable by Lovelock’s Daisyworld model, a mathematical and scientific theory designed to refute the criticisms of Darwin’s groupies. Just as evolution eliminates the need for a divine creator, the Daisyworld model provided a theory of evolving life on earth that incorporates natural selection with a world that is interconnected. It eliminates a personal yet separate God, and makes humans a part of the divine spirit that is Gaia.

More appealing to the New Agers and the interfaith movement is the mystical side of Gaia. They can easily relate to the belief that humans can have mystical experiences or a spiritual relationship with Gaia. A connectedness to nature and the belief that humans are a part of this collective consciousness called Gaia appeals to them. Gaia teaches that an “Earth spirit”, goddess, or planetary brain must be protected. It is this belief that fuels the environmental movement, sustainable development, and a global push for the return of industrialized nations to a more primitive way of life. Just as with the evolutionists, the humanists, and the other pagan religions of the world, Gaia has named Christianity as the obstacle to human evolution and our spiritual destiny. A document mandated by the U.N.-sponsored Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Biodiversity Assessment, explicitly refers to Christianity as a faith that has set humans apart from nature and stripped nature of its sacred qualities. The document states:

Conversion to Christianity has therefore meant an abandonment of an affinity with the natural world for many forest dwellers, peasants, fishers all over the world …The northeastern hilly states of India bordering China and Myanmar supported small scale, largely autonomous shifting cultivator societies until the 1950’s. These people followed their own religious traditions that included setting apart between 10% and 30% of the landscape as sacred groves and ponds.1

While condemning Christianity as the root of all ecological evil, the document goes on to praise Buddhism and Hinduism as they “did not depart as drastically from the perspective of humans as members of a community of beings including other living and non-living elements”. Non-Christian religions are definitely favored by the global government as good stewards of Mother Earth.

Members of this “Green Religion” will all agree that the Earth is in a crisis state and this ecological emergency is the result of Christian traditions. They believe that the Judeo Christian belief that God assigned man to rule over the earth has caused us to exploit and abuse it. Monotheism, they assert, has separated humans from their ancient connection to the earth, and to reverse this trend governments, the media, our education system, artists, and other areas of influence must revive earth-centered myth and reconnect us to Earth’s spirit. Al Gore, in his book Earth in the Balance, expounds on this view:

“The richness and diversity of our religious tradition throughout history is a spiritual resource long ignored by people of faith, who are often afraid to open their minds to teachings first offered outside their own systems of belief. But the emergence of a civilization in which knowledge moves freely and almost instantaneously through the world has spurred a renewed investigation of the wisdom distilled by all faiths. This panreligious perspective may prove especially important where our global civilization’s responsibility for the earth is concerned.” (pp. 258-259)
Gore praises the Eastern religions and new age spiritualism, while blaming Christianity for the elimination of the ancient goddess religion, and calls for a new spiritual relationship between man and earth.

“The spiritual sense of our place in nature predates Native American cultures; increasingly it can be traced to the origins of human civilization. A growing number of anthropologists and archaeomythologists, such as Marija Gimbutas and Riane Esler argue that the prevailing ideology of belief in prehistoric Europe and much of the world was based on the worship of a single earth goddess, who was assumed to be the fount of all life and who radiated harmony among all living things. Much of the evidence for the existence of this primitive religion comes from the many thousands of artifacts uncovered in ceremonial sites. These sites are so widespread that they seem to confirm the notion that a goddess religion was ubiquitous through much of the world until the antecedents of today’s religions, most of which still have a distinctly masculine orientation…swept out of India and the Near East, almost obliterating belief in the goddess. The last vestige of organized goddess worship was eliminated by Christianity as late as the fifteenth century in Lithuania.”

If Gore had read the Bible he would know exactly why Christians will not open their mind to these other beliefs as he suggests. The Bible very clearly warns us not to.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:6-10

Gore also might want to read Romans 1:18 – 25: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator – who is forever praised. Amen.

When men began to worship the creation instead of the Creator, the wrath of God was revealed. As societies begin again to turn from the truth of the creation and worship nature, “Mother Earth”, or any other deceiving spirit, the evil and deception in their new religion will be made evident by God’s response.

Romans 1:26 – 32
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Our societies today are becoming a picture of this wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. As the Christian church is brought into the fold by organizations such as the National Council of Churches and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, we can be sure the results will be a further decline into immorality and chaos. There is a drive by these organizations and others to meld Earth worship with Christianity in the name of tolerance, biodiversity, sustainability, and the preservation of Mother Earth. It is a battle for Christianity and an attack on biblical truth. When this pagan agenda reaches your church or your community, how will you respond? Will you speak up for the truth of God or will you exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a global compromise that is leading countless people into spiritual darkness? As followers of Jesus Christ we know the truth and must boldly proclaim it. The opposition is fierce and to those who don’t know the joy of a relationship with God, it is an appealing proposition. It is accepting of everything, intolerant of nothing, it deifies the environmentalist, worships the feminist, eliminates all responsibility for sin, and frees you to embrace your sinful nature. The truth of the Bible must first be taught in our churches, and then shared with the world. As churches begin to fall away from the faith and corrupt the Word of God, it is left to Bible-believing Christians to stand up for the truth, contend for our faith, and offer to the world an alternative to God’s wrath. If we are ashamed of our faith, if we compromise our beliefs, and if we hide in our churches and ignore what is going on outside of them, we are aiding in our own destruction and countless souls will be lost because of our complacency, selfishness, and inaction.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of god, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, but the power of god, who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” II Timothy 1:6-8

Romans 1:26 – 32
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

The environmental movement has as its 1st declaration the Human rights issues, which have led to the LGBT rights. Is this not exactly the very thing Paul is writing about in Romans?

This is indeed something to consider as gay pride week is celebrated in cities the world over. This week it is Toronto. Next year in Toronto will be the World Pride week. Justin Trudeau who could very well be the Next Prime Minister of Canada also walked in this parade this weekend along with the Premier of Ontario, an openly lesbian woman.

The week of the Tornados in Oklahoma they too were having Gay Pride celebrations and even in Tel Aviv they now have Gay Pride week.

As we have noted this covenant comes to an end in 2020. Why does it end in 2020? We have been telling you for years now that the King of North, Germany also known in your bible as Assyria, will unite with the King of South, also known as the Islamic nations. See Psalm 83, and then ask yourself how many Islamic countries are hosting a Gay Pride Parade this week. There is one and it is Turkey. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_pride_parades for a list of the countries and cities hosting this lawless event.

Balaam could not curse Israel, and in order to get around not being able to curse them, he told Balak, King of Moab how to bring a curse upon Israel. Have Israel break the commandments of Yehovah.

We read of this in Revelation;

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication.

This word used for fornication is G4203 porneu? porn-yoo’-o
From G4204; to act the harlot, that is, (literally) indulge unlawful lust (of either sex), or (figuratively) practise idolatry: – commit (fornication).

Israel has now committed this crime of Porno and indulged in unlawful lust idolarating the flesh. We shall show you how Israel and even those of you who read this News Letter take part in this shameful act by shameless people in the weeks to come.

With the UN Charter on the Environment and with Human rights to support it’s gay activist lifestyle, the nations have caused Israel, the USA and UK and the State of Israel to lust after the flesh in an anything goes society.

In 2020 this covenant will end one week or one 49 year period after it began, when the Kings of the North and South come together to battle against Israel and will defeat her.

With a Muslim dominated society the world will then not tolerate the gay lifestyle and they will be slaughtered by them at that time.

Dan 11:37 He will not regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god. For he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his place he shall honor the god of forces; and a god whom his fathers did not know, he shall honor with gold and silver, and with precious stones and desirable things.

This god ‘his fathers did not know’ is Islam which only came on the world scene in 700 C.E. That is the religion that will dominate the world in the very near future.

This will do for this week. I wanted you to know what the Covenant with many is and when it began and when it ends. I wanted you to see why it is so evil and how they have covered it things that seem good on the surface. Remember Satan is the tree of both good and evil. They are mixed together and hard to tell apart. Begin to do your own study of Agenda 21 and learn how your rights are being taken away by this same document that claims human rights for everyone. It is a clever document designed to get you Israel to move away from your Elohim, from Yehovah and to worship those things in nature.

 


Triennial Torah Cycle

We continue this weekend with our regular Triennial Torah Reading Cycle 

Deut 25     2 Chron 6-8     Revelation 1-2

 

Levirate Marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-19)

Deuteronomy 25:5-10 addresses a statute that had unique application to ancient Israel. Now called the law of levirate marriage, from the Latin word levir, meaning “brother-in-law,” it stated that if a married man died without children, his widow was to be married to his brother (her brother-in-law), or his nearest of kin if there was no brother, and the first child of this new union was to be regarded as the offspring of the deceased husband (compare Genesis 38:9; Matthew 22:24).

This was to be done so that the name of the dead brother would “not be blotted out of Israel.” It also ensured that the widow would continue to be provided for. Obviously, then, this could have put certain economic strain on the levir, particularly if he already had a family, as he had to provide for a wife and for the raising of a child until that child was old enough and independent enough to carry on the name of his “father” on his own. The nearest of kin could, however, refuse to take the widow as his wife, although he would have to go through a humiliating process in which everyone saw his selfishness in being more concerned for himself than for his extended family (verses 9-10). In the case of Ruth in the biblical book bearing her name, her deceased husband’s closest relative refused to marry her, so that Boaz, the next in line on the kinship list, was free to do so (Ruth 3:13; 4:1-9).

The law of levirate marriage is not applicable in the Church today. One reason is that a literal application of it would often require a converted brother-in-law to marry an unconverted sister-in-law, or vice versa, which would be contrary to 1 Corinthians 7:39 and 2 Corinthians 6:14. Also, if the brother-in-law were already married, the application of this law would violate the biblical teaching (discussed earlier) that a man is to be the husband of only one wife. As this is specifically mandated in the New Testament for ministers and deacons, it is understood to be binding upon all men in the Church.

 

Temple Dedication Completed (2 Chronicles 7:1-10; 1 Kings 8:54-66)

Solomon’s prayer was answered in the most miraculous of ways—a bolt of fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifices on the altar. Also, “the glory of the LORD filled the temple” (2 Chronicles 7:1)—the awesome radiant cloud of God’s presence. Thereupon the king and the elders of Israel dedicated the temple by offering sacrifices in abundance and with great joy. Following the initial days of dedication came the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day. And Solomon “sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.” This event marks one of the few times that Israel was in harmony with God, joyful in their portion and grateful to their God.

 

Solomon’s Other Works (2 Chronicles 8; 1 Kings 9:10-28)

Solomon’s other works consisted largely of building projects in various cities, securing Israel’s frontiers and building an institutionalized army. He seized Hamath Zobah, a region on Israel’s northeast border containing two cities, Hamath and Zobah, the former of which had formerly been friendly with David but now, given its association with Zobah, had probably switched allegiance. He built Tadmor in the wilderness (called by the Romans Palmyra) in a fertile oasis just to the southeast of Zobah. He built Hazor in northern Israel upon the high ground overlooking Lake Merom. He rebuilt Gezer in Ephraim, which had been attacked and burned by Pharaoh, its Canaanite inhabitants exterminated, and then given to his daughter as a gift upon her marriage to Solomon. He rebuilt upper and lower Beth Horon, two cities located in Ephraim and separated by about two miles. He refortified Baalath in Dan. And he rebuilt or fortified Megiddo, which occupied a strategic position on the Plain of Esdraelon on the border of Issachar and Mannaseh. As may be seen from the list of localities, Solomon directed his attention to securing Israel’s northern borders. This is also evidence that tends to confirm our understanding of Solomon’s marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh as an alliance with Egypt to diminish or eliminate a threat from Israel’s south.

In addition, Solomon built the Millo, apparently a landfill between Mount Zion and Mount Moriah, thereby reducing the valley between the two prominences. And he greatly extended the wall of Jerusalem, finally fully enclosing both the lower city and the upper city.

As is well known, Israel did not exterminate all the gentile inhabitants of the land when Joshua brought Israel across Jordan. These people continued to live in the land. Solomon conscripted these peoples into forced labor for his many building projects.

Additionally, Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh into her new residence. Formerly she had dwelt in the lower city of Jerusalem, but not in the house of David for, since the Ark of the Covenant had been there, Solomon felt that this gentile woman’s presence in a place hallowed by the ark would have been unacceptable. This is evidence that the daughter of Pharaoh was not fully converted to the worship of God, otherwise she would have been esteemed an Israelite and able to partake of all the privileges of an Israelite. Her presence would not have been defiling.

Solomon also installed the system of worship that David had defined for the temple. The priesthood served by courses assigned to the major houses of the sons of Aaron. The proper sacrifices were offered on all the days observed by Israel—weekly Sabbaths, monthly new moons, and annual feasts. Thus was everything set in its place for the continual and orderly worship of God in His temple.

The final record in this section concerns the ports of Ezion Geber near Elath on Israel’s extreme southeastern border upon the “Red Sea”—actually the Gulf of Aqaba, a “finger” of the Red Sea. Here a fleet of ships was built and manned under a joint venture between Solomon and Hiram. This southern seaport would serve as Israel’s major port of entry and the point of departure for Ophir (the location of which is still in dispute). Such southern trade was extremely lucrative, and the fact that the Phoenician Hiram, king of Tyre, was engaged with Solomon at this port far removed from Tyre is one more piece of evidence that Israel was far from a landlocked little country notable only for its preoccupation with monotheism, as some scholars habitually picture it. Israel was in alliance with the Phoenicians, and the worldwide trading empire we know as the Phoenician Empire was at that time actually an Israelite-Phoenician union.

Interestingly, as pointed out previously in the Bible Reading Program comments on Exodus 13:17-14:30, the Hebrew term translated “Red Sea” in verse 26 is Yam Suf (supposedly literally “Sea of Reeds”)—the same name given in the book of Exodus to the body of water that Moses and the Israelites crossed. The fact that a finger of the Red Sea could bear this name disproves the idea taught by many that Yam Suf must refer to a swamp or marshy lake with reed plants like cattails, rushes and papyrus. Evidently, Yam Suf can also mean “Sea of Seaweed,” as suf obviously means seaweed in Jonah 2:5.

Revelation

– Introduction (http://www.blainerobison.com/endtimes/rev-hebrew.htm)
It is important to note that the Book of Revelation is written from an Hebraic perspective. So, below are some proofs worth noting as an introduction to this book.

Revelation: A Hebrew Book
Numbers in brackets link to notes at the end of the article.

Few Gentiles when reading Revelation (or any other book of the New Testament) stop to consider that the “New Testament is a Jewish book, written by Jews,[1] largely about Jews, and meant for both Jews and Gentiles.”[2] The religion, traditions and concepts of the New Testament are thoroughly Hebrew.[3] The Jewishness of the apostolic writings is certainly evident in the cultural setting of the historical events and characters, but the Hebrew identity is especially manifest in both their terminology and the commonality of content with the Tanakh (Old Testament). Moreover, the incarnate Word, the Lord Jesus, in the flesh was and is a Jew and would have naturally spoken to His disciples in their native language, traditions and Scriptures. Indeed, as one Messianic Rabbi pointed out, Hebrew is the only language in Scripture that God used to speak audibly.

Many Gentile commentators assume that the language behind the Greek words on the lips of Jesus and the apostles to be Aramaic instead of Hebrew, based on the incidence of a few Aramaic words in the Greek New Testament text.[4] The field of literary criticism generally assumes that Hebrew was essentially unused outside of rabbinic circles.[5] However, Jewish scholars have presented strong arguments for the vitality and preeminence of the Hebrew language in first century Jewish life, as well as religious writings and discourse.[6] David Stern quotes Professor David Flusser, Orthodox Jewish scholar in Jerusalem,

“The spoken languages of that period [first century] were Hebrew, Aramaic, and to an extent Greek. 
 It is possible that Jesus did, from time to time, make use of the Aramaic language. But during that period Hebrew was both the daily language and the language of study. The Gospel of Mark contains a few Aramaic words, and this is what has misled scholars. 
 There is thus no ground for assuming that Jesus did not speak Hebrew; and when we are told (Acts 21:40) that Paul spoke Hebrew, we should take this piece of information at face value.”[7]

There are a variety of ways in which Hebrew may be seen as the foundation to the Greek text of Revelation and these are noted throughout this commentary.[8] First, there are many Hebrew words that are transliterated into Greek. Transliteration is the attempt to reproduce the sound of a word with the substitution of letters of the target language for the letters of the source language without interpreting the meaning. Examples of transliteration from Hebrew to Greek in Revelation include the words “amen,” “Armageddon,” “Hebrew,” “Jerusalem,” “Jew,” “Satan,” “woe” and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The second evidence of the Hebrew language is the presence of idiomatic words and phrases, which scholars call Hebraisms. An idiom is simply an expression peculiar to a particular language. For example, the phrase “the small and the great,” which occurs four times in Revelation (11:18; 13:16; 19:5, 18), actually refers to the young and the old rather than social or economic status. The titles of our Lord reflect the variety of expressions that packaged Jewish theology about God (1:4, 8; 4:8f; 15:3; 16:5; 21:6). Many of the idioms that Jesus used and are recorded in the Gospels can only be properly understood when interpreted in their Hebrew context.[9] Because of the presence of Hebrew idiomatic expressions, some commentators have erroneously concluded a dependence on rabbinic Judaism as if Jesus and the apostles simply plagiarized rabbinic teachings without giving them credit. It is more likely that the similarities represent drawing on a common pool of ideas.[10] Idiomatic language in Revelation is discussed in the commentary and the footnotes.

The third evidence of a Hebrew text is that sometimes taking the Greek literally results in a clumsy English translation or a sentence may even fail to make sense. However, the verse makes perfect sense when translated back into Hebrew. For example, in 10:1 an angel is described with feet like pillars. However, feet cannot be “like pillars,” only legs can. The problem is resolved by recognizing that while Greek has separate words for “feet” and “legs” Hebrew has only one word that can mean both. Apparently, a Greek translator unacquainted with Hebrew nuances translated the Hebrew word as “feet” when the intention was “legs.”

The fourth evidence of a Hebrew text is the use of conjunctions. Joining individual words in a list within a sentence or one clause to another with the conjunction “and” is a frequent characteristic feature of the Hebrew Scriptures, whereas in Greek literature an independent clause will be subordinated to the main clause of the sentence and the use of conjunctions minimized.[11] The conjunction “and” in Hebrew functions generally as a prefix to Hebrew words without using a separate word. To make a Hebrew word part of a connecting sequence, the letter vav (v) is added to the noun as its first letter.[12] There are several conjunctions in the Greek language, but kai, meaning “and,” also” or “even” is by far the most common in the New Testament[13] and used in the LXX to translate the vav character. English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more, so while the KJV faithfully renders kai modern Bible versions leave 80% of the instances of kai untranslated to avoid awkwardness. Yet, in the Greek New Testament there is an excessive use of kai,[14] an excellent proof of an original Hebrew text.

In addition to the Hebrew linguistic foundation of Revelation, the content of Revelation is decidedly Hebrew in three significant ways. First, as Stern points out, while there are few direct quotations, there are over 500 allusions to the Tanakh, principally from Exodus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah.[15] The overall effect of so many references is to anchor Revelation in the God-inspired words of Israel’s prophets. Of course, except for the prologue (1:1-8), John writes in a straightforward narrative of a personal experience and nowhere does he use the familiar “it is written” (or similar words) to refer to one of the Hebrew prophets as Jesus and the apostles do in the rest of the New Testament.[16] John declares that his narrative is a revelation directly from his Messiah. The similarities between Revelation and the Hebrew Prophets exist because both were inspired by the same source as “men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet 1:21) and both reflect God’s grace to warn His people and mankind that the Day of the Lord is coming.

Second, Revelation contains the same elements as the story of the deliverance of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. Dan Juster has summarized the points of commonality between the two books as follows (1) preparation of God’s people, (2) the plagues of God on worldwide Egypt, (3) God’s people protected, (4) Antimessiah, the last days Pharaoh, (5) the exodus rapture, (6) wrath of the Lamb and His armies and (7) entry into the promised Land.[17] Revelation could then be deemed the story of the last Exodus.

Third, Alfred Edersheim (1825-1889) identified many parallels between the narrative and prophetic symbols in Revelation and the architecture, traditions, customs, worship and administration practices associated with the Jerusalem Temple.

“But it is specially remarkable, that the Temple-references with which the Book of Revelation abounds are generally to minutiae, which a writer who had not been as familiar with such details, as only personal contact and engagement with them could have rendered him, would scarcely have even noticed, certainly not employed as part of his imagery. They come in naturally, spontaneously, and so unexpectedly, that the reader is occasionally in danger of overlooking them altogether; and in language such as a professional man would employ, which would come to him from the previous exercise of his calling. Indeed, some of the most striking of these references could not have been understood at all without the professional treatises of the Rabbis on the Temple and its services.”[18]

Specific allusions to the Temple may be found in the following Revelation passages: 1:13; 3:5, 12, 20; 4:8, 11; 5:8-9, 12-13; 6:9-10; 7:2-3, 9-12; 8:1-4; 9:4; 10:7, 11; 11:15; 13:8; 14:1-5; 15:2-4, 6; 16:15; 19:1, 3-4, 6-8; 21:3, 16, 19-20. Edersheim’s observation and explanation of these details are especially valuable to understanding the spiritual lessons of Revelation.

[1] Luke is generally considered to have been a Jewish proselyte. (David Stern, Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel, 61).
[2] David Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, ix.
[3] David Biven & Roy Blizzard, Jr., Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus, 4.
[4] Aramaic words in the New Testament include talitha cumi (Mark 5:41), Ephphata (Mark 7:34), rabboni (John 20:16) and abba (Mark 14:36; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6). Even the Hebrew writings of the Mishnah and the Dead Sea Scrolls contain Aramaic words (Biven, 9).
[5] The influence of literary criticism is so strong that even though the Greek specifically says Hebrais, meaning “Hebrew,” in John 5:2; 19:17, 20; 20:16; Acts 21:40; 22:2 and 26:14, the NIV translators rendered the Greek word as “Aramaic” in all those seven occurrences. The CEV translates “Hebrais” in five out of these seven verses with “Aramaic.” The NLT also uses “Aramaic” three times. The NCV avoided making the choice between “Hebrew” and “Aramaic” by translating Hebrais as “Jewish language” in all of the seven verses. Ironically, the NIV translates Hebrais as “Hebrew” or “Hebraic” in Acts 6:1; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Philippians 3:5; Revelation 9:11 and 16:16.
[6] Biven & Blizzard, op. cit., 17-21. Notable Hebrew scholars Moshe Bar-Asher, Harris Birkeland, Frank Cross, David Flusser, Jehoshua Grintz, Pinhas Lapide and Abbe J.T. Milik are cited to substantiate the thesis. While not acknowledged by Biven, David Stern has likewise made a significant contribution to understanding the Jewish roots of the New Testament with his many publications on similar themes.
[7] David Flusser, Jewish Sources in Early Christianity (1989), quoted in Stern, 91.
[8] In the ongoing debate over the best English translation the argument usually resorts to a discussion of the best Greek text and whether the TR, M-Text or the earliest MSS should be given greater weight, since the original autographs no longer exist. Scholars have not adequately considered the thesis that the apostles wrote most, if not all, the New Testament originally in Hebrew and then others translated the circulated works into Greek. The same linguistic evidences for Hebrew can be cited in the rest of the New Testament.
[9] Biven & Blizzard, op. cit., 2.
[10] Stern, op. cit., 31.
[11] Biven & Blizzard, op. cit., 50.
[12] John J. Parsons, “The Conjunctive Vav,” Hebrew For Christians: 2005, http://hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_Four/Conjunctive_Vav/conjunctive_vav.html.
[13] Dana and Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 249.
[14] Kai is uncommonly frequent in the Gospels and Acts (in well over 3,200 verses) and in over 1,800 verses in the rest of the New Testament. In Revelation kai occurs in 369 out of 384 verses (sixth highest count of New Testament books), occurring in many verses three or more times. Olive Tree Bible Search Engine (http://www.olivetree.com).
[15] Stern, op. cit., 785.
[16] E.g. Matthew 2:5; 4:4, 6, 7, 10; 21:13; 26:24, 31; Mark 1:2; 7:6; John 6:45; Acts 1:20; 7:42; Romans 1:17; 1 Corinthians 9:9; Galatians 3:10; Hebrews 10:7; 1 Peter 1:16.
[17] Daniel Juster, Revelation: The Passover Key, Table of Contents.
[18] Alfred Edersheim, The Temple-Its Ministry and Services, 105f.

More introductory commentary from: http://www.answersintheendtimes.com

 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – A Hebraic Perspective

The goal of this series is to provide an understanding of the book of Revelation from primarily a Hebraic perspective, rather than just the Western perspective that is offered in most commentaries today. As Westerners and Gentiles, we often forget that this book was handed down from a Jewish Messiah to a Jewish disciple, with primarily a Jewish audience in mind. As a result, many Jewish cultural practices and traditions of that day were woven into the fabric of this document, and it’s content cannot be properly understood unless it is examined from that perspective. So in this module, we’ll do just that.

And one more thing; I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a special thanks to John Klein, Adam Spear, and Michael Christopher, the authors of the “Lost in Translation” series that provided much of the inspiration for these sessions. While most of the information that will be presented over the next few months will be information that I’ve accumulated over the last 10 years of personal study of the Revelation, the underlying structural ideas were theirs.

 

The Essence and Structure of the Revelation

In it’s essence, the Revelation describes the end of this age, and the judgments that will systematically fall on mankind for violating God’s ‘Ketubah’. While this particular word is probably not familiar to most Christians, the Ketubah was simply a Jewish wedding contract, and it’s structure and content happens to be reflected throughout scripture. Most Christians understand the concept of the ‘Wedding Supper of the Lamb’, where we find Jesus Christ as the groom and the Church as the bride. But rarely have we heard of the Jewish wedding contract that provides the basis for this future marriage. So the first thing we need to to is examine the basic tenets of the typical Ketubah, because one day soon this divine contract will determine who is at the Wedding Supper, and who is not.

In it’s structure, the Revelation is based on the ‘Tree of Life’, which is a master menorah that contains seven mini-menorahs, for a total of 49 separate events that take place throughout the book. Since the order of these events is dictated by the structure of this master menorah, the second thing we will have to do is examine the strict set of rules that these events must obey. As we progress through this series over the next several months, it’s my hope that you will find yourself abandoning some of the pre-conceived notions that you may have held, and adopting some of the ideas that can only come from this Hebraic perspective. In truth, I hope you will never view this book in the same way again.

The Revelation and Ancient Hebrew Betrothal??In Western culture, the marriage process is typically preceded by an ‘engagement’, which is the promise of marriage at a later date. This concept springs from the ‘betrothal’ process that has been conducted in the east for thousands of years, although engagement and betrothal are not necessarily synonymous. Betrothal actually takes on many additional legal ramifications, and forms one basis for the entire New Testament. Then, the book of Revelation describes the culmination of that process in the future ‘Wedding Supper of the Lamb’; ??Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” (Rev 19:9)??Because of the importance of this process and how it relates to the message of the New Testament, and therefore the Revelation, it becomes essential to learn how the ancient Hebrew betrothal process unfolded. So let’s jump in.

The Arrangement??As you may already know, most ancient marriages in the east were arranged by the parents of the bride and groom, and Hebrew culture was no different. A friendship between families was often the basis for such an arrangement, however sometimes the respective families were completely unknown to each other. Parents sometimes chose a prospective mate for their son or daughter based on financial or social advantage, however sometimes it had no bearing at all. In addition, these arrangements were sometimes made early in their life, and sometimes later. The arrangements were as varied as the people involved. But the one constant in the process was that the parents, particularly the father, had to approve of the prospective spouse before betrothal could take place.

The Leak
.??In ancient Israel, when the parents of a prospective groom determined that it was time for their son to marry, a prospective bride would be identified in one of the several ways noted above. Once this matter was settled, the next step would be to leak the news of a pending marriage proposal to family and friends. This news would quickly spread thoughout the community, allowing the prospective bride and her family time to prepare accordingly. In other words, if the prospective bride was inclined to accept the prospective groom’s proposal, her entire family would often be there to welcome him.

The Father Decides??When the groom’s father decided the time was right to make the marriage proposal, the father and son would go to the prospective bride’s house carrying three traditional items; ??1) the ‘betrothal cup’ ?2) some wine ?3) the ‘bride price’. ??The wine would be quite necessary, since the bride and groom and their families would all share in several cups during this process, if all went well.

Knock, Knock
.??Once sufficient time had passed for the bride and her family to prepare for their coming, the prospective groom and his father would set out for her home. When they arrived, the prospective groom would stand at the door and knock. This in itself constituted a formal marriage proposal, as modeled by Jesus in Revelation 3:20; ??“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock


.” ??It should be noted that opening the door alone did not denote a marriage, it was merely an agreement to pursue the terms of a prospective marriage. But the proper terms would first have to be negotiated before any legally binding contract could be made. ??It’s an interesting commentary on Jewish culture that while this process was legally binding on the groom at this point, it was not legally binding on the bride. In fact, the bride could legally withdraw from the betrothal at any time throughout the entire process, including right up until the time of the actual marriage ceremony.

Opening the Door??When they heard the prospective groom’s knock at the door, the bride’s father would look at his daughter for a sign of her approval. If she agreed to this arrangement, he then opened the door and allowed the groom and his father inside. By opening the door, the bride was announcing her intent to marry the groom. But again, a proper legal arrangement would first have to be made. At this point, the marriage was far from a done deal.

CUP 1 – The Cup of Sanctification??As soon as they were invited inside, a 1st CUP of wine was consumed by the groom and his father, along with the bride and her entire family. This could be a rather large group, since her entire extended family was generally in attendance, having been warned ahead of time. ??This first cup was called the “Cup of Sanctification”. The Old Testament equivalent was known as a ‘blood covenant’, which we will refer to in later lessons, and it was a literal covenant that each family was making to serve the other. This was no small promise, since servanthood demanded responsibilities from each party involved, and there were legal remedies if the various parties did not perform these duties.

CUP 2 – The Cup of Dedication??At this point, both parties would sit down for a meal in the bride’s home. But before the meal could be served, the 2nd CUP of the betrothal was consumed, this time by just the two fathers, along with the bride and groom. ??This was known as the “Cup of Dedication”, but was also known as the “Cup of Betrothal” or the “Cup of Plagues”, which was an interesting implied warning for those that would dare break the covenant. This cup initiated the meal that would follow, which in Old Testament terms represented the “salt covenant” that declared eternal friendship. This covenant was historically sealed by the dipping of bread into a bowl of salt that had been combined from the personal salt pouches of the respective parties. ??In an interesting bit of symbolism, once this ritual was completed, each party would pour half of the salt back in their personal salt pouches. But at this point, some of the salt now in their bag would have come from the other parties bag, and vice versa. It would be impossible to separate them again, and they would remain intertwined with the grains from the other pouch for as long as that salt lasted. In the same way, this act symbolized an irrevocable relationship between parties that could not be undone.

Let the Negotiations Begin!??Once the 2nd Cup had been consumed, the meal would be served as the betrothal negotiations between the parties began in earnest. These negotiations were often quite intense and were conducted as a business proposition during this meal. This was an important cultural tradition, and was recognized by Jesus in the same verse, Revelation 3:20, that was noted earlier;??“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” ??By this statement, Jesus was alluding to the meal and corresponding negotiations that always took place at this time. These specific items could include almost anything, but they were generally limited to highly practical issues such as how the groom would support his bride and provide for her, or what kind of housing he would arrange. For his family, it would generally revolve around how much they would contribute to the wedding feast, or how his family would help care for the bride and her subsequent family. For the bride, negotiations generally would address what possessions she would bring to the marriage, what skills she had in the home, and what she would need to do to become a ‘Proverbs Wife’ (see Proverbs 31). But again, these negotiations could include just about anything that each party would agree to.

If you’ve ever been involved in any intense negotiations, you know that they can easily fall apart, and sometimes these betrothal dinners did not end well. I sometimes wonder what the batting percentage would be in those ancient cultures, where haggling often led to heated disagreements. I imagine this was particularly true during periods where resources were not easy to come by. So if the betrothal was going to fail, it was going to happen here. And since this betrothal process mirrors the salvation process, then perhaps this is what Paul had in mind with the following;??“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling
.” (Phil 2:12) ??When mentioning the “fear and trembling” of our salvation, I can’t help but equate this salvation to our status as bride, and therefore the ‘fear and trembling’ could actually be a reference to the negotiations with God that takes place in our hearts every day. If that is true, then we should indeed ‘fear and tremble’ if we haven’t yet accepted the terms of His proposal.

CUP 3 – The “Cup of Inheritance”??Assuming that the negotiations were ultimately succesful, the bride and groom alone would consume the 3rd CUP, known as the “Cup of Inheritance”. It was alternately known as the “Cup of Redemption”, however it essentially served as the ‘inheritance covenant’ between the parties. This Cup signified that the bride now had a shared inheritance with the groom. At this point, if either of the betrothed parties died before the wedding took place, they would still inherit from the other’s estate. ??Hopefully another antennae is going up in your mind when you read this, because in our betrothal with Jesus Christ, well

.we have to note that He did in fact die before His wedding took place. So, is this simple Jewish tradition worthy of note for us as Christians? Most definitely so, because our inheritance in Jesus’ kingdom is still legally binding as His ‘betrothed’.

Sandals???The concept of inheritance has an interesting symbol in the Old Testament that applies to the betrothal process. If you’ve spent any time reading the Old Testament stories, you may recall several instances where sandals were taken off and given to others when land deals were made, or when people inherited or redeemed property. This has a fascinating application in the wedding ceremony that we will cover in a later lesson, but for now, just know that sandals were always used to symbolize inheritance in ancient cultures. ??This concept is what Jesus was presenting to the disciples in the upper room before the Last Supper. Jesus was taking off their sandals and washing their feet, signifying their inheritance in His Kingdom. But this was not understood by the disciples, and Peter initially balked at the idea;??“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
..??But Jesus knew that unless Peter took part in this ceremony, he could not inherit in His kingdom. So Jesus made it quite plain to him with His reply as recorded in John 13:8;??Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” ??Jesus was essentially entering into the ‘inheritance covenant’ with Peter and the disciples, which Peter was unknowingly rejecting. But this concept will become clearer when we address the wedding ceremony in a later lesson.

The ‘Ketubah’??Okay, back to the betrothal. Once the 3rd CUP had been consumed and this was finally considered a ‘done deal’, the fathers would call for a Scribe. This was often a Priest, and the Scribe/Priest would record all of the details and terms of the agreement that they had reached during negotiations. The resulting wedding contract was known as a ‘Ketubah’, and it’s content will be the subject of next week’s lesson.

The In-Laws??Once the Ketuba was signed, the bride and groom were now legally bound, and all that remained was for each to fulfill the requirements of their contract. The groom’s parents now legally had a ‘daughter-in-law’, the bride’s parents had a ‘son-in-law’, and the two sets of parents were ‘in-laws’. This legal arrangement was illustrated in the account of Lot in Genesis 19:14;??“So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters.” ??Although Lots daughters were not yet formally married, Lot had two sons-in-law because they were formally betrothed. This concept stands in stark contrast to our western culture, where this legal arrangement does not actually occur until the wedding day. But keep in mind that throughout this entire process, the bride could still withdraw at any time, even though the groom was still legally bound to continue.

Hitting the Streets!??Once the legal agreement had been made, the young men of each family would traditionally hit the streets for a celebration, blowing shofars and announcing the joyous occasion, which was generally acknowledged and shared by the community.

The Wine Abstention??Once he was betrothed, it was customary for the groom not to drink any wine again until the actual marriage ceremony and subsequent wedding supper. At the Last Supper, Jesus seems to allude to this in the following statement in Luke 22:18;??“For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

Going to Prepare a Place??Once all of these things were accomplished, the groom would then make a promise to his betrothed wife to go and prepare a place for her to live, which was often an addition to his father’s home. In eastern cultures it was traditional to keep extended family units together, and you rarely had a break-up of the family unit. So here is yet another instance where Jesus observed the cultural mandates of the times;??“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (Jn 14:2-3)

The 4th CUP??There is one more cup of wine that was consumed in this process, however it was not consumed until the actual wedding ceremony took place. So we’ll reserve this discussion for a later lesson, but this was called the “Cup of Praise”, and it was consumed only by the bride and the groom. A few additional details about this cup will be added when we discuss the actual ceremony.

IN SUMMATION??In summation, each of the cups that were consumed in this process had to be consumed in their proper order. None of them could be skipped, and all three had to be consumed before the 4th and final cup could be consumed at the wedding ceremony. This is a good point to keep in mind as we proceed over the next few weeks and months, because it will resurface time and again in the study of the Revelation. ??For review purposes, this week we covered the following;

The Cups??1) Cup of Sanctification (Blood Covenant)?2) Cup of Dedication (Salt Covenant)?3) Cup of Inheritance (Sandal Covenant)?4) Cup of Praise – saved for the wedding ceremony
The Covenants??In the Jewish betrothal process, the covenants occur in this order;??1) Servant (Blood Covenant)?2) Friendship (Salt Covenant)?3) Inheritance (Sandal Covenant)?4) Marriage??But in the Upper Room, Jesus actually reversed this order;??3) Inheritance (Sandal Covenant) – WASHED THEIR FEET FIRST?2) Friendship (Salt Covenant) – BROKE BREAD NEXT?1) Servant (Blood Covenant) – SPILLED HIS BLOOD ON CROSS LAST??Perhaps this is a good time to examine where we are, personally, in the covenant-making process with Jesus. Have we consumed each of the first three cups yet to qualify as His bride? Or perhaps just one? Maybe two? Maybe this is what Jesus had in mind in Matthew 22:14 when he said;??“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

1 Comment

  1. Adrian Walker

    Shalom Joe,
    I hope you and family are well.
    I would imagine you have considered the Oslo Accords, (which was supposed to last for 7 years) and began in 1993, which was a Peace Agreement where Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin all shared the nobel peace prize in 1994.
    Could you explain why this agreement that included the U.N.’s signature did not figure as the the subject of Daniel 9:27 in your book 2300 Days of Hell?
    I’m sure you have probably seen of late the that agreement has been reopened by Donald Trump.
    Here are some links to it here: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/06/israel-palestine-west-bank-trump-settlement-new-unsc-2334.html
    http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/03/politics/israel-two-state-explainer/index.html
    http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.536596
    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Reply

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