Newsletter 5861-007
The 2nd Year of the 5th Sabbatical Cycle
The 30th year of the 120th Jubilee Cycle
The 13th day of the 2nd month 5861 years after the creation of Adam
The 5th Sabbatical Cycle after the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of the Red Heifer, Famine, Captivity & The 2 Witnesses
April 12, 2025
Shabbat Shalom to the Royal Family of Yehovah,
Shabbat Shalom to you all.
We had a very fruitful week in Japan last week, teaching for about 8 hours every single day. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement, but the high I was on from watching each group understand what we are presenting sent me over the moon having achieved our goals of teaching this group of people the importance of just how little time is left.
I am now in the Philippines and have conducted our first presentation. There was one pastor afterwards who did not want to listen to my answers to his questions. He only wanted to be heard questioning me so those with him would not lose faith in him. But he kept going over and over about the Thief in the Night. And I kept telling him he did not understand because he did not keep the Feast of Trumpets.
Before the meeting, Aike told me the problem he was having with explaining the calendar. It is the same problem as in Japan. So I incorporated that teaching into my presentation. But this morning as I woke at 4 AM, Yehovah showed me how stupid I have been all these years.
I then redid my PowerPoints to show this new understanding about the Thief in the Night. You will be able to hear me present it in the recording done this Sabbath, April 12, from Cavite with Pastor Roy.
I have been wondering why the Feast of Trumpets was in the year 2024 and how this Feast of Trumpets was the feast when Yehshua was both born and comes back on. We are now in 2025. So where is He? I apologize for being so slow to understand, but now I do. Our Messiah is now here. HE IS HERE.
Torah Portion
Torah Portions
We read through the entire Torah along with the Prophets and the New Testament, once over the course of 3 1/2 years. Or according to the Sabbatical Cycle which means we read it all twice over a 7-year period. This allows us to cover more in-depth rather than being rushed to cover as much as is covered on an annual basis. We allow all to comment and take part in the discussions.
Septennial Torah Portion
If you go to Torah Portion in our archived section, you can then go to the 1st year, which is the 1st year of the Sabbatical Cycle, the one we are in now, as we state at the top of every Newsletter. There, you can scroll down to the proper date and see that this Shabbat, we could very well be midrashing about:
Exodus 14
Isaiah 1-3
Psalm 120
John 4:1-42
We are in the 1st Sabbatical Cycle in 2024-2025. We go through the entire bible twice in a 7 year cycle. This means we cover the entire bible once every 3 1/2 years. It gives us more time to debate and discuss each portion we read.
If you missed last week’s exciting discoveries as we studied that section, you can go and watch past Shabbats on our media section.
Join Our Sabbath Meetings
Join Our Sabbath Meetings
There are many people in need of fellowship and who are sitting at home on the Sabbath with no one to talk to or debate with. I want to encourage all of you to join us on Shabbat, and to invite others to come and join us as well. If the time is not convenient then you can listen to the teaching and the midrash after on our YouTube channel.
What are we doing and why do we teach this way?
We are going to discuss both sides of an issue and then let you choose. It is the work of the Ruach (Spirit) to direct and to teach you.
The medieval commentator Rashi wrote that the Hebrew word for wrestle (avek) implies that Jacob was “tied”, for the same word is used to describe knotted fringes in a Jewish prayer shawl, the tzitzityot. Rashi says, “thus is the manner of two people who struggle to overthrow each other, that one embraces the other and knots him with his arms”.
Our intellectual wrestling has been replaced by a different kind of struggle. We are wrestling with Yehovah as we grapple with His Word. It is an intimate act, symbolizing a relationship in which Yehovah and you and I are bound together. My wrestling is a struggle to discover what Yehovah expects of us, and we are “tied” to the One who assists us in that struggle.
Today, many say Israel means “Champion of God”, or better — the “Wrestler of God”.
Our Torah sessions each Shabbat teaches you and encourages you to constantly challenge, question, argue against, as well as view alternative views and explanations of the Word. In other words, we are to “wrestle with the Word” to get to the truth. Jews worldwide believe that you need to wrestle with the Word and constantly challenge Dogma, Theology, and views or else you will never get to the Truth.
We are not like most churches where “The preacher talks and everyone listens.” We encourage everyone to participate, to question and to contribute what they know on the subject being discussed. We want you to be a champion wrestler of the Word of Yehovah. We want you to wear the title of Israel, knowing that you not only know but are capable of explaining why you know the Torah to be true with logic and facts.
We have a few rules though. Let others talk and listen. There is no discussion about UFO’s, Nephilim, Vaccines or conspiracy-type subjects. We have people from around the world with different world views. Not everyone cares who is the President of any particular country. Treat each other with respect as fellow wrestlers of the word. Some of our subjects are hard to understand and require you to be mature and if you do not know, then listen to gain knowledge and understanding and hopefully wisdom. The very things you are commanded to ask Yehovah for and He gives to those who ask.
Jas 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.
We hope you can invite those who want to keep Torah to come and join us by hitting the link below. It is almost like a Torah teaching fellowship talk show with people from around the world taking part and sharing their insights and understandings.
We start off with some music and then some prayers and it’s as though you were sitting around the kitchen back in Newfoundland having a cup of coffee and all of us enjoying each other’s company. I hope you will grace us with your company someday.
Sabbath services begin at 12:30 PM EDT where we will be doing prayers, songs and teaching from this hour.
Shabbat midrash will begin at about 1:15 pm Eastern.
We look forward to you joining our family and getting to know us as we get to know you.
Joseph Dumond is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Joseph Dumond’s Personal Meeting Room
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The Perpetual Calendar
The Perpetual Calendar
We have available from our website a calendar you can use to keep track of the days of the month based on when the barley is ripe and when the moon is sighted. All you have to do is download it. https://sightedmoon.com/perpetual-calendar/
With the new year about to begin, you can learn about the calendar as you record it. This is a great tool to have and it is free to anyone who wants it.
SightedMoon Sukkot 2025
SightedMoon Sukkot 2025
We are planning to have a SightedMoon.com Feast site this Sukkot at Cleftrock Kentucky. There are a limited number of places available, and if this is of interest to you, then please contact Ella Morgan to help in the organizing, set-up, and activities. You need to contact Ella ASAP and reserve a spot. There are 55 places available, and you need to make a $100 deposit by April 11 and the final payment by August 15.
Contact grannyella44@gmail.com, and you can check out the site at https://cleftrock.org. The Noah’s Ark site is just over an hour’s drive away. More info will come, but it’s time to sign up ASAP. Sukkot will be from September 8 to September 15, with check-in on September 7 and check-out on September 16.
Japan Tour
Japan Tour
We had a very fruitful week in Japan last week, teaching for about 8 hours every single day. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement, but the high I was on from watching each group understand what we are presenting sent me over the moon having achieved our goals of teaching this group of people the importance of just how little time is left.
The groups began with Torah and Hebrew scholars, followed by brethren, non-believers, and those of the Shinto faith. I was wondering how our message would be received by this Shinto priest whose name is Takatami Hideshi. I presented in front of him on my last day along with other Shinto faith people and those who did not know or believe in the Bible.
In 2017, a young lady from Japan, Kaori Tamada, began to watch our videos about the Jubilee cycles. She continued to watch many of the teachings we produced until 2024, when she wrote to ask if she could translate It Was A Riddle Not A Command into Japanese. I said yes. Then, when the speaking tour of the Philippines came together and the dates were finalized, I wrote Kaori in Japan and asked if any groups would want to hear my message. After a while, she wrote back and said Mr Kuroki would be interested if I could come during the first week of April, to which we agreed.
This is Mr Kuroki and myself at the Imperial Palace during the Cherry Blossum season.
Mr. Kuroki had me present in front of a group of people in Kobe, Japan. Many of them were deeply searching for Japan’s ancestry and had connected it to the sons of Hezkiah and Israel’s captivity in 723 B.C. Some of those in attendance were Missionaries from Korea and Germany and business people. Mr Soma has written a few books on the history of Japan, and he gave them to me to read. I have just begun to read them, and I am pretty excited to see what he has found, as my research did not go to the East because I could not understand the languages. It seems that his work picked up where I left off with the Yuts (Jews), Sakka (sons of Isaac) people.
Kaori was my interpreter, and she is also fluent in Hebrew. Below is the group picture for this day. The older gentleman beside me is 95 years old, and beside him is Mr Soma.
After this meeting, we had to pack up and take my five bags and catch the subway or bullet train to Tokyo, where we then changed over to another subway to Tachikawa, where I would be presenting for the rest of the week. We ate on the train, and yes, I used chopsticks and was not too bad at it.
The big thing that has struck me about Japan is the lack of noise. The trains are quiet, the cars are quiet, and no one is blowing horns. I did not hear one horn the entire time there. The people are very orderly, very polite and very cleanly. This is my first time here, and I am highly impressed. I am greatly indebted to Mr Kuroki for taking me by the hand and escorting me from the moment I landed through the subway systems and to each venue. He also scoured each menu at meal time to check for what was and was not kosher for me to eat. He took care of me from the moment I landed to the moment I went through customs to leave. He was the perfect host and I cannot thank him enough.
Here are two maps to show where I landed in Osaka and then taught in Kobe. From there, we went to Tokyo and then went to Tachikawa with all our bags through the subway system.
In Tachikawa, we taught each day to various groups of people.
There was a smaller group today, but it was another grand slam home run. The man to my right is Pastor Noble who was leaving that night to teach in Malaysia. He did the interpretation for me and never knew about the Jubilee or Torah before this. He was very impressed with what he learned. Mr Kuroki and his wife are to my left.
I taught for four hours today. I am exhausted. Everyone at the meeting understood the urgency of how close we are to the end.
At supper tonight, I discovered just how much they all loved and appreciated what I shared today. Even Pastor Noble, who flies out for a large conference in Malaysia later tonight, said he had much to consider. Mr Kuroki, after supper, said I would be teaching six sessions tomorrow but nothing about what I have taught these two days.
I said something in my presentation that he had never heard before, so he asked me to teach the chronology of Adam to Moses. How do I know? He wants to know about Shemini Atzeret. How do I know Jesus was killed on Wednesday and not Friday? How each Feast explains what Yehovah is doing and the plan of salvation past, present, and future. I will teach about the two witnesses and the restoration of all things, the sixth subject. I’m not sure yet. But we had an enjoyable evening and told numerous times, “I had never heard or considered the things you said. But it does make sense.“
Today, on day two in Tachikawa, or Thursday, April 3, 2025, I had another Pastor Naomi (in green) to translate for me. She and her husband will be on a Missionary trip to Mindanao at the same time I will be there with both of us in Davao. We walked everyone through the chronology from Adam to the Exodus so they could understand this. Mr Kuroki has hired a videographer to record everything I am saying with the translations and is going to publish it as a video in a few weeks time.
Our group on Friday April 4, 2025. Some faces were there on other days, and some were new. Those who heard parts of it before got a fuller explanation today. Again, they go from zero understanding of the Jubilee cycles and prophecy to a deep teaching in just a few hours. Once they can see the bible come alive and is about us today, then they get excited. But like many who join Torah and bring Christian false teachings into their studies, in Japan, they have some false Christian teachings as well as Shinto teachings. And some of the Shinto teachings line up with the Torah. Shinto is not Torah, but like Christianity, it started with Torah, and then, over time, changes crept in.But it does present new challenges to explaining the Torah.
Mr Kuroki has put me in the finest of hotels and taken care of all my expenses, which was unexpected. His generosity was endless. Here is the view out of my hotel room window. This is the infamous Mount Fuji.
On the Sabbath, it was a bit different. They wanted to honour me and keep the Sabbath, and not knowing how to do it, they bought bread, and we ate only bread on the Sabbath for all three meals and did not go out to a restaurant or buy food as well as what Kosher means. This was new to them. We also had Takatami Hideshi, who is a famous Shinto priest, and one of his dancers, Satoru Ugajin, came to perform for me and to listen to my presentation for the day. (You can watch more of Satoru on his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@ugajinsatoru/featured). At the end of the day, they also had a singer come. She was singing about the millennial rest and had no idea that was what I was speaking about.
In this video, you can hear Mr. Takatami Hideshi endorse my teaching. He said to me at the end of it how ashamed he was of his faith, not knowing how close we are to the end of this age and how dramatically clear I made it. I got up and told him in an emotional couple of moments that the shame was on me in not knowing how to come to Japan and the rest of the world sooner. I said how Yehovah chooses the foolish of the world to be His vessels he works with. But now he, Mr. Hideshi, knows and together all of us must get this warning out to all of Japan regardless of faith. It was a very special moment and is recorded somewhere. We gave each other a big bear hug and bowed a number of times to each other.
One of the ladies who attended for a number of the presentations had many questions and wanted more and more answers, which I gave her. Hiromi Suzuki wrote me the following email which would be a summation of all the comments I received this week form many of the people.
Dear Joseph,I am very pleased to meet you in person during the 1st week of April, 2025, together with Mr. Ataru Kuroki and friends.I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for your incredibly insightful lecture. The way you presented the research on the biblical timeline and the correlation between historical events and prophetic patterns was truly enlightening. Your work in reinterpreting the Hebrew calendar and highlighting the cycles in history, especially the significance of 2033 and 2045, was eye-opening.I also appreciated how you connected past events, like Noah’s Ark and the fall of Sodom, with present-day issues, making it easier for us to understand the relevance of these ancient stories in our lives today. Your passion and dedication to uncovering these truths are inspiring.In particular, your discussion of the human dynamics around power struggles, as seen in the stories of rulers and their families, resonated deeply with me.The desire of mothers, who wish to act as a guiding force (holy spirit) for their children by placing them on the throne, sibling rivalries, and the resulting political machinations have been recurring themes throughout history. Similar events can also be inferred from ancient Japanese documents. As a result of selfish desires, those who ascend to the “throne” or “seat of God,” along with their descendants, will continue to face calamities unless they repent. The root cause of various disasters may come back to such human conduct. Therefore, God may have set a time for judgment.Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and for guiding us in understanding the spiritual implications of these cycles. I look forward to learning more from your future work.I will read your books in PDF first to understand well what you explained to us.I am looking forward to seeing you again.Many thanks & warm regards,Hiromi Suzuki
Japan and Philippines Speaking Tour April
Japan and Philippines Speaking Tour April
Although I am just wrapping up our week here in Japan and about to head to the Philippines, our brethren in Japan would like me to come back at the end of my tour of the Philippines and do another week or two in Japan. They are all so over the top excited about the things I am sharing with them. Please pray Yehovah makes this come about and we can reach more people. They are working on translating the banners I have into Japanese so the people can better understand what I am saying. We are also working on doing the Jubilee charts in Japanese for them. They are so excited by what these charts reveal. Others in Thailand are now enquiring if I can come there. Again we ask for your prayers for Yehovah’s will be done.
Here is our ad for the Philippines tour.
Prepare to have your mind blown at our next electrifying, pulse-pounding meeting! Join us for an exhilarating ride as we unveil the jaw-dropping moment the Abomination was set up and crack open its earth-shaking significance for TODAY! Buckle up to dive into the heart-stopping truth of the daily being taken away, and hold on tight as we unleash the explosive power of Jubilee cycles lighting up end-time prophecies. This is THE event you can’t miss—jump in, connect with us, and experience the thrill of revelation like never before!
Here are the dates and places for the Philippines.
Do you know where Oct 7, 2023 is shown to you in your Bible?Do you understand what this means and how close we are to the coming of the Messiah?
We’re excited to share that we’ll be speaking in the Osaka area starting on March 31, and then we’ll be heading over to Tokyo by April 5!
After this we are heading to Manila, Philippines.
Just hit the register button for both Japan and the Philippines, and don’t forget to let us know which country you’re in so we can keep you updated about our locations.
When you register for this event, you’ll instantly receive these two handy PDFs! It’s super simple—just click the link to sign up, and you’re all set!
And if you can’t make it, don’t worry at all! We would love for you to accept these two PDF books as a special gift from us.
The Stones Cry Out Are Free
The Stones Cry Out Part 1 & Part 2
Do you want to know how to prove the Zadok Calendar, the Enoch Calendar, and the Book of Jubilee Calendar false?
Do you want to know how the calendar issue became so confusing?
I go this awesome endorsement and I want to share it here now. with you.
In The Stones Cry Out, I walk you through the history of each change and why those changes came about, starting with the Maccabean days. Yes, it all began around 164 B.C. When Yehshua was here, he was dealing with two schools of thought. The Sadducees were all but wiped out when the Temple fell in 70 C.E. This left only the Pharisees, who began to be persecuted after the failure of the Bar Kochbah Revolt in 134 C.E.
The truth began to become out of focus around 160 C.E. when Rabbi Jose wrote the Seder Olam. This work originally was written to proof Simon Bar Kochbah was the Messiah. When that did not pan out the history was later revived and then redacted as the truth into the Mishneh Torah by Rabbi Judah ha Nasi in 180 C.E. After this the Jerusalem Talmud begins to debate these issues. It was then during this time as the Jerusalem Talmudist are forced to flee and the Babylonian Talmudist continue to grow until the 6th century that Hillel came up with a solution to help them keep the Holy Days at the proper time while they were out of the land of Israel. He did this in 358 C.E. This work was then modified and adjusted over the next 800 years with additions added and other rejected. Until it was finally redacted once again in 1177 by Rambam. And with that we now have the modern Hillel calendar which includes the errors passed on during each redaction. These errors included the time of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years.
Once the Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E., the Jews recorded time by counting from the time It was destroyed. This is why the 40 tombstones of Zoar, which record this information, are crucial to understand.
When you understand why the Postponement rules were first created so that the crescent moon would not be seen in another part of the world before it was seen in Israel then you can understand how they were still trying to follow the crescent moon to begin the month. The Tombstones show us this exact thing. The tombstones also show us when the Jews changed from a crescent moon to a Conjunction moon to begin the month. They also show us when the Jews changed the year from the month of Aviv to the Tishri to begin the year.
I really want you to understand these things so you know why you do what you do as far as following a calendar to keep Yehovah’s moedim.
Get your Free copies of The Stones Cry Out Part 1 and Part 2 here https://sightedmoon.com/the-stones-cry-out-lp/
And share this information with your FB friends and Bibles Study groups. If they don’t like it, it never cost them anything.
Get your copy today. If you want a paperback copy, I have them on Amazon for the least amount they would let me post them there. Order both of them and start to understand the history of how these changes affect those who follow Yehovah and keep His Feasts.
I would like to add this recent comment to encourage you all to get this book and learn these truths. And the Book is FREE. You have no reason not to get it.
Most people assume that Hillel created the calendar in 358 C.E. They then assume that because it was a Sanhedrin, they are not allowed to change in order to obey Yehovah. The Hillel calendar has been changed many times since 358 C.E. up until 1177 C.E. Few people talk about these changes but we do in our latest Book The Stones Cry Out Part 1 which is free on our website. The Hillel calendar was changed on many occasions and many sought to make other changes during this time. They never needed a Bet Din to approve those changes. They just did them. So this excuse that we do not have the right to obey Yehovah because the Bet Din has not approved it is a crock of crap.
You have the obligation to obey Yehovah. You have the duty to prove which calendar you are to go by. You must prove it beyond all doubt. Yehshua never followed the Hillel calendar. Nor did any of the Apostles.
The reason no man can know the day or the hour is because it refers to a crescent moon to begin the 7th month. That is the day He was born on and the day He comes to judge on. At a day and hour no one can know. Using the Hillel calendar predicts Yom Teruah years in advance so every one knows when to keep it. But even in the Hillel calendar they keep two days of Yom Teruah reckoning back to the sighted moon. Also in the postponement rules developed long after Hillel, they again state that if the conjunction is at a certain time then the day begins at such and such, in order that the moon will not be seen in another part of the world before it is seen in Israel. That was rule number 2.
Everyone has to choose. You have the right to be wrong. But if you choose to be wrong then you also must live with the consequences that come with sin. And that is the death penalty for not keeping the Holy Days, these Sabbath at the proper time. It is your choice.
Just because you write in to me to justify your position does mean it is right. It just means your sounding off.
Allow me to share this endorsement of our latest book again. If you have read our books, please share your thoughts about them with us in the comments below or email me.
And yes, many observe the Equinox. There are many who are deceived, improperly educated. And this is why Joe puts out a newsletter every week, why he writes books, why the SightedMoon Zoom Shabbat service started, why he travels to places like England and the Philippines to share this message and why were are going to the NRB in February. The calendar is always a divisive issue in social circles because the details are many, that’s why there are so many books Joe has written. I’m not looking to put Joe on a pedestal here. This is not about Joe worship. But Joe has tenaciously studied out the calendar from every angle, not to prove himself right, to to seek to find and share what Yehovah is telling us about His Calendar.
In The Stones Cry Out, Joe has shared the history of all the different groups within Israel, and the beliefs they had about the scriptures and the feast days and the calendar. When you line it all up, you can see for yourself the how and why these misunderstandings and arguments about how and where and why they came about.
This is my new favourite book and I’m only 60-70 pages in. And I encourage you to read the footnotes in this one. Sometimes there’s more footnote on the page than Joe’s words.
Sombra Wilson
When I wrote Stones Cry Out, I wanted it to be one of our FREE books so everyone would have it. It is more of an encyclopedia than a book to read. It will be your quick resource book; you will have access to every question about any calendar, how it got started, and who started it. You will also learn the history of how the Mishnah was assembled, when it was assembled and why. Then, you will learn how that information was transferred into both the Jerusalem and the Babylonian Talmud until it reached its final stage in the Mishneh Torah. Along with this progression, the calendar also progressed and changed long after 358 C.E. when Rabbi Hillel first published it. But…what was before the Hillel calendar? What does the Mishnah record about those things?
The Stones Cry Out was originally going to be one book explaining all the various proofs we have discovered, demonstrating when the Sabbatical and Jubilee years are throughout history.
You can know; it is not a mystery.
As I began to write The Stones Cry Out, I quickly found myself going back, time and time again, to explain how the calendar is behind the confusion of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The Rabbis, as they began to write the Mishnah, incorporated wrong understandings, and those errors were written into what became known as the Talmud and then the Mishneh Torah. The expulsion from the land and subsequent persecutions in trying to send out messengers to report the barley being found or the crescent moon being seen, proved to be more and more dangerous over time. All of these things took place over 14 centuries.
Then as I was working on The Stones Cry Out, I discovered that many people were now accepting the Zadok calendar as factual. This is when we pivoted to include all the details of the various calendars that have crept back into public knowledge today and are being used to mislead new people who are just starting to learn about the calendar. All of this was directly connected to the period starting with the Hasmonaeans, up to the destruction of the Temple. Then, with the compiling of the Mishnah, the studies that led into the writing of the Jerusalem Talmud, then the Babylonian Talmud and finally the Mishneh Torah, each error that was added is compounded over time.
The Stones Cry Out, Part 1 explains the history of how each compilation of the Oral Torah incorporated errors, leading the followers thereof away from the actual Torah. In understanding these facts, it is then possible to understand more readily how the Sabbatical and Jubilee years were then mixed and later changed. By explaining all this history, I will be able to help you the reader understand the tombstones when most authorities do not. They have assumed, to their error, the Hillel calendar to have always been in use since Mount Sinai. Not understanding the history of the calendars is why most authorities dismiss the tombstones as too confusing to use. Once you understand The Stones Cry Out Part 1, Part 2 will be very easy to grasp.
Daniel 7:25 tells us he will change the appointed seasons and commandments. Many assume Constantine did this when he made Sunday the Sabbath. Few have considered the calendar’s many changes and how they relate to us today. Hidden in this proverbial swamp of confusion is the truth about the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The Sabbatical and Jubilee years reveal the truths about the calendar that have been hidden for almost 2000 years.
We are in the very last days and Yehshua warned us that during this time:
Mat 24:10 And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets will rise and deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold.
Mat 24:13 But he who endures to the end, the same shall be kept safe.
Paul also warned Timothy about these last days, warning that some would leave the truth and begin to follow demonic teachers:
1Ti 4:1 But the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons,
Paul again warned the Thessalonians that the Great Falling away would take place in the last days. How can you fall away if you have never come to know the truth? So who is Paul talking to? Those who are called and answer that calling begin to walk this road of restoration back to Yehovah, and then at some point along that walk, they change and leave this walk following the teachings of demons to false calendar.
2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, my brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,
2Th 2:2 that you should not be soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word or letter, as through us, as if the Day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3 Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition,
2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.
We must endure until the end. We must not let ourselves become offended by personalities and leave the faith once given.
I want you all to have access to and the ability to read this book and use it as a reference. https://sightedmoon.com/the-stones-cry-out-lp/ Click on the link fill in the form and you will have access to the FREE PDF anywhere in the world. If you want a copy you can hold in your hands we have published it at Amazon for the lowest price they would allow us. Order you copy after Shabbat and begin to read it today.
It Was a Riddle, Not a Command
It’s a Riddle, Not a Command
Cracking the Code of Christ’s Return
Counting of the Omer
Counting of the Omer
When counting the Omer, someone is surely going to ask you or say it publicly: where are we commanded to count the Omer?
When you are asked this then you will take them to Lev 23:15
“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.
The English word sheaf is the Hebrew word Omer.
H6016 (Brown-Driver-Briggs) עמר ‛ômer
BDB Definition:
1) omer
1a) a dry measure of 1/10 ephah (about 2 litres)
2) sheaf
Here, you are told that there are two different methods of counting the 50 days. The first was to count 7 full weeks and the second was to count out the full 50 days.
Again, in Deut 16:9, you are told to COUNT. It is a commandment to count the days and/or weeks. You start from the time the sickle is first put to the Barley grain, which was done after sunset, after the weekly Saturday Sabbath. This counting began with Wave Sheaf Day. It is because of Deut 16:9 that you can not harvest before as some claim until Wave Sheaf Day or Saturday evening after sunset.
“You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain.
According to some the commandment ‘and you shall count for yourselves fifty days’ means to simply observe the 50th day as Shavuot while others actually declare out loud the number on each of the fifty days. A medieval Karaite Jewish practice combines two different methods of declaring the daily count. The first method is the counting of seven weeks. Each day, the number of the week and the number of the day in the week are declared. So for example, the first day is ‘first day of the first week’. The second counting method used is an overall number for each day. In this method Day one is ‘the first day’ and Day 25 is ‘the twenty-fifth day’. These two methods are used to satisfy the commandment to count seven weeks (Deuteronomy 16:9) as well as the commandment to count fifty days (Leviticus 23:16).
During each one of these days of Counting the Omer to Pentecost, Jewish tradition has developed around reading the Psalms on certain days. I find this to be very beneficial. It is customary that following the “Counting of the Omer,” one recites Psalm 67, for according to tradition, that Psalm has forty-nine words, which corresponds perfectly to the forty-nine days of the “Counting of the Omer.”
And as you meditate on and do these readings, which includes the Counting of the Omer command, keep in mind what this symbolizes. It is the counting of the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years and where we are in that cycle. We are in the thirtieth year in 2025, which corresponds to the thirtieth day of the “Counting of the Omer.”
Wave Sheaf day is so exciting to understand and amazing to believe because it forebodes when we will be changed and raised. If you want to call this the Rapture then I can except that if you are obeying Yehovah. If you’re not obeying Yehovah and you think the laws are done away with, then you will not be in this resurrection or raptured. You will be told to be gone you workers of lawlessness, I never knew you.
We will speak more about this as Pentecost draws closer. It is the Feast of Oaths, the 8th day of the Jubilee year.
When you count from the Wave offering of the barley to Pentecost, it is called the counting of the Omer. You are to count each day up to the 50th day. This Sunday, March 16, 2025, is day one. We are to count the Omer.
As I said, this is the most special time of year for me and in years past I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why, other than it had something to do with Yehshua’s resurrection and waiting in anticipation for Shavuot. While I cannot put into words how my understanding of this has grown, all I can say is that “it clicked!” and “now I get it!”, at least more than before. Understanding follows obedience. So OBEY and learn. You learn by doing as we are told in James.
James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
All 50 days and each of the Psalms can be found at the back of our book, Remembering the Sabbatical year of 2016
Counting of the Omer–Week 5
Day Twenty-Nine A Song of Thanksgiving Psalm 67:1-7
Today is the first day of the fifth week of seven weeks. Today is the twenty-ninth day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath.
Psa 67:1 Elohim does favour us and bless us, Cause His face to shine upon us. Selah.
Psa 67:2 For Your way to be known on earth, Your deliverance among all nations.
Psa 67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim, Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You judge the peoples uprightly, And lead the nations on earth. Selah.
Psa 67:5 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim; Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:6 The earth shall give her increase; Elohim, our own Elohim, blesses us!
Psa 67:7 Elohim blesses us! And all the ends of the earth fear Him!
Today is the second day of the fifth week of seven weeks. Today is the thirtieth day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath.
Psa 67:1 Elohim does favour us and bless us, Cause His face to shine upon us. Selah.
Psa 67:2 For Your way to be known on earth, Your deliverance among all nations.
Psa 67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim, Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You judge the peoples uprightly, And lead the nations on earth. Selah.
Psa 67:5 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim; Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:6 The earth shall give her increase; Elohim, our own Elohim, blesses us!
Psa 67:7 Elohim blesses us! And all the ends of the earth fear Him!
Day Thirty | Yehovah & His People (Part I) Psalm 78:1-16
Psa 78:1 My people, give ear to my Torah, Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
Psa 78:2 I open my mouth in a parable; I utter riddles of old,
Psa 78:3 Which we have heard and known, For our fathers have related them to us.
Psa 78:4 We do not hide them from their children, Relating to the generation to come the praises of Yehovah, And His strength and His wonders which He has done.
Psa 78:5 For He raised a witness in Ya?aqo?, And set a Torah in Yisra’?l, Which He commanded our fathers, To teach them to their children;
Psa 78:6 That it might be known to a generation to come, To children who would be born, To rise up and relate them to their children,
Psa 78:7 And place their trust in Elohim, And not forget the works of ?l, But watch over His commands,
Psa 78:8 And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation which did not prepare its heart, Whose spirit was not steadfast to ?
Psa 78:9 The children of Ephrayim, armed bowmen, Turned back in the day of battle.
Psa 78:10 They did not guard the covenant of Elohim, And they refused to walk in His Torah,
Psa 78:11 And they forgot His deeds And His wonders which He had shown them.
Psa 78:12 He did wonders in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Mitsrayim, in the field of Tso?an.
Psa 78:13 He split the sea and caused them to pass through, And He made the waters stand up like a heap,
Psa 78:14 And led them with the cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.
Psa 78:15 He split the rocks in the wilderness, And made them drink, as from the great depths,
Psa 78:16 And brought forth streams from the rock, And caused waters to come down as rivers.
Today is the third day of the fifth week of seven weeks. Today is the thirty-first day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath.
Psa 67:1 Elohim does favour us and bless us, Cause His face to shine upon us. Selah.
Psa 67:2 For Your way to be known on earth, Your deliverance among all nations.
Psa 67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim, Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You judge the peoples uprightly, And lead the nations on earth. Selah.
Psa 67:5 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim; Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:6 The earth shall give her increase; Elohim, our own Elohim, blesses us!
Psa 67:7 Elohim blesses us! And all the ends of the earth fear Him!
Day Thirty-One | Yehovah & His People (Part II) Psalm 78:17-31
Psa 78:17 Yet they sinned still more against Him To rebel against the Most High in the desert.
Psa 78:18 And they tried ?l in their heart By asking food according to their desire.
Psa 78:19 And they spoke against Elohim. They said, “Is ?l able to set a table in the wilderness?
Psa 78:20 “Look, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Is He able to give bread also? Would He provide meat for His people?”
Psa 78:21 Therefore Yehovah heard, and He was wroth; So a fire was kindled against Ya?aqo?, And displeasure also came up against Yisrael?
Psa 78:22 Because they did not believe in Elohim, Neither did they trust in His deliverance.
Psa 78:23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of the heavens,
Psa 78:24 And He rained down manna on them to eat, And He gave them the grain of the heavens.
Psa 78:25 Men ate bread of the mighty; He sent them provisions to satisfaction.
Psa 78:26 He made an east wind blow in the heavens; And by His power He brought in the south wind.
Psa 78:27 And He rained meat on them like the dust, And winged birds like the sand of the seas,
Psa 78:28 And let them fall in the midst of His camp, All around His Dwelling Place.
Psa 78:29 So they ate and were completely satisfied, For He brought them what they desired.
Psa 78:30 They had not turned away from their desire, Their food was still in their mouths,
Psa 78:31 When the wrath of Elohim came against them, And He killed among their fat ones, And He struck down the choice ones of Yisra’?l.
Today is the fourth day of the fifth week of seven weeks. Today is the thirty-second day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath.
Psa 67:1 Elohim does favour us and bless us, Cause His face to shine upon us. Selah.
Psa 67:2 For Your way to be known on earth, Your deliverance among all nations.
Psa 67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim, Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You judge the peoples uprightly, And lead the nations on earth. Selah.
Psa 67:5 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim; Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:6 The earth shall give her increase; Elohim, our own Elohim, blesses us!
Psa 67:7 Elohim blesses us! And all the ends of the earth fear Him!
Day Thirty-Two | Yehovah & His People (Part III) Psalm 78:32-39
Psa 78:32 In spite of all this they still sinned, And did not believe in His wonders.
Psa 78:33 So He ended their days in a breath, And their years in trouble.
Psa 78:34 When He killed them, then they sought Him, And they returned and did earnestly seek ?l.
Psa 78:35 And they remembered that Elohim was their rock, And the Most High ?l their redeemer.
Psa 78:36 But they flattered Him with their mouth, And they lied to Him with their tongue,
Psa 78:37 For their heart was not steadfast with Him, And they were not true to His covenant.
Psa 78:38 But He, the Compassionate One, Pardoned crookedness, And did not destroy them. And many a time He turned His displeasure away, And did not stir up all His wrath.
Psa 78:39 For He remembered that they were but flesh, A passing breath that does not return.
Today is the fifth day of the fifth week of seven weeks. Today is the thirty-third day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath.
Psa 67:1 Elohim does favour us and bless us, Cause His face to shine upon us. Selah.
Psa 67:2 For Your way to be known on earth, Your deliverance among all nations.
Psa 67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim, Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You judge the peoples uprightly, And lead the nations on earth. Selah.
Psa 67:5 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim; Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:6 The earth shall give her increase; Elohim, our own Elohim, blesses us!
Psa 67:7 Elohim blesses us! And all the ends of the earth fear Him!
Day Thirty-Three | Yehovah & His People (Part IV) | Psalm 78:40-55
Psa 78:40 How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert!
Psa 78:41 And again and again they tried ?l, And provoked the Set-apart One of Yisra’?l.
Psa 78:42 They did not remember His hand, The day when He redeemed them from the adversary,
Psa 78:43 How He worked His signs in Mitsrayim, And His wonders in the field of Tso?an.
Psa 78:44 He turned their rivers into blood, And they could not drink their streams.
Psa 78:45 He sent among them swarms of flies which devoured them, And frogs which destroyed them,
Psa 78:46 And gave their crops to the caterpillar, And their labour to the locust.
Psa 78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore trees with frost,
Psa 78:48 And gave their beasts over to the hail, And their livestock to bolts of fire.
Psa 78:49 He sent on them the burning of His displeasure, Wrath, and rage, and distress, A deputation of messengers of evils.
Psa 78:50 He made a path for His displeasure; He did not spare their being from death, But gave their life over to the plague.
Psa 78:51 And He struck all the first-born in Mitsrayim, The first-fruits of strength in the tents of ?am,
Psa 78:52 Then made His own people go forth like sheep, And led them in the wilderness like a flock.
Psa 78:53 And He led them on safely, And they did not fear, But the sea covered their enemies.
Psa 78:54 And He brought them to the border of His set-apart place, This mountain which His right hand had gained,
Psa 78:55 And drove out nations before them, And allotted them a measured inheritance, And made the tribes of Yisra’?l dwell in their tents.
Today is the sixth day of the fifth week of seven weeks. Today is the thirty-fourth day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath.
Psa 67:1 Elohim does favour us and bless us, Cause His face to shine upon us. Selah.
Psa 67:2 For Your way to be known on earth, Your deliverance among all nations.
Psa 67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim, Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You judge the peoples uprightly, And lead the nations on earth. Selah.
Psa 67:5 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim; Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:6 The earth shall give her increase; Elohim, our own Elohim, blesses us!
Psa 67:7 Elohim blesses us! And all the ends of the earth fear Him!
Day Thirty-Four | Yehovah & His People (Part V) Psalm 78:56-72
Psa 78:56 Yet they tried and rebelled Against the Most High Elohim, And did not guard His witnesses,
Psa 78:57 But they turned back And acted treacherously like their fathers; They twisted like a treacherous bow.
Psa 78:58 For they enraged Him with their high places, And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.
Psa 78:59 When Elohim heard this, He was wroth, And greatly despised Yisra’el,
Psa 78:60 And He left the Dwelling Place of Shiloh, The Tent which He had set up among men.
Psa 78:61 And He gave His strength into captivity, And His comeliness into the hand of the adversary.
Psa 78:62 And He gave His people over to the sword, And He was wroth with His inheritance.
Psa 78:63 His young men were consumed by fire, And His maidens were not praised.
Psa 78:64 His priests fell by the sword, And their widows could not weep.
Psa 78:65 Then Yehovah awoke as one asleep, As a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
Psa 78:66 And He struck His adversaries backward, He put them to an everlasting reproach.
Psa 78:67 Then He rejected the tent of Yoseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephrayim,
Psa 78:68 But chose the tribe of Yehudah, Mount Tsiyon, which He loved.
Psa 78:69 And He built His set-apart place like the heights, Like the earth He founded it forever.
Psa 78:70 And He chose Dawi? His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
Psa 78:71 He brought him in from tending the ewes, To shepherd Yacaqob His people, And Yisra’?l His inheritance.
Psa 78:72 And he shepherded them According to the integrity of his heart, And led them by the skill of his hands.
Today is the seventh day of the fifth week of seven weeks. Today is the thirty-fifth day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath. Today is Sabbath, the fifth Sabbath of seven Sabbaths. Today completes the fifth week of seven weeks.
Psa 67:1 Elohim does favour us and bless us, Cause His face to shine upon us. Selah.
Psa 67:2 For Your way to be known on earth, Your deliverance among all nations.
Psa 67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim, Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You judge the peoples uprightly, And lead the nations on earth. Selah.
Psa 67:5 Let the peoples praise You, O Elohim; Let all the peoples praise You.
Psa 67:6 The earth shall give her increase; Elohim, our own Elohim, blesses us!
Psa 67:7 Elohim blesses us! And all the ends of the earth fear Him!
Day Thirty-Five | Yehovah, the King Psalm 93:1-5
Psa 93:1 Yehovah shall reign, He shall put on excellency; Yehovah shall put on strength; He shall gird Himself. Indeed, the world is established, immovable.
Psa 93:2 Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.
Psa 93:3 Rivers shall lift up, O Yehovah, Rivers shall lift up their voice; Rivers lift up their breakers.
Psa 93:4 Yehovah on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, The mighty breakers of the sea.
Psa 93:5 Your witnesses have been very trustworthy. Set-apartness befits Your house, O Yehovah, forever.
The Barley is Shattered.
The Barley is Shattered.
We have reported to you how Becca Bidderman reported the barley was shattering when she looked at it on March 17 just a day after we kept Wave Sheaf Day March 16, 2025. We also reported how Devorah reported the barley was shattered and being cut on MArch 18, just two days after we kept Wave Sheaf Day. Both of them claim the Wave Sheaf Day would be in April 21 2025.
Yoel Halevi came out this week with his video showing the barley in the Jordan Valley was shattered everywhere he looked. He even went so far as to state it should have been harvested two weeks earlier, which was March 16, when we claimed it was Wave Sheaf Day.
All three of these groups have now admitted that barley is shattering and that by the time they keep Wave Sheaf Day on April 21, it will be long gone. How sad none of them are going to repent and keep Shavuot on May 4, 2025 and get back in line with Yehovah.
A friend of ours told us that we were right about the timing of the barley because all the fields they saw had already been cut or were already shattered. They used to search the barley years ago. Even pictures from Israel Nature on Facebook are showing the fields in northern Israel being harvested now. Again, way before all the groups who claim Wave Sheaf Day is April 21, 2025. We are the only group to declare Wave Sheaf Day March 16, 2025.
IT IS TIME TO REPENT!!!
Here is the video I made this week to explain the barley situation.
And here is our video explaining why this is so important.
Decorah reported the barley was Aviv and full of dough in this video on March 17, 2025.
Devorah reported the barley was shattered, and they were already cutting it in her video on March 28, 2025.
In this next report from Becca Biderman she states the older barley is shattered. Listen to her own words at the 3:45 minute mark
You have Yoel stating the barley is shattered everywhere in the Jordan Valley on March 30. You have Devorah showing you the barley is being cut and Aviv on March 18, two days after we kept Wave Sheaf Day on March 16, 2025. We have Becca stating the Barley is now shattered on March 17, 2025, in the very same field we searched the month before. And we have out two friends in Israel who do not want to be named stating that everywhere they look the Barley is being cut and that we were right to declare the Month of Aviv. as last month.
You now have five witnesses confirming what myself and four other witnesses stated last month. The month of Aviv began in March and not in April 2025.
And we now have pictures from Israel of the wheat being harvested as silage once again.
With such a cloud of witnesses, why are so many keeping Passover in April and not in March when the Barley was already aviv and beginning to shatter? Why are many of you continuing to harden your hearts and not repent to keep the Holy Days in the proper seasons? There are consequences when you do not obey.
Wave Sheaf Day for all of these groups will be April 20, 2025 if they keep Passover April 14 to April 20. What are you going to do in order to have the crops and the Holy Days all line up. The wheat is now being harvested. May 4, 2025 will be our 50 day of Shavuot. Will you keep it according to Yehovah’s commandments?
The Woman Flees
The Woman Flees
Many of you may be wondering why I am raising the issue of the barley once again as many others are now about to keep their Passover next week.
The answer is simple, because I do care.
It begins in Isaiah with this understanding.
An Oracle Concerning Moab
Isa 15:1 The burden of Moab. Because in a night Ar of Moab is laid waste; it is cut off; because in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste; it is cut off.
Isa 15:2 One has gone up to the house, even to Dibon, the high places, to weep. Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba; baldness shall be on all their heads, every beard cut off.
Isa 15:3 In the streets they shall clothe themselves with sackcloth; on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, everyone shall howl, melting in tears.
Isa 15:4 And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh; their voice shall be heard as far as Jahaz. So the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life is broken to him.
Isa 15:5 My heart shall cry to Moab; his fugitives flee to Zoar, a heifer of three years. He goes up the ascent to Luhith with weeping; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of ruin.
Isa 15:6 For the waters of Nimrim are desolation; for the hay has dried up and the grass fails, there is no green thing.
Isa 15:7 Therefore one made up the remainder and their store; over the torrent of the willows they shall carry them.
Isa 15:8 For the cry has gone around the border of Moab, its howling even to Eglaim; yea, its howling even to Beer-elim.
Isa 15:9 For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; for I will put on Dimon more things for the escaped ones of Moab, a lion, even for the remnant of the land.
Continue to read what is going to happen to Moab. But as you do, take note on a map of the cities that are going to be destroyed and the ones that are not. Then also note where Yehovah’s outcasts, HIs remnant, are and that they are to be hidden as a shadow in the night. Also, pay attention to the last verse about just how many will be there.
Isa 16:1 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land from the rock of the desert to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
Isa 16:2 For it shall be as a fleeing bird cast out of the nest, the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.
Isa 16:3 Take counsel, do judgment; make your shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; do not betray the fugitive.
Isa 16:4 Let my outcasts dwell with you, Moab; be a shelter to them from the face of the destroyer; for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceases, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.
Isa 16:5 And in mercy the throne shall be established; and he shall sit on it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking judgment, and speeding righteousness.
Isa 16:6 We have heard of the pride of Moab; very proud; even of his vanity, and his pride, and his rage; not so are his babblings.
Isa 16:7 So Moab shall howl for Moab, everyone shall howl. All of it shall howl for the foundations of Kir-hareseth; surely they are stricken.
Isa 16:8 For Heshbon’s fields droop, the vine of Sibmah. The lords of the nations have crushed its choice plants, they have come to Jazer, they wander in the desert; her branches are stretched out, they have crossed the sea.
Isa 16:9 On account of this I will weep with the weeping of Jazer, the vine of Sibmah. I will water you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for the shouting has fallen on your fruit and on your harvest.
Isa 16:10 And gladness and joy are gathered out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there is no singing and no shouting. The treader shall tread out no wine in the presses; I have made their shouting to cease.
Isa 16:11 Therefore my belly shall sound like a harp for Moab, and my bowels for Kir-hareseth.
Isa 16:12 And it shall be when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, he shall come to his sacred place to pray; but he shall not be able.
Isa 16:13 This is the Word that Jehovah has spoken to Moab since that time.
Isa 16:14 But now Jehovah has spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be abased with all that great host and the remnant few; small, not mighty.
The years of a heifer, the years of a hireling are shown to you in Revelation 12 when the woman flees.
The Woman and the Dragon
Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great sign in the heavens, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head,
Rev 12:2 and having a babe in womb, she cries, being in travail, having been distressed to bear.
Rev 12:3 And another sign was seen in the heavens. And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads!
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them onto the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman being about to bear, so that when she bears he might devour her child.
Rev 12:5 And she bore a son, a male, who is going to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, so that they might nourish her there a thousand, two hundred and sixty days.
Satan Thrown Down to Earth
Rev 12:7 And there was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels warring against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels warred,
Rev 12:8 but did not prevail. Nor was place found for them in Heaven any more.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a great voice saying in Heaven, Now has come the salvation and power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their soul until death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and those tabernacling in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and in the sea! For the Devil came down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a little time.
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who bore the man child .
Rev 12:14 And two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, so that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the serpent’s face.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water like a flood after the woman, so that he might cause her to be carried away by the river.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was enraged over the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The reason I spend so much time explaining the barley and the calendar everywhere I go is because of the very last verse. After the woman flees into the wilderness, the beast goes to make war with the rest of the woman seed who keep the commandments. I keep asking why those who keep the commandments did not flee with the woman??? it is because they were on the wrong calendar. The woman flees at Passover. This is why we eat our meals in haste.
Exo 12:11 And you shall eat of it this way, with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in a hurry. It is Jehovah’s passover.
We are being trained to prepare for the second Greater Exodus when we flee through Golgotha.
Zec 14:4 And His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall divide from its middle, from the east and to the west, a very great valley. And half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zec 14:5 And you shall flee to the valley of My mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And Jehovah my God shall come, and all the saints with you.
That valley is called the Kidron river and comes out at the Dead Sea just south of Qumron. Directly across from you is the Fords of Arnon in Moab. Here is why you should not go into Amman Jordan and why so many in Moab will be destroyed as well.
Jeremiah 49:2: “Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire…” This directly names Rabbah (Amman) as a target of destruction, with surrounding towns (“her daughters”) also being burned. Ezekiel 25:5: “And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching place for flocks…” This implies Rabbah’s desolation, suggesting it will be uninhabitable. Amos 1:14: “But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof…” Fire consuming Rabbah’s palaces indicates significant destruction. Isaiah 17:2: “The cities of Aroer are forsaken…” Aroer, located near Amman in ancient Ammonite territory, is prophesied to be abandoned, which Dumond might extend to the broader region.
The 200,000,000 man army coming from the East will be on its way to Jerusalem for that final battle. The Euphrates will have been dried up for them to come about the year 2029. By Passover 2030, fleeing into Moab is going to look very terrifying yet that is where we are to go for times, time and half a time. Those who do not flee with the woman will be killed as Revelation 12 tells us. They keep the commandments but did not flee at Passover with her because they were on the wrong calendar.
Where do we flee to?
Where do we flee to?
Published: Apr 1, 2018
News Letter 5854-003
The 2nd Year of the 4th Sabbatical Cycle
The 23rd year of the Jubilee Cycle
The 14th day of the 1st month 5854 years after the creation of Adam
The 1st Month in the Second year of the Fourth Sabbatical Cycle
The 4th Sabbatical Cycle after the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Sword, Famines, and Pestilence
April 1, 2018
Shabbat Shalom To the Royal Family,
Fleeing to the wrong place
When I was in the Churches of God it was suggested that the place of safety we were going to end up at was Petra in Jordan. We also figured that only our group was going to be in that safe place.
We were sure wrong about all of that.
Today I see groups of people building refuge camps or places of safety or communes where they all must agree to abide by whatever rules those setting up the place deem appropriate.
Each group has their own calendar they follow and that determines who gets into their group. They want to set up in some remote area and be totally self-sufficient, living off the land, as if they had just moved back to the 1890’s.
(I have been dead set against this because we are to let our lights shine in the dark places of this world. You cannot do that when they are all gathered in one place and hid as it were under a basket. But that was then. We are fast approaching the time when the 2300 Days of Hell are to begin. So now we must rethink our understanding chronologically.)
There are still others who have over the years fled to Jordan itself, knowing what the bible says about the end time events for Jordan. Once they get there they live under fear of being spied on by the Jordanian government, so they hide and grow afraid to speak out about the Torah or Yehovah whom they say they love.
Just a few years ago people were writing to me asking about the many who were fleeing due to the Daniel Timeline with the tribulation beginning at Purim 2013. This tribulation period was to end with the Jubilee year of 2017 and 2016 being the 49th year according to their calculations. These people were fleeing to of all places some campground in Kansas. (Isn’t that where all the tornados are?) And they had weekly and bi-weekly updates on the daily events in Jerusalem and surrounding nations leading up to what they thought was the impending tribulation period. I think you all know who I mean here.
Others contact me to help them promote their particular place of safety, or ask me to join them in the hopes I might bring others with me. And then those I have exposed in the past become furious with me for not joining their ridiculous expedition of failure.
It is Jonestown over and over. But no one thinks they are Jim Jones. No, they all imagine themselves as the last of the Heroes at Masada cheating the Romans (Babylon) of their victory by committing suicide or getting off the grid in some remote section of the country.
Maybe you were a part of these groups in the past or you are in one of these groups now. Maybe you are planning to get out of Dodge as you read this Newsletter.
Maybe you have already moved to Puerto Rico,(then got slammed by Hurricane Irma in 2017) or Ecuador, or Guatemala, or San Salvador, or Costa Rica and begun to build your place of safety. We have written about this before. You can read that article here. You can also flee to Montana or Saskatchewan now as well if you want. But all of these places are the results of human inventions. What does your Bible say?
Almost all of these groups mentioned above believe the USA is Babylon. They get this idea from those who teach and dabble in Illuminati and conspiracy teachings, not trusting any government because the leaders are all 33 degree Freemasons or they have some secret society handshake that only they know about. They teach that the Twin Towers was an inside job which proves you cannot trust any Government. And this then implies that you can only trust those who have the secret information which is only that group.
Some of these groups are sincere Bible students and teachers. They have many truths and they teach some level of conspiracy teachings and mix them in with their bible studies. Over and over they say that the USA is Babylon the great and all the conspiracy teachings prove it. On and on it goes until they get enough people who only do half studies or do not study at all. They then find others who do not study or only do partial studies to swell their numbers, mixing the truth of Yehovah with the lies of the conspirators and the leadership of that group.
I do not care how Hebrew roots they say they are or how Torah observant you think they are. If they mix any conspiracy teachings or any Freemason or Illuminati teachings in with the Torah, run as fast as you can to the door and get out and never look back.
I do not care how big they are and how much you have learned from them. Run now and never go back. When you mix the truth of the Torah with untruths or flat out lies you get an abomination, which Yehovah hates. It is the Mixing of two kinds of seeds. It is spiritual idolatry.
Lev 19:19 You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with different kinds. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed. And you shall not allow clothing mixed of linen and wool to come on you.
Mt 15:9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
De 4:2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
De 12:32 Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
Pr 30:6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
Isa 30:1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;
We have provided exhaustive studies on exactly who the people of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and other North Western Nations of Europe are. We can prove it to you in spades from history and your bible that these people have descended from the 12 tribes of Israel.
We also show you in great detail how Daniel’s end-time Beast grows from the Beast before it and over the same area in which the first Beast appears. This end-time Beast of Babylon is going to cover the majority of Europe combined with the majority of North Africa and the entire Middle East, except Jordan.
Pro 1:20 Wisdom cries outside; she utters her voice in the streets; 21she cries in the chief place of gathering, in the openings of the gates; in the city she utters her words, saying, 22 How long will you love simplicity, simple ones? And will scorners delight in their scorning? And will fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn at my warning; behold, I will pour out my Spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention; 25 but you have despised all my advice, and would have none of my warning. 26 I also will laugh at your trouble; I will mock when your fear comes; 27 when your fear comes as a wasting away, and your ruin comes like a tempest when trouble and pain come upon you. 28 Then they shall call upon me, and I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me; 29 instead they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of Jehovah. 30 They would have none of my counsel; they despised all my correction, 31 and they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own desires. 32 For the turning away of the simple kills them, and the ease of fools destroys them. 33But whoever listens to me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
You are to flee with the woman, as you are told in Revelation. You are to flee from Jerusalem. So you had better figure out how you’re going to get to Jerusalem from the secret place you are now planning on hiding at. Because if you do not go with that woman into the wilderness, Revelation then says the beast turns and makes war with those who keep the commandments.
Have you considered that?
I will leave that thought with you to think about.
Rev 12:12-17 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
The Greater Exodus
In the past number of weeks and years, we have shown you when these world shattering end time events are to take place. We have shown you over and over who it is that is going to do what to whom. By now you all should be able to prove this to anyone who asks you. Many people talk about the second Exodus or the Greater Exodus that is soon to come and how some of us will be a part of it.
And they all quote Jeremiah when they talk about this subject.
Jeremiah 16:14 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.
What I have found in most teachers is the lack of or the willingness to tell you that before you can come out of this captivity or this 2nd Exodus, you must, first of all, go into captivity. This means our people must be defeated in war and those of us who survive taken into captivity and enslaved. This has been the ongoing teaching that we at sightedmoon.com have been sharing with you. Warning you that war is coming and that today that war is not far off. And out of the millions that are alive today only a remnant will survive.
Isaiah 10:20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.
Our teaching a couple of weeks ago about South Africa is a warning for all the tribes of Israel. We have also spoken about ISIS and how they have slaughtered millions. Husbands and sons will be separated from the women and girls. Then males will be slaughtered and the women turned into sex slaves and then they too will be killed. We are all about to be beaten and raped and tortured and murdered and this is going to go on for years before the two witnesses begin to avenge the millions who have died.
We are told again in Isaiah that Yehovah is going to gather us a second time, again, the second greater exodus.
Isaiah 11:10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west, and together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them. And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching breath, and strike it into seven channels, and he will lead people across in sandals. And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.
We are told a lot in this section of Isaiah. First that King David is going to be the signal for the world at Jerusalem. But as you know, those who have a good understanding of the Torah and the Holy Days, that David is not resurrected until Shavuot in the final year of the Tribulation. His resting place is still today, Jerusalem. But you should know these things. See our many articles on this subject and begin to understand the truth.
Right here in Isaiah 11, we are told where the remnant, those who survive leading up to the tribulation, are to come back from. Do you see south or central America? Do you see Kansas? Do you see Jordan? They are coming back from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. Over and over again we are told that they will be brought back from Assyria and Egypt.
Zech 10:8 “I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before. Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return. I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them. He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart. I will make them strong in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the Lord.
Isaiah 27:13 And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
Micah 7:12 In that day they will come to you, from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the River, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain. But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds.
So, I have to ask you why have none of you fled to these places? Why are none of the Hebrew Roots people promoting these places to flee to? Kansas, give me a break!
The lead up to this war is taking place right now and it is followed by the 2300 Days of Daniel 8 in which the SAINTS are trampled underfoot for years. It is not talking about the sanctuary, it is about the SAINTS, the descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel in these last days. The time of Jacobs trouble is now.
Jeremiah 30:1-11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”
These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
“Thus says the Lord:
We have heard a cry of panic,
of terror, and no peace.
Ask now, and see,
can a man bear a child?
Why then do I see every man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?
Why has every face turned pale?
Alas! That day is so great
there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
yet he shall be saved out of it.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him. But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
“Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord,
nor be dismayed, O Israel;
for behold, I will save you from far away,
and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
and none shall make him afraid.
For I am with you to save you,
declares the Lord;
I will make a full end of all the nations
among whom I scattered you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
I will discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.
In the book of Revelation, I want you to read the 5th seal. But before that fifth seal, you must first read the other four.
Rev 6:1-11 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”
When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
The first four seals are describing Islam as it takes over the world. The first seal is the white horse that conquers with a bow. See our article on The Hunters Cometh. The second seal after Islam gets a toehold with the faith that claims peace peace when there is no peace is the red horse of war. Then comes the black horse and starvation and then the pale horse is diseases and death. Over 1/4 of the earth will die as a result of Islam and the destruction they bring to everywhere they go.
Islam, the world’s fastest-growing faith, will leap from 1.6 billion (in 2010) to 2.76 billion by 2050, according to the Pew study. At that time, Muslims will make up nearly one-third of the world’s total projected population of about 9 billion people.
Christianity is expected to grow, too, but not at Islam’s explosive rate. The Pew study predicts Christians will increase from 2.17 billion to 2.92 billion, composing more than 31% of the world’s population.
This will lead to war as each tries to dominate the other in politics and business. And you oh Israel will go back into captivity once again because you must come out of that captivity.
Now let’s read the 5th seal with the knowledge that the first four are describing the conquering of the world by the false religion of Islam. Even these four colours of the 4 horses make up the colours of many Islamic flags.
Rev 6:9-11 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
Many of those who keep Torah are going to die and be found under this altar waiting to be resurrected at Shavuot. These are not those who did not obey Yehovah. But notice they seek vengeance. Who is it that does this?
Rev 19:1-2 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
The two witnesses begin this process of vengeance by the curses they command to come upon the whole earth.
Isa 11:12 He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.
Isa 56:8 Yehovah, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
It will not just be the Israelites who are gathered only but those who are obedient to Torah from other nations as well. Anyone who obeys is now eligible and is to be part of this ingathering.
Isa 43:5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west;
Jer 23:3 “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
Jer 29:14 I will be found by you, says Yehovah, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says Yehovah, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.
Jer 31:8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there.
Jer 31:10 “Hear the word of Yehovah, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’
Getting back to Isaiah 11, when we do any research at all we know that the prisoners are taken to these countries mentioned in Isaiah. So, who are these countries? We have studied them in the past. Assyria is modern-day Germany and, by extension, Europe. And we saw from WW II that the prisoner of war camps were death camps and slave labour camps. And Germany has just brought over a million Muslims to live in their country. This is not where you want to spend the time from 2020 to 2030 trying to survive.
When we look at Egypt and the list of other nations, we see that these, too, are the prisoner of war places and not places we would want to be held captive in, which are Islamic nations today. The list again is Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. This is Iraq, Iran, and North Africa. Again, all nations that are prophesied to come together as one nation under the King of the North and the King of the South. A German-led Islamic nation, and we have seen what happens to the Jews and the Christians in these nations. They are tortured and raped, enslaved and destroyed. By the way, Germany used to be the nation that colonized East Africa. We will have more on this later in this article.
We have said this many times before and will repeat it here. Islam does not mix with the host nation they have immigrated to or invaded. They do not assimilate into the culture. Germany is represented by iron and Islam by the clay, and they do not mix in Daniels’s image of the toes of this end-time beast system.
Daniel 2:40-45 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
But I also see something else here. Do you? Read what is to happen again here in Isaiah 24.
The Coastlands?
Isaiah 24:1-23 Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate,
and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
for the Lord has spoken this word.
The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.
The earth lies defiled
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.
The wine mourns,
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted sigh.
The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
No more do they drink wine with singing;
strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
The wasted city is broken down;
every house is shut up so that none can enter.
There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
all joy has grown dark;
the gladness of the earth is banished.
Desolation is left in the city;
the gates are battered into ruins.
For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.
Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!
For the traitors have betrayed,
with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
Terror and the pit and the snare
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
He who flees at the sound of the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble.
The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is split apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
The earth staggers like a drunken man;
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.
On that day the Lord will punish
the host of heaven, in heaven,
and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
They will be gathered together
as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days they will be punished.
Then the moon will be confounded
and the sun ashamed,
for the Lord of hosts reigns
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and his glory will be before his elders.
What are you being told in verses 15-16?
Therefore in the east give glory to Yehovah;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of Yehovah, the God of Israel.
From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!
While many are wasting away in captivity with no hope, they will hear of some in the east in the coastlands of the sea giving GLORY TO THE NAME OF YEHOVAH THE ELOHIM OF ISRAEL. Who are these people?
I also have to point out one other thing you are told here. So many people say the laws are done away with. Or that they are only for when you are in the Land of Israel, or that they are only for the Jews. Yet right here in Isaiah, you are told that the WHOLE EARTH HAS BROKEN THE COVENANT AND ARE UNDER A CURSE!
Isaiah 24:4-6 The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.The earth lies defiled
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.
Have you considered what else Isaiah tells us? Read some more.
Isaiah 60:8 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their windows?
For the coastlands shall hope for me,
the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he has made you beautiful.
What does this mean? What are you being told here?
Hosea 11:11 has some more clues and you need to read the rest of this chapter to see just how anguished Yehovah is at what He is about to do to us, Israel.
they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
The doves are us, Israel. But where is this coastland?
Isaiah 51:5 My righteousness draws near,
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples;
the coastlands hope for me,
and for my arm they wait.
Do you see it? Do you recall what you read in Isaiah 11:11?
In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
We will also be brought back from the coastlands. Where is this?
Isaiah 42:4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
The coastlands are waiting for His law. What people on this earth are waiting for His law? Where is this place? Who are these people who hope for Yehovah? Where are these people who are singing praise to Yehovah from the ends of the earth? But there is more in this chapter.
Isaiah 42:5-9 Thus saith God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth; he that spread abroad the earth and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.
Isaiah 42:10:12 Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands.
Isaiah 66:18 “For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
“For as the new heavens and the new earth
that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your offspring and your name remain.
From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.
Yehovah is going to send some of the remnants of Israel to these coastal places, these people to teach them, and they, in turn, will gather all of Israel and bring them to Jerusalem as an offering, a grain offering. Is this not the Wheat or the barley offering that are made at Passover and Shavuot? There are no other grain offerings. My mind is going WOW WOW WOW as I read this. Is yours? Read it again and again. Know this verse.
What is the sign that Yehovah is going to set among them?
and I will set a sign among them.
The Sabbath is the sign of Yehovah. See our article on the Mark of the Beast.
And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away,
These are the places you will go to, to survive. But do any of you know where they are? What are they called today?
that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations.
Israel failed to declare His Glory and to live by His Laws, but these people who have not heard of Him will obey and they are going to be the ones crying out in the last days.
And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem,
The remnant of Israel is going to be brought back as an offering to Yehovah, like a grain offering, from these nations. So you need to study to learn who these nations are. And Imagine the blessings that will come to these nations who protect and care for those survivors of Israel.
Jeremiah 31:10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’ For the Lord has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
Let us just look up the word for coastlands in all of these verses. It is the same word each time.
H339 ‘i^y ee
From H183; properly a habitable spot (as desirable); dry land, a coast, an island: – country, isle, island.
H183 ‘a^va^h aw-vaw’
A primitive root; to wish for: – covet, (greatly) desire, be desirous, long, lust (after).
So, these coastlands are islands, and they are greatly desired. Something people lust over and long for.
In Canada, we have long cold winters. I lust for the Caribbean Islands all winter long because of the warm tropical winds and warm oceans and fresh fruit and lots of sunshine. Many lust after the warm islands of Greece in the winter to go to or the coast of Spain to spend time in enjoying the beaches and the warm sun. But the Caribbean Islands are not in the East nor are the Greek Isles nor anything in the Mediterranean Sea. They are not East of Jerusalem.
So, what Islands is Yehovah talking about?
Who are The Islands that Long for the Torah
Isaiah 24:15-16 Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.Isaiah 42:4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.Isaiah 41:1-6 Keep silence before Me, O coasts; and peoples shall renew strength; let them come near; then let them speak; let us come near together for judgment. Who raised up the righteous one from the east, called him to His foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow. He pursued them; he passed on in peace. He does not go by the way of his feet. Who has planned and done it, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, am the first and the last; I am He. The coastlands saw and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, and drew near, and came. They each one helped his neighbor, and said to his brother, Be strong.
The Coastlands are where they renew their strength and where they and those of the coastlands come together to be judged. The Coastlands fear Yehovah, whereas other nations do not revere Him, which is what fear means and they will be judged.
Luke says something very similar to this in;
Luke 11:31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
This is speaking of the Queen of Sheba and you are about to learn how the land of Sheba is associated with the coastlands that we are looking at.
These are quite powerful scriptures. I certainly do not see North America wanting the Torah like these Islands do. Nor glorifying the name of Yehovah. No not even the Caribbean Islands are crying out to Yehovah after all these past hurricanes which wiped so many houses and businesses away.
Who are these coastlands that hope for Yehovah and His Torah and praise His name? We get a clue in Isaiah 60:9 again.
Isaiah 60:8-9 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their windows?
For the coastlands shall hope for me,
the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he has made you beautiful.
The Ships of Tarshish are going to bring us back. Tarshish is first mentioned in Genesis. We need to now search out where Tarshish is in the hope of finding these Islands that are being lusted over and who sing praises to Yehovah and hope for His law.
Genesis 10:2-5 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.
So Tarshish is amongst the Coastland peoples. The word again for coastlands is again Islands.
Again, notice here in Genesis are the names of those mentioned in Isaiah 66:18
“For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory.
Tarshish
TARSHISH:
By: Isidore Singer, M. Seligsohn
In the genealogical table of the Noachide, Tarshish is given as the second son of Javan and is followed by Kittim and Dodanim (Gen. x. 4; I Chron. i. 7). As with all these names, Tarshish denotes a country; in several instances, indeed, it is mentioned as a maritime country lying in the remotest region of the earth. Thus, Jonah flees to Tarshish from the presence of Yhwh (Jonah i. 3, iv. 2). With Pul, Tubal, and Javan, it is mentioned as one of the remote places that have not heard of Yhwh (Isa. lxvi. 19, comp. lx. 9; Ps. lxxii. 10; Ezek. xxxviii. 13). Any large vessel capable of making a long sea-voyage was styled a “ship of Tarshish,” though this did not necessarily mean that the vessel sailed either to or from Tarshish (Ps. xlviii. 7; I Kings x. 22, xxii. 48; Isa. ii. 16; et al.). It seems that in parallel passages referring to Solomon’s and Jehoshaphat’s ships (I Kings l.c.) the author of Chronicles did not understand the meaning of “ships of Tarshish” (II Chron. ix. 21, xx. 36).Tarshish appears to have had a considerable trade in silver, iron, tin, and lead (Jer. x. 9; Ezek. xxvii. 12). It gave its name, besides, to a precious stone which has not yet been satisfactorily identified ( See Gems). The Targum of Jonathan renders the word “Tarshish” in the prophetical books by “sea,” which rendering is followed by Saadia. Moreover, the term “ships of Tarshish” is rendered by Jewish scholars “sea-ships” (comp. LXX., Isa. ii. 16, ????? ????????). Jerome, too, renders “Tarshish” by “sea” in many instances; and in his commentary on Isaiah (l.c.) he declares that he had been told by his Jewish teachers that the Hebrew word for “sea” was “tarshish.” In Isa. xxiii. 1 the Septuagint, and in Ezek. xxvii. 12 both the Septuagint and the Vulgate, render “Tarshish” by “Carthage,” apparently suggested by Jewish tradition. Indeed, the Targum of Jonathan renders “Tarshish” in I Kings xxii. 48 and Jer. x. 9 by “Afri?i,” that is, Carthage.
Josephus (“Ant.” i. 6, § 1), apparently reading “Tarshush,” identifies it with Tarsus in Cilicia. This identification was adopted by Bunsen and Sayce (“Expository Times,” 1902, p. 179); but it seems from Assyrian inscriptions that the original Hebrew name of Tarsus was not “Tarshush.” Bochart (in his “Phaleg”), followed by many later scholars, identifies Tarshish with Tartessus, mentioned by Herodotus and Strabo as a district of southern Spain; he thinks, moreover, that “Tartessus” is the Aramaic form of “Tarshish.” On the other hand, Le Page Renouf (“Proc. Soc. Bibl. Arch.” xvi. 104 et seq.) refutes this theory, declaring besides that Tartessus never really existed. Renouf’s opinion is that “Tarshish” means a coast, and, as the word occurs frequently in connection with Tyre, the Phenician coast is to be understood. Cheyne (in “Orientalische Litteraturzeitung,” iii. 151) thinks that “Tarshish” of Gen. x. 4, and “Tiras” of Gen. x. 2, are really two names of one nation derived from two different sources, and might indicate the Tyrsenians or Etruscans. Thus the name may denote Italy or the European coasts west of Greece.
I also have the following from Yair Davidiy.
The Assyrians claimed to control Tarsis in the far west of their domains. The exact position of Tarsis is still uncertain though a place somewhere on the west coast (more specifically the southwest coast) of Spain, near Gades (Cadiz) is usually accepted. In Classical (Greek and Roman) records there was an important center named “Tartessos” somewhere on the Spanish southwest coast. “Tartessos” is generally identified with the western Tarshish of Scripture. According to one opinion Tartessos once controlled most of Spain and Gaul8. Tartessos served as an emporium for goods from Gaul and Britain.
“Tarsis”, “Tartessos”, and “Tarshish” are all different ways of pronouncing the same name.
In Scripture and Talmudic sources TARSHISH is often linked with the “Isles of the Sea” (meaning Britain) and with the “Yam Okyanus” (i.e. Oceanic Sea) meaning the Atlantic Ocean9.
In some Talmudic accounts Tarshish is taken to refer to the Sea encompassing one third of the world10. The Aramaic translation of Yehonathan translates “Tarshish” as “sea”11. Rashi (the major Talmudic Commentator) says that (the sea) Tarshish is called the Sea of Africa presumably meaning the Atlantic*12.
In one of the Psalms, it says “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents” (Psalm 72;10): The Aramaic Targum translates this expression to say, “The Kings of Tarsis and of the Isles in the Oceanic Sea shall bring offerings” and by Oceanic Sea (i.e.”Yam Okyanus”) it is generally understood that the Atlantic Ocean is intended13.“Tarshish” is referred to in connection with the Messianic era and with the return of the exiled tribes of Israel:
“Who are these that fly as a cloud and as a dove to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from afar, their silver and gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God to the Holy One of Israel because he hath glorified thee” (Isaiah 60;8 9).
The above verse speaks of the exiled of Israel returning to the land of Israel by air (i.e. in aeroplanes) and by ship. The “Ships of Tarshish” means those plying the Atlantic Ocean (“Yam Okeanus”) and it therefore follows that Tarshish was someplace on the Atlantic coast.
TARSHISH IN ANCIENT TIMES
Prior to the Assyrian exile, the Israelite Hebrews had had seafaring experience, had co-operated with the Phoenicians, and had become familiar with “Tarshish”. King Solomon had been partner to Hiram king of Phoenician Tyre in an enterprise that circumnavigated Africa and re-entered the Mediterranean after visiting Tarshish somewhere on the European Atlantic shores (1- Kings 9;26-27)*14.
Herodotus (4.42,43) reported that Pharoah Neco who reigned just after Solomon also sent Phoenician sailors to circumnavigate Africa and return via the Pillars of Hercules (i.e. Straits of Gibraltar); he likewise mentions the fact that this trip took three years to complete since he explains the sailors would make a camp on dry land and sow and reap a harvest before continuing*15.
The prophet Ezekiel listed Tarshish amongst the numerous places that were wont to trade with Tyre:“Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs” (Ezekiel 27;12).
It is well to note that tin and copper were essential in the production of Bronze and most tin was claimed to have originated in Britain. The Egyptian (Coptic) word for tin is “pithran” said to be derived from a mispronunciation of Britain. Tarshish is a name applied to a port “Tarsis” in Cilicia as well as to Tartessos in Spain and it has been claimed that sundry Phoenician trading posts also received the name. Regarding Tarsis of Cilicia (Anatolia) there are no rich deposits of iron, tin, and lead there16. The Septuagent (in the 300s b.c.e.) translated Tarshish as Carthage (in North Africa) but at the time the Septuagent was written the domain of Carthage included much of Spain17. The name Tarshish has been found inscribed in stone in Sardinia wherein the Phoenicians also founded colonies but the relevant settlement (Nora) in Sardinia was founded by Phoenicians based on Spain18 and, by inference, may mean that the settlement was connected with “Tarshish” of Spain. In other words the concept of “Tarshish” as far as Scripture and the connection between Tyre, Israel, and Tarshish is concerned is referring to Spanish Tartessus or a connected post on the Atlantic Ocean.
The above points show that both the ancient Hebrews and the Phoenicians had association of trade and points of control in Tarshish and the Atlantic prior to the Assyrian exile. The Israelite involvement with Tarshish was connected to that of the Phoenicians and of joint Hebrew PHOENICIAN maritime enterprise.
There are many other studies out there and all of them end up leaving you just as confused as they are as to where Tarshish was and is today.From reading all these views on Tarshish, I have gotten nowhere.
I am now going to go back to read some other things that have always troubled me.
First of all, let us assume Tarshish is in Southern Spain as most scholars have assumed. Now let us go and read the Story of Jonah.
Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
:15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
:17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
I had always assumed the Fish transported Jonah to Nineveh but it only says the Fish vomited him out on dry land. So Jonah could have travelled from the Mediterranean over land.
The Gold of Ophir
We read in 2 Chronicles about Solomons Gold and how it came by the Ships of Tarshish.
2 Chronicles 9:20 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
1 Kings 9: 26-27 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon. And they went to Ophir and brought from there gold, 420 talents, and they brought it to King Solomon.
1 Kings 22:48 also speaks of the Ships of Tarshish at Ezion Geber
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
Jehoshaphat reigned from 870 to 849 BC and it sounds like the ships were destroyed near the end of his reign.
Then we can read about the Prophet Jonah in 2 Kings 14:23-25
In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.
Jeroboam II reigned from the years 793 BC to 753 BC
And here is the catch. By the time of Jonah, about 100 years had passed from when the ships had been destroyed until he was called to go to Nineveh. Jonah going to Nineveh was just years before Assyria’s first invasion of Israel.
1 Chron 5:26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, the spirit of Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, to this day.
2 Kings 15:29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.
These events began to take place in the year 740 BC, just about 13 or more years after Jonah had gone to them and given them the warning.
Because no ships had been sailing from Ezion Geber since the last fleet had been destroyed about 100 years before Jonah came on the scene, Jonah caught a ship in Joppa that was going around Africa to Tarshish.
We have already seen from the Scriptures and read that the Ships of Tarshish bring back the Survivors from the East. Solomon knew where Tarshish was. That is why he built his ships at Ezion Geber, south of Israel, on the Red Sea. These ships also brought back the Gold of Ophir. So now, we are looking for Ophir as well, only now we must look to the east of Isreal and not the west, where most commentators place Tarsis, believing it to be Tashish.
But some have said that they sailed around the continent of Africa and came to Tarshish in Spain on their way to Israel again. The shortest trip completely around the continent of Africa is roughly 12,400 nautical miles, including the trip through the Suez canal. The Spanish Galleons during their time have been estimated to travel at about 5 knots/hour, 7 tops.
Distance = rate X time
12,400 nm = 5 kts (nautical miles per hour) X time
12,400 nm / 5 kts = time
2480 hours = time
2480 hours / 24hours per day = 103.33 days
There are 365 days in a year. So, allowing for stops along the way, it should not take a ship three years to circumnavigate Africa. Our Tarshish and Orphir must still be further away.
If we go back to Genesis, we can see that Ophir is one of the sons of Joktan and where their land was.
Genesis 10:26-30 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east.
Job also speaks of Ophir and he lived hundreds of years before King David and Solomon.
Job 22:23-25 If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
if you remove injustice far from your tents,
if you lay gold in the dust,
and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.Job 28:12-17 “But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
It cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.
Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
Isaiah also spoke of Ophir.
Isaiah 13:11-13 I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
I will make people more rare than fine gold,and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the Lord of hosts
in the day of his fierce anger.
And David made a prayer for Solomon and in this prayer changed the Gold of Ophir to the Gold of Sheba. You will also notice in Gen 10 that Sheba and Orphir are brothers.
Psalm 72:1-15 Of Solomon.
Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
May they fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
In his days may the righteous flourish,
and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
May desert tribes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust!
May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!
For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.
Long may he live;
may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!
I have to wonder if the gold of Uphaz is another name for Ophir and Sheba.
Jer 10:9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,
and gold from Uphaz.
Uphaz is defined as follows;
ATS Bible Dictionary
Uphaz A region producing fine gold, Jeremiah 10:9 Daniel 10:5. In Hebrew it differs from Ophir by only one letter; and it is thought to denote the same region.Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Probably another name for Ophir (Jeremiah 10:9). Some, however, regard it as the name of an Indian colony in Yemen, southern Arabia; others as a place on or near the river Hyphasis (now the Ghana), the south-eastern limit of the Punjaub.International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
UPHAZu’-faz (‘uphaz): A gold-bearing region, mentioned in Jeremiah 10:9 Daniel 10:5, otherwise unknown. Perhaps in both passages Ophir, which differs in one consonant only, should be read. In the second passage, instead of “gold of Uphaz,” perhaps “gold and fine gold” (‘uphaz) should be read. The Jerusalem Talmud states that there were seven kinds of gold, good gold, pure, precious, gold of Uphaz, purified, refined, and red gold of Parvaim (2 Chronicles 3:6). That of Uphaz, which is so called from the place from which it comes, resembles “flashes of fire fed with pitch” (M. Schwab, The Talmud of Jerusalem, V, 207).
We are also told that this gold has another name. Parvaim is used and it has the meaning of the Eastern or Orient.
2 Chron 3:1-2 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.
6-7 He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—and he carved cherubim on the walls.
In the book of Ezekiel, he is prophecying against Tyre. Tyre, in the last days, is Europa. Spain is part of Europe, so Spain cannot be the Tarshish we are looking for.
Ezekiel 27:12-13 “Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.
In the Gog Magog war, we see Sheba the brother of Ophir and Dedan the brother of Tarshish speaking up against Gog and they all come from the same area.
Ezekiel38:13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its leaders will say to you, ‘Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?’
The Queen of Sheba Came by Ship
In the story of the Queen of Sheba we are told how both the Queen and Hiram arrived and presented gifts to the King at the same time. She heard about King Solomon from the men of Solomons navy.
1 Kings 9:26-28 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon. And they went to Ophir and brought from there gold, 420 talents, and they brought it to King Solomon.
Everything that was used or given to Yehovah was the very best and never was used before by anyone else. Each of the pots that carried the water for use in the Temple was used one time and then destroyed after that one use. We find at Jacobs Altar lots of pottery that was broken for this very reason having been used once. So Solomon built new ships to bring the Gold and wood back for the temple. He would not have used old ships to do this. Were these ships destroyed after that one use? I do not know.
1 Kings 10:1-13 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.
And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones. And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.
And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.
Ethiopia and Yemen do not take three years to go to and return from. Even if they were just part of the journey around Africa, this still does not fit. The Queen of Sheba is not some Black North African Queen as some are trying to tell you. No, she came from far away. And it does not say she had Solomon’s child, a bastard child like some Black Hebrews say.
We have spoken of Jonah above and how Nineveh repented. Yehshua spoke both of the Nineveh and of the Queen of Sheba in Mathew 12:41 simultaneously. Why?
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
She came from the ends of the earth and not Ethiopia. Yehshua connected the two stories together, Jonah going to Tarshish and the Queen coming from Ophir. But there is more here. The Queen of Sheba will rise up with those at Shavuot and condemn those who do not repent in these days.
Almug Trees
Do you know what nation we have been talking about this whole time? Have you figured it out yet?
The wood that Hiram brought back on the ships was not found in Israel or the Middle East. It was an extraordinary wood that was resistant to termites and had a very pleasant smell.
We read that Hiram brought back from Ophir Almug trees in great quantities. This was a red Sandalwood only found in South East Asia.
1 Kings 10:11-12 Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones. And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.
We are again told about this Algum wood in 2 Chron 9:10-11
Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. And the king made from the algum wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.
Algum or Almug are both describing the same things here. In Hebrew the Almug is Almuggyim and Algum is Alguwmmyim.
Summertime is the blooming of the Narra, the Philippine’s national tree. One may have noticed that a lot of Narra trees around Metro Manila, including those in surrounding provinces, had bloomed during the hot dry summer, giving a majestic sight of a tree almost filled with profuse fragrant yellow minute flowers, which fell down to the ground at the end of the day.
Though the flowers are short lived, they are quite noticable as the whole narra tree canopy becomes filled with fragrant tiny golden yellow flowers. After the flowers have fallen, flat or disc-shaped seed pods form on the branches tips, which, after a few months, the seeds are scattered and dispersed in the area.
Narra or scientifically known as Pterocarpus indicus, belongs to the family Fabaceae, is a native of southeastern Asia, northern Australasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands. The tree is found all over the Philippines, in primary and secondary forests, from low to medium altitudes. Aside from the Philippines, it is also found in Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Narra is one of the most useful tree in the country as it provides both timber and also shade. It is noted for its hardiness, rapid growth and being pest resistant. Because it is being used for timber, its conservation status was placed under “vulnerable” by the IUCN. It is a large deciduous tree growing to about 30–40 meters in height, with a trunk that can grow up to 2 meters in diameter. The leaves are green, about 12–22 cm long, pinnate, with 5–11 leaflets. The fragrant and yellow flowers are produced in panicles, about 6–13 cm long containing a few to numerous flowers. The flowering season is from February to May in the Philippines. Once pollinated, the flower form into a dry flat fruit or a semi-orbicular pod, about 2–3 cm in diameter, surrounded by a flat 4–6 cm diameter membranaceous wing which aids dispersal by the water, as it falls off the tree during the typhoon months of July & August. It contains one or two seeds, and does not split open at maturity.
The Narra produces timber which is a hardwood, purplish in color, rose-scented and is termite resistant. Freshly cut wood or its saw dust characteristically produces a green sap when poured with water. The flower is used as a honey source while leaf infusions are used as shampoos. Both flowers and leaves were said to be eaten.The leaves are supposedly good for waxing and polishing brass and copper. The tree is recommended as an ornamental / shade tree for avenues and parking lots in the city, as its branches are strong and then tree wouldn’t easily be toppled during a typhoon. It is also a source of kino or resin. In folk medicine, it is used to combat tumors. This property might be due to an acidic polypeptide found in its leaves that inhibited growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells by disruption of cell and nuclear membranes. It is also known as a diuretic in Europe during the 16th and 18th centuries. Its reputation may be due to its wood infusions, which are fluorescent. It is widely planted as a roadside, park, and carpark tree. The tall, dome-shaped crown, with long, drooping branches is very attractive and the flowers are spectacular in areas with a dry season.
Knowing the Narra’s uses and beauty, we would now appreciate why it was chosen to be our national tree. It is not just a majestic and straight tree, but also a medicinal plant, an important shade tree, and ecologically important as a nitrogen fixer for soils and habitat for birds, insects and small tree climbing mammals.
Article by: Norberto R. Bautista
Narra, in Tagalong or the Philippine language, has the exact same Hebrew meaning as the word Naara: admirable, wonderful, worthy of admiration, Young Girl. It actually means she who must be admired, just like the young Queen of Sheba.
Mount Pulag
Going back to Genesis 10:25-31 we have some more information there to help us identify where Orphir and Sheba were located.
To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
Joktan was the son of Eber and the brother of Peleg. The earth was divided in the days of Peleg so they were also divided in the days of Joktan as well. Eber is also known to be the Father of the Hebrews. So, Joktan was also a descendant of Eber, making Joktan also a Hebrew. This then makes Joktans children Hebrew as well. The Queen of Sheba and the people of Ophir would then also be Hebrews. But they are not from the 12 tribes of Israel.
Joktan also means they will be small. This could be both in height or as a nation of peoples. Keep this in mind as we go forward.
Darby has verse 30 as follows;
And their dwelling was from Mesha, as one goes to Sephar, the eastern mountain.
Sephar means towards a numerous population. Har Ha Kedem which is translated as Eastern Mountain or hill country of the east means A mountain of the Orient. What nation has the most numerous of peoples?
Of the three highest mountains found in the Philippines, the one in Luzon is called Mount Pulag. It is very similar to the name of Joktans brother Peleg. In Hebrew, Pulag is a variant of Peleg and it too means He or It was divided. But in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines, Pulag means Glare Dazzling Light.
When I was in the Philippines for Sukkot in 2015, one of the places I went to teach was Baguio City, which is not far from Mount Pulag. I had no idea at that time of the significance of this.
Near Mount Pulag is Kabayan, officially the Municipality of Kabayan, (Ilokano: Ili ti Kabayan; Filipino: Bayan ng Kabayan), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 15,260 people.[3]
Kabayan is the site of centuries-old Ibaloi mummies buried inside caves scattered around its villages.[4]
The third highest mountain in the Philippines, Mount Pulag, is located in the territorial boundary of the vegetable farming town.
Kabayan spelt in Hebrew is Chabaya and means “Yah Has Hidden”.
Another name, Sagada, to know praise. Is Yada in Hebrew.
North of Manila are two volcanoes. One is called Mount Arayat which is east of the other one called Mount Pinatubo. Ara means Earth and Yaat means to cover in Hebrew. Pina means Yehovah raises and tubo means His Goodness in Hebrew. It erupted in 1991 and the ash cloud was met with of Typhoon Yunya (Diding), bringing a lethal messy mix of ash and rain to towns and cities surrounding the volcano. It produced the second-largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in the Alaska Peninsula
Again, in Northern Luzon is Mount Kabuyao, where Kabu means Great House and Yao means Yehovah—or the Great House of Yehovah.
Mount Mayon Volcano means Spring of Water in Hebrew.
Taal Volcano in South Luzon. In Hebrew, it is Ta-hal and means to be called out or summoned for a specific purpose.
Caballian Volcano is known as the Hidden Mountain. In Hebrew, Chaba means Hidden, and lian means Very, very, much, exceedingly, greatly, or Greatly Hidden.
Banahaw Volcano.
Bana in Hebrew means built, and Haw is Yah, so this is built by Yehovah.
Matutum Volcano
Matu in Hebrew is to totter, shake, slip and Tum is the plural of Tom and means perfection or Jewels. One of the epithets of the objects in the High Preist Breastplate as an emblem of complete truth. Thummin. Or shaking Jewel of complete truth.
Iraya Volcano
Ira in Hebrew means Wakefulness. And Yah together means wakefulness of Yehovah.
Balut Volcano and Island. Balut is Hebrew for Accorn.
Ifugao in Hebrew is the Son of the Honoured One.
The Igorot people in Hebrew means Letters. And there are the Ekaya people who claim to be descendants of the builders of Solomons Temple.
The Philippines Are shown on Ptolemy’s Map 200 AD
100 BC onward
Iron age finds in Philippines also point to the existence of trade between Tamil Nadu and the Philippine Islands during the ninth and tenth centuries B.C.[40] The Philippines is believed by some historians to be the island of Chryse, the “Golden One,” which is the name given by ancient Greek writers in reference to an island rich in gold east of India. Pomponius Mela, Marinos of Tyre and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentioned this island in 100 BC, and it is basically the equivalent to the Indian Suvarnadvipa, the “Island of Gold.” Josephus calls it in Latin Aurea, and equates the island with biblical Ophir, from where the ships of Tyre and Solomon brought back gold and other trade items. The Visayan Islands, particularly Cebu had earlier encounter with the Greek traders in 21 AD.[41]
Ptolemy locates the islands of Chryse east of the Khruses Kersonenson, the “Golden Peninsula,” i.e. the Malaya Peninsula. North of Chryse in the Periplus was Thin, which some consider the first European reference to China. In about the 200 BC, there arose a practice of using gold eye covers, and then, gold facial orifice covers to adorn the dead resulting in an increase of ancient gold finds. During the Qin dynasty and the Tang dynasty, China was well aware of the golden lands far to the south. The Buddhist pilgrim I-Tsing mentions Chin-Chou, “Isle of Gold” in the archipelago south of China on his way back from India. Medieval Muslims refer to the islands as the Kingdoms of Zabag and W??w??, rich in gold, referring, perhaps, to the eastern islands of the Malay archipelago, the location of present-day Philippines and Eastern Indonesia.[42]
The Lequios
The Lequios may refer to certain inhabitants of Ophir, which the Spaniards considered to be the Philippine Islands before its colonization.[1] The inhabitants of the Ryukyu Islands were also referred to as Lequios by Tomé Pires.[2][3]
The Ryukyu Islands are those that go between Japan and Taiwan.
Lequios is Hebrew from the word Leqot or Liqqet and it means to gather or to glean.
This same volume also contains the official documents regarding the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan. It also contains the logbook of Francisco Albo, the chief pilot of the ship Victoria. This logbook is also one of the main references regarding the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan.
Ophir was “…in front of China towards the sea, of many islands where the Moluccans, Chinese, and Lequios met to trade…”
Jewish Settlements
Along the route described by Document No. 98 are locations of old Jewish settlements.
It would not be surprising for that was the procedure used by King Solomon’s fleet.
Settlements were established at selected places to trade and process the gold and silver. The ships collected the gold and silver and brought it to King Solomon. To the credit of the Hebrew people, their settlement remained true to the Jewish faith even for thousands of years. Settlements were found in India, Burma, Sumatra, and Vietnam (Annam and Cochin China). Jewish settlements then, even extended to the Philippines, which was Ophir proper.
In association with these records, Spanish books mention of a mysterious people known as Lequios. Modern historians variously identified them as Okinawans, Koreans, or Vietnamese. They were favorite targets of Spanish ships during the time of General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi because the ships of the Lequios were always laden with gold and silver.
Also, according to Document 98, the Lequios were big, bearded, and white men. They were only interested in gold and silver when trading at Ophir. Okinawans, Koreans, and Vietnamese people are not big nor are they white. Their beards are just small goatees and could not satisfy the word “bearded”. Therefore, they were not the Lequios. The Lequios were thus deemed to be the remnants of Hebrews and Phoenicians who have made enclaves in their trade with Ophir proper.
These Lequios were scattered among the islands of the Philippines. Eventually, they too were converted to Christianity: along with the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Animists of the Pre-Hispanic Philippine states after active Hispanic settlement via the Americas became uninterrupted in the 333 years of Spanish colonization.
Cebu City is known for its rich history. The famous Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed here in April 7, 1521 and was welcomed by Rajah Humabon king of Cebu. Rajah Humabon and his people converted to Christianity and were baptized by Magellan’s priest.
In spite of being a Portuguese, Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition was under the banner of Spain. His proposed expedition to the king of Portugal was refused several times, so he went to the king of Spain and was granted funding.
On April 27, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan died in the Battle of Mactan lead by the Philippine’s first national hero Lapu-Lapu.
What most people don’t know is that he’s not the first European explorer who landed in the Philippines. A European explorer named Tomé Pires wrote about Luzon which he refers to as Luções or Luzones during his expedition around 1512-1515.
Here’s what he wrote:
“The Luções are about ten days’ sail beyond Borneo. They are nearly all heathen; they have no king, but they are ruled by a group of elders. They are a robust people, little thought of in Molucca. They have two or three junks at the most.”
“The Borneans go to the lands of the Luções to buy gold, and foodstuffs as well, and the gold which they bring to Molucca is from the Luções and from the surrounding islands which are countless, and they all have more or less trade with one another. And the gold of these islands where they trade is of low quality – indeed very low quality …”
The Account of the Genoese Pilot (Leone Pancaldo) says that in March 1521, when Magellan’s expedition arrived at the small island of Malhou, in the south-eastern Philippine Islands, the natives informed them that ‘they had already seen there other men like them‘, which suggests that possibly even before 1521, there were other Europeans that already visited the archipelago.
In Spanish the name for Gold is ORO. Now look at the Islands of the Philippines and note those places with Oro in their names. Also note where the Capital of Sheba is today. Cebu.
The Philippines Are Ancient Ophir
By: IKE T. ARTIGO
TAGA-LUZON EMPIRE
“Where is Tarshish and Ophir”
During the early period of European colonization, the Biblical lands of Tarshish and Ophir, or Tarsis and Ofir, as they were called, held the imagination of European explorers. Not only was it believed that the “lost tribes” of Israel were to be found in these lands, but also untold wealth. To these kingdoms, King Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre sent ships for trade that “brought from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones,” (I Kings 10:11). Concerning Tarshish, it is written: “For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacock.” (II Chronicle 9:21)
In Samuel Purchas’s well-known travel compendium Purchas His Pilgrim, he devotes the entire first chapter to a discussion of Tarshish and Ophir. In particular, he argues strenuously that it is beloved Britain and not Spain that deserved the title as the modern Tarshish and Ophir. Curiously, in Careri’s journal of his visit to the Philippines, he mentions that he would not go into the argument raging in Europe at that time over whether the Philippines was originally populated by the descendants of Biblical Tarshish.
In modern times, scholars have attempted to relate Tarshish and Ophir with a number of areas, none of which include the Philippines. However, things were different in Europe prior to the discovery of the Philippines. There, they believed that Tarsis and Ofir were some lands far to the east of biblical Israel. Their reasoning was actually quite logical. King Solomon built the port from which ships departed for Tarsis and Ofir at Ezion-Geber on the coast of the Red Sea. The return journey took about three years, so obviously the location must be somewhere far to the East. In modern times, some scholars have tried to suggest that Solomon’s navy circumnavigated Africa to reach the Mediterranean, but the seafaring Europeans of those times would not consider such nonsense. Tarsis and Ofir were unknown lands beyond the Golden Chersonese of Ptolemy. Their discovery would undoubtedly bring untold wealth and great fame in the minds of the people of those times.
But what, one may ask, has this to do with the Philippines? The truth is that the search for Tarsis and Ofir was directly related to the “discovery” of these islands by Magellan!
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Magellan and the Search for Ophir
Magellan’s contemporary, Duarte Barbosa, wrote that the people of Malacca (in modern Malaysia) had described to him an island group known as the Lequios whose people were as “rich and more eminent than the Chins (Chinese),” and that traded “much gold, and silver in bars, silk, rich cloth, and much very good wheat, beautiful porcelains and many other merchandises.”
However, Barbosa was not the only one to mention the Lequios during Magellan’s time. About a decade after Magellan’s voyage, Ferdinand Pinto had written in his journal of the experience of his crew and himself after being shipwrecked on the Lequios! Pinto was travelling through the Malay Archipelago at the time and he describes the Lequios islands as belonging to a large group of islands many of which were rich in gold and silver. He mentions that at that time the Portuguese were familiar with Japan and China, and also with the island of “Mindanaus” or Mindanao, so the Lequois islands must have been somewhere between these two areas. Furthermore, Pinto even goes as far as to give the exact latitude of the main Lequios island. He states that is was situated at 9N20 latitude and that the island was on a meridian similar to that of Japan.
Now, in Magellan’s time, all exploration was done by latitude sailing and dead reckoning, as no navigational clocks were in use. Latitude sailing required fixing one’s latitude precisely by means of an astrolabe. Longitude could only be approximated roughly by using a patent log to track the distance the ship has travelled in any particular direction. When Magellan began to suspect he was nearing the region of the Moluccas he deliberately steered on a north course and then turned westward at a latitude of 13 degrees North according to both Pigafetta and Albo. Pigafetta states that the reason was to get near the port of “Gaticara” which was the Cattigara mentioned by Ptolemy. In the book, Magellan’s Voyage around the World, the author, Charles E. Nowell, offers another possible reason for Magellan steering so far to the north of the Moluccas. He notes that Magellan himself had rewritten part of Barbosa’s book referring to the Lequios, and in his version, Magellan substituted “Tarsis” and “Ofir” for the world “Lequios.”
Although these lands are not mentioned in Magellan’s contract, less than six years after his voyage, Sebastian Cabot signed a contract with Spain which did have as one of its objectives the “lands of Tarshish and Ophir.” Magellan had been to Malacca himself, and probably many have heard of the community of Filipino workers and merchants that lived there under the protection of the king of Malacca. Probably many of you already know of the theory that Black Henry, the slave Magellan purchased at Malacca, may have belonged to the Filipino community of Malacca as he was able to speak with the natives at Limasawa. Whatever the case, we know from his own pen that Magellan thought the Lequios islands might be the same as the Biblical Tarsis and Ofir, and it may be that his idea of the position of the Lequios was partly shaped by Barbosa’s book, and partly by information he may have received from Filipinos in Malacca. Was the fact that Black Henry was able to converse with the people living at the latitude given by Pinto (but not with the people of Samar or Leyte) a coincidence, or something planned in advance from information gleaned in Malacca?
Even after their discovery, many still regarded the Philippines, rich in gold and silver, to be the same as ancient Tarsis and Ofir. Father Colin, referred to them as such in the early 1600’s and even at the turn of the century, the Philippine historian Pedro Paterno, still claimed that the Philippines were really Tarshish and Ophir! Whatever one thinks of these claims though, the search for the Biblical El Dorado appears to have played an important role in the European discovery of the Philippines.
The following glyphs or symbol was discovered by Gene Savoy in the cliffs far above the Utcabamba River. There was a theory that this is not a symbol but a sketch map going to Ophir used by Phoenician people.
Gran Valaya “ship” designs of the Chachapoyas from the tomb walls at “Pueblo de los Muertos”
At this point, we will try to use the 1st sketch map. Try to figure out from what country pointing the arrow, corner and the endpoint. It was fit to the description of the Spanish record that Ophir can be found by travelling from the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, to India, to Burma, to Sumatra, to Moluccas, to Borneo, to Sulu, to China, then finally Ophir.
In a book found in Spain entitled Collecion General de Documentos Relativos a las Islas Filipinas, the author has described how to locate Ophir. According to the section “Document No. 98”, dated 1519-1522, Ophir can be found by travelling from the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, to India, to Burma, to Sumatra, to Moluccas, to Borneo, to Sulu, to China, then finally Ophir. Ophir was said to be “[…] in front of China towards the sea, of many islands where the Moluccans, Chinese, and Lequios met to trade…” Jes Tirol asserts that this group of islands could not be Japan because the Moluccans did not get there, nor Taiwan, since it is not composed of “many islands.” Only the present-day Philippines, he says, could fit the description. Spanish records also mention the presence of Lequious (big, bearded white men, probably descendants of the Phoenicians, whose ships were always laden with gold and silver) in the Islands to gather gold and silver. Other evidence has also been pointed out suggesting that the Philippines was the biblical Ophir.
Chryse
Chryse, the “Golden One,” is the name given by ancient Greek writers to an island rich in gold to the east of India. Pomponius Mela, Marinos of Tyre and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mention Chryse in the first century CE. It is basically the equivalent of the Indian Suvarnadvipa the “Island of Gold.” Josephus calls it in Latin Aurea, and equates the island with biblical Ophir, from where the ships of Tyre and Solomon brought back gold and other trade items.
Chryse is often coupled with another island Argyre the “Island of Silver” and placed beyond the Ganges. Ptolemy locates both islands east of the Khruses Kersonenson the “Golden Peninsula” i.e. the Malaya Penisula. North of Chryse in the Periplus was Thin, which some consider the first European reference to China.
In addition to gold, Chryse was also famed for having the finest tortoiseshell in the world according to the Periplus. Large ships brought trade goods back and forth between Chryse and the markets at the mouth of the Ganges.
Chin-lin
In ancient Chinese literature, a mysterious region beyond their southern border in Annam was known as Chin-lin “Golden Neighbor” and the Southeast Asian border was also called the “Golden Frontier.”
When China invaded Annam (northern Vietnam) in the first century BCE, the kingdom of Champa fortified villages along the old caravan trail. This path became Route Colonial 9 during the French colonial period, and it was used by the Americans to build the McNamara Line of fortified bases during the Vietnam War.
With this fortified line, the rugged Central Highlands and a policy of constant piracy, the Champa kingdom held the Chinese at bay for a thousand years. After the fall of the Chin dynasty in the 5th century, Cham raids on Tongking became so frequent that the governor appealed to the emperor for assistance. A war of attrition between China and Champa began that lasted until the rise of the T’ang dynasty. During this time though, China was well aware of the golden lands far to the south. The Buddhist pilgrim I-Tsing mentions Chin-Chou “Isle of Gold” in the archipelago south of China on his way back from India.
The Medieval Geography of Sanfotsi and Zabag
The great kingdoms of Sanfotsi (Tagalog: SAAN PO SI?) and Toupo (Tagalog: Tao Po)(Shopo) mentioned in the Chinese geographical works of Chau Ju-Kua, Chou Ku-Fei and Ma Tuan-lin are often located in areas of the West like Sumatra, Java and Malaysia. However, a close analysis of the texts give directions that point decidedly further East. Thus, scholars like Roland Braddell and Paul Wheatley have looked further East, specifically to the region of Northern Borneo. Some other researchers, though, like J.L. Moens, from the Leiden school, M. Yang-ouen-hoei, D’Harvey de St. Denis and Austin Craig asserted that either Sanfotsi or Toupo were located among the Philippine islands.
Sanfotsi, Entrepot of the South
Here is a paraphrased excerpt of the translation of Chau Ju-kua’s Chu-fan-chi by Hirth and Rockhill regarding Sanfotsi. Notice the directions given for voyages to that country:
“Sanfotsi lies between Chenla and Toupo. Its rule extends over fifteen chou. It lies due south of Tsu’an-chou. In the winter, with the monsoon, you sail a little more than a month and then come to Lingyamon (Lingayen), where one-third of the passing merchants before entering this country of Sanfotsi.
A large proportion of the people are surnamed P’u (Apu). The people either live scattered about outside the city, or on the water on rafts of boards covered over with reeds, and these are exempt from taxation.
Actually, after you passed the Sumatra, Java, Malaysia going further east of the North Borneo you will enter the entrepot of Zabag that’s why you need to say Hello to all the people there, saying just like “TAO PO or TOUPO”. Once you reached the place of Zabag you must ask the people out there, “SAAN PO SI or SANFOTSI? That’s why most people in Kapampangan or Tagalog in Luzon use “APO” word before the name for Older persons or relatives. Example; “TAO PO! SAAN PO SI APO or APU MARIA?
They are skilled at fighting on land or water. When they are about to make war on another state they assemble and send for the such a force as the occasion demands. They appoint chiefs and leaders, and all provide their own military equipment and the necessary provisions. In facing the enemy and braving death they have not their equal among other nations.
During most of the year, the climate is hot, and there is but little cold weather. Their domestic animals are very much like those of China. They have wine of flowers, wine of coconuts, and wine of areca nuts and honey, all fermented, though without any yeast of any kind, but they are so intoxicating to drink.”
Chou Ku-fei has pretty much the same thing to say about Sanfotsi:
“Sanfotsi is in the Southern Ocean (South China Sea). It is the most important port-of-call on the sea-routes of the foreigners from the countries of Toupo on the east and from the countries of the Arabs and Kulin (Thailand) to the west; they all pass through on the way to China.
The country has no natural products, but the people are skilled in fighting. When they are about to fight, they cover their bodies with a medicine which prevents swords wounding them (anting-anting). In fighting on land or on water none surpass them in impetuosity of attack; even the Kulin people come after them. If some foreign ship, passing this place, should not enter here, an armed party would certainly come out kill them to the last.”
Examining the accounts above we find that Sanfotsi was to the south of China, and was, in fact, due south of the port of Ts’uan-chou. This is supported by an official historical document describing the trade routes of the South, which mentions the voyage from Sanfotsi to China.:
“Sanfotsi is an important thoroughfare on the sea-routes of the foreigners on their way to and fro. Ships (leaving it for China) sail due north, and having passed the Shang-hia-chu islands and the sea of Kiau-chi (Tongking), they come within the limits of China.”
If we study the map below (not to scale), we see that Ts’uan-chou is located by most geographers on the South China coast adjacent to northern Taiwan. It is generally treated either with present-day Fuzhou or Xiamen at about 120 degrees East longitude.
Obviously, if we head due south of Ts’uan-chou, we will be heading on a course for the Northern Philippines, or at least the northeast coast of Borneo. It may be that in this same area was the land known as Foshi by the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, I-Ching. Foshi is often related linguistically to Sanfotsi, and it was reached by a 20-day journey to the south from the ports of Canton or Ts’uan-chou during the winter monsoon. This closely matches the description of travel to Sanfotsi. Here is the description of the voyage to Foshi by Kie Tan:
“From Kuang-chou (Canton) towards the southeast, travelling by sea for 200 li, one reaches Mount T’un-mon. Then, with a favourable wind going westward for two days, one reaches the Kiu-chou rocks (Hainan). Then southward, and after two days one reaches the Siang-shi, or Elephant Rock. Then southward after three days, one comes to Mount Chan-pu-lan, this mountain is in the sea at 200 li east of the country of Huan-wang (Tongking). Then southward, after two days journey, one reaches Mount Ling. Then, after a day’s journey one comes to the country of Montu. Then after a day’s journey one comes to the counry of Ku-tan; then after a day’s journey one reaches the territory of Pon-to’o-lang. Then after two days journey one comes to Mount Kun-t’u-nung. Then after five days journey one comes to the strait the Barbarians call Chi. From the south to the north it is 100 li.. On the northern shore is the country of Lo-yue, on the southern coast is the country of Foshi.”
Toupo(TAO PO), Entrepot of the Southeast
Toupo was Sanfotsi’s main competitor in the South China Sea. Both were great island empires that thrived on trade. Here is a description of the journey from Toupo to China from the official Chinese documents:
“Ships coming from Toupo go a little northwest but when they have passed the Shi-ir-tzi rocks, they take the same route as the Sanfotsi ships from below the Shang-hia-chu isles.”
Thus, the ships from Toupo sailed northwest toward Sanfotsi, which after passing, they headed due north along with ships from that port. Chau Ju-kua states about Toupo:
“The kingdom of Toupo also called P’u-kia-lung is in a southeasterly direction from Ts’uan-chou, whence ships start, as a rule, during the winter, for sailing continually with the north wind, they arrive within about a month.”
The winter monsoons mentioned for travel both to Sanfotsi and Toupo blow from South China towards the southeast, the opposite direction of the typhoons of the rainy season during the summer.
According to most Chinese geographical works, the journey from Toupo to the China coast first involved a journey of about two weeks heading northwest before reaching Poni (Panay), then you resume a northwest heading arriving in about a week at Mai (Mindoro), from here the journey still continues northwest before reaching Sanfotsi in a few days. From here you head either due north for Ts’uan-chou or a bit northwest of Canton. Clearly, Toupo was well to the southeast of the South China coast. J.L. Moens believed that the capital of Toupo was the city of Toubouk, the old name of Cotabato in Mindanao.
While Sanfotsi was considered the major port of the South, and Toupo of the Southeast, ports at Tongking and Cambodia were considered the major markets of the Southwest from the port of Canton near modern Hong Kong. Clearly, from this, we can see that both Sanfotsi and Toupo are located to the east of Cambodia and Tongking.
Zabag and Wakwak
The kingdoms of Zabag and Wakwak, famed among the medieval Muslims as rich in gold, referred to the eastern islands of the Malay archipelago i.e. the Philippines and Eastern Indonesia.
Zabag means is the expression of surprise and astonishment like, “GOOD HEAVEN” or “OH MY GOD, A MOUNTAIN OF GOLD ”.
Zabag was based in what would later become the kingdom of Lusung came from the word of Locues or Leqiuos. The Hebrew word “LEQOT” or “LIQQET” means to gather, to glean. It resembles closely the word Lequios. It will fit the men of King Solomon’s fleet who gathered gold and silver. (Note: The Hebrew alphabet has no small letters.)
The Lequios are the Hebrew and Phoenicians descendants of the Biblical trade missions to Ophir. In this sense, the Philippines fits the bill as a gold-rich realm. The country has consistently ranked second in the world behind only South Africa in gold deposits per land area. The Philippines has historically been the largest producer of gold in Asia despite its relatively small size and the fact that until 1980 most gold was obtained only through small alluvial deposits.
Although some ancient gold artefacts have been found in this region, they don’t match the age suggested by linguistic reconstruction. Gold may have been mostly handed down from generation to generation rather than being used as a burial good item.
In about the second century CE, there arose a practice of using gold eye covers, and then, gold facial orifice covers to adorn the dead resulting in an increase of ancient gold finds. More than a millennium later, the popularity of dental gold to decorate the teeth significantly increased the amount of gold found at archaeological sites.
When the Spanish came they discovered an abundance of gold used among the people of the Philippine islands. Here are some relevant quotes:
Pieces of gold, the size of walnuts and eggs are found by sifting the earth in the island of that king who came to our ships. All the dishes of that king are of gold and also some portion of his house as we were told by that king himself…He had a covering of silk on his head, and wore two large golden earrings fastened in his ears…At his side hung a dagger, the haft of which was somewhat long and all of gold, and its scabbard of carved wood. He had three spots of gold on every tooth, and his teeth appeared as if bound with gold.
— Pigafetta on Raja Siaui of Butuan during Magellan’s voyage
For brass, iron and other weighty articles, they gave us gold in exchange…For 14 pounds of iron we received 10 pieces of gold, of the value of a ducat and a half. The Captain General forbade too great an anxiety for receiving gold, without which order every sailor would have parted with all he had to obtain this metal, which would have ruined our commerce forever.
— Pigafetta on gold trade in CebuSailing in this manner, for some time, in 16° of north latitude, they were obliged by continual contrary winds, to bear up again for the Philippine islands, and in their way back, had sight of six or seven additional islands, but did not anchor at any of them. They found also an archipelago, or numerous cluster of islands, in 15 or 16 degrees of north latitude, well inhabited by a white people, with beautiful well-proportioned women, and much better clothed than in any other of the islands of these parts; and they had many golden ornaments, which was a sure sign that there was some of that metal in their country.
— Antonio Galvão in 1555 describing the journey of Bartholomew de la Torre in 1548“…the ore is so rich that I will not write any more about it, as I might possibly come under a suspicion of exaggerating; but I swear by Christ that there is more gold on this island than there is iron in all Biscay.”
— Hernando Riquel et al., 1574In this island, there are many gold mines, some of which have been inspected by the Spaniards, who say that the natives work them as is done in Nueva Espana with the mines of silver; and, as in these mines, the vein of ore here is continous. Assays have been made, yielding so great wealth that I shall not endeavor to describe them, lest I be suspected of lying. Time will prove the truth.
— Hernando Riquel et al. on island of Luzon, 1574There are some chiefs in this island who have on their persons ten or twelve thousand ducats’ worth of gold in jewels–to say nothing of the lands, slaves, and mines that they own. There are so many of these chiefs that they are innumerable. Likewise, the individual subjects of these chiefs have a great quantity of the said jewels of gold, which they wear on their persons–bracelets, chains, and earrings of solid gold, daggers of gold, and other very rich trinkets. These are generally seen among them, and not only the chiefs and freemen have plenty of these jewels, but even slaves possess and wear golden trinkets upon their persons, openly and freely.
— Guido de Lavezaris at al., 1574About their necks they wear gold necklaces, wrought like spun wax, and with links in our fashion, some larger than others. On their arms they wear armlets of wrought gold, which they call calombigas, and which are very large and made in different patterns. Some wear strings of precious stones–cornelians and agates; and other blue and white stones, which they esteem highly. They wear around the legs some strings of these stones, and certain cords, covered with black pitch in many foldings, as garters.
— Antonio de Morga, 1609“… the natives proceed more slowly in this, and content themselves with what they already possess in jewels and gold ingots handed down from antiquity and inherited from their ancestors. This is considerable, for he must be poor and wretched who has no gold chains, calombigas, and earrings.”
— Antonio de Morga, 1609
The Portuguese explorer Pedro Fidalgo in 1545 found gold so abundant on Luzon the inhabitants were willing to trade two pezoes of gold for one pezo of silver.
When the Portuguese first arrived, most of the gold traded into Brunei came from Luzon. That island was known as Lusung Dao or “Golden Luzon” to the Chinese who also traded for gold in this region.
References:
Legeza, Laszlo. “Tantric Elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold Art,” Arts of Asia, July-Aug. 1988, pp.129-136. (Mentions gold jewelry of Philippine origin in first century CE Egypt)
Peralta, J.T. “Prehistoric gold ornaments from the Central Bank of the Philippines,” Arts of Asia 1981, no.4, p.54.Villegas, Ramon N. Ginto: History Wrought in Gold, Manila: Bangko Central ng Pilipinas, 2004.
Mines Dating Back to at Least 1,000 B.C. Have Been Found in the Philippines
According to De Morga: (1,000 B.C. is when King Solomon’s navy of ships going to Ophir for gold) Mines dating back to at least 1,000 B.C. have been found in the Philippines. When the Spanish arrived the Filipinos worked various mines of gold, silver, copper and iron. They also seemed to have worked in brass using tin that was likely imported from the Malay Peninsula. The ironwork in particular was said to be of very high quality in some cases, and occasionally in some areas, even better than that found in Europe.
When the Spanish arrived, the Philippines was so gilded with gold that most of the gold mines had been neglected. “… the natives proceed more slowly in this, and content themselves with what they already possess in jewels and gold ingots handed down from antiquity and inherited from their ancestors. This is considerable, for he must be poor and wrethced who has no gold chains, calombigas, and earrings.”
As the missionary Francisco Colín wrote in 1663:
In the punishment of crimes of violence the social rank of the slayer and slain made a great deal of difference. If the slain was a chief, all his kinsfolk took the warpath against the slayer and his kinfolk, and this state of war continued until arbiters were able to determine the amount of gold which had to be paid for the killing… The death penalty was not imposed by public authority save in cases where both the slayer and slain were commoners, and the slayer could not pay the blood price.
Blair and Robertson, Vol. II, p. 116.
Legazpi describes one of the “Moro” pilots captured from Butuan:
“…a most experienced man who had much knowledge, not only of matters concerning these Filipinas Islands, but those of Maluco, Borney, Malaca, Jaba, India, and China, where he had had much experience in navigation and trade.”
According to Pigafetta:
However, things seem to already diminished from Pigafetta’s time:
“On the island [Butuan] where the king came to the ship, pieces of gold as large as walnuts or eggs are to be found, by sifting the earth. All the dishes of the king are of gold, and his whole house is very well set up.”
Pigafetta goes on to describe the huge gold ornaments, gold dagger handles, tooth plating and even gold that was used to decorate the outside of houses! On the gold work of the Filipinos is this description of the people of Mindoro: ( copied by Israel recorded in 1Chronicles 29:4 Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal)
“…they possess great skill in mixing it [gold] with other metals. They give it an outside appearance so natural and perfect, and so fine a ring, that unless it is melted they can deceive all men, even the best of silversmiths.” Arts of Asia, Jul-Aug 1988, p. 131 Arts of Asia 1981, no.4, p.54
Apparently, even foreigners desired Filipino gold products. Recent discoveries show that gold jewelry of Philippine origin was found in Egypt near the beginning of the era. These finds are mentioned in Laszlo Legeza’s “Tantric elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold Art,” (Arts of Asia, Jul-Aug 1988, p. 131) along a discussion of Philippine Tantric art. Some outstanding examples of Philippine jewelry, which included necklaces, belts, armlets and rings placed around the waist, are showcased in J. T. Peralta’s “Prehistoric gold ornaments from the Central Bank of the Philippines,” Arts of Asia 1981, no.4, p.54.
Luzon Empire
LUCOES or LEQUIOS ISLANDS
Luzon Empire according to Chinese historians
Luzon Empire (1279-1571 AD) was an ancient empire once located around Manila bay region of the Philippines. Its capital was Tondo, its territories covered most of what is now Central Luzon, extending from delta region that surrounds Manila Bay, all the way into the interior along head waters of the surrounding rivers in the province of Pampanga, Bulakan (covered part now Rizal).
The history of Song Dynasty was compiled under Mongol Prime Minister Toktoghan in 1345 AD. In it the Mongols recount the final and complete destruction of Nan song (southern song Empire) (1127-1279 AD), wherein 1279 AD the Mongol Fleet crushed the Nan Song Navy at the Naval battle of Yamen. The loyal Minister of the Left Liu Xiufu committed suicide with last Na Song Emperor, the children Songdi Bing rather than be captured by the Mongols.
The Grand Admiral Zhang Shijie escaped with his grand armada but were later annihilated by a typhoon while crossing the seas.
Alternative source refute the accounts of the destruction of Zhang Shijie’s grand armada as nothing more than Mongol propaganda since there were no eyewitness accounts of its destruction nor were there traces left of its remains. For most historians, the fate of Zhang shijie and his grand armada remains a mystery.
Contemporary Chinese historians in Guangdong are now even questioning the Mongolian accounts regarding Emperor Bing’s death. Even though Mongol sources claimed that the corpse of the last emperor has been found washed ashore along the coast of Shenzen, his actual grave is yet to be found. Cantonese folklore expressed in the traditional Cantonese opera narrates an alternative account where the loyal Minister Liu Xiufu tricked the Mongols by committing suicide with his own son disguised as the young emperor. The real emperor was said to have been smuggled out of the scene of battle by Grand Admiral Zhang Shijie, who will eventually return to redeem the empire from the invaders. The Travel of Marco Polo also recounts the escape of the last song emperor across the ocean. Zhang Shijie’s fleet and the last song emperor may have escaped to pre-colonial Philippines and established the Luzon Empire or the ‘Lesser Song Empire”.
Despite the conjectures regarding its origins, the Ming Annals are clear on the actual existence of the Luzon Empire. It records that in 1373 AD, the Luzon Empire sent its first among the many succeeding diplomat mission to the Great Ming Empire (1368-1644 AD), accompanied by the embassies of India’s Chola Empire.
The Ming chroniclers added the character for “kingdom” of “empire” (pinyin: GuU) after Luzon (Lusong), indicating that it was once an independent and sovereign kingdom. Her rulers were acknowledged as king and not mere chieftains. The Ming empire treated the Luzon Empire more favorably than Japan by allowing it to trade with China once every two years, while Japan was only allowed to trade once every 11 years.
Luzon empire flourished during the latter half of the Ming Dynasty when China closed its doors to foreign trade. Foreigners were forbidden to send trade missions to China. Chinese merchants were likewise forbidden to trade beyond the borders of the Ming Empire. Yet clandestinely, merchants from Guangzhou and Quanzhou regularly delivered trade goods to Tondo. Luzon merchants then traded them all across Southeast Asia and were considered “Chinese” by the people they encountered.
The Portuguese who came to Asia much earlier than the Spaniards recorded their encounter with the inhabitants of the Luzon empire and called them ‘Lucoes’. The Portuguese records that the Luzon Empire played an active role in the politics and economy of the 16th century Southeast Asia, especially in controlling the trade traffic at the Straits of Malacca.
The Luzon Empire’s powerful presence in the trade of Chinese goods in 16th-century East Asia was felt strongly by Japan, whose merchants had to resort to piracy in order to obtain much sought-after Chinese products such as silk and porcelain. Famous 16th century Japanese merchants and tea connoisseurs like Shimai Soushitsu and Kamiya Soutan established their branches here. One famous Japanese merchant, Luzon Sukezaemon, went as far as to change his name from Naya to Luzon.
Tondo (Tungdu in Cantonese) or the ‘Eastern Capital’ has always been the traditional capital of the Luzon Empire. Its traditional rulers were the lakandula (Kapampangan: ‘Lord of the Palace’). During the reign of Paduka Sri Baginda Rajah dan yang di Pertuan Bulkiah (1485-1521) the Kingdom of Brunai decided to break the Luzon Empire’s monopoly in the China trade by attacking Tondo and establishing the city state of Mainl’l, as a Burneian satellite. A new dynasty under the Salalila was established in Manila to challenge the House of Lakand’l, in Tondo.
When the Spaniards arrived in 1571 AD, the unity of the Luzon Empire was already threatened by the uneasy alliance of the Three Kings of Luzon: the Rajah matanda of Sapa, the Lakandula of Tondo and Rajah Suliman III, the ‘rajah muda’ or “crown prince” of Mainl’l and ‘laxamana’ or “grand admiral” of the Macabebe Armada. Powerful states like Lubao, Betis and Macabebe become bold enough to challenge the traditional leadership of Tondo and Mainl’l. The Spaniards took advantage of the chaos, played favourites with one ruler and pitted them against the other.
Rumor has it that the Spaniards had poisoned the Rajah Matanda of Mainl’l, so as to win the support of Lakandula of Tondo. Disregarding the legitimacy of Rajah Suliman III as ‘rajah muda’, the Spaniards installed the child Rajah Bago as the new king of Mainl’l.
In 1571, Rajah Suliman III, the ‘rajah muda’ of mainl’l and laxamana of the Macabebe armada, challenged the Spaniards to a naval battle at the estuary of bangkusay. The Spaniards were able to crush Rajah Suliman III and his Macabebe armada due to the lack of support from the other rulers of the empire. The Luzon Empire was quickly overtaken by the Spaniards. Its territories were carved out and distributed as spoils among themselves. The province of Pampanga was the first Spanish colonial province carved out of the Luzon Empire and the people who spoke one language from Tondo to the rest of Pampanga are now called Kapampangan.
After the collapse of the Luzon empire, the Spaniards were finally able to create their first colony in Asia, the Philippines, named in honor of Spanish King Philip II of Spain. The name Luzon was given to the entire northern Philippine island, in memory of the former Luzon empire.
The Luzon Empire was said to have finally ended in 1571 AD according to Spanish records.Yet the fortified cities of Lubao and Betis continued to thrive as independent principalities of the Luzon Empire till 1572 AD.
In 1575 AD, the Spaniards executed the child king Rajah Bago and his cousin Lumanlan. The Lakandula of Tondo also died in the same year.
In 1586 AD, the Spaniards crushed the revolt of former nobles of the Luzon Empire, in the province of Pampanga. The revolt was based in Candaba under the leadership of Don Nicolas Mananquete and Don Juan de Manila.
In 1588 AD, the Spaniards crushed the revolt of the nobles of the Luzon Empire in Tondo. It was led by the descendants of the Lakandula and their kinsmen with the assistance of Japanese merchants. Many of them executed or exiled and their properties confiscated.
In 1590 AD, the King Sattha of Cambodia sent two elephants to the “King of Luzon” through his Portuguese ambassador and requested the Luzon Empire’s assistance in their battle against Siam. In the same year the “lords” of the Luzon Empire were said to have been corresponding with theTaikou-sama of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, begging for assistance to help liberate the Luzon Empire from Spaniards. Hideyoshi responded by sending a letter to the Spanish Governor of Manila, demanding that the Spaniards leave Luzon quietly or else face a full scale invasion that would force them out. Ill-prepared for a Japanese invasion, the Spanish Governor of Manila decided to appease Hideyoshi by sending gift from the Americas, including the two elephants sent by the King of Cambodia. The rulers of the old Luzon Empire who cooperated with the Spanish overlords became the principal of the new Spanish colony. To this day, their descendants still play an influential role in Philippine society.
The study of Philippine history has for many years been Eurocentric, most Philippine historians have gone as far back at the earliest Spanish records but have failed to look into the archives of neighbouring countries, such as Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and China. Their dependence on the English language limits the majority of Philippine historians from accessing volumes of materials written in Chinese and other Asian languages. As a result, the history of the Luzon(Zabag or OPHIR) empire remains mythical in their scholastic psyche and still virtually non-existent in mainstream Philippine History.
Sheba Invited to Build Third Temple
As I was about to leave for the Philippines, this article came out in which the Sanhedrin invited the Arabs to work with them to build the next temple. If only they knew where the real Queen of Sheba came from—not Saudi Arabia but the Philippines.
The article leads off with this quote;
Dust clouds of camels shall cover you, Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. They all shall come from Sheba; They shall bear gold and frankincense, And shall herald the glories of Hashem. Isaiah 60:6 (The Israel Bible™)
The nascent Sanhedrin, a Biblically mandated court of 71 elders, released a letter in Hebrew, English and Arabic inviting the Arabs as the sons of Ishmael to take their role in supporting the Third Temple as prophesied by Isaiah. This move is far more than symbolic. It is intended to bring the entire world one step closer to the global peace that will characterize the Messianic era.
The letter reads:
“Dear brothers, the distinguished Sons of Ishmael, The great Arab nation,
“With the gracious help of the protector and Savior of Israel, Creator of the world by covenant, we declare that the footsteps of Messiah are evidently heard and that the time has come to rebuild the Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem in its ancient place.”
“We, the Jews who advocate building of the Temple, are applying to your Honorable ones, who were nominated by their peoples to give oath, raise vows and gifts to the Temple as prophesied by prophet Isaiah concerning your essential role and honorable position in keeping the Temple and supporting it with lamb sacrifices and incense in order to receive God’s Blessings.”
Raise your eyes and look about: They have all gathered and come to you. Your sons shall be brought from afar, Your daughters like babes on shoulders. As you behold, you will glow; Your heart will throb and thrill— For the wealth of the sea shall pass on to you, The riches of nations shall flow to you. Dust clouds of camels shall cover you, Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. They all shall come from Sheba; They shall bear gold and frankincense, And shall herald the glories of Hashem. Isaiah 60:4-6
“By virtue of this, we are certain that you will choose peaceful means and avoid all paths to hostility and violence. And we are sure that together we shall open doors to love and respect.”The letter was signed by 23 respected Rabbis who have received smicha (Rabbinic ordination) for the purpose of re-establishing the Sanhedrin. The rabbis are in the process of acquiring signatures of the full quorum of 71, after which they will send the letter to major Arab institutions and leaders. They hope to hold a conference with Arabs.
Conclusion
We are told in Exodus 12:11 to eat the Passover in haste ready to flee.
In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.
So it is highly appropriate that I send this at this time so that you all can talk about it over Passover and consider all that is being revealed to us at this time.
From the Sabbatical and Jubilee cycles we know we are in the 120th and final Jubilee cycle for the 6th Millennial day of man. We know that!
From the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 we know that there are 70 Jubilee cycles from the Exodus until this time we are in right now.
We also know that in the middle of that 70th Jubilee cycle, Israel, all 12 tribes will begin to be cut off and be as if they never were as punishment for not keeping the Torah.
So we know when. You should have proven this by now.
We know why.
But we did not where to flee to. I had assumed it was Jerusalem because we flee from Jerusalem to Jordan. But I was missing one step.
A year ago friends told me to watch this Christian video about the Philippines. It said the garden of Eden was there. I dismissed it because we know for a fact the Garden of Eden is in Northern Iran and Eastern Turkey. I have been there myself when I went to visit Noah’s Ark. But in that long video series was some other things. In January February 2018 more people urged me to look at it again. So I did my own research and then watched what they offered.
I also have to wonder why the only two places I have been able to share this message of the Jubilee has been enthusiastically received only in two places. Burundi and the Philippines. And Both of them are I believe mentioned in Isaiah 11:11. Pathros is the ends of the Nile and that is exactly where Burundi is, at the very end of the Nile system. And the Isles of the far east is the Philippines.
It is my position that we are to flee to the Philippines if we want to have any hope of surviving what is to come. I have told you all to get your passports and have them up to date and ready to go. Revelation talks about the Saints under the Altar that are told to wait until their brethren too would be killed. You do not have to be one of them.
When the Assyrians invaded Israel. Some of the tribes had already fled. Dan being one of them.
Again I must remind you of what we are told in Ezekiel 20:37-38
I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Yehovah is going to force everyone to pass under this rod and to be removed from their homes.
Isaiah tells us exactly what that “ROD” is.
Isaiah 10:5 Woe to, Assyria, the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Germany is the “ROD” Yehovah is going to use to fulfil His fury against the 12 tribes for not obeying Him. And you all have seen in recent years how Germany has invited millions of Islamic men to come to that nation. Now just imagine a German Nazi with Islamic belief’s and consider how anyone who even looks like they are “Jewish” will fair in that climate. How many times have you been asked if you were Jewish because of the beliefs you now hold on to?
Again I am telling you to prove these things for yourself. Prove them beyond all doubts. Do not believe me.
Some of you just want to continue to play religion. I have never been playing that game. This is real to me and has been since I began to learn the truth.
Keep in mind what Yehovah said in Isaiah 66:19-21
And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
Some of these Filipinos will be made into Levitical Priests. And those of us from Israel they will bring to Yehovah in the same way the grain offering were done at Passover and Shavuot. Do you want to be that grain offering?
I have given you much to think about and to consider. Some of you will begin to plan how you can move there. The cost of living is very low compared to North America. Others will give up without even trying and be upset.
In all of this, we have a work yet to do. We need to train those who will become those Levitical priests. Please do continue to pray and support this work and to make your plans for what is about to happen.
Joe? What video?
Please forgive my misunderstanding because I was looking forward to :the Messiah is Here: and nothing follow??
Who is the Lawlesness Mesiah/Antimessiah ? Christian”s Jesus because he is lawless.Follows the world festivals instead YHVH`s 7 feasts? They pray to him on sundays, sundaycalender sungodsday.ect? 2 Thess 2:3-12
Shabat Shalum, you are claiming that Yahusha is here, right now. Walking around on earth with us. Where is He and why is He here before the 2 witnesses? Where is your proof?
For those interested in a teaching tool that both helps learn and teach the calculation of the 2500 years from ADAM up to the EXODUS, consider downloading the following SightedMoon lesson booklet:
https://sightedmoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Lesson-Booklet-CALENDAR-CALCULATIONS.pdf
(Look for the 5th lesson entitled “The First 2500 Years of Creation” on the ninth page of the PDF file.)
NOTES:
The link above is also available via the Library Menu at the top of the screen. Click Library->Lesson Books->The Calendar.
If you find these type of one page lessons useful, consider acquiring the two complete Scripture Lessons for the Kingdom books from the bookstore or the support’s library.
Please direct me to the video in question?
Shalom Michael.
There was a video made by the congregation at Aike’s, but because Aike and Joe have been busy travelling and speaking to other groups, the video is not yet published. Unfortunately we thought the video would be available by newsletter publish time, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer. We’ll be sure to share once we have it.
Sombra for Joe
Lots to pray,fast and allow the spirit of holiness,to bring clarity and understanding, to each person that Elohim is dealing with, as a remnant of believers and faith our guide..to not be mislead nor deceived, as the word in Matthew says,if it were possible even the Elect could be deceived..
Shalom,
Joe always says,
“Don’t believe me”
This is a test….
Please read Matthew chapter 24:23-51
Yeshua says what will happen. Listen to HIM.