MY SCRIPTURE STUDIES

My Scripture Studies
Seek God. Engage with His voice in the Bible and start in the beginning.

September 02, 2011

The Pillar of Fire


GOD is INCOMPREHENSIBLE. How can we comprehend the limitless Almighty God?  

We can never fully understand all that we might know about the One that fills heaven and earth? (Jeremiah 23:23-24)

We can't. He is independent of matter and time, infinite in power, with unlimited ability and existence. 

In my Scripture studies I found seeking to learn about God in faith is not just a belief, it's much more. 

It's not an intellectual task like trying to figure out how to solve a physics formula. Faith is action, doing something - in faith, finding the right path when we are headed the wrong way. 

For many faith grows as we learn, live and worship. 

Faith grows as we get involved in deeds of kindness for others. A big part of faith and getting to know God is to get involved in helping others too. Along the way, we can't be afraid to ask questions. For me, a strong and resilient faith requires considering God’s glory which we can't see except in His creation at least for now and mankind’s fallen state that can surround us like Pharaoh's army. 

Almighty God runs the 'Universe' aso we must consider that word "uni-verse." It points to the everlasting voice of Almighty God, the one Sovereign King of the Universe. And where do we find His voice? In the Bible. It begins with the Torah, the unchanging living words of covenant, instruction and teaching from Almighty God that points toward redemption and Messiah.

Our perspective of our Creator is small, its finite and out of view because we fail to consider the rational fear, awe and wonder of His glory fire and infinite power. A glimpse into the Torah gives us one perspective as seen with the appearance of the Pillar of Fire in the exodus account.

If we will just look at the word of God with an open mind, letting go of preconceived traditions and read the Bible for what it says forgetting doctrine and tradition for a moment, we should discover that the gift of "protection" is one key to why God ordained the Levites and said this about them:
"And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”  Numbers 8:19
That "gift" is what inspired me to reconsider the Pillar of Fire.

The Hebrew word plague is "negeph" it means a striking, fatal disease. Almighty God means what He says and when He says something like "negeph" we really need to pay attention to every letter, word and verse if we want to ever come understand anything about the presence of El Shaddai God Almighty.

God's consuming fire and light is very real.

A consuming fire is what the Hebrew Bible describes, yet most people never really dig in to try to understand the Pillar of Fire above the Tabernacle, the cloud or the purpose of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). We can't see the forest for the trees that The Lord's Levite "gift" of duty was so that plague would not overcome those near it. 

Then there's the Levite assignment to "protect" found in Numbers 3:38:
Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel. 
The Bible's lesson is that we can only approach our Creator on His terms, otherwise we will have a problem, we'll end up burned and consumed by the light of His Holiness because of our sin. The reason, sin can not occupy the same space as perfection. 

In summary, we have seen that a key role of the ministry of the Levites was a gift from God for protection. 

This Pillar of Fire fact is prophetic, because it points to life and ministry of Messiah Yeshua as our High Priest who intercedes on our behalf

The life, death and resurrection ministry of intercession provided by Yeshua as King and High Priest is outlined in Hebrews 8-9. 

When we open the Bible and read about the Pillar of Fire above the Tabernacle and try to connect the dots with the daily "tamid" offerings many of us can miss the big picture of the need for The Lord's "gift" of "protection" and the work of Yeshua because we think we are far removed in time and space from their physical reality.

But I do not think we are too far removed to reconsider the bigger picture of space-time, we just don't understand it. 

This commentary is just my very near-sighted perspective on that, there's NO thus says The LORD here except in the Scriptures you can read that are quoted here. 

The possibilities noted make this post it's a bit long, but it barely touches the smoke and fire reality of the Pillar of Fire and a few of remarkable discoveries we can find in the Bible if we just look.

The problem is many people never connect science with the Bible. 

They have the mindset that the Bible is a religious or "spiritual" book, so science often carries a bad reputation with Bible believers that set the Bible in the realm of a spiritual life book and in a way forget our Creator. In many ways we can identify the reason and it's recent, perhaps because of one man that many call an evolutionary scientist, his name is Charles Darwin. the problem with Darwin is the lack of scientific scrutiny and the belief of random chance and coincidence.

There was no random, chaotic cosmic Big Bang blast. Why? Almighty God is the Creator of order. He created the visible and the invisible. He created life as we know it systematically on planet earth for His good reason. If we had to sum it up in one sentence which we can't do it, His creation goal is to share His indwelling presence (aka shechinah glory) with mankind. That always been the life plan for the big blue ball.

Yet, with the proper perspectives on understanding what we can about physics, science does not have to take us away from the Bible, I believe it can bring us closer to understanding the reality of the glory cloud Pillar of Fire. If we just consider some small bits and pieces of what we do know about physics and science, we might just uncover a better understanding of the astonishing reality embedded within the uni-verse of the Bible. 

However, if we try to confirm everything scientifically we detract from God’s glory and I do not want to do that here.

For example, the Bible teaches us that God is Spirit. The spiritual realm is unseen but very real. One way for me to understand it is the light spectrum. Most of it, like radio waves can't be seen, but they are there nonetheless and a big part of our physical universe.

I hope some of the thoughts shared here might raise your appreciation of the Bible's messages about that because random chaos causes distress and destroys life.

Not only that, we'll explore why the word "fear" מורא (môrā') mentioned throughout the Tanach (Hebrew Bible) is rational and life saving for sinful men and women to live in the image of God near The Almighty. It's as true now as it was in Eden when God tossed Adam and Eve out of Eden to save them as it was when The LORD tabernacled among Israel and the sojourners with them to save them from the distress of slavery and idol-infested chaos of Egypt that began their exodus journey to the Promised Land with Passover.

That’s what Passover is all about – God shattering through what we understand as space-time to pull us out of our distress to set us free if we will just follow Him.

By the way, Egypt is the word מצרים (Mizraim) meaning double distress. 

The Torah gives the prerequisite outline for the God working among mankind in relationship, and there's a big problem as long as sin exists and we ignore God's instruction. 

That fact is explained at Mount Sinai. The reasons were not all given there yet the events recorded in the Bible can open up a better understanding of the balance of the Bible.

Keep in mind that my perspectives here are just that, mine. They aren't the whole 3-D picture, but whether right or wrong, my very limited view on Almighty God's ways, His infinite power, Spirit presence and almighty glory that "spoke" the incomprehensible universe as we know it is mind-bending. 

I do hope in some way you'll gain a some perspective that will help you do something about the your relationship with your Maker. You are not the result of random chance.

Almighty God is unfathomable, but the same voice that created the universe, holds it together and the earth and its inhabitants must be redeemed to avert the disaster they can bring on themselves in the end.

At the very least, I pray you will find some better perspective here if you have put your view of Almighty God neatly tucked away in a Bible on a shelf as I once did. It's time to reconsider God's shechinah glory. It's time to get real and know God's glory can be a very real part of your life. 

The Bible, God's teaching and instruction is a gift that has great purpose because sin is our in God's image defilement that cannot stand near God's glory and indwelling presence without a covering, aka an atonement.

I know my view of God's glory is far less than a micro-glimpse of what it should be, but I have some thoughts about the Pillar of Fire. Right or wrong, we all need to begin to restore our understanding. The "fear" factor of the unimaginable majesty of our Almighty God helps me understand. This I know, before we attempt to stand anywhere near His glory trembling and shaking at His throne on Yom Kippur's final Judgment Day we need to do something.

We will all stand there whether we believe the Bible or not, whether we think the Day of The LORD is real or not. The reality is not a faith choice. 

Our life choice gift allows us to accept or reject God's voice. It's in His written word and what we believe does not affect His plan for restoring our polluted planet.  The prophets never came up with a prediction, they weren't soothsayers. They simply wrote down what God had to say and shared it. 

The prophet Amos wrote the Father’s words because that's what prophets do. Almighty God said this about the end day of The LORD: 
“Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: “There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square.”

“Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? 
That day will be darkness, not light.”
Amos provides a glimpse of the Passover Day in 30AD (see Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44), but he's focused on the day of The LORD just like Isaiah and Obadiah:
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising,
and the moon will not shed its light.
I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity Isaiah 13:10-11 

For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head. Obadiah 1:15 
Joel give us the fast day connection to Yom Kippur.
Consecrate a fast
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.
 
Alas for the day!
For the day of the LORD is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.  Joel 1:14-15 
On the appointed Day of The LORD, the choices we have made along the way will affect our eternity.

So, if you think Yom Kippur is just for Jews or over and done with you need to think again. 

Jew or not you will stand before the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur's judgment. Everyone will bow in fear before the glory presence of Almighty God and you'll need an intercessor to survive. 

So, it's time to unroll a scroll. 

In Exodus 33 we find Moses talking to our Creator at the Sinai mountaintop. There Moses boldly but innocently asks a VERY dangerous favor: "I beseech you, show me your glory."

The reply from Almighty God is tied directly 100% to His character of grace, mercy and lovingkindness. It comes with a very stern warning of love that reveals the reality of His ominous, unimaginable glory that Moses din not understand:
“I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 
But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” Exodus 33:19-20
Moses view was limited for his protection. 

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides an explanation of the situation. It's from the "Sepher Cosri" that declares Moses body would be dissolved when God protected Moses by telling him "you cannot" see my face.

"This is well explained by Rabbi Jehudah, in Sepher Cosri, (P.iv. §3.) 'Of that divine glory mentioned in the Scripture, there is one degree which the eyes of the prophets were able to explore; another which all the Israelites saw, as the cloud and consuming fire; the third is so bright, and so dazzling, that no mortal is able to comprehend it; but should anyone venture to look on it, his whole frame would be dissolved.'

In such inconceivable splendour is the Divine Majesty revealed to the inhabitants of the celestial world, where he is said to 'dwell in the light which no man can approach unto.' (1Timothy 6:16) By the 'face of God,' therefore, we are to understand that light inaccessible before which angels may stand, but which would be so insufferable to mortal eyes, that no man could see it and live. (Exodus 24:10; Genesis 32:30; Deuteronomy 5:24; Judges 6:22; Judges 13:22; Isaiah 6:5; John 1:18; 1Timothy 6:16; Hebrews 1:13; Revelation 1:16-17)"


Let's look at some other perspectives on the gravity of this:
1Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honor and power everlasting. Amen.

Deuteronomy 5:24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

Judges 13:22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

Revelation 1:16-17 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last.
In the Bible, "Judgment Day" as we now call it and as already noted the day has a Biblical name, it is Yom Kippur, also known as Yom Ha’Kippurim in Hebrew.

Yom Kippur is the day The LORD arrives and it's a solemn appointment day of The LORD. 

It's first promised by the voice of God at Mount Sinai and it is linked to His Glory and His throne which is the imagery of the “mercy seat” of God. At Sinai it's represented by the golden covering above the Ark of the Covenant in the wilderness Mishkan Tabernacle. 

The coming "day" of Yom Kippur aka the Day of Atonement or "covering" is set in stone in God's appointment book. The Bible tells us the very day that this judgment will be on His appointed day, not ours. Leviticus 16:29 teaches that it will be on a future tenth day of the seventh Biblical month. We just don't know which year exactly. 

That will be the day when Messiah Yeshua, the High Priest King, will intercede with covering for redeemed Israel before the shechinah glory of Almighty God. 

The good news about that soon coming last day Yom Kippur is that Yeshua is the High Priest King for a reason, so that His sheep will not be dissolved in the plague of sin. Yeshua's blood will provide the High Priest's offering. It's His assignment on the day of The LORD. 

The book of Revelation provides the big picture you may have missed.

Yom Kippur was not done away with at the cross!

Leviticus 16 tells us that God spoke to Moses about this and told him to tell his brother Aaron, the High Priest at the time - that in a shadow picture of Messiah's future work. Aaron was to only enter the inner Tabernacle sanctuary, the Most Holy Place on one specific day within God's instruction to stand before the presence of God's glory above the Mercy Seat of the ark of the covenant. 

Any other day, Aaron or any other High Priest to follow would die. That means there's only one day set and assigned by God for the final atonement.

Yet back in the days of the Mishkan, Moses could enter and talk to God. Anyone else showing up unprepared to honor God's instruction mean't that disaster would follow. 

Aaron's two oldest sons Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:3 ) are the proof that ignoring God's warnings are catastrophic. That's why Moses warned his brother that if he or anyone else that followed in his footsteps, should ever attempt to draw near to God's glory presence on any other day was not the right thing to do. The reason is not vengeful, the warning is about life and the dire consequence that would result because the presence of the glory of The Lord can only be approached under God's guidance. 

This is important because a perspective gained by reading the account teaches us that the Most Holy (Qodesh Qodesh) was set-apart for a very good God reason, not to punish, but to protect!

Why is that?

Almighty God knew what would happen and He loves life, He created it. God's heart is to sustain life yet dwell among mankind. That's earth's purpose and we'll delve into more of that here. 

To do that, we have to understand much more about the Levites as a gift and the reality of the (Qodesh Qodesh) shechinah glory Pillar of Fire. We also have to remember, even Moses was not allowed to look at God's face for a single moment for a good reason: life.

As I worked on this commentary, I was asked this question by a friend: why does Ezekiel's vision of the Temple described in Ezekiel 40:1-48:35 include offerings during the Messianic Age to Come, after all weren't they done away with at the cross?

To seek some understanding, it's helpful to look into some comments that others have made about that future day. 

The best commentary I've found to date is from an association of Jewish Believers in Messiah Yeshua. I'm glad I did not see it before I started my own study, or I may have not begun on my own truth-seeking journey about the Pillar of Fire.

Here is a part of that amazingly and thought provoking explanation from "The Jerusalem Council" that aligns with sayings from many Jewish sages as well as the voice of Hebrews 10:4:
"The purpose of the Temple is for G-d to dwell with man.

It was not to provide atonement for sin. That was not its function. Instead it is because we are unclean, and sinful, and G-d who is holy cannot dwell with unclean and sinful man, that atonement for us is required as we “draw near” to G-d. In fact the Hebrew word for “drawing near” is the same as “making a sacrifice.”

The purpose for the sacrifices were so that we, as unclean, sinful man, could draw near to him without being vaporized."

"Thank G-d that G-d has given us the Messiah. Yeshua is the house (tabernacle) of G-d, and through him we interact with G-d in our unclean, and sinful bodies, and do not die. Yet this does not diminish who G-d is in his fullness, presence, and glory, nor diminish the fact that a man cannot stand in the presence of G-d."
The answer to the questions on Ezekiel's Temple is summed up by none other than the last two word's of Ezekiel's prophecy that track to the Tabernacle in the wilderness:  מיום יהוה :
"The LORD is there.” Ezekiel 48:35
YHWH-shammah, the immutable, unfathomable glory fire of God will return to the Promised Land.

The thing is, we are not ready for the return of God's glory. 

Many of us are an unclean people, we think the offerings of the Tabernacle are done away with, not only that many ignore the Torah and things are getting worse. 

We have new modern idols, we lie and cheat and steal, we abort life, covet and slander. 

Bottomline, in our current state, mortal men can not stand anywhere near the presence of God's divine glory without being vaporized... yet the Day of Atonement (covering) is coming and the book of Leviticus as well as Revelation provides some very graphic imagery on that fact.

Don't let that twist your brain too much around the proverbial axle. 

You may choose not to read on. But if you want to open your mind and heart to consider God's glory entering our time zone of space and time again like the Pillar of Fire described in the Bible, you may want to read on, but remember, like I said, there's NO "thus saith the LORD" here except His word, just my current understanding about God's shechinah glory fire.

If you do read on, please don't hesitate to share your feedback because we should all seek truth together and test what we believe against Scripture truth. After all, many false prophets have polluted the planet but the big blue ball will be cleaned up to be used as a place of relationship by Almighty God just as He did in the Garden. 

the Bible reveals hard times are headed our way, call it tribulation if you like, yet God will redeem mankind and the planet to fulfill His creation gospel plan. 

Difficulty and discipline has a God goal, to turn us back in repentance to The LORD the assignment is to disciple others to seek and follow His way. 

It's our job to lend a hand to repair the world. Jesus likened the assignment to fishing.

We will see God's discipline for the children He loves that have gone astray. It will hurt, just like the discipline of every loving father can, especially the discipline of our Creator, our loving Abba Father.

Like I mentioned, a prophet that has heard from God speaks what God says. Zechariah is one of them. Almighty God spoke to him so we need to get to know the words Zechariah penned. Almighty God gave him the imagery of the "noble" refined metals of silver and gold that vastly differ from "base" mixed metals like iron that rust and corrode:
And I will bring the third part through the fire,
Refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested. 
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are My people,' 
And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'
Zechariah 13:9 (NASB)
When we understand what it means to be tested, to be refined through the fire of God, we must begin to understand the most solemn holy day, the final Atonement Day is real and not done away with at the cross. 

Christians can't continue to ignore the facts of truth. The Old Testament is not old, much of what it declares hasn't even happened yet!!!

The great day of The Lord called Yom Kippur is on God's appointment calendar because sin must be meet its end if Almighty God is to live with mankind as He planned from the beginning. Yom Kippur is the fulfillment of the promise that God will remove iniquity and the transgression of His teaching and instruction. He will restore and He will separate light from dark as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). 

Yeshua's Passover 2000 years ago makes covering atonement possible, and if you think you can just continue to willfully ignore sin thinking hey I am covered covered by His blood, I said my prayer in church and repeated the Pastor's words. The thing is there is a big problem if you're trampling on the meaning and purpose of the cross and hammering nails into the hands and feet of the lamb of God.

Messiah Yeshua, the High Priest intercedes for those seeking to draw near to Almighty God in the spirit of repentance.

If you say you believe the Bible, it's time to think of the Levite's service at the wilderness Tabernacle as a picture of God's grace. There's a reason God called their service a gift.

To get to that point, we need to repent and ask Abba Father to forgive our transgression of His Word, and confess any wrong doing toward God or others. It's time to wash up in the Mikveh before we approach the Mishkan. 

When we repent, God gives us a Holy promise, He will forgive. He will show us His goodness just as He did for Moses, but we need to walk the way He wants us to walk, like Messiah. 

That way is not our way, but it's God's image way.

Forgiveness is God's character promise but we must all confess, repent and do what is right according to His instruction. To approach God requires the right choice and action, not just a mindset called belief. 
That's Greek thinking.

Messiah Yeshua-Jesus is at the right hand of God today because His has the resurrection authority granted by The Father that was gifted to The Son of Man over the curse of death. 

We must all know that drawing near God's presence is not just be a "spiritual" thing as we often think of it in a church pew and drawing near will not be on an ethereal cloud in Heaven with a harp playing either. It will be on earth just as God planned at His creation from the beginning. 

Ezekiel promises that Abba Father has a plan for another Tabernacle, the place on earth where the fearful and awesome power and glory fire of the Almighty will return and come back to this world but only when we are refined and ready... and like Ezekiel may we declare YHWH-shammah.

The service of the Tabernacle is outlined in the book of Leviticus. Yet the Hebrew name of the book is Vayikra and it means, "And He Called."

Have you heard the call?

If you'll turn your Bible to the most ignored book in Sunday school you find the korban offerings. In Hebrew they are the the korbanot and they have nothing to do salvation, removing sin or going to heaven as you might think. They never were, the instructions are about how God has called His people to draw near to him safely, they are about worship and all about Messiah.

To do that requires a covering and sanctification atonement, it's not the same as forgiveness or removing sin to approach the Shekianh Glory of God.

King David described the Pillar of Fire and 2 Samuel 22:13-14 reports one way that glory fire ignited from God's presence:
From the brightness before Him
coals of fire were kindled.
The LORD thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
The Bible tells us (in many places) that judgment will come on those that reject God in a willful, sinful state without the covering of blood atonement. That is offered through Messiah Yeshua. 

The prophetic books of Daniel, Isaiah, Joel, Zechariah and Revelation as well as other prophets including Moses have a lot to say about the Day of The LORD and we need to pay attention.

The problem: we oppose God's ways, many are people without repentance and not covered in Yeshua's blood atonement. Even Yom Kippur shows us that anyone without forgiveness has no atonement covering. 

We will have a big problem at the end of that day. 

Yom Kippur was declared some 3,500 years ago during the days of the Tabernacle and its daily offering korbanot altar is real because each day, God's glory requires a clean daily tamid offering to prevent the ultimate plague of disaster from God's consuming glory.

Have you ever wondered about God's light, His brightness? 

You should start now if you haven't. It is real, very real so I will share some thoughts here to engage a revival of an old understanding of the "fear" of God that the exodus people of Israel and the sojourners that joined them in the wilderness had. They both left Egypt together, they both heard God's voice that they ignored, so their descendants were left to follow the Pillar of Fire throughout a 40-year wilderness journey. Only two men that left Egypt arrived in the Promised Land. Joshua, son of Nun, an Ephramite and Caleb, son of Jephunneh of the family of Judah.

The fact is Proverbs teaches this for a reason: 
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 
It's time for some wisdom.

I don't thing that the fear of The Lord is limited to awe and respect as many teach. 

It's about glory. The exodus "mixed multitude" witnessed it first hand. Their fear and dread of God's glory presence was manifested by the Pillar of Fire cloud during their journey. They all encountered the shechinah manifestation of the glory of Almighty Elohim Y-H-V-H-shammah.

The Bible's accounts of the Y-H-V-H shammah Pillar of Fire glory illustrates the need for an intercessor, a messenger of God and the God gift reason for protection. The witness of Torah teaches the Moses was an intercessor whose actions give us a picture that was ultimately revealed in Messiah Yeshua who gave this teaching:
So Yeshua answered them, "My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me. If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 
The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. John 7:16-18
Leviticus 10:16 teaches us something critical:

“Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold it had been burned up!”

Messiah is a big part of that, we just need to know where to look. Not only did everyone see the Pillar of Fire that Moses describes, they saw something else. They saw the Angel (Messenger) of the Lord who was going "before" the camp moving in front of the cloud of Shechinah Glory. 

The mal'ak messenger that Moses describes was as real as the Pillar of Fire and the messenger of The Lord was there for a reason.

Consider... was this mal'ak the same "messenger" of God that spoke to Moses from the burning bush?

Was this mal'ak of The Lord the same that appeared as a man to Abraham? Was this mal'ak the same messenger that spoke to Hagar and the mal'ak that was seen by Balaam? Was he the mal'ak Joshua met just outside Jericho described as the Lord of Hosts? Is this the same messenger mal'ak that said: “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers"?

Was this messenger mal'ak the one that spoke with Gideon and Manoah and his wife? He said: "if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.”

There's that Korean again.

Saul made a mistake when he offered the burnt offering to honor himself. You can read about Saul's grave mistake in 1Samuel 13:8-14. Yeshua did not make that mistake. 

The mal'ak messenger of The Lord appeared to David too. It was by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. The messenger of God was standing between earth and heaven with a sword drawn and stretched out over Jerusalem just like the messenger and the sword that both Balaam and Joshua had seen.

Elijah saw the mal'ak God messenger too, as did Isaiah and Zechariah.

Many people have heard about the burning bush that did not burn, but Moses records what we need to know. He describes who he saw in those flames, He saw the mal'ak God messenger. 

Here's the proof:
"The angel (messenger) of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed." Exodus 3:2
  As we've seen, Moses also recorded the second time he saw the God messenger:
"The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them." Exodus 14:19
The Pillar of Fire terrified the huge Exodus crowds as the mal'ak messenger ran in front of it. Everyone immediately understood exactly what the "fear" of The Lord meant! 

They didn't need a Sunday sermon full of fire and brimstone hell-fire podium pounding preaching. They saw something fearful, awesome and mind-bending with their own eyes!

The Hebrew word "mowra" translates as "fear, reverence, and terror." Yup... terror. 

The Israelites and the sojourners with them were terrified, and for good reason. Any view of God's fearful power causes trembling in people. The word "fear" appears in the KJV Bible about 400 times. That is no coincidence when we re-consider the Pillar of Fire and the messenger mal'ak of God, but that was not all. 

At Sinai, the earth shook too as did the air. Thunder roared from the fire of The Lord atop the mountain. 

Native born or sojourner, they all saw it, heard it and felt the heat of the glory of the Pillar of Fire as it descended on the mountain.

It wasn't just smoke that kept the priests out of the Temple when it was dedicated by Solomon. You have to think between the lines to see it:
"It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD." 1Kings 8:10-11 
If we turn back the pages of the Bible to the prophet Ezekiel, we can see that the prophet points us to Genesis 1:26-27 as he presses forward to the same fire described in Revelation 1:12-18.

Ezekiel 1:4-10 describes the Pillar of Fire Moses wrote about to, but the prophet Ezekiel, like a Hollywood movie script writer describes four-dimension human-like figures:
"As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. 
Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form
As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle."
The description says each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward.

A different perspective view of the creatures around God's throne is given in Revelation 4:7.

We can uncover some of the meaning of their four faces in the leadership banners of the camp of Israel around the wilderness Tabernacle. Those banners pointed toward four attributes of none other than Messiah Yeshua as they point to His first humble mission and His second glorious coming:

1. Man = Son of Man = Rueben
2. Lion = King = Judah
3. Ox = Strong servant = Ephraim
4. Eagle = In the Heavens = Dan

We should also consider the number four in the creation account. Nothing is a coincidence in the Bible. It was on the fourth day of creation that God used His voice to impart life to the four corners of the planet in an otherwise empty void of chaos (read Genesis 1:2).

Let's get back to the exodus scene.

If we don't try to understand the "fear" that engulfed everyone in the Bible's account of the exodus because we think it's old and done away with, it is virtually impossible to make any sense of the "fearing" we will have when The Lord returns in consuming glory fire.

It's hard to comprehend, all it seems that we can do now is read about it, but God's glory is the reality beyond our own time and space. It is beyond the three dimensions of depth, width and height. It is much more than what we can imagine with our limited spectrum of capabilities for sight, sound or touch. 

From a scientific perspective, we are virtually like stone and we are blind and deaf. Our acute abilities to understand reality are pretty limited. We can't see light outside our optical window of narrow band wavelengths that range from about 400 to 700 nanometers.

Have you ever really wondered about that visible spectrum? The Bible tells us God is light, that God is Spirit. Perhaps our own spectral limitation is for our own protection, could it be the reason that God's is not seen?

As for sound, the general range of human hearing is only 20 Hz to 20 kHz. That's it.

Everyone knows their pet cat or dog can hear a lot more than their master. Cats hearing ranges up to 77 kHz, three times that of its human. Believe it or not, many primates can actually hear ultrasonic waves.  You know about ultrasound, you've just never heard it. Ultrasound devices operate with frequencies above 20 kHz up to several gigahertz. Ultrasound allows medical devices that can measure it to project a view of what's inside our bodies and see a baby in the womb.

Have you ever studied the eyes of an insect?

Bees, wasps and other insects can see the ultraviolet light that is invisible to people. Many snakes can see radiant heat at tiny wavelengths. But we can no more see the radio waves emitting from our cell phones than we can spot the bacteria in our noses or see the X-rays blasting through our jaw at the dentist's office.

Could it possibly be that what we think of as spiritual blindness is in fact a symptom of physical limitation, a mortal condition that originated in Eden?

Believe me, I am not trying to take you into an abyss over the left field fence, but we can be sure that God is infinitesimally more brilliant in the full display of the Creator’s splendor than we can ever imagine or possibly describe in any narrative, especially here. The reason is simple, our vision and our hearing is very limited in the grand scale of God's creation.

Even the best scholar's commentary of God's magnificent "glory" leaves out incomprehensible information that is basic to the glory of His glory. Bottomline, we have to face other facts too, our own experiences  and beliefs form opinions and those perceptions cloud reality and the Bible.

Sadly, in day school most of us were taught to read the Bible without reality is a religious perception thinking that it's an old story, done and dusted but it is not. It's not even a story, it's much more. It's the 4-D dimensional living and eternal word of Almighty God that sustains the universe.

If you've ever read the account of the shepherds tending sheep in Bethlehem as described in the book of Luke, ask yourself this: do you remember that the setting that is described is just like that described in Moses' exodus account with Almighty God's fearful glory and the angel of God front and center?

If you forgot that part, look again:
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel (messenger) of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid." Luke 2:8-9
The King James Bible says they were "sore" afraid. That sore afraid description is from the Greek word "megas" but that olde English word "sore" doesn't really get the job done, it doesn't convey the full fear factor. Thankfully, the Strong's Greek Lexicon can help us understand a bit more about that word "megas."

Today, the old Greek word has come back into play, we often use the word "mega." The word is: "used of intensity and its degrees: with great effort, of the affections and emotions of the mind, of natural events powerfully affecting the senses: violent, mighty, strong."

The violent, mighty, strong GLORY of the Lord shone round about them: and they were "MEGA" afraid!! Their mega fear was consuming and intense, they were terrified!!!

Why... because of the glory of God was near them.

God's glory is MEGA intense, beyond our comprehension and that is the mystery in the exploration of understanding that we will try to dig a bit further into.

To start the journey, let's consider these words from an amazing mathematician, the great Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell which summarizes one goal of this commentary...
"Each Bible student should do all one can to engage his own mind and imagination with the extent, the order, and the unity of the universe, and should carry these ideas along as one reads the word of God."
In the old way of Hebrew teaching, let me pose two questions...

1. Have you noticed that whenever the subject of the Levites, their altar services and the Tabernacle comes up in discussion, the thought of sacrifice on an elevated stone platform seems strange?

2. Could it be that we simply have no idea then of just how "Almighty" God's glory presence is and what is required the stand anywhere near it?

To begin to understand God's glory, we first need to figure out WHY God declared the Levites "a gift":


“I have given the Levites AS A GIFT to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, TO PERFORM THE SERVICE of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and TO MAKE ATONEMENT on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be NO PLAGUE among the sons of Israel by their COMING NEAR to the sanctuary.”


Without considering these words of Exodus 8:19 in a fearful awe of Elohim God Almighty it's hard to understand why God said that the Levites are a gift, or why their service was to engage a covering (atonement) so no plague come on people coming near to the Almighty Glory of God.

Most people it seems ignore this gift message. They reshape theology to take a pass on the purpose of the Levite services, thinking of them only as something "old" and "done away" with at the cross with little or no need for understanding.

But should anyone ever dismiss God's words as something "old" or "done away" with?

Seriously... NO.

The gift is tied to blood atonement (covering) and it has been a part of the plan of redemption since the beginning. No, not the exodus, the beginning.

When Adam and Eve deliberately opposed God's warning in Eden, the Almighty could have continued to let them try to cover their own nakedness with those fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). Instead, Almighty God chose to offer the first sacrifice. The Lord used an animal, perhaps a lamb, and The Lord God used its bloody "hide" to cover the sinners in "atonement" garments.

By the Father's heavenly act of covering His children's nakedness, we can see that an offering was established by our Creator from the beginning. It is His means for dealing with sin and enabling mankind near God's presence. It was not the just the skin of that animal but the life-blood of the Lord's sacrifice that covered them. Had God not done that they would have died on the spot right there in His Glory presence.

The reason, they were sinful, naked, so in God's mercy, love and grace Almighty Elohim made a way for them to survive near His glory presence if even for just another day until they were put out of the garden, away from the consuming presence of God's Glory.

We have to re-boot our brains with what GOD DECLARED when it comes to our own image of our loving, gracious and Almighty Holy God. To do that, we have to ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to understanding God's Word that much like the Universe, operates like its Almighty Creator,.

God exists on a scale that we can't comprehend, yet He will allow a glimpse through the Bible to help us understand His fearful power. With the spiritual guidance of the Holy Spirit, the teacher and comforter promised by Messiah Yeshua, we might just prayerfully re-consider the glorious, shechinah light and majesty glory of The Lord and His plan of atonement for the salvation and restoration of the planet.

When we open the book of life, our prayer must always be for God's guidance.

If we want to glimpse at His Glory, we'll need a rock, just like the one that protected Moses when we consider the purpose of the Tabernacle and the offerings required for atonement and life.

Sure, sacrifice seems pretty strange to us, but are they really if we understand at least a little of our Creator's Glory?

A huge part of the Torah's instruction, provides the protocols for the services of the Levites. Most of the book of Leviticus is an instruction manual for them as they are told how to tend to the Tabernacle, it's furnishings, utensils and perform its altar services in the physical presence of the Pillar of Fire of God Almighty. God tells us this Levite instruction is "so that their be NO PLAGUE among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary.”

Many Bible students tend to dismiss what God's word says and get lost in the translation of doctrine or tradition when they consider that the altar offerings will be restored again in the millennium Temple of our Lord as shown plainly in Ezekiel 40:38-39 and that Jerusalem is front and center in the future at the Sukkot Feast of Tabernacles described in Zechariah 14:16.

Thanks to Ezekiel, we can understand that the gift of the Levites will be the service of everyone near the glory of the God of Israel in Jerusalem.

Most unwittingly think Zechariah's promise of the restoration of the Feast of Booths, aka Tabernacles or Sukkot skips past the restoration of the Levite services because they emotionally believe an old sermon that the Tanach aka the Hebrew Bible is an Old Testament and that the plague of God is long gone,. But the prophetic words are there as a promise because God's glory is returning to this planet:
"Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them.

And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.

And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the LORD.” And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day." Zechariah 12:16-21
Isaiah declares something important about the future of the Sabbath day we like to call the millennium, this Day of The Lord will not only include God's House of Prayer but it will include burnt offerings, as well as New Moon festivals and of course the Sabbath. The reason, God does not change:
“Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." Isaiah 56:7

"And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the LORD." Isaiah 66:23
Some preach that this should not be mistaken for a so-called 'old' Mosaic law system, saying Moses' sacrificial system did not take away sin but Jesus' last sacrifice did.

There's are some problems with that. First, they mistakenly call God's instruction an old Mosaic law. It's God's instruction, Moses just wrote it down. Second, they teach that the millennial offerings are only Jewish as a "commemoration" to be witnessed by Gentiles as observers, but is that the gospel story of the Millennium Kingdom?

It's worth repeating, Moses did not invent the altar sacrifices, he only wrote down exactly what he was told to declare. The reality that Almighty God declares through Moses and His prophets is that the whole world, all nations will know Jerusalem and the Temple as the epicenter of worship and prayer on this planet.

The future offerings to be made there are described by not only Zechariah and Isaiah, but also by a third witness to God's voice, a man by the name of Ezekiel who God honored with a view of the blueprint. Just like many pulpits call God's Torah the Mosaic law, many say that Ezekiel's Temple is only spiritual, but it's not, it belongs to Almighty God and it's His personal design.

All you have to do is put aside your preconceived ideas and read Ezekiel 40:35-44 for what it says and you will see a description of the actual chamber where the burnt offerings will be washed before being offered in the Temple of Jerusalem. Then read Ezekiel 45:13-46:15 and you will see the restoration of the instructions found in Leviticus 23 that God declared to Moses. Ezekiel saw it and he describes the place of restoration of proper worship in Jerusalem.

In Hebrew, Beth Tikkun means "place of restoration." Jerusalem is the Beth Tikkun of the planet.

The millennial offerings to be seen there are 100% Biblical, their purpose will be the same during the restoration time of the millennium as it was at the Tabernacle in the wilderness because the Y-H-V-H shammah glory of the King of the Universe will be there.

If you don't "believe" in sacrifice, you need to stop believing your grocery store has a butcher in the meat department next to the vegetables and fruit. It's important to understand reality. God's Tabernacle does not come ready to serve neatly wrapped in a plastic package. The daily sacrifices are a part of the gifts of God and they give us a graphic physical representation of the reality of the inconceivable voluntary sacrifice by Messiah Yeshua as the atonement for sin that began in Eden that only God can provide.

Ezekiel's vision describes the place of celebration and worship where Yeshua is the High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek, King of Salem and Priest of El Elyon - “God Most High.”

Did you know that after his battle with evil, Abraham recognized the authority of Melchizedek. This fact is startling and has only one parallel, the return of Yeshua. Melchizedek is the reason king David was led to purchase the Temple Mount and make Jerusalem the place for the Temple and its priesthood. Abraham’s tribute to Melchizedek, the Jerusalem priest-king anticipated the time of Ezekiel's vision when Abraham’s descendants in faith would bring offerings to Jerusalem.

So there is much more to learn if we are able and willing. This commentary is just that though, it is no thus saith The Lord, but its purpose is to peek at the glory of God and the heart of The Lord through the Scriptures whose whole Word teaches that Almighty God El Elyon is all about lovingkindness and life near Him because He loves us beyond our comprehension. Because of that He will eradicate evil and death.

The wilderness journey "gift of the Levites" and their services points all of mankind "forward to" the first coming of King Messiah and His Passover week of atonement death, burial and resurrection as well as His return and the coming resurrection and restoration for the planet and mankind into a proper relationship with El Elyon.

This is why the prophets show us that the services in the millennial Temple will direct us "back to" what He has accomplished for the redemption of all people that follow The God of Israel.

In a battle of fact vs. fiction, the Levites and the sacrifices are misunderstood in a "religious" context that unwittingly and dangerously divides the Word of God with a blank page between "Old" and "New" because many of us are victims of some form of "religious presumption" from the doctrines of men that ignore the evidence of the Bible.

So in the end, God's Word requires our re-examination and study if we seek understanding of the glory light of truth.

Imagine for a minute you are standing before the wilderness Tabernacle at the beginning of the exodus.

What to you see before it?

The altar... and that altar stood in its place "before" the entrance to the Tabernacle for good reason.

Many church people today presume the altar's purpose was symbolic only pointing ahead to Messiah to "take away" sin. Yes, it certainly does that, but there is much more, the altar had to be passed by if priest was allowed entrance into the inner room, the Holy Place as well as the gold lined throne room of the ark of the Covenant and its Mercy Seat within the Most Holy, the Holy of Holies where God's Glory rested above the Ark containing His instruction for life.

But is that all that the Bible really tells us by this picture?

The Bible is a unified whole, it is not divided between old and new, it is a 'uni-verse' and we must realize what that means if we are to better understand God's redemption plan. There aren't two parts, there isn't a division of old and new and not one word, not one jot or tittle have passed, Heaven and Earth still remain!
"For most assuredly, I tell you, until heaven and eretz pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least mitzvot, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:18-19 HNV
If you want to be called great in Heaven, you cannot rebrand the Passover as old, if you do you have taken away from the Scriptures and you may have unwittingly relabeled it as Easter. Is that by God's redeeming plan or man's own musing? We just can't ignore the Tabernacle as something old, because if we look, in the end, the "deceiver" and the deceived are still gravely opposed to the Tabernacle, the altar and its services.

If you don't believe that, just take a look at Revelation for yourself, there you can see that "the father of lies" will still be ranting to blaspheme God, His name and His Tabernacle!!
"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." Revelation 13:5-6
The fact is the Tabernacle was seen front and center in the future by Zechariah, Isaiah and Ezekiel as well as the testimony of John in the book of Revelation. These men show you the facts that are critically important to your future. If you look closely and believe what you read, you will see they show us the unchanging ways of Elohim God in His unchanging word.



Because of that, it is a privilege to consider the message seen in the purpose of the "gift" of the Levites, that no plague break out on God's people. This is a part of the future of God's Tabernacle and His people.



Messiah Yeshua promised His return will happen as quickly as a bolt of lightning from East to West. His second coming will reward those that have been "called out" and responded with their lamps trimmed and ready by God's Spirit.

So, it's time for you to join the remnant faithful who will be rewarded and called great within the gates of Messiah's Kingdom:
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega (in Hebrew, Aleph and Tav), the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed [are] they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:12-14
They are those that do even the least of the commandments. They will be blessed by the King of the Universe. Let's re-read Yeshua's words and believe them:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-19
Apart from those whose minds are grid locked into Greek thinking replacement theology, you must know that it is an absolute impossibility for this particular Greek word “fulfill” (pleroo) to mean finish or end the law of Almighty God. The meaning of the word pleroo is to fill the Torah up with meaning. That is to properly teach and live it so that people may understand how to keep it as God intended from the beginning.

The proof of the words of Messiah are 100% conclusive. Just consider the horror that if the law, the Torah was indeed abolished - there would be no sin by the definition given by the disciple John:
“Sin is the transgression of the law [Torah]” John 3:4:
Consider the dilemma, if there is no law, no Torah, then by John's definition, there is no transgression, no sin.



What's the problem?



If there is no Torah there is no sin, there's no longer a need for a deliverer, no need for a redeemer, no need for atonement, no need for Messiah. 

That's a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God Almighty!!

God help us! Help us all understand this false accusation that the Torah has been done away with:
“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven." Matthew 12:31
Did you see Yeshua's words? Blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. This dire warning tells us the truth that we must all know and believe. The disciple John clarifies the definition of sin as transgression of the Torah (law):
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4
So we MUST SEE, the law [God's Torah] was never done away with on the cross. John wrote those words long after the Passover cross. Years later, the apostle Paul confirms this, so if you believe John and Paul, there can be no doubt whatsoever:
“...for where no law is, there is no transgression.” Romans 4:15
So, let's repeat... If there is no law, then there can be no transgression of the law, which defines sin. Therefore, our Savior's life work would be done away with and meaningless, that is the blasphemy of a wolf in sheep's clothing, the leadership of a false shepherd that takes away from the Word of God.

We MUST KNOW, if there is no sin, there is no need for a Messiah to offer resurrection, the born again gift of eternal life. Heaven forbid!!

Who would need a Savior to save us from death and eternal separation from God when there is no sin?

We must re-examine replacement theology teachings that spiritualize Israel and take away from the Torah and the glory of Almighty Y-H-V-H God. If the replacement theology of old vs. new was true, we would not even need to repent of sin... because without God's law, there can be no transgression of law.

Does the Bible ever say sin is done away with? No.

Does Paul say we can now sin if we believe we are under grace? In Paul's own words: God forbid:
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Romans 3:31
True faith establishes the Torah and we all know there is sin, each of us is te witness, so there has to be an unchanging Torah as our guide to live as Messiah lives. Its pretty simple!

What does all this have to do with the Pillar of Fire?

There's a glory cloud coming again.

Its power is so great, so glorious that the first resurrection will occur. Believers in the God of Israel must know what underlies their faith. Matthew tells us that one day Messiah will be coming in that glory cloud, the One who is at the right hand of power:
"... 'Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven'." Matthew 26:64
Also read Acts 2:33; Acts 5:31; Acts 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20 and Hebrews 1:3. Jesus, whose Hebrew name is Yeshua, will come and restore the order of Melchizedek, High Priest and King and He will come with the sword of God's word and the plague:
"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Revelation 19:15
Judgment is part of the power of God, evil and death cannot survive because God is at war with it.
"The LORD (Y-H-V-H) is a man of war: the LORD (Y-H-V-H) is his name." Exodus 15:3

"The LORD (Y-H-V-H) shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people [shall be] willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. 
The LORD (Y-H-V-H) hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord (Y-H-V-H) at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen..." Psalms 110:2-6
So, if we want to be a part of the remnant that seek truth and truth alone, we must believe the promise of His blessing which means we need to do something now and accept His gift of grace and live by His Torah that is embedded with His lovingkindness. We need to start with repentance and return to God's Word. We must not dismiss the mysteries of the Bible seen in His Tabernacle and Altar as something old or ignore learning about the reality and prophetic images His offerings portray.

If we continue to mistakenly consider the common broken doctrines that sacrifices were an ancient practice to somehow "appease" an angry God so that sins might be forgiven and taken away - we will not come to realize that such a viewpoint falls short of the truth in a vast, complex universe ruled by the laws of physics established by our amazing Creator.

A belief based on Scripture encompasses not only the visible world, but also faith in the world not visible to the human eye: "because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

Hebrews 11:3 tell us: "By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at God’s command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible."

These Scriptural truths are evident in the mysteries of what we call quantum mechanics.

If you are wondering what physics have to do with the Bible, you need to know that physics, science and the Bible teach us that life can only continue in the manner that God has set forth. Quantum physics is the study of the behavior of matter (what is seen) and energy (what is unseen) at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller levels.

For that reason, this commentary will now show a Biblical perspective of the Tabernacle and its Levite services taken directly from the word of God that you may have never considered as it attempts to weave a layman's scientific understanding with the Biblical record, integrating what little we know from science so that we might consider much more about the fear and plague that is described near the energetic, presence of God in the "Pillar of Fire" known as the shechinah glory above the wilderness Tabernacle.

In the exodus from Egypt, Israel witnessed a physical manifestation God's invisible, spiritual, eternal and infinite realm of almighty power, the great "I AM" that exists "outside" our concept of time and space. The shechinah glory intersected like a vortex cloud of fire with the finite, physical mass of earth as our Father's eternal glory was present atop Mount Sinai.

Interestingly, it is no coincidence that the graphic image above of "special relativity" is visually described a cone vortex, a time dilation of sorts, in which the present plane of time intersects with time past, present and future.

Believe it or not, Albert Einstein may have described the Sinai event best when, in 1955 he wrote:
"People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present and the future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
To separate God as past, present and future is an illusion. The thing that we must know is that perception of God is not reality, so before we delve in deeper, consider what you have just read.

Almighty Y-H-V-H exists outside of our normal space and time continuum. That's why we can't see Him. God is not subject to the constraints of mass, energy, gravity or our limited dimension of place and time. We perceive and measure our own time line, so He is not seen. Perhaps you might imagine that's how God gives us prophecy of future events. For the Almighty God of Israel, all time, past and future exists in the present.

With God prophecy is not future as we perceive time. He does not just know the future, He exists there as well as the past and the present. That is the message that Isaiah gave for us to consider when he writes:
“For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place...” Isaiah 57:15
God inhabits eternity. That is why He is infinite and unchanging.  Time is simply a circular motion set in place by God. A day is only our perception and measure of the Earth's rotational spin and a week is seven rotations of the planet. A month is the moon's single orbit around Earth and a year is just the spinning Earth's orbiting around our Sun. In fact, when you step back and look at a model of our solar system, you will notice that it actually looks like the inner workings of a great clock.

There are many reasons why God, like His laws of physics does not change, and why He teaches us that truth. Think about it. Change requires a point in time before and after change. For change to occur it has to happen in the constraint of time. Since the unseen Face of God exists outside the constraint of time, He does not change - God is not a man under the constraints of time.

For more understanding read Psalm 33:11; 41:13; 90:2-4; John 17:5; 2 Timothy 1:9 in addtion to Malachi 3:6-7.

Moses was honored to hear God describe Himself at the burning bush appearance as "I AM" as a first "hand witness" and scribe. As a faithful scribe, Moses writes about the fearful appearance before the children of Israel as a pillar of fire in the wilderness.

Moses recorded what he saw and heard, and I think he knew we'd wonder in awe about what he witnessed with his own eyes and ears when God entered our "time zone" in the wilderness.

Some 1,500 years after their wilderness journey, God's Spirit came to earth again to dwell among his people. This time He chose a tabernacle of flesh and bone. His appearance was in the personified "quantum leap" to humanity on Shavuot (Pentecost) as the Spirit of God anointed the disciples in Jerusalem with the gift.

Instead of a tent, God chose to pour out on flesh and soul. The account is described Acts 2:1-4.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit...
Thank goodness the disciple honored the Torah on keeping Shavuot in Jerusalem.

Today, time is short for Yeshua's return on the glory cloud. In a space-time perspective, I believe that we are just before sundown on the 6th day of Bible's prophecy clock, so it is time to cleanse our own flesh and blood sanctuary in repentance and God's glory presence will baptize and indwell us. Like Peter said, we must “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” In the name of Yeshua believe Yeshua, repent and return to God's ways the way Yeshua kept the Torah of God.

The subsequent writings of the disciples and apostles as well as the prophets show us that God will destroy the curse of death and provide the way to save mankind for life beyond the curse of sin and the ravage of time.

Jesus 'aka' Yeshua referred to Himself as the Son of Man, that ties to Daniel 7:13 and Daniel 8:17. Matthew records many examples in the Newer Testament, here are a few:
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matthew 19:28

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:27

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: Matthew 25:31
Did you see the description of power and glory? Mark and Luke confirm it:
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. Mark 13:26

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:27
Power and glory are big time reality in the Bible. You may have missed it in physics class, but the ultimate fulfillment of Einstein's 1905 equation, in my view relates to the concept our Creator's creative power and glory:

E=mc2

This physics concept states that energy and matter are interchangeable.
E = energy
m = mass
c = the speed of light
Energy = mass x the speed of light squared.

Einstein’s so-called theory of relativity is not a theory. It describes that energy (unseen) and mass (seen) are interchangeable in form. Energy and mass are eternal, like the past and the future they are not absolutes with our Creator Elohim God because He transcends time and space. 

While we assume we live in the three-dimensional, observable world, Einstein’s general theory of relativity reveals the interaction of unseen space-time energy and observable mass or material.

We like to think of the spiritual dimension as being separate, not a part of physical mass. Many of us have heard the uneasy question, how's your spiritual life? Yet, the Bible does not begin in Genesis by separating the reality of the spiritual from a physical dimension, it presents them both. 

The science of physics does the same, it can strengthen one's understanding of our Elohim God of Creation, the God of order, not random chaotic evolutionary self creation chance.

Perhaps the best way to think about our Creator's reality is to let go of our perceptions of time and space as Einstein did, because the fundamental description of Almighty God is timeless. 

The disciple John describes God as light. Light is a form of energy:
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1John 1:5
Bottomline, without knowing it, if you ask me Einstein's equation lends itself to describe in some way how Mary was overcome by the Spirit as described in Luke 1:35. With God, timeless glory can embody mankind and Jesus spoke the truth about that saying before Abraham was, I Am.

Einstein's explanation of E=mc2 physics sheds a lot of light on Deuteronomy 6:4 which tells us, "God is One." We must realize that this picture describing God is not intuitive, but this unity is what God was, is and will be. God is not constricted to our understanding or knowledge of time, space or observed dimension and the more we uncover about the unseen universe, the more we can learn about its Creator.

This message is alluded to in Hebrews 13 which is tied to Psalm 141. The words of the scribe of Hebrews tells us:
"He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
With that ground work, it's time, no pun intended, to dig a deeper into the mystery of the Tabernacle sacrifices and the "gift" of the Levites described in the Torah.

Let's start by studying the words of the great Psalm that the scribe of the book of Hebrews is referencing:
“Let my prayer be set forth before thee [as] incense; [and] the lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141:2
Wait a minute… the Psalmist plainly says that prayer may be as incense and lifting hands as a "sacrifice."

Prayer and lifting hands a sacrifice?

How is that connected with the Levite's Tabernacle service and this next Psalm?
"The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psalms 51:17
Doesn’t standard pulpit preaching tell us that the purpose of the Tabernacle and the so-called Old Testament “sacrifices” of bulls and goats were to take away sin... not prayer and a contrite heart to "take away" sin in the context of an Old Testament “law”?

Isn't that the primary reason that so many have preached "the law" was done away with?

Those sermons separate and divide what they call the Mosaic Law into a so-called ceremonial Law which they say was the old method of God's forgiveness in the Old Testament. But, the real purpose of the Tabernacle was for God to dwell with man right there in the middle of the camp!

The Tabernacle was not designed and built in the wilderness to be a "take away" system for sin.

Sacrifice was necessary because we are all unclean people, and sinful mankind cannot come "near" the Almighty God who is clean, holy and a consuming fire. A state of unclean can only be vaporized by the consuming fire of God's presence.

Sin which is ultimately death - cannot exist near God's life force glory. When you think about it, that's why Adam and Eve were tossed out of the garden, it was for their protection and the survival of mankind.

To live near Y-H-V-H  requires a covering, an atonement over sin if we are to ever “draw near” to God.

The reason we see God’s judgment, plague and wrath poured out in the Torah is because sin cannot survive in His physical presence and center in the Pillar of Fire.

That truth brings us to an understanding about the Tabernacle sacrifices as taught by the witness of the words found in the book of Hebrews:
“For [it is - was] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” Hebrews 10:4
Not possible to take away sins... are you kidding me?

Hey wait... what about the sacrifices, wasn't that the purpose? If we assume that the so-called "Old Testament" sacrifices "took away" sin - we are ignoring the so-called New Testament that counters the sermons?

We need to know what "take away" actually means in a Biblical Hebraic context. To do that, we also need to know what "sin" is and to do that properly we need to include the Tabernacle. If the book of Hebrews tells us it is NOT POSSIBLE that altar sacrifices TAKE AWAY sins, then what in the world did the Levite services do and what purpose could they have served at the Tabernacle?

If we consider that, perhaps we may begin to understand why the "fear" of God is woven into the Biblical record.

And if we really dig in deep and look at what God has to say, we can begin to glimpse into Scripture’s truth and teaching about the altar and its relation to the Tabernacle, the Holy of Holies and ultimately the Mercy Seat. After all, the Bible shows us that each of these served as the physical conduit, the "portal" per-se to the glory throne room of our infinite, Almighty Creator God that appeared like a 'Pillar of Fire' above the mountain and in the Sinai wilderness journey as He sojourned among the camp of Israel and the strangers and sojourners with them.

We can then consider why the subject matter of the altar offerings and sacrifices of ancient Israel are so critical to our understanding of "fear" about the "glory" of our Creator God and the reason for the purposeful intercession of Yeshua with death and resurrection. Yet, to begin to understand, means that we must be aware of our sin as well as our fragile physical and intellectual limitations. 

As we lay hold of truth, we affirm the fear of Almighty God and His physical power and glory.

Our knowledge of God which we have received so far is not of our own making and we must be cognizant of the fact that what we know is woefully incomplete. There is more, much more that we can learn about Almighty God. He gives us many clues, yet digging in and finding the treasure in Scripture is not easy.

Take the fact that the priests were to only serve in the Tabernacle in bare feet just as Moses was told to removes his sandals as he approached the burning bush. Why is that a requirement?

Perhaps this is due to the fact that the priest needed to be grounded. The Earth’s resonance operates around ~7.8 Hz which is known as the Schumann Resonance. This electric frequency is the same for the human body. Our Alpha and Theta brain waves also border the frequency of ~7.8 Hz.

We shouldn't be surprised:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7
The simple Genesis fact is that the Earth resonates with our body and mind means we can actually enhance our mental, emotional, and physical well being because when grounded, all biological organisms operate more efficiently and can more freely access the Earth’s stabilizing, natural electromagnetic energy. 

Sounds bizarre but it is not. We are made of dust, water and the breath of life.

Now consider something that is no small detail...

There has to be a reason that the "tent of meeting" was set "outside" the camp of Israel by Moses after the golden calf incident described in Exodus 32. That tent is likely the same tent that Moses met with people to decide matters as seen in the Torah portion about Jethro (see Exodus 18:1-20:26).

Nothing in the Bible is written by chance, coincidence or accident, everything has purpose so we must take note that after this "idol incident" God describes His work as "a terrible thing."
And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the Earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou [art] shall see the work of the LORD: for it [is] a terrible thing that I will do with thee. Exodus 34:10
As always, God is being 100% honest and protective. He knew what would happen to a sinful, unclean people living near His presence tainted by rebellion and sin, so He made provision for people to live a safe distance from His glory cloud.

The Hebrew word translated as "terrible" in Exodus is "yare" it means: 1) "to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared", 2) "to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe" 3) "to inspire reverence or Godly fear or awe."

We ned to realize there is a real world reason that Moses' face glowed after he was put in the cleft of the rock when he asked to see God's glory unmasked. There is a reason God's face should not be seen, even by the righteous Moses. The cleft of the rock and the cloud were for Moses' protection, but from what?
"And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, [there is] a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." Exodus 33:10-23

"And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him." Exodus 34:29

"And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him." Exodus 34:35
Micah writes about the raw power of the "glory" of God whan he penned these words:
"And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire..." Micah 1:4
Remember too, the Tabernacle "offering" instructions were given "after" the golden calf sin, not before:
"Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded." Exodus 36:1
Lets also consider that after Moses entreated God to travel with the exodus assembly of people that God said "no." It seems even Moses did not yet understand, but God knew people would sin in plain sight of His glory fire and His glory fire would "consume" impurity just as a fire brings out dross.

Although God said no, Moses implored Y-H-V-H to reconsider and God honored Moses' petition after God had said: "I will not go up in your midst."

So God made a way to travel among a sinful (unclean) people. To do this, He gave specific instruction on what would be required for a covering (atonement). His presence was denied for a reason even, if Moses did not understand it.

Essentially, it seems that the message was: God did not want to stay too close to a sinful people because they would all sin and be consumed. Sin cannot exist near God. I seems the instructions were for protection, a gift so that no plague would break out.

After hearing Moses' pleas, God gave Moses the design of the Tabernacle and detailed the offering sacrifices so that He could physically travel within the camp of the people without causing them physical, bodily harm from the sin-consuming glory of His presence. The same presence that made the skin on Moses' face glow.

Leviticus speaks about all of this, there's nothing new here, but you may have missed it:
And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. Leviticus 16:16 
The scribe of the book of Hebrews tells us plainly that the blood of bulls and goats had a purpose to "purify flesh." The writing never says "take away" sin. There is a reason, it's about covering sin and about flesh and bones. It's about the life blood of living tissue. If we take away religion and tradition, a plain reading of the Bible tells us the Levites are a gift of God for "life safety" but why?

That is what this commentary considers. Bottom line, the storyline is about 'Tahor' and 'Tamei' (that's Hebrew for Clean and Unclean) - - What condition are you in?

Take another look for yourself and slowly read these words:
"For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:13-14
The word "flesh" is translated from the Greek word "sarx" - it is used to denote natural, physical origin. It means flesh and blood, the soft tissue of the body which covers our bones and organs and is permeated with our life blood. But it seems that we want to spiritualize and morph the word "flesh" and limit its meaning only to an un-Godly spiritual dark "human nature." However, the full meaning includes both concepts, so in order to better understand the full dimension of the Word of God, we have to look at it with both eyes wide open, not just one, because when we close one eye, we can lose our depth perception of its dimension.

The concepts considered within this commentary have no objective to limit, take away or diminish the Scriptures nor to add anything to them. The simple goal is to look into the word of God without religious prejudice and tradition. The goal is to unwind and pull back the cover of predisposition and consider what we might see in the narrative of the Bible. To do that, we need to look at the services and instruction given for the Levites in the wilderness, not continue to ignore them.

To do that with a pseudo scientific lens perhaps it can give us further understanding of knowing how and why our Savior Jesus, Messiah Yeshua came to this Earth in the flesh to abolish the penalty of sin and crush Satan's hold on the authority of the curse of death that began in Eden.

Jesus never came to abolish God’s set apart instruction for living in God's blessing because all of God's teaching is for our benefit. He said so Himself, read Matthew 5. The Bible's teaching is our guardrail, its Torah (instruction) is about protecting life and preserving it into eternity. God and His Torah remain the Kingdom constitution.

Since the goal of this study is to discern the words of Scripture for what they say and to use some of the limited information we have available to us from science and physics, we might re-consider one aspect of God's "glory" so that we can tie what we now know to a better understanding of the ancient Levitical services.

We need to do this if we are to understand why in the world the Bible tells us in Revelation 20:6 that in the millennial reign of King Messiah Yeshua there will be priests, great men of God serving Him once again. Why would that be?

It appears that we are only in a "time-out" of about two days (2,000 years). A time of repose when the whirlwind fire and the physical glory of Almighty God is not a present danger to sinful men on Earth. Remember, Yeshua our King prayed for the restoration of God's glory on Earth. Simply put, when He returns so will God's glory. The Messiah's will smite the lawless of the Earth for their deliberate sin against God and His children.

As we consider the infinity of the universe and the glory of our Creator, we must also remember something basic:

There are NO "new" advances in physics or science.

There are only discoveries and glimpses of things that are very old, very ancient whether quantum mechanics, relativity, light, electromagnetism, thermodynamics or nuclear physics. We have discovered nothing new - nothing new at all - only uncovered a little knowledge about the beginning that we cannot see, fully comprehend or understand. Calling a scientific discovery "new" actually causes grave misunderstanding, it is subtle but this concept stumps the mind as it freezes our brain.

If we consider for a moment all of the many things we still do not know or comprehend about the past, we might just get our thinking caps around this concept if we take James Maxwell's advice noted earlier, otherwise our mindset may be prejudiced with preconceived ideas influenced by "religious" motives that may only serve to confuse our perception of reality.

Whenever we look at things with more precision, we are going to find some surprises and uncover some important "old" things - so we need to put religious opinions to the side to gain clarity on reality. To do that we must seek out the words of the Bible because God is the author of truth, the plain truth and nothing but the truth. The depth and dimension of the narrative of the Bible starts with the physical truth of creation and along the way, it points us toward spiritual truth. They are always related and integrated.

Like Maxwell, the NIV Bible translation gives us a challenge from Job 11:7:
"Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
No, we cannot. God is incomprehensible and infinite, outside of time and our dimension. He exists outside of our time space perspectives. God knows the beginning from the end with no limitation. We are finite, which is why we only know the present and vaguely remember the past. That's why we lack a better understanding of Him.

But we can "wonder" at one of the mysteries of our awesome Creator God, His "glory" within "The Pillar of Fire" in the cloud first seen at the Red Sea.

That is what we will be exploring here. There is no goal to be irreverent in any way. The only purpose is to consider what might be... the plain truth.

To consider God's "glory," we have to uncouple some traditional thinking that might encumber our understanding of the words described in the Hebrew language of the Bible, and as always, we must ALWAYS TEST the information and prayerfully consider what we might see through diligent study as we fathom the depths and majesty of God.

DON'T EVER rely on me, don't rely on others, assume nothing, take nothing for granted - but rely on God's Word and Spirit and ask Him to show you the truth found within His word. Solomon, the wisest of all men gave us these questions:
But will God indeed dwell on the Earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? 1Kings 8:27
To catch a small glimpse of what King Solomon was describing as God's un-fathomable glory, we are required to focus on the fact that His creation includes a unified, constantly moving physical universe that "reflects" many aspects of its Creator. In the wilderness, God showed only a small glimpse of His physical presence. This is exemplified by the Bible's descriptions of His cloud of "radiant" glory and the pillar of "fire."

The Bible describes a whirlwind that many refer to as the "shechinah glory." It evokes fear and awe of the presence of our Creator God for good reason! This "fearful" shechinah presence was also seen and described by the prophet Ezekiel as a bright whirlwind cloud of fire:
"And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire enfolding itself, and a brightness [was] about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire." Ezekiel 1:4

Outside the Biblical accounts, there is a recent discovery of an old record from Egypt that describes the fire and whirlwind of God. Back in 1822, a papyrus was discovered in Saqqara, Egypt. Saqqara, like Cairo has many ancient pyramids. Giovanni Anastasi, the Swedish consul to Egypt at the time obtained the papyrus and decided to profit from it when he sold the ancient manuscript to the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in The Netherlands, years after its discovery. It remains there in the museum today.

The papyrus was translated in 1909 by Sir Alan Gardiner and titled: "The Admonitions of An Egyptian Sage." The document however is now known as the "The Ipuwer Papyrus." It describes the account of an Egyptian man named Ipuwer who describes the pillar of fire that led the Israelites out of Egypt. We all know the Exodus account:
Exodus 13:21-22 "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, [from] before the people."
The Ipuwer Papyrus gives us some interesting details:
7:1 "Behold, the fire has mounted up on high. Its burning goes forth against the enemies of the land."
The papyrus also recounts the Exodus story of water becoming blood, of hail mixed with fire and blood, the pestilence on the cattle and the pillage of gold taken from Egypt. It also describes the darkness in the land and the death of the firstborn. So, after thousands of years, there are two witnesses. This video is about the papyrus.


The Bible shows us God is infinite in power and love. God is the "omnipotent" sovereign of the universe. To summarize the Random House Dictionary: "omnipotent" means almighty or infinite in power, having very great or unlimited authority or power.

Infinite is a big thing - it is unlimited, so this study touches on a small part of God's unfathomable omnipotence and it is intended to spark (yes, pun intended) your own engagement with God's word as the Torah reveals the power of His almighty physical presence. And at the end of the day, this encounter will require further Biblical research on your part to imagine and consider what the Bible describes. The Scriptures give us a "real world" glimpse of God's physical reality, yet most people don't consider the relationship of its stories to the awesome power and radiance of the Glory of Y-H-V-H. The Bible tells us the Heavens declare His Glory, but like its Creator, life giver and redeemer, the universe exists and operates on a scale that we can never fully understand with our finite capabilities.
Thus saith Y-H-V-H  thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] Y-H-V-H that maketh all [things]; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the Earth by myself Isaiah 44:24
This study may demonstrate something you have not considered... that the detailed Levitical sacrificial instruction was given by God not only as a Heavenly pattern for future redemption of mankind through Messiah, but also the love of The Father whose heart is all about "protecting" people near the glory of the Pillar of Fire and God's unimaginable shechinah radiance.

To understand the future of God's coming presence on planet Earth, we must repent and ask for God's redemption within our lives. To understand the past, we need to know that the events described within the Bible that include the instruction found in the services of the Levitical Priesthood paint vivid, graphic and prophetic symbols for what God as man - in the flesh and body of Messiah Yeshua would accomplish according to His mercy and grace in the order of Melchizedek.

God's restoration of glory plan is as much a part of creation as the sand of the sea and the stars of heaven.

If we hold on to "religious" doctrines and the "traditional" fresco of God as painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, you may only lament what this study considers.
Lamentations 2:1 "How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in His anger! He has cast from heaven to Earth the glory of Israel."
Many people do not understand God and the science of His creation are connected. They also misunderstand the story of the Passover in Egypt. In the Book of Exodus, the Bible details deliverance from bondage and slavery as the result of the plagues upon Egypt, including the final curse that resulted in the death of all first-born that did not follow the instruction for the protection by the blood of a lamb. Y-H-V-H God instructed Moses on specific protocols to have each household select and kill a lamb without spot or blemish, and then apply the lamb’s blood specifically to the top and sides of the wooden door posts of their homes. They received further instruction to stay in their homes as the Lord smote the Egyptian first born. God promised the plague would "pass over" the homes that applied the blood of the lamb, saving the lives of the first born children of Israel by those that followed God's instruction.

For nearly 2,000 years, many now know that this Passover foreshadowed the death and resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus) as an eternal offering of self sacrifice to "take away" the sins of the world as the lamb of God.

But due to the traditions of religious people, many today do not perceive truth and repent to accept the gift of mercy and grace established from the foundation of the world. On the other side of the silver shekel, many confuse the name of Pesach or Passover choosing instead to use a Babylonian name.

Perspective on the truth is a key to understanding not only Passover but the gift of the Levites.

Perspective is key because many "think" that we actually have new scientific "discoveries" or "advances" but the truth is -- we only have discoveries of things of antiquity, of things that are very ancient, eternal truths from the beginning. We need to wrap our minds around a few of the so-called advances in science if we are to understand more about God, the Tabernacle and the role of the gift of the Levites.

Many understand that sinful people cannot exist near God and that is the mystery of the gift of the Levites because sinful people, blood and bone that willfully oppose God, cannot physically survive near the Glory of God.

We must think long and hard about that because one whose sin is not covered, cannot survive the "near presence" of God's infinite glory. This pattern yields to eternity where you can only be near God's majesty if Elohim God has taken away your sin. This means only God can be our redeemer:
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Isaiah 44:22
Perhaps not quoted in many Bible studies, the old saying coined from Lord Byron may be most appropriate for this study: "truth is stranger than fiction". That is worth considering as are the words of Mark Twain who said: “A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes”.
Let me say right now that I am not declaring an absolute here. Instead I am only describing what may be considered, weighed in the scales of truth and tested. I am open to correction and reproof.
Currently, known science cannot explain the glory of Almighty God so that we may comprehend Him, but it can give us some important clues if we want to consider the reason for fear of His glory.

Just consider what we are just now learning as we now can witness the history of the formation of star systems in God's boundless universe with the Hubble visible light optic telescope whose cost has now run some $10 billion due to all the repairs. We also have the Spitzer infrared heat radiation telescope and the short lived Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the multi-wavelength SWIFT Gamma Ray Burst satellite telescope. At the same time, we are learning much more about the particles that comprise God's amazing sub-atomic universe at the $6 billion Large Hadron Collider as well as the Fermilab Tevatron. Thanks to these resources we can imagine the infinite nature of what we can now see, yet today we barely understand the glory of our infinite Creator and the truths found in His instruction manual, the Bible. Perhaps Solomon said it best:
"But will God indeed dwell on the Earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!" 1Kings 8:27
God gives us a promise if we are humble, contrite and tremble at His word through the prophet Isaiah:
"Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the Earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." Isaiah 66:1-2
So let's begin a study journey ready to tremble with a contrite and humble heart by reading Paul's words from his letter to the Romans:
"For all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God" Romans 3:23
Read that again, this is very, very important. Sin keep us short (Greek: hystereo) so that we can not approach near His Glory. This is not just a spiritual concept but like the rest of the Bible a physical reality too.

We must review the messages that the Scriptures give us from their original word meanings, but before we do that, just test yourself: Is the following Bible verse regarding an "altar offering" from that which many call the "Old" Testament or is it from the so-called "New"?
"Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."
Hum… this verse gives instruction about reconciliation with fellow man before ever presenting an offering at the altar, so this verse must certainly be from the "Old" Testament, the words of Moses... after all, that has been done away with hasn't it? There is no way Jesus would ever give this instruction; after all, He came to "do away with the law" and the altar instructions didn’t He?

Well let’s see, the following declaration immediately precedes the altar offering instruction you have just read:
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law {Torah} or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”For truly I say to you, until Heaven and Earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law {Torah} until all is accomplished.

"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Do you recognize them now?

The words are right out of Matthew chapter five. Yes Matthew! And all of these are the words of Jesus, the One whose Hebrew name is Yeshua!

Today, thanks to computer technology, it is easy to count the letters of the law or Torah and there are 79,847 words and 304,805 letters. Yeshua, the One many call Jesus is telling us that a sefer Torah scroll with 304,804 letters is rendered invalid. Did you know that a scribe's error with a single letter, ornamentation, or symbol of the 304,805 letters that make up the text renders a Torah scroll unfit for use?

We need to think deeply about that because the last time I looked up or took a step, Heaven and Earth are still here so every word, every one of the 304,805 Hebrew letters written in the Torah are not annulled by Jesus, but intact and full of meaning for us to learn, follow and teach today. And those that teach them "shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Who do you suppose will be calling those that teach every word and letter of His word great? Who else, the One that establishes the kingdom, whose words sustain the Uni'verse' - Yeshua Messiah!

Now, let's consider the Levites and the linen fence around the gold and silver laden Tabernacle with its copper ground staves, its copper altar grill and laver of water. These are now all lost and the whereabouts of the Ark of gold, the small gold laden box that held the two stones of the Ten Commandments written by God's finger situated behind the veil within the Holy of Holies is not known. Yet, while we cannot take an offering to that altar, we can consider something regarding the sacrifices and the seemingly unexplainable protocols and mysterious procedures of the priestly Levite altar services at the Tabernacle... what purpose could they have served if we take a scientific glance in lieu of a spiritual stare at the words and warnings seen in the Scriptures?

We must know the Tabernacle services ultimately prefigures the profound sacrifice and work of Messiah, and we can also look at the altar offerings as parables of that from the words that God gave Moses.

For example, at the sanctification of the priesthood, Moses put the blood of the sacrifice on his brother Aaron the first Levite High Priest and Aaron's two son's in a three part order:
1) on the tip of their right ear,
2) on the thumb of their right hand and
3) on the great toe of their right foot.
Seems mysterious but the purpose is there.

The tip of the right ear means we must first hear the righteous words of God, the right thumb relates to doing the righteousness of God's Word, and the toe shows that we must walk in the path of His righteous teaching and instruction.

By doing this for Aaron and his sons, the Bible shows us that we too are to be a priest to the nations - - teaching others of God's redemption. That's what Paul taught:
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption 1Corinthians 1:30
As to the work of Messiah, the Levites priest were instructed to pour out the blood as water when making an altar offering. When we see this, we can realize that at the crucifixion stake when the Roman Centurion pierced Yeshua's side, blood and water came forth. Do you suppose it could have been His right side?



God declared that He gave the Levites a "gift" in the Bible, plain and simple so we need to explore this parable of His gift of grace for a sinful people.



So, let’s start at the beginning and look at the first altar offerings of mankind that followed the first sacrifice in Eden by the hand of God. Some may not realize it, but the very first offering of life for an atonement (covering) was completed by none other than God. This is described in Genesis 3:21.

The "covering" God fashioned did something important, it physically "covered" the nakedness of Adam and Eve with because the leaves that they had made did not meet God's requirement for a blood atonement (covering). They had fashioned their covering in a sinful, fallen state yet there was no life-blood for the covering and atonement of their sin (yet).

Without God's direct intervention, they were not able to properly atone or cover their own guilt "nakedness" from the trespass against God's instruction.

Like us, they needed God's intercession!

By God's own hand, He shed the blood of a perfect sacrifice of life to "cover" (atone) them. By this shadow picture, He established the future of redemption required for a fallen, sinful mankind. Had there been no sin, there would have been no requirement to cover their nakedness, their sin.

What animal might we suppose God killed and to "cover them" after they had sinned?

The Bible does not tell us and we will not know for sure until we meet our Creator and ask Him so all we can really do is consider it, but perhaps we might imagine that God used a lamb to cover each of them.

We might also consider from a reading of the Levite sacrifices that God may have also used a single bullock or red heifer. After all, these animals appear time and time again throughout Scripture beginning with the offerings God commanded Abraham to bring. Interestingly, the red heifer sacrifice cleanses the "tum'ah", the "ritual impurity" which comes from contact with death. Or perhaps... Adam was covered by the "purification" sacrifice, a red heifer and His bride with the coat of a lamb.

One thing is for sure, as the bride of Messiah, only the "Lamb of God", the "One" called Yeshua can atone for our sin if we choose to follow and walk near to Him in His covenant of grace.

By this, we can see that the theme of "covering" sin was established by God in Eden and the important lesson we must know from the Bible is that the blood of bulls and goats never "took away" their sin, it only provided a temporary covering. The sin of Adam and Eve and their descendants requires something greater than any daily animal sacrifice, it requires the hand of God. That is the awesome redemption message of Messiah that began in Eden.

Now, let's look at the story of Cain and Abel. When we do, we can know that like all of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible offers a foreshadowing of the mission and work of Messiah. To see that, we need to dig in and look for the Messianic messages within the themes and the pictures they paint of Messiah. This can be clearly seen in the graphic symbols and meaning of the un-translated Aleph Tav that appears over 7,000 times throughout all of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Importantly, the Hebrew Aleph Tav appears in the mention of sacrifice in Leviticus. It is not seen in any language but Hebrew as it is not translated. Aleph Tav literally means "strength of the covenant" when viewed in the ancient sign language and to top it off, it is the "Herald of Messiah" and I know you will be blessed by further study on that. Here are just a few of the many verses that the Aleph Tav is seen in Leviticus when viewed in Hebrew:
1:5 And he shall kill the bullock before Y-H-V-H: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that [is by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

1:6 And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.

1:8 And the priests, the sons of Aaron shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar

1:11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before Y-H-V-H  and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.

2:14 And if you offer a meal offering of your first fruits to Y-H-V-H  you shall offer for the meal offering of your first fruits green ears of grain dried by the fire grain beaten out of fresh ears.

3:2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

3:7 If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before Y-H-V-H.

3:8 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar.

3:13 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.

4:4 And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before Y-H-V-H; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before Y-H-V-H.

4:6 And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before Y-H-V-H, before the veil of the sanctuary.

4:12 Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.

4:23 Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:

4:24 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before Y-H-V-H: it [is] a sin offering.

4:33 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.

5:6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto Y-H-V-H for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.
If you'd like to learn more about the sign, the herald of the Aleph Tav, just book mark this study Aleph Tav: Herald of Messiah.

Genesis 4:2 tells us Abel was a keeper of sheep, he was the shepherd of a flock... What is the "Messianic" theme?

The Shepherd of the flock [Messiah Yeshua] gave his life as an offering, an atonement, a covering for our sin.

The story of Yeshua, the Great Shepherd follows the same pattern of Abel whose blood was spilled by his brother Cain. On Passover Yeshua's life blood covered the wood just as the lamb of the Passover whose blood was placed on the threshold door posts protected all the firstborn of Israel so that the One that destroyed the firstborn of Egypt would not come near and destroy them (see Hebrews 11:28). The blood at the threshold of the door symbolizes Y-H-V-H s own atonement, His covering and atonement for those that hear and follow His voice in covenant with Him.

We know that Cain was a tiller of the ground, a farmer. Have you ever wondered why the fruit offering from Cain was not acceptable to God but the offering of the flock from Abel was? It has everything to do with establishing God's requirement for atonement! Without a blood covering, there is no atonement, no covering for breaking the covenant given by God for mankind's benefit and blessing.

Cain did not follow God's voice. He offered no blood covering. This great mystery is important. It was the obedience to the lamb's blood covering placed on the wooden door posts that saved the first born of Israel in ancient Egypt.

With God's atonement it does not matter who you are. The Bible teaches us that many "strangers" left Egypt with the family descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These were the "mixed multitude", the former idol worshiping Egyptians and others, perhaps many like Joseph who had intermarried who were seeking refuge from oppression in Egypt that followed God's voice and applied the blood of the lamb to their doorways. God called them all out of Egypt to follow and worship Him.

The offering of Abel's choicest flock and the spilling of Abel's blood coincides with the spilling of Messiah's own blood. They occurred 4,000 years apart, (in Biblical time, this is also 4 millennium days. And remember that four days is the same time period that God required at Passover for the selection of the Passover lamb). This fact is interesting. Can you imagine for a moment, that perhaps both of these events may be linked to the same place and the same time of God's appointed Biblical year at Passover?

The Passover lamb was chosen and brought into the homes of the people of Israel on the 10th day of the month, but it was not slaughtered until the 14th day. In that way, it mirrored the time line of Messiah as He did not enter into Jerusalem until the 4th day or 4,000 years after the creation story. There is something else, something very important that ties these two deaths together... it is blood spilled on the earth.

The Genesis account tells us that God formed man from dust and that righteous Abel's blood was spilled on it outside the Garden of Eden:
"And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now [art] thou cursed from the Earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand" Genesis 4:10-11
So too, Messiah's blood was poured out on the dust of Earth outside the old city of Jerusalem. Three witnesses confirm for us:
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye [to it]. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood [be] on us, and on our children. Matthew 27:24-25

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44

But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. John 19:34
Before reading on, consider the common theme in God's instruction to the Levites:
And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put [it] upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering. Leviticus 4:25
Following the story of Abel and Cain's offering, the Bible's next offering engages with Noah after the great flood had subsided. In Genesis 8:20 we read: “And Noah built an altar unto Y-H-V-H  and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”

Notice... only "clean" animals and birds. The word clean here is the Hebrew word "tahowr", it also means pure.

Now, let's fast forward from Noah's sacrifice to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are "the fathers" of the promises of God. The covenant promise of God’s people, His children. Because of God's love and eternal unchanging word, all people can benefit from this unconditional promise, the commitment given by God to these Patriarchs, if we too just have obedience through our faith. This is from the Hebrew word hear which is "shema" it actually means hearing and obeying.

Also consider what the apostle Paul wrote:
"This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring." Romans 9:8
But what is "the promise"? This promise was given to Abraham, then Isaac and Jacob. It it is a key to understanding Scripture, a key to understanding God's instruction and teaching manual, a key to understanding restoration and resurrection.

Abraham was given a covenant promise from God to have many descendants and he was also told that from his children of promise - "all" the families of the Earth would be blessed. Abraham's household always consisted of his direct offspring and those that traveled and lived with him that also followed the ways of Y-H-V-H.

This promise of blessing comes from Messiah and it began with the sacrifice where we first see the smoking "fire" of God in Scripture from Abram's experience:
And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. Genesis 15:17
From Stephen's account in the book of Acts we learn this was not Abraham's first experience with God's glory:
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. Act 7:2-3
Following Abraham, Moses sees the appearance of God's glory in the burning bush. Then the nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham saw the smoking fire of God as He spoke the covenant from the fire at Mount Sinai. Not only did the people Israel hear but those that sojourned out of Egypt with them gathered at the base of the mountain heard the words qs well. When they saw God's fire they started trembling and staggered away. The King James Bible says they "removed". Here the "olde" English does not convey the meaning of the Hebrew word nuwa`. The fact is these people were literally shaking in their boots when they gazed at the fire and heard the sound of Almighty God because they knew they had lived in impurity and pagan iniquity as slaves in Egypt, living among contamination, They knew a cleansing process was imperative if they were to even hear the words of the Almighty.
All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the shofar, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and they wisely stayed at a distance... Exodus 20:18

Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won't sin."
The people stayed at a safe distance, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. Look at Exodus 20:20-21. in Hebrew, word yir'ah translated here as "fear" means "terror". Understanding yir'ah takes fear up quite a few notches.

In spite of the fact that the Israelites had just been miraculously freed 50 days earlier from Egyptian slavery at Passover and saved through the Red Sea, and had left the realm of death of Egypt behind while experiencing a born again change after their baptism through the sea and the days of Unleavened Bread and the manna omer, they were terrified by the Creator’s voice and glory fire at the first Shavuot. So, they appealed to Moses knowing our God Elohim is a consuming fire:
We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Deuteronomy 5:24-26
God was there in the same "fire" that Abraham witnessed as Y-H-V-H God was making His unconditional covenant promise of a priesthood nation. The writer of Hebrews links this promise to the Tabernacle and the Holy of Holies within it that contained the golden box, the Ark that held the testimony written by God through the two stones:
When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:13-20
Abraham was the first Hebrew and he gave His son Isaac an amazing prophecy that God would provide the lamb for the ultimate “burnt sacrifice”. These are some of the promises ancient Israel was given and it is starts with the story of Abraham and the promise, the covenant God gave to him. As Covenant Believers in those promises, today we can know as a surety that Abraham's burnt sacrifice came forth ultimately in Jesus’ (Yeshua's) life, death and resurrection as the Lamb of God. His crucifixion is a parallel to the animal sacrifices, but needless to say greater. It is the ultimate fulfillment that allows our sins to be "taken away" not just covered so that we may physically live in resurrection with The One, who is the Holy Pillar of Fire.

Jacob was Abraham’s grandson; he was later re-named "Israel" by God. Many may not realize it but the descendants of Jacob’s third son Levi, whose name means "attached or joined" in Hebrew, were the ones, the Levites honored by God with the Tabernacle services as an “adopted” heritage. In the wilderness, they literally fulfilled the promise of the name Levi as the Levites were "attached" to the service of God's dwelling place (in Hebrew the Mishkan), His Sanctuary. It was the physical meeting place between God and man.

The services were originally to be the responsibility and honor of the firstborn sons of all Israel. This was the to be the duty of Reuben's family and the duty of the firstborn of every family, but the point is, we need to know why God tells us why the Levites were chosen, we must consider what services they performed and what was God's mysterious God's purpose in them?

We have already seen the original clue to this mystery in God's own work when He made the garments to cover Adam and Eve. Ask yourself, did that sacrifice "take away" their sin so that they were not subject to its curse, their death?

No. They both died, just as God said they would, but why? This study delves into the answer.

Today, many people believe that the Levite sacrifices and services were "the way" for the ancient people of Israel to obtain salvation or forgiveness of sin, but is that really the message that the Bible conveys??

It did not work that way for Adam and Eve. It did not work that way for Israel.

God gives His explanation to the question in Numbers 8:19.

You may have missed it before, but the reason our Creator God gives Moses is this...
"so that no plague will be among the children of Israel when they come close to the sanctuary that holds God's presence"
God's presence requires protection by "the armor of righteousness". Paul taught the Corinthians this:
By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and [yet] true; As unknown, and [yet] well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and [yet] possessing all things. 2Corinthians 6:7-10
Since Eden, our Creator has always desired to have His children "near to Him" on the right and on the left, but it has to be on His terms for very good reason... protection. The plague is why we all need the "the armor of righteousness" given by God's atonement.

Think about it, God's instruction for Adam and Eve was for their protection, so that they would not die in His glorious presence.

God gave very careful instruction to Moses at Mount Sinai, so that he would not see God's face and die in His glory:
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. Exodus 33:20
The same was true for Israel as they followed near His "presence" in the wilderness. Plague has many references in the Bible so it is one of the Bible's mysteries that we might consider.

Even the red heifer sacrifice appears to be related to the plague that would come upon one approaching near to God in an "unclean" sinful state. It provides a water of "separation":
And a man [that is] clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay [them] up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it [is] a purification for sin. Numbers 19:9
We need to take care as we read the Bible. Protection is even seen in the instruction from God regarding one touching death. God is life. Death opposes our life giving Creator and because of that it is unclean. God instructed Israel to stay away from Him if they were defiled by death and not cleansed by the ashes of the red heifer. They had to leave the camp near Him and this too was for their protection:
Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness [is] yet upon him. Numbers 19:13
This also speaks of Messiah, if we are not cleansed by Him, in the end, we may not approach God. Even the timing God gives for the water of separation speaks of the prophetic 7,000 year time line of our Creator's ultimate plan of redemption and restoration from the death and entropy that Adam invoked:
He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. Numbers 19:11-12
The third day following Messiah's first coming is right before us. we are approaching 2,000 years after the First Fruit resurrection. We are approaching day three and I believe Yeshua will pour the water of purification on us to put an end to the entropy of death. In physics, the so-called second law of thermodynamics is known as the law of entropy, is one of the first studied laws of physics. I think that's for good reason. I'm not a physicist or scientist, but it seems to give us a hint of what happened at "the fall" in Eden with our decline into disorder.

Not only has it been almost two days since Yeshua's resurrection in 30AD, the 6th day (6,000 years) following the sin of Eden is approaching. The work week of toil is at its latter days as we approach the return of King Messiah and the Sabbath millennium day of shalom.

In my Scripture studies, I realized I had to believe the truth given to Malachi: God does not change. 

In fact, if you think about it, all of God's teaching and instruction (Torah) is for our protection so that we are not consumed by God's glory in the end. That is the law of the book of "life" blessing of the Torah and the message of Malachi:
For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3:6
God's Torah, His teaching and instruction is about life. God gave His instruction so that we may live near Him!

May it never be abolished and never hung on the cross in an entropy faith.... God forbid!
Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do [them], that ye may live...Deuteronomy 4:1

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Romans 3:31
You may have missed it in a off key sermon, but life is Torah's message, it's not about earning bonus points to obtain righteousness or salvation by keeping Torah as some have thought. That's not the law - it never was!

If we look closely, we can see God's life protection in the Exodus story when Moses and Aaron make their first plea with the Pharaoh of slavery. Take notice of the fearful word "pestilence" which also means "plague." The hidden or mystery message is about a pandemic. If we do not follow Almighty God properly, pestilence is headed our way when He approaches because His word is a sword and His glory is a consuming fire:
Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to Y-H-V-H our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." Exodus 5:3
Now let's read once AGAIN straight from the voice of our Almighty Creator God recorded in Numbers 8:19


“I have given the Levites AS A GIFT to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, TO PERFORM THE SERVICE of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and TO MAKE ATONEMENT on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be NO PLAGUE among the sons of Israel by their COMING NEAR to the sanctuary.”


By God's own words, the Levites were a gift from God to prevent "plague" when people approached near the sanctuary of the Holy One. When we draw near His holiness, if we are unclean, unsanctified, polluted in sin, our profanity will melt in God's presence. We must fearfully consider this plague may be the very reason that God chose to speak to the prophets in visions and dreams or through messengers (angels) of God's voice.

Yeshua is the life offering that will allow us to approach The Father one day. For now, we still need fear and Paul teaches that:
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2Corinthians 7:1
The Levite services also provide us a glimpse, a shadow picture of how Elohim Y-H-V-H will fulfill His covenant promises and complete the restoration of our fallen state to Himself and resurrect mankind's former physical and spiritual glory given "in His image" at Creation.

The Strong's Hebrew Lexicon tells us that the word most Bible's translate as "atonement" literally means "to coat, to cover over." Isn't that what God did for Adam and Eve? He covered their nakedness with the first sacrifice that He performed: 
And the LORD God made garments of skin [עוֹר ʻôwr] for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21 
In this way, just like the Bible tells us, there was a sacrifice that "covered" their nakedness. They were then quickly moved away from God's glory presence out of the garden sanctuary. This blood covering is what Aaron did for the Levites with the offerings of the two bulls. Aaron made atonement for them.

The book of Hebrews says this atonement purified their "flesh" it does not say it took away their sin.

This word atonement, "kaphar" appears in Exodus 29:33. The confusion we may have all experienced is from modern dictionaries, like The Collins English Dictionary that defines atonement as: "satisfaction, reparation, or expiation given for an injury or wrong." Is that the meaning of the Hebrew Biblical word?

Let's re-read God's word as He describes the purpose of atonement covering: "that there BE NO PLAGUE among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary".

Wait a minute… if the services of the Levites don't do away with or forgive sin but are designed by God to prevent "a plague" when people come near to God's physical presence, perhaps that explains why there has been in a 2,000 year intermission in the Yom Kippur services at the Temple- - and if we are to understand why there was a plague of death near God's glory in the first place, might we consider what could possibly have caused the plague near the sanctuary?

The Hebrew word "plague" is negeph" it means a fatal blow or strike. A plague causes rapid death, high speed entropy as bodily function designed to give life collapse. In modern terms, we might consider that sinful people's lives without atonement could have been disintegrated.

To consider the "pestilence", the deadly "plague" near the sanctuary of God's Glory, we need to understand that obedience to the specific instruction from God's voice about the detailed services of the Levites were given to protect the assembly from the fatal blow of plague, and we might also consider what this plague from God is - even though it is beyond our full comprehension and understanding since there are no eye witnesses.

In his study, "God of the Whirlwind", pastor Donald Smith writes this:
"Our part is to submit to the One whose ways are beyond our full comprehension. The Lord affirmed His wisdom to Isaiah, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8). So if God has all the power, authority, and wisdom to do all these things, why are we so reluctant to trust Him when we need food, clothing, wisdom, and companionship? Why do we think there is chaos when there are dangers, wars, pestilence, and disease?"
Zechariah 14:12 gives us a graphic picture of the chaos of the pestilence and plague that is no longer beyond our understanding in the modern atomic age:
"And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."
To understand what Moses and Aaron experienced first hand, we need to understand that Almighty God is the Creator of the Sun, the stars, billions of galaxies and nebula, even black holes, white dwarfs, binary and neutron stars. With His voice He created pulsars, quasars and the gigantic supernova we can now see exploding in His unending universe. Knowledge is increasing through the lens of the Hubble telescope.

All of these stars of creation emit tremendous force and energy in forms of gravity, cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays, UV rays, visible light, radio waves and magnetic waves. God created light waves that can destroy flesh instantly in all of His creation. God is the Creator of fission and fusion, of solar winds as well as the fourth state of matter, plasma. Elohim God is the Creator of the infinitely small universe too including electrons, neutrons, photons, neutrinos, quarks and gravitons.

Our Creator God is the star breather and there's a big disconnect if we think that we might just walk right up to the Holy of Holies into the manifest holy, and fearful presence of God if we are in our present unclean, and sinful bodies and not expect to be dissolved just as Zechariah described. 

We need atonement and the quickening through resurrection and restoration to a glorified body that bears the image of the heavenly one. Paul writes:
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1Corinthians 15:50–54
God breathed His words of creation and all the stars were born. The English Standard Version Bible says this:
"By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host." Psalms 33:6
God is the not just the Creator of the stars but all that goes with them including mass, matter, anti-matter and if it exists dark matter. 

In 1933, a Swiss man by the name of Fritz Zwicky, was studying galaxy clusters at the California Institute of Technology and he came up with the theory on dark matter as evidence of unseen mass. It's called "dark" because it does not interact with the electromagnetic field, which means dark matter does not absorb, reflect, or emit electromagnetic radiation aka light whether visible or unseen in our light spectrum like radio waves, X-rays or gamma rays. The concept is basic, the theory is it's there holding things together but like gravity, it's unseen.

The science is dark matter is invisible - unseen. Fritz was not the first to write about this in my view. Does the Apostle Paul allude to it when he writes this in Romans 1:20?
"The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead".
Update February 12, 2014: 
We’ve all heard about The Shroud of Turin.

Many believe that it is the linen burial cloth of our Lord. I am not sure what you might believe but this is really fascinating.

Radiocarbon dating on the cloth carried out by Oxford University in 1988 found it was only 728 years old and that caused a lot of frustration for those that believed the shroud should be 2,000 years old.

Now, an Italian scientific team says an earthquake in Jerusalem in AD 33 may have caused an atomic reaction which created the Turin Shroud and skewed the radiocarbon dating results.
Before we get to that report, here are some excerpts from the conclusion of the scientific examination of the Turin shroud that began in 1978 which was produced in a final report in 1981 which states:
“No pigments, paints, dyes or stains have been found on the fibrils. X-ray, fluorescence and microchemistry on the fibrils preclude the possibility of paint being used as a method for creating the image. Ultra Violet and infrared evaluation confirm these studies. Computer image enhancement and analysis by a device known as a VP-8 image analyzer show that the image has unique, three-dimensional information encoded in it. Microchemical evaluation has indicated no evidence of any spices, oils, or any biochemicals known to be produced by the body in life or in death. It is clear that there has been a direct contact of the Shroud with a body, which explains certain features such as scourge marks, as well as the blood. However, while this type of contact might explain some of the features of the torso, it is totally incapable of explaining the image of the face with the high resolution that has been amply demonstrated by photography.

The basic problem from a scientific point of view is that some explanations which might be tenable from a chemical point of view, are precluded by physics. Contrariwise, certain physical explanations which may be attractive are completely precluded by the chemistry. For an adequate explanation for the image of the Shroud, one must have an explanation which is scientifically sound, from a physical, chemical, biological and medical viewpoint. At the present, this type of solution does not appear to be obtainable by the best efforts of the members of the Shroud Team. Furthermore, experiments in physics and chemistry with old linen have failed to reproduce adequately the phenomenon presented by the Shroud of Turin.

The scientific consensus is that the image was produced by something which resulted in oxidation, dehydration and conjugation of the polysaccharide structure of the microfibrils of the linen itself. Such changes can be duplicated in the laboratory by certain chemical and physical processes. A similar type of change in linen can be obtained by sulfuric acid or heat. However, there are no chemical or physical methods known which can account for the totality of the image, nor can any combination of physical, chemical, biological or medical circumstances explain the image adequately.

Thus, the answer to the question of how the image was produced or what produced the image remains, now, as it has in the past, a mystery.

We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist. The blood stains are composed of hemoglobin and also give a positive test for serum albumin. The image is an ongoing mystery and until further chemical studies are made, perhaps by this group of scientists, or perhaps by some scientists in the future, the problem remains unsolved.”
Thanks to this new scientific information on the shroud of Turin, we might consider something about the ressurection event. 

After resurrection, the Gospel accounts including Acts tell us Jesus did not always remain visible to the eyes of the disciples or other witnesses. Could it simply be that when he appeared, his body reflected photons; when he disappeared, it did not. Yet in post resurrection the accounts state Jesus had a physical body.

Those accounts tell us He did not conform to the finite electromagnetic quantum world that we are able to see and feel. 

Simply put, He no longer adhere to the dimensions that we think we know something about. Today, we do not scientifically know how this happened because it involves realities we know virtually nothing about except in theory and faith. 

I do not claim to have answers. But I do know that God created physical matter and it is good (in Hebrew good is towb). Genesis 1 gives us that truth. So we must ask, did God create a physical world just to destroy it later? the Bible says He will create the physical world in a renewed form, Scripture calls this a new heaven and earth. Perhaps, an analogy is like a tiny seed that gives life to a new tree. Perhaps it's the realm of good only with the removal and destruction of evil.

These prophecies tell us:
"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." Isaiah 65:17

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain." Isaiah 65:22

"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2Peter 3:13

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." Revelation 21:1
Update May 20, 2014: Thought you'd want to see this... and I am not surprised to see that gold is used:
Scientists discover how to turn light into matter after 80-year quest
"Imperial physicists have discovered how to create matter from light - a feat thought impossible when the idea was first theorised 80 years ago.

In just one day over several cups of coffee in a tiny office in Imperial’s Blackett Physics Laboratory, three physicists worked out a relatively simple way to physically prove a theory first devised by scientists Breit and Wheeler in 1934.

Breit and Wheeler suggested that it should be possible to turn light into matter by smashing together only two particles of light (photons), to create an electron and a positron – the simplest method of turning light into matter ever predicted. The calculation was found to be theoretically sound but Breit and Wheeler said that they never expected anybody to physically demonstrate their prediction. It has never been observed in the laboratory and past experiments to test it have required the addition of massive high-energy particles.

The new research, published in Nature Photonics, shows for the first time how Breit and Wheeler’s theory could be proven in practice. This ‘photon-photon collider’, which would convert light directly into matter using technology that is already available, would be a new type of high-energy physics experiment. This experiment would recreate a process that was important in the first 100 seconds of the universe and that is also seen in gamma ray bursts, which are the biggest explosions in the universe and one of physics’ greatest unsolved mysteries."
Now, let's consider Matthew's account of the resurrection on Firstfruits:
In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Matthew 28:6
Now, a new scientific report has come out stating that the original carbon dating timeline of the Shroud of Turin could be wrong… and an explanation for the image is offered:
“We believe it is possible that neutron emissions by earthquakes could have induced the image formation on the Shroud's linen fibres, through thermal neutron capture on nitrogen nuclei, and could also have caused a wrong radiocarbon dating,' said Professor Alberto Carpinteri, from the Politecnico di Torino.

Other scientists have previously suggested that neutron radiation may have been responsible for the ghostly image of a crucified man with his arms crossed.

However, no plausible explanation has been offered for the source of the radiation. Some have proposed that it came from the body itself, or was generated by an event inside the tomb, pointing to a divine origin linked to the resurrection.

Neutron radiation is usually generated by nuclear fusion or fission, and may be produced by nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. Professor Carpinteri's team believes earthquake-induced high pressure waves in the Earth's crust may be an overlooked natural source.”
You might want to read this just released abstract: Is the Shroud of Turin in relation to the Old Jerusalem historical earthquake?

If you don't have the time to read it, the abstract proposes that a neutron emission from earthquake may have caused the shroud image. 

Hmm... I think they are close, very close but perhaps the most likely scenario is that the appearance of the image and the physical properties of the linen of the Shroud we can see today might be explained if the cause was a form of nuclear change of the atoms in the body of Yeshua of Nazareth actually caused the earthquake and the stone moved during the quake.

After all, His body was indwelled by the Spirit and power of God. My friend David Lowe tells me...
An instantaneous disintegration of the nuclei of the atoms in the body would account for the formation of the image, detail by detail, and the good state of preservation of the linen of the Shroud. It would seem to be the only mechanism whereby the straw-yellow colour could be produced–and the lemon-yellow colour of the serum deposits. It would have to be instantaneous to account for the well-defined image, in terms of the clarity of detail and the range of the radiation causing the image before any collapse of the linen cloth. The minor earthquake described in the Gospels is also explained.
I think the new studies on the shroud are close, very close, but I think the most likely scenario [from Mr. Lowe's book "Earthquake Resurrection"] is well worth consideration...
"The appearance of the image and the properties of the linen of the Shroud can thus be explained if the cause was the nuclear disintegration of the atoms in the body. With such a disintegration–a minor nuclear explosion–light and energy would also be produced. In the body the main elements involved would be carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, together with smaller quantities of calcium, phosphorus and sulphur.

These all have lower molecular weights, and a lower proportion of internal energy, so that the energy liberated would be far less than that from the disintegration of the heavy atoms in nuclear weapons. It would still be sufficient to move the stone at the entrance to the tomb, and to make the guards think that there had been an earthquake."
Do you sense the possibility of 'The Pillar of Fire' effect on that shroud?

I do and I'd like to encourage you to take just a few minutes to watch a short video that shows the known universe as mapped through astronomical observations. Every star, every planet and quasar seen in the video is possible because of the world's most complete four-dimensional map of the universe, the "Digital Universe Atlas" that is maintained and updated by astrophysicists at one of my favorite places, the American Museum of Natural History in New York:


To learn even more, you can download NASA's Hayden Planetarium's Digital Universe Atlas here. It is a 169 MB download and 450 MB disk space required.

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Update January 11, 2013:
God's power is inconceivable. Recently, the largest structure in the universe was discovered
"Astronomers have discovered the largest known structure in the universe, a clump of active galactic cores that stretches 4 billion light-years from end to end."

"To put that mind-boggling size into perspective, the disk of the Milky Way galaxy — home of Earth's solar system — is about 100,000 light-years wide. And the Milky Way is separated from its nearest galactic neighbor, Andromeda, by about 2.5 million light-years.

The newly discovered LQC is so enormous, in fact that theory predicts it shouldn't exist, researchers said."
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The bottom line is that the power, glory and majesty of El Shaddai (God Almighty) can not be imagined. It is far beyond our mortal, limited comprehension. 

Our Creator Elohim commanded the presence of innumerable distant galaxies as well as the quasars and supergiant stars as well as the white dwarfs stars like Lucy which is thought to be the largest known diamond in the universe at a diameter of 2,500 miles. Astronomers believe it is a crystallized carbon diamond 50 light years from Earth. A light year is about 5.87 trillion miles, so this diamond in the sky is 293.5 trillion miles from our home.

God has made untold billions of stars just like the one you see every day at sunrise and stars like the pulsating variable star Betelgeuse also known as Alpha Orionis, the red supergiant of Orion. It will take your most vivid imagination to consider the gigantic size of this star which sits about 640 light years from Earth or 3,756.8 trillion miles away. If Betelgeuse were at the center of our Solar System, sitting in place of our own Sun, its outer surface diameter would extend beyond the orbit of Jupiter to the edge of Saturn's orbit when its convective forces expand. Its optical disk is so large that it would wholly engulf Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

By the way, it takes light about 20 minutes to travel from Mars to Earth when the two are at their outer orbit distance.

Astronomical measurements tell us that this incredible red supergiant variable star called Betelgeuse is currently shrinking by about 1% per year over the past 15 years. Betelgeuse oscillates between roughly 300 and 600 solar radii. Many astronomers today think that Betelgeuse may soon dim and go into a supernova state that could light up the day and night sky for at least a year due to the giant red star's proximity to earth.

Jesus gives us some clues to look for before His return as Messiah King. One sounds much like the sign of the Star of Bethlehem, an extraordinary celestial event that was seen before his humble birth as described in Matthew 2:1-12. No one really knows what that star was. Some think perhaps a comet, others a conjunction of the great planet Jupiter with Regulus. Still others think it may have been a Supernova star explosion.

The Supernova star theory seems very likely if you ask me, the thing is, a Supernova is the result of star that explodes into a super-bright runaway explosion that occurs only after the last stage of a star's existence.

A star's Supernova state is triggered by what is thought to be a nuclear fusion explosion as its nuclear power is compressed and the star's core falls into collapse. Supernovas are cataclysmic explosions and they can be so bright that it can make it very difficult to see other stars. In fact a supernova blast can be so large and bright it can shine more brightly than an entire galaxy.

Perhaps, the most likely future Supernova candidate is the super red giant pulsating star we know as Betelgeuse. Or maybe not, no astronomer is sure, but you should look up!

Call me an odd ball, but I've thought that this giant red star star or one like it may provide a potential answer to the Isaiah 7:11 challenge and point to the second arrival described in Matthew 24:30, 1Corinthians 15:41.

One thing that is so curious to me about Matthew's verse in Matthew 24:30 is that the  Greek words καί αὐτῆς translated as "and the stars" is kai astēr,. That seems to me to literally be "and the star" or "then the star."

According to Strong's Greek lexicon the word astēr (αὐτῆς) is a singular star. That's how it is rendered in translations of Matthew 2:2, Revelation 8:10, Revelation 2:28 and Revelation 22:16.

Here's what Jesus said will happen before His return as a celestial sign much like His first trip:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matthew 24:29-30
The last supernova made history and Johannes Kepler famous. It was in 1604 and it lasted three weeks, then it faded. That's the thing about a supernova, it marks the death of a star.

Again, no this saith The Lord but perhaps a supernova "may be the sign" of the herald of the return of Messiah that Yeshua told the Jewish disciples about. He called it "the sign of the Son of man in heaven" and it appears to be a confirmation of Isaiah 13:10, Ezekiel 32:7, Joel 2:10 and Joel 3:15.

The great star Betelgeuse is the foundation of the constellation Orion, which in Hebrew means "coming forth as light." Not only that, Betelgeuse means “the coming of the branch.” Orion appears in the heaven above the equator of the Earth and that's important because Betelgeuse is always visible to every person on the planet. Orion is mentioned twice in the book of Job and once in the prophecy of Amos.
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the Earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Matthew 24:30
God's creation is mind-bending. Virtually every star you see in the night sky is bigger and brighter than our Sun. 

Of the 5,000 or so naked eye visible stars brighter than magnitude 6, only a handful of very faint stars are the same size and brightness of our Sun. Of the 500 or so that are brighter than 4th magnitude which includes essentially every star visible to the unaided eye, all are bigger and brighter than our Sun, many by a very large percentage. Of the brightest 50 stars visible to the human eye from Earth, the least intrinsically bright star is Alpha Centauri, which is still greater than 1.5 times more luminous than our own Sun.

Consider this for a moment about Betelgeuse: at a scale of 23 yards per light-year, then from edge to edge of the diameter of Pluto’s orbit the distance would be 1.03 inches, the average distance from Earth to Sun would be 0.013 inches, yet the distance to Betelgeuse would be 5.5 miles. Get this, if 1 is the luminosity of our Sun, then if you can imagine it, Betelgeuse outshines our Sun by 13,000 to 1, but Betelgeuse doesn't even compare to some of the bigger super giants in this amazing video that clearly shows us why our Creator is known as "The Almighty":



We can see 20 quadrillion miles, with the naked eye. That means on a good clear night, you can see about 20,000,000,000,000,000 miles - that's 17 digits!

That 20 quadrillion miles is the approximate distance to the bright star Deneb in Cygnus which is very prominent in the evening skies of Fall and Winter. Deneb is bright enough to be seen virtually anywhere in the Northern hemisphere, and in fact from almost anywhere in the inhabited world. There is another star, Eta Carina that is a little more than twice as far away, or about 44 quadrillion miles. But Eta Carina is faint and not well placed for telescope aided observers in most of the Northern hemisphere. Those stars and both the Andromeda Galaxy and the Triangulum Galaxy are also visible under certain conditions, but they are some 15 to 18 quintillion miles away! One quintillion is 10^18!.

With the aid of the Hubble telescope, the currently observable Universe is 46 billion light years away, but scientists commonly say the big bang occurred 12-14 billion years ago. Wait a minute... that means something is wrong with all the Big Bang theories. No wonder we call them theories.

Oh, before I forget, we have also been told that the Universe is expanding. That must explain the discrepancy, but if expanding, what is it expanding into?

I think the visualization below from Space.com is interesting. If accurate, as I just asked, what is the observable Universe expanding into?


My view, God's creation is unending - it's infinite just as our Great and Almighty God is.

To consider the other end of the spectrum of God's creation, the "Molecular Expressions" team at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) provides a unique view of God's sub-microscopic world. The link at their awesome website states that with their automated tutorial you can:

"View the Milky Way at 10 million light years from the Earth. Then move through space towards the Earth in successive orders of magnitude until you reach a tall oak tree just outside the buildings of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida. After that, begin to move from the actual size of a leaf into a microscopic world that reveals leaf cell walls, the cell nucleus, chromatin, DNA and finally, into the subatomic universe of electrons and protons."

As we can now see stars and cells splitting it is easy to compare the two integrated worlds in these photos of a human cell dividing from the view of a micron microscope and celestial object NGC 6302 as seen from the Hubble telescope:



The microscopic world incredibly reflects the heavens above.


The key point to all this is that we begin to understand that God's power and glory is incomprehensible, we might just catch a glimpse of understanding why being near to His glory in a sinful, fleshly state can cause our bodily cells to disintegrate. Many think God cannot stand near sin, I think quite the opposite is true.

There is a reason the heavens tear and mountains quake near His physical, almighty, fiery presence. The understanding of this is just as Isaiah tells us:
"Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence, as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the waters to boil; to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!" Isaiah 64:1-3
God has made all the elements and energy forms whether they are the known electromagnetic, kinetic, thermal, radiant, chemical, electrical, nuclear or the unknown like gravity or dark matter. Almighty God created the laws we describe as the laws of the universe, whether physics or relativity. God governs gravity, motion, light, matter and all forms of radiation which we say exist in three "known" principle forms: 1) Alpha radiation, 2) Beta radiation and 3) Gamma radiation.

Alpha radiations are seen only in heavier elements and these particles can be easily ionized. Therefore, they are quickly stopped from entering any material, yet Alpha emitting particles absorbed through open wounds and bruises can prove dangerous to the human body. No harm, no foul meant here but this must be why God gave such strict instruction to not allow any Levite Priest to serve near Him if they have a wound or blemish. (See Leviticus 21).

Beta radiations consist of fast-moving positively or negatively charged electrons. Beta radiations can penetrate deeper into air as well as into the germinal layer where new cells are formed by the skin. Gamma radiations are electromagnetic wavelengths just like visible light, ultraviolet rays and radio waves. Gamma is very harmful as it will penetrate deep into human tissue and cause great harm through external and internal contact. Sound like the plague?

The amazing thing is that there are no precise boundaries between the wavelengths or "vibration" layers of the electromagnetic spectrum. Instead, radio waves, microwaves, infrared and visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma ray wavelengths all into each other like the bands in a rainbow (which is the sub-spectrum of visible light). Radiation that is experienced at each frequency and wavelength band will have a mixture of properties of two regions of the spectrum that bound it.

For example, red light resembles infrared radiation in that it can excite and add energy to some chemical bonds and indeed must do so to power the chemical mechanisms responsible for photosynthesis and the working of the visual system as pigment molecules found in the human retina engage perhaps like and ultraviolet light from the Sun burns our skin. Radio wave cause plasma oscillation in the electrons of an antenna. X-rays cause the excitation of core atomic electrons and gamma rays cause the energetic ejection of core electrons in heavy elements. Bottom line, electromagnetic radiation (energy) interacts with matter (mass) in different ways within different wavelengths of the light spectrum. At the same time, light's electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum as its spectrum has seven layers or vibrations just like sound.

A sound spectrum displays the different frequencies present in a sound. Like light, sounds are made up of a complicated mixture of vibrations. The power of sound or its pressure is measured in decibels and its frequency is measured in vibrations per second or hertz (Hz). Just as the human eye can only perceive certain wavelengths of visible light, the human ear can only hear a small range. The universe is full of sounds, but we can't hear them all as the standard range of audible frequencies is 20 to 20,000 Hz. Sound, unlike light, requires a transmission medium, a mass of either a solid, liquid, gas, or plasma that can propagate energy waves. For example, the transmission medium for sound received by the ears is usually air, but solids and liquids can also act as transmission media for sound. Sound is the vibration of matter, so it requires a physical medium for transmission.

So if you just think about it, presently, when we read the Bible, God's word aloud just as the Levites did, we are the physical medium for the transmission of the voice of God.

Now let's consider something about the relationship of time and light.

Einstein taught the world of physics that the speed of light is related to the measurement of time. Time, it seems, like gravity is another part of God's creation that is unseen, yet its effects are experience and one that no physicist can really define as to origin. The vacy is gravity is still not understood. We will consider more on time in a "moment", but before we do let's consider that...

The Bible plainly describes God as "light":
"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." 1John 1:5
Should we suppose that John's description is only a reference to the goodness of The Almighty Creator, or could it be that John is also describing a physical reality of God Elohim as well? After all, the Bible's creation account speaks of "light" days before God created the Sun and Moon on the fourth day, but many seem to struggle and not understand this fact of God's glory that shown down on the Earth three creation days before He spoke our Sun into existence.

Yes, God's voice is the creative force of Genesis. God is incomprehensible and perhaps when we consider that Jesus said He is the I AM, a reflection of God we might also consider what science has also revealed, that light's electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum.
I am one that beareth witness of MYSELF, and the Father THAT SENT ME beareth witness of ME." (John 8:16:18)
On the fourth day of creation, God said:
...Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the Earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the Earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it was] good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19
We must consider that the light described before the fourth day is the same light that was seen within the Pillar of Fire:
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:3-5
God is light. The Bible tells us that. Have you ever wondered why the Bible also tells us this?
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof. Revelation 21:23

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:5
These are powerful words that speak of the end times.

Speaking of time, Einstein's theory of general relativity taught us that time does not proceed at the speed of light and that a clock in motion will move through time faster than a clock that is stationary, that is until it reaches the speed of light. This is what physicists call time dilation. Indeed, Einstein's relativity leads us toward an understanding of the eternal and prophetic nature of our Creator. It explains eternity, a concept we just accept or one we really struggle with. For more understanding on light, please check out my study: The Spectrum of Light.

Einstein sought to understand the mind of God and His creation. The BBC takes an interesting look at a supplement to his theory of relativity in their presentation "The Mind of God - Albert Einstein's Unfinished Symphony".

Time dilation has been confirmed by a number of scientific experiments related to distance and velocity. Space gap, or the relative distance from the Earth's surface is another factor that dilates the passage of time. The mysterious, unseen force we call gravity does the same thing.

The stronger the gravitational pull, the slower time passes. Gravity distorts time because time is somehow elastic. As Einstein said, time is a twin paradox that physics can't really define in terms of known physical laws.

All Bible students that understand the meaning of the number 8 is "new beginning" in Scripture. It also is tied to resurrection, new life. The eight day is the first day of the new week so we might just want to consider this mathematical time dilation concept: If one day to God is a thousand years to mankind, and if the time from Adam to the new beginning, the return of Messiah is 6,000 years... then that is just equal to 8 hours on God's clock. Perhaps just a coincidence, but isn't 8 hours considered a normal work day?

Could that have any relationship with Messiah Yeshua's appearance to the doubting Thomas on the 8th day after his resurrection? (See John 20:24)

Hum... God told Noah in Genesis 6:3 "And Y-H-V-H said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a 120 years." What if those years were God's Jubilee years? A Biblical Jubilee is 50 years... so that would mean the 120 Jubilees are equal to 6,000 years. As we consider this don't forget Moses lived 120 years, and during that time he did not enter the Promised Land yet he lived a life fully devoted to God. In fact, he knew God personally.

I think it is interesting that according to the European Space Agency a supernova explosion occurs about once every 50 years in the Milky Way. That means that since Adam, much like a giant clock ticking off time, there have been about 120 supernovae exploding in the sight of Earth. When we consider that God is light, and that time is static at the speed of light, perhaps we can just begin to understand God's words in some way. Physicist Frank J. Tipler PhD writes:
"In general relativity, time is not relative: a unique rest frame exists".
Indeed, like God, nothing is really simple, but once we get our head around the concepts of relativity the light comes on and we can begin to understand His law of rest, His Sabbath!!

The universe has no bounds, physicists say it is "ever expanding", but wait a minute that in itself is a space paradox that no one can really explain. After all, if the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into?

If we want to define the Almighty Glory of God, just as the Bible says we must look up:
Psalm 19:1 [[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalm 97:6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
The truth is - we must consider and wonder in awe and fear at all possible aspects of the "glory" cloud, the Pillar of Fire of our Almighty God. To do that, let's start and ask the question: what is light? We may think that visible light is different from radio waves which are different from gamma-rays because they are produced in very different ways and we detect them in different ways, some are visible, most are unseen. But are they really different?

According to the rocket scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center the answer is a resounding 'NO'.

Radio waves, visible light, X-rays, microwaves, infrared and ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma-rays and all other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are fundamentally the same thing. They are all forms of electromagnetic radiation. But what is electromagnetic radiation?

Electromagnetic radiation is a term used to describe a stream of energy-bearing particles that travel outward from an electromagnetic source. The energy in these streams can vary extensively in power, and is measured by the electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic radiation can be beneficial, harmless or extremely dangerous to humans, depending on the source, level of radiation and duration of exposure. The key difference between the various types of electromagnetic radiation is the amount of energy found in the photons. Radio waves have photons with low energies, microwaves have a little more energy than radio waves, infrared has still more, then visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, and ... the most energetic of all... gamma-rays.

There are both natural and man-made sources of electromagnetic radiation. The Sun, our own giant ball of life-giving plasma, is an intense source of gravitational pull, but the fact is that there is more strength in its electromagnetism and its resulting radiation than its gravity. These can have both positive and negative effects on living things depending on the distance to this incredible electromagnetic light source.

The folks at the Los Alamos Laboratories tell us about the invisible forces of gravity and electromagnetism:
"Gravity can hold sway, for example in our planetary system, only when forces much stronger than gravity are canceled out; electromagnetism, for instance, which is the binding force for virtually all ordinary biological and chemical phenomena on Earth, is intrinsically 10^39 times stronger than gravity. If the dominant form of matter were subject to the electromagnetic force as well as to the force of gravity, gravity would be swamped by the greater and compelling pulls and tugs of electromagnetism.

An indication of the dominance of the magnetic force is given by a ball bearing on a table. All of the Earth's mountains, seas, core, sand, rivers, and life forms exert a gravitational pull on the bearing preventing it from flying off into space. Yet, the smallest horseshoe magnet easily snatches it away."
Any simple compass tells us that the Earth has a magnetic field. Scientists believe this is because of the hot liquid metal that surrounds our planet's solid iron core, or that's what geophysicists think is the cause. This flow of liquid in our spinning, orbiting Earth creates electric currents, which, in turn, generate the planetary magnetic field that guides every compass on Earth. Since the early 19th century, the Earth's magnetic north pole has crept northward by more than 600 miles according to NASA scientists. The rate of movement has also increased recently, with the magnetic north pole now migrating northward at about 40 miles per year, compared with the 10 miles per year migration estimated over the past 100 years.

Our source of life giving light, the Sun produces both visible and invisible electromagnetic streams; we call these solar "winds". We all now know that ultraviolet rays from the Sun are invisible and cause sunburn and skin cancer if overexposure occurs.

A rainbow, however, is a visible and harmless part of the electro magnetic "effect" created by the Sun as human eyes detect the visible wavelengths of its light as different colors, but most of light is invisible as is electromagnetic force. Did you notice what the scientists at Los Alamos said? They said that "electromagnetism" is the binding force for virtually all ordinary biological and chemical phenomena on Earth. The Bible speaks of God as a Spirit (the Hebrew word is "Ruach" a wind) and that He breathed life into man. To understand this to know that God’s breath is much more that air. It is a living fire, the breath of life that produces a soul (see Genesis 2:7):
John 4:24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Colossians 1:12-17 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 11:27-28 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

1Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen
Perhaps it is time to consider that God has not separated Himself from the characteristics of His creation. If we do, we might just be better able to understand God's Spirit, His invisible "ruach ha-kodesh", in Hebrew: His "wind".

Be sure to check out this message from one of my favorite pastors, Louie Giglio, as he talks about the Creator of the Universe that knows you by your name. If you can, be sure to watch the entire 40 minutes. It will describe the ruach, the breath of God and the message will blow your mind as you see "how the star breather became the man maker"!


God 'spoke' the creation, He breathed light with His voice.

A science called "Plasmonics" may in some way, be related to the role and function of the Tabernacle. After all, it was a rectangular metallic box wrapped in pure gold. The Bible tells us that each wooden plank of the structure was plated in solid gold, the finest known "metal" in the Universe.

So, we might consider that God's instruction to cover the Tabernacle in pure gold was somehow related to "protecting" people from His glory light above the Mercy Seat. When we realize that the Bible teaches that God is light, then we might deduce that the Tabernacle and the Levite services protected those flesh and blood people living around it from a God's brilliant, glorious form perhaps not unlike electromagnetic light resonance.

Biblical truth may be stranger than fiction as this report shows that scientists have now verified experimental "cloaking" of a three-dimensional object, making it invisible from all angles, for the first time. Interestingly, the demonstration works only for light waves in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

It is called plasmonic cloaking. The BBC provides this report on "invisible" research: 'Cloaking' a 3-D object from all angles demonstrated.

Let's look further... According to Professors Bill Barnes and Roy Sambles of the University of Exeter School of Physics:
"...a new paradigm called plasmonics is emerging, an approach based on using the localised surface plasmon resonances of metal particles to control light below the wavelength limit, down to nanometre length scales.

Localised surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) comprise electromagnetic fields that are bound to a metallic object, for example a nanoparticle, through the interaction of the electromagnetic field with the free electrons in the surface of the metal. This interaction is resonant at a frequency (wavelength) that depends strongly on the particle’s size, shape, composition and environment. At resonance the fields associated with these modes are very significantly enhanced, they are also evanescent or near-field in character, falling exponentially in strength with distance away from the particle.

Crucially, this means that the light may be localized into a volume of space only ~10 nm in dimension. Through such an approach, and through related approaches demonstrated in the microwave regime, there is now the very real prospect of controlling visible light at the scale – a new optics at the nanoscale can thus be envisaged. Surface plasmons are also encountered in more extended metal structures where the field enhancement can be exploited for monitoring bimolecular interactions, they can also be manipulated through suitable surface structuring. Based as it is on the plasmon modes of metals this field is known as plasmonics."
Another form of light, that we call microwaves are generally thought to be a man-made source of electromagnetic radiation, yet this light form is actually a naturally occurring part of electromagnetic radiation. We now know that microwaves are found throughout outer space above our Earth's protective atmosphere and our geomagnetic shield.

Other forms of light that we know are out there in the Heavens include X-rays and radio waves. These radio waves are the very reason that some 21 countries around the globe now participate in a number of radio astronomy telescope projects that search for sound from the outer reaches space. Could those sounds be echos of God's creative voice?

Incredibly, long before the first NASA scientist, the Bible's oldest narrative, the book of Job, asks us to ponder these sounds from the heavenly tabernacle of the night sky:
Also can [any] understand the spreadings of the clouds, [or] the noise of his tabernacle? Job 36:29
Infrared light is yet another form of electromagnetic radiation that is found in outer space and almost none of it penetrates the firmament of our atmosphere down to the surface of our living planet.

The Bible tells us that we are made in the image of our Creator.

That declaration may not be limited to the normal thought that we are "shaped" in our physical form like God. DiVinci painted a picture of God on the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, but is that what God meant in Genesis 1:26 ?

Believe it or not... the skin that covers our body emits infrared light. Yes light! This is why you can be easily seen in the dark by someone using a pair of night vision goggles. NASA tells us: "Humans, at normal body temperature, radiate most strongly in the infrared at a wavelength of about 10 microns."

All electromagnetic radiation travels at the speed of light, although an intervening material of the right makeup can reflect it, slow it, or even absorb it. The energy in these streams can vary extensively in power, and is measured by the electromagnetic spectrum.

The Bible believing physicist, James Clerk Maxwell discovered this law of physics. Calculating the speed of electromagnetic waves, Maxwell postulated that light is a form of electromagnetic radiation exerting pressure and carrying momentum.

This provided the basis for Einstein's work on the theory of relativity from which the relationship between energy, mass, velocity and distance contributed to the themes underlying the discovery of atomic energy.

Amazingly, the invisible force we call gravity plays a role in all this as well. Gravity is much like our consciousness. We know it is there but the reality is - we do not know what it is. We can't explain gravity or our own mental consciousness. In 1993, two physicists, Russell A. Hulse and Joseph H. Taylor Jr. won the Nobel Prize when they "discovered" a pulsar star that led to new studies postulating that gravity too - travels at the speed of light, and that like light it travels in waves. Although, much like our own consciousness, "gravitational waves" have not been directly detected, yet sophisticated equations in alignment with Einstein's theory of relativity have resulted from their study of the pulsar. These studies have also confirmed that waves do not just carry energy, but also angular and linear momentum.

Years before Hulse and Taylor, the great Scotsman physicist Maxwell demonstrated that electric and magnetic fields travel through space in the form of waves at the constant speed of light, and according to Einstein, time does not change at the speed of light.

This concept reflects the unchanging aspect of God and it demonstrates a major feature of the Bible as God shares prophecy of what we call "future" events.

James Maxwell was a great genius. He showed us that light was a vibration in the electromagnetic field that travels at the constant speed of light. He stated:
"We can scarcely avoid the conclusion that light consists in the transverse undulations of the same medium which is the cause of electric and magnetic phenomena."
In his 1864 paper, "A dynamical theory of the electromagnetic field", Maxwell wrote:
"The agreement of the results seems to show that light and magnetism are affections of the same substance, and that light is an electromagnetic disturbance propagated through the field according to electromagnetic laws".
Maxwell's equations demonstrate that the three fields of electricity, magnetism and light are all manifestations of the same phenomenon, namely the electromagnetic field.

We now know that electromagnetic radiation can be beneficial, harmless or extremely dangerous. It can be a plague to humans, depending on the source, the level of radiation, and the duration of exposure. (For more study on light and electromagnetism in the Bible, you may want to look at my Scripture study: The Spectrum of Light).

Many may not realize it, but the most common form of light that we see in the heavens above is known as plasma... the stars. And to top it off, "plasma" is the fourth known state of matter.


We generally only think of 3 states of matter: 1) solid, 2) liquid and 3) gas, but there is a 4th state in creation... plasma. Scientists define "plasma" as an ionized gas into which sufficient energy is provided to free electrons from atoms or molecules which allow both "ions" and "electrons" to coexist simultaneously. Plasma is the most common 'state' of matter that can be 'seen' in the universe. It even surrounds our Earth. It is called our plasmasphere.

Plasma is highly conductive electrically, and it responds to electromagnetic fields. Plasma, therefore, has properties like silver, copper and gold, the metal components of the Tabernacle. In the universe, plasma is the most common state for ordinary matter. Plasma includes the composition of the stars. Even the space between the stars is filled with plasma.

Plasma makes up our own electromagnetic ball of fire, the Sun.

That's right, the Sun is not a ball of hot, boiling hydrogen gas and it is not "on fire" as many of us were taught. Many people now know that the Sun is not, but they have no clue as to what is really happening there. The fact is, the sun is not burning but you can feel its heat every day! Burning, or combustion, is a chemical reaction involving the electrons in orbit about the nuclei of atoms such as hydrogen and oxygen. Burning is not really efficient. The Sun is in fact a sphere of hot plasma interwoven within magnetic fields that are chemically composed primarily of hydrogen and helium as well as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and other common elements.

Speaking of elements, did you know that almost everything on our Earth is a rare element? The composition of our Earth is mostly iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, sulfur, nickel, calcium, sodium, and aluminum. These Earth elements have been detected in other locations throughout the universe, but they are merely "trace" elements in our Universe. They are vastly overshadowed by the much greater abundance of 1) hydrogen and 2) helium. So Earth, for the most part, is composed of "rare" elements.

When we consider the fact that the Earth orbits around the Sun, we need to also know that the Sun too is traveling as it moves through the Milky Way galaxy, and our galaxy is also moving with respect to none other than cosmic microwave background radiation, which coincidentally, was discovered in the same time line that the nation of Israel was founded in 1948. Another strange thing happened a few short years before the modern day nation of Israel was declared, people witnessed the literal destruction of radiation as two bombs exploded over Japan and the danger and "plague" was unleashed on Earth.

Cosmic microwave background radiation can now be measured by modern radio telescopes. This "creation glow" as many call it is known today as a form of black body thermal energy that is both uniform and constant in all directions within the Universe, yet it is not associated with any known star, galaxy, or other object. Wow! This "glow" is unchanging... sounds just like a key aspect of its Creator!

But there's more out there than background radiation, much more.

Take neutrinos for example. We know they come from nuclear reactions in the heart of our own light source, the Sun. Every second these non-electrically charged lepton particles known as solar neutrinos constantly pass though your body at a rate of some 65 billion every square centimeter. That means several hundred trillion neutrinos pass harmlessly through your body every second.

There are three known types of neutrinos, "electron" neutrinos, "muon" neutrinos and my favorite, "tau" neutrinos. The process of nuclear fusion in the Sun produces these neutrino particles and they have the inconceivable ability to travel right through ordinary matter without slowing down. They travel right through the center of the Earth even at night as you sleep. According to this June, 2011 report from LiveScience:
"In past experiments, physicists have measured the change of muon neutrinos to tau neutrinos and electron neutrinos to muon or tau neutrinos, but no one has definitively seen muon neutrinos turn into electron neutrinos.

Now, two separate experiments — one in Japan and one in Minnesota — have both found evidence for this transformation as well."
If you are like me, reading all this may make you think about the presence of Yeshua as he "appeared" suddenly when the Disciples had gathered for dinner after His resurrection (see Mark 16:14). There's no record that He knocked at the door. I have no idea how He did this, but some of the descriptive principles of science that we are beginning to understand are intact.

Now let's get back to considering the Bible's mysterious "plague".

Can you just imagine for a moment what would happen if a neutrino particle "held a charge" from its origin? All living tissue, indeed all blood that came in contact with the charged neutrino stream would be obliterated.

I believe the existence and behavior of neutrinos in creation show us a very unique aspect of God's Pillar of Fire that we are just now learning about. This allows us to now ponder and consider our Creator's cloud of glory and neutrino particles can reveal other secrets about the universe and the Bible. Can science tell us about God, and our relationship to him that the Bible does not?

For me, nothing demonstrates the power of his word like the creative acts of the six days realizing the vastness of the universe, and the instantaneous response produced in every photon and subatomic particle. Nothing humbles me like realizing that of all the matter, energy, and life forms in the universe, the only ones that hesitate to
respond to his word is man yet Messiah suffered and died to save us as a disobedient creation.

The truth is that God is acting and has always acted exactly in full accord with the Bible.

Let's shift gears but stay on topic and ask, should we consider more about God and what we know of "cosmic radiation"? after all, when we make observations in daily life or in the study of history or science, we can interpret what we see in a way that misrepresents the facts.

The Bible tells us:
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalm 19:6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
In this BBC report we find that cosmic rays are super-fast protons and have the highest energy levels of any known particle in the Universe. The particles are heated. And, like God, the source of the most energetic of these particles are "a complete mystery" according to Nobel Prize winner Dr. James Cronin, co-director of the Auger Project and a physics professor at the University of Chicago.


If you wonder why we might consider "cosmic radiation" when we imagine the cloud of God's glory described within the Bible, you may want to read this August 24, 2011 article from Nature Magazine: Cloud Formation May Be Linked to Cosmic Rays

In a similar 2009 article entitled, Cosmic rays offer a clue to understanding lightning Physicsworld.com reports from research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research:
"It is a phenomenon that has puzzled people for thousands of years and drove Benjamin Franklin to risk his kite and life in search of answers. Now, a trio of researchers in America may have finally found a way to solve the mystery of how thunderstorms make lightning. The solution, according to Joseph Dwyer at the Florida Institute of Technology and his team, lies in using the endless rain of cosmic rays hitting the Earth’s atmosphere."
Perhaps not unlike lightning "sprites" are part of the Earth's natural electrical system. They are ultrafast bursts of electricity that occur very near the very edge of space, about 50 to 75 miles up into the Earth's atmosphere. Each sprite event can extend 12 to 19 miles up into the atmosphere and sprites also create a form of plasma ionization.

NASA describes cosmic rays like this:
"Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) are the high-energy particles that flow into our solar system from far away in the Galaxy. GCRs are mostly pieces of atoms: protons, electrons, and atomic nuclei which have had all of the surrounding electrons stripped during their high-speed (almost the speed of light) passage through the Galaxy. Cosmic rays provide one of our few direct samples of matter from outside the solar system. The magnetic fields of the Galaxy, the solar system, and the Earth have scrambled the flight paths of these particles so much that we can no longer point back to their sources in the Galaxy. If you made a map of the sky with cosmic ray intensities, it would be completely uniform... 
In fact, all of the natural elements in the periodic table are present in cosmic rays, and they are in roughly the same proportion as they occur in the solar system. Galactic cosmic rays are probably accelerated in the blast waves of supernova remnants. This doesn't mean that the supernova explosion itself gets the particles up to these speeds. The remnants of the explosions, expanding clouds of gas and magnetic field, can last for thousands of years, and this remnant is where cosmic rays are accelerated. Bouncing back and forth in the magnetic field of the remnant randomly lets some of the particles gain energy, and become cosmic rays. Eventually they build up enough speed so that the remnant of the explosion can no longer contain them, and they escape into our Galaxy. Because the cosmic rays eventually escape from the supernova remnant, they can only be accelerated up to a certain maximum energy, which depends upon the size of the acceleration region and the magnetic field strength. 
However, cosmic rays have been observed at much higher energies than supernova remnants can generate, and where these ultra-high-energies come from is a big question. Perhaps they come from outside the Galaxy, from active galactic nuclei, quasars or gamma ray bursts. Or perhaps they're the signature of some exotic new physics: superstrings, dark energy, dark matter, strongly-interacting neutrinos, or topological defects in the very structure of the Universe. Questions like these tie cosmic-ray astrophysics to basic particle physics and the fundamental nature of the universe."
The "fundamental nature" of the Universe is an immensely telling statement, especially when you think about the Bible's little known description of God as "light" when we consider that cosmic rays are not material but protons, electrons, and ionized nuclei of light-energy elements. The sun is not what I learned in third grade science class, it's a ball of fire, but electrical, magnetic energy. 

That's the reason we see the aurora borealis in the far northern hemisphere and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere. These lights appear above the poles when electrically charged particles aka solar wind particles called ions in the stream of plasma from the sun collide with the earth's magnetic field. As the ion plasma comes in contact with our magnetic field, they are agitated and some ion the particles engage with the Earth's upper ionosphere causing the ions to glow much like a neon sign.

Just like the Bible teaches us, the Universe reflects its Creator.

Let's continue with this in mind thinking "cosmically" with our understanding of the word "plasma", because a key role of the Levite priest was to slaughter the "blood" sacrifices.

Interestingly, the major component of blood is also called plasma.

Blood plasma is the liquid of life in which red blood cells which carry life giving oxygen are suspended. Oxygen is a gas, it's invisible, no color, no odor and insipid in a normal state. Liquid oxygen is slightly paramagnetic, meaning it's weakly attracted by a magnet, yet it retains no magnetism. Oxygen has two unpaired electrons, it should be diamagnetic or repelled by a magnet. The explanation is a part of molecular orbital theory.

Like the plasma that makes up the majority of matter in the visible universe, blood plasma makes up the majority (about 55%) of everyone's total blood volume, the rest is is white blood cells (<1%) and red blood cells (45%). All blood is mostly water (93%) which is composed of two key elements that we now know are present in the Sun: hydrogen and oxygen.

Not unlike the elements co-existing within the electromagnetic plasma of the Sun, within the living blood stream, blood plasma allows proteins, glucose and principally four mineral called "ions" to co-exist. These include sodium, potassium, chloride and calcium.

Blood plasma not only carries life, it engages healing within the body!

Have you ever cut your finger and experienced the salty taste of the sodium? If so, just think back to Genesis.

What does the Bible say God formed Adam... from dust, the soil of the Earth? Not only that science tells us that every day our planet is sprinkled with dust from the heavens. On a daily basis, about 100 tons of interplanetary material (mostly in the form of dust) drifts down to Earth's surface. Soil or dust is made up of water and minerals too and our bodies, like the planet Earth, are mainly comprised of none other than - salty water!

Soil is composed of particles that range in size from gritty sand particles as large as 2 mm (1/16 inch) to microscopic clay particles that are 1,000 times smaller. At the molecular level in soil, electrochemical charges bond clay particles together. In sandy desert areas, this process is disrupted by large amounts of sodium ions. Get it? Like the very clay Adam was formed from, blood is comprised of salty tasting sodium. The Bible is full of references to blood. In fact, God says life is in the blood:
For the life of the flesh [is] in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it [is] the blood [that] maketh an atonement for the soul. Leviticus 17:11
There is much more to our Creator telling us this that what we may see at first glance. You may have not heard of the equidistant-letter-sequence of the Bible. Some call it the Bible code. Thanks to computer technology (knowledge shall increase) our modern computers are able to read the Hebrew letters of the Torah in equal letter skips. You can do this to using a number of software applications. My favorite is CodeFinder. Since God talk's about life and blood in Leviticus, let's look there with a letter skip of 7.

In the Bible the number 7 is known to represent perfection. Messianic Rabbi Yacov Rambsel, God rest his soul, conducted much ELS research by hand without the aid of computer as he read the Hebrew Bible. His findings are in one of my favorite books: “Yeshua: The Name of Jesus Revealed in the Old Testament.

He tells us that in Leviticus 20:27 concerning people who sin, starting with the first Hebrew letter "dalet" which represents the meaning of "door", if you count every 7th letter, the Bible spells out the two words “dam Yeshua”, “the Blood of Yeshua.” Again, in Leviticus 21:10-12 the Bible talks about sin. Here if we count every 3rd letter, starting with the first "hey" which mean hand, the Hebrew Bible spells out “Behold the Blood of Yeshua.”

This is significant. Jesus is the door to life and it was His hand that first poured out "the" blood of life" on the Roman death tree for mankind. Rabbi Rambsel also shows us more in Leviticus 21:10 from the "heh" counting every 3rd letter spells “hain dam Yeshua”, which means ”Behold! The blood of Yeshua.” Perhaps more amazing in the fact that before these two witnesses of His blood from the Torah is appearance of the words that begin in Leviticus 17:1. From the "heh" counting every 77th letter spells “ha ‘miqreh Yeshua”, which means ”The event of Yeshua.”

The Bible is amazing.

The fact that the life cells of blood are carried by a substance called plasma is fascinating. Did you know that lightning is a form of light plasma that naturally occurs at the Earth's surface? Typically, lightning electrically discharges 30,000 amperes or up to 100 million volts, and lightning emits not only visible light, but radio waves, X-rays and even gamma rays, and a single stroke of lightning can heat the air to around 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

So when you see lightning, just think about the sights seen at Mount Sinai, and remember the electricity in your body!

Interestingly, no one really knows what causes lightening! As reported by Scientific American, some scientists have asked: Do cosmic rays cause lightning? "Joseph Dwyer, a professor of physics and space sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology, has been wondering the same thing.

The question lies at the core of one of science's great mysteries: What causes lightning? Decades of electric field measurements made inside thunderstorms have failed to find large enough electric fields to cause a single spark, even when the effects of precipitation are taken into account. Since we know that lightning does occur, and in fact, it strikes the Earth about four million times a day — we must be missing something in our understanding of God's creation.

A mechanism proposed by Russian physicist Alex V. Gurevich of the Lebedev Physical Institute and his collaborators suggest that the movement of large showers of energetic particles produced by high-energy cosmic rays — which originate from exploding stars halfway across the galaxy — might provide a conductive path that initiates lightning.


As a raw naturally occurring form of plasma, lightning is very dangerous, but protection is provided in the simple design of a "Faraday Cage".

A Faraday Cage or Faraday Shield is an enclosure formed by using conducting material. Such an enclosure blocks out external static and non-static electric fields. The effectiveness of the shielding depends upon the geometry of the conductive material.

Michael Faraday is another genius in the line of Newton, Maxwell and Einstein. After all, he invented the electric motor. He also established that magnetism could affect light, but more importantly, he was a man of strong faith in God. Faraday understood the conductive nature of silver better than anyone in his time. Silver was used throughout each "foundation base" of the gold plated wallboards of the Tabernacle.

In Hebrew, the word silver is "keceph". Its Hebrew letters include "bet" "samech" and "fe". Together, these mean "house" "support" "mouth". Do you see it? Silver was the "support" of the "house" where God "spoke."  Take note too that silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any known element and it also has the highest thermal conductivity of any known metal which is one reason why our Creator likely chose to use it to support His temporary earthly house.

Today, silver is also commonly used in radio-frequency engineering, particularly at VHF and higher frequencies where silver plating is used to improve electrical conductivity. Interestingly, silver is also used in medicine for its caustic, astringent, and antiseptic healing effects in killing bacteria. Not only is silver nitrate used to treat conjunctivitis in newborn babies suffering from sore runny eyes but it is also used as an antiseptic to treat skin infections in patients resulting from extensive burns.

Have you ever heard of a Faraday shield? If not, look into it because when you think about it, the design and construction of the Ark of the Covenant as well as the Tabernacle and its highly conductive and shielding materials including gold, silver and copper were designed in the golden ratio. Both the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle are based on Fibonacci numbers, which converge on phi, the golden ratio of 1.61803399. The ratio of 2.5 cubits to 1.5 cubits is really very close and converges on phi. God said: “Have them make a chest of acacia wood- two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.”

This golden ratio is seen throughout creation including the shape of the human ear, seashells, surface waves in water, a whirlwind as well as the billions of spiral galaxies in the Universe. It's ratio is given by God to not only provide beauty to behold, but importantly, believe it or not, in the design, materials of the Ark and the Tabernacle and the gift of the Levites - - the combinations of design and materials provided life or "protection" near God's Almighty consuming fire of Glory, just like the Bible says so let's LOOK AGAIN!!


“I have given the Levites AS A GIFT to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, TO PERFORM THE SERVICE of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and TO MAKE ATONEMENT on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be NO PLAGUE among the sons of Israel by their COMING NEAR to the sanctuary.”


And if we look closely we can see that the use of 'phi' by God in the Bible also protects life before the wilderness Exodus. This is found in the story of Noah. The ark of Noah has the same golden ratio. Noah's ark ratio was 5 to 3. God told Noah to: “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.” Here again we see what we call today the Fibonacci series, as the golden rectangle Ark was built on the exact proportion as Noah’s life saving vessel at a ratio of 20 to 1. Phi appears throughout creation, and in every physical proportion of the human body.

In that sense it is the number of mankind and if we just stop and think it is by its design not just its shadow picture of Messiah, we can know the Tabernacle and the Ark dimensions represents God as the Creator and the Son of God in the flesh. Don't freak out here, but in addition the Bible's description of the design of the Ark and the Tabernacle's are not unlike the function of a modern "Faraday" shield as it's walls of wood were covered in gold from top to bottom.

To learn more about the physical characteristics of gold, just take a look at this exhibit from the American Museum of Natural History. And be sure to click on the image below to view the animated functionality of a Faraday shield. It will give you a fundamental understanding of the Tabernacle's possible function that you may have never considered about the shechinah glory of Elohim that was present in the time and space of the Pillar of Fire in the wilderness. Perhaps, we might consider Moses was instructed to build the Tabernacle exactly as he was told for a reason that encompasses more than what we may have considered.


Interestingly... the functionality in which material "blocks" high frequency EM radiation depends specifically on the "conductivity" of the material, this is why copper is very good and of course gold and silver are even better.

Lead is the one metal most people think of for blocking radiation, but believe it or not lead does not block nearly as well as copper. Better than that, gold strongly reflects radiation. That is due to gold's high atomic number of 79 which makes it a radiation shield that is 2x as dense as lead. In medical X-ray work, where very small objects have to be visible on X-ray the markers are usually made of gold or platinum - because the very high density allows a good degree of X-ray shielding.

Today, anyone can buy gold "films" that are especially made for this purpose. They are often used in some government agency buildings and research labs. In fact, many large space telescopes use special silver coatings on their mirrors to reflect infrared radiation. Gamma radiation is a penetrating form of radiation because gamma is a form of electromagnetic radiation and it does not directly "collide" with other materials to be stopped.

Shielding is based on the probability that radiation will interact with the atoms contained in the material that are used for a shield. To increase the probability they will interact you need to increase the atom density of the shield material.

Gold has a high atomic number and has a high atom density so it makes a good gamma ray shield. Since gold is such a good reflector of electromagnetic radiation and radio waves, it is used for the protective coatings on many artificial satellites as well as in the infrared protective faceplates of astronaut's helmets. It is so good that The New York Times reports that researchers at Texas A&M University have worked with gold in the development of a radiation shield.

Simply put, a primary way to reduce exposure to radiation other than distance and is to place something between a person and the source of radiation. In general, the more dense the material the more shielding it will provide. Yet, the shielding of radiation is based on the type and energy of the radiation.

The alpha and beta radiations are particulate forms of radiation. They have mass and an associated electrical charge.

Gamma and x-rays are electromagnetic radiation which has no mass or charge. Alpha radiation cannot travel but a few millimeters in air and even less in other more dense materials. A few sheets of paper will stop alpha particles. Beta radiation is simply an electron and it can travel further in air and materials. Most common beta emmitters are stopped by a few centimeters of wood.

Perhaps this will shed new light on the shittim wood framing and columns of the Tabernacle that were covered and overlaid in pure gold. They rested in base sockets of silver, but the doors of the Tabernacle and the outer court were supported with sockets of copper as were the stakes that were put into the ground to support it (perhaps to electro statically ground it). God gave many specific instructions to Moses for using these precious metals in Exodus 26 and Exodus 27 much like this instruction:
Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold. Exodus 26:29
Not only are God's instructions quite specific, we might also consider that the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle was set up to be a perfect cube covered in pure gold and measuring 10 cubits in length, 10 cubits in width and 10 cubits in height (about 15 feet by 15 by 15). The Holy of Holies was overlaid with six hundred talents of fine gold.

You can see the proof text in 2Chronicles 3:8. This may not seem too special until you consider the cubic crystal molecular design and shape of gold that identically matches the holiest room of the Tabernacle that it encased.

Coincidentally, many believe that according to Revelation 21:16 it is also the shape and composition of the city of New Jerusalem which is the same as the golden room of God, the Holy of Holies.

The gold molecule is a crystalline lattice structure molecule in the shape of a perfect square. Check out a 3-D model here for yourself. Now, let's go back and consider more on plasma.

As noted earlier, lightening is one form of plasma and it is pretty fascinating for anyone to watch this unique 4th form of matter. Besides what you have seen with your own eyes in a thunderstorm, you have probably seen a plasma globe. If you think about it, the cool plasma inside might just remind you of the story of the burning bush. After all, Moses saw "fire", but the bush did not burn. Was Moses perhaps looking at some form or likeness of cold plasma that Y-H-V-H encompassed within the bush? Perhaps. It does seem possible when we just consider it.

The point of all this is that we might just need to reconsider what we think we know to understand the phenomena of plasma, radiation and time. This is not only a scientific attempt to understand our seen and unseen universe, but also its omnipresent Creator, the One who came "near" to the people Israel in a "Pillar of Fire" in the wilderness. To grasp the power of God's physical presence, we might humbly consider just what He has created to better understand the service protocols He set forth so that there be no plague when the children of Israel approached near to His sanctuary (Numbers 8:19).


The Bible's instruction as one approached "near to" the Holy of Holies where God's physical glory existed, by it very description follows the inverse-square law of physics as established by God. This is the physical law of creation that states: "a specified physical quantity or strength is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity."

The inverse-square law of physics holds true with gravity as the gravitational attraction force between two point masses is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their "separation distance" and acts along the line joining them from their center.

The inverse-square law also holds true with electrically charged particles as well as radiation.

Gamma radiation is one of the three types of natural radioactivity. Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation, like X-rays.

Gamma rays are at the center of current fear surrounding discussion of an EMP attack that would knock out all the U.S. power grids as well as short circuit all electric circuitry and computer systems. According to the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack:

"The EMP Commission was reestablished via the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 to continue its efforts to monitor, investigate, make recommendations, and report to Congress on the evolving threat to the United States from electromagnetic pulse attack resulting from the detonation of a nuclear weapon or weapons at high altitude."

In a nutshell the 206 page report states: "Electronics damage similarly ensues when X-ray and gamma pulses induce destructive electric currents in circuit elements and when energetic neutrons penetrate solid-state circuitry."

There are two other types of natural radioactivity. They are alpha and beta radiation, which are in the form of particles.

The three basic ways of controlling exposure to harmful radiation are: 1) limiting the time spent near a source of radiation, 2) increasing the distance away from the source, 3) and using shielding to stop or reduce the level of radiation. The radiation dose is directly proportional to the time spent in the radiation.

Therefore, a person should not stay near a source of radiation any longer than necessary. Increasing distance from the source of radiation will reduce the amount of radiation received. As radiation travels from the source, it spreads out becoming less intense. This is just like the experience of standing near a fire.

The closer a person stands to the fire, the more intense the heat from the fire. This phenomenon can be expressed by the inverse-square law, which states that as the radiation travels out from the source, the dosage decreases inversely with the square of the distance.

To demonstrate, try this Java applet from the NDT Resource Center. The applet shows a radioactive source. You can also drag the little person and his Geiger counter around to a distance of your choice. When the mouse button is released, a point is plotted on the graph. The dosage the person receives at the particular distance is shown numerically and graphically. The graph allows you to confirm Newton's Inverse Square Law. And this allow you to consider the fact that God had the Levites build a protective fence around the Tabernacle so that people would not indiscriminately walk in too close to the Holy of Holies.

Perhaps, the design of the Tabernacle was also about Roentgens, rads, or rems.

Regarding electricity, the force of attraction or repulsion between two electrically charged particles is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them; this is known as Coulomb's law. The intensity (luminance or irradiance) of light or other linear waves radiating from a point source (energy per unit of area perpendicular to the source) is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source; so an object (of the same size) twice as far away, receives only one-quarter the energy (in the same time period).

And the inverse-square law is also seen in the fractional reduction in electromagnetic fluence for indirectly ionizing radiation with increasing distance from a point source. This can be calculated using the inverse-square law as well since emissions from a point source have radial directions, they intercept at a perpendicular incidence.

Why all this science and physics regarding distance, light and time as we consider our unfathomable God? It has everything to do with understanding Him as the Creator and Tabernacle architect. It is also a way for us to fathom and consider the "plague" God told warned everyone about when they came "near" to His presence.

This consideration is about the physical, all powerful presence of God that Moses and ancient Israel saw 3,500 years ago. To do that, we have to consider the sight of God's cloud of glory, after all, it is mentioned throughout the Bible. Yet, many may miss it as they turn the pages of Scripture to the New Testament. It is not "new" after all, but a part of the whole word of God. Do you know that the Scriptures that tell us Moses face "glowed" when He left the presence of God? We need to think about that. The Bible gives us these descriptions:
And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of Y-H-V-H abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of Y-H-V-H [was] like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. Exodus 24:15-18

And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that [was] upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spake unto him. Numbers 7:89 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and THE ROCK WAS CHRIST. 1Corinthians 10:1-4
When Messiah ministered on Earth almost 2,000, Y-H-V-H brought heaven physically down to Earth just as when He descended as fire on the mountain. But He came to dwell among men not as a whirlwind and glory cloud, not as a pillar of fire but as flesh and blood. The word that spoke creation became flesh as Yeshua (Jesus).

Eternity somehow merged into man's time-frame.

The kabowd, the heavy glory cloud became flesh. Yeshua, even prayed about how He would return to the glory that He left behind so that He could walk among men:
" And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed." John 17:5
Have no doubt, He is the same who spoke creation, the same Who was in the cloud of fire above Mount Sinai and over the wilderness Tabernacle speaking from the Mercy Seat, the One who came in the flesh as the Son of man. It was He who received praise from the voice of God the Father from the same bright cloud of glory:
"While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard [it], they fell on their face, and were sore afraid." Matthew 17:4-6
And Messiah was received back into the cloud of glory 40 days after His resurrection, just as He was with Moses at the mountain top of Sinai for 40 days and led Israel in the wilderness for 40 years:
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. Acts 1:9 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received into glory. 1Timothy 3:16
These verses speak of the very cloud of glory that Ezekiel saw as God instructed him to witness and prophesy to the rebellious northern ten tribes of Israel. The same cloud that Israel saw and heard as God's voice came from it on the mountain.

Paul the Apostle recorded his witness in a series of mostly misunderstood letters to the seven assemblies of followers of the way of Messiah in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Phillipi, Thessalonica and Collosea. He understood the might of the glory cloud of God. You may have not noticed it before but Paul even prophesied that at Messiah's second coming, the dangerous wonder of fire in the presence of the glory cloud would return as well in the sight of those that walk in opposition to God's path of instruction:
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Yeshua shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Messiah Yeshua:

Who shall be punished witheverlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord [Y-H-V-H], and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 1Thessalonians 1:7-10

For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom Y-H-V-H will kill with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nothing by the brightness of his coming; even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn't receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2Thessalonians 2:7-10
For those that may think that the wonders of fire, smoke and blood that Israel saw in the wilderness is only an old story, a thing of the past, think again. All mankind needs to be in awe of God and those that are not covered by His blood need to fear Him:
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the Earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke Acts 2:17 -19
And there is much more we cannot, must not ignore about His glory that we have noted was described in detail by Ezekiel:
The word of Y-H-V-H came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Y-H-V-H was there upon him. And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire enfolding itself, and a brightness [was] about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Ezekiel 1:3-4
Notice that it was the word of Y-H-V-H that came to Ezekiel and we must know this: Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) IS THE WORD OF GOD (see John 1).

John is not giving us a theological poem. John is telling us the plain truth. Jesus is the living Torah, the living, breathing person manifested from the cloud of God's glory. He took on human flesh having a bodily form incarnate from the Spirit of God, the Pillar of Fire in the flesh. At the crucifixion tree, He took on the sin of mankind and when He did that His earthly flesh died very quickly. Ezekiel described the visible fire of God that enveloped the Cherubim (in Hebrew keruvim).

You will see it too at "the day" of Atonement at the second resurrection, but when you do, you too will need to be covered, covered by the Lamb of God, the life blood of Messiah or your life will end! That is the ultimate message and imagery of the services of the Levite priesthood. Their services were for the protection of life near God so that no plague (death) would come on the people of Israel. So too, the blood of Messiah gives eternal life to a sinful but repentant mankind, atoning for our lives eternally in the order of Melchizedek (see Psalms 110:1-4 and Hebrews 5:5-6).

The choice is yours today. You can repent now, ask forgiveness of God as well as any person you've transgressed against. Turn back to walk in God's way because you love Him and revere Him with proper respect and awe. If we do this Job's ancient words will be true for us as we serve him:
"Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. Job 11:13-15
In the Genesis account, God placed the cherubim at the entrance of the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were commanded to leave, to guard the way to the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:24). Genesis 3:24 tells us God drove them out.

The Hebrew word is "garash". It also refers to the condemnation of divorce. Jeremiah 3:8 tells us it was the same for northern Israel, but the good news, the mystery of the gospel is that God's plan is to restore His Kingdom (Eden) on Earth and restore His people (Israel) to its citizenship as a bride. This is just what Paul tells us:
[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Messiah Yeshua, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yeshua has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Romans 11:1-2

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. Romans 11:26-27

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:12-13

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19
As we continue on through the Bible, we see the two cherubim once again, this time made of gold and placed facing one another on the cover of the Ark in the wilderness Tabernacle (see Exodus 25:18-20).

We also see them in the record of the prophet Ezekiel. Many so-called Biblical scholars believe that Ezekiel's vision of the Cherubim was not literal. Should we agree? I don't think so but the point we need to consider is this - how Ezekiel describes the appearance of fire folding around them! Ezekiel explains this appearance quite vividly:
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: [the fire] went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. Ezekiel 1:13
This same dynamic whirlwind cloud of God's glory prominently and plainly shows itself again in Scripture with the prophetic description of the "latter days" return of Messiah. To see it we just need to look at the word of God. The apostle Paul knew that those who love the God of Israel and are faithful to His voice and instruction will see His glory again just as Moses, Ezekiel, Peter, James, John and all of Israel were witnesses to the very same glory cloud. Luke and John tell us:
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the Earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the Earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:25-27

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow [was] upon his head, and his face [was] as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: Revelation 10:1

And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. Revelation 11:12

I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one ‘like a son of man’ with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the Temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, ‘Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the Earth is ripe.’ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the Earth, and the Earth was harvested. Revelation 14:14-16
The fire in the cloud is the same fire Moses saw in the burning bush, it is the pillar of fire seen above the Tabernacle. It's the same Pillar of Fire that Elijah the prophet called on to show the power of the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel to the pagan priests of Baal:
Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou [art] the LORD God, and [that] thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that [was] in the trench. And when all the people saw [it], they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he [is] the God; the LORD, he [is] the God. 1Kings 18:37-39
Although it may be feeble in comparison, a recent space shuttle launch image makes me think of how His fire might appear.


The cloud seen in Revelation 14 is the same burning fire that Isaiah describes:
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? Isaiah 33:14
Who can dwell with the everlasting burnings? Isaiah gives us the answer:
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly... Isaiah 33:15
I suspect it is the cause of the mass death of Assyrian King Sennacherib’s Assyrian troops:
Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they [were] all dead corpses. Isaiah 37:36
This is with that answer we might begin to understand if we just consider just what was so special about the honor given Levite priests. The key to understanding is that they were able to dwell "beside" the wilderness Tabernacle and approach within its walls near God's bright cloud of fire and glory. And if we just fast forward from that time about 1,500 years we have the historical record that Peter, James and John were able to this too. They were able to be near God's Glory Cloud on the seventh day of Tabernacles because they walked righteously, and spoke uprightly (just read Matthew 17).

The Levites were unlike Adam and Eve that transgressed God's voice and unlike the firstborn of Israel that were saved by the blood of the Passover Lamb yet danced and bowed to the golden calf despite the instruction from God's own voice.

Why were the Levites different? The sons of Levi did not ignore God's voice, they stood firm did not participate in willful sin.

Instead, the men of the family of Levi were righteous because they stood faithful to God’s voice of instruction. When they 1) heard it, they 2) received it and they 3) did it. Can you just imagine what would have happened at the mountain of Sinai if the Levites were not faithful? We too need to be faithful, just like the Levites and follow our Savior just as Peter, James and John did at the mountaintop.

When Messiah returns, He will return in the Pillar of Fire, the Glory Cloud and the same rules of engagement by prayer, offering and sacrifice near God's Glory and Presence will still apply. Isaiah tells us:
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. Isaiah 56:6-7
Can we find a second witness so we can know that He will return in this fashion? Well, it is exactly what He told Peter, James and John before He took them up on the mountain to catch a glimpse of His future Glory:
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Matthew 16:27
Notice the rewards of Messiah are not tied to thought and belief but to action. The same was true for the Levites. They had to do God's word just as He said. There must be order not chaos. That is why all the sacrifices were done in specific order, measure and procedure. No variances! If that does not align with your own religion, doctrine or theology, then it is time that you re-consider and align yourself with the Creator's Glory, after all He rules the Universe.

Be like a Levite. It's really simple; they heard His voice and did what He said. So, they were righteous, not rebellious.



You and I can do the same.



Isn't that what The Father is looking for in all of us today? He wants us to hear His voice and walk in His righteous ways as we follow Him out of total love and respect for Who He IS. He also wants us to teach us His simple instructions on how to treat others. By doing that - we love our brother, that is how we show follow the two greatest commandments (See Matthew 22:37-40).

God's teachings are really very easy instructions like God's weekly Sabbath, His diet plan and His Holy Feasts and Appointments.

When we do things His way, God promises to give us His protection and His blessings for the breath of life as a loving Father. Consider the meal plan for Adam and Eve as an example. God told them to eat the plants He provided in the garden. Well, since essentially all sources of human food are derived from plants, it is important to know that the carbon that comprises our bodies contains carbon-14 at the same concentration as the Earth's atmosphere.

Hum... God promises blessing. This is just what He did for the Levites; they received the blessing, the honor of the firstborn sons. Yeshua-Jesus gave a great blessing to the three disciples that followed Him to the mountain top. God calls us to be a royal priesthood, He means it, His words are not just symbolic and the voice of Torah is certainly not done away in the order of Melchizedek. Being a priest in this order is a calling from God that is about our deeds as we follow the Spirit of His voice of instruction and remain under His wing of eternal protection.

There is nothing old about that. It is timeless and unchanging. The Scriptures record God's promises and tell us that Israel's firstborn sons, like Adam the firstborn of mankind, revealed their “nakedness” against God’s instruction when they made an idol, but not the Levites, NO NOT the sons of Levi. They are the men from which we derive the name Leviticus. Because of their steadfast righteousness, the sons of Levi were “set apart”, chosen to be physically protected near God's Almighty presence.

That is the same message God gives to us in Revelation: the end time "saints" are to follow His commandments and the faith of Yeshua, the Great High Priest, in Hebrew, the ha’Cohen ha’Gadol. The One who intercedes on behalf of His people, imparting the name of Elohim by placing the Name of Y-H-V-H on those who draw near to Y-H-V-H through His Spirit.

The Levites were able to physically approach near to Almighty God Elohim, but only by following His explicit instruction without the danger of the plague. They were 'somehow' miraculously protected from the plague and being consumed while approaching near His light of "fire and cloud of glory" there at His sanctuary because they were steadfast and did not participate in the sin of the golden calf.

Yet those that ignored and opposed God's voice and counsel were not protected. We now know this from science about the "plague" of radiation and its immediate effect on the human body:

First, the blood is affected. Yes the blood!! The Bible is constantly talking about blood as being the source of life. As Brad Scott of WildBranch Ministries teaches, "God is smarter than we are" and He means what He says even if we do not understand the mysteries of why.

This goes for the instructions of the Levite Priesthood. Science proves that radiation becomes physically dangerous at about 200 rads. Hemopoietic syndrome conditions appear after a gamma dose of 200 rads. This is characterized by depression of the bone marrow which yields physiological consequences of the radiation damage that is caused at this level. The onset is rather sudden, with nausea and vomiting occurring within several hours after an overexposure at this level occurs. Malaise and fatigue are felt by the victim. Loss of hair is almost always seen between the second and third week after an exposure at this level. Death may occur within one to two months.

Bone marrow depression is seen at 200 rads and at about 400 to 600 rads complete ablation of the life giving marrow occurs. An exposure of about 700 rads or greater leads to irreversible ablation of the bone marrow. A total body gamma dose in excess of 2000 rads immediately damages the central nervous system, as well as all the other organ systems in the body. Unconsciousness follows within minutes after exposure and death can result in a matter of hours.

The Psalmist recounts the dangers of "the plague", the "wasting disease" in Psalm 106:13-18
But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them. When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD, the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.

Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.
Aaron, the first high priest was a Levite just as His brother Moses. Considering the message of this study, Aaron's name appropriately means "light bringer" in Hebrew.

Think about this... did the daily services which included supplying oil and tending to the seven lights of the golden menorah, as well as burning incense and presenting the altar blood sacrifices EVER meet any requirement to merit eternal life or the removal of sin? THE BIBLE SAYS NO. But that does not mean that we might consider that these and other Priestly services executed a purpose just exactly as God said:



"to make a covering so that there be no plague"



No danger... no plague... no fire... no death. Perhaps what we have missed as we have read the Bible is that in a great mystery, the service of the Levites "protected" life and the lives of the people that surrounded the sanctuary of God's light and fire presence. Just as God said, there was danger and plague for a sinful man to be near Him. That is why God instructed people to keep their distance. We read a warning of the safe distance in the scroll of Joshua:
Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of Y-H-V-H your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed [this] way heretofore. Joshua 3:1-4
Two thousand, yes 2,000 cubits was prescribed by God.

A cubit is the distance from a man's elbow to the tip of his outstretched fingers, or about 18 inches so two thousand cubits is about 3,000 feet... just over half a mile. By Joshua's account, we know it was the "elbow room" that Israel had to provide between themselves and the Ark. We might also consider that this was the depth of the distance of the camp of the Levites that surrounded the Tabernacle. The other twelve tribes were grouped into four camps matching the four compass points around the Levites.

The Levites were there to serve the Tabernacle and in God's own words to make atonement for the children of Israel. By their location around the Tabernacle their camp effectively covered it providing a 2,000 cubit space around it.

By the design of the encampment and the 2,000 cubits of elbow room alone we might begin a better understanding of a physical aspect of the fear of God. That is quite a distance but the presence of Y-H-V-H is to be feared literally for good reason. Before we move on, consider the distance of the 2,000 cubits in another perspective, a prophetic one. Could the distance of the 2,000 cubits be a shadow picture, a concealed prophecy of 2,000 years? A prophetic day in Scripture is a 1,000 years. Peter tells us:
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 2Peter 3:8
Hosea recorded the 2,000 year timing of God's great promise following Messiah Yeshua's coming:
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Hosea 6:2
Today, if we think about the passage of time, Messiah has kept His distance, his physical separation from us for nearly 2,000 years. Do you think there could be a relationship to the distance from the Ark? Look again at the words of Joshua:

"And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host..."

God's word is amazing if we just search for Messiah in it. That is why the Bible tells us:
It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. Proverbs 25:2 The secret things belong to Y-H-V-H our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law [Torah]. Deuteronomy 29:29
Near the Ark of the Covenant and the presence of God, the life blood of the offerings and services mysteriously protected life, protected the flesh and life of those very near to God's physical presence in the cloud. Since the beginning, blood has always covered a fallen mankind. Living near God and His shechinah glory, the radiant pillar of fire requires that our sins be covered, yet He will return again and allow us to approach near to Him once again.

So, should we not ask ourselves... was the "plague" God warned everyone about a physical result of some form of Godly energy?

Perhaps resulting from the merger of His timeless light within the mechanics of space and time of His physical creation. We will only know when we meet Him and see the cloud of fire. But there is one thing we need to know and fear, His presence destroys sin. It's time to realize that the blood coverings prescribed by God for the service of the Levites provided a picture of His redemption though Messiah Yeshua. The blood of goats and bulls did not provide forgiveness of sin.

The sacrifices also provided a temporary "covering" at the Altar and somehow allowed repentant men to make an approach near to the dangerous, powerful physical existence of our Creator. The Levite services allowed men to serve near to God before His coming as The High Priest and King in a sanctuary of flesh, the eternal living word we can know in the life, death and resurrection of Messiah Yeshua of Nazareth.

God plainly tells us about His requirement of life blood as a covering for the soul, the "nephesh" or life of mankind given from the Spirit of Y-H-V-H:
For the life of the flesh [is] in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it [is] the blood [that] maketh an atonement for the soul. Leviticus 17:11
After the giving of the covenant words by God at Sinai and the peoples agreement to follow in covenant and obey God's voice in deed, our Creator God allowed seventy elders of Israel to approach near and dine with Him at the mountain top, but before they could do that, they needed the required protective covering, the sprinkling of blood so that the presence of God would not destroy them.

Here's the Biblical account:
And Moses wrote all the words of Y-H-V-H  and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto Y-H-V-H  And Moses took half of the blood, and put [it] in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that Y-H-V-H hath said will we do, and be obedient.

And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled [it] on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Y-H-V-H hath made with you concerning all these words. Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and [there was] under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in [his] clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink. Exodus 24:4-11
The word translated as clearness in Exodus 24:10 is the Hebrew word “tohar”. The word translated as work in Exodus 24:10 is the Hebrew word “ma’seth”. Tohar means “purity”. Ma’seth mean “achievement”.

The message of this study is to follow the Biblical account and deliver the message that... We can only approach God in a pure state, covered in grace by His blood or fleshly death results. Adam and Even were the first to prove this curse given in Eden.

Notice too there were seventy elders of "Israel" not twelve as many Biblical students might expect. This is because those in the desert that God had saved represented all the "nations" on the globe not just the 12 descendants of the families of Jacob, but all the mixed multitude that left Egypt with them. In Scripture, seventy (70) is symbolic, representing all nations of all people.

They were "all" sprinkled by the animal's blood sacrifice. They were "all" a part of the covenant promises of God. Consider this for a minute, blood delivers all necessary life nutrients and oxygen to the cells of a living body. In this way, red blood cells literally carry the "breath of life", the "Ruach" ("wind") spirit from God that was given at creation to Adam. So too, it is the life giving blood that provides "covering" and protects mortal man's flesh near God's radiance and glory. That is the simple message.

So, we must consider the Passover crucifixion of "the lamb" of God in the same way. There in Jerusalem about 2,000 years ago, the veil to the Holy of Holies was torn just like the flesh of Messiah, it was torn representing God's "taking away" the penalty of eternal death for those that want to be atoned and live near to Him. The torn curtain that contained the embroidered cherubim seen in Eden represented the end of the death penalty given in Eden where we first see the two cherubim protecting Adam and Eve.

To understand the danger of the "plague" near the glory cloud of God, we have to know and accept that the Bible is literal as it physically describes God as a consuming "fire" just as His voice tell us repeatedly throughout the Bible.

Perhaps we can understand "the plague" that we read about in Exodus much better if we just consider that it may not be too unlike a form not unlike "the fire" we have come to now scientifically understand as some form of radiation from God's presence. Radiation is not a new thing at all, yet we have only come to really understand its dangers in the last 100 years or so. Electromagnetic radiation is classified into ionizing radiation or non-ionizing radiation.

For example, electrostatic radiation has basically stopped NASA's plans for manned space exploration to Mars. To try to solve the problem, as of March 2011, NASA has posted a search for R&D partners on active electrostatic radiation shielding technologies:
"NASA LaRC is seeking potential partners having demonstrated experience and expertise in: 1) modeling and simulation (physics and electricity and magnetism background is desired), 2) assessments of radiation exposure dose, 3) fabrication of expandable structures for space needs, and 4) working with charged ions and electrons accelerators."

"Current conventional radiation protection strategy based on materials shielding alone, referred to as passive radiation shielding, is maturing (has been worked on for about three decades) and any progress using the materials radiation shielding would only be evolutionary (incremental) at best.

The overall situation is further augmented by the nonexistence of in vivo or in vitro data or studies about continuous long duration tissues exposure to a radiation and concomitant biological uncertainties.

Material shielding would have only limited or no potential for avoiding continuous exposure to radiation.

In addition, current material shielding alone for radiation protection for long duration/deep space safe human space missions is prohibitive due to pay load and cost penalties and is not a viable option. Out-of-the-box revolutionary technologies, while taking full advantage of advances in the state-of-the-art evolutionary material shielding are sought. Active radiation shielding has a tremendous benefit of stopping and diverting space radiation from the spacecraft."
We just may need to understand the definition of radiation to talk about the plague and the "Pillar of Fire" that is the focus of information within this study. Radiation is energy in the form of waves or beams and particles. Radiation waves are generally invisible, have no weight or odor, and have no positive or negative charge.

Radioactive particles are also invisible, but they have weight and may have a positive or a negative charge. Some radiation waves can be seen and felt such as sunlight, while others like the radio waves used by your own cellphone can only be detected by the phone. Radio and TV signals, microwaves, and laser light are non-ionizing types of radiation.



If we want to consider the physics of God's "Pillar of Fire", it might help our understanding if we learn a bit about Birkeland currents. A Birkeland current, also known as an "auroral electrojet" is a vertical current that flows upward along the Earth's geomagnetic field lines connecting the Earth’s magnetosphere to the Earth's high latitude ionosphere. Science tells us that:

"Auroras result from emissions of photons in the Earth's atmosphere from ionized nitrogen atoms regaining an electron, and oxygen and nitrogen atoms returning from an excited state to ground state."

According to plasma-universe.com auroral Birkeland currents can carry about 1 million amperes. Further, they exhibit a "whirlwind" spiral. Sound familiar?

"Birkeland currents are also one of a class of plasma phenonena called a z-pinch, so named because the azimuthal magnetic fields produced by the current pinches the current into a filamentary cable. This can also twist, producing a helical pinch that spirals much like a twisted or braided rope.

Pairs of parallel Birkeland currents can also interact; parallel Birkeland currents moving in the same direction will attract with an electromagnetic force inversely proportional to their distance apart (Note: the electromagnetic force between the individual particles is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, just like the gravitational force)..."

"Electrons moving along a Birkeland current may be accelerated by a plasma double layer. If the resulting electrons approach relativistic velocities (i.e. the speed of light) they may subsequently produce a Bennett pinch, which in a magnetic field will spiral and emit synchrotron radiation that includes radio, optical (i.e. light), x-rays, and gamma rays."
NASA tells us more about Birkeland currents and our friend Mr. Faraday:
"Long ago, a machine that generated electricity was named "dynamo" (today's preferred term is "generator"). In analogy, a set-up where a conducting fluid flows through a magnetic field and creates an electric current in the above fashion, is called a "fluid dynamo," or when a fluid process is clearly implied, simply "dynamo".

Faraday understood this very well. Knowing that water conducted electricity (because of dissolved salts), he tried in 1831 to observe such a dynamo experimentally."
The Bible describes lightning bolts around God's Pillar of Fire and NASA also tells us of interplanetary lightning. The Galileo spacecraft recorded an aurora or electromagnetic flux tube between Jupiter and its closest moon Io. This is described in this report from UCLA:
Io moves around its orbit in the strong magnetic field of Jupiter and through this plasma torus, a huge electrical current is set up between Io and Jupiter in a cylinder of highly concentrated magnetic flux called the Io Flux Tube. The Flux Tube has a power output of about 2 trillion watts, comparable to the amount of all manmade power produced on Earth. It is responsible for bursts of radio frequency radiation long detected on Earth.
When consider the "plague" and God's flux tube, the whirlwind Pillar of Fire, it seems we may need to look at X rays, gamma rays, alpha particles, and beta particles as forms or types of ionizing radiation in God's own personal creation. Ionizing radiation has a lot of energy that gives it the ability to cause a change at the atomic level, a process called "ionization".

This is the type of radiation that has enough energy to change or shall we say "plague" or mutate and kill body tissues. This, in mild form is the low level radiation of chest x rays or in a high level radiation found in uncooled nuclear power plant fuel such as that which we saw in Chernobyl's blast and now at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown following the massive earthquake and tsunami that crippled the plant.

Non-ionizing radiation has less energy than ionizing radiation and when non-ionizing radiation interacts with atoms, it does not cause ionization. It is important to understand what is and isn’t ionizing radiation so that we might better understand what the Bible's mention of "plague" may be about. Plague is the Hebrew word "negeph" which means death blow. It appears 7 times in 7 verses: Exodus 12:13; 30:12, Numbers 8:19; 16:46; 16:47, Joshua 22:17 and Isaiah 8:14.

The King James translators used the word "plague" in each verse except Isaiah's stone. Here, because of the word "stone" they chose to use the word stumbling. But we must ask did the translators take an inappropriate liberty in interpretation here? This verse is well known to say stumbling stone. Yet the stone here is the word 'eben, it means... "stone of fire"!!
"And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." Isaiah 8:14
Today, we commonly mix the words stone and rock, but in Hebrew, stone or 'eben is not the same as the word rock, which in Hebrew is "tsuwr". Further, "offense" is the Hebrew word "mikshowl". It means stumbling.

Let's take another look and include verse 13 as we consider these Hebrew word meanings. Isaiah tells us:
Sanctify Y-H-V-H of hosts himself; and [let] him [be] your fear, and [let] him [be] your terror. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of fire as a death blow and for a rock of stumbling to both the houses of Israel, for a trap and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Marie Curie discovered the power of radium in 1898, it was a discovery that eventually cost her life when she died of aplastic anemia from exposure to radiation. She and her husband were on the cutting edge of the ancient discovery of the effects of natural radiation. They did not know about its harmful effects, first on blood, then tissue. Their research was based on the use of pitchblende, the naturally occurring rock.

You may be asking, what does this have to do with the two tablets made of stone from Egypt's Sinai area? Well, believe it or not, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI):
"Egypt began investigating conventional uranium occurrences in the Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert, Eastern Desert, and Sinai Peninsula in the 1950s.

Egypt also explored unconventional uranium resources contained in phosphate deposits in the Western Desert, Nile Valley, and the Red Sea Coast. These phosphate deposits contain substantial uranium (estimated at 33,000 tons), but extraction would be difficult and expensive.

From 2001 to 2005, the NMA suffered substantial budget cuts, effectively crippling further phosphate exploration plans. As a result, the NMA decided to explore and evaluate only the most promising sites in the Sinai and Eastern Desert. Presently, exploration is focusing on conventional granite-based uranium resources in the inter-mountain basins, while evaluation of potential uranium resources continues in the El Sella and Kab Amiri areas of the Eastern Desert.

Attention is being concentrated on several mineralized vein-type deposits (Gabal Gattar, El Miskat/El Erediya, Um Ara, and El Atshan) and a siltstone deposit in the Sinai (Wadi Nasib). Egypt also discovered another uranium bearing area, Gabal Kadabora, in the central eastern desert. Generally, operations in the Eastern Desert have included deep trenching, tunneling, core and percussion drilling, and laboratory analysis.

Western intelligence sources believe that in January 2005, Egypt and China formed an agreement for Chinese assistance in mining uranium deposits on the Sinai Peninsula. The status of this project is unclear."
Consider this. Just type in the following words in any search engine: "El Erediya Egypt". This is around the area that the Exodus occurred.

The search results may not be what you'd expect. They yield all types of links to naturally occurring uranium sources in this granite laden land. One of the links leads to a study by Mohamed F. Raslan titled: Occurrence of Uraniferous Iron Grains at Gabal Gattar, El Missikat and El Erediya Granites in Eastern Desert of Egypt. The abstract reads:
"Uraniferous iron grains occur in some radioactive granite plutons in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Modal analysis of these grains indicates that weight abundance of uraniferous grains amounts to 17.50%, 18.00% and 26.00% of the total accessory heavy minerals of the uranium-mineralized samples of Gabal Gattar, El Missikat and El Erediya, respectively... These grains represent the main radioactive minerals in addition to the bright canary yellow to yellow uranophane and ß-uranophane mineral grains."
If you really want to understand more about the geology of this land of the Bible, you might want to glance at this very interesting link to a slideshow or perhaps this PDF report that you can download on the uranium mineralization of the granite sandstones found in the Sinai area.

After all, the stones of the Ten Commandments were chosen by The Almighty and Moses from this lively radioactive sandstone area. Yes, the truth is greater than our imagination - this is a land of gamma radiation as the shear zones are filled with jasper containing pitchblende and uraninite.

A Bible word search on the word "jasper" reveals that it occurs seven times in seven verses, twice in Exodus, once in Ezekiel and four times in Revelation. We learned much more about uranium in 1939, when Albert Einstein wrote his famous letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the potential use a rock called uranium. Einstein wrote the President about the use of enriched uranium-235 (U 235) to build an atomic bomb.

Later, Ernest Lawrence, the inventor of the "Cyclotron" mentioned in this study, implemented a process involving magnetic separation of two isotopes: U 235 and U 238.

Seventy two years prior to Madam Curie's discovery, Georg Ohm a German physicist published what is viewed by most people as the master work on electricity, Die galvanische Kette mathematisch bearbeitet, in which he laid out most of his general theory of electricity.

Today, we honor his work: an ohm is a unit used in the international system of measurements to measure resistance. By definition, an ohm is equal to one volt creating one ampere in a device. The unit of measurement for electrical impedance is the ohm. Impedance is usually expressed as the difference in potential voltage across a circuit, divided by the maximum amount of current passing through the circuit. Electrical measurements are useful for copper wires, circuit boards and the human body. Our flesh possesses a certain amount of conductivity, resistance and even impedance. Our nervous system is powered by electrochemical waves that flow via our neurons. Medical tests that rely on impedance take advantage of the fact that different types of tissue possess different magnitudes of impedance.

This study also discusses magnetic influences. However, this study makes NO claim to call God's "Pillar of Fire" ionizing radiation nor electromagnetic radiation as we know it. Yet, when we consider various forms of known electric and magnetic field radiation, we can envision that the plague described in Scripture may be describing a form of destructive overload to the body's electrical nervous system. Or, when we consider ionizing radiation, we can also envision the impact of atomic level changes that destroy body tissue. God's Pillar of Fire may be a combination of all forms of energy.

Instead of an exact definition, this study poses the one question everyone seems to ignore when reading the Bible which is - the Bible is literal. The Bible means what it says, yet we have to dig down to the original language of the Bible - Hebrew to understand it. The Bible describes the plain, physical reality of the Pillar of Fire of God's Glory.

This study considers radio-biology which is the study of the response of biological tissues to ionizing radiation and it contemplates high power electromagnetic radiation which can create continuous flashes of electrical arcs. These parts of creation allows us to fathom and consider the awesome presence of God. After all, like much of the Bible the fundamental mechanisms of time and space as well as the interaction between biological material and electromagnetic fields are poorly understood.



This study is also about the fact that God has always demonstrated spiritual truth as a physical reality.



God did this when He instructed the Levite men, as well as both Moses and Aaron in a "step by step" process in which a person in a vulnerable, mortal and fallen physical state were instructed by God to protect themselves so that they might physically approach near to His almighty, timeless light and not be harmed by His incredible power, the plague of His fiery, radiant glory and presence. You see, the Bible describes the plague of God's glory that destroys an unclean person standing near God's Glory.

The Bible describes the covering, the protection and the gift services of the Levites in detail. They had to follow God's specific instructions to protect a nation of people willing to confess and repent of their sin before God.

Simply put, the physical descriptions of the altar services serve as a guide to the spiritual reality of approaching near to Almighty God. A sinful, impure person needs a covering and atonement for sin, or the physical presence of God will cause death. As usual, the Bible gives us a plain physical reality to teach us a deep spiritual truth. That is one reason why God had Moses record the detailed instructions for the Tabernacle's services. They are there in plain sight to teach all of us more about Him.

Perhaps, we might have a glimpse of how the shechinah glory may have appeared to those that saw His glorious cloud above Mount Sinai some 3,500 years ago if we look at the sight seen in the mountains of Chile as lightning (plasma) ripped around the center of the smoke plume above the Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano in June 2011. Look for yourself and just imagine what Israel witnessed from the base of the wilderness mountain at Sinai.



We also need to consider Habakkuk's teaching as he wrote of God's glory as he described the end time plague, the wrath to come:
God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the Earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the Earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed. His ways are eternal. I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. Habakkuk 3:3-7
It is the same fire God tells Ezekiel to warn Magog of His coming, His return. Note that God's name is very important here:
"And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the LORD (Y-H-V-H)." My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the LORD (Y-H-V-H), the Holy One in Israel. "Behold, it is coming and it shall be done," declares the Lord (Y-H-V-H) GOD. "That is the day of which I have spoken. Ezekiel 39:6-8
We must all know by now, when He returns His name will be known!!

Let's look at other words of witness about God's glory written by Daniel, Zechariah and Matthew:
His body also [was] like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. Daniel 10:6

And Y-H-V-H shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and Y-H-V-H GOD {Elohim} shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. Zechariah 9:14

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:27
The same bright “cloud”, the Hebrew word “anan” seen in the Exodus story never leaves the Bible. The cloud appears over 100 times!! If we just look - we can see the pillar of fire and the glory cloud that led Israel in the wilderness again in the account of the mountain meeting with Moses, Elijah and Yeshua that is described in the account of Matthew 17, Mark 9 and Luke 9.

Luke’s words give us some important detail and tells us that “the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment [was] white [and] glistering”. Let's look at Acts 1:9 again as it notes the cloud as Yeshua departed the presence of the disciples:
“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.”
Revelation is worth repeating too as it declares the cloud in none other than five verses; here are just two we should note again:
“And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow [was] upon his head, and his face [was] as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:” Revelation 10:1

“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” Revelation 14:14
As you have read, I believe that if we are to understand "the cloud" of God we need to study the Hebrew word “glory”, it is "kabowd". Its root meaning is "heavy" or "heaviness". That just might give us a big clue if we want to scratch the surface further and consider the aspects and science of God's "glory" and the gift of the service of the Levites which is worth repeating a third time:


“I have given the Levites AS A GIFT to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, TO PERFORM THE SERVICE of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and TO MAKE ATONEMENT on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be NO PLAGUE among the sons of Israel by their COMING NEAR to the sanctuary.”


It is much easier to consider Almighty God’s glory that was seen atop Mount Sinai and later above the Tabernacle as the Pillar of Fire if we envision being near His presence something perhaps not unlike the fire and fission of "heavy" elements of an atomic level reaction which can release large amounts of energy both as electromagnetic radiation and kinetic energy.

In nuclear physics and chemistry, nuclear fission is defined as a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom releases neutrons and photons (in the form of gamma rays), while releasing a tremendous amount of energy. This makes a self-sustaining chain reaction possible that releases energy at a controlled rate in a nuclear reactor or at a very rapid uncontrolled rate in a nuclear explosion.

Think about this analogy: if your job was to work in a nuclear power plant and your job was to approach near the room containing the fire of hot nuclear fuel rods to service them, would you for a single moment, ever consider doing so without properly preparing, without covering and without following all of the instruction of the safety engineer in charge?

No, never. You would focus on ever minute detail because your future life would depend on it.

Do you remember all the worry about the cloud of radiation from Chernobyl or just this year Fukishima?

One news story reported from The Telegraph told us this report from Japan:
"Sailors on the USS Ronald Reagan were exposed to nearly a month's worth of radiation in an hour. The ship was 100 miles downwind of the Fukushima Daiichi plant where a blast on Saturday led to a release of radioactive material. The low-level radiation plume reached the ship the following day. It was first detected by helicopters that were returning to the carrier after delivering aid. The helicopters had to be scrubbed down after landing. The USS Ronald Reagan and several other US Navy ships were later repositioned away from the wind coming from Fukushima."
So, in a similar way might we just consider that God’s instructions for the Levite services and the design of His Tabernacle and sanctuary were for the protection of priests and people approaching near His fiery cloud of glory?

So, we just need to re-think God's instruction was to "not approach" near the mountain of Sinai while He was above speaking from the cloud of fire. Remember, I am not saying God is 'just' energy or a manifestation of energy as we know it.

God is much more, He is the Creator of all that we can see and all that we can't see in the Universe and the Bible says He is Spirit. And if you just read them, God’s words were for the protection of those that had followed Him out of Egypt.

God knew that His voice alone would cause the mountain to shake, He knew His presence would cause the granite rock of the mountain and the air around it to catch fire and He knew that lightening would fly.

He also knew that even if one got past the falling rock, flame and lightning, an approach near His (heavy) glory cloud would cause certain death by plague perhaps just like the description of plague given to Zechariah by God:
"This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths." Zechariah 14:12
Because of the physical realities of His glory, He gave this stern warning to Moses:
“And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because Y-H-V-H descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 
And Y-H-V-H came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and Y-H-V-H called Moses [up] to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. And Y-H-V-H
Y-H-V-HY-H-V-H said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto Y-H-V-H to gaze, and many of them perish.” Exodus 19:18-21
So as we consider the Levite sacrifices and the consuming power of our Creator God, we must consider that "cloud" - the Pillar of Fire on Mount Sinai.


There are over 90 Scriptural references to God as fire, but the key is found in Moses’ explanation:
"Y-H-V-H your God is a consuming fire...” Deuteronomy 4:24 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. Deuteronomy 4:36
This fire is the reason the writer of Hebrews quotes Moses when he speaks of serving God in reverence and fear: "For our God is a consuming fire" Hebrews 12:29 This is not an allegory. The fear is real, as is the fire. The word consumed is "akal" it means to be devoured, consumed (of fire); to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh). Just read Isaiah 33:14 below:
“Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”
Exodus gives us this account:
And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. Exodus 19:18
In Exodus 19:9 Almighty God tells Moses that He will appear in a think cloud. Have you ever wondered why the cloud? Why not just show up in full glory? The cloud was like the gift of the Levites, it was for protection.

The Torah is showing us God was concerned for everyone.  

Now imagine the wilderness scene: center court before the Tabernacle entrance and the Holy of Holies was the copper “altar” of incense. Many translations use the word bronze, but we only need to look closely at the Hebrew word that is used, it is "nechosheth" and it means copper. 

We all know that copper is highly conductive, this metal was used throughout the Tabernacle and it is the material of the tent peg staves driven into the ground that surrounded the silver bases of the outer curtain supports. 

Both way copper also kills viruses within about four hours.

Silver was also used throughout the Tabernacle. Silver is about 9% more conductive than copper and about 50% more conductive than pure gold. Silver is one of the three metal components of the Tabernacle. It was used in the hooks, the bases and the bands around the curtain support posts. Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of these natural metals and it is even more lethal for bacteria and viruses than copper.

In electrical engineering, a copper "ground" refers to the point in an electrical circuit where there is a direct physical connection to the earth. Is it any coincidence that the Bible in Exodus 27 describes a perfectly "grounded" Tabernacle on earth?

We might reconsider what you think about the story of Aaron’s son’s Nadab and Abihu? They were "burned up" when they chose to ignore God's specific instruction and approached God's glory presence with a strange, unauthorized “fire.”

Ask yourself: were they 'punished' with a furnace blast or was this event different than what has been considered in the past?

Also, think about this, if they were burned with regular heat from what we know as a normal combustion fire, why in the world weren't their clothes burned as well? Here's the account from Leviticus:
"Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before Y-H-V-H  which he had not commanded them.

And fire came out from before Y-H-V-H and consumed them, and they died before Y-H-V-H.

Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what Y-H-V-Hhas said, 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'"

And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp." So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said." Leviticus 10:1-5
When you consider the facts of the Bible, Nadab and Abihu ignored the life giving instruction God had given for their safety and protection. So what really happened?

Before we can consider that, think about that "plague" resulting from God's "fire." Could it have been related to the death of the firstborn of Egypt that were not protected by the covering of blood on the door posts? Just look at the Bible's account of God's detailed instruction recorded in Exodus:
"And they shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the house..." Exodus 12:7

"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I [am] Y-H-V-H  
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye [are]: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy [you], when I smite the land of Egypt." Exodus 12:12-13
I have heard people say an angel of death passed "through" Egypt, but is that what the Bible records here?

Now, let's consider the analogy of a nuclear power safety manual. Are the warnings and instructions of the safety engineers given to punish the plant's service team with radiation burns if someone disregards the instruction in the manual OR is the safety manual written to protect and preserve life and health? 

What about the Bible?

You might want to pause for a moment and let that question really sink in before we consider the "plague" that destroyed living tissue yet left the clothing of Nadab and Abihu untouched. 

Most f us have learned that gamma and neutron radiation does the same when atoms become unstable from subatomic energy released as alpha and beta particles when electrons are displaced in living tissue.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Health, Safety and Security: "Ionizing radiation, by definition, "ionizes," that is, it pushes an electron out of its orbit around an atomic nucleus, causing the formation of electrical charges on atoms or molecules. If this electron comes from the DNA itself or from a neighboring molecule and directly strikes and disrupts the DNA molecule, the effect is called direct action. This initial ionization takes place very quickly, in about 0.000000000000001 of a second."

"A very high dose of 100 gray (10,000 rad) to the entire body causes death within twenty-four to forty-eight hours".

This is known as acute radiation.

In a sinful state, both Nadab and Abihu disobediently approached the ark of the covenant and the presence of God. To achieve the burn described in the Bible, they may have walked in and absorbed a dose of 100,000 rads or higher causing instant death from God's Glory. A "plague" like acute radiation may have caused an immediate gross disruption of their bodily cells and structure. The results: chemical change genetic destruction and protein coagulation.

To understand this metaphor of the Biblical instruction for the Levites, let’s expand our Biblical and scientific imagination a bit further and take a look at some excerpts of a nuclear cyclotron safety manual from the Office of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety at the University of Pennsylvania. Then let's explore the Bible and look at the specific instructions given to the Levites.

Let's also reconsider other Biblical records that describe death and injury people suffered when they got too near to the two stone tables written by God's finger that were held in the gold encased Ark of the Covenant.

A cyclotron is a nuclear particle accelerator. Today, they are generally used in medical treatment and research. Cyclotrons accelerate charged particles using a high-frequency, alternating voltage. The technology of spiraling electrons in a cylindrical vacuum chamber within a transverse magnetic field is employed in the magnetron.

These devices can also produce high frequency radio waves (microwaves). You probably use your magnetron every day. Magnetrons are used in microwave ovens. We all know that a microwave oven with a warped door or poor door sealing can be hazardous, but we have to follow much greater protocol for life safety from radiation poisoning from a cyclotron. Note the words I've bolded for emphasis as you think back to the Tabernacle.

Cyclotron Radiation Safety - User's Guide

The Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) is the individual responsible for the daily implementation of the radiation safety program in accordance with directives from the Radiation Safety Committee (RSC), license provisions, and regulatory requirements.

As the authorized representative of the Radiation Safety Committee, the RSO supervises all radiation control activities. The RSO is responsible for ensuring the safe use of radiation and radioactive materials (RAM).

A Radiation Worker is an individual who works with ionizing radiation and receives radiation safety training. She/he is responsible for following all applicable regulations pertaining to the use of x-rays and/or radioactive materials as presented in the Radiation Safety Manual, in the license, and in notices issued by the RSO and directives of the RSC.

The Worker must follow the Radiation Safety User's Guide for the applicable use of ionizing radiation.

The RSC manuals are written descriptions of the radiation safety programs. The user's guides identify protocol, procedures, record keeping, material control and accounting. All Workers are required to comply with all requirements and operating procedures specified in these documents.

All individuals who wish to work near or with ionizing radiation, including radionuclides or x-rays, must first receive appropriate instruction in radiation safety. The training requirements are presented in the respective Radiation Safety Manuals.

The Worker is responsible for all remedial actions in responding to emergencies under the following conditions:

• Radioactive contamination outside a licensed area.

• Known or suspected personnel contamination, inhalation, injection, or ingestion of RAM.

• Any accident resulting in direct accidental exposure to personnel.

Deliberate misuse of radioactive materials. All inquiries will be kept in confidence. (Deliberate misuse of RAM will result in loss of use privileges and could result in criminal action.)

General Cyclotron Radiation Safety Practices

A. Wear lab coats or other protective clothing and gloves when working in an area designated as a Radioactive Material (RAM) work area.

B. Careful planning, shielding, distance, and monitoring are required for minimizing exposure.

C. Use, store, and transport RAM in appropriate containers.

D. Secure the facility at all the times against unauthorized entrance.

E. Only individuals designated by the RSO can hand-deliver a package containing radioactive materials. The transporter must be wearing the appropriate protective clothing and personnel monitoring device(s). F. Wash hands thoroughly after working with RAM.

Badging and Dosimetry Policy

A. Personnel Dosimeter Policy - All personnel are required to wear the radiation monitoring devices provided by the RSO. These devices are:

1. A film Badge to monitor doses to the whole body on top of the lab coat at a location close to collar.

2. Ring TLD Dosimeter to monitor extremity doses. Each individual is assigned two ring badges to monitor the dose to each hand.

3. Pocket dosimeter to indicate the accumulated exposure at the high radiation area (vault). Anyone entering the vault area shall wear an audible dosimeter device over the lab coat.

B. Dosimeter Placement - Interpretation of the measured dose is dependent upon the placement of the dosimeter. It is important that all personnel wear their dosimeters correctly.

Radiation Safety Precautions for Visitors

A. Each visitor should sign his or her name in the log book. The staff will provide the visitor a digital dosimeter before entering the work area.

B. Each visitor who enters the facility must be escorted by staff upon entrance to the facility.

C. Enter a record of the cumulated dose in the log book upon departure from the facility.

Radiation Safety Procedures for Staff Entering the Cyclotron Vault

A. Entrance to the vault area except during authorized timeframes is operating is prohibited.

B. Entrance to the vault area for the purpose of routine maintenance is prohibited for at least 24 hours after the cyclotron has been in operation.

C. Before leaving the vault, check the extremities with survey instruments for possible contamination.

D. The individual responsible for maintenance must check the exposure reading before entering vault area. Entrance to the vault is allowed if the exposure is less than 100 mR/hr.

E. Before entering the vault, the individual should be wearing a disposable coverall, shoe covers, and gloves.

F. Carry an audible monitoring device into the vault to detect the existence of the contaminated and high exposure area.

G. Check protective clothing and extremities for possible contamination before leaving the vault.

Surveys

A. Perform and record removable contamination surveys daily.

B. Take weekly wipes in the vault area as exposure levels permit.

C. Perform leak testing of sealed sources semi-annually.

D. Calibrate all survey instruments annually or following a repair. Check all instruments for proper response to radiation before each use.

Now that we have seen this let's reread God's words in the book of Numbers:
"And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you [they are] given [as] a gift for Y-H-V-H, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation." Numbers 18:6

"And I have given the Levites [as] a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement {covering} for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary." Numbers 8:19



If you read and study all of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, you will notice several very interesting correlations to the strict, explicit protocol of the instructions given to the Levite priests (Kohen) much like those noted in the radiation safety manual.



So let’s take a look at some of them:

• That the priest (kohanim) shall put on priestly vestments for the service Exodus 28:2

• Not to tear the High Kohen's robe Exodus 28:32

• That the Kohen shall not enter the Sanctuary at all times Leviticus 16:2

• That a person with a blemish shall not enter the Sanctuary further than the altar Leviticus 21:23

• That a Kohen who is unclean shall not serve in the Sanctuary Leviticus 22:2-3

• To send the unclean out of the Camp of the Shechinah, that is, out of the Sanctuary Numbers 5:2

• That the breastplate shall not be loosened from the ephod Exodus 28:28

• Not to offer strange incense nor any sacrifice upon the golden altar Exodus 30:9

• That the Kohen shall wash his hands and feet at the time of service Exodus 30:19

• Not to compound oil for lay use after the formula of the anointing oil Exodus 30:32-33

• Not to compound anything after the formula of the incense Exodus 30:37

• To remove the ashes from the altar Leviticus 6:3

• Not to extinguish the fire on the altar Leviticus 6:6

• That a Kohen shall not enter the Sanctuary with torn garments least you die Leviticus 10:6

• To revere the Sanctuary Leviticus 19:30

• To care for the utensils and the altar so that others do not die Numbers 18:3

• Not to allow the Sanctuary to remain unwatched Numbers 18:5

Let's also look at some of the Bible verses that describe bodily injury occurring from "a near presence" to the Sanctuary, but before we do, remember that even the molecules of water in the Jordan River separated when the ark was held above the river. Somehow the surface tension and adhesion of the water molecules were affected by the Ark of the Covenant of God.

Water has: high polarity, hydrogen bonding, cohesion and adhesion. Water is a powerful dissolver of polar ions and molecules. It is a polar solvent and a similarly powerful excluder of nonpolar molecules. That's why you use it to wash your dirty dishes, your soiled clothes and your car. That is also why God teaches us that His word, His Torah, His teaching and instruction is like water.
Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

2Peter 3:5-7 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the Earth standing out of the water and in the water Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the Earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
God's glory dynamically appeared to Israel in a cloud and it made some seemingly unusual and terrible things happen to people that we cannot ignore if we are to understand His glory. In the wilderness, thanks to Nadab, and Abihu everyone learned if they approached near God's presence without atonement they would vaporized by His glory, not because of God's anger, but because of man's disobedience to God's warnings. Those warning were about the dangers of His consuming fire.

Take  minute to read some of the verses about this fact:
Exodus 40:34-35 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of Y-H-V-H filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of Y-H-V-H filled the tabernacle.

Joshua 4:7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Y-H-V-H; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off if only by a by remnant of God's Glory between the Cherubim above the Mercy Seat:

Joshua 4:18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, [and] the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as [they did] before.

1Samuel 4:22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

1Samuel 5:9-12 And it was [so], that, after they had carried it about, the hand of Y-H-V-H was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying,

They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, ,u>that it slay us not
, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods {tumors of hemorrhoids}: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

1Samuel 6:19 And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of Y-H-V-H, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because Y-H-V-H had smitten [many] of the people with a great slaughter.

2Samuel 6:6-7 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth [his hand] to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook [it]. And the anger of Y-H-V-H was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for [his] error; and there he died by the ark of God.

2Samuel 6:9-13 And David was afraid of Y-H-V-H that day, and said, How shall the ark of Y-H-V-H come to me? So David would not remove the ark of Y-H-V-H unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. And the ark of Y-H-V-H continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and Y-H-V-H blessed Obededom, and all his household. And it was told king David, saying, Y-H-V-H hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that [pertaineth] unto him, because of the ark of God.

So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness. And it was [so], that when they that bare the ark of Y-H-V-H had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.

2Samuel 24:15 So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

1Chronicles 15:12 And said unto them, Ye [are] the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, [both] ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of Y-H-V-H God of Israel unto [the place that] I have prepared for it.

1Chronicles 21:14 So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.Pastor, J. Vernon McGee writes: "Leviticus gives the order and rules of worship in the tabernacle. The Hebrew word Vayikrah opens the book, and it means “and He called.”

God's presence moves into the Tabernacle and speaks from there rather than from Mount Sinai.

He "calls" the people out to Him and tells them how to come near. This is the exact meaning of the church — ekklesia, “called out ones.”

Look at these other safety warnings from God:
Leviticus 15:31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that [is] among them.

Leviticus 16:2 And Y-H-V-H said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy [place] within the veil before the mercy seat, which [is] upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
So, it appears that leprosy was related to illness from an improper approach to the Ark of the Covenant.

Just look at the fate of King Uzziah in the Chronicles. The men that went in to rescue him were considered men of valor for good reason:
And Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging. In Jerusalem he made engines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong. But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to Y-H-V-H his God and entered the temple of Y-H-V-H to burn incense on the altar of incense. But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of Y-H-V-H who were men of valor, and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Y-H-V-H  but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense
Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from Y-H-V-H God." Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of Y-H-V-H, by the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because Y-H-V-H had struck him. And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of Y-H-V-H  And Jotham his son was over the king's household, governing the people of the land. 2Chronicles 26:14-21 
Now let's look at the instruction and Hebrew words from Leviticus 14 on leprosy:
This [is] the 'law' torah {teaching and instruction} for all manner of plague nega` {wound, plague, disease, mark, plague spot {Radiation-like poisoning?} of leprosy, tsara`ath {malignant skin disease} and scall, netheq {scab, skin eruption} To teach yarah when yowm [it is] unclean, tame' {defiled, polluted, contaminated - mixed, alloyed, clouded} and when yowm [it is] clean: tahowr {pure, healthy, uncontaminated - unmixed, unalloyed, clear} this [is] the law, the Torah of leprosy... tsara`ath
If you ask me, it sounds almost like Biblical leprosy was perhaps some unique form of illness perhaps not too unlike that which we see today resulting from Acute Radiation Syndrome and radiation burn.

Consider the account of Miriam who became “leprous” immediately after she and Aaron approached the Pillar of Fire (Numbers 12:5, 10), and recovered seven days later:
And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood [in] the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. Numbers 12:5 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam [became] leprous, [white] as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, [she was] leprous. Numbers 12:10
There are two basic types of radiation we know of today: 1) ionizing and 2) nonionizing.

Nonionizing radiation comes in the form of light, radio waves, microwaves and radar. This kind of radiation usually does not cause tissue damage. Ionizing radiation is radiation that produces immediate chemical effects on human tissue. X-rays, gamma rays, and particle bombardment (neutron beam, electron beam, protons, mesons, and others) give off ionizing radiation.

Radiation Sickness: Definition By Mayo Clinic staff:
Radiation sickness is damage to your body caused by a very large dose of radiation often received over a short period of time (acute). The amount of radiation absorbed by the body — the absorbed dose — determines how sick you'll be. Radiation sickness is also called acute radiation sickness, acute radiation syndrome or radiation poisoning. Common exposures to low-dose radiation, such as X-ray or CT examinations, do not cause radiation sickness.

Although radiation sickness is serious and generally fatal, it's rare. Since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II, most cases of radiation sickness have happened after nuclear industrial accidents, such as the 1986 nuclear reactor accident at a power station in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

Symptoms include: Hair loss, infections, poor wound healing, skin damage and burns. Acute radiation will cause diarrhea with high doses of radiation.
Severe diarrhea can cause hemorrhoids or piles. The King James bible calls these “emerods" and the story is recorded plainly in 1Samuel 5-6.

Here we read that the Philistine men that near the Ark who did not die - got hemorrhoids.

Radiation sickness occurs when high-energy radiation damages or destroys certain cells in your body. Regions of the body most vulnerable to high-energy radiation are cells in the lining of your intestinal tract, including your stomach, and the blood cell-producing cells of bone marrow.

Radiation is the energy released from atoms as either a wave or a tiny particle of matter. Radiation sickness is caused by exposure to a high dose of radiation, such as a high dose of radiation received during an industrial accident.

Radiation sickness itself doesn't cause long-term medical problems for those who survive the illness and remove the physical presence of the radiation source.

However, the radiation exposure that caused the immediate radiation sickness does significantly increase a person's risk of developing cancer later in life.

The basic form of decontamination is to get away from the source and remove external radioactive particles to the greatest extent possible. Removing clothing and shoes eliminates about 90 percent of external contamination. Gently washing with water and soap removes additional radiation particles from the skin.

Decontamination at the start of radiation sickness treatment prevents further distribution of radioactive materials and lowers the risk of internal contamination from inhalation, ingestion or open wounds.



If you think about it these instructions are not unlike 
the instructions given to the Levites.



They were to wash continually, not wear shoes and never approach the Sanctuary with an open wound. On the Day of Atonement when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies he was even instructed to remove his linen clothing and leave it there in the Tabernacle.

Just read 2Chronicles chapter 29, it tells of the beginning of King Hezekiah's reign when he restored the services of the Temple. Note the description of the appearance of those people of Judah that ignored the proper order of service:
2Chronicles 29:7-8 They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of Y-H-V-H came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes.
The next chapter of Chronicles tells of a healing from King Hezekiah's prayer when the people who had not properly consecrated themselves ate the Passover lamb:
2Chronicles 30:17-20 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to Y-H-V-H  For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, Y-H-V-H  the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness." And Y-H-V-H heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
Reading on into chapter 32 we see that it tells of an illness that overcame King Hezekiah and Jerusalem:
2Chronicles 32:24-26 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to Y-H-V-H  and he answered him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Y-H-V-H did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
With this background, we might just re-consider the story of Adam and Eve with a scientific slant on the Biblical account.

They were told if they sinned that they would die right? After they sinned they were still in the Garden of Eden near God's presence but they were "naked" and exposed, they were now vulnerable and they required a covering which God provided for them.

Should we relate this story to the known science of God's creation which tells us that the effects of both space radiation and ionizing radiation involve direct and indirect damage to DNA and these can result in acute and chronic health effects? Acute (or early radiation) effects result from large radiation exposure over a short duration, and these are most likely to occur after solar particle events (SPEs).

Chronic effects of space radiation exposure include radiation carcinogenesis and degenerative tissue effects which at the end of the day eventually bring death. Now if you just consider it, perhaps Numbers eight and eighteen may make more sense after considering the Radiation Safety Guide, so the verses are worth yet another look:
“And I have given the Levites [as] a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement [covering] for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.” Numbers 8:19

"And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel. And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you [they are] given [as] a gift for Y-H-V-H, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation." Numbers 18:5-6
Interestingly, the word “plague” appears 98 times in the King James translation and 99 times in the Hebrew names version.

Zechariah even tells us of an end time prophecy of plague for every one that is left of all the nations which come against Jerusalem that do not go up from year to year to worship the King and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. The Sukkot prophecy starts like this:
"Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them." Zechariah 14:16-17
Now, take a close look at the next verse:
"And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths." Zechariah 14:18 ESV
Many sermons ignore the plague warning here, saying if you skip Tabernacles there will be no rain.

That's true, but the more and its the warning from Zechariah 14:12-13:
"And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 
And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other."
We have to ask a question:

Is this future plague actually a punishment that there shall be no rain or is this plague the result of not obeying God's direct order here and not protecting oneself properly near God's Lord of Host Glory through "the covering" God prescribes by the eight offerings of the Feast of Tabernacles?

If we look closely, the words [there shall be no rain] does not appear in the Hebrew text of verse 18, instead it was [inserted] there by the King James translators. Here they were not translating, they were interpreting. Beware of [brackets] or the italics found in many Bible translation renderings because the words are not there. Without the italics the words are: And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.

This not a punishment as we think of punishment. It's a warning, if you disregard God's Word when the King is present, you own sin will destroy you.

Perhaps no one knew what to make of the Hebrew word "plague" in 1611. One reason could be that the flesh rotting effects of radiation were unknown, but now we know better. Knowledge has increased.

Other prophetic verses allude to this same plague of fire:
Isaiah 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

Isaiah 26:21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity: the Earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. 
2Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the Earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
The disciple Peter describes exactly what the prophet Nahum penned when he wrote of the fervent heat of God that melts elements affected by sin:
2Peter 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Nahum 1:5-8 The mountains quake at Him, and the hills melt, and the Earth is burned at His presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. The LORD [is] good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
The Hebrew word Nahum used here that are translated as "indignation" (za`am) is burning and "fury" (chemah) is poison. It may not be the same, but today we call that radiation.

In Revelation we see a number of similiar descriptions:
Revelation 1:14 His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire;

Revelation 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet [are] like fine brass

Revelation 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow [was] upon his head, and his face [was] as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.

Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.
Until now, you may have never noticed the angel's power in 14:18 was over fire!
Revelation 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the Earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
And when we see God's Tabernacle in Revelation, we also see the plague that was mentioned in the front of the Bible (Exodus 30) once again in the back of the Bible in chapter 15 and 16.
Revelation 15:8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. 
Revelation 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
In the beginning of the Bible and in the end, God speaks of a radiation-like "plague." But this can be difficult to see because we have been trying to "spiritualize" the Bible for the past 1,500 years or so.

Perhaps that is, until August 6, 1945. On that day, in Hiroshima, Japan everyone understood the potential.

Young's Literal Translation of the Bible strives to be faithful to the Hebrew, so let's take another look at Zechariah's words as he writes of "plague":
"And if the family of Egypt go not up, nor come in, Then not on them is the plague with which Jehovah doth plague the nations that go not up to celebrate the feast of booths" YLT


We might re-consider why Adam and Eve were not allowed near the location of the “Tree of Life”



The two angels were put at the gate of Eden by God with flaming swords to PROTECT mankind's future. We might also consider that if they approached The Tree of Life in their fallen physical state, they would not have been able to fulfill God's command to procreate mankind.

Instead, they might have died quickly from God's glory presence or perhaps, near the Tree of Life we might consider that they could have been subjected to eternal life within a fallen state of perpetual entropy trapped in the chaos of the second law of thermodynamics, trapped in eternal decay between life and death.

That existence would have been much worse than the fate that fell on Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron whom I hope to one day meet in resurrection and restoration to new life.

Either way, if Adam and Eve were not kept safely away, Satan would have had his goal accomplished to bring perpetual death and oppose God’s creation life. Satan's ultimate plan would have achieved in the Garden.

It is interesting to see that the mention of the flaming sword of Genesis 3:14 uses the Hebrew word "lahat" as the word we translate as "flaming" and it is the only appearance of this word in all of the Hebrew Bible.

The other nine appearances of Hebrew words translated into English as "flaming" in the King James Bible are not this word "lahat", instead they include the words "'esh" in Genesis 15:17, Daniel 10:6 and Zechariah 12:6, "resheph" in Psalms 76:3 and Psalms 104:4, "lehabah" in Psalms 105:32, Isaiah 4:5, Lamentations 2:3 and Hosea 7:6.

Satan's original plan and purpose has always been death. Could it be that the warning of death that God gave Adam was understood by Satan?

Perhaps the deceptive plan we may have missed when we read the story of the "fall" of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was tht he knew that could not survive in a sinful state in Eden.

Satan misled Eve and she transgressed God's instruction. That led to Adam's sin. When you consider the implications in this study about the physical presence of our Creator, we might better understand God's warning to Adam:
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:16-17
Notice the word warning. Perhaps, just for a moment we should consider that God's words to Adam may be much like the same warning that God gave to Moses at Sinai:
“... that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.” Numbers 8:19
If we just think of Eden as a protected sanctuary, perhaps our lights will come on.

They were deceived, yet their willful sin removed Adam and Eve's physical protection while they walked alongside the Almighty Glory of the Creator. Perhaps we need to consider that they had to leave Eden or die just like Nadab and Abihu.

Everything in the Bible and every name is there for a purpose. In Hebrew, Abihu means "he is (my) father." If we just consider his name we might understand how the stories are connected to the danger of disobedience to God's word. What we do not understand is that God is a loving God. He gives His teaching for life, for our salvation.

When we decide to do things our way and ignore God's instructions we put ourselves in grave danger if we want to approach near to Him because He is the Almighty Creator. Hebrews 12:29 and Deuteronomy 4:24 describe God as a consuming fire for good reason. It is time to wrap our thoughts and misunderstanding around that. When we do, we might see why God had to get Adam and Eve out of the Garden and keep them out. It may have been for their protection.

Satan has always known a lot about the power of God. Perhaps he knew what would happen to the flesh of Adam and Eve if he could just get them to willfully transgress and oppose God. He knew they would die, that was his goal. Yet, he did not consider that God would provide a covering. It began with the bloody clothes God first provided to them.

When we view the cycles of history, we can see death and destruction has always been the desire of the devil. In fact, it is what we saw 70 years ago with Hitler and what we see today in the radical Islamic Awakening surrounding Israel declaring Allah Akbar, Allah is greater. It is evil that all believers in the God of Israel should be keenly aware of. It is described in Daniel, Ezekiel and Isaiah, in Revelation and throughout God's Word. 

In my view is started in Eden with these words... did god really say?

Considering a glimpse of God's radiant fire and glory from the Bible may just give us a clue as to what it will be like when our Creator Messiah Yeshua returns to Jerusalem not as the humble servant lamb but as the mighty King of the Universe arriving in the cloud of glory and authority to tabernacle again with mankind.

Revelation describes the glory of God and the plague once again, but some people choose to ignore or gloss over these words thinking that they are mere symbolism. But they are NOT.
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the Earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the Earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. Revelation 20:8-9

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the Earth do bring their glory and honor into it. Revelation 21:23-24
We need to remember there must have been a reason Mary was not allowed to come near and approach Yeshua after resurrection. Why?

She had just been in the tomb touching His gravesite. This unclean “death” condition is "temporary" yet it appears throughout Scripture.

Many people will want to make a near approach to His glory when He returns during the millennium. But the Scriptures give us specific, yet misunderstood instruction for each sacrifice offering to be made before ever approaching near God, and it is critical to know - that NONE of the offerings, NOT the (bulls, goats, lambs or turtle doves) EVER took away "willful" and "purposeful" transgression against God’s voice of instruction for living.

Sure it is hard to consider, but this is shown when we look at Scripture. The 3,000 people that participated in the golden idol worship were slain. This is something we have to think about... if sacrifice was designed by God as an "appeasement" to somehow engage forgiveness for deliberate sin against God for a nation, a people or a person, then all that Moses really needed do for the transgressors would be to build an altar and make a sacrifice or two... right?. WRONG!

None of the sacrifices or offerings described in the Torah ever removed or "took away" willful, deliberate sin and rebellion against God's instruction. They NEVER provided forgiveness nor eternal life, a term many call salvation. Never, ever. Instead, the Tabernacle offerings show us that there is the requirement for the eternal removal of this kind of sin by mercy and grace from Y-H-V-H God Himself if mankind is to ever eternally draw close to Him as it was in the Garden and the Sinai wilderness. Deliberate rebellion against God's instruction is a grievous offense.

It carries the death penalty. It is the law of sin and death Paul describes in Romans 8:2.

Although many may say "once saved always saved", there is the unforgivable sin that is written of in none other than the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

This sin cannot be done in innocent ignorance. It is when we put ourselves above God, when we hear His instructions and decide to either ignore them or determine by our own religious dogma that says His words are old and done away with. This blasphemy is clearly shown to us in Psalms 19:13-14 as the great transgression against the voice of the set apart cloud of fire the Spirit of God.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous [sins]; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalms 19:13-14 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy [against] the [Holy] Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come. Matthew 12:31-32

But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Mark 3:29

And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven. Luke 12:10
The Hebrew words found in Psalms 19 are "rab" (great) "pesha" (transgression, rebellion, revolt against God). It means to purposefully break covenant with God. It is also seen in these verses:
"In transgressing, and lying against Y-H-V-H, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood." Isaiah 59:13

"Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors". Isaiah 53:12

"Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" Ezekiel 18:31

"And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I [am] Y-H-V-H." Ezekiel 20:38

"And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up." Daniel 8:23

"Woe unto them! For they have fled from me: destruction unto them! Because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me." Hosea 7:13
Notice this is not exactly the catch all word "sin" that many use today, which is the Hebrew word chatta'ath. Just take a look at Psalms 25:7, 1Kings 8:50 and Isaiah 1:28.

Pesha or pasha appears 134 times yet the word chatta'ath appears 296 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Chatta'ath is to miss the mark, the goal, a miss a mis-step, a slip of the foot... a mistake. These verses separate the words we generally combine today with the same meaning, but in the Bible they are different. Take note of these verses in the Psalms:
Psalms 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.
Those that refuse to repent and purposefully revolt and break covenant with God have a clear warning:
Psalms 37:38 But the "transgressors" shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
Further, and just as importantly, the Scriptures show us that perfect obedience to the commandments of the” law”, God’s Torah - was never a part of God’s plan as a means to 'earn' individual forgiveness, salvation or redemption, but seeking to walk in obedience to God's instruction sets us apart and demonstrates our love for God.

Offerings and sacrifice were never required for individual purposeful transgression and revolt against God. Just open your Bible and read it. Test this statement. A greater offering is required. Consider, most of the instruction found in Torah tell us what to do if we wronged someone else.

If we wrong someone, we certainly are not walking in the instruction, so if salvation came from following God’s instruction God would have never needed to provide solutions in the Torah for wronging other or for an offering like the one described in Matthew 5:22-24.

The plan of salvation and redemption is found in the very beginning of the Bible, it was declared plainly by God’s voice in the Garden, in the beginning - after the “nakedness” the deliberate, purposeful sin that originated in Eden:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15
What is the greater offering, the fulfillment of God's promise in Eden?

Messiah’s feet were bruised by the horrific nails in the Passover wood some 2,000 years ago where He willingly experienced the penalty of judgment established in Eden, but by this act, the head, the "authority" of death and Earth given to Satan by Adam’s sin which was passed on to his physical descendants, was overcome by the Savior’s resurrection because He is unleavened (without sin) so death had no hold, not authority on Him because He never broke The Torah - which He established.

He lived fully observant and righteous in Torah so the curse of death had no authority over Him.

That is why Satan worked so hard for 40 days to get Yeshua to break Torah, to sin while in the wilderness and that is why every response to Satan was an explanation of His ways in fulfillment of Torah's instruction. He is perfect, without iniquity, without sin. He is the rock, our Creator, so let us not be unmindful of His Ways:
[He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he. Deuteronomy 32:4

Of the Rock [that] begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. Deuteronomy 32:18
As we can see, if we just look at the patterns and themes of the Bible and relate them to the deeds, the ways and mission of Messiah, we can see His Torah (teaching) begins with His mercy and grace and it is full of graphic instruction on recompense.

It is full of His teaching on what we are to do when we have wronged or caused harm to another person and become unclean, and it tells us how we are to properly and humbly approach near to God with a clean heart reconciled to our fellow man before we ever consider approaching the glory of God, our Almighty Creator.

Before they ever approaching the sanctuary, the Levite Priests followed the "safety" manual of Torah. They prepared their physical body and their spiritual heart for a near approach to the Holy of Holies.

If they did not follow God's instruction the path was deadly and full of plague.

It's what happened to Aaron's two sons.

These two were contaminated with death and they tried to draw near to Almighty God, the source of life.

But, the only way to approach Him is to be covered in His identity.

All the sacrifices point to the identity of Messiah and they allowed the priestly Levites to inherit his perfect merit. The ashes of the red heifer are a perfect example of this.

They cleansed one from touching death because the pure ashes represent the resurrection life of Messiah after His death.

The burning of the red heifer represents the event of the crucifixion of Messiah. This is a great mystery, but the heifer had to be spotless and without blemish just as Messiah was without sin. The heifer was burned outside the camp; Yeshua's stake was outside the Old City of Jerusalem. The cedar represented the tree, the hyssop His humility, the scarlet wool His blood stained robe.

As I have noted, some say God's Torah was “done away with” by the cross and that salvation in 'Old Testament' times was provided by adherence to the Torah and the sacrifices, but if salvation required "perfection" to the Law, we have to ask why would God ever provide most of it with detailed principles for dealing with our flaws and frailties, our mistakes and inherited human character weakness in the first place? He knows we can't be perfect.

Think about that.

Because thinking of the altar sacrifice as a final means of taking away sin is a big mistake, a “Catch 22” and it really makes no sense when we take a step back to study the Word from God’s perspective and not man-made religion and tradition.



When we listen to God's word, we see He says the Levites were given as a gift so that no plague would break out on those camped near the Tabernacle.



The trial, beating and crucifixion are the foundations on which the whole law, the Torah hangs for all eternity. His Passover was never designed to put an end to God's teaching and instruction; rather it put an end to its location in stone to the living flesh of our hearts.

Think about it, the Scriptures, all of them are designed to show us and tell us God has always declared that the way of salvation is though His mercy and grace alone, taking away sin has nothing to do with what we do or don’t do. It is not about walking a tightrope or seeking salvation into eternal life by doing something to earn our way. We can never do that.

It's our instruction manual for living.

The instruction and teaching found in the Torah is very much like a "safety net", like the Tabernacle fence. God's eternal voice and instruction has always been for life, a guide to living with and helping others and a guide to God’s coming Kingdom. It is His Kingdom constitution.

If we will just believe God's words in Numbers 8, we can see the instructions given the Levites were specific to protect people, to protect mortal mankind in His service near the Tabernacle and the Holy of Holies, the place that God chose to physically appear near His people in His cloud of Glory. Exodus 25 plainly tells us it is the very place that God chose for His almighty presence to speak. That is why Leviticus 16 gives very special instruction for Aaron as High Priest to be able to go in and enter into the Holy of Holies.

We must consider that this is why Ezekiel prophesies that the Feasts, the new moons, the Sabbaths, the offerings and oblations will all be a part of the service of the Prince of Israel in the "Kingdom Way" of the time we call the millennium (just read Ezekiel 40-48). Y-H-V-H offers to allow us to come near again to His physical fire and glory. It is why we are told that in the end; the "New Jerusalem" which is symbolic for God's assembly of people, needs no sun or light other than the physical glory and light of The Almighty.

I've read that in ancient Jerusalem, the shofar trumpets would blast and the cymbals and other musical instruments would be played at the times of the daily sacrifices; both morning and afternoon as the sacrifices were made with their grain and wine offerings in accordance with God's detailed and specific instruction:
Numbers 29:1-4: "Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must also have a holy assembly. You must do no work. It will be to you a day of Joy unspeakable. You must offer a burnt sacrifice as a sweet aroma to Y-H-V-H  one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect, also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs."

Numbers 29:5-6: "Sacrifice one male goat for a sin sacrifice, to make atonement {a covering} for you, besides the dedication sacrifice of the New Moon and its grain sacrifice, and the continual dedication sacrifice and its grain sacrifice, and their wine sacrifices, according to their ordinance, for a sweet aroma, a sacrifice made by fire to Y-H-V-H."
The dedication sacrifice of Numbers 29:2 was pleasing to God in that it pictured Yeshua as being totally submitted to the will of the Father just as we are to be. Because of His blood covering, today the people God calls Israel (all believers and followers of Messiah) can now walk in total dedication and love by the power of His Holy Spirit.

The accompanying grain sacrifices seen in Numbers 19: 3-4, picture Yeshua as being crushed (His crucifixion), because grain has to be crushed in order for it to be used as bread. Yeshua is the Bread of Life (John 6:47-59).

He’s the true heavenly Bread, the Manna from Heaven. Within the grain sacrifice, pure olive oil was required, which pictured the Holy Spirit within Yeshua. When He was crushed, like an olive, the oil of the Spirit came forth for Israel, His chosen (John 16:7).

Ancient Israel saw the grain offering to Y-H-V-H is one that spoke of Him bringing Israel into the Land that He swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and giving them food to sustain their lives. This was the heart of their provision for food. Grain which would become edible bread, after it was crushed and put in the fire (this is a prophetic picture of Yeshua as the Bread of Life, crushed in order to give eternal life John 6:53). Ancient Israel was thankful for the continual provision of life, as we are to be today.

The wine offering was provided with these sacrifices, and also, for the daily sacrifices (see Numbers 28:7), and the monthly sacrifices The Bible shows us this as an additional blessing, wine and bread being a symbol of Messiah's future sacrifice and joy:
Psalm 104:15: ‘And wine which makes man’s heart glad, olive oil to make his face shine, and bread which sustains man’s heart.’
The sin sacrifice of Numbers 29:5 portrays Yeshua overcoming the curse of the death penalty given in Eden. Verse six calls for all Israel to remember that both the daily sacrifices and the new Moons are to be made. If the new Moon instruction seems strange, just remember this... there is a connection between the deed at the tree and the restoration of the Universe.

In the morning at sunrise, Psalm 81 would have been sung by the Levites during the morning time of the daily sacrifices. It speaks of salvation from Egypt. In the late afternoon sacrifice, Psalm 29 would be sung. It speaks of God's power and ability to give true peace and rest.

Can't you just see all the people that would be singing and worshiping with their shofars and trumpets sounding calling all people to enter into the joy of the great salvation that God Y-H-V-H had given them.(Psalms 48:2; Matthew 5:35).

So, unless we let go of religion, unless we let go of 'Old Testament' prejudice and study the Feasts and the offerings and sacrifices for their real purpose and meaning - we will not begin to understand Ezekiel or his prophetic words:
“All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince in Israel. And it shall be the prince's part [to give] burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the Sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel. Ezekiel 45:16-17
Nor will we truly understand the words of Peter:
“You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. “ 1 Peter 2:5
King David understood. He was the King of Israel selected by God. Read all of Psalms 51 for better understanding on this and remember the writer of Hebrews was explaining the same truth:
“You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” Psalms 51:16-17
To understand, we have to take off the blinders and look in The Word with a broken and repentant heart, seeking Messiah and His glory in every message and story, for the entirety of the scrolls are about Him.

Just look at Deuteronomy 7:8, here God tells all twelve tribes of Israel and the strangers and sojourners with them - that they were His “chosen” people because God loves them and because He will keep His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not because they perfectly "kept" His Torah, His instruction for living.

Remember, the Bible and the people writing “the book” are Hebrew, they aren’t Greek or Roman. That's important to understand our journey through God’s word, we have to look at the Bible through a “Hebrew lens” for proper understanding.

So, let’s look at the Hebrew words: “ahab” love (it appears 132 times), “checed” lovingkindness (26 times), “checed” mercy (276 times) and “chen” grace (40 times) throughout the Hebrew Scriptures that Yeshua-Jesus taught from. Love, loveingkindness, mercy and grace are given there a total of 474 times, therefore each is well embedded in the so-called “law”, God’s Torah.

Did you notice “mercy” occurs most frequently?

It was Lot who was among the very first men to thank God for both His mercy and His grace. He did this following the terrible destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah:
“Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life”… Genesis 19:19
The people of the Bible, just like Noah have always relied on God’s grace for their salvation, not works:
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of Y-H-V-H.” Genesis 6:8
We need to learn the Bible’s Hebrew word meanings to better understand what God is telling us.

Don’t just rely on the medieval English translators; we don’t even speak their 'olde' English anymore. Let's examine Exodus 34:7 closely within their Hebrew meaning so that we may see the message more clearly. Importantly, in Hebrew, there are real differences between the words “iniquity”, “transgression” and “sin”, which are all used in this one Scripture verse. But we often just mix them all together as one:
“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:7
How do these three Hebrew words differ?

The key is to understand what the word sin means in Hebrew. Why? Because we seem to toss everything together when we hear the word sin, but God does not do that. This word “Sin” is from the Hebrew word “chatta’ah” meaning habitual sins of human frailty, error or omission.

These are what we might even call misdemeanors or mistakes against others. It has to do with "missing the mark." This Hebrew word from the root “chait” means an "error or mistake," but it refers to nothing that cannot be fixed if handled properly. God instructed Israel to bring a “trespass” offering for these. Don’t we do the same thing when we provide a sincere apology? Iniquity comes from “avon,” meaning capitol sins or capital crimes of perversity, darkness and hate… crimes that deserve just punishment just like Cain’s murder of Abel.

Cain knew that, which must be why he said: “and it shall come to pass, [that] every one that findeth me shall slay me” (Genesis 4:14.)

There is a penalty for this nakedness - one must leave the presence of God (see Genesis 4:16).

Don’t we do the same in our courts of law every day – putting people away for the crime?

Cain’s crime against his brother’s life shows us why God chose the lineage of Adam’s third son Seth to be the head of the family of Abraham and Messiah Yeshua. The savior could not come from the murderous seed of Cain. He had to come from the righteous line of Seth. To understand this it is important to know that after the birth of Seth’s son, Enos that “mankind began to call on the name of Y-H-V-H” (Genesis 4:26).

In Hebrew, Seth means “compensation”, Enos “man”. The only compensation for mankind is Messiah who comes in the name and the authority of Y-H-V-H! Transgression is from the Hebrew word “pesha,” this is the worst of all. It is evil. It carries the death penalty. It means to "break away from authority", God’s authority. It is the sin of openly and knowingly revolting against God’s specific instruction. It is to know evil and break from the authority and protection of God’s voice, His Word. It is the sin of "rebellion against God," it was the first transgression, the “pasha” of Eve and Adam when they willfully followed the lies of the deceiver instead of the instruction of Y-H-V-H.

Satan's weapons are lies and deception.

Again we see “pasha” in the transgression of the 3,000 of Israel at the base of Mount Sinai as they were worshiping the golden image of the calf. Just like the beginning back in the Garden, the “pasha” is “the transgression” of the end day beast and the false prophet mirrors the story of Eden. Why? He declares the end from the beginning!

Today, many misconstrue the Biblical meaning of atonement in relation to the service of the Levites and confuse it with taking away willful transgression against God. The Bible tells us atonement covers sin!

In the same way, many assume that offerings were appeasement vs. protection. Again, many do not realize that the protocol God gave for His offerings and sacrifices were for our physical protection whenever drawing near to His cloud of raw, fearful radiant glory.



Atonement through the the sacrificed blood of animals has never meant “take away” its Hebrew meaning has always been ‘covering’.



In the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, the Levite animal sacrifices “atoned” which means they covered “chatta’ah” offences which were the "human ignorance” sins of missing the mark, the sins that we all commit in ignorance, in forgetfulness. These sacrifices never permanently took any sin away; they temporarily 'covered them' so that God could be approached by the without the plague breaking out on the priest or the people.

God was right there physically, present in His glory as the Creator on His earthly, golden throne, the “mercy” seat within the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and later in the Temple.

No where in the Torah do we find that the sacrifices would cover “avon” or "pesha" offences which are willful, capitol crimes against God and fellow man. By the way, a crime against a person is a crime against God. Only God’s gifts of grace and mercy can release us from their penalty and if we try to approach near to Him in a state of defilement from these we certainly face certain death. Only God’s mercy and forgiveness can “take away” these sins. The Israelites certainly knew this; after all God was their teacher.

So how do we begin to explore this deep application for ourselves today in God’s word?

No where else but Torah! In the book, or rather the scroll of Leviticus, we see the teaching and instruction given by God for the people of Israel.

But why start there... is this really important if you ”believe” in Jesus? Yeshua said: "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." (Luke 24:44).

So from His instruction let’s look at Leviticus verses 5: 14-19 to see what is written there about unintentional error:
“And Y-H-V-H spake unto Moses, saying, If a soul commit a trespass, and sin [chatta’ah] through ignorance [shegagah], in the holy things of Y-H-V-H  then he shall bring for his trespass unto Y-H-V-H a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:

And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of Y-H-V-H; though he wist [it] not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.

And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist [it] not, and it shall be forgiven him. It [is] a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against Y-H-V-H”
Now you know, Leviticus tells us plainly that the animal sacrifices did not remove “willful” or "intentional" sin against God, and they never covered great iniquity such as willful murder against another.

Nor did the blood of animal sacrifices ever cover the “pasha” rebellion against God such as idolatry. These carry a grave penalty, the death penalty. That is - unless God takes that death away by taking on the grave covenant penalty for Himself which is the only way such as sin can be taken away.

Yes, physical death must occur.

Why, because God spoke it as the penalty for willful sin against His word, but the mystery of the Gospel is that by His great providence alone, Messiah provides Himself as the substitution and He provides the way to eternal life by death and resurrection.

This same resurrection will be glorious for those that follow after Him.

In fact, God gives us a promise that many miss in Revelation 3:12:
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name.
The word pillar here is the Greek word "stylos". Sure it means pillar but it also means "pillars of fire i.e. flames rising like pillars".

Amazingly Yeshua Messiah promises to share His glory, His "Pillar of Fire" with us as the children of God!! If we just look, we can see that the iniquity of rebellion against God was something never absolved by any animal sacrifice through the Biblical “trespass” altar service. One could never, ever take a lamb down to the Temple altar to take away sin! This animal sacrifice could never “take sin away” and provide forgiveness from God for intentional sin. Like we have read:
“For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” Hebrews 10:4
In fact, God’s instruction for offerings have nothing to do with "taking away" sin; but they have much to do with covering and the protection of the Priests as well as thanksgiving and celebration!

In Tabernacle times and today, as King David teaches in Psalms 51, forgiveness of sin against God is only obtained through repentance and confession of one's sins in supplication and prayerful words spoken to God Himself from the heart and soul.

The celebration and demonstration of love toward God must result in changing one's conduct to walk in His ways according to His voice in Scripture.

Messiah Yeshua taught us plainly, when one sins against another person (such as a lie, theft or intentional personal injury), a person must also make restitution with the person injured and ask for that person's forgiveness first, then and only then, make an offering of atonement in prayer, confession and supplication to receive the promised mercy and grace of God to take away sin through His forgiveness.

By this we can learn that the act of one’s repentance (the sinner) asking for forgiveness does not grant that forgiveness. Why? That can only be given by God. But what about the blood?

The passage that many people ordinarily cite for the notion that blood is required to “take away” sin is Leviticus 17:11:
"For the soul of the flesh is in the blood and I have assigned it for you upon the altar to provide atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that atones for the soul".
Yet if we go to this passage that this verse comes from we find that the message is not just about atonement, but also about covering. And if we read on, we also learn the instruction is about food given by God (Leviticus 17:10 and 12). The passage message says that since blood is used to cover over, to atone, do not eat blood because blood is used by God in His instruction for covering.

Atonement is the Hebrew word “kaphar” and we must take the time to explore its meaning further because we should not confuse the meaning of “atonement” (covering) to be the same as “Forgiveness” (taking away). The writer of the book of Hebrews is speaking of “avon” and “pasha” but we mistakenly end up thinking atonement equals forgiveness.

As hard as it might seem at first, it is also important to understand that honoring “Torah” is not "Rabbinic Judaism" and believe it or not, God’s Torah is NOT the “law” as many call it.

It is also not 'legalism' under the law as some preach it in our western, legalistic Greek mindset.



The Torah is God’s teaching and instruction for life NEAR God, spiritually and physically.



It is not religion or theology - God has neither described in His word. This statement is not intended as a slight to anyone, but we must understand that God has no religion. The Holy One does not follow the traditions of religious men. He is The Creator. He describes His mercy and grace through His voice, His teaching and instruction for living life and it is all there in His unchanging Word. The plain words of Jesus, the words of Yeshua are these, study and consider them again as you may have never understood them:
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law {Torah} or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

”For truly I say to you, until heaven and Earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19
In the pattern of His altar service God actually outlines how to approach near to Him.

The Torah teaches us of the levels of sin, first was the sin of Adam and Eve, the grievous sin unto death, the intentional opposition to God and the next is the sin against fellow man that requires recompense as Yeshua taught in Matthew 5, and then there is the accidental injury to another or their property, the error – the unintentional mistake.

You know the feeling, “I forgot - I did not mean to do it”. Consider something to put this in perspective, how are these two differ: “Officer I did not know I was speeding in a school zone”, and “Officer, I did not know I was driving in a school zone”.

Many today teach that God's Word speaks of two separate sets of laws.

The first is the Ten Commandments found on the two stone tablets of the testimony.

Many redefine these and call them the moral law. They also say that the second set of laws are the Laws of Moses, the Ceremonial Law or the Sacrificial Law.

They mistakenly teach that there is a division in the Bible, a page that separates the Old from the New. If you have that blank page in your Bible remove it.

The thought is that if an Israelite "sinned", that person broke the moral law or one of the Ten Commandments.

Along this storyline, the religious belief is that the person committing the violation had to bring his offering according to the ceremonial law to receive forgiveness. In this mistaken belief, the Ten Commandments alone define sin, as sin is the transgression of the moral law, the Ten Commandments. They often quote 1John 3:4:
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."
In this way they, not the Bible define the sacrifices as an Old Testament remedy for sin. And they say this has all been done away with. But the Bible does not say that.

Heaven and Earth are still here and Jesus does not say that He came to abolish the law. They convert the word fulfill to abolish, to do away with. But the word is "pleroo', it means to fill up with meaning. Once again:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 5:17-18
The reality is that the Bible tells us the offerings of the Levites were for unintentional sin.

Look for your self. Check out Leviticus 4:2, 13, 22, 27. Look at Leviticus 5:15 and Leviticus 5:18. God states that the sin offering was for the purpose of atoning or covering unintentional sin. Leviticus gives us the four part outline. Using the NASB translation, let's first the clean animal offering to Y-H-V-H-V-H:
Leviticus 1:2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock."
Next the grain offering:
Leviticus 2:1 "Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it."
Then the peace offering:
Leviticus 3:1 "Now if his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he is going to offer out of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without defect before the LORD."
And, the offering for unintentional sin:
Leviticus 4:2 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them"
We see this in the witness of the book of Numbers too:
Numbers 15:26 "So all the congregation of the sons of Israel will be forgiven, with the alien who sojourns among them, for it happened to all the people through error."
The Hebrew word seen here as 'unintentionally' is shegagah. It means "an inadvertent error, without intent". A mistake. Oops. It appears 16 more times in the Torah and 20 times in the Hebrew Scriptures as unintentional and as error.

Its root word is 'error' shagah which means to err unwittingly, to go stray in ignorance. It appears 3 times in Torah and 26 times in the Hebrew Bible. Yeshua the Messiah is the “Lamb of God”.

He gave the elective offering of His life to restore eternal life to mankind for willful and defiant sin against God. He literally became the offering of “substitution” that engages physical and spiritual resurrection by the first fruits of restoration through unimaginable grace and mercy, removing sin and providing eternal life. His life sacrifice is ultimately separate from all others at the altar, His “takes away sin”.

His life was a freewill offering with the purpose of destroying the authority of the curse of death given by God in Eden. Offerings were brought by men at God’s altar so that they could approach near to God. This is a mystery but not something that opposes the Word of God in any way.

Yet, it is something that requires we read Scripture and study it to understand. When we really comprehend, we realize nothing has changed and these words from the writer of the book of Hebrews become a crisis for us that only God, only the perfect Messiah Yeshua can resolve because the teaching and instruction of God remains eternal; it was not trodden under foot as an unholy thing hung on the cross. These are VERY fearful words once we understand them:
“For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:26-29
The meaning of the offerings has been lost within our traditional religious identity today and we've all been very sick unto death, just as Lazarus was.

Yet Yeshua raised Lazarus from the dead after three days, and instructed his bindings to be loosed. Yet no matter how lost someone is in understanding the altar sacrifices that point to the work of Messiah so that we may approach near to God, we can now gently remove the bindings of our grave clothes and misunderstanding of His ways as we come closer to knowing who He is and our own identity as the people Israel.

The plain words of Scripture tell us that through the death and resurrection of Messiah and through faith in His salvation and mercy we may receive forgiveness for sins that are past - not that we might throw way His Torah or pick and choose what's right for us as we deliberately practice sin because the law, the Torah is alive and well.

It is a Torah (teaching) of life, an instruction that has been greatly misunderstood just as the glory cloud, the "Pillar of Fire has been. Torah is our teacher, it plainly shows the only way to forgiveness is through Messiah’s grace and mercy by what He has done. We must fear God, we must be in awe of Him and His words, all of them. The book of Hebrews clearly tells us that if we sin willfully, once we have come to the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sin - certain judgment and ultimate destruction.

This may not line up with many pulpit sermons but it is from the eternal teaching of God’s word that was demonstrated, lived out in the wilderness.

God, who is 'one' Messiah, spoke creation. He spoke the Torah so that we could live and approach Him, so that we can walk in demonstration of love, so we can walk His ways, not so that we can earn forgiveness which only He can give freely.

HaSatan is our adversary, he is as a roaring leopard, a beast running about seeking whomever he may devour. Don't listen to whispering his lies any longer.

Be sober, be vigilant and remember that sin is the transgression of Torah, God’s instruction. Torah is the teaching of Jesus aka Yeshua. And he says they are unchanging "Till heaven and Earth pass". Because of this not even the slightest aspect of our Creator's commandments have changed. He is an unchanging God and because of that if you accept Him, if you follow Him you will not be consumed by His plague on Judgment Day:
Malachi 3:6 "For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."
The book of 1st John tells us that:
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' The good news is that, 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
This has and always will be the truth.

Let’s look further at John’ teaching.

He fully understood we have to seek and study God’s word, not just read or listen to someone else. Let’s take a look at what the Disciple John tells us:
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin [which is] not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death." 1John 5:14-17
Wait a minute did you see that?

John says there is "a sin unto death" and "a sin not unto death", Are we to just ignore this as some old prose and read on skimming past the detail?

No, never.

Because if we do, we may never grow to understand a bit more about the services and offerings at the altar. That is why the discipled witnesses of Messiah and the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, continued in its instruction. Just re-read Acts 21 to learn more about this. Indeed, we cannot fully understand Messiah and His will for us, nor will we understand that John is not writing a so-called "New Testament" understanding, but he is writing about something old, very ancient and direct from God who in the flesh is Jesus - Yeshua.

To begin to understand this, we must see that the Torah’s altar service according to Ezekiel beginning in Ezekiel 42:13 and continuing on through Ezekiel 43 and Ezekiel 44:27. Yet, if we claim that the words of the prophet Ezekiel will not actually happen, what are we saying?.

“Daily” sacrifices were part of God’s teaching and instruction regarding approaching Him after the sin of the golden calf, so if sacrifices will not be done in our future, then Ezekiel's prophecies are not sure. The issue is this; Yeshua was not an altar offering for inadvertent, unintentional sin. He came to absolve the death penalty for willful, purposeful sin. And have NO doubt; He is the FINAL Passover Lamb of God that takes away the death penalty of sin granting eternal life to those that seek Him.

The Torah specifies altar sacrifices that were designed by God for covering mistakes and for protection in approaching near to the presence, the fire and glory cloud of God. The Torah looks forward to Messiah and requires His life offering because the Bible says that all people commit sin that is willful and defiant against God’s voice, against His instruction and teaching, and this revolt against His covenant merits death.

The Gospel taught by Messiah and the apostles is the message of the Disciples regarding the restoration of the Kingdom and walking in God’s instruction, not because we "have to" but because we "want to".

The deceiver Satan has confused all of us about God's Torah and the true message of the altar. That is because Satan does not want us to understand or fear Almighty God’s power and authority. Satan has always intended to steal truth from Y-H-V-H. By God’s whole teaching, His Torah, He shows us that He alone can be the ONE unique solution for "taking away" a sin unto death and providing forgiveness.

We can know this because the sacrifices described in the Torah came only after a willful transgression by 3,000 that heard God's instruction from the mountain. Jeremiah confirms this:
"For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices; but this thing I commanded them, saying, "Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people; and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you." Jeremiah 7:22-23
Since the sacrifice for willful deliberate sin leading to death was proclaimed by God in Eden and Mount Sinai, then we can know as a surety that God’s own mercy and grace will cover the great debt that cannot be repaid - except by God. For those who profess Messiah as our God and Savior, we proclaim we believe and have received the “Lamb of God” as our substitution payment for our willful transgression against God.

Yeshua gives us our eternal salvation, forgiveness and redemption from the curse of death. He is our kinsman redeemer and He takes away our deliberate sin. But grace from God is not a free license to sin, it never was – it never will be.

Once again, look at Paul’s VERY stern warning… do not be deceived, he writes:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?" He continues on… "Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:8-10
Once saved, our duty as a 'grafted in' member of the family of God is to walk in God’s instruction because we love Him. Let’s read again what the writer of Hebrews tells us:
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, the Bible no sacrifice for sin is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Anyone who rejected the Law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:26-31
Can we understand and believe this truth?

The Torah teaches us by graphic symbols, pictures of spiritual truth and very few really see the Levite services for what is really an illustration for a greater truth. The Torah is a reality check that tells us no act; no obedience to man's sacrificial service ever took away sin nor provided salvation unto eternal life yesterday, today or tomorrow. Only our unchanging God can do that so that we may have eternal life and not be consumed by the fire of His glory:
For I [am] Y-H-V-H, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3:6
God’s atonement plans have not changed.

The Levitical priesthood and its mysterious services were somehow physically designed by God to allow the people of Israel to approach near, to hear the voice of God and receive a covering protecting them in an unclean state from plague and death. It is a great mystery but that is what the Bible says. Once again:
"And I have given the Levites [as] a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary." Numbers 8:19
This is a foreshadow to the voice and teaching of Messiah Yeshua.

Several times God told Moses to build the Tabernacle like the design shown to Him atop the mountain (see Exodus 25:9, Exodus 25:40, Exodus 26:30 and Exodus 27:8). This is because the temporary Tabernacle 'on Earth' was to be an image of God's eternal Tabernacle, the creation that He pitched in Creation (see 2Chronicles 6:18; Hebrews 4:14; Hebrews 7:26; Hebrews 8:2).

King David described the heavenly Tabernacle:
"Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. [There is] no speech nor language, [where] their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which [is] as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, [and] rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth [is] from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof." Psalms 19:2-6
The heavens we see represent the Tabernacle shown Moses. They teach us that our Creator is the source of light to the world.

The sky is much like the veil that protected people from the presence of God. At the return of Messiah, the heavens will be opened and only the righteous saints will survive:
"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war." Revelation 19:11

"And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord has spoken it. Isaiah 25:7-8
As the Priest in the order of Melchizedek, Messiah Yeshua IS the veil that will protect the Saints that keep the commandments of God AND the faith of Messiah by standing between us and the wrath of God in a repeat of the pattern shown as the Levites protected the congregation of Israel:
"But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony." Numbers 1:53
It is not all easy to "comprehend" the ways of God. That is why this study provided if you will, a parable of a radiation safety manual. In fact, once we realize what is actually being shown to us in the Scriptures, we have to consider the Bible may fit much easier into our modern, scientific understanding so that a better understanding of the fear of God is truly engaged when we consider the radiance and glory of our Creator God. The reality is that we will never understand the complete “how” and "why" of the altar services fully until Messiah explains them to us at His return.

But we must understand His words and authority cannot be questioned whether we understand it or not. After all, He wants to protect us. His patience, His grace and His mercy cannot really be understood either, that’s when the awe and fear of God begins to come into focus as we consider a glimpse at His glory. In the end, when the confederacy of nations that is foretold of in Psalms 83 opposes Israel, His whirlwind of Glory and its fire will be seen once again:
Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession. O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind {Spirit}. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest {whirlwind}, and make them afraid with thy storm {storm-wind}. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: That [men] may know that thou, whose name alone [is] Y-H-V-H, [art] the most high over all the Earth. Psalms 83:12-18
If this study has helped you just catch a glimpse of the Glory of God, perhaps you can now better understand why He warned Moses of the mortal danger of sinful men from His presence.

Because he was not been harmed at the burning bush, it seems that perhaps Moses, like us did not fully understand this need for fear and respect of His glory presence.

I believe this is why he questioned God's repeated warning to make sure no one came near the mountain:
And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses [up] to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou charged us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them. So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them. Exodus 19:20-25
If we love God, our duty today is to respect His word and fear His presence. When we do we must repent and return to His ways. We know that John the baptizer, just like Elijah, shouted "Repent, prepare the way. "Make ready the Way of the LORD, make his path's straight." (Luke 3:4)

The Apostle Paul followed the Way:
According to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets. Acts 24:14
Jesus (Hebrew, Yeshua) is “The Way”:
I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6
Israel, the children of God is still a people in physical exile right now because Messiah has not returned.

As believers we have been exiled from the Holy, set apart glory presence of God. But our souls were created for life the garden. The passion and frustration of mankind is that he has been near to God, and we long deeply to be physically near to Him again.

Each entrance that leads further into the Tabernacle, the gate, the door and finally the veil, represents accountability if we want to approach near to our living God and live.

Inside the gate of the the court, there is the brazen Altar. This shows us the start reality that we can get no closer if we are in a sinful state. There has to be life blood that must be shed at the Altar. It is the first requirement. Blood is the only atonement, it is the only way in, it is necessary for protection from death.

The next requirement is to be washed clean, this is show by the Laver. The Laver show us that after Messiah's sacrifice we are to follow God's instruction and remove the dirt and filth from our lives.

Passing through the door of the Tabernacle could only be done by a priest if he was to enter in to the Holy Place to tend to the table of bread, the lights of the Menorah and the Altar of Incense. The offerings on the brazen Altar were symbolic of atonement, that allowed the priest to enter in through the door and move closer to God in service.

The purpose of the door was to guard the way for those that were not priests.

And the purpose of the veil was to prohibit just any priest from entrance into the Most Holy Place of God's presence because certain death would result.
The priests, moving from the court into the door, signify greater intimacy near Holy God and His glory, power and majesty.

Because of Messiah's atonement at the altar of the crucifixion, believers, as priests, can enter through the gate and the door into the Holy Place. Here inside the believer can see and understand that Messiah Yeshua is the bread from Heaven, He is the light of the world and only through Him can be be near to God in His place of great privilege where our prayers and worship can ascend into the Holy of Holies from the Golden Altar.

It is there that the sweet fragrance arising from our voice of prayer and petition will enter the Most Holy room of the Mercy Seat, the throne of God that rests on His teaching and instruction. In that place alone can the light of the Lampstand be seen. What a privilege it was for the Levite priest to enter through the Tabernacle door in service. How much greater is the privilege today of entering in service of God under the protection and atonement of our Messiah who takes away sin and gives eternal life.

This protection from death and eternal separation from God must never be underestimated because outside the gate is the plague of eternal death for those that willfully reject God and His instruction. That is hell.

The book of Hebrews tells us that we may now come "boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (see Hebrews 4:16). He also states, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Yeshua…" Hebrews 10:19). This boldness, however, is not an attitude of arrogance, neither is it a casual attitude of heart and mind. It is, confidence in the Scriptures that the way to life through the torn veil of Messiah's body has is possible.

The Bible tells us Adam lived some 900 years after his exile beyond the flaming swords. All that time, can't you imagine he grieved knowing what he had done and what he was missing in Eden?

There is a longing in our hearts too for the place of God, a desire we can't quite put our finger on. We thirst for the pure flowing water. We long for food for life. We hunger and thirst for the presence of our Creator.

That's why you are seeking more. That's why many are seeking to fill the empty places of our lives, why addictions like alcohol, drugs, adultery, anger and casting blame on others are so consuming.

We are longing for Eden.

But there is a way back. It is "the Way" between the Cherubim.

It is striking to consider that the gate and the door of the Tabernacle did not have Cherubim. Only inside the Holy Place, which represents Eden were they always in sight, whether on the fine linen curtain overhead or on the veil. Clearly, the cherubims were guardians life, protecting sinful people from of the Pillar of Fire presence of Almighty God. It has already been noted that after the fall, Y-H-V-H God provided a sacrifice and a blood atonement cover as He took Adam and Eve from the most holy garden of Eden and "placed at the east of the garden… Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24).

The Cherubim are not mentioned again until the instruction is given to make two cherubims of gold to be set over the Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:18). The Cherubim protect sinful mankind from the holiness of God, where sin and death that goes with it can not exist.

The closer one approaches God, the greater the fearful awareness of His holiness. Within the Tabernacle court grace through sacrifice dominates. Afterall, there are no Cherubim in sight, only the Altar, the Laver and the door. But moving closer to God, having washed clean at the Laver, there is an acute awareness that Almighty God is most holy and that the worshipper must fear His holiness and follow His instruction.

Scripture calls the way between the Cheribum the "Way of the Tree of Life."

The description of the Cheribum in Eden is the first time the words "the Way" appear in the Bible. This critically significant if you seek to walk in "the way" of Messiah. The two Cherubim inside the Holy of Holies within the curtain above the Ark point directly to Genesis 3.

They stand in sentry to the doorway of the Holy of Holies, just as the Cherubim in Genesis guarded the "Way to the Tree of Life." Can't you just imagine they were there at the gate of Eden? "The Way" to the Tree of Life requires passing between these two Cherubim. Yet, who can go back? There are the flaming swords to contend with and the plague of death near the Ark that can't be denied:
Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die... Leviticus 16:2
If you want to be restored back into the Kingdom as His people Israel, which is the place of the garden, we must follow the "One" who has made ready The Way for us. The Messiah. We must return to Him, living and doing according to His teaching and instruction for living. We must leave Babylon, never return to Egypt and her ways of worship which are not the ways of Y-H-V-H, but rather the ways of the subtle deceiver that bring judgment:
1 Corinthians 11: 27-30 "Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of Y-H-V-H in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Y-H-V-H. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of Y-H-V-H eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep."
What Paul was sharing here with the Corinthian believers was the difference between life and death.

Paul is teaching on Deuteronomy 28 and telling us, obey God and we will live in God’s Presence with blessing. We must not forget Yeshua made it very clear for us to understand that we must first forgive others if we are to worship in a worthy manner. If we do not forgive others we will sin and "miss the mark."

But, if we repent and ask God and others we have wronged for forgiveness, His blood can cover AND take away all of our sin: past, present and future.

The holy place was made for a way of Israelites to come near his presence.

This is so important.

God tells Moses about the Tabernacle because it sets the stage for this:

"And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8

When we think about this, it is amazing to think that the Earth was designed and 'made by God' to be our sanctuary for life. But the wilderness Tabernacle was 'made by man' with God's design to be His sanctuary on Earth as the Israelites followed Him through the desert on their destination journey to the Promised Land.

In 2Chronicles 6 where we can see that King Solomon said this about the Temple:

"But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever."

This shows us that the Temple was made by man as well. And it was built at "the" final destination of their journey following God ultimately to Jerusalem. That city is the place that 2Chronicles 6 tells us that God told David something really important:

"Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel: But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel."

The subtle message is that if we want come into His presence on Earth, He gave us the design to do that, but we have to do something if He is going to show up. We need a sanctuary for Him.

But to tell the 'full' story of the sanctuary of God, we can't end with the story in what we call the Old Testament. We do need to read on into the Newer Testament as well to complete the picture of worship that God gives us in the Bible.

Here are some things to consider:

According the Matthew chapter 1, Jesus (Yeshua) was born from the line of King David and Abraham. And He was often there in Jerusalem at the Temple, even as a 12 year old child and when He grew up He was still always teaching there during His ministry. Here are some verses:

Luke 2:45-47 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

John 8:2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

John 10:23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

John 18:20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.

Jesus' disciples did the same thing, they went to the Temple just like Him:

Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart

Acts 5:20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Acts 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

And we think about it, the truly amazing thing about the "sanctuary of God" is that Jesus led the way through His resurrection so that God can dwell in us if we choose to accept His invitation and follow Him though the "wilderness" of our own life journey in His instruction.

Paul writes about how we need to consider our "tabernacle" or rather our our own bodies as a resting place, an anointed sanctuary for God:

1Corinthians 3:16-17 Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

1Corinthians 6:19 What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?

And when we consider these words, Paul is really describing what we can read about in the story of the anointing of King David by the priest of Shiloh. Interestingly, in Hebrew, Shiloh means "place of rest". The priest's name was Samuel, he was one of the priest's that served at the Tabernacle while it was in Shiloh. Joshua 18:1 tells us that it was temporarily put there. The book of Samuel tells us about the Spirit of God in David:

1Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

The connections are pretty amazing and there's a lot more, but to top it off, the Bible ends with an incredibly graphic picture and promise of how God will once again dwell with mankind in a place of rest and worship "in His presence":

Revelation 21:2-3 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

The calling on our lives is to be a holy, a set apart people living near to Him ultimately in New Jerusalem. See Hebrews 13:12; 1Peter 2:9 and 1Peter 3:11.

Our walk toward Holy God must match our confession.

When we commit to living our lives in "the way" of Yeshua, yet hold back confession of sin to God or unforgiveness against one another, this isr sin this prevents us from functioning near His anointing and resurrection power.

As confessing repentant Believers, we can approach in His atoning blood of salvation and righteousness, but we must learn to walk in that redemption. A walk of righteousness and sanctification puts oil in our lamps and makes our priestly linen garments white as the bride of Messiah (see Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 19:8).

If we are unrepentent and if we do not seek forgiveness from God and our fellow man, the Bible shows that this broken, fallen state will lead to sickness, poverty and death spiritually and physically.

Y-H-V-H is a Holy God and will not mix un-holiness with what is holy. He will not mix clean with unclean. This is how the Israelites in the wilderness desert that oppossed God's teaching and instruction lost their lives by the plague of the Almighty. It was not that an angry God broke out against them, but rather their sin against God destroyed themselves. Their willful disobedience invited the plague of destruction against them just as Adam's willful sin to believe a lie ultimately brought death on himself. So what must we learn from this?
"Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1: 22

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1John 2:4
Repentance and asking for forgiveness through the atonement of Messiah is a pivotal point in our lives. It leads the way to eternal life with God through Messiah Yeshua. Today, right now you can cry out to Y-H-V-H Elohim in all areas of your life that are sinful and oppose God's teaching and instruction for life! We all have sinned:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God... Romans 3:23

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned... Romans 5:12
To approach lmighty God, we need a breakthrough, a healing, but if we have un-forgiveness we can cry all we want. Not until we forgive and repent will we not see our Father.

This is one of the meanings of the rending of the Temple curtain when Messiah Yeshua died and laid in the tomb for three days. We can know He made The Way between the Cherubim.

He is "The Way, the Truth and the Life." The early first century Jewish believers, the sheep of the flock who lived in and around Jerusalem as well as many of those scattered among the 12 tribes of all Israel 2,000 years ago heard the Gospel message of the Kingdom of God and followed after Yeshua. They believed on Him and His teaching that not one jot or tille has passed from the law (Torah) and so they called themselves, "The Way."

They understood Yeshua made "the way" for us through the symbols of the Tabernacle entrance and on beyond the curtain into the Holy of Holies which represents the rarified air of the garden where we can eternally walk near the light and majesty of The Almighty.

It is time now to get ready - Our King is coming and His whirlwind, the 'Pillar of Fire' will return and as it was in the beginning because a sinful people cannot live near God's marvelous light and glory fire at The Mercy Seat. Malachi 4:5 tells us as a surety that His coming is a great and dreadful day of the LORD for great reason. Jeremiah tells us in 'the latter days' we will understand, that time is now:
Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. Jeremiah 23:18-19
Jeremiah repeats the prophecy of the return of God's whirlwind that falls on the wicked but protects His people Israel:
Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 30:23-31:1
The lesson is that we must sanctify ourselves like a Levite and we must know the lost sheep scriptures because the identity God gives His children of promise is the family name Israel. Peter declares:
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" 1Peter 2:5-6

"But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" 1Peter 2:9
Messiah is calling you, turn from willful sin now, leave the broad highway and return to the narrow path to walk in the teaching of God your Savior with your whole heart and your deeds and you will perform the thoughts of His heart.
For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. Isaiah 66:15-16

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, [there appeared] a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw [it], and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 2Kings 2:11-12

I am come to send fire on the Earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? Luke 12:49
As we consider His glory we must know that we need to turn from our sin daily so we may approach and walk near to Him in love and in His instruction.
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. Revelation 14:12
The witness of Acts 16 31 promises us: "Believe on the Lord Messiah Yeshua, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" And Yeshua our Savior confirms these words to His Disciples:
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."

Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here." John 14:18-31
If you do not know the glory of your Messiah, it is now time for you to return to God's covenant, return to hear and do His word and walk in the faith of His Kingdom path so that you can ready your lamp for others to do the same. Darkness is coming. A lamp is only needed when it is dark.

God is a holy sovereign God. He is a loving God and a Pillar of Fire, yet He has provided a way to offer His salvation and eternal life to you and those that you know by His mercy and  you can accept His gift of eternal life. Consider carefully what your life consists of, look at it and repent of any willful sin, ask God's forgiveness and accept His gift of love through Messiah Yeshua. You can do it!

God gives us a promise of eternal life under the canopy near the midst of the burning 'Pillar of Fire':
And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, "We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach."

In that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.

Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy.

There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain. Isaiah 4:1-6
Messiah came to put an end to death from our sinful nature, not the Law of the King! This is why Yeshua commanded us to “deny ourselves, take up our stake” (stauros) daily and to follow him (Matthew 16:24).

Yeshua can not cleanse anyone with his blood and take away sin without repentance. We have to make the journey through the Biblical pattern of the Tabernacle and the Pillar of Fire which teaches us how to die to self.

When we reach the “end” of the Tabernacle in the Holy of Holies, we die! Any High Priest who had unrepentant sin would certainly die there in the Holy of Holies. Therefore, our Messiah made the journey for us!

In His Revelation given to us, Messiah referred to himself as the “Alpha and Omega”, the "Aleph and Tav" which is the first and last. In Hebrew, (which is the language of God) he said this to John:
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Aleph and the Tav, the Beginning and Ending, says The Lord which is, and which was, and is and who was and which is to come, the Almighty."
Here, our Messiah reveals himself as the 'one', the 'Aleph Tav' the word of Y-H-V-H.

John shows us this in Revelation 1:9... "I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Yeshua Messiah, was in the island that is called Patmos for the Word of Elohiym and for the testimony of Yeshua Messiah.

What does this all mean? 

It's time for you to repent and return to God's voice, return to hear and do His word and walk in the faith of His Kingdom path so that you can ready your lamp for your coming assignment. 

It means we need to know "Who is the One Called Jesus.

Consider a prayer: Please, God guide me by your Spirit as to what I should hear and do.

It's time to repent and return to God's voice, return to hear and do His words and walk in the faith of His Kingdom path so that you can ready your lamp for your assignment. 

Stretch out your hand, and take from the tree of life, and live forever.

Open a Bible, read it, listen to God's voice and do Yeshua's teaching about the forever jots and tittles. 

You can learn how the things which are written in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Psalms are concerning Messiah and you can teach others to live life like Jesus, it's love in God's way:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:16-17
Today is the time, open your eyes if you're dead in your own valley of dry bones.

Look up and you'll recognize Messiah from Abraham's promise passed on to Isaac and Jacob as written by Moses in the Torah. You can see Him too in the Prophets and the Writings.

Repent and walk your Emmaus Road with Messiah. Study the Scriptures He taught every Sabbath that are filled with doing life God's way in the Kingdom, and tell others about Him. Be a gatekeeper until the house is complete.

Shalom. 

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