Fulfilling Torah Ministries

 January 16, 2016 Shabbat Midrash

©2016 Mark Pitrone and Fulfilling Torah Ministries

January 16, 2016 – Year 3 Sabbath 44

Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26 – Isaiah 60:1-22 – Psalm 141 – Revelation 21:9-22:7

Links: 

http://tzion.org/Tree_Sefiroth.htm

Devarim 26:1-27:26 – Vv.1-11 speak of the firstfruits of the harvests. The firstfruit would technically be the very first fruit to ripen on the stalk, vine or branch; like the first ripe fig or bunch of grapes or head of grain. The ‘sages’ say that the farmer would inspect his crop and the first fig he saw that was ripe he would tie a thread (a techeleth thread? – it doesn’t specify) on that branch to designate it and bring that produce to the Kohen as the firstfruit offering to Y’hovah. If this were the case, I must assume that every farmer in Israel, which was an agrarian society, would carry his firstfruits to J’lem at every ‘presentation Feast’, along with any tithe he would bring. I don’t think that either the firstfruit or the tithe could be brought from any distance for UnLeavened Bread (ULB), because the day of Chag haBikkurim isn’t until the 1^st day following the Shabbat during ULB, UNLESS they waited to go up to J’lem AFTER chag habikkurim. But what if chag haBikkurim fell on the LAST day of ULB? The general barley harvest may not commence until the Kohen haGadol cut the first sheaf of barley on chag haBikkurim. It could be that both the barley and the wheat firstfruits would be brought at Shavuoth time. I’m thinking about this as I type, so thank you for indulging me. So, now let me look at Lev.23 for some clarification.

4 These are the feasts of Y’hovah, holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. 5 In the fourteenth of the first month at even, Y’hovah’s passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month, the feast of unleavened bread unto Y’hovah: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Y’hovah seven days: in the seventh day an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work. 9 And Y’hovah spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before Y’hovah, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Vayikra 23.4-11)

It looks as if I was wr…; It looks as if I was wro …; It looks as if I was wro-o-…; It looks as if I was mistaken about the harvest commencing AFTER the high priest cut the sheaf on chag haBikkurim, but that the people brought the firstfruits of their barley FOR chag haBikkurim. I based that thinking above on Michael Rood’s teaching on the Feasts of Y’hovah for “The Prophecy Club”. I think he based that teaching on what he had learned of the actual practice of Israel, and I think that info came from Nehemiah Gordon. I may be wrong about that. At any rate, the harvest may not be complete by then, but they would have to harvest at least SOME of the crop to bring the bikkurim for the Kohen to wave before Y’hovah on chag haBikkurim, according to Lev.23. What they could not do was PARTAKE of the harvest until the bikkurim had been offered. 

14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your Elohim: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

After the offering of the bikkurim they could begin to use that harvest’s produce. 

Why do we call Ya’acov a Syrian in v.5? Could be that all the boys, except Benyamin, were born in Laban’s country, and even he was probably conceived there. That might qualify him for the designation. Schottenstein’s Chumash has a midrashic ‘translation’, or rather paraphrase’, derived from Rashi. It says “An Aramean tried to destroy my forefather”, but that doesn’t fit the rest of the verse very well. KJV actually has a more correct, or at least a more literal, translation. 

V.7 leaves me with an impression that Israel had forgotten Y’hovah during her bondage in Egypt, for they call Y’hovah “Elohai Avotenu” , the Elohim of our Fathers, not “Our Elohim”, and that it was when he shema’d their call to him that they accepted him as Elohenu. 

Vv.12-15 – The confession of tithes – Schottenstein’s Chumash has a good commentary on this passage on p. 164, as well as on v.12, specifically. The rabbis take v.14 to say that on the day of a close relative’s death, the mourners are not to eat of the ma’aser sheni, the tithe we set aside for ourselves. I think this may be one reason that the people who come to ‘sit shiva’ with the mourners bring a meal or a portion of a meal to share with them. Schottenstein’s Chumash has an interesting note on v.15 on pg.166. In light of that one exception I infer that when Israel performs all the mitzvoth of vv.12-15, Y’hovah’s attribute of justice (Gevurah) is set aside and replaced by his attribute of mercy (chesed), each attribute being found in the middle of the tree of sefiroth, which are tied together by his attribute of beauty (tifereth).

In vv.16-19 Moshe admonishes us to remember to do all that Y’hovah has commanded us in his mitzvoth, mishpatim and chukim, because we have said that he is Elohenu and he has said that we are Ami, and to make Yisrael in all ways ‘high above all the peoples’ he has made. This will be seen in the Kingdom, when Yisrael makes up a vice-regency under King Moshiach.

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of Elohim and of Moshiach, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

which refers to

Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. (Isaiah 32:1)

Isaiah 32.1 specifies a bit of the general promise of Dev.26.19 and Re.20.6 makes a bit more specific. Some of Yeshua’s Kingdom parables add some meat to the bones in Devarim, Isaiah and Revelation. Q&C

Devarim 27.1-25 – In 26.7 Moshe spoke of Y’hovah Elohai Avotenu [Our father] to whom Yisrael had called for deliverance out of Egypt. In 27.3, he speaks with the elders (zachanim) of Yisrael of Y’hovah Elohai Avotecha [your (s) father] and the land flowing with milk and honey that he is about to deliver them into. The reason the elders are there with Moshe is that Moshe was not going into the land with them, and there was a need to make the connexion between the zachanim and Moshe in everyone’s mind. He is placing his authority on these zachanim. Also, later in the chapter, they will be seen as the representatives of their tribes on either Mt. Ebal or Mt. Gerezim (the mount of blessing). I think that these elders were to write the Toroth on the 12 natural, uncut stones of the altar they were going to build on Mt. Ebal (the mount of cursing). They were to whitewash the stones and then write the Torah on the stones. It says that they shall write all the words of Torah on the stones, so either they had some humongous stones and some very fine paint brushes; OR they wrote only the 10 words on the stones. I have no doubt that Y’hovah could and did work a miracle to allow the Torah to be read and understood by anyone who read it from these stones. The ‘sages’ say that they were written in the 70 basic human languages of the 70 nations of the earth (cf. Schottenstein’s Chumash on vv.3&8, pp.167-68). The words “very plainly” in KJV make me infer that the 10 Words were what were written, not 70 copies of the entire Torah in all the 70 languages of the earth. The print would have to be VERY tiny to have all 70 languages on the stones, or even to have only the entire Torah in Hebrew.

Then, in v.12-13, Moshe separated the tribes; whose zachanim would stand on Gerezim and whose would stand on Ebal to proclaim the blessing and the curse. It’s interesting, to me anyway, that the 4 middle sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel were assigned to stand on the Mount of Blessing, while the physical bachor, Reuven, and Leah’s youngest were assigned, along with the concubine’s children, to stand on the Mount of Cursing. I understand that Yoseph and Yehuda, the tzadikim of Ya’acov, would have to be among the tribes on the mount of blessing. But what the actual significance of that is, I do not know beyond that Reuven had lost his bachor blessing as a result of his going in unto Bilhah and that none of the handmaid’s children were included in the group on Mt. Gerizim. I mean, why not exclude Shimon and include Zevulon? And why is Levi on the mount of blessing AND in the valley? What part of Levi is on Gerezim? Are only the Aharonic priests and Levite elders (Merari, Gershom and Kohath elders) in the valley and the rest on the mountain? (That last is what Chumash says, based on the discussions of the sages.) 

In vv.14-26 we see the curses that were to be pronounced, but where are the blessings? Remember vv.11-13

11 And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, 12 These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin: 13 And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

The tribes on Mount Gerezim stood to bless the people, while the tribes on Mount Ebal stood to curse the people. So where is the blessing? I believe that first the Leviim in the valley pronounced the 1^st blessing and the people on Mt. Gerezim both received it and agreed to it for the whole nation. Then 2^nd the Leviim in the valley would pronounce the 1^st curse and the people on Mt. Ebal both received it and agreed to it for the whole nation. And then the process repeated itself through the entire list of curses, like this:

[14b 1) “Blessed the man that maketh [not] graven or molten image, an abomination unto Y’hovah, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth in secret.” And all the people shall say “Amein”!]

15 “Cursed the man that maketh graven or molten image, an abomination unto Y’hovah, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth in secret.” And all the people shall say, “Amein!”

[15b “Blessed he that setteth [not] light by his father or his mother.” And all the people shall say, “Amein.”]

16 “Cursed he that setteth light by his father or his mother.” And all the people shall say, “Amein.”

And so on to the end of the chapter. There are 12 blessings and 12 curses; one each for each tribe (and possibly each stone in the altar.) Chumash has some corroborating speculation on pg.1074.

V.17 speaks of moving a boundary, as we touched on last week. Human government, especially of the socialist/communist/fascist type (IOW, the World System as it is today), is constantly moving the borders by adding laws for the specific purpose of making law abiding citizens into felons. The laws are passed with the certain knowledge that otherwise law-abiding citizens will break them, like the Utah Sheriff’s Association did 3 years ago in regard to the Obama anti-2^nd amendment Executive Orders. They may have opened themselves up to future retaliation by the fascists in Washington, D.C. and the NWO owned and operated state capitols and their surrounding counties. The only Sheriff who did not sign that letter in Utah was the only non-member of the Association, the Sheriff of Salt Lake County (the state capitol). I heard somewhere that the counties in which the state’s capitals reside [Franklin County in Ohio] are ‘federal zones’, so maybe the sheriff’s hands are tied.

V.25 will be a source of America’s curse – because murdering the innocent, especially on the altar of Molech, as in abortion, is abomination before Y’hovah.  Q&C

YeshaYahu 60:1-22 – We closed our Torah parsha today with the blessings and curses that were pronounced on the people who would shema Y’hovah’s Words or despise, ma’as, them, respectively. In this chapter of YeshaYahu, we see fulfillment of those blessings on the faithful, which will see partial fulfillment in the millennial Kingdom of Moshiach, but ultimate fulfillment in the New Creation. Vv.1-5 = tribulation; 6-17 =Yeshua’s Kingdom; 18-22 = New Creation.

Vv.1-5 In the time of Yacov’s trouble there will be a readily discernible difference between Y’hovah’s own and the rest of humanity, because Y’hovah’s glory will be evident on us. We will be like a lamp in a dark room and the light of our lamp will be Moshiach Yeshua. It is obviously Tribulation time and Y’hovah arising shows that his personal interest in our lives is unmistakable. The difference will be so stark between the powers of the earth and the Power working in us that the nations will see and desire our light, which will draw them like moths. All you’ll need to see the nations coming to you will be to lift up your eyes. In some, it is easy to see now if your eyes are open to it. Sometimes, the most obstinate people are that way because their human spirit desires what we have, but the wicked spirits they have allowed into their lives are rebelling against it. They WANT to believe and have Ruach haKodesh ruling their heart of hearts, but are influenced heavily by the power and spirit of this wicked age. When our eyes are open to see the Ruach haKodesh, we are able to see the desire in the spirits of the people with whom we deal and know if they are wanting the shalom we have with Y’hovah or not. In the not too distant future, we will see a lot of this and Ruach l’Y’hovah will allow us to discern them from the rabble.

Vv.6-10 – We will see all manner of men from the nations, represented by camels, dromedaries and other unclean animals, bringing their gifts to Y’hovah as the Egyptians did in the Exodus. This time, however, they will bring them willingly unto Y’hovah, not just to get us out of their land and be rid of the curses being brought against them and their lands. Nebaioth and Kedar are the eldest sons of Ishmael, and were nomadic shepherds, Bedouins, as it were. The ‘rams of Nebaioth’ are the gifts they would bring unto Y’hovah. It seems that Y’hovah will accept the clean animal offerings of even the most wicked nations when they come to our windows to partake of the light shining forth through us in the Day of Y’hovah’s Kingdom. Not only will the nations bring their gifts to King Moshiach, they will give us passage to haAretz from the 4 corners of the earth. They will come in droves to help us rebuild haAretz. They will see that, while Y’hovah chastised us when it was necessary, when we turned to him he responded in perfect shalom v’rachamim. I think it will be this mercy and peace shining through us in the midst of persecution that will draw them to us in the 1^st place.

Vv.11-17 – The mercy and peace will be so apparent in us and the nations will be drawn so fully to that rachamim v’shalom that we will not have time to close the gates to our cities and we’ll leave them open to receive them. They will come with all their power ready to use it for Y’hovah’s glory. The word translated ‘forces’ is Strong’s

2428 chayil khah’-yil from 2342; probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength:–able, activity, (+) army, band of men (soldiers), company, (great) forces …

All the power of the nations will be at the disposal of King Moshiach and his people. They shall depose any authority that will not serve Moshiach and his vice-regents. Lebanon will once again be a willing ally of Zion, as in the days of David and Shlomo. Its glory will once again be stupendous, and that right quickly. Lebanon today is largely wasteland due to the Amalekites who rule there, but in the Kingdom days, it will once again flourish to bring its glory to Moshiach’s feet. “The Zion” is not political Zion that rules Israel today, but true Biblical Zion under the King, Y’hovah Yeshua haMoshiach.

12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of Y’hovah. 

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith Y’hovah. (Zephaniah 3:12, 14, 20)

We had been hated and so that our neighbors made it a point to avoid going through us, now they are flocking to our borders for the peace and mercy to be found there, as in 

18 In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to Y’hovah Tzavaoth; one shall be called, The city of destruction. 19 In that day shall there be an altar to Y’hovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to Y’hovah. 20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto Y’hovah Tzavaoth in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto Y’hovah because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. 21 And Y’hovah shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Y’hovah in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto Y’hovah, and perform it. 22 And Y’hovah shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it : and they shall return even to Y’hovah, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them. 23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. 24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: 25 Whom Y’hovah Tzavaoth shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance. (YeshaYahu 19.18-25)

V.16 is an allusion to the best the nations have to offer gladly made at Zion’s disposal in the day of Y’hovah’s Messianic Kingdom. V.17 shows that where we had good and strong, we shall have best and brightest freely given for our use in Moshiach’s Kingdom. The word translated ‘exactor’ is Strong’s H5065

5065 nagas naw-gas’ a primitive root; to drive (an animal, a workman, a debtor, an army); by implication, to tax, harass, tyrannize …

But in that day, our taskmaster will be righteousness, not cruelty, and those in authority will be watchful for everyone’s shalom v’rachamim.

Vv.18-22 – There is a shift in the time spoken of beginning in v.18, as it seems that the evil inclination/OSN has been eradicated. I therefore infer that beginning in v.18, Isaiah was seeing the New Creation. The first few words make it plain, since “Chamas shall be no more.” HalleluYah! No more violence, which is a consequence of our inclination to evil. The source of wasting and destruction is wiped out, hence the rest of v.18. V.19-22 are unmistakably New Earth, as the sun and moon are not necessary to give us light, for Y’hovah’s glory will be all the light New Yerushalayim/Zion will need. These verses tie into our Apostolic text for today. As in our Revelation passage, it does not say the sun and moon don’t exist – in fact this passage says they do and never dim, so the entire earth will have light at all times, for the moon will not ‘withdraw itself’. I think that means that it will be in its full phase l’olam va’ed. V.21 says that the people will be ‘all righteous’ – no evil inclination or what the church calls the OSN, and v.22 says that the physical multiplicity that Y’hovah promises the faithful will take full effect. I think that within a very few decades, we will have to begin ‘expanding our coasts’. Isaiah tells us elsewhere that ‘of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end.’ I take that very literally, and I think that it means that all that folderol of intelligent life on other planets and that they colonized the earth is a counterfeit of Y’hovah’s actual plan that humans in their original ‘unfallen’ state will colonize all those planets throughout the New Heavens. I COULD be wrong … But I DOUBT IT! Q&C 

Tehellim 141 – This psalm seems to be our prayer during that part of the tribulation that we just saw in Is.60.1-5. If our attitude then is like David’s was in this psalm, we will be very well off, indeed. Let’s see if David gives us a kind of outline for a prayer of supplication and praise.

David acknowledges that he is in need by calling out to Y’hovah, and then specifies how he wants Y’hovah to respond. He wants Y’hovah to hear his prayer and to answer it timely. He likens his prayer to the incense that is continually rising as a sweet savour; his hands lifted up in praise to the wave offering to Y’hovah, because that is what they ARE like to Y’hovah. He wants Y’hovah to guard his mouth from froward speech; to keep his heart from straying toward men’s rewards. He tells Y’hovah to lead the righteous men around him to get his attention when he is about to do something wrong; like Yoav did when David commanded the census to number his fighting men, as if to go out conquering for conquering’s sake; and like Nathan did when the Bathsheba ‘affair’ came to light. He knew that, even though he would not like to hear the rebuke from his juniors and peers, such righteous men would help him to stay on the strait and narrow way. Righteous men are not afraid to ‘speak truth to power’. When his righteous counselors who watched out for him are up against it in battle, David’s prayers lift them up as a wave offering before Y’hovah for him to help them through whatever calamities may befall them in their righteousness. Even if he should suffer defeat in battle David’s trust is in Y’hovah, so he tells Y’hovah to keep him from the traps his wicked enemies have laid for him to fall into. In fact he wants his enemies to be taken in the very snares they set for him. 

David is expecting an affirmative response from Y’hovah in everything he says. He expects that his enemies will be given the same treatment they designed for him; like a false witness is due, because that is exactly what they are doing. His wicked enemies know, like the Chaldeans knew about Daniel, that they would not get David into a snare except they got him looking at anything but Y’hovah and his will. A few times, they got him to take his eyes off the prize, but David was sensitive to Y’hovah’s presence and knew when he was ‘off’. And he was humble enough, even as king, to recognize the righteousness of the men Y’hovah used as prophets to him – even Yoav, who was not all that righteous much of the time. But David always returned in short order when he was chastened.

So, what can we take as a template from this prayer of David? 

1^st, remember that your prayers are like sweet incense and your praise is like a freewill offering to Y’hovah. He truly does NOT desire blood; he shed his own to ransom us. What he wants from us is our conscious and willing worship and praise, which, when we are fully engaged therein, we will not be in sin. 

2^nd, He is not after long prayers, so get to the point. Look at the verbiage David uses: ‘make haste’, ‘shema my prayer’, ‘set a watch’, ‘keep my lips’. David is not asking, he is commanding (Is.45.11, KJV & Stone’s Tanakh) and expecting a positive result. This is because he knows Y’hovah’s will is to do these things. So, 

3^rd, make your needs known to Y’hovah so that he can deliver them: not as though he didn’t know them before you did, but because he wants us to consciously depend on him for our every need. 

4^th, tell him that no matter the outcome of your skirmish with the enemy, your heart is fixed on him and his will and that you are trusting him to guard and keep you through to the end. Q&C

Revelation 21:9-22:7– To get the flow, let me summarize vv.1-8 before we get to 9-27. This is taken from my Midrashic Bible study on 8Jan2011.

Rev.21:1-8 – Yochanan saw the New heaven and New earth in which there was no more sea and the New Jerusalem descending from Elohim to the New Earth. The sea has always represented the masses of unbelieving humanity, the world system, in biblical prophecy. That there is no more sea is significant in that light. When Y’hovah recreates the universe there will be no sin and, as such, no sinful world system. THIS will be a place where he can finally bring his Bride – his Father’s House is the New Earth, wherein dwells righteousness, including Avinu. He will dwell permanently with us on his New Earth. The tears that he will wipe away are those of sorrow for the ones who were cast into the LoF and thoroughly consumed. How will he wipe those tears away? I mean, how will they STAY away? The only thing that makes sense is that our memories will be expunged of what causes us sorrow; whether personal, like loss of reward for evil done in the flesh; or memories of loved ones lost. By what mechanism he does that is conjecture. I know of nothing in scripture that sheds light on that unless it is the New Covenant itself, Jer.31.31-34. As to tears of joy, the joy will be so all-pervasive as to exclude tears, because the idea of joyful tears requires there be a contrast. Joy will be a constant condition. It is in v.5 where I see that he’s removed the evil inclination/sin nature from those who were faithful unto the end, who came up to Jerusalem for the last millennial feast of Tabernacles – he makes ALL things NEW. Don’t ask me what the mechanism is by which he does that, either. All I know is that those words are ‘faithful and true’, that those saints go somewhere, and I see a New Heaven and a New Earth that will be ruled by Moshiach ben David. Is.9:

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty Elohim, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Y’hovah Tzavaoth will perform this.

No end of the increase of government and peace = New Heavens/New Earth. No death, no sin, but ever increasing population to govern in peace = expansion of that government and population to the other planets and the stars, ALL of which are brand new and unsoiled by sin, and, therefore, PERHAPS all habitable. That thought kinda gives new weight to the parable of the pounds in Lk.19, doesn’t it?

Do you know the biblical definition of a liar (v.8)? 1Jn.2.

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

So, if you SAY you know him, but your lifestyle and normal walk is that you do not keep his commandments, you are a liar and you have no place in the New Heaven and Earth. 

Vv.9-14 – Watch how this narrative goes and we will see some interesting stuff that we MAY not have seen before. One of the messengers that poured out a vial of Y’hovah’s wrath came to conduct Yochanan on a brief tour of New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb. The Bride exudes the Shekinah of Y’hovah. Her light is like that which shines through a perfect diamond that is perfectly cut, showing all the colors/attributes of the Light that shines through her. The wall has 4 sides of equal proportion, each having 3 gates of a single pearl corresponding to one of the tribes of Yisrael, which reminds me of the 3 tribes in each of the 4 camps around the Mishkan in the wilderness. Are the gates of the east wall those of Yehudah, Yissachar and Zevulon (B’midbar 2); the west wall those of Ephraim, Menashe and BenYamin; and etc.? I think it highly likely. The wall has 12 foundations, each corresponding to one of Yeshua’s Talmidim. Could it be that each foundation sits under one of the gates to the city? 

Vv.15-21 – The messenger is given a reed with which to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. The city measured 1500 miles square around the foundation, as well as 1500 miles in height, and the walls were 144 cubits in height (and/or perhaps depth). V.17 has the first indication that the messenger was a man and not an angelic spirit. The wall of the city was of jasper; an opaque precious stone of silica base and almost any other mineral from which the jasper derives its color; and the city itself of gold so pure as to be clear. The streets seem to be of the same purity of gold. Our 99.9999% fine gold would be no better than dry-patch for those streets, assuming they would evert need repair. The foundations, named for Yeshua’s Talmidim, are each of a different precious stone. 

Vv.22-27 – Not only is there a single throne on which sit both Y’hovah and the Lamb, but the temple AND the light there are also both Y’hovah and the Lamb. I must therefore assume that Y’hovah Elohenu and the Lamb are One. Please refer again to the Tree of Sefiroth (http://tzion.org/Tree_Sefiroth.htm) and understand that Y’hovah Elohenu manifested in the human flesh of Yeshua AND that the Jewish sages have always seen the center pillar of that Tree as a manifestation of Moshiach, the perfect melding of the righteousness (left hand/Spirit of Elohim) and love (right hand/Spirit of Y’hovah) of the Almighty Ayn Sof. As we saw in YeshaYahu today, just because there is no need for the sun and moon to give their light in the city doesn’t mean they do not exist. The sun and moon DO give their light to the earth, but are not NEEDED in the city, because the glory of Y’hovah lightens it from everywhere so that there is no shadow there. The way v.23 is worded, the Lamb IS the glory of Elohim. All the nations of the earth will bring their glory into the city and offer it before the Almighty, who is the ultimate source of the light and the glory. It all comes from him, so it is only right that we bring it back to him. Nothing will enter into the city, the Bride of Moshiach, that can defile. There is, or WILL BE, nothing in the New Creation that CAN defile. 

Rev.22:1-7 – The Aleph and Tav of 21.6, the one that points out the direct object of Y’hovah’s Creation, said he would give of the water of the river of life freely to any who thirst. Here we see the water proceeds out of the throne of Y’hovah and the Lamb, so he is the source of mayim chaim. There is a single throne on which sit both Y’hovah and the Lamb. The river flows down the median of the boulevard of the city and is straddled by the roots of the tree of life (one tree, roots firmly planted on both sides of the river – another allusion to Moshiach, like the center pillar of the tree of Sefiroth?). 

Jer.17.7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in Y’hovah, and whose hope Y’hovah is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

The tree is obviously nourished by the water, for its leaves heal the nations. Do you suppose all 70 nations of the earth are represented in the Bride? Could well be, since all the nations bring their glory to the Lamb/Y’hovah/Elohim. 

“There shall be no more curse” – The curse of sin is exile and death, so there will be no more of that. The totality of who Abba is will be always on our minds and thoughts. There will be no need of phylacteries to remind us. We will be ever mindful of him. 

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, the mountain of Y’hovah’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Y’hovah, to the house of the Elohim of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Y’hovah from Jerusalem. [YeshaYahu 2.2-3]

The phrase, “No need of candle, nor light of the sun,” does not say that they do not exist. They are unnecessary in the city, because Y’hovah/the Lamb is there. He is the source of ALL light  – his light, his Shekinah, permeates the city, where there is no need of the sun or any other source of light. In the city and, therefore, in the Bride, light just IS. It will permeate everything. The messenger says in v.7

7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Yochanan fell down at the feet of the messenger and was immediately scolded for it, “HEY! I’m just a guy like you! I am a doer of the commandments. Don’t you dare worship me! You worship Elohim!” But Yochanan understood that the messenger he was talking to was Yeshua because he said, “Behold, I come quickly”. So, was it improper for him to fall at his feet to worship? I think that the idea was to not bow to the man Yeshua, but the Spirit of Y’hovah Elohenu. If we read the rest of ch.22, we will see that there is never a change of speaker from 21.9-22.20a. Yochanan never says a word until 22.20b. Has anyone else ever seen that this messenger is the resurrected Yeshua himself? Q&C

End of Shabbat Misrashic Bible Study