The Mysterious Secret of How a Worm Preached The Gospel

  The Secret of How a Worm Preached The Gospel.

 Yesterday was Nisan 1 and the first day of the Hebrew month that begins the Spiritual New Year and Passover/Pesach is on 14 Nisan (March 31st). This will be the first of the 7 annual Appointed Times of the Lord.

(Click links below for more details on the Feasts)

https://www.minimannamoments.com/palm-sunday-nisan-the-appointed-time-of-the-lamb/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/not-passing-over-passover-week/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/unleavened-bread-matzot-week/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/first-fruits/

Passover is followed immediately by Unleavened Bread; then First Fruits with Pentecost 50 days later.

Mentioned in previous posts, is how everything is connected and that seemingly unconnected events should not be viewed in isolation. A great comparison is that of a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces that seem to be scattered about in confusion. Taking the time to focus, we discover the pieces start to come together. Then, as we put the last piece into place, we realize everything we needed to understand was right in front of our eyes all the time.A seemingly random reference, in this case is a tiny worm, which has a more significant meaning than on first glance.

Having examined many aspects of the scriptures over the months, it’s time to tie some of them together… so this post promises to be a hearty meal…

Digging deeper, it becomes clear that the story of the Gospel, Jesus (Yeshua) dying on the cross (for the Lost Sheep of Israel and as the gentiles are grafted in with them making one new man); is told in the life cycle of a specific type of tiny worm. 

Several times in scripture, man is referenced as nothing more than a worm.

There are however two words used in Hebrew for the two instances of the word “worm”. Rimmah and Towla; they both have different meanings.

The first, Rimmah, means maggots. This is symbolic, as we see maggots when something is rotting or decaying. In the Bible, mankind is considered rimmah, not because they are the smallest, and most repulsive of all worms, but because of the decay that man is constantly undergoing.

We start dying from the moment we are born! It does not denote our lowliness, but rather our mortal sorrow in terms of our ever-present knowledge and fear of decay, and death. Reading in Genesis, mankind is decaying because of our sin.

There is a group of people who hold to ‘worm theology’ and only consider its literal translation of ‘maggot’. They believe this is how God literally sees us. This is untrue as we are God’s favorite creation, made in His image; God does not look upon Himself as a worm.

However, within this ‘worm’, is a secret message hidden for those who love to dig and it has nothing to do with our self-esteem. The message that everyone is missing out on is  that we are to seriously refrain from sin; yet (1John 2:1) when we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father in Jesus… Here’s how the worm preaches the gospel of the kingdom.

The second Hebrew translation of worm is Tola, Tolaat, Towla or Tow la ath, and is translated scarlet, which is not the normal Hebrew word for worm as the usual word for worm is rimmah (maggot); found in Psalm 22:2-6

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

Vs. 6 but I am a worm (strongs number 8438 (towla).

08438   //  elwt  //  towla`   //  to-law’  //  and (fem) 
  //  helwt  //  towle`ah   //  to-lay-aw’  //  or 
  //  telwt  //  towla`ath   //  to-lah’-ath  //  or 
  //  telt  //  tola`ath   //  to-lah’-ath  //  

from   03216  ; TWOT – 2516b; n m 

AV – scarlet 34, worm 8, crimson 1; 43 

worm, scarlet stuff, crimson 

1a) worm – the female ‘coccus ilicis’ 

1b) scarlet stuff, crimson, scarlet 

1b1) the dye made from the dried body of the female of the 

worm “coccus ilicis” 

2) worm, maggot 

2a) worm, grub 

2b) the worm “coccus ilicis” 

The picture below is of many worms. They are collected for their body fluids the color of which is indicated by its name, the Crimson/Scarlet Worm.

Extracting this dye is a very difficult task, making it extremely valuable. It would have been used only for royal or Holy garments, and palace or temple decorations.In some cases, it has been recorded that it was even used as rent money.Here the worms are harvested.Each worm was carefully removed from the tree, taken back home,and they would crush the worm’s body over a glass of boiling water.

It is interesting to note that the harvesting of the worms prevents it from fulfilling its reproductive cycle.

The scarlet thread which was tied to the scapegoat at Yom Kippur and was also tied to the Temple doors. It turning miraculously white, when the annual sacrifice for sin had been accepted by the Lord on the Day of Atonement; after  the High Priest offered the sacrifice. Yeshua is our High Priest. (As this subject is also connected, see extended explanation at end of this post.)Wool dyed scarlet, a symbol of sin using the tola’at shani – the crimson worm,
(Latin – armenian conchial).
Jesus truly proved that He was the towla / scarlet when they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe.    Matthew 27:28

(Adding yet another piece of the puzzle ***see extra note at end.)

Psalm 22 was written almost 1000 years before the crucifixion. However as we read the entire Psalm, it is clear that it is a prophetic event that would take place one day in the future.

In this Messianic Scripture, it parallels Jesus’s/Yeshua’s crucifixion so much, that many Bible scholars and theologians consider the entire prophetic chapter to be Messiah’s own words.If Psalm 22 is supposed to be Messiah’s own words, why would He say that He was a worm? Was Messiah a worm theologist? No absolutely not! Messiah would not associate Himself with the maggots that represent a sinful life symbolized by the word ‘rimmah’; but rather the Tolaath as the name of a specific worm. This Crimson or Scarlet worm is found in the Mediterranean and the Middle East and Israelites would have been familiar with it.

Psalm 22:6 but I am a (worm), Tow la ath, and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

In Matthew 27 and in Mark 15 we find Messiah reciting scripture, (as He taught us to do during temptation while suffering. Matt 4, Luke 4) Jesus is on the cross crying out to God, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” “Why have you forsaken me?!”

God cannot look on sin, so for a brief moment Jesus felt the separation that sin brings between man and God. The very definition of hell – being eternally separated from God’s presence.

Our Heavenly Father knows the future better than we can remember the past and He made sure that it was carefully recorded that His only Begotten Son would bear the punishment for our sin and become the redemption for those who would believe and receive His sacrifice.

A thousand years later, every detail was revealed and unfolded as the prophecy came to pass.

The tremendous truth revealed by this description is not obvious until we begin to study the lifecycle and characteristics of the Crimson or Scarlet worm.

It’s full name is Tola’at Shani; or Scarlet Worm (Coccus Ilicis.)

 This worm is actually a pea sized scarlet insect that feeds on tree sap.The scarlet or crimson worm is of a family of insects that live on oak trees. Its lifespan is about 4–14 weeks. For about the last four weeks of its life, the female is ready to be fertilized and lay eggs. It searches for a specific tree called the Kermes Oak, which is very symbolic of its destiny.

Then it chooses willingly to climb on to the tree, there is nobody forcing it to do so. Remembering that Jesus was not forced to go on the cross it was an act of His free will. Jesus fully obeyed a command from His Father to lay down His life for sinners and take it again as He died to display His love for the saints.

John 10:17 says Therefore, doth my Father love me,because I lay down my life, that I might take it again; No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

He died for all of us, seemingly rejected and alone even though He could have called 12 legions of angels from heaven to come to His aid and save Him.  Matt 26:53        (A legion was approx. 6000)

The Scarlet/Crimson worm climbs up the tree knowing that it will never come down alive. Its sole purpose is to go up the tree to give birth to a family and the only way it can do that is by dying.

Jesus/Yeshua of course knowing everything, He too was willing to die on a tree, (the cross made of wood) to give birth to a family.

Having climbed up, the Crimson worm attaches her body to the tree, fixing herself securely and permanently in place, virtually impaling herself on the tree; because when the babies are born her body will become a safe place in which the offspring will shelter. She remains still until death.

During the birthing process, the mother produces and secretes a Crimson gel or red fluid dye which covers and stains not only the eggs she lays, but also her entire body beneath which the eggs are kept safe.

As she dies, this gel or red fluid dye leaves a stain on the tree, which remains even with the passage of time.

Wind can’t fade it, the rain can’t wash it out.

Below is a picture of a kermes oak tree. The permanent red stain left by the Crimson worm can clearly be seen. The Blood of Jesus stained Him, the cross, and all of us, which are saved as the children of God.

The Bible proclaims in Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus the Messiah, (and His blood shed at the cross), is the same yesterday, today, and forever.As the young mature inside the mother, the body swells until it bursts—killing the mother in the birth process and leaving the dark-red stain upon the tree. The newborn young then feed upon the remaining body of the deceased mother; until they finally emerge and enter their own life cycle.

A further connection is to the Hebrew word for “sign” (owth) also means “a banner!” That banner is the “scarlet thread” that was placed on the hand of Tamar’s twin when he stuck his hand out in Genesis 38:29-30.

Bereshiyth (Genesis) 38:28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.This twin is named Zarah or “Zerach” in Hebrew (#2226), and he is a prophetic “type” of Messiah whose name means “rising of light.” On Yom Teruw’ah, the first sliver of the crescent moon is rising until it reaches it’s full light on the 15th of the month (at it’s peak) on the Feast of Tabernacles. But this twin stuck his hand out first as a “sign” or a banner that he was the “first-born!”

That first-born son of Tamar was a prophetic picture of the “first-born” son of Miryam who also became the “first-born” from among the dead.

The first-born son of Tamar bore the scarlet thread to symbolize our Messiah who is also the first-born from among the dead.

His blood flowing out of his hands when he was nailed to the tree was the scarlet thread:This female insect is an illustration of the woman giving birth to a man-child with the scarlet thread!

Meanwhile, something truly amazing occurs. This blood stain actually creates a thick, sticky film and for the three days following her death the worm and the crimson gel can be scraped from the tree. A colored dye can be made from this gel also.

It is the same dye that was used both for the garments of the High Priest and in the Tabernacle!

(Exodus) 35:25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.

The garments were Red/Scarlet, Purple and Blue and for specific meaning:

Blue represented Torah/Scripture and the Heavens where Gods throne is.The color Red represents the Blood of the lamb which atones for sins.

The Blue color came from the cerulean mussels were very difficult to find in the sea and thus the dye was very expensive and reserved only for the wealthy and royalty.

Click link for more on Tekhelet snails, the origin of the blue dye, which is the traditional color for Messiah.   https://www.minimannamoments.com/mysterious-secret-of-the-hilazon/

The color Purple is the product of these two colors mixed together, red & blue.

Purple is the color of royalty, as kings often wore purple as a sign of wealth.

Our Messiah symbolizes this worm whose color is mixed with the blue to produce the purple color of royalty; in other words the office of Melchizedek, both king and priest.

The Kings of Judah wrote their own copy of the Scriptures/Torah, (pronounced Towrah), by hand before taking office, so the color of the king is blue, for he executes judgment with the Word of God/Towrah. The priests offered up blood sacrifices for the nation of Yisra’el, hence the color red symbolizes the priesthood.

After the three days the young worms are ready to leave the safety of the shells.The mother is still attached to the shells and to the tree.

On the morning of the fourth day the worm has pulled her head and tail together and is now in the shape of a heart on the tree and begins to change its Crimson color.

When the blood finally dries, as weather affects it, the worm turns into wax which is as white as snow.

The snow white wax resembles a little patch of wool on the side of the tree and it begins to flake off and drop to the ground like snow (or manna).A perfect picture of our saviour! A humble man who should be royalty, leaving a scarlet stain on a tree so that our hearts may become white as snow and as we ‘eat Him’ we receive our daily manna.This wax can also be harvested and made into shellac that is a wood preservative. Just as the resurrection, which serves as the preservative of the message of the cross.The parallel is very clear, Jesus, as the Tolaath, suffered His WAY up the side of Moriah and was attached to the surface of a tree. His Blood stained the tree with a precious, dark crimson. From this sacrificial death, His offspring were given life. 

…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things… but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. I Peter 1:18-19 

On the cross, Jesus quoted the first verse of Psalm 22, thus directing the reader to another interesting discovery… 

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent…But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people. 

The word “worm” in this text is the word Tolaath. This word was specifically used to illustrate what was actually happening in this mournful cry as He experienced separation from the Father. It was taking our sin upon Himself that separated Him and this is the ‘spiritual death’ the severing; i.e. eternal separation from God’s Holy presence.Yes there is death; yes, there is sorrow; yes, blood is shed; but through it all, new life in abundance is born. 

Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8 

After the emergence of the young, they then feed upon the body of the mother so that they may gain initial sustenance. This picture now brings clarity to the words of Jesus as He institutes the partaking of the communion. Then He took a loaf of bread; and when He had thanked God for it, He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is My body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19 So, by His death, the ecclesia, the called out ones, the Congregation of believers, was born. His body and blood sustain us in our newborn state. 

“This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you—an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.” Luke 22:20 

But what if the Tolaa/ Tolaath worm was not to die. Like all maggot larva, it slowly consumes and devours all that is in its path. Not only is there a slow consumption, there is also no new life given. 

“And if your hand makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched; “…where ‘ their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ “And if your foot makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched; “…where ‘ their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ “And if your eye makes you sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire; “…where ‘ their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'” Mark 9:43-48 

Three times Jesus refers to a worm that never dies, but lives on to consume and devour its captive for eternity. Jesus is actually quoting a description of hell described in the final verse of Isaiah. 

“They shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against [the Lord]. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched, they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” 

The word worm used in this quoted passage is once again the Tolaa/ Tolaath. This Tolaa/ Tolaath, however, is different in that it has never died. 

Instead of giving birth through its death, it remains alive as an eternal tormentor. 

Every living human being who has ever heard of Jesus dying on the cross as a payment for our sins has a Tolaa/ Tolaath. This Tolaa/ “Tolaath”, is a reference to knowing that salvation is available and that new life can be ours by receiving this free gift offered. This presents us with a choice. 

Either.. Reject Jesus as our personal savior, thus allowing the Tolaa/ Tolaath to live forever. This would be the knowledge in your conscious memory that you rejected the good news in order to live life according to your own desires and your own worldview. 

Or Receive Jesus as your personal savior, thus being part of a new birth that results from His sacrificial death. As you emerge from this Tolaa/ Tolaath, you will be covered and stained with the very blood that brought you forth. 

If the Crimson worm does not die on the tree, her children cannot LIVE.

Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

If this tola worm (Jesus) dieth not; we cannot be resurrected into heaven. Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. If we reject what Jesus did on the cross for us, that’s what Mark 9:48 is referring to! Without the Tola’s sacrifice, her children are unable to hatch! Can you imagine burning in Hell, fully understanding you blew it!? You had your chance, but instead rejected your only chance at salvation; which was a sacrifice by someone else?

The similarities are that an individual willingly climbs on to a tree in order to die and birth a family. Jesus willingly went to cross to die so that we can live as His family with Him eternally. The newborn baby worms are covered with the red fluid of the dying mother worm just as we are covered with Jesus red blood and are washed as white as snow. Is 1:18 though they be red like Crimson (tolaath) they shall be as wool.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Is 1:18

In Isaiah 1:18 the words scarlet and crimson refer to red colors that come from certain dyes. Ancient cultures placed great importance on dyes, especially those used for sacred or ceremonial purposes, such as burial clothing or purification rituals (see Leviticus 14:6). The point of a dye is that it is not only colorful but also colorfastmeaning that its rich color will stick to the cloth and not fade or wash away.

Scarlet and crimson are: Bright red, because of the vibrancy of their redness, they are emblems that stand out.

Red has a strong psychological effect on people, and it can be reminiscent of blood, which is sometime a symbol of guilt.

Our sins can can be grievous and obvious. 

Permanent: The colorfast nature of scarlet and crimson dyes is similar to our sins, and the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. According to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish. The Hebrew words for scarlet (shani) and crimson (tola) signify where the colors were derived from—a worm.

Just before the eggs were to hatch, these female insects were gathered, dried, and boiled. Alum was added as a mordant (a chemical that helps the dye stick to the cloth by combining to form an insoluble compound), and the resulting dye was used to make red-colored cloth.

Snow/Wool. Snow is rare but not unheard-of in most areas of Israel.In the northern part of the country, Mount Hermon is covered in snow every winter (there’s even a ski resort there today).

Wool was one of the most common fabrics in ancient Israel, and raising sheep was a common occupation. To make it a purer and brighter white in preparation for dyeing, wool was commonly soaked and washed in a strong soap.

Snow and wool are: Pure, bright white. White represents purity. When Isaiah says that the Lord can change our sins from scarlet or crimson to snow or wool, he is saying that the Lord can do something that is impossible for us to do on our own. A cloth dyed red stays red. But regardless of the stain of our sins, the Atonement of Messiah Yeshua can make us pure again if we repent.

The statement by the Lord when He calls Himself “a worm” is astounding.

At first glance, we know the worm has always portrayed depravity. It was in Gehenna where we are told in the Bible the worm dieth not and it was a worm that Job likened himself unto because he felt the lowliest of all creation.

“How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in His sight. How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?” Job 25:4-6

Picture above of Jonah who was used as bait like a towla worm as he was thrown from a ship and is swallowed by a great fish reminds us about Jesus as the towla worm.

Jonah 1:15 says ‘So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea, and the sea ceased from her raging’. Jonah 1:17 goes on to say, ‘Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights’.

How does the above picture of Jonah being used as a towla worm for a great fish to swallow relate to Jesus?

The answer can be found at Matthew 12:40 where it says ‘For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly (defined as a sea monster or devil’s belly), so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’

     Jonah as a type of towla worm was swallowed by the devil sea monster or great fish. Jesus also as a towla worm was swallowed by the devil at the cross. But, in like manner Jonah, when Jesus was ‘swallowed by the devil,’ Jesus destroyed the devil at the cross and after three days the devil had to let loose of Jesus and of Jonah.

Ephesians 4:9 that says ‘Now that He (Jesus) ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.’

     The devil thought he had defeated Jesus at the cross but Jesus turned the tables on the devil and destroyed the work of the devil at the cross.

Hebrews 2:14 says ‘that through death He (Jesus) might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.’

Jesus totally stripped the devil of his power and proclaimed it in..

Revelation 1:18 ‘now I have the keys of hell and death and I am He that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore; Amen, and have the keys of hell and death.’

The worms also had their part in the death of the wicked king as recorded in the book of Acts. However, we also know that Jesus was sinless! He was never touched by the depravity, which is a part of our nature. He was tempted, yet without sin! Therefore, when He refers to Himself as a worm there must be a deeper meaning and there is!

Worm in Latin it is the “Coccus Illicus” coccus ilicis. (n.d.). Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary.

  1. The dried bodies of the females of a scale insect (Coccus ilicis), allied to the cochineal insect, and found on several species of oak near the Mediterranean. They are round, about the size of a pea, contain coloring matter analogous to carmine, and are used in dyeing. They were anciently thought to be of a vegetable nature, and were used in medicine.

    (Bot.) A small European evergreen oak (Quercus coccifera) on which the kermes insect (Coccus ilicis) feeds. –J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants). 

The crimson worm is also very fragrant when it is crushed. Like the crimson worm Jesus was crushed for our sin. 

Ephesians 5:2 ‘and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and has given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.’And 2 Cor 2:16 To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume.

In the research of this post, it was discovered in

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary.

that the crushed worm is also used to make medicine.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isa 53:5 NIV

“… the crushed ìcoccus ilicisî contains a chemical that is an anti-bacterial agent which is why it was used in two types of purification ceremonies:

  1. When there was a plague, scarlet was included in the purification of the house. And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet. (Lev 14:52).

  2. The scarlet worm was also used in the formula with the ashes of the red heifer. And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. (Num. 19:6)

These ashes were used to cleanse a person when they came into contact with a dead body (a host for bacteria). This crimson, the worm coccus ilicis, was necessary to make one clean, which is symbolic of the blood of Jesus removing the sin of disease and death from us.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised [crushed] for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an 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? (Is 53:5, Heb 9:13-14).

The word “finished” in the original Greek means “paid in full”.  “We owed a debt we could never pay” and Jesus “paid a debt He didn’t owe” for us.  Sin no longer has dominion over us if we accept His sacrifice for us, Rom. 6:14.

John 19:30 So when Jesus received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Jesus’ last act was to sacrifice His life for us. His last words were, “It is finished”.

“““

Sometimes we are willing to accept interesting stories that we think are evidence justifying our faith, will glorify God, or they just find inspiring, and then pass them on to others, without ever doing a fact check. Hopefully this reference has passed the test of scrutiny with reliable sources referenced for the insect facts and Hebrew language.

Everyday the Holy Spirit will reveal and enlighten to us the Scriptures as we sow them in our heart, we should continue to be thrilled at the new things He shows us in His Word. There is nothing new under the sun but there are some things that suddenly seem to come to life as we read them. Personal research is profitable and always encouraged. The same word Towla is also found in Num 19:6 And the priest shall take Cedar wood and hyssop and Scarlet (towla), and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. (Notice anything unusual about the cow?!)And the priest shall take Cedar wood and hyssop and Scarlet (towla), and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.Three objects were burned with the heifer: cedarwood, hyssop and Scarlet (towla) thread from the sacrificial goat designated as the sin offering.

The Hebrew phrase for “red heifer” is פרה אדומה” – “parah adumah” and literally means “red cow,” however in the verses quoted above, we read the term “red heifer” because a heifer more specifically describes the kind of cow which was to be brought to Moses and Aaron. A heifer is defined as “a young female cow over one year old that has not produced a calf.” It was to be a particular kind of cow and it was to be a particular color as well, red.The red heifer that the children of Israel were to bring to Moses and Aaron had to meet all of the criteria that the LORD specified:

  1. “unblemished” – “תמימה” – “temimah” – “whole” or “complete”

  2. “no defect” – “אין בה מום” – “ein bo mum” – “no spot or defect in it”

  3. “on which a yoke has never been placed” – “אשר לא עלה עליה עול” – “asher lo alah alei’ah ol” 

This young, female, red cow had to fit these specifications exactly. She could never have worked a day in her life. She needed to be whole and complete, without any spot or defect in anyway. She had to be a perfect, red heifer.

For Jesus to be the red heifer sacrifice, these elements needed to be present at his sacrifice and they were.

     THE WOOD OF THE TREE; THE HYSSOP WITH THE SPONGE AND THE SCARLET ROBE; PLUS HE WAS WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH MEANING HE WAS INNOCENT AND SINLESS.

The Red Heifer was the one mystery hidden even from Solomon who couldn’t understand its significance.Red hyssopWe can declare daily that we are crucified with Messiah and the Blood of Jesus/Yeshua covers us and by which we defeat and overcome the devil as we praise and worship Jesus/Yeshua as God. We believe the blood of Jesus is our most powerful weapon to destroy the works of the enemy and will give us victory daily in our lives. The Blood of Jesus will never lose its power. It continually speaks for us and cries ‘mercies’ -‘rachamim’. Thank you Lord Jesus/Adonai Yeshua, for forever covering your saints with the Blood of Your Covenant that will never fade away.

If you are not sure you are saved..

Please don’t leave this site without assurance in your heart, see prayer at bottom of page.

***Extra note as promised for those still a little hungry:

Miracle Of The Crimson Cord On The Temple Doors…

The Talmudic references (Hebrew commentaries) to the mystery of the scarlet cloth that was tied to the scapegoat and failed to turn white for 40 years after Yeshua died, until the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD. In the same story the Temple doors would open every night until the temple was destroyed. click link below:

 https://www.minimannamoments.com/mystery-of-the-hekel/

In the book of Leviticus chapter 15, the Lord/Adonai/Hashem/The Name; instructed Moses and Aaron to select two goats every year for an offering. One was to be used as a sin offering to atone for the sins and transgressions of the people.Once killed, its blood was to be sprinkled on the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant. There Hashem would view the blood of the sin offering and have Mercy on the people and forgive their sins. The high priest would then lay hands on the second goat which was allowed to live and he would confess the sins of the people putting them on the head of the goat. The goat would then bear the blame of all the transgression of the people and would be set free into the wilderness, where Hashem would remember their sins no more. The goat became known as the scapegoat.

Jewish history records that it was common practice to tie a red strip of cloth to the scapegoat. The red strip represented the sin of the people which was atoned for by the red blood on the mercy seat. According to the Jewish Talmud this red strip would eventually turn white, signaling Hashem’s acceptance of the offering.
There is an amazing reference in the Talmud that verifies that after Yeshua was crucified, Hashem no longer accepted the sin offering and the scapegoat offered by the Jewish high priest.

The Talmud states
       “Forty years before the Temple was destroyed (30 A.D.) the chosen lot was not picked with the right hand, nor did the crimson stripe turn white, nor did the westernmost light burn; and the doors of the Temple’s Holy Place swung open by themselves, until Rabbi Yochanon ben Zakkai spoke saying: ‘O most Holy Place, why have you become disturbed? I know full well that your destiny will be destruction, for the prophet Zechariah ben Iddo has already spoken regarding you saying: ‘Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour the cedars’ (Zech. 11:1).’  Talmud Bavli, Yoma 39b
 
It is important to note that this event recorded in the Talmud occurred approx. 40 years before the destruction of the Temple which was destroyed in 70 AD. The date of this amazing event was approx.30 AD, the same time that Yeshua shed his blood as the final scapegoat offering.

The Day of Atonement in Bible Times. In the ceremony of the two goats, the two goats were considered as one offering. A crimson sash was tied around the horns of the goat marked azazel. At the appropriate time, the goat was led to a steep cliff in the wilderness and shoved off the cliff. In connection with this ceremony, an interesting tradition arose that is mentioned in the Mishnah. A portion of the crimson sash was attached to the door of the temple (Beit HaMikdash) before the goat was sent into the wilderness. The sash would turn from red to white as the goat met its end, signaling to the people that G-d had accepted their sacrifices and their sins were forgiven. This was based upon Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 1:18. As stated earlier, the Mishnah tells us that 40 years before the destruction of the temple (Beit HaMikdash), the sash stopped turning white. This, of course, was when Yeshua was slain on the tree.

But Adonai came as High Priest..not with the blood of lambs, goats and calves,but with HIS own blood

He entered the Most Holy Place once and for all, setting people free forever. 

…And according to the Scriptures/Torah almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is not remission…so Adonai offered once to bear the sins of many.

To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation…For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goat could take away sins… By that while we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Yeshua once for all….this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God…For by one offering He was perfected for ever those who are being sanctified ..says the LORD: I will put My laws in their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”   Hebrew 9:11- 10:17

Shalom and Happy Spiritual New Year. If a worm can reveal so much of the Gospel how much more should we!

Make certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him. 

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE?

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/welcome-come-taste-some-bread-of-life-bread-from-heaven/life-changing-information-guaranteed/

Are We Blowing Our Own Trumpets?

In the above verses, we see that The Lord is commanding us to have a memorial of blowing trumpets every year on the first day of the seventh month of Tishri,(September), and He calls it a “holy convocation.” 

In other words, a wedding rehearsal!

The offering that we make to Him on this day is an offering by “fire.” 

In other words, our own lives are to be presented to Him as a living sacrifice. We allow the fire of the Ruwach ha’Qodesh (Holy Spirit) to purge and purify our lives so that we will be ready for the day when He returns to catch away His bride.

Jesus/Yeshua, is coming for a bride without spot or blemish. We must be purified by going through trials and tribulation in order to be ready for “The Day That No Man Knows!”At the conclusion of the 1,260-day ministry of the “Two Witnesses,” the “seventh angel” will sound (Revelation 11:15) and then the bride shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye at the “last trump.”

Revelation. (Chazown) 11:12-15 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…And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Master, and of his Mashiyach (Messiah); and he shall reign for ever and ever.Some scholars say there are 3 and some say 4, different trumpet blasts sounded on the Feast of Trumpets. The number “4” represents “the four corners” of the earth (the harvest field) and the “four angels” of the “four winds of heaven.”Chazown (Revelation) 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. These 4 types of trumpet blasts are as follows:

 Trumpet #1.) is called the Tekyiah (T’kiyah) The Tekiah – A pure unbroken sound that calls man to search his heart, forsake his wrong ways, and seek forgiveness through repentance.

It can consist of one note (or blast) or it can be a low note near the fundamental tone of the horn that rises quickly about 3 notes higher. Finally, it can even be finished by a note that is a full octave higher.

Contrary to what is expected, it does not take a great deal of air to blow a shofar. The secret is the vibration of the lips (a minimum of 16 vibrations per second) that creates the vibration of air in the horn. The higher notes are obtained by tightening the lips.

Trumpet #2.)

The second sound is called the Shevarim (Sh’varim) Shebarim – A broken, staccato, trembling sound. It typifies the sorrow that comes to man when he realizes his misconduct and desires to change his ways. It sounds like a man moaning in repentance.

It consists of three blasts that are from the fundamental low to the next note up.Great playing shofars are ones that will produce three notes with relative ease. Some shofars (for various reasons) may produce only two notes and poor ones only one note. Each horn will have its own “voice” and sound in many keys. The texture of the finish, size, length and the diameter of the mouthpiece opening will vary the sound of the horn.

Trumpet #3.)

The Third sound is called the Teruah (T’ruah, teruwah) The Teruw’ah

It is Strong’s word #8643 8643 teruw` ah (ter-oo-aw’); from 7321 (ruah); clamor, i.e. acclamation of joy or a battle-cry; especially clangor of trumpets, as an alarum: KJV- alarm, blow (-ing) (of, the) (trumpets), joy, jubile, loud noise, rejoicing, shout (-ing), (high, joyful) sound (-ing).The same word is used for the “Shout” that is made with the voice! It was the “shout” of the shofars combined with the “shout” of the people that brought down the walls of Jericho. – A wave-like sound of alarm calling upon man to stand by the banner of Elohiym.

Teruah consists of 9 staccato notes in succession. It may be proceeded by a one-note tekyiah and may be finished by accenting the last note. Some will accent it and take it up a third. I believe that the Teruah is the “short blasts of alarm” as specified in Numbers 10:9.

Teruah means “an awakening blast”. A theme associated with Rosh HaShanah is the theme “to awake”. Teruah is also translated as “shout”.

In I Thessalonians 4:16-17 it is written:In I Corinthians 15:51-52 it is written:

“Behold, I show you a mystery, a sud,* 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 (shofar) shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed”

(sud* = deeper spiritual meaning, explained in an earlier post)

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-rules-of-pardes/ 

Trumpet #4.)  

There is another blast called The Tekiah Gedolah (Great Tekyiah).  – The prolonged, unbroken sound typifying a final appeal to sincere repentance and atonement.

Some consider a fourth sound but it is simply a tekyiah held as long as breath lasts or is appropriate. Some shofar blowers can hold a note for over a minute!This 4th Trumpet is “the last trumpet” sound made on the Feast of Trumpets and this represents “the four angels from the four winds of heaven and the four corners of the earth” as they gather the elect (Matthew 24:29-31). Seven trumpets (shofars) are sounded when God judges the earth during the tribulation. Judaism concerns itself with three shofar calls of God. They are called the first trump, the last trump and the great trump.

The first trump was blown at Mount Sinai. The last trump is blown to signify the resurrection of the dead and may be blown on Rosh HaShanah. The great trump will signify the Second Coming of the Lord and is blown at Yom Kippur.According to other scholars, there are only two trumps, the first at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:19). and the last (great) that is blown by God (Yeshua) Himself at His return on Yom Kippur. (Isaiah 27:13, Zech. 9:14, Matt. 24:29-3I, 1st Thess. 4:16-17, 1st Cor. 15:52).

LISTEN HERE TO THE SOUNDS OF(Sounds take 10 seconds to begin.)

  Once the horn of a ram, the shofar has been cut off and taken through a cleansing process, making it an instrument separated from any purpose other than responding to breath, (ruach), passing through its chamber. We the servants of the King, are maturing in the same process in the school of the Holy Spirit. (Ruach HaKodesh)From where specifically does the phrase last trump come?

In Judaism there are three recognized shofarim or ram’s horn trumpets.

They are the first Trump, the last trump, and the great shofar.

These shofarim should not be confused with the two silver trumpets called chatzatzerah in Numbers chapter 10.

The first trump and the last trump relate to the two horns of a particular Ram.According to Jewish tradition the Ram was caught in the thicket on Mount Moriah when Abraham was ready to slay Isaac and offer him up as a burnt offering.

This ram became the substitute and was sacrificed in place of Isaac, even as Yeshua the Messiah became the substitute for us and provided Life for us through His death.

In Pirke deR’Eliezer, (a rabbinic work,) it was said the left Horn, (first- trump), was blown on Mount Sinai when the Torah was given and it’s right horn, (the last trump), will be blown to herald the coming Messiah/Moshiach.The Midrash, (Hebrew Commentary), claims that the two horns of the ram became the two trumpets, which in Hebrew is, the shofarot of God.

  The right horn was larger than the left, and thus concerning the days of Moshicah it is written,’on that day, a great shofar will be blown.’ (Tz’enah Urenah)Was not the ram burnt as a burnt offering together with its horns, skin and flesh? So how are there horns?

The answer is that undoubtedly God performed a miracle and created a new ram out of the ashes. The Ram was resurrected!Some believers have suggested that it is a reference to a prophetic vision. Perhaps what is being implied is that when Abraham looked up, he saw not only this ram caught in the thicket, but he saw a future sacrifice, one that would come long after his day.

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” (John 8:5-6)

What did Abraham see? Perhaps he saw the Lamb provided by God.

Was this particular ram created for this purpose since the first days of creation? In other words, Isaac’s ram was prepared for sacrifice since the foundation of the world. In the same way, Peter described the Master as “a lamb without blemish or defect, chosen before the creation of the world.” (1st Peter 1:19-20)

THE THREE TRUMPETS (SHOFARIM) OF GOD

The three great trumpets (shofarim) that mark MAJOR events in the redemptive plan of God are associated with days in the Biblical calendar. The FIRST TRUMP is associated with and was seen as being blown by God on the feast of Shavuot, (Pentecost), when God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai.

In Exodus (Shemot) 19:18-19 it is written:”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. And when the voice of the TRUMPET sounded LONG and waxed LOUDER and LOUDER, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice” Patterns of sound, released from this instrument in faith and understanding and at the direction of the Holy Spirit, is one of the most powerful agents of change on the planet. Spiritual forces in the heavens understand fully and must respond to that sound. Portals/windows and doors in the heavens are opened and earthly atmosphere becomes charged with the power of the Most High.Spiritual forces and obstacles resisting His kingdom are removed, the heavens shift, walls fall down, and His people move forward to possess their inheritance and fulfill their destiny. All of creation longs for the mature ones of God to awaken and appropriate the sound of the victory won. נִצָּחוֹן (nee-tsah-KHOHN) is a victory.


Netzah is the Hebrew word for victory, or endurance; it represents God’s active grace in the world. The name YHVH Tza’va’ot is associated with Netzah.

The trumpets of Israel announced the coming of kings and kingdoms, the approaching of armies. So it is prophesied that when the trumpet sounds, the kingdom of God will come.

The trumpets called the people of Israel to gather before God. So it is prophesied that at the sound of the trumpet, God’s people will be gathered up to His presence.The sound of the trumpet was a wake-up call. So it is foretold that when the trumpets sound, the dead in Messiah will be awoken.

Lastly it was the sound of the trumpet that announced the beginning of the kings reign. So it is foretold that when the trumpet sounds, the reign of the King will begin, the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of the Lord.The Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah/Rosh HaShanah and the Holy days of autumn are just as much a part of the Re-New-ed Covenant, as are the Holy days of spring.

They tell us that our faith, is not only in what was, but is in what is yet to come, as in Messiah. We live FROM salvation and yet, TO redemption, and we are above all, a people of hope. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God and the perishable cannot inherit the imperishable but there is a mystery awaiting us all….. at the sound of the last shofar in the twinkling of an eye the dead will be raised and transformed into immortal bodies. Techiyat ha-metim. When this happens death itself will be swallowed up in victory. Since Jesus our Lord delivered us from the curse of the laws verdict against us, on account of God’s love and grace; then we can rejoice that love is stronger than death. The ultimate victory over the ravages of sin will forever be reversed on behalf of Jesus our Lord and Redeemer.Your kingdom must now come on earth as it is in heaven.

The very last time that the word “trumpet” is mentioned in scripture is in Revelation 9:14 and it is when the four angels from the four winds of heaven are about to be loosed to gather the bride (the elect).This trumpet is about redemption! The first time God who called Himself, I AM / YHWH / Yaweh (YaHuWaH) established covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:9, a three-year old ram was killed (symbolic of the three year ministry of Messiah). When Abraham offered up his son Yitzchaq (Isaac) to I AM / Yaweh / YaHuWaH, a ram was seen with his horns “caught” in the thicket as a substitute offering. so the “trumpet” or the “ram’s horn” is prophetically connected to covenant, redemption, freedom and deliverance!The term, ‘blowing our own trumpet’, is used in modern vernacular, as telling everyone proudly about your own achievements in a boastful way.

This is the world’s way, not the Lord’s Way.However as believers in Jesus our Messiah, it is indeed time to ‘blow our own trumpets’ …and in this instance it’s OK!… for the King is Coming! 

If you’re not certain you are ready for His return, don’t leave this site without being sure. Go to the link below.. for you are precious to the Lord and greatly loved. Blessings and Shalom!

THIS IS LIFE CHANGING Information- Guaranteed

The Legend Of Messiahs Missing Shofar

Who will sound the ‘last trump’, spoken of in 1Corinthians 15:52  Elijah? Jesus? Sounding the Horn of the Messiah from Jerusalem, Israel.

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great horn shall be blown; and they shall come that were lost in the land of Ashur, and they that were dispersed in the land of Mitzrayim; and they shall worship Hashem in the holy mountain at Yerushalayim.” Isaiah 27:13 (The Israel Bible™)One of the landmark holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, the Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai Synagogue was built at the beginning of the 17th century.The synagogue is believed to stand on the location of the original study hall of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai.He was a major rabbinic and scholarly figure in the Second Temple era, quoted throughout the Talmud.Johanan ben Zakai on the Knesset Menorah

Though it is impossible to say with absolute certainty when the Messiah will come, in an ancient synagogue in Jerusalem’s Old City, a shofar and jug of oil are patiently waiting on a high shelf for His arrival!

They are replacements for the originals, supposedly rescued from the Second Temple amidst Roman destruction, which disappeared in the heat of the 1967 battle for Jerusalem.Legends and mysteries surround the simple items   The synagogue is known for many things, but its most remarkable element could easily go overlooked. On the southern wall, on a glass shelf far too high to be readily accessible, sit a jug of olive oil and shofar. Tradition has it that when the Messiah arrives, Elijah himself will appear to blow the shofar and anoint Him with the oil.The shofar, or ram’s horn, is usually identified with Rosh Hashana, or Yom Teruah,

the Jewish New Year, when 100 blasts are traditionally blown from the shofar.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-the-sound-of-the-trumpet/Usually shofars belong to individuals, who practice year-round, not to the synagogues themselves, making the Ben Zakai shofar unusual. They are among the most significant ritual items in Judaism.The shofar was used regularly in the Temple service,

and Jewish tradition holds that the sounds of the shofar will announce the arrival of the Messiah, just as they greeted the ancient kings of Israel.Many of these inhabitants of Jerusalem would be working in the fields or grinding at the mill (Matthew 24:40-42), and when they heard the sound of the shorar/showphar (trumpet) they knew that their work was finished. Our Messiah was speaking in the language of, ‘Feast of Trumpets’ typology, when He said that we must “work while it is yet day, for the night comes when no man can work” (John 9:24). Those who were working in the fields had to run towards the temple before the doors were shut. The person who was alert and listening for the sound of the shofar was “taken” by the sound of the trumpet; this was his signal to run towards the temple. But the person who was not alert and not watching, would not hear the sound of the trumpet, and they would be “left” in the field or grinding at the mill, unaware that the day had come.To Shimon Gantz, the manager of the synagogue today, told Breaking Israel News that he recently spoke with one of the first IDF soldiers to enter the Old City in 1967 after the Israeli liberation.Chief Military Rabbi Shlomo Goren at the Western Wall in 1967 shortly after the liberation of Jerusalem. (Wiki Commons)

Jerusalem – The Zion Gate – Hebrew שער“He told me that he entered the Old City via the Zion Gate, and immediately sought out the synagogue. His platoon arrived here when the battle was still raging. They were horrified to see the way it had been treated. It was vandalized and full of the worst kind of garbage.

But he also said that he was sure he saw the original jug of oil and shofar on the high shelf, untouched.

“Unfortunately, by the time the battle for the city was over and Jews re-entered the synagogue, the shofar and oil were gone,” Gantz told Breaking Israel News.

The shelf stood empty until 1978, when Yitzchak Navon, then-President of Israel, visited the synagogue.Accompanying President Navon was an elderly Jew who had prayed at the synagogue before the Jordanian occupation in 1947. Navon noticed his companion looking up at the empty shelf and asked what he was looking for. The man told Navon about the oil and shofar, obviously pained and disappointed at their absence. Navon promised to replace them. Later that year, a shofar and jug of oil were placed there by the president of Israel, and they remain on the shelf until today.Anyone can buy or own a shofar, making the Navon shofar special only in its connection to Israel’s modern history.From simple ram’s horns to ornate, silver-plated instruments,and gold plated the horn of the Messiah is available to all,  “In the past three years, we have sold hundreds of shofars in the months leading up to Rosh Hashana to Jews and Christians around the world,” he said.“Many of our customers, especially of Christian faith, are awaiting the end times and are purchasing shofars in order to be able to herald the arrival of the Messiah themselves,” Kellman added.But that doesn’t mean the Messiah’s own shofar is not still out there, waiting…..

In fact, a curious anecdote from Dr. Yahav Shmaryahu, the synagogue’s long-time caretaker, adds a new twist to the story. Three years ago, a small group of men approached Dr. Shmaryahu, asking for special permission to pray in the synagogue at midnight. While they were praying, one of the men looked up and at the shelf and shook his head in disappointment, telling Dr. Shmaryahu that the shofar was not the original.

“I knew this was the case, so this didn’t surprise me,” Dr. Shmaryahu told Breaking Israel News, “But then he claimed the original shofar was in his possession, and when the time came, he would return to the synagogue to blow shofar!!”

All that remains is for each of us to be ready spiritually and on that day, whoever blows it, we WILL hear the shofar sound of the Last Trump.

If you are not certain that you will, go NOW to

https://www.minimannamoments.com/welcome-come-taste-some-bread-of-life-bread-from-heaven/life-changing-information-guaranteed/

At-One-Ment With The One You Love

Special Word of Introduction:

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there are different times and seasons. This is a time to be serious and to put away, to cast down and throw from us all that would distract and keep us from the One to whom we owe EVERYTHING.

We will sing of your love for ever, we will declare your faithfulness and mercy to the generations.

This is the pen-ultimate appointed time of the Hebrew calendar year. The 6th of 7 specific dates the Lord set into the annual cycle of life, incorporating the harvest seasons of the grains and fruits. Times chosen when The Lord God wanted to spend time with His people.They were all a prophetic type and shadow, a fore-telling of the coming Savior. A rehearsal for the future Messiah, JESUS who came a little over 2000 years ago and literally fulfilled the words of the prophets concerning God’s plan of the ages.

In Hebrew,Jesus was the burden removing, yoke destroying answer, redeeming mankind and all who will believe and trust in His atoning sacrifice of substitution at Calvary.

There His Blood has paid the price for ALL our transgressions. The wages of sin is death, meaning eternal separation from God’s presence. Because of Jesus, we will never have to experience that or have to personally pay the price for our errant ways. Ezekiel 18:20 ‘the soul who sins he shall die..’

Yom Kippur is all about the sacrificial offering of a pure unblemished innocent life, freely and willingly given to cover for sin, through the shedding of its blood. (For the life of the flesh is in the blood. Lev. 17:11) Yom haKipuriym/day of the Atonements, falls on the 10th day of the 7th month. It is not a feast day but rather a Holy convocation, an opportunity to deny ourselves, a time for self examination. A perfect opportunity for a heart (spiritual) check-up.As the High Priest performs the atonements for himself, the altar, the Tabernacle, and the whole community in Israel, we are encouraged to stop and think. To turn those thoughts to our own lives and allow an inner conviction to lead us to true repentance and then to the acceptance of the blood sacrifice of Jesus as a means of cleansing and forgiveness.Jesus our Messiah has clearly fulfilled both the position of our High Priest and that of our personal sacrifice, He atoned for us once and for all and is continually making intercession for us before the Father.He does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us year after year in order to atone for our sins–it has already been accomplished for ever. Hebrews 9:6–12

The weight and penalty of the sins, was symbolically transferred to the animal sacrifices for that year, so that forgiveness could be attained.

Our willingness to deny self on this day does not cause, aid or enhance our atonement, however it allows us to become acutely aware of our own mortality, our sin, our continuing need for atonement, and our desire for life. At the same time it causes us to appreciate on some minute level, the sacrifice the Master made as He denied His own life on our behalf and to re-evaluate our own commitment to walk in the way, the truth and the life, by obeying and keeping His commandments.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 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. 19 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. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matt.5:17-20

 

The sanctity and holiness of this day cannot be understated.

Though we may find great joy in our eternal atonement in Jesus the Messiah, this is a day for remembering the atonement in such a way that it should be very hard to forget in the busyness of daily life.

Although we are saved by grace and live by faith, we are still accountable for our individual lives and for changing our ways in compliance of being a ‘doer’ of the things Jesus taught and not a ‘hearer only’.

We are to be contemplative, repentant, humble and dead to ourselves because the self sacrifice necessary to atone for our sins is far beyond what any of us are able or willing to do. It would take every drop, every ounce of blood in our bodies to cover even our own sins, much less the sins of another.

However we can rejoice for the Messiah has come! Atonement has been made and He has obtained age enduring redemption, which is available for us! Justice is satisfied and Mercy fulfilled, once and for all!On Yom haKipuriym, day of the Atonements, we are also to remember that we live and breathe only because the Father so chooses, and that by His choice, He has the right and the power to take it away as well. A sobering reality.

Lk. 12:20; Mk. 13:44.

Hard though that is for some of us to admit, once born again and redeemed, it means that God through Jesus bought and paid for us and we belong to Him. Our life is no longer our own to live as we please and our destiny is His hands. At this time the story of Jonah is appropriate, teaching that sincere repentance can reverse even the harshest heavenly decreeand the prevention of Jonah’s flight shows that no one can escape from God.There is such an abundance of revelatory instruction around the 7th appointed time, it is prohibitive to attempt to include everything in one post, so some aspects are not mentioned below due to space and in an attempt to curtail longevity, however it is not out of ignorance or neglect.

(Further details regarding insights on the sacrifices and Temple proceedings followed at Yom Kippur will be posted on more mini manna moments/ deeper dig.)

Now for the Main Meal of the day! Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (Lev. 25:9) 

The Biblical name for the day of Atonement is Yom HaKippurim, meaning ‘the day of covering, canceling, pardon, reconciling.’ Occasionally, it was called ‘the Day of the Fast’ or ‘the Great Fast’ (Lev. 23:27-31; 16:29-34). It is a unique ceremony which took place on the ancient Hebrew calendar for the children of Israel, it was the holiest day of the year and still is for believers and the Jewish community today. ‘Kadosh’, often translated as ‘Holy’, it also has a deeper meaning and conveys an understanding of being separate and set aside for Adonai /The Lord and not as the world and the things of the world are.Deut. 7:6, We are to be His own unique treasure.

This day marks the end of the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) and falls on the 9th/10th day of Tishrei (Tishri), the seventh month in the Jewish calendar.It’s not a feast like the others that we have looked at. It is a day of repentance and it’s still of great significance for Christian believers, because not one of us is perfect.  It’s a time for us to make a decision to be better in the coming year than we were in the past year. Paul makes mention of Yom Kippur when he refers to it in Acts 27:9 saying that the fast had already gone by, as the main focus of this day is to fast before the Lord.Names used are:

Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)

Face to Face
The Day (or the Great Day)
The Fast
The Great Shofar (Shofar HaGadol)
Neilah (the closing of the gates of heaven as the festival concludes and the judgment was set for another year.)

 

UNDERSTANDING THE PRIESTLY SERVICE FOR YOM KIPPURLev. 16, specifies the 10th of Tishrei as the date on which the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall conduct a special ceremony to purge defilement from the sanctuary and from the people. The heart of it is that the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall bring a bull and two goats as a special offering. First, the bull is sacrificed to purge the sanctuary from any defilements caused by misdeeds of the priest himself and of his household (Lev. 16:6). Secondly, one of the goats is chosen by lot to be sacrificed, to purge the sanctuary of any similar defilement stimulated by misdeeds of the whole Israelite people (Lev. 16:7-8). Finally, the second goat is sent away, not sacrificed, to cleanse the people themselves. The goat is marked for Azazel and is sent away to wander in the wilderness (Lev. 16:10).Before the goat is sent out, the high priest lays both his hands upon its head and confesses over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their misdeeds, and so putting them on the head of the goat. Thus, the Torah adds, ‘The goat shall carry on it all their iniquities to an inaccessible region…’ (Lev. 16:20- 22).

AZAZEL: THE SCAPEGOAT

The Hebrew word for scapegoat is ‘Azazel’. Azazel was seen as a type of satan (Ha satan). The sins of the people and thus the punishment of the people were laid upon Azazel the scapegoat. Azazel being sent into the wilderness is understood to be a picture of satan (Ha satan) being cast into the lake of fire (Rev.19:20).The sins of the people were laid upon the scapegoat (Lev.16:21-22).

 

ADDITIONAL ASPECTS TO THE HIGH PRIEST CEREMONY

In order to enter the Holy of Holies, the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) was first to bathe his entire body, going beyond the mere washing of hands and feet as required by other occasions. The washing symbolized his desire for purification (Num. 19). The washing was of his clothes and his flesh (Num. 8:5-7;19:7-9).

This was done in conjunction with taking the blood of an animal with the finger
and sprinkling the blood upon the altar (Num. 19:1-4; Lev. 8:13-15 and in Num. 31:21-24.)  

‘And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering.’

The priest dipping his finger in the blood and placing it on the horns of the altar represents that the sin is recorded. The mark of a finger print in blood is evidence a death had taken place to pay the price for the sin.By this action, the altar had in a sense, become defiled until on the Day of Atonement when the pure blood of the Lord’s goat was placed on the altar to purify it.

The blood is shed for the sinner’s life and to satisfy the demand of the law, on the Day of Atonement the redemption is finalized. So too, is the process in the heavenly sanctuary on the day when our sins are blotted out. 

 The spiritual understanding of this is given in Heb. 9 -10:19-22.
The sprinkling of blood upon the altar is also mentioned in Ex. 29:1-4,10-12, 16,20-21; and Lev. 1:3-5,11; 3:1-2,8; 4:1-6; 5:4-6,9. The spiritual understanding is found in Heb. 9:11-14,23-25, and 1Pet. 1:2.

FACE TO FACE

The high priest (Cohen HaGadol) could only go into the Holy of Holies once a year (Lev.16:2; Heb. 9:6-7).(God issued a warning that no man could see His face and live (Ex.33:20). But because on the Day of Atonement the priest could be in God’s presence (Lev.16:2), another term for the Day of Atonement is ‘face to face.’  At that point, the high priest was ‘face to face with the mercy seat of God.’

Face in Hebrew: panim or paneh פָּנִים (paw-neem’)When the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) entered the Holy of Holies, he saw the Lord’s presence as a brilliant cloud hovering above the mercy seat (Lev.16:2).The word for mercy seat in Hebrew is kapporet. It comes from the root word kaphar, which is the same word used for atonement. The mercy seat can also be translated as the seat of atonement. The mercy seat is described in detail in Ex. 25:17-22 and 37:6-9. This is the place where Moses (Moshe) met and spoke with God face to face (Ex. 25:22; 30:6; Num. 7:89).The themes are:

Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and affliction of the soul.

The incense of the golden censer represents the prayers of Bible believers.Repentance Repent (Teshuvah) return to the Lord.

Hear (Shema) the calling (Shofar) for our lives.

Yielding ourselves to God so we may live every day (face to face – al paneh – פָּנִים) in His Presence. Furniture of the Tabernacle

Atonement

 At the moment the atonement was made on the Day of Atonement, those being atoned for were sinless and blameless before God.

The congregation of believers (kehilat) in the Messiah is being presented before God without spot or blemish (Eph. 5:27) because of the blood of Jesus/Yeshua (1 Pet. 1:19).Messianic Fulfillment; Jesus/Yeshua is the sacrifice of God for us who believe on Him (Heb. 9:26-28; 10:1-10). 

Forgiveness

Messianic Fulfillment: Aaron the high priest typifies the ministry of mediator and intercessor. Jesus/Yeshua is our High Priest (Heb. 3:1) and Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 12:24). He lives to make intercession for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:22-27).Spiritual Application (Halacha): By the death of Jesus/Yeshua, we are free to enter into the veil every day not just once a year. (Matt. 27:50-51; 2 Cor. 3:14; Heb. 4:16; 6:13-19; 10:19-22).

 More about the Goats 

Lev. 16:7–10. the high priest would stand before the people in Jerusalem with two identical goats.He would then put his hand into an urn where there were two lots, each one with a different Hebrew word carved into it. The High priest would then remove them both, one in each hand. He then placed the lot in his right hand on the head of the goat to his right the other to the goat on the left.One of the lots decreed that one of the goats would live and be set free, the other that it would die as the sacrifice for the sins of the people on Yom Kippur.  This is where two goats (or lambs) were chosen annually to represent the sins of Israel, one was sacrificed as the usual sin offering and the other released into the wild, bearing the sins of the people on it.The fate of each goat was determined by the drawing of the lots. The black lot signifying the scapegoat and the white lot, the goat for sacrifice. When the lots were drawn, if the black stone was found in the priest’s left hand when the stones were revealed it was an indication that the offering was unacceptable to the Lord. White meant yes, black meant no.

The Mystery of the Semikhah

Within this ceremony is also the mystery of the Semikhah. This is the sacred act that had to take place before a sacrifice could be offered up for the sins of the one offering it, or before the scapegoat could take away the sins of the nation on Yom Kippur.

It is the mystery of physical contact.

The person offering the sacrifice had to make physical contact with the sacrifice itself.

The priest had to touch it and very specifically had to place the palms of both his hands on the sacrifice.Lev. 16:21, Only after the Semikhah was performed could the scapegoat take away the sins of the nation or the sacrifice be offered up as an atonement.

The mystery is the Messiah. He is the sacrifice. 

As the Semikhah must be performed and it was the priests who offered Him up and then delivered Him to His death. In accordance with Scripture, the priest had to make physical contact with the sacrifice by placing his hands on it. Mk. 14:65 records that after condemning Him to death the priests struck Him repeatedly with their hands. The description shows that they specifically struck his face and head the palms of their hands and afterwards Messiah was led away to be killed.What we need to comprehend is that what took place on earth at that moment, was symbolic of what happened in heavenly realms. That is where the reality and sovereignty of God’s intervention took place concerning the fate of mankind. In truth, it was God who performed the Semikhah when He placed our sins on Jesus, ensuring that sins are gone, Semikhah was completed and those sins can never return!

 

MESSIANIC UNDERSTANDING

God gave this ceremony of the casting of lots during Yom Kippur to teach us how He will judge the nations of the world prior to the Messianic age known as the Millennium. The nations of the world will be judged according to how they treated the Jewish people. Those nations who mistreated the Jews will be goat nations and they will go into the left hand. Those nations that stood beside the Jewish people will be sheep nations and will enter into the Messianic kingdom or the Millennium. Matt. 25:31-46.
Jesus/Yeshua during His first coming was a type of the goat marked La Adonai. He was a sin offering to us as God laid upon Him the sins of the whole world (Is. 53:1-6; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:3-4; Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10).

In the ceremony of the two goats, the two goats were considered as one offering. A crimson sash was tied around the horns of the goat marked Azazel.At the appropriate time, the goat was led to a steep cliff in the wilderness and pushed off the cliff.  Before there could be any sacrifice, there had to be a public presentation of the two goats before the people and the decision of which destiny would be for each goat. In the life of Messiah before his sacrificial death at Passover He too was presented before the people by pilate. For them to choose which man would live and which would die. With the goats only one could become the sacrifice, so Messiah had to be one of two lives presented to the people in order to be chosen as the sacrifice. According to the Yom Kippur decree and the requirements of the ceremony, the other life had to be let go and his name was Barabbas. Matt. 27:15–24

They had to be identical but how could that have been true? Barabbas was a sinner, bandit and murderer Jesus was sinless.

It’s all in the name.

Jesus our Messiah was also the Son of God, the Son of the Father and Barabbas name in Aramaic comes from two words. Bar which means Son and Abba which means father so therefore Barabbas means son of the father. The two men each bearing the same name son of the father. So the one who was the sacrifice and the one set free were identical in this way. Similarly, as we believe Jesus was the son of God, He was also equal to God; then it would follow that God in the flesh had to die in our place and have an equality in some way with us. (John14:9, If you have seen me you have seen the father.) He did become flesh in the form of a man, in the ‘likeness’ of sinful flesh and as such was ‘identical’ to fulfill the law.Bar Abba (Barabbas) was a symbol of the disobedient nation of Yisra’el, and he was released from prison even though he was guilty. But our Messiah, Jesus was killed in his place, because He became the scapegoat for Yisra’el!The definition for the word ‘scapegoat’ is ‘the innocent party who takes the blame for the guilty party.’ The nation of Israel/Yisra’el, (the firstborn son) was the guilty party, but the Father put on human flesh and became the Son (representing Israel/Yisra’el) by trading places with him! 

(This is where we get our idiom for a scapegoat, for the one who takes the blame.)

Messiah fulfilled the pattern of the twin goats on Yom Kippur and then he also fulfilled the role of the Kohen Gadowl (High Priest) that year when He read Is.61:1-2 in the synagogue (Lk. 4:19) declaring the acceptable year of The Lord.”
We are not under the law of sin and death any more we are under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Rom.8:2

Because of the sovereign purposes of the Lord, Israel has undergone a partial hardening until all of those whom God has called from among nations have been grafted in to the Olive tree of God. During this age of grace, those who were called not my people, are intended to provoke Israel to jealousy by means of the message. (Hos. 2:23) After the age of grace is complete all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26) and the original covenant will be fully restored and redeemed. Yom Kippur will be a fulfilled festival on that great day. Then the words of the prophets will be proven true and God will be vindicated. Israel will be adorned with honor and blessing above all the nations of the earth and they will finally be home from their long exile.

The aspect of ‘hidden, covered, veiled.’ We see ‘Yom Kippur’ typology here with the concept of being ‘covered’ or ‘veiled.’ To this day, the Jewish people have nick-named this day of ‘Yom Kippur’ as ‘face-to-face’ because it was this one time per year when the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies ‘behind the veil’ and come ‘face-to-face’ with The Lord!As the High Priest had to intercede on behalf of Israel/Yisra’el for her sins, if he had any sin for which he had not repented, he would die in the Holy of Holies! At the future Day of Atonement, the bride who sufficiently sanctifies herself or ‘afflicts’ and prepares herself will be able to come ‘face-to-face’ with the bridegroom. Likewise on that day when Jesus returns, the veil will be removed from her face and her heart (Israel) and she will ‘see’ her Messiah (2 Cor. 3:14-16). The scales will fall away from her eyes also as she will ‘look upon’ the one whom she pierced (Zech. 12:10).

In the future, during the ‘Ten Days of Awe’ between The Feast of Trumpets & the Day of Atonement, there will also be a ‘7-day’ wedding for the bride of Messiah.

Through Yeshua  the atonement has been made, not just for a year but forever; not just for Israel but for all who will believe.  We have been and will always be forgiven by God’s grace through faith. Jesus is not still on the cross however 
because of Jesus who is the heart and prophetic fulfillment of every one of God’s holy days. These are His feasts, the feasts of the Lord. Because God chose Israel to be His witness to the rest of the world, the celebrations commemorate events in Israel’s history.  Through them God revealed His character and His plan of redemption through Jesus.

So the Feasts are continual reminders of God’s faithfulness and goodness.  They connect us together as a community and are anchors of our souls.

The ultimate fulfillment of the year of Jubilee will take place at the second coming of Messiah.The earth will be redeemed and come into full and complete rest from the curse brought upon it by Adam’s sin. Complete restoration of man’s lost inheritance will take place. God’s people will be totally set free — set at liberty, from all sin, sickness and disease, death, and the curse. Satan (Ha satan), the source of all these things, will be bound and true rest, true shalom will be realized. The tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them (Rev.21:1-4). So, the day of Atonement speaks of the fullness of the redemptive plan of God for man.We do well to remember, liberty and freedom are NEVER really free.

Somewhere – sometime – someone...

has ALWAYS paid the price for that freedom. It would behoove us to count the cost now, today – for there will be no avoiding the inevitable day of reckoning.