NAIL I AM

 

How does a NAIL join everything from Genesis to Revelation, and what is the connection between the Alphabet and Messiah Jesus/Yeshua?

First last? … Alef Tav?

Nothing Jesus said was without deeper meaning … so to what was He referring? and why did He say that?It was a direct confirmation of the prophetic statement in Isaiah 44:6

In the book of Genesis and in the very 1st verse, the plan of God, (YHVH) was clearly revealed; sadly, we miss it’s impact because we read our english translations and not the original language in which it was written. 

Everything is connected and that is why we cannot neglect what we call the old Covenant/Testament and especially the fact it was written in the Hebrew language. God chose and created it specifically. When some of the secrets and mysteries, hidden within the texts, are revealed and become clear, in the light of our current position in His timeline; it gives us the unique ability to look back and see the fulfillment of His plans so far.

First, we need to reference the alphabet, without which we would have no text and no written scriptures! The decree by the King of the Universe to not add, or take away from His Word; and the precise copying of the original scrolls, ensures the accuracy of His original meaning to be maintained for millennia.

The Hebrew language is the Alef Bet.

If unfamiliar with the alef bet, it’s the root source of our alphabet, comprising the 22 consonants, letters of the Hebrew language. (No vowels like our a,e,i,o,u, but speech marks to indicate where to pronounce them, so the word makes sense.)

Alef is the first letter and tav is the last letter.

In the Greek language: Alpha/Alfa is the first letter and Omega is the last letter, (as referenced in many translations.)

For more details of the Hebrew language click links:

ALEF BET Our Alphabet

https://www.minimannamoments.com/ancient-pictographic-hebrew-language/ 

Over time the shapes of the letters have changed, just as they have in other languages, and that’s why we miss so much of their definitions.Each letter has meanings and is a picture describing those meanings.

Pictured here is the first and last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet known as the “Alef & Taw/Tav.”These two letters represent eternity or (the beginning and the end). ancient above, modern belowThey were created from the beginning by YHWH at creation. (Phonetic pronunciation adding in missing vowels, YaHuWaH).Here, Alef is the first letter, Tav is the last and the letter Mem is in the middle. Together they spell Emet, the Hebrew word for TRUTH.Jesus said of Himself, I AM the TRUTH …

In the original Hebrew Scriptures we can actually see these letters in the text but the English translators left them out:Bereshiyth (Genesis) 1:1 In the beginning Elohiym created את ALEF & TAW the heaven and ואת WAW, ALEF & TAW the earth.The Alef Tav appears in the first verse of the Bible:

Genesis 1:1 King James Version (H853)
“In the beginning God created H1254 the heaven and the earth.”

H853 Genesis 1:1 Hebrew Old Testament ברא ית H7225;  ברא H1254;  אלהים H430; את ה מים H8064;  ואת H853 האר׃ H776

Here is how it reads in the original Hebrew Old Testament:

Bereshiyth (Genesis) 1:1 In the beginning Elohiym created את ALEF & TAW the heaven (shamayim) and ואת WAW, ALEF & TAW/TAV the earth (erets).The first and last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet is called the “Alef” (A) and the “Taw”/Tav” (T).

These letters are seen in Ancient Paleo Hebrew Pictographs as “the ת and the two sticks, the cross א red heifer”, or the ox head.

 The letter Vav or Waw is a picture of the nail or the tent peg.

The ‘Vav‘ pictures a tent peg or nail.It means to secure, connect, or establish.Hence, the message in these three letters is: “the red heifer sacrifice, the nail, and the cross!” 

Here also the TOKEN or SIGN or COVENANT

Since there are 22 Letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and YaHuWaH created us in His image and by the ‘spoken word‘, (made up of letters,) these letters contain ‘frequencies’, by which everything in the material world exists! There is an interesting ‘coincidence’ that there are 22 strands in the human DNA. (Wow!)

In our English Bibles, Genesis 1:1 reads like this, “In the beginning H7225 God H430 created H1254 (H853) the heaven H8064 and the earth.” H776

Remember Hebrew reads from right to left.

This Hebrew word (H853) is a word that appears hundreds of times in our Bibles.

Two examples of this are: One in Ruth where the Name of God is not found in that book, except as Alef Tav.and second in Numbersin connection to the prayer shawl/tallit and recalling His commandments by looking at the zitzit.

BUT, (H853 את ‘eth) is not translated.

This is the Hebrew word th which is comprised of the two Hebrew letters EP. The Hebrew literally reads, “In the beginning God created (ALEPH/TAV) the heavens and the earth.”  iIn “Or orah”, Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezritch, explained first words of Torah:Bereshit Bara Elohim Et – “In the beginning God created et” (Gen 1:1). Note that et is an untranslatable word used to indicate that “a definite direct object is next”; (thus there needs to be an et before the heavens and the earth). However, Dov Ber points out that et is spelled – Aleph-Tav, an abbreviation for the Aleph-Bet. Aleph is the first letter letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Tav the last, so, he reasoned, in the beginning God created the Aleph-Bet.Since God did this before creating the heavens and the earth, the letters are considered to be the primordial “building blocks” of all of creation.

The “otiyot yesod” (foundational letters – the Hebrew alphabet).

In other words the Hebrew Alphabet was given prior to the creation of heaven and earth and subsequently used to create all things.At creation, Elohiym first created the Hebrew Alphabet and then He used those letters in His alphabet to “speak the word” whereby everything was created: Ibriym (Hebrews) 11:3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of Elohiym, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.As there are 22 letters in the Hebrew Alphabet, and our Mashiyach (Messiah) is the WORD who became flesh in John 1:1, it means that the Hebrew Alphabet is a schematic of him.

Every single letter in the Ancient Paleo Alphabet is also a pictograph/picture of our Messiah/Mashiyach, and we are created ‘in HIS image’ with 22 strands in our human DNA! These letters contain ‘frequencies’ or sound waves by which everything in the material world came into being and is held together.

In other words, life itself and all matter. However this word et, is not a translatable word and therefore goes unnoticed.YHWH (YaHuWaH) used the Alef Tav in the Hebrew alphabet to illustrate a prophetic picture of our Mashiyach (Messiah), as the sacrificial animal (the red heifer) being nailed to a cross!After the Exodus when the children of Yisra’el were in the wilderness, they began to murmur and complain against YaHuWaH, and so He sent fiery serpents to bite them and many of them died (Numbers 21:6). But many of them began to repent and when they did, YaHuWaH instructed Mosheh (Moses) to make a pole and put a fiery serpent on the pole for them to look upon and then they would not die from being bitten by the serpent.This was a prophetic shadow picture, of the future Mashiyach (Messiah), who would become a curse for us (John 3:14). But later on this image of the serpent on a pole became an idol that was used for worship and YaHuWaH was against this.Being far from an expert on Hebrew studies, however, up till now the subject is fascinating, as the Hebrew alphabet is very unique and quite amazing. It consists of twenty-two letters that are all consonants. A combination of dots and dashes placed either above or beneath the individual letters give further indication of how the words sound. The Hebrew alphabet comes to us from its earliest form, pictographs/pictures/glyphs.

Words were constructed by putting pictures together illustrating a characteristic of a word. An example is the word “father”. The Hebrew word for father is spelled “ab” in English. (Now familiar as ABBA and also as AV, as in AVINU.)  In Hebrew it consists of the letters aleph and bet. The aleph represents an ox for strength or leadership and the bet represents a family or house. From this we get the beautiful picture the Father Who is the strength and leader of His house and family.

Explanation: The ‘Ox Head’ is the pictograph for the ancient letter ‘Aleph’; the first letter of the Hebrew language/alphabet.

The ‘Crossing of the two sticks’ is the pictograph for the ancient Hebrew letter ‘Tau’ that is the last letter of the Hebrew language/alphabet.

However it is not the end, signifying the initiation of a covenant ‘without end’.

These two words placed together called Aleph-Tau/Tav constitute a sacred Paleo Hebrew word, which cannot be translated into any earthly language, other than the ancient Hebrew text, i.e.: Gen 29:35. Psalm 34:1;117:1; 2Chron 31:2; Jer 33:11; Zeph 3:20 and others. Written in its original form the Alef Tav. Source: Strong’s Hebrew Paleo Hebrew Dictionary No.853In this illustration of the “Alef & Taw,” in it’s earliest ancient form it shows us a picture of the red heifer

(the ox head) being nailed to the “two sticks” of Eze- kiel 37:16 (the stick of Ephrayim & Judah).Mashiyach is the “Alef & Taw” which means “the first and the last” or “the beginning and the ending” (Revelation 1:8; 1:11; 21:6; 22:13).The last Hebrew letter, the “Taw” is shaped like a cross because it means that we must come to the “end” of the old sinful nature. In Tehilliym (Psalms) 51:5 Dawiyd (David) declared: “Behold I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”Our Mashiyach came to put an end to this sinful nature—not the Mosaic Law! This is precisely why Jesus/Yeshua commanded us to deny ourselves, take up our cross (stauros) daily and to follow Him (Matthew 16:24).

Exodus 12:13 Now the blood shall be a SIGN (Hebrew word – OHT) for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.As we have just seen, the word for “sign” in ancient Hebrew is “oht”. It was also used in Genesis to designate God’s covenant sign with Noah, (the rainbow). And we see now the same word again, in Exodus, identified with the deliverance of the Jewish people from the tenth plague, when the angel of death passed through all Egypt to strike the firstborn. Anyone under the “sign” of the blood was spared.This “sign” of deliverance for the ancient Israelites, spelled “aleph”-“vav”-“tav” in ancient Hebrew letters, explicitly, the sign of blood on doorposts and lintel, also clearly spells out, “leader”, “nail”, and “cross”.Just as blood on the doorposts was the only sign of deliverance for Israel, the cross of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus, the Christ), is the only sign of deliverance from eternal death for all mankind. [Acts 4:12]

The mystery of salvation was originally revealed in the very letters God used to unfold its story.In the ancient Hebrew He speaks to us from the beginning of time, that the sign of the covenant would be “the leader who was nailed to the cross”.

We should have no doubt of the Father’s love for us! What is even more interesting is that the word “Taw” is the Hebrew word for “mark” as seen in Ezekiel 9 and it is a mark that Elohiym puts on the foreheads of his elect who are sealed. The letters in the word “Taw” even tell a further message:

Taw, Waw, AlefThis means: “the cross, the sacrificial animal, and the nail.”
 The Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) spoke of this “mark” as being a “mark” that he bore in his own body:

Galatiym (Galatians) 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of יהוה YaHuWaH יהו ו Yahuwshuwa.

Below is an illustration of how the progression of the letter “Taw” (Tav) has undergone changes over the centuries, as seen by the illustration above. The “cross” or the “Taw” was never meant to be an idol or an object of worship to be used as some sort of “talisman.” The “cross” or the “Taw” is a symbol of self-denial.

 

Hebrew for Jesus  

I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. (Isaiah 43:11)

Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach is YHVH in the flesh.

Jesus’ statement in Revelation 22:13 now has even greater meaning:
 Jesus said “I am the Alpha and the Omega”. In Hebrew He would have said “I am the Alef and the Tav”.
 Isn’t this just like our God, “declaring the end from the beginning”? Isaiah 46:10 Chazown (Revelation) 1:8 I am the Alef and the Taw, the Beginning and Ending, says יהוה YaHuWaH which is, and which was, and is and who was and which is to come, the Almighty. Mashiyach was revealing himself as YaHuWaH in His resurrected state!

Chazown (Revelation) 1:11 “….I am the Alef and the Taw, the First and the Last.”In Revelation 1:8, 1:11, 21:6, 22:13, the Messiah is called “the Alef & Taw” (Alpha & Omega) in Greek. The entire Hebrew Alphabet is a schematic of him! Could this be that the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21), includes being restored to the Edenic Language from creation? 

A clear picture of God’s plan!
The ALEPH (God robed in the flesh) dying on a CROSS (the TAV).

Psalm 119, the longest Psalm in the scripture, is divided into 22 sections.

It titles each section by a letter of the Hebrew Alphabet from Alef to Tav.

Psalm 119 is all about the Word of God.

Jesus is the Living Torah!

We see a perfect picture in Zechariah of Messiah, the Aleph Tav, being pierced and mourned. The King James Version inserts ‘Him’ however it’s not there in the Hebrew.

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon

(H853)

whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)The numeric value of ALEPH is ONE! The ALEPH therefore represents first and foremost the oneness of God.
In some Hebrew translations of the New Testament we find the Aleph and the Tav inserted:

John 1:1 King James Version

(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1 Hebrew New Testament

Jesus is the Aleph Tav!

Interestingly the ALEPH and the TAV reveal the Plan of Redemption right from the beginning!

The Ancient picture  is a type of “mark”, probably of two sticks crossed to mark a place similar to the Egyptian hieroglyph of , a picture of two crossed sticks. This letter has the meanings of mark, sign or signature. The Modern Hebrew, Arabic and Greek names for this letter is tav (or taw), a Hebrew word meaning, mark. Hebrew, Greek and Arabic agree that the sound for this letter is “t”.

The King James Bible wanted to give the phonetic sound to the name of Jesus, so in the story of Luke’s Gospel they transliterated the name that the angel is heard to say to Mary…

Luke 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (transliterated Joshua) and He shall save His people from their sins, that is prevent them from missing the mark.

Matt 1:21 She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins, [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].

The apostle John writes, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (I John 3:4). The Greek word for “sin” is hamartia, an archery term for “missing the mark.” We could say that sin is not just making an error in judgment in a particular case, but missing the whole point of human life; not just the violation of a law, but an insult to a relationship with the One to whom we owe everything; not just a servant’s failure to carry out a master’s orders, but the ingratitude of a child to its parent.

The apostle John declares that sin is the transgression of God’s commandments (I John 3:4, KJV), including the two great commandments Jesus spoke in Mark 12:28-31. The word translated as “sin” literally means “to miss the mark.” Combining these principles gives us a very broad definition of sin: Sin is imperfectly loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and imperfectly loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Sin is missing the mark of what God wants us to do. James 4:7

The word “sins” found here in Matthew 1:21 is the Greek Bible word “hamartia.” It is the most common New Testament word for “sin”, and the basic meaning of it is “to miss the mark.” But it does NOT mean “miss the mark” in the way many of us would think of it: like an archer, who was trying to hit the right target, but just couldn’t do it. No, this word means “to miss the mark” of the standards that God set for us regarding the way that we should live:

I Peter 2:24 says “He Himself bore our sins (our “hamartia”, that same word used in Matthew 1:21 for missing the mark) in His body on the cross” so that we could be reconciled to God. Our Judge loved us, and paid the penalty for our sins.Mary was told to name her son “Salvation” for He would save His people. Simeon, the old man in the temple waiting for the Messiah, held up Yeshua and said, “Mine eyes have seen the Salvation of Israel.”

And now we can see why Yahuwshuwa called himself “the first and the last” in Revelation 1:8, for he came to represent the “the firstborn” symbolized by the first letter in the Hebrew Alphabet, the א “Aleph” and he also came to represent the last-born symbolic of the last letter in the Hebrew Alphabet, called the ת “Taw!”

Or also known as the Alpha and omega

Alef is an ox strong or first as in AV or AB which is Father also written Avina= or Abba 

 ayin vav shin yod

The etymology of “Jesus” is simple. In the Greek Scriptures, Ὶησους, Iesous is a transliteration of the Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ, Yeshua. Exchanging the “y” for an “i” at the beginning, and adding an “s” on the end is common in Greek, i.e. יְהוּדָה, Y’hudah (Judah) becomes Ὶούδας, Ioudas (Judas). From the Greek, Ὶησους, Iesous was transliterated into the latin Iesus, and finally came into English as Jesus. Yeshua (Hebrew) to Iesous (Greek) to Iesus (Latin) to Jesus (English).The Meaning of Word “Mashiach”

The word “Messiah” (mashiach) comes from the verb mashach, which means to smear or anoint with oil, usually for the purpose of dedicating or consecrating something (such as a temple vessel) or someone (such as a prophet, priest or king) for the service of Adonai.

Also, for the title “Messiah” the Hebrew word Mashiyach from the Hebrew text; the letters appear as: Mem, Shin, Yod, Chets (MSYC)

The sacred names of deity as they have been removed 7,000 times from the original Hebrew Scriptures. Instead of “the LORD” four English letters to represent the four Hebrew letters in our Creator’s name: Yod, Hey, Waw (or Vav), Hey as YHWH (called the Tetragrammaton).

Hebrew Letter “vav” at one time was a letter “waw” pronounced as a long “u” sound when used as a vowel. But it also doubles as a consonant that has the “w” sound. Sometimes, this letter “waw” makes the same blowing sound as in the word “who” as if you are going to “whistle.” Below are a few resources that show the historic evidence for how the Hebrew letter “waw” became a  “vav” in Modern Hebrew through the Germanic influence.

Pictured above are the four Modern Hebrew Letters that make up the name of our Heavenly Father, and then you will see the Ancient Paleo Pictograph Letters above them as they were written by Moses and the Yisraelites about 3,000 years ago and earlier. In Exodus 3:14-15, YaHuWaH told Mosheh what proper name He is to be called for all generations:

Yod, Hey, Waw, Hey: YHWH

In Ancient Paleo Pictographs, these letters are seen below from right to left as follows: Yod (hand or arm); Hey (breath or spirit); Waw (nail or tent peg); Hey (breath or spirit); 

These four letters are called “the tetragrammaton.”

The Father’s name has 4 Hebrew Letters (YHWH).

The latter 6 commandments in the Ten Commandments tell us how to love our fellow man, and Yahuwshuwa Messiah came as “the son of man” so it is fitting that there are 6 Hebrew Letters to his name (YHWSWA).

The Yod, Hey & Waw are unique to the Father’s name which is the name of salvation! If you remove the Hey (the breath or spirit of Yah) and you remove the Waw (the nail), you are removing the prophetic pictures of his name YaHuW. By calling our Messiah with these Hebrew letters we are making a prophetic declaration every time we use his name:

YaHuW means “hand, behold, nail” and then the other word for “salvation” (shuwa) is added to say “hand, behold, nail, is salvation.”

This end-time prophecy tells us that people will be calling upon the Father’s name for salvation:

Yowel (Joel) 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of YHWH shall be delivered: for in mount Tziyown (Zion) and in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) shall be deliverance, as YHWH has said, and in the remnant whom YHWH shall call.

Original Hebrew Name: YaHuWaH יהוה

I and My Father are One

Lower case letters have been inserted into YHVH, YaHuWaH to aid in pronunciation.

The word “God” has been restored to the Hebrew “Elohiym”, and the Messiah’s name has been restored from “Jesus” to ancient Hebrew for “Joshua” which is represented by six Hebrew Letters: Yod, Hey, Waw, Shin, Waw, Ayin (YHWSWA).The spelling of the name of our Messiah as Yahuwshuwa can be seen in the Strong’s Hebrew Concordance #3091. The modern spelling is Yehowshuwa because of something called “the pre-tonal shortening rule” that was purposely invented to conceal the name of our Heavenly Father. After the Babylonian Captivity, the House of Judah deliberately placed a “ban” on pronouncing the name of our Creator and today in Judaism, they simply refer to him as “ha’Shem” (the name) or “Adonai” (master).

(The difference between a transliteration and a translation. A transliteration is a spelling to make you sound the word. A translation is the use of another word in another language that means the same thing.)

Then Christian scholars learned of their transliteration mistake and went back to use the Greek transliteration which was even further away from worse than Joshua. The Greek text had tried to do the same thing and tried to phonetically sound the name with “Iesous.”

Then Christian scholars translated the Greek Iesous into Jesus.

Christ christos = anointed is the same as messiah which = anointed.

This is not stir up controversy on different spelling or variation on pronunciation but rather to highlight the Alef Tav and the prophetic meanings.

The Alef & Taw is prophetically a picture of Yahuwshuwa Mashiyach. He is the “Alef” because he is also the “Red Heifer” which sanctifies the altar of our hearts. He is also the “Taw” as He is the physical representation of the Two Sticks or Two Trees for the Two Houses of Ephraiym & Yahuwdah.Yahuwshuwa Mashiyach laid down his life as the “Alef” or the Red Heifer, on the “Taw” or the “two sticks” for both Yahuwdiy (Jew) and Gentile to gather together his sheep from the Two Houses of Yisra’el!

The Congregation in the Wilderness Arranged in the Shape of a Cross or Taw

Many people in the Messianic and Hebraic Roots community are offended at the Roman symbol called “the cross,” because it was used as a pagan symbol for Tammuz and Mithras. But long before the pagans hi-jacked this symbol, it was used as an illustration for the Alef & Taw.

Pictured above, we see that the Twelve Tribes of Yisra’el were arranged in the shape of a “cross” or a “Taw” in the wilderness. Each of the four creatures shown above are also mentioned in Ezekiel 1:10 as “the living creatures.” The fact that our Mashiyach Yahuwshuwa was nailed to two trees in the shape of a “Taw” (two crossed sticks) is highly significant because this shows that His bride (Yisra’el) is His body, and He bore our sins upon His own body:

1st Keefa (Peter) 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed. Romiym (Romans) 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Mashiyach, and every one members one of another.Once again we see that the bride—the body of Messiah is joined by the two crossed sticks or the Taw!

  All Hebrew letters also double as numerical quantities and so each letter represents a number. Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin

Yod: has a numerical value of 10 and its meanings include: Work, Hand/Arm, Activity, Deed.

Shin: has a numerical value of 300 and its meanings include: Destroy, Consume, Devour

Vav: has a numerical value of 6 and its meanings include: Join, Nail, Establish, Secure, Attach, Man’s number (created on the sixth day)

Ayin: has a numerical value of 70 and its meanings include: Eye, See, Understand The four-letter name of Yeshua therefore, has a numerical ‘weight’ of 386 and can meaning something like:

The hand/activity/work or deed that destroys/consumes or devours the established/security/man’s eye/understanding.

Or more simply, it could mean something to the effect of:

The work that destroys the establishment of the eye!

We can also look at it this way: Yeshua is…

The hand that destroys the establishment of the eye!

This is a great description because Yeshua (Jesus) is the one who has and will destroy all the work of the devil!

In Hebrew, the name of God is spelled with the letters, YHVH [Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey]. Therefore, again reading right to left, we can derive the following meanings from those letters 

Yod: has a numerical value of 10 and its meanings include: work, hand/arm, activity deed.

Hey: has a numerical value of 5 and its meanings include: reveal, show, mercy, grace or when used at the end of a word means: “who/what/that comes from.”

Vav: has a numerical value of 6 and its meanings include: join, nail, establish, secure, attach,man, man’s number (created on the sixth day)

Hey: has a numerical value of 5 and its meanings include: reveal, show, mercy, grace or when used at the end of a word means: “who/what/that comes from.”

The four-letter name of God, therefore, has a numerical ‘weight’ of 26 and can mean something like:

What comes from the activity/work or deed revealed in the nailed/man (of Mercy/Grace).

Or more simply, it could mean something to the effect of:

The work of Mercy that comes from the nailed man of Grace.

The doubling of the meaning of the letter Hey in this word shows us that the two are of each other, or in other words, they are one and the same: Grace and Mercy revealed/what comes from or through Father and Son, who are both one; a concept Jesus Himself said was true,

NAIL I AM

Please don’t leave this page before making 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? YOU CAN BE..

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 all 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.

WHAT DID JOHN SEE THAT WE MISSED?

WHAT DID JOHN SEE THAT WE MISSED?

As this week began with Resurrection Day, let’s say, (or sing) with Job, ‘For I know that my Redeemer liveth’ and echo the statement in 2Timothy 2:12 ‘For I know whom I have believed.’

Turn up the volume and take a moment to immerse your soul in His presence…. 

The 16th Nisan was the 2nd day of the week of Passover/ Pesach/Unleavened Bread Chag HaMazot and continues for 7 days (vs.18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.)

16 Nisan was also 1st day of the Omer: (click link https://www.minimannamoments.com/counting-our-blessings-with-omer/or see the very bottom of the Homepage for more).

Here is the extra study as mentioned in the post ‘In His Deaths’, as this whole Passover week we are celebrating the fact that He is Risen;

He is Alive forevermore and…

An important note concerning the content of this post.

Readers who have been following mmm over the previous 15 months are aware that we are concerned not to pass on information just for the wow effect alone. This site is for scriptural informational subject matter and not sensational and because of this MMM takes extra time to ensure the accuracy of the material shared plus the reliability of each source.

For some years a very meaningful and poignant story has been ‘doing the rounds’ with some slight variations at each retelling; and the intention was to add it as a paragraph at the end of last weeks post. Even though initially some stories may sound wonderful, in the long term they do not aid in the maturing of our faith. It is the truth that will make us free. MMM heart is to share those truths and not to mislead or misdirect in anyway and it is not our intention to perpetuate any inaccuracies if at all possible. MMM decided to do due diligence before publishing.

Interestingly in the process of confirming the material included, some surprising information was revealed. The findings are presented below in a post of its own for your consideration and all readers are encouraged to be like Bereans recorded in Acts 17:11 check it out for yourselves.

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

While many today might say they were being critical or judgmental, Luke commended the Bereans for wanting to make sure that what they were being taught was biblical. Many of the details in focus are not critical to our salvation but rather enhance our understanding of scripture content.

As Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun, it is only new to us because we haven’t heard it before.

…because He is alive.. we live.

This week highlights that this is, THE message, of hope, freedom and eternal life. If we live as He taught us, ‘His deaths’, have made us resurrection recipients. He completed the work He came to do. We live because He is Risen and the cross and the tomb were and are empty…except for what did John see that we missed….it may not be what we thought!

The tomb… the shroud…. A folded cloth.. Was it Jesus’s Prayer Shawl/Yeshua’s tallit?

First we need to set the scene:

The preparation for the burial was initiated by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

It was risky to ask for the body as a crucified criminal was denied a proper burial and unceremoniously tossed into a mass grave which was little more than a trench or ditch.

Joseph of Arimathea already had a brand new tomb cut in preparation for himself as he was a wealthy man.

He was a secret disciple who did not consent to the Sanhedrin condemning Yeshua. Nicodemus was a Pharisee a member of the ruling council and also a secret follower of Yeshua.

 He offered his tomb and they brought a burial shroud

and linensLinen strips

and about 75lbs (100 lbs in KJV) of myrrh and aloes in which to wrap Messiahs body.

This was a huge amount this much was usually only used for burying Royalty.

To understand where we are headed… first some pictures are included of the wrapping of a body according to Jewish custom old and modern.

This will aid in visualizing what John saw. Before the Diaspora they did not use coffins so the body shape is very obvious.

There are some pictures showing the way we thought it was. The way we assumed it was, and the way it more than likely was.

ציצת

Prayer Shawl and Bible Manners and Customs

The Prayer Shawl, (aka. tallis, tallit, talis) is a religious symbol, a garment, shroud, canopy, cloak which envelops the Jew both physically and spiritually, in prayer and celebration, in joy and sorrow.

While some other Jewish garments or objects might be treated more casually, the tallit is a special personal effect, generally used for many years or a lifetime and never discarded. Most Jewish men (and some women) own very few tallitot in their lifetimes.

Knotted Tachrichim

A threadbare tallit is treated with great respect, as if it had a mantle of holiness, acquired from years of use. Although there is no mandatory tradition, in Conservative, reform, and otherwise non- religious families a tallit, as well as tefillin, is likely to be given as a special gift, from father to son, from father-in-law to son-in-law, or from teacher to student. It might be purchased to mark a special occasion, such as a wedding, a bar/bat mitzvah, or a trip to Israel. When a man dies, it is traditional that he be buried dressed only in his kittel, with his tallit is draped over him.

Anyone attending an orthodox synagogue today will see that the men are all wearing prayer shawls. It is a very important part of Jewish life and would have been in the life of Jesus /Yeshua too..

It is used at all major Jewish occasions: circumcisions, bar mitsvahs, weddings and burials. It protects the scrolls of the Torah when they are moved.

They are wrapped in it when they are buried.After a ritual washing of the body, called taharah it is dressed in a kittel (shroud) tachrichim and then a tallit.

Before the tallit is placed on a body for burial, one of the sets of fringes, the tzitzit, is cut off to demonstrate that the person is no longer bound by the religious obligations of the living.

In the Land of Israel, burial is without a casket, and the kittel and tallith are the only coverings for the corpse. In addition to tahrihim, the shroud, some Jews are wrapped in the prayer shawl (tallit) in which they prayed.

Every tallit is tied with four sets of knotted fringes (tzizit), which symbolize the commandment (mitzvot) incumbent upon Jews.

Meaning of the knots and zitzit.

Back to Jesus’s/Yeshua’s burial.

He was laid in Josephs tomb

 The stone was rolled in front of the entrance

often needing 4 or more men to move it

The tomb was sealed

close up of wax seals

and Roman soldiers guarded the entrance until there was an earthquake and the soldiers were in fear for what they saw.

John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.

Matthew 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

Matthew 28:2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

 John 20:1 and Mark 16:3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” think they should’ve remembered the words of our Lord and simply trusted Him.

Meanwhile, the women who stayed at the Tomb, went into the Tomb to investigate it, and they met the angel sitting inside the Tomb!

Matthew 28:5-8: But the angel answered and said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

HE IS NOT HERE; for HE IS RISEN, as He said. Come, SEE the PLACE WHERE the LORD LAY. 
And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you. So they WENT OUT quickly FROM the TOMB with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word

 Mark 16:5-8 records the same event: ENTERING the TOMB, they SAW a young man clothed in a long white robe SITTING ON THE RIGHT SIDE; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. HE is RISEN! He is NOT HERE. SEE the PLACE WHERE they LAID Him. But go, tell His disciples, and Peter, that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you. So they WENT OUT quickly and fled FROM the TOMB, for they trembled and were amazed. And they (initially) said nothing to anyone for they were afraid.

These passages give us some very specific information about the Tomb, which shows that it was not entirely typical for its time. Mark 16:5 says that as they entered they saw the angel (who looked like a young man) SITTING ON THE RIGHT SIDE. This is a very significant statement, for it reveals the layout of the Tomb, a layout that is unusual for a First Century Tomb. Normally, you would walk through the entrance into the Weeping Chamber,and then you would go down further into the Grave area, which would straight ahead, just as with Lazarus’s tomb in Bethany,  but in this case, the angel, who was sitting by the Place where Jesus was laid, was on the right hand side, as they entered through the Doorway into the Weeping Chamber. It was only because of this arrangement that later on from the door, John could see the grave-clothes where He lay. 

The Arrival of the Second Group of women led by Joanna: It is Luke, (who tells the story from Joanna’s viewpoint), who describes the arrival of the 2nd Group of women at the Tomb. They had come from Herod’s Palace, and arrived just after the others had left in a hurry, after their encounter with the angel.

Luke 24:1,2: Now on the 1st day of the week (Sunday), very early in the morning, they (the women described in Luke 23:55,56), and certain other women with them (under Joanna).

 Looking at the Garden Tomb above, (and also next picture), there’s a small window in the upper right-hand face of the Tomb, above the modern block-stone. It was cut into the Rock-Face as an original feature of the Tomb, when it was first built. It is too narrow to be another entrance.This was a nephesh (lit. “soul” hole), through which, by Jewish tradition, the spirit of the dead departed after 3 days in the Tomb. The morning sunlight shining through this window illuminated the Tomb, so that Peter and John could see into what otherwise would have been a dark Tomb interior.

So, because of the light shining through the window, as they stood at the door and looked to the right, they would have clearly seen where Christ had been laid. They saw His grave cloths lying by themselves where His body had been, but there was no body. They could see the Tomb was empty. 

When Peter and John (who, most scholars agree, was “the other disciple”) heard the excited report of Mary Magdalene, they rushed to the tomb. John “outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there, but did not go in” (John 20:4-5).

John looked into the tomb, but did not enter. The Greek word used here for “look” is blepo, “which denotes simple sight” [Dr. Alvah Hovey, An American Commentary on the NT, p. 396], as distinguished from a deeper perception of that which is seen by the eyes.

In other words, John’s eyes saw what was before him, but he didn’t yet fully grasp “how to interpret the phenomenon” [The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9, p. 189].

Peter, on the other hand, when he got to the scene, went immediately into the tomb, and “he saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen” (John 20:6-7, NIV).

Peter “saw” — this is the Greek word theoreo, meaning “to gaze upon, contemplate, consider; to view with interest and attention; to come to a knowledge of” [The Analytical Greek Lexicon of the NT, p. 194].

It was a “closer and more careful, vivid, and instructive gaze” than that of John [The Pulpit Commentary, vol. 17, pt. 2, p. 465].

John glanced at the scene; Peter gazed at it.

“The bolder Peter is rewarded with bright evidence of what had happened” [Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Practical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, p. 1076].

“The change of word seems to have been intentional. Peter’s survey of the tomb was more searching and exact than that of John” [Dr. Hovey, p. 396].The Tomb and its contents could have been for the disciples to believe because we are told in John 20:9

“Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.

Then the disciples went back to their homes” (John 20:8-10). Like Peter, John now “saw” — which resulted in belief. This is yet a third Greek word employed in this passage: eidov (a form of horao), meaning “to perceive; to observe with understanding.”

We see a powerful progression here from seeing to scrutinizing and contemplating to understanding, which then results in belief. Peter and John were still struggling with the events of the past few days, and their faith was not yet firm, as they still had questions and doubts, but they could not deny the reality of what was before their eyes: Jesus was not just away, He was arisen!

There was something in the scene before them that convicted them of this truth: not just an empty tomb, but something to do with the burial garments, proclaimed a powerful, convincing message of resurrection.

What exactly was the message of the garments they found within the tomb of our Lord that morning of the first day of the week?

With regard to the ‘burial clothes’ of our Lord, there were two different parts. 

First, we find the “strips of linen” (NIV) that were used to wrap the body of Jesus. The practice at that time was to take a number of strips of cloth and wrap the body with these strips, binding it up much like a mummy.

“Aromatic spices were strewn between the layers of linen, and these layers, one wound over the other, were numerous, so that all those spices could be held between them” [R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel, p. 1342].

This would have greatly limited the movement of the body (although few expected a dead body to actually move)!

We see this in the coming forth from the tomb of Lazarus. When he came out, “his hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen, and he had a cloth around his face.” Therefore, Jesus said, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go” (John 11:44). 

Secondly, as noted in the account of the resurrection of Lazarus, there was, in addition to the body wrappings, a covering for the face/head. The Greek word used for this item is soudarion, and it is used in both John 11:44 and 20:7. It denoted “a headcovering for the dead” [The New Strong’s Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words, p. 1372].

It was a “piece of cloth, a yard or so square” [Dr. James Hastings, Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. 2, p. 226], that was used to wrap around the head of the deceased: a head shroud. A picture of just such a head cloth can be seen in the accompanying picture.When Peter, and then later John, entered the tomb they found something intriguing about these burial garments: something so utterly astounding that it erased their doubts and established their faith in our Lord’s resurrection from the dead.

They did not see the body of Jesus; but they did see the grave clothes…. And they saw the clothes in a certain order. 

John covers the exact arrangement of the clothes. It is the sole purpose of nine verses of the Gospel history. Why so great a detailed account? It was the linen strips that caused him to believe. Scripture clearly tells us that when John “saw the arrangement of the grave clothes, he believed, beyond all doubt, that Jesus was risen.”

These grave garments were arranged in a unique way. When John saw “the linen clothes lying,” he believed. The word “lying” does not merely refer to the fact that they were “remaining on the floor of the sepulcher,” but rather, the word used, means that they were 

“lying precisely as the body had lain in them.” 

The grave clothes were in exactly the position the body had occupied.

They “saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen” (John 20:7, NIV).   In reading this statement, we may not find much to astound us; but, most translations have not really captured, in their English rendering of the text, what Peter and John were beholding and perceiving in that tomb. Indeed, in some translations, the wording is even misleading.

For example, there are a few versions where the face/head wrap is referred to as a “napkin”, the sort used to wipe the mouth while eating a meal. (King James VersionAmerican Standard VersionRevised Standard VersionYoung’s Literal TranslationNew English Bible).

These are major translations that have greatly influenced our religious language. Another unfortunate rendering of the Greek term is “handkerchief” (New King James VersionDarby Translation, the modern translation by J. B. Phillips, and even the version by Hugo McCord).

Most versions, however, simply render the Greek term as “the wrapping” or “the cloth.” The words “napkin” and “handkerchief” leave the wrong impression in our minds, and can lead to some strange interpretations (such as the alternate story/account/eRumor, making the rounds on the Internet in which a “folded napkin at the dinner table” is supposed to convey to a servant that the master is coming back –

As mmm heart is for truth and no evidence was found to coroborate the reference to the napkin at the dinner table; only that (“2000 yrs ago as there was no such Jewish custom in that day; such “dinner napkins” were not even used by rough fishermen, and a number of Orthodox Jewish rabbis and scholars in Jerusalem, when questioned about this, stated they had never even heard of such a thing”).   It may have been a custom of the Roman Elites and of Royals. The way of life, lack of internal plumbing and European/western etiquette are things we take for granted but it was not as we are today; and many countries are still struggling for the basic necessities of life. Our Greek mind set and mistranslations may have helped to paint a not so accurate picture. 

Presented below are some referenced studies from original texts, which reveal a truly amazing possibility!

This was not a napkin or handkerchief, but as already stated it was probably either rather a large linen cloth that was wrapped around the head of the deceased and/or His tallit.

Some translators also did not serve their readers well by translating the Greek word entulisso as “folded” (New International VersionDarby TranslationEnglish Standard VersionHolman Christian Standard BibleNew Century VersionNew King James VersionNew Living Translation, and a few others).

Most translations have “wrapped up” or “rolled up.” The Greek word entulisso only appears three times in the NT (Matt. 27:59; Luke 23:53; John 20:7). The word itself means “to roll up; to wrap together” [Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the NT, p. 219].

The picture above may not be exactly what they saw… the one below maybe nearer the reality..

So it was Not This…

But this is what they saw!!!!

“It implies that the cloth had been wound around the head into the shape of a sphere and not folded flat like a table napkin. In the NT this word is used only in the description of Jesus’ entombment” [The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9, p. 189].

Thus, the text is actually suggesting that what Peter and John saw was NOT a “folded napkin,” but rather the head shroud still in its “wrapped up” condition, only with no head in it.

The same was the case with the burial linens. 

They were there, still “lying in place” as they had been, with the head wrap separate from the body wrap, but the body was gone.

“Unfortunately, neither the Authorized Version nor the Revised Version gives the exact translation of the Greek text. The literal rendering of the passage makes it clear that the cloth which had been placed about Christ’s head before burial was discovered by the two disciples lying where His head had been, in the undisturbed form of a coiled or twisted head-wrapper …

just as if His head had somehow slipped out of it.

This rendering of the passage is confirmed by the impression made upon the two disciples by what they witnessed on entering the tomb. It is said that they ‘saw and believed’ — saw something, that is, which persuaded them so completely that their Master was risen from the dead that their doubts were immediately resolved” [Dr. James Hastings, Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. 2, p. 227].

Dr. H. A. Ironside concurs: “They saw the linen cloths just as they had been wrapped around the body, like the shell of the chrysalis after the butterfly has emerged. The cloths were there, but the body had gone!” [Addresses on the Gospel of John, p. 861].

“This means the headcloth still retained the shape that the contour of Jesus’ head had given it, and that it was still separated from the other wrappings by a space that suggested the distance between the neck of the deceased and the upper chest, where the wrappings of the body would have begun” [The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9, p. 188].

Esteemed Jewish scholar Simon Greenleaf, founder of Harvard Law School, meant to use his “laws of evidence” to challenge the theory of the resurrection, and became a believer.

LINEN THAT COULDN’T LIE

Linen clothes, refer to the manner in which they prepared the body for burial in that day. They would wrap the body with a wide long cloth, somewhat like a bandage is applied to an injured leg or arm; the wrappings continued until they reached the neck. This was the method they used to prepare the body of Jesus for burial. Like a giant bondage, these wrappings were wound around the body of our Lord, beginning at the feet, and ending at the head. John saw these ‘linen clothes lying’ undisturbed, just as they had been when the body of Jesus lay within them, but now there was no body, the linen clothes were empty!

John 19:39-40 tells us that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea brought about a 100 pounds of myrrh and aloes spices and wound the body of Jesus in the cloth wrappings with the spices. As they wrapped the cloth strip around and around Jesus’ body, they poured in 100 pounds of spices into the wrappings and upon the body. 

LIQUID SPICES SETTLED AND SOLIDIFIED AROUND THE BODY SHAPE!

All these liquid spices would soon harden and would cause the cloth wrappings to become an encrusted cocoon around the body of Jesus.

All the wrappings followed the contours of the body; it would be a tight solid covering that would protect the body, and from which the body could not be pulled by any human means. 

The only way, humanly speaking, a body could be removed from such encrusted wrappings, would be by cutting the cloth from end to end and laying back each side so the body could be pulled from its wrappings.

PROOF – THE BODY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN STOLEN

It is inconceivable that the body had been stolen, and that enemies would have spent the time to abstract the body from the clothes and so arrange them as to look like a body was still there. Who would do that and why?

When the disciples saw the “linen clothes lying” –- uncut, undisturbed, lying just as they had been, yet they were empty –- it convinced them that the body had been miraculously, supernaturally removed. Had some human hand stolen the body, he would have been forced to slit open the bindings in order to remove the body. 

Likewise, Greenleaf concluded, HAD JESUS REVIVED AND EXITED THE TOMB HE COULD NOT HAVE LEFT THE WRAPPING UNDISTURBED.

The Greek words translated, “wrapped together” in John 20:7, actually mean, “twisted together” or “rolled up” –- it speaks of a fixed position – much like a cocoon. The linen cloths were “wrapped” or “rolled together,” however the body was missing.

The “linen clothes” had not been unfolded, loosed or disturbed in any way!

They just lay there!

An empty shell of the linen clothes that had been wrapped around and around the body of Jesus. 

The primary point of this physical testimony was to thwart the lie that was going to be spread abroad that the body of Jesus had been stolen (either by His disciples or unnamed others). Because guards were posted at the tomb, and the entrance was sealed, even if robbers managed to distract the guards, they would still have to snatch the body in haste and make off with it, which would not allow them time to leave the burial wrappings in such a condition.

Indeed, they would most likely steal the body fully wrapped, rather than carefully unwrap it, remove the body, then rewrap the linen pieces to its previous shape, making off with a corpse. It wouldn’t make any sense, nor would they have the time. If they did choose to remove the burial wrappings, it would have been done in haste, and the cloths would be strewn about the tomb.

This was not the case. Clearly the hand of God was involved for the body to be gone and the wrappings to be preserved in this condition, and given the fact that the tomb was sealed and guarded. Peter and John took in the whole scene … and believed! He was risen!

“The grave clothes were left as if Jesus had passed right through them. The headpiece was still rolled up in the shape of a head, and it was at about the right distance from the wrappings that had enveloped Jesus’ body.

A grave robber couldn’t possibly have made off with Jesus’ body and left the linens as if they were still shaped around it” [footnote in the Life Application Bible, p. 1926]. As Dr. W. Robertson Nicoll rightly observes, in The Expositor’s Greek Testament, “Had the authorities or anyone else taken the body, they would have taken it as it was” [vol. 1, p. 862]. Matthew Henry’s point is well-taken: “Anyone would rather choose to carry a dead body in its clothes than naked” [Commentary on the Whole Bible, e-Sword].

(Naked in the Hebrew means except for a loincloth.)

Thus, the condition of burial garments “became the fullest proofs against the lie of the chief priests: that the body had been stolen away by the disciples. If the body had been stolen away, those who took it would not have stopped to strip the clothes from it, and to wrap them up” again [Adam Clarke, Clarke’s Commentary, vol. 5, p. 656].

“Peter must have been wondering why the grave clothes were left in this position if the body had been stolen. A robber would not have left them in good order. He would have stripped the body completely, leaving the clothing in a disorderly heap; or he would have taken the body, grave clothes and all” [The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9, p. 188].

These linen wrappings, and the condition in which they found them, convinced Peter and John “that this was no violent grave robbery or the grave clothes would have been tossed in a heap or carried off with the body. The careful arrangement impressed the sensitive apostles with the marvelous truth that their Lord had risen from the dead” [The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 4, p. 373].

THE ‘COCOON’ WAS EMPTY…

The tomb was empty…

What do you think? A Mmmm moment!

(Makes the analogy of the butterfly’s lifecycle even more interesting as ‘the worm’ exits the cocoon in a brand new body and flies away.) 

Dr. Lenski sums up what we find in this passage, and the marvelous truth it proclaimed to Peter and John … and us: “They lay just as they had been wound about the limbs and the body, only the body was no longer in them. … No human being wrapped round and round with bands like this could possibly slip out of them without greatly disturbing them.”

“They would have to be unwound, or cut through, or cut and stripped off. They would thus, if removed, lie strewn around in disorder or heaped in a pile. … If the body had been desecrated in the tomb by hostile hands, this kind of evidence would appear. But hostile hands would have carried off the body as it was, wrappings and all, to get it away as soon as possible and to abuse it later and elsewhere.”

“But here the linen bands were. Both their presence and their undisturbed condition spoke volumes. Here, indeed, was a sign to behold. It corroborated what the women had told Peter and John on the way out to the tomb: Jesus was risen from the dead!” [The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel, p. 1342].

Final thoughts…

Is this Proof of Resurrection that Jesus folded his Tallit when he arose from the dead?

Yeshua, the Messiah, also was put in the tomb with His prayer shawl about His head/covering His Body as was the custom of burial. The TALLIT, (which the KJV calls the napkin), is one of the many great infallible proofs, as Jesus showed Himself ALIVE after his death on the cross.

As Peter and then John entered the empty tomb, they saw something that immediately convinced them that the resurrection of Jesus/Yeshua was irrefutable fact.

This is just a single small example of the richness of the proof of the resurrection. It also shows why Gentiles should rejoice that the Jewish Roots of the Gospel are being restored by the modern Messianic movement.

Jesus/Yeshua knew that when Simon Peter burst into the tomb and found it empty, Peter would think the Romans had somehow disposed of the body.

Is that why Jesus/Yeshua, at the time of His resurrection, on Saturday, the Sabbath, Nissan 17, three days and nights after His death on the cross on Wednesday, Nissan 14, 30AD, took the time to precisely fold His prayer shawl, His Tallit, and lay it apart from the other grave wrappings?

When Peter saw the tallit, as only Jesus/Yeshua would fold it, he knew that the Romans did not take the body; because, if they had, it is not at all likely would they have folded, or even known how Jesus/Yeshua folded His tallit. Jesus/Yeshua MUST be alive to have folded His tallit, in the precise way that Peter and John were familiar with.

So in perfect conclusion for Passover week let the music minister to us… Shalom as He raises us up! We are each and every one precious in His sight and greatly loved.

How appropriate..Yeshua began and ended His earthly life in swaddling clothes! WOW!As today is key to understanding the faith of believers… Please don’t leave this page without assurance that your resurrection day is set. In days of uncertainty, here, there is complete confidence that we can trust the words of His promises and be encouraged in the hope and future of life eternal in the presence of a loving Heavenly Father…

Who gave His life for us.

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? YOU CAN BE..

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 all 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.

More Than One Palm

As this iswhich of course it is referring to the day also called into Jerusalem and the branches of the palm trees. This is the day that palm fronds were waved by the crowds and together with Tallits, (prayer shawls/garments), were laid along the road for Messiah Jesus/Yeshua to ride over.What do Palm branches remind us of …? A tropical beach, southern climates, an oasis in the burning desert, children part of a procession dancing and singing Hosanna to the Son of David?

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming,
 sitting on a donkey’s colt!” (John 12:12-15 ESV)

The custom of palms traditionally at the end of ‘Lent’ in the Christian Church Calendar, can serve to remind us of a certain day in the month of Nisan, over 2000 years ago; because it has its roots in the Judeo/Christian and Hebrew Appointed Times/ Feasts of the children of Israel.In Jewish culture, palms were used for such an event because they are symbols of victory. As Jesus rides into Jerusalem amid shouts of praise and symbols of victory we clearly see the connection.

In the reference to the branch in Isaiah 11:1 Messiah Jesus IS the branch from the stem of Jesse growing out of his roots/stump.

Little did the people know that the victory Jesus would win was neither political nor military in nature but salvation victory.On His way to the cross, Jesus is riding into Jerusalem amid the shouts and palm branches where He won the victory for us over sin, death, and the power of the devil at the cross. The palms also representing the victory that Messiah Jesus/Yeshua won over our sinful, corrupt nature.

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

However as our English language often has the same word for two different meanings there is another connection here. Palm doesn’t just mean a certain type of tree, or the branch of that tree; It also refers to the part of our hands from the wrist to the base of the fingers.Our English word palm came from the Latin word for the tree or branch. One source says the word travelled to Northern Europe (where the English language developed) via the Christians bringing the word for the tree they used on Palm Sunday in celebration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.The English word palm, meaning the part of the hand, is used in an Old Testament Bible passage.

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. 

Isaiah 49:16

In Isaiah 49:16 this is a reference declaring that we are written, inscribed, or engraved in the palms of His hands. God says this to us to remind us that He has not – and never will – forget us. Sometimes in stressful situations, it may ‘feel’ that He has; but God says this to us to remind us that He has not – and never will – forget us.And in Ps 31:15Our times are in His HandsWE are in HIS HAND –

Written on His hand.

Isaiah 49:16.See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. The word “engraved”, it is an eternal reminder, not just written, but ENGRAVED.

Behold I have graven

I have inscribed chaqaq חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ

(khaw-kak’) chak·ko·tich; to cut in, inscribe, decree; to hack, i.e. engrave (Judges 5:14, to be a scribe simply); by implication, to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive times) or (gen.) prescribe.

Hebrew word for engrave is haqaq, meaning to mark out, inscribe, portrayed.

Portrayed means a representation of something, or in other words a picture, a picture of us engraved on the hands of the LORD. We look at our hands multiple times a day. When we worship Him they are open before Him, usually with our palms facing upwards in an attitude of openness and humility; giving of our love and gratefulness and also a readiness to receive. 

Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Is it possible that our names are written in His Book of Life not with ink, but with the Holy and Precious Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua?

Is it possible that on that day of Triumphal entry, He knew the deeper significance of the word PALM? His Blood was shed on the cross when He died for our sins. Are our names written with the Blood of Jesus that flowed when nails where driven through the palms of His hands – thus marking Him for eternity??As scripture tells us, Jesus is ever interceding for us before the throne of God.. maybe with His hands open in prayer, pointing to them and saying, ‘Look at this one engraved on My palm, look at this picture of them portrayed on my palms. I love them, and I am praying to you Father for them, keep them safe for they are in covenant with Us.’For example a wedding ring on someone’s finger whenever they glance down at it, it is a constant reminder that they are married to someone, they will always think of the one they are married to when they see their wedding ring. However, it is only a temporary token, but to have someone engraved on the palm of the Lord’s hands it is eternal.

I have engraved thee upon the palms of my hands.

 We are on the palms כַּפַּ֖יִם

Hebrew: kaph כַּ (kaf)

The hollow hand or palm, so of the paw of an animal, of the sole, and even of the bowl of a dish or sling, the handle of a bolt, the leaves of a palm-tree); figuratively, power.

kap·pa·yim hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot), a pan from kaphaph Kaf כַּ, meaning Palm, Open hand cover, Allow.

Your walls are ever before me.Isaiah 49:16

Behold, I have graven (8804) thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. [of My hands]; Your walls חֹומֹתַ֥יִךְ

cho·v·mo·ta·yich

חוֹמָה Entry for Strong’s #02346 – wall – chômâh   kho-maw’  

In the time in which this was written, walls were used as writing tablets to record the chronological detail of someone’s life, and to display a person’s life achievements, identifying who they were and what they did, including if they had a family, or what kind of possessions they owned.

This amazing verse highlights how interested the LORD is in every detail of our lives. Not only are we engraved upon the palms of His hands, but our lives, ‘the wall of our life’ is before Him.

Nothing is hidden from the Lord, yet he still loves us with an everlasting love.By engraving our names on the palms of His hands He reveals the depths of His love towards us. We need to better understand the meaning of that word ‘engrave’, Its like tatooing. You cannot take it out. Once it is engraved, it is the part of the skin..There is no way to separate both. So our lives with all its boundaries are constantly viewed by God; and because of this promise, we are to have childlike faith and be anxious for nothing.Everything we lack, everything we are, our limitations, our expectations, our hopes and dreams, our brokenness…everything is like an open book before Him. He knows what we are going through, He knows our limits too.

The LORD will never let go of us.Why He has engraved us on His palms?…it’s because He wants to see us everyday, every moment of our lives…because each one of us is precious in His sight. Imagine, the creator of this world, has us on His palms. What else do we need in life? This is to remind us that there is a greater love than all the other relationships that we have on this earth. It is the love of Jesus.

He is the only one who chose to die for us. He shed his blood for us.He suffered the shame and pain to make us His own and we are engraved on His palms. Nobody else or any kind of situation can remove us from there unless we choose to leave, we are constantly in His presence.

He loves us and is constantly praying for us and thinking of us. Listen to tender words of love from Psalm 139:17 (NIV), ‘How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!’

This Passover season and as we celebrate Palm Sunday remember you were in His thoughts as He prepared to go to the cross.

We were and are Engraved in the palms of His hands, the same hands that were pierced through for our sorrows.

There is another fascinating connection to God, Palms and Israel….

Below a flattened out map shows Israel in the center.The most amazing thing is that the area around Jerusalem, Israel as seen from above, resembles a hand. (Almost like a glove or mitten.)Here are some pictures which seem to reveal that He has His hand positioned on, in and over Israel.Topographic Map of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5.6-10)

But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel. 2 Chronicles 6:6

Is the Name of God Hidden on The Mountains of Israel?

A satellite picture made several years agoshows some Hebrew letters formed from the shadow of mountains on top of Israel.

This was looked at in depth in a previous post click link

https://www.minimannamoments.com/i-will-put-my-name-part-2/

Significance has been applied to the fact that there are three valleys that comprise the city of Jerusalem’s geography. This also has a connection to palm/hand.The Valley of Ben Hinnom, Tyropoeon Valley, and Kidron Valley, and that these valleys converge to also form the shape of the letter shin, the Temple in Jerusalem located approx. where the dagesh, the horizontal line is.This is seen as a fulfillment of passages such as Deuteronomy 16:2 that instructs the Israelites to celebrate the Pasach at ‘the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name’. (NIV).

The first letter of ‘Shaddai’ in Hebrew is the letter shin (pronounced ‘sheen’). It is the 21 st letter of the Alef Bet (alphabet). See earlier posts for more.

The pictograph behind it is fire and teeth.

The word shin is spelled, shin-nun, (S N) from 

the Hebrew word for tooth is, shen and has the exact same spelling. Deut 9:3 

It is very significant and because of its importance to Shaddai one of the Names of God, a kohen (priest)  forms the letter Shin with his hands as he recites the Priestly Blessing.

Shaddai, meaning ‘the keeper of the doors of Israel’ and is also inscribed on the mezuzot placed on all the doorways of Jewish homes.The letter Shin is often inscribed on the case containing a mezuzah, a scroll of parchment with Biblical text written on it.

The text contained in the mezuzah is the Shema prayer, which calls the Israelites to love their God with all their heart, soul and strength. The mezuzah is situated upon all the door frames in a home or establishment. Sometimes the whole word Shaddai will be written.

 is said over the people, found in Numbers 6:24-26.

It is fairly well-known. However, lesser known, is the deeper meaning found
in the pictorial language of the ancient Hebrew.
It is not necessary for salvation to know and to search for the deeper meaning
but when we dig a little deeper, we are able to see additional beautiful pieces of the picture our Heavenly Father has been wanting us all to understand that we have all missed out on for so many generations.  In the following the information is:

Hebrew word(s)
English word
Ancient pictorial Hebrew language symbols
Name of the above symbols
Meaning found in the above symbols
Pictorial meaning of the word.

May YHVH bless you..and keep you…YHVH make His face..shineto you (upon you)and be gracious to youYHVH lift upHis countenanceto youand give youpeace.

 It could also be read this way:

YHWH, the head of the house with His own work 
strengthens His own hand

by His work He binds and overpowers the destroyer 
using the authority in His hand

YHWH, the Chief Ruler, He secures life and order, 
His teaching strengthens,

His work secures the hedge of strengthening life-

YHWH’s strong pressing hand lifts up, His work adds living utterance,

He strengthens authority, His hand destroys chaos,

His authority covers destroying the authority attached to chaos.

And we have His Name written upon our hands too, represented as the letter shinis seen in the lines of our palms.

And finally His very Name,Yeshua is also written upon your right hand. (In Hebrew letters):

 the Yud ” י ” (thumb),

the Shin ” ש ” (index/middle/ring),

the Vav ” ו ” (baby)

and the Ayin ” ע ” (palm to wrist).

In Hebrew: Yeshua ישוע (Jesus) אֲדֹנָי .

So everytime we look at our hands during the day remember God specifically tells us that He will not forget us. In fact, He says He cannot forget us because every time He looks at His hands, He remembers us. He has engraved us on the palms of His hands as a reminder of us, as a reminder to us of how much He loves us, as a reminder of what He did because He loves us; and amazingly His Name is recorded on ours! Right palm out and centered over head is our affirmation of Yeshua/Jesus Name. Particularly this coming week, as it is the week leading up to Passover… let’s remember what He did for us recalling His Palms of promise.Of all weeks in the year this is a perfect time to share the gospel message and make certain your family and friends are saved.

 Please don’t leave this page without the certainty in your heart that you are ENGRAVED IN HIS PALM.NOT SURE?

SAY THE PRAYER AT BOTTOM OF PAGE.

See other posts for details on Passover and His Spring Appointed Times/Feasts.

Not Passing Over

A Final P.S. Hand Of God Spotted By NASAs NuSTAR Space Telescope!

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 CERTAIN? YOU CAN BE..

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/

Even More Can Happen In And Around The Same Week

We know that..but before He was, here are some more pictures concluding the events surrounding that week…

John 18:10 Peter’s sword severed Malchus’ right ear, he was servant of a high priest.Jesus heals his ear.  vs. 56 The disciples all fled

vs.57 Then arrested and bound Jesus was taken to Annas, the father in law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. He was the one who said, it was profitable for one to die. 

John 11:49–51 All the high priests, scribes and elders were assembled and ready. This was all done at night.

59-68 They accused Him of blasphemy, spit in His face and hit Him.

69-75 Peter denies Him three times

chp. 27:1 Jesus was kept overnight in an underground dungeon

vs.2 They bound Him lead Him away to the Govenor Pontius Pilate .

vs.3 Judas repented and took 30 pieces of silver back to the chief priests and the elders

5 then he hanged himself.

6-10 They used the 30 pieces of silver to buy the Potters Field in which to bury strangers. Fulfilling Zechariah vs.11:13

v11. Jesus before the governor- v18 who tells them to choose between Jesus and Barabbas

19 – Pilate’s wife has a dream and tells her husband to have nothing to do with condemning Jesus.

The realm of darkness was watching while Pilate sent him to Herod and Herod sent Him back to Pilate.

John 18:28 From Caiaphas to the Praetorium, the governor’s headquarters.v. 29 back again to Pilate who would not condemn him and offers v.30 customary release of one prisoner on Passover and gives them the choice. V.40 they choose Barabbas.

19:1 Pilate instructs the scourging to take place. This was a Roman scourging of many strokes not limited to the Jewish restriction of 39 strokes. Which is why Isaiah prophesied that He was marred and disfigured, He was unrecognizable.‘Behold the man’

19:7 The reasoning for crucifixion according to the Jews was that in the Torah, Leviticus 24:16 says the person who blasphemed the name of the Lord is to be put to death.

Pilate wanted to release Him.  Vs. 13

Pilate moved Jesus outside and sat upon a judicial bench in a place called Lithostrato and in Hebrew is called Gab’ta and it was the sixth hour.

He was given over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified 19:16 and taken to Golgotha the place of the skull called in Hebrew ‘gulgolet’ 19:17

20-23 They choose Barabbas Angkor and to have Jesus crucified.

Vs. 24 Pilate washes his hands before the people saying that he is innocent of the blood of this just person..

Vs. 25 The people curse themselves by saying His blood be on us and on our children.

Matthew 27:28 the scarlet cloak was from the Roman soldiers, this was not His prayer shawl. They had removed that to scourge him.

Mark 15:17 says it was a purple cloak signifying royalty. They also placed a crown of thorns that they had purposely woven and a reed in his right hand.

26  Jesus was scourged and delivered to be crucified

27-31 With the crown of thorns on His head and a reed in His hand and mocked him spit on Him and hit Him on the head.

verse 30 They spit on Him (which even in today’s society spitting is considered an act of mocking and disrespect  towards the person or thing) as a sign of underlying rebellion, prideful and haughty, it showed a disdainful attitude and reflected poorly on those who did it.

In verse 31 and in Mark 15:20 the red cloak was removed and they dressed Him with His own garments giving Him back His prayer shawl.

The other gospels give further details on events.

Luke 23:26 Simon of Cyrene was compelled to help carry His cross. Mark 15:21 tells us he was the father of Alexander and Rufus.

they went to Golgotha the place of the skull

34 and offered Him vinegar to drink to take away the pain but He would not drink it.

35 They cast lots for His garments fulfilling Psalm 22:18 This was not the Scarlet Robe of Matthew 27:28, this tunic that was seamless woven from top throughout vs23 the tunic was possibly His prayer shawl, which in those days was a large poncho like garment. With a hole for the head and fringes on the corners as prophesied in Psalm 22:19

37 A sign was placed over His head on the cross the inscription read: Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jewish people. It was written in Hebrew, Roman and Greek. Roman (the language later became known as Latin now we know it as Italian.) 19:19–22 Jesus gives His mother to John as his own vs 26

38-44 Two thieves with Him, tells one of them, ‘today you will be with Me in Paradise.’

23:32-43 Two evildoers verse 33 one on the right hand is a symbol of God’s salvation from Psalm 20:6 the left hand is a symbol of calamity and judgement … one for each. 

vs. 45 from the 6-9th hour there was darkness all over the land.

Mark 15:34 tells us that after three hours of darkness He cried out in Hebrew, azavtani is the correct spelling of the Hebrew word used in Psalm 22. The Greek text uses the Greek spelling of the Hebrew word which in English is s’bakhthani

Matthew 27:46 eli eli l’mah azavtani   eli eli l’mah sh’vaktani

My God my God why have you utterly forsaken me? He was quoting Psalm 27:2 and some thought He was calling for Elijah.

His side is pierced by a spear of a Roman soldier. 

50 Jesus yields up His spirit. He was suspended between Heaven and earth – symbolically the bridge – restoring the Way back to the Father. 

51 The veil in the middle of the Temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom and the earth did quake and the rocks split open.

The veil was torn which was impossible without some divine intervention. It could not have been done with human hands as it was so thick. It was significant because the Veil/curtain was placed between all the people and the presence of God. When Jesus died and became the high priest once for all, the relationship was restored between God and humanity the wall between us was broken down as symbolized by the curtain being torn. God’s presence was no longer contained and limited to the Ark of the covenant now once again His spirit and presence was able to go everywhere.

52 -53 and the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and then came out of the graves after His resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many.  

57 Joseph of Arimathea goes to Pilate and asks for Jesus body

59-60 and John 19:39, Nicodemus comes to help and they wrap Him in a clean linen cloth, he brings 100lbs weight of myrrh and aloes which was only usually reserved for royalty

and place Him in the new tomb. Then roll the great stone over the door and left.

62 – 66 Chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked them to put soldiers by the sepulcher to make sure the disciples didn’t steal away Jesus body and try to deceive the people that He was resurrected.

At some point before the women returned, the Power of the Father raised Him from the dead and quickened His mortal body.

28:1-8 when they return to the sepulcher and there was another great earthquake

the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.

The angel tells them He is not there He is risen as He said He would.

Vs 9. As they were going to tell the disciples, they meet Jesus and He tells them to go to galilee where He will be waiting for them.

He appeared to Mary Magdalene, in His resurrected human form, just after His resurrection and shortly after the two Marys entered the sepulcher (John 20:14-17).‘sir do you know where they have taken Him?’

At 9:00 a.m. At the exact time of the Morning Sacrifice in the Temple the Messiah  “waved” the omer before His Father in the Jerusalem Temple for the acceptance of the FIRST FRUITS.

 John 20:24–31 Thomas examines the nail prints in Jesus hands. 

Mark 16:12 Luke 24:13-35  He appeared to two of them as they walked to Emmaus.

Vs.14  & Luke 24:36 He appeared to the 11 as they sat eating.

Later that day (the First Day of the Week) He appeared to the eleven disciples while they were gathered together and “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit'” (John 20:19, 22). (This was before Pentecost!)

15 says to Peter 3 times to ‘feed My sheep’.

He also told them to “go into ALL the world [of Israel] and preach the gospel to the whole creation” giving them the great commission (Mark 16:15). Going to the gentiles came later.

Jesus eats with them in John 21:1–13 and we are told of the miracle catch of 153 fish.

Jesus is on the seashore with a fire vs.9 cooking breakfast for them vs. 12 ‘come and dine’

Vs. 19 and Luke 24:50 He was received up into heaven.

Acts 1:2-11 He was seen by the apostles for over 40 days and told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the father.

 vs. 4  While waiting, they were counting the Omer until Pentecost/Shavuot 50 days after Passover/Pesach.

Next post will include some mysteries and miracles we don’t always hear about, which, without this post the next one would not make sense.

We are on a journey and everything is connected and has deeper meaning than just the surface events.

If this is your first time on MMM simply refer to earlier posts for the whole story https://www.minimannamoments.com/palm-sunday-nisan-the-appointed-time-of-the-lamb/ and please don’t leave this site without the certainty that you are forgiven.

You are greatly loved!

Remember…