Tag: Jordan

Where Is Madaba – What Was Found There And Why Is It Important?

Where is Madaba/מֵֽידְבָא֙ ?

Madaba is a town located in the country of

Jordan/Yarden

bordering Israel/Yisrael.

Madaba is mentioned in the Bible:

Recorded as Medeba in the translation; spelled with the vowel e in place of a Recall no vowels in the original text it would have been m d b

מ  ד ב 

But we have cast them down, Heshbon is ruined as far as Dibon, Then we have laid waste even to Nophah, Which reaches to Medeba.

Numbers 21:30

from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, with the city which is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain of Medeba, as far as Dibon;

Joshua 13:9

Their territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, with the city which is in the middle of the valley and all the plain by Medeba;

Joshua 13:16

So they hired for themselves 32,000 chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came to battle.

1 Chronicles 19:7

They have gone up to the temple and to Dibon, even to the high places to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba; Everyone’s head is bald and every beard is cut off.

Isaiah 15:2

The

Madaba מֵידְבָ֖א

 Map,

also known as the 

Madaba Mosaic Map,

is part of a floor mosaic 

in the early Byzantine church of Saint George

a

19th-century basilica,

in

מֵידְבָ֖א/Madaba,

Jordan

Yarden/The Descender.

 

This intricate floor mosaic of the Holy Land is believed to have been created in the 6th-century A.D.; being made between 542 and 570 as the floor of the church.

The mosaic was rediscovered in 1884, when the local community in Madaba, Jordan, made an incredible discovery, which has proved to be the oldest Holy Land map in the world.

It was unearthed during the construction of a new Greek Orthodox church on the site of its ancient predecessor.

This floor is the single most important piece of Byzantine Christian mosaic art in the East. 

In 614, Madaba was conquered by the Sasanian Empire. During the eighth century, the ruling Muslim Umayyad Caliphate had some figural motifs removed from the mosaic. In 746, Madaba was largely destroyed by an earthquake and subsequently abandoned.

Because the mosaic map of Madaba is the oldest known geographic floor mosaic in art history, it is used significantly for confirming the position and location of biblical sites. E.g. In 1967, excavations in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem revealed the Nea Church and the Cardo Maximus in the very locations suggested by the Madaba Map.

The floor mosaic is located in the apse of the church of Saint George at Madaba.

An apse is a semicircular recess,

often covered with a hemispherical vault.

It is not oriented northward, as modern maps are, but faces east toward the altar in such a fashion that the position of places on the map coincides with the compass directions.

Originally, it measured 21 by 7 m and

contained more than two million individual tiles

The mosaic map depicts an area from 

Lebanon in the north to the Nile Delta in the south,

and from the Mediterranean Sea 

in the west to the Eastern Desert.

Among other features,

it depicts the Dead Sea 

with two fishing boats,

a variety of bridges linking

the banks of the Yarden/Jordan,

fish swimming in the river

and receding from the Dead Sea;

 Made almost unrecognizable by the insertion of random tiles/tesserae during a period of during a period of opposition to and destruction of, religious images known as Iconoclasm;

is a lion hunting a gazelle in the Moab desert, (top left of picture);

palm-ringed Jericho (at the bottom and below),

Bethlehem, and other biblical sites.

Below, place where

John the Baptist was at Yeshua/Jesus’ immersion

at the mouth of the Yarden/Jordan,

Bethabara

and the (nearly-obliterated) lion hunting a gazelle.

The map may have served to help pilgrims’ orientate themselves in the Holy Land.

All the landscape areas are labeled with explanations in Greek and depict approx. 150 towns and villages.

Ancient church buildings were positioned 180 degrees from the Temple in Yerushalayim/Jerusalem. The Holy of Holies was entered from the East with the ark of the covenant in the west.

Byzantine church buildings were entered from the west with the “altar” in the east. Because of this, the Madaba map is oriented so that those sitting in the pews can look ahead to see the map, then look beyond the map and see the pulpit or “Altar”.

The map is read from the west.

While modern maps are labeled as if one is standing on the south pole and looking north, the Madaba map is labeled from the north looking south. This means that the lettering of the map is upside down to how we would orient the map on paper. It’s like looking at a map of a country at 180 degrees/upside down.

The Madaba map is not to scale.

Yerushalayim/Jerusalem is greatly enlarged and distances are greatly distorted in comparison to what we would expect from an accurate map; because the map was for devotional purposes, not science and geography as we would like it to have been from a modern perspective.

When they built the map, one 1/2 inch cube of stone mosaic at a time, they surely never thought they were working on what would be the most important ancient map in existence!

The largest and most detailed element of the topographic depiction is Jerusalem (Greek: ΙΕΡΟΥΣΑ[ΛΉΜ]), at the centre of the map. The mosaic clearly shows a number of significant structures in the Old City of Jerusalem: the Damascus Gate, the Lions’ Gate, the Golden Gate, the Zion Gate, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the New Church of the Theotokos, the Tower of David.

This post on

Madaba

and its amazing mosaic map has an important place

in verifying the location of Yeshua/Jesus’ immersion

from our previous 2 posts. 

Passing through the waters may have a much deeper meaning than we first thought on reading the Bible the

Jordan/Yarden River

has a major part in many of the prophetic scriptures.

From as far back as Abraham…

Abraham entered the Promised Land through the gateway of the Jordan River Valley when he first journeyed from Ur of the Chaldeans (Gen. 12:1–9).

 The Book of Genesis refers to the

patriarch Abram as:

ha-ivri  הָעִבְרִי

or

the Hebrew. Gen. 14:13.

…to those which were fulfilled in John/Yocananan and Jesus/Yeshua’s day.

Recall an earlier post concerning the meaning of the word

Hebrew – ivri

עברי

ivri means: to cross over.

pronounced: eevriy

The actual definition of the word is:

one who has crossed over, passed over or beyond

ivri or ivrim

depending on whether you’re speaking

of an individual or a group. 

From the root word ivr   עבר

to cross over, or pass through.

An IVRI one who crosses over into both a promised land and a life of divinely determined service. One who crosses over (ovr) boundaries and obstacles, and in particular the obstacle of meaninglessness and despair.

He was the first Hebrew (Ivrit)

or

one who crossed over.

Crossing over means going from

being a worldly Babylonian

to

becoming the Israel of Elohim.

Gal 6:16; Eph 2:1.

Abraham crossed over

from false gods to the one and only true God.

He crossed over

physically by leaving his homeland

He forsook Babylon and

crossed over

the Euphrates and

Yarden/Jordan Rivers 

in his journey westward en route

to the Promised Land as he followed YHVH’s leading.

The Israelites were delivered from the Egyptians as they

crossed over

through the Red/Reed Sea, and then they

crossed over

through the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

All these acts are pictures of deliverance and salvation.

We also

crossed over

from death to life through Messiah.

Origin of the word Hebrew:

 From the time of the Abraham until the time of Jesus Christ, the world knew the Israelites as עברי (Erverh)

The Israelites wrote their name in their language with the letters עברי. The letters I V R I represent עברי in English.

The name ‘Hebrew,’ is the English translation of the name pronounced Erverh from Latin. The name “Hebrew,” is the result of translating the Latin “Hebraicus,” into English.

Thus, the name, “Hebrew” is the result of a double translation of the original name עברי, (Erverh). Had the translation been from the original texts with the name, עברי, we’d never have heard the name Hebrew.

The proper pronunciation in the native language of the ancient Israelites’ designation, commonly known, as “Hebrew” in English is “IVRI” pronounced Erh-Verh. Because most modern Bibles are direct translations or carbon copies of the Latin translation, the result is all modern Bibles carry the name Hebrew. Derived from the Latin name Hebraicus. Without the Latin name “Hebraicus,” a direct translation from the original Dead Sea scrolls would read “Erverh,” instead of Hebrew.

The name “Hebrew,” is the English translation from the original ancient texts of the name עברי (IVRI) pronounced Erh-Verh. (Ever or eber.)

One final thought as to the name

Jorden – Yarden – Descender:

In modern Hebrew letters reads:

ירדן

nun-dalet-resh-yod

(Recall, Hebrew-  ivri, reads from right to left and there are no vowels like our alphabet: i.e. no aeiou).

And in Paleo Hebrew Pictographs

Yod = Y = A hand closed or closing upon, to work, a deed done, a finished work.

Reysh = R = A head, a person, what is the highest, the most important, chief.

Daleth = D = A door, a path, a way of life, movement into or out of.

Nun = N = A fish, to sprout, to spread, offspring, descendant, action, life, heir to the throne, faithfulness.

The meaning of

Jordan/Yarden

could be said to be:

A visible tangible representation of His Hand opening and closing the waters and as the most important and highest Authority giving His instructions which when applied declares He is the door. The only WAY in is by recognizing the authority which results in our exemption and freedom, release from past sins. As heir to the throne, He is our deliverance He is our life.

Isa 43:2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Our Descender Yeshua/Jesus

will never leave us nor forsake us…ever!

He is our LIFES/CHAIM

Hallelujah!! He is with us always!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week, you are greatly loved and prayed for daily. Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation or without our Heavenly Fathers’ shalom ENVELOPING you and the deep inner knowing that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.

Not sure ..you can be…

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

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

What Is The Connection Between The Descender, A Spring, An Eye, A Dove And A Miracle?? Part 2

Last post we looked at some of the connections

between the

ירדן

Descender/Yarden/Jordan

and

John the Baptizer
יוחנן המטביל

And we visited two locations that are mentioned

in the scriptures for immersion;

and we saw that the meaning of

Aenon/Aeiynon/Ain-Yon

עֵינָן.  = spring, eye of a dove.

Aenon = “springs”

the name of a place “near to Salim”.  John 1:37

Ainon- pronounced: ahee-nohn’ of Hebrew origin

(a derivative of 5869, place of springs).

In Greek: Αἰνών Ainṓn, ahee-nohn’; of Hebrew origin,

place of springs; Ænon.

According to the scriptures, here is the location that is more accurately describing the place where Yeshua/Jesus immersion occurred.

The place is called

Bethabara – בֵּית בָּרָה

John 1:28
These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

And in other versions…

This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

 

This is clearly Not the same as the 2 previously mentioned places in verse 22. Bethany an AREA which was EAST of the Yarden/Jordan/Descender.

Bethabara beyond Jordan

the other side of the Jordan and

Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River.

Bethabara –  בֵּית בָּרָה

means: house of the ford or crossing.

 בֵּית בָּרָה Bêyth Bârâh,

Pronounced: bayth baw-raw’;

 beth-ba’-ra (beth barah; Baithera):

Perhaps Beth-`abharu,

of Hebrew origin from H1004and H5679;

H1012 – bêṯ bārâ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)

Strong’s Greek: 962 Βηθαβαρά

 – Bethabara

In Jordan this place is called

Qasr al-Yahud –

Baptismal Site of Yeshua/Jesus:

Located across the river from Jericho, this is the believed to be the place where Yeshua/Jesus was immersed/baptized.

It’s also a popular place where many people go to be immersed/baptized today.

Bethabara is located about 2 miles (3.2 km.) east of Hwy. 90, across from Jericho. It re-opened in 2011 but the Jordan River there is muddy brown, the infrastructure isn’t as developed, and Qasr al-Yahud doesn’t have the marketing power of Yardenit, which sadly separates money from Christians with impressive business acumen.

It’s also known as:

Qaser al-Yahud/Kasser al-Yahud.

Close by there is also a

Cave of John the Baptist/John the Baptizer
יוחנן המטביל

Why the change of location?

Until the Six-Day War of 1967, Qasr al-Yahud, located a few miles north of where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea, was considered the location of

Yeshua/Jesus’ baptism.

After the Six-Day War, the southern stretch of Jordan River became the mined, militarized border between Israel and the country of Jordan, making Qasr al-Yahud inaccessible.

To provide an alternative site that could be safely visited, in 1981 Israeli Ministry of Tourism funded Kibbutz Kinneret, a Jewish farming cooperative on a picturesque part of the Jordan River, there they built Yardenit.

However as we can see from the scriptures in

Verse 26. He that was with thee beyond the Jordan.

 

Amplified Bible
These things occurred in Bethany across the Jordan [at the Jordan River crossing], where John was baptizing.

So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about–He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

John 10:40
Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.

John10:40  And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

JOHN 1:25-28

In verse 28, John identifies the location where John the Baptist was baptizing as 

Bethany beyond the Jordan.

(the NJKV follows an inferior textual variant, Bethabara distinguishing it from the Bethany that was near Jerusalem.

This verse also confirms the

other side of the Jordan:

Above Immersion areas at Qaser al-Yahud/Kasser al-Yahud/Bethabara. Jordan side on right in top left and both bottom pictures and Israel side on the left except top right which is Israel side/site.

The Syriac and Persic versions call it:

Ain, or In you,

the fountain of the dove;

and the Arabic version reads ,

the fountain of Nun:

and whether it was a town, or river,

it seems to have its name from a fountain near it,

or that itself was one, where there was

as the text shows

an abundance of water.

Above early excavations at Bethany beyond the Jordan site:

Qaser al-Yahud/Kasser al-Yahud/Bethabara.

 

Judaism had understood up to this point that the Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit was only ever given in a measure: Usually only a Prophet, Priest or King.

The sent Word speaks the Word of the God; and John directs things to Messiah 1:26, I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. Then he waited until the next day to draw the contrast between his

baptizing/immersion in water and

Yeshua/Jesus’

baptizing/immersion in the Ruach Hakodesh/Holy Spirit

John 1:29, 31-33

It is the Word, Jesus/Yeshua, Who is given authority by the Father to pour out His Spirit without measure, something that had never happened before in Israel.

This is prophetic of the outpouring of His Spirit at

Shavuot (Pentecost)

50 days after the Resurrection of Yeshua/Jesus.

Isa.44:3; Joel 2:28; Acts 2.

John 3:35  

The Father

Greek: Ho-pater, Hebrew:Ha-Av

loves = ohev in Hebrew

His Son = et-beno in Hebrew,

and the all, everything,

every individual – pas in Greek, ve’et-kol in Hebrew

has been given – didomi in Greek, natan in Hebrew

into His hand – be’yado in Hebrew.
 
Having revealed the promised outpouring of the Fathers’ Spirit of Holiness, Yochanan/John, spoke of the Father having given all creation into the hands of the Son. Here the 3-fold conceptual image is revealed in unity as all three are recorded as being manifested in one place at the same moment. Yeshua/Jesus has been given authority because it is through Him, (a man, Who is also God/YHVH/YaHoVeH), that humanity and creation are to be redeemed. Yeshua/Jesus in turn will submit both Himself and all of the renewed creation to the Father.

There’s a deeper spiritual meaning to the word Jordan/Yarden.

In the same way we must descend to access the Jordan/Yarden Rivers’ waters physically,

we must descend and humble ourselves

before we can ascend spiritually. 

This concept is seen in many of the miracles that happened in and around its shores.

Descending as in

Jordan/Yarden

the Descender.

The place of the descending as a dove was here.

The Jordan/Yarden, is also frequently mentioned in connection with the ministry of John the Baptist,

John the Baptizer.
יוחנן המטביל

JOHN 1:28, 10:40.

Although The Jordan/Yarden is rather shallow and relatively easy to cross, at certain times of the year, the river was in flood stage and could be a formidable natural barrier for advancing armies.

Adam – This is the place where the waters of the Yarden/Jordan river backed up to when the Israelites crossed the river which was about 20 miles, 32/33 km. above the crossing place.

Bethabara –  בֵּית בָּרָה

means: house of the ford or crossing.

No coincidence that the waters were in a heap at a place called Adam!!!!

Recall the scriptures tell us that the Israelites crossed the Jordan/Yarden River on dry ground as the waters were miraculously parted. 
Joshua 3:14–17: So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam [20 miles, 32 km. north], the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Over the years, several earthquakes, where the African and Arabian tectonic plates collide, have altered the course of the river and it now runs further away from the site shown in the maps and photos.

This means that the place Messiah was immersed is now dry ground and interestingly, no one can be immersed on exactly same spot.

We have answered most of the question posed but

What about the miracle??? 

The miracle was MUCH MUCH bigger

than we may have realized because

we have not understood the geography of the area,

that this was a river valley and as

the river was at flood stage,

it was overflowing its banks yet…

when the priests feet touched the river..

the water stopped flowing!

As previously mentioned, the body of water that would have gathered would have been approx. 20 miles (32/33 km.) long, 2 miles (3.2 km.) wide, and around 120 ft. (37 m.) high.

This was a massive body and a high wall of water that the 3 million or more Israelites would have witnessed as they walked alongside it for about 2 miles (3.2 km.)!

The miracle was similar to the crossing of the Reed/Red Sea after the Israelite’s Exodus from Egypt. God repeated this miracle to reveal His glory and faithfulness. 

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

opened the waters to provide the exit from bondage and then opened the waters to provide an entrance into the freedom of the promised land/Israel.

In the same WAY in our lives we can trust our Heavenly Father that as we leave a situation behind us, He opens the WAY before us. How we leave a place or set of circumstances is how we will enter the next.

Crossing into the Promised Land is also a picture of living in victory.

Our Heavenly Father shows us His WAYS in scripture by His patterns, entering and leaving is one of those and just as we will reap what we sow in life; consequences of our actions or lack of them, will determine the pattern we set for ourselves.

It is surely possible that the people in Jericho saw what happened as the flood waters parted, and this no doubt is what made them fear the Israelites.

There are so many things that occurred at this very strategic location when we recall scripture references and see that we have missed their importance since this place was re placed by the Yardenit Baptismal Site near Galilee.

Quick recap and some wonderful scriptural connections:

The meaning of the place across from where John was baptizing/Immersion…

Spring – eye – dove.

Dove = Jonah

The name Jonah,

in Hebrew, Yonah – יונה,

means: dove.

 It is the name of a biblical prophet whose story is read on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement!

Yeshua/Jesus said in Matthew 12:39 An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

This was a reference to the mixed Goyim/Gentile nation at Nineveh being included in the Fathers plan of redemption if they repented. Also Messiah was indicating that He was about to initiate the same offer to the nations of the world; extending it outwards from just Abrahams seed and the children of Israel. Did it also refer prophetically by default, to the DOVE/Ruach HaKodesh Who was soon to come?

In speaking of the end of the age Yeshua/Jesus also said in

Matthew 24:37

But just as the days of Noah, so will the coming of The Son of Man be. When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 

The Dove returned to Noah after he released it to see if the water level had dropped and if, again, all the species that he had saved could live on dry land; the dove quickly returned as there was nowhere for it to rest. Genesis 8:11.

Noah – נח – is believed to come from the Hebrew “Noach,” meaning “rest.”

Also possibly “long-lived”, “comforter”, or “wanderer. pronounced NOH-ach with a ch like Bach

We enter into the rest of Messiah by His Ruach/Spirit.

Noah waited 7 more days and sent out the dove again, the dove returned with an olive branch. 

Noah waited 7 more days and sent out the dove again, who did NOT return. Interestingly the dove returned symbolically upon Messiah as He raised up out of the waters of immersion/baptism/cleansing to the new life/start that Noah also experienced and we do too.

The living waters of cleansing and renewal.

Elijah parted the waters of the Yarden/Jordan/Descender here…

2 Kings 2:6–8: Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground….

And he ascended to heaven here…

The area in the picture below is also associated with the ascension of the Prophet Elijah into heaven,

which is commemorated at a hill called

Tell Mar Elias

or

Jabal Mar-Elias (Elijah’s Hill).

John the Baptizer came in the spirit of Elijah.

And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

Matthew 11:14

Elisha took Elijahs prayer shawl/mantle and parted the waters here twice in 2 Kings 2:8 and 2:14. 

Naaman, the Leper,

was healed in the Jordan River

by the Prophet Elisha.
2 Kings 5:10–14: : 

And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”

The place of the

crossing of the Jordan River

by the Israelites is located close-by to the

Immersion/Baptismal Site of Yeshua/Jesus.

Recall that prophetically Joshua/Yehoshua

is a type and shadow of Jesus/Yeshua.

Joshua’s name is יְהוֹשׁוּעַ or,

transliterated into English,

Yehoshua, a form of Yeshua.

This is where we get the English name Joshua. But, when the Hebrew name is translated into Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament, it becomes Ἰησοῦς, which transliterates into Iēsous. This is where we get the English name Jesus. Thus, Yeshua and, correspondingly, Joshua and Jesus all mean “Yahweh Saves” or “The Lord Is Salvation.”

Jesus and Joshua are really the same name, although in different languages. The Greek form (in English) is Jesus. The Hebrew form (in English) is Joshua. The Greek form of the name “Joshua” (“Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation”) is “Jesus.” As Joshua led Israel to victory over her enemies and into possession of the Promised Land, and as he interceded for the nation after it had sinned and been defeated, so does Jesus/Yeshua. 

Before entering the Promised Land, the Israelites camped on the east side of the Yarden/Jordan River, opposite Jericho.
Joshua 3:1: Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

The splitting of the Yarden/Jordan, the waters of the descender, is comparable to that of the Sea of Reeds, which was through the staff of Moses (Exodus 14:16) and ultimately to the second creation day, when the primordial waters were divided. (Genesis 1:6). 

For them to make this crossing, the Lord held back the water of the Jordan by means of the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 3:16)

The waters parted at Jordan and the priests

went first with the ark YHVH/Gods presence in the earth

when their feet stepped into the water they parted.

Jesus/Yeshua descended into the

waters/immersion/baptism and as our

High Priest

and the presence of the Lord in the earth

went through the waters

to make the Way for us

to enter into our promised land

the kingdom of God/the heavens.

Yeshua/Jesus leading the WAY through the waters of immersion/baptism for repentance and into the new life He gives into the new land, the kingdom of the heavens.

The Jordan River represented life and vitality to the Israelites. They were desert people, and water was their life. Messiah used this concept to teach them that in the same way water was vital for their physical lives, He was vital for their spiritual lives as well.

As the start of Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land, God ordered Joshua to set up a memorial after crossing the Jordan and they placed 12 stones in the middle of the river.

Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day. Joshua 4:9.

In order to facilitate this crossing, the Lord held back the water of the Jordan by means of the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 3:16)

Naaman, the Leper, was healed

in the Jordan River

by the Prophet Elisha.
2 Kings 5:10–14: : And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

All these miracles happened in the Jordan/Yarden River

Who was the ultimate (Yarden/Jorden) descender?

Yeshua, Messiah Jesus, He said Himself

No one has ascended into heaven except the One who

descended

from heaven–the Son of Man. John 3:13

Yeshua/Jesus THE descender from heaven

and when He ascended at Shavuot/Pentecost,

His Spirit of Holiness/RuachHaKodesh,

Who came before as a DOVE/Jonah was the DESCENDER as tongues/flames of fire on the waiting Talmidim/Disciples.

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Hallelujah!! He is with us always!

 

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week, you are greatly loved and prayed for daily. Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation or without our Heavenly Fathers’ shalom ENVELOPING you and the deep inner knowing that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.

Not sure ..you can be…

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

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

What Is The Connection Between The Descender, A Spring, An Eye, A Dove And A Miracle??

In

Israel Yisrael ישראל

the river Jordan

in Hebrew is:

Yarden ירדן

Meaning:

The Descender

Strong’s Hebrew: 3383. יַרְדֵּן (Yarden) — the principal …

The spring – maqor – חָכְמָה

Strong’s Hebrew: 4726. מָקוֹר (maqor) — a spring, fountain

Ayin – eye – עַ֫יִן

Strong’s Hebrew: 5869. עַ֫יִן (ayin) — an eye

Dove  – יוֹנִים – yonah

Strong’s Hebrew: 3123. יוֹנִים (yonah) — dove

But how are they all connected?

To answer this question, our walk/halak/הֲלַךְ

Strongs 1981 halak/הֲלַךְ:

brought, come, go, walk, walking.

brings us to most important river in the land of Israel,

the Yar•den, ירדן, the Jordan River.

Phonetic Spelling: yar-dane’

The name

Yarden/Yardaen/Jordan

comes from the common verb 

ירד yarad meaning:

to descend, to go down:

either literally down a mountain or

figuratively away from a place of prominence.

The noun מורד morad means:

descent or refers to something that hangs.

The Jordan River has its source

at Mount Hermon in the northernmost part of Israel,

Mount Hermon,

rises to around 9,232 ft. (2,813 m.) above sea level.

The Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee,

and then out and

descends on down

southward to the Dead Sea.

Genesis 13:10.

The name Galilee is the Anglicized version of the Greek name Galilaia (Γαλιλαια), which means: Region, Rolling;

which in turn is the Hellenized version of the 

Hebrew name Galil גליל or Galilah גלילה,

as it is called in 2 Kings 15:29.

From the verb גלל  galal, to roll or encircle.

Dead sea ים־המלח Yam-hamelah means:

Salt sea,

from the noun ים  yam:sea, west or future,

and the noun מלח  melah, salt.

Because of the geography of the terrain, this river is

continuously descending

and notably the most southern part of the river has the lowest elevation of any river in the world. Its total length is about 125 miles (200km).

Today Yar•den, ירדן Jordan, is also a country, however during biblical times, this land was referred to as a region, which was mostly the land on the east side of the river. This area was under the control of the British from 1921-1946 and was called Transjordan.

The Jordan/Yarden is also frequently mentioned in the

Brit Chadashah/New Testament in Greek spelled Ιορδανης, Iordanes.

Biblically speaking, the Yarden/Jordan River played an important strategic role and it is mentioned several times as the eastern border of the land of Canaan/ כנען.

Canaan comes from the term kinahnu

meaning: purple dye; from the verb 

כנע kana: to be brought into synchronicity.

The water was always

flowing/going down/descending from

Mt Hermon

חרמון  

the name comes from the verb 

חרם  haram,

to designate or consign to the afterlife.

The

flowing/going down/descending

is simply because the principle source of the Jordan/Yarden is from the precipitation/rainfall on Mount Hermon; as well as three contributing springs. It also receives water from two tributaries; the Jabbok is the only one mentioned by name in Scripture.

Further answering this question of how they are all connected, takes us on a journey to a place called

in Hebrew

Aeiynon

and

Ain-Yon in Aramaic.

First of all we need to note that there is a site on the Jordan River in Israel where many 1000’s of people have travelled in pilgrimage to be baptised/immersed, believing that this is where Yeshua/Jesus was baptized/immersed by John/Yocahannon.

Photo above of the Yardenit Baptismal Site which is located just a few hundred yards/meters west of Hwy. 90, on a pretty stretch of the Jordan/Yarden River near the southern tip of Lake of Gennesaret, the Sea of Galilee.

We are familiar with the traditional pictures but it may not be the exact location where Yeshua/Jesus was immersed!?

Lake of Gennesaret is named after the ancient town of Gennesaret, also called Ginosar, on its northwestern shore. While it is a lake and not a sea, Lake of Gennesaret is also called Sea of Galilee, as well as Sea of Tiberias after the resort city of Tiberias that Herod the Great built on its western shore and named after Caesar Tiberias to gain favor with his Roman overlord.

Above is the entrance to Yardenit,

which in Hebrew means Little Jordan.

John 3:22  After these things Yeshua/Jesus and His disciples/Talmidim came into the land of Judaea/Yehudah; and there he remained with them, and immersed;

Immerse is baptize/baptizo in Greek,

and yitbol/tevilah in Hebrew.

These are the traditional sites

but what does the scripture say?

John 3:23  

And Yochanan/John was also immersing;

baptizo, yitbol/tevilah 

in Aeiynon.

near to the Salim, because there was

much (polus in Greek, le’rav in Hebrew)

water (hudor in Greek, mayimin Hebrew) there:

and they came, and were

immersed baptizo, yitaveilu/tevilah.

Strong’s Hebrew: 4325. מָ֫יִם (mayim) — waters, water

מיים חיים

Mayyim Hayyim

is Hebrew for

living waters

baptized.
ἐβάπτιζεν (ebaptizen)
Verb – Imperfect Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular
Strong’s 907: Lit: I dip, submerge, but specifically of ceremonial dipping; I baptize

We known from John 4:2 that it was not Yeshua/Jesus but His disciples/talmidim, who performed the immersions. The immersion attributed to Yeshua/Jesus is the immersion He makes possible. Simply put, His immersion teaching was manifest in practical terms by way of the participation of His disciples/talmidim.

Here the Hebrew immersion is

טבילה tevilah

 

Tevilah is the Biblical act of immersing oneself in a natural living water source for ritual cleansing of sin; and symbolizing death to the self-centered ego and rebirth to a new spiritual life of selfless love; in harmony with the principles of God’s law of love – Torah.

In ancient times a stream or river was used, but in modern times a specially constructed pool called a mikveh is normally used

Mikveh or mikvah

 מִקְוֶה / מקווה‎, 

מַקְוֶה   Miqveh –

pronounced: mik veh

and means:

abiding, gathering together, hope, plenty of water, pool.

While the word מקוה – miqveh means pool in Biblical Hebrew, the modern Hebrew word for a pool is בריכה  – beriykhah,

which comes from the verb

ברך meaning: to kneel.

The word Miqveh in Hebrew also means hope.

When we submit/kneel to His commandments…

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;

..we have hope for a positive outcome and this hope/tiqvah becomes the anchor/o’gehn of our faith/emunah.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-secret-of-the-ogehn-of-tiqvah/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-secret-of-ogehn-of-tiqvah-part-2/

H4723 Original: מּקוא מקוה מקוה 

Transliteration: miqveh miqvêh miqvê’

other Definitions as well as hope are:

ground of hope. things hoped for, outcome, collection, gathering together, pool {mik-vay’};

from qavah; something waited for:

i.e. Confidence (objective or subjective);

also a collection, i.e. (of water) a pond.

ה טָבַל Tabalah immersion = sinking until covered completely with water.

טָבַל Tabal tawbal = to dip dipped plunge/Baptism.

Biblical Hebrew uses the root:

ṭaval  טבל – for immersion.

The definition of tevilah is:

full body immersion in a mikvah, is the biblical act of

immersing oneself

in a natural living water source, ritual washing in water for ritual cleansing of sin and symbolizing death to the self life.

Ritual immersion – tevilah mayyim hayyim

The identification of the site of Aenon, near Saleim,

does not finally confirm the place where He was staying/tarrying

or the ministry of immersion.

We are expressly told, both here and in John 4:3, that it was

in Judaea, not Samaria,

that Jesus/Yeshua tarried there with them, and was immersing/baptizing. The words suggest a longer stay, and a type of ministry which after that time He laid aside.

Aenon in John 4:3 is said to be near Salim: it was the name of a city, as some think; others say, a river or brook near that city: neither the river nor the city are elsewhere mentioned in Scripture.

It has been placed by topographers as being on the eastern part of the land of Manasseh, not far from Beth-shan or Scythopolis.

There John was baptizing; because this Aenon was a brook or river that had much water, which in Judea was rare.

John the Baptist,

He is sometimes alternatively called

John the Baptizer
יוחנן המטביל

The name John

is a theophoric name originating from the Hebrew name:

יוֹחָנָן‎   Yôḥānān,

the Hebrew original, Johanan,

or in its longer form יְהוֹחָנָן‎ Yəhôḥānān.

From יה (yah), the shortened name of the Lord,

and the verb חנן (hanan), to be gracious or to favor.

The meaning: Yah or, Yahweh has been gracious.

The Hebrew name was adopted as:

Ἰωάννης  Iōánnēs in Biblical Greek.

also means:

YHVH gracious giver or gift of God.

Where is Aeiyon/Aenon near to the Salim?

The locality is described as 

Αἰνὼν ἐγγὺς τοῦ Σαλείμ.

“The Salim of this place is no doubt the

Shalem of Genesis 33:18,

and some seven miles north is ’Ainûn [= Springs], at the head of the Wâdy Fâr’ah, which is the great highway up from the Damieh ford for those coming from the east by the way of Peniel and Succoth” (Henderson’s Palestine, p. 154).

The reason for choosing this locality was 

ὅτι ὕδατα πολλὰ ἦν ἐκεῖ,

“because many waters were there,’

or much water;

and therefore even in summer

baptism by immersion

could continue.

The focus was not for the people’s refreshment to cool down in the heat of summer.

 Aeiynon means:

Ayin = eye, spring; 

Yonah = dove; 

So

Ain-Yon in Aramaic means:

Spring/Eye of a Dove

Now we see how they are connected!

But where is this spring/eye of a dove?

Aeiynon – Aenon

The proposed location of Aenon

is on the west side of the

Jordan/Yarden river,

close to a natural spring

and near the ancient town of Salim.

(Not to be confused with Salem, a synonym for Jerusalem). 

Aenon is approximately 95 km north east of Jerusalem (20 hrs. walk). Being located near a natural spring meant an abundance of water and large pools suitable for ritual immersion known as tevilah; recall, the gathered waters used for immersion are known as mikveh.
 
This location is on the

opposite side

of the Jordan river from where

Yochanan/John had been immersing.

Both the Hebrew and Aramaic names

for this location mean

Spring/Eye of a Dove.

This of course correlates to Yochanan/John identifying Yeshua/Jesus as the

One upon Whom the Spirit will descend like a dove John.1:32-33.

It is no less significant that there is a

physical spring

near to the location and that a

spring is a source of 

mayim chayim =

living waters from a pure source.

It would seem that the eye of the earth bears witness to the King, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, and reveals Him and His living waters to the eye of the believer?

 

and they came, and were immersed

The, they consisted of Jews from many sects and regions, including those from the ruling Judean religious class, referred to in the following verse. John 3:23

And John was also baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there were many waters there: and they came and were baptized BAPTIZO, immersed.

In Enon –

The word Enon, or Aenon, means:

a fountain;

and was probably the reason the name was given to this place due to the fountains there.

Above in the center of the picture, a natural spring, bubbling up into a small fountain. Reminding us of Jesus/Yeshua words in John 4:14 14 but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.

Near to Salim

John 3:23

It would seem from this, that Salim was better known then than Enon, but nothing can be determined now respecting its site. Eusebius places it 8 Roman miles south of Scythopolis or Bethshan, and 53 miles northeast of Jerusalem.

These places are believed to have been on the west side of the Jordan. See map above.

John Testifies Again About Jesus. 22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.

After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

24 For John was not yet cast into prison.

25 Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.

26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

So no one gets indigestion, the conclusion, together with some help from an archeological find, a cave, an overlooked miracle and further connections tying into the answer to our question;

will be in the next post…

Until then let’s remember …

Who was the ultimate Yarden/descender/?

Yeshua Messiah Jesus for He said Himself

No one has ascended into heaven except the One who

DESCENDED

from heaven–the Son of Man. John3:13

Leading us to the river/springs of lifes/chaim! 

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week, you are greatly loved and prayed for daily. Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation or without our Heavenly Fathers’ shalom ENVELOPING you and the deep inner knowing that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.

Not sure ..you can be…

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

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

Endings Are Simply New Beginnings

The final, 8th day, of this feast is known as

Shemini Atzaret,

(Rejoicing in the Torah scriptures)

and brings us to the end of the 7 Appointed Times of the Lord for this annual cycle.

However it is also the beginning of a new calendar cycle and comprises the time in between the last feast and the next, first feast, which is not until the Spring. 

As we come to close of the 7 Annual Appointed Times of the Lord, a few last thoughts remain including an ‘8th day’ mystery, a ‘roof revelation’ and a couple of intriguing points to ponder.

As believers it is important to see the relevance to us.  The instructions and ultimate plan of God as laid out in the old covenant/testament.

Then with the understanding and insights we gain, what we read in the renewed covenant/testament scriptures, begins to make more sense, as we see that everything in God’s Word is connected.

(Prov. 4:7 encourages us, ‘get wisdom, get understanding’.)

Every Hebrew year has two cycles or groups of holy days\ appointed times set in by our Heavenly Father. (As discussed in previous posts.) He has not changed them nor has He told us not to follow the pattern. This is because they all point prophetically to Jesus. Who Himself attended the Feasts, as well as His being their literal fulfillment. They are connected not only in their purpose and themes but also in their timing.

“You shall dwell in sukkot (huts) for seven days . . . so that you will know, for all generations, that I had the Children of Israel dwell in sukkot, when I took them out of the Land of Egypt; I am God, your God” (Lev. 23:42 -43)

 For 40 years, as the Israelites traversed the Sinai Desert prior to their entry into the Holy Land, miraculous clouds of glory surrounded and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers and discomforts of the desert.

Ever since, God’s kindness is remembered at Sukkot/feast of Tabernacles and trust in His providence is reaffirmed by dwelling in a sukkah, a hut of temporary construction. Also called the feast of Booths which is the meaning of Hebrew word Sukkot,it celebrates the fall harvest with the third first fruits of the growing season. During Sukkot, and each family built a Sukkah, (which is the singular of Sukkot;) or booth, outside the home. This is an activity still practiced today. Lev. 23:39  

It is a flimsy structure of palm branches that provide little else but shade. Heavy rain would penetrate the walls and roof. The family eats all meals inside, it’s a room where visitors and strangers can come.

Sukkot Guests – Ushpizin – אושפיזין

The final, 8th day, of this feast is known as Yom haSh’miyniy’Atzaret, the 8th day assembly.  Sukkot is a holiday of immense joy, where complete trust in God is expressed, and confidence from Yom Kippur is celebrated in having received a ‘good judgment’, for the coming year. God is our ultimate protection – just as He protected the Israelites in the desert with the Clouds of Glory He will protect those who obey His Word. (Exodus 13:21).During this week Ex. 33:12–34:26; Ezek.38:18–39:16; Rev. 21:1–22:21 are read because according to teachings, this war will be waged during the month of Tishri, same month in which the holiday of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) falls.

Interestingly enough, the war that is described in Ezekiel is similar to the war described in (Zech. 14:16–17). In Zechariah we learn that the Gentiles who survive the war against Israel, will be required to keep Sukkot annually, by coming up to the Holy City of Jerusalem to worship the Lord.Sukkot in Jerusalem  at the Western (Wailing) Wall.

Gog and Magog – Challenge to the Restoration of Israel

“This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, My hot anger will be aroused.”  (Ezekiel 38:18)

Gog is a chief prince living in the land of Magog (Ezekiel 38:2).  Many scholars believe Magog refers to Russia.  The invading land of Gomer is often believed to be Germany.
Several lands in the coalition army are easily identifiable: Iran (Persia), Northern Sudan (ancient Ethiopia or Cush), Libya (Put), and Turkey (Togarmah).

The nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38 will unite and come upon Israel “like a cloud that covers the land” for the purpose of looting the wealth that she has amassed in what was a desolate land only seventy years ago.

The war that is described in Ezekiel is similar to the war described in the 14th chapter of Zechariah, where we learn that the Gentiles who survive the war against Israel will be required to keep Sukkot annually by coming up to the Holy City of Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

“Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles [Sukkot].  If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.”  (Zechariah 14:16–17)

Psalm 27 presents a clear connection between Sukkot and God’s protection of Israel and those who trust in Him:

“For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle [sukkah]; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.”  (Psalm 27:5)

The word translated here as tabernacle is the Hebrew word sukkah (סכה).  When evil threatens God’s people, He will hide them in His sukkah, inaccessible from the enemy on the rock of His presence.

Now that is a promise we can trust in during these last days!
Gog and Magog are also mentioned in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) Rev. 16, in connection with Armageddon and the final battle between the forces of good and evil.

This war with Gog and Magog is not the same war described in Ezekiel 38 but a final end-time battle after the thousand-year reign of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah).The Son of David, Jesus/Yeshua, will come again — this time as our conquering Messiah to defeat the invading forces forever.  All who have believed in their Savior, Yeshua, will inherit eternity in the New Jerusalem — a revived Garden of Eden complete with trees of life and pure living water that will be good to eat and drink forever.

A Roof Revelation.

An inner connection between Sukkot are the names Gog and Magog.

The Hebrew word Gog means roof and there is a huge difference between a real roof and the roof of the Sukkah which would not withstand wind and rain.

By building sturdy walls people have power to make themselves safe and secure against earthly elements and people and so are deluded and self deceived into thinking they can make themselves secure against the things from God and his power to direct matters.

They take their fate in their own hands and protect with their own strength with no need to depend on God.The war of Gog and Magog is also a battle of Gog the roof, against Sukkah, it’s a fight of the illusion of the roof which is manifest as human greatness, a pride which never allows rest. Its fight against the Sukkah truth of the joyful confidence and carefree Shalom which comes only from placing complete trust in God’s protection and faith focused on his provision alone. The word Gog when prefixed with an M is then Mgog or Magog; it expresses the concept of projecting something and represents earthly wisdom and the human philosophical notion, that man can both isolate and insulate himself against God’s heavenly power.

It has origins back in the land of Shinar when Nimrod stirred the people to build a tower that would survive another flood and so avoid God’s judgment while they lived as they pleased.

Another very interesting connection to this season is.. 

the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) is called “the season of our joy” and “the feast of the nations.” With this in mind, in Luke 2:10 it is written, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings [basar in Hebrew; otherwise known as the gospel] of great joy  which shall be to all people. So, we can see from this that the terminology the angel used to announce the birth of Jesus/Yeshua, were themes and messages associated with the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles).

     In Luke 2:12, the baby (Yeshua) was wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. The swaddling cloths were also used as wicks to light the vats of oil within the court of the women during the festival of Sukkot, another association with the festival of Sukkot.
In Luke 2:12 The word manger is Greek word phatn’e. It is the same word translated as stall in Luke 13:15. By seeing how the word is used in Luke 13:15, we can see that the Greek word phatn’e means a place for hitching cattle.

The Hebrew word for stall is marbek, which can be found in Amos 6:4 and Malachi 4:2. In Genesis 33:17 it is written that Jacob journeyed to Sukkoth and made booths (the word booth in this passage is the Hebrew word sukkah; the plural is sukkot) for his cattle.
Due to cultural traditions we have little idea in the west, what a manger is. In Israel a manger is a hollow space cut out of a large rock and not the wooden structure in the previous picture.

The area is filled with food usually for sheep and goats.

(This reminds us also of another place of protection  ‘I will put thee in the cleft of the rock’. Ex. 32:22)So we can see from these passages how the word booth (sukkah or sukkot) was used by Jacob for his cattle in Genesis 33:17, and how the Greek word for manger or stall, phatn’e, was also used to refer to hitching cattle in Luke 13:15. Phatn’e is the same word translated as manger in Luke 2:12, where Yeshua was laid at the time of His birth.During the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles), God required that all male Jews come to Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) (Deut. 16:16). For this reason, as well as the census being conducted, the city would have been overcrowded with people and could explain why Mary (Miryam) and Joseph (Yosef) were unable to find lodging in and around Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) (Lk. 2:7). Bethlehem, the place where Jesus/Yeshua was born, is only about four miles from Jerusalem.Some Bible scholars believe that this holiday is a more accurate birth date of Jesus. God is said to have dwelled (tabernacled) with the Jews as they wandered for 40 years in the desert. How appropriate it would be if our Messiah was born during this feast. This would bring insightful meaning to the Messianic name Emanuel, which means God is with us, prophesied by Isaiah (Isa.7:14)

We know our Messiah was made manifest into a temporary body when He came to earth. Is it possible He also was put into a temporary dwelling? The fields would have been dotted with Sukkot during this harvest time to provide temporary shelter animals. The Hebrew word ‘stable’ is also called a Sukkoth (Gen. 33:17). Later when the scriptures record Mary and Joseph were in a house, the time for the sukkah would have been past.Further interesting facts concerning the birth of Jesus/Yeshua occurring during Sukkot, is in Matt. 2:1. Scripture says that wise men come from the East to visit Him. The land of the East is Babylon, where the largest Jewish population was at the time of the birth of Jesus/Yeshua.

These Jews were descendants from the captivity when King Nebuchadnezzar defeated Israel and took the Jews to Babylon to serve him. Babylon is referred to as the land of the East in Gen. 29:1 and Jud. 6:3.The wise men in Matt. 2:1 were possibly teachers/rabbis. The rabbis, also called sages, are known in Hebrew as chakamim, which means wise men. The word in Matthew 2:1 in Greek is magos, which is translated into English as Magi. Magos in Greek is the Hebrew word ravmag. Ravmag comes from the Hebrew word rav, which means rabbi. It should also be noted that the Greek word magos can also mean scientist, counselor, scholar, or teacher. The rabbis were scholars or teachers of the Jewish law. Jesus/Yeshua was referred to as Rabbi, or Teacher in John 1:38,47,49; 3:2. So, it’s a possibility that the wise men were Jewish rabbis coming from Babylon to witness the birth of Jesus/Yeshua. 

“What made the rabbis make the journey from Babylon to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Yeshua?” The answer is given in Matt. 2:2, as it is written, “…we have seen His star in the east….”As we have read, one of the requirements during the time of Sukkot was to build an outside temporary shelter and live in it during this festival season. It had to be built with an opening in the roof so the people could see the stars in heaven. This is another reason why the rabbis would be looking for, and thus seeing, the star in the sky when it appeared.

In addition, there was a prophecy in Numbers as it is written, “…a star shall come forth from Jacob…” (Num. 24:17 NAS). King Herod inquired about where the Messiah would be born in Matt.2:4. (He was told in Bethlehem vs 6, based upon the prophecy in Micah 5:2.) In Matt. 2:10 it is written, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” Once again, remember that Sukkot is called “the season of our joy.” In Matt. 2:2, the rabbis saw the star from the East. Salvation was seen by the Jewish people as coming from the East. Jesus/Yeshua descended from the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5). The tribe of Judah was positioned on the east side of the tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness.

Finally, in Luke 2:32, Jesus/Yeshua is called a light to the Gentiles. Once again, Sukkot is called “the festival of lights” and “the festival of all nations.”

Therefore, by studying and understanding the festival of Sukkot and the themes and messages that God desired to be conveyed during this festival, it enables us to read the Bible in a new light; and to ponder the possibility that Jesus/Yeshua may have been born during the season of Sukkot and that He is the Star we are all called to see with our (spiritual) eyes!


Sukkot (Tabernacles) is called the Feast of Ingathering. Jesus/Yeshua told us that the harvest represents the end of the age (Olam Hazeh). This is found in (Matt. 13:39; Rev. 14:15; Joel 3:13). The harvest refers more specifically to people who choose to accept the Messiah Jesus/Yeshua into their hearts and lives. (Matt. 9:35-38; Lk 10:1-2; Jn 4:35-38; Rev 14:14-18). God is gathering both Jews and non-Jews together to accept the Messiah Jesus/Yeshua into their lives. Most of the people on earth have not accepted Jesus into their lives and are in the valley of decision (Joel 3:13-14). Jeremiah sorrowed for a people who were not a part of the harvest in Jer. 8:18-22. vs. 20 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” To those who do accept the Messiah, they will experience the real Sukkot (Tabernacles) during the Messianic age, the Millennium. Both Jew and non-Jew will live in the Messianic Kingdom. No doubt there will also be immortal people such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. There will be mortal people as well who will live with them, who are the people who lived through the seven-year tribulation period, the birthpangs of the Messiah, or the Chevlai shel Mashiach, and who accepted Jesus/Yeshua into their hearts and lives. What a joy it will be living with the Messiah during the Messianic era!


Olam habah = the world to come.  …tabernacle of God is with men…” (Rev 21:1-3)

Sukkot (Tabernacles) is known as the festival of ingathering and the fruit harvest. In Rev.7:9-17, we can see those who have come through the great tribulation period and who became believers in the Messiah during that time (Rev. 7:14). In Rev. 7:15, they “dwell” with them.

Tishrei is the 7th month, the number of completion.   (Lev. 23:23–44)

The book of Revelation is filled with number 7 and has similarities to the events in this month. Tishrei begins with Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets. (Rev. 8:2; 14:7; 19:16; 20:4; 21:3; 22:5)There are 7 angels with 7 trumpets.

Tishrei also has Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgment. In Revelation, judgment comes as man stands before God face to face, on Yom Kippur so too. God is proclaimed King in Tishrei and also in Revelation.  If we believe we are grafted into the Olive tree of spiritual Israel, then we are also included in the 7 Appointed Times and their fulfillment.There is reason to believe that during the time when the Temple stood, a total of 70 sacrifices were offered during the seven days of Sukkot which are celebrated in the Land of Israel.

Maybe the 70 bullocks sacrificed represented the 70 nations of the world as they were divided into by God after the confusion of languages at the destruction of the tower at Babel with Nimrod on the plains of Shinar.
Would this mean that Israel was interceding for nations of the world, not just herself?
These offerings were then considered an offering for world peace.

Tishrei closes with another day of mystery.

The final, 8th day, of this feast is known as Shemini Atzaret, Yom haSh’miyniy’Atzaret, The 8th day assembly. In Israel, the 8th day is a day that speaks of eternity and the Bible ends in Revelation with that same day, the day of eternity where we will reign forever with Him. The plans and purposes of God have only perfect ends.

The gathering of the 8th day;

The last day of the spiritual year;

The day after the end – is the day that represents the beginning of all eternity.
All Scripture is written on kosher scrolls not in books. So to understand the reference in Revelation, consider that the Torah scroll (the first five books of the Bible) has been continually unrolled throughout the year for each weeks reading. At the end of the year there is a rolling back of all that has been unrolled over the course of the year!

In Revelation it states that the heaven shall be rolled up like a scroll, this is an image written in the prophecies of revelation concerning the end of the ages. (Rev. 6:14; 20:11, 22)The sky is rolled up at the end of the present age and earth and heaven have fled away before eternity is ushered in. The old has gone, the scroll finished, for the story is completed and the day after the end, Shemini Atzeret is the 8th day and is the day forever starts, it’s the beginning of eternity.

Olam habah the world to come.Before the scroll is rolled up, the last words written are from the final reading in Deuteronomy. They are concerning the end of a particular journey.When Moses climbed the mountain to view the land of promise just before his life on Earth is complete and he goes to be with God. he was looking towards the place where the Temple would one day stand. The exact same location that Abraham had to be willing to sacrifice his only son and where Jesus would also be our sacrificial lamb.

The End Is Also The Beginning.

The journey through the wilderness is over and the Israelites are about to cross Jordan to enter the promised land with Joshua leading them.
(Joshua is a type of Jesus) and so Shemini Atzeret reminds us of the future day when our journey through the wilderness and our existence on earth will be complete and this old world will pass away to reveal the new and Jesus will lead us into our promised land.

Its clear the old must be left behind before we can enter into the new, our life here is only the journey on the way to the destination. As the scroll is rolled up, be ready to catch the first glimpse of the unfathomable glory that awaits us.

The 8th day is about resurrection and leaving the old life, a day of transcending, of breaking out of the limitations of the finite and into the realm of the infinite. Of transcending the old, overcoming the ultimate limitation, death, and thus every limitation.

The day after the end of the old life, the old existence and the power to live beyond it.

So the day of the resurrection and the day of the beginning of eternity are in inexorably joined together.The Hebrew Holy Day of Resurrection was First Fruits and the Resurrection is the First Fruits of the Age to Come. The first manifestation of the 8th day – Heaven.One last fascinating point as food for thought to ponder upon.

Several Bible scholars believe its possible that the first Thanksgiving in America was based in part on Sukkot. The Pilgrims were familiar with the Bible and the Feast of Tabernacles. They were also thankful for God’s protection in the new land. The first Thanksgiving holiday is reported to have been in October, (Sukkot is usually in this month), and lasted for three days.
The harvest of the earth is ripe …” (Rev 14:14-16) “

Messiah fulfilled an intermediate fulfillment of all three Fall Feasts at His first coming:

1.) Announcement: Yom Teruw’ah, ushering in the King.

2.) Circumcision: Yom Kippur, removal of the veil (foreskin) called “face-to-face.”

3.) Dwelling with us: Sukkot; dwelt with us in a corruptible body.Messiah will fulfill all three Fall Feasts completely at His second coming: 

1.) Husband Ushering in the Bride: Yom Teruw’ah.

2.) Husband removes veil from the bride’s face: Yom Kippur.

3.) Husband consummates the marriage with the 4th cup: Sukkot; Dwells with bride for 1,000 years of Sabbath rest. 

Peace – Shalom to all who love His Word at this season of rejoicing.

It’s time to fellowship with the King!