1. Tefillin
2. Holiness and the square/cube

Tefillin 

The passages of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and Deuteronomy 11:13-21 enjoin Israel to bind “these words” (the commitment to love God wholeheartedly) upon the head, and upon the heart. In reference to this command, descriptor words such as “Totafot”and “Ot” (physical sign) indicate a call to a physical action. Rather than just a poetic sentiment, the text suggests the literal placement of an object on the body. 

“Ot” (sign) is always used in reference to a visible marker, or manifestation. “Totafot” appears in Exodus 13:16, and in Deuteronomy 6:8, translated into English as “frontlets [Totafot] between your eyes.” Totafot is as foreign a word in English as it is in Hebrew. It’s etymology indicates a synthesis of two words of different origin:

“The word tat in the language of the Katfei [coptic] means two, and the word pat in the language of Afriki also means two, and therefore totafot can be understood as a compound word meaning: Four.” – Talmud Tractate Menachot 34b

The value of four, as communicated by the word “Totafot” is a reference to the four compartments that would hold four small parchments of scripture (one for every time scripture commands “these words” to be placed on the head or heart). These four compartments are sealed in a black cube, equipped with leather straps. Through the donning of two cubes (today they are known as “tefillin”) the Israelites would in the most literal fashion perform the commandment to “place these words as Totafot between your eyes” and “as a sign [Ot] on your hand.”

Tradition preserves 31 “Halachos” (legal directives) originating with Moses. Of the 31 directives, 8 points of Halacha define the shape, construction of the Tefillin, and other related details. While the ancient community of Israel may have been privy to the rationale behind the cube and the various specifications, due to the course of time, much of it has been lost. Still, in every generation, Jewish leadership is adamant against any departure from the Halachah of Moses:

“Tefillin are square. It is the Halachah [given] to Moses from Sinai!” – Talmud Megillah 24b

Holiness and the square/cube

When Aaron and the seventy elders were permitted to ascend Mount Sinai with Moses, the Lord greeted their arrival by appearing in the form of a man. Underneath his feet, in response to the Lord’s presence, the terrain is transformed into Sapphire:

“Moses, Aaron, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the Elohim of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself.” (Exodus 24:9-10).

Sapphire appears in association with an appearance of the Lord one other time in scripture, found in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel beholds “an appearance of the likeness of the glory of YHVH.” A divine figure is seen sitting on a throne of Sapphire (Ezekiel 1:26-28).

After witnessing a manifestation of the Lord, Moses and his entourage celebrate with a ceremonial meal. Soon after, Moses is called to receive the tablets:

The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” – Exodus 24:12

Given the proximity of this command to the reference of sapphire, it is almost certain that the tablets were fashioned from the sapphire stone mentioned only two verses prior. In addition to carving the tablets, according to Exodus 32:16, the tablets themselves were also “the work of God.” The tablets were therefore supernatural in origin, and blue in color “clear as the sky itself.” Considering the association that the Lord himself makes with an appearance of his glory and sapphire blue, it now makes sense why the color blue would be used as a reminder to obey the Lord:

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. – Numbers 15:37-39

Why does the Torah enjoin us regarding techelet [blue]? Because techelet resembles sapphire, and the Tablets were made of sapphire, to tell you that as long as Bnei Yisrael gaze upon this techelet they are reminded of what is inscribed on the Tablets and observe the commandments, therefore it is written, ‘And you shall see it [the techelet string] and remember all of the commandments of G-d and you shall do them.’ – Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer, Chap. 14

According to tradition, not only were the ten commandments made of sapphire and blue in color, but they were square in shape!

And as for the tablets, their length was six handbreadths, their width was six handbreadths, and their thickness was three handbreadths. – Talmud, Bava Batra 14a

In modern measurements this is around 18″ x 18″ x 9″. If tradition is correct, since the tablets were not as deep as they were wide and long, they were not perfect cubes. Nonetheless, they were square and resembled cubes.

The Holy of Holies

During the construction of the tabernacle, Moses was cautioned not to deviate from the “pattern” of instruction that was given to him. Every detail had a purpose and significance. If even the most trivial of details had to be carried out without mistake, how much more importance should we attribute to the most Holy space in the tabernacle? The Holy of Holies had a unique design: it was a perfect cube.

The Temple of Solomon expanded the size of the Holy of Holies, yet retained the cubic structure. It was 20 cubits in length, width, and height (1 Kings 6:19-20).

Jerusalem during the Messianic age

In Ezekiel, the chapters chapters 40 – 48 describe in great detail the Temple destined to stand during the Messianic age. In addition, it also reveals distribution of land to the tribes, and the unique boundaries assigned to the city of Jerusalem during this time. A portion of the land, referred to as “the special portion” (Ezekiel 48) is confined within the boundaries of a square. This land would go to the Priests (Zadokites), Levites, and workers/farmers. However, embedded within the “special portion” is yet a smaller square shaped territory: Jerusalem.

Heavenly Jerusalem

In Revelation 21, heavenly Jerusalem descends allowing for the first time, heaven to meet with earth. The dimensions of the city given in 21:16 should not come as a surprise:

“The city was shaped like a cube, because it was just as high as it was wide. When the angel measured the city, it was about fifteen hundred miles high and fifteen hundred miles wide.”

The parallels between heavenly Jerusalem and the Tefillin are numerous:

• Heavenly Jerusalem is a cube, and the Tefillin are cubes
• Twelve gates providing entrance to the city are mentioned: three on each of the four sides (12-13). Tefillin are sewn together with twelve stitches; three on each side.
• Just as the Tefillin rests above the head as a sign of dedication to YHVH, the citizens of Heavenly Jerusalem have the name of YHVH written upon their forehead (22:4).
• The last passage that is written and placed into the Tefillin (Deuteronomy 11:21) states : “as the days of the heavens are upon the earth.” It’s amazing that within the Tefillin is a statement referring to this event of Heaven (Heavenly Jerusalem) descending to meet with earth.
• The placement of the Tefillin (especially at the head) is a parallel of Heavenly Jerusalem as a cube, descending to make contact with the earth in Israel. This evokes the image of the earth itself, appearing as if to don Tefillin!

The Tefillin when worn, represented the individual’s allegiance to the Lord, and their hope of deliverance from sin. The Holy of Holies in the Temple was a type of Tefillin, as a sign of the Nation’s allegiance to the Lord and their hope of National blessing and restoration. In the same way, heavenly Jerusalem will descend as a type of Tefillin not just for Israel, but for the world, representing the entire earth submitting to the rule of the Sovereign Lord of both heaven and earth. On that day the Lord will bring about complete transformation and restoration, removing all trace and impact of sin and imperfection.

1. The angels of Elohim ascended and descended “on him”
2. Descent for the sake of Ascent

The angels of Elohim ascended and descended “on him”

In John chapter 1, Jesus wins the confidence of a man named Nathaniel, first introduced as a companion of the Apostle Philip. The exchange is quick, and with remarkable speed, Nathaniel who first challenged Jesus’ legitimacy; “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (verse 46) makes the declaration “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” (verse 49). This event, while brief, is absolutely explosive with significance. The narrative includes three points that we should take into special consideration: the inquiry regarding “anything good”, a reference to a fig tree, and mention of angels ascending and descending.

• Nathaniel doubts that anything good can come from Nazareth
• Philip takes Nathaniel to Jesus. Jesus says regarding Nathaniel “Here truly is an Israelite with no deceit.” Nathaniel asks: “How do you know me?” Jesus responds “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree…”
• Nathaniel declares that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus says: “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man”

As if to confirm Nathaniel’s realization, Jesus responds with a loose reference to Genesis 28:

​And he [Jacob] dreamed; and see! a ladder was set towards the earth and its top reached unto the heavens, and angels of Elohim ascended and descended on it. And see! YHWH was standing upon it and He said, “I am YHWH, the Elohim of your father Abraham and the Elohim of Isaac: the earth on which you are lying I will give to you and to your seed.” – Genesis 28:12-13

While the passage clearly speaks of a ladder, Jesus attributes this to himself. When the Hebrew is examined closely, this sentiment is less of a departure from the text than we immediately assume.

This ladder is said to have a “top” that reaches into the heavens. The Hebrew word used is “Verosho” which literally means “his head.” If the reader acknowledges the oddity, the description that follows will inevitably evoke the image of the figure of a man. For example, the English translation states: “and the angels of Elohim ascended and descended on it” however, the Hebrew word translated as “it” is “Bo” which changes the statement to: “and the angels of Elohim ascended and descended on him.” Thirdly, verse thirteen translated as “The Lord was standing upon it” more accurately should be translated as “The Lord was standing upon him.”

Based on the references to a “his/him” the text almost seems to suggest that Jacob (while observing the ladder in his dream) assumed the ladder represented himself. Jewish tradition would later pick up on this:

Rabbi Chiya and Rabbai Yannai [disagreed]. One said: “They ascended and descended on the ladder.” And one said: “They ascended and descended on Jacob.” – Bereshit Rabbah 68:12

Yet the text continues to perplex the careful reader:

“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you [Jacob] will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.” – Genesis 28:14

Naturally, we assume this is depicting Jacobs descendants as spreading outwards west to the east, and north to south. However, after mention of Jacob’s descendants, the text specifically references “you” (meaning Jacob) spreading west to east, north to south. Not only is Jacob standing as a ladder uniting the heavens with the earth, the text seems to suggest he is also spanning the world in all directions.

In Deuteronomy 4:32, Adam is also said to have existed “from the one end of the heavens to the other”

“Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created Adam on the earth from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Based on this verse, Jewish tradition derived the understanding that Adam benefitted from a supernatural stature/presence that encompassed the entire earth. After the fall, Adam’s spiritual authority no longer radiated from his body. Instead, he was “diminished” and confined to the physical:

Rav Yehuda says Rav says: The first Adam [reached] from [one] end of the world and until its [other] end, as it is stated: “…since the day wherein Elohim created Adam upon the earth, and he was from an end of the heavens and unto [the other] end of the heavens…” When he was corrupted, the Holy One, Blessed be He, laid his hand on him and diminished him. – Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 38b

Rabbi Elazar says: The first Adam [reached] from the earth until the sky, as it is stated: “…since the day wherein Elohim created Adam upon the earth, he was from an end of the heavens…” When he was corrupted, the Holy One, Blessed be He, laid his hand on him and diminished him. – Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 38b

If the nuances in the text aren’t ignored, parallels between Adam and Jacob begin to emerge. Just as Adam extended from “one end of the heavens, to the other”, so too is Jacob at least in potential, destined to spread outwards from west to east, north to south. Just as Adam was “diminished”, so too did Jacob suffer his share of tribulations. 

The connection between the two was noticed by the sages, and a comparison is made in the Talmud:

“The beauty of Jacob our father was the semblance of the beauty of the first Adam” – Talmud Bavli, Bava Metzia 84a.

The Hebrew word translated as beauty is “shufrah” and it derives from “shafar” which means “good”. Jacob is linked to the beauty/good of Adam, because it is through Jacob’s line that the “good” of the first Adam will be restored. One individual in particular within Jacob’s line would accomplish this task: the Messiah.

The Messiah would be “diminished” – taking the sin of Adam upon himself, in order to restore the “good” that was lost in Adam.

“Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”;  the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” – 1 Corinthians 15:45

The prophet Isaiah links Adam’s failure to the “piercing” of the Messiah:

“Your first father sinned [Adam], and your intercessors transgressed against Me, and I shall pierce My holy prince [the Messiah]…” – Isaiah 43:27-28

It is now crystal clear why John included Nathaniel’s protest in his account:

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” John 1:46

Jesus would effectively communicate: not just good, but I will restore THE good that Adam lost! This can only be accomplished by the one who is to become the ladder in Jacob’s dream:

“Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” – John 1:51

Jesus selflessly offered himself to become pierced on our behalf. He was “diminished”. By doing so, he alone merited access to heaven. This would grant Jesus exclusive control over traffic seeking to traverse between worlds; of angels wanting to descend to earth, and the souls of men wanting to ascend to heaven:

“And he dreamed and see! A ladder set up towards the earth…” What is the ladder? It signifies the rung on which hang [all] other rungs, and he is the ‘foundation of the world.’… ‘reached unto the heavens…’ means that he is the completion of the body and stands between [the world] above and [the world] below.” – Zohar, Vayetzei 149b

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” – 1 Peter 3:18

Descent for the sake of Ascent

The first statement declared by the mouth of the God in the giving of the Torah is:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” – Exodus 20:2

The word translated as “I” is “Anochi.” There is no such world in the Hebrew language. Isn’t this curious? God speaks to Israel, and the first word used in order to herald the “Ten words” (Ten Commandments) is foreign to the Hebrew tongue. According to the text of the Pesikta d’Rabba Kahanna, “Anochi” came from Ancient Egypt:

“Rabbi Nechemyah said, ‘What is Anochi? It is of the Mitzri [Egyptian] language.” – Pesikta d’Rav Kahanna, 12:24

During the 400 year stay in Egypt, Israel would gradually appropriate the culture and language of their oppressors. By the time Israel stood at Mount Sinai, they would have retained little Hebrew:

“All the years that Israel was in Egypt, they learned the speech of Egypt. When the Holy one, blessed be he, redeemed them, he came to give them the Torah. They did not know [enough Hebrew] to hear it. The Holy one, blessed be he, said, “Here! I shall talk to them in the language of Egyptian: Anoch.” A man who desires to say to his fellow in Egypt: “I”, he says “Anoch.” Thus the Holy One, blessed be he, opened [the giving of the Torah] in their language and said, “Anochi.” – Midrash Tanchuma, Yitro, 16:1

Jewish tradition even considers the possibility that the entirety of the 10 commandments were uttered in Egyptian:

“And the Holy One, blessed be he, spoke to Israel the Ten Words in the language of Egyptian…” – Hadar Zekenim, Yitro to Exodus 20:1

This indicates how dismally Israel had fallen as a result of their time in Egypt. Centuries of pagan influence, in combination with the hardships they had endured, left them near the brink of annihilation as a distinct people:

“It is known that when Israel was in Egypt, they defiled and soiled their natures in every type of defilement, until they resided under the forty-ninth rank of defilement.” – Zohar Chadash, Yitro 3

Judaism recognizes a range of 50 levels of defilement. The forty-ninth level would signal the near end for Israel. They were but one level away from spiritual disrepair.

Numbers 20:15 provides a subtle hint of this in it’s language:

“And our fathers descended to Egypt, and dwelt in Egypt many days…”

Israel “descended” – their stay in Egypt would bring about spiritual decline. 

The act of God willing to sully his words by speaking in the language of pagan nation was therefore a gesture of love and mercy. He was lowering himself to their level, in order to meet with them. The Covenant at Mount Sinai, and the discipline that would follow would amount to God’s loving effort to raise Israel:

“I shall descend with you to Egypt, and I shall even certainly bring you up [ascend]…” – Genesis 46:4

The inclusion of the Egyptian word Anochi was an act of love. It was as if to say: “You have lost your way but I have not abandoned you.”

“Anochi is [nothing] except the language of “love”…Therefore, when they came before Mount Sinai, the Holy One, blessed be He, began to speak with them the language of Anochi – “love.” – Pesikta Rabbati 21

God descends for the purpose of lifting up. This is known in Jewish tradition as “Descent that is for the sake of ascent” (Talmud Bavli, Makkot 7b).

The “Lowest parts of the World”

Paul applies this principle to Jesus:

“Yet, of he who ascended: what is it but that he also descended first to the lowest [parts] of the world” – Ephesians 4:9

In Jewish tradition, Gehenna (hell) contains seven realms/levels of severity:

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Gehenna has seven names, and they are as follows: She’ol, Avadon, Be’er Shaḥat, Bor Shaon, Tit HaYaven, Tzalmavet, and Eretz HaTaḥtit. She’ol, as it is written: “Out of the belly of the netherworld [she’ol] I cried and You did hear my voice” (Jonah 2:3). Avadon, as it is written: “Shall Your steadfast love be reported in the grave or Your faithfulness in destruction [avadon]?” (Psalms 88:12). Be’er Shaḥat, as it is written: “For You will not abandon my soul to the netherworld; nor will You suffer Your pious one to see the pit [shaḥat]” (Psalms 16:10). And Bor Shaon and Tit HaYaven, as it is written: “He brought me up also out of the gruesome pit [bor shaon], out of the miry clay [tit hayaven]” (Psalms 40:3). And Tzalmavet, as it is written: “Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death [tzalmavet], bound in affliction and iron” (Psalms 107:10). And with regard to Eretz Taḥtit [the lowest world], i.e., the underworld, it is known by tradition that this is its name. – Talmud, Eruvin19a

“Eretz Tahtit” is translated into English as “the lowest world.” Compare this to what Paul writes in Ephesians 4:9 – “…to the lowest [parts] of the world.” 

The Apostle was referring to the seventh realm of Gehenna, the lowest level of hell. Paul was stating that Christ’s ascension to the highest level of authority relative to man and angels was not without a price, but before the ascension, he descended to the lowest level possible.

Peter confirms this when he writes:

After being made alive, he [Jesus] went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits — to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. – 1 Peter 3:18-19

This descent fulfils the words of Proverbs 24 verse 16:

“For the righteous one shall fall seven times and rise up. But the wicked ones stagger in evil.”

This is prophetic of the Messiah, the greatest among the righteous, falling through the seven realms only to ascend afterwards. The Jewish text “Likutei Shoshanim” ties it together:

“And into these chambers [of Gehinnom] goes the Tzaddik [righteous one] – even the perfect Tzaddik [the Messiah], for the restoration to lift out the souls of the wicked.” – Likutei Shoshanim, Likut22

Psalms 68:18 states:

“You have ascended to the heights, [leading] captive captivity, to receive gifts in Adam, and even rebels, for Yah Elohim to dwell [there].”

An insight is made regarding the word “very” in Isaiah 52:

“‘He shall be elevated, and exalted, and very lifted up.’ In what way? THat he shall be raised up ‘very’ is to be reckoned [to refer to ] Adam, for in the switching of the letters, “very” is [spelled the same as] ‘Adam.”’ – Zohar, Pinchas 246b

The Hebrew word for “very” is spelled with the same letters as the name “Adam” but in a different order. The insight to be gleaned here, is that the Messiah descends to save Adam/humanity, lowering himself in every way (taking on a frail human body, submitting to death, and even to the extent of descending to the lowest level of Gehenna) in order liberate and raise the souls of man. This makes the Messiah “very” lifted up. 

The term “very good” was used once in the creation account, and only after the creation of Adam:

“And Elohim saw all that which he had made, and see! It was very good!” – Genesis 1:31

The Messiah therefore takes on the nature of Adam before the fall, when God considered Adam “very good.”

The Fig tree

After Adam and Eve sinned, they attempted to cover their shame with fig leaves:

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” – Genesis 3:7

According to tradition, they were wearing the leaves from the very tree that brought about the sin in the first place! The tree of knowledge WAS the fig tree:

“They tried to cover themselves with those images of the tree of which they had eaten, from the so-called “leaves of the tree.” – Zohar, Bareshit36b

Nathaniel sitting under the fig tree was an allusion to the fallen nature of Adam that we all inherit, and the need for our redemption. 

The Temple and the Gate

When Jacob woke from his dream he declared “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of the heavens!” (Genesis 28:17). The “house of Elohim” is used over 80 times in the Old Testament to refer to the Temple. Knowing that the ladder represented Adam’s status before the fall, we are prompted to make the connection between Adam and the “house of Elohim” or the Temple:

“And therefore, Adam, from whom is the people of the holy community, he also [consists] of all the orders of creation…he is also the likeness and blueprint of the Temple and the Holy Place, and all its vessels, and in the order of which is bound the pieces, its limbs, its sinews, and all its powers.” – Nefesh HaChayim 1:4:14

In the gospel of John chapter 2, Jesus associates himself with the Temple:

Jesus answered, and said to them, “You must break down this Temple, and in three days I shall stand it up!” The Jews said to Him, “For forty and six years this Temple was built, and you, in three days, you make it rise?!” But He was speaking about the Temple of His body. – John 2:19-21

In addition to linking the ladder to the Temple, Jacob calls it the “gate of the heavens.”

Jesus is also “the gate”:

Yet, Jesus said to them furthermore, “Surely, surely, I say to you that I am the Gate of the flock, and all those who have come were thieves and robbers, but the flock did not listen to them. I am the Gate, and if a man shall enter by Me, he shall live, and go out, and shall find pasture.” – John 10:7-9

Jesus even uses the word ascend when associating himself as the gate in John 10 verse 1!

 ​“Surely, surely, I say to you that he who does not enter from the gate for the sheepfold of the flock, but ascends [anabainó] from another place, is a thief and a robber!” 

Jesus “fills all”

Before the fall, Adam “reached from one end of the heavens to the other.” Similarly, Paul writes that when Jesus replaced Adam, he ascended above all the heavens, to “fill all”:

“He who descended is he who also ascended above all the heavens, that he should fill all.” – Ephesians 4:10

1. 7,000 years of man
2. The end can be found in the beginning
3. The Creation Week and the “Olam Ha Zeh” – The Present Age
4. Day 7 – The “Day of the Lord”
5. Biblical Patterns that confirm the 7,000 year week of man
6. Where are we now?

7,000 years of man

According to a tradition allegedly originating with the prophet Elijah, the world in its state of imperfection is allowed to endure 6,000 years:

“The school of Elijah teaches: The world is to exist for six thousand years.” – Sanhedrin 96a-97b

Upon the conclusion of the six thousand years, the world will transition to the 7th “world day” – a thousand year period characterised by the idyllic conditions foretold in Messianic prophecy:

“As there were 6 days of creation, the world would last for 6000 years. The 7th “world day” would be the 1000 years of Messiah’s rule.” – Avodah Zarah 9a

Jewish tradition refers to this 7,000 year designation for man as “Olam HaZeh”, meaning “the present age.” The 8 thousandth year will usher in another cycle distinct from the first. This is known as the “Olam HaBah”, the “world to come.”

The end can be found in the beginning

According to the prophet Isaiah, God works in the peculiar manner of declaring the “end from the beginning”:

“Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure…” – Isaiah 46:10

Ecclesiastes makes great emphasis on this point: 

“The thing that has been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9

“That which has been is now; and that which is to be has already been; and God requires that which is past.” – Ecclesiastes 3:15

Considering this principle, isn’t it amazingly fitting that the entire history of man would constitute 7,000 years so as to resemble the seven days of the creation week? It is even more fitting to find scripture linking the span of a day to the a thousand years:

“A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night..” – Psalm 90:4

The Apostle Peter makes the same affirmation:

“But beloved be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.” – 2 Peter 3:8

If the end is found in the beginning, and if the beginning consisted of seven days – it isn’t terribly untenable to assume that the end would also consist of seven “world” days, each day representing a thousand years.

The Creation Week and the “Olam Ha Zeh” – The Present Age

Keeping with the principle of the “end found in the beginning” great similarities can be found between the creation events associated with each respective day of the creation week, and the Historic events unique to the thousand years associated with that day. For example:

Day 1

On day one of creation, God separates light from Darkness:

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” – Genesis 1:3

On day one of the “Olam Ha Zeh” (the first thousand years of humanity) Adam and Eve are able to differentiate between “good and evil”: 

“And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:22

Day 2

On day two of creation, God separates between the waters with a “vault” or “sky”:

And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” – Genesis 1:6

On day two of “Olam Ha Zeh” (the second thousand years of humanity) God opens the floodgates of the sky to allow for a deluge great enough to cover the earth:

“The floodgates of the sky were opened. The rain (water) fell upon the earth. – Genesis 7:11

Tradition regards the first two days of “Olam Ha Zeh” as the two thousand years of “Chaos” prior to the giving of the Torah:

“The school of Elijah teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first two thousand years was chaos…” – Sanhedrin 96a-97b

Day 3

On day three of creation, God gathers the waters to allow for dry ground to appear:

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. – Genesis 1:9-10

Day three of “Olam Ha Zeh” (three thousand years of humanity) marks the event of the Exodus and Israel’s conquest of land. A parallel can be found between the parting of the red sea with the gathering of the waters on day two:

“Let the waters be gathered together, and let the dry land appear.” (Genesis 1:9)

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” – Exodus 14:21-22

“And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.” – Exodus 15:8

The emergence of “land” is symbolic of the land of Israel, and the conquests chronicled in the book of Joshua. The book of revelation links “Waters” to the gentile nations. Therefore, the emergence of the distinction between water and land, could signify the distinction between Jew and gentile.

Day three and day four of “Olam Ha Zeh” would mark the flourishing of the Torah:

“The school of Elijah teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first two thousand years was chaos; two thousand years the Torah flourished…” – Sanhedrin 96a – 97b

Day 4

On day four of creation, God creates the stars and the “two great lights”:

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. – Genesis 1:14-16

The two great lights signify the arrival of Messiah (the great light) and the coming of Elijah to prepare the way (the lesser light).

 Christ is called the “sun of righteousness” – Malachi 4:2

“He [John the Baptist] came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe. He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. The true Light [Jesus] who gives light to every man was coming into the world“ – John 1:7-9

“He must become greater [Jesus]; I must become less [John].” – John 3:30“John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. I have testimony weightier than that of John.” – John 5:35-36 

God promises Abraham his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in heaven (Genesis 26:4). The stars represent all those who are made Sons of Abraham through faith in Jesus.

Day four of “Olam Ha Zeh” would initiate the following two thousand years “of the Messiah.” However, since the Jews did not believe the Messiah arrived as expected, they attributed the delay to their sin:

The school of Elijah teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first two thousand years was chaos; two thousand years the Torah flourished; and the next two thousand years are the days of the Messiah, but through our many iniquities all these years have been lost. – Talmud San. 96a-97b

The Delay of the Messianic Kingdom

The Talmud preserves an account of the ancient Rabbi’s attempting to make sense of what they called “a contradiction” in Isaiah 60:22 which states “I will hasten it, in its time” (referring to the Messianic age). A solution was proposed:

Alexandri said: R. Joshua b. Levi pointed out a contradiction. It is written, “In its time [will the Messianic Kingdom come], whilst it is also written, “I [the L-RD] will hasten it!”– If they are worthy, I will hasten it; if not, [it will come] at the due time. – Talmud b.San. 98a

They believed that God would “hasten” the arrival of the Messiah only if they were found worthy. However if the community of Israel were not worthy, then the Messianic age would come at its “due time.” The “due time” would be no later than the beginning of the seventh thousandth year of man.

The Rabbi’s recognized their failure to “hasten” the coming. They resolved to coax the arrival of the Messiah through repentance and good deeds:

…and the next two thousand years are the days of the Messiah, but through our many iniquities all these years have been lost. Rab said: All the predetermined dates [for the Messianic Kingdom] have passed, and the matter [now] depends only on repentance and good deeds. – Talmud San. 97b

John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, in order to fulfil Prophecy (Isaiah 40:3). He declared: “Repent, for the Kingdom is near.” The declaration was implying: return to the law of the kingdom and embrace the one whom he will send, for God was willing to “hasten” the arrival of the kingdom. Israel would soon encounter the opportunity to welcome its Messiah. Had they welcomed Jesus, the Messianic era would have begun. Unfortunately, they would demonstrate their unworthiness. They rejected their Messiah, delaying the arrival of the Kingdom an additional 2 thousand years.

Day 5

On day five, life is allowed to flourish. For the first time, the oceans are populated with all forms of aquatic life, and birds take flight in the sky:

“And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” – Genesis 1:20-21

In comparison to days one through four, days 5 through 6 are the only days that directly address the emergence of life. Days one through four of the creation week are primarily foundational, setting the conditions necessary for life. Likewise, according to scripture, God had permitted history, mankind, and Israel to advance to one specific end, and in order to fulfil one ultimate purpose: to allow for the Messiah to come, to teach, and to die for the sins of the world. 

The Messiah would provide the means through which Jew and gentile would receive eternal life and liberation from spiritual bondage. The gospel, standing as a promise of eternal life and adoption, would spread outwards from Jerusalem to the whole world. 

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10

It’s no coincidence that the symbol of the fish would be a prominent symbol of the church, or that the Holy Spirit would be likened to a dove (fish in the sea, birds in the heavens). In Mark 16:15- the author would phrase a common sentiment in an unusual way:

“Preach the gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:15

Why “creature?” Isn’t it an odd word to use? This is reminiscent of the fifth day of creation:

“Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures…” – Genesis 1:20-21

Day 6

On day six, God commands the emergence of livestock, and creatures of the land:

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. – Genesis 1:24-25

On the same day, God created man:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground…God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” – Genesis 1:26

God’s intention was that man would rule over all inferior forms of life. In addition, man would populate to fill the earth, and ultimately subdue it. 

We are currently living in a time when God has blessed humanity with the science and technology necessary to allow for long life, high birth rates, and population density. For the first time, the fate of nations geographically separated are tied in more ways than one; for example, an event in one country can affect the economy in another, a thousand miles away. Every major landmass has been explored, occupied and exploited. At this time, we can consider ourselves within a hair’s breadth of subduing the earth to completion.

When man reaches the summit of power; when mankind has but little to advance lest we destroy the world and ourselves, prophecy reveals that a “Beast System” will form, built under the authority of an “Anti-Christ” – a figure who will willingly submit to the control of Satan.

Just as God created man to subdue the earth, so too will Satan cause the Beast to subdue “every tribe, people, language, and nation”: 

“It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.” – Revelation 13:7

Day 7 – The “Day of the Lord”

Following the pattern of the creation narrative, a “Biblical day” does not start at dawn, but at sundown. An evening, and the following morning, therefore constitute a day:

“And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” – Genesis 1:5

In the exact manner of a Biblical day, the Seventh day of “Olam Ha Zeh” (the seventh thousandth year of man) will begin in darkness:

“The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” – Joel 2:30-31

Several more passages confirm the darkness, gloom, and destruction that will herald the transition into the final day:

“Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light…Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?”- Amos 5:18,20

“Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.” – Isaiah 13:6

“The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness…” – Zephaniah 1:14-16, KJV

As already shown, prophecy refers to this last day (the last 1000 years) as the “Day of the Lord.” According to the prophet Isaiah, God regards the seventh day weekly Sabbath as “my Holy day”:

“If you turn away your foot from the sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, then the holy of the Lord honorable…” – Isaiah 58:13

Just as the Sabbath is the Lord’s Holy day, so too, will the final day of man belong to the Lord. It is his day. A day of reckoning and recompense. On this day, God will end the evil devices of man. He will destroy fortified walls, and the high towers built as monuments to man’s pride. He will humble, terrify, and lay low mighty Kings, and all who exalt themselves:

The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted on that day [The day of the Lord]. The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, for every trading ship and every stately vessel. The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear. People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. – Isaiah 2:11-19

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. – Isaiah 24:21

For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgement on all people, and many will be those slain by the LORD. – Isaiah 66:16

Genesis 2:1 states that before the seventh day rest, the heavens and the earth were “completed”:

“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed [Kalah] in all their vast array.”

The Hebrew word “Kalah” in many instances, conveys the following negative connotations: “destroy”, “annihilate”, “vanquish”, “consume”, etc. 

The Day of the Lord will bring about renewal by wiping the slate clean. Not only will God eradicate evidence of man’s presence in the world, but the earth itself is to be refined by fire and destruction:

“Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof…The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word…The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left…The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.” – Isaiah 24:1,3-6,19-20

This is why the Apostle Peter writes:

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.” – 2 Peter 3:10-12

The book of Revelation is a devastating play by play of every blow to earth’s ecology, and every natural disaster allowed for the purpose of bringing about renewal through destruction:

• Fourth seal: death by famine, plague and wild beasts.
• Sixth seal: great earthquake, sun turned black and the moon red.
• first trumpet: hail and fire mixed with blood. A third of the earth burned up, a third of the trees burned up, and all green grass was burned.
• Second trumpet: a huge mountain (Meteor) thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a  third of living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships destroyed.
• The third trumpet: a great star fell from the sky on a third of the rivers. A third of the waters turned bitter. Many people die.
• the fourth trumpet: a third of the day was without light.
• The fifth trumpet: An Abyss is opened and the sun and sky were darkened by the smote of the Abyss.
• Second Bowl of wrath: sea turned into blood. Every living thing in the sea died.
• Third Bowl of wrath: rivers and springs of water turned to blood.
• Fourth Bowl of wrath: sun scorched people with fire.
• Fifth Bowl: The Beast kingdom plunged into darkness.
• The sixth Bowl: Euphrates dried up.
• The seventh bowl: a severe earthquake.

All this is a prelude, setting the stage for God’s final act. God arranges a final showdown by gathering the wicked into one place. Hatred for Jerusalem will incite the Beast and his allies to galvanise their armies against it:

“A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it…” – Zechariah 14:1-2

“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.” – Zechariah 12:2-3

This is known as the “Day of vengeance”:

“For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause.” – Isaiah 34:8

For that day [The day of the Lord] belongs to the Lord God of hosts, A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the sword will devour and be satiated And drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a slaughter for the Lord God of hosts, In the land of the north by the river Euphrates. – Jeremiah 46:10

In a vision, Isaiah catches a glimpse of a man approaching from afar. The man is coming from Edom, with his garments stained crimson red. Isaiah is curious as to why the man appears as if he had been stomping grapes in a winepress. The man responds that he trod them (the Edomites) in his anger:

Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come.” (Isaiah 63:1–4)

The book of Revelation reveals that this man is Jesus:

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Rev 11–16)

It would be pertinent to ask, why Edom is the target of God’s wrath. What wrong have they committed for God to desire vengeance?

Will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau? 9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. – Obadiah 1:8-9

“Thus says the Lord GOD: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance on them.” – Ezekiel 25:12

The gathering of the Nations is also executed in vindictive wrath, because they dared to attack the Lord’s heritage Israel, and take their land:

For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. – Joel 3:1-3

When the Jewish people are mistreated, or when the seed of the serpent dares to divide his land, scripture reveals that God takes personal offense. Yet, he holds back his seething anger for the right time; he waits for the “day of his vengeance”. 

In Joel 3, the nations are said to be gathered to the valley of “Jehoshaphat”:

“In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.” – Joel 3:1-2

“Jeshoshaphat” in Hebrew means “the Lord judges” – intimating that God plans to confront the nations as a righteous judge to mete out justice. By doings so, he will reveal his majesty and prove himself “holy through you, before their eyes [the nations of the world as they watch]” (Ezekiel 38:16):

“You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.” – Ezekiel 38:15-16.

How will he prove himself holy? It says “through you” [the armies of the Anti-Christ]. God will bring the antichrist and his army to a devastating and horrifying end. It will be an absolute slaughter, a spectacle for the whole world: 

“In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare [that] on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground. I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains,  declares the Lord GOD. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him [The Anti-Christ]; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone.  I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD.” – Ezekiel 38:19-23

The resurrection

The parable of the wheat and the tares is an allegory of a dual ingathering to take place during the day of the Lord: the gathering of the wicked, and the gathering of the righteous. While God’s enemies will be drawn for destruction, God’s people are also gathered to receive their reward. In the parable, Jesus likens the elect to good seed sown in a field. During the night, an enemy attempts to sabotage the endeavor by sowing weeds among the wheat. When the wheat began to grow, the weeds emerged as well. The owner resolved to wait until harvest to remove the tares:

“At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” – Matthew 13:30

Jesus reveals the meaning:

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age [the end of the six thousand years of man]. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil [by gathering them together for the slaughter]. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” – Matthew 13:40-43

The angels are also sent to gather the elect:

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” – Matthew 24:30-31

The loud trumpet call will signal the resurrection. Therefore the angels will be gathering the elect, by lifting them into the air to join Christ:

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

In the gospel of John, Jesus made frequent references to the “last day.” Jesus assigns two main events to take place on this day: the resurrection, and the judgement.

And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. – John 6:39

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. – John 6:40

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. – John 6:44

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. – John 6:54

He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. – John 12:48

In John 11:24 Martha mourns Lazarus’ death, yet concedes that some measure of comfort can be felt knowing that Lazarus is destined to rise on the “last day”:

“Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

The thousand year Millennial Reign

The book of Revelation concludes the drama of the 7 year tribulation with the event of the resurrection of the Saints. Those privileged to take part in the “first resurrection” are said to rule with Christ for 1000 years: 

And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. – Revelation 20:4-6

In light of this understanding it is abundantly clear that this thousand year period is not symbolic, but referring to a literal period of a thousand years when Christ will reign on earth, and in Jerusalem.

Prophecy throughout the Old Testament is peppered with references to conditions that will exist “on/in that day” – the last day, the day of the Lord, the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ:

• The Lord will defend Jerusalem:

“On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.” – Zechariah 12:9

• The Lord will save his people:

“The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock.” Zechariah 9:16

• There will be a National recognition of Christ:

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.” – Zechariah 12:10-11

• The fruit of the land will be the glory of the survivors of Israel. Those in Jerusalem will be called Holy:

“In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.” – Isaiah 4:2

• Jerusalem will be Holy, and foreigners will never invade her. Judah/Jerusalem inhabited forever/through all generations:

“Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. “In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias.But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood. Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations.” – Joel 3:17-21

• Israel will serve the Lord their God, and David [Jesus] their king:

“‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.” – Jeremiah 30:8-9

• Sacrifice will take place:

“On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them.” – Zechariah 14:20-21

• The Lord will reach out his hand to reclaim the remnants of Judah in other lands. The Messiah will also raise a banner to gather the exiles from the House of Israel:

“In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.” – Isaiah 11:11-12

• They [Israel] will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid:

On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.” – Zephaniah 3:11-13

• The Nations will rally to Jesus:

“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place [Jerusalem] will be glorious.” – Isaiah 11:10

• The Lord will be king over the earth:

“The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.” – Zechariah 14:9

• The prophet Isaiah delivers a song that will be sung over Judah:

“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah…” – Isaiah 26

The notion that all said events would occur on a singular day is a later development. Rather, scripture makes prophetic mention of the “the last/latter days” (plural) as early as the book of Genesis:

“And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.” – Genesis 49:1

“And now, behold, I go unto my people: come [therefore, and] I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days. I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remained of the city. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek [was] the first of the nations; but his latter end [shall be] that he perish for ever. – Numbers 24:14-17

“When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath.” – Deuteronomy 4:30-31

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” – Isaiah 2:2-5

“For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol. Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.” – Hosea 3:4

The specification of world conditions “on that day” declared by the Prophets, or the “last day” referenced by Jesus, may be a matter of “progressive revelation.”

The World to Come will arrive on the eighth day. The eighth day is perpetual, for it represents the transition into the New Earth and Heavens – of which there will be no end, or last day. Perhaps then, the designation “last days” is an appropriate designation for the 7th and 8th days; as in days and days, into perpetuity.

Biblical Patterns that confirm the 7,000 year week of man

The arrival of the Messiah is such a landmark event in the week of man, the contrast between the conditions before and after seem to force a differentiation:

• the first 4 days [3 days prior to Christ + the day Jesus died]
• and the last 3 days “of the Messiah.”

This is the pattern demonstrated in the 7 Feast days. The Feast days are separated by the Spring and Fall Seasons. Four Holy Feast days occur in the Spring: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost. This is followed by a three month gap. On the arrival of the seventh month (during the Fall) three Feast days will occur: The Feast of Trumpets, The day of atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

The first four Spring Feasts deal with the death of Jesus – his first coming:

• Passover lamb: Jesus was slain as our Passover Lamb
• Unleavened Bread: Removal of Sin
• First Fruits: Jesus resurrects as the first fruits of the dead
• Pentecost: The inauguration of the New Covenant, the bestowal of the Holy Spirit.

The last three Fall feasts deal with the second coming:

• The Feast of Trumpets: This day announces the arrival of the Lord, in darkness and obscurity.
• The Day of Atonement: Deals with the atonement of National Israel.
• The Feast of Tabernacles: Represents the Lord dwelling with us.

The three Fall feasts land on the seventh Jewish month, indicating that they will take place on the 7th day of man, the 1,000 year Millennial reign.

4 associated with Bondage and 3 associated with restoration and resurrection

Man, prior to the Messiah, worked, suffered and perished as slaves to sin. The Exodus can therefore be seen as an allegory of all men escaping slavery to sin and subjugation to Satan, through faith in Jesus; our Passover Lamb. Just as Israel endured 400 years of hardship in Egypt, mankind would suffer under the cruel master of Satan for 4,000 years. Perhaps this is why throughout scripture, the number 4 has been associated with death and oppression:

• Moses killed the Egyptian taskmaster – Moses 40 years old. 
• The Passover lamb was inspected for three days and killed on the fourth day.
• The Exodus happened after 400 years of slavery.
• Samson emerged after 40 years of Bondage.
• Dimensions of the Temple Altar (4,000 cubits). 

The number 3/third day is associated with restoration, perfection, and resurrection:

• “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.” – Hosea 6:2
• “The third day I will be perfected” – Luke 13:32
• The Lord descends on Mount Sinai on the third day – Exodus 19:10-11
• Jesus rises on the third day.

Completion on the seventh day

Scripture also emphasizes in many ways the distinction between 6, and a type of completion or rest that follows on the seventh:

• Six days of work, and a rest on the Sabbath
• Six years of working the land, and a rest for the land on the seventh year “Shmitah”
• A “Jubilee” that follows seven Shmitah’s
• Rain appeared on the 7th prayer of Elijah – 1 kings 18:38-46
• 6 steps to Solomon’s throne before appearing before the Throne on the 7th- 2 Chronicles 9:17,18
• Leprosy is cleansed after 7 days – Leviticus 14:8-9
• Slaves worked for six years and freed on the seventh year – Exodus 21:2
• On the seventh day the transfiguration takes place. – Mark 9:2-4
• Cloud covered mountain for six days, on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses – Exodus 24:16
• Enoch 7th from Adam, is translated to heaven.
• “From six troubles he will deliver you, even in seven evil will not touch you” – Job 5:17-19

Jesus “stays” with the gentile world for two thousand years and returns to Israel on the third

Through the work of a “mystery”, blindness has temporarily descended on the Jewish people for the sake of offering salvation to the gentile world (Romans 11:25). For two thousand years (days 5 and 6) the gentile world is to benefit from the gospel, while the Jewish people for the most part remain defiant against it. The veil covering their hearts (maintaining their rebellion against Jesus) won’t be removed until the Day of the Lord, when National Israel is revived and brought back into prominence.

John 4 verses 40 through 45 are symbolic of this pattern. 

Jesus “stays” with the Samaritans for two days (representing the gospel going to the gentile world for two thousand years):

“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.” – John 4:40-41

After two days (on the third day) he leaves for Galilee to return to Israel:

“After the two days he left for Galilee…When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.” – John 4:42-45

After two thousand years, on the Day of the Lord, Jesus returns to the Jewish people and National Israel. 

The Jews are blind for two days, their eyes opened on the third

Prior to Paul’s conversion, Paul was a prominent Pharisee (trained by Gamliel) and with great zeal he persecuted the Jewish Christians. This made Paul a prime candidate to endure a condition, prophetic of the blindness of his kin. After Jesus appeared to Paul, his vision was obscured for two days. On the third day, a man named “Ananias” – a gentile convert to Judaism, was sent to pray over Paul. Immediately, something like scales fell from Paul’s eyes.

Support in early Christian Writings

“And even in the beginning of the creation, He makes mention of the Sabbath. And God made in six days the works of his hands; and He finished them on the seventh day and He rested the seventh day and sanctified it. Consider, my children, what that signifies, He finished them in six days. The meaning of it is this; that in six thousand years the Lord God will bring all things to an end. For with Him, one day is a thousand years as himself testifies saying, Behold this day shall be a thousand years. Therefore, children, in six days that is six thousand years shall all things be accomplished. And what is it that he says, And he rested on the seventh day: he means this; that when his Son shall come and abolish the season of the wicked one and judge the ungodly and shall change the sun and moon and the stars then he shall gloriously rest on that seventh day.” – Barnabus 13:3-6

“For in as many days as this world was made, in so many thousand years shall it be concluded…This is an account of the things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy of what is to come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were completed; it is evident therefore, that they will come to an end at the six thousand year.” – Iranaeous (trained by Polycarp who was trained by John) – against heresies book 5:28:3

Where are we now?

If all of this is true, then the most pressing concern is: how close are we to the conclusion of the sixth day? According to the Jewish Calendar we are in year 5,782. This places the death of Jesus around 3,762 giving us 218 years until the Day of the Lord. However, many Christians have treated the Jewish Calendar with suspicion. This has led to a number of different counts. They all seem to similarly place the death of Jesus a little closer to the end of the fourth day. By moving the date of the death of Jesus forward, this gives us even less time. Some have even concluded that we only have until 2028! This can’t be so, otherwise this would imply that we are already in the second year of the 7 year tribulation.

We can be sure of one thing, the “time is near” – it is “at hand.” We are very close, possibly within two or three generations.

Throughout this website, frequent mention is made of a particular figure: Hillel “the Elder”. Hillel is so prominent of a subject, it would be impossible to conduct a study of Judaism and fail to encounter some sort of reference to this man. This is partly due to the historical divide between Hillel and the infamous Shammai. Shammai stood as vice president of the Sanhedrin, second in Command relative to Hillel. Shammai would persistently vex Hillel throughout their tenures, even to the point of aggression (according to one famous account). The Jewish compilation of tradition, known as the Mishnah, documents the religious rulings of Hillel and every point of disagreement between Hillel and Shammai. Hillel was so great that upon his death, the tradition of “Zuggot” (an election of a president and vice-president) would end. Instead, headship over the Sanhedrin would fall to his kin. Hillel was also the first to distil Torah wisdom to the single principle of moral behaviour towards our neighbor:

The non-Jew came before Hillel and Hillel converted him saying, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour, that is the entire Torah, the rest is just commentary, now go and study.” – Talmud – Shabbat 31a

In time, Jesus would submit the the same sentiment, but in the opposite way:

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”- Matthew 7:12

With an informed eye, similarities between Hillel and Jesus can be identified in multiple accounts. In every dispute Jesus had with the Pharisee’s regarding the Sabbath, Jesus would make use of legal precedent likely originating with Hillel. It also explains why the Pharisees would bitterly disagree, yet allow Jesus to continue with impunity. One can even make the argument that the Pharisee’s to contend with Jesus were students of Shammai. If so, this means that Jesus was siding with Hillel in the historic divide between Hillel and Shammai that did remain even up to Jesus’ time. Jesus also frequently used the method of an argument known as “Kal Vahomer” (translated as: “light and heavy”). The argument followed this pattern: “If A is so, how much more so should B apply.” This argument is but one Hermeneutical method of seven, first presented in a formal system by Hillel. These seven “rules” are known as the “Seven Middos (rules) of Hillel”

The Seven rules of Hillel

1. Ḳal va-ḥomer: “If A is so, how much more so should B apply”
2. Gezerah shavah: Equivalence of expressions. Linking scripture with identical phrases.
3. Binyan av mi-katub eḥad: Building up a “father” with a single text
4. Binyan av mi-shene ketubim: Building up a “father” from two or more texts
5. Kelal u-Peraṭ and Peraṭ u-kelal: the general to the particular.
6. Ka-yoẓe bo mi-maḳom aḥer: A conflict resolved by another passage.
7. abar ha-lamed me-‘inyano: Explanation obtained from context.

The First Rule

 “Kal Vahomer” (Light and heavy)

This first rule is employed many times in the Old Testament scripture. It often begins with the sentiment: “How much more…”

“For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!” – Deuteronomy 31:21

“But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!” – 1 Samuel 23:3

Notice that these references follow the pattern: “If A, then how much more should B apply”

“If you have run with footmen and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?” – Jeremiah 12:5

Our gospels document Jesus employing “Kal Vahomer”:

If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the Law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? – John. 7:23

The argument made is IF the Sabbath can be broken to circumcise a male on the Sabbath (which was regarded as a type of Spiritual restoration), how much more should it be permitted to make a man well on the Sabbath? 

Another:

“What man is there among you who has one sheep, and IF it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:11-12

The Second Rule

“Gezerah shavah” means equivalence of expressions.

This is the practice of linking disparate sections of scripture based on a common phrase or figure of speech. When a “Gezerah shavah” is identified, the rule would allow for the interpretation of a verse to be informed by the other sections of scripture where the identical phrase or figure of speech is used. For example, Samuel 1:11 states:

“Then I will dedicate him (Samuel) to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head.”

The same phrase is used in Judges 13:5:

“You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

By comparing this phrase “no razor shall ever come over his head” with Judges 13:5, it can be concluded under the second rule of Hillel, that the phrase as it is applied to Samuel is indicating that Samuel was a Nazirite from birth.

Examples of Gezerah Shavah in the New Testament:

Capernaum, Comfort and the Regathering

“When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum” – Matthew 4:12-13

Capernaum means – “Village of comfort”. Hidden in this seemingly insignificant detail, is a “Gezerah Shavah.” The sentiment of comfort is often linked in prophecy to the event of the regathering of Israel:

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people says your God. The voice of him that cries in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him: behold his reward is with him and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those that are with you…Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow. There is hope in your end says the Lord that your children shall come again to their own border.” – Jeremiah 31:10,16, 17

Notice, that after every inclusion of the word comfort, is a promise of the regathering of Israel to their land. According to the prophet Isaiah, God “comforts” Israel by ending their exile from the land. By sneaking the phrase “Capernaum” into the narrative, the author of Matthew was wanting to assign Messianic expectation to Jesus. Prophecy connects the miracle of a final regathering of Israel to the land, with the historic arrival of the Messiah. The gospel of Matthew was implying by way of Gezerah Shava, in short: “Jesus is the Messiah. He will regather Israel.”

According to Jewish tradition, Galilee was an important location regarding the appearance of the Messiah:

“The king Messiah will be revealed in the Galilee” – From Exile to redemption, volume 2, page 119. Zohar I, 119a

Why would tradition insist on Galilee? It was in Galilee that the 10 Northern tribes were conquered and carried away into Assyria:

In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.” – 2 King 15:29

Since the job description of the Messiah is to regather Israel, it is fitting that he would arrive in the very place where the exile happened first:

Said R. Simeon:’At the time when the dead will be awakened and be in readiness for the resurrection in the Holy Land, legions upon legions will rise on the soil of Galilee, as it is there that the Messiah is destined to reveal himself. For that is the portion of Joseph, and it was the first part part of the Holy Land to be destroyed, and it was there that the exile of Israel and their dispersion among the nations began, as Scripture says, “but they are not grieved for the hurt of Joseph”(Amos 6:6) – Socncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 220a.

Paul and the Hope of Israel

In Acts 26, Paul is granted an audience with Herod Aggripa, King of Judea. Paul is welcomed to speak in his own defense to prove the charges against him were without merit. In his speech, he mentions the “hope” of the twelve tribes:

“The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead. – Acts 26:4-8

What is the “hope” of the tribes? What is the “hope” they wish to see fulfilled as they serve God day and night? This phrase has a specific meaning in scripture! Through the rule of “Gezerah Shavah” we are privileged to know exactly what Paul meant when he said it. 

In the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel is granted a vision of a valley of dead bones. The Lord then speaks on their behalf. The sentiment is that of despair and shame:

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ – Ezekiel 37:11

Ezekiel is commanded to direct a prophecy to them:

 ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” – Ezekiel 37:11-14

The “hope” lost, was in reference to their inheritance. However, God issues a declaration: on the contrary, their hope is not lost! Instead, God announces his plans to regather them to their inheritance; to revive them spiritually, and “settle” them in their land.

According to Jeremiah, the Israelites truly have hope in their “end”. In Jeremiah chapter 31, Jeremiah reveals what this hope really means:

“…there is hope in your end says the Lord that your children shall come again to their own border.” – Jeremiah 31:17

According to Paul, the New Covenant will “fulfil” the “hope in what God has promised” – and by comparing his statement with the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah, we know that Paul was referring to the children of Israel coming “again to their own border.”

The prophecy of Zacharias

In Luke chapter 19, Jesus announces the calamity that will soon befall the city and the Temple. This depiction of violence would visibly reveal the wrath of God against Jerusalem for “knowing not the time” of their “visitation”:

And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. – luke 19:24

The word “visit” or “visitation” connotes an act of God; an appearance of his strength, for the purpose of deliverance:

Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: – Exodus 3:16

The word first appears in Genesis chapter 50:

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. – Genesis 50:24

Both appearances of the term connote God’s intention to usher Israel into the safety of the land promised to the Patriarchs.

In Luke chapter 1, Zacharias (John the Baptist’s father) out of inspiration from the Holy Spirit, delivered the following prophecy:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David…” – Luke 1:68-69

The prophecy foretells God’s imminent visitation. As established, the word implies a powerful display of God’s power – specifically God’s power to rid his people of captivity, to redeem and regather them. The next statement mentions a “horn of salvation” – this is reminiscent of Isaiah 23:13. According to the prophecy, the regathering of the exiles is triggered after the blow of a horn/Shofar:

“And it will be on that day when a great shofar will be blown, the perishing in the land of Assyria and the exiles in the land of Egypt will come, and they will worship before the LORD on the Holy Mountain in Jerusalem.”- Isaiah 27:13

This connection was recited three times a day by ancient Israel, in tandem with the daily sacrifices. In a prayer instituted by Ezra and the great Assembly (known as the Amidah), the tenth blessing states:

“Sound the great shofar for our freedom, lift up a banner to gather us together from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are you, LORD, who gathers in the exiled of his people Israel.”

Yet, there is more to parse out in Zacharia’s prophecy:

“…To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham.” – Luke 1:72

This is another Gezerah shavah. According to Leviticus 26:41-45, the act of the Lord remembering the Covenant is an implication of his will to regather Israel, despite their undeservedness. God therefore mercifully regathers Israel, not for their sake, but on account of his promise to Abraham: 

“Then, if they humble their uncircumcised hearts and accept their guilt, I will remember my promise to Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. I will also remember the land. The land, abandoned by them, will enjoy its time to honour the Lord while it lies deserted without them. They must accept their guilt because they rejected my rules and looked at my laws with disgust. Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or look at them with disgust. I will not reject or cancel my promise to them, because I am the Lord their God. But for their sake, I will remember the promise to their ancestors.” – Leviticus 26:41-45

Remarkably, three accounts of Gezerah shavah can be found in Zacharia’s prophecy:

• Luke 1:68 – “Visit”
• Luke 1:69 – “raised up a horn of salvation”
• Luke 1:72 – “remember”

The content revealed in the prophecy: the mercy of God,  the regathering, the redemption, etc. were all made available in potential, should Israel recognize the time of their visitation. Unfortunately, the condition was not met. Jesus would lament their loss in two accounts:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! – Matthew 23:37, luke 13:34

The depiction of a hen gathering chickens is an illustration of the regathering of Israel. It was Jesus’ desire to gather the children of Israel, and to remove from Israel their yoke of bondage to Rome. This would have triggered the beginning of the Messianic age.

Apostle John and the “Sons of God”

The Apostle John and in his first epistle writes:

“But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name.” – John 1:12

The last sentiment: “even to them that believe on his name” sounds redundant. However, John is stressing a point. That point is easily investigated through his use of the phrase “sons of God.” This was a promise of restoration, coming from prophet Hosea:

“There it shall be said unto them, You are the sons of the living God.” – Hosea 1:10

The context is that it should be said to “them” – the 10 tribes that were divorced and sent into exile in the Old Testament. Hosea announces a turn of fortune for the Northern tribes. In Jesus, John envisioned the fulfilment of this prophecy of restoration. In the Old Testament they were rejected and turned away. However it is through Jesus that God welcomes them back with open arms. They return as “Sons of God.”

The Third rule

“Binyan av mi-katub eḥad” – Building up a “father” with a single text:

A Binyan “Av” (In English: Father) is the generation of a rule or principle derived from one text, that can shed light on other similar texts. For example, Deuteronomy 19:15 states that the testimony of one witness is not enough to confirm a matter in a judicial setting. From this “Av” (a father principle, or authoritative rule) we can determine that anytime the Torah mentions a “witness” (without specification in number) it is referring to the testimony of at least two witnesses.

The Fourth Rule

“Binyan av mi-shene ketubim” –  Building up a “father” from two or more texts:

The same concept applies, however the “Av” – the authoritative rule, is built from a number of scriptural passages, rather than one. An example would be the concept of the trinity. The trinity, although not explicitly confirmed in scripture, is a conclusion logically derived from many passages, after considering the implications and nuances of each reference. 

This “Av” regarding many persons in the Godhead can be found in the Aramaic Targums. In every case where the text mentions an encounter with YHVH, the Aramaic describes an encounter with the “Memra” (In English: the “Word.” In Greek, it is “logos”) One can easily conclude the translators held the “Av” principle of at least two persons in the Godhead: YHVH in heaven, and YHVH the “Memra” (YHVH the Word) who deals with man on behalf of YHVH in heaven.

The Fifth Rule

“Kelal u-Peraṭ and Peraṭ u-kelal” – The general to the particular. Or the particular to the general. 

A “Kelal” is a reference to a general class of something. A “Perat” is a specification within that class.  A “Kelal u-Perat” is the act of clarifying a generality with a specification. The Torah often mentions a generality, and follows it with a specification:

“When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd (cattle) or the flock (sheep).” – Leviticus 1:2

The reference to the “animal” is the “Kelal”. The cattle and sheep represent the “Perat” specifications. Using this rule, the Israelites knew that although the command seems to allow for an “animal” in general, the act of including the “Perat” narrowed the amount of eligible animals down to the two specific kinds mentioned: cattle and sheep. 

A “Perat u-Kelal” works the opposite. The mention of specifics, followed by a generality, indicates a rule that is all-inclusive and not confined to the specifics mentioned.

The Sixth Rule

The Sixth rule: “Ka-yoẓe bo mi-maḳom aḥer” – A conflict resolved by another passage. 

When two passages seem to conflict, a resolution can be found in a third passage. For example: “Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying…” – Leviticus 1:1, appears to contradict Exodus 25:22 – “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”

Numbers 7:89 resolves the apparent inconsistency. The Lord would call from the Tent of Meeting, as a voice from between the two cherubim:

“When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him.

Paul uses this method in the book of Romans. Paul compares two principles that at first, seem to contradict:

• The righteous shall live by faith (Romans 1:17 = Habakkuk 2:4) 
• There is none righteous, no, not one … (Romans 3:10 = Psalms 14:1-3= Psalms 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20)

A second conflict is presented:

• God will render to each one according to his deeds. (Romans 2:6 = Psalms 62:12; Proverbs 24:12) 
• Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man whom YHWH shall not impute sin. (Romans 4:7-8 = Psalms 32:1-2

Paul’s solution to both : He cites Genesis 15:6 – “Abraham believed G-d, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 

It is by faith that we are spared of the consequences of our sin. Through faith we receive unmerited grace, our sins are forgiven, and the righteousness of the Messiah is imputed to us.

The Seventh Rule

The Seventh Rule: “abar ha-lamed me-‘inyano” – Explanation obtained from context. This rule is simple, don’t isolate a passage from its context.

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An Excerpt from: Ger Toshav. Section: The “God-Fearer”

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According to the prophet Isaiah, when God moves to restore Israel during the Messianic era, four kinds of individuals will seek to identify with the Lord:

Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’; others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand,‘I belong to the Lord,’ and will name Israel’s name with honour.” – Isaiah 44:5

According to Jewish tradition, the four mentioned, represented the righteous among Israel, the proselyte, the penitent, and the “God-Fearer”:

“Four types of pious ones stand before the Almighty; as it says [in Isaiah 44:5], “One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s.’ This nation will say, “I am the Lord’s.” He belongs completely to the Almighty, and has no sinful ways in him. “One will call on the name of Jacob.” This refers to the righteous proselyte [i.e., convert]. “Another shall write on his hand, ‘belonging to the Lord.’” This refers to the penitents. One “Will name Israel’s name with honor.” This refers to the God-Fearers. – Numbers Rabbah 8:2

The last phrase, “will name Israel’s name with honor” is best translated as “name himself by the name of Israel.” The sentiment made, is that of a foreigner wishing to honor Israel by identifying with them in a strong way. This gesture would not only constitute an affirmation of the people of Israel, but of the God they serve. Consequently, such a foreigner could be regarded as one who fears/reveres God – The God of Israel.

Mention of the “God-Fearer” (in Hebrew: ‘Yir-e’) as a designation for righteous gentiles is first found in the Psalms. Similar to Isaiah 44, The Psalms set the precedent for dividing the eschatalogical people of God into a number of categories. The Psalms specify at least three:

• The community of Israel as a whole
• The house of Aaron (The Aaronic Priesthood)
• And “those who fear the Lord”

Let Israel now say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron now say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord now say, “His mercy endures forever.” – Psalm 118:2-4

Oh Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. Oh house of Aaron, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. – Psalm 115:9-11

The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless his people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the Lord — small and great alike. – Psalm 115:12-13

The concept of the “God-Fearer” in contrast to the Toshav, is rather undefined. It may refer to a gentile residing in the land but is not limited to it. The point is, allegiance to the God of Israel is done out of religious conviction and not as a compromise for the land. The God-Fearer is therefore a gentile living anywhere who has come to adopt the God of Israel as their God, and as a result, identifies with the people of Israel in a strong way. It is important to note that although the God-Fearer has joined Israel in worship of the Lord, a distinction remains. The God-Fearer still has not undergone conversion. Such a process would result in the formation of a “Proselyte”.

The book of Acts contains two Greek terms to identify the gentile God-Fearer: sebomenoi (meaning, “those fearing”) and phoboumenoi ton theon (“those reverencing God”). The first reference is found in Acts 10. Cornelius, the Roman centurion is described as a “devout man who feared God” (Acts 10:1-2):

“At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing [Phoboumenoi ton theon]; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.”

In Acts 13:26, Paul addresses the crowd: “men of Israel and you who fear God.”

“Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God [phoboumenoit ton theon], give audience.” – Acts 13:16

English translators have approached the Greek term “Sebomenoi” a variety of ways, assigning a number of English translations: “devout”, “religious”, “worshipping”, etc:

“And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout [sebomenoi] Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.” – Acts 17:4

“And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped [sebomenoi] God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” – Acts 16:14

The God-Fearers were massive in number and very influential:

“In Diaspora there was an increasing number, perhaps millions by the first century, of sebomenoi [God-fearers], gentiles who had not gone the whole route towards conversion.” – Encyclopedia Judaica 10:55, s.v. “Jewish Identity”.

“[There was a] numerous class [of God-Fearers]…although most of them did not feel able to shoulder the whole burden of the Law, they sympathised with Judaism…They were to be found in the provinces as well as in Italy, even in Rome…As they often belonged to upper classes their mere presence added in the eyes of the authorities weight of Jewish influence…” – M. Avi-Yonah, the Jews of Palestine (Oxford, 1796) 37.

“[Because of the] Many God-fearers…Hellenistic Judaism had almost succeeded in making Judaism a world religion in the literal sense of the words.” – Dr. Flusser, “Paganism in Palestine,” in Compendia rerum Iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum I.2, edd. S. Safrai and M. Stern (Assen, 1976) 1097.

According to  A.T. Kraabal, author of “the disappearance of the God-Fearers” Christianity owes much of its early success to those within the ranks of the God-Fearers:

“In the traditional reconstruction of the historical situation, the characteristics of the God-fearer are as follows: 1) They are gentiles interested in Judaism, but not converts = proselytes; the men are not circumcised. 2) They are found in some numbers in teh synagogues of the Diaspora, from Asia Minor to Rome. 3) The God-Fearer as traditionally understood is particularly significant for students of the New Testament and early Christianity; it was from the ranks of the God-fearers that Christianity supposedly had recruited a great number of its first members.” – A. T. Kraabel, Numen, Vol. 28, Fasc. 2 (Dec., 1981), pp. 114

Israeli scholar, Shlomo Pines writes:

“The early Christian community was addressed chiefly, and perhaps solely, to these ‘God-Fearers’, and that it had its first successes among them.” – God Fearers, Tony Janicki, page 44, Pines 146-147