Merkabah - Part 1 -

CHARIOTS OF FIRE

EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY

PART 1

THE MERKABAH

SPECIAL REPORT

THE MERKAVA TANK

Israel’s War Chariot

The most formidable war machine in existence today is an Israeli tank called the MERKAVA. The NAME, taken from the Divine “War Chariot” seen by Ezekiel, Habakkuk, and Isaiah, denotes the super powers invested in the high technology machine. It is powered by a 20-mm projector, which is more than a bullet. It seeks petroleum, especially diesel, but is also sensitive to jet fuel. Each bullet has its own sensing system that sets into the fuel tank on a tanker’s field, penetrates the tank, destroys all personnel, and at the same time a capsule that furnishes oxygen for the explosion converts the fuel into a fire extinguisher inside the tank. The tank can then be repaired, cleaned up, and made ready for reuse.

During the Syrian-Israeli war an eyewitness saw an amazing incident. “We were set up for a tank trap for 800 tanks–afterward we had destroyed or captured 2800 tanks. In 1973 there were more tanks per tank in the Golan Heights than in all the wars combined–same thing in Sinai–the amount of Russian equipment poured in for the destruction of Israel. They did not destroy them for their tanks were helpless. Israel knocked out all the tanks. The Israelis had to come up the coastal area first. They were able not only to penetrate, but to airlift 100 Merkava tanks and cut off the Beirut/Damascus road. Tanks cut off the Syrian and PLO. Tanks put as pinchers went in and cut all the armies to pieces. The Syrians called for a cease fire. Once they had a cease fire, a week or five to six days later, the Syrians came back over the Lebanese mountains–Herman Range–with about 80, plus or minus a few, of the most sophisticated tanks–T-72–invincible tank-line, a combine. These 80 tanks were knocked out in one second, one explosion, and it sounded like the gong of a big bell. After, I could see the metal, the steel, being torn apart. The Israelis opened the tanks wide open right where they were supposed to be invincible. The MERKAVA tank–a mobile defense device–‘Either it’s the only tank of the future, or….'”

Eighty tanks annihilated in one second! The Israelis flew a drone plane. The drone plane, loaded with electronic equipment capable of detonating, picking up, and transmitting every electrode code in the missile, transmits back to the plane–takes information–puts it in computer–transmitting on a very high frequency–in a six mile radius–is able to turn and fire the missile through the entire program in a micro-second. The drone plane, destruct plane, can put out the missiles in silos, etc. (Russian missiles promoted technology from U.S. F-16.) It’s not the plane. It’s the pilot. They’ve got the best pilots in the world. They can even detonate a missile in your own back yard if armed to fire–if set up to fire–if not set up to fire, it’s not a weapon.

WHAT THE ISRAELIS HAVE DEVELOPED
IN THEIR MERKAVA TANK

They have a system in the tank that can sense (a heat sensing scope), that can pick up the light of a cigarette five miles away. First of all, the tank system comes in and three of the tanks are coordinating tanks that are manipulated into such a position that there is a certain place on the tank that forms a perfect triangle between two other tanks. In other words, it is set up in a perfect triangle; then they put up a special antenna and when the “tellstar” comes over the first time, they establish their absolute asmath on the face of the earth–“true triangulation.” When that goes into the computer they transmit it to all the tanks in the unit. For instance, they have 300 tanks. From that moment, every tank knows its exact location on the battlefield. The computer is continually changing its orientation and position. People who have not been in the military do not know how to appreciate true asmath. But with the true asmath you could shoot a gun here and three miles away, if you had that range of a gun, you could put the bullet down the barrel of another gun of the same caliber. That’s absolute asmath. The Israelis have the capacity to call up on a screen in the tank from satellites, which they have access to, the entire military picture out there–what’s going on is transmitted directly into that tank as well as at headquarters. Once they get the position they can set their guns which will monitor that object wherever it moves.

AN END TO P.L.O. TERRORISM

HEAT SENSOR. When the PLO start shooting out of a room, this instrument they have developed picks up the heat source and puts it into the computer, which in turn puts it into the entire tank system. However, many you have in a unit, all tanks are oriented into that program. Once this is set up for the gunner (his gun is automatic), the computer puts his gun exactly on the farthest object–the farthest one back and every tank is assigned a window. The gunner has a special scope then that he looks through–an electronic binocular that can pull him up three miles away as if he’s standing looking in the window. So he has to identify whether there are terrorists in the room or not. Once he has confirmed that it is terrorist fire, he hits the firing mechanism and the gun fires. The binocular stays on that position. He watches. When it comes off of recoil it’s ready on its next position. The projector goes into the room exploding, putting out small fragments of shrapnel ricocheting all over the room simultaneously with the napon explosion. Twelve seconds later, again, a fire extinguisher is ignited and puts it out. People are living on a floor above and a floor below, and people are still living in the adjoining rooms. Terrorism as we have known it is a thing of the past with this system in operation. All the tanks are air conditioned.

The story of the Merkava Tank demonstrates the power that has been unleashed upon those whose aim is the destruction of Israel. Yet, it is but a dim reflection of the Divine Power inherent in the “War Chariot” of God shown to Ezekiel and Isaiah, the traveling throne of the Majesty of Heaven, The Merkabah. The message heard from this chariot was for a rebellious and disobedient people whom God wished to deliver, but whose stubbornness was their undoing. They were too proud to hear and were taken captive by their enemies. Isaiah saw a great forsaking in the midst of the land, a great destruction with only a remnant left to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. So it is today. The Temple lies in ruins, with only a small remnant willing to return and restore the old waste places, raise up the foundations, desolate for many generations, are repair the breach in the walls. God’s assurance to Isaiah was: YET A TENTH, THE HOLY SEED, SHALL RETURN.

The most sacred object of the Temple service concerns the Ark of the Covenant, the sacred chest containing the Ten Commandments written on two tables of stone. Finding this sacred artifact would be the motivating factor to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

Recent reports from several different sources over the world, verifying the “imminent bringing forth” of the Ark of the Covenant from its secret hiding place has caused great excitement in secular and religious circles.

“A tradition preserved in the apocryphal book of Maccabees…states that shortly before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C., the prophet Jeremiah hid the Ark of the Covenant in a cave on Mt. Nebo, the mountain east of the Jordan River from which Moses had viewed the promised land. Jeremiah blocked the entrance to the cave and prophesied that ‘the place shall remain unknown until God finally gathers his people together’ (2 Maccabees 2:7).”–Biblical Archaeology Review, May-June, 1983, pp. 66,67.

“WHY I BELIEVE
THE GOLDEN ARK IS ON MT. NEBO

“I believe that the Golden Ark of the Covenant, the world’s greatest and most valuable antique relic of all history, has been trailed to its lair (in my two years recent research work in the Holyland)–trailed to its last place on Mt. Nebo where Jeremiah hid it about 2544 years ago. In verification of this I offer both the historic as well as prophetic data.

“I have collected convincing evidence enough to make it hard not to believe that the Ark will return again to old Jerusalem. The return of the Ark would stagger the world; may change the belief of millions of people of all nations for the better; be the greatest blow skeptics ever received; and perhaps be the greatest modern proof of the authenticity of Holy Writ. The Tablets of Sinai written about 3525 years ago, now in the Ark, may bring to this whole world a feeling akin to Belshazzar, King of Babylon, on the night when he too say God’s ‘Handwriting’ upon the walls of that famous city before its consummation, which made the King and all his nobles tremble with fear when that terrible warning: ‘Thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting,’ stared them in the face.”–By Antonia F. Futterer, an excerpt from Palestine Speaks, 1931, pp. 536-537, as quoted in Biblical Archaeology Review, May-June, 1983, p. 67.

In October, 1981, Tom Crotser claimed to have actually discovered the Ark of the Covenant, and to have photographed evidence for verification. He failed to ask the Jordanian Department of Antiquities for a permit to make excavation of the site, and as a result the government abruptly cancelled all further work in the area.

It is common knowledge that the Jordanians do not want any Biblical discoveries made in Jordan, especially since the Israeli invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon. This factor may also reflect the reason for a continuing presence of Israel in the area, and may culminate in “bringing forth” the Ark by those originally intrusted with its sacred presence–the Merkabah Throne of the Divine Presence, The Holy Shekinah Glory.

The Merkava Tank

Merkava Main Battle Tank – 1978

The Merkava represents the latest thinking in tank design, suitably modified for the peculiar needs of Israel. The Merkava is in fact a defensive tank, meant for fighting from prepared positions, and for this reason much emphasis is placed on protection. The engine and transmission are in the front and the turret is narrow and low. The crew have a large compartment at the rear which is suitable for resting or for carrying men and ammunition if necessary. There is a large stock of ammunition for the main gun, and the present power/weight ratio is quite low, indicating that the designers did not envisage a need for rapid movement or agility. The turret has a mantlet that will allow a larger gun to be fitted at a later date, and a more powerful engine can be accommodated easily.

PREFACE

The Bible is virtually silent on the sixth chapter of Isaiah and no mention of the significance of the shining Seraphim is given in any other part of the Scripture. Clearly, a student of the Bible would conclude God had a purpose in revealing this wonderful vision to His ancient prophet who is fittingly called the “Gospel Prophet.” Many other prophecies uttered by Isaiah have been shown to have their latter day, antitypical fulfillment.

The prophecy of Isaiah 4:1,2 has a latter day application, but no precedent in history, when “seven woman” (all religions) will gladly accept the name of the Messiah Whose name is Branch, the “Sprout” of Jehovah (Jer. 23:5,6; 33:15,16; Zech. 8:8,12; Luke 1:18). In verse 2 the “fruit of the earth answers to BRANCH“-not a dry, but a fruit-bearing Branch. It is easily understood from Jeremiah 33:15,26 that it would be the Branch SHE the Lord our Righteousness who would bear the fruit (Rev. 22:2) as it is the Mother that brings forth the children.

If, as proposed by the author, Isaiah’s vision has a latter day fulfillment, then, someone would of necessity have a similar vision clarifying the truths to be known in the original and in their present day application.

In researching material on the subject of Isaiah 6, the author has uncovered articles by writers in the 1800’s, 1930’s, and as late as 1955; all of which provide interesting clarifications on some points, but not enough to complete the full picture of the vision. In an effort to further clear the subject, the author has combined previous findings with a personal experience and additional points for an explanation of Isaiah’s vision.

The personal experience had to do with a vision of a shining silver angel “come down” from heaven to the window of the room where the author was studying the eighteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation about the Mighty Angel who was to lighten the earth with the “Glory” of God. To the astonishment of the author the Mighty Angel had a feminine form and Her Presence was felt inside the room. She was in the foreground of a scene showing thousands of feathered, silvery-winged angels moving swiftly about. This pictorial revelation came as a comforting experience to the author in the controversy in which she was involved with some of her congregation over the doctrinal studies involving the feminine gender of the Holy Spirit.

With the aid of the scholars, both secular and religious, Hebrew and Christian, archaeological findings, and personal research, the author has compiled several booklets on the subject.

As Editor of SHEKINAH magazine, she has made all the findings available free of charge to people in 52 countries besides colleges and libraries, as well as to the religious and secular conventions in the United States.

Publications of SHEKINAH magazine is temporarily delayed because of a fire destroying the publishing department, but plans are underway for a new building and equipment to increase the volume of all the publications.

INTRODUCTION

“MERKABAH (lit. ‘chariot’): The Heavenly Throne; hence, ‘Ma’aseh Merkabah,’ the lore concerning the heavenly Throne-Chariot, with especial reference to Ezek. i. and x. The conception of YHWH riding upon cherubim, or fiery cloud-birds, upon the heavens or the clouds, is certainly genuinely Hebrew (see Ps. xviii…10…[‘And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yes, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.’]; Deut. xxxiii 26 [‘There is none like unto the God of Jeshurum, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.’]; Ps. Ixviii…4…[‘Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.’]; Isa. xix 1. [‘The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come unto Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.’]; hence His ‘war-chariot’ (Hab. iii.8 [‘Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers? Was they wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?’] and Isa. Ixvi. 15, Hebr. [‘For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.]) and the name ‘chariot’ for the ark with the cherubim (1 Chron. xxviii. 18 [‘And for the altar of incense refined by gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord.’])….so did the prophet Ezekiel in his vision…see YHWH riding on the Throne-Chariot when leaving the doomed Temple in Jerusalem…. To a later age Ezekiel’s picture became a sacred mystery known by the term ‘Merkabah’….The ancient Mishnah lays down the rule: ‘The Ma’aseh Merkabah should not be taught to any one except he be wise and able to deduce knowledge through wisdom (‘gnosis’) of his own’ (Hag. ii.1). Job beheld the throne of God, and his daughters sang the doxology of the Ma’aseh Merkabah…

” ‘….telling of the secrets of the Merkabah causes the Shekinah to dwell with us and the angels to accompany us….’Enter the banquet-hall and take your seats with your disciples and disciples’ disciples, among the elect, the highest…’

” ‘In the future Ezekiel will come again and unlock for Israel the chambers of the Merkabah’ (Cant. R. i. 4)….

“Besides the description of the seven heavens with their hosts of angels, and the various storehouses of the world, and of the divine throne above the highest heaven, the most remarkable feature is that the mysteries rest on the belief in the reality of the things seen in an ecstatic state brought about by ablutions, fasts, fervent invocations, incantations, and by other means. This is called ‘the Vision of the Merkabah’ (‘Zefiyat ha-Merkabah’), and those under this strange hallucination, who imagine themselves entering the Heavenly Chariot and floating through the air, are called ‘Yorede Merkabah’….In this chariot they are supposed to ascend to the heavens, where in the dazzling light surrounding them they behold the innermost secrets of all persons and things, otherwise impenetrable and invisible.

“Particularly significant is the warrior-nature of the angels surrounding the Throne-Chariot; flames dart forth from their eyes; they ride upon fiery horses…and are armed with weapons of fire….In order to be allowed to pass these terrible beings the Merkabah-rider must provide himself with amulets or seals containing mysterious names…and in order to be able to step before the Throne he must recite a certain prayers until God Himself addresses him, if he be worthy…

“…the Merkabah-riders have the seeing of the Lord on high as their goal….Otherwise there is the same hallucination at work which makes the ecstatic imagine that he is lifted up from the earth to heaven to see the sun, stars, and winds come forth from their places; to behold the sun (or sun-god) and the entire celestial household, the seven rulers of the celestial poles, or the archangels….[‘The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubim; let the earth be moved. Ps. 99:1. ‘Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind.’ Ps. 104:3. ‘The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.’ Ps. 68:17.].” – The Jewish Encyclopedia, pp. 498-500. [Italicized scriptures in brackets ours.]

“And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the CHARIOT of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord.” 1 Chronicles 28:18.

CHARIOTS OF FIRE

THE MERKABAH

Isaiah 6:1-13; Psalms 68:17

A heavenly chariot visited earth with a message of comfort to Isaiah.

Uzziah, the king of Judah, had died after a prosperous reign of more than fifty years and the nation was seeking direction for the future.

In this time of great national crisis in the kingdom of Judah, a young man by the name of Isaiah was called to the prophetic office (740 B.C.).

While in the Temple one day, Isaiah was comforted by a vision of the Merkabah chariot hovering high above the Sanctuary as the shining Seraphim sang “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory…the posts of the door were moved at the VOICE of THEM that called and the house was filled with smoke.” Isa. 6:2,3, Hebrew Version.

Isaiah’s one and only vision was considered blasphemous–”seeing God” and the “Divine Presence” was not allowed. According to tradition, his testimony was used as a reason for sawing him asunder during the reign of Manasseh.

THE LORD–”Adonai,” verse 1, “Jehovah,” verse 5, and the Holy Ghost, verse 10, imply a Trinity if the application of John and Paul are taken into consideration. John (12:41) attributes the words of Isaiah to the Messiah in verse 10; while in Acts 28:25,26 Paul attributes the same verse to the Holy Ghost as speaking. The Seraphim seem to be saying Three Persons–Holy, Holy, Holy, Lords of Hosts. Verse 8 carries the same thought in saying, “Who will go for US?” The same plurality of majesty is expressed in Genesis 1:26,27. “And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness….So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he THEM.”

The Hebrew word for God–Elohim–shows the “US” of Genesis 1:26. Elohim, plural–at least TWO persons, male and female, made Their images: Adam and Eve.

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; male and FEMALE created he THEM; and blessed THEM, and called THEIR name ADAM, in the day when THEY were created.” Gen. 5:1,2. TWO images of God, TWO Adams were made, a male and a FEMALE.

Adam and Eve, the FIRST of the first-fruits of God’s likeness in the creation, were earthly representatives of the Heavenly Beings Who visited them daily in the Garden of Eden until the entrance of sin; whereupon they were expelled and lost their face-to-face communion with their Makers.

The same Creators, Male and Female, Who made Their visible images in Adam and Eve, appeared to Isaiah with a promise of the restoration (re-creation) of Israel, Their first-born of earth (Isa. 6:13).

The throne of the Lord seen by Isaiah was a “train” (retinue) and as it entered into the Temple, “the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried and the house was filled with smoke [Shekinah Glory (Isa. 6:1,4)].” It was, therefore, a TRAVELING THRONE.

Likewise, “the TRAIN,” (“the SKIRTS thereof”–margin), is an integral part, very precious to the Lord, and as such, symbolizes His Wife. A “train” (skirts) is associated with a wedding gown and a retinue of attendants. The “SKIRT” spoken of in this verse has the same meaning as in Deuteronomy 22:30. “A man shall not take his father’s WIFE, nor discover his father’s SKIRT.” “Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s WIFE; because he uncovereth his father’s SKIRT.” Deut. 27:20.

Isaiah did not actually mention the “form” of the Lord (Elohim–plural in Hebrew), only the “train,” the “Temple,” and the shining “Seraphim.” What he saw was not the usual description of the “Shekinah” (The Divine Presence) over the mercy seat in the Sanctuary. This was a “Being” with a flowing robe sitting upon a throne high and lifted up.

Conclusively, then, “THE LORD” and “HIS TRAIN“-“SKIRTS” [margin]–represent two Heavenly Beings: the Messiah and the Shekinah Glory (Holy Spirit).

“The woman is the glory of the man” (1 Cor. 11:7); likewise, the glory of God is the Heavenly Woman-Holy Spirit, “And there appeared a great wonder IN HEAVEN; a WOMAN clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” Rev. 12:1.

“Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of ALL languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the SKIRT of him that is a Jew [the Messiah], saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” Zech. 8:22,23.

In this instance, they do not take hold of “Him” that is a Jew, but of the “SKIRT,” the “complete covering” of the Holy Spirit symbolized as God’s Wife. The “ten men…out of all languages of the nations” take hold of the “SKIRT” (wife) of him that is a Jew.

In Isaiah 4:1,2,5 seven women (all the churches), take hold of ONE MAN, the Jewish Messiah.

“In that day shall the BRANCH [wife] of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel….And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon HER assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense.” Isa. 4:2,5.

These verses point to a time when all may legitimately “take hold” of His SKIRT (wife–Church) and go with Her for She is going to the Promised Land–back home to her dwelling place in Jerusalem–the “dwelling place” of the Shekinah Glory.

“Before she [Zion] travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.” Isa. 66:7.

“Zion [Jerusalem] is the MOTHER and the verse describes the swift increase in her population through the reinforcement of faithful children from all parts. GOD IS OUR MOTHER.” – The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Hebrew Text, English Translation and Commentary, pp. 945, 946.

“But Jerusalem which is ABOVE [in Heaven] is free, which is the MOTHER of us all.” Gal. 4:26.

“Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: that ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory…As one whom his MOTHER comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” Isa. 66:10,11,13.

“I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.” Isa. 42:14.

A close inspection of the whole book of Isaiah reveals that the majority of what he has to say is about MOTHER: Israel, Zion, and Jerusalem, which according to Galatians 4:26 is the MOTHER of us all.

Hagar, the Jewish church, represented the earthly Jerusalem (Mother of Israel); Sarah represented the Heavenly Jerusalem which is above and free (Gal. 4:22-31). The rabbis speak of the wife (Mother) as the “husband’s House.”

“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place….Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee….Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God….To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice. Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds. O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.” Ps. 68:17,29,31,33-35.

Isaiah 6:2,3,6.

“Above it stood the ser-a-phims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.”

“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”

“Then flew one of the Ser-a-phims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.”

THE SERAPHIM

The description of the face and feet of the Seraphim imply human form; but there is no other reference in the Bible where they are designated as God’s ministering angels. The description of two pairs of “wings” covering the lower part of their bodies compare with the Hebrew word “kanaph,” “SKIRT,” which in its literal rendering is “wing,” and pertains to the loose flowing outer garment worn in the east (possibly at a wedding).

Nevertheless, the “Seraphim” are the highest order of the angelic creation. The “CHERUBIM,” a lesser order of angels, were seen BELOW the Seraphim over the Invisible Being hidden in fire and smoke (Isa. 6:4).

Elsewhere in the Bible, “Seraphim” (saraph) refer to the fiery, rapidly moving (as flying) serpents that bit the murmurers against Moses in the wilderness. These serpents were instruments of God’s appointment to discipline, heal, and deliver Israel from rebellion against Divine Authority.

“Seraphim” in Hebrew is the plural of “Saraph,” “Serpent,” “Seraph,” “burning one,” from Saraph, “to burn.” “Saraph” is rendered “fiery,” referring to the brazen serpent made by Moses in the wilderness, a symbol of deliverance to those bitten by poisonous snakes because of their rebellion against God’s servant.

“The Hebrew Saraph in the combination ‘saraph me opheph’ is rendered ‘flying serpent.’ The combination of ‘nachash saraph’ is translated ‘fiery serpent’ (brazen).” – Bible Dictionary, under Seraphim.

The Messiah refers to the brazen serpent of Moses in the wilderness as a symbol of His sacrifice for the healing and deliverance of Israel.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:14,15.

In correcting their behaviour, God gave them another opportunity to respect His appointed “servant.”

“And the Lord said unto him (Moses), What is that in thine hand? And he said, A ROD. And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a SERPENT….And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it BECAME A ROD in his hand.” Ex. 4:2-4.

GOD’S PEOPLE SYMBOLIZED AS SERPENTS

The ROD of Moses was a SYMBOL of God’s POWER given to His servant whom He instructed to give a message of DELIVERANCE to His people enslaved by the Egyptians and which was to make of them SYMBOLIC SERPENTS, wise, and bold, running away from nothing pertaining to their duty in hearing the Voice of God through Moses.

For every true representation of God’s dealing with His servants, Satan brings a counterfeit, as in the case of the Egyptian “serpents,” which were swallowed up by the ROD of God in Moses’ hand. “And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.” Ex. 7:1.

With this graphic illustration of God’s “serpents” and their counterfeits, one could easily see God’s true people symbolized as “serpents,” SERAPHIM quick to hear and to obey His Voice through His prophet invested with the “Spirit” of Prophecy.

God commanded Moses to make a BRAZEN SERPENT and Moses commanded the children of Israel to look upon it and be healed. Those who followed Moses’ instruction lived and the others died–a simple lesson in obedience to the “Voice of God” through His servant, Moses.

If the meek and lowly Messiah was symbolized by the brazen (fiery) serpent in the wilderness which Moses raised up for the children of Israel to look upon, and be healed from the bites of the fiery serpents, then God’s people could be symbolized as “serpents”–that is, Rods of Gods, symbolized as “serpents.”

It was through an act of faith in “God’s Word through Moses” that the people were healed, though they did not see that the brazen serpent represented the Invisible God, the Lifegiver. The Divine Presence–Shekinah Glory, “Holy Spirit”–and the Messiah were both represented in the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night; likewise, the fiery serpent reflected the two Intercessory Beings of Heavenly Origin as fiery Seraphim.

To summarize; a close inspection of Isaiah 6:1 would lead one to conclude that “the Lord” and “His Train” represent two Divine Beings engaged in bringing forth the remnant of Israel, the “Holy Seed” from the stock of Jesse. At least two Persons of the Godhead appeared to Isaiah with a message of destruction for the wicked and deliverance for those obedient to God’s Voice through His prophet. Two “Divine Beings” speaking as “One”! Two voices speaking the same thing as “One Voice of God.” As in the earthly realm “The woman [skirt] is the glory of the man” (1 Cor. 11:7), just so, in the Heavenly, the Holy Spirit (Divine Presence) is the “Glory of the Lord,” the knowledge of Whom is to fill not only the Temple as in former days, but the whole earth as well.

COMPLETE RESTORATION

The Creators of Heaven and Earth have ever been working, in each generation of mankind, to recover their lost creation through the Spirit’s prophetic agents: the prophets, David, Jeremiah, and finally through the Messiah Whose NEW NAME shall be The Branch (Zech. 6:12; Isa. 11:1; Rev. 3:12; Isa. 62:2), Who is to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem from Their dwelling place on earth, a place to prepare a people for translation to heaven. Those who have died will be raised to be taken before the Throne of God with the “living” who shall never die.

“Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is BECOME LIKE THE GARDEN OF EDEN; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I WILL DO IT. Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them.” Ezek. 36:33-37.

“Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

“And it shall come to pass AFTERWARD, that I will pour our my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” Joel 2:23-29.

“And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one….And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited….And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” Zech. 14:8,9,11,16.

What a great hope for the present earth’s inhabitants, beset on every side with Satan’s destructive efforts to erase God’s Image in the earth and themselves! What a glorious restoration is coming on the authority of the sure Word of Prophecy.

“WE HAVE ALSO A MORE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY; WHEREUNTO YE DO WELL THAT YE TAKE HEED, AS UNTO A LIGHT THAT SHINETH IN A DARK PLACE, UNTIL THE DAY DAWN, AND THE DAY STAR ARISE IN YOUR HEARTS.” 2 Pet. 1:19.

As an encouragement to children of Adam and eve, Enoch was taken to Heaven in the Divine Chariot, the Merkabah. He was translated without seeing death, a TYPE of those who, in the final restoration, will ascend in the cloudy chariot crying Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Hosts, in joy and gratitude for the redemption of their bodies from death, to live eternally in God’s Divine Presence before the Merkabah Throne of the Majesties of Heaven.

A message of comfort like that of Isaiah 6 came to God’s people scattered throughout the world in 1977, when a vision was given to a servant of God of the “Seraph” of Isaiah 6:6,7–a shimmering Silver Angel on the background of thousands of silvery, feathered Seraphim coming to earth to do a special work for the redemption of the people of God and to prepare them for translation without death.

(To be continued in Part 2)