In-depth Study
Starters
Popular Topics
General
|
Sermons Series 3:28, 4 March 2006
Wisdom Hath Seven Pillars
The Mystery of the Holy Menorah
Main Themes:
Minor Themes:
Last week we took a brief look at the entertainment industry and I told you that Yahweh has a divine alternative that we can participate in and which keeps us absolutely connected to reality as well as nourishes our souls and creates vertical bonds with Yahweh and horizontal bonds with each other. These are the divine moedim or 'appointments' which include the weekly Sabbath, the monthly Rosh Chodesh and the 7 Festivals of Yahweh. They connect seamlessly together into a rhythm of activity in the outside world as well as connecting us inwardly to the Creator. Each of these are times of social gathering for worship and intimate fellowship for all age groups. The disconnectiveness of people from each other, and from Yahweh in particular, is owed in large part because they have abandoned the divine system that keeps is linked to cosmic reality. Daniel prophesied this would happen when he described the end-time beast that rules the world in the last days:
"The fourth beast is the fourth reign (kingdom) on earth, which is different from all other reigns, and it devours all the earth, tramples it down and crushes it. And the ten horns are ten sovereigns (kings, rulers) from this reign. They shall rise, and another shall rise after them, and it is differenjt from the first ones, and it humbles three sovereigns, and it speaks words against the Most High (Yahweh), and wears out the set-apart ones (true believers) of the Most High, and it intends to change appointed times (moedim) and law (Torah), and they are given into his hand for a time and times and a half time" (Dan.7:23-25, ISRV).
This "lawless one" Paul describes further in his second letter to the Thessalonians:
"Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called Elohim or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in Elohim's temple, proclaiming himself to be Elohim. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Yah'shua will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason Elohim sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness" (2 Thess.2:3-12, NIV).
Now this temple of Elohim is, of course, your physical body, though it may be some building as well, of course, though the Temple of the Ruach is what is primarily meant. It is this temple that Satan seeks to corrupt with such things as 'entertainment' and MTV which I discussed last week. The temple, your body, then, becomes corrupted and twisted around so that it becomes dysfunctional and is no longer serving the purpose for which it was created.
The way we are supposed to live is depicted symbolically by the Menorah, the seven-armed candlestick that Yahweh ordered constructed for the Holy Place in the Tabernacle and Temple. The map we need for life, happiness and peace is to be found in this divine symbolism which I now wish to talk to you about, to which I wish to add some insights learned by myself and others in the Garden last month and subsequently. Firstly let us see the blueprint that Yahweh gave to Moses:
"Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand--three on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair--six branches in all. The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (Ex.25:31-40, NIV).
Why has Yahweh gone into such incredible detail here? Why particulars about the decorations? Was it because Yahweh has a pleasing artistic eye or was it because within these symbols is a key to life and living? Over the years Yahweh has taught me much about these things and today I want to give you a glimpse of that. It may surprise and even disturb you but I am praying that the spiritual amongst you will find much to rejoice over.
The responsibility to light this Menorah was that of the Cohen Gadol or High Priest, the first being Aaron, the brother of Moses. No-one else was allowed to do it. Aaron was the divinely appointed representative for Yahweh's people, and thus it was Aaron - and no-one else - who gave the imitations of Yahweh's will. You might even say that Aaron was the leading 'actor' in the Divine Theatre on earth, or the leading singer in the Divine Opera. Everything revolved around Him and the rest of Israel followed. Having lit the lamp, Aaron's duty was to then bless the people with the Aaronic benediction: "Yahweh bless you and keep you; Yahweh make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; Yahweh turn his face toward you and give you peace" (Num.6:24-26, NIV). The light from Yahweh's face that shines on His redeeemed people is the light from the Menorah with its 7 arms, lights, and floral decorations. The light that shines from the face of Yahweh emerges from this unique structure and is manifest through the Cohen Gadol. Today our Cohen Gadol is none other than Yah'shua Himself - He is the one who transmits the Light of the Father to us. He is the intermediary - the representative - of the Father, Yahweh-Elohim, Himself also Elohim and deity. He and the Father are one.
Now within every single man there is a father-aspect and a son-aspect or face, and in every single woman there is a mother-aspect and a daughter-aspect or face. We begin as sons and daughters and we grow into fathers and mothers by imitating our own fathers and mothers. This imitating will occur generation after generation. If the generations are true to Yahweh, then this imitating will lead to divine patterning. If they are not true to Yahweh, and turn away from Him, and imitate the world, then each generation will become corrupted and the image of Yahweh in the soul will be lost.
But why, you may ask, does this extraordinary candlestick have seven arms? Why not just one? Is not Yahweh 'one'? And the answer is - no, Yahweh is not one in the absolutete sense of singularity, for which we have the Hebrew word yachid, but He is 'one' in the sense of being many together which are in complete unity, for which we have the Hebrew word echad. The 'declaration of faith' or 'statement of belief' of the Nation of Israel, which should be affixed to what some call the 'third eye', has always been the Shema which reads:
"Hear O Israel, Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is echad. Love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them to your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates" (Dt.6:4-9, NIV).
This is the Creed of Messianic Israel. It is our Mishpachah's Creed, not some creed invented by the Catholics and copied by the Protestants. And the first revelation this Creed teaches us is that Yahweh-Elohim is echad or 'many-in-one'. As you look at the Menorah with its seven arms you are immediately made aware of the fact that there are many lamps on it and yet they are one lamp giving one light - the light that symbolises the light of Yahweh's face that we invoke in the Aaronic Benediction. This Menorah is an echad symbol of seven-in-one and it is a very profound one too. Seven, is of course, a special, holy number in Scripture representing divine completeness -- so why, when we think of Godhead symbols and numbers, does the number 3 usually come to our mind, and such words as 'trinity' and 'triunity'? We all remember the concluding words of the resurrected Yah'shua in the Gospel of Matthew:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ruach haQodesh, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt.28:19-20, NIV).
Some Messianics, who cry 'wolf' at the presence of tri-unity statements like this because their hearts believe in a yachid or unitary Elohim - and especially this scripture which is the only reference to 'Father, Son and Ruach' in the Bible - have even had the audacity to remove it (e.g. RSTNE) and try to make the evidence fit a pre-conceived doctrine, whereas it is present in DuTillit and Münster Hebrew versions of Matthew as well as the Aramaic Peshitta and is so retained in the HRV and almost every Bible version there is, Greek- as well as Hebraic-based. Therefore we adhere to it most firmly.
The truth is that both 7 and 3 are sacred Godhead numbers and both are present in the Menorah. As you look horizontally you see the seven lamps, but as you look vertically you see something else - three points of intersection where the three arms on one side and the three arms on the other meet on the central branch. Now you all know that the seven lamps are the Ruach haQodesh - the seven Ruachs of Yahweh (Rev.1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6) - not merely a sevenfold Ruach but 7 of them in 1 - an echad. This many of you know not only from Scripture but from your Garden experiences also and have conversed with the Heavenly Mother who has told you these things.
When Aaron lit the Menorah he always lit the central one first from the fire of the Altar and then lit the other six one from another. The fire of the altar is the Father Yahweh Himself (Ex.24:17; Dt.2:42; Heb.12:29) and the central candlestick is Yah'shua Himself, known in the Old Testament as the Angel (Messenger) of the Presence - the only angel, incidentally, that the Israelites were allowed to worship. It is of course right that the remaining six lamps be lit from the central one because Yah'shua is the fountain of light who lights us - represented by the six lamps - who are grafted into Him as the central branch of the vine -- you will notice that the six arms arise from the central candlestick in pairs.
Now in case you start mixing symbols together - and it is very easy to do that because in the Menorah there are many layers of prophetic meaning - let me remind you of this passage from the Book of Revelation: "Before the throne [of Yahweh], seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven Ruachs of the Elohim" (Rev.4:5, NIV). Each of these lamps are Menorahs - so there are seven Menorahs before the Throne of Yahweh, each one representing one of the seven Heavenly Mothers or Ruachs. Please also recall that in the Temple of Solomon there were eight Menorahs in the Holy Place - not just one - seven additional ones to the single one that existed in the portable Tabernacle in the Sinai wilderness - 1 for Yah'shua and 7 for each of the 7 Mothers.
It should come as no surprise for you to learn, therefore, that since we who are patterned after the Elohim are, in some cases, elohim or rulers ourselves, that rulers in Israel are also depicted as menorahs. The husband in the family must be lit by Yah'shua Himself, and He must in turn light the other lamps, one from the other as they come to him asking for his shem or name (Is.4.1). He is the central candlestick in his family of eight as Yah'shua is in the Messianic Menorah.
Now as you know the seven Mothers are not identical. They each represent one day in the week and the seventh is known as the Sabbath Queen. They preside over each day of the week which are known as Yom Rishon (Day #1), Shanee (Day #2), Shleshi (Day #3), Revee (Day #4), Chamashee (Day #5), Sheshi (Day #6) and Shabbat (Day #1). Each Mother not only presides over each day of the week but also each of the Seven Festivals of Yahweh. Thus Rishon presides over Pesach (Passover), Shanee over Chag haMatzah (Unleavened Bread), Shleshi over Yom haBikkurim (Firstfruits), Revee over Shavu'ot (Pentecost/Weeks), Chamashee over Yom Teruah (Trumpets), Sheshi over Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Shabbat over Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths):
Heavenly Mother |
Festival & Duration |
Week Day |
Rishon |
Pesach / Passover (1) - Spring |
1 |
Shanee |
Chag haMatazah / Unleavened Bread (7) - Spring |
2 |
Shleshi |
Yom haBikkurim / Firstfruits (1) - Spring |
3 |
Revee |
Shavu'ot / Pentecost, Weeks (1) - Summer |
4 |
Chamashee |
Yom Teruah / Trumpets (1) - Autumn/Fall |
5 |
Sheshi |
Yom Kippur / Atonemenmt (1) - Autumn/Fall |
6 |
Shabbat Queen |
Sukkot / Tabernacles, Booths (7+1) - Autumn/Fall |
7 |
Each moed is an appointed time given by Yahweh in which He sends one of the Seven Mothers to preside over Messianic Israel gathered to receive special blessings. These festivals are not, then, merely 'instructional dramas' but are actually special times in which Yahweh imparts grace to the believing and obedient just as He does each Sabbath.
Now if you look at the central lamp of the Menorah you will notice that there are 3 intersections where the three pairs of lamp arms meet, respectively. Above these three points is the central lamp and below them is the base of the lampstand. Altogether, 5 points. Now what on earth, you may be wondering, are these five points? We have already seen that the central lamp represents Yah'shua, the husband and father of his household (on another level) but we have also understood that on yet another level the whole Menorah represents the seven mothers. So let us look at the third representation as the Ruach haQodesh.
It is clear in this case that the central lamp and Personage which is represented by it, stands out distinctively. In a way all the others flow into Her and that is a perfect representation of the Sabbath Queen at Yom Shabbat - the Sabbath Day. All the other days of the week flow into the Sabbath in the following pairs: Rishon and Shanee (Days #1&2), Shleshi and Revee (Days #3&4) and Chamasha and Sheshi (Days #5&6). The Sabbath Queen reveals herself to be five-aspected, three of which are combinations of all the other Mothers, one of which is herself, and finally there is a mysterious fifth element at the base which holds everything else up, rooting the Menorah in the ground. To understand the Sabbath Queen fully we must understand the Sabbath itself. But before we do that I would like to draw your attention to an interesting clue in the New Testament.
I am sure you have all heard Yah'shua's parable of the Ten Virgins (Mt.25:1-13). They are going to the Messiah's wedding to be His Brides but five are unprepared and are rejected because they did not have enough oil or Ruach. The five who did are, according to the Olive Branch, called Tobah (Goodness), Tsadkah (Justice & Righteousness), Ahavah (Love), Hokmah (Wisdom) and Amenah (Truth). The five foolish virgins who did not have the Ruach are the spirits of Badness, Injustice, Hate, Illogic and Deceit (OB 207). Ten represents completeness on this plane represented by the 10 fingers of our hands - 5 on the left and 5 on the right. If you look at the diagram you will see that the five wise virgins are positioned on the vertical central stem which is Yah'shua and the Sabbath Queen. They represent the virtues that must be engrained in us through right relationship to Yah'shua so that we can commune with the Father.
Yah'shua said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6, NIV). Or to put it another way, no man or woman comes to the Father except by walking the Way - represented by the horizontal bar or road with are the perfections of the seven days of the week whose spirits are the Seven Mothers - except by the Truth, which is the apex and crux of everything - and except by receiving the Life, which is eternal and comes only from Yah'shua. Thus to be in proper relationship with Yahweh, our Heavenly Father, we must walk exclusively in Truth - which is the Person of Yah'shua as Messiah, we must live the Gospel outwardly with its external markers - the weekly Sabbath, the montly New Moons, and the 7 Festivals which are our pattern of life and the means by which we enter and participate in the 'Divine Theatre' or 'Spiritual Opera', and finally we must be eating from the fruit of the Tree of Life, and not that of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In short, we must be wholly consecrated and set-apart as a Royal Priesthood - all of us.
Again let me remind you of the central position of Truth or Emet and of the passage I began this sermon with: "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason Elohim sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie". When you refuse the truth, Yahweh sends you "powerful delusion" and causes you to "believe the lie". If you want to know why people do not live in reality it is because they reject the truth.
Now where in this scheme is "Love"? Why isn't it at the apex of the Menorah? Why is Truth there? It is because Truth defines true Love. Please note that lawless people - those who hate rules and restrictions because they don't understand Yahweh's love behind them - perish not because they refused to love but because they refused to love the truth. It is not love that sets a soul free, but the truth. Yah'shua said: ""If you hold to (accept and live) my teaching (the truth statements I make), you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32, NIV). Free from what? Free from delusion, free from demons and their lies. I repeat again - it is not enough to 'love' - you have to love the truth. The Truth!
Thus the Psalmist says: "You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth" (Ps.52:3, NIV). And recall one of our mottos: "When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or he will cease to be honest." When you refuse to accept the truth, you reject Yah'shua, you become dishonest, and Yahweh sends you a strong delusion so that you believe demonic lies. Paul said: "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (1 Cor.13:5-7, NIV). Love rejoices with the truth! Why? Because it is truth that identifies it! And that is why Truth is the first principle of salvation and of deliverance ministry. Reject it and you have chosen to believe a lie and a demonic illusion, and Yahweh will not hold you guiltless until you have repented. So Paul says:
"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Messiah" (Eph.4:14-16, NIV).
Truth gives stability, it enables us to love in the correct way, and joined together with love causes us to grow up in Yah'shua. Note that Paul stresses that if we love in truth, we grow up into He who is the Head - we grow up under headship, never alone.
If you look at the diagram again you will see that Love is positioned directly under Truth. Of Faith, Hope and Love, Love is the greatest (1 Cor.13:13) but it is not greater that Truth. Love is a part or Truth but it is not Truth itself.
The Menorah teaches us that to be in proper relationship with Yahweh and growing up, we need the three components of (1) adhering to the Truth who is the Person of Yah'shua as Elohim and Redeemer in His Sabbath Rest, the Shabbat Queen, (2) walking the Gospel Way in that Truth - living the commandments in our moral, social and ethical life, faithfully observing Yahweh's moedim or appointments - His sabbaths and festivals, and all His commandments, and (3) Walking in Life which is of the Ruach haQodesh and not the psyche, or the reasonings of the world and its vainglorious and empty promises. In short we walk only in the expectation that we shall do these three things. We shall "demolish (demonic) strongholds. ...(and) arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of Elohim, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Messiah" (2 Cor.10:4-5, NIV) and we shall do this by means of the unadulterated Truth. We shall set the Truth before all else.
Finally, ask yourself these questions: Why, when it happens, is there so much opposition in my life from Yahweh's own people? Why are my thoughts, opinions and ways opposed by them? If you find yourself coming up against a wall of opposition from Yahweh's true Messianic Israel then it is for only one reason: you have rejected the truth and embraced a delusion. Thus Yahweh says: ""They may build, but I will demolish" (Mal.1:4, NIV) because they are building according to false patterns in His Name. That is why judgment always starts in the Family or Mishpachah of Yahweh, and especially at this time, in this year of Yahweh's Self-declared refining (1 Pet.4:17). And until His people - those who claim to follow Him - adhere to the model of the Menorah, they will be opposed by Him.
There is much more, of course, that could be said about the Menorah, books could be written, in fact, so I hope this provides the stimulus for deeper study. The beauty of Yahweh's Truth is that everything connects and grows, and goes deeper and deeper into His Mystery. "It is good to be near Elohim, I have made Yahweh-Elohim" my refuge", and "It is good to praise Yahweh," declared King David (Ps.73:28, 92:1, NIV). "It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of Yahweh. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young", says the writer of Lamentations (Lam.3:26-27, NIV). And finally, I hope you can join in declaring with me, as the disciples of old did, in saying: "Master, it is good for us to be here" (Matt.17:4, NIV). It is good to be in the House of Yahweh. Amen.
Author: Lev-Tsiyon
Glossary of MLT Hebraic, Greek and English Terms For other terms and full details please see the Micropedia
A
Adon(ai) = Master, a pagan fertility god, Adonis; used by many Messianics but not MLT
(a)eon(ian) = 7 dispensation- or age-long time periods, not forever (see le-olam-va-ed)
Alef-Tav = Alpha-Omega, A-Z, first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet = Yah'shua
Amen = truly, let it be so, written Amein by some Messianics
Apocrypha = Hebraic Scriptures not a part of the Protestant canon (e.g. Baruch)
Anti-Messiah = Hebraic term for the end-time Antichrist or anyone opposed to the Messiah
antinomian = lawless Christian who disregards all or part of Torah/commandments
Ashkenazi Jew = East European Jew descended from the Turkic-Japhethite Khazars
Assembly = church, congregation, ekklesia, community, fellowship, koinonia, gathering
Azazel = the Yom Kippur scapegoat
B
Baal, Ba'al = any other master than Yahweh, usually demonic in MLT terminology
Bachor(im) = firstborn son(s)
Bar/Bat Mitzvah = Son/Daughter of Commandment, covenant to obey Torah at age 12
being = soul, the whole person (spirit and body), e.g. "my whole being"
Beit, bet, beth = house, e.g. Beit Yisrael (House of Israel), Beth Lechem (House of Bread)
Beit haMikdash = Yahweh's Temple in Yerushalayim
B'rit Chadashah = the New Covenant; B'rit Chadashah Scriptures = New Testament
B'rit Milah = circumcision - abolished in the B'rit Chadashah, replaced by Mikvah
C
canon = authoritative Scripture (Heb. qaneh, Gk. kanôn = measuring instrument)
Catechumen = a serious, covenanted investigator seeking Mikvah or Baptism in MLT
Chag haMatzah = Feast of Unleavened Bread, second of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Chavurat Bekorot = MLT's Priesthood Order, Holy Order and Assembly of the Firstborn
Cohen = priest; Cohen Gadol = High Priest (also spelled Kohen)
Council of Yah's elohim = the heavenly Assembly of the Firstborn or Chavurat Bekorot
D
demon = fallen malek or angel in rebellion against Yahweh (Heb. shad; see Êl-Shaddai)
derech = the Way, Path or Road - Yah'shua and the Gospel are the Way
Drash = moral or homiletic interpretation of Scripture - see PaRDeS
E
Echad = One, Union of two or more in one (as opposed to Yachid) - see Elohim
Echad Godhead Doctrine = Father Yahweh, Son Yah'shua and Sevenfold Ruach (Mother)
Êl, Eloah, Elah = God the Father, Yahweh
Êl-Elyon = Most High God, Yahweh
Êl-Shaddai = Master/Lord over all shads or demons
Elohim = God, the Godhead (Father, Son & Holy Spirit), lit. 'Mighty One(s)', 'Ruler(s)'
elohim = Israelite judges, rulers, angels or gods (false deities, idols, demons)
emunah = faith, actively trusting, clinging or adhering to (especially Yahweh or Yah'shua)
emet = truth, Yah'shua is the Emet
Ephraimite = descendant of the patriarch Ephraim and head of Messsianic Israel
F
Feasts of Yahweh = the 7 annual Moedim (Pesach, Chag haMatzah, Yom haBikkurim, Shavu'ot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot)
G
Gan-Eden = Garden of Eden, Paradise and state of the purified heart in Messiah
goy(im) = nation(s), Israelites or gentiles not born in or converted to the Covenant
H
hallelu-Yah = praise Yah(weh)!
Heylel = proper name of Satan or haSatan = the Adversary, the devil
Sabbath = Yom Shabbat (Friday to Saturday sunset, add 1 day in IDL Zone)
Hochmah = Wisdom, title of the 7-fold Ruach haQodesh
I
IDL = International Date Line, false man-made time division in Pacific Ocean
IDL Zone = Area between the true Divine Date Line (Lake Van/Eden) and the false one
Israeli = citizen of the modern Edomite-Khazar Republic of Israel (not Biblical Israel)
Israelite = citizen of biblical state of Israel or a modern follower of the Messiah
J
Jew = post-biblical term describing descendants of Edomite and Khazar converts to Judaism
Johannine = pertaining to the Apostle Yochanan (e.g. Gospel of John)
Josephite = descendant of the patriarch Joseph, the head of Messianic Israel
Judahite = a person in direct descent from the patriarch Judah, forefather of the Messiah
Judaism = a Talmudic-based religion rejecting Yah'shua the Messiah
Judean = a citizen of the Kingdom or Province of Judah until the 2nd Century diaspora
K
Kadosh la Yahweh = set-apart or dedicated to Yahweh, 'Holiness to the Lord', MLT motto
Karaites = Jews (from 700 AD) who reject the Talmud and accept only the Tanakh
kashrut = keeping kosher, food laws of Yahweh and correspinding lifestyle
Ketuvim = Writings or Hagiographa of the Tanakh
Khazar = a Turkic convert to Judaism ~700 AD forming the Ashkenazi Jewish community
kosher = clean foods authorised by Yahweh for human consumption
L
Lashon Hara = evil-speaking, gossip or slander
legalism = false route to salvation through works (self-salvation)
le-olam-va-ed = dispensation- or age-long, aeonian, not eternal, forever or for eternity
Lev = heart, as in Lev-Tsiyon = heart of Zion
Lev-Tsiyon = Heart of the Fortress [of Yahweh], Hebrew name of MLT's founder
M
Master = Lord, Sir, Adon(ai) - (one in authority, a ruler - a king, husband, prophet, judge)
Malak(im) = Angel(s), heavenly supernatural messenger(s)
manna = wafers of honey, bread from heaven (lit. 'what is this?')
matzah = unleavened bread, see Chag haMatzah
Menorah = 7-armed candlearbra = the 7 annual Moedim and 7-fold Ruach haQodesh
Messiah = Christ; Anti-Messiah = Antichrist
Messianic Community = Body of Christ, sum total of all true believers; all true fellowships
Messianic Israel = all who worship Yahweh, trust in Yah'shua, obey Torah and overcome
Messianic Jew = Messianic convert from Judaism still clinging to Talmudic traditions
Midrash = aggadic interpretation of scripture viâ Drash, a scriptural discussion
Mikvah = baptism by immersion of convert into Yah'shua or of wife into husband
Mishpachah = family: nuclear, congregational, tribal or the whole of Messianic Israel
MLT = Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon = family of the heart of the fortress [of Yahweh]
Mishpat = right-ruling or judgement
mitzvah/mitzvot = commandment(s)
moed(im) = appointment(s) of Yahweh, 7 Annual Feasts, Sabbath and Rosh Chodesh
N
Nefilim, Nephilim = giant offspring of materialised demons and human women
Nevi'im = prophetic writings of the Old Testament or Tanakh
New Birth = spiritual conversion in the Ruach haRishon, being 'born again' with new heart
Nidah = a woman's menstruation period during which no intercourse is permitted
O
Olive Branch = collection of revelations, prophecies and visions published by MLT
P
Paraclete = Comforter, Advocate (NEB), Counsellor, Ruach haQodesh (Gk. paraklêtos)
PaRDeS = method of textual interpretation (homiletics) - see P'shat, Remez, Drash, Sod
Patriarch = a father who is head of his family, clan or tribe (lit. 'father-ruler')
Pentateuch = first five books of the Tanakh (Genesis-Deuteronomy), also called Torah
peribolaion = headcovering worn by daughters/wives in submission to fathers/husbands
Pesach = Passover, first of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Peshitta = an Aramaic version of the Bible
Prototrinitarianism = early, simplified MLT formulation of the Echad Godhead Doctrine
Prush(im) = Pharisee(s)
Pseudepigrapha = Non-canonical Hebrew writings additional to the Apocrypha
P'shat = literal, contextual, philological, exoteric, outer meaning of Scripture - see PaRDeS
Q
Qadosh Qadoshim = Holy of Holies, most sacred set-apart room of the Beit haMikdash
Qodesh, Kodesh = set-apart, holy (see Ruach haQodesh)
R
Rabbi = Teacher, term used by Messianic Jews and some Messianic Israelites = Pastor
Refuge, the 12 Cities of = divinely protected MLT fortresses during the 7-year Tribulation
Remez = hint or allegorical level of Hebraic understanding of Scripture - see PaRDeS
Rosh Chodesh = monthly New Moon appointment of Yahweh
ruach = spirit of a person (lit.'breath')
Ruach Elohim = Spirit of God (the Spirit of the collective Godhead or Elohim)
Ruach haChamashee = 5th Ruach presides over Yom Teruah and Yom Chamashee
Ruach haQodesh = the Sevenfold Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost (lit. 'Set-Apart Breath')
Ruach haRevee = 4th Ruach presides over Shavu'ot, Yom Revee and Bar Mitzvah
Ruach haRishon = 1st Ruach presides over Pesach, Yom Rishon and the New Birth
Ruach haShanee = 2nd Ruach presides over Chag haMatzah and Yom Shanee
Ruach haSheshi = 6th Ruach presides over Yom Kippur and Yom Sheshi
Ruach haShleshi = 3rd Ruach presides over Yom haBikkurim, Yom Shleshi and Mikvah
S
Sabbath = Yom Shabbat (Friday to Saturday sunset, add 1 day in IDL Zone)
Satan = rebel archangel Heylel, father of lies, devil, chief demon (lit.'Adversary')
Sephardic Jew = West European Jew of mixed blood containing many Judahites
Septuagint = Greek translation of the Tanakh, LXX
Shegal haShabbat = 7th Ruach (Sabbath Queen) presides over Sukkot and Yom Shabbat
Shekinah = Divine Presence and Glory of Yahweh-Elohim
Set-apart = holy, sanctified, consecrated, dedicated, separated (to and by Yahweh)
Shabbat-Shabbaton = High Sabbath (e.g. Yom Kippur)
Shalom = heavenly peace, standard Hebraic greeting invoking Yahweh's peace
Shamash(im) = servant(s), deacon(s), attendant(s)
Shavu'ot = Pentecost or Weeks, fourth of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Sheol = grave or pit, euphamism for Hades or hell - also see Tartarus
shofar = ram's horn, blown during Yahweh's Moedim
simcha = joy, keynote of Sukkot
Sod = mystical, anagogic, inner or esoteric understanding of Scripture - see PaRDeS
Sukkot = Tabernacles or Booths, seventh of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Synagogue = Greek word used by Jews and Messianics (but not MLT) for a meeting house
T
talmid(a) = male/female disciple or student
Talmud = scriptures, teachings and commentaries belonging to non-Messianic Judaism
Tanakh = acronym for Old Testament Scriptures - Torah, Nevi'im & Ketuvim
Tartarus = place of imprisonment under the earth for rebellious angels and Nephilim
teshuvah = repentance, remorse and contrition leading back to Torah obedience
Torah = Yahweh's teachings or Law; New Covenant Torah includes Yah'shua's teachings
Tribulation, the Great = the final 7 years of the present aeon when Anti-Messiah rules
Trinity = Catholic Godhead formula - see Echad Godhead Doctrine and Prototrinitarianism
Tsiyon = Zion, a fortress, a name of Jerusalem and a prominent hill
Tzitzit/Tizitziyot = tassel(s) worn by men in remembrance of Torah
U
Universalism = salvation of all at the cosmic Yovel, with different rewards and punishments
Y
Yachid = one, single person or item, as opposed to Echad (many in one, unity)
Yah'shua the Messiah = Jesus Christ (the Son)
Yahudah = Judah - see Judahite
Yahweh, Yah, YHWH = the true Name of our Heavenly Father, also carried by Yah'shua
Yahweh-Elohim = LORD God (the Father, Yahweh as Head of the Godhead or Elohim)
Yahweh haQatan = the sent Yahweh = Yah(weh)'shua, Malak of Yahweh's Presence
Yam Suf = Sea of Reeds, the true Israelite Exodus water crossing, not the Red Sea
Yarden = Jordan River (lit. 'meanderer')
Yerushalayim = Jerusalem
Yisrael = Israel (lit. 'ruling with Êl') = true believers under the New Covenant
Yom Chamashee = 5th day of the week (Thursday, Friday in IDL Zone)
Yom Din, Yom haDin = (the) Day of Judgement
Yom haBikkurim = Feast of Firstfruits, third of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Yom Revee = 4th day of the week (Wednesday, Thursday in IDL Zone)
Yom Rishon = 1st day of the week (Sunday, Monday in IDL Zone)
Yom Kippur = Day of Atonement, sixth of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Yom Shabbat = 7th day of the week and Sabbath Rest (Saturday, Sunday in IDL Zone)
Yom Shanee = 2nd day of the week (Monday, Tuesday in IDL Zone)
Yom Sheshi = 6th day of the week (Friday, Saturday in IDL Zone)
Yom Shleshi = 3rd day of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday in IDL Zone)
Yom Teruah = Day of Trumpets, fifth of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Yosef = Joseph - see Josephite
Yovel = Jubilee or Year of Jubilee
Z
Zaqen(im) = elder(s) of an assembly or congregation, or senior members of a community
Zoë Life = Greek term for spiritual life in the Messiah
Commonly Used MLT Abbreviations
For additional abbreviations and explanations, please see the Micropedia
A
Amp.V(er). = Amplified Version of the Bible
Aram. = Aramaic
AV = Authorised Version of the Bible - see KJV
B
BCAY = B'rit Chadashah Assembly of Yahweh - see NCCG
BoA = Books of Abraham (e.g. 1Abr., 2Abr., etc.)
C
cp, cf = compare with
CB(Q) = Chavurat Bekorot
CEV = Contemporary English Version of the Bible
ch. = chapter
CJB = Complete Jewish Bible
CLNT = Concordant Literal New Testament
CYe = Council of Yah's elohim
E
Eng. = English
F
ff. = and onwards/forwards
fn = footnote
G
Gk. = Greek
GNB = Good News Bible - see TEV
H
Heb. = Hebrew, Hebraic
HEM = Holy Echad Marriage, eternal marriage
HO = Holy Order - see Chavurat Bekorot
HOC = Holy Order Collection of revelations - see OB
HRV = Hebraic-Roots Version of the Bible
I
ibid. = ibidem (lit. 'in the same place'), referring to a book previously cited
ICJC = Independent Church of Jesus Christ, earlier name of NCCF
ISRV = Institute for Scripture Research Version of the Bible
J
JB = Jerusalem Bible
JBP/Phillips = J.B.Phillips translation of the New Testament
JNT = Jewish New Testament
K
KJV = King James Version of the Bible - see AV
L
LB = Living Bible
lit. = literally or literature
LXX = Septuagint, Greek translation of the OT
M
MLT = Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon
Moff. = Moffatt translation of the Bible
MRC = Messianic Renewed Covenant Version of the NT
MS(S) = Manuscript(s)
N
NASB, NASV = New American Standard Bible/Version
NC&C = New Covenants & Commandments - see OB
NCCF = New Covenant Christian Fellowship, earlier name of NCCG
NCCG = New Covenant Church of God, earlier name of MLT - see BCAY
NCP = New Covenant Press, publishing arm of MLT
NCW = New Covenant Witness, MLT magazine
NEB = New English Bible
NIV = New International Version of the Bible
NKJV = New King James Version of the Bible
Nor. = Norwegian
NT = New Testament, B'rit Chadashah
NWT = New World Translation of the Bible, unreliable Jehovah's Witness version
O
OB = Olive Branch - see NC&C
op.cit. = opere citato (lit. in the work cited)
OT = Old Testament, Tanakh
P
p(p). = page(s)
pl. = plural - see s.
PWNC = Prophetic Words of the New Covenant, revelation cataloging system - see OB
Q
QED = quod erat demonstrandum (lit. which was shown to be proved)
R
RCF = Restoration Christian Fellowship, earlier name of ICJC
RhQ = Ruach haQodesh, Holy Spirit
RSTNE = Restoration Scriptures True Name Edition of the Bible
RSV = Revised Standard Version of the Bible
RV = Revised Version of the Bible
S
s. = singular - see pl.
S&G = Smith & Goodspeed Version of the Bible
T
TEV = Today's English Version of the Bible - see GNB
V
Vulg. = Biblia Vulgata, Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible
W
WEB = World English Bible
Glossary Copyright ©2007 Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon (MLT) - All Rights Reserved
|
This page was first created on 7 March 2007
Last updated on 17 October 2011
Copyright ©2006-11 Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon (MLT) - All Rights Reserved
|
|