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.2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Reading much differently from its English processed translations, the original Hebrew text of the second verse of the first chapter of the Book of Leviticus presents interesting messianic insights. I do not believe that the English misreading is due to any conspiratory voluntary malefic action, but rather to a reading with an already established theology. We must also realize that a translation always carries the bias of the translator; it is merely a commentary in another language. I heard it said one time that reading the Bible through a translation is like kissing a bride through a veil! The usual translations of the verse read something to the effect of: “When any one of you brings an offering to ADONAI … (Lev. 1:2), but a more literal translation of the text would read, (my translation) “When a man from among you (you: 2nd person plural) desires to come near Me with n offering …” The word for ‘man’ is adam אדם, the same as the name of the first man Adam. This did not pass the attention of Chassidic teacher Rabbi Schneur Zalman. In 1812 The Rabbi suggested a deeper meaning in the verse; he came to the messianic conclusion of the existence of a supernatural/spiritual Adam who approaches Hashem on the behalf of Israel. Based on the vision of Ezekiel in which he saw ‘a figure with the appearance of an Adam, Jewish teachings sometime offer the idea of a heavenly Adam; it is to this spiritual Adam the Rabbi refers to. This may sound far-fetched, but only until we read Paul teaching along the same lines in. The Apostle says, "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:47). Understanding that everything on earth was created after an heavenly pattern, we understand that Paul’s accounting of first and second does not refer to importance, but only to the chronology of this Adam’s earthly manifestations. The Rabbi was right. Israel does have an Adam, who approaches Hashem on our behalf, and who "lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25 referring to Isaiah 53:12). He is our burnt offering in Hebrew called olah עולה or ‘he that ascends’, an image of a total submission and consumption in God and ascending to him (Lev. 1:3; Matt. 26:39; John 3:13-15). He is our grain offering (Lev. 2:2; Matt. 26:26); our peace offering which is an image of communion and fellowship with Hashem through a meal (Lev. 3:1; John 14:27; Rev. 19:9). He also is our sin offering for involuntary sins (Lev. 4:2; 2 Cor. 5:21 (the word for sin in Hebrew or Greek also means: sin offering); Heb. 9:28); and our guilt offering ((Lev. 5:19; Isa. 53: 10-11). In studying the eternal offering ordinances in the Book of Leviticus, we learn about Yeshua’s eternal intercessory role in our lives. It is one and the same thing, and since He completes them (Matthew 5:17), if the offerings become obsolete as some teach, Yeshua also becomes obsolete, God forbid! May we always be granted to confidently approach Hashem through him who is our eternal intercessory offering, in a spirit of submission and humility, in full knowledge of our sin, and personal unworthiness.
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1 Thessalonians 5:9
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Adon Yeshua HaMashiach who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Whereas He is the God of all compassions, Hashem set standards for us, the violating of which incurs temporary punishment. As drastic as they may seem, these punishment do not imply irreversible condemnation. One of the most drastic conflict resolution precedent in the Hebrew Scriptures is that of the rebellion of the Levites through the leadership of Dathan and Abiram (Numbers 16). The text tells us that they went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly (Numbers 16:33). Where did they really go? What is that 'sheol'? To ask the question is in itself strange because the Hebrew word 'She'ol' comes from the root verb 'sha'al' meaning 'to question'. In essence 'she'ol' invokes the idea of the great unknown. What is more scary than the idea of going to the great 'unknown'. There iare things we know about that she'ol. It has to do with the inside of the earth, therefore it carries a connection with being in the earth as happens when we die. She'ol therefore invokes death. Isaiah speaks of She'ol as having 'gates', which the Master says will not overpower us (Isaiah 38:10; Matthew 16:18). King David foresees the death and resurrection of the Messiah and says, you will not abandon my soul to Sheol (Psalms 16:10). We must be careful here, she'ol is not what is communly called 'hell', but as is told us in the Book of Enoch referred to in the Apostolic Scriptures (Jude 1:14), is an interim place waiting for the resurrection (Enoch 22:1-14). It has at least two divisions, one for those who lived righteously on earth and one for those who lived wickedly. It is like waiting for the resurrection in either a five star hotel or in a developing country jail cell. Enoch's description fits the Master's parable of Lazarus and the rich man both waiting for the resurrection, one in the 'bosom of Abraham' (a Talmudic expression for paradise), and the other in the torments of gehenna (Luke 16:19-31). Thus we can conclude that the 'she'ol' is not the final destination of the soul. Dathan, Abiram and all their followers were not lost forever but are waiting for the resurrection just like you and I will after it is declared that our pilgrimage on this earth is over. If you think that their rebellion was so bad as to deserve everlasting condemnation, what will happen to you about your rebellions? You may not know about them, but other people might, and God certainly does. Remember the Words of the Master which He narrated from the Talmud, For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you (Matthew 7:2; Babylonian Talmud: Sanhedrin 100). Matthew 6:10
"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". Many teach after the Catholic idea that the final goal of our natural state is to eventually leave this earth and eternally dwell in a place called ‘Heaven’. Part of this teaching concludes that this ‘Heaven’ is the place where we all go after we die or shortly after, unless we go to the 'other place'. Many also report having had dreams about being in this ‘Heaven’ or even encountered loved ones living in it. I’d like to suggest that no-one goes to ‘Heaven’, but rather that ‘Heaven’ comes to us. When Moses entered the cloud God instructed him to tell the Children of Israel, Let them make me a sanctuary… Exactly as I show you …, so you shall make it (Exodus 25:8-9). Jewish sages teach that when Moses disappeared into the cloud, he actually entered the heavenly realm. There he saw the ‘pattern’ after which he was to build the Tabernacle and all its elements. God had brought His realm on earth to show Moses. The idea of the Tabernacle was to establish the necessary protocol so that the Holy One may be able to dwell among us on the earth (Exodus 25:8). We often speak of the restoration of all things. This implies the return to something that was and the original model of God’s creation, of God’s ‘Heaven', was, that He fellowshipped with us on the earth (Genesis 3:8). The Garden of Eden is the ideal we all desire to return to: living in complete unobstructed fellowship with God within the realm of His marvelous unadulterated creation. That is ‘Heaven’. “But what about these people who claim to have had dreams of a wonderful place, or to even have sojourned there?” you may ask. Well, maybe they are just reacting to their experience with the only information that they have (we often do). I personally suggest that they have gone to the place where the soul sleeps or rests, awaiting the final resurrection (1 Samuel 28:15; Daniel 12:2; Revelations 6:9-11). Yeshua spoke of resurrection as a time long preceding death (Matthew 22:31). The Master also spoke of that place where people awaits the resurrection, a place corresponding to our works on the earth (Luke 16:19-24). He told the thief at His side that he would be in paradise with Him that very night but three days later Yeshua hadn’t yet gone to the Father (Luke 23:43; John 20:17). Paul also speaks of several levels of heavenly dimensions. From the beginning, God’s work has been to restore the original conditions of the Garden of Eden. The way Josephus describes the first 1,000 years on earth under Seth sounds heavenly (Ant. 2.3.68-69). Later God chooses for Himself a people through which He makes a covenant to be able to dwell among them. The Tabernacle and the Temple housed the Shekinah, the very Presence of God. Yeshua came to earth to show how godliness is experienced and lived. He prayed, Your kingdom come, … on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10), and the whole thing ends with Yeshua spending 1,000 years restoring all things on earth to prepare it for the arrival of New Jerusalem, again, on the earth (Revelation 20-22). May it be soon Abba, even in our days! |
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