Volume 10, Issue 2 - May 2010 “I have set a watchman upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night. You that make mention of YHWH, keep not silence”. Isaiah 62:6
“Keep silence before me, O islands; let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. Who raised up the righteous man from the east (from Judah), called him to his foot, gave the nations before him…made him rule over kings?”. Isaiah 41:1-2
"Nation building" has been a topic of concern not only to true (Hebrew) Israelites, but the subject has been transformed by diplomats into an issue of global importance. Millions have watched the efforts of America, Britain and the United Nations to rebuild Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq and other struggling countries only to witness the unrighteousness and intrigues that have accompanied these human-driven attempts to intervene and rebuild nations where millions have been abused and exploited. We feed others in 3rd world countries while our own poor starve and the so-called middle-class has now been relegated to the ranks of the underprivileged through unemployment. Refugees of poverty and suffering flee faltering countries (or flee from one American state to another) in search of a better life. Even music and children’s laughter in the streets (at play) is no longer heard as in times past. Wall Street and U.S. corporations are intentionally silent regarding the effects their actions have had on the average man in America over the past year while ‘the nations’ have not been silent at all!! But the US is not the only one silent! Let’s look at this ‘Silence On The Wall’ and its meaning for our future.
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THE NEWS “The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as a high wall in his own conceit”. Proverbs 18:11
In a March 10, 2010 news article, the BBC Two asked a question in the captioned title: “80 Years After The Wall Street Crash (1929), What Have We Learned?” Describing the atmosphere. The New York Stock Exchange floor is quiet but full of traders. Yet for the trader there are no past concerns because only the future matters to them. For this reason they've been able to shrug off the 1929 Great Depression and the sudden bust of September 2008. They have gotten right back to the business of making money via courtesy of the taxpayer and the Central Bank; and they are raking it in.!! In fact there is near-euphoria on Wall Street! The Dow Jones Industrial Average - which lost more than half its value 12 months prior to March 2009 has now clawed back half its losses. Goldman Sachs announced a record profit. Bonuses are bigger than ever and Foreign Ex-change Dealers are opening offices and recruiting new staff just as fast as the computer guys can install the terminals. Meanwhile ordinary Americans go on losing their jobs. (Estimates indicate there is 16% unemployment and when considering that the unemployment rate is generally 2 times the national average for African Americans, the rate would be a whopping 32% for our reality). When compared to the stock market ‘bust’ on October 24, 1929 (Black Thursday) and the Great Depression that followed within months, the damage is larger this time; 50% below peak versus 40% of that day. And just like then, the focus of the crash shifted from Wall Street to a banking crisis which began with a ‘rumor’ that the "Bank of the United States, Bronx Branch" was bust. 20,000 people rushed the bank and demanded their funds. This caused the bank to close its doors overnight. Walls Street’s finest made the decision to merge the bank with three healthy ones, but encountered a HUGE problem: bad mortgage debt; the same problem we currently have!! By the next morning, the bank had failed and by 1933, a total of 10,000 banks had suffered the same status.
The Wall (a Market Watch Report dated April 2, 2010), bailed-out banks are ‘feasting’ on bankrupt consumers. In 2005, the banks lobbied for a change in the bankruptcy laws that made it harder to file Chapter 7; forcing Chapter 13 filings, which requires repayment). The new law also came with more fees and the new cost of filing (more than $2,000). In spite of this, Chapter 7 filings still rose by 121% in 2009. Consumers are unemployed and drowning in debt!! To top it off, the new law allows creditors to sue the customer for the unpaid debt and sometimes add on more interest after winning the judgment. These debts are often sold to multiple collection agencies for mere pennies on the dollar and thus, pay seizures The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
(garnishments) are up in Atlanta alone by 55% (NY Times). Experts agree that the economy is propped up on absolutely nothing: $1.2 trillion from quantitative easing and another $700 billion of fiscal stimulus. The American Banking System took a free ride back to profitability, and thus stock market recovery is based on nothing more than over-optimism. Wall Street and the banking system, simply stated, is on life support and the nations are a hair’s breath away from pulling the plug. “YHWH was as an enemy: he has swallowed up Israel, he has destroyed his strong holds, and has increased in the Daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation. He has violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: YHWH has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he stretched out a line, he has not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together…The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground”. Lamentations 2:5-10
In the 1930s the stock market wiped out funds in the millions and the bank crisis then wiped away tens of millions leaving the masses un-employed and others trying to pump up the economy by spending their own money. The Obama Administration has decided the way out of our crisis is to throw money at the problem (once again) along with proposed banking reform laws that banks are fighting very proficiently. So if banks are not reformed, they will simply run away with our money again and that’s exactly what they are doing!! The purpose of bailing out the banks in the first place was to save the economy and Americans en mass, not the bankers. Thus, an enormously dangerous situation called ‘Class Warfare’ has emerged as a result of this, but if we thought our monetary system was predatory to the underclass before, we ain’t seen nothing yet!!
AMERICAN CAPITALISM GONE IN A WHIMPER PRAVDA.RU (RUSSIA) APRIL 27, 2009
http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459american_capitalism-0 “YHWH is his name: that strengthens the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. They hate him that rebukes in the gate, and they abhor him that speaks uprightly. Therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them…for I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence [rest, tarry, be dumb-founded, stand still] in that time; for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Adonay, the Elohim of Hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, love the good, and establish judgment in the gate”. Amos 5:8-15 The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
While the prophecies of Amos indicate that the prudent shall keep their silence when the evil day is fully upon us, the Russian bear is very vocally fulfilling her bold and growing role in prophecy according to Hosea. While America is silent with her citizens, Russia’s as forward as ever internationally. If America was prudent, she would hide: [“A prudent man foresees (discerns/considers) the evil, and hides (conceals/cloaks) himself”Prov 22:3]. As early as April 2009, Russia very vividly described America’s economic and social decline months before the bottom fell out. The article used very colorful adjectives describing America’s dilemma like sheeple (a combination of sheep and people); the term ‘roll over’, ‘Sunday circuses’ (for churches), ‘Byzantine Tax System’ and ‘unelected stooges’ (for our leaders). Identifying what Russia says is our ‘descent into Marxism’, the article expounded “First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional rights; then they lecture us about our rights and about our ‘democracy’. Pride blinds the foolish’, it said quoting Jeremiah 49:16 Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations” were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more than happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberal-ized in America”. The entire article is a must read, but it doesn’t stop there.
RUSSIAN PROF. PREDICTS THE END OF UNITED STATES IN 2010/2011 WALL STREET JOURNAL DECEMBER 29, 2008 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html
According to the Dec. 29 ,2008 Wall Street Journal, article, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting that the U.S. will experience an economic and moral col-lapse that will trigger Civil War and the eventual breakup of the U.S. into 6 different regions which will be controlled by fo-reign powers. Panarin originally forecasted his bleak prediction more than 10 years ago which has been music to the ears of the Kremlin which believes Russia is re-turning to its rightful place on the world stage after the weakness of the 1990s. In recent years the Kremlin has blamed Washington for everything from instability in the Middle East to the global financial crisis! In September 1998, he attended a conference in Linz, Austria, devoted to information warfare, the use of data to get an edge over a rival. It was there, in front of 400 fellow delegates, that he first presented his theory about the collapse of the U.S. in 2010, no later than spring 2011. When Panarin pushed his computer button at the conference, which showed America exploding, the audience gasped. Most were stunned and some still say his ‘prediction’ doesn’t hold water. However, they would do well to remember that the Russian Empire (Medo-Persia empire) was the second world empire that held Israel captive and is well aware of bible prophecy, (especially Russia’s role in those events, which they have not hesitated to repeat to the world in past decades). “I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so were they filled…and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me. Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
leopard by the way will I observe them: I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps [Russia], and will rend the caul of their heart, there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast will tear them”. Hosea 13:5-8
He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the U.S. When things get tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the union. Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow. The U.S. will then split along “ethnic lines”, and foreign powers will move in. As illustrated in the map above, California will form the nucleus of what he calls "The Californian Republic," and will be part of China or under Chinese influence. Texas will be the heart of "The Texas Republic," a cluster of states that will go to Mexico or fall under Mexican influence. Washington, D.C., and New York will be part of an "Atlantic America" that may join the European Union. Canada will grab a group of Northern state that Professor Panarin calls "The Central North American Republic." Hawaii, he suggests, will be a protectorate of Japan or China, and Alaska will be subsumed into Russia”. (It would be reasonable for Russia to lay claim to Alaska; because it was part of the Russian Empire for a long time). [Not only should we remember that Alaska was a part of the Russian Empire, we should remember that America acquired the land from Russia via treaty 1847 and to this very day, has not paid Russia the $7.2 mil for the land. The native Americans are descended from the Russian people and America’s history with The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
them is not positive either. Thus, Alaska is one of the bear’s whelps that was mentioned in Hosea 13:5-8 that she is anxious (and has every reason) to get her ‘whelp’ back into her arms]. A framed satellite image of the Bering Strait (that separates Alaska from Russia by 60 miles) hangs, like a thread, from Panarn’s office wall. "It's not there for no reason," he says with a sly grin. Prof. Panarin, 50 years old, is not a fringe figure. A former KGB Analyst, he is Dean of the Russian Foreign ministry's academy for future diplomats. He is invited to Kremlin receptions, lectures students, publishes books, and appears in the media as an expert on U.S. - Russian relations. In addition to increasing coverage in Russian state media, which are tightly controlled by the Kremlin, Professor Panarin's ideas are now being widely discussed among local experts. He presented his theory at a recent roundtable discussion at the Foreign Ministry. The country's top international relations school has hosted him as a keynote speaker. The professor has also been featured on the Kremlin's English-language propaganda channel, Russia Today. During an appearance on the Russian state TV channel Rossiya, the station cut between his comments to show TV news footage of lines at soup kitchens and crowds of homeless people in the U.S. (Imagine that!!) “Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces. For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.”. Jereremiah 50:2-3
“Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise”. Isaiah 60:17-19
In Ezekiel’s vision (38:10-12) he saw Jerusalem at rest (Millennial Sabbath rest) as a city of unwalled villages just prior to Gog and Magog’s final attack on her for plunder. That vision, still future, certainly does not describe Jerusalem today; just the opposite!! The land is inhabited by strangers (the Israelis and so-called Palestinians – Isaiah 1:7) who are just as divided as her city streets. But that’s not the impression Israeli officials want to give the public. “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand”. M atthew 12:25
According to “The Jerusalem Dispatch, Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech on ‘Jerusalem Day’ where he was quoted as saying “a city divided, cannot flourish” and they will never again allow the city to be divided. [In 1948, when Israel declared it’s independence, the Arabs (so-called Palestinians) openly rejected the 1947 Bal-four Declaration (which divided Jerusalem) by bombing Israelis for 20 years. In 1967, during the Six-Day War things changed when Israel agreed not to The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
attack Jerusalem or the West Bank as long as the Jordanian front remained quiet. The. following day, June 7, 1967, Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem. The war ended with a ceasefire on June 11, 1967 and is the basis for their holiday, “Jerusalem Day”]. While Netanyahu attempted to paint the picture of a “united Jerusalem” the facts published by the Association For Civil Rights In Israel state otherwise. Netanyahu said, ”Contrary to certain media reports, Jews, Christians and Muslims ARE allowed to build their homes anywhere in the city. We are not banishing anyone; we are not removing anyone." But the facts state that the Palestinian population of East Jerusalem has grown by 450 percent since 1967, while bureaucratic hurdles have made "the possibility of issuing legal building permits for new construction [for Arabs in East Jerusalem] practically non-existent for decades." Since 1967, the Israeli government has expropriated about one-third of East Jerusalem's land; more than 50,000 housing units have been built for Jews on that land, and none for Arabs. So in East Jerusalem, Palestinians often build homes without permits and face a very real threat of demolition. Divided by walls like spaghetti running through the city, a tourist said, “The Wall smacks you into silence”. The massive, gray concrete slabs resemble giant domino blocks that you can't knock down. But the wall, with its staggered, menacing watchtowers along the way, has also become a massive canvas for socio-political ‘graffitti’ expressions of all kind: “It’s not a fence, stupid!; Why is this grey piece of s___ still here?; Imprisonment is as irrevocable as death!; Fear builds walls!; and Here is a wall at which to weep!”. All over the world, humans have been building walls for thousands of years in countries, cities and relation-ships with family, friends, and colleagues. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that we continue to build walls and fences instead of bridges because naturally, it’s easier to put up a barrier than to deal with conflict. This is a sad, but true, testament to the human condition (our nature) which is the very wall Yahshua must knock down – (via changing our nature). Moreover, the land is not inhabited by the people to whom it was given, the true Jews, Hebrew Israelites so it must be divided until we take possession. (We’ll possess it because we were given “the deed” as written therein). As the day of judgment for the Controversy of Zion approaches, we know judgment within the House of YHWH must rise first, as prophesied!! Thus, Satan knows his time is short and “the evil day” of Amos 5:31 begins. Here the prudent will ‘keep silence’ as Yahshua defends when the Judge calls his courtroom to order and the witnesses [the very rocks of the wall] begin to testify/cry out!! (Read all of Habakkuk 2). “For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it!!...YHWH is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him”. Habakkuk 2: 11, 20 The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
“For the invisible things of him from the the creation of the world are clearly seen seen being understood by the things that that are made, even his eternal power and power and Godhead; so that they are are without excuse! Romans 1:20
As the world grows more and more disorderly everyday, Zion has had a call to order since creation! Scriptures informs us that the earthly patterns given by Elohim are a shadow of the heavenly reality (Col 2:17, Heb 8:5, 9:8, 23; 10:1 and Rev 15:4). So, it should not be a surprise to find a direct correlation between Israel’s encampment in the wilderness around the Tabernacle of Meeting and the heavenly realm surrounding Elohim’s throne. Israel’s ancient, physical walls were represented by the four living creatures (cherubim) of Rev 4:6-8, who are in and around the throne (a symbol of divine law).
We are given more information on the cherubim and their constant praise given to the one who sits on throne, from passages in 1 Kings 7. Described as the sea (the people) in verse 25 and the laver (caldron, fire-pot) in verse 30 it states: “It stood upon twelve oxen, three (3) looking toward the north, three (3) toward the west, three (3) toward the south, and (3) three toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward”. 1 King 7:25.
Some believe the correlation is a product of an overactive imagination, but as grow spiritually, we will begin to see YHWH is very methodical in explaining his “divine and infinite creation’ to us (his human creation with our very finite and limited minds). The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
There were 4 sets of beasts grouped in 3’s: oxen facing outward, forming the base of the laver, but the two side faces and the back face of the living creatures (with their bodies on the inside) formed the bulk of the throne itself. ”Every living thing is subjected to him “for he has put all things in subjection under his feet -1 Cor 15:27”. The same creatures were pictured in the first chapter of Ezekiel; he watched the throne come from the north and specifically saw the face of the man on the south side of the throne, a lion on the right (east), a bull/oxen on the left (west) and the eagle on the rear side (north). “As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle”. Ezekiel 1:10
The position of these living creatures is significant because it is the same seen in the encampment of Israel in the wilderness. Looking at the detailed instructions in Numbers 2 concerning the encampment, it would be difficult to find no symbolisms there. The encampment was to be set up as follows: • The tabernacle of meeting was in the center. • The camp of Judah consisted of three (3) tribes: Judah (74,800) , Issachar (84,400) and Zebulun (57,400) which was a total of 186,400 men, camped toward the East (Numbers 2:3-7). • The camp of Reuben consisted of three (3) tribes: Reuben (46,500), Simeon (59,300), and Gad (45,650) which was a total of 151,450 men, camped to the South (Numbers 2:10-16). • The camp of Ephraim consisted of three (3) tribes: Ephraim (40,500), Manasseh (32,200), and Benjamin (35,400) which was a total of 108,100 men, camped to the West (Numbers 2:18-24). • The camp of Dan consisted of three (3) tribes: Dan (62,700), Asher (41,500), and Naphtali (53,400) which was a total of 157,600 men, camped to the North (Numbers 2:25-31).
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• Each of these groups were to “camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house” (Num 2:2). • The tribe of Levi was unnumbered and camped around all sides of the inner encampment between the camps and the tabernacle. Numbers 2:17,33). The sons of Levi (Gershon, Kohath and Merari) were to be encamped on three sides, and Moses and Aaron with Aaron’s sons (the priests) were on the eastern side (the front of the tabernacle entrance (Nuumbers 3:21-38).
Ensign (ʾôt) is the general word for sign and it covers both the English and Greek words for ‘standard or signboard’.On the pedestrian end of the scale, it includes what amounts to a ‘signboard’ (Num 2:2). Ensigns were smaller banners generally carried at the head of each family within the tribes. The Hebrew word for his own standard is diglô, means “to put up the flag” and is used of “a troop with banners.” It is derived from the word ּdagal, which means ‘look, behold’. The standards represented the four (4) camps that were camped together in three’s and provided them with a (visual) rallying symbol for each camp when they were stationary and when on the move. (Num. 2:2-3, 10, 1718, 25, 31, 34; 10:14, 18, 22, 25). It also includes such important concepts as the rainbow ‘sign’ to Noah (Gen. 9:12-13, 17).
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On each of the four sides of the Ark of The Covenant, three tribes of Israel were camped; each set of three tribes had a leading tribe with a banner as we read in Numbers 2: East of the tent of meeting was the leading tribe of Judah (Num. 2:3), with its banner of a lion (Gen. 49:9). With Judah was Issachar and Zebulun, The Gospel of Matthew – Behold Your King. South of the tent of meeting was the leading tribe of Reuben (Num. 2:10), with its banner of the man (Gen. 49:3, 4). With Reuben was Simeon and Gad, The Gospel of Luke, Behold The Son of Man. West of the tent of meeting was the leading tribe of Ephraim (Num. 2:18), with its banner of the bull (Deut. 33:17). With Ephraim was Manasseh and Benjamin. The Gospel of Mark, Behold My Servant. North of the tent of meeting was the leading tribe of Dan (Num. 2:25), with its banner of the eagle carrying the serpent (Gen. 49:17). With Dan was Asher and Naphtali, The Gospel of John, Behold The Exalted Son of Elohim, BEHOLD YOUR GOD! The creature (beast of the field) itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Children of Elohim”. Roman 8:21-23
“Now, will I (YHWH) sing to my well-beloved (Elohim/Israel) a song of my beloved (Yahshua) touching his vineyard. My well-beloved (Elohim/Israel) hath a vinegard (National Israel) in a very fruitful hill (Zion)”.
Beginning with Isaiah 5:1, the parable of the vineyard is presented. The vineyard is the house of Israel and Judah his pleasant plant, and "its hedge" is what protects it. In a natural sense, it was protected with material resources and wealth and for their obedience to Elohim’s Word, Elohim himself was a (spiritual) hedge for a supernatural defense. What happens to a nation when it loses its defenses? It becomes subject to invasion, since the wall that protected it from marauders, wild beasts, and evil influences is now gone. The Bible depicts the Gentile nations as beasts that rush in when God's people look weak (Isaiah 5:5-‐6). “And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up (Babylon 606 BC) And break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down (Medo-Persia) And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briars and thorns (Greece) I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it”. (Rome) Isaiah 5:5-6
In a July 5, 2009 article entitled “My Name Is Written On His Hands”, writer Mark Perry admitted his disappointment when he re-‐read the above scripture and its surrounding verses in context and discovered that the “you” GOD (Elohim) is speaking to are “the people of Israel” (his people, v13); and not the nations, the Euro-Gentiles or even Christians! Amos 3:2 verifies his realization: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities”. Amos 3:2 However, in Isaiah (chapters 40–66), Elohim promised to restore his The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
people in a very literal, spiritual and tangible way. But Zion said, YHWH has forsaken me, and my Adonay has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me...your destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee”. Isaiah 49:14-17
Zion’s discouragement is because she was looking at her circumstances rather than looking above for her redemption to be realized in the middle of circumstance. Nehemiah had no such discouragement. Decades earlier, Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Judah, burning its cities, razing its walls and removing the Jews to Babylon. Persia subsequently conquered the Babylonians, allowing the Jews to return to their homeland. Only 10% of the Jews returned to Jerusalem only to find the land desolate, populated by foreigners and open to attack. Though they had rebuilt the Temple, it was not enough. When Nehemiah learned that Jerusalem's walls are virtually nonexistent (Nehemiah 1:1-4), he was alarmed. The Jews were allowing too much of the pagan world back into their lives without their walls as a defense. Nehemiah learned that intermarriage with neighboring pagans was commonplace, and the Sabbath was not being kept holy. Worldliness is everywhere. Support for the Temple and the Levites had all but stopped. Some of the priests and leaders had allied themselves with the enemies of the Jews. The very sins that had caused Judah’s captivity and exile were happening all over again! Receiving permission from the King to travel to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls (Nehemiah 2:1-‐ 10), Nehemiah realized some would resist the idea of having the walls rebuilt. So Nehemiah surveyed the wall's condition by night, in secret, as he prepared his plans to rebuild it (Nehemiah 2:11-‐13). Chapters 3 and 4 describe the rebuilding process. Wall building is difficult, time-‐consuming, costly and often repetitive. Inevitably, discouragement sets in and building slows practically to a halt with the wall only half-‐completed (Nehemiah 4:6). Rubbish is everywhere. Worse, word gets to Nehemiah that a conspiracy to attack Jerusalem is in the works, and the Jews feel that they will be overwhelmed (verses 7-‐12). In this crisis, Nehemiah conceives an ingenious idea to reignite the Jews' fervor for wall building: “Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses." Nehemiah 4:13-14
Nehemiah divided his forces into fighters and builders. His strategy was a tactical move that reminded the people of why they were rebuilding the wall in the first place, for whom they were rebuilding the wall, and under whose protection they were rebuilding the wall. His strategy was to help the people lift their eyes from the wall to the sovereign YHWH who is over all circumstances and is ever ready to change circumstances in the blink of an eye. This strategy caused the opposition to withdraw but this did not mark the end of their troubles. Walls are used to imprison, walls are used to divide, but Israel’s walls are those enclosed around a garden (the church body) of precious fruits and sweet spices that are protected and sealed with a hedge thereabout. “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits”. Song 4:12-16
In fact, the second half of Isaiah 40:16-‐17 records the significance of Elohim’s people, National Israel, being engraved on the palm of his hands. Yahshua bears the very scars of YHWH Elohim’s compassion for Israel. There on the palms of his hands, his crucifiers pounded the spikes which was the cruelest engraving (or so to speak, tattooing) needle ever used. Any parent with an ounce of compassion suffers just as much if not more, when his or her child feels pain. YHWH Elohim is no exception and thus, He referred to himself in the role of a parent, specifically a mother to her suckling child. The wounds that remain in Yahshua’s hands are a constant reminder of his sacrifice for the love of Israel. What wounded the Son, wounded the Father. ”As a wise Masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds thereon. But let every man take heed how he builds thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Yahshua the Anointed One. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is”. 1Cor 3:10-13
We are living in the Church age that is analogous to the early chapters of Nehemiah’s Wall. Discouragement and loss of heart are hard to avoid when it appears we have to keep “deciding on the same thing” (what is good versus what is evil is even debated among some Hebrews in spite of scripture). Today’s generation has even chosen to cling to their old lifestyles and incorporate that paganism into the true Hebrew culture; thereby becoming only Christianized- Hebrews (an oxymoron) while never really conforming their lives to scripture. Some Muslim are even trying to teach Hebrew doctrine having partially turned away from the Koran. Even though some will seek ‘nation-building on a righteous foundation’ [that of becoming Spiritual Israel], in spite of this, others will find a way to side-‐step the constitution (laws/statutes and judgments), or even use authoritative means to rewrite it as Christianity and Islam has done. [Remember, the culture given to the Hebrews existed centuries before Christianity and Islam were born]. We’ve also begun to hear the term ‘Christlam’ on a regular basis (which is simply syncretism of Christianity and Islam). Elohim supplies this spiritual wall to those who seek His Way, His providence, and His will. The work of rebuilding our personal wall is the effort we put into seeking a strong relationship with Him, and He then provides the defenses for us. Elohim (God) becomes our wall that he places around His people to keep Satan at bay, as in the example of Job. Satan complained, "Have You The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
not made a hedge [wall] around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?" (Job 1:10). Only after YHWH Elohim removed the wall could Satan attack Job—and he wasted no time doing so! If we reject Elohim, neglect our relationship with Him, break down or step outside the wall, scripture states "whosoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent" (Ecclesiastes 10:8). The Bible depicts Satan as a serpent. Many of our brethren have allowed their walls to crumble, and Satan has struck. Sometimes Elohim Himself tears down our walls because of our sins (Isaiah 5:4-‐5). As Paul puts it, He delivers us to Satan for the destruction of our flesh in the hope we will repent (I Corinthians 5:5). The surest way to restore the wall is through sincere and complete repentance. Playing at the repair job, daubing bits of untempered mortar here and there, will only increase God's wrath (Ezekiel 13:8-‐16). Such a wall gives the impression of security but crumbles at the smallest enemy strike. It can be discouraging because even when there is some progress toward righteousness, we discover that there are still breaches in the wall. We must be totally committed to restoring our neglected relationship with Elohim according to His word, thus restoring His presence as the wall. The foundation that was laid with Israel has been laid from ancient days. National Israel was formed after the model of the very temple in heaven itself and thus, Israel is the only nation of people on earth whom YHWH spoke directly to (Amos 3:2) and the only nation of people who are represented in heaven as noted in Revelation 3:1-6). As a result, Israel’s direct connection to The Head Masterbuilder, Yahshua and the heavenly kingdom can be can seen from the Old Testament both in heaven and on earth. “For we know the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body”. Romans 8:22-23
“Because I will publish the name of YHWH ascribe ye greatness unto our Elohim. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment; A Elohim of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he”. Deuteronomy 32:3-4
It is obvious from the repeated references to “rocks and stones” in scripture that YHWH desires us to understand something about them. We know that stones and rocks are used to lay foundations, for building walls and to construct buildings and
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dwelling places. YHWH has promised to rebuild Zion’s walls (Psalm 102:16), but until that occurs, we must continue building upon Yahshua’s foundation by the work he started; spreading the truth of the gospel message and finding the lost sheep. We are cautioned, however, in I Corinthians 3:9-‐13 about the type of building materials (works) we may add to the foundation that Yahshua laid. Our work will be manifested by the type of material we use in building, whether of gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw. Obviously stones and rocks are more durable than wood, straw and hay since they burn in fire. Doubtless precious stones are enduring, for, as we have already seen in Revelation 21:19-‐20, Elohim will use beautiful and precious stones in the foundation of the walls of New Jerusalem. “For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted”. Deuteronomy 32:31, 37
YHWH is our Rock (Deuteronomy 32:4) and Elohim is referred to as “the Rock that begat us” (Deuteronomy 32:17-‐19). Many scriptures show stones to be something lasting, costly, pleasant and beautiful (Exodus 28:15-‐21; I Kings 5:17-‐18; 7:9-‐11; Isaiah 54:11-‐12; Malachi 3:17; etc.). A rock or stone reminds us of stability, security, and strength (Psalm 28:1, 46:1, 62:2) so it’s easy to understand that. Yahshua met Simon Peter one day and changed his name to Cephas which means (in Hebrew) "Rock/Stone" (John 1:42). The Saints (Spiritual Israelites) likewise are compared to stones because they lie in the same quarry, and are the same by nature as the rest of mankind, till dug out and separated from there by the powerful grace of Elohim, when they are hewn, and made fit for the spiritual wall. They are ornament of beauty, and because of the strength which they receive from Christ, they are compared to lasting and durable stones that will never perish, nor be removed from the wall or removed from the building. “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that Elohom (God) is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham”. Matthew 3:9
As noted in the previous article, A Call To Order, we can see that the building of Nehemiah’s wall was with literal stones, but Israel’s walls (though natural) are actually spiritual because they are connected to and are therefore constantly in the presence of the YHWH and Yahshua. And there is still one connection more! While stones are used to build ancient walls and buildings, the stone given to Joshua mentioned above, appears to be “alive” because it had 7 eyes like the living creatures who are “full of eyes”. (The 7 eyes are the 7 Spirits of YHWH-Zech 4:10; Isa 11:2). They portray creation (from man to animals as it was originally intended to be) with eyes full of light and manifesting the glory of Elohim. “The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light” - Matthew 6:22. The Bible talks about “living stones,” but of the human variety (1 Peter 2:4,5). YHWH created non-‐human living stones so we can understand the spiritual concept by these natural things (plants) that we know – Romans 1:20. “The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
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“Lithops, pictured right, are pebble-‐like plants called “Living Stones”. This stone-‐ plant lies mostly buried in the earth that protects it from water loss in a hot and dry environment. The dark marks on its stony-‐looking leaves screens out incoming radiation from the sun, while its semi-‐transparent “windows” allow the plant to take in solar energy. In the rainy season the stone takes in water for long-‐ term storage. Scripture speaks about lively stones (living stones) with which Elohim will build his house. Peter called Yahshua “the Chief Cornerstone, and He and the family of Israel, “living stones’ -‐ Isaiah 28:14-‐16. (They require a good store of “living waters” of the word and get their energy from the “light” of Truth). Not in the context of ‘rolling stones’ without a home or destination, but these stones are colored, shiny precious kind of gem-stone that immediately brings to mind the breastplate of Aaron. Those 12 gem stones are each engraved with one of the names of the sons of the 12 Tribes of Israel (Exodus 28:9) which serve as “stones of remembrance” for The House of Israel. (Exodus 29:12). The breastplate stones represent the living stones bearing witness to the Testimony of Yahshua, chief cornerstone. Stones are used in scripture to mark boundaries, remember key events and record important information (i.e., 10 Commandments). In other words, stones serve as testimonies, they last from generation to generation and they continually testify about past laws, events, covenants and people. (This includes the stones of the gates and foundation of The New Jerusalem-Revelation 21:19-‐20,). New Jerusalem is not a city behind stone walls and iron gates but God's dwelling Place in the lively stones of His glorified saints. Ephesians 4 and 5 and I Peter 2 teach that God dwells in one Body comprised of many members or Spirit-‐quickened stones, signifying witnesses under one Headstone. Could Elohim use a more fitting illustration when He inspired Peter to call His children "lively (living) stones," which He is using to build "a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, . . . acceptable to Elohim through Yahshua the Messiah" (I Peter 2:5)? “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to Elohim by Yahshua, The Anointed One. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded”. 1 Peter 2:5-6
Joshua, Son of Nun was of the tribe of Ephraim (Num. 13:8), a son of Joseph. Joseph had been given the power of the “Shepherd Stone, the Stone of Israel” (Gen 49:22-24) that was the stone on which Jacob (Israel) laid his head on the night of his dream, Jacob ‘s Ladder. This signified the beginning manifestation of the sons of Elohim where the angels ascended and descended between heaven and earth to the son of man. This was a revelation of their direct connection to heavenly things and is extended to all over-‐comers who shall become spiritual The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
Israelites in the image of Yahshua. The Stone itself became a symbol of Christ, because Jacob anointed it with oil. Hence, the Rock of Israel was used many times as a symbol of Yahshua, the Anointed One. “To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it”. Rev 2:17
When Peter addressed Yahshua as the Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4), he affirmed the majesty of Yahshua as being one with Elohim. Recognizing who he is, may it lead you to worship him: He is the Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4) He died for us, was raised from the dead, and will live forever to share his life with us. He is the solid rock that gives us life. He is the Chief Corner Stone (1 Peter 2:6-7) The Corner Stone held walls together. It was the most important wall in the building. The Capstone completed the building. He is the Chosen Stone (1 Peter 2:4-6) He is "special" & "unique". He can be compared to no one else. No one can take his place. He is the Precious Stone (1 Peter 2:4-6) Everything about Yahshua is precious; in particular the blood he shed for the remission of sins. He is the Dependable Stone (1 Peter 2:6) There's a double negative here. "He shall not, no never, be put to shame." That means, walk with God; be faithful; obey him. Doing so, you can trust him. If you're sinning, knowing it, then you don't have fellowship with God and you should not presume the privilege of leaning on him. without confession and repentance. He is the Rejected Stone (1 Peter 2:4-8) Men confess him with their mouths but their hearts are far from him thus, they serve themselves of him. In conforming your life to his life, then you have acknowledged him and are able to truly serve him. In Zechariah 3:9 we find a different type (shadow) of Yahshua in the capacity of a High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek. In front of Joshua is a stone, but this one has seven eyes. [The lamb of Yah seen in the book of Revelation also had 7 eyes which were defined as the seven (7) spirits of YHWH that stand before the throne. “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of Elohim (God) sent forth into all the earth”. Revelation 5:6
[The Seven Spirits of Elohim are listed in Isaiah 11:2: (1) The Spirit of YHWH, (2) the Spirit of The W atchm an – The U nited Congregation of Israel
Wisdom, (3) the Spirit of Understanding; (4) The Spirit of Counsel; (5) The Spirit of Might; (6) The Spirit of Knowledge and (7) the Spirit of Fear]. Here Yahshua confirms the glory that will
overtake his sons and daughters of Elohim who overcome through faith in Yahshua and his testimony. For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it, declares YHWH of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day”. Zechariah 3:9
The Testimony of Yahshua (The Spirit of Prophecy) is a “living faith” so why not testify by building a wall with lively stones, a perpetual memorial for a house made without hands??! Living Stones testify for all eternity!! Thus, the rocks will cry out after all, won’t they?? This plant grove is called Haastia Sheep because from a distance they look like sheep. They flower, are covered with dense little hairs, and are related to the ‘living stones family’.
Haastia Sheep (Lithrops)
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