Don’t Ask

Recently, the insidious threat to our liberties which has been creeping stealthily into our lives has struck a masterful blow. I say masterful, because it has been almost universally effective in it’s impact and nearly all people of faith who call themselves people of faith have been overcome by it. Not only have they been overcome in this instance, but they have given tacit approval, by their submission, to government regulations concerning religion. To quote a famous document which you may have heard of:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Because it was not the congress who did it, and it was not exactly a ‘law’, and because everyone sheepishly agreed that “OUR SAFETY” was in jeopardy, the entire body of religious leaders, communities, and faiths left their religious liberty, dignity, and convictions on a dusty shelf somewhere and walked blindly forward according to the “suggestions” of ‘medical experts’ who claim to have our ‘best interests’ at heart.

So, I will pose a question: If, before all of this happened, someone, anyone pretending to have good intentions came to your door, or the door of your center of worship and ‘suggested’ that it would be for the good of everyone in the room to cease to sing? What if he was very sincere? What if he said that he had been told by an angel to tell you those things? What if he posted it on the internet?

I know very well that if any such person could have conceived of such a thing and would have acted in such a manner they would have been summarily invited to vacate the premises and asked to take their ‘suggestions’ elsewhere, at the very least.

It matters not who makes the absurd suggestion. It matters not if it becomes a law, an executive order or a governor's decree. It matters not who they SAY will be threatened or sickened. Since these unholy ‘suggestions’ have become decrees, mandates and orders, I have thought many times of the Prophet Daniel in ancient Babylon. The decree was made by a foolish King, who was counseled by his leading ministers who were angry with Daniel and sought his destruction. Through the unrighteous decree, they hoped to rid themselves of Daniel and his influence in the Kingdom. No one was to pray to anyone but the King, and when Daniel was found praying (aloud) to the God of his fathers, he was arrested and thrown to hungry lions. This would have been a very unpleasant way to die, except Daniel was faithful and God was faithful. Thus, Daniel was spared, to the delight of the King, and those ministers met their untimely death.

Today, we are witnessing precisely the same conditions faced by Daniel. The unrighteous decrees of powerful men are working to, among other things, silence the prayer and worship of good people throughout the world. This is a lamentable condition indeed, but is only the beginning of the devastation which comes when one once submits to the condition of being silenced, stunted, curbed, and humiliated in this manner. We have just witnessed the end of religious liberty as we know it. Once gone, it cannot be regained unless you are willing to fight for it. Sadly, people are so far from being willing to fight for religious liberty that they will allow anyone to make the most wild, unholy and preposterous ‘suggestions’ about how to ‘worship’, (or not worship, as the case may be), and they will follow and obey those suggestions to the letter, and beyond! Ironically, it was our faith in God that taught us about exact obedience. I wonder if we can be forgiven for shifting our allegiance like this, and for doctors, no less. I wonder what the Great Physician would say? Perhaps we should not ask.

The Sign of the Dove

I recently read the passage in Genesis concerning Noah and the sending out of the Dove:

Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; (Genesis 8:8 KJV)

Nothing new here, right? Well, as it happened, I was looking at the Hebrew bible rendition of this passage and when I saw the word for 'Dove', I immediately began to look for answers to the questions that arose in my mind. You see, the word for Dove in Hebrew is Jonah. So, I looked that one up, and, sure enough, Jonah is the same word as the prophet Jonah. It seemed like an odd coincidence. Then I thought of Jesus' words:

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: (Matt. 12:39)
If Jonas, or Jonah (in the Hebrew they are the same), is the sign given to the people in Jesus' day that Jesus is who he says he is, then they have apparently been given a sign with more than one dimension.

Again, my mind began searching for connections. Another scripture came to mind:

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: (Matt. 3:16)

Jesus was baptized by John. John, which in Greek, is the same name as Jonah in the Hebrew. Thus, we have John, (or dove) baptizing Jesus and the dove lighting upon him, both of which would have been a very powerful SIGN to the people who knew that language. They would have immediately recognized the connection between the two, just as easily as if I were to say to you: "Please leave the leaves behind. I am leaving!" You would think I was very clever (maybe) and that I was making a calculated play on words. This is precisely what it appears that Jesus has done.

In addition to this powerful witness of the dove, it's name and it's namesake, we have the oft-quoted purpose of the reference to Jonah being three days in the belly of the whale, as a sign of the three days that Christ would spend in the tomb. But when we realize that the name of Jonah would have been recognized by all as both John, and dove, it begins to look as though there is a veritable cloud of witnesses!



Then too, this reference to the dove from chabad.org, illustrates the understanding and association which the Jews have carried about the dove:

"Just like a dove once she meets her mate never leaves him for another… just as a dove whose fledglings are taken from her nest still doesn't abandon her nest…, so are the Jewish people faithful to G‑d."

According to the Jewish sages, the Jews have always associated themselves with the dove. So when Jesus says that they will receive no other sign than that one, it would have been a powerful image, and one that would have been difficult to ignore.

And this:

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. (Luke 2: 22-24)
In the Hebrew, dove and pigeon are the same. I also noticed the similarity between Noah's dove and Jesus:

And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (Matt. 8:20)

Compared to this:

But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, (Genesis 8:9)

Consider that the word for 'head' in the first passage is this Greek word:

κεφαλή kephale {kef-al-ay'

and that the Hebrew word for the 'sole of her foot' is this:

l'khaf-rag'läH

They are surprisingly similar, though from different languages. However, the Greek translation often admits to using words from the Hebrew which were transliterated because they had no Greek equivalent. This appears to be the case with these two words.

Interestingly, the Greek word has only a probable meaning attached to it. However, in addition to the possible meaning of 'head', the Greek word also carries the possible meaning of cornerstone, or prominence, or supreme. The Hebrew word for the 'sole of her foot' also carries multiple meanings, some of which are: Power, cup, bowl, and hand (the first part of the word) and foot or step (the second part of the word). Thus we get a sort of general meaning from them both that might have to do with placing the seat of power, or a kingdom. Hence

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (John 18:36)

The root word for 'dove' is: yayin

This Hebrew root word means wine, or vine, or the effervescence of wine, or the warm feeling you have when you drink wine. It is believed that this meaning for dove arose from the 'warm' courtship of doves and it's similarity to the feeling of warmth from the drinking of wine.

This hearkens back to another scripture:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:4,5)

The letters in Hebrew also have meaning individually as well as when combined to form a word. The Hebrew name of Jonah carries all the letters of the sacred name of Jehovah with the addition of the letter Nun. The meaning which this name conveys through it's letters is: Jehovah is Messiah. It is literally the SIGN of the Messiah.


Noah sent out a dove from the ark. God sent out his Son from heaven. The dove found no where to lay his foot. The Son of God found no where to lay his cornerstone. The dove went back to the ark for a time and then returned again to the earth, this time finding an olive branch. The Son of God has promised to return again, and what will he find?

Introduction

As an avid reader and searcher of scripture, I now find it an almost imperative duty to share some of what I have learned in this study, with my fellow Christians of whatever persuasion they may align themselves. Owing to the vast amounts of knowledge and information to be found readily available through multiple sources, there can be an overwhelming burden placed upon the average shoulder to sift through mountains of data only to find that one has been sifting mostly in vain.


In an attempt to simplify and consolidate at least some of those mountains, I rise to the platform of this public forum and offer my observations based on my research.

I will warn the reader that my own affiliations may become apparent over the course of these articles and essays, however, I would hope that any discovery would be met with only passing interest. My aim in writing this blog is to give place for some of these interesting findings, without regard to particular religious connection. I certainly hold my own convictions and conclusions, but hold no agenda, hidden or otherwise, about what others may do with this information.


If you happen to disagree with my findings or conclusions, it may be interesting to open a dialogue with you, if you feel that there is some light that might be shed on the subject. Apart from that, I only hope that it will serve to strengthen whatever convictions you now hold.