The New Jerusalem, part 4

Shalom, everyone.

Now, let’s spend some time with the 12 different foundations. As I’ve already said, I believe that these are twelve foundational LEVELS to the city, each foundational level the foundation for more buildings and streets and parks within the city. Remember: it is a three-dimensional city, and God is perfectly efficient and is not the sort to waste space.

19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

We’ve already discussed the first foundation of jasper: in summary, I believe it to be a blood-red, transparent chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz).

The second foundation is said to be a sapphire. The Greek word is “sapfeiros” which was typically the word used for lapis lazuli, a bright royal-blue rock. Wikipedia says:

Description

Lapis lazuli is a rock, largely formed from the mineral lazurite.^[3]

The main component of lapis lazuli is lazurite (25% to 40%), a feldspathoid silicate mineral with the formula (Na,Ca)₈(AlSiO₄)₆(S,SO₄,Cl)_1-2.^[4] Most lapis lazuli also contains calcite (white), sodalite (blue), and pyrite (metallic yellow). Other possible constituents: augite; diopside; enstatite; mica; hauynite; hornblende, and nosean. Some lapis lazuli contains trace amounts of the sulfur-rich löllingite variety geyerite.

Lapis lazuli usually occurs in crystalline marble as a result of contact metamorphism.

[edit] Etymology

Lapis is the Latin for "stone" and lazuli the genitive form of the Medieval Latin lazulum, which is taken from the Arabic لازورد lāzaward, which is from the Persian لاژورد lāzhward, the name of a place where lapis lazuli was mined.^[5][6] Taken as a whole, lapis lazuli means "stone of Lāzhward".

The name of the place came to be associated with the stone mined there and, eventually, with its color. The English word azure, the French azur, the Italian azzurro, the Polish lazur and the Spanish and Portuguese azul are cognates.

So, this stone is a beautiful blue color.

The third foundation is said to consist of chalcedony. I don’t know what color this will be; there are so many varieties! For an interesting (and quite beautiful) picture of these varieties, see http://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/chalcedony.htm. I personally lean toward the lavender, light blue, or chrysocolla forms, but that’s just a preference and I have no scriptural backing for my choices. It could even be the tiger’s eye or black onyx varieties. All I know for sure is that it is not the green chrysoprase or the sardonyx varieties as they are already individually named in verse 20.

The fourth foundation consists of emerald (Greek: smaragdos), and I believe this to be true emerald since they already were being used in Egypt. Of course, this is a bright green beryl which is quite valuable, even today.

The fifth foundation consists of sardonyx, which is seen in the picture provided at the bernardine.com website listed above. It is usually a striped stone with alternating reddish-brown and yellow or white stripes.

The sixth foundation consists of sard or carnelian. This is a deep reddish-brown variety of chalcedony, and the darker form is generally harder and tougher.

It is interesting that Yochanan (John) describes the One sitting upon the throne was “to look upon like a jasper (blood-red) or a sardine (sard-like, reddish-brown) stone” (Rev. 4:3).

The seventh foundation consists of chrysolite (Greek: “chrusolithos” = “gold-stone”). There is such a type of stone that is actually a glittering glass seemingly with flecks of gold embedded in the glass; I have one. But, I feel that this makes it unlikely to be an actual “goldstone.” Most “chrysolite” is actually a “chrusoberyl.” It may be the yellow or yellow-green varieties, Alexandrite, or the cymophane or “cat’s eye.” I believe that it will be the yellow variety (“GOLD-stone”), but the possibility that it could be the “cat’s eye” intrigues me.

The eighth foundation consists of beryl, but beryl comes is a variety of shades: pink morganite, blue aquamarine, green heliodor and even a raspberry-red beryl, but the type highly appraised in the ancient world was the golden beryl.

The ninth foundation consists of a topaz. Topazes primarily come in two colors, yellow and blue, but they can also come in red, dark red, orange, golden, and colorless varieties.

Again, this is purely a preference, but I favor the blue variety.

The tenth foundation consists of chrysoprase, which we’ve already touched on a little. This is generally an apple-green variety of chalcedony based on nickel impurities, but it is a cryptocrystalline form of silica more like agates, carnelian, and onyx in that they are non-transparent and lacking of large crystals.

The eleventh foundation is called “a jacinth” (Greek: “huakinthos”) also called a “hyacinth,” when the Greek is transliterated, but usually the “hyacinth” refers to the blue flower while the “jacinth” is an orange gemstone.

The twelfth and final foundation is the amethyst (Greek: “amethustos”), which is the lavender to purple gemstone.

Each of these foundational level are reduced by a thousand furlongs east and west and by a thousand furlongs north and south, as they climb through the city. That means that the first foundation would have the full dimensions of the city’s length and width, 12,000 furlongs by 12,000 furlongs (1,500 mi x 1,500 mi). The second foundation would be reduced to 11,000 furlongs by 11,000 furlongs (1,375 mi x 1,375 mi), and so forth.

The final foundation would be 1,000 furlongs by 1,000 furlongs (125 mi x 125 mi). Calculating it all out, this would provide over ten million square miles of building space (10,156,250 sq. mi.)!

That’s enough for tonight.

In the Messiah’s love,
Retrobyter

The New Jerusalem, part 3

Shalom, everyone!



Let’s continue on with this fascinating place:

17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

First, we are told in these verses that the measurement of its wall is 144 cubits, “according to the measure of a man, that is, of the messenger.” A cubit is roughly 18 inches, the measure from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow of that arm. Sometimes a “royal cubit” is considered “a cubit and a hand breadth,” or closer to 21 inches, a “hand breadth” being the width of a man’s hand at the knuckles (about 3 inches), but generally speaking the Scriptures would say that such a “royal cubit” was being used. (See Ezek. 40:5.)

If we assume that the standard cubit is being used, we are talking about a measurement of 72 yards or 216 feet. Again, I believe that this is not the height of the wall but rather its thickness, and in particular, the thickness of the wall at the city gates. (The thickness may be greater elsewhere.) After all, 72 yards is less than 1/24^th of a mile! How can that be a wall “great and high” compared to a city 1,500 miles high?

Second, one should note a particular equation here in verse 17:  the measurement of a man is the same as the measurement of the “angel” or messenger. The Greek actually words it this way:

Rev. 21:17
17 Kai emetreesen to teichos autees hekaton tesserakonta tessaroon peechoon metron anthroopou ho estin aggelou.
The Greek New Testament (Kurt Aland et al., ed., United Bible Societies, 1975, p. 892.)

So, it is actually the words “anthroopou” (“of a man”) and “aggelou” (“of a messenger”) that are equated with the words “ho estin” (“that is” or “that equals”). It’s very likely that this “messenger” IS (or was) a “man” in life! In any case, the measurements didn’t change just because a “messenger” who poured out one of the final bowls of plagues was the person doing the measuring.

Verse 18 says that the construction of its wall was from “jasper” (Greek: iaspis). Some theologians claim this to be “diamond.” Indeed, the Complete Jewish Bible uses the word “diamond” in translation for this word. God’s Word Translation uses the words “gray quartz.” Most versions leave it as “jasper.” Looking up “jasper” in Wikipedia gives this information:

“Jasper, a form of chalcedony,^[1] is an opaque,^[2] impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for snuff boxes. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped or banded jasper. Jaspilite is a banded iron formation rock that often has distinctive bands of jasper. Jasper is basically chert which owes its red color to iron(III) inclusions. The specific gravity of jasper is typically 2.5 to 2.9.^[3] The jasper is, along with Heliotrope (bloodstone), one of the traditional birthstones for March. It's also a stone in the Jewish High Priest's breastplate, described in Exodus 28.”

and

Etymology and history

The name means "spotted or speckled stone", and is derived via Old French jaspre (variant of Anglo-Norman jaspe) and Latin iaspidem (nom. iaspis)) from Greek ἴασπις iaspis, (feminine noun)^[4] from a Semitic language (cf. Hebrew יושפה yushphah, Akkadian yashupu), ultimately from Persian یشپ yašp.^[5]

(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper for more and a picture.)

Investigating further, the heliotrope (the bloodstone) is a green chalcedony with red flecks of jasper within it, looking as though the green stone were spattered with blood. However, even the red flecks are identified as the “jasper” within the heliotrope.

Therefore, I believe that the “jasper” is a blood-red form of chalcedony, a microcrystalline form of quartz (silicon oxide).  The only reasons I can see for wanting it to be the diamond are (1) verse 11 above said it was “clear as crystal,” (2) diamonds are the hardest known substance to man, and (3) diamonds are a more expensive gem.

However, there are problems with each of these points: (1) clarity does NOT dictate either hue or material, (2) nothing is said or implied within these verses about the hardness of the walls or of the need for hard walls, and (3) jasper CAN be more expensive than diamonds like this: If the jasper as the “blood” of the “bloodstone” is the blood-red form of chalcedony and represented the blood of the Messiah so that one could not enter the city without going through the “blood,” wouldn’t that make it more precious than diamonds? Furthermore, diamonds, being a crystalline form of carbon, can BURN, given enough heat! Thus, I conclude that this “jasper” is indeed the “yushfah” used in the high priest’s breastplate, the red variety of chalcedony.

Notice, too, that all the walls were constructed of jasper as is the first foundation. If this city is a pyramid in shape, that would mean that the entire outer casing of the city would be made from the “blood” of the “bloodstone!” There’s no way in except through the “blood.”

More later.

In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter

The New Jerusalem, part 2

Shalom, mishpachah (family).

We were dealing with the details of the New Jerusalem and we had just started with the measurements of the city. I will be working somewhat backward through the details of this section:

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

We’ve already covered that this city is 1500 miles long, wide and high and that “down” in the center of one wall of the city will be 21.685 degrees different than “down” in the center of the opposite wall of the city and even more pronounced from corner to opposite corner!

We talked about what “lieth foursquare” means, that the city covers a square area, or has a square footprint, and that the walls will have to be slightly concave on the curved surface of the New Earth.

Now, it is possible that the city has no specific shape but consists of huge buildings that tower 1500 miles high, but that seems unlikely to me. There are some who believe that the city is a giant cube; however, this was based on a faulty understanding of the English term “foursquare.” It does NOT mean that it has four square walls! However, having four walls is reasonable because of the gates, three on each of the four compass directions or three in each of the four walls.

A 1,500-mile x 1,500-mile cube would have certain problems sitting upon the New Earth most have never considered. For instance, the walls would not be orthogonal to the earth’s surface. If they were orthogonal (at right angles to the surface of the earth), The top of the cube would actually stretch for MORE than 1,500 miles! To be a true cube, the sides would have to slant in from 90 degrees by half of the 21.685 degrees or 10.8425 degrees. That means that they would slant at 79.1575 degrees! Thus, from the surface of the earth beside the city, either the city wouldn’t appear cubical and truly be, or it would look cubical but truly not be!

HOWEVER, the four walls might each be an isosceles triangle that come together to a point at the top, with the base still a square. This describes a pyramid shape instead of a cube. As long as the height of the pyramid is still the 1,500 miles (12,000 furlongs), it will meet the description of the city.

Now, doing a little math, the top pinnacle angle would be almost 53 degrees, and the base angle in the middle of a side would be 64.6 degrees less the 10.8425 degrees or 53.767 degrees! That means that from the surface of the earth beside the city, the city would look like the height was the same as the length and width, but it would actually BE the same height as its length and width, as well!

Let me mention at this point that the "golden reed" that Yochanan was using was NOT a "yardstick" or anything like that! The "golden reed" is a hollow tube! It was a surveyor's theodolite! These distances are FAR too long to measure by hand with a "yardstick," even if it measured 10 feet long (the proverbial "10-foot pole")! No, these distances would be measured by angles, known distances, and trigonometry.

Note, too, that the "WALL of the city had twelve foundations." I believe these to be foundational LEVELS to the city supported by the walls. Even if they were equally spaced, one would still find that they have about 125 miles between the tops of each level (1,500 miles / 12)!

One may also recall that this is precisely what Avraham (Abraham) was looking for, according to the author of the book of Hebrews:

Heb 11:8-10
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
KJV
Finally, John mentions that the city had a wall "great and high," then later he mentions the distance of 144 cubits which is only about 72 yards, and while this IS a good height to most of today's cities, it's not NEARLY as high as 1,500 miles! No, I believe that the wall goes all the way to the top and that the reason why there's no mention of it being open or having a roof is because it is a pyramid and has a pinnacle - a CAPSTONE - and it is not open at all. I believe that the 144 cubits is actually talking about the walls THICKNESS and that at the gates.

Lastly in these verses, Yochanan tells us that there will be 12 gates to the city. Since I believe that the city lands, it would make the best sense that these gates are evenly spaced around the perimeter of the city. So, at 1,500 miles x 4 or 6,000 miles for its perimeter, that would mean that the gates are still 500 miles apart, 250 miles from the corner to the first gate, 500 miles to the middle gate, 500 miles to the third gate, and 250 miles from the third gate to the corner, on each of the four sides (less the width of the gates, which may be quite large)! On these gates, we are told, are written the names of the twelve tribes of Yisra'el. We'll talk more about these gates in the next post.

In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter

The New Jerusalem, part 1

Shalom, everyone.

Recently several television preachers and evangelists have been saying that the book of Revelation, particularly the last two chapters on the New Jerusalem, is symbolic of the Christian life and therefore one should interpret it “spiritually” or figuratively. One female preacher has made the statement that the Kingdom of God is “within” us; so, we do not need to look forward to a coming Kingdom. I believe that they are wrong on SO many levels!

The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, is so painstakingly described with such precise detail by the apostle (the missionary) and saint (a holy one), Yochanan (John) the Beloved, that, generally speaking, one should be able to know how it will appear, though obscured by the smoked glass of peering into the future. In fact, there is so much information given by Yochanan to suggest that Yochanan wanted one to be able to envision how the city must have appeared to him. Furthermore, for God to have taken the trouble to show the city to Yochanan and then to have him describe the appearance of the city under inspiration with such great detail is too special an undertaking just to dismiss offhandedly his description as a mere fictional myth or a teaching allegory!

Usually, it is best to know where one is going before one sets out on the journey; so, let's look at our destination, according the Scriptures:

The New Jerusalem, [I£erousalhm Kaivnhn(Hierousaleem Kaineen) in Greek, or hv^d^j^ <y]l^v^r|y=(Yerushalayim Chadashah) in Hebrew, is the huge, awesome, capital city of the New Earth. Let's look at a few facts about this chapter plus, and I will attempt to construct a general appearance of this capital city.

Rev 21:1-22:5
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Yochanan (John) said he saw a “new heaven and a new earth.” As we have already discussed, I believe this to mean that he saw a new earth and its new atmosphere.

“Earth,” by the way, in all three languages – Hebrew (“erets”), Greek (“gee” pronounced “gay”), and English (“earth”) – can mean the “dirt” or “soil” on which one is standing, the “field” in which one grows crops, the “land” that one may own and grow crops, and the “Land” of Isra’el, as well as the entire globe.

Yochanan was one of Yeshua`s talmudiym (or disciples) and spent time with Yeshua`, Yeshua` being his mentor, and learned to listen to Him, obey Him, and follow His orders. He was given this privilege and saw this "holy city, new Jerusalem" coming down from God "out of heaven" and prepared like a bride all decked out for her husband," and was told to write it all down. As we have recently discussed, the word “heaven” means the “sky.” So, Yochanan is not talking about some ethereal, “spiritual” way of interpreting these words; he is simply saying that the city came down from God out of the sky.

If the word “ouranos” refers to the atmosphere, then it comes out of the “atmosphere.” Since there’s no physical gap between the gases of the atmosphere and the surface of the earth, this would indicate that the city LANDS on the New Earth.

The word “tabernacle” in the KJV comes from the Greek word “skeenee,” meaning a “cloth hut” or a “tent.” It’s not a pup tent; but the large tent home of a bedouin nomad. That is to what this awesome city is compared, and the words are BACKWARDS to the common thought of “going to Heaven”: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

It is not until this point in time, after the Millennium and after the Great White Throne Judgment recorded in Rev. 20 that these words are finally said. Therefore, they are not applicable to the Millennium. There will still be tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain during the Millennium and they won’t be irradicated until this moment.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

The Greek word “panta” translated “all things” in verse 5 does mean “all,” but it may refer to those things with which human beings are familiar and which they may affect, not necessarily to the “whole universe,” as some teach.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

These people and elements will not exist in the New Earth, and they’ve already been managed in the verdicts of the Great White Throne Judgment.

9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

The word “angel” is a transliteration of the Greek word (“aggelos”), not a translation (“messenger”). The translators merely changed the Greek letters into their equivalent English letters and, for whatever reasons, the word was not changed into its meaning. Note that this messenger was one of those who had the seven last bowl judgments to pour upon the earth, and he told Yochanan, “Come here, and I’ll show you the Bride, the Lamb’s wife.” BUT, he did not show him a people, such as a “church” or congregation, but he showed him a CITY! He showed him the “holy (awesome) Jerusalem!” Some object to this conclusion, but it’s easy enough to accept. We’ve already SEEN the analogy in verse 2 above. There, it was a simile; here, it is a metaphor! The city was decked out like a bride prepared for her husband! This city is God`s crowning accomplishment for His Son! Shining and sparkling like a precious stone, it has God’s “glory,” or His “apparentness.” Like a white light in a dark room, it stands out so prominently that no one could miss it … like God’s apparentness! Indeed, the word for “glory,” the Greek word “doxa,” can also refer to the brightness of its light.

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

This is probably the most detailed information in the whole book of Revelation! A Roman furlong was 220 yards or 660 feet long. Simple mathematics and unit analysis will derive a total distance of 1500 miles long, wide and high!

Now, this is very important, because – let’s face it – Christians don’t have a good handle on a city of this magnitude. It would take someone with the imagination and the experience of a scene designer and painter for a movie like James Cameron’s “Avatar” to do such a description justice. Geometry and spatial distortion comes into play for a city of this magnitude! It’s 1500 miles high! When one considers that Mount Everest is a dozen feet short of 5.5 miles high, how does one draw or paint a city of that magnitude?! The only way that I’ve found is through mathematics and trigonometry. For instance, the circumference of the present earth is 24,902 miles at its equator. Assuming for a moment that the New Earth will have similar dimensions, we are talking 1500 miles / 24,902 miles * 360 degrees = 21.685 degrees of the earth’s circumference! That means that “down” in the center of one wall of the city will be 21.685 degrees different than “down” in the center of the opposite wall of the city! The difference would be even more pronounced from corner to opposite corner!

We are also given the information that “the city lieth foursquare.” Some have interpreted this to mean that the city will be in the shape of a cube, but that’s not what is says, even in the Greek: “hee polis tetragoonos keitai,” “the city four-angled lies-outstretched.” These words mean that the city covers a square area, it has a square footprint, but think about it! If it has four right angles as a square normally does and it sits upon the surface of the earth, its walls will have to follow the curvature of the earth! The walls will have to be slightly concave over that great distance! This is because on a sphere, it is possible to have a triangle with three right angles!

Consider: if one starts at the equator facing west and turns a right angle onto the prime meridian at the equator and follows the prime meridian all the way north to the north pole, and makes a right-angled turn to the right, and then travels south back to the equator, he will have to make one more right-angled turn to follow the equator back to his starting point.

Well, there’s much more to say, but it will wait for later.

In the Messiah’s love,
Roy

What and where is Heaven?

Shabbat shalom, friends.

This is usually difficult for a believer to swallow because it goes against the training one usually receives in most if not all churches today: The “heaven” is the “SKY” and in particular, the “ATMOSPHERE” of our planet!

The Greek word in the NT that is translated “heaven” is most often “ouranos.” There is an adjective form, translated “heavenly,” that is formed from this word, “epi” (meaning “above” or “upon”) + “ouran-” +  “-ios” (meaning “of” or “belonging to”) = “epouranios.” Therefore, the word means “of or belonging to above ouranos.” This Greek word is used in just 20 places in Scripture. Most of the time it is translated as “heavenly” or “heavenly things,” but a few times it is translated “celestial” and once as “high”:

Matt. 18:35; John 3:12; 1 Cor. 15:40 (twice); 15:48 (twice); 15:49; Eph. 1:3; 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12; Phil. 2:10; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 3:1; 6:4; 8:5; 9:23; 11:16; and 12:22.

Matt. 18:35

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
KJV

John 3:12

12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
KJV

Eph. 1:3

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
KJV

Eph. 1:20-21

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
KJV

Eph. 2:6

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
KJV

Eph. 3:10-11

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
KJV

Eph. 6:12

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
KJV

Phil. 2:10-11

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
KJV

2 Tim 4:18
18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
KJV

Heb. 3:1-2

1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
KJV

Heb. 6:4-6

4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
KJV

Heb. 8:5

5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
KJV

Heb. 9:23

23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
KJV

Heb. 11:16

16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
KJV

Heb. 12:22-24

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
KJV

Most of these just use the word and contribute little to understanding what the word means, but the ones in 1 Cor. 15 are interesting:

1 Cor. 15:35-49

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
KJV

(This is all from the Englishman’s Concordance found in PC Study Bible V5 by Biblesoft.)

Verses 40 and 41 are key: After talking about “celestial” (epouranios) bodies in verse 40, Paul gives us the example of actual “celestial bodies” of the sun, moon, and stars in verse 41! And, we’ve already learned that “epouranios” means “of or belonging to above the “ouranos!” So, if the sun, moon, and stars are bodies “belonging to [a place] above the “ouranos,” what does that mean about “ouranos?” Simply, it means that “ouranos” has to be below the place where the sun, moon, and stars exist! We call that place “outer space” today or more simply “space.” Well, from our perspective, what is below “space?” OUR ATMOSPHERE!

Now, add to this Yeshua`s words in Matt. 16:1-4:

Matt. 16:1-4

1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of thesky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
KJV

Now, what I find VERY telling is that each of the four words highlighted above – heaven, sky, sky, and sky – are translations of the SAME WORD, “OURANOS!” The P’rushiym and Ts’duqiym asked Him for a “sign from ouranos,” and He gives them WEATHER WISDOM! That has to do with our atmosphere!

So, if the “first heaven” that passed away was the “first atmosphere,” then the “new heaven” would be a “new atmosphere” for the “new earth!”

I spent extra time on this because this is so foundational to the understanding of other Scriptures, particularly passages of prophecy.

I'm going to add a "little" to this post. Paul talked about a "third heaven" in 2 Cor. 12:1-4:

2 Cor 12:1-4
12 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
KJV
Did you know that Peter talked about "third heavens" as well?

2 Peter 3:3-13
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water (the flood), perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
KJV

I believe this is the "3rd heaven" to which Paul was referring in 2 Cor. 12:1-4, the New Heaven or the New Atmosphere around the 3rd earth.

Also, note that Paul called it "paradise." This is one of those transliterated words that was not fully translated. Here's what Strong's Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries have to say about it:

NT:3857 paradeisos (par-ad'-i-sos); of Oriental origin [compare OT:6508]; a park, i.e. (specifically) an Eden (place of future happiness, "paradise"):
KJV - paradise.
OT:6508 pardeec (par-dace'); of foreign origin; a park:
KJV - forest, orchard.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
It's a "park of trees" or an "orchard," just as gan-`Eeden (the garden of Eden) was! We'll see how this is applicable about the New Jerusalem soon.

In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter

The Last is First

Shalom, friends.

At the time of this writing, no one is following this blog, but I have faith that someone will discover it soon enough. Hopefully, when you realize my heart for God's Word and love for prophecy, you will pass the word to your friends and loved ones, if you find my information helpful.

So far, I have been establishing some groundwork for the future. As we go, new definitions will be added as we encounter them. Some of these definitions will be intuitive, but most will be through basic understanding of the words as used within Scripture, both in English and in the original language in which the words are found.

Although there are hundreds and even thousands of bits of information within the prophecies found in Scripture, there are a finite amount of them. As they are used to describe certain aspects of prophecy, they will become unavailable for other uses. This is an important take on prophecy! For instance, I believe in a historical, grammatical interpretation of Scripture. This is often called a "literal" interpretation of Scripture because the normal way to historically and grammatically interpret most literary works is literal in nature. In fact, the first way that any writing is perceived is literal until some aspect of the writing produces a contradiction within literal thought and forces a more symbolic interpretation, such as a figure of speech or an analogy of some sort. Figurative language forces such a contradiction, and there are such instances in Scripture ... however, that is NOT the norm.

As I have already said, it is perfectly realistic to believe in a miracle-working God. Therefore, when the historical accounts in the Tanakh or the Old Testament include miracles, there's no need in my opinion to question whether the miracles did in fact occur. IF God authored the Bible and IF God is not a liar, then the miracles occurred. I have no reason to doubt their veracity.

Leeway is introduced when the words "like" or "as" are used. If the human author of a book of the Bible injected a simile into the writing, then figurative language was introduced. If an "obvious" misassociation of objects occurs, such as a man being called a "lion," then the author injected a metaphor, and again, figurative language was introduced. These are most common in parables.

An analogy, such as a parable, has a limited amount of symbols that may be analogous to some real-world object or concept. Therefore, an account is less likely to be an analogy if the event has many details introduced in the account. The more details are provided, the less likely that we are dealing with an analogy, leaving it more likely that we are reading a literal account.

The account of the New Jerusalem as described in Revelation 21 and 22 is VERY detailed! In fact, there are so many details provided that one would be foolish to dismiss the account off-handedly as merely an analogy or a teaching allegory. Therefore, although some theologians believe it to be an analogy or a parable, I can't help to believe that it is quite a literal city as described. In fact, I believe that there are so many details provided, that John WANTED someone to be able to visualize the city as described.

So, in the next entry, we will explore some details about the New Jerusalem.

In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter

Transliteration schemes

I've adopted and adapted the following transliteration schemes for the two primary languages in which the Bible was originally written, Hebrew for the Old Testament (Tanakh) and Greek for the New Testament (B'rit Chadashah). By using these schemes, I won't have to always resort to the actual Hebrew and Greek letters to share the way words were written in the original languages; I can accomplish fairly well the same thing with common English letters and symbols. The trick in a good transliteration scheme is to represent each letter in their alefbet or alphabet with an independent symbol and retain the sound of the letter both as an independent letter and as part of a word. These are the best I could develop. Giving credit where credit is due, I started with the transliteration schemes of PC Study Bible V5's Interlinear Bible and expanded upon those schemes. While good, PC Study Bible doesn't quite nail the pronunciation, particularly with the vav and the bet (Vet). Also, there were nuances of the vowel pointing that gave me trouble.

Pay particular attention to the symbols that represent the "silent" letters of the Hebrew alefbet and the shva. I will do my best to be consistent with the symbol used for the sake of being able to go backwards in transliteration to the original Hebrew word. The alef is represented with an open-single-quote (‘), the `ayin with a grave (`), and the shva with a close-single-quote (’). This may be hard to keep consistent because of the font. When typing with single quotes, for instance 'this phrase,' one can see that the open and close single quotes are generalized for interchangeability and are thus indistinguishable. I should be able to keep the `ayin separated from the alef, but there could be confusion between the alef and the shva. If worse comes to worse, I may decide in the future to go to a double-quote (") for the shva. I'll think on it....

Transliteration Scheme for Hebrew:

The Hebrew alefbet:

Letter  Letter name          Transliteration             Transliteration at beginning of word

a alef                               ‘                                  (nothing and next letter is capitalized)

b B vet, bet                     V, b                             B

g gimmel                         g                                  G

d dalet                             d                                  D

h hei                                h                                  H

w vav                                v                                  V

z zayin                             z                                  Z

j chet                              ch (as in “loch”)         Ch

f tet                                 T                                 TT

y yud (or yod)                  y                                  Y

k i K I khaf, kaf           kh, k                            Kh, K

l lamed                            l                                   L

m < meim                        m                                 M

n / nun                             n                                  N

s samech                          c                                  C

u ayin                               `                                   ` (and next letter is capitalized)

p [ P Š fei, pei              f, p                               P

x J tsaddai                      ts                                 Ts

q qoph                             q                                  Q

r reish                             r                                   R

v c shin, sin                  sh, s                             Sh, S

t T tav, (thav)                t, (th)                            T, (Th)

Vowel pointing (using gimmel for example):

Letter with pointing        Transliteration   Pronunciation

g* qamets                          aa                      gaw

g^ patach                           a                        gah

g] chireq                           i                         ghee

yg]] chireq with yud          iy                       ghee

g} tsere                             ee                       gay

yg} tsere with yud             eey                    gay

g\ segol                            e                        geh

{g cholem                         o                       go

og cholem with vav         ow                    go

g* qamets chatuf               aa                     gaw

g% qibbuts                         u                       goo

Wg shureq                         uw                    goo

g= shva                             ’ or nothing       g’ or g-

Transliteration Scheme for Greek:

The Greek alphabet:

Letter    Letter name     Transliteration  Pronunciation

A a    alpha                A a                   “ah” as in “father”

B b    beta                  B b                   “b” as in “boy”

G g    gamma             G g                   “g” as in “girl” (never as “g” in “gem”)

D d    delta                 D d                  “d” as in “dog”

E e    epsilon              E e                   “eh” as in “bed”

Z z    zeta                   Z z                   “z” as in “zebra”

H h    eta                    Ee ee                “ay” as in “day”

Q q    theta                 Th th                “th” as in “thin” (never as “th” in “this”)

I i     iota                    I i                     “ee” as in “bee”

K k    kappa                K k                  “k” as in “kite”

L l    lambda              L l                    “l” as in “light”

M m   mu                     M m                 “m” as in “me”

N n    nu                     N n                   “n” as in “night”

X x    xi                       X x                   “x” as in “box” (never as “x” in “xylophone”)

O o    omicron            O o                  “o” as in “hot”

P p    pi                      P p                   “p” as in “pig”

R r    rho                     R r                   “hr” as in “rhino”

S s "  sigma (stigma)  S s s                 “s” as in “sun”

T t    tau                    T t                    “t” as in “table”

U u    upsilon              U u                   “oo” as in “moon” (never as “uh” in “umbrella”)

F f    phi                    F f                    “f” as in “fish”

C c    chi                    Ch ch               “ch” as in “loch” (never as “ch” in “chat”)

Y y   psi                    Ps ps                “ps” as in “tops”

W w   omega              Oo oo              “o” as in “oboe”

Rough breathing            H h                   “h” as in “hurry”

Smooth breathing          (nothing)           (ignored)

In the Messiah's love,

Retrobyter