“Abandon Me Not” (Exegesis of Matt. 27:46) by Adam T. Boguski II – Part #1

In the midst of my struggles I find myself closely clinging to the incarnation. This idea that God took on humanity, somehow links me closer to Him in a deep connection. He experienced what I experience, and He was tempted in all ways as I am Heb. 4:15, “For we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” He embraced humanity and at the same time died to redeem it. Through this He promises to, “never leave us nor forsake us.” Heb. 13:5. Yet I find it a struggle to believe this for so many times I constantly feel this distance and disconnection resonating with a painful ring in my soul. It is as if I feel this more times than not, this hunch that God is not keeping His promise. After all, how much can He understand me and my sinful humanity when He lived the perfect, non-sinful life?

It is common to approach the prayer of Jesus in Matthew 26:46 as He quotes Psalm 22:2, with an understanding of Christ’s abandonment as He dies and cries, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Most see this phrase as a theological treatise on the dynamic of what God’s wrath was doing to the Trinitarian union which I will show does not have to be the case. This idea of God abandoning Christ so that He does not have to abandon us due to our sin is not only developed as a crucial doctrine to the faith from insufficient Biblical support, but is also I think a misrepresentation of the account. The text along with other supporting texts I think lend themselves to both an easier understanding of this as well as a more spiritually and emotionally meaningful one.

Matt. 27:26 says, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ That is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  When we look across the horizontal line of how each gospel writer records this passage we find some interesting facts. Mark and Matthew are the only two that record this quote among the synoptics, while Luke all together omits it. With the view of Markan priority and Matthew being written next, there has been some speculation as to why Luke would directly omit this seemingly important quote. Bultmann was first to make the argument that, “this embarrassing phrase lacked authenticity due to the omission from Luke.” However, this view was unlikely, seeing that it is recorded in both Matthew and Mark. John does not record it but he is doing something entirely different with his narrative gospel account so it would not be fair to rule his in. Also the fact that, “these are the only words Matthew and Mark record Jesus saying from the cross, must be taken as very significant for these Evangelists,” (there are six other sayings but they are all in Luke and John). The fact that Matthew only mentions this one saying on the cross with a direct quotation begs the question of what was so important from his gospel perspective that this phrase was to be all we get from Jesus on the cross? I think it is easily sufficient to say that both Mark and Matthew’s narration focus on this saying in a theological way that Luke simply does not.

Matthew makes a few slight alterations though to the text as he veers from Mark’s account. Mark sticks closely to his Aramaic translation with (eloi, eloi) while Matthew translates this section as (ali, ali) a transliteration of the actual Hebrew represented by the quotation in Psalm 22:2 and leaving the rest in Aramaic. Luz notes that the Matthean text is most likely a, “change to the Markan text in order to make more obvious how one could misunderstand it as a call to Elijah,” as seen in v.47. From the Matthean transliteration of the Hebrew to Aramaic “ali” it is simple to see how one could mistakenly hear “eli” an abbreviation for “eliyahu” or Elijah.

It is also extremely important to note that within Matthew’s gospel account this is the only time that he translates a quotation of Jesus in the Galilean Aramaic dialect. This alone helps this to stand out, as if to say to the reader, “This is so important that I actually want you to hear His exact words, as the sounds and syllables rolled off His lips, crying out to God in despair.” We find the same kind of attention drawn in Mark’s account on top of the fact that as we already noted, Matthew seems to place importance on this fact as he only records this saying and none of the other six found in Luke or John. So, already within the text there are many indicators going off that this utterance is of extreme importance.

(Adam writes) I remember having a conversation with a good friend who was going through a difficult time in their life. He was trying so hard to deepen his relationship with God and to overcome some weighty matters of sin that were crushing him. During this time as he sought and sought after God with what he perceived to be “all his heart” (Jer. 29:13) he felt only more distance and more guilt. Then a tragedy happened in his life that left him void of any answers at all. He looked me in the eyes, with tears streaming down his face and said, “I don’t understand, I feel as though God doesn’t care. I feel as though He has left me. After all, how can I believe that He would never leave me when He forsook His own Son. It is as if He doesn’t care, and if He does care, then there is no way He can really understand.”

We need to stop there, to move ant further would prove fruitless, as he goes into Psalm 22. You need to meditate on Psalm 22 until next time, “My God, My God why hast Thou forsaken Me? Why art Thou so far from helping Me, and from the words of My roaring?” Did you ever feel like Adam’s friend? Destitute, desperate, dejected, alone? After you have feasted on Psalm 22, spend some time on Psalm 42 and until next time, we’ll see you, “…Between The Lines…”

“Abandon Me Not” (Exegesis of Matt. 27:46) by Adaam T. Boguski II 1/12/13

“The Red Heifer” aka “The Holy Cow” Part #4

What analogies can be drawn from “The Red Heifer” in light of the New Covenant? The blood atonement in the Torah was only a temporary covering (kaw-far) looking forward to the ultimate total atonement in Israel’s Messiah. The daily sin offering was for the individual; The yearly Passover offering was for the family; The yearly ‘Day of Atonement’ offering was for the nation of Israel; However, the once for all, forever sacrifice of Israel’s Messiah was for the world. John 3:16; I John 2:2; 4:10. The Newer Testament tells us the Messiah was a Lamb without blemish and without spot (amomos) I Pet. 1:18-19. The Messiah was to suffer outside the camp, Heb. 13:10-14 (Golgotha, Calvary, The place of the skull). The blood had to be sprinkled seven times on and before the mercy seat (compare Heb. 9:5 & Rom. 3:25) especially the word propitiation, a satisfying sacrifice, His body became our ‘mercy seat.’ It had to be done before the face of God, which was the reason for the darkness that could be felt world-wide from 12-3 pm, Luke 23:44. Hab. 1:13.

The ‘Red Heifer’ had to be totally consumed or burned, blood, flesh, skin, dung, bones, organs, like the Passover Lamb, John 19:30 (Tetelestai). The cedar wood, was a picture of cleansing, a sweet smelling aroma, and the tree on Golgotha, is the aroma of a sweet smelling sacrifice, Eph. 5:2. A scarlet cloth was thrown into the fire, its color came from the Kermez bug or Coccus Ilicis, (towla) “The Scarlet Worm” which was used to dye the priestly garments, cloth and tabernacle coverings scarlet or crimson, it was symbolic of blood. Matt. 27:28; Isa. 1:18. The clean made the unclean clean, while making itself unclean; II Cor. 5:21, He took your Hell so you could have His Heaven, outside the camp! Hyssop was used for ritual purification, three branches bound together in one (echad) one bunch to symbolize the Tri-Unity of the God-Head, for ritual purification, to purge and purify, and it’s associated with atonement. Ps. 51:7; Ex. 12:21, Jn. 19:29. The unclean person had to be cleansed on the third day and the seventh day, they were considered dead until they were cleansed just like a leper. The third day was the resurrection of life from the dead and the seventh day was the Sabbath rest. If you were defiled you were not allowed to come near God, His people, or His tent because He is holy and cannot even look at sin, Hab. 1:13. The person who refused to come God’s way would be cut-off for eternity (karath) for the sin of  ‘corpse impurity’ and the blood or ashes had to be applied God’s way and only His way. Whether it was Passover, Yom Kippur, The Sin Offering or ‘The Red Heifer.’ Prov. 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” It’s God’s way or the highway, Jn. 14:6. Do Jewish Rabbis agree, it has been said if you put two Jewish Rabbis in a room and shut the door, you will have three opinions. The fulfillment of the ‘Red Heifer’ is in Heb. 9:11-14 & 22. In the Law blood is always connected with forgiveness, always. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission, that’s step one, BUT without the application of that blood there is no salvation, that’s step two. The lamb had to be slain and then the blood had to be applied to the lentil and door posts, or the first born died. The argument in Hebrews is, the less is blessed of the greater, ashes cleansed the outside, but Christ’s blood cleansed the inside. As one man asked, “How does blood wash away sin?” Another man responded, “I don’t know, anymore than I know how water quenches your thirst, but it does!”

We also see the fulfillment in Heb. 13:10-14, He suffered and died outside the camp; The camp was Judaism, a religion of forms, and ceremonies. “Jesus also that He might sanctify (hagios – separate or set apart unto God) the people with or through His blood, suffered outside the gate (the Temple gate, city gate, civil or religious Judaism).” Heb. 13:12. But how does this sanctify or set apart the people? v.13, “Let us go forth therefore unto Him outside the camp (Judaism them, Legalistic & Liberal Christianity today) bearing His reproach.” The sin offering that was burned outside the camp typifies this aspect of Christ’s death. The cross becomes a new altar, a new place, where without the smallest merit in and of ourselves, the redeemed gather to offer as believer priests spiritual sacrifices. Heb. 13:15; I Pet. 2:5 & 9. The body of the ‘Holy Cow’ the ‘Red Heifer’ was burned outside the camp, not because it was unfit for a holy camp, NO! But because an unholy camp was an unfit place for a ‘Holy Offering!’  “In truth the fate of the entire world depends on the Red Heifer. For God has ordained that its ashes alone is the single missing ingredient for the restatement of biblical purity and thereafter, the rebuilding of the Holy Temple.” Rabbi Chaim Richman. Or as Gershon Salomon said, “Nine Red Heifers were born during the time of the Tabernacle and the two Temples. The tenth, according to this tradition, will be born in the end-times for the Third Temple. Since the destruction of the Second Temple and in the time of the exile over the last 2000 years no Red Heifers have been born… [But] now they are coming one after another; in Israel… It is a clear message from G-d to His people, Israel, that the time for the rebuilding of the Temple has come.” Are you looking for the ashes of the ‘Red Heifer’ as Vendyl Jones was for most of his life, a one time Baptist minister who rejected the cardinal doctrines of the Christian Faith and adopted the Noahide Faith. Or Gary Collit who thinks the ashes will turn Israelites to Christ; or are you looking for the ‘Son of God.’ You don’t need a ‘Red Heifer’ you just need to get out there and giv’em heaven! The hour is late, for the first time in 2,000 years Israel is back in the land, speaking Biblical Hebrew and raising lots of ‘Red Heifer’ dust. Therefore, the Messiah is near by and ready to make His grand entrance, so don’t buy any green bananas, they may not have time to ripen! We hope to see you next time at, ‘diggingintoprophecy.com’  “…a more sure word of prophecy…”

“The Red Heifer” aka “The Holy Cow” Part #4

“All this only confirms for us the message of the prophets, to which you will do well to attend, because it is like a lamp shining in a murky place, until the day breaks and the morning star rises to illuminate your minds. But first note this: no one can interpret any prophecy of Scripture by himself. For it was not through any human whim that men prophesied of old; men they were, but, impelled by the Holy Spirit, they spoke the words of God.” -New English Bible

“The Red Heifer’ aka “The Holy Cow” Part #2

We need to set the historical context before we begin to discuss ‘Big Red.’ Genesis 1-50 covers about 2,000 years and Exodus 1-3 covers about 450 years whereas chapters 5-40 only cover one month from Nisan to Nisan. Then Leviticus 1-27 also only covers about one month, and Numbers 1-10 covers about three weeks and Numbers 10-19 covers about 38 years as they wander in the wilderness. In Numbers 20 Miriam and Aaron die and the march is over and Deuteronomy 1-34 covers about one month at most. The three major ‘Mono-theistic’ religions of the world, who trace their heritage back to Abraham, have a ‘Red Heifer’ in their sacred writings. Islam’s Qur’an, Sura II is entitled ‘Baqara’ or ‘The Heifer.’ Judaism’s Tanak, Numbers 19 has instructions all about the ‘Red Heifer’ and Christianity’s Newer Testament, the book of Hebrews chapters 9 and 13 show the fulfillment of the ‘Red Heifer.’ Islam mocks it, Judaism reveres it and Christianity embraces it. Therefore, it is very important to Christians as well as Jewish people.

However, it all began with Judaism, in Numbers chapter 19 where we have the “Barnea Death March!” You have heard of the “Bataan Death March” where over 10,000 men lost their lives in the Philippines in the Second World War right? Well the “Barnea Death March” was 100 times worse as 1.5 million Jewish people lost their lives on that one. In fact, everyone over the age of twenty, it was a good time to be a teenager! We are talking about 100-200 funerals every day for 38 years to cover the 1.5 million and since most of the Jewish male babies were killed in Egypt, the majority of this multitude were adults. The book of Numbers begins with the Jewish people preparing to march to the ‘Promised Land’ and in Num. 10:12 they set out from the wilderness of Sinai for Kadesh-Barnea. In Num. 11 the fire of the LORD burned among the complainers and consumed them, the seventy elders were appointed and ‘Quail-fil-A’ was established, the first fast food service. In Num. 12 Miriam gets leprosy; In Num. 13 the twelve spies were sent out; In Num. 14 the twelve spies return on Tisha B’Av, the ninth of Av and ten said no and two said GO! God said, ‘For that you will wander in the wilderness for 40 years, one year for each day they were spying out the ‘Promised Land’ until everyone over the age of 20 dies.’ In chapter 15 you have instructions for the Tzitzit or fringes on the corners of their garments with the blue cord to remind them of the commandments of God and to live holy lives. In chapter 16 the sons of Korah are killed for rebelling and taking to much on themselves due to pride, in chapter 17 Aaron’s rod buds, in chapter 18 they receive instructions for wandering and tithing and in Num. 19 they receive instructions for the ‘Red Heifer.’ In Num. 20 Miriam and Aaron die and in chapter 21 the people complain and God sends fiery serpents to bite them and Moses makes (Nehushtan – the brass thing) the ‘Brazen Serpent’ and puts it on a pole. In chapters 22-25 you have Balaam and his donkey, and chapters 26-36 Moses prepares the new generation to enter the ‘Promised Land’ and he prepares to die. Wow, and some of you thought the book of Numbers was boring, think again! Or better yet, read it again!

In 1997 ‘Melody’ the first ‘Red Heifer’ born in Israel in 2,000 years was kicking up some dust, but she developed three white hairs on her tail and two black ones on her face and was disqualified in 2,000. (They are pretty picky about this heifer) Another ‘Red Heifer was born in Israel in 2002 and examined by 25 Orthodox Rabbis and found to be Kosher only to be found to have several blemishes which disqualified her 3 years later. The Midrash says, “A true Red Heifer is worth 10,000 pieces of gold.” (At today’s prices that would be 20 million dollars, pretty expensive ash, if you ask me!) Most orthodox Rabbis are not quite sure what the ordinance of the ‘Red Heifer’ is all about, only that it is a command! So many traditions have developed over the years around this heifer’s ash. Some believe it is a ritual to atone for the sin of the ‘Golden Calf’ in Exodus 32, the mother cow would purify the defilement caused by her offspring. The ‘Golden Calf’ was burned, stamped, ground up, then ground to dust, and the gold dust was then thrown into the brook, Deut. 9:21 and the children of Israel were made to drink it. Ex. 32:30-32.

“Gold is insoluble in water, being 19 times heavier with a specific gravity of 19.5. In fine powder it assumes a colloidal condition and added to water results in a coloration that appears to be a solution. As the particles are made finer the bulk is greatly increased and acquires an ‘apparent’ specific gravity permitting its suspension in water, giving the liquid a deep red color. Scientific records state that ‘colloidal gold’ in water is a ‘rose-red’ color when the particles are of 10 micron size in a dilution of 1 to 100,000. From this you can see that gold in ‘dust’ size will color water as ‘blood,’ which means that this calf of gold need not have been very large to color sufficient water blood-red to furnish drinks to at least two or more million people. ‘Colloidal Gold’ can be made in many ways but the method of Moses is the best under the circumstances in the wilderness….All of this was a fitting type of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. ” (From a personal letter from William Schepp of Schepp Laboratories: M.R. DeHaan, MD, “The Chemistry of The Blood” pg. 55) Conceived of as perhaps the most anciently administered medicine; in medieval times gold was often seen as beneficial for health; gold alloys are used in restorative dentistry especially in tooth restorations; colloidal gold preparations in water are intensely red-colored and are used in research applications in medicine, biology, materials research and in nuclear medicine for cancer treatments and some other diseases.

The Rabbis agree on one thing, that the ashes of the ‘Red Heifer’ are needed to purify the priests and the Temple Mt. in preparation for the Third Temple, on that they all agree. Many Orthodox and Ultra Orthodox Jewish people in Israel will not even touch the ‘Western Wall’ until they have the ashes of the ‘Red Heifer.’ Interesting, because in 63 BC Pompeii went into the Holy of Holies and declared their was no Ark in it just a rock. In fact the ‘Shekinah Glory’ left the Temple and Jerusalem in Ezek. 10 & 11. The ‘Shekinah Glory’ represented ‘Yahweh’s, abiding power and presence’ and if you approached without the blood atonement and purified with the ashes of the ‘Red Heifer’ you would die instantly. The ‘Shekinah Glory’ left in Ezekiel’s day, when did the Ark leave, well that’s a blog for another day, but Pompeii didn’t die when he went in, neither have millions of people who have touched the wall or walked on the Temple Mount. Now, Rabbi Chaim Richmond and a group of Orthodox Rabbis claim they have found a third Kosher ‘Red Heifer’ born in Israel, in March of 2010, and this one is (ta-meem) perfect, without blemish, spot or defect. Num. 19 tells us this ‘Red Heifer’ has to be ‘Perfect’ never yoked, never mounted, in fact the Talmud says, not even so much as a blanket on its back, ‘A little princess!’

However, I believe Num. 19:18 holds the key to understanding the purpose of the ashes of the ‘Red heifer,’ “And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent and upon all the vessels and upon all the persons who were there and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave;” If you touched a bone, a grave, a body, or one slain by you, you were unclean for seven days and could not bring your sacrifices to God.  Captives of the war and certain spoils were to go through the same purification process, Num. 31:21-24. In the Talmud, in Tractate ‘Parah’ chapter 3 the Rabbis say, “Seven ‘Red Heifers’ have been offered and seven is the number of completion.” The Sages say, “Nine have been offered and the Messiah will offer number ten.” However, there is one on the scene right now that is two years old and still perfect, and will be three years old in March of 2013, so the Orthodox Rabbis say, “It is a clear sign that Messiah is near!” Well, I can say that without ‘Big Red!’ This ‘Heifer’ must be at least 3 years old when it is offered based on Gen. 15:9 and God’s covenant with Abraham when He offered a 3 year old heifer. David Landon, a columnist for HaAretz in Israel says, “This is a four legged bomb that could set the entire region on fire and should be shot!” So, not all Jewish people feel the same way about ‘Big Red,’ and that is true of Jews, Christians, Muslims, columnists and communists! So, join me next time as we look at a ‘Biblical Survey’ of (Parah Adumah) together in, “diggingintoprophecy.com”     “…a more sure word of prophecy…”

“The Red Heifer”  aka “The Holy Cow”  Part #2  9/3/12

“The Red Heifer” aka “The Holy Cow” – Part #1

In our day the commandment of the (parah adumah) ‘The Red Heifer’ begins to take on more and more significance, because without it the service in the third temple or the tribulation temple cannot be resumed. There is a spiritual renaissance going on today in Israel after 2,000 years and many Jewish people are moving towards the time when the ‘Holy Temple’ on Mt. Moriah will be rebuilt. Many Jewish people are returning to the Torah and the traditions of their fathers and believe their Temple is the only solution for achieving that elusive peace their heart craves. As we talk about prophecy you have two types of agents for God; you have ‘Fore-tellers’ and ‘Forth-tellers.’ The Prophets or Forth-Tellers are gone as David Aune wrote in Baker’s Encyclopedia, but the encouragement of the Scriptures remain; Rom. 15:4 says, “For whatever things were written aforetime (in earlier times) were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.” There are basically two reasons prophets are gone: 1 – Christian ethical exhortation was taken over by church officers; and 2 – The formation of the canon of Scripture made it less important.

Today there is a lot going on in the world prophetically, especially in the place we call the ‘Holy Land.’ Or as one journalist put it, “Never underestimate the power of religious faith to shape world events, especially in the ‘Holy Land’ and especially, right now.” The little hand is on the 12 and the big hand left the 11 some time ago. We are not in the last days any more, we are in the last seconds of the last minutes of the last hours of the last days. As I tell my wife when she goes shopping, “Don’t buy any green bananas, they may not have time to ripen!” As you watch the ‘Middle East’ unfold or explode before your very eyes, you can’t help but wonder just how close we really are? As we have seen over six million Jewish people return to their land from the East, West, North and South as foretold in Isa. 43:5-6, “Fear not, for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the ends of the earth.” Or the two sticks Israel & Judah becoming one stick as foretold in Ezk. 37:15-22. God promised to bring back His chosen people as one nation in unbelief and He is keeping His promise.

On Saturday the ‘Sabbath,’ May 14th, 1948 Israel became a nation again after 2,534 years, in their own ancient land, speaking their own ancient language. The “Six Day War” started on Monday June 5th and ended on Saturday, June 10th, 1967. Again on the ‘Sabbath,’ Israel regained control of Jerusalem and many believe it signaled the end of, ‘The times of the Gentiles.’ What a coincidence, both on the ‘Sabbath,’ a day God gave His people to set them apart from the rest of the world. The European Union is on the move and forming very fast to find a ‘peace-maker’ or a ‘king-pin’ to lead them and the world. Russia joined NATO not to long ago and I thought NATO was formed to stand against Russia or is it the Soviet Union, I’m confused. Anyway, they recently lost their ‘Bread Basket’ the Ukraine and they want it back, and by the way, Putin is back to stay this time. Russia is conducting joint military maneuvers with China, or should I say “Sinim” Isa. 49:12, on Chinese soil, and by the way China is claiming islands in the china sea off Vietnam and telling the USA to stay away. We still have troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey (helping the Syrian rebels), Libya, Djibouti, Kuwait, Israel and probably a few other countries scattered throughout the area so we don’t have to worry about how we are going to get involved in the ‘Middle East,’ we already are! I carry a coin in my pocket from the European Union and it has a naked woman riding a beast on one side (Rev. 17) how do they know? Do you think they read the same Bible we do? In fact that symbol is all over their money and in front of their headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. We have the Chipsons in Florida, who have chips implanted in their bodies for identification, nothing new, not today. We have chips in cell phones, computers, cars and trucks, cats and dogs, why not kids and wives and husbands. Our government gave the go ahead for 30,000 drones to watch us. Arafat is gone, Hamas and Abbas are in control of the Palestinians, the Muslim Brotherhood control Egypt, Libya went down, Tunisia went down, Syria is at war and Damascus is about to come off the map (read my blog) Iran is about to go nuclear, we talk about the ‘Arab Spring’ like it’s spring cleaning, or spring planting or something exciting! What is driving this world today, politics or religion? As one writer put it, “When 9/11 happened one of the questions people asked was, ‘Is this religious or political?’ The fact that they asked that showed how little they really understood.” We are dealing with ancient religious convictions that are driving forces in this modern world. The secular press does not get it, but there is no other way to understand it, and it goes on and on and on…  It’s Thanksgiving and you are driving down the street through your town and all the Christmas lights are on and they are flashing, what does that tell you? “Christmas is coming!” Now that doesn’t take a rocket scientist, just a common man with his eyes open, paying attention to the signs and lights all around him. Now if you have been reading your Bible and have been paying attention to all the world events, then you know that, Jesus is coming soon. Now what does all this have to do with the ‘Holy Cow?’ “Everything!”  So, join me next time at, ‘digging into prophecy.com’ as we set the historical context and begin a biblical survey of (parah adumah) or ‘Big Red.’    “…a more sure word of prophecy…” 

“Abba, Father  as we delve into this controversial subject, please (Bevakasha) allow the Ruach ha Kodesh to guide us and teach us what You would have us to learn about the significance of the ‘Red Heifer.’ In ha Shem Yeshua we ask. Amen!”

“The Red Heifer” aka “The Holy Cow” – Part #1   9/1/12