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Joseph the Antecedent; Joseph the Nazir
Various, Bible | 30 December 2005

Posted on 12/30/2005 6:11:46 PM PST by Thinkin' Gal

Joseph the Antecedent; Joseph the Nazir

Matthew 2:19-23

19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

###

Question: Matthew 2:23 states: And he [Joseph, along with Mary and Jesus] came and resided in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: "He will be called a Nazarene." I don't find any such prophecy in my Bible. Am I missing parts of the Bible?

Answer: At no point in the Jewish Scriptures is the Messiah referred to as a Nazarene. Despite Matthew's statement, there is no prophecy, which mentions that the Messiah will be an inhabitant of Nazareth. In fact, the town of Nazareth is never mentioned in the Jewish Bible.

It has been speculated that what Matthew is referring to is the description of the Messiah as a netser ("shoot"), i.e., a new, flourishing growth from the Davidic line. This term first appears in Isaiah: "And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit" (Isaiah 11:1). But despite Isaiah's use of the term, it is nowhere indicated that the Messiah would actually be called netser. An alternate suggestion connects Matthew's usage with the word natsar, "guard," "keep."

It cannot be that Matthew is referring to the Messiah as being a Nazarite, for nowhere in the Jewish Scriptures is it stated that the Messiah will ever take the Nazarite vow...

Continued at Jews for Judaism

They have a legitimate point. However, are they countering the actual substance of the New Testament text, or Christian doctrine? The argument is based upon the traditional Christian interpretation of the text (that is, that the subject of the prophecy is the Messiah).

###

Main Entry: 1an·te·ced·ent
Pronunciation: "an-t&-'sE-d&nt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin antecedent-, antecedens, from Latin, what precedes, from neuter of antecedent-, antecedens, present participle of antecedere to go before, from ante- + cedere to go
1 : a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun (as John in "Mary saw John and called to him"); broadly : a word or phrase replaced by a substitute
2 : the conditional element in a proposition (as if A in "if A, then B")
3 : the first term of a mathematical ratio
4 a : a preceding event, condition, or cause b plural : the significant events, conditions, and traits of one's earlier life
5 a : PREDECESSOR; especially : a model or stimulus for later developments b plural : ANCESTORS, PARENTS

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/antecedent

###

Matthew 2:19-23

19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
21 And he [Joseph] arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he [Joseph] heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he [Joseph] was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he [Joseph] turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
23 And he [Joseph] came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He [Joseph] shall be called a Nazarene.

Joseph the Antecedent; Joseph the Symbol

###

Symbol 

A person, object, image, word, or event that evokes a range of additional meaning beyond and usually more abstract than its literal significance. Symbols are educational devices for evoking complex ideas without having to resort to painstaking explanations that would make a story more like an essay than an experience. Conventional symbols have meanings that are widely recognized by a society or culture. Some conventional symbols are the Christian cross, the Star of David, a swastika, or a nation’s flag. Writers use conventional symbols to reinforce meanings. Kate Chopin, for example, emphasizes the spring setting in "The Story of an Hour" as a way of suggesting the renewed sense of life that Mrs. Mallard feels when she thinks herself free from her husband. A literary or contextual symbol can be a setting, character, action, object, name, or anything else in a work that maintains its literal significance while suggesting other meanings. Such symbols go beyond conventional symbols; they gain their symbolic meaning within the context of a specific story. For example, the white whale in Melville’s Moby-Dick takes on multiple symbolic meanings in the work, but these meanings do not automatically carry over into other stories about whales. The meanings suggested by Melville’s whale are specific to that text; therefore, it becomes a contextual symbol. See also allegory.

Glossary of Literary Terms

###

Matthew 2:23 And he [Joseph] came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He [Joseph] shall be called a Nazarene [3480].

Strong's:

3480 Nazoraios {nad-zo-rah'-yos}
from 3478; TDNT - 4:874,625; n pr m
AV - of Nazareth 13, Nazarene 2; 15

Nazarite = "one separated"
1) an inhabitant of Nazareth
2) a title given to Jesus in the NT
3) a name given to Christians by the Jews, Ac. 24:5

Hebrew (Nazarite):

05139 naziyr {naw-zeer'} or nazir {naw-zeer'}
from 05144; TWOT - 1340b; n m
AV - Nazarite 12, undressed 2, separate 2; 16

1) consecrated or devoted one, Nazarite
1a) consecrated one
1b) devotee, Nazarite
1c) untrimmed (vine)

from 05144

05144 nazar {naw-zar'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 1340; v
AV - separate... 9, consecrate 1; 10

1) to dedicate, consecrate, separate
1a) (Niphal) to dedicate oneself, devote oneself
1b) (Hiphil) to keep sacredly separate
2) (Hiphil) to be a Nazarite, live as a Nazarite

###

Joseph the Nazir

Genesis 49:22-26 (The blessing of Joseph by Jacob)

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23. The archers fiercely attacked him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24. But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:
25. By the God of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26. The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate [5139*] from his brothers:

*See definition above.

Deuteronomy 33:13-18 (The blessing of Joseph by Moses)

13. And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that couches beneath:
14. And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon:
15. And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills:
16. And for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and for the good will of him who lived in the bush; let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him who was separated [5139] from his brothers:
17. The firstling of his herd, grandeur is his, and his horns are like the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh:
18. And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and, Issachar, in your tents:

And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out [3318]

03318 yatsa' {yaw-tsaw'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 893; v
AV - ....out 518, ....forth 411, bring 24, come 24, proceed 16,
go 13, depart 10, misc 53; 1069

1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart
1a2) to go forth (to a place)
1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)
1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)
1a5) to come out of
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out
1b2) to bring out of
1b3) to lead out
1b4) to deliver
1c) (Hophal) to be brought out or forth

23 And he [Joseph] came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets [Gen 49:26; Deu 33:16] , He [Joseph] shall be called a Nazarene.

3. Yaakov (Jacob)

4. Moshe (Moses)

The List of Prophets

###

Joseph the Symbol

Cont'd

Whatever happened to Joseph? He simply vanished out of sight from the New Testament narrative. He's usually presumed to have died sometime past the scene in Luke 2:41-52 (When Jesus at age 12 was in the temple, going about his father's business).

Joseph [the patriarch's] business...


Genesis 45:4-9

4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

Joseph was thought dead, but reappeared as a wealthy lord over Egypt.

Spiritual Egypt (and Sodom) was "where also our Lord was crucified" (Rev 11:8). A rich Joseph appeared out of nowhere to obtain the body.

Matthew 27:57-60

57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea (Ramah), named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his [Joseph's] own new tomb, which he [Joseph] had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

###

Out of Egypt, the Whole House of Israel
(and Joseph)

Hosea 11:1-5

1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
2 As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.
4 I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
5 He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.


Matthew 2:13-20

13 And when they [the wise men] were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

###

Out of Egypt, Joseph

Genesis 50:25-26

25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Exodus 13:17-19

17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.


TOPICS: General Discusssion; History
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 12/30/2005 6:11:47 PM PST by Thinkin' Gal
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To: Thinkin' Gal; Dr. Eckleburg

I did a Bible study of Joseph and the similarities with Jesus. I believe without much difficulty, one can find around two hundred or so.


2 posted on 12/30/2005 6:18:37 PM PST by zeeba neighba (I have my Christmas Newfie . He's eating my foot as I type)
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To: Thinkin' Gal
Thankyou for your post....very good information.

From Jerome's Letter XLVI, Paula and Eustochium To Marcella, Paragraph 13:

"If only you will come, we shall go to see Nazareth, as its name denotes, the flower of Galilee". This pretty well lines up with Isaiah 11:1, [A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.]

Jeremiah calls him a Righteous Branch [23:5]; [33:15]

Zechariah calls him a Branch, [3:8]

The fact that the early Church Fathers were referring to Nazareth as the "Flower of Galilee" may be significant. I understand Eusebius called it something similar in his Onomasticon a century before Jerome. This would have been in the 3rd and 4th century.

3 posted on 12/30/2005 7:41:48 PM PST by Diego1618
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To: Jeremiah Jr; the-ironically-named-proverbs2; Lijahsbubbe; bearsgirl90; sauropod

Ping.


4 posted on 12/30/2005 11:13:52 PM PST by Thinkin' Gal (As it was in the days of NO...)
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To: Thinkin' Gal

Thanks for some meat to chew on this morning.


5 posted on 12/31/2005 6:14:09 AM PST by the-ironically-named-proverbs2
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To: the-ironically-named-proverbs2
ZAPHNATH-PAANEAH:

By : Emil G. Hirsch W. Max Muller

Name given by Pharaoh to Joseph (Gen. xli. 45). It seems to be an Egyptian name, but its etymology is in doubt. It is not plain on what (Hebrew ?) etymology the earliest explanations of Hebrew scholars were founded. Targum Onḳelos gives the meaning of the name as "the man to whom mysteries are revealed"; pseudo-Jonathan, "one who reveals mysteries"; Josephus ("Ant." ii. 6, § 1), "a finder of mysteries." Many other old writers offer similar definitions, and even the A. V. has in the margin: "Which in the Coptic signifies, 'A revealer of secrets,' or 'The man to whom secrets are revealed.'" There is, however, no Egyptian etymology by which these guesses can be supported. Jerome claims that his suggestion, "savior of the world," rests on the Egyptian, and possibly the reading of the Septuagint has been followed by the authors of this etymology; the Coptic "eneh" = Egyptian "nḥ" (= "eternity," "eternal"), seems to be discernible, to which erroneously the later meaning of the Hebrew "'olam" ("eternity," "age"; later, "world") has been given, overlooking the "'ayin." Thus this inadmissible interpretation, which is accepted even by Jablonski, clearly betrays rabbinical influence.

Modern Egyptologists have tried a great many untenable etymologies for the element "Zaphnath," but have mostly agreed that "paaneah" contains the Egyptian "p-ônḫ," meaning "the life" (thus first Lepsius, "Chronologie," i. 382). Steindorff's explanation (in "Zeitschrift für Aegyptische Sprache," xxvii. 42; modifying Krall's etymology in "Trans. 7th Orientalist. Congr." p. 110) differs somewhat; it is "ṣe(d)-p-nute(r)-ef-onḫ" = "the god speaks, [and] he lives." This has become popular, and is philologicallypossible; however, it does not convey the allusion to Joseph's office or merits which we should expect. "P-ônḫ" (= "the life") would still answer better in this respect; only "Zaphnath" does not admit a quite convincing explanation. The Septuagint (Ψον[or Ψομ]θομφανήχ) and the Hexaplaric versions, however, differ so widely from the Hebrew in the first half of the name that it may have been disfigured by copyists.

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=31&letter=Z

06828 tsaphown {tsaw-fone'} or tsaphon {tsaw-fone'}
from 06845; TWOT - 1953b; n f
AV - north 116, northward 24, north side 11, northern 1, north wind 1; 153

1) north (of direction), northward
1a) north
1b) northward

 

from 06845

06845 tsaphan {tsaw-fan'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 1953; v
AV - hide 16, lay up 7, esteemed 1, lurk 1, hidden ones 1, privily 1,
secret places 1, secret 1, misc 4; 33

1) to hide, treasure, treasure or store up
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to hide, treasure, treasure up
1a2) to lie hidden, lurk
1b) (Niphal) to be hidden, be stored up
1c) (Hiphil) to hide, hide from discovery

 

Compare:

05603 caphan {saw-fan'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 1537; v
AV - covered 3, cieled 2, seated 1; 6

1) to cover, cover in, wainscotted, covered with boards or panelling
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to cover in, panel
1a2) covered, panelled (participle)

6 posted on 01/03/2006 12:37:42 AM PST by Thinkin' Gal (As it was in the days of NO...)
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To: the-ironically-named-proverbs2

Sorry about the mutated formatting that self-generated.


7 posted on 01/03/2006 12:39:22 AM PST by Thinkin' Gal (As it was in the days of NO...)
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To: Thinkin' Gal

Hi Thinkin’ Gal...

Happy New Year!

I’d like to respond to your Freepmail on the link you mentioned, as it may engender additional comment.

My mom took me to a church of seemingly every Christian denomination extant, though I’m sure there are a few she missed.

My favorite was the Episcopal church essentially for their musical tradition. I did a lot of singing there, both from the pews and from the choir.

Though as the poet Emily Dickinson observed, “All have gone to church, except me. I am one of the lingering bad ones.” And thus began her life-long struggle not so much with the existence of God, but with the divinity of Jesus.

Me too.

Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear O Israel; The Lord is our God. The Lord is One.”

It finally took my going to synagogue to more fully experience this “oneness” of God, and the overall grandeur of the “Old Testament”.

Also from the Thirteen Principals of Maimonides (12th century), the third of which is, “The removal of materiality from God. This signifies that this unity is not a body nor the power of a body, nor can the accidents of bodies overtake Him, as, e.g., motion and rest, whether in the essential or accidental sense....”

When I read “The Jesus Puzzle” by Earl Doherty (which is available on the Internet), I was very taken with his assertion that Jesus had never existed at all.

That view however was given over to the arguments of Hyam Maccoby in his “Revolution In Judaea: Jesus and The Jewish Resistance”. That is that Jesus was aiming toward the acquisition of the title, “messiah” and “Son of God” in the same sense that these titles were those of David and Solomon who had likewise been among “the annointed” as kings of Israel.

This is not to deny the “essence” of Christianity in the sense of Deuteronomy 4:19 or Malachi 1:11, as I realize that America could not have been founded without it.

It’s on this basis that I not so much reject the NT as I think there is quite a bit to glean from the sense of Jesus as rabbi, which I think the Jews could take much from.

Though I do not accept the divinity of a man.

That “Jews for Jesus” do, renders them as non-Jews in my opinion, and certainly no longer among “the chosen people” who brought ethical monotheism to mankind.

I hope this makes my basic thinking on this issue a little more clear.


8 posted on 01/03/2006 11:48:48 AM PST by onedoug
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To: Thinkin' Gal
Genesis 45:4-9

4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

Joseph was thought dead, but reappeared as a wealthy lord over Egypt.

Interestingly, the wealth of the entire known world flowed into Egypt during this famine.
And the Hebrews carted it out when they left town! Something to look forward to…

9 posted on 01/03/2006 12:06:43 PM PST by Jeremiah Jr ("Tzohar Ta’aseh LaTayvah'' Bereishet 6:16 / T.O.E. = Unification = Echad!)
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To: Jeremiah Jr; cyn; 444Flyer; Yehuda

Genesis 50:25-26

25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones [6106] from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they
embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

06106 `etsem {eh'tsem}

from 06105; TWOT - 1673c; n f

AV - bone 104, selfsame 11, same 5, body 2, very 2, life 1,
strength 1; 126

1) bone, essence, substance
1a) bone
1a1) body, limbs, members, external body
1b) bone (of animal)
1c) substance, self

CONSTITUTION

con•sti•tu•tion

n.
1. the way in which a thing is composed or made up; makeup; composition.

2. the physical character of the body as to strength, health, etc.: a strong constitution.

3. the aggregate of a person's physical and psychological characteristics.

4. the act or process of constituting; establishment.

5. the state of being constituted; formation.

6. any established arrangement or custom.

7. (cap.) the fundamental or organic law of the U.S., framed in 1787 and put into effect in 1789.

8. the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation, state, corporation, or the like, is governed.

9. the document embodying these principles.

10. Archaic. disposition; temperament.

***

constitution
noun

1. The act of founding or establishing:
=creation, establishment, foundation, institution, organization, origination, start-up.

2. The physical or constitutional characteristics of a person:
=build, habit, habitus, physique.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/constitution

The Kabbalistic term associated with Joseph is Yesod, meaning "foundation," as in Tzaddik Yesod Olam, meaning "a good nd just man is the foundation of the world." Alternatively, Joseph is the foundation of the Jewish people. Had Joseph been killed, or disappeared in the slavemarkets of Egypt, the foundation of the nation would have been missing as well.

Joseph From the Kabbalistic Perspective


Ezekiel 37:1-3

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

>>>

Ezekiel 37:11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

Our Constitution is withered, our hope lost...

Jonathan Cahn, the Bible teacher and author who started warning nine years ago that America was facing the judgment of God if it did not reject secularism and return to its Judeo-Christian roots, says the June 26 Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage in all 50 states marks the formal end to Christian America. Barring a “miracle of God,” the die has been cast, said the author of “The Harbinger” and “The Mystery of the Shemitah.”

Jonathan Cahn: 'End of Christian America' is here

 

It seems every day brings more and more dismal news. The riots across the nation, violence in schools, and the senseless shootings in Charleston, all seemed to crescendo with the tragic decisions of the Supreme Court last week. It makes a person hesitant to even get out of bed in the morning. The final nail in the coffin for me was the rainbow White House. Taking the very symbol of the promise God gave his children and using it to announce to the world—and proclaim to God Himself, “We reject you!” was just too much for my heart to take....

Is There Hope for America? Shedding some light on a darkening world...

 

As I've said, I was very alarmed, though not particularly surprised, by the two Supreme Court decisions last week in which the court's majority blithely bastardized the English language, the Constitution, the rule of law and the very idea of truth in order to further advance the progressive agenda in this nation.

But what troubles me more than the court's betrayal of its duty to safeguard the Constitution and the rule of law is the apparent complacency among the public about these decisions and the radical shifts we are witnessing in our culture.

Why do some seem resigned to the transformation of our society? Why have they surrendered? Do they strongly believe in anything anymore? Do they not understand the implications for the future of this nation -- if not for themselves, for their children?

Don't Give Up On America

 

Ezekiel 37:4-6

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

The Kabbalistic term associated with Joseph is Yesod, meaning "foundation," as in Tzaddik Yesod Olam, meaning "a good nd just man is the foundation of the world."

Corresponding to the procreative organ of man, yesod is the foundation of generations to come. The power to procreate is the manifestation of infinity within the finite context of the created human being. Each individual man is “small” relative to all generations to come (from him). The yesod is referred to as the “small limb” of man, the “small that holds the large [infinite].” The yesod is the “small” and “narrow” bridge between the infinite potential of procreation that flows into it and its actual manifestation in the progeny of man.

For this reason, the sefirah of yesod is identified in the Torah with the tzadik (righteous one), as is said: “and the tzadik is the foundation of the world.”

http://www.inner.org/sefirot/sefyesod.htm

 

If ever a time the phrase “Now the end begins” meant something, it is now. In a decision just as sinister, far-reaching and abominable as the 1973 Roe v Wade decision on abortion, the Supreme Court of the United States has just declared that reality and biology no longer exist, and we can now declare marriage to be whatever we want it to be.

SCOTUS Declares War on Marriage and Family

Constitution

the way in which a thing is composed or made up; makeup; composition.

i.e.

bone, essence, substance

The final nail in the coffin for me was the rainbow White House. Taking the very symbol of the promise God gave his children and using it to announce to the world—and proclaim to God Himself, “We reject you!” was just too much for my heart to take....

A coat of many colors = ketonet passim (lit. a striped robe/coat)

Genesis 37:31-32

31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.
33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.


10 posted on 07/11/2015 9:44:34 PM PDT by Ezekiel (All who mourn the destruction of America merit the celebration of her rebirth.)
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