1. ↑ Pneumnemonic Hebrew for Beginners
2. ↑ notarikon - words get their meaning from the combined meaning of the letters. Notarikon

"In the beginning God..." ^[1] In the first full sentence of revelation God tells one of his names "Elohim" אלהים. It is said that it means God, plural Gods, Royal 'God', judges, etc.

If there is confusion, it is the result of sin. ^{[2] [3]}

God has communicated to us in such a way that we might know him, and then after we know him, believe (trust) and understand him. ^[4]

1. ↑ Ge 1:1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2. ↑ 2Th 2:11]] And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
3. ↑ Jer 3:25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
4. ↑ Isa 43:10 Ye [are] my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I [am] he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Some say that Elohim is a plural noun for eloah meaning 'gods' and conclude that there are many gods, or it is like the 'royal we' when the king speaks of himself in plural form. But these are secondary meaning which cannot be applied to all instances.

The metaphor of "Waterloo" says many things. It can be used to speak of being ill-prepared or arrogant. These are both secondary meanings which, by themselves, do not express the true meaning of Waterloo.

You can see how this causes problems, since God calls men elohim, and there is only one singular God. How do we make sense of this? We will use notarikon ^[1].

1. ↑ One of the methods of interpretation used by New Testament authors

'Notarikon' ^[1] is the ancient Hebrew practice of interpretation where words get their meaning from the combined meaning of the letters within.

No other known language works this way. None of the letters in 'cat' tell you anything about cats.

'Elohim' אלהים means God 'El' אל separated from creation י, which has been finished by the son ם (or 'his people'), by ignorance ה. ^[2]

References on Notarikon

1. ↑ This is not an endorsement of the rabbinic usage of notarikon since they violate the rules of it's use and have scrambled the meaning of the letters making nonsense of the idea.
2. ↑ It also means 'after he created the heavens and the earth א he taught ל those who did not understand ה and then his creation י was finished when the Son completed it ם'.

Man is separated from God because they don't know him. 'Elohim' expresses the idea of the separation. When he calls men 'elohim' he is using the primary meaning.

It is just as valid to say that men are separated from God, as it is to say that God is separated from men.

God is called Elohim since men are separated from him. Men are called Elohim because they are separated from God. This ^[1] is the primary meaning of 'Elohim'.

1. ↑ God אל separated from men ים by ignorance ה

When judges are called 'Elohim' ^[1] it is not because they judge like God. They are separated from God.

It is because they don't judge like God. ^[2] They cannot judge rightly because they don't know him. ^{[3] [4]}

He tells them they are separated from him by ignorance and they will die like men. ^[5]

1. ↑ Ps 82:6 ¶ I have said, Ye [are] gods; and all of you [are] children of the most High.
2. ↑ Ps 82:2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
3. ↑ Isa 45:5 I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
4. ↑ Jer 9:3 And they bend their tongues [like] their bow [for] lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.
5. ↑ Ps 82:7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

Using notarikon, eloah אלוה is singular for 'God אל discerned by, or made clear by ו ignorance ה. How can ignorance help us to discern God?

The ignorance of men, bickering over this or that, drives people crazy to the point that they cry out "It is not supposed to be this way!" By doing so, they are declaring that there is a God whose way it is supposed to be. In ignorance they sin, but he extends mercy. His mercy reveals him as God.

The ignorance of men causes a cacophony of confusion. In contrast, we know that there is a God who is rational and causes peace. ^{[1] [2]}

It is foolish to call a man or idol 'God', or to follow your own council of good and evil; 'eloah'. Eloah says that such a declaration; that the man (yourself) or idol is a God, is totally foolish and made plain by the ignorance of the claim. It is a god for the foolish.

1. ↑ Ge 41:8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but [there was] none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
2. ↑ Ge 41:16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, [It is] not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

Theologians argue about who 'Israel' is. It is the name given by God to Jacob. ^[1] But it also refers to his children as the Sons of Israel who were brought into Egypt by Joseph when he was King of kings. ^[2] Then the nation of Israel split into Two nations: Israel and Judah. After the captivity, the returning people were known as Israel. Some also call the church Israel. In 70 A.D. Jerusalem was destroyed and the nation ceased to exist. In the last century, the Rothchilds took possession of the land of Israel from the British in payment for war debts, and a new nation was formed.

A man, several nations, and a church are all called Israel. How do you know when it means one or the other? Is a promise made to the man valid for the nation, nations or the church? Are commands given to the nation, but not to the man, valid for the church?

Surely God must have given us a way to know which Israel is which and how to apply his word.

1. ↑ Ge 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
2. ↑ Ge 47:28

'Israel' ישראל means 'man יש joined to God אל by revelation ר. It always means this in scripture. Whether a man, a nation, a split nation, a destroyed nation, a faithful nation, a harlot nation, or a spiritually born nation; Israel always means 'man joined to God by revelation'.

'Elohim' means 'God separated from man by ignorance'. God's solution to this was to reveal himself to make himself known. He revealed himself to each entity he called Israel.

The name is given to those to whom God has revealed himself.

Abram's name was changed to Abraham when God revealed himself to Abram and gave him the promise ^[1]. He is called the Father of Israel because he is the literal progenitor of Jacob; named Israel.

Abraham is not simply the father of Jacob, but the Father of the revelation of God to the people known as Israel. God made a promise to Abraham which was passed through Isaac and through Jacob. ^[2]

Through many concubines, Abraham became the father of many nations, but only Jacob received the promise and inheritance. Man יש was joined by revelation ר to God אל ; Israel.

1. ↑ Ge 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. [{Abraham: that is, Father of a great multitude }]
2. ↑ Ge 17:9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

At the time of Jesus, many Jews thought that their bloodline made them special. ^[1] But Jesus quickly corrected that. ^[2]

Only those who did their part of the covenant remained in the covenant. They must serve him in holiness and righteousness. ^[3]

Claiming a bloodline to Abraham does not make one a child of spiritual Israel. ^[4] But the one who does the work of serving God in the covenant is the child of he covenant.

1. ↑ Lu 1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; Lu 1:72 To perform the mercy [promised] to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; Lu 1:73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
2. ↑ Mt 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
3. ↑ Lu 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, Lu 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
4. ↑ Joh 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

Jacob is Israel not merely because God changed his name ^[1]; but because the man had been joined to God by revelation. ^[2]

Jacob had two significant encounters with God. The first was in a dream concerning Jacob's ladder. ^[3] Though he had given Jacob a sign that the dream was true ^[4], God gave him a second encounter where he lost everything, but was blessed through it ^[5]; to confirm his first encounter.

Jacob was joined to God by at least two major revelations. He was called Israel: 'man יש joined to God אל by revelation ר.

1. ↑ Ge 35:10 And God said unto him, Thy name [is] Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
2. ↑ Ge 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. [{Israel: that is, A prince of God }]
3. ↑ Ge 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
4. ↑ Many stones become one
5. ↑ Ge 32:20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob [is] behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. [{of me: Heb. my face }]

The first nation to be called Israel was formed in Egypt. ^[1] The nation of Israel multiplied, while the man Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt.

Jacob is called 'Jacob' when referring to his flesh. His children were called Israel because they had been connected to God by revelation as Joseph told them God intended to save them through their betrayal of him. ^[2]

When one is joined to God by revelation, he may be called Israel whether we are told so or not. Peter was Israel. ^[3] He was later told to lead the church.

1. ↑ Ge 47:27 ¶ And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. Ge 47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years. [{the whole … : Heb. the days of the years of his life }]
2. ↑ Ge 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive.
3. ↑ Mt 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

The twelve tribes are counted differently at different times. After the death of Solomon, the nation was split. Ten tribes with Manasseh half-tribes each counted as a tribe became Israel of the north. Judah became the southern kingdom which included Simeon ^[1] which was not counted because of his sin ^[2]

The ten tribes of Israel in the north rebelled against the kingdom in Jerusalem. Though they set up worship apart from the temple, they were still joined to God by revelation; the promise made to Abraham.

Judah, though disobedient in many ways, kept the worship of God in the temple active. They remained coupled to God by his command. The name 'Judah' יהו(ד)ה displays this as 'Yahweh' יהוה with the command ד in his heart.

1. ↑ Jos 19:9 Out of the portion of the children of Judah [was] the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.
2. ↑ Ge 49:7 Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel., and Levi had cities spread among them all.

After 200 years of existence, and nearly continual disobedience, God disciplined Israel by conquering them by the Assyrians. Israel is sometimes called Ephraim (by the largest tribe) or Samaria (by the largest city). They began to lose their association with God by revelation.

The ten lost tribes were not lost because we don't know where they went, they were lost to Israel (those joined to God by revelation) because they intermarried and became the Samaritans.

Judah also was disciplined and taken captive by the Babylonians. But were permitted to return to their home and rebuild Jerusalem under the prophet Nehemiah, and according to revelation concerning king Cyrus. They became the ones called 'Jews' and also teetered on the edge of no longer being joined to God by revelation.

God used the imagery of marriage concerning his relationship with Israel. Idolatry was called adultery. And when God had enough, he divorced Israel. ^[1]

God doesn't hate divorce because it is some sort of unforgivable sin, he hates it because he was divorced; it is the separation of two who should be one. ^[2]

Any illusion that Judah; 'the people of God's command', became Israel; 'man joined to God by revelation', was dashed when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. and they could no longer make sacrifices according to the command.

1. ↑ Jer 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
2. ↑ Ge 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

'Israel' is used of the children of Abraham because they were joined to God by revelation. But Isaac was not the only son of Abraham; he had other children. They are called 'dust' ^[1], 'sand by the sea', and 'stars' ^[2].

His children called 'dust' are those without the word of God (symbolized by water). The ones called 'sand by the sea' are washed by the word. The ones called stars are those who Jesus called the 'light of the world' ^[3], which are the lights in the firmament of Ge 1. ^[4]

The church does not replace the nation of Israel, Israel was never the man or the nation. Those are just symbols of those who are changed by the revelation of God. People who are taught by Christ are changed by Christ and are Israel; man joined to God by revelation'.

1. ↑ Ge 13:16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then] shall thy seed also be numbered.
2. ↑ Ge 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
3. ↑ Mt 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
4. ↑ Ge 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: [{the day … : Heb. between the day and between the night }]

In Hebrew, 'name' means 'reputation'. God's name, Elohim אלהים; 'God was separated from men by ignorance' identifies the problem. He fixes that problem by revelation - Israel ישראל; 'man joined to God by revelation'.

Jacob was given the reputation of being joined to God by revelation and when he does not act that way, he is still called Jacob. His children are called children of Jacob or children of Israel depending on their reputation.

Today, those who have a reputation of being joined to God by revelation; by his teaching, are Israel. They have not replaced anyone. They were called 'stars in the firmament' from the beginning. 'Israel' has always referred to those who have a reputation; a new name, given by God.

Bride church

The church is called the 'bride of Christ'. ^[1]

Theologians cannot agree if the church defines the bride or the bride defines the church. Are those in the visible church (however that is defined) 'saved'? Or are those who are 'saved' in the invisible church? For some, the 'saved' and the 'bride' are two different entities.

The marriage of the Lamb of God comes on the heels of God divorcing Israel. Marriage is used as a metaphor for the relationship between God and his people. In the same way that 'Israel' is.

1. ↑ Re 21:9 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.

The Hebrew word for marriage is 'laqach' לקח. ^[1] But it also means 'doctrine' or learning'. ^{[2] [3]}

Israel means 'man joined to God by revelation'. Israel was called the wife of God. And now the word for marriage means that the wife is taught by God. ^[4]

Without knowing any Hebrew, you can know that whenever you see the lamed ל in a word, it has something to do with teaching. 'Laqach' לקח means 'taught ל the cross ק for life ח. The bride are those who are taught by Christ; they are Israel.

1. ↑ Ex 21:3 If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. [{by himself: Heb. with his body }]
2. ↑ De 32:2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
3. ↑ Pr 1:5 A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
4. ↑ 1Ti 2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

God reveals himself and teaches his own because 'God is separated from men by ignorance' or 'Elohim' אלהים. Paul wanted us to understand this when he wrote that women should learn from their husbands.

Paul was not speaking of men and women. He was speaking of Christ and the church. ^[1]

The bride is the church and the husband is Christ. Paul writes in a mystery, not literally. It is easy to see why people who do not know the scripture, come up with pernicious doctrine subjugating women.

1. ↑ Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The devil reads scripture literally. He tempted Jesus to turn literal stones into bread using the literal meaning found in a Psalm. ^[1]

Jesus understood the mystery: He was the stone that the builders rejected ^[2]; the Rock that followed Israel in the desert ^[3], and that Rock would become the bread through his suffering and death on the cross. ^[4]

How you read scripture tells you something of your knowledge of God. You cannot understand scripture until your eyes are opened by God. Your flesh will read it like the devil. May your heart burn...

1. ↑ Ps 78:20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?
2. ↑ Mr 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
3. ↑ 1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
4. ↑ Lu 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake [it], and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Concerning the Kingdom of heaven there is much confusion. Is it a place in the clouds; an other world-ly place where we go when we die? Is it a Borg-like ship that will descend on Jerusalem?

Without the rules ^[1], there is nothing to guide your interpretation, causing endless debates ^{[2] [3]}with no standard of truth.

The rules say that a symbol must be the same thing everywhere. Notice that this does not say "every where it is used as a symbol". We have no choice when to read it as a symbol or not.

1. ↑ https://sensusplenior.net/wiki/Rules
2. ↑ Ro 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
3. ↑ 2Co 12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and [that] I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest [there be] debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like leaven. ^[1] Even here there is a controversy because theologians allow leaven to be one thing in one place and another thing in another place. Leaven cannot symbolize sin, as some would have us believe.

Consider: the Hebrews got rid of leaven before Passover ^[2], which is a well-known symbol of the cross. Did they get rid of their sin before the cross? Of course not, or the cross would not have been necessary.

They got rid of their old teaching in preparation for the new teaching. Leaven represents teaching. New cloth on a patch represents new works mixed with old. ^[3] New wine represents new life; wine represents blood and life is in the blood. ^{[4] [5]}, and you can't mix a new life in Christ with your old life. ^[6]

1. ↑ Mt 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
2. ↑ Ex 12:15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
3. ↑ Mt 9:16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
4. ↑ Ge 49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
5. ↑ Ge 9:4 But flesh with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
6. ↑ Mt 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

The word for 'kingdom' is 'mamlakah' ממלכה. See the lamed ל? The kingdom has something to do with teaching. 'The promise of the Father מ (in heaven and earth x2) teaching ל by the Son of God כ was not understood ה.'

The kingdom is his teaching. Originally he taught in mystery and parables so that people did not understand. ^[1] He could not let them believe before the cross or it would have created a dilemma:

Salvation is by faith in the cross. ^[2]

He taught them of the cross, before the cross. ^[3]

If they had believed and gotten saved, then the cross would not have been necessary.

But without it, there was nothing to believe in.

Now that the mystery has been revealed ^[4], and the work of the cross is complete ^[5], the kingdom can be found in those who have been taught. ^[6]

1. ↑ Mt 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
2. ↑ 1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
3. ↑ Mt 16:21 ¶ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
4. ↑ Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
5. ↑ Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
6. ↑ Lu 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

The kingdom of heaven is like leaven; teaching. Jesus was the 'unleavened bread' or the 'untaught teacher'. ^[1] There were twelve loaves of shewbread, or bread of his presence in the temple, representing God's people. We are told by some that the bread was leavened because there was a leavened bread presented to the Lord elsewhere. ^[2] Others say that it was unleavened because it was a meat or meal offering. God intentionally did not tell us.

If it was leavened, some would say that we must be taught to be presented to the Lord. This is a common and popular (Gnostic) view among Evangelicals who teach that you must know and believe their doctrine. If it were unleavened, some would deduce that teaching was not necessary. Both positions are wrong.

When we are presented to the Lord, there will be some who have been taught and some who have not been taught. Salvation is of the Lord ^[3], not based on our works (or learning). When we are in his presence, there will be no more teaching about him, because all will know him. ^[4]

1. ↑ Joh 7:15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
2. ↑ Le 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits [for] a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
3. ↑ Jon 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay [that] that I have vowed. Salvation [is] of the LORD.
4. ↑ Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

When Jesus said that the Kingdom of heaven was near ^[1], he was saying that it is here; his teaching was already here.

It is as near as your heart. ^[2] THe Hebrew word for heart is leb לב. It means 'Teaching ל revealed to man ב.

We are separated from God by ignorance Elohim, joined to him by revelation Israel, marriage is a symbol for doctrine, the bride is a symbol for those who are taught by Christ, and the kingdom is teaching, particularly the teaching of Christ and the cross. We have this teaching now.

1. ↑ Mt 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
2. ↑ Mt 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

There are three heavens: The heaven where birds are, the heaven where stars are, and the heaven where God is ^[1]. This is a common teaching, but it causes confusion. Since the heaven where stars are is above the heaven where birds are, we reason that the heaven where God is must be above the stars. This is false.

Gen 1:1 says that God created the heavens. The word used shamayim שמים is a dual form of 'heaven'. He created two heavens; where the birds are ^[2] and where the stars are. ^[3] But the third heaven is not where God is. "The heaven of heavens cannot contain thee...". ^[4]There is nothing bigger than God to contain God.

If the third heaven was not created; how many things are self-existent? Nothing in the heaven; where the birds are, is self-existent; they were created. Nothing where the stars are is self-existent; they were created. Only God is self-existent; the third heaven is God himself. When you are in the third heaven, you are in God. It is imprecise to say that God is everywhere. It is better to say that everywhere is in God. Nothing is bigger than God. And if everywhere is in God, then every-thing is in God. It is imprecise to say that God is in everything. ^[5]

1. ↑ 2Co 12:2 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.
2. ↑ Jer 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, [there was] no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
3. ↑ De 1:10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye [are] this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.
4. ↑ 1Ki 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
5. ↑ Ac 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

The word 'heaven' שמים reflects that we are in God. John says that there are three in heaven who testify: The Father מ, Word ם, and Spirit ש. The word shamem שמם means 'desolate'. Heaven was desolate... God was desolate, until he created, represented by the yod י. ^[1]

Saying that God is desolate sounds like it should be some kind of heresy. It's not. It simply says that God had not yet created. He was not the creator until he created. Notice where creation (the yod י) is: It is between the two mems מים.

Creation י is between the Father מ and the son ם. That is exactly where creation is. It is because the Son's love for the world, that he had to die and be separated from the Father. ^[2]

1. ↑ This does not denegrate God in any way. He was not the creator until he created. It teaches us language.
2. ↑ Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The center of Jewish life was the temple at Jerusalem. The lamed in 'Temple' heykal היכל means the temple has something to do with teaching. The particular lessons in it's construction and the sacrifices will be covered later. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Jerusalem ירושׁלם‎ is the 'teaching ירו of peace שלם. Jeru ירו means 'God's י revelation ר made clear ו' or 'Jehovah's יו heart of revelation ר'. God has a heart of revelation or 'teaching'. Jerusalem is the center of God's 'dinner theater' ^[4] or parable used to teach about himself. ^[5]

Jerusalem is not the subject of revelation, it is the prophetic riddle with the fulfillment in Jesus. If you point at the symbol as the completion, you miss the thing intended by the symbol.

1. ↑ Construction of the tabernacle
2. ↑ Construction of the temple
3. ↑ Christ in the sacrifices
4. ↑ History as 'dinner theater'
5. ↑ De 28:37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

Salem שלם means 'peace'. It's construction is 'reputation שם of teaching ל. Why would we need a teaching of peace?

His name is Elohim; 'God separated from men by ignorance'. The carnal mind; the mind of flesh, is an enemy of God because your instinctive nature usurps God's position of declaring good and evil. By instinct you choose your own way. We even celebrate it in song. ^[1] Peace with God comes by renewing your mind by teaching. ^[2]

Jerusalem is the city that God chose to carry his reputation. (1Ki 11:36) His desired reputation is that he reveals himself and teaches for peace. ^[3]

1. ↑ "I did it my way"- Frank Sinatra, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SXWX6qg0y4
2. ↑ Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3. ↑ Mt 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

This is the purpose of the temple in Jerusalem. The sacrifices were a symbols of how peace with God was made possible through the death of the Son of God. ^[1]

But the death of Christ was no more notable than the death of any animal, or of any person unjustly condemned. It is his resurrection that sets him apart. It is not the death that gives life, but his resurrected life which gives it. Planting a seed does not give fruit. It is the springing to life from the dead seed which produces.

Can you find symbols of the resurrection of Christ in the temple and sacrifice dramas?

1. ↑ Ro 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

'Temple' היכל means 'wo הי at the Son of God's כ teaching ל'. It was a woeful place as people repented and confessed their sin; but it was in Jerusalem - the teaching of peace with God.

The temple was inside of Jerusalem. The wo of the cross is surrounded by, and engulfed by the teaching of peace. Yet, we so often hear of the death of Christ, and only of his resurrection at Easter. It is not the 'wo' of the cross which saves us. It is the heart of the 'good news'. There is no good news without it. But there is more to the good news than his death.

Peace with God is the 'good news' or the 'gospel'. Jerusalem is a symbol of the Gospel. What happened at Jerusalem? A Holy God was placed in the hands of sinful men to be offered as the sacrifice for sin and produce peace with God. It was a great and terrible day; the day of the cross, the day of the Lord. And now God dwells with men ^[1]

1. ↑ Re 21:3 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.

'Jerusalem' means 'teaching of peace', so the 'New Jerusalem' is the new teaching of peace. ^[1]

When the Hebrews removed leaven from their homes, they were not symbolically removing their sin, but removing the old teaching of the law in preparation for the teaching of peace. ^[2]

During the sermon on the mount, Jesus repeatedly said "You have heard it said... but I say...". ^[3] He was ushering in the new teaching of peace. The kingdom (teaching) of heaven was "at hand". ^[4] It was there in front of them in the teaching of Jesus.

1. ↑ Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new [covenant], he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old [is] ready to vanish away.
2. ↑ Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, [and] not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
3. ↑ Mt 5:21, 27, 33, 38, 43
4. ↑ Kingdom at hand

John says, "Re 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, ..." This is not literal, but a symbol. You are the temple of God. ^[1]

Re 3:12 "...and he shall go no more out..." You can't leave the temple; you are his. ^[2]

Re 3:12"...and I will write upon him the name of my God" You will have the reputation of God. The word for 'heaven' shamayim שמים is 'the reputation שמ of creation י finished by the son ם. You are the reputation of God. You are the visible representative of the invisible God.

1. ↑ 1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
2. ↑ Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

When Moses return from the mountain with the law, and the people were worshiping a golden calf ^[1], God was going to destroy them all and start over with just Moses. ^[2] Moses interceded saying that the nations would deride God because he could not save his people. It was for God's reputation that they were spared. ^[3]

His reputation is not important because of his ego. It is important because he wishes to be known. Anything that misrepresents God is counter to that purpose. This is why lying and gossip are so serious.

We are not spared because we are good people. We are spared because God's reputation is on the line. He is Holy; he is Love. Revealing the invisible God, is the message of the cross.

1. ↑ Ex 32:4 And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
2. ↑ Ex 32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
3. ↑ Ex 32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of the reputation of God, made through his work in finishing his creation. The New Jerusalem, the new teaching of peace, was the plan from the beginning. ^[1]

The new teaching of peace came down from heaven ^[2], not physically from a high place to a low, but in his incarnation and condescension. God lowered himself so that we might be lifted up. Then he dwelt within us. His teaching is not in words only, but in the lives of his people.

He gives us a new name, a new reputation, that of God himself; we are holy, we are love. Our new name is Israel; man joined to God by revelation.

1. ↑ Re 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
2. ↑ Re 21:10 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,

There is so much confusion about what it means to be 'born again'.

Some believe that joining a church full of Born-againers makes then born again. Some think that having an emotional experience is the key. To some it is not an experience but an obedience in walking an aisle and declaring Christ as Lord. For some it is when the Holy Spirit descends upon you with signs and wonders and you come away speaking in tongues.

The notarikon of the word 'born' yalad ילד makes it's meaning clear.

Born 'Yalad' is the 'hand יד of teaching ל, where 'hand' is a symbol of works. Being born is the work of being taught. We are separated from God by ignorance, "Elohim", and our purpose is to know God.

When you are born [the little child], you are like Adam, even though Adam was with God, he did not know him. ^{[1] [2]} The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil was separated from the other trees as a symbol of God's Holiness. Adam was supposed to learn of God's holiness from it. But instead he chose to usurp God's position by making his own rules. ^[3]

Being born is the beginning of that work of teaching you of God. He began the good work in you, and he will finish it. ^[4]

1. ↑ 1Ki 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I [am but] a little child: I know not [how] to go out or come in.
2. ↑ Mt 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
3. ↑ 1Ti 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
4. ↑ Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:

Being 'born again' means that you are taught again. Like leaven in the Hebrew Passover, you have put aside the old teaching of the law, and have been taught by Christ of the new teaching of peace, or the New Jerusalem.

Jesus said you must be born of water ים, representing teaching by being the lives of the people who were created י and then finished by the son ם. He said you must also be born of the Spirit, or taught by the Spirit. Incidentally, Spirit ruwach רוח means 'revelation ר clarified ו for understanding ח. It is the Spirit who helps you understand what you have been taught. ^[1]

We are taught once by the suffering of the flesh ^[2] and a second time by the Spirit through the law. ^[3]

1. ↑ Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
2. ↑ Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
3. ↑ Ga 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

How is it that we are born again by the law if the law kills? ^[1] The same law that condemns us condemned Christ and we die together. ^[2]

We are not saved in the death of Christ. But to live again, to be born again, we must die. ^[3] The old man must be put to death ^[4] ; the old teaching put away, so that we may be taught [born] again by his Spirit.

The symbol of being born again is the same teaching of the New Jerusalem, the leaven, the new wine. We must be taught again and have our minds, our thinking changed by his teaching. ^[5]

1. ↑ 2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
2. ↑ Ga 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
3. ↑ Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
4. ↑ Ro 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
5. ↑ Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Being born again is the same as being the bride of Christ; you are taught by Christ... by his Spirit. It is the same as being Israel; 'man joined to God by revelation'. It is the same as being a member of the kingdom of heaven; having entered into his teaching.

The word 'ab' אב for father, also means 'green shoot' and 'fruit on a tree'. In it's formation it means 'after he created teh heavens and teh earth א he revealed himself to man ב. He taught! The nature of a father is to produce life. The green shoot is evidence of the Father giving us out first life. The fruit on the tree ( a symbol of the cross) indicates he has given us our second life as well. Being born again is being the fruit of the cross.

When you are taught by Christ, you have the New Jerusalem; the new teaching of peace, within you.

There is more confusion about salvation and what we are saved from. Again notarikon makes the meaning clear. 'His salvation' yasha ישע breaks into 'his flesh יע with the increase of the word ש in his heart (in the middle of the word).

His flesh; his body, is the church ^[1]; the saved. What distinguishes the saved is what is in their heart. ^[2]

The letter shin ש has one leg coming down and two returning. The right leg (vav) is God's word coming to earth. It returns on the left as two zayins ז. This is the increase of the word.

1. ↑ 1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
2. ↑ Je 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings.

The saved are those who have a love for the increase of the word. They have a love for teaching and for the taught.

The increase of the word represented by the shin ש also refers to those who have been taught by the word, or as mentioned previously, the bride or the church.

It may be said that the saved are those who love the brethren as well as the word. ^[1]

1. ↑ 1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:

When a rich man approached Jesus asking what to do to "inherit eternal life" ^[1], Jesus equated it with "enter the kingdom of God". ^[2] The men hearing him equated it with being saved. ^[3] The answer was that only God could save you.

If salvation is having a love for his teaching and his people, then only God can teach you and give you that love.

The bride does not merely learn from Christ, but loves to learn from Christ. The saved do not merely associate with church goers, but love the fellowship of his mystery. ^[4]

1. ↑ Mr 10:17 ¶ And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
2. ↑ Mr 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
3. ↑ Mr 10:26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
4. ↑ Eph 3:9 And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

What then are you saved from? You are saved from being separated from God by ignorance: Elohim אלהים. His purpose is to make himself known. He does that through revelation ר and teaching ל.

What then? Are we saved by teaching? No! The cross is the culmination of the revelation of God. If there was no cross, there could be no teaching; but it would have been the greatest tragedy if Jesus had died on the cross and no one knew it. The cross brought the revelation of holiness and the revelation of love together. It is the cross which makes the teaching effectual.

"The preaching of the cross is ... the power of God unto salvation..." ^[1]

1. ↑ 1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.