Joel Kramer in J’lem just came out with a new short video on Atonement.  It is well worth watching.

http://sourceflix.com/the-sacrifice-preview/

In his early years, John Wesley was heavily influenced by the English philosopher, John Locke. This influence is evident in a letter he wrote to his mother. “I call faith an assent upon rational grounds; because I hold Divine testimony to be the most reasonable of all evidence whatever. Faith must necessarily, at length, be resolved into reason.”

His mother, Suzanna, responded to Wesley in what I think is one of the clearest descriptions of faith, “You are somewhat mistaken in your notions of faith. All faith is an assent, but all assent is not faith. Some truths are self-evident, and we assent to them because they are so. Others, after a regular and formal process of reason by way of deduction from some self evident principle, gain our assent. This is not properly faith but science. Some again we assent to, not because they are self-evident, or because we have attained the knowledge of them in a regular method by a train of arguments; but because they have been revealed to us, either by God or man, and these are the proper objects of faith. The true measure of faith is the authority of the revealer, the weight of which always holds proportion to our conviction of his ability and integrity.”

 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Isaiah 9:1-2 


One of the earliest and most detailed representations of the menorah is found on the Arch of Titus in Rome. Carved in relief in one of the panels on the arch is a scene from the Roman Triumph after Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.  It shows the menorah together with the table of shew bread and the silver trumpets being carried on the backs of Roman soldiers through the streets of Rome. For centuries, the menorah on the Arch of Titus was a symbol of defeat for the Jewish people but it has since been reclaimed by Israel as their state emblem. It remains the closest connection we have to the actual menorah that stood in the 2nd temple.

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Instructions for the construction of the menorah are found in the books of Leviticus and Numbers.

It was patterned after a flowering almond tree with a trunk, branches, buds and blossoms. The almond tree is the first to blossom every spring – its profuse delicate white blossoms are among the first signs of spring.

The menorah was hammered from gold – a material whose inimitable luster and sheen, its rarity and its incorruptibility made it the material of choice for the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle and for the menorah.

Its seven branches recall to mind the created order when it existed perfect and whole. As a measurement of time, the seven day week is the only cycle of time that is not determined by nature but has its origin in G-d

As the sole source of light in the Holy Place, the menorah “mediated through the eyes” what the priestly blessing said with words. (1)

May YHWH bles[s]
you and
[may he] keep you.
[May] YHWH make
[his face] shine …

(source Wikapedia ‘Ketef Hinnom’ This text was recently discovered etched into sliver leaf and rolled up into a tiny scroll – It dates to 600 BC – the oldest extant text of the Bible)

The menorah was a symbol of light and life and finds its ultimate meaning in Jesus.  The apostle John said of Jesus, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (John 1:4)

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This menorah is a fully functioning oil lamp that stands 24 inches tall and weighs 54 lbs.  It is cast from bronze at a premier art foundry in Israel.  Each of the bronze lamps has a removable bronze cover that holds a wick in place. 

Symbols from Jewish coins are incorporated into each of the panels of the base. Many of the symbols come from the 1st Revolt or Bar Kochba Revolt coins. Items that were used in the temple service are incorporated into the lower tier of the base while agricultural symbols were incorporated into the upper tier.

	The omer cup was used in the grain offerings in the temple. It is found on the Great Revolt coins together with the words “Shekel of Israel”. (First Revolt Shekel, Year 1) Then the priest shall take from the grain offering a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar. It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. Leviticus 2:9
	Silver trumpets were used to signal ‘break camp’ and ‘call to assembly’ and later were blown in the temple during the sacrifices. (Bar Kochaba, silver zuz, 133/134 CE) Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps. Numbers 10:2
	This juglet was used in temple service. It likely contained the oil used to refill the menorah. (Bar Kochba, Eleazar the Priest, silver zuz, 132/133 CE) “Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. Leviticus 24:2
	Bronze tripods were used in the temple service. This one is shown flanked by two palm branches. (Herod, prutah) Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 1 Kings 7:30
	The three string lyre used in temple. (Bar Kochba, middle bronze, 132/133 BC) Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. Psalm 57:8
	Basket with the Lulav (young palm frond, myrtle and willow) and Etrog (a type of citrus used in the celebration of Succot) ‘For the Redemption of Zion’ is inscribed on the face. (First Revolt, 1/8 Shekel?, Year 4) “On the first day, you must take for yourself a fruit of the citron tree, an unopened palm frond, myrtle branches, and [that grow near] the brook. You shall rejoice before God for seven days.” Lev 23:40
	The palm branch was a common motif on coins minted by the Herodian dynasty as well as on the Great Revolt and Bar Kochba revolt coins. The palm branch was part of the Succot celebration. (Herod Antipas) And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Lev. 23:40
	The pomegranate features prominently on Great Revolt coins along with the words “Holy Jerusalem”. Pomegranates were woven into the hem of the robe of the High Priest and incorporated into the capitals of the two pillars of the temple. (First Revolt, Half Shekel) And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around… Ex. 28:33
	Both Josephus and Tacitus mention a giant golden vine with grapes the size of a man attached to a huge trellis beside the temple. (First Revolt prutah, Year 3) He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. Genesis 49:11
	Cluster of Grapes. One of the Seven Species mentioned in Deut. 8:8. (Eleazar the Priest, Sliver Zuz, 132/133 CE) When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, {23 Eshcol means cluster; also in verse 24.} they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. Numbers 13:23
	Barley is one of the Seven Species mentioned in Deut. 8:8. (Herod Agrippa, bronze prutah) For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land– a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing… Deut. 8:7-9
	A Lily or Rose of Sharon. (Alexander Jannaeus, prutah, circa 78 BCE) I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Song of Solomon 2:1 Images are from Handbook of Biblical Numismatics

The rites and ceremonies of the Egyptians provides an interesting contrast with the Torah.  Some of the ceremonies are similar but only in a shallow way.  The spirit of the laws and ceremonies are poles apart.  Here are few quotes from Pierre Montet’s book ‘Eternal Egypt’:

The daily rites were performed by priest who had been specially trained for this function; these were the uab, or pure ones.  Theirs was a physical rather than a spiritual purity.  They were circumcised, shaved the hair from their heads and bodies, washed frequently, were dressed in linen robes and, if they had intercourse with a woman had to wash before entering the sanctuary.  They were not obliged to be celibate, or lead a life of austerity.  An inscription on a stele runs as follows: ‘O priest of Ptah, do not refrain from eating and drinking, from getting drunk or making love, from spending days in joyous celebrations, or following the dictates of your heart day and night.  After all, what are the years we spend on earth, however numerous?”

 Thy [priest of Egypt] did not preach any particular moral code, and ancient Egypt offers no example of a priest reproaching a Pharaoh with having committed an injustice, in the way the High Priest rebuked David….

Montet describes another scene from the temple:

Every morning the priest entered the holy of holies and made sure that the door was bolted.  he would then open the door, and see the god who was supposed to have slept.  he would wake him up, present him with his various garments, head-dresses and insignia, and proceed to dress him.  After the god had been dress, he ate his first meal; he would have two or three more during the day, like human beings.

This is quite a contrast to Yom Kippur!

Martyn Lloyd Jones writes in 1980, one year before his death.

To me 1967, the year that the Jews occupied all of Jerusalem, was very crucial.  Luke 21:43 is one of the most significant prophetic verses: ‘Jerusalem,’ it reads, ‘shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.’  It seems to me that that took place in 1967 – something crucially important that had not occured in 2000 years.  Luke 21:43 is one fixed point.  But I am equally impressed by Romans 11 which speaks of a great spiritual return among the Jews before the end time.  While this seems to be developing, even something even more spectacular may be indicated.  We sometimes tend to foreshorten events, yet I have a feeling that we are in the period of the end…. I think we are witnessing the breakdown of politics.  I think even the world is seeing that.  (Future Israel, Barry E. Horner)

Martyn Lloyd Jones was probably one of the most influential preachers of his day yet he had enough humility change his position on a significant topic.  D.A. Carson also writes about an interview with Martyn Lloyd Jones shortly before his death.  I think it speaks to the wisdom of this man.

“A few weeks before he died, someone asked him how, after decades of fruitful ministry and extraordinary activity, he was coping now he was suffering such serious weakness it took much energy to move from his bed to his armchair and back. He replied in the words of Luke 10:20: “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names ware written in heaven.” In other words, do not tie your joy, your sense of well-being, to power in ministry. Your ministry can be taken from you. Tie your joy to the fact you are known and loved by God; tie it to your salvation: tie it to the sublime truth that your name is written in heaven. That can never be taken from you. Lloyd-Jones added: “I am perfectly content.”

(A Call to Spiritual Reformation, D.A Carson)

A heartfelt thank you to the soldiers who risk their lives for our freedom.

The menorah, cast and assembled, almost ready for the patina. It was cast in 17 parts and soldered together!

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:13-14

I am high in the sky, and still I do not see the face of god. Gherman Stepanovich Titov – Russian Cosmonaut

I don’t see any god up here. Yuri Gagarin – Russian Cosmonaut

On December 21, 1968 America launched three of its best men 1/4 of a million miles into space. Their mission was to orbit the moon – for the first time.  Their ride was a Saturn V rocket! I remember seeing one as a kid at Cape Canaveral.  The Saturn V is made of 5.6 million parts screwed, bolted, welded, riveted and soldered together in the shape of a giant Sharpie.  It took 7.5 million pounds of thrust produced by an engine that burned 17,000 tons of fuel a second for this flying skyscraper to escape earths gravitational field and send the space module on its way to the moon. To harness all this power the rocket was equipped with a computer with less processing power than a modern day calculator!

There was a lot that could go wrong on a launch like this. The astronauts privately figured they had a 1 in 3 chance of not surviving and a 2 in 3 chance of not making it to the moon.  At any rate, the insurance companies would not insure them!  (haha, no pun intended) They had good reason not too. The last Saturn V rocket nearly vibrated to pieces on take off and entered orbit in the wrong direction! And of course the tragedy of Apollo 1 was a tragic reminder of the risks involved when that much fire and fuel are together in one place.

Despite the risks, the launch went perfectly.   After three days the capsule entered the moons orbit exactly as planned.  Now, the primary task of the astronauts was to photograph the surface the moon and look for potential landing sites. Public relations were also an important part of mission (after all, they flew to the moon on tax dollars!) and so a broadcast back to earth was scheduled for Christmas Eve. The broadcast would be the most widely listened to broadcast in broadcast history. What were the astronauts supposed to say on this momentous occasion? “Do something appropriate,” was all the instruction they were given from NASA. Astronauts were notoriously poor at describing what they saw.  Some of their briefings were considered a ‘rhetoric disaster’… so it is somewhat surprising that NASA didn’t take a more active role in the broadcast.

The space module lost contact with earth as it disappeared behind the moon. It was a tense period. As one astronaut noted, “once in space hardly an hour would pass without a fresh opportunity for disaster.”  Floating quietly through space on the far side of the moon without a glimpse of the earth was a lonely experience.  For the first time man felt homesick, nor for a street address, but for a planet!  Imagine then, what it was like when Borman caught a glimpse of the earth through one of the small windows in the capsule as they round the backside of the moon!

Borman: Oh my G-d! Look at that picture over there! Here’s the earth coming up. Wow, that is pretty!
Anders: Hey, don’t take that, it’s not scheduled.
Borman: (Laughter). You got a colour film, Jim?
Anders: Hand me that roll of colour quick, will you-
Lovell: Oh man, that’s great!
Anders: Hurry. Quick…
Lovell: Take several of them! Here, give it to me…
Borman: Calm down Lovell.

The photograph taken by Anders became known as ‘earthrise’. Curiously enough, the photograph was not scheduled and seemed to have taken everyone by surprise. The focus of the planners had been on the moon.  That was, after all, what the entire program was about – to get man to the moon. Yet, for those watching the broadcast on Christmas Eve, it was the planet earth that was the focus of attention.  After a general description of their conditions on the module, Frank Borman addressed the citizens of earth,

For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you,

The three astronauts then took turns reading from the first chapter of the book of Genesis.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day…

Since Copernicus published, On the Revolution of the Spheres, the earth has been demoted from  the center of the universe to just another planet.  The theory of Copernicus was further adopted by scientific materialists to argue that the earth was not placed in a privileged place in the universe by God but happened there by chance (this is the Copernican Principal as opposed to the Theory).  This philosophy allowed the possibility of life elsewhere in our galaxy. In the famous Drake equation, Frank Drake hypothesized that there were likely 10 million communicating civilizations in our galaxy alone. “I feel certain that we can find them now.” wrote Drake. By 1966 Drake’s views where regarded as orthodoxy. Prestigious physicists such as Carl Sagan became vocal advocates of the SETI program that scanned the skies for signs of intelligence. With this in mind, it is somewhat ironic that when man finally arrived in space and was able to look back at earth from 250,000 miles away, an achievement heralded by asto-futurist and scientific humanists as the next great step in human evolution, it actually had the opposite effect. People on earth were not looking out at the stars or at the moon – they were captivated by that lovely shimmering ‘blue jewel’ – bright, full of life, filled with the hopes and dreams of people yet no bigger than a persons thumb when held up against the dark vacuous ocean of space. From this perspective, the earth actually did seem like a very special place. Maybe life is a miracle after all?  For many who listened to William Anders, Jim Lovell and Frank Borman as they read from Genesis, the ancient truths revealed in that text stripped away all pretense to knowledge and power.  Having reached the heights of technological achievement, they chose to reflect on the beauty and the wisdom and the power of God.  This was America’s finest moment.

“As is stood in sunshine on this barren world somewhere in the universe looking up at the cobalt earth immersed in infinite blackness, I knew science had met its match. What I saw was almost too beautiful to have happened by accident.” Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan, Earthrise, Robert Poole

Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. Jer. 6:16a

Do not be like Israel who said,

“We will not walk in them.”  Jer. 6:16b

The author of Hebrews seems to have Jer. 6:16 in mind when he warns,

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,  where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.  That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’  So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.‘”  Heb. 3:7-11