The Homemommy
08-04-2010, 11:27 AM
I don't know if this has been posted before, but I thought this was really cool. :)
Four miracles took place in King Herod's Temple for 40 years before its destruction in 70 AD. A passage in the Jerusalem Talmud states:
"Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open" (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157). [the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE]
The Miracle of the Western Lamp
The Western Lamp is one of the seven lamps of the Menorah in the Holy Place. (Opinions differ as to which branch it sits on.) It is legendary because it never went out. The other six lamps were lit from it daily. This phenomenon went on for years since the First Temple. However, after the death of Simeon the Just, the high priest (third century BC), the Western Lamp did not burn continuously. Whenever it was extinguished, it would be re-lit with the fire taken from the Eternal Flame -- one of the three fires burning on the altar of the burnt offering outside of the Holy Place.
For 40 years from 30 AD to 70 AD, the Western Lamp went out every day! This is miraculous, given its past track record and 'perpetual fire' fame. It signifies a fundamental change since Temple worship began from King Solomon's time. It was as if the divine presence of God had left the Temple for 40 years before its eventual destruction in 70 AD.
The Miracle of the Temple Doors
The second miracle was so spooky it frightened the priests and people. The Temple doors would open by themselves every morning after they were shut the night before for 40 years! According to the Jerusalem Talmud:
"Said Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai to the Temple, 'O Temple, why do you frighten us? We know that you will end up destroyed. For it has been said, 'Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars' " (Zechariah 11:1)' (Sota 6:3).
God certainly had the attention of the priests and people. But what could it possibly mean?
The Miracle of the "Lot"
The last two miracles took place every year for 40 years on the Day of Atonement -- the holiest day on the Hebrew calendar; the only day in a year when the high priest is allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies to atone for the sins of the people. The third miracle involves the drawing of lots, to determine which of two goats would be "for the Lord" and which goat would be the "Azazel" or "scapegoat." (Lev 16:8) The high priest would thrust both his hands into the urn that contained the two lots (black and white stones), take out both lots simultaneously, one in each hand, and place them on the heads of the two goats.
It was considered a good omen if the lot "for the Lord" fell on the goat to the right. This goat would be slain and the scapegoat, on the left, would be sent away into the wilderness. Probability governs that the white stone would be picked as frequently as the black stone on average.
However, for 40 years in a row the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand! The odds of this happening is 1 in 1,099,511,628,000 or about 1.1 trillion to one! Interestingly, a similar miracle happened in which the lot for the Lord always came up in the right hand during the 40 years (coincidence!?) that Simeon the Just was the high priest!
One must be extremely dull in one's spiritual senses to miss the connection. Surely God was showing His displeasure towards the priests and people by giving them the miraculous sign of the "Lot".
The Miracle of the Scarlet Cloth
After the lots had been chosen, the high priest would tie a piece of scarlet cloth to the horn of the scapegoat and another round the throat of the goat for the Lord. During the priestly office of Simeon the Just, the scarlet cloth tied to the scapegoat would turn white miraculously after the sacrifice was fully accepted!
The 'scarlet cloth' miracle that happened between 30 AD and 70 AD was the exact opposite -- "the crimson thread remained crimson" (The Yerushalmi, p.156-157). The scarlet cloth did not turn white for 40 years!
It is also interesting to note that when Simeon officiated on the Day of Atonement for the 40th time, knowledge of his death came to him supernaturally. The personal scarlet thread he brought into the Holy of Holies failed to turn white unlike the previous 39 occasions! Seven days later Simeon went to be with the Lord.
Isaiah 1:8 teaches us the meaning of this miracle, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
It appears God is shouting a message loud and clear through the life of Simeon, whose name means "hearing" in Hebrew. What message could that be? Whatever the message, it must be important enough to warrant God working 4 miracles for 40 years in a row.
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
http://www.fivedoves.com/light/4miracles.htm
Four miracles took place in King Herod's Temple for 40 years before its destruction in 70 AD. A passage in the Jerusalem Talmud states:
"Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open" (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157). [the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE]
The Miracle of the Western Lamp
The Western Lamp is one of the seven lamps of the Menorah in the Holy Place. (Opinions differ as to which branch it sits on.) It is legendary because it never went out. The other six lamps were lit from it daily. This phenomenon went on for years since the First Temple. However, after the death of Simeon the Just, the high priest (third century BC), the Western Lamp did not burn continuously. Whenever it was extinguished, it would be re-lit with the fire taken from the Eternal Flame -- one of the three fires burning on the altar of the burnt offering outside of the Holy Place.
For 40 years from 30 AD to 70 AD, the Western Lamp went out every day! This is miraculous, given its past track record and 'perpetual fire' fame. It signifies a fundamental change since Temple worship began from King Solomon's time. It was as if the divine presence of God had left the Temple for 40 years before its eventual destruction in 70 AD.
The Miracle of the Temple Doors
The second miracle was so spooky it frightened the priests and people. The Temple doors would open by themselves every morning after they were shut the night before for 40 years! According to the Jerusalem Talmud:
"Said Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai to the Temple, 'O Temple, why do you frighten us? We know that you will end up destroyed. For it has been said, 'Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars' " (Zechariah 11:1)' (Sota 6:3).
God certainly had the attention of the priests and people. But what could it possibly mean?
The Miracle of the "Lot"
The last two miracles took place every year for 40 years on the Day of Atonement -- the holiest day on the Hebrew calendar; the only day in a year when the high priest is allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies to atone for the sins of the people. The third miracle involves the drawing of lots, to determine which of two goats would be "for the Lord" and which goat would be the "Azazel" or "scapegoat." (Lev 16:8) The high priest would thrust both his hands into the urn that contained the two lots (black and white stones), take out both lots simultaneously, one in each hand, and place them on the heads of the two goats.
It was considered a good omen if the lot "for the Lord" fell on the goat to the right. This goat would be slain and the scapegoat, on the left, would be sent away into the wilderness. Probability governs that the white stone would be picked as frequently as the black stone on average.
However, for 40 years in a row the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand! The odds of this happening is 1 in 1,099,511,628,000 or about 1.1 trillion to one! Interestingly, a similar miracle happened in which the lot for the Lord always came up in the right hand during the 40 years (coincidence!?) that Simeon the Just was the high priest!
One must be extremely dull in one's spiritual senses to miss the connection. Surely God was showing His displeasure towards the priests and people by giving them the miraculous sign of the "Lot".
The Miracle of the Scarlet Cloth
After the lots had been chosen, the high priest would tie a piece of scarlet cloth to the horn of the scapegoat and another round the throat of the goat for the Lord. During the priestly office of Simeon the Just, the scarlet cloth tied to the scapegoat would turn white miraculously after the sacrifice was fully accepted!
The 'scarlet cloth' miracle that happened between 30 AD and 70 AD was the exact opposite -- "the crimson thread remained crimson" (The Yerushalmi, p.156-157). The scarlet cloth did not turn white for 40 years!
It is also interesting to note that when Simeon officiated on the Day of Atonement for the 40th time, knowledge of his death came to him supernaturally. The personal scarlet thread he brought into the Holy of Holies failed to turn white unlike the previous 39 occasions! Seven days later Simeon went to be with the Lord.
Isaiah 1:8 teaches us the meaning of this miracle, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
It appears God is shouting a message loud and clear through the life of Simeon, whose name means "hearing" in Hebrew. What message could that be? Whatever the message, it must be important enough to warrant God working 4 miracles for 40 years in a row.
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
http://www.fivedoves.com/light/4miracles.htm