In Blog 79, I showed how the dual center of John’s signs is the axis of the YHWH’s feast timeline; the events of Shavuot and Yom Teruah merged yet distinct. The marriage of the Feast of Pentecost to the Feast of Trumpets means that the resurrection of the firstfruits and the coming of the King of kings is the turning point in human history. The King’s arrival and judgment of the nations bring comfort and peace to Israel and all peoples. In this blog, I will explore the history of King’s judgment as it relates to perfecting holiness through being known by God.

YHWH’s covenant message to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3 involved a judgment to restore all nations through one man’s lineage. YHWH spoke to Abram while he lived in Haran, saying that he must completely separate from Babylon and cross over to a land He would show him. By YHWH’s hand, without human ingenuity, He would make Abram a great nation, bless it, and make his name great. Abram left Haran in Babylon, the land of death (of Haran and Terah), and immediately came to the land where he was going (mimicking John’s fifth sign, Yeshua treading on the life-threatening waves, saying, “Behold, it is I,” and the disciples were immediately at their destination).

Now YHWH said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Gen. 12:1-3

Even though the Canaanite was in the land, Abram walked the length and width of the Land, worshiping and being known by Him¹, just as Noah had walked with God in a land corrupted by flesh before the flood (Gen. 6:9-13). After the flood, in a new beginning, God blessed Noah, made a covenant with him, and gave him a sign that He would not cut off all flesh by the waters of the flood. Likewise, when Abram entered the land, God blessed Abram, cut a covenant by passing through cut flesh (Gen. 15), gave him the covenant sign of cutting off the flesh (Gen. 17), and changed his name to Abraham (Gen. 22). God’s judgment against “the flesh” brought life to a remnant. Abraham became the father of the faithful through a son born by the will of God, whom YHWH commanded him to sacrifice but substituted a ram in Isaac’s place, foreshadowing the Lamb of God’s sacrifice, God in the flesh cut off from life in bearing away our transgressions, yet raised to new life.

Abraham’s nation was afflicted and persecuted in the land of Canaan, and when a famine threatened to cut off all flesh, Israel went down to Egypt and became enslaved. With precise timing according to His word, YHWH brought out Jacob’s generations from bondage, giving them the command to eat unleavened bread for seven days or be cut off from His nation and His presence (unleavened bread symbolized His life-giving word). Israel heard YHWH’s voice at Sinai, and He made a blood covenant with them to obey all His words. After giving six tabernacle-building instructions, God spoke a seventh time, saying, “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep as a sign between you and Me so you may know that I am YHWH who makes you holy. Anyone who profanes the Sabbath must be put to death, and whoever does any work on it will be cut off from among His people” (Exo. 31:13-14). Leviticus, the holiness code, continued the list of what cut Israel off from God, His judgments against anything associated with death.

Yet when Israel came into the land promised to Abraham, they did not keep YHWH’s words but worshiped the gods of the nations and desecrated His Sabbaths. Replaying Adam and Eve’s fall, Ezekiel describes in horrid detail why God exiled Israel to Babylon: His judgment upon His people. Israel was devastated, and the temple was destroyed. But YHWH spoke comfort to His people and gave them hope of restoration by bringing His judgment upon the nations (Eze. 25-32). They will once again dwell securely in the land and be the people YHWH called them to be, His servants and a light to the nations. In Ezekiel, midway between YHWH’s judgments on the seven nations around Israel, He balances His judgments by restoring Israel (Ezekiel 25-28:23, 4 chapters with 97 verses judging six nations—Ezekiel 28:24-26, 3 verses of restored Israel—Ezekiel 29-32, 4 chapters with 97 verses judging Egypt²). YHWH manifested His glory, His holiness, on the fulcrum of restoring Israel to holiness, a work He alone accomplishes by the Genesis creation 6 + 1 = 7 pattern shown to Ezekiel to give Israel and humanity hope. A restored Israel marries His judgments of life in the dual center of His Holydays, for YHWH is known by the judgment He executes (Psa. 9:16).

Takeaway: 
YHWH is the Master of human history, showing all nations must come to judgment, not for death, but to bring them to life and holiness so that He can dwell with them. The wilderness walk of sanctification, perfecting holiness, joins with a resurrection to glory at His coming to judge the earth, the dual center of the holyday timeline. YHWH judgments cause the putting off of the flesh to live in the spirit by being known by God. Through one man, Yeshua, Abraham’s descendant, YHWH exercises His covenant faithfulness to bring Israel and all people out of bondage to death to life in His presence. Holiness paired with YHWH’s justice is the dual-centered pivot in the human epic.

Fun Factors:
Genesis 12:1-3 contains 131 letters in 31 words, totaling 6688, 16 × 19 × 22. The number 131 is the numeric value of “verily, truth,” Hebrew אָמְנָם, om-nawm, expressing truth, no doubt, surely, indeed, often used in relation to affirming the covenant. The 31 words represent אל, El, God, the 11th prime number, the 5th centered triangular number, the 4th centered pentagonal number, and the 3rd centered decagonal number, hinting at the 543 value of “I AM who I AM.” The sum of 6688 points to building YHWH’s house (16) in a complete time cycle of the appointed times (19) through the Word of God (22); 6688 is the sum of 343 + … + 361, meaning “And God said…” (343, 7³, of Gen. 1:3) in restoring the light of righteousness, “manifesting His glory” in the signs (3430 of Jhn. 2:11), resulting in 361 (361 = 19²), the power of the completed cycle of appointed signs of His feasts.

YHWH confirming the covenant with Abram in Genesis 15 is also numerically marked with His name. The 961 letters equal 31² in 258 words, 3 × 86, or 3 × Elohim, totaling 65731, the 6401st prime number, 37 × 173, whose digit sum (6 + 5 + 7 + 3 + 1) is 22, the Word of God (22) as Creator (1) of heaven and earth (37 × 73, the sum of Gen. 1:1).

Ezekiel 25-32 has 11203 letters (17 × 659, 313 + … + 346, 313 = the menorah pattern, 346 = 15² + 11², restoration through the menorah’s light) in 2804 words (2² × 701, 52² + 10²), totaling 750445, 5 × 150089, 5(381² + 778²), 381 = 3 × 127, or 3 × the 31st prime, 778 = 2 × 389, 27² + 7², or 2(17² + 10²). The numbers concur with the Creator God’s bringing order out of chaos, separating light from darkness, blessing humanity through restoring holiness to His people, 7², the walk of being known by God.