Joshua 3:14-17 (14) And it came to pass, when the people removed
from
their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of
the covenant before the people; (15) And as they that bare the
ark
were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark
were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his
banks all the time of harvest,) (16) That the waters which came
down
from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam,
that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the
plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people
passed over right against Jericho. (17) And the priests that bare
the
ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst
of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all
the people were passed clean over Jordan.
Joshua 4:1-10 (1) And it came to pass, when all the people
were clean
passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, (2)
Take
you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, (3)
And
command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out
of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye
shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place,
where ye shall lodge this night. (4) Then Joshua called the
twelve
men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe
a man: (5) And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of
the
LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you
a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of
the children of Israel: (6) That this may be a sign among you,
that
when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean
ye by these stones? (7) Then ye shall answer them, That the
waters of
Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it
passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones
shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. (8)
And
the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve
stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua,
according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and
carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid
them down there. (9) And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst
of
Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark
of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. (10) For
the
priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every
thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the
people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people
hasted and passed over.
The Tetragrammaton is the Hebrew letters from which YAHWEH, or JEHOVAH,
is spoken.
יהוה
- God told Moses, "I am that I am."
- That was the closest Israel got to knowing the Name of God.
- No one knows how to pronounce it since the first century.
- In English it is YHWH.
- יהוה
The KJV translated this as "LORD" in the Old Testament.
- It is the highest name of God in the Old Testament.
- These letters are pronounced: YOOD HAY WAH HAY (from right
to left).
- Each Hebrew letter represents an idea or words as well like an
IDEOGRAM (like Symbols on washroom doors) – Hebrew letters have
IDEOGRAPHIC meanings..
YOOD = HAND
HAY = WINDOW – BEHOLD OR LOOK
WAH = NAIL
When you speak these meanings in the order of the letters of YHWH, you
get...
Y
H
W H
HAND
BEHOLD NAIL
BEHOLD
Turn it around to make sense in English and you read:
- BEHOLD THE HAND, BEHOLD THE NAIL.
Jesus means: "Yahweh" (YHWH) is our salvation
“BEHOLD THE HAND BEHOLD THE NAIL is our salvation!”
IT IS ALL ABOUT THE CROSS!
Similarly, all Old Testament stories focus on the cross if you have
eyes to see.
The Jordan River was cut off by the Ark of the Covenant.
Josh 3:(16) That the waters which came down from above stood
and rose
up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan:
and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt
sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against
Jericho.
They came down and were piled up all the way back to the city of ADAM!
- And Adam was near ZARETAN.
- ZARETAN actually comes from a Hebrew word meaning "TO PIERCE OR
TO PUNCTURE."
- Praise God, the PIERCING OF JESUS CHRIST ON THE CROSS is here
represented!
- When CHRIST DIED for us on the cross, having his hands and feet
PIERCED, THE STREAM OF MANKIND who were sinners, and a veritable
generation of vipers/serpents, WAS CUT OFF!
- It is wonderful to see that JESUS is highlighted in all these Old
Testament stories if people have eyes to see.
When Israel crossed Jordan, the exact place where the Ark of the
Covenant was upheld and the Jordan River was miraculously opened for
Israel to cross was where Joshua told the people to remove 12 stones.
- They crossed the Jordan, had one man from each tribe return back
and take a stone from where the feet of the priests were still standing
with the ark.
- Then Joshua replaced the 12 stones himself at the same location
where the feet of the priests stood.
- The stones taken from the river were to be erected in the
location of their first camp in the promise land – Gilgal.
- This was also the location where the young people who were never
circumcised since their births 38 years before were finally circumcised.
TWO SETS OF STONES for memorial.
Israel had finally entered the KINGDOM LAND.
It took 38 years to enter, when it should have only taken a few months,
because the elders doubted God.
- They did not believe God could have them conquer the giants in
the land.
- So God said they would wander until they died, and their children
whom they said would be prey to the giants would enter instead.
- THE CHILDREN REPLACED THE ELDERS.
John 1:26-30 (26) John answered them, saying, I baptize with
water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; (27)
He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's
latchet I am not worthy to unloose. (28) These things were
done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(29) The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
(30) This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is
preferred before me: for he was before me.
John the Baptist was baptizing at a place named BETHABARA.
- It literally means HOUSE OF THE FORD.
- To FORD is to cross a body of water, so the HOUSE OF THE FORD is
the HOUSE OF PASSAGE.
- It is a passage through a body of water.
- Since this was a passage through Jordan, many people would go
there to cross, which served as a good place for John to minister.
Many scholars believe the region BETHABARA was the precise location
where Joshua led Israel through the Jordan when the Ark of the covenant
opened up the river.
- And it is interesting what John the Baptist said while he was
baptizing.
Mat 3:7-12 (7) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and
Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of
vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (8)
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: (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. (10) And now also the axe is laid unto the root of
the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire. (11) I indeed baptize you with
water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost, and with fire: (12) Whose fan is in his hand, and he will
throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he
will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
John pointed to some rocks while baptizing at Jordan, at BETHABARA, and
told the Pharisees that God would raise up those stones as Children of
Abraham INSTEAD OF THE PHARISEES and SADDUCEES.
- Stones like those standing in the river there were removed when
the younger generation crossed Jordan.
- When younger people REPLACED the elders.
Like the unbelieving elders of Israel who doubted they could take the
KINGDOM LAND and were REPLACED by the younger generation, these
religious leaders of Israel WOULD BE REPLACED by a people receiving the
KINGDOM INSTEAD OF THEM.
Jesus spoke to the same sort of unbelieving religious people…
Mat 21:43 (43) Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall
be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof.
The elders were supposed to receive the Kingdom, but their unbelief
robbed them of it, and others replaced them.
- All of Israel’s spiritual elite were supposed to guide
Israel into KINGDOM living, but instead they crucified the Lord, and
the KINGDOM went to another people – US!
It is interesting that the ARK OF THE COVENANT represents JESUS CHRIST
and HIS KINGDOM.
- The ARK is a KINGDOM SYMBOL.
- It has God’s throne on it called the mercyseat with
cherubims over it like Isaiah saw over the throne of God in Isaiah 6.
- It was called the GLORY OF GOD when the Philistines took it and
Eli’s grandson was born named ICHABOD, for the GLORY HAS DEPARTED.
- Jesus is the word made flesh and caused man to SEE HIS GLORY.
And the thought of the Ark of the Covenant sprinkled with ATONEMENT
BLOOD, to which the faces of the golden cherubim on it were fashioned
to look, speaks of the ATONEMENT SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST on the cross.
- And it is like a MODEL OF THE KINGDOM THRONE OF GOD.
When Israel crossed the Jordan with the ARK it was because the elders
had finally died and the younger replaced them, and the younger would
enter the KINGDOM LAND.
- When the elders died, MOSES WAS REMOVED AT THE SAME TIME.
- God took Moses and Joshua carried Israel onward into the Promised
Land.
- That crucifixion of Jesus Christ marked the LOSS OF THE KINGDOM
for Israel’s religious unbelievers comprised of Pharisees and
Sadducees and all the Jews who followed their unbelieving paths.
- JOSHUA/JESUS would take the NEW GENERATION into the Promised Land
of the KINGDOM OF GOD!
Moses speaks of LAW.
- Those in LAW cannot enter the KINGDOM.
- JESUS takes us into the KINGDOM with HIS NEW COVENANT IN HIS
BLOOD.
- MOSES cannot take us in BY LAW.
Even John the Baptist, at the Jordan River, showed a FORESHADOW of this
KINGDOM ENTRANCE by preaching…
Mat 3:1-2 (1) In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in
the wilderness of Judaea, (2) And saying, Repent ye: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 4:12 (12) Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into
prison, he departed into Galilee;
Mat 4:17 (17) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say,
Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Even Jesus began preaching KINGDOM.
Just like the KINGDOM LAND was AT HAND for the younger to enter and
rule, while the elders were ready to be totally removed, John and Jesus
preached the KINGDOM IS AT HAND.
- THE KINGDOM REALM OF THE HOLY GHOST CHURCH!
- TRANSITION WAS OCCURRING.