February 28, 2021 summary: Yeshua made allusions to the Temple in Mark 13 concerning His departure and His return. The idea is to be prepared for His coming at all times.
Shalom, shalom; peace, peace in the name of Yeshua. This Crystal Sharpe and welcome to the Ancient Scrolls program.
I do have a website called ancientscrollsonline.com. I do post prophetic dreams, visions, words (sometimes we do not always understand them ourselves and some are coming to pass). The audios and transcripts are also posted; ancientscrollsonline.com.
I have a couple of announcements.
The LORD’s feast of Pesach or Passover begins March 27th and ends April 4th. This fall Sh’mita begins on Yom Teruah on September 7. Sh’mita which means “release” occurs every seven years, and it is a Sabbatical year.
Sh’mita waives all outstanding debt (except the foreigner that lives in Israel), the land is given a break from farming, the trees are not pruned, nothing is gathered. All the crops are to be eaten by everyone, domestic and wild animals that are in Israel.
This will definitely be my last program. I may come back this fall, if there is an opening. I will post an audio from time to time on my website along with any words the Lord may give me.
Shema Deuteronomy 6
Shema, O Israel, the LORD God, the LORD is One.
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Psalm 24
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein.
Numbers 10:35, Psalm 68:1
Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered; and let those who hate You flee before you.
Father YHVH,
You are the King of the universe, king over heaven and earth. The kingdoms of the earth belong to You and Your Son, Yeshua. Permit Your righteousness and justice to permeate the earth for Your name’s sake. There is none like You in all the earth. You alone are just. You alone are God.
I pray the word will find its way today on good soil, on hearts that are willing to receive the word, and that it will take root and prosper.
We thank You for Your Word. In Yeshua’s name. Amen.
The message I have today is this, the Lord Yeshua is returning soon. Some of you may say that I emphasize this perhaps too much, but I am required to do what He tells me to do, and I do it willingly knowing I answer to no one but Him. I am certain He is going to keep His word and return as He had spoken, and some of the parables in the gospels explain a lord or master leaving on a long journey but then returning to settle accounts. If some of you read the Word you will find that to be a theme in some of His parable.
This will happen at the end of the age; He is going to return and settle some accounts.
Mark 13:33-37
It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the cock crowing or in the morning—36. lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping, 37. and what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!
This has many allusions to the Temple itself in Jerusalem. Yeshua teaching this parable is using Temple imagery to speak of Himself. I will point them out, verse 33. It is like a man going to a far country (He is going to return to sit at His Father’s right hand in His heavenly kingdom), who left his house (the Temple was called His Father’s house, He and His Son are One. The Word tells us that Yeshua would take care of His Father’s house by cleaning out the money changers) and gave authority to his servants (the servants would be the Levitical priests and the high priest, from the tribe of Aaron, his deputy (“segan”), and his two attendants [“ḳatoliḳin” = “catholicus”]), and to each his work (There were many functions in the Temple cult. This would be those who made the incense, baked the showbread, offered the sacrifices, those who took care of the wicks for the Menorah, the musical instruments, the monies, the vessels, the seals, the wood chamber, the oil chamber, the wine chamber. I think you may have a visual of the many activities that took place at the Jerusalem Temple/Beit haMikdash), and commanded the doorkeeper to watch (the family or the house of Ben Geber were responsible for the gates, opening and closing them). Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house (who is master of the Temple) is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the cock crowing (the cock crowing references the Temple Criers), or in the morning—lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping (Revelation 16:15, Behold, I Am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. This is in reference to or connected to the officer of the Temple. This information is from the Mishnah, Middot 1.2. The officer of the Temple Mount used to go to every watch with lighted torches before him, and if any watch did not stand up and say to him, O officer of the Temple Mount, peace be to thee! And it was manifest/evident that he was asleep, he would beat him with his staff, and he had the right to burn his raiment. And those in the vicinity of hearing the wails of the sleeping watch would say: “What is the noise in the Temple Court?” The rely would be: “The noise of some Levite that is being beaten and having his garments burnt because he went to sleep during his watch.”
Yeshua gave the imagery of the Temple, if a man fell asleep and the officer burned his garments, the man would run burned and naked through the streets in order to get home, and everyone who would be awake would see his nakedness. The descendants responsible for the wicks, which was the Menorah lamp, were from the house of Ben Bebai, who were also responsible for the scourging and burning of the priests who fell asleep at their posts on their watch. Mishnah, Shekalim 5.1). Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the cock crowing or in the morning—36. lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping, and what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!
1 Chronicles 9:27 – Meaning and Commentary on Bible Verse (biblestudytools.com)
TEMPLE, ADMINISTRATION AND SERVICE OF – JewishEncyclopedia.com
Mishnah Middot 1 (sefaria.org)
Yeshua is saying we also need to watch, that is be vigilant like those in the Temple or else our garments will be burned because we slept while on duty instead of watching for Him. I am watching for Him, because He has told us He is coming back from His long journey. If we hear and obey this instruction to watch, He will not come upon us as a thief, but upon us who are watching and waiting for His return.
What were the watches? Yeshua also had given us four watches performed in the night: in the evening, midnight, the cock crowing and in the morning. He began in the evening which was from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Then He said midnight, from 9 p.m. to midnight.
The cock crowing was the third watch, midnight to 3 a.m.
The fourth watch was 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.
The days in Genesis began in the evening. Remember, evening and morning was considered a day. Yeshua is following this pattern of Genesis.
Now, there is something more to say in the Mishnah concerning the High Priest, and that is no one knew when he would come to the Temple. Yeshua said: Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming.
In the Tractate Tamid, chapter one, Mishnah Two we learn that the Superintendent of the Temple (the High Priest) could return to the Temple at any time each day to resume his duties of appointing each priest to his work. So, the priests on duty were expected to be ready at any time during the night for the High Priest to return to the Temple. About this we read:
At what time would the superintendent arrive? There was no fixed hour: [the exact time was unknown] sometimes he would come at cock-crow, sometimes a little before, sometimes a little after.”
According to the Mishnah the Levites kept watch in 21 places in the Temple, but the (Cohen, Aaron) priests kept watch in three places: in the Avtinas Room, in the Flame Room and in the Hearth Room. The Avtinas Chamber and the Flame Chamber were in the upper story and the youngest priests were on watch there.
Let’s begin with the Hearth room.
The Hearth Room served as a dormitory. It had a vaulted ceiling and a stone pavement that jutted out from the wall like steps and the elder priests of the day or family rotation to serve in the Temple would sleep on these. Other sources maintain that the sleeping quarters were built into the wall, like cubicles or pods. The elder priests would climb the steps to their respective cubicles, and the younger ones slept on the floor. Each priest (young and elder) slept with his own mattress-bed on the ground. They did not sleep in their sacred vestments but would strip them off, fold them up and place them under their heads as pillows. They would cover themselves with their common garments.
In the middle of the floor was a tile one cubit by one cubit. It could be raised by lifting a hoop set into it. Underneath was a chain, to which were attached the keys to the gates. One of the priestly officials would take the keys after the Temple doors were locked at night, place them on the chain, replace the tile and sleep atop of it.
Rico Cortes, I was listening to one of his teachings on this chain beneath the tile, and he made an observation from Revelation 20
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be loosed for a little while.
Beneath the Hearth Chamber was a mikvah, a small pool of water, a place used by the Cohen who were not ritually pure. If they became ritually impure by nocturnal emissions (I hope some of you understand what a nocturnal emission is), they would immerse themselves in the mikvah and warm themselves by the fire. They would return to their place of sleep and in the morning when the house of Ben Bebai would open the gates, that priest would leave to return home.
The Chamber of the Flame
It was a kind of portico over which an upper chamber was built, so that the (Cohen) priests might keep watch above and the Levites below. So called the Chamber of Flame because in the chamber above it a flame was continually kept burning whereby to rekindle the fire in the Chamber of the Hearth where it was the custom of the priests to resort to restore their warmth after performing their services bare-footed.
The Chamber of Avtinas
The Avtinas family was appointed by the Sanhedrin to provide the incense for the incense altar inside the Holy place of the Temple. They were exclusively responsible for its production which was done in the chamber named after them. This chamber was located over the water gate.
What we have here are three Cohen watches, the Hearth Chamber, the Flame Chamber and the Avtinas Chamber. Hearth took care of the keys and the place of ritual immersion from accidental pollution (purification), this watch also held the place for purification; the Flame Chamber had a flame continually burning for the Hearth Chamber, which was the place of rest, keys and purification; and in the Avtinas Chamber the production of incense which represent our prayers.
This is symbolic of ourselves staying in prayer, producing our own incense, stay in purity away from polluting factors, and also to watch over our keys to our gates what we allow access into our lives, and while doing this to rest. The continue flame which is the Word and Holy Spirit should be the guiding force, the discernment in the Hearth Chamber.
Yeshua is using the imagery of the Temple and its watches and its chambers to relate to His return. The disciples understand it. He is also speaking of them being priests and kings in His kingdom.
In Revelation 1:5-6
And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins (impurities, pollution) in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen
Revelation 5:10
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.
Luke 12:37-40
Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
Verse 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
I am at the end of the program. Remember to walk by faith and not by sight. Ask God to cleanse you of all unrighteousness every day. Hunger and thirst after righteousness, so that you will be enriched in all His wisdom. Do not agree with evil for it will be destroyed. Keep your spiritual garments clean from spot, wrinkle and blemish. Forgive others of their trespasses against you.
Rico Cortes will sing the Aaronic priestly blessing.
Flame: Mishnah Tamid 11, Middoth 15
Hearth: Mishnah Tamid 11,3, 3 3, Middot 11, 5, 6, 7, 8
