October 2021 Personal Letter

FROM SARAH, OUR SABRA
ON THE GROUND IN ISRAEL

Greetings, Dear Friend, from the Holy Land,

Last month we began exploring Biblical and cultural themes suggesting that the Garden of Eden was located where the city of Jerusalem has stood since time immemorial. During this series of Personal Letters, I’m sharing what I call “keys” — important revelations not only about Eden but also about Jerusalem, Heaven, and God’s plan for mankind.

In the first part of the series, I introduced two keys:

• Four rivers: According to the Book of Genesis, a single river originated in Eden and split into four. Based on today’s location of two of these rivers, claims about Eden being located in the area of ancient Mesopotamia don’t line up with the depiction in Scripture.
• Eden: The full meaning of the name “Garden of Eden” in Hebrew (Genesis 2:8a) is a garden of pleasure from ancient time to eternity.

Part 1 also discussed Separation Theory, which posits that when God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, He cursed the ground as well (Genesis 3:17). Thus, the consequences of sin manifested not only in the lives of humans but throughout Creation itself. Separation Theory hypothesizes that Creation also experienced a slow and gradual separation of spiritual and physical planes (like human death). According to this idea, God’s glory slowly departed from Earth and the place where the Garden of Eden once stood, floating upward until, one day, man couldn’t find it anymore. Today, Nature remains in that sad, fallen state where animals eat one another and Earth suffers decay, drought, and destruction.

This state of separation was never God’s plan for humans or for His Creation.

THE KEY OF THE TABERNACLE

When God told Moses to build the Tabernacle, He set out very detailed instructions about every aspect of the building of this “tent of meeting” and its elements (Exodus 25–40). Oftentimes, while reading the Torah (the Five Books of Moses: Genesis to Deuteronomy), we glaze over “boring parts” like instructions and measurements.

I am currently writing a book about God’s discipleship in our lives. It is an in-depth study of God’s patterns of worship in Heaven, in our hearts, and in the Tabernacle. Through my research, I have discovered how these details reveal God’s redemption plan for humankind. Here are two aspects about the Tabernacle that relate to the Garden of Eden:

1. EASTWARD

When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden, they were sent to the east — they began walking away from God’s manifest presence in an easterly direction. This geographical direction plays an important part in the early history of mankind: The city of Babylon was established in the east (Genesis 11:2). So were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 13:11). As men walked eastward, we see them fall farther and farther away from God.

When God instructed Moses to erect the Tabernacle (tent, altars, perimeter, entrance etc.), God specifically oriented the Tabernacle’s opening to the east. Every time the people of Israel collapsed and packed up the Tent and the Tabernacle elements to move them, when they put them back up, the opening always faced the east. When Solomon built the First Temple, its doors opened to the east. King Herod’s Second Temple followed the same pattern.

This easterly orientation is purposeful and meaningful. In Hebrew, the word repentance is Te-shu-vah — literally, “to turn around and come back.” God oriented the openings to the east in anticipation that man, still progressing eastward, will one day repent — turning around and walking back (westward) toward the presence of God.

2. THE CHERUBIM

The first Biblical mention of the cherubim appears in Genesis 3:24: “So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” After Adam and Eve left the Garden, God placed two mighty beings called “cherubim” to guard the entrance to the Garden, preventing Adam and Eve’s return.

The next time the Bible mentions cherubim is in Exodus 25, where Moses received the detailed building instructions for the Tabernacle. Two of these cherubim were to sit one on each side atop the Ark of the Covenant. However in chapter 26, God instructed Moses further concerning cherubim: “You shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman” (Exodus 26:31).

This scarlet material would become the veil that separated the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant stood. God instructed Moses to make the veil with a depiction of cherubim on it to represent the cherubim that were inside, seated on each side of God’s mercy seat. Once the veil was in place, those cherubim would be hidden and no longer visible; but they were there.

As Yeshua died on the cross, this veil of partition preventing access to the Holy of Holies was ripped from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This was the only change to occur in the Temple, and it symbolized the access for us to God’s manifest presence that Yeshua purchased with His death. The entrance to the Garden that the Cherubim guarded was now open.

THE KEY OF THE HOLY HILL

You may be familiar with the Biblical idea that Jerusalem is built on the “Hill of the Lord.” The Bible describes Jerusalem as “the mountain of the Lord” or in connection with “God’s Holy hill” at least 24 times. Isaiah 14:13 describes Satan trying to ascend higher than God’s heavenly throne above the stars, using the Hebrew words Har (mountain) Moed (meeting), which directly relate to the word “Tabernacle” — Ohel (tent) Moed (meeting).

There exists a physical “hill of the Lord” in Jerusalem to which the Tabernacle would travel and find its permanent resting place in the Temple built by King Solomon. In addition, there is a heavenly mountain that is a place of meeting with God. However, you may not realize that there was also a mountain in Eden.

The prophet Ezekiel offered a description of Satan parallel to one found in Isaiah 14: “You [Satan] were in Eden, the garden of God; … You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; … You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created until wickedness was found in you.” (Ezekiel 28:13–15).

We can conclude from these Scriptures that God’s sanctuary is in the heavenly Eden. We have previously established that God planted a garden to the east in Eden and that it contained a river that flowed to the east. Now we see that Eden also has a mountain or hill in it.

Jerusalem is the physical place on Earth of God’s sanctuary. There is also a garden to the east of Jerusalem — the garden of Gethsemane (more on this in a later letter) — and Jerusalem will, in the future, have a river that flows downward and eastward from it.

The New Testament describes the New Jerusalem descending down to Earth from Heaven (Revelation 21:2). If Separation Theory is correct, then that event will culminate the reunification of Heaven and Earth as the heavenly Eden reunites once again with the earthly Eden.

This separation that was caused by man’s sin will be finally and fully overcome. The result of Jesus/Yeshua’s victory will be manifest physically and completely on Earth. This is what John described in his vision: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” (Revelation of John 21:1).

It is interesting to note that many occult themes deal with “things above and things below,” the unification of all things, the tree of life, and many others that parallel what we find in the Bible. Satan’s kingdom heavily promotes these ideas. We know that Satan cannot create; he can only copy (John 19:11). He twists the truth of God, hoping to ensnare man in his lies.

In the coming months, I will present a growing collection of keys in each letter that will build on the previous keys. I hope that these keys will unlock doors to exciting revelations of Biblical truths about how Believers (“Believers” is short for “believers in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah”) can better understand God’s magnificent plan for redeeming mankind from the curse of sin and restoring Creation.

You can look forward to reading about the following keys: sacrifice, two trees, restoring waters, Mount of Olives, inheritance, two women, circling paths, and others.

Im tirdefu lada-at oto —
“Press on to know HIM!” (Hosea 6:3 NLT),

   
Sarah Liberman

P.S. Have you found any parallels between Jerusalem and Eden? I would love to hear them. I always appreciate hearing from you, ZLM readers.

: An Extraordinary Opportunity

Won’t you consider joining us on one of the special pilgrimages listed below when the doors to the Promised Land reopen? These first tours back in Israel will be extraordinary! And the people of Israel need to see Believers’ faces and feel the love of Yeshua from around the world. Contact our travel manager, Sandra, to reserve your seat today. Contact her at 214-696-9760, travel@levitt.com, or levitt.com/tours. She can help you prepare for your journey of a lifetime!

Production Notes from Clayton Herring

Since the dreaded scourge of COVID-19 has kept us away from Israel, we’ve been utilizing Capernaum Village near our Dallas office.

In this photo (right top), Dr. Barri Seif (wife of Jeff) and our own Caleb (a Bearded Bible Brother on YouTube and Facebook) prepare to record one of Barri’s segments for this series.

This photo (right bottom) may lead you to ask the question, “What’s with that little camera?” Well, video quality has advanced by leaps and bounds. Today, feature films can be shot on iPhones! The quality of the image no longer depends on the size of the gear.

OJR’s camera crew is determined to travel back to Israel even if it means quarantines and blood tests. We’re looking forward to bringing you a series that we’ve had planned since the end of 2019 — on the Apostle Peter — and we intend to record it in the Galilee, including dramatic reenactments. Stay tuned!

Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim! —
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! — Psalm 122:6

Clayton Herring, Associate Producer, Berg Productions

P.S. When Ken Berg and Zola first went to Israel to film (yes, on celluloid film), the camera equipment was huge, heavy, and cumbersome to lug around. Though technology continues to advance, our commitment to provide you with the Jewish roots of the Christian faith will never change. If you appreciate our commitment, please consider supporting this ministry with a generous donation.

Our Jewish Roots TV programs in October

This month, we conclude our series Faith for the Future: Our Journey with the Patriarchs. We advance into our future by learning from those who have walked before us — and who better than the Patriarchs of our faith? October also finds the OJR production crew, Jeff Seif, Kirsten, and David back in the TV studio. We’re always putting together something worthwhile for our viewers, and we’re thankful for each and every one of you. Here’s what’s coming your way!

Faith for the Future: Our Journey with the Patriarchs

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob demonstrated their faith in God by taking small steps — and sometimes leaps of faith — that often altered the course of their lives while redirecting them toward greater dependence on the Lord. This ten-part series includes dramatic re-enactments filmed in Israel.

Sacrifice and Loss

Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son testifies to his bountiful faith in the Lord’s promises. We Believers need to trust that God will lead us to the future He has lovingly prepared for us.

Toward the Unknown

Seeking a wife for Isaac, Abraham trusted that God would lead him to the perfect mate. Rebekah showed faith when she accompanied a stranger to an unseen land and husband. Following the Lord always leads to the perfect outcome.

Love and Marriage

Isaac and Rebekah’s meeting led to a loving relationship. Believers should remember that singleness and marriage are both gifts from God, and His ways are always best.

Not by Sight

Isaac and Rebekah’s sons Esau and Jacob held opposite worldviews. While one trusted and valued only what he could see and touch, the other was satisfied to wait for the Lord’s timing.