Gen 6:3 And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever...
In the Torah, it is shown that man was originally created to live in
the presence of G_d; literally, to walk in the presence of Ruach
HaKodesh, the Spirit of G_d. Because of mankind's attempt to exalt
himself over the will of G_d, His Spirit was withdrawn; a rift opened
between Man and G_d, which man, through his own power, would never be
able to overcome.
Isa 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Instead, G_d would overcome the division himself, by returning as one
of us - that is, as a union of Ruach HaKodesh and man. He is the
Messiah, a man with all of the love, power and knowledge of G_d's
Spirit. His name, Immanuel, means 'G_d with us'.
The flag of
Israel heralds the Messiah.
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THE SPIRIT OF THE MESSIAH
Joch
4:24 G_d is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in
spirit and truth.
The Spirit of G_d,
Ruach HaKodesh, was manifested to man in astonishing ways in the Torah;
as someone who walked alongside Adam in Eden, as a burning bush which
was not consumed, as a torch and smoking pot, as a presence with the Ark
of the covenant, as the figure of a man in a furnace, and so on.
After all of those different manifestations, it should not be so
suprising, though all the more wonderful, that the Spirit of G_d should
appear to us as the Messiah.
THE MENORAH
Make a lampstand of pure gold. The whole
lampstand, including its decorative flowers, must be made from a single
piece of hammered gold with three branches on each of its two sides.
...The lamp on the top and those at the end of each of its six branches
must be made so as to shine toward the front of the lampstand... The
lampstand and its equipment ... must be made according to the pattern I
showed you on the mountain.
(Exo 25:30-40)
The Menorah embodies knowledge of some aspects of G_d's nature, as
mentioned also in the Kaballah, for example, the 'seven lights' or
'seven flames' of G_d, and the absolute unity of its design. It
appears that G_d meant the menorah to be a tangible representation to us
of His presence in the temple.
It is interesting that one of these lamps, the one at the top, has come
to be known as the 'servant candle', at least in the modified
nine-candle version used in Chanukah, where it is used to light the
other candles. Thus, this 'servant candle' brings full
illumination.
The symbolism comes to its full impact when one realizes that the
temple itself was meant to represent to us and teach us of the overall
objective in G_d's present plans for us - to restore the presence of His
Spirit within us. For the temple is representative of our bodies,
which are meant to serve as the dwelling place of His Spirit (the intent
before sin and separation became obstructions). The Ark of the
covenant represents our hearts - G_d's law engraved upon our hearts, as
on the stone tablets within the Ark brought down by Moses; and His
Spirit dwelling above our hearts, as He did between the golden angels
atop the Ark . The menorah in the temple represents His
illumination within us by his own lights, present in (the number of)
perfection. And, this illumination is carried first by the
'servant' candle - not by our own power, but in accord with our own
willingness and through the power of G_d himself. The flame of the
servant candle is symbolic of the spirit of the Messiah. The
Spirit of the Messiah is how the illumination of G_d comes to be within
us. Once allowed to enter, this Spirit will allow us to be filled
with G_d's light.
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The Menorah is a representation of the
'seven lights' or 'seven eyes' of G_d in the presence of man.
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Many menorahs appropriately incorporate the star of David,
placing the flame of the servant candle, representing the Spirit of the
Messiah, before the star of David, which is symbolic of the Messiah's
kingship.
ZECHERIAH'S VISION OF THE
MENORAH AND THE MESSIAH
... "What do you see?"
"A solid gold lampstand with an oil container above it," I answered.
"On the stand are seven lamps, each with seven flames. One olive tree
is on the right side and another on the left of the oil container. ...
I am the LORD All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or
strength, but on my Spirit. ...Those seven lamps represent my eyes--the
eyes of the LORD--and they see everything on this earth. ..."What about
the olive trees on each side of the lampstand? What do they represent?
And what is the meaning of the two branches from which golden olive oil
flows through the two gold pipes?" Then he told me, "These branches are
the two Messiahs who stand beside the Lord of all the earth."
(Zec 4:1-14)
In the Chanukah miracle where the oil is not exhausted from the lamps,
we are actually celebrating a forshadowing of the Messiah. It is
through G_d's power, flowing through His Messiah, that the light of
G_d's spirit will be sustained in us.
IS THE SPIRIT OF THE MESSIAH HERE?
Isa 50:8 for
God is near, and he will prove me innocent.
The dwelling place for the Spirit of G_d had been the
temple and the Ark of the Covenant. Since G_d had forseen the
destruction of the temple, which has happened, it would seem that its
purpose of showing his people how He could once again live within them
has been fulfilled - at least for the time being.
Dan 9:26 And at the end
of that time God's chosen leader will be killed unjustly. The city and
the Temple will be destroyed by the invading army of a powerful ruler.
As was also prophesied at the time the Spirit of the
Messiah would come to be with us, many people and nations have come to
Him.
Zec 2:10-13 The LORD said,
"Sing for joy, people of Jerusalem! I am coming to live among you!" At
that time many nations will come to the LORD and become his people. He
will live among you, and you will know that he has sent me to you. Once
again Judah will be the special possession of the LORD in his sacred
land, and Jerusalem will be the city he loves most of all. Be silent,
everyone, in the presence of the LORD, for he is coming from his holy
dwelling place.
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