The Ark of the Covenant, its Design and Purpose - The Light of Torah Messianic Congregation

“The Faith of Our Fathers Series”

Article Twelve

Prepared by P. R. Reid, a bond servant of Yeshua Ha Mashiach

November 4,2022

The Ark of the Covenant, its Design and Purpose

We will employ the following hermeneutical tools in this article:

The Rule of First mention
The Rule of Complete mention
Covenant language i.e. “keep my commandments”
His perfect will for creation
PaRDeS (THE RULES OF PARDES INTERPRETATION *
Ancient Hebrew pictograph
Simple gematria

The four levels of interpretation are called: Pashat, Remez, D’rash & Sud. The first letter of each word P-R-D-S is taken, and vowels are added for pronunciation, giving the word PARDES (meaning “garden” or “orchard”). Each layer is deeper and more intense than the last, like the layers of an onion. (http://www.yashanet.com)

I think it’s important to keep in mind that all things, including the redemption of mankind, begin from YaHaVah to us, therefore, it should be of no surprise that the “ark” is the first article of furniture to be described. The “ark” will be placed inside the Holy of Holies and entered only once a year on Yom Kippurim.
Ex. 25:8 – 16: “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles (אֶת־הַבַּדִּים ) into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark (אֶת־הָאָרֹן ) may be carried by them. The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.
And you shall put into the ark the Testimony (אֵת הָעֵדֻת ) which I will give you.”
This first item of note is the actual dimensions. There are two long sides at 2 ½ cubits each which total 5. There are also two wide widths at 1 ½ cubits each which total 3. Adding the two sides which total 5 to the two widths which total 3 we have the number eight. Since the number eight relates to covenant, the dimensions tell us then, that the overall size of the “ark” has something to do with His covenant.
The Hebrew word for “ark” is Aaron, אֲרוֹן. This word is comprised of an Aleph, Resh, Vav Cholem and Nun sofit.
In its ancient form אֲרוֹן would read: “The power that was from the beginning will secure us to His heir.” Lets think about how this will happen. The heir will secure us to the Father through His covenant. A further witness to this scenario can be found in its numerical value. The numerical value of Aaron is 257; 2 + 5 + 7 = 14.
The 14^th day of the first month is Pesach/Passover. Pesach is a covenant festival. The Pascal lamb is, of course, Yeshua Ha Mashiach. The festival of Pesach is not about making a sin sacrifice, rather it was about who was willing to align themselves with the God of creation, YaHaVah. A careful reading of Ex. 12 will make this matter clear. This also answers the question of why Pesach is not the first of Yahs’ pilgrimage festivals.
The “ark” is mentioned first in the order of furnishings because it will be the place where the “divine presence” will reside.
The “ark” was to be constructed with “shittim” wood. This “shittim” wood had on its bark black thorns. We can see an immediate connection to Yeshua and the “crown of thorns” that would be placed upon His head. These would also be the thorns used in His scourging.
Jn. 19:1 – 2: “So then Pilate took Yeshua and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.”
The “shittim” wood is a creation from day three. There is no mistaking the connection of Yeshua to the number three. He would surrender His life on a tree.
Ge. 1:11 – 13: “Then God said, ‘let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth;’ and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.”
Now we know that the “divine presence” of Yah would rest upon the “ark” and the “shittim” wood which is at its central core supplied the thorns for the crown and scourging of Messiah. What about the “pure gold.”
The first time we see the concept of “pure” gold is Ge. 2:11 – 12: “The name of the first (river) is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.”
The Hebrew word for “pure” is “tahor,” טָהוֹר. The numerical value of “tahor” is 220; 2 + 2 = 4. This number provides a connection to the Aleph Tav. This is a good time to refresh our memories of the placement of the pattern of four.

בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָֽרֶץ

The foregoing is the first seven words of Scripture with the first Aleph Tav being used as the fourth word. The Aleph Tav is Yeshua thereby establishing the pattern of four.

Yeshua’s first advent occurred at the four thousand year mark.
The luminaries were created on the fourth day for the purpose of calculating the moedim, the festivals of YaHaVah.
Yeshua is a descendant of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob.
The fourth branch of the Menorah is the servant branch, the “shamash.”
The fourth commandment is the keeping of the Shabbat.
Yeshua was the fourth man in the furnace.
When we see the number four we are seeing a connection to Messiah Yeshua. Purity, that is ritual purity, “tahor” is associated with Yeshua. Heb. 4:15: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.”
The first mention of the word “pure,” tahor, is recorded in Ge. 7:2: “You shall take with you seven each of every clean (pure-tahor) animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female.” **Every animal to be sacrificed must be ritually pure. In this vain, Yeshua too would be ritually pure, otherwise His sacrifice would not be acceptable to The Father.
The complete Old Testament mention is found in Malachi 1:11: “For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts.”
Who or what then, is the “pure” gold that would overlay the “ark” inside and out.
ven though the word “tahor” is not used in this narrative, the word “tov,” or good also means pure. The Hebrew word for “good” is “tov.” The numerical value of “tov” is seventeen. Seventeen is also a number that relates to Yeshua because resurrection day was the seventeenth day of the first month.
If we believe in the completed work of Messiah Yeshua and observe the “rules of the kingdom” we become the “remnant bride.” The “pure gold” then, is the remnant bride.
Scripture describes other articles of furniture that are also made of shittim wood and overlaid with gold, however, there is only one article of furniture that the “divine presence” will rest upon which is the Ark of the Covenant.
The “Ark of the Covenant” will house three items.
1.) Tablets of the testimony which are the capstone of the Book of the Covenant.
2.) A Pot of Manna which is symbolic of Yeshua as the bread of life.
3.) Aarons blossomed rod which is symbolic of resurrection.
Recall Ex. 25:16: “And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony (אֵת הָעֵדֻת ) which I shall give thee.”
The Hebrew word for “testimony” is עֵדֻת. In its ancient form “adut” would read: “See the pathway to the covenant.” Since we are really talking about the tablets, the tablets with the 10 Commandments etched into them, this word means just that, the Ten commandments are the pathway to a covenant relationship.
This is exactly the behavior of Messiah Yeshua. He adhered to The Fathers doctrine and taught others to do the same.

The Cover

Ex. 25:17 – 22: “You shall make a mercy seat ( כַפֹּרֶת ) of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.
And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”
The Hebrew word for “mercy seat” is kapporet, כַפֹּרֶת. In its ancient form “kapporet” would read; “Our covering is His spoken word that was from the beginning which has become our seal.” The numerical value is 700 which translates to seven, the number of completion the zeros having no value. This is where atonement would be made by the sprinkling of blood seven times on Yom Kippur.
The design of the “Ark of the Covenant” then, is symbolic of The Father, Yeshua His Son and the “remnant bride.” It will be The Fathers resting place when He meets with the High Priest on Yom Kippurim.
The “Ark of the Covenant” represents Yeshua, the Son whose completed work was on a tree, possibly shittim wood and overlaid with “pure gold,
The “pure gold” represents the “remnant bride.” I think it is possible that this is the picture of the prayer by Yeshua in John 17, “that they may be one as we are one.” The “Ark of the Covenant” is certainly a picture of divine unity.
We actually see this picture earlier in the Scripture narrative. Consider Ge. 15 and the Covenant of Pieces.

Gold

The “Ark of the Covenant” and the mercy seat would be overlaid with “pure gold.” We discussed the word “pure,” now we will discuss the word for “gold.”

The first mention of “gold” is also found in Ge. 2:11 – 12. The Hebrew word for “gold” is zahav, זָהָב. In its ancient form zahav would read; “The one who will be cut off will be revealed as the head of the family.” The numerical value of zahav is 14. Again, Pesach occurs on the 14^th day of the first month. The “remnant bride” is the “pure gold” who will be observing Pesach in its annual cycle.
Moving forward to v17 “And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.”
These Scriptures represent the “Ark of the Covenant” in the following manner:
The “smoking oven” is mentioned first. Because of its position in the narrative the “smoking oven” provides a connection to The Father, the Aleph. Keep in mind He always begins from Himself to us.
Previously The Father had given Abraham the covenant promises of an inheritance and descendants. Ge. 15:6-15 records Abrahams response: “And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Then He said to him, ‘I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land (אֶת־הָאָרֶץ ) to inherit it.’ And he said, ‘Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?’ So He said to him, ‘bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.’ Then he brought all these (אֶת־כָּל־אֵלֶּה ) to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds (אֶת־הַצִפֹּר ) in two.”
The “burning torch” is mentioned secondly. The “burning torch” is the Son, Yeshua who will pay the death penalty price incurred by the seed of Abraham. The “burning torch” provides a connection to the second letter of the Aleph Bet, the Bet.
Abraham was the first Hebrew, he also obeyed YaHaVah so the Father called him righteous. Abraham was the first of the “pure gold,” the first of the “righteous remnant.” Any believer who walks in obedience to the “rules of the kingdom” is the seed of Abraham and are part of the “pure gold, the “righteous remnant.” Abraham provides a connection to the third letter of the Aleph Bet, the Gimel.
Can you think of a still earlier picture?
Ge: 2:10 – : “Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
Consider the river represents Yeshua, the living water.
First represents The Father.
The “good gold” is the “remnant bride.”
The Holy of Holies, the dwelling place of the “Ark of the Covenant,” the resting place of YaHaVah, in its design represents the “family” in unity with The Father and His Son, Yeshua.
This is Jeshurun, His favored ideal position for Israel, walking in obedience to the “rules of the kingdom.”

The Ark of the Covenant, its purpose
Part Two

In Part One of this teaching, we discussed the design of the Ark of the Covenant, see Ex. 25:8 – 16.

The purpose of the Ark of the Covenant, which is the lower chest, was to house the tablets of the testimony. The Ten Words, a pot of Manna and the rod of Aaron were placed inside. The Cover, the כַּפֹּרֶת, means just that, a “covering.” The word כַּפֹּרֶת comes from the root word כָּפַר which means to cover or to cover over.

The word “kapporet” is used only 27 times in Scripture. Twenty-seven is the number for the 22 letters of the Aleph Bet including the 5 sofit, or final form letters. This tells us that the “mercy seat” is going to relate to His Word, in fact all the articles inside the ark relate to the “rules of the kingdom” which either “cover us” or judge us.”
The first mention of “Kaphar” is found in Ge. 6:14: “Make yourself an ark (אֶת־הַתֵּבָה) of gopher-wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.’
In this Scripture, the Hebrew word for “ark” is “tavah.” “Tavah,” תֵּבָה tells us its own story. In the ancient form, “tavah” would read: “The covenant of the family will be revealed.” The “Tavah” is a prophetic picture of the “Aaron,” the Ark of the Covenant.
The Aleph Tav “ark” of Noah had a purpose which was to safeguard the “strength of the covenant.” This vessel was used to provide safety for Noah and his family which included restoring the “pure language” after the earth was repopulated.
Ge. 8:4: “Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.”
In those years of Israels history, the seventh month was the beginning of their year. YaHaVah changed the first of their year to the springtime before the first Pesach. After the “Temple” was destroyed in 70 a.d., the Rabbis reverted back to the original seventh month.
The seventeenth day speaks to the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua, the “one” who would be revealed.
The definition of Ararat is “the curse reversed: precipitation of curse.”
The “kapporet” is the seat of authoritative judgment. It will be from this place that mercy and judgment will be dispensed i.e. blessings and/or curses. The mercy and/or judgment will be rendered pursuant to the items contained inside the Ark of the Covenant.
Moses and the Ten Commandments: Ex. 20:1 – 17: (1)“And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
(2) You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
(3) You shall not take the name (אֶת־שֵֽׁם־יְהוָה ) of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes (אֵתאֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂא ) His name (אֶת־שְׁמוֹ ) in vain. ** This is the first time we see the Aleph Tav Yeshua, that is the “strength of the Covenant,” in this narrative. This is the word for vain and its meaning: שָוְא shâvᵉʼ, shawv; or שו shav; from the same as H7722 in the sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain):—false (-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity. It looks to me that the Aleph Tav will make sure that bringing The Fathers name to nothingness will not happen.
(4) Remember the Sabbath day (אֶת־יוֹם), to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens (אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם ) and the earth (אֶת־הָאָרֶץ), the sea (אֶת־הַיָּם), and all that is in them (אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּם), and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day (אֶת־יוֹם ) and hallowed it. **This is a set apart day. This is the only day of creation that is a blessed day. This is why we, at the Light of Torah, are very diligent in the safe guarding of our sanctuary and its surrounding rooms on the Shabbat.
(5) Honor your father ( אֶת־אָבִיךָ ) and your mother (אֶת־אִמֶּךָ ), that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
(6) You shall not murder.
(7) You shall not commit adultery.
(8) You shall not steal.
(9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
(10) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.’”
The Ten Commandments, the 10 Words, are the “adut,” the Tablets of the Testimony. The 10 Words are the capstone to the Book of the Covenant. As I said, judgment and/or mercy will be dispensed according to the Tablets of Testimony.
Dan. 7:10: “A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.”
The Ark of the Covenant is the seat of the “supreme tribunal.” Daniel is prophesying about Rev. 11:19.
One more thing to mention about the word “testimony” is its definition. “Adut” means a solemn divine charge or precept. This means the 10 Words are the “testimony” of YaHaVah as well as our own for accepting them. In its ancient form “aed” would read: “See he pathway.” The pathway is through the items contained within the ark.
“Adut” comes from the root “aed,” עֵד. It’s from this root we get the word “adi” for ornaments and “adat” for congregation.
As I said, The Father witnesses to us with the 10 Words and we witness for Him by our obedience to these words.
Rev. 11:19: “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightning’s, noises, thundering’s, an earthquake, and great hail.”
Rev. 15:5 – 8: “After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.”
2 Corin. 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
The Greek word for “judgment seat” is “bema.” “Bema” is defined as “a platform, tribune of the official seat of a judge or of the judgment seat of Messiah. Another definition is a “throne.”
Is it possible that the “judgment seat” and the “mercy seat” are the same? In that case, Messiah will render judgment from the “kapporet.”
Rev. 20:4: “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Yeshua and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years.” See Ez. 9:4 – 5.
Since the “Ark of the Covenant” is the location of the supreme tribunal then we must have a judge.
Scripture provides us with the identity of our judge.
Ps. 7:8: “The LORD shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.”
2 Tim. 4:1: “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Yeshua Ha Mashiach, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom.”
Mt. 25:31 – 46: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
It’s clear that The Fathers judgment is coming forth to the world from the heavenly Ark of the Covenant. That means the world has totally rejected His “rules of the kingdom.”
What else has the world rejected? What remains inside the Ark of the Covenant?
The pot of Manna and Aarons rod.

Manna

Scripture tells us that a pot of Manna was to be placed inside the Ark of the Covenant.

Ex. 16:33 – 34: “And Moses said to Aaron, ‘take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.’ As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.”

The manna represents the absolute undeniable provision of YaHaVah.
Scripture also tells us that Yeshua is the “bread” or manna of life.
Jn. 6:32 – 35: “Then Yeshua said to them, ‘most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread (manna) from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ And Yeshua said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”
The manna then, is a prophetic picture of Yeshua on earth. We see this again in Jn. 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The undeniable absolute provision of our Creator.
The 10 Words are the “rules of the kingdom” to be enforced by Yeshua, the bread of life, foretold by the manna from heaven. To reject the “bread of life” is likewise a rejection of the “rules of the kingdom.”
Jn. 5:22:23 tells us The Father gave the authority to judge to Yeshua. “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
Acts 10:42: “And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.”
In fact, in John. 14:15 Yeshua said “If you love me keep my commandments.”
2 Tim. 4:8: “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
At His first advent He came to save while at His second, He will be the righteous judge.

Aarons Rod

Heb. 9:3 – 4 tells us the rod of Aaron was placed inside the Ark of the Covenant.
“And behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant…”
Why is a branch of the almond tree of such significance?

Num. 17:7 – 11: “And Moses placed the rods (אֶת־הַמַּטֹּת ) before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. Then Moses brought out all the rods (אֶת־כָּל־הַמַּטֹּת ) from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘bring Aaron’s rod (אֶת־מַטֵּה ) back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.’”
Jer. 1:11 – 12: “Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’ Then the LORD said to me, ‘you have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.’”
The Hebrew word for “almond” is “shaquad,” שָקֵד. The numerical value is 404, 4 + 4 = 8, the number of covenant. Furthermore, the almond tree is the first of Israels’ trees to awaken from its winter sleep, hence it’s a picture of resurrection. Shaquad comes from the root word “shaqad” meaning to wake, watch, awake or be alert. At the time of Jeremiahs prophecy, they were to “watch” for the coming anointed One, Messiah Yeshua.
In conclusion, our case will be placed before Him, He who is called faithful and true, and He will render judgment based on the articles inside the Ark itself; the Tablets of the Testimony which are the “rules of the kingdom,” the jar of manna which represents Yeshua as the “bread of life” and Aarons rod which represents His resurrection.
These articles represent the redemption of mankind. Will there be redemption if we do not choose to follow the 10 Words?
Will there be redemption if we choose to reject Yeshua?
Will there be redemption if we also choose to reject His resurrection?
Every year on Yom Kippurim the covering provided by the seven times sprinkled blood provide a prophetic picture of our redemption.
Phil. 3:10: “I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death.”

SHALOM