The doors

June 26, 2018

He is near (Mt 24:33-24:33)

“So also,

When you see

All these things,

You know

That he is near,

At the very gates.”

 

οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ὅταν ἴδητε πάντα ταῦτα, γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστιν ἐπὶ θύραις.

 

This is exactly the same, word for word, in Mark, chapter 13:29, and in Luke, chapter 21:31, except that Luke said the Kingdom of God, not he or it, was near.  Jesus explained that when they saw these things like the budding trees, they should know that he, the Son of Man, or the kingdom was near.  The end times were coming.  When they saw all these things happening (οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ὅταν ἴδητε πάντα ταῦτα), they should know the end or he was near, at the gates to their city or the doors to their houses (γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐστιν ἐπὶ θύραις).  There would be signs indicating what was to come.

September 22, 2017

The king finds the rations gone (Dan 14:16-14:18)

“Early in the morning,

The king arose.

He came

With Daniel.

The king said.

‘Are the seals unbroken?

Daniel!’

He answered.

‘They are unbroken.’

O king!’

As soon as the doors

were opened,

The king looked

At the table.

He shouted

In a loud voice.

‘You are great!

O Bel!

In you

There is no deceit

At all!’”

The next morning, both the king and Daniel got up early and went to the temple. The king wanted to know if the seals had been broken. Daniel responded that the seals were still intact. Then they opened the doors to the temple. The king then went to the table where the food had been set up. Then, he shouted out that there was no deceit in the god Bel, because all the food was gone.

July 6, 2017

The doors (Ezek 41:23-41:26)

“The nave

With the holy place

Had each

A double door.

The doors had

Two leaves apiece.

There were

Two swinging leaves

For each door.

On the doors

Of the nave

Were carved

Cherubim

With palm trees,

Just like those carved

On the walls.

There was a canopy

Of wood

In front

Of the vestibule,

Outside.

There were recessed windows

With palm trees

On either side,

On the sidewalls

Of the vestibule.”

Ezekiel continued with his descriptions of the double doors leading to the Hekal, the nave, and the Debir, the holy place. These 2 doors had 2 swinging leaves for each door. On the double door to the nave were the carvings of the cherubim and the palm trees just like as in wall of the holy of holies. There was a canopy of wood outside in front of the vestibule, the Ulam. There were recessed windows with palm trees on either side of the sidewalls of this vestibule or Ulam.

January 6, 2016

Listen to instructions (Prov 8:32-8:36)

“Now,

My children!

Listen to me!

Happy are those who keep my ways!

Hear instruction!

Be wise!

Do not neglect it!

Happy is the one who listens to me!

He watches daily at my gates.

He waits beside my doors.

Whoever finds me,

Finds life.

He obtains favor from Yahweh.

But those who miss me,

Injure themselves.

All who hate me,

Love death.”

This time wisdom wants the children to listen to her instructions in order to become wise.   Happy are those who follow the wise ways. They will be wise and do not neglect this teaching. The listeners are the really happy ones. They would watch at the town gates and beside the doors. Whoever found wisdom, would find life. They would obtain favors from Yahweh. However, those who missed wisdom would injure themselves. Anyone who hated wisdom would love death.

December 3, 2015

Yahweh helped the prisoners (Ps 107:10-107:16)

“Some sat in darkness.

Some sat in gloom.

They were prisoners in misery.

They were prisoners in irons.

They had rebelled against the words of God.

They had spurned the counsel of the Most High.

Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor.

They fell down.

There was no one to help them.

Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble.

He saved them from their distress.

He brought them out of darkness.

He brought them out of gloom.

He broke their bonds asunder.

Let them thank Yahweh

For his steadfast love!

Let them thank Yahweh

For his wonderful works to humankind!

He shatters the doors of bronze.

He cuts in two the bars of iron.”

Some people were in darkness and gloom. They were prisoners in misery and in actual irons, shackled together, because they had rebelled against God. They had turned away from the counsel of the Most High God. They were in forced labor with no one to help them. These people were not innocent, since they had done or said something against God. However, they cried to Yahweh for help in their distress. Guess what? He saved them from their distress, darkness, and gloom. He tore their chains apart. Now they should give thanks to Yahweh for his steadfast love and wondrous deeds. He shattered the doors of bronze and the iron bars. They were now free people.

April 9, 2015

Queen Esther dresses up to go to the Palace (Greek text only)

“On the third day, when Queen Esther ended her prayer, she took off the garments in which she had worshiped. She arrayed herself in splendid attire. Then, majestically adorned, after invoking the aid of the all-seeing God and Savior, she took her two maids with her. She leaned gently for support on one, while the other followed carrying her train. She was radiant with perfect beauty. She looked happy, as if beloved, but her heart was frozen with fear. When she had gone through all the doors, she stood before the king.”

One again the Greek text continues. After this 3 day prayer, Queen Esther took off her sack cloth garments. Now she put on royal clothes. She invoked God to help her. However, she took 2 maids with her, one to lean on and the other to carry the train of her splendid dress. She looked radiant, beautiful and happy, but she was fearful. Finally, she stood before the king.

August 12, 2014

The doors (1 Kings 6:31-6:36)

“For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood. The lintel and the doorposts were a five-sided pentagon. He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold, and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. So also he made for the entrance to the nave doorposts of olivewood, in the form of a square, and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. On them he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold evenly applied upon the carved work. He built the inner court with three courses of dressed stone and one course of cedar beams.”

The entrance door to the inner sanctuary was made of olivewood, also a hard wood. There were other doors made of cypress as the entrance to the inner sanctuary. This continued with the carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers on these doors and the other doors. They also used gold overlay all over the place. The door posts were either a pentagon shape or a square shape.