Jewish Studies

1- PRACTICES BEFORE CHRIST:
An altar and a sacrifice were the center of Judaism at the times of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob... with the rite of "circumcision" made to any boy born from a Jewish mother.


After Moses:
An altar, a sacrifice, and a priest, were the essence on Judaism, but now centered around the "Ark of the Covenant", first, in the portable Tabernacle, during the 40 years of wanderings around Sinai, and since Solomon, in the permanent Temple of Jerusalem, built to host the Ark in the Holy of Hollis, where nobody could enter, except the High Priest, and only once a year, on the day of Yom Kippur.
Diagram of the Temple:
- The most holy place (Holy of Holiest), with the Ark, is the smaller room on the left (west)... with two large cherubim angels over the Ark.
- The holy place, with the altar of incense, colored gold, is on the right... and the table of the shewbread and the seven-branched lampstand.
- The bronze altar of burnt offerings shown by a square outside the tent, in the courtyard... in between, the bronze "see", as a small circle.

The "Contents of the Ark":
There are 3 objects, the "symbols" for the times after the Messiah, for the Kingdom of God on earth, "for the present time", says Hebrews 9:
1- The "tables" of the 10 Commandments of Moses, symbol of the "Bible".
2- The gold jar containing the "manna", symbol of the "Eucharist".
3- The "rod of Aaron" which blossomed, symbol of the "Hierarchy".
The Great Miracle of the Ark

The most spectacular "Miracle": The columns of fire and cloud over the Ark is "the most durable and spectacular miracle" in the history of humanity:

- Since the Ark was set up in the Tent, a column of fire stood on top of it during the night and a column of cloud during daytime... columns of over 2 miles high, and over 40 years, day and night!...
...and still more!:
When the columns stood still, the people stood in the same place; but when the columns moved, the people would follow them... the 3 million of Israelites, with their cattle and belongings, and follow the columns for miles, until they stopped, and at that place, they would set up the new camp; and they would stay there as long as the columns stayed there; but, if in one day or in a month, the columns started to move, they would pick up everything again, and follow the columns... the 3 million of Israelites!
(Num.9:15-23, Ex.40:34-38, 13:21-22, 15:38).


The great miracle to come, at the end of times:
- When the Temple was destroyed, the Ark was lost... but the Bible says that Jeremiah put it in a huge cave at Mount Nebo, and made 2 prophecies: (1) It will stay there until God gathers his people together again, and (2) at that time, the columns of fire and cloud will be seen again as in the times of Moses (2Macc.2)... a huge column of fire of 3 kilometers high that will be seen from all over Israel and Jordan... and by Television from all over the world!

- Many people are searching now for the "Ark of the Covenant", the most sacred property of Israel, but they are looking for it in the wrong places!... it is at Mount Nebo!, the Scriptures say.
See Chronicles

"PRACTICES" AFTER CHRIST: -
Today in Judaism there is no "eternal sacrifice", no "priests", no "altar"... as it was announced it would happen after the coming of the Messiah (Dan,8:11, 9:26-27, 11:31, 12:11, Hos3:4, Amos 7:9)...

... If Abraham or Moses would come today to Israel or New York, they would not recognize "Judaism".

1- Judaism without "sacrifice":
The Prophets had announced that after the coming of the Messiah the Temple shall be thrown down, and the eternal sacrifice and the priesthood shall be abolished... Daniel 8:11, 9:27, 11:31, 12:11, Hosea 3:4, Amos 7:9...

... And this is exactly what happened after Jesus the Messiah, the Temple was destroyed in 70 AC by Titus, and Judaism was left without Temple, without Altar, without Sacrifice, and without Priests... only Rabbis (teachers), as it is today!... if Abraham or David would come today to Israel or New York, they would not recognize Judaism!...

... Only the 5 books of the Torah, the most sacred books, dedicate 27 full chapters to the altar, sacrifices, priests... (Ex.25-40, Lev.1-6, 23-25, Num.28-29... plus Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob spent a good time of their lives erecting altars and offering sacrifices (Gen.13:18, 26:25, 33:20, 35:1)... and now they are "obsolete" for the Jews of today!.

... It is astonishing to witness the fulfillment of all of these prophecies... and to see that still many Jews do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah!... though today there is a big movement of "Jews for Jesus"... and the Word of God says that eventually "all Israel will be saved, when the full number of Gentiles enter in" (Rom.11:25-26).

... The heart of any religion, even the pagan ones, is an "altar" and a "victim", with a "priest" to offer the "sacrifice"... today, the Jews have moral and ethics, but no sacrifice... they have a "body" without "heart"...

2- The Rabbinical Judaism and Talmud:

Without Temple nor sacrifices, the Sadducees (the priests), simply faded out of existence, and the Zealots who brought the revolt that lead to the destruction of Jerusalem disappeared.
...This left the "Pharisees alone" to carry on the Jewish faith... and the Rabbis (teachers, masters) emphasized the Law and created the "Talmud" as commented in the "Sacred Scriptures"... and the "rabbinical system", with the Talmud, was put in place, and remains so to the present.