“It is wisdom to bless Israel and the Jewish people.”
“Yes,” said the teacher. “And it also tells you that God is real, faithful, and more powerful than history. When He gives His Word, believe it. And know that His love for His people is so great that He will even move empires for their sake.”
The Mission: Take a promise from His Word. Believe the promise with all your heart. Step out and live your life in light of it.
Genesis 12:1–3
The Chaldean Secret of World History I–III
DAY 102
THE MIRYAM MYSTERY
THE MOST FAMOUS woman in all of human history . . . loved, cherished, and adored more than any other woman on earth . . . Mary.”
“The Virgin Mary?”
“But the real Mary was very different from the way most have imagined her. She was Jewish. And she was never called Mary.”
“What was she called then?”
“Miryam. She was named after the Miryam of Egypt, the sister of Moses, the one whose most critical act was to keep watch over her baby brother as he drifted down the Nile River. Her mission was to protect his life. Moses would grow up to become the deliverer to set his people free from bondage. But it was Miryam who ensured that he would survive as a baby in order do that. Her calling was to usher the life of the redeemer into the land of Egypt where he would bring salvation. Over a thousand years later, another Hebrew child would be given the same name, Miryam. . . and the same calling.”
“The same calling?”
“What was Mary’s calling? It was to usher in the life of the Deliverer, the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus, into a fallen world. And remember what Yeshua means—salvation. So it is Miryam who ushers in salvation.”
“And what does the name Miryam mean?”
“In Egyptian,” he said, “the name can mean love.”
“So Yeshua is born of Miryam, born of God’s love.”
“Yes, but in Hebrew, Miryam means something very different. It means bitterness and rebellion.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“But it is good,” he said. “God causes Miryam to give birth to Yeshua. So too God causes a world of bitterness and rebellion to give birth to salvation. He causes Yeshua to be born in us . . . the other miracle. He even takes lives of rebellion and causes them to bring forth blessing and new life. And when does that life come? When does that miracle happen? Mostly it comes in times of trouble, crisis, fear, or sorrow . . . in bitterness. So through Miryam is born Yeshua.”
“And so ‘through bitterness is born salvation’ . . . even through us.”
“And if salvation, Yeshua, is born of us,” he said, “then we are all Miryam.”
The Mission: Take up the mystery of Miryam. Make it your aim this day, to bear His life, His presence, and His joy into the world.
Exodus 2:1–9; Luke 1:26–38
Miryam
DAY 103
YOM RISHON: THE COSMIC BEGINNING
HE CAME TO my room early in the morning to invite me for a walk. So we walked outside.
“Why do you think the resurrection took place on Sunday?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“Because Sunday,” said the teacher, “was the day everything began . . . Sunday is the day the universe began, the day of creation.”
“But there were no Sundays back then.”
“It wasn’t called Sunday. But it was Sunday nevertheless. Every Sunday is a commemoration of the beginning, the creation of the universe.”
“So the resurrection took place on Sunday because . . . ”
“Sunday is the day of the beginning. And all who receive it are given a new beginning for their lives. And why else on Sunday?” he asked. “Because Sunday comes after the Sabbath. And the Sabbath is the last day, the day of the end. So the resurrection happens on Sunday because it’s the power of what happens after the end. It’s what happens after Messiah’s end on the cross. And it’s what happens after the end of the old life. So for all who reach their end, for all who let their old lives end in Messiah’s end, the resurrection is the beginning that comes after that end. Why Sunday? Because Sunday is the commemoration of the cosmic beginning and the resurrection is the cosmic new beginning. Sunday is the day that begins the creation, and the resurrection is the beginning of the new creation, the firstfruits. And all who enter it become, themselves, new creations. And to them all things become new . . . And lastly, why Sunday?” he asked. “Because in the Scriptures Sunday is not called Sunday but Yom Rishon. And Yom Rishon means Day One. Messiah rose on Yom Rishon, Day One. Why? Because before Day One there is no other day. So all who receive the resurrection are receiving Day One. And in the power of Day One the old is wiped away. For before Day One . . . there is nothing, no sins, no guilt, no failures, no shame. And so all things become new. Learn the secret of living in the power of Yom Rishon, and all things will become new, and every day will become the first day . . . the beginning . . . Day One.”
The Mission: Live today as if it was Day One, as if everything that should never have been, never was, and all is new. For in redemption, it is so.
Genesis 1:1; Mark 16:2–6
Yom Rishon
DAY 104
THE SHADOW MAN
WE WERE SITTING on a hill in the midst of a valley on a warm windy day.
“Do you see that?” asked the teacher. He was pointing to the patches of darkness moving across the valley, the shadows of the rapidly moving clouds above us.
“You see their shadows,” he said, “before they come. In the same way, before Messiah came, there were shadows of His coming. One of the shadows was Yosef or Joseph, the son of Jacob. The rabbis have long seen in the story of Joseph a shadow of the coming Messiah. Joseph was the beloved son of his father. Of what could that foreshadow concerning Messiah?”
“Messiah was the beloved son of the Father,” I replied.
“Joseph’s father, Jacob, sent him on a mission to his brothers.”
“So God would send Messiah,” I said, “on a mission to His brothers, the nation of Israel.”
“Joseph’s brothers,” said the teacher, “despised him, rejected him, and conspired to kill him.”
“So Messiah would be despised and rejected, and His enemies would conspire to kill Him.”
“Joseph was taken to a foreign land, Egypt, and separated from his family.”
“So Messiah would become separated from His own people and family, the Jewish people.”
“Joseph was falsely accused and, though innocent, was arrested and taken to prison, suffering for the sins of others.”
“So Messiah would be falsely accused and, though innocent, would be arrested and taken away to suffer for the sins of others.”
“Joseph,” said the teacher, “was then raised up from the dungeon and placed on the throne.”
“So Messiah,” I said, “would be raised up from the depths of death and seated on a throne of glory.”
“Joseph became the redeemer of Egypt and was responsible for saving an entire nation from death.”
“And Messiah would become the Redeemer of all, the Savior of the world.”
I thought about it all for a moment. “How great He must be,” I said, “for the history of nations to be just a part of the shadow of His coming!”
“The history of nations,” said the teacher, “and the history of our lives. He’s the reality that fulfills every hope . . . even of our lives . . . and of all the shadows that lie waiting until He comes.”
The Mission: Joseph means he shall increase, a shadow of Messiah who, like Joseph, triumphs through all things. In Messiah, you have that same power. Use it this day.
Genesis 50:19–21; Isaiah 53; John 1:9–13
The Shadow Man I–VI
DAY 105
THE MAN BORN TO PAUSE AND ASK
IN THE ANCIENT world,” said the teacher, “there was born a Jewish child to an affluent family. His parents gave him two names. The one
name could be translated as ‘small’ but which came from a root word meaning to pause, to desist, or to stop. His other name came from a root word that meant to ask, to seek, or to inquire. The child grew up and rarely paused or desisted from anything. Nor was he one to question his course. He was headstrong. But one day all that would change. He finally paused . . . in the form of a blinding light that caused him to fall to the ground.”
“The apostle Paul?”
“Yes. The name Paul or Paulus comes from the root word pauo, which means to pause, to stop, to desist, to cease from one’s course, or to come to an end. So the man whose name was linked to pausing and stopping finally pauses and stops. God caused him to finally stop, to desist, and come to an end. So his whole life, from the moment he received his name, was leading up to that moment.”
“And what about his other name?”
“In Hebrew,” said the teacher, “the word for ask is shoel, from which we get the name Shaul or Saul.”
“Paul and Saul,” I said, “he who pauses and asks.”
“And what happened,” asked the teacher, “right after he paused? God said to him, ‘Saul! Saul!’ In Hebrew that’s like saying, ‘Ask! Ask!’ And what did Paul do? He finally asked the question: ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Finally, he who was born to ask, asked. For the first time in his life, he realized that he didn’t even know who God was. And only when he asked was he able for the first time to know. His whole life was waiting for that moment. And his question was answered with the words, ‘I am Yeshua, Jesus.’ And so the life of the man who paused and asked would be changed forever. He would become what he was born to become. You see,” said the teacher, “if you can’t stop, if you can’t pause enough to seek, you’ll never find anything more than what you already have. And if you can’t ask, then you’ll never know anything more than you already do. Pause that you might find. And ask that you might know. For we were all born to pause and ask.”
The Mission: Today, pause, stop what you’re doing, cease from your routine and your course, and with no preconceptions, seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:11–13; Acts 9:1–8; Romans 1:1
The Name of Paul
DAY 106
THE AUDIBLE SAPPHIRE
THE TEACHER OPENED one of the drawers in his desk and took out what appeared to be a precious stone of deep blue. He placed it in my hand.
“It’s a biblical sapphire.”
“It’s very nice,” I replied, not knowing what else to say.
“I didn’t give it to you because of its appearance, but because of what it signifies . . . because of its origin.”
“Its origin?”
“The origin of its name,” he said.
“Sapphire?”
“Yes,” said the teacher. “Sapphire comes from a French word, which comes from a Latin word, which comes from a Greek word . . . which comes from an ancient biblical Hebrew word . . . sappir.”
“So sapphire comes from biblical Hebrew,” I said. “What’s the significance of the name?”
“The Hebrew word for sapphire comes from the Hebrew root saphar. And saphar means to speak, to tell, or to declare.”
“So the word sapphire ultimately means to speak? What’s the connection?”
“The connection is this,” said the teacher. “More precious than any treasured jewel is the Word. Every Word of God is a sapphire, a spoken sapphire, and yet much more precious. If one has no treasures in this world, but has the Word of God, then one is rich. Every Word of God is a treasure of priceless value. So when you read or hear a Word from God, receive it as if you were receiving a priceless jewel. And give it the same way.”
“How?”
“Your words are to be as sapphires. You don’t need to possess precious jewels—you just have to speak them. Every time you open your mouth to speak, let what comes out be a sapphire, a gift to be given to those who need to receive a precious jewel. So let every word that comes out of your mouth be a precious jewel. Give jewels to those in need, jewels of blessing, jewels of encouragement, jewels of strength, jewels of mercy, jewels of love, jewels of forgiveness, jewels of joy, and jewels of hope. Let your every word bring life to those who hear it . . . an audible jewel . . . a spoken sapphire.”
The Mission: Today, make every word that comes out of your mouth a precious jewel, a gift of life, the spoken sapphire.
Ephesians 4:29; 5:19; Colossians 4:6; 1 Peter 4:11
Not a Rotten Word
DAY 107
THE OTHER ELOHIM
WHEN MOSES WAS on Mount Sinai receiving God’s Law,” said the teacher, “at the bottom of the mountain the Israelites decided to build a golden calf and worship it. When the calf was finished, they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ But in other translations and in another part of Scripture, the words come out differently: Instead of “These are your gods, O Israel,’ it reads, ‘This is your God, O Israel.’ How can the same declaration be translated so differently? Think back to what I told you about the Hebrew word for God. What was strange about it?”
“Elohim,” I said, “is a plural word, but it speaks of a singular reality—God. That’s it!” I said. “The word they used in their pronouncement had to be Elohim. So it could be translated either as ‘your God’ or ‘your gods.’”
“Exactly. It’s the same word. Elohim refers to the majesty of the one true God, but it also can speak of the many false gods of the nations. It’s interchangeable. And this interchangeability reveals a profound thing: If you turn away from Elohim, the one true God, you will end up serving the elohim, the gods. So when the people of Israel turned away from God, they always ended up turning to the gods of the nations. They turned from one Elohim to another elohim. For in the end, it all comes down to a choice between Elohim or elohim. If you turn away from the one Elohim, you will end up with the other.”
“And what exactly is the other elohim you end up with?”
“The same elohim they ended up with at Mount Sinai, the gods, but in different guises—the gods of money and pleasure, the elohim of success, possessions, comfort, vanity, self. There’s no end to the elohim. And as it is for an individual, so for peoples, nations, and civilizations. Any civilization that turns away from the Elohim of God will end up serving the elohim of the gods. And that which serves the elohim ultimately loses its unity. It becomes as divided, fractured, and scattered as the elohim themselves. That which worships the elohim ends up devaluing, degrading, and debasing itself, just as in the day of the golden calf.”
“So what do you do if you find that the elohim are present in your life?”
“The same thing they did with the golden calf—you get rid of it. Only then can things be right . . . when you turn away from the elohim and back to Elohim.”
The Mission: Get rid of the elohim in your life, the idols you seek after, the gods that drive you. Get rid of your elohim and return to your Elohim.
Exodus 32:7–8; Romans 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10; 1 John 5:21
The Golden Calf Revelation I–IV
DAY 108
THE MAGIAN JOURNEY
HE LED ME into a room known as the Chamber of Vessels. There he retrieved a small wooden box from which he removed an intricately adorned metal container. Inside the container was a white powder.
“Frankincense,” said the teacher, “one of the gifts of the Magi.”
“Who exactly were the Magi?” I asked.
“Priests of an ancient Persian religion called Zoroastrianism, one of many pagan religions. Star gazers who followed one particular star in their search to find the newborn King of the Jews.”
“But how did they know for sure that Messiah was born?”
“No one knows for certain,” he said. “It’s a mystery. They only had shadows to go on, glimpses, hints, traces, longings, and the star. But they were seeking for the truth as best they could. They had no idea where it would all take them. They just followed the star, step by step, knowing only the next ste
p and nothing else. Yet they ended up finding Him. And they had no idea what was written in an ancient prophecy.”
“About Messiah.”
“About them. Seven centuries before they arrived in Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah prophesied of Messiah’s coming to Israel: ‘Arise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you . . . and the Gentiles will come to your light . . . and a multitude of camels will cover your land . . . and they will bring gold and frankincense. . . ’”
“Gold and frankincense, those were the gifts of the Magi.”
“A prophecy of Gentiles coming to Israel in light of Messiah’s coming and bearing gifts as they came . . . a prophecy that waited over seven hundred years to be fulfilled. And the Magi had no idea. They were only seeking to follow God’s will, as if walking in the dark, step by step. And yet they ended up fulfilling their appointed destiny, ordained and foretold for hundreds of years. Learn their secret,” said the teacher. “You don’t have to know all that lies ahead of you . . . you never will. But set your heart on seeking His presence and His will, doing what you know is right, taking the next step, and the next, and you’ll end up in the place appointed for your life, even from ancient times, even from the beginning . . . the glory at the end of the Magian journey.”
The Book of Mysteries Page 16