Monthly Archives: December 2012

Basic Symbolism of the Cornerstone Pictorial

One of the most famous, yet misunderstood passages in the Bible concerns the ‘Cornerstone’
The Eye Above the Pyramid could NEVER be considered a Cornerstone. Just as the Eye Below the Pyramid is neither a Keystone or Capstone, but could well represent a Cornerstone
As can be seen, the Cornerstone is literally always found Below, while a Capstone, by definition, is to be found Above it.
Like a building which has both a Cornerstone Below and Capstone Above, a tree will always have both Roots and Branches, otherwise it would whither away and die
All of the Above

This degree actually has the candidate ritually removing Jesus Christ from the foundation of the Temple….The ceremony enacted out centres around a hidden vault that is found during rebuilding of Solomon’s Temple. The candidate is lowered down into this vault and told to remove the Cornerstone to allow more light into the vault. A Mason acting as Zerubbabel calls out to the candidate ‘Rise, wrench forth the keystone, and prepare to receive the light of the Holy Word’…The lecture includes the explanation “the secrets of the Royal Arch were only regained by wrenching forth the keystone thereof”

– The ‘Cornerstone’ Rejected, Christian-restoration.com

Related articles

Cornerstone Quotables, Part II.

The Cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.

– Cornerstone, Wikipedia

Definition of the Cornerstone, Part I.

Ushpizin, the Seven Shepherds of Judaism

This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our land, when he tramples on our citadels, then we will raise against him Seven Shepherds and Eight Princes of men.

– Micah 5:5

ushpizin-guests.jpg

Ushpizin (Aramaic: “visitors”)- according to the Jewish Kabbalistic book the Sefer ha-zohar (“Book of Splendour”), Seven ancient worthies who take turns visiting the homes of all pious Jews to share their dinner on the festival of Sukkoth. A custom developed of reciting a fixed formula of invitation to the Seven: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David.

– Encyclopedia Britannica (2008), Britannica.com

In chronological order, the Seven Shepherds of Judaism are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. However, these Shepherds also correspond to the Seven days of the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot (Festival of Tabernacles) and appear as spiritual guests in the following order: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David.

Why are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David called Shepherds? Some were indeed shepherds, and this was, at times, the primary reason they were chosen to lead

– The Seven Shepherds we invite to the sukkah are in fact none other than ourselves, Arthur Kurzweil (2009) Arthurkurzweil.com

The Seven Shepherds of Israel
1. Abraham
2. Isaac
3. Jacob
4. Joseph
5. Moses
6. Aaron
7. David

Image

During the holiday [of Sukkot], some Jews recite the ushpizin prayer which symbolises the welcoming of seven “exalted guests” into the sukkah. These ushpizin (Aramaic אושפיזין – ‘guests’), represent the seven shepherds of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. According to tradition, each night a different guest enters the sukkah followed by the other six. Each of the ushpizin has a unique lesson which teaches the parallels of the spiritual focus of the day on which they visit.

– Sukkot, Wikipedia

The Seven Ushpizin of Sukkot
Day 1. Abraham
Day 2. Isaac
Day 3. Jacob
Day 4. Moses
Day 5. Aaron
Day 6. Joseph
Day 7. David

So we come to the ushpizin. As we fill our sukkah with earthly guests, we merit to host seven supernal guests, the seven “founding fathers” of the Jewish people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. While all seven ushpizin visit our sukkah on each of the seven nights and days of Sukkot, each supernal “guest” is specifically associated with one of the festival’s seven days, and is the “leading” or dominant ushpiza for that night and day.

– The Ushpizin, by Yanki Tauber, Chabad.org

Interestingly enough, the Babylonian Talmud has a very different list of Seven Shepherds than that used today by all denominations of Judaism. Indeed, David, Adam, Abraham, Jacob and Moses are included, but two others are different as they exclude Isaac and Joseph from the list:

Who are these Seven Shepherds? David in the middle, Adam, Seth, and Methuselah on his right, and Abraham, Jacob, and Moses on his left. And who are the Eight Princes? Jesse, Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Zedekiah, Messiah, and Elijah.

– The Talmud, Sukkah 52b

Related articles

All authoritatively accepted translations of the Bible translate the number of the beast in Revelation 13:18 as being the number 666…Some scholars claim that the earliest known copies of the text use the Greek symbol for 10 instead of 60 and that the number should be 616. This is refuted by the writings of the second century Christian named Irenaeus, who knew the Apostle John and clarified that the number for 666 was what the Apostle John had written down. Either way, the numbers point to Pope Benedict XVI as the Antichrist. The Roman number in the written name Benedict XVI is DCXVI which is 616, but the Italian spoken name Benedict IL XVI contains the number DCLXVI which is 666. It is apparent that the Bible wanted us to know that Benedict XVI is the one being spoken of.

– The End of Time, by Kevin Lucier, GloryBound.net (http://www.glorybound.net/endoftime.php)

Beast 666…

Related articles

What a Surprise! Yet Another Protestant believes Pope Benedict XVI is the Beast 666

Visions such as those of Ezekiel and John, describe figures with the heads of a man, lion, ox, and eagle, which just happen to match the four “Cornerstone” constellations (Ezekiel 1:10, Revelation 4:7). It is precisely these four key figures which are the most easily matched with the four principal sons of Israel because each is mentioned in the blessings. Reuben is compared to a man and to water, Judah is compared to a lion, Dan to a serpent (counterpart of the eagle), and Joseph’s two sons to the horns of the wild ox. Those link to the constellations of the Water Bearer, the Lion, the Scorpion, and the Bull, respectively (Genesis 49: 4, 9, 17; Deuteronomy 33:17). Those four sons are each also assigned to four directions (Numbers 2:3, 10, 18, 25), and those four constellations are evenly spaced around the circle, as are the four points of a compass.

– Twelve Sons, Twelve Constellations, by John P. Pratt, Meridian Magazine

The Four Living Creatures of the Bible and the Four ‘Cornerstone’ Constellations of the Zodiac

Cornerstone Quotables, Part I.