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Index
Plantation of date palms for healthy and GMO-free food production.
Dates have been cultivated for some 5,000 years.
Trees are an important part of Scripture, having important roles at both the Physical and the Spiritual Levels. For example, see the breadth of God's vision, His intentions, in this passage from Isaiah:
13 For I the LORD am your God,
Who grasped your right hand,
Who say to you: Have no fear;
I will be your help.
14 Fear not, O worm Jacob,
O men of Israel:
I will help you
—declares the LORD—
I your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 I will make of you a threshing board,
A new thresher, with many spikes;
You shall thresh mountains to dust,
And make hills like chaff.
16 You shall winnow them
And the wind shall carry them off;
The whirlwind shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD,
And glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 The poor and the needy
Seek water, and there is none;
Their tongue is parched with thirst.
I the LORD will respond to them.
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18 I will open up streams on the bare hills
And fountains amid the valleys;
I will turn the desert into ponds,
The arid land into springs of water.
19 I will plant cedars in the wilderness,
Acacias and myrtles and oleasters;
I will set cypresses in the desert,
Box trees and elms as well—
20 That men may see and know,
Consider and comprehend
That the LORD's hand has done this,
That the Holy One of Israel has wrought it. (Isaiah 41:13-20 (Tanakh))
[Literary/Technical Analysis: Isaiah chapter 41 (Tanakh).]
Almond tree in bloom.
Almond flowers.
Delicate bud of almond tree.
Famine in the land of Canaan:
8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy in my care, and let us be on our way, that we may live and not die—you and we and our children. 9 I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible: if I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I shall stand guilty before you forever. 10 For we could have been there and back twice if we had not dawdled.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your baggage, and carry them down as a gift for the man—some balm and some honey, gum, ladanum, pistachio nuts, and almonds. (Genesis 43:8-11 (Tanakh))
Almonds were considered to be a choice food, worthy of being gifted!
The almond tree is a reminder that the Lord is watching:
[11] The word of the Lord came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
"I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied.
[12] The Lord said to me, "You have seen correctly,
for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." (Jeremiah 1:11-12 NIV)
Hebrew for 'watching' sounds like the Hebrew for almond tree.
It is here that we find the importance of the inclusion of the almond motif in the seven-branched Lampstand:
31 You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its base and its shaft, its cups, calyxes, and petals shall be of one piece. 32 Six branches shall issue from its sides; three branches from one side of the lampstand and three branches from the other side of the lampstand. 33 On one branch there shall be three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals, and on the next branch there shall be three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals; so for all six branches issuing from the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals: 35 a calyx, of one piece with it, under a pair of branches; and a calyx, of one piece with it, under the second pair of branches, and a calyx, of one piece with it, under the last pair of branches; so for all six branches issuing from the lampstand. 36 Their calyxes and their stems shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single hammered piece of pure gold. (Exodus 25:31-36 (Tanakh))
The Lampstand contains a permanent reminder that the Lord is watching...
Cedar of Lebanon.
It has to be said that a tall Cedar of Lebanon is an impressive - not to mention formidable - tree! The Woodland Trust describe it as stately, aromatic, gigantic, and one of the most majestic of all planted trees: Cedrus Lebani.
On a personal note, the layered appearance is a reminder of the layered structure of the Covenant.
The cedar is a magnificent tree! One might also say it is a 'royal tree', because Solomon used cedar to clad the walls of the first Temple. For more detail regarding the use of cedar, see 1 Kings, chapter 6.
Ezekiel 17:22-24 NIV suggests that the the origin of the Priests appointed to the Order of Melchiedek, aka the Two Olive Trees, aka the Cypress and the Myrtle, is associated with a shoot of the Royal Cedar taken and planted by the Lord on Mount Zion.
It doesn't take a lot of imagination to map this splendid cedar to the many-layered Covenant embedded deep in Mount Zion:
Micah 4:1-2
The Covenant exists at the Spiritual Level, its existential structure kept safe with the other documentation in God's Ark in the Heavenly Temple. But, as good as our vision and memory might be, the time is coming when we'll be stressed out of our minds by the rise in evil. As stress rises, the chances of making errors also rises. And so the Lord has provided us with an existential entity - the magnificent Cedar - in order to keep us on track and fully aligned with Him and His desires.
So, then, to map execution to agency:
[22] " 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. [23] On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. [24] All the trees of the field will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.
" 'I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.'" (Ezekiel 17:22-24 NIV)
That Covenant - planted like the Cedar on Mount Zion - will feed God's people, and will provide guidance, hope, shelter, and a refuge when evil comes crashing down...
The Lord God will raise up the Cypress and the Myrtle:
12 Yea, you shall leave in joy and be led home secure.
Before you, mount and hill shall shout aloud,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the brier, a cypress shall rise;
Instead of the nettle, a myrtle shall rise.
These shall stand as a testimony to the LORD,
As an everlasting sign that shall not perish. (Isaiah 55:12-13 (Tanakh))
The Law will go forth from the Olive Tree which is also known as the Cypress. The word of the Lord, in all its fulness, will go forth from the Olive Tree which is also known as the Myrtle. Though, despite this specialisation, there will inevitably be overlap.
The 'Micah 4:1-2' mapping.
As the end of the age draws near, the Law and God's Word will steady the Flock and help them to withstand the onslaught from the exponential rise in evil - especially the Awful Horror.
Zech-4 schematic in full.
Residential houses at Mount Zion and Kidron Valley.
Above is the Zech-4 schematic with the photo of Mount Zion and the Kidron Valley below it.
In the Heavenly Realm may be found the Temple flanked on either side by an olive tree.
The next layer maps to both the Spiritual and Physical Levels, in which are found the Cedar, the Cypress, and the Myrtle. The 'is-a' relationships show the specialisations of the Olive Trees.
Hence, 'Olive Tree' denotes the authority of the two olive trees flanking the Heavenly Temple. Whereas the sub-class of each denotes its specialisation and functionality. (See: Elmasri and Nevathe EER notation.)
[Dissertation: Shifts in metaphor in the Scriptures.]
The final layer is a photo of Mount Zion [and Kidron Valley], where dwells the Lord God, His Name, and His Heart:
For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling:
14 "This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned,
for I have desired it---“ (Psalm 132:13-14 NIV)
In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel.
2 His tent is in Salem [an early name for Jerusalem (Strong's, Young's)], his dwelling place in Zion. (Psalm 76:1-2 NIV)
3 The Lord said to him [Solomon]:
"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (1 Kings 9:3 NIV)
The residential houses on Mount Zion, above, are an existential reminder of those dwelling with the Lord in Zion at the Spiritual Level, and whose names are in the Register of Zion.
Cypress.
(See: Cypress (Israel).)
The cypress has an important part to play, as seen in the Scriptures:
10 For as the rain or snow drops from heaven
And returns not there,
But soaks the earth
And makes it bring forth vegetation,
Yieldingseed for sowing and bread for eating,
11 So is the word that issues from My mouth:
It does not come back to Me unfulfilled,
But performs what I purpose,
Achieves what I sent it to do.
12 Yea, you shall leave in joy and be led home secure.
Before you, mount and hill shall shout aloud,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the brier, a cypress shall rise;
Instead of the nettle, a myrtle shall rise.
These shall stand as a testimony to the LORD,
As an everlasting sign that shall not perish. (Isaiah 55:10-13 (Tanakh))
The shape of the cypress is not unlike a vertical line drawn downwards from the sky and touching the ground. With a little more imagination, it can be seen to resemble a Plumb-Line suspended from the Heavenly Realm and touching the Earth.
This likeness to the Plumb-Line suggests a commitment to God's standards and to His Law.
A form of 'conditional proof' (Manicas and Kruger) can be used to show that a function of one of the olive trees flanking God's Temple in Heaven is directed to ensuring the maintenance of God's standards and Law here on Earth.
[Dissertation: The Cypress - in life and in Scripture.]
Fruits of the Date.
13 The righteous bloom like a date-palm;
they thrive like a cedar in Lebanon;
14 planted in the house of the LORD,
they flourish in the courts of our God.
15 In old age they still produce fruit;
they are full of sap and freshness,
16 attesting that the LORD is upright,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong. (Psalms 92:13-16 (Tanakh))
Without fruit, there can be no redemption:
[19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 7:19 NIV)
[Essay: Reinforcing the Spiritual message with 'everyday' objects or rituals.]
Ripe figs on a tree.
The Lord's intention:
7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; 9 a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. 10 When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. (Deuteronomy 8:7-10 (Tanakh))
But this is followed by a warning:
11 Take care lest you forget the LORD your God and fail to keep His commandments, His rules, and His laws, which I enjoin upon you today. 12 When you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses to live in, 13 and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased, and everything you own has prospered, 14 beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget the LORD your God—who freed you from the land of Egypt, the house of bondage; 15 who led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its seraph serpents and scorpions, a parched land with no water in it, who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers had never known, in order to test you by hardships only to benefit you in the end—17 and you say to yourselves, “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.” 18 Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case.
19 If you do forget the LORD your God and follow other gods to serve them or bow down to them, I warn you this day that you shall certainly perish; 20 like the nations that the LORD will cause to perish before you, so shall you perish—because you did not heed the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 8:11-20 (Tanakh))
Obedience to God's commandments, rules, and laws, is essential! A sine qua non, if you like.
Olive tree and goat in the desert of Negev, Israel.
Olive Tree
In Zechariah:
1 The angel who talked with me came back and woke me as a man is wakened from sleep. 2 He said to me,
“What do you see?"
And I answered,
“I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl above it. The lamps on it are seven in number, and thelamps above it have seven pipes; 3 and by it are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and one on its left.”
...
11 “And what," I asked him, “are those two olive trees, one on the right and one on the left of the lampstand?" 12 And I further asked him, “What are the two tops of the olive trees that feed their gold through those two golden tubes?"
13 He asked me, “Don't you know what they are?"
And I replied, “No, my lord.”
14 Then he explained, “They are the two anointed dignitaries who attend the Lord of all the earth.” (Zechariah 4:1-3, 4:11-14 (Tanakh))
[Analyse and discuss: Zechariah 4:12 (Tanakh)]
The Olive Trees - with their tree-like structure - map directly to lineage. And so, in Revelation, is found two descendants of the two olive trees mentioned in Zechariah 4:14 T:
[3] And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth." [4] These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. (Revelation 11:3-4 NRSV)
One witness belongs to the sub-class 'Cypress', and the other to the sub-class 'Myrtle'. There is complete harmony, as they work together and with the Lord as they shepherd the Flock and witness to the nations.
The appearance of shepherds after God's own heart is conditional upon returning to Him:
14 Turn back, rebellious children—declares the LORD. Since I have espoused you, I will take you, one from a town and two from a clan, and bring you to Zion.
15 And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will pasture you with knowledge and skill. (Jeremiah 3:14-15 (Tanakh))
The Cypress and the Myrtle shall rise and wil remain an everlasting sign that shall not perish:
13 Instead of the brier, a cypress shall rise;
Instead of the nettle, a myrtle shall rise.
These shall stand as a testimony to the LORD,
As an everlasting sign that shall not perish. (Isaiah 55:13 (Tanakh))
The Cypress and the Myrtle are subclasses of the two olive trees flanking the Heavenly Temple. They will remain as an everlasting sign. Necessarily, therefore, the superclasses, the Two Olive Trees flanking the Temple in Heaven, will remain as an everlasting sign that shall not perish.
Since God's Temple in Heaven will exist throughout Eternity, those two olive trees flanking the Temple (Zech-4) will likewise exist throughout Eternity. In this, the Lord indicates that the two olive trees - the Cypress and the Myrtle - belong to the Priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek.
Some basic Information on the Myrtle.
Mentioned in the Book of Isaiah:
10 For as the rain or snow drops from heaven
And returns not there,
But soaks the earth
And makes it bring forth vegetation,
Yieldingseed for sowing and bread for eating,
11 So is the word that issues from My mouth:
It does not come back to Me unfulfilled,
But performs what I purpose,
Achieves what I sent it to do.
12 Yea, you shall leave in joy and be led home secure.
Before you, mount and hill shall shout aloud,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the brier, a cypress shall rise;
Instead of the nettle, a myrtle shall rise.
These shall stand as a testimony to the LORD,
As an everlasting sign that shall not perish. (Isaiah 55:10-13 (Tanakh))
[Analysis: Show how the 'myrtle-functionality' of one of the olive trees flanking the Heavenly Temple, represents God's care for His people, and extends to all the nations on Earth.]
The myrtle is also mentioned in the Book of Zechariah:
[7] In the second year that Darius was emperor, on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat), the LORD gave me a message in a vision at night. [8] I saw someone riding a red horse. He had stopped among some myrtle trees in a valley, and behind him were other horses-red, dappled, and white. [9] I asked him, "Sir, what do these horses mean?"
He answered, "I will show you what they mean.
[10] The LORD sent them to go and inspect the earth."
[11] They reported to the angel: "We have been all over the world and have found that the whole world lies helpless and subdued."
[12] Then the angel said, "Almighty LORD, you have been angry with Jerusalem and the cities of Judah for seventy years now. How much longer will it be before you show them mercy?"
[13] The LORD answered the angel with comforting words, [14] and the angel told me to proclaim what the LORD Almighty had said: "I have a deep love and concern for Jerusalem, my holy city, [15] and I am very angry with the nations that enjoy quiet and peace. For while I was holding back my anger against my people, those nations made the sufferings of my people worse. [16] So I have come back to Jerusalem to show mercy to the city. My Temple will be restored, and the city will be rebuilt."
[17] The angel also told me to proclaim: "The LORD Almighty says that his cities will be prosperous again and that he will once again help Jerusalem and claim the city as his own." (Zechariah 1:7-17 GNT)
The riders belong to the sub-class 'Myrtle'. They were sent out on assignment by the Lord (Zech.1:11 GNT). On their return, they stopped with other Myrtles (Zech. 1:8 GNT), and then made their report (Zech. 1:11 GNT).
Today, as per that report, the world lies helpless and subdued, in thrall to evil. David's Tent has been razed to the ground. Religion is in the hands of: contemporary Judaism, with its covenant with Death†; Messianic Judaism, with its attachment to the corrupt Bible; and the new-covenant church, with a covenant which belongs in the Blacklist. Each with their many faces and disguises.
[†
14 Hear now the word of the LORD,
You men of mockery,
Who govern that people
In Jerusalem!
15 For you have said,
“We have made a covenant with Death,
Concluded a pact with Sheol.
When the sweeping flood passes through,
It shall not reach us;
For we have made falsehood our refuge,
Taken shelter in treachery.”
16 Assuredly,
Thus said the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I will found in Zion,
Stone by stone,
A tower of precious cornerstones,
Exceedingly firm;
He who trusts need not fear.
17 But I will apply judgment as a measuring line
And retribution as weights;
Hail shall sweep away the refuge of falsehood,
And flood-waters engulf your shelter.
18 Your covenant with Death shall be annulled,
Your pact with Sheol shall not endure;
When the sweeping flood passes through,
You shall be its victims. (Isaiah 28:14-18 (Tanakh))
See also Jesus' condemnation.]
As for the Myrtle trees, they are Priests in the Order of Melchiedek who - together with the Cypress trees - have already been designated and appointed by the Lord.
[Dissertation: The Myrtle - in life and in Scripture.]
See also The 'Tree of Life' Allusion.
The Tree of Life is an existential tree which is found only in the Heavenly Realm. It did make an appearance in Eden, however, when the garden was annexed to the Heavenly Realm:
Not much is known about the Tree of Life, save for its function:
[22] Then the LORD God said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"- [23] therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. [24] He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:22-24 NRSV)
[1] Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb [2] down the middle of the great street of the city.
On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2 NIV)
1 He led me back to the entrance of the Temple, and I found that water was issuing from below the platform of the Temple—eastward, since the Temple faced east—but the water was running out at thesouth of the altar, under the south wall of the Temple. 2 Then he led me out by way of the northern gate and led me around to the outside of the outer gate that faces in the direction of the east; and I found that water was gushing from [under] the south wall. 3 As the man went on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and led me across the water; the water was ankle deep. 4 Then he measured off another thousand and led me across the water; the water was knee deep. He measured off a further thousand and led me across the water; the water was up to the waist. 5 When he measured yet another thousand, it was a stream I could not cross; for the water had swollen into a stream that could not be crossed except by swimming. 6 “Do you see, O mortal?" he said to me; and he led me back to the bank of the stream.
7 As I came back, I saw trees in great profusion on both banks of the stream. 8 “This water," he told me, “runs out to the eastern region, and flows into the Arabah; and when it comes into the sea, into the sea of foul waters, the water will become wholesome. 9 Every living creature that swarms will be able to live wherever this stream goes; the fish will be very abundant once these waters have reached there. It will be wholesome, and everything will live wherever this stream goes. 10 Fishermen shall stand beside it all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it shall be a place for drying nets; and the fish will be of various kinds [and] most plentiful, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes shall not become wholesome; they will serve to [supply] salt. 12 All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail; they will yield new fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the Temple. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” (Ezekiel 47:1-12 (Tanakh))
[Explain and discuss: Ezekiel 47:1-12 (Tanakh).]
Version: 2024-11-19
