Directions

Our understanding and measuring of the world is done with north-south, and east-west latitude and longitude lines and directions. It is how we establish the global coordinates of a location. It is how the earth is divided into hemispheres.
One of the great scriptures of the Bible is John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
The giving of the Son was for the whole world. The cross becomes the compass, and as Jesus was placed upon it and it was lifted up from the earth, His blood covered the compass directions. His arms were spread out onto the east-west cross piece, and the blood came from His hands upon those points. His head lay upon the north end of the upright piece, covered by the blood pouring from piercings of the crown of thorns, and the beating of His face. The southern point of the upright was covered by the blood of His feet. Every point between the north-south and east-west of the cross pieces was covered by the blood of the whipping of His back, arms and legs. The piercing of His side poured the water and the blood onto the midpoint of the directions. I had often wondered why the Son was pierced at the hands and feet. If the point was to release the atoning blood, there are much more efficient ways to do that. Wounds to the hands and feet are not fatal, and seem an unusual choice of the will of God. These wounds are prophesied by King David in Psalm 22:  "For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet."  There are probably other significant reasons why the Son had to be pierced at head, hands, feet, and side, but when I consider it, I see the blood at the four directional points.
The scriptures have interesting references to the primary compass directions that add to my picture. As Jacob dreamed about the ladder that reached from earth to heaven, and the angels that ascended and descended upon it, the LORD stood above that ladder and made this prophetic promise to Jacob:
"Also, your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed (incl. Messiah) all the families of the earth shall be blessed."     Gen. 28:14
Trusted gatekeepers to the tabernacle of the LORD, as well as the twelve tribes of Israel, were assigned to the four directions: the east, the west, the north, and the south (1 Chron. 9:24-26). The gatekeepers had charge of the keeping of the chambers and treasuries of the LORD. I don't think the LORD assigned the Gatekeepers (sho ar, שׁוֹעֵר ) because He was concerned for His money. The gatekeepers might have been in place, however, to keep watch over the true "treasures" of the four directions, the souls of the past, present, and future generations of the Redeemed in the earth. The Hebrew letters of the word for gatekeeper are shin, (sharp, destroy), vaw (nailed, joined), tsadde (inescapable, destination, harvest), reysh (most important, chief, head). The root word for gatekeeper is shah-ar, meaning opening, heaven. The destroying, sharp nails are an inescapable journey, bringing the harvest of chief importance, and the opening to heaven.
When Solomon built the temple, one of the furnishings was a great sea of bronze (2 Chron. 4:2-5). It was a large, completely round laver, which contained thousands of gallons of water, set upon the backs of twelve cast bronze oxen. Three oxen faced looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east. This giant laver or sea might have meant other things as well, but to me it is a beautiful picture of the cleansing Word, the Holy Spirit, the Salvation of the LORD to all the nations of earth.
Psalm 107 tells us that the redeemed (by the blood) of the LORD are gathered from the four directions of the earth. These redeemed had been hungry and thirsty, in a dry spiritual wilderness, from places of darkness and the shadow of death, and those lost in the storms and waves of the sea (v. 2-5, 10, 14, 25, 29-30). If we look at the Hebrew words and meanings of the four directions, we will see a similar picture:
West (yam)- seaward, the roaring of the surf and waves.
North (tsa phown)- hidden, obscure, dark, hidden ones, secret places, to hide, conceal.
South (negeb)- wilderness, desert region, parched, drought.
East (kedem)- ancient, before time, beginning, eternal, prevent, precede, to go before.

In Isaiah, the LORD, who identifies Himself as "your Savior", prophesies:
"Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
and gather you from the west;
I will say to the north, "Give them up!"
And to the south, "Do not keep them back!"
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth-
Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him."      Isa. 43:5-7
The LORD also promises that His salvation (Jesus) will be seen to the ends of the earth (Ps. 98:3, Isa. 49:6, Isa. 52:10, Acts 13:47).
Jesus described those who would be saved and redeemed by Him:
"They will come from the east, and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God."   Lk. 13:29
As Jesus' hands, head, and feet, were stretched out on the cross, His blood reached out and covered the four directions of the earth. That blood was demanding, "Give them up!" and "Do not keep them back!".

The Father keeps His promise to the four directions of the earth.

"Shout to the North"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctc3GqWaV3U

"God Will Restore the World" (Chinese)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSbIKFzIGII

"Mighty God"  (Soweto, Africa)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl62KqAruBo

"The Whole Earth" (Spanish)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es1YWSCXPZQ

Praise, Worship (Aleut)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wltpsYWW4Q

"Resurrection Chant/Hallelujah" (Russian)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsxxJNpZtHA

"Immanuel, Immanuel"  (Arabic -Cairo, Egypt)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjEehbjbIAY

"Et Shem Yeshua"  (Hebrew, Israel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUqm_N8muT0