2Realms

Dickens wrote "A Tale of Two Cities", but this is a tale of two realms. On the surface, this tale involved a showdown between two men. One was a powerful king, and the other was an exiled shepherd. The king was backed by a powerful army. The shepherd seemingly came to the showdown with only his shepherd's rod. However, these two men represented a confrontation between two spiritual realms. The king was Pharaoh of Egypt, and the shepherd was Moses, a Hebrew who had been raised in the household of a previous Pharaoh. Jewish commentaries on this Sabbath's reading offer some traditional insights that are very interesting. They say that Pharaoh was not only a king, but "a master of the lower spiritual world". In Hebrew, this lower world is called "Yetzirah". This lower world was the realm of the psyche, angels (demons) and souls. We know that Pharaoh had powerful magicians who served him in his palace. Magic and occultism played a strong role in the political power of Egypt. One Pharaoh, Ramses III, was plotted against within the palace using weapons of the occult. The plot was exposed before it could be proven successful or unsuccessful. The occult played an important role in daily Egyptian life as well. The Egyptians also relied upon magic and occultic practices to bring life after death, and for this purpose, the priests used magic from "The Book of the Dead". We can understand now why Moses was reluctant to go before Pharaoh, as the LORD had told him to do. Moses was very familiar with the dark ways of Egypt and its Pharaoh. Moses, though, came in the Name of the One who authored the "Lamb's Book of Life". In this Name, again according to Jewish commentary, Moses came from, and had access to, the "upper spiritual world". This realm is called "Beriah" in Hebrew. It is the realm of Creation, and the Throne of God. The appointed Sabbath portion for this week involves this showdown between Pharaoh and Moses, and the realms they represented, and is titled, "and I appeared" or Va-eirah in Hebrew. In our previous Sabbath portion, God had told Moses His Name was "I AM WHO I AM". We write this name using the English letters YHWH, pronounced Yahway. The Hebrew letters of this Name are yod, hey, vaw, heh, and it looks like this: יְהֹוָה. Each Hebrew letter has its own meaning, and the translation of the letters would be "Behold the hand, Behold the nail". Can you see why this name is so special? One of this week's Sabbath portions begins in Exodus 6. In this reading, we can clearly see the role that the Name "LORD", YHWH, has in the story of Moses and Pharaoh. This is what the LORD said to Moses. "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them (the children of Israel) go and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. And God spoke to Moses and said to him: I am the LORD (YHWH). I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty (see also Isa. 9:6), but by My name LORD (YHWH) I was not known to them." (Ex. 6:1-3). Up until this point, the Name YHWH had not been revealed to Israel, but as Moses was charged with confronting Pharaoh, he was sent before him in this Name of the LORD. Again in v. 6-8, God says to Moses, "Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians...I am the LORD." We are familiar with the contest of power that occurred between Moses and Pharaoh that followed, and the increasing severity of the plagues or judgments that God brought to Egypt. We also remember that Pharaoh's magicians tried to replicate the signs that Moses performed in the Name of the LORD. Pharaoh took confidence in the fact that the magic of Egypt seemed to be equal to the wonders that Moses did in that Name. When Moses lifted his rod and struck the waters of the river, and they became blood, "Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed...as the LORD had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this." (Ex. 7:20-23). Pharaoh was solely moved by power, and he felt that the occultic powers of Egypt would stand up to this God of the Hebrews named YHWH. He was wrong, as we know. As we saw earlier, the Name YHWH, or LORD, never before revealed to Israel up to this point, carries the image of the crucified Christ. It is the Name of the upper spiritual world, Beriah, and includes Creation (Jn. 1:1-3), and the Throne of God. Jesus told us of the power connected to the Name that carries His image, It is the Name of His sacrifice that gives us access to the Throne of God: "And whatever you ask in My (Jesus') name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (Jn. 14:13-14). And, "... in that day, you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name, Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (Jn. 16:23). The Name has superiority over all, including that "lower spiritual world": "And being found in appearance as a man, He (Jesus) humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:8-11). This Name is not just a name to be used as some sort of talisman. This name represents a Person, who in obedience to His Father, sacrificed all to bring salvation to man. This sacrifice is the power and honor of the Name. Through the Name that carries the image of Christ, YHWH, Moses was able to exhibit the power and authority from the Throne of God before Pharaoh: "So the LORD said to Moses: See I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron, your brother, shall be your prophet." (Ex. 7:1). Moses was a great servant of God, but it was the Name above all other names that made him as God to Pharaoh. You may say that Jesus wasn't crucified before Moses' time, so how could He be the Person of the Name, but He was. The crucified Christ was before Moses. He was before Abraham (Jn. 8:58). He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world! (Rev. 13:8). Did Pharaoh bow his knee to the Name, as the verses in Philippians said all would do? He did, at least for a moment: "And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked." (Ex. 9:27). Once the plague was lifted by Moses, however, Pharaoh went back to his hardened ways, but he was forced eventually to let the Hebrews go out of slavery. This lesson from the Sabbath readings for this week, and the revelation of the New Testament scriptures regarding the Name of Jesus, are very important to us today, especially as times grow more trying. Not only do we need a greater understanding of the Name in our daily walk now, but there is a prophetic importance to this understanding. In the end times, there will be another showdown between the two realms. There will come the son of perdition, or the Beast, and his false prophet who serves him, and his demonic religion, called Babylon. Like Pharaoh, they will rely for their power on the "lower spiritual world" (Rev. 13:2, 12-15, Rev. 19:20). With this demonic power, they will conquer the nations of the earth, and persecute the people of faith. Like Pharaoh, they will not win in the showdown, but the wisdom of the people who know their God will play a vital role in those coming times (Dan. 11:32-33, 12:3). Part of knowing our God is in the understanding of His Name, the LORD. May the LORD give us wisdom and understandng in the knowledge of His Name, and its direct relationship with Creation and the Throne of God. Our Father has revealed the mighty Name of His Son for us. If you would like to experience Jesus as Savior, Deliverer, and Redeemer, and LORD, you can pray: "LORD, Jesus, God has given You the Name that is above all names. I believe that You died for my sins, and rose from the dead. I believe that You rule with all authority. You have been given the authority to forgive my sins. Help me to walk in your righteousness through Your Holy Spirit. You only deliver me from the slavery and hard bondage of sin that held me in darkness. I believe that You have heard and answered my prayer to You this day, prayed in Your holy Name. Amen."