|
ISAIAH 19: YAHWEH'S ALTAR PILLAR IS NOT THE GREAT PYRAMID Isaiah chapter 19: 19 "In that day shall there be an ALTAR to Yahweh in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a PILLAR at the border thereof to Yahweh. 20 And it shall be for a SIGN and for a WITNESS unto Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto Yahweh because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them." Those who promote the 91st Day calendar based on the "noon to noon" day do so by starting their year at high noon in Egypt on the day of the Vernal Equinox as the Great Pyramid is used as their sundial to mark that day. Their claim is that such a year's beginning is Biblical because the Great Pyramid in Egypt is the stone altar pillar mentioned in Isaiah 19:19,20 and that Yahweh has given this monument to us as His "sign and witness" by which to construct the solar Sabbath calendar. The pyramid's construction is usually attributed to Enoch by those who make this claim. The Great Pyramid is not the stone altar-pillar of Isaiah 19, and such a claim is the result of sensationalist theology carelessly buzzed about, by certain people in the Christian Identity movement. Yahweh's LAW to His faithful ones concerning the construction of stone altars is that it is forbidden to build an altar to Yahweh out of hewn stone! The Great Pyramid of Giza is nothing but hewn stones! All of it. "And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it." (Exodus 20:25) Any stone altar that our Biblical ancestors loyal to Yahweh did build, was veritably made out of natural stone untouched by men's chisels and designs. The reason being that the altar was the center piece upon which the sacrifices were made to attest to the salvation (safety) of Yahweh Almighty. It was then purely symbolic of The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who was coming to voluntarily offer up Himself to pay for our debt of sins. Christ is both the sacrifice, and the sanctified altar. "Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?" (Matthew 23:19); "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself" (John 17:19). The act of "saving" the people was something done and designed by Yahweh Himself and no effort of man can force such a blessing from the Most High. Man has nothing to do with the eternal spiritual design of salvation. To reinforce this truth into the worship due Him by man, Yahweh forbade Israel from using man made stone structures which they designed (hewn stone) to serve as altars, and permitted only unhewn stone made by Yahweh's natural forces to serve in this purpose. Altars for Israel could be of earth (Ex.20:24) as no human design for a dirt heap is inherent in it. Another type of altar was expressly limited to being made of shittim wood overlaid with brass (bronze), but with detailed designs specifically given by Yahweh Himself as in Exodus 27:1-8. But no hewn stone altars crafted and made by men were permitted. Before we pinpoint what the Great Pyramid actually is, we are going to cover some little known, but extremely revealing history of our Saxon Israel race in ancient Egypt, and see how Isaiah's prophecy in verse 19 and 20 is relevant to it. (In our next section we will begin our discovery of the spiritually polluted nature of the Great Pyramid. Have you ever noticed that it's a favorite symbol of the Iluminati? We'll find out precisely why.) A little factual homework into the general history of that period will go a long way in opening our eyes to see that taking two verses out of a Bible chapter (Isa. 19:19,20) and applying it to unprovable rumors about pyramidology is beyond careless. It is detrimental to the teaching of the Gospel to those who are searching for answers. This kind of claptrap is what destroys credibility in the Israel Kingdom message which our Saxon people need so desperately to receive in our modern world today.
Historical Review Concerning The Building Of The Alternative Temple In Egypt History would in time prove Isaiah to have surely been inspired by the Holy Spirit, as he prophesied about the altar pillar yet to be built in the land of Egypt on permission by Yahweh. The fact that this altar had NOT YET BEEN BUILT in Isaiah's days is proof enough that he could not be describing the Great Pyramid which was built thousands of years before Isaiah was born. Isaiah declared "In that day shall there be an altar to Yahweh ..."(19), meaning that at a future time a certain altar would be present in the land of Egypt and that it wasn't there yet in Isaiah's life time. This is another reason we know that Isaiah in chapter 19 was absolutely not talking about the Great Pyramid . Josephus, the first century Judean Judahite (not jewish) historian who lived through and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., gives us some valuable insight as to the historical events surrounding the Temple in Jerusalem and the Temple in Egypt built by the rightful priest Onias IV who served Yahweh amongst Judah. Josephus records it in this manner: "But then the son* of Onias the high priest, who was of the same name with his father, and who fled to king Ptolemy, ....out of a desire to purchase to himself a memorial and eternal fame, he resolved to send to king Ptolemy and queen Cleopatra, to ask leave of them that he might build a temple in Egypt like to that at Jerusalem, and might ordain Levites and priests out of their own stock. The chief reason why he was desirous so to do, was, that he relied upon the prophet Isaiah, who lived about six hundred years before, and foretold that there certainly was to be a temple built to Almighty God in Egypt by a man that was a [Judahite]." Josephus Anitq. Book XIII:3:1 ( *the son being Onias IV) Josephus, of course, was referring to Isaiah chapter 19 and the altar-pillar mentioned therein. He tells us that it was a Temple to Yahweh modeled after the Temple in Jerusalem. He tells us nothing of the mistaken notion that Isaiah's altar-pillar is the Great Pyramid, simply because it never was! This son of Onias was Onias IV (his father Onias III of the same name). History records that Onias I of this Levitical family line was the son of the High Priest Jaddua mentioned by the prophet Nehemiah . Nehemiah chapter 12: 1 "Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ---- 10 And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada, 11 And Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua."
Josephus Ant. xi,8 sec7: 7. "Now when Alexander was dead, the government was parted among his successors, but the temple upon Mount Gerizzim remained. And if any one were accused by those of Jerusalem of having eaten things common or of having broken the sabbath, or of any other crime of the like nature, he fled away to the Shechemites, and said that he was accused unjustly. About this time it was that Jaddua the high priest died, and Onias his son took the high priesthood. This was the state of the affairs of the people of Jerusalem at this time."
The book of Maccabees, from the original King James Version Bible, tell us of the godliness of Onias III, which faithfulness was inherited in the same demeanor by his son Onias IV. 2 Maccabees Chapter 3: 1 "While the holy city lived in perfect peace and the laws were strictly observed because of the piety of the high priest Onias and his hatred of evil, 2 the kings themselves honored the Place and glorified the temple with the most magnificent gifts."
But then we read in 2 Maccabees 6: 1 - 6 after a takeover of the Temple by a corrupt priesthood: " 1: Not long after this the king sent an old man of Athens to compel the [Judahites] to depart from the laws of their fathers, and not to live after the laws of God: 2: And to pollute also the temple in Jerusalem, and to call it the temple of Jupiter Olympius; and that in Garizim, of Jupiter the Defender of strangers, as they did desire that dwelt in the place. 3: The coming in of this mischief was sore and grievous to the people: 4: For the temple was filled with riot and revelling by the [nations], who dallied with harlots, and had to do with women within the circuit of the holy places, and besides that brought in things that were not lawful. 5: The altar also was filled with profane things, which the law forbiddeth. 6: Neither was it lawful for a man to keep sabbath days or ancient fasts, or to profess himself at all to be a [Judahite]."
After these days the son of the High Priest Onias III, Onias IV left for Egypt, along with a great number of Judahites disenchanted with the corruption in Jerusalem. Although much more could be written about this fascinating age in Saxon history, it's best for our purposes here to condense the voluminous matter readily available in library reference books listed in the card catalog. I encourage the reader to spend a day at the library to brush up on this era. The empires of Greece, Rome, and Egypt, had heavily influenced what was happening in Judea and Jerusalem in the several centuries before Christ. That is a "big chunk" of history to try to brief over on one web page, so remember -- this is just a highlight. But a quick historical overview is necessary so that we can get a "basic handle" on what Isaiah meant in chapter 19 by his prophecy --- and thereby we can move on with our studies pertaining to the 91st Dayers many claims about the Great Pyramid. In order to appreciate Josephus' writings as well as the Maccabees account concerning the Temple in Egypt, we must realize that the land of Egypt was one of a dual nature for our Saxon ancestors. Just as America today is home to both extremes of the battle for good and evil, such as having the United Nations and the Federal Reserve on our soil, while yet we were established as a Republic of Christians who repelled the international community in 1776 --- so was ancient Egypt a geographical place of both friend and foe to our ancestors. It was the nation of the lowest sort of heathen based religious government that enslaved Israel for centuries, while still being the land where Joseph became a leader over the affairs of state, and a place of refuge for the Messiah, Mary, and Joseph when Herod was murdering children in Jerusalem. (Mat.2:13,14) Not only did Christ as an infant find refuge in Egypt, some 600 years earlier the prophet Jeremiah with many Judahite exiles emigrated to Egypt due to Israel and Judah losing their kingdoms to the Assyrians and Babylonians as punishment from Yahweh for violating national divine laws. The following generations produced a large Saxon community within Judahite settlements of Egypt, and from about 325 BC the Ptolomies in Egypt dealt favorably with them. The Ptolemaic dynasty was a Greek royal family which ruled the Empire in Egypt for nearly 300 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC. Ptolemy himself was one of Alexander the Great's generals who governed the area of Egypt and after Alexander died Ptolemy declared himself King Ptolemy I. The Ptolemies became the successors to the pharaohs who once ruled Egypt, and the Egyptians soon accepted this turn of events with the Ptolemy family ruling Egypt until the Roman conquest of 30 BC. Meanwhile Judah in 'Palestine' found themselves under a new pressure by Antiochus Epiphanies (165 BC) to have the whole area "hellenized" with the Greek religion and customs to replace or at least compromise the Judahite religion. The faithful still hanging to the last vestiges of loyalty to the Priesthood of the Old Testament were at a quandary as what to do. The Greeks furthermore placed Menelaus who was not of the lineage of Levitical royal priests, as acting High Priest over the Judah area. This corrupted the Temple activities and brought about a defilement of that Temple itself. Onias IV, the rightful high Priest, fled to Egypt whereupon the prophecy of Isaiah 19:19,20 began to unfurl. This spectacular chain of events controlled by Yahweh had nothing to do with the Great Pyramid. With the Ptolemies ruling Egypt and actually befriending the exiled Judahites who had fled corruption in Jerusalem, Onias IV sought permission from Ptolemy and Cleopatra to build a Temple patterned after the one in Jerusalem. Seeking to appease "whatever gods" they perceived as a possible benefit to them, the Egyptian rulers agreed. This was rapidly done, with the Temple and Scriptural altar being constructed in an area close to the old Egyptian city of Heliopolis, which city once served as the center for their Sun god, Ra. Heliopolis had been militarily destroyed by the Persians centuries before and now Onias rebuilt a nearby city for Judah at Leontopolis (see Strabo xvii. pp. 802,803.) Leontopolois is known by the Arabs today as Tell al Muqdam, an ancient Egyptian city. This new Temple in Egypt was served by racial Levitical priests and the rightful successor line of high priests of Onias' family. Josephus goes on to explain that exiled Judah living in Egypt in very large numbers worshipped at this central Temple for 343 years! ( For more see Josephus Antiq. XIII:3 complete) Some historians comment that the period may be more near 240 years, and possibly somewhere in-between. The important point is that this is a LONG TIME for Judahite worship of the faithful remnant in Egypt to be coinciding with the corruption of the unlawful 'goings on' in the Temple of Jerusalem. Why has not the present Christian Israel Kingdom remnant in America been aware of this ever so important part of our racial Biblical past? Because of the completely WRONG and unfounded interpretation of Isaiah 19:19 in supposing that it applies to the Great Pyramid, which teaching is based on a 'misguided egocentric hype' that "only the white race could build such a structure" so therefore this structure must be "given to us from God". Let's realize that the present Israel Kingdom movement and theology in America is not without its blunders, with Catholic superstitious doctrines and New Age dicta still influencing some of what it teaches. It should also be noted that with all the rightful credit given the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament Scriptures) as a Biblical source, it was the happenstance surrounding our ancestors living in exile in Egypt that brought about this valuable Old Testament translation. If we read Jeremiah 44 we see that it is written concerning "all the Judahites which dwell in the land of Egypt .. " (v. 1 & rest of chapter). This was about 600 BC and there were already hundreds of thousands of Judahites who immigrated there because of the Babylonians ransacking the Temple in Jerusalem and taking captive many into the dispersion northward. They had made their homes in Egypt for several centuries, --- for which reason about 300 years later Ptolomy II transported even more Judahites along with the Septuagint scholars to Alexandria in Egypt. Mainly speaking Hebrew for several generations, the transported Judahites now living in Hellenized Egypt eventually developed Greek as the common language and a need arose for a 'Bible' they could read. The Greek Septuagint was that literary work. We read in Harper’s Bible Dictionary (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1985), definition: "Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT that began in the third century b.c. in Alexandria, Egypt. The name Septuagint comes from the Greek word for ‘seventy’ (hence the symbol LXX, 70 in Roman numerals) and refers to the seventy-two 'Judahite' translators brought to Egypt by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 b.c.) to translate the Pentateuch, according to the legendary account in the Letter of Aristeas." That the assembled exiles in Egypt would be a substantial number who came speaking Hebrew was also prophesied in Isaiah 19, several centuries before it happened and it is more relevant testimony why the chapter is a commentary about the movement of some of Judah into Egypt, and says nothing about the Great Pyramid being the stone altar. "In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to Yahweh of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction." (v18) (the language being Hebrew of later Canaan) John Gill's Expositor comments on this verse: "Egypt literally is here designed; and its five cities either intend just so many principal ones, as some think, namely, Memphis, Tanis, Alexandria, Bubastis, and Heliopolis; or rather it is a certain number for an uncertain." In the above verse 18, the mention of "The city of destruction" was the last city named -- that being Heliopolis, which in Greek means "City of the Sun". Heliopolis was at one time the center of Egyptian worship to the Sun god, Ra, known in the Babylonian/Tyrian religious customs as Baal. The same city in Hebrew was called Beth Shemesh or "House of the Sun". Jeremiah writes about it in his book chapter 43:12,13: 12 "And I (Yahweh) will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he (the King of Babylon) shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace. 13 He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire." In the earlier days of Heliopolis' active and influential veneration of the heathen Sun god Ra, Yahweh forbid any remnant of Judah to immigrate to Egypt to take up dwelling there. (Jer.42) Nevertheless many of Judah disobeyed and made the journey anyway. Our people have a bad habit of not wanting to wait on Yahweh's good timing and His wisdom for doing a particular thing or preparing a particular place. Many times we desire the carnal mentality of the "quick fix", and in haste our kin have made many serious mistakes. Going down into Egypt before Yahweh had cleansed the spiritual defilement of an area within it was a grievous mistake on the part of Judah for which many of them paid later with their lives. Yahweh had raised up Nebuchadrezzar King of Babylon as a chastening rod. Fulfilling the divine promise of Jeremiah 43 & 44, in 567 BC Nebuchadrezzar invaded Egypt and destroyed Heliopolis (known as "On" in Egypt) along with burning its many Egyptian gods . (Ezek.29:19) In the process any Judahite communities worshipping the heathen gods at Heliopolis were also consumed by the sword and famine. It was in Yahweh's time, centuries AFTER these events, that Isaiah's prophecy to find an altar and pillar in the land of Egypt for a witness to Yahweh was allowed to historically take place. In Yahweh's judgment against Egypt, Heliopolis was destroyed physically by Nebuchadrezzar, then 300 years later it was finished off spiritually by Onias the priest of exiled Judah, as Onias built the alternate Temple and community for dispersed loyal Judah near the ruins of Heliopolis. In this we have the prophetic story in Isaiah 19 continuing with the amazing saga as it reads: 21 "And Yahweh shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Yahweh in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, and perform it." Of course, the reference to "Egyptians" here means Saxon Judahites living in the land of Egypt who had been unable to sacrifice to Yahweh due to the events in Jerusalem. After He would destroy the heathen place of worship, the city of Destruction (Heliopolis/On), Yahweh would send a great leader, Onias the rightful High Priest, a brave man of vision, to lead the Judahites in Egypt back to a dedicated worship of The Almighty. Onias built the altar of verse 19 and its Temple for the people of the exile from Jerusalem -- and this worship continued for nearly 300 years!! This Temple, and more importantly the renewed testimony of THE FAITH is the "pillar" we read about in verses 19 & 20. In fact, Paul the Apostle tells us that the House of God where the truth is restored and taught IS THE PILLAR 1 Timothy 3:15 "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." Not only did Onias build the Temple in Egypt to testify of Yahweh, he built it as a witness to the corruption of the Temple in Jerusalem. Although the Law said worship was to be conducted at Jerusalem (De 12:5,6 16:2), this is clearly applicable only as long as an undefiled Temple services continued with the lawful priesthood. Yahweh warned a defiled Jerusalem that He would abandon it FOREVER as He did the worship at Shiloh, to where His presence did not return. Jer.7:12 14 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. --- Therefore will I do unto this house (Jerusalem) which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh". Yahweh forsook Shiloh and never did return to that place. (Ps 78:60,61,67) Over a long period of time the same destiny overcame Jerusalem because of its corruption of the Temple services. The "place of worship" is prophetically held in reserve as "a place Yahweh shall choose", a phrase often used but the place not named. (Deut.12:18,26; 15:20) Certain inhabitants of Jerusalem became egotistical in thinking that because they still worshipped there, no matter the impurity it became, that Yahweh would never leave that place. 21 century Zionists (both Edomite Jews and 'Christian' Evangelicals) still hold to that belief. They arrogantly flaunt the propaganda that because they embrace old Jerusalem as "the holy land" that God Almighty blesses their every deed in the middle east. On the contrary, Jesus has condemned Jerusalem as a desolation and a den of thieves. (Mat.23:37,38; Lk.19:46) God Almighty also says He will not be mocked (Gal. 6:7) The Greek pagan and Edomite corruption in the Temple of Jerusalem was countered by the righteous Temple sacrifices in Leontopolis, Egypt, under the direction of Onias the High Priest. Yahweh's presence had left the defiled Temple in Jerusalem for the obedience of Judah in Egypt. It was only the Pharisees in Jerusalem that denounced the Temple at Leontopolis as "being against the law". The Babylonian Talmud, Menahoth, chapter 13, (10) declared that "sacrifices vowed for the temple at Jerusalem may not be offered in the temple of Onias, or vice versa; the priests of the temple of Onias are not permitted to serve in the temple at Jerusalem." But God Almighty had already ordained in Isaiah's days that these events would take place and that He would bless the Judahite exiles' sacrifices in Egypt. The law about holiness and the localities of altars was set forth in the days of Moses: "And Yahweh said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." ( Exodus 20:22-24. unhewn stone altars were also blessed. v.25)
Yet another amazing point in consideration of this subject is that the Septuagint itself, 100 years before Onias left Jerusalem for Egypt, translated verse 20 of Isaiah 19 as NOT BEING MESSIANIC in text syntax, but that the prophecy meant that Yahweh would send to Judah a courageous man to bring the true worship to those exiled in Egypt. The Septuagint translated the pertinent part of Isaiah 19 verse 20 as: "And He shall send them a man ruler who will save them, one judging will save them." The Hebrew translators of the Septuagint positively considered this "deliverer" to be a man whom God would rise up, and that this phrase was not speaking about the coming of the Messiah in Christ Jesus. Onias IV the High Priest fulfilled the prophecy, built the Temple-altar in Egypt, and it lasted until 79 AD when the Roman Emperor Vespasian declared that the temple in Egypt be shut down and its services put to an end.
With this short recap of the Judahite history relating to Egypt in the centuries before Christ perhaps now we can re-read the passages in Isaiah chapter 19 with some clarity of proper understanding: 1 "The burden of Egypt. Behold, Yahweh rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. 17 And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of Yahweh of hosts, which He hath determined against it. 18 In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to Yahweh of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction. 19 In that day shall there be an altar to Yahweh in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to Yahweh. 20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto Yahweh because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. 21 And Yahweh shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Yahweh in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, and perform it." The contents of this 19th chapter in the Book of Isaiah is that of Yahweh bringing judgment upon Egypt; the dispersion of no small number of Judahites into Egypt after the Judean area had been invaded by multiple waves of pagans and heathens; and the resulting exile action taken by Onias IV the High Priest with the building of cities of Judah in Egypt along with construction of a Temple for sacrifice upon a proper altar that lasted approximately three centuries --- all according to Yahweh's predictions and blessings! Isaiah 19 has nothing to do with the building of, or the reason for the Great Pyramid, a different type of edifice of hewn stone. The account here in Isaiah is one of the southern dispersion of our family of people that, if not in quantities of numbers as those exiled northward, nevertheless is of significant amount for Yahweh to have the story inserted into the writings of the prophets. After the closing of the alternate Temple in Egypt by the Romans in 79 AD, and the coming trouble of the rising Maurisi (early Moors) in North Africa, our Saxon Judahite ancestors left the Egyptian area via the Mediterranean Sea and middle east ground trade routes travelling Westward. That in itself makes for another thesis. We'll now continue our studies by exposing the Great Pyramid for what it really is. |
