At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
Matthew 27:51
Introduction
The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is a very holy day in the Jewish calander. It is the day when observant Jews ask for God’s forgiveness for their sins over the past year and is marked by fasting, abstinence, prayer and ritual. According to Scripture this day was instituted by the Lord through His servant Moses and in biblical times it was the date of a solem ritual of atonement performed by the high priest within the tabernacle and later the temple. For Christians, the Day of Atonement was replaced by the once-and-for-all sacrifice on the cross, where Jesus Christ, our High Priest, atoned for our sins.
Yom Kippur falls on late September or early October, and so is calendrically close to 9/11. In previous pages I have shown how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 symbolised both the prophesied Day of the Lord and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In this short page I would like to show that 9/11 also represented the Day of Atonement.
The Tabernacle
The tabernacle, which was the basis for the Jerusalem temple, was a portable temple and the centre of the Israelites’ religious life. It was built to precise instructions, given in the Book of Exodus. The structure revealed by these instructions is shown in schematic form below.
The Tabernacle
The tabernacle consisted of a courtyard and two sanctuaries: the outer sanctuary, or Holy Place, containing a lampstand, showbread table and altar of incense, and the inner sanctuary, or Most Holy Place, which contained the Ark of the Testimony. The ark itself contained the two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s staff that budded and the pot of manna. The other major structure was the altar of burnt offering, used for burning offerings to the Lord. These offerings were made daily and on special holy days.
Three curtains had to be passed through on the way to the inner sanctuary: the first separated the courtyard from the outside world; the second separated the outer sanctuary from the courtyard; the third and final curtain separated the inner sanctuary from the outer. Only the high priest could pass through the third curtain to enter the Most Holy Place and he could do so only on the Day of Atonement.
The Day Of Atonement
The Day of Atonement was the most solem of the holy days, when the high priest made reparation for his sins and the sins of his people through the performance of a rite of atonement. The entire ritual was performed according to the instructions found in Leviticus. A brief description will be helpful.
The priest began by washing his hands and feet, taking off his regular priestly garments, with breastplate, etc, donning a white robe (white represented forgiveness) and washing again. He then proceeded as follows:
1. In the Holy Place the high priest made a prayer of confession over a bullock.
2. Lots were cast over two goats, one of which was to be sacrificed, the other to lead away the sins of the people into the desert as the scapegoat.
3. The bullock was again prayed over in the Holy Place, then slaughtered and the blood collected.
4. The high priest then entered the Most Holy Place.and burned incense, filling the room with smoke. He then withdrew to the Holy Place.
5. The high priest entered the Most Holy Place again with the bulls blood and with his fingers sprinkled it into the room and on the Ark. Next, the goat was sacrificed and the sprinking repeated with its blood. In the Holy Place, both the bull’s blood and goat’s blood were sprinkled onto the curtain separating inner and outer sanctuary. Next, the bloods were mixed and sprinkled onto the altar of incense. Finally, the blood was poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. In this way, the entire sanctuary was ritually cleansed.
6. The scapegoat was led into the desert, taking away the sins of the people for another year. The carcasses of the sacrificed animals were burnt outside the city.
7. The high priest offered prayers and read biblical passages concerning the Day of Atonement.
The high priest ended the Day of Atonement service by washing his hands and feet, putting on his regular priestly garments once more, washing again and continuing with the daily services.
So by the sacrifice of valuable livestock, the Israelites atoned for their sins. In the Jerusalem temple the number of animals sacrificed for the Day of Atonement was increased to the following totals: 1 bull, 1 ram, 1 goat and 7 lambs.
As you will see, through gematria, numbers encoded within biblical passages and symblism, a link has been forged between the Day of Atonement and 9/11. We begin with the first object encountered within the tabernacle, the altar of burnt offering.
The Altar of Burnt Offering
The altar of burnt offering was the first structure encountered on entering the tabernacle courtyard. It was used to burn the flesh of sacrificed animals, including those sacrificed on the Day of Atonement.
The instructions for the building of the altar are given in the first eight verses of Exodus 27. The building of the first altar is recorded in the first seven verses of Exodus 38. These are the Bible’s 77th and 88th chapters, both 77 and 88 being multiples of 11, the number with which 9/11 is watermarked. In addition they are the ordinal values of ‘Christ’ and ‘Immanuel’:
Christ (o) ......= 77 = 11 x 7
Immanuel (o) = 88 = 11 x 8
This cluster of meaningful numbers again links Jesus Christ to 9/11, reiterating the essential message of the New Bible Code. As with other clusters - for instance see a The Sign Of The Cross - a third idea is introduced to deepen our understanding of the significance of 9/11, this time the concept of a sacrificial offering to appease a wrathful God. For Christians, the Crucifixion was God’s sacrifice of His own son as a ‘sin offering’, an act which was necessary for our atonement. 9/11 - which we have already seen was a reenactment of the Crucifixion - is here being given the same significance.
Next we look at the two tablets within the Ark of the Testimony.
The Two Tablets
Within the Ark of the Testimony were the two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. These two tablets were the second pair inscribed by Moses, the first pair being broken by him after he returned from Mount Sinai to find his people worshipping the golden calf.
The verses in Exodus describing the breaking of the first tablets and the inscription of the second tablets are found between the two passages describing God’s instructions for the building of the altar of burnt offering, and the actual building of the altar, both of which we have seen are marked with the key number 11. This, and the fact that the two broken tablets could symbolise the two fallen towers, suggests that there may be a link to 9/11. This is is confirmed when we pin down the exact locations of these verses. Here they are:
Exodus 32:19
When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
Exodus 32:19 is the 925th verse in Exodus, 925 being the standard value of ‘Jesus Christ’!
Jesus Christ (s) ......= 925
The first two tablets were made and inscribed by God (Exodus 32:16) and represent Jesus Christ, which is confirmed by the gematria. This verse therefore appears to prefigure the Crucifixion.
Exodus 34:1
The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke...”
From the chapter and verse signifiers we get 341, which is 11 x 31.
Exodus 34:4
So Moses chiselled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up to Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.
Exodus 34:4 is the 968th chapter in Exodus, 968 being 11 x 11 x 8 and therefore a rare double multiple of 11.
The second two tablets were made and inscribed by man (Exodus 34:4, 34:28) and represent the twin towers, the work of man - in The Crucifixion I show that the towers represented the two criminals crucified alongside Christ. The destruction of those towers therefore signifies the breaking of the second pair of tablets and the annuling of the covenant represented by them, brought about by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
The Most Holy Place and the 9/11 Cubes
In biblical times the Day of Atonement centred on the Most Holy Place, the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle and later of the temple. The Day of Atonement was the one day of the year when the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place. Entry into this room, which contained the Ark of the Testimony, was strictly forbidden at all other times, as it was considered to be the dwelling place of God on earth and therefore too holy to be profaned by the presence of sinful man. The high priest, after purification, entered the Most Holy Place to atone for the sins of his people, through the sprinkling of the blood of sacrificed animals. The outer sanctuary and then the rest of the temple was purified in like manner.
According to the Bible the Most Holy Place had the dimensions of a cube, a symbol of perfection. The Most Holy Place within the tabernacle was thought to have a length, breadth and height of 10 cubits. The Most Holy Place within the Jerusalem temple was 20 cubits on a side - notice how the inner sanctuary has increased in size. In Revelation we are told that the New Jerusalem, God’s final sanctuary on earth, will be a cube 12000 stadia on a side. So we see the Most Holy Place, whilst always remaining a cube, increases in size from the tabernacle of the children of Israel to the Jerusalem Temple and again to the New Jerusalem, this progression suggesting three cubes of increasing size.
In The Day Of The Lord I show how the 9/11 targets encode the numbers describing a series of three nested cubes, those of 5, 7 and 9. Here is a short summary of the relevant information.
A Cube of 125 Units......A Cube of 343 Units .....A Cube of 729 Units
....
........
.........
the Pentagon (o)..........................................................= 125 = 5 x 5 x 5
the World Trade Centre (o) + 125...............................= 343 = 7 x 7 x 7
the North Tower + the South Tower (o) + 343...........= 729 = 9 x 9 x 9
The connection between these three cubes of increasing size and the three ever larger versions of the Most Holy Place described in Scripture is sealed when we consider the significance of the Crucifixion and recall that this was the worldshaking event that 9/11 represented.
The Torn Curtain
The Most Holy Place was separated from the Holy Place - the outer sanctuary - by a thick curtain, which was also symbolic of the barrier between God and His people caused by man’s sin. However, according to three of the gospels, this was the curtain which was torn in the Jerusalem temple at the moment when Jesus died on the cross. (note 1) Here is Mark’s account:
Mark 15:38 (NIV)
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The significance of the curtain tearing in two was that it meant that the separation between man and God had been ended by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. The Most Holy Place was therefore no longer the exclusive residence of God, who was now fully present in the world for those who accepted Christ as their saviour. Thus, for Christians, there is no need to keep the Day of Atonement, which was superceded by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
The relationship between the Crucifixion and the Day of Atonement is implied in an unusual way by the gematria of the above verse.
Mark 15:38 (NIV)
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Mark 15:38 (o) .............= 658
Atonement Day (s).= 1316 = 658 x 2
The ordinal value of the verse is exactly half of the standard value of the phrase. Normally, you would rightly expect them to be equal, but this neatly suggests the tearing of the curtain in two! In addition, Mark 15:38 is marked with the key number 11: it is the 649th verse in Mark, this being 11 x 59. Neither Matthew nor Luke’s account is marked in this way, so we have a confluence of independently encoded numbers in Mark’s account.
The overall theme of the New Bible Code is Christ’s Second Coming, which is also implied here.
Atonement Day (s)............................ = 1316 = 658 x 2
Jesus Christ + Second Coming (s) = 1316 = 658 x 2
In The Day of the Lord I show how the three strkes on the 9/11 targets can be represented by three symbolic slices through the nested cubes encoded in their names. This solves part of the geometric puzzle set for us by creating new gematria which firmly links 9/11 to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. However, these three slices can also symbolise the torn curtain the Most Holy Place! This symbolism is strengthened when we recall that the Bible describes three Most Holy Places (tabernacle, temple and New Jerusalem) and that there were three barriers to be crossed to reach the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle.
The torn curtain .............................Cube 729 ‘Sliced’ Three Times
.................
In the Crucifixion I said that the three strikes on 9/11 represented the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth and the two criminals. Now we see that they also represented the tearing of the temple curtain, which occurred at the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross. For Christians, Jesus Himself is the new temple curtain, the way to God’s sanctuary. This is how Paul describes the significance of the Crucifixion in Hebrews.
Hebrews 10:19-22 (NIV)
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us of a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
On 9/11 the Pentagon and twin towers, the names of which enocde the three cubes, represented the three curtains of the tabernacle. Their destruction represented the tearing of the three tabernacle curtains/breaking of the two tablets and thus the lifting of the barriers between God and man represented by the tabernacle, now pierced, like Jesus was on the cross.
John 19:34 (NIV)
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
John 19:34 (o) .....= 911
The Day Of Atonement
The ultimate purpose of 9/11 was to signify Christ’s return, as revealed by numbers emerging from the struck cube and the attacking airplanes, which turned out to be the gematria of common phrases for the Second Coming. The departure points and flight numbers of these airplanes yielded perhaps the most significant number, the standard value of the phrase ‘The Second Coming of Jesus Christ’.
American Airlines Flight 11 left from Logan International Airport.
United Airlines Flight 175 left from Logan International Airport.
American Airlines Flight 77 left from Dulles International Airport.
United Airlines Flight 93 left from Newark International Airport.
Logan International Airport (o) + 11 ...........= 309
Logan International Airport (o) + 175 .........= 473
Dulles International Airport (o) + 77 ..........= 399
Newark International Airport (o)+ 93 .........= 414
309 + 473 + 399 + 414 ...............................= 1595
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ (s) = 1595
Astoundingly, this number is also the standard value of ‘The Day of Atonement’!
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ (s) = 1595
The Day of Atonement (s) .......................= 1595
As detailed in The Day of the Lord, the number 1595 has the highly significant numbers 5, 11 and 29 as its only factors. 29 is the reduced value of the word ‘Messiah’. 11 and 5 are encoded into 9/11 and associated with the twin towers (11) and the Pentagon (5). as detailed in Signs of the Times.
Summary
Another facet of 9/11 is revealed: it represented the Day of Atonement, when reparation was made for our sins through a blood sacrifice, recalling the animal sacrifices of the ancient Israelites. 9/11 also represented the Crucifixion, the blood sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on the cross, which, as the final atonement for sins, superceded the Day of Atonement. In that respect, 9/11 also represented the tearing of the temple curtain (symbolised by the airplane strikes) at the moment Jesus died on the cross. Finally, the breaking of Moses tablets, contained within the Ark of the Testimony, was symbolised by the fall of the twin towers.
If we view the three strikes on 9/11 as the penetrating of the three barriers separating the Most Holy Place from the sinful world beyond the tabernacle - shattering the barrier between God and His people - we see that the events of September the 11th, 2001 were meant to reiterate the significance of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as the ultimate Day of Atonement.
Bill Downie
19/7/09
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