Va’eira-And I appeared
The bulk of Mankind worships the natural.
“Our Creator is hidden in His Festivals” Level 4
The Greeks worshiped the male body as the ultimate God and especially that one member of the male body that was so unique. They built statues portraying it so that it could be worshiped. Their games were religious events that displayed the power of their so-called gods and at the center of their activities, was that organ that they displayed as the symbol of power. They would erect these pillars and offer sacrifices to their false gods everywhere they went.
But Father Abraham saw through this façade to the existence of the One True GOD. He brought the light or knowledge of God to those living with false belief systems. For that reason, God made a covenant with Abraham, and saw to it that every member of that covenant would deface the image of this false god through the ritual of circumcision. His son Isaac did likewise as did Jacob and his sons. God was developing a nation that would reveal His great existence and yet not look like the other nations, spiritually or physical.
He still is doing this to this day. “Va’eira” And I Appeared – I Was Seen?
God came out of hiding and manifested His supernatural, miraculous power before all humanity and He was then perceived but still not seen.
What was He hiding in? He was hiding in the same nature that man was worshiping but He could not be seen. It is still impossible to see God, for God still has no physical form that can be captured by our sense of sight. By using these terms, He is saying that we can be as sure of His reality as we are certain of what we have seen with our eyes. Seeing something makes a deep impression on us. We saw words at Sinai. We heard miracles at Sinai.
Every soul that Father Abraham had gathered – Every soul that was gathered into to Moses was there at Sinai and they all said, in unison, we will do and we will hear, and all that was said was couched in terms of “but not yet.”
The Exodus from Egypt not only tells us who we are but it also reminds us what time it really is. We all should say, “We are taken out” - “We are delivered” - “We are redeemed” and - “We are acquired” - “but not yet.” For instance, why pour a cup of anything if we lack the ability to drink it? It can be pondered and its spiritual essence be evaluated before it is tasted
In the course of the Passover Seder we drink four cups of wine, corresponding to the four "expressions of redemption" in the Divine declaration (Exodus 6:2-8): "I will take you out", "I will deliver you", "I will redeem you", "I will acquire you." This is read but seldom pondered before drinking. Are you taken out and delivered, to the point, that you can say “not yet.”
For the Exodus incorporated into itself, four distinct redemptions.
Our physical removal from the geographical boundaries of Egypt ("I will take out"); Our delivery from Egyptian control ("I will deliver you from their bondage"); The creation of an inherently free people, immune to any future possibility of enslavement ("I will redeem you"); And our election as G-d's chosen people at Sinai seven weeks later on the festival of Shavuot ("I will acquire you as My nation, and I will be to you a G-d") –
This was the purpose and goal of the Exodus.
But that redemption did not last because there were to be other exiles that all people go into such as death. In truth, there is also a fifth "expression of redemption" in G-d's communication to Moses - the promise that "I will bring you into the land." This has happened to some but not all the souls that stood at Sinai, have been brought into the Land as of yet. Likewise, there is a corresponding fifth cup of wine - the "Cup of Elijah" - that is filled during the final stage of the Seder that is to be consumed.
But this cup of wine is not drunk so we are forced to admit to gather, “Not Yet.” Instead, it is placed at the center of the table where the children keep watch over the gently quivering liquid, hoping to detect a sign of its sampling by Elijah the Prophet, in whose honor it was poured. The first four elements of the redemption are something that we are to "drink" - to actively pursue and realize ourselves. It is within our power to overcome all that limits and enslaves us, both physically and spiritually, both without and within; to develop our potential for freedom, and to exercise this freedom as the freedom to fulfill our mission as G-d's people as communicated to us at Sinai.
But the final and culminating level of redemption - its "I will bring you" element, which shall be fully realized only in the era of Mashiach - is something that transcends our human efforts.
This is not a cup we can drink on our own. We can only bring ourselves to the threshold of this Divinely perfect world, through our active realization of the first four "expressions of redemption." Thus, we die saying “Not Yet.” The drinking of the fifth cup awaits Elijah, herald of the final and ultimate redemption. Elijah the Prophet is one of the more fascinating religious leaders that the Jewish people have ever known. Among other things, he helped lead the Jewish people from non-Hebraic worship. Perhaps his most famous statement regarding this is found in the I Kings 18:21
"And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said: 'How long will you halt between two opinions? if the L-RD be G-d, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.' And the people answered him not a word."
Here, he reprimanded the Jewish people, who often would worship different gods. He showed them that one cannot go back and forth between different religions. Either you are following the Hebrew God, or you are not. This same idea needs to be heard by those in the Messianic "Jewish" movement, a movement created by Christianity in the 1800's. Either you are practicing Hebraic practices with its various commands and ordinances, or you are practicing Christianity with its lawless attitude.
As Elijah said, there is no "in between."
Elijah holds a unique place in Judaism, as Elijah never actually died in the Bible. In 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah is brought to Heaven in a chariot of fire, after which Elisha takes over as the primary prophet for the Jewish people. However, Elijah will return, and his return will be quite special. In Malachi 3:23-24, we read that Elijah will return at the time of the Messiah:
"23: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the L-RD.
24: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction."
So, we learn from the Book of Malachi that Elijah will herald the coming of the Messiah. Now, many in the Messianic "Jewish" movement adhere to the Christian belief that John was Elijah, as Yeshua claimed that John the Baptist was Elijah in Matthew 11:13-14 and 17:10-13. However, John actually denied being Elijah in John 1:21. Most importantly, keep in mind what we learned in the Book of Kings. Elijah never actually died, yet we read of John's birth in the first chapter of Luke. So, John was born approximately at the time of Jesus, yet Elijah was born hundreds of years earlier and never died!
“Clearly, John cannot actually be Elijah” (Jews for Judaism).
Luke 1:17 tries to get around this by claiming that John had the power and spirit of Elijah. However, we are again left with a basic problem; Malachi does not predict that someone with the "spirit of Elijah" will come, but that Elijah himself will come.
Since Elijah did not come, and Elijah must herald the Messiah, it appears that Yeshua cannot claim to be the Messiah. Lastly, not only will Elijah come, but as we read in Malachi, he will turn the hearts of the fathers and the children toward each other, something which never happened in Yeshua’s time. This idea from the Bible that Elijah will come at the time of the Messiah is enshrined in Jewish prayers and rituals.
For instance, at the Passover Seder we have a Cup of Elijah. The reason why we have this cup is because there was a debate by the rabbis, as recorded in the Talmud, of whether we should drink four cups of wine on Passover (for the four terms used to describe the deliverance by G-d of the Jewish people from Egypt in Exodus 6:6-7) or five cups of wine (for the added expression of deliverance Exodus 6:8).
Since the debate is not fully resolved, we pour a fifth cup of wine, which we term the "Cup of Elijah." The reason for this ritual is because of the Jewish belief that when Elijah comes with the Messiah, he will answer all of our questions on Jewish law. So, Elijah will tell us whether we should be drinking four cups or five cups of wine. By definition, if you put out a Cup of Elijah, you are stating that Elijah has not returned and the Messiah has not come.
It is a bit odd that most Messianic "Jewish" Seders have a Cup of Elijah, yet the very act of putting this cup out actively demonstrates that Yeshua could not be the Messiah. If Yeshua was really the Messiah, Elijah would have come and answered our question about the cups of wine.
Therefore, there would be no need to put have a Cup of Elijah! Additionally, at the end of Havdalah, Jews sing a song about Elijah coming with the Messiah, called "Eliyahu HaNavi." This song was written by the Jewish people to express the idea that the Messiah clearly has not come, and that we are waiting for Elijah to arrive with the Messiah.
It is again interesting that many groups in the Messianic "Jewish" movement will also sing this song. The very act of singing this song, based on the rationale for its writing, states that the Messiah has not come. It is not possible to sing this song and believe that Yeshua was actually the Messiah.
By singing it, you acknowledge that Elijah and the Messiah have not arrived. In Judaism, we do not merely sing songs or go through rituals for the sake of "tradition." Each of our words and songs have a specific meaning associated with them. Judaism has many songs, prayers and rituals that are associated with Elijah the Prophet, each of which express our desire for Elijah to arrive and for the real Messiah to come.
Question: "Was John the Baptist really Elijah reincarnated?"
Answer: Matthew 11:7–14 declares, “Yeshua began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.’” Here Yeshua quotes from Malachi 3:1, where the messenger appears to be a prophetic figure who is going to appear. According to Malachi 4:5, this messenger is “the prophet Elijah,” whom Yeshua identifies as John the Baptist. Does this mean that John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated? Not at all.
First, Yeshua’s original hearers (and Matthew’s original readers) would never have assumed Yeshua’s words to refer to reincarnation. Besides, Elijah did not die; he was taken to heaven in a whirlwind as he rode in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Arguing for a reincarnation (or a resurrection) of Elijah misses that point. If anything, the prophecy of the Elijah “to come” would have been viewed as Elijah’s physical return to earth from heaven.
Second, the Bible is quite clear that John the Baptist is called “Elijah” because he came in the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), not because he was Elijah in a literal sense. John the Baptist is the New Testament forerunner who points the way to the arrival of the Lord, just as Elijah filled that role in the Old Testament (and might again in the future—see Revelation 11).
Third, Elijah himself appears with Moses at Yeshua’s transfiguration after John the Baptist’s death. This would not have happened if Elijah had changed his identity into that of John (Matthew 17:11–12).
Fourth, Mark 6:14–16 and 8:28 show that both the people and Herod distinguished between John the Baptist and Elijah.
Finally, proof that this John the Baptist was not Elijah reincarnated comes from John himself. In the first chapter of John the Apostle’s gospel, John the Baptist identifies himself as the messenger of Isaiah 40:3, not as the Elijah of Malachi 3:1. John the Baptist even goes so far as to specifically deny that he was Elijah (John 1:19–23).
John did for Yeshua what Elijah was to have done for the coming of the Lord, but he was not Elijah reincarnated. Yeshua identified John the Baptist as Elijah, while John the Baptist rejected that identification. How do we reconcile these two teachings? There is a key phrase in Yeshua’s identification of John the Baptist that must not be overlooked. He says, “If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah.” In other words, John the Baptist’s identification as Elijah was not predicated upon his being the actual Elijah, but upon people’s response to his role. To those who were willing to believe in Yeshua, John the Baptist functioned as Elijah, for they believed in Yeshua as Lord. To the religious leaders who rejected Yeshua, John the Baptist did not perform this function. But, I am willing to accept it! Are you?