Num 21: 4  Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became very discouraged on the way.
 5 And the people spoke against Yawhú and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread."
 6 So Yawhú sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against Yawhú and against you; pray to Yawhú that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
 8 Then Yawhú said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live."
 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

The Israelites… had sinned against Yawhú, and as punishment, He sent poisonous serpents among them which bit them, and as a result of this many of them died. They then repented and asked Moses to intervene on their behalf for the sins they had committed. Yawhú then told Moses to make a brass serpent and put it upon a high pole, so that all who had been bitten, if they should look up to the serpent would be healed.

What happened… in the wilderness was a foreshowing of what was to come. When due to the sins of the world, The Son of Yaw-Eternal, namely Hoshay’ah  Maw-shee’-akh, (Messiah) would be impaled on a wooden pole (stake) and lifted up in the air to bleed and die.
Maw-shee’-akh, before this horrendous event took place, made reference of it that was to come.
Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Joh 8:28 Then said Yawhúshúa  unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."

Seeing that…, what happened in the wilderness was a type of Maw-shee’-akh’s impalement to come. The question would be; What analogy could possibly be drawn between a snake and the Son of “Yaw”?
To be able to understand this, we need to know the following. Moses wrote the book of Genesis in prophetic language, which can only be properly understood if the translation or interpretation and symbolism are known. e.g. spiritually speaking, a mount or mountain is the capital city of a nation. Meaning that as the ruling city, it in order of merit is seen to be “higher” or more important than the other cities in the realm. The other cities would then be seen to be lower or in the valley. Hence the word Mount Zion, which is the capital city of heaven, the new Yawrusalem. The Scripture is full of these examples which we will deal with at a later time, Maw-shee’-akh willing.

We need first… to know that the Garden of Eden was situated on the same place, what later was known as Jerusalem, and not somewhere in the Mesopotamian valley as some say.
Mt 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, …
35 "that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel….

Able was killed… by his brother Cain just outside Jerusalem (Eden), most probably on the place that was later called mount Moria, and even later Calvary. This was where Abraham was to offer his son Isaac, as well as where Hoshay’ah Mawshee’akh was impaled many years later.

All around Eden… (Jerusalem) were heathen nations who did not know or serve Yawhú. (Spiritually called animals and the beasts of the field). It was from these people that Cain at a later stage took his wife. Adam’s mission was to convert these heathen people, who largely served Osiris, to serving the true Mighty One, Yawhú. Then while doing this, to build a house of reverence (temple) at Eden. Sad to say, due to Eve’s sin and Adam following suite, they miserably failed and were put out of Eden (Jerusalem). This sad occasion had several repeats when the offspring of Adam, namely the Israelites, due to disobedience and idolatry followed the same fate at the hands of; the Babylonians, Medes and Persians, the Greeks and then the Romans…… until in the time period from A.D. 1918, gradually to 1948. Finally to 1967(at the six day war), when these rebellious Adamities (Israelites) were once more given control of Jerusalem. They now had a final chance by Yawhúshúa, to make right and repent from their sin and rebellion, dating back six thousand years, to their great, great, grandfather Adam. Sad to say, up to the present day this nation as a whole has not done so yet.
At this point, I want to make it clear that this statement does not include the many Messianic Israelites all over the world who like us, have been born again and accepted Yawhúshúa as their Maw-shee’-akh.

The Serpent priesthood    
Ps 58:4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; (like the poison: Heb. according to the likeness, etc)
 Ps 140:3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.

As serpents or…plainly speaking, snakes, do not have the ability to speak or converse with people. We must then realize, when Moses gave the account of a serpent beguiling Eve, he was speaking prophetically and also metaphorically. He was referring to a heathen priest (serpent) from the nations round that area, who was most likely an Osiris “worshiper”, as this was the dominant pagan “religion” at that time. She was then persuaded by him to visit and participate in their pagan rituals, thus committing spiritual adultery against Yawhú. 
Ge 3:13 And Yawhú said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said,
 The serpent beguiled (mislead) me, and I did eat.

This should serve… as a warning to those who have allowed themselves to be enticed (beguiled) by the serpent priests of the Christian and other beliefs. Beliefs that are known for their pagan teachings. (You may read “pagan words and practices” Rudiments No.2).  People should come out and not be a part of heathen practices, so as not to be like Adam and Eve who, because of their deeds had to face eviction from paradise and forever became lost without redemption.

One has to ask oneself … when you hear the heavy rock bands and the raving that takes place, in some of these “churches” and “Religious” concerts, that apart from the electronics and sophistication of the musical instruments whether anything in the past six thousand years, from the time of Eden as regards this “Baal worship” with their serpent priesthood, has really changed?

From the Scriptures… quoted above we realize that prophetically and metaphorically speaking, a priest is referred to as a serpent. We know that a poisonous serpent’s power is in his fangs. When it bites you, the venom enters into your bloodstream and poisons you. The same can be said about a human false priest. If you should allow him; the false doctrines he preaches, will also like venom enter your mind and “beguile” or spiritually poison you.  This was the case with Eve who allowed herself to be seduced, in partaking of the Idol “worship” offered to her in direct defiance of  Yawhú’s will. Adam was then in turn enticed by her and soon followed suite.

There are however… when prophetically speaking and referring to a priest as a serpent, both evil and good serpents:
1.) The evil serpent priest will corrupt (beguile) you and lead you to false beliefs.
2.) The Good serpent priest will lead you to find redemption in Yawhúshúa Maw-shee’-akh and serve Yaw-Eternal.

This is very much like the syringe used in medicine. You can either use it to inject medicine into a subject to heal, or inject poison into a subject to kill.

The Israelites likewise…who were bitten by poisonous snakes due to their sins. When they repented and looked up to the brazen serpent, the poison in their bodies was then neutralized and as a result, they did not die.

This was a …Foreshowing of Hoshay’ah  Maw-shee’-akh as the good serpent priest, who for three and a half years of His mission had been filling the hearts and minds of his followers, with His Father’s word (the healing medicine). He was soon to be lifted up on a pole (stake) to bleed and die for the sins of His people. Like in the case of the brazen serpent, if we should confess our sins and look up to him, we would receive deliverance from the poison of sin in our lives.

The Israelites who… were cured by looking up to the brazen serpent, eventually all died, whether it be of natural causes or not, as all humans do; But the spirit of the believer who looks up and is healed by Maw-shee’-akh shall never die: “Whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life”.

May Yaw-Eternal the Father of love and peace be with you and guide you. May His richest blessings be upon all who revere and call on His blessed Name, thru His Son Yawhúshúa  ourMaw-shee’-akh.

Shalom - Br. Harold.
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