January 11, 2025 at 11:28 am

Yes, YAH performed that for the faithful. But YAH did not ordain it to be a day to be kept in remembrance. I believe because it was an act that had to be done by YAH, because of the disobedience of the children of Israel. Had they been in obedience the temple would have never been defiled. Remember not everyone was allowed into the Holy of Holies, not everyone had seen all the items in the sanctuary. So how could they make them again after the pattern of the Temple in Heaven as Moses was directed to do? Here are the things that were not returned from Babylon.

When our fore-fathers returned from the Babylonian captivity, several temple articles were explicitly mentioned as being brought back, but others are notably absent from the biblical record. Here’s an overview of the temple articles that were not recorded as being brought back:
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1. The Ark of the Covenant
• Description: The Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod, and a pot of manna, was the most sacred object in the temple.
• Absence: The Ark is not mentioned in the list of items returned after the Babylonian exile (e.g., Ezra 1:7-11).
• Speculation:
o Some believe the Ark was hidden by the priests before the temple’s destruction (possibly during the reign of King Josiah, 2 Chronicles 35:3).
o Others suggest it may have been destroyed or lost during the Babylonian conquest.
The Prophet Jeremiahs says he hide the Arc at Mount Nebo where Moses was buried. Just as the body of Moses was never found, neither has the Ark been found.

2 Maccabees 2:4-8 (NRSV or Douay-Rheims Translation)
“It was also in the writing that the prophet, having received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God. Jeremiah came and found a cave, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense; then he sealed up the entrance.”

“Some of those who followed him came up intending to mark the way but could not find it. When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: ‘The place shall remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. Then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as they were shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be specially consecrated.’”
________________________________________
2. The Urim and Thummim
• Description: The Urim and Thummim were sacred lots used by the high priest to discern God’s will.
• Absence: Ezra 2:63 mentions the lack of the Urim and Thummim, indicating they were not brought back or were unavailable for use by the returning exiles.
• Significance: Without these, the high priest’s ability to make decisions based on divine guidance was impaired.
________________________________________
3. The Golden Lampstand (Menorah)
• Description: A seven-branched golden lampstand that stood in the Holy Place.
• Absence: While vessels of gold and silver are mentioned as being returned, the specific golden lampstand is not mentioned in Ezra 1:7-11.
• Speculation: It may have been melted down by the Babylonians or taken as plunder and lost.
________________________________________
4. The Table of Showbread
• Description: A table that held twelve loaves of bread, symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel, in the Holy Place.
• Absence: There is no specific mention of the table of showbread being returned.
• Speculation: It may have been destroyed or not deemed significant enough to record.
________________________________________
5. The Golden Altar of Incense
• Description: The altar where incense was burned as a symbol of the prayers of the people rising to God.
• Absence: This sacred article is also not explicitly mentioned as being returned.
• Speculation: It may have been destroyed, plundered, or repurposed by the Babylonians.
________________________________________
6. The Bronze Sea and Supporting Basins
• Description: A massive basin used for ritual purification by the priests, supported by twelve bronze oxen (1 Kings 7:23-26).
• Absence: These are not mentioned in the list of returned items.
• Speculation: 2 Kings 25:13-17 records that the Babylonians broke these items into pieces to transport the bronze, suggesting they were never returned.
________________________________________
7. The Sacred Veil
• Description: The veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
• Absence: There is no mention of the sacred veil being returned or replaced during the reconstruction of the temple.
• Speculation: A new veil may have been made for the second temple, as the original was likely destroyed.
________________________________________
Biblical Record of Returned Items
• Ezra 1:7-11 lists gold and silver articles, such as basins, dishes, and bowls, returned by Cyrus.
• Many sacred items were likely destroyed, melted down, or lost during the Babylonian conquest and subsequent captivity.
________________________________________
Summary
Key missing temple articles not recorded as being brought back include:
1. The Ark of the Covenant.
2. The Urim and Thummim.
3. The Golden Lampstand.
4. The Table of Showbread.
5. The Golden Altar of Incense.
6. The Bronze Sea and supporting basins.
7. The Sacred Veil.
The absence of these items highlights the significant losses incurred during the destruction of the First Temple and suggests their sacred significance remained unfulfilled in the Second Temple.

Wouldn’t this temple seem strange to YAH?

4 Comments


Clara
January 9, 2025 at 1:54 pm

Thanks for sharing. I never knew about the menorah miracle of the flame staying lit without oil! Interesting seeing that an “abomination of desolation” was placed in the temple in times passed.
- Reply
  
  WordPressUser
  January 11, 2025 at 11:19 am
  
  There appears to be a lot left out of the KJV. However, what appears to me is how corrupt our ancestors were. How they refuse to follow YAH. How they remade the vessels of the tabernacle and temple without the permission of YAH. How they faked the day of atonement for over 500 years. How they put the payment to YAH on the grown, on the foundation stone where the Ark of the Covenant and The Mercy seat should have been. But Yah was not there to receive it and how disrespectful it was to YAH to put the payment for atonement on the ground. It is like someone that owes you money, when they come to pay you throwing it on the ground in front of you. i.e. Here is your money in disrespect.

Clara McLeod
December 30, 2024 at 11:22 am

Wow – very interesting it reads they set up the “abomination of desolation” in times past on the alter of the temple! Swine on the alter is abominable! I also never knew the full grasp of the feast being that TMH kept the flame burning for that long APTTMH
- Reply
  
  WordPressUser
  January 11, 2025 at 11:28 am
  
  Yes, YAH performed that for the faithful. But YAH did not ordain it to be a day to be kept in remembrance. I believe because it was an act that had to be done by YAH, because of the disobedience of the children of Israel. Had they been in obedience the temple would have never been defiled. Remember not everyone was allowed into the Holy of Holies, not everyone had seen all the items in the sanctuary. So how could they make them again after the pattern of the Temple in Heaven as Moses was directed to do? Here are the things that were not returned from Babylon.
  
  When our fore-fathers returned from the Babylonian captivity, several temple articles were explicitly mentioned as being brought back, but others are notably absent from the biblical record. Here’s an overview of the temple articles that were not recorded as being brought back:
  ________________________________________
  1. The Ark of the Covenant
  • Description: The Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod, and a pot of manna, was the most sacred object in the temple.
  • Absence: The Ark is not mentioned in the list of items returned after the Babylonian exile (e.g., Ezra 1:7-11).
  • Speculation:
  o Some believe the Ark was hidden by the priests before the temple’s destruction (possibly during the reign of King Josiah, 2 Chronicles 35:3).
  o Others suggest it may have been destroyed or lost during the Babylonian conquest.
  The Prophet Jeremiahs says he hide the Arc at Mount Nebo where Moses was buried. Just as the body of Moses was never found, neither has the Ark been found.
  
  2 Maccabees 2:4-8 (NRSV or Douay-Rheims Translation)
  “It was also in the writing that the prophet, having received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God. Jeremiah came and found a cave, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense; then he sealed up the entrance.”
  
  “Some of those who followed him came up intending to mark the way but could not find it. When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: ‘The place shall remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. Then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as they were shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be specially consecrated.’”
  ________________________________________
  2. The Urim and Thummim
  • Description: The Urim and Thummim were sacred lots used by the high priest to discern God’s will.
  • Absence: Ezra 2:63 mentions the lack of the Urim and Thummim, indicating they were not brought back or were unavailable for use by the returning exiles.
  • Significance: Without these, the high priest’s ability to make decisions based on divine guidance was impaired.
  ________________________________________
  3. The Golden Lampstand (Menorah)
  • Description: A seven-branched golden lampstand that stood in the Holy Place.
  • Absence: While vessels of gold and silver are mentioned as being returned, the specific golden lampstand is not mentioned in Ezra 1:7-11.
  • Speculation: It may have been melted down by the Babylonians or taken as plunder and lost.
  ________________________________________
  4. The Table of Showbread
  • Description: A table that held twelve loaves of bread, symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel, in the Holy Place.
  • Absence: There is no specific mention of the table of showbread being returned.
  • Speculation: It may have been destroyed or not deemed significant enough to record.
  ________________________________________
  5. The Golden Altar of Incense
  • Description: The altar where incense was burned as a symbol of the prayers of the people rising to God.
  • Absence: This sacred article is also not explicitly mentioned as being returned.
  • Speculation: It may have been destroyed, plundered, or repurposed by the Babylonians.
  ________________________________________
  6. The Bronze Sea and Supporting Basins
  • Description: A massive basin used for ritual purification by the priests, supported by twelve bronze oxen (1 Kings 7:23-26).
  • Absence: These are not mentioned in the list of returned items.
  • Speculation: 2 Kings 25:13-17 records that the Babylonians broke these items into pieces to transport the bronze, suggesting they were never returned.
  ________________________________________
  7. The Sacred Veil
  • Description: The veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
  • Absence: There is no mention of the sacred veil being returned or replaced during the reconstruction of the temple.
  • Speculation: A new veil may have been made for the second temple, as the original was likely destroyed.
  ________________________________________
  Biblical Record of Returned Items
  • Ezra 1:7-11 lists gold and silver articles, such as basins, dishes, and bowls, returned by Cyrus.
  • Many sacred items were likely destroyed, melted down, or lost during the Babylonian conquest and subsequent captivity.
  ________________________________________
  Summary
  Key missing temple articles not recorded as being brought back include:
  1. The Ark of the Covenant.
  2. The Urim and Thummim.
  3. The Golden Lampstand.
  4. The Table of Showbread.
  5. The Golden Altar of Incense.
  6. The Bronze Sea and supporting basins.
  7. The Sacred Veil.
  The absence of these items highlights the significant losses incurred during the destruction of the First Temple and suggests their sacred significance remained unfulfilled in the Second Temple.
  
  Wouldn’t this temple seem strange to YAH?