Articles

Exodus 13:21

I hope that you are enjoying this journey about Jesus in the Old Testament. Recently, I have been seeing a few short videos where this fellow reads Old Testament passages like Isaiah 2, 9, 53, or Zechariah 12 to Jewish people, and they assume, because it mentions a Son, that it is the New Testament. When they find out it is the Old Testament, they are astonished; some are still in disbelief.

But over the years, I have met a few conservative Jews who have come to see and know Jesus as their Messiah. I love talking to these Jewish brothers and exploring the stories of the Old Testament. Some are astonished that I know the Old Testament, understand the picture of the feasts, and other things that we chat about. This is not to boast; I am surrounded by Godly men who love the Bible, and we discuss it as often as we can.

The point is that the Bible is about Jesus. It is about His plan of redemption for us and for Israel, and for the whole world.

Today, we are going to see Jesus in another part of the Bible that many of us have read through, but we do not think that Jesus is the story and the picture here. He is!! I did not put the reading in the text as usual because it would take up a large part of the lesson space. Rather, I encourage you to read the passage maybe once or twice to get the details.

There are two parts to what we will observe today; one is the actual configuration of the tribes as they assembled after each trip that they took. If you will recall, they journeyed from place to place for 40 years in the Wilderness. God provided them with a cloud by day to guide them and a pillar of fire by night to provide light and protection.

Exodus 13:21, “The LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night.”

Once the cloud stopped in a place, the task of setting up camp began. God had laid out a specific way that they were encamped; it was not a haphazard just set your tent up kind of system. The tabernacle was the center of the camp; it was set up by the Levites and the families entrusted with the care and transportation of the Tabernacle. Then the tribes would set up in order. There were three tribes each to the north, east, west, and south. They never swapped; the order was the same each time.

Once they were set up, if one were to go up on a hill or a mountain and look down on them, they would see the form of a cross. Yes, the place for sacrificing is at the center, and the picture of a cross is there. There was never a doubt, never hesitation as to what would be happening to Jesus. The cross was there even in the wilderness. The cross was there at the Passover, and it was there every time they set up the camp.

The second part of what we will be looking at is the standards or the flags that were visible at the site of each encampment to the north, south, east, and west. Each tribe had their own standard, but over the 4 divisions, there was a ‘superior’ standard that marked each collective encampment. The Rabbinical tradition tells us that there were 4 standards or flags that were shown by the 4 leading tribes for each section as they set up. At the website, Biblefragrances.com, we see this laid out for us.

Neither the Mosaic law, nor the Old Testament generally, gives us any intimation as to the form or character of the standard (degel). According to rabbinical tradition, the standard of Judah bore the figure of a lion, that of Reuben the likeness of a man or of a man’s head, that of Ephraim the figure of anox, and that of Dan the figure of an eagle; so that the four living creatures united in the cherubic forms described by Ezekiel were represented upon these four standards.

Jewish tradition says the “four standards” under which Israel encamped in the wilderness, to the east, Judah, to the north, Dan, to the west, Ephraim, to the south, Reuben, were respectively a lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man, while in the midst was the tabernacle containing the Shekinah symbol of the Divine Presence.

These four images are repeated for us in the scriptures in Ezekiel and in Revelation; in Ezekiel 1:5 and 10, we see these verses: “And out of its midst [is] a likeness of four living creatures, and this [is] their appearance; a likeness of man [is] to them,” ….. “¹⁰ As to the likeness of their faces, the face of a man, and the face of a lion, toward the right [are] to them four, and the face of an ox on the left [are] to them four, and the face of an eagle [are] to them four.’

Then in Revelation we see this reference: Revelation 4: 6-7, “and before the throne [is] a sea of glass like to crystal, and in the midst of the throne, and round the throne, [are] four living creatures, full of eyes before and behind; and the first living creature [is] like a lion, and the second living creature [is] like a calf, and the third living creature hath the face as a man, and the fourth living creature [is] like an eagle flying.

These images are repeated over and over again in the scriptures, and they all paint a picture of an aspect of who Jesus is. Jesus is the Lion of Judah: in Revelation 5:5, we see Jesus called the Lion of Judah. “Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy that Jacob gave to his children in Genesis 49:9-10. Judah is promised an eternal lawgiver, and that their sceptre would never depart from the tribe; it has not in Jesus and the oldest living male of the tribe of Judah from the line through Mary, who still has the right to sit on the throne of David.

The tribe of Reuben had the image of a man on his standard; this was the reminder that Jesus would come as a Man. In Romans, He is called the Second Adam. Romans 5:12-15, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”

The standard of Ephraim was the Ox, and of course, Jesus is our sacrifice, the one whose blood washes away our sins. 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Also see Acts 20:28, Colossians 1:20, Ephesians 1:7, and Hebrews 9:14; these are just a few of the verses about Jesus’ blood washing away our sins.

The last standard is that of Dan, the eagle. This one threw me for a bit, and in Numbers 2:25, see that Dan is situated to the North of the camp. The eagle is a sign of judgment. In Acts 17:31, we see this verse: “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” The judge is the one whom God has raised from the dead. Other verses that show Jesus as the judge: Acts 10:24, Matthew 25:31-32, John 5:22, and Matthew 16:27. These are just a few of the verses that show Jesus as the Judge of the earth.

Jesus is the story and central character of the Bible. The Jews had the pictures in the wilderness, but they refused to see, and they are still blind today.

Open your eyes; Jesus is the entire main and central character of the Bible. Is He the main character of your life and mine?

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church
70 Victoria Street, Elora, Ontario

2nd atmospheric river to flood California with firehose of rain into Christmas
A second atmospheric river will force copious amounts of Pacific moisture into California this week. Heavy rain with incidents of flooding, washouts and mudslides will expand over much of the state, leading to a significant risk to lives and property, as well as major travel disruptions. The Sierra Nevada will receive many feet of snow as freezing levels lower through the week. The first atmospheric river focused on Northern California from Sunday to Monday.

Minnesota’s Sheriffs issue a ‘Vote of No Confidence’ regarding DOC Commissioner Schnell
Minnesota’s 87 elected sheriffs met on December 8th for their annual Minnesota Sheriff’s Association (MSA) business meeting. In dramatic fashion these law enforcement leaders issued a vote of no confidence regarding the leadership of Minnesota’s Department of Corrections Commissioner, Paul Schnell. The vote was made public in a release yesterday. As a result of the vote the MSA declared:

Trump on Greenland: We have to have it
“When you look up and down the coast, there are Russian and Chinese ships everywhere,” Trump said of Greenland when he met with reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. The president claims that his ambition to take over Greenland is not due to the area’s rich energy and mineral resources – as the US has “abundant resources” – but rather that he believes that Denmark has not invested enough money in protecting the island, Bloomberg reports. Denmark hasn’t spent any money. They have no military protection, Trump claims.

Live: Ukrainian troops withdraw from eastern town of Siversk
Ukrainian forces have pulled out ⁠of the embattled eastern town of Siversk, Kyiv’s military said on ‍Tuesday, as Russian troops step up a battlefield offensive along the front line. Meanwhile, several Ukrainian regions suffered power outages amid frigid winter weather after Russia carried out a massive attack with drones and missiles, killing at least three people.

The BBC’s superflu campaign: How it started and how it’s going
Since early November, the BBC and its accomplices have been trying to get the public to fear a “superflu” employing a similar but a played down version of the covid operation. But the public hasn’t fallen for it, more than ever planned a night out on 19 December. On 20 December, the BBC published an article acknowledging that the “superflu” narrative was false – and the “superflu” has suddenly disappeared.

Netanyahu seeks to broaden scope of Oct 7 inquiry to Oslo Accords & Gaza disengagement – report
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday defended his government’s plans to establish a “National Commission of Inquiry,” rather than a state-level commission, amid withering criticism from the opposition and the justice system. The Times of Israel cited a government source saying that Netanyahu called for the commission to investigate the roots of the Oct. 7 failure decades back, “from Oslo [Accords], through to the [Gaza] Disengagement, and up to [reserve duty] refusal.”

Activist Greta Thunberg arrested in London for supporting outlawed pro-Palestinian group
Greta Thunberg has once again been arrested – this time in London – for calmly sitting with a sign in support of the Palestine Action prisoners. Her sign read: “I support Palestine Action Prisoners. I oppose genocide.” Though her message and action may seem innocuous, the group was banned in July 2025 under section 5.3 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which states: “The UK Government assesses that Palestine Action commits and participates in acts of terrorism. In several attacks, Palestine Action has committed acts of serious damage to property with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the Government.”

Massive sinkhole in England swallows canal boats, sparking rescue operation
A massive sinkhole has developed in a canal in the English county of Shropshire, trapping two boats in deep mud and prompting emergency services to declare a “major incident.” An image released by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service shows the two canal boats trapped in the sinkhole – which measures approximately 50 by 50 meters (approximately 164 square feet) – while a third boat leans over the sinkhole’s slope.

Candace Owens claims Jews controlled slave trade, promotes infamous antisemitic book
Candace Owens continued her recent spate of unfounded claims against Jews and Israel, this time falsely accusing Jews of organizing the transatlantic slave trade and fueling racial tensions between African Americans and white Americans in Saturday’s episode of her podcast. She also urged her followers to read Der Talmudjude (The Talmud Jew), an infamous 19th-century antisemitic book by German author August Rohling that grossly misrepresents the content of the Jewish Talmud. Owens promoted the antisemitic book during her Saturday YouTube show, where she attacked Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro.

2025 top astronomy stories: Moon landing, asteroid scare and new eyes on the sky
Asteroid 2024 YR4 was first discovered on Dec. 27, 2024, but became international news in early 2025 due to a small chance it could impact Earth on Dec. 22, 2032. The nearly 220-foot-wide space rock was estimated to have a 1-in-32 chance, or 3.1%, of colliding with the Earth. There remains a 4.3% chance the asteroid could impact the moon … In March, Houston-based Firefly Aerospace became the first private company to successfully land a robotic mission on the moon, delivering NASA and private research to the lunar surface. … The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, …began its first observations this summer and is already wowing the world. Test images from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy’s Rubin Observatory in Chile revealed thousands of previously unknown asteroids and captured the light from millions of stars and galaxies.

Toppled statue of Liberty replica in Brazil revives 1,500-year-old messianic prophecy
Last week, a replica of the Statue of Liberty that stood in Brazil was toppled by high winds. (watch)Although the event was relatively minor, the prophecy-inclined interpreted it as a hint of an enigmatic prophecy from almost 1,500 years ago, suggesting that the destruction of this statue may herald the appearance of the Messiah. On Monday, December 15th, strong winds toppled an 80-foot Statue of Liberty replica in the city of Guaiba, Rio Grande, Brazil. No injuries were reported … The strange story began almost 1,500 years ago with Rabbi Pinchas … living in Northern Israel, and his wife, Rachel of Kifar Bar’am. After years of infertility, they were blessed with a son they named Nachman Chatufa in the Hebrew year 4632 (872 CE). According to the legend, Nachman was born on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. The baby began speaking esoteric secrets immediately after being born. Rabbi Dahan said in 2005 that the Statue of Liberty would be destroyed at a certain stage of the final redemption.

“A thousand police will not extinguish it”: Hanukkah candle lit on the Temple Mount
A small flame was lit on the Temple Mount today, and the response was immediate. According to eyewitnesses, Jewish visitors reported that a Hanukkah candle was kindled at the site under heavy security, an act framed by those present as a declaration that Jewish light cannot be extinguished, regardless of police pressure or the presence of the Islamic Waqf. One message circulated rapidly in Hebrew: “A candle was lit on the Temple Mount today. A thousand police officers and Waqf officials will not succeed in putting it out.”

Resilient US consumers drive strongest economic expansion in 2 years
The U.S. economy grew at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter, the most rapid expansion in two years, driven by consumers who continue to spend in the face of ongoing inflation. U.S. gross domestic product from July through September — the economy’s total output of goods and services — rose from its 3.8% growth rate in the April-June quarter, the Commerce Department said Tuesday in a report delayed by the government shutdown. Economists surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast growth of just 3% in the period.

Huckabee: Iran’s ultimate objective is the US
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee warns that Iran is working to rebuild its nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal, presenting a “real threat to all of Europe” and with the ultimate goal of targeting the US.

UN spends approximately $100 million in funding to target Israel yearly, new report shows
The United Nations spends roughly $100 million per year on reports, debates, special mechanisms, and communication activities dedicated almost exclusively to singling out Israel, the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN said. “Today we actually showed that these are orchestrated campaigns, well-funded and well-established within the UN budget,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said. “These $100 million, which will be approved in the coming days in the new UN budget, are spent on activities against the government of Israel and against the IDF.”

Libyan army chief killed in jet crash after takeoff from Ankara, Libyan PM confirms
Yerlikaya said on X/Twitter that the jet had taken off at 8:10 p.m. and radio contact was lost at 8:52 p.m. He said the flight had requested an emergency landing over the Haymana district of Ankara, but no further contact was established. … flight tracking data showed other flights being diverted away from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. footage on Turkish broadcasters showed a flash of light where the jet was said to have lost radio contact.

Lutheran Christian leaders praised Hamas violence against Israel, investigation finds
The findings reveal a network of church figures and affiliated organizations whose rhetoric, critics say, reframes violence against Israeli civilians as legitimate resistance and erodes Jewish-Christian relations. The investigation highlights the roles of two Palestinian Christian clerics and a senior international church leader. These figures are affiliated with major Christian bodies, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and the World Council of Churches (WCC), a global ecumenical organization.

Two Men Found Guilty of UK Plot to Kill Hundreds of Jews as ISIS Fears Grow
Two men were found guilty on Tuesday of plotting to kill hundreds in an Islamic State-inspired gun rampage against the Jewish community in England, a planned attack investigators say demonstrates the resurgent risk posed by the terrorist group. Police and prosecutors said Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, who went on trial a week after an unrelated deadly attack on a synagogue in the nearby northwest city of Manchester in October, were Islamic extremists who wanted to use automatic firearms to kill as many Jews as they could. Had their plans come to fruition, it would have resulted in “one of, if not the, deadliest terrorist attack in UK history,”

Netanyahu warns of ‘very severe’ response if Iran attacks Israel
Speaking at a joint press conference in Jerusalem alongside the leaders of Greece and Cyprus, the premier said that Israel is aware of recent Iranian “exercises,” referring to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile drill which, according to Axios, Jerusalem has warned the Trump administration could be a cover for a strike against Israel. … Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Monday of a “very severe response” should Iran take action against Israel,

‘No chance of normalization with Israel, we’re officially at war,’ Lebanon FM says
“There is no possibility of correcting the law that prohibits normalization with Israel. We are formally in a state of war,” Rajji said, speaking amid denials in Lebanon that a Hezbollah terrorist killed in an Israeli strike this week also served in Lebanese army intelligence. At the same time, Rajji said Lebanon also faces a serious problem with Iran. “Iran is not our enemy, but we have deep issues with it,” he said. “The Iranians are directly involved in arming and financing an illegal armed organization in our country.”

Crack Down On Christians: Chinese Communist Party Carries Out Mass Arrests In Lead Up To Christmas
Starting on December 13, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mobilized “more than a thousand police officers, SWAT units, anti-riot forces, and firefighters” in the Zhejiang Province’s Yayang Town in Wenzhou City, raiding churches and conducting mass arrests of Christians, ChinaAid reported Friday. “Belongings of relevant individuals were illegally confiscated, roads leading to the church were completely blocked by police, and Christians in Yayang Town were unable to enter the Yayang church. The operation lasted nearly five days, yet no public statement was issued by officials,” the outlet noted.

Pharmakeia: America’s Seniors Are Being Overmedicated Into Oblivion
So many seniors that were once so full of life are now just shadows of their former selves. It can be really easy to assume that they are “just getting old” and that nothing unusual is happening to them. But the truth is that in so many cases the reason why America’s seniors are shutting down is because they are simply being overmedicated. Our entire medical system has been designed to push pills, and so when our seniors seek medical help that is usually the solution that they are offered. As you will see below, the proportion of our seniors that are on at least 8 pharmaceutical drugs is truly alarming. Of course those that consume pharmaceutical drug cocktails on a daily basis for an extended period of time are quite likely to experience very serious consequences.

Pa. High Court Rules Police Can Access Google Searches Without Warrants
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has a new definition of “reasonable expectation.” According to the justices, it’s no longer reasonable to assume that what you type into Google is yours to keep.

Netanyahu Issues Sharp Warning To Tehran As Suspicious Iranian Missile Drills Raise Alert Level
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters at a press conference on Monday that the Jewish State is closely monitoring military exercises being conducted by the Iranian regime, underscoring large-scale repercussions for “any action against Israel” taken by Tehran.

Google and Microsoft to demand “age verification” from Australians
Starting 27 December 2025, Australians using internet search engines such as Google and Microsoft Bing while logged in will be required to verify their age through digital identity checks, including methods such as photo ID, facial recognition or digital ID linking. In the meantime, writers are leaving Substack in response to similar censorship and “age verification” rules implemented on the platform earlier this month.

Who Really Wins from Trump’s New AI Exec Order?
President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14365 on December 11, declaring that the US should maintain “global AI dominance” through a “minimally burdensome” national framework – warning that state-level rules on AI regulation are becoming an obstacle to the government. The order introduces an AI Litigation Task Force to challenge state laws and identify “onerous” statutes, threatening that states could lose access to certain federal funding. The White House casts the decision as a necessary move against a messy “patchwork” of regulations across the country, while critics call it a strategy designed to halt real oversight before Congress passes anything at all. So, is this really about national coherence, or is there a hidden motive?

ICE Arrests More Than 100 Illegal Alien Truck Drivers in California
Yet again, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 101 illegal-alien truck drivers, a haul that brought the number of illegals stopped from possibly killing American motorists to more than 300. This time, ICE reported today, agents collared the illegals in far-left Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom’s California, which recently confessed to unlawfully giving almost 20,000 commercial driver licenses to foreign drivers.

“Iran’s ultimate goal is to destroy the United States,” says Amb. Huckabee
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned on Monday that Iran’s ambitions pose a direct threat not only to Israel but to the United States itself, saying Tehran ultimately seeks to undermine and destroy America.

Hunter Biden Denies Laptop’s Existence, Decries Open Borders, Claims $15 Million In Debt In Tell-All Interview
“So what I can tell you about the laptop is that there is no laptop. That’s bullshit. What was provided…”

Vance Warns European Nukes Could Fall Into Hands Of Islamist Extremists Within 15 Years
Slams mass migration as direct threat to U.S. security and Western alliance…

Muslims block Christians from celebrating Christmas in Indonesia as police look on
As police looked on, Muslims in Indonesia formed a human wall to block Christians from attending a Christmas service, according to local media.

The Whole Story of the Bible is About Jesus, Part 9 :: By Sean Gooding

24 Dec 2025