Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

What is the time frame on the Revelation 12 sign?

Leviticus 19:23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as their uncircumcision: three years shall they be as uncircumcised unto you; it shall not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, for giving praise unto Jehovah. 25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am Jehovah your God.

The Revelation 12 sign took place September 23, 2017. That sign sparked a whole new set of "watchers" proclaiming that the day of the Lord is near. A lot of teachings, a lot of exposition, a lot of theories. But the Lord tells us they were "uncircumcised" they hadn't gone through the cross. However, after 3 years everyone reassessed. They realized they had been too flippant and putting too much into a single sign without trying to put together the whole puzzle.

The fourth year the fruit is for giving praise unto the Lord. It is holy, it is an offering to the Lord. Then the fifth year it is for eating, it is for the Lord's people. This ministry is now ready to be eaten by the congregation of the Lord. This will be the fifth year since the Revelation sign, this september, the fellowship and exposition will be ready for the Body.

In the fifth year the body will eat from this tree. If we now have the rapture that will indicate this fruit was holy for the Lord and that would be His seal of approval on it so that the rest of the Body can partake of this teaching during the tribulation.

I would point out that on April 15th Ukraine sunk the Russian ship Moscow in the Black sea with the help of NATO. This is the event that Russia referred to as the start of WWIII. It took place on Passover. 4/15/2022.

Seven days later is 4/22/2022. 4+22+20+22 = 68 this number that has been seen in the start of every World War. I would be on the alert for some major escalation in this war to take place on the 22nd.

I will walk in the faith that I know the truth.

1Jn 2: 26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead you astray.

Take a look at chapter 2 and you can learn about those who "would lead you astray".

21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

For example Fauci has pushed the idea that everyone needs to be vaccinated whether or not they have recovered from Covid. Some questioned that and he rebuked them saying that to question him is to question science. The problem is we have dug up a video from ten years earlier of Fauci being asked if you still need the Flu shot if you have already had the flu and he said no, that the best vaccination is to get the flu and recover from it, so if you had the flu you don't need the shot. Whenever someone tries to scam you they will take on this air that they are the experts and they know better than you. But "we know the truth". We may not know all the facts, but we know the truth, Jesus is the truth. Inside we may get this nagging voice saying "hold on, that's not true" and we need to listen, that will keep us from those "who would lead you astray". Another example, as a teacher you have to get certain shots to teach. I was told that the vaccine mandate was the same as mandating those shots. But I teach science and I knew that wasn't true. Those vaccines took 50 years to develop and while they worked on them they had several failed attempts and even though those attempts failed while they were trying them they were touted as "safe and effective". Everyone makes that claim until it is disproven. I also knew that the Nuremberg laws made it illegal to mandate and experimental vaccine. To me the lesson is don't let someone intimidate you into thinking they are the expert, the Lord told you, "you know the truth".

1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already.

This is how you can know the false teachers. Every false teacher has one thing in common, doesn't matter if they are Muslim, or Jehovah Witness, or Moonies, or whatever. They may say that Jesus was a prophet, a man of God, or a philosopher. They may be very respectful of Jesus, but they will still tell you that you need something else in addition to Jesus for salvation. That is how you know they are false teachers.

3 And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

This word "Keep His commandments" reminded me of the gospels where it says that Mary kept all these things in her heart. The fact that we keep our experiences of the Lord's speaking to us in our heart is evidence that we know that we know Him.

https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/media/mi/+ygzr8nb

Reference to the portion in Numbers about the people being bitten by serpents and likening that to today.

This event was a judgement on the people for rejecting Moses' leadership and particularly the manna as food. In other words it is a judgement on the apostasy, leaving Jesus and the word of God.

Earthquakes are increasing exponentially

Over a 40 year period from 1970 to 2010 we averaged about 100 significant earthquakes (5 or greater on the Richter scale) worldwide.

Six months ago over 30 days we had 575 significant earthquakes worldwide.

Over the last 30 days we have had 627 significant earthquakes worldwide.

This is not climate change!

Zechariah 10:8-12 The redeemed will increase like a swarm of bees

8 I will hiss for them [as the keeper does for his bees] and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall increase [again] as they have increased [before, in Egypt]. 9 And though I sow them among the nations, yet they shall [earnestly] remember Me in far countries, and with their children they shall live and shall return [to God and the land He gave them]. 10 I will bring them [all Israel] home again from the land of Egypt and gather them out of Assyria, and I will bring them into the land [on the east and on the west of the Jordan, into] Gilead and Lebanon, and room enough shall not be found for them.

The entire world is seeing what is going on and everyone is involved. This is not just about the US, once Biden took control we saw China become very aggressive towards Taiwan, we saw Russia become very aggressive towards the Ukraine and we are seeing Iran attack Israel. Australia and Japan are involved with Taiwan, all of Europe is involved with the Ukraine, and the entire world is concerned about what is going on in the Middle East. The entire world is separating over so many issues, whether it is the pandemic or the matter of censorship. We see in Canada and the UK laws concerning censorship and police brutally shutting down churches due to the “mask mandate”. Look at Florida responding to the Disney corporation. Look at Texas responding to the border crisis. Look at the Attorney Generals and secretary of States around this country responding to the concern over election integrity. Look at the mothers and fathers responding to this LGTBQ community tryng to groom kids in elementary school. Everyone can see that Twitter is against free speech and the Main Stream Media is absurd in doxing the woman who did "Libs of Tik Tok".

11 And [the Lord] will pass through the sea of distress and affliction [at the head of His people, as He did at the Red Sea]; and He will smite down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the [river] Nile shall be dried up and put to shame; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down and the scepter or rod [of the taskmasters of Egypt] shall pass away.

We are seeing this right now. The Nile river signifies the world’s economy and the world's economy is drying up. The Pandemic has been a worldwide hit on the economy, yet the tech giants thought they were immune and instead were profiting greatly. They have destroyed their credibility, Twitter, Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple were caught in their arrogance. Competing platforms are popping up and what seemed ridiculous a year ago now appears like a very valid competitors to them. China's lockdown of Shanghai will reverberate around the world. The war in Ukraine will reverberate around the world. Look at Sri Lanka declaring bankruptcy, that is the beginning, you will see many, many more.

12 And I will strengthen [Israel] in the Lord, and they shall walk up and down and glory in His name, says the Lord.

You have to be in the Lord. You have to be an expression of the Lord’s person and work. That is the path victory. It is a path that is filled with worship and praise of the Lord. Many believers will come to this conclusion during the tribulation and they will be strengthened and they will glory in the Lord's name.

Zechariah 11 A worthless and wicked shepherd

1 Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars! 2 Wail, O fir tree and cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the glorious and lofty trees are laid waste! Wail, O you oaks of Bashan, for the thick and inaccessible forest [on the steep mountainside] has in flames been felled! 3 A voice of the wailing of the shepherds, for their glory, the broad pasturage, is laid waste! A voice of the roaring of young lions, for the pride of the Jordan [the jungle or thickets] is ruined!

Right now Wisconsin has announced they are also going to audit the election. We have enough evidence now to decertify the Arizona election, if Wisconsin also falls then Biden’s victory will be nullified. Also, the pressure will be on for Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire to follow suit. This opens the door for the entire corruption and fraud to go up in smoke. There will be a lot of “proud and lofty” people that will fall as a result. One reason some of these very wealthy and powerful people were paying tens and hundreds of millions to swing the election was to have their crimes hidden. Once some fall they all fall. Jezebel will be tossed out of her tower and given to the dogs. Go to https://www.resignation.info/ there have been 5,000 CEO's worldwide resign this year. It is unprecedented. 76 people in the White House have resigned, 37 from the US State department have resigned, 35 from the Department of Justice have resigned. These lofty and glorious trees are laid waste.

4 Thus says the Lord my God: Shepherd the flock [destined] for slaughter, 5 Whose buyers or possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty; and they who sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich! And their own shepherds neither pity nor spare them [from the wolves].

The rulers right now are totally despicable. They have thrown open the doors to this country, there is no border security. Now we have cartels that are trafficking in people, especially kids. All these people care about is getting rich, they are worthless shepherds selling the sheep to the wolves. They let dangerous people out of prison to kill and maim others in the cities. They continually want more and more power to surveil the population yet a man who was openly spewing hate, racism, and the desire to kill others on social platforms was ignored until he shot up a subway car after setting off a smoke bomb and putting on a gas mask.

6 For I will no more pity or spare the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord; but behold, I will deliver every man into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his [foreign] king. And [the enemy] shall lay waste the land, and I will not deliver [the people] out of the hand [of the foreign oppressor].

This is “hell on earth”. No safety, no security, thugs jumping and attacking people on the street without fear of the police. It has not happened yet, it will happen as soon as the one that restrains the Satan steps aside.

7 So I [Zechariah] shepherded the flock of slaughter, truly [as the name implies] the most miserable of sheep. And I took two [shepherd’s] staffs, the one I called Beauty or Grace and the other I called Bands or Union; and I fed and shepherded the flock. 8 And I cut off the three shepherds [the civil authorities, the priests, and the prophets] in one month, for I was weary and impatient with them, and they also loathed me.

Why do you think they loath you? It is because you restrain them from doing evil. We see this today, they loath us and used the pandemic to destroy the economy to remove Trump. They wanted everyone to continue to wear masks to maintain this illusion of danger so that they could seize control of all the levers of power. Meanwhile the Lord and the people of God have become impatient with them. Why were the schools closed? Why do we still need to wear masks if we are vaccinated? There are three shepherds, the politicians like Biden and Pelosi, the priests like Fauci, and the prophets like CNN and MSNBC. They will all be cut off and judged by the Lord.

9 So I [Zechariah] said, I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die, and what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let the survivors devour one another’s flesh. 10 And I took my staff, Beauty or Grace, and broke it in pieces to show that I was annulling the covenant or agreement which I had made with all the peoples [not to molest them].

God had a covenant with us ever since the time of Noah. The rainbow was a testimony of that covenant, but man broke the covenant which was to deal righteously with murder. Think of their hypocrisy for 50 years they claimed that a woman’s right to privacy allowed her to kill her baby because we did not have the right to know what was going on. Her body, her decision. But now with the pandemic it is no longer your body your decision. California is now trying to pass a law legalizing infanticide.

11 So the covenant was annulled on that day, and thus the most wretched of the flock and the traffickers in the sheep who were watching me knew (recognized and understood) that it was truly the word of the Lord.

That day refers to the rapture. Everyone on Earth will know in that day that it is truly the word of the Lord. They will see the rapture, they will see the word fulfilled, even the most wretched of them will know what this is.

12 And I said to them, If it seems just and right to you, give me my wages; but if not, withhold them. So they weighed out for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the Lord said to me, Cast it to the potter [as if He said, To the dogs!]—the munificently [miserable] sum at which I [and My shepherd] am priced by them! And I [Zechariah] took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.

Cast it to the dogs, just like Jezebel. What people will discover in that day is that there are many so called men of God, just like Judas, who has sold them for thirty pieces of silver. The Catholic church will be exposed, many false prophets will be exposed.

14 Then I broke into pieces my other staff, Bands or Union, indicating that I was annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Civil war, already we can see the country splitting apart, imagine what happens after the rapture. The ones standing the strongest for the Lord will be taken, this will be like removing the bridle from those who are doing evil. They will run wild and the believers who are left will be like Lot, stuck living in a hellscape. Many Christians want to go along to get along, they loath the evangelicals who are preaching the way of righteousness. But once they are gone they will be all alone, what then?

15 And the Lord said to me, Take up once more the implements [the staff and rod of a shepherd, but this time] of a worthless and wicked shepherd. 16 For behold, I will raise up a false shepherd in the land; the lost and perishing he will not miss or visit, the young and scattered he will not go to seek, the wounded and broken he will not heal, nor will he feed those that are sound and strong; but he will eat the flesh of the fat ones and break off their hoofs [to consume all the flesh]. 17 Woe to the worthless and foolish shepherd who deserts the flock! The sword shall smite his arm and his right eye; his arm shall be utterly withered and his right eye utterly blinded.

This is the antichrist, he will be raised up once those that restrain are removed. He won’t care about anyone, won’t care if they are wounded and need to be healed, won’t care if they are starving and need to be fed, in fact he’ll devour the fat ones himself. The rapture is wonderful to those who have been faithful to the Lord and horrible to those who haven’t.

Zechariah 12:1-6 -- Spiritual Judo

Judo is the fighting style where you let the opponents own attacks take him down as well. Instead of opposing the force directly you turn their own force to your advantage. In the last chapter we saw that God and his people were fighting with each other, they refused to listen and began to loath the prophets and He in turn also had had enough. As a result the last chapter concluded with God saying fine, he would give them an idolatrous shepherd and would stop restraining the evil. They had broken the covenant He had made with them at the time of Noah so He also would stop abiding by that covenant.

1 The burden or oracle (the thing to be lifted up) of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him:

This is the new creation, the work of redemption, and ultimately the coming kingdom. Remember, if the Lord is in you then the kingdom is in your midst.

2 Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup or bowl of reeling to all the peoples round about, and in the siege against Jerusalem will there also be a siege against and upon Judah.

I am reminded of my two oldest kids. They were born and raised in Taiwan but then came to live with me when they got to sixth grade. They didn’t speak any english so I decided to homeschool them before high school. I had taught ESL for years in Taiwan and felt I could do a better job of having them learn english than the public school could. Every day I gave them their assignments for the day, we had a strict schedule worked out because there was only one computer and they each wanted equal time on it. I also told them how they did was completely up to them, if they became doctors or flunked out it was up to them. Their mother was very upset at my decision to homeschool and was scaring them enough as it was. So I was basically telling them that if this doesn’t work out it is on them, not me. Looking back that is one of the things I regret because they did do exactly what I told them to and ultimately they were both valedictorians of their schools. No doubt if I could have guessed that would have happened I would have told them I would take the credit for whatever happens. It is the same with the believers, some will listen to the Lord, obey Him and follow His word. They will “live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. Others won’t, and so God employs different strategies for different people. Some only need to hear the word and they will obey, others need to learn from their mistakes.

People don’t understand prophecy. If you show me an apple seed and we plant that in the ground I can prophesy what the tree will look like and what the fruit will be like, when the tree will bring forth fruit and even what season the fruit will be ripe. I can do all that because I understand that is an apple seed, it will grow into an apple tree and I know what an apple tree will be like. In the same way God can prophesy of the great tribulation, this is not because God is trying to kill us but rather because Satan has planted a seed that will grow into that kingdom of Antichrist. So then God’s word prepares us for that day. The day will come when these two kingdoms can no longer coexist. At that time the kingdom of antichrist will attack the church. If you follow the Lord’s word and obey it the church will be a “cup of reeling” a cup of poison to the antichrist. For example there was a video of the police coming into a church and arresting a pregnant woman with a baby in her arms because she had taken off her mask. Is there anyway for antichrist and his kingdom to do this without it costing them far more than it is worth? With every step they take more and more people wake up as to how evil the antichrist is.

The Lord is training us and preparing us for this battle. We will be attacked, but just like in Judo the attack of the enemy will be used against the enemy.

3 And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples; all who lift it or burden themselves with it shall be sorely wounded. And all the nations of the earth shall come and gather together against it.

Jerusalem refers to the city of peace, and no doubt there is a Jerusalem in Israel but the New Testament tells us the church is also the New Jerusalem that is above. The church is very burdensome to the world. They would like to legalize abortion so that they can fornicate without any consequences. But regardless of how much they debate and reason the church has rejected that and so they have finally decided to forget debate.

“On that day” refers to a specific day, the great day of the Lord. This indicates a transition from the age of grace to the kingdom age. This term that they will be “sorely wounded” refers to idol worship where you cut yourself as a form of idol worship. What does this mean? You have seen cancel culture forcing people to make these public apologies like self mutilation. In the world there is no forgiveness, as a result instead of confessing, repenting and forgiving they have what the communists call “struggle sessions”. You have to come before them and apologize for absurd things and then they in turn use that as a basis to fire you. For example they were castigating anyone who questioned the results of the election, anyone who questioned the CDC, anyone who questioned CNN.

Israel will stand alone, but so will all of God’s people. We, the church, are the true Israel, the true prince of God. We need to “stand alone”, to stand against every nation.

4 In that day, says the Lord, I will smite every horse [of the armies that contend against Jerusalem] with terror and panic and his rider with madness; and I will open My eyes and regard with favor the house of Judah and will smite every horse of the opposing nations with blindness.

To smite every horse is to smite the power of all the nations. The things that the politicians are doing, the media are saying and the corporations are doing can only be explained as madness. They are in terror and panic and are running around blind. They attempted to steal the election and then thought that insults hurled at the “deplorables” would be enough to shut them up. But they didn’t shut up, they dug in their heels, they pursued them, and now all the sins are coming out, the election fraud is being revealed, and they are filled with terror and panic.

5 And the chiefs of Judah shall say in their hearts, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are our strength in the Lord of hosts, their God. 6 In that day will I make the chiefs of Judah like a big, blazing pot among [sticks of] wood and like a flaming torch among sheaves [of grain], and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell and sit securely in their own place, in Jerusalem.

This is what is happening today, this is “that day”. We are devouring the deep state in flames (Liz Cheney, Gov Newsom, Gov Cuomo, Gov Whitmer, Joe Biden, FISA scandal, Jan 6 scandal, Maxine Waters, etc). We are devouring the mainstream media which is nothing but the propaganda arm of the Democratic party in flames (ratings are down 40-60%, several major pundits have already had their shows removed). We are devouring the multinational corporations that have “gone woke”. MLB, Coca Cola, Twitter, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, all these corporations that thought they were untouchable are like logs in the fire. 5,000 CEO's have been devoured and "resigned", and you can go on and on with government officials and other elites being forced to resign.

But wait, the Lord’s kingdom is not of this world. Yes, that is true. We are not of this corrupt world. We are not of these false shepherds who worship idols and don’t care about the sheep. We are not of these false prophets who will say whatever they are paid to say and have no respect for the word of God or the word of truth. We are not of these spineless corporations that are amoral and will do anything to improve the bottom line. The bottom line does not refer to human life or people, it simply refers to vain idols of metal and wood.

He's got the "chosen, the called and the faithful".

Chosen -- Israel

the called -- Church

the faithful -- Those that get their heads cut off (tribulation saints)

According to Exodus the 7th day of Passover is a holy day to us, that was the day that the Lord split the sea. Should have been the 23rd of April but because they didn't see the new moon on the second it is the 24th of April.

This day is also the 21st of Nisan.

40

Acts 1:3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

40 days is how long it takes for a human embryo to take a human form.

What is the concept of forty? Forty represents a metamorphosis, a transformation. After forty days, the embryo of a child begins to assume a recognizable form.1

Amos 2:10 Also it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And led you forty years through the wilderness,
To possess the land of the Amorite.

Additionally, a mikveh (with its forty se’ah) has the ability to change an individual from a state of impurity to purity. And if one wants to undertake a conversion,11 one must immerse in a mikveh, whereupon his or her Jewish soul is revealed.2

Mark 1:13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

Moses was a type of the Messiah.
Each of Moses’ forty-day sojourns in heaven signified a transformation. The first forty days was to receive the Torah, and when an individual learns Torah, he or she develops the ability to change for the better. The second trip was for prayer, tefillah. When a person prays, he or she can change an evil decree; in this case, G‑d’s intention to annihilate the Jewish people. Indeed, because of Moses’ supplications, G‑d was willing to bestow His mercy and once again offer them His Torah. The final ascent represented teshuvah (repentance)—also a transformation—because once a person has repented, he is no longer the same person he was when he sinned. When Moses finally returned to the Jewish people with G‑d’s law, they were at a level of atonement—and thus finally prepared to become G‑d’s nation.3

This verse depicts the first transformation of Jesus where he received His earthly ministry, the Torah. The second trip was prior to the crucifixion where Jesus prayer was to change the evil decree to kill all sinners. The third trip was when Jesus was seen for forty days because His people were at a level of atonement, prepared to become God's nation. On a grander scale human history can be divided into three sets of 2,000 years, each of which is 40 jubilees.

Hebrews 3:17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?

G‑d brought a flood upon this world for forty days and forty nights. The waters of the flood were not for revenge, as is commonly assumed, but for atonement, to purify and transform the world, in much the same way a mikveh purifies a person.4

This verse in Hebrews is referring to us hearing the Lord's voice and not hardening our hearts. The only way to be transformed is if we are in the word of God. You are not transformed by being in the wilderness or suffering, rather you are transformed by eliminating all the distractions and idols of Egypt and immersing yourself in the word of God and hearing His voice.

1 Samuel 17:16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

The word mem stands for mayim, which means water. Water constitutes a vital element in our lives: a human being is largely composed of water and the majority of the earth is covered with it.

Torah, the most vital element in our spiritual lives, is referred to as water, as it states: “Ein mayim ela Torah13—There is no water but Torah.” As the Prophet tells us,14 “He who is thirsty shall go and drink water,” meaning that a Jew’s thirst for spirituality will never be sated by looking to other cultures or religions. The only thing that will quench one’s thirst is water, which is Torah.

Just as a fish cannot survive without water, a Jew cannot survive without Torah. The story is told of a fish and a fox.15 The fish was busy evading a fisherman’s net when he spied a fox standing on the shore of the lake. The fox called out to the fish and said, “Little fish, where are you going?” The fish answered, “The fishermen are all trying catch me, so I’m trying to swim away!” Feigning concern, the conniving fox offered, “Little fish, come up out of the water. I will protect you.” Replied the fish, “Silly fox. In the water I still have a chance. But once I leave the water, I will surely die.”5

David took 5 smooth stones out of the water. This indicates that he was in the water, immersed in the water and that is where he got the word to slay the giant.

1 Kings 19:8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

A Jew without Torah is like a fish without water. Of course we know that the water isn’t without its difficulties. There is anti-Semitism. We run from country to country, trying to survive a Spanish Inquisition and a Holocaust. Yet even amidst the onslaught, we have persevered as a people. The moment we leave our culture, the moment we leave the water—our connection to G‑d and Torah—we are spiritually dead.6

The last two thousand years has been 40 jubilees and yet the church has gone on in the strength of the food we received during the age of the apostles during these 40 years.

Exodus 26:19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons.

There are other numbers you can then look at 2 x 20, 40 x 10, etc.

Furthermore, the words Torah, tefillah and teshuvah begin with a tav, which has the numerical value of 400, or 40x10 (i.e., serving G‑d with all of one’s 10 faculties for 40 days).7

We see 40 days we also see 40 years:

The forty years that the Jews spent in the desert also constituted a transformation. The nation that had rebelled against G‑d had metamorphosed into a nation that was ready to adhere to His word.8

So then the letter for 40 also means water.

Torah is also compared to water because water travels unaltered from the top of a mountain to its lower tiers and valleys. So did G‑d bring down the same deep, intellectual Torah He had in heaven to the physical world. The Zohar says that G‑d looked into the Torah to create the world. The Torah serves as a blueprint for Creation. The wealth and strength of its water carves, and continues to carve out the foundation of the entire world.9

The letter itself also represents a womb with both a closed version of the letter and an open version.

The mem also represents the womb. In essence, water is the womb of Creation. The Torah begins, “In the beginning G‑d created the heavens and the earth.” The next verse states that before G‑d created the heavens and the earth “...the spirit of G‑d hovered over the waters.” What waters? Since the earth’s waters had not yet been created, the waters mentioned here are the womb from which Creation emerged, the place of gestation before the world came into existence.

Mikveh embodies this concept as well. When one immerses in a mikveh, it is similar to entering the womb of Creation, a state of the world yet unborn. At the moment when the person emerges, he or she is reborn. On a more practical level, the individual submerged in a mikveh is in a medium where he or she can’t survive and will ultimately die. When the individual emerges from the water, he or she is renewed. The word mikveh also begins with the letter mem.10