SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH THE SPIRIT
P R O V I D E N C E OR C O I N C I D E N C E
Does GOD still speak to Us today?
Is HE still at work in the World?
Does History Repeat itself as the repetition of birth pangs?
Ecclesiastes 1 : 9 - 11
What has been is what will be,
what has been done is what will be done,
there is nothing new under the sun.
[10] Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
[11] There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
among those who come after.
There is nothing NEW…we may deceive ourselves into thinking that because things “look” differently that they are new.
As Ecclesiastes points out, we are merely the victims of a short-term memory!
Isaiah 9 Research offered by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn of the Beth Israel Congregation in Lodi, New Jersey
A M E R I C A
In September 1788, after the necessary three-quarters of the states ratified the Constitution, the existing Congress, under the Articles of Confederation, passed such a law, setting March 4, 1789, as the convening date of the First Congress.
~United States Senate Website
George Washington’s Inauguration
On inauguration day {April 30, 1789}, the [New York] city was crowded with townspeople and visitors. At half past noon, Washington rode alone in the state coach from his quarters in Franklin Square to Federal Hall on the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets.
After this address, he and the members of Congress proceeded to St. Paul’s Church for divine service. A brilliant fireworks display in the evening ended the official program for this historic day. (Information excerpted from Washington’s Inaugural Address of 1789. National Archives and Records Administration: Washington, DC, 1986.) Presidential Address at the Capital Building “We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of heaven can
never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and the right which heaven itself has ordained.”
St. Paul’s Chapel
Opened in 1766, St. Paul's Chapel is Manhattan's oldest public building in continuous use - a place where George Washington worshiped and 9/11 recovery workers received round-the-clock care.
- It is here that George Washington sought YHVH’s divine protection for our Nation, but also warned of HIS judgment should we deny HIM.
- The MIRACLE of 9-11
- No damage to the building while all else around it was destroyed
Events Surrounding 9 -11
Highlights from the Federal Register, relay the words of Senator Tom Daschle [then Senate Majority Leader] for the Joint Resolution of Condemnation for the attacks the morning of September 12th, 2001:
“…Nothing, nothing can replace the losses that have been suffered. I know there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation. But there is a passage in the Bible, from Isaiah, that I think speaks to all of us at times such as this:
The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.
That is what we will do. We will rebuild and we will recover. The people of America will stand strong together because the people of America have always stood together. And those of us privileged to serve this great Nation will stand with you.”
Senator John Kerry, in his statement before the United States Senate on Wednesday, September 12, 2001 remarked:
“…And I believe one of the first things we should commit to - with federal help that underscores our nation's purpose – is to rebuild the towers of the World Trade Center and show the world we are not afraid - we are defiant.”
Interestingly on September 11, 2004 VP Candidate Jonathan Edwards gave a speech in Washington, D.C. at a prayer breakfast quoting Isaiah 9:10:
“Good morning. Today on this day of remembrance and mourning, we have the Lord’s Word: [Listen]
• ‘The bricks have fallen, but we will build - with dressed stones:
• the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place….’
He goes on to say…
“Let me show you how we are building and putting cedars in those three hallowed places, the Towers, the Pentagon and the Field. Walk with me through this day and you will see that while those bricks fell and the sycamores cut down, our people are making those cedars rise.”
And he closed with,
“Each time that bell tolls it calls us to a greater purpose. To never forget: it calls us to always remember that when we walk together this day that the cedars will rise and the stones will go up.”
This is the ARROGANCE OF BABYLON
ISAIAH 9 : 8 - 10
[8] The Lord [Adonai] has sent a word against Jacob,
and it will fall on Israel; [9] and all the people will know,
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
[10] “The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place.”
(Isaiah 9:8-10 ESV)
- Misused by the Nation’s Leaders in a spirit of defiance
~ The Purpose of Judgment is not to PUNISH but rather to REMIND followers to RETURN ~
The Hewn Stone
The first stone to be used in the construction of the 1,176 ft. Freedom Tower was hewn from New York granite and lowered by crane in a ceremony on July 4, 2004. Governor George Pataki of New York presided:
- "Today is indeed, a momentous day. Today we take 20 tons of Adirondack granite - the bedrock of our State - and place it as the foundation, the bedrock of a new symbol of American strength and confidence. Today, we lay the cornerstone for a new symbol of this city and this country and of our resolve in the face of terror. Today we build the Freedom Tower.”
- “The Freedom Stone” was removed on June 23, 2006, purportedly for design conflicts, building delays and security concerns.
- The designers, Innovative Stone, said it will soon be relocated to its new home at a new memorial garden in Hauppauge.
The “Cut Down” Sycamore
- Was there a Sycamore at Ground Zero?
- Was it replaced?
An ominous event occurred during the collapse of the North Tower.
As the North Tower collapsed one of its steel beams was hurled from the sky, only to impact a particular object – a sycamore tree!
The next day people discovered the UPROOTED tree, with roots exposed, in the courtyard of St. Paul’s Chapel.
The Sycamore had saved St. Paul’s Chapel. As a result, an artist was commissioned to make a bronze cast of it.
- Bronze is the metal signifying judgment in the Bible.
- Bronze laver, bronze alter, Goliath was “suited” in Bronze!
Wall street also has its “roots” in the Sycamore
- Began in 1792 with the Buttonwood Agreement.
- A Buttonwood is a type of sycamore as is the fig tree
- The New York Stock Exchange's origin can be traced all the way back to the signing of the Buttonwood Agreement on May 17th, 1792.
- The agreement was struck by a group of 24 stockbrokers and merchants at 68 Wall Street, under a buttonwood tree.
- The symbol of Wall Street is the “Charging” bronze Bull
o Artist Di Modica created, casted, and installed the sculpture following the [Monday October 9th] 1987 stock market crash as a symbol of the "strength and power of the American people." ~ D. McFadden, Robert (1989-12-16).
Again, a Spirit of Defiance rather than Repentance
It is interesting to note that 7 years later, the “symbol” of our “strength” suffered one of its greatest blows.
- On September, 29 2008 the DJIA dropped 777 points [a 7% decline]
- …And so the Financial Crisis was born.
- Black Monday [DJIA drops 21%]
- I find it further interesting that the Stock Market crash of October 19, 1987 was only 21 years earlier
What is with all these “7”s ?
Shemitah [source Chabad.org]
- The Shemitah year waives all outstanding debts between Jewish debtors and creditors.
- Release of Debts
- Deuteronomy 15 : 1 – 2
- During the Shemitah year, the residents of the Land of Israel must completely desist from cultivating their fields. They also relinquish personal ownership of their fields; whatever produce grows on its own is considered communal property, free for anyone to take.
- A time of REFOCUS – a time to RELY and TURN TO GOD
- In the ancient Israeli agrarian-based culture, the Shemitah year proved to be a difficult challenge for the people's collective trust in the Creator
- Leviticus 25 : 20 – 22
INTERESTING HOW 2007 took the MARKETS to UNPRECENDENTED HIGHS !
The Tree of Hope
Two years after 9/11, the hole left behind by the fallen sycamore was filled.
NO…but a Cedar Tree!
The ceremonial planting of the cedar Tree of Hope took place on November 22, 2003.
It is my understanding that this tree has died and since been replaced.
Let me ask, again. . .
P R O V I D E N C E or C O I N C I D E N C E
