Okay, Exodus chapter 28, moving right along here.
I don't have any kind of things to show, necessarily to show the picture of this except for just
stuff I saw on the internet, and to me it's like, this specific photo, you probably can't
see it very well from up here, but this to me looks like he's wearing a flowery dress.
I just honestly don't think that that's what it looked like.
If I saw that, I wouldn't think, wow, that's holiness unto the Lord.
I'd think, this dude's wearing a dress.
We're going to have to use what's called our imagination a little bit.
Let me just start.
What we're going to talk about tonight is just the basic things about the eFOD, what
an eFOD even is, the breastplate, the robe, the coat, the miter, the girdle, and the linen
breeches.
I'll try to make it as exciting as possible, but these aren't exactly the easiest chapters
to outline and preach out of.
They're important because God put them in his word, and then he even retells it again
when they're building all this stuff and making these things.
He's telling Moses, this is what you're going to do, and then later on we're going to see
it actually get made.
There's obviously some spiritual application to it, and I don't know that I have all the
spiritual application figured out, but I'm doing my best to try to figure it out.
I'm studying it pretty intensely.
I'm sure that things will jump out to you as we go through some of this other stuff,
but I talked a little bit about this morning about the priest's garments, so this is part
two of the priest's garments in Exodus chapter 28, so let's look at verse number four.
It says, and these are the garments which they shall make.
It's not optional.
This is something they have to wear when they're ministering in the tabernacle.
A breastplate, so this is for the high priest specifically, a breastplate and an eFOD, a
robe and a broided coat, a mitre and a girdle, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron
thy brother and his sons that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
So the sons, so the ones that are his sons are the priests also, but they don't have
to have the breastplate and all the other stuff.
They're basically just like wearing white clothes, white versions of those things, which
obviously in my first sermon this morning they kind of picture the righteousness of
the saints and fellow, the sons and related family members, but Jesus Christ obviously
is a picture of the high priest.
So something to keep in mind as we study these things, go ahead and turn to Hebrews chapter
nine, verse one, and we'll just keep our finger in Exodus 28 because we'll be there a lot,
and Hebrews chapter nine, verse one, I'll just start reading there as you turn there.
It says, then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service and a worldly
sanctuary.
It's talking about this tabernacle that you're looking at right there.
Not exactly replica necessarily, but it says, for there was a tabernacle made, the first
wherein was the candlestick and the table and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary,
and after the second veil, the tabernacle, which is called the holiest of all, which
had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein
was the golden pot that had manna and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant,
and over it the cherubims of glory, shadowing the mercy seat, of which we cannot now speak
particularly.
So that verse there where it says, of which we cannot now speak particularly, it's saying
that they don't really know exactly what it looked like.
They don't know, he can't really speak particularly of it because maybe those things kind of are
lost on them.
And it says, now when these things were thus ordained, the priest went always into the
first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
So I would just say this, that keep in mind that all these things are lost to us.
We haven't been able to see these things for thousands of years, so even when they do remake
the new temple or whatever, they're probably not going to make things exactly how it was
showed them in the pattern because God's not giving them the pattern of that next temple
that's coming.
They're going to just do this, they're probably just going to follow the Bible to the best
of their ability or whatever and try to make it.
But it's not going to be exactly, because Moses got these instructions straight from
God and then the people that made these things made them basically from the Spirit of God
giving them the wisdom to be able to make these things.
Because when it's talking about doing them with cunning workmanship and all this stuff,
God gave them the ability to do these things.
Normally they just would not be able to perform some of the things that they built and the
things that they put together on their own.
So anyway, so let's look at the first piece of the high priest's outfit and it's the ephod.
So what is an ephod?
Well I kind of just went to the dictionary for this, but one of the dictionary things
I looked up it says, in Jewish antiquity a part of the sacradotal habit, being a kind
of girdle, which was brought from behind the neck over the two shoulders and hanging down
before was put across the stomach then carried around the waist and used as a girdle to the
tunic, which tunic, I don't know, the Bible doesn't say tunic.
But there were two sorts, one of plain linen, the other embroidered for the high priest.
On the part in front were two precious stones, that's on the shoulders, which were engraved
the names of the twelve tribes of Israel before the breast was a square piece or breastplate.
So they're saying that it's like some sort of a girdle, but I don't know that that's
necessarily so.
It's kind of more like an apron is what I would picture it as.
It has like a hole and it says it comes from the back over the top and then there's something
called the curious girdle and that wraps around and ties it tight or whatever.
And then of course there's chains that come and hook the plate that has the stones and
all the stones are in the front and then there's chains that lock it in place so when it's
all put together it doesn't just flop around, it's tight and that girdle is like a belt.
So it's like a woven belt, it's made out of linen or whatever.
So let's look at verse five, it says, and they that take gold and blue and purple and
scarlet and fine linen, they shall take gold and blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen.
So these should be familiar colors to you by now if you've listened to any of these
sermons or been here for them.
Of course the gold representing the kingdom, but also another thing about gold is that
it's pure and it's one of the most purest metals that there are and not a lot of other
things stick to it.
And gold is the most precious metal on the planet.
So it makes sense that God would put it into use and one of the things that they brought
to Jesus Christ when the wise men came, what did they bring?
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh, right?
So gold is one of the things that they brought to him.
But then you have the blue, the purple, and the scarlet of course.
Blue is, in other studies I've showed where blue kind of represents the law, God told
them to put the blue fringes on their garments to remind them to keep the law and to remember
the commandments that God gave to them.
But also the blue, purple, and scarlet picture the beating and the death of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the scarlet, the stripes that were healed by, and the fine linen is also the
righteousness of the saints.
And so that represents righteousness, it's the color of righteousness.
So now verse number six says, and they shall make the ephod of gold and blue and purple
and scarlet and fine twined linen with cunning work.
It shall have two shoulder pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof and so it
shall be joined together.
So the ephod again is the first piece that goes over.
It's kind of like an apron and then it has the two shoulder pieces joined at the two
edges thereof and so it shall be joined together.
So obviously this probably pictures, it could picture the two halves of the law, it could
picture the Old Testament and New Testament, and of course it's going to explain to us
that those stones that are stuck in the shoulder pieces have the names of the 12 tribes of
Israel in order.
And obviously in the Old, Jesus died for the sins of everybody, not just for the 12 tribes
of Israel.
So that picture is of course Old Testament and New Testament in my opinion.
But look at verse number eight, it says, and the curious girdle of the ephod, so it's called
the curious girdle, I mean it's got its own interesting name there, so of the ephod which
is upon it shall be of the same according to the work thereof, even of gold and blue
and purple and scarlet and fine twined linen.
And thou shall take two onyx stones and grave on them the names of the children of Israel,
six of their names on one stone and the other six names of the rest of the other stone according
to their birth.
So they write them in the order of their birth and they're engraved in the stones.
And to my, I haven't studied the stones and I'm probably going to compare the stones to
the stones that's talked about in the book of Revelation in the next sermon where it
talks about this.
So my understanding is that onyx is black.
Is that everybody else's understanding that onyx is a black stone?
And then also another thing to think about is that according to their birth, but the
birthright was, who got the birthright according to Jacob?
Who did he give the birthright to?
So Joseph's two sons actually got the birthright.
And so it could be talking about Manasseh and Ephraim.
It could represent that too.
It could be tied in there, but because it's by birth, so I don't know.
But just a guess there.
And then he got, it says, and now shall take two onyx stones, engrave them.
Verse 11, with the work of the engraver in stone, like the engravings of the signet,
shall thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel.
Thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.
Now what are ouches?
Well, ouches are a buckle or a brooch that you would set a jewel into.
So like, you know, if you have a ring and it has those little kind of hooks and it sets
into it, or a brooch, like if you've seen a woman's brooch, that's what an ouch is.
So it says, and thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones
of memorial.
So what are they for?
Stones of memorial.
What is memorial?
Well, it's something to help you remember something, isn't it?
So unto the children of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon
his two shoulders for a memorial.
So what is the purpose of the stones?
To be a memorial that Aaron is gonna bear their names upon his shoulders.
Now, he bore the heavy load of the signet for the children of Israel in the Old Testament,
right?
And in the New Testament for all mankind.
And that picture is Jesus Christ.
So let's turn to Isaiah chapter 53, and I feel like this is a pretty good passage to
help encapsulate this thought for us because, you know, Jesus has big shoulders.
He's got big enough shoulders to carry the sins of the whole world upon him, right?
And if you think about the picture of him carrying his cross after being tortured and
beaten all day, and then someone basically ends up having to help him carry it because
he's so beat up that he physically can't do it anymore.
But spiritually, he went all the way for us and crossed that finish line.
But Isaiah 53 verse 4 says, Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,
yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, and he was bruised for our iniquities.
And the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.
So the picture of Jesus, you know, when Jesus died, he was a bloody, beaten pulp of a man.
The Bible says his face was marred more than any man.
His beard was ripped out.
And so when you see the picture of the ephod, what is the picture of the ephod?
It's got scarlet, purple, blue.
So what is that picture?
It pictures Jesus, doesn't it?
It pictures what he looked like to people.
But obviously, when God looked at that, when God looked at Jesus Christ, we looked at that
and we would think, that's a horror show, I don't even want to look at that.
But when God looked at that, it pleased him.
And you're like, well that's kind of sadistic, but it only pleased him because Jesus did
what he was supposed to do to fix things and to make them right so that he could be the
savior of mankind.
Look at verse 6, it says, all we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone
to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth, he is brought as
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his
mouth.
So that picture of the lamb that's slain is that picture, but in the Old Testament it
looks like he's wearing this nice outfit, but the look of that garment is supposed to
picture for us what Jesus is actually going to look like.
And if you think about the bells and the pomegranates and blood dripping, because pomegranates are
what color?
They're usually red, aren't they?
But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself, let's go back to verse 13 in our text, it says,
Thou shalt make ouches of gold, and two chains of pure gold at the ends, wreathen work, that
just means they're intertwined, shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains
to the ouches.
So that's the ephod, it's explaining what the ephod is, and then it says, so now we're
going to look at the breastplate that connects to the ephod, and that's in verse 15, it says,
Thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work, after the work of the ephod,
thou shalt make it, of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of fine twine linen, shalt
thou make it.
So here again, it's the same color scheme as the ephod, and it says, foursquare it
shall be, being doubled, a span shall it be length thereof, and a span shall be the
breadth thereof.
So does anybody know what a span is, what the measurement of a span is in the Bible?
So it's, from what I've found, it's the measurement between the pinky and the end of your thumb,
so that'd be about nine inches.
So nine inches this way, nine inches this way, so that kind of, I mean, mine might be
longer than that, but you know, you're talking about a breastplate that's about nine inches,
nine inches, foursquare, right?
And it says, and it shall be doubled, a span shall be the, so it's doubled, so remember
in, when we were talking about the tabernacle and the different things that go over the
top of it, and then that one curtain in the front was doubled, remember that?
So this is also, this breastplate is also doubled, and it says, a span shall be the
length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof, so nine by nine by nine by nine by
nine, so, and it says in verse 17, thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows
of stones, the first four, the first row shall be of Sardis, a topaz, and a carbuncle, this
shall be the first row, and the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond,
and the third row a ligur, an agate, and an amethyst, and the fourth row a beryl, and
an onyx, and a jasper, they shall be set in gold in their enclosings, and the stones shall
be with the names of the children of Israel, so again you have, so you have the names of
the children of Israel on the onyx stones on the shoulders, and then now also each name
of the sons of Israel in the actual different stones on the breastplate, so those stones
go in the breastplate, the nine inch by nine inch breastplate that goes on the front of
the outfit there, so, and then it says in verse 22, thou shalt make upon the breastplate
chains at the ends of wreath and work of pure gold, thou shalt make upon the breastplate
two rings of gold, and thou shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate,
and thou shalt put the two wreath and chains of gold and two rings, which are at the ends
of the breastplate.
So it's basically on the ends of the breastplate here, two rings, and two rings at the bottom
of the breastplate, and that's for the gold chains to come from the shoulder piece and
connect and for it to connect to the other end of the breastplate so and it
says the other two ends of the two wreathing chains shalt thou fasten to the
two ouches which the ouches were up here remember and put them on the shoulder
pieces of the ephod before it and thou shalt make two rings of gold and thou
shall put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof which
is in the side of the ephod inward the two other rings of gold thou shalt make
and thou shalt put them on two sides of the ephod underneath toward the four
part thereof over against the other coupling thereof above the curious
girdle of the ephod so that is supposed to so the ephod is obviously or the
curious girdles underneath that like where a normal belt would probably go
and they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the the rings of
the ephod with a lace of blue that it may be above the curious girdle of the
ephod and that the breastplate be not loose from the ephod so you see how it's
it's kind of locked in place with all these mechanisms so it doesn't move
around and so when I think of the girdle though like kind of maybe what it might
mean spiritually is it's you know getting work done right when when men
put on belts why do they put belts on so they can hold up their pants and so
you don't have to see their crack when they're bending over when they're
working right you know the Bible talks about that a lot that to gird up gird up
your loins right it tells men to gird up your loins specifically like a man it
never says for women to gird up their loins you ever notice that it's always
men but and that usually indicates it's time to get some work done so when I
think of this girdle that's what I kind of think of it's getting work done and
again Jesus was our is our high priest and he got the work done that was needed
for our salvation but then this girdle isn't just called a girdle it's called
the curious girdle so what does that mean well carry it you know when you say
well that's curious or you know curiosity killed the cat and it's like
the cat sees something that gets its attention right and then it goes to
investigate then somehow it kills that cat ends up dying because you know cats
are just stupid like that and they sorry no offense to cat people but they are
you know they'll just like swat at something and then they'll end up
falling off and doing something dumb and anyway so you think of like here you
know curious so what I the definition of curious is unusual and therefore worth
noticing so this is called the curious girdle so it's an unusual girdle worth
noticing and so you know when you think of the work of Jesus Christ it's not
just any old work it's unusual work because nobody else has ever been able
to do the work that he has done no other religion can claim that their God
came down and became one of them and then did all the work necessary for
their salvation and actually loves the people that he made so much that even
when they spit in his face and treat him ill and reject reject him left and right
that he still made a plan for all of them to be able to be saved like that's
a truly a loving God no other gods are like that the pantheon gods like hate
their creation pretty much and all the other ones just they want you to bring
blood to them I mean that's those that's the satanic religions and or they just
you know like like the Buddhists you know their their end goal is to not
exist anymore it's like well that's kind of a weird goal I don't want to go to
heaven I just want to not exist you know they come back as these simpler life
forms or whatever through their you know if they're and then they come back as
worse things if they were bad and then one life and whatever there's no such
thing as reincarnation obviously but but the curious girdle you know it's curious
because it's unusual and so obviously is a different type of girdle and you know
we have a different type of God he's the only real God that there is and our God
got the work done for us so that we get saved and you know anytime the Bible
talks about a belt or a girdle or something like that it's specifically
kind of deals with getting something done right a worker people working I
look at verse 29 it says in Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel
in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart that's the other thing about God
is that we are on his heart you know and sadly enough we're not he's not
always on ours but you know what I love about God is that we're always on his
heart you know when we're saved and you know obviously even on the unsaved what
we're on his heart and and so it says that the breastplate of judgment was is
upon his heart talking about Aaron when he go within unto the holy place for a
memorial before the Lord continually and so again this is pre Jesus but the
picture is that you know obviously Aaron goes in once a year to take that blood
in and that's a picture to show that you know it's like God's just kind of like
spoon feeding here's what's going to happen later on and then like when he
comes they don't believe any of it but see we can look back in the New
Testament as believers and save people to have the Holy Spirit we could look
back go that's pretty cool that he showed him all that stuff you know he
really went to some elaborate depths to really paint a very clear picture but
and but not giving the name of Jesus out so why wasn't the name of Jesus revealed
in the Old Testament I mean I don't really know that for sure but it kind I
mean to me I just maybe I think that the devil would have had more of definite
plans to kind of work work on he didn't really know anything until the wise men
came and inquired about Jesus being born and then he was able to try to move in
and what do you do immediately when he realized that Jesus was born to the
earth he tried to go get him killed and then he killed everybody in Bethlehem
you know of a certain age what was it two years and under or three years and
under or whatever killed them all just to make sure that they wiped out Jesus
he was very upset because Herod was an agent of Satan but anyway so it says
that Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the blood at the
rest plate of the judgment upon the heart and when he go within unto the
holy place for a memorial before the Lord continually and that word
continually obviously Jesus only had to do it one time because the blood of
bull and goats never was going to get it done a sheet you know those are
pictures and and obviously they so he's he's doing the once a year continually
so they kind of understand and the new generations can see what the picture is
but when it's continually you know and the the true the the true form of it
taking place is it's gonna be just one time and so and we know that's true
look over story it says and now shall put in the breastplate of judgment the
Urim and the Thummim and they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he go within
before the Lord and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon
his heart before the Lord continually so this is like a really clear picture of
the fact that Aaron is picturing Jesus Christ but this whole Urim and Thummim
this is a mystery to people it's a mystery to me I think it's a mystery to
most I don't think anybody really quite necessarily has this figured out I don't
know I mean I haven't really looked at what a lot of people's surmises are
about this but it's it doesn't even say what it is but it says thou shall put in
the in the breastplate of judgment remember there's two layers to it right
there's the top layer that has the jewels and then there's a second layer
so I don't know if there's like a little pouch there or something but it
says that they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the Lord
and shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel so Jesus Christ
bared the judgment upon him for the whole world so and you know he bears
that obviously that continually his Jesus bore that judgment one time for
all mankind forever so but to kind of I just want to kind of show you some
verses that it talks about the the Urim and the Thummim and it people think it's
a stone like I've had I looked up a couple things and and like witches and
like New Age people are kind of into this kind of stuff and they say it's
like these little glass pieces and I think that like Joseph Smith like the
magic rocks or whatever that he used to like I think that he kind of was trying
to say that that's what that was or something I I didn't look that up but I
kind of just came to my mind you had the didn't have like the hat where he was
like looking into some rocks or something but anyway it doesn't say that
they're rocks so does it it just doesn't even say what they are so it just says
Urim and Thummim whatever that is so turn to 1st Samuel chapter 28 verse 6
though and there's a couple times when it's mentioned in Scripture and that's
it it's just then you don't really hear about it again so 1st Samuel chapter 28
verse 6 and the first time we really see about it after this is when it comes to
Saul and he's inquiring of the Lord and God won't answer him so it says and when
Saul inquired of the Lord the Lord answered him not neither by dreams nor
by Urim nor by prophets so that just tells me a little bit of something that
he when you inquire by the by the high priest that something about that Urim
whatever it is helps him inquire of the Lord because he is the high priest so
and then if you think about in the New Testament that Jesus we can go to the
Father through Jesus that this is some kind of way of of you know getting
prophecy from God and this is a special way that Saul inquired of the Lord
because because he didn't get the dreams he didn't get the the Urim or by
prophets so God just refused to answer him in any way but that tells me though
that it is possible that God would speak through the high priest I mean that's
kind of how I see it but now let's turn to Ezra chapter 2 Ezra chapter 2 and so
I just kind of see that in the passage there it's talking about the breastplate
of judgment and then this Urim and Thummim being upon Aaron's heart so
it's some kind of judgment it's something to do with you know getting
some kind of an answer from the Lord but Ezra chapter 2 verse 62 says so this is
basically one of the longest chapters in the Bible Ezra chapter 2 and it's
talking about all these Levites that are disqualified from the ministry and
because they couldn't track their genealogy but it says in verse 62 these
sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy but they were
not found therefore were they as polluted put from the priesthood and the
Trishotha said unto them that they should not eat of the most holy things
till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim so and I don't know if
that was specifically to reveal who the priests were in some way but that's kind
of really all we have to go on in the Bible about what this is but I kind of
feel like it might have something to do with it has something to do with maybe
some sort of you know inquiring of God and you know judgment so but let's turn
to Deuteronomy chapter 29 verse 29 and what I say about this is that you know I
don't have all the answers you know and some things in the Bible just like I
started off the sermon some things we're just not gonna really know you
know there's some things that are gonna be a mystery to us and we really kind of
just have to take those things and go well you know maybe God will reveal it
in his time maybe we will never know you know it's just kind of like the the the
voices of Thunder that uttered and we don't know what they say it's like what
do you think it said well it's not gonna tell us we were not gonna know so they
were not allowed to repeat well not he was not a lot John was not allowed to
write down what those voices of Thunder uttered so we'll never know I guess but
so Deuteronomy 29 29 says the secret things belong unto the Lord our God so
there are things that he just has that are secret and they belong to him they
don't belong to us it says but but this is art should be our mentality right but
those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever so
praise God that we do actually have some light and we know that the things that
are revealed to us and you think about that word revealed but what about the
word revelation you know the revelation of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ has
revealed to us what's going to happen in the end times and some of those things
are dark sayings but you know at least we know what we're looking forward to
and in the end it's a great joyous occasion that we all win we're gonna go
through some hard times but we win but so we shouldn't worry so much about the
secret things necessarily the work we don't need to know right now or and we
could speculate I think it's interesting to speculate on some things but what we
should really focus on are the things that are revealed that belong unto us
and unto our children forever and those are the things that we should focus on
that we may do all the words of this law so anyway and so look at go ahead and
turn to Revelation chapter 19 though Revelation 19 and this in verse 10 is
really always kind of been a puzzling verse for me I have to just admit that
but but you know maybe when you think about the things of Jesus that you know
the Urim and the Thummim maybe they're secret and maybe that represents the
fact that Jesus's name was secret before he came or something I don't know I mean
I'm just like that's actual speculation I'm not a hundred percent sure but look
at verse 6 it says and I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and
as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thundering saying
Alleluia the Lord God omnipotent reigneth let us be glad and rejoice and
give honor to him for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife has made
herself ready and to her was granted that she should be a raid in fine linen
clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of the Saints there's
the tie-in to our chapter and it says and he saith unto me write blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb and he saith unto me
these are the true sayings of God so the the true sayings are the things that you
know that we should be focused on right it says and I fell at his feet to
worship him and he said unto me see thou do it not I am my fellow servant and of
thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus worship God for the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy so maybe the secret of the Urim and the
Thummim have something to do with the secret that Jesus Christ is the high
priest and that it's you know like the hidden testimony of Christ in the breast
plate I don't I mean it's just that's just my personal theory I don't really
necessarily know a hundred percent for sure but Jesus Christ definitely was a
mystery and his name was not revealed in the Old Testament and we don't really
know the Bible doesn't really reveal to us what those things were but it was
something that was to be put in the breastplate and it had something to do
with being an inquiring of God where Saul was not able to inquire of God and
really God doesn't probably bring it up too much because in the Old Testament
they use that but we don't really know what for we don't know why it was used
necessarily we just have those hints with Saul and with Ezra and that's
pretty much it but we do also know that high priests do prophesy because even an
unsaved high priest prophesies in the book of John look at John chapter 11 John
chapter number 11 go ahead and turn over there real quick John chapter 11 and
verse number 49 John chapter 11 verse 49
the Bible says and one of them named Caiaphas being the high priest that same
year said unto them you know nothing at all nor considered that is expedient for
us that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation should
perish and this spake he not of himself but being high priest that year he
prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation was he right about that he
was right about that and was it expedient that that you know that Jesus
died for the whole nation yes it was and not for that nation only but that also
he should gather together in the in one the children of God that were scattered
abroad so I mean it's just to me it's just it's interesting I'm not saying I
have the whole theory figured out necessarily but I just I find it
interesting that they're going to the the high priest and they're wanting to
use the Urim and the Thummim and then like we don't really know what it's for
but then when a high priest actually prophesies it's recorded in the Bible
for us and what's the prophecy about it's about Jesus how he's supposed to
die for all the people and he's the real high priest and Caiaphas is a piece of
trash but anyway let's move on let's go back to our text in Exodus chapter 28
verse 31 so that's all just theory so don't say pastor Thompson's losses
marbles the Urim and the Thummim
he's he's going crazy he's gone Joseph Smith on us I don't I don't really I'm
just I was just spitballing there that's that's all the information I have to go
on so anyway Exodus chapter 28 verse 31 so now we're gonna look at the robe so
and this is what people would call and in the modern translations the tunic so
and thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue verse 31 and there
shall be a hole in the top of it in the midst thereof it shall have a binding of
woven work round about the whole of it as it were the whole of a haberdron and
it that it be not rent so a haberdron is like a chainmail type of thing that
has like a way to where it's kind of protects the neck there's like a hole
there have you ever seen like a chainmail get put on somebody it's got
the hole in the neck there that's what he's thought what it's talking about so
this robe is is kind of like a one-piece type of robe that comes down over the
top I guess with the hole in the middle there it says and beneath the hem of it
thou shalt make a pomegranate blue of blue and purple and scarlet round about
the hem thereof and the bells of gold between them round about so again like
there you have the picture of like the blue purple and scarlet and the
pomegranates kind of like maybe looking you know it looking like blood pouring
down I guess and then it says in verse 34 golden bell and a pomegranate a
golden bell and a pomegranate upon the hem of the robe round about so it's
like every other thing is a pomegranate and a bell and it shall be upon Aaron to
minister and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place
before the Lord and when he cometh out that he died not so there's another one
I'm just not really sure why he would die but I guess the reason is is because
God told him that's how he's supposed to dress and if he doesn't put that
specific outfit on that pictures the Lord Jesus Christ and it's ruining that
picture and if it doesn't have the little bells on and he can't hear him
coming or you know I don't I don't know really why but it just says that if he
doesn't have them on he's gonna die right and later on you know need to happen
to buy who they get torched and then right after they get torched it says
that you're not supposed to drink and go into the house of the Lord and so to
you know it doesn't specifically say that they got drunk or that they were
drinking but then it's like the first thing that God says right after they got
they get killed is that they all they offered strange fire to the Lord but
then he just immediately brings up don't drink and go into the house of the Lord
so it's like you kind of just put two and two together right so now the Hat so
I call it the Hat because in most pictures that I looked up of this they
call it the tunic most modern Bible versions are gonna or no not the tunic
excuse me they're gonna call it the the turban you know and turban has a bad
meaning for me I always think of like you know either like a Hindu swami or
something or like a Muslim or something but but that's what they'll call it but
I just call it the Hat but the Bible calls them bonnets and then to us that
to men that might seem like a sissy you know oh it's a bonnet like blue bonnet
or whatever you know it's like a lady with like a but a bonnet just like a
kind of like a maybe like a poofy hat or something but it's manly all right it's
a manly poofy hat all right so verse 36 and thou shalt make a plate of pure gold
and grave upon it like the engravement of a signet so signets like a ring that
somebody would use to like you know stamp something or you know it's like a
something you would stand you know have you seen those you whack you melt like
wax and you put it on like a letter and you stamp it so it's kind of like that
something to imprint something with but and anyway it says holiness unto the
Lord so that's what they're supposed to engrave into this plate now it's not
really said that it's a hat yet but you get the meaning of it here soon it says
now shall put it on a blue lace that it may be upon the mitre upon the
forefront of the mitre it shall be and it shall be upon Aaron's forehead so now
you kind of get the fact that it's going to be on his head right that Aaron may
bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall
hallow in all their holy all their holy gifts and it shall be always upon his
forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord so there's the special
hat then you got the coat the coat is verse 39 it says now shall embroider the
coat of fine linen so you know this is a lot of layers by the way it says then
the coat of fine linen thou shalt make it a mitre of fine linen and shall make
the girdle of needlework and for Aaron's sons shalt make coats and shalt make
them girdles and bonnets shalt thou make for them for glory and for beauty so the
bonnets are the hats and thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother and his sons
with him and shalt anoint them and consecrate them and sanctify them that
they may minister unto me in the priest office so who's supposed to ordain him
Moses their family member see the sermon from earlier so God's telling him to be
nepotismistic here but anyway so he ministers unto him in the priest house
so this is the rule so he's he's kind of just kind of giving them all the
instructions this is how this is what they're supposed to be wearing and Moses
you know why is he telling Moses all this stuff you ever stop to wonder that
it's because Moses is in charge of overseeing the whole production of
everything he doesn't make everything himself he doesn't put everything
together himself he doesn't tear down the tent and put it back up himself he
doesn't carry all the furniture himself but he's in charge of the whole thing
and that's what an overseer does that's Moses job so why is God telling him
specifically because God holds him specifically responsible for everything
that happens in you know the daily ministration of all these things
including what they're wearing what they're eating how they're picking
things up who's picking things up it's a big job it's a big responsibility and so
you'll see at times when they don't do what they're supposed to do like when
his Aaron sons get killed and most and Aaron refuses to eat the food that he's
supposed to eat because it's not supposed to you know be left till the
morning and then Aaron gives him the reason why he didn't do it and Moses
because Moses like what are you doing you know why aren't you eating the food
so anyway now let's go down to number six which is the linen breeches so linen
obviously these are the linen breeches so look at verse 42 it says and I shall
make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness from the loins even until
the thighs they shall reach and they shall be upon Aaron and upon his sons
and when they come in the tabernacle of the congregation or when they when they
come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place they shall bear not
iniquity and die it shall be a statute forever unto him and his seed after him
now so basically these are like shorts like short pants they're called breeches
and so that's what we would modern-day call shorts short pants you know I always
tell this joke why you know he's been around since Moses was in short pants
it's like a way of calling somebody old right but they actually did wear short
pants so and it's funny because people say well pants are a new invention don't
you're so dumb you don't realize that pants are a new thing they're not a new
thing folks pants have been around for thousands of years there's a pair of 35
year old pants that are preserved on a Chinese mummy that you can go look at
pictures oh you can look it up right now and look at the pant the pants that were
worn you know and people just have this weird idea that you know you know people
been riding horses for a long time you think that people just I shouldn't say
I'm not gonna say it but do you think that people just jumped on horses with
no pants on I mean that's insane to think that that's true because and that
men just walked around outside with robes on and didn't wear any underwear
or anything or you know they just men didn't wear pants you think that men
men built pyramids but they didn't know how to make a pair of pants think about
this so a breach you know the word breach the Bible explains to us what a
breach is is something that splits isn't it so breach is the etymology of the
word is that it covers the breach in the back of your you know that breach back
there that you got everybody's got one right a breach is what you got in the
back breach is the breach that reaches down and covers your nakedness right so
that's what breaches are and so let me just ask you a few questions here
because I'm gonna just wrap the sermon up on this point here because I can I
can I got another whole chapter of this so I can just make my other my other
spiritual applications too but this one I really want to I want to kind of kick
around for a minute so now what was the what was the gender of the priests here
male what specific clothing did God tell them to wear to cover their nakedness
here breaches what are breaches their pants the Bible says in Deuteronomy 22
verse 5 let's go ahead and turn there go and turn there we got time breaches or
pants and they were commanded to be worn by men there's nowhere in the King James
Bible you're gonna find a verse where it tells women to wear them or says or
mentions women wearing them anytime the Bible mentions pants which the word
pants wasn't invented until later on if you go to England they don't call them
pants they call them trousers but other countries have different words for them
you can see pants that are on men on pottery from thousands of years ago when
I was in in England I went to a row an old Roman villa and they had like a
little display on the wall and it said you know at this time men were you know
2,000 years ago men were wearing pants that were Roman you know but yet I'll
have people say you're so stupid don't you realize that they were when they did
their carpentry work there's a painting of some Roman guy wearing a pair you
know a dress or whatever while he's doing carpentry work okay well I was
actually at a Roman villa that was a real Roman villa a 2,000 year old Roman
villa in England and it's sitting there you know explaining that people wore
pants then you know the rich aristocrats and things like that wore stuff like
that but people that did the real work they weren't I've never seen a man
working a construction job wearing a dress like outfit in my life and maybe
they do wear them in like the Middle East or whatever but I can't imagine how
that would be comfortable and especially if you don't have a good
pair of Brit you know underwear on me underneath you know it's so hot in those
current countries when you're walking around you know I don't I guess you guys
you understand what I'm talking about so anyway Deuteronomy 22 5 says the woman
shall not wear was as a shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man put on
a woman's garment and that everybody understands that but for some reason
women get the pass on everything that is considered to be will be considered to
be a man's garment unless it actually is a man is you know man's pants or
whatever then they can wear whatever article that they feel like wearing and
as long as it's women's pants or whatever what about a man's skirt would
that be acceptable for me to walk in with a woman's skirt in here would it
like Will Smith's design son wears a woman's skirt and wears that on you
know runways or whatever admit what is it Dwayne Wade is wearing them or who's
that there's some basketball player that wears them too what's his name the guy
goes broke what bro or whatever you know what's his name Westbrook or something
where's Russell Westbrook I think wore a pair like a woman's dress or whatever
but the Bible says neither shall a man put on a woman's garment for all that do
so our abomination unto the Lord I mean I just I don't understand the argument I
don't understand why it's so hard to get through to people on this specific topic
now let me just show you another really clear scripture when it comes to pants
being a man's garment look at Daniel chapter 3 Daniel chapter 3 I look I
don't care if this hair lips every person in the county in Clark County in
the whole country in our church or whatever I just the but this is what
the Bible says okay Daniel chapter 3 verse 20 the Bible says and this is
Shadrach Meshach and Abednego look it says and he commanded the most mighty
men that were in his army to bind Shadrach Meshach and Abednego and to
cast them into the burning fiery furnace then these men were bound in their coats
and what's it say they're they're hosen they're hosen and their hats and their
garments and they were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace
hosen is pants you're like well in what in what language German Germanic you
know English is a Germanic language and that that word hosen is the word for
pants in German if you say hosen to somebody that's German they know exactly
what you're talking about it's trousers I mean just look it up on your phone
right now it means pants okay so there's two really specific verses that say you
know when it's talking about breeches look the word pants wasn't invented back
then so if you're gonna go well does it say pants it doesn't say trousers but
nobody says the word that was meant for it at that time that's what breeches is
covers the breach reaches under the breach reaches from the breach to the
reach right so and and what what was it supposed to reach to from the loins unto
the thigh so they had to be that long and that is what the Bible's standard of
nakedness is so every woman's supposed to have their loins to the thighs
covered every man is supposed to have the loins to the thighs covered period
and then so you then you have when it says you're not supposed to wear that
which pertaineth unto a man ladies and men are not supposed to put on a woman's
garment but nobody would disagree with me in this room if I if I said that
dresses and skirts are a woman's garment who is so would someone disagree with me
if you if you do you can just get up and walk out because you don't belong in this
church but nobody would disagree with me that about that but I guarantee you
there'd be people that would disagree with me when they say that pants are a
man's garment only and it's just like it's hypocrisy because you know that
it's true but people just want to hang on it's like it's like pants are the
high place for women it really is and it you know for some for some reason you
know but I've never struggled and I've never hidden a dress in my closet
somewhere and just thought there's gonna come a time when I do get to wear this
it's just it's just there's never been a struggle of mine to want to wear
something a woman wears so do you understand it is like a woman's struggle
with the whole pants thing it's just been the the frog got boiled somewhere
in World War two and the women's lib movement happened and everybody burned
their bras in the 60s and you know free love white dove and you know equality
and all this other stuff happened and and here we are and somehow it's still
it's like it's like the it's the pants worm so I mentioned the cat worm that
that like makes people do daring things that they would normally not do it's
like the it gets into mice and rats as brains but I think that there might be a
pants worm that gets into women's brains and they can't just they just have to
just just they cling on to the pair of pants you know the the bedazzled ones
that they were to the club or something they just hide it maybe they just hide
it in their heart and hope you know because I've always found it weird that
sometimes people leave our church and then the next picture I see of them on
Facebook is them in a pair of jeans it's like you never believed it or you still
held it somewhere deep deep inside the breastplate of judgment somewhere and
just never really believed it or it was just a rebellious thing that you know
you just did it because you wanted to go along to get along but the Bible
actually says that pants are a man's garment would you disagree with that I
mean hoes that are pants britches are pants men specifically are said wearing
them so how can you really argue that sit that you can't argue that and if you
are then you're just you're you're you're doing mental gymnastic flips to
try to get out of it because if God says there's specific clothing that is you're
like well what about socks and gloves and yeah I wouldn't wear a woman's shirt
either I wouldn't wear women's gloves I wouldn't wear women's socks I have
accidentally but it's because I couldn't see it was dark right but when I realize
that you bet women's socks have a different feel to them too like you should
I should have known by the feeling of it but you know I mean it happens but like
I wasn't intentionally cross-dressing but I'm just saying that let's look at
some more proof judges chapter 323 judges chapter 323 I'm gonna read you
the definition from the dictionary of breaches short trousers fastened just
below the knee hosen Germanic word for pants or trousers pantyhose under
garments that extend past the nakedness so pantyhose are for women though aren't
they but they they're on an undergarment but they can be visible if you're
wearing a dress but if you're wearing a dress that dress should extend past your
nakedness right and so if you're wearing them and they're seen it's like it's not
they're not pants you know there are leggings that women wear but they
generally use them for undergarments and people will say in the about these
verses in Exodus that that was an undergarment that they wore under their
long robe but let me just say this do you actually think that they the high
priest was wearing a dress like that this looks like because it doesn't it
look like a dress I don't think that he was look if who has a robe that looks
like that does anybody in this room have a robe that looks like that I was
looking online I was like shorts with robe found it instantly so short robe
that's about the length of this this coat right here and it has a pair of
shorts with them that go all the way down to the knee they're still in style
baby they're still in style 3,500 years later so what robes are just generally
something that you would wear in the morning it has like a little girdle that
you can tie it in but this is not the same type of robe but anyway I don't
think it went down to the bottom of his feet I don't think that the linen
britches are underwear I think that they're that they just were part of the
outfit does it say anything about their shoes doesn't say anything about their
socks I'm sure that they wore them though maybe they were badger shoes I
don't know but anyway judges three I'm sorry I gotta hurry up here then he
hood went forth from the porch and shut the doors of the parlor upon him and
locked them when he was when he was gone out the servants came and when they saw
that behold the doors of the parlor were locked they said surely he cover his
feet in his summer chambers now when it says he covers his feet that is a
euphemism for saying that he's going number two everybody know what number
two if you don't know what number two is then you know the kids are laughing
because they did the potty talk I get it I'm sure Josh is laughing somewhere a
potty talk so anyway he cover surely he covers his feet so they don't want to go
in there because they think he's going to number he's going number two and
nobody likes to be interrupted in that situation but when it says he covers his
feet so men it's time to recall your memories right now when you go to number
two what is the first thing that you have to do you have to take your pants
down don't you and when you take your pants down what happens your pants cover
your feet don't they so men in the Old Testament wore pants this guy this King
wasn't wearing a dress he was wearing pants just like everybody else probably
did now I'm not saying that they didn't wear longer robes in certain situations
or whatever but I just don't think that the high priests here are wearing some
kind of long lengthy dress and that it's talking about their linen magic
underwear that the Mormons wear I think that that was part of their outfit it
was something that was visibly seen I mean otherwise why would it be such a
special like how would you even know that it was on how would Moses know that
they were wearing them if they walked out and they were wearing this long robe
how would he know that their nakedness was covered if he couldn't see him
because if they were walking and they just had a long dress on and they
weren't wearing their magic underwear or whatever then when they walked up to the
altar then their nakedness would be seen wouldn't it and how would anybody know
well God would know he would kill them but you know there was a reason why they
had it to have it like that in first Samuel chapter 24 I won't have you turn
there but it says and he came to the sheep coats by the way where it was a
cave and Saul went in to cover his feet and David his men remained in the
sides of the cave so again this you know God doesn't like to give us the gross
details okay it doesn't tell us you know what do you use for toilet paper or
anything like that he just went into a cave to cover his feet he was going to
the bathroom but the point is is that he had to pull something down to go number
two and women when they wear dresses they don't pull they well they pull they
don't push down I guess and when you're talking about the the main clothing that
they would wear so last scripture I'll have you turn to Isaiah chapter 47 I
don't want to get too far off in the weeds in this button I kind of feel like
I'm already there Isaiah 47 verse 1 the Bible says come down and sit in the dust
Oh virgin daughter of Babylon sit on the ground there is no throne or daughter of
the Chaldeans for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate take the
millstones and grind meal uncover thy locks make bear the leg uncover the thigh
pass over the rivers so when it says uncover the thigh you would have to pull
something up in order to uncover it right you know no but no woman is gonna
walk across the river while pulling her pants down and trying to walk across the
river that doesn't make sense so how would they how are they you know what
I'm saying so I mean if you just well you don't have to picture the bad part
so I'm just saying when it's saying uncover the thigh and walk across the
river and then it's telling your nakedness is gonna be shown then it's
obvious the obvious situation is that they're pulling up their dress and
obviously this is God shaming them but they're pulling up their dress so their
dress doesn't get wet but nobody they're not they're not wearing pants is my
point they're not wearing pants because then they would pull the pants down and
they'd be covering their feet walking across the river like this does that
even make sense it doesn't make sense because you know what they didn't wear
pants because that is a clothing item that pertain to a man where the Bible
specifically says that in two different verses that I showed you so obviously
there's a lot of gray areas and and the people try to you know take off take
some mental gymnastic leaps and trying to explain why this and that but the
bottom line is is that the Bible says we're not supposed to wear we're not
supposed to cross dress in other people's realms right God wants there to
be a difference between men and women he wants men to have short hair and women
to have long hair he wants men to wear pants and women to wear skirts and
dresses he wants there to be a difference and ladies just you look
better in dresses anyway you'll look more womanly in dresses and long hair
anyway so you know in men you look more manly with a shirt with a short haircut
and jeans on or regular pants not skinny jeans not jeans that look like someone
shot you with a shotgun in both legs and then he miraculously recovered then
wash them with a stone or something so I mean I just I've had people you know
explain it and it's like what do you think about some guy wearing a kilt
that's a that's something that's common to Ireland or whatever or Scotland I
think they look like a fag that's what I think I was in Canada and on a mission
on a trip just I think it was the when I went up to see brother Jim and the
church up there we're eating at this restaurant and some like 60 year old
dude walked in there's women and children there we're all set this big
table some 60 year old dude walked in with a kilt on and you know what the
first thing I thought I didn't think wow he's so brave to wear his national
outfit here today I thought what a old fag he looks like that's what I thought
I thought what a fag looking freak that had to sit down in front of kids and
wear a dress in front of them that's what I think I think when men when men
wear dresses and skirts they look like queers and I don't and I think it's
disgusting but we need to get a little bit of rage back when it comes to the to
the women too because I think the full the frogs been so boiled and what we see
it in society every day so it's it's become normal to us but when you're
Baptist and and you know most of the time you spend with people you're you're
spending it with people in church for the most part but when you're around the
world you're gonna see people that are not dressed you know appropriately you
know they're not dressed like men or you know you go out in the world it's it's
jungle out there you never know what you're gonna see but don't give me this
cultural crap either though you know I don't care what culture says culture
does not dictate what we dress like you know it dictates what we dress like the
Bible and I'm not saying you have to wear linen short you know short pants
I'm not saying that that's what the priest wore but it does give the
stipulation of what we should wear we should cover up our nakedness you know
women even wear those stretch pants that they wear as just like an outer
garment that is that I mean it's not only bordering on nakedness but it's
also indecent and immodest when you can see every outline in every curve you're
not really leaving much to the imagination and it's sinful for you to
do it but it's also you know causing other people to sin too and so we ought
to be modest in the way we dress yeah we shouldn't be wearing like Little House
we don't have to wear Little House on the Prairie dresses and all this other
stuff I'm not saying that and I'm not saying you have to look like a nerd or
whatever you can still wear normal clothes and not be all flashy and
whatever but just wear the proper attire of whatever your gender is I'm not
saying the one that you think it is but I'm talking about the one that you
actually are all right let's pray Lord we thank you so much for this great
church and Lord for the scriptures and make it super clear the way we should go
pray that you just help us in Lord just as we approach the scriptures that we
approach it in a way that we're looking at what the text says and and we're
applying those things to our heart Lord help us to have great judgment and help
us to love each other we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ who came to this
earth and died for us and Lord pray that you just help us to have a giving heart
this week is as Christmas approaches and that Lord you bless us as we come back
into your house on Thursday in Jesus name we pray amen