Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Our Biblical Heritage in Heraldry & Signs


Overview

Since the time of Noah our Father in Heaven has given us signs and symbols to remember the promises he gave us.  These signs and symbols were inherited and passed down through the generations.  The Israelites received their symbols based on the meaning of their name and the blessings they received from their father Jacob Israel and the blessing they received from Moses.  The Israelites had banners with their symbols on them that represented their tribe. These banners later became own as [bible] heraldry symbols that are inherited and passed down through the generations.   After the Exodus from Egypt, our Father in Heaven instructed the Israelites to camp in a specific order with their banners that are also known as standards.

Let the children of Israel encamp fronting each other, every man keeping his own rank, according to their standards [banner], according to the houses of their families; the children of Israel shall encamp round about the tabernacle of witness.” Sep Num 2:2 

The picture below represents each tribe’s position and banner at this camp described in Numbers chapter 2.  The inner ring is the Number camp and the outer ring is the New Jerusalem City Gates to the Kingdom that was described in Ezekiel.  For more information about this arrangement and how it represents the Zodiac which is also called the Mazzaroth, see this page.



Just prior to the Israelites receiving their Promised Land, our Father in Heaven warned them that if they did not follow the laws of Moses they would be removed from the land and scattered among the nations.  The descendants of Israel did not obey and were scatted upon the earth.  When they were scattered they brought their symbols with them and continued to use these symbols and developed new symbols represent new family lines. 

If thou wilt not hearken to do all the words of this law, which have been written in this book, to fear this glorious and wonderful name, the Lord thy God; then the Lord shall magnify thy plagues, and the plagues of thy seed, great and wonderful plagues, and evil and abiding diseases. And he shall bring upon thee all the evil pain of Egypt, of which thou wast afraid, and they shall cleave to thee. And the Lord shall bring upon thee every sickness, and every plague that is not written, and every one that is written in the book of this law, until he shall have destroyed thee. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of the sky in multitude; because thou didst not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God. And it shall come to pass that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you; and ye shall be quickly removed from the land, into which ye go to inherit it. And the Lord thy God shall scatter thee among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other; and thou shalt there serve other gods, wood and stone, which thou hast not known, nor thy fathers.” Sep Deu 28:58-64

As promised, due to our disobedience we have been receiving the curses in Deuteronomy chapter 28.

Children of Jacob Israel’s Symbols in Heraldry

Today we can use these symbols to track the Israelites migration to their new homeland; however, we must also use other historical information to track their movement also.  On this page I’m only identifying places where the each tribe’s symbol is being used; however in many situations the symbols are now being used by a different group of people that are not Israelites.  I have used the Septuagint to determine their symbols also known as bible heraldry. This table is a summary that is in birth order and more information is provided below.





Our Father in Heaven Blesses Noah

Our Father in Heaven made a covenant with Noah on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) where he promised that the seasons and time will not be changed. Noah’s name means ‘rest’.


Our Father in Heaven Blesses Abraham & Sarah


Abraham was promised on the Feast of Weeks that he would become a father of many nations and many of his descendants would be kings.  The sign of this covenant his covenant the circumcision of his male descendants.  Abraham’s descendants would all be blessed.  The name Abraham means ‘exalted father of a multitude’.

“And I will make my covenant between me and thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly. Abram tell flat on his face. And God said to him: I AM, and my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father. of many nations. Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram: but thou shalt be called Abraham: because I have made thee a father of many nations. And I will make thee increase, exceedingly, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and between thy sad after thee in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give to thee, and to thy seed, the land of thy sojournment, all the land of Chanaan for a perpetual possession, and I will be their God. Again God said to Abraham: And thou therefore shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant which you shall observe, between me and you, and thy seed after thee: All the male kind of you shall be circumcised: And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be for a h sign of the covenant between me and you. An infant of eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations: he that is born in the house, as well as the bought servant shall be circumcised, and whosoever is not of your stock: And my covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant. The male, whose dash of his foreskin shall not be circumcised, that soul shall be destroyed out of his people: because he hath broken my covenant.”  DR Gen 17:2-14

Our Father in Heaven also blessed Sarah stating she would be a mother of nations and she will have descendants who are kings.  Sarah means ‘lady, princes, queen’ ; therefore Sarah became a queen.

And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.” DR Gen 17:15-16

Paul confirms that the seed of Abraham has not been cast away in his letter to the Romans, the Latin speaking people.  He confirms that the Romans of that day are Israelites.

“I say then: Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people, which he foreknew.” DR Rom 11:1-2

The House of Israel’s Bible Heraldry & Inheritance

The house of Israel consisted of Jacob Israel’s 12 sons.   In birth order the sons are as follows:

These are the names of the sons of Israel; Ruben, Symeon, Levi, Juda, Issachar, Zabulon, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Nephthali, Gad, Aser.” Septuagint 1 Ch 2:1-2

Isaac Blesses Jacob and Esau

Jacob Israel received the birth right, the blessing and the royal scepter linage.  Jacob means ‘heal catcher’ and Israel means ‘God strives’.



Jacob Israel & Rachel


Isaac’s Blessing to Esau – Esau means ‘rough

And Esau said to his father, Hast thou only one blessing, father? Bless, I pray thee, me also, father. And Isaac being troubled, Esau cried aloud and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. And thou shalt live by thy sword, and shalt serve thy brother; and there shall be a time when thou shalt break and loosen his yoke from off thy neck. And Esau was angry with Jacob because of the blessing, with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his mind, Let the days of my father's mourning draw nigh, that I may slay my brother Jacob. And the words of Esau her elder son were reported to Rebecca, and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, Behold, Esau thy brother threatens thee to kill thee. Now then, my son, hear my voice, and rise and depart quickly into Mesopotamia to Laban my brother into Charran.”  Sep Gen 27:38-43

Our Father in Heaven’s Blessing to Jacob Israel

Jacob received the covenant from our Father in Heaven on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).  Jacob  was promised and blessed that his seed would be a gathering of nations and royal linage.



For more information about Jacob’s pillar and the coronation stone, see this page.

The Two Olive Branches

The house of Israel is represented by two olive branches in scripture.  The house of Israel became 13 tribes when Joseph received the double portion blessing inherent (Deu 21:15).   Ruben, Simeon, and Levi were disqualified from receiving the double portion due to behavior issues. Judah received the royal scepter linage and Joseph received the double blessing of the first born.


During different times of history the tribes were associated with either Ephraim or Judah; therefore I did not assign them to a specific house because of this.  Manassah was divided since half the tribe wanted land near Ruben and Gad that was east of the Jordan.  The other half received land next to their brethren Ephraim on the west side of the Jordan.


And we inherited that land at that time from Aroer, which is by the border of the torrent Arnon, and half the mount of Galaad; and I gave his cities to Ruben and to Gad. And the rest of Galaad, and all Basan the kingdom of Og I gave to the half-tribe of Manasse, and all the country round about Argob, all that Basan; it shall be accounted the land of Raphain. Sep Deu 3:12-13

And now divide this land by lot to the nine tribes, and to the half tribe of Manasse. From Jordan to the great sea westward thou shalt give it them: the great sea shall be the boundary. But to the two tribes and to the half tribe of Manasse, to Ruben and to Gad Moses gave an inheritance beyond Jordan: Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them eastward, from Aroer, which is on the bank of the brook of Arnon, and the city in the midst of the valley, and all Misor from Maedaban.” Sep Jos 13:7-9 

Our Father in Heaven promised to make the House of Juda and the House of Israel one nation and bring them back to their own land.  America is where this verse is being fulfilled.

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And thou son of man, take thee a stick: and write upon it: Of Juda, and of the children of Israel his associates: and take another stick and write upon it: For Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, and of his associates. And join them one to the other into one stick, and they shall become one in thy hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak to thee, saying: Wilt thou not tell us what thou meanest by this? Say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel that are associated with him, and I will put them together with the stick of Juda, and will make them one stick: and they shall be one in his hand. And the sticks whereon thou hast written, shall be in thy hand, before their eyes. And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from the midst of the nations whither they are gone: and I will gather them on every side, and will bring them to their own land.” Eze 37:15-22

More verses about the olive branches:

For if the firstfruit be holy, so is the lump also: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken, and thou, being a wild olive, art ingrafted in them, and art made partaker of the root, and of the fatness of the olive tree, Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then: The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well: because of unbelief they were broken off. But thou standest by faith: be not highminded, but fear. For if God hath not spared the natural branches, fear lest perhaps he also spare not thee.”  Rom 11:16-21
For it shall be thus in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the people, as if a few olives, that remain, should be shaken out of the olive tree: or grapes, when the vintage is ended.” Isa 24:13

And I answered, and said to him: What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick, and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said to him: What are the two olive branches, that are by the two golden beaks, in which are the funnels of gold? And he spoke to me, saying: Knowest thou not what these are? And I said: No, my lord. And he said: These are two sons of oil who stand before the Lord of the whole earth.” Zec 4:11-14

These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth. And if any man desireth to hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; and if any man shall desire to hurt them, in this manner must he be killed.” ASV Rev 11:4-5



Ruben's Heraldry

Ruben means ‘be hold a son’.


Simeon’s Heraldry

Simeon means ‘hearing’.


Levi’s Heraldry

Levi means ‘attached or joined’.


Breast Plate Stones

Below are the stones for the breast plate of righteousness that the Levitical priesthood wore.

For more information see this page.

Judah ‘Praised Hand’.

Judah means ‘praised and hand’ Hold up hand in praise. 



Judah’s Red Hand of Praise


This 1898 news article called ‘The Writing on the Wall’ talks about a ‘red hand’ on many hieroglyphs in the United States.  http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1898-04-17/ed-1/seq-25.pdf
Also see more pictures of the ‘red hand’ on petroglyphs here: http://geology.com/articles/petroglyphs/more-pictographs.shtml

King David’s Heraldry






The Anointing of Queen Alexandra at the Coronation of Edward VII

Sources and more information:
For more information regarding King David’ royal linage, see this page.
For more information about past coronations, see this page.
For more information about the DNA and family tree of the European monarchies, see this page.

Issachar’s Heraldry

Issachar means ‘he will bring reward’.


Zebulon’s Heraldry

Zebulon means ‘habitation’.


Dan’s Heraldry


Dan means ‘judge’.  See more about Dan here



Joseph’s Heraldry

Joseph means ‘he increases’.  Ephraim means ‘double fruit’ and Manasseh means ‘causing to forget’.






Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh



Reflected below is Jacob Israel’s blessing given to Ephraim and Manasseh:

“And it came to pass after these things, that it was reported to Joseph, Behold, thy father is ill; and, having taken his two sons, Manasse and Ephraim, he came to Jacob. And it was reported to Jacob, saying, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh to thee; and Israel having strengthened himself, sat upon the bed. And Jacob said to Joseph, My God appeared to me in Luza, in the land of Chanaan, and blessed me, and said to me, Behold, I will increase thee, and multiply thee, and will make of thee multitudes of nations; and I will give this land to thee, and to thy seed after thee, for an everlasting possession. Now then thy two sons, who were born to thee in the land of Egypt, before I came to thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasse, as Ruben and Symeon they shall be mine.  And the children which thou shalt beget hereafter, shall be in the name of their brethren; they shall be named after their inheritances. And as for me, when I came out of Mesopotamia of Syria, Rachel, thy mother, died in the land of Chanaan, as I drew night to the horse-course of Chabratha of the land of Chanaan, so as to come to Ephratha; and I buried her in the road of the course; this is Bethlehem. And when Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he said, Who are these to thee? And Joseph said to his father, They are my sons, whom God gave me here; and Jacob said, Bring me them, that I may bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim through age, and he could not see; and he brought them near to him, and he kissed them, and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I have not been deprived of seeing thy face, and lo! God has showed me thy seed also. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and they did reverence to him, with their face to the ground. And Joseph took his two sons, both Ephraim in his right hand, but on the left of Israel, and Manasse on his left hand, but on the right of Israel, and brought them near to him.  But Israel having stretched out his right hand, laid it on the head of Ephraim, and he was the younger; and his left hand on the head of Manasse, guiding his hands crosswise. And he blessed them and said, The God in whose sight my fathers were well pleasing, even Abraam and Isaac, the God who continues to feed me from my youth until this day; the angel who delivers me from all evils, bless these boys, and my name shall be called upon them, and the name of my fathers, Abraam and Isaac; and let them be increased to a great multitude on the earth. And Joseph having seen that his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim--it seemed grievous to him; and Joseph took hold of the hand of his father, to remove it from the head of Ephraim to the head of Manasse. And Joseph said to his father, Not so, father; for this is the first-born; lay thy right-hand upon his head. And he would not, but said, I know it, son, I know it; he also shall be a people, and he shall be exalted, but his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them in that day, saying, In you shall Israel be blessed, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and Manasse; and he set Ephraim before Manasse. And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I die; and God shall be with you, and restore you to the land of your fathers. And I give to thee Sicima, a select portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorites with my sword and bow.” Sep Gen 48






Sources:



Benjamin’s Heraldry

Benjamin means ‘son of the right hand’



Naphtali’s Heraldry

Naphtali means ‘my wrestling’.   Most people do believe that Naphtali is represented by a deer based on the King James translation; however, the Septuagint was documented in 400 BC and is much older than the text of King James and it does not reflect a deer.


Gad’s Heraldry

Gad means to ‘invade or attack’.



Asher’s Heraldry

Asher means ‘blessed’.


Clothing with Decorative Hems

The children of Israel wore decorative hems as instructed by the laws of Moses in Numbers 15:38. It was a symbol to reflect who they were and to indicate they followed the laws of Moses.

Jacob-Israel’s Blessing to the 12 Tribes

Below is the full blessings given to the Jacob Israel’s sons that were to be accomplished in the last days:

And Jacob called his sons, and said to them, Assemble yourselves, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear me, sons of Jacob; hear Israel, hear your father.

Ruben, thou art my first-born, thou my strength, and the first of my children, hard to be endured, hard and self-willed. Thou wast insolent like water, burst not forth with violence, for thou wentest up to the bed of thy father; then thou defiledst the couch, whereupon thou wentest up. 

Symeon and Levi, brethren, accomplished the injustice of their cutting off [sword].  Let not my soul come into their counsel, and let not mine inward parts contend in their conspiracy, for in their wrath they slew men, and in their passion they houghed a bull. Cursed be their wrath, for it was willful, and their anger, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Juda, thy brethren have praised thee, and thy hands shall be on the back of thine enemies; thy father's sons shall do thee reverence. Juda is a lion's whelp [young offspring]: from the tender plant, my son, thou art gone up, having couched thou liest as a lion, and as a whelp; who shall stir him up? A ruler shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations. Binding his foal to the vine, and the foal of his ass to the branch of it, he shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape. His eyes shall be more cheering than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.  

Zabulon shall dwell on the coast, and he shall be by a haven of ships, and shall extend to Sidon.
Issachar has desired that which is good; resting between the inheritances.  And having seen the resting place that it was good, and the land that it was fertile, he subjected his shoulder to labour, and became a husbandman [farmer].

Dan shall judge his people, as one tribe too in Israel. And let Dan be a serpent in the way, besetting the path, biting the heel of the horse (and the rider shall fall backward), waiting for the salvation of the Lord.

Gad, a plundering troop shall plunder him; but he shall plunder him, pursuing him closely.

Aser, his bread shall be fat; and he shall yield dainties to princes.  

Nephthalim is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit.

Joseph is a son increased; my dearly loved son is increased; my youngest son, turn to me. Against whom men taking evil counsel reproached him, and the archers pressed hard upon him. But their bow and arrows were mightily consumed, and the sinews of their arms were slackened by the hand of the mighty one of Jacob; thence is he that strengthened Israel from the God of thy father; and my God helped thee, and he blessed thee with the blessing of heaven from above, and the blessing of the earth possessing all things, because of the blessing of the breasts and of the womb, the blessings of thy father and thy mother--it has prevailed above the blessing of the lasting mountains, and beyond the blessings of the everlasting hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the head of the brothers of whom he took the lead.

Benjamin, as a ravening wolf, shall eat still in the morning, and at evening he gives food.
All these are the twelve sons of Jacob; and their father spoke these words to them, and he blessed them; he blessed each of them according to his blessing. And he said to them, I am added to my people; ye shall bury me with my fathers in the cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Chettite, in the double cave which is opposite Mambre, in the land of Chanaan, the cave which Abraam bought of Ephron the Chettite, for a possession of a sepulchre.  There they buried Abraam and Sarrha his wife; there they buried Isaac, and Rebecca his wife; there they buried Lea; in the portion of the field, and of the cave that was in it, purchased of the sons of Chet. And Jacob ceased giving charges to his sons; and having lifted up his feet on the bed, he died, and was gathered to his people.” Sep Gen 49:1-33 

Moses’ Blessing to the Children of Israel

Below is the blessings that Moses give to the children of Israel that were to be an inheritance.

“And this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said, The Lord is come from Sina, and has appeared from Seir to us, and has hasted out of the mount of Pharan, with the ten thousands of Cades; on his right hand were his angels with him. And he spared his people, and all his sanctified ones are under thy hands; and they are under thee; and he received of his words the law which Moses charged us, an inheritance to the assemblies of Jacob. And he shall be prince with the beloved one, when the princes of the people are gathered together with the tribes of Israel.

Let Ruben live [Lily, Fleur-de-lis sign of new life], and not die; and let him be many in number.
And this is the blessing of Juda; Hear, Lord, the voice of Juda, and do thou visit his people: his hands shall contend for him, and thou shalt be a help from his enemies.

And to Levi he said, Give to Levi his manifestations, and his truth to the holy man, whom they tempted in the temptation; they reviled him at the water of strife. Who says to his father and mother, I have not seen thee; and he knew not his brethren, and he refused to know his sons: he kept thine oracles, and observed thy covenant. They shall declare thine ordinances to Jacob, and thy law to Israel: they shall place incense in the time of thy wrath continually upon thine altar. Bless, Lord, his strength, and accept the works of his hands; break the loins of his enemies that have risen up against him, and let not them that hate him rise up.

And to Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in confidence, and God overshadows him always, and he rested between his shoulders.

And to Joseph he said, His land is of the blessing of the Lord, of the seasons of sky and dew, and of the deeps of wells below, and of the fruits of the changes of the sun in season, and of the produce of the months, from the top of the ancient mountains, and from the top of the everlasting hills, and of the fullness of the land in season: and let the things pleasing to him that dwelt in the bush come on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of him who was glorified above his brethren. His beauty is as the firstling of his bull, his horns are the horns of a unicorn; with them he shall thrust the nations at once, even from the end of the earth: these are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasse.

And to Zabulon he said, Rejoice, Zabulon, in thy going out, and Issachar in his tents. They shall utterly destroy the nations, and ye shall call men there, and there offer the sacrifice of righteousness; for the wealth of the sea shall suckle thee, and so shall the marts of them that dwell by the sea-coast.

And to Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlarges Gad: as a lion he rested, having broken the arm and the ruler. And he saw his first-fruits, that there the land of the princes gathered with the chiefs of the people was divided; the Lord wrought righteousness, and his judgment with Israel.

And to Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp, and shall leap out of Basan.

And to Nephthali he said, Nephthali has the fulness of good things; and let him be filled with blessing from the Lord: he shall inherit the west and the south.

And to Aser he said, Aser is blessed with children; and he shall be acceptable to his brethren: he shall dip his foot in oil. His sandal shall be iron and brass; as thy days, so shall be thy strength. 

There is not any such as the God of the beloved; he who rides upon the heaven is thy helper, and the magnificent One of the firmament. And the rule of God shall protect thee, and that under the strength of the everlasting arms; and he shall cast forth the enemy from before thy face, saying, Perish. And Israel shall dwell in confidence alone on the land of Jacob, with corn and wine; and the sky shall be misty with dew upon thee. Blessed art thou, O Israel; who is like to thee, O people saved by the Lord? thy helper shall hold his shield over thee, and his sword is thy boast; and thine enemies shall speak falsely to thee, and thou shalt tread upon their neck.” Sep Deu 33:1-29

Jesus Christ

Christ also has symbols that represent HIM.



Early Israelites painted Jesus with a halo which is a crown of light rays or circle that surrounds a person’s head in art work.  The halo meant the person in the artwork was holy.  Christ is shown many times with the cross within his halo which is known today as the Celtic cross.  The Celtic cross was used as a staff to find direction similar to how we use a compass today; therefore the picture is stating that Jesus provides directions for us to live and follow.

Jesus spoke to them, saying: I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Christ Jesus.” 2 Cor 4:6

Sources:

Conclusion

The tribes of Israel were never really lost since our Father in Heaven always knew where they were located.  The tribes were only stated as lost since they forgot who they were and they stopped following the laws of Moses. In the verse below James addressed the twelve tribes in his opening statement.

“James the servant of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.” DR James 1:1

It is important we understand that these symbols represent our heritage; therefore it is important that we preserve them for future generations. Our heritage is America.

Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.” ASV Mat 10:26


Bible Heraldry Sources

http://www.ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Kluftern


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