The Story of the New Orleans Saints – Part Two
We are pleased to present the second installment by our anonymous reporter of the Good News concerning how our heavenly Father was/is at work in the story of the Super Bowl victory by the New Orleans Saints. Enjoy!—James
By the Good News Reporter
The focus in our first report in this series was to connect Jonah and Nineveh to the City of New Orleans and its Saints. We further showed the connections between Nineveh, Babylon and Jericho, illustrating how they are each different views of the same city. This city represents the church system with its denominational walls. In a larger sense these cities are also representative of world governments because such institutions will simply be a reflection of the heart of the church, which is Father’s recognized authority in the earth.
We also saw that Jesus told the Pharisees that the only sign they were going to receive by their questioning of Him, was the sign of Jonah the prophet. And this sign actually represents the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will bring total redemption to Nineveh/(Mystery) Babylon/Jericho by converting them to New Jerusalem, that last “GREAT CITY.”
Additionally, it was shown how the “sign of Jonah” has been unfolding relative to the Saints of New Orleans over the past several years, concluding with the team’s first ever Super Bowl win on February 7, 2010.
Our second news report in this series will begin with an unveiling of how Joshua and Jonah are different views of the same sign and offer additional modern day applications showing that complete salvation and redemption for the world is being prophesied, even through events such as Hurricane Katrina that seem so terrible on the surface.
We will begin our discussion with a brief examination of 1Chronicles 5:1-2, as follows, Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he [was] the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him [came] the chief ruler; but the birthright [was] Joseph’s:)
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In simple terms, these two verses are stating that the King will come from Judah, but the Kingdom (birthright) belongs to Joseph.
There were only three kings, Saul, David and Solomon, who ruled over all twelve tribes of Israel. Because of Solomon’s apostasy, God split the tribes into two parts (Houses) and essentially separated the King (Judah) from the Kingdom (Joseph). The tribe of Benjamin was left with the tribe of Judah as a light (1Kings 11:36), while the other ten tribes would align under the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh. From that point forward the ten tribes would be known as the House of Israel because Jacob’s name was to be named on the sons of Joseph. The other two were known as the House of Judah.
This breach between the King and the Kingdom began in 931 B.C., shortly after the death of Solomon. It was caused by an attempt on the part of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, to further increase the already oppressive tax levels upon the tribes. In essence, a love of money was the cause of the breach.
When Jesus arrived on the scene it was arranged by Father that He would come from the lineage of King David, of the House of Judah, but that His earthly dad would be Joseph. This connection between Judah and Joseph was divinely purposed to show that Jesus would be the repairer of the breach between the King and the Kingdom.
Jesus’ whole earthly ministry was a demonstration of such repair and it included the all important casting out of the money changers on two occasions , once at the very beginning, and again at the very end of His ministry and both of these events took place at Passover. These are prophetic of His first and second comings.
The first time is recorded
only in John 2:13-16, and takes place shortly after the first miracle of turning water into wine. And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.
The last time is recorded in each of the first three gospels and was actually the “trigger event” that motivated the Pharisees to finally kill Jesus and it is recorded in Matthew21:12-13, And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. (See also Mark 11:15-17 and Luke 19:45-45.)
Now it will be revealed how the first time of Jesus’ casting out the moneychangers (as recorded above), is really a prophecy of the last time
they will be cast out. The language of Matthew 20:16 suggests this: So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
In John 2:1, we are told, And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there. This is the first miracle of Jesus’ ministry and it represents an atomic change in the water in the six (the number for man) stone water pots and it takes place on the third day. This is the very day Jesus arose from the dead. The wedding represents the beginning of His second appearing. Following the wedding, Jesus goes to Capernaum which means “village of comfort.” It comes from a two-part Hebrew word: Strong’s Concordance #3723 (kaphar) and #5151 (Nahum).
This visit to Capernaum is connected to Jonah since we already know that Jonah is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who is also known as “The Comforter.” The Bible is connecting Christ’s second appearing to Jonah immediately after the “change” at the wedding (Remember, President Obama said his administration would be about “change.”) And where does Jesus go from Capernaum? Directly to Jerusalem to cast out the moneychangers!
A comparison of the two moneychanger events reveals some subtle, but very important distinctions. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, only doves are mentioned as being sold, while in John we find that oxen and sheep are included with the doves.
Remember, Jonah’s name means “dove” and is a type and shadow of the Holy Spirit. Jesus already said in Matthew 12:40 that just as Jonah was cast into the belly of the whale for three days and nights, so the Son of man would be likewise in the heart of the earth.
Under Moses, the first lawgiver, the requirements were external. Even though a person might have murder in his heart toward his neighbor, or lust after his wife; as long as he did not act upon those impulses, he was lawful. When Jesus appeared on the earth, He raised the bar by applying the law on an internal basis, thus essentially making it impossible for any human to fulfill.
The only possible solution is for Jesus Himself to enter into the “heart of our earth” and thus fulfill Father’s promise in Jeremiah 31:31-33, Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jesus, our King from Judah, entered into the heart of His Kingdom when He was laid in Joseph’s grave. Recall that the rights of the scepter—the kingship—belonged to Judah, but the rights to the kingdom belonged to Joseph. Joseph’s grave is the same location metaphorically as the “heart of our earth.” This last sentence is a key connection to remember. We will provide more details in future writings. (See Matthew 12:40. Remember, we are created of the dust of the earth.) And when He arises on the THIRD DAY, it will be out of the hearts of His overcomers where the King (Judah) and the Kingdom (Joseph) now come forth united to set all of creation free.
Remember, even though Jesus came from Judah the first time, He was also a Son of Joseph (husband of Mary). And so it will be in His second coming as well. Joseph the patriarch had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. The Bible tells us that Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim. Thus now we can see that while Jesus, our King from Judah, had to appear alone the first time, that now He will appear as Joshua, the Son of Joseph as well, because the King and the Kingdom have now been united in the hearts of His firstfruits company, the overcomers. Therefore, Joshua is really a corporate Joshua representing the many-membered body of Christ. This is the group of people that Paul wrote about in Romans 8:19, when he said, For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Paul goes on to say that ALL CREATION is groaning and travailing, waiting for their deliverance which shall begin with the manifestation of the sons of the Most High God.
But before this can begin, Paul clearly says in Romans 8:18, that these called-out-ones must endure much suffering first, otherwise they will not be fit for reigning, just as Joseph and David had to endure. And this group must be circumcised, first
in their own hearts so that they can learn to love as Christ loves. This requires the pulling down of the walls of separation and division in their own hearts because our bodies are the ultimate PROMISED LAND and—like Jericho–our hearts are the most fortified, walled up of cities and our “Jericho” has to fall first before we can proceed any further. Then and only then, will these sons be equipped to enter into the other Jerichos (the church and Mystery Babylon) and bring the light of the sun/Son to the inhabitants of that city.
Now we come to the question of why oxen and sheep are included in the casting out of the money changers in Christ’s second appearing. It is because sheep represent King David from Judah, who was a shepherd, while the oxen represent the standard, or flag of Joseph. (In Israel’s years in the wilderness, each tribe marched under their own flag. The tribe of Ephraim’s flag bore the emblem of a bull/ox. .) The oxen always represent servants. Thus, it represents those whose whole lives are devoted to serving others because the greatest in the KINGDOM shall be the servants to all. It is not until Christ’s second coming that the breach becomes fully repaired between the King and the Kingdom and then the moneychangers can lawfully be completely cast out of the hearts of each of our temples.
This process is begun by the appearing of the Sons of God, for whom all creation has been waiting. In the study of Scripture there is a term often used called “gematria.” This word simply means the application of numbers to letters.
Our Father used the Hebrew and Greek languages to write the Old and New Testaments. Both of these cultures also used their letters as their numbers. Thus, every word is also a number in the original languages since each word is a number equal to the sum of its individual letter values.
The Hebrew phrase, “beni ha elohim” means “sons of God” and it occurs seven times in the Old Testament. Its gematrial equivalent, or letter value is 153. There is a very obvious New Testament reference to this number in John 21 when 153 fish are brought to shore after Jesus tells the disciples to cast their nets “on the right side of the ship”. Verse 14 tells us that it was the THRID TIME they saw the resurrected Christ and He was standing on the shore of Galilee, a lake or “sea” which just happens to be shaped similar to a heart and a grape bunch.
The first time the phrase “Sons of God” occurs in Scripture is in Genesis 6:2-4, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.
The word “giants” in Genesis 6:4 above is the Hebrew word Nephilim (plural). In English we would spell the singular form of Nephilim as N-F-L since only consonants were used in ancient Hebrew. The NFL plays their football games on a field that is 100 yards long and 53 yards wide. The won-loss record of the Saints going into the Super Bowl was 15-3 for the year.
Readers will recall from part one that this year’s Super Bowl was played in Miami in a stadium which just weeks before had been renamed the SUN LIFE of Canada (CANA-da) Stadium. The word “Cana” and its Hebrew equivalent forms appears 153 times –four times in the New Testament plus 149 times in its Hebrew equivalent forms (See Strong’s #H7069, 7070 & 7071.)
Daniel 7:18 says there is a time coming when, But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
This concludes part two of the story of the New Orleans Saints. Part three will be a discussion about the Louisiana Purchase and its “double portion” implications for the “42nd generation.”
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