Mel Gibson’s epic — “The Passion of the Christ” — ended with the Resurrection of Jesus. Three significant holy events occurred during the forty years following Gibson’s script. Hardly anyone has heard of those Glorious Events. In fact, it would take a “miniseries” to adequately describe that period after The Crucifixion.
Gibson’s goal was only to dramatically and graphically demonstrate the suffering of Jesus. The film carried out “sanitizing” the violence, brutality and ruthless behavior of the Roman soldiers in their grisly task. Gibson’s goal was to show it ugly, as it really was!
However, those later Events were equally dramatic, important and Glorifying of Jesus, as well as of God, The Father. These Events have been shielded, ignored, misunderstood, overlooked, or otherwise withheld from all but a handful of diligent, mainly Jewish, scholars. To my knowledge, hardly any Christian scholar has even tried to learn about these Glorious and inspiring Events.
The Three Events are:
1st – The First “Event” was actually a series of Temple miracles that ceased completely during those forty years after The Crucifixion. Various “miracles” of the Temple had begun to appear during the tenure of a certain highly respected Jewish High Priest, Simeon the Just (4th century BC). These encouraging miracles appeared during the worship in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. However, after Simeon’s time, these “signs” were not as “reliable” as with Simeon. Sometimes they showed up and sometimes they didn’t. When they appeared, that was taken as a “good omen” for Israel. After The Crucifixion, they would never appear again.
2nd – Exit of the Glory of God, (Divine Presence or Shekhinah), the “Pillar of Fire and Column of Cloud” of the Temple. This was the same “burning bush” that first spoke to Moses, then led the people to the Promised Land and dwelt in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and finally in the Temple. The Rabbis (Tamud and Midrash) report that after leaving the Holy of Holies just before Passover, he sat on the roof of the Temple until Shavuoth (Pentecost). The Rabbis further record that Shekhinah then returned to the Temple, only for one last “tearful” farewell to the Holy House from him. He then proceeded to “the mountain that is on the east side of The City”-The Mount of Olives. The historians Flavius Josephus and Eusebius also report this event. Josephus reports the exact year, month, date, and time of Shekhinah’s initial departure. The Event is prophesied and described as a “vision” in Ezekiel chapters 10 and 11.
3rd – This 3rd Event began about 3 and a half years before the Roman siege that led to the destruction of the Temple. Shekhinah sat on top of Olives for three and a half years, beseeching his People to “repent and return to Me.” – “But, we wouldn’t.” Shekhinah then ascended to heaven, just a few months before Roman soldiers began their siege, leveling the Temple and destroying Jerusalem (70 CE). – Shekhinah probably ascended at or near the same point from which the Miracle Worker “Galileo” had ascended forty years earlier (30 CE).
The rabbis’ descriptions of Simeon’s miracles and “signs” are listed in Talmud Yoma 23-39 and described here in more detail as follows:
On the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, two “goats” were brought before the High Priest. Likewise, two batches were placed in one urn; the priest would reach into the urn, clutching a lot in each hand as he looked at the goats in front of him. One batch was marked “For Azazel” (ie “scapegoat”). The other piece was marked: “To the Lord.” The priest opened both hands to see the determination of the lots… The goat that was in front of the lot marked “For the Lord” was sacrificed, part of its blood was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies and the burnt remains of it. to ashes and “poured out” on the Mount of Olives. The male goat opposite the lot marked “For Azazel” was taken to the “wilderness” and released. (We can see how the term “scapegoat” has ironically been inverted from its original meaning.)
The Miracle during Simeon’s 40 years as High Priest was that the “To the Lord” lot appeared on the priest’s right hand EVERY year on Yom Kippur. This was noted as a “good omen” for Israel.
Symbolizing that the scapegoat’s throat had been slit, a “crimson strap” was tied to each horn and passed down its throat during this ceremony. Before being led into the desert, the crimson leash was tied to one of the gates of the Temple.
The miracle is that, during Simeon’s tenure, the crimson leash would mysteriously turn white when the goat was released into its new environment. The Rabbis referred to Isaiah 1:18 – “…Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; . . .” – pointing with joy to Israel, his sins had been forgiven for another year.
A very significant sign appeared during Simeon’s time regarding the seven candlesticks (Menorah). The seven candles were placed along the southern wall of the Holy Place; the westernmost candle was closer to the Holy of Holies, where Shekhinah dwelt in it. All seven candles were cleaned each night and filled to the same level of oil. The westernmost candle was lit first and the remaining six were lit by the flame of that western candle. However, during Simeon’s priesthood, the westernmost candle always kept burning each night after the remaining six candles had long burned out!
In compliance with Leviticus 1:7-8, the Rabbis interpreted that only two logs of wood could be placed on the Altar to support the pile of wood to burn the sacrifices.
A miracle resulted in that, during Simeon’s time, two logs always lasted a full day of sacrifices.
There were other miracles that we must omit for space considerations.
After Simeon’s death, the westernmost candle sometimes continued to burn after the others, and sometimes not. Finally, during the “forty years before the Temple was destroyed”, the westernmost candle never outlived the others. The Talmud states (Shabbath 22b) that this miracle was always taken to indicate that the Shekhinah rested on Israel. Therefore, it was well understood that when that miracle ceased, it was a warning that Shekhinah was going to leave. As we have said, some forty years later (AD 70) the Lord departed from the Temple and ascended to Heaven from the top of the Olive Trees.
As with the westernmost candle, after Simeon’s death the other miracles would “sometimes” manifest; although, not “reliably” on a regular basis like before. When they did appear, of course, it was considered a good omen for Israel. — Yoma 39a describes:
“Our rabbis taught: Throughout the forty years that Simeon the Just ministered, the lot [‘For the Lord’] it would always come out in the right hand; from then on, she would come out now on the right hand, now on the left. Y [during the same time] the crimson strap would turn white. From then on, sometimes it would turn white, sometimes not. Also: Throughout those forty years the westernmost light was shining, from that moment on, now it shone, now it failed; also the fire in the wood-pile was still burning strong, so that the priests did not have to bring to the pile other wood besides the two logs, to fulfill the command to provide the wood intermittently; from then on it would burn brightly now and again, not at other times, so that the priests could not do without bringing wood for the pile all day long. [on the altar]. [During the whole period] a blessing was granted on the ‘omer, the two loaves and the showbread, so that each priest, who got a piece the size of an olive, ate it and was satisfied to eat it and even leave some. From that time a curse was sent on ‘omer, two loaves and the showbread, so that each priest received a piece as small as a bean: the well-educated withdrew their hands from it, while the ravenous people he took it and devoured it. “
But now listen to this! —
The rabbis lament even more plaintively about the state of these miracles during the period they sadly describe as “forty years before the Temple was destroyed” — as follows, in Talmud Yoma 39b:
“Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the lot [‘For the Lord’] did not go up in the right hand; nor did the crimson strap turn white; to the north shone the westernmost light; and the gates of the Hekal* would open by themselves, until R. Johanan b. Zakkai rebuked them, saying: Hekal, Hekal, why are you going to be the alarmer yourself? I know of you that you will be destroyed, because Zechariah ben Ido has already prophesied about you: Open your gates, O Lebanon, let fire devour your cedars.”
* Hekal: Main temple building — (Referring to Zechariah 11:1)
A dire future for Israel was predicted in the complete cessation of all these miracles.
Explaining what “forty years” where miracles were NOT shown in the Temple, we recall the Jewish event “11 – 9”. The Temple was destroyed on the 9th day of the 11th Jewish month, Av –70 AD. C. We further remember the Event, depicted in Gibson’s film, which occurred “forty years” earlier, on Passover, AD 30. C. That gentile Galilean, who taught in parables, healed the sick, working “miracles” even more remarkable, was sentenced to death between two thieves on a cross. The most Glorious “miracle” of him was that he rose alive from his Tomb three days after being crucified, forty days later ascending to Heaven from the Mount of Olives. – NO miracles in the Temple during those 40 years, nor ever again!
As a side note, there may be a subtle lesson in “9 – 11” here. In biblical numerology, God’s number for the divine purpose of judgment is “9”. – his Number for Divinely Ordained Disorder and Chaos is “11”. – Could there be a Divine “sign” for a nation given a calamitous event on the 11th day of the 9th month? — Something to think about.
All of these Events are well documented in authentic historical sources; although, reported in the Bible only as prophecies. Those prophecies were fulfilled when these Events occurred after the last books of the New Testament were written. Due to this absence and anti-Jewish skepticism, as well as other less obvious reasons, hardly any scholars have informed the general public of these Glorious and significant events. The timing of these Events does not seem to be a coincidence. – Was God telling the children of Israel that they had made a serious mistake?