Shalom All,
     Scripture outline first:
Num. 25:10-13
      10) "Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: 11)Phinehas son of Elazar son of Aaron the Kohen, turned back My wrath from upon the Children of Israel, when he zealously avenged My vengeance among them, so I did not consume the Children of Israel in My Vengeance.  12)Therefore, say: Behold! I give him My covenant of peace.  13) And it shall be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of ETERNAL PRIESTHOOD, Because He took vengeance for His God, and HE ATONED FOR THE  CHILDREN OF ISRAEL."

When i first studied this piece of scripture i knew that if this was true...that the Eternal Priesthood of Peace was a covenant between YHVH and  a man...it was very important.  For it would have to be a proven lineage of Ya'Shua, yet i had never seen any one who taught this.

Then, this year as we studied this parshat in our Kehilat (church), and i heard that the jews teach that Phinehas never died...that he lived and is mentioned in scriptures from this point (the crossing of the Jordan about 1451 bc) until 1 Sam. 3:11-12 (about 1165 bc).  This is a time frame of about 396 years!   This Scripture:

1Sam.3:11-14
    "Hashem said to Samuel, "Behold, I Am going to do (such) a thing in Israel that when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will ring.  12)On that day, I will fulfill for Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, beginning to destroy.  13)I have told him that I AM executing judgment against his house forever for the sin (he committed) that he was aware that his sons were blaspheming themselves and he did not censure them.  14) Therefore I have sworn concerning the house of Eli that the sin of the house of Eli would never be atoned for by sacrifice or meal-offering."

The next scripture tells who the house of Eli was:

1Sam. 4:11
   "And the ark of God was taken:  and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain."

Soooo...we have the names of his sons....and Phinehas is listed here....remember this is 396 years after the children of Israel crossed the Jordan!   That's a long time coming into the land.   Yet in 1Sam. 4:15 scripture says that Eli was only 98 years old.   What's up?

Well, down in vs.16-17 we get a bit of a picture :

"And the man said unto Eli, I AM he that came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army.  And he said, What is there done, my son?  17) And the MESSENGER answered and said, ISRAEL is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ARK OF GOD IS TAKEN."   from KJV
   But look at how it is translated in the Tanach:

"16) The man said to Eli, " I AM the one who came from the battlefront.  And I ran from the battlefront today."  (Eli ) said, "What is the report, my son?"  17) The bearer of the tidings answered him saying, " Israel ran from before the Philistines; and there was a great blow among the people; also, your two sons--Hophni and Phinehas--died; and the ARK OF GOD was taken!"  18) As soon as he mentioned the ARK OF GOD, (Eli) fell backwards off his chair, opposite the site of the city gate, breaking his neck, and he died, for the man was old and heavy.  He had judged Israel for forty years."

This gives us a better look at what this scripture is all about.  At least it does to me.
This is more prophetic than anything else.....about our days!  But first look at the next piece of this scripture:

1Sam. 4:19-22
  19) His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was soon to give birth, and when she heard the news about the capture of the ARK OF GOD and (that)her FATHER-IN-LAW died, and her HUSBAND, she crouched down and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her.

pause:
i suggest here that this is a picture of the BRIDE OF YA'SHUA and the DAUGHTER-IN-LAW of YHVH.   And that this is a picture of the woman about to give birth in  Rev.
Notice how quickly her birth came forth....and she died...

20)As she was about to die, those standing around her spoke to her,  "Fear Not, for you have borne a son!"  But she did not answer, and she did not take it to her heart.

pause:
It looks like she died because her husband and father-in-law had failed her....?

21)  She called the boy ICHABOD saying, "Glory has been exiled from Israel," because of the capture of the ARK OF GOD and because of (the deaths of) her father-in-law and her husband.
22)And she said, "Glory has been exiled from Israel, for the ARK OF GOD HAS BEEN CAPTURED."

Ichabod means "The Glory has departed".

Do you suppose that this whole scenerio is a vision that Eli is having?  He is the High  Priest of the House of God....when God first speaks to Samuel...and Samuel is relating what God is saying to Eli....it seems as if Eli is caught up in his own inner sight.  He is living in his youthful days of 98 years of age!  This is some 396 years later.
    Phinehas and Hophni are the younger generation of High Priest...and they are responsible for the ARK OF GOD.  But Eli is in the KNOW of how the ARK OF GOD is to be handled...yet he says nothing to his sons.  That's his only SIN?
    I question how it is that Phinehas, who was given the covenant of the Eternal Priesthood of Peace.....not as a priest at all to begin with....but as a mere man, who stepped in between God's judgement and the Israelites, over whoredom/idolatry's suttle sin; is now judged.  Remember they are now over 400 years old...surely they stand out like sore thumbs.
    The Israelites have gone from Preist rule, to Judge rule, and now to King rule...and have failed in every way to honor God, or even to come to Him when in need....that is up until they really need Him in this battle.  Then quickly they haul out the ARK OF GOD....and take it into battle for their good!!!!!!!  Kind of like "Using God when in times of trouble, but forgetting Him otherwise"   like virgins with out Oil!

    It is coming close to the time frame of the building of the TEMPLE by Solomon....and these extremely old Priest are called on for duty.  Ever see anyone call the preacher when they are in deep doodoo?    And ever see the preacher....for a donation...call on GOD for their rescue?
    Like America as a whole today?   Perhaps....like this story....only in our days.....the people were living in a sur-real world...couldn't tell what was truth or falsehood...so asleep, yet not sleeping at all?    But yet this story is factual, as well as spiritual.
    And the church is about to give birth...to Ichabod?   And die in doing so!

And now, only Mashiach the real PRINCE OF PEACE is about to become KING OF PEACE, because HE Stood between YHVH (the FATHER) and judgement.  Indeed, HE became a separated part of YHVH in order to take this stand...and only HE is left to be the realizer of this ETERNAL PRIEST!

I wonder if HIS NEW NAME is Phinehas?

And I wonder if this story...representing Phinehas and HOPHNI is not the prophecy of the Two Witnesses?

Time to unwind this whirlwind....   : (,)
Meriam