Elijah
also crossed over the Jordan, most likely at the same spot where the Israelites
crossed, before he ascended, and was at Gilgal, just as the Israelites
were. Was it the same day? The Jordan flooded in the spring, so it was in
the spring. If the river were not flooded they could have crossed over
easily, but the melting snow in the spring from Mt Hermon, where the
Jordan begins, caused the river to flood. Joshua 3:15-17.Today,
this crossing is called the "Hogla" Crossing near Jericho. According to
a web article, the Jordan is not easily crossed upstream of this location
because of high embankments on each side. Their journey was all in
a single day. 2 Kings 2.
The
Israelites also journeyed thru the very same cities once they entered the
Promised Land: first Gilgal, then Jericho, then Ai and Bethel, the same
as Elijah, who then went back to the Jordan and crossed over. Elijah did
not go through Ai, but it has an interesting place in my fish map of that
day's journey. ( When I first began studying the journey they took, I used
a pen to mark it on the map in my Bible, and was surprised to see that I
had drawn the Christian fish symbol when I lifted my pen.The city of Ai
{eye} was in the exact spot where the eye of the fish would be.)
The Israelites, under Joshua, celebrated Passover once they were in the
Promised Land, as the manna ceased to fall and they were able to eat the
fruit of the land. Elijah is looked for by the Jews at Passover, and they
set a place for him at the Passover table. They send the children to the
door to look for him. I wonder if anyone can tell where this custom originated,
but it must have something to do with the time that he comes would pick
up at the same time that he left. So if Elijah's departure to
heaven was at the same place and time of year as the Israelite's crossing
over into the Promised Land, then it stands to reason that because he was
raptured, that our own rapture will share many of the same elements.
Ahaziah,
son of Ahab, was king, 2 Kings 1, who then died and his brother Jehoram
became king in 852 BC. Some time after this is when Elijah went up. Does
this year mean anything according to Bible numerics?
This same spot is located near where John baptized Jesus:
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Matt 3:13
And
it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee,
and was baptized of John in Jordan. Mark 1:9
This could very well have been where the 12 stones are, and that
Jesus was speaking of when He told the Pharisees that the stones would cry
out,
And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold
their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luke 19:40
From Jerusalem to this spot is only about 20 miles, and is where some archaelogists
place John's area of baptism. This is also the area where Abraham and Lot
parted company as mentioned the first time in the Bible, in Genesis 13:10-11.
Perhaps this also has significance.
These
thoughts are not neatly organized, but because time is short I want to share
them with you all and perhaps someone else will be inspired to search further.
Maybe the numbers guys will see something that is not readily apparent to
me. With Passover soon approaching, and all the clues we have been given
so far, we are in a time period of watching once again for the time when
we will cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land. Come soon Lord Jesus!