Monday, May 2 2011
Moriah: Separating The Wheat From The Chaff

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

Moriah, from the Hebrew word pronounced mo-ree-yaw, is recorded specifically by name twice in the Holy Scriptures. The first was in Genesis; it was the place where righteous Abraham (an immigrant from Iraq; see What Made Abraham Righteous?) ultimately proved himself as righteous to "the LORD God" - Who was Jesus Christ (see 'Before Abraham Was, I AM').

"22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt [the actual Hebrew word of the Holy Scriptures means test] Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham:
And he said, Behold, here I am.

22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father:

And he said, Here am I, my son.

And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 22:10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham:

And he said, Here am I.

22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son." (Genesis 22:1-13 KJV)

"He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire"

Centuries after Abraham, Moriah was specifically stated as the place where the Temple in Jerusalem was constructed, in the time of King Solomon, the son of King David (see Israelite Monarchy - The Origin and Israelite Monarchy - The United Kingdom; also David, Future King Of Israel).

The Holy Scriptures
"3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite." (2 Chronicles 3:1 KJV)
Threshing of grain in the ancient manner makes use of wind to "separate the wheat from the chaff" (modern combines use fans). The mount of Moriah was a natural place for a threshing floor to be situated because the high elevation provided the most wind. As stated above, the mount of Moriah was purchased by King David from a man who had constructed a threshing floor there.

"21:18 Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. 21:19 And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD.
21:20 And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. 21:21 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground." (1 Chronicles 21:18-21 KJV)

Beginning on the day of His Return, the Messiah (see Israelite Monarchy - The Messiah) is going to rule the entire world from the very same area of that ancient threshing floor (see the Fact Finder question below to understand Who and what "Zion" is really about).

"4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4:3 And he shall judge among many people [see Worthy Is The Lamb], and rebuke strong nations afar off [see The Coming World Dictator]; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Micah 4:1-3 KJV)
It was no coincidence that John the Baptist (see The Prophets: John The Baptist), in describing how the Messiah is going to Judge and Rule from the site of that ancient threshing floor, that Christ is going to "separate the wheat from the chaff," nor is it a mere coincidence that Abraham, who proved his righteousness in that very same place (as we read above) was included in the very same warning about true righteousness, for "he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

"3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [see Why Did The Lawyers Hate The Messiah?]
3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 3:10 And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire [see also The Lake Of Fire Into An Ocean Of Fire - When?]: 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:7-12 KJV)

Fact Finder: What does "zion" really mean? Who does "zion" really mean?
See Anti-Zion Is Anti-Christ
.