The Sixth Hour
 What a coincidence that the phrase ‘the sixth hour’ is mentioned six times in the entire Bible, and all of these are recorded in the New Testament! Coincidence and contradiction never happen in the Bible.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. (Matthew 27:45)
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. (Mark 15:33)
And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. (Luke 23:44)
  The three gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke record the sixth hour in connection with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary. The connection in the number three is the underlying thread that ties all together: the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Ghost — ALL — the complete and fullness of the Godhead had accomplished the determinate counsels of God at Calvary. Adam, man in sin (the number six) and death, was defeated at Calvary. Man, sin and death, had finally been overthrown by his own Creator, Jesus Christ. Isn’t it interesting that mankind is tagged with the number six? — one digit less than seven. Seven being the number that speaks of the perfection of the Godhead in all that He is. The desire of Lucifer was to be as God. The desire of mankind is to be as ‘god.’ Number six wanting to be number seven, but falling short . . . so close, yet, so far from perfection. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
  Notice the phrasing: from the sixth hour, when the sixth hour was come, and about the sixth hour. From the sixth hour, the beginning point leads to the completion unto the ninth hour.
  The gospel of Matthew sets the time length of the Lord’s crucifixion as three hours when the land was engulfed by darkness. The gospel of Mark sets a bit more information: when the sixth hour was come. This was an event that had been prophesied many times, and now it was fulfilled — it was here —it had come — when the sixth hour was come. And we have more information: that this darkness was over the WHOLE land. Darkness had taken possession of the WHOLE land, and finally, in the gospel of Luke, we see even more information: it was about the sixth hour, and the darkness had not only engulfed the hill of Calvary, and the city of Jerusalem, and the province of Judah, and even the land of Israel, but there was a darkness over all the earth. The four gospels NEVER contradict each other. What many erroneously perceive as a contradiction is merely ADDED information.Â
Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour. (John 4:6)
  The fourth mention of the sixth hour is found in the gospel of John, Chapter 4, verse 6. Again, we have another coincidence! I don’t think so! Notice the numbers: four and six — four, the number of the world, and six the number of man, and two being the number of witness to mankind and to the world; however, only one number four is visible in the address of the verse, and the other number four is in the unseen being the fourth mention of the sixth hour. Oh, oh . . . did I just lose you? I see the message clearly. The unseen and the seen in the number four in John 4:6 is exactly how God works to reveal Himself to His own creatures. He reveals Himself in the physical realm and in the spiritual realm to mankind: that which is seen and that which is not seen. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (Romans 1:19) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Romans 1:20)
  The wealth within Chapter 4, verse 6 of the gospel of John cannot be exhausted. Remember, that this article is focused on ‘the sixth hour.’ However, think on these thoughts: why did the Spirit of God take us back to Jacob’s well, why is the well mentioned twice, and how is Christ related to the well? Leaving those crumbs for your personal study, let’s move on. The phrase, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well, is rich in symbolism, and typology, but it also has a timeless element within. The gospel of John provides us with a view of the Supernatural that separates this gospel of John from the previous three gospels in glimpses of the Supernatural in the Man Christ Jesus. This is why many call this the gospel of the Spirit; therefore, the symbol of the eagle is quite fitting for the gospel of John.
Side Note: Symbolism in the Faces: It never hurts to repeat . . . the four gospels are symbolized in the faces of Revelation 4:7. Both the New Testament and the Old Testament describe these ‘beasts’ in their representation of the Holy. The gospels through their distinctive, and yet, comparable messages are associated with the beasts described in Revelation Chapter 4.
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. (Revelation 4:6)
And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. (Revelation 4:7)
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Revelation 4:8) 　　
And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, (Revelation 4:9)
THE OLD TESTAMENT
As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. (Ezekiel 1:10)
And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. (Ezekiel 10:14)
These verses in the Old Testament have been pulled out of the whole picture to draw attention to the faces. This subject of the four faces in symbolism might be a good study to attempt at another time. For now, however, let’s keep it simple.
In the New Testament the lion is represented in the gospel of Matthew, the ox (as a servant) is represented in the gospel of Mark, in the gospel of Luke we see the man, and the eagle in the gospel of John. ♦ End of Side Note – Symbolism in the faces.
  I find that the word ‘journey’ has a deeper meaning than merely signifying a road trip. His journey began before time, before man, before the universe was ignited by the energy and power of the Godhead in action. Yes, it had been a long journey, not only in time, but in timelessness. How long is long without time? I am attempting to draw the sixth hour into a frame of reference which began before time and continued into time without getting into dispensationalism. Let us stay within this specific frame of time called the sixth hour. This is the hour of mankind. This is the hour that the Holy Spirit of God referred to as ‘the fulness of time.’ This is the sixth hour, one hour less than the number seven, or the hour where God’s Christ will reign over the earth in His Perfection, or the seventh hour: time no more.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (Galatians 4:4)
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. (Proverbs 8:22)
I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. (Proverbs 8:23)
When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. (Proverbs 8:24)
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: (Proverbs 8:25)
While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. (Proverbs 8:26)
When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: (Proverbs 8:27)
When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: (Proverbs 8:28)
When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: (Proverbs 8:29)
Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; (Proverbs 8:30)
Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. (Proverbs 8:31)
SIDE NOTE: Who is the ‘I’ in Chapter 8 of the book of Proverbs? The ‘I’ in Proverbs Chapter 8, verses 22 – 31 is Christ speaking before the foundation of the world, the wisdom of God. This Chapter unveils a time before time, before creation, during creation, and after the creation of the earth.
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. (Proverbs 8:12)
Counsel [is] mine, and sound wisdom: I [am] understanding; I have strength. (Proverbs 8:14)
Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and [some] of them they shall slay and persecute: (Luke 11:49)
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24) ♦ End of Side Note
  This was the beginning of the journey of Christ to fulfill His assignment in life, death and resurrection; therefore, we have John Chapter 1, verses 1 thru 3. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) The same was in the beginning with God. (John 1:2) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)
  Would you not call this a journey? Yes, the journey of the eternal Christ is a very long journey that cannot be fully understood in the frame of time. Christ did not just suddenly appear as a child born in a manger, and voilà – there He was! His preexistence is documented, His body prepared is documented, the counsels of God determining God’s plan and purpose in a manifested Christ is documented, the many prophecies of God dwelling among His creatures are documented. Every appearance of God on earth from the first recorded appearance in Genesis Chapter 3 was Christ Jesus: for He was/is the express image of God, and the visible image of the invisible God. (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15; John 1:14, John 14:9)
And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! (John 19:14)
  The fifth mention of the sixth hour is also recorded in the gospel of John. Notice that the Holy Spirit draws a specific time period: it was ABOUT the sixth hour meaning it is close, but not yet started, nor completed. It was the preparation of the passover, the Lamb for the sacrifice was prepared, and the Jewish nation was about to hear what they have been waiting for thousands of years to hear: Behold your King! Here, now, at this point in time, GRACE was made available to the people of God in the Person of all grace, Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. The connection in the fifth mention of the sixth hour is GRACE. Their King is presented to them in GRACE. Their sacrificial Lamb had been prepared before time in GRACE. Their King had come to them at the closing of the fifth hour, and about the sixth hour in GRACE. God’s final call to the nation of Israel has come in the words: Behold your King!
  The nation, as a whole, had rejected Christ during His journey on earth, they rejected Him as Prophet, Priest, and now they rejected Him as King. They had turned their hearts away from the GRACE of God, and the sixth hour swallowed them up, and they were dispersed among the Gentiles. (Micah 3:6)
  After the nation of Israel had rejected their King, their journey began away from the center of their religious life in Jerusalem, for after Jerusalem fell in 70 A.D., they no longer had God-enabled prophets, neither a priesthood, nor even a nation. They were truly without a vision, and without hope. Wherever they settled, wherever they attempted to plant their roots down, they would never become a part of their landscape. Their hearts, and spirits would always be drawn to Jerusalem and to the land of Israel.
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and [without] teraphim: (Hosea 3:4) Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days. Wherever they settled, wherever they attempted to plant their roots down, they would never become a part of their landscape. Their hearts, and spirits would always be drawn to Jerusalem and to the land of Israel.(Hosea 3:5)
Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. (Micah 3:6)
<<A Psalm of Asaph.>> O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. (Psalm 79:1)
  Praise God . . . grace is not chained to a number structure, but it is chained to a Person for grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (Also, the same principal applies to the age of the Church: the Church is not chained to a place, but it is chained to a Person, and this is the Lord Jesus Christ.) Grace is timeless as it is endless. The last message in the last verse of the Bible in Revelation 22:21 is the voice of the Spirit of God saying, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17) 　
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: (Acts 10:9)
  Another journey begins in the sixth mention of the sixth hour. The sixth hour relates to ALL of mankind. The 10th Chapter in the book of Acts is a defining moment in Christianity. This sixth hour is linked to ALL (not only to Jews, but also to ALL Gentiles). The journey of these three sent by Cornelius can be viewed as the travels of earth dwellers seeking out God’s message, for all earth dwellers are travelers searching for inward peace.
  The Jewish nation had been given the responsibility of keeping and spreading the words of God. Being entrusted with the words of God is one thing, however, believing, obeying and following God’s words is totally another thing. To err in one point is to possibly err in many other points. One of the important concepts that Israel could and would not accept of the words of God is that God’s words should be made known to others outside of the Jewish religion. In the Old Testament many Gentiles came into Israel and were accepted, however, the Jewish nation (as a whole) could not conceive of God’s grace and mercy being made available to the Gentiles.
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10)
I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; (Isaiah 52:61)
And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6)
Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in [their] arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon [their] shoulders. (Isaiah 49:22)
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:3)
Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.(Isaiah 60:5)
And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. (Isaiah 62:2)
And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, [to] Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, [to] Tubal, and Javan, [to] the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. (Isaiah 66:19)
O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and [things] wherein [there is] no profit. (Jeremiah 16:19)
For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name [shall be] great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense [shall be] offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name [shall be] great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 1:11)
  Isaiah 11:10 is the first mention of the Gentiles in the blessing of God to the Gentiles, and it is connected to the last mention of the blessing to the Gentiles in Malachi 1:11. Look at the number structure . . . interesting. Look at this final connection to the root of Jesse in the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ in Chapter 22, verse 16, I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. Finally, the prophecy in Isaiah 11:10 is fulfilled in Revelation 22:16.
  The last mention of the sixth hour (Acts 10:9) unveils the gospel to the Gentiles. How appropriate for the Spirit of God to inform us of a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band who along with his kinsmen, and close friends would hear, believe and receive the calling of the voice of the Spirit of God and be born again. There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band. (Acts 10:1) What type of background did this Gentile have? First, he is connected to a city named after Caesar. Did you know that the title of Caesar is used today as ‘Kaiser,’ and ‘tsar’? Next, we know that the name of Cornelius means ‘full, or filled’, ‘completely and pitilessly satisfied.’ Now does this not describe mankind? Next, we are informed that he was a military leader of one hundred soldiers, a warrior with commander skills. His group or band of soldiers was also famously called ‘the Italian band.’ Here we have a strong allegiance not only to each other, but pride in themselves. This particular Gentile was no, so called, ‘ordinary Roman citizen.’ And yet, he had a spiritual yearning to know more about the holy. A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. (Acts 10:2) To fear God is the beginning. The beginning of what? To fear God is the beginning in understanding who and what you are in the sight of God. The beginning in understanding the Majesty, the Sovereignty, the Goodness, the Grace, the Mercy, the Long Suffering and the Love of the Almighty God. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. (Job 28:28)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. (Psalm 111:10)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
  Although, through the meaning of his name, Cornelius was not ‘full or filled’, nor was he ‘satisfied.’ There was an emptiness within, a need to know more about a God he did not know. Yes, Cornelius believed in a God, and he prayed to God, but he did not know God. Cornelius describes all of us before our salvation: filled but empty, satisfied but joyless.
He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. (Acts 10:3)
And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. (Acts 10:4)
And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: (Acts 10:5)
He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. (Acts 10:6)
  There are some interesting points in these verses, first of all, the name of the city of Joppa means ‘to be bright,’ ‘to be beautiful,’ and ‘fair.’ Secondly, this Simon of Joppa was a tanner. Why did the Spirit of God specifically mention his occupation, and the location of his house? Well . . . yes, of course, so that the three men that Cornelius sent could be able to locate him easily; however, there is much more in the occupation and the location. Thirdly, his house was by the seaside. Let’s tie this all together and connect it to the theme of Acts 10: that the gospel would go out to the Gentile world.
  Joppa, a city by the sea, was a great seaport and played a role in the book of Jonah. The name of Jonah means ‘dove.’ Just following this thread of a ‘dove’ from the first mention to the last mention lead us from Noah’s ark to the Lord Jesus Christ coming out of the waters of Jordan. In the mention of ‘dove’ we have the symbols of peace and love but let us move on. The man Jonah fits quite nicely into the theme of this article. He was a man sent by God to preach God’s righteousness and judgment to the Gentile nation of Nineveh, and he just could not understand why God would send him (a Jew) to a Gentile nation with a message of judgment, repentance and forgiveness. This command by God became intolerable, and he just could not bear the thought that God’s message and words should go to Gentiles.
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. (Jonah 1:2)
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. (Jonah 1:3)
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. (Jonah 3:5)
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. (Jonah 3:10)
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? (Jonah 4:1)
  It is quite fitting that God the Holy Spirit directs us back to Jonah through the mention of Joppa. Jonah, a rebellious messenger, set sail from Joppa trying to escape from God. Of course, we all know what happened! Joppa, the ‘bright’ ‘beautiful’ and ‘fair’ city is centered scripturally around the ‘bright’ ‘beautiful’ and ‘fair’ gospel of God that His love and His peace is offered to ALL. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. (Psalm 86:5)
  Let us follow another thread, the thread is the word ‘tanner.’ Tanning was a noxious and offensive odorous trade often situated among the poorest sections of any community. The skinning of animals is mentioned here in the connection of the occupation of a tanner is not accidental, nor coincidental to the first time that we have the skinning of an animal in Scripture. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)
  Follow any word, phrase or name, and you will soon discover that there is no end to the beauties and wonder of God in Scripture. This is not a book invented by the minds of men. It is totally supernatural in its format, design, simplicity, and transcendent excellence. The Scriptures are piercingly accurate from what appears to be a most inconsequential detail to a momentous event. No matter what thread you begin to pull it will lead you into areas that you never imagined. Let’s look at the word ‘tanner.’ The word tanner appears only three times in the Bible, and all in the New Testament. And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner. (Acts 9:43)
He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. (Acts 10:6)
Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of [one] Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee. (Acts 10:32)
Side Note: Let us begin to pull on this colorful thread. Why three times? Why associated with Joppa? Why connected to Simon? And why only in this particular historical section of Acts Chapter 9 and 10? Yes, Gentiles had heard the gospel before this time, and yes, Gentiles had sought out Christ when He walked among men. But why does the Spirit of God deliberately draw our attention to Peter (along with six men – Acts 11:12) in his vision laced with symbolism, prophecy, and revelation from God? Preaching the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles was no small matter, nor was it a minor shift or transition in the outreach of the apostles, and for all those who were called of God to preach the word of God. Although Christ had commanded that His gospel would be preached to every creature, and to all nations, it was to the Jews first that the gospel was sent, and then to the Gentiles.
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matthew 28:19)
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, (Luke 24:45)
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: (Luke 24:45)
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:45)
 It was to the Jews first that the gospel was sent, and then to the Gentiles.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: (Romans 2:10)
The nation (collectively) held a very strict observance of remaining separated from all those outside of the nation of Israel. Peter in Act 10:28 reminded Cornelius of this critical point. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (Acts 10:28) This was a huge stumbling block to overcome for the apostles; however, God through the vision of a sheet full of unclean creatures descending from the heavens, implanted into the heart of Peter the greatness of God in His desire and purpose to reach out to ALL of His creatures, yes, even the unclean in the sight of man. This had been the plan of the Godhead bodily from before the beginning, before the foundations of the world. This plan to include Gentiles into the blessings of Israel was a point of prophecy in Genesis 18:18, Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. In Acts 28:28, we read, Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. Then in Galatians 3:8 we have the prophecy fulfilled. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
This vision was so important that it was mentioned a total of three times throughout Acts 10:17, 10:19, 11:5. God the Holy Spirit employs repetition because we are such stupid creatures. Notice also the repeat of the number four and how it is connected to the world. And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: (Acts 10:11) I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: (Acts 11:5) ♦ End of Side Note.
The Threads
  Tanner is mentioned three times in the New Testament, but never in the Old Testament. Of course, there were tanners in the early age of humanity. And the first Tanner was God Himself. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21) When the LORD God made coats of skins, the Godhead bodily had purposed it. When the LORD God clothed Adam and his wife, the Godhead bodily clothed them both. All that God has done, is doing, and will do, is always done by the determinate counsels of God. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (Genesis 3:22) Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. (Genesis 3:23)
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)
  In the Old Testament we have the word ‘skins,’ but not tanner. In the New Testament we have the word ‘tanner,’ but not the word ‘skins.’ (However, the word ‘skin’ — singular — is mentioned only once describing the clothes of John the Baptist in Mark 1:6) The Old Testament is saturated with examples, types, and symbols pointing to and representing the sacrifice to come in the fullness of time. All the offerings and sacrifices were given to Israel to observe and to honor the Anointed One who was to come to fulfill all the offerings and all of the sacrifices. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. (Leviticus 17:11)
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28) Through His Son, Jesus Christ, God clothed His glory as the Son of Man to cloth repentant sinners with His glory and righteousness.
  Through the process of tanning, the Holy Spirit of God draws our attention to the suffering element of tanning by using the word ‘skins’ in the Old Testament. Let us now look at the word ‘skins.’ In the Old Testament, the word ‘tanner’ never is recorded, it is ‘skins’ that is mentioned, not the tanner. The key to understand ‘skins’ is in the very first mention of the word. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21) Yes, we have a sacrifice, we have blood, we have a victim or victims (coats) in this first mention, however, we also have a result. A very beneficial result: a covering. Adam and Eve (had by their own making) willingly removed God’s covering of glory and now they saw themselves as naked. Their spiritual lenses had become clouded over by sin (as a cataract), and now they saw their reflection (in the bright light of God’s judgment) revealing who and what they truly were in the blinding light of God’s righteousness. What a shocker! From glory to disgrace in a second in time; from glory to grief — a grief to experience in all of time. From glory and a life being in direct communion with their Creator to a life alienated from fellowship with God. From glory to waiting for an approaching death. Now they understood death, and consequently, they knew fear, for they were clothed with death. And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:15) Mankind from this moment would chase the unattainable: to be as gods and thus, maybe even to be able to obtain eternal life through their own invented means. Unattainable because mankind doesn’t want eternal life through God’s requirement and by His Salvation plan, but they demand eternal life HAS to come and be given to them by their own goodness, and by their own prescribed processes and dictates. Yet, God is good even to His enemies, for Adam and Eve had become enemies of their Creator. He clothed them — not with His glory, nor with any splendor that they might acquire or desire, but He clothed them with death. God clothed them with the evidence of the result of their rebellion. God removed their glory and left them naked, exposed to death.
  He Clothed Them
   Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21) This is the spiritual teaching of ‘skins’ in the Old Testament. The word ‘skins’ is mentioned in the Old Testament 24 times in 18 verses. And it is never recorded in the New Testament. It is a very interesting breakdown on how, where, and why this word ‘skins’ appearing in Scripture. These verses have been specifically chosen from the 18 verses for a particular point. I am attempting to connect the very first mention of skins and its purpose to other verses: the purpose of Genesis in the word ‘skins’ is in clothing or covering. (I have not included any verse that does not relate to clothed or covering) — for instance in Genesis 27:16, Rebekah instructed her son Jacob to place skins of goats on his hands, and on his neck to deceive Isaac. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. Well . . . one can, of course, push the idea of covering by saying that this family of Isaac: mother, father, and children clothed themselves with deceit. But that is a bit too much, therefore, the following verses connect to Genesis 3:21 in coats of skins being used as covering.
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)
The Coverings and What They Covered
And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, (Exodus 25:4)
And thou shalt make a covering for the tent [of] rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering above [of] badgers’ skins. (Exodus 26:14)
And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, (Exodus 35:7)
And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ [hair], and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought [them]. (Exodus 35:23)
And he made a covering for the tent [of] rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering [of] badgers’ skins above [that]. (Exodus 36:19)
And the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers’ skins, and the vail of the covering, (Exodus 39:34)
  The tabernacle in the wilderness was covered with four separate different coverings. The first and most inner covering was a fine linen curtain. The next covering was made from the hair of goats. This article will only be considering the 3rd and the 4th covering because of the connection to ‘skins.’
  Note that when the children of Israel left Egypt, they left full of goods, garments, materials, gold, and an immense quantity of spoil; after all they had been slaves to the Egyptians for hundreds of years. Not only did the Egyptians want them to leave, but this could be also considered a small payment for services rendered. To the cynics and unbelieving haters of God who question the word of God without reading the word of God, the comment I hear often is, How did these people get all the badger skins, and how did they get all the fine linen, and how did they get all the gold and silver for the tabernacle while in a desert?
And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: (Exodus 3:21)
But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. (Exodus 3:22)
And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. (Exodus 12:36)
  The tabernacle is a study that I am not prepared to venture into as I will run out of years. Simply stated: the tabernacle is all about Christ: His Person.
  The 3rd covering was made of rams’ skins dyed red — the blood of Christ was seen covering all within the tabernacle, the altar, the ark of testimony, the vessels, the golden altar, and all the instruments of ministry; not viewable from inside nor from the outside, but nevertheless it covered all.
  The 4th covering could only be viewed from outside, and this sight was quite different, it was made of badgers’ skins. Seen by the viewer, it had no beauty, but it was durable, strong, heat tolerant, and yet supple (able to endure strain). For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53:2)
  The instruments and articles within the tabernacle were also covered every time the camp moved. The complete revealing of God to man are a mystery of God that He is both invisible and visible, unseen and seen.
  When God revealed Himself to man through His Son Jesus Christ, the glory of Christ was covered and veiled by His humanity, seen yet hidden.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? (John 14:9)
And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. (John 12:45)
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1:14) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: (Colossians 1:15)
  As all the items in the Tabernacle in the wilderness were a reflection of Christ; whenever these items were moved and transported, most of these items were first covered by a cloth of blue (the heavenlies, His Deity) and then the cloth of blue was covered with badgers’ skins (that which was of the earth, His humanity). The people of Israel never saw the actual items, they were always transported covered with badgers’ skins, the glorious things of God covered from the eyes of men. (Read Numbers 4:1-12) (Numbers 4:11) And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put to the staves thereof. As the GodMan, (Son of God and Son of man) the glory of Christ was covered and veiled by His humanity, hidden yet seen.
SIDE NOTE: God seen in the unseen details: in the description of the materials, objects, and instruments within the tabernacle, and were covered by the covering of badgers’ skins are mentioned seven (7) times. The things that are not seen or viewed by the people (or the public) of Israel because these were the glorious things of God not to be taken lightly, thus, to become diminished and denigrated. (This is the state of the professing Church today, where the things of God most precious are taken too lightly, yea, even His name becomes mudded as it insensately flows off the tongues of the churched. (Churched, but not of the Church; in the Church, but not IN The Church.)
And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: (Numbers 4:5)
And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over [it] a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. (Numbers 4:6)
And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: (Numbers 4:7)
And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put in the staves thereof. (Numbers 4:8)
And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put [it] upon a bar. (Numbers 4:10)
And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put to the staves thereof: (Numbers 4:11)
And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put [them] in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put [them] on a bar: (Numbers 4:12)
And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, [even] the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers’ skins, and put to the staves of it. (Numbers 4:14)
And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers’ skins that [is] above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, (Numbers 4:25) ♦ End of SIDE NOTE: God seen in the unseen details:
SIDE NOTE of a SIDE NOTE: All that was of the sin offering were ALL burned in the fires of judgment. The skins of these sacrifices for the sin offering were NEVER EVER tanned for their skins. And the bullock [for] the sin offering, and the goat [for] the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy [place], shall [one] carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. (Leviticus 16:27) ♦ End of Side Note of a Side Note.
His Glory Covered by Humanity — His Glory Revealed
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (Matthew 17:2)
And after six days Jesus taketh [with him] Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. (Mark 9:2)
  On the mount of transfiguration, we see Christ revealed as a radiant light, as bright as the sun; yet not fully exposed, for man would not be able to bear the sight of God in His full glory of holiness and righteousness.Â
The Seaside
  Whose house is by the seaside — Simon (‘harkening’ and/or ‘favorably hearing’) lived by the seaside. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. (Isaiah 57:20)
These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; (Jude 1:12) Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (Jude 1:13)
  God clothed the first earthly rebels with coats of skin. It was God Himself who killed His own innocent creatures to cover Adam and Eve. It was God Himself who shed the first blood on the earth to cover sinful man. The description of mankind in Isaiah 57:20 is a perfect description: the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. Whatever mankind touches become mire and dirt.
  Here in Acts 10, we have the three men from Cornelius journeying to a city of ‘brightness’ and ‘beauty’ in search of a man called ‘the harkener, harkening, and favorable hearing’ seeking the words of God, the wisdom of God, and the understanding of God. The Spirit of God takes our thoughts back to the Garden of Eden, back to the sin of Adam and Eve, back to the shed blood and the death of an innocent, back to the law of sin and death. Here at the edge of the Gentile world, the seaside, God the Holy Spirit shines the light of the glorious gospel upon those outside who are and were strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12)
  As Peter prayed at the sixth hour, God brought before him (through a vision) that God’s plan of salvation was for ALL. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (Acts 10:34) But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:35)
  This sixth hour is not just an hour in time, nor is it merely a numbered dispensation. We, mankind, were created on the sixth day are but beings of dust, stamped with the number six; thus, we all fall short of the glory of God. We live in the hour of the shadow of sin and death.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:11)
This sixth hour is God’s final call to ALL of mankind.
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, (Ephesians 3:1)
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: (Ephesians 3:2)
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, (Ephesians 3:3)
Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) (Ephesians 3:4)
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (Ephesians 3:5)
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: (Ephesians 3:6)
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Ephesians 3:14)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 3:28)
© Copyright 2020, Mary Haigh
This article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJB)