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The Star of David is derived from ancient alchemy symbols used to depict basic elements.
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Hidden Meaning of Ancient Symbols Used in the Bible
When you read the Bible, do hidden meanings and symbolism elude you? Have you ever had the experience of reading a section of scripture, one that you’ve read many times before, and suddenly you see something you’ve never seen (or understood) leap out and grab you? I have—more times than I can count. I usually give credit to the Holy Spirit for opening my eyes and showing me something new. On occasion, I conclude that I must have just been sleepwalking through a section, intent on just getting through it and moving on. “Nothing to see here” being my attitude at the time. How wrong I was!
My latest experience of this type was with a verse in Revelation 14.
14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. With him were one hundred forty-four thousand people who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. Revelation 14: 1 NCV
After almost two years of writing my book on the Jews, this verse suddenly leaped out at me and inspired me. For some reason, I had never paid any attention to what was being said here. What does it mean that the 144,000 had “his name (the Lamb’s) and his Father’s name written on their foreheads?”
Understanding the Role and Significance of the 144,000
As I have shared before in this blog, I believe that God has big plans for bringing His Chosen People back on center stage in the final act of history. Over the years, I’ve read so many books trying to understand what the apostle John meant in his prophetic book. You might also be one of them. And if I had to summarize what most say, it would be this:
Satan finally steps over the line, and God’s had enough. He removes all Christians from the earth (Rapture), and then God and Satan go at it. God wins.
Yet, it always disappoints me that the role of the Jews is muddled (at best) and non-existent (at worst). Why, then, does John devote the first half of Revelation 7 to painstakingly describing 144,000 Jews—one tribe at a time? Then, in chapter 14: 3-5, he adds
3 And they (the 144,000) sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the new song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who had been bought from the earth. 4 These are the ones who did not do sinful things with women, because they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb every place he goes. These one hundred forty-four thousand were bought from among the people of the earth as people to be offered to God and the Lamb. 5 They were not guilty of telling lies; they are without fault. Revelation 14: 3-5 NCV (Emphasis is mine)
We’ve covered this verse before, but it bears re-examining in this context. The symbolism and significance of these verses cannot be ignored:
- They sing a new song that no one could learn except the 144,000 (I covered this in Edition #21 published on June 29th, 2024). The song they sing is significant and only a Jew would know it. It is the Song of Moses –sung as a celebration after the defeat of Pharoah.
- They have kept themselves pure, “not guilty of telling lies; they are without fault”—the usual requirements of something being sacrificed to God.
- They follow the Lamb.
- They were bought with a price to become sacrifices offered to God, the Father and Jesus, the Son (This point is so important that John says it twice!)
- They had written on their foreheads the names of the Father and the Son.
This is a special group that cannot and should not be ignored! And it is clear that they are Jews. The symbolism is unavoidable. The call is unmistakable. Yet, the details remain unfathomable. How could so many scholars miss this?
Digging into the Symbolism of the “Mark” on their Foreheads
I think one of the keys to understanding God’s plan for the Jews is to focus on the names (or symbols) that will be placed on their foreheads. Can we reflect on what they might be? This is where (I believe) the Holy Spirit spoke to me when reading Revelation 14:1. Three things hit me when I read this verse:
- The names: If we go for the most simple and straightforward answer, we might conclude that John was referring to the name “Yahweh” (for God, the Father, as given in the Old Testament) and “Jesus” for the Son. And, indeed, that might be the case. Yet, the Holy Spirit made me feel that this is not what John saw. At the time of the Tribulation, the few people left after the rapture would probably not recognize nor understand God’s Old Testament name. And the purpose of marking the 144,000 would be to make sure everyone knew who they represented.
- The Use of Symbols: Then it occurred to me that a symbol might be more efficient. They needed to communicate their meaning instantly with power and zero room for confusion. This was going to be an army sent with a Godly purpose, and these symbols would be the banner under which everyone would draw the confidence and courage required to fulfill their calling.
- The Symbols: Given all that, what better symbol to portray God, the Father, than the Star of David? It is the symbol placed on the flag of Israel because it is the universal symbol of God’s Chosen People, the Jews! And what better symbol to represent Christ than the cross? Together, they represent the power, the sacrifice, and the love God has for us. My vision was that these symbols would:
- Inspire the 144,000 to speak out against the antichrist, defend their holy Temple (which he desecrated), preach the Gospel message (since they are the only ones left who can), and (as a result) sacrifice themselves in the service of their God and savior.
- Be universally recognized by the world. There is no question that the world would recognize these symbols! To some, they would instill fear, to some—hostility, and to some—hope.
- Make clear their sacrifice so that no one would doubt who or what these 144,000 stood for in their ministry and their martyrdom.
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History of the Symbols
Star of David: The 6-pointed star was not designed by the Jews. It has been (and continues to be) a symbol used by many Eastern cultures. In Buddhism, for example, it represents peace and harmony. It has also been used in alchemy, and in Islam. Many scholars believe that this symbol was first adopted by King David, not as the “Star” of David, but as the “Shield” of David because it was thought to have decorated the shields of his army. Beyond that, the history and use of this symbol gets a bit muddled. If you want to get a sense of how the 6-pointed star evolved to become the universal symbol of the Jews, watch these two videos:
| https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/788679/jewish/The-Star-of-David. |
After watching them and having done some additional research, I was struck by the following:
- As mentioned above, the symbol might have appeared on the shields of King David’s soldiers, thinking that it had special powers of protection. The official Jewish position is that it did not, yet they still refer to the star as “the Shield of David.” Often, the symbol was found on the banners of Jewish kings as a symbol of royalty. At minimum, it was a symbol of power and authority.
- In Judaism, it is a sign of God’s dominion over the world in all six directions (up, down, right, left, forward, and back).
- It was first distinguished as a symbol of the Jews in the 14th century when Roman Emperor Charles IV granted the Jews the right to put the symbol on the flags of Prague and (later) Budapest.
- In alchemy (the precursor to chemistry), 6-pointed stars were considered magical and were used to represent the first four elements that were originally considered to make up all matter: ((https://blog.nli.org.il/en/star-of-david/))
From the earliest times, science took various parts of the 6-pointed star and created symbols representing each element. Note that the basic components of the Jewish star (the downward-pointing triangle and the upward-pointing triangle) represent water and fire. I consider this coincidentally interesting as these are the two ways God has chosen to destroy the earth (first in the flood and then, during the Tribulation, with fire).
- In Islam, the 6-pointed star was originally referred to as the “Seal of Solomon” and was found in many mosques until it became more universally recognized as a Jewish symbol. After that, the 5-pointed star (or pentagram) replaced the 6-pointed star, although its use has never been that popular.
- Some believe the symbol might have been made official as a response to the cross becoming universally popular around the 18th century. Thus, in 1898, the 2nd Zionist Congress officially adopted it as the universal symbol of Zionism to give them an identity in the world.
I like what Sharon Cohen said in her article, “Despite its use in other cultures, the Star of David is emblazoned on the Israeli flag, and thus it is considered the undisputed symbol of the State of Israel, regardless of its origin. A symbol’s power, after all, is in the meaning we give to it.” ((https://blog.nli.org.il/en/star-of-david/))
The Cross of Christ: The meaning behind the cross as a symbol of Christianity is better understood and less controversial, even though it took more than 300 years for the cross to become the universal symbol of Christianity. ((It took ~300 years for the cross to become the symbol of Christianity, yet another 1,500 years for it to become a “popular” icon.)) Early symbols included the Ichthus (fish), a dove, a ship, a lyre, and an anchor. ((https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2009/february/when-did-cross-supplant-ichthus-fish-as-symbol-of.htm)) In the same article previously quoted, the author states that “In 312, according to the early Christian writer Lactantius, Emperor Constantine had the chi-rho (the sign of the cross) marked on his soldiers’ shields as they marched on Rome.” Apparently, both Constantine and David had the same idea for the use of these symbols. So why did it take so long for the cross to be adopted as the symbol of Christianity?
One explanation goes something like this: Prior to Jesus, the cross was a symbol of humiliation, torture, and death. The Romans used it to “make an example” out of those who opposed their rule. After Jesus, the cross came to symbolize His sacrifice for us—to enable all sinners to be cleansed and saved by the blood of Jesus. It represents suffering, but more importantly, it represents victory. Jesus overcame death and rose to ascend into heaven, where He is preparing a place for us. Yet, the early Christians wanted to place the emphasis on Christ’s resurrection (where there was hope) vs. His death (where there were too many negative connotations). However, time and the conversion of Constantine to Christianity had a major impact on making the cross a more acceptable image to convey both Christ’s suffering and His victory.
A Call to Action!
If you think there’s strife in the Middle East today, imagine what it will be like during the second half of the Tribulation! What better symbols could Jesus use than these two when writing them on the foreheads of 144,000 Jews?! The Star of David would definitely incite hatred from the antichrist and his followers because he knows they are God’s Chosen People. And the cross would fair no better as we all know how much Satan hates Jesus. I believe these symbols will be chosen deliberately as a declaration of war against all those who stand for evil and have rebelled against God. Revelation 6: 9b-10 tells us of their fate:
I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they were faithful to the word of God and to the message they had received. 10 These souls shouted in a loud voice, “Holy and true Lord, how long until you judge the people of the earth and punish them for killing us?” NCV
All the 144,000 will be killed by the antichrist. The cry from under the altar is coming from those who have already been killed as they implore Jesus to avenge their death while they wait for the rest of their brothers to join them.
So, how and when will these symbols be applied to the 144,000? In a previous newsletter, I proposed a new vision of Ezekiel’s prophecy of a “great army” being brought back to life in a “valley of dry bones.” ((https://its-a-god-thing.blog/2024/05/18/discovery-15-the-mystery-of-the-dry-bones-from-ezekiel/)) I believe that this is how the 144,000 will be introduced into the world—they will be raised from the dead by Jesus! God gave me this vision and then God led me to someone who could capture this vision and make it real. You are the first to see it. The final version will be in color. Thank you, Izzy, for allowing God to use the gift He gave you to produce this wonderful scene!
Jesus raising the 144.000 and applying the symbols to their foreheads
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