Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar;
Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
“Follow the daleth.” – Rabbi Silverman.
Thirty five years ago an orthodox rabbi counseled me to follow the daleth in response to my question as to what was the “right way” as suggested in Proverbs 14:12.
First you must understand that the good rabbi and I were discussing something called a “gateway.” Jewish tradition and literature are full of stories of gateways into heaven. However, they saw at least seven heavens, some more, some less. Generally Jewish literature teaches seven heavens. The lowest is number one and the highest number 7.
1. Shamayim – Borders on earth and is the lowest realm, ruled by cosmic creatures of an order higher than demons.
2. Raquia – A littler higher up and a place where fallen angels who can not find a physical body to live in, are forced to live in a prison existence.
3. Sagun – This is considered to be the Garden of Eden or Abraham’s Bosom, the place where Enoch went to and Paul visited in II Corinthians 12:2. You can also read about this in the book of Enoch.
4. Machin – This is the heavenly city with the golden walls and streets and pearly gates. It is also called the heavenly Jerusalem which houses the Holy Temple.
5. Mathy – This is the dwelling place of a high order of angels and/or other created beings.
6. Zebul – This is a quiet, snow ridden plain which houses a sort of university of knowledge where created beings and other study Torah.
7. Araboth – This is the Holiest level, the level where God abides, the throne of God where He is surrounded by the highest level of angels and the souls of those who were martyred for His sake. This is the level that Isaiah visited.
True much of this comes from books not considered inspired of God as the Apocrypha books, Talmud, Zopar, etc. The Dead Sea scrolls, however, have shown that books like the Book of Enoch, although not inspired, does have a higher degree of historical accuracy than once believed.
Scripture does clearly teach that there is a supernatural world where, at least, on some level there dwells demons or cosmic beings. What is not so clear but deeply embedded in the Old Testament Hebrew and letters is that these levels are accessed through portals or gateways. That may sound a bit fantastic, but did not Enoch pass through something to enter the presence of God, did not a whirlwind take Elijah to the supernatural world? Just what did Paul mean by visiting the third heaven? On the surface, Scripture does hint that there is access to the supernatural world while in the flesh.
This brings up to the counsel of the good rabbi: “Follow the daleth.” You see the daleth, is the letter “d” in Hebrew which represents a doorway, gateway, or portal. In this verse the word “way” is “derek” which starts with a daleth. It means path, road etc. However, in it’s primitive form it means a gateway to the Holy Spirit and God’s divine power which will fill your heart. Buried in this word is also the secret to obtaining this filling of the Spirit of God and His power. It is obtained through repentance and emptying your heart of all fleshly desires and filling them with God’s desires. The sages believe when you do this it will open a portal to the third heaven.
Many of us have a special place we go to in order to meet God. For some it is a church sanctuary, or their bedroom or garden, or a special place in the woods. I call it a trysting place. As soon as I walk into my special place, I can suddenly feel the presence of God. It is almost like walking through a portal into His presence.
However, there is a shadow to derek. Pride, abuse of leadership, arrogance, and seeking your own desires and not God. This will also open a gateway or portal. This is a portal to the first heaven ruled by powerful cosmic creatures that are not Godly.
The sages teach, that if you follow the “daleth” it will open portals to the heavenly realm where you may access the miraculous power of God. But man can also open portals that will lead to despair and Godlessness. That is why Paul warns to beware of the devil who can portray himself as an “angel of light” (II Corinthian 11:14). There is a portal which may seem right to man but without the cleansing work of Jesus you may end up opening a portal that seems right because it is ruled by an angel of light, but the end will lead to destruction. That is why we must meditate on the things of God, the things that are holy. You meditate on discouragement, you will be discouraged.
Call it a portal, a gateway, a doorway to heaven, or a trysting place. Whatever you call it, find yourself a special place where you can go each day to meet and fellowship with the Father who loves you. As you worship and praise God each day, it will be like you are opening a portal and that special place will always be an open gateway to God’s presence. Jesus had His Garden of Gethsemane. What do you have?
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