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Genesis 1:3-4The meaning of the number, 2, is embodied in the the Hebrew verb, badal, which means to be divided or to separate. It is in the Hiph'il stem, which is causative. It means God caused to be divided, or separated, the light from the darkness. The light represented God and the darkness represented Satan in the appeal trial to resolve the prehistoric Angelic Conflict. Badal with its distinctly Hebrew meaning comes from the Ugaritic root bdlm, for a merchant, and the Arabic verb badala, to change or exchange.1 For example, a merchant might measure out (separate) a bushel of barley from a pile in exchange for silver. The merchant would, of course have to weigh the silver, separate out (divide) his due, and return the change to the customer. When coins were invented, the customer paid the merchant with perhaps a larger denomination of money, such as a silver dollar, and received change, such as a quarter. Thus, the merchant divided goods from his stock to sell and divided the customer's payment to make change.
3 Then God commanded, "Light come into being," and light was in existence.
4 And God saw that the light was good; then God separated the light from the darkness.
The Hebrew verb, badal, occurs most frequently in the priestly literature of the Bible. It is associated with divine production. Other terms are used for secular production. Badal is not used in the Qal stem, which is simple active voice. It is mostly used in the Hiph'il, which is causative. For example, in the re-creation of the Heavens and the Earth, God causes division or separation. This implies that God the Father authored the Sovereign Design; God the Son executed the Divine Design, and God the Holy Spirit performed the work. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded to be implemented what the Father designed; and the Holy Spirit executed the instructions and performed the work.
In Genesis 1:4, the word translated, "separated," is badal. It means God caused to be divided the light from the darkness. The year, 2001, represented unity, which is symbolized by light. The year, 2002, represents division, which is represented by light and darkness. The color, orange, is also the color for separation.
On Day 2 of the re-creation, the Lord God made the firmament, which caused waters which covered the earth to be divided, or separated.
Then God commanded, "Firmament come into being in the midst of the waters and become a wall to separate the waters from the waters." (Genesis 1:6)Here the Hebrew, badal, meaning to be divided, is a Hiph'il participle, which is translated "a wall to separate." The word, wall, is not in the original but is necessary to convey the meaning. The firmament caused the waters to be divided, or separated, from the waters. There was water vapor above the waters and waters below the water vapor.
Thus, God made the firmament, and He separated between the waters which were under the firmament from between the waters which were above the firmament. Therefore, it was so. (Genesis 1:7)The Hebrew word translated firmament is the Hebrew u^yq!r** (raqij`a), which refers to an expansion. One part of the firmament was the atmosphere. The atmosphere is an expansion of gas, while firmament is a general term associated with the atmosphere and the heavens. Thus, on Day 2, the Lord God made the firmament, which separated the water on the Earth from the water vapor and other gases in the atmosphere. And He made the atmosphere, which was an expansion of gases that was a third division.
The members of the Trinity are in all of Creation. Solid (land), liquid (water), and gas (atmosphere) represent the Trinity. The members of the Godhead are symbolized by solid (Father), liquid (Son), and gas (Holy Spirit).
God also created plants, animals, and mankind with living cells. Cell division is another example of the meaning of the number, 2. Cells only divide under the power of God.
Numbers 8:14-16, NAS"Separate" is the Hebrew badal, for divine division. God separated the Levites from the rest of Israel. The Levites did not choose this for themselves. However, once they were separated into the Levitical Priesthood, they could use their volition to accept or reject divine design.
14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. 15 “Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave offering; 16 for they are wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of every first issue of the womb, the first-born of all the sons of Israel.
The Levitical Priests were to represent the holy in contrast to the common or profane. There would be a distinction between the Priests and the common people. The priests were not to show up for work drunk. If they went into the Tabernacle drunk or if they drank on the job, they would die.
Leviticus 10:8-10, NASIn verse 10, "make a distinction" is the Hebrew badal in the Hiph'il infinitive construct. Thus, the meaning of the number, 2, for divine division, included not drinking alcohol on the job.
8 The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you may not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations—10 and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean,
“And you shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies. (Exodus 26:33, NAS)The wall of the Temple was designed to separate the holy from the profane. "Separate" is the Hebrew, badal,again.
He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall all around, the length five hundred and the width five hundred, to separate between the holy and the profane. (Ezekiel 42:20)
Leviticus 11:46-47, NAS"To make a distinction" in verse 47 is again the Hebrew, badal, in the Hiph'il infinitive construct. God wrote the Law; and when a person encountered an unclean animal, the person was expected to obey the Law. Here again, the division, or separation, originated with God, not the people.
46 This is the law regarding the animal, and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters, and everything that swarms on the earth, 47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.
Ezra 9:1-2In verse 1, "separated," is the Hebrew, badal, again. The men of Israel could not be consecrated to God until they separated from marriages to the wrong woman. This is not grounds for divorce, however, in the Church Age.
1 Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the inhabitants of the lands, according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 “For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the inhabitants of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.”
And from the Gadites there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains. (1 Chronicles 12:8, NAS)"Came over" is the Hebrew, badal, in the Niph'al perfect, which is the passive voice and means "were separated." Similarly, a Reduction in Force (RIF) of troops is also described as separation.
Then Amaziah dismissed them, the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so their anger burned against Judah and they returned home in fierce anger. (2 Chronicles 25:10, NAS)Here "dismissed" is the Hebrew word, badal, for division.
Leviticus 20:24, 26The word, "separated," is the Hebrew, badal, which is the same word for divine division as represented by the number, 2. Here the division was election from the Sovereignty of God.
24 ‘Hence I have said to you, “You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the nations. 26 ‘Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have separated you from the nations to be Mine.
It should be noted that God created man with a free will, or volition, which man may used to separate from God. Man can use his free will to accept or reject God's Sovereign Design. The Hebrew word, badal, is also used for man's separation from God.
Isaiah 59:1-2, NASGod designs a Spiritual life for man, but He let's man choose to accept or reject it. Thus, man can separate from some parts of God's Design for his life. For example when man chooses to reject Salvation, God is obligated to send him to Hell.
1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not so short
That it cannot save;
Neither is His ear so dull
That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.
“Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean;Here, "separate" is the Greek ajforivzw (aphorizo).
And I will welcome you. (2 Corinthians 6:17, NAS)
The calling of the Christian, which is from the Sovereign Design of God, is also described with the word for separation.
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, (Romans 1:1)Here, "set apart" is the Greek ajforivzw (aphorizo), which means separated or appointed.
Matthew 25:31-32, NASHere, "separate" is the Greek ajforivzw (aphorizo). The sheep are the Jewish believers of the Tribulation who will go into the Millennium. The goats are unbelievers who will go to Hell to await the final condemnation in the Lake of Fire. The sheep are separated out for blessing.
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 “And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and deliberations of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)Here, "division," is the Greek merismov" (merismos), which means division or separation.
The meaning of divine division is demonstrated in the re-creation of the Heavens and the Earth. The light was separated from the darkness on Day 1, and the land was separated from the waters on Day 2. On these days, God caused the division or separation. The year, 2002, will be a year in which God divides or separates based upon His Sovereign Design.
When the Levitical Priesthood was called out, the word, badal, was used because God separated the priests from the rest of the people. The people of Israel were supposed to be separate from the world. The nation of Israel was given dietary laws to separate clean from unclean food. Separation was to made between the holy and the profane. Mustering was sacred and described with the word for division, badal. In 2002, the US military has been mustered for war in Afghanistan.
Marriage was meant to be a separated relationship in Israel. Israelis were prohibited from marrying the inhabitants of certain evil nations; however, there were some bona fide exceptions. Relationships which violate God's rules of separation will be judged according to the meaning of the number, 2, for divine division, or separation. The year, 2002, will likely be a year in which God separates those individuals who are violating the sanctity of holy matrimony, which He ordains between Right Man and Right Woman. This is not grounds for divorce in the Church Age, but it is grounds for severe punishment from God.
Just as the Levitical Priesthood were separated from the rest of the nation of Israel, the Royal Family is separated from the rest of the human race and the Client Nation. God separates the Royal Family from the world. Christians may find themselves suddenly isolated from the world in 2002 like the Chinese Christians who have been prosecuted and sentenced to death. After God separates members of the Royal Family from the world in 2002, He will proceed to Judge the world in 2003. Thus, 2002 is one of the steps in a sequence. The Royal Family of God is the highest calling in human history, and God may use extremes to separate believers with doctrine in order to qualify them for blessing and to Judge the world.
In 2001, God used extreme punishment to bring about unity. Israel was forced to form a unity government in the face of Palestinian terrorism. The Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress were forced to work together following the terrorist attack on the USA. In 2002, God will separate Christians, the Client Nation, and Israel from the world through yet to be revealed circumstances. When the Christian finds himself separated out in punishment, it will be an opportunity for vindication and blessing down the road. The year, 2002, will illustrate the line in "If" by Rudyard Kipling:
If you can keep your head when all about youIn 2001, the color for unity was white. In 2002, the color for God's separation is orange.
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;