LOT—THE COVERING
We note on page 57 of Coverings that in order for Satan to get Yahweh to afflict Israel, he first had to remove their covering. We also note that, very significantly, a covering is protecting atonement. The word “atonement” actually means “covering.” So, in order for Yahweh to judge a people, first their covering has to be removed. This is what we have egregiously seen with our nation since the Curse of 1920.
Not only does “atonement” mean “covering,” but one of the most unique men in the Bible bears that very meaning in his name. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, whose name means “covering,” not surprisingly is, by virtue of his name, a highly revealing testimony of the government of coverings.
On two occasions, Sodom was judged; and in both cases, particularly the second time, the covering—Lot—was removed. The first time this occurred, four kings invaded Sodom and took Lot and all the spoils with them (Genesis 14). But Abraham pursued them, defeated them, and restored the covering—Lot—back over Sodom.
But the ill deeds of Sodom arose before Yahweh and He was thereby going to thoroughly judge them. Yet in order to do so, once again He had to remove the covering—Lot. Before doing this, Yahshua first went to Abraham and told him of His plans (Genesis 19). Abraham interceded for Sodom, and an arbitrational agreement was reached. However, when the angels arrived at Sodom, the city fell short of the agreement and judgment was to be effected. But there was one problem. Yahweh could not judge the city until He first removed the covering—Lot. As the angel clearly declared concerning him, “I cannot do anything until you arrive” at Zoar (Genesis 19:22).
Therefore, the angels took Lot and his wife and their two daughters by their hands and removed them from Sodom. With the covering now removed, fire and brimstone fell upon Sodom and devoured it.
In Coverings, you will see that even as Lot was twice removed from Sodom, so coverings are in pairs. And also, as evidenced here, you will see that the purpose of the woman’s headcovering is “for the sake of the angels” (1 Corinthians 11:10).
It is important to note that one of the qualities of paired coverings is that by being two they are made clean. For example, in Ezekiel 28:14 Satan is called “the anointed cherub who covers.” But in Exodus 25:17–22 and elsewhere we see not one covering cherubim, but now two that stand over the mercy seat. Though Satan was originally a covering cherub, he is obviously replaced by a two-part covering cherubim. Why? Because in order for Yahweh to make something clean, He has to split it. Thereby, an animal that split the hoof (and chewed the cud) was equally clean (Leviticus 11:3). This is the identical testimony in the covenant that Yahweh made with Abraham when He likewise had him split the ram, the female goat, and the heifer before He walked between them (Genesis 15:8–21).
We see a similar truth concerning the immense relevance of these covering two-part works in Hebrews 6:17–18 where we read:
In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
This is also the highly important testimony we see regarding Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. It is important to note that Joseph married a cursed Egyptian, and those two sons would have had the same uncleanness as other like Ham mixes: Egyptian-mixed Ishmael was driven away, the six sons of Abraham by cursed Canaanite Keturah (affording the seed omen for the Curse of 1920) were equally sent away, and the three sons of Judah, who likewise married a Canaanite, were rejected, and two even killed by Yahweh. In every regard, these two Egyptian-mixed sons of Joseph should have been equally rejected.
So, one has to ask the demanding question: How could it ever be that these two cursed Ham-mixed sons of Joseph could be numbered with the twelve tribes of Israel and not be rejected? There was only one way—to make them clean by splitting them!
So when and how did this splitting take place? In Genesis 48:13–14 we read:
Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands, although Manasseh was the firstborn.
When Israel crossed his arms, despite Joseph’s objections, and reversed the blessings on these two Ham-mixed sons, by Yahweh’s divine order he attested to His legal splitting of these two cursed sons in order to make them clean. This required act of splitting by putting Ephraim before Manasseh, was further evidenced when the sons of Israel entered the Promised Land and Manasseh was split—half the tribe east of the Jordan, and half the tribe west of the Jordan. Thus, Yahweh made these cursed brothers clean by splitting them.
And finally, this is the same truth we see evidenced in the Civil War. Yahweh does all things governmentally, and in order to legally make America clean, He had to split it. This act of Yahweh God should give us hope, including the fact that during the thirty years surrounding the Civil War, men evidenced the testimony of being created in God’s image, coming under His covering. It is not without significance that when Yahweh legally made this nation clean by splitting it, His attesting beard resided on the jaws of the men of this nation.
As you will see in Coverings, this is exceedingly important. In Chapter Four we examine some of these paired coverings and consider what they speak concerning Yahweh’s governmental workings of atonement/covering. Chapter Four is a very important formative chapter in the book.