The Blue Stone
by Pastor David Asscherick
As amazing as it sounds, the Ten Commandments were blue! The Ten Commandments were what? Blue. How do we know that? They were carved out of the very throne of God — which is made of blue sapphire.
Open your [NKJV] Bible to Exodus chapter 24. I’m going to show you something here that is going to absolutely blow your mind. Exodus chapter 24 — we’re in verse 9:
Then Moses went up…
…this is Mount Sinai…
Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under his feet … a paved work of...
What kind of stone?
…sapphire…
What color is sapphire? Blue.
… [a] sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel he did not lay his hand. So they saw God, and they ate and [they] drank.
They go up to confirm the covenant. That was common. What do we do when we have a wedding? After a wedding, what do you go to? A meal. That’s a tradition. That’s ancient because, after a covenant is sealed, you have a meal. Here the covenant was sealed and they had a meal. Jesus when he seals the new covenant in the upper room in the New Testament has the last supper. So, here they’re having a meal and they’re sealing the covenant. This happens even today in business partnerships. Great big business deal goes through; a big merger of two companies… They have a big party — they have a dinner. Why? …because they’re sealing the covenant.
Now, look at verse 12:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and [the] commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
Now this is interesting. Underneath the feet of God there was a pavement like blue sapphire stone. Now, I’ve given you two texts: Ezekiel chapter 1 and Ezekiel chapter 10. You can go look at those verses and it will show you that God’s throne is made of sapphire. Okay? I mean as plain as can be in Ezekiel chapter 10, verse 1, Ezekiel says, I saw God’s “sapphire … throne.”
Okay. So, what’s his throne made of? Sapphire. Now, look at this — notice especially verse 12 of Exodus 24:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and [the] commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
The literal rendering in the Hebrew reads:
…I will give you tablets of the stone…
Now, that’s the definite article. I’m going to give you tablets of the stone. You say, “What stone?” The only other stone, that’s mentioned, is mentioned two verses before — it’s the sapphire stone that God is standing on and that his throne is made of. God says you come up, I’m gonna give you two tablets of the stone. The only other stone that’s mentioned, in context, is that sapphire stone.
Now, it gets even better. Look at this. It’s a specific stone. The only stone mentioned in this passage is the one found in verse 10, a sapphire stone. So, the Ten Commandments were carved out of that blue sapphire stone that makes up God’s standing platform and throne. Talk about awesome! And look at Exodus 32, verse 16:
Now the tablets were the work of…
Who? God. We all like to say that God wrote it with his own finger but, according to that verse, not only did God write it — God made those tablets. You know what he made them out of? A blue sapphire stone…
Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on tablets.
So, both the tablets and the writing were the work of God. You say, “Amen?” Oh, yeah, we’re just getting started…
The Jews were required to wear blue tassels on the borders of their garments. How many of you knew that? Okay. Open your Bible to Numbers chapter 15, verse 37:
Again the Lord spoke to Moses…
Who spoke to Moses? So, this was God’s idea. Okay? Verse 38:
“Speak to the children of Israel: [and] tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners…”
What!? Is this a fashion statement? I mean, why is God so interested in the blue? Why blue? Look at verse 39 — He tells us why blue:
And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all…
…the what?
… the commandments of…
Who?
… the Lord and do them…
Now, notice this — this is phenomenal!
… that you may not follow the harlotry…
That’s what it says, I don’t want you to be a harlot, leave my commandments, and go after the world…
…that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy for [I am] your God. I am the Lord … God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt…
Isn’t this fascinating? God says, Moses tell the children of Israel that, if they’re my people, the Jewish people, they’re gonna put a fringe on the borders of their garment and there’s going to be a tassel there and that tassel has to be blue and then he says, because I want them to remember my commandments.
Now, why blue? Why would blue remind them of the commandments? Because the commandments were written on ... blue … sapphire … stone. You think, wow, that’s amazing, I didn’t know that. Well, it gets even better. Again, we’re just getting started.
Look at this now, it says… Uh, where am I at? Here I am. Now, aw, this is phenomenal! Open your Bible to the book of Revelation. Revelation 17…
Now, you’ve already learned a lot more about the book of Revelation than you think. What’s a woman in Bible prophecy? A church... What’s a beast in Bible prophecy? A kingdom... So what you find in Revelation chapter 17 is a woman on a beast.
Now, think about it... A woman on a beast would be a church that’s in control of the state. You see? That’s very simple. A woman in Bible prophecy is a church. A beast in Bible prophecy is a nation. So, here in Revelation chapter 17, you have a woman, an unfaithful woman, a harlot woman, on the back of a beast and so you have an unfaithful church in charge of the state.
Now, it’s going to get better. Watch. Revelation chapter 17, verse 1:
Then one of the seven angels who had… seven bowls came and talked with me,saying to me…
Hey, come here I want to show you something…
…the judgment of the great harlot [or whore] who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth [have] committed fornication …the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of [the] names of blaspheme, having seven heads and ten horns.
This all sounds familiar. Verse 4:
[And] the woman was arrayed…
…note these three colors…
…in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her [head] a name was written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the abominations of the earth.
Now, this is fascinating. Verse 6 says that this woman was drunk with the blood of the saints. So, this is a persecuting, unfaithful church. Okay? In Bible prophecy, a chaste woman would be a faithful church with one husband. A harlot woman would be an unfaithful church with numerous lovers. Okay?
Now, I want you to notice the three colors that that woman was wearing. See if you can remember them. What three colors? Purple, and scarlet, and gold… Now, go to Exodus 28. Phenomenal! Here God gives very specific instructions to Moses about how the priests were to dress. Okay? Everything was specific — had to be just a certain way.
Sometimes people have a hard time reading the last part of Exodus and all of Leviticus. You know, you get trapped up in there and, beloved, listen… Leviticus is an instruction manual. The last half of Exodus is an instruction manual. God was giving them very explicit instructions how to conduct themselves in the sanctuary; and how to build the sanctuary, and how to dress in the sanctuary, and how to perform the rites and rituals of the sanctuary. Are we all together, everyone?
So, in Exodus 28, God says, this is how Aaron and his sons are supposed to dress. Exodus chapter 28 beginning in verse 31:
“You shall make the robe of the ephod…”
That was the … what the … the priests wore,
“…all of…”
…what?
“…blue. There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so… it does not tear. And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, [and] purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all…”
Wow! Isn’t this interesting? Look at the colors that the high priest was supposed to wear — purple, scarlet, blue, and gold. Now, what were the three colors that the woman was wearing? …scarlet, purple, and gold. So, she’s wearing the colors of the high priests; but, what color is absent? Blue. Why? Because she’s forgotten the commandments and the law of God! Are we all together? Okay. Let’s keep going then.
What is the purpose of the law? Okay. Some people say, well, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Are you . . . I thought we were New Testament Christians. I thought we were New Testament Christians. What’s all this talk about the law? Well, remember, we already read in the book of Revelation — the book of what? …Revelation. That God’s last day . . . Is Revelation in the New Testament or the Old Testament? …New Testament! So, it says in the New Testament that God’s people will be keeping his law (Revelation 14:12). Amen? Okay.
Now, you might be thinking, whoa, Pastor Asscherick, that’s great, you made that up. You wish I made it up. I didn’t make it up. The harlot woman of Revelation chapter 17; she was wearing gold, and purple, and scarlet — but she didn’t have what? Blue! Now look at this…
This is taken from the Legends of the Jews, Volume 3 by Louis Ginzberg, page 118 and 119. Look at this… The Jews, beloved, this is what the Jews have historically believed about the Ten Commandment law — that it was written on the very stone taken from God’s throne. Look at this:
“Moses departed from the heavens with the two tables on which the Ten Commandments were engraved and they were made of a sapphire-like stone.”
That’s what the Jews had believed! Those Ten Commandments weren’t made out of some rock, some rock that Moses just found in the Sinai desert floor — no, no, no. They were carved out of a blue sapphire stone and, look at this one … also from Ginzberg’s, the Legends of the Jews, Volume 6 page 49:
“Ancient Jewish scholars state that the sapphire employed for the tables was taken from the throne of Glory.”
Now, beloved, I want you to think about that. The law of God is taken from the very throne of God. Now, remember, where was that law placed?…in the ark. Do you know what the ark is a symbol of? …the throne of God. That’s exactly right. You have the two angels that came up and what was between those two angels? …the mercy seat. And what was above the mercy seat? …the Shechinah Glory — which represented the very presence of God Himself. It was the presence of God Himself and, so here, in the most holy place of the sanctuary is the mercy seat, the throne, and what’s under the throne?…the tablets of stone made out of blue sapphire cut from the very throne of God!
And the antichrist power says, we can do away… You what? Can you do away with God’s throne? Impossible! Now let’s wrap this up, beloved. First of all, the law is like a mirror. It is not like a bar of soap. Okay? What is the purpose of the law?… the law is like a mirror. The law is designed to show us two things — number one, the righteousness of God; and, number two, the unrighteousness of man. That’s the purpose of the law.
You ever had a black bean on your tooth? You ever gone out and eaten Mexican and got a bean on your tooth? Anyone ever done that? …big ol’ piece of parsley on your tooth? You ever done that? Okay, for those of you who are married, have you ever got home and been washing your face before you go to bed and then you see that big piece of bean on your tooth? …ever done that? Yeah, it happens to me, too.
I remember one time it happened to me, I turned to my wife and I said:
“Sweetie, we have been visiting with our friends for two or three hours after we ate.” I said, “Wha’, wha’, wha’… Sweetie, do you see this? Can you see that, sweetie?”
“Oh, yeah, you got a great big piece of bean. I’ve been meaning to tell you that all night.”
I said, “Sweetie, I got news for you… I can’t see that. My eyes don’t do that.” “They don’t do that, okay? So, I need you to tell me that that’s there. Alright? You’re my helpmeet, help me out now.”
Okay. The mirror told me that I had a problem. The mirror didn’t solve my problem. Someone say, “Amen!” Amen! The mirror told me I had a need. The mirror tells me I need help.
The law is like a mirror. This is what James says in the New Testament. A man “… looks into the perfect law of liberty…” (James 1:25) and, when we look into that mirror, we see that we are all unrighteous. “There is none [that] does good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:12) The law tells us God is righteous; we’re unrighteous — we need a savior! I mean, can you imagine taking that mirror and trying to scrub your face up?
The purpose of God’s law, beloved, is to show us how righteous He is and, conversely, how unrighteous we are. …and then drive us to Jesus, because we need a savior to take away our unrighteousness and our sin. Someone say, “Amen!” Amen. That’s the purpose of the law.
We don’t keep the law of God in order to be saved. So, God’s faithful will keep His law because they love Him — not in order to be saved but because they are saved. And some people today say, “Aw, you know, don’t worry about that old law. The law has been done away with. The law has been nailed to the cross.” Whoa! Something was nailed to the cross, but let me tell you what wasn’t nailed to the cross. It wasn’t God’s Ten Commandment law.
I mean, which one of those commandants do you want to get rid of there? Which one do you want to throw out? The one that says, you can have other gods? …number one? Anyone want
to throw that one out? Okay, how about number two that says, don’t worship an image? Anyone want to throw that one out? Okay, how about number three that says, we’re not going take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain, anyone here — I mean any New Testament Christian want to say we don’t need that? Okay, how about number four that says, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy? Let’s throw that one out, right? How about the one that says, honor your father and your mother? Should we get rid of that one as New Testament Christians? Ah, but the one that says, don’t kill — that’s for the Old Testament. I don’t think so. How about the one that says, thou shalt not steal or commit adultery? No. What about the one that says, don’t lie or the one that says, don’t… Which one are you going to get rid of, beloved?
The difference is the New Testament was trying to communicate to us that we don’t keep the law in order to be saved but because we are saved. The law tells us we need a savior. The law drives us to Jesus, and Jesus saves us. Amen? Amen. And, then, God gives us power to keep His law — not in order to be saved but because we are saved. Somebody say, “Amen!” Amen!
Beloved, we do need the law. But the law doesn’t save us — only Jesus can save us.