"The true meaning of the word 'sela' in the Bible".

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Geoffrey Grider

Sela Petra is a real place that exists today, but also, of greater significance, the word 'sela' is actually a clue to the time associated with Bible prophecy.

"Like the moon it will be established forever and like a faithful witness in the sky. Sela" (Psalm 89:37, UBG).

I'm sure you, like most people, have been taught that in the Bible the word "sela" meant that God wants you to "stop and meditate" on those passages of Scripture where the word appears. Stopping and meditating on God's Word is always a good thing, but that said, the meaning of the word "sela" is more than an indication to stop and meditate. It appears exactly 75 times in the King James Bible, and almost every time in the context of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the battle of Armageddon at the end of the Great Tribulation.

Let's start with the fact that the Sela is an actual place, literally existing to this day. We read about its geographical location in the 14th chapter of 2 Kings:

"Also he entreated the Edomites ten thousand in the valley of salt, and took the power of Selah, and called his name Jokteel, until that time" (2 Kings 14:7, BG).

So this verse first of all shows us that Sela is a place that existed at that time and that exists today. Now we call it the rocky walled city of Petra, located in Jordan.

Sela is also mentioned many times in Isaiah:

"Send as a gift the lambs of the ruler of the land, from Shelah through the desert to the mountain of the daughter of Zion! And there shall be daughters of Moab over the fords of Amon like a fluttering bird, like chicks in a nest" (Isa 16:1-2, BW).

"Let the wilderness and those who traverse it, the settlements where the Kedarenes dwell, let the inhabitants of the rocky mountains rejoice aloud, let them shout joyfully from the mountain tops!" (Isaiah 42:11, BG).

What is fascinating about Isaiah 42:11 is that the passage refers to the people of Sela calling them "dwellers of the rocky mountains."

Also, the Book of Abdiah mentions a civilization inhabiting the rocky terrain of the Land of Edom. Sela Petra was the capital of Edom:

"The vision of Abdiah. Thus saith the reigning Lord concerning the land of Edom: We have heard tidings from the Lord and from a messenger sent to the nations: Move, and let us rise up against him to battle, Behold, I will make thee small among the nations; thou shalt be greatly despised. The pride of thy heart hath betrayed thee, O thou that dwellest in the chasms of the rock, in thy high habitation, that speakest in thine heart: Who shall bring me down to the earth?" (Ab 1:1-3, BG).

There are many more references I could list indicating that Sela has its true geographical location; however, I trust the above verses will suffice.

Now that we have established that Sela is an actual historical place, let's see if the Bible contains a reference to the city of Sela Petra as being inhabited and used prophetically in the future.

The Jews in the time of trouble for Jacob - the Great Tribulation

The Bible says that there will come days known as "the time of trouble for Jacob," which will be a very threatening, frightening time in human history. In the 30th chapter of the book of Jeremiah, the Lord gives a prophecy about a time in the future when the Jews will be reassembled in their land, Israel, but it will not be a time of peace. In fact, it will be just the opposite:

"The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write unto thee all the words which I have spoken unto thee upon books. For, behold, the days are coming, saith the LORD; and I will restore the prisoners of his people Israel, and Judah, saith the LORD; and I will bring them unto the land which I gave unto their fathers, and they shall possess it. These are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah; Thus saith the LORD, We have heard a voice of fear and of apprehension, and that there is no peace. (...) Woe! For great is that day, so that there was none like it: but whatsoever time of Jacob's trouble there is, yet out of it he shall be delivered. (Jer 30:1-5,7, BG).

We know that this "time of trouble for Jacob" is what the New Testament calls the "Great Tribulation. A time when the antichrist will visibly reign, and his primary target will be the people of Jacob who have become Israel - the Jews.

God is preparing a hiding place

God has promised that the moment the Jews are restored they will never be driven out again. However, the assault that the antichrist will launch on them will be so aggressive and so monstrous that God will remove them from the way and hide them in a place where Satan will not have access to them.

Jesus commands us to return special attention to the prophet Daniel because of an incredibly important clue. Here it is:

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (he that readeth, let him understand); Then let them that be in Judah flee into the mountains. Whoever will be on the roof, let him not go down to take something from his house. And he that shall be in the field, let him not go back to take his clothes. And woe to the pregnant and nursing women in those days! Pray therefore that your flight does not fall in the winter or on the Sabbath. For then shall be great tribulation, such as never was since the beginning of the world, nor ever shall be. And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened." (Matthew 24:15-22, UBG).

"And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city go out, and let those who are in the countryside not enter it. For these will be days of vengeance, that all that is written may be fulfilled." (Luke 21-20-22, UBG).

We who take the Bible literally see clearly that during the Great Tribulation the Jews will of necessity be forced to flee temporarily to a place in the wilderness, which is also in the mountains.

Illustration - In the ancient world, the full name - Sela Petra - was commonly applied to the rocky walled city of Petra. The above engraving from 1850 entitled. "Ruins of Sela Petra" by Laborde is a fine example of this.

The book of Revelation sheds even more light on the subject of this "escape" that God will force the Jews to flee from the antichrist:

"And two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, that she should fly into the wilderness, to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, far from the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water like a river, which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went away to fight against the rest of her seed, against those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Rev 12:14-17, UBG).

Thus we see that the believing Jews will be moved to a pre-prepared place in the wilderness for "a time, times and half a time," or three and a half years, as prophesied by the prophet Daniel. We believe that it is in the city of Sela Petra, located among the red rocks, that God will hide the Jews while the antichrist sits in the rebuilt Temple as if he were God himself.

Warning - translated by New International Version [From Wikipedia: "NIV - Protestant translation of the Old and New Testament Scriptures into English, published by Zondervan. It is the most popular modern translation of the Bible in English-speaking countries.] the word has been removed in its entirety. In the 1611 King James Version of the Holy Bible, the word "sela" occurs exactly 75 times and as we show you here, it is a phenomenal clue to the interpretation of prophecy as to the nature and character of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. However, the NIV version removes this word from all 75 places in the Old Testament where it appears, without replacing it with anything. They simply erased it! Since the word "sela" reveals so much about Jesus' return, who do you think would care to remove it and hide all this information from you?

"Sela" as an indication of the return of Jesus Christ

As we have shown so far, rather than being a signal to "stop and ponder," the word "sela" in the Bible is first, an actual, literal, historical place that still exists today. Second, it is likely the hiding place of the Jews during the Great Tribulation because of the many detailed clues found in Scripture.

We will now attempt to tie it all together by examining the placement of the word "sela" in the Bible. It brings to light a valuable new understanding regarding the events unfolding during the Great Tribulation, as well as an intriguing connection between the Sela Petra and the believing Jews as they take refuge from the antichrist during their flight. Here it is: Wherever we find the word "sela" in the Old Testament, we almost always find-either a few verses earlier or later-a reference to Christ's return at the end of the Great Tribulation.

For example, in Psalm 24 the word "sela" appears twice:

"This is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Sela" (Ps 24:6, UBG),

"Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of Glory. Sela." (Ps 24:10, UBG).

And throughout this passage we see direct references to the Second Coming:

"Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up, O gates, your heads; lift up, ye everlasting gates, that the King of glory may come in" (Ps 24:8,9, UBG).

Turning to Psalm 46, we see this again:

"The LORD of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Sela." (Ps 46:11, UBG).

"The nations were stirred up, the kingdoms were shaken; he gave his voice and the earth melted away" (Ps 46:6, UBG).

Wherever you look, the word "sela" is virtually always associated and found in the company of direct, explicit references to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It is the opinion of the author of this text that it is for this reason that the Lord placed the word "sela" where He did, so that we, the generation of the last days, may see that these events are drawing near, and so that we may have a renewed confidence that all that is in the Word of God can be trusted completely.

Think about this when summarizing:

- Jesus is called the Rock, and Sela Petra translates into Hebrew and Greek ("Petra") as "rock." The Bible was first written in Hebrew (ST), then in Greek (NT).

- The shed blood of Jesus that is the payment for and covers our sins is red. Petra is a red rock city of refuge. The LORD is both a rock and a fortress - "The LORD my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. My God my rock in whom I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Ps 18:2, UBG). As you read on through Psalm 18 you will find one reference after another to God being a "rock," a "refuge," placing His people on "the heights," etc.

- Petra is located next to the city of Wadi Musa, which means "Valley of Moses." The Jews fleeing Egypt under the leadership of Moses in the Old Testament in much the same way as the Jews during the Great Tribulation will flee to Petra. Just as God supernaturally caused the Red Sea to part (and there's that word again - "red"!), He will cause them to be safe and protected in Petra in the same way.

- Petra is located at the entrance to the Land of Edom. The prophet Daniel says that when the antichrist appears, he will consume all the land around Israel except Edom, where Petra is located: "Then he will draw to an ornamental land, and many lands will fall; yet these will escape his hand, the Edomites and Moabites and the firstlings of the sons of Ammon" (Dan 11:41, BG).

- In Isaiah chapter 16, we see God's "exiles" hiding in the land of Moab just before His return at the end of the Great Tribulation ushering in His millennial reign:

 

"Send ye lambs unto the LORD over the land, from the rock unto the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughters of Zion. Otherwise Moab shall be as a wandering bird, and shall be driven from its nest: so shall the daughters of Moab be at the fords of Arnon. Take counsel, make judgment; set thy shadow in the midst of the noonday as the night; hide the outcasts, and give no account of the wandering. Let my exiles dwell with thee. O Moab! Be thou their protection from the desolator: for the violent shall cease, and the desolator shall cease; and he that tramples upon others shall be smoothed from the earth. And a throne shall be set up in mercy, and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, who shall judge, and seek judgment, and do swift justice. (Isaiah 16:1-5, BG).

- "Seek ye the Lord, all ye humble ones of the earth, that do his judgment; seek righteousness, seek humility, lest ye hide yourselves in the day of the Lord's fierceness." (So 2:3, BG).

- "Who is he that goeth forth from Edom, in garments stained with the blood of Bocra? The one adorned with his robe, walking in the greatness of his power? I am he that speaketh righteousness, sufficient for deliverance" (Isaiah 63:1, BG).

Could it be that when Jesus returns to save His people from the antichrist, He will stop in Petra, that is, Bozra, and bring them home?

Do you remember that the Old Testament saints were waiting for Jesus in Abraham's bosom to come and take them home? Jesus came down to that place and preached to those who had no hope of getting out, sealing their punishment, then preached to those in Abraham's bosom and took them with Him to Glory.

We believe that on the day of His return, Jesus will stop on horseback at Sela Petra with us, His Church, wipe out the rebellion, staining His garments red with their blood, and then deliver those hiding in the rocks and take them to Glory on earth for His ongoing 1000 year reign of peace on earth.

The following verses from the 19th chapter of Revelation of St. John show us the Day when we, the blood-washed, born again members of the Church and Body of Jesus Christ will return with Him on white steeds to save His people, the Jews, and fight the battle of Armageddon:

"Then I saw the heavens open, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on him is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and fights. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written on him that no one knows but himself. He was dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. And the armies in heaven followed him on white horses, dressed in byssus white and clean." (Rev 19:11-14, UBG).

Coming soon, coming soon... keep looking up!

 

Translated by Jacek Placek. Thank you in the name of Jesus. May God the Father bless you Jacek.