of imagery and revelation

if the bible was written as a hoax, by a man, or a group of any size, they'd be genius. they would take shakespeare and make him look like a techno song lyric writer.

Numbers 21:4-9; for muslims/jews, this is also in the Torah (ba-midbar), it reads:
21:4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"
6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

this also happens to be an imagery of Christ: the world is plagued by sin, and we will die from it if we do not repent. and it would be this same sinfulness that drives us to hell, and that causes us to put Jesus up on that cross and to kill an innocent man. and despite our defiance, the merciful God gave a way out, His own Son, nailed to a cross. so that anyone who looked to Him would find eternal salvation. and not just salvation, but blessings and prosperity. how cool is that!

another instance is the Feast of Unleavened Bread. by rabbinic decree, matzah (the bread eaten during the feast of unleavened bread) must be striped, pierced, and burned (to look bruised). strangely this is the same picture of Jesus, Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

really, very, awesome.