One of the most fascinating things which link the Old Testament to the New is “The Cave of Treasures.” According to the Book of Adam and Eve and the Conflict With Satan, that was Adam and Eve’s home after expulsion from the Garden of Eden and contained the gold, frankincense, and myrrh which was given to them at their marriage:
1 AFTER these things God said unto Adam, "Thou didst ask of Me something from the garden, to be comforted therewith, and I have given thee these three tokens as a consolation to thee; that thou trust in Me and in My covenant with thee. 2 "For I will come and save thee; and kings shall bring me when in the flesh, gold, incense and myrrh; gold as a token of My kingdom; incense as a token of My divinity; and myrrh as a token of My suffering and of My death. 3 "But, O Adam, put these by thee in the cave; the gold that it may shed light over thee by night; the incense, that thou smell its sweet savour; and the myrrh, to comfort thee in thy sorrow." 4 When Adam heard these words from God, he worshipped before Him. He and Eve worshipped Him and gave Him thanks, because He had dealt mercifully with them. 5 Then God commanded the three angels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, each to bring what he had brought, and give it to Adam. And they did so, one by one. 8 The angels then comforted Adam and Eve, and departed. 10 These remained by Adam in the House of Treasures; therefore was it called "of concealment." But other interpreters say it was called the "Cave of Treasures," by reason of the bodies of righteous men that were in it. 11 These three things did God give to Adam, on the third day after he had come out of the garden, in token of the three days the Lord should remain in the heart of the earth. (1 Adam & Eve 31)
It would seem that the Cave was called that because of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh which was contained therein. In verse ten above, that is not so. It’s because the bodies of righteous men were buried therein; to wit: Adam and Eve in the beginning. It may be that those bodies are treasured because they will arise first when the trumpet is sounded at Jesus’s return. (1 Cor 15:52). That notion is also identified elsewhere:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Mat 24:31-32)
Because Jesus ascended in Jerusalem (the Garden of Gethsemane) and his Holy Ghost returned there, (Acts 2), the best bet is that the living and dead in Christ shall be gathered at Jerusalem. “The Foundation Stone” under the Dome of the Rock was at one time much larger as it has been chiseled away with time. Somewhere in Jerusalem, perhaps the Garden of Gethsemane, Calvary, or The Foundation Stone; Christians will be “funneled” into Heaven from all over the world. It will not take time for that, but done in a “twinkling of an eye” as is God’s method. (1 Cor 15:52).
Where are the of Treasures, now, considering that the “treasure” is not the three substances; gold, frankincense, nor myrrh but the patriarchs? I was thinking on the Cave of Treasures as I awoke this morning, Where is it now? It struck me, possibly the Cave of Machpelah where Abraham and Sarah are buried, among others. It is called, “The Cave of the Patriarchs.”
Jewish midrashic literature avows that, in addition to the patriarch couples, Adam, the first man, and his wife, Eve, were also interred in the Cave of the Patriarchs, a tradition supported by ancient Samaritan texts. The tradition is supported by the simple wording of Genesis 23:2, which refers to "Kiryat Arba... Hevron" ("arba" means four). Commenting on that passage, Rashi listed the four couples chronologically, starting with Adam and Eve. (Wikipeda; “Cave of the Patriarchs)
In other words, the Cave of Machpelah is the same as the Cave of Treasures where the gold, frankincense, and myrrh were originally, and its location remains today the city of Kiryat Arba which is the “town of the four.” That has significance because four families were buried there, the first being Adam and Eve. Since, that Cave was where the gifts to Jesus were stored, were they still there?
It is known from scripture that “wise men from the East” brought three gifts. It was not necessarily three men but three gifts.
Kiryat Arba is from the south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The wise men came from the East but possibly the gifts came from the South. In other words, wise men knew where to find them! It can be assumed that since God provided the guiding star, God would have revealed the whereabouts of the ancient treasures.
Perhaps the magians (Greek; magoj) were not really sorcerers or magicians, but as sacred literature says, “kings shall bring me when in the flesh,” then later it is written therein, “Then God commanded the three angels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, each to bring what he had brought, and give it to Adam. And they did so, one by one.” There were no wise men to bring presents to Adam, but there were to Jesus. However, perhaps those three “kings” were angels (messengers) because they brought the Good News.
The wise men saw the star in the East. They were in the East where they viewed the star. One of two things may have occurred: (1) When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he robbed Solomon’s Temple and took its treasures. Perhaps the three Treasures were stored there. The other alternative is that (2) God revealed to them where the Treasures were kept in the Cave of Malachpelah.
Regardless, the three treasures given to Adam were, “Gold as a token of My kingdom; incense as a token of My divinity; and myrrh as a token of My suffering and of My death,” and were obviously given to Jesus (God in the flesh) as tokens of his Kingship, Divinity, and suffering and death. The three gifts represented Jesus’s status and purpose, and they surely came from the Cave of the Patriarchs – righteous men’s legacy to him!
No one knows the whereabouts of those treasures today. Where the gold, frankincense, and myrrh are, is of no consequence for they were not the valuable “treasure.” What was? Jesus Christ and his heavenly realm. He is no longer King of the Jews, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; nor is he suffering and dead! He is King of His own realm, the God of everyone, and Jesus is alive, well, and eternal in Heaven. Where Jesus’s treasure is, is where ours are:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Mat 6:19-21)
A few minutes ago, Terri and I were discussing the importance of wealth in life. My cousin is quite wealthy but can’t even find time to take a vacation in that his priorities are on his “kingdom,” which is his very prosperous manufacturing business. I told Terri that I considered that route to prosperity years ago twice, and stayed content with where I am. I am in great health and retired at a young age. My only worries now are the souls of those whom I love. My cousin, however, should be retired at his age but is still worrying about his “treasures.” It seems by his conversation that his treasures are his rare automobiles. My treasure awaits me; it is eternal life.
Abraham was promised prosperity in God’s covenant with him. Jews, to this day, still believe that the prosperity was the milk and honey of Canaan-land. They missed the point, but Abraham knew the source of prosperity, and today he comforts new arrivals in his bosom (Luke 16:22), indubitably Paradise in Heaven. In that instance, the poor man Lazarus, not having treasures on Earth, received his treasure in Heaven. Inevitably, the treasure is always in Heaven. Where is the gold, frankincense, and myrrh now? Perhaps the three angels - Michael, Gabriel and Raphael – carried them there for safekeeping as tokens of Jesus’s Kingship, Divinity, and eternal life!
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