The Scarlet Thread

(L) Crimson worm caccooned in hard shell protecting her eggs (R) larvae feeding on Syrian hom-oak leaves

by Chuck Ness

Every Christian understands that we are saved by the blood of Christ, because HE was the perfect Lamb which was sacrificed for our sins from the beginning of time. (Revelation 13:8). Every infirmity HE healed, every pain HE helped us overcome, every dead person HE brought back to life, and every sin HE forgave, HE carried to the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. All HE asks of us is to believe, and follow HIM. Isaiah tells us that,

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed ............. He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:8 and 12

There are many analogies used to describe the atoning sacrifice Jesus made so that we could be forgiven for our sins. One of them is the lesson of the scarlet thread Rahab the harlot was told to hang from her window by two spies she protected. She was told that if they see the cord of scarlet thread in her window when the Israelites attacked the city Jericho, she and her family would be saved from death.

Later, when the walls of Jericho fell down and the Israelites took the city, per the agreement Rahab had with the two spies, Joshua commanded that Rahab and her family be spared (Joshua 6:22–23). It’s easy to dismiss the color of Rahab’s rope as mere coincidence, but the scarlet color is significant. The rope in her window was a sign of her faith and led to her salvation, as her family was not destroyed with the rest of Jericho. The scarlet rope, the color of blood, saved Rahab and her family, just as the blood of the lamb had saved the first born of every male child in the home when the Angel of Death passed by in Egypt. (Exodus 12:13). Just as the lambs blood was a symbol of Christ's sacrifice in the future, so too was the rope of scarlet thread.

I could leave this at that, but in reality the analogy of the cord of scarlet thread goes even deeper. Just as an innumerable amount of animal's lives were given so sins could be covered from Adam and Eve all the way to the day the curtain was torn asunder from top to bottom in the Temple the moment Jesus died, so too did a tiny little grubworm give up its life so Rahab and her family would survive the attack on Jericho. This tiny little animal is actually a worm GOD created to give us a picture of the blood shed by His Son, and His sacrifice for our salvation. Follow me here, because what I am about to share with you is so amazing that only our GOD in heaven could conjure it up.

The Hebrew word used for scarlet is Sha'niy, or Shany, depending upon the translation. This word is used to describe the color of the cord. However, the name is derived from a tiny worm they harvested the color red from. The modern name for the Sha'niy worm, is coccus ilicis. Many just refer to it as the scarlet or crimson worm. It is a grub type of worm that was found on the leaves of Syrian hom-oak trees which were at one time prevalent around the Eastern Mediterranean countries.

To truly appreciate the imagery of this incident with Rahab, one must understand the life of the scarlet worm. A life created by GOD to serve a specific purpose for mankind. Just as Jesus came into the World for one purpose, so too has GOD created the scarlet worm for a specific purpose. The scarlet worm spends its life gathering strength by foraging off the leaves of the Syrian hom-oak tree until it's time to lay her eggs. That's when she attaches her body firmly onto a tree never to leave, nor ever to live for herself again. The mother's body then transforms into a hard shell, which protects her and the eggs from the elements. The shell is so strong that it takes great force to penetrate it. Should that happen, the mother and the eggs would perish. Once the eggs hatch the young feed off her body for nourishment.

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,“This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
1 Corinthians 11

The scarlet worm actually gives up her life in order for the offspreing to live. Humans should have such love for their young. Yet in today's World of selfish individualism, humans would rather sacrifice their young, than sacrifice their future dreams and aspirations. On the third day the mother begins to die, which starts a process where she exudes a crimson dye that colors the baby larvae for life. It is this color that gives them their name the “Crimson, or Scarlet Worm”. Leviticus speaks of the importance of the blood in covering sin, and Psalm 22 refers to the Messiah with these words,

for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.
Leviticus 17:11

But I am a (crimson) worm and not a man.......”
Psalm 22:6

The little ones would then move on from their birthplace and live in the “identity´ released over them. Which is a picture of how we Christians gain our name from the One Who shed His blood on the cross (tree) for us to live. We are covered by His blood. The symbolism of the scarlet rope as it pertains to the salvation of man is amazing. On the fourth day, her hard shell turns into a pure white wax substance that resembles wool. It begins to flake and fall to the ground like a snowflake. One could almost say it resembles the mana which GOD fed the Israelites with for forty years. Isaiah offered a similar picture of Christ when he wrote,

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18

Many Scriptures should come to your mind as you consider this incredible creature which GOD made as a sign of HIS love for mankind. In the book of Exodus where we read of GOD giving Moses the instructions on how to build the tabernacle, we see this color mentioned 26 times. In the book of Hebrews we read of Jesus being a High Priest of a better covenant, as a Minister in the true tabernacle in heaven, because the one Moses built was but a shadow of the One in Heaven,

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man .................... as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "SEE THAT YOU MAKE ALL THINGS ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."
Hebrews 8:1-2 and 5

So the tabernacle GOD had Moses build was a shadow of the One to come, and we know from Revelation that Jesus is the living Tabernacle. It makes sense that GOD would want the best colors earth has to offer, to represent HIS plan for man. Thus God created the scarlet worm to not only live and die as an example of what HIS Son would do, but also to produce of the perfect color needed for the shadow of the One to come. The One who arrived in the Person of Jesus, and now sits at the right hand of GOD, while dwelling inside us.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
Revelation 21:3-5

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

Theologians and Bible students often times refer to “the scarlet thread running through the Bible.” This means that the theme of the Bible, is “Jesus Christ”. From Genesis 1:1 where we read, “In the beginning”, to Revelation 22:21 where is says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” It all points to Christ. The blood of Christ symbolically runs throughout Bible. We see it in the animals killed in Eden to cover up Adam and Eve's sin, the ram GOD used in replace of Isaac on the altar of Moriah, the Passover lamb in Egypt, the institution of the sacrificial system handed down to Moses, the scarlet rope of Rahab, the millions and millions of animals sacrificed in the tabernacle and temple, all the way through the moment John the Baptist’s declared, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) and finally to the foot of the cross, where Jesus says, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22), and that’s why the symbolism of the scarlet thread in the Bible is so important to understand. GOD would not have included the incident of Rahab and the scarlet thread if it was not essential to understanding HIS love and grace which we are all blessed to be a part of. The scarlet thread is the theme of atonement found throughout the pages of Scripture.

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the lord Jesus Christ.