And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment

upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD
continually (Exodus 28:29). Aaron is the brother to Moses and the leader of the tribe
which is appointed as high priests. In modern Judaism as with the ancient Rabbis, it's
usage is explained that the breastplate of the high priest was intended to work atonement
for errors in pronouncing judgment.
According to the Talmud, the breastplate was made of the same material as the ephod and
in the following manner: The gold was beaten into a leaf and cut into threads; then one
golden thread was woven with six azure threads, and another golden thread with six
purple threads, and similarly with the scarlet wool and the byssus. Thus there were four
combinations of six-fold threads, with one golden thread woven through each; and, when
these were twisted together the strand consisted of twenty-eight threads (Yoma 71b). The
breastplate was fastened to the ouches of the ephod by means of threads of woven gold,
passed through rings attached to the right and left of the upper part of the ephod.
Furthermore, two rings were attached to the lower ends of the breastplate, from which
azure cords passed through two rings at the lower points of the two shoulder-bands of the
ephod, where they joined the girdle; so that the lower part of the breastplate was
connected with the girdle of the ephod, and could neither slide up nor down, nor be
detached (Exodus 28).
The breastplate is described (Exodus 28:15-20) as the "Breastplate of Judgement" and it
was adorned with twelve gems, one for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. The gemstones
were to be attached in four rows of three and each gem was to have the name of a tribe
inscribed upon it. The King James Version reports the gems as such:
Row 1: sardius, topaz, carbuncle Row 2: emerald, sapphire, diamond Row 3: ligure,
agate, amethyst Row 4: beryl, onyx, jasper
The twelve precious stones with which the breastplate was decorated contained the names
of the twelve tribes; each name being fully engraved on one stone, in order that, when the
high priest came before Him, God might be mindful of the piety of the patriarchs (Exodus
28:21; 39:7-14 and Leviticus 21:6). No chisel was to touch the stones, nor was it
permitted to mark the names of the twelve patriarchs on the stones by means of paint or
ink. The engraving was done by means of the Shamir, which was placed on the stone, and
had the marvelous power of cutting it along the lines of the letters of the proper names,
which were first traced with ink. In addition to the names of the twelve tribes, the stones
also contained, at the head, the names Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and at the end the
words: "(all these are) the tribes of Jeshurun" (Yoma 73b). These words could not be
omitted from the breastplate, since the whole Hebrew alphabet had to be included, in
order that, on consulting the Urim and Thummim, the high priest might be enabled to
form words from the different colors of the individual letters on the stones of the
breastplate, and hence might be able to answer questions put to him (Yoma I.c). We read
in Revelation 21:19-21 that the City of New Jerusalem stood on a foundation of 12
stones, each correlating with one of the stones of the breast plate. The stones, though, are
in a different order; with the last stone of the breastplate (the stone associated with the
tribe of Benjamin) listed first. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished
with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire;
the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the
seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the
eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls:
every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were
transparent glass. Many people also state that there is a cosmic correlation as well. They
say that the gemstones of the Zodiac correlate to the color of the stones given to the
twelve tribes.
And finally, the garments of the High Priest have been interpretated in at least two ways.
The explanation of Philo is as follows ("Vita Mosis," 209): His upper garment was the
symbol of the ether, while the blossoms represented the earth, the pomegranates typified
running water, and the bells denoted the music of the water. The ephod corresponded to
heaven, and the stones on both shoulders to the two hemispheres, one above and the other
below the earth. The six names on each of the stones were the six signs of the zodiac,
which were denoted also by the twelve names on the breastplate. The miter was the sign
of the crown which exalted the high priest above all earthly kings." Josephus' explanation
is this ("Antiquity's" 7): The coat was the symbol of the earth, the upper garment
emblemized heaven, while the bells and pomegranates represented thunder and lightning.
The ephod typified the four elements, and the interwoven gold denoted the glory of God.
The breastplate was in the center of the ephod, as the earth formed the center of the
universe; the girdle symbolized the ocean, the stones on the shoulders the sun and moon,
and the jewels in the breastplate the twelve signs of the zodiac, while the miter was a
token of heaven.
Before the return of Christ, there will be a third and final temple in Jerusalem. Plans to
rebuild it are now being formulated as we speak today. It will be where the Anti-Christ
will announce to all the world that he is God alone. There is where the abomination of
desolation will be at and a betrayal to all the Jews, who trusted in him. In order to have a
temple you must also have a High Priest to sacrifice for the sins of all the people (and his
as well). Therefore we must know what to look for in the coming future events - that will
effect all the world. I hope that you have been blessed by this study.