We continue our Study in Revelation: A search for Truth at the End of the Age with Part Four...

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A Special series:

 Lessons from the Wilderness, Volume 26

  …A Study in Revelation… Part 4

A Search for the Truth at the end of the Age

αποκαλυψις ιησου χριστου

(The Revelation of Yeshua the Messiah)

 

The REVELATION

of Yeshua the Messiah to Yochanan (John)

 1 ¹ This is the revelation which God gave to Yeshua the Messiah, so that he could show his servants what must happen very soon. He communicated it by sending his angel to his servant Yochanan, ² who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah, as much as he saw. ³ Blessed are the reader and hearers of the words of this prophecy, provided they obey the things written in it! For the time is near!

⁴ From: Yochanan

To: The seven Messianic communities in the province of Asia:

Grace and shalom to you from the One who is, who was and who is coming; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; ⁵ and from Yeshua the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the earth’s kings. To him, the one who loves us, who has freed us from our sins at the cost of his blood, ⁶ who has caused us to be a kingdom, that is, cohanim for God, his Father—to him be the glory and the rulership forever and ever. Amen.

⁷ Look! He is coming with the clouds! ^a Every eye will see him,  including those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the Land will mourn him. ^b Yes! Amen!  ⁸   “I am the ‘A’ and the ‘Z,’ ” says Adonai,  God of heaven’s armies,

the One who is, who was and who is coming. ^[1]

          From our previous posts on Revelation, we should now know what is concrete and that which is the abstract.  To recap, if it can be perceived by our senses, it is concrete; if it is understood by our mind and heart, it is abstract.  These two concepts are what will shape our understanding of Revelation, and quite possibly shake some of that also.  We live in exciting and dangerous times, times when we are not just learning about history, but are seeing it come to pass right before our eyes.  Prophecy is being fulfilled as we watch, and my friends, it is so important that we get a grasp on this book, for in the understanding of the mystery of the Revelation of Yeshua the Messiah, we will come to understand ALL of Scripture, for all Scripture points to here and all of history will culminate here. What we will learn and see, we will do together. Truly, where we go one, we go all. John, “…who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah …” now prepares us for a blessing.  But note how John “signified” his own testimony.  He states his own relationship with the Savior, as a “witness to the word of Yahveh” and that he testified of Messiah Yeshua.  Not only was John testifying of Messiah, he faithfully recorded Messiah’s own testimony of Himself.  John has also given us a clue here of something deeper; what exactly did he mean by the phrase “who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah”? Where else do we see those same words? Allow me to jump ahead to verse 9:

Rev. 1:9 (NASB)

^aI, John, your ^bbrother and ^cfellow partaker in the tribulation and ^dkingdom and ^1eperseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos ^f because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.^[2]

  Not only here in verse 9, but look at these verses from Chapters 6, 19, and 20:

 Rev 6:9-11(NASB)

                         9  When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw ^aunderneath the ^baltar the ^csouls of those who had been slain ^dbecause of the word of God, and because of the ^etestimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^aHow long, O ^1bLord, ^choly and true, ²will You refrain from ^djudging and avenging our blood on ^ethose who dwell on the earth?” 11  And ^athere was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should ^brest for a little while longer, ^cuntil the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be ^dcompleted also.^[3]

 Rev 19:11-13 (NASB)

                         11  And I saw ^aheaven opened, and behold, a ^bwhite horse, and He who sat on it is called ^cFaithful and True, and in ^drighteousness He judges and wages war.  12  His ^aeyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many ^bdiadems; and He has a ^cname written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13  He is clothed with a ^arobe dipped in blood, and His name is called ^bThe Word of God. ^[4]

And here:

Revelation 20:4-14 (NET)

^20:4 Then⁷ I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge.⁸ I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These⁹ had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They¹⁰ came to life¹¹ and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ^20:5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.)¹² This is the first resurrection. ^20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who takes part¹³ in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them,¹⁴ but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. ^[5]

 We see two separate ideas in Revelation 1:2, 1:9, and 20:4: Yochanan is testifying for “the word of God” AND the “testimony of Yeshua”. He says for these two things he has been imprisoned on Patmos. He also says that the “saints” are killed for the same reason. He identifies in 19:13 who “the Word of God” is; the same manifestation of the Word that he spoke of in John 1:1. These are two very independent and distinct concepts he is talking about here. What is the word of God?

Micah 4:2 (NASB)

 2 ^aMany nations will come and say, “^bCome and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, That ^cHe may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For ^dfrom Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.^[6]

 James 1:22 (ESV) 

^9 gKnow this, my beloved brothers: let every person ^hbe quick to hear, ⁱslow to speak, ^jslow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore ^kput away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with ^lmeekness the implanted word, ^mwhich is able to save your souls. ²² But be ⁿdoers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, ^othe law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, ^phe will be blessed in his doing. ^[7]

 2 Tim 2:14-15 (ESV)

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and ^ycharge them before God^{2 z}not to quarrel about words, ^awhich does no good, but only ruins the hearers. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,³ a worker ^bwho has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.^[8]

 John 14:5-6 (CJB)

⁵ T’oma [Thomas] said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going; so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Yeshua said, “I AM the Way—and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me^[9]

 What is the Way?

Psalms 119:1(CJB) ¹  How happy are those whose way of life is blameless, who live by the Torah of Adonai! ^[10]

 What is the Truth? 

Psalms 119:142 (CJB) ¹⁴²  Your righteousness is eternal righteousness, and your Torah is truth. ^[11]

What is the Life? 

(Pro 13:13-14 The Scriptures 1998+) He who despises the Word[12] is destroyed, but he who fears the command is rewarded. The Torah of the wise is a fountain of life, turning one away from the snares of death. ^[13]  

 The Word of God is the Torah of God. Therefore, one can conclude that the two conditions of a believer should be that the hold to the word of God (the Torah) and to the testimony of Yeshua (believe He is the Messiah). If you do, you will be persecuted, but you will have the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There are those who discount this though, saying that the Torah of God, His instructions, His teachings, His precepts, and commandments are no longer valid, for they were “canceled out” … This is a misunderstanding of Colossians 2:14, usually taken out of context and not understood at all.

Colossians 2:13-14 (NET)

^2:13 And even though you were dead in your²⁷ transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless²⁸ made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. ^2:14 He has destroyed^{29 (}[15]⁾ what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness³⁰ expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.^[16]

 We were set free, delivered, rescued from the penalty of the Law of God, the penalty of death for our disobedience, not from the Law (Torah) itself. Most only quote Col. 2:14, totally ignoring what was said in verse 13. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, yet by His (Yeshua’s) selfless act on the cross, that debt was removed. But the Law is still valid for us today – for God never changes.

         Today, so many seek to change the meaning of not only John’s words, but of those of the other disciples and of Messiah.  They claim fresh new revelations, new prophecies, “fresh fire”, etc.  Brethren! Hear me!  There is but One Yahveh! There is but One Spirit! There is but One Baptism! There is but One Name under heaven, and that name is Messiah Yeshua!  We have all we need in Scripture, all revelation, all prophecy, all commandments and instructions, all we need.  If Yahveh blesses us with something, a word of knowledge, an exhortation, a warning for the brethren, then the Spirit will provide the way, the means, and the confirmation that it is from Yahveh.  But I must tell you that if any try to add to the Holy Word of Yahveh by declaring something new, then flee him my brethren!  These are not the times in which to wrap yourself around a show, to embrace someone claiming a “new way”, for does not the Preacher tell us in Ecclesiastes 1:8-11: 

^{8 †} All speech is labored; there is nothing man can say. The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor is the ear filled with hearing. ⁹ What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun. 10 Even the thing of which we say, “See, this is new!” has already existed in the ages that preceded us. ^{11 †} There is no remembrance of the men of old; nor of those to come will there be any remembrance among those who come after them. ^[17]

                        John testified of Messiah, so that we might believe; he spoke not of “new things”, but of the concrete, that which he touched, what he saw:  [1 John 1:1 (KJV) “…¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life…”^[18]], and of the abstract:  [John 1:1 (DARBY) “…¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…”  ^[19]]. 

 What need we of a “new thing”?  We just need to believe in the “old thing” that was from the beginning; then will all things be new. 

 Revelation 1:3 (1901 ASV)

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand. ^[20]

 “…191 ἀκούω  akouo { ak-oo’-o}

a root; TDNT - 1:216, 34; v

AV - hear 418, hearken 6, give audience 3, hearer 2, misc 8; 437

GK - 200 { ἀκουστός } & 201 { ἀκούω }

1)     to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf

2)     to hear

2b)     to attend to, consider what is or has been said

2c)     to understand, perceive the sense of what is said

3)     to hear something

3a)     to perceive by the ear what is announced in one’s presence

3b)     to get by hearing learn

3c)     a thing comes to one’s ears, to find out, learn

3e)     to give ear to a teaching or a teacher

3f)     to comprehend, to understand…” ^[21]

 Here in the Strong’s® expanded definition is the phrase “they that hear”.  Now, out of all that is given in this verse especially the promise of a blessing, why should I focus on this phrase, and not the part about the blessing?  We have to look at our premises about how we study:  who, what when, where, why, and how.  We do not need to answer each of these for every word or passage of scripture, but we do have to understand the answers to comprehend the message given.  That is me saying a lot of words to define a simple concept: know the audience. 

John is writing to the believer, to the ekklesia; this group consists mainly of believing Jews and Gentiles, but in truth, mainly to his Jewish brethren.  What was one of the things that Messiah repeated over and over again in His parables? 

Matthew 11:15 (KJV) “¹⁵He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” ^[22]

In one form or another, this phrase is recurrent theme in Scripture [compare with :  He that.  Jdg +5:31. hath ears. Mt 13:9, 43. Mk 4:9, 23. 7:16. Ezk 3:27. Lk 8:8. 14:35. Re 2:7, 11, 17, 29. 3:6, 13, 22. 13:9. to hear. , Gen+50:24.] ^[23]  Now, why is this important?  Ah, the learning begins… 

 To understand Revelation, you have to understand Torah. To understand Torah, you have to understand Genesis (more on that later).  Why this is important, so important that it is recorded by our Savior saying it at least four times, in Matt. 11:15, Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8 and Luke 14:35.  Of the discourse in Matt. 11:15, Matthew Henry said the following:  "…Lastly, Our Lord Jesus closes this discourse with a solemn demand of attention (v. 15): He that hath ears to hear, let him hear; which intimates, that those things were dark and hard to be understood, and therefore needed attention, but of great concern and consequence, and therefore well deserved it. "Let all people take notice of this, if John be the Elias prophesied of, then certainly here is a great revolution on foot, the Messiah’s kingdom is at the door, and the world will shortly be surprised into a happy change. These are things which require your serious consideration, and therefore you are all concerned to hearken to what I say.’’ Note, the things of God are of great and common concern: every one that has ears to hear anything, is concerned to hear this. It intimates, that God requires no more from us but the right use and improvement of the faculties he has already given us. He requires those to hear that have ears, those to use their reason that have reason. Therefore, people are ignorant, not because they want power, but because they want will; therefore, they do not hear, because, like the deaf adder, they stop their ears…” ^[24]

 Notice what I have highlighted. This ties us back directly to what I said previously, the concrete vs. the abstract.  The concrete is what is said to us, the words used, the manner of speech the words are delivered in. The abstract deals with the understanding of the concept of what we are hearing.  How does this fit into Torah? It would take several pages here to explain it all but let us condense it down to this:  In Torah, specifically Genesis, we are confronted with the Gospel message in the parabolic imagery of the stories given to us.  The story of Joseph is but one of these stories.  Joseph, it is said, is a type, a shadow of the Messiah to come.  Reading from Gen. 37 to chapter 45, we can see parallels to the Gospel story.  What I would like to focus on is the following passages:

Genesis 42:21-24 (NKJV)
“²¹Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” ²²And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.” ²³But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. ²⁴And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. ^[25]”   Look at this entry from McClintock and Strong’s:

“…Sim’eon.

(Heb. Shimon’, ]/[m]væ, a hearing, i.e. by Jehovah; Sept. and New Test. Sumew>n, and so Josephus, Ant. 1, 19, 7), the name of one of the heads of the Hebrew tribes, and of several other Jews named from him. In our account of the former we collect all the ancient and modern information.

SEE SIMON… 1. The second of Jacob’s sons by Leah. B.C. 1918. His birth is recorded in Genesis 29:33, and, in the explanation there given of the name it is derived from the root shama’, “to hear” …Jehovah hath heard that I was hated . . . and she called his name Shimeon.”[26]

 In the above passages, what do you see?  In the story of Joseph and his brothers, we see how Joseph was dealing with the brothers that had sold him into slavery years before, and the ways he was using to deal with them, to bring their past up before them and make them deal with it.  But we must look deeper than what we just see or read.  Who are Joseph’s brothers?  They are (or soon will be) the heads of the tribes of the future nation of Israel.  If we read the story of Joseph and compare it with the story of Yeshua, the parallels become obvious.  What was removed from Israel in the time of the Messiah?  Their ability to hear and to see the truth…

Matthew 13:13-16 (KJV)
¹³Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand. ¹⁴And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: ¹⁵For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. ¹⁶But blessed are your eyes, for they see and your ears, for they hear. ^[27]

 2 Corinthians 3:12-16 (NABWRNT)

¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, ^† we act very boldly ¹³ and not like Moses, ^† who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not look intently at the cessation of what was fading. ¹⁴ Rather, their thoughts were rendered dull, for to this present day ^† the same veil remains unlifted when they read the old covenant, because through Messiah it is taken away. ¹⁵ To this day, in fact, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, ¹⁶ but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. ^[28]

 Sim’eon, their hearing, was taken away, bound before their very eyes.  What is bound before our eyes today?  Is it not the same that we lack the vision to see and hear the truth because we are comfortable? 

 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (1901 ASV)

3 For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.^[29] 

What we do not understand, we tend to marginalize.  By teaching that “we are under grace, not the law (Torah)”, we have missed out on a large portion of the instructions Yahveh left for us, to help us and guide us through the dark periods that will come up into our lives.  Yes, grace abounds, but the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the same today as He was yesterday, He has not changed.  What He gave to the Patriarchs, He also gave to us.[30] 

The law of righteousness didn’t stop at the end of Malachi, it has been carried through to the end of Revelation, and if we don’t seek to understand ALL of the Father’s words, how can we ever understand the Father or the Son?  If we do not understand Them, then we have had our shama’, our hearing, taken away and we will not be able to hear the Spirit who testifies of the Son and the things He said and did. This is truth.  The Father is revealed in the Son, the Son reveals the Father and the Spirit speaks not of Himself, but of them both.  The Word, inspired by the Spirit, is concrete before us, in the Holy Scriptures, and translated into the abstract of our mind and hearts.  O my brethren, it is the Yahveh of the Bible we must trust, the Jesus of the Bible in whom we are saved, the Spirit of the Bible that teaches us in all truth.  Any other way to learn of Them is to learn another gospel, another god, another Messiah.  For we are warned in Matt 24:

Matthew 24 (NKJV)
¹Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. ²And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” ³Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” ⁴And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸“All these are the beginning of sorrows. ⁹“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹²“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³“But he who endures to the end shall be saved. ¹⁴“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. ¹⁵“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), ¹⁶“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷“Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸“And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. ¹⁹“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰“And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²²“And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. ²³“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. ²⁴“For false Messiahs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵“See, I have told you beforehand. ²⁶“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. ²⁷“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸“For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. ²⁹“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. ³²“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! ³⁴“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. ³⁵“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. ³⁶“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. ³⁷“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸“For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹“and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰“Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹“Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴²“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. ⁴⁵“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? ⁴⁶“Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. ⁴⁷“Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. ⁴⁸“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ ⁴⁹“and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, ⁵⁰“the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, ⁵¹“and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ^[31] 

If we do not understand Torah, we will not understand Matthew 24, and Matthew 24 explains not only Daniel, but helps us to understand Revelation as well.  All of Yahveh’s word is tied to itself, we cannot pick and choose what is “relevant” to us today; we can’t “modernize” it to mean what we want it to mean, or just drop parts of it because we think it doesn’t fit in with our world view.  Sin is still sin, and Yahveh is still Yahveh. If we believe in the fables of men, in a “kinder, gentler” god that has “tolerance” for evil and depravity, then we believe in lies, and we are condemned. For John tells us that no lie is of the Truth and my friends, Scripture is Truth.  We either believe it and all it says, or we do not.  Faith is not a half measure.  It is a one-way narrow path, and to get off that path leads to a broad avenue bound for destruction.  There is no other way, none, zip, nada-all save Yeshua the Messiah, as presented, and taught by Scripture and the Apostles.  This is why we are blessed if we read the words of this book, if we have ears to hear and eyes to see.  Salvation comes to us in the Name above all Names, ישׁוּעה  y^eshû‛âh yesh-oo'-aw [Author’s note: Yeshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus means “salvation”] (Feminine passive participle of H3467; something saved, that is, (abstractly) deliverance; hence aid, victory, prosperity: - deliverance, health, help (-ing), salvation, save, saving (health), welfare.)  Our Yeshua, Jesus, Messiah, our salvation. 

 Mark 4:23 (NKJV) “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” ^[32]

 Who gives us these ears, this hearing? 

Proverbs 20:12 (KJV) The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them. ^[33]

 In our comfort, the western church has discarded the one vital key to understanding Scripture and that is Scripture itself.  In our comfort, we have fashioned for ourselves a Jesus that is over 6-feet-tall, long auburn or blonde-colored hair, pale white skin, and blue eyes.  We have fashioned for ourselves a picture of His disciples, wizened old men that look more like Greeks out of Plato’s Republic than Jewish fishermen.  In our comfort, we have surrounded ourselves with pastors and teachers that will not go beyond the surface, so as not to offend us with Truth that might make our comfort go away.  Within this sphere, we fashion a god and tell ourselves that this one is just whatever we believe him to be, that this shallow understanding is sufficient, for we are under grace, and grace allows us to be wrong and stubborn in our beliefs. 

What!?  Jesus a Jew?  The “church” Jewish? The key to understanding Scripture a Jewish/Hebraic mindset? These types of things disturb our natural order, the cute little world we have created, so we tend to ignore or marginalize them just so we can keep the Creator of all things contained within this sphere that we influence. This is why I weep.  

Yes brethren, I weep because we have settled for so much less than what Yahveh wants for us.  I fear, because the Jesus we have fabricated is not the Messiah of the Scriptures, but one that His disciples would not recognize.  Are we so dull of hearing and so blind that we are just as guilty as the religious leaders of Messiah’s day of not knowing the time of our visitation?  Look around!  Do you not see the season we are in?  O for sure, “evangelists” and “prophets” and “preachers” all scream that we are in the end times, that we need to get ready for we are just possibly moments away from being snatched out of here! (“But to find out, please send a love offering of $29.99 for my latest book, that’s just been updated because the last time I published it, nothing happened…”)  Scripture is very plain about what must take place before Messiah returns for us; and by Scripture, I mean ALL Scripture.  That is why I write… not because I think I have the answers, but because I know Yahveh does!  I am humbled by what I read in His word, humbled that He has allowed me to have an inkling of understanding so that I may see the season and tell others.  I do not write for myself: I write for you brethren, so that you might be encouraged to search the Word of Yahveh for yourselves and see the same thing I see.  If we come to different conclusions, then let us all pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal the Truth, and then may we share it with others, for one thing is right for sure: these are the end of days, and time is running out. 

 O what a joy that is, not because of the suffering that will be inflicted upon an unbelieving world, but a joy because He is returning!  So, know the Truth!  Tell the Truth!  We learn in order that we might teach, we learn in order that we may do His will, and by speaking the Truth, more will see and fear and turn to Yahveh for His salvation.  By this, the Kingdom of Yahveh is advanced, and Messiah is exalted, and my reward?  I pray I get to see the untold numbers worshipping before His Throne of Grace… that is the only reward I seek.  O that we read the Revelation of Messiah Yeshua with open eyes and hearing ears for the blessing John spoke of to be received, for as he said, the “time is at hand”.

 Revelation 1:4-6 (KJV) ⁴John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; ⁵And from Jesus Messiah, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, ⁶And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. ^[34]

I am afraid we must stop here beloved, for this post is dangerously long!

 Till next time, May God richly bless you all, my beloved,

Amein.

^a Daniel 7:13

^b Zechariah 12:10–14

^[1] Stern, D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible: an English version of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and B’rit Hadashah (New Testament) (1st ed., Re). Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications.

^a Rev 1:1

^b Acts 1:15

^c Matt 20:23; Acts 14:22; 2 Cor 1:7; Phil 4:14

^d 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 1:6

¹ Or steadfastness

^e 2 Thess 3:5; Rev 3:10

^f Rev 1:2

^[2] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Re 1:9). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

^a Ex 29:12; Lev 4:7; John 16:2

^b Rev 14:18; 16:7

^c Rev 20:4

^d Rev 1:2, 9

^e Rev 12:17

^a Zech 1:12

¹ Or Master

^b Luke 2:29; 2 Pet 2:1

^c Rev 3:7

² Lit do You not judge and avenge

^d Deut 32:43; Ps 79:10; Luke 18:7; Rev 19:2

^e Rev 3:10

^a Rev 3:4, 5; 7:9

^b 2 Thess 1:7; Heb 4:10; Rev 14:13

^c Heb 11:40

^d Acts 20:24; 2 Tim 4:7

^[3] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Re 6:9–11). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

^a Ezek 1:1; John 1:51; Rev 4:1

^b Rev 6:2; 19:19, 21

^c Rev 3:14

^d Ps 96:13; Is 11:4

^a Dan 10:6; Rev 1:14

^b Rev 6:2; 12:3

^c Rev 2:17; 19:16

^a Is 63:3

^b John 1:1

^[4] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Re 19:11–13). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

⁸ tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”

⁹ tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.

¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹¹ tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezēsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”

¹² sn This statement appears to be a parenthetical comment by the author.

¹³ tn Grk “who has a share.”

¹⁴ tn The shift from the singular pronoun (“the one”) to the plural (“them”) in the passage reflects the Greek text: The singular participle ὁ ἔχων (ho echōn) is followed by the plural pronoun τούτων (toutōn). In the interests of English style, this is obscured in most modern translations except the NASB.

^[5] Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Re 20:4–6). Biblical Studies Press.

^a Zech 2:11; 14:16

^b Is 2:3; Jer 31:6

^c Ps 25:8, 9, 12; Is 54:13

^d Is 42:1–4; Zech 14:8, 9

^[6] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mic 4:2). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

^g 1 John 2:21

^h [Eccles. 5:1, 2]

ⁱ Prov. 10:19; 17:27

^j See Prov. 14:29

^k Col. 3:8

^l ch. 3:13

^m 1 Cor. 15:2; Eph. 1:13

ⁿ Rom. 2:13; [ch. 2:14–20; Matt. 7:21, 24–27; Luke 8:21; John 13:17]

^o ch. 2:12; [Gal. 2:4; 5:1, 13; 1 Pet. 2:16; 2 Pet. 2:19]; See John 8:32

^p Ps. 1:1, 2; Luke 11:28

^[7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jas 1:19–25). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^y 1 Tim. 5:21; 6:13

² Some manuscripts the Lord

^z 1 Tim. 6:4; [ver. 23]

^a Titus 3:9

³ That is, one approved after being tested

^b [Phil. 1:20]

^[8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Tim 2:14–15). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[9] Stern, D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible: an English version of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and B’rit Hadashah (New Testament) (1st ed., Jn 14:5–6). Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications.

^[10] Stern, D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible: an English version of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and B’rit Hadashah (New Testament) (1st ed., Ps 119:1). Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications.

^[11] Stern, D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible: an English version of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and B’rit Hadashah (New Testament) (1st ed., Ps 119:142). Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications.

[12] “Word” and “command” are used as synonyms.

[13] The Scriptures (ISR) 1998 with Footnotes; The Scriptures 1998 Copyright by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR), electronic edition, e-Sword® Version 12.2.0 Copyright © 2000-2020 Rick Meyers All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

²⁷ tn The article τοῖς (tois) with παραπτώμασιν (paraptōmasin) is functioning as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

²⁸ tn The word “nevertheless,” though not in the Greek text, was supplied in the translation to bring out the force of the concessive participle ὄντας (ontas).

²⁹ tn The participle ἐξαλείψας (exaleipsas) is a temporal adverbial participle of contemporaneous time related to the previous verb συνεζωοποίησεν (sunezōopoiēsen), but has been translated as a finite verb because of the complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences. For the meaning “destroy” see BDAG 344–45 s.v. ἐξαλείφω 2.

[15] ② to deliver someone from peril or confining circumstance, set free, deliver, rescue, mid. (Aeschyl., Suppl. 924; Polyb. 1, 11, 11; LXX), τινά someone Ac 7:34; 23:27; 1 Cl 52:3 (Ps 49:15). τινὰ ἔκ τινος someone fr. someth. (Demosth. 18, 90; PPetr III, 36 [a] recto, 21 ἐξελοῦ με ἐκ τῆς ἀνάγκης; Wsd 10:1; Sir 29:12; Bar 4:18, 21 al.) Ac 7:10; 12:11 (ἐκ χειρός Ex 18:4 and oft. in OT, but also Aeschin. 3, 256; see on ἐκ 1a); Gal 1:4; 1 Cl 56:8 (Job 5:19). Abs. 1 Cl 39:9 (Job 5:4).—Ac 26:17 is also prob. to be rendered deliver, save (w. HHoltzmann, Wendt, Preuschen, Zahn, Steinmann, Eng. trs., against Overbeck, Knopf, Beyer who render ‘select, choose out [for oneself]’ as Od. 14, 232; Hdt. 3, 150; LXX) τινὰ ἔκ τινος (cp. X., An. 2, 5, 20).—M-M. TW. Spicq.^[15]

³⁰ tn On the translation of χειρόγραφον (cheirographon), see BDAG 1083 s.v. which refers to it as “a certificate of indebtedness.”

^[16] Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Col 2:13–14). Biblical Studies Press.

†  All speech...man can say: or “All things are wearisome beyond man’s power to tell.”

†  Men remember nothing long, God never forgets.

^[17]  The New American Bible : With revised New Testament. 1986; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996 (electronic ed.). Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.

[18]  The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[19]  Darby, J. N. (1996). The Holy Scriptures : A new translation from the original languages (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.

^[20]  American Standard Version. 1995 (Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[21] Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the test of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (G191). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.

^[22] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

+ +     More references at verse indicated

^[23] Smith, J. H. (1992; Published in electronic form, 1996). The new treasury of scripture knowledge : The most complete listing of cross references available anywhere- every verse, every theme, every important word (electronic edition of the Rev. ed. of: The Treasury of scripture knowledge.) (1053). Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson.

^[24] Matthew Henry's Commentary  On the whole Bible (electronic ed. of the complete and unabridged edition.) Henry, M. (1996, c1991). (Mt 11:7). Peabody: Hendrickson.

^[25]  The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

[26]  CYCLOPEDIA of BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL and ECCLESIASTICAL LITERATURE, by James Strong & John McClintock: AGES Software Rio, WI USA Version 1.0 © 2000

^[27]  The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

†  Such hope: the glory is not yet an object of experience, but that does not lessen Paul’s confidence. Boldly: the term parresia expresses outspoken declaration of Christian conviction (cf 2 Cor 4:1–2). Paul has nothing to hide and no reason for timidity.

†  [13–14a] Not like Moses: in Exodus Moses veiled his face to protect the Israelites from God’s reflected glory. Without impugning Moses’ sincerity, Paul attributes another effect to the veil. Since it lies between God’s glory and the Israelites, it explains how they could fail to notice the glory disappearing. Their thoughts were rendered dull: the problem lay with their understanding. This will be expressed in 2 Cor 3:14b–16 by a shift in the place of the veil: it is no longer over Moses’ face but over their perception.

†  [14b–16] The parallelism in these verses makes it necessary to interpret corresponding parts in relation to one another. To this present day: this signals the shift of Paul’s attention to his contemporaries; his argument is typological, as in 1 Cor 10. The Israelites of Moses’ time typify the Jews of Paul’s time, and perhaps also Christians of Jewish origin or mentality who may not recognize the temporary character of Moses’ glory. When they read the old covenant: the lasting dullness prevents proper appraisal of Moses’ person and covenant. When his writings are read in the synagogue, a veil still impedes their understanding. Through Messiah: i.e., in the new covenant. Whenever a person turns to the Lord: Moses in Exodus appeared before God without the veil and gazed on his face unprotected. Paul applies that passage to converts to Christianity: when they turn to the Lord fully and authentically, the impediment to their understanding is removed.

^[28]  The New American Bible : With revised New Testament. 1986; Published in electronic form by Logos Reseaarch Systems, 1996 (electronic ed.). Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.

^[29]  American Standard Version. 1995 (Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[30] For those who do not know, we’ve always been under grace. The “law” wasn’t given until Moses… “Too often we think of Torah as a set of rules.  A list of legal and moral dogmas.  Do you realize before a single law of the Torah is written down from Exodus through Deuteronomy we have a principle of repentance, grace, and forgiveness first established in Genesis!” quote from Pastor Mark Biltz, El Shaddai Ministries, Bonney Lake WA, [from Torah Portion Vayigash “and came near” 03 Jan., 2009]

^[31]  The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

^[32]  The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

^[33]  The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

 

^[34]  The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.