Revelation and the Resurrection

Translation Matters

To a lot of people, the Book of the Revelation is probably the most confounding of all the scriptures. But is it? I don’t think that it has to be. Here’s a weird idea, why not look at it as being in chronological order? Why? because chronology gives us cause and effect. Maybe it’s just me but, it seems to make more sense. Granted, there are incidental or qualifying chapters or areas in the Book of which are “in parentheses” which also show cause and effect, and they provide emphasis and context, but they also tie together those things that have gone before to that which comes afterward. I think that this method of looking at this book, and arguably the rest of the scriptures tells us what’s going on and what’s coming up. It’s really quite revealing

Instead, think of it this way. Think of the whole book of Revelation as the future presented by God to His chosen people. In it, he confirms His every command from the Torah, every prophecy, every word of the prophets throughout all time and all that Yeshua said will be fulfilled and puts all of it sequentially in chronological order! When thought of in this way, suddenly the whole book of Revelation seems to make more sense. At a minimum, it’s far less confusing.

Unfortunately, seminaries and theologians who teach systematic theology have taught us all to read select verses, sound bites if you will, out of the book from here or there and then as participants in a bible study, we go around the room and each one of us hoping for a revelation from the Holy Spirit says what we think it means. Even worse yet, because we’re either too lazy or stupid to think for ourselves, once a week we gather and let some hireling we’ve placed over us tell us what he thinks it means. Now I’m not saying that these methods are all bad or that they aren’t useful. But if all our emphasis is placed here and on this way of thinking and teaching, we’re putting our ignorance on display. Arguably, most of us don’t fully understand what it is we say we believe.

The sad fact of the matter is this, as believers, as followers of the risen Messiah, we are woefully ignorant of whom we claim we follow. We’re also painfully ignorant of the Torah and we don't realize that the Messiah must fulfill all that which is written therein. We forget that not one jot or tittle is not going to be done away with. We’re especially ignorant of the feasts of the Lord, his appointed times, when we are supposed to gather as well as why we’re gathering in the first place.

Now the book of the Revelation is where the greatest story ever told ends. In the introduction, John is told by a voice from Heaven to write the things that he is about to see and address them to seven specific congregations. Then John is taken in the spirit right to the day of Yehovah. He's taken into the throne room where he sees Yeshua in all of his glory, 60 years after his resurrection, 60 years after being seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven and Yeshua gives John a mission. Write the things that you have just seen. Yeshua says I got a message you need to take and send to the seven congregations in Asia Minor.

John lays these things out to the seven congregations and gives promises to those who will do what he says, who will hear and obey, and that they will be rewarded in the end. Then we see John taken to the throne room where he sees the almighty with a scroll sealed with Seven Seals that no one has the authority to open except Yeshua. Yeshua strips open each of those Seven Seals one by one and as each seal is opened, events are played out on planet earth. Then, when the seventh seal is finally stripped open, seven angels with seven trumps are introduced. These Angels start sounding their trumpets one after another and as each one sounds, more events play out upon the inhabitants of the earth.

But, after the sixth Angel sounds his trumpet, an angel reads a scroll. As he reads that scroll, out of his voice come seven thunders that John is not allowed to write about. Instead, he is allowed to say that when the seventh trumpet begins to sound, the mystery of God will be revealed. Once that seventh trumpet sounds, the saints are gathered to the sea of fire and glass and just like in the foolish virgins in the parable, no one enters into the throne room from that time until all the bowls of God’s Wrath are poured out upon the Earth. One after another the bowls of the wrath of almighty God are poured out upon the earth, and then when the last one is poured out, the cry goes out “it is finished!” Then those who are called by name enter into the marriage supper of the lamb for the 7-Day Feast at the end.

The last great day is when Yeshua, and all the Saints with him come back to the Earth to live and to reign and to rule upon the earth. Satan is bound for a thousand years. We reign as priests and kings with Yeshua for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, the Universe dissolves and the judgment is finally set. At the end of that judgment, this is when death, hell and the grave are cast in the Lake of Fire where Satan the false prophet are and all whose names are not written in the Book of Life. Then everyone whose name is written in the Book of Life inherits a new heaven and new earth. In the new heaven and new earth, Yeshua Cries Out “The Curse has ended come and eat of the tree of life.” The tree of life that we were kept from after our rebellion in the garden” is now brought back.

Congratulations I just told you the entire Book of Revelation chronologically and of course I did it very quickly, hitting just the high points, in a highly condensed version. I understand and realize that this version may contradict a lot of what you already think about this because again, for the most part, we have been given little numbered sound bites that have been explained by people who really don't understand the Bible, who don’t know the Torah and who have no connection to Israel in any way.

It’s because of our lack of connection to Israel that I believe we need to have a better understanding of Jewish culture, traditions and the Torah in order to correctly understand and interpret the scriptures. First and foremost is because Yehovah gave these promises to the Jews and they wrote them down. Gentiles like you and I are aliens from outside of Israel. We’re outside of Jewish culture, tradition and we were not taught the Torah. For the most part, none of us were raised in that culture and that's why we have to work more diligently. We have to study harder to show ourselves approved unto God as workmen who do not need to be ashamed because we can rightly divide the word of Truth.

Now in the first Century, believers regularly gathered together in their homes, almost daily. It wasn't something they did once or twice a week for one hour two hours and then they checked out and headed to the all you can eat buffet at the Golden Calf. It also says that Yehovah was adding to their number daily and that the “Holy Spirit” (Ruach HaKodesh) was working among them. In the first century, the Apostles were bringing his word first to a culture that already knew the word. It was going to be a few years before the Gentiles were going to be brought in and the first were the Samaritans a.k.a “Judaism Lite” who were already very familiar with the Torah.

The Apostle John begins to tell the story of the revealing of Yeshua as the Messiah right at the top of the scroll. He says, this is the “good news,” the gospel, the good news of the revealing of Yeshua as the Messiah to the seven congregations in Asia. He says “grace to you and peace from “YHWH or YHVH” (the Tetragrammaton) he who was, he who is and he who is to come. We have the Hebrew texts from the British Royal Museum and over 2000 manuscripts where it uses all the vowels in conjunction with YHWH and it says “Yehovah.” with a “Y” not a “J,” This is My Memorial Name Forever.

So, we know how to pronounce The Name of God even though it was forbidden by Jewish law, because of an Edict of Rome that was causing Jews and rabbis to be killed as well as the ineffable name doctrine of today! But, the whole reason the almighty brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand was so the whole world will know his name. Also, in the Revival of the last days as Jeremiah said (paraphrased) the Gentiles will come to Israel from the ends of the Earth and cry out in repentance for the abominations that they inherited. They’ll repent for the fairy tales they inherited from their forefathers. One of those things they’ll repent for was frivolously referring to the most high as simply the Lord or just God.

So here’s a suggestion, why not every time you read the scriptures from now on, instead of saying the Lord, read the name Yehovah aloud because as the scriptures say, those who call upon the name of Yehovah will be saved. They will be made whole. Our wholeness will come from declaring he who is, he who was and he who is to come. Then please understand that the opening of the Revelation is the opening of grace to you in peace from Yehovah, from the seven spirits before his throne and from Yeshua who is Seated on the right hand of the Majesty from on high. Yeshua who is the faithful witness. He is the prophet who Moses told us we must hear and obey and He is the First Born of the dead.

The Apostle Paul was given Revelation of the Risen Christ too. As he wrote to the Believers in Corinth, remember that in this Pagan City that there are plenty of Jewish Believers, there's a synagogue there and that's where Paul always went first on his travels. He always went into the synagogue first because the message was to the Jews first and then they were the ones that took the message out to the rest of the world. It happened this way in Jerusalem and the same thing happened at Antioch. It was from Antioch where the word went forth into the Gentile world.

But even at Antioch you have a Jewish synagogue full of Believers and the Gentiles are coming in and they are spending years learning the scriptures. Here the word is going out and these believing Jews are getting the gospel of the Kingdom that Yeshua taught. But, once it gets out in the Gentile world to those who have not been raised in the Torah, that’s when things start going haywire. So Paul writes to the Corinthians and he says: “how say some of you there is no resurrection of the dead?” That's what some of them were saying. But, Paul goes on “if there's no Resurrection from the dead then the Messiah has not risen and if Messiah has not risen then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain!”

Paul, in his letter to the believers in Rome said this is the word of faith that we preach “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Yeshua and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Key point, you confess that he's Lord! You don't confess him as Savior. He was our savior. He did his job. We now confess him as Lord. That means He’s the boss and we do what He says to do. He is Lord and Master. We have to hear and obey what He says and so if we will confess and continue to confess that he is Lord and then have to obey!

Confession is a continual action! It's not a one time thing to just go down the sawdust trail at a tent revival, do a repeat after me prayer, maybe confess a sin or two and get your, redeemable at the Pearly Gates, “Get Out of Hell Free” card. It's not a one time action in the past where you ask Jesus to come into your heart. That that's nowhere in the Bible! No, you confess him as Lord! That means he's your master. You've had your ear bored through and a ring put in it. You've been given the Signet. You are his Ambassador. You've confessed that he is Lord and you're doing what He said because you love Him and you love Him because He first loved you.

We confess that he has been raised from the dead because if Messiah is not raised, then you're dead in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” When Adam relinquished the world into the hands of Satan, when Adam rebelled, then all die. God told him the day you eat thereof Thou shalt surely die, but even so, in Messiah all will be made alive again.

Everyone who's ever lived is resurrected. Everyone whether they like it or not is going to stand before Him and He will be the judge that is the last resurrection. Those are the resurrections in which all will be made alive, Messiah comma the first fruits comma those who belong to Messiah that are his at his coming and then the end resurrection. All will be made alive again because Yeshua is the firstborn from among the Dead.

Don’t settle for a cheap grace! You may regret it in the end.