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Introduction of the Revelation (Rev 1:1-3)
"The Revelation [Apocalypse] of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near." - Revelation 1:1-3-
An apocalypse with prophetic application that blesses the reader, hearer, and keeper of it’s message and prepares for that which will soon take place.
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Greetings (Rev 1:4-7)
"John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood – and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father – to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen." - Revelation 1:4-7-
Is, Was, Is to Come
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The Name of God
"And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"" - Exodus 3:14-
John is using greek grammar that, though not correct, matches this partial phrase in the Septuagint
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“I AM now, I always was, and I always will be” – Rabbi Akiva, Midrash
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"Zeus was, Zeus is, Zeus shall be; O mighty Zeus.
Earth sends up the harvest, therefore sing the praise of Earth as Mother." - Chant of the Dodonian Priestesses
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Seven Spirits
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Listed in Isaiah
"Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist." - Isaiah 11:1-5-
Context of the promise of a renewed and everlasting Kingdom of Israel, the establishment of peace on earth, an end to all conflict and striving, and the return of the remnant to the holy mountain of Yahweh.
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The Yeshua from Zechariah
"'Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you--indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. 'For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day." - Zechariah 3:8-9-
The interpretation of the vision of the restoration of Joshua the high priest from the accusations of the accuser in the midst of the heavenly council.
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The Lampstand
"Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep. He said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it; also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side." Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, "What are these, my lord?" So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. 'What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'" Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. "For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel--these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth." Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?" And I answered the second time and said to him, "What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?" So he answered me, saying, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones (lit. sons of fresh oil) who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth."" - Zechariah 4:1-14-
Continued visions of Zechariah describing a vision of a special “lampstand of sevens” which are also the eyes of the LORD.
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Jesus the Faithful, the Firstborn, and the King of Kings.
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The Psalm 89 Key to Revelation
"The heavens will praise Your wonders, LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty [sons of the gods] is like the LORD,
A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him? ...
"I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him, ...
"He will call to Me, 'You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.'
"I will also make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.
"I will maintain My favor for him forever,
And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.
"So I will establish his descendants forever,
And his throne as the days of heaven.
"If his sons abandon My Law
And do not walk in My judgments, ...
Then I will punish their wrongdoing with the rod,
And their guilt with afflictions [plagues].
"But I will not withhold My favor from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
"I will not violate My covenant,
Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
"Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
"His descendants shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me.
"It shall be established forever like the moon,
And a witness in the sky is faithful." Selah" - Psalm 89:5-7, 20, 26-30, 32-37-
The Heavenly Assembly of the Elohim (greater and lesser)
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The Tanakh is not monotheistic, but monocultic. There are many gods, but only one God who is above all. (The One Above All, my favorite comic character).
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The gods participate in a heavenly assembly where YHVH sits over them, yet does not micromanage them. They are given real authority and some of them abuse that authority to their own destruction.
"A Psalm of Asaph.
God takes His position in His assembly;
He judges in the midst of the gods.
How long will you judge unjustly
And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
Rescue the weak and needy;
Save them from the hand of the wicked.
They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk around in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.
"Nevertheless you will die like men, And fall like one of the princes."
Arise, God, judge the earth! For You possess all the nations." - Psalm 82
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The Divided Nations
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The scriptural worldview sees the people of the world divided into nations (keep in mind, there is no real division between politics and religion until very recent history) according to the gods that they were given at the tower of Babel.
""Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of all generations.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
Your elders, and they will tell you.
"When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
When He separated the sons of mankind,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the [sons/angels of God].
"For the LORD'S portion is His people;
Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.
"He found him in a desert land,
And in the howling wasteland of a wilderness;
He encircled him,
He cared for him,
He guarded him as the apple of His eye.
"As an eagle stirs up its nest,
And hovers over its young,
He spread His wings,
He caught them,
He carried them on His pinions.
"The LORD alone guided him,
And there was no foreign god with him." - Deuteronomy 32:7-12-
Part of the Song of Moses.
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Later versions changed “sons/angels of God” to “sons of Israel” though Israel would not have existed then.
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YHVH kept Abram – and thereby Israel – as His own, not entrusting them to a “foreign god”. This is part of the “Preservation of the Remnant” theme that we see throughout scripture.
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The ultimate destiny of the nations is to be reunited and the scriptures see two powers that are attempting to bring that unity: The LORD Most High and Babel.
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David, the “Firstborn”
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David becomes the prototype of the Messiah in the scriptures. Whereas messiah simply means an anointed one, David is anointed to function as both a prophet, a priest, and a king and to use all of those offices to fulfill the covenant that God made with Abram: a priestly nation through whom the nations of the world will be blessed.
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Here we also see God’s covenant to never completely abandon David, though God does indeed say that other nations will be allowed to overcome him due to disobedience, it will never be a complete destruction, and the son(s) of David will ultimately rule the nations as a witness to the faithfulness of God.
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Yeshua, the Firstborn of the dead.
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John takes the firstborn imagery from Psalm 89 and mixes it with one of the first epithets associated with the Risen Jesus: the Firstborn of the Dead.
"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross." - Colossians 1:13-20 -
One of our first indications of John’s shift in messianic imagery: Jesus could be called the “firstborn” of many things (as we see in the Colossians passage), but John focuses on the death of Christ. Whereas David conquered through the death of his enemies, Yeshua conquers by dying at the hand of His enemies.
"But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man death came, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to our God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death." - 1 Corinthians 15:20-26-
Here Paul speaks to the importance of the resurrection and the dynamics taking place in the spiritual realms.
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Yeshua is making a new kingdom that will conquer all other kingdoms.
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This new kingdom will be of a similar “kind” to Jesus (the first fruits of the harvest).
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All other “rule, authority, and power” will be abolished/rendered powerless. (i.e. all of the renegade gods will lose their power to this kingdom of the resurrected).
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The last of the renegades to be defeated is the power Death.
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A Kingdom of Priests
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The Unity of the Priestly and the Kingdom themes for the People of God.
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Initial design of all humanity.
"Then God said, "Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth." So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it (i.e. replenish and restrain the earth); and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."" - Genesis 1:26-28-
Humanity is placed within the paradise in Eden to extend the paradise across the surface of the earth by releasing and restricting the forces of paradise according to the administration of their priestly role.
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Paradise = Garden = Kingly/Priestly “Living Architecture” complex.
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The correlation and connection of the paradise of Eden with the mountain of God and the heavenly throne are another major theme throughout the scriptures. Essentially, one way that the scriptures can be viewed is as an account of the divorce and promised remarriage of heaven and earth.
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Preserved after the division of the nations through YHVH’s friendship with Abram.
"Now the LORD said to Abram,
"Go from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father's house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you into a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless (make fruitful/happy/joyful) those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse (bind under a curse/restrict).
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."" - Genesis 12:1-3-
Priestly administration of blessing and cursing (making fruitful and restricting) the nations of the world tied to the great nation that Abram will become.
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Aspirational identity of Israel
"And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "This is what you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. 'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My [own possession/special treasure] among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."" - Exodus 19:3-6-
Redeemed from the gods of Egypt to continue the purposes of God in Abraham.
""See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you are to do these things in the land where you are entering to take possession of it. "So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' "For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? "Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole Law which I am setting before you today?" - Deuteronomy 4:5-8
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Moses speaks to the people and reminds them that their faithfulness to God (in response to His gracious faithfulness to them) is not only their security, but a sign to all other peoples.
""Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
"He will not cry out nor raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
"A bent reed He will not break off
And a dimly burning wick
He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
"He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice on the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."
This is what God the LORD says,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it:
"I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations," - Isaiah 42:1-6-
The “Servant” in Isaiah was (and still is) interpreted by the Jewish people as their aspirational/prophetic identity.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD anointed me
To bring good news to the humble;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
But you will be called the priests of the LORD;
You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
And you will boast in their riches." - Isaiah 61:1-6-
Even after their captivity, the promise of their restoration remains.
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Incarnated in Yeshua.
"And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."
And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. Now He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."" - Luke 4:16-21-
Jesus declares Himself the fulfillment of Isaiah 61.
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Notice where He stopped the quote?
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"For the word of God (Yeshua) is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let's hold firmly to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need." - Hebrews 4:12-16
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Jesus is both the high priest and the judge of all things, uniting His priesthood and His kingship at the “Throne of Grace”.
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Ongoing purpose of the Church.
"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."" - Matthew 28:18-20-
The ongoing administration of Jesus’ all-encompassing authority is administrated through the priesthood of His disciples.
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." - Ephesians 1:18-23-
The boundless greatness of the power that is bringing all things together in heaven and earth is the same power that works within the priesthood of Christ and does so in accordance with His death and resurrection.
"But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD'S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY." - 1 Peter 2:9-10
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Peter ties this directly into the promises and prophecies of God concerning Israel.
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This doesn’t necessitate the replacement of Israel (Supercessionism is pretty antisemetic and not validated by the text).
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This does, however, mean that the church is “A” new Israel even if they are not “THE” new Israel.
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BEHOLD!
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Jesus, the Son of Man
""I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a son of man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
"And to Him was given dominion,
Honor, and a kingdom,
So that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed." - Daniel 7:13-14-
The imagery here in Daniel is going to be used throughout the book of Revelation, tying Jesus into the mysterious figure of the “Son of Man” who figures prominently in Daniel.
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The Son of Man is given an everlasting kingdom that will encompass all nations.
"For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of armies will accomplish this." - Isaiah 9:5-7
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Jesus said He would return in this way.
""But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory." - Matthew 24:29-30 -
Jesus, the One who was pierced.
""And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn." - Zechariah 12:10-
This passage in Zechariah will also give insight into how the day of the LORD will unfold.
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This also ties into the prophetic anticipation of Psalm 22, a Psalm full of powerful meaning and the first part of the prophetic Messianic triad:
"For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet." - Psalm 22:16
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""I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."" - Revelation 1:8
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Alpha and the Omega
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"When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last," - Revelation 1:17
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""Who has performed and accomplished it, Summoning the generations from the beginning? 'I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.'"" - Isaiah 41:4
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Context of God’s plans being faithful and redeeming even though God’s people are faithless. He will use the nations to judge the nations and will vindicate and rescue His people.
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""You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me." - Isaiah 43:10
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Context of God’s faithfulness to Israel even though Israel has turned away from God. God will cause the nations who have destroyed Israel to destroy one another and rescue Israel.
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""This is what the LORD says, He who is the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of armies: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me." - Isaiah 44:6
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Context of God’s promised plan to redeem and restore His people by pouring out His Holy Spirit upon their descendants and the returning of their hearts towards Him.
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""Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last." - Isaiah 48:12
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Context of God giving Israel time to repent by restraining His wrath.
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