Revelation Chapter One - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

Revelation Chapter One

For as lightning comes out of the east, & shines even unto the west, so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:27

Seventy `sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.

First of all, it must be understood that the Hebrew word that is translated here as sevens is the word shebua. This word means a period or unit of seven, similar to the English word score, which refers to a period or unit of twenty. A shebua usually refers to either seven days or seven years. Other Bible translations simply interpret shebua as week, and that is why this prophecyis most often referred to as the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks. In times past Israel observed a shebua of seven days, resting on the seventh day Sabbath, but they also observeda shebua of seven years, when every seventh year they allowed the fields to lie fallow in order for the ground to regain its nutrients. In the context of this prophecy we can be sure that the sevens described here are yearly sevens and not daily sevens, and other prophecies support this fact. In other words, this prophecy encompasses seventy weeks of years, or 490 years.

The first sentence of this prophecy makes it clear that this 490-year period applies to Daniel's people and the holy city, therefore, we know that this prophecy specifically concerns Israel and the city of Jerusalem.

The entire prophecy will conclude with six things:

Transgression will finish.
Sin will be ended.
The Jews as will all of Israel will atone for wickedness (repent).
Everlasting righteousness will be brought in.
Vision and prophecy will be concluded.
The Most Holy will be anointed, referring to the room of the Temple known as the Most Holy Place.

These six things can only be accomplished at the Second Coming of the Messiah, which means that the seventy weeks, or the 490 years of this prophecy, are concluded when Yahshua returns;

REVELATION

Chapter 1 (KJV)

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand
4 John 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;
5 And from Jesus Christ, 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,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him:and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was,and which is to come, the Almighty.
9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book,and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with agarment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flameof fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edgeds word: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

One like unto the Son of Man appeared to John in Patmos, and the beloved disciple marked that He wore a girdle of gold. A girdle, for Yahshua never was ungirt while upon earth, but stood always ready for service, and now before the eternal throne He stays not as a holy ministry, but as a priest that is girt about with the curious girdle of the ephod. Well it is for us that He has not ceased to fulfill His offices of love for us, since this is one of our choicest safe guards that He ever liveth to make intercession for us. Yahshua is never an idler; His garments are never loose as though His offices were ended; He diligently carries on the cause of His people. A golden girdle, to manifest the superiority of His service, the royalty of His person, the dignity of His state, the glory of His reward. No longer does He cry out of the dust, but He pleads with authority, a King as well as a Priest. Safe enough is our cause in the hands of our enthroned Melchisedek. Yahshua presents all His people with an example. We must never unbind our girdles. This is not the time for lying down at ease, it is the season of service and warfare. We need to bind the girdle of truth more and more tightly around our loins. It is a golden girdle, and so will be our richest ornament, and we greatly need it, for a heart that is not well braced up with the truth as it is in Yahshua, and with the fidelity which is wrought of the Spirit, will be easily entangled with the things of this life, and tripped up by the snares of temptation. It is invain that we possess the Scriptures unless we bind them around us like a girdle, surrounding our entire nature, keeping each part of our character in order, and giving compactness to our whole man. If in Yahvh Kingdom Yahshua unbinds not the girdle, much less may we upon earth.Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.

As the last book of the Bible, Revelation is the conclusion, completion, and consummation of the divine revelation, the whole Bible. The truths of the divine revelation are sown in Genesis.The progressively developed in succeeding books, especially in the books of the NewTestament, and the harvest is reaped in the book of Revelation. The focus is of the unique,ultimate recelation of Yahshua, and the particular, consummate testimony of Yahshua, and the universal, eternal Kingdom of Yahvh.

Revelation is a book of prophecy not only of words but in visions revealed to John. In Yahvhs eyes all the things prophesied in Revelation has already taken place.

The whole Bible reveals Yahshua; the book of Revelation especially, as the conclusion,completion, and consummation of the whole Bible, is the revelation of Yahshua. Although the book of Revelation also reveals many other things, the focus of its revelation is Yahshua.

Yahshua as the High Priest in the midst of the Messianic Community, caring for them in love yet with a judging attitude.

Yahshua as the Lion-Lamb in the midst of Yahvh four living creatures and in the midst of the twenty-four elders of the universe, opening the seven seals of Yahvh's universalad ministration.

Revelation and John's Gospel is book's of signs symbols with spiritual significance how Yahshua came to be our life to produce the Messianic Community, His Bride. Revelation is abook of singings showing how Yahshua is now caring for the Messianic Community and how He is coming to judge and posses the earth and bring the Messianic Community, His bride, intoYahvh's full Kingdom.

On one hand, Revelation gives us the revelation of Yahshua, and on the other hand, it shows us the testimony of Yahshua which is the Messianic Community, His Bride. It presents to us the revealed Yahshua and the testifying Bride.

Yahshua is the Witness of Yahvh, the testimony and the expression of Yahvh. The Bride is the testimony of the expression of Yahshua. As such, the Bride is the reproduction of the testimony and the expression of Yahvh in Yahshua.

Revelation is a book in the nature of prophecy. Most of the visions refer to things to come.
Even the seven epistles to the seven Messianic Community's in chs. 2 and 3, in the sense concerning the Bride on earth in the period until Yahshua coming back for her and what will happen afterwords.

Therefore, to know and experience Yahvh, we need to know and experience Yahshua; to know and experience Yahshua, we need to participate in the Messianic Community through the Ruach HaKodesh.

One of the main aspects of Revelation is that Yahvh is recovering His right over the earth in order to make the whole earth His Kingdom. When Yahshua came, He brought the Kingdom of Yahvh with Him. The Kingdom of Yahvh is in the Messianic Community, His Bride. Then Yahshua and His Bride will reign over all the nations in the millennial Kingdom.

In Revelation, Yahshua coming back is revealed in two aspects. In one aspect Yahshua will come secretly as a thief, for His Bride, and in another aspect He will come openly on the cloud. This corresponds with Matt. 24:43, 30, whereas the day of His coming in the second aspect is clearly revealed it will be at the last trumpet, at the end of the great tribulation (1 Thes. 4:16, 1Cor. 15:52, 2 Thes. 2:1-3)

Yahshua went to Yahvh Kingdom on a cloud. He will come back to earth in the same way (Acts 1:9, 11; Matt. 26:64, Rev. 14:14).

The Eternal and Almighty Yahvh is the Alpha, the beginning for the Origination, and the Omega,the ending for the completion of Yahvh eternal purpose. He was the Alpha in the book of Genesis. Now, in the book of Revelation He is the Omga. Whatever He originated He will complete.

Revelation is composed of four major visions:
The vision of the Messianic Community
The vision of the destiny of the world
The vision of Babylon the Great
The vision of New Jerusalem

John was in the Ruach HaKodesh when he saw these four visions; that is he received the revelation of the mystery of Yahshua in his spirit. We too need to be in the Ruach HaKodesh to see the visions in the book of Revelation. It is matter not merely of mental understanding in our mind but of spiritual realization in the Ruach Hakodesh.

John was in the Ruach HaKodesh on Shabbat when he saw the visions of Yahvh's Kingdom.

People of the church's of today need to be adjusted in their position and to be turned that they may see the vision of Yahshua, and of the Messianic Community, the Bride.

LAMPSTAND: MESSIANIC COMMUNITY

In figure, gold signifies the divine nature. Here lampstand are gold, signifying that the Messianic Community, the Bride, are constituted with the divine nature. The lampstand is always related to Yahvh's building. The first time in Exo. 25:31-40, when the tabernacle was built. The second was regarding the building of the temple in 1 Kings 7:49. The third instance was closely related to the rebuilding of Yahvh's temple in Zech. 4:2-10. Here in Revelation the lampstand is related to the building of the Messianic Community, the Bride. This indicates that the lampstand in Zechariah is the reality of the lampstand in Exodus, and the lampstand in Revelation are there production of the lampstand in Zechariah. Yahshua is realized as the Spirit, and the Spirit is expressed as the Messianic Community, the Bride. The shining light of the Spirit is the reality of the shining light of the Messiah, and the shining light in the Messianic Community (the Bride) are the reproduction and expression of the shining light of the Spirit to accomplish Yahvh's eternal purpose that the New Jerusalem as the shining city may be consummated. Yahshua, the Spirit, and the Messianic Community (the Bride) are all of the same divine nature.

YAHSHUA THE HIGH PRIEST

Yahshua today is in the midst of the Messianic Community, the Bride. As the High Priest, He is interceding in the Kingdom of Yahvh for the Messianic Community, the Bride, and all mankind.He is walking in the midst of the Messianic Community, the Bride, to care for them, and to keep them from the wrath to come.

Yahshua not only is depicted here in verse 13 as the High Priest, as shown by His garment, but also is unveiled as being like the Son of Man. He is both divine and human. As our High Priest,He is caring for the Messianic Community bring His Bride to perfection. Yahshua as the Son of Man is not only for the accomplishing of redemption but for the Messianic Community life, because the Messianic Community is composed of human beings.Yahshua dealing with the Messianic Community is based on His humanity in His divine love. He is altogether victorious and successfully in bearing the testimony of Yahvh.

The MessianicCommunity also, being humanity, surely can be victorious and successful in bearing the testimony of Yahvh.

The garment reaching to the feet is the priestly robe (Exo. 28:33-35) and signifies the fullness of Yahshua's divine attributes and human virtues.

The priests in the Torah were girded at the loins for their ministry (Exo. 28:4). In Daniel 10:5 Yahshua also is girded at His loins, with fine gold. But here Yahshua as our High Priest is girded about at the breasts. The breasts signify love. To be girded at the loins is to be strengthened for the work, whereas to be girded about at the breasts signifies care in love. Yahshua's work is producing the Messianic Community, His Bride and to stand in the midst caring for them in Love. This requires that He be girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle. The golden girdle signifies the divine strength. Yahshua moving in the Messianic Community to care for them in His humanity and with His divine strength of Love.

White hair signifies great age (Job 15:10). Here it indicates the ancientness of Yahshua which signifies His unfading and everlasting strength.

White wool issues from the nature of life, and white snow comes from the sky, from the Kingdom of Yahvh. White wool here and in Daniel 7:9 signifies that the ancientness of Yahshua is out of His nature, not out of His becoming old, while white snow signifies that His ancientness is the Kingdom of Yahvh, not earthly.

His eyes are like a flame of fire. This is for Him to observe and search that He may exercise judgment by enlightening. Fire is for divine judgment (1 Cor.3:13, Heb. 6:8, 10:27) Yahvh is also a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29); His thron is a fiery flame and its wheels are burning fire, and a fiery stream issues and comes forth from before Him (Dan.7:9-10). All this is for judgment. Yahshua's eyes being like a flame of fire is for His judgment. When He comes to take possession of the earth by exerting judgment over it, even His feet will be like pillars of fire.

Feet signify the walk. In typology bronze signifies divine judgment (Exo. 27:1-6). The feet of Yahshua are like shining bronze, as mentioned also in Dan. 10:6, signifying that His perfect and bright walk qualifies Him to exercise divine judgment. When He comes to possess the earth by judging it, His feet will be like pillars of fire.

To be fired in a furnace is to be tried by being burned. Yahshua's walk was tried by His sufferings, even by His death on the cross. Yahshua's walk is bright, like shining bronze, which qualifies Him to judge the unrighteous.

The sound of many waters, a tumultuous sound, signifies the seriousness and solemnity of what Yahshua is saying.

Both lampstand and stars are for shining in the dark. A lampstand, representing a local Messianic Community, the Bride, as a collective unit, where as a star, representing a messenger (angels) of a local Messianic Community is an individual entity. In the dark night of the church's degradation, the shining light of both the collective Messianic Community, the Bride, and the individual messengers (angels) is needed.

Yahshua's face appears lovely for His seeker's appreciation of Him, and in the Epistles His face reflects Yahvh's glory (2 Cor. 4:6) for the imparting of life into His Messianic Community. Here in Revelation His face shone as the sun shines in its power (Dan. 10:6), this shining is the judging enlightenment for bringing in the Kingdom. When He comes to take over the earth and set up
Yahvh's Kingdom His face will be like the sun.

Because of the fall and sin, death came upon and is now still working on the earth. Because of sin sinful people go into Hades. Death is a collector and Hades is a keeper. However, the keys of death and of Hades are now in the hand of Yahshua, who died and was resurrected.

When John saw the seven stars upon the right hand of Yahshua and Yahshua standing in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, it was a mystery to him. John did not realize the significance of the seven heavenly stars and the seven golden lampstands. Yahshua unveiled the mystery to him, saying that the seven stars are the messengers (angels) of the seven Messianic Community, and the seven lampstands are the seven Messianic Community. The significance of this not only was a mystery to John but also is a mystery to believers today. All believers need the unveiling of this mystery that they may see the Messianic Community, the Bride, and their messengers.

The Messianic Community, the Bride, are to be of the same nature and in the same shape. They are to bear the same lamp for the same purpose and are to be fully identified with one another,not having any individual distinctiveness. But we will see that the differences among the seven Messianic Community recorded in chs.2 and 3 are all of a negative nature, not a positive one. Negatively, in their failures, the Community are different and separate from one another. Becoming what we now know as the many church's. Leaving only a fue of the true Messianic Community, the Bride on earth today.

It is easy to see the many church's of today, but hard to see the true Messianic Community, the Bride, with Yahshua in the center focus in the divine administration for the accomplishing of Yahvh's eternal purpose.

In Revelation Yahshua calls our attention back to the spiritual reality.

Yahshua's being the First and the Last implies He is the Firstborn of all creation, and He is before all things, and all things cohere in Him. He is the Head of the Body, the Messianic Community, the Bride; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things, and He will accomplish what He has began.

Yahshua who walks in the midst of the Messianic Community, who is the Head of the Messianic Community and to whom the Messianic Community belong, is the living One. The Messianic Community also, as the expression of His Body, should be living, fresh, strong, and fruitful.

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