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Revelations 20:5
The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Following the logical flow of this text, since those who first resurrect are those who refused to receive the mark of the beast, those who ‘did not come to life’ are those who received it. Much is speculated about this mark. We may not at present be sure of its form, but we know its function (Revelations 13:16-18). In biblical terms the head, especially the forehead represents the will; the hands represent the actions birthed by the will. That is why Jews till today put these prayer boxes with a Scripture scroll inside of them when they pray: to remind them of what should be the focus and direction of both their thoughts and their actions. The devil also tries to control our thoughts and actions by attempting to replace Hashem's mark on our hands and foreheads with his mark and in the eyes of the Eternal, this means death. We are used to think of death as a permanent state. Looking at the verse in Revelations though, it seems the dead await resurrection in order to go to their reward, good or bad. We are obviously then talking here about something different than the mere corruption of the body, or even 'non-existence'. There are people who are alive and yet who are more dead than the dead; while there are those who are dead, but who are more alive than those still in the body (Matthew 22:32)! What is then a life that is more substantial than an active biologically functional state? And what is a death more empty and void than the mere corruption of the body? King David put it in these wonderful words:’ I shall dwell in the house of Adonai forever’ (Psalms 23: 6). In other words: presence with God is life more alive than this biological functionality, but absence from God is a state of death lower than the mere corruption of the body. As long as we are alive the fire, however small at times, of the life of God lives in us. Its light is manifest in our hearts via twinges from our conscience. To others, it is manifest in either strength or weakness according to their obedience to Messiah’s commandments. When we 'die', that fire is set on 'pilot', until the time of resurrection to judgment, when we come to either more than life, what Yeshua called: the bosom of Abraham, or to less than death: the she’ol. We must take this life more seriously. The good, the bad and the ugly of this life do follow us in the World to Come. We may then shed many tears of regret; Messiah will surely wipe them away, but that doesn’t mean that we will not still have to learn the substance of the lesson from the disobedience that caused these tears. If we are truly sealed with the mark of the Messiah, let us make sure that in each day of this life, both our will and hands are synchronized with those of our Master. Then and only then will the prayer: ‘Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven!’ be answered!
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Revelations 20:4-6
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Yeshua and for the word of Hashem, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Mashiach for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of Hashem and of Mashiach, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. About this time of future restoration and reorganization of the world, Paul, our Master’s apostle also specified, Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life (1 Corinthians 6:3)! We are not given too many details about this judging of angels (and the secret things belong to God (Deuteronomy 29:29)); we are simply told in that and other passages that at the time when Messiah will physically reign on earth the faithful will share in His exaltation and judging of the universe which therefore implies judging angels. This idea of mankind judging angels birthed from the Book of Enoch, as Enoch, the first scribe was established over the judgment of the disobedient fallen angels (Genesis 6:1-5). The narrative of Enoch was a widespread Jewish writing from the 1st century C.E. the early believers seem to have been familiar with (Jude 1.14). What is revealed to us though, (and the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever Moses also said (Deuteronomy 29:29)), is that if we are to judge angels in the future, we should also today be able to righteously judge in earthly disputes between ourselves (Isaiah 11:3-5 on how to judge righteously). In essence, our training for judging angels tomorrow starts today with learning to maturely take care of our own issues between ourselves. The problem is that today, as with many other things, we are not encouraged to manage our own issues and disagreements. We are told to go to the police, to get a lawyer, or worst: a psychologist! As far as I can understand from his epistles, to Paul the fact that those who called themselves by the name of Yeshua could not manage their own problems by themselves was a disgrace and a bad representation of Messiah’s congregation in front of the non-believers. He said that it would be more valuable to be defrauded by others than to allow such a poor testimony in front of others (1 Corinthians 6:7). It is high time that we take control of our lives; that we take responsibility of our affairs. We, as Messianic congregations, must organize ourselves into a coherent movement that is self sufficient in every way, self-legislated just as the Hebrew nation was taught to be by Moses in ancient times. Then and only then, we will ever be able to fulfill our destiny of entering the Promised Land of His divine will, and be an example to all nations of life under the rulership of Mashiach. Revelations 20:4-6
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Yeshua and for the word of Hashem, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Mashiach for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of Hashem and of Mashiach, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. About this time of future restoration and reorganization of the world, Paul, our Master’s apostle also specified, Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life (1 Corinthians 6:3)! We are not given too many details about this judging of angels (and the secret things belong to God (Deuteronomy 29:29)); we are simply told in that and other passages that at the time when Messiah will physically reign on earth the faithful will share in His exaltation and judging of the universe which therefore implies judging angels. This idea of mankind judging angels birthed from the Book of Enoch, as Enoch, the first scribe was established over the judgment of the disobedient fallen angels (Genesis 6:1-5). The narrative of Enoch was a widespread Jewish writing from the 1st century C.E. the early believers seem to have been familiar with (Jude 1.14). What is revealed to us though, (and the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever Moses also said (Deuteronomy 29:29)), is that if we are to judge angels in the future, we should also today be able to righteously judge in earthly disputes between ourselves (Isaiah 11:3-5 on how to judge righteously). In essence, our training for judging angels tomorrow starts today with learning to maturely take care of our own issues between ourselves. The problem is that today, as with many other things, we are not encouraged to manage our own issues and disagreements. We are told to go to the police, to get a lawyer, or worst: a psychologist! As far as I can understand from his epistles, to Paul the fact that those who called themselves by the name of Yeshua could not manage their own problems by themselves was a disgrace and a bad representation of Messiah’s congregation in front of the non-believers. He said that it would be more valuable to be defrauded by others than to allow such a poor testimony in front of others (1 Corinthians 6:7). It is high time that we take control of our lives; that we take responsibility of our affairs. We, as Messianic congregations, must organize ourselves into a coherent movement that is self sufficient in every way, self-legislated just as the Hebrew nation was taught to be by Moses in ancient times. Then and only then, we will ever be able to fulfill our destiny of entering the Promised Land of His divine will, and be an example to all nations of life under the rulership of Mashiach. Matthew 24:31
And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Behold the Great Day has come We have fasted for it over the centuries and until this day afflict our souls in prayers of repentance. Now has Hashem heard our voices; the blood of His many martyrs reaches to His nostrils and now He inclines His ears to our cries. May He who brings Israel back to Him be blessed for truly, He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock (Jeremiah 30:10).' On this day, see the reward of our work over the centuries. See Him who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save." Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come (Isaiah 63:1-4). The galloping of His white horse echoes Moses' song. The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelations 19:11-6; Deuteronomy 32:34-43). As Moses and all the prophets sang of the deliverance of Israel, of its return to his land and his God, let us foresee and rejoice of His mighty works for truly Adonai has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of Hashem, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow (Jeremiah 31:11-13). Revelations 20:1-3
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. I heard it said once, ‘When you kick sin out, don’t leave a forwarding address!’ At the time of His coming, Yeshua, the Messiah-King will rule on earth. The Adversary will be under control and therefore, the evil inclination that causes us so much trouble will be greatly diminished. Living by God’s commandments and avoiding sin will be easier then. But at the end of these 1,000 years of relief from the Adversary’s work, Satan will be released. At that time, he will again be allowed to tempt us as he is today. We must ask ourselves, The Messiah may rule the earth then, but does He rule my heart now? Is He my King today? During the High Holidays, we go through deep introspection; we confess our sins and we deny ourselves on the Day of Atonement. But what happens after that? Does life continue as usual? Mashiach may do the atoning work, He may ‘cover’ our ‘credit card balance’ of debt to the Father, but there is a chilly warning for going back into the works of darkness after Messiah did the hard work of cleaning us up. The writer of the book of Hebrew puts it in these following words, For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries (Hebrews 10:26-27). As we prepare for the next Festival on our calendar we are told to look back at the time of our sojourn in the desert, at the time when we lived in sukkhas, in temporary flimsy shelters totally vulnerable and dependent on the Father’s mercy. As well as reminding us of times past, this Festival should also speak to us about our temporal situation on this earth, looking forward to the time when we will enter what John called New Jerusalem, the Tabernacle (sukkah?)of God with men. (Revelations 21-22). In that place nothing shall hurt nor destroy; sin death and corruption will not be allowed. In preparation for that day, may we learn today to stay away from sin; like Joseph of old, to flee temptation when it comes with its sensual attires, even leaving our coat behind when it tries to cleave to us. That is our work, and one of the ideas behind the apostle's words to, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Mark 13:27
And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. Over many centuries now God has punished Israel by banishing His people from His Land. The world needs to finally realize that that strip of land by the Mediterranean Sea, which was historically called 'Israel' but which the Romans renamed 'Palestina', ultimately belongs to God and that He gives it to whoever He pleases, regardless of world opinion. The fact that God banished His first-born son to exile in the nations of the world never authorized these nations to get onto the 'act'. Can you imagine disciplining your son and suddenly the whole neighborhood joining on it? God's discipline is measured; His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Psalms 30:5). All the prophecies of what would happen to Israel if they stubbornly disobeyed have already been fulfilled under the Roman invasion, occupation, sacking and destruction of Israel, the Great Exile (Deuteronomy 28; Matthew 24). As the Assyrians and the Babylonians were moved by God to punish Israel so were the Romans, but whereas these powers had sort of a divine mandate (which they abused) to punish Israel, neither did the Catholic and Protestant Churches, nor Germany received such a mandate, and even less, today’s radical Islam. Ancient history teaches us that every world power who persecuted God's people lost their right to domination, even if they were doing it by divine mandate. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome all saw their downfall as a punishment for their oppression of God's people. Prophecies of Scriptures teach us that a day comes when God reinstates His people in the Land He promised to give them through Abraham (Deuteronomy 30:1-7). Scriptures also tell us that at that time many nations will rise against re-instated Israel (Ezekiel 38-39), and that these nations will pay a devastating price for it (Deuteronomy 32:40-42; Ezekiel 39:4; Matthew 24:28; Revelations 19:17-18). Countries today are faced with very important decisions. A simple study of Scripture shows the world that God has turned His favor again on His people of old, on His first-born son; that whereas the world is already indebted to God for the unwarranted persecution of His exiled people, those who stand in the way of His present will will most certainly be the recipient of His great wrath. Whatever anyone else does: God's will will be done! Matthew 25:1-7
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the Bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the Bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the Bridegroom! Come out to meet Him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. Behold the night is far advanced. It has been a long wait and drowsiness has taken hold of the congregations. The Master has finished His work; He has prepared a place for the bride and He is now ready to come to her (John 14:2-3). The ten virgins, the friends of the bride, are expected to stay awake with her to serve and help her. But just like the disciples on the Mount of Olives, their eyes are heavy (Matthew 26:43). Will we watch one hour with Him? Will we stand guard, watch and pray? On the eve of the manifestation of His Messianic nature Yeshua asked his disciples to watch with him, to stand guard in prayer denying themselves of the sleep they so much needed. Even today, as we await His manifestation in the world, as we await for the time of the wedding ceremony, we are to watch, pray, and stand guard. Are our eyes heavy? Can we deny ourselves sleep for a moment, waiting even though we do not know at which hour He is coming? A sudden cry pierces the night, ‘The Bridegroom is coming, the Bridegroom is coming!’ See Him! He is majestic riding on a white horse (2 Samuel 22:1-20). He is coming for His Bride. The friends of the Bride rise from their drowsiness to fix their lamps. They must trim their wicks to make sure their lamps burn clear and bright, without smoke. Even so now comes the time (even now we hear the sound in the horizons): there will be a shout in the heavens, ‘The Bridegroom is coming, the Bridegroom is coming!”. Let us rise from sleep. Let us shake our drowsiness. “Awake, awake,” Isaiah says (Isaiah 52:1,9). It is time now for us to rise from our sleepiness and appear before the King of the universe. He comes to take the bride and to bring His people to the greatest party ever thrown. He has sent His servants to cry in the streets, in the highways and byways compelling people to come in. He has sent white robes to each one to wear at the feast. Let us now be ready and trim our wick that the light of our love through our keeping of His commandments may shine bright and unequivocally, distinctly and without smoke. Let us now answer the Master's request, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16)." 1 Corinthians 10:4
… The Rock was Messiah. All throughout the Sacred Scriptures, prophets, and kings call Hashem their ‘Rock’. While projecting a beautiful image, the most awesome theme flowing from the expression is the undercurrent of God's justice when He disciplines us for our sins, or trains us through seemingly very unfair situations. Moses initiated the idea in, "The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice (Deuteronomy 32:4).” The weary and wise prophet knows that the generation of people he led to the Promised Land will corrupt themselves with sin and idolatry. He sees the future exiles, the persecutions, as well as the bloody and sad history of Israel, so right away he establishes the idea that no matter what will happen, God is a ‘rock’, a God of faithfulness without iniquity, just and upright … ((Deuteronomy 32:4). King David understood that. He even complains to the ‘Rock’, I say to God, my Rock: "Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy (Psalms 42:9)?", but later he also says, Adonai is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer, my God, my Rock, in whom I take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold (Psalms 18:2). In these words we can picture a desperate David in the caves of Eingedi (1 Samuel 24:2). Centuries later, through Isaiah God encourages an Israel whom He thoroughly rebuked with words about His unfailing compassion and eternal mercies, Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any (Isaiah 44:8).”, and Habakkuk struggles to see God’s justice in the Babylonian invasion, Are you not from everlasting, O Adonai my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Adonai, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he (Habakkuk 1:12-14)? During the time preceding Yom Kippur we usually check our hearts for bitterness against others, but do we also check our hearts for bitterness against God and his ways in our lives? A lifelong affliction, bankruptcy, and trouble with our teenagers can cause us to wonder if God is really in control or is He just letting things just go awry in our lives without rhyme or reason. When will we understand that these things are the chisel strokes to make us into the image of Messiah, the wind that drives the reed closer to the protection of the great and mighty oak? “What if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise (Laura Story: songwriter)? May we always remember that whatever happens, God is our Rock, that His work is perfect, for all his ways are justice (Deuteronomy 32:4). Luke 1:18
"How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." For centuries Israel understood through searching the Scriptures that a Redeemer would someday come, rule supreme on the earth and govern the world by God’s Word. This coming Savior was the only hope of final lasting independence for the tiny Jewish nation. How many have come whom people thought to be the One; so many that it procured cynicism on the part of the people of Israel. As he was serving his course at the Temple (Luke 1:5), Zechariah had an encounter with an angel. Angels did not necessarily appear as flying beings or as an ethereal light. In both the cases of Abraham and Lot they appeared as people, as guests you host for a meal. No one but the serving priest was supposed to be in the Holy, the first chamber of the Tabernacle, so it was quite a surprise to Zechariah not only to have company there, but also to hear an oracle telling him that both he and his wife would conceive in their old age. He was also given instructions on how to raise the miracle child. Luke also tells us that Zechariah doubted the angel who therefore punished him with muteness. Throughout the whole Biblical narratives, God has always made a point to draw attention to certain individuals by making their birth the result of barrenness. Such was the case for many patriarchs, judges, and prophets. First Temple Judaism even considered that the Messiah would come from a young maiden who had not yet been with a man. As per the Torah's instruction, Jews were trained to try the spirits demanding a sign to confirm prophecy even from angels. To ask for a sign was not a bad thing, it was the norm in testing prophecy (Deuteronomy 13), and I think we may do well to do a bit more of that today! God Himself provides the signs that prove His points to people. Zechariah was not punished for asking for a sign, but for his incredulity concerning the message, and Gabriel being the angel of judgment didn’t seem to appreciate that. This attitude of incredulity was even pointed out by Yeshua later (Matthew 12:29). Notice the Yeshua did nevertheless give the people a sign, a sign, according to the story of Jonah, which was a foreshadow of Yeshua’s death and resurrection. Even today, as His return seems to be lingering, it is easy for us to become incredulous. Yeshua gave us signs wherewith to identify His return (Matthew 24), the biggest one of course being the restoration of the State of Israel. As we see them fulfilled today, let us not be incredulous, but remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." … But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (1 Peter 3:2-9); and we are thankful for His patience in waiting for us! John 3:3
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." In Hebrew the word for ‘baptism’ is: mikvah. The etymological meaning of ‘Mikvah’ is: 'gathering', as in the gathering of waters. In the days of Noah, Hashem saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And Hashem was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart (Genesis 6:5-6). Our grieving Father could have opted to destroy the earth, but He opted instead to try to fix it. I lived ten years in S.E. Asia. Upon my arrival in the U.S.A., I was sharing with a friend about the miserable state of many places of rural India. My friend reacted by saying, "They just need to blow it up and start again!" The Father could have done the same thing with the world, ‘blow it up and start again,’ but no. Somehow He wanted to give a chance to humanity. He instead opted to try to fix us, and this 'fixing' took the form of a planet-wide mikvah, or ‘baptism’ through the Great Flood. The idea of being born-again is vividly portrayed in our Scriptures. .The first idea is given to us through Noah's flood. The narrative of the sixth chapter of the Book of Genesis tells us that the earth had become polluted by angels who renounced their heavenly station in order to settle down on earth with women. In the process they taught us mankind a knowledge we were not supposed to have and thus the earth became polluted with violence and wickedness. The Father then proceeded to gather all the waters of the planet and purify humanity. In the process of this worldwide ‘mikvah’, God rid the earth of the bad elements and through Noah and his family gave a chance for humanity to continue. Later, when God wanted to separate for Himself a people through whom He would teach the world about Him and finally redeem humanity, He brought the Israelites out of Egypt. He needed them to go through a ‘mikvah/baptism so He brought them all the way to the Eastern arm of the Red Sea (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). As they crossed, they shed behind their Egyptian culture and emerge on the other side a new people. They had become a new nation, a new culture: God’s people. Before entering the Promised Land, the Red Sea scenario was repeated, this time in the Jordan River. This area of the Jordan River became the place where later John the Immerser would mikvah people unto repentance. People would have to cross the Jordan out of the Land to meet John, mikvah, and re-enter the Land as born-again creatures. Friends; the message is clear. Unless we have shed behind ourselves the ‘Egyptian’ culture that keeps us in idolatry, the doubtful disobedient behavior that keeps us in the desert, we cannot call ourselves: born-again, and we cannot enter the Promised Land. May we daily 'mikvah' in His Words (John 15:3), shed our old selves behind, be born again, and live new lives as His creatures. |
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