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“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer there.”

““For, look! I create new heavens and a new earth; past things will not be remembered, they will no more come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17).

This chapter begins with the revelation of a ‘new heaven and a new earth.’ First, the Hebrew word for ‘new’ in this verse and in Isaiah is chadash and means ‘to renew.’ The Greek word is kainos and means ‘fresh’ like in a ‘fresh start.’ Accordingly, the old heaven and earth will pass away and receive a renewed, fresh start.

In Matthew 5:17-18 Yeshua says that nothing from the Torah will pass away until there is a ‘new heaven and new earth.’ This is the point when Elohim’s Torah will not longer be used or needed as ‘teachings and instructions’ for life. At this time, the greatest and least in the Kingdom will have already been determined by who taught the least of the commandments and who taught the greatest. Those who taught the removal of commandments will suffer a great loss, the Kingdom. At this time, King Messiah will have had his reign from the ‘old’ Jersualem for 1000 years with his royal priesthood serving alongside of the Levitical priesthood. It was not at the cross when the Torah and all of its statuetes and ordinances was removed, but at the restoration of the heavens and the earth to what they were ‘in the beginning.’

This is also the reasoning behind Hebrews 8:13 in its correct context. Nowhere does the one who wrote Hebrews suggest that the ‘old’ was ‘done away with,’ but says it is in the process of aging until it vanishes altogether. Hebrews was written well after after Yeshua’s death and resurrection so it could not be referring to Yeshua’s removal of Torah or any of the ‘eternal’ covenants. It is only at the time of the ‘new heaven and earth’ that the ordinances involving the Temple service, the Levitical priesthood, and the sacrificial offerings are no longer necessary. Why? Because, according to later verses, there will no longer be a Temple.

“By using the term, “new,” he has made the first covenant “old”; and something being made old, something in the process of aging, is on its way to vanishing altogether.”

According to the prophet Isaiah, there are specifically several ‘old testament’ prophecies of Elohim that will remain into the ‘new heaven and earth.’ The descendants of Isra’el will continue along with their names. The Rosh Chodesh or New Moon celebration and the Shabbat will also continue with everyone living worshiping together in the presence of Adonai.

“For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will continue in my presence,” says Adonai, “so will your descendants and your name continue. Every month on Rosh-Hodesh and every week on Shabbat, everyone living will come to worship in my presence,” says Adonai” (Isaiah 66:22-23).

The writer of Hebrews 4 is very clear about the Sabbath ‘day’ still remaining. This is ultimately the prophetic vision of the eternal Shabbat of Revelation 21 being restored, but is also a serious reminder that entering seventh-day Sabbath in its earthly context is entering a piece of that eternity here and now. With the several councils redefining Biblical obedience away from its intended purpose and the catholic church changing the day from Saturday to Sunday, the understanding of the Shabbat ‘rest’ has been lost on the church. It is only by faith that we enter that rest, faith in the eternal promises of Elohim.

“Therefore, let us be terrified of the possibility that, even though the promise of entering his rest remains, any one of you might be judged to have fallen short of it; for Good News has also been proclaimed to us, just as it was to them. But the message they heard didn’t do them any good, because those who heard it did not combine it with trust. For it is we who have trusted who enter the rest” (Hebrews 4:1-3).

“Also I saw the holy city, New Yerushalayim, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

The modern-day Jerusalem will also pass away along with all of its Biblical history from the days of the Jebusites when David bought the threshing floor to Yeshua walking its stone streets. The New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven. Those who have been taught that ‘we’ will go up into heaven, the opposite is presented in Revelation. Heaven and the New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of I AM will come down to us.

Isra’el has always been the Bride of I AM, the Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh. Through Yeshua, Elohim renewed the marriage covenant with Isra’el and those of the nations that join with her. In the ‘new heavens and new earth,’ Jerusalem will be presented like a bride dressed for her husband.

“For your husband is your Maker, Adonai-Tzva’ot is his name. The Holy One of Isra’el is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of all the earth. For Adonai has called you back ….” (Isaiah 54:5-6).

“I heard a loud voice from the throne say, ‘See! God’s Sh’khinah is with mankind, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and he himself, God-with-them, will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain; because the old order has passed away.‘”

A loud voice from the throne says that with the coming of the New Jerusalem, the Divine Presence of I AM is with mankind and He will live with them. They will be His people and God-with-them or Immanu’el will be their God.

This is another restoration from the Garden of Eden. It was in the garden that Yahweh walked with Adam and Eve in the evening breeze. His Ruach or breath embraced them. His Light enveloped them. Had they not been deceived by the serpent and sinned by eating a forbidden fruit, that intimate relationship between the ‘Husband’ and ‘Bride’ would have continued as an eternal Sabbath.

When the Israelites traveled in through the wilderness, they were promised that Yahweh would tabernacle with them. Through the Torah, the wedding vows, a marriage covenant was established. Yahweh’s Divine Presence dwelled with His Bride and appeared in a cloud of glory over the literal Tabernacle. Yet, even with this Tabernacle, there was a promise of something even greater in the future – the restoration of the original relationship between the Creator and His creation in the garden.

The prophet Ezekiel confirms the promise given to Isra’el through Moshe that ultimately comes to pass in the ‘new heaven and new earth.’ King Solomon also says that this ‘hope,’ this ‘vision’ of a ‘new heaven and new earth,’ the olam or world to come, has been planted in the hearts of mankind.

“I will put my tabernacle among you, and I will not reject you, but I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people” (Leviticus 26:11-12).

“My home will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Ezekiel 37:27).

“He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts …” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

“Then the One sitting on the throne said, ‘Look! I am making everything new!'”

Th One sitting on the throne is the visible image of the Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, the I AM – King Yeshua. He has been sitting on the throne in the heavenly realm since he began to rule and reign. He continues to remain on His throne stating that now He is making everything new. Everything.

Once again, the word ‘new’ is chadash and means ‘renew.’ As the One who was with the Creator ‘in the beginning,’ the WORD that became flesh, He is speaking everything into ‘newness.’ With a ‘new heaven and new earth,’ it will need ‘new’ people to inhabit this ‘new world.’

When we were born again into the Kingdom of God, we became new creations in Messiah. We still remained in a fallen ‘mortal’ state, a flesh body that had to die because of sin. At the first resurrection, those who put their faith in Yeshua received their glorified bodies, whether living or resurrected from the dead. All of these ‘new creations’ – both Jew and non-Jew – finally receive their promised inheritance of eternal redemption in the ‘new heaven and new earth’ as ‘One New Man.’ For just like the spiritual Torah needed spiritual men and women to understand its purpose, the ‘new heavens and new earth,’ require ‘new creations in Messiah.’

“Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation — the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“For neither being circumcised nor being uncircumcised matters; what matters is being a new creation” (Galatians 6:15).

“We know that until now, the whole creation has been groaning as with the pains of childbirth; and not only it, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we continue waiting eagerly to be made sons — that is, to have our whole bodies redeemed and set free” (Romans 8:22-23).

“Also he said, “Write, ‘These words are true and trustworthy!’” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the ‘A’ and the ‘Z,’ the Beginning and the End. To anyone who is thirsty I myself will give water free of charge from the Fountain of Life. He who wins the victory will receive these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.”

The words being spoken from the throne are called ‘true’ and ‘trustworthy.’ The Hebrew word for ‘true’ is emet and means ‘firm, lasting, and reliable.’ It is an attribute of Elohim. The Hebrew word for ‘trustworthy’ is batach and means ‘to have confidence and feel secure.’ Because these words are spoken from the throne, they are established and proven through Yeshua.

Yeshua looks at Yochanan and says, “It is done!” In Hebrew the word is asah and means ‘accomplished.’ When Yeshua died on the cross, he said, “It is finished.” His words have been misinterpreted to mean that he ended the Torah and all of the commandments of God given to mankind and Isra’el. What those words actually meant is that he fulfilled and completed the prophetic purpose and vision of the Pesach, the renewal of the marriage covenant between Elohim and Isra’el. It is not until Revelation 21 that Yeshua says that everything prophesied about him in all of the prophetic ‘appointed times’ has been accomplished and has come to an end with a new beginning and an eternal Shabbat.

In Revelation 1:8, as in this verse, Yeshua doesn’t call himself the ‘A and the Z,’ the first and last letters of the Latin alphabet because he didn’t speak Latin or Old English; he also didn’t call himself the ‘Alpha and Omega’ because he didn’t speak Greek. He calls himself the ‘Alef and the Tav‘ the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Though the idea of being the ‘first and the last’ letters of any alphabet may not seem important regarding language, it does when put in its Hebrew context.

Found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures are the two letters alef and tav – את – without any particular ‘meaning’ or ‘purpose.’ Some consider it a type of modifier, but its appearance within verses has no specific purpose. It is at the beginning and end of Revelation that Yeshua clarifies the purpose and meaning of those two letters – HE is the Alef and Tav, the beginning and the end. He was with Elohim in the beginning as the spoken Word; he is at the end sitting on the throne as the King of all Creation.

Hebrew Letter Pictures

These two letters also have significance in the Hebrew Letter Pictures giving more insight into who Yeshua is claiming to be.

א Alef is a letter picture of an ‘ox’ and means ‘strong or first.’

ת Tav is a letter picture of ‘crossed sticks’ and means ‘sign’ or ‘covenant.’

The word picture for alef tav is: first, strong sign of the covenant.

Yeshua is the first and strongest sign of the covenant found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. He is in the beginning, in the middle, in the end. To remove those letters, to change those letters is to change his essence, his appearance, and his identity within the Hebrew Scriptures.

“But as for the cowardly, the untrustworthy, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those involved with the occult and with drugs, idol-worshippers, and all liars — their destiny is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, the second death.”

“Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Messianic communities [Thyatira]. He who wins the victory will not be hurt at all by the second death'” (Revelation 2:11).

There are two deaths written about in Revelation. The first death is physical; the second death is spiritual and eternal. Though we all face a first death in this world, the second death is at the end of time. Those who do not have eternal life will be thrown into a lake burning with fire and sulfur to experience eternal death.

Fire and sulfur were used to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah though the word theion for ‘sulfur’ was translated ‘brimstone.’ Because of angelic and possibly a Nephilim presence in Sodom and Gomorrah, fire and sulfur had to be used to destroy the cities because angels can only be destroyed by fire. Thus, Satan and all of his cohorts will end up in this fire as well as those who have followed him.

Fire is hot. Fire burns. Fire gives off light that is not the light of the Lamb of God. Sulfur burns with a blue color and smells like rotten eggs. When it is on fire, it is nearly impossible to extinguish. As sulfur burns it produces sulfur dioxide which becomes sulfurous acid when it comes in contact with water – ‘the lake.’

According to this website: “Breathing sulfuric acid mists can result in tooth erosion and respiratory tract irritation. Drinking concentrated sulfuric acid can burn your mouth and throat, and it can erode a hole in your stomach; it has also resulted in death. If you touch sulfuric acid, it will burn your skin.” Sulfuric acid is deadly. It is not a place where the Spirit of Life resides nor can it.

This is the place Yeshua refers to when he speaks about the ‘where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ It is the place of eternal torment. ‘Weeping and gnashing’ of teeth suggests that these people heard the Truth, even knew the Truth, but chose rebellion over obedience, lawlessness over Torah, and receive the consequences of their sin. According to Yeshua, there are those who will be ‘removed from his Kingdom’ because of their rebellion.

“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out” (Luke 13:28).

“The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41-42).

Those not allowed to enter the ‘new heavens and new earth’ are cowards, untrustworthy, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, involved in the occult with drugs, idol worshipers and liars. The activities on this list break Torah commands from murder to sexually immoral inclusive of fornication, adultery, and homosexuality, to idolatry and faithlessness (not living out of faith).

There are those who are involved in the occult with drugs. In some translations the word ‘sorcery’ is used. The Greek word for ‘sorcery’ is pharmakeia and means ‘the use of medicine, drugs or spells.’ More specifically, pharmakeia means ‘to poison’ and includes hallucinations from drugs. The noun Pharmakeus is known as pharmacist and means ‘poisoner.’ Pharmaceuticals are nothing more than ‘drugs’ given by pharmacists to ‘poison’ the human body. In the present time, the vaccine being given for the Kung Flu is causing hallucinations in some people. ‘Sorcery’ is always used in connection with ‘idolatry’ or placing someone or something higher than the God of Isra’el .Those who practice these things are called the occult and will end up in the lake of burning fire and sulfur.

According to dictionary.com, a coward is a “person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain; a timid or easily intimidated person.” This means a coward does not take a stand for or against anything. Recently I had a little discussion with someone about bowing before another man or even a king. This person said she would bow at anything in order to save her children. I told her that I wouldn’t bow even for that because I would want my children to see me stand for for what I believe whether I die or not.

Yeshua is looking for disciples who do not cower in the midst of challenge. Yeshua is looking for followers who will stand for Truth when the LIE is disseminated worldwide. He is looking for a Bride who will not spot or soil her gown, who will keep oil in her lamp, and ‘be holy as He is holy’ when the world calls evil good and good evil.

“But whoever disowns me before others I will disown before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33).

“Vile” means unpleasant, immoral, and unacceptable. Vile includes those activities that are morally wrong, offensive as to be thoroughly disgusting or obscene. One definition I found included ‘vile humor’ which is something I detest from pastors who are preaching in the church. When I think of vile, I consider movies that have gone from being light-hearted and teaching strong moral lessons to become vile and showing disgusting and obscene behaviors on the big screen. Activities that were once meant for the bedroom or the privacy of one’s home have become living room or public entertainment.

Simply, a liar doesn’t tell the truth. Habitual liars have one type of personal character, but what about those who lie to spiritually deceive the masses? What about pastors and leaders who should know the Truth, but choose to teach ‘the Lie’ in order to remain in a leadership positions? Pastors and leaders who don’t want to lose their flock or their income? The Greek word in this verse is pseudes and means ‘to be intentionally deceptive.’ A derivative of pseudes is pseudo which means ‘false, pretend or unreal, a sham.’ It is not those of the world who will be deceived; they are deceived already. It is those who claim to know the Truth, but have embraced ‘the Lie.’

What is ‘the Lie?’ I believe ‘the Lie’ began in the Garden with the serpent, the devil, telling Eve ‘she could be like God.’ She was deceived by ‘the Lie,’ and Adam sinned because they believed ‘the Lie.’ ‘The Lie’ included being deceived by what she saw – a fruit that was pleasing to the eye and would make one wise.

‘The Lie’ is grounded in being faithless to the Word of God and what He actually says. ‘The Lie’ includes every rationalization of a command of God into something not relevant for today whether it is deemed ‘old testament,’ ‘new testament’ or just ‘done away with.’ ‘The Lie’ twists the Word of Elohim into something that appears to have wisdom, but actually ends in death.

The only way to combat ‘the Lie’ is to live out the Truth according to what the Word says; not what we have been taught or how we interpret it for ourselves. While the Spirit guides us into all Truth, ‘the Liar’ is subtle in his deception. He has even thwarted the first century message of salvation coming from the Jews, their Scriptures, and their Messiah to a religious system based in the Vatican, the Pope and anti-semitism. And, that is the biggest ‘Lie’ since the Garden and the promised Seed.

“This is why God is causing them to go astray [believe the delusion], so that they will believe the Lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

“One of the seven angels having the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues approached me and said, “Come! I will show you the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb.”

One of the messengers who held one the seven bowls of the seven last plagues approached Yochanan and told him to ‘come’ and he would show him the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb. In Revelation 19, the marriage of the Lamb took place. Those who were invited to the wedding feast received great blessing. Those who became the Bride of Yeshua were adorned with ‘fine linen bright and clean’ to show forth her righteous deeds. Now, in her glory, the Wife of the Lamb, the ‘Queen’ married to the King of Kings is revealed.

“He carried me off in the Spirit to the top of a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Yerushalayim, coming down out of heaven from God. It had the Sh’khinah of God, so that its brilliance was like that of a priceless jewel, like a crystal-clear diamond. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates; at the gates were twelve angels; and inscribed on the gates were the names of the twelve tribes of Isra’el.”

Yochanan was taken to the top of a great, high mountain by the Spirit of Elohim. Again, the holy city comes down out of heaven. The Divine Presence of Elohim was the brilliance of a priceless jewel – a crystal-clear diamond.

King Solomon writes in Proverbs 31 about the Eshet Chayil, the Woman of Valor who is a spiritual representation of the Bride of Messiah: “Who can find a capable wife? Her value is far beyond that of pearls.” The Hebrew word for ‘pearls’ is peninim that means ‘coral’ or ‘pearl.’ One of the wives of Elkanah is named Penninah while the other, who becomes Samuel’s mother, is Hannah (1 Samuel 1:1-2).

Yeshua also talks about the ‘pearl of great price’ with reference to its value in Kingdom of God. Some interpret Yeshua’s statement about the buying a field and buying the pearl as a reference to Isra’el (the field) and the nations as the pearl.

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for fine pearls. On finding one very valuable pearl he went away, sold everything he owned and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46).

A diamond is created by the element carbon hundreds of miles deep within the earth’s mantle and is formed through the heat of the earth and the pressure of its gravity. A crystal-clear diamond allows light to pass through it.

The New Jerusalem has a wall with 12 gates with 12 angels at each gate. There is no suggestion that the angels are guarding the gates, but perhaps they are the ones to determine who enters the city and who doesn’t.

Over each gate is inscribed the names of the 12 Tribes of Isra’el: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Gad, Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Zebulun, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. This is evidence of the promise given earlier that th names of Isra’el would be eternal. In order to enter the New Jerusalem, each redeemed person must pass through a gate with the name of a Tribe Isra’el.

“There were three gates to the east, three gates to the north, three gates to the south and three gates to the west. The wall of the city was built on twelve foundation-stones, and on these were the twelve names of the twelve emissaries of the Lamb.”

Each side of the wall has three gates. These gates are also mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel. Notice the size of each side is just under 1 1/2 miles!

“‘These are the city exits; they are to be named after the tribes of Isra’el, three gates on each of the four sides; the four sides each measure just under one-and-a-half [miles]: on the north, gates named after Re’uven, Y’hudah and Levi; on the east, gates named after Yosef, Binyamin and Dan; on the south, gates named after Shim‘on, Yissakhar and Z’vulun; and on the west, gates named after Gad, Asher and Naftali” (Ezekiel 48:30-34).

The wall of the city had 12 foundation stones or one huge stone makes up one foundaiton. On each foundation stone is written the name of one of the 12 disciples of Yeshua. This concurs with the vision given to the Ephesians regarding the building of the holy temple that is a spiritual dwelling for Elohim. As the centuries have come and gone, much of the foundation taught by the apostles and prophets has been lost or distorted. In the ‘new heaven and new earth,’ this foundation will be re-established and understood with precious stones.

“So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers. On the contrary, you are fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s family. You have been built on the foundation of the emissaries and the prophets, with the cornerstone being Yeshua the Messiah himself. In union with him the whole building is held together, and it is growing into a holy temple in union with the Lord. Yes, in union with him, you yourselves are being built together into a spiritual dwelling-place for God!” (Ephesians 2:19-20).

“The angel speaking with me had a gold measuring-rod with which to measure the city, its gates and its wall. The city is laid out in a square, its length equal to its width. With his rod he measured the city at 1,500 miles, with length, width and height the same. He measured its wall at 216 feet by human standards of measurement, which the angel was using. The wall was made of diamond and the city of pure gold resembling pure glass.”

Though the Temple design given to Ezekiel resembles the eternal city, the dimensions of the New Jerusalem are much larger than the Millennial Temple. The eternal city is a cube measuring 1,500 miles width, length and depth. To give an idea, 1500 miles is the distance between Phoenix, Arizona and Richmond, Virginia. This magnificent city is the city in which Abraham put his faith.

“For he was looking forward to the city with permanent foundations, of which the architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10).

The walls measure 216 feet. This is 71.5 yards or not quite the length of a football field. This is the WIDTH of a wall made of clear diamond and pure gold that resemble pure glass. Both of these elements symbolize having gone through trial by pressure and fire and being completely purified. From my book Open My Eyes: Wonders of Torah, pg. 195 is the following description for purifying gold.

“The process of hammering gold into an extremely thin, unbroken sheet is called ‘goldbeating.’ Egyptian craftsmen recognized the extraordinary durability and malleability of gold and became the first goldbeaters. They pounded gold using a round stone to create the thinnest gold leaf possible.

“Most goldbeaters used 23 karat gold.  They put the gold in a pot and melted it in a furnace.  When liquified, the gold is poured into a mold and cast into a bar.  The gold bar is rolled in a mill until it is 1/1000 of an inch thick. After being rolled, the thin ribbon of gold is cut into one-inch squares as preparation for beating.

“The first step of beating is called the Cutch which uses a fabric to interleave the gold as it was being beaten. Originally, the Cutch was made of 150 skins of ox intestine, but parchment or mylar are used today to handle the hours of repeated hammer blows needed to beat the gold.

“The gold is beaten on a large heavy block of marble or granite.  Beating of the Cutch takes about one hour using a fifteen pound hammer.  The goldbeater follows a pattern and sets up a rhythm of about seventy strokes per minute.  The Cutch packet is rotated and turned to ensure the gold inside expands evenly in all directions to about 4 inches square.  The gold is taken out of the Cutch and each piece is cut into four smaller pieces with a knife and put in a packet called a Shoder which has 1,500 skins.  The Shoder is beaten for about three hours until the gold expands into a five inch square.

“The gold is taken out of the Shoder and placed on a leather-covered surface.  The gold is so thin that the cutter can simply blow on it to flatten it out.  Using a wagon, made out of wood, the gold is quickly cut into four pieces and placed in a packet called a Mold for the final beating.  The Mold, coated with gypsum powder to prevent the gold from sticking to the skins, contains 1,500 pieces of gold.  The Mold is beaten with an eight-pound hammer for three to four hours until it is a circle about six inches in diameter.  The finished leaf forms an unbroken sheet of gold with a thickness of 1/250,000 of an inch.”

“The foundations of the city wall were decorated with all kinds of precious stones — the first foundation stone was diamond [Jasper], the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh turquoise [Jacinth] and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate made of a single pearl.”

These foundational stones bring to mind the high priest’s breastplate made of precious stones with the names of the Tribes of Isra’el engraved on each stone. The foundation stones hav the names of Kefa, Andrew, Ya’akov, Yochanan, Phillip, Bartholomew, Levi, Tomas, Ya’akov, Thaddeus, Simon, Y’hudah. There are numerous ideas as to how the names will appear on the stones, but the layers of the various colors of precious stones will appear as a rainbow of color.

Each entrance gate is made of one large pearl. Pearls come from an ‘unclean’ mollusk – an oyster. As each redeemed person goes through a gate honoring one of the Tribes of Isra’el, each pearl gate is a reminder that no man is considered ‘unclean’ by Elohim. The eternal Kingdom, the New Jerusalem, will be inhabited by those redeemed from nations and from Isra’el.

Pearls, considered having great value, are compared to wisdom throughout the Scriptures. This suggests that those who enter the eternal Kingdom lived wisely. They were the ‘wise virgins’ who had oil in their lamps, became the Bride of Messiah, and eventually the Wife of the Eternal King.

“For indeed, the price of wisdom is above that of pearls” (Job 28:18).

“For wisdom is better than pearls; nothing you want can compare with her” (Proverbs 8:11).

“A person may have gold and a wealth of pearls, but lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel” (Proverbs 20:15).

““Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls [wisdom] to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you” (Matthew 7:6).

“The city’s main street was pure gold, transparent as glass. The city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s Sh’khinah gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

The main street of the New Jerusalem is made of pure, gold that is transparent as glass. In the Aramaic, those words are translated to ‘pure gold as the brightness of light.’ Rather than being ‘transparent,’ the street reflects the brightness of the Light in the city. According to the following verses, the Divine Presence of Elohim gives the city its Light and the Lamb is its lamp. With this understanding, Psalm 119:105 takes on a different nuance: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” becomes “Yeshua is a lamp to my feet and His Divine Presence is a light to my path.” This will be eternal life in the New Jerusalem.

“I saw no Temple in the city, for Adonai, God of heaven’s armies, is its Temple, as is the Lamb.”

There is no need for a Temple in the New Jerusalem because the ‘old earth’ with it’s ‘old’ ways has passed away. Without a Temple, there is no longer a need for Temple service, sacrifices, or even a priesthood. There is no need for Torah as the ‘teachings and instructions’ have passsed away. The Temple is Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh. It is His presence enveloping the city that is the Temple where the Bride of the Lamb and the Lamb reside.

“The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. Its gates will never close, they stay open all day because night will not exist there, and the honor and splendor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure may enter it, nor anyone who does shameful things or lies; the only ones who may enter are those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

Whenever I have looked for a physical rendition of the New Jerusalem, it appears as a cube floating in space. Though that may be how it is, it doesn’t describe how kings of ‘the earth’ will bring their splendor into it. In other words, as the New Jerusalem descends, it descends onto a ‘new heaven and new earth.’ It is on this ‘new earth’ that kings will once again rule and live and have kingdoms. They will bring tribute to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The gates of the New Jerusalem will never close because there won’t be day or night.

There will still be impure people, those who do shameful things, those who lie. They must remain outside the gates of the New Jerusalem and only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter this eternal holy city where the time still progresses with the New Moon and the Shabbat.

Chapter 22 – The Return of Messiah

© 2020 Tentstake Ministries Publishing, all rights reserved.  No copying or reproducing of this article without crediting the author or Tentstake Ministries Publishing.

Messianic Community of Smyrna

Smyrna was located on the Aegean coast of Anatolia where it could easily defend itself from an enemy attack.  It is known today as Izmir in modern-day Turkey.  Because it is highly populated, much of ancient Smyrna has been lost except for the agora (public speaking area), theater, and parts of Roman aqueduct. Smyrna is the ancient Greek word for myrrh which was the main export from this city in ancient times.  As an essential oil, myrrh has healing qualities for the skin and is used to anoint a body for burial. The believing community at Smyrna was established by Sha’ul (Paul) during his third missionary journey.

“This went on for two years; so that everyone, both Jews and Greeks, living in the province of Asia heard the message about the Lord” (Acts 19:10).

“To the angel of the Messianic Community in Smyrna, write: ‘Here is the message from the First and the Last, who died and came alive again: “I know how you are suffering and how poor you are (though in fact you are rich!), and I know the insults of those who call themselves Jews but aren’t — on the contrary, they are a synagogue of the Adversary. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the Adversary is going to have some of you thrown in prison, in order to put you to the test; and you will face an ordeal for ten days. Remain faithful, even to the point of death; and I will give you life as your crown. Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Messianic communities. He who wins the victory will not be hurt at all by the second death”’ (Revelation 2:8-11).

Yeshua sends the second messenger to the community in Smyrna.  He reveals himself as “the first and the last, who died and came alive again.”  With the ‘first and last’ reference, this congregation would have immediately understood that Yeshua is the ‘alef tav’ את found between the lines in the Scriptures.

“I am the ‘A’ and the ‘Z,’” says Adonai, God of heaven’s armies, the One who is, who was and who is coming” (Revelation 1:8).

This is another verse that translators change from Aramaic/Hebrew into Greek.  Again, it not only changes the understanding of the beginning from the end, it removes a unique part of the Hebrew Scriptures that unveil Yeshua in practically every sentence.

The two letters that begin and end the Hebrew alphabet are the alef and the tav – את.  These two letters create a small word, ‘et’ that is found throughout the Bible.  Some translators give it a grammatical meaning as a noun modifier, but it has no specific meaning –– like the word ‘the.’  

Let’s look at Genesis 1:1 in the Hebrew, read right to left:

בראשית ברא אלהים את השמימ ואת הארץ

Transliterated: Beresheet bara elohim et hashamayim v’et haeretz.

Notice the two-letter word ‘et’ or the alef and the tav? This is what Yeshua is referring to in Revelation 1:8.  He is  the ‘alef and the tav’ that is found between the first words in Genesis 1 and between thousands of words throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.  By claiming he is the alef and the tav, he directs readers to himself on every page of the Bible.  He says he is the beginning and the end of everything from Genesis through Revelation (which has more than five-hundred old testament references).

Many suggest that the Hebrew letter picture of ‘crossed sticks’ for ‘tav’ refers to “the sign is the cross.”   However, I believe there is more to the et than just the cross.  It is the beginning and the end, the creation of the universe to the re-creation of the universe –– it is a ‘sign’ of the covenants that were promised by God throughout Scripture.

The alef and the tav is also connected with the “God of heaven’s armies” of which Yeshua is the Commander in Chief.  I believe that the words alef and tav in this instance is the ‘first strong sign’ of Yeshua’s second coming revelation and will include his heavenly armies.  

Hebrew Word Pictures

Et – את  

Alef is an ‘ox’ and means ‘first and strong’

Tav is a ‘crossed sticks’ and means ‘sign’

The את – The first, strong sign

The myrrh of Smyrna is significant to this community because they will be martyred for their faith. Because they will have to face death, Yeshua encourages them in the hope of the resurrection. Because he suffered, died, and came back to life, they, too, will be resurrected.  The word martyr in Greek means ‘witness’ alluding to their deaths becoming the witness of Yeshua’s faithfulness in their lives.

“Yeshua said to her, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life! Whoever puts his trust in me will live, even if he dies; and everyone living and trusting in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world” (John 11:25-27).

“Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them received authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for testifying about Yeshua and proclaiming the Word of God, also those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands. They came to life and ruled with the Messiah for a thousand years…. This is the first resurrection.” (Revelation 20:4)

The condition of the congregation in Smyrna is one of suffering and poverty.  They are insulted by those who call themselves Jews, but are not.  Yeshua calls these false Jews members of the synagogue of the Adversary.

In this physical world, blood lineage or DNA determines Jewish heritage. Technically, a Jew is a descendant from the Tribe of Judah just as Yeshua descended from Judah through King David on his mother’s side. The term ‘Jew’ in a religious context has become the common title for any male who is circumcised and adheres to the practices of Judaism, regardless of tribal affiliation or ethnicity. 

In his letter to the Galatians,  Sha’ul refers to Jews as the ‘circumcision group’ and the gentiles or non-Jews as the ‘uncircumcision group’ when discussing Jewish or non-Jewish believers in the Body of Messiah. In his letter to the Romans, Sha’ul defines a ‘true Jew’ which gives insight into who is a ‘false Jew.’ His definition works for the individual in the ‘circumcision group’ who has faith in Yeshua, as well as the individual in the ‘uncircumcision group.’  Both receive circumcision of the heart and both praise –– the meaning of the name Judah –– the Elohim of Isra’el together.

“For the real Jew is not merely Jewish outwardly: true circumcision is not only external and physical.  On the contrary, the real Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise comes not from other people but from God” (Romans 2:27-29).

Using Sha’ul’s definition for ‘Jew,’ there must be some Jews in Smyrna whose hearts have not been circumcised. In effect, they are not true praisers of Elohim. They hold onto their DNA heritage as descendants from Judah (even Abraham) and believe that gentiles must convert to Judaism and obey all of its man-made traditions in order to join the community of Isra’el. This is known as Judaizing.

There could also be gentile converts to Judaism insulting other gentiles who refuse to convert because of their faith in Messiah.  Those who converted believe all gentiles need to convert and that faith alone is not enough to enter the community in Smyrna.

Yeshua calls these people liars and compares them to the “Synagogue of Satan.”  This is a harsh judgment. If these liars in the synagogue force everyone to  convert to Judaism through flesh circumcision,  then the message of faith in Yeshua will be perverted and lost. This is the same error that Sha’ul corrects with the Galatians.

Yeshua has no corrections for Smyrna because he knows their faith and their fate.  They are going to suffer at the hands of the Adversary and be tested for “ten days.” “Ten days” may be a reference to the Ten Days of Awe following the Feast of Trumpets.  These “ten days” will test the faith of the believers in Smyrna. They will persecuted and face death at the hands of those who are used by the devil. Yet, Smyrna’s faithfulness to Yeshua will be their witness and will result in an eternal reward –– the Crown of Life promised to those who love Elohim (James 1:10).

“And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for testifying about Yeshua and proclaiming the Word of God, also those who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands.  They came to life and ruled with the Messiah for a thousand years….” (Revelation 20:4).

“Those [in Smyrna] who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit, Ruach haKodesh [the holy wind] is saying to the Messianic community ….”

Yeshua uses these same words in the gospels when he speaks in parables, however, he doesn’t include the words, “what the Spirit says to the communities.”  One reason that he taught in parables was so people could “look but not see, and listen but not understand” the message of the Kingdom (Luke 8:10).  Because his disciples were his students, they would be given a deeper understanding to the coming Kingdom; he would explain the hidden meaning to them away from the crowds.

The parables all occurred before the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot when the ‘holy wind’ was poured out and the new covenant was instituted (Acts 2:2).  With the new covenant, men and women, who believe the message of Yeshua, are given new hearts of flesh and a renewed spirit –– neshama.  The Ruach haKodesh within would compel them to obey Torah (Ezekiel 36:24-27). Elohim’s Ruach would give them “ears to hear what the Spirit was saying” so they could hear and obey His voice.

Yeshua doesn’t want this community to just ‘hear’ his message, but to ‘listen’ to it.  His message was to be heard through spiritual ears that were fine-tuned to his voice, the voice of the Shepherd.  His sheep were to ‘listen’ to the message and ‘obey’ in order to be an overcomer –– Isra’el –– and receive an eternal reward.  

For he is our God, and we are the people in his pasture, the sheep in his care. If only today you would listen to his voice … “(Psalm 95:7-8).

“My sheep listen to my voice, I recognize them, they follow me, and I give them eternal life. They will absolutely never be destroyed, and no one will snatch them from my hands” (John 10:27-28). 

“In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says, ‘You will keep on hearing but never understand, and keep on seeing but never perceive, because the heart of this people has become dull — with their ears they barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, so as not to see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and do t’shuvah [repent and turn from sin], so that I could heal them.’

But you [Smyrna], how blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear!” (Isaiah 6:9-10, Matthew 13:14-16). 

Revelation 2 – Messianic Community of Pergamum

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