To the credit of the Ephesian community of believers, they hate the Nicolaitans. In Greek, nico means ‘conquer,’ and laitan refers to ‘lay people’; Nicolaitan means ‘conquer the lay people.’ This implies there is a hierarchy in Ephesus –– those who rule and those who submit. Yeshua hates this hierarchy because he is to be the only Shepherd over his sheep, King over his Kingdom, High Priest over his Priesthood, and Bridegroom for his Bride.
My Vision of the Sword
Anne had spent the last few weeks studying Scriptures about the Bride of Messiah. She knew that all who received eternal life were given a robe washed in the blood of the Lamb, but she could sense there was something more to being the Bride.
Revelation Chapter 1 – Unveiling Yeshua
Revelation often instills fear because it has some disturbing and confusing imagery. Yet, Yeshua does not want anyone to be afraid of Yochanan’s vision. A blessing is promised for reading, hearing, and obeying the words of this prophecy. Imagine the blessing that comes from actually understanding the prophetic words in their cultural context and original language! To be as authentic as possible, Hebrew words and names will be used throughout the study. This helps keep the Scriptures in their original perspective; may it add a new dimension to your study. I also find fascinating the meanings behind the original Hebrew letters that form a Hebrew Word Picture so I include word pictures to give a little different perspective of some words.
My Dream of Yeshua
He placed his hand on my cheek so that I would look up at him I remember the softness of his hand was nothing like I had ever felt before. I put my hand over his and turned it to look at his scars – something I consciously wanted to do to make sure it was really him.