Revelation (Part One)

                           

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ”(Rev 1:1)

 

Copyright ã 2003 Rivkah Ministries By M. Larry Perrino

 

 

 

 

 

We begin with this study a several-week-long search into of the Book of Revelation.  Tonight we will commence by developing an appreciation for the whole concept of “revelation.”

Before we can learn what the Book of Revelation is all about we simply must understand what it means to get a revelation.  We must also learn that revelation comes only from the Holy Spirit of God. 

We will discover that light is the most important element in order for anyone to receive revelation.  We will also discover the specific element that produces light.  For example, close your eyes and use only your imagination.  Picture that you are in the middle of a very large totally dark gymnasium; in your hands you have only one small candle as a source of light.  It is told that it will be your mission to describe that gymnasium to others at some future date.  How would you begin?

The English word in the Bible that we recognize as “revelation” comes from the Greek word “apokalupsis.”  Apokalupsis has been translated by the King James Version of the Bible into the following five words: (1) appearing, (2) coming, (3) lighten, (4) manifestation, and (5) be revealed/revelation.  The Greek New Testament original texts never attribute “apokalupsis” as one of Jesus’ words.  Instead, we first find the word “apokalupsis” prophesied over Him, “there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon (which significantly means hearing.  Do not miss the point that this man hears from the Holy Spirit!); and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed (spoken) unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ” (Luke 2:25-26). 

Take firm hold of the concept that it is the Holy Spirit who is first recognized as the personage who brings revelation, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (to show or make one’s thoughts known)” (Rev 19:10).  Simeon specifically prophesied that Jesus is the light, “mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).  Later Jesus himself revealed His essence, “ I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)!

The Apostle John continued this theme about Jesus, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. . . .  sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:4-9).  What could John mean that Jesus “lighteth” every man?  Is Jesus somehow associated with a candle?  Yes!  He is the light!

This whole concept brings us to Chapter one of the Book of Revelation, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John” (Rev 1:1).  The Book of Revelation is not the revelation of St. John the Divine as many versions may claim; instead, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.”  We will begin by reading chapter one; however, before we start look at an outline of the chapter:

(1)   Blessing is attached those who read and those who hear and take it to heart (Note Verses 3);

(2)   Blessings come from each aspect of the Trinity (Note Verses 4&5);

a.       Grace and peace come from (YHWH), Him who is, was, and is to come;

b.      Grace and peace come from the seven spirits of God (Refer to Isa 11:2)

                                                               i.      Spirit  of the Lord;

                                                             ii.      Spirit of wisdom;

                                                            iii.      Spirit of understanding;

                                                           iv.      Spirit of counsel;

                                                             v.      Spirit of might;

                                                           vi.      Spirit of knowledge;

                                                          vii.      Spirit of fear of the Lord.

c.       Grace and peace come from Jesus Christ;

(3)   John was supposed to record his visions (in the spirit) and send the scroll to seven churches (Note Verses 11);

(4)   John heard a voice (Note Verses 12);

(5)   John saw seven golden lampstands and among the lampstands the Son of Man (Note Verses 12);

(6)   The Son of Man is described (Note Verses 13-15);

(7)   Seven stars in the right hand of the Son of Man (Note Verse 16);

(8)   In the mouth of the Son of Man was a sharp double-edged sword (Note Verses 16);

(9)   The Son of Man possesses the keys of death and hell (Note Verses 18);

      (10) The Son of Man outlines the Book of Revelation (Note Verses 19);

a.       What John had seen (past);

b.      What is now (present);

c.       What will take place later (future);

     (11) The seven stars / angels of the seven chruches

     (12) The seven golden lampstands are identified as the seven church in Asia (see #3)

Now, let’s stop to read chapter one.  &

 

I.  What John Saw;

John wrote what he saw; instead of only looking at chapter one and the images that are portrayed therein let’s take a look at the entire book that John recorded; this is what he saw!  With chapter one and the outline fresh in mind, let’s take an overall look at the whole Book of Revelation of 22 chapters.  John left a message in the fact that there are 22 chapters in the Revelation; let’s investigate what this could mean. 

We have learned in earlier studies that the Greek Bible is composed of three groups of 22 Books per section; if you would like additional information regarding how these three Bible sections are partitioned you can locate the Rivkah Ministries, Bible Studies entitled, “The Word,” which is available on the Internet at the address: http://www.Rivkah.org.  In that Bible Study we learned the significance of the number 22; specifically, that number represents revelation and spiritual knowledge.  The lamp in the tabernacle (depicted in the upper right hand corner of each page) was symbolic of the Holy Spirit; obviously the Holy Spirit is the quintessential element necessary for revelation and understanding.  In the four Gospels the word spirit occurs 66 times or (22 X 3).  In those same Gospels the word spirit with a capital S occurs exactly 22 times; interestingly, the word light occurs exactly 22 times in the Gospels as well.  The words letter and letters occur exactly 22 times in the New Testament, “the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (John 7:15).  The words, “the father” and “the son” are found together in the same verse exactly 22 times in the New Testament!

Twenty-two is the number that represents revelation and spiritual knowledge.  It is not a coincidence that the Genesis account of revelation becoming associated with Abraham is told in the 22^nd chapter.  The awesome revelation that Abraham received as a result of his obedience became the great event in his life, “on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw (obtained revelation) the place afar off” (Gen 22:4).  Abraham literally saw the day of Christ through the spirit realm, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it” (John 8:56).  Psalm 22 prophesies the same great light that Abraham saw (Jesus crucified), “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? . . . I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people . . . I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels . . . they pierced my hands and my feet” (Ps 22:1-16). 

Occurring more often than mere coincidence could explain, even chapters and verses that make a reference to seeing, understanding, spiritual light, are associated with the number 22.  Notice just a few of the many:

·        “For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness” (2 Sam 22:29);

·        “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad” (Mark 4:22);

·        “He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him” (Dan 2:22);

·        “Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” (John 14:22);

·        “the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done” (Rev 22:6);

·        “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee” (Ps 22:22);“

·        tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see” (Luke 7:22).

Is the relationship between the word “revelation” and the number 22 merely a coincidence?  Each of the following words occurs exactly 22 times in the Authorized Version of the Bible: Brightness, Discovered, Learned, Known, and Mystery.  Is all of this merely a coincidence?

David and Joseph are two powerful Old Testament examples of an “anointed one” ascending to a throne.  Careful calculation shows that there were 22 years from the initial anointing of David as a shepherd boy until the anointing when he was placed upon the throne over the combined nation of Israel.   Likewise, the intervening period between Joseph’s first dream of reigning over his brethren and the time when he literally reigned over his family is once again a 22-year period!  There must be some significance regarding a 22-year preparatory period in service to God’s people!  We will discover that it is the spirit of Jesus that fills in the prophetic 22-year period of service to the LORD.  Is it significant that there are 22 letters in the Hebrew aleph bet beginning with an “aleph” and ending with “tav?”  We are going to discover that these 22 letters relate specifically to the 22 chapters of the Book of Revelation! 

Is the 22-year preparatory period obvious only in the lives of David and Joseph?  Can we find yet another 22-year period in the life of other significant Biblical figure?  Is it a coincidence that Jacob left home for 22 years?  Notice that the bookends of this period are each marked by two significant events in which an anointing is once again the essential event.  The first occurrence of any Biblical anointing took place after Isaac sent Jacob away to find a bride.  On his way Jacob received a special dream from God, “Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it” (Gen 28:18).  The next narrative involving Jacob and an anointing took place twenty-two years later when he returned to his homeland, “And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon” (Gen 35:14).  The awesome thing for us to realize is that the twenty-two year period ended with the first miraculous appearance of Joseph, “And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: 24 And she called his name Joseph” (Gen 30:22-24).  ).  We have already observed that the second miraculous appearance of Joseph is related to the number twenty-two (which represents illumination revelation and spiritual knowledge)!  With a all of this information as background let us continue to seek His light of revelation.  We are about to enter into a study of the 22 chapter of the book of Revelation. Let’s start by first reviewing the 22 letters of the Hebrew aleph bet.  Let us focus on the first five letters and how they relate to Revelation chapters 1-5:

 

 

Each of the first five letters correlates exactly with the message of each of the first five chapters of the book of Revelation.  This is one of the methods of God’s production of revelation and enlightenment, “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness” (Ps 18:28).  It is the LORD who brings enlightenment!  He commissioned the candlestick that would ultimately be located in the Holy Place, “thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. 32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side” (Ex 25:31-32).  God is always the source of light even at the end of the Book of Revelation we find that, “there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light” (Rev 22:5).

II.  What is Now;

Jesus stood in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.  We already know that He is the light; however, we have not focused that we too are supposed to be a light, “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt 5:15-16).  It is an rare indeed commentary on the Book of Revelation that teaches us to focus on us letting our light shine!  Instead, most want only to seek what will be in the future!  Let’s take a closer look at shining:

Every candle is composed of three distinctive elements!  First there is the flame, which gives off the light that is produced by the burning oil.  Secondly, there is the wick (relative to the body) most people do not realize that the wick never burns as long as it is saturated with oil.  The wick merely acts as a medium through which the oil up is drawn to produce the flame.  The third component of a candle and perhaps most important is the oil (anointing Christ)!  Even a candle produces oil out of melted paraffin and that oil is drawn up through the wick.  Oil floats up to the top even on other liquids and it burns.  Oil is produced only when the olive or other fruit has been crushed!  The name Gethsemane means the place of trampling.

In Jewish thought, Olive Oil Shemen ina is always the symbol of connection.  Oil is the element of connection between the flame and the wick.  Remember it is not the wick that burns but rather the oil over the wick.  We must understand this concept: oil is always a symbol of connection.  Indeed, the Jewish people liken themselves to oil.  We know that oil always floats above water.  If oil is mixed with other liquids, it always separates itself out from that other substance.  Oil burns as it produces a very bright hot flame.  We will all remember that oil was used for the Menorah in the Holy place.  Oil is the connector of the wick to the flame.  Notice this connection in more detail. (HaShemen) inav which means oil in the Hebrew Language is formally spelled with a preceding “H.”   Those same letters also spell neshama (soul) vnab, the soul is the body’s connection to the higher world.  The letters once again rearranged spell shmonei vbna, the number 8.  It is interesting that “eight” is the connection between the natural world of seven and the higher mystical world.  Eight always represents the miraculous.  Let’s study this concept a little further.

 

 

Notice the aleph (at left) is the first Hebrew letter and it is quite an unusual letter and is composed of two yod’s and one vav!  Each yod represents man in the upper world and man in the lower world; the connection is the vav which is the connector!  The Hebrew word “aleph” literally means to raise to a higher spiritual plane!  The letter “aleph” is symbolic of a reaching into a higher plane.  There is a depth of meaning, which can be made-up by the letter’s component parts. 

If we are ever going to get a clear concept of the images contained in the Book of Revelation, we must realize that there are two worlds, one above and the other below.  How many of you believe that God the Father exists?  Have any of you ever seen the Father?  No we have not; however, Jesus the anointing oil acting as a connector, connects us to the Father, “All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal (“apokalupto” to take off the cover, meaning to disclose or to reveal) him” (Luke 10:22).

Oil acts as the connection between the wick and the flame!  This is the whole concept behind the messiah (anointed one)!  He is the oil that connects us to the light of God; our bodies are the wick of the LORD and we discover that we cannot give off light unless we are saturated with the anointed one.

The Hebrews have a saying, “A nephesh (soul) which does not have wisdom is not good.”  Real knowledge is knowledge that has literally become one with the individual with the understanding.  Think of the word “to know” in the Hebrew sense of relations between a man and a woman, “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived” (Gen 4:1). 

The Hebrew word for soul is nephesh; in Gen 2:7 above, the preceeding l lamed (causes the word to be pronounced l^anephesh in that passage; but the word for soul is merely nephesh.)   The l^a at the first of the word is only used as a connector.  Therefore, Nephesh is spelled with only the last three characters (see above) vpn. 

In a candle, there is a connection between the wick and the flame!  The Hebrews claim that connection is good!  There is also a powerful connection between the soul and the word good. There is Hebrew word hatowba which means to make the wick good.  The Hebrews fix the wick before lighting it by pinching the wick and puling in an upward direction.  The word hatowba means to make the wick good.  But what does this have to do with the soul?

Now realize, the nephesh (soul) connects with the physical body in the sense that our thoughts are located within your body.  There is no mystery to our thinking.  However, the Jewish sages say that there is a connection between the word “soul” and the word “good.”  The Jewish people have the saying, “the lamp of Hashem is the soul of the human being.” 

III.  What things shall be hereafter?

According to Hebrew thinking the letters from Aleph to Kaf are representative of the male while the letters from Lamed to Tahv are considered female!  The male letters are a type of mirror image of the female letters.  Therefore, we can research that connection by looking at another Hebrew concept known as Atbash; which literally means Aleph Tav -  Bet shin.  Notice the aleph bet on the next page:

 

Now, using that concept of atbash, let’s take the word , Nephesh vpn and create its atbash mirror image.                 n becomes f; and     

p becomes w; and      v becomes b.  Notice the new word (towb) bwf which means “good” as seen in the passage above.  Therefore, there is a connection between the soul and goodness!  We also learn that there is an opposite bookend relationship with the Bible.  Notice Azby like Atbsh

  

However, the mirror image (just as we see in the natural world) is backwards!  That is to say that which is FIRST in the book of Genesis is LAST in the book of Revelation.  Let’s observe the following instances from Genesis and their corresponding occurence in the Book of Revelation.  Remember that Jesus said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Rev 22:13).     _A B C DE F G H & S T U V W X Y Z ^

Letter	GENESIS	Letter	REVELATION
A	God is source of the light – “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Gen 1:3)	Z	God provides the light – “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Rev 22:16)
B	God provides for fruit trees and the tree of life – “out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden” (Gen 2:9)	Y	God provides for fruit trees and the tree of life – “on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month” (Rev 22:2)
C	A river flowed out of the garden – “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden” (Gen 2:10)	X	A river flowed out of the garden  and there was a tree of Life – “and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life” (Rev 22:2)
D	Introduction of the Curse – “cursed is the ground for thy sake” (Gen 3:17)	W	Removal of the Curse – “And there shall be no more curse” (Rev 22:3)
E	The sinful are kept from the Tree of Life – “he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen  3:24)	V	The sinful are kept from the Tree of Life – “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie” (Rev 21:27)
F	There is a mark put on Cain – “the LORD set a mark upon Cain” (Gen 4:15)	U	The righteous reject the mark that the beast imposes upon mankind – “neither had received his mark upon their foreheads” (Rev 20:4)
G	Enoch walked with God “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Gen 5:24)	T	Church marries & returns with God – “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Rev 19:7).
H	City of Babylon rises and causes confusion – “Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth” (Gen 11:9)	S	City of Babylon is destroyed by God – “Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all” (Rev 18:21)