We are finally here! Revelation. I think about John, the author of this book and what he went through before Yeshua even gave him the Revelation. His brother James was the first of the apostles to be martyred. John was taken to Rome and put in a vat of boiling oil in front of a huge crowd of spectators. Some writings say that he was not just miraculously saved, but uninjured and thousands who witnessed it received salvation. He was then banished to the Isle of Patmos where he received this incredible book of prophecy. He lived to be in his 90’s. The men closest to him all gave their lives sharing the message of salvation.
Simon Peter – Crucified upside down in Rome
Andrew – Crucified on an x-shaped cross. I have seen either in Greece or in Ukraine
James – Put to death by the sword on Herod’s orders in Jerusalem
Phillip – Hanged, crucified, or stoned in Asia Minor
Nathaniel – Flayed alive and beheaded in Armenia
Matthew – Died by sword in Ethiopia
Thomas – Run through with a lance in India
James the Less – Thrown from a tower in Jerusalem, stoned, clubbed, and later mutilated with saws.
Simon the Zealot – Fatally attacked by a mob near the Persian Gulf
Thaddeus – Killed after being shot by arrows in Mesopotamia
These are the men who walked the closest to Yeshua. If, like me and you are watching The Chosen, these are the men that you are growing to love knowing more about who they were. These are the men who when the King above all kings looked at them and said, “Follow Me”, they did so without hesitation, for the rest of their lives, and in turn gave their lives in His name to continue His gospel. And it was when John was in exile that Yeshua reached out to Him and commanded him to write down what he would see after hearing, “I am the א (Aleph) and the ת (Tav), says Adonai, God of heaven’s armies, the One who is, who was and who is coming. (Revelation 1:8)
1 Samuel 8:10-22
[10] Sh’mu’el (Samuel) reported everything Adonai had said to the people asking him for a king. [11] He said, “Here is the kind of rulings your king will make: he will draft your sons and assign them to take care of his chariots, be his horsemen and be bodyguards running ahead of his chariots. [12] He will appoint them to serve him as officers in charge of a thousand or of fifty, plowing his fields, gathering his harvest, and making his weapon and the equipment for his chariots. [13] He will take your daughters and have them be perfume-makers, cooks, and bakers. [14] He will expropriate your fields, vineyards, and olive groves – the very best of them! – and hand them over to his servants. [15] He will take the ten-percent tax of your crops and vineyards and give it to his officers and servants. [16] He will take your male and female servants, your best young men and your donkeys, and make them work for him. [17] He will take the ten-percent of your flocks, and you will become his servants. [18] When that happens, you will cry out on account of your king, whom you yourselves chose. But when that happens, Adonai will not answer you!” [19] However, the people refused to listen to what Sh’mu’el told them, and they said, “No! We want a king over us, [20] so that we can be like all the nations, with our king to judge us, lead us and fight out battles.” [21] Sh’mu’el heard everything the people said and repeated them for Adonai to hear. [22] Adonai said to Sh’mu’el, “Do what they ask, and set up a king for them.” So Sh’mu’el told the men of Isra’el, “Each of you, return to his city.”
I realized when I was typing this scripture out that there was more to Adonai’s frustration with the people than just wanting a human king to rule them instead of Him. It was the fact that they said, “so that we can be like all the nations”. This was never in Adonai’s plan for His people. He called His people to be separate unto Him, just as 1 Peter 2:9 says. But you are a chosen people, the King’s Cohanim (priest), a holy nation, a people for God to possess! Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
A chosen people: Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are a people set apart as holy for Adonai your God. Adonai your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his own unique treasure.
The King’s Cohanim, a holy nation: Exodus 19:6 And you will be a kingdom of Cohanim for me, a nation set apart. These are the words you are to speak to the people of Isra’el.
A people for God to possess: Exodus 19:5 Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine.
To declare the praises of the One: Isaiah 43:21 The people I formed for myself, so that they would proclaim my praise.
What is a king? With the number of movies and tv series, Renaissance festivals, and watching the British royal family, we can all grasp the idea of kingship. My mind went to the thought of how knights would swear fealty to their king, promising to follow them in all things, even into battle and unto death. The king is the supreme sovereign. King or Melek in Hebrew literally means “to follow His word is required”. When we follow the King of Kings, following His word is not a suggestion or a guideline. It is a requirement. Don’t deceive yourselves by only hearing what the Word says, but do it! James 1:22
Melek is made up of the Hebrew letters מ (Mem) ל (Lamedh) and ך (final Kaf) and has a numeric value of 90. As Yeshua is King of Kings, there are some amazing connections between Yeshua Jesus, King of Kings and other words with the numeric of 90. Here are just a few.
Redemption: The Messiah redeemed us from the curse pronounced in the Torah by becoming cursed on our behalf; for the Tanakh says, “Everyone who hangs from a stake comes under a curse.” Galatians 3:13
ently, in silence, dumbness: Though mistreated, he was submissive – he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to be slaughtered, like a sheep silent before its shearers, he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7
Lamb: The next day, Yochanan (John the Baptist) saw Yeshua coming toward him and said, “Look! God’s lamb! The one who is taking away the sin of the world!”
Yah is witness: [16] The Spirit himself bears witness with our own spirits that we are children of God; [17] and if we are children, the we are also heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with the Messiah – provided we are suffering with Him in order also to be glorified with Him.
To pour, to be poured: [16] No, this is what was spoken about through the prophet Yo’el (Joel): [17] ‘Adonai says: “In the last days I will pour out from my Spirit upon everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. [18] Even on my slaves, both men and women, will I pour out from my Spirit in those days; and they will prophesy. [19] I will perform miracles in the sky above and signs on the earth below – blood, fire and thick smoke. [20] The sun will become dark and the moon blood before the great and fearful day of Adonai comes. [21] And then, whoever calls on the name of Adonai will be saved. Acts 2:16-21
What then is Lord? If you have followed my posts for any length of time, you have read this word in Hebrew over and over. Adonai, which means title of the one true God, with a focus on his majesty and authority. Adonai comes from the root word Adon, which translates, “highest power or authority, Lord, Master, Sovereign. When looking at this root we see the letters א (Aleph), ד (Dalet), and נ (Nun). Aleph means “first” and when you combine Dalet and Nun it spells Dan, meaning “judge”. Adon by definition means, “first judge”. This takes us back to Revelation 22:13 I am the א (Aleph) and the ת (Tav), the FIRST and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
[15] And out of his mouth came a sharp sword with which to strike down nations – “He will rule them with a staff of iron.” It is he who treads the winepress from which flows the wine of the furious rage of Adonai, God of heaven’s armies [16] And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:15-16
I found myself asking, “Who is this King?” He is all mighty, and all powerful, in ways I can not even begin to fathom. This is Lord over ALL. Over every kingdom of earth. As we watch wars and rumors of wars unfold, He is still King and Lord over all of it. Pandemics, riots, sickness, poverty, the homeless, the rich, the saved, the lost, HE IS LORD OF ALL.
Psalm 2:6: The earth’s kings are taking positions, leaders conspiring together against Adonai and his Anointed. As we have seen with many verses from the Old Testament, they connect to scripture in the New, and this Psalm is no different. John 18:33-37 [33] So Pilate went back to the headquarters, called Yeshua and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” [34] Yeshua answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have other people told you about me?” [35] Pilate replied, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and head Cohanim have handed you over to me; what have you done?” [36] Yeshua answered, “My kingship does not derive its authority from this world’s order of things. If it did my men would have fought to keep me from being arrested by the Judeans. But my kingship does not come from here.” [37] “So then, “Pilate said to him, “You are a king after all.” Yeshua answered, “You say I am a king. The reason I have been born, the reason I have come into the world is to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”
Instead of stopping a kingdom, it was established. Instead of heeding the prophecy of Zechariah, Rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Tziyon! Shout out loud, daughter of Yerushalayim! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is victorious. Yet he is humble – he’s riding on a donkey, yes, on a lowly donkey’s colt. (Zechariah 9:9), which happened without their notice, they helped push forth the prophecy in Psalm 22, which lays out His crucifixion.
I stand in awe and wonder of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and at times I think that we treat too lightly the things of Adonai. We are able to come boldly before the throne, but we must never forget that our righteousness is as filthy rags. After the death of Isaiah’s earthly king, he had an encounter with THE King. [1] In the year of King Uziyahu’s (Uzziah’s) death I saw Adonai sitting on a high, lofty throne! The hem of his robe filled the Temple. [2] S’rafim stood over him, each with six wings – two for covering his face, two for covering his feet and two for flying. [3] They were crying out to each other, “More holy than the holiest holiness is Adonai-Tzva’ot! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” [4] The doorposts shook at the sound of their shouting, and the house was filled with smoke. [5] Then I said, “Woe to me! I [too] am doomed! – because I am a man with unclean lips, living among a people with unclean lips, have seen with my own eyes the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot!” [6] One of the s’rafim flew to me with a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. [7] He touched my mouth with it and said, “Here! This has touched your lips. Your iniquity is gone, your sin is atoned for.” [8] Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” I answered, “I’m here, send me!” Isaiah 6:1-8
This prophet’s life was changed forever with this encounter. And like Isaiah, our lives will be transformed when we say “yes”, to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And like David, we will proclaim the greatness of our king.
Psalm 24
1[0] By David. A psalm:
[1] The earth is Adonai’s with all that is in it, the world and those who live there. [2] for he set its foundations on the seas and established it on the rivers. [3] Who may go up to the mountain of Adonai? Who can stand in his holy place? [4] Those with clean hands and pure hearts, who don’t make vanities of the purpose of their lives or swear oaths just to deceive. [5] They will receive a blessing from Adonai and justice from God, who saves them. [6] Such is the character of those who seek him, of Ya’akov, who seeks your face. [7] Lift up your heads, you gates! Lift them up, everlasting doors, so that the glorious king can enter! [8] Who is he? This glorious king? Adonai, strong and mighty, Adonai mighty in battle. [9] Lift up your heads, you gates! Lift them up, everlasting doors, so that the glorious king can enter! [10] Who is he, this glorious king? Adonai-Tzva’ot – HE IS the glorious king.
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