That was the sound of the shofar. At the journey of the Ark, Moses would exclaim: “Arise, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You!’’
Shalom – shalom; peace in the name of Yeshua. This is Crystal Sharpe and welcome to the Ancient Scrolls program.
If by chance some of you enjoy the teachings on this program, I am now in the process of putting these teachings on a website called Ancient Scrolls online.com. I am involved in several things right now so the process is rather slow with getting everything organized, but eventually it will come together.
On the program today we are going to continue to discuss Joel, and the Day of the Lord; because of a particular passage in Joel 3, it is going to be verse 9, we are going to go over some passages on the resurrection in Revelation and in Matthew. If we have some time we will cover some passages concerning Gog and Magog in Ezekiel. This is the end of the age armies that consists of the 70 nations that God lures to Israel for their complete annihilation. This is like Pharaoh and his army drowning in the Red Sea only on a tremendously larger scale.
I will recite the Sh’ma:
Shema, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. The first commandment is to love the Lord Your God with all Your heart, with all Your soul and with all Your strength.
Father,
I thank You for being God. You are the King of the universe, King over the heaven and earth. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 24
Cleanse us from all unrighteousness so that our prayers will not be hindered. We desire our prayers to be effective against the kingdom of darkness. I ask that Your wisdom, knowledge and understanding will permeate Your people.
We thank You for Your plans to make the kingdoms of the world Your own according to Revelation 11. Your Word gives us hope, we can depend on Your strategies to come to fruition. You are the Sovereign Lord over all creation, and over the future. We bless You and bless Your Word. In Yeshua’s name. Amen
For a few weeks we have been going over the Book of Joel and focusing on the Day of the LORD found in Chapter 3 which concerns God judging the nations. It is finally the day when the righteous will be vindicated for all the evil and suffering they have had to endure through the centuries.
Joel 3:1
For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem (and I am thinking there is still coming a time where the world will witness this massive movement of Jews returning to Israel. This will happen because of the nations persecuting them wherever they are; and this will be a sign that the end of the age is near.The Jews will flee to get away, but the nations will pursue them to Israel) , I will also gather all nations and bring down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land.
So here are His gripes, His judgments against all the nations: they scattered his people among the nations, and divided His land. In verse 3 the nations sold the Jewish nation into slavery and sex trafficking. In verse 5 the nations stole His possessions. Let us go read these verses.
Verse 3, They have cast lots for My people, have given a boy as payment for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink. Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon(Lebanon), and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head;
Verse 5, Because you have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples My prized possessions.
It seems here that God has remembered the past bad deeds of the nations and even calls them out for the extreme cruelty they dispensed upon His elect people, but I would add that it is going to happen again during the time of Jacob’s troubles also known as the Tribulation. (Jeremiah 30:7)
I realize that Israel and Judah have broken the covenant with God several times, and that they must be disciplined. As I study His words spoken to the prophets, it appears the nations become overzealous in punishing His elect. Also, they do not exhibit any respect for Him, for His Temple or for His possessions. The nations take His belongings and honor their images with them.
We were speaking about Jacob’s troubles and Zechariah clearly describes the severity of it.
Zechariah 13:8-9
“And it shall come to pass in all the land,” says the LORD, “that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but on-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, this is My people, and each one will say: ‘This is my God.’”
Verse 6, Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem you have sold to the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their borders.
Three nations have been mentioned: Tyre, Sidon, and Greece.
Joel 3:9, Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war!”
God issues this challenge to these hostile nations to gather against Him, and see if they are truly able to war against Him. This portion is similar to the account given in Revelation 19:19
And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him (Yeshua the Messiah) who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Verse 21, And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Obviously Messiah overcomes the nations who hate Him and the mighty ones of those nations become bird food and bird dung, or feces—so goes the way of evil men—they become a dung heap. That is what happens when it comes out the other end, right?
I am going to focus on the next verse for a while and introduce some commentary from Rabbi Don Isaac Abarbanel concerning it. He was a Jew, a Messianic theorist, a statesman, financier, and Bible scholar and commentator in the 15th century.
Then it says: Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up!
Rabbi Abarbanel interpreted this to mean a resurrection of some the dead. It is fascinating because it agrees with Revelation 20:4-6 (Artscroll Joel).
And I saw thrones and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God (Torah), who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
This is the first resurrection with the inclusion of the those who were martyred because they would not worship the beast, his image and would not take mark of the beast on their foreheads or their hands. There were no resurrections before this time except for the resurrection of the dead in Matthew 27 at the death of Yeshua. There were no more resurrections of the dead until Revelation 19 which takes place at the time of Gog; the nations coming against Israel. And since we are talking about the resurrection
Matthew 27:51-53
I am going to read it from the Jewish Annotated New Testament for clarity of events. I am going to begin when the Messiah gives up His spirit on the tree.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After His resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many.
Now I am going to read it from the Ancient Roots Translinear Bible New Testament by Frances Werner. We begin after Messiah gives up His spirit on the tree
Verse 51, At-once, the door facing the temple was cracked-open to two from above and below. The land was shaken and the stones were cracked-open. The burial house was opened and many bodies of the holy-ones that were laid rose. After his raising-up (His resurrection on the third day), they dispersed and entered to the holy city (Jerusalem) and they were appearing to many.
This was amazing information to me. I had not studied this out before until Wednesday. The dead arose, they came to life at the death of Messiah. They did not come forth from their tombs until Yeshua appeared from His tomb andthen they were dispersed throughout Jerusalem.
Absolutely amazing! These saints were raised at Passover and came forth from their tombs at the Lord’s feast of HaBikkurim, which is the dedication of the firstfruits of the barley harvest in the Temple which occurred around March/April; this is the day that Yeshua was resurrected.
The resurrected saints stood erect in their tombs several days waiting for Yeshua to be resurrected and they all came forth and went to Jerusalem.
Revelation 19
And I saw thrones and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God (Torah), who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Abarbanel was correct in his assessment that some of the dead will be roused up, or woke up, in the first resurrection and the rest will be resurrected after the 1000 year Messianic reign of Yeshua.
Joel 3:10
Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am strong.”
Verse 11, Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD.
Verse 12, Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
Psalms 96:13
For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.
I have run out of time and next time we will continue to discuss Joel 3:14, and hopefully do some history on Gog.
Rico Cortes will sing the Aaronic blessing in Hebrew from Numbers 6:24-26.
If it is God’s will I will be here next program. Remember to walk by faith and not by sight. Do two things this week: love and forgive. Ask God to cleanse you from all unrighteousness every day. Keep your spiritual garments clean from wrinkles, spots and blemishes. Love God, love your neighbor.
