This is your host Crystal Sharpe, and welcome to the Ancient Scrolls program.
We are going to do a review of last week’s program and discuss a little the feasts, or cycles of the Lord. Then we will look at the seals that release earthquakes in Revelation. And try to pinpoint the one that will release the dead. What we know from the Word, the teachings of Yeshua and the apostles is that the resurrection and catching up will not occur until the return of Him, Yeshua. The ancients, the apostles and saints looked forward to three things: The coming of Yeshua, the resurrection and the Messianic Kingdom.
I think it important to look a little deeper into Yeshua’s coming at the beginning of Revelation, and what John is writing concerning it. The whole book concerns the return of Yeshua, the coming of Yeshua. His coming sets off other events, and namely the destruction of His enemies, resurrection, and the arrival of His kingdom.
I try to be aware when I am scanning the word, reading at leisure or studying the word, that we are looking at translations of texts and manuscripts that were written thousands of years ago. They, the ancient peoples, had a different perception of the world, of the nations, God, the Messiah, and sometimes a different understanding of some of the prophecies written before their time; their perception of these things, of life was just different than our modern, contemporary way of thinking and living. To understand something written thousands of years ago, we would have to adjust our thinking to their thoughts, their cultures and manners.
For instance, the Jews lived by cycles, they observed the Lord’s cycles: the Sabbath, the sh’mita, and cycle of the Jubilee, the feasts of the Lord (Passover, His death, Unleavened Bread, his perfection, Bikkurim, which is the firstfruits of the barley harvest and represented the resurrection of Yeshua; Pentecost/Shavuot, outpouring of the Holy Spirit; Yom Teruah, the day of Trumpets; Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement, which is the day of sealing; and Tabernacles which is symbolic of the marriage supper of the Lamb found in Revelation 19. So finally, after the fall of Babylon there is going to be a wedding and a marriage supper of the Lamb. The marriage supper does not occur seven years before the fall of Babylon because it is following the cycle that was purposed back in Leviticus 23. The feasts of the Lord are the blueprints of His purposes, His kingdom purposes.
Paul instructed in Colossians 2: Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. It is saying these feasts are about Messiah and what He is going to do through the blueprint of these feast days. If you understand the feasts, you will have a key to unlock understanding of what is going to take place. All the feasts are about His coming. The spring feasts concern His first appearance, His death resurrection and His sending the Holy Spirit. The fall feasts involve His second coming.
The people of the Book, the Jews, followed Sh’mita, the seven year cycle, and understood the appointed time of Jubilee until Israel was carried away to Assyria. When I was looking through some writings here and there concerning Jubilee, I began to understand that Jews, not all of them, but a few had some issues with it. Jubilee was implemented as a release for the oppressed and is the image of the Kingdom of God. It created new beginnings for the oppressed, the chance to start fresh again and to have returned to them those goods that was lost due to unfortunate circumstances. It was the Jubilee of the forgiveness of debt, and we are permitted to view this as our sins (our debts) being forgiven, also.
When people talk about the Tribulation being seven years, they are referring to the sh’mita, a cycle of seven years.
The cycles of the Lord kept the nation of Israel focused on the Lord. Everything revolved around God: their harvests, the Tabernacle, Temple service, their sacrifices, the laws kept them focused on YHVH.
Tonight begins the Lord’s feast of Yom Teruah/Rosh haShanah, there are other appellations: the day of Shouting, Day of the crowning of Kings, the Feast of Ingathering, the Day of Trumpets, also called the End of Days Harvest, the day of the Great Awakening Blast, the Day of the Lord. This Awakening Blast has the theme of resurrection, when those in the graves will be awakened by a shout of the archangel and the trump of God. I Thessalonians 4 and I Corinthians 15 gives us some details of this event: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of an archangel, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. I Corinthians 15:52 tells us the resurrected will be raised incorruptible.
The sages say the gates of heaven were opened on the Day of Trumpets for repentance (this imagery is in Revelation 4:1; and we will see this in Revelation 19 at His appearance). The “Day of Yahweh”, or as we would say in English translations “the Day of the Lord”, is said to begin on this day and go through Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) which is on October 8. In Revelation 1:10, I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet. So here again is another comparison to the feast of Trumpets. The Lord’s Day was not the Sabbath nor the Christian Sunday as some early on had supposed.
The book of Revelation is rich in the rituals and imagery of the Temple service during the fall feasts of Yom Teruah, and Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement, In fact, in Revelation 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven . . .
Revelation 11:19
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament . . .
Revelation 15
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. Also, see Exodus 40.
I will recite the Shema: Shema O Yisrael, the Lord God the Lord is one
Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the earth and those who dwell therein.
Let us pray:
Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe. King over heaven and earth. You bring righteousness, justice and restoration to Your creation. We ask that You breathe on Your people Your breath of life. YHVH Father, cleanse us from all unrighteousness and help us to be conformed to Your likeness and image. Help those who have ears to hear to prepare for the coming persecution, the resurrection and the return of Yeshua. We are at the end of days. Even so, Lord Jesus, come. The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. To that I say, amen.
Last week we spoke on earthquakes accompanying resurrections. The gospel of Mathew recorded an earthquake at Yeshua’s death on the tree, and it awoke many of the saints in their tombs. Another earthquake occurred at the Messiah’s resurrection and those resurrected saints left their tombs to go into the city of Jerusalem and were seen by many. This serves as a pattern for the Messianic age when the resurrected dead will be seen by those who are still alive after the Gog u’Magog war.
Then we explored Ezekiel 37 where the dead, the valley of dry bones received the breath of God. As Ezekiel prophesied there was a noise, and a shaking. The Hebrew word for noise is “kol’’ which means “to call aloud,’’ “proclamation,” “voice” and parallels well with I Thessalonians 4 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of an archangel, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
The prophetic word continues in Ezekiel 37: and behold a shaking (shaking in Hebrew is rah-ash means to undulate, earthquake, quaking, tremble, shaking, rattle), and the bones came together, bone to his bone. This is an exciting visual of what is going to take place at the resurrection. There will be waves that will have this motion of moving up and down like ocean waves along with a quaking sensation, an energetic seismic activity as the bones supernaturally lock together. The flesh enshrouding the skeletons and breath entering them.
Ezekiel then finishes with: 12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
Some would see this prophecy being fulfilled when Israel became a nation. I can see that, but the ancients thought this in a literal sense of Israel being resurrected and going into the Messianic Age.
So, Yeshua’s death and resurrection, and Ezekiel’s vision of the resurrection are accompanied by earthquakes. The book of Revelation mentions four earthquakes and three of them are major according to the vision of John. Some of the earthquakes mentioned in Revelation are found in the writings of the prophets. We look at those also.
The first one mentioned is in Revelation 6:12
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great(the Greek word for great is megas; as strong and violent)earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, [3] when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For thegreat day of his wrath is come(the Day of the Lord); and who shall be able to stand?
Though there is an earthquake in the sixth seal there are no trumpets sounding as Yeshua and Paul indicated would occur at the coming of Yeshua. Matthew 24:31 and I Corinthians 15:52. It seems when I compare Yeshua’s time line of events with Revelation, they parallel. Matthew 24 aids in understanding Revelation.
This scene in Revelation 6 follows the world wide persecution of the Christians under the first five seals, this includes America. The persecution for us has already begun some years ago, and the steps for increasing it though came under the leadership of George W. Bush and flourishing during the Obama years. Persecution is now becoming more acceptable and if things do not change and it isn’t checked it will be a real monster in the next sh’mita cycle.
This earthquake is a preview of what is to come in the seventh seal that will release the seven trumpets and the last trumpet releasing the seven bowl judgments. Seven is the number of completion, when all things have been accomplished, achieved.
So how would I know the resurrection of the righteous has not occurred yet? Well, there is not yet the sounding of the trumpets. The sixth seal does not express Yeshua’s appearance, it is a preparatory note of the most severe circumstances that are yet coming. It is evident that the inhabitants are already stressed about His wrath coming. They are hiding, but it does not seem they are repenting. They just want to get away from Him, but there isn’t any place found where they can hide from Him, so they have to face His wrath that is coming.
And His wrath is coming as we see in Revelation 19.
Revelation 19:11, here is the imagery of the Day of the Lord (YHVH), NowI saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And He who sat on Him was called Faithful and True, and in His righteousness He judges, and makes war.
Even Philadelphia has this imagery of the Day of the Lord, open doors, I am going to read it and then close the program. Next program we will continue on the 6th seal and speak a little more on Revelation and the coming of the Lord.
Ok, Revelation 3:7
And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write: These things says He who is holy, He who is True, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens. I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it, for you have a little strength, have kept my word, and have not denied my name.
But anyway, I am at the end of the program. I hope these scriptures have blessed you and enlightened you today.
Rico Cortes will sing the Aaronic blessing.
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.
