“Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude—like the roar of rushing waters or like the rumbling of powerful thunder—saying,

‘Halleluyah!
For Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot reigns!

Let us rejoice and be glad
and give the glory to Him!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready,

She was given fine linen to wear, bright and clean!
For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the kedoshim (holy ones).’

Then the angel tells me, ‘Write: How fortunate are those who have been invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb!’ He also tells me, ‘These are the true words of God.’”

            —Revelation 19:6-9 TLV

Here in chapter 19 of Revelation, John writes that there is a future wedding – and not just any wedding – the wedding banquet of the Lamb! How marvelous is this new information and invitation! Or is it really new? Let’s take a look in Scripture.

In Matthew chapter 22 (see verses 1-11 for full parable), Yeshua tells a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven, and He compares it to a wedding feast. Yeshua states that a wedding banquet is being prepared; many are invited, but some are not ready. And He even says the right wedding clothes are important.

Again, in Matthew chapter 25, Yeshua tells another parable about wise and foolish virgins (read verses 1-12 for full parable). In this parable Yeshua compares the Kingdom of Heaven (or Day of the Lord) to 10 virgins waiting for their bridegroom. Yeshua states that five of the virgins are wise and five are foolish, but all grow weary in waiting for their bridegroom to appear. When he does appear only the five wise virgins enter into the wedding feast!

“…And those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. Now later, the other virgins came, saying, ‘Sir, Sir, open up for us!’ But he replied, ‘Amen, I tell you, I do not know you.’ Therefore stay alert, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

         —Matthew 25:10b-12 TLV

Now back to the book of Revelation where we read this portion of chapter 19 with new lenses. Yeshua has given us context and some clarity about this event, but John is now seeing and giving us details into this future event at its culmination! I believe these details should encourage us greatly.

1. John sees a great multitude! The encouragement here is that there is a great multitude of Believers throughout time who not only receive the invitation to Yeshua’s wedding banquet, but are seated at the table.
2. This multitude is worshiping and praising God that this day has come! This multitude were like the five wise virgins waiting for their bridegroom.
3. John tells us that the “bride” (of Messiah) has been made ready and has been given the proper wedding attire to wear. John also says that this fine bright and clean linen that the guests are dressed in are the righteous deeds (mitzvah) of the Believers (holy ones).
4. Finally, an angel says to John “how fortunate are those who have been invited to the wedding banquet” and goes a step further to make sure John writes down that “these are the true words of God.” This day and these words are real and true!

I hope you can find great encouragement in these passages as I have over the years. Yeshua has invited a multitude to His wedding day and it is a glorious day! What He asks of us is to be ready ( live a faithful life of devotion to loving Him and others). When we do this, we are fulfilling good deeds (mitzvah) that make us bright and clean on His wedding day.

When we face trials or difficult times, our human tendency can be selfish or operate from the flesh rather than love and the Spirit. I encourage you to picture this day when you are faced with difficult times, days, weeks and even people. When we operate from a place of hope because we have a great future, then we will live out of the place of love and good deeds. Let’s not be those invited who were not ready, but those who overcome through hope and love.

Now take some time to carefully reflect on the questions below and journal your answers.

1. What is God saying through His Word?
2. What is God saying to me?
3. How should/can I respond?

Here in chapter 15 we get another view into a future scene of Heaven. John says he saw another “great and wonderful sign in Heaven,” and this is the sign:

“And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had overcome the beast and his image and the number of his name standing by the sea of glass, holding the harps of God. And they are singing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying,

‘Great and wonderful are Your deeds,
Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the nations!

Who shall not fear and glorify Your name, O Lord?
For You alone are Holy.
All the nations shall come and worship before You,
for Your righteous acts have been revealed!’”

          —Revelation 15:2-4 TLV

John sees another scene of worship in Heaven (note there are a lot of these in Revelation) and again he says the context of this worship scene are those who have overcome.

John says there are those who have overcome the beast and his image and are now standing on the sea of glass worshiping with singing and instruments! They are signing after victory!

I hope you are beginning to see some of the pattern in the book of Revelation that a key element of Heaven and a key element of those who overcome difficulties on Earth both employ worship. If you are finding yourself struggling to overcome difficulties in your life or face the current situation we find ourselves in around the world, might I encourage to use the key element of worship to lift your life and find victory. Join all of Heaven and worship!

Now take some time to carefully reflect on the questions below and journal your answers.

1. What is God saying through His Word?
2. What is God saying to me?
3. How should/can I respond?

“…Each man is to take a lamb for his family… They are to take the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the crossbeam of the houses… When I see the blood, I will pass over you. So there will be no plague among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12: 3, 7, 13).

Passover is the most important Jewish holiday of the year. For the Israelites, Passover led to a new relationship with God as He demonstrated His call upon the Jewish people to be a nation unto Him.

God also placed within Passover a picture of something new He would do in the future. In the Passover lamb, we have an image of the Messiah whose blood established the new covenant by which we can have a relationship with God (Jeremiah 31:31–33, 2 Corinthians 5:17). The apostle Paul proclaims that Yeshua (Jesus) is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He paved the way for something new – in the immediate, their freedom, and a Land where they could thrive. In the future, He sent Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah to free us from sin and give the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence with those who believe.

Whether God brings us out of troubled times or carries us through them, He often uses such circumstances to open the way for fresh things in our lives. He may want to lead us onto a new path or into a new level of intimacy with Him.

God brings us out and through to pave the way for something new, to lead and bless us.

“Here I am, doing a new thing. Now it is springing up – do you know about it? I will surely make a way in the desert, rivers in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).

“Then I heard a loud voice in Heaven saying, ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Anointed One, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters—the one who accuses them before our God day and night—has been thrown out. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even in the face of death.’”

—Revelation 12:10-11 TLV

Chapter 12 of Revelation speaks of the “accuser of the brethren” and the “ancient serpent” or “Satan” being cast down from Heaven to the Earth. Now the point of this section is not to focus on the theological timing of this event, but to draw out how to overcome the evil one.

We see in this chapter that when Believers are faced with the fury of the evil one against them, there is a way to overcome! The Scripture above says that Believers overcome the evil one “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.”  

There is deep meaning to these two statements. One statement is built on the work of another (Yeshua) and an action. The second statement is built upon declaration of our testimony to God’s work in our lives.

1. Overcoming by the blood of the Lamb - Yeshua is our perfect Passover (Pesach) Lamb. He alone has accomplished the work for us, yet we must apply the blood of the Lamb to the doorpost of our hearts and lives to overcome.
2. Overcoming by the word of our testimony - We overcome by faithful commitment to God and by declaring His goodness in our lives. We are even willing to declare that we will not waver from our faith in Yeshua during trials, tribulations or even in the face of death.

I want to encourage you to find hope from this passage. When we apply the blood of Lamb to our hearts and lives and commit to faithfully declaring God’s goodness to us, then we overcome!

Now take some time to carefully reflect on the questions below and journal your answers.

1. What is God saying through His Word?
2. What is God saying to me?
3. How should/can I respond?

Chapter four of Revelation gives us insight into the scene around God’s throne. John says, “immediately he was in the Ruach (Spirit)” and he began to see this eternal reality and scene of worship around God’s throne! Look at what John sees:

“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes all around and within. They do not rest day or night, chanting,

‘Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh
Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot,
asher haya v’hoveh v’yavo!

Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God of Hosts,
who was and who is
and who is to come!’

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. And they throw their crowns down before the throne, chanting,

‘Worthy are You, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
For You created all things,
and because of Your will
they existed and were created!’”

          —Revelation 4:8-11 TLV

What an incredible reality and scene! John says the angels and elders around God’s throne never cease to say that He is Holy, the elders submit to His authority by casting their crowns, and then they proclaim His sovereign rule over all things. I think that we can find hope and ways to overcome difficulty in this life by following the above passage.

1. Seek things above, where Messiah is seated (Colossians 3:1)
2. Focus our minds on things above, not on things on the Earth (Colossians 3:2)
3. Now that our minds are focused on things above, we are ready to join with the heavenly host and PRAISE and PROCLAIM that He is Holy and Worthy
4. Finally, don’t miss this key example from the elders in Heaven: they submit to God’s sovereign rule over all things

If you find yourself with anxiety, fear or uncertainty during these times then follow the example above! Let’s focus our minds on Him so that we can praise and proclaim His holiness even in trying times.

Now take some time to carefully reflect on the questions below and journal your answers.

1. What is God saying through His Word?
2. What is God saying to me?
3. How should/can I respond?

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

3 John 1:2 (NIV)
 

Shalom!

Weeks ago, before the words “coronavirus,” “pandemic” and “social distancing” became part of our daily language, you could turn on the news at any time and hear what was going on in Israel. Now, everyone is so focused on their own slice of the world that Israel barely gets a mention.

We at Jewish Voice are still paying close attention to Israel and what is happening there. Last week, before the start of Passover, Ezra Benjamin and Carly Berna, two of our Jewish Voice staff members, conducted video interviews with four people very familiar with Israel to get an inside look at the situation.

I strongly encourage you to watch these interviews and learn what is taking place in Israel so you know how you can be praying for the Jewish people in this time of great turmoil - and great opportunity.

Yeshua declares He is our Hope and has Overcome.

“The revelation of Yeshua the Messiah, which God gave Him to show to His servants the things that must soon take place.”

            —Revelation 1:1 TLV

In Revelation chapter 1, we find that God is revealing and has revealed Yeshua our salvation, but he wants us to see Yeshua as not just the suffering servant, but also as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Look how John describes Yeshua and how Yeshua reveals himself to John in this chapter.

John says…

“…Messiah Yeshua, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the Earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, kohanim (priest) to His God and Father—to Him be glory and power forever! Amen!”

            —Revelation 1:5-6 TLV

Yeshua then reveals Himself as…

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says Adonai Elohim, “Who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty!”

            —Revelation 1:8 TLV

Next, John begins to describe the revealing of the glorified Messiah…

“I saw One like a Son of Man, clothed in a robe down to His feet, with a golden belt wrapped around His chest. His head and His hair were white like wool, white like snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of rushing waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came forth a sharp, two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at full strength.”

            —Revelation 1:13-16 TLV

John is stunned and even says that he wants to fall down like a dead man, but Yeshua gives John hope, encouragement and inspiration to overcome! Look at what Yeshua says…

“Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the One who lives. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever! Moreover, I hold the keys of death and Sheol (Hell).”

            —Revelation 1:17b-18 TLV

WOW! Look at how Yeshua teaches us:

• Don't Be Afraid!
• He Lives Forever!
• He holds the keys of death and Sheol!

Yeshua gives us the ultimate way to find hope, encouragement, and the path to overcoming by revealing to us that He lives forever and has all authority in Heaven and on Earth. Yeshua shepherds our lives and hearts by encouraging us to look at His overcoming work! My encouragement to you is, “Don’t be Afraid!” We are in unchartered times in history right now, but that doesn’t mean we need to be fearful or that we do not have a hope; our hope is in Him…He has overcome!

I hope this dive into the beginning of Revelation has inspired and encouraged you.

Now take some time to carefully reflect on the questions below and journal your answers.

1. What is God saying through His Word?
2. What is God saying to me?
3. How should/can I respond?