Chronological Study (012/365)

Genesis 32:1 – 35:27

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THE GOD OF ISRAEL
(Genesis 32-33)

Genesis 32:1-2 says, “¹ Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. ² Jacob said when he saw them, ‘This is God’s camp.’ So he named that place Mahanaim.”

Reminiscent of Jacob’s vision of the ladder/stairway to Heaven (28:16-17), Jacob again is granted access to see into the spiritual realm. This time, he notices that the angels are with him, not merely going up and down between Heaven and earth. The word “camp” is the Hebrew word מַֽחֲנֶה [H4264] maḥănê (makh-an-ay’), which means a camp, host, or company, whether of soldiers or tribes. And the word “Mahanaim” Jacob chose to name the location is the Hebrew מַֽחֲנַיִם [H4266] maḥănayim (makh-an-ay’-yim), which is the dual of the prior word and means two camps. In other words, Jacob essentially exclaimed, “My camp is here, but so is a heavenly camp of the Lord’s angels!” Whereas Bethel (which means “house of God”), suggested a fixed location for GOD, this maḥănê (camp) implies that the Lord’s heavenly army is mobile. Indeed, GOD is with Jacob, just as He promised He would be (28:15).

In 32:3-5, knowing that he is returning to the land of his father, Jacob takes the initiative to reconnect with his brother Esau because he knows that he will eventually be forced to confront his past. Seeking to find favor in his brother’s sight, Jacob instructs his messengers to go ahead of him to Esau. In the Hebrew, word play is involved between 32:1 and 32:3 with the word מַלְאָךְ [H4397] mal’āḵ (mal-awk’), which does mean messenger when referring to a mere human, but is also translated to mean an angel when referring to the Lord’s messenger. So, the Lord sent messengers (angels) from His camp to meet Jacob, and Jacob decides to send messengers from his camp to meet Esau. When Jacob sends his messengers, he instructs them to address Esau as “lord” and to refer to Jacob as his “servant”. Now, when Jacob calls Esau “lord”, it is important to understand that Jacob is not referring to him as the Lord, or acknowledging him as a god; rather, the word “lord” is the Hebrew אָדוֹן [H113] ‘āḏôn (aw-done’), which means a king, a master, an owner, or someone who is in control. Thus, Jacob acknowledging and declaring himself to be in a lower position than Esau was an act of humility. In fact, this act of humility is a redemptive role reversal of when Jacob took advantage of Esau in order to acquire his birthright and blessing (25:29-34; 27:5-38). Essentially, Jacob’s actions declared that he was not first; moreover, he desired for Esau to be blessed.

In 32:6-8, Jacob’s messengers returned and stated that Esau was coming to meet him and that 400 men were with Esau. This news terrified Jacob. Why? Because in 27:41-42, the last memory he had of his brother is when his mother informed him that Esau intended to murder him. After all, with only 318 men, Abraham defeated the combined forces of four kings (14:14-16), so 400 men had the potential of completely wiping out Jacob and his entire line. Consequently, Jacob divided everyone and everything into two camps, thinking that if Esau attacked them, then at least one camp might be able to escape with their lives. Now, the Hebrew word used is מַֽחֲנֶה [H4264] maḥănê (makh-an-ay’), which is the same word that was used to describe the two camps of Jacob’s tribe and the angels of the Lord in 32:1-2. At first, Jacob was one whole camp, but then the fear of his brother tore him in half into two camps. But if the second camp was supposed to be the angels of the Lord who were with him, why did Jacob allow the fear of his brother to overcome him? Simply put, the reason is because Jacob was human and he allowed his emotions to overcome the logical truth that the Lord’s angels were with him. However, despite his fear, in 32:9-12, Jacob responded by turning to the Lord in prayer. Though Jacob did use GOD’s personal name (YHWH) for the first time, Jacob prayed to the GOD of Abraham and Isaac, revealing yet again that he had not committed himself wholeheartedly to a personal relationship with the Lord. In his prayer, he reminded the Lord of all that the Lord had promised him and then he requested for the Lord’s protection while also humbly acknowledging the fact that he was undeserving of all the love and faithfulness the Lord had already shown him, recognizing that he started with nothing and is now blessed to even be able to be two camps. Jacob reflected on his decision to walk with the Lord and how it brought him blessings. Why would the GOD of Bethel abandon him now? Truly, there’s only two paths we can walk in life, either the path of righteousness or the path of wickedness (Deuteronomy 11:26-28; 30:15-20; Proverbs 3:6-7; Ezekiel 18; John 3:18-21; Romans 1:28; 1John 3:4-10). C.S. Lewis might have said it best: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ ” And so Jacob stayed where he was at while waiting for the Lord to guide him under His protection.

In Genesis 32:13-21, Jacob attempted to spend the night where he was at, but apparently was unable to sleep. While waiting for the Lord to respond to his prayer of protection, Jacob formulated a plan and then took action. Jacob decided to send ahead of him a peace offering gift of over 500 animals for Esau to keep for himself. This gift was larger than many towns would have been able to pay in tribute to conquering kings even at later dates, indicating just how much GOD had blessed Jacob. Not only did Jacob send over 500 animals, but in a tactical move of defense, he sent them one drove at a time, and put a space between each drove. If Esau and his men had in mind to conquer and plunder, this would have potentially saved them the trouble of exerting energy in battle. After sending the peace offering ahead of him, Jacob was still unable to sleep and so in 32:22-23, he decided to send everyone and everything across the shallow point of the Jabbok (yab-boke’) river to continue their journey even though it was still dark outside.

However, in 32:24-32, this decision to send everyone and everything across the river left Jacob alone on the other side, and abruptly, “a man” wrestled with him until daybreak. Thus, Scripture reveals a theme of mankind’s unceasing desire to wrestle against each other and against GOD. At first, Leah and Rachel wrestled against each other (30:7-8), then Laban and Jacob wrestled against each other (29:25; 31:26-30), and now Jacob finds himself wrestling with a mysterious “man”. Now, when this “man” saw that Jacob wouldn’t allow Him to prevail against Jacob, the “man” dislocated the socket of Jacob’s thigh where it meets his hip and then He told Jacob to let Him go because the dawn was breaking. Jacob, however, said he refused to let go until the “man” blessed him. In response to Jacob’s request to be blessed, the “man” asked Jacob, “What is your name?” And Jacob answered, “Jacob.” However, the “man” said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Jacob then asked for the name of the “man”, but His response was only, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And then the “man” blessed Jacob. And then as it is written, Jacob named the place Peniel because he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” And then as the sun came up, and the “man” was gone, Jacob continued his journey, limping.

As previously discussed in the topic of theophany, the “man” in this story is none other than the preincarnate Christ, the Lord Himself. For this reason, Jacob named the location פְּנוּאֵל [H6439] penû’ēl (pen-oo-ale’), which means face of God or facing God. It is also the reason the Lord said to Jacob, “you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” How did Jacob prevail? Because he refused to give up; he was determined to be blessed. Jacob refused to let go of the Lord and so he received the Lord’s blessing! Hosea 12:3 will later recount this event by saying, “In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God.”

Now, even though Jacob said that he had seen GOD “face to face”, that does not mean he literally saw the entirety of the Lord’s face. Not only is this an expression that describes personal or intimate contact, but we must remember that the entire wrestling match happened during the darkness of night. For this reason, I believe the Lord instructed Jacob to let go of Him prior to sunrise so that Jacob would not be able to see His face entirely. In fact, the Lord chose to dislocate the socket of Jacob’s thigh to initiate a conclusion to the wrestling match because Jacob refused to let go until he received a blessing. However, to receive His blessing, Jacob had to answer a simple question: “What is your name?” And Jacob answered, “Jacob.” But why did Jacob’s answer of such a simple truth earn him the blessing? Because Jacob’s history had been centered around lies regarding his identity. In Genesis 27:18-19, Isaac asked Jacob who he was, but Jacob lied and claimed to be Esau, the person who rightfully deserved the blessing. But this time, Jacob told the truth and humbly confessed his character flaw and his true identity – he is Jacob, the heel grabber, deceiver, and supplanter (25:26; 27:36). In his past, Jacob had been determined to be blessed even if he had to receive his blessing through deceitful deeds. Though Jacob is still seeking to be blessed (which is a good desire), he is now humble and desires to receive blessings through honesty and hard work. Due to Jacob’s character development over 20 years of being deceived by Laban, Jacob was now humble enough to receive the Lord’s blessing. Hence, the Lord renamed him from Jacob to “Israel”, which is the Hebrew יִשְׂרָאֵל [H3478] yiśrā’ēl (yis-raw-ale’), which means God’s power, God prevails, God fights, or God contends. Thus, the Lord made it known that every blessing and victory Jacob will ever receive will not come from Jacob’s own power out from deception, but due to the Lord’s power, holiness, love, and grace. However, the name Israel also has a meaning of contending with GOD, implying that Jacob wrestled with GOD and will no longer strive against man because all his struggles will now be taken directly to the Lord. And the fact that Jacob wrestled the Lord in the darkness and then became Israel when the sun came up showcases the image of salvation! Consider the following:

In Isaiah 9:2, the prophet speaks of hope in the Messiah and says, “The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.” And then Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 4:16.

In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

In John 12:46, Jesus says, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”

In Acts 26:18, after Jesus blinded Paul (Saul) with light brighter than the sun, Jesus commanded Paul to open the eyes of both Jews and Gentiles “so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in [Christ].”

In Romans 13:12, Paul says, “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

In Ephesians 5:8, Paul says, “you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.”

In Colossians 1:13-14, Paul says, “¹³ For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

In 1Thessalonians 5:4-6, Paul says, “⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; ⁶ so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”

In 1Peter 2:9-10, Peter says, “⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Therefore, Jacob – now Israel – is a representative of GOD-Almighty and now walks in the light as a chosen child of GOD of the royal priesthood. However, so that Israel would understand not to rely on his own power, the Lord dislocated the socket of his thigh; consequently, Israel continued on his journey, blessed by the Lord, but humbled and limping, no longer able to run away from the consequences of his choices. And this entire story paints a beautiful picture that when a person seeks the Lord in prayer and asks to be rescued, that person will encounter a wrestling match with the Lord due to his/her sinful nature of darkness. And when that person wrestles with the Lord while seeking the Lord’s blessing, that person will never walk the same again because that person will be changed, will become a new person, will not rely upon his/her own strength, and will rely upon the Lord. That person will be changed and will walk in the light as a chosen child of GOD of the royal priesthood! Israel became a wrestler who overcomes and receives blessings because the Lord took hold of him. The Lord taught Israel not to grab at the heel of any man, but to hold on to GOD and never let go. If you set out to grab onto GOD, GOD will grab hold of you! For this reason, it is written in James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” And when the Lord grabs hold of you, truly, as it is written in 2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” For this reason, it is also written in Revelation 2:17, “To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”

In Genesis 33:1-3, Israel, now limping, and still having not slept the night before, yet sober and alert, looked up and noticed that Esau and his 400 men were coming toward him. With adrenaline flowing through his veins, Israel divided the children among the two maids, Leah, and Rachel, putting the maids and their children in front, Leah and her children after them, and then Rachel and Joseph last. Why did he do this? Favoritism. Israel positioned them according to prioritized favor, which would have allowed Rachel and Joseph the best opportunity to flee for their lives if Esau and his men attacked. And with Joseph being the only child listed by name, Scripture is setting the stage for his prominent position we will later see. However, in a selfless and masculine act of love, Israel then “passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother”, placing himself between the women and children and the potential threat. Before Israel wrestled with GOD, he planned to stay behind and use his servants as shields to protect himself (32:16-21); however, after receiving his new name and identity, he decided to go ahead of everyone in an act of sacrificial love. This is an example of how the love of GOD changes us from the inside out and realigns us with GOD’s will! The fact that he bowed down to the ground seven times showcases total submission, signifying to Esau that if he had any intentions of battle, then Israel surrendered in advance. Essentially, Israel gave honor to Esau while also requesting mercy and pleading for peace. And then 33:4 says that Esau ran to Israel. How would you feel in that moment if you were Israel, not knowing if your brother is running toward you with excitement or with rage? Yet the verse continues by saying that Esau embraced Israel and then they both wept. 20 years of emotions streamed down their faces in the form of tears. By Esau forgiving Jacob and not attacking him, Esau was showing Jacob the love of GOD (Matthew 6:12-15; 18:21-35; Mark 11:25; Luke 6:37; 7:47; 11:4; 17:3-4; 2Corinthians 2:7-8; Colossians 3:13). After all, as it is written, ‘the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1John 4:20; see also, 1Timothy 5:8).

In Genesis 33:5-11, Israel continues to address Esau as “lord” and refers to himself as “servant” while explaining that all the animals Esau had seen were a gift for him. Esau, addressing Israel as his “brother” declines the gift at first, but at Israel’s insistence, he finally accepts the gift. Esau’s acceptance of the gift was important to Israel because this was restitution for the wrongdoings he had committed against his brother 20 years ago. Now, in 33:10, when Israel said, “I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably”, he was not implying that Esau was like a god, but merely making a connection of the fact that Esau received him favorably and spared his life just like the “man” did who recently blessed him (32:30). If you remember, Israel believed he saw the “face of God” in that “man” who received him favorably, blessed him, and spared his life. Thus, to be received with such favor is like the encounter he had with the Lord. Therefore, when we act like the Lord, people will see the Lord when they look at us.

In 33:12, Esau says, “Let us take our journey and go, and I will go before you.” The minor details in the language are important. Esau used inclusive language such as “us” and “our” to communicate to his brother that there is no division between them. Further, Esau even offered to go before Israel, signifying that he will ensure Israel’s safety. However, in 33:13-18, Israel, still addressing his brother as “lord” and referring to himself as “servant”, explains that he is unable to travel with Esau and his men because their fast pace would be a strain on all the youth of the children and animals. And then for reasons unknown, Israel tells Esau that he would eventually meet him in Seir (say-eer’). However, the remainder of the passage goes on to state that Israel traveled in the opposite direction to Succoth and then on to Shechem, without ever mentioning Israel going to Seir. Why not? Did Israel lie to his brother? Did he visit him at some point later on yet Scripture doesn’t mention it? Scripture is silent on the matter, but the immediate context seems to imply that Israel won’t allow himself to trust Esau, and he simply desires to continue on his journey without meeting up with his brother. All known details seem to imply that Israel didn’t want to inform Esau where he was going or what he was about to do. Of course, that is mere speculation, but I believe it is a reasonable belief considering all available evidence.

Though Scripture does not say anything more regarding Seir, Scripture does state that the Lord brought Israel back safely to the land of Canaan into the city of Shechem, thus mostly fulfilling His promise made 20 years ago (28:15). And then 33:19-20 concludes with Israel purchasing some land in that city, fulfilling GOD’s promise to Abraham (12:7). Israel then possibly reconstructs the altar Abraham had built there, by building an altar and calling it “El-Elohe-Israel.” Why is this important? Because “El-Elohe-Israel” means “God, the God of Israel”. Therefore, Israel finally made the decision to have a personal relationship with the Lord rather than referring to the Lord as “the God of Abraham” or “the God of Isaac”. The Lord is now the GOD of Israel.

• In Genesis 32:1-2, Jacob had been in awe that a camp of the Lord’s angels had been with him. But are you aware that a heavenly host of the Lord’s angels are with you wherever you are? Do you have the same sense of awe? If you could see them where you are right now, how would that change your perspective regarding your current circumstance?
• In 32:3-5, Jacob took the initiative to restore the relationship with his brother. What followed was a successful restoration and an encounter with the Lord which concluded with the Lord blessing Jacob. But what about you? Is there a relationship that has been broken between you and someone else because of the wrong you’ve committed? If so, are you willing to take the initiative to restore that relationship?
• In 32:9-12, Jacob’s first response to his fear and uncertainty regarding his future was to pray to the Lord. But what about you? Is prayer your last resort or your first response?
• If there are only two paths we can walk, then there are really only two camps in which we can dwell. Where are you walking? In which campground do you dwell?
• In 32:24-32, Jacob refused to let go of the Lord; consequently, he received His blessing. But what about you? Regardless of circumstances, are you determined to never let go of the Lord until you receive His blessing?
• We must be persistent in our faith and refuse to let go of GOD until we are blessed (Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 18:1-8; 11:5-13)! Where in your spiritual life do you need the persistence and endurance of a wrestler?
• In order for Jacob to be blessed by the Lord, he first had to confess his true identity and character flaws of being sinful. Only those who confess their sinful nature showcase a need for the Lord’s blessing. 1John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Are you willing to confess your sinful nature?
• Every wrestling match Jacob ever found himself in, he came out victorious. Have you wrestled with your identity? Have you wrestled against your sinful nature? Have you wrestled against your pride? Have you wrestled against addiction? What things in your life do you need to wrestle against and come out victorious?
• Jacob had been named after his character. But what about you? What if you were named after your character? What would be your name? Liar? Murderer? Pervert? Lustful? Angry? Cheater? Jerk? So… what is your name? Who are you? Confess your name and confess your sins. Wrestle with the Lord and ask for a new identity. What name do you want to have? What would you like to be called? Helper? Encourager? Trustworthy? Honest? Man of GOD? Woman of GOD?
• Have you had a personal wrestling encounter with the Lord that ended up in you being changed and never walking the same again? If so, what is your story? And have you shared that story with anyone? If you have a testimony, are you willing to share your story? Just as we needed to hear Jacob’s story, don’t you think there are people who need to hear your story?
• In Genesis 33:3, Israel placed himself between the women and children and a potential attacker even though he had been injured, he was exhausted, and without sleep. In John 15:13, Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” So, are you loving enough to place yourself between the enemy and those who are weaker or innocent?
• In Genesis 33:10, Israel saw the Lord in Esau due to his lovingkindness. But what about you? When people look at you, do they see a reflection of the Lord? If you have been changed by the Lord, do you not realize that when people look at you, they should see a representative of GOD-Almighty who now walks in the light as a chosen child of GOD of the royal priesthood?

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DEDICATION TO DINAH
(Genesis 34)

Genesis 34:1 says that Leah’s daughter, Dinah, went out one day to visit with other daughters of the land. But 34:2 says, “When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.” Now, Dinah was not to blame for Shechem raping her; Shechem would have been the only person condemned in this scenario. However, a curious question does arise regarding Dinah’s situation: why did she go out to visit with the other daughters of the land? Did she have a good reason to leave the safety of her home or did she go when she should not have traveled? In 1Timothy 5:13, Paul says that some young women, “learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.” So, did Dinah go where she should not have been? We don’t know; Scripture is silent on the matter. But because Scripture describes this event as if it were a normal occurrence for Dinah, it seems likely that she was completely innocent. However, Dinah’s innocence seems to have been combined with complacency. Had she traveled alone? If so, it’s likely that her youthful immaturity led her to be isolated and vulnerable to the attack. But again, even if Dinah had somehow set herself up to enter into a dangerous scenario, Shechem would be the only person condemned in this scenario; Dinah was a victim. However, it’s always good to thoughtfully consider how events unfolded and why things happened the way they did.

It is written that Shechem is the son of Hamor the Hivite. If you remember, Genesis 10:17 informed us that the Hivites are descendants of Ham (one of Noah’s sons), through the Canaanites. They were indigenous inhabitants of the promised land, and they were usually referred to along with other groups such as the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites. Later in our chronological journey, the Lord will command the Israelites to conquer these people and take over the promised land (Exodus 3:8; 23:23; Deuteronomy 7:1).

Genesis 34:3 says, “He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.” Now, when it says that “He was deeply attracted to” Dinah, that English translation comes from two Hebrew words. First, the word דָּבַק [H1692] dāḇaq (dawb-vak’) means to stick to, to cling to, and hence, connected to [someone/something]. Second, the word נֶפֶשׁ [H5315] nep̄ešh (neh’-fesh) means soul, self, life, person, living being, that which breathes the breath of life. Therefore, the Hebrew literally means that Shechem’s soul had connected to Dinah’s soul and stuck to her. As a natural consequence of that sexual relation with her, he experienced and felt the power of GOD’s design of two becoming one (2:24). However, Shechem acted sinfully outside of GOD’s design because Dinah was not his wife and she had been unwilling to become one with him. And because his soul had connected to her, he realized that he “loved” her. Though the Hebrew word אָהַב [H157] ‘āhaḇ (aw-hav’) does mean to love, the irony of this situation is that the proper context of the scenario reveals the opposite. Obviously Shechem did not love Dinah; if he had loved her, he would not have raped her. The truth is that his initial feeling had been lust, not love. However, after he experienced the beauty of his soul connecting to her soul and becoming one with her, he then desired to love her. When Scripture says he spoke “tenderly” to her, the Hebrew word לֵב [H3820] lēḇ (lave) means the inner person, mind, heart, will, conscious understanding. Therefore, the Hebrew literally means that Shechem attempted to speak to Dinah’s heart, the inner most part of who she is, with the hope of her understanding his words. However, that action should have preceded the action of sexual intercourse. And because Shechem defied GOD’s design, he defiled Dinah.

In 34:4, Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, and requested that he acquire Dinah to be his wife. In 35:5, Jacob heard that Dinah had been defiled. Scripture doesn’t state how Jacob heard, but it seems likely that Dinah went back home and shared the horrible news with her father. However, because his sons were tending livestock in a field, Jacob decided to stay silent until his sons returned home. According to James 1:19-20, Jacob’s initial silence seems to be wise, for it is written, “¹⁹ But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

In Genesis 34:6-10, Hamor went to Jacob in order to arrange a marriage between Shechem and Dinah. By this point, Jacob’s sons had also heard the news and arrived, extremely angry. In Hamor’s negotiation for marriage on behalf of his son, he presented an offer of intermarriage, saying, “give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves.” The end goal of this deal would be to unite as one large tribe who would share all the land and resources within the land, thus ensuring their strength and survival. In 34:11-12, Shechem added that he would do whatever it takes and pay any price as long as he could have Dinah as his wife. Though a bride price was typical in the Ancient Near East, it is written in Song of Solomon 8:7 that money cannot purchase love. And how could Dinah ever love the man who raped her? How could Dinah’s father and brothers ever allow her rapist to purchase her? Because Shechem had defiled Dinah, in Genesis 34:13-17, Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father with deceit, telling them that they would only be able to agree to this deal if all males from their tribe became circumcised as they were, because uncircumcision was a disgrace to them. The Hebrew word for “deceit” is מִרְמָה [H4820] mirmâ (meer-maw’), which means deception with a malicious motive. This is the same word used in 27:35 when Isaac told Esau, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” Certainly, Jacob had once been known as a deceiver, but now his sons are far surpassing any deceitful ploy Jacob ever did because their motive in their deception is much darker than anything Jacob ever planned.

Surprisingly, in 34:18, the counteroffer Jacob’s sons presented seemed good and reasonable to both Hamor and Shechem. Now, I can understand why it might have seemed reasonable to Shechem since his desire to have Dinah was so strong, but I am surprised that his father, Hamor, would also believe the demand to be reasonable. What did Hamor have to gain from getting circumcised? But then 34:19-24 reveals an even greater surprise in that the entire tribe agrees to this demand as well. However, the details within those verses explains why they all agreed to the demand of circumcision. In 34:19, Scripture reveals that Shechem was the most respected person in his father’s household. Why? Well, 34:2 informs us that Shechem was “the prince of the land”. But if Shechem was the prince of the land, then it is reasonable to believe that his father, Hamor, was the king or chief of the land. And in 34:20-24, both Hamor and Shechem convinced their people that not only would they receive Jacob’s daughters for their wives, but all of Jacob’s livestock and property would become their own, and by becoming one large tribe, they would become stronger, which would better ensure their safety and survival from potential enemies. Thus, Scripture reveals a picture of deceit from both sides: Jacob’s sons have ulterior motives for convincing Hamor’s tribe to get circumcised; likewise, Hamor’s tribe has ulterior motives for allowing Jacob’s tribe to unite with them. Thus, this tense scenario is like watching two spiders who desire to eat each other – who will initiate the first move of attack and who will be consumed?

In 34:25-26, on the third day after Hamor’s tribe circumcised themselves, while they were still in pain, Simeon and Levi went through the city and killed every male of Hamor’s tribe with the sword. But why did they kill all of the males? Why not just Shechem? We truly don’t know the character of any of those males who got killed, but if Shechem was the prince of the land and his father, Hamor, was the king/chief of the land, then it would have been too risky to keep the other males alive. However, this was an evil deed because circumcision was the sign of the covenant between GOD and His people that would bring divine blessing (17:10-14). The only people who should be circumcised are those who worship GOD (YHWH) and acknowledge Abraham as their father in the faith. While Jacob’s sons were right to insist that circumcision would be necessary in order for both tribes to become one people, their decision to keep GOD out of their plans was wrong. So, not only did Jacob’s sons instruct Hamor’s tribe to do what GOD never commanded them to do, but then Simeon and Levi murdered all the males who received GOD’s covenant. But why did Simeon and Levi murder the males with the sword? Simeon was son #2 and Levi was son #3, both of them brothers to Dinah, sharing Leah as their mother.

After killing Hamor and Shechem, it is written that they took Dinah from Shechem’s house. This means that Dinah had been used as bait, living with Shechem in his house for at least three days until her brothers came and removed her from his house. Though it is almost certain that Shechem didn’t have another opportunity to rape her again due to him being circumcised and in pain, she still lived with her rapist for at least three days. In addition to the trauma Dinah experienced from being raped and then having to live with her rapist for at least three days, she also witnessed Shechem get killed by the sword. Through all of this, the true victim in this scenario had been overlooked; Dinah was neither consulted nor comforted. Can you imagine the trauma Dinah experienced?

In 34:27-29, the remainder of Jacob’s sons went through the city and took plunder from all the slain. In 34:23, Hamor’s tribe had schemed to take all of Jacob’s livestock, but in 34:28-29, in a great reversal, Jacob’s sons took not only all of Hamor’s livestock, but also the surviving children and females. Thus, many Hivites became absorbed into the tribe of Jacob.

In 34:30, angry with Simeon and Levi, Jacob told them that their actions caused the tribe of Jacob to be hated among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Further, believing that the other inhabitants would wage war against them, Jacob feared that they would be destroyed and erased from history. However, because Jacob had remained silent and never took action, Jacob’s sons challenged his leadership and authority and asked their father in 34:31, “Should he treat our sister as a harlot?” However, Jacob does not answer. Perhaps the inspired Scripture ends with Jacob’s silence as a reminder that Jacob’s failure to intervene at an earlier stage may have contributed to the outcome. Regardless, his silence seems to fit his character and calls to remembrance what is written in 25:27: “When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents.”

• Genesis 34 is an often overlooked, avoided, and rarely discussed chapter in the Bible, but Dinah deserves some time for dedicated discussion. This entire chapter was included in the Holy Spirit inspired Scriptures as a dedication to Dinah due to the devastation and division caused by the lack of devotion to Dinah and her defilement. I, for one, am in absolute awe that the Lord loved Dinah so much that He made certain that her story would be included in sacred Scripture. But what about you? Do you truly comprehend how much love the Lord had for Dinah?
• In 34:1-2, Dinah got raped by Shechem because she had most likely put herself in a dangerous situation due to lacking both situational awareness and self-defense training. But what about you? Do you go to places you ought not go? Even if you travel to places that are common, do you travel alone and make yourself vulnerable to attack? Are you aware of your surroundings at all times? Have you been trained in any type of self-defense course?
• Have you been a victim of rape? If so, have you received counseling? Have you been able to heal both emotionally and spiritually?
• Do the exegeted details of 34:3 help you to better understand the depth beyond the surface of sexual intercourse? Are you able to better understand GOD’s design of two becoming one?
• Because Jacob remained silent and failed to follow through with any fatherly leadership (34:5), his sons decided to take matters into their own hands and they conjured up a plan to murder the tribe of Hamor (34:13-29). How would you have responded if you were Jacob?
• Shechem freely chose to rape a woman named Dinah; consequently, Jacob’s sons murdered the entire tribe connected with Shechem and then captured all remaining children and females, absorbing them into their own tribe. Can you see how far the reach of sin can go? Do you understand how destructive sin can be when we allow sin to be master over us?
• Are you able to put yourself in the place of Dinah and understand how she might have felt? Dinah had been a victim, but Jacob’s sons created multiple new victims by capturing the children and females alive. The children most likely witnessed their fathers get murdered. The females most likely witnessed their husbands get murdered. Are you able to put yourself in the place of all the children and females who got captured and understand how they might have felt?
• In 34:31, Jacob’s sons essentially presented the argument that their actions of murdering the tribe of Hamor was justified due to Shechem defiling Dinah and treating her as if she had been a harlot. Though this type of behavior was common in the Ancient Near East, do you believe that their actions were justified? Why or why not?
• As Christians within the new covenant, what does the Word tell us regarding seeking revenge?
• As the chronological story of the Bible continues, we will see that Dinah is never mentioned again and that she faded into oblivion. But even when everyone else seems to forget, GOD remembers. When no one seems to notice, GOD notices. When no one else seems to care, GOD cares. When you feel all alone, GOD is present. Think: GOD’s love is the reason this chapter is dedicated to Dinah. So, what does GOD want us to learn from Dinah’s drama? First, we must not allow sexual passion to boil over into evil actions. Passion must be controlled. Sexual sin is devastating because of its eternal consequences (1Corinthians 6:15-20; 10:8-13). Second, we are called to overcome evil by doing good (Romans 12:21). Third, we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:38-48; Luke 6:27-36). Fourth, we are not to seek revenge because GOD is the Avenger (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:17-19; Matthew 26:52).

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WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
(Genesis 35:1-27)

In Genesis 34, Jacob failed to lead as a father after his daughter Dinah got raped; consequently, Jacob’s sons decided to take matters into their own hands and they murdered Hamor’s entire tribe and then looted the city. As a result, Jacob feared that the other inhabitants of the land would join forces to kill him and his entire tribe. However, in 35:1, GOD the Father does not fail to lead and He instructs Jacob to return to Bethel, dwell there, and make an altar there to Him who appeared to Jacob 20 years ago after he fled from his brother, Esau. Now, if you remember, in 28:15, the Lord said to Jacob, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” But what was “this” land? Bethel – the location where the Lord revealed Himself to Jacob in the vision of the stairway to Heaven.

So, in 35:2-3, encouraged and emboldened by his encounter with the Lord, Jacob commands his tribe to get rid of the foreign “gods” among them, to purify themselves, change their garments, and then after doing so, they would all travel to Bethel in order to make an altar to his GOD who has been with him through everything and never left him. And surprisingly, in 35:4, everyone falls into line and acts in faithful obedience to Jacob’s command once again: “So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.”

Now, this oak tree is likely the same “oak of Moreh” (mo-reyh’) mentioned in 12:6 when Abram traveled to the “site of Shechem” where the Lord appeared to Abram and promised him that the land would belong to his descendants, and then Abram built an altar there to the Lord. But why did Jacob’s entire tribe have to be told to get rid of the foreign “gods” among them? Well, evidently the foreign “gods” Rachel stole from Laban (31:19) were still with her, but it’s also likely that some of the foreign “gods” came from the plunder they took after murdering Hamor’s tribe and looting the city (34:25-29). But Jacob commanded his tribe to get rid of those idols.

The burial of these idols at Shechem may be symbolically significant, implying that the wicked actions of Simeon and Levi reflect the influence of polytheism. In fact, later on in our chronological journey, we will see in 1Corinthians 10:20-22 that Paul says, “²⁰ the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. ²² Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?” Therefore, Jacob was preparing his family to properly worship the Lord for when they arrive in Bethel.

In Genesis 34:30, Jacob worried that all the other inhabitants of the land would unite together to kill him and his entire tribe; however, 35:5 states that GOD had placed a great terror upon all the surrounding cities so that they did not pursue Jacob’s tribe as they traveled. So, in 35:6-7, Jacob and his tribe arrive in Luz (which will later become known as Bethel) and Jacob builds and altar there, calling the place “El-bethel” (which means “God of Bethel”, or “The God of the house of God”). In 28:18, Jacob had only constructed a pillar to GOD, but now he constructs an altar to GOD, revealing a personal relationship with the Lord and acknowledging how GOD has been faithful to him.

Now, in 35:8, the narration seems to be abruptly interrupted and says, “Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth” [al-lone’ baw-kooth’] (which means “oak of weeping”). But why is the death of Rebekah’s nurse mentioned yet the death of Rebekah is never mentioned? Why was there never any weeping for Rebekah mentioned? And why was Rebekah’s nurse with Jacob anyway? In 24:59, Rebekah’s nurse is briefly mentioned, yet without name. Here, a name of the nurse has been given as Deborah. It’s possible that her presence with Jacob suggests that she had been sent to him by Rebekah in fulfillment of her promise in 27:45 when she said, “I will send and get you from there”. Nevertheless, Scripture is silent on the matter and so all guesses are mere conjecture. However, one thing seems to be certain: the narration regarding Deborah’s burial is not an abrupt interruption; rather, it is a continuation of the previous narration and showcases a stark contrast to the burial of the false “gods”. No tears were shed while burying the false “gods”; to be rid of those false “gods” is a good riddance. However, there was weeping involved in Deborah’s death.

In 35:9-10, it is written that GOD blessed Jacob. This not only confirms the blessing he received from the Lord in his wrestling match in 32:29, but more importantly, it places Jacob on a par with Abraham and Isaac, of whom similar affirmations were also made (24:1; 25:11). Not only did GOD bless Jacob, but He also reminded him that his name was no longer Jacob, but Israel. So, not only did GOD bring Israel back to the place where he first encountered the Lord (28:10-22), but GOD made it known that the GOD of Bethel is the same GOD who gave Israel his new identity back in 32:24-32 after wrestling with Jacob and dislocating the socket of his thigh. Therefore, the Lord who revealed Himself at the top of the stairway to Heaven is the same Lord who wrestled with Jacob and gave him his new name of Israel. But in 35:11, GOD gives Israel a new name by which he can call the Lord: El Shaddai (which means, “God Almighty” or “God most powerful”). And this is how GOD revealed Himself to Abraham in 17:5-6, and also how Isaac referred to GOD in 28:3-4 when he blessed Jacob. And continuing in 35:11-12, GOD Almighty says to Israel, “¹¹ Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you. ¹² “The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your descendants after you.”

When GOD said, “Be fruitful and multiply”, it was the same command GOD gave to Adam and Eve (1:28) and Noah and his sons (9:1), but it was also the blessing Isaac spoke to Jacob before he fled from his brother (28:3). And when GOD said that nations and kings would come from him, that was the same promise GOD gave to Abraham (17:6,16). Therefore, GOD declares that Israel is indeed the one who will continue what GOD started through Abraham.

In 35:13-16, after GOD finished speaking, Israel set up a pillar, anointed it with oil, and then the entire tribe of Israel continued on their journey toward Ephrath (ef-rawth’). However, on the way, Rachel began to give birth, but she had great difficulty and suffered severely through her labor. In 35:17, a midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.” In fact, the birth of this son was exactly what Rachel had desired. In 30:23-24, after giving birth to Joseph, believing that GOD had taken away her reproach, she named her son Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me another son” because the meaning of “Joseph” is “may he add”, which implied that her prayer was for GOD to give her yet another son. Therefore, this new son was the answer to Rachel’s prayer.

However, 35:18 says that Rachel’s “soul” departed from her body while giving birth. The Hebrew word translated here as “soul” is the same word that had been used in 2:7 when GOD gave Adam the breath of life and he became a “living being”. The Hebrew word is נֶפֶשׁ [H5315] nep̄hešh (neh’-fesh), which means soul, self, life, the inner being of a person, mind, living being, creature, desire, emotion, passion, activity of the mind, will, character, that which breathes, that which possesses the breath of life. This is the same word that had been used in 1:20,21,24,30 which describes all sea, land, and air animals that possess breath. Thus, Rachel breathed her last breath and her body died while giving birth to this new son. However, in her last moments, she named her son ben-‘ônî (bane-o-nee’), which means “son of my sorrow”. But Israel quickly changed the name of his son and called him binyāmîn (bin-yaw-meen’) [or, Benjamin], which means “son of the right hand”, which indicates a place of honor and status. In fact, Jewish commentators note that this name indicates that Benjamin was Israel’s favorite son and that this is consistent with the favoritism shown to both of Rachel’s sons. And later on in our chronological journey, we will see that in a different time period, Psalm 110 will show a similar meaning for this idiom. Therefore, Israel refused to allow Benjamin to be blamed for the death of Rachel and have that horrible character trait follow him his entire life; instead, Israel celebrated the fact that even through death another life came into existence.

But was Benjamin to blame for Rachel’s death? No; in fact, Genesis 30:1 says, “when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or else I die.’ ” And in 31:32, after Rachel stole Laban’s “gods”, Jacob had said to Laban, “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live”. Consequently, Rachel’s death was ironic because she did not die because she had no children; rather, she died while giving birth to a child. Further, Rachel’s death seems to be fulfillment of Jacob’s curse because Rachel had been guilty of stealing Laban’s “gods” and they were in her possession at the time of Jacob’s curse.

Therefore, 35:19 says, “Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” So, Luz later becomes known as Bethel (35:6); likewise, Ephrath will later become known as Bethlehem. Because these minor and seemingly insignificant details will become important later on, we must notate them now so that we will remember them later on when these details arise again.

In 35:20, Jacob set up a pillar over Rachel’s grave, and then 35:21 says they all continued on their journey until Israel stopped and pitched his tent beyond מִגְדַּל־עֵדֶר [H4029] miḡdal-ʿēḏer (mig-dal’-ay’-der), which means “tower of the flock”, indicating that it was a shepherd’s watchtower near Ephrath (Bethlehem).

And then 35:22 seems to once again abruptly interrupt the narration and states, “It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it.” But why so abrupt? Why had evil infiltrated at this time? Why Reuben? Why Bilhah? Well, Dinah had recently been raped (34:2), Israel heard about that yet he failed to take action (34:5), and so Israel’s sons bypassed the authority of their father and took matters into their own hands, murdering all males of Hamor’s tribe, and looted the city (34:13-17,25-29). Further, Rachel had just died (35:18) and they were all traveling without knowing what to expect. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that everyone had been overwhelmed by emotions and most likely filled with anxiety/stress. But the fact that Reuben had sexual relations with his father’s concubine showcases his lack of respect toward his father. Possession of the concubines that belonged to the head of the tribe was presumably a sign of leadership in the tribe. Typically, when the father died, the care and ownership of the concubines (as part of his property) passed to the next head of the tribe. But to seize ownership of the concubines prior to the father’s death would be understood as an act of subversion and disrespect (comparable to seizing land or herds), but would not be unusual if succession to tribe leadership were contested. In this context, Reuben’s offense against his father circumvented proper succession procedures and implies that his father was powerless. Regardless of motive, this act was not as abrupt as it may seem while reading the text; rather, this had been building up like a volcano ready to erupt ever since Israel failed to lead as a father when Dinah got raped.

Reuben was the firstborn and Bilhah had been Rachel’s maid. Therefore, it is likely that because Rachel was no longer around to watch over Bilhah and keep her held accountable, Bilhah seized the opportunity to pursue either pleasure or purpose for herself. But why Reuben? I believe it is reasonable to assume that because he was the firstborn, this was in some way an act of rebellion against Israel on Reuben’s part and a prideful expression of his own authority as the rightful heir and future leader of the tribe. And because Reuben was the oldest son, he would have been the one closest in age to Bilhah. Now, we cannot know for certain, but Bilhah could have chosen to have sexual relations with Reuben because she knew he was the firstborn; consequently, it’s possible that Bilhah had hopes of becoming the main woman/wife of the new future tribe. However, it’s also possible that there existed no ulterior motives other than the primal pursuit of pleasure at the expense of purpose and that they had both been merely led by lust. However, this was not only a great sin against Israel, but also against two of Reuben’s brothers because Bilhah was the mother of Dan and Naphtali (30:4-8). But 35:22 states that Israel heard about this great sin and yet Scripture does not state that Israel did anything about it. And so Israel not only failed to take action against the great sin against Dinah being raped, but now he fails to take action against this great sin of Reuben having sexual intercourse with Bilhah.

And because this great sin involves multiple people, 35:23-26 explains once again the relation between all children in Israel’s tribe. But due to the birth of Benjamin, this list is now updated and complete:

LEAH	ZILPAH	RACHEL	BILHAH
Reuben (01)	Gad (07)	Joseph (11)	Dan (05)
Simeon (02)	Asher (08)	Benjamin (12)	Naphtali (06)
Levi (03)
Judah (04)
Issachar (09)
Zebulun (10)
[Dinah]

In conclusion to this new drama, 35:27 says, “Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre [mam-ray’] of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.” Again, the minor details that seem insignificant should be noted. Mamre was a site near Hebron where Abraham had settled (13:18; 14:13; 18:1) and where Isaac also later lived. The land of Kiriath-arba will later be known as Hebron. So, this one chapter (chapter 35) identifies three locations while clarifying their updated/current names, which indicates the time period it was written – the author wrote at a later time and explained what happened in the past. Therefore, GOD brought Israel to Hebron, which connected him with Abraham and Isaac, highlighting the fact that through Israel the continuance of GOD’s ultimate plan will be fulfilled.

However, a minor detail in 35:27 also reveals yet another omittance of Rebekah. An examination of Scripture reveals that Rebekah was omitted in chapter 30 (14 years after Jacob had fled from Esau), and she was omitted in 31:18 (20 years after Jacob had fled from Esau). Moreover, in 35:8, Scripture mentions the death of Rebekah’s nurse (Deborah) and the weeping that happened due to her death, but no mention is made of Rebekah’s death or any weeping that happened due to her death. And finally, 35:27 only mentions Israel’s father, Isaac, but Rebekah is omitted. And because Rebekah was omitted from all accounts, I think it is reasonable to believe that not only had Rebekah died long ago, but Scripture does not honor her for some reason. But what reason would that be? Well, the last bit of information we knew about Rebekah is that she favored Jacob over Esau and convinced Jacob to deceive his father / her husband Isaac in order to steal the blessing that rightfully belonged to her firstborn, Esau. Consequently, Rebekah might have been omitted because she was not honored. However, Scripture is silent on the matter and so that thought must remain as mere conjecture.

In summary, the sons of Israel disrespected and dishonored their earthly father, but Israel desired to revere and honor his Father in Heaven. And despite the dysfunction within Israel’s family, GOD still chose the Israelites to be His chosen people by which He will accomplish His ultimate plan for His creation. This chapter highlights how life here on this earth can seem to be falling apart, while all the divine pieces in the spiritual realm are falling into place. Even though everything seemed to be going wrong, GOD was causing all things to work together for good, for those who love Him, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

• In Genesis 35:2, Israel commanded his family to get rid of their idols. Unless we, also, get rid of the idols in our lives, they can divert our focus and ruin our relationship with the Lord. Sadly, many people proclaim belief in GOD while at the same time showcasing loyalty to idols. Many people acknowledge GOD without living rightly for GOD. Is that you? Do you claim GOD while living a life of idolatry? An idol is anything that replaces the One true GOD in priority and position. Idolatry extends beyond the worship of idols and images and false gods. Our modern idols are many and varied. Even for those who do not physically bow before a statue, idolatry is a matter of the heart — pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions and ultimately rebellion against GOD in any act of unfaithfulness. Are you placing anything or anyone above GOD in priority and/or position? Money? Pornography? Drugs? Alcohol? A sports team or player? A singer or musician? A social media platform? Who or what is receiving your devotion at the time when you should be devoted to the Lord and His Word? Are you merely acknowledging GOD but not living for GOD according to His will?
• In 35:10, GOD reminded Israel of his new identity – he is someone who will not let go of the Lord until he is blessed; he is someone who holds onto the Lord while the Lord showcases His power on Israel’s behalf. Although everything seemed to be falling apart, GOD reminds Israel that with the Lord everything will fall into place. This was a reminder that Israel needed to keep his eyes on the Lord and obey His commands despite what things might look like in the flesh while in this physical world. Many people wrongly believe that Christianity should enable a life free from problems while only being blessed. As a negative consequence to this wrong belief, many people become disillusioned and abandon The Way and walk away from the Lord, disheartened and disappointed. Instead, we need to learn from Israel and become determined not to let go of the Lord until we receive the Lord’s blessing. However, we typically do not ever receive the Lord’s blessing until we endure the storms of life and prevail in holding on to the Lord. Problems and difficulties in this life here on this earth are inevitable and unavoidable; therefore, we might as well view them as opportunities for growth. After all, how can we prevail unless we have a problem to prevail over? If GOD says He is El Shaddai – GOD Almighty – and that nothing is too difficult for Him (18:14), do you believe Him or not? Who’s your daddy? Is He a good Father, or not (Psalm 103:13)?

Chronological Study (010/365)

Genesis 28:10 – 30:24

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JACOB’S LADDER
(Genesis 28:10-22)

While Esau was attempting to gain his parents’ approval by marrying Ishmael’s daughter, Genesis 28:10-11 informs us that Jacob had left Beersheba and started his journey to Haran but eventually stopped to camp at some location when the sun went down. As Jacob slept, 28:12 says that in a dream, he saw a “ladder”. That word could be translated as such from Hebrew, but because it also means something that is raised up, it could also be translated as a “staircase”. In fact, given what we already know regarding the Tower of Babel being related to a ziggurat, and how the purpose of the ziggurat was to act as the connecting gate to GOD, I believe the raised up structure between Heaven and earth that Jacob witnessed was probably a staircase similar to a ziggurat. After all, the prideful people who attempted to get to Heaven via the Tower of Babel could not get to Heaven, and yet Jacob, who is sleeping flat on the ground, receives a vision from Heaven, showcasing how only the Lord is capable of making this connection. Regardless, this “ladder” or “staircase” stretched from the ground of the earth all the way to the heavens where the stars were seen. Jacob witnessed some angels descending from the heavens to earth and other angels ascending from the earth to the heavens. And 28:13 says that at the top stood the “Lord” יְהֹוָה [H3068] YHWH. And so man is unable to reach Heaven via their efforts of a tower or a stairway, but the Lord is able to come down to man. In 28:13-14, the Lord promises Jacob that the land belongs to him, his descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth, and that all families of the earth will be blessed through his descendants. If those promises sound familiar, it’s because all those promises to Jacob echo earlier promises the Lord gave to both Abraham and Isaac (12:2-3,7; 13:14-17; 17:7-8; 18:18; 22:17-18; 26:3-4).

Within the one verse of 28:15, the Lord states four promises in that the He is with Jacob, He will protect Jacob wherever he goes, He will bring Jacob back to the land he’s now on, and He will not leave Jacob until He has done what He has promised. When YHWH says, “I am with you”, it reminds me of what Jesus will later say to His disciples prior to His ascension in Heaven in Matthew 28:20 when He says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” But why wouldn’t He be with His disciples just as He had been with Jacob? After all, Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” In fact, in John 1:51, while Jesus speaks to Nathanael, He declares that He is the connection in this story with Jacob when He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Therefore, this event with Jacob foreshadows how Jesus is the connection to Heaven and the only way to get to Heaven. And of course, for this reason, Jesus will later say in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Now, when the Lord said He would bring Jacob back to the land, Jacob had no way of knowing that the Lord’s promise would not be fulfilled for another 20 years. However, the promise that the Lord would not leave Jacob until He had done what He promised is interesting because it seems to imply that at some point, the Lord’s favor or blessing will depart from Jacob after the Lord’s promises have been fulfilled. Well, I believe that moment will be seen later on in the great famine which will force Jacob to follow the Lord to Egypt, which we will see starting in Genesis 42.

The conclusion of Jacob’s vision jolted him awake, the fear of the Lord came upon him, he considered the location to be “awesome”, that it was the house of GOD, and the very gate of Heaven (28:16-17). So, what did Jacob do in response to his vision? In 28:18-22, rising early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he used as a pillow, set it up as a pillar, and then poured oil on top of it, seemingly anointing the location. This action is interesting because this is the first time anyone has performed this anointing action with oil thus far in our chronological journey. So, how did Jacob learn to do this? Was he instructed to do this by Isaac or did he merely watch someone else do it and he is now copying that person’s behavior? This passage doesn’t say, but it seems to have been a Canaanite practice, which GOD will later prohibit in Deuteronomy 16:22: “You shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which the Lord your God hates.” Whatever the case may be, GOD will later clarify in great detail as to what to do and why to do certain things within the Mosaic Law. Noteworthy is the fact that while Jacob continues this practice during his stay in Paddan Aram (31:45,51-52) and after he returns to Canaan (35:14,20), following his next encounter with GOD at Peniel (32:22-32), he will construct altars (33:20; 35:1-7), just as Abraham (12:7-8; 13:4,18; 22:9) and Isaac (26:25) had done, with one of these altars being located at Bethel. This shift to making altars may indicate that Jacob undergoes a deep spiritual experience and a personal encounter of correction, but we don’t know for certain. Regardless, Jacob’s motive is pure and his intentions are good in that he truly wants to serve the Lord. The truth of the matter is that Jacob only knew what had been revealed to him, and because the Bible’s salvation story is a progressive revelation which culminates in Christ, Jacob truly did not know much by which the Lord would judge him.

After anointing the pillar with oil, Jacob called the name of the place Bethel, which means “house of God”, and then he made a vow to the Lord. But what is a vow? Vows are binding promises made to GOD while awaiting GOD’s help (Numbers 21:2; 1Samuel 1:11). When GOD’s answer comes, worshipers fulfill their vow by performing what they have promised (1Samuel 1:21; Acts 21:23-24). Later on, Mosaic regulations will address how and by whom vows are to be implemented (Leviticus 7:16; 22:17-25; 23:38; 27:2-11; Numbers 30; Deuteronomy 12:5-28). And since vows are intended to distinguish GOD’s faithful worshipers (Psalm 116:14,17-18), Scripture condemns rash or unfulfilled vows (Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Proverbs 20:25; Ecclesiastes 5:5-6; Judges 11:30-39). But in this current story, Jacob makes a vow that if GOD does what He says, when Jacob returns in safety, “²¹ then the Lord will be my God. ²² This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You” (Genesis 28:21-22). And so yet again, this practice of tithing to the Lord can be seen, and this practice will continue with the future generations of the Israelites. But if we pay attention to details, we will notice that Jacob says YHWH will be “my God”. Why is that significant? Because when Jacob was in the process of deceiving his father in 27:20, Isaac asked how the meal arrived to him so quickly, and Jacob said, “the Lord your God caused it to happen to me.” So, at first, Jacob referred to the Lord as Isaac’s GOD, but now that he encountered the Lord for himself, he promises that the Lord will be his GOD if the Lord brings him back in safety. It’s amazing what a personal encounter with the Lord can do for a person, isn’t it?

• In 28:11, it is written that Jacob used a stone as a pillow for his head while sleeping in the wilderness. When was the last time you used a stone for a pillow or slept outside in the elements? I recall even as recent as last night how I woke up because I thought my pillow was lumpy and uncomfortable even though my pillow is soft and not hard like a stone. I also sleep on a soft bed, but Jacob slept on hard ground. I felt conviction in that moment while reading his story. But what about you? When was the last time you paused in your busy life to reflect on all the blessings you take for granted? Truly, how much do we possess that we simply don’t deserve? Are you truly grateful? Lord, thank You for my blessings that I truly don’t deserve.
• Jacob used a stone as a pillow for his head. When a person is willing to use a stone as a pillow, that person is either harder than woodpecker lips or that person is obviously exhausted. But Jacob – not the outdoorsman (25:27) – fled for his life and ran from his mistakes. Running from your mistakes can lead you to feeling drained and in need of a reset. But what about you? Do you keep running from the mistakes in your life? Are you still running from your mistakes? Do you need to rest in the knowledge of GOD’s saving grace? Take notice of where Jacob rested. On The Rock. You may have mistakes in life, but when you decide to rest on the Rock (Christ Jesus), you’ll be ready for an encounter with the Lord. In fact, this is why Peter says in 1Peter 5:6-7, “⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷ casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” For this reason, Jesus will later say in John 15:5, “apart from Me you can do nothing.” So, are you ready to rest on the Rock?
• In Jacob’s sleep, GOD gave him a personal encounter through a vision. Jacob’s response to this vision is interesting: he was afraid. Perhaps the best parallel to this situation is when Adam hid in the garden because he had been afraid due to the realization of sin in his life (Genesis 3:10). When Jacob woke up, he realized for the first time that he had always been asleep and unaware of the Lord’s presence in his life. And so it is with everyone else in life: we are all asleep until we wake up to the Truth of the Lord in our lives. It was not enough for him to be Abraham’s grandson or Isaac’s son; Jacob had to establish his own personal relationship with GOD (Matthew 3:9; Luke 3:8). It is not enough to hear wonderful stories about Christians in the world or even in your own family; you need to become part of the story yourself (Galatians 3:6-7). Are you asleep or are you awake? Where is the Lord right now?
• In 28:15, when the Lord promised Jacob He would bring him back to the land he was on, Jacob didn’t realize that the Lord’s promise wouldn’t be fulfilled until about 20 years later. But what about you? Is there a promise you’re waiting on? How long has it been? How long are you willing to wait? What if GOD’s perfect timing requires you to wait a little longer?
• In 28:16, Jacob started with a thought-provoking confession: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Why didn’t Jacob realize that the Lord was at that place? Did he consider that location to be too common? Did he believe that the ordinary couldn’t become extraordinary? But what about you? How many common or ordinary locations do you take for granted? Isn’t the Lord also at those locations? And if the Lord is there, how can it be common or ordinary? Wouldn’t that location be extraordinary? I don’t know about you, but the location that comes to my mind is my current place of employment. I often think of my job as being so common, ordinary, mundane, meaningless, and without purpose that this story filled me with conviction. I need to have the mindset while at work that the Lord is there and so that place cannot be ordinary. I should expect an encounter with the Lord no matter where I happen to be. But what about you? What place do you take for granted as being too common or ordinary for an encounter with the Lord?
• In 28:18-19, Jacob took the stone — the hard and uncomfortable part of his life — and dedicated it to the Lord. What are the hard and uncomfortable parts in your life you need to dedicate to the Lord as you strive to know GOD better and grow closer in relationship with Him? Jacob dedicated the hard part of his life and called that place the “house of God”. Do you realize that the hardest parts of your life are where the best experiences of worship can be discovered?
• In 28:21, due to his personal encounter with the Lord, Jacob vows that the Lord will become his GOD and no longer merely the GOD of his father. Do you remember your personal encounter and what changed your mind to proclaim the Lord as your GOD rather than merely the GOD of your parents? What was that encounter? What did you experience?
  

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THE BIRTHING OLYMPICS
(Genesis 29:1 – 30:24)

In Genesis 29:1-2, Jacob, finally reaching the end of his journey “to the land of the sons of the east”, sees the same well that Abraham’s faithful servant Eliezer had seen many years ago (24:11). However, whereas Eliezer had prayed for guidance, Jacob does not. The description of “sons of the east” is an unusual way to refer to the inhabitants of Paddan Aram in northwest Mesopotamia. However, throughout the book of Genesis, the “east” is often associated with those who are expelled or move away from GOD’s presence (3:23-24; 4:16; 21:14; 25:6). Thus, this brief comment is a possible indicator that Jacob’s relatives do not worship the one true GOD (YHWH). In fact, we will later see that Laban does not (31:19).

In 29:4-8, seeing a large stone over the mouth of the well, and men with flocks of sheep and goats standing idly by the well, Jacob asks the men where they are from. After discovering they are from Haran, he asks them if they know “Laban the son of Nahor”. Now, this is interesting because Laban’s father is Bethuel and his grandfather is Nahor (24:24). And so yet again, Scripture passes over Bethuel for some reason unbeknownst to us (24:29,55). But after confirming that they did in fact know Laban and that he is doing well, they point out that his daughter Rachel is actually walking toward the well with sheep at that very moment. Jacob, noticing that it was still in the middle of the day, determined that it was not time for the livestock to be gathered and so he said, “Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.” But they responded, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

Rachel then appears at the perfect time for Jacob just as Rebekah had appeared at the perfect time for Eliezer (24:15). But the fact that it was the middle of the day made this an unusual scenario because, as learned earlier in 24:11, evening time is when the women go out to draw water, not in the middle of the day. So, why was Rachel there? Why were the other men there? I don’t know, but they all had animals. Perhaps this was the time when animals were to receive water and later on in the evening is when the women will come to get water for households.

In 29:9-14, when Rachel arrived at the well, Jacob looked at her and Laban’s sheep with her (for Scripture states she was a shepherdess), and Jacob decided to roll the stone from the mouth of the well and then provide water for her flock. Thus, this is a role-reversal from the story of Rebekah. Whereas Rebekah had provided water for Eliezer’s camels (24:19-20), Jacob is now providing water for Rachel’s sheep. But didn’t the men nearby state that the stone couldn’t be removed until all flocks had gathered? So, why did Jacob move the stone and provide water for Rachel’s sheep? Perhaps with the arrival of Rachel, all flocks had gathered. Further, the men stated that the shepherd would move the stone. Perhaps Rachel (a shepherdess) had intended to move the stone yet Jacob moved it for her. Some commentators suggest that Jacob’s action might have been to show his strength and prove that he would be an asset to Laban’s family. Regardless, after watering her sheep, “Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept” and told her that he was a relative of her father, and that he was Rebekah’s son. After hearing this, she ran and told Laban – just as Rebekah had done in 24:28-29. And just as it happened in the story of Rebekah, Laban came to investigate this time also. Laban then greeted Jacob and invited him to his house. Once in Laban’s home, “he related to Laban all these things”. Afterwards, Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And then Jacob stayed with him for a month.

Now, I find 29:13-14 interesting because there seems to be two possible interpretations for these verses concerning the conversation between Laban and Jacob, and it’s possible that both could be true. The first interpretation is that when Scripture states Jacob “related to Laban all these things”, it could mean that Jacob merely shared the details of how he was related to Laban. However, the second interpretation could imply that Jacob told Laban the entire story as to why he was there, just as Eliezer had done when he visited (24:33-49). But if Jacob explained his entire story, then Laban’s response of “Surely you are my bone and my flesh” might mean more than the mere recognition of being related; rather, Laban could have implied that because Jacob was a man determined to be blessed by any means, then Laban saw a lot of himself in Jacob and he gave Jacob his approval. However, because Scripture does not state as much, it’s best not to read into the text what isn’t clearly stated unless other evidence proves the point and that point provides reason for something that happens within the main storyline. In this case, both interpretations could be true and they don’t affect the main story either way.

In 29:15, Laban says to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Now, keep in mind that 29:14 informed us that Jacob had stayed with Laban and served him for an entire month before Laban spoke those words to Jacob. So, Laban had already used Jacob for labor for an entire month without compensating him for his labor. In an alpha male dominant display of power, Laban took advantage of Jacob’s desperate situation and treated him as if he were a servant, apparently only providing him with the food he needed to live. So, why did Jacob endure such treatment for an entire month? Well, not only had Rebekah not yet sent for him to return home (27:45), but 29:16-18 informs us that Jacob became infatuated with Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel, and desired to have her as his wife. Thus, Laban and Jacob had both been scheming as to how to receive a blessing. However, because of Jacob’s Aperture Appetite for Rachel, he didn’t notice Laban’s deception in the blurred background.

In 29:17, Scripture informs us that “Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face.” The word “weak” is the Hebrew word רַךְ [H7390] raḵ (rak), which means tender, soft, delicate, weak, or frail, and has the implications elsewhere in Scripture of being timid, fearful, or fainthearted. Though the description is brief, it seems to imply that Jacob found Rachel to be more attractive in both form and face. Some people have misinterpreted this verse to mean that Leah had a lazy eye, but the Hebrew doesn’t state this to be the case.

In 29:18, responding to Laban, Jacob presented an offer to work for him seven years to be able to marry Rachel. But why did he offer to serve for seven years? That’s a long time. Well, as we learned earlier in our chronological study, a bride price was paid by the groom to the family of the bride as surety that the marriage would take place. However, Jacob didn’t own anything and so he had nothing to offer except his labor. In 29:19, Laban agreed. And then 29:20 says, “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.”

However, when the time had come for Jacob to receive Rachel as his wife, Laban prepared a feast during the day (29:22), waited until evening, and then sneaked Leah into Jacob’s place under the cover of darkness, and Jacob consummated the marriage with her (29:23). And because this occurred after an entire day of feasting, it might be possible that Jacob had been somewhat inebriated, though Scripture doesn’t state that to be the case. Unfortunately, Jacob didn’t discover that he had taken Leah as his wife until the next morning. Angry, he asked Laban why he deceived him (29:25). Thus, Jacob had once been the deceiver and now he has been deceived. In 29:26, Laban told Jacob that it was not their custom for the younger to be given in marriage before the firstborn, as if to imply that Jacob should have known this and Laban is free of any guilt. Thus, Jacob’s deception won him the blessing of the firstborn birthright, yet now he has been deceived by Leah, who is the firstborn. In 29:27, Laban told Jacob that he would be willing to also give Rachel to him as his wife after Leah’s one-week marriage celebration if he agreed to work another seven years for him. Jacob reluctantly agreed and then 29:30 says, “Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah.”

Now, I find it interesting that at this point in the story, it has been a little over seven years since Jacob arrived at Laban’s home and yet Rebekah has still not sent for Jacob to return. Why not? Is Esau still so angry that Rebekah cannot send for Jacob to return? Is Rebekah even alive or has she died by this point? Did she send a messenger and yet the messenger somehow died and never arrived? Did Laban receive the message yet refuse to share it with Jacob? And what about Isaac? Why didn’t he ever send for Jacob? Scripture is silent. We don’t know.

In 29:31, the Lord saw that Leah was unloved and so He enabled her to become pregnant, yet Rachel remained barren. This reminds me of when the Lord saw that Hagar had been unloved (16:7-11). Clearly, the Lord is the One who sees the unloved. And Rachel being barren reminds me of when both Sarah (11:30) and Rebekah (25:20) had been barren. Clearly, the Lord is the One who gives life in His perfect timing.

In 29:32, Leah gave birth to a son and named him Reuben (reh-oo-bane’), for she said, “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” The name Reuben means “Look! A son!” But it also sounds like the Hebrew for “He has seen my misery.” However, Leah confesses in this statement that she believes Jacob will now love her because she gave birth to his firstborn, and the firstborn is a son.

In 29:33, Leah gave birth to another son, naming him Simeon (shim-own’), saying, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” The name Simeon means “He heard.” In this statement, Leah confesses that Jacob’s love for her did not change and grow greater after she gave birth to Reuben and GOD heard that she is still unloved.

In 29:34, Leah gave birth to another son, naming him Levi (lay-vee’), saying, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” The name Levi means “being attached” or “joined to” something/someone. And so yet again, Leah has hope that because she has now given Jacob three sons, he will realize that his love for her should be greater than his love for Rachel.

In 29:35, after giving birth to her fourth son, Leah said, “This time I will praise the Lord”, and she named him Judah (yeh-hoo-daw’). The name Judah is similar to the Hebrew term for “praise”. And so finally, Leah turns her attention from Jacob to the Lord, no longer declaring that giving birth to a son will make Jacob love her more than he loves Rachel. Now, noteworthy is the fact that our Lord and Savior Jesus will come from the line of Judah (Genesis 49:9-10; Isaiah 11:1; Micah 5:2; Luke 3:33; Hebrews 7:14; Revelation 5:5). And so the moment Leah chose to praise the Lord, the Lord chose that line to be the one from whom He would come because only praise is appropriate for Him. Leah felt unloved and yet the Lord chose her to the be the divine line from whom Christ would come. So, was she loved? Yes. More than she even realized!

In Genesis 30:1-4, Rachel becomes envious of Leah, demands Jacob to give her children, and then he becomes angry with her, telling her he is not GOD and has no control over her womb. Noteworthy is the fact that unlike Isaac who prayed for his barren wife (25:21), Jacob does not pray for his barren wife. In response, Rachel tells Jacob to have sexual relations with her servant, Bilhah, so that through her she may have children. But would the baby truly be her child or would the baby be Bilhah’s child? Well, repeating the mistake Abraham and Sarah made with Hagar (16:1-2), Jacob and Rachel now do the same thing with Bilhah. In 30:6, after Bilhah gave birth to a son, Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore, Rachel named the son Dan (dawn), which means “he judged”. In 30:7-8, Bilhah gives birth to a second son and then Rachel says, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” Therefore, Rachel named the son Naphtali (naf-taw-lee’), which means “wrestle” or “struggle”.

Now, I find it interesting that Rachel declares to have prevailed over her sister in a wrestling match, as if giving birth to children was an Olympic sporting event to be won. But even if it had been some type of sporting event, the scorecard would say that Leah has four points, Bilhah has two points, and Rachel still has zero points. But why was Rachel envious of Leah anyway if Jacob loved her more than Leah and Leah was unloved? And why did Jacob allow this wrestling event to go on between the sisters?

In 30:9-13, Leah, accepting the challenge of this childbearing ‘sporting’ competition, continues to wrestle against her sister. However, no longer getting pregnant herself, Leah gives her servant, Zilpah, to Jacob as a “wife”. Zilpah gave birth to a son, and then Leah said, “How fortunate!” Therefore, Leah named him Gad (gawd), which has a meaning that implies being overcome by troops and receiving good fortune through distribution. So, in other words, Leah declared that she was adding to her troops and to her good fortune via Zilpah’s contribution. Later, Zilpah gave birth to a second son and Leah said, “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” Therefore, Leah named him Asher (ah-sheer’), which means “happy”. But was Leah truly happy or was she merely bragging, hoping to hurt Rachel?

In 30:14-17, after an unknown amount of time passed, Reuben finds mandrakes during the wheat harvest and brings them to Leah. Rachel then asks politely if she could have some of Reuben’s mandrakes, however, Leah, filled with resentment toward her sister, says, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” (Obviously, Leah was not happy.) In response, Rachel presents Leah with a proposition that if she can have the mandrakes, then Leah can sleep with Jacob that very night. Leah agrees, later informs Jacob of the trade, and Jacob complies. And because of that night, Leah conceived and gave birth to a fifth son.

So, Leah claimed that Rachel stole Jacob from her even though the truth of the matter is that it was Leah’s and Laban’s deception that stole Jacob away from Rachel (29:23-27). Leah got angry at Rachel and claimed that Rachel wanted to steal her son’s mandrakes even though the truth of the matter is that Leah later steals the mandrakes from her son so she can sleep with Jacob that night. And Rachel’s Aperture Appetite for the mandrakes causes her to trade Jacob for some food, which seems to be a similar situation we witnessed with Esau’s Aperture Appetite when he traded his birthright for some red stew (25:32-34). Thus, Rachel traded a potential blessing of conceiving that night for some food and then Leah received the blessing of conception, which Rachel despised.

In 30:18, Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” Therefore, she named the son Issachar (yis-sahs-kawr’), which means “he will bring a reward” or “there is recompense”. But did GOD truly bless Leah because she had given her servant to sleep with Jacob? No. In 30:17, it is written, “God gave heed to Leah”. So, the Lord’s decision to bless Leah with conception was directly related to her desire to be with Jacob and to be loved – it had nothing to do with Leah allowing Zilpah to sleep with Jacob.

In 30:19-20, Leah gave birth to her sixth son and said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” Therefore, Leah named her son Zebulun (zeb-oo-loon’), which means “honor” or “exalted”, but it originates from the word meaning to “dwell with me”. Sadly, by Leah giving her son this name, she once again believes that she will be honored by Jacob and that he will choose to dwell with her and love her more than he loves Rachel. From Leah’s perspective, knowing that she is also counting the children who come from the servants, she has given Jacob eight sons whereas Rachel has only given Jacob two sons, both of which were from her servant Bilhah. So, Leah essentially thinks, “How could I not be the clear winner of this competition against my sister? Certainly, Jacob will finally realize that I am the blessed and favored wife and he will finally love me more than he loves Rachel.”

Interestingly, 30:21 says, “Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah” (dee-naw’). But if genealogy is counted and determined by the males, why mention this? Because it’s going to become important in chapter 34.

It is written in 30:22-24, “²² Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. ²³ So she conceived and bore a son and said, ‘God has taken away my reproach.’ ²⁴ She named him Joseph, saying, ‘May the Lord give me another son.’ ”

The name Joseph (yo-safe’) is the future tense of “increase” or “add” and means, “YHWH shall add”. Essentially, Rachel said, “The Lord did this and the Lord will do it again.” Therefore, Joseph, born in GOD’s perfect timing, is the product of GOD’s love and faithfulness. Rachel was not forgotten just as Leah was not unloved. Therefore, both Leah and Rachel were wrong in their beliefs because GOD remembered Rachel and Leah was loved.

Now, if this story were to be summarized as if a sports announcer was commentating on a baseball game, the sportscaster might say something like this: “Well, here in the bottom of the ninth inning, Rachel just smashed a home run; however, Leah is still dominating the game with the score of 8-3. Rachel might have some good momentum right now, but if she’s going to pull off a major comeback, she’s going to need to score six more points. I hate to be a Debbie-downer, but unless a miracle happens, I think Rachel is going to be knocked out of the bracket soon.”

Now, that is the way Leah and Rachel viewed this story, but GOD did not see it as a sporting competition. In fact, envy never should have existed between Leah and Rachel, but that conflict was merely a natural consequence of choosing to live apart from GOD’s design of marriage as one male and one female for one lifetime. And because of Jacob’s disregard for GOD’s design of marriage, Jacob currently has four wives and children from each one of those women. However, Jacob only has one son from Rachel (whom he loves the most [29:30]). Consequently, Scripture is setting the stage for further conflict which will inevitably arise due to favoritism.

LEAH	ZILPAH	RACHEL	BILHAH
Reuben (01)	Gad (07)	Joseph (11)	Dan (05)
Simeon (02)	Asher (08)		Naphtali (06)
Levi (03)
Judah (04)
Issachar (09)
Zebulun (10)
[Dinah]

• Jacob deceiving his brother and father, and listening to his mother’s misguided words had never been GOD’s plan, but GOD created good from the bad Jacob chose to do in order to create a new plan and fulfill His ultimate plan. Take comfort in knowing that your bad choices don’t have to be the end of your story — GOD can and will create good from the bad if you dedicate your life to His will. So, what bad decision did you make in your past that you now regret and pray for GOD to use in a better plan for your future? Do you trust in the Lord?
• Mistakes often take time to correct. A 1990’s advertisement said, “Do the crime, do the time.” Jacob’s bad decisions caused him to serve Laban for 14 years just so he could marry Rachel. If you’ve made mistakes in your life, it’s reasonable to expect that it will take some time to make right the wrongs. Making a big mistake is similar to knocking over a domino. Sometimes, we’re able to prevent all the dominoes from falling, but sometimes all of them fall. Either way, it takes time to rebuild all that has fallen because of one mistake. But in this process of rebuilding, GOD was helping Jacob to build what he never would have otherwise been able to build by his own efforts. But what about you? Can you recall a time when everything seemed to fall apart only to discover that it was GOD’s plan and everything was actually falling into place?
• For seven years, Jacob worked hard for a woman he was not allowed to be intimate with [physically]. Yet it is written that his love for her was such that the seven years seemed to him but a few days. Are you committed enough to endure seven years for someone you love? What do you think the conversations between Jacob and Rachel were like during those seven years?
• Laban benefited financially by using Jacob, but he never benefited spiritually. What good will that do? Jesus will later say in Mark 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”
• Jacob waited 7 years for Rachel, but worked a total of 14 years just to have Rachel as his wife. Most marriages nowadays don’t even last 14 years, but Jacob worked for 14 years just to be married. Many males wouldn’t be willing to work 14 minutes for a woman, let alone 14 years. Actually, allow me to rephrase that: Many men would never be willing to work 14 minutes to earn their places in the privileged place of women’s hearts; however, many men would work countless hours to cheat their way into women’s vaginas. What are you willing to do in the name of love? Not lust. Love. There’s a big difference.
• If you are married, did you work hard for the one you wanted to marry and then stopped working for the one you married? Who is more important and sacred? The one you want to marry but have not yet married? Or the one you have married? So, who should be treated as being more important and sacred? If you do not treat the one you are married to better than you treated that person prior to marriage, you’re living against the design.
• Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend or husband/wife? How much effort did you put forth to earn entrance into that person’s heart? Were you truly grateful to have been invited into such a personal and private place? How much time has passed since you were granted access into the private sanctum of his/her heart? How much effort do you put forth now in comparison to how much effort you put forth when you were first given access into his/her innermost being? Do you take your access for granted? Are you aware that, if at any time you are no longer welcome there, you would be guilty of trespassing? Are you aware that you are not entitled to be there? Do you understand that it is a privilege and an honor to be there? Act accordingly. When was the last time you thanked your partner for granting you access into the most important area of his/her life? The lesson to be learned here is that love is worth the sacrifice. After all, GOD loved you enough to willingly sacrifice Himself just so you could be with Him (John 3:16-17).
• Ishmael/Isaac and Jacob/Esau taught us that favoritism in children create identity crises. But through Leah and Rachel, GOD reveals to us that having more than one spouse also leads to envious, sad, and bitter consequences. But these consequences are not limited to the spouses; they affect the children as well. In fact, the worst fighting and rivalry will occur between Leah’s children and Rachel’s children, and among the tribes who will descend from them. And all this trouble comes into being because Laban put his daughter, Leah, in a horrible position: he forced Leah upon a man who neither wanted her nor loved her. And the Lord saw that Leah was unloved. Leah, like Ishmael, was put in a position in life she didn’t have much control over. But Leah, like Ishmael, also allowed herself to become part of the problem rather than the solution and she allowed the situation to create an identity crisis. If she wasn’t the favorite and most loved wife of Jacob, then who was she? If she was the throwaway daughter and no one’s desired prize, then who was she? But what about you? Who are you? Do you know who you are?
• Leah felt unloved and so she tried to earn Jacob’s love by having children with him. But what about you? In what ways do you try to earn love from those who simply don’t love you? Do your attempts work? Does it bring satisfaction and fulfillment or does it eventually leave you empty once again? Do you truly understand that love is not something that you need to earn but it is something that is freely given to you even though you didn’t earn it?
• GOD’s timing had to be perfect for Rachel to give birth to Joseph. Can you trust GOD when nothing seems to be happening? Are you able to be content with what you have while patiently waiting for whatever GOD has prepared for you?
• Sin seduced siblings and a rivalry reduced relationship to a race to reproduce. Understand this: competition and comparison comes from the conniving counterfeiter. But what about you? Are you comparing yourself to anyone? Are you competing against someone? If you are, do you think that’s what GOD desires for you?
• Jacob would have been wise to reject the servants of Leah and Rachel, even though this was an accepted custom in the ancient Near East. Can you think of anything in your current culture that society has deemed to be acceptable even though GOD declares it to be wrong?
• If our society states that what is wrong is right and what is against GOD’s design is to be accepted, would you do those things? If the sin that would bring you pleasure would become legal and accepted by society, would you indulge in that sin simply because there would be no consequence from society? Or would you act according to GOD’s will? How important is it to know GOD’s will?

The Meaning Of Christmas: Light Of The World (Hanukkah, Festival of Lights, Feast of Dedication)

This is Part 3 in my series about the meaning of Christmas. In Part 1, I addressed the criticism about Christmas being pagan. In Part 2, we learned that GOD tabernacled in a sukkah, a greater and more perfect temple not made by human hands (Matthew 12:6; Hebrews 9:11). Christmas is all about the incarnation, the birth of the Savior, Christ Jesus. However, if the eternal Word entered into time within the world and tabernacled within the divinely designed body of Jesus, what did that mean for the world?

On the last day of Sukkot (Hoshana Rabbah), Jesus publicly declared Himself to be the Living Water and the Messiah, but He didn’t stop there. It is written in John 8:12, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’ ”

Just as Jesus’s declaration to be the Living Water correlated with Sukkot, Jesus’s bold declaration to be the Light also correlated with the Festival of Tabernacles. Giant golden lampstands were lit in the Temple courtyard, and people carrying torches marched around the Temple, and then they set these lights around the walls of the Temple, indicating that the Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6). According to the Mishnah (Sukkah 5:2-3), at the Temple “there were golden menorahs with golden bowls at the top of each…. There was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that was not lit by the light of the festivities.”

During Christmas season, Christians will often decorate their homes with lights and even use candles. But history reveals that even the faithful ones of ancient Judaism used light in their celebration via a menorah. But what is a menorah? It’s a uniquely designed lampstand. Why did they use it? Well, a lampstand, principally the seven-branched lampstand, was constructed initially for use in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-39) and placed in front of the inner curtain that shielded the ark of the covenant (Exodus 27:21). And so, Scripture informs us that the lampstand, though it has seven branches, was one solid piece of pure gold. Throughout the book of Exodus within the construction instructions, things were often purified (such as the gold for the table of Presence) or in one solid piece (such as the lampstand). Think: is the church of purity and in unity? Is the church one body with many parts functioning toward the same common goal? Is Christ the head and the center stem (1Corinthians 12:12-31; Colossians 1:15-20)? In Exodus 25:37, the seven lamps for the lampstand were to be set so that they would project their light forward. If we are part of the one unified body, are we shining our light forward? Whomever or whatever we reflect will determine our direction and projected path. Proverbs 27:19 says, “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man.” For this reason, Jesus said that out from the heart (center/core) of a person will flow his/her true nature (Mark 7:20-23). Also, the menorah has the decorations of an almond tree and, as a tree in the midst of the place where GOD makes His presence known to humans, is to remind Israel of the garden of Eden. Thus, the menorah was to stay lit continually, 24 hours a day, and never allowed to be extinguished (Leviticus 24:1-4). The eternal flame symbolized GOD’s omnipresence. However, in order to keep the menorah lit continually, the priest had to ensure that its oil never ran out.

Eventually, a nine-branched menorah, called a hanukkiyah, became the central symbol of the Jewish festival Hanukkah. So, what is Hanukkah and what is the significance of having nine lamps rather than seven?

Examine John 10:22-30: “²² At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; ²³ it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. ²⁴ The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ ²⁵ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. ²⁶ But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. ²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; ²⁸ and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.’ ”

So, the people who wanted Jesus to tell them plainly if He was the Messiah got extremely angry after He told them plainly that He is, and they wanted to stone Him to death (John 10:31). Now, they didn’t desire to stone Him to death because He claimed to be the Messiah, but because He made Himself equal with GOD (John 5:18; 10:33) and also told them, “you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.” So, Jesus rejected them. However, it’s important to understand that His rejection of them was based on their rejection of Him. Now, Jesus spoke those particular words during winter, at the Feast of Dedication, which is also known as Hanukkah. So, what is Hanukkah? Well, the word חֲנֻכָּה [H2598] hanukkah (kha’-noo-kah) simply means, “dedication” or “consecration.” But that leads us to a curious question: what was being dedicated or consecrated? Well, it was the Temple of GOD, but the festival was due to a past event when it had been rededicated and reconsecrated. But that leads us to another curious question: why would the Temple have been reconsecrated and rededicated unless it had been deconsecrated and defiled?

More than a century before the incarnation, there existed a viciously evil Seleucid king of Syria named Antiochus IV. After his expulsion from Egypt, he invaded Jerusalem to extend his power by forcing the Jews to Hellenize (enforce the “superior” Greek culture). Some Jews defected from the purity of Judaism and “adopted” Hellenism, which revolved around humanism that glorified human pleasure and self-centered desires. In short, they compromised, which allowed the enemy to infiltrate, inundate, indoctrinate, and then dominate. Eventually, an ultimatum was given to all the Jews: either the Jewish community must give up its distinctive customs (Shabbat, kosher laws, circumcision, etc.) or die. In fact, history reveals that Antiochus and his soldiers murdered over 80,000 Jews. Further, to prove his point and attempt to assert his superiority, Antiochus desecrated the Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus (whose image coincidentally resembled Antiochus), sacrificing an unclean pig on the altar, pouring the blood on the Scripture scrolls, and even insisting on being called “Epiphanes” (ep-ee’-fan-nace), which means “God manifest”. This blatant blasphemy sparked a major military and social conflict, which exploded into what is now known as the Maccabean Revolt. Pious faithful Jews went to war to protect their essential Judaism against the danger of Hellenizing Jews, whose collaboration with Hellenistic rulers eventually brought about laws against being Jewish, that living out the Torah was illegal. In other words, the government of that day tried to usurp GOD’s authority and override GOD’s Word. Antiochus had conducted a reign of terror for three years until his defeat by the “Maccabees,” which is from an Aramaic word מַקָּבָה [H4717] maqāḇâ (mak-kaw-baw’), meaning “hammer.” A man named Judah/Judas (Y’hudah) – who was a son of the Hasmonean priest Mattathias – was known as the leader of this revolt and was given the nickname of “Maccabeus,” presumably because of his effectiveness in battle. Just as Peter and the other apostles would later say in Acts 5:29, “we must obey God rather than men,” the Maccabees had declared the same. And against all odds, Judah(s) and everyone else who joined him prevailed over Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) in 164 BC and then led the reconsecration and rededication of the Temple on 25^th of their ninth month (Kislev), which is now celebrated as Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication). Therefore, Hanukkah commemorates this awesome victory over an evil tyrant, who was a type of the future Antichrist who is to come (Daniel 9:24-27; 11:31-45; Matthew 24:3-31; Revelation 13). And based on the deuterocanonical account of the cleansing of the Temple in 1-2 Maccabees (esp. 1Macc 4:36-61), Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days beginning at sundown on 25 Kislev, which usually falls in December. For example, this year in 2022, it will begin on December 19^th, and next year in 2023 it will begin on December 8^th. However, in 2024 it will begin on December 26^th, which is only a day apart from December 25^th, which is the date Christians typically celebrate Christmas (and this is perhaps why gift giving eventually became a tradition during Hanukkah).

Now, the traditional reason for the festival lasting eight days is given in the Babylonian Talmud, where the rabbis explain that after the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple, they desired to light the eternal flame (the symbol of GOD’s presence); however, they found only one day’s worth of undefiled oil. Now, they knew that it would take them about eight days to produce new pure oil; therefore, if they lit the eternal flame, they would run out of their current oil supply before they were able to refill it from their next oil supply. However, they determined that it would be best to light the eternal flame immediately as a symbol of GOD’s victory so that they can praise the Lord. And what followed their faith-filled decision was nothing less than a miracle of GOD, reminiscent of the widow’s oil (2Kings 4:1-7) – the one day’s worth of oil lasted for eight days, ensuring that the eternal flame of GOD’s presence did not go out! Hence, the main observance for this holiday revolves around lighting the hanukkiyah. Jewish families progressively light nightly the special menorah with eight candles, using the center [ninth] candle, known as the shamash, to light all the other ones. The “shamash” means the “attendant” or “servant.” And this is why Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights!

In the Jewish publication, Chanukah, a writer said, “Then the light is kindled to give inspiration, for the light of Messiah must burn brightly in our hearts.” So, looking back at John 10:22-30, I find it interesting that those Jews who desired to stone Jesus to death did in fact have a light of some sort burning within them for the Messiah; however, when they encountered the true Messiah, they rejected Him because He did not conform to their expectations, which were formed from religious traditions. They claimed they were children of GOD, and had even hoped for the Messiah, yet Jesus told them they were not true believers and were not His sheep. That is a sobering and scary thought that someone can claim to be a child of GOD and yet still be rejected by the Lord. For this reason, Jesus had warned people quite a few times that in the end, He might tell them that He never knew them (Matthew 7:21-23; 25:1-13; Luke 13:22-30). Why? Because the people to whom He will say this are evildoers, those who did not do the Father’s will (Matthew 23:2-7; John 8:34-37). After all, why would they desire to kill Jesus when He continually healed people? And so, although those particular Jews had a light within them, it was the light from an all-consuming fire of prideful religious hypocrisy that burned genuine relationship to ashes. But that’s not the light children of GOD are supposed to shine.

Now, as with all the biblical holy days, there are spiritual lessons to be learned. A few of the lessons to be learned from Hanukkah include remaining faithful to the Lord, being courageous, and shining the light of the Lord. But perhaps the most vital lesson is seen in its very name. The festival commemorates a time after great tribulation and an abomination of desolation, when the true worship of GOD was restored in Jerusalem, just as it will be in the future (Revelation 21:1-6). Now, that ancient Temple no longer exists today, but there’s a good reason for that: each follower of Jesus is the holy temple where the Spirit dwells (John 14:23,26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15; Romans 8:9-11; 2Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 1:13-14; Colossians 1:15-20; 2:9). But too often, believers endanger the purity of this sacred temple by allowing idolatry into their lives, just as Antiochus did centuries ago. And so, we should take seriously Paul’s exhortation in 1Corinthians 6:19-20, “¹⁹ do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

In Exodus 37, within the construction instructions for the sanctuary, a theme of purity is evident because we glorify GOD in the holy temple. Holiness is pure and that’s why the Ark of the Covenant, Table of Presence, Lampstand, and Incense Altar needed to possess purity (37:2, 6, 11, 16-17, 22-24, 26, 29).

So, ponder on purity: it is written in Matthew 5:8 that those whose thoughts are pure are blessed and they will see GOD. Purity is commendable. What person commends another for his/her lack of purity? What element is desired to be impure? It should be our goal to remove impurities. Silver (or gold or diamonds for that matter), would not be as valuable or desirable as they are without the process that removes impurities. Why? Purity is beautiful. Isn’t a diamond desired when it meets the four C’s during inspection? The inspector examines the diamond for Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat. And those four C’s determine its quality.

It is written in Proverbs 25:4 that if we remove impurities from the silver, the silversmith can craft a fine chalice. Ponder on this: pure silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals; in fact, pure silver defines conductivity; all other metals are compared to it. This means that the conductivity is reliable. People desire to use pure silver on circuit boards when they need the circuit board to work right the first time and every time. Remove impurities from your life so you can be conducive to GOD’s will for your life and the lives of others. To be as pure as possible, we need only to be in alignment with GOD’s will, which can be discerned by knowing GOD’s Word. The better you are aligned with GOD’s will, the more pure you become in your sanctification process; therefore, your conductivity grows greater and greater. Those who follow GOD’s Word are better equipped to receive GOD’s directions via the Holy Spirit; those who are better equipped to receive GOD’s directions are less likely to get lost.

Paul, speaking to believers in 1Corinthians 15:33-34, said, “³³ Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’ ³⁴ Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.”

It is written in Ecclesiastes 10:1 that dead flies in perfume make it stink, and a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom. The moral of the story is clear: the bad contaminates what is good. Think about it: a person desires his/her drinking water to be pure, right? Would you purchase purified water and then pour dirt in it right before you drink it? Would you put moldy bread in with fresh baked bread? Good and bad don’t belong together. Good that is surrounded by bad stands a great chance of becoming bad. Imagine purified water as the good in your life. Now imagine just a single drop of food coloring as something that is bad. If you were to drip food coloring into purified water, that food coloring would spread and soon the water would no longer be clear. The bad contaminates the good, whether that involves your sex life, what you eat, or the impure thoughts you allow within your mind. Is your holy temple infested with mold? What impurities do you need to remove from your life today? Purity does matter, but the implications are spiritual because unholiness affects our relationship with the Lord and others (Leviticus 20:7-8; Ezekiel 44:23; 1Corinthians 6:18-19; 2Corinthians 6: 14-16; 1Thessalonians 4:3-7). However, we must make this distinction: there is a big difference between a prideful-pious purity that’s based on religious works that claims a “holier than thou” status, and a humble-at-heart purity which acknowledges that we’ve only been cleansed because of the blood of Christ Jesus. The former is religion and the latter is relationship. The religious person will claim that his/her tabernacle is holy because of what he/she has done or abstained from doing out from his/her own strength and greatness. However, the one who has a genuine relationship with the Lord will proclaim that his/her tabernacle is holy because of Christ’s finished works and the power of the Spirit who now tabernacles within him/her! And because the temple is holy, idolatry has no place in our lives! For this reason, the Maccabees purged the temple from evil and Jesus later cleansed the temple because of unholy practices within (John 2:13-17). Both cleansings were done due to them having a genuine relationship with GOD and refusing to compromise what would take away from GOD’s holiness.

Examine both the seven-branched menorah and the nine-branched hanukkiyah: the branches shoot out from the center stem. If we don’t extend from the Center (the Source, the Head), we have no light. And of course, Jesus is the Center! Jesus is the Head! Examine what is written in John 15:1-11: “¹ ‘I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. ⁹ Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

In John 8:12, Jesus said that He is the Light of the world. In John 9:5, Jesus said, “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” But Jesus knew He was going to ascend into Heaven and that’s why He told His disciples (and us) that we are now to be the light of the world. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, “¹⁴ ‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

And so, again, examine the nine-branched hanukkiyah: the center (ninth) candle is the one that gives light to the other candles. I believe we can learn a lot if we examine the shamash (the ninth candle). Again, shamash means “attendant” or “servant.” Remember what the Lord said! Jesus taught us that the greatest shall be the servant of all (Matthew 20:25-27; 23:11-12; Mark 10:42-44; Luke 22:25-26)! Also, the servant is not greater than his/her master (John 13:16). Jesus said He came to be the suffering servant as an example that we should do likewise (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; Luke 22:27; John 13:5-15). Therefore, Hanukkah symbolizes how the Lord, who served us, gave us light. And because the design of the lampstand is to project light forward and provide light for everyone in darkness so that they will be able to see, Christians are to shine their light for everyone in the darkness so that they may see our good works and glorify GOD. But what kind of good works should those in the darkness be seeing from the light-bearers? In John 13:13-15, Jesus said, “¹³ You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.” So, whether we are ensuring justice is done (Micah 6:8), showing compassion (Luke 10:30-37), forgiving others (Matthew 6:14-15; 18:21-35), feeding the hungry, inviting strangers into our homes, providing clothing to those in need, or visiting people in the hospital or prison (Matthew 25:31-46), we are truly children of GOD if we are not only loving GOD with all of our hearts, souls, and minds, but also loving others as we would love ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). Our light, though it is fire, should not burn others, but provide comfort and warmth. Our light, though it is pure, should not blind others, but provide vision and guide people to the straight and narrow path (Proverbs 4:23-27), which leads to the Door, who is Christ Jesus (John 10:7-9; 14:6).

Philippians 2:1-8 says, “¹ Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, ² make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. ³ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴ do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Therefore, in order to shine the light of Christ, we must first and foremost be in Christ and branch out from Christ. Then, after He gives us light, we must shine the light of loving servitude. And in order to shine continually, our oil must never run out (Matthew 25:1-13). The oil is faith and the Holy Spirit continually produces this oil.

And finally, another tradition of Hanukkah that has since developed from the Maccabean Revolt is playing games with a dreidel (a four-sided top). Each face of the dreidel is marked with one of four Hebrew letters: נ nun (nun), ג gimel (gim-el), ה hei (hay), and ש shin (shin), representing the phrase Nes Gadol Hayah Sham (“A great miracle happened there”). However, in Israel, the letter shin is replaced with פ pei (pay) for the Hebrew word meaning “here.”

In conclusion, there is a connection between Judaism and Christianity, and between Hanukkah and Christmas. Hanukkah recalls a military victory for Israel, oil provided for them by GOD, the light of the Lord overcoming the darkness, and true worship being restored. The entire Festival of Lights is a reminder of those who courageously remain faithful to GOD – even in the face of persecution! However, it’s also a reminder of GOD’s miracles and His love for us. If the miracle of Christmas was the birth of Christ, then the miracle of Hanukkah enabled the miracle of Christmas. For without the Jewish people, there would be no Messiah (or Christ) and hence no salvation. But out from GOD’s sovereignty and unfailing love, a Savior was born. And so, this Christmas, may we all remember that the greatest gift we could ever receive was born in a feeding trough for animals beneath temporary shelter (sukkah) outside because the world didn’t have room for Him (Luke 2:7). But what about now? Do you have room for the Savior? He wants to give you the light of life.

Understanding Revelation

Before reading this article, I highly recommend that you first read my other article: Should The Bible Be Taken Literally?

Also, before you begin reading this [lengthy] article, you should do two important things:
(1) Pray to GOD that the Holy Spirit would fill you with wisdom so that you may understand all that is written in His Word and this article.
(2) Commit yourself to investigating every Scripture that I quote. They are easy to skip over while reading this article, but don’t allow yourself to do that. The Scriptures I quote are necessary to understanding what is written.

Now that you have [hopefully] prayed and made a commitment to dedicating yourself to discovery, there are three important things that must be taken into consideration prior to discussing the contents of the book of Revelation.

The first and most important thing to consider is that no one completely comprehends the book of Revelation in its entirety. If anyone should tell you that he/she has decoded it and figured it all out, that person is unaware of his/her blind spots and is ignorant of his/her ignorance. Revelation is riddled with echoes of the Old Testament — especially the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Isaiah. Daniel had even admitted that he didn’t completely comprehend what he had seen and heard (Daniel 8:27; 12:8). Furthermore, GOD has not revealed everything to us because there will be things that will only be revealed at the end of days (Deuteronomy 29:29; Daniel 12:4,9; Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32; Revelation 10:4). But having clarified that concern, may it be understood that a lot can be known about the book of Revelation simply because Revelation is a recap of the entire Bible. One cannot attain a good understanding of Revelation without first knowing the rest of the Bible. Revelation is last in the Bible and it is so for good reason.

A second important thing to consider in light of the first is that there are a few different ways to interpret the book of Revelation and the position depends upon the perspective of the reader. Over centuries, four main approaches of interpretation have developed: Preterist, Futurist, Historicist, and Idealist. Each approach has had capable supporters, but none has proved itself to be the only way to read the book. Regardless of what position the reader holds, we need to interpret with caution and care. We must remind ourselves that most biblical prophecy has both an immediate and a future application. We should never assume that we have “figured out” the future, and we should be careful before labeling current events or leaders as fulfillments of the book of Revelation. In addition to the interpretive approaches, there exists three major positions on the issue of the 1,000 years mentioned in chapter 20: Postmillennialism, Premillennialism, and Amillennialism. These different views about the Millennium need not cause division and controversy in the church because each view acknowledges what is most crucial to Christianity: Christ will return, defeat Satan, and reign forever! Whatever and whenever the Millennium is, Jesus will unite all believers; therefore, we should not let this issue cause division amongst us.

The third important thing to consider is the fact that Revelation, in common with other apocalyptic writings, makes frequent use of numbers. These numbers have special significance:

4: Usually refers to the earth or a place
6: Falls short of perfection
7: Perfection or completeness
12: speaks of GOD’s people
1,000: stands for ‘a great number’

It is also important to remember that John wrote Revelation around AD 95 from the island of Patmos while in exile (1:9). Emperor Domitian had John sent to an isolated place where his spirit may be broken and his words could not be heard. With that in mind, read Romans 8:31-39 and allow the truth of those words to fill you with courage. Though the Roman empire desired to squelch the spread of the Gospel, GOD’s plans always prevail. Through the book of Revelation, it was almost as if GOD had said to the Roman empire, “Your phalanx can never be tight enough nor big enough to push back the army of GOD. Your armor will never be strong enough nor thick enough to prevent the penetration of My Word. For every disciple you kill, more messengers will multiply. Though you imprison or isolate My messengers, My Holy Spirit can never be contained. I will transform stagnation into Revelation and in the depth and darkness in the soil of your dirty deeds of death I have planted seeds of life that will emerge and come to Light. Though you believe your empire to possess power, you will see My power come through you and ultimately consume you.” (See Isaiah 40:8; 1Peter 1:23-25)

“The more often we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed [for the church].”
(~Tertullian from Apology, around AD 197)

The book of Revelation is a letter to seven churches in the province of Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (1:11). This unusual letter is a revelation — an unveiling, uncovering, or revealing — of past, present, and future (1:19). Do not continue reading this until you allow what I just wrote to sink in. Find 1:19 in your Bible and highlight it. To understand Revelation, you must understand that the entire book is about the past, the present, and the future. After highlighting 1:19, find 1:8 and highlight that as well. And somewhere next to 1:8, write “Hebrews 13:8” and then go find that and highlight that as well. Was, is, and will be. Past, present, and future. This is the key to understanding Revelation [apart from knowing the rest of the Bible].

The fact that John was directed to write to seven churches is important because numbers are important in Revelation. Numbers are important in Revelation because numbers are often symbolic; symbolism is prominent within prophecies; Revelation is a prophetic book (1:3; 22:18-19); consequently, many of the numbers found within Revelation are symbolic. John was instructed to write to seven churches. The seven churches were real churches; however, the number seven represents completion. Because GOD has a message for seven churches, GOD also wants all churches to learn from the letters to the real churches (see 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). And as we will discover, the message GOD wants all churches to know will be needed in order to digest the prophetic words that are to come in later chapters. So what message does GOD want all churches to know? To discover this, we must examine the seven letters to the seven churches.

Ephesus:
GOD states that they do the right works, but they have lost the love that should motivate the works. In other words, GOD’s message is that they need to get back to the basics of love being the core and that everything else will come from that love (see Matthew 22:36-40; 1Corinthians 10:12). Keep the passion burning! Keep the fire flickering flames of love! Don’t let the fire burn out! Keep the main thing the main thing! If you don’t have love, you have nothing (see 1Corinthians 13). A promise to the victor is the right to eat from the tree of life in GOD’s paradise, which is the great reversal and restoration of Genesis 3:22-24.

Smyrna:
They are persecuted and in poverty, yet GOD declares them to be rich (2:9; see also Matthew 5:10; 6:19-21). This church receives no rebuke because they are faithful. In fact, the main message to this church is this: when it comes time to either compromise or Christ, be faithful and do not fear (see Matthew 24:13; Philippians 1:21; James 1:12). We must endure until the end even unto death. Life is found only through Jesus. And that is perhaps why a promise to the victor here is that he/she will never be harmed by the second death (see 20:14-15).

Pergamum:
Though they reside at the location of “Satan’s Throne” — which is a difficult place to live — they held on to His name and did not deny their faith (2:13). However, GOD has some things against them. GOD’s main message: Cooperate with those around you, but do not compromise (see Leviticus 18:3-4)! Don’t be a stumbling block to others (see Numbers 31:16; Micah 6:5; Romans 14:13,21; 1Corinthians 8:9; 1John 2:10)! Essentially, you are either gathering or scattering, which means you are either helping Christ or helping Satan (see Matthew 12:30). So choose whom you will serve (see Joshua 24:15)! Jesus concludes by telling them that the victor will receive some hidden manna and a white stone with a new name on it. The hidden manna is Jesus Himself, the Sustainer, the Source of energy and the Bread of Life (see John 4:32; 6:47-51). Scholars are not certain about the meaning of the white stone, but among the most-likely interpretations that may fit the context is a suggestion that the white stones, with names of the recipients inscribed, were given to contest winners of the Roman sport races. This would explain why Jesus said the “victor” will receive it. The white stone inscribed with a personal name presumably served as a pass to a prestigious banquet only attended by the winners (see 19:9). This stone would have been received upon completion of the race. While this is not a particularly Jewish cultural reference, we do know of many biblical examples of the use of Greco-Roman cultural references as illustrations for and by the Jews (see Philippians 3:12-14; 1Corinthians 9:24-27; 2Timothy 4:6-8; Hebrews 12:1). The victor is the one who endures to the end and is granted access to the marriage feast of the Lamb (see “Marriage of the Lamb” for details).

Thyatira:
They have love, faithfulness, service, and endurance; however, they tolerate ‘Jezebel’ and commit sexual immorality. GOD gave ‘Jezebel’ time to repent, but ‘she’ does not want to repent. In 1Kings 16:30-32, we see that Ahab married Jezebel, who worshipped Baal, which caused Ahab to accept, condone, and even promote Baal. This is what I call sleeping with Satan because the one who worships idols and commits sexual immorality is having sex with sin itself. Be careful — the person who sleeps with the enemy and becomes pregnant from sin will give birth to death (see James 1:14-15). Because Ahab was unequally yoked (see 2Corinthians 6:14), Jezebel had contaminated and corrupted the people of Israel and even murdered many of them. You must flee from sexual immorality (see 1Kings 21:23-25; 1Corinthians 6:12-20; 10:8) and stay yoked only to a partner of righteousness who will travel in the same direction as you. Truly, the One we should be yoked to is Jesus (see Matthew 11:28-30). This letter concludes with a promise to the victor that he/she will receive authority over the nations (see 1Corinthians 6:2-3) and the morning star (compare 2:28 and 22:16). Again, Jesus is the prize.

Sardis:
GOD has harsh words for this church: Though there remain a few people who have not defiled themselves (3:4), the church at large is dead (3:1). They have a reputation for being alive yet they are dead inside (see Matthew 23:27-28). They are superficial saints with pious performances, only going through the meaningless motions of redundant rituals of the rigmarole of religion. They were admonished to be alert and strengthen what remains because He has not found their works complete (3:2). They were also warned that He will come like a thief in the night at an unexpected time (3:3; see also Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1Thessalonians 5:2; 2Peter 3:10). The letter concludes with a promise that the victor will be clothed in white and will walk with Jesus (compare 3:4-5 to 16:15; 19:8; 22:14 or see “Sixth Bowl” for details).

Philadelphia:
Though they have limited strength, they have kept His Word and didn’t deny His name (3:8). And GOD will work within their weakness (see 2Corinthians 12:9).  We must be faithful with what we have; we must be good stewards (see Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 12:48; 1Corinthians 4:2). This church receives no rebuke because they were faithful and kept His command to endure (3:10). This letter concludes with a promise to the victor that he/she will receive His name, which represents the loving gesture of claiming us as His children. The victor will also be made a pillar of the sanctuary. A pillar is used as support to strengthen a structure and make it more complete. Though we will not be the foundation, we will all be a part of what makes Heaven so great. And because we are a part of the structure, this implies our permanency in the place of paradise.

Laodicea:
This church receives no praise. GOD states that because they are neither hot nor cold and merely lukewarm, GOD is going to spit them out of His mouth (3:15-16). The people claimed that they need nothing because they are wealthy, but GOD called them wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, naked, and shameful (3:17-18). GOD proclaims His love, advises they accept His discipline, and admonishes them to repent. The insipid are intolerable; their indecisiveness leads to indigestion. Indifference leads to idleness. Fence-sitting, couch-potato, comfort-Christianity receives no praise! (See Hebrews 10:38; 12:4-13; Proverbs 3:11-12) In 3:20, Jesus tells us that He stands at the door and knocks, simply waiting for someone to respond and allow Him in. And when that person allows Jesus within, He will have dinner with that person. Why is this important? In Mark 2: 15-17, we see that this is how Levi — a tax collector — became Matthew, the disciple. Once we allow Jesus within and we fellowship with Him, hearing His Word in itself would be the meal we would be eating; consequently, being filled with the Bread of Life, life would exude out of our very pores and we would be on fire for Christ, thus incapable of being lukewarm. This letter concludes with a promise to the victor that he/she will have the right to sit with Him on His throne. This promise is to say that we will be part of the family and will share in His glory.

Summary of the seven church letters:
Each of the seven letters contained a promise to the “victor.” In order to receive the promises, you must be a victor. How do we become a victor? Stay in alignment with GOD’s Word and His absolute moral standard! Keep the faith and endure until the end! The only way to be a victor is to fight the good fight, endure it until the end, and finish the race. Everyone who finishes the race will be exhausted, but they will also come into rest. Just as GOD rested from His work on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2), we too will come into rest on our ‘seventh day.’ We can picture this life here on Earth as our six days of work and Heaven will be our seventh day of rest. Everything we accomplish in life here on this Earth within our ‘six days’ falls short of perfection. It is only in our ‘seventh day’ that we will come into perfection and receive rest.

Every church leader and congregation member will need to keep their faith and stay in alignment with the Truth of GOD’s Word and absolute moral standard for two important reasons:

1. A lot will happen in the final days that will test our faith. Without knowing what to expect, you may be deceived and fall away.
2. No one knows the day nor hour when Jesus will return.

Chapter 4:
John, “in the Spirit,” is invited into Heaven and sees GOD seated on the throne with 24 thrones around His throne and in those thrones are the 24 elders. Because 12 represents GOD’s people, and since “elders” refers to leaders in both Israel (Numbers 11:16) and the church (1Timothy 1:5), 12 of the 24 represent the tribes of Israel and 12 represent the apostles of Christ, mirroring the reference in the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12,14). The 12 from the Old Testament and 12 from the New Testament equal 24, which represent all of GOD’s people over time, whether under the Law of Moses or grace of Christ. The seven torches are the seven spirits, which represent the perfection of the Holy Spirit (see Isaiah 11:2). The sea of glass like crystal represents the purity and holiness of GOD. John also sees “four living creatures” (4:6) covered with eyes in front and back, which represents GOD’s ability to see all. They each have six wings (4:8). Four creatures; six wings. 4 x 6 = 24. There are 24 wings and 24 elders. Everyone is covered by the grace of GOD!

Chapter 5:
This chapter introduces the scroll with the seven seals. The scroll has writing on the inside and on the back. There is no wasted space and no room for words from anyone else. GOD’s Word is the only Word and the final Word (see 22:18-19). John discovers that no one is worthy and able to open the seals on the scroll — no one except the Lion from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:9; Micah 5:2), the Root of David (Isaiah 11:1), the Slaughtered Lamb (Isaiah 53:7) with the seven horns (omnipotent) and seven eyes (omniscient), which are the seven spirits (Holy Spirit) of GOD sent into all the earth (omnipresent). Of course, the One who is worthy is Jesus! And why is Jesus the One who is worthy? Because Jesus is the One on the throne; Jesus is GOD, the second person in the Trinity. (compare 4:10-11 with 5:12; see also John 10:30)

Introduction to the Seven Seals:
The first four seals reveal the four horsemen (see Zechariah 1:8-11; 6:1-8). There is debate as to whether any or all of what is pictured has already taken place or if it will happen sometime in the future. While conquest (6:2), widespread warfare (6:4), and devastating effects from famine on economies (6:5-6) have occurred throughout history since the first century AD, no catastrophe has devastated a full fourth of the earth, as is described in the fourth seal (6:8), at least not all at once. It is possible, however, that war, famine, plague, and the animals have killed a fourth of the earth’s population over a span of time. For a few reasons that will be explained later in greater detail, I hold the position that the book (or letter) of Revelation was written to help the first century AD Christians stay faithful; however, the depth of GOD’s wisdom in this letter is also for future events. It was first first century Christians, but it is also for us in this present time, and everyone in the future until Christ returns. Some parts of Revelation concern the past, some speak to us in the present, and some are for future events. I can make this claim confidently from the simple fact that the other prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Malachi, Zechariah, etc.) spoke to the current situations of their time while also prophesying of the future. To say that the book of Revelation concerns only the past is [in my opinion] rather nearsighted and almost irresponsible. Many predictions from the Bible were made between 500—1,200 years in advance. An exhaustive study of the Bible reveals around 1,800 predictions: about 70% of the predictions are found in the Old Testament and about 30% in the New Testament. Different scholars have counted around 190 prophecies concerning the anticipated Jewish Messiah and Savior, around 50% of which were fulfilled at Christ’s first coming. A lot from Revelation must concern future events (see the section “The Angel and the Smaller Scroll” below). The “birth pains” spoken of in Matthew 24:5-8 and Mark 13:5-8 are the signs of the end of age and they match the descriptions of much of the first four seals.

First Seal:
Jesus opens the first seal and we see a horseman on a white horse, holding a bow (no arrows mentioned) and with a crown on his head. This horseman represents military, empire, or even political dominance. For reasons that will be explained later in greater detail, I don’t believe this horseman represents Jesus like the white horseman of 19:11-16 clearly does. One reason is that John saw Jesus open the seal and then saw the horseman immediately after. I believe this specific horseman to be the one from Daniel 9:27 (see Matthew 24:15-20) who brings in pseudo-peace that will lead to the abomination of desolation. It is that abomination that initiates GOD’s wrath and causes the great tribulation. This horseman is a demonic mockery of Jesus, who is the true white horseman.

Second Seal:
This seal pictures the release of a horseman on a red horse, which represents  violence, warfare and bloodshed. This horseman is empowered to remove peace (that was present for a short time in the first seal) from the earth and people will slaughter one another. This horseman serves as a mirror-image of one truth seen in two different time periods: in the first century with the Roman empire, but also in the future as well. Ponder on the greatness of GOD and you will realize that GOD explained the end times in a way that first century Christians would understand yet future Christians would also understand. (see Jeremiah 32:27; Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27) Because it is written that a large sword was given to this rider, it seems to be a critique of the pax Romana (Latin for “Roman peace”). The Roman peace was both policy and ideology. Augustus Caesar had boasted that the Roman military machine had established a peaceful order to disparate lands and united the civilized world. But empires rise and empires fall. And peace enforced by the sword is not true peace at all (see Matthew 26:52). Just as the Romans used their swords for authority and judgment, Jesus’ sharp two-edged sword represents ultimate authority and judgment. GOD will have the last word. (see Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16; 2:16; 19:15,21) In whom will you place your trust? (see Psalm 118:8-9) Sadly, humanity is going to place their trust in the empire (see “First Seal”), peace will be removed, and people will eventually fall apart and slaughter one another.

Third Seal:
This seal pictures the release of a horseman on a black horse, which represents famine. The horseman holds a set of scales, which represents unbalanced and unfair inflated prices in the market place. The economic crisis produces injustice and most likely chaos.

Fourth Seal:
This seal pictures the release of a horseman on a pale-green horse, which represents death; in fact, this is the only rider with a name and that name is Death. It is written that Hades followed after him. Hades is the greek version of the Hebrew sheol, which is the realm of the dead. Death passes with Hades (sheol) as a net behind him, gathering the dead. This rider comes because of the first three: wherever there is empire, warfare, and famine, death is sure to follow.

Summary of the Four Horsemen:
GOD uses what humans consider as their refuge to reveal His ultimate power and authority. What had once been humanity’s security blankets that gave them a false sense of security have now been turned upside down. The government they relied upon for their pleasure and benefits became the evil master who put them into hardship, the peace they enjoyed turned into war, prosperity and plenty turned into famine and misfortune, and the good life turned into death, which was no life at all. The four horsemen expose the corrupt and fragile idols for what they truly are.

Fifth Seal:
This seal reveals martyred people of the great tribulation (see 7:13-14). (See “Sixth Seal” for explanation regarding the great tribulation.) The people cried out and wanted to know how much longer it would be until GOD delivers His justice and avenges their blood. GOD tells them to rest a little longer because more must first be killed just as they had been. This reveals GOD’s patience and His desire to see more people come to Him (see 2Peter 3:9). It is written in 2Thessalonians 2:3-4 that rebellion and the man of lawlessness precede the Day of the Lord.

Sixth Seal:
There’s a lot of information and happenings packed into this one seal. To better understand this seal, see Isaiah 2:6-22; 13:10,13; Joel 2:10,31; 3:15-16, Zephaniah 1. When this seal is opened, a violent earthquake occurs, the sun turns black, the moon turns red, the stars fall to the earth like figs dropping from its tree, the sky rolls up like a scroll, and every mountain and island move from their places. Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:24 tell us that the 6th seal events happen after the great tribulation. Therefore, the tribulation most likely occurred in the fourth or fifth seal. As for the stars falling to earth like figs, we know that this is the sign that Jesus is about to return (see Isaiah 34:4; Matthew 24:32-33; Mark 13:28-29). When the events take place, everyone will hide in caves and among the rocks out of fear from the wrath of the Lamb. Jesus’ first coming was love and Truth; His second coming will be Truth and justice. His second coming to us will bring us coming to Him for the final judgment. This section concludes by asking a very important question: Who is able to stand?

Are We In The Last Days?
According to some scholars, the “last days” began with the resurrection of Christ (see Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2). Two possible options to consider: the abomination of desolation must have occurred prior to or during the breaking of the first seal. So either the first seal was broken back when the Roman emperors demanded to be worshipped as gods or we are still awaiting for Jerusalem to have a Temple again and the abomination of desolation has not yet happened. Either the great tribulation already occurred when Christians were persecuted by the Roman empire or the great tribulation has not yet happened. Either way, I believe we are definitely in the last days because Christ already came once before and the next time He comes again it will be to bring everything to an end. Therefore, the question should not be as to whether we are in the last days or not, but the question we should be asking is, “Where are we in the timeline of the last days?” And that of course, is the great debate. I’ll provide my answer (opinion) to that question at the end of this article.

Those Who Are Sealed:
Chapter 6 ended with an important question: Who is able to stand? Of course, everyone will stand — they will stand in front of the great white throne of judgment (see 20:12-14). But GOD marks His children to be saved (7:3; 9:4). This seal of GOD is confirmation that we have been examined and inspected. Once inspected, we are approved and then sealed for security purposes, protected from tampering, and authorized by the King (see Exodus 12:1-13; Ezekiel 9:4; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 2Corinthians 1:21-22). A seal can represent a finished transaction (Jeremiah 32:9-10; John 17:4; 19:30); it can represent ownership (Jeremiah 32:11-12; 2Timothy 2:19); it showcases security (Esther 8:8; Daniel 6:17).

Who Are The 144,000?:
In 7:4, it is written: “And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites.” It goes on to list 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes; however, the 12 tribes are not the usual listed tribes (see Numbers 1:5-15; 1Chronicles 2:1-2). Judah is listed first because Jesus is the Lion of Judah. Dan is missing because Dan had a history and reputation for apostasy (1Kings 12:28-30). It most likely serves as a warning that only those who persevere to the end will be saved. Sadly, not everyone who starts the Christian race will finish the race. Regardless, we know that Israel is GOD’s chosen people and Israel will be redeemed and restored. (See Genesis 13:15; Matthew 19:28; Romans 11:23-26.) The number 12 represents GOD’s people; 1,000 represents a great number. 12 x 1,000 = 12,000 (a great number from each tribe). And 12,000 x 12 = 144,000 (a great number of all tribes of all GOD’s people). Regardless of who the 144,000 are, the important thing to know is that the seal of GOD is given to all believers (3:12; 7:3-5; 14:1; 22:4). We also know that the Jews are not the only ones who are to be saved — the gentiles will be grafted in (Romans 11:11-24; Ephesians 2:11-22; Galatians 3:26-29). We also know that Heaven constitutes a vast multitude of every tribe, nation, and language (Genesis 17:4; Revelation 5:9,11; 7:9). We should not allow the debate of the 144,000 to derail us from the main point: GOD’s people are sealed and protected from GOD’s wrath. Though our earthly bodies may perish, GOD’s people are promised a new spiritual body (1Corinthians 15:40-55).

Seventh Seal:
In 8:1, the opening of the seventh seal brings a long moment of silence as everyone becomes still in revenant awe (see Exodus 14:14; Zephaniah 1:7; Psalm 46:10). We can also say that this is the calm before the storm. The Day of the Lord begins with trumpets. Smoke, incense, and prayers go up and then justice comes down. In 6:10, the martyrs asked how long it would take for justice to come. The answer to their prayers now arrives (see more in “First Trumpet”). In 8:5-6, it is written: “The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; there were rumblings of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.”

The Connection:
The thunder, lightning, and earthquake together is an important sign. The three occur together for the first time at the conclusion of the seventh seal (8:5) and beginning of the first trumpet. The seven trumpets are actually contained within the seventh seal. The opening of the seventh seal reveals the seven trumpets. The sign is next seen together in 11:19 at the conclusion of the seventh trumpet and beginning of the first bowl. The seven bowls are actually contained within the seventh trumpet. So the bowls come out of the seventh trumpet just like the trumpets come out of the seventh seal. This can be compared to perhaps a set of Matryoshka dolls (Russian nesting dolls; stacking dolls) or even a telescoping ladder. Out of one comes another until the plan is fully unraveled and unveiled or revealed. The thunder, lightning, and earthquake sign is next seen together in 16:17-21 at the conclusion of the seventh bowl and beginning of the fall of Babylon and the coming of Jesus.

First Trumpet:
The seventh seal caused an angel to hurl fire to the earth. The first trumpet is the same action, delivered from the prayers of 6:10. The angel hurling down fire is doing this as the first trumpet blows; the events are tied together. If you recall, the martyrs of 6:10 asked, “how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” The first trumpet is the beginning of the judgment in order to avenge their blood. Once the trumpet sounds, hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth to burn up a third of the earth. Why was it mixed with blood? Because GOD is the avenger of blood because blood is life. (See Genesis 4:10; 9:4; Leviticus 17:11; Psalm 9:12; 72:14; 79:10; Isaiah 26:21; Ezekiel 36:18; Revelation 6:10; 19:2.) However, the real avenging of their blood doesn’t culminate until 16:3-6. The first six trumpets echo the plagues in Exodus 7-12.

Second Trumpet:
A huge rock like a mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea and a third of the sea became blood and a third of the living creatures in the sea died. (see Jeremiah 51:25)

Third Trumpet:
A great star blazing like a torch fell from Heaven onto a third of the rivers and springs of water, turning the water bitter. People died from the water because it was bitter. This judgment seems to contrast the blessing and miracle at Marah (which means “bitter” in Hebrew), when Moses — because of the Israelites’ grumbling — threw a piece of wood into the region’s bitter waters and turned them sweet (see Exodus 15:23-25).

Fourth Trumpet:
A third of the sun, moon, and stars (see 12:4) were struck and were darkened. A third of the day and night was without light. (See Exodus 10:21-29; Amos 8:9; Mark 13:24.) This trumpet tells of an eagle crying out a “woe” to the ones living on earth because of what the final three trumpet blasts will bring. The next three trumpet blasts will each be a “woe.” The eagle symbolizes GOD’s imminent judgment swooping down on Israel’s enemies (see Jeremiah 48:40-42). The eagle is also meant to conjure up dread for the unrepentant — they might as well be called the walking dead — but also produce hope for GOD’s people — those who have been sealed (see Exodus 19:4; Isaiah 40:31).

Satan Wages War:
Between the fourth and fifth trumpets, there is a time period of Satan waging war against all of GOD’s children on Earth. In 8:13, we see the warning of the “woes” to “those who live on the earth” because of what will happen next. The next three trumpet blasts (fifth, sixth, and seventh) affect the people of the earth. If we compare 8:12 to 12:4, we can see that the third of the stars are affected because of Satan (dragon). In 12:1-6, we are shown that Satan desperately desired to prevent Jesus from ever being born and coming into the world. In Matthew 2:13-20, we see the events that took place. Satan used Herod in an attempt to kill Jesus and prevent Him from coming into the world. An angel warned Joseph and Mary and they fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s reach (thus fulfilling the prophecy of Hosea 11:1). Herod was so angry that he gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under (which fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:15 and coincides with Revelation 12:17). And this is why Satan was thrown from Heaven down to earth (12:7-9) and the reason for the ‘woes’ to those living on the earth (8:13). There is a ‘woe’ to those on Earth because Satan is now there, thrown down from Heaven, and he is furious. And for all of this, we know that Satan was thrown down after the fourth trumpet but before the fifth. Because in the fifth trumpet, Satan is bound and thrown into the abyss.

Fifth Trumpet:
The fifth trumpet is the first of three “woes.” A ‘star’ falls from Heaven to Earth. The key to the shaft of the abyss is given to him (star = him). Jesus had said He saw Satan fall from Heaven like a lightning flash (Luke 10:18); Satan was thrown out of Heaven down to Earth (12:9); however, this star is not Satan because Revelation always refers to Satan as the dragon or by name. In addition, it is written that the key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. I believe the star is the angel who received the key from the Key Holder, Jesus. We know that an angel possesses the key to the abyss (20:1-3) and also opens the abyss after binding Satan and throwing him in. (Therefore, 9:1-2 is the same event as 20:1-3.) We also know that Michael was the angel who fought Satan and threw him down to Earth (12:7-9); therefore, this star is definitely an angel and most likely Michael. And this is why the abyss is opened (9:2) and the smoke and locusts came out. The abyss is a horrible place and that’s where Satan is imprisoned for ‘1,000 years’ (see 20:2,7). Here’s something to ponder: the abyss is so horrible that demons didn’t even want to go there (Luke 8:31)! The abyss is the bottomless pit or the depths (of the sea); it is the prison for Satan and the demons. Is it possible that the demons that begged not to go to the abyss didn’t want to go there because Satan was inside? Is it possible that Jesus didn’t send the demons to the abyss (Luke 8:32-33) because it wasn’t time for the abyss to be opened again? We don’t know. But what we do know is that once Michael unlocks the shaft of the abyss and it is opened, thick smoke comes out and the sun and air are darkened. Then locusts come out of the smoke (see Joel 1:1-2:11; Exodus 10:12-20) and are given power like that of scorpions to harm only the people without the seal of GOD (see 7:3). It would seem that having the “seal” is possessing the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 2Corinthians 1:21-22). The main focus of the fifth trumpet is that unbelievers will be tormented. Perhaps only the unbelievers are tormented at this time because Satan is imprisoned in the abyss (see 20:3).

Sixth Trumpet:
This is the second “woe.” Four angels who had been bound at the great River Euphrates are released and kill a third of the human race by fire, smoke, and sulfur. John heard that the number of mounted troops was 200 million. It is written that the people who were still alive afterwards still did not repent from their evil ways. Like Pharaoh of Egypt (see Exodus 8:15,32), their hearts remained hardened.

The Angel and the Smaller Scroll:
The sixth and seventh seals are separated in the book of Revelation by two sections discussing a small scroll and two witnesses. In this first section, a “mighty” angel holds a smaller scroll and stands with his right foot on the sea and his left on land. Both land and sea are covered — GOD is in control. In 10:4, John is told not to write what the “seven thunders” had said. This (combined with Deuteronomy 29:29 and Daniel 8:27; 12:4,8-9) lets us know that we don’t have to understand every detail of Revelation; the point is made clear in 10:7 in that GOD’s hidden plan will eventually be revealed (after the seventh trumpet blast). It is at this point within this section that John is directed to take and eat the scroll (see Jeremiah 15:16; Ezekiel 3:1-3). Just as we have seen before, GOD’s Word is sweet as honey, but the truth is painful to digest. GOD’s love is sweet, but justice and judgment can seem rather bitter. Here’s the bitter truth: things will get worse before they get better. In the same way that Ezekiel received GOD’s Word with joy but also received an impossible mission to proclaim judgment to a hardened people, John, the seven churches, and all of us in the present day are called to preach a sweet yet bitter gospel that offers grace yet demands repentance.

The Two Witnesses:
John was given a measuring reed (see Zechariah 2; Ezekiel 40) and was told to measure GOD’s sanctuary but to exclude the courtyard outside the sanctuary because it will be given to the nations and will be trampled (see 22:15). Ponder on that for a moment. The temple had been destroyed in AD 70 and John wrote the letter of Revelation around AD 95. There was no temple when John wrote this letter, there is no temple right now, perhaps a new temple will be built in Jerusalem in the future(?); however, there won’t be a temple in the New Jerusalem because GOD is the sanctuary (21:22). We are to find everything we need in GOD. We ourselves will be the new temple because Christ dwells within us (1Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 3:6; 1Peter 2:4-5). Two become one — that is what the marriage is all about (see 19:7-9 and Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31-32). There is no courtyard outside the sanctuary because Christ is the sanctuary and you’re either in or you’re out (Matthew 12:30). If in Christ, you will find protection (you have been sealed); however, outside the safety of Christ, you are subject to the world and its ways, which is devoid of GOD’s love, mercy, and grace.

But it is written (11:2) that the holy city will be trampled for 42 months (3 and a half years of 30-day months). Some say this refers to the great tribulation that will happen for half of seven years. Truly, we don’t know. In 11:3-5, it is written that GOD will empower two witnesses to prophecy for 1,260 days (3 and a half years of 30-day months) and they are “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies.” (See Jeremiah 5:14) Whether the 42 months / 1,260 days / 3.5 years are literal or not does not matter in the bigger picture. We must remember to keep the main thing the main thing. The timing of GOD’s plan is fixed and GOD will be in control, just as He has always been. The important thing for us to keep in mind are the signs (birth pains) that we should be looking for in order to recognize the coming of Christ.

The two olive trees and two lampstands are important symbols. In Zechariah 4:1-14, the two olive trees represent “the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” But who are these two witnesses? Some argue that they are Moses and Elijah because they had been the two standing next to Jesus in His transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-7). Some argue that they are two future prophets. I don’t care to get caught up in the details that could derail us from the main message. What is more important to know about these two witnesses is that they fulfill what is written (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15) that two witnesses are required for a valid testimony. (Also, contrast these two witnesses with the two beasts in 13:1,11 and it clearly depicts the Holy Trinity against an unholy trinity, which represents the bigger picture of Satan against GOD’s authority and His beloved creation. See “The Beast From The Earth” for details.) These two witnesses represent the entire prophetic tradition in the history of GOD’s people. In fact, it is written that these two will have the power to perform miracles and cause plagues — just as it had been in the days of Moses and Pharaoh. So what about the two lampstands? The two olive trees pour their [anointed] oil into the lampstands; the lampstands represent the churches. Thus, the witnesses and their valid testimonies shall empower the churches. Leon Morris once said that the churches are no more than lampstands. The Light is Christ, and they are to show Him forth (see Matthew 5:14-16; Mark 4:21-22; Luke 11:33-36).

It is written (11:7-10) that the two witnesses will finish their testimony and then the beast from the abyss will wage war against them and kill them. As it has been throughout history, GOD’s anointed usually receive persecution and sometimes get martyred (see Hebrews 11:32-40). So who is this beast? Though this beast will be revealed in chapter 13 (see “The Beast From The Sea” for details), we also know him from Daniel 7, 2Thessalonians 2:1-12, and 1John 2:18. This beast is commonly referred to as the antichrist. Once the two witnesses are killed, their bodies will remain out in the open for all to see in the same place where Jesus had been crucified. Their bodies will not be allowed to be put in a tomb and will remain there for three and a half days. The evil people will gloat over them and celebrate over them and even send gifts to one another. However, it is also written (11:11-14) that after the three and a half days, the two witnesses will be resurrected by the breath of GOD and will stand to their feet. A great fear will fall upon the people, the witnesses will ascend up into Heaven as everyone watches, and then a violent earthquake will cause a tenth of the city to fall and kill 7,000 people. A praiseworthy moment of repentance arrives in 11:3: “The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” So we know that some people will come into repentance; good does come out of the the bad. William Barclay said that the real victory is not to live in safety, to evade trouble, cautiously and prudently to preserve life; the real victory is to face the worst that evil can do, and if need be to be faithful unto death. This section ends with the second “woe” passing and with the third “woe” promised to come quickly.

Seventh Trumpet:
As written in 10:7, the time has come for GOD to begin His reign, to judge, and destroy those who destroy the earth (15:17-18) and for His hidden plan to be revealed. Though the seventh trumpet and the first bowl are separated by many sections of explanation, they are connected. The seven bowls come out of the seventh trumpet and 11:19 continues again at 15:5. The sections of explanation between the seventh trumpet and the first bowl are placed between them to help us understand what was going on behind the scenes and why they are related. (See 1Corinthians 15:52-58)

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon:
A pregnant woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and with a crown of 12 stars on her head gives birth to a Son. The 12 stars represent the 12 tribes of Israel; in fact, the woman is Israel (see Genesis 37:9; Isaiah 13:6,8; Jeremiah 6:24). The Son, of course, is Jesus. Jesus came from the chosen people of Israel, as was always prophesied. A dragon (Satan) stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth in order to devour the child (see Matthew 2:13-20), but the child was protected and is going to shepherd all nations with an iron scepter (see Psalm 2:9). The woman fled into the wilderness. The Israelites fled from Pharaoh into the wilderness; Jesus overcame the Tempter in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place to seek GOD.

The Dragon Thrown Out Of Heaven:
Ephesians 6:11-12 explains that there is a spiritual battle raging all around us. War broke out in Heaven, Michael (see Daniel 12:1) fought Satan, and Satan and his angels were thrown out of Heaven down to Earth (see 20:1-3; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Luke 10:18; Proverbs 16:18). In 12:11, it is written that believers “conquered [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.” We conquer evil by remaining faithful, obedient, and by enduring until the end (see Philippians 1:21).

The Fallen Dragon And The Woman:
When the dragon (Satan) saw that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman (Israel) who gave birth to the male child (Jesus). In other words, Satan persecuted GOD’s chosen people, the original branches. However, the woman was saved from the dragon. The dragon, furious with the woman, left to wage war against the rest of her offspring (see Romans 11:11-24). Know this: If Satan cannot get to you, he will go for the ones you love.

The Beast From The Sea:
To better understand the beast from the sea, read Daniel 7-12. The beast from the sea with the blasphemous names on his heads is referred to as the antichrist, the one whom Satan gives power (13:2; see also Matthew 4:8-9; Luke 4:5-7). This creature with all his characteristics represents his pseudo-power and pseudo-perfection. Also, see Isaiah 27:1. Since Satan had been defeated by Jesus’ sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension, and the beast had been embarrassed by the resurrection and ascension of the two witnesses, some people believe that 13:3 refers to a false resurrection in order to entice people to worship him. We don’t know. What we do know is what is described immediately after: the whole earth was amazed and followed the beast (antichrist) and worshipped the dragon (Satan) because the dragon was the one who gave the beast authority. We also know that a mouth was given to the beast (13:5), he was permitted to wage war against the saints and conquer them (13:7), and was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation (13:7-8). This beast will captivate everyone — everyone whose name is not in the Book of Life! And this is why 13:10 tells us that this will demand perseverance and faith. In fact, along with the good news of Christ’s return and ultimate victory, the main theme found in the book of Revelation running parallel to the good news is that we must endure until the very end, remaining faithful and obedient. (See Matthew 10:28; 1Corinthians 9:24-27; Philippians 3:14-16; 1Timothy 6:11-16; 2Timothy 4:3-5; Hebrews 10:35-39; 2Peter 1:5-11; Revelation 3:16)

The Beast From The Earth:
As if having the beast from the sea (antichrist) isn’t bad enough, another beast comes up out of the earth with two horns like a lamb yet sounded like a dragon. This is the false prophet who will end up helping the antichrist. He looks or performs like Jesus (the lamb), yet his motives are evil like that of Satan (the dragon). The dragon plus the two beasts equals an unholy trinity alliance that unites as a mockery of the Holy Trinity to stand in opposition of GOD’s authority. It is written that this beast will exercise the authority of the first beast on his behalf in order to compel everyone to worship the first. So the false prophet will compel everyone to worship the antichrist (see 2Thessalonians 2:7-12). This second beast performs great signs and deceives people because of these signs. An image of the first beast (antichrist) will be made and anyone who does not worship the image is to be killed (see Daniel 3:17-18). And everyone will be given a mark on his right hand or forehead; no one will be able to buy or sell unless they have the mark. I want to linger on this ‘mark’ for a moment. Before sailing on to the next subject matter, I want to dock here for a brief moment in order to think this one through. This subject matter is important because we will be brought to the crossroad of Christ or compromise and when that day comes, you need to be ready and know when to say no (see Acts 5:29).

The Mark:
Many people have argued that the two beasts and this ‘mark’ refers only to the past. These people argue that the first beast represents the Roman imperial rule and the second beast represents the wealthy social elite of Asian Minor, its magistrates, city officials, and trade guilds, who not only held political office but were also priests in the imperial cult. The argument is that they erected imperial temples, set up “the image” of the emperor on statues and other icons, and sponsored extravagant festivals. Since the success of the festivals guaranteed political favors from Rome, those who refused to participate in the imperial cult could not buy/sell since they were ostracized by the trade guilds. While it is true that the Christians in the past had to decide whether to Christ or compromise, is it wise to believe that the two beasts and this ‘mark’ refers only to the past? If we assume that they refer only to the past, does that mean it won’t happen in the future? I believe it is wise to consider the possibility that someone in the future could persuade nations to follow him and that it could happen to us just as Nero and Hitler happened to people in the past (see 1Corinthians 10:11-13).

On the other side of this coin, many have argued that the two beasts and the ‘mark’ refers to a time in the future and that it will be a literal mark upon the hand or forehead. It is not unthinkable that Christians will be unable to buy/sell in the marketplace due to their allegiance to Christ. It is easy to see how a future society could ‘force’ a literal mark upon someone’s hand or forehead. After all, cash has been slowly becoming obsolete; debit/credit cards became the new normal and accepted way of buying/selling. And now we have chips in debit/credit cards that came to be only because they were marketed as being more convenient and safer to use. It’s not absurd to believe that our government could sell the idea of chips implanted within our hands or foreheads. Ponder on it: So long as the ‘mark’ is marketed as being for our benefit due to its convenience and safety, I believe people would accept it. Over time, we have accepted and integrated into our lives the allowance of facial recognition and even using our fingerprints as our passwords on our phones. It has literally gotten to the point where everything is becoming digital and all accounts are starting to merge into one. Can you imagine the ad campaign for the ‘mark’? I believe it would be something like this: “With it being implanted inside of you, you will never lose it! You will never again have to worry about losing coins, bills, or cards! There is no longer a need for a wallet to weigh you down! It is the ultimate convenience! And you also don’t have to worry about about identity theft! What is yours belongs to you and only you! With facial recognition and/or the use of your fingerprint for confirmation, making purchases or confirming your identity will now be simple, easy, and quick!”

To some people that scenario might sound like something a conspiracy theorist or science fiction writer might conjure up, but it truly is quite possible. If you examine how far we have allowed ourselves to push the line that separates right from wrong, a future scenario such as that is not unbelievable. The ‘mark’ wouldn’t be something forced upon those who resist until the majority accepted it. Much like everything has become nowadays. Once the majority accepts something, the government can enforce that something without much of a struggle.

However, let us focus on the reality of this topic instead of the theories that come from it. Remember: past, present, and future! There had been churches in the past who had been unable to participate in the imperial cult due to their convictions in Christ as the only Lord. However, we must also keep in mind that Christ has not yet returned and life most certainly will get worse before He returns. Rather than allowing this topic to divide us, let us focus on what is definitely true. The ‘mark’ is in opposition to the seal of GOD (7:3; 14:1) and is the demonic mockery of the shema and the use of phylacteries on the foreheads of the Jews (Deuteronomy 6:8). Essentially, Satan is pridefully boasting to GOD something like this: “You’ve got your weak and pathetic people who have your seal, but I’ve managed to steal the loyalty of much of Your beloved creation and they’ve got my mark. If You’re all-powerful, why did a third of Your angels and much of your beloved people follow me? I can reign and rule just as well as You can, if not better!”

666:
And this, of course, leads us to 13:18, which is the most famous and argued text of Revelation. John writes that this is going to require wisdom, but if you calculate the number of the beast — which is a number of a man — his number is 666. Many have attempted to calculate not just the number (666) but also the exact identity of the man to whom it refers. Since 1John 2:18 states that “many antichrists have come” (i.e., as foreshadowing the ultimate Antichrist figure), there may be some marginal usefulness in noting that names such as Nero and Hitler can be shown to have a numerological value of 666 by assigning a numerical value to each letter of the alphabet (research: gematria). However, it is wise to realize that such a numerological calculation will be clear only as the actual events unfold. I believe that John had Nero in mind, but I am also aware that GOD’s depth goes beyond current circumstances and extends to the future. Instead of placing our focus on an exact identity of the Antichrist, let us focus on the fact that 666 is the number of the beast, which refers to the first beast (antichrist). And we already know that the first beast was given power by the dragon, which is Satan. Therefore, the number 666 ultimately represents a person who is anti-Christ. And who is the person who is anti-Christ except the person who denies Jesus (1John 2:22; 4:3; 2John 1:7)? Ultimately, everyone who follows the ways of Satan and possess such arrogant pride will fall (Proverbs 16:18). This is just another way for GOD to say that He knows the people who have His seal and those who don’t. The number 666 can be seen as the code of rejection. The person who is anti-Christ will always lead people astray and into an evil way. The best advice we can take away from the mark of the beast and the number 666 is this: If someone’s terrific words don’t match the Truth of GOD’s Word, that person’s words are glamorous lies; if someone’s call-to-action would cause us to step outside the sanctuary of GOD’s absolute moral standard, that person is against us, not for us. Stay awake and alert (1Peter 5:8).

The Lamb and the 144,000:
In 14:1-5, the 144,000 are mentioned again and they are seen having the Father’s name written on their foreheads. It is written that they sing a “new song” (see 5:8-14 and Psalm 96) and no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. Who are the redeemed from the earth? Everyone who places their faith in Christ (see Ephesians 1:7-10; Romans 9:11-28). In 14:4, it is written that the redeemed are the undefiled virgins. Okay, so who are the undefiled virgins? Literal virgins? No. To discover the meaning of the virgins, we must know the entire book of Hosea. The impure, the adulteress prostitutes are those who are unfaithful to GOD. At one time, the entire nation of Israel was compared to a prostitute — that’s what the book of Hosea is about! Even though Israel was unfaithful, GOD decided to love them anyway and create a way to make sure they can be together. That way was Jesus. The faithful are the pure just as the Church is the Bride of Christ, and the Bride is undefiled; therefore, the faithful are also undefiled. How? By acceptance of the gracious gift of salvation through Jesus. Our sins were like scarlet before Jesus made them white as snow. The sacrificial Lamb made pure the Bride (see 19:7-8). In 2Corinthians 11:2-3, we see that the defiled are those who are led astray. In 14:4-5, it is written that the virgins are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were redeemed as firstfruits. So who are the ones who follow Christ wherever He goes? All His faithful followers. Because Jesus is the Shepherd and we are His flock. But what about the firstfruits? The firstfruits is that which is harvested first. John would not have known the “new song” because he had not yet passed from the first death into Heaven. He only received the revelation in spirit. It’s a “new song” because we will only know it in Heaven. Those who are in Heaven are the redeemed and they would know the “new song.” For everyone who is already in Heaven is the redeemed and firstfruits (see Exodus 23:19; James 1:18) — they’ve already been gathered or harvested. In 5:8-14, the “new song” is sung by the 24 elders. Again, we must go back and remember who the 24 elders are. The 24 elders represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles; thus, the 24 elders represent every believer whether under the Law of Moses or the grace of Christ. In addition, 5:11 states that the number of the 24 elders singing were “countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands.” Also, 5:10 tells us that the kingdom has people from every tribe and language and people and nation, which is in alignment with who the 144,000 represent. This is just another way of stating that GOD’s people will be separated from those who deny and reject Christ. Only those who are sealed and found in Christ will ever know and learn the “new song.” In Psalm 96, “all the earth” is told to sing and it is written that the singing precedes the coming of Christ for Him to judge. Appropriately placed, this section in Revelation (14:1-5) comes prior to what is next, where angels provide one last opportunity to repent (14:6-13) before the Harvest begins (14:14-20).

Proclamation of Three Angels:
John then saw a total of three angels proclaiming messages, one at a time, each with a different message. The first angel proclaimed the Gospel to every nation, tribe, language, and people. In other words, everyone was told the truth. The second angel proclaimed that the great Babylon has fallen (see 18:1-8). In other words, everyone was told that the worldly ways have crumbled and there is nothing left to stand on except for Christ. The third angel proclaimed that anyone found with the mark of the beast will drink the wine of GOD’s wrath (see Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15-29; Psalm 75). The three messages come together to form one last chance of repentance. It will not be said that GOD didn’t give people a chance to repent. The third angel concludes his message by stating the recurring theme that salvation demands perseverance of the saints. Endurance requires trust and obedience (see Proverbs 3:5-7). This section concludes by saying that everyone from that point on who dies in the Lord will be blessed, but for those who have hardened hearts there will be no rest (see Psalm 95:8-9; Hebrews 3:7-19).

Harvest Time:
In 14:14, it is written that Jesus returns on a white cloud. The cloud represents GOD’s presence and protection (see Exodus 13:21; 14:19-20; 24:15-18; Numbers 9:16); GOD led the way before His people and even stood between them and their enemies. In Acts 1:9-11, we were told that Jesus, who was taken up into Heaven, will return in the same way as He was seen going to Heaven. In 14:14-20, the time for Jesus to return and claim what rightfully belongs to Him has come. The time to reap has come because the harvest of the earth is ripe. The best way to understand the Harvest is to read what is written in Scripture regarding the event (Isaiah 24:13; Micah 7:1-7; Matthew 3:12; 10:32-33; 13:29-30,37-43,47-50; 24:31; 25:41-46; Luke 3:17).

The fire mentioned [in the Scriptures regarding the Harvest] calls to mind two things: First, it is a great reversal of all prior so-called kings who would throw GOD’s people in the fire for not bowing to them (see Daniel 3:6) — there is only one King and He is Jesus! Second, only what is pure can withstand the fire and the wicked will be utterly consumed in their impurity and wickedness and will therefore be in anguish because they will realize that they are not in alignment with GOD’s absolute moral standard; they are unclean (see Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 25:4; Isaiah 48:10; Jeremiah 6:29; Daniel 3:25-30; 12:10; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:2-3; Matthew 5:8; 2Timothy 2:21). Again, those who are pure are the ones redeemed through the blood of Christ (Isaiah 1:18). From the Harvest, some people will know and experience eternal joy; some people will experience the winepress of GOD’s wrath (Isaiah 18:5-7; 63:3-6; Jeremiah 25:30; 51:33; Lamentations 1:15; Joel 3:12-13) and know eternal anguish. On the Day of Judgment, blood will flow in about 1,600 stadia (4 x 4 x 1,000 = 1,600; or, the area of a place squared multiplied by a great number equals a large area). If we are to take the 1,600 stadia literally, it will be about 184 miles. The area of blood would cover all of Palestine (from Tyre in the north to Egypt in the south) and immerse a person as high as his/her chest. The image of the Harvest calls us all into question: After the swing of the sickle, will you be found to be one of the fickle unfaithful? This recalls to mind the challenge of Joshua 24:15: Choose whom you will serve! The Lamb or the Liar? Lion of Judah or the Beast of Babylon?

Preparation For The Bowl Judgments:
This section brings us right back again to the seventh trumpet. Compare 11:19 to 15:5 and you will see that they are the same event. In addition, we can see that this is the seventh trumpet by comparing 10:7 to 15:4, which makes known that the revealing comes at the seventh trumpet. The blast of the seventh trumpet, the Harvest, and the first bowl all occur simultaneously. All of the bowls are a part of the Harvest process in which the “weeds” are gathered first (see Matthew 13:29-30). Chapter 15 opens up with everyone who shares in victory over the beast singing the song of GOD’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb while standing on a sea of glass. Because the victorious person is standing on the sea of glass, that image calls to mind Peter in his victorious [yet brief] moment of standing on the sea of doubt and fear (see Matthew 14:22-32). Those who remain faithful stand on a sea of glass just like Peter stood on the sea when he remained in faith. The song of the Lamb is essentially multiple ways of singing praise (see Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 98:1-2; 111:2-9; Jeremiah 10:7; 16:19; Amos 4:13). And because those victorious people were singing the song of Moses (see Exodus 15:1-18), the sea of glass they were standing on also calls to mind how the wicked are below, drowned in the depths of the sea. The victorious are above the drowning depths of demonic deeds and therefore stand victoriously on the sea [of glass]. Just as the evil Egyptians had been swallowed, the evil wicked people of the earth are now about to be swallowed in GOD’s wrath. And Pharaoh/Egypt had been likened to Leviathan/Rahab (see Isaiah 30:7; 51:9-10) and Satan likened to the dragon. GOD will defeat the ancient serpent; in addition, the sea (often a symbol of cosmic evil) will be no more (21:1). Whereas the depths of the ocean can hide or conceal, the sea of glass is transparent because nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known (see Matthew 10:26; Luke 12:2). Whereas the trumpets produced partial judgment, people were indirectly affected, and they were still able to repent, the bowls will be complete judgment that directly attacks those who are no longer able to repent (see Amos 8:2). They made their choice and now they will have to live with it. Or as the old saying goes, they made their bed and now they will lie in it. And truthfully, each one of us have the same decision to make (see Deuteronomy 11:26-28; 30:15-20).

First Bowl:
I believe the seven bowls are all poured either simultaneously or one immediately after another. The first bowl affects land and severely painful sores break out against the wicked.

Second and Third Bowls:
If you recall, the martyrs of 6:10 asked, “how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” The second and third bowls affect water: the second bowl turns the sea into blood and all life in the sea dies, the third bowl turns the rivers and springs of water into blood, leaving only blood for the wicked to drink (see Exodus 7:17-21; Psalm 78:44). It is here in the third bowl we see GOD avenging the blood of all the righteous martyrs.

Fourth Bowl:
Now affecting the sun, people are burned with fire and intense heat. Remarkably, these people blaspheme the name of GOD and still do not repent. And truly, that is why they suffer — the wicked refuse to align themselves with the absolute moral standard. GOD doesn’t punish those whom have been sealed. And GOD never desired for these people to experience any of these horrible events. The only reason why they suffer through them is because they have decided not to be with or around GOD. Like in Jeremiah 14:16, evil gets poured out on the wicked who do evil. James 1:12-15 tells us why judgment takes place: sin leads to death.

Fifth Bowl:
Affecting the throne of the beast, his kingdom is plunged into darkness and people gnaw their tongues because of their pain. This seems to be more of a spiritual affliction of darkness much like Saul felt when GOD’s Spirit left him (see 1Samuel 16:14). Without GOD’s Spirit (the Source of life), all that remains is torment and a desire for death (see Isaiah 24:11). Both the darkness and the gnawing of the tongues calls to mind the image of those apart from GOD with weeping and gnashing teeth (see Matthew 8:12; 13:42,50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30). And just like Pharaoh who kept a hardened heart, these wicked people remain with hardened hearts as well; they refuse to repent. The wicked refuse to acknowledge GOD due to the pain they feel which they themselves cause (see Proverbs 19:3). Why are they the cause and not GOD? Simply put, sin cannot be with that which is Holy; darkness cannot exist in the Light (see Genesis 1:4; Leviticus 10:10; Ezekiel 44:23; Matthew 6:24; 1Corinthians 10:21; 2Corinthians 6:14-16). The wicked refuse to accept the love and gracious gift of salvation which turns scarlet into white (Isaiah 1:18). Without accepting Christ, there is no refuge. Without Jesus, there is no way into Light (see Isaiah 42:6; 50:10; John 8:12); all that remains is darkness, gnawing of tongues, and gnashing of teeth (see John 14:6).

Sixth Bowl:
Affecting the great Euphrates River, its water dries up, making a way for an easy invasion from the east. In Jeremiah 51:59-64, Jeremiah wrote a scroll regarding all the disaster that would come to Babylon. After having the scroll read, he had it thrown into the middle of the Euphrates River, stating, “In the same way, Babylon will sink and never rise again because of the disaster I am bringing on her.” Of course, that referred to the actual Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, but all the evidence seems to point to it being a double-entendre. Interestingly, those were the last words of Jeremiah and the next chapter (chapter 52) is the last chapter of the book of Jeremiah, which describes the fall of Jerusalem. Because Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and Babylon the Great (see “The Notorious Prostitute” for details) is destroyed before the New Jerusalem (see “The New Jerusalem” for details), the evidence seems to support a deeper meaning behind Jeremiah’s prophetic words. Keep in mind that the words Jeremiah shared came from GOD who knows the future. The sixth bowl dries up the Euphrates River, where Jeremiah’s words had been hidden. The drying of the river water is the unveiling of Jeremiah’s words that would allow them to be seen again. That is important because Jeremiah’s words return, activating yet again the promise that Babylon will sink and never rise again. Babylon is going down! But this time it’s a different Babylon. (This will all make more sense after reading the two sections previously mentioned.)

After the drying up of the Euphrates River, the sixth bowl reveals unclean spirits coming out from the mouths of the unholy trinity: the dragon (Satan), beast (antichrist), and false prophet (beast from the earth). It is written in 16:14,16 that these are spirits of demons performing signs, who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle of the great day of GOD, assembling them at the place called Armageddon (see 14:14-20; 19:17-21). Armageddon is traditionally known to be the hill of Megiddo, a great city that guarded the pass between the coast and the valley of Jezreel or Esdraelon (see Judges 5:19; 2Kings 9:27; 23:29), about 60 miles north of Jerusalem. In ancient times, the Megiddo valley was the site of many crucial battles that determined who possessed control of valuable trade routes connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia. Today, it is an expansive flat area which is home to rich farmland, livestock, and agriculture. In a great reversal, Jesus will use this location to prove His authority over all and showcase His power — He is the One who possesses control and there is no other king who can take His authority away! The spirits coming out of the mouths of the unholy trinity is Satan’s attempt to create his own environment using his words just as GOD created with His Word (see Genesis 1). GOD’s Word created; Satan endeavors to undo GOD’s “very good” work by his own words in order to show GOD that creation is not good as He said it was (see Genesis 1:31), which would prove GOD wrong. And this is the reason behind the entire final battle and Satan’s fall and eternal banishment: pride. The final battle will be a showdown to determine who is right, who is wiser, and who should possess all power and control. In the midst of this description is the third blessing statement of the book of Revelation, which keeps with the recurring theme of perseverance and endurance. It is written in 16:15 that the one who is alert and remains clothed is blessed. What is this clothing? I believe it to be none other than the full armor of GOD that we should be wearing at all times (see Ephesians 6:10-20), but also the “white clothes” of the victor (see 3:4-5,18), for once we graduate from this life to the next, we will no longer need the armor and can put on the white clothes of comfort. Until Christ comes, we must be clothed and ready (see Luke 12:35-40). This warning to be alert is also seen in 1Peter 5:8, but especially in 1Thessalonians 5:1-6. Only those who are ready will make it (see Matthew 25:1-13) into the Kingdom of GOD.

Seventh Bowl:
The seals, trumpets, and bowls all conclude with final judgment in each set. The seventh [and final] bowl is poured into the air and a voice says, “It is done!” (see John 19:30; compare Revelation 16:17 with 21:6) As seen before (8:5; 11:19), the flashes of lightning, rumblings of thunder, and severe earthquake occur and signify a transitional change, but this time “it is done.” The seven bowls conclude with an earthquake so great that the ‘great city’ (see 17:18) splits into three parts (see Isaiah 24:19), islands moved, mountains disappeared, and enormous hailstones weighing 100 pounds fell from the sky onto people. What the conclusion means is as follows…

The Notorious Prostitute:
Then one of the seven angels showed John the judgment of the “notorious prostitute who sits on many waters.” The many waters are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages (17:15). When the angel said that the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, he meant that the powerful leaders and people of prominent positions all sleep with Satan under the covers with this sinful slut. (Contrast this notorious prostitute with the woman of 12:1-6 and also the pure Bride of Christ of 19:7-8.) The Notorious Prostitute is pictured as a woman sitting on a scarlet (saturated in sin) beast that was covered in blasphemous names (antichrist; see 13:1). The woman was dressed in purple (pseudo-royalty) and scarlet (sin), adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls (representing status and importance). Despite her facade, in her gold cup was filled with everything vile, which represents her true nature. On her forehead a name was written: Babylon the Great; the mother of prostitutes and the vile things of the earth. The woman was drunk on the blood of the saints and on the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.

The Notorious Prostitute is Babylon the Great and also the “great city that has an empire over the kings of the earth,” which splits into three parts in the seventh bowl (see 16:19; 17:18). Basically, we can call her Sin City (not a reference to Las Vegas, but that sinful city too will one day fall). ‘Babylon’ has essentially the same relationship with the earth inhabitants as ‘Jezebel’ did with the sinners in the church at Thyatira (see 2:20), who was named after the real Jezebel who was evil and against GOD’s people (see 1Kings 21:23-25). Babylon also has a close relationship with the beast. Undoubtedly, the Babylon of John’s time was Rome; however, Rome was merely the most recent archetype of humanity’s rebellion against GOD (see 1Peter 5:13). Jezebel was a codename taken from the name of a real person just as Babylon is a code name taken from the name of a real place. Some people have argued that Babylon was a code name only for Rome in John’s time, but I believe that to be nearsighted. There does exist a Babylon the Great that will fall; if not, Jesus cannot return and announce that it has fallen (see 18:2). And if Babylon only meant Rome, it would be a little strange for Jesus to return about 2,000 years later in order to announce Rome’s fall. Moreover, the fall of Babylon the Great occurs after cataclysmic events such as the sea, rivers, and springs turning to blood (16:3-6), intense heat burning people with fire (16:8-9), the Euphrates River drying up (16:12), islands and mountains moving, and 100-pound hailstones falling from the sky (16:20-21). Because none of this has yet happened, I am certain that Rome was only a Babylon, but not the Babylon the Great. Because Babylon the Great is the mother of prostitutes (implying that all prostitutes come from her) and the mother of the vile things of the earth (implying the root of sin), I believe that Babylon the Great is none other than Satan’s domain of darkness, which has an empire over the ‘kings’ of the earth (see 18:2). Babylon the Great represents that which is demonic and evil; it represents humanity’s pride and opposition to GOD. While Babylon could include an actual city in the last times, it is more likely the lament in chapter 18 is modeled after Jeremiah 51, which speaks of the wider Babylonian Empire, represented by the city of Babylon.

In what should be an anticipated outcome, both the “10 kings” awaiting their day of power and the beast turn on the notorious prostitute, making her desolate and naked, devouring her flesh, and burning her up with fire (17:16). This is the image of evil and how Satan operates. Sin’s insatiable appetite devours even its own; evil causes its own destruction. There is no loyalty on Satan’s side. Can you picture it? The notorious prostitute sits on all the people (acting as their covering) while they whore around and she even rides on the beast (antichrist). The beast allows Babylon to be on its back until the beast desires to go elsewhere and then he will throw the great city Babylon off his back without care or concern for her or the people she covered. Like a decorator crab that will use almost anything to disguise itself, Satan’s counterfeit and camouflage ways operate in the same manner. And once Satan tires of his attire, he will shed it off like the serpent he is and decorate himself with something new. Empires rise; empires fall. There has always been a new empire to take the place of the old one, but those days will end. Think about it: if the beast destroys the prostitute (Babylon), evil would be casting out evil, which means it would be a house divided against itself and would therefore not be able to stand (see Mark 3:23-26; Luke 11:17-18). But that has always been GOD’s plan (see Isaiah 25:1). GOD is the GOD of the Great Reversal, using the devil’s own deeds to boomerang them back on him. Satan simply cannot stand (see 6:17) and his empire will come to an end (see Daniel 8:25).

The Fall of Babylon the Great:
Think about this: The notorious prostitute is Babylon the Great (17:5), which is the ‘great city’ (17:18). The ‘great city’ splits into three parts (16:19). I believe this represents what Jesus said regarding a divided house that will not stand (Mark 3:26). The dragon and the two beasts had formed an unholy trinity alliance, but now the ‘great city’ splits into three parts, showing that the unholy trinity — which mocks the Trinity and righteous fellowship/teamwork (see Ecclesiastes 4:12) — cannot overpower GOD and inevitably collapses in on itself. Why would the unholy trinity be unstable and collapse in on itself? A foundation not built on The Rock is unstable and will collapse (Matthew 7:24-27). In 18:2, an angel announces that Babylon the Great has fallen (see 14:8 and Isaiah 21:9). An important description of this ‘great city’ follows, stating she is the dwelling for demons, a place for everything unclean, and that all nations have drunk the wine of her sexual immorality. Certainly, this ‘great city’ is Satan’s domain where demons dwell in dedication to the darkest deeds. In the Old Testament, the city was often a false course of security for those who left the presence of GOD. In fact, after Cain murdered his brother, Abel, he formed his own city (Genesis 4:16-17) and it became a cesspool for sin. Cain’s Sin City eventually falls because it should never have been built — it had been built on a godless foundation. The ‘great city’ will fall because its inhabitants were deceived and believed that the best foundation to build on was sinful sand and not the saving Rock of the Cornerstone. And then a voice from Heaven says, “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues.” (See Jeremiah 51:45) The only way out of the ‘great city,’ the domain of darkness, is through Christ into Heaven. The only way out is through the Harvest when the weeds will be separated. But we can all make personal decisions on a daily basis to exit out of sin, align ourselves with GOD’s will, and live righteously (see 1Corinthians 10:13).

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall:
All people who committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with Babylon the Great are the ones who indulged in a sinful lifestyle, who built on the wrong foundation; they will weep and mourn when they see the smoke of her burning. The merchants of the earth will also weep and mourn (see Isaiah 24:2) because no one buys their merchandise any longer — and that merchandise includes slaves and human lives. Evil will no longer win! Satan the salesman is no longer Kingpin; those who sell sin find themselves in tailspin. In 18:20, we are told to rejoice because GOD executed judgment!

The Finality of Babylon’s Fall:
In 18:21, a mighty angel picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “In this way, Babylon the great city will be thrown down violently and never be found again.” (See Jeremiah 51:63-64 and Isaiah 24:20) Once again, the same sign stands for the destruction of Babylon, except this time it’s a little different. In Jeremiah 51, Jeremiah had his scroll thrown into the Euphrates River. Here, an angel throws a large stone like a millstone (see Matthew 18:6) instead of a scroll. Also, the angel threw the stone into the sea (which should still be blood; see 16:3). The stone is to represent the finality of the judgment and it being thrown into the sea (blood) suggests that Babylon the Great will drown in the blood. In 18:22, it is written that no music shall ever be heard from Babylon again (see Isaiah 24:8-9). Never again will the sound of celebration come from Babylon. No work will be heard — evil works are no more! In 18:23, light will never shine there — only darkness! People will never get married there — marriage will be restored to its original design, but in the form of one bride (all believers; the church) and one groom (Jesus). Cain had sinned, murdered his brother, built his own city on a godless foundation, called the city Enoch after his son, and then Lamech eventually came from Enoch and defiled and destroyed the design of marriage by taking a second wife (Genesis 4:18-19). For this reason and many others, GOD is going to restore marriage (see 19:7-8). All of this will happen because all the nations were deceived by this Babylon and all the blood of prophets and saints, and of all those slaughtered on earth — all that blood was found in Babylon! Who else could be responsible for all people? Who else could have deceived all the nations? The same sinful serpent who caused the separation in the first place (see Genesis 3:13)! That serpent has a name and his name is Satan.

Celebration In Heaven:
If all of Heaven celebrates due to one single sinner who comes into repentance (see Luke 15:7), then Heaven has a reason to celebrate! A vast multitude shout, “hallelujah,” which means, “praise the Lord!” Judgment has come. GOD has avenged the blood of all faithful believers. Babylon has fallen and the Harvest has arrived. This is an important message to all Christians — especially those suffering for their faith. No matter how much Rome or any other power wants to stop the church’s witness, a church that sings out resistance to evil and absolute faith in Christ cannot be defeated! The faithful who can praise Him in the storm are the same ones who can dance in the rain (see Matthew 8:23-27; Acts 16:25-34; Romans 8:28). Keep this in proper perspective: While everything looks like a bloody war zone on Earth, Heaven is celebrating at this time because they know all the good that is happening and is about to happen. Our joy should be unstoppable and we should be unbreakable because we know there will be a Day when Jesus will return as the Bridegroom to claim His bride (the entire church; all believers). (See Isaiah 61:10)

Marriage of the Lamb:
The marriage of the Lamb has finally come and the Bride of Christ (see Ephesians 5:22-32) is given fine linen to wear, bright and pure, which represents the righteous acts of the saints. The bright and pure clothes are the same as the white clothes found in Revelation (see 3:4-5; 7:13; 16:15; 22:14) because those are the clothes of the victors, those who have been sealed by GOD. Those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb are fortunate! (See Matthew 8:11; 22:2-9; 25:10; Luke 13:29; 14:15-17)

The Rider on a White Horse:
Heaven opens and Jesus appears on a white horse. Again, much like the white clothes the victors wear and the white stone the victors receive, this white horse represents the pureness of Jesus, and the many crowns on his head represent His holiness and authority. This is the great reversal of when Jesus humbled Himself as a suffering and sacrificial servant on a donkey (see Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:4-5; John 12:14-15). Now Jesus returns as the expected powerful Messiah King that the Jews had always expected. Yet He wears a robe stained with blood (see 5:6,12; Hebrews 9:20-28; 1Peter 1:19) before the battle even begins and His name is the Word of GOD (see John 1:1,14,18). A sharp sword came from His mouth (see Isaiah 11:4; 49:2; Hebrews 4:12). He is the Shepherd (see John 10:11-16). He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Much detail is provided about this rider and His white horse so that the rider of the white horse in 6:2 will not be mistaken as Jesus. Though the rider of 6:2 seems to be a close comparison, a closer investigation reveals the counterfeit. But by now, we shouldn’t be surprised to know this because we should already realize how the decorator crab operates (2Corinthians 11:14).

The Beast And His Armies Defeated:
An angel commands the birds to come gather to eat the bodies of the defeated armies (see Matthew 24:28?; Luke 17:37?). The beast (antichrist) and false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The rest are killed with the sword that came from Jesus’ mouth (see 1:16; 2:16; 19:15; Matthew 26:52).

Satan Bound:
An angel comes down from Heaven with the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seizes the dragon (Satan) and binds him for 1,000 years (see 9:1-2; 20:1-3). Satan gets thrown into the abyss, it gets closed and sealed until the 1,000 years are completed. After that, he will be released only for a short time. First, let’s examine the angel who binds Satan. In 12:7-9, Michael fights Satan in Heaven and throws Satan down to earth. Who else would be powerful enough to bind Satan if not Michael through the power of GOD? I believe that the angel who binds Satan is Michael. And what about the 1,000 years? Truly, we don’t know. I have read multiple opinions on this matter, but nothing sticks out as being certain. Because most of the numbers in Revelation are symbolic, I believe that this means Satan is bound for an indefinite length of time. But when in the timeline would this occur? Just like no one knows the Hour of Jesus’ return, this is most likely one of the great mysteries that will be revealed later on, but I believe Satan was imprisoned at the beginning of the fifth trumpet (see “Putting The Pieces Together” for details). Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 prophesied about Satan’s fall, and the only other two places where the fall is mentioned is in Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12:7-18. From Revelation 12, we know that Satan was thrown down to earth (12:9). We also know that after Satan was thrown down, he was able to roam about in order to wage war against people (12:12,17). In Luke 10:18, Jesus told us that He saw Satan fall (past tense). The context of Luke 10:18 (because of Luke 9:46-48) indicates that the disciples were in danger of allowing the power and authority Jesus [temporarily] gave to them go to their heads. Satan’s fall was due to pride and Jesus was steering His disciples away from the same mistake. Jesus’ response in that context was to tell His disciples to be humble and just be thankful they will make it into Heaven. Altogether, all we know is that Satan was thrown out of Heaven sometime after the fourth trumpet and was imprisoned at the fifth trumpet. We don’t know when Satan was/is released (see 20:7) and that’s perfectly acceptable because it doesn’t take away from the main message.

The Saints Reign With The Messiah:
Those who have been martyred are there; they came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were completed. This is the first resurrection. It seems that everyone up until the point of Satan being bound in the abyss reign with Jesus. Because it is written that the rest of the dead do not come to life until the 1,000 years are complete, it seems that the ‘1,000’ years is a time period without the full power of Satan (because he is imprisoned in the abyss). It is also written that those who share in the first resurrection are blessed and the second death (see 20:14-15) has no power over them. Because this section is connected with the section where Satan is bound and the section of Satan’s release, this section is uncertain. The understanding of this entire section is dependent upon what the “1,000 years” means.

Satanic Rebellion Consumed:
When the 1,000 years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations and gather them for one last battle. (This entire section is best understood in light of Daniel 7 and Ezekiel 38-39.) The army’s number is like the sand of the sea and they surround the saints, the beloved city. So we know from this that when all the armies surround Jerusalem, fire comes down from Heaven and consumes them. Then Satan is thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, to remain there forever. Why is Satan bound and imprisoned in the abyss only to be released again? We don’t know. To ask that question would be like asking why humans had to live through the painful process of suffering in the temporary old Earth in order to experience, enjoy, and appreciate the eternal joy within the everlasting new Earth. Sometimes, we must accept the truth found in Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Great White Throne, Book of Life, Judgment:
There is a great white throne and Jesus is seated on it. All the dead stand in trial and books were opened. Another book was then opened — the book of life! The dead are judged according to their works by what was written in the books. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire (death will no longer exist). Anyone not found in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. (See 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 21:27; John 5:19-30)

New Heaven And New Earth:
John then saw a new Heaven and a new Earth, but the sea no longer existed. The first Heaven and Earth had passed away (see Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). Then John saw the new Jerusalem, prepared like a bride. (see Ezekiel 37:21-28) GOD’s dwelling is with humanity and He will live with them. GOD will wipe away every tear from their eyes (see 7:17; Isaiah 25:8) because these things no longer exist: death, grief, crying, nor pain. The previous things have passed away. GOD makes everything new! This new Heaven and new Earth is the final promise to the victor. There will be a new Eden to replace the old (see Genesis 2; Ezekiel 47). And there will be a new Jerusalem (see Isaiah 2; Zephaniah 3).

New Jerusalem:
In 21:9-27, we see the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. There are 12 gates and the names of the 12 tribes of Israel’s sons are inscribed on the gates. This represents the fact that the 12 tribes of the Old Testament is the starting point. Before we can even enter the city, we must acknowledge that the Old Testament must first be encountered, entered into, and experienced. The city wall has 12 foundations and the 12 names of the Lamb’s 12 apostles are on the foundations. This represents the fact that the 12 disciples laid down the ground work and because of them and every faithful person who came after them, we can be secure in the knowledge of our faith just like a wall provides security for a city. In addition, we know that we will be surrounded by other believers just like the wall surrounds the city. Of course, we know that Jesus is the Cornerstone, the foundation of everything (see Isaiah 28:16; Deuteronomy 32:4; 2Samuel 22:2-3; Psalm 118:22; 1Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 2:20; 1Peter 2:6-7). The measurement of the city is 12,000 stadia (12 x 1,000 = 12,000). The measurement of its wall is 144 cubits (12 x 12 = 144). This represents the perfect size for a whole host of GOD’s people. The foundations of the city wall are adorned with 12 precious stones, which represents the 12 tribes of Israel (see Exodus 28:15-21). The broad street of the city was like transparent glass, which represents the pureness and holiness that is to be found there. There is no sanctuary because GOD is the sanctuary. The city does not need the sun nor the moon because GOD illuminates His light (see Isaiah 24:23; John 8:12). The gates will never close, which represents the everlasting peace that will be found there. Everything is good because GOD is good and only the good will be allowed in (see Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 20:7,26). This is the restoration of what GOD had originally intended; thus, GOD completes His great reversal of Genesis 1:26-27 and everyone is truly in His image and will dwell with Him as He intended from the beginning.

The Source of Life:
There is a river of living water that flows from the throne of GOD down the middle of the broad street and the tree of life is on both sides of the river, bearing 12 kinds of fruit. There are 12 because it’s sustenance for all of GOD’s people. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations and there will no longer be any curse (see Ezekiel 47:12). This is the great reversal and restoration of the garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:8-14; 3:22-24; Zechariah 14:11). We will see His face [clearly] and His name will be on our foreheads (see 1Corinthians 13:12). We will reign forever (see Daniel 7:18).

The Time Is Near:
Then an angel told John that GOD has sent His angel to show everyone what must “quickly” take place. How could this message be for 1st century AD believers and only those believers if Christ was to come quickly thereafter? Because Christ has not yet returned and it has been around 1,922 years since Revelation was written. That’s because Revelation concerns the past, present, and future. John was instructed not to seal the prophetic words because “the time is near.” How could it be near at the time when John saw and heard the mysteries of GOD? The answer is found in 2Peter 3:8-9 and Isaiah 55:8-9. It’s all in GOD’s perfect timing, but GOD’s timing is not as we know timing to be. And so John (and all of us) is told that those who wash their robes are blessed (see 7:14); the blessed are the ones who come in through Christ. Those not allowed in, who will be kept outside are the darkness dwellers, the evil-doers (compare 11:2 to 22:15). The book of Revelation ends with an invitation for anyone to “come” (compare 3:20 to 22:17), but also a serious warning that if anyone adds to the words of this book, GOD will add to him/her the plagues that are written in the book and if anyone takes away from the words of this book, GOD will take away his/her share of the tree of life and the Holy City (see Deuteronomy 4:1-2). And yet again, the book concludes with another promise that He is coming quickly. But how soon? We don’t know.

Putting The Pieces Together:
I do not believe that all of Revelation is in chronological order; some things need to be pieced together. And that doesn’t seem to be out of character for GOD to do; after all, His prophecies were centuries in advance for people to understand later and even Jesus spoke in parables (see Matthew 13:10-16; Isaiah 6:9-10) with the purpose of eluding the ‘children of Satan’ (see John 8:39-47). Just like 13:18 calls us to seek wisdom to discern the meaning behind ‘666,’ the entire book of Revelation demands wisdom in order to be understood. Revelation can be understood by the children of GOD with the help of the Holy Spirit to interpret. Because wisdom comes from GOD (see Proverbs 2; Jeremiah 33:3; Daniel 2:20-22; Amos 3:7; Matthew 13:11; John 8:31-32; Colossians 2:2), we can ascertain the main message of this book.

In 19:11, Heaven opens and there is a Rider (Jesus) on a white horse. Heaven opening is important for determining the Revelation timeline. If we examine Isaiah 24:18-19, we see that Heaven opens and there is a great earthquake that splits the earth. If we examine 16:17-19, we see that during the seventh and final bowl, there is a great earthquake, the ‘great city’ splits into three, islands flee, mountains disappear, 100-pound hailstones are riddling the earth, and Jesus announces, “It is done!” If we examine 2Peter 3:10-13, we see that the coming of Christ brings about the destruction of the old Earth. If we examine 21:1-2, we see that there is a new Heaven and a new Earth. In 21:6, we see Jesus announcing, “It is done!” So it seems that the seventh bowl and the ‘great city’ splitting is the old Earth being destroyed as the Harvest (14:14-20) happens and everyone is being separated and finding themselves at their trial for judgment (1Thessalonians 4:17). The ‘great city’ is Babylon (17:5,18); Babylon is Satan’s domain; Earth was where Satan was thrown to, becoming his domain (12:17); Earth is the prostitute who acts as a covering for its inhabitants; Babylon is Earth because it is saturated in sin; hence, the rapture/Harvest and then a new Heaven and new Earth. It also makes sense that Babylon the Great is Earth because the beast and the kings turn on her. Earth’s destruction is because of the antichrists and all the ‘kings’ who have the mark of Satan. Because the only way to make things right is to start anew in the new Heaven and Earth, which is ready for GOD’s people. It makes sense that chapter 17 is giving us insight to Babylon the Great that is seen as already fallen in chapter 18 and that’s why Heaven celebrates in 19:1-5. And then 19:6-10 provides an introduction to Jesus who arrives in 19:11-16, who comes to defeat the beast and his army in 19:17-21. And the conquering of the beast and his armies happens before the seventh and final bowl. If we examine 16:14-16, we see that the armies have assembled and are ready for war, but then 16:17 states that “it is done” and Babylon has fallen; therefore, a lot happens between 16:16 and 16:17. In 16:19, it states that Babylon the Great was remembered, as if the descriptions are what happened (past tense) and how it came to be that it was done. The lightning, thunder, and earthquake together form the sign that indicates transition. The only transition left after Christ conquering the beast and his armies is our final judgment, which we see in 20:11-15. And after the final judgment, GOD’s people experience the new Heaven and new Earth, as is seen in chapter 21. And 22:1-5 seems to be an explanation about that new Heaven and Earth. And then John’s vision concludes in 22:6-21. However, 22:6-9 seems to be the same exact scene from 19:9 when John was in Heaven. This is most likely why both concern the new Heaven and new Earth. It is unlikely that John would have mistakenly worshipped the same angel twice. The only information that is uncertain as to how it fits in the timeline of events is the release of Satan and the ‘1,000’ years that is mentioned. Has Satan already been released? Is he currently gathering everyone for a final war? Will he be released at some point in the future? However, knowing the time of Satan’s release is not necessary for comprehending the main message of Revelation.

Summary and Conclusion:
The book of Revelation is the story of the great reversal and restoration of the Creator’s original good design. Revelation brings us back to Genesis. It is a message of hope filled with warnings. To have faith in the slaughtered Lamb is to share victory with the Lion of Judah; the victor only conquers under the covering of Christ. The conquering is completed by Christ and His angelic clean-up crew (see Deuteronomy 32:35-36; Romans 12:19). Though persecution may be imminent to believers, our greatest danger is actually complacency and compromise with the evil world system. The central message is GOD’s sovereignty over human history. Cataclysmic disaster is predicted for the world, yet through it all GOD is in control. GOD will deliver His people and create a new Heaven and a new Earth where His people will dwell with Him for all eternity. GOD is doing all the work; all He asks of us is three things: be faithful, be obedient (obedience produces fruit), and endure until the end (see Matthew 24:13; Revelation 13:10). The message of the book is clear and can be summed up in two words: “GOD wins” or “Love wins” — they are the same. Everything will eventually be unveiled; therefore, stay faithful, do not be afraid, and remember that you are loved (see Matthew 10:26-33). Revelation is the conclusion of the Bible, which is a long love letter. The ending reads something like this: “I love you and one day, we will be together again.” And for that reason, we need to live as if Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow.

Judaism

The name is derived from the tribe of Judah, one of the twelve ancient tribes of Israel. Judaism is literally the religion of those who come from the tribe of Judah, who are (in English) called the Jews.

The most prevalent symbol associated with Judaism is two interlaced triangles known as the Star of David. It would probably be more appropriate to use the menorah (the seven-branched candlestick) or the two tablets of the Law, since they are actually important parts of this religion, but the Star of David is the chosen symbol to represent Judaism.

Although Judaism originated “in the beginning” when God created the universe, this religion has a number of points in time that could be considered its beginning. At some point, God chose Abraham to become the father of the covenant nation. Judaism is the religion of a people dispersed around the world, whose religion often was their only possession as they were forced to move over and over again. While seeking to find security either in assimilating to their host countries or in maintaining a self-sufficient culture, they knew that persecution was never far away.

Judaism is a religion that emphasizes practices ahead of beliefs, though the practices are deeply embedded in a set of beliefs. Although there is no official formulation of the beliefs of Judaism, such as a creed, the following list displays what Jews usually accept as true:

1. There is only one God, known as Yahweh (YHWH, meaning “I AM.”) God is the One who is the self-existent One. God is the Creator God. The final analysis of God is that the ultimate reality of God is more like a person than like a thing, more like a mind than a machine.
2. This God has chosen one people – the Jews – to be His special representatives on Earth.
3. God’s choice of these people is an expression of His love for them, but it is primarily a special call to His people to be obedient to His Law. The Jews are supposed to be God’s witnesses to the world that it is possible to live a pure and righteous life; consequently, Jews follow a demanding set of rules, regulations, and rituals.
4. Jews who live up to their calling will receive an eternal reward, but so will Gentiles (non-Jews) who live according to lesser standards than God’s expectations of Jews. The main concern of this religion is not to find a way to Heaven but to simply live in conformity with divine expectations.
5. At the End of Age, God will send a special person, the Messiah, who will preside over a time of peace and prosperity in the world.

For Judaism, the most important religious writing is the Torah – the first five books of the Bible – which orthodox Jews believe were revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Torah is only one part of the sacred scriptures. The Jewish name for this collection is the Tanakh, an embellishment of the three letters – T, N, K – standing for the three sections of the Jewish Bible: T for Torah (the Law); N for Neviim (the prophets); K for Ketuvim (the writings). These scriptures were already considered sacred while the temple still stood in Jerusalem (and they have also been maintained as sacred by Christians under the name Old Testament). According to the rabbinic view, the Hebrew Bible contains no less than 613 commandments that regulate human behavior.

After the destruction of the temple and the dispersal of the nation, the rabbis started to put down in writing interpretations of the Law that up until then had only been oral. For many centuries the teachers (rabbis) had worked on interpreting the Law of Moses to people far removed in time from its original setting, but only now were those interpretations recorded in writing. First there was the Mishnah, a sizable collection, finished in the third century AD But then the Mishnah was incorporated into a far more voluminous compilation called the Talmud, which became the standard set of interpretations for Jewish life. The Talmud was finished by about AD 500 and from then on the Talmud became authoritative for orthodox Jews as well as the subject of interpretation by scholars and teachers. In addition, there is one other set of writings that should be mentioned. The Judaism of the rabbis has traditionally been accompanied by a mystical form of Judaism, which focuses on the possibility of a person’s close relationship to God. This dimension of Judaism, called Kabbalah, has also produced numerous writings, the most famous of which is the book called the Zohar, written in the 13th century AD by a Spanish Jew named Moses de Leon.

Orthodox Jewish worship focuses on God and the fact that He has given His Law to His people. Prayer is a very important aspect of this worship. Jewish men pray three times a day: morning, noon, and evening. If a group of ten or more men get together in a synagogue, they can recite a more extended service. Jewish worship buildings are called synagogues, a term derived from the Greek word for “assembling.” It must be emphasized that a synagogue is not the same thing as the temple we read about in the Bible. The temple was a site for sacrifices, whereas a synagogue is a place for prayer and teaching. Orthodox prayer requires the wearing of phylacteries and a prayer shawl. Phylacteries (tefillin) are two littles boxes, about one inch cubed, that are strapped to the forehead and the hand, containing little parchments of scripture verses. The shawl (tallith) is rectangular, about two feet by one foot, white with blue stripes and tassels on the ends, which is wrapped over one’s shoulder and, at appropriate moments, over the head. The prayers are formalized recitations said in Hebrew. Jewish congregational worship takes place on the Sabbath, which begins on Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening. The main service is usually on Saturday morning, but some groups emphasize a Friday night worship service as well. The service begins with the lighting of the menorah (seven-branched candelabra). In addition to a number of prayers of praise and petition, there will be a reading from the Torah.

The home plays a central role in Jewish life. This is particularly emphasized by the fact that some of the Jewish special days are intentionally family-oriented. Since all forms of work are prohibited on the Sabbath, a family will spend a lot of time together on that day. The coming of age of a boy (bar mitzvah), and in Reform circles of a girl as well (bat mitzvah), is an important event involving the entire family. The Torah commands Jews to remember God as they enter and leave a home, and so they place a stylized reminder on their doorposts. This is a small (about three-inch-long) cylinder containing a parchment, called the mezuzah, on which the reminder that God is one is inscribed. Whenever Jews pass the mezuzah, they greet it by touching it with their fingers and then kissing the fingers.

Orthodox Jewish men usually wear a skull-cap (yarmulke). They also wear a garment under their shirt, from which fringes stick out over the top of their pants. They do not cut the sides of their hair, so that long side locks droop down in front of their ears.

The Jewish diet is referred to as kosher, and it is an amplification of the biblical dietary ordinances. The ancient rules specify that Jews may eat virtually all vegetables. When it comes to meat, four-footed animals must have hoofs and ruminant digestions (such as cows), seafood must have scales and fins, and only a few birds (such as chickens and ducks) are permitted. When animals are slaughtered, they must be drained of all their blood immediately. The Jewish diet requires that meat and milk products may never be consumed together at one meal.

Judaism maintains a lunar calendar, adjusted on a complicated cycle to stay in step with the solar year, so that the holidays tend to fall into the same range of the Gregorian calendar every year. The Jewish year is counted from what Jews traditionally consider the time of creation. For example, the year AD 2000 was the Jewish year 5761. The Jewish year begins during September or October.

Even though there are a number of minor divisions among Jews, many of which are based on the geographical locations where Jews have lived over the last two thousand years, the major subgroups of Judaism are few and relatively flexible:

• Orthodox Judaism: This involves strict adherence to the Law in all respects. With no further qualifications, to be a Jew theoretically means to be an orthodox Jew, that is to say, someone who observes all the obligations stated in the Law and amplified in the Talmud.
• Hasidic Judaism: This is practiced by orthodox Jews whose heritage goes back to a mystical reformer named Baal Shem Tov in 18th century Poland. He taught that Jews could find God in a personal, joyous experience of His presence, rather than just by following the traditional forms of legalism and ancient culture.
• Reform Judaism: This branch is focused on the idea that Jews should be at home in whatever country they live and that the culture of the host country should be their predominant culture as well. Reform Judaism said that the Talmud is not binding on Jews and that Jews should work for the betterment of the present world, not wait for a future messianic kingdom.
• Conservative Judaism: This originated as an attempt to mediate between the Orthodox and Reform sides. Conservative Judaism recognizes the Law as binding but permits adaptation of it in light of modern developments.

My Final Thoughts:

Certainly, the idea that a universal GOD decided that the all encompassing Truth should be uniquely and incomparably disclosed to a single people is among the most difficult notions to accept in the entire study of religion. Why were they chosen? Chosen for what reason? Surprisingly, the Jews did not see themselves as singled out for privileges. They were chosen to serve and to suffer the trials that service would often exact. This version of the chosen people turned out to be much more demanding and unattractive than what might be considered normal expectations for a chosen people.

Carl Mayer once wrote, “By every known sociological law, the Jews should have perished long ago.” The Biblical writers would have gone further, contending that by every known sociological law, the Jews should not have become a distinct people in the first place. They were an unlikely pick; they were the underdogs. Israel came into being as a nation through an extraordinary occurrence, in which a milling band of slaves somehow broke the shackles of the tyrant of their day and were lifted to the status of a free and self-respecting people. Almost immediately afterwards they were brought to an understanding of GOD that was far above that of their neighbors, and deduced from it standards of morality and justice that still challenge the world today. Through the thousands of years that followed, the chosen people have continued their existence in the face of unbelievable odds and adversity, and have contributed to civilization out of all proportion to the numbers. Either the credit belongs to the Jews themselves, or it belongs to GOD. Given this alternative, it is extremely difficult to believe that the Jews should receive the credit.

Though I accept Judaism’s monotheism, I do not hide my disdain toward the rigmarole of religious rituals. Due to the fact that the Hebrew Bible contains no less than 613 commandments that regulate human behavior, a righteous life seems to be an unrealistic expectation and unachievable. The seemingly pious performances of Judaism made me want to initially turn away; however, further investigation compelled me to dig deeper into a greater understanding. GOD demands that we need to be Holy because GOD is Holy. It is the absolute moral standard. Is it too much to believe that a Necessary Being’s absolute moral standard would be extensive and challenging? In fact, that should be expected.

However, with the seemingly impossible high standards of expectations, there remains the question of whether GOD, now seen as personal and ultimately one, is either amoral or hostile. If GOD were either, could there be any hope for humanity? Is GOD a sadistic tyrant who enjoys pronouncing judgement and punishment? If taken out of context, some incidents would affirm a hostile or evil Being; however, the GOD of the Jews extracted the Jewish people from Egypt, saved them from slavery, and led them to freedom. Had they themselves done anything to deserve this miraculous release? Not as far as they could see. Freedom had come to them as an act of sheer, unmerited grace, a clear instance of GOD’s unanticipated and astonishing love for them. Whereas the gods of Olympus tirelessly pursued beautiful women, the GOD of the Jews watched over widows and orphans and pursued the lonely and heartbroken. This GOD is a GOD of righteousness, whose loving-kindness is from everlasting to everlasting and whose tender mercies are in all His works. The recurring theme throughout the entire Hebrew Bible is a demand for righteousness followed by failure or rebellion, which led to repercussion, which was followed by repentance, which was followed by mercy. The Jews’ story was like a broken record playing the song of failure and forgiveness on repeat. To say that GOD is the GOD of second chances is an understatement. The GOD of the Jews is clearly a righteous and loving Necessary Being who is also personal and committed. This GOD is a covenant GOD. A covenant is more than a mere contract. A covenant is like a marriage in that it involves the pledging of total selves without a termination date.

Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and even cynical philosophers of Greece might all declare that the world is not good and perhaps should be renounced. Judaism, by contrast, affirms the world’s goodness in its original design, arriving at that conclusion through its belief that GOD created it and also pronounced it to be good. To affirm that existence is GOD-created is to affirm its unimpeachable worth. Pressing for meaning in every direction, the Jews refused to abandon the physical aspects of existence as illusory, defective, or unimportant. GOD created Earth, allowed human beings to have dominion over Earth, and it was pronounced good. All of life down to its microscopic detail can be seen as a reflection of the infinite source of holiness, which is GOD.

Consistent disobedience followed by repentance produced a recurring theme of humility. The Jews recognized their physical limitations such as weakness, susceptibility to pain, and life’s brevity; however, the focus of the human limitation was moral rather than physical. Human beings are not only fragile, but they are also sinners. The Jews were acutely aware of human limitations. The recurring theme of humility is seen in the belief that humans are a blend of dust and divinity who are in need of the Creator for guidance and grace. The boldness of the honesty  in the Holy Scriptures is captivating and comforting. No character flaws or blunders were omitted; lies were not covered over in an attempt to polish a story and make it seem glamorous. Humans make mistakes, but GOD is there to correct them; humans fall down, but GOD is willing to pick them back up. Yet no amount of realism dampened the aspiration of the Jews due to their faith in GOD.

The fact that Judaism stakes its claims in history by listing people by name, specific geographic locations, and dates at which the historical events occurred, reveals a confidence that other religions have not been able to match. In Hinduism, for instance, the world of sense experience is regarded as maya, an illusion. Greek philosophers looked upon the world as a natural process which, like the rotation of the seasons, always follows the same rational scheme. For the Hebrew Bible, history is neither maya nor a circular process of nature; it is the arena of GOD’s purposive activity. The events the Hebrew Bible relates are profoundly contextual. If history is meaningless, it follows that the social, political, and cultural contexts of life do not warrant active concern. To the Jews, history is significant and of upmost importance. And as is evident by my own writing, history is necessary in order to validate claims of past events and current proclamations. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat their mistakes. In addition, recalling previous praises of past victories propels people forward. As the most historically minded of all the religions, Judaism finds holiness and history inseparable. Whereas the surrounding gods of those times were primarily nature deities, reifications of the numinous awe that people feel for nature’s grand phenomena, the GOD of the Jews came to them not through the sun, a storm, or fertility, but in a historical event. The GOD that Genesis exposed and Exodus disclosed cared enough about a human situation to step in and do something about it. From the goodness of GOD it follows that GOD desires His people to be good as well; hence, the Ten Commandments had been established at Mount Sinai.

The Law contains ritualistic as well as ethical prescriptions, but there is meaning to be found in the Law. Contained in the Law are wise restraints which keep people on the straight path of righteousness. The Ten Commandments constitute the moral foundation of most of the Western world. What the Ten Commandments prescribe are the minimum standards that make collective life possible. The Hebrew Bible provides an absolute moral standard by which all else can be measured. And where morals have been established, justice must also be established for those who rebel. And this is more or less where the prophets enter into the picture.

The word “prophet” comes from the Greek word prophetes, in which pro means “for” and phetes means “to speak.” Thus, in its original Greek, a prophet is someone who “speaks for” someone else. This meaning is faithful to the original Hebrew. If for the Hebrews the generic meaning of the word prophet was “one who speaks on the authority of another,” its specific meaning (as used to refer to a distinctive group of people in the biblical period) was “one who speaks for GOD.” The prophets proclaimed GOD’s messages of righteousness. Those who rejected righteousness and rebelled against the absolute moral standard would have to eventually face a just judgement. Though GOD is loving, GOD demands justice. Humans have to decide what choices to make; consequently, they will also have to accept whatever consequences come from their choices. A Rabbi once said that if GOD created the world on the basis of the attribute of mercy alone, the world’s sins would greatly multiply. If the GOD created it on the basis of the attribute of justice alone, the world could not endure. Therefore, GOD created it with both the attributes of mercy and justice so that it may endure.

The Jews’ humility reveals meaning even in temporary suffering. To the Jews, GOD was using them to introduce into history insights that all peoples need but to which they are blinded by ease and complacency. GOD was burning into the hearts of the Jews through their suffering a passion for freedom and justice that would affect all humankind. The Jews endured pain so that others might be spared from it. In Isaiah 53:4-6, a time is foretold when the nations of Earth would see that the tiny nation they once scorned (here personified as an individual) had actually been suffering on their behalf.

Though the Jews were able to find their suffering meaningful, meaning for them did not end there. Its climax is found in the figure of a coming Messiah. Literally, Messiah (from the Hebrew mashiah) means “anointed”; but as kings and high priests were anointed with oil, the terms became a title of honor, signifying someone who had been elevated or “chosen.” The hope is that the Messiah will elevate the Jews to a position of importance in world affairs and would uphold a moral advance of worldwide proportions. Some expected an actual Messiah to appear – a priest or king who, as GOD’s deputy, would effect the new order. On the other side were those who thought GOD would dispense with a human agent and intervene directly. The latter view, appropriately called the messianic expectation, hoped for an age in which there would be political freedom, moral perfection, and earthly bliss for the people of Israel in their own land, and also for the entire human race. Finally, Messianists differed concerning whether the new order would be continuous with previous history or would shake the world to its foundations and replace it (in the End of Days) with a period of time that was supernaturally different in kind.

Being though history is held is such high regard in Judaism, the numerous supernatural miracles become difficult to digest for many people. Historical accuracy and supernatural occurrences seem to be at odds with each other. The many miracles found within the Tanakh are interwoven into the historical claims. Because miracles need to be accepted in order to validate the truth claims of both Judaism and Christianity, the investigation for miracles will be discussed under Christianity. However, the historical claims of Judaism still need to be investigated.

Archaeology is the study of human history in past singularities, not present regularities. The evidence is fragmentary and comprises only a tiny fraction of all that occurred. Hence, the discovery of more evidence can change the picture considerably. This is especially true when conclusions have been based on lack of existing evidence. Many critical views that once existed have been subsequently overturned by archaeological discoveries. For example, it was long believed that Genesis was in error when it spoke about Hittites (Genesis 23:10). But since the discovery of the Hittite library in Turkey (1906), this is no longer the case. In fact, there seems to be a substantial amount of archeological evidence to support Judaism.

Judaism is often compared to other ancient accounts of religion and creation due to similarities. But it is in the differences where Truth seems to become evident. Earth in general, and the Middle East in particular, is the archaeological excavation site where Truth is slowly being uncovered and discovered. Like an unbelievable relic unearthed at an excavation site, the reality of Judaism is revealed once the layers of lies are brushed away.

Tens of thousands of clay tablet fragments were discovered at Ebla in modern Syria, beginning in 1974. Biovanni Pettinato dates the tablets from 2580 – 2450 BC, and Paolo Matthiae suggests 2400 – 2250 BC. Either period predates any other written material by hundreds of years. The importance of the Ebla tablets is that they parallel and confirm early chapters of Genesis. The creation tablet is strikingly close to that of Genesis, speaking of one being who created the heavens, moon, stars, and earth. Babylonian and Sumerian accounts describe the creation as the product of a conflict among finite gods. When one god is defeated and split in half, the River Euphrates flows from one eye and the Tigris from the other. Humanity is made of the blood of an evil god mixed with clay. These tales display the kind of distortion and embellishment to be expected when a historical account becomes mythologized. The library of 16,000 clay tablets found at Ebla predates the Babylonian account by about six hundred years. Parallels from the Ebla tablets show that Genesis contains the older, less-embellished version of the creation account and transmits the facts without the corruption of the mythological renderings. This destroys the critical belief in the evolution of monotheism from supposed earlier polytheism and henotheism. Now monotheism is known to be earlier.

As with the creation accounts, the flood narrative in Genesis is more realistic than other ancient versions, indicating its authenticity. Nearly two dozen separate flood accounts exist around the world. The flood is told of the by Greeks, Hindus, Chinese, Mexicans, Hawaiians, and even the Algonquins. The superficial similarities of the flood narratives point toward a historical core of events and shared memories that gave rise to all accounts, not toward plagiarism by the biblical writer. To find Truth in the archaeological dig, the layers of lies must be brushed away. There are good reasons to believe that Genesis gives the original story. The other versions contain elaborations indicating corruption. Only in Genesis is the year of the flood given, as well as dates for the chronology relative to Noah’s life. In the Babylonian version, the ship is a cube. A cube ship would not have saved anyone because the waves would have constantly turned it on every side. However, Noah’s ark is described in such detail as to be explained as a long, wide, and low rectangle. Naval architects report that a long, box-shaped, floating boxcar, such as the ark, is the most stable kind of craft in turbulent waters. The ark was also made of gopher wood, which is known to give without breaking. The heavy load would have given the ark stability. In addition, the length of the rainfall in the pagan accounts (seven days) would not be enough time for the devastation they describe. And the Babylonian idea that all of the flood waters subsided in one day is equally absurd. Another striking difference between Genesis and the other versions is that in these different accounts the hero is granted immortality and exalted. The biblical account moves on to Noah’s sin. That honesty is noteworthy.

Much was learned about the Assyrians when 26,000 tablets were found in the palace of Ashurbanipal, son of the Esarhaddon who took the northern kingdoms into captivity in 722 BC. These tablets tell of the many conquests of the Assyrian Empire and record with honor the cruel and violent punishments that fell to those who opposed them. Several of these records confirm the historical accuracy of Judaism’s sacred Scriptures. Every reference in the Tanakh to an Assyrian king has proven correct. Even though Sargon was unknown for some time, the discovery and excavation of his palace revealed a wall painting of the battle mentioned in Isaiah 20. The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser adds to our knowledge of biblical figures by showing Jehu bowing down to the king of Assyria.

There are multiple examples of archaeological evidence, including the Lachish Letters, the Cyrus Cylinder, and Dead Sea Scrolls. In every period of the Tanakh history, we find that there is good evidence from archaeology that Judaism’s Scripture speaks the truth. In fact, while thousands of finds from the ancient world support in broad outline and often in detail the biblical picture, not one incontrovertible find has ever contradicted Scripture.

Conclusion:

Judaism is in alignment with the prerequisites laid out by logic. Judaism meets the requirements of an absolute Truth, a Moral Law, a Necessary Being (really?) who is also the Moral Law Giver, a created universe, and thereby affirming a Creator, which affirms the teleological argument of creation. Judaism also provides an explanation for the existence of evil and the pervasiveness of evil in free will, the fall of mankind, sin, repentance, sacrificial cleansing, and forgiveness. Furthermore, the religion of Judaism was built on the foundation of established history. Judaism seems to be an acceptable choice in a belief; however, before I am able to finalize the conclusion of Judaism, I must first investigate Christianity and Islam and formulate a final assessment from the findings.