Introduction to Revelation

(Video Version)

The Book of Revelation is a prophecy of events that began at the ascension of Yeshua in AD33, and covers:

• the two thousand years that His assembly would wander the wilderness until His return,
• the Refiner’s fire and battle of Armageddon,
• the millennial Kingdom of Yeshua,
• and then closes with the final destruction of evil and the start of our eternity in the New Jersusalem.

And we are blessed just for reading and hearing the words of the prophecy!

Revelation 1:4-8 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John begins by saying that the coming message—and its grace and peace—are from YHWH Elohim, the Holy Spirit, and Yeshua Messiah. John reminds the reader that when Yeshua returns, everyone will see Him coming down from Heaven on the clouds; His second coming will not be the same as His first.

Revelation 1:9-11 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

The phrase ‘the Lord’s day’ means the day that is a sacred memorial of Yeshua’s resurrection, which is the day we refer to as Resurrection Sunday or Firstfruits. This is the only place in all of scripture where this phrase is used. From Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: relating to the Lord, ἡ κυριακῇ ἡμέρα, the day devoted to the Lord, sacred to the memory of Christ’s resurrection, Revelation 1:10.

We believe that the seven churches listed here and the seven seals we read about later in chapter 6, are both descriptions of the church from Yeshua’s ascension until His return. The seven churches were in the physical realm and the messages give a description of the spiritual state of the body of believers during each time period. Once John is taken up in the spirit to Heaven, the spiritual realm, the prophecy changes to a symbolic representation of the spiritual state of the body of believers. For example, instead of the Spirit of YHWH in the body of believers being represented as a church assembly, it is now represented by a horse and the colour of the horse tells us their spiritual state. The leadership or government that is controlling the church is represented by the rider and its description and accessories tell us the spiritual state of the controlling entity.

Scripture shows us that the seven churches and the seven seals represent of the same time periods:

• We are told the seven lampstands are the seven churches:
  • Revelation 1:20 …and the seven lampstands you saw are seven churches.
• And the flames on the lamps are the Spirits of Elohim:
  • Revelation 4:5 …And seven lamps of fire are burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
• Zechariah says that the seven lamps are the eyes of YHWH that go to and fro through all the earth.
  • Zechariah 4:2-6 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”  And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”  Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says YHWH of hosts.
  • Zechariah 4:10 For who has despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice and shall see the plummet stone in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of YHWH; they run to and fro through all the earth.
• But Zechariah also says that the horses go to and fro through all the earth:
  • Zechariah 1:8-17 I saw at night, and behold! A Man riding on a red horse. And He stood among the myrtle trees that were in the ravine. And behind Him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I said, My lord, what are these? And the angel who was speaking to me said to me, I will show you what these are. And the Man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are those whom YHWH has sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they answered the Angel of YHWH who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth; and, behold, all the earth sits still and is at peace.
  • Zechariah 6:5-7 And the angel answered and said to me, These are the four spirits of Heaven who go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. The black horses in it go into the north country, and the white go after them; and the dappled ones go toward the south country. And the strong-coloured ones went forth and sought to go, to walk to and fro in the earth. And he said Go! Walk to and fro in the earth, So they walked to and fro in the earth.
• And we know that the eyes of YHWH also go to and fro through all the earth:
  • 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of YHWH run to and fro in all the earth in order to be strong for those with their heart perfect toward Him…
• Also His eyes are like a flame of fire:
  • Revelation 1:14 And the hairs of His head were white as white wool, as snow, and His eyes as a flame of fire.
  • Daniel 10:6 …and His eyes were like torches of fire…

The seven lampstands are the seven churches, the seven lamps of fire on the lampstands are the seven Spirits of YHWH. The seven lamps are also the eyes of YHWH, which means the eyes of YHWH are the Spirits of YHWH. The seven lamps, seven Spirits of YHWH, strong-coloured horses, and eyes of YHWH all go to and fro through all the earth. The Spirits of Heaven are represented by horses.

7 Lampstands = 7 Churches

Lamps of Fire = horses = eyes of YHWH = Spirits of YHWH (Holy Spirit)

Therefore, the lamps of fire of Revelation 4 and the horses of Revelation 6 represent the Spirit of YHWH (Holy Spirit) in the Church of Yeshua.

Revelation 1:12-20 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The One speaking to John is Yeshua Messiah. He tells John to write down the things that he has seen as well as what Yeshua is about to show him and give it to the churches. Yeshua Messiah stands amid the seven churches, which shows us that He has kept the promise that He made to His disciples that He would be with us to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Yeshua is holding the seven messengers in His right hand, and the next two chapters are the messages that are given to those messengers. They are a description of the trials the church will endure over seven church ages along with corrections and warnings to each age. After Yeshua finishes giving dictation to John, John is taken up to Heaven in the spirit.

Revelation 4:1-4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.

There were twenty-four elders already in heaven, seated on thrones around YHWH Elohim. These are most likely the saints whose tombs were opened at the time of Yeshua’s crucifixion, when a major earthquake shook Jerusalem.

Matthew 27:50-53 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

These saints were then resurrected when Yeshua was, and must have ascended to heaven sometime within the forty days that Yeshua stayed and appeared to people.

Revelation 4:5-6 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal…

The Holy Spirit is situated in front of YHWH Elohim and His throne at the time when John arrives in Heaven. Therefore, we know John was transported backwards in time to before the Holy Spirit came down on the Day of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks).

Revelation 4:6-11 …And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

These four living creatures are seraphim, which are angels whose job it is to serve, worship, and praise YHWH. They are similar to cherubim except that cherubim have four faces each and seraphim only have one face each. We see cherubim in scripture guarding the Garden of Eden, flanking YHWH’s throne, hovering over the Ark of the Covenant, and as the chariot of YHWH. One of the primary responsibilities of the cherubim and seraphim is to magnify the righteousness and sovereignty of God.

Genesis 3:24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Exodus 25:18-22 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

2 Samuel 22:11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind.

Psalm 18:10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

Ezekiel 1:5-10 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. […] And the four had their faces and their wings thus: their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 

Ezekiel 10:14-15 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the Chebar canal. 

Ezekiel 10:18-22 Then the glory of YHWH went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of YHWH, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the Chebar canal; and I knew that they were cherubim. Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings the likeness of human hands. And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. Each one of them went straight forward.

The seraphim surrounding the throne of YHWH have the same faces as the cherubim described in Ezekiel, and mirrors the layout of the camp of Israel during their forty years in the wilderness.

Revelation 5:1-5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

This passage is giving us the point in time in which these events are occurring. After John is taken up to Heaven in the spirit he sees the Holy Spirit standing before the throne of YHWH, which means that the Holy Spirit had not yet descended on the Day of Pentecost. Now John is shown a scroll with seven seals on it, and an angel proclaims that no one in Heaven, on the earth, or under the earth is worthy to open the seals. So where else is left? What if someone worthy to open the seals happened to be between heaven and earth, in the process of ascending, at that moment? Someone like Yeshua Messiah, the Lamb of Elohim. Indeed, He is found in Heaven moments later in verse five. So we see that the first seal is opened immediately after Yeshua ascends to Heaven in AD 33.

Revelation 5:6-10 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Yeshua Messiah, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth, is the only one worthy to open the seals on the scroll. So, what is this scroll with the seven seals? It is the scroll of life. The Scroll of Life is the one that only the righteous are written on, which means those who have been justified by Yeshua Messiah.

Revelation 13:8 And all those dwelling in the earth will worship it [the beast], those whose names had not been written in the Scroll of Life of the Lamb having been slain, from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne and the One sitting on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled; and a place was not found for them. And I saw the dead, the small and the great, standing before God. And scrolls were opened. And another Scroll was opened, which is the Scroll of Life. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the scrolls, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead in it. And death and Hades gave up the dead in them. And they were each judged according to their works. And death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And if anyone was not found having been written in the Scroll of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.

John says that this event is happening after the thousand-year reign of Yeshua Messiah, on the Day of Judgment. We know this because it is after heaven and earth are gone. This is the second resurrection when all of those who have died the first death are raised to stand before YHWH Elohim. The scrolls that contain the records of the works of those who believe in Yeshua Messiah are opened. The Scroll of Life, where the names of all those who have been saved are listed, is also opened.

Psalm 69:28 Blot them out of the Book of Life; yea, let them not be written with the righteous.

Revelation 21:27 And all profaning may not at all enter into it (New Jerusalem), or any making an abomination or a lie; but only the ones having been written in the Scroll of Life of the Lamb.

The scroll that has seven seals is the scroll of life that lists all the righteous who will be resurrected to everlasting life. Before the judgment of the dead can happen, the seals must all be broken. Yeshua begins breaking them shortly after His arrival in Heaven.

Revelation 5:11-14 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Chapter six describes the opening of the first six seals; the sixth seal culminates in the seven trumpets being blown. The seventh seal brings about the resurrection of the dead, the rapture of the elect, and the seven bowls of wrath; this period of time is called the Refiner’s fire.

Malachi 3:1-5 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says YHWH of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to YHWH. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to YHWH as in the days of old and as in former years. “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says YHWH of hosts.

After Satan and his minions are defeated, he will be bound and chained in the abyss for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:1-6 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

Once the thousand years are over, Satan will be let loose again for a short time. He will deceive the nations again and try to defeat YHWH, however, he will ultimately fail and be destroyed.

Revelation 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Those who are martyred during the reign of Satan’s beasts will be resurrected to rule with Yeshua in the millennial kingdom.

Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The second resurrection of the dead will happen after the thousand years of peace in Yeshua’s kingdom. All those who are found written in the Scroll of Life will be raised to everlasting life in the New Jerusalem, they will not face the judgment between life and death. They will face the white throne judgment, however, when the scroll (book) of their works is opened and their place in the hierarchy of the Kingdom of Heaven will be determined based on what is written. Anyone not written in the Scroll of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire and the scroll of their works will not be read.

Revelation 21:1-8 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

From creation, YHWH’s intention for humanity was to dwell in His divine presence. Nevertheless, the gift of freewill bestowed upon humanity granted the capacity to choose between obedience and disobedience. As the Book of Revelation comes to a close, we see the ultimate fulfillment of YHWH’s plan when all who love Him and accept His free gift of eternal life dwell eternally with Him in the New Jerusalem.