Study Notes Week 65

Torah Study Notes for Week 65 of the Torah Reading Cycle

Read
Aloud together to hear the Word (Leviticus 23:1-3; Nehemiah 8:1-4; Luke 4:16-17)

  • Torah (T): Shemot (Exodus) 15:1-27
  • Prophets (P): Isaiah 12:1-6
  • Apostolic (A): Revelation 19:1-21
  • Additional (ADD): Jubilees 48:12-19

Torah Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

Shemot (Exodus) 15:1-27

15:1 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to [Elohim],(LXX) and said, “I will sing to YHWH, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea. 2 Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my Elohim, and I will praise him; my father's Elohim, and I will exalt him. 3 YHWH is a man of war. YHWH is his name. 4 He has cast Pharaoh's chariots and his army into the sea. His chosen captains are sunk in the Sea at the End. 5 The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone. 6 Your right hand, YHWH, is glorious in power. Your right hand, YHWH, dashes the enemy in pieces. 7 In the greatness of your excellency, you overthrow those who rise up against you. You send out your wrath. It consumes them as stubble. 8 With the blast of your nostrils, the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the plunder. My desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword. My hand will destroy them.' 10 You blew with your wind. The sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who is like you, YHWH, among the elohim? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand. The land swallowed them. 13 “You, in your loving kindness, have led the people that you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation. 14 The peoples have heard. They tremble. Pangs have taken hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. 16 Terror and dread falls on them. By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone, until your people pass over, YHWH, until the people you have purchased pass over. 17 You will bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, the place, [YHWH],(DSS)(LXX)(SP) which you have made for yourself to dwell in: the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have established. 18 YHWH will reign to a hidden time and again.” 19 For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and YHWH brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the sons of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea. 20 Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. 21 Miriam answered them, “Sing to YHWH, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.” 22 Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah. 24 The people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he cried to YHWH. YHWH showed him a tree, and he threw it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute and a judgment for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you will diligently listen to [the voice of YHWH],(DSS)(LXX)(SP) and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his commandments, and guard all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am YHWH who heals you.” 27 They came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They encamped there by the waters.

Review

  1. 14:1 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Zephon. You shall encamp opposite it by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will say [to] of the sons of Israel, ‘They are entangled in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.’
    1. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Exodus 14 And the Lord spake to Mosheh, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, that they return back, and encamp before the Mouths of Hiratha, as they lie, created after the manner (likeness) of the children of men, male and female, and their eyes open to them: it is the place of Tanes, which is between Migdol and the sea, before the idol Zephon (Typhon), that is left of all the idols of Mizraim. For the Mizraee will say, More excellent is Baal Zephon than all idols, because it is left, and not smitten; and therefore will they come to worship it, and will find that you are encamped nigh unto it, on the border of the sea.
    2. …And Pharaoh said to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Israel, who had remained in Mizraim, The people of the house of Israel are bewildered in the land: the idol Zephon hath shut them in close upon the desert. [JERUSALEM. 2. And they will return and encamp before the caravansaries of Hiratha, between Migdol and the sea, before the idol of Zephon, ye will encamp over against it. And Pharaoh will say concerning the people of the sons of Israel, They are losing themselves in the wilderness: the idol of Peor hath shut them in before the desert.] And I will strengthen the design of Pharaoh’s heart to pursue after them, and I will be glorified upon Pharaoh and upon his hosts, and the Mizraee will know that I am the Lord. And they did so.
  2. 14:6 He prepared his chariot, and took his army with him; 7 and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, with captains over all of them.
    1. Josephus Antiquities 2.15.3 …Now when the Egyptians had overtaken the Hebrews, they prepared to fight them, and by their multitude they drove them into a narrow place; for the number that pursued after them was six hundred chariots, with fifty thousand horsemen, and two hundred thousand foot-men, all armed. They also seized on the passages by which they imagined the Hebrews might fly, shutting them up between inaccessible precipices and the sea; for there was [on each side] a [ridge of] mountains that terminated at the sea, which were impassable by reason of their roughness, and obstructed their flight; wherefore they there pressed upon the Hebrews with their army, where [the ridges of] the mountains were closed with the sea; which army they placed at the chops of the mountains, that so they might deprive them of any passage into the plain.
  3. 14:9 The Egyptians pursued them. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
    1. Jubilees 48:12-19; And notwithstanding all (these) signs and wonders the prince of the Mastema was not put to shame because he took courage and cried to the Egyptians to pursue after you with all the powers of the Egyptians, with their chariots, and with their horses, and with all the hosts of the peoples of Egypt. 13. And I stood between the Egyptians and Israel, and we delivered Israel out of his hand, and out of the hand of his people, and YHWH brought them through the midst of the sea as if it were dry land. 14. And all the peoples whom he brought to pursue after Israel, YHWH our Elohim cast them into the midst of the sea, into the depths of the abyss beneath the sons of Israel, even as the people of Egypt had cast their children into the river. 4 He took vengeance on 1,000,000 of them, and one thousand strong and energetic men were destroyed on account of one suckling of the children of your people which they had thrown into the river. 15. And on the fourteenth day and on the fifteenth and on the sixteenth and on the seventeenth and on the eighteenth the prince of the Mastema was bound and imprisoned behind the sons of Israel that he might not accuse them. 16. And on the nineteenth we let them loose that they might help the Egyptians and pursue the sons of Israel. 17. And he hardened their hearts and made them stubborn, and the device was devised by YHWH our Elohim that He might smite the Egyptians and cast them into the sea. 18. And on the fourteenth we bound him that he might not accuse the sons of Israel on the day when they asked the Egyptians for vessels and garments, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze, in order to despoil the Egyptians in return for the bondage in which they had forced them to serve. 19. And we did not lead forth the sons of Israel from Egypt empty handed.
  4. 14:10 When Pharaoh came near, the sons of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were very afraid. The sons of Israel cried out to YHWH. 11 They said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us out of Egypt? 12 Isn’t this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of [Elohim],(LXX) which he will work for you today; for you will never again see the Egyptians whom you have seen today. 14 YHWH will fight for you, and you shall be still.”
    1. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Exodus 14 Four parties were made (among) the sons of Israel on the shore of the Weedy Sea: one said, Let us go down into the sea; another said, Let us return into Mizraim; another said Let us set against them the line of battle; and another said Let us raise a cry against them, and confound them. Unto the company which said, Let us go down to the sea, spake Mosheh, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which will be wrought for you today. To the company which said, Let us return into Mizraim Mosheh said, You will not return; for, though you see the Mizraee today, you will see them no more for ever. To the company who said, Let us set against them the line of battle, said Mosheh, Contend not; for the victory will be wrought among you from the presence of the Lord. And to the company who said. Let us raise a cry against them, Mosheh said, Be silent; and give the glory, and praise, and exaltation to your God.
  5. 14:21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and YHWH caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
    1. The East Winds (cf. Exodus 10:13; Job 38:24; Psalm 48:7; Hosea 13:15; Jonah 4:8)
    1. Enoch 76:5-6 And the first wind from those portals, called the east wind, comes forth through the first portal which is in the east, inclining towards the south: from it come forth desolation, drought, heat, and destruction. 6. And through the second portal in the middle comes what is fitting, and from it there come rain and fruitfulness and prosperity and dew; and through the third portal which lies toward the north come cold and drought.
  6. 14:22 The sons of Israel went into the middle of the sea on the dry ground; and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the middle of the sea: all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
    1. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Exodus 14 And Mosheh stretched out his hand over the sea, with the great and glorious rod which was created at the beginning, and on which were engraven and set forth the Great and Glorious Name, and the ten signs which had smitten the Mizraee, and the three fathers of the world, and the six mothers, and the twelve tribes of Jakob: and straightway the Lord brought a vehement east wind upon the sea all night, and made the sea dry; and divided the waters into twelve divisions according to the twelve tribes of Jacob. [JERUSALEM. 20. And the cloud was half light and half darkness: light, it enlightened upon Israel; and darkness, it darkened upon Mizraim. And those came not against these, to set battle in order, all the night. 21. And he stretched forth.] And the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea upon the ground, and the waters were congealed like a wall, three hundred miles on their right hand and on their left.
  7. 14:31 Israel saw the great work which [Elohim](LXX) did to the Egyptians, and the people feared YHWH; and they believed in YHWH and in his servant Moses.
    1. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Exodus 14 And Israel saw the power of the mighty hand by which the Lord had wrought the miracles in Mizraim; and the people feared before the Lord, and believed in the Name of the Word of the Lord, and in the prophecies of Mosheh His servant.
    2. 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 and were all immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Messiah. 5 However with most of them, Elohim was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
    3. Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21; Wisdom of Solomon 19:1-10
      The Wisdom of Solomon or Book of Wisdom is a Jewish work, written in Greek, and most likely composed in Alexandria, Egypt. Generally dated to the mid first century B.C. It is uncertain whether the book has a single author or comes from a school of writers, but recent scholarship has favored regarding it as a unified work. Fragments of the Wisdom of Solomon were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the first discovered and excavated cave at Qumran in 1949.
      1. Wisdom 19:1-10
        1. 19:7 Then the cloud that overshadowed the camp was seen, and dry land rising up out of what had been water, out of the Sea of Reeds an unhindered highway, and a grassy plain out of the violent surge, 8 by which they passed over with all their army, these who were covered with your hand, having seen strange marvels.
        2. Highway = מְסִלָּה mesilah (H4546) from the Hebrew root which means “to lift” and is a highway, raised way, or public road.
    4. 1 Maccabees 4:5-11
      1. 4:8 Judas said to the men who were with him, “Don’t be afraid of their multitude, or when they charge. 9 Remember how our fathers were saved in the Sea of Reeds, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army.
    5. Josephus Antiquities 2.16.2 …When Moses had thus addressed himself to Elohim, he smote the sea with his rod, which parted asunder at the plague, and receiving those waters into itself, left the ground dry, as a road and a place of flight the Hebrews. Now when Moses saw this appearance of Elohim, and that the sea went out of its own place, and left dry land, he went first of all into it, and bid the Hebrews to follow him along that divine road, and to rejoice at the danger their enemies that followed them were in; and gave thanks to Elohim for this so surprising a deliverance which appeared from him.
    6. Isaiah 11:1-16
      1. 11:16 There will be a highway for the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, like there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
      2. Highway = מְסִלָּה mesilah (H4546) from the Hebrew root which means “to lift” and is a highway, raised way, or public road.
    7. Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land will be glad. The desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. 2 It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Lebanon’s glory will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They will see YHWH’s glory, the excellence of our Elohim. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make the feeble knees firm. 4 Tell those who have a fearful heart, “Be strong! Don’t be afraid! Behold, your Elohim will come with vengeance, the retribution of Elohim. He will come and save you. 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame man will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing; for waters will break out in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water. Grass with reeds and rushes will be in the habitation of jackals, where they lay. 8 A highway will be there, a road, and it will be called “The Holy Way”. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it will be for those who walk in the Way. Wicked fools shall not go there. 9 No lion will be there, nor will any ravenous animal go up on it. They will not be found there; but the redeemed will walk there. 10 Then YHWH’s ransomed ones will return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

  • 15:1 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to [Elohim],(LXX) and said, “I will sing to YHWH, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea. 2 Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my Elohim, and I will praise him; my father’s Elohim, and I will exalt him.
    • Song/sing = שִׁיר shiyr (H7892) comes from a root word that literally means “to tie a cord” and is a stringed musical instrument which uses thin cords for making music. Thus, a “song” was when lyrics were sung, chanted, or rhythmically spoken while a stringed instrument was played (cf. Psalm 33:2; Psalm 92:3; Psalm 144:9; Psalm 150:4; Isaiah 38:20; Habakkuk 3:19 all use various words to describe stringed instruments)
  • 15:3 YHWH is a man of war. YHWH is his name. 4 He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea. His chosen captains are sunk in the Sea at the End. 5 The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone. 6 Your right hand, YHWH, is glorious in power. Your right hand, YHWH, dashes the enemy in pieces. 7 In the greatness of your excellency, you overthrow those who rise up against you. You send out your wrath. It consumes them as stubble. 8 With the blast of your nostrils, the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the plunder. My desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword. My hand will destroy them.’ 10 You blew with your wind. The sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who is like you, YHWH, among the elohim? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand. The land swallowed them. 13 “You, in your loving kindness, have led the people that you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation. 14 The peoples have heard. They tremble. Pangs have taken hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
  • 15:15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
    • Chosen = בְּכוֹר bekor (H1060) means “firstborn” of the womb of a woman or animal (cf. Leviticus 27:26; Deuteronomy 15:19) and בִּכּוּר bikur (H1061) means “firstfruits” of the crop (cf. Exodus 34:26; Deuteronomy 26:2); both Hebrew words signify the chosen or elected as belonging to YHWH. בִּכּוּר bikur comes from the root word בָּחַר bachar (H977) which means “to choose” in the sense of an examination to select, or elect, the choicest. בָּחַר bachar is equivalent to the Greek word ἐκλεκτός eklektos (G1588) means to be elected, chosen, or selected.
    • Chiefs of Edom אַלּוּף aluphei Edom (H441 + H123) in military terms is a commander of a thousand men where אַלּוּף aluph is from אֶלֶף eleph (H505) which means one thousand (cf. Genesis 20:16).
  • 15:16 Terror and dread falls on them. By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone, until your people pass over, YHWH, until the people you have purchased pass over. 17 You will bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, the place, [YHWH],(DSS)(LXX)(SP) which you have made for yourself to dwell in: the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have established. 18 YHWH will reign to a hidden time and again.”
    • Most often translated, “forever and ever,” לְעֹלָם וָעֶד or לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד l’olam v’ed (H5769 + H5703) literally means, “to a hidden time and again,” where the לְ (lamed) prefix means “to” and עֹלָם olam (H5769) refers to a time hidden from the present; a distant time in the past or future (cf. Exodus 15:18; Psalms 9:5; Psalms 45:17; Psalms 104:5; Psalms 119:44; Psalms 145:1; Psalms 145:2; Psalms 145:21; Daniel 12:3; Micah 4:5; Luke 1:33;  . לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד l’olam v’ed is equivalent to the Greek εις τον αιώνα και επ΄ αιώνα και έτι (eis ton aióna kai ep΄ aióna kai éti) which literally means, “in the age, and unto the age, and still”.
  • 15:19 For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and YHWH brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the sons of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.
  • 15:20 Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. 21 Miriam answered them, “Sing to YHWH, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.” 22 Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
    • Commonly translated as “prophetess” נְּבִיאָה naviah (H5030) literally means “seed inside” and is represented by fruit, since fruit hides the seeds inside it. A prophetess is a woman who announces or utters the words or instructions of Elohim received through a vision or dream (cf. Numbers 12:6).
  • 15:23 When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah. 24 The people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he cried to YHWH. YHWH showed him a tree, and he threw it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute and a judgment for them, and there he tested them.
    • Statute = חֹק choq (H2706) means to inscribe (write down) a decree or custom. Genesis 47:26; Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth. Only the land of the priests alone didn’t become Pharaoh’s. Exodus 12:24; You shall observe this word for a statute to you and to your sons forever.
    • Judgment: Often translated as judgment or ordinance, מִשְׁפָּט mishpat (H4941) is from the root word שָׁפַט shaphat (H8199) and means to rule over a case of dispute or wrong doing and make a decision on the case. שָׁפַט shaphat is equivalent to the Greek word κριτής krites (G2923) and is a person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter; an arbiter.
      • In Biblical Hebrew, מ־ (mem / m-) can be a derivational prefix—it helps turn a verb root into a noun. In that use, it doesn’t mean “from” (that’s usually the preposition מִן / min, often shortened to מִ־ in context). Instead, this mem prefix is part of the noun pattern of the Hebrew word.
        • When מ־ mem is attached to a verb root, it commonly forms a noun that means things like:
          • the act / process of the verb
          • the result / product of the verb
          • a place associated with the verb
          • an instrument or means associated with the verb
        • Root: שָׁפַט (shaphat) = “to judge, govern, render a decision”
        • Derived noun: מִשְׁפָּט (mishpāṭ) = “judgment,” “legal decision/case,” “justice,” “ordinance” (depending on context)
        • “to judge” with the mem prefix turns into “a judgment / an ordinance / a legal ruling / the practice or standard of judgment.”
        • What was the “judgment” YHWH made at Elim?
  • 15:26 He said, “If you will diligently listen to [the voice of YHWH],(DSS)(LXX)(SP) and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his commandments, and guard all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am YHWH who heals you.” 27 They came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They encamped there by the waters.
      • Tested = נָסָה nasah (H5254) means “to test to prove one is deserved of being lifted up” and comes from the root word נָסָ nas which means to lift up. נָסָה nasah is equivalent to the Greek word πειράζω peirazō (G3985) means to try, make trial of, or test for the purpose of ascertaining his quality, or what he thinks, or how he will behave himself.
      • Listen = שָׁמַע shama’ (H8085) basically means “to hear and obey” in the sense of carefully hearing someone or something and responding with the appropriate obedient action. שָׁמַע shama’ is equivalent to the Greek word ἀκούω akouō (G191) which means to attend to, to consider what is or has been said, to understand, or to perceive the sense of what is said.
    • Diseases = מַחֲלֶה machaleh (H4245) commonly translated as disease, illness, sickness and comes from a root word חֹל chol (H2455) which means to bore a hole into something as in a drill, which spins and moves back and forth while firmly pressing downward to bore a hole. Also connected to the word “dance” (חוּל chool H2342) which can mean to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, or be pained.
  • Hosea 2:14 “Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak to her heart.”
    • Literal: “Therefore behold, “leadI, I am enticing her; and I will lead her the wilderness; and I will speak upon her heart.”

Prophets Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

Isaiah 12:1-6

      1. Who and where we were

        1. Context is judgement and warnings

        2. Similar to Israelites after the parting of the Red Sea

        3. Moments after miracles

      2. What God offers to us (i.e. salvation)

        1. yᵉshûwʻâh: Deliverance, Aid, Victory, Prosperity, Help, Health, Save, Welfare

        2. Changes our relationship to God

          1. Enemy to Child

          2. Condemned to Comforted

          3. Fearful to Forgiven

        3. Permanent salvation

      3. How we respond

        1. Temporarily joyful

        2. Reluctant to change

      4. What God wants and achieves in us through trials (i.e. trust)

        1. Helmet of Salvation

          1. Renew our minds – Meditate on Scripture

            1. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).

          2. Reject doubts

            1. “[A]nd we are taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

          3. New creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

          4. Find all of our hope in Him (Psalm 73:25)

Apostolic Exhortation
Counsel, comfort, and encouragement (Acts 13:14-15)

      1. During this cycle of studying the Apostolic portion, we have discussed the book of Revelation several times.

        1. Week 35 — chapter 21 (https://thecord.life/notes/week35/)

        2. Week 57 — chapter 11 (https://thecord.life/notes/week57/)

      2. We have discussed the fact that we interpret the book of Revelation based on when we believe it is fulfilled – i.e. does it describe past or future events?

      3. In our week 35 study, I presented this timeline to display how modern scholars tend to interpret the “End Times” in Revelation and other books of the Bible.

      1. We could call this the “Futurist” or Dispensational perspective.

        1. By and large, this view interprets Revelation as describing the events immediately preceding Yeshua’s second coming.

          1. Note: One exception might be Revelation 1-3 which includes the letters to the seven churches.

      2. The biggest problem with this interpretation is how John himself describes the context and purpose of the book.

        1. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bondservants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John” (Rev. 1:1).

        2. “And he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true’; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bondservants the things which must soon take place. And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near” (Rev. 22:6,10).

        3. This is a significant but often overlooked explanation of why and to whom Revelation was written.

          1. Namely, that it is a message from God to His bondservants to inform them of events that would soon be impacting them directly.

        4. This does not necessarily mean that every aspect of Revelation was fulfilled in the 1st-century.

          1. Rather, the most appropriate hermeneutic, or method of studying, should take this context into account.

            1. Observation – Interpretation – Application

      3. As we have discussed in previous studies, I hold to a Partial Preterist view of Revelation which interprets the book as a prophetic vision of the destruction of Jerusalem from 66 to 70 A.D.

        1. This view places the “End Times” at a very different place on the timeline.

      1. This can be confusing for Believers that have largely been immersed in Dispensationalism since the turn of the 20th century.

        1. However, I believe that it provides a much clearer paradigm to interpret the words of the Apostles.

          1. “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11).

      2. Even within Preterism, there is disagreement on when exactly in Revelation the past ends and the future begins.

        1. Is it from chapter 20 forward? Or perhaps it is chapter19?

          1. Anyone who says that these questions are settled isn’t being completely honest.

      3. While we don’t have time in our Shabbat study to discuss every detail, we are going to look at two fascinating aspects of John’s vision.

        1. The Rider on the White Horse and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

      4. For context, let’s look briefly at chapter 18.

        1. The main topic of this chapter is Babylon the Great, “mother of prostitutes and of the land’s abominations” (Rev. 17:5).

          1. “And [the angel] cried out with a mighty voice, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird” (Rev. 18:2).

      5. I believe this is speaking of Jerusalem for the following reasons:

        1. #1 — The term “Great City” is used to refer to Jerusalem specifically in Revelation 11.

          1. “And their dead bodies [of the Two Witnesses] will lie on the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified” (Rev. 11:8).

        2. #2 – Yeshua, the greatest Prophet, had already decreed judgment on Jerusalem.

          1. Remember that “the testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10).

            1. What was the primary prophetic message of Yeshua’s ministry?

              1. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus, you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to Gehenna? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’. Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Mat. 23:29–39; 24:1-2).

            2. Yeshua is decreeing an utter and complete destruction of the city.

              1. “Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, ‘So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the land” (Rev. 18:24).

KEY POINT:

Understanding that Babylon the Great represents the city of Jerusalem is a central key to interpreting the book of Revelation properly.

      1. Our portion connects the destruction of Jerusalem with a cosmic shift in the redemptive plan of Elohim.

        1. “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER” (Rev. 19:1-2).

          1. The angel actually commands God’s people to give Him praise for this judgment.

            1. “And a voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great’” (Rev. 19:5).

        2. Why is this significant?

      2. The severity and finality of the judgment on 1st-century Israel should cause us all to pause and reflect.

        1. Arguably there is no more significant event in the entire history of Israel.

          1. “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again” (Mat. 24:21).

      3. It is difficult (and even uncomfortable) for us to consider how God could single out this generation of the Jewish nation to receive the full measure of His wrath.

        1. Beyond the fact that this reality is left out of most church doctrine, what does it mean for Messianics who often venerate Rabbinic traditions and look back to the Judaism that emerged after the 1st-century?

        2. YHWH completely leveled – i.e. scraped, to borrow a term from construction – the people, land and religious system that had been established for 1500 years.

          1. And we are commanded to praise Him for it.

      4. Here are a few thoughts to consider:

        1. We cannot fully appreciate the superiority of the renewed covenant apart from this judgment.

          1. “For, on the one hand, there is the nullification of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Torah made nothing perfect); on the other hand, there is the introduction of a better hope, through which we come near to God” (Heb. 7:18-19).

          2. As Messianics, we often get defensive when these passages are cited to disparage the Torah.

            1. However, the fact is that God Himself caused the Levitical priesthood and sacrificial system to disappear because it was obsolete and growing old (Heb. 8:13).

        2. Second, we cannot underestimate the judgment upon those who reject Yeshua.

          1. The wrath and fury shown to that generation is indicative of how God will treat the enemies of His Son on the great and final day.

            1. “Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, ‘But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.’ I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’ Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psa. 2:5-12).

      5. Within the context of this chapter and the previous one, we must now conclude that this Marriage Supper speaks to a past, or at least, ongoing reality.

        1. “’Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come (Aortist tense) and His bride has made (Aortist tense) herself ready.’ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God’” (Rev. 19:7-9).

          1. Isn’t this marriage supper in the future?

        2. Let’s look again at the testimony of Yeshua to understand this prophecy.

          1. “And again, Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again, he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So, the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen” (Mat. 22:1-14; cf. Luk. 14:15-24).

      6. The first and primary fulfillment of the marriage supper of the Lamb is for those to whom it was promised in that generation.

        1. The disciples were given the cup of betrothal and encouraged to remember Yeshua until He came to them to consummate the marriage.

          1. “[F]or this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom” (Mat. 26:28-30).

          2. “In the same way He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me’” (1 Cor. 11:25).

        2. Remember that the book of Revelation was written to God’s bondservants who were being rejected and persecuted for their faith in the Lamb.

          1. They would have found great encouragement in this prophecy.

      7. Now that we have observed and interpreted this author’s intended meaning, we can determine how it applies to us.

        1. All those who have repented of their sins and placed their faith in Yeshua are “in Messiah” and invited to enjoy the same union with Him pictured by the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

          1. The bread and wine shared at the Passover meal (e.g. communion) affirm the same betrothal the disciples experienced.

        2. Currently, all Believers throughout the age are invited to partake in the fellowship, oneness and bliss pictured in marriage.

        3. At the appointed time in the future, Messiah will return and catch us up to be with Him to enjoy the actual Marriage Supper live and in-person during the festival of Sukkot.

          1. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 The. 4:17).

      8. Let’s look now at the rider on the white horse in Revelation 19:11-16.

        1. This passage is commonly understood to refer to Christ’s second coming.

          1. This is understandable since the rider is obviously Yeshua.

            1. #1 – His name is “Faithful and True” (Rev. 19:11), a title also used of the Lord in Revelation 3:14.

            2. #2 — We also see a similar description of Yeshua in chapter 1.

              1. “In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength” (Rev. 1:16).

              2. “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty” (Rev. 19:15; cf. Psalm 2).

          2. Many also assume this is the Second Coming because of verse 14.

            1. “And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses” (Rev. 19:14).

            2. However, I would submit that this merely reiterates the idea that Messiah’s war against the unrighteous involves His holy ones.

              1. “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful” (Rev. 17:14).

              2. This fulfills other prophecies about the Son of Man advancing His kingdom through His people.

                1. “But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and take possession of the kingdom forever, for all ages to come’” (Dan. 7:18).

        2. One final consideration that challenges this as a picture of Yeshua’s second coming is the testimony from scripture of how Christ will return.

          1. “And [the angels] said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven’” (Acts:1:11).

KEY POINT:

While these passages help us confirm that the rider is Messiah, it’s a mistake to assume this depicts His second coming.

      1. One of the (many) negative effects of Dispensationalism is that not just that it creates confusion about when Christ will return but also what He is doing until that day arrives.

        1. We know that He is seated at the right hand of the Father holding all rule and authority over heaven and earth (Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1).

          1. Furthermore, don’t the literal words of Yeshua indicate that He is going to stay there until His bodily return to earth?

            1. “But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God” (Luk. 22:69).

        2. But is this how we should interpret these passages?

          1. If Christ is Lord over the earth, doesn’t that mean that He is actively ruling over the nations?

            1. “And she gave birth to a Son, a male, who is going to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne” (Rev. 12:5).

          2. If so, what would that rulership, or kingdom, look like?

          3. And when exactly when does His reign begin?

      2. Even in the natural, we know that a king’s coronation begins his rule and reign.

        1. What story or movie has ever described a king who has been crowned and given the scepter who then waits to exert his authority over his kingdom?

          1. Yet somehow we have been taught that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:16) is not presently and actively ruling over the nations of the earth in judgment but rather sitting and waiting on a throne for the past two thousand years.

            1. Who’s really in charge here?

      3. In its primary context, the vision of the rider on the white horse provides another message of encouragement to the bondservants persevering through the catastrophic events at the end of the 1st-century.

        1. The faithful saints have a seat at the banquet table even as they ride with their Captain and King into war against the enemies of God.

        2. Moreover, they are assured of overwhelming and absolute victory.

            1. “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great” (Rev. 19:17-18).

              1. Even the birds get to join the feast.

      4. Lest we think that the King hung up His spurs after the judgment of 70 A.D., scripture assures us that His campaign against the nations will continue until all who oppose His rule are defeated.

        1. “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet’” (1 Cor. 15:24-27).

          1. Every rule and every authority and every power.

            1. Powers like Rome, the British Empire, Nazi Germany, North Korea and the Chinese Communist Party.

      5. So, how do we make application in our lives?

        1. #1 — Doctrine determines destiny.

            1. The proclamation of Messiah’s absolute victory went out two thousand years ago — will we proclaim it in our generation?

              1. “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become (Aortist) the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for the ages unto the ages.’ And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, ‘We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken (Aortist) your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth” (Rev. 11:15-18).

        2. #2 – Let’s heed the words of scripture regarding the blessing and the expectation of the Marriage Supper.

          1. “Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God” (Rev. 19:9).

          2. “’But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?” And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. For many are called, but few are chosen’” (Mat. 22:11-14).

            1. This parable raises some important questions about what the Marriage Supper and what it means to be invited and to be “dressed” appropriately.

Does anyone have specific questions or need any clarification from what was said during the Summary or Exhortation?

Application & Discussion
Living the Word and following Yeshua (Acts 2:37; Romans 2:13)
Questions, input, and sharpening (Proverbs 27:17; Luke 2:46)

Romans 2:13 For it isn’t the hearers of the Torah who are righteous before Elohim, but the doers of the Torah will be justified.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.

        1. What questions or comments came up during your family’s discussion of this week’s study?
        2. “What other related Scriptures did you find during your study of this week’s portion?”
        3. Have you ever experienced something from this study or something related to it?
        4. “What changes do you need to make in your life to align with what you learned during this week’s Torah Study?”
        5. How do you understand the “when” of the book of Revelation?
        6. How do we dress in wedding garments? Why is this so important to the King?
        7. Does Yeshua need to return to earth to establish His Kingdom? Why or why not?

Additional Notes