Resurrection Revelation

I turned a new page in my calendar to see a new picture of the holy land, a depiction of an ancient olive tree that just might have seen the face of Jesus. In this photo, the light of dawn streams through it’s branches, coloring it, and the ground around it, a translucent gold. How appropriate that we should see the light of the world shining through the olive tree and it’s branches, as they represent the law and the prophets, and also, the law and prophets speak of Jesus to us. He is coming to us as the dawn, He is the Light of the world, and only He can inform us on the meanings of scripture.

This was the sight greeting me as I turned to read the next chapter of the book of Matthew, chapter 17, the number that means resurrection revelation. This gospel was written to the Jews. On the day of the resurrection of the body of Christ, the light shown will come from Him and His white clothing that He also gives to us. We will see His glory because we will be like HIM! He will also, by snatching away His Elijah, and taking him to the top of the mountain, be revealing His identity to the Jews, at least those capable of seeing or hearing, who might not have taken to heart His first resurrection.

The chapter starts out with the words “after six days”. Here, there is no preceding event, to link to the six days, so as to be able to answer the obvious question, “ six days after WHAT?”  The six days, then, are the six days of creation, letting us know when the son of man will be revealed to believers, those who are His Body. He had taken them up on the mountain to reveal Himself.

Walking With HIM

We are always endlessly searching for access, for justification, for the final achievement which would place us in a secure and unassailable location, so that we can rest. Nothing here, of the impermanence which surrounds us, can supply this need. In Matt 13, Jesus tells us a tale of a sower, which is Himself, planting the Word into our hearts. Those hearts which have been prepared ahead, by God, with affliction, are the soil which is receptive. Yet, there are some who cannot receive this Word, because the issues of life crowd out, or leave no room for, the growth of the life giving seed in the heart. They are the soil which is not broken open.

The opposition’s attempt to keep us from knowing HIM (who is our God), is to make His Name (who is our God) into a lie, and, and is the effort to make His promises (of HIM who is our God)  worthless, but.....HE is worthy of all this, for the affliction will serve to unveil to us, will PROVE to us, His inestimable value. He WILL break through, in fact, already has. No amount of pain is more important to us than this knowledge. Once we know Him, that knowledge cannot be taken from us. Once we see his face, and understand who He IS, we cannot be shaken loose, for we are in His hand. In Matt 11:27-30, Jesus says that “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father, except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him, “ and flowing from this He also says “Come to me and find rest.” On the Rock of this knowledge is our rest, and if we are built on the Foundation, no storm of peril can sweep us away.

This is the reason we pray for His kingdom to come, so we will live in His rest and peace. We are asking for His Sabbath, when HE alone is the One who works good for us, and for our peace (Matt 12:8 The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath). The strength of our rest and peace(Jesus) has been there waiting for us this whole time. Israel, lift up your head, and see your Salvation coming like a beautiful sunrise!

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the physical face of an infinite person, and by this definition, GOD. GOD is above all, and everywhere present, according to David, who wrote that nowhere can we go to escape HIM.

Jesus shows up in many places in the Hebrew Scriptures. In examining two chapters of the Old Testament, we can see HIM and in what manner HE would appear to us.

Isaiah 63:4-5 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) For I planned the day of vengeance, and the year of My redemption came. I looked, but there was no one to help, and I was amazed that no one assisted; so My arm accomplished victory for Me, and My wrath assisted Me. 

Here Jesus can be seen with the title of My Arm.

Isaiah 63:8-9 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)He said, “They are indeed My people, children who will not be disloyal,” and He became their Savior. In all their suffering, He suffered, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. He redeemed them because of His love and compassion; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of the past.

Here HE is seen with the descriptive  titles of Savior, Angel of HIS Presence, and Redeemer, in speaking of Passover, looking to when HE BECAME the Lamb, the time of HIS sacrifice, when HE would die.

Isaiah 63:16 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Yet You are our Father, even though Abraham does not know us and Israel doesn’t recognize us. You, Yahweh, are our Father; from ancient times, Your name is our Redeemer.

This verse Calls HIM Father and Redeemer.

Psalm 118:14-15 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. There are shouts of joy and victory in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!

This verse is more specific in calling HIM My Right Hand, but notice before this that it says very succinctly, that GOD has become my YESHUA....my Salvation, and in English, my Jesus.

This Angel of The Lord’s Presence, Jesus, appeared to many saints of the Old Testament. He showed up, in person, to Abraham, Hagar, the Egyptian handmaiden of Sarah, to wrestle with Jacob (because the Angel said he wrestled with GOD), to Moses (of course), to the elders of Israel on top of Mount Sinai at  the time of Shavuot, to Joshua outside the city of Jericho before the battle, to Sampson’s parents (and when they asked HIM His Name, HE refused to answer, but they KNEW they had seen the LORD), and to Gideon. (These are just from memory, but there might be more.)

In Revelations, John sees Jesus, who says HE is the Almighty, who was dead, but is alive forever more. John calls the book the Revelation of Jesus Christ, whom GOD gave to Jesus Christ, and HE signified it by HIS Angel. This angel is the Angel of the LORD’S Presence, Jesus.

Jesus and GOD are one individual and one person. This does not limit Him as it would a man, for His person is not limited by physical boundaries. For confirmation, I refer to Zechariah 14:9, where it says The Lord shall be One, and His Name One., and to Titus 2:13, where it’s clearly said that HE is our great GOD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In Zechariah 6:11-13, is a very distinct and convincing referral to the coming “Branch”, using the person of the high priest, and his name to let us know WHO this coming king IS. Joshua Jehozadak is His Name and it means Jesus, God’s Righteouness, exactly as it says in Jeremiah 33:16.

A Resurrection Code

The account of the appearance of the resurrected Jesus to his disciples, that is given in In the 21st chapter of John, bestows on us a seemingly insignificant item of information: A number. The disciples were fishing. Jesus directed them where to place their net, even though they had caught nothing all night long. John, who was there, included the number of fish they miraculously caught, by following Jesus’ instructions. Into restless hearts, driven to find an outlet in the physical labor with which they were so familiar, the risen Christ brings his deeply held mystery. Why would he include this detail? There is something in that number that we need to know.

First, hadn’t Jesus already told the fishermen of his followers that he would make them “fishers of men”? Didn’t Jesus go on, after this, to instruct them to make disciples of all nations? The fish seem to be symbols of the new converts that were to be made, and the body of believers called the church. Jesus did, after all, in this same narrative, implore Peter to “feed my sheep.”

Next, the prevalence of the number three, in the story, which means resurrection, seems to establish the overall meaning of this entire interaction. This visitation was the third one to his disciples, since his rising, on the third, separate day of his appearances to his disciples, early in the morning. Jesus repeats his question, to Peter, three times to emphasize his mission to evangelize.

The number of fish was 153. This number has many astounding mathematical properties. In the gematria, this is the same resulting number as for Pesach, which is the appointed time for the resurrection of our Lord. 153 is the product of multiplying 3 times 3 times 17. He rose early in the morning on the 17th day of the first month of the Hebrew year. There are two resurrections in view here, in the number 153. It seems to mean that the next resurrection, the second one, will also be on the 17th day of the month, but in the second month. It could be that this same meeting of the Lord and His disciples took place on the 17th of the second month, before he ascended. One other place in the Bible that has the number 153 is 2 Chronicles 2:17 (HA! That location...). Solomon hires foreign workers to build the temple. These were stone cutters, 153,600 in number, and those who worked with them. Reminds of where Jesus said, “I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.” Again, because these workers are the fish, the foreigners which shall join the commonwealth of Israel, to assist them in the worship of their God.

These foreigners show up as types, in the Old Testament. There is Solomon’s wife, the Shulamite, Elijah the Tishbite, Joseph’s Egyptian wife, Boaz’s Moabite wife, Ruth the Canaanite, and Issac and Jacob’s wives, retrieved from Ur of the Chaldeans.

Who Is the Fig Tree?

In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus is telling us what to watch for, in eschatological terms (Remember, they were asking about the timing of His coming). Pictures, in the scripture, have deep significance. So, in His discourse, He mentions not only a fig tree, but ALL THE OTHER TREES. (Matt 24:32, Mark 13:28, and Luke 21:29). In reference to trees, plural, He associates seasons, specifically mentioning summer, and likening it to the birth pangs, or to the progressive judgements coming. The inference is unavoidable. He is not speaking of a political entity, Israel, but specific TIMES of year. So He says, “ When you see these things begin to happen, know that it is near, even at the doors.”

These seasons, and their markers of time, as set out in Genesis 1:14, are the physical representations of the moedim, the meaning of which is “divine appointments “. Seasons and times are the festivals, or feasts of Israel, which represent the times of His appearing, of His visitations, as it is pointed out in Hosea 6:3. The harvest times are pictures of HIS harvest of souls, of HIS eschatological timing of the end days, for HE is the only One who saves. ALL of creation is a witness of HIM. He comes to us “in the fullness of time,” as marked for us in creation ahead of His appearing. The trees are not a WHO, but a WHEN. He has already set the times of our meetings with Him.

The Two Witnesses

Zechariah 4:11-14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

11 I asked him, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?” 12 And I questioned him further, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold conduits, from which golden oil pours out?”

13 Then he inquired of me, “Don’t you know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I replied.

14 “These are the two anointed ones,”[b] he said, “who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

This is the first mention of the persons called the two witnesses, in the old testament and gives a very Jewish picture of their identities. These two persons are the representatives of the law and the prophets. After all, confirmation comes from the mouth of two or three witnesses, so there are two olive branches.The olive tree produces the oil to burn in the lamps, again, giving a picture, but of the fuel which creates the light which comes from the "instruction", of the Torah and Haftorah. Remember "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"? These two bore the fruit which is the teaching. There is one lamp lit from the oil, which has seven branches, that, here, is the menorah that is Israel.

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of the ten bridesmaids, carrying their lamps full of oil, the light of the written message. Only five were wise, while five were foolish. The foolish did not believe the second part of the revelation, the new covenant that is the fulfilment of the Moedim, the appointments Abba made for Himself, when He would redeem His people. So their illumination (knowledge and path) does not give them the understanding they need to know the face of their bridegroom.

The identities of the two witnesses are revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration. It is Moses and Elijah seen when the LORD is transformed in front of His three closest disciples (again, three witnesses, as the law requires). There were two other places the "two men" were seen, and they were described as men, not angels. Those places were after the Ressurection, at the tomb (Luke 24:4, Acts1:10) and at the Ascension. They were there to explain certain things to the still uncomprehending followers of Messiah.

Lastly, our two faithful witnesses are seen in front of the temple, preaching. They are there to impart the knowledge of the Deliverer of Zion to the still unbelieving Jews. For you see, the two witnesses of the law and the prophets are witnesses of WHO Jesus is, His identity, because, " Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God!"

Something About a Year.....

(Deut. 24:5) When God was giving the law to His people, there was mention that when a man got married, he was then exempt from going to war for a year. You could say, that perhaps the Lord wanted to ensure progeny for the man before he put his life at risk.

There is something deeper here, some principle which is a picture of Messiah. Everything is a glimpse of who HE IS and where He is taking us. His Word is there to tell us what will happen, before it happens, so when it happens, we will believe. He is developing our faith and hope and the strength to maintain (because in choosing endurance, we find our joy.....IN HIM!)

SO this basic principle of the LAW in setting aside a year to give joy to the new wife, is reflected in some of the archetypal stories which represent Him. He said that His kingdom would be like a marriage....like ten virgins attending a wedding, like a ruler having a marriage supper for His Son. (Matt 22,23,24)

Those who have submerged themselves in His Word have studied the ancient Jewish wedding model, and are familiar with the concept of the "bride theft". The bridegroom, as Jesus called Himself, comes to "steal her away", the one who belongs to him by prior agreement. The Lord is the thief who comes to take what is valuable (from the adversary). He is only a thief to those who do not believe, do not heed His admonition to WATCH. Those who watch read His Word and know the signs to watch FOR.

Now the severity of our trial, and it's heartbreak, creates the capacity for joy, and the trial's removal uncovers our great gratitude and peace! Only The Almighty can perform these works within us, where our simple trust is repaid with His kindness and mercy, and rewarded a thousand times over by His Glory IN us!

SO, contributing to our understanding of the end times,are the narratives in biblical history, the stories of the saints of old being illustrations of what will happen in the future. IN keeping with the prescription of the law, of the year, I give you the stories of Enoch, of Sarah, and of Esther. All three of these stories are depictions of God's two people groups,  and teach is what will soon happen.

In Genesis, Enoch is a type of the church, and Noah represents Israel. Enoch is taken from the Earth at exactly 365 years old. The number of years indicates that it is, in actuallity ONE year of 365 days, which is the gap of time between God's two people groups! Noah was born 69 years after Enoch was taken up! (Hmmmm, Daniel 9:26 & 27, anybody?) Remember Jesus said the end would be as the days of Noah?

Jesus also said the end would be like the days of Lot. When He showed up in person, to visit Abraham and Sarah, on His way to Sodom, He tells them that it will be about a year till Sarah has her child, the son of the covenant. Now , Lot being a picture of the church, as Jesus said, makes this soon to be born baby a type of Israel. Lot is snatched out, while Israel takes on the inheritance of the faith and the land!

The third correlation, is the story of Esther. Esther is the "gentile" name of the girl taken into the house of the king, but there is, for her, a year of preparation before she assumes her authoritative seat beside the king and administers intervention on behalf of her relatives. She speaks on their behalf against the antimessiah.