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Thus Say The Prophets
The Revelation

The Seven Seals

At the beginning of the previous chapter, we saw Yochanan enter into the Spirit and ascend to the Mirkaba Throne Room of HaShem above the Dome of the Firmamament. HaShem empowers Yochanan to see beyond time and space from this vantage, similar to what Ezekiel experienced and recorded in his first chapter. In chapter five of Revelation, Yochanan stands in this same Throne Room, beholding the royal preparations for the End of the Age (Matt 24:3).

Revelation 5:1 I saw in the right hand of He that sat on the throne a book written, within and on the back, and sealed with seven seals.

Those of you who remember David Koresh, leader of the Adventist sect in Waco, Texas, the Branch Davidians, murdered in cold blood by the United States government, will recall his demand to finish his work on the Seven Seals. These are the seals he was referring to. Correctly interpreting the opening of these seals is an essential component in Yochanan's prophecy.

As I explain at the beginning of this study:

We further note that this book, i.e., the Revelation of Yeshua to Yochanan, claims to have been given to us through them but was ultimately revealed by HaShem, the God of Israel; this is Yochanan's opinion. He took no credit for this writing. In Yochanan's mind, the stature of this work is to be accepted among the other prophetic books of Jewish seers such as Daniel. Indeed, the Book of Daniel ends with the promise of further prophetic revelation to clarify his work. In the official Jewish canon, no work purports to do that. I write these words not as a rabbi but as a student of prophecy. What book other than Yochanan's Revelation claims to finalize Daniel's visions? The similarities are noteworthy:

Daniel 12:8 I heard, but I understood not: then I said, O my lord, what shall be the conclusion of these things?
9 And he said, Go your way, Daniel; the words are shut up and sealed until the end of the age.

This is believed by many to be that same sealed book, now held in the hands of HaShem's angel. Currently, around 2000 years later, many are convinced that the time has come for these prophecies to be "opened" or explained. We should not assume this means the literal scroll of the Book of Revelation or Daniel, but rather that these words reflect HaShem's intention to reveal the knowledge withheld from Daniel to Yochanan and thence to us. Yochanan clearly does not understand everything he sees in these visions. As stated in Daniel's prophecy, these events will not be clarified until the End of the Age because: "the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end" of the Olam Hazeh. Likewise, the prophecies we will examine from this point forward are not always understood completely; however, as we are now approaching the End of the Age, much is being revealed!

5:2 I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof?"
5:3 No one in the heavens, on the earth, or under the earth, could open the book or look thereon.
5:4 And I wept much because no one was deemed worthy to open the book or to look thereon.
5:5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

One should never make assumptions based on preconceived ideologies when studying. Who is this "Lion of the Tribe of Judah?"

Genesis 49:8 Judah, you will be praised by your brothers: Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, you have gone up: He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes: And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

Who is worthy to remove the seven seals and reveal what is to come? Who is worthy of bringing in the promised Kingdom of HaShem as described by the holy prophets? Only Mashiach ben David: Messiah, son of David of the House of Judah, known as Shiloh! He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is the Root of David and our coming King! His authority arises from HaShem through the House of Judah, i.e., the Jewish people and Israel, his kinsmen.

The timing of this verse is the prophecy is very significant! Yochanan is narrating the preparations underway in HaShem's Throne Room for what lies ahead. Here we see Mashiach ben David, Shiloh, the Anointed king, accepting his assignment.

Note that Yochanan, Yeshua's most intimate and devoted disciple (John 13:23), does not identify this figure as Yeshua. He presents this man as his king, not his beloved friend and teacher. Nowhere in the Book of Revelation does Yochanan identify the Mashiach with Yeshua ben Miriam.

In the next chapter, Mashiach's opponent, the Rex Mundi, or coming global despot, will make his appearance! While Rex Mundi will be operating on the Earth, Mashiach ben David, at this point, is with Yochanan before the Throne of HaShem and not on the Earth.

A brief word about the Rapture theory: Most Christians believe in what is called "the Rapture of the Church." We discussed this unsupportable theory earlier. Not that in chapter four, Yochanan ascends to the Mirkaba in his astral or spirit body, not physically, as mentioned previously. Note, too, that Mashiach ben David does not descend to the Earth in this chapter. There is, therefore, no support for the "pre-Tribulation Rapture" in chapter four. Likewise with Paul's II Thessalonian prophecy:

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our master Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2:2 That you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of the Anointed Mashiach is at hand.
2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2:4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or is worshipped so that he, as God, sits in the Temple of God, showing himself to be God.
2:5 Remember not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

While the Jewish Way sect evangelist Paul is holding out hope that Yeshua will yet return as the Mashiach, note that he instructs: "our gathering together with Mashiach" will not happen 'until the falling away happens first,' i.e., until the Laodicean events described by Yochanan in chapter three happen, and that 'man of sin' is revealed, "the son of perdition." The Son of Perdition, crueler than Haman (Sanhedrin Folio 97a and b), is introduced in Yochanan's Revelation in chapter five after Yochanan goes to the Mirkaba and Mashiach ben David is introduced in the Throne Room. Again, the pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching needs more textual support to be accepted. As we will see as we continue, the Jewish prophecies do not foretell a Rapture event at any point.

Never doubt that El Gibor is prepared and ready to finish this 'war'! As the War of Magog rages, the complete genocide of the Jewish people will become a probability. However, HaShem has stated that He will never allow that to happen. To rescue the surviving Jews, at this point, HaShem will raise a military leader known as Mashiach ben Yosef (the anointed son of Joseph). We don't have a lot of information about him. Some of the Jewish prophecies speak of him as a Jewish warrior who will come to prepare Israel for Ben David's reign. Consider the following prophecy from Zechariah chapter two:

I looked up, and I saw four horns.
I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are those?" "Those," he replied, "are the horns that tossed Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."
Then the LORD showed me four smiths.
"What are they coming to do?" I asked. He replied: "Those are the horns that tossed Judah, so that no man could raise his head; and these men have come to throw them into a panic, to hew down the horns of the nations that raise a horn against the land of Judah, to toss it."
I looked up, and I saw a man holding a measuring line.
"Where are you going?" I asked. "To measure Jerusalem," he replied, "to see how long and wide it is to be."
But the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him.
The former said to him, "Run to that young man and tell him: "Jerusalem shall be peopled as a city without walls, so many shall be the men and cattle it contains.
And I Myself—declares the LORD—will be a wall of fire all around it, and I will be a glory inside it.
"Away, away! Flee from the land of the north—says the LORD—though I swept you [there] like the four winds of heaven—declares the LORD."
Away, escape, O Zion, you who dwell in Fair Babylon!
For thus said the LORD of Hosts—He who sent me after glory-d—concerning the nations that have taken you as spoil: "Whoever touches you touches the pupil of his own eye.
For I will lift My hand against them, and they shall be spoil for those they enslaved."—Then you shall know that I was sent by the LORD of Hosts.
Shout for joy, Fair Zion! For lo, I come; and I will dwell in your midst—declares the LORD.
In that day, many nations will attach themselves to the LORD and become His people, and He will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that I was sent to you by the LORD of Hosts.
The LORD will take Judah to Himself as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will choose Jerusalem once more.
Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD! For He is roused from His holy habitation.

Who is being referenced in verses 1-4? There are four horns. These represent the enemies of the Jewish people, who sent them into exile. Who are the four craftsmen who cut them down? They are clearly important figures during the end-times. Our Rabbis teach at Tractate Sukkah 52b: "'And the LORD showed me four craftsmen.' Who are these four craftsmen? Rav Chunah, the son of Bizna, said in the name of Rebbi Shimon, 'These are Mashiach ben David, Mashiach ben Yosef, Elijah, and the Righteous Priest.'"

Why isn't Mashiach ben Yosef mentioned here? The sages say it's because of our free will. If the Jews choose to humble themselves and make teshuvah before these events happen, Mashiach ben David will come, and much pain and sorrow will be avoided; the world can avoid the War of Magog! But if we do not collectively repent, the War will happen, requiring Ben Yosef's services. Since the choice is ours to make, Ben Yosef is not mentioned. See my study, Two Messiahs? for more information on ben Yosef.

5:6 I saw amid the throne and the four living creatures, among the elders, a Lamb standing, as though slain. It had seven horns and seven eyes. These represent the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.

When discussing the Seven Lamps I said the reference is that HaShem is all-knowing and that by His Glory and Omniscience, nothing escapes His awareness. I noted that much more could be said. Here's a bit more: As I discuss elsewhere, the mystical Body of Adam Kadman is like the blueprint of the material creation. The conception of the Body of Adam Kadman- with its similitude of ten sefirot or vessels through which God's Presence is revealed into terrestrial existence- is likely referenced here. We conceive of God's omnipotence through the various angelic beings likened to His eyes and ears. Hashem "sees" and "hears" through them. The lower seven of these ten sefirot exist in the terrestrial reality, while the upper three transcend it. Hence, the seven horns and eyes of these seven spirit beings represent the vehicles through which He expresses His divine omnipotence. Through these beings, HaShem sees and knows all.

In this prophecy, Adonai Tzavaot has summoned Shiloh, Mashiach ben David, to the Throne Room. The time of his service is fast approaching. HaShem has selected the mortal man who will Champion the cause of the Earth in the upcoming struggle, and he has accepted.

Whereas the Twenty-Four Elders and their representatives, both Jewish and non-Jewish, have failed, Mashiach ben David will succeed! This mortal Jewish man from the House of Judah, descended from Kings David and Shlomo, is now fully empowered by HaShem to lead God's forces, Earthly and Heavenly, in the final battle. Absolute authority is now bequeathed to Shiloh even as Pharaoh granted his authority to Yosef for the upcoming struggle with Rex Mundi!

5:7 And he [this son of David] stepped forward and took the book from the right hand of Him that sat on the throne.
5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty elders fell before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

As Mashiach ben David steps forward and accepts his destiny as God's Standard Bearer, the Four Beasts and the Twenty Four Elders (Revelation. 4:6) bow low. They will fully trust him as the coming king and commander. For his part, Mashiach ben David is called the Lamb of God, symbolizing that, like the paschal lamb slaughtered at the beginning of the Exodus from Egypt for the protection of Israel, so too this man will lead us through the Exodus from the Globalist world system to the theocracy of the Olam Haba. There is no reference here to Yeshua's execution for treason. The image of the sacrificial lamb is frequent throughout the Torah.

Mashiach ben David is the world's last hope.

Concerning this man, Rambam says in Mishna Torah, Laws of Kings and their Wars, Chapter 11, Law #4:

If a king arises from the House of David who delves deeply into the study of the Torah and, like David, his ancestor, observes its mitzvahs as prescribed by the Written Law and the Oral Law; if he compels all of Israel to walk in [the way of the Torah] and repairs the breaches [in its observance]; and if he fights the wars of God - we may, with assurance, consider him [likely] the Mashiach.

If he succeeds in the above, builds the Beit HaMikdash on its site [i.e., the Third Jerusalem Temple on the Holy Mount], and gathers in the dispersed remnant of Israel, he is definitely the Mashiach.

He will then perfect the entire world, [motivating all the nations] to serve God together, as it is written [Zephaniah, 3:9], "I will make the peoples pure of speech so that they will all call upon the Name of God and serve Him with one purpose."

Mashiach ben David will be a righteous Jewish who will accomplish great deeds.

Revelation 5:9 And they sing a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the book, and to open its seals; for you were slain, and purchased unto God with your blood humans of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
5:10 You made them a kingdom of priests to our God, and they reign upon earth."
5:11 And I saw and heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
5:12 saying with a great voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and honor, and glory, and blessing."
5:13 Every created thing in the heavens, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things are in them; I heard saying, "Unto Him that sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be blessings, and honor, and glory, and dominion, forever and ever.
5:14 And the four living creatures said, "Amen." And the elders prostrated and worshipped.

The Messiah will be the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He will arise from his fellow Jews who have been persecuted and have suffered more than any other people, as described in Isaiah 52-54. The Messiah is not a suffering lamb. Who is this referring to, then? During the entire Olam Hara, Israel, the Suffering Servant, was likened to a sheep to the slaughter:

Isaiah 53:6-7:

We all went astray like sheep,
Each going his own way;
And the LORD visited upon him
The guilt of all of us.”
He was maltreated, yet he was submissive,
He did not open his mouth;
Like a sheep being led to slaughter,
Like a ewe, dumb before those who shear her,
He did not open his mouth.

But when Mashiach ben David rules Israel ion the Olam Haba:

Jeremiah 51:37-40:

Babylon shall become rubble,
A den for jackals,
An object of horror and hissing,
Without inhabitant.
Like lions, they roar together,
They growl like lion cubs.
When they are heated, I will set out their drink
And get them drunk, that they may become hilarious
And then sleep an endless sleep,
Never to awake
—declares the LORD.
I will bring them down like lambs for slaughter,
Like rams and he-goats.

Continue With Chapter Six

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