Revelation 2019

Rev 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things." John says it is "after these things" that he sees a door open in heaven. This means that after he was given the seven letters to the seven assemblies, he sees this door. John looked up and saw a door open. Keep in mind that this whole account is recorded in the words of a first century fisherman. He said he saw a door open and a voice like a trumpet call him up to heaven. Many conservative Christians say that this is a picture of the rapture of the Church at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. They say that the voice, "like the sound of the trumpet" is the same thing as the "last trumpet" of the resurrection. This is patently absurd. Regardless, it is still used to bolster this imaginative, non-Scriptural doctrine. River Valley Torah Assembly

If Jesus is your Messiah, you are acting as the pagans. You celebrate Christmas, Easter and everything in between, it's all paganism. If Yeshua is your Messiah, you stay clear of any form of paganism. Yeshua is the Father's word made flesh. Paganism is strictly forbidden. Worshiping Yeshua is all about obeying the Father's instructions, commands, ordinances and statutes. Of which are in Torah. River Valley Torah Assembly

Rev 3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Sardis was the capital of the great kingdom of Lydia and one of the most important cities of Asia Minor. It was located inland and built on a small, elevated plateau which rises sharply above the Hermus Valley. On all sides the rock are smooth and vertical but one. On that side it is still a very difficult climb. As the civilization and commerce grew, the high plateau became too small and a lower city was built on the west side of the original city. It was then a double city and called by the plural name "Sardis." The plain on which the second part of the city was built was well watered by the Pactolus River. It became the center for the carpet industry and was noted for it's wealth. Coins were first minted there. It's last prince was a wealthy man named Croesus who was captured by Cyrus. He was the wealthiest man in the world. Sardis was then ruled by the Persians, then by Alexander, then by Antiochus the Great, and finally by the Romans. It was destroyed by an earthquake during the reign of Tiberius. The ruins of the temple of Cybele and also of the temple of Apollo can be seen. It is one of the few double temples that can be found in the world. Cybelle was Dianna in Ephesus and worshiping her was similar to the orgy in Ephesus. She was the moon goddess and Apollo was the sun god. Hence the double temple. Extensive excavations have uncovered the gymnasium and the synagogue as well as the Roman road. Paul traveled that road. "These things says He who has the seven Spirits of Elohim, and the seven stars." He presents Himself as the one who sent the Spirit of Elohim in to the world. "I know your works." This is all Yeshua says to them in the way of commendation. This assembly followed some parts of Torah but they were not without disobedience. "That you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead." What does it mean in Scripture to be considered "dead?" To be "dead" means to be in sin (against Torah) (Eph 2:1,5, Col. 2:13).

Rev 2:26 'And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; We are told here what "he who overcomes" means. It means "he who keeps my works until the end." The reward for those who keep His works until the end will be that He will give authority over the nations. This is a quote from the Tanakh. Daniel 7:18 ‘But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’ Daniel 7:22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. Daniel 7:27 ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’ Those who follow righteousness will shine like the stars forever. Dan 12:3-4 “And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.” The Letters to the Seven Assemblies (Part 1) We are studying the seven letters to the seven assemblies in Revelation chapter 2. We are told that the assembly at Ephesus had "left their first love." What is meant by this? It is NOT that they "do not love Jesus enough." The letter to Smyrna and Paul's letter to Ephesians give us the answer! Follow along with us as we explore these valuable messages to these assemblies!

Rev 1:16 And 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. Was there literally a two-edged sword that came out of His mouth? Yes, because John is just telling us what he sees and hears. The point here is that this sword, or rod, is referencing His Word. Isa 11:4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Isa 49:2 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Is the Word of Elohim actually a two-edged sword? Yes it is. This is an excellent description, especially if we use it to refer to Torah. The two edges of His sword are the blessings and curses and described Torah. Deut 11:26-28 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; 28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known. If you want to study the book Revelation in a detailed and very unique way, join us as we decipher each symbol using Scripture and find some astonishing results! Chapter 1 is the introduction. In chapters 2 & 3 we examine the letters to the seven assemblies. In chapters 4-22 we detail John's fascinating vision using a different methodology which incorporates the entirety of Scripture. The findings are amazing! Proof that Elohim has been at work controlling events from John's day until now is in John's vision!

Rev 22:3 And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; "And there shall be no more curse.." What curse is being spoken of here? It is speaking of the curses of disobeying Torah. Deut 27:26 ‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ Jer 11:3-5 and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, “Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant 4which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I answered and said, “Amen, O LORD.” Psalm 119:21 Thou dost rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, Who wander from Thy commandments. Matt. 25:41-46 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44“Then they themselves also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45“Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” "There shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, Rev 22:3 And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; "The throne of Elohim and the throne of Lamb will be within His people. Rev 7:15-17 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them. 16“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.” As of now, if you have a heart for Messiah and His Torah, the seed of His Spirit is planted within you. 1 Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? John was told to write "the things which must shortly take place." The same thing is mentioned in Chapter 1:19. If the interpretation of Revelation given in this series is correct, then that is exactly what happened! What is the significance of Yeshua stating that He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End? Depending on the translation, we are to either "wash our robes" or "keep the commandments" in order to enter the gates of the City and access the Tree of Life. Which is it? May the grace of our Master Yeshua Messiah be with you all. Amen!

This chapter brings us into eternity and introduces us to New Jerusalem. Many are under the misunderstanding that this is a picture of "heaven" and describes the place we will go when we die. That is simply not true. The symbols in this chapter tell us a far different story than a literal materialistic city for the "church" to inhabit forever. Rev 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Have you ever heard of the "Pearly Gates?" This is where that term came from. Pearls speak of wisdom and righteousness. Yeshua told a parable about a pearl of great price, being Israel, whom He gave all that He had to purchase it. Matt. 13:43-46 “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. 44“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. 45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. In this text, He quoted Daniel chapter 12:3 which speaks of those with wisdom and those leading others to righteousness shining like the stars. Dan 12:3 “And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. The street (not streets) is pure gold. That speaks of His Torah being the path for His people. Psalm 119:72 The law of Thy mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:127 Therefore I love Thy commandments Above gold, yes, above fine gold. New Jerusalem is described as the "Bride of Messiah." How is that possible? What does that mean? Watch and see if you don't agree!

Rev 20:5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. This passage should be read in conjunction of the previous verse. Rev 20:4-5 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. The first resurrection is when one dies to sin, reigns with Messiah and lives according to Torah. The rest of the dead (those who do not die to sin) do not come to life until after the thousand years (short time) is completed. There is only one physical resurrection. It is a resurrection of both the righteous and unrighteous at one time. John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, 29and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. Dan 12:1-3 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 2“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. 3“And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. Blessed and holy are those who have a part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. It does not say they will not die. It says that for those who have Messiah and live holy (set-apart), over these, the second death has no power. Paul says this same thing about the second death. 1 Cor 15:51-56 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. 55“O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;