The History of Israel

Peter - the Rock & the Sword

I like Peter. I feel a connection to Peter. I think he was a bit of a reactionary. You know, it was Peter who, in good faith, led Christ to make the statement - "Get behind Me, Satan!" (Mt. 16:23 / Mk. 8:33). I am sure Peter was stunned when Jesus said this, for all Peter had said was surely Christ would not suffer! Peter meant no ill intent, nor did he mean to thwart his Master from the overall plan. Peter just loved Jesus and knew he was all powerful and was certain no man, no woman, no power could inflict harm upon the Messiah. But Peter didn't fully understand, either. Though we aren't told, it would seem natural Jesus pulled Peter to the side and explained in more detail why he was wrong in saying what he did. Jesus says in Scripture; "For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." I am sure Peter asked for more explanation than that! Now, fast forward to John 18 & the disciples with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter, fresh off of his lesson about having his mind set on the things of God, is standing near Christ when the Jews come to arrest Jesus. The high priest's servant, led by Judas, show up to arrest the Christ. As they drew near to lay their hands on Him, our boy Peter, "having a sword, drew it & struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear." Poor Peter just couldn't help it. He rushed to defend his Master and did so fearlessly without concern for his own life. Yet, as noble as Peter's motive may have been, it was equally misguided. How often do we rush to cut off the ear of those around us, and oftentimes in the name of Jesus? How often do we rush to defend our Master with zeal? I feel for Peter because I, too, am a bit of a reactionary. I'm sure I have cut off a lot of ears over the years. Peter makes me chuckle because I see such a motivated person for Jesus, yet so misguided in his attempt to defend his Master. Jesus picks up the ear and heals the servant, again rebuking Peter; "Put your sword in its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" But it was because of those moments that Jesus had told Peter earlier, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Mt. 16:18). Peter fearlessly defended the Messiah, though let his reactive tendencies get in the way from time-to-time. While perhaps misguided, Jesus knew His servant's heart. So, while Peter gives us many lessons, perhaps the most important is to keep our focus on the things of God. Let us all have the zeal, fearlessness & faith that Peter had. Let us all be ready to defend the Lord at the drop of a hat. But let us be slow to draw our swords, and let us not cut off the ears of those around us! Let's try to keep our mind on the things of God, and not the troubles of this world. Thanks, Peter...and I can't wait to hear the story first-hand!

New pages dropped on the website. Check out www.historyofisrael.com for in-depth Biblical information.

The Nephilim - Who are the Nephilim from Genesis 6?
https://www.israel-a-history-of.com/nephilim.html

The Nephilim Were the Nephilim byproducts of fallen angels and women? Enoch wrote it was so, as did Moses. What mysteries lie buried in the pages of the Old Testament?

The Keys of Death & Hades

In Revelation 1:17-18 John records the Risen Christ making a most remarkable declaration.

“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

This declaration by Jesus is grounded in the Old Testament’s notion of the afterlife. Believe it or not, a person’s soul going to heaven or hell is not a part of the Old Testament concept of life after death. Neither is mentioned as the final destination of one’s soul upon death. In fact, the OT is clear that ALL people go to the same place once they die. That place is Sheol.

Sheol was the gray, ambiguous, netherworld of death. It is personified as an insatiable monster swallowing the dead in Proverbs 1:12. It is dark, gloomy and nobody returns from it. In Job 7:9 we read, “As the cloud fades & vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up;”

When Jacob learned of his youngest & favorite son Joseph’s death, he said in Genesis 37:35; “…I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” It was the inevitable destination of ALL people at death, even the great Patriarchs.

Whether one was rich or poor, free or slave, king or pauper, righteous or wicked - regardless of one’s wealth, station & conduct in life - in Old Testament Judaism when that person died they went to Sheol. Period. There was no debate, no get out of jail card, no special heavenly pass.

Thus, it was the great anticipation of all Jews that the Messiah would one day free their souls from Sheol and reunite their souls with their bodies in heaven. The Messiah would accomplish this feat. Messiah would come and free the righteous from the pit of Sheol, rescuing their souls and reuniting the soul with the body at the resurrection of the dead.

Then he would establish his kingdom upon earth, and those freed from Sheol would rule with Messiah in the eternal Kingdom of God. We catch glimpses of this great hope & anticipation scattered throughout the OT.

I Samuel 2:6 - “The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.”

Psalm 18:5-6 - “the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.”

Psalm 49:15 - “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.”

The polytheistic religions of the Ancient Near East - including Greek & Roman religions - all possessed an underworld for the dead. And there was a ruler of that underworld. The Old Testament word used for “death” is Mot. In Canaanite & Ugaritic mythology Mot was the god of death and ruler of the underworld. Even in the Bible we often see Mot/death and Sheol mentioned together (Cf. Psalms 18:5 / Psalms 49:14 / Prov. 5:5 / Isaiah 28:15).

Sheol and Mot are often personified as actual demonic entities. However, Sheol is also described as an actual place (the underworld), which is one’s destination upon death. So we have a word, Sheol, that is both personified as an entity and as a place. Likewise, Sheol is often accompanied by Mot/Death, which is also personified as an entity, but also a state of being. In the pagan Canannite & Ugaritic mythologies Mot was the ruler of the underworld/Sheol.

The notion of Sheol and Mot is carried forward into the New Testament, however under a different name. In the NT Sheol becomes Hades - which is the Greek & Roman version of the Canaanite & Ugaritic concepts of the underworld. Hades was the ancient Greek & Roman god of the underworld.

He was a despised god with little-to-no cultic activity assigned to him. Hades ruled the underworld with an iron fist. Anybody that entered Hades dominion never left. Hades held the keys to the underworld. Mot and Sheol of the Old Testament become Death and Hades in the New.

Then we get Jesus. We could end the post here. But then we would miss one of the most profound declarations the Messiah ever made on earth.

“I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Stop right there. But doesn’t Hades have the keys to the underworld - the domain he and Death rule over? Doesn’t the Bible tell us Sheol is unconquerable - that nobody escapes? And don’t we see Death and Hades riding on the horses of the Apocalypse later in the Book of Revelation?

Yes to all of the above - with one exception. Hades is no longer unconquerable. How do we know that? Because Jesus Christ conquered death upon his death and resurrection.

descensus Christi ad inferos

The Descensus is a doctrine which preaches that upon his death, Jesus Christ descended into Sheol/Hades/hell. The phrase, “He descended into Hell…” is part of the Apostles’ Creed, or the Athanasian Creed. This belief is based on several passages in the NT, but primarily on I Peter 3:18-19 and I Peter 4:6.

I Peter 3:18-19 - “…put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah…”

I Peter 4:6 - “For this is why the Gospel was preached, even to those who are dead…”

John witnessed something Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Zecheriah, Isaiah - all of the prophets who prophesied about the end times - did not witness. John saw the Risen Messiah. He saw Jesus die and rise again on earth, and in his vision he saw the Risen Messiah taking his place in heaven beside Yahweh.

In addition, in the OT death and Sheol still remained unbeaten. Nobody had ever left once they entered the gates. Death and Sheol still possessed their keys. However, when Jesus showed up in Hades everything changed. He entered, roughed up Death and Hades, then took their keys and left the underworld behind forever. John sees this version of Messiah - the all powerful, omnipotent champion over death.

Jesus alone now has the keys to Hades. He alone has the keys to unlock death and give life. Jesus was the firstborn among the dead, ie, the first to enter the land of the dead only to leave with keys in hand. He opened the gates for all who believe in him, and nobody - not even Hades himself - can ever shut those gates again.

All praise to Messiah!

The History of Ancient Israel An easy to read history of ancient Israel from Old Testament times to today.

The Seven Golden Lampstands of Revelation

Many of the images, symbols & metaphors John uses to describe his vision have their origin in the Old Testament. This was only natural for John seeing how he did not have "the Bible" as we have it today. There was no "New Testament".

First Century AD Jews studied the Hebrew Bible - very near identical to our current Old Testament. Scholars discovered many fragments of Apocryphal books in the caves of Qumran, scattered among fragments of the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible. Every book of the Old Testament, except for Esther, was found in Qumran.

Thus, John draws on images and metaphors his readers of the first century AD would have been familiar with to describe and assign meaning to what he saw. The 7 Golden Lampstands in Revelation 1:12 are such an example.

"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man..."

These verses are steeped in Old Testament imagery. The imagery of the lampstand is taken from Exodus 25 & 37, Numbers 8, and Zechariah 4:1-10.

Numbers 8 deals with the Tabernacle of Moses - the tent Israel would set up where Moses & YHWH would meet during the 40 years of wandering. In Num. 8:1-2 the LORD tells Moses to use seven lamps, which “shall give light in front of the lampstand”. The lampstand was lit by these seven lamps.

The lampstand itself was a “hammered work of gold…according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses…”. Thus the lampstand was handcrafted by man with divine instructions on precisely what to make & how to make it.

In Exodus 25 & 37 Yahweh gives Moses instructions on how to make the ornate & sophisticated lampstand, with its 6 intricate branches & cups for oil. Though one lampstand in Numbers & Exodus, there were six branches and seven lamps all made of pure gold, “the whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold” (Ex. 37:22). The purpose was to provide light to the tabernacle, and later the temple.

In I Kings 7:49 we see King Solomon building the First Temple in Jerusalem to Yahweh. Now there are TEN lampstands; five on the north side and five on the south side of Solomon’s grand temple - all of pure gold, with all utensils, cups, bowls, etc also of pure gold.

In Zecheriah 4 the prophet has a vision of “a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it”. The lampstand was flanked on both sides by two olive trees. Zechariah prophesied about completing the rebuilding of the temple in 520 BC.

The lampstand represented the temple of Yahweh and the faithful Israel. It was their duty to complete the temple and once again fill it with light, both from the candlesticks, but more importantly, the light of God. He would reside in His house on earth once again.

Each of these lampstands rests in God’s temple, but in a progression of abundance producing more and more light. John extends the lampstand imagery in Revelation 1 to represent the entirety of the Church - including both Jewish and Gentile Christians. What started with Yahweh shining his light on one people - Israel - extended outwards to the Gentiles with Jesus’ death.

While in the Old Testament the lampstand symbolized light for the temple, John expands the lampstand metaphor to include ALL people, tribes and languages on earth, indicating that the light has been shown upon all of humanity. All of mankind that accepts Jesus is part of the Church - the universal lampstand. It is now the Church that provides light.

John sees Jesus standing and walking amongst these lampstands, a clear symbolic reference to Jesus’ presence among and with his churches even to this day.

As will be typical in Revelation, John takes an Old Testament image and appropriates it to get his meaning across. In Revelation 1 it is the lampstand.

John appropriates the lampstand in a way that communicates God’s universal salvation to all of humanity through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus walked among his people in John's day, and he does so among his people today!

Amen!!

And may the light of God shine upon you today! God bless!

The History of Ancient Israel An easy to read history of ancient Israel from Old Testament times to today.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

We often associate the origin of Revelation with John - the author of the book. However, the first 5 words of the Apocalypse tell us differently - "The Revelation of Jesus Christ...".

Jesus is the origin of Revelation and the one who received the the information from Yahweh, the Father. This is interesting to think about, but it contradicts what Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 (Mark 13:32); "But concerning that day & hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."

Jesus spoke those words to his disciples while he was among the living. At the time, he did not know the events of the end. However, now in Rev. 1 he does. The Father has revealed these things to him, and now he must reveal it to his servants. Jesus made it known to his followers by sending an angel to reveal the events to John, who wrote it down in letters to the churches.

But what had changed between Matthew 24 and Revelation 1? Why did the Father reveal "that day & hour" to the Son? Verse 5 gives us a hint; "and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead,".

The term "firstborn" in the Greek is PROTOTOKOS, from PROTOS (first) and TIKTO (to bear, bring forth). It is where we get the English word "Prototype". Prototype is defined as; a first, typical or preliminary model of something from which other forms are developed or copied.

How does this apply to Jesus? One is tempted to say he was the first to be resurrected from the dead. However, he did raise Lazarus from the dead, as well as the sick girl. In this sense Jesus was not the first to die and be raised again. But in Rev. 1:18 we get a clue as to why Jesus' resurrection was different & unique.

For one, his death was unique. He was the God-Man, man in the flesh and God in the spirit. His death was not a result of earthly conditions - like with Lazarus & the girl - but was a result of heavenly conditions. He allowed himself to be killed in order to complete his mission on earth. His death triggered an event that would change the seen & unseen realms forever from that point forward.

In Revelation 1:18 we read; “Fear not, I am the first and the last and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."

Death and Hades should be understood as representing the underworld, Hades in the NT and Sheol in the OT. Death (Mot in the OT) and Hades are both anthropomorphized as actual beings that oversee the realms named after them. In ancient Judaism it was believed Sheol was comprised of multiple compartments (Cf. Lk. 16:19-31).

Only Hades possessed the keys of the underworld. When every man, woman & child died, no matter how rich or how poor, no matter how righteous or how evil, EVERYBODY went to Hades. And once you entered, you never left. Nobody had ever escaped Death & Hades. The realm of the dead was impossible to cross back over.

However, Jesus tells us in v. 18 it is HE who has the keys to Death & Hades. Jesus is now the one who opens & shuts the gate of the underworld. When did Jesus become the keymaster of Death? Well, when he died of course. It is known as the Descensus, and it is the belief within the Church that Christ descended into the Underworld upon his physical death (Cf. I Peter 3:19 & 4:6).

Jesus arrived in Sheol just as all of humanity had prior. He died, and he descended into the realm of the dead from which there was no return. However, he did not stay long. Jesus seemingly roughed up Death & Hades to the point he took their keys from them. Dr. Michael Heiser used the analogy that Jesus took their lunch money and left!

Jesus walked into the realm of the dead, confronted Death & Hades the overseers of the dead, took their keys and simply left. He was the firstborn from the dead, ie, the first to enter the realm of the dead, and the first to leave the realm of the dead. But he did not just leave, he preached, he roughed up Death & Hades, took their keys, then he left. In so doing the condition of humanity's soul after death was forever altered.

This was the difference between Matthew 24 and Revelation 1. In between these two passages Jesus died, descended into Hades, took the keys from Hades, left the realm of the dead only to appear to the living once again, then ASCENDED into heaven where he resides today. John is seeing the Risen Glorified Messiah standing next to the throne of God in heaven.

Christ alone has the power over death. Now only Jesus has the keys to unlock the imprisoned condition of mankind's soul. This authority resides with Christ alone as determined by the Father. Thus it shall be Christ alone as Messiah who comes again to put an end to the evil of this present age.

Jesus received the information about that day & hour because he will be leading Heaven's Army when the time comes. He has defeated the forces of death. He alone has power over life & death and for this reason, he alone shall rule on his Father's throne.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ is about the establishment of God's Kingdom on a new earth with a new heaven. Messiah, the slain lamb, shall lead God's army out of heaven to vanquish the beast and evildoers once & for all. For only the Messiah can accomplish this victory, because only Messiah has the keys to the underworld. He has the power over life & death.

The History of Ancient Israel An easy to read history of ancient Israel from Old Testament times to today.

Have you ever seen a lamb open a book?

Lambs lack the opposable thumb, which makes it nearly impossible to open a book, turn a page, hold a drink, etc. Besides the fact they have four legs and hooves, and no arms, the thought of a lamb opening a book provides a comical image.

So what was John talking about in Revelation 5:6-8 when he says he saw "a Lamb standing...and he went and took the scroll..."? Did he really see a lamb? Or, is he describing something else using lamb imagery & metaphors?

It is clear John is describing the Risen Christ, Jesus, standing in heaven beside the throne of Yahweh. However, he uses symbolic language & images to describe Jesus. This is common in Revelation. John uses what one scholar called "a quarry of texts" to weave his description of what he witnessed while in the spirit that day on Patmos.

Revelation is unique. The History of Israel is going to begin a series of posts exploring Revelation. John most certainly saw things. He's recording those things he witnessed, however, he was not writing it all down while in the spirit, at the moment.

Instead, John is trying to communicate what he saw and add meaning to what he witnessed. He is writing to the seven Christian churches, comprised of both ethnic Christian Jews and Gentile Christians. John, a Jew himself, weaves Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Genesis, and many, many more Old Testament passages into the pages of his Apocalypse.

Understanding John's context provides a fascinating & fresh glimpse into Revelation without trying to come up with an "end times system". We will explore these connections in upcoming posts.

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In the Days of Noah Jesus stated that in the last days it will be as in the days of Noah. The days of Noah were some of the strangest the world has ever seen.

Beauty is always in the eye of the acquirer!

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Ancient Hebrew Civilization

Representing Cush in the Hebrew Bible In 701 B.C.E ., an African king marched into Syria-Palestine to defend Judah against the invasion of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Second Kings 19:9

THE PROPHET ISAIAH

The book of Isaiah is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other book, prophet or character in the Old Testament - 411 times total. For this reason alone special attention should be paid to this prolific and extremely relevant prophet. Isaiah's ministry (ca. 750 - 690 BC), perhaps more so than anybody else in the OT, connects both the Old and New Testaments together.

The book of Isaiah serves as a bridge connecting the wide gap between the writings of the OT and the formation of the NT. Jesus Himself said He did not come to abolish the old law, but establish a new one and to fulfill the old. Jesus often spoke of the teachings of Isaiah.

This fact is often overlooked. The OT and the NT are viewed by too many as separate books from different times, when in fact, they are two books of the same message - a story continued. Yes, they are from different times, and yes, they do contain different theological truths to some extent, but the message is clearly united.

The book of Isaiah displays this continuity arguably better than any other OT figure or prophet. Isaiah's repeated Messianic themes echo throughout the rest of the Bible into the pages of Revelation. Jesus loved to quote from the book of Isaiah. It is no coincidence the first passage Jesus read in public after His temptation in the wilderness, in His hometown synagogue of Nazareth, was from Isaiah 61 (Luke 4).

In fact, Isaiah's name means, "salvation of YHWH", or, "YHWH saves". Indeed this theme appears frequently in the book of Isaiah, and is a theme which runs throughout the entire Bible. God's saving redemption through Jesus is a major theme of the New Testament. In his name, Isaiah captures one of the chief themes in the Bible - God saves and delivers.

Isaiah lived in Judah, most likely in Jerusalem. Many scholars feel he came from a wealthy and, perhaps, royal family. This would explain the ease with which Isaiah often approaches the different Kings of Judah.

Scripture does seem to indicate Isaiah possessed special access to the king. II Chron. 26:22 does record Isaiah was the sole individual responsible for writing down the acts of King Uzziah - thus the King's chief scribe. Isaiah loved Jerusalem, and was quite familiar with life inside the city. He was well respected among Jerusalem's elite, as he often criticized them with no repercussion. He was also familiar with the oppressed and poor of the city. Isaiah was very well acquainted with the Temple and its procedures and practices (Is. 1:11-15).

What makes Isaiah different from the other prophets is the fact his name, more than any other, appears again and again throughout the pages of the New Testament. His messianic teachings resonate in the book of Revelation. The book of Isaiah, today, is perhaps more relevant than it ever has been.