Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

Pentecost and the Bride Redemption

Pentecost pictures both the first coming of YEHOVAH God, to mount Sinai, in glory and splendor, with earthquakes and fire (Exodus 19:18-20), and it also pictures the great FUTURE coming of YEHOVAH God, in glory and splendor, to judge and reward his Israelite saints, who will be gathered to meet Him in the air, from around the world.

by John D. Keyser

The Feast of Pentecost is a Type of Redemption! The counting of the weeks and the fifty days from Passover to Pentecost is a type of the life of overcoming and enduring to the end. For the Israelite people, observant Israelites, this period of time has always represented a period of maturing relationship between Israel and YEHOVAH God Himself. It represents a time of spiritual growth and maturation to spiritual adulthood. It also represents a period of romance and spiritual courtship.

YEHOVAH in essence "rescues" His bride-to-be from slavery, brings her through the wilderness with many miracles, and cleans and purifies her, removing all blemishes and spots and wrinkles, preparing her for the ultimate "marriage" covenant at Sinai. This was all a TYPE! YEHOVAH says,

"And I will betroth thee to Me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD" (Hosea 2:19-20).

YEHOVAH's Marriage to Ancient Israel

In Egypt, after the death of Joseph, the children of Israel became slaves to the Egyptians. The new pharaoh forced them into hard bondage in order to keep them in submission to him. They were oppressed and were filled with sorrow and pain, so they cried out to YEHOVAH God to deliver them from their captivity. YEHOVAH heard their cries and felt compassion for them. That is when YEHOVAH God called Moses to lead them out of Egypt and into the wilderness where He would redeem them and take them as His own people -- notice!

"And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows" (Exodus 3:7, KJV).

"Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:10, KJV).

"Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians" (Exodus 6:6-7, KJV).

"And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness" (Exodus 5:1, KJV).

"God sent ten plagues on Egypt before Pharaoh finally let them go. Moses lead the children of Israel out of Egypt by the presence of God in a cloud, and into the wilderness by God's Power through the parting of the Red Sea. GOD went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people" (Exodus 13:21-22, The Message).

“Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:16, The Message).

“And because He loved your fathers, and chose their seed after them, and brought you out with His presence, with His great power, out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 4:37, Green's Literal Translation).

“For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the fact that all of our ancestors were under the cloud, and they all went through the sea” (1Corinthians 10:1, International Standard Version).

"In the third month of the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, on this day [Sivan 15] they came to the wilderness of Sinai. And they pulled up stakes from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai. And they camped in the wilderness. And Israel camped there before the mountain" (Exodus 19:1-2, Green's Literal Translation).

At the mountain in the wilderness, YEHOVAH God made a union by covenant between Himself and the children of Israel. Exodus chapters 19 and 24 explain how Moses recited to the children of Israel the words that YEHOVAH God had given to him, which he had written in the Book of the Covenant (Ten Commandments and the Law). Then, the children of Israel agreed to accept YEHOVAH's Covenant. YEHOVAH God had vowed to love, treasure, protect, heal, and provide for them (Groom says "I do" -- see Exodus 19:5-6, Deuteronomy 7:6-24). United together, the children of Israel vowed to love, honor, and obey YEHOVAH God and His Word (bride says "I do" -- see Exodus 24:3, Exodus 19:7). So, here is the “bride” vowing to love, honor, and obey, and here is the “Groom” vowing to cherish, protect, and provide for His bride, giving her His name and all that He has.

Notice that the children of Israel are always referred to in the FEMININE sense -- never masculine! No same-sex marriage here!

Then the covenant was sealed with a sacrifice of blood at the mountain of YEHOVAH God (see Exodus 24:8). The children of Israel became a “wife” and YEHOVAH God Himself became their “Husband”. It was a formal and legally binding commitment, just like a legal marriage. YEHOVAH God did this in order to preserve a people for Himself in this sinful world and to highlight the correct form of marriage.

"For your Maker is your husband; Jehovah of Hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel [the Messiah]; He [YEHOVAH God] is called the God of all the earth" (Isaiah 54:5, Green's Literal Translation).

The Jewish Wedding

According to this Jewish website on the Torah: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/marriage.htm, Torah Scholars from Israel say there are actually two marriage ceremonies, or weddings, to complete the whole marriage process. The first one is the betrothal (or “Kiddushin”) and the second one is the “full-fledged marriage” (or “nisuin”). The “Kiddushin” ceremony is when the woman accepts the marriage contract (or “Ketubah”) from the man. The marriage contract is written by the husband and explains his obligations to his wife in their marriage. It also explains what her inheritance will be from him. Once the woman accepts the marriage contract, then they are considered legally married and she is called his wife. Their marriage can now only be dissolved by death or divorce.

This is exactly how the Bible explains how YEHOVAH God married the children of Israel in Exodus 24! The Law is YEHOVAH’s marriage contract to Israel! She accepted it and from then on she was legally YEHOVAH’s wife. YEHOVAH God hates divorce, so the only way to make a new covenant with His wife and to redeem her body from death would mean that someone guiltless -- representing the children of Israel -- would have to die.

The Jewish website also explains that “Nisuin” is the second marriage ceremony. This is when the husband brings his wife into his home so that they can live together. What is interesting about the word “nisuin” is that it means “elevation.” This goes right along with how YEHOVAH's Shekinah Glory went back to Heaven -- a place of elevation. Now, He didn’t leave His wife alone, He still abides with her (John 14) in her “tent of meeting” or her home, just like He lived with her in the wilderness and while He was preparing a Temple and more permanent home for her in Jerusalem.

Breaking the Wedding Vow

So Israel started out as YEHOVAH's VIRGIN BRIDE; but it was not long -- in fact only a few days -- before they were unfaithful! The first commandment of the Decalogue establishes YEHOVAH's primacy: "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt...Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:1-3). But even before Moses had come down the mountain with the tablets of stone, the people had made -- and were worshipping -- a golden calf. This was to continue to be the pattern throughout the long, troubled history of Israel.

Even in the Promised Land, which YEHOVAH had given them, they worshipped and made sacrifices to the other gods and idols of the surrounding nations. In YEHOVAH's mind this VIOLATION OF THEIR WEDDING VOW -- worshipping false idols -- was equivalent to ADULTERY; YEHOVAH's chosen Bride was continually PLAYING THE WHORE!

YEHOVAH God sent dozens of mighty judges and prophets to Israel to proclaim His word and to bring the people back into their covenant relationship with Him. But the prophets were mostly ignored or, worse, persecuted, leading Jeremiah to admonish the people, "And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear" (Jeremiah 25:4).

In fact, virtually all the prophetic books -- more than one quarter of the Old Testament -- are concerned solely with YEHOVAH's dealings with the SINS of Israel and with the other nations which negatively influenced them. For over seven hundred years YEHOVAH continually pleaded with His people, giving them every opportunity to return to Him, but they would not.

The Bill of Divorcement

Finally YEHOVAH's patience ran out and reluctantly He gave them a BILL OF DIVORCEMENT, declaring: "And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also" (Jeremiah 3:8).

Having wholeheartedly accepted the idolatrous worship of pagan religions such as Baalism, the House of Israel refused to heed the warnings of YEHOVAH God through the prophet Hosea. There was only a faithful few among them who had not bowed their knees before the heathen gods. So Jeremiah records the fact that such a bill of divorcement was given to the Northern Kingdom, or House of Israel.

It should be noted that even though YEHOVAH God had divorced the House of Israel they were not free from the terms of His covenant with them. Explains Howard B. Rand --

"His intention was to compel them to come under its terms by the operation of the 'But' clauses of the covenant which set forth the penalties for its violation. Incidentally, the very fact that that the House of Israel was to suffer in accordance with the penalties set forth in the covenant clearly demonstrates that the covenant was not set aside" (Study in Hosea. Destiny Publishers: 1955, page 25).

In confirmation of this fact the prophet Ezekiel records the words of YEHOVAH God:

"'As I live,' says the LORD God, 'surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. I will bring you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,' says the LORD God. 'I will make you pass under the rod, and I WILL BRING YOU INTO THE BOND OF THE COVENANT'" (Ezekiel 20:33-37).

What this divorce meant was that Israel was NO LONGER UNDER YEHOVAH's PROTECTION and so it was soon conquered by Assyrian and Babylonian armies and most of the people carried away captive into exile, from which the majority never returned. They became known as "the lost sheep of the House of Israel."

"The House of Israel," writes Howard B. Rand, "was sent away into Assyrian captivity and about 130 years later Judah was carried away to Babylon. Because Israel had been given a bill of divorcement, and Judah had not, Israel was UNABLE TO RETURN to Palestine, while a remnant of the House of Judah did return after the Divinely-set term of the Babylonian captivity had expired" (Study in Hosea, p. 21).

So according to the law, when YEHOVAH God gave the House of Israel a bill of divorcement, He expelled them from the "promised land." So long as that bill of divorcement was in force, HE COULD NOT TAKE HER BACK into His house (into His land) to dwell again.

The New Covenant

But the story does not end in tragedy as YEHOVAH God is long-suffering and ever faithful, and He had not given up on Israel. Instead, in spite of their great sins, He made them a promise of great hope. As Jeremiah records it:

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers...which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days [i.e. in the future], saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jeremiah 31:31-33).

Divorce and Deuteronomy 24

However, there was a problem with making a new covenant with Israel that was inherent in YEHOVAH's own law. In Deuteronomy 24:1-4 the law states:

"When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement...and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, SHE MAY GO AND BE ANOTHER MAN'S WIFE. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement...her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD."

And yet, through the prophet Jeremiah YEHOVAH God said:

"They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, AND BECOME ANOTHER MAN'S, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou [Israel] hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 3:1).

How could this be? How could Israel return and be remarried to YEHOVAH God in violation of His own law?

The answer to this question is quite simple -- and overlooked by most commentators. The KEY to this is whether the divorced woman remarries or not. Notes the Insight On the Scriptures --

"Doubtless the very fact that the original husband could not remarry his divorced wife after she became another man's, even if that man divorced her or died, made the husband contemplating divorce action think seriously before acting to end the marriage. (Jer. 3:1) However, nothing was said that would prohibit him from remarrying his divorced wife IF SHE HAD NOT REMARRIED after the legal severance of their marriage tie" (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: 1988. Volume 1, page 641).

If the divorced woman NEVER REMARRIES she can be TAKEN BACK by the man who divorced her. In the case of Israel, the only thing now standing in the way of being taken back by YEHOVAH God is the SINS of the nation since Israel never entered into another legal marriage with another god!

This is WHY Yeshua the Messiah died on the tree! His death not only brought salvation for all of Israel, but also REDEEMED Israel, the wife of YEHOVAH, from her defiled (sinful) and divorced state. When the Messiah died on the tree after taking Israel sin's upon himself, YEHOVAH God was then free to REMARRY the now redeemed and cleansed Israel -- to become once again Husband to His beloved Bride. Thus, the New (Marriage) Covenant between YEHOVAH God and physical Israel was made possible by the death, and sealed by the precious blood, of Yeshua the Messiah.

The Coming Remarriage

The remarriage of YEHOVAH God and His Israel people -- pictured in Revelation 21:2 by the New Jerusalem "coming down out of heaven from God, PREPARED AS A BRIDE ADORNED FOR HER HUSBAND" -- has not yet been realized. That this city represents Israel is obvious from its description, as on its twelve gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Bride is the Israel nation itself, in all its many disguises today. Their reunion with YEHOVAH God, bringing to fruition the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God on earth, will yet disseminate the blessings, promised of old by YEHOVAH God to the patriarchs, throughout all the world.

Jerusalem, the Holy City and capital of YEHOVAH's Kingdom, is represented as His Bride in the description of that city by the apostle John. But since the capital of a kingdom stands for that kingdom, the New Jerusalem therefore designates the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God. YEHOVAH God said to Israel --

"I will set My tabernacle [dwelling place] AMONG YOU, and My soul shall not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people" (Leviticus 26:11-12).

Later on -- through the prophet Zechariah -- the call goes out, "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I COME, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD" (Zechariah 2:10).

The fact of Israel being His people and YEHOVAH God dwelling in their midst now becomes a reality as John witnesses the consummation of the promises made to Israel. YEHOVAH God establishes this close relationship with His people now and forever more -- and they will never again be alienated or divorced from Him.

The Ecclesia and the Messiah

Pentecost is also a type of our acceptance of the Messiah and our "betrothal" to him, as part of his bride-to-be, as spiritual Israelites. The Ecclesia, in Scripture, is referred to as the "bride of Christ." Paul says to the Corinthians, "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (II Corinthians 11:2).

The Messiah is going to present a wife to himself, "in her virginity" (Leviticus 21:13). As Paul wrote, Yeshua the Messiah "loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 4:25-27).

Therefore, when the Messiah descends from heaven, he will take the saints -- the true Israelite believers in him, who follow and obey him -- as his bride forever! At his coming, John tells us in the book of Revelation, he will take his bride to himself:

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb and his wife is come, and his wife hath made herself READY. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God" (Revelation 19:6-9).

This same bride, the "first-fruits" to YEHOVAH God and to the Lamb, are pictured also in Revelation 14, where we read:

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads [the name YEHOVAH -- YHVH]....And they sung as it were a new song before the throne...and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand [of Israel], which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which are not defiled with women; and they are [spiritual] virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were REDEEMED from among men [of Israel], BEING THE FIRSTFRUITS UNTO GOD, and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God" (Revelation 14:1-5).

This is the picture of the true BRIDE OF THE MESSIAH, ready to meet him when he comes! Will you be among them? Are you becoming purified -- made white? Are you being clothed with righteousness -- which is keeping the commandments of YEHOVAH God (Psalm 119:172)? Are you a spiritual "virgin," uncontaminated by the pagan teachings and falsehoods of this world, and its Babylonian whorish religious "traditions"? Are you also "without guile"? Think about it!

These are the "first-fruits"!

These are the ones pictured by the harvest festival of Pentecost -- the feast of Weeks!

Parable of the Ten Virgins

When the Messiah comes for his bride, pictured by Pentecost, we read:

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

"While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out [or, "going out"]. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that buy and sell, and buy for yourselves.

"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were READY went with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

"Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 25:1-13).

Let us examine this parable. Again, the Ecclesia is compared to a BRIDE -- ten virgins, who are awaiting their Lord's return. The wise ones are prepared and ready -- they have "oil" in their lamps. The oil is a type of YEHOVAH God's holy spirit, that flows through the candelabra -- the seven pipes of the menorah, a type of YEHOVAH's Ecclesia (Zechariah 4:2-6; Revelation 1:20).

When the bridegroom returns, a "cry" is made. "The bridegroom cometh!" What will that coming be like?

The Appearance of YEHOVAH God and the Messiah

Let us notice what happens when YEHOVAH God Himself returns to this earth. A few key Scriptures tell us the story:

"For the LORD [YEHOVAH] Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the LORD [YEHOVAH] in the air: and so shall we ever be with the LORD" (I Thessalonians 4:14-17).

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be CHANGED, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, AT THE LAST TRUMPET: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed, for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (I Corinthians 15:51-52).

"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called, The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING of kings and LORD of lords" (Revelation 19:11-16).

So, what of the appearance of Yeshua? Do the Scriptures record the future event of the Messiah's coming to this earth? They surely do -- in Revelation 10:1-7. Notice!

"Then I saw another mighty angel [alt. messenger] coming down from heaven. HE WAS DRESSED IN A CLOUD, with a RAINBOW over his head; his face was LIKE THE SUN, his legs like columns of fire; and he had a little scroll lying open in his hand. He planted his right foot ON THE SEA and his left foot ON THE LAND, and shouted in a voice as loud as THE ROAR OF A LION; and when he shouted, seven thunderclaps sounded with voices that spoke. When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say,

"Seal up the things the seven thunders said, do not write them down!"

"Then the angel [alt. messenger] I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted his right hand toward heaven and swore by the One who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: THERE WILL BE NO MORE DELAY; on the contrary, in the days of the sound from the seventh angel when he sounds his shofar [trumpet], THE HIDDEN PLAN OF [YEHOVAH] GOD WILL BE BROUGHT TO COMPLETION, the Good News as he proclaimed it to his servants the prophets."

This passage pictures the return of the Messiah. The book of Acts in the New Testament verifies this, if we take the time to read it carefully:

"And after he [the Messiah] said these things, while they [the apostles] were looking on, he was lifted up and A CLOUD CAUGHT HIM UP FROM THEIR VISION. And as they were gazing into the sky while he was on his way, also, look! two men in white garments stood alongside them, and they said: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who was received up from you into the sky WILL COME THUS IN THE SAME MANNER AS YOU HAVE BEHELD HIM GOING INTO THE SKY" (The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures).

Now HOW did the Messiah go up into the sky? Was he on a white horse? No! Did he have the armies of heaven with him? No! Was his robe soaked in blood and was he wearing MANY crowns? No! The simple truth is that "a cloud caught him up from their [the Apostles] vision" as he was lifted up into the sky, and Revelation 10:1-7 shows him RETURNING THE EXACT SAME WAY with one difference -- this time he is wearing the crown of rulership!

This mighty angel is a symbolic representation of Yeshua the Messiah himself because everything that is said to characterize this angel could only pertain to Yeshua. Not only that, but the very actions of the angel belong only to Yeshua. Notes Dr. Hengstenberg:

"The planting of the right foot on the sea, and the other on the earth, as certainly belongs to Christ alone, as it is to Him and not to any angel that God has put in subjection the world to come (Hebrews 2:5)."

The appearance of this angel, the stand that he takes -- and particularly the words of the oath that he swears -- testify greatly to the surpassing importance of what is to happen in the days of the voice of the seventh angel.

In his hand was a "little scroll lying open." These words suggest a comparison with the relatively great scroll of Revelation 5:1 -- which was completely sealed. This leads to the conclusion that the "little scroll" contains some special part of the counsel of YEHOVAH God, which Yeshua, the one who is invested with supreme authority, is responsible to carry into effect.

The first item of description of this mighty angel is that he is "dressed in a cloud." "He is," records the book Then is Finished the Mystery of God, "here described as being 'arrayed with a cloud,' wrapped in a cloud. Cloud is a feature associated with the glorified Jesus Christ, as in Revelation 1:7, where John writes of him, saying: 'Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen.' (Compare Daniel 7:13; Matthew 24:30, 31; 1 Thessalonians 4:17)" (1969, p. 249).

The very next descriptive item in the vision is such as to remove all fear from those Israelites who are truly his. For we read he had "a rainbow over his head." Notes Then is Finished the Mystery of God --

"The rainbow that was 'upon his head' suggests that he is a special representative of Jehovah, 'the God of peace,' for the apostle John had seen in his earlier vision of the enthroned Jehovah God that 'round about the throne there is a rainbow like an emerald in appearance.' (Revelation 4:3; compare Ezekiel 1:28). After the...flood of the prophet Noah's day the rainbow that Jehovah God caused to appear in the cloud betokened peace after storm and that His covenant toward mankind is peaceful, barring another inundation of the...earth with water. (Genesis 9:8-17; Isaiah 54:9) How appropriate, then, for a rainbow to be upon the head of the 'strong angel' who pictures Yeshua the Messiah, inasmuch as he was foretold to become 'Prince of Peace.' -- Isaiah 9:6, 7" (1969, pp. 249-250).

Also, this rainbow on Yeshua's head represents the faithful witness of covenant mercy and protection to his own -- the saints of Israel -- in the work he is about to undertake. That work, clearly defined in Revelation 11, is that of the separation of those who are really his own from the great mass of professing Israelite disciples.

Continues Then is Finished the Mystery of God --

"As regards this "strong angel," the fact that "his face was as the sun" corresponds with what the apostle John says concerning his earlier vision of Jesus Christ at the divine temple, that "his countenance was as the sun when it shines in its power." (Revelation 1:16) This may have reminded John of when he saw Jesus transfigured on a "lofty mountain" in the Middle East, that "his face shone as the sun, and his outer garments became brilliant as the light." (Matthew 17:1, 2)....Here in this vision of the "strong angel" we see a happy combination of cloud, sun and rainbow" (1969, p. 250).

The planting of the feet, which are likened to pillars of fire, one on the sea (the masses of people and nations in general), and one on the earth, signifies the worldwide scope of his work -- and also the immovable steadfastness of his purpose to accomplish it. We find, in Then is Finished the Mystery of God, the following --

"So John could say of the "strong angel" that "his feet were as fiery pillars." The angel's feet were glorious as well as his head, just as in the vision of Revelation 1:14, 15. What ever would come under his power, control and authority would come, as it were, under glorious feet, sturdy like pillars, no more to be tampered with than fire is. If the "sea" upon which he set his right foot was the Aegean Sea in which the Isle of Patmos lay, and the "earth" upon which he set his left foot was the nearby land of Asia Minor, then the "strong angel" was facing southward.

"Or, if the sea and earth were, so to speak, the Mediterranean Sea and ancient Palestine, he would still be facing south. This would picture how the whole earth, its seas and dry land, have now been put under the feet of the glorified Jesus Christ, that is to say, have been put in subjection to him by the Almighty God Jehovah. The fish of the sea and the living creatures on the dry land, including the birds who roost at the earth, are now all subject to the resurrected, glorified heavenly Jesus Christ" (Hebrews 2:5-9; Psalm 8:4-8) (1969, pp. 250-251).

It is further said of the angel that he "shouted in a voice as loud as the roar of a lion;" and that "when he shouted, seven thunderclaps sounded with voices that spoke." This recalls the fact that Yeshua was called "the lion that is of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5) -- the glorified Messiah now clothed with kingly power in the heavens, awaiting his return to this earth.

In verses 5 through 7 Yeshua the Messiah swears by his Father YEHOVAH God, and thereby assuring the apostle John and all fellow Christian Israelites down till our time today, that there will be no further delay on YEHOVAH's part.

The original word here translated "delay" is the Greek word khronos, which simply means "time" in an indefinite sense, so that the Authorized or King James Version Bible of 1611 rendered the phrase: "There should be time no longer." This does not, of course, mean that time, which figures as a "fourth dimension" in Albert Einstein's relativity theory, would be no more. Rather, it means that there should be no further grant of time, in other words -- no more "delay" regarding the matter involved.

Why did this reference to "delay" come up for comment by the Messiah in this vision? It was in answer to the question, raised by the martyred Christian Israelite souls after the Lamb (Yeshua) opened the fifth seal of YEHOVAH's scroll: "They cried out in a loud voice, 'Sovereign Ruler, HaKadosh, the True One, how long will it be before you judge the people living on earth and avenge our blood?'" (Revelation 6:9, 10).

Without a doubt the apostle John saw the likeness in many respects between this vision and that of the prophet Daniel of the sixth century B.C., who wrote:

"Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him [YEHOVAH God] who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished" (Daniel 12:7).

The characteristics as noted about this "angel" in the vision of Revelation 10, combine to clearly indicate that he represents or stands for the glorified Messiah returning to this earth to take up the reins of government over Israel and to prepare the way for the return of his Father YEHOVAH God -- as recorded by John in Revelation 19.

What Pentecost Pictures

Let us notice carefully, now! Pentecost pictures both the first coming of YEHOVAH God, to mount Sinai, in glory and splendor, with earthquakes and fire, and the long blasting sound of a piercing trumpet (Exodus 19:18-20) and it also pictures the great FUTURE coming of YEHOVAH God, in glory and splendor, to judge and reward his saints, who will be gathered to meet Him in the air, from around the world, as He returns to rule the world with "a rod of iron" (Revelation 19:15).

With the loud clarion call of a trumpet YEHOVAH God descended upon Mount Sinai. When YEHOVAH God returns to this earth (as pictured in Revelation 19) the armies of heaven will follow Him and He will stand upon the Mount of Olives -- see Zechariah 14:4. When He appeared on Mount Sinai the people SAW Him coming (Exodus 19:11). When He returns we will SEE "heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And He [YEHOVAH God] who sat on him was called Faithful and True" (Revelation 19:11).

 

Hope of Israel Ministries -- Correcting the Errors of Modern Christianity!

Hope of Israel Ministries
P.O. Box 853
Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A.
 www.hope-of-israel.org

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