From My Bible Commentary on Revelation 20, 21 and 22

Shalom everyone!

In my as yet unpublished commentary on the whole Bible, I have about a thousand pages long commentary on the NT or Testimony of Yeshua alone. Parts and pieces of this I share from time to time on this blog.

For fun and, hopefully, to bless a few readers, I decided to share my commentary notes on Revelation chapters 20 to 22. These notes are unpublished and not formally edited, so if you find any typos, kindly let me know.

I hope this is a blessing to someone and will get you thinking a little! This ought to keep some of you going for awhile! 😉

Natan

Revelation 20

Revelation 20:1, Bottomless pit. (See notes at Deut 32:22; 2 Pet 2:4; Rev 9:1. Also see notes at Isa 14:18–21.)

Revelation 20:4, A thousand years. This is but one of six references in the Bible to the Millennium lasting for one thousand years. The other references are found in the surrounding verses (vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7). These are more than enough references to meet the biblical criteria of establishing a truth in the mouth of two or more witnesses. Even then, some biblical students still question the idea of the Millennium and categorize it as a NT concept only and, therefore, feel they can disregard it. This is a shame and shows naive ignorance with regard to the Word of Elohim. An understanding of the prophetic implications of the seventh day Sabbath should settle this discussion once for all. In Hebraic thought, the seven days of creation picture the time man will be on this physical earth. Six days (for six days or six thousand years) man does his own work, while on the seventh day (or one thousand years) he rests and fellowships with Elohim. This is a picture of the millennial rest, which the Jewish sages have long called the Messianic Era, which is to come. The Millennium is not uniquely a Christian or NT concept, but is rooted in Judaism going back before the Christian era. The writer of Hebrews makes reference to this in Heb 7 when he compares Joshua taking the Israelites into the Promised Land with Yeshua taking the saints into the Sabbath, millennial rest of our spiritual inheritance.

Revelation 20:5, The rest of the dead. This phrase is a parenthetical thought. Before and after this phrase, the author is discussing those who will be part of the first resurrection, which occurs at Yeshua’s second coming. Later in the same chapter, John goes on to discuss what happens to the rest of the dead (vv. 12–13).

Revelation 20:7–21:1, Events after the Millennium. The events in these verses appear to be chronological and occur after the Millennium. In Rev 20:2ff John seems to be receiving a f pre-millennial flashback vision. (See my discussion on these verses.)

Revelation 20:8, The four corners. These rebels who will inhabit the millennial earth have removed themselves as far as possible from Jerusalem, which is the seat of King Yeshua’s rule and the at the center of the earth.

Revelation 20:9, Fire came down from heaven. If the New Jerusalem, the seat of Continue reading

 

Don’t Get Tossed Out With the Trash!

Luke 12:5, Killed…cast into hell [Gehenna]. There are two deaths: a physical and a spiritual death. All humans will die a physical death (Heb 9:27), but not everyone will die a second or spiritual death. This death is reserved for the unregenerate wicked and is called the lake of fire (Rev 20:12–15). The Hinnom Valley (Gr. Gehenna) on the west side of Jerusalem was a Hebrew metaphor for the fate of the wicked. The Jews used this valley as a refuse dump, and it was there that the bodies of dead animals and criminals were burned. Literally, at the white throne judgment after having judged the unregenerate wicked, YHVH will cast them into his spiritual garbage dump to be burned up (Rev 20:11–15).

 

Being Cast Into Outer Darkness Vs. the Fiery Furnace

Matthew 22:13, Outer [or exterior] darkness. This is likely not a reference to destruction in the lake of fire, which is the fate of the wicked, but  rather the place where those who will be least in the kingdom (Matt 5:19) will reside. They will not be living in close proximity to Yeshua as his bride in the New Jerusalem, which is a place where there is no darkness or night, for Yeshua who is the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:2) and whose face shines like the suns (Rev 1:16) will be the light of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:23; 22:5).

New heaven:earth

Rather, the place of reward for those who weren’t properly attired in robes of righteousness (Matt 22:11) will be to live further away from the New Jerusalem somewhere in the New Earth. Light is a biblical metaphor for a knowledge of the truth or being able to see spiritually, while darkness is a metaphor for ignorance or spiritual blindness.

It is possible that these who will be least in the kingdom, though possessing eternal life, will be living in a state of not possessing as much divine revelation or spiritual light because their reward. This is because they failed to properly prepare their robes of righteousness to be the bride of Yeshua as the lesson of the previous parable teaches us. The reward of these people who will be least in the kingdom will be to abide in a place on the new earth that is further away from the New Jerusalem and that has less spiritual light shining on it.

Outer darkness being a lower position in the kingdom of Elohim as opposed to being cast into the lake of fire seems to the idea in the other scripture passages where Yeshua uses this phrase ( Matt 8:12; 25:30). In the verbal imagery of Yeshua, being cast into outer darkness seems to be in direct contrast to being cast into a fiery furnace, which is a reference to the fate of the wicked. This fate is final and is eternal damnation in the lake of fire (Matt 13:42, 50 cp. 3:12; 25:41; Mark 9:43–49; Rev 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8).

 

Emboldened to Sin Leads to Fiery Judgments

Deuteronomy 29:16–19, Emboldened to sin. As we pass through the spiritual wilderness of the world around us (verse 16) on our way to the Promised Land, how easy is it to justify our personal rebellion, our sinful habits, our lustful and materialistic thoughts on the basis of such rationalizations as, “Everyone around me is doing it,” or, “It feels like it’s okay to do,” or, “If it feels good, do it,” or “YHVH’s laws don’t apply to me … that was for the people back then, not for us today,” or, “That’s not what the church I belong to teaches,” or, “Surely YHVH doesn’t expect us to keep his commandments … they’re too hard to do … we can’t really do all that stuff today,” or, “We’re under grace today … that stuff has been done away … Jesus fulfilled it … nailed it to the cross,” etc. Do these statements square with YHVH’s words of truth? Do what you believe and practice square with his Word? Is YHVH looking for our excuses or our obedience? What did Yeshua say would be an identifying mark of those who would love him? (Read John 14:15.)

Sulfur balls Natan picked up in his trip to Israel near the area of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.

Sulfur balls Natan picked up in his trip to Israel near the area of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.

When one is emboldened to sin, the judgments of YHVH will fall if not immediately, then in the future. One way or another, it will happen. Eventually all unrepentant rebels will burn in the lake of fire. It’s the law of cause and effect, and our eternal fate all depends on the choices we make in this life here and now vis-a-vis Elohim and his commandments.

The modern-day area around the Dead Sea where Sodom and Gomorrah is once believed to have been located is stark testimony to YHVH’s warnings to those who continue in their sins, refuse to repent and fail to submit to YHVH’s Torah laws.

Deuteronomy 29:23, Whole land is brimstone. The area just west of the Dead Sea where ancient Sodom and Gomorrah likely were is to this day a barren wasteland of gypsum containing little or no vegetation, and, in places, is covered in sulfur balls (brimstone) that one can still pick up. This region is an enduring testimony to the severity of YHVH’s judgments against men’s sin, which speaking loudly to us even now in harsh and warning tones.

The area around what many believe to the location of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.

The area around what many believe to the location of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.

 

New Video: Hell Fire Demythologized — the Fate of the Wicked

What happens to the wicked after they die? Are the fires of hell real? When does it occur and how long does it last? In this video, Natan Lawrence strips away the Christian mythology about hell, and presents the biblical facts from a Hebraic perspective.