The imagery of the book of Revelation can seem bizarre and unfathomable, until we realize that the book is a compilation of Day of the LORD prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures. In this case, we’re examining the strange imagery of “scorpions” and “locusts” related to the fifth and sixth trumpets in Revelation 9–10.
Ecclesiastes is customarily read during Sukkot, the festival of Booths or Tabernacles, to pour a bucket of reality on the rejoicing of the promised time when God will dwell with mankind.
We look for an explanation for the misery and battle between good, bad and evil explored in the book of Ecclesiastes both from the beginning of history and the end. Revelation 21–22 assures us that God will wipe away all tears and there will be no death, mourning, pain or frustration. All those things will pass away. That is what we are all looking forward to when Yeshua will tabernacle with men forever.
Sukkot is a harvest festival, and harvesting involves cutting plant material, separating it from its previous environment on a branch or stalk and starting its journey of transformation to something else. That something else could be decorations for a sukkah, which looks forward to God’s setting up a permanent home for the Kingdom of God on Earth. Today’s we’ll explore two weddings and a funeral found in Scripture.
Sometimes we have an idea that the only purpose of prophesy is to predict the future. God is telling us, through a human agent, what He is doing. The true prophet is not guessing or extrapolating from context, he is simply stating a fact. Matthew 24, Revelation 6 and Revelation 12 show us how the “appointed times” are a roadmap for the end of time.
What are the lessons behind the design and function of the seven-branched lampstand, called the menorah, that was in His tabernacle/temple and shown in the book of Revelation?