Revelation 1 The Notes
The Revelation Which God Gave To Yehoshua
The Revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach יהושע המשיח, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant Yochanan יוחנן,(John):
The sense in which this is a revelation.
How it is given. Why it is given.
which God gave unto him... Because God gave him this revelation he knew that the day would come when Jerusalem would say to him, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD," Matthew 23:39, which is at the core of the Revelation, as recorded in Revelation 11:13. And this is why he said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven," Luke 10:18.
Who bore record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach, and of all things that he saw.
The testimony of Yochanan is of personal experience of the revelation.
Blessed is the one that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
The nature of three things: the nature of the blessing of those who receive the revelation, the nature of prophetic hearing and prophetic living, the nature of eternity in time.
Greetings
Yochanan, (Yôḥānān), to the seven Messianic Gatherings which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Seven Assemblies are referred to, these having seven different spiritual attributes which correspond to the seven principles of the Galut and to the seven spirits before the Throne of God.
And from Yehoshua HaMashiach, (Messiaḥ), who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
The grace that comes to those who receive this revelation, which first comes from Hashem, who gave it to Mashiach for them, as well as from the Seven Spirits which are before his throne, also comes from Mashiach himself.
In every case, with each assembly, we will be reminded that the light that they have to give is the light of this revelation from God and of God, the One who is, who was and who will be, which he gave to Yehoshua HaMashiach to give to them, in order that they might be gathered together as one, a living menorah to Israel. This is the nature of the grace that is sent to them from Hashem, the God of Israel.
And has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
This is specifically the promise to Israel. If it is applied to any gentiles whatsoever, it can be applied to them only if they are grafted into Israel.
Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
The revelation being given in a context of concealment, as it is seen here to be, raises, by its implications the challenges in the world which call for this to be the way God brings his revelation into the world.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,
says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Here is the signature and the seal of the one who has given this revelation to the servants of Yehoshua HaMashiach.
The First Vision
I Yochanan (John), who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Yehoshua HaMashiach, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach
As the revelation was delivered to Yochanan, so it is delivered to you, for he is your brother and you are his brother or his sister. As it was delivered to him for his service to the testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach, so it is delivered to you for the testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
I was in the spirit of Shabbat and I heard…
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What you see, write in a book, and send it unto the seven gatherings which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
What the Voice spoke was first of all Who the Voice was! And then immediately making known to whom it was that he desired to speak.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden menorahs;
The first manifestation of the Voice is the seven golden menorahs.
And in the midst of the seven menorahs one like unto the Son of Adam, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and wrapped about the waist with a golden girdle.
The statement, “one like unto the Son of Adam” is made entirely as a quote from Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7:13–14. It is given to begin to situate this vision and the whole of the revelation in that vision and all the prophecies and visions of Daniel. Therefore the context is sealed as being that of the galut which began with the Babylonian captivity. The Scroll of the Revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach contains the revelation of the geula of Israel from that galut.
His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden menorahs. The seven stars are the angelic messengers of the seven gatherings: and the seven menorahs which you saw are the seven assembled gatherings.
Revelation Chapter One v. 1
The Revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach יהושע המשיח, (Jesus Christ), which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant Yochanan יוחנן, (John):
The sense in which this is a revelation. How it is given. Why it is given.
The Revelation, is it just a text? a book? that is meant by the word, ἀποκάλυψις (apokalupsis)? It is not being said that a record is being conveyed just to be displayed. A truth is meant to be conveyed through the record of the vision of the apokalupsis, a truth concerning the appearance again of Mashiach in the world, and this truth is meant to be a revelation in the hearts and understanding of the servants of Mashiach. This is why it is given, and this is why it is given in the way it is given. It is given by Mashiach’s personal angel in heaven to the selected tzaddik on earth, Yochanan, as from one agent to another. The use of agents signifies that it remains concealed from the population at large, but can be revealed person to person.
There is a need for this apokalupsis to be given to Mashiach’s servants. It has to do with the immediacy of the contents involved. This immediacy is not measured primarily in terms of the first creation, for in terms of the first creation there seems to be a delay. The immediacy that requires the giving of this revelation is measured in terms of the reality of the new Creation and how it is progressively transforming the first Creation into itself in a manner that is not revealed to this world.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-1 contents
Revelation Chapter One v. 2
Who bore record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach, and of all things that he saw.
The testimony of Yochanan is of personal experience of the revelation. This is to illustrate how that the revelation should be received by all the servants of Mashiach who receive it, that is, as a personal experience. It will not be received as a personal experience in the same way as Yochanan the tzaddik received it. For he is the only servant of Yehoshua who participated in it as its immediate recipient and recorder.
The revelation is, however, given in order to be personally transformative to those who receive it through Yochanan. It is meant that through this revelation they be redemptively transformed from being of this Creation to being of the new Creation. For this is the revelation to those able to receive it of how that transformation is now taking place for all Creation.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-2 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.3
Verse 3
Blessed is the one that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
The Blessing of Receiving This Revelation: Introductory Mahx Note:
There is a tension in this statement concerning blessing in verse 3. It is a tension having to do with the challenge of the process of conversion that has to do with salvation at the judgment seat of God, on the one hand, and salvation here in the present life, day to day, so that day to day challenges are themselves converted to being met on a foundation of faith and not met in and on their own terms, on the other hand.
This goes directly to the content of the letters to the seven assemblies and to the testimony of the assemblies, for which they are called to the witness stand.
The tension needs to be fully appreciated and not missed through objective analysis and categorization, etc. In ministering to one in the throws of conversion, progressive conversion of the believer, or original conversion, sometimes one can speak of the final destination of life, but other times one must speak of the challenge the person is facing in the moment. To make this determination, one must sometimes do so in primary consideration of the individual’s subjective perspective on the immediate challenges of their life and sometimes do so in primary consideration of their corporate place in human redemption. In all ways, however, the aim must be to position the present considerations upon the foundation of the eternal considerations, even though this is done progressively.
The nature of three things: the nature of the blessing of those who receive the revelation, the nature of prophetic hearing and prophetic living, the nature of eternity in time.
Those who receive the revelation in such a way as to enter into it with personal experience when reading or hearing it will be blessed with the blessing of being redemptively transformed in their hearts and spirits and minds to be living in the realm of the new Creation. Others will read it only in an academic way. They will not receive this blessing. They will not actually receive the revelation at all, unless they are convicted in their conscience while reading it and are led to repentance and faith, and thus receive the revelation through personal experience.
Creation was brought forth out of nonexistence through the commandment of the word of God. Natural human curiosity is aroused by the prophecy that is found in the Scriptures of God and imagines it to be prediction of the future alone, or with some form of moral preaching. The prophecy of the word of God is powerful and creates that of which it speaks, just as the word of God created the world. Such prophecy is communion between the speaker and the listener. For there to be prophetic speaking there must also be prophetic hearing. There could not be prophets of Israel unless there was also an Israel to hear prophetically. So it is with the servants of Mashiach addressed by this revelation. And as one cannot hear the word of God who does not do the word of God, so it is with the servants of Mashiach addressed by this revelation.
Where the text says that the time is at hand, in terms of the revelation, which is the revelation of the entrance of eternity into time, this means that eternity has already begun to transform time into redeemed time, the form of time in eternity. And this will continue until all of time is completely redeemed and judgment is come and all time is transformed into the new and eternal Creation.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-3 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.4
Yochanan, (Yôḥānān), to the seven Messianic Gatherings which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Seven Assemblies are referred to, these having seven different spiritual attributes which correspond to the seven principles of the Galut and to the seven spirits before the Throne of God. These are the seven gatherings of the galut. The are the seven lights to show the way to geula, redemption from the exile.
Pharaoh’s dream of the seven fat and the seven lean cows, etc., was representative of the mechanism by which the exile of Israel into Egypt took place. Had it not been for this Jacob would not have gone down into Egypt.
Consider:
“An important but much-overlooked detail of Pharaoh’s famous dream is the fact that the seven lean cows stood side-by-side with the seven fat cows on the bank of the river. In other words, all fourteen cows existed simultaneously in Pharaoh’s dream—unlike in reality, in which the seven years of famine came after the seven years of plenty were over.”
This is from Seven Fat Cows By Yanki Tauber on chabad.org
What is emphasized in this essay is that the same things that Israel regards as the fat always has a reverse side and in that aspect is the very dynamic that causes the Galut.
Galut is a place where a thriving economy is both a blessing and a curse, where the rising tide of freedom unleashes the best and the worst in man, where a globe-girdling Web conveys wisdom and filth, where we’re saturated in spirituality and spiritually impoverished at the same time.
But there’s a way to deal with this cosmic mess. Listen to Joseph speak (even Pharaoh recognizes good advice when he sees it). Don’t run away from the dream, says Joseph; don’t look for some other meaning. Use it. If galutpresents you with the paradox of the fat cow and the lean cow grazing together on the bank of the river, use the fat cow to nourish the lean cow. Make the dream the solution.
The idea is that:
If you store the surplus grain from the plentiful years, Joseph was saying, then the seven fat cows will still be around when the seven lean cows emerge from the river—and the lean cows will have what to eat.
Likewise, in what the Spirit says to the seven assemblies, we see that there is both a positive side to the state each gathering of the galut and a negative side. At first it might appear that in one or two cases there is only a positive side or only a negative side, only a fat cow or only a lean cow, only a fat head of wheat or a parched head of wheat. But upon closer examination we will see that this is not the case.
Indeed, in every case, with each assembly, we will be reminded that the light that they have to give is the light of this revelation from God and of God, the One who is, who was and who will be, which he gave to Yehoshua HaMashiach to give to them, in order that they might be gathered together as one, a living menorah to Israel. This is the nature of the grace that is sent to them from Hashem, the God of Israel.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-4 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.5
And from Yehoshua HaMashiach, (Messiaḥ), who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
The grace that comes to those who receive this revelation, which first comes from Hashem, who gave it to Mashiach for them, as well as from the Seven Spirits which are before his throne, also comes from Mashiach himself
In every case, with each assembly, we will be reminded that the light that they have to give is the light of this revelation from God and of God, the One who is, who was and who will be, which he gave to Yehoshua HaMashiach to give to them, in order that they might be gathered together as one, a living menorah to Israel. This is the nature of the grace that is sent to them from Hashem, the God of Israel.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-5 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.6
And has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
This is specifically the promise to Israel. If it is applied to any gentiles whatsoever, it can be applied to them only if they are grafted into Israel. Any application of gentiles of this promise that was made to Israel that replaces Israel with those gentiles is in error. Such an error, in the end, is made insignificant by the truth. God is and was and will be the God of Israel and has fulfilled his word in Israel.
And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Israel.
You shall be named the Priests of the LORD: people shall call you the Ministers of our God: you shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
The import of this verse is to say, that it is what this revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach reveals about him and what he has accomplished that fulfills this promise to Israel. And because it is the content of this revelation that fulfills this promise, it is the giving of this revelation to those who receive it on behalf of Israel that will be instrumental in bringing about the full realization of that promise — on earth as it is in heaven.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-6 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.7
Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
The revelation being given in a context of concealment, as it is seen here to be, raises, by its implications the challenges in the world which call for this to be the way God brings his revelation into the world. To come, in the introduction to all, to the conclusion of all, in silencing all challenging voices, Yochanan states that out of the clouds of glory he will appear and in such a way that no one shall need to be told of this by someone else. For they themselves shall see him when he appears.
Everyone, every human being will see that in all of their sins there was the will that he should die and not live. Yet every sin follows after him on his way to the cross and supports the judgment that he should be crucified from a different difference. Even those whose sin follows with violence so closely that they pierce him shall see his appearance when, according to this revelation, he appears from heaven again. And all families and nations of the earth shall bemoan their sins on account of him. Even so, Amen.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-7 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.8
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,
says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Here is the signature and the seal of the one who has given this revelation to the servants of Yehoshua HaMashiach. Go to: +Revelation Chapter One v.11 . Yochanan here states this in his introduction as if overcome by the power of the vision which he is about to relate, wherein this where the Lord says this to him.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-8 contents
The First Vision
Revelation Chapter One v. 9
I Yochanan (John), who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Yehoshua HaMashiach, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach
As the revelation was delivered to Yochanan, so it is delivered to you, for he is your brother and you are his brother or his sister. As it was delivered to him for his service to the testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach, so it is delivered to you for the testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach.
As Yochanan was called to the service of Yehoshua in a certain specific place, so you will be called to the service of Yehoshua in a certain specific place. In every place to which we are called for the service of Yehoshua HaMashiach it is for the work of the word of God in the world, the work of this revelation, which is the vessel of revelation for all the Scriptures of God.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-9 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.11
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What you see, write in a book, and send it unto the seven gatherings which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
What the Voice spoke was first of all Who the Voice was! And then immediately making known to whom it was that he desired to speak.
Yochanan himself is addressed as the agent of the Revelation by the one speaking to him immediately commanding him to record what he hears and to send it to the seven named assemblies. The vision begins with no vision but with the prophetic hearing of Yochanan in the spirit on the Lord’s day. With his prophetic hearing, Yochanan hears a voice sounding like a trumpet. And when he turns, as we will see, he sees that the voice belongs to a vision of the person of the risen Mashiach of Israel. Before he sees this, Yochanan only hears the Voice identify himself in a way he knows the God of Israel has identified himself in the Holy Scriptures. For the Voice identifies himself saying, “I am the he Aleph and the Tav, the first and the last”. See also in +Revelation Chapter One v.8
How do we know that this is the authentic text when some older manuscripts do not contain it here in verse 11? Because those texts that have been found that do not contain these words in this verse are older than the oldest texts still known for the received tradition does not mean that these texts in question are the oldest texts. They are just those few texts which have been found. Why would those texts not have these words here in this verse? It is because, it could be argued, that the scribes who copied them may not have know the tradition of the Talmud that explains the relationship between the Aleph and the Tav and the declaration of Hashem in Isaiah 44:6 that he is the First and the Last. Also, translating this from Hebrew into Greek potentially obscures this understanding, as Omega is not the last letter of the Hebrew word,
emet (אמת, meaning "truth"), which this interpretation and understanding is based upon. See the following references:
the word emet (אמת, meaning "truth"), is referred to as the "Seal of God."[8][9][10] [Cf. Isaiah 44:6[11]] The word is composed of the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
"Yoma 69b:7-8". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
^ "Shabbat 55a:12". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
^ "Bereishit Rabbah 81:2". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
^ "Isaiah 44:6". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
Without having this understanding, it could be thought that Hashem was referring to the nature of his eternal divinity in Isaiah 44:6. This would be a hard interpretation to hold to, however, as there simply is no aspect of first and last in the eternal nature of God by definition. So, if God were describing his nature in some way as being first and last, what would this be? But if it was not his nature but his attributes that he was describing, as in having the attributes represented in his presence being manifested in the first and last letters of the word, Truth, in the Hebrew language, then the matter is very different.
The teaching that the seal of God is truth, indeed that this is seen in the divine word, Truth, Æmet, can reveal the way in which it is applied by Yehoshua to himself. For in him as the Anointed Redeemer of Israel are revealed the attributes of Hashem which manifest the truth in Creation. [I use the ash letter, Æ, here in a unique way to represent the Hebrew א aleph, without any reference to Latin.] Therefore while preparing his way to the act of atonement for the transgressions of Israel and the sin of the world he said of himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me.” And here in his vision of himself in his present glory that is given to us by his angel and by his servant Yochanan, he says of himself, I am the first and the last, the aleph and the tav, (of truth, the truth of the seal of the revelation of God.)
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-11 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.12
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden menorahs;
The first manifestation of the Voice is the seven golden menorahs. Yochanan says, “I turned to see the Voice and saw the menorahs, the one menorah which was composed of seven menorahs. That it is one composed of seven is reminiscent of how the one became ten in Solomon’s build of the Temple. As the ten referenced the ten sefirot, so the seven reference the seven of the Head/Body relationship within the sefirot, with each of the seven having its own level of ten, and here the seven of each of those ten being referenced. And this is the signification of the Voice. For it is where the Divine Presence, who is that Voice, dwells. How does it dwell in the seven gatherings? It is this that we will come to see.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-12 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.13
And in the midst of the seven menorahs one like unto the Son of Adam, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and wrapped about the waist with a golden girdle.
The statement, “one like unto the Son of Adam” is made entirely as a quote from Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7:13–14. It is given to begin to situate this vision and the whole of the revelation in that vision and all the prophecies and visions of Daniel. Therefore the context is sealed as being that of the galut which began with the Babylonian captivity. The Scroll of the Revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach contains the revelation of the geula of Israel from that galut.
Yochanan is not speaking as if the knowledge of the appearance of the Son of Adam was commonplace when saying,“one like unto the Son of Adam”. Rather he is repeating the sense in which Daniel reported this when seeing the vision which he saw. Daniel did not simply say, “one like a man”, but one like the son of man, that is to say, the son of Adam, as if there were only one son of Adam who could appear in heavenly glory, even The Son of Adam!
Daniel’s description implies that only one who is in the same corporate position as Adam but in that position as the heir of Adam could appear in this glory in heaven. For this title as expressed by the prophetic understanding of Daniel reveals that just as a firstborn inherits the kingdom from the king when the king dies, so the Son of Adam inherits all humanity from Adam upon Adam’s certification by God of legal death. And it this revelation of Daniel that Yochanan repeats in seeing the vision that he sees at this time.
Daniel 7:13–14
What is it that Daniel sees?
חָזֵ֤ה הֲוֵית֙ בְּחֶזְוֵ֣י לֵֽילְיָ֔א וַאֲרוּ֙ עִם־עֲנָנֵ֣י שְׁמַיָּ֔א כְּבַ֥ר אֱנָ֖שׁ אָתֵ֣ה הֲוָ֑א וְעַד־עַתִּ֤יק יֽוֹמַיָּא֙ מְטָ֔ה וּקְדָמ֖וֹהִי הַקְרְבֽוּהִי׃
חזה הוית בחזוי ליליא וארו עם־ענני שׁמיא כבר אנשׁ אתה הוה ועד־עתיק יומיא מטה וקדמוהי הקרבוהי׃
As I looked on, in the night vision,
One like a human being
Came with the clouds of heaven;
He reached the Ancient of Days
And was presented to Him.
It is not said בר אנשׁ, “a human being”, but כבר אנשׁ, “like,” or “as a human being”. What kind of a human being, or one appearing as a human being, could come on the clouds of heaven to be presented in this singular manner before the Ancient of Days? And about what kind of human being, or one appearing as a human being, could it then be said that:
Dominion, glory, and kingship were given to him;
All peoples and nations of every language must serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away,
And his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed.
It could only be one for whom כבר אנשׁ, “as a human”, were meant to be understood as the title, בר אנשׁ, “The Human”! As the sum of what is said of him is that he is the heir of the world. How is one person the heir of the world? Only in the sense that as the first Adam was the source of the world, so this Adam is the corporate heir of the first Adam, the corporate Son of Adam.
For the sake of concealment, these visions were recorded in Aramaic, but if translated into Hebrew, for the sake of revelation, this is literally what would be said, one appeared as the Son of Adam on the clouds of heaven and was brought before the Ancient of Days to receive the inheritance, his inheritance, of the world. And this is what Yochanan referred, as led by the Spirit, in describing what he saw, when he turned to see the voice which spoke with him. He saw one“clothed with a garment down to the foot, and wrapped about the waist with a golden girdle, and said in the words of Daniel, this is, “one appearing as the Son of Adam”.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-13 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.15
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
This is the attribute of Zer Anpin, having ascended to receive all from Arik Anpin, descending to be Yesod to Nukva, his Voice calling her like the Voice of the Mother of All Living. This is the Voice of the waters above, wherein there is Genesis and the waters below, wherein there is Regenesis. His feet are like fine brass because he has come to her in the flesh and he is come to her in the flesh, having walked in the footsteps of Abraham. He says to his Beloved. “I am come”, and the foundations of the the worlds is straightened.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-15 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.16
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength.
The High Priest lit the Menorah for the first time in the Tabernacle with an eternal shamash.
Shemot 25:37 w/Rashi
Shemot 25
+Revelation Chapter One v.16: The-Western-Lamp-Was-Special
37And you shall make its lamps seven, and he shall kindle its lamps [so that they] shed light toward its face.
לזוְעָשִׂ֥יתָ אֶת־נֵֽרֹתֶ֖יהָ שִׁבְעָ֑ה וְהֶֽעֱלָה֙ אֶת־נֵ֣רֹתֶ֔יהָ וְהֵאִ֖יר עַל־עֵ֥בֶר פָּנֶֽיהָ:
its lamps: [They were] sort of cups into which the oil and the wicks were put.
אֶת־נֵֽרֹתֶיהָ: כְּמִין בָּזִיכִין שֶׁנּוֹתְנִין בְּתוֹכָן הַשֶּׁמֶן וְהַפְּתִילוֹת:
[so that they] shed light toward its face: [Namely,] make the openings of the six lamps [which were] at the top of the branches that extend from of its [the menorah’s] sides, turned toward the middle one, so that when the lamps were lit they would shed light עֵבֶר פָּנֶיהָ, towards [or in the direction of] its face. Their light should be turned towards the face of the middle branch, which is the body of the menorah.
וְהֵאִיר עַל־עֵבֶר פָּנֶֽיהָ: עָשָׂה פִּי שֵׁשֶׁת הַנֵּרוֹת שֶׁבְּרָאשֵׁי הַקָּנִים הַיּוֹצְאִים מִצִּדֶּיהָ מְסֻבִּים כְּלַפֵּי הָאֶמְצָעִי, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַנֵּרוֹת כְּשֶׁתַּדְלִיקֵם מְאִירִים אֶל עֵבֶר פָּנֶיהָ – מֻסָּב אוֹרָם אֶל צַד פְּנֵי הַקָּנֶה הָאֶמְצָעִי, שֶׁהוּא גּוּף הַמְּנוֹ
G‑d tells Moses what the menorah should look like.1 Hammered out of a single chunk of pure gold, it comprises a single stem from which six branches extend on an upward slant. On the tip of each of the branches, as well as on the central stem, are cups into which olive oil and wicks are to be placed. The menorah is a highly elaborate affair, with nine decorative flowers, eleven bulbs, and twenty-two inverted goblets.
An illustration of the Temple menorah drawn by Maimonides
The menorah was placed in the Holy (Kodesh), the same chamber in the Tabernacle that housed the show-bread table (shulchan) and the golden incense altar (mizbe’ach hazahav). Every day, Aaron the High Priest (or his successors) would light the menorah.
Built in the desert along with the rest of the Tabernacle, the menorah was brought into the Promised Land, where it was faithfully lit in Shilo, Nob, and the other places where the Tabernacle was stationed. When Solomon built the first Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the menorah was lit there until that Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
When the second Holy Temple was built by Ezra, a new menorah was fashioned and lit every day.
The menorah comprised a central stem, with three branches on each of its two sides. Each branch, as well as the central shaft, was topped with a lamp—seven in total.
Among other things, these seven branches represent the seven heavenly spheres;6 the six orders of the Mishnah, all of which flow from Scripture; the types of souls, each one of which is exemplified by another emotion; or the seven orifices of the head.
Covered in fine etchings, the stem and branches were decorated with nine “flowers,” eleven “knobs,” and 22 ornamental “goblets.” Maimonides famously drew these goblets facing downward. It is explained that the overturned goblets symbolize the dynamic of sharing Divine light and goodness with others.
+Revelation Chapter One v.16: Shemot-25:37-w/Rashi
There was one light referred to as the “western lamp,” which was to burn “constantly,” through the day as well as the night. Which lamp was the western lamp? There is a longstanding disagreement among the sages whether the menorah was set with its branches extending from east to west, or from north to south. According to the opinion that the menorah was placed north-south, the central lamp was considered “western,” since the wick of that lamp was tilted toward the west.” According to the opinion that the menorah was arranged from east to west, it may either refer to the lamp that was actually closest to the west, or the second to the east—the first one that could be referred to as “western,” since it was to the west of the easternmost lamp.
For hundreds of years, the menorah was housed in the temporary Tabernacle or in its semi-permanent iterations. When Solomon built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, he had 10 additional menorahs made and placed in the sanctuary, five to the right of the existing menorah and five to its left.
“Did G‑d need its light?” the Talmud asks rhetorically. “Rather it testified to all inhabitants of the earth that G‑d’s presence dwells amongst Israel.” This also explains why the windows of the Holy Temple were built in a way that did not bring much sunlight in, but instead directed the menorah’s light outward.
When Hashem gave to Aaron to light the Menorah for the first time, did he give him a star in his hand with which to light it? But here Mashiach has seven stars with which to light the seven menorahs which are one, and he makes the seven stars to be as one, and they face him who is one. How do they face him? This is what we have come here to see.
And his words now are the only form of the two-edged sword held by the angel at the Gates of Eden. And his face now is the light of Beresheit that fills the Garden of Eden.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-16 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.17
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
And when he laid his right hand upon Yochanan his hand placed upon him the seven stars that were in his right hand, and therefore the fear that he had feared of the One who is the Revelation of the Eternal Redemption and Eternal Regenesis of all things he could no longer fear. For he is the first temporal creation and he is the last eternal creation.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-17 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.18
I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Romans 1:4 “…declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
…not to condemn the world but that through him the world might be saved. Unto this end he has the keys of hell and of death, even to unlock them and set the sinner free. To make this known is the whole of this Revelation.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-18 contents
Revelation Chapter One v.20
The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden menorahs. The seven stars are the angelic messengers of the seven gatherings: and the seven menorahs which you saw are the seven assembled gatherings.
There are two things now to be seen in full. They are the the Menorah of Mashiach and the star-spark of his right hand which will set it alight for a testimony of the light of the truth which will shine unto all nations.
+Revelation Chapter One: Verse-20 contents
+Revelation 1 Key study notes: The-Keys-to-the-Kingdom: