Abbodon

The Sequence of Judgment in Revelation: Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls

The book of Revelation presents God’s judgments in a structured and escalating sequence. These judgments unfold in three main series: the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls.

1. The Seal Judgments

The judgment sequence begins with seven seals (Revelation 6–8:1). These introduce divine judgment into human history and set major end-time events in motion. The first six seals describe conquest, war, famine, death, and cosmic disturbance. The seventh seal is unique—it does not describe a separate judgment, but instead opens the way for the trumpet judgments.

2. The Trumpet Judgments

Following the seals are seven trumpet judgments (Revelation 8–11). These judgments intensify the scope and severity of what began with the seals. They affect the earth, seas, rivers, heavens, and humanity. The fifth trumpet introduces the demonic locusts released from the Abyss (Revelation 9). As with the seals, the seventh trumpet serves as a transition, pointing forward to the final outpouring of God’s wrath.

3. The Bowl Judgments

The final phase consists of seven bowl (or vial) judgments (Revelation 16). These are the most intense and comprehensive judgments, described as the completion of God’s wrath. Unlike the earlier judgments, the bowls are rapid, severe, and largely unmitigated.

Key Structural Insight

The judgments follow a clear progression:

Seals → Trumpets → Bowls

Each series builds on the previous one, increasing in intensity. While Revelation includes pauses, interludes, and thematic recapitulation, the judgment cycles themselves move forward in this order.

Summary

Revelation presents a structured sequence of divine judgment. The seals initiate judgment, the trumpets intensify it, and the bowls complete it. Understanding this framework helps clarify where specific events—such as the demonic locusts of Revelation 9—fit within the larger prophetic narrative.

Abbodon Rising

So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. (Exodus 10:13)

In the days before the flood, there were “angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode. They are called the Watchers because, originally, they were assigned to watch over the nations. They watched too closely and "indulged in gross immorality and went astray" after human wives (Jude 7).

"God did not spare angels when they sinned" (2 Peter 2:4). While Noah built the ark, the archangels forged the links of enormous chains in preparation for imprisoning the Watchers (I Enoch 54:4). Before the rains began to fall, the archangels bound the wayward Watchers, "cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment" (2 Peter 2:4). Since then, God has kept them "in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6).

What happened to the children of the fallen angels, those hybrid creatures that the Bible sometimes refers to as Nephilim and as giants? The apocalypse of I Enoch explains that, after their death, the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim "afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth. They create trouble and cause transgressions. Although they take no food, they nevertheless hunger and thirst" (I Enoch 15). They are the demons. They feed themselves on human suffering.

Fortunately for those of us on earth, God sent the archangels to imprison the majority of those troublemakers in the Abyss, where their fathers were also chained. Only a tenth of their number remains to trouble human beings (Jubilees 10). For now, the rest are under lock and key, imprisoned in the Abyss along with the fallen angels and "the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah" (I Peter 3:19-20).

We learned all of that earlier (see The Beginning of Days and Like the Days of Noah), but here's a dark thought from the book of Revelation. At some point in the end of days, the Abyss in which they are all sealed will be unlocked and opened. When the day of judgment is at hand, a certain angel will be given a key to the Abyss. He will descend to the earth like a star falling from heaven. He will unlock the Abyss and release those imprisoned within it:

Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. (Revelation 9:1-2)

In that nightmarish future, the smoke rising from the Abyss is not smoke; it's the swarming demons unleashed from the Abyss. Their chief is an angel named Destruction: "His name in Hebrew is Abaddon (אֲבַדּוֹן), and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon (Ἀπολλύων)" (Revelation 9:II). Both mean "destroyer." In Jewish sources, Abaddon is also a name for Gehenna and a synonym for death. It's one of the chambers of Sheol.

• Naked is Sheol before Him, and Abaddon has no covering. (Job 26:6)

• Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, how much more the hearts of men! (Proverbs 15:11)

Abaddon rises from the Abyss to lead an army of punishing spirits up out of the darkness like a mortal king at the head of his army (Revelation 9:1-10). From out of that same prison comes forth the spirit of the Beast (Is that you, Nero?) to lead the war against God and His people (Revelation II:7).

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

The Appearance of the Locusts

The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt; they were very numerous. There had never been so many locusts, nor would there be so many again. (Exodus 10:14)

Much as the LORD covered the land of Egypt with locusts, in the future to come, He again sends locusts on the earth. But these are not ordinary locusts. "Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power" (Revelation 9:3).

Compare the locust plague predicted in the book of Joel. The prophet hears a shofar sound in Zion. He sees "a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness" (Joel 2:2). He sees the invading army of Gog and Magog, "a great and mighty people," a force unprecedented in history and not to be repeated: "There has never been anything like it, nor will there be again after it" (Joel 2:2). He exclaims, "The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, and who can endure it?" (Joel 2:11, cf. Revelation 6:17).

Unlike the locusts that beset Egypt, the supernatural, apocalyptic locusts of the future are told "not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (Revelation 9:4). With scorpion-like stingers, they sting and torment the followers of the Beast, but they are not actually bugs. The locusts that rise from the Abyss are evil spirits. They are invisible. But if you could see them (as John did), this is what they would look like:

The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. (Revelation 9:7-9)

Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like war horses, so they run. With a noise as of chariots they leap on the tops of the mountains. (Joel 2:4-5)

The description of the locusts that follow Abaddon out of the pit combines traits from multiple creatures-human, animal, and monstrous. In classical mythology, such a creature is called a chimera. It's not merely a strange animal; it symbolizes a corrupt mixture. The chimera represents chaos, disintegration of the natural order, and unnatural fusion. It's an appropriate form for the hybrid Nephilim conceived from the unnatural union of angels and human beings:

The giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth ... evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies because, although they are born of human beings, their conception and primal origin is of the holy Watchers. Therefore, they shall be evil spirits on earth. (I Enoch 15:8-9)

The fragmentary Apocalypse of Zephaniah describes the punishing spirits who convey the souls of the wicked to Gehenna in similar chimeric language:

Their faces were like a leopard, their tusks being outside their mouth like wild boars. Their eyes were mixed with blood. Their hair was loose like the hair of women, and fiery scourges were in their hands. When I saw them, I was afraid. I said unto that angel who walked with me, "Of what sort are these?" He said unto me, "These are the servants of all creation who come to the souls of ungodly men and bring them and leave them in this place. They spend three days going around with them in the air before they bring them and cast them into their eternal punishment. (Apocalypse of Zephaniah 4)

Likewise, the same apocalypse describes Satan as an angelic being with hair likened to that of a lioness, "teeth outside his mouth like a bear. His hair was spread out like women's. His body was like the serpent's" (Apocalypse of Zephaniah 4).

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Darkness in Egypt

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt." (Exodus 10:21)

In the land of Egypt, "He sent darkness and made it dark" (Psalm 105:28). In the end of days, the LORD will strike the earth with uncanny darkness:

A third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. (Revelation 8:12)

Darkness descends when the fifth angel pours out his bowl "on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened" (Revelation 16:10). As with the plague of locusts in Egypt, so many demons choke the air that they, too, darken the sky as on "a day of darkness and gloom" (Exodus 10:15; Joel 2:2). "Even a darkness which may be felt" (Exodus 10:21).

The sages believed the darkness over Egypt during the ninth plague came from within Gehenna, that is to say, from "the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of utter gloom as darkness itself, of deep shadow without order, and which shines as the darkness" (Exodus Rabbah 14:2, Job 10:21-22).

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Rematch with the Antichrist

Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land. (Exodus II:10)

Over the course of ten plagues on Egypt, Moses and Aaron challenge the power of Pharaoh and his magicians. The Hebrew team decisively wins each of the ten matches, but a rematch has been scheduled for the end of days. In the last years before the coming of the Messiah, God will once again send two witnesses into the competition. They testify against the wickedness of the nations and the deceits of the antichrist. They testify in Jerusalem while the city is under a foreign occupation, "for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months (Revelation II:2). They warn the faithful, condemn the wicked, and urge all men to repent before the final hour. Their testimony is irksome to the nations.

The signs and wonders they perform evoke the miracles of Moses and Elijah, but early Christian tradition (second century) identifies the two witnesses as Enoch and Elijah (see The Septennate):

Yet this deceiver is not the Messiah. When [the Jewish people] reject him, he will strike them down with the sword, and many will be slain as martyrs. Then the branches of the fig tree, that is, the house of Israel, will again put forth shoots, and many will be martyred by his hand. At that time Enoch and Elijah will be sent to instruct them, declaring that this one is the deceiver who was destined to come into the world and perform signs and wonders so as to lead astray. Therefore, those who die at his hand will be counted as martyrs — numbered among the good and righteous ones who have pleased God in their lives. (Apocalypse of Peter 2)

It's a surprise to find Elijah and Enoch cast in the role of the two witnesses because the text of Revelation 11 seems to identify the two witnesses as Elijah and Moses- the two witnesses in the transfiguration story. A literal interpretation of Revelation in is not necessary, but if we want to retain a strictly literal reading of the story, sending Moses into the action is problematic because he's dead. Sure, Moses appears in the story of the transfiguration in spirit form or angelic guise (Matthew 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30), but that does not work for the story of the two witnesses. The heavenly pair need physical human bodies because they are destined to be physically killed - their bodies left lying in the streets. Only then do they receive the gift of resurrection. So we need to leave Moses out. Enoch and Elijah, however, are both viable candidates since both ascended to heaven without having tasted death:

The last week [of the seventy weeks] is to be at the end of the whole world, during which the two prophets Enoch and Elijah will take up half of the week. For they will preach I,26o days clothed in sackcloth, proclaiming repentance to the people and to all the nations. (Hippolytus on Antichrist 43).

Enoch was translated and so was Elijah. They did not experience death; it was postponed, and only temporarily. They are most certainly preserved for the purpose of suffering of death so that, by their blood, they may extinguish Antichrist. (Tertullian, Treatise on the Soul).

Certain of our number maintain that two prophets have been borne away until the last days before the holy and eternal rule of Christ. (Lactantius, de Mortibus Persecutorum 2)

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

The Imposter

Aside from the New Testament, the earliest source to identify Enoch and Elijah with the two witnesses appears to be the second-century Jewish-Christian Apocalypse of Elijah. The version we have today survives only in Coptic. The narrative seems cobbled together from more than one source. The title is misleading. It's not an apocalypse told from Elijah's point of view. It's best understood as a second-century Jewish-Christian rewrite of an earlier Jewish apocalypse that followed the sequence of events described in Daniel II, especially the wars between the "King of the North" and the "King of the South," with Judea caught in between. For our purposes, we need to explore the antichrist story told in Apocalypse of Elijah because it left a heavy footprint on the development of both Christian and Jewish eschatology.

In Apocalypse of Elijah, the events transpire in this manner. A war is underway in the Middle East. It involves a conflict between Persia (Parthia), Assyria (or Syria), and Egypt. The King of the North (Assyria or Syria) is at war with the King of the South (Egypt). In the back and forth of the conflict, he has taken possession of Jerusalem (Daniel II:15). The Persian army intervenes and defeats the King of the North (Daniel II:16). The Persian army takes control of the land of Israel. It expels the heathen, seemingly liberating the Jewish people to resume the worship of God in the Temple. The Persian king authors a covenant of peace that initially seems like a great boon for the Jewish people (Daniel II:17, cf. 9:27; I Thessalonians 5:3). Moreover, he liberates Jewish captives from Egypt. They sanction the restoration of the Sanctuary and "give double gifts to the house of God."

What's more, the Zoroastrian Persians espouse a type of monotheism that seems compatible with Jewish beliefs. They declare, "The name of God is One." The Jewish people hail the Persians as liberators and declare, "The LORD has sent us a righteous king so that the land will not become desolate."

Nevertheless, the narrator of the text sternly warns the readers, "When you hear that there is security in Jerusalem, tear your garments, O priests of the land, because the son of perdition will soon come. In those days, the lawless one will appear in the holy places" (Daniel II:21, cf. 9:27). Three and a half years later, things go suddenly sideways when a despicable tyrant enters the scene, claiming to be Jesus:

In the fourth year of that king, the son of lawlessness will appear, saying, "I am the Christ," although he is not. Don't believe him.

He will say to the sun, "Fall," and it will fall.

He will say, "Shine," and it will do it.

He will say, "Darken," and it will do it.

He will say to the moon, "Become bloody," and it will do it.

He will go forth with them from the sky.

He will walk upon the sea and the rivers as upon dry land.

He will cause the lame to walk.

He will cause the deaf to hear.

He will cause the dumb to speak.

He will cause the blind to see.

The lepers he will cleanse.

The ill he will heal.

The demons he will cast out.

He will multiply his signs and his wonders in the presence of everyone.

He will do the works which the Christ did, except for raising the dead alone.

In this you will know that he is the son of lawlessness, because he is unable to give life. (Apocalypse of Elijah 3)

The antichrist intrudes into the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and declares himself to be both the Messiah and God. Elijah and Enoch are sent from heaven to counter the antichrist's claims and to warn the people about his deceptions. They defy the antichrist and publicly denounce him as the agent of the devil:

The Shameless One will hear and he will be angry, and he will fight them in the marketplace of the great city. And he will spend seven days fighting with them. And they will spend three- and one-half days in the marketplace dead, while all the people see them. But on the fourth day they will rise up and they will scold him, saying, "O Shameless One, O Son of Lawlessness! Are you, indeed, not ashamed of yourself since you are leading astray the people of God for who you did not suffer? Do you not know that we live in the Lord?" (Apocalypse of Elijah 4)

The resurrected prophets ascend to heaven in bright light, and all the people see them ascend. Then the Son of Lawlessness vents his wrath against the people. He arrests the Levitical priests and cruelly tortures them to death. When the righteous rise up and object to his wickedness and deceptions, he burns them alive on altars. His outrages provoke the day of wrath:

On that day the earth will be disturbed, and the sun will darken, and peace will be removed from the earth. The birds will fall on the earth, dead. The earth will be dry. The waters of the sea will dry up. (Apocalypse of Elijah 5)

Just before the final conflict, when birds start dropping from the sky, the Messiah sends sixty-four thousand six-winged angels to rescue "those upon whose forehead the name of Christ is written and upon whose hand is the seal, both the small and the great." They are "taken upon their wings and lifted up before his wrath" (see Revelation, Rapture, and Resurrection). The angels Gabriel and Uriel lead the rescued righteous into the land of Israel, where they eat of the tree of life. The angels protect them from "the son of lawlessness" while Enoch and Elijah, the Messiah, and His angels pursue the antichrist, kill him, cast him into the bottom of the Abyss, and seal it shut.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

The False Christ

Does it seem surprising to see the antichrist depicted as a false-Jesus performing the same miracles as Yeshua? In early Christian thought, the antichrist is not merely a political enemy or persecutor of Christians. He is a counterfeit Christ, presenting himself as the return of Jesus, performing signs and wonders, and demanding worship.

The idea of the antichrist as a false-Christ can be traced to the warnings from the real Christ:

If anyone says to you, "Behold, here is the Christ," or "There He is," do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect [i.e., the Jewish people]. (Matthew 24:23-24)

Paul amplifies those warnings as he speaks about "the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). The first-century apostolic document called the Didache declares that the deceiver of the world will appear as "a Son of God, and he will perform signs and wonders, and the earth will be delivered into his power" (Didache 16.4).

A little bit of historical context helps explain the imposter-Christ in Apocalypse of Elijah. By the second century, Gentile Christianity had already left the matrix of Judaism. Gnostic versions of Christianity were spreading rapidly. Jewish disciples of Yeshua of Nazareth were astonished to encounter Gentile believers (both Gnostics and Christians like Justin Martyr) teaching in the name of Jesus against the Torah, against the holy days, and against the practice of Jewish law. The version of Jesus presented to them by the Gentiles seemed to comport well with the New Testament's warnings about a coming "man of Torahlessness." From the perspective of the Jewish Nazarenes and Ebionites who still held on to the Jewish teachings of Yeshua and the apostles, the new anti-Jewish version of the faith represented "the apostasy" that must "come first" before "the man of lawlessness is revealed" who "takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). They began to picture the antichrist as an imposter who would attempt to deceive the world by impersonating Yeshua, especially in their apocalyptic writings:

I asked, "Who is this?" And he said to me, "This is he who said, I am the Son of God, that made stones bread, and water wine ... [let] no one believe him that he is my beloved Son." (Apocalypse of Ezra 25-35)

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

False Christ Emperor

In previous discussions, we learned that many early Christians believed that Nero was the antichrist (see The Name of the Beast). That belief persisted even after Nero's death. If not Nero himself, the antichrist would surely be a Roman emperor very much like Nero. Centuries before Rome became Christian under Constantine, early Christians had already conflated the idea of Nero as the antichrist with the idea of an imposter-Jesus.

For example, Sibylline Oracles merges the two antichrist traditions, identifying the antichrist as a Roman emperor who performs the miracles of Jesus. Even some of the elect are led astray by him (cf. Mark 13:22):

From the great Caesars, Beliar shall come hereafter, and shall stand on mountain height, and stay the sea, and the great fiery sun, and shining moon, and make the dead stand up, and perform many miracles with men. But nothing to perfection will he bring, but many mortals he will lead astray, elect and faithful Hebrews; also men without law, such as never heard God's word. (Sibylline Oracles 3:75-80)

The second-century Christian apocalypse called Ascension of Isaiah describes the antichrist as a revived Nero and an incarnation of Beliar. He is described as that same "lawless king, a murderer of his own mother" who persecuted the disciples and put one of the Twelve (Peter) to death. Somehow revivified, he presents himself as the Son of God. He performs astonishing miracles, signs, and wonders and declares, "I am God, and before me none has existed." All the people of the world believe in him. They offer him sacrifices and serve him, saying, "This is God, and besides him there is no other." Even sincere Christians who are waiting for the return of Jesus become vulnerable to the deception. A majority are deceived. Only a remnant sees through the ruse:

The majority of those who had gathered together to receive the Beloved One will turn aside and follow him. And there will be the power of miracles in every city and region. And he will set up his image before him in every city. And he will rule for three years, seven months, and twenty-seven days. And many believers and saints, having seen Him for whom they were hoping-the one who was crucified, Jesus the Lord Christ-and those who believed in Him, of these only a few in those days will remain as His servants, while they flee from desert to desert, awaiting the coming of the Beloved (Ascension of Isaiah 4)

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Armilus, Christians, Jews, and Muslims

Jewish apocalypses featuring the villainous Armilus (Romulus) draw from the same tradition, combining a Nero-like Roman emperor with an imposter-Jesus who leads an apostate Christianity (see Name of the Beast). The versions of the Armilus legends that we possess (Otzar Midrashim: Midrash Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; Vayosha, Sefer Zerubbabel) are Byzantine and early Medieval, but they are of enormous interest to us because they transmit earlier traditions that seem to have originally derived from early Jewish-Christian apocalypses about the antichrist.

In those legends, Armilus is a Roman world-leader born from the statue of a young woman in Rome (i.e., the Virgin Mary). He is identified as the insolent king of fierce countenance (cf. Daniel 8:23), the tenth king of Rome, the tenth king of the nations, the son of Satan, the spawn of the stone statue. He is the king "who denies the true judgment. He will present himself as one who serves the LORD, but his heart will not be right within him." He performs miracles and signs to mislead the nations.

While the real Messiah son of David remains imprisoned in a dungeon beneath that same city, Armilus leads the nations on a campaign to liberate Jerusalem. Having conquered the holy city, he presents himself in the Temple as God and demands to be worshiped. He erects an idol in the holy place.

All the nations go astray after him except for the Jews, who will not believe in him. He says to the Jewish people, "Bring me your Torah and testify to me that I am God." The Jewish people reply, "The Torah says 'You shall have no other gods before Me" (Cf. Matthew 4:9-10).

Armilus contradicts them: "There is nothing like this in your Torah! I will not let you go until you believe that I am God, just as the nations believed in me." The entire interaction sounds like the type of polemical arguments taking place between church and synagogue. Ironically, the Jewish community seems to have used the Armilus material as anti-Christian literature, unaware of the early Christian origin of the material.

Armilus persecutes the Jewish people, putting them to death and driving them from Jerusalem, until the Messiah comes and destroys him with the breath of his mouth.

It's worth noting that Islam transmits similar legends about the antichrist (al-Masih ad-Dajjal). Muhammad warned that every prophet before him cautioned about a deceiver who would perform miracles, heal the sick, and do other signs and wonders. He will say, "I am your Lord." The Dajjal will lead multitudes against Jerusalem and lay siege to it, but then 'Isā ibn Maryam (Yeshua the son of Miriam) will descend from heaven and slay him with the breath of his mouth at the gate of Lod (Lydda) in the land of Israel. Afterward, peace will fill the earth; justice will prevail, and falsehood will perish.

What's the point of rehearsing all these old legends? They reveal a consistent portrait of the antichrist across three religions. They remind us that the antichrist comes in a deceptive guise. Unfortunately, the version of Jesus sometimes presented by replacement theology fits the description. If we are not wary, it is possible that many might be deceived-even the elect.

How can we know the difference? As in the Armilus legend, the real litmus test is the Torah. Moses says that any prophet, seer, or miracle worker who performs signs and wonders and counsels rebellion "against the LORD your God….. to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk" must be deemed a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:5). He tells us to measure the claims of prophets and miracle workers against the standard of the Torah.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

An Introduction to the Concept of Messiah ben Joseph

In Jewish tradition, the title “Messiah ben Joseph” (also called “Messiah ben Ephraim”) refers to a distinct messianic figure who is different from, but closely connected to, the more familiar Messiah ben David. This idea may feel unfamiliar because most discussions of the Messiah focus almost exclusively on the Davidic king. However, ancient Jewish sources describe a more complex expectation that includes multiple messianic roles rather than a single figure fulfilling every function at once.

The reason this messiah is sometimes called the “son of Ephraim” is genealogical. Ephraim was one of the two sons of Joseph, and leadership from Joseph’s lineage—particularly through Ephraim—played a major role in Israel’s history. Joshua, who succeeded Moses and led Israel into the Promised Land, was himself from the tribe of Ephraim. Because of this, later Jewish tradition began to associate Joseph’s lineage with a messianic figure who would act as a deliverer or forerunner, much like Joshua. For this reason, Messiah ben Joseph is sometimes described as a kind of “second Joshua.”

In this framework, Messiah ben Joseph is not primarily a ruling king. Instead, he is often portrayed as a suffering or struggling figure whose mission prepares the way for the final redemption. Some rabbinic sources even suggest that the Messianic Age fully begins with the death of Messiah ben Joseph, after which Messiah ben David completes the work by reigning as king.

Ancient Jewish writings reflect this layered expectation. Rabbinic literature frequently states that Messiah ben David cannot appear until Messiah ben Joseph comes first. Other texts describe the two working together, comparing their relationship to that of Moses and Aaron—distinct roles, but a shared mission. This suggests that Jewish messianic hope was not always centered on a single individual performing every task, but rather on multiple figures fulfilling different aspects of God’s promises.

This idea is not limited to later rabbinic writings. Texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls, such as 4QTestimonia, speak of multiple end-time figures:

• a royal messiah (linked to David),

• a priestly messiah (from the line of Levi), and

• a prophet like Moses.

Later rabbinic traditions sometimes expand this to four figures: a king, a suffering messiah, a prophet, and a priest. Together, these roles represent leadership, suffering, guidance, and spiritual mediation.

This raises an important theological question for Christians: How could one person fulfill roles associated with multiple tribes and lineages—Judah, David, Joseph, and even Aaron? One possible explanation lies in understanding lineage not only through paternal descent, but also through maternal ancestry.

In the New Testament, Jesus is born through divine incarnation rather than an earthly father, which shifts the focus of lineage to His mother, Mary. The Gospel writers emphasize Mary’s descent from David, firmly placing Jesus within the tribe of Judah. Additionally, Mary’s close familial relationship with Elizabeth—who is explicitly described as being from the priestly line of Aaron—suggests a broader ancestral connection that includes priestly lineage as well.

The genealogies in Matthew and Luke are often confused because they list different individuals named Joseph. Matthew records the lineage of Joseph son of Jacob, while Luke records the lineage of Joseph son of Eli. These are best understood as two different men connected through marriage, tracing distinct legal and biological lines back to David—one through Solomon, the other through Nathan. Both genealogies ultimately anchor Jesus within the Davidic line, while allowing room for additional ancestral connections through Mary.

Finally, Israel’s own royal history shows that tribal lines were not always isolated. In the northern kingdom, King Omri established a powerful dynasty. Through his descendant Athaliah—who married into the Davidic royal house—the lineage of the northern tribes entered the line of Judah. Athaliah’s grandson, King Joash, continued the Davidic line, demonstrating that elements associated with Joseph’s tribes could become woven into the royal house of David itself.

Taken together, these traditions show that the idea of multiple messianic roles was not foreign to ancient Judaism. Rather than expecting one figure to fit a single mold, many Jewish texts anticipated a layered redemption—one that involved suffering, preparation, leadership, and kingship. Understanding Messiah ben Joseph within this framework helps explain why the messianic expectations of the time were more complex than they are often presented today.

Readers interested in a more detailed examination of this topic are encouraged to consult additional resources, particularly the study Messiah ben Joseph: Exploring Messiah Expectations and the Perception of Jesus' First Coming and book Messiah ben Joseph by Dr. David Mitchell.

The Slaying of Messiah Son of Joseph

Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?" (Zechariah 4:11)

The Talmud preserves an old Jewish legend about a Messiah who suffers and dies for Israel (b.Sukkot 52a). The legend does not have Yeshua of Nazareth in mind, but it's based on some of the same prophecies that refer to Him.

The legendary suffering Messiah is called Messiah son of Joseph because His ancestry is from the tribe of Joseph. According to the legend, He is slain in the War of Gog and Magog. After His death, the Messiah son of David arrives and beseeches God to resurrect the Messiah son of Joseph from the dead. The LORD answers the prayer and resurrects Messiah son of Joseph, as it says, "He asked life of You, You gave it to him, length of days forever and ever" (Psalm 21:4). Now working together, the two messiahs defeat the forces of Gog and Magog, as it says in Zechariah 4 regarding the vision of the two olive trees: "These are the two anointed ones [i.e. messiahs] who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth" (Zechariah 4:14).

The Talmud doesn't explicitly mention the olive-tree passage from Zechariah as a proof text for two messiahs, but it does mention Zechariah 12:10-I1 as a proof text for the idea of a messiah who suffers and dies for Israel. As you read Zechariah's prophecy, notice that it names two locations from the dramatic War of Gog and Magog: Jerusalem and "the plain of Megiddo," that is, Armageddon (see lesson 16):

They will look on Me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. (Zechariah 12:10-I1)

Disciples of Yeshua already know who the real Messiah son of Joseph is and how He died and was resurrected, so don't let the talmudic legend concern you. The sages of the Talmud did not recognize that Yeshua is the real suffering Messiah son of Joseph, who was killed by Rome (Gog and Magog), rose from the dead, and will soon return as the victorious Messiah son of David. They did not realize that there is only one Messiah: Yeshua of Nazareth-the "only son" whom "they have pierced," who has already risen from the dead, as the talmudic legend predicts. The original legend about the death of Messiah son of Joseph might be older than the New Testament-it's impossible to know for certain. Whatever the case, it shows us that the idea of a suffering Messiah who dies and rises from the dead is completely compatible with Jewish beliefs.

The Armilus legends dramatize the talmudic story about Messiah son of Joseph dying in the War of Gog and Magog. With Jerusalem under military occupation, Armilus puts a stop to the daily sacrifices, defiles the Temple with his abomination, and worships idols in the Temple. He declares to the world, "I am the LORD your God, and I am your Messiah and your God." Such is "the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking" (Daniel 7:11):

The man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

Messiah son of Joseph rises up as a spokesman on behalf of the Jewish people. He denounces Armilus, "You are not God, but Satan!" Armilus kills Messiah son of Joseph at midday, as it says, "It will come about in that day ... that I will make the sun go down at noon and make the earth dark in broad daylight" (Amos 8:9). The lifeless body of Messiah son of Joseph is tossed into the streets: "His thoroughly crushed corpse will be thrown down before the gates of Jerusalem, but no animal, bird, or beast will touch it." The people see his dead body, as it is written, "They shall look on Me whom they have pierced" (Zechariah 12:10).

This outrage triggers the final redemption. The Messiah son of David arrives on the clouds with the sound of the shofar. He prays over the discarded corpse of the Messiah son of David. He asks God for the gift of life, and God grants it to Him. He resurrects the Messiah son of Joseph. The risen Messiah joins forces with the Messiah son of David to defeat Armilus.

The book of Revelation tells a similar story, but the text replaces the two messiahs with the two witnesses, "the two olive trees and the two lampstands before the Lord" (Revelation II:4). "When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them" (Revelation II:7). Instead of Messiah son of Joseph slain in the War of Gog and Magog, the two witnesses are both slain on account of their testimony in the city "where also their Lord was crucified" (Revelation II:8). "After three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them" (Revelation 11:11). Their martyrdom initiates the seventh trumpet.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

The Lamb that was Slain

Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. (Exodus 12:7)

Yeshua is the real Messiah son of David, "the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah," but He is also the suffering Messiah son of Joseph, "a lamb standing, as if slain" (Revelation 5:5). He is referred to throughout the book as "the Lamb." Under the atoning blood of the Lamb, His disciples take refuge from the wrath to come.

Animals play significant roles in apocalyptic literature. The so-called Animal Apocalypse of I Enoch 85-90 allegorically depicts nations as different types of animals. Adam and Eve appear as a white bull and a heifer, giving birth to a black bull and a red bull. The black one gores and kills the red one. The allegory retells the events of the Tanach with a whole cast of animals. Fallen angels are stars who turn into bulls to mate with cows (human women). Their hybrid offspring are elephants, camels, and donkeys. Israelites are always sheep; the kings of Israel are rams. Foreign oppressors are wolves, lions, leopards, bears, wolves, and vultures. The righteous, like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Messiah, are depicted as white bulls.

In the first-century world of such allegorical symbolism, disciples of Yeshua associated the Master with two animals: the lion and the lamb. The lion association comes from Jacob's blessings over Judah (Genesis 49:9, see lesson 12), but the lamb association comes from the Passover lamb of Exodus 12.

The Passover lamb was not a sin offering or a Levitical sacrifice for atonement, but the blood of the lamb marking the homes of the Israelites in Egypt provided salvation for those firstborns who sheltered beneath.

In that respect, the story of the Passover lamb aptly illustrated the idea of salvation by the grace imparted through the suffering and death of Yeshua on the cross. The early followers of Yeshua thought of the blood of the Passover lamb as a symbolic foreshadowing of the atoning blood of the Messiah. John the Immerser declared, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John I:29).

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Going out in Haste

Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the LORD's Passover. (Exodus 12:11)

When the children of Israel left Egypt, they went out in such haste that their bread dough did not have sufficient time to become leavened. Moses told them to sit at the Passover table ready to hit the road: with their coats on their backs, their belts already fastened, their sandals on their feet, and their walking sticks in hand. A similar urgency can be heard in the Master's warnings about the day of tribulation, "On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back" (Luke 17:31). He warns His disciples that they must be prepared to leave everything behind.

In the same vein, the apocalyptic text of 2 Ezra warns us against becoming too attached to the things of this world before the calamities at the end of days:

In the midst of the calamities be like strangers on the earth. Let him that sells be like one who will flee; let him that buys be like one who will lose; let him that does business be like one who will not make a profit, and let him that builds a house be like one who will not live in it; let him that sows be like one who will not reap; so also him that prunes the vines, like one who will not gather the grapes; them that marry, like those who will have no children; and them that do not marry, like those who are widowed. (2 Ezra 16:40-44)

Those who labor to build labor in vain because, in the chaos and calamity of those days of tribulation, strangers will seize their property, plunder their houses, and carry off their households. Moreover, when the last day comes, the things of this world will perish along with this world. Better to invest oneself in godliness, laying up treasure in heaven where thieves do not break in and steal. This is the general sense behind Paul's warnings in I Corinthians 7, where he counsels singles to remain single and the married to remain married:

I think then that this is good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is. (I Corinthians 7:26)

I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away. (I Corinthians 7:29-31)

However, when the final redemption comes and the Messiah finally arrives, the Jewish people living in exile among the nations "will not go out in haste, nor will you go as fugitives; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard" (Isaiah 52:12).

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

The Seal of Messiah

The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:13)

The children of Israel in Egypt marked their homes with the blood of the Passover lamb so that "the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you" (Exodus 12:23).

A similar story occurs in Ezekiel 9, where the prophet gets a behind-the-scenes look at the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. Before the LORD allows the Babylonian invaders to enter the city, he sends an angel with a stylus and ink to pass through Jerusalem and mark the foreheads of the righteous with the Hebrew letter tav. (The ancient Paleo-Hebrew tav was a simple X shape, i.e., a cross.) He says, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst" (Ezekiel 9:4).

Once this task had been accomplished, He sent destroying angels into the city to slay those without the mark on their foreheads:

Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary. (Ezekiel 9:5-6)

A similar story occurs in the book of Revelation. When the Lamb who was Slain breaks the sixth seal on the scroll with seven seals, an angel ascends from the rising sun in the east with "the seal of the living God." He says to the destroying angels from the four winds, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads" (Revelation 7:3, cf. Genesis 4:15). The angels seal 144,000 from the tribes of Israel with the name of the Lamb "and the name of His Father written on their foreheads" (Revelation 14:1). The seal is like the impression of signet ring (sphragis, σφραγίς) that authenticates ownership. The 144,000 are spiritually marked with the seal to ensure that a remnant of Israel will survive the tribulation.

The name of God and the name of the Messiah are not visibly written on the foreheads of the individuals, but the spirits can clearly see the spiritual stamp just the same. The locusts of Abaddon are granted the authority to harm "only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (Revelation 9:4).

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

A Sign on the Hand and the Forehead

So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt. (Exodus 13:16)

The seal of God upon the foreheads of the 144,000 alludes to the ritual of wearing tefillin. Jewish men have a commandment to strap the name of God to their arm and forehead daily in the form of tefillin: "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead" (Deuteronomy 6:8). The objects are covenant tokens akin to wedding bands. They consist of small leather scroll cases that contain several parchments of relevant scripture verses (Exodus 13:1-10, 13:II-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9, II:I3-21). Jewish men bind the boxes on the non-dominant hand and arm (usually the left hand) and also above the forehead by means of long, black leather straps, thus literally fulfilling the commandment of binding the Torah on the hand and the forehead. The tefillin boxes bear the Hebrew letter shin (ש), a sign indicating God's Name, strapped to the hand and the forehead. It's a mark of God's ownership.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

Brandmark of the Beast

He causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. (Revelation 13:16)

Like the Jewish people who bind the name of God on the forehead and the hand through the commandment of tefillin, the people of the nations that worship the Beast are "to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead." The mark is not a signet seal (sphragis, σφραγίς) like the one received by the 144,000. The Greek word charagma (χάραγμα) refers to an engraved mark, stamp, brand, or tattoo inscription etched in the flesh by a tool. It seems intended as a Satanic counterfeit of the real seal. Those who cast their allegiance with the antichrist receive his branding mark, like cattle or slaves.

In the text of Revelation, the mark of the Beast symbolizes capitulation to the authority of the Roman emperor by worshiping him as a god. The Roman tribunals ferreted out believers by forcing people accused of the crime of being a Christian to offer sacrifice, incense, or other obeisance to an idol of Caesar (see lesson 9). Those who refused to do so were condemned; those who complied were exonerated. Perhaps those who complied received some type of mark, indicating loyalty to the emperor and his cult: "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand" (Revelation 14:9). So far as we know, no such measure was ever implemented by the Roman tribunals. Nevertheless, it would surely have seemed plausible to John's readers that the tribunals might begin to do so in the near future. During the persecutions under Domitian, suspected Christians already suffered economic sanctions in that their property was forfeited to the state.

The brand of the Beast indicates ownership and authority. It does not necessarily mean that the Beast's name is written on the person's body. As with the 144,000 who have the name of God on their foreheads, a name written on the body indicates a spiritual identity and authority. Similarly, the beast that comes out of the sea has "blasphemous names" written on its heads. The woman who rides the beast has "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots" cryptically written on her forehead (Revelation 17:5). The Messiah has "a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself" (Revelation 19:12). Whatever type of mark might be intended by the text, the Beast designates a person who has, under state coercion, agreed to worship the emperor (the Beast).

To the original readers of the book of Revelation, the mark of the Beast was not an advanced technology such as QR codes, biometrics, microchips, implants, or other mechanisms for use in a cashless society. Instead, the original readers of the prophecy would have understood the mark as a slave's brandmark (whether physical or spiritual) that functioned as a Satanic counterfeit of Jewish tefillin and the seal of Messiah. One did not need to fear inadvertently receiving the mark. Only those who cast their allegiance with the Beast by worshiping him and his image were eligible to even receive the mark.

Perhaps in the future, the prophecy will receive some new fulfillment. If so, its purpose will be equally clear and not something we need to fear receiving inadvertently. So don't fret about it.

References

This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The End of Days, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.

From Exodus to the End of Days: Judgment, Redemption, and the Kingdom of God

Within Exodus, the final plagues begin to fall—locusts, darkness, and the slaying of the firstborn. In the midst of judgment, Hashem also provides deliverance through Passover, marking the homes of His people for salvation.

This is not only a story of rescue from Egypt; it also echoes forward toward the end of days, when deception intensifies, allegiance is tested, and the faithful are sealed with the name of the Messiah.

These are trying times. The sages spoke of confusion as a mark of the era known as the birth pains of Messiah, and the present generation can feel that strain in the form of polarization and instability. May Hashem steady His people in this hour, keep them faithful, and grant clarity.

In this section of the study, the plagues and calamities of Revelation come into view, including the release of horrific entities from the Abyss under the leadership of Abaddon. The text invites sober reflection: Scripture does not present an easy path to redemption, but one in which things grow darker before final restoration. For many readers, this material also challenges familiar assumptions about the Apocalypse. Different eschatological frameworks have shaped modern Christian thought, and many believers have encountered sincere disciples who interpret these passages differently without it disrupting shared devotion to God. End-times study is often treated as secondary—interesting, but not essential.

Yet the New Testament presents a different emphasis. In Acts 17:1–3, Paul’s proclamation in Thessalonica is summarized as the message that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again, and that Jesus is the Messiah. However, when Paul later writes to the Thessalonians, he reminds them that he also taught them about the coming of the Lord, the gathering of the saints, and the danger of deception. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1–5, he warns them not to be shaken by claims that “the day of the Lord has come,” and he outlines key events that must occur first, including apostasy and the revelation of “the man of lawlessness,” the “son of destruction,” who exalts himself and takes his seat in the temple of God.

For Paul, this was not a peripheral topic. He considered it necessary preparation—particularly because deception would be persuasive, supported by signs and false wonders, and capable of unsettling even sincere believers. While the apostles lived with an expectation that the end was near, that nearness has remained a permanent feature of the age. The end could have come then, and it could come in any generation. The appropriate posture, therefore, is vigilance rather than presumption.

More broadly, the gospel itself is framed in eschatological terms. Jesus’ announcement in Mark 1:15—“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”—is a kingdom-centered proclamation. The New Testament repeatedly draws on the prophets’ vision of restoration: the reestablishment of Davidic rule, the regathering of Israel, and the renewal of the world under God’s reign. Terms such as salvation, redemption, and forgiveness are rooted in this promise of restoration—Israel forgiven, redeemed from exile, and delivered from enemies. This hope is also good news for the nations, because Israel’s restoration is portrayed as the catalyst for universal renewal. Paul connects Israel’s acceptance with “life from the dead” (Romans 11:15), and he speaks of creation itself being set free from corruption into glory (Romans 8:21). The restoration of Israel is not a side theme; it is presented as a central strand in the biblical story of redemption.

Paul’s warning to the Thessalonians is therefore protective as well as instructive: believers must not be deceived into thinking the day of the Lord has already arrived, or that redemption has already reached its final form. For Paul, as for the prophets, the ultimate restoration remains future. The faithful are called to live now in alignment with that coming reality—building on the rock of Messiah’s teachings, storing treasure in heaven, and continuing to anticipate the restoration of all things.

References

This lesson is adapted from the Portion Connection video series on The End of Days, presented by First Fruits of Zion for Torah Club.