The Sixth Seal
The Beginning of Redemption
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned. (Matthew 4:15-16)
Does the final redemption come all at once or little by little? The Jerusalem Talmud begins with a story about two rabbis walking the Arbel Valley, near Lake Galilee, before daybreak. As they walk, they see the first rays of the rising sun crest the hilltops on the horizon. The elder rabbi says to his lesser, "Just so will be the redemption of Israel, rising higher and higher as it continues until it waxes great. This is the meaning of, 'Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me'" (y.Berachot I:I, Micah 7:8).
Jewish sources sometimes use the Aramaic-Hebrew term Atchalta de’Ge’ulah (אַתְחַלְתָּא דְגְאֻלָּה), meaning "the beginning of redemption," to refer to the early stages of the end. In the story from the Jerusalem Talmud, the first rays of sunlight spilling over the hilltops correspond to the beginning of the redemption. It's the stage at which the first indications of the Messiah's coming appear. The beginning of redemption is a transitional phase before Ge’ulah Sheleimah (גְּאֻלָּה שְׁלֵמָה), that is, the complete and final redemption. In the story from the Talmud, the full bright daylight of the risen sun corresponds to the zenith of the complete and final redemption.
Atchalta de’Ge’ulah = The earliest beginning of the redemption.
Ge’ulah Sheleimah = The complete and final redemption.
The rabbis offer differing opinions about the distinction between the beginning of redemption and the complete redemption. The beginning of redemption is sometimes understood as a transitional phase that occurs slowly over many years, decades, or even generations. Suffering, war, scarcity, and the travail of the messianic birth pangs temporarily persist during this period, as it says in the Talmud, "War is also the beginning of the redemption" (b.Megillah 17b). In this respect, the term sounds similar to "the beginning of the birth pangs" described by Yeshua: wars, rumors of wars, cataclysms, and natural disasters. But the term Atchalta de’Ge’ulah is generally used to refer to good news that betokens the future kingdom rather than bad news about end-times troubles.
Nearly a century before the birth of secular Zionism, a small school of religious Jews (disciples of the Vilna Gaon) immigrated to Ottoman Palestine with the explicit messianic intention of hastening the redemption by initiating the Atchalta de’Ge’ulah. They reestablished and revitalized Jewish life in Muslim Jerusalem and founded the first neighborhoods outside Jerusalem's Old City walls. They started a trend. Since then, the return of the Jewish people to the land, the agricultural revival of the land, and the establishment of a sovereign Jewish state offer further evidence that the Atchalta de’Ge’ulah has commenced. This is alluded to in the synagogue prayer for the State of Israel, which refers to the modern state as "the first blossoming of our redemption." Not everyone agrees. Some sects of Chasidic Jews argue that the Atchalta de’Ge'ulah cannot begin until the Messiah arrives.
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 Beginning of Redemption in the First Century
Disciples of Yeshua can offer another perspective. We might argue that the Atchalta de’Ge'ulah began in the days of the apostles with the first coming of the Messiah, but the Ge’ulah Sheleimah will not occur until He returns to complete the task. Without dipping into the errors of realized eschatology (which spiritualizes the redemption as something already accomplished through the church), it's possible to understand Yeshua's parables of the growing seed, the mustard seed, and the leaven in terms of the distinction between the beginning of redemption and the final redemption (Matthew I3:31-34; Mark 4:26-32). All three parables are about the initiation of a process that ultimately concludes with the Messianic Era and the age to come.
The beginning of the redemption from Egypt started when Moses "went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors" and tried to redeem them (Exodus 2:I1). "He supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand" (Acts 7:25). They betrayed him to Pharaoh, and he had to flee Egypt. They did not see him again for forty years:
The latter redeemer will be like the first redeemer. Just as the first redeemer revealed himself and later was hidden from them ... so the latter redeemer will be revealed to them and then be hidden from them. (Ruth Rabbah 5:6)
The beginning of redemption can be a bumpy road. Before things got better for the Hebrews in Egypt, they got worse. Moses complained, "Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all" (Exodus 5:23). One could say the same thing about the first coming of the Messiah. Things did not get better for Israel after Yeshua. The beginning of the redemption became the beginning of the birth pains and the beginning of exile.
Despite dramatic travail, the baby did not come. The redemption seemed to stall out completely after "the Lamb broke the fifth seal." John saw "the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained" crying out from beneath the altar, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" They were told that "they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also" (Revelation 6:I1). They are still waiting.
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.
Outcry of the Martyrs
Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. (Exodus 6:5)
"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you"—up to a point (2 Peter 3:9). He does not tolerate injustice and wickedness forever. When the outcry from earth reaches heaven, God comes down to investigate, punish the wicked, and rescue the righteous. In the end of days, the outcry of the martyrs will force the redemption and the opening of the sixth seal.
When the outcry against the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah reached heaven, the LORD said, "I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know" (Genesis 18:21). He sent two witnesses (angels) to investigate and, ultimately, to unleash fire and brimstone.
When the "cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God," He told Moses, "I have surely seen the afliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry ... I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians" (Exodus 2:23, 3:7-8). He sent two witnesses (Moses and Aaron) to testify and, ultimately, to unleash the plagues.
In the apocryphal book of 2 Ezra, the souls of the martyrs cry out from the heavenly chambers where they wait, "How long are we to remain here? And when will come the harvest of our reward?" (2 Ezra 4:35). An archangel replies, "When the number of those like yourselves is completed." As in the book of Revelation, the martyrs in 2 Ezra must wait until that measure is fulfilled (2 Ezra 4:36-37). When the full measure is met, the LORD responds to the outcry of their souls as He once responded to the cry of the children of Israel suffering under the afflictions of Pharaoh in Egypt. The souls of the martyrs implore God for justice. They petition the LORD to avenge their innocent blood and to redeem the remnant of Israel:
Behold, innocent and righteous blood cries out to me, and the souls of the righteous cry out continually. I will surely avenge them, says the Lord, and will receive to myself all the innocent blood from among them.
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 Blood of the Martyrs in 1 Enoch
At one point in the apocalypse of 1 Enoch, Enoch sees the soul of a human being in the afterlife whose voice continually rises, pleading for justice. The Angel Gabriel tells him, "This is the spirit which went forth from Abel, whom his brother Cain slew, and he makes his suit against him until his seed is destroyed from the face of the earth" (I Enoch 22:7). Abel isn't the only one pressing charges in the heavenly court. The Nephilim have an insatiable appetite for blood. The cries of their innocent victims ascend "all the way to the gates of heaven," and "the souls of human beings plead" with the angels, "Present our case before the Most High." (I Enoch 9:1-3). Their petition triggers the judgment of the flood. God immediately dispatches His angels to tell Noah to build an ark.
Likewise, in the end of days, the blood of the righteous martyrs rises before the LORD, petitioning Him for justice. When the full number of the righteous martyrs is finally completed, the LORD takes His seat on the throne of justice and opens the book of judgment:
In those days, the prayers of the righteous will rise up, and the blood of the righteous will be brought from the earth before the Lord of Spirits.
In those days, the holy ones who dwell in heaven will join together with one voice, praying and pleading and giving praise, thanking and blessing the name of the Lord of Spirits— on behalf of the blood of the righteous that has been shed-so that the prayer of the righteous will not go unanswered before the Lord of Spirits, and justice will be rendered to them, and they will not suffer forever.
In those days I saw the Ancient of Days as He took His seat upon the throne of His glory. The books of the living were opened before Him, and all the hosts of heaven and His attendants stood in His presence.
And the hearts of the holy were filled with joy, because the number of the righteous had finally been completed, the prayers of the righteous had been heard, and the blood of the righteous was required in the presence of the Lord of Spirits. (I Enoch 47)
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 Cup of Elijah
I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments... I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the LORD. (Exodus 6:6-8)
The Jewish people have a tradition of pouring a cup for Elijah at the Passover Seder. According to 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah never died. Like Enoch, who ascended bodily into heaven, he remains alive to herald the coming of Messiah. Since Passover celebrates the redemption, Elijah is expected to come at Passover to announce the final redemption. Jewish tradition firmly holds that Elijah will literally return to prepare Israel for the Messiah's revival and herald Him when He does arrive. In that respect, his role is like that of John the Immerser, a voice calling out in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the LORD."
Here's how the ritual with the cup of Elijah is done. After giving thanks for the food but before reciting Psalms 115-118, everyone at the table drinks the third in the series of four cups of the Passover Seder. As cups are refilled for the fourth and final cup to be drunk at the conclusion of the meal, a cup is also poured for Elijah. Someone goes to the door to take a look outside, just to see if Elijah might be approaching the house. If he is, that's good news because it means the redemption has started and the Messiah cannot be too far behind him. If Elijah is not at the door, three passages from the Bible are read before continuing with the evening:
Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, and upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name. For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. (Psalm 79:6-7)
Pour out Your indignation on them, and may Your burning anger overtake them. (Psalm 69:25[24])
You will pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD! (Lamentations 3:66)
These strange proceedings take place at an important hinge in the sequence of the meal. All of the rituals, ceremonial foods, and recitations prior to the pouring of the cup of Elijah retell the story of the exodus: the Passover of Egypt. Everything after the pouring of the cup of Elijah focuses on the coming messianic redemption: the Passover of the future.
The cup of Elijah represents God's wrath that is to be poured out on the nations. Like the seven bowls of Revelation poured out upon the nations, the Jerusalem Talmud lists four cups of wrath that are to be poured out in the end of days:
Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. (Jeremiah 25:15)
A golden cup in the hand of the LORD, intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are going mad. (Jeremiah 5I:7)
A cup is in the hand of the LORD, and the wine foams; it is well mixed, and He pours out of this; surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs. (Psalm 75:8)
Upon the wicked He will rain snares; fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. (Psalm I1:6)
The cup of Elijah symbolizes all four cups of wrath. The cups of wrath are associated with the coming of Elijah on the basis of the text that says, "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD" (Malachi 3:22 [4:5]). That's why Elijah is looked for "before" the recitation of "pour out your wrath upon the nations" and Psalms 115-118. Therefore, the cup of Elijah is best understood as a reminder to repent before the Day of the LORD when He will cause the wicked to "drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger" (Revelation 14:10).
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 Coming of Elijah
Elijah will be revealed at the end of days before the coming of the Day of the LORD. His job is to warn the Jewish people to repent before the Messiah comes. That's what John the Immerser did "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke I:17), and that's why Yeshua identified John as the Elijah who was to come (Matthew II:14). That identification does not preclude a coming of the literal Elijah in the future as predicted by Malachi. Elijah seems to appear in the book of Revelation as one of the two witnesses. One important and early rabbinic source suggests that Elijah will come twice:
In the second year of King Ahaziah, Elijah was hidden, and he will not be seen again until King Messiah comes. And then he will be seen but will be hidden a second time, and seen again only when Gog and Magog will come. (Seder Olam Rabbah)
Elijah occupies an enormous role in Jewish eschatology. His task of leading Israel to repentance before the Day of the LORD is considered mission critical to the redemption: "If Israel will not repent they will not be redeemed ... but Israel will not repent sincerely until Elijah comes" (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 43). Elijah is understood as the proclaimer of the good news who will stand upon the mountains declaring salvation and peace:
Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace! (Nahum 1:15)
How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7)
The rabbis suggest that Elijah will arrive at least one day before the Messiah. In some sources, he arrives three days before the Messiah. In a few sources, Moses and Elijah arrive together, as they did on the Mount of Transfiguration (Deuteronomy Rabbah 3:17), and in some places, Elijah acts as the sidekick and spokesman for the Messiah, as Aaron was to Moses. Like Aaron the peacemaker (Psalm 133), Elijah settles disputes, arbitrates between parties, and makes peace between Israel and God. He advocates on behalf of Israel before the heavenly court, intercedes for Israel in prayer, and plays a role in the resurrection of the dead and the redemption as an agent of the Messiah.
He's also a leading character in Jewish apocalypses about the end of days.
In those episodes, he preaches repentance, performs miracles and signs, and introduces the Messiah son of David to the nation:
At that time Michael, the great prince, will arise and blow the shofar three times... and Messiah son of David will be revealed, together with Elijah. The two of them will go to the sons of Israel who are in the wilderness of the nations, and Elijah will say to them, "This is the Messiah!" (Otzar Midrashim, Midrash Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai)
The common Jewish adage, "when Elijah comes," is shorthand for "when Elijah comes to herald the Messiah." Until then, Jewish legend and folklore have Elijah waiting in heaven, where he acts as a sort of secretary, recording the deeds of the righteous in the "book of remembrance" (Malachi 3:16). He consoles the Messiah, who is eager to redeem Israel. In folklore, he sometimes leaves heaven to pop in for a visit here, often bearing messages from above or appearing in disguise to test people.
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 Contest in Egypt
Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 6:13)
Like the two witnesses of the book of Revelation, the LORD sends Moses and Aaron into Egypt to testify on His behalf. He charges them to testify to the children of Israel and to testify to Pharaoh. They proclaim God's promises of redemption to the children of Israel, and to the Pharaoh, they testify that "the God of the Hebrews" commands him to let the people leave Egypt. The LORD gives Moses and Aaron the ability to perform signs and wonders to authenticate their testimony. For example, they receive "power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire" (Revelation II:6).
Egyptians considered the Pharaohs as earthly embodiments of specific gods from the Egyptian Pantheon (commonly Horus, the falcon god). The Pharaohs were not just rulers chosen by the gods but living gods, incarnate in flesh, responsible for mediating between the divine and human realms and maintaining ma'at (cosmic order). The divine Pharaoh had authority over everything from the rising of the sun to the flooding of the Nile. His most sacred duty was to stave off the forces of chaos from overtaking the world and to maintain the balance. Egyptians believed the Pharaoh's power affected the Nile's flooding and the land's fertility. They believed that Pharaoh's battles on earth embodied cosmic struggles he undertook with divine entities. In view of Pharaoh's divinity, Moses complained, "How then will Pharaoh listen to me?"
The LORD leveled the playing field. He said to Moses, "See, I present you to Pharaoh as a god, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet" (Exodus 7:1, my translation). In other words, Pharaoh considered Moses to be a peer-a god like himself. Aaron acted under the agency of Moses: "Your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land" (Exodus 7:2).
In the ensuing contest between the gods, Moses and Aaron represent the LORD, the God of the Hebrews. Pharaoh and his magicians represent the gods of Egypt. It's an apocalyptic-style showdown, a glimpse of the future conflict between the antichrist (who presents himself as a god) and the real Messiah, the Son of God. In that future showdown, the antichrist also has a false Elijah to speak for him. The false prophet "exercises all the authority of the first beast" and "performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven" (Revelation 13:12-13). Here are the contenders in Egypt:
The LORD versus Egyptian gods
Moses versus Pharaoh
Aaron versus Pharaoh's magicians
Here are the contenders in the end of days:
The LORD versus Satan
Messiah versus the antichrist
Elijah versus the false prophet
The LORD invests Aaron's staff with miraculous power, granting him the ability to strike the earth with plagues and wonders at the behest of Moses. Like the staff of Moses, it can transform into a dangerous serpent. Pharaoh's magicians also have miraculous staffs that can transform into dangerous serpents, but Aaron's staff devours theirs. Even the staff of Aaron has a role to play in the end of days:
That same staff also is destined to be held in the hand of King Messiah (may he come speedily in our days), as it says [in Psalm I10:2], "The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, 'Rule in the midst of Your enemies." (Numbers Rabbah 18:23)
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 Sixth Seal
I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth (Revelation 6:12-13).
In the end of days, the quantity of martyrs will tip the balance and initiate the Day of the LORD. "The number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, [will] be completed also" (Revelation 6:11). Then the Lamb that was slain, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, will break open the sixth seal on the scroll with seven seals.
The breaking of the previous five seals resulted in cataclysms common to human history: war, famine, sickness, and death - the beginning of the birth pains. "These things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately" (Luke 21:9). They are "the beginning of sorrows, when there shall be much lamentation; the beginning of famine, when many shall perish; the beginning of wars, when the powers shall be terrified, the beginning of calamities, when all shall tremble" (2 Ezra 16:18), but the end is not yet.
The breaking of the sixth seal initiates a seemingly unstoppable series of unprecedented astronomical phenomena and global cataclysms that can be compared to the plagues visited upon Egypt by Moses and Aaron. "There will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven" (Luke 2I:II). "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
When the sixth seal is broken, the world is no longer in "the beginning of the birth pains." Instead, the final painful contractions of the birthing process have begun. The process will not be stopped until complete:
Behold, the calamities draw near and are not delayed. Just as a woman with child, in the ninth month, when the time of her delivery draws near, has great pains about her womb for two or three hours beforehand, and when the child comes forth from her womb, there will not be a moment's delay, so the calamities will not delay in coming forth upon the earth, and the world will groan, and pains will seize it on every side. (2 Ezra 16:37-39)
The darkening of the sun, moon, and stars signals the onset of the Day of the LORD. "Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it?" (Amos 5:20). In that day, "the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil!" (Isaiah 13:10-II). The LORD says, "I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon will not give its light. All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you" (Ezekiel 32:7-8). "Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness" (Joel 2:10).
Then the people of the world will say, "The great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (Revelation 6:17):
The sign that will occur at that time is that the [sun, moon, and] stars will appear as blood. Concerning that time it is said, "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon into blood" And the Holy One, blessed be He, will send upon the nations ten plagues like those He sent upon Egypt, in order to fulfill what is written, Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will remain." (Otzar Midrashim, Midrash Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Joel 3:4 [2:31], Isaiah Ir:II)
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 Day of Darkness
A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. (Zephaniah 1: 15)
The breaking of the sixth seal initiates a series of global tribulations that continue until the coming of the Messiah. The end of days plays out like one B-grade disaster movie after another. The biblical prophets warn about sword, famine, pestilence, drought, locust plagues, floods, and fires. Apocalyptic literature is cluttered with descriptions of the travails of that day: wars, conflicts, conflagrations, famines, droughts, earthquakes, violent weather, flaming hail, water turning to blood, and so forth. The tribulations heighten the ten plagues with which God smote Egypt.
The terrors of that day are not merely punishments and retributions. Just as the plagues on Egypt were intended to persuade Pharaoh to humble himself before God, the global calamities of the end of days are intended to persuade people to repent and turn to God.
Those days will be "as when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or goes home, leans his hand against the wall and a snake bites him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light?" (Amos 5:19-20). In other words, a person will barely escape from one calamity before stumbling into the next: "Whosoever safely escapes the war shall die in the earthquake, and whosoever safely escapes the earthquake shall be burned by the fire, and whosoever safely escapes the fire shall be destroyed by famine" (2 Baruch 70:8).
The apocalypse of 2 Baruch divides the days of tribulation into twelve stages:
In the first stage, unrest and disturbances will begin.
In the second, rulers and leaders will be killed.
In the third, multitudes will perish.
In the fourth, the sword will be sent upon the land.
In the fifth, there will be famine, and the skies will withhold rain.
In the sixth, earthquakes will strike and people will be seized with terror.
[The seventh is missing from the manuscripts.]
In the eighth, a great multitude of spirits will appear, and attacks from the shedim (demons) will be unleashed.
In the ninth, fire will fall.
In the tenth, there will be looting and severe oppression.
In the eleventh, rampant wickedness and rape will prevail.
In the twelfth, all these calamities will be mixed together, bringing utter confusion. (2 Baruch 27)
Descriptions like this are unsettling. If that's what's going to happen in the end times, one might prefer to avoid it altogether. Several prominent rabbis of the Talmudic Era felt that way, too:
Ula said, "May the Son of David come, but I do not wish to see him!" Likewise, Rava said, "May he come, but I do not wish to see him." But Rav Yosef disagreed, "May he come! I will be happy just to have the chance to sit next to his donkey's dung." (b.Sanhedrin 98b)
If the calamities depicted in the book of Revelation make you nervous, it's a good idea to prepare in advance. Some people do so by digging bomb shelters, building bunkers, stockpiling food supplies, and acquiring weapons. Yeshua teaches a different type of prepping. We should be storing up "treasure in heaven" in the form of repentance, acts of charity and loving-kindness, devotion in prayer, good deeds, Torah study, and proclamation of the gospel. Those who hear His words and do them will face the day of wrath like a house built on the rock. Although the storms blow and beat against that house and the floods rise, it stands firm:
What should a person do to avoid the birth pangs of the Messiah? Rabbi Elazar said, "Engage in Torah study and acts of lovingkindness." (b.Sanhedrin 98b)
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.
Blood
He lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. (Exodus 7:20 NAU)
The two witnesses of the apocalypse will "have power over the waters to turn them into blood" (Revelation II:6). In other passages in Revelation (8:8, 16:3-6), a third of the world's waters turn to blood in a measure-for-measure type of judgment on the inhabitants of the earth guilty of spilling the blood of the righteous: "They poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it" (Revelation 16:6):
In those days, blood will flow from Kos to Memphis. The river of Egypt will become blood, and they will not be able to drink from it for three days. (Apocalypse of Elijah 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.
Frogs
So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the [frog] came up and covered the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:2)
The LORD tells Aaron to "bring up the frogs," but when Aaron complies, the text says, "The frog came up and covered the land." Instead of the plural form of the word, the Hebrew has "frog" in the singular. How did one frog cover the land? The midrash offers several attempts to reconcile the discrepancy. In one creative retelling of the story, a single enormous frog clambers up out of the Nile, opens its mouth wide, and belches out legions of little frogs that cover Egypt (Midrash HaGadol). The apocalyptic imagery of the book of Revelation echoes that traditional retelling of the story. The dragon (Satan), the Beast (antichrist), and the false prophet all vomit "spirits like frogs" out of their mouth:
I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (Revelation 16:13-14)
The frogs correspond to the corrupt and deceitful words of Satan, the antichrist, and false prophet, as they deceive the nations to turn against Israel and the Jewish people and muster the forces of Gog and Magog. Their evil words take spiritual form and cover the earth like the frogs covering Egypt, but they are not literally frogs; they are the spirits of demons.
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.
Gnats
Aaron stretched out his hand with his staft, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats through all the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:17)
Moses and Aaron turned the dust of Egypt into small biting insects- gnats and mosquitoes. The magicians of Egypt concede defeat. They cannot make gnats. "But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said" (Exodus 8:19). Likewise, even after three plagues have killed off a third of mankind, "The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent" (Revelation 9:20):
Behold, famine and plague, tribulation and anguish are sent as scourges for the correction of humanity. Yet for all this they will not turn from their iniquities, now will they ever be mindful of the scourges. (2 Ezra 16:19-30)
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.
Wild Animals
There came great swarms... into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and the land was laid waste because of the swarms. (Exodus 8:24)
God smote Egypt with a third plague: swarms of wild animals (not swarms of flies or insects as in the LXX). The Hebrew word arov (עָרוֹב) does not mean a swarm; it means "a mixture." Jewish sources understand the plague as a mixture of various "wild animals" rampaging through Egypt. The book of Revelation alludes to that idea when the ashen horseman of death is granted authority to release wild beasts on the earth (Revelation 6:8). The apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon suggests that the word "mixture" should be understood as wild beasts with a mixture of features from different animals. According to that version of the story, God recombined His bestiary to create bizarre new monsters just for the purpose of afflicting the Egyptians. The creatures evoke Leviathan (Job 41) and the apocalyptic monsters of the book of Revelation:
Newly created unknown beasts full of rage or such as breathe out fiery breath or belch forth a thick pall of smoke or flash terrible sparks from their eyes; not only could their damage exterminate men, but the mere sight of them could kill by fright. (Wisdom of Solomon II:17-19)
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.
Pestilence
So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died. (Exodus 9:6)
The Hebrew word for pestilence (dever, דֶּבֶר) is a generic term for plague that might refer to sickness, disease, pandemic, or other malady: "I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence" (Jeremiah 21:6). The specific word occurs frequently in the Bible, especially in the book of Jeremiah where it accompanies sword and famine to convey divine punishment: "I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed" (Jeremiah 24:10). The ashen horseman releases pestilence, corresponding to the fifth plague on Egypt, in addition to sword, famine, and wild beasts. In one vivid scene from the Apocalypse of Elijah, birds drop from the sky:
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 5:7-8)
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.
Boils
So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. (Exodus 9:10)
The plague of boils also recurs in the apocalyptic judgments described in the book of Revelation. As the angels begin pouring out the seven bowls of God's wrath on those who worship the Beast, the first bowl strikes with bodily torments in the form of "a loathsome and malignant sore" (Revelation 16:1-2). The painful boils persist. By the time the fifth bowl darkens the world, the people "gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores." Despite all that, like Pharaoh in Egypt, "they did not repent of their deeds" (Revelation I6:10-II).
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.
Hail and Fire
Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. (Exodus 9:23)
The Torah describes the plague of hail and fire on Egypt as something never seen before in all the land of Egypt. The Torah says, "fire ran down to the earth" as the hail fell. This description might mean that lightning storms accompanied the hail, but Jewish tradition takes it to mean that the hail fell in the form of flammable, explosive ice. In any case, the hail and fire that fell on Egypt came as a harbinger of the hail and fire destined to fall upon the earth during the end times:
In the case of the hail, there had never been anything like it before, but there will be again in the time to come. When? In the days of Gog and Magog, as it is written [in Job 38:22-23], "[Have you seen the storehouses of the hail] which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of war and battle?" (Job 38:23). And similarly lit is written in Ezekiel 38:22], "[I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him,] a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone." (Exodus Rabbah 12:2)
When Moses spread his hands to stop the storm of fiery hail, God reserved the unused ammunition pelting the Amorites in the days of Joshua for bombing the armies of Gog and Magog at the end of days (Exodus Rabbah 12:7). The plague of fire and hail that rained down on Egypt recurs in the book of Revelation:
The first [trumpet] sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. (Revelation 8:7)
Huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe. (Revelation 16:21)
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.
Call on the Name of the LORD
Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses. (Exodus 9:35)
Pharaoh could have stopped the plagues on Egypt at any time by simply repenting and obeying the word of the LORD. Hardness of heart prevented him. Likewise, the apocalyptic warnings and graphic descriptions of the agonies of the end times are intended to persuade us to repent before it is too late to do so. Such texts were not created to satisty our morbid curiosity; they were intended to spur readers on toward godliness, repentance, and good deeds. They should inspire us with an urgency to spread the message of the gospel to others that they might be saved from the day of wrath.
The urgency informs the mission of Yeshua and the proclamation of the good news throughout the whole New Testament. As Simon Peter declared on the day of the outpouring of the Spirit:
Wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:19-21)
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 Spirit of Elijah: Preparing the Way for Redemption
In Exodus we can read about God’s confrontation with Pharaoh. As the plagues unfold, we are reminded that redemption has both a beginning and a completion. Messiah has already signaled the dawn of redemption, and a day is coming when Hashem will bring it to fullness—calling His people to repentance before the Day of the Lord. May that redemption come soon and in our day.
And may we be a generation that merits that great day.
There is a saying from the Jewish sages: Any generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt is regarded as though it destroyed it. The point is not to accuse, but to awaken—to call us back to Hashem, to walk faithfully before Him, and to live as people who truly long for His redemption.
And there are signs of redemption all around us, for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. The rebirth of the State of Israel. The revival of the Hebrew language. The way the nations are aligning—some with Israel, and some against her. It’s happening. And here in Israel, you can see it with remarkable clarity.
This section of the study speaks a great deal about Eliyahu HaNavi—Elijah the Prophet—and about focus. In particular, we get the background on the cup of Elijah at the Passover Seder—how it came to be there and why it matters. There’s some fascinating history behind it.
At Seders with traditional Jewish families, they would pour Elijah’s cup, open the door, and recite the passages about pouring out wrath on the nations who did not know God—those who devoured Jacob and laid waste to his dwelling. It was part of the liturgy. Jews were in exile, and that cup spoke of redemption through judgment. God’s vengeance against those who had harmed His people.
That was the framework. And it made sense.
But things become more complicated—and more beautiful—when Jews come to faith in Messiah and begin celebrating Passover with both Jews and Gentiles together. As understanding of God’s redemptive plan expands, particularly regarding the role of the nations, moments arise where traditional Seder language about pouring out wrath on the nations is recited while Gentile brothers and sisters in Messiah are seated at the table.
It can feel awkward. And yet, it remains true—because Scripture does speak about judgment. As the lesson reminds us, there is a pouring out of wrath. This cannot be ignored or softened. The material is heavy: the sixth seal, fire and brimstone, judgment, and Day of the Lord imagery. It is sobering by design.
But the question that must be asked is this: Is that the primary message of Elijah?
Wrath is part of the picture—but it is not the center.
The lesson directs attention to something deeper, especially through the connection between Elijah and John the Immerser—more commonly known as John the Baptist. John functions in the spirit of Elijah, and this provides an essential corrective to how Elijah’s role is often understood.
Malachi declares:
“Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse.”
This passage is central to Jewish eschatology. Elijah’s primary mission is not the execution of wrath, but the call to repentance and reconciliation. It is the turning of hearts—an internal transformation that leads to restored relationships and humility before God.
This is precisely what is seen in Yohanan the Immerser.
John boldly proclaimed that one was coming after him. And Yeshua said something striking: “If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come.” This does not mean that John replaced Elijah, nor does it deny a future coming of Elijah. Rather, Yeshua identifies John as operating in the spirit and power of Elijah, just as Luke 1 describes.
John’s message was urgent and unmistakable:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
This is the spirit of Elijah—warning, calling, reconciling, and preparing.
And this is where the message becomes deeply practical.
Is this not the message that has been received and entrusted to the community of faith?
The workbook discusses preparation for the calamities depicted in Revelation. Some respond by building shelters, stockpiling supplies, and planning for physical survival. Wisdom has its place, and practical preparedness is not condemned.
But the primary preparation for the Day of the Lord is not a bunker filled with provisions. The preparation is storing up treasures in heaven:
It is repentance.
It is acts of lovingkindness.
It is charity, devotion, prayer, good deeds, Torah study, and the proclamation of the gospel.
This is the mantle of Elijah.
Calling people back to God. Reconciling relationships. Warning with love. Preparing the way for Messiah.
And every week, there is a reminder of this calling.
Each Shabbat offers a taste of the Messianic age—a foretaste of the world to come, what the sages call Yom shekulo Shabbat. But Shabbat ends. And as it departs, Havdalah is performed. And what is sung as the holy day concludes?
Eliyahu HaNavi - “May he come speedily in our days with Messiah, son of David.”
That song is not merely about waiting. It is about readiness. It is about responsibility.
Yes—this is a heavy week of study. Judgment imagery should sober the heart. But the hope must not be missed. Elijah comes first—not primarily to pour out wrath, but to turn hearts back, to call people to repentance, and to prepare the way.
And until the day comes—until the door is opened and Elijah truly stands there—there is work to be done.
The community is not Elijah, nor is it John the Immerser. But the spirit of Elijah is still at work, and participation in that work is invited.
So let treasures be stored up in heaven.
Let repentance be proclaimed—not with harshness, but with urgency rooted in love.
Let hearts be reconciled and lives pointed toward Mashiach.
For when Eliyahu HaNavi is sung, it is not only a song about someone who will come. It is an acceptance of the call to participate in his work.
May Elijah come speedily in our days with Messiah, son of David.
May it be soon, and in our day.
Amen.
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.
Love, Wrath, and the Faithful God - Why Judgment Is Not the Opposite of Love
For many believers today, the idea of divine wrath feels uncomfortable—incompatible—with the message of Jesus. Love and judgment are often placed in opposition, as though affirming one requires rejecting the other. As a result, passages that speak clearly of wrath, judgment, and the Day of the Lord are frequently softened, reinterpreted, or avoided altogether.
Yet when Scripture is read at face value—especially within its Jewish, covenantal framework—divine wrath is not marginal. It is part of the very structure of the biblical story.
This lesson explores why wrath and love are not opposites in Scripture, why many Christians struggle with this tension today, and why recovering a biblical understanding of judgment is essential for faithfulness, repentance, and hope.
Scripture Speaks Plainly About Wrath
From beginning to end, the Bible assumes the reality of divine judgment.
The Torah presents wrath as covenant enforcement (Exodus, Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28).
The Prophets speak repeatedly of the Day of the Lord as both judgment and restoration.
Second Temple Jewish literature (e.g., 1 Enoch, 4 Ezra) assumes coming judgment as necessary for redemption.
Jesus Himself speaks openly about judgment—Gehenna, outer darkness, accountability, and final reckoning.
Revelation depicts wrath not as arbitrary anger, but as measured, purposeful, and delayed until repentance is exhausted.
The problem is not a lack of biblical clarity. The text does not hide or minimize wrath. The difficulty lies elsewhere.
The Modern Reconstruction of Jesus
Many Christians today inherit a portrait of Jesus shaped less by Scripture and more by modern cultural values:
Love is equated with affirmation
Judgment is equated with cruelty
Wrath is seen as morally embarrassing or unworthy of God
This reconstructed Jesus emphasizes compassion while downplaying accountability. But this is not the Jesus of the Gospels.
Jesus warned more than He reassured.
He called to repentance more than comfort.
He spoke of judgment as an act of divine faithfulness—not contradiction.
The issue, then, is not Jesus versus wrath, but which Jesus is being followed.
A Framework Problem: Greek vs. Jewish Thinking
A key reason for discomfort with wrath lies in worldview.
In Greek philosophical categories, God must be:
Emotionally static
Untouched by response or reaction
Above judgment, which implies change
In biblical Jewish categories, God is:
Relational
Covenantally bound
Patient, but responsive
Just, and therefore active against evil
Wrath in Scripture is not God “losing control.” It is God acting after restraint.
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that judgment comes only after:
Warning
Prophetic appeal
Calls to repentance
Long-suffering patience
Wrath is not impulsive. It is deliberate.
Love Without Wrath Becomes Indifference
When wrath is removed from the picture, love is emptied of moral weight.
Without wrath:
Evil goes unanswered
Injustice is never resolved
Victims are denied vindication
Repentance loses urgency
Redemption loses meaning
Biblically, wrath is good news for the oppressed. It means God does not overlook violence, idolatry, or exploitation. It means history will be set right.
A God who never judges is not more loving—He is less just.
Why Many Christians Reject Wrath Today
Several forces contribute to modern resistance:
Reaction against fear-based preaching
Trauma from spiritual abuse
Cultural discomfort with moral absolutes
Desire for a non-confrontational faith
Separation of Jesus from Israel’s prophetic tradition
In trying to protect people from harm, theology has often overcorrected—discarding judgment altogether instead of restoring it to its proper place.
But removing wrath does not heal the Gospel; it hollows it out.
When judgment becomes personal, theology stops being abstract
For many people, wrath is tolerable until it touches someone they love.
As long as judgment is theoretical—about “evil,” “the world,” or “others”—it can remain in place. But when someone close:
dies tragically,
dies by suicide,
or dies while alienated from God,
the doctrine of judgment suddenly becomes existential, not theological. And at that moment, many people face an unbearable question:
“If God judges… what does that mean for them?”
For some, the answer feels emotionally impossible to live with. Maybe it is an example where the layers are heavy:
A family member dies by suicide
That person was repeatedly told they were “going to hell”
The surviving believer is left holding grief + guilt + responsibility
That creates what psychologists call moral injury—not just grief, but the sense that:
one’s beliefs caused harm,
one’s faith is implicated in death,
or God Himself feels complicit.
At that point, rejecting wrath is often not rebellion—it’s self-preservation.
If judgment remains real, then:
God feels dangerous
Love feels conditional
Faith feels lethal rather than life-giving
So the theology changes—not first out of conviction, but out of survival. For many people shaped by these experiences, a “love without wrath” theology does several emotional things:
It protects God from being perceived as cruel
It protects the deceased from condemnation
It protects the believer from unbearable guilt
It creates a God who feels safe again
This explains why such people often:
distance themselves from church
reframe Scripture
become fiercely protective of marginalized groups
resist any language of judgment—even biblical judgment
This is not usually intellectual dishonesty. It is grief looking for a place to land.
When judgment language is applied personally and relentlessly, especially without relationship, humility, or tears, it stops sounding prophetic and starts sounding weaponized.
The issue is not that Scripture speaks about sin. The issue is how it is spoken and by whom.
When people hear:
“You are going to hell” instead of:
“God calls all of us to repentance, and I need mercy just as much as you”
the message ceases to sound like Elijah and starts to sound like accusation. And when tragedy follows, judgment theology becomes associated not with truth—but with death.
Recovering a Faithful Balance
The biblical vision is not:
Love or judgment
But:
Love that insists on truth, justice, and repentance
Wrath is not God’s preference. Repentance is. Judgment is not God’s delight. Restoration is. But love that never confronts is not biblical love.
Conclusion: Why This Matters Now
We live between the dawn of redemption and its completion.
That means:
Warning still matters
Repentance is still urgent
Elijah’s message is still relevant
Judgment remains real—but not final
The Gospel is not diminished by acknowledging wrath. It is clarified.
A faithful God must judge. A loving God must call to repentance. And a redeeming God will bring history to its appointed end.
May we be a people who do not flee from the weight of Scripture—but allow it to awaken us, humble us, and prepare us for the Day of the Lord.
The biblical answer is not:
“Wrath isn’t real”
or “Love means no judgment”
The biblical answer is:
God is patient
judgment is measured
repentance is always invited
mercy is vast
and final outcomes belong to God, not us
Scripture never asks us to pronounce final judgment on individuals.
What it asks is:
humility
warning with tears
repentance beginning with ourselves
trust that God is both just and merciful beyond our understanding
Where churches often fail is not in believing in judgment—but in speaking as if they stand above it. For someone carrying trauma like this, the first question is not:
“What does Scripture say about judgment?”
It is:
“Is God safe to trust again?”
Only after safety comes truth.