The Heavenly Tabernacle

Dec 1

There is a heavenly Tabernacle and Temple. Yeshua is the Melchizedek priest of this heavenly Tabernacle and Temple. In Hebrews 8:1–2, it is written:

…We have such a [Melchizedek] high priest [Yeshua] … A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

After Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land, the Tabernacle in the wilderness was set up in Shiloh. In Joshua 18:1, it is written:

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there …

The Tabernacle in Shiloh was also called a Temple. In 1 Samuel 1:9, it is written:

So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh … Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

The Tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness was made after the heavenly Tabernacle. In Hebrews 8:2, 5, it is written:

A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man … Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, says he, that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you in the mount [Exodus 25:9].

There is a heavenly Temple. The throne of Yeshua is in the heavenly Temple and Tabernacle. In Psalm 11:4, it is written:

The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven …

In Matthew 19:28, it is written:

And Yeshua said unto them, Verily I say unto you … when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory (which is in the New Jerusalem) …

In Hebrew 1:8, it is written:

But unto the Son he says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever …

So, there is a heavenly Tabernacle and Temple. Yeshua is the Melchizedek high priest of this Tabernacle and Temple. Yeshua sits on the throne of this heavenly Tabernacle and Temple as a King over His Father’s Kingdom.

The purpose of this Tabernacle and Temple is that God the Father, through Yeshua, wanted to dwell among and with His people. In Exodus 25:8–9, it is written:

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall you make it.

When the Tabernacle and Temple are fully completed, the Glory of God (as represented in Yeshua) will dwell with His people. Among His people will be His dwelling Bride. In Exodus 40:1–2, 17, 33, it is written:

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shall you set up the tabernacle … And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up … So Moses finished [Strong’s H3615] the work.

The Strong’s number [H3615] is the Hebrew word, Kalah כּלָהָ, which is spelled with the same Hebrew letters as the Strong’s number [H3618] which is the Hebrew word, Kallah כּלַּהָ, which means, ‘Bride’. When Yeshua’s spiritual family is complete (meaning all those who will believe that He is the Messiah), He will have a dwelling Bride. Yeshua’s dwelling Bride will initially be a betrothed Bride (the first stage in a Biblical wedding, which is receiving Yeshua as Messiah and Savior – New Covenant) who is faithful in service to Him (Matthew 24:45–47, 25:21) and thus become His dwelling Bride (the second stage of the Biblical wedding, which is associated with Jerusalem / Mount Zion).

When the earthly Tabernacle was completed, the glory of God filled the Tabernacle. In Exodus 40:34, it is written:

Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

When the glory of the LORD (which became manifested through the ‘cloud by day and pillar of fire by night’ - who is Yeshua) filled the earthly Tabernacle when it was completed, this is a prophecy that when the spiritual family of Yeshua is complete [meaning all those who will believe that Yeshua is the Messiah], Yeshua will have a dwelling Bride. Yeshua will dwell with His Bride forever in the New Jerusalem. When He does, His glory will light the New Jerusalem. In Revelation 21:3, 9–10, 23, it is written:

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God … Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he … showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem … And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Presently, Yeshua is still building His spiritual family. In other words, His ‘spiritual Tabernacle’ is not yet completed. His entire family is known as the ‘house of Jacob.’ In Luke 1:31, 33, it is written:

And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Yeshua … And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

When the high priesthood office and the Temple system in Jerusalem became corrupted through the influence of the Greek Seleucids to the north of Israel in the second century BC, the faithful priests from the ‘sons of Zadok’ got spiritual direction from Isaiah 40:3 regarding their situation and established a community in the “Arava”.

In Isaiah 40:3, it is written:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert [H6160] a highway for our God.

The Hebrew word [H6160] translated as “desert” is ‘Arava’. The Arava is a geographical location in Israel. It is the desert valley that extends from the Dead Sea to Eilat. It includes the Qumran. In the Rule of the Community (1QS) from the Dead Sea Scrolls, it explains how the Qumran community began, based upon Isaiah 40:3. In the Rule of the Community (1QS 8:12–14), it is written:

When such men as these come to be in Israel, conforming to these doctrines, they shall separate from the session of perverse men [the corrupted Temple system] to go to the wilderness, there to prepare the way of truth, as it is written, ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’ [Isaiah 40:3].

The message of Isaiah 40:3 is a wedding message. It is directed toward the Bride of Yeshua. Isaiah 40:2 tells us to whom the message of Isaiah 40:3 is written. In Isaiah 40:2, it is written:

Speak to the heart of Jerusalem ...

Jerusalem is a title for the Bride of Yeshua. In Isaiah 62:1, 5 it is written:

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest … For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you.

So, what is the wedding message to the dwelling Bride of Yeshua in Isaiah 40:3?

In order for the dwelling Bride of Yeshua to make herself ready for her wedding day (Revelation 19:7), she must come out of ‘mixed worship’ (Isaiah 35:8, Isaiah 52:1, 2 Corinthians 6:14–17) and prepare herself for Yeshua to end her exile in the nations (Isaiah 40:1, 5, 10–11). This is the bridal message that comes out of the ‘Arava’ (represented by the Qumran community). In Isaiah 40:3, it is written:

The voice of him that cries in the wilderness … in the desert (in Hebrew the ‘Arava’ – meaning in the Qumran, in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Zadok priesthood, the Zadok calendar, the preparation of the Bride from the coming of her Bridegroom – Yeshua the Messiah) a highway (the road to [the New] Jerusalem where Yeshua will marry His Bride) for our God.

Isaiah 35 gives us greater detail regarding the ‘Arava’ and the preparation of the dwelling Bride of Yeshua for His coming. In Isaiah 35, we see the dual Bridal message of coming out of mixed worship (Isaiah 35:8) and preparing for the end of the exile (Isaiah 35:10). The subject of Isaiah 35 is the ‘Arava’. In Isaiah 35:1, it is written:

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert [H6160] (Arava) shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

Given that the subject of Isaiah 35 is the ‘Arava’, in Isaiah 35:8, it is written:

And a highway shall be there, and a way [H1870], and it shall be called The way [H1870] of holiness; the unclean [H2931] (mixed worship) shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men [H1980] (walk) [H1870] (way) …

Unclean (טָמֵא – Tamay) in Hebrew is spiritual ‘mixture.’ It is the realm of death (unclean) coming in contact with the realm of life (clean). It is ‘mixture’ (unclean) coming in contact with Torah holiness which is called, ‘Clean’ or Tahor in Hebrew – טָהוֹר. To be separated (holy) from the ‘unclean’ is what makes you ‘clean’. The God of Israel required that the ‘camp’ of His Tabernacle is not to be ‘unclean’. In Deuteronomy 23:14, it is written:

For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp … therefore shall your camp be holy: that he sees no unclean thing in you, and turn away from you.

The dwelling Bride of Yeshua who has the title of ‘Jerusalem / Zion’ is called to come out of ‘mixed worship’ and to put on ‘beautiful garments’ (a white and clean wedding dress: be ‘clean’). In Isaiah 52:1, it is written:

Awake, awake; put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.

The Pharisees celebrated the Biblical Festivals in ‘mixed worship’ by following a Babylonian calendar. They did not accept the authority of the Zadok priests to determine when to keep the Biblical Festivals based upon the priestly calendar. As a result, the prophecy in Isaiah 35:8 which speaks about the ‘Arava’ states that ‘the unclean shall not pass over it’ (referring to those who will reject following the Biblical Festivals according to the priestly calendar under the authority of the Zadok priests).

In Ezekiel 44:15, 23, the God of Israel recognized the authority of the Zadok priests to teach the nation of Israel the difference between the ‘clean’ and the ‘unclean,’ as it is written:

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok … And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

In Ezekiel 44:24, the God of Israel recognized the authority of the Zadok priests to instruct the nation of Israel when to celebrate the Biblical Festivals. In Ezekiel 44:24, it is written:

And in controversy they shall stand in judgment … and they shall keep (Zadok Priests) my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies [H4150] (the Hebrew word, ‘Mo’ed’ which means the Festivals); and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

In Isaiah 35:8, the Hebrew word, ‘Way’ is mentioned three times in referring to the ‘Arava’ (Isaiah 35:1). A more literal translation of Isaiah 35:8 would be as follows:

And a highway shall be there, and a Way and it shall be called The Way of holiness … it shall be for those who ‘walk in the Way’ (rather than ‘wayfaring men’ as is translated by the KJV) …

So, Isaiah 35 tells us that in the ‘Arava’ (Isaiah 35:1) are those who ‘walk in the way’ (Isaiah 35:8). The Qumran community called themselves, ‘the Way’ and the ‘people of the Way’.

The Qumran community called themselves, “The Way”. In 1QS 9:17–21, it says:

… for those who have chosen the Way … if then the secret Way is perfected among the men or the Yahad [the people of the community] … guided by what has been revealed to them that will be the time of ‘preparing the way’ in the desert (Isaiah 40:3) … these are the precepts of the Way …

The Apostle Paul testified that he was a follower of ‘the Way’. In Acts 24:10, 14 it is written:

Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered … But this I confess unto you, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Torah and in the prophets.

As a follower and teacher of the ‘Way,’ Paul instructed believers in Yeshua as the Messiah in 2 Corinthians 6:14–17 to come out of ‘mixed worship.' In 2 Corinthians 6:15, Paul mentions ‘Belial’ as it is written:

“And what agreement has Messiah with Belial? Or what part has he that believes with an infidel?”

In the Dead Sea Scrolls, they use the term ‘Belial’ to refer to haSatan. ‘Belial’ is mentioned in the Damascus Document (CD), the Community Rule (1QS), the War Scroll (1QM) and the ‘coming of Melchizedek’ (11Q13). In 1QS 1:23–24, it says:

The wicked acts of the children of Israel, all their guilty transgressions and sins committed during the dominion of Belial

So, when Paul uses the term, ‘Belial’, he is associating himself with the Qumran community. In doing so, Paul instructs believers in Yeshua as Messiah to come out of ‘mixed worship’. In 2 Corinthians 6:16–17, it is written:

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; (Exodus 25:8, 29:45) and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Exodus 6:7, Leviticus 26:12, Jeremiah 11:4, 31:33, Ezekiel 11:20, 14:11, 36:28, 37:27, Revelation 21:3). Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, (holy: clean) says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you (Isaiah 52:11).

In 1 Thessalonians 4:7, Paul wrote:

For God has not called us unto uncleanness (טָמֵא – Tamay – which is ‘mixed worship’) but unto holiness (following Torah in being ‘clean’- Tahor in Hebrew – טָהוֹר).

This was the spiritual goal of the Qumran community. In desiring to come out of the ‘mixed worship’ that took place in the Temple when the Greek Seleucid king, Alexander Balas, offered Jonathan (the youngest son of Mattathias) the office of the high priesthood (this became known as the Maccabean / Hasmonean dynasty), and in doing so removed the Zadok priests, the Qumran community was established under the leadership of Zadok priests based upon Isaiah 40:3. In desiring to come out of ‘mixed worship,’ the Qumran community was meticulous in endeavoring to keep ‘ritual purity’ (being in a Torah state of ‘clean’ vs ‘unclean’ through daily immersion in the mikvah). They wanted to be a ‘clean’ Bride for the coming of the Messiah.

The second part of the Bridal message, unto the dwelling Bride of Yeshua after she departs from ‘mixed worship,’ is to prepare herself for her Bridegroom to deliver her from the judgment upon the nations (as represented in Esau – Jeremiah 31:11) when He ends her exile among the nations. In Isaiah 35:10, it is written:

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

This verse speaks of the end of the exile of the House of Jacob. It is linked with Isaiah 25:8, 51:11, 65:19, Jeremiah 31:7, 11 and Revelation 7:17, 21:4.

The end of the exile of the House of Jacob is likened to a wedding. In Jeremiah 33:11, it is written:

The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride … For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, (end the exile) as at the first, says the LORD.

In Jeremiah 31:11–13, it is written:

For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he (Esau: Genesis 25:23). Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion … and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance … for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them (Isaiah 40:1) and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

This theme of delivering His people from exile, for the purpose of having a people who would be His Bride, is expressed in Exodus 6:6–7, as it is written:

Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians (Egyptian exile) … And I will take [H3947] (which is the Hebrew word, ‘Laqah’) you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God (marry a Bride) …

The Hebrew word, ‘Laqah’, in Exodus 6:7 translated as ‘take’ in the KJV is translated as, ‘married’ in Numbers 12:1, as it is written:

And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: [H3947] for he had married [H3947] an Ethiopian woman.

The exodus from Egypt is a prophecy of the end of the exile of Jacob from all nations where he has been scattered. In Jeremiah 16:14–15, it is written:

Therefore, behold, the days come, says the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD lives, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. But, The LORD lives, that brought up the children of Israel … from all the lands where he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

So, in Yeshua redeeming His people from Egypt (ending their exile in Egypt), His ultimate purpose is to have a ‘Bride,’ as expressed in Exodus 6:7 through the phrase ‘I will take’ (meaning marry), resulting in ‘you (will be) to me for a people, and I will be to you a God’.

In ending the exile of His people (initially from Egypt and in the end of days from the nations of the world), Yeshua wanted a people who would follow His Torah in holiness. As a result, when He redeemed her from Egypt, He had to give her His Torah at Mount Sinai so that she could be instructed in holy living. At Mount Sinai, Yeshua entered into a ‘betrothal’ with His Bride. In Jeremiah 2:2, it is written:

Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, (the Bride) saying, Thus says the LORD; I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your espousals (the first stage of a Biblical wedding), when you went after me in the wilderness (Mount Sinai: Exodus 19:5–8) …

In doing so, Yeshua taught His people in the wilderness how to follow His Torah in order to be ‘clean’ and what not to do to become ‘unclean’. Yeshua taught His Bride when He brought her out of Egypt that ‘mixed worship’ (Exodus 32:1–6: the sin of the golden calf) was unacceptable to Him. The sin of the golden calf was in celebrating His Festivals (a Feast of the Lord – Exodus 32:5) via ‘mixed worship’.

Yeshua wanted to have a ‘dwelling place’ (Exodus 25:8–9) for Him to ‘commune’ (Exodus 25:21–22, 29:42–43) with His Bride. The home for Yeshua’s Bride is His Tabernacle. In this home (Tabernacle), Yeshua wanted to dwell with His Bride by manifesting Himself to her in ‘His glory’ (Exodus 40:34–35).

The stated objective in bringing His people out of Egypt (to have a ‘Bride’), based upon the promise in Exodus 6:7 that ‘I will take (marry) you to me for a people and I will be to you a God,’ could not be realized until Yeshua made a ‘new covenant’ with His people (because the original covenant was broken through ‘uncleanness’ and ‘mixed worship’) and ‘ends her exile from the nations.’

In Jeremiah 31:31, 33, it is written:

Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah … I will put my Torah in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

When Yeshua’s Bride was exiled into the nations because she departed from His Torah, she was exiled from her home (Jerusalem / Zion). This came about because her house (the Temple in Jerusalem) was destroyed because it had become defiled. This was first done by the Babylonians and later in the first century by the Romans.

In order to return from her exile or captivity in the nations, she has to return to His Torah and, in doing so, come out of ‘mixed worship.’ Greco-Roman Christianity, through the doctrine of dispensationalism (age of law / age of grace), which teaches that Yeshua’s Torah was nailed to the cross, has the Bride of Yeshua in captivity to ‘mixed worship.’ Within Greco-Roman Christianity, Yeshua’s betrothed Bride believes that He is the Messiah and Savior of the world, but she has made herself ‘unclean’ by eating pig, not celebrating His Sabbath (the wedding ring), and not keeping His Biblical Festivals (her appointed time to meet with Him).

It is the task of the ministry and message of Elijah (Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 4:4–6) to bring Yeshua’s Bride out of this ‘mixed worship’ system and to prepare Yeshua’s Bride for the end of her exile from being scattered into the nations. The end of the exile is associated with Yeshua marrying His Bride. In Ezekiel 11:17, 20, it is written:

Therefore say, Thus says the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel (the end of the exile) … That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them (that is without being in ‘mixed worship’ by keeping the Biblical Festivals according to a Babylonian calendar): and they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Yeshua marrying His Bride).

In Ezekiel 37:21, 27, it is written:

And say unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations … and bring them into their own land … My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Therefore, we can see that the ‘Bridal message’ that comes out of the ‘Arava’ (the Qumran community) is to depart from ‘mixed worship’ (that is celebrating the Biblical Festivals according to a Babylonian calendar) and to make the ‘camp’ of your community Tabernacle or Temple ‘clean’ so that the Messiah of Israel can dwell in her midst as a Bridegroom loving His Bride. This is associated with the ending of the exile of the Bride, wherein Yeshua will set up His Tabernacle to dwell with her (Ezekiel 37:21, 27).

THE COMMUNITY AS A SPIRITUAL TEMPLE

The members of the Qumran community who called themselves the Yahad saw themselves as a spiritual Temple. In 1QS 8:5–6, 9:5–6 it says:

When such men as these come to be in Israel then shall the party of the Yahad truly be established, an eternal planting, a temple for Israel and mystery, a Holy of Holies for Aaron … At that time, the men of the Yahad … the holy house of Aaron uniting as a Holy of Holies and the synagogue of Israel as those who walk blamelessly.

In Ephesians 2:20–21, it is written:

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yeshua Messiah himself being the chief cornerstone; In whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto an holy temple in the Lord

THE INDIVIDUAL AS A SPIRITUAL TEMPLE

In 1 Corinthians 3:16–17, it is written:

Know ye not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, it is written:

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

In 2 Corinthians 6:16, it is written:

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

In 2 Corinthians 5:1, 4, it is written:

For we know that if our earthly house (our physical bodies) of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens … For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened …

In 2 Peter 1:13–14, it is written:

Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, (our physical bodies) … Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, (that is we die) ...

So, both the individual and the community is a spiritual Tabernacle or Temple.

The Qumran community viewed that it was critically important to keep time according to the priestly calendar, because they believed that they were keeping time and worshipping with those in the heavenly Tabernacle. By keeping the camp ‘clean’, they believed that they would be worshipping in the presence of angels on the earth, and also with angels in the heavenly Tabernacle. In Hebrews 12:22, it is written:

But you are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels

This celebration of worship with the angels was expressed each Sabbath through the liturgy of the ‘Songs of the Sabbath Service’ known as 4Q400–407. In the book, “The Dead Sea Scrolls” on pages 462–463, the authors explain:

[The songs of the Sabbath service] consists of songs for thirteen Sabbaths arranged according to the Qumran [priestly] calendar … the [liturgy] starts by leading worshippers to consider the mysteries of the angelic priesthood … focusing on the holy number seven … following which the community contemplates the elements of a living spiritual temple … the Sabbath songs intend to unite the worshiper with the angels worshipping in heaven. [1]

The book of Revelation gives us the deepest insight regarding the heavenly Tabernacle or Temple, while telling us about the worship of angels around the throne of the Lamb (Yeshua), the emphasis of the number seven, Yeshua ending the exile of His people, the call to come out of ‘mixed worship’ and Yeshua dwelling with His Bride in the New Jerusalem. Because of these correlating themes, the things which John was shown regarding the book of Revelation (Revelation 1:9) seems to be consistent with the ideas about the heavenly Tabernacle, as understood by the Qumran community and as expressed through the Elijah ministry and message of Isaiah 40:3. Let us now look at each one of these things from the book of Revelation.

The book of Revelation mentions the heavenly Tabernacle. In Revelation 15:5, 21:3, it is written:

And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened … And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God …

The book of Revelation mentions the worship of angels around the throne of the Lamb (Yeshua). In Revelation 5:11, 13, it is written:

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne … and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands … And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth … heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.

The book of Revelation has an emphasis on the number seven as there are “seven churches” (Revelation 1:11), “seven golden menorahs” (Revelation 1:12), “seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 4:5), “seven stars” (Revelation 1:16), “seven seals” (Revelation 5:1), “seven horns and seven eyes” (Revelation 5:6), “seven angels with seven trumpets” (Revelation 8:6), “seven thunders” (Revelation 10:3), “seven heads and seven crowns” (Revelation 12:3), “seven vials” (Revelation 17:1), “seven mountains” (Revelation 17:9), “seven kings” (Revelation 17:10), and “seven last plagues” (Revelation 21:9).

The book of Revelation pleads with believers in Yeshua as Messiah to come out of the ‘mixed worship,’ of Babylon, which is ‘unclean.’ In Revelation 18:2, 4, it is written:

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen … and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird … And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues (be left in the great Tribulation under the beast system)

The book of Revelation mentions the end of the exile. In Revelation 7:13–14, 16–17, it is written:

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, Who are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? … And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation … They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Revelation 7:16–17 is speaking about the end of the exile of the house of Joseph and the house of Judah (Ezekiel 37:15–24). Revelation 7:16–17 is a quote from Isaiah 49:9–10, as it is written:

That you may say to the prisoners, Go forth (the exiles of Israel) … They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that has mercy on them [the Lamb – Yeshua] shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

The book of Revelation mentions Yeshua marrying His Bride. In Revelation 19:7, it is written:

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready (Yeshua redeemed her from her exile in the nations and she came out of ‘mixed worship’ thus she is sanctified)

The book of Revelation mentions that the dwelling home of the Bride of Yeshua is the New Jerusalem. In Revelation 21:9–10, it is written:

… Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife … and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem …

The New Jerusalem is lit by the “glory of God” who is the Lamb of God (Yeshua). In Revelation 21:23, it is written:

And the city (New Jerusalem) had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

The Bride of Yeshua will dwell with Yeshua in His heavenly Tabernacle and, in doing so, Yeshua will “dwell” with her. In Revelation 21:3, it is written:

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, (that is Yeshua the Bridegroom) and be their God.

When Yeshua dwells with His Bride for all eternity in the heavenly Tabernacle, this will be the complete fullness of the end of the exile wherein there are no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering, and no more death. In Revelation 21:4, it is written:

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; (Isaiah 35:10, Revelation 7:17) and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

In eternity, the last enemy will be defeated, which is physical death upon this earth (Isaiah 25:8, 1 Corinthians 15:26).

The Qumran community believed that there are twelve gates to the New Jerusalem (4Q554 Frag 2 Col 1). In the book of Revelation, there are twelve gates to the New Jerusalem. In Revelation 21:10–12, it is written:

… and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem … Having the glory of God … And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates …

In conclusion, the Elijah ministry and message of Isaiah 40:3, as expressed in the Qumran community via the reference to the ‘Arava’ (Isaiah 35:1, Isaiah 40:3), contains a message to the Bride of Yeshua (Isaiah 40:2, Isaiah 62:1,5). She is to come out of ‘mixed worship’ (Isaiah 35:8). This is not only speaking of Greco-Roman Christianity, but it is also speaking of those within the Messianic / Hebrew Roots movement who are keeping the Biblical Festivals according to a Babylonian calendar. In exile, the dwelling Bride of Yeshua must prepare for Yeshua to end her exile in the nations (Isaiah 35:10, 40:1, 5, 10–11). When Yeshua ends her exile, He will set up His Tabernacle and dwell with her.

Initially, Yeshua will dwell with His Bride during the Messianic Era, wherein He will set up His Tabernacle (Ezekiel 37:27), and the earth will be filled with His glory (Habakkuk 2:14). In fullness, Yeshua will dwell with His Bride for all eternity in the New Jerusalem of the heavenly Tabernacle (Revelation 21:3, 9–10). In doing so, the New Jerusalem will be lit with Yeshua’s glory (Revelation 21:23). When this happens, the exile of the Bride of Yeshua will be over for all eternity (Revelation 21:4).

The Elijah ministry and message of Isaiah 40:3, as expressed in the Qumran community via the reference to the ‘Arava’ (Isaiah 35:1, Isaiah 40:3), is fully detailed in the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation contains many things that can be associated and linked with the Qumran community. This includes the desire of the Qumran community to worship the God of Israel with the angels.

The Qumran community (the people of the ‘Way’) is the Jewish roots of our faith in Yeshua as the Messiah. The Elijah ministry and message of Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 4:4–6 is a calling to the Bride of Yeshua to embrace these roots in preparing herself for the coming of her Bridegroom. Our Jewish roots in Yeshua are not in Rome (Roman Catholicism or the daughter of Roman Catholicism, which is Protestantism) or Babylon (Pharisaic Judaism). Our Jewish Roots in Yeshua are in Jerusalem. This includes Acts 2, wherein the first believers in Yeshua as the Messiah after His resurrection were 3,000 Jews (associated with the Qumran community), who were saved on the day of Pentecost / Shavuot (Acts 2:41). The heavenly Jerusalem is the city of Yeshua’s Bride wherein she will dwell with Him for all eternity in the New Jerusalem! In Revelation 22:17, 20 it is written:

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears (the message and ministry of Elijah) say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (following Yeshua’s Torah by His Holy Spirit) … Even so, come, Lord Yeshua.

May Yeshua come speedily in our days! Amen. ■