Parables Christian Ministry Library

Lesson #189 - YOM TERUAH

Part #3
Avram Yehoshua

The Distinction

By the fourth plague in Egypt, Yahveh began making a distinction between His People and the people who were part of the kingdom of darkness. Egypt is a mini-picture of this present perverse and sinful world called Babylon (Rev. 14:8, etc.). And Pharaoh, with his very hard and stubborn heart, is a picture of Satan. Yahveh, in His Mercy and Grace, did not allow the fourth through the ninth plagues to come upon His People Israel. And of course, with the tenth plague of judgment, Israel was saved by the blood of the lamb. The distinction begins with the fourth plague of Egypt and should alert us to our being in the Tribulation. It is also mentioned in the fifth, ninth and tenth plagues.
Ex. 8:21-23: 'For if you do not let My People go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they dwell. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My People are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, Yahveh, am in the midst of the land. I will put a division between My People and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.' (The fourth plague.)

Ex. 9:4: 'But Yahveh will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the Sons of Israel.' (The fifth plague.) Ex. 10:23: 'They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the Sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.' (The ninth plague.)

Ex. 11:7: 'But against any of the Sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how Yahveh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.' (The tenth 'plague' of judgment.)
Even though plagues six, seven and eight are not specifically mentioned as a 'distinction', it would seem reasonable to assume that the Sons of Israel continued to enjoy their advantage. This is very similar to what we read about in Revelation, during the time of the Great Tribulation concerning the locusts:
Rev. 9:1-5: 'Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from the Heavens 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. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the Earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the Earth have power.'

'They were 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. And they were not permitted to kill anyone but to torment for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.'
As it was in the days of Moses, so it will be in the Great Tribulation. The People of Yahveh, those that have the Seal of God upon their foreheads, will not be effected by those locusts. There will be a distinction between God's People and the wicked. I think the Seal of God is the Name of Yeshua, written in His Blood, placed upon the forehead by the Finger of God, the Spirit of Yahveh. As the blood of the lamb protected Israel in Egypt from the sting of death, so too will the Blood of the Lamb protect those from the sting of the scorpion.
Rev. 14:1: 'Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Name and the Name of His Father, written on their foreheads.'
The parallels of the plagues in Egypt and those in Revelation are quite striking. I can't help but think that a similar conceptual framework will also exist that will allow believers to be immune from many of the plagues to come.

The Refiner's Fire

As it was in the days of Moses, so it will be in the End of Time. First the plagues of Tribulation and then the Judgment. Why must the Bride go through the Tribulation and not be taken out of it before it starts? Because Yahveh will use this time to purify His Son's Bride:
Zechariah 13:9: 'And I will bring the third part through the fire and refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My Name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are My People,' and they will say, 'Yahveh is my God.'

Malachi 3:3: 'He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the Sons of Levi 40 and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to Yahveh offerings in Righteousness.'
Interesting to note is how the use of the phrase 'the third part' going through the fire parallels 'destruction in' Rev. 8:7:
'The first 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.'41
For the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth to 'take out' the Bride before the Fire gets hot (the Great Tribulation), is not in line conceptually with how Yahveh refines His People Israel. Scripturally we have seen that God allows His People Israel to experience the first three plagues upon Egypt but with the fourth, He makes a distinction between His People and those of the darkness. But His People remained in Egypt...till Judgment Day.

Yeshua will be with us in the Tribulation, protecting us as He did those three Hebrew young men in Babylon. You might know them by their Babylonian names, given to them by their captors. But their Hebrew names were Azariah, Hananiah and Mishael. Their names mean, 'Yahveh is my Helper,' 'the Grace of Yahveh,' and 'one who is what God is' respectively. You don't want to know what their Babylonian names mean.42 They too went through a time of testing and great tribulation. The King of Babylon had made a gold image of himself and commanded all his subjects to worship the image (Dan. 3:1ff). Anyone who failed to worship the image was to die. The Hebrew young men respectfully refused to bow down to his image in gold. We pick up on their discourse with the king as they are about to die:
Daniel 3:17-18: 'If it be so, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and He will deliver us out of your hand, Oh king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, Oh king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the image of gold that you have set up.'

Dan. 3:19-21: 'Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their turbans and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.'

Dan. 3:22-23: 'For this reason, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.'

Dan. 3:24-25: 'Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste. He said to his high officials, 'Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?' They replied to the king, 'Certainly, Oh king.' He said, 'Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the Fourth is like the Son of God!'
What marvelous faith Azariah, Hananiah and Mishael had in the God of Israel. And what godly respect they had for the King of Babylon, the chief authority on Earth at that time. The Hebrew lads were not rebelliously defiant toward the King. They submitted to his authority and voiced their reasons for choosing death over worship of an idol. May we be like them when our time comes. This worship of an image in Babylon is identical to what we read about in Revelation. The pattern is the same. Those who don't bow down to the image of the Beast or take his mark upon their hand or forehead, will not be able to buy or sell.43 Their punishment will be death also:
Rev. 13:14: 'And he deceives those who dwell on the Earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the Beast, telling those who dwell on the Earth to make an image to the Beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.'

Rev. 13:15: 'And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the Beast, so that the image of the Beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the Beast to be killed.'44

Rev. 13:16: 'And 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,'

Rev. 13:17: 'and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the Beast or the number of his name.'

Rev. 15:2: 'And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with Fire and those who had been victorious over the Beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.'

Rev. 16:2: 'So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the Earth and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the Beast and who worshiped his image.'

Rev. 20:4: 'Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Yeshua and because of the Word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand.45 And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.'
In the Babylon of King Nebuchadnezzar, there was an image that everyone was commanded to worship. Anyone who didn't would die. In the Babylon of Revelation 46 there will be an image that men will be commanded to worship with death being the penalty for disobedience. As it was in Babylon before, so shall it be in Babylon at the End of Time. As the three Hebrew men were delivered by the Lord Yeshua, there will be many believers delivered by the Lord again. That doesn't mean that many won't give their life for His Name (Rev. 20:4). Those placing their hopes in a rapture before Tribulation may not be prepared to die for His Name. They may not be able to resist the overwhelming temptation to deny Him; that they or their family might live for a few more days. Without the ability to buy food staring them in the face, many might take the mark of the Beast.

Yeshua came and walked with those Jewish boys. He didn't take them out, He made a way for them to live in the midst of the fire. It's so very natural, carnal actually, for us not to want to get hurt. We want an escape route so that we don't have to deal with pain, whether in our everyday lives or the Tribulation. But this is not the Way of our God and Savior who was brutally beaten to within an inch of His Life and then pierced to a wooden pole. His dying like that didn't make those who followed Him any less susceptible to pain and death. The history of the martyrs and all those who have been persecuted for carrying His Name show us that. Belief in Yeshua is not a magical charm that protects us from pain, suffering and death. His Death gives us Eternal Hope that in our death, we will find Him our Friend on the Day of Judgment.

Yom Teruah is going to be fulfilled with great shouting and praise to Yahveh. Many think that it symbolizes the 'catching away' of the Church before the Great Tribulation but this is not Scriptural. It cannot be found conceptually or specifically, in any Scripture. On the contrary, Yahveh will use the Tribulation to purify His Son's Bride.

Yom Teruah just might be the presentation to the world, of the Ark of the Covenant. There would certainly be cause for great shouting then. It would call to mind among the Jewish People that don't believe in Yeshua yet, the mighty deeds of Yahveh in Egypt, at the Red Sea and at Mount Sinai. And many Jews who were not religious before, would turn to Him. Among believers, it would certainly be a time of tremendous excitement, as our spiritual adrenaline would be flowing, knowing that the Beginning of the End was happening before our eyes. After all, one of the greatest places where the concept of teruah is seen, is when King David and all Israel bring the Ark of the Covenant...into Jerusalem. Why shouldn't history repeat itself? But whether the Ark is revealed on Yom Teruah or not, I think that after the Tribulation, Yeshua will return on this Day and set up His thousand year Kingdom in Jerusalem. This is when the Temple of Ezekiel (Ezk. 40-48), will be built with Yeshua as the Prince (Ezk. 46:4, 12; 45:16, 22, etc.).

The Song of Moses and the Lamb

First tribulation, then judgment, and then new life. This new life was seen in the days of Moses when the Sons of Israel stood on the other side of the Red Sea and saw their enemies dead. The concept that what happened in the days of Moses, to Egypt and Israel, sets in motion a pattern for the Great Tribulation, the Final Judgment, and New Life for Israel in the New Jerusalem. This is further seen in what is sung by the Bride of Messiah Yeshua in Revelation:
Rev. 15:2: 'And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with Fire, and those who had been victorious over the Beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.'

Rev. 15:3: 'And they sang the Song of Moses, the servant of God, and the Song of the Lamb, saying, 'Great and marvelous are Your works, Oh Lord God, the Almighty. Righteous and True are Your ways, King of the nations!'

Rev. 15:4: 'Who will not fear, Oh Lord, and glorify Your Name? For You alone are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.'

Exodus 15:1-2: 'Then Moses and the Sons of Israel sang this song to Yahveh and said, 'I will sing to Yahveh for He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider He has hurled into the Sea. Yah is my Strength and Song, and He has become my Salvation. This is my God, and I will praise Him, My Fathers God and I will extol Him.'

Exodus 15:3-5: 'Yahveh is a warrior. Yahveh is His Name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the Sea. And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone.'

Ex. 15:6-8: 'Your Right Hand, Oh Yahveh is majestic in power. Your right hand, Oh Yahveh shatters the enemy. And in the greatness of Your excellence, You overthrow those who rise up against You. You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.'

Ex. 15:8-10: 'At the blast of Your Nostrils the waters were piled up. The flowing waters stood up like a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the Sea. The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil. My desire shall be gratified against them. I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.' You blew with Your Breath, the Sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.'

Ex. 15:11-13: 'Who is like You among the gods, Oh Yahveh?! Who is like You majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?! You stretched out Your Right Hand and the Earth swallowed them. In Your forgiving, loving kindness, You have led the People whom You have redeemed. In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.'

Ex. 15:14-16: 'The peoples have heard, they tremble. Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fall upon them. By the greatness of Your Arm they are motionless as stone, until Your People pass over, Oh Yahveh, until the People pass over whom You have created.'

Ex. 15:17-18: 'You will bring them and plant them in the Mountain of Your inheritance. The place, Oh Yahveh, which You have made for Your dwelling. The Sanctuary, Oh Yahveh, which Your Hands have established. Yahveh shall reign forever and ever.'
The Song of Moses at the Red Sea 47 is filled with glorious praise to Yahveh. He has delivered His People from the brutal slavery of Pharaoh, vanquished Israel's enemy in the Sea, and is seen as bringing Israel to Yahveh's Holy Mountain where His Presence is. It is here that the marriage vows were exchanged as each promised to be faithful to the other. This is called covenant and is the common Jewish understanding of what transpired at Sinai.

This is a picture of the End of Time. The Red Sea, where all Pharaoh's chariots and army drowned, was known to the ancients as, 'the Sea at the End of the World.' The ancients believed that the world was created out of the waters, which is what Scripture tells us:
Genesis 1:9-10: 'Then God said, 'Let the waters below the Heavens be gathered into one place and let the dry land appear' and it was so. God called the dry land Earth and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good.'
Before the Creation though, the waters were known as 'Chaos' to the ancients and unlike our concept of time and space, they saw that beyond the Red Sea toward the south, lie Chaos 48 or 'utter nothingness.' If a man were to go there, he would lose his soul and very existence. He would have no 'after-life.' The Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea symbolized a total annihilation of them. They were not only dead but their 'names' were no more. To not have your name continue was to be as if you never existed.49 This is very similar to what will happen to the wicked as they try to cross over to the Other Side on Judgment Day (The Song; Ex. 15:14-16).

The Song of Moses reinforces the concept that the Bride will go through the Great Tribulation, be judged as righteous at the Great White Throne, and then enter into Eternity with our God and Savior. The next place that Israel goes after the Red Sea, after the final judgment upon Egypt, is the Mountain of Yahveh, Mount Sinai (The Song; Ex. 15:17-18). It is here that they actually 'meet' Yahveh, see Him, hear His Voice amidst the Fire, the Smoke and the Cloud, and eat in His Presence.50 The Covenant was sealed with blood (Ex. 24), and Israel was married to Yahveh. This is a picture of what awaits us in the New Jerusalem.