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Contents
- Introduction
- Hanukah, the Son of God & Fig Leaves
- Back to the Introduction which concerns John 21
- John 21 Breakdown
- Yeshua appears on the lake shore
- The Net & the Multitude of Fishes
- 153 Fish & the Sons of God
- Yeshua’s appearing the third time
- The Evil End-Times Generation Jonah Connection:
Peter is Reinstated as a Disciple - Shall John live for 2000 years? Is he alive now?
- Conclusion
- Addendum
Introduction
The Lord ืืืื, was, is and will be (ืืื, ืืื, ืืืื). He is beyond time and space. Past, present and future are all one with the Eternal one. We are locked into time, but the prophets could step beyond our normal time domain constraints to see the future. The book of John looks at Yeshua from the eagle’s perspective as the Son of God, above time and space. John introduces Yeshua as the creator God, the Aleph-Tav (Alpha & Omega), the Son, the Light of the world. After the resurrection of Yeshua we go fishing in John 21, fishing for men, the ‘sons of God‘. Not only is it prophetic for the seeking of lost souls way back then but it also has an end times application that fits in with Revelation 7. It also ties into the end times application of the story of Jonah that concerns the wicked and adulterous end times generation that is here now! There will be a final fishing for men by the 144,000 and others that will occur during this most wicked generation in human history, so John 21 is prophetic for the times we are entering now. Like Peter, those doing the fishing for men will have to truly love the Messiah as there is a personal cost involved in saving souls. So what we read in John 21 is not just about the past it is also about the future, the immediate future. Sometimes when we read of events of the past they are prophetic for future events.
Hanukah, the Son of God & Fig Leaves
I just want to divert slightly and talk about Hanukah briefly because it connects with the theme here in John 21 because the ‘sons of God’ are fished out by the servants of the ‘Son of God‘ who is directing them. We will then continue with the introduction into John 21.
I am writing this commentary on the incredibly prophetic chapter of John 21 during the 8 days of Hanukah between the 25th of Kislev (9th Hebrew month) to the 3rd of Tevet (10th Hebrew month). And there is a connection between Hanukah and the events in John 21 related to the ‘Son of God‘ and the gathering of the fish who are the ‘sons of God‘. Hanukah is the ‘feast of dedication‘ mentioned in John 10:22.
And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
John 10:22
It is not a feast that is mentioned in the Torah or Leviticus 23 in particular but was instituted by the Jewish people after they defeated the Greeks and rededicated the temple and altar after it’s desecration. Hanukah is an 8 day feast that in some ways parallels the 8 day feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot in Hebrew. It was during this feast that the Jews wanted to ‘stone‘ Yeshua for ‘blasphemy‘ because he who ‘being a man, makest thyself God‘.
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
John 10:33
Yeshua replied by firstly telling them that they were not his sheep, because His Sheep hear His voice. Remember Adam in the garden of God after he sinned, hid from God, having his nakedness covered by an apron of ‘fig leaves‘, Genesis 3:7. Adam fled from the ‘voice of God‘ calling for him, Genesis 3:8. Man made ‘Religion‘ with it’s fruitless ‘fig leaves‘ also flees from the ‘voice of God‘ (and the prophetic word). An apron of ‘fig leaves‘ represents man’s fruitless attempt to be religious apart from God and His righteousness. ‘Fig leaves‘ can be endless Torah study but never coming to a knowledge of the truth of our Saviour, II Timothy 3:7. ‘Fig leaves‘ can be good christian works yet Messiah says “I never knew you“, Matthew 7:23. This was the trap that Judaism of Yeshua’s day had fallen into. They claimed to follow Moses but they were not listening to the voice of the Lord, but had instead replaced the law of God with the traditions of men, ‘fig leaves‘, but no fruit. They didn’t understand the Torah prophetically, and they didn’t recognise the Messiah that Moses and the prophets were pointing to. Yeshua cursed the fig tree that bore no fruit, Mark 11:21.
Now here is a practical question for us, while I discuss this. It is very well for us to point the finger at the religious Jews and their blindness, stubbornness and hypocrisy, but is the Torah / Messianic / Hebrew Roots / Two House community fig tree about to be cut down if it bears no fruit also?, Luke 13:7. We have had 3 years since Covid, are we bearing good fruit to God our Saviour? The reality now is that the christian church is in the same dilemma now, it is being being cursed for it’s hypocrisy through Covid and other judgements and a sifting and true separation has been occurring since then. Those that ‘sware falsely by the name of the Lord‘ are being cursed, Zechariah 5:3. So are we listening to the Spirit of the Lord and His Voice or are we running from it? Are we running from God while pretending to follow Him? Here’s another quick test, do we fear man or God. Are we afraid of the New World Order or do we love fear and trust in the Lamb of God? We must listen to Him.
Yeshua the light of the world came into this dark world to search for His lost sheep. Those that were Yeshua’s sheep would hear him, whether Jew or Gentile, they would recognise the true light of the world, the Son of God. Judaism, like Islam has since made, rejection of Yeshua’s divinty and sonship a critical part of their faith. We who follow Yeshua need to bare good fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23, or we too are in danger of being cut down. Are we truly His sheep? Or are we merely junkies after head knowledge with no heart application?
Yeshua came for the lost sheep of the House of Israel, which are the 10 lost tribes of the northern kingdom that went into Assyrian exile and never came back. But He also has a remnant amongst the house of Judah, the Jews, that believe in Him. And He has a very large remnant amongst the nations also, that also believe. The mission of the Messiah is actually to all of humanity, Israelite and non Israelite.
Getting back to Yeshua confronting the religious leaders during Hanukah, the feast of dedication, Yeshua quoted the Psalms to defend His Sonship.
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
Psalms 82:6
During the ‘feast of dedication‘, Hanukah, which is also called the ‘festival of light‘, Yeshua the light of the world, John 8:12, is condemned for healing a blind man. The blind leaders sought to stone Him for blasphemy for claiming to be the ‘Son of God‘, which he was and he proved through his miracles. During the ‘feast of lights‘ they condemned the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, John 1:9. The ‘Son of God‘ bore witness to the light. Yeshua would continue his mission through his disciples after his resurrection.
Back to the Introduction which concerns John 21
This gives us a connection to John 21 which is all about fishing for the ‘sons of God‘ now that Yeshua is risen from the dead. Yeshua the ‘Son of God‘ delegates this fishing for souls, the ‘sons of God‘ to 7 of his disciples. Satan’s enmity is towards the seed of the woman. Religion with it’s fig leaves hate the ‘Son of God‘ and the ‘sons of God‘. Nevertheless the Lord will fish them out of the sea of humanity through the gospel via the labour of His disciples.
In John 21 we see our glorious risen Saviour, Yeshua appearing on the shores of the Galilee and appearing to 7 of His disciples and having an outdoor meal with them. Strangely this is not mentioned in the other 3 gospels. The story of Lazarus, which was the greatest miracle Yeshua performed just before his crucifixion, and it too is only mentioned in John. This is because Lazarus, whose name in Hebrew is Eliezar represents the firstborn son, the Cohen (Priest), and by extension the 144,000 firstborn ‘sons of God‘. The raising of Lazarus, mentioned only by John, represents on the earthly level a future restoration of the Levitical priesthood headed by the descendants of Eleazar (Lazarus in Hebrew). On a heavenly level it represents the restoration of the Manchild company, the 144,000, who are a spiritually masculine heavenly order of warrior-priest-worshippers and servant harvest workers. As soon as Yeshua affirms His deity and who His sheep are and are not in John 10 he then goes to raise Lazarus in John 11, just before his crucifixion. In John 21 He then directs 7 of His disciples where to catch fish. This is related to the commissioning of the 144,000 to bring in the ‘great multitude‘ in Revelation 7. He also reinstates Peter as a disciple and alludes to ‘Jonah‘, which is also about going to sea. John 21 represents the fishing for the other ‘sons of God‘, the Benei HaElohim as I shall explain. Yeshua appears to them after his resurrection but before Pentecost, so all of this is happening during the Omer count. The 50 days of counting the Omer is about the grain harvest. But in John 21 we are looking at the harvest in terms of fish, not grain. We are given a specific number of fish, 153, which is all about the one who is in the ‘image of God‘, Bezaleel, ืืฆืืื, and those that follow him, the ‘sons of God‘, the ‘benei HaElohim‘, ืื ื ืืืืืื. Both these names add to 153.
See also an earlier article I wrote concerning the number 153, ‘Parsha โ Vayechi โ Joseph, Firstborn, Fish & the numbers 17, 50 & 153‘.
We shall go through John 21 line by line to bring out the last days meaning from it. I believe we are on the cusp of seeing this event fulfilled, possible between Passover to Pentecost 2024, as this very well could be the last Passover and Pentecost of the ‘Church Age’ as the 2nd exodus commences. It is certainly very near. If not 2024 then possibly 2025 according to my own calendar where the seals have already been opening one seal per year since September 2020. The year 2024 will confirm if this scenario is correct or not. In any case it is very near.
In our torah portions we are coming to Parsha Meketz, where Joseph tests his brethren and in the following parsha Vayigash he reveals himself. This revelation of Joseph parallels the Revelation of Yeshua in the end times. During this time, we have some fish to catch that we see in Revelation 7 as mentioned before.
Let’s get into John 21 now and go fishing, looking at the chapter from the eagles perspective…
John 21 Breakdown
Here are the 25 verses of the chapter, broken up into sections for discussion. This fishing trip where Yeshua appears for the third time occurs between the resurrection of Yeshua during the feast of firstruits and his accession, 10 days before Pentecost. This is thus during the 50 day Omer count as stated earlier (Yeshua’s ascension occurring on the 40th day of the Omer count). The first 3 verses are pretty straight forward, but then it begins to get more interesting with little details that connect with other prophecies or parables. This is hidden prophecy for these end times. Eagles have good eyes, let’s see what we can find.
Yeshua appears on the lake shore
After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.
John 21:1
Yeshua had already appeared to his disciples including doubting Thomas in the previous chapter. Now Yeshua appears to 7 of the disciples. Of course 7 represents the ‘Church‘, or ‘Congregation‘ of Zion as we see in Revelation 2 & 3.
There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee <James & John>, and two other of his disciples. <7 in total>
John 21:2
Everything and every event in our lives has deep meaning and deep eternal consequences. What is happening here in this chapter is prophetic, not only for the disciples themselves but also for us in these end times. Peter wants to go fishing, Yeshua had previously told him and his brother Andrew that He would make them ‘fishers of men‘, Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17. What Peter did in the natural was prophetic.
Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
John 21:3
I feel very much like Peter here, as I have often tried in my own power to reach people, but I caught nothing. We have to realise that without the Lord directing our efforts we labour in vain. For it is the Lord that builds the house and we can only be used of Him if He wills it, we are vessels for His Spirit, but He is the Prime Mover and not we ourselves. The wind blows where it wills as does the ‘Ruach HaKodesh’, the Holy Spirit. Thankfully once we see that through our own efforts we cannot reach people, then we are more ready to lean on the Lord and let Him direct our efforts when and how He says do it. So Yeshua shows His disciples where the fish are.
The Net & the Multitude of Fishes
4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
John 21:4-6
5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
The disciples, still unaware of the identity of the helpful stranger on the shore get a huge catch by following His instructions. Interestingly He refers to them as ‘children‘ in verse 5. This is a strange way to refer to burly adult men working in a fishing boat. My sense here is that they are God’s children, and so it is entirely appropriate, especially for what we shall shortly discover, for Yeshua to speak to them this way, it’s prophetic! In Isaiah 66:7 Zion gives birth to a ‘man child‘ which is the first set of 144,000 in Revelation 7. And in Isaiah 66:8 Zion gives birth to ‘her children‘. This is the second set of 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 14. Is this reference to ‘children‘ in John 21 a reference to Zion giving birth to ‘children‘ in Isaiah 66:8, is it an allusion to them? Keep that in mind as we read on.
Yeshua directs them to the right side of the boat, and they catch a multitude of fishes. Again this should remind us of the ‘great multitude‘ in Revelation 7 that are mentioned after the sealing of the 144,000.
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Revelation 7:9
So could John 21 being giving us a prophetic overview of this time period in Revelation 7? Of course it has already been fulfilled in some measure throughout the church age. The gospel has gone out for almost 2000 years and many men and women, boys and girls have received the Lord and repented of their sins, they have been fished. The ‘net‘ of God’s message of salvation has been cast forth many times to bring people to the Lord over this period of time. But there seems to be a correlation with a final end times harvest that we see in Revelation 7 also. The metaphore of the ‘net‘ is used to refer to the ‘kingdom of heaven‘ in Matthew 13. I think it is worth quoting here as a reminder for these end times.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Matthew 13:47-50
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
So the ‘net‘ is the kingdom of heaven. The righteous or those that repent are put into ‘vessels‘, which ultimately may refer to new resurrection bodies, after perhaps martyrdom. For others it could be that they are put in some sort of protective vessel. This looks to me similar to the judgement of the ‘wheat and the tares‘ in Matthew 13:30.
But there is also an ‘evil net‘ which is an evil time that comes down upon the human race. In the book of Ecclesiastes we read about an ‘evil net‘ that ‘falleth suddenly‘ upon mankind.
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
ืึดึผื ืึทึผื ืึนึฝืึพืึตืึทืข ืึธืึธืึธื ืึถืชึพืขึดืชึผืึน ืึทึผืึธึผืึดืื ืฉึถืื ึถึผึฝืึฑืึธืึดืื ืึดึผืึฐืฆืึนืึธื ืจึธืขึธื ืึฐืึทืฆึดึผืคึณึผืจึดืื ืึธืึฒืึปืืึนืช ืึทึผืคึธึผื ืึธึผืึตื ืึฝืึผืงึธืฉึดืืื ืึฐึผื ึตื ืึธึฝืึธืึธื ืึฐืขึตืช ืจึธืขึธื ืึฐึผืฉึถืืชึดึผืคึผืึนื ืขึฒืึตืืึถื ืคึดึผืชึฐืึนึฝืื
Ecclesiastes 9:12
Well we know that this ‘evil net‘ is the ‘evil time‘ which is the ‘sudden destruction‘ of the tribulation when people are saying ‘peace and safety‘, I Thessalonians 5:3.
So there appears to be a ‘net‘ which represents the ‘kingdom of God’ and the ability to catch fish which represents men being given the gospel. And there is an ‘evil net‘ which is a ‘net of evil men‘.
The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.
Proverbs 12:12
If we yield fruit spiritually it could be that we are not cut down during war, Deuteronomy 20:19, or during an ‘evil time‘. It looks like that time is shaping up to be in 2024, a ‘net‘ is being cast by ‘evil men‘, a recompense is coming to our wicked, adulterous and ‘evil generation‘. My bet is from about Passover next year, which is the 23rd April 2024, the birthpangs and travail will begin in earnest. Not much time left to prepare for the end of the world and our nations. Physical preparation is of some value but spiritual preparation is pivotal, it is absolutely essential. Our priority must be getting the oil for the lamp of our spirit, Proverbs 20:27, we need endurance and faith through prayer and the word of God. What is coming requires faith and endurance as everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Lord help us all to hope to the end and be found worthy to escape all these things and stand before the Son of Man, Luke 21:36. The people that know their God shall do exploits, Daniel 11:32, not those that just know about Him. Let’s get tight with the Father and His Son. We need to hear His voice. We need staying power when we don’t know what is going on or where we will live or where our next meal is coming from! If we are not ‘rapture ready‘, at the first harvest then we shall see the invasion of our nations and hatred, persecution and mayhem that is off the charts. The Lord is coming, can we hold on till then? Get oil, seek the Lord while He may be found.
Let’s get onto the next verse in John 21…
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
John 21:7
Here is an interesting verse and it requires a little reflection. Peter was naked, remember Adam in the garden. But Adam lost his innocence when he fell. Likewise, Peter fell when he denied Yeshua 3 times. He was no longer referred to as a disciple in some instances. See Mark 16:7, which states the ‘disciples and Peter‘, for example. Peter needed to be reinstated which is revealed shortly in John 21. He also casts himself into the sea which reminds us of Jonah being cast into the sea, Jonah 1:15, but Peter casts himself in to meet the Lord. Peter unlike Judas, still loves the Lord.
John 21:8
And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
The ‘little ship‘ with the ‘other disciples‘ could allude to the end time harvest workers, the 144,000. They were ‘two hundred cubits‘ from the land when they began to drag the catch ashore. The letter resh, ืจ, has the numeric value of 200 and this number is sometimes related to weakness and insufficiency while at other times it is related to strength or sufficiency. The ‘two hundred cubits‘ could refer to men of war or ‘understanding‘, I Chronicles 12:32, which of course the 144,000 would be for example. The 200 cubits could refer to the end time period of the harvest of souls that the fish represent lasting 200 days. Of course there is wariness involved, ‘dragging the net with fishes‘, it’s hard on the flesh, so 200 could infer weariness, I Samuel 30:21. Then again it could refer to the supernatural strength required to bring the catch in. The 200 cubits could also refer to the seed of God because there were 200 pomegranates on the top of each of the two pillars on Solomon’s Temple, I Kings 7:20. The number 200 is related to the vineyard and it’s fruit which is for those that work in the vineyard, Song of Solomon 8:12.
153 Fish & the Sons of God
Now let’s read the details of the bringing in of the catch to shore and what that could point to.
9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
John 21:9-13
10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
The ‘great fishes‘ are brought to Yeshua at His commandment. This reminds me of the ‘great multitude‘, Revelation 7:9, before the throne, ‘there were so many‘, but the Lord lost none of them. Does the ‘fire of coals‘ allude to the altar? One thing is for sure, these fish are about to be eaten, they are about to die. We are told the following in Revelation 7 concerning the ‘great multitude‘,
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Revelation 7:13-14
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
I am not sure if some of them died or all of them, but they are now in the presence of the Lord. Our bodies are temporary, we must at some stage put them down to be clothed with our eternal dwelling, our resurrection body. So this may be the ‘white robes‘ mentioned in verse 13. They have endured the first part of the tribulation, the first 5 Seals of Revelation. (I suspect this begins in 2024 from about Passover, we shall soon know if this is the correct timeframe!) They may be those raised during the first rapture of the barley harvest. But more likely the wheat harvest. Something to ponder.
Who brought these fish in? It was the 7 disciples. Some in the larger boat and ‘some others‘ in the little boat. So do those in the little boat refer to the end times harvest workers or servants spoken of in the parables in the gospels (because it doesn’t name them)? Do they refer to the 144,000? Peter in particular is singled out as bringing them to shore. Peter may represent believers in the end times that trusted in themselves but denied the Lord, but did not betray him as Judas did. Peter may represent Christians who initially fell away but returned to the Lord. We will talk more about Peter shortly.
Now let’s look at the curious mention of the number of fish, 153. Why mention this level of detail, well it is obviously important and I think I have the answer. In fact others have mined what I am about to share, I take no credit for it. I wrote an article about it which I mentioned in the introduction. But recently I watched a few videos that gave me a few more details that really nail it. Firstly the number 153 is a triangle number, it is the triangle of 17, which means 17+16+15+14 etc all the way to 1 gives us the number 153. Again read the article ‘Parsha โ Vayechi โ Joseph, Firstborn, Fish & the numbers 17, 50 & 153‘ for more details. Joseph the dreamer was 17 years old when he was betrayed. And so there is a connection between Joseph and the fish. Joseph’s descendants were promised to be numerous like the fish, especially Ephraim. Even the very word that Jacob used, translated ‘grow‘ is related to fish, dag, ืื.
The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow <dag, ืื> into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
Genesis 48:16
ืึทืึทึผืึฐืึธืึฐ ืึทืึนึผืึตื ืึนืชึดื ืึดืึธึผืึพืจึธืข ืึฐืึธืจึตืึฐ ืึถืชึพืึทื ึฐึผืขึธืจึดืื ืึฐืึดืงึธึผืจึตื ืึธืึถื ืฉึฐืืึดื ืึฐืฉึตืื ืึฒืึนืชึทื ืึทืึฐืจึธืึธื ืึฐืึดืฆึฐืึธืง ืึฐืึดืึฐืึผืึผ ืึธืจึนื ืึฐึผืงึถืจึถื ืึธืึธึฝืจึถืฅื
By the way the name for fish in Hebrew, dag, ืื, adds to 7 which is the number of the men fishing and the number of churches in Revelation 2 & 3. And this is related to Joseph’s sons in particular that ‘grow‘ and multiply like fish in the sea of humanity.
Now the number 153 itself is related to some Hebrew words that I think that you will find amazing.
The Hebrew word for the ‘sons of God‘, ‘benei HaElohim‘, ืื ื ืืืืืื, adds up to 153!
If that is not enough, there is a name that also adds to 153. The one that built the tabernacle ‘Bezaleel‘, ืืฆืืื, who represents the capenter Yeshua who said he will ‘build my church’ also adds to 153. And the name ‘Bezaleel‘, ืืฆืืื, literally means ‘in the image of God‘! So both the Chief of all fishers of Men, Yeshua, the ‘son of God‘, who is the very ‘image of the invisible God the Father‘, and the fish are related to the image of God and the Sons of God. The fish are the children of God. We are told in Revelation 7:15 that ‘they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple:‘.
Yeshua’s appearing the third time
Next we read…
This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
John 21:14
This ‘third time‘ that ‘Jesus shewed himself to his disciples‘ is conspicuously not mentioned in the other three gospels. Just like the resurrection of Lazarus is only mentioned in John. This is because the gospel of John is giving the birds eye view, not only of what happened, but of what shall happen in the future.
The Evil End-Times Generation Jonah Connection:
Peter is Reinstated as a Disciple
Peter is someone that we can all identify with because of his humanness, good intentions, enthusiasm and fallibility. Under the pressure of the moment Peter who loved the Lord fell and denied Yeshua three times. He didn’t know his own weakness until then. So Yeshua asked him three times if he loved Him. So three denials required three affirmations of His love for Yeshua.
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
John 21:15-17
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
We could talk about the Greek words used for Love, Agape and Phileao or the word for Lambs verses Sheep, others have done that. I want to hone in on the name Yeshua uses to refer to Peter, that is, ‘Simon, son of Jonas‘. Why does he mention this here? What does it add to the narrative? There are many details in the bible, non of them are trivial or happenstance. Not one ‘jot or tittle‘ is there without meaning.
Peter is often referred to as Simon Peter. Even so, I want to explore the name a little as I think it adds some colour to what is going on here. The name ‘Simon‘, ฯฮนฮผฯฮฝ, is the Greek version of ‘Simeon‘, ืฉืืืขืื, the second born son of Jacob. Like Levi, Simeon had a hot fiery nature prone to anger as was displayed when their sister Dinah was raped in Genesis 34:2. Both Levi and Simeon had a righteous indignation for sure, but there was also an unholy edge to their anger. They were pretty quick to circumcise their enemies heads from their necks. They were, in this respect, a little bit like Esau who lived by the sword, they weren’t afraid of some fiery bloodletting when provoked.
Simeon was imprisoned by Joseph and we could infer from that that he was the most antagonistic towards Joseph 13 years earlier when they wanted to kill him but ended up selling him. Simeon along with Levi and Judah were the leaders in this evil plot. In their Satanic hate filled conspiracy against their own brother they showed a callousness that would be revisited later by Joseph. So back to the narrative here in John 21, when the name Simon is used to refer to Peter we could make that connection back to Simeon and his own betrayal of Joseph. Peter betrayed a brother also. Peter denied the Lord, he forsook Yeshua and denied his brother, so to speak, in a cowardly act that links us back to Genesis with Simeon’s betrayal of Joseph.
Yeshua refers to Peter with another name also. Peter is not just referred to as Simon Peter, but rather, ‘Simon, son of Jonas‘. Why does Yeshua spell out his father ‘Jonas‘ here? I believe he is getting to Peter’s heart. Peter didn’t want Yeshua to suffer, Yeshua had to say ‘get behind me Satan‘! Peter meant well but he didn’t understand that we have to suffer often to advance the kingdom. Not only did our Messiah have to die on the cross, but we too have to take up our cross and follow Him.
But also I believe Yeshua’s referal to Peter as ‘Simon, son of Jonas‘ is prophetic because the entire chapter is not only an historical account of the third time Yeshua appeared after the resurrection but it is a prophecy concerning the end times generation at His return. The name ‘son of Jonas‘ reminds us of Jonah, the prophet that fled the presence of the Lord. Both Peter and Jonah had something to do with boats, fish, being cast into water and preaching a hard message to an evil generation, to doing something hard and going somewhere that they would rather not go. Jonah was thrown overboard while Peter jumped overboard to meet the Lord. Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah and Peter was later told in verse 18 that others ‘carry thee whither thou wouldest not‘. Now let’s read what the Lord told us about Jonah in the gospels…
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
Matthew 12:38-45
29 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
compare also
Mark 8:11-12 & Luke 11:29-32
I want to make a note here that when it says that the ‘men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it‘ it is speaking of the resurrection that occurs in Daniel 12. This occurs just before the return of Yeshua when Zion is in travail in Revelation 12 where Michael and his angels are fighting the Dragon and Satan & his Angels are cast out of heaven. There is a resurrection of the wicked and the righteous.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Daniel 12:1-3
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Yeshua reinstates Peter. He only calls him the ‘son of Jonas‘ here. And by stating he is the ‘son of Jonas‘, Yeshua also makes a connection to the Prophet Jonah who also disobeyed the Lord but was corrected and given mercy to complete his mission to Nineveh. Peter would complete his mission also.
In Matthew 12 Yeshua had talked about His ‘three days and three nights in the heart of the earth‘ and compared it to Jonah’s time in the whale (actually ‘fish‘, ืื, dag in Hebrew). We have thus a connection through the name Jonah to a sign to the wicked generation in Yeshua’s day. And we also have a connection to the evil generation in the end times because the gospel has been preached amongst the gentiles and now the gentiles and christian nations are rejecting the truth, as the Jews did 2000 years ago as a nation (not all Jews but the religious leaders). Our semi christian nations were relatively clean of the worst of demonisation that pagan nations experienced. Now however our formerly christian nations are becoming demon possessed in a way that is 7 times worse than our state before the gospel came. So the demonisation caused by the rejection of the gospel in the end times generation is similar but worse than that which happened to the Jewish nation in Yeshua’s time before it’s eventual overthrow in 70 AD.
Peter who was called ‘Simon, son of Jonas‘, seems to represent those that will put their necks on the line to feed Yeshua’s sheep and preach His Word in these end times. It would seem that there is an end times move of God’s Spirit, a final shout to repent will be sounded by a faithful end time remnant. It is a wonderful thing if the Lord asks us to serve Him in some way. There is a connection to the Lord in the very doing of our tasks, we can have fellowship with Him as we serve Him. We are serving Almighty God. What a privilege, no matter what the task is. But there is a cost involved. This end times task will require self denial and possibly death to see it through, it did for Peter, and it will for those that follow in his footsteps.
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
John 21:18-19
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
It was Yeshua that commissioned Peter, it will be Yeshua that commissions the 144,000 and other servants in these end times. There is cost involved in following the Lord, catching ‘fish‘, the ‘sons of God‘ and feeding His sheep.
Shall John live for 2000 years? Is he alive now?
Here is an interesting and controversial question! For some reason John’s gospel talks about something that seems just inconsequential. Why mention if John ‘tarry‘ till Yeshua returns? We could say it is just some interesting but irrelevant detail that was added for our enjoyment. But there is another verse in Ecclesiastes that makes me ponder this further. First let’s read the text in John 21.
20ย Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
John 21:20-23
21ย Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
22ย Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
23ย Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
Ok so Yeshua is not saying that John will not die, but he does imply that he could live until He returns! You might say, “no”, it’s just a random conversation and I am making a big deal of it. Ok, perhaps, but then I also read the following in Ecclesiastes…
Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?
Ecclesiastes 6:6
A ‘thousand years twice told‘ is 2000 years. Why is this mentioned here? Is it just another detail in the bible that is of no consequence? Or could it be a clue, and all we have to do is put the clues and inconsequential details together? Could John be a secret witness to the entire church age? Could he be like an earthly observer of the future bride in the making? Has John been alive all this time?
A few verses earlier in Ecclesiastes 6:3 we are told that ‘he have no burial‘. Is the Apostle John one of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 that were not buried? Yes of course Moses & Elijah or Enoch are perfect candidates for them of course! Let’s read that portion in Revelation…
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Revelation 11:8-9
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
I know the Moses and Elijah are good candidates for the two witnesses, as is Enoch. But I add John to the list of possibilities. Remember also that the Apostle John was told that he would have to prophecy to many people, and this is in the last verse of Revelation chapter 10, just before the two witnesses are discussed in chapter 11.
And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Revelation 10:11
Could John be alive today and could he yet ‘prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings‘ during the tribulation? I know that John could have done this during a normal lifespan in his day. But it is entirely scripturally possible that the disciple that Yeshua loved was not only exiled on the Island of Patmos, he was also exiled in time having lived over 2000 years by divine power. Yeshua didn’t say that John would not die, but ‘If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?’ Something to think about. I would like to meet him if indeed his life has been supernaturally extended. I think he would have a special sort of fellowship with the One he loved. And I think he would have a special sort of loneliness that none of us could really fathom or touch. I am sure he could do with a hug. I think that by the time Yeshua returns we could all do with one. Maybe we should give hugs more often while we still can? Do we truly value those around us as we ought? I think we can all improve in that area.
Conclusion
The Lord Yeshua is in control of our future. He is the Lord of time and space. He has chosen us, called us and He will take us to be with Him. And He shall return.
We have looked at John 21 with its account of Yeshua’s third appearance to 7 of His disciples on the shore of the Galilee. We can see the fishing for men symbolised with the 153 fish. We can see that the number 153 is the numeric value of the ‘sons of God‘, ‘benei HaElohim‘, ืื ื ืืืืืื, and the one who is ‘in the image of God‘, ‘Bezaleel‘, ืืฆืืื, which is Yeshua and by extension and his children! The ‘net‘ is ‘not broken‘, none are lost, God is in control! The ‘great fishes‘ are gathered before Him by His disciples and we are told that they are ‘so many‘. There is a Tribulation time fulfilment of this symbolism as well as throughout the church age. We read in Revelation 7 that there 144,000 from each of the 12 tribes and then there is a ‘great multitude‘. So we could infer that the 144,000 were the ones doing the end time fishing of this ‘great multitude‘, they are like the ‘other disciples‘ in the ‘little boat‘.
Peter is reconciled after affirming his love 3 times. The number 3 is all about resurrection and is prominent in John 21 and in Jonah. There is an end time fulfilment implied by the mention of Jonah as Peter’s father. This reminds us of Yeshua’s warning of the sign of Jonah to a wicked and adulterous generation in His day and in the final generation before His return. Peter is to suffer and to go where he doesn’t want to go, just like Jonah. But it is all for God’s glory, Peter’s growth and the salvation of souls. So shall it be for the end times disciples, perhaps even the 144,000, because before we reign with the Lord we also suffer with Him. But if we do suffer, there is a purpose in it, a refining and a glory to follow.
It could be that John the apostle is still alive and this too will be revealed in the end, if it be true. If so, then he has been a witness down here to the entire church age and will witness again during the tribulation.
Finally he writes…
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
John 21:24-25
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
Addendum
One further note. We are far closer to the end than many want to know. We are awaiting the return of our King Yeshua. We are all hopefully keeping His calendar and His feasts as they are dress rehearsals, not only of the past, but more importantly for things to come. We don’t keep Christmas because those feasts are actually pagan and are about the ‘return of the gods‘, Satan’s angels and Nephilim and demons and hybrids and whatever else he has cooked up. The pagan christian calendar is a counterfeit. There are many parallels with the Hebrew one, including Easter instead of Passover. There are the 40 days of lent. And Christmas and Hanukah are similar in some ways at about the same time. Hanukah was not one of the 7 feasts but the Lord kept it. And it was the commemoration of battles fought against pagan Greeks and their desecration of God’s house. But the root of the ‘christian calendar’ is pagan and falls into Satan’s end time counterfeit and the Antichrist himself who will change times and laws, Daniel 7:25. The Lord in any case commanded Israel to keep his sabbath and feasts, not Sunday, Easter, Halloween & Christmas. The Sabbath is a sign between the Lord and Israel, Exodus 31:16, that has never been rescinded.
There are believers in messiah, that sing carols and truly love Yeshua. I am not here to judge hearts. The Lords sees our hearts. But we need to take the Lord’s calendar seriously and not incorporate the Catholic Golden Calf calendar into his worship. Yeshua deserves better than that. And He said, “if ye love me keep my commandments“, John 14:15, see also I John 5:2-3. Pretty simple really. But do it humbly.
Yeshua is looking for a humble bride, not a proud messianic or a mistletoe mixed up christian. I am not judging the intent of peoples heart, I am saying we need to keep humble and get rid of the leaven of sin and paganism from the faith. The Lord will not take pagan christian or proud messianics. The Lord’s calendar and appointed time are important, especially in these end times. The Sabbath is a sign between me and Israel the Lord says, and we are the ‘Israel of God‘, Galatians 6:16. Are we spirit filled, then let us keep the feasts of the Lord, but not with the leaven of malice and hypocrisy, I Corinthians 5:8.
Another bit of advice for those that can feel discouraged. Don’t look too much on what the wicked are doing. Be aware of things but press into God, press towards Yeshua not the NWO and their plans. Don’t spend too long ‘doom scrolling‘. We have very little time left. Get oil for you lamps. Press into your Redeemer. In these end times we need to be spirit filled and looking to Yeshua not the headlines. We will go where our eyes are pointing. Don’t peer into the darkness, look to the Light. Let’s look up as all these things come to pass. Let us not look down.
I suspect we could be already in the 4th seal and that it will soon manifest with all the other riders of the Apocalypse. If so then we shall see the end of America and the world in 2024. The horses have been held back because the tribulation has been shortened from the beginning, not the end. We shall see if this is correct. If so then this coming Passover and Pentecost will be our last before WW3 and the 2nd exodus.
Our movies and sci-fi come to us care of the Vatican controlled Hollywood via the Jesuits, Freemasons and the Zionists that worship Dagon and kiss the Popes limp wet, slimy and very fishy wrist. It’s all witchcraft & its all a counterfeit. Whether this year or next, if ‘Aliens‘ appear on Christmas Day, just remember it’s their feast, not ours! Santa is not Jesus even if it looks like he has a white beard and his vesture is dipped in blood. Santa is Satan and his garments are dripping with the blood of the righteous, Yeshua’s vesture is dipped in the blood of the wicked, his enemies, at the battle of Armageddon. But when the ‘gods‘ return, the Whore shall go out to meet them in their flying saucers and welcome them to earth.
Nevertheless may the Bride make herself ready for her King. May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering. I believe that there are some that are ready to be taken to heaven now and He shall take them first, because it is all about being ready. There are different feasts and harvests for various believers according to their time and readiness. I am sure if the Lamb takes some to be with him, the ‘aliens‘ will take the credit. Satan as ‘god of this world‘ has a lie cooked up for every occasion and his minions are coming at the close of this ‘evil age‘. And so is our Lord. We shall soon see Him. Look up (not to flying saucers, but our Redeemer). Even so, Come Lord Yeshua.
Yeshua gave the Revelation to the Apostle John and he writes the following, the last words of the bible…
20 He which testifieth these things saith,
Revelation 22:20
Surely I come quickly.
Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.
Shalom & Love in Yeshua’s name
Rory
