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WHEN IS THE END? That Day, the End Day, Is Restoration Day While anyone can, and so many have set actual dates, the only dates that could count are dates that God would have set. Has He set dates? Where and how can we find them and interpret them, particularly "That Day"—the End Day, the Day of the Lord? The disciples of Christ asked Him when the age would end (Matt. 24:3). In essence, they asked Him about the Day of the Lord.Christ remarked, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32). In the first chapter of Acts, we see the disciples of Christ asking Him again, after His resurrection, about that day. Several things are shown in scripture. We must remember that by that time, Christ had reclaimed the glory He had before the world began (John 17:5); the same glory He now shares with the Father in heaven (1 Tim. 3:16), with all wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). Christ tells them again that it was not for them to know the times or dates the Father had set (Acts 1:7). However, at this time, He did not say that He (the Son) did not know the date. At this second asking, Jesus did not claim not to have this knowledge because He was then omniscient, once again! The above passage (Matt. 24:36) was certainly true while Christ appeared in human flesh, but it did not pertain to Christ in His post-resurrection/glorified state, approximately forty days later, nor does it pertain to all people future to the time that it was stated. It is axiomatic, that all will know when it is all over. The words translated there as "no one knows" do not mean "no one will know." Actually, the word in the Greek is eido, which is used in the perfect tense and describes an action which is viewed as past tense. Accordingly, it should be translated as it is in the YLT (Young’s Literal Translation) as "no one hath known." No one having known before Christ’s resurrection in any way precludes everyone from knowing later. Therefore, let us not stumble over one passage, but continue to seek from the prophetic word of God. The disciples equalled that day, the end day, with the time of restoring the kingdom to Israel (Matt. 24:3; Acts 1:6). This is also seen in the Old Testament (Amos 9:11; Dan. 2:44). These passages clearly equate the end with the restoration of Israel. If we can find out when the restoration will take place, then we will know when the end will be. THE BIBLE SETS DATES The Book of Revelation was written decades after the books of Matthew and Mark. Once certain events of the tribulation take place, one can know when other events, and when the end will occur! Once the abomination is set up that causes desolation (Dan. 12:11), it will lead directly to the end of this age. According to Daniel 12:7, this is to be for a time, times, and a half a time, or 3-1/2 years. When Christ spoke of the end, He remarked that there would be an abomination in the Temple (which has to be rebuilt), and that it would cause desolation. This is the same thing spoken of by Daniel. Christ instructed the people to flee the area because the greatest of tribulations would begin (Matt. 24:15-16, 21). The people who flee (to a specially prepared place) will be taken care of for 1,260 days (Rev. 12:6). We now see that the end will come 1,260 days from the abomination. Therefore, once this abomination is seen, anyone can begin to put an "X" through each successive day on a calendar, and do this exactly 1,260 times, until the Lord of Glory appears at the Revelation. Dates/Signs Are For The Jews God has clearly given signs to His sign-needy people, the Jews. "Jews demand miraculous signs…" (1 Cor 1:22). But, as the Apostle Paul instructed the Church, "We live by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7). The Messiah remarked, "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign…" (Matt. 16:4). As time passes, evil grows. After the Church is raptured (the translation of true believers to heaven), evil will no longer be restrained (2 Thess. 2:7). All who are left on the earth at that moment are evil. Among this wicked generation, God will once again provide signs, and again, He will deal predominately with the Jews. Once again, signs will accompany God’s message and messengers. To understand more about signs and times, and to distinguish them from what is signless and timeless, we need to examine the difference between prophecy and mystery. Prophecy vs. Mystery The early Church, mostly Jewish, was living in expectation of the coming Kingdom of Israel—thus they are known as the "Kingdom Church." Not all of the Jews repented as Peter had instructed them to do (Acts 2:38). Miraculous signs and wonders continued, and Peter again instructed them to repent and to receive the times of refreshing, with its revelation of Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21).9 This "Kingdom Church" was looking for the revelation of Christ onto the earth. By Acts 28, the Jews’ heart had become calloused and God’s salvation was sent to the Gentiles (Acts 28:27-29). This great responsibility was given to Paul (Eph. 3:1-2). He spoke of the Jews rejection of the Gospel and how he was the apostle to the Gentiles, to make the Jews envious (Rom. 11:11-18). The new and distinct body of believers formed through Paul is known as the "Mystery Church." It is also known as the Church of Grace because of its emphasis on the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24).10 The early Church—the prophesied, or Kingdom Church—emphasized the gospel of the Kingdom. It proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven was near, that it began with John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2), continued with Christ (Mark 1:15), and later with others (Luke 10:1; Matt. 28:19). It is the gospel of the Kingdom that will be preached again in the future by 144,000 Jews (Rev. 7; Rev. 14), as well as by the prophet Elijah. It will be preached after the Mystery Church is raptured: "…in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). The Kingdom Church will be looking for the Revelation of Jesus Christ onto the earth. The Mystery Church is looking for the Rapture—meeting Jesus Christ in the clouds in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). The present church—the non-prophesied, or Mystery Church—emphasizes the gospel of the grace of God. It says that those who accept the death of Christ on the cross as their sacrifice for their sins, and believe in His resurrection from the dead, will have eternal life (Rom. 10:9).
Unlike the rapture, the end day, defined by the Revelation of Jesus Christ onto the earth at the Mount of Olives, can be calculated with close precision. In Matthew and Mark’s day, no one had known "the day or hour" of the Revelation (Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32). This doesn’t mean that decades later when the book of Revelation was unveiled, that people would forever be in a dark veil about the date of Christ’s Revelation. "People saved during the early part of the Tribulation will have opportunity to study the Scriptures, hear the teaching of the 144,000 (Rev. 7) and exactly calculate the day Jesus will set foot on the Mount of Olives. For, from the time of the abomination of the future temple by the Antichrist (Matt. 24:15-22; Mark 13:14; 2 Thess. 2:3-4; Dan. 9:24-27; 11:31; and 12:11), it will be exactly 1,260 days until Jesus fulfills Zechariah 14:4 when He sets foot on the Mount of Olives on the East of Jerusalem."11 It is certainly more difficult to find the time of the Revelation of Christ the further the event is from the present. Unlike the Rapture, the Revelation is a subject of Old Testament prophecy. We would then expect to be able to glean information, however veiled, which would shed light on the subject. Let’s look! Remember, the end day is comprised of several events that are all associated with restoring the kingdom to Israel. In the previous chapter, we saw different events of the end day: the end of Man’s Week; the end of Gentile kingdoms; the destruction of the "prince," associated with the abomination which will have caused desolation, and the Revelation of God—better known as Jesus Christ, all occur at that "end day." Since we understand that the "end day" (that day) is concurrent with restoring the kingdom to Israel, we need to examine any prophecies related to "that day"—that Day of the Lord, with its wrath and restoration—in order to determine when it will occur. WRATH AND RESTORATION Some verses in the Bible that relate to wrath, and then to restoration, are the closing verses of Hosea, chapter 5, and the beginning verses of Hosea, chapter 6. There also, we are given a date set by God! "Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me. Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence" (Hosea 5:15; 6:1,2). The date is, "on the third day." In the context of this passage, if we read the verses just before this, the Lord is speaking judgement upon the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim), which will be quick; and on the Southern Kingdom (Judah), which would be slow (moth vs. rot, Hosea 5:12). This certainly speaks of the times of the Assyrian King and later the Babylonian King several centuries before Christ. But as we will see in the next section, it speaks of God—inthe person of Christ—going back to His place. Israel had strayed and rebelled against God (Hos. 7:13). For doing so, certain prophesied consequences would (or will) occur: God would, "…turn away from them" (Hos. 9:12); there would be, "…wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry" (Hos. 9:14); the Jews would be, "…wanderers among the nations" (Hos. 9:17) ; and they would, "…have no king…" (Hos. 10:3). At the end, "…they will say to the mountains, ‘Cover us!’ and to the hills, ‘Fall on us’" (Hos. 10:8)! Nations will gather against them (Hos. 10:10); and they will finally seek the Lord, Who will come again to Israel (Hos. 10:12). This "coming again to Israel" refers to that day—the end day. The history of the Jews since their rejection of God (in the person of Jesus the Messiah at the cross, or Messiah Ben Joseph), has been one of misery. As He was being led to the cross, Jesus reminded them of His words from the prophet Hosea: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us’" (Luke 23:28-30)! Only forty years after Christ’s statement, the Jews were sent to wandering, and have not had a king since. All the other events spoken above in Hosea 10:8-12 will occur at the end. Hosea also tells us about what will happen in the Tribulation. Hosea 13:7-8 speaks of a lion, a leopard, a bear, and a wild animal (a beast). This parallels the Gentile kingdoms that have ruled and will rule over Israel until the Lord returns. It also represents the future tribulation of the woman with the pains of childbirth (Hos. 13:13). These same animals—the lion, the leopard, the bear, and the wild beast will be represented in the soon coming ruler—the Antichrist—the one spoken of in the Old Testament as being the Assyrian (Micah 5:6). He will be a composite of the beasts that Daniel saw. The last "wild animal" is a composite beast, and is mentioned in Rev 13:2. It will be a revived combination of the old Roman empire, and the Babylonian, Assyrian, and Grecian empires as well. Its ruler, the Antichrist, will rule the territory of the old Roman empire—north, south, and east of the Mediterranean Sea. This won’t be merely the European Union or the European Economic Community, as so many contemporary Bible prophecy teachers postulate. This is wrong because Europe’s geographic location alone does not fit the facts (see the section, "Babylon" in the next chapter), and because the ten kingdoms with their ten kings aren’t established until the Antichrist is a king (Rev. 17:12), which is after the Tribulation starts. GOD LEAVES ISRAEL Since we see that Hosea speaks not only of his time but a far distant time, we can apply the prophecies of Hosea (5:14-15; 6:1-3) to a time much further in the future. In Hosea 5:14-15, God said, "I will tear them to pieces and go away… I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt." In Matthew 23, Christ mourns, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’" (Matt. 23:37-39). He also said about the temple building, "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down" (Matt. 24:2). Christ spoke these words in 30 A.D., and the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. On the cross, Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). The Father answered the Son’s prayer, and judgement was not brought immediately, but was postponed forty years.
We can now establish the time when God, in the person of Christ, went back to His place and hid His face (Hosea 5:15); also in Hosea 5:15, and Matthew 23:39, when He promised that the Jews would not see him again until..… The time when God left was 30 A.D., when He was crucified. The place spoken of is none other than the New Jerusalem—heaven. "In my Father’s house are many rooms… I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am" (John 14:2-3). This is the place where God/Christ dwells—The Father tells the Son, "The LORD says to my Lord: `Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’"(Psalm 110:1). To the Son he also says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever… Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" (Heb. 1:3,13).12 We see here that God’s/Christ’s place is in heaven, to which Christ ascended, and from which He has promised to return. ISRAEL’S RETURN TO THE LORD Next, we need to examine the passage in Hosea 6:1 that speaks of Israel’s return to the Lord for healing, to see when it applies: "Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds" (Hosea 6:1). The book of Jeremiah shows us that the time of this return, was not, as many believe, when Israel became a nation in 1948. "‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am merciful,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt…’ declares the Lord" (Jer. 3:12-13). "At that time they will call Jerusalem, The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel…" (Jer. 3:17-18). The time spoken of for this return is after the future 70th week of Jacob’s trouble (The Tribulation). "At that time" and "in those days" will be during the Day of the Lord, when Israel is to be restored—after the end. The nations of the world will be gathering in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. That time of restoration certainly is not going on as of this writing! HOSEA 6:2—LORD IS AWAY TWO DAYS This next verse gives us the length of time that God will be away before the restoration, which as we have seen begins at the end: "After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence" (Hos. 6:2). Let’s really dissect this passage! The word after is not very specific at all when you think about it, for everything comes after something. One wonders why it would even be there in such a specific time passage as this. Using the word after implies that it could be any time after two days, or any time in the third day rather than "on the third day" (at the beginning of the third day). The reference to this passage in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, shows that the word after has no corresponding reference number behind it. According to the instructions in Dr. Strong’s book, this means that the word does not appear in the Hebrew text of Scripture; that it was added by the translators for clarity. So we can drop the word after, because it has been added. Revival And Restoration The next key words in the passage are revive and restore. Revive also appears as the translation in the King James Version (KJV). It means to quicken—and the Lord is certainly going to be doing this during the Tribulation. In the KJV, restore is translated raise up. It means to be established, as well as to raise up or restore. The Lord has certainly made it clear that Israel will be restored at that day (the day of the Lord): "In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent (Amos 9:11)." Chapters 8-13 of Hosea further expand the Hosea 6:2 passage on reviving. It is clear that this will occur in the future. For they, "…begin to waste away under the oppression of the mighty king" (Hos. 8:10)." This, of course, is the Antichrist. "The days of punishment are coming" (Hos 9:7), refers to the last week of Daniel’s 70th week, or the Tribulation. All is stated clearly in Hosea 3:4-5: "For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days." The first sentence refers to their present kingless state; the second, of their restoration. The Israelites will be purged of their dross and then restored as they were in days of old (Isa. 1:25,26). Zephaniah, who speaks of the day of the Lord (Zeph. 1:14), promises, "‘At that time I will gather you… when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,’ says the Lord" (Zeph. 3:20). Jeremiah 16 also speaks of the latter days, and refers to the combination of wrath, followed by restoration. The Scriptures associate this day of the Lord ("that day") with rest: "In that day…his place of rest will be glorious" (Isa 11:10). In the 3rd chapter of Acts, the Apostle Peter explains to the men of Israel that they had killed the author of life, but that God had raised him from the dead. He added, "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing [restoration] may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets" (Acts 3:17-21). It is important to note that Christ is to remain in heaven (His place, Hosea 5:15) until the time comes to restore everything (the raising up, or restoration, spoken of in Hosea 6:2). TIMES OF REFRESHING We just saw above that the restoration is associated with the times of refreshing. The day of the Lord has long been associated by the Jews as a time of the kingdom, the time of restoration, and the time of refreshing. The Jews had a tendency to overlook the wrath of the day of the Lord, in spite of numerous warnings, such as this by Amos, the Prophet: "Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light" (Amos 5:18). What they longed for was the good news that the day of the Lord would bring. The good news of their refreshing in their restored kingdom will last for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-7). A DAY IS 1,000 YEARS The Day of the Lord is to be 1,000 years in duration—a millennium (see Rev. 20:2, 3). "…for [in] six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed" (Exodus 31:17) (KJV). This millennium in the Old Testament is described as a "Sabbath keeping" period of rest, and is referred to as such in Hebrews 4:4-11, where it is associated with the seventh day of the creative week—a time to rest and be refreshed. We now see that this seventh day corresponds to the seventh day of the week, and that it is 1,000 years in length. Therefore, it is not unwarranted to associate the other six days of God’s creative week with the 6,000 years of man’s "week," which continues to elapse. In Hosea 6:2, "two days" and "on the third day" are mentioned. These "days" can only be on the scale of 1,000 years to a day. Scripture contains different time scales. A day can be a year (seven days (one week) represents seven years) as in the 70th week of Daniel (a period of seven years) (See also Ezek. 4:6.). A day can also be 1,000 years, as in Psalm 90:4, "For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by," and 2 Peter 3:8, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." Thus, we see that God can use a day to symbolize different units of time. The above days (in Hosea 6:2) cannot be literal days or even years, for many literal days and years have passed since Hosea’s time. Hosea himself said this would be the case: "For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince…" (Hos. 3:4-5). So Hosea’s "days" are not 24-hour days, or one year days, but 1,000-year days. RESTORATION ON THE THIRD DAY It is both interesting and significant that while He was on the earth, Christ was rejected from Jerusalem for two days, and was raised on the third day. The Lord God is making Christ’s brethren—Israel—a "type" of Himself, and is thoroughly keeping the law for them: "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." As they rejected Christ, so God is rejecting the Israelites for two days, and will restore them on the third day. Let us take another look at Hosea 6:2: "After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence." Just as Israel’s Christ was raised on the third day, Israel itself will be raised on the third day. The late, great J. Vernon McGee also saw this parallel. In "Thru The Bible,"13 he expounds on Hosea’s prophetic passage: "‘In the third day he will raise us up’—this is very interesting in light of the fact that the resurrection of Christ was on the third day. He was raised for the justification of both Jew and Gentile. This will also be applicable in that future day when God will bring Israel back into that land and bring them to himself. In Ezekiel 37 God speaks of that day as a resurrection, and that resurrection will be based on the One who was raised on the third day; for in Christ’s resurrection there is provided, for any man who will accept it, a redemption and a justification which will bring him into a right relationship with Almighty God. "The apostle Paul develops the subject of the future of Israel in Romans 11. In our day, God’s purpose in building his church is to draw to himself both Jew and Gentile, people out of every tongue and tribe and nation, who are going to come before him to worship. When God completes his purpose in the church and takes it out of the world, he will again turn to the nation Israel and will raise her up. Every prophet who wrote in Scripture—and even some who didn’t write—spoke of God’s future purpose for the nation Israel. Even before the children of Israel could get into the land, Moses began to talk about the coming day when God would restore them back to the land for the third time. The third time—on the third day, so to speak—the restoration to the land would be a permanent restoration. There is a correlation between this restoration and Christ’s being raised from the dead on the third day." THE MYSTERY Overview of the Mystery This author agrees with Dr. McGee’s above perspective. However, this book is about the end of the age, about which Scripture prophesies. It is not about the Church Age, which exists at the time of this writing. In Dr. McGee’s passage, he spoke of God taking out the present day Church, which is a mystery.14 As discussed earlier, a mystery and a prophecy are far from the same thing! Prophecy can have a sign and a time (date), while a mystery is signless and timeless. Let us diverge from prophecy momentarily to further examine the mystery, then return to "Restoration on the third day." This Age ends, as has been shown, with the second coming of Jesus Christ in Rev. 1:7, "Every eye shall see him." The physical removal from the earth of the present day Mystery Church is what is popularly known as the Rapture. God will do this before He deals with an unrepentant Israel (and remaining prophecy), and certainly before the Antichrist or lawless one is revealed (2 Thess. 2:8). The Mystery Church, with its Rapture, should really be the subject of another book, but since that will mark the end of the earthly pilgrimage for all believers as of the time of this writing, it might interest some to read of educated guesses as to the approximate time the Rapture will occur.15 When will the Rapture occur? One can only guess, for this is truly a mystery, as was affirmed by the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:51), and is not a subject of Old Testament prophecy (Rom. 16:25; Col. 1:26). Definition of the Mystery The mystery is this: The body of believers in Christ, which have lived since the time of Christ and until the time of the Rapture, is a body in which Gentiles are able to come to God directly through Christ, the Jewish Messiah (Eph. 3:6)—without the birthright of God’s chosen people, the Jews, or through adoption of Jewish Mosaic Law.16 Salvation was extended to the Gentiles because the Jews were not in a right relationship with God. They could have been a blessing to the rest of the world, yet to this day they continue to chafe under God’s rejection.17 In a sense, the problem of an unrepentant Jewish nation has temporarily been set aside, while God carries on with business (Rom. 11:11-25). They’re "on break," and are being disciplined. In the meantime, we who are believers by faith, having been sprinkled with the blood of Christ, are able to pass from the outer court of the temple directly into the Holy of Holies! We who are in Christ may go directly to the throne of God, and no longer need a Priest to intercede and make sacrifice for our sins. The Old Testament prophets never saw this long break because it was not revealed to them (Eph. 3:5); "The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations…" (Col. 1:26). Paul addressed both the Mystery and the Rapture. Rapture Within The Mystery "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (1 Cor. 15:51-52). Let’s start guessing when this will happen, right now! It will happen sometime between the present and the time when the Antichrist signs a seven-year peace treaty with Israel. The Bible gives a promise that the lawless one (the Antichrist) will not be revealed until the One who is restraining lawlessness is taken out of the way (2 Thess. 2:7-8). The One who is the restrainer could be none other than the Holy Spirit, indwelling and working through the body of believers, the Church. The Bible also promises that God will never leave the believers (Heb. 13:5). Therefore, when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, the believers go with Him. We are told that this will be done before the Antichrist is positively identified or revealed (at least by the signing of the peace treaty with Israel). Since it will take time for the Antichrist to work his way into position for such an agreement, he will surely have revealed many indications of his identity before the actual signing ceremony. So it is probable that the Church will be taken out of the way long before the ceremony, perhaps years earlier. The removal of the Church, and the Holy Spirit, will open the door for lawlessness to develop at an enhanced rate, thus opening the door for the lawless one to "solve" Israel’s problems by signing a seven-year peace treaty at the beginning of the Jewish New Year (either on Rosh HaShanah or Yom Kippur).18 Letters to the Churches If we examine closely the letters to the churches in Rev. 2-3, some very interesting things come to light. Many Bible expositors are correct, spiritually speaking, when they say those chapters give us the history of the Church from the time of Christ to the Rapture. But, more definitely, these chapters provide ongoing instruction throughout the tribulation. Many expositors say the Church isn’t mentioned again after chapter 3, until we see it again in chapter 19. They therefore conclude that since the tribulation is between chapters 6-19, and since there is no instruction for the Church during that time, that the Church is raptured before the tribulation. This author believes that instructions about what to do during the tribulation have already been provided in the book of Revelation, chapters two and three. These special chapters in Revelation offer many details to the Churches about how to proceed through the tribulation. The solution to the enigma is that the Churches described in chapters two and three are believers who are receiving instructions during the time that evil is no longer being restrained. This body of believers is clearly very Jewish in nature, and is not the Mystery Church previously described. Rather, this is the body of believers who begin to profess Christ after the Mystery Church is raptured. The Rapture will be a monumental, worldwide event, and countless hearts will be immediately quickened as they realize—too late—that they should have believed sooner. Nevertheless, these new believers will comprise a new church—the Kingdom Church.
A Day Is A Year We saw earlier that a scriptural day can be a physical year. From Jewish festival typology, we shall soon learn that Yom Kippur, the Jewish New Year, will be the chosen day of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.19 There are 10 days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh HaShanah is the blowing of the trumpets, and the ten days between them have been known as the Days of Awe. They are a time of testing, as were the 10 days of Daniel and the other princes’ 10 days of testing. We saw that a day is a year during the period of the week of Jacob’s trouble. Thus, 10 days should be 10 years. If we could determine how long the next church (the Kingdom Church) was going to suffer under Satan— particularly when Satan’s evil is no longer restrained—we would have a possible time for the Rapture of the Mystery Church, the coming of Jesus Christ to meet His saints in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:17). The time of suffering is given: "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Rev. 2:10, KJV). If we assume that great evil and suffering will break out when God no longer restrains evil; that God will begin to deal with the Kingdom Church right after the Rapture of the Mystery Church; that the 10 days in Rev. 2:10 are 10 years; then the Mystery Church (the present day Church) is taken to heaven (John 14:3) 10 years before the end. For example, if the end is at 2030 A.D., that will make 2020 A.D. the time of the Rapture for the present day Mystery Church. Type for the Mystery Church Here are more educated guesses for you. God raised up other first fruits with Christ when He arose, and we (the born again believers) are all part of this first resurrection in Christ (1 Cor. 15:20, 23). If God uses the typology here, the dead in Christ (1 Thess. 4:16) may rise on the same calendar day that Christ arose. That day would be on the Sunday after the Spring full moon in Israel, which occurs on Nisan 1420 (traditionally, after the almond blossoms bloom in Spring). That will then give those in the present day Mystery Church, who are alive and remain, 40 days (previous typology had this time element) before ascending or being raptured on the same day that Christ ascended. Hallelujah! Let’s now return to the discussion of prophecy and the resurrection/restoration on the third day. RESTORATION ON THE THIRD DAY—Continued Since we have established that the days of Hosea 6:2 are days of one thousand years each (as is the Millennial Day), we can now make calculations concerning the time when the end will come. Let’s assume the time when God left (Christ was cut off) was 30 A.D.21 If you add 30 A.D. + 2,000 years, you get 2030 A.D. This would be the beginning of the third day or the third 1,000 years! THE COUNT DOWN—GOD USES 490’s This date is also consistent with God’s number of 490, or 70 sevens, from the book of Daniel. By overviewing history, it appears that God’s dealings with the Hebrew race will involve four 70-week periods, each totaling 490 years (details to follow). However, the actual time of each period is not recorded to be precisely 490 years, something that can be determined by comparing scriptures. For example, during the second 70-week period, from the Exodus to the building of Solomon’s temple, is shown in Acts 13:18-22 to total 591 years. I Kings 6:1 shows the same period of history to last 480 years. This discrepancy of 111 years is the total of six different periods during which Israel was in servitude to others (see the book of Judges)—when they were out of God’s favor or will.= Since we know that the Bible cannot contradict itself, what we should gather is that God does not include those years when Israel is out of favor. Following is an explanation of the four 70 week periods:
We see a pattern here! God clearly uses periods of time that are 490 years in duration, and it appears He will have used four 490’s by the time Christ returns at the Revelation. We also see that God has not counted time for the Hebrews when they have been out of favor. Let us examine more closely this state of disfavor in the fourth 490 years. The Temple was destroyed, and the Jews were dispersed in 70 A.D., marking God’s disfavor with the Jewish nation. Are they still out of favor? As mentioned previously, we can assume that the Father answered the Son’s prayer on the Cross: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34), and that the Father did so by giving the Jews a 40-year testing, probationary period, after Christ’s death. It was then that the Jews were dispersed and are now out of favor. At present the nation is rebuilding, but this could not be the restoration on the third day because it doesn’t fit prophecy. The true restoration will be done by God after the Revelation of Jesus Christ. If, as the scriptures seem to indicate, the year 2030 is the end, then an interesting note is created. There will have been four 490’s, i.e. 4 x 490, or 1960 years from the time of their dispersion until the time of their restoration, i.e. when we add 1,960 to 70, it brings us to 2030 A.D. Is God counting an equal amount of time against Israel (the time they were out of His favor) as He has for Israel (the time they were in His favor)? If so, each would have a total of four time periods, i.e., 4 x 490 or 1,960 years. These conclusions interpret the Hebrew passage, Hosea 6:2, to mean that after two days, and in the 3rd day, God would start the tribulation—at 2030 A.D. (after two days). The end then would be 2037 A.D.! This would indicate that God will again start His time clock (the one that stopped after 483 years) and let the countdown begin for the last seven years of man’s "rule." This may make more sense. Each clock, the one for and the one against Israel, will have ticked off the same number of years. Thus, since the dispersion, God will have counted (on separate clocks) an equal amount of time when the Jews were out of favor as when they were not in captivity or servitude. The Year of Messiah’s Coming To determine when the end is, we need to know when the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem of Daniel 9:25 was issued, when the Messiah came to His people, and the length of the gap of time. We see that the gap will be for 2 days (Hos. 6:2), so we will add that to when He came. We now need the exact year the Messiah came. In Nehemiah 2:1-8, the 69 weeks began in the month of Nisan, in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes. He began his reign in 465 B.C., and issued his decree on March 14, 445 B.C. God’s prophetic years are 360 days in length.22 Using the scale of a day is a year, then 69 weeks x 7 (days/week) = 483 days, or 483 years. Thus, 483 years x 360 days/year = 173,880 days. In today’s calendars, 173,880 days converted to 365 1/4 days/year = 476.06 years. That is 476 years and 22 days added to 445 B.C. brings us to 31 A.D. We subtract 1 year when we cross from B.C. to A.D. This brings us into the first week of April, 30 A.D., which is the appointed day for Messiah to ride into Jerusalem. It is during this week that Jesus said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace —but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you" (Luke 19:42-44). From history, we know that the above days, of which Christ spoke, were fulfilled when Titus destroyed the temple in 70 A.D. We see in this passage that the 70 A.D. event had been prophesied, and now understand that the prophecy was spoken in 30 A.D. This passage shows a relationship between 30 A.D. and 70 A.D., when prophecy was fulfilled only 40 years after it was spoken—a quick fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. When Messiah was asked by His disciples in Matthew 24, "…when will this happen…" (the stones not being left upon another), the Lord gave them several prophecies. The destruction of the temple was the prophecy that was only 40 years away. He also spoke of several end time events. God gave us one prophecy that happened quickly. This way, we of so little faith can believe that the distant prophecies will occur as well. The reality is that virtually all of the different end time events revealed in scripture have been shown to be separated by great periods of time. This current period of time in which we live will be 2 days in length, or 2,000 years. If we add 30 A.D. to 2000 we get 2030 A.D. This is either the year the tribulation starts (with the signing of a peace treaty by the false messiah) or the year of the Revelation of Jesus Christ when the false messiah comes to his end. We now see that the two days (or 2,000 years) are to be added to the time when Christ ascended (30 A.D., after He had been "cut off") and not when He came to earth, via His birth (4 B.C.); which is something that many Bible teachers and students believe in error, as of the time of this writing. The Last 490 In Dan. 9:25, the Bible prophesied 483 years to the Messiah: "From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’" The Messiah came in His "triumphal" entry (riding a donkey) on Nisan 10, 30 A.D. This is the day the Jews were to inspect the lamb (Exod. 12:3, 5). This fulfilled Zech. 9:9—"See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey." The next verse (Zech. 9:10) picks up after our gap of 2,000 years ((4 x 490) + 40 years of probation + 30 A.D.). It speaks of taking away implements of war and of ruling during a time of peace. This is where Romans 11:26 will be fulfilled in that "…all Israel will be saved." That is, all who are left after the Tribulation (and the Antichrist) come to an end. Only then can peace begin. Since the inspection of the lamb for the sacrifice and the sacrifice of the lamb are only four days apart (respectively, Nisan 10 and Nisan 14); then the "triumphal" entry of the Sacrificial Lamb and the crucifition were to be only four days apart. This fulfills the double prophecy of Dan. 9:25-26—"until he comes" and His being "cut off"—as both taking place during the same week, and two days before the weekly Sabbath. (The crucifixion was the day before a High Sabbath—see the section, "Feast of Unleavened Bread" in this chapter.) Earlier, we saw that Israel is a type of the Messiah. It seems then, that the two days of Hosea 6:2 coincide with the two days between the crucifixion and the weekly Sabbath, or the gap of time in which we presently live; where Israel has been set aside, but is soon to be revived, a period of time which will be 2,000 years in length (two days). Then, the weekly Sabbath will be typical of the peace on the third day, a 1,000 year Sabbath. At this time, the inscription at the United Nations building in New York will be fulfilled: "…and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isa. 2:4). Through Scripture, it appears that God has given us the year of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Have we been given the day? Typical Prophecy Sets Dates Dates (days) are set by God in what is known as typical prophecy. The seven annual Jewish festivals are all date setting and "typical prophetic" events! The riddle is to figure out what the festival is about and then one has the exact day on which the "festival typical" event will occur. Since nearly four of the festivals have been fulfilled, we can easily verify this reality, as we will see below. These festivals are known as convocations, which literally mean rehearsals. This is a time when God explains, defines, demonstrates, reinforces, and sets dates about His master plan of redemption and restoration through the Messiah—for two distinctly different earthly appearances. THE SPRING FESTIVALS Feast Of Passover Passover, the first festival or feast, is celebrated on Nisan 14. It commemorates the time the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, when God raised up a deliverer—Moses. Moses wanted Pharaoh to let God’s people go for a three-day journey into the desert, there to offer sacrifices to God (Exod. 3:18). After nine plagues, the unconvinced Pharaoh needed one more! It was then, on the 10th day of Nisan, that God instructed them to take a lamb without spot or blemish, and to inspect it for four days. On the 14th day they were to slay the lamb "in the evening" (Exod 12:6). This should be translated in the Bible as "between the two evenings." This would place the slaying of the Passover Lamb between the minor and major evening oblations, which ran from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m., or at 3:00 p.m., which was the ninth hour (the ninth hour of sunlight). This is the same time of day during the Festival of Passover that Christ died on the cross (Matt. 27:45-46). Feast Of Unleavened Bread Three hours later, at 6:00 p.m., the next Jewish day begins. This is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and as such, it becomes a sabbath day, regardless of the day of the week on which it occurs. Such days are known as high sabbaths—the first of seven high sabbaths in the Jewish year.23 On this day, the 15th day of Nisan, the Jews prepare unleavened bread, which symbolizes holiness. The preparations include wrapping and "securing" a piece of bread.
In ancient days, it had been on the 15th of Nisan that the Jews began their exodus from Egypt. Also Joseph, son of Jacob, had made a request that his bones be picked up, or "secured" at his grave when the Israelites returned to the promised land. It was on the 15th of Nisan, at the beginning of their exodus, that Joseph’s request was granted. In a climactic moment of prophetic fulfillment and historical significance, this is the same day Christ’s body was prepared and secured in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Feast Of First Fruits The next festival is the Feast of First Fruits, celebrated on the first Sunday (the day after the weekly Sabbath) after Nisan 15. This commemorates the day that the Israelites crossed the dreadful Red Sea and came out alive on the other side, a "resurrected" people. Such an important day did not go unnoticed by Christ. He descended into hell, and rose up alive on this day—Christ was resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits. This feast is also known as the Fruits of the Barley Harvest. It is at this time that the Messiah, and others who had been resurrected from the dead, were seen.24 In the New Testament, it is spoken of as the first fruits of the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:20). Also, in prophecy yet remaining, Christ is depicted as the first fruits of all believers who will be resurrected; and when He comes again, those who belong to Him will rise again to be with Him (1 Cor. 15:23). There is every reason to believe it will occur on this very day! We see in the Book of James that the Jews are addressed in this book, for they are the "twelve tribes scattered among the nations." James shows that the Jews who chose re-birth (became "born again" believers) through the Word of Truth are a firstfruits (James 1:18). Further, there appears to be a resurrection on the day of the Feast of First Fruits—in the middle of the tribulation. Michael the Archangel is God’s warrior, for he is seen warring with Satan in heaven during the middle of the tribulation, and kicking him out (Rev. 12:6,7). Michael has also been associated with resurrection, for he is shown to be the one with whom Satan was disputing over the body of Moses (Jude 9). The Old Testament saints are raised after the saints, who have believed in Christ (the Mystery Church) are raised. The Bible states, "the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thess. 4:16). This is because the Old Testament saints lived prior to the Day of Pentecost, before the Holy Spirit came and placed New Testament saints in Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-13; Acts 1:5). Daniel the prophet gives us the time for the resurrection of the Old Testament Jews. "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people, everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:1-2). Christ identified the time above as being at the time of "…the abomination that causes desolation" (Matt. 24:15), and that it would be the beginning of great tribulation. "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again" (Matt. 24:21). Michael throws Satan out of heaven with 1,260 days left in the tribulation (Rev 12:6). It appears then, that Michael is going to follow him, for Michael is present at the resurrection of the Old Testament Jews (as seen above), and will dispute with Satan once again! In Daniel 12:1, nothing is mentioned about a translation (a rapture) for those who are alive. But perhaps there is, for a male child is snatched up to God at that time (Rev. 12:5). This male child cannot be Christ as many believe, because He has already ascended. The male child has to be Jewish because his mother is Jewish—clothed with the sun. Jacob interpreted this symbolism as being Israel (Gen. 37:9-11). This male child "…will rule the nations with an iron scepter" (Rev. 12:5). Since this is what is said about God’s Son (Psalm 2:7-9), the Messiah—many believe it is Him, and Him alone. But, the Messiah (Christ) addresses the churches in the Book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, which are clearly Jewish. To the Church in Thyatira, He warns them of Jezebel, who led the Jews to Baal with her sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols (Rev. 2:20). He tells those who are unwilling to repent, that they will suffer "great tribulation" (Rev. 2:22, KJV). However, He said those individuals who did not hold to Jezebel’s teaching would not have that burden imposed on them (Rev. 2:24), and that they would have authority over the nations: "He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery" (Rev. 2:27). So, we see that the male child will include the believing, true Jews of the Church of Thyatira, and that they have received a promise of escaping the great tribulation (others also havebeen promised escape, in Rev. 3:10). Here we are shown that there is merit in believing that there may be a rapture during the middle of the tribulation. This makes a lot of sense, because these new Jewish believers will escape the greatest tribulation—the time when God’s wrath is to become unbearable. Surely, other Christians (non-Jewish believers or Gentiles) will be raptured from all over the world as well. For there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles in the Church, for they are "…members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 3:6). It makes good sense that there will be a rapture just before the great tribulation, which begins at the middle of the seven-years of Jacob’s trouble. The Lord tells His Jewish brethren, the people who have found themselves in this seven-year time of trouble (Luke 21; Matt. 24), to be on the lookout for Him to come. He tells them two things that would at first appear to be a contradiction: He is to come like a thief in the night (Matt. 24:43-44; Luke 12:29-31)—yet also with very apparent signs announcing His coming (Matt. 24:29-31). The apparent contradiction is solved if two different comings are described. Since the well announced coming is after the great distress, the tribulation (Matt. 24:29), then another coming before the end would solve the enigma. The Messiah warns those who are to see Jerusalem surrounded by armies (as it was in 70 A.D.), that its desolation is near (Luke 21:20). They are to flee, for it is the time of the prophesied punishment to be fulfilled. This occurs at the middle of the tribulation. He gives them instruction and admonition: "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36). It seems clear that this is ongoing evidence of another escape, a mid-tribulational rapture. The "Lord’s Prayer" is much needed by these believers, and indeed this group has need of this prayer: "And lead us not into temptation [testing], but deliver us from the evil one [the Antichrist]" (Matt. 6:13). Note that the Bible refers to the great tribulation as a time of testing (Rev. 3:10). Other Old Testament passages support a mid-tribulational rapture: "The righteous [vanish],…and merciful men [are] taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil [to come]" (Isa. 57:1, KJV). Here is some speculation to consider: If the Jewish Kingdom Churches of Revelation (chapters 2 and 3) all exist at the same time; and the Church at Smyrna is to be raptured at the middle of the tribulation with the believers of the other Churches; and the 10 days of Smyrna’s persecution is 10 years; and God begins to build these Kingdom Churches immediately after the rapture of the Mystery Church of today, then that would place the rapture of the Church (at the time of this writing) thirteen and a half years before the end. Counting Of The Omer The forty-nine days that connect the Feast of First Fruits to the Feast of Pentecost, are known as the Counting of the Omer. Anciently, Moses told Pharaoh to let God’s people go. Pharaoh pursued the Israelites as they left Egypt, but the Lord miraculously delivered them by parting the Red Sea. They continued on into the wilderness, reaching Mt. Sinai forty-nine days later. In the future, at the middle of the tribulation, it appears that Moses, who most likely is one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11:3, will lead the Jews once again—this time away from the Antichrist. The Antichrist will send an army after the Jews as they flee from Jerusalem, when the abomination of desolation is accomplished. As the Jews flee into the wilderness, they will be delivered on eagles’ wings (Rev. 12:14). It will be on the same eagles’ wings (Exod. 19:4) that the Jews were miraculously delivered from Pharaoh during the Exodus.
Revelation, chapter 12 is full of symbolism. The dragon is defined as Satan, the ancient serpent. From the mouth of the symbolic serpent comes a flood or river (which has to be symbolic as well). A flood is symbolic of armies (Jer. 46:8) which are to be swallowed by the earth (Rev. 12:16); analogous to the Egyptian armies of Pharaoh being swallowed by the water (Exod. 15:12). The Jews who flee are those who obey their Messiah’s words: "So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matt. 24:15-16). It appears that one place to which they flee may be Petra, or Sela (Isa. 16:1-5).25 As in the wilderness, Christ will again provide them with manna, for there is no other way to sustain life in a desert. The fugitives will petition with the Lord’s Prayer that Christ gave as an example: "Give us today our daily bread [Manna]…" (Matt. 6:11). Feast Of Pentecost The next feast is the Feast of Pentecost, which is fifty days after the Barley Harvest. Many believe that this feast has been completely fulfilled. If one examines this feast closely, he will see that it has only been partially fulfilled. Not all that was spoken of by Joel the Prophet was fulfilled at Pentecost, which occurred 10 days after Christ’s ascension. What was seen anciently at the Revelation of God on Mt. Sinai (which was on the same day as Pentecost)—the fire, the wind, and tongues—were the same that were observed by those in attendance with Peter the Apostle on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2-3).26 However, the blood, fire, and billows of smoke; and the sun and moon darkening (Joel 2:30-31; Acts 2:19; Rev 9:2-3) were not seen. This happens in the middle and at the end of the seven years of the Tribulation (The Week of Jacob’s Trouble, yet in the future).27 Since today’s Church is a mystery and not the subject of prophecy, and Pentecost is the prophesied Wheat Harvest, then there is yet a future harvest, not involving the Church of today.28 So, the Pentecost which occurs near the middle of the seven-year tribulation will hold a harvest for some souls at that time. This leaves the second part of the fulfillment of Pentecost for the Jews. The future Pentecost will be the Wheat Harvest for the Jews who will be going through the last half of the tribulation. There will be a remnant left from Israel who will have seen the miraculous events, engineered by the divine hand of Christ, and will be born anew. In the time of Moses, on the Day of Pentecost, the presence of God empowered His people for obedience with His laws. In the time of Christ, also on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit empowered His people with the fire of God’s presence in their hearts. In the same way, the future Day of Pentecost will empower others with an anointing fire and wind of God’s holy presence. A total of 144,000 witnesses will have been sealed (Rev. 7:4), and these strategic witnesses will carry out, in God’s power, Christ’s great commission to teach all nations (Matt. 28:19). When the gospel of the Kingdom is preached as "a testimony to all nations…then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). THE FALL FESTIVALS The remaining three feasts are celebrated in the fall. As observed above, the details of the earlier festival’s events were fulfilled in every way at the proper time; so will be the fulfillment of those remaining. Again, by understanding with what history and prophecy each feast is associated, we will be able to determine the day in which God’s plan of restoring man and the earth through the Messiah will occur. Just as the other feasts have been literally and chronologically fulfilled, so will those that remain. The pattern is easy to follow, and with only a little faith we can believe the same pattern will continue. Feast Of Rosh Hashanah The fifth feast is Rosh HaShanah, or the Blowing of the Trumpets. It falls on the first day of the seventh religious month (the first month of the civil or agricultural year). Joseph Good, in his book, "Rosh HaShanah and the Messianic Kingdom to Come,"29 defines the many parallels associated with Rosh HaShanah: "Yom Teruah, the feast of Trumpets, is also called Rosh HaShanah (literally ‘Head of the Year’), the Jewish New Year. It teaches about the coronation and wedding of the Messiah, the rewards of the court, the oseif (gathering of the nobles), the Day of Judgement, beginning of the Messianic kingdom, Jacob’s Trouble, the resurrection of the dead, Teshuvah, and the birthday of the world (p. 43). "The shofar30 was used to announce the beginning of festivals, to muster troops, to warn of danger, to assemble the people, in the midst of battles, and for coronations (p. 81)." We have to be careful when searching the Bible for references on the sounding of trumpets. This is because the trumpet sounds not only on Rosh HaShanah but at other feasts and events as well: "Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our feast" (Psalm 81:3). But the Lord has spoken specifically about the feast of trumpets to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire’" (Lev. 23:24-25). Let’s examine passages that support these different events of Rosh HaShanah, and discover what will happen on that same very significant day in the future. Mustering of Troops As stated above, the trumpet sounds for the mustering of troops. In the 4th and 51st chapters of Jeremiah, the day of the Lord is in view. There are proclamations to Jerusalem about a besieging army advancing against her: "Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry. Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment. How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet" (Jer. 4:19-21)? "Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her" (Jer. 51:27). These passages show that there are to be trumpets as armies of the Antichrist head for Jerusalem just before the day of the Lord. The whole chapter of Ezekiel 7 is dedicated to this horrific end time event. It describes the coming battle of Armageddon, at the time of the Revelation. Since nations will come from everywhere to battle in Israel, the odds will overwhelm Israel with fear and helplessness. "Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. The end is now upon you and I will unleash my anger against you. An unheard of disaster is coming. The end has come! The end has come!… The time has come, the day has arrived. Though they blow the trumpet and get everything ready, no one will go into battle, for my wrath is against the whole crowd" (Ezek. 7:2-3, 5-6, 12, 14). Apparently, trumpets were sounded for 30 days prior to Rosh HaShanah. This would be during the month of Elul, during the season of Teshuvah (the time of repentance). The last trumpet was heard on the day of Rosh HaShanah. In the future, with this last trumpet, the Day of the Lord is officially announced as coming in 10 days! The 10 "Days of Awe" officially begin at Rosh HaShanah—10 days before the Revelation of Jesus the Messiah as Jehovah God Almighty on Yom Kippur! It appears that the 10 days of awe end with a great trumpet on that day of the Lord. In Zephaniah, chapter 1, the Day of the Lord is defined as a day of trumpet and battle cry. "That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. In the fire of His jealousy, the whole world will be consumed, for He will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth" (Zeph. 1:15-18). Examination, Rapture, & Resurrection Elul, the thirty-day month before Rosh HaShanah is the beginning of a 40-day period known as Teshuvah. In this Jewish period, a man is to examine his relationship with God because Rosh HaShanah, "The Day of Judgement," is approaching. Penitential prayers begin about one week before Rosh Hashanah, when individuals are to search their hearts and return to God. They believe that three groups of people will be judged at that time. One group is placed in the Book of the Righteous, one group is placed in the Book of the Wicked, while the destiny of the third group is not sealed for another 10 days. At Yom Kippur, the third group’s final fate is sealed in one book or the other.31 For those who receive or have received the Lord, they may be able to escape His coming wrath by being raptured on Rosh HaShanah, perhaps 10 days before the end: "…before the appointed time arrives…before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger" (Zeph. 2:2-3). Many have stated that there cannot be a rapture at the end of the tribulation. This is because there would be no saved people left on the earth to enter the Millennium. They understand that the judgement of the "sheep and goats" (Matt. 25:32-33) is prerequisite to entering the Millennium. But they don’t understand that this judgement is based on works and not salvation! There is only mention of works here, and one is not saved by works (Rom. 3:21-26). Thus salvation,32 not being a criteria for entering the Millennium, allows the unsaved to enter. Earlier, we saw what appears to be a mid-tribulational rapture, which should occur in connection with the mid-tribulational resurrection (Dan. 12:1-2). The verses below appear to be for those who were not believers at the mid-tribulational rapture. "The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. He will bring me out into the light" (Micah 7:2, 4, 7, 9). This coming into the light is also associated with resurrection. "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Eph. 5:14). "Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger" (Zeph. 2:3). In John 11:24-25, Martha, like most other Jews, was aware of a resurrection at the last day. Jesus showed that one does not have to wait until the last day when He ordered Lazarus to rise from the grave. In doing so, He gave the Jews proof of who would do the resurrecting. He also gave the criteria for it when He said, "I am the resurrection, and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:25, 26). In the above verses, Christ speaks of the last day. Those in Christ who have died before the last day will be resurrected then. Those who believe and are alive at the end will never die. It appears that those living believers at the end will be raptured. In other instances, there was a rapture at the time of a resurrection, thus paving the way for this end time resurrection to also be accompanied by a rapture. There will be those who come to faith in Jesus the Messiah as their Savior who live between the previous resurrection and rapture (at the middle of the tribulation) and Rosh Hashanah (at the end), who will be waiting expectantly on God. A final rapture 10 days before the end will enable the last of those who attain faith in Christ to be quickly judged by fire, and escape the greatest of wrath—the seven bowls of wrath and the Day of the Lord! In Jewish literature, Rosh HaShanah is known as the last trumpet. This is the last trumpet blown during Teshuvah (the 40-day season of repentance), and at the time which begins the 10 High Holy Days—the Days of Awe. In 1 Thess. 4:17, the apostle Paul speaks of a resurrection and a changing (in preparation for a rapture or translation) at the last trump for some future believers (1 Cor. 15:51-52). This will fulfill the prophecies in the Old Testament, in which the prophets placed their hope (Hos. 13:14; Isa. 25:8). The type for this calling out and meeting God is found in the Old Testament. The scriptures show that at the blowing of trumpets, God’s people were to set out and to meet at the Tent of Meeting. The Tent of Meeting is the tabernacle (Num. 9:15). This was a copy and shadow of what is in heaven (Heb. 8:5). In the past, the Lord has appeared to the entire assembly in front of the Tent of Meeting (Lev. 9:5). "Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting" (Num. 10:2-3). Silver is the metal that symbolizes redemption. The above trumpets were made of the atonement money of the people. The first trumpet was used for the calling of the assembly and the last trumpet was used for the journeying of the camps. Later in Numbers, the Israelites were told that when an enemy was oppressing them, they were to sound the trumpets, and that the Lord would remember them and rescue them from their enemies (Num. 10:9). They were told specifically to do this at the feasts and New moon festivals (Num. 10:10). According to the above passages in Numbers, the assembly is gathered and moved by the blowing of the trumpets. Thus, those that have received the Messiah will be gathered and moved to the gate of the assembly (the heavenly tabernacle) by the blowing of trumpets. Since the "clouds" or the New Jerusalem comes to the earth, a group of believers are to meet the Lord outside His heavenly tabernacle, which comes to the earth with the blowing of the last trumpet. They are in effect hidden from God’s wrath, fulfilling the following: "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5). Rosh HaShanah is the only festival that falls at the time of a new moon (when the moon is hidden or concealed), which explains why it is also known as The Day of Concealment. Believers will thus be concealed or hidden from the next 10 days, known as the High Holy Days, and as Tamin Nora’im (The Days of Awe). Not only do those who come to believe in the Messiah escape the coming 10 Days of Awe, they are present for the coronation and wedding of the Messiah! Coronation of the King Trumpets sound at the crowning of a King! With his continual fighting of enemies, King David was a type of Tribulational Messiah. With his reign of glory and peace, King Solomon was a type of Millennial Messiah. Instruction was given to anoint Solomon as king over Israel and to do so with a trumpet blast (1 Kings 1:34). The Rosh HaShanah judgement and the gathering of believers to the shelter of God’s tabernacle is accompanied with the coronation of the King and the blasting of trumpets. "God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth" (Psalm 47:5-7). The last trumpet of Rosh Hashanah may also coincide with the last trumpet in the book of Revelation. When the seventh angel sounds his trumpet (the last trumpet of the seventh seal in the book of Revelation), there will be loud voices in heaven saying: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15). This coronation coincides with the One (Jesus Christ) given authority, as prophesied in the book of Daniel. "He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed" (Dan. 7:13-14). Judgement Along with this coronation at Rosh HaShanah, one can see the concurrent judgement by this new King, better known as God Almighty, the one who is (I am that I am—Jehovah—the one who is alive), and the one who was (the one who was dead—Messiah Ben Joseph; Rev. 1:18).
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great; and for destroying those who destroy the earth" (Rev. 11:17-18). Wedding of Messiah Let’s return to the good news, the Wedding at Rosh Hashanah. Everybody enjoys a wedding; Christ Himself attended a wedding in Cana. At that wedding, He created wine to assure the unbroken enjoyment of the guests. 33 At His own wedding feast, we can be assured that our enjoyment will be unbroken. As King Jesus begins His eternal reign, the royal wedding of weddings will commence! "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready’" (Rev. 19:6-7). The actual banquet supper (after the wedding) is spoken of in verse 9, and takes place on the mountain in Israel (Isa. 25:6).34 We could rightly expect no less than the richest of symbolism for the marriage of Christ and His bride, the Church. In Jewish wedding tradition, a betrothal was arranged by the father of the young man, by an agent, or by the young man himself. The bride was bought with a price. She spent a period of time waiting for the wedding, while the bride groom went to his father’s house to prepare a place for her. The groom had two friends, aptly known as "the friends of the bridegroom." They functioned as the two witnesses required for a Jewish wedding. One assisted the bride, the other was stationed with the bridegroom, and together they witnessed the marriage contract and ceremony. The couple spent seven days at a special chamber called a chupah. Here the groom gave gifts to the bride. Outside, the wedding guests waited for the friend of the bridegroom to announce that the marriage was consummated. At the announcement, great rejoicing broke out in a week-long celebration. In the above traditional Jewish wedding, we can see many types: the father is God the Father, and the agent is God the Holy Spirit.35 At the Passover meal, Jesus spoke as a bridegroom: "In my father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am" John 14:3). It is Jesus, in the parable of Matthew 13:44-45, who sold everything He had, and bought a pearl of great price (the bride). 1 Cor 6:20; 7:23 remind the bride that she is "bought at a price." John the Baptist is a type of friend of the bridegroom, who makes this declaration himself (John 3:29). The other friend of the bridegroom, the one assigned to the bride, is seen in Moses, who leads Israel. With this background, we can understand when and why the two witnesses arise from the dead at Revelation 11, and perhaps who they are. In that chapter, the Lord is speaking of the Jewish Temple. The two witnesses are concerned with the Jews in the inner court, rather than the outer court of the Gentiles. They are seen as olive trees and lampstands, which are typical Jewish symbols. They strike the earth so there is no rain for 3 1/2 years, and inflict other plagues. Since there is no damage to the earth up until the time between the sixth seal and the first trumpet (Rev. 7:3), these Jewish witnesses are prophetical in the last half of the seven-year tribulation. When they are through with their work, the Antichrist slays them. They will lie for 3 1/2 days in a street of Jerusalem, a day for each year of their prophecy (Rev. 11:3, 11). They are refused burial, so those of the world rejoice over them and view their dead bodies. However, the celebration is interrupted when they rise from the dead!36 Their resurrection is for a very special purpose: They will be the two witnesses for the Lamb’s wedding (which will occur on/or near Tishri 1,37 or Rosh HaShanah). So it appears that they will rise at that time (Rev. 11:11-15). It has long been speculated that these two witnesses are either Elijah and Enoch, or Elijah and Moses. Since Enoch was not Jewish, this leaves Elijah and Moses as the two witnesses. At Christ’s transfiguration, in preview of the Son of God coming in His royal splendor, it was Moses and Elijah who were with Him (Matt. 17:3). It is interesting to note (v. 1) that the transfiguration occurred "after 6 days." This lines up with God coming, at His revelation, after six days of man’s week. Moses and Elijah represented not only the law and the prophets, but those who are to be resurrected38 and translated as they were. (As Enoch never died, so shall some living today never die!) In Psalm 45, the King is spoken of; toward the end of the chapter we see the royal bride in gold of Ophir (v. 9). Here we have the association of a king with a kingdom, and his bride with his wedding. "All glorious is the princess within [her chamber]; her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered garments she is led to the king…" Psalm 45:13-14). As we saw, the coronation of the King is at Rosh HaShanah. The wedding at the end of the age will logically occur during the week between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur (10 days later). The wedding feast occurs soon after on the mountains of Israel (Isa. 25:6). Since the time in the wedding chamber is seven days (between Tishri 1 and Tishri 10), the wedding ceremony is easily placed during that time because everything has to be concluded by the 10th of Tishri (Yom Kippur). Let’s examine Yom Kippur and see why. Feast Of Yom Kippur As Messiah’s first coming (the suffering servant, a sacrifice on the cross) was on the 10th day of the first month of the religious calendar; His second coming, as the victorious king, will be on the 10th day of the seventh month of the religious calendar (first month of the civil calendar). This ties in with the former and latter rains mentioned in the book of Joel, among other places. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, and is considered the holiest day in the Jewish year. Every fifty years, there was a Jubilee on Yom Kippur. All debts were forgiven, all slaves or captives were released, and all lands were returned to their rightful owners (Lev. 25:8-55). These are types of works which are/will be fulfilled by Christ. For example, it is Christ who is, "to proclaim freedom for the captives…(Isa. 61:1)" In the year 2030 A.D., two days (2,000) years will have elapsed since His ascension. It will be the 40th Jubilee! Could there be a better day for the return of Christ than this day? It was on Yom Kippur that blood offerings were performed by the high priest—one for his own sins, and the other for the sins of the Israelites. During a blood offering, the high priest wore linen garments. After the sacrifice, he changed into his regular priestly garments of glory and beauty and reappeared. He was in his priestly garments when he came out of the tent of meeting and sacrificed an offering by fire. The details of this are found in Leviticus 16. The Lord instructed the Israelites to do this on the tenth day of the month of Tishri, "…because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you" (Lev. 16:30). For this reason Yom Kippur would also be known as the Day of Redemption. It is at this time that the Great Trumpet will be blown, to seal the final fate of those upon the earth. This festival prophesies the literal, physical second coming of Messiah, which will be the end! The different parts of the ceremony of Yom Kippur foretell events that will occur on that day. The first time the Messiah came He wore His "linen garments," that is, He did not wear His garments of beauty or splendor: "He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him" (Isa. 53:2). "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death; even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:6-8). "…God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering" (Rom. 8:3). The Messiah Priest, at His first coming, offered His own blood at the Passover feast so that all who believe in His offering could be atoned (redeemed or saved) from their sins. The Messiah King, at His second coming, will offer His rejectors’ blood at Yom Kippur so that all who didn’t believe in His sin offering will find their reward! This future blood offering will be at the Revelation of the Messiah on the Mount of Olives, in the vicinity of Bethany, from where He ascended: "How beautiful on the mountains…; When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes…and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God" (Isa. 52:7-8, 10).
"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him; his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness; so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand" (Isa. 52:13-15). We should understand that this sprinkling that is to occur at this future Yom Kippur is actually a great blood bath. Just as the Messiah was disfigured and marred and went through His own blood bath, so will His rejectors: "They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia" (Rev. 14:20). Sixteen hundred stadia is 180 miles—this will certainly be the largest blood offering/blood bath of all times! (see also "Grapes of Wrath" in chapter Six). Azazel—The Demon Goat During the ritual ceremony of Yom Kippur, there was present a goat known as the scapegoat or azazel. It signified the "goat of departure"; azaz means hardened or impudent. The azazel was bound and cast to his death from Mount Tzok (Mount Azazel) located about twelve miles from Jerusalem. The name Azazel is used by the Arabs to mean "evil demon." This demon goat represented the false god or false messiah (Satan or the Antichrist) and in perfect parallel will be either bound in Hades and/or cast alive into the Lake of Fire (respectively), on the last Yom Kippur (Rev. 20:2; 19:19-20). Yom Kippur—Doomsday On Yom Kippur, at a location between the porch and the altar, the high priest slew a bull during the ceremony. Joel, the prophet, speaks of the coming of the Messiah at the time of this ceremony. "Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the temple porch and the altar" (Joel 2:15-17). The declared fast must be at Yom Kippur. It is the only festival that is a fast, the only one that is a solemn festival, and the only one that takes place between the porch and the altar! The picture we have is a cry to the Messiah to come and end the persecution by the Antichrist and his armies. It also shows the bride coming back to the earth with the Messiah after the wedding ceremony in heaven. Other passages, symbols, and visions also point to this Day of Atonement as being Doomsday: "Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch…and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day" (Zech. 3:8-9). This day is associated with Jehovah showing Himself as the Messiah whom they pierced. It is also known as that day or the Day of the Lord. "They will look on me, the one they have pierced…" Zech. 12:10). "On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (Zech. 13:1). Lights Going On and Off The day of Yom Kippur will be the day the Lord reveals Himself on the Mount of Olives. At noontime, on that day of this religious feast, the sun will go out, and mourning and weeping will start: "‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your religious feasts into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day’" (Amos 8:9-10). However, when the evening comes (6:00 p.m.) on this conclusive Yom Kippur, there will be light: "Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem…the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime—a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light" (Zech. 14:3-7). After the bright noon sun goes out, the light is turned on, at 6:00 p.m. (Zech. 14:7). All will witness the terror of the Glory of God—Jesus Christ in His eminent glory! "In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone" (Isa. 17:14)! The prophet Ezekiel had no less of a vision for Yom Kippur, "At the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month…" (Ezek. 40:1). (This is Tishri 10.) "In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel…and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze" (Ezek. 40:2-3). This is the same vision the Apostle John saw when he wrote the Book of Revelation—a vision he saw through the Holy Spirit on the Lord’s Day (Rev 1:10). John saw this same man, who no doubt is Jesus Christ. "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw…someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters… His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance" (Rev. 1:12-16). This compares to what Daniel the prophet saw in the 10th chapter of Daniel (v. 6), and in a vision of the Ancient of Days in the 7th chapter of Daniel (v. 9). Note that in verse 11, one like a son of man destroyed a beast (the Antichrist) and threw him into the blazing fire (the Lake of Fire). The Omega is also seen by Daniel in a vision: "As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow [purity]; the hair of his head was white like wool [wisdom]. His throne was flaming with fire [authority], and its wheels were all ablaze [judgement]. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times’ ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened" (Dan. 7:9-10). Later, in the vision that Ezekiel had on Tishri 10, where he saw the man whose appearance was like bronze, he defines him as the Glory of God. "And I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory" (Ezek. 43:2). This is unmistakably The End Himself! Yom Kippur Dates Trumpet Woes The seventh trumpet sounds as the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of the Lord (Rev. 11:15), and the King is crowned at Rosh HaShanah; thus all seven bowls making up the seventh trumpet occur in the last 10 days! The seventh bowl brings lightning, thunder, severe earthquakes, sinking of islands and mountains, and giant hailstones (Rev. 16:18-21). The Lord’s return is associated with these same elements (Psalm 18:9-12; 97:4, 5). Therefore, the seventh bowl is at the return of the Lord, on Yom Kippur, on that day, the end day!
Just as Joshua came into Jericho on the seventh day after the trumpets were blown, so Yeshua will come to Jerusalem on the seventh day after the trumpets are blown. At the next feast, the believers are gathered in Jerusalem to enjoy and to celebrate the Messiah’s victory at the Feast of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles). Feast Of Tabernacles The Feast of Tabernacles portrays a joyful time, namely the Messianic Kingdom. It was a harvest celebration observed after the last harvest of the year, from Tishri 15-22. This feast began with a sacred assembly, and after a week, was followed by a second, sacred assembly. The feast is a memorial for Israel, both pointing back to Egypt and forward to their Millennial Rest; as the seventh day of the week is a sabbath or rest. The seventh religious month for Israel typifies a period of rest. At "the end," this sacred assembly begins fulfillment in a sabbatic rest. This sabbatic rest will be the promised time of refreshing—the 1,000-year day known as the Millennium. The second, sacred assembly on the eighth day represents the time when the New Jerusalem will be placed upon the earth. This will take place after a final cleansing and purification of the earth; involving the "melting" and reconstitution of the earth (2 Pet. 3:12-13). Finally, God will place His tabernacle (the New Jerusalem) on the earth and will then "tabernacle" (dwell) with man as He did during the first days of Adam (the first man). This will be fulfilled after the Millennium is over. "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling [tabernacle] of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God’" (Rev. 21:2-3). Since God’s tabernacle doesn’t touch the earth until the final cleansing after the Millennium, it must be suspended somewhere above the earth until then, presumably while it is "under construction." This is the place that Jesus went to prepare for His bride (John 14:2). Ezekiel also speaks of that future time when God’s sanctuary (dwelling place or tabernacle) will be among them forever (Ezek. 37:27-28). As we can see, it will take 1,000 years to fulfill all of this typical prophecy. But there are even more themes, shown in the way the Jews have celebrated this festival, that will be fulfilled at the beginning of the Millennium. Water and Wind During the historical celebration of the festival, some priests would go through the Water Gate of the Temple, and some priests would go through the Eastern Gate of the Temple. The first group would retrieve water from the Pool of Siloam, known as "living water" (as opposed to water that was stagnant and contained bacteria, as in a cistern). The second group would go to the Valley of the Motza and cut down willow trees. The two groups would come back to the temple simultaneously. As the second group came in they waved their willow branches, producing the effect of a rushing wind, which symbolized the coming of the Holy Spirit of God. They placed their willows at the base of the altar, forming a sukkah (booth or tabernacle) over its top. The high priest took the living water from the first group and poured it out over the altar. There was also a sacrifice. As all this was performed, the people sang Isaiah 12:339 "Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation" (KJV). This unique feast shows the post-judgement days (after the Tribulation), in which the Salvation has returned; the Water is Jesus, and the Wind is the Holy Spirit. The Feast of Tabernacles is the setting for the following prophecy: "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, `If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him’" (John 7:37-38). The only scripture Christ could be referring to is the above passage (Isaiah 12:3)—that the Jews sang at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles. Here Christ claims to be the Salvation or God, of which the Lord spoke in Isaiah 12:2. There it tells us that Jehovah has become our Yeshua or Jesus (salvation). The prophet Joel speaks of the Spirit being poured out after God is in Israel: "I am in Israel…the Lord your God" (Joel 2:27). "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions" (Joel 2:28). Isaiah shows this same pouring associated with physical and spiritual watering during the Millennium. "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants" (Isa. 44:3). Thus, at the beginning of the Millennium, after God returns to physically dwell in the presence of the Jews, He will pour out His Spirit upon all people. This is part of what the Feast of Tabernacles portrays. It also portrays a time of the presence of God’s glory living among His people. Israel & God’s Glory in the Wilderness The ceremony of living in temporary booths during the Feast of Tabernacles points to the time that Israel wandered in the wilderness (Lev. 23:43) living in tents. During this time, God lived with His people in a tent as well. "Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another’" (1 Chron. 17:4-5). God’s glory was present with the Israelites in the form of a white cloud. When the tabernacle or Tent of Meeting was dedicated, God’s, "…cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exod. 40:34). "So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels" (Exod. 40:38). We are to understand that the cloud is intimately connected with and representative of the Glory of God (Exod. 13:20-21; 14:19; 16:10). Angel of the Lord & Yeshua In the above verses, the Glory of God in the form of a cloud is also associated with the Angel of the Lord (Exod. 14:19). Exodus 23:20-28 shows that this angel has the name of the Lord in Him, and was known as "my angel," "my terror," and "the hornet." The Angel of the Lord is first seen at Genesis 16:7, where He appears to Haggar and she later identifies Him as God (Gen. 16:13). The Angel of the Lord is shown to be God by Abraham (Gen. 22:11-16). This was after the Lord appeared to Abraham as a man (Gen. 18:2, 10, 13). The Angel of the Lord is also shown as the Lord (Gen. 22:15-16). Clearly, in numerous passages, the Angel of the Lord is shown as God! Hosea 12:3-5 identifies the Man with whom Jacob wrestled as "the Angel" and "the Lord God Almighty." Jacob himself wanted to know His name, and knew he had seen God face to face after he had wrestled with Him all night. What these verses clearly show is that God appeared as the Angel of the Lord and as a man in the Old Testament. The Man who appeared in the Old Testament was the Messiah. It should have been common knowledge that when God appeared in a human body—as a baby in a manger (1 Tim. 3:16)—He was the one from everlasting or the eternal one (see Micah 5:2, Psalm 90:2; and Psalm 93:2). Whenever the omnipresent God becomes visible, He appears as either an Angel or a Man. The Angel of the Lord was not seen during Messiah’s time on earth because He was here in the flesh! He tabernacled or dwelt among people (John 1:14). The Angel of the Lord was the Christ when He was on the earth, from His birth as a baby in a manger, to His ascension. They are one and the same! The scriptures tell us, "No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known" (John 1:18). It is clear from the passages just mentioned, that Abraham and others have both seen Jehovah God and spoken with Him. We can thus easily conclude from John 1:18 that the one seen by Abraham was God the only Son, or the pre-incarnate Messiah—known to us today as Jesus. The fact that Jesus is God is clearly shown by John the Apostle. John quotes a passage (John 12:40) from the book of Isaiah (Isa. 6:10). This Isaiah passage comes just after a description of Jehovah: "…I saw the LORD seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. …Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.…my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty" (Isa. 6:1, 3, 5). In John’s next passage, he states that Isaiah described Jesus, and spoke of Him: "Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him" (John 12:41). Jehovah, the King, is known by Christians as Jesus, the coming King of Kings. Samson’s father, Manoah, saw the Angel of the Lord and asked Him His name (as had Jacob). The Angel gave him His name in Hebrew, which interprets as "Wonderful." Later, Manoah stated that he had seen God (Judges 13:17-22). Isaiah 9:6 tells us that a Son is given (Son of God) and a child is born (Son of Man). This God-Man was to be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) and would be called Immanuel, which means "God with us." Several names are given in Isaiah 9:6; among them, Mighty God and Wonderful—the name the Angel of the Lord revealed to Manoah. This God-Man is the same Angel of the Lord. Exodus 23:21 informs us that Yahweh’s (Jehovah’s) name would be in Him. The angel’s now common name is Yeshua (Yahweh saves); again, this is translated in English as Jesus! The glory of the Lord comes together then as the Man with Abraham and Jacob (the pre-incarnate Messiah), the Angel of the Lord, and the Cloud (a pillar of fire by night), which remained with the Israelites throughout their 40 years of desert wandering. This same pillar of cloud and fire met Moses on Mount Sinai. "When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain" (Exod. 24:15-17). This passage is a type of what will happen when the seventh day or the Millennial-Sabbath Day comes, for it was on the seventh day that Moses went up the mountain. Chapter 19 of Exodus provides us with several details. Israel was God’s treasured possession (Deut. 7:6), and will be again (Matt. 13:44). Israel is to be a kingdom of priests (Exod. 19:6), after God descends to them for a final time at the end of the tribulation. This will be after two days (2,000 years) and at the beginning of the third day (Millennial Day) (Hosea 6:2), as typified in the book of Exodus: "…and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down…" (Exod. 19:11). "On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast" (Exod. 19:16). A Glorious Cloud To Return As we will see in chapter six, "HOW," Exodus 19:16 typifies the Revelation of God (Christ) on Mount Zion. This cloud represents the believers of Christ who are in His tabernacle, the New Jerusalem, and which cloud will cover all of Israel during the Millennium, beginning on the morning of the third day. Let’s examine the passages that show this. The glory of the Lord that covered the mountain at Sinai looked to the Israelites to be a fire (Exod. 24:18). This is the same cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that led and protected the people of Israel (Exod. 13:21; Neh. 9:12). God commanded a sanctuary to be made so that He could have a place to dwell (tabernacle) among the Israelites (Exod. 25:8). Until then, the glorious cloud by day and fire by night was His dwelling place. In the future, God will once again dwell in a glorious tabernacle. Jerusalem will be a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved (Isa. 33:20). The Lord tells us that in that day (the Millennial Day, after the fiery judgement of the Tribulation) the survivors will be recorded among the living (Isa. 4:2-4). He will again employ a protective, sheltering cloud, as He did during the wilderness wanderings. "Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain" (Isa. 4:5-6). The cloud enshrouds and is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is adorned as a bride (Rev. 21:9-10). Its base is 1,400 miles square (Rev. 21:16). The glorious cloud of the Lord will cover all of the original royal grant to Abraham, which extends over to the Euphrates River in Iraq. All this belongs to Israel, and at long last, the Lord will claim it for them, never again to allow surrender to opposition! We know that when Christ ascended into heaven He was accompanied by a cloud (Acts 1:9), and that when He returns, it will be in the same way (Acts 1:11; Matt. 24:30). This ascension was accompanied by captives who were "led in his train," presumably from Hades (Psalm 68:18; Eph. 4:8). The cloud, then, is composed of spiritual beings! It shouldn’t be a great surprise to learn that these clouds are composed of more than water vapor! Hebrews 12:1 speaks of a cloud of witnesses. The two witnesses in Rev. 11:12 will ascend in a cloud. The Mystery Church will translate and ascend to heaven to be in the clouds (composed of angels, past Old Testament Saints, and newly resurrected saints of the Church). In clouds such as these are to be ten thousand times ten thousand (Rev. 5:11). Ten thousands will come with the Lord (Jude 14). God is to dwell at a mountain (Mt. Zion) and will come and make His sanctuary there. He will have there tens of thousands of "chariots" (Psalm 68:17). The clouds are His chariot (Psalm 104:3), and He will come again with them (Isa. 66:15; Hab. 3:8). The glory of the Lord is to appear over Zion (Isa. 60:2) and there are to be those who "fly along like clouds" (Isa. 60:8). Psalm 105:28 - 106:5 gives part of the past history of the Israelites, which will be repeated in the future tribulation, but ends in the joy of becoming God’s inheritance. It speaks of plagues, a cloud for covering, waters gushing out of rocks, and glorying in God’s inheritance. Heavenly & Earthly Tabernacles It is upon Mt. Zion where the heavenly beings are to dwell, in communication with the earth. This is what Peter anticipated. It was on a high mountain that the Lord showed His inner circle of people (Peter, James, and John) a preview of Himself coming in His regal splendor. Note that it was after six days, or on the seventh day. This further suggests the coming of the Lord on the beginning of the seventh or Sabbath-Millennial Day! With the Lord was Moses, a type of the resurrected saints, and Elijah, a type of the translated or raptured saints. A bright cloud developed there. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if thou will, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias" (Matt. 17:4, KJV). What Peter desired was the dwelling of heavenly people in communion with the earth. It will be this way, beginning at the Millennial Day. It appears that the first resident association of heavenly with earthly will be at the marriage feast of the Lamb, when Christ and His bride entertain wedding guests at the beginning of the Millennium—at the first Feast of Tabernacles immediately following the Revelation of Jesus Christ on Yom Kippur. "On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine; the best of meats and the finest of wines" (Isa. 25:6). In this cloud over Zion will the Lord dwell in His sanctuary and be among the people of the earth, not only during the Millennium but forever. "‘…I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever’" (Ezek. 37:26-28). Feast Of Hanukkah Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights, and the Feast of Dedication. This is celebrated by the Jews on the 25th day of the month of Kislev40 for eight days. Readers should note that this is not one of the seven festivals described in the Old Testament. It’s not there because the event that it commemorates occurred during the inter-testament period (between the Old and New Testament), during the 400 years of God’s silence. Between the writings of the Old and NewvTestament, certain prophesied events of Daniel occurred. Alexander the Great had expanded the Greek Empire and died, leaving his empire divided among four generals. One division, the Seleucid dynasty of Syria, came to rule over Jerusalem and Judea. A beast named Antiochus Epiphanes (described in the book of Daniel) instituted a reign of terror. He erected a statue of Zeus (a Greek god) bearing his own facial features and slaughtered a sow on the altar in the temple at Jerusalem. Later, Judah Maccabees and others won independence for the Jews in 165 B.C. The temple was rededicated after the idols were crushed, and things were repaired and cleaned. The last thing to do was to relight the seven-branched menorah. Pure oil had to be used, but there was only enough for one day, and it required eight days to make more. However, the pure oil on hand burned for eight days rather than just one. In celebration of this rededication of the Temple, candles are lighted each year, for eight consecutive days. On the first night this blessing is chanted: "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, and has preserved us, and has enabled us to this season."41 The Abomination The beast Antiochus Epiphanes is a type of the future beast, the Antichrist. Just as the first beast erected an abomination (or a statue) to himself and did away with the worship of God, so will the second, future beast (Rev. 13:14-15). However, just as Judah gained freedom for the Jews, and illuminated the Temple with his candles; the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus, will obtain eternal freedom, and illuminate the Millennial Temple with His Glory. The future celebration of the rededication and the start of a new era will occur after much mourning and cleaning up in the future on the very same day, Kislev 25. Let’s examine scriptures that show us this event. "The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, ‘It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed’" (Dan. 12:7). The Son of God said it would be for a year, two years and half a year. In God’s prophetic year of 360 days, this is 1,260 days. 1,260 days before the end, on Yom Kippur (Tishri 10), is the period of the last half of the tribulation (see timeline illustration in Appendix , Fig. I). This makes the future abomination by the Antichrist at the time of the Passover. It will be the time spoken of by Christ, when the abomination is set up, and great tribulation begins: "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matt. 24:15-16, 21, KJV). This abomination is probably something like a "flesh" covered robotic statue of the beast, as the culmination of man’s most innovative and creative technological wizardry. It seems as if this "robotic creature" may be "booted up," or make his appearance, during the same week that Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, bringing peace and salvation (Zech. 9:9-10; Matt. 21:5). Christ was crucified—rejected—on the cross. He said that another would come in his own name but that he would be accepted (John 5:43). Perhaps he, the Antichrist, "arrives" on this day as well, but his mission is to break the peace, and to bring war and damnation (Dan. 9:27).
At the end of the book of Daniel we are given more numbers, which take us days past the tribulation. "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days" (Dan. 12:11-12). 30 & 75 Days Past The End The passage in Daniel 12:11 gives us 1,290 days from the abomination, or 30 days past the Revelation of God as Jesus Christ on Yom Kippur, Tishri 10. Thirty days was the traditional time of Jewish mourning, as seen in the way they mourned for the deliverer of Israel, Moses: "The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over" (Deut. 34:8). In the same way, they will also mourn for the deliverer of Israel, Christ. "They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son" (Zech. 12:10). Moses wrote that a prophet like himself would be raised up later (Deut. 18:15), and Peter confirmed to Jews that Christ was the One of whom Moses spoke (Acts 3:22). Peter said the Jews should repent and receive the times of refreshing; the Millennial Day (Acts 3:19). This the Jews will do at the end—everyone who is left at the end of the tribulation will be or will become "Jews for Jesus." The rest will have been killed (Zech. 13:8). They will do this because they will not see their Messiah (Christ) again until they say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Matt. 23:39). The 45 days remaining (the days left to reach the 1,335 days of Dan 12:12) is for the judgement (or continuing judgement) of the sheep and goats. Those who will be blessed will be those who have the privilege of entering into the Millennial Kingdom. "He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’"(Matt. 25:34). It is at this same time that the weeds or goats, those people who have chosen darkness (sin and evil), are cast into the fire of Hades.
"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:40-43). This takes us back to the parallel passage in Daniel: "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge" (Dan. 12:3-4). As we saw, the 1,260 days run out at Yom Kippur, and 30 additional days are allotted for the mourning, to bring us to the 1,290th day. Then, the additional 45 days brings us to the 1,335th day. On the Jewish calendar, this will bring us to Kislev 25—the feast at Hanukkah. At least four times, God has used Kislev 24 as an important date in past Jewish history. In 520 B.C., the foundations of the temple were laid. In 168 B.C., the temple sacrifice was abolished. In 165 B.C., the temple was recaptured and cleansed. In 1917 A.D., Jerusalem was freed from Turkish rule. It will be in the future, on Hanukkah, that once again, we who will be there, will celebrate God’s cleansing—on the very day the celebration of the Temple rededication was inaugurated.
SUMMARY God has informed us that the End of the age will come in relation to His dealing with the nation of Israel. The Omega (Messiah) stated emphatically that no one at the time He was on the earth knew when the end would come, including Himself. However, He did not say that no one would know at a later time. Just days later, He Himself knew after He again took on the fullness of the Glory of God with all power and all knowledge. The Bible shows that man’s day will end on the same day that the Day of the Lord begins, when He has promised to restore Israel. This time of restoration brings peace, and the general times of refreshing ruled over by the King of kings (the Prince of Peace). It is immediately after the end day (at that day) that Israel’s restoration takes place (Amos 9:11). God said that He would go back to His place until the Jews admitted their guilt (Hos. 5:15). He later informed us by His own mouth that He was leaving and that Israel’s house would be desolate (Matt. 24:2). He will be away for two days, and the third day will become the restoration day (Hos. 6:2). As we saw, the restoration day (the Millennial Day, or Day of the Lord) is going to be 1,000 years long, thus the other two days (being in the same context of time) will be 2,000 years. Therefore, the third day will begin 2,000 years after His leaving. We determined the year directly from written prophecy. We determined the day from typical prophecy. At Yom Kippur, the High Priest in his linen garments shed blood and made atonement for the people. He then reappeared from the Holy of Holies (within the temple) dressed in his garments of glory and beauty. He thus revealed himself, showing that his blood offering had been accepted, and that the people had been "saved." This typifies the day on which Jesus, the High Priest—Messiah Ben Joseph—who was made in the likeness of sinful man (linen garments), shed His own blood, and made atonement for all believers. As Messiah, the King of Kings—Messiah Ben David—He will soon come out of the Holy of Holies in Heaven, fully dressed in all His glory and regal splendor. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords will reveal Himself, showing that His blood offering was accepted, and that Israel has been saved—on the Day of Redemption or Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). By knowing the date of Yom Kippur, one can work backwards through time to know when other events, which also have specific time periods, will occur. For example, the fifth trumpet begins eighteen months earlier, which starts a great war. These dates can all be checked more precisely in the future, once the abomination of desolation occurs. For it is 1,260 days after the abomination that the end occurs.Moses and Elijah represented not only the law and the prophets, but those who are to be resurrected38 and translated as they were. (As Enoch never died, so shall some living today never die!)
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