|
1 AD |
200
million |
||
|
1650 |
500
million |
||
|
1804 |
1.0
billion |
||
|
1927 |
2.0
billion |
||
|
1960 |
3.0
billion |
||
|
1975 |
4.0
billion |
||
|
1999 |
6.0
billion |
||
|
2006 |
6.5
billion |
||
|
----- Projected Est. ----- |
|||
|
2050 |
9.2
billion |
||
According to statistics
shown above the task has been growing exponentially harder not easier. Then
came mass media (radio, television, the Internet and satellites) and the ease
of worldwide travel. The great commission has been given the tools to fulfill
the evangelism of the world in short order with proper concerted effort.
15When ye therefore
shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand
in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
(See Also: Mark 13:14; Luke
21:20)
Here Yahshua
places another ‘marker’ before continuing – i.e. ‘When’. This event is to be
witnessed by the same group that He has been addressing from the beginning of
this private conversation i.e. His disciples (who are representing us, the ekkleôsia). Yahshua certainly knew that it would
not be His disciples (the first twelve) that would actually see the “abomination
of desolation” during “the beginning of sorrows”, but rather, His ekkleôsia. (The “ye” is you and me.) Daniel
spoke of this event thus:
Daniel 11:31-32 “And arms
shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and
shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination
that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he
corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong,
and do exploits.” (see also Dan 12:11)
The “abomination of desolation” is an act that
pollutes the temple of Yah, which can only be located on the temple mount in
Yerusalem. The
significance of this act cannot be overstated. It is another marker concerning
the chronology of the end-times. To fully appreciate the importance of this
marker we will need to take a short look at one of Daniel’s prophecies
concerning the end-times. We can read for ourselves in Matthew that Yahshua
speaks of “the beginning of sorrows” 24:8, quickly followed by a time
when His followers are hated for His “names sake” 24:9-12, then the “abomination
of desolation” 24:15. The act called the “abomination of desolation”
causes such intense turmoil in Israel (Middle East) that Yahshua
instructs His saints to immediately leave “Judaea” for their own
survival. But first a quick look at Daniel’s prophecy.
Dan 9:23-27 “. . . therefore understand the matter, and consider
the vision. 24Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end
of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in
everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to
anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto
the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and
threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and
the wall, even in troublous times. 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off,
but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27And
he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:
and in the midst of the week he shall
cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even
until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
In order to keep this prophecy in its own context we
have to back up a bit to grasp the period of time(s) it is dealing with. This
prophecy is generally referred to as Daniel’s
Seventy Weeks Prophecy. The use of the word ‘weeks’ is
misleading at first. The original Hebrew text is actually speaking of 70 sets
of 7 years, which equals 490 years. It is a huge study in its self and beyond
the scope of this essay. But briefly the 490 years are broken up into four
sections: verse 25: “seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks” 49 + 420 + 14 = 483 and
verse 27: 490 – 483 = 7 years or the final “week”. The 483 years part of
this prophecy was fulfilled with exact precision (to the day) when Yahshua came
to the temple riding upon the colt. It is understood that when the temple priest
failed to anoint Him, as the Messiah, the clock (concerning this prophecy) was
set to ‘pause’ and the ‘Age of Grace’ was ushered in leaving the remaining 7
years to be fulfilled at some point in the future. But when?
The final 7 years, i.e. “week”, is addressed
starting in verse 27. The seven-year peace covenant, between the anti-christ
and Israel, (and others “many”) comes from this prophecy. Gabriel
explains, “in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and
the oblation to cease,” The Hebrew word translated into “midst” (cheòtsŒòy) is a very precise word. It
does not mean near or around or close to the middle. It means the exact middle.
(H2677 the half or middle:—half,
middle, mid [-night], midst, part, two parts.) Therefore, Gabriel is telling
Daniel that the “abomination of desolation” will take place exactly
halfway through the final 7 years, the last half of which is the conclusion of
the 70 weeks prophecy.
Now back to Matthew.
16Then let them which be
in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17Let him which
is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his
clothes. 19And woe unto them that are
with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on
the sabbath day:
(See Also: Mark 13:14b-18;
Luke 21:21-24)
The context has
not changed. He is still speaking to His ekkleôsia
by way of this private conversation with His disciples. And here He sets
another marker. This one is directly referring back to the “abomination of
desolation Spoken of by Daniel the prophet.”. That which follows “Then” are
instructions to immediately do the following: “let them which
be in Judaea flee into the mountains:”.
It is possible that some in Judaea, who are not Christians, but are
familiar with this scripture, will join in the exodus? I would say it is very
likely. A little enroute witnessing would be in order. The urgency expressed in the above verses
speaks for itself. It sounds like instructions for leaving a building where
either a fire is raging or a bomb is about to explode i.e. extreme danger. The explanation for the urgency is given in
the very next verse. But remember the cause (“For then . . . ”) is
directly related to the “abomination of desolation”.
21For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time,
no, nor ever shall be.
(See Also: Mark 13:19; Luke
21:22; Dan 12:1)
Yahshua is telling us point
blank that it is the “abomination of desolation” that triggers the “great
tribulation”. And then He defines it as a time of horror that has no equal
in earth’s history. In fact Daniel told us the same thing. (Reread Mat. 24:15)
(Dan 11:31) “. . . and shall
take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination
that maketh desolate.” (Dan 12:1) “.
. . and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was
a nation even to that same time . . .”
The “abomination of
desolation” is an act of a man known as the anti-christ. During the first
half of the final “week” the anti-christ will ascend to a position of
vast power and control in the Middle East and will have tremendous (evil)
influence on the entire world. His evil nature will be exposed to anyone who
has studied end-time prophecy (albeit to various levels and degrees of
understanding) when he enters the temple at Yerusalem and declares himself to
be god. Israel will realize she has made a “covenant with death” and
rebel against him and his throne. The anti-christ will respond with carnage
that Yahshua refers to as “great tribulation, such as was not since
the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” The Greek
word for ‘world’ here is not eon it is ‘kosmos’
which is where our English word ‘cosmos’ comes from and means: 1. Everything
that exists anywhere.
(Isaiah 28:18-19) “And
your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with
hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye
shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take
you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it
shall be a vexation only to understand the report.” (see also 28:15)
In the following
verse Yahshua declares that the intensity of the great tribulation is such that
if left to run its course it will destroy mankind from the face of the earth
and possibly destroy the Earth itself. (Rev. 11:18)
22And except those
days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s
sake those days shall be shortened.
(See Also: Mark 13:20; Luke
21:22-26)
Yah is merciful.
He will not allow the carnage to continue until the very end of the last half
of the final “week”. At some point after the “midst of the week”
(i.e. 3½ year point) Yahshua will bring the “great tribulation” to an
end “for the elect’s sake”.
(Remember: elect = ekkleôsia or all
believers)
I remember
countless conversations with well meaning bible teachers who tried to convince
me that the “elect”, of Mat. 24, is unsaved Israel. (Please see:
Rom. 8:33, 9:11, 11:5-7, 11:28; Col. 3:12; 1st Thess. 1:4; Titus 1:1; 1st Peter
1:2; 2nd Peter 1:10) No really, stop right here and actually look those verses
up. Let those verses be the final
evidence for whom Yahshua is speaking to through His disciples during this
private conversation. The “elect” and the ekkleôsia
are one and the same.
23Then if any man shall
say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and
shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect. 25Behold, I have told you before. 26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the
desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27For as the lightning cometh out of the
east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of
man be. 28For wheresoever the carcase
is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
(See Also: Mark 13:21-23)
“Then”(another
marker) is still referring to the time of “great tribulation”. Naturally
this will be a time when the elect will be looking for signs of the Messiah’s
return in earnest to say the least. This will also be a time when
false-prophets will go on a feeding frenzy seeking anyone who is desperate to
escape the carnage. In a weakened emotional state some of the elect will be
ripe for believing deceptions provided by those evil charlatans. When our
Savior returns for His elect it will not be in secret. It will not be a
mystery to us. “For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be.” You don’t have to be where the lighting
strikes to see the flash. You don’t have to personally find the carcass to know
where it lays, you can determine that by watching the buzzards (“eagles”)
circle above it.
29Immediately after the tribulation
of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give
her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken:
(See Also: Mark 13:24-25;
Luke 21:25-26)
Immediately after the “great tribulation” the
heavens will grow dark. As the skies begin to darken the brightest stars will
fade from view and the moon will appear blood red. Finally, the sun will barely
appear and the moon and stars will not be seen at all. This cosmic event is so
startling that it actually brings the great tribulation to a halt. The world
pauses with amazement and fear at what is taking place.
30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes
of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(Remember ? ““Tell us,
when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”)
(See Also: Mark 13:26; Luke
21:27-28)
He continues to provide markers (then) establishing
the chronological order of the events. What appears to be a distant bright
light begins to approach the earth from heaven penetrating the darkness. It
will appear to grow brighter and brighter as it approaches. As the world turns
on its axes the entire population will see Him approach for three days and
nights. His glory will be the only bright light in heaven. “For as the lightning cometh out of the
east, and shineth even unto the
west; so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be.” Again there is nothing secret about His return for His
elect. The elect will fall to their knees as they watch and rejoice.
Unbelievers will tremble with crippling fear while discerning where they might
run and hide.
31And he shall send
his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to
the other.
(See Also: Mark 13:27)
As it is commonly taught (and with good biblical
reason) Yahshua will not set foot on the earth at this time. Rather, He will
send His angels to all parts of the world, i.e. “four winds” (North, South,
East and West) and “from one end of heaven to the other” (Descending
from all areas of the sky), to “gather His elect”. This could be
paraphrased as “and His angels will gather His ekkleôsia
from all parts of the earth.” This is the rapture, referred to in scripture as
the ‘gathering’. (see 2 Thess 2:1) This is the conclusion to Yahshua’s answer
to their first two questions. He has explained what will befall their immediate
future and then given information that will equip His elect to discern the
signs of His return at “the end of the age”. And just in case one of
them (us) has missed His point He reiterates the message in a powerful parable.
32Now learn a
parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth
leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33So likewise
ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the
doors. 34Verily I say unto you, This
generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass
away. 36But of that day and hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
(See Also: Mark 13:28-32;
Luke 21:29-36) (Rosh Hashanah)
This parable is obviously
referring back to the signs and events He has just described in response to His
disciple’s three questions. It is a common belief that Israel is symbolized as “the
fig tree” in scripture. Yahshua certainly knew what was about to happen to
the people of Israel. Their dispersion into the various countries of the world
for nearly two thousand years was to become a fact not a possibility. Likewise
the re-gathering of Israel back into their homeland was also a prophetic
certainty. (see Eze. 39:25-29) As mentioned above this began in earnest
starting in May 1948 after Israel was allowed to become a ‘nation’ again. “When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves,
ye know that summer is nigh”
“So likewise ye,
when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at
the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all
these things be fulfilled.” The paraphrase for this would be: “So the generation that,
sees Israel back in her homeland, and the world experiences false messiahs and
false prophets and wars and rumors of wars and famines, and pestilences and
earthquakes each happening in various locations around the world and all
these things keep increasing in frequency and intensity, know that I will
be returning with my angels to gather My elect before that same generation
expires.” (?? 1948 + 70 = +/-2018 ??)
Things To Know Before Continuing:
Mat. 5:17-18 Think not that I
am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and
earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all
be fulfilled.
Moses was instructed
directly by Yah to establish hundreds of laws for Israel to keep. Many of these
‘laws’ pertain to the ‘Feast Days of Israel’. The keeping of the Feast Days
required the establishment of a very sophisticated Lunar Calendar. It is beyond the
scope of this essay to expound upon the details of the Jewish calendar. However, there are four Spring Feast and
three Fall Feast. Yahshua has already precisely fulfilled the Spring Feast. The
next feast that He will precisely fulfill is Trumpets, which is also
called ‘Rosh HaShanah’. (Lev. 23:23-25)
|
Post-Babylonian |
Feast |
|
|
1. |
Nisan (Abib) |
Passover,
Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits |
|
2. |
Iyyar (Zif) |
|
|
3. |
Sivan |
Pentecost |
|
4. |
Tammuz |
|
|
5. |
Ab |
|
|
6. |
Elul |
|
|
7. |
Tishri (Ethamin) |
Trumpets, Day of
Atonement, Tabernacles |
|
8. |
Marheshvan Bul |
|
|
9. |
Chislev |
|
|
10. |
Tebeta |
|
|
11. |
Shebat |
|
|
12. |
Adar |
The Lunar Calendar counts
days from sunset to sunset and begins the months with the first sighting of the
thin sliver (crescent) of the waxing moon. This task is assigned to two-temple
priest who stand watching for the appearance of the “New Moon”. The second
priest acts as a witness to the fact that the crescent has been spotted. As
soon as they both agree that they have seen the new moon a trumpet (Shofar) is
blown. Priest at the temple hear the blowing of the trumpet and then the new
the month is officially declared. (See Psalm 81:3-4)
So why is this important?
Again, Rosh HaShanah begins on the first day of Tishri.
Since Rosh HaShanah starts on the first day, no one knows when the feast (or
month) begins until the temple priest officially makes the declaration. The
sighting of the new moon could be delayed by atmospherical conditions such as
cloud cover. Another factor contributing to the uncertainty is the cycle of the
moon’s phases being 29.53 days not 29 or 30. The accumulative effect of the
‘0.53’ portion of the cycle has the moon rising over the horizon at different
times of the day throughout it cycles. Don’t miss the significance of whether
it rises before or after sunset.
Just as we have idioms in
the English language, such as telling an actor to ‘break a leg’ or telling
someone that ‘a little bird told me’ or ‘you’re beating a dead horse’ the
ancient Hebrew language has idioms as well. (More Information: Visit
here, then use your Back Button ) The ancient Hebrew
idiom used to refer to Rosh HaShanah is: Mat. 24:36 “But of that day and
hour knoweth no man”. Even if the temple priest calculated the precise time
the crescent rose above the horizon, only our Father in heaven could know the
precise moment that the priest (watching for its appearing) would see it and
blow the Shofar. (see Lev 24:23)
36But of that day
and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only.
During the preceding month,
Elul, a trumpet is blown everyday. This is a time of self- examination
and repentance in preparation for the Feast of Rosh HaShanah and the ten days
leading up to Yom Kippur. The day before Rosh HaShanah starts the trumpet is
not blown. This is the ultimate pregnant pause. There is silence until the
Shofar is blown to begin the Feast of Rosh HaShanah. The length of the silence
is therefore unknown as well. At the end of Elul the priest blow the trumpet on
the 28th day and then they wait. So we have 28 days of
self-examination and repentance followed by silence and then Rosh HaShanah,
which is also known as a ‘Day of Judgment’ and the ‘Day of Remembrance’. This
is also the first day of the ‘Ten Days of Awe’ with the tenth day being Yom
Kippur (Atonement). These ten days are days of earnest repentance leading up to
the “Day of Atonement’. (see Lev 23:27-28)
So what is Yahshua actually
telling us in verse 36? (Some of you are probably waiting for me to join the
‘date setting group’. Right?) He is telling us that we cannot
know the day and the hour. Surprise! But, He is telling us the month and even
the week. In fact He has narrowed it down to within three days. Unfortunately,
He has not given us the slightest clue about the year. However, He has told us
which generation – which started in 1948. There can be no mistake about it! He IS
(will) fulfilling the ‘Feast Days of Israel’ to “every jot and tittle”.
(see Mat. 5:18; Luke 16:17) Let me state it point blank. Rosh HaShanah will one
day (soon) be the day that the “last trump” will be sounded.
31And he shall send his angels
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together his elect . . . . . 36But of that day and hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
(Luke 21:27-28) And then shall they see the Son of man coming
in a cloud with power and great glory. 28And when these
things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh.
(This is the same private conversation with His disciples who are
representing the ekkleôsia -
i.e. us)
(1Cor. 15:52) “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
(1Thes. 4:16) “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
. . .”
(Rev. 14:14-16) “And I looked, and behold a white cloud,
and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having
on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15And
another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that
sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is
come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16And
he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the
earth was reaped.”
The verses of
Matthew 24:1-36 do not comprise some kind of mystery or riddle that we cannot
understand without the elusive secret decryption key. All that is required is
to take it for what it says at face value. The starting point is to accept that
Yahshua is talking directly to you, as one of the Elect, because He loves you
and wants you to be prepared for the; “distress of nations, with perplexity;
the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of
heaven shall be shaken.” It is going
to be a ruff ride for a while, then heaven forever. No more tears.
37But as the days of
Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark, 39And knew not
until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be.
In verses 37-39 Yahshua
changes the focus to the experience of the unbelievers. He has just given His
elect all the information they need to be prepared. Now he explains what will
befall those who are unprepared. And of course this relates to the third
question asked by His disciples – “and of the end of the world?” [age] The unbelievers will
not be watching for His return and therefore will be caught off-guard. Remember
the birth pangs parallel? At the very end of the birth process things happen
very quickly and there can be no delay of any kind without endangering the
child and/or mother. Once the skies darken (Mat. 24:29) (and His glory is seen
in heaven by the entire population of the earth) it will most likely be within
three days that Rosh HaShanah will begin (Fall Feast) and Yahshua blows the
Shofar Himself. This will be the “the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall
be changed.”
40Then shall two be in
the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,
and the other left. 42Watch
therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in
what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have
suffered his house to be broken up 44Therefore
be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
So who is the one that is “taken” and the one who is “left”?
Taken: G3880 ðáñáëáìâÜíù paralambanoô par-al-am-ban'-o to receive near, that is,
associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or
relation). Left: G863 Pößçìé aphieômi af-ee'-ay-mee to send forth, in various
applications: — cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let
(alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer,
yield up.
The
choices of these Greek words are meant to establish a dichotomy between the two
representative groups. If the ‘taken’ are they who are ‘received near’ in a
‘familiar and intimate relationship’ with Yahshua, then the ‘left’ must be they
who are ‘forsaken’. Yahshua has just carefully and deliberately explained what
the elect need to know to be ready. And he has done so in plain terms. After
giving the detailed information He instructs us to “Watch therefore . . . be
ye also ready”. (v. 42/44)
Although
we cannot know “that day and hour”, He has left us without excuse should
we claim we are unable to “discern the signs of
the times”. (Mat. 16:3) After
having read the ‘fine print’ to us He then admonishes us to be ready. This
instruction immediately follows His revealing the signs of His return for the
elect. What was the second
question? “. . . what shall be the
sign of thy coming”(?) And what was His answer?
29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the
sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall
fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall
all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a
trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
There
will be harsh tribulation for the elect all through the “beginning of
sorrows”, but once the “abomination of desolation” has occurred and
the “great tribulation” results, the world (especially the Middle East) will quickly
deteriorate to a state of anarchy and evil that the world has never known. This
condition will continue (less than 42 months) until “the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the
stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” for Yahshua has promised that “for the elect’s
sake those days shall be shortened.” Once these ‘cosmic disturbances’ take
place the following Rosh HaShanah will be the time of our redemption. (see Luke
21:28)
45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath
made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall
find so doing. 47Verily I say unto
you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My
lord delayeth his coming; 49And
shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50The lord of that servant shall come in
a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51And shall cut
him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Just incase anyone has
missed the importance of the answers He has given in response to His disciples
three questions, verses 45-51 give a lesson in accountability. Failure to watch
in all expectation of Yahshua’s appearing, according to the events and signs He
has given, can lead to backsliding and Yahshua “shall cut him asunder, and
appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.”
Tribulation, Cosmic Disturbances and
Yah’s Wrath
There is a significant difference between ‘tribulation’ and
‘Yah’s Wrath’. The difference is actually very simple. One comes from living in
a fallen world with fallen people who have fallen rulers. The other comes
directly from Yah’s righteous judgment of that fallen world, its people and
their rulers. A hurricane takes place and horrific things result. Do we say
‘this was an act of nature’? No we say ‘this was an act of God’. We are wrong.
It is an act of nature resulting from the condition of a fallen world. The
exact same mistake is made if/when we associate ‘tribulation’ or even ‘great
tribulation’ with Yah. World Wars One and Two qualify as ‘tribulation’. Those
who experienced them first hand may argue that they qualified as ‘great
tribulation’. Were they the ‘Wrath of Yah’?
No. They and were the wrath of mankind upon mankind. That’s what you get
living in a fallen world with fallen people who have fallen rulers. So where
does the tribulation caused by mankind end and the Righteous Wrath of Yah
begin?
In scripture ‘the wrath of Yah’ is
referred to as “the day of the LORD”. Whenever you see ‘LORD’ in the KJV
of the bible the actual Hebrew word/name is the ‘sacred name of our creator’.
Many choose to represent His name as ‘YHWH’. H3068 äåˆäÊéŠ yehoòvaòh yeh-ho-vaw' (the) self Existent
or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:—Jehovah, the Lord.
(Remember about the letters J, V and
W) As I have already stated I use the abbreviated form;
‘Yah’ (see Psalm 68:4). Therefore, I express it as: ‘“the day of Yah”. The first appearance of this phrase is found
at Isaiah 2:12. “For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one
that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be
brought low”. OK. So that doesn’t sound so bad does it? Try this one:
(Isaiah
13:6-11) “Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall
come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint,
and every man’s heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows
shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they
shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the
day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to
lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For
the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light:
the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her
light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and
the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to
cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.”
Did you notice the undeniable
correlation of Yah’s wrath and the cosmic disturbances? Need more?
(Joel
2:1-2) “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh
at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick
darkness”
(Joel
2:1-2) ”. . . for the day of the LORD
is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?”
(Joel
2:31-32) “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before
the great and the terrible day of the
LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call
on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem
shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD
shall call.”
(Joel
3:14-16) “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley
of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall
withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter
his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake:”
(Amos 5:18-20) “Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD
is darkness, and not light. 19As if a man did flee from a lion,
and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall,
and a serpent bit him. 20Shall not the day of the LORD be
darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?”
(Zeph.1:14-16) “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near,
and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day
of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day
of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A
day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the
high towers.”
(Rev.
6:12-17) “And I beheld when he had opened
the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun
became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars
of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men,
and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to
the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day
of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
It
should be very plain from the above verses that the “Day of the LORD” immediately
follows the cosmic disturbances of the Sixth Seal. And that it is the “Day
of the LORD” that is Yah’s wrath upon an unrepentant world. The Seventh
Seal is the beginning of Yah’s wrath. (Reread Joel 2:31 note the word “before”)
Now For Another Perspective
First, take note that Yahshua’s disciples
did not ask Him about ‘the day of Yah’ or Yah’s wrath being poured out on the
wicked in judgment of sin at the end of the age. Also note that He didn’t
mention it, directly, when responding to their questions. The closest He came
to the subject was when He said; “there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The
‘gnashing of teeth’ refers to the sound one hears as starving dogs fight over a
pitiful scrap of food and their teeth bang together as they ferociously
struggle to win the prize. Not pleasant. If we were to section off the end-time
events into intervals and we were to do so in harmony with what Yahshua has
said, they would be thus; (1) Beginning of Sorrows [v.1-8], (2)
Tribulation [v.9-14], (3) Great Tribulation [v.15-28], (4)
Redemption [v.29-47], (5) Judgment [v.48-51]
Beginning of Sorrows:
The sixth chapter of the book of Revelation begins with the first of seven seals
being opened by Yahshua. (Revelation / Mathew)
1And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and
I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come
and see. 2And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that
sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth
conquering, and to conquer.
7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom . . . . 8All these are the beginning of
sorrows.
3And when he had opened the
second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4And there went out another
horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon
to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there
was given unto him a great sword.
9Then shall they deliver you up to be
afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my
name’s sake. 10And then shall many be offended,
and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the
third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that
sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6And I heard a
voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and
three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the
wine.
11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax
cold. 13But he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved.
7And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the
voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8And I looked,
and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell
followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the
earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts
of the earth.
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place . . . 21For then shall be
great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor ever shall be. 22And except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the
elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
9And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under
the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held: 10And they cried with a loud
voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge
our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11And white robes
were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should
rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their
brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Those saints who are crying out to Yah
from beneath the alter are all who have been slain for their faith in Yah in
Old Testament times and faith in Yah through Yahshua in the New Testament
times. The ‘Great Tribulation’ is taking place on the earth during their plea
for justice. Yah instructs them to keep resting while saints who are to be
martyred during the ‘Great Tribulation’, is fulfilled. These are not the
resurrected saints. These are the saints who will be resurrected along with ALL
other saints. There is one resurrection for the saved and one resurrection for
the unsaved. (see Rev. 20:4-6 compare Dan. 12:1-3)
12And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and,
lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of
hair, and the moon became as blood; 13And the stars of heaven fell
unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is
shaken of a mighty wind. 14And the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places.
29Immediately after the tribulation
of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give
her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken:
15And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and
the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman,
and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains; 16And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us,
and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne . . . .
(See:
Joel 2:11; Isaiah 2:7, 12, 19, 21)
. . . . and from the wrath
of the Lamb: 17For the great day of his wrath is come;
and who shall be able to stand?
(See:
Joel 2:1-2)
So
what does “is come” mean? No it doesn’t
depend upon what your definition of the word ‘is’ is. In fact, in the original
Greek it is actually only one word: G2064 hñ÷ïìáé erchomai er'-khom-ahee Middle voice of a primary
verb (used only in the present and imperfect tenses; to come or go
(in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively):—accompany,
appear, bring, come enter, fall out, go, grow, X light, X next, pass, resort,
be set. (see examples: Mat. 17:12; Mark
14:41; John 12:23; 15:26) Basically the context will define whether or not it
means ‘is happening now’ or ‘is going to happen in the immediate future’. If I
say: “the evening is come”, I’m not talking about the sunrise or even
midnight. I am talking about the sunset that is either taking place or about to
take place in short order. In the above context the intention is ‘short order’.
The same type of parallels can be
illustrated with Matthew chapter 24 and Daniel chapters 7 – 12 although the
events are not laid out in chronology order.
The following two verses clearly speak of the great tribulation followed
by the redemption of His elect. Folks; “every one” means everyone. You
are either in the “book” (of life) or you are not. Anyone who tries to
force the word “thy” to only refer to
Israel (Jews) needs to read Romans chapter 11, Paul’s trying to tell us
something. It’s not hard to understand.
(Dan.
12:1-2) “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which
standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of
trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time:
and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that
shall be found written in the book. 2And many of them that sleep
in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame
and everlasting contempt.”
Conclusion:
John 3:16