The six ships of multi-national anti-Israel terrorists that embarked from Turkey, north of Israel, and sailed to Gaza, actually came to fight against Israel and to arouse the entire world to oppose Israel. It was a step towards the end-time Gog and Magog war against Israel.
This is a time of G‑dly testing for all of humanity. Here is the word of G‑d from Jerusalem to the entire world: "If you stand with Israel, you will stand with Me! If you are against Israel, you will stand against Me!"
Israel is now facing a very critical time in the path toward her redemption. The war of Gog and Magog against Israel and the coming judgment of the nations is at the door (Ezekiel 38 & 39). The entire world is going to face the most significant and difficult period in its history. We can now recognize the beginning steps of this period. At the same time that G‑d's judgment falls upon the nations who persecuted — and continue to persecute — His people Israel, G‑d is going to complete the redemption of His people Israel and the building of his end-time kingdom on the Temple Mount and in Jerusalem. During this godly end-time period and together with his chosen people Israel, He will redesign the face of humanity forever exactly as prophesied in Isaiah 2:1-5.
At this very critical hour Israel, the chosen people of G‑d and His anointed vessel, is facing violence, battles and hatred that are coming from the four corners of the world. Nations and powers — and in the midst of them the Arab and Islamic nations — are leading a cruel fight against the small nation of Israel. They are calling to remove Israel from the map of the world. Their agenda is to stop and to destroy what G‑d is doing together with His people Israel in order to rebuild His Holy Kingdom in Israel so that Israel can fulfill what G‑d anointed her to be: "A holy nation, a kingdom of priests and the light to the nations" (Exodus 19:5-6). Thousands of years ago G‑d called Israel to be His vessel to bring to pass His end-time dream to redesign the face of humanity according to His principles. It is not an accident that G‑d chose our present time, which is such a materialistic and immoral era, to rebuild mankind on a godly moral foundation, which is more necessary than ever before.
All the nations who want to eliminate and destroy Israel are actually and simultaneously waging a fight against the Almighty G‑d of Israel in order to stop His end-time plans concerning all of mankind. The Arab-Islamic nations realize that the G‑d and people of Israel are the only obstacles preventing their plans to control the entire world and to force Islam upon all the nations.
It is not an accident that the eyes and hearts of most of mankind, especially in the Western world, are covered by the excesses of hedonistic materialism that makes them blind and deaf so they can not understand the very dangerous plans of the Arab-Islamic world. At the same time they refuse to recognize what G‑d is doing with Israel for the sake of their own future. They can not hear the call of G‑d to the entire world to stand with Him and with Israel and to be a part of the rebuilding of His holy moral Kingdom that He ordained thousands of years ago to be located atop His Holy Mountain in Jerusalem among His people Israel so that His Word will go out from Jerusalem to all the nations. They prefer cheap oil and other materialistic goods that the Arab-Islamic kingdom provides for them rather than the Kingdom of G‑d with its beneficial spiritual gifts that Almighty G‑d wants to give them through His people Israel. In this way mankind brings itself closer and closer to the end-time war of Gog and Magog and the day of G‑d's judgment.
I am calling every one and every nation in the world — especially the many cruel Arab-Islamic enemies of Israel to give attention to the Word of G‑d:
"For the day of the L‑rd is near upon all the nations: as you have done, it shall be done to you: your deeds shall return upon your own head. For as you have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually, indeed, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. But upon Mount Zion, there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions." (Obadiah 1:15-17)
I call every one of them to consider their ways and immediately stop their plans to remove Israel from the map of the world and from the Land that G‑d gave only to them in an eternal covenant. This vital call is to end their hatred and violence against the people of G‑d and to understand that G‑d will never allow them to fulfill their plans to eliminate Israel. Even more than at any time in the past, Israel today is G‑d's moral testimony to the entire world. The Almighty G‑d of Israel is determined to complete what He started when He re-established the Kingdom of Israel in the year 1948. He will not allow anyone or any power in the world — including the powerful leaders of worldly governments — to change His end-time plans concerning Israel or to stop the redemption of His people and the Land of Israel. G‑d will not allow any one in the world to hurt Israel, not even to touch one hair of her head. His love for Israel is unconditional and eternal.
The Flotilla of Terror From Turkey in the Sea Battle Against Israel
On the 31st of May, six ships of hatred, terror and violence against Israel made their way from Turkey to Gaza with the encouragement of the extremist Islamic government of Turkey, which is controlled by bands of extremist Islamic terrorists that declare again and again like their ally in Iran, Ahmadinejad, that their goal is to destroy Israel and to remove her from the map of the world. Their goal was to open the port of Gaza for the import of all kinds of heavy weapons that will originate from Iran and will help them fulfill their goal to destroy Israel. The six terror ships carried many terrorists, including members of Al-Qaeda, the terror organization that destroyed the twin towers in New York City on September 11, 2001. They brought many weapons with them. Israel could not allow herself to permit them to enter the Port of Gaza and turn it into an open-line of terror against Israel. Israel stated that if the ships wanted to deliver humanitarian products to Gaza, they could bring them to the Ashdod port where Israel would deliver the cargo to Gaza after examining the ships and their cargoes for weaponry. When the Israeli navy stopped the ships and Israeli soldiers boarded the vessels, the soldiers were attacked by the terrorists with knives and other weapons, including live-fire. The hostile terrorists started to lynch the Israeli soldiers. The soldiers had no choice but to protect themselves and to save their lives. Seven Israeli soldiers were injured, two of them critically. Nine of the terrorists were killed when they shot live-fire weapons at the Israeli soldiers. Afterwards the Israeli navy escorted the ships to Ashdod and delivered the humanitarian cargo to Gaza as Israel, herself, does all of the time.
It is a shame that most of the world started to bash and condemn Israel and in this way they gave their support to the terrorists showing their hypocrisy and immoral behavior. Instead of standing with Israel, who has not stopped sacrificing her precious sons and daughters throughout the past 62 years in order to protect herself during seven wars and the continual cruel terror of the Arab-Islamic nations that want to destroy and eliminate Israel from the map of the world. More than 22,000 Israeli soldiers and many, many thousands of civilians have fallen in these wars in order to protect Israel and the Kingdom of G‑d in the Holy Land. Today Israel says to the entire world: "No one will take from us the right to protect ourselves from the evil powers. Never again will we be taken like lambs to the slaughter as was done to us during the Holocaust and during the last 2,000 years of exile." The Almighty G‑d of Israel is together with His people Israel to protect them and to fight with them in all the fields of battle against the many enemies that are coming to destroy them. As He has defeated, together with His Israeli soldiers, all the enemies that have come against Israel, so He will do in the future. All the Islamic enemies of Israel are preparing themselves for the coming war. They believe that this time they have a chance to destroy Israel; however, the G‑d of Israel is waiting for them and is ready to fight against them and to judge all of them. "Then shall the L‑rd go out, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle." (Zechariah 14:3).
On the 7th of June, the Iranians declared that they are going to send to Gaza another flotilla of terror that will be followed by Iranian-armed soldiers. This is the Iran that has stated again and again during the last couple of years that her goal is to remove Israel from the map of the world. We can be sure that Israel will not allow this terror provocation and attack against Israel to come to Gaza in order to further arm the Hamas terror organization that continues to attack Israel with rockets and missiles.
The terror ships to Gaza from Turkey and Iran indicate that the end-time Gog and Magog war and judgment of the Almighty G‑d of Israel upon the nations that are coming to destroy His people Israel and to stop the end-time godly event of the redemption of Israel and the entire world is behind the door.
As we see, today Israel is surrounded from every side by Islamic and Arab countries who prepare themselves to remove Israel from the map of the world by war, terror and violence. The holy book of Psalms prophesies about this and calls G‑d to judge these countries:
"Do not keep silence, O G‑d: do not hold your peace, and be still, O G‑d. For lo, your enemies make a tumult: and they who hate you have lifted up the head. They take crafty counsel against your people, and consult against your hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against you and said, Let us seize for our possession the pastures of G‑d. O my G‑d, make them like the whirling chaff: like the stubble before the wind. As the fire burns a wood, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire; so pursue them with your tempest, and terrify them with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O L‑rd. Let them be confounded and affrighted forever; and let them be put to shame, and perish: that men may know that you alone, whose name is the L‑rd, are the most high over all the earth." (Psalms 83:1-6,13-19 / Christian Bible: Psalm 83:1-6,12-18)
Now, the enemies of Israel have continued to circle around her from the sea as well. In the east it is Iran that prepares nuclear weapons for the goal to annihilate Israel. Iraq, with her Shi'a majority population (as in Iran) will become a part of Iran, when the American military, under orders from President Obama, will soon be removed from Iraq. Syria and the Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon continue to form the militant circle around Israel with each of them possessing between 60,000-70,000 missiles directed against Israel that have the ability to strike every centimeter of the Land of Israel. They continually threaten Israel that these missiles will destroy her in the coming war. In the Gaza Strip the Hamas is armed with thousands of rockets and missiles that persistently strike Israel. The extremist Islamic government of Turkey, that sent the ships of terror against Israel, completes from the north the circle of militancy against Israel. Other multi-national ships that are going to be sent to Gaza again to provoke Israel will complete the circle of aggression against Israel. Anti-Israel demonstrations, with thousands of people, are taking place all over the world calling for the elimination of Israel. Some of them are calling for Israel to be sent back to Auschwitz! Others, like the White House journalist Helen Thomas, called for Israelis to be sent to Germany and Poland, where six million Jews were heinously murdered in satanic ways during WWII.
The meaning of all these actions and statements is very clear: the enemies of Israel, backed with the support of most of the world, prepare themselves and are making the first steps of the end-time Gog and Magog War against Israel that was prophesied by the prophets Ezekiel, Zechariah, Joel and others. Through this war the Almighty G‑d of Israel is going to show the entire world His greatness, His love, His faithfulness and commitment to the covenant that He made with His chosen people Israel and His determination to complete in our generation the end-time process of the redemption of Israel, and through Israel, that of the entire world. This will also be as it was prophesied: a war of judgment upon the enemies and nations that came to destroy Israel and G‑d's dream for a godly moral revolution throughout the world. For thousands of years G‑d has prepared His people Israel for this critical hour and promised to protect and stand with them. He called this end-time war of judgment the "Gog and Magog War" that will start from the north (Turkey, Syria, Russia and others):
"Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, Thus says the L‑rd G‑d; In that day when my people of Israel dwell safely, shall you not know it: And you shall come from your place out of the far sides of the north, you, and many peoples with you, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: and you shall come up against my people of Israel, like a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified by you, O Gog, before their eyes. And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says the L‑rd G‑d; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn you about, and entice you on, and will cause you to come up from the far sides of the north, and will bring you against the mountains of Israel: and I will smite your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you, and all your bands, and the peoples that are with you: I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, says the L‑rd G‑d. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell securely in the coastlands: and they shall know that I am the L‑rd So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not allow my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am the L‑rd, the Holy One in Israel." (Ezekiel 38:14-16; 39:1-7)
The prophet Joel described this war and day of judgment with very dramatic words and colors that cause us to think of a nuclear war, especially when we see Iran's zeal towards having nuclear capabilities while she declares the removal of Israel from the map of the world. Like the prophet Ezekiel, the prophet Joel prophesies that G‑d will judge all the nations that come against Israel and He will protect His people and the Holy Land of Israel :
"And I will exhibit wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and the terrible day of the L‑rd. For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will enter into judgment with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and have divided up my land." Joel 3:3-4; 4:1-2
The atmosphere in Israel at this special time is that the Gog and Magog war is really at the door. On June 6th, a conference of rabbis took place from the Jewish villages and cities located in the biblical heartland of Gush Etzion in Judea and Samaria. They called to Israel to get ready for the Gog and Magog war that is indicated by the violence surrounding Israel.
Everyone feels the significance of this special godly time. It looks like Israel is again alone among the nations. But everyone in the world should know that we do not feel alone because we know and we feel that G‑d is with us and among us, and we feel very safe with Him. There is no fear in Israel from all those many enemies and nations that are preparing themselves to eliminate Israel. Whom shall we fear if G‑d is with us? In a time when violence and hatred is coming from most of the world against Israel, and the President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, is putting pressure on Israel to divide her land and also Jerusalem, and to surrender to her Arab-Islamic enemies, Israel feels that we should answer President Obama: "No!" And to remind all of them of the Word of G‑d to Israel since ancient times: "Israel is a people that shall dwell alone and shall not consider the nations." Numbers 23:9. But Israel should consider, listen and obey only their Beloved Almighty G‑d, the G‑d of Israel. We should always remember what G‑d said to Israel from the ancient times, "I chose you not because you are the majority of all the nations, but because you are the minority of all the nations and I love you. But together with Me, you are the majority and the entire world is the minority":
"For you are a holy people to the L‑rd your G‑d: The L‑rd your G‑d has chosen you to be a special people to himself, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. The L‑rd did not set his love upon you, or choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples: but because the L‑rd loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn to your fathers, has the L‑rd brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the L‑rd your G‑d, He is G‑d, the faithful G‑d, who keeps covenant and grace with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repays them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hates him, he will repay him to his face." Deuteronomy 7:6-10
In these days Israel is lifting her eyes, face and heart to heaven to the G‑d of Israel. We know, as always, that salvation for Israel will come from the beloved G‑d of Israel, who will fight together with His faithful Israeli soldiers that are ready to fight against the many enemies of the G‑d and people of Israel and to sacrifice everything when it is needed for Him, for His people, for His Land and for the betterment of mankind throughout the world.
A few words of love to the many, many friends and lovers of Israel and the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement who are all over the world and are standing strongly with Israel and her Faithful Movement of G‑d at this time of darkness. We feel, and we know, that by this and by your good hearts you have touched the heart of G‑d and were chosen by Him from all the nations to have an important part in His end-time plans. You are carrying the torch of light at this time of darkness and you give hope to the entire world. The G‑d of the people of Israel will never forget what you are doing for the people of G‑d in a time when it is so needed. Soon we shall stand hand-in-hand in the rebuilt Temple of G‑d in Jerusalem, and we shall thank Him for the great privilege that He gave us to serve Him and His end-time plans at such a major, godly time. Thank you again and again so much for all of this and for who you are!
The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement wants to again thank all of you who stand with the Faithful Movement both spiritually and practically with such great faithfulness and love. At this special time the Faithful Movement is fulfilling an important part and role in the midst of all these end-time events that are increasingly focused on the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. From this most holy place starts all the godly end-time events, and here they will soon be completed, when G‑d will dwell in His rebuilt Temple among His people Israel and among all humanity. For this, and for making Israel once again a biblical nation with a biblical mission, the Faithful Movement is dedicated.
Any contribution that will help us complete this holy work, hand-and-hand with your gracious participation, will be accepted with deepest appreciation and can be made by personal check or money order payable to: Temple Mount Faithful Movement and sent to the following address:
In G‑d we trust!!
The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement
P.O. Box 18325, 4 Aliash Street, Jerusalem, Israel
Telephone: 02.625.1112 / FAX: 02.625.1113
© Copyright 1997 - 2010 | Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement
The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement is not associated or affiliated with the Temple Institute.
FEAST OF TRUMPETS (ROSH HASHANAH) and its relationship to the Rapture
By Dr. Stephen Yulish - September 17, 2009
Sundown on Friday September 18 till sundown of Sunday September 20 is the festival of Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, (new Jewish year of 5770). Traditionally, RH only began on new moon when two witnesses said so and the head of the Sanhedrin agreed. Thus each year, nobody knew the exact day or hour (Matthew 24:36). Leviticus 23:24-32 "first day of the seventh moth, Tishri, will be a day of rest, reminder, and blowing of the shofar - a holy convocation.
Season of Teshuvah, return or repentance actually begins 30 days before on the first of Elul and ends 40 days later on the 1oth of Tishri or sundown, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The last 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the days of awe. Each morning for these 40 days the shofar (ram's horn or trump) is blown at the morning prayer service to call everyone to repent and return to God. Psalm 27 is recited after each morning and evening service. "the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?"
Rosh Hashanah is the head of the year in the Jewish civil calendar (Nissan is the New Year in the religious calendar - Passover). It is the birthday of the world.
Early rabbis said, and this was agreed upon by early church fathers, that there would be 6000 years or six days of creation and then the seventh day of millennium peace would come. According to scripture, there were approximately 4000 years from Adam to Jesus. Add 2000 years and we should be coming to the time of the millennium!
The rabbis were looking for the messiah after 4000 years and Jesus came right on schedule (see Daniel 9:25). After the destruction of the temple, the Jews changed the date of the creation of the world from 4oo4 to 3761 BCE due to some captivity issues 3761+2009=5770! Instead of what it should be 6013! We are very near the seventh day of millennial peace. Very near the rapture of the church which might take place on the feast of trumpets when the last trump sounds. No one can know the exact day or hour, as one cannot know the exact day or hour of the new moon signaling the beginning of the festival, but one can know the season!
1 Corinthians 13:9 for we know in part and prophesy in part
1 Corinthians 13:12 for now we see in a mirror dimly
Rosh Hashanah also called Yom Hazikaron - day of remembrance and Yom Teruah day of awakening. "Awake you sleepers from your sleep! Raise yourselves you slumberers! Examine your deeds and unto God in repentance abandon your evil ways, your unworthy scheming everyone of you."
Who said this? Was it Paul? He did say to the church at Ephesus "awake, sleeper and arise from the dead" Ephesians 5:14? Was it Paul to the church in Rome? "awaken from sleep for salvation is near" Romans 13:11!
No! It is from the gates of repentance a Jewish Rosh Hashanah prayer book that cites Maimonides "call to awakening"!!!
According to Judaism, on Rosh Hashanah the books of life and death are opened by God in heaven. They are shut by him on Yom Kippur 10 days later. It is also believed that the gates of heaven are opened on Rosh Hashanah and closed on Yom Kippur. "Open to me the gates of righteousness. I shall enter through them. I shall give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the lord. The righteous will enter through it." psalm 118:19-20, Isaiah 26:2
During this period, Jews seek forgiveness for their sins so that they may be written in the book of life for the coming year. Popular greeting is "lashana tovah tiketavu." May you be inscribed (in the book of life) for a good year.
Each person is accountable for sins committed first against fellow man (guilt offering in temple) and then to God (sin offering). Matthew 5:23-24 "if therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering."
A problem is that it says in Leviticus 17:11 that the life is in the blood and only through shedding of blood is their remission of sin. As long as the temple sacrifices existed they could do blood sacrifices but with the destruction of the temple what could they do? Rabbis said do 'prayers, fasting and charity'
Part II - The Rapture
Moses Maimonides stated that the thirteenth article of the Jewish faith was, "I believe with perfect faith that there will be a resurrection of the dead."
The Talmud states that the resurrection of the dead (yes this is a Jewish doctrine also) will take place on Rosh Hashanah which begins tonight (Friday) many Jews therefore put shofarim (trumpets-ram's horns) on their tombstones
"Your dead will live their corpses will rise. You who live in the dust awake and shout for joy...the earth will give birth to the departed spirits" Isaiah 26:19
"The messianic hope, resurrection and immortality of the soul are intertwined with the shofar on Rosh Hashanah." from Machtzur Jewish prayer book for high holy days.
According to Jewish legend, the blowing of the first trump or shofar, was the left horn of the ram Abraham sacrificed instead of Isaac, at Sinai in Exodus 19:19 the last trump, the right horn of the ram sacrificed at Sinai, and spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15:52 will be blown at the Jewish resurrection of the dead what we call the rapture of the body of messiah.
Jews read the 27 psalm and Ezekiel 33 on Rosh Hashanah "for in the day of trouble (the tribulation, Jacob’s trouble), he will conceal me in his tabernacle; in the secret place of his tent, he will hide me." Psalm 27:5
Ezekiel 33 speaks of sword coming upon the land and the blowing of the trumpet to warn the people to repent of their sins.
Yet another name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Hakesh "the day of hiding or the "hidden day". Rosh Hashanah is called Yom Hakesh or the day of hiding because it was hidden from Satan the adversary. Satan comes to rob and steal and to confuse.
It is said by some that Satan did not know or understand the plan of the cross. It was hidden from him as well. Thus Satan is not to be given notice about the arrival of Rosh Hashanah either. It is to be the hidden day.
Besides Psalm 27:5 other scriptures showing a pretrib rapture Zephaniah 2:3 "perhaps you will be hidden in the Day of the Lord’s Anger"
Isaiah 26:20 "come, my people, enter into your rooms and close the doors behind you; hide for a little while until the indignation runs its course."
Isaiah 26:2 "open the gates that the righteous may enter".
1 Thessalonians 1:10 "who delivers us from the wrath to come."
1 Thessalonians 5:9 "for God has not destined us for wrath".
Revelation 3:10 "I also will keep you from the hour of testing"
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last shofar(trump), for the shofar will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed" 1 Corinthians 15:52
"For the lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the shofar (trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
I wrote a novel, The Great Harpazo Deception, where the rapture takes place on a future Rosh Hashanah. I also developed the idea that those left behind would rather believe that we were abducted by so called extraterrestrials than that we are in heaven with Jesus. "God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false" 2 Thessalonians 2:11
The wedding of messiah and his bride also seems to follow Jewish tradition. Shavuot (Pentecost) was to be the marriage of Israel and God Jeremiah 2:1-3 the love of your betrothals Hosea 2:19 "I will betroth you to me forever."
The Ketubah, the Jewish wedding contract was the tablets of stone Israel accepted exodus 24:3 Israel sins with golden calf. Moses smashed tablets. Wedding off! Exodus 32:19
Body of messiah now bride - 2 Corinthians 11:2 "for I betrothed you to one husband...Christ but still follows Jewish wedding tradition.
We love bridegroom even though we have never seen him 1 peter 1:8 "though you have not seen him you love him" Bride bought with a price "knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold...but with the precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ" 1 Peter 1:18-19 1 Corinthians 6:20 "you have been bought with a price"(Christ’s death on the cross).
When you accept messiah into your heart you become betrothed to him. This is prior to the wedding. Ketubah or marriage contract has all promises God has promised for believers
2 Corinthians 1:20 "for as many as may be the promises of God in him they are yes."
But bride has to say yes to betrothal. To give her consent "the word is in your mouth and in your heart. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved" Romans 10:8-9 then bridegroom gives free gifts to the bride of eternal life, and the holy spirit to reside in us.1 Corinthians 12:4 varieties of gifts but the same spirit
Bride needs to be purified by immersion as God did Israel "I (Lord God) entered into a covenant with you (Israel) so that you became mine...then I bathed you with water washed off your blood" Ezekiel 16:8-9.
We are baptized with the Holy Spirit Acts 1:5
John 14:2-3 "I go and prepare a place for you in my Fathers house"
When father approved of new quarters, bridegroom could claim the bride at any time usually at night with a shout and blowing of shofar.
Matthew 25:6, revelation 4:1 but only the father knows the time Matthew 24:36 Isaiah 62:5 "as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you."
Ephesians 5:27 "having no spot or wrinkle...holy and blameless."
On day of a Jewish wedding all sins are forgotten-stand pure without spot or blemish as they are united.
Revelation 19:7 for the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready." also Matthew 22:2 biblical Jewish couple (Yeshua and his bride) celebrate marriage for 7 days in his fathers house while 7 years of the tribulation rage on earth. Noah and family told to get into ark seven days before the doors closed Genesis 7:10 Matthew 24:37.
Friend of bridegroom at the door listening for consummation of the marriage john 3:29 (Jewish tradition also).
After 7 years (days) in fathers house the bride(the church) and the bridegroom (Jesus) will leave the fathers house and return to earth.
Joel 2:15 "blow a shofar in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly."
Joel 2:16 "let the bridegroom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal chamber!
The gates of heaven will be closed.
I am not trying to pick the date of the rapture because nobody knows but the Father, but I am only trying to pick the season. As you have seen, there are many connections between Rosh Hashanah and it's shofar (trump) and the rapture as well as the wedding with our Lord at the time and Jewish wedding tradition. Could I be wrong? Of course I could be wrong, but after years of study and prayer, I have found these connections fascinating.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Sundown on Friday September 18 till sundown of Sunday September 20 is the festival of Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, (new Jewish year of 5770). Traditionally, RH only began on new moon when two witnesses said so and the head of the Sanhedrin agreed. Thus each year, nobody knew the exact day or hour (Matthew 24:36). Leviticus 23:24-32 "first day of the seventh moth, Tishri, will be a day of rest, reminder, and blowing of the shofar - a holy convocation.
Season of Teshuvah, return or repentance actually begins 30 days before on the first of Elul and ends 40 days later on the 1oth of Tishri or sundown, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The last 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the days of awe. Each morning for these 40 days the shofar (ram's horn or trump) is blown at the morning prayer service to call everyone to repent and return to God. Psalm 27 is recited after each morning and evening service. "the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?"
Rosh Hashanah is the head of the year in the Jewish civil calendar (Nissan is the New Year in the religious calendar - Passover). It is the birthday of the world.
Early rabbis said, and this was agreed upon by early church fathers, that there would be 6000 years or six days of creation and then the seventh day of millennium peace would come. According to scripture, there were approximately 4000 years from Adam to Jesus. Add 2000 years and we should be coming to the time of the millennium!
The rabbis were looking for the messiah after 4000 years and Jesus came right on schedule (see Daniel 9:25). After the destruction of the temple, the Jews changed the date of the creation of the world from 4oo4 to 3761 BCE due to some captivity issues 3761+2009=5770! Instead of what it should be 6013! We are very near the seventh day of millennial peace. Very near the rapture of the church which might take place on the feast of trumpets when the last trump sounds. No one can know the exact day or hour, as one cannot know the exact day or hour of the new moon signaling the beginning of the festival, but one can know the season!
1 Corinthians 13:9 for we know in part and prophesy in part
1 Corinthians 13:12 for now we see in a mirror dimly
Rosh Hashanah also called Yom Hazikaron - day of remembrance and Yom Teruah day of awakening. "Awake you sleepers from your sleep! Raise yourselves you slumberers! Examine your deeds and unto God in repentance abandon your evil ways, your unworthy scheming everyone of you."
Who said this? Was it Paul? He did say to the church at Ephesus "awake, sleeper and arise from the dead" Ephesians 5:14? Was it Paul to the church in Rome? "awaken from sleep for salvation is near" Romans 13:11!
No! It is from the gates of repentance a Jewish Rosh Hashanah prayer book that cites Maimonides "call to awakening"!!!
According to Judaism, on Rosh Hashanah the books of life and death are opened by God in heaven. They are shut by him on Yom Kippur 10 days later. It is also believed that the gates of heaven are opened on Rosh Hashanah and closed on Yom Kippur. "Open to me the gates of righteousness. I shall enter through them. I shall give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the lord. The righteous will enter through it." psalm 118:19-20, Isaiah 26:2
During this period, Jews seek forgiveness for their sins so that they may be written in the book of life for the coming year. Popular greeting is "lashana tovah tiketavu." May you be inscribed (in the book of life) for a good year.
Each person is accountable for sins committed first against fellow man (guilt offering in temple) and then to God (sin offering). Matthew 5:23-24 "if therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering."
A problem is that it says in Leviticus 17:11 that the life is in the blood and only through shedding of blood is their remission of sin. As long as the temple sacrifices existed they could do blood sacrifices but with the destruction of the temple what could they do? Rabbis said do 'prayers, fasting and charity'
Part II - The Rapture
Moses Maimonides stated that the thirteenth article of the Jewish faith was, "I believe with perfect faith that there will be a resurrection of the dead."
The Talmud states that the resurrection of the dead (yes this is a Jewish doctrine also) will take place on Rosh Hashanah which begins tonight (Friday) many Jews therefore put shofarim (trumpets-ram's horns) on their tombstones
"Your dead will live their corpses will rise. You who live in the dust awake and shout for joy...the earth will give birth to the departed spirits" Isaiah 26:19
"The messianic hope, resurrection and immortality of the soul are intertwined with the shofar on Rosh Hashanah." from Machtzur Jewish prayer book for high holy days.
According to Jewish legend, the blowing of the first trump or shofar, was the left horn of the ram Abraham sacrificed instead of Isaac, at Sinai in Exodus 19:19 the last trump, the right horn of the ram sacrificed at Sinai, and spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15:52 will be blown at the Jewish resurrection of the dead what we call the rapture of the body of messiah.
Jews read the 27 psalm and Ezekiel 33 on Rosh Hashanah "for in the day of trouble (the tribulation, Jacob’s trouble), he will conceal me in his tabernacle; in the secret place of his tent, he will hide me." Psalm 27:5
Ezekiel 33 speaks of sword coming upon the land and the blowing of the trumpet to warn the people to repent of their sins.
Yet another name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Hakesh "the day of hiding or the "hidden day". Rosh Hashanah is called Yom Hakesh or the day of hiding because it was hidden from Satan the adversary. Satan comes to rob and steal and to confuse.
It is said by some that Satan did not know or understand the plan of the cross. It was hidden from him as well. Thus Satan is not to be given notice about the arrival of Rosh Hashanah either. It is to be the hidden day.
Besides Psalm 27:5 other scriptures showing a pretrib rapture Zephaniah 2:3 "perhaps you will be hidden in the Day of the Lord’s Anger"
Isaiah 26:20 "come, my people, enter into your rooms and close the doors behind you; hide for a little while until the indignation runs its course."
Isaiah 26:2 "open the gates that the righteous may enter".
1 Thessalonians 1:10 "who delivers us from the wrath to come."
1 Thessalonians 5:9 "for God has not destined us for wrath".
Revelation 3:10 "I also will keep you from the hour of testing"
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last shofar(trump), for the shofar will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed" 1 Corinthians 15:52
"For the lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the shofar (trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
I wrote a novel, The Great Harpazo Deception, where the rapture takes place on a future Rosh Hashanah. I also developed the idea that those left behind would rather believe that we were abducted by so called extraterrestrials than that we are in heaven with Jesus. "God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false" 2 Thessalonians 2:11
The wedding of messiah and his bride also seems to follow Jewish tradition. Shavuot (Pentecost) was to be the marriage of Israel and God Jeremiah 2:1-3 the love of your betrothals Hosea 2:19 "I will betroth you to me forever."
The Ketubah, the Jewish wedding contract was the tablets of stone Israel accepted exodus 24:3 Israel sins with golden calf. Moses smashed tablets. Wedding off! Exodus 32:19
Body of messiah now bride - 2 Corinthians 11:2 "for I betrothed you to one husband...Christ but still follows Jewish wedding tradition.
We love bridegroom even though we have never seen him 1 peter 1:8 "though you have not seen him you love him" Bride bought with a price "knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold...but with the precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ" 1 Peter 1:18-19 1 Corinthians 6:20 "you have been bought with a price"(Christ’s death on the cross).
When you accept messiah into your heart you become betrothed to him. This is prior to the wedding. Ketubah or marriage contract has all promises God has promised for believers
2 Corinthians 1:20 "for as many as may be the promises of God in him they are yes."
But bride has to say yes to betrothal. To give her consent "the word is in your mouth and in your heart. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved" Romans 10:8-9 then bridegroom gives free gifts to the bride of eternal life, and the holy spirit to reside in us.1 Corinthians 12:4 varieties of gifts but the same spirit
Bride needs to be purified by immersion as God did Israel "I (Lord God) entered into a covenant with you (Israel) so that you became mine...then I bathed you with water washed off your blood" Ezekiel 16:8-9.
We are baptized with the Holy Spirit Acts 1:5
John 14:2-3 "I go and prepare a place for you in my Fathers house"
When father approved of new quarters, bridegroom could claim the bride at any time usually at night with a shout and blowing of shofar.
Matthew 25:6, revelation 4:1 but only the father knows the time Matthew 24:36 Isaiah 62:5 "as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you."
Ephesians 5:27 "having no spot or wrinkle...holy and blameless."
On day of a Jewish wedding all sins are forgotten-stand pure without spot or blemish as they are united.
Revelation 19:7 for the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready." also Matthew 22:2 biblical Jewish couple (Yeshua and his bride) celebrate marriage for 7 days in his fathers house while 7 years of the tribulation rage on earth. Noah and family told to get into ark seven days before the doors closed Genesis 7:10 Matthew 24:37.
Friend of bridegroom at the door listening for consummation of the marriage john 3:29 (Jewish tradition also).
After 7 years (days) in fathers house the bride(the church) and the bridegroom (Jesus) will leave the fathers house and return to earth.
Joel 2:15 "blow a shofar in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly."
Joel 2:16 "let the bridegroom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal chamber!
The gates of heaven will be closed.
I am not trying to pick the date of the rapture because nobody knows but the Father, but I am only trying to pick the season. As you have seen, there are many connections between Rosh Hashanah and it's shofar (trump) and the rapture as well as the wedding with our Lord at the time and Jewish wedding tradition. Could I be wrong? Of course I could be wrong, but after years of study and prayer, I have found these connections fascinating.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Rosh HaShana — The New Year A Type of the Rapture of the Church
by Thomas S. McCall, Th.D.
Introduction
Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world observe Rosh HaShana. These are two Hebrew words that mean “the head of the months,” or New Year. In the Scriptures, this holy day is called the Feast of Trumpets, the great convocation. This was one of the seven feasts the Lord gave Israel in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus, the third book of Moses.
These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. (Leviticus 23:4)
In our Western culture, there are no holidays instituted by God. But Israel has at least these seven feasts designed and ordained by the Almighty, and they have been observed annually for some 1,500 years. These seven feasts were actually divided into three festival periods:
1.Passover, which included the three individual feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits, was in the first month of the year, that is in March–April.
2.Pentecost, which stands alone, was in the third month of the year, May–June.
3.Tabernacles was the third period and fell in the seventh month of the year, our September–October, and includes the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles.
For these three festival periods, every Jewish man in Israel under the Mosaic Law was to leave his pursuits, his agriculture, and whatever else he was engaged in, and make the journey to Jerusalem to worship the Lord in His Temple. After each festival period, he would return home, taking up his pursuits again until the time he was to go back to Jerusalem for the next festival period.
The Feast of Trumpets
As we approach the fall of the year, we are about to start the season of the Tabernacles Festival. It begins with the Feast of Trumpets, sometimes called Rosh HaShanah, or the New Year. On the first day of the seventh month, which occurs sometime in our September–October, trumpets would be blown, and the Feast of Trumpets would occur:
And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. (Leviticus 23:23)
On the first day of the seventh month, just as for Passover and Pentecost, Israelites would come from their businesses, from their agricultural work, from their various locations, and they would ascend the hills of Jerusalem. There would be a great blowing of the Shofar, the ram’s horn, by the priests on the wall of the Temple, and they would gather in Jerusalem to prepare for the important days ahead. It was a great convocation, a great coming together in Jerusalem. The harvests were over and had been laid aside in the storehouses. The approaching fall and winter were coming; it was a time of celebration in the Holy City.
In modern Judaism the Feast of Trumpets is not called that any more; it is called instead Rosh HaShana, “the head of the months,” but it still has the blowing of the trumpets. This is actually considered the beginning of the year in the Jewish calendar. Jews send New Year’s cards and wish for one another that they should be inscribed in God’s book of life for the next year.
The Days of Awe
Rosh HaShana, is the beginning of the Days of Awe, the ten days leading up to the Day of Atonement. In Rabbinic theology, it is during these ten days that God weighs every man in the balance — his good deeds versus his evil deeds. Then God determines whether or not the person will be permitted to go through another year.
To the believer in our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Feast of Trumpets has great prophetic significance. We are told in I Thessalonians 4:16, 17:
The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This event is known as the Rapture, the catching up. It is the time when the Lord will come for His own, when Jesus will descend through the stratosphere and take those of us who have trusted in Him to be with Himself. It is imminent, it can happen at any moment; it can happen today, it can happen ten years from now. We do not know when it will be, but it could happen at any time. And so, the prophecy of the Feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled in the Rapture of the Church. It has not yet been fulfilled. We are still in the period between Pentecost and Trumpets in God’s prophetic calendar.
A Call for Regathering
The Feast of Trumpets not only has reference to the Rapture of the Church, but also has a prophetic reference to Israel. In Isaiah 27:12 and 13, the Lord promises Israel:
Ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel, and it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
There will be a time in the future when the Lord will blow a trumpet for Israel to be regathered back in the land, and so the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets will have to do with not only the calling of the Church to its home in glory, but also calling the Jewish people back to their home in the Land of Israel. We are seeing the beginnings of this even now. When the Lord blows the trumpet, the migrations back to Israel will be on an even greater scale than they are now, and will be complete.
Conclusion
The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShana, New Year), then, both looks back to the ancient days of Israel’s past, and looks ahead to our Redeemer’s return. The blowing of the trumpet signifies the Rapture of the Church (composed of believing Jews and Gentiles of this age) to its home in Heaven, and the calling of Israel back to its home in the Promised Land. Let the trumpet blow!
Introduction
Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world observe Rosh HaShana. These are two Hebrew words that mean “the head of the months,” or New Year. In the Scriptures, this holy day is called the Feast of Trumpets, the great convocation. This was one of the seven feasts the Lord gave Israel in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus, the third book of Moses.
These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. (Leviticus 23:4)
In our Western culture, there are no holidays instituted by God. But Israel has at least these seven feasts designed and ordained by the Almighty, and they have been observed annually for some 1,500 years. These seven feasts were actually divided into three festival periods:
1.Passover, which included the three individual feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits, was in the first month of the year, that is in March–April.
2.Pentecost, which stands alone, was in the third month of the year, May–June.
3.Tabernacles was the third period and fell in the seventh month of the year, our September–October, and includes the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles.
For these three festival periods, every Jewish man in Israel under the Mosaic Law was to leave his pursuits, his agriculture, and whatever else he was engaged in, and make the journey to Jerusalem to worship the Lord in His Temple. After each festival period, he would return home, taking up his pursuits again until the time he was to go back to Jerusalem for the next festival period.
The Feast of Trumpets
As we approach the fall of the year, we are about to start the season of the Tabernacles Festival. It begins with the Feast of Trumpets, sometimes called Rosh HaShanah, or the New Year. On the first day of the seventh month, which occurs sometime in our September–October, trumpets would be blown, and the Feast of Trumpets would occur:
And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. (Leviticus 23:23)
On the first day of the seventh month, just as for Passover and Pentecost, Israelites would come from their businesses, from their agricultural work, from their various locations, and they would ascend the hills of Jerusalem. There would be a great blowing of the Shofar, the ram’s horn, by the priests on the wall of the Temple, and they would gather in Jerusalem to prepare for the important days ahead. It was a great convocation, a great coming together in Jerusalem. The harvests were over and had been laid aside in the storehouses. The approaching fall and winter were coming; it was a time of celebration in the Holy City.
In modern Judaism the Feast of Trumpets is not called that any more; it is called instead Rosh HaShana, “the head of the months,” but it still has the blowing of the trumpets. This is actually considered the beginning of the year in the Jewish calendar. Jews send New Year’s cards and wish for one another that they should be inscribed in God’s book of life for the next year.
The Days of Awe
Rosh HaShana, is the beginning of the Days of Awe, the ten days leading up to the Day of Atonement. In Rabbinic theology, it is during these ten days that God weighs every man in the balance — his good deeds versus his evil deeds. Then God determines whether or not the person will be permitted to go through another year.
To the believer in our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Feast of Trumpets has great prophetic significance. We are told in I Thessalonians 4:16, 17:
The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This event is known as the Rapture, the catching up. It is the time when the Lord will come for His own, when Jesus will descend through the stratosphere and take those of us who have trusted in Him to be with Himself. It is imminent, it can happen at any moment; it can happen today, it can happen ten years from now. We do not know when it will be, but it could happen at any time. And so, the prophecy of the Feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled in the Rapture of the Church. It has not yet been fulfilled. We are still in the period between Pentecost and Trumpets in God’s prophetic calendar.
A Call for Regathering
The Feast of Trumpets not only has reference to the Rapture of the Church, but also has a prophetic reference to Israel. In Isaiah 27:12 and 13, the Lord promises Israel:
Ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel, and it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
There will be a time in the future when the Lord will blow a trumpet for Israel to be regathered back in the land, and so the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets will have to do with not only the calling of the Church to its home in glory, but also calling the Jewish people back to their home in the Land of Israel. We are seeing the beginnings of this even now. When the Lord blows the trumpet, the migrations back to Israel will be on an even greater scale than they are now, and will be complete.
Conclusion
The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShana, New Year), then, both looks back to the ancient days of Israel’s past, and looks ahead to our Redeemer’s return. The blowing of the trumpet signifies the Rapture of the Church (composed of believing Jews and Gentiles of this age) to its home in Heaven, and the calling of Israel back to its home in the Promised Land. Let the trumpet blow!
The Closing Assembly
The Feast of Tabernacles ends with an extra eighth day called "the closing assembly." "For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work." (Lev 23:36) Since the Torah is connected to Sukkot in a special way, this final congregation is celebrated today as a rejoicing over the Torah, God's teaching, and is called Simchat Torah. (In the diaspora, Simchat Torah is celebrated separately, one day later.)
We read in Deuteronomy 31:9-12,
"So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them: 'At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people — men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns — so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law."
In John's Gospel we see this extra Feast on the eighth day fulfilled in the life of Yeshua. At the end of chapter seven we read how he proclaimed that he was the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua 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.'" (Jn 7:37-38) This is talking about the seventh day of Sukkot, called in Hebrew the "Hoshannah Rabbah." In English it can be translated as "The Day of the Great Hosanna." This is when water was carried in a joyful procession from the Pool of Siloam into the Temple while the people sang Psalm 118,
"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. [Hosanna! Hosanna!] Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." (Psalm 118:24-29)
John's Gospel chapter eight, continues to describe the day after the final day of the Feast. "But Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them." (Jn 8:1-2) Yeshua came as the ultimate Torah teacher and here he sat down and taught all the people who had come for the Feast of Tabernacles and remained for this extra day.
At this time some Pharisees and teachers of the Law "brought in a woman caught in adultery…as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him." (vv 3,6) Seeing their hypocrisy Yeshua told them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (Jn 8:7) The Torah never condemns anyone without the testimony of two or three witnesses and these witnesses must be tested to see if they were innocent and truthful. Through his righteous wisdom based on the Torah, Yeshua set the woman free and told her to go and sin no more. A few verses later he boldly asked those Torah teachers, "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?" (Jn 8:46) None of them could. Yeshua had not broken the Law. He was the perfect Torah teacher.
The Power of the New Covenant
We rejoice that so many who believe in Yeshua today all over the world, both among Jews and Gentiles, are beginning to find so much joy, happiness and freedom in God's Torah. Christians have for centuries viewed the Law as bondage, and have been taught and trained to stay away from it as far as possible because "the church has a new and much better covenant." What a victory for the devil this deception has been! Christians have been robbed for way too long. It is time for change!
Yes, legalism, thinking that we can earn God's salvation and righteousness by our own works, is a curse. But the Torah, which in most cases is translated as Law, literally means teaching and instruction. Teaching about God's ways and His will for man certainly is not a curse. It is the exact opposite! It is this teaching that leads us to freedom. Freedom is not doing whatever we want, but the power to do what is right. Obeying God's commands is the greatest freedom in life and many are beginning to discover this beautiful freedom today.
And yes, the new covenant is much better than the first. So much better! The problem is that most Christians seem to have completely misunderstood what the new covenant is all about. The new covenant has not done away with the Torah. Once again exactly the complete opposite is true. The Bible makes it very clear that in the new covenant the Torah, rather than having been thrown out, has instead been written in our hearts!
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." (Heb 8:10)
Here we see that in the new covenant, God's laws, His Torah has been written on our hearts. People who say that the Torah has been done away with in the new covenant, have obviously never understood what the new covenant means. Secondly, we see in this passage that the new covenant has not been given to a different people than the people who received the first covenant. It is impossible for us to have any part in the new covenant without being a part of Israel, through the conversion and circumcision of the heart that comes through the Messiah of Israel.
In the new covenant the Torah has by the power of the Spirit of the Living God been written on our hearts, and we have been grafted in to Israel. The Eternal is beginning to lift the veil over the Scriptures in a powerful way in these days. This is not a matter of judaizing. It is a matter of embracing and obeying God's Word. The words written on our hearts and in the Scriptures never contradict each other.
We can never live without laws. We will either live by God's laws and commandments, which lead to freedom or we will follow man's laws and commandments, which always lead to bondage. We have to choose. There is no middle ground.
"See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you… This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." (De 30:15-16,20)
It is only in the new covenant, through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua's blood and the infilling of the Spirit of God that we can walk in God's Torah and fulfill it to the full. But please understand that the Torah has never been done away with in the new covenant. It has been written on our hearts. "…he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." (Rom 8:3-4) Yeshua died to set us free from all lawlessness, Tit 2:14. A Torah free new covenant is an oxymoron, a contradiction of terms.
Rejoicing Over God's Law
The first disciples said, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (Jn 1:45) And Yeshua said, "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me." (Jn 5:46) "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." (Lk 24:44) No wonder that King David, who was a prophet, prayed, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. …Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long." (Ps 119:18, 97)
It is written in Ephesians 4:13, "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Messiah." It is impossible to reach maturity and a full knowledge of the Son of God without carefully studying the Torah of Moses.Paul wrote to Timothy, "from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures [the Law, the Prophets and the Writings], which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:15-17) Therefore he commanded Timothy, "devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture." (1 Tim 4:13) This is referring to the reading of the Law, the Prophets and the Writings, what today is called the Old Testament, because there was no New Testament yet.
Even though every commandment in the Torah is not for Gentile believers to keep, everything in the Torah has been written to teach us about our Messiah and our salvation in him. During the Closing Assembly, also called Simchat Torah, we can celebrate and rejoice over God's Law and praise Him for it! It is a very important Feast! Take the opportunity to teach on the importance of the Law for all who believe in Yeshua/Jesus. Afterwards rejoice over God's Law with all your might. In the New Covenant it has been written on your heart! If you do not have a Torah scroll, you can hold up your Bible and dance all night before the Lord. Every book in the Bible is based on the revelation found in the Torah of Moses.
During the Millennium the Torah will go out from Jerusalem and all the nations of the earth will follow the Torah. Then there will be peace on earth.
"This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.' The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD." (Isa 2:1-5)
The Feasts of the LORD will be kept in the Millennium. "'From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,' says the LORD." (Isa 66:23) "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 5:18-19)
May God bless you as you celebrate this great Feast rejoicing over God's Law!
"Prepare the way for the LORD"
We read in Deuteronomy 31:9-12,
"So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them: 'At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people — men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns — so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law."
In John's Gospel we see this extra Feast on the eighth day fulfilled in the life of Yeshua. At the end of chapter seven we read how he proclaimed that he was the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua 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.'" (Jn 7:37-38) This is talking about the seventh day of Sukkot, called in Hebrew the "Hoshannah Rabbah." In English it can be translated as "The Day of the Great Hosanna." This is when water was carried in a joyful procession from the Pool of Siloam into the Temple while the people sang Psalm 118,
"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. [Hosanna! Hosanna!] Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." (Psalm 118:24-29)
John's Gospel chapter eight, continues to describe the day after the final day of the Feast. "But Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them." (Jn 8:1-2) Yeshua came as the ultimate Torah teacher and here he sat down and taught all the people who had come for the Feast of Tabernacles and remained for this extra day.
At this time some Pharisees and teachers of the Law "brought in a woman caught in adultery…as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him." (vv 3,6) Seeing their hypocrisy Yeshua told them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (Jn 8:7) The Torah never condemns anyone without the testimony of two or three witnesses and these witnesses must be tested to see if they were innocent and truthful. Through his righteous wisdom based on the Torah, Yeshua set the woman free and told her to go and sin no more. A few verses later he boldly asked those Torah teachers, "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?" (Jn 8:46) None of them could. Yeshua had not broken the Law. He was the perfect Torah teacher.
The Power of the New Covenant
We rejoice that so many who believe in Yeshua today all over the world, both among Jews and Gentiles, are beginning to find so much joy, happiness and freedom in God's Torah. Christians have for centuries viewed the Law as bondage, and have been taught and trained to stay away from it as far as possible because "the church has a new and much better covenant." What a victory for the devil this deception has been! Christians have been robbed for way too long. It is time for change!
Yes, legalism, thinking that we can earn God's salvation and righteousness by our own works, is a curse. But the Torah, which in most cases is translated as Law, literally means teaching and instruction. Teaching about God's ways and His will for man certainly is not a curse. It is the exact opposite! It is this teaching that leads us to freedom. Freedom is not doing whatever we want, but the power to do what is right. Obeying God's commands is the greatest freedom in life and many are beginning to discover this beautiful freedom today.
And yes, the new covenant is much better than the first. So much better! The problem is that most Christians seem to have completely misunderstood what the new covenant is all about. The new covenant has not done away with the Torah. Once again exactly the complete opposite is true. The Bible makes it very clear that in the new covenant the Torah, rather than having been thrown out, has instead been written in our hearts!
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." (Heb 8:10)
Here we see that in the new covenant, God's laws, His Torah has been written on our hearts. People who say that the Torah has been done away with in the new covenant, have obviously never understood what the new covenant means. Secondly, we see in this passage that the new covenant has not been given to a different people than the people who received the first covenant. It is impossible for us to have any part in the new covenant without being a part of Israel, through the conversion and circumcision of the heart that comes through the Messiah of Israel.
In the new covenant the Torah has by the power of the Spirit of the Living God been written on our hearts, and we have been grafted in to Israel. The Eternal is beginning to lift the veil over the Scriptures in a powerful way in these days. This is not a matter of judaizing. It is a matter of embracing and obeying God's Word. The words written on our hearts and in the Scriptures never contradict each other.
We can never live without laws. We will either live by God's laws and commandments, which lead to freedom or we will follow man's laws and commandments, which always lead to bondage. We have to choose. There is no middle ground.
"See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you… This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." (De 30:15-16,20)
It is only in the new covenant, through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua's blood and the infilling of the Spirit of God that we can walk in God's Torah and fulfill it to the full. But please understand that the Torah has never been done away with in the new covenant. It has been written on our hearts. "…he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." (Rom 8:3-4) Yeshua died to set us free from all lawlessness, Tit 2:14. A Torah free new covenant is an oxymoron, a contradiction of terms.
Rejoicing Over God's Law
The first disciples said, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (Jn 1:45) And Yeshua said, "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me." (Jn 5:46) "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." (Lk 24:44) No wonder that King David, who was a prophet, prayed, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. …Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long." (Ps 119:18, 97)
It is written in Ephesians 4:13, "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Messiah." It is impossible to reach maturity and a full knowledge of the Son of God without carefully studying the Torah of Moses.Paul wrote to Timothy, "from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures [the Law, the Prophets and the Writings], which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:15-17) Therefore he commanded Timothy, "devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture." (1 Tim 4:13) This is referring to the reading of the Law, the Prophets and the Writings, what today is called the Old Testament, because there was no New Testament yet.
Even though every commandment in the Torah is not for Gentile believers to keep, everything in the Torah has been written to teach us about our Messiah and our salvation in him. During the Closing Assembly, also called Simchat Torah, we can celebrate and rejoice over God's Law and praise Him for it! It is a very important Feast! Take the opportunity to teach on the importance of the Law for all who believe in Yeshua/Jesus. Afterwards rejoice over God's Law with all your might. In the New Covenant it has been written on your heart! If you do not have a Torah scroll, you can hold up your Bible and dance all night before the Lord. Every book in the Bible is based on the revelation found in the Torah of Moses.
During the Millennium the Torah will go out from Jerusalem and all the nations of the earth will follow the Torah. Then there will be peace on earth.
"This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.' The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD." (Isa 2:1-5)
The Feasts of the LORD will be kept in the Millennium. "'From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,' says the LORD." (Isa 66:23) "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 5:18-19)
May God bless you as you celebrate this great Feast rejoicing over God's Law!
"Prepare the way for the LORD"
666 and Mark of the Beast
By Kent Crockett
Revelation 13:16-18 says, "And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." There are three things mentioned in this passage:
1. The mark of the beast
2. The name of the beast
3. The number of his name
The Mark of the Beast is not 666, but a mark that everyone must have to buy or sell. This mark may be some kind of computer chip or code, but it probably won't be "666."
666 is the number of the Beast's name. The number of the beast is the number of a man. That means that the beast is not a political system, a country, a computer, etc., but a man--the Antichrist.
This verse teaches that the Antichrist will control the world's economy with some kind of mark, which everyone will be required to take. No one will be able to buy or sell without having the mark on his or her right hand or forehead. Whoever worships the Antichrist and receives the mark will be cast into hell (Rev. 14:9-11). (The mark is not credit cards, in case you are wondering.)
The Antichrist's name can be calculated to be 666. We assume that means the letters of his name can be calculated to add up to the numerical sum of 666. He has not come to power yet, but when he does this is one way of figuring out who he is. He will confirm a covenant with Israel for 7 years (Dan. 9:27) and will attempt to make alterations in time and in law (Dan. 7:25)
Revelation 13:16-18 says, "And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." There are three things mentioned in this passage:
1. The mark of the beast
2. The name of the beast
3. The number of his name
The Mark of the Beast is not 666, but a mark that everyone must have to buy or sell. This mark may be some kind of computer chip or code, but it probably won't be "666."
666 is the number of the Beast's name. The number of the beast is the number of a man. That means that the beast is not a political system, a country, a computer, etc., but a man--the Antichrist.
This verse teaches that the Antichrist will control the world's economy with some kind of mark, which everyone will be required to take. No one will be able to buy or sell without having the mark on his or her right hand or forehead. Whoever worships the Antichrist and receives the mark will be cast into hell (Rev. 14:9-11). (The mark is not credit cards, in case you are wondering.)
The Antichrist's name can be calculated to be 666. We assume that means the letters of his name can be calculated to add up to the numerical sum of 666. He has not come to power yet, but when he does this is one way of figuring out who he is. He will confirm a covenant with Israel for 7 years (Dan. 9:27) and will attempt to make alterations in time and in law (Dan. 7:25)
The Feast of Tabernacles in the Millennial Kingdom
By Randall Price
Once Messiah has returned to earth as King and established His Messianic Kingdom, with its center at the gloriously rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem (Zech. 6:12-15; 8:3; Ezek. 40-48; Matt. 19:28; 25:31-32; Rev. 20:4), the festival calendar will be resumed as predicted by the prophet Ezekiel: "They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts, and sanctify My sabbaths" (Ezek. 44:24; cf. Zeph. 3:18). However, of the seven feasts of the Lord only the Feast of Tabernacles has its typical fulfillment in the Millennium as a demonstration of God's restoration program for Israel in keeping with the terms of the Abrahamic and New Covenants. These covenants promised safe territorial boundaries to Israel where it would serve spiritually as a blessing and witness to the Gentile nations (Gen. 12:2-3; 15:18; Isa. 2:2-4; 60:3; Jer. 32:37-41; 33:16; Ezek. 37:25-28).
Confirmation of a Millennial setting for this feast is evident from its many messianic and prophetic features which could only be realized in the time of Israel's future redemption and restoration. For example, the term "tabernacles" (Hebrew, succot; Greek, skene) has its meaning as part of a restoration promise of God to return to earth and "tabernacle" with Israel in a way never before experienced in history: "Thus says the Lord, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem ..." (Zech. 8:3a); "I will set My Sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them ... (Ezek. 37:26-27); "the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders" (Isa. 24:23). While this "tabernacling" with Israel will take the form of God's renewed presence in the Temple, the prophet Isaiah indicates that a greater display of this will be witnessed than at any time or at Temple in the past: "Then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy" (Isa. 4:5). The "canopy" (Hebrew, huppah) of God's glory in this verse is stated in the next verse to be a "tabernacle (Hebrew, sukkah) from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain." This wording is intended to connect the past experience of deliverance (from the Pharaoh in Egypt) and temporary man-made shelters (Lev. 23:42-43) with the future deliverance (from the Antichrist in the Tribulation) and permanent God-given sanctuary. Ezekiel depicts the method of this future "tabernacling" with the return of God's Shekinah Glory to the Temple (Ezek. 43:1-7), while Jeremiah's reveals its result as Jerusalem becomes "the Throne of the Lord, and all the nations will be gathered to it..." (Jer. 3:17).
Such a divine preview of this future "tabernacling glory" was given to correct Peter's limited concept of building temporary "tabernacles" for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-5; Mk. 9:2-7; Lk. 9:28-35). Indeed later Jewish interpretation saw in the reference to "tabernacles" not only the Israelites temporary shelters in the wilderness but also the divine sukkah (the Shekinah) which had "brought them out of the land of Egypt" (Lev. 23:43). In this way they connected the Feast of Tabernacles with the promise that God's presence would dwell with Israel in the future as it had in the past (Hag. 2:5-9; cf. Zeph. 3:15c).
In a similar way Jesus had made this connection in His own Person as the "Word become flesh tabernacling among us" (Jn. 1:14). At the Feast of Tabernacles He combined two of the messainic symbols of the feast - the water libation and the light of the candelabras in the Temple precinct - to illustrate the fulfillment in Himself of the promised restoration of Israel under Messiah in the Millennial Age. The significance of this was displayed on the final day (seventh day) of this feast is known as Hoshana Rabbah (The Day of the "Great Hosanna), taken from liturgical passages recited throughout the feast which begin with the Hebrew imperative hoshana ("save now").
At this time the people waved their lulavs (palm branches) while the Levites chanted the Hallel (Pss. 113-118). The name of this day - Hosanna - comes from the closing words of Psalm 118 which reads: "Save now, I beseech Thee, O Lord... Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord..." This prayer for the speedy advent of messianic redemption accompanied a special ceremony known as the "water-drawing festival" (Hebrew, simhat bet hassoevah). At this ceremony water was drawn from the Pool of Siloam in a ceremony known as) and poured on the corner of the Altar in the Temple as a libation offering. Its purpose was in connection with prayers for the annual rains, but also had symbolic messianic connections. It was here at the Siloam (Hebrew, Shiloach, "He sent") that the fuller's had washed their clothing (Isa. 7:3), a figure drawn upon by the prophets to illustrate the messianic purification of the Millennial Temple's servants (see Mal. 3:2-3).
Here, too, the Prophet Isaiah had challenged Ahaz to trust God not man and revealed a messianic sign (Isa. 7:7-14). Succot also celebrates God's provision of refuge in the wilderness and recalls His prophetic promise of rescue at the time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30:7), and restoration in the future kingdom of Messiah. This water was taken to the Temple and poured over the corner of the Altar, a ritual based on an oral tradition that dated to the time of Moses (Ta'anit 3a, Succot 44b, 44a). The significance of the pouring of water was both symbolic and prophetic. Its symbolic purpose was a prayer for rain, since the summer was about to end and the rainy season begin.
This prayer for rain demonstrated Israel's dependence upon the Lord, an act of faith that will be required of all nations in connection with this ceremony in the Millennial Temple (Zech. 14:16-19). Its prophetic purpose was messianic, looking forward to the outpouring of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh ("the Holy Spirit") upon Israel and the nations under the New Covenant in the Kingdom Age (Ezek. 36:27; Joel 2:28).
This ceremony forms the background for Jesus' arrival at the feast as described in Matthew 21:9 and John 7:37-39 riding into the Temple precinct through the Eastern Gate entrance, greeted by shouts of Hosanna, "Save us please!", and then proclaiming to the crowds that He was the true giver of the "water" and the "light" of the world (Jn. 7:37-38; 8:12). On this day during Temple times willow branches were beaten against the pavement next to the Great Altar to symbolize the casting away of the nation's sins. In addition, at this time Israel's return to blessing will include the spiritual instruction and blessing of the nations, who will join with them in the ongoing celebration of Succot (Zech. 14:16-19).
It is also significant that the Scripture portion from the Prophets read in the synagogue on the Sabbath during the Feast of Tabernacles is Ezekiel chapter 38 which deals with the future battle of Gog and Magog in which the Lord miraculously preserves Israel in an end-time war.
The use of "tabernacle" also recalls the famous prophecy of the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom ("the tabernacle of David") given in Amos 9:11: "After these things I will return and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins and I will restore it, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name ..." The fulfillment of this prophecy, as explained in Acts 15:14-18, will take place after the full number of Gentiles has been grafted onto the olive tree (in keeping with the blessing of the Gentiles in the Abrahamic Covenant) through faith" (Rom. 11:25) at the completion of the Church Age.
those Gentiles (of the sheep nations, who came to faith in the Jewish Messiah during the time of Jacob's Trouble, see Matt. 25:34-40) will join with redeemed Israelites in the true worship of God. In addition, the apostle John specifically used the imagery of the Feast of Tabernacles in relation to the Tribulation martyrs from among the nations. He depicted these Gentiles as having "palm branches" and "serving in His Temple" while God "spreads His tabernacle over them" and Jesus "guides them to springs of living water" (Rev. 7:9-17). Such Gentile inclusion was anticipated by the alternate name for the feast as "the Feast of Ingathering" (Exodus 23:15-16) and demonstrated during the feast in Second Temple times as Jewish men took part in a Temple ritual where seventy sacrifices were offered in atonement for the sins of the nations that had come from the sons of Noah. The prophets cited this future inclusion of Gentile nations, who formerly oppressed Israel, but will become a part of the worshipping community, as one of the evidences of the changed conditions under Messiah's New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34).
For example, Zechariah states that "many nations will join themselves to Lord in that day and will become My people ..." (Zech. 2:11), while Isaiah describes the Millennial Temple as "a house of prayer for all the peoples" (Isa. 56:7; cf. Matt. 21:12; Mk. 11:17; Lk. 19:46) to which all of the nations of the earth will come to learn the ways of the Lord (Isa. 2:2c-3; 60:3; 62:2), to behold God's glory (Isa. 60:3; 62:2; 66:18), offer sacrifices (Isa. 56:6; 66:20) and to pay material tribute (Isa. 60: 5; 66:18-19; cf. Hag. 2:7-8; Zech. 8:22; Rev. 21:24).
This last reference to Gentile payment of tribute also forms the subject of the only explicit mention of the Feast of Tabernacles in a Millennial context: "Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zech. 14:16). This statement is part of the conclusion to a section of Zechariah (chs. 12-14) which detail the Gentile invasion of Jerusalem during the campaigns of Armageddon. In the immediate context (ch. 14) a summary of events reveal prophetic aspects predicted by the feast: (1) the advent of Messiah (vss. 3-4), the rescue and restoration of the Jewish Remnant (vs. 5; cf. Lk. 21:27-28), the experience of heaven-sent light and living water (vss. 7-8), the recognition of Messiah as universal King (vs. 9), the transformation of Jerusalem (vs. 10), and the gathering of the wealth of the Gentile nations (vs. 14).
Those who are addressed as being obligated to observe the Feast of Tabernacles in verse 14 are the remnants of the Gentile nations who were previously allied with the Antichrist in the war against the Holy City (Zech. 12:3, 9; 14:2, 12; cf. Rev. 19:19; Psa. 2:1-3). Although those in the armies who were present in the battle will have been destroyed by a deadly plague (vss. 12-13), others will remain in these countries to appear before Messiah's judgment seat at the conclusion of the conflict (Matt. 25:31-32). Those who converted to Messiah and His rule (Rev. 15:3-4), as evidenced by their costly compassion to the Jewish Remnant (Matt. 25:35-40) will continue into the Millennial Kingdom.
Nevertheless, under the rod-of-iron rule of Messiah (Psa. 2:9; Rev. 19:15), representatives of these nations will be required to demonstrate their allegiance to King Messiah by annual appearance at His Throne-City with tribute and material offerings (as token appreciation of divine provision). This act is in accordance with an ancient association of the Feast of Tabernacles with the recognition of the king as God's son, an act alluded to in Psalm 2:10-11: "Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry and you perish in the way ..." The ancient observance of the feast was also followed by a levitically-led ceremony of covenant renewal (Neh. 9:1-38) in which a national allegiance to the Lord was reaffirmed (Neh. 10:29). Therefore, a warning is issued in this passage to these national representatives if they should fail to observe the Feast of Tabernacles (vss. 17-19), which would be tantamount to an act of spiritual and national rebellion. Remembering that part of the ritual of the Feast of Tabernacles was in view of receiving rain (specifically the former rains), one punishment for those nations that fail to appear annually in Jerusalem will be a withholding of rain, the very gift which made possible their gifts.
The other punishment will be a plague, which would allow the inclusion of Egypt whose natural productivity depends more on the gift of the Nile than the gift of rains and whose punishment to secure their acknowledgment of Lord's sovereignty during the time of the exodus had been plagues.
The Feast of Tabernacles will serve as the instrument to universally unite these nations in their allegiance to Jesus as King Messiah and Sovereign Lord and Judge (Zech. 14:9, 17; Isa. 2:4) and possibly provide an occasion for the Jewish People to fulfill their destiny as a light to the nations in spiritual instruction to these national representatives (Zech. 8:22-23; Isa. 2:3; cf. Hab. 2:14). Because the nations become vassals of Lord, they have also the right to be called "His people," just as He as their suzerain can be called "their God." This covenantal language of identification ("My people") is absent in Zechariah's presentation of the restored Gentile nations, but it is found elsewhere (cf. Jer. 24:7; 30:22; 31:33; 32:38).
Isaiah elevates the nations of Egypt and Syria to covenantal status (Isa. 19:24-25), making them co-participants in both the obligations and benefits of the Temple (Isa. 19:21; 27:13; 56:6-8; 60:3, 21; 66:20). The tribute gifts required by the nations (mentioned in Zech. 14:14 but not in the Feast of Tabernacles text) are elsewhere described as the spoils of war which Lord as the suzerain (over vassals) has full right to receive. The wealth of the conquered nations will accrue to Messiah's Millennial Temple in such a way as to fill it with abundance (a fitting contrast to Israel's past post-exilic poverty), increasing its splendor and value (Zeph. 3:20; Hag. 2:6-7a, 22).
All that God has purposed and planned through His provision as the Lord of His people will be finally fulfilled and celebrated in the Millennial Feast of Tabernacles. The revelation of this Millennial realization should prompt us to gratefully acknowledge God's gift of Messiah for us today and His constant "tabernacling" with us through His indwelling Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:20b; Eph. 2:22). As the future feast will openly demonstrate the unity of Jew and Gentile as they alike bow to Jesus as their Messiah and Lord, it encourages the Body of Messiah today to foster greater unity among all its members before a watching world (Jn. 17:20-21; Eph. 2:14-18). As we do these things in the present age, we honor the Lord of the feast who will one day tabernacle with us forever: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them" (Rev. 21:3; cf. vs. 22).
Dr. Randall Price is President of World of the Bible Ministries, Inc., an organization that explores and explains the ancient, modern, and prophetic Middle East. For a free subscription to his bi-monthly newsletter please e-mail him at wbmrandl@itouch.net or address him at: P.O.B. 827, San Marcos, TX 78667-0827.
Once Messiah has returned to earth as King and established His Messianic Kingdom, with its center at the gloriously rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem (Zech. 6:12-15; 8:3; Ezek. 40-48; Matt. 19:28; 25:31-32; Rev. 20:4), the festival calendar will be resumed as predicted by the prophet Ezekiel: "They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts, and sanctify My sabbaths" (Ezek. 44:24; cf. Zeph. 3:18). However, of the seven feasts of the Lord only the Feast of Tabernacles has its typical fulfillment in the Millennium as a demonstration of God's restoration program for Israel in keeping with the terms of the Abrahamic and New Covenants. These covenants promised safe territorial boundaries to Israel where it would serve spiritually as a blessing and witness to the Gentile nations (Gen. 12:2-3; 15:18; Isa. 2:2-4; 60:3; Jer. 32:37-41; 33:16; Ezek. 37:25-28).
Confirmation of a Millennial setting for this feast is evident from its many messianic and prophetic features which could only be realized in the time of Israel's future redemption and restoration. For example, the term "tabernacles" (Hebrew, succot; Greek, skene) has its meaning as part of a restoration promise of God to return to earth and "tabernacle" with Israel in a way never before experienced in history: "Thus says the Lord, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem ..." (Zech. 8:3a); "I will set My Sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them ... (Ezek. 37:26-27); "the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders" (Isa. 24:23). While this "tabernacling" with Israel will take the form of God's renewed presence in the Temple, the prophet Isaiah indicates that a greater display of this will be witnessed than at any time or at Temple in the past: "Then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy" (Isa. 4:5). The "canopy" (Hebrew, huppah) of God's glory in this verse is stated in the next verse to be a "tabernacle (Hebrew, sukkah) from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain." This wording is intended to connect the past experience of deliverance (from the Pharaoh in Egypt) and temporary man-made shelters (Lev. 23:42-43) with the future deliverance (from the Antichrist in the Tribulation) and permanent God-given sanctuary. Ezekiel depicts the method of this future "tabernacling" with the return of God's Shekinah Glory to the Temple (Ezek. 43:1-7), while Jeremiah's reveals its result as Jerusalem becomes "the Throne of the Lord, and all the nations will be gathered to it..." (Jer. 3:17).
Such a divine preview of this future "tabernacling glory" was given to correct Peter's limited concept of building temporary "tabernacles" for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-5; Mk. 9:2-7; Lk. 9:28-35). Indeed later Jewish interpretation saw in the reference to "tabernacles" not only the Israelites temporary shelters in the wilderness but also the divine sukkah (the Shekinah) which had "brought them out of the land of Egypt" (Lev. 23:43). In this way they connected the Feast of Tabernacles with the promise that God's presence would dwell with Israel in the future as it had in the past (Hag. 2:5-9; cf. Zeph. 3:15c).
In a similar way Jesus had made this connection in His own Person as the "Word become flesh tabernacling among us" (Jn. 1:14). At the Feast of Tabernacles He combined two of the messainic symbols of the feast - the water libation and the light of the candelabras in the Temple precinct - to illustrate the fulfillment in Himself of the promised restoration of Israel under Messiah in the Millennial Age. The significance of this was displayed on the final day (seventh day) of this feast is known as Hoshana Rabbah (The Day of the "Great Hosanna), taken from liturgical passages recited throughout the feast which begin with the Hebrew imperative hoshana ("save now").
At this time the people waved their lulavs (palm branches) while the Levites chanted the Hallel (Pss. 113-118). The name of this day - Hosanna - comes from the closing words of Psalm 118 which reads: "Save now, I beseech Thee, O Lord... Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord..." This prayer for the speedy advent of messianic redemption accompanied a special ceremony known as the "water-drawing festival" (Hebrew, simhat bet hassoevah). At this ceremony water was drawn from the Pool of Siloam in a ceremony known as) and poured on the corner of the Altar in the Temple as a libation offering. Its purpose was in connection with prayers for the annual rains, but also had symbolic messianic connections. It was here at the Siloam (Hebrew, Shiloach, "He sent") that the fuller's had washed their clothing (Isa. 7:3), a figure drawn upon by the prophets to illustrate the messianic purification of the Millennial Temple's servants (see Mal. 3:2-3).
Here, too, the Prophet Isaiah had challenged Ahaz to trust God not man and revealed a messianic sign (Isa. 7:7-14). Succot also celebrates God's provision of refuge in the wilderness and recalls His prophetic promise of rescue at the time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30:7), and restoration in the future kingdom of Messiah. This water was taken to the Temple and poured over the corner of the Altar, a ritual based on an oral tradition that dated to the time of Moses (Ta'anit 3a, Succot 44b, 44a). The significance of the pouring of water was both symbolic and prophetic. Its symbolic purpose was a prayer for rain, since the summer was about to end and the rainy season begin.
This prayer for rain demonstrated Israel's dependence upon the Lord, an act of faith that will be required of all nations in connection with this ceremony in the Millennial Temple (Zech. 14:16-19). Its prophetic purpose was messianic, looking forward to the outpouring of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh ("the Holy Spirit") upon Israel and the nations under the New Covenant in the Kingdom Age (Ezek. 36:27; Joel 2:28).
This ceremony forms the background for Jesus' arrival at the feast as described in Matthew 21:9 and John 7:37-39 riding into the Temple precinct through the Eastern Gate entrance, greeted by shouts of Hosanna, "Save us please!", and then proclaiming to the crowds that He was the true giver of the "water" and the "light" of the world (Jn. 7:37-38; 8:12). On this day during Temple times willow branches were beaten against the pavement next to the Great Altar to symbolize the casting away of the nation's sins. In addition, at this time Israel's return to blessing will include the spiritual instruction and blessing of the nations, who will join with them in the ongoing celebration of Succot (Zech. 14:16-19).
It is also significant that the Scripture portion from the Prophets read in the synagogue on the Sabbath during the Feast of Tabernacles is Ezekiel chapter 38 which deals with the future battle of Gog and Magog in which the Lord miraculously preserves Israel in an end-time war.
The use of "tabernacle" also recalls the famous prophecy of the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom ("the tabernacle of David") given in Amos 9:11: "After these things I will return and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins and I will restore it, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name ..." The fulfillment of this prophecy, as explained in Acts 15:14-18, will take place after the full number of Gentiles has been grafted onto the olive tree (in keeping with the blessing of the Gentiles in the Abrahamic Covenant) through faith" (Rom. 11:25) at the completion of the Church Age.
those Gentiles (of the sheep nations, who came to faith in the Jewish Messiah during the time of Jacob's Trouble, see Matt. 25:34-40) will join with redeemed Israelites in the true worship of God. In addition, the apostle John specifically used the imagery of the Feast of Tabernacles in relation to the Tribulation martyrs from among the nations. He depicted these Gentiles as having "palm branches" and "serving in His Temple" while God "spreads His tabernacle over them" and Jesus "guides them to springs of living water" (Rev. 7:9-17). Such Gentile inclusion was anticipated by the alternate name for the feast as "the Feast of Ingathering" (Exodus 23:15-16) and demonstrated during the feast in Second Temple times as Jewish men took part in a Temple ritual where seventy sacrifices were offered in atonement for the sins of the nations that had come from the sons of Noah. The prophets cited this future inclusion of Gentile nations, who formerly oppressed Israel, but will become a part of the worshipping community, as one of the evidences of the changed conditions under Messiah's New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34).
For example, Zechariah states that "many nations will join themselves to Lord in that day and will become My people ..." (Zech. 2:11), while Isaiah describes the Millennial Temple as "a house of prayer for all the peoples" (Isa. 56:7; cf. Matt. 21:12; Mk. 11:17; Lk. 19:46) to which all of the nations of the earth will come to learn the ways of the Lord (Isa. 2:2c-3; 60:3; 62:2), to behold God's glory (Isa. 60:3; 62:2; 66:18), offer sacrifices (Isa. 56:6; 66:20) and to pay material tribute (Isa. 60: 5; 66:18-19; cf. Hag. 2:7-8; Zech. 8:22; Rev. 21:24).
This last reference to Gentile payment of tribute also forms the subject of the only explicit mention of the Feast of Tabernacles in a Millennial context: "Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zech. 14:16). This statement is part of the conclusion to a section of Zechariah (chs. 12-14) which detail the Gentile invasion of Jerusalem during the campaigns of Armageddon. In the immediate context (ch. 14) a summary of events reveal prophetic aspects predicted by the feast: (1) the advent of Messiah (vss. 3-4), the rescue and restoration of the Jewish Remnant (vs. 5; cf. Lk. 21:27-28), the experience of heaven-sent light and living water (vss. 7-8), the recognition of Messiah as universal King (vs. 9), the transformation of Jerusalem (vs. 10), and the gathering of the wealth of the Gentile nations (vs. 14).
Those who are addressed as being obligated to observe the Feast of Tabernacles in verse 14 are the remnants of the Gentile nations who were previously allied with the Antichrist in the war against the Holy City (Zech. 12:3, 9; 14:2, 12; cf. Rev. 19:19; Psa. 2:1-3). Although those in the armies who were present in the battle will have been destroyed by a deadly plague (vss. 12-13), others will remain in these countries to appear before Messiah's judgment seat at the conclusion of the conflict (Matt. 25:31-32). Those who converted to Messiah and His rule (Rev. 15:3-4), as evidenced by their costly compassion to the Jewish Remnant (Matt. 25:35-40) will continue into the Millennial Kingdom.
Nevertheless, under the rod-of-iron rule of Messiah (Psa. 2:9; Rev. 19:15), representatives of these nations will be required to demonstrate their allegiance to King Messiah by annual appearance at His Throne-City with tribute and material offerings (as token appreciation of divine provision). This act is in accordance with an ancient association of the Feast of Tabernacles with the recognition of the king as God's son, an act alluded to in Psalm 2:10-11: "Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry and you perish in the way ..." The ancient observance of the feast was also followed by a levitically-led ceremony of covenant renewal (Neh. 9:1-38) in which a national allegiance to the Lord was reaffirmed (Neh. 10:29). Therefore, a warning is issued in this passage to these national representatives if they should fail to observe the Feast of Tabernacles (vss. 17-19), which would be tantamount to an act of spiritual and national rebellion. Remembering that part of the ritual of the Feast of Tabernacles was in view of receiving rain (specifically the former rains), one punishment for those nations that fail to appear annually in Jerusalem will be a withholding of rain, the very gift which made possible their gifts.
The other punishment will be a plague, which would allow the inclusion of Egypt whose natural productivity depends more on the gift of the Nile than the gift of rains and whose punishment to secure their acknowledgment of Lord's sovereignty during the time of the exodus had been plagues.
The Feast of Tabernacles will serve as the instrument to universally unite these nations in their allegiance to Jesus as King Messiah and Sovereign Lord and Judge (Zech. 14:9, 17; Isa. 2:4) and possibly provide an occasion for the Jewish People to fulfill their destiny as a light to the nations in spiritual instruction to these national representatives (Zech. 8:22-23; Isa. 2:3; cf. Hab. 2:14). Because the nations become vassals of Lord, they have also the right to be called "His people," just as He as their suzerain can be called "their God." This covenantal language of identification ("My people") is absent in Zechariah's presentation of the restored Gentile nations, but it is found elsewhere (cf. Jer. 24:7; 30:22; 31:33; 32:38).
Isaiah elevates the nations of Egypt and Syria to covenantal status (Isa. 19:24-25), making them co-participants in both the obligations and benefits of the Temple (Isa. 19:21; 27:13; 56:6-8; 60:3, 21; 66:20). The tribute gifts required by the nations (mentioned in Zech. 14:14 but not in the Feast of Tabernacles text) are elsewhere described as the spoils of war which Lord as the suzerain (over vassals) has full right to receive. The wealth of the conquered nations will accrue to Messiah's Millennial Temple in such a way as to fill it with abundance (a fitting contrast to Israel's past post-exilic poverty), increasing its splendor and value (Zeph. 3:20; Hag. 2:6-7a, 22).
All that God has purposed and planned through His provision as the Lord of His people will be finally fulfilled and celebrated in the Millennial Feast of Tabernacles. The revelation of this Millennial realization should prompt us to gratefully acknowledge God's gift of Messiah for us today and His constant "tabernacling" with us through His indwelling Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:20b; Eph. 2:22). As the future feast will openly demonstrate the unity of Jew and Gentile as they alike bow to Jesus as their Messiah and Lord, it encourages the Body of Messiah today to foster greater unity among all its members before a watching world (Jn. 17:20-21; Eph. 2:14-18). As we do these things in the present age, we honor the Lord of the feast who will one day tabernacle with us forever: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them" (Rev. 21:3; cf. vs. 22).
Dr. Randall Price is President of World of the Bible Ministries, Inc., an organization that explores and explains the ancient, modern, and prophetic Middle East. For a free subscription to his bi-monthly newsletter please e-mail him at wbmrandl@itouch.net or address him at: P.O.B. 827, San Marcos, TX 78667-0827.
God's Future Program for Israel (Daniel 9)
By Randall Price
No book in the ancient world or the modern is as enigmatic, yet essential, to unlocking the mysteries of the prophetic plan for God's future program for Israel than the book of Daniel. The late seminary president and author Alva J. McClain once declared: "... with reference to its importance, I am convinced that in the predictions of [Daniel's] Seventy Weeks, we have the indispensable chronological key to all New Testament prophecy."1 Daniel's great prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Dan. 9:24-27) is part of the division of his book that records visions of future earthly kingdoms, both human and divine (chapters 7-12).
It belongs to the larger program of future restoration promised to national Israel as a comfort in her captivity (Isa. 40:1-66:24; Jer. 30:1-33:26; Ezek. 33:1-48:35). When the Persian Empire overthrew the Babylonians in 539 BC as predicted (Isa. 41:25-26; 44:26-45:3; Dan. 5:25-31), Daniel realized the day of Israel's release was at hand. This was confirmed for him by Jeremiah's prophecy (Jer. 25:11; 29:10) which had prophesied the exile would last for 70 years (Dan. 9:2). Recognizing that the ultimate fulfillment of restoration depended on national repentance (Jer. 29:10-14), Daniel sought to personally intercede for Israel through a prayer of penitent petition with its focal point of the restoration program - Jerusalem and the Temple Mount (Dan. 9:3-19).
From Daniel's prayer it appears that he expected the immediate and full fulfillment of Israel's restoration with the conclusion of the seventy-year captivity. However, the prophetic revelation brought to him by the archangel Gabriel in response to his petition revealed that the complete fulfillment of the restoration program would be yet future and progressive in nature. Gabriel explained this in terms of divisions of time during which prophetic activity would occur as preparation for the final fulfillment.
Discerning Daniel's Divisions
Gabriel's revelation to Daniel was that the full course of time would extend for "seventy "weeks" (verse 24). These "weeks" are to be understood as weeks of years since Daniel's prayer were based on the years of Jeremiah's prophecy. Therefore, rather than the restoration coming with the return of a remnant of the exiles after the 70 years, it would be 490 years before all that was promised for Israel's future would be performed. This resulting period of 490 years (70 x 7) is divided according to verses 25-27 into periods of seven weeks (49 years), sixty-two weeks (434 years), and one week (7 years).
Dispensational scholarship has traditionally accepted the context of this passage as messianic, with the death of Messiah and the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple coming after the sixty-two weeks (i.e., after the 7 weeks + the 62 weeks = 483 years). The final "week,"the "seventieth week" of verse 27 will then be fulfilled when the Temple is rebuilt and desecrated by the abomination of desolation in the Great Tribulation. This interpretation requires that the seventieth week of Daniel be understood as eschatological, that is, having its fulfillment in the end time. That this is the correct understanding can be demonstrated by considering the goals to be met in the fulfillment of the seventy weeks as outlined to Daniel in verse 24.
The Prophetic Plan for Israel
Six goals (six infinitives) serve to establish the time of the prophecy's fulfillment: (1) "to finish the transgression, (2) "to make an end of sins"), (3) "to make atonement for iniquity," (4) "to bring in everlasting righteousness," (5) "to seal up vision and prophecy," (6) "to anoint the most holy [place]." Some commentators argue that although these goals were once future they have now all been fulfilled historically in the first advent of Messiah.
In this case the entire prophecy of the seventy weeks is viewed as being fulfilled consecutively without interruption within the first century. One difficulty with such a past historical interpretation is the fact that with the conclusion to the prophecy in verse 27 no specific answer to the time of the end of captivity had been given to Daniel. Yet it was this was very thing that he was attempting to "understand" (verse 2a; cf. 8:17; 9:23), and the motivation behind his prayer (vs. 19).
This view must find an end to the exile in temporary Jewish revolts, all of which were unsuccessful and ultimately led to the destruction of the city, the Temple and further exile. This, of course, offers no solution to Daniel's specific petition for his people's restoration (which included a return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple, vss. 16-19). Furthermore, the climax of Gabriel's promise to Daniel was that the one who would one day desolate the Temple would himself be desolated completely. This did not occur historically with the Roman general Titus who destroyed the Second Temple. Rather, he and his emperor father Vespasian enjoyed the triumph of parading the Temple vessels through the streets of Rome.
On the other hand, a number of factors argue rather for a progressive future fulfillment of these goals in both the first and second advents of Messiah. First, it is crucial to observe those for whom this prophecy is to find fulfillment, namely "your people and your holy city" (verse 24). In other words, the fulfillment of the seventy weeks prophecy must occur with respect to Daniel's "people and city" - national Israel and the city of Jerusalem. In other words, it is not a universal "salvation history" that is being addressed here but the future history of the Jewish People in their historic Land.
Because a Jewish remnant did historically return to Judah as a Nation to resettle the Land and to rebuild Jerusalem, in direct answer to this prayer, and because a Jewish Messiah did come to the Land of Israel to historically "make atonement for iniquity" (Dan. 9:26), these prophetic goals cannot be interpreted other than in terms of literal fulfillment for the same people and place that Daniel knew. Therefore, in context, this excludes finding fulfillment for these six goals with people other than the Jewish People, such as with the church in this age. Looking at the messianic mission to Israel described in these goals can substantiate this.
Messiah's Mission to Israel
The first three goals relate to the sins of national Israel while the final three-goal respect her salvation. Thus the period for the fulfillment of all the goals must be seen in conjunction with Messiah's mission to Israel which historically encompasses both advents. That Messiah is clearly on center stage in this prophecy can be observed by the unambiguous mention of him in verses 25-26.
In verse 24 the terms connected with the first set of goals: "finish" (transgression) and "end" (sin), both look at the culmination of a condition.2 A similar expression is found in an eschatological context in the Dead Sea document known as Pseudo-Daniel (4Q243-245).3 Although in the year that the "Seventy Weeks prophecy" was given, Cyrus freed the Jews, ending their foreign captivity and their unavoidable contact with idolatry and desecration, the remnant that returned to Judah found that idolatry and transgression continued (cf. Ezra 9:1-2; Nehemiah 9:2).
This fact revealed that the prophetic plan was unfulfilled by Israel's return at the end of the seventy years but required the coming of Israel's Messiah to fulfill it in the future. Jewish commentators also held that the final fulfillment of these goals had not been accomplished with the return and restoration under Zerubbabel in 538 BC According to the Jewish commentator Abarbanel, the nature of Israel's sin required not 70 years, but 490 years to complete the sins committed in addition to the violation of the sabbatical law (2 Chronicles 36:21). Other Jewish commentators such as Rashi and Metzudos, held that this referred to a period following the 490 years (which they believed ended with the destruction of the Second Temple): "the last exile whose purpose it will be to terminate [i.e., to atone for] transgression."4
What Daniel's prophecy clearly reveals is that the Messiah came and accomplished the first part of His mission at the time predicted in verses 25-26, that is, 483 years into the 490 years. In the context of verse 26 Messiah's "cutting off" must refer to a death in the same time period as the destruction of "the city [of Jerusalem] and the sanctuary [Temple]," that is, in the late Second Temple period. This was precisely the time expected for the arrival of the Messiah in the rabbinnic sources (see the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin 97a-b).
Based on these sources the revered Vilna Gaon accepted the messianic era as beginning at this appointed time, but without the Messiah! In explanation he proposed that an initial transitional age (of apostasy) would precede the final fulfillment.5 Therefore, Messiah's death was to "make an end ["atone for"] sin" and "make atonement for iniquity" as predicted in verse 24. This act serves as the basis for Israel's future salvation at the Second Advent (Zech. 12:10; Matt. 24:30-31; Lk. 21:27-28; Rom. 11:26-27). The words "and have nothing" added after the words "cut off" may mean "without inheriting the messianic kingdom" (verse 26a).6 This fulfillment, as declared by Jesus (Acts 1:6-7) awaits the future, or the end of the final week when the prerequisite for the establishment of the messianic kingdom, the overthrow of the Temple desolator (the Antichrist), is completed (verse 27).
> The fulfillment of the last set of goals also waits the time of the end. The phrase "to bring in everlasting righteousness" looks at the predicted millennial restoration or "age of righteousness" (see Isaiah 1:26; 11:2-5; 32:17; Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-18) that reverses the theological scandal (note Dan. 9:15-16) of the Israel's national rejection of her Messiah (see Ezekiel 36:17-38; 37:21-28). This eschatological restoration may also be intended in the goal "to seal up the prophetic vision," which has the fulfillment (or "confirmation") of Jeremiah's prophecy in view. The final goal "to anoint the most holy" must also look to the future, and specifically a future dedication of the Temple's Holy of Holies. Rabbinic interpretation referred this to the Third Temple, since according to Tosefta Sotah 13:2 the Second Temple had not been anointed since it lacked both the Ark of the Covenant and the Shekinah (the Divine Presence). Rather, according to Yoma 21b, the Ark would be revealed by the Messianic king, who would also build the Third Temple (cf. Zech. 6:12).
When Messiah returns in glory, He will build the millennial Temple (see Ezek. 40-48), it will be filled with the Divine Presence (Ezek. 43:1-7), and will be consecrated for use throughout the messianic age (Ezek. 43:11, 18-27; 44:11-28; 45:13-46:15; Isa. 56:6-7; 60:7; Jer. 33:18; Zech. 14:16-21). Therefore, Daniel describes Messiah's mission to Israel beginning with His crucifixion as Israel's Savior and culminating with His reign as Israel's king. Thus, Daniel's prayer for an end to exile can only be fulfilled when all of the elements of his petition will be realized, and this can only be accomplished in the coming age of Messiah's reign.
The Program of the Seventieth Week
In verse 27 it was revealed to Daniel that in the seventieth week another significant event with relation to the Temple would occur. A leader (called a "prince" like the messiah in verse 25) related to the people (the Romans) who destroyed the Second Temple would make a covenant with the leaders ("the many") of Israel. While the specific nature of this "covenant" is unclear, it is clear that it relates to the Temple in some way. Dr. Harold Foos came to this conclusion in his doctoral dissertation written for Dallas seminary: ... it the conviction of this writer that the repossession of the Temple site and the rebuilding of the Temple with its renewed worship will be in direct consequence of the covenant that the Antichrist makes with Israel for the "one week," the seven years of the Tribulation period.7 Several reasons may be given to support this conclusion: (1) The Second Temple was rebuilt by the permission and power of a Gentile ruler (Cyrus), setting the precedence for the rebuilding of the Third Temple. (2) If a political power or leader could guarantee the rebuilding of the Temple, any covenant made with Israel would be expected to include this, (3) When the covenant moves from policy to persecution in the middle of the seventieth week, the Antichrist takes the prerogative to cause the sacrifices to cease (Daniel 9:27; 12:11) and to occupy it himself (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
This could imply that he had been involved in some prior relationship with it, (4) A pivotal event marked both the beginning and end of the first sixty-nine weeks and the interval between the end of the sixty-ninth and the beginning of the seventieth (Daniel 9:25-26). Such an event might be expected at the beginning of the seventieth week as well, especially when it would appear to mark a revival of God's direct dealing with the Nation, (5) Since the purpose of the Tribulation is to prepare Israel for the fulfillment of its promises in the Millennium where the Temple is prominent, and the Temple suffers with the Nation during the Tribulation, its rebuilding should be connected with the beginning of the Tribulation (the signing of the covenant, Daniel 9:27a).
Daniel's focus on the Temple's future desecration as a signal event in the seventieth week, "the time of distress" (Dan. 12:1), was announced by Jesus as the unavoidable sign to Israel of the time of Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:15; Mk. 13:14). The apostle Paul also used it as evidence for the unmistakable rise of the "man of sin" (the Antichrist) and of the judgment of God to come in the Tribulation, especially upon the Antichrist whose act of "abomination" will be accompanied with deceptive "signs and false wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13). With the destruction of the Antichrist and his armies by Messiah (Rev. 19:20), and the national repentance of Israel (Rom. 11:26-27), the final restoration of Israel for which Daniel prayed will be at hand.
Daniel searched the prophets and prayed for an answer to the mystery that surrounded the desolation of the Temple in his day. The answer he received by divine revelation was that the times of the Gentiles, imposed from the captivity of his day, would not end until it was brought together in an international empire headed by a coming wicked ruler. Daniel was told that this would occur in the end time, and that with the final act of Temple desolation would come the final judgment of God against the Gentile powers and Israel's realization of the promises of God. He left to us this key to the prophetic puzzle so that we who live closer than he to the times of fulfillment might know what to expect and have confidence in our own day of the outworking of God's program for Israel.
1Alva J. McClain, Daniel's Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971), 6.
2 The term kala' means to "terminate" or "complete," while hatem has the idea of "making whole," i.e., "completing." This is the end of a condition that is described by the objects as "the rebellion," i.e., the rejection of the Messiah (cf. Isaiah 53:1-9; Zechariah 12:10), and innate sin (chata'), i.e., sin which prevents ritual purity (cf. Isaiah 27:9; Ezekiel 36:25-27; 37:23; cf. Romans 11:27) .
3 In line 51 we read: lmsf rs'' ("to bring Evil to an end"), cf. Robert Eisenman and Michael Wise, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered (Massachusetts: Element, 1992), 67-68.
4 Scherman and Zlotowitz, Daniel. The Artscroll Tanach Series, 260. One reason for this interpretation is because these commentators believed that Jewish suffering would atone for their transgression. Abarbanel noted that the return to Jerusalem and even the rebuilding of the Second Temple did not bring the expected redemption nor atone for past sins, since it was itself a part of the exile and atonement. He held that the real and complete redemption was still far off in history, and thus not yet fulfilled according to Daniel's prophecy.
5 See further, Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus. Volume 1: General and Historical Objections (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, forthcoming), pp. 71-75, 78-79.
6 This is one interpretation of the phrase 'eyn lo ("will have nothing"); an alternate translation is "not for Himself," meaning that the Messiah's death was either not for Himself; i.e., it was substitutionary (for others), or that He was innocent (i.e., there was no guilt or criminal reason for His death). The former interpretation strengthens the eschatological argument, but the latter does not detract from it.
7 Harold D. Foos, "Jerusalem in Prophecy," Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1965, p. 230. Prophetic Postponement- R. Price - Page
No book in the ancient world or the modern is as enigmatic, yet essential, to unlocking the mysteries of the prophetic plan for God's future program for Israel than the book of Daniel. The late seminary president and author Alva J. McClain once declared: "... with reference to its importance, I am convinced that in the predictions of [Daniel's] Seventy Weeks, we have the indispensable chronological key to all New Testament prophecy."1 Daniel's great prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Dan. 9:24-27) is part of the division of his book that records visions of future earthly kingdoms, both human and divine (chapters 7-12).
It belongs to the larger program of future restoration promised to national Israel as a comfort in her captivity (Isa. 40:1-66:24; Jer. 30:1-33:26; Ezek. 33:1-48:35). When the Persian Empire overthrew the Babylonians in 539 BC as predicted (Isa. 41:25-26; 44:26-45:3; Dan. 5:25-31), Daniel realized the day of Israel's release was at hand. This was confirmed for him by Jeremiah's prophecy (Jer. 25:11; 29:10) which had prophesied the exile would last for 70 years (Dan. 9:2). Recognizing that the ultimate fulfillment of restoration depended on national repentance (Jer. 29:10-14), Daniel sought to personally intercede for Israel through a prayer of penitent petition with its focal point of the restoration program - Jerusalem and the Temple Mount (Dan. 9:3-19).
From Daniel's prayer it appears that he expected the immediate and full fulfillment of Israel's restoration with the conclusion of the seventy-year captivity. However, the prophetic revelation brought to him by the archangel Gabriel in response to his petition revealed that the complete fulfillment of the restoration program would be yet future and progressive in nature. Gabriel explained this in terms of divisions of time during which prophetic activity would occur as preparation for the final fulfillment.
Discerning Daniel's Divisions
Gabriel's revelation to Daniel was that the full course of time would extend for "seventy "weeks" (verse 24). These "weeks" are to be understood as weeks of years since Daniel's prayer were based on the years of Jeremiah's prophecy. Therefore, rather than the restoration coming with the return of a remnant of the exiles after the 70 years, it would be 490 years before all that was promised for Israel's future would be performed. This resulting period of 490 years (70 x 7) is divided according to verses 25-27 into periods of seven weeks (49 years), sixty-two weeks (434 years), and one week (7 years).
Dispensational scholarship has traditionally accepted the context of this passage as messianic, with the death of Messiah and the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple coming after the sixty-two weeks (i.e., after the 7 weeks + the 62 weeks = 483 years). The final "week,"the "seventieth week" of verse 27 will then be fulfilled when the Temple is rebuilt and desecrated by the abomination of desolation in the Great Tribulation. This interpretation requires that the seventieth week of Daniel be understood as eschatological, that is, having its fulfillment in the end time. That this is the correct understanding can be demonstrated by considering the goals to be met in the fulfillment of the seventy weeks as outlined to Daniel in verse 24.
The Prophetic Plan for Israel
Six goals (six infinitives) serve to establish the time of the prophecy's fulfillment: (1) "to finish the transgression, (2) "to make an end of sins"), (3) "to make atonement for iniquity," (4) "to bring in everlasting righteousness," (5) "to seal up vision and prophecy," (6) "to anoint the most holy [place]." Some commentators argue that although these goals were once future they have now all been fulfilled historically in the first advent of Messiah.
In this case the entire prophecy of the seventy weeks is viewed as being fulfilled consecutively without interruption within the first century. One difficulty with such a past historical interpretation is the fact that with the conclusion to the prophecy in verse 27 no specific answer to the time of the end of captivity had been given to Daniel. Yet it was this was very thing that he was attempting to "understand" (verse 2a; cf. 8:17; 9:23), and the motivation behind his prayer (vs. 19).
This view must find an end to the exile in temporary Jewish revolts, all of which were unsuccessful and ultimately led to the destruction of the city, the Temple and further exile. This, of course, offers no solution to Daniel's specific petition for his people's restoration (which included a return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple, vss. 16-19). Furthermore, the climax of Gabriel's promise to Daniel was that the one who would one day desolate the Temple would himself be desolated completely. This did not occur historically with the Roman general Titus who destroyed the Second Temple. Rather, he and his emperor father Vespasian enjoyed the triumph of parading the Temple vessels through the streets of Rome.
On the other hand, a number of factors argue rather for a progressive future fulfillment of these goals in both the first and second advents of Messiah. First, it is crucial to observe those for whom this prophecy is to find fulfillment, namely "your people and your holy city" (verse 24). In other words, the fulfillment of the seventy weeks prophecy must occur with respect to Daniel's "people and city" - national Israel and the city of Jerusalem. In other words, it is not a universal "salvation history" that is being addressed here but the future history of the Jewish People in their historic Land.
Because a Jewish remnant did historically return to Judah as a Nation to resettle the Land and to rebuild Jerusalem, in direct answer to this prayer, and because a Jewish Messiah did come to the Land of Israel to historically "make atonement for iniquity" (Dan. 9:26), these prophetic goals cannot be interpreted other than in terms of literal fulfillment for the same people and place that Daniel knew. Therefore, in context, this excludes finding fulfillment for these six goals with people other than the Jewish People, such as with the church in this age. Looking at the messianic mission to Israel described in these goals can substantiate this.
Messiah's Mission to Israel
The first three goals relate to the sins of national Israel while the final three-goal respect her salvation. Thus the period for the fulfillment of all the goals must be seen in conjunction with Messiah's mission to Israel which historically encompasses both advents. That Messiah is clearly on center stage in this prophecy can be observed by the unambiguous mention of him in verses 25-26.
In verse 24 the terms connected with the first set of goals: "finish" (transgression) and "end" (sin), both look at the culmination of a condition.2 A similar expression is found in an eschatological context in the Dead Sea document known as Pseudo-Daniel (4Q243-245).3 Although in the year that the "Seventy Weeks prophecy" was given, Cyrus freed the Jews, ending their foreign captivity and their unavoidable contact with idolatry and desecration, the remnant that returned to Judah found that idolatry and transgression continued (cf. Ezra 9:1-2; Nehemiah 9:2).
This fact revealed that the prophetic plan was unfulfilled by Israel's return at the end of the seventy years but required the coming of Israel's Messiah to fulfill it in the future. Jewish commentators also held that the final fulfillment of these goals had not been accomplished with the return and restoration under Zerubbabel in 538 BC According to the Jewish commentator Abarbanel, the nature of Israel's sin required not 70 years, but 490 years to complete the sins committed in addition to the violation of the sabbatical law (2 Chronicles 36:21). Other Jewish commentators such as Rashi and Metzudos, held that this referred to a period following the 490 years (which they believed ended with the destruction of the Second Temple): "the last exile whose purpose it will be to terminate [i.e., to atone for] transgression."4
What Daniel's prophecy clearly reveals is that the Messiah came and accomplished the first part of His mission at the time predicted in verses 25-26, that is, 483 years into the 490 years. In the context of verse 26 Messiah's "cutting off" must refer to a death in the same time period as the destruction of "the city [of Jerusalem] and the sanctuary [Temple]," that is, in the late Second Temple period. This was precisely the time expected for the arrival of the Messiah in the rabbinnic sources (see the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin 97a-b).
Based on these sources the revered Vilna Gaon accepted the messianic era as beginning at this appointed time, but without the Messiah! In explanation he proposed that an initial transitional age (of apostasy) would precede the final fulfillment.5 Therefore, Messiah's death was to "make an end ["atone for"] sin" and "make atonement for iniquity" as predicted in verse 24. This act serves as the basis for Israel's future salvation at the Second Advent (Zech. 12:10; Matt. 24:30-31; Lk. 21:27-28; Rom. 11:26-27). The words "and have nothing" added after the words "cut off" may mean "without inheriting the messianic kingdom" (verse 26a).6 This fulfillment, as declared by Jesus (Acts 1:6-7) awaits the future, or the end of the final week when the prerequisite for the establishment of the messianic kingdom, the overthrow of the Temple desolator (the Antichrist), is completed (verse 27).
> The fulfillment of the last set of goals also waits the time of the end. The phrase "to bring in everlasting righteousness" looks at the predicted millennial restoration or "age of righteousness" (see Isaiah 1:26; 11:2-5; 32:17; Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-18) that reverses the theological scandal (note Dan. 9:15-16) of the Israel's national rejection of her Messiah (see Ezekiel 36:17-38; 37:21-28). This eschatological restoration may also be intended in the goal "to seal up the prophetic vision," which has the fulfillment (or "confirmation") of Jeremiah's prophecy in view. The final goal "to anoint the most holy" must also look to the future, and specifically a future dedication of the Temple's Holy of Holies. Rabbinic interpretation referred this to the Third Temple, since according to Tosefta Sotah 13:2 the Second Temple had not been anointed since it lacked both the Ark of the Covenant and the Shekinah (the Divine Presence). Rather, according to Yoma 21b, the Ark would be revealed by the Messianic king, who would also build the Third Temple (cf. Zech. 6:12).
When Messiah returns in glory, He will build the millennial Temple (see Ezek. 40-48), it will be filled with the Divine Presence (Ezek. 43:1-7), and will be consecrated for use throughout the messianic age (Ezek. 43:11, 18-27; 44:11-28; 45:13-46:15; Isa. 56:6-7; 60:7; Jer. 33:18; Zech. 14:16-21). Therefore, Daniel describes Messiah's mission to Israel beginning with His crucifixion as Israel's Savior and culminating with His reign as Israel's king. Thus, Daniel's prayer for an end to exile can only be fulfilled when all of the elements of his petition will be realized, and this can only be accomplished in the coming age of Messiah's reign.
The Program of the Seventieth Week
In verse 27 it was revealed to Daniel that in the seventieth week another significant event with relation to the Temple would occur. A leader (called a "prince" like the messiah in verse 25) related to the people (the Romans) who destroyed the Second Temple would make a covenant with the leaders ("the many") of Israel. While the specific nature of this "covenant" is unclear, it is clear that it relates to the Temple in some way. Dr. Harold Foos came to this conclusion in his doctoral dissertation written for Dallas seminary: ... it the conviction of this writer that the repossession of the Temple site and the rebuilding of the Temple with its renewed worship will be in direct consequence of the covenant that the Antichrist makes with Israel for the "one week," the seven years of the Tribulation period.7 Several reasons may be given to support this conclusion: (1) The Second Temple was rebuilt by the permission and power of a Gentile ruler (Cyrus), setting the precedence for the rebuilding of the Third Temple. (2) If a political power or leader could guarantee the rebuilding of the Temple, any covenant made with Israel would be expected to include this, (3) When the covenant moves from policy to persecution in the middle of the seventieth week, the Antichrist takes the prerogative to cause the sacrifices to cease (Daniel 9:27; 12:11) and to occupy it himself (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
This could imply that he had been involved in some prior relationship with it, (4) A pivotal event marked both the beginning and end of the first sixty-nine weeks and the interval between the end of the sixty-ninth and the beginning of the seventieth (Daniel 9:25-26). Such an event might be expected at the beginning of the seventieth week as well, especially when it would appear to mark a revival of God's direct dealing with the Nation, (5) Since the purpose of the Tribulation is to prepare Israel for the fulfillment of its promises in the Millennium where the Temple is prominent, and the Temple suffers with the Nation during the Tribulation, its rebuilding should be connected with the beginning of the Tribulation (the signing of the covenant, Daniel 9:27a).
Daniel's focus on the Temple's future desecration as a signal event in the seventieth week, "the time of distress" (Dan. 12:1), was announced by Jesus as the unavoidable sign to Israel of the time of Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:15; Mk. 13:14). The apostle Paul also used it as evidence for the unmistakable rise of the "man of sin" (the Antichrist) and of the judgment of God to come in the Tribulation, especially upon the Antichrist whose act of "abomination" will be accompanied with deceptive "signs and false wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13). With the destruction of the Antichrist and his armies by Messiah (Rev. 19:20), and the national repentance of Israel (Rom. 11:26-27), the final restoration of Israel for which Daniel prayed will be at hand.
Daniel searched the prophets and prayed for an answer to the mystery that surrounded the desolation of the Temple in his day. The answer he received by divine revelation was that the times of the Gentiles, imposed from the captivity of his day, would not end until it was brought together in an international empire headed by a coming wicked ruler. Daniel was told that this would occur in the end time, and that with the final act of Temple desolation would come the final judgment of God against the Gentile powers and Israel's realization of the promises of God. He left to us this key to the prophetic puzzle so that we who live closer than he to the times of fulfillment might know what to expect and have confidence in our own day of the outworking of God's program for Israel.
1Alva J. McClain, Daniel's Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971), 6.
2 The term kala' means to "terminate" or "complete," while hatem has the idea of "making whole," i.e., "completing." This is the end of a condition that is described by the objects as "the rebellion," i.e., the rejection of the Messiah (cf. Isaiah 53:1-9; Zechariah 12:10), and innate sin (chata'), i.e., sin which prevents ritual purity (cf. Isaiah 27:9; Ezekiel 36:25-27; 37:23; cf. Romans 11:27) .
3 In line 51 we read: lmsf rs'' ("to bring Evil to an end"), cf. Robert Eisenman and Michael Wise, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered (Massachusetts: Element, 1992), 67-68.
4 Scherman and Zlotowitz, Daniel. The Artscroll Tanach Series, 260. One reason for this interpretation is because these commentators believed that Jewish suffering would atone for their transgression. Abarbanel noted that the return to Jerusalem and even the rebuilding of the Second Temple did not bring the expected redemption nor atone for past sins, since it was itself a part of the exile and atonement. He held that the real and complete redemption was still far off in history, and thus not yet fulfilled according to Daniel's prophecy.
5 See further, Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus. Volume 1: General and Historical Objections (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, forthcoming), pp. 71-75, 78-79.
6 This is one interpretation of the phrase 'eyn lo ("will have nothing"); an alternate translation is "not for Himself," meaning that the Messiah's death was either not for Himself; i.e., it was substitutionary (for others), or that He was innocent (i.e., there was no guilt or criminal reason for His death). The former interpretation strengthens the eschatological argument, but the latter does not detract from it.
7 Harold D. Foos, "Jerusalem in Prophecy," Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1965, p. 230. Prophetic Postponement- R. Price - Page
Resurrections and Judgments How Many and When?
by Dr. David R. Reagan
My boyhood church always taught that there would be one resurrection and one judgment. Everyone who had ever lived would be resurrected at one time, and all of us — the just and the unjust — would be judged at the same time. The sheep would be separated from the goats at the Great White Throne Judgment pictured in Revelation 20:11-15.
But this concept is all wrong. The Bible reveals that there will be more than one resurrection and more than one judgment.
Multiple Resurrections
Concerning resurrection, Jesus clearly taught that there would be more than one resurrection. In John 5:29 He refers to a "resurrection of life" and a "resurrection of judgment." The apostle Paul confirmed this concept in his defense before Felix when he stated that he believed the teaching of the prophets "that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked" (Acts 24:15).
Of course, it could be argued that the two resurrections referred to in these scriptures will occur at the same time. Thus, because they will happen simultaneously, there is, in effect, only one resurrection. However, the Scriptures establish the fact that the resurrection of the righteous will occur in stages.
In other words, the Bible does not teach one resurrection or even two resurrections in number. Rather, it teaches that there will be two resurrections in type which will be conducted in stages, resulting in several resurrections — at least four, to be specific.
The Resurrection of the Just
That the resurrection of the righteous will occur in stages is clearly taught in 1 Corinthians 15:20-24. In fact, the first stage of the resurrection of the righteous has already happened, for verse 20 says that "Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep."
Verses 22 and 23 go on to explain that all who have died in Christ shall be made alive, "but each in his own order: Christ, the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming."
The imagery of the harvest that is used in these verses is a key to understanding the first resurrection — the resurrection of the righteous.
The Harvest Imagery
In Bible times the harvest was conducted in three stages. It began with the gathering of the first fruits which were offered as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.
It proceeded with the general harvest. But not all was taken in this harvest. Some of the crop was left in the field to be gathered by the poor and the needy. This was called the gleanings (Leviticus 19:9-10).
Using this imagery, the Bible presents the resurrection of Jesus as the "first fruits" of the resurrection of the righteous. The gathering of the Church Age saints, living and dead, at the appearing of the Lord (the Rapture) is thus the general harvest stage of the resurrection of the righteous (John 14:1-3 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
But there is a third and final stage to this resurrection of the righteous. It is the gleanings, and it occurs at the end of the Tribulation when the Lord's Second Coming takes place. At that time two final groups of the righteous will be resurrected: 1) the Tribulation martyrs (Revelation 20:4), and 2) the Old Testament saints (Dan 12:2).
Some people are startled by the thought that the Old Testament saints will not be resurrected until the end of the Tribulation. But keep in mind that the Rapture is a promise to the Church, and the Church only. Also, the book of Daniel makes it clear that the Old Testament saints will be resurrected at the end of the "time of distress" (Daniel 12:1-2).
So the first resurrection, the resurrection of the righteous, occurs in three stages, beginning with Christ, continuing with the Church at the Rapture, and culminating with the Tribulation martyrs and the Old Testament saints at the return of Jesus.
The Resurrection of the Unjust
The second type of resurrection, "the resurrection of the wicked" (Acts 24:15), will take place all at one time at the end of the millennial reign of Jesus. This is at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment, the judgment of the damned (Revelation 20:11-15).
Every person who ever failed to relate to God in faith will be resurrected at this time, regardless of when he or she may have lived and died — whether before or after the Cross. This resurrection will also include the unjust who died during the Tribulation and the Millennium.
There will be no need for an additional resurrection of the righteous at the end of the Millennium, because all those born during that time who accept Jesus as their Savior will live to the end of the Lord's reign (Isaiah 65:19-20). "'As the lifetime of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,'. . . says the Lord" (Isaiah 65:22,25). In other words, life spans during the Millennium will be returned to what they were at the beginning of time, before the flood.
The Certainty of Judgment
Resurrection will be followed by judgment. Solomon wrote, "Fear God and keep His commandments . . . For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
The apostle Paul emphasized the certainty of judgment. In Romans 2:16 he wrote, "God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus." And in Romans 14:10,12 he stated, "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God . . . So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God." The writer to the Hebrews summed it up succinctly: "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
The Completed Judgment
But not all people are going to be judged at the same time. Just as there are going to be several resurrections, there are also going to be several judgments.
One judgment has already taken place. It is the judgment of believers for their sins.
This comes as a surprise to most Christians. Some find it hard to believe. I'll never forget when I realized it from my study of Scripture. I became filled with so much joy that I felt like jumping pews all day!
Let me put it to you in another way. If you are truly born again, then you will never stand before the Lord and be judged of your sins. That's because the judgment for your sins took place at the Cross.
You see, all your sins, and mine, were placed upon Jesus as He hung upon the Cross, and the wrath we deserve was poured out upon Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). He became our substitute. He took our judgment for sin (Romans 8:3 and Galatians 3:13).
If you have appropriated the blood of Jesus to your life by accepting Him as your Lord and Savior, then your sins have been forgiven. They have also been forgotten in the sense that God will never remember them against you again (Isaiah 43:25 and Hebrews 8:12).
Think of it — forgiven and forgotten! That is grace!
The Judgment of the Just
If the Redeemed will never be judged of their sins, then what will they be judged of, and when will the judgment take place?
The Bible teaches that the Redeemed will be judged of their works, not to determine their eternal destiny, but to determine their degrees of reward.
Christians do not work to be saved; they work because they are saved. In fact, the Bible says they are saved to do good works (Ephesians 2:10 and Titus 2:14). Such good works, if properly done, will be done in the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 4:11) and for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
The Significance of Spiritual Gifts
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12 that every person who is born again receives at least one supernatural spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit. A person may receive more than one gift. And, if you are a good steward of the gifts you receive, then you may receive additional gifts as you develop spiritually (Luke 19:26).
God expects us to use our spiritual gifts to advance His kingdom. This is what the judgment of works will be all about. Each of us who are redeemed will stand before the Lord Jesus and give an accounting of how we used our gifts to advance the kingdom of God on earth.
We will be judged as to the quantity of our works (Luke 19:11-27; Romans 2:6-7). We will be judged as to the quality of our works (1 Corinthians 3:10-14). Finally, we will be judged as to the motivation of our works ( 1 Corinthians 4:5).
I can imagine some famous evangelist being brought before the Lord for judgment.
"How did you use your spiritual gifts to advance my kingdom?" asks the Lord.
"I used my gifts as a teacher and evangelist to preach the gospel to millions," replies the preacher.
"Yes," says the Lord, "you certainly did that. But, I know your heart, and thus I know your motivation. You preached not because you loved Me but because you wanted to become famous. You wanted to have your picture published on the cover of Time magazine. You accomplished that in February of 1953. Here's your picture. That's all the reward I have for you!"
And then I can imagine the Lord calling up a little old lady that no one has ever heard of.
"Dear, on the day you accepted Me as your Lord and Savior, I gave you one gift — the gift of mercy. And every time someone was ill, you were the first to offer comfort and encouragement. You were the one who organized the prayer chain. Every time someone went to the hospital, you were the first to visit them. Every time someone died, you were the one who organized the meals. And you did all of these things simply because you loved me."
The Lord will give her a crown full of so many jewels that she will have a neck ache for eternity!
Seriously, there will be degrees of rewards. They will be manifested in the crowns we receive (2 Timothy 4:7-8), the robes we wear (Revelation 19:8), and the degrees of ruling authority which we exercise with the Lord (Luke 19:11-27).
The Timing of the Judgments
When and where will the judgment of the Redeemed take place? The Bible indicates the judgment of believers who have lived and died during the Church Age will occur in Heaven before the judgment seat of Jesus, immediately following the Rapture of the Church (2 Corinthians 5:10 and Revelation 19:6-9).
Those who are saved and martyred during the Tribulation will be judged at the end of that period when they are resurrected at the Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 20:4). The Tribulation saints who live to the end of that terrible period are another group that will be judged at the Second Coming of Jesus in "the sheep and goat judgment" portrayed in Matthew 25:31-46. The Old Testament saints will also be judged at the time of the Second Coming (Ezekiel 20:34-38).
All the unrighteous who have ever lived will be resurrected and judged at the end of the millennial reign of Jesus.
The Judgment of the Unjust
The terrible judgment of the unrighteous is pictured in Revelation 20:11-15. It is called the "Great White Throne" judgment.
We are told that the wicked also will be judged of their works. But their judgment will be radically different from the judgment of the Redeemed. Whereas the Redeemed are judged of their works to determine their degrees of reward, the lost are judged of their works to determine their eternal destiny.
And since no one can be justified before God by their works (Isaiah 64:6 and Ephesians 2:8-10), all will be condemned to Hell. That's why I call this judgment "the judgment of the damned."
The unjust are also judged for another reason. There are going to be degrees of punishment (Luke 12:35-48; 20:45-47).
There is a popular myth in Christendom that says, "All sin is equal in the eyes of God." That is not true. The only way in which all sin is equal is that any sin, whether a white lie or murder, condemns us before God and necessitates a Savior.
But all sin is not equal in the eyes of God. For example, Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven sins that the Lord particularly hates, including "hands that shed innocent blood." And the Bible makes it very clear that idolatry is a sin that is especially heinous in the eyes of God (Exodus 20:3-5).
Because God considers some sins worse than others, there will be degrees of punishment (Revelation 22:12), and these degrees will be specified at the Great White Throne judgment.
A Call to Repentance
Where do you stand with respect to the inevitable judgment which you will face before the Lord?
If you are a Christian, do you know what spiritual gifts you have been given? Are you using them to advance the Lord's kingdom? Is your motivation a love of the Lord?
If you have never confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do you really want to participate in the judgment of the damned? Do you realize that the Bible says, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord"? That means Hitler and every vile person like him who has ever lived will one day make the confession of Jesus' lordship. You will too.
I urge you to make that confession now so that you can participate in the resurrection and judgment of the righteous. As you consider your decision, weigh carefully the following words from the book of Hebrews:
"Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him" — Hebrews 9:28
Notice carefully that this verse promises that for those who are ready for Him, Jesus will come "without reference to sin." That is a wonderful promise.
My boyhood church always taught that there would be one resurrection and one judgment. Everyone who had ever lived would be resurrected at one time, and all of us — the just and the unjust — would be judged at the same time. The sheep would be separated from the goats at the Great White Throne Judgment pictured in Revelation 20:11-15.
But this concept is all wrong. The Bible reveals that there will be more than one resurrection and more than one judgment.
Multiple Resurrections
Concerning resurrection, Jesus clearly taught that there would be more than one resurrection. In John 5:29 He refers to a "resurrection of life" and a "resurrection of judgment." The apostle Paul confirmed this concept in his defense before Felix when he stated that he believed the teaching of the prophets "that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked" (Acts 24:15).
Of course, it could be argued that the two resurrections referred to in these scriptures will occur at the same time. Thus, because they will happen simultaneously, there is, in effect, only one resurrection. However, the Scriptures establish the fact that the resurrection of the righteous will occur in stages.
In other words, the Bible does not teach one resurrection or even two resurrections in number. Rather, it teaches that there will be two resurrections in type which will be conducted in stages, resulting in several resurrections — at least four, to be specific.
The Resurrection of the Just
That the resurrection of the righteous will occur in stages is clearly taught in 1 Corinthians 15:20-24. In fact, the first stage of the resurrection of the righteous has already happened, for verse 20 says that "Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep."
Verses 22 and 23 go on to explain that all who have died in Christ shall be made alive, "but each in his own order: Christ, the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming."
The imagery of the harvest that is used in these verses is a key to understanding the first resurrection — the resurrection of the righteous.
The Harvest Imagery
In Bible times the harvest was conducted in three stages. It began with the gathering of the first fruits which were offered as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.
It proceeded with the general harvest. But not all was taken in this harvest. Some of the crop was left in the field to be gathered by the poor and the needy. This was called the gleanings (Leviticus 19:9-10).
Using this imagery, the Bible presents the resurrection of Jesus as the "first fruits" of the resurrection of the righteous. The gathering of the Church Age saints, living and dead, at the appearing of the Lord (the Rapture) is thus the general harvest stage of the resurrection of the righteous (John 14:1-3 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
But there is a third and final stage to this resurrection of the righteous. It is the gleanings, and it occurs at the end of the Tribulation when the Lord's Second Coming takes place. At that time two final groups of the righteous will be resurrected: 1) the Tribulation martyrs (Revelation 20:4), and 2) the Old Testament saints (Dan 12:2).
Some people are startled by the thought that the Old Testament saints will not be resurrected until the end of the Tribulation. But keep in mind that the Rapture is a promise to the Church, and the Church only. Also, the book of Daniel makes it clear that the Old Testament saints will be resurrected at the end of the "time of distress" (Daniel 12:1-2).
So the first resurrection, the resurrection of the righteous, occurs in three stages, beginning with Christ, continuing with the Church at the Rapture, and culminating with the Tribulation martyrs and the Old Testament saints at the return of Jesus.
The Resurrection of the Unjust
The second type of resurrection, "the resurrection of the wicked" (Acts 24:15), will take place all at one time at the end of the millennial reign of Jesus. This is at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment, the judgment of the damned (Revelation 20:11-15).
Every person who ever failed to relate to God in faith will be resurrected at this time, regardless of when he or she may have lived and died — whether before or after the Cross. This resurrection will also include the unjust who died during the Tribulation and the Millennium.
There will be no need for an additional resurrection of the righteous at the end of the Millennium, because all those born during that time who accept Jesus as their Savior will live to the end of the Lord's reign (Isaiah 65:19-20). "'As the lifetime of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,'. . . says the Lord" (Isaiah 65:22,25). In other words, life spans during the Millennium will be returned to what they were at the beginning of time, before the flood.
The Certainty of Judgment
Resurrection will be followed by judgment. Solomon wrote, "Fear God and keep His commandments . . . For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
The apostle Paul emphasized the certainty of judgment. In Romans 2:16 he wrote, "God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus." And in Romans 14:10,12 he stated, "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God . . . So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God." The writer to the Hebrews summed it up succinctly: "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
The Completed Judgment
But not all people are going to be judged at the same time. Just as there are going to be several resurrections, there are also going to be several judgments.
One judgment has already taken place. It is the judgment of believers for their sins.
This comes as a surprise to most Christians. Some find it hard to believe. I'll never forget when I realized it from my study of Scripture. I became filled with so much joy that I felt like jumping pews all day!
Let me put it to you in another way. If you are truly born again, then you will never stand before the Lord and be judged of your sins. That's because the judgment for your sins took place at the Cross.
You see, all your sins, and mine, were placed upon Jesus as He hung upon the Cross, and the wrath we deserve was poured out upon Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). He became our substitute. He took our judgment for sin (Romans 8:3 and Galatians 3:13).
If you have appropriated the blood of Jesus to your life by accepting Him as your Lord and Savior, then your sins have been forgiven. They have also been forgotten in the sense that God will never remember them against you again (Isaiah 43:25 and Hebrews 8:12).
Think of it — forgiven and forgotten! That is grace!
The Judgment of the Just
If the Redeemed will never be judged of their sins, then what will they be judged of, and when will the judgment take place?
The Bible teaches that the Redeemed will be judged of their works, not to determine their eternal destiny, but to determine their degrees of reward.
Christians do not work to be saved; they work because they are saved. In fact, the Bible says they are saved to do good works (Ephesians 2:10 and Titus 2:14). Such good works, if properly done, will be done in the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 4:11) and for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
The Significance of Spiritual Gifts
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12 that every person who is born again receives at least one supernatural spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit. A person may receive more than one gift. And, if you are a good steward of the gifts you receive, then you may receive additional gifts as you develop spiritually (Luke 19:26).
God expects us to use our spiritual gifts to advance His kingdom. This is what the judgment of works will be all about. Each of us who are redeemed will stand before the Lord Jesus and give an accounting of how we used our gifts to advance the kingdom of God on earth.
We will be judged as to the quantity of our works (Luke 19:11-27; Romans 2:6-7). We will be judged as to the quality of our works (1 Corinthians 3:10-14). Finally, we will be judged as to the motivation of our works ( 1 Corinthians 4:5).
I can imagine some famous evangelist being brought before the Lord for judgment.
"How did you use your spiritual gifts to advance my kingdom?" asks the Lord.
"I used my gifts as a teacher and evangelist to preach the gospel to millions," replies the preacher.
"Yes," says the Lord, "you certainly did that. But, I know your heart, and thus I know your motivation. You preached not because you loved Me but because you wanted to become famous. You wanted to have your picture published on the cover of Time magazine. You accomplished that in February of 1953. Here's your picture. That's all the reward I have for you!"
And then I can imagine the Lord calling up a little old lady that no one has ever heard of.
"Dear, on the day you accepted Me as your Lord and Savior, I gave you one gift — the gift of mercy. And every time someone was ill, you were the first to offer comfort and encouragement. You were the one who organized the prayer chain. Every time someone went to the hospital, you were the first to visit them. Every time someone died, you were the one who organized the meals. And you did all of these things simply because you loved me."
The Lord will give her a crown full of so many jewels that she will have a neck ache for eternity!
Seriously, there will be degrees of rewards. They will be manifested in the crowns we receive (2 Timothy 4:7-8), the robes we wear (Revelation 19:8), and the degrees of ruling authority which we exercise with the Lord (Luke 19:11-27).
The Timing of the Judgments
When and where will the judgment of the Redeemed take place? The Bible indicates the judgment of believers who have lived and died during the Church Age will occur in Heaven before the judgment seat of Jesus, immediately following the Rapture of the Church (2 Corinthians 5:10 and Revelation 19:6-9).
Those who are saved and martyred during the Tribulation will be judged at the end of that period when they are resurrected at the Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 20:4). The Tribulation saints who live to the end of that terrible period are another group that will be judged at the Second Coming of Jesus in "the sheep and goat judgment" portrayed in Matthew 25:31-46. The Old Testament saints will also be judged at the time of the Second Coming (Ezekiel 20:34-38).
All the unrighteous who have ever lived will be resurrected and judged at the end of the millennial reign of Jesus.
The Judgment of the Unjust
The terrible judgment of the unrighteous is pictured in Revelation 20:11-15. It is called the "Great White Throne" judgment.
We are told that the wicked also will be judged of their works. But their judgment will be radically different from the judgment of the Redeemed. Whereas the Redeemed are judged of their works to determine their degrees of reward, the lost are judged of their works to determine their eternal destiny.
And since no one can be justified before God by their works (Isaiah 64:6 and Ephesians 2:8-10), all will be condemned to Hell. That's why I call this judgment "the judgment of the damned."
The unjust are also judged for another reason. There are going to be degrees of punishment (Luke 12:35-48; 20:45-47).
There is a popular myth in Christendom that says, "All sin is equal in the eyes of God." That is not true. The only way in which all sin is equal is that any sin, whether a white lie or murder, condemns us before God and necessitates a Savior.
But all sin is not equal in the eyes of God. For example, Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven sins that the Lord particularly hates, including "hands that shed innocent blood." And the Bible makes it very clear that idolatry is a sin that is especially heinous in the eyes of God (Exodus 20:3-5).
Because God considers some sins worse than others, there will be degrees of punishment (Revelation 22:12), and these degrees will be specified at the Great White Throne judgment.
A Call to Repentance
Where do you stand with respect to the inevitable judgment which you will face before the Lord?
If you are a Christian, do you know what spiritual gifts you have been given? Are you using them to advance the Lord's kingdom? Is your motivation a love of the Lord?
If you have never confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do you really want to participate in the judgment of the damned? Do you realize that the Bible says, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord"? That means Hitler and every vile person like him who has ever lived will one day make the confession of Jesus' lordship. You will too.
I urge you to make that confession now so that you can participate in the resurrection and judgment of the righteous. As you consider your decision, weigh carefully the following words from the book of Hebrews:
"Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him" — Hebrews 9:28
Notice carefully that this verse promises that for those who are ready for Him, Jesus will come "without reference to sin." That is a wonderful promise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)