2012 and the
“END
OF DAYS”
The Final
Countdown to
the Messiah?
How much longer till the coming of the true
Messiah? What
lies ahead for this tottering old world in
the next few years
or decade?
Why did the Mayan Indians believe the end of
the present calendar and system of things
would terminate
in the year 2012? Does this tie in with Biblical prophecy for
the “time of the end”? In this article, we explore the latest
revelations concerning the frightful period
just ahead of us,
and what
the Word of God says.
William F.
Dankenbring
In the book of the prophet Jeremiah is a
frightening prophecy for the end-times.
Jeremiah says: “These are the
words the LORD spoke concerning
What is this “time of Jacob’s trouble”? When will it begin?
Daniel speaks of this same time. The angel Gabriel says to him: “At that time Michael the great prince who
protects your people will arise. There
will be a TIME OF DISTRESS such as has not happened from the beginning of time
until then. But at that time your people
– everyone whose name is found written in the book – will be delivered”
(Dan.12:1).
The Moffatt Translation renders this verse, “There shall
be a time of TROUBLE such as never has been since there was a nation.” He describes this awful period of the future
as “the crisis at the end” (Dan.12:4), and, “the crisis at the close”
(v.9).
Jesus Christ – Yeshua Ha-Moshiach – also spoke of these
final, frenetic, tormenting, tremulous times.
Looking into the future which will occur just before His Second Coming,
He declared: “So when you see standing
in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through
the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in
Judea flee to the mountains. . . How dreadful it will be in those days for
pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray
that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be GREAT DISTRESS,
unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled
again. If those days had not been cut
short [by the intervention and coming of the Messiah], no one would survive [or
be left alive on the planet earth], but for the sake of the elect those days
will be shortened” (Matt.24:15-22).
Jeremiah, Daniel and Jesus Christ were all talking about
the same final end-time disaster and time of trouble which will ENGULF
the entire planet earth. There could not
be three different “times of distress” all of them “unequaled in the history of
the world.” Since each one of these is
the “greatest” time ever of distress, they must all be referring to the same
period of time – the same great distress.
How much time do we have left, before “all hell” breaks
loose? There is a vital key that unlocks
this secret door – it is the key of the “seven day week.”
God
Himself is the author and creator of time.
We read in the book of Genesis, “And God said, Let there be lights in
the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them
be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Gen.1:14).
In Psalm
90:4, we read: “For a thousand years in
thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the
night.” Notice that one thousand years,
here, are compared to “yesterday” – a single “day.”
The
apostle Peter seems to have this Scripture in mind when he writes, in the New
Testament, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that ONE DAY is
with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS, and a thousand years as ONE DAY. The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night . . .” (II Peter
3:8-10).
When the Messiah returns, He will inaugurate a millennial
kingdom lasting one thousand years. As
John wrote, when the Anointed One, the Christ, comes, the Adversary – Satan the
devil – will be bound for one thousand years (Rev.20:1-3). John relates, “And I saw thrones, and they
sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them
that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which
had not worshipped the beast, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and REIGNED WITH CHRIST A
THOUSAND YEARS. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand
years were finished”(Rev.20:4-5).
This
“millennial rest” of 1,000 years is termed a “Sabbath rest” by Paul in the book
of Hebrews. Paul speaks of this mystery
in the 4th chapter of Hebrews, saying: “Let us therefore fear, lest, a
promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come
short of it. . . For he spake in a
certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the
seventh day from all his works. . . . There remains therefore a REST to the
people of God” (Heb.4:1-9).
The Moffatt translation is even plainer. It says: “There is a Sabbath-Rest,
then, reserved for the people of God” (Heb.4:9). Clearly, then, the millennial reign of the
Messiah is pictured in Scripture as lasting one thousand years, and is called a
“Sabbath Rest.”
The
Sabbath day, according to the Word of God, is the seventh day of the week. Almighty God commanded: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and
do all thy work. But the seventh day
is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work . .
.” (Exo.20:8-10).
The
pattern of the seven day week, concluded by a Sabbath day of rest from work,
labor, and toil, is a picture of the Plan of God. If the Sabbath of rest from “man’s works,”
lasts 1000 years (Rev.20:4), then the previous six “days” would equal
SIX THOUSAND years in fulfillment!
Literally a “day” in God’s plan is a thousand years, and therefore a
“week” in God's plan is seven thousand years!
This implies that seven days of the week would equal seven
thousand years. And when we learn from
prophecy that the Millennial day of “rest” or Millennial SABBATH is “one
thousand years,” literally (Rev.20:4), then this tells us that the preceding
six days must equal six thousand years.
The knowledge of God’s 7000-year Plan is not a new
revelation from God to His Church during this End-Time age. In fact, this prophetic knowledge was known
and understood by the early
Says the New
Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge:
“The early
fathers most commonly looked for the second advent at
the end of 6000 years of
the world’s history” (vol.VII, p.376).
The Epistle of Barnabas, written about 200 A.D., actually
expounded on the concept of the 7000-year plan of God, stating that the “end”
would occur at the point of 6000 years from the creation of mankind. States this ancient document of the early
church period:
“Of the Sabbath
He speaketh in the beginning of the creation; ‘And God
made the works of his hands
in six days, and He ended on the seventh
day, and rested on it, and
He hallowed it.’ Give heed, children,
what
this meaneth, ‘He ended in
six days.’ He meaneth this, that IN SIX
THOUSAND YEARS THE LORD
SHALL BRING ALL THINGS
TO AN END; for the day with
Him signifieth a thousand years; and
this He himself beareth me
witness, saying, ‘Behold, the day of the
Lord
shall be as a THOUSAND YEARS.’
Therefore, children, in six
days, that is in six
thousand years, everything shall come to an end.
‘And He rested
on the seventh day.’ This he meaneth;
when His Son
shall come, and shall
abolish the time of the Lawless One, and shall
judge the ungodly, and
shall change the sun and the moon and the stars,
then shall He truly rest on
the seventh day” (Epistle of Barnabus, chap.
15, The Apostolic
Fathers, pp.151-152).
Early
Christians expected the age of mankind’s self rule to come to an end, to be
replaced by the Messianic Kingdom, after a period of 6,000 years. The “Epistle of Barnabus” bears eloquent
testimony to this historical fact.
Irenaeus,
who lived from A.D. 120 to 202, was a disciple of Polycarp, one of God’s true
servants in Asia Minor, who himself was a disciple of the apostle John. Polycarp sent Pothus into Celtic Gaul at an
early date to establish the region, and he settled in Lyons, when Irenaeus
joined him, having been his fellow-pupil under Polycarp. In his battle against raging heresies which
were inundating the church at that time, Irenaeus wrote his Against
Heresies. In book 1, chapter xxviii,
3, we read:
“For in as many
days as this world was made, in so many thousand
years shall it be
concluded. And for this reason the
Scripture says:
‘Thus the heaven
and the earth were finished, and all their adornment.
And God brought to a
conclusion upon the sixth day the works that
He had made; and God rested
upon the seventh day from all His works.’
This is an account of the
things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy
of what is to come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand
years; and
in six days
created things were completed: it is
evident, therefore, that
they will come to and
END at the sixth thousand year” (Ante-Nicene
Fathers, vol.1,
p.557).
Before the time of Christ,
the Jews also understood that the Messiah would come after 6000 years of human
history.
The Encyclopedia
Britannica, eleventh edition, concerning the Talmud, states:
“The view most
frequently expressed there . . . is that the Messianic
kingdom will last for
one thousand (some said two thousand) years.
‘In six days God created
the world, on the seventh He rested. But
a
day of God is equal to a
thousand years (Ps.90:4). Hence the
WORLD
WILL LAST FOR SIX
THOUSAND YEARS of toil and labor; then
will come one thousand
years of Sabbath rest for the people of God in
the kingdom of the
Messiah.’ This idea must have already
been very
common in the first
century before Christ” (“Millennium,” p.459).
The Jewish Encyclopedia goes into greater detail:
“The
Perso-Babylonian world-year of twelve millenniums, however,
was transformed in Jewish
eschatology into a world-week of seven
millenniums corresponding
with the week of Creation. The
verse,
‘A thousand
years in thy sight are but as yesterday’ (Ps.90:4) having
suggested the idea that the
present world of toil is to be followed by
a Sabbatical millennium, ‘the world to
come.’ Of these the six
millenniums were
again divided, as in Parsism, into three periods: the
first 2000 years devoid of
the law; the next 2000 years under the rule of
the law; and the last 2000
years preparing amid struggles and through
catastrophes for the rule
of the Messiah” (“Eschatology,” The Jewish
Encyclopedia, V, p.211).
The
“Messianic Era,” then, is the last 2,000 years of the cycle.
David
Stern, in the Jewish New Testament Commentary, explains the deep roots
of the six thousand year plan of God in ancient Judaism. In his commentary on II Peter, chapter
3:8-10, and the “day is a thousand year” principle, Stern writes:
“This idea,
taken from Psalm 90:4 . . . has deep roots in Judaism, specifically in connection
with dating the Messianic Era. A famous
example is found in the
Talmud, in Tractate Sanhedrin:
‘Rav Kattina said, “The
world will exist for six thousand years, then for one
thousand it will be
desolate, as it is said, ‘The Lord alone will be exalted in
that day’” (Isaiah
2:11). . . .
‘It has been taught in
accordance with Rav Kattina, “Just as every seventh
year is a year of sh’mittah
[letting the land lie fallow], so it is with the world:
one thousand years out
of seven are to be fallow – as proved by the following
three texts taken
together [in which the key word is “day”]:
‘The Lord alone
will be exalted in that
day’ (Isa.2:11); ‘A psalm and song for the day of Shabbat’ (Psalm 91:1), meaning the day that is entirely Shabbat;
and, ‘For a thousand
years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past’” (Psalm 90:4).
‘The school of Eliyahu
[Elijah] teaches: “The world exists for
six thousand
years – two thousand of
them tohu [“void”]; two thousand, Torah; and two
thousand, the era of the
Messiah. But because of our numerous
iniquities
many of these years have
been lost”’ (Sanhedrin 97a-97b).
Says
Stern, “According to Jewish tradition, there were 2,000 years without Torah
– spiritual tohu – between the creation of Adam and the time when
Abraham, aged 52, began convincing people to worship the one true God.
“The
second 2,000 years supposedly lasted from then until 172 years after the
construction of the second Temple, that is, until 244 C.E. That was the year 4000 by the Jewish
calendar, but no significant event in Jewish history took place then. However, biblical chronology has a number of
uncertainties, so that not all agree that the Jewish calendar accurately dates
the biblical beginning of creation.
James Ussher, archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, writing in the 17th
century, placed the creation according to Genesis at 4004 B.C.E., exactly 4000
years before Yeshua’s supposed birthdate.”
Stern
goes on:
“Concerning the
third 2,000 years, a footnote to this passage in the Soncino
English edition of the
Talmud says, ‘Messiah will come within that period.
He should have come at
the beginning of [it]; the delay is due to our sins.’
It should be obvious
that the Messiah who ‘should have come at the beginning’
of the last 2,000-year
period is in fact Yeshua, who did come then.
The delay
is not of his coming but
of our recognizing him, and this delay is indeed ‘due
to our sins’ . . .
“Yet, as Kefa [Peter]
points out, there is a delay in his second coming; and
this is, in a different
sense, ‘due to our sins’: The Lord is
not slow in keeping
his promise . . . ; on
the contrary, he is patient with you; for it is . . . his
purpose that everyone
should turn back from his sins, literally, ‘that every-
one should come to
repentance’ . . . .” (Jewish New Testament Commentary,
page 763-764).
David Stern said the Jews believe the second 2,000 year period supposedly lasted from Abraham, age 52, until 172 years after the destruction of the second Temple, that is, the year 244 A.D. (or C.E. as scholars put it, for “Common Era”). This, he says, was their year 4,000 from creation. This Jewish belief, however, is mistaken on many points. Supposedly, their calendar begins in 3760 B.C. Four thousand years from then would be:
4000
-3760
B.C.
240
+l
(no year zero)
241 A.D.
Thus even
from their own creation date, 4000 years would end in 241 A.D. – not 244
A.D. Secondly, the second Temple was
destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Add
172 years after the destruction of the second temple would bring us to 242 A.D.
– still off by two years from 244 A.D.
Truly,
however, nothing significant in Jewish history happened in any of those
years! Either the prophecy was wrong – or
they were wrong! The truth is, their
calendar, which dates creation in 3760 B.C., begins 244 years after the true
date of creation – 4004 B.C.
Calculating
4,000 years from the Biblical date of Creation, as shown in the Bible and by
archbishop Ussher, the terminus would be 4 B.C. – the very year of the birth of
Jesus Christ! (See our article, “When
Was Jesus Born?”).
This also
ties in with Abraham’s birth. The book
of Jasher shows that he was born in 2056 B.C., so he would have been 52 years
of age in precisely 2004 B.C. Dating the
second period of 2,000 years from that time, when Torah began to be taught by
Abraham, brings us to exactly 4 B.C. – the year of Messiah’s birth!
Archbishop Ussher was a great
Biblical historian and theologian. He
was born in Nicholas Street, Dublin, in 1581 A.D., and was one of the first
scholars admitted to Trinity College, at the tender young age of 13. Ussher believed the Bible was literally true,
like other scholars of his day, and attempted to work out the precise day and
time of Creation, and when we could expect Christ’s second coming. He was an expert in Hebrew, Latin and Greek,
and was assisted by one of the largest libraries in all of Western Europe.
Ussher concluded Creation occurred
on noon, October 23rd, 4004 B.C. His
reasoning was simple: Since history
showed Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C., and Biblical chronology showed his
death was 3,442 years after Creation, then Creation had to be 4004 B.C. 3442 plus 562 equals 4004.
Ussher’s scholarship was published
in 1650 as The Annals of the World. Ussher
also deduced that the Temple of Solomon was finished in 1004 B.C., 3000 years
after Creation, and Christ was born 4 B.C., 4000 years from Creation.
Ussher
believed, as many did in his time, that the end of the world or age would occur
6000 years from Creation. His
calculations were widely accepted at the time and were inserted into the
margins of many published Bibles of the Authorized King James Version.
Creation
of mankind, then, was in 4004 B.C.
However, the actual time cycle begins with the “sin” of Adam and Eve,
and does not include their time spent in the Garden of Eden, when they were “at
one” with God. Man’s sordid human
history begins with the seduction of Eve and disobedience of Adam, due to the
treachery of the serpent.
Although we cannot state with
absolute certainty, the indication from Biblical prophecy and Biblical evidence
is that the 6,000 years from Adam and Eve should be counted from the time they
sinned, and were expelled from the Garden of Eden. That’s when the countdown began.
The book of Jubilees tells us: “And during the first week of the first
jubilee Adam and his wife had been in the garden of Eden for SEVEN YEARS
tilling and guarding it. And we gave him
work and we were teaching him to do everything which was appropriate for
tilling. And he was tilling. And he was naked, but he neither knew it nor
was he ashamed. And he was guarding the
garden from the birds and beasts and cattle and gathering its fruits and
eating. And he used to set aside the
rest for himself and his wife. And what
was being guarded he set aside.
“At the END OF SEVEN YEARS which he
completed there, SEVEN YEARS EXACTLY, in the second month on the
seventeenth day, the serpent came and drew near to the woman” (Jubilees
3:15-17).
As we know, Eve and Adam both
sinned, were enticed into transgression, and banished from the Garden. This occurred most likely, therefore, seven
years after their original creation, in the fall of 4004 B.C. – or in the fall
of the year 3997 B.C. The seven years of
idyllic paradise should not be counted in the 6,000 years during which mankind
has been subject to the “god of this world,” Satan the Adversary (see II
Cor.4:4, Eph.2:2).
If
we count 6000 years from fall 3997 B.C. to fall 3996 B.C., we come to 2004-05
A.D. That is this very year!
Because of
the sins of the people, the prophecy states, the Messianic Era itself would be
“delayed.” When Christ came in 4 B.C.,
and began His ministry in 27 A.D., He – the Messiah – was rejected by His
people, and scorned, and crucified – killed!
That was the beginning of the Messianic Era, when Christ came, and
offered Salvation to His people. But
since they rejected Him, He returned to heaven where He sits today, waiting for
His people to repent of their sins, and cry out for Him – at which point He
will return to save them from utter destruction!
Notice that the Jewish Calendar says the year 2000 began
the Jewish year 5760 from Creation. The creation date set by the Jewish
calendar is 244 years later than the carefully reconstructed date discovered by
Archbishop James Ussher, of 4004 B.C.
5760 could not have been the date of Creation. However, it may have another meaning as the
beginning date of the first true Calendar devised during the days of Seth, son
of Adam.
How could
this error have occurred, since the Jews are a very talented, mathematically
gifted people? Seth was born 130 years
after Adam; Enos was born 105 years later, in 3769 B.C. The Jewish calendar actually begins with a
date nine years after the birth of Enos, son of Seth, the grandson of Adam and
Eve (Gen.5:3-6). This fact suggests that
Adam and his son Seth, whose Hebrew name means “setting,” discovered the
secrets of the calendar, and began making conclusions concerning
astronomical timetables, the orbits of planets, and comets, and the revolution
of the earth about the sun, and thereby “setting” the calendar, nine years
after the birth of Enos – thus beginning the calendar from that point. This, apparently, the Jews confused with the
date of creation.
The year 6,000 since creation, then,
came and went in the year 1997-98. The
6,000 years from the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden arrives in the
autumn/fall of 2004 A.D. – this very year!
This
year, 2004 A.D., interestingly enough, is also 70 years from the beginning of
the ministry of Herbert W. Armstrong in 1934, when God led him to begin
preaching on the “end times” and Bible prophecy. The number “70” is significant to God. 70 souls went down to Egypt, descended from
Jacob (Exo.1:5). Seventy elders saw God at Mount Sinai (Exo.24:1, 9). Ancient
Judah was punished 70 years, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah
(Jer.25:11-12; Dan.9:2) – from 607 B.C. until 537 B.C.
Ancient
Tyre was “forgotten” seventy years – then was to “sing as an harlot”
(Isa.23:15). At the end of the 70 years,
Tyre was to “commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the
face of the earth” (Isa.23:17). Ancient
Tyre was a “type” of modern “Babylon the Great” (Rev.18). Does this not picture that modern Babylon,
including the United States, after 70 years of warning, is about to come
together, into her own, as a final “New World Order,” and commit harlotry with
the nations via the United Nations?
Notice that the accumulated wealth and merchandise of this evil system
will be given to those who “dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for
durable clothing” (Isa.23:18). Or, as
the NRSV has it, “Her merchandise and her wages will be dedicated to the LORD;
her profits will not be stored up or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply
abundant food and fine clothing for
those who live in the presence of the LORD.”
Jesus
Christ sent out “70” to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God (Luke
10:1-17). The word of God speaks of
“seventy nations” on earth. Seventy was
also a number specially connected with Jerusalem (Dan.9:24).
“Seventy” is a combination of two
perfect numbers – 10 and 7. Ten is
ordinal perfection; seven represents divine perfection or completion. When 10 is multiplied by 7, the result is
very significant, intensifying the meaning of each in the product of the
two. Bullinger writes that “7 X 10
signifies perfect spiritual order carried out with all spiritual power
and significance. Both spirit and
order are greatly emphasized.”
Therefore, from 1934 till 2004, the world has had 70 years of warning – and now we enter a “new phase” as we approach the real “gun lap” – the “final inning” – the final warning God is giving to mankind! God’s end-time Work enters a NEW PHASE!
Another Biblical sign post points to our day as being the
“Time of the End.” We read in
Deuteronomy 32:7, “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many
generations . . .”
Jewish rabbis believe that the “days of old” are a
reference to the “days of creation.” If
so, then there were six days of creation, each day with 24 hours – or a total
of 144 hours. A generation in Scripture
is revealed to be 40 years (Num.14:34; also Hebrews 3:9-10). So, if we multiply 144 hours x 40 years we
get 5,760 years.
What is so significant about 5760? Just this:
According to the Jewish calendar, the year 5760 began September 11,
1999 and lasted till September 30, 2000!
Also, we discover something very exciting when we count
the verses in the Hebrew text of the Torah – the first five books of the
Bible. According to a simple count, beginning
in Genesis 1:1, we find out that Deuteronomy 32:7 – the very verse just
mentioned – is the 5,760th verse in the Bible!
Is this mere “coincidence”? In May of the year 2000, or 5760 in the
Jewish calendar, there was an amazing alignment of all five visible planets
– Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – in the sign of Taurus. That year seems to be a transition year,
introducing the beginning of the “end of days.”
Let’s look at the number 5760. The numbers 5 and 7 in Hebrew numbers are
represented by the letters Tau [,] and Shin [a]. Together, these letters signify “in the days
of,” or, “as it was in the days of.” The
number 60 in Hebrew is represented by the letter Samech [x]. This letter represents an endless cycle,
beginning and recycling. The “end” is connected to the “beginning,” and the
beginning to the end. Thus this letter
signifies the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new cycle – or, in other
words, a year of TRANSITION!
The Scriptures tell us that just before Jacob died, he gave
Joseph an extra piece of the land of Israel – the city of Shechem
(Gen.48:22). It was Shechem who raped
Dinah, Jacob’s daughter (Gen.34:1-5).
This led to the sons of Jacob plotting against the Shechemites, and
killing their males in retribution (vs.13-31), and seizing their property. Shechem had a violent beginning, as it
relates to Israel – and also comes to a violent ending.
It was in Shechem that Joseph’s
brothers sold him into slavery, and it was to Shechem that Joseph’s bones were
carried from Egypt, to be buried, when Israel left Egypt and returned to the
holy land.
Shechem is called Nablus by the
Arabs. It was here that the
Arab-Palestinian mob ravaged, burned, and desecrated the tombs of Joseph and
Rachel, during the intifada, the “Rosh Hashana War” beginning in the year 2000.
In the Zohar, the chief study guide
of the Jewish Kabbala, a highly respected ancient reference among Orthodox
Jews, there is a very interesting passage:
“In the time of
the resurrection of the dead, many camps will
arise
in Land of the Galil [Galilee], because that is where the Messiah
is
going to be first revealed, since it is part of Joseph’s territory.
It
will be the first place to be destroyed.
It will begin there
ahead
of all other places, and then spread to the nations”
(Zohar, Vayakhel
220a).
Notice that Messiah was first to
appear in “Galilee.” How
interesting. Upon his return from Egypt,
Joseph brought his family, including the Christ child, to Galilee, to Nazareth,
where He was brought up (Matt.2:22-23).
Also, after His resurrection, His disciples were told, “He has been
raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you
will see him” (Matt.28:7). The eleven
disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed
them. When they saw him, they worshiped
him” (verses 16-17). Indeed, as the
Zohar stated, He was seen first in Galilee!
Shechem, according to the Talmud, is notorious for being
the place where bad things happen (Sotah 11a).
It is a place “set aside for punishment.” The Palestinian intifada began with the
desecration of the tomb of Joseph at Shechem.
The Israelis largely withdrew from the Shechem tomb site, leaving it in
the hands of the Palestinians. Later that same year, in 2000, late September,
after Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount with Israeli soldiers and guards,
for protection, the full intifada burst upon the world scene. Notice the year – it was the “year of
transition.”
With violence beginning at Shechem,
does this symbolize that the modern-day “House of Joseph” – the Anglo-Saxon
nations of the United States and British Commonwealth – have now entered a time
of punishment, destruction, instability, and debilitating weakness?
It was also in the year 2000 that
history was made in the United States – the closest (and perhaps most
fraudulent) presidential election in American history, revealed a nation
DIVIDED such as it has not been divided since the days of the American Civil
War! (1860-1865). Millions today still
believe that the “hanging chads” and irregularities at the polling places in
Florida threw the election to George Bush.
True or not, the contest was bitterly contested and caused raw wounds
and severe chasms between the two major political parties.
Jesus Christ warned, “Every kingdom
divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house
divided against itself shall not stand” (Matt.12:25). “And if a kingdom be divided against itself,
that kingdom cannot stand. And if a
house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:24-25).
Have we entered the twilight of
Joseph’s period of dominance in the world – are we now seeing the commencement
of the final “days of distress”, beginning with the House of Joseph? – the
Anglo-Saxon nations – Ephraim and Manasseh?
The second verse of the Shema said
twice every day by Orthodox and Observant Jews, is: Baruch Shem kevod
malchut l’olam va’ed. “Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom forever
and ever.” It is recited in a quiet undertone. Jewish rabbis have pointed out
that the first letters of each of the words spell the words, b’Shechem
lamed-vav, which means, “In Shechem, thirty six.”
The number “thirty six” is all about
EXILE – and redemption! Thirty
six is 6 x 6. Six represents the number
of “man,” falling short of divine perfection.
Six pictures “sin” or
“incompletion.” The sixth commandment is
against the most violent sin – murder.
Six is also a composite of 4 plus 2, that is, “man’s world” (4) plus
man’s enmity toward God (2, the number of division). But in a positive sense, it also represents 5
plus 1 – that is, “grace” and “mercy” (5) plus God (1). Since 36 is literally 6 x 6, or 6 squared, it
raises these concepts to the next higher level.
Therefore, it presents the punishment and exile of man, due to SIN and
rebellion, but it also represents God’s remedy for sin and rebellion – God’s
grace poured out in abundance upon repentant sinners!
Thus punishment and tribulation
began at Shechem – so likewise, redemption will also begin at Shechem! It is noteworthy that in the book of Jasher,
it is clear that after the sons of Jacob slaughtered the Shechemites, the whole
surrounding Gentile and Canaanite world gathered together to avenge the deaths
of their neighbors, and wars began between the sons of Jacob and their Gentile
neighbors – frightful wars – a type of the Great Tribulation and the wars of
the coming “Day of the Lord.” God
delivered Israel then; and He will deliver Israel again, in the near future,
when the Messiah Himself steps in to intervene!
This Palestinian act of desecration
was indeed a symbolic act, symbolizing the beginning of the End of Days
– the beginning of a period of GREAT TRIBULATION in the earth. Many rabbis thought it was definitely a “time
of Jacob’s trouble.” Could this signal
the countdown to the final coming of the Messiah? Does this represent the beginning of “Jacob’s
trouble”in the end of days?
Not only did the “intifada” begin at
this time, but the following year saw the greatest disaster ever to strike the
United States of America – the 9-11 tragedy – the Twin Towers of New York’s
Manhattan Island being obliterated by Muslim fanatics, and the attack on the
Pentagon – both of them symbols of American economic power and military might. Was this the “beginning of the end”?
Warnings from the Talmud
The Talmud says that when falsehood
rules the minds of men, this is actually one of the signs that the
Messiah is not far away.
Unfortunately,
many Christians have been grossly misled about the nature of the Jewish Talmud,
a cornucopia of esoteric and theological Jewish knowledge. The Talmud is a veritable encyclopedia of
ancient Jewish and rabbinic knowledge.
It contains much of great value and importance spiritually and historically. It is not anti-Christian, as such, although
certain parts contain the opinions of some very anti-Christian rabbis (even as
early church literature contained opinions of theologians who were very
anti-Semitic, especially Catholic theologians after the time of Constantine).
In a section of the Talmud, devoted
to eschatology and the last days, and the advent of the Messiah, we read some
rather astonishing things. The rabbis’
comments and analysis almost seem to parallel the words of Jesus Christ and the
apostle Paul.
The Talmud refers to Ezekiel 36:8 –
“But you, O mountain of Israel, you shall give your branches, and yield your
fruit to My people of Israel; for they will soon be coming.” Says the Talmud, “When this verse is fulfilled,
and the mountains of Israel are once again green and yield fruit, you will know
that the Messiah is on his way and soon to arrive” (Sanhedrin 97a, The Talmud, The Steinsaltz
Edition, vol.xxi, p.15).
Says a note on this passage: “Thus, there is no clearer sign of the
imminence of the final redemption and the people of Israel’s return to its land
than the land once again growing its branches and yielding its fruit (Maharsha).
Another passage in Sanhedrin 97a
states: “It was taught in a
Baraita: ‘Rabbi Yehudah says: In the generation when the Son of David will
come, the Academy where the Sages once gathered for the study of Torah will be
used for prostitution.” In a note on
this passage, we read: “The Academy will
be used for prostitution. Alternatively,
the Messiah will not come until promiscuity increases so much that a
public gathering-place will be set aside and designated for prostitution (Ramah)”
(ibid., p.4).
At that time of woe, “the wisdom of
the scholars will become dull, those who fear sin will be despised by the rest
of the nation, the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog, and
the truth will be absent, as the verse states [Isa.59:15]: ‘And the truth is absent, and he who departs
from evil is despoiled.’”
“The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the words, ‘And the
truth is absent’? The Sages of the
school of Rav said: This teaches that
the truth will be like flock after flock that go to the wilderness to
pasture. So, too, the people of truth
will hide in the desert from the rest of the wicked generation” (p.5). A note on this passage states, “Some
understand that this alludes to the proliferation of ideas and factions in the
pre-Messianic period, with each group claiming exclusive possession of the
truth.”
How like our generation, today! Hundreds, even thousands of groups, cults,
remant factions of the churches, each vying for members and money, each
claiming to be the “only true church,” the “Philadelphia church,” the “Living”
church, the “United” church, the “original,” the best, etc., etc., etc.
What is another sign of the end-time
generation?
Says the Talmud, Sanhdrin 97a: “Rabbi Nehorai said: In the generation when the son of David
comes, youths will put the elders to shame, elders will stand up before youths
to honor them, daughters will rise up against their mothers to insult and
humiliate them, and likewise daughters-in-law will rise up against their
mothers-in-law, the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog, the
people being filled with arrogance and lacking all shame, and sons will have no
shame even before their fathers” (p.6).
Says the footnote to this
passage: “The face of the generation
will be like the face of a dog. Some
understand that the expression ‘the face of the generation’ refers to the
leaders of the generation. In the
generation when the Messiah comes, even the leaders of the generation will have
the audacity and lack of shame associated with dogs.” Does that remind you of anybody in
particular? Think about it!
Our generation has been compared to
an aravah or willow – it produces no good fruit, is not fragrant, but
merely “takes up space” and has no value.
There is great need for repentance and redemption, but the people are
far too preoccupied with their human desires.
So what is God going to do about it?
Says Rabbi Yehoshua, in Sanhedrin
97b: “Rather, if the people of Israel
fail to repent on their own, the Holy One, blessed be He, will set a king over
them whose decrees are as harsh as those of Haman, and the people of Israel
will repent against their will, and He will restore them to good” (p.13). In other words, suffering and anguish will
finally bring about the fruits of real repentance.
Rabbi Ze’eiri said in the name of
Rabbi Hanina: “The Son of David will not
come until the arrogant in spirit are utterly wiped out from Israel,” for
Zephaniah 3:11 states, “for then I will take away from your midst those who
rejoice in your pride, and you shall be no more haughty in my holy mountain.” The footnote states, “The Messiah will not
come until the last vestiges of sovereignty and self-rule, as meager as they
might be, are utterly wiped out from Israel” (p.16).
Other signs of the End of Days:
“Rabbi Yohanan said: When you see a generation declining in learning
and knowledge, wait for the Messiah, for he is soon to come.” The decline in Biblical and spiritual
knowledge today is unbelievable.
“Rabbi Yohanan said: “When you see a generation inundated wth many
troubles like a river, wait for the Messiah, for the redemption is sure to
come” (p.17-18).
The name Shechem itself symbolizes
this idea. Shechem is spelled in Hebrew shin,
kaf, mem. The first and last letter
are separated by the letter kaf, which symbolizes intellectual
blindness. However, when the kaf
is removed, we have left the letters shin and mem – which
together spell “shem,” meaning “name,” which is used by the Jews for the Name
of God, who often refer to Him as ‘Ha Shem.”
Shechem, then, first represents a
place of punishment, and exile. But that
is only up until the time of redemption.
When that time comes – clearly associated with Joseph, who was the
ancient “redeemer” of his brothers – then God’s light of truth will be
revealed, miracles will occur once again, in this end time, revealing God’s
hand in history. Soon great miracles
will occur in the earth, and we will see God’s name exalted, and revealed as He
intervenes in human affairs! The blindness
will be removed!
The second verse of the Shema – which
is recited in an undertone, quietly –
represents the Jewish belief that it is God who literally orchestrates
the events of history, even if this fact is hidden or veiled to the
world, and unbelievers think that “natural causes” control nature. But as Daniel the prophet told King
Nebuchadnezzar, “Blessed be the name of God from age to age, for wisdom and
power are his. He changes times and
seasons, deposes kings and sets up kings” (Dan.2:20-21, NRSV).
This verse of the Shema alludes to
the day when God will stop working invisibly, in a hidden manner, undercover,
but will begin to work openly, in plain sight, and reveal Himself to mankind in
a very obvious manner! No longer will
men question His “existence,” and behave as if He did not exist!
Says the prophet Isaiah: “Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the
dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and
the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted
in that day” (Isaiah 2:10-11). “For the
day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and
upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low . . . And the loftiness of man shall be
bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that
day” (vs.12-17).
“And the LORD shall be king over all
the earth: in that day there shall be
ONE LORD, and HIS NAME ONE” (Zechariah 14:9).
In The Book of Our Heritage, by Eliyahu Kitov, the
Hebrew month of Nisan, in the spring, is called “The Month of Redemption.” That is the month when God redeemed Israel
from bondage and slavery in Egypt. God
said to our forefathers, “This month shall mark for you the beginning of
months; it shall be the first month of the year for you” (Exo.12:1). The word “first” here in Hebrew also means “chiefest,”
“most important.” Why? Because it
is the month of redemption!
Declares Kitov, “One who experiences redemption has
emerged from darkness into light. One
who has never suffered the oppression of bondage, will not appreciate
redemption” (p.467). He goes on, “We see
that this is true of all the troubles and sorrows that the offspring of Ya’akov
have suffered throughout history. All of
them were transformed into salvation, and the greater the darkness, the greater
was the light which followed. This is
true of the final redemption as well – its light shall burst forth from the
midst of darkness. At the very time when
hearts tremble in despair, the glory of God will shine forth. And when will this be? In the month of Nisan, for God has
established it as a time of redemption for all generations” (p.468,
emphasis mine).
The Song of Solomon also gives a
strong indication that the “Bridegroom” will come for His “Bride” in the
springtime – the time of budding new life after the coldness and austerity of
winter! “The voice of my beloved! Look, he comes, leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills. My beloved is
like a gazelle or a young stag. Look,
there he stands behind our wall, gazing in at the windows. . . My beloved
speaks and says to me: ‘Arise, my love,
my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over
and gone, the flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the
vines are in blossom” (Song of Solomon 2:8-13, NRSV).
The Jubilee Cycles
How close are we
really to the final “end’? Another clue
is given in the Jubilee years God commanded His people to observe. God told Israel to observe special years of
land rest every seventh year in a fifty year cycle. These were called “land Sabbaths” – or in the
Hebrew, a shemittah year. God
declared, “Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune
your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath
of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD” (Lev.25:3-4).
God then commanded,
“And you shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven
years, and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine
years. Then you shall cause the trumpet
of the Jubilee [Heb. teruah, meaning “clamor, i.e. exclamation of
joy or a battle cry; esp. a clangor of trumpets] to sound on the tenth
day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to
sound throughout all your land. And you
shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the
land to all its inhabitants. It
shall be a Jubilee [yobel, meaning “the blast of a horn, from its
continuous sound; spec. the signal of the silver trumpets] for you; and each of
you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his
family. That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee
for you” (verses 8-11).
The Jubilee year
in ancient Israel was meant to be a year of liberty, freedom – release from
bondage – it was a year of renewal, refreshing, restoration!
How does this tie
in with the coming of the Messiah?
The
apostle Peter declared, to the assembled Jews of his day, “Repent, then, and
turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing
may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed
for you – even Jesus. He must remain in
heaven until the time comes for God to RESTORE EVERYTHING, as he promised long
ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:19-21).
The
“times of refreshing,” and time of “restoring everything,” applies to what
occurred on a Jubilee year – the designated year of liberty, freedom of slaves,
forgiveness of all debts, and restitution of all lands and properties and
inheritances (Lev.25).
Jesus
Himself, when He began His ministry, said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for
the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19,
NIV).
This
time of release and liberation – the “Great Jubilee” – will be fully fulfilled
at the coming of the Messiah! The
scripture in Luke 4 is quoted from Isaiah 61 (verses 1-4) and describes the
“Jubilee year” – the “year of the Lord’s favor,” the year of “freedom” and
“release.” At the coming of the Messiah, the Israelite prisoners in foreign
lands around the world will be given their freedom, and the oppressed
everywhere will be released from their captors.
All
mankind will be released from physical and spiritual bondage to the corrupt and
wicked world system and its governments, all presently under the influence and
control of Satan the devil! At that
time, “They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth
will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah
11:9).
The Encyclopedia Judaica
Interestingly, the Encyclopedia
Judaica points out that the sages of Israel in every period saw a link
between the Jubilee and the Sabbatical years with the laws regarding
emancipation of slaves, remission of debts, and prohibition of land
cultivation. The Jubilee was the
capstone of them all. Says the Encyclopedia
Judaica:
“They reckoned the historical
order and the end of time by Sabbatical years
and Jubilees: ‘Israel counted 17
Jubilees from the time they entered
the land to the time they left it’ (Ar.12b).
Elijah told Judah, the brother
of Sala Hasida, ‘The
world will endure not less than 85 Jubilees, and on the last
Jubilee the Son of David will come’ (Sanh.97b). The precept of the Jubilee
is often regarded as one of the basic precepts of the Torah. ‘And its seven lamps thereon’ (Zech.4:2) is interpreted as
referring to
the seven precepts – offerings, tithes, shemittot, Jubilees,
circumcision, honoring
of father and mother, and study of the Torah which excels them all’ (PR
8.4). The continued dwelling in the land
was dependent upon the observance of the shemittah
and the Jubilee (Shab. 33a)” (ibid., 581).
Now let’s look at this
passage more closely.
Elijah’s
Amazing Prophecy
Note, first of all, the prophetic
words of Elijah: “Elijah told Judah, the
brother of Sala Hasida, ‘The world will endure not less than 85 Jubilees, and
on the last Jubilee the Son of David will come’” (Talmud, Sanh.97b).
This passage from the Talmud
quotes the words of Elijah the prophet.
He stated quite clearly that the Messiah the Son of David will come on
the last Jubilee!
What does “not less than 85 Jubilees” mean? 85 Jubilees would be a period of 4250 Years
(85 x 50).
The “world” Elijah was speaking of was most likely
“this present evil world.” The Bible
speaks of the “world that then was,” the pre-Flood world, and “the world that
now is,” this present world – the post-Flood world. The post-Flood world began in the year 2348
B.C., according to Ussher’s chronology.
But at some time after the new post-Flood world
began, the population of the earth began to go astray. When did the Great Rebellion occur?
Something very monumental occurred during the life span of Peleg. We read in Genesis, “To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg [“division’], for in his days the earth was divided” (Gen.10:25, NRSV).
Eber was 34 when he begat Peleg in 2247 B.C. Peleg lived 239 years and died in 2008 B.C. Abraham was born in 2056 B.C. Thus Peleg lived 48 more years after Abraham was born. This is confirmed by the book of Jasher. “And Peleg, the son of Eber, died in those days, in the forty-eighth year of the life of Abram son of Terah, and all the days of Peleg were two hundred and thirty nine years” (Jasher 10:1).
The division of the earth occurred because of the sin of the tower of Babel. Therefore the tower of Babel construction, and destruction, and division of the earth, occurred during the time of Peleg.
The Flood occurred in the year 2349-2348 B.C. Shem begat Arphaxad two years after the Flood, in 2346 B.C. (Gen.11:10). Arphaxad begat Shalach in 2311 B.C. when he was 35 years of age. Shalach begat Eber when he was 30, in the year 2281 B.C.
Shalach lived for 433 years, and died when Esau and Jacob his brother were 18 years of age. The book of Jasher relates: “And after this Shelach the son of Arpachshad died in that year, which is the eighteenth year of the lives of Jacob and Esau; and all the years that Shelach lived were four hundred and thirty-three years and he died” (Jasher 28:17).
Since Shalach himself was born in 2311 B.C., and lived 433 years, he therefore died in the year 1878 B.C. Since Esau and Jacob were 18 years of age at that time, they were born in the year 1896 B.C.
What does this fact have to do with our story?
Nimrod was a contemporary of Esau. In fact, the book of Jasher tells us, “And Esau at that time, after the death of Abraham, frequently went in the field to hunt. And Nimrod, the king of Babel, the same was Amraphel [see Genesis 14:1], also frequently went with his mighty men to hunt in the field. . . And Nimrod was observing Esau all the days, for a jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esau all the days” (Jasher 27:1-3). The feeling was mutual. The account continues, “Esau concealed himself for Nimrod, and he lurked for him in the wilderness” (v.5).
When the opportunity came to strike, Esau “started suddenly from his lurking place, and drew his sword, and hastened and ran to Nimrod and cut off his head” (v.7). Esau killed Nimrod and cut off his head and stole his garment (the animal skin which God had clothed Adam with, after his sin was forgiven) and fled. Says Jasher, “and Esau took the valuable garments of Nimrod, which Nimrod’s father had bequeathed to Nimrod, and with which Nimrod prevailed over the whole land, and he ran and concealed them in his house” (Jasher 27:10). Despairing of life, being chased by Nimrod’s men, he fled seeking refuge, and hungry and exhausted, he came upon Jacob, cooking a mess of bean soup. Esau sold Jacob his birthright for a bowl of that soup, thus despising his birthright.
Nimrod was 215 years of age when Esau killed him. Jasher relates, “and all the days that Nimrod lived were two hundred and fifteen years and he died” (Jasher 27:15). Since he died in the 18th year of Jacob and Esau, the year 1878 B.C., that would mean he was born to Cush, in his old age, in the year 2093 B.C. Nimrod reigned for 185 years (Jasher 27:16); therefore he became king at the age of 30.
Nimrod was “a mighty hunter before [or “against”] the LORD” (Gen.10:9). We read in Genesis: “Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first on earth to become a mighty warrior. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, ‘Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.’ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar” (Gen.10:8-10, NRSV).
Enter: Abraham
The book of Jasher, Josephus, and Jewish tradition and the ancient Midrash, all state that it was Nimrod who instigated the building of the tower of Babel as an act of rebellion against the rule of heaven. It was built in his kingdom, and it was his desire to unite all mankind under his leadership and steer them away from the laws and commandments and worship of the true God.
Meanwhile, Abraham was born in 2056 B.C. Because his life was threatened from his birth because of Nimrod’s astrologers and their predictions, “Terah took Abram his son secretly, together with his mother and nurse, and he concealed them in a cave, and he brought them their provisions monthly. And the Lord was with Abram in the cave and he grew up, and Abram was in the cave ten years, and the king and his princes, soothsayers and sages, thought that the king had killed Abram” (Jasher 8:35-36).
At the age of 10 years, he was sent to study (and be hidden away) at the house of Noah and Shem. “And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem, and he remained with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and Shem his son for a long time. And Abram was in Noah’s house thirty-nine years, and Abram knew the Lord from three years old . . .” (Jasher 9:5-6).
Meanwhile, “All the sons of the earth in those days greatly transgressed against the Lord, and they rebelled against him and they served other gods, and they forgot the Lord who had created them in the earth” (verse 6).
During this time, Nimrod and his cronies began building the tower of Babel!
The book of Jasher states, “And Abram the son of Terah was waxing great in those days in the house of Noah, and no man knew it, and the Lord was with him. And the Lord gave Abram an understanding heart, and he knew all the works of that generation were vain, and that all their gods were vain and were of no avail” (Jasher 9:11-12). Abram was 50 when he left Noah’s school of righteous instruction and returned to his father Terah, who was Nimrod’s military chief of staff.
“And king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union. And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together . . . and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth on account of their wars” (Jasher 9:20-21).
“And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven” (Jasher 9:25).
God at this juncture intervened. He struck down the tower and rebuked the rebels. “And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Babel, for there the Lord confounded the language of the whole earth; behold it was at the east of the land of Shinar.”
What happened to the tower? Jasher relates, “And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and it’s circumference is three day’s walk” (Jasher 9:37-38).
This all occurred while Abraham was secreted away, studying under Noah and Shem. Therefore, the tower of Babel was built sometime during Abraham’s sojourn in the house of Noah and his son Shem – between the years 2046 and 2006 B.C., when Abraham returned to his father Terah’s house in Babylon. Peleg died in the year 2008 B.C., and the division of the peoples and land occurred before he died, fulfilling the prophecy of his name, “Division,” which was given to him at his birth in 2247 B.C.
The Great Rebellion against God, after the Flood, then, occurred during the life-span of Peleg! You can read the Biblical account of this event in the eleventh chapter of Genesis.
Not only were
the sons of men divided and scattered at that time, but also the earth
itself underwent massive tectonic orogenies, earthquakes, and massive
continental shifts, which caused the collapse of the gigantic tower of
Babel. Very likely the continents
themselves separated and were “divided” at that time, and moved into their
present locations, creating the Atlantic Ocean, causing the uplift to the Andes
along the western rim of South America, the North American Rockies, the Alps,
and the Himalayas. The evidence of these
awesome events after the Deluge is provided in the book by Immanuel Velikovsky,
Earth in Upheaval.
This “division” and disaster, due to man’s rebellion, occurred during the life of Peleg. Since 2247 B.C. was the very year of the birth of Peleg, whose very name means “division,” his birth was a prophecy of the rebellion which would occur during his days.
Elijah’s Prophecy Revisited
Now, let’s pick up once again
with the prophetic words of Elijah:
“Elijah told Judah, the brother of Sala Hasida, ‘The world will endure
not less than 85 Jubilees, and on the last Jubilee the Son of David will
come’” (Talmud, Sanh.97b). Elijah
the prophet stated quite clearly that the Messiah the Son of David will come on
the last Jubilee year!
If we count this time period of 85 Jubilees from the first year of Peleg, whose name means “division,” as the beginning of the rebellion, and the prophecy of “division,” then the period of 85 Jubilees prophesied by the prophet Elijah would be 85 x 50 years. 85 x 50 = 4250 years.
The year Peleg was born was 2247 B.C. Counting from this date:
4250 (85 Jubilees)
-2247 (Peleg’s birth, beginning of rebellion)
2003
+1 (no year zero)
2004 A.D.
Notice! How exciting! This count brings us to this present year – 2004 A.D.!!!
Thus counting
from the prophecy of the tower of Babel rebellion in the name of “Peleg,” and
calculating from that date, 2247 B.C., the year Peleg was born and the earth
was “divided,” we find that 85 Jubilee periods brings us to 2004 A.D.!!!
Remember, 2004 A.D. is also the 6000th year counting from the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden!
Just as Peleg’s
name prophesied the Great Rebellion during his lifetime, it also foreshadowed a
similar Great Rebellion and Apostacy beginning once again in our time, in the
year 2004 A.D.!
This year – 2004 A.D. – will go down in history as the year the homosexual agenda has advanced around the world. The Massachusettes Supreme Court ruled in favor of homosexual marriages this year. The law went into effect on May, 2004, and homosexuals have been marrying each other – “legally” – ever since. This is also the year when homosexuals have become enflamed with the idea of proselyting illegal homosexual marriages, coast to coast in the U.S.A., and homosexual activists have begun spreading out across the country filing lawsuits against states and cities prohibiting homosexual marriages.
Apostasy! Rebellion! Disregard for a holy God and His laws! Surely the wrath of a just and righteous God cannot be far off!
Just as the 6000 year countdown to the end of this world age did not begin until man’s sin in the garden of Eden, seven years after the creation of man, even so likewise the countdown mentioned by Elijah did not begin until the days of Peleg, and the rebellion which took place in his lifetime. The 6,000 years which terminate in 2004 A.D., parallel the 85 Jubilees of Elijah which also terminate in 2004 A.D.! And the 70 years of warning from 1934 A.D. also conclude in 2004 A.D.!
What a year this is! The actual timetable for the termination of these prophecies is September-October 2004 – the beginning of the Jewish fall festival season!
There
is another way to view the “Jubilee cycles” as they pertain to Biblical
prophecy. According to the chronology of
archbishop James Ussher, Israel left Egypt in 1491 B.C. They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years,
because of their disobedience and lack of faith in God (Num.14:34). Therefore, this means that they entered the
Holy Land in 1451 B.C.
When
Israel first entered the Promised Land, they erected the Tabernacle at
Gilgal. There it remained for 14 years –
the time required for the people to conquer and occupy the land. Once the land was conquered and occupied, the
counting of the Sabbath land cycles could commence, and the counting of the
Jubilee years. This means that if we
subtract 14 years from 1451, we come to 1437 B.C., the year of settlement and
the beginning of the Jubilee count.
Since Jubilee years occur every 50 years, let’s count Jubilee years from
1437 B.C. to the present and see when the next Jubilee – the “Great Jubilee’ –
will come.
1437
B.C. year 1 of Jubilee count
2004
A.D.
+1 (no year zero)
3442
years
Now we divide
3442 by 50 (the years in a Jubilee cycle).
50 into 3442 = 68 Jubilee cycles plus 42 years. 2004 is the 42nd year of the 69th
Jubilee cycle.
50 years in present cycle
-42 year of cycle
8
years
till next Jubilee
2004
+8
2012 A.D. – the next Jubilee Year!
From 1437
B.C. to 2012 A.D. is exactly 69 cycles.
This means that from the original Jubilee cycle date beginning in the
land of Israel in the days of Joshua, till the year 2012, are precisely 69
Jubilee cycles, so 2012 will be a Biblical Jubilee Year!
Since we
are now in the year 2004, this may well mean we have only eight years left till
the coming Jubilee year and the coming of the Messiah!
Another very interesting prophecy is
found in the seventh chapter of Isaiah.
God tells the prophet, “In sixty five years, Ephraim will be broken
[lit., “shattered”], so that it will not be a people” (Isa.7:8, NKJV). I have often wondered if this verse has a
message for the end-times, our day. What
is this mysterious “sixty five” years?
When would it be counted from?
I was studying and meditating a few
months ago, on the passage in Isaiah 7, especially on verse 8. Then, as I pondered and prayed over the
matter, it dawned on me that the last fateful attack on the United States,
which precipitated our entrance into World War II, was the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. That was
the very year in which I was born.
If
we count 65 years from 1941, we come to the year 2006 A.D.!
A friend in Ohio, Charles
Rearick, wrote me a letter, just a week after I had been thinking of these
things, and it turns out that he was thinking along similar lines. Charles wrote to me, saying, “I was reading Isaiah 7:8 – the part that says
within 65 years Ephraim will be shattered, no longer a people. I thought about it on December 7 and added 65
to 1941 and came up with the interesting date of 2006. It is interesting with many things pointing
to the year 2006 and 2012. Could this be
the fall of Ephraim?”
Is
there something critical about the year 2006?
2006 is seven years before 2012 A.D.
In Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy, the seventieth week represents a
period of seven years leading to the coming of the Messiah to “bring in
everlasting righteousness” (Dan.9:24). This
final week could very well be the week of years beginning 2006 and concluding
in 2012 A.D.!
The incredible “Bible codes” offers
more evidence that we are living in the “last days.” These codes have been buried within the
matrix of the Scriptures, for thousands of years, waiting to be discovered in
the age of computer science.
Early Jewish rabbis had a sense that
there were mysterious codes hidden in the Bible, and in their Bible studies
they even deciphered some of the simpler ones, before the advent of
computers. However, with computer science
on the hunt, scholars and mathematicians have made a fantastic breakthrough in
Bible code research. They used a process
called “equi-distant letter sequencing” in the Bible. They would made a grid of the Biblical verses
and letters, and then pick various intervals between letters, and search for
hidden messages, to see if there were underlying coded revelations in the
Scriptures. They looked for the names of
historic figures, events, and inventions.
As they studied, they were amazed to
discover that by this process, using the Bible, they found phenomenal
predictions in the Scriptures of men thousands of years before they were born –
their names, their birth dates, and their significant contributions to society,
inventions, and fame.
How could this be possible? The evidence was so striking that it was
published in Statistical Science, a top-flight mathematics journal,
after meeting exceptional requirements of peer review. It was published as a “mystery,” but as
indisputable reality. Why it was so,
nobody could say – but of course those who believe in Biblical inspiration know
the answer.
Jeffrey Satinover, in Cracking
the Bible Code, relates, “This book is the story of what may turn out to be
the most important scientific research ever undertaken. The research began long ago as the
speculations of mystics, but ended as science of the highest caliber.” There was an ancient and mysterious tradition
among the Jews that unlike other books of men, the Torah was dictated word by
word by God to Moses in a precise letter-by-letter sequence. And, into this precise sequence of text there
is encrypted information of a sort which could only have been placed there by a
divine Hand.
Skeptics and agnostics have
attempted to ridicule the whole idea, but not one of them has been able to disprove
the intriguing Bible “codes.” The codes
in the Torah have unerringly predicted men and their discoveries, and world
events of modern times, thousands of years before the men were born, the
discoveries were made, or the events came to actualization! No
human being could ever do this! The
greatest scientific minds have been unable to disprove them. If you are interested, I recommend the books
Cracking the Bible Code, by Jeffrey Satinover, M.D., and The Bible
Code, and Bible Code II: The
Countdown, both by Michael Drosnin.
The codes remained hidden for 3,000
years, until they were unlocked by a world-famous Israeli mathematician,
Eliyahu Ripps, and his team of researchers.
Names of scientists and their
inventions or discoveries – such as Newton, Einstein, and great Jewish rabbis
of the Middle Ages to the present, have been found in the Bible codes. This is baffling – completely unexplainable –
to modern scientists. Many are led to
the inescapable conclusion that there must be a Supreme God, and only He could
have placed these incredible proofs of His existence in His Word, the Bible –
predictions of men and events which only He could bring about thousands of
years after the Torah and Tanakh were written!
What do the Bible codes say about these
“end times”? One of the foremost Bible
codes researchers, Michael Drosnin, is not a believer in God – he is an
agnostic – yet he believes the Bible codes are absolutely true. Using them, Drosnin predicted months before
it happened the assassination of Yitzak Rabin, Israeli Prime Minister in
1995. He attempted to warn the prime
minister, but his warnings were ignored.
In Bible Code II: The Countdown, Michael Drosnin makes some
startling predictions about coming years using the Bible codes .
One of the warnings he found was
that the world would face global economic meltdown and collapse beginning in
the year 2002 (5762 in the Hebrew calendar).
In July of that year, the worst bear market in a generation sent stocks
reeling around the globe. In
particular, high tech stocks and internet stocks plummeted in value.
The dangers to the world would peak,
he found, in the year 2006 (5766 in Hebrew years). Declared Drosnin, it is the year “most
clearly encoded with both ‘world war’ and ‘atomic holocaust’” (p.20). Drosnin adds, “’World War,’ and ‘atomic
holocaust,’ and ‘End of Days’ are all encoded with ‘in 5766,’ the
Hebrew year equivalent to 2006” (ibid.).
Drosnin, to find out whether he was putting too fine a line on
it, continued checking other years, to be sure he had discovered something
unique. He wrote, “I checked every year
in the next hundred, and only 2006 appeared with all three
warnings. It was a clear prediction that
we might face World War III in just five years [counting from 2001, when
the book was written].”
Drosnin
wanted to make doubly sure of his findings, so he checked with the world’s
foremost Bible code researcher, Dr. Eliyahu Ripps in Israel. He declares:
“I told Dr. Ripps. He calculated
the odds on the big computer at Hebrew University. He checked a hundred thousand random texts to
see if all the greatest dangers might appear by chance with the same year in
any place other than the Bible.
“ ‘It’s 100,000 to 1,’ Ripps
reported. ‘I looked in 100,000 random
texts, and these words appear together only in the Bible. It could not be by chance. Someone intentionally put this warning in the
Torah” (p.21).
Concluded Drosnin, “It was beyond
any doubt. A hundred to one is the
normal test. A thousand to one is the
strictest standard ever applied by mathematicians. A hundred thousand to one is decisive.
“According to the Bible code, we
might really face the ultimate danger, a nuclear World War, in 2006” (ibid.).
Drosnin asserts that with the rise
of terrorists like Osama bin Laden, and the spread of nuclear and biological
weapons as never before, and the growth of religious fanaticism, “The world had
caught up with the Bible codes.” (p.163).
He also found “smallpox” and
“plague” encoded with the year 2005. He
met with Dan Meridor of the Israeli Cabinet, and showed him two ultimate
warnings in the Bible codes – plague in 5765 (2005) and “atomic holocaust” in
5766 (2006).
“We already knew this was a
probability,” Meridor replied, “And we already knew these years – 2005, 2006 –
are the probabilities” (page 169).
Wrote Drosnin, “It was a remarkable
confirmation of the warnings in the Bible code from one of the few men in
Israel who knew the numbers cold. Both
the CIA and Israeli Intelligence had independently reached the same conclusion
– that the threat of nuclear terrorism would peak between 2005 and 2007.”
Keep your eyes on the years 2005,
2006, and 2007 – especially 2006. Could
this be the beginning of what the Bible describes as “the Great Tribulation”
and the final “End of Days” and the age-ending “time of Jacob’s
troubles”?
Will
another WAR occur soon in the Middle East?
Will its worldwide consequences lead to the devastation of Damascus,
Syria, and its ruination? Isaiah
foretold, “See, Damascus will cease to be a city, and will become a heap of
ruins” (Isa.17:1). Will Arab terrorists respond by setting off terrorist
nuclear bombs – even satchel sized weapons – within the borders of the United
States? Will biological-chemical agents
be unleashed in American cities? Will
America’s fleet – her pride and power – suffer a devastating attack? Isaiah prophesied for Ephraim – modern
America, “The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from
Damascus. . . . On that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat
of his flesh will grow lean” (Isa.17:3-4, NRSV).
When will this occur? Isaiah also declared, regarding Ephraim,
“Within sixty five years Ephraim will be shattered, no longer a people”
(Isa.7:8). He then adds, “If you do not
stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all” (v.9).
If we calculate this period of 65
years from 1941, the year of the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor,
starting America’s direct involvement in World War II, we are brought to the year
2006 A.D. – just two years from now!
Have we indeed entered the final
period in prophecy known as the “time of Jacob’s trouble”?
The year 2006 seems to keep coming
up. The Quartet of nations – the United
States, European Union, Russia, and the United Nations – have drafted a “road
map for peace” hoping to lead to an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement in
2005. The new draft calls for the
unconditional endorsement of a Palestinian state with interim borders in 2003,
to be followed by a Palestinian state in 2005 with permanent borders. Will the “peace process” all unravel and come
apart, and “all hell” break loose the very next year, 2006, with worldwide
calamities and disaster, beginning the period known as the final seven years of
Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy, and the “Great Tribulation” to Christians, and the
“End of Days” to Orthodox Jews?
In the Jewish calendar there are ten
“days” between Rosh Hashanah, which represents the beginning of judgment, and
Yom Kippur, which pictures the finality and conclusion of judgment. The ten days all together are called “The
Days of Awe,” or “Days of Repentance,” by the Jewish people.
According to Jewish rabbinical understanding, there are
also ten sefirot (“manifestations” or “character traits”) of God
manifested to mankind – the first three of these are “hidden,” and the last
seven are “manifest” or “revealed.”
This is pictured in the book of
Revelation. Notice! Revelation, chapter 4, speaks of God sitting
on His Throne (Rev.4:2-3, 9-10). Chapter
5 pictures a book being opened before God, which only the Messiah can open
(Rev.5:1-7). The sound of a trumpet is
also connected to this scene in heaven (Rev.4:1). These three elements – God sitting on His
throne to begin judgment, the opening of the book of judgment, and the blowing
of a shofar-trumpet – are expressly pictured in the Feast of Trumpets, Yom
Teruah, or Rosh Hashanah, which begins the Ten Days of Awe.
The following chapters of Revelation
reveal the “seven seals,” in which are “seven trumpet plagues” (Rev.6, 8-9, and
11). These represent God’s judgment soon
to be poured out on this world, and the coming of the Messiah to finish the
process.
In other words, here in the book of
Revelation – we have the number 3, in Revelation 4-5, and the number 7 – which,
added together, make up TEN! The first
three occur in heaven, but the final seven are poured out visibly on the earth.
Could this number “10” – which is
the number of the “Days of Awe” between Tishri 1 and Tishri 10 – which also
pictures the ten sefirot of God – picture the FINAL TEN YEARS of transition and
tribulation, to the beginning of the Millennium of the Messiah?
The War against Iraq, in spring
2003, was described as “SHOCK AND AWE.”
In an astounding military operation, the United States and Great Britain
and their allies brought judgment upon Saddam Hussein and the terrorist
state of Iraq. God’s own hand was
invisible, working behind the scenes in the conflict.
Perhaps that was the beginning of
the “ten days” or final ten years of “Awe” in the world. If we count ten years beginning in that year,
we come to 2012 A.D. According to the
“ten sefirot” theory, then the first 3 years of the transition period,
2003-2005 would be “hidden” years where God works behind the scenes to bring
about His Plan. According to this
scenario, from the year 2006 till 2012, the judgments and intervention of God
will become much more increasingly MANIFEST to the world!
From
that time on out, we may expect to begin to see greater and more awesome SIGNS
and MIRACLES!
Says Rabbi Yosef Stern in his book, The
Days of Awe:
“The Infinite
[God] created this world, establishing in it the natural conduct.
But
even before that, He also created a parallel conduct which is above the laws
of
nature, comprising three levels of utmost purity. These three levels are sym-
bolically
called ‘Primeval Days,’ as their creation preceded that of our world.
Their
light is available to the Baal Teshuvah, [the repentant sinner] who
needs
to
detach himself from worldly matters in order to be able to overcome his
natural
inclinations. This light is revealed
during the ‘Ten Days of Repentance.’
An
allusion to this can be derived from the simple calculation that the length
of
this period (ten days) consists of an ordinary seven-day week, which signifies
the
seven days of Creation, to which three extra days are added, signifying those
three
‘Primeval Days.’ Thus the repentant gets
heavenly help in these days in
order
to connect to a higher conduct which will enable him to tear himself from
his
worldly attachments” (p.216-217).
Consider
this! These three hidden “Primeval Days”
could correspond to the three years from 2003-2005. The seven days from Tishri 4-Tishri 10 would
then correspond to 2006 through 2012 – the final fulfillment of Daniel’s 70th
week, the seven years of Tribulation and “Jacob’s Trouble.” This would suggest the world will experience
awesome suffering and calamities and catastrophes from 2006-2012. The “unequalled time of distress” or the
“Great Tribulation” would last from 2006-2012.
The Ten Days of Awe are also called the “Ten Days of Repentance,” and “The Ten Days of Affliction.” Could this period of time be a Biblical “type” of the last ten years of this present age of mankind, before the coming of the Messianic Kingdom?
The Mayan
Calendar
Does the Mayan calendar also predict the “end of the age” in the year 2012?
According to the Mayan calendar, we are living in the Mayan “end times.” The Great Cycle of the Mayan Long Count calendar ends at the winter solstice in 2012 A.D., less than eight years from now.
In Mayan mythology, the winter solstice sun corresponds to the deity known as One Hunahpu, or “First Father.” The dark rift of the Milky Way, in Mayan cosmology, is known as the “Black Road,” the mouth of the Cosmic Monster, and the birth canal of the Cosmic Mother.
The Mayan calendar has a Great Cycle, ending 13 “bactuns” or a period of 5,125 years. To the ancient Mayans, this conjunction of the sun and Milky Way center or mid-point occurring on the winter solstice, December 21, in 2012 A.D. is a major transition point, the creation of a new World Age.
The Mayan Long Count calendar is strikingly different from the Roman calendar, or any other for that matter. A “month” is 20 days, and 18 months is a year of 360 days. Twenty 360 day years comprise a “katun,” and a “baktun” is 20 katun, equaling 144,000 days.
These numbers are surely interesting. In the days of Noah the year was one of 360 days (5 months were 150 days, so 12 months were 360 days – see Genesis 7:11, 8:3-4). The number 144,000 is also interesting, as it is the number of the “firstfruits” redeemed to God at the coming of the Messiah (Rev.14:1-4).
Authorities agree that the Mayan Long Count calendar began August 11, 3114 B.C. (Gregorian calendar). Why it begins at this date is anybody’s guess. However, Bible students will recognize this as being during the time of the prophet Enoch, who was born in 3545 B.C. He lived for 365 years before he “was taken” somewhere in 3180 B.C. Methuselah was born in 3480 B.C. and lived for 969 years. So the Mayan calendar begins 76 years after Enoch disappeared (he was taken to a place of safety from his many enemies), and 376 years after Methuselah was born.
The present Great Age of the Mayas, the fifth, is believed to have been initiated by the famous Quetzalcoatl in 3,113 B.C. Who was this figure? Could it have been no less than Enoch the prophet, himself?
Quetzalcoatl was the “plumed serpent” of the Aztec mythology, the “god” of learning and of the priesthood. He was an ancient ruler who was subsequently deified and identified with the planet Venus – the morning and evening star – and as a “god” of vegetation. He was a benign figure, a teacher, and his name became the title for Mexican high priests. The name became frequent in early Mexican history, like Roosevelt or Adams. There are many traditions about his arrival, and departure. He taught the way of peace. He was noted as “the bringer of civilization and good ways of life, who was frequently locked in conflict with gods of evil” (The Indian Heritage of America, Alvin M. Josephy, Jr., p.201). Aztec legends say he sailed across the sea, but would one day return.
The patriarch Enoch was also a priestly figure before the Flood, and a man of vast learning and understanding.
Immanuel Velikovsky points out that during the time of Quetzalcoatl, according to ancient Mexican records, many people died, that “the sun refused to show itself and during four days the world was deprived of light” (quoting Brasseur; see Worlds in Collision, page 157). At that time, according to legends from Polynesian peoples, “the earth was battered by countless fragments,” says Velikovsky (p.160).
During that time the sequence of seasons and the duration of days and nights became disarranged.
Says Velikovsky, “When Quetzal-cohuatl, the lawgiver of the Toltecs, disappeared on the approach of a great catastrophe and the Morning Star that bore the same name rose for the first time in the sky, the Toltecs ‘regulated the reckoning of the days, the nights, and the hours according to the difference in time’” (p.177). Thus when the original Quetzal-cohuatl lived there was a great catastrophe on the earth.
Could this be why God “took” Enoch, and he “was not found,” because God was protecting him from the cataclysm, brought about during his time by the wickedness of mankind?
In Mayan chronology, 3,113 B.C. is written as 13.0.0.0.0. When the cycle or age is complete, in December 2012 A.D., the date will once again be written 13.0.0.0.0 – a complete cycle of 13 baktuns. That date will also complete the end of a katun cycle (of 20 years). The last katun of this Age began in 1992 and will finish in 2012. The Mayan “glyph” of this katun is “storm” followed by “sun” – a period of darkness, followed by one of light.
Note that in esoteric tradition, the number “13” represents Christ, the Messiah! There were twelve disciples; Jesus as the Christ was “13.” The number “13” also denotes superabundance – the “baker’s dozen.”
Is there any significance to this? The Mayan calendar is obviously pre-Flood because it is based on a 360 day year which was pre-Flood. Enoch was a scribe of the Lord, who wrote the book of Enoch, which has much celestial and calendrical material, as well as prophetic teaching. It may well be that the Mayan calendar was inspired and contains material going back to the pre-Flood patriarchs.
The Long Count calendar began in 3114 B.C. – during the time of Enoch – and its termination date is 2012 A.D., when the cycle will be completed, and a new cycle begins. This fact certainly seems to be significant when weighed with all the Biblical evidence regarding the prophecies of the “End of Days.”
Researchers believe that the Mayan calendar actually hinges upon its calculated end point. What is so important about the winter solstice of 2012? The Milky Way seems to have played an important part in Mayan mythology. The Mayan Sacred Tree appears to be the crossing point of the sun’s path, the ecliptic, with the Milky Way. The conjunction of the sun with the Milky Way at the winter solstice in 2012 A.D. appears to have a distinctly apocalyptic significance. The crossing of the Milky Way with the ecliptic represents a doorway – pointing both to the sacred source and origin – the finishing of the old and the beginning of a new birth. Thus the world, in 2012, is pictured as being at a celestial “crossroads.”
To the Mesoamerican Mayas, the approach of the end of a World Age – the time when the winter solstice “Doorway” opened up the Sacred Tree to the Center of the Milky Way and the Heart of the Sky – was a very significant and epochal time. The Mayan Long Count was also known to the Yucatan Maya as a “prophecy cycle.”
Students of the Mayan calendar see this as confirmation that we are indeed living in the twilight of this present age and approaching the beginning of a New Age – the end of one prophetic cycle and the beginning of a new cycle. The Mayans stated that “time would collapse” at the end of their calendar cycle.
The “collapsing of time” is a mysterious phrase. How would time itself “collapse”? Could this be a reference to the “time of refreshing” and “restitution of all things” foretold in the Scriptures – when the Calendar itself and the orbit of the earth itself will be changed? Peter refers to it as “the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21, NRSV).
It’s Time to WAKE UP!
What should we do in view of these signs and events? God’s Word is clear: “But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the giddiness and headache and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the business of] this life, and [lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose; for it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth.
“Keep awake then and watch at all times [be discreet, attentive, and ready], praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things [taken together] that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36, KJV/Amplified Parallel Bible).
If the guidelines and historical and Biblical evidence compiled in this article means what it seems to suggest, then we are living on the verge – the very precipice – of tantalizing, tremendous, epochal times – the very threshold of the Great Tribulation and the coming of the long-awaited and longed-for Messiah, the Deliverer, Restorer, and Redeemer – Yeshua Ha Moshiach!
There is surely not much time left. As Ezekiel declared, “An END, the END has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the END is upon you, I will let loose my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, I will punish you for all your abominations. My eye will not spare you, I will have no pity. I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are among you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
“Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Disaster after disaster! See, it comes. And end has come. THE END has come. It has awakened against you; see, it comes! Your doom has come upon you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come, the day is NEAR – of tumult, not of reveling on the mountains. Soon now I will pour out my wrath upon you; I will spend my anger against you. I will judge you according to your ways, and punish you for all your abominations. My eye will not spare; I will have no pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are among you. Then you shall know that it is I the LORD who strike.
“See, the day! See, it comes! Your doom has gone out. . .
“All hands shall grow feeble, all knees turn to water. They shall put on sackcloth, horror shall cover them. Shame shall be on all faces, baldness on all their heads. They shall fling their silver into the streets, their gold shall be treated as unclean. Their silver and gold cannot save them on the day of the wrath of the LORD” (Ezekiel 7:1-19, NRSV).
The day of final judgment for this age of mankind has arrived. The 6000 years have now expired. We are now living in a year of transition. All “hell” will break loose shortly – many indications reveal it will begin in the year 2006 and continue for seven years.
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:25-28, NRSV).
We are indeed living in the penultimate “End of Days.” Are you preparing – are you ready – to meet the Messiah?