END OF DAYS
A New Look at the “Days of Awe” and the
William F. Dankenbring
According to the school of Elijah,
Jewish Biblical exegesis, and early Christian prophetic understanding, this
present age was to have 6,000 years -- that is, human world history would be
completed in six millennia, followed by a seventh millennium -- the time of the
Messianic kingdom of Messiah ben David.
Interestingly, according to Jewish
Kabbalistic understanding, each of the millennia of human history functions
according to different spiritual forces -- that is, each of the 1,000-year
periods of history since Adam and Eve has its own peculiar
"signature" or prevailing cosmic identity.
Permit me to explain. This may seem very mysterious, but when we
look at it carefully, it begins to make sense -- and provides us a remarkable
insight into God's Plan and how it is unfolding through history.
We all are somewhat familiar with
human "DNA," and so-called building blocks of human heredity. Our "DNA" is our signature -- our
essence -- which determines our own hereditary construction. Even so, there is a concept of cosmic
"DNA," which pictures spiritual realities. These are the characteristics of God which He
extends into the physical world, in His interactions with mankind. There are seven of these divine
characteristics which are manifest toward men -- but ten in total, the
first three being "internal" and 'hidden." These are called the sefirot of God,
and are very important in our understanding of the Divine.
The Scriptures tells us that there
were seven days of Creation (Gen.1).
The seventh day is the weekly Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11;
Gen.2:1-2). Likewise, there are seven
annual holy days in the Hebrew calendar -- Passover (1st day of Unleavened
Bread), Last Day of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost (Shavuot), Yom Teruah (Rosh
Hashana), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles,
and Shemini Atzeret (the "Eighth Day") (Leviticus 23).
Also, there are seven Sabbatical
years in a Jubilee cycle of years (Lev.25).
That is, every seventh year is a "year of rest," even as the
seventh day of the week is a day of "rest." After seen of these Sabbatical years, comes
the fiftieth year, called the "Jubilee year" of freedom, liberty, and
redemption. Seven is therefore the
number of divine perfection, completion, fullness.
But the number "ten" is
also very important, Biblically. There
are ten patriarchs and ten generations of mankind before the Flood; there were
ten plagues on ancient Egypt; God gave Israel the 'Ten Commandments";
there were ten tribes in the northern kingdom of Israel; the fourth beast of
Daniel has ten horns (Dan.7:7, 24); the beast of Revelation has ten horns also
(Rev.13:1); ten kings will fight Christ when He returns (Rev.17:12-14); the
Church of God is described as being composed of ten virgins (Matt.25:1);
the tithe is one tenth of one's income (Lev.27:30-32).
Ten is also a number of perfection
or completion. But it signifies
completion or perfection of God's divine order.
The first ten numbers is the pattern for the whole numerical system, as
"numerical DNA" as it were -- and originates the system of numerical
calculation called "decimals."
Completeness of order, then, is represented by the number 'ten."
All together, then, there are ten
divine sephirot or "traits" of God which represent the
connecting link or "chain of command" between God and our physical
world in which we live. These sephirot
are revealed in the "Omer Count," in the spring of the year. God commands His people to "count the
Omer" each day, from the beginning of barley harvest (Abib 16), till
Pentecost, seven weeks later (Lev.23:15-16).
According to Jewish interpretation,
each one of these sephirot is represented by one of the patriarchs, who
exemplified that particular trait, or characteristic. For example:
Patriarch Hebrew term English meaning
Abraham chesed
loving kindness,
hospitality
Isaac gevurah power, contained strength, self control
Jacob tiferet beauty, mercy, harmony, compassion
Moses netzach victory, triumph, eternity, dominance
Aaron hod splendor, majesty, glory
Joseph yesod foundational strength, foundation
David malchut kingdom, manifestation, kingship
What is not generally realized is
that these seven patriarchs, and these seven emanations of God's sephirot,
ALSO CORRESPOND TO GOD'S SEVEN-THOUSAND YEAR PLAN that He is working out on
the earth!
In
other words, each of these characteristics fits, in descending order, one of
the seven millennia down through human history, including the "Sabbath
rest" 1,000-year period of the reign of the Messiah (Rev.20:1-4).
Notice carefully:
Patriarch Hebrew term Period of Years
Abraham chesed 4004 BC-3004 BC
Isaac gevurah 3004 BC-2004 BC
Jacob tiferet 2004 BC-1004 BC
Moses netzach 1004 BC-4 BC
Aaron hod 4 BC-997 AD
Joseph yesod 997 AD-1997 AD
Thus if we count the millennia from
the Creation of man, Adam and Eve were created in 4004 BC, according to
archbishop Ussher's carefully compiled Biblical chronology. This means the end of the sixth millennium
was 1997 AD, and we are now living in "overtime"!
However, notice that the sixth
millennium, just before the coming of the Messiah and the inauguration of the
seventh millennium, belongs to the patriarch "Joseph." Joseph was the son of Jacob sold into slavery
by his brothers, who suffered in Pharaoh's prison, but was ultimately raised to
rulership over the whole land of Egypt, and he was the "Messianic
figure" of that age, a type of the true Messiah -- God used Joseph
to save his family, and all the nations of the world, from the scourge of
famine and drought!
The Jewish Talmud states that there
were to be "two Messiahs" -- one the son of Joseph, who would descend
from Joseph, and die in battle, paving the way for the second Messiah -- the
son of David, who would be the final Messiah, descended from David, and who
would rule the world and conquer the heathen nations.
This "understanding,"
however, is a bit "fractured."
Rather than two different "Messiahs," the Scriptures teach ONE
MESSIAH -- WHO COMES TWO DIFFERENT TIMES -- the first time as a meek Lamb,
giving His life for the sins of the world (Isa.53:3-10; Dan.9:26; Exo.12:6;
John 1:29; I Cor.5:7); the second time as the roaring LION of the tribe of
JUDAH (Rev.5:5). Both the Lamb of
God and the Lion of God ARE ONE! (see Rev.5:5, 6,
However, take note of the fact that
the sixth millennium is the millennium of "Joseph." It would be a time of the ascendency of the
tribe of Joseph -- his descendants.
Interestingly, careful Bible study and history prove that the
descendants of Joseph -- Ephraim and Manasseh -- were the leaders of the
ten-tribed
northern
kingdom was taken into captivity for their sins in 718-721 B.C. History shows that the tribes of Joseph
became the Anglo-Saxon peoples, and settled in the
Joseph, then, had an oldest son
named Manasseh -- he is in modern day identify, the nations of the
`The
House of Joseph, dominant during the sixth millennium, especially during this
concluding century, has "laid the foundation' for the coming of the
Messiah ben David. How have they done
this? The nations of Joseph are the
primary nations which have preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world;
they have printed and distributed more Bibles than any other nation; they have
sent more missionaries into all the world; and Joseph (Great Britain) issued
the Balfour declaration, after a British General captured Jerusalem in 1917
from the Turkish Empire, permitting Jews to return to their ancestral
homeland. And it has been Joseph who has
been the greatest defender of the Jewish state of
But, according to our time-table,
the Josephite Millennium is coming to a close, to be shortly replaced by the
Davidic Millennium -- the millennium of the Messiah!
What are the "signs" of
this transition?
The Sufferings of Joseph
The Scriptures tell us that just before Jacob died, he gave
Joseph an extra piece of the
It was in Shechem that Joseph's
brothers sold him into slavery, and it was to Shechem that Joseph's bone were
carried from
Shechem is called
Says the Zohar, the chief study
guide of the Kabbala, in a very interesting passage:
"In the time of the resurrection of
the dead, many camps will
arise
in Land of the Galil, 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).
Shechem, according to the Talmud, is where bad things
happen (Sotah 11a). It is a place
"set aside for punishment."
The Palestinian intifada has
desecrated the tomb of Joseph at Shechem.
The Israelis have withdrawn from the Shechem tomb site, leaving it in
the hands of the Palestinians. Does this
withdrawal signify a weak point in the Israeli chain of command?
With violence beginning at Shechem,
does this symbolize the modern-day 'House of Joseph" -- the
Interestingly, it is also at this
time that history has been made in the United States -- the closest (and
perhaps most fraudulent) Presidential election in American history, reveals a
nation DIVIDED such as it has not been divided since the days of the American
Civil War! (1860-1865).
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
Have we entered the
"twilight" of Joseph's period of dominance -- are we now seeing the
beginning of the TRIBULATION period, beginning with the House of Joseph?
It is pointed out in the Kabbala,
that the first letters of each of the words Baruch Shem kevod malchut l'olam
va'ed,the second verse of the Shema said twice every day by Orthodox and
Observant
Jews, spell the words, b'Shechem lamed-vav, which means, "In Shechem,
thirty six."
The second verse of the Shema
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 they
think "natural causes" control nature. But as Daniel the prophet told King
Nebuchadnezzar, "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever . . . And he
changeth the times and the seasons: he
removeth kings and setteth up kings" (Dan.2:20-21).
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 act as if He did not exist!
So, what is the meaning of, 'In
Shechem, thirty six"?
Interestingly, 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 perfection. Six itself pictures "sin." 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 multiple, 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 -- even so, 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
Is this Palestinian act of
desecration a symbolic act, symbolizing the BEGINNING OF THE FINAL SEVEN YEARS
OF TRIBULATION, "Daniel's 70th week," and the countdown to the final
coming of the Messiah? Does this
represent the beginning of "Jacob's trouble"?
God thunders, "For thus saith
the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see if a man doth travail
with child? wherefore do I see every man
with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned
into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like
it: it is even the time of Jacob's
trouble, but he shall be saved [REDEEMED] out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith
the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst
thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the LORD their God, and
David their king, whom I will raise up unto them" (Jeremiah 30:5-9).
Interestingly, the Talmud says that
when falsehood rules the minds of men, this is actually one of the SIGNS that
the Messiah is not too far away (Sanhedrin 97a).
The name Shechem itself symbolizes
this idea. 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 a euphemism
for the Name of God -- God's holy, ineffable name -- "Ha Shem" --
which represents the YHVH, the Tetragrammaton, the name of YAHVEH!
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, the ancient
'redeemer" of his brothers, then God's light of truth will be revealed,
miracles will occur that reveal God's hand in history, and great miracles will
occur. God's name will be exalted, and
united, and unified, in that great day!
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
"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).
Ten Sefirot and Ten Years
As I mentioned earlier, there are seven sefirot of God
manifested to mankind -- but in all there are ten sefirot. 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 are also pictured in the
Feast of Trumpets, Yom Teruah, or Rosh Hashana -- judgment, God's throne, the
books being opened, and the sound of the shofar!
The following chapters of Revelation
reveal the "seven seals," in which are a subset of the "seven
trumpet plagues," and then a final "seven last plagues" (Rev.6,
8-9, and chapters 15-16). These reveal
God's judgment poured out on this world, and the coming of the Messiah to
exercise judgment. This scenario is
pictured by the Ten Days of Awe, culminating upon the Day of Atonement -- Yom
Kippur!
In other words, here again -- in the
book of Revelation -- we have the number 3, in Revelation 4-5, and the number 7
-- which, added together, make up TEN!
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, from the end of the millennium of Joseph, to the
beginning of the Millennium of the Messiah ben David?
Joseph's Millennium, theoretically,
would have ended in 1997. If we add ten
years to that time, we come to 2007 A.D.!
The first 3 years of the transition period were "hidden"
years, from 1997-2000. But now God is
beginning to MANIFEST His divine intervention!
From
here on out, we can expect to begin to see SIGNS and MIRACLES!
Why are there ten days between Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur, and not "seven"? Could this be indicative of TEN years between
the end of the Sixth Millennium -- pictured by the month of Elul -- and the
beginning of the Messianic Kingdom, pictured by Yom Kippur on the tenth day of
Tishri?
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 1997-2000. This leaves the seven days from Tishri
4-Tishri 10 which correspond to Daniel's 70th week, the seven years of
Tribulation and "Jacob's Trouble," beginning with the desecration of
Joseph's tomb, the war over Jerusalem, and the incredible Presidential morass
in the leading tribe of Joseph's descendants, today -- the United States!
One other thing: It is most noteworthy to remember that the
"secret," "hidden" ministry of the Messiah -- His first
coming which was NOT recognized by the world in general, nor accepted or
recognized by the Jews, as a whole -- was also THREE YEARS in length -- from
Passover, 27 A.D. to Passover, 30 A.D., when He was crucified. This "hidden" three years could
also correspond to the three hidden "Primeval Days" of which the
Rabbis speak. Jesus' three years of
ministry could be reflected in the first three hidden days of the ten
"Days of Awe." Truly, for
three years Yeshua preached the message of repentance, crying out,
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; Repent ye, and
believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15).
The concept of the Ten Sefirot goes
back at least to the Prophet Elijah. In
the Jewish prayer book Siddur Tehillat HaShem, we read of Elijah's
discourse as follows:
"Elijah opened [his discourse] and
said: 'Master of the worlds, You are One
but
not in the numerical sense. You are
exalted above all the exalted ones, hidden
from
all the hidden ones; no thought can grasp You at all. You are He who has
brought
forth ten "garments", and we call them ten sefirot,
through which to
direct
hidden worlds which are not revealed and revealed worlds; and through
them
You conceal Yourself from man. You are
He who binds them together and
unites
them; and inasmuch as You are within them, whoever separates one from
another
of these ten sefirot, it is considered as if he had affected a
separation in
You. These ten sefirot proceed according to
their order . . . . and they are described
in
the following manner: chesed [kindness]
-- the right arm; gevurah [severity,
power]
-- the left arm; tiferet [beauty]-- the torso; netzach [eternity,
victory] and
hod
[splendor] -- the two thighs; yesod [foundation] -- the end of the torso,
the
sign
of the Holy Covenant; malchut [kingship]
-- the mouth, which we call the
Oral
Torah; chochmah [wisdom] -- the brain, that is, the thought within; binah
[understanding] -- the heart, by means of
which the heart understands; and concern-
ing
the latter two [sefirot] it is written, "The secrets belong
unto the Lord our God";
supernal
keter [crown] is the crown of kingship, concerning which it is said,
"He
declares
the end from the beginning," and it is the skull [upon which the] tefillin
[are placed]. . . ." (page 125).
Take note of the fact that the first seven
"sefirot" are revealed, manifested outwardly, and compared to vital
parts of the human body, whereas the last three are "internal,"
hidden from view, but just as necessary -- the first, chochmah, is
compared to thoughts of the mind -- wisdom; the second, binah, is
compared to the heart -- the source of understanding; and the third, keter [or
sometimes, daat], refers to the crown of kingship, or knowledge.
How clear then that these ten
sefirot are interrelated and proceed in a given order, from first to last. How interesting that they describe the
"ages" of mankind, and the thousand-year periods of human existence,
including the "three primordial days." Do they also relate to the "Ten Days of
Awe" from Tishri 1, Rosh Hashana, through Tishri 10, Yom Kippur?
The Ten Days of Awe, in Jewish
parlance, are also called the "Ten Days of Repentance," and "The
Ten Days of Affliction." The Year
2000 was in the Hebrew calendar, year 5760 -- meaning "in the days of
transition," the beginning of one cycle and close of another. The Hebrew letter "samech," which
has a numerical value of 60, sets the tone for last year. Now we are beginning a NEW WEEKLY CYCLE --
the last weekly cycle of this age? And
it begins on a very rough patch -- war in
What does the future hold? Are we now entering a period of world
troubles and woes such as the world has never before seen? To understand the final fulfillment of God's
Plan, and the 6,0l00 years, we must first understand the date of the beginning
of that Plan.
Just when did it all begin?
The
True Creation Date
Archbishop Ussher, a brilliant
Protestant theologian of the seventeenth century, studied the chronology of the
Bible and concluded Creation was 4004 B.C.
His calculations, if right, would indicate the 6000 years would be up in
the fall of 1997. To be precise,
Archbishop Ussher was a great
Biblical historian and theologian. He
was born in
Ussher concluded Creation occurred
on
Ussher's scholarship was published
in 1650 as The Annals of the World. Ussher
also deduced that the
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 in 1701.
6000 years from 4004 B.C. brings us
to the year 1997. However, as we can all
see, at this time, the world did not end and Christ did not return at that
date. Why not? Was Ussher wrong? Or is there more to the story?
The
Book of Jubilees
The Jewish book of Jubilees tells us that the 6,000 years
of man's rule should not be counted from the date of Creation, but implies that
we should count from the date of Adam and Eve's transgression in the garden of
Eden -- when they came under the influence of the serpent, Satan the
devil. This was seven years after
their original creation!
Although
we cannot state with absolute certainly, 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
that this occurred seven years after their creation. Notice:
"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 4004 B.C. -- or in 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 (II Cor.4:4, Eph.2:2). Rather, it could be counted as a part of the
MESSIANIC KINGDOM -- part of the seventh Millennium! Thus we have:
4004 B.C. 6000 years
2003 A.D.
-7 -3997
B.C. +1
3997 B.C. 2003 A.D. 2004
A.D.!!!
Some may wonder why we
"add" a year in the final column, to reach 2004 A.D. The answer is simple. There is no year "zero." Therefore, when counting from B.C. to A.D.,
we must "add" an extra year for the years to correspond to
reality.
Now if we "add" three
years, to correspond to the three "Primeval Days," or to correspond
to the three years of the ministry of Messiah Yeshua at His first coming, we
come up with:
2004
A.D.
+3
2007 A.D.
The
Year 2000 in Prophecy!
Interestingly, we note from God's
Word that He placed the heavenly bodies in the sky for a very special
purpose. We read in Genesis 1, "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).
A "sign" in Hebrew is owth
and means "a signal, as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy,
evidence." Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee
Lexicon points out that this word means "a sign," "a
token" (Exo.12:13; Josh.2:12), "signs and times" (Gen.1:14),
i.e., "signs of times." It is used of a military ensign, a sign of
something past, and a sign of something future, a portent, as well as a sign of
anything which cannot be seen.
Most interestingly, in the year 2000
several "heavenly signs" appeared in the heavens. In the year 2000 we witnessed the following
conjunctions:
Mars,
Jupiter and Saturn -- were in alignment