Tag: God

Mind the Gaps in Daniel’s 70 Weeks

On By TimIn Daniel 09, Prophecy5 Comments

“Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and upon your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Daniel 9:24

It goes without saying, that when having discussions about eschatology someone is going to mention the prophet Daniel. It would most likely be this particular portion of the writings of the prophet that will be used. So it is our springboard into a very interesting concept one might not consider.

Daniel establishes the high-level panorama of the time given to Israel for the specified purposes of finishing the transgression, making an end to sins, making atonement for iniquity, and bringing in everlasting righteousness. Seventy weeks is the amount of time for that. The idiom means these are weeks of years.

Those seventy weeks times seven years should make one remember what Jesus said about forgiving others (Matthew 18:21–22.) I do try to pay attention to the numbers and the ideas behind them. Most folks know that the number seven is biblically significant representing perfection. The number 70 also has significance. While it can be literal in use, it can also convey the idea of all of them. And as I have said before the forgiveness we must give is all of them perfectly. In the same way, Israel will make all the purposes God has assigned come to pass perfectly. Remember the promises given to Abraham:

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country, your family, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless them who bless you and curse him who curses you, and in you all families of the earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1–3

Israel is to be a blessing to the world. The promise God made to Abram here also has prophetic implications. Though, those are probably things most do not consider. But the principle is, that the things done to Israel will be reflected back onto the doing them. Meaning, that if one expects a blessing from Israel, one ought to bless Israel. When you read the media reports and hear the talking heads, what are they saying about Israel?

I see some pretty nasty things being said by a lot of people. It probably is not going to go well for those given God’s promise. Those are things I would not want to experience.

Yet, I digress. Let’s get back to Daniel. The excursion in this piece is to mind the gaps.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem

“Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the Prince Messiah shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of trouble. After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the troops of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall come with a flood. And until the end of the war desolations are determined.

Daniel 9:25–26

The panorama Daniel gives is not comprehensive of Israel’s existence. It is a portion of it that begins at a specific place. Here it begins on the day of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. That is particularly important to understand that it is not just the rebuilding of the temple. The decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem on 14 March 455 BC by Artaxerxes Longimanus. There is a precision given here to help alleviate confusion. Note the emphasis on the plaza and moat. It is difficult to confuse this mandate with earlier ones confined to rebuilding the Temple. The mandate is recorded in Nehemiah 2:1–10.

So the king said to me, “What are you requesting about this matter?” Immediately, I prayed to the God of heaven and then said to the king, “If this pleases the king and if this might be good for your servant who is before you, then would you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs so that I may rebuild it?”

Nehemiah 2:4–5

I further said to the king, “If this pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors of the province Beyond the River so that they would allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, as well as a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple mount, for the city wall, and for the house into which I will enter.” The king granted me these things, because the good hand of my God was upon me.

Nehemiah 2:7–8

That decree is to rebuild the city… Jerusalem. This clearly matches the criteria Daniel gives.

Now, Daniel expects us to do the math. He says there will be 69 weeks, and after the completion of those weeks, the Messiah will be cut off. Daniel does not say 69 weeks, but “the command to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the Prince Messiah shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks(.)” One might be inclined to just read the text, but we have a hint of the first gap. It’s not substantial, but merely a separation clearly established. It is generally considered that 49 years were given to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Nehemiah and his people endured times of trouble as they rebuilt the city, completing their project in 396 B.C. (That account is in Ezra 9–10.)

King Messiah

If the first period was to rebuild Jerusalem, it is not too difficult to infer that the 62 weeks of years is to await the Prince Messiah. About that Prince, the Hebrew is Meshiach Nagid. Nagid is first used in the Bible in 1 Kings 14:7. It is used to describe Jeroboam’s relationship to the people of Israel. He was their king. And we know from our Bibles the exact day Messiah was presented as King.

When He was coming near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with loud voices for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying: ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Luke 19:37–38

Now that I have introduced math, let’s do some. Jesus entered Jerusalem that day. The date is Nisan 10. How do we know?

In John 12:1, John tells us Jesus entered Bethany six days before Passover. It was a supper with Martha and Lazarus among others. We know that Passover is on 15 Nisan.

Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: On the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a household. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to what each man shall eat, divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats. You shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, and then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses in which they shall eat it. They shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire, its head with its legs and its entrails. And you shall let nothing of it remain until the morning, but that of it which remains until the morning you shall burn with fire. In this way shall you eat it: with your waist girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.

Exodus 12:3–11

The lamb was taken into the household on 10 Nisan. It was slaughtered before twilight on 14 Nisan. The blood was sprinkled on the lintel and doorpost protecting the firstborn inside from certain death. The protection was for overnight, meaning when the Angel of the Lord would pass through the nation. Nisan is the first month of Israel’s ecclesiastical (religious) year.

10 Nisan

Back to the text in John, we know Jesus entered Bethany on 9 Nisan. According to John 12:12, it was the next day (10 Nisan) that Jesus entered Jerusalem.

This is a dual witness, one is from mathematics. The second comes from Jesus fulfilling the type of the Passover Lamb being brought into the household for inspection. This occurred on 10 Nisan according to the first Passover as established.

There is still some more math to do.

Calendars in the Ancient Near East used a 360-day year. This means that 69 weeks of 360-day years provides 10 Nisan as the date that Artaxerxes Longimanus made the decree. The start of the 7 weeks of years to rebuild Jerusalem was on 10 Nisan. The beginning of the 62-week wait began on 10 Nisan. With these two witnesses, it seems that Israel’s final week will also start on 10 Nisan.

The Bible is amazing. That 173,880-day interval between the mandate given to rebuild Jerusalem Palm Sunday is exceedingly precise. Jesus was presented as King the very day Daniel gave. (For more on that, read this: The Unexpected King.) This is exactly why Jesus held Jerusalem accountable for her day of visitation.

When He came near, He beheld the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had known even today what things would bring you peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you and surround you, and press you in on every side. They will dash you, and your children within you, to the ground. They will not leave one stone upon another within you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:41–44

Given the precision of the math, the expectation of the King was preannounced on the precise day! The event was preannounced with other amazing precision.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! And cry aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king is coming to you; he is righteous and able to deliver, he is humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the offspring of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9

Israel missed it and are now blinded to the truth. The future for Jerusalem is bleak. Jesus would not return to them as King until a point yet future.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not! Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you shall not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Matthew 23:37–39

Something that comes to mind and bears a mention is Nisan is the new year for kings. Jewish commentaries in the Mishnah tell us that the year of the reign of Jewish kings began in Nisan. This is attested to in the Bible, but takes some digging. 2 Chronicles 3:2 gives us the very start day when Solomon began building the temple. It is a relative reckoning based on the beginning of his reign; fourth year, second month, second day. We must now move to 1 Kings 6:1 which tells us it is the month of Zif (Iyyar.) That month follows Nisan. The traditional Jewish understanding is that kings were crowned on Passover. Could that be attested to in the Bible?

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged Him. The soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put a purple robe on Him. They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they hit Him with their hands.
Again Pilate went out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the Man!”

John 19:1–5

Jesus was crowned King and presented to Israel. It was intended to be mockery, but in my opinion, the stage was set for the return of the conquering King. Israel expected King Messiah. He was crowned and His next advent to Earth would be as King. It all happened on Passover, 14 Nisan of that year.

Messiah Shall be Cut Off

Daniel told us that after sixty-two weeks Messiah would be cut off. We know that happened on Passover immediately following that first Palm Sunday. This provides us with our next gap. The gap is the time between the Triumphal Entry and the crucifixion.

The Gospels record some of the happenings in that short week including the Olivet Discourse. That was a private briefing Jesus gave to some of His disciples. It is recorded in Matthew 24 and 25. This makes it a relevant part of this discussion because no matter how the discourse is understood, there is a perceived gap between when it was spoken by Jesus and when it would actually occur. Keep that in mind.

It’s the conjunctions that are often overlooked. For some of us Gen-Xers, we know the function of Conjunction Junction. It is to connect two ideas that may or may not be related. We come to that place now in the text where two different ideas are joined together.

And, And, And…

And shall have nothing. Three things have happened. Messiah is crowned King and presented to Israel. They rejected Him. (This is for our… That is Gentiles’ benefit, but that’s another post.) Messiah was then summarily cut off. He was crucified in the prime of life. For all intents and purposes in the physical world, He didn’t have a people to reign because they rejected Him. He had nothing.

And the troops of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The insertion of the conjunction and informs us of another perceived gap in the text. Considering the differing views on eschatology, it is undeniable that it was almost 40 years after the death of Jesus that the city and sanctuary were destroyed. Luke speaks of it as He writes of what was said on the Mount of Olives that night.

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know that its desolation has drawn near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter it. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led away captive to all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Luke 21:20–24

Even though Luke uses similar language to Matthew’s version, this is a different event. Matthew has one looking for the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15.) Luke speaks of armies surrounding Jerusalem. Though, Jesus introduced both versions with the destruction of the temple, neither of these accounts assumes that. They are a warning of impending wrath and judgment.

Prophecy is better understood as patterning. This means multiple events may fit the pattern (more on that will come.) Luke’s account points to what we know was a near-fulfillment of the siege of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple. That occurred in the first century and would have been within the 40-year generation of those who witnessed the ministry of Jesus. It also is a pattern that will be witnessed again.

After the fall Jerusalem began the days of vengeance. This is an important concept to understand. The prophets speak of God avenging Himself on Israel (as well as other unbelievers.) This text renders it plainly God is going to judge the Earth.

The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come. Israel knows! The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is insane, because of your great iniquity and great hatred.

Hosea 9:7

Israel knows! As I write this, it is several days before the ninth of Av (Tisha B’Av.) That is it has become a solemn day of remembrance of the many calamities that came to Israel. It is the day the spies returned from the Promised Land with a bad report instilling fear in the Israelites that led them to a generation (40 years) of wandering. It is also the day Solomon’s temple and Herod’s temple were destroyed. Many bad things happened to the nation on that day. (Read more here: Tisha B’Av.)

The end of it shall come with a flood. This speaks to the sudden catastrophe that would befall those in Jerusalem at the time. Just as the flood was sudden and unexpected by those who perished in it, this destruction in like manner would be unexpected.

“Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

Matthew 24:36

This is another often misunderstood and misapplied verse. It deserves mention here as it connects the suddenness with the word flood.

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating, drinking, marrying, and were given in marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:26–27

The destruction comes quickly and is unsuspected. Just as Jerusalem was sieged and the temple was burned, Jesus coming in judgment will likewise be unexpected and sudden. That is why the sudden taking of people is mentioned commensurate with this. This speaks to the sudden and unexpected destruction that would come.

And Until the End… War. What war? The translation I used says: “And until the end of the war desolations are determined.” It is translated in different ways. In one translation, the Lexham English Bible, says, “and on to the end there shall be war(.)” I have included the italics contained in the translation to show the assumed words that make a clear translation. I will explain and hopefully answer the question as to what war is.

Desolations are Determined

Until the end, desolations are determined. It is specifically this phrase that helps one to understand that multiple desolations will happen to Jerusalem until the end. It is precisely that phrase that helps to clarify that the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24 may or may not necessarily coincide with the surroundings of Jerusalem in Luke 21. What I mean is that the siege of Jerusalem that resulted in the temple being destroyed could be a partial fulfillment, and still points to a future siege of Jerusalem. Remember, until the end war and desolations are determined.

The war on Jerusalem (and Israelis) did not end with its destruction in AD 70. History is replete with the persecution of the Jewish people in the diaspora. Those people had no homeland until fairly recently. Yet they retained their ethnicity and national identity. Even though their desolations are many.

Indignation

He has violently taken away His tabernacle as if it were a garden; He has destroyed His place of assembly; the LORD has caused the solemn feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion. In his fierce indignation He has despised the king and the priest.

Lamentations 2:6

I would challenge all to read the whole chapter of Lamentations 2. Perhaps even more before and after. In this portion, God despised the king of Jerusalem by destroying the seat of government of the nation. He also despised the priest by laying in pieces the temple. Jesus spoke of this happening in the Olivet Discourse. It is clear to see the patterning in the prophets, and that has a name… fierce indignation.

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath I will give him a command, to seize the plunder, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Isaiah 10:5–6

The idea of indignation is connected with the Jewish people having no homeland. Just as Jeremiah used in Lamentations, it is a term directed at Israel when the nation is judged. This term is mentioned multiple times and is connected with the dispersion of the people of Israel. I think it applies aptly to the last almost 2,000 years and has not yet seen an end.

It is the question someone asked me of how could there be almost 2,000 years for all of it to be connected. God has already answered that.

The Long War

Gabriel provided Daniel with an interpretation of the vision he had concerning the ram with two horns. As I have stated, prophecy is patterning. The patterning in that vision seems initially pointed partially to a figure in history named Antiochus IV. Later chapters of what Daniel wrote reads almost like history, but I think there is more to it. Let’s look.

He said, “Listen, I will make you know what shall be in the final period of the indignation, for the end shall be at the appointed time. The ram which you saw having two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. The rough goat is the king of Greece, and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now the broken horn and the four horns that stood up in its place are four kingdoms that shall stand up out of his nation, but not with his power. “In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king will arise, having a fierce countenance, skilled in intrigue. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power. And he shall destroy wonderfully and shall prosper and practice his will and shall destroy the mighty men and the holy people. By his cunning, he shall cause deceit to succeed under his hand, and he shall magnify himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in a time of peace. He shall also rise up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken, not by human hands.

Daniel 8:19–25

Note that Gabriel draws Daniel’s attention to a certain character in the latter time of that kingdom. Also, note his great might that is not from his own power. But it is that last line that this king shall rise up against the Prince of princes. That’s Jesus. When did Antiochus IV rise up against Jesus?

I suppose it could be one of those allegory things. I don’t think so. In my wacky way of seeing things, I don’t consider the Greek empire gone. It eventually broke up into Hellenistic kingdoms. I think even in our modern times, we live with the vestiges of power from this empire. The western education system is Greek. We teach children Greek letters. We teach them Greek mythology. While the Western education system is Grecian in nature, the government system is decidedly Roman. It was Rome that eventually unified these kingdoms politically.

Since the great Roman Empire, Jewish folk have suffered persecution in Europe. This practice was embraced and continued by the spread of Latin Christianity under the vestiges of the Roman Catholic church. This persecution gave way to forced conversions, property confiscation, expulsion, and outlawing of Jewish people. It’s shameful, really. One of those things not taught in American history classes is the fact that the journey of Christopher Columbus was funded by money seized from the Jewish people as they were expelled from Spain. Of course, recent history seems to cap the plight of the experience of the Jewish people in Europe. Millions were not just expelled, but systematically murdered during the expansion of the German (supposed thousand-year) Third Reich.

Think of the magnitude of these troubles with what Jesus said.

For then will be great tribulation, such as has not happened since the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.

Matthew 24:21

It is this that makes me think that the indignation against the people of God is long-term. These people have suffered the anger of God and other people for millennia since before the birth of Jesus. Even amongst all of this God sent His Son to them. They rebelled yet again, and God had removed Himself from the influencing of His people. It makes them an easy target for Satan. It is as if there is a lot of war against them. One could say it is a long war against them. It is the book of Daniel that conveys a loose outline of history beforehand. It is also written to those witnessing the final period of indignation.

But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Daniel 12:4

Until the Indignation is Accomplished

“The king shall do according to his will. And he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak blasphemous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper until the indignation is accomplished. For that which is determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above them all. But instead he shall honor the god of forces, a god whom his fathers did not know. He shall honor him with gold and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus he shall do in the strongest of fortresses with a foreign god. He shall give great honor to those who acknowledge him, and shall cause them to rule over the many and shall divide the land for gain.

Daniel 11:36–39

Like the text previously cited in Daniel 8, Antiochus IV also seems to typify what is written here. That previous text presented a divergence to include another yet future figure that will fit the pattern. Likewise, this text does, too. It says this one shall prosper until the indignation is finished. It is this that I think is important. And I want to understand it. I think the indignation has stretched over a far greater length of time than we can imagine.

It is this prophetic and apocalyptic literature that speaks of the indignation God has. It was prophesied long before the Assyrians were used as a tool by God. When the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria in 721 BC, they dispersed the people to other nations. Subsequently, the southern kingdom of Judah fell in 701 BC. The children of Abraham were dispersed into many nations. Yet God promised to gather them back.

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far off, and say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.”

Jeremiah 31:10

That is just one of the many places where God has promised to regather Israel back into their land. Some scholars seem to think there will be two gatherings. I don’t hold to that. Yes, there was a partial gathering of Judah from which became the modern namesake to describe the people of the nation. Yet there are 10 ‘lost tribes‘ that have not been regathered and indicate the days of vengeance are not quite done.

I think that we live in the time of the gathering. There is a yet future gathering of God’s people from wherever they were scattered. It casts shadows that are easily witnessed today.

If You Will Not Listen to Me

But if you will not listen to Me, and will not do all these commandments, if you despise My statutes, or if you abhor My judgments, so that you will not do all My commandments, but you break My covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with terror, with wasting disease, and with a fever that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart, and you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be slain before your enemies. They that hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you.
If you will not yet listen to Me after all this, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heaven as iron and your land as bronze. Your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield her increase, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.
If you continue to walk contrary to Me and will not listen to Me, I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number. And your roads shall be desolate.
And if by these things you are not turned to Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I will also walk contrary to you and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. I will bring a sword upon you that shall extract vengeance for My covenant. And when you are gathered together within your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. When I have broken the supply of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall ration your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.
If you will not listen to Me for all this, but walk contrary to Me, then I will walk contrary to you also in fury, and I Myself will chastise you seven times for your sins. You shall eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your funeral offerings on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I shall abhor you. I will make your cities a waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the savor of your fragrant offerings. I will bring the land into desolation, and your enemies that dwell there shall be astonished at it. I will scatter you among the nations and I will draw out a sword after you. And your land shall be desolate and your cities a waste. Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths. As long as it lies desolate it shall rest because it did not rest during your sabbaths when you lived upon it.

Leviticus 26:14–35

Now, as has been established, prophecy is patterning. While the land did rest after the invasions of old, I think this has application today. Especially when one pays particular attention to the talk of scattering and desolation. Mark Twain testified to the desolation in his book Innocents Abroad. As a skeptic, Twain wrote of the Sea of Galilee like it was, “a solemn, sailless, tintless lake, as unpoetical as any bath-tub on earth.” While passing through the Jezreel Valley, he said, “There is not a solitary village throughout its whole extent – not for 30 miles in either direction. There are two or three small clusters of Bedouin tents, but not a single permanent habitation. One may ride 10 miles, hereabouts, and not see 10 human beings.”

Long before Twain’s visit, there was another observation by a write. Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, known as Nachmanides, fled Spain for Palestine. After a long journey, he arrived at the Port of Acre in AD 1267. He was traveling to Jerusalem. He couldn’t even find many other Jewish folk to pray with. He wrote, “Many are Israel’s forsaken places, and great is the desecration. The more sacred the place, the greater the devastation it has suffered. Jerusalem is the most desolate place of all.”

Seeing the long-term desolation of the land of Israel is real, the 70-weeks prophecy referenced above by Daniel becomes relevant. Not in that it is done, but that there really is a long gap of time from the culmination of the 69th week to the beginning of the 70th week. Much of the Tanakh references the rebellion of Israel and Judah. It doesn’t look as if they were real in their relationship with God. In fact, in the book of Hosea, that relationship was pretty much one-sided.

Then the LORD said to me, “Go, again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just as the LORD loves the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love raisin cakes.”
So I purchased her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and for a homer of barley, and a half homer of barley. Then I said to her, “You will remain with me many days. You will not play the whore, and you will not belong to another man. And also I will be with you.”
For the children of Israel will remain many days without a king and without a prince, without a sacrifice and without a standing stone, and without an ephod and teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come in fear to the LORD and to His goodness in the latter days.

Hosea 3:1–5

Go, Again. Hosea went back, just as a foretype to Jesus Who will come back to Israel as the conquering King. They will seek God in the latter days.

Math… Again

God says He is going to repay the rebellion seven times, it requires us to do some math. Taking Daniel’s 70 weeks of years computes to 490 years. Multiplying that by 7 yields 3,430 years. That is a huge number of years.

Israel entered the Promised Land around 1406 BC. Taking those 3,430 years and subtracting those years leaves 2,024. Accounting for year “0” gives 2,023 years after the birth of Christ. (Yes, I know it is politically correct to use BCE and CE instead of BC and AD, they both reference the same standard.)

While the exact date means little, it is the calculation that points to the modern day. What is even more astonishing, is taking into account the seven years required to subdue the land from the Canaanites comes to the year 2030. What comes to my mind is the UN’s Agenda 2030. It seems that somebody else had some inside knowledge.

Now I know that for part of those years, Israel lived in the Land in relative peace. Yet from the time of Moses on, her rebellion is recorded. And the nation suffered repeatedly for the rebelliousness. The culmination came after the cutting off of the Messiah.

It is not that if the math is exactly correct. It shows the real validity of a period of judgment that can last over millennia. It would not be surprising that there could be 2,000 years since the death of Jesus Christ until He sets it all right. But could it be that precise? Could it be that the end of the indignation nears?

Convergence

I must speak to the Last Jubilee. Heather Rivard has put together a small book that is available online. It is called The Jubilee and Ezekiel’s Temple. In this work, she lays out the case for 70 jubilee years for Israel. (I will leave you that homework to read it.) In her calculations, she makes the case for the Last Jubilee to occur in one of three years 2023, 2024, or 2025. It will mean the restoration of the land and the people. It will probably come with the restitution of the Mosaic Law. Ezekiel’s Temple will be built at the beginning of this Jubilee. It will be the start of Daniel’s final week. If indeed there are 70 jubilee years given to Israel, the final one is upon us.

As stated previously, the weeks of years begin on 10 Nisan. Ms. Rivard provides three data sets in her conclusion. The first points to the year 2023 as the Last Jubilee. Another points to the year 2024. The final data set gives the year 2025. It is this final dataset that intrigues me.

If the Last Jubilee begins 10 Nisan 2025, then with it begins the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy. As I have previously cited the work by Chuck Missler in The Unexpected King, I want to call attention to the precise date given for the first Palm Sunday. That is 6 April AD 32. That day would be 10 Nisan in AD 32 (by modern reckoning of years.)

I know Ms. Rivard set a date.

An examination of the history of antisemitism shows something remarkable. In the Eleventh century, antisemitism surged. From then on, the specific recorded accounts grow exponentially. It continues to grow until the recorded occurrences explode in number. It is like the last 1,000 years is real warfare that is ramping up in frequency and atrocity. If there ever was a need for a peacemaker, it is becoming plainly evident.

The Prince Who Shall Come

And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 9:27

There’s the conjunction and indicative of yet another gap. This prince who shall come will appear to be a peacemaker. The text indicates he will make a firm covenant with many. The translation here may be a bit misunderstood. It is not that this prince will make an agreement. The prince that comes will be the one who usurps Jesus and stands in His place. Israel will mistakenly see him as the Messiah. Jesus spoke to this truth.

I have come in My Father’s name, but you do not receive Me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.

John 5:43

As to the covenant, the King James translation conveys exactly what is going to happen. He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. In other words, this prince will establish the covenant Mosaic Law to be practiced in Israel in the coming temple for seven years. The word many in the text is another rhetorical device used in the Bible. It is a synecdoche used to refer to the people of Israel.

In the middle of the week is preceded by another conjunction… But. Connecting these two ideas exposes another gap of time between the establishment of the covenant and three-and-a-half years later. The prince causes the sacrifices and offerings to cease. This is indicative that the covenant made was for Temple sacrifices and the rudiments of the Mosaic Law to be restored.

On the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate. To understand this phrase we must go back to where Daniel first used the word desolation.

Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said to that certain saint which spoke, “How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?”

Daniel 8:13

He used it in a question about a previous event explained to him from the vision he had.

Indeed, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host, and from Him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.

Daniel 8:11

The prince in Daniel’s vision “shall do according to his will. And he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak blasphemous things against the God of gods(.)” He will establsih himself as to the one to be worshipped and erected an altar to that purpose. In history, Antiochus IV erected an altar to Zeus over the existing altar. Hence the rhetorical device used in Daniel 9:27 of spreading of wings. The Grecians’ mythology is a twisted version of true history. Zeus is Satan. The Titans are other fallen angels.

The conjunction and coupled with the preposition until denotes another gap of time that leads to the appointed culmination.

Until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator. There comes an end for this enemy of God and His people. It is when Jesus comes back to Earth as King.

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to wage war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. But the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone. The remnant were slain with the sword which proceeded out of the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.

Revelation 19:19–21

Concluding Thoughts

I know this was long. I know I didn’t fill all the gaps, so to say. The goal was to find precedence to justify the anger of God toward Israel to last over a long period of time. I do think the evidence is profound and clear.

Like the patterning in all prophecy, the generation that saw the death of Jesus and the destruction of the Jerusalem spanned that 40-year timeframe. It is clear that not all of the events Jesus spoke of in the Olivet Discourse have come to pass. Therefore, there is a future time when all these things take place. Likewise, the generation that witnesses the budding of the fig tree will see the events of the end.

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: When its branch becomes tender and grows leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you shall see all these things, you know that it is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

Matthew 24:32–35

I do not have a problem with anyone being able to know the times and seasons.

The Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire

On By TimIn Holy Spirit3 Comments

Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them through the way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearby. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war, and they return to Egypt.” Therefore, God led the people around, through the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea, and the children of Israel went up prepared for war out of the land of Egypt.
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the children of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely attend to you, and you shall carry my bones away from here with you.”
They took their journey from Sukkoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. The LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

Exodus 13:17–22

Having just spent the past few days at a conference where the Holy Spirit was emphasized, it seemed appropriate to adapt this part of a small group study presented on Exodus 13 and post it here. In all the typologies presented in Exodus leading up to the selection above, we have encountered the working of God Almighty (El Shaddai, the Father) and the Lamb (Jesus Christ.) As these have worked to free the Israelites from bondage, we meet this Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire. The question then comes… What (really Who) is this cloud?

I think the answer may surprise some. I think the cloud is the perfect typification of the Holy Spirit. I think the immediate text of Exodus clearly indicates this. Here is why.

Then the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them, and the pillar of the cloud moved before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and there was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night. Therefore, the one did not come near the other the entire night.

Exodus 14:19–20

Encountering this text is quite an eye-opener. The angel of God properly understood is none other than a Christophany. It is the person of Jesus Christ as He interacts with people as recorded in the Tanakh. In our minds, we may tend to think that Jesus is the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire. The text gives us a distinction. The use of the conjunction and joins the two ideas together. It would follow that if the angel of God has the attributes of a unique Person, then this Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire must also. They Both move in similar ways. But the Angel of God moved to flank the Israelites, while the Pillar of Cloud moved before them and also stood behind them. It is like they were being commissioned.

If you know me. I like to discover patterns in the Scriptures. I consider this to be one of those things that patterns something yet future. The Israelis were saved from and called out of bondage. The purpose was to serve the Lord. We might tend to think of that as just them making animal sacrifices… But I think it is far more. It was to be a witness of Him to the entire world. In a sense, I see this as the same commissioning that Jesus gave His disciples.

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As My Father has sent Me, even so I send you.” When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.”

John 20:21–23

The account of the Exodus gives us the pattern Jesus repeats. Just as God sent Jesus, God sent the Angel of the Lord. Just as Jesus sent His apostles (picture Him behind them sending them out,) the Angel of the Lord flanks Israel. Just as Jesus was revealing the Holy Spirit to His disciples, we see the same action of the Angel of the Lord revealing the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

The first thing we can know of the Holy Spirit is that He comes as a gift. Though the initial text from Exodus 13 does not call Him a gift, God gives Him as a guide to the Israelis. He guides and He gives light to them. The New Testament testifies to the fact that the Holy Spirit is a gift.

“Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 2:38

This is the first place we encounter this Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire. I(t is clear that the Holy Spirit covers and guides these Hebrews. The Angel of God removed Himself to reveal the Holy Spirit. This is yet another pattern that is revealed in the New Testament.

“The gift is not like the result that came through the one who sinned. For the judgment from one sin led to condemnation, but the free gift, which came after many trespasses, leads to justification. For if by one man’s trespass death reigned through him, then how much more will those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:16–17

The Holy Spirit comes after the Lamb. Just as the Lamb was sacrificed for the Passover, the Holy Spirit comes to those saved from death. The Holy Spirit comes after the Lamb has given His life.

The evidence indicates that this Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire typify the ministry of the Holy Spirit. What else can we know from the Tanakh about His work?

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

The prophet Isaiah tells us overtly of how God’s Spirit works. But it is the Septuagint that is laser-focused, revealing Him precisely.

And God’s spirit will rest on him, a spirit of wisdom and intelligence, a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and piety. He will fill him with a spirit of the fear of God; he will not judge according to reputation or reprove according to speech.

Isaiah 11:2–3 (Lexham English Septuagint)

The Holy Spirit comes to the believer with a sevenfold ministry of gifts and activities. These things are witnessed to us by the prophet Isaiah, and expounded upon by the Jewish scholars who translated the Hebrew text into Greek.

Somehow, I want to work the following into a numbered list of seven, and that may work out. I would rather just explore what the Bible says about the working of the Spirit, I think that would be more appropriate. So let’s check it out.

Comforter, Counselor, Advocate

“I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, that He may be with you forever:”

John 14:16

The Greek word paraclete is translated in that text as Counselor. Other translations use the words Comforter and Advocate, (not a conclusive list.) There is no single English word that suffices to encompass the meaning of the word. Paraclete is used much like the idea of a lawyer in court. One that comes alongside to help. Think of the lawyer for a moment. His skill is in knowing the intricacies of the law. He also offers advice and counsel to his clients. The lawyer is an active advocate for the person.

This serves as a unique starting point. It is easy to see how the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire comes alongside the Israelites. In how the cloud is present with the Israelites, day and night He provides comfort. His presence is as a Comforter. He covers Israel.

“He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night.” 

Psalm 105:39

In the same way that the Pillar, the Holy Spirit comes into each of us believers as cover and protection.

In Him you also, after hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and after believing in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:13–14

Paul calls Him the Seal of a believer. The earnest (or down payment) of a sure promise to be delivered. In that way, the Holy Spirit is both covering and protecting the believer in the same way the Pillar did for the Israelis. This text also conveys the idea that the Holy Spirit comes after the Lamb.

The Holy Spirit gives counsel.

“He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept His statues and the ordinance that He gave them.” 

Psalm 99:7

Clearly, God speaks to Israel through the Cloud. He counsels them as a guide to keep His ordinances and to go His ways.

“But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own authority. But He will speak whatever He hears, and He will tell you things that are to come.”

John 16:13

One can trust the Holy Spirit to complete His minsitry in the believer. Just as the Pillar spoke to Israel, reminding them… The Spirit does the same in us

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.

John 14:26

The Pillar advocated for Israel. He did not forsake them in the wilderness.

yet You in Your great mercy did not forsake them in the wilderness: The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, to lead them in the way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way they should go.

Nehemiah 9:19

His presence was a testimony to all. Even amongst those His presence supported Moses and the other leaders in their work. He worked through them, too… Testifying to their leadership.

“And whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord spoke with Moses.”

Exodus 33:9

“The Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood in the opening of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.”

Numbers 12:5

Other Ministries of the Holy Spirit

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you are sealed for the day of redemption.”

Ephesians 4:30

It goes without saying that the ministrations of the Holy Spirit can be grieved. Even in this account of the Israelites with His very visible protection around them, they grieved Him by not trusting in Him.

When Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and indeed, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they were extremely terrified, so the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Exodus 14:10–12

Thank God that the leading of the Holy Spirit is never to a dead end. God parted the sea and made a way for them, keeping His presence in both the Angel of the Lord and the Pillar. When Moses spoke to Pharaoh the words of God, he called Israel His son. Paul tells us that those led by the Spirit are sons of God. It is He Who testifies to that fact.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”

Romans 8:14

He is Darkness to His Enemies

Have you ever wondered why some just cannot see the truth witnessed by the Scriptures?

In the Exodus, as the Israelis were penned in between the advancing Egyptians and the Red Sea at the gaping mouth of a canyon, the Pillar was working.

“So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and there was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night. Therefore, the one did not come near the other the entire night.”

Exodus 14:20

The Egyptians had their perception of reality obscured. It happens in unbelievers. It is not that God blinds them so they cannot see, it is that they have not wanted to see the truth but only desired to satisfy their felt needs. The Egyptians became blinded by their own vengeance.

For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, “They are confused in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.” So I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he shall pursue them. And I will be honored because of Pharaoh and because of all his army, so that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.

Exodus 14:3–4

God is more than willing to oblige one’s folly by protecting His own. When the Egyptians decided to pursue Israel, it became darkness to them as their goal was obscured by the Pillar. They pressed on in that darkness of hatred to certain doom. One only has to look back at the longsuffering and patience God had for Pharaoh to change his mind. It seems he may have, but we know not really. There is a lesson there for those who do not believe… Eventually, there is a point in time where God removes His influences and all you will perceive is darkness leading to certain doom. That is indeed a scary path.

It is not a bad thing that God hides things.

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.

Proverbs 25:2

Pharaoh failed to pursue the hidden things of God. He failed the glory of kings. Yet there is a lesson he provides to the unbeliever who finds themselves reading this. You are reading this for a reason. You are pursuing the hidden things. Don’t give up until you find them!

It is this childlike approach to the truth. Pharaoh wanted it for his own exploitation, but they are revealed to those who humbly seek.

“At that time Jesus said, “I thank You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to infants.”

Matthew 11:25

This is the same principle Jesus spoke of and attested to in His parables.

“He answered them, “It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For to him who has, will more be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Therefore I speak to them in parables: ‘Because they look, but do not see. And they listen, but they do not hear, neither do they understand.’ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: ‘By hearing, you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing, you will see and shall not perceive; for this people’s heart has grown dull. Their ears have become hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to…” 

Matthew 13:11–17

He Rests in the Tabernacle

“He erected the courtyard all around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the curtain of the courtyard gate. So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

Exodus 40:33–35

This is one of my favorite things about the Holy Spirit. He rested in the Tabernacle. After those Hebrews followed the instructions of Moses, they erected the Tabernacle. The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The picture given to us is that of a cloud, just as presented inthe Pillar that led the Israelis in the wilderness.

Think about where the Tabernacle is today.

What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God, and that you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19

The tent of meeting is within the believer. It is that first moment of faith, I believe that Jesus is the Redeemer Who died and rose again. Most of us believers know these things to be true. But if you are that person who might not quite believe, or perhaps one that scoffs, please don’t harden your own heart.

Apostosy in Thessalonians, It’s Probably Not What You Think

On By TimIn 2 Thessalonians 02, Apostasy1 Comment

Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For that Day will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction,

2 Thessalonians 2:3

What would you think if I told you that what you believe about this verse may be a bit wrong?

I am speaking specifically about the idea of falling away. That idea is translated from the Greek word apostasia from which we get the English word apostasy. Abandoning faith is the idea behind the definition of the English word apostasy. You, like me, have probably been taught to look at it with a church-centric focus. That is, the falling away will be some sort of mass walking away from Christianity.

But, is that the right way to understand what Paul is saying?

He used that word once in his writings here. It occurs in one other place in the New Testament. It’s here:

They have been informed concerning you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to observe the customs.

Acts 21:21

The Greek word apostasia is translated here to the English word forsake. It is specifically applied to leaving the observance of the law of Moses.

Could that be important?

It seems to go along with the idea of leaving something. Some even think apostasia can mean something akin to rapture. Granted, that idea has always intrigued me… And I may have embraced it. I have a tendency to challenge the ideas I hold as truth… To see if they are true.

Let’s examine what Paul wrote in the next verse where he used apostasia.

who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself as God.

2 Thessalonians 2:4

The idea of apostasy is connected to the revealing of the man of sin. That revelation comes at a very specific event… When he exalts himself as God in the temple, causing the sacrifices to stop.

And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 9:27

Because of the connection Paul makes in context, it would be that this is entirely Jewish in nature. That is, all of this is happening in the temple to Jewish people. The antichrist is revealed for who he is here. And it’s with an abandonment of the law of Moses, causing the sacrifices to cease.

The apostasy here is most likely just like Luke used in Acts 21, the forsaking of the law of Moses.

That makes a lot of sense considering that this person is called the lawless one. There comes another conundrum that reinforces the abandonment of the law. Lawlessness and the lawfulness cannot coexist. The law must be removed before the lawless one can be revealed. It follows that this son of perdition can only be revealed with the removal of the law of Moses.

This reinforces the idea that the Thessalonians thought they were already in the Day of the Lord. This error was perpetrated by a seeming previous letter that was a forgery.

Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and concerning our gathering together unto Him, we ask you not to let your mind be quickly shaken or be troubled, neither in spirit nor by word, nor by letter coming as though from us, as if the day of Christ is already here.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–2

Reading this passage with this new information reveals precision not previously encountered here. It also shows us that at some point in the future, a temple odd going to be built and sacrifices will resume.

It opens some unexpected insights that may add to indignation. If as Hebrews 10:4 says the old is taken away to establish the new which is better. It is then a blatant affront to God to reestablish the old and again deny Jesus. That would be abhorrent and could be why the plural is used in the phrase the wing of abominations. That is the abomination of resurrecting the law of Moses coupled with the usurpation of the worship in God’s house.

They Have One Language

On By TimIn Genesis 11, Return of JesusLeave a comment

In the previous post, we encountered a time when humans were gathered together for one purpose. They built a tower, most likely to call the gods back and continue the corruption of human DNA that occurred before the flood. I realize that might seem like a speculative assertion to some, but it is a clear idea taught within the first 6 chapters of Genesis. The language of the ancients doesn’t quite match our modern understanding. Genesis 3 is clear, it is a seed war.

The Lord said, “The people are one and they have one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do; now nothing that they propose to do will be impossible for them.

Genesis 11:6

It is difficult to not grasp the unspoken idea of technology, and how it increases the more unified humanity becomes. That is an unspoken idea that is present in this text. It also says that the creativity of humanity has no bounds. How does that fit into the idea of human sovereignty and that of God? Perhaps that will be for a future discussion.

What we see in the account is that the world then was aligned with one purpose, one common language, and one leader.

It is said history repeats itself. I prefer to think that history rhymes. What do I mean?

When considering Biblical prophecy, it can sometimes lurk just beneath the surface of the Biblical text. Remember what God says about the glory of God to conceal a matter (Proverbs 25:2.) In this case, I think God gave us a pattern. I like to think of prophecy as a pattern that is matched. Could it be the text here serves as something that may be patterned to fit something yet to come?

Looking at the myriad of the types and shadows in the Bible, one particular comes to mind in this moment. Look at the world leader introduced last time… Nimrod. To assemble the people for one purpose implies that he is charismatic. That is just one of the ways he is considered as a type of the Antichrist, the coming prince of the end times. The prophet Daniel wrote of him. Here are some additional details of what he will be like.

After this I saw in the visions at night a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and exceedingly strong. And it had great iron teeth. It devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the rest with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
I considered the horns, when there came up among them another little horn before whom three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Daniel 7:7–8

Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Pleasant Land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground and stamped upon them. Indeed, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host, and from Him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of rebellion, an army was given to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifice; and it cast truth to the ground. It practiced this and prospered.

Daniel 8:9–12

“The king shall do according to his will. And he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak blasphemous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper until the indignation is accomplished. For that which is determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above them all. But instead he shall honor the god of forces, a god whom his fathers did not know. He shall honor him with gold and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus he shall do in the strongest of fortresses with a foreign god. He shall give great honor to those who acknowledge him, and shall cause them to rule over the many and shall divide the land for gain.

Daniel 11:36–39

Some tend to think that these passages describe history. I hold that they have their ultimate fulfillment in a yet future person. One who will seem to be wise and charismatic, moving souls toward himself. Eventually, he will be revealed to be diabolical and ruthless. Just as the text in Genesis hints at about Nimrod.

Cush was the father of Nimrod. He became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Even like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.”

Genesis 10:8–9

The text says that Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Before in this instance is better understood as face-to-face. Like enemies watch each other. In other words, Nimrod was against the Lord. The hunting he did was for the souls… People. This fits part of the impetus for the construction of the tower.

Then they said, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top will reach to heaven, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

Genesis 11:4

It is my opinion that this is a curated view of the history. It is given to derive a particular point. One that emphasizes the fact that the people are united against God. It also seems that those people have been given a glimpse of the most likely outcome, they will be scattered. But they unite anyway in hopes of preventing that.

Now… Focus on our modern experience.

We all live in a time that is very much akin to what is described in Genesis. The world is of one language. That language is not one spoken outright by humans. Nevertheless, it unites humanity. This binary language undergirds all of the code that drives information technology. This networked technology unites the world with instantaneous communication, translation, and culture. Any event can be instantly transmitted to almost the entire world… Today. It is easy to say the world is already united in one language.

God says… Nothing will be impossible for them.

There is also this whole idea of increased technology. That goes without saying. Apps are updated regularly. Firmware and software have new features added all of the time. Hardware gets smaller and more powerful.

Then think of all of the non-governmental agencies that establish worldwide policies. What we get hints of is a one-world government whose shadow looms over us today. The prospective policies offered seem to be a panacea as the lords carry on about them. It is an ever-coalescing centralization of decision-making and policy. What happens when one person seizes control of it all?

I think there is a portent there for many. It aligns with what the Bible says about the end.

It tells us that Jesus is going to return to Earth. He is going to come down from space like an invader, in all practical aspects. The world is preparing your mind for that. The idea is that the world will be united in an attempt to stop Him.

Babel points us to Jesus.

I am going to tell you, it was Jesus Who came down at Babel. He didn’t come to destroy those aligned against Him… Yet. When His day comes, it will be to halt the work again. But this time, it won’t be a scattering of the people. It will be a sudden gathering of those plotting against Him to Har Megiddo, the mount of assembly (that’s Jerusalem.) That gathering isn’t going to be cordial.

History rhymes. It does in many ways.

The first advent of Jesus was as a suffering Servant. The next is as a conquering King.

Just as Babel teaches, time is quickly passing. There is a reckoning for all in this life. Don’t fall for the lies of the charismatic politician who promises to fix everything.

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

Matthew 16:13

Jesus doesn’t just ask those men that question… But the real blessing is for those who believe the truth now.

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:16

The Sons of His Inheritance

On By TimIn Deuteronomy 32, Nephilim, Sons of God3 Comments

Can you show someone Jesus from this?

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.
For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.

Deuteronomy 32:8–9

This is Moses instructing the Israelis on their history. The history of the Jewish people includes them being chosen and set aside for the Lord by the Lord.

What many do not quite track in this passage… The “children of Israel” did not yet exist when the nations were formed. It helps to understand the background of this text. With that understanding, we gain some surprising insights into what an ancient Israeli might have known.

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words As the people journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

Genesis 11:1–2

Yes, it’s the Tower of Babel event. It is at the time of the first world leader.

They said to each other, “Let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top will reach to heaven, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

Genesis 11:3–4

Babel means the gate of the gods. (See page 170 here.) Many were not taught the real significance of this particular event. The popular teaching is that the people were trying to reach up to God. But that is not the purpose of the tower.

To understand the tower’s purpose, we need a bit more background. And that comes a few chapters back in Genesis.

When men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and took as wives any they chose. The Lord said, “My Spirit will not always strive with man, for he is flesh; yet his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Genesis 6:1–4

Before the flood, angels came down to men. They took women in exchange for technology. That idea we pick up from the account of Cain’s progeny in the latter part of Genesis 4. It is my thinking that it was the progeny of Cain that commiserated with the fallen angels. That’s another discussion. For the idea at hand, it suffices that Angels came down to men and had progeny called Nephilim.

It didn’t work out well for those angels who did that. Those angels that came down and took women were then locked away.

Likewise, the angels who did not keep to their first domain, but forsook their own dwelling, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.

Jude 6

It would seem to follow that the severity of punishment for coming down to take women and create progeny would serve as a deterrent.

Our text in Genesis 6 says this occurred before the flood… And would occur after. I would assert that things also changed after the flood, and it wasn’t so easy for angels to just come down to men as if they were instigating the exchange. The idea wouldn’t be attractive.

Then this tower, or gate of the gods, would be humans asking for the exchange. Humans would be the ones granting permission of rights. Hence the idea of building the gateway.

Concurrent with the incident here, we are introduced to another character important to Babel.

Cush was the father of Nimrod. He became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Even like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, the city Rehoboth Ir, and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).

Genesis 10:8–12

Nimrod, the first world leader… Became a mighty one. The underlying Hebrew text seems to indicate that he became like those Nephilim of old. The Hebrew also indicates that he wasn’t a mighty hunter of game, but one that assailed other humans.

I would say that the construction of the tower was to provide a place to perform rituals. These rituals would extend rights and permissions from humans to angels.

The tower was also believed to have a bed chamber in it. Almost always, these types of rituals are sexual in nature. It would seem to be the case here, and given the mighty hunter of men, I would also offer that is necessary (meaning a particularly sanguine fluid in human bodies.)

I know it’s macabre. I know it’s dark. But there is a real Hero, a real Man to defeat all of this.

The end purpose of the tower was to call the gods down to commiserate with men. What happened next?

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men built.

Genesis 11:5

Well, the gods don’t come. But the Most High God over all the other gods (see Psalm 82) comes down. It’s like an unexpected plot twist.

The Lord said, “The people are one and they have one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do; now nothing that they propose to do will be impossible for them.

Genesis 11:6

This text needs no explanation. The ingenuity of humanity is explained. It is a powerful force because humans work together with one language and can do extraordinary things. With one language, what can be imagined can be accomplished.

So what does God do?

Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city. Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. From there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Genesis 11:7–9

This is the establishment of the nations as explained by Moses in Deuteronomy 32 above. God gave 70 nations, established their lands, and assigned that as an inheritance. An inheritance to who?

Deuteronomy 32:8 says the children (or sons) of Israel. But Abraham wasn’t even born yet. How can that seeming conundrum be resolved?

Back before Jesus came, the common language was early Greek. Most Israelis at the time would know Greek but not Aramaic or Hebrew. At the behest of Ptolemy II, the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek by 72 Hebrew translators. There were six chosen from each tribe of Israel. That translation is commonly called the Septuagint.

I was always taught that the Septuagint was a post-Jesus forgery. A bit of pursuit in truth revealed that probably is not the case. Many of the quotations of the Hebrew Scriptures in the New Testament were from the Septuagint. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls also exposes the folly of what I was taught. Besides, the very line a virgin shall conceive comes to us from the Septuagint Greek and not the Tanakh’s original Hebrew.

How does the Septuagint help our conundrum?

With the understanding of the Hebrew translators and the ideas they held from the Tanakh, it came in the translation. Our passage in Deuteronomy 32 is no different.

When the Most High distributed nations as he scattered the descendants of Adam, he set up boundaries for the nations according to the number of the angels of God.

Deuteronomy 32:8, Lexham English Septuagint

Angels of God does also mean sons of God. In other words, God put angels in charge of physical property and humans to populate that property. They were to be stewards… But it is easy to infer that didn’t happen. It is probably the impetus for the plethora of religions. Again, that’s another idea for another time.

The nations were given as inheritance to the sons of God. That is the important thing. It follows that sons inherit their father’s things. In this case, the sons of God inherited the nations from the Father.

For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.

Deuteronomy 32:9

There is the 71st nation, Israel. It is allotted as an inheritance to the Lord given by the Most High.

Fathers do not inherit. Sons do. Moses is pointing directly to Jesus.

So, when someone tells you that Jesus never claimed to be God. They are wholly incorrect and do not grasp the weight of Scriptural evidence that undergirds what Jesus says to the Pharisees

Jesus answered them, “Though I bear witness of Myself, My testimony is true. For I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one. Yet if I do judge, My judgment is true. For I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me bears witness of Me.”

John 8:14–18

The Pharisees then pose another question to Jesus. They believe what they know.

Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”
Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as He taught in the temple. No one arrested Him, for His hour had not yet come.

John 8:19–20

John adds the commentary that nobody attempted to arrest Jesus. In this exchange, the Pharisees reveal that knew the identity of Jesus. This is evidenced by the addition of the personal pronoun your… “Where is Your Father?”

They knew Who He is, the Son of Inheritance. Tragically, they didn’t know Him or His Father.

The Morning Star and the Sun of Righteousness

On By TimIn 2 Samuel 23, Day of the Lord1 Comment

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: He who rules over man justly, who rules in the fear of God, is like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning with no clouds, gleaming after the rain like grass from the land.

2 Samuel 23:3–4

This is a description of the ideal King. Moving on, let us focus on the simile that this King is like the light of the morning. The reference to the Person here also brings to mind a specific day. It foreshadows Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom as He rules the Earth from Jerusalem. This day is known as the Day of the Lord. Most focus on specific judgments, but there is far more to be understood. Just like any day, the elements establish a pattern. The Scriptures assume a similar pattern for the Day of the Lord.

Dusk to Dark Night

Consider that in Israel, a day begins at dusk, keep that in mind. Seizing the simile that the Coming King is like the sun, when He left Earth to go to heaven would seem an appropriate allusion to dusk and night. Peter helps to demonstrate that this would be one of those harbingers that announce the arrival of the last days.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days it shall be,’ says God, ‘that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even on My menservants and maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious day of the Lord comes. And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Acts 2:14–21

Peter cites Joel 2: 28-32. The greater context of Joel introduces us to a time called the day. It is the Day of Jehovah.

Alas, for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and like devastation from the Almighty it comes.

Joel 1:15

The Israelis present understood the Scriptures. They understood what Peter was saying clearly. Devastation was upon the nation. The last days were here, specifically announcing the Last Day.

We know the nation of Israel ceased to be around 70 AD when the temple was destroyed and Jerusalem besieged by Rome. It was not until the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 AD that resulted in a genocidal assault on Jewish populations around Jerusalem. Emperor Hadrian eventually erased the name Judaea from the map and replaced it with Syria Palaestina. Israel was gone, just as Joel foretold.

Given what is written in Joel, it is clear the Day of the Lord had already begun. Keeping consistent with the pattern of the day, dusk turns to darkness of night. Malachi also educes the same idea. The day coming will bring devastation. Yet it would not leave believers without hope.

Surely the day is coming, burning like an oven; all the proud, yes, all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming will burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You will go out and grow up like calves from the stall. And you will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I do this, says the Lord of Hosts.

Malachi 4:1–3

Malachi tells us that the day is coming when all the unbelievers will be vanquished. The One saying this is the Lord of Hosts. The Lord of Hosts is Jesus and it specifically calls to the mind His return as He leads the armies of heaven.

The Son Rises

For believers on Earth, His coming will be like the rising sun. I think the reference is very important. The sunrise is reckoned here as the second coming of Jesus. There’s more to this…

Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them has He set a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; it rejoices as a strong man to run a race. Its going forth is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit extends to the other end, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Psalm 19:4–6

The sunrise is likened to the coming of the Bridegroom. This is but another reference that points to the second coming of Jesus.

“May all Your enemies perish like this, O Lord!
But may those who love Him rise like the sun when it rises in full strength.”

Judges 5:31a

Again, the time when all God’s enemies perish is at the time the sun rises in full strength. It is at the second coming of Jesus as King. There is more to this correlation.

Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the breach of His people and heals the wound from His blow.

Isaiah 30:26

So what to make of this?

Considering the reference to the day, there are many parts of it. There’s the sunset. There’s the dark of night. There’s the dawn. There’s the sunrise. There’s the bright sun of the day.

We have focused on the sunrise. There is a difference between dawn and sunrise. Dawn announces the sunrise. This is important to understand as the Scriptures use these terms. Clearly, sunrise and the Second Coming of Jesus are correlated.

Why is this important?

Morning Star

Well, Peter helps us to understand.

And we have a more reliable word of prophecy, which you would do well to follow, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

2 Peter 1:19

The dawning of the day happens before the sunrise. The Morning Star arises in the dawn to announce the coming sunrise.

When Peter writes of the dawn of day, that is a reference to that Day, the Day of the Jehovah. We know that sunset brings dusk turning to darkness. Dawning announces the sunrise of the day. The event Peter is alluding to will announce the sunrise of the Day.

Likewise, scholars believe the reference to the Morning Star as pointing to the second coming of Jesus. We know that the sunrise is the Second Coming of Jesus. But the Morning Star is given in the dawn to church-age believers.

I Give the Morning Star

Moving forward to Revelation, and specifically to Jesus’ epistle to the church of Thyatira. He rebukes the church with some strong words.

“But I have a few things against you: You permit that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, but she did not repent. Look! I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.

Revelation 2:20–22

Along with the rebuke, there is a specific promise given to those who do not change, they will be cast with the seductress into great tribulation. It is a precise phrase that many think points to the seven years known as Jacob’s Trouble.

Yet Jesus promises something to those who still believe…

And I will give him the morning star.

Revelation 2:28

A bit later, John reveals to us exactly Who Jesus says this Morning Star is.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

Revelation 22:16

The Scriptures reference the Second Coming of Jesus as the sunrise (of the Day of the Lord.) For the unbelievers, it will be devastating. But for those living, they will rejoice and enter His kingdom. The previous citation above from Judges 5 also seems to hint at the resurrection at the end of the age. This is when the Israeli saints are given their inheritance. (To understand resurrection, see this post: The Surprising Way That Resurrection Proves Futurism and the Rapture Before the Hour of Testing)

The Morning Star comes in the dawn. It announces the coming sunrise. It is the harbinger of the sunrise of the day, that Day.

The Red Heifer

On By TimIn Jesus, Numbers 192 Comments

And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

Numbers 19:1

As it is, we cannot begin to understand the significance of a passage without examining the surrounding context. Remember, never read a Bible verse alone.

Moses is given instructions by God for a specific offering. This offering presents some peculiarities. It is the strangeness that emphasizes significance that ought draw our attention. There is something important here to discover. If it is weird, it’s important.

Rebellion

Working backward from Numbers 19 to Chapter 15, Moses gives some additional background detail about what is offered here. The significance of the tithe is also remembered. There is one law for both Israelites and foreigners in the camp.

Remembering the Torah, laws were given for unintentional sins and the remedy for those. For those whose sin is intentional, removal from the camp was the remedy. Then there is the penalty of some sin that requires removal from the camp and immediate execution.

With this basis, things become onerous. I think the response of the people to these will reveal that burden they carry. Understand… The place of sin is outside of the camp and outside the fellowship with the people of God.

As Moses continues to provide some context The institution of tzitzit or the tassels worn by Israelites is detailed. Simply put, these symbolized someone who was under the covenant. (There is a post on the significance of these here: Tassels on Garments.)

As rebellion is, some of the Levites rose up in opposition to Aaron and Moses. They wanted part of what they perceive as the glory of leadership. It seems they wanted the opportunity to lord over people, as they clearly misunderstood the roles of Moses and Aaron. Moses instituted a way to verify whom God had chosen as leaders.

As the rebels chose to participate in the way Moses offered, he then proclaimed judgment on them. They are separated and the ground opened up and swallows them. The rest of the rebellious were consumed by fire.

The next day the people complained about all of the death around them. Remember, they had laws given to them about avoiding dead bodies. The significance of the death around them was caused by deliberate sin.

Moses stands between the rebels and the judgment of God. Before it was stopped by the atonement Aaron provided, the ensuing plague killed 14,700 people. Almost all in the camp would be close to a dead body and in danger of becoming unclean.

Moses then commanded that each leader of the 12 tribes bring a rod on which the name of the tribe was written. These were placed before the Lord. God would signify His choice by the rod budding. Aaron’s rod budded and it brought forth fruit. This rod becomes a testimony to any who would revel in like fashion.

I have provided a summary. Please read the chapters for yourself for details. See what God leads you to find.

Moving forward, the Israelites understood that there was a really big problem. They are now afraid to approach the tent of meeting and to draw near to God. They saw those who approached the Tabernacle before and had died swiftly.

The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we expire, we perish, we all perish. Anyone approaching the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all to perish?”

Numbers 17:12–13

Is there a remedy for death?

This results in a new lesson.

The Red Heifer

And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: Tell the children of Israel that they will bring you a healthy red heifer, which has no blemish, and on which a yoke has never gone, and you will give it to Eleazar the priest, and he will bring it outside the camp, and it will be slaughtered before him.

Numbers 19:2–3

Moses instructs them to bring a healthy red heifer. This is the first time that a sacrifice is specified to not be male. That is something significantly different that beckons our attention. In my opinion, this hints back to the first rebellion recorded. It came by way of Eve. She fell prey to the same rebellious desire, coveting something that was not hers.

For God knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasing to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:5–6

In the way God works, watch as every single detail of sin is undone.

Not only is the sacrifice female, it is to be unblemished. The additional qualification of the color red narrows the availability. This is also the first time that the color of the animal to be sacrificed is specified. Hidden just behind the English the Hebrew word for red. It is adom. It comes from the same Hebrew root word that is the English Adam. And it points to the rebellious nature of Esau whose descendants are called Edom.

The heifer was not to have been yoked. That means, the animal must not have been placed under subjection to anyone or anything. This offering did not have a burden. This conveys the idea that the offering is innocent. The yoke is also a symbol of slavery.

This heifer was given not to Aaron the High Priest, but to his son Eleazar. He was to take it outside of the camp where it was to be offered. As we’ve learned, the place of sin is outside of the camp. It’s also the place where the wages of sin are collected… Death.

What we are encountering is a picture of something significant. God is giving Moses a picture of the remedy for rebellion. With the Hebrew word parah (translated to heifer) we have a nod to offspring (fruitfulness.) Think seed and by cow female seed. The age of the heifer entails that it did not have progeny. (To be honest, this part hurts my brain. I mean, I see the connection, but I also see that it may be contrived. Nevertheless, the ideas are in play just under the surface of what is written.)

Now consider the assent to purity, and one removed to the place of sin. This was a sin offering by the significance of it being out of the camp (Exodus 29:14, Leviticus 4:12.) Yet the high priest did not perform this… His son Eleazar did.

And Eleazar the priest will take from its blood with his finger and sprinkle some of its blood directly before the tent of meeting seven times. Then it will be burned in his sight. Its hide and its flesh and its blood, with her dung, will be burned.

Numbers 19:4–5

For those who have read through the Torah, there is a significant derivation from other sacrifices. This one stands alone, and being in the Book of Numbers provides yet another.

The sin sacrifices spoken of in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 4 were young bulls slaughtered at the entrance to the Tabernacle. In Numbers 19 the red heifer was removed to the place outside the camp and where she was offered. The blood was then sprinkled at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

Another difference with the previously instituted sin sacrifices the priests placed their hands on the head of the sacrifice. From Leviticus 16:21, this is an indicator of imputation. That is placing sins from the person (people) onto the sacrifice. Without that conditional gesture, we clearly see the notion of unconditionality here.

All of this sacrifice was consumed. It was burned whole… Except for the few precious drops of blood sprinkled at the entrance to the way to approach God.

This sacrifice is outside of Leviticus where the rest are given. Leviticus outlines the use of bulls, goats, oxen, sheep, and doves for sacrifice. It provides the methods and uses. These laws never employ the sacrifice of a female. Oddly, no sacrifice was established for intentional sin. And our Israelites knew this.

Other Unique Facts

And the priest will take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet and throw it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.

Numbers 19:6

Cedarwood, hyssop, and Scarlett thread have been mentioned before in the Torah. It is in the purifying ritual for a cleansed leper (Leviticus 14:1-32.) This is a significant reminder of what has already been established. These three are used with blood and running water to purify. In contrast with the red heifer ritual, these three are thrown into the fire to be consumed.

As leprosy is symbolic of sin in the Bible, this is yet another indication that the red heifer is to be a sin sacrifice. The ritual for purifying the leper connects to another with some more significance for us, and that is detailed in Leviticus 16 on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In both rituals, there is a dead offering and a live offering. The simplistic deduction from both is that something has to shed blood for the other to be free.

In other words, something had to become sin and then be obliterated. The significance of being free from sin is the release of the live offering.

The Puzzle of the Red Heifer

As mentioned, this sacrifice is one ordained outside of Leviticus. It has intricate connections to the purification of the cleansed leper and atonement. Its placement seems to defy logic. It is radically different from every other sacrifice in the Bible.

Then the priest will wash his clothes, and he will bathe his body in water, and afterward he will come into the camp, and the priest will be unclean until evening. He who burns it will wash his clothes in water, and bathe his body in water, and will be unclean until evening.

Numbers 19:7–8

Encountering this, a question ought to come to mind. How did these men become ritually unclean?

Of course, they came into contact with a dead carcass. I think there is a bit more. With the entirety of this heifer appointed to be consumed in fire, and the fact that the slaughter happened outside the camp, this heifer came to embody rebellion.

A man who is clean will gather the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and it will be guarded for the assembly of the children of Israel for water of purification. It is for purifying from sin. He that gathers the ashes of the heifer will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and it will be for the children of Israel and for the foreigner that lives among them, for an eternal statute.

Numbers 19:9–10

The weirdness continues. These ashes have some importance that would cause them to be guarded well. Just as Jesus in the tomb was guarded well. These ashes must be kept pure. Yet everyone who came into contact with them became unclean. The ashes were for the people of Israel, God’s chosen portion. (Which context demonstrates is a mixed multitude with one law.)

These ashes would be for water of purification. Yet oddly, the person gathering them would then also become ritually unclean.

Waters of Purification

He that touches the dead body of any man will be unclean seven days. He will make himself clean on the third day, and on the seventh day he will be clean. But if he does not make himself clean on the third day, then the seventh day he will not be clean. Whoever touches the body of any man that is dead and does not purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, and that person will be cut off from Israel. Because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him, he will be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.

Numbers 19:11–13

Now we get a hint as to what is being accomplished.

This is the law, when a man dies in a tent. Each person who comes into the tent and all that is in the tent will be unclean seven days. Every open vessel which has no covering fastened on it is unclean. Whoever in the field touches one that is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave will be unclean seven days.

Numbers 19:14–16

These ashes would be used to purify the unclean person after such is cleansed.

For an unclean person they will take from the ashes of the burnt sin offering, and running water will be on it in a vessel. A clean person will take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and splash it on the tent, and on all the vessels, and on the people who were there, and on him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave. The clean person will splash on the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day. And on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and he will be clean at evening.

Numbers 19:17–19

A bit of the ashes of the heifer is mixed with running water, which is another similarity to the purifying ritual for the leper. This mixture is then sprinkled on the unclean objects and persons on the third day. However the person must finish his cleansing by washing himself and his clothing.

But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person will be cut off from among the assembly because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him. He is unclean.

Numbers 19:20

With all of the connections here, I must also draw attention to the unconditional parts of this and the conditional parts of it. The unconditional part is that this sacrifice is done once outside the camp, the ashes gathered are to provide a perpetual cleansing. One that did not require assembling the tent of meeting. The entire animal was consumed by fire save a precious few drops of blood that were used to secure the opening of the Tabernacle (or the way to the presence of God.)

The unconditional part is that the presence of God is open to all, and one doesn’t need the Tabernacle. Conditional, one must present themselves for the sprinkling of the water of purification, and then cleanse themselves. The way to the purification is open. They were to not fear approaching God.

The one who does not do the conditional part has no fellowship with God’s people. Sin is outside the camp.

It will be an eternal statute to them.
He that sprinkles the water of purification will wash his clothes, and he that touches the water of purification will be unclean until evening. Whatever the unclean person touches will be unclean, and the person that touches it will be unclean until evening.

Numbers 19:21–22

Even the person performing the ritual becomes unclean by touching the waters. It is important to understand that all those who come into contact with the heifer become unclean. It is as if this heifer is the embodiment of sin itself. There is a point here that Paul makes. It is also this very thing about the red heifer that points to Jesus.

He Became Sin for Us

God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21

That red heifer was perfect, no blemishes. She was ruddy and red like men are. She was chaste. She had not been yoked to anything and was sinless.

Yet she was removed from the camp as a detestable thing. She was red like rebellious Edom. She was slaughtered without mercy and not in the presence of the High Priest. In other words, she became detestable.

Jesus is perfect. He is adom. He is chaste. He was not yoked to sin. He was removed from the presence of the people as a detestable thing. He was slaughtered in the absence of the High Priest who sent his minions, the Chief Priests. A sprinkling of His blood secured the way to the presence of the Living God. He rose again on the third day, His old body was consumed and given a new body. He gives living water to any.

The Tenth Heifer

As I write, the significance of the red heifer is in the news. I think the importance of this has now been adequately demonstrated.

The traditions of the red heifer go back to the first offered by Moses. There were eight more throughout the times of Israel. Since the destruction of the second temple in 70 AD, no red heifers have been offered.

According to those traditions, there is a tenth heifer to be offered. It is needed for the ashes. The ashes are used to make the water of purification which is then used to purify the temple, the implements, and the priests.

Rabbinical tradition indicates that this tenth and final red heifer would be sacrificed by Messiah Himself. This was first taught by the rabbi Maimonides. To the futurists, we see the significance of not only the future temple but the coming of the Messiah.

It is this rabbinical tradition that came about in the late twelfth century that intrigues me. A tenth heifer, tied to Messiah… Israel is patiently waiting for Him to arrive. How is it that rabbinical tradition that came a millennia after the resurrection of Jesus conjoins the sacrifice of the red heifer with the Messiah?

Jesus IS that tenth red heifer.

This is the picture to the Israelites. There are remedies to unintentional sin. But what of the intentional things we do and how is death remedied?

It was not practical for the wandering Israelites to stop every single time someone sinned or encountered a dead body. Stopping would involve unpacking and setting up the Tabernacle to perform sacrifices. God is connecting the purifying of the leper with the Day of Atonement in a ritual that demonstrates sin is destroyed outside of the camp. There is a way to be purified for anyone who needs it at any time. One had to avail themselves of it.

If that worked for them… How much better do we have it?

But Christ, when He came as a High Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies so that the flesh is purified, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:11–14

Rest assured, you and I never have to be afraid of approaching God. The way to His presence is unconditionally secured and open to anyone who would avail themselves of it. It is there we are washed with the waters of purification from the Word Himself.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Ephesians 5:25–26

The First Miracle

On By TimIn Jesus, John 02Leave a comment

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there. Both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Six water pots made of stone were sitting there, used for ceremonial cleansing by the Jews, containing twenty to thirty gallons each.
Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
Then He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the master of the feast.”
And they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water that had been turned into wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who drew the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom, and he said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and after men have drunk freely, then the poor wine is served. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

John 2:1–10

I assume that all have read this in their Bible. I also assume many have heard it as part of a sermon or teaching. I post it for you as a quick reference and in case someone has not read it.

In the past, I have not paid any real particular attention to it. At least, not until I started reading Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge. This account was used to demonstrate the extravagant generosity of Jesus. I had not even considered that thought in the thinking part of my mind, but I guess it would lurk somewhere in the background. As the Spirit of God would have it, looking deeper into what happened at that wedding He revealed something I had not encountered anywhere else. Come with me and see.

The First Sign

This, the first of His signs, Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and He revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

John 2:11

As John recounts in his Gospel what had happened, he closes this punctual account by saying it was the first of Jesus’ signs. This part of the narrative follows the calling of His first disciples. John’s intent is to promote belief in Jesus by telling of His words and the signs He did.

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

John 20:30–31

When reading the Gospel of John, pay close attention to the unfolding revelation. He opens with a testimony of Who Jesus is that parallels and expounds on Genesis 1. Later, we encounter John the Baptizer and his ministry of preparing the world for Jesus. Like Elijah speaking truth, John the Baptizer testifies to the ministry of Jesus, just as the apostle John records.

The Lamb of God

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him, but for this reason I came baptizing with water: so that He might be revealed to Israel.”

John 1:29–31

The apostle John is unique in recording the words of John the Baptizer. “Behold the Lamb of God” that takes away sin. In a way, he points to this first sign at Cana, which then points to another sign.

Let’s go back to Cana.

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there. Both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

John 2:1–3

John recounts the first week of the ministry of Jesus. After being baptized and calling the first disciples, his small troupe is invited to a wedding. Already, we ought to pay attention to the timing mentioned. John is writing in retrospect, recording this decades after the events occurred. He has hindsight of the events in Jesus’ life, it is likely that there is something more to the phrase than just the narrative on the third day. It is something to keep in mind.

As we continue with the account, trouble arises when the open bar runs dry. Mary (Jesus’ mother) says that there is no more wine. There is then nothing left with which to continue the celebration.

A Mother Knows

Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

John 2:4

This makes me smile. Not just what seems like abrupt language. What did she expect Him to do?

What did she know?

Even more intriguing… How did she know He could help?

I think the Bible helps us to know.

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Luke 1:32–33

Mary had a special briefing given by a messenger from God. She knew her Son. She knew He is the Anointed One, Son of the Most High. She knew He is forever King. I think she even knew Him as God, having command over material things.

Had He done miracles before this?

We are not given any information on that except for John’s telling us this is the first of His signs. It could be a small attestation when as a preteen, He remained behind at the temple and taught. It is something to consider.

What we can determine is that Mary knew Jesus could readily help in this situation. Jesus affirms this by His response to her. We take Jesus’ response to His mother as somewhat sharp. In the language at the time, it was a respectful address. Jesus is telling her that what concerns her doesn’t concern Him. He continues by letting her know to leave Him alone, His time has not yet come.

My Hour

This is the specific phrase used. It refers to a particular time. This is a reference that leads us to the culmination of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It points us to something future.

As John’s narrative unfolds, Jesus uses this word hour to point to a yet future time. He uses it in speaking with the woman at the well in John 4:21; 23. He uses it again to point to a future time period in John 5:25; 28. (The list continues: John 7:30, 8:20, 12:23; 27, 13:1, 16:32, & 17:1.) John explains the hour:

Now before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

John 13:1

In my opinion, from reading John’s Gospel, the hour refers to the time period that begins around Jesus’ death and stretches to His return to Earth and the Millennial Kingdom. The hour will be marked with resurrection, I would say multiple resurrections. Yet, I digress.

For the purpose of this sign, my hour refers to the cross as the beginning of it. John is exclusive in his extensive writing of the words and actions of Jesus in the period of time leading to the cross.

That Seeming Reluctance

Did you pick up on the reluctance Jesus demonstrated toward His mother?

Do you think it is significant as a parallel in His hour?

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray close by.” He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Wait here, and keep watch with Me.”
He went a little farther, and falling on His face, He prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Matthew 26:36–39

It is not necessarily the same way, but I think the reluctance to do His mother’s will belies a very human emotional response. That emotion is amplified many times as demonstrated in His hour. In speaking with His Father, He wanted to find a way out. Nevertheless, as the Man, He honored His father by doing what His father wanted, just as He honored His mother’s will.

His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

John 2:5

It is these few things that leads me to see some things that I think are hidden signs in this sign.

The Specifics

Six water pots made of stone were sitting there, used for ceremonial cleansing by the Jews, containing twenty to thirty gallons each.
Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
Then He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the master of the feast.”
And they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water that had been turned into wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who drew the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom, and he said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and after men have drunk freely, then the poor wine is served. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

John 2:6–10

Six water pots are filled to the brim. Each can hold a determinate amount of water. I’m not going to go through to the end.

The amount of wine that Jesus made would be the equivalent to 120 to 180 gallons. That is a lot of wine. The master says about the wine, that it is the good stuff and kept until now.

The Sign in the Sign

Consider the specific information given. There are six containers. It is considered by many scholars that six is the number of man. Seven is completion and the number of God, six is just short of that perfection. Humans were made on the sixth day. The number six here points to a human man.

Wine is considered the blood of the grape. Biblically, wine is often a representation of blood. We use the blood of the grape in the Lord’s Supper to remind us of the blood Jesus shed. The wine here ought to also remind us of the shed blood at the cross.

The containers being filled to the brim signify there is no more room for anything else. Think of sufficiency, as the blood of Jesus is sufficient, leaving no room for anything else. More important, had Jesus added something to change the chemical composition of the water, it would easily be detected by overflowing the brim.

Let us consider the quantity mentioned. The amount of wine that Jesus made would be the equivalent of 600 to 900 modern wine bottles. Again, that’s a lot of wine. Especially after the open bar has been emptied out. I don’t think it’s a far stretch to say that the amount of wine Jesus made was far more than sufficient to satisfy all of the guests. Weddings at this time lasted for days, even in the relative austerity the hosts would provide adequate provisions for the length of the celebration.

The wine Jesus made was also considered the best. Like the master of the feast said, the best is usually served first. In this account, the best is saved for last. The best speaks to the efficiency.

The Mediator of the New

This first earthly sign of Jesus was pointing to a future-fulfilling sign. The one when the Lamb of God would have His blood shed for the sins of humanity. It would be a Man. It would be a finite and sufficient amount. None more would be necessary. It would also be an efficient amount to more than satisfy the needs of all. And it would be better than all of the blood of animals shed for sins that came before.

Consider what another writer declares:

Then indeed, the first covenant had ordinances for divine services and an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was made. In the first part of the tabernacle, called the Holy Place, were the candlestick, the table, and the showbread. Behind the second veil was the second part of the tabernacle called the Most Holy Place, which contained the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid with gold, containing the golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Concerning these things we cannot now speak in detail.
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests would regularly go into the first part, conducting the services of God. But only the high priest went into the second part once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins of the people, committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was signifying through this that the way into the Most Holy Place was not yet revealed, because the first part of the tabernacle was still standing. This is an illustration for the present time, showing that the gifts and sacrifices offered could not perfect the conscience of those who worshipped, since they are concerned only with foods and drinks, ceremonial cleansings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Christ, when He came as a High Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies so that the flesh is purified, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:1–14

There is no room for another.

For this reason He is the Mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the sins that were committed under the first covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Hebrews 9:15

Knowing all of this, one can be assured beyond doubt, that the work of Jesus is sufficient and efficient to cleanse the conscience from sin for any that ask. The way to approach God is no longer veiled to anyone. Jesus’ blood, and only His blood alone, made the Way.

And just like at the wedding, there was no license for the attendees to be drunk. Jesus was not even concerned of that. There was more than enough for each invited guest to enjoy.

Invited Guests

Jesus and His troupe were among the invited guests at the wedding. As with the hosts of the wedding, God invites people to His wedding feast. Where is that invitation?

Jesus spoke to them again by parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, but they would not come.
“Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited: See, I have prepared my supper. My oxen and fattened calves are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his business; the rest took his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. When the king heard about it, he was angry. He sent in his army and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the streets, and invite to the wedding banquet as many as you find.’ So those servants went out into the streets and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man who was not wearing wedding garments. 12 He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding garments?’ And he was speechless.
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 22:1–14

I make the case that simply by being born of Adam’s race just as Jesus… You, like I am, are invited to the feast. God wanted you in His creation. It follows He wants you in His presence in heaven.

Being an invited guest, you can enter His presence anywhere at anytime. (Really, you’re already there because of that blood Jesus shed. And there is no place anyone can go to escape Him.) Just talk to Him.

He’s listening.

The Divinity of Jesus

On By TimIn Jesus, Revelation 01Leave a comment

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to show to His servants things which must soon take place. He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bears record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is near.

Revelation 1:1–3

I just encountered this recently. In the first line, we are given a glimpse of exactly what it cost Jesus for us. You can see it in that first sentence.

Consider this: I assume that most reading this know that Jesus is God. But have you ever considered the humanity of Jesus?

He is wholly reliant on His Father. Even in glory, He still depends on the Father for everything.

But here it is, God giving a special briefing to Jesus Christ. He then shared it with John. Who then wrote it for us.

He really is like us in every way. He teaches us through His own example of complete reliance on the Father.

Stars: The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius

On By TimIn Last Days, Numbers 24Leave a comment

“I will see him, but not now; I will behold him, but not near; a star will come out of Jacob, and a scepter will rise out of Israel, and will crush the borderlands of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. Edom will be a possession, and Seir, a possession of its enemies, while Israel does valiantly. One out of Jacob shall have dominion, and destroy the survivors of the city.”

Numbers 24:17–19

It is clear that from the inception of the nation Israel, the promised Star would come. The Sceptre would conquer the world. This is speaking of a particular Man… We know Him as Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High. He is the promised Messiah.

I can foresee the question… What does He have to do with a popular song from the 20th century?

The Hand of God is on Human History

I’m not making a case for determinism or fatalism here. By saying the hand of God is on history, I point to those times when God undeniably inserts Himself into the affairs of men.

There are certain portions of Scripture that have been threaded throughout this series. We open with a prophecy from numbers that was cited in the first post. Likewise, a passage from Isaiah 40 was also included. It seems fitting to revisit the prophet.

O Zion, bearer of good news, get yourself up onto a high mountain; O Jerusalem, bearer of good news, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; see, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:9–11

This is yet another prophetic announcement of the coming Messiah. In this particular passage it is difficult to envision two advents of the same person. Yet I think there is. The first announcement is to Judah, “Here is your God.” That was accomplished at Jesus’ first advent. He proclaimed Himself as God. The next instance… He comes with strength and shall rule. That has yet to happen.

History shows us that there is a partial working of the pattern. Even up to the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Israel on that first Palm Sunday. He was welcomed as King. But then, Like Daniel 9:26 says… He was cut off. He didn’t rule. The phrase that follows means His death was not for Himself.

His Reward, His Recompense

This is a repeated theme in Isaiah.

The Lord has proclaimed to the ends of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “See, your salvation comes; see, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”

Isaiah 62:11

It’s fitting that we are talking about Jesus. Really look at what is said. There are three persons identified. The first is the Jehovah. Next is the daughter of Zion who is the personified name for the people of God. The Third is named, too. He is identified by the pronouns His and Him. It’s Jesus.

Knowing a bit about Hebrew is helpful. In this instance, the English word salvation is translated from a Hebrew word that is closely related to Yeshua. It’s a handy thing to remember when encountering the word salvation in the Tanakh, think Jesus.

For brevity, I left out the next verse. It speaks of Jerusalem being a place sought out. We have been a witness of that very thing in our lifetime. Check it out for yourself.

What this is saying this is that God is going to intervene in history in an undeniable way. God will save Israel… Bringing His reward with Him. One might ask, what is His reward?

Therefore God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9–11

There is hardly any other way to think of it. Jesus’ reward comes from His humble service to God. He is exalted above all. He is the King of Glory as David sang:

Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, that the King of glory may enter. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift up, you everlasting doors, that the King of glory may enter. Who is He—this King of glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah

Psalm 24:7–10

As I write this, I cannot help but sing this particular thing. Our former music pastor wrote some beautiful music. One of the things I will even be grateful for from Clay Hecocks… He had us memorize Scriptures by singing them in worship. Have a listen. Worship sharpens our focus to Jesus.

Back to the subject… Jesus is the King of Glory. He is the Lord of Hosts. That is a military title. These titles are part of His reward. When He comes with His reward, it will be with the completion of what Isaiah wrote in chapter 40.

I saw heaven opened. And there was a white horse. He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written, that no one knows but He Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. His name is called The Word of God. The armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, with which He may strike the nations. “He shall rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury and wrath of God the Almighty.

Revelation 19:11–15

Jesus comes with His reward. It’s those saved now. We believers are part of the armies of heaven. The saints in the body of Christ will ride in on flying horses dressed in His righteousness. His reward is those who are His now.

Jesus says this about that event:

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me to give to each one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Revelation 22:12–13

Look back at Isaiah, He comes with His reward. But the recompense is before Him. Recompense is the awarded compensation for something. In other words, recompense can be considered synonymous with wages, something earned.

In the most obvious sense… Israel is before Him and the one He comes to rescue. He will gather those lambs like a shepherd and defend them. Remember one of the earliest promises to Abram.

I will bless them who bless you and curse him who curses you, and in you all families of the earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 12:3

This is God’s promise that is to be fulfilled. People will be receive recompense for their work. Those that bless Israel will receive blessing. Those that don’t won’t.

It is hard not to also see the judgment Jesus promised in Revelation 22 above. This is the recompense from Jesus’ own witness of this event. He will award each according to his work.

The Bible calls the wages or recompense of sin as death. When Jesus fulfills this prophecy in Isaiah 40, the rebels will be quashed handily. Read around the texts cited for a witness to the terrible event. Jesus has a robe dipped in blood. It’s a reference to the judgment at the end. One may call it the battle of Armageddon, recent scholarship shows that may be a misunderstanding. The battle is for the Mount of assembly (har moed,) that is Mount Zion.

This is going to be a gruesome scene. I tend to think of this as the great bird feast… Not quite the Thanksgiving we know.

He comes with His reward, and His recompense is before Him… Both what He receives and He repays. I am very grateful I do not get what I deserve.

The End of the Age

As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24:3

Here is the reference for the phrase end of the age. Matthew 24 is generally considered the Olivet Discourse. It’s Jesus giving a private briefing to four disciples answering the question about the end of the age. Clearly, we see lots of things bundled together here. The sign of the coming of Jesus is at the end of the age.

I know these posts are quite long. I am trying to mind the gaps and help folks along. Consider some context into the mindset of the Israelis of the day.

To the Jewish mind of that day, the end of the age was commonly associated with the intervention of God into human history by means of the personal return of the Messiah. Today two thousand years have come and gone since those questions were first asked, making the need for clear answers even more relevant.

Charles Caldwell Ryrie, The Best Is yet to Come (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1981), 21.

It is the markings of the end of the age that became the impetus for this series, in particular this post. I had harmonize the three accounts of the Olivet Discourse. I subtly inquired of God for help in understanding that long ago. The phrase end of the age seemed to hover at the forefront of my mind.

We’ve encountered some of the prophetic writings that point to Jesus specific to the end times. We clearly see that the end of the age is when God intervenes.

“Unless those days were shortened, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

Matthew 24:22

Jesus says God intervenes to save Israel (the elect.). Things will be so bad that God has to intervene. It’s hard to ignore how bad things seem to compound every day now.

But Ages…

I used to think that the end of the age was the end of the church age. That is what I was taught. It did not seem to make sense. Particularly because Jesus was speaking privately to a few Jewish folk about the end of the Jewish age. That is an inescapable conclusion. But is He speaking of the end of the Church age or the Jewish age?

I don’t think so, as the quotation of Charles Ryrie leads to a different conclusion. One that is going to shock some.

The Precession of the Equinox

Remember from Genesis 1 the sun is used as a timekeeper. There is one particular function of the sun marking the passage of time known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. This is an observable phenomenon pointing to the rotation of the heavens. That rotation spans 25,920 years.

Form our vantage point, the constellations exhibit a slow rotation over the Earth. This is not to be confused with the diurnal motion of the Earth rotating on its axises that shows the stars moving from east to west every day. Likewise, it is not the movement of the stars due to Earth’s annual orbit around the sun.

There is a way to mark periods longer than centuries or millennia. The phenomenon is measured on the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox is the marker of which day is chosen for Easter. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox.

The vernal equinox occurs when the sun appears to move northward at the moment it crosses the equator. On that day, an imaginary line is extended from the center of the Earth to the sun when it rises above the horizon. That line points to a particular constellation in the sky. As the years progress the line moves westward through the constellations.

Now, I know that some of y’all are gonna complain that this is astrology. I hear you. But it is not. Astrology has to do with making personal subjective predictions based on the movement of the stars and letting them govern our lives and behavior. We are using the constellations to mark time.

Here is Where it Gets Blurry

The precession is marked by twelve constellations. When we divide the 25,920 years by twelve, we get a period of 2,160 years. Though the math is exact, it doesn’t easily line up with reality. The reality is that the precession is thought to change approximately every 2,000 years. There is no hard and fast rule.

The move from one precessional age to the next comes with some vagueness. These are astronomical distances being used. We can measure with arcs dividing the heavens into twelve compartments. The blurriness comes in the disagreement on the exact year one moves from one age to the next.

I am going to exploit that vagueness.

The Age of Aquarius

Some of us know the song. We sang it. “This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.“ That was a mid-to-late 20th century anthem.

The lyric of the song leads one to the dawning of a new age. That is a longing for a return to the Golden Age, the time before the flood when the gods ruled the earth. In reality it was a brutal time for humans, but a Golden Age for gods. (Thats a part of the delusion of the end times.)

The song is sun worship. The powers-that-be worship the black sun… Saturn. They actively call for a Great Reset to a Golden Age. But such as it is, God reworks all of the mess that the enemy makes.

The move into the Age of Aquarius is said by some to have already happened. There is much sloppiness. For what it’s worth, read the article here. Many date setters claim we’ve already moved into it, others claim it happens in 2030. (Which is kind of convenient, given those same powers-that-be have an Agenda 2030 for a New World Order. Out of chaos, they want to implement order… Utopia. Which is to be the Golden Age.)

Is this the End of the Age?

Perhaps. I cannot go further without a bit of conjecture. I know I am leaning into zodiacal information. The coincidences are real.

As the precession goes, we will be moving into the Age of Aquarius. That means we are currently in the Age of Pisces. Before the Age of Pisces was the Age of Aries. And coming before Aries is the Age of Taurus.

Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini

These great ages have some interesting characteristics that are pertinent to this discussion. To the world powers, the Age of Aquarius symbolizes a Utopian Golden Age. One in which humanity flourishes. Aquarius represents the progress from the old system of tradition to a new age. It is seen as an escape from the prison of tradition.

The Age of Pisces began about 2,000 years ago. As we know, there is no consensus on the exact start conclusion of these ages. To the astrologers, Pisces represents the battle between religion and science. These astrologers connect the Age of Pisces with the birth of the church. The duality of Pisces certainly seems to point to a struggle between secular science and spiritual matters. It also points to a single body made of two distinct parts.

Before Pisces is the Age of Aries. This age is represented as the Age of Law. It is signified by the introduction of the Code of Hammurabi. (I know these ideas have there root in Babylon.) The Vedas were introduced in this time, as were the Ten Commandments and other laws governing Israel.

Aries came out of the Age of Taurus. This age encompassed the birth of civilization. It is when the Sumerian culture arose. This time period also saw the establishment of the Egyptian culture. Introduced in this age are the great epics and myths of history which have carried forward to the present.

Preceding Taurus is the Age of Gemini. The symbolism is twin in nature. Yet the age is thought to have seen the birth of cities, art, skills, and trade, which became the underpinnings of civilization.

What I see in this precession is a precision indicative of the spiritual significance of the age. For example, look at this quick outline working backward from the future:

Aquarius: The age of the One Who gives Living Water freely.

Pisces: The current age of fish, a longstanding symbol of Christianity. It speaks to one body consisting of two parts; Jew and Gentiles.

Aries: The age of the ram that began with the call of Abram and the ram provided in place of Isaac, Passover, and the Exodus.

Taurus: The age of bull worship like the golden calf. Think bull as in Bull El and the many names he is honored with in the pantheons of the ancients.

Gemini: The age of duality. As I see it, this is the introduction of another god, an impostor who would usurp the Most High.

To Close

The characteristics of these long ages seem to align loosely with the major ideas of spirituality people. These seem to be differentiated by points of reset. What I mean by reset, think the flood of Noah, scatter of nations, the call of Abram and his progeny emerging as a nation, the advent of Jesus and birth of the church, and the second coming. It’s not a conclusive list at all, but the roughly coinciding points in time draw attention.

We have the Bible which gives us detailed history both looking backward and forward from our present perspective.

I think the powers-that-be also tell us their plans for the evolution of the world well in advance. The art of the culture are meant to provide accoutrements to prepare the rank-and-file to go along.

It seems that science and culture are converging and finally catching up to what the Bible says about the future.

Editing Note:

I do know the enemy is hard at work. I also think that technology is his tool to bring about his will on earth. It is great to have the tech, but comes with pitfalls.

I do apologize that the last part of this post got jumbled and lost. I have tried to reconstruct it from memory. I hope it conveys the ideas accurately and concisely.