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
This may be a familiar text to every Christian, but there are many who misunderstand it and then misuse it. Paying attention, Paul is writing to dispel a nasty rumor from a forged letter. A letter that obviously appeared to be from Paul and his friends. The contents of which obviously trouble the Thessalonians. What is it that could be so troubling?
Well, from the context and Paul’s reference to the Day of Christ (or the Day of the Lord,) it had already come. The gathering together would be what would happen after the rapture, when the dead in Christ are made alive and caught up together with the saints to be with Jesus. In other words, these saints were tricked into thinking they had missed out altogether.
So how does Paul put away their trouble?
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, 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 2:3–4
He uses a watershed event as a witness to the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is not the day of the rapture. The rapture precedes that day, as the morning star precedes the dawn of any day. Yet, that day Paul is writing of would include the unveiling of the desolator, the man of sin who reveals himself as if he is God. Paul had already taught them about the Day of the Lord and the timeline of events. This is attested to in his first epistle.
Concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that I write to you. For you know perfectly that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:1–3
The Day of the Lord is not a happy time. It is prophesied by Joel, and will be terrifying.
Blow the ram’s horn in Zion, sound the alarm on My holy mountain! All the inhabitants of the earth will tremble, because the day of the Lord has come, because it is near— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. Like blackness spreading over the mountain, a great and mighty army comes, such as was never before, and will never be again, even through the years of all generations.
Joel 2:1–2
The text clearly describes a period of time like no other. For anyone to say this has already happened is completely wrong. History is replete with dark events, not this. To ascribe this to something historic is to believe something worse than that event cannot happen. Even as we witness devolution to chaos and inhumanity. In fact, I would say that this unprecedented black day needs to be the culminating event of evil perpetrated on creation, the last day. A day in which the Lord comes to rescue His.
So it becomes clear that Paul would use the watershed event in that Day as the marker of that Day.
Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? Now you know what restrains him that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already working. Only He who is now restraining him will do so until He is taken out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and destroy with the brightness of His presence, even him, whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all deception of unrighteousness among those who perish, because they did not receive the love for the truth that they might be saved. Therefore God will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie: that they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
2 Thessalonians 2:5–12
Along with the watershed event would be the mass delusion of people. The fact that the Thessalonians are troubled reveals that there is no spirit of delusion at work. And certainly the man of sin has not yet been revealed.
It follows then as Paul writes, that the Day of the Lord has not yet come.
Some will try to dissuade people from the truth, claiming that Paul is using this observation as a litmus test of there being no rapture. Because the man of sin has to be revealed before anything like that can happen. But that simply is not true. The Thessalonians did not miss the rapture, and the proof is as Paul says: the Day of the Lord had not yet come.
Think about that. If Paul had used what they thought they had missed, it would not have alleviated any trouble. No, he had to use the very watershed event of that dark day as proof. That day has not yet come; therefore, the dawning of that day had not yet come either.
Here is the testimony of Jesus of Himself.
“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
He says he is the Bright and Morning Star. The way it has been translated puts the conjunction and between the two adjectives. In effect, Jesus says He is the Bright Star, meaning He outshines all of the others. The heavenly beings, angels, are called stars. Jesus is the Brightest of them all.
He also calls Himself the Morning Star. The idea behind this title would immediately be known. It may not be so much for us. But the morning star announced the dawn of the day. This title Jesus applies to Himself is no mistake. What day do you think the Morning Star announces?
The only logical conclusion is the Day of the Lord. The Morning Star appears in the heavens to announce the dawn of the day. That sounds familiar. Who gets the Morning Star?
“To him who overcomes and keeps My works to the end, I will give authority over the nations— He ‘shall rule them with a rod of iron; like the vessels of a potter they shall be broken in pieces’— even as I myself have received authority from My Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 2:26–29
The overcomer does. These are church-age saints who will rule the world with Him—Jesus. The saints of the church get that Morning Star as a precursor to the Day of the Lord. It is the Morning Star that comes before the light of the Day. He appears in heaven. Just as Jesus does at the rapture and calls home His body.
For we have not followed cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to Him from the majestic glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we ourselves heard this voice, which came from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 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 1:16–19
The prophecies that are for that day. Which means these will happen before. As the word until conveys continuance to that point. It is before that day, the Day of the Lord.
But before it happens, the prophecies we have are more reliable. So if this day is going to happen, saints are not appointed for it. It necessitates an escape before it.
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. 3 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.
This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
John 17:3
This is one text taken from the prayer that Jesus offered to God on the night before He was crucified. The real need for people is to have eternal life. Many use the term being saved, but that term has some baggage. Eternal life is a gift given to believers by God Himself. That gift comes by knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ.
There is a point often debated, “Did Jesus really say He was God?“
Yes. He certainly did.
The idea is clearly laid out in His Own words. As it is said, oftentimes the Pharisees lets us know when He does that. They took up stones to kill Him.
This eternal life is knowing God and Whom He sent… Jesus Christ. Back during Jesus’ ministry, there was one of those episodes where the Pharisees took up stones. It was then that Jesus said:
My Father and I are one.”
John 10:30
The Jewish leaders tell us exactly what Jesus said:
Again the Jews took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, claim to be God.”
John 10:31–33
The Pharisees have verified Jesus’ saying He is God. Look back up to the introductory text from John 17. Keeping that in mind, I want to consider other ways that plainly show Jesus as God. To know God is to know Jesus, Whom He sent and it is to have eternal life.
Jesus often used words that echoed those expressed in the Tanakh. I know that might be shocking. Yet Jesus knows the words of the prophets, and He knows the writings of Isaiah.
Listen to Me, O Jacob and Israel, whom I called: I am He; I am the First, and I am the Last. My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has spanned the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together. Assemble, all of you, and listen. Who among them has declared these things? The Lord has loved him; he will do His pleasure on Babylon, and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken, and I have called him; I have brought him, and his way will prosper. Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there I am. And now the Lord God has sent me and His Spirit.
Isaiah 48:12-16
Already, it may be clear to see some familiar phrases that we know are applied elsewhere to Jesus. I will start with the first, “I am He.” Jesus said that.
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
John 8:24
In the context of this passage, Jesus is speaking of the Father Whom the Jewish folk know as God. The text is clear, that unless one believes “I am He,” they do not have eternal life. For clarity, those that do not have eternal life will perish in their sins. Jesus is unequivocally saying, that one cannot have eternal life unless that person believes He is God.
The next has many witnesses. Here is the first…
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a great voice like a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and “What you see, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
Revelation 1:10–11
While in exile, the apostle John is caught up in a vision where he meets God. God calls Himself Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. Most know that this Person is Jesus Christ.
Part of the reason for this post comes from a conversation over whether Jesus is now God. He is, but the protagonist in the conversation believes Jesus was God and is not now because of His location at the right hand of God. I get that these types of discussions are difficult for our minds to comprehend. God is like no other. That is why, there are none like Him. We have no frame of reference except what He says of Himself. It then becomes important to understand Him as He reveals Himself.
We know Jesus is Alpha and Omega. He offers something else about His identity. These are the key things to remember.
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though I were dead. Then He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, though I was dead. Look! I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
Revelation 1:17–18
This Person addressing John says, “(T)hough I was dead, Look! I am alive forevermore.” This is an indicator to identity. He identifies Himself again as First and Last. Putting both together with He died and rose again, there is only One Person that matches. It is Jesus.
Which leads to another objection that my protagonist scoffs at. He denies the idea that God has died. Clearly, Jesus as God says He died and lives forevermore.
There is one more witness from Revelation to examine.
“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
Once again, this Person identifies Himself as Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, First and Last. It has already been established Who is speaking. Yet another witness to identity is this One is coming again. We know the One Who returning to Earth again is Jesus Christ!
Back in the passage of Isaiah 48 above, it says I am He, the First and Last. From the context, Jehovah is being spoken of in third person. Yet clearly the One narrating is God. Israelis in the day would know this well. They were very familiar with the Tanakh. Note, when connected from Isaiah to the Gospel of John and then Revelation, the idea coalesces. It is clearly conveyed that when Jesus says “I am He,” He is saying He is God.
But as it is in the Bible, things get a bit blurry…
Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there I am. And now the Lord God has sent me and His Spirit.
Isaiah 48:16
This is the same invitation from Jesus in the New Testament. The God of the Tanakh is the same God that Jesus is. And He is this same God that sent Jesus Christ. Keep in mind, the same God that sent Jesus is the First and the Last.
In my mind, it seems there can only be One Who identifies as Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. The phrase leaves no room for others. That’s God and He is Jesus.
Jesus is not-so-secretly declaring that He is Jehovah. That same Jehovah Who sent Him!
This testimony of the Alpha and the Omega in the last book of the Bible connects it to one of those books in the rough middle of It, Isaiah. The text seems to draw the reader to closely examine the beginning. It is there that yet another witness identifies that Jesus is indeed Jehovah God.
All things were created through Him, and without Him nothing was created that was created.
John 1:3
John testifies that all things were created by Jesus. And God testifies in Isaiah that He spoke very clearly from the beginning. What does that mean?
Well, if all things that were created were created by Jesus… Jesus is not created. Which means He is the One Who created all things. Once again, in my mind that leaves no room for another creator.
Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel and his Maker: Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons, and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands. I have made the earth and created man on it. I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and I have ordained all their host. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; he shall build My city, and he shall let My captives go, neither for price nor reward, says the Lord of Hosts.
Isaiah 45:11-13
Thus says Jehovah, that is the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) translated as Lord. He testifies He has made the Earth. All this was spoken by the Lord of Hosts (Jehovah of Hosts.) That’s the military title of Jesus Christ. He is Jesus, the Son of God, and He is God.
It is like everything is pointing to the beginning. It might just be beneficial to check it out.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
I assume most are familiar with this verse. What many may not know are the not-so-secret things hidden just behind the translation into English. Here is the verse in transliterated Hebrew.
Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz
I tend to be a bit nerdy. I’m no Hebrew scholar. But I’m certain many see the word Elohim. It is well known as one of the names of God.
It is that two-letter word et, which is not translated into any English Bibles. There is much controversy over what the ‘word’ means. I am one that does not think it is a word, but is more of am identifying signature.
See, that two-letter et, in the Hebrew alphabet is also two letters, those being the aleph and the tav. The significance of those two letters is like the signature. It is as if it is literally saying, “In the beginning created God Aleph-Tav.”
The aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The tav is the last letter. Has God spoken not in secret from the beginning?
Yes!
Jesus the Son, is the Creator God. The same Elohim Aleph-Tav Alpha-Omega Who spoke creation to be. The same God Who died and lives forevermore!
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.
“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.
Master's Crumbs 