Category Archives: End Times

February 4, 2024 · 10:00

God Hardens Hearts

And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. (Exodus 4:21)

I am not a pessimist, nor am I an optimist. I see myself as more of a realist. I analyze and evaluate things on a deeper rather than a superficial level. That is not to say that my perception is always accurate by any means, but I do try to assess things without relying on my emotions. That does not mean that I do not have or express emotion. However, I try not to allow emotions to influence my assessment of what I see taking place around me. In my analysis of the world around me, I do not rely on my experience because I have not experienced every situation that there is to experience. Rather, I evaluate things through the lens of God’s Word, which has something to say about every possible experience we may face. My worldview finds its basis in the Bible. Some may say that is a very narrowminded way to look at things, and it may be; however, I have found it to be accurate in every case.

The world is falling apart. The pessimist may want to give up and forgo any effort to improve his situation. He may turn off the news to avoid hearing another bad report. He may immerse himself in all sorts of distractions that drown out the clamor of doom and gloom. The optimist, on the other hand, appears oblivious to all that goes on around him, believing that it will all get better eventually. Because he knows that things will get better, he feels that he must do all in his power to improve the world around him like, saving the planet, saving the whales, feeding the hungry, etc. All the while, he fails to see that his efforts accomplish nothing, but he is happy in the knowledge that he is doing his part and things will get better, eventually.

Without going into specifics, we see the actions of world leaders (especially those of our own administration), and we wonder why in the world they do the things they do that only bring misery upon the peoples of the world. Then when certain leaders, like those of Israel, take the only sensible and logical actions in their self-defense and self-interest, the rest of the world rises up in protest against them. Anyone with the slightest bit of common sense understands that one side is right and the other is wrong. Yet, the protestors persist in their attacks on the righteous one. Why?

In our own country, we have the problem (among many others) of open borders.  We are not the only country with this problem, but this is the one in which I live and which affects me directly. We have thousands of people crossing our southern border daily. They come in such great numbers that our border officials are overwhelmed by the invasion. It is a mistake to think that these are coming from Mexico only. Indeed, they come from all over the world, especially from countries that are hostile to our own. What is more frightening is that the majority of these invaders are young, military-age men, not poor families looking for a better life. Rather than stop the infiltration, our federal government gives them money, gives them phones (supposedly for tracking purposes), and puts them on commercial flights to destinations of their choice. Meanwhile, U.S. citizens must show I.D. and be subjected to x-ray screening of their bodies and luggage. These, on the other hand, walk right on with no screening or vetting whatsoever. They are not even given a health exam to ensure they are not carrying some contagious disease. Those with any common sense say, “That’s crazy!” Yet our President, says there is nothing he can do unless Congress passes a new law that increases the budget for border control, never mind that there are already sufficient immigration laws in place that need only to be enforced. By ignoring and failing to enforce current laws, the President is in violation of his constitutional obligations as President, and in many respects, his lack of action can be considered treasonous. Yet, he says there is nothing he can do about it.

So, we remain astonished at how our leaders appear powerless to solve problems that to the rest of us seem to have a very simple solution. The root of the problem goes deeper than what is obvious on the surface. The fact is that God’s plan for the world is working according to His purpose. Jan Markell has a saying that resounds in truth. She says, “Things are not falling apart, they are falling together.”

God did not leave us clueless about future events. “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Indeed, all the problems experienced around the world were foretold thousands of years ago in the pages of our Bible. There is coming a “New World Order” that will attempt to control all of the world. There already exists a cabal of world “elites” dedicated to bringing all the nations of the world under a one-world government. These include the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and the World Health Organization, all working toward the common goal of unifying all the nations of the world under one governing body. That plan excludes any “super-power” nation. So, the demise of America meets that goal. So, when we consider the actions of our government that result in the weakening of our nation, the only thing that makes sense is that our leaders are in cahoots with the globalists of the world, and they aim to remove America’s super-power status so that they can assume control of the world without opposition.

“Well, that’s just un-American!” you protest. “Why would our leaders participate in the demise of our nation? Treason!” Why would they allow that? I believe Scripture answers the question. First of all, God has His plan, and His plan will supersede the plans of mankind. One way that He does this is by hardening the hearts of leaders so that they are impervious to the Word of God. We find a perfect example in the Book of Exodus.

The children of Israel had been captive in Egypt for over 400 years when God raised up Moses to deliver them from their captivity. Pharaoh’s heart was already hardened against his Hebrew slaves. They were essential to his economy. They provided much-needed labor. He had no sympathy for their harsh conditions. So, when God gave Moses his assignment, He prepared him for the opposition he would meet. “I will harden [Pharaoh’s] heart, that he shall not let the people go” (Exodus 4:21, emphasis mine). God had a plan to demonstrate His mighty power at Pharaoh’s expense. Pharaoh was already predisposed to the hardening of his heart, so God encouraged that attitude. That resulted in 10 terrible plagues upon Egypt that finally broke Pharaoh’s resolve.

In the same way, world leaders, including our own feckless President, have their hearts hardened against God. As Paul described in Romans, they “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 1:25, emphasis mine). The “creature” is all of God’s creation which includes the planet, the climate, and mankind. Paul continues: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Romans 1:28, emphasis mine). A “reprobate mind” is one that is totally incapable of proper reasoning. So, when you see our leaders make decisions that have no basis in logic or reason, there is your answer. God has hardened their hearts.

I am not troubled by any of this. I am a realist. I see what is going on, but it does not worry me because I know God’s plan is being carried out, and His plan will prevail. He has this in control!

If you want to know more about what is coming, read my articles on Revelation. If you do not know the Savior, read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”

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November 12, 2023 · 10:00

Three Days

After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Hosea 6:2)

In one of my Bible readings this week, I was reading Luke’s account of Jesus’ resurrection. Luke records that two disciples (not apostles) were returning to their home in Emmaus.[1] Because they invited Jesus into their home, I assume that they were husband and wife; Luke does not say. Regardless, after Jesus broke bread with them and disappeared from their sight, they finally recognized that it was Jesus who had traveled with them. They immediately returned to Jerusalem and found “the eleven” together. However, according to John’s account, Thomas was not with them.[2] Apparently, Luke used the term (“the eleven”) in a generic sense referring to the Apostles.

While the two recounted their experience, Jesus appeared in their midst. After assuring them that He was not a ghost by inviting them to inspect His wounds and by eating a piece of broiled fish and bread with them, Luke writes, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day” (Luke 24:45-46, emphasis mine). That last phrase stopped my reading. Jesus said, “Thus it is written,” meaning that His suffering and resurrection had been prophesied. I checked the cross-reference in my Bible and found two: Isaiah 53:3-12 dealing with His suffering and Hosea 6:2 predicting His resurrection.

There is no question that Hosea’s prophecy, quoted above, refers to Jesus’ resurrection because Jesus applied the prophecy to Himself. However, what caught my attention was the use of the plural first-person pronouns, “us” and “we” rather than “me” and “I.” It is always best to read a single Bible verse within its context to get a clear understanding. Backing up to the previous verse, we understand that the prophet is addressing Israel. “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up” (Hosea 6:1, emphasis mine). In the previous chapter (Hosea 5), the prophet foretold the demise of Israel (Judah and Ephraim). The Lord says, “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early” (Hosea 5:15). The “I” here refers to the Lord Jesus. He fulfilled this prophecy when He ascended and returned to “His place,” and He waits there until they repent and turn to Him. The Prophet Zechariah says, “they shall look upon me [Jesus] whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).

In 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, razed the Jewish temple, and scattered the Jews all over the world. Hosea encourages Israel, the Jews, to “return unto the LORD.” Then he adds this prophecy that Jesus applied to Himself. “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight” (Hosea 6:2, emphasis mine). In context, the primary application is to Israel. They have been torn. They have been smitten, and the promise is that God will heal and bind their wounds “after two days” and “in the third day he will raise us up.” That raises the question, are the days literal or symbolic? Obviously, when applied to Jesus’ resurrection, the days are literal; He was in the tomb for three days and raised on the third. However, the days cannot be literal when applied to Israel.

Three days have long passed since the destruction of Jerusalem. Indeed, almost 2000 years have gone by. However, we see the prophecy taking place with the rebirth of the nation of Israel, which is yet another event that was foretold by the prophets. However, they have yet to turn to their Messiah, but we see the dry bones taking on flesh.[3]

Perhaps the “days” have something to do with what Peter said in his second epistle. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, emphasis mine). Because of his use of simile, I have always understood, and still do, that this verse refers primarily to God’s timelessness. The psalmist echoes the same refrain. “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4, emphasis mine). God is not bound by time, and so time for Him is irrelevant. However, that is not true for us.

Therefore, if we take the days in Hosea symbolically to mean 1000 years, 2 days equals 2000 years, which is where we are now since the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God has returned the Jews to their homeland as foretold by the prophets, but yet, as Ezekiel described, the breath of God is not in them yet. They have yet to undergo the final seven years assigned to them by Daniel the Prophet.[4] Then, after the seven years (of Tribulation), Israel will be fully restored (“raised”) as prophesied on the third day, the final 1000 years[5] when Christ will rule as absolute monarch from His throne in Jerusalem.

If you would like to study more on end-times prophecy, find my page on “Revelation.” There you will find links to articles I have written that will take you systematically through the Book of Revelation along with other articles that cover end-times in general.

Notes:

[1]  Luke 24:13-35

[2]  John 20:24

[3]  Ezekiel 37:1-14

[4]  Daniel 9:24-27

[5]  Revelation 20:1-7

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October 22, 2023 · 16:16

The Land

But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

One cannot escape the flood of wars and rumors of wars coming from the Middle East. More than two weeks ago, at the climax of the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel, Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel. They killed many innocent civilians and took away many captives. They raped women and tortured and killed children and babies. Their atrocities left the world in shock. Not since ISIS have such horrors been on full display for the world to see.

As expected, the “free” world denounced the heinous acts and pledged to stand with Israel. After shaking off the shock, Israel took the offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Typical of Israel’s approach, the IDF took great measures to warn the civilians in the Gaza Strip to flee to the southern border for their own safety. Then the relentless bombing of Gaza City by the IDF started striking strategic targets of known Hamas strongholds. Unlike Israel and the IDF who value innocent human life, Hamas hunkers down in schools, mosques, hospitals, and civilian housing buildings. They use their own people as human shields knowing that Israel will not attack where innocents may be harmed. However, this time Israel took off the gloves. With sufficient warning to the civilian population, all Hamas targets were attacked.

It did not take long for the “friends” of Israel to start pressuring Israel for restraint in sympathy for the poor Palestinians. Certainly, a (very) small percentage of Palestinians do not agree with the actions of Hamas against innocent Israeli citizens. However, a great majority of them voted for Hamas leadership. In their schools, they teach their children to hate Jews and encourage them from a very young age to kill Jews. When Palestinian terrorists kill Jews in Israel, there are celebrations in the streets of Gaza. So, we should not be so quick to feel sorry for their sufferings; it is not totally undeserved.

It was not long before the US visited Israel to publicly profess solidarity with Israel in this war against terror, while behind the scenes pressuring Israel to allow for “humanitarian” aid for the poor suffering Palestinians. The US threatened to withhold munitions, support parts for Israeli fighters (F-16s and others), and money for the war effort. In the meanwhile, the US continues to send money to Iran which funds its proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, etc.) to do its dirty work. Money also continues to flow to the Palestinians from the US, which Hamas diverts for its own purposes. They do not care for the Palestinian people.

As Israel continues to prosecute this war, world support for her effort will quickly wane. Even now protests in favor of the poor Palestinians are rising all over the world, including here in the US, Israel’s “friend.” The world has a perverted idea that somehow the Palestinians have some kind of claim to the land of “Palestine.” Without going into great detail, the “Palestinian State” was established in 1965 by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and Yasser Arafat, an Egyptian. Before then, there were no “Palestinian” people. The land was called Palestine because the Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed Judea to Syria Palestina and Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina in order to remove Judah and Jerusalem from the memory of rebellious Jews. Thus, even our Bible maps continue to name the land Palestine. However, the land never belonged to Palestinians, nor did Palestinians ever exist.

The land belongs to God and He says so in so many words. In fact, He begins by asserting ownership of the entire planet. “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5, emphasis mine). Notice that while making this claim, He also identifies the children of Israel as His “peculiar treasure … above all people,” not Arabs, Palestinians, or any other nation. Furthermore, God claims the land of Israel as His own. “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me” (Leviticus 25:23, emphasis mine). God “gave” the land to Israel for their stewardship, not to be sold to anyone else, because it belongs to God, not to them. Through the psalmist, David, God names some of the parcels of land. “Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver” (Psalm 108:8). See the following (linked) passages where God makes claim to the land: 2 Chronicles 7:19-20; Isaiah 14:24-25; Jeremiah 2:7; 16:17-18; Ezekiel 38:16; Joel 1:6; 3:2.

Before the children of Israel inhabited the land, it was possessed by the cursed line of Canaan, son of Noah’s son Ham (Genesis 9:25). For reasons known only to God, He called Abram (Abraham) out of the land of the Chaldees (Genesis 11:28) and promised to give him the land (Genesis 12:7). The land God promised extended beyond the current boundaries of Israel including the Sinai Peninsula, parts of Jordan, all of Syria and Lebanon, to the Euphrates River and up to the southern border of Turkey (Genesis 13:14-15). The land was promised to Abraham and his descendants unconditionally with no strings attached (Genesis 15:7, 9-21). “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18, emphasis mine). The promise has no term limits; it is an eternal promise. “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever” (Genesis 13:15, emphasis mine).

The promise did not remain with Abraham. It was passed on to his son Isaac (Genesis 26:3, 5) and his grandson, Jacob (later renamed Israel – Genesis 28:3-4, 13-15). Time and again, the promise of the land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) is repeated in Scripture: Genesis 17:8; Exodus 6:8; 12:25; 13:5, 11; 33:1; Deuteronomy 1:8; 8:1; 10:11; 11:9, 21; 19:8; 28:11; 30:20, 21, 23; 34:4; Joshua 1:6; 21:43; Judges 2:1; Nehemiah 9:15, 23. God swore upon Himself to uphold His promise. “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee” (Hebrews 6:13-14). God promised the land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), not for a certain timeframe but forever. “Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance” (1 Chronicles 16:15-18, emphasis mine). “Everlasting” means that it will never end.

It is God’s land to give to whomever He chooses, and He chose the people of Israel. Abraham had other sons besides Isaac. He had Ishmael through his concubine Hagar (Genesis 16:15). After Sarah died, Abraham remarried and had six other sons by Katura (Genesis 25:1-2). None of these received the promise of the land, only Isaac and later Israel (Jacob). God’s “gift” of the land to Israel is also repeated over and over in Scripture: Leviticus 14:34; 23:10; 25:38; Numbers 27:12; 32:7, 9, 11; 33:53; Deuteronomy 5:31; 6:23; 9:23; 12:1, 10; 16:20; 17:14; 19:14; 21:1; 24:4; 25:15, 19; 27:3; 28:8; 32:52; Joshua 1:2, 11, 15; 5:6; 18:3; 1 Kings 8:34, 40; 9:7; 2 Kings 21:8; Nehemiah 9:36; Jeremiah 25:5; Ezekiel 20:15, 28.

The land belongs to Israel and more land than they currently occupy. The Bible describes the boundaries of the promised land. God showed Abraham the extent of the land promised (Genesis 13:14-15). God repeated the boundaries to Moses (Exodus 23:31) and again to Joshua upon entering the Promised Land (Joshua 1:4). The land on which the Nation of Israel exists today is only a small part of what God has given them, and yet, wrongheaded people want to take away what little they possess now. God will not have it! It is His land, and He will not allow it to be parceled out by outsiders. “Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel” (Numbers 35:34, emphasis mine). God also has a special affinity for Jerusalem. “Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel: But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel” (2 Chronicles 6:5-6, emphasis mine)

God did drive the Jews out of their land for their rejection of their Messiah, but that was only a temporary measure. God has not permanently disinherited His people. There has always been the promise of restoration in the latter days. “And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers” (Jeremiah 24:10). “For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it … Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid … For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof” (Jeremiah 30:3, 10, 17-18, emphasis mine).

Even though Israel has sinned and remains in sin even now, God in His mercy will restore His people. “Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished” (Jeremiah 46:28, emphasis mine). The full restoration of Israel will happen when the nation, as a whole, recognizes and turns to their Messiah. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon ME whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10, emphasis mine).

The land of Israel belongs to God. He has allotted it to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, i.e., Israel. No one else has any right to that land, and there will be no peace in the Middle East until those who would divide the land, or who would exterminate the Jews from the land acknowledge that the land belongs to them.

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September 10, 2023 · 10:00

Maybe This Year

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

For many years now, this time of year brings a strong sense of anticipation to me. Next Friday, September 15/16 celebrates the Jewish festival of Yom Teruah, a/k/a Rosh HaShanah, or the Feast of Trumpets. It sounds the beginning of the new civil year 5783.

God gave the Children of Israel seven “feasts of the Lord”[1] that they were required to observe: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. The first four took place in the spring and were fulfilled by Jesus’ crucifixion (Passover), His burial (Unleavened Bread), His resurrection (First Fruits), and His ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost). The final three, the fall feasts have not yet been fulfilled: Trumpets (His return with the “a great sound of a trumpet”[2]), Atonement (He judges the nations), and Tabernacles (He comes to dwell among His people).

Granted, all of these Feasts of the Lord,[3] apply to Israel and NOT to the Church. However, I cannot restrain my excitement when the day approaches because according to Paul, there is a trumpet associated with the Rapture of the Church (see our starting verse above.) Elsewhere, he says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, emphasis mine). In the Book of Revelation, John experienced a type of the Rapture when he records, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:1-2, emphasis mine). So, why not the Feast of Trumpets for the Rapture event?

Many will argue with Jesus’ words: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36, emphasis mine). The Gospel writer, Mark, includes “the Son” among those who are unknowing. “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32, emphasis mine). Matthew did not miss it, and Mark was not in error. The fact remains that Jesus, in His humanity as “a man,” was not privy to the Father’s plans in that regard. However, He now sits at the right hand of the Father.[4] Surely, He is not presently ignorant of the day or the hour.

We cannot know the day or the hour of the Rapture because it has always been taught as imminent in the New Testament, that is, it could happen at any time. The Apostle Paul certainly thought it could occur during his lifetime. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, emphasis mine). For some reason, the Thessalonians feared that the Rapture had taken place and they missed it. From Paul’s teaching, they felt that the coming was very near. He did not retract his teaching of imminency, but only reassured them that it had not taken place yet. So, we are left with the same teaching – the Lord could come for us at any time.

We do not know the day or the hour. However, we know that it is nearer now than ever because we see the signs of His Second Coming, as foretold by the prophets and by Jesus Himself, increasing in frequency and intensity. Those prophecies detail the events of the seven-year Tribulation that precedes Christ’s return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.[5] However, Jesus snatches away (Raptures) His Church sometime prior to the beginning of the Tribulation.

That brings me back to the Feast of Trumpets. Rosh HaShanah is known as the feast where “no man knows the day or the hour.” This is why it is observed over two days. The reason for that is that Yom Teruah (“Day of Trumpets) begins at the first sighting of the new moon on Tishri (the seventh month on the Jewish calendar) 1 or 2. It is the new moon that signals the beginning of the feast and no one knows exactly when that will take place. Could Jesus have been referring to the Feast of Trumpets when He said that “no man knows the day or the hour”?

For this reason and for the fact that the Rapture of the Church seems to be accompanied by the sounding of a trumpet, I get excited when the Feast of Trumpets comes around. For many years now, I have looked forward with anticipation at this time of year, and for many years I have been “disappointed” – not discouraged. I realize that God is not obligated to meet my expectations of events that are fully in His control. Whether Jesus calls us home next Friday/Saturday or not, I know that one day soon, we will hear that trumpet call and go to meet Him in the air. “What a day, glorious day, that will be!”

            Jesus could call His people home anytime soon. Reader, are you prepared for that day? If not, please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.” You can also find more information on the “last days” on my “Revelation”

Notes:

[1]  “Rosh HaShanah” – Rosh HaShanah | Ernie’s Musings (erniecarrasco.com)

[2]  Matthew 24:31

[3]  Leviticus 23

[4]  Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; 16:19; Luke 22:69; Acts 7:56; Ephesians 1:19-20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:21-22

[5]  Revelation 19:16

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August 27, 2023 · 10:00

Judgment’s Coming

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

The Apostle Paul spoke of the Church as a “mystery” hitherto unknown. The Old Testament (OT) prophets did not foresee the Church in their forecasts of the coming Messiah and the full restoration of the nation of Israel.

The Prophet Daniel who arguably gave us the most concise view of the “latter days” forecasted a 490-year period (Daniel 9:24-27), which, when we consider that it was given around the fifth century B.C., has long expired its timeframe. In that prophecy, Daniel predicted the exact day when the Messiah would be “cut off” (483 years) followed by a final seven years “to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24). “To anoint the most Holy” refers to establishing the kingdom for the Messiah that was previously “cut off.” By way of hindsight, we know that refers to Jesus Christ who was “cut off,” i.e., crucified for our sins.

However, after Jesus was crucified and rose again, the seven years came and went and things continued as always. The “most Holy” was not anointed, and more significantly, Jerusalem and the Temple were completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. That meant He had no earthly kingdom, no Israel, over which to reign. Here is where the “mystery” comes to play. Paul says, “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32, emphasis mine). After Messiah was “cut off” and ascended to heaven, the time clock for Israel stopped and the time for the Church started. That time is about to end (we do not know “the day or the hour”), and the time clock for Israel – the final seven years – will begin.

Daniel did not see the Church. He could not even conceive of such a thing. However, he did see the final end of all things – the final judgment. He foresaw the time when all the dead would rise, and all would be judged and receive their just reward – “some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).

The Apostle John recorded that event in detail as the “Great White Throne Judgment”:

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

Judgment is coming, and it is closer now than ever. Reader, are you prepared for that day? If not, please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.” You can also find more information on the “last days” on my “Revelation”

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