Source: Are You Focused on Doom Instead of Him? – Is September the End?
Eric Barger presents a very balanced perspective on the upcoming September events. This is a must-read article for all Christians who are looking forward to the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:6)[1]
Heaven is a place everyone wants to go, but what will we do when we get there? Some imagine Heaven as a place “up there” in the clouds somewhere where we will all sit around in white robes plunking on harps. Everyone looks forward to seeing friends and loved ones there (provided they chose Jesus during their time on earth). The last two chapters of the book of Revelation describe Heaven as a recreated earth with a “new Jerusalem” in the form of a cube 1500 miles cubed – that is 3.375 billion cubic miles. The description is beautiful beyond imagination, but it is a physical place where the saints will be employed as “kings and priests.”
The phrase “kings and priests,” in Revelation 1:6, is best understood as “kingdom of priests” or, as some translations have it, “royal priesthood.” Jesus is “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16). That statement itself suggests that there are other kings and other lords, but Jesus rules over all of them. Revelation 1:5 says:
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (emphasis mine).
“Prince” translates the Greek word archōn, which means “first” or “chief ruler.” That establishes Jesus’ reign as supreme. Below Him is His “kings and priests” who reign with Him, but are subject to Him. Dr. Henry M. Morris, founder of the Institute for Creation Research, writes:
Those who were slaves became kings and priests, (or “a kingdom of priests”) seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) and serving as a holy priesthood, offering up spiritual sacrifices to God (1 Peter 2:5). In the coming Kingdom, He promises that we shall actually “reign with him” (Revelation 20:6; 2 Timothy 2:12). But though we shall reign with Him, we are still His servants (Revelation 22:3) and it will be our joy to acknowledge His glory and dominion forever.[2]
Other scriptural confirmation (all emphasis mine):
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood [kingdom of priests], an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9)
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father (Revelation 2:26-27).
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)
Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (1 Corinthians 6:2)
But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever … And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him (Daniel 7:18, 27).
So, regardless of whatever else will occupy our time in Heaven, one of those tasks will be to serve as kings and priests in service to the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Hope to see you there!
[1] Scripture citations are linked to The Henry Morris Study Bible online Bible at http://www.icr.org/ that has additional notes.
[2] Henry M Morris, The Revelation Record, (Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Ill., 1983), 38.
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Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. (Matthew 24:34)
The cross loomed menacingly just days away. Jesus’ mind was already on that fateful day as He traversed the crowded streets of Jerusalem. As His disciples marveled at the grand architecture of Herod’s Temple, Jesus’ thoughts were on the future of His impending death and beyond. “See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). This prediction literally came to pass just 40 years after His crucifixion when the Roman general Titus razed Jerusalem in 70 AD and leveled the Jewish Temple. Not a single stone of that edifice remains. For those who unknowingly point to the Wailing Wall that stands next to the Muslim Dome of the Rock, I must point out that the Wailing Wall is the remains of the Roman Antonia Fortress that surrounded the Temple and was not actually a part of the Temple.
That remark gave pause for thought, and when they arrived at the Mount of Olives, the disciples naturally wanted to know, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3). As we assess that state of our world, the same question comes to mind. In response to the disciples’ question, Jesus launched into his “Olivet Discourse” where He spoke of the rise of false Christs, wars and rumors of wars, the increase of iniquity, the demise of love, and the rise of the Antichrist (the “abomination of desolation”).
Jesus described the “Great Tribulation” as a period of seven years that will precede His return. This period was predicted by the Prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27) and detailed in Revelation 6-19. However, the timing is not provided and that is what the disciples and we want to know. Jesus did not provide that information either. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36). He did, however, give us a hint:
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. (Matthew 24:32-34, emphasis mine)
The fig tree has often been seen as a symbol of the nation of Israel. Jesus uses this symbol to indicate the proximity of the time. When the fig tree, i.e., Israel, is tender and begins to bud, we know that summer, i.e., the time of His return, is near. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the nation of Israel ceased to exist until May 14, 1948 when the “fig tree” budded and the nation was reborn. “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Jesus was not referring to the disciple’s generation, because even though they witnessed the destruction of the Temple, Jerusalem and the nation of Israel, they did not see the return of Christ as reigning King. They did see Him after He rose from the grave, but then He returned to heaven (Acts 1:9). Jesus referred to the generation that would see the rebirth of Israel.
The question remains, how long is a generation? It could be 100 years when we consider that Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born (Genesis 21:5). It could also be the span of Abraham’s life, 175 years (Genesis 25:7). But the answer is more basic than that. Jesus was not giving a definite number of years. Recall that He said that no one except the Father knows the time or the hour. Instead, Jesus said that the generation that witnessed the rebirth of Israel will also see His return. The generation born in 1948 is now 67 years old, and most of them are still going strong. If we consider the “Greatest Generation” that fought in World War II, many of them are still living, but they are declining in number – that narrows the time even more.
Either way the time is drawing very close for the Lord’s return. Before He does, there precedes seven horrible years of Great Tribulation that will engulf the entire world. I am concerned for friends and loved ones that will live though that dreadful time. While there will still be opportunity turn to Christ during that time, the decision will be costly. For those of us who have placed our trust in Christ, our Lord will come for us sometime before that dreadful day – maybe today. This Generation, the one in which we live, will see the return of Christ. Are you ready?
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This goes in line with my last post: “I Know Whom I Have Believed.” Please note that Rabbi Cahn is not setting dates and he continues to affirm that “the times” are ultimately in the sovereign hands of God. At the same time, we are instructed by God’s Word to “watch.”
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For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. (Psalm 37:10)
These are exciting times in which we live. The world’s attention is focused to the time around mid-September. End-times Bible prophets point to the Jewish Fall Feasts (more accurately, the Feasts of the Lord), and note that this year’s feasts are more significant than any others in the past. Jonathan Cahn, author of The Harbinger, recently released his latest book, The Mystery of the Shamitah, where he meticulously points out that in recent US history, Shamitahs have resulted in economic collapse demonstrated by huge drops in the stock market.
The Shamitah is the seven-year cycle assigned by God (Leviticus 25:4) where the Jews were required to leave the land fallow for the entire year to give it a rest – a Sabbath for the land. The Jews failed to keep the Shamitahs for 490 years (7 years x 70 Shamitahs) resulting in their 70 year Babylonian captivity (2 Chronicles 36:21; Jeremiah 25:11-12), one year for each Shamitah they failed to keep. You will need to get Cahn’s book for specific details, but in short, he suggests that God’s laws have transferred to the US because of how our nation was founded – “One nation under God.” Our nation is now reaping the consequences for our rejection of God. Cahn observes that every great economic collapse that America has experienced has fallen at the conclusion of a Shamitah year.
This year (2015) the Shamitah concludes on September 13. If the cycle keeps true to the pattern, the United States will experience a great economic collapse on September 14. This is due to the fact that September 13 falls on a Sunday when the stock market is closed. I noticed this past week that the stock market took a huge hit dropping over 500 points and making Wall Street very nervous. This seven-year cycle has not escaped many economists; however they cannot explain why this happens.
Another interesting event in September is that of Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets), which signals the Jewish New Year. This event occurs on September 14. It also signals the beginning of the Jubilee year (Leviticus 25:8). After seven Shamitahs (7×7 or 49 years), the following year was special Shamitah called the Jubilee making a 50-year cycle. At this time all debts were cancelled, all properties were returned to the original owners and all accounts were zeroed. What is significant about this coming Jubilee is that it will be the 70th Jubilee since the law was given 3500 years ago. More could be said on this, but I recommend getting the book God’s Final Jubilee by Dan Goodwin.
These are significant events on God’s calendar (which, by the way, does not follow our solar calendar). But even in the secular world, this coming September seems to hold the promise of “something big” happening. As stated earlier, economists are aware of the 7-year cycle, and even though they do not understand it nor can they explain it, they predict an economic collapse this fall, sometime in September or October. The Pope plans to address Congress on September 24. This will be the first time a Pope has ever addressed the US Congress. This follows immediately after Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths) begins on Sunday just three days later.
What does this all mean? I do not know, but it is interesting that all these events are converging from the middle to the end of September. Perhaps this is the year that the Lord will call His bride home. That is my earnest hope at least, but I am not packing my bags and heading to the hills. Jesus gave us all our assignments before He left, and He said, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). Ever since the turn of the 21st century (perhaps even before that), every time this season rolls around, I start looking toward the eastern sky listening for the call of that last trumpet. So far, I have been disappointed, but not despondent. This is God’s plan, and He is in full control. I know that the call will not come until His time is right. Whenever that happens, I am ready!
One of my favorite hymns says:
I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.
I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.
I know not how the Spirit moves
Convicting men of sin,
Revealing Jesus thro’ the Word,
Creating faith in him.
(I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.)
I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.
Refrain:
But “I know Whom I have believed,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.” [1] (2 Timothy 1:12)
I look forward to September 2015 in anticipation of our Lord’s return. If it doesn’t happen, that just means that we have more work to do. There is also the possibility that I may die before He returns. Either way, I will be with Him. As the last verse of the hymn says, “I know not when my Lord may come, at night or noonday fair, nor if I walk the vale with Him, or meet Him in the air.” The point is, I know in whom I have believed, and I am fully trusting in His sovereign will. How about you? Are you ready for His return?
[1] Daniel W. Whittle, “I Know Whom I Have Believed,” Published 1883.
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