Zechariah's Vision

 

“Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll. And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and, ‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.” “I will send out the curse,” says the LORD of hosts; “It shall enter the house of the thief And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house And consume it, with its timber and stones.”   Zechariah 5:1-4  NKJV

 

Oftentimes when one chooses to study the Word of God, especially the Old Testament, you come across passages which at first glance seem extraordinarily confusing and difficult to understand.  When I first discovered this vision of Zechariah and began to study it, I immediately placed it in that category as so much of it seems to make no sense at all. Yet as I began to study it with the help of commentaries and Old Testament scholars, I found that this vision given to Zechariah might well be strangely relevant to our times although it seems to have been ignored completely by many discussing eschatology today.

 

The word in the Hebrew for scroll is “megillah”, which is a long sheet of parchment that is rolled up and placed in an ornate cylinder for safekeeping. The first confusing fact I came across in this passage though, can be found in the dimensions of the scroll Zechariah saw. By doing the math I was surprised to find that the size he describes, if rolled up and put in its container would be approximately 30 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter.  As I thought about that, a very uncomfortable coincidence occurred to me as these dimensions are very comparable to many ICBM’s around the world today. 

 

Now, while you might believe this to be a stretch, stay with me a little longer as we examine this text with that possibility in mind.  Zechariah goes on to call it a “curse”, which is present throughout the whole earth, and tells us it will not only enter a house, but completely consume it, “timber and stones”.  So now we have to consider just what the nature of this curse could be if it is able to do exactly what Zechariah describes.  Since a normal detonation of a typical explosion only produces power capable of destroying a structure, we have to ask the question what sort of payload is capable of actually consuming it.  Believe it or not, Zechariah tells us what it is.

 

“Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, “Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth.” So I asked, “What is it?” And he said, “It is a basket that is going forth.” He also said, “This is their resemblance throughout the earth: “Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket”; then he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth.”  Zechariah 5:5-8 NKJV

 

Now before some of you decide to have some fun explaining how a woman could be a curse, there is something about Hebrew you need to know.  In the Hebrew, the word for woman is ish·shä' , but the word used for fire, especially a sacrificial burnt offering, is ish·shä'.  Confused?  I as well, but this is one of those times when the meaning is determined by the context, and most of the Hebrew scholars I found believe the meaning here is of fire.  I think too, you will agree, that fire seems to be a better explanation for the type of destruction described. 

 

Next, the word for basket used here is “ephah”, which typically describes the baskets commonly used at that time to carry a measure of grain or other commodities.  What is different here is that Zechariah tells us that not only does it carry the fire, it is made of lead.  In the Hebrew Masoretic text, we are told the lead disk lifted up is a “talent” of lead which would be approximately one hundred pounds.  Now if just the lid is that heavy, how heavy is the rest of the container?  Not to mention the most intriguing question of all; what sort of “fire” needs to be shielded by lead in this day and age?

 

“Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. So I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they carrying the basket?” And he said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.”  Zechariah 5:9-11  NKJV

 

Of course, although these “megillahs” are said to go forth to all the earth, Zechariah goes on to tell us that the base of operations in the future will be in the land of Shinar, which is translated as the country of two rivers, or what later became known as Babylonia.  Considering that the book of Revelation tells us that rebuilt Babylon will be the center of the coming anti-Christ’s power, it seems to make perfect sense he will have this sort of weaponry to unleash upon the whole earth.  Would he actually use nuclear weapons to advance his cause?  If you look closely at what is described to occur during that period of time soon to come, I believe the answer is self-evident.

 

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.   Joel 2:30-31  NKJV

 

Did Zechariah have a vision of nuclear bombs being unleashed from the Middle East?  That is entirely possible yet let's not forget he also said they go forth over the entire world. While that might not have made much sense in Zechariah’s day, considering where we find ourselves today and the situation evolving in that part of the world, I don’t believe it is a stretch at all to think this may be exactly what Zechariah’s vision was about. We can see the signs of the end all around us today, but believe it or not, 3000 years ago Zechariah saw it too.  Imagine how it must have appeared to him to watch what will unfold in our time.  Taking into account what we see happening all around us, according to many, these events might well occur in the very near future.

 

With that in mind, if you have never made the decision to accept the free gift of salvation that is offered to all of us by our Father,  I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that his Son, Jesus Christ, died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

 

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen."

 

 Keep watching.

Understanding the Times

“Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?” And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” Daniel 12:9-11  NKJV

In my article last week I mentioned one of the prophecies from the Old Testament book of Daniel in regards to where the Church might be on God’s clock.  Following the old adage that one should never assume, I thought today I would share one of the most important prophecies of Daniel in light of what God has revealed about His plan for the world, and Israel in particular. It will also help to explain the age in which we find ourselves as the body of Christ, and why so many believe that the rapture is on our immediate horizon.

 

As is often my habit, I want to defer again to those who have taught me so much by sharing an article on Daniel’s 70 weeks written by Jack Kelley of gracethrufaith.com. It does, in my opinion, illustrate perfectly what God told Daniel in the passage above about the wise understanding at the time of the end. While the future time that God spoke about to Daniel seemed confusing and unimaginable, it does make perfect sense in the present time to those who choose to examine the world’s current situation through the lens of prophetic scripture.

The 70 Weeks of Daniel

By Jack Kelley

Many believe that Daniel 9:24-27 is the most important passage of prophecy in all of Scripture. Almost every mistake I’ve run across in studying the various interpretations of End Times Prophecy can be traced back to a misunderstanding of this passage. Let’s begin the year with an updated and expanded study of this important prophecy.

Before plowing into it, we’ll back up a little and review the context. Daniel was an old man, probably in his eighties. He’d been in Babylon for nearly 70 years and knew from reading the recently completed scroll of Jeremiah’s writings (specifically the part we know as Jeremiah 25:8-11) that the 70-year captivity God had ordained for Israel was just about over. (Daniel 9:2)

The reason for the captivity had been Israel’s insistence upon worshiping the false gods of their pagan neighbors. Its duration of 70 years came from the fact that for 490 years they had failed to let their farmland lie fallow one year out of every seven as God had commanded in Leviticus 25:1-7. The Lord had been patient all that time but finally had sent them to Babylon to give the land the 70 years of rest that were due it. (2 Chron. 36:21)

The beginning of Daniel 9 documents Daniel’s prayer, reminding the Lord that the 70 year time of punishment was nearly over and asking for mercy on behalf of his people. Before he could finish his prayer, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and spoke the words that we know as Daniel 9:24-27. Let’s read the whole thing to get the overview and then take it apart verse by verse.

Seventy weeks are determined upon your people and your Holy City to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most Holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until The Anointed One the Ruler comes there will be seven weeks and sixty two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench but in times of trouble. After the sixty two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue till the end and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. In the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the Temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation until the end that is decreed is poured out on him (Daniel 9:24-27).

No prophecy in all of Scripture is more critical to our understanding of the end times than these four verses. A few basic clarifications are in order first; then we’ll interpret the passage verse by verse. The Hebrew word translated weeks (or sevens) refers to a period of 7 years, like the English word decade refers to a period of 10 years. It literally means “a week of years.” So 70 weeks is 70 x 7 years or 490 years. This period is divided into three parts, 7 weeks or 49 years, 62 weeks or 434 years, and 1 week or 7 years. Let’s begin.

Seventy weeks are determined upon your people and your Holy City to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most Holy [place]. (Daniel 9:24).

Sitting upon His heavenly throne, God decreed that six things would be accomplished for Daniel’s people (Israel) and Daniel’s Holy City (Jerusalem) during a specified period of 490 years. (I’ve inserted the word “place” after Holy at the end of the verse to clarify the fact that it refers to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.)

We should be aware that in Hebrew these things read a little differently.  Literally, God had determined to:
1.  restrict or restrain the transgression (also translated rebellion)
2.  seal up their sins (as if putting them away in a sealed container)
3.  make atonement (restitution) for their iniquity
4. bring them into a state of everlasting righteousness
5. seal up (same word as #2) vision and prophecy
6. anoint (consecrate) the most Holy place (sanctuary)

In plain language, God would put an end to their rebellion against Him, put away their sins, and pay the penalties they had accrued, bring the people into a state of perpetual righteousness, fulfill the remaining prophecies, and anoint the Temple. This was to be accomplished through their Messiah (Jesus) because no one else could do it.  Had they accepted Him as their savior their rebellion against God would have ended. Their sins would have all been forgiven, and the full penalty paid for them. They would have entered into a state of eternal righteousness, all their prophecies would have been fulfilled, and the rebuilt temple would have been consecrated. It should be noted here that although it appears to have been accepted by Him, God never dwelt in the 2nd Temple, nor was the ark of the covenant and its mercy seat ever present therein.

Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until The Anointed One the Ruler comes there will be seven weeks and sixty two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench but in times of trouble (Daniel 9:25).

Here is a clear prophecy of the timing of the First Coming. When this message was given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel, Jerusalem had lain in ruin for nearly 70 years, and the Jews were captive in Babylon. Counting forward for 62 + 7 periods of 7 years each (a total of 483 years) from a future decree giving the Jews permission to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, they should expect the Messiah.

To avoid confusion, it’s important to distinguish the decree that freed the Jews from their captivity from the one that gave them permission to rebuild Jerusalem.

When he conquered Babylon in 535BC Cyrus the Persian immediately freed the Jews. It had been prophesied 150 years earlier in Isaiah 44:24-45:6 and was fulfilled in Ezra 1:1-4. But according to Nehemiah 2:1-9 the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given in the first month of the 20th year of his reign by King Artaxerxes of Persia (March of 445 BC on our calendar, about 90 years later).

About 125 years ago Sir Robert Anderson unlocked the secret of Daniel’s 70 weeks when he teamed up with the London Royal Observatory to discover that prophetic years are 360 days in length and consist of 12 months of 30 days each. This is also the only way you can make the three measures of the Great Tribulation (1260 days, 42 months, or 3 1/2 years) come out the same. Therefore the 70 weeks of Daniel consist of 490 years of 360 days each. He published this discovery in a book called The Coming Prince, a commentary on Daniel’s 70th Week.

From their research, we also know that exactly 483 years after the decree of Artaxerxes the Lord Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to shouts of “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38)!  It was the only day in His life that He permitted His followers to proclaim Him as Israel’s King, fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy to the day! The Hebrew in Daniel 9:25 calls Him Messiah the Prince, denoting the fact that He was coming as the Anointed Son of the King and was not yet crowned King Himself.

In Luke 19:41-45, Jesus reminded the people of the specific nature of this prophecy. As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” He held them accountable for knowing Daniel 9:24-27.

A few days later He extended that accountability to those who would be alive in Israel during the End Times. “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel–let the reader understand– then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matt 24:15-16) They will also be required to understand Daniel 9.

After the sixty two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue till the end and desolations have been decreed (Daniel 9:26).

First came 7 sevens (49 years) and then 62 sevens (434 years) for a total of 69 sevens or 483 years. The Hebrew word for Anointed One is Mashiach (Messiah in English).   At the end of this 2nd period, their Messiah would be cut off, which means to be executed or literally destroyed in the making of a covenant, having received none of the honor, glory, and blessing the Scriptures promised Him.

Make no mistake about it.  Jesus had to die so these 6 promises could come true.  No one else in Heaven or on Earth could accomplish this.  We can only imagine how different things would have been if they had accepted Him as their Messiah and let Him die for their sins so He could bring them into everlasting righteousness with His resurrection. But of course God knew they wouldn’t, so He had to do things the hard way.

Do you realize what that means?  It wasn’t killing the Messiah that put the Jews at odds with God.  After all, He came to die for them.   No.  It’s that in killing Him, they refused to let His death pay for their sins so He could save them.  This had the effect of making His death meaningless to them. That’s what severed the relationship.

Because of that, we now get the first hint that all would not go well.   Following the crucifixion, the people of a ruler yet to come would destroy Jerusalem, and the Temple—the same Temple that God decreed would be consecrated.  The Israelites would be scattered abroad, and peace would elude the world.

We all know that Jesus was crucified and 38 years later the Romans put the torch to the city and the Temple destroying both. Surviving Jews were forced to flee for their lives, and in the ensuing 2000 years, I don’t believe a single generation has escaped involvement in a war of some kind.

After the crucifixion something strange happened: The Heavenly clock stopped. 69 of the 70 weeks had passed and all that was prophesied to happen during those 483 years had come to pass, but there was still one week (7 years) left. There are hints in the Old Testament that the clock had stopped several times before in Israel’s history when for one reason or another they were either under subjugation or out of the land. And in the New Testament we’re also given hints that while God is dealing with the Church, time ceases to exist for Israel (Acts 15:13-18). But the clearest indication of the stopped clock is that the events foretold in Daniel 9:27 simply haven’t happened yet.

He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. In the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the Temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation until the end that is decreed is poured out on him (Daniel 9:27).

It’s vital to our understanding of the End Times that we realize two things here.  First, the Age of Grace didn’t follow the Age of Law. It merely interrupted the Age of Law seven years short of its promised duration.  These seven years have to be completed for God to accomplish the six things the angel listed in verse 24 for Israel.

And second, the Age of Grace was not the next step in the progression of God’s overall plan but was a deviation from it.  Once the rapture comes, nothing like the Age of Grace will ever happen again. (Ephes. 2:6-7)  Even when Israel accepts the New Covenant, as Jeremiah 31:31-34 promises,  they won’t enjoy the same benefits the Church has enjoyed. The relationship the Church has with the Lord will never be repeated with any other group.  Ever.

But before we try to understand the 70th week let’s review a rule of grammar that will help make our interpretation of verse 27 correct. The rule is this: Pronouns refer us back to the closest previous noun. “He,” being a personal pronoun, refers to the closest previous personal noun, in this case, “the ruler who will come.” So a ruler who will come from the territory of the old Roman Empire will confirm a 7-year covenant with Israel that permits them to build a Temple and re-instate their Old Covenant worship system.  3 1/2 years later he will violate the covenant by setting up an abomination that causes the Temple to become desolate, putting an end to their worship. This abomination brings the wrath of God down upon him, and he will be destroyed.

The most obvious way in which we know these things haven’t happened is that the Jewish Old Covenant worship system requires a Temple and there hasn’t been one since 70 AD when the Romans destroyed it.

Some say this prophecy was fulfilled during the Roman destruction, but most believe it’s yet future, partly because of the term Abomination that causes Desolation. It’s a specific insult to God that has happened only once previously. Antiochus Epiphanes, a powerful Syrian king, had attacked Jerusalem and entered the Temple area in 168BC. There he had sacrificed a pig on the Temple altar and erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus with his own face on it.  He then required everyone to worship it on pain of death. This rendered the Temple unfit for worshiping God and so incensed the Jews that they revolted and defeated the Syrians. This is all recorded in Jewish history (1st Maccabees) where it’s called the Abomination of Desolation. The subsequent cleansing of the Temple is celebrated to this day in the Feast of Hanukkah.

Paul warned us that in the latter days a world leader will become so powerful that he will exalt himself above everything that is called god or is worshiped and will stand in the Temple proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thes 2:4). In Rev 13:14-15 we’re told that he’ll have a statue of himself erected and require everyone to worship it on pain of death. In Matt 24:15-21 Jesus said that the Abomination that causes Desolation spoken of by Daniel will kick off the Great Tribulation, a period 3 1/2 years long that coincides with the last half of Daniel’s 70th week. The similarities between this coming event and the one from history being so obvious, most scholars are persuaded that one points to the other since nothing in the intervening years fits so completely.

Soon And Very Soon

A new leader will soon emerge on the scene, a man with great personal charisma.  Following a devastating war in the Middle East, he’ll present a plan to restore peace, by which he will quickly captivate and control the world. Since all true believers will have recently disappeared from Earth in the rapture of the Church, he’ll have no trouble persuading most remaining inhabitants that he is the promised Messiah, the Prince of Peace. He will astound and amaze them all with feats of diplomacy and conquest, even performing the supernatural.

When he claims to be God, all hell will break loose on Earth and 3 1/2 years of the most terrible times mankind has ever known will threaten their very existence. But before they’re all destroyed the real Prince of Peace will return and overthrow this impostor. He will set up His kingdom on earth, a kingdom that will never be destroyed or left to another.

Having given His life to finish transgression, put an end to sin, atone for wickedness and bring in everlasting righteousness, and having fulfilled all Biblical vision and prophecy, He will anoint the most Holy Place and receive all the honor, glory and blessing the Scriptures promise Him. Israel will finally have her Kingdom back and will live in peace with God in her midst forever. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 01-08-11

https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/the-70-weeks-of-daniel/

 

In order for God to finish His work with the nation of Israel, the Church must be removed via the event we call the rapture.  At a time when so many in the body agree that all the pieces are in place for the seventieth week of Daniel to begin, the choice to accept God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ is the most important one you will ever make.  If you have never taken the step of asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart and save you from eternity without Him, I encourage you to do that right now.  Simply tell Him you are sorry for your sin, ask Him to forgive you, and accept the sacrifice He made to die for your sin, and He has promised not only to forgive you but to make you one of His own and come into your life and provide all the help you need to begin to live for Him.  I am convinced His return is much closer than we may think.

 

Keep watching.

A Question of Timing

 

“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”  Matthew 24:33-35  NKJV

As much as we may strongly dislike the times we find ourselves in right now, there is no arguing the fact that the opportunities to share the gospel have increased exponentially right along with our troubles.  A perfect example of that is that just this past week I was asked on no less than four different occasions why I believe we are approaching the end of this age.   Today I want to list just a few of the reasons I personally believe we are at the end of the road.

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”  2 Peter 3:8  NKJV

In Judaism, it has long been taught that the age of God’s plan for this world will mimic the days of creation, that being six days or six thousand years with one day of one thousand years (the seventh day) as a “day” of rest.  If true, the math becomes easy to figure as on the Jewish calendar we are currently in the year 5781.  There have been, however, enough changes in the past to question the accuracy of that number.  Most scholars I have studied agree that there were approximately two thousand years from creation to Abraham, and another two thousand years from Abraham to the appearance of Jesus of Nazareth.  While the date of Jesus’ birth and death are a subject of debate, I personally believe that Jesus was crucified and rose again in 30 AD.  If you add two thousand years to that you arrive at 2030.  Subtract 7 years for the tribulation and we arrive at 2023 as a start date for that terrible time of trouble.  As I have long believed and subscribed to the “Gap Theory” which teaches that there is a gap of time between the rapture of the Church and the beginning of the tribulation, you can see why I am continually looking up and expecting to hear our call to come home at any time.

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.”  Matthew 24:32  NKJV

I am sure by now that many are familiar not only with this passage, but also with the teaching that the fig tree is an idiom for the nation of Israel and that this sign was fulfilled on May 14, 1948 when at the termination of the British mandate David Ben- Gurion proclaimed the establishment of Israel as an independent nation once again. In the portion of the Olivet Discourse I shared with you at the beginning of this article, Jesus says that the generation which sees the fig tree bloom will not pass away until all the events He is sharing with His disciples comes to pass.  If we consider God’s statement in Psalm 90:10 that the upper limit of a generation is 80 years and add that to 1948 we arrive at the year 2028.  Again subtracting the seven years of the tribulation we find ourselves at the current year of 2021.  While not claiming this is the year of our rapture, again you can see why many are anticipating the trumpet blast which will signify our departure from this world.

“And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. “Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days”.  Daniel 12:11-12  NKJV

Now this one might surprise you coming from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, but if you have followed me for any length of time I’m sure you understand that I subscribe to the old Jewish saying that “coincidence isn’t kosher”. You probably recognize this passage from Daniel referring to the event which occurs at the mid-point of the seven year tribulation when the anti-christ enters the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and proclaims that he is God and will demand to be worshipped.  Yet many might not realize there may be another application for this passage. It starts by changing days into years.  In 606BC King Nebuchadnezzar abolished the sacrifices in the Holy Temple (taken away). If you add 1290 years to that date you arrive at 686 AD, which just coincidently, is when construction began on the Islamic Dome of the Rock which rests on top of the Temple Mount (abomination of desolation is set up).  If you then add 1335 years to 686AD you arrive at 2021(blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days).  Just coincidence?  You get to decide for yourself.

Those are just three of so many reasons I could give you, but today I also want to share an article by Pete Garcia of rev310.net which also addresses the subject of where we find ourselves right now.

 

Are We There Yet?

by Pete Garcia

Given all the signs of the times we are seeing, whilst simultaneously living through the time of the signs, it is becoming easier to ask God why He has yet to return. You’ve asked Him. I’ve asked Him. And it’s not wrong to ask. In fact, it’s natural for us to want to know when we will be leaving. Just as natural as kids on a road trip ask their parents, “Are we there yet?”

Many are asking then, how many more abominations, atrocities, and apostasies do we have to endure before we see our promised deliverance? How many murdered children and terrorist attacks do we have to bear witness to before God finally judges this world and restores righteousness to it? How many blasphemous and wicked celebrations that our own governments are mandating do we have to tolerate before we are taken up? Even non-believers are beginning to ask these questions because the scale of wickedness only seems at a tipping point.

If you are uncertain on this point, the Bible is absolutely clear that there will be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. Don’t let anyone rob of you that blessed hope (Titus 2:13, Rev. 3:11). If the Rapture wasn’t before the Tribulation, and the church (not the Jews or the Tribulation saints) were expected to go through it, the New Testament would be replete with guidance for the church on how to survive it. In particular, the epistles would be replete with guidance on how to navigate through the 21 divinely appointed judgments God unleashes upon the world.

Instead of writing about how to be a Christian and looking for Christ's return; Paul, James, Peter, and John would be talking about looking for this coming “man of sin” who will take over the entire world. They would be laying out steps the church could take to weather the coming storm. They would give instruction on how to survive in a world that is wholly given over to Satan without restraint.

Strangely, there is no such guidance found in the Bible from the book of Acts through Revelation 4:1.

Remember, Noah wasn’t rescued during the Flood. Lot wasn’t told to hunker down and endure through the fire and brimstone storm. No, their deliverance was always before, not during, or after.

Even Abraham asked that pivotal question in Genesis 18:25-

Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Of course, we know what happened. In fact, the angels delivering Lot told him they couldn’t allow the judgment to begin UNTIL Lot was safely removed. It is the exact same scenario with Noah. There was ample opportunity for anyone who wanted to avoid the coming judgment to get on board the ark before God closed the doors. I imagine at the outset there were probably many who listened to Noah’s preaching at first. The Apostle Peter states that Noah was a “preacher of righteousness,” (2 Peter 2:5) and this presumes Noah had an audience to preach to. By that reasoning, there would have been many converts at the beginning who believed Noah of a coming judgment. They would have listened intently as he echoed Enoch’s earlier warnings of the coming judgments. These early converts may have even helped him at the start.

Just as death is the great equalizer, time is the great desensitizer. As the days turned into weeks, and the months into years, the ark was slowly being built. Those people who had turned out at the first began to lose interest and drifted back into their old lives. In their leaving, they would miss out on seeing the great signs marking the nearness of the coming judgment. Those signs being the supernatural gathering of all the different kinds of animals that began assembling at the ark.

By the time the ark was complete, and all the provisions and animals were on board, the crowds that used to stand and listen to old Noah preaching had all disappeared. All that remained were his wife, his sons, and their wives. I imagine it broke Noah’s heart to know that all those who had been so eager to help at the first, were no longer anywhere to be found. With sadness, he would enter the ark and God closed the doors behind him. (Gen. 7:16)

Assessment

"According to Revelation 1:11, the book was written to seven congregations in Asia, modern Turkey. For 2,000 years, scholars have wondered why such an important message would be sent to these churches since they weren’t even the most important of their day, let alone now…The answer lies in the realization that the letters of chapters 2 and 3 have a representative as well as a specific purpose. They can be read with four levels of application.

The first level is historical. These seven churches really existed, and each was experiencing the particular problem to which the Lord referred as He dictated the letters to John. Second, since all the churches were to read all the letters, the letters were also admonitory to all. Third, since both the challenge and promise with which each letter ends are personal rather than corporate, the letters were for individuals as well as congregations. And fourth, read in the order in which they appear they outline church history and so are prophetic. They chronicle the gap between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy." (Daniel 9:24-27) (GracethruFaith)

Some of these things have been on my mind as of late, and I don’t want to come across as dogmatic regarding them. Not everyone believes that the Seven Churches in Revelation are prophetically significant. However, the late Jack Kelley, myself, and many others believe they are. To Jack’s last point, in keeping with the prophetic order of the seven churches as they are given, I believe they are representative of the seven great epochs (Revelation 1-3) the church has undergone since Christ ascended.

I would add that even the Philadelphian Church age could be broken down into four arenas (my opinion). Furthermore, since the promise of physical deliverance was given only to this Philadelphian church, this church will endure even when the Laodicean era begins. (Scriptural emphasis is mine)

Part 1: The Great Awakening (1730-1760)

(Notables- Theodore Frelinghuysen, Gilbert Tennent, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield)

This kicked off the four-fold stage of the Philadelphian church. The first Great Awakening, not only brought revival amongst the dead/dying protestant churches in the American colonies (representative of the Sardis Church Age), but it also helped lay the philosophical and theological foundation of a new nation that was about to born. The United States would become a beacon of religious liberty and freedom from then, until today. To this day, the door has not yet been shut.

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. Rev. 3:7

Part 2: The Second Great Awakening (1795-1830)

(Notables- William Carey, John N. Darby, Barton Stone, Lyman Beecher, Charles G. Finney)

This period not only saw the explosion of Christian missionary efforts begin to span the globe, but it also saw a rejection of the dead, mainline Protestantism which had since grown cold and passionless. There was a great desire for the church to return a historical, grammatical, and literal reading of the Word of God. In doing so, the church began to wake up (spiritually speaking) and the Dispensationalist movement began.

As often accused, John N. Darby did not create dispensationalism out of thin air. He simply codified centuries of pre-existent teaching regarding what the Bible has taught all along. In doing so, the church began to realize three things: the gospel needed to go out into the entire world, the Church was not Israel, and the end of the age was close at hand. Unfortunately, Satan countered by stifling this revivalism with an explosion of Christian cults, which began to obfuscate the truth amongst those seeking God (Mormons, Millerites, etc.)

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Rev. 3:8

Part 3: The Third Great Awakening (1857-1920)

(Notables- D.L. Moody, William Booth, Billy Sunday, Charles Spurgeon, C.I. Scofield, Clarence Larkin)

The last great awakening in our nation would mark the end of the dominance Christianity had on the culture at large. From here on out, smaller and less impactful revivals would crisscross the nation, but nothing like those previous ones had done. This was a period of great transition in the nation, not only literally, but spiritually as well. The nation was transitioning out of the Civil War era, westward expansion, and World War I, and into the modernized Industrial Age.

Because of these major shifts in the nation and the world at large, eastern mysticism and human secularism began to flood into the West. Christendom began to suffer a rift between the “Modernists” and the Fundamentalists primarily due to scientism and the promotion of Darwinian Evolution. More and more cults and pseudo-Christian groups came out claiming to be God’s chosen people (the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, etc.) This growing anti-Semitism would peak with the German Third Reich and the Nazi Holocaust of World War II.

I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Rev. 3:9

Part IV: Philadelphia in the Laodicean Age (1945-Present)

(Notables- Billy Graham, Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, J. Vernon McGee, Chuck Smith)

After our victory in World War II, America underwent several decades of wealth and affluence, which turned out to be disastrous to the spiritual well-being of the nation. Complacency once again set in, and the decades-old seeds of socialism were just beginning to yield their first crops of neo-Marxists throughout the universities and seminaries. These atheists, agnostics, and skeptics would go on to high positions within the media, Hollywood, and government, and began using their bully pulpits to silence and scorn Christianity. The church (collectively) had entered into the Laodicean age.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Rev. 3:14-18

Yet, at the same time, God countered by creating the largest open door for the gospel to go out in the history of mankind. Men like Billy Graham had audiences in the billions. Hal Lindsey’s “Late Great Planet Earth” was the bestselling book for an entire decade (the 1970s). Tim LaHaye, of the Left Behind series namesake (which sold over 65 million books), and the countless online ministries, which continue to share the gospel worldwide were still having a great outreach for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But even with this great open door, the Church has had less influence now, than it ever has. Furthermore, churches of all denominations are dying off at a rapid pace (esp. since the COVID lockdowns) and are not being replaced. Many of the churches that do remain, are acquiescing to a culture in rapid decline so as to stay “relevant.” Many are embracing clearly anti-biblical positions such as homosexual clergy, critical race theory, socialism, anti-Semitism, eastern mysticism, and human secularism.

For the first time in church history, a seeming majority of churches (at least in the west) no longer see salvation as either being necessary, or exclusive to Christianity. Biblical evangelicals and fundamentalists are increasingly being put into smaller and smaller corners by which to live and function. We are increasingly considered “fringe” and “extreme” for simply holding to the same biblical standards that have always been. Note the promise to Philadelphia, and note the corresponding warning to Laodicea.

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Revelation 3:10-11

Therefore, if my theory is true, then we (of the Philadelphian church) are truly are on the cusp of our great deliverance. In our deliverance, Christ is also about the spit out those who are amongst our ranks that are simply either going through the motions or are purposely attempting to sabotage the few remaining churches.

How much longer you ask? Are we there yet?

And while I can’t set a date (because I don’t know it) I believe we are in the Season of His return.

Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Rev. 3:3

Maranatha!

https://www.rev310.net/post/are-we-there-yet

 

My prayer is that you have made the decision to accept the free gift of salvation offered to all of us by God choosing to send His Son to die for our sin.

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