Ezekiel 38?

In Part 1 of this mini-series, we looked at how the climax of Jesus' ministry—his crucifixion and resurrection, and Jesus sending the Holy Spirit—fulfilled the prophetic significance of the four Spring feast days. In this installment, let's look at how major events foretold about the second coming of Christ appear to align with the symbolism of the three autumn feast days. This is the part of this mini series that touches on the topic of end times prophecy. I had to break my coverage of the autumn feasts into individual parts for the sake of managing the length of the post. Subsequent posts will cover the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles.

To refresh your memory, these are the seven Biblical feast days appointed by God.

1. Passover
2. Unleavened Bread
3. Firstfruits
4. Feast of Weeks (Shavuot, or Pentecost)
5. Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)
6. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
7. Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

The Biblical calendar, along with the approximate months in our Gregorian calendar that coincide with each Hebrew month. Please note that the Biblical calendar is a lunar calendar, so the months shift around from year to year with respect to our Gregorian calendar months. Please also note that the feast days listed above are the ones appointed by God in Leviticus 23. Jewish holidays such as Hanukah, Purim, etc. are the outcome of historical events and are not Biblical feast days.

Let's look at the Biblical description of the autumn feast days, and how they correspond to major milestone events which are foretold about the second coming of Christ.

The Feast of Trumpets

The Feast of Trumpets is described in Leviticus 23 as follows:

Leviticus 23:23-25

^(23) And Yehováh spoke to Moses, saying, ^(24) “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. ^(25) You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to Yehováh.”

—

The kind of trumpet that would have been used for this feast day was the shofar, a wind instrument made out of a rams horn or other horned ungulate:

A Yemenite Jew blowing the shofar for Sabbath (late 1930's). Source: Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shofar#/media/File:Shofar_for_the_Sabbath_from_the_Matson_Collection,_ca._1934-39_(LOC).jpg )

The Feast of Trumpets is highly unusual for several reasons, first of all because unlike all of the other feast days, no reason is given for it. Consider that

• Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were given to commemorate the Exodus;
• The Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks were to honor God with the produce of the land.
• The Day of Atonement was a day of national repentance, and
• The Feast of Tabernacles was so “that your generations may know that I [God] made the people of Israel dwell in booths [= tabernacles] when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.” It commemorates when God dwelt among his people, back before Israel had a Temple, and the worship of God was done at the Tabernacle of God.

But for the Feast of Trumpets, no reason was given, and as such, this feast is a mystery.

The second notable observation concerning the Feast of Trumpets is that it lands on the first day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar (Tishri). Seven is a symbolically meaningful number, the number of completion and rest, which it gets from the seventh day of the creation account in Genesis 1. There is a traditional teaching found as far back as the early church fathers, known as the Millennial Day Theory, which held that human history would reflect the structure of the creation week, with 6,000 years corresponding to the six days of creation, and the Millennium being a literal thousand years of Christ's rule on earth corresponding to the seventh day of creation. There were controversies over the various reckonings of how the timing of all this would work out, even to this day, but the general concept is inferred from various passages of scripture, such as 2 Peter 3:8—"^(8) But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." However, scripture does not strictly state this; this is merely an inference. If the Millennial Day Theory is true, the fact that all of the autumn feast days land in the seventh month of the calendar lends itself to the symbology of these feast days correspond to the establishment of the Millennium.

No man knows the day and the hour

Besides being in the seventh month of the Biblical calendar, the Feast of Trumpets is also notable for being the only feast day that is assigned to be on the first day of a Biblical month. The Biblical calendar is an extremely ancient lunar calendar, from a period when human civilizations used observed months rather than calculated months. (See this interview with Dr. Nadia Vidro: Ancient New Moon Observation and Conjunctions) The concept of the month and even the term "month" is based on the cycles of the moon, which do not perfectly align with the cycles of the sun. In many cultures, the term for month is either the term for moon, or is derived from it. In distant antiquity, long before the science of astronomy had advanced to the point where we could reliably calculate the cycles of the sun and the moon, the beginning of each month was determined by two or three witnesses making observations of the appearance of the new moon (in the traditional sense, explained below). Since the period when calculated months came into standard use during the Roman empire, calendric have calculations set our month lengths. Because of this, our months are actually detached from the lunar cycle such that the phases of the moon do not always appear at the same time each month, but in lunar calendars, the precise phases of the moon would more or less correspond to the days of the month, with the full moon always appearing in the middle of each month.

In the Bible, the term "new moon" refers to the thinnest visible crescent of the moon marking the beginning of a new cycle, when the moon begins waxing (increasing its visible illuminated portion, as opposed to waning, where the visible illuminated portion is decreasing). Upon two or three witnesses officially observing the first visible waxing crescent of the moon, a new month would officially begin. A new moon marked the beginning a new month, and each month was only as long as one lunar cycle.

The Biblical new moon was the first visible waxing crescent moon, which could be very difficult to see. (Credit: Wikipedia— the traditional new moon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_phase#/media/File:New_Moon.jpg )

This terminology may cause confusion because in modern astronomy, the term "new moon" refers to when the illuminated portion of the moon is entirely not visible, when the dark side of the moon is facing the earth, with the moon on the sunny side of the earth, essentially making it the opposite of the full moon. Every eclipse is a new moon (using the modern astronomical definition), but because the plane of the orbit of the moon around the earth does not exactly align with the plane of the orbit of the earth around the sun, not every astronomical new moon results in an eclipse. When you read about the "new moon" in the Bible, it is not using the modern astronomical definition, but the traditional or Biblical definition.

There is an important and prophetically significant consequence resulting from the fact that the Feast of Trumpets is designated to be on the first day of an observed month.

There are several ways to reckon a lunar month, but the one that is based on the cycles of the moon is known as a synodic month. Interestingly enough, the length of the synodic month is not constant; it varies a little bit because the orbit of the earth around the sun is elliptical, and the interaction between earth's elliptical orbit and the orbit of the moon around the earth means a synodic month can vary between 29.27 days and 29.83 days. We have only known this since the development of precise astronomical measurements of heavenly bodies. But that little bit of variation is enough where when it adds up, the sighting of the new moon could not be simply calculated by cultures in distant antiquity. For this reason, cultures that relied on observed months always faced an uncertainty of at least a couple of days when the new moon could appear.

Since the first waxing crescent of the moon is such a thin sliver, it is really dim, and since it appears when the moon is still on the sun-lit side of the earth early in the evening or in the morning, its first appearance is against an illuminated sky that could wash out its appearance due to the low contrast. The precise hour when the sky is dark enough for the new moon to be visible enough for two or three people to agree that they all can see it cannot be precisely known; the moment it can be seen can vary due to atmospheric conditions and weather. Clouds in the sky in the early morning or evening could be enough to obscure the sighting of the new moon, shifting the first day of the month by a day. Sometimes the first visible waxing crescent would only be bright enough to be seen in the sky after the moon had set under the horizon where the observers were (Jerusalem). (It is not possible to see the new moon late at night, because even the new moon is on the sunny side of the earth; as the earth turns, the moon sets under the horizon within a few hours after dark.) When this occurred, the next time the new moon could even be visible would be early in the morning, while the sky was still not fully bright, and the earth had rotated enough to bring the moon back into view near the horizon.

For this reason, even though the synodic month would typically result in 30 day months, occasionally there would be 29 day months. To compensate for the mismatch between the lunar and solar cycles, the Hebrew calendar (which has long since transitioned to being a calculated calendar rather than using observed months) regularly schedules entire leap months into the calendar, to prevent the holidays from shifting into the wrong season by the gradual accumulation of cyclical discrepancies.

All this astronomy and history boils down to this: in a very literal sense, no man knows the day and the hour when the Feast of Trumpets begins with a trumpet blast. (Does this sound familiar?) When the end of summer was near, they were tasked with vigilantly watching for its coming. This doesn't mean nobody knew at all when it would occur, as if the new moon would just appear randomly, just that the resolution with which they could know when this feast day would begin could not be higher than a span of a couple of days. In fact, even with precise modern astronomical calculations, we still can't know the precise day and the hour by calculation, because weather, which could influence the sighting of the new moon, is still only probabilistically predictable, and is not reliably predictable even a week ahead.

This is why Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish civil new year, adopted from the Babylonian new year during the Babylonian exile), which has displaced the Feast of Trumpets but is still timed to the beginning of the month, is marked on the calendars as spanning two days. This year, Rosh Hashanah spans from sunset on October 2 to sunset on October 4. Because the precise date marked by the sighting of the new moon by two or three official witnesses cannot be known ahead of time, the entire period when the new moon could be sighted is set aside for this holiday.

Now let us consider the prophetic significance of the Feast of Trumpets—a feast day whose purpose is a mystery, for which they had to vigilantly watch for its coming, about which no man knew the day and the hour when the trumpets would be blown.

The Prophetic significance of the Feast of Trumpets

Those of you who are enthusiasts of end times prophecies probably recognize the signifiers I listed above as signs that attend the rapture. The Feast of Trumpets appears to foreshadow the rapture. Take a moment to refresh your memory on the verses on which this doctrine is based. (A deep dive into the doctrine of the rapture, what the church fathers had to say about it, symbolic parallels to Galilean Jewish wedding practices, and the controversies and schools of thought concerning the rapture is the topic of a study post that I'm working on. Please reserve debates in the comments about those topics for when that study post gets published.):

Matthew 24:29-31, 36-44

^(29) “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ^(30) Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ^(31) And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. …

… ^(36) “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. ^(37) For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^(38) For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, ^(39) and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^(40) Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ^(41) Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ^(42) Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ^(43) But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ^(44) Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

^(13) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ^(14) For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ^(15) For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ^(16) For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ^(17) Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ^(18) Therefore encourage one another with these words.

—

The passages above clearly show the parallels to the concept of this event being marked by the blowing of the trumpet of God, happening on a day and hour that no one knows, for which one must remain alert and vigilant to observe its coming. But the Feast of Trumpets, which is a mystery for which no reason is given for its celebration, also has prophetic parallels to Paul's remarks about the mystery of God that is the resurrection and the transformation of those who are still alive into glorified bodies:

1 Corinthians 15:50-53

^(50) I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ^(51) Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ^(52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ^(53) For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

—

In the Book of Revelation, John is even told when this occurs in the sequence of events that was being revealed to him: "in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel":

Revelation 10:1-7

^(1) Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. ^(2) He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, ^(3) and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. ^(4) And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” ^(5) And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ^(6) and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, ^(7) but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

—

(To see how God announced the resurrection to even the Old Testament prophets, see this study on the two resurrections.)

The last trumpet that Paul referred to appears to refer to the seventh trumpet of the Apocalypse, when Christ returns and establishes his kingdom on earth:

Revelation 11:15-19

^(15) Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” ^(16) And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, ^(17) saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.
^(18) The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

^(19) Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

—

Why did Paul know about these mysteries that seem to correspond to things that were revealed to John? Paul knew about and taught about these things because Paul himself was taken to heaven and shown profound mysteries. In 2 Corinthians, Paul had to defend his authority as an apostle as he rebuked the Corinthian church for tolerating false teachings (2 Corinthians 11). In his defense, Paul boasted that he had been revealed profound mysteries from God when he was taken to heaven, but he spoke of himself in the third person for the sake of humility:

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

^(1) I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. ^(2) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven [referring to himself]—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. ^(3) And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— ^(4) and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. ^(5) On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— ^(6) though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. ^(7) So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ^(8) Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ^(9) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ^(10) For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

—

Observe the parallels between verse 4 in this passage, where Paul was "caught up into paradise" and "heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter," and Revelation 10, where John was shown incredible things he was forbidden to write down. These parallels—the mystery of God which happens at the last trumpet, and the revelation of things that could not be told— do not appear to be coincidences. Paul revealed things which coherently fit with the revelations given to John because they did not make these things up, but were revealed mysteries by the same God concerning the same plan for the end of the age.

Does Christ return on the Feast of Trumpets?

To be clear, I must state up-front that no prophecy explicitly says that Jesus will return on the Feast of Trumpets, and the passages concerning the Feast of Trumpets in Leviticus 23 and the sacrificial offerings prescribed for this feast day in Numbers 29:1-6 do not say anything indicating this; the feast day itself is deliberately mysterious, and no reason is given for it. So I cannot say for sure that Jesus will return on the Feast of Trumpets, let alone what year. (The year of Christ's return is the topic of the Millennial Day theory, which has some merits, but is full of controversy and disagreement among the adherents of the many variants of this theory.) For this reason, this inference cannot be elevated to the status of dogma. (In fact, most of eschatology cannot be elevated to the status of dogma, apart from the doctrine that Jesus will one day return.)

But I would not be surprised at all if Jesus does return precisely on the Feast of Trumpets. In fact, I am inclined to suspect that he does, because so much of the symbology of the Feast of Trumpets aligns with what Jesus and Paul and John taught about his return to resurrect and gather the saints.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit fulfilled the prophetic significance of the four Spring feast days precisely on the feast days themselves. This pattern, though not strictly predictive in the sense that end times prophecies are predictive, at least suggests that Jesus will fulfill the prophetic significance of the autumn feast days precisely at those appointed times.

You may wonder, wouldn't this cause a contradiction with Jesus' warning?

… ^(36) “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. ^(37) For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^(38) For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, ^(39) and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^(40) Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ^(41) Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ^(42) Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ^(43) But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ^(44) Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

No, because the day and the hour of the Feast of Trumpets cannot be known ahead of time; it can only be observed when it happens. The uncertainty is already built in to the way this feast day is defined, as explained above.

The saying "the day of the Lord comes like a thief" is based on Jesus' remarks quoted above, but Paul elaborates that it is not supposed to surprise us like a thief:

1 Thessalonians 5:1-4

^(1) Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. ^(2) For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ^(3) While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ^(4) But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ^(5) For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.

—

The Implications of this interpretation

The implications of this interpretation is often surprising because "concerning that day and hour no one knows" is often interpreted to mean that nobody will have any idea about when Jesus will return. This interpretation of the prophetic significance of the Biblical feast days suggests that Jesus may have meant this remark much more literally—that you could, in theory, know the time of his coming down to the week, or even a span of a few days—the days set aside for when the new moon could be sighted to initiate the Feast of Trumpets— but that the resolution of your knowledge cannot be more precise than that, such that none of us can know precisely the day and the hour ahead of time. When we look at the rapture in depth in future studies, we'll see just how tightly we can bracket this event with respect to other end times events.

In the next installment of this mini-series, we'll take a look at how Biblical prophecies concerning events following Jesus' second coming are poised to fulfill the prophetic significance of the remaining autumn feast days: the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

This past Wednesday through Friday was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish holiday that has displaced Yom Teruah, the Biblical feast day known as the Feast of Trumpets. I thought it would be an apt time to write this study post at this time, before resuming the writing of the next study in the Daniel series. The Feast of Trumpets is particularly important to End Times Prophecy because of the trajectory of fulfillment that began with crucial moments in Jesus' life and ministry fulfilling the prophetic meaning of the spring Biblical feast days. Since Jesus fulfilled the prophetic significance of the spring feast days during his first coming on the feast days themselves, the trajectory of this implies that Jesus will fulfill the prophetic meaning of the autumn feast days in the same way at his second coming.

This study will be in two parts in order to keep it at a manageable length.

Part 1: The Prophetic Fulfillment of the Spring Feasts by Jesus and the Holy Spirit

The study of eschatology and end-times prophecy can be thought of as the study of the last act of the grand story arc of the Bible, where God's plan to undo the fall of man and to redeem humanity is played out over many millennia. Part of this grand story arc is the recapitulation of themes and the fulfillment of symbols that God had set in place long ago, embedded in the oracles and revelations given to the nation of Israel, which plays a central role in the fulfillment of end-times prophecies. We see examples of this in the recapitulation of aspects of the Exodus in the life of Jesus, and in the recapitulation of the plagues of the Exodus in the bowls of God's wrath during the Apocalypse, and many other examples besides these.

One of these themes that shows up in the life and ministry of Jesus is the fulfillment of the symbolism and meaning of the Biblical feast days, performed on the precise date of the feast days themselves. To be very technical, they are more properly called 'appointed times' (מוֹעֵד — mo'ayd, appointed time). Not all of these days are technically feast days; the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is technically a solemn fast day. Understanding the Biblical appointed times and how Jesus' first coming fulfilled the spring feasts shows a trajectory and pattern from which we may anticipate how some of the major end-times events are fulfilled. But first, some background is needed to avoid falling into misconceptions.

Not all Jewish holidays are Biblical holy days

What we will be looking at in this study is the fulfillment of the prophetic significance of the Biblical holy days ordained by God, not Jewish holidays that accrued over the course of history. What's the difference? In the Bible, God only appoints seven holy days for the people of Israel (not counting the Sabbath, which is literally a weekly holy day, since God blessed the seventh day and made it holy in Genesis 2:3), each of which had special religious significance and ritual requirements:

1. Passover
2. Unleavened Bread
3. Firstfruits
4. Feast of Weeks (Shavuot, or Pentecost)
5. Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)
6. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
7. Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

These seven feast days are described in Leviticus 23. Please note that the feast of unleavened bread is often grouped together under the same heading as Passover, but the text does mention it as an appointed time. Also note that the Feast of Tabernacles is translated as the Feast of Booths, or the Feast of Shelters in modern translations because nobody knows what a "tabernacle" is anymore, apart from very specific religious definitions. A tabernacle is a temporary shelter, not quite the same as a tent, but often compared to a tent because temporary shelters with a wooden frame and fabric coverings are evocative of tents. A "booth" is close enough of a translation, but in English, the term "booth" has connotations from farmers markets and county fairs and are typically used in the context of commerce.

Notice that Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah, Purim, Rosh Hashanah, Lag BaOmer, and others are not listed among these seven Biblical appointed times. The Jewish holidays have historical roots independent of God appointing them, but the Biblical feast days were appointed by God, and have special prophetic significance. Also, modern Jews do not really celebrate the Feast of Firstfruits, nor the Feast of Trumpets; the Feast of Trumpets has been displaced by Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish "new year"), which is not the same holiday. Celebrating the day of the Feast of Trumpets as the new year is technically the Babylonian new year, which the Jews began to celebrate during their time in exile in Babylon. (See this fantastic article on how Yom Teruah became Rosh Hashanah due to the corruption of Judaism during the Babylonian exile.) The Jews picked up various elements of Babylonian culture during the exile, which is why you see things like one of the months on the Hebrew calendar named after Tammuz, a Babylonian god mentioned in Ezekiel 8:14-15. The Biblical new year is the first day of the month of now called Nisan, the month of Passover, which the Bible explicitly calls the first month. (In the Bible, the months are just numbered, and are not named; the names were picked up from the Babylonians during the Babylonian exile.) In Exodus 12, where Moses is given instructions concerning the month of Passover, it says:

Exodus 12:1-2

^(1) Yehováh said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ^(2) “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. …

—

The following graphic shows the Biblical months and feast days, along with the approximate time of year in our Gregorian calendar that these correspond to. (Note: The Biblical calendar shifts around with respect to the Gregorian calendar because the Biblical calendar is a lunar calendar that occasionally uses leap-months to re-align the calendar with the solar cycle, whereas the Gregorian calendar is strictly solar, so the Gregorian months are only approximately aligned.)

https://preview.redd.it/3mhxh7vgn3td1.png?width=1032&format=png&auto=webp&s=de1e82a32b0586679d6842c3a9c45e4e0ac53c69

These feast days were carefully observed, but Paul reminds us that they were merely a shadow of what was to come, which was Christ:

Colossians 2:16-17

^(16) Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival [= feast day] or a new moon [= marks the beginning of the month] or a Sabbath. [In Judaism, the Rabbis designated certain sabbaths that coincided with certain holidays as special sabbaths.] ^(17) These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

—

Let's take a closer look at the spring feast days, to see how these were 'a shadow of the things to come', and how these feast days had their prophetic significance fulfilled at Christ's first coming:

• Passover
• the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
• the Feast of Firstfruits, and
• the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot/Pentecost).

Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are described in Leviticus 23:

Leviticus 23:4-6

^(4) “These are the appointed feasts of Yehováh, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. ^(5) In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is Yehováh's Passover. ^(6) And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Yehováh; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 

—

Even though Passover immediately preceded the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Passover itself was also to be celebrated with the eating of unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8). The feast day of Passover commemorated the original Passover (Exodus 12), which happened on the tenth plague that Moses brought upon Egypt when he was contending with Pharaoh for the freedom of his people the Israelites. God commanded that each Israelite household was to select a lamb without blemish, and to slaughter it, and put its blood on the door posts and lintel of the houses they were living in. The judgment of God against Egypt would pass over every house whose door posts and lintel were marked with the blood of the lamb.

In the New Testament, Paul teaches us that Christ fulfills the Passover in 1 Corinthians 5, where he rebukes the church for tolerating sexual immorality among its members, using leaven (yeast) as a metaphor for sin:

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

^(6) Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ^(7) Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ^(8) Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

—

Just as God's wrath and judgment passed over the Israelites because their homes were marked with the blood of an unblemished lamb, God's judgment passes over those whose sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, because Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Jesus was crucified on Passover, as the lambs were being sacrificed.

(This raises the question of what the last supper was, if it was done the night before Passover. How could the last supper be a Passover Seder if Jesus was crucified on Passover? It turns out Galilean Jews had slightly different traditions and a slightly different calendar than Judean Jews, and Jesus kept the Galilean tradition with his disciples, who were Galilean. To stay on topic, an in-depth look at the traditions of Galilean Jews will have to be a topic of another study. Also, the topic of the development of the Passover Seder also deserves its own study.)

But embedded in this teaching of Paul is another reference, to unleavened bread. When Paul says "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" he appears to be referencing Jesus' parable of the leaven (Luke 13:20-21), which, along with the parable of the weeds (Matthew 13:24-29, 36-43), warns that sin and corruption would spread through the church. Leavening is a symbol of sin, error, and corruption that grows and spreads. We see this symbology in passages such as this:

Matthew 16:5-12

^(5) When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. ^(6) Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ^(7) And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” ^(8) But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? ^(9) Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ^(10) Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ^(11) How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ^(12) Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

—

The unleavened bread eaten during Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was the Matzoh:

Traditional round matzoh, the Biblical unleavened bread

How did Jesus fulfill the prophetic significance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread? The unleavened bread used during this feast is the matzoh, which is unleavened, symbolizing a sinless life. The matzoh is pierced full of holes, and has toasted blisters that look like bruises.

Matzohs are unleavened, pierced, and 'bruised' (from the appearance of the toasted blisters)

These aspects of the matzoh symbolize what happened to Jesus, who fulfilled the Prophecy of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) when he was beaten and pierced by nails and by a spear when he was crucified on Good Friday (Passover):

Isaiah 53:5

^(5) But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed [= bruised] for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.

—

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus the sinless man lay dead in a tomb, pierced and bruised for our sins. In his death on the cross, he took away our sins (symbolized by leaven), so Paul could say to those who are in Christ, "you really are unleavened" in God's sight.

Every time we take communion, we commemorate the last supper, which was on Passover. (Remember that in the Bible, days began at sunset of what we would consider the day before, from the pattern in Genesis 1 that each following day was "evening and morning, the next day". Passover was on Good Friday, and the Last Supper was on Thursday night before, counted as the same day by the Biblical way of reckoning days.)

Matthew 26:17-19, 26-28

^(17) Now on the first day of unleavened bread [not the feast of unleavened bread, but the first day of the period on which they were required to eat unleavened bread, which began on Passover] the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ^(18) He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” ^(19) And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. …

… ^(26) Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” ^(27) And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, ^(28) for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 

—

The unleavened bread we eat at communion reminds us that Jesus, who was sinless/unleavened, was pierced for our transgressions and was bruised for our iniquities. For this reason, I am of the opinion that communion should not be taken with a loaf of leavened bread, as is the careless practice of many evangelical churches. A loaf of leavened bread would not be what Jesus used at the Last Supper on Passover when he said "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) A leavened loaf of bread lacks all of the symbolism of being unleavened, pierced, and being bruised in appearance, all of which point to Jesus' fulfillment of the Feast of Unleavened Bread when he, as a sinless man, was pierced for our transgressions and was bruised for our iniquities. And in fact, Paul exhorts us with these words, quoted above in 1 Corinthians 5:8

^(8) Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Paul was writing to gentile Christians in Corinth; what could he mean when he says "let us therefore celebrate the festival"? Did he mean Passover? In the New Covenant, the feast day of Passover coincides with Good Friday. Passover would certainly have been celebrated with unleavened bread, but every time we Christians take communion, we are celebrating Passover. Metaphorically, this means we are freed from slavery to sin by our own Exodus, of which Christ was our Passover lamb. In practice, when we "celebrate the festival" of Passover by commemorating it with communion at church, we should also celebrate the festival with unleavened bread.

The Feast of Firstfruits

The Feast of Firstfruits is described thusly in Leviticus 23:

Leviticus 23:9-14

^(9) And Yehováh spoke to Moses, saying, ^(10) “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, ^(11) and he shall wave the sheaf before Yehováh, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. ^(12) And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to Yehováh. ^(13) And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to Yehováh with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. ^(14) And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

—

The Feast of Firstfruits was to present an offering from the first ripening wheat that was harvested to God. (Jews no longer observe the Feast of Firstfruits since its observance is entirely at the Temple. Since the destruction of the Temple, Jews have not celebrated this feast day.) It was timed to be the day after the Sabbath day following Passover, which is not necessarily three days after Passover as it was in the year Jesus was crucified, because the days of the week do not perfectly line up with the days of the month on the Hebrew calendar. The Sabbath day is Saturday, so the Feast of Firstfruits would always be on a Sunday.

Jesus fulfilled the prophetic significance of the Feast of Firstfruits when he resurrected on the Sunday after Passover, as the firstfruits of the resurrection which is promised to all who are in Christ. If you missed it, see this study post on the two resurrections, where this end-times doctrine is unpacked:

The Two Resurrections—the Resurrection of the Just, and the Resurrection of the Damned (Daniel 12:2, Revelation 20:4-6, Acts 24:15)

Paul makes this connection in the passage where he teaches on the importance of Christ's resurrection:

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

^(12) Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ^(13) But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ^(14) And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ^(15) We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ^(16) For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ^(17) And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. ^(18) Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ^(19) If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

^(20) But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ['Fallen asleep' is a euphemism for 'died' which indicates that death is not permanent, and one day they will rise again at the resurrection.]

— 

So, what we see is that the New Testament holy days of Good Friday and Easter ('Resurrection Sunday', for those who are allergic to the term 'Easter') actually correspond to the Biblical feast days of Passover and the Feast of Firstfruits.

The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)

The Feast of Weeks is a harvest festival honoring God with new grain seven weeks after the Feast of Firstfruits, and its prescribed observance is described in Leviticus 23.:

Leviticus 23:15-21

^(15) “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. ^(16) You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to Yehováh. ^(17) You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to Yehováh. ^(18) And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to Yehováh, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to Yehováh. ^(19) And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. ^(20) And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before Yehováh, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to Yehováh for the priest. ^(21) And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

—

The prophetic symbolism of the Feast of Weeks was fulfilled by the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. We refer to the Feast of Weeks as 'Pentecost' because it is fifty days from the Sabbath before the Feast of Firstfruits, and in Greek, πεντηκοστή (penteikostei) is the term for 'fifty'. Jesus fulfilled the prophetic symbolism of the Feast of Weeks by sending the Holy Spirit, which led to the first 'harvest' of saved souls when the church experienced explosive growth on that day, with three thousand people hearing the Gospel and putting their faith in Christ on that day:

Acts 2: The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost

The metaphor of the Gospel being the seed that is planted, and the salvation of those who hear the Gospel being the reaping of a harvest is seen in the New Testament in Jesus' parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) and in Paul's use of this metaphor in Romans:

Romans 1:13-15

 ^(13) I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. ^(14) I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ^(15) So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

—

Jewish tradition says that Moses received the Law that governed the Old Covenant on the Feast of Weeks. The Church receiving the Holy Spirit that seals us for the New Covenant on the Feast of Weeks is an apt counterpart of the receiving of the Law. There is one more point of contrast to this counterpart. When Moses received the law, he came down the mountain to find that the people were worshiping a golden calf and rebelling against God. On that day, Moses put down the rebellion, and three thousand men were killed (Exodus 32). But in the New Covenant, after the Holy Spirit came to fill the disciples on the Feast of Weeks, three thousand people were saved.

This is how Jesus fulfilled the prophetic symbolism behind the first four Biblical feast days, the spring feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Weeks.

As for the Autumn feast days, there are no events in history that correspond with the prophetic significance of those feast days, but the autumn feasts appear to match with major events foretold about the second coming of Christ. We will look at those feast days and their significance to end-times prophecies in the next study.

Has anyone else been keeping up with the news over the last week?

WW3 seems to be fully materializing.

Israel at war with Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran. Israel also attacked a Russian military base in Syria. Iran sent over 140 missiles to Israel.

Seems like the nations are rising against Israel

EU also has had meetings to decide on long range missile attacks into Russia from NATO countries. Putin said this would mean all out war between Russia and NATO/USA.

All this and many more international developments not listed right before the US election

Not listing any sources but if you search these events plenty of news outlets cover them.

I haven’t fully consolidated my personal End times timeline but what is the community thinking regarding the implication of these events in context with prophecies.

Everyone is saying it’s going to happen but I read the chapter and it said Israel will be damaged too. I know God said Israel would never fall again so that must mean it already was fulfilled. If so when was it and if not explain please!

I’ve been wrestling with this a while and developed and tested and listened to several theories none of which I’m fully convinced don’t have flaws or contradictions.

6th seal language sounds like Jesus is appearing from heaven at that moment, but other scriptures imply we are resurrected when Christ appears at a trumpet. And 1 Corinth 15 says we are resurrected specifically at the last trumpet. Which also jives with the 7th trumpet in revelation.

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

So their day of wrath has begun according to this passage and their hiding from the Lamb but other passages imply Jesus returns at a trumpet.

Other passages on the 6th seal

“All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree. For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭34‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

““Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Matthew mentions both 6th seal language and the trumpet.

““And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭21‬:‭25‬-‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Luke seems to almost read like we see the Son of man coming and the beginning of these things mean redemption is drawing near.

So…. I’m starting to lean to their being a period of judgment where Christ appears and is taking out vengeance on the nations and treading the winepress by Himself on earth before the saints are actually resurrected with him. As there are several trumpet judgments before the resurrection at the 7th judgment.

““I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come. I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭63‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

But yet other passages seem like the trumpet is announcing His arrival and we are resurrected at the trumpet like 1 thess 4. And the very end of the Matthew 24 passage I quoted.

“For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭

Anybody’s thoughts on this. And please everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I’m only interested in theories that don’t involve a pre-tribulation rapture view regarding this. That is not a topic I’m going to change my mind on. So anyone with a pre-wrath viewpoint, I’d be interested in how this goes down. I suppose it’s possible that the 6th seal and all the trumpets happen in the same day as well. Or there is even a year long process to it like it Isaiah 34 mentions a year of vengeance.

I need someone to challenge this because it’s a big claim. Basically after reading the bible it’s pretty clear that Jesus returned in the first century, reigned 1000 years, and we are in the little season where Satan is released from prison to deceive the nations again after the millennial reign (Rev 20:7-9, 3).

To start, compare Luke 21:20-24 with Matthew 24:15-22. It’s the same speech to flee from Judea. Luke 21:20 it says when armies compass Jerusalem know the desolation of it is near, then flee Judea. But Matt 24:15 says when you see the abomination of desolation, flee. So we conclude that the abomination of desolation happens shortly after armies invaded Jerusalem by combining both gospels, because the Jews have to flee to the mountains after both those things happen.

But the Roman armies did invade Jerusalem and destroyed the temple, which means the Jews had to have fled to the mountains. To say this is still future is to skip the Romans (and also Muslims, crusades, WW1, etc if we assume history is true). It’s cherry picking which army it is, instead of understanding it means the next time they see armies compass Jerusalem from the time Jesus said it.

This means the abomination of desolation happened at that time as well. Which confirms Daniel 9:26-27. Messiah was cut off, and the temple was destroyed by the Romans, the people of the prince to come. That same prince causes the sacrifices to be removed (which happened when the temple was destroyed, because without the temple they can’t do the sacrifices) and the abomination of desolation. And this is the man of sin, not Jesus, because Daniel 11:31 specifies it’s the man of sin. This happens in the midst of a period of 7 years, meaning 3.5 years after the destruction of the temple, the removal of the sacrifices and the abomination of desolation, were the signs in the heavens and Jesus’ coming in the clouds. Daniel 12:11 further specifies 1290 days which is 3.5 years.

The only way to dodge this is to claim there will be a third temple, which is impossible for many reasons.

1. By comparing the gospels as I’ve said, the abomination of desolation happened when the armies compasses Jerusalem, which was the Romans. If the abomination of desolation is in a future third temple, then multiple different armies invaded Jerusalem before it happened. This contradicts what Jesus said. When they saw armies, know the desolation thereof is near (and the abom.of.des) then flee Judea. So when they saw the Roman armies, they weren’t thinking “im seeing armies which Jesus said would happen, but this isn’t it”

2. There is no 2000 year gap between Daniel 9:26 and 27. It says “And he” in verse 27, the same prince whose people destroy the temple in verse 26. This is the man of sin who is present at the time the temple is destroyed in the first century, because it’s his people who destroy the temple. Daniel 11:31 confirms it and gives detail on what this person does and how he exalts himself above God from verse 21-45.

Also, in verse 26, it says desolations are determined unto the end of the war. Verse 27 says “that determined be poorer upon the desolate”, meaning verse 27 happens at that time, because it’s the same war. This has not been going on since the first century.

3. You must add to scripture for this to work. Not only does Daniel or anywhere else not mention a third temple, you have to make the claim Daniel is saying: the temple will be rebuilt, then destroyed and the sacrifices removed, then rebuilt again, the sacrifices reinstated by people who are spiritually not of Israel (because those who believe not in Christ are cut off) then it’s destroyed again and the sacrifices are removed again.

The second big problem is Revelation 3:10-11. This is a message specifically to the church of Philadelphia in Asia of the first century. They will be kept from the hour of trial, which means the tribulation happens in their lifetime. How can they be kept from a tribulation that happens 2000 years from then? Although we can take wisdom from them, the 7 letters to the churches in Asia weren’t messages to us or anyone today. There were different messages for different churches with context. Those on the church of Philadelphia kept the word of patience, so they will be kept from the tribulation. That doesn’t apply to us. It has to have occurred in their lifetime.

Next, Jesus said in Matthew 24:34 that all these things even the signs in heaven and his coming happen in the generation of his disciples to whom he was talking to in the Olivet discourse. When Jesus said “this generation” he usually refers to that specific generation of people he lived in. For example, Luke 17:25, Matthew 23:36, Mark 8:12, Luke 7:31, Matthew 12:41, etc.

Revelation 1:7 says those who pierced Christ will see his coming. If this is talking about those who pierced him in their hearts, then why does it skip over 2000 years of those who pierced him in their hearts? It make more sense to me if this refers to those who physically crucified him. But I’m not sure.

The disciples also thought that Jesus’ coming was eminent. Revelation 1:1, 3, 22:20, James 5:8, 1 peter 4:7, and Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:29. This latter one in particular. If Jesus didn’t return yet, then those people got married, had kids who grew up and got married, who themselves had kids who grew up and got married, etc for 2000 years, which is almost the amount of time from Abraham to Christ, the entire genealogy of Israel at the time. Why did Paul say this then? How is the time so short that those who are married should be as though they aren’t, if there was so much time left that the genealogy of Israel can duplicate itself?

Then there’s Revelation 19:17-18. It says the birds will eat the flesh of horses. This means the beast’s army will be on horses. If we have tanks and technology now, how can this still be future? This isn’t talking about chariots, because it says the birds will eat the flesh of the horses. If this is a metaphor, how would you explain it? An angel speaking to the birds telling them to eat the flesh of horses and kings and mighty men sounds literal to me.

Next, if its still future, you have to make the claim that the last days last 2000 years, which is a third of all Earth’s history. Peter said in Acts 2 that Pentecost was the fulfillment of Joel, which makes them in the last days at that time. Also Hebrews 1:2.

So, Jesus returned 3.5 years after the sacrifices were removed in the temple, in the generation of the disciples. He then reigned 1000 years as it says. During this time the nations that survived must go the feast of tabernacles or they will have no rain according to Zechariah 14:16-19. After 1000 years, the devil was released from the abyss. We have to be in this period by elimination because people still get rain if they don’t do Sukkot (to my knowledge), and we definitely aren’t in the new earth, because there’s still a sun and moon, pain and sin, death, and the old flesh, and the sea (see Rev 21). I think we’re in the little season between the millennial reign and the judgement. This means history is a lie, and we are actually around the year 1200-1300 if I had to guess and not 2024. And if this is true, then it does make sense for there to be a conspiracy where so many people are lying about history, and other things, because they knew the moment the millennial reign ended. If you saw Jesus reigning and now he isn’t anymore, it’s pretty obvious.

We are made in Gods image and likeness. What's made in our image,? A.I.

What is the number of man? 6

He tends to have pretty sound resources, eschatology and general interpretation. His perspective pitches that the pope is the little horn, papacy is the first beast from the sea, America is the second beast of the earth, and a Christian nationalist theocracy is the final beast that the world comes to worship. We've been high strung for a long time and it's about time for a false golden age. What batter than a trojan horse for the body of Christ to convert the last of the elect before this hurts the evil ones ego too much and he starts persecuting saints? The Catholic church claims to the true church, and the pope puts himself in the place of GOD and CHRIST, claiming to forgive sins and changing the commandments, and re-instating the Sabbath as "lords day" on the first day. This is their mark of obedience, and the Sabbath is the LORD'S.

Anyone else have a lightbulb go on yesterday July 23 2024 that trump surviving the assassination attempt yesterday as the biggest indicator yet he may just be the actual antichrist and our literally scared of what all this might mean and then feces around the world coming through the same time so that we may possibly really be in the end times this time around?

Introducing this mini-series on Daniel

This post will begin a mini-series in the Study Series on the book of Daniel, which is can be thought of as the Old Testament counterpart to the book of Revelation. Daniel contains many apocalyptic visions and prophecies which are alluded to by Jesus and by the Book of Revelation, and its prophecies lay out the long story arc of history (at least in regard to the Jews). Daniel also introduces the concept of beasts symbolizing kingdoms, which is a central feature of Revelation. Understanding the fulfillment and the trajectory of the prophecies in Daniel will go a long ways toward forming a coherent understanding of the end times.

This series will focus on Daniel, but will also cover end times prophecies from other parts of the Old Testament which shed light on End Times prophecies from the New Testament.

The authenticity of Daniel

The Book of Daniel includes many incredibly detailed prophecies, some of which were fulfilled in spectacular fashion during the period when the Greek kingdoms resulting from the break-up of Alexander the Great's empire fought over and ruled over the Jews living in historic Israel. It is the one book of the Old Testament that is not written in Hebrew (apart from the first chapter and the first few verses of the second), but in Royal Babylonian Aramaic. Aramaic is a semitic language that has been historically written first using cuneiform embossed into clay by the Assyrians, and later using the Hebrew alphabet among Jews, and Syriac script among ethnic Assyrians (who still exist as a distinct culture to this day). In manuscripts of the Old Testament, Daniel is written in Aramaic written using the Hebrew alphabet. Aramaic was the lingua franca of the middle east in those days, and was the language of the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, and continued to be in widespread use during the rule of the Persian empire. See where Aramaic is mentioned in the Old Testament. It is mentioned when Jews were communicating with Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians. It was during this period of exile where the Jews picked up Aramaic as one of the languages of the Jews.

Skeptical Bible scholars have advanced the idea that the Book of Daniel is a pseudo-epigraphy, a book falsely attributed to Daniel, which they date to the intertestamental period hundreds of years after the events described in the Book of Daniel, such that its detailed prophecies about the wars between the Ptolemys and the Selucids were allegedly written after the events they purport to foretell, making them not prophecies at all, but description of current events in those days being passed off as prophecies (let's not mince words here; that would make the entire book a lie). This view of the Book of Daniel sees it as a fiction, and as propaganda written to encourage embattled Jews. This view dismisses the way the book presents itself and the way other scriptures view Daniel (such as how Jesus refers to Daniel as a prophet in Matthew 24:15). Unfortunately, this skeptical school of thought has become widely embraced by many seminaries and academic Bible scholars. I reject this school of thought. I believe the Book of Daniel to be authentic, and prophetic. Instead of arguing this matter, let me refer you to a fantastic teaching by Mike Winger on this topic.

Defending Daniel—Evidence for the Bible, pt 4

In this video, Mike goes over how archaeology, history, and linguistics support the authenticity of Daniel, and how later discoveries that affirm the details mentioned in Daniel rebut assertions made by the skeptics and critics concerning things that Daniel allegedly got wrong.

From here on out, I will proceed from the perspective that Daniel is authentic and prophetic. I'm not here to debate the authenticity of Daniel, but to interpret his prophecies and to show which ones have been historically fulfilled, and how they fit together with other prophecies to form a coherent message about the end times. If you do not believe Daniel is authentic, please see the video I linked above and please refrain from debating this matter here, because you will not get the most out of this series (nor this subreddit) if you embrace the skeptical view.

Differences between the Protestant and Catholic versions of Daniel

I will be using only translations of Daniel based on the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh), which is the textual source for the Bibles used by Protestants and Jews; the Catholic version of Daniel differs substantially from the version found in the Hebrew Bible, while those texts that constitute those differences are not found in any Hebrew Bible manuscript, but only in Greek. For example, Daniel 3, from verse 24 onward, is entirely different between Catholic and Protestant/Jewish versions. Also, whereas the Protestant and Jewish versions of Daniel end at chapter 12, the Catholic version of Daniel includes the story of Susana in chapter 13 (where Daniel cross-examines two lecherous old men who falsely accused Susana of fornicating when she resisted their advances, exonerating Susana and condemning the false accusers), and the story of Bel and the Dragon in chapter 14 (where Daniel kills a living dragon worshipped by the Babylonians by feeding it a cake made of pitch, fat, and hair, causing it to explode; this enraged the Babylonians, so they threw Daniel into a lion's den in revenge for killing their god).

These Apocrypha additions to and modifications of Daniel are not authentic and were most likely produced during the intertestamental period. They have no basis in the original Aramaic language versions of Daniel, read like tall tales, and are disjointed from the rest of the narrative arc of Daniel.

Background: the failure and exile of the Israelite kingdoms

The Book of Daniel records events during the Babylonian exile. To get the most out of studying the prophecies in Daniel, let's see where this event falls in the timeline of Israel's history and in God's grand narrative-arc of the Bible. The Babylonian exile marked the end of the Kingdom of Judah, the last Israelite kingdom, but first let's talk about how they got there. (Please click on the scripture references that I link below; for the sake of brevity I linked them rather than quoting them.)

After the Exodus, the Israelites were a confederation of tribes ruled by prophets and judges, and worshipped God at the Tabernacle, where the priests served. The Tabernacle was essentially a portable Temple which housed the Ark of the Covenant, Yehováh's throne on earth, as the God himself was their king. But the Israelites were not content to be led by God; they wanted a human king like the nations around them (1 Samuel 8). God warned them through the prophet Samuel that they would regret this, but they insisted, so Saul (from the tribe of Benjamin) was anointed to be their king (1 Samuel 9). But Saul was overly fearful of losing the attention and support of the people to the point that he disobeyed God (1 Samuel 13:8-15), so God rejected Saul, and anointed David (from the tribe of Judah) to be their next king. David was a flawed man but he was a man who loved God above all else. David was succeeded by Solomon, and Solomon presided over a very short golden age of the kingdom of Israel, where the wealth and splendor of his kingdom and the wisdom of their king was famous to all the surrounding nations. Solomon also built the first Temple, a magnificent building of immense splendor modeled after the layout of the Tabernacle. The Temple became the focal point of the practice of Biblical Judaism from that point forward.

But Solomon was also a flawed man, and his downfall began when he did two things God warned that their kings must never do, in prophetic foreshadowing all the way back in Deuteronomy, before Israel even had a monarchy: God warned that when they do eventually set a king over the nation, their kings must not amass excessive wealth nor amass for themselves a large number of wives, and that the king must diligently obey God's statues and laws, to not turn aside from God's commandment (Deuteronomy 17:14-20) But that's exactly what Solomon did: he amassed massive amounts of wealth in his personal fortune, and married hundreds of women, particularly foreign, non-Israelite women who worshipped foreign gods. These foreign women led him astray, and Solomon built temples to these foreign gods to please his foreign wives and began to honor and worship these foreign gods (1 Kings 11:1-11). As a consequence of his continuing in this infidelity to God, who blessed him with every good gift and who repeatedly warned him to repent of this sin, God tore away most of the kingdom from Solomon's heir, Rehoboam, and raised up adversaries against Solomon and his heir.

As a result of Solomon's unfaithfulness to God and his leading his nation into idolatry, the kingdom of Israel fell into civil war, and split into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom, led by kings from the tribe of Ephraim, which retained the name 'Israel', possessed ten of the tribes. The southern kingdom, which included Benjamin and the Levites at the Temple, was led by the tribe of Judah, and was henceforth known as the kingdom of Judah. This is why many prophecies poetically refer to the two kingdoms as Ephraim and Judah, referring to their leading tribes.

The southern kingdom had a mix of good, bad, and mediocre kings, but the northern kingdom had zero good kings from start to finish. They were all idolatrous and wicked, and they led the nation to sin against God in profoundly depraved and offensive ways. This following Biblical infographic indicates whether a king was good, bad, or mediocre. You can see that the northern kingdom had a nothing but wicked kings:

Kings of Judah and Israel

(Graphic by Visual Unit. I'm not affiliated with them, I just like their graphics.)

Just as God warned them in Deuteronomy 28-30, in response to their breaking the covenant with God by committing idolatry and serving other gods with detestable practices for which the Canaanites were driven out of the land, they too were exiled. The first kingdom to be exiled was the northern kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel; after putting up with their provocations and their rejection of the prophets sent to warn them for hundreds of years, God did away with the northern kingdom using the Assyrian empire. Assyria invaded them, deported all the people, and scattered them into foreign lands. Read about it in 2 Kings 17.

The southern kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah, was not faithful to God either. In spite of having a few good kings, the southern kingdom fell into gross error under the leadership of their last few kings, and God did away with them using the Babylonian empire (which had superseded the Assyrian empire). Not only did Babylon take the Jews captive into Babylon, they even destroyed Jerusalem and demolished the Temple.

It is this period and place of exile in Babylon that is the setting for Daniel, where the Jews lived as a minority among pagans in the empire that vanquished them, but the emotional and religious implications of their exile need to be understood.

Even though it was God who brought judgment against both Israel and Judah, and even though God had warned them through prophets that he would do this as punishment for their infidelity and depraved sins, it is hard to overstate what a disaster the Assyrian exile of Israel and the Babylonian exile of Judah was for the remnant of faithful adherents of Judaism. The grand narrative arc of the Bible itself appeared to be broken by the exile of all of God's people, an utter failure of his chosen people to live up to their calling. The nearest thing I can compare it to might be what the disciples felt when Jesus was crucified. The disciples must have been distraught and confused; they were sure that Jesus was the Messiah, and they put all their trust in him, but at that moment, Jesus was dead and appeared to have been defeated by the forces of evil. To a faithful Jew, it must have looked like God's grand plan to undo the fall of man by raising up the Messiah as a prophesied future king of Israel had utterly failed.

In fact, it gets worse: to even properly practice Judaism according to the law of Moses, you need a functional Tabernacle or the Temple and a working priesthood to make sacrifices and to keep all the laws pertaining to purifications, dedications, feast days, and offerings. It may have appeared that Judaism itself had come to an end, and along with it, the hope of a Messiah who would one day come from the tribe of Judah and the house of David.

Daniel and the remnant of faithful Jews who worshipped Yehováh alone were living in this context of intense religious implications and the seeming end of Judaism during the Babylonian exile. In spite of the apparent end of Judaism, and the apparent failure of God's grand plan, the faithful Jews living in Babylon, such as those serving in the court of the king, did what they could to remain faithful to God, choosing to worship God alone, and to keep kosher to the best of their ability.

Daniel as a eunuch in the court of Nebuchadnezzar

As you read Daniel 1, you will see the story of how Daniel ended up serving in the court of the king of Babylon. In spite of the fact that the Israelites did not practice the castration of men and the keeping of eunuchs, Daniel appears to have been a eunuch (a deliberately castrated man) in service of the Babylonian court under the command and care of Nebuchanezzar's chief of eunuchs. We can infer this from the text. Look at how many times the term 'eunuch' or "chief of the eunuchs" interacts with Daniel:

Daniel 1

When you open this page, do a word search for 'eunuch' (⌘+f on Macs, ctrl+f on Windows) to see the instances of 'eunuch' on the page.

You can see that Daniel was always being cared for by Ashpenaz, the chief of the eunuchs, and had to make his requests to the chief of the eunuchs. The chief of the eunuchs even gave Daniel and the other Hebrews serving in the royal court their Babylonian names. This strongly implies that Daniel himself was one of the eunuchs under his care and command. The king of Babylon certainly would not have had un-castrated young men serving in his court where the young man could potentially impregnate any of the king's women. In the royal courts of many cultures, the only men who were permitted to served in the palace of the king were castrated men. Sometimes these eunuchs were slaves or captives, but there were also voluntary eunuchs who gave up the possibility of ever having offspring for the job security of working for the king for life. The motivation for castrating the men serving near the king were as follows:

• men who could not have offspring were thought to be less ambitious, and this was thought to be a good quality for a servant of the king, because they could never establish a house or a dynasty and were thought not to pose the kind of risk that an overly ambitious man might have in the royal court. If the eunuchs were separated from their family at a young age, they would not have family loyalties that could challenge their loyalty to the king they served.
• men who were castrated were not capable of impregnating any of the women in the king's harem, offering a measure of certainty to the paternity of the princes and princesses born to the king's wives, who would never come in contact with un-castrated men apart from their family members.

This inference that Daniel was a eunuch seems to be in tension with Deuteronomy 23:1, which says that men whose male organs are mutilated are excluded from the assembly of Yehováh, meaning the religious assembly.

Deuteronomy 23:1

No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of Yehováh.

—

This law was meant to exclude those who deliberately mutilated their genitals as dedications to foreign gods, and those who served in the courts of foreign kings, and who were therefore presumed to serve foreign gods. Daniel was actually serving a foreign king as a Jew in exile in Babylon, but he was not a servant of foreign gods; Daniel was a faithful servant of Yehováh. This tension is resolved by an oracle given to Isaiah couple of generations before the exile, concerning eunuchs who choose to please God, which certainly would apply to Daniel:

Isaiah 56:3-5

^(3) Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to Yehováh say,
    “Yehováh will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
    “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
^(4) For thus says Yehováh:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose the things that please me
    and hold fast my covenant, [surely this applies to Daniel]
^(5) I will give in my house and within my walls
    a monument and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
    that shall not be cut off.

—

This concludes the introduction. In the next installment, we will examine the vision of the multi-metal statue from Daniel 2, which lays out the long term future of the empires and kingdoms that would rule over the Jews, and foretells the establishment of the Kingdom of God that will supersede them all.

The Book of Revelation has long been a subject of intense study and debate among Christian scholars. Central to its interpretation is understanding the nature of the Antichrist spirit and the identities of the Beasts described in its prophecies. I would like to present my own interpretative theory. This analysis proposes that a key to unlocking these mysteries lies in the writings of the Apostle John, particularly his definition of the Antichrist spirit in his epistles. By applying this definition strictly, we can discern a clear connection between the prophecies of Revelation and the historical emergence of Islam.

In his epistles, John provides a crucial definition of the Antichrist spirit. In 1 John 2:22, he states, "Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son." Further, in 1 John 4:3, he adds, "...every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist..."

From these passages, we can distill two key criteria for identifying the Antichrist spirit:

1. Denial of the Father and the Son relationship
2. Rejection of Jesus' divinity and incarnation

These criteria form the theological cornerstone for identifying manifestations of the Antichrist spirit in religious systems.

It's crucial to note that John expected the Antichrist to emerge not as an external threat, but as a heretical movement from within Christianity itself (1 John 2:19). This understanding shapes our approach to identifying the Beasts in Revelation, directing us to look for a monotheistic system that diverges from true Christian doctrine while claiming spiritual authority.

Interestingly, John identifies the Antichrist spirit as already present in his time. He likely referred to early Christian heresies, particularly the Nazarenes, who maintained Jewish law while denying Christ's divinity. Another group John might have been drawing attention to were the early forerunners of the Mandaeans, also known as Sabians, who elevated John the Baptist over Jesus. These two groups would later exert significant influence on Islamic theology.

Using John's definition as our guide, we must look for a monotheistic system that, while acknowledging Jesus as a figure of importance, fundamentally denies His divine nature and His relationship with God the Father. This system would present itself as worshipping the true God while rejecting core Christian doctrines about Christ's nature and role.

The search for a monotheistic false teaching is crucial because it aligns with the progression John anticipates: a movement that retains the language and some concepts of true faith while fundamentally distorting its core truths, resulting in spiritual desolation and damnation. This characteristic makes such a system far more deceptive and potentially influential than outright paganism, atheism, or some other aberration.

Revelation 13 describes a Beast rising from the sea (the abyss), symbolizing a spiritual entity of great power and influence. When we apply John's criteria, we can identify this First Beast as the spiritual force behind Islamic monotheism. This interpretation is supported by several factors:

1. Islam presents a monotheistic God but rejects the Trinity and Christ's divinity and Incarnation.
2. The "fatal wound" of the Beast that was healed can be understood as the transition from widespread polytheistic paganism to a new form of Satanic monotheism that opposes and blasphemes Christian doctrine.
3. The Beast's global influence aligns with Islam's historical spread, continued worldwide presence, and intensifying animosity towards Israel.

The Second Beast, described as coming from the earth (dust/mankind) and often identified as the False Prophet, can be interpreted as Muhammad. This identification is based on several points of alignment with Revelation's description:

1. Muhammad's teachings precisely match John's definition of the Antichrist spirit, denying Jesus' divinity while claiming to revere Him as a prophet.
2. He established and spread a new monotheistic system that fulfills the criteria of the Antichrist spirit.
3. His role in giving authority to the First Beast's "image" aligns with his founding of Islam and the revelation of the Quran.

The "image of the Beast" can be understood as the Islamic conception of God. This image is given "breath" and the ability to speak through the Quran, which Muslims believe to be the direct word of God, and which they have been commanded to recite. This interpretation is supported by:

1. The Quran's central role in Islamic worship and practice.
2. Its portrayal as the definitive and final revelation from God.
3. The way it shapes the Islamic understanding of deity, in direct opposition to Christian theology.

It's noteworthy that the Quran mentions the Nasara and Sabians as "People of the Book." While Islamic tradition, particularly through later hadith, interprets Nasara as referring to Christians, it seems more likely that this originally referred to the Nazarenes specifically. This connection further strengthens the link between the early heresies John warned about and the eventual emergence of Islam.

This interpretation of the Beasts of Revelation through the lens of John's definition of the Antichrist spirit provides a coherent framework for understanding these prophecies in light of historical events. It suggests that the rise and spread of Islam represent a fulfillment of John's warnings and Revelation's prophecies.

This perspective offers significant implications for our understanding of current religious and geopolitical landscapes. It emphasizes the importance of discernment in theological matters and highlights the ongoing spiritual conflict prophesied in the New Testament.

By grounding our interpretation in John's clear theological criteria and historical developments, we can gain new insights into the prophetic narratives of Revelation and their relevance to our world today.

I'd love to hear any responses and address any questions or challenges. I have not covered every aspect of my theory in this post, but rest assured, I have thought this through in significant detail, and it possesses great explanatory power for understanding other verses in Revelation.

What do you believe will happen to the children of those who are raptured? My husband and I both strive to be faithful. If we both are taken up will our children just be left behind to fend for themselves? There seems to be three options. Either all children are raptured, just the children of the righteous are raptured or none are raptured. None of these options seem particularly plausible to me. What are your thoughts?

You lot seem to know a bit about parousia. Could anyone please explain the 144,000 to me?

Hello everyone,

Recently, everyone has been talking about the red heiffers and how their sacrifice in the coming weeks could trigger the great tribulation.

What are your toughts on this ?

There are a bunch of TikTok videos claiming that the path of the upcoming eclipse passes through eight towns called Nineveh in the US, and that this is a sign that God is warning us that he's about to destroy us unless we repent. (We should repent anyway and have plenty to repent of; I'm only here to talk about the alleged sign and whether it is true.)

This has been fact checked and found to be false.

Fact Check: Solar Eclipse Will Pass Over Every US City Named Nineveh on April 8, 2024?

The path of the eclipse is known, and maps exist.

The path of the eclipse is known, and maps exist and can be used to check such assertions, and yet people make these assertions. Why?!

A stern admonition: Stop using TikTok for eschatology!

Stop getting your eschatology from TikTok. People exaggerate and sensationalize stuff to get views, and too many people just believe the nonsense they see on social media without thinking critically and checking to see if what they claim is actually true. It is 100x more labor intensive to go about fact-checking the nonsense that comes up on TikTok than it is to spew the nonsense, so this amounts to a denial of service attack on our time and attention. I'm over it.

The eclipse does pass over two cities named Nineveh. BUT the Bible doesn't say an eclipse passing over Nineveh is a sign, and interpreting this event as such amounts to interpreting omens, which is not appropriate behavior; the Bible doesn't even say that there was an eclipse in Nineveh when Jonah preached there. And lying about this sort of thing to rile up Christians is still lying, and as long as we're talking about repenting, those who are lying about this sort of thing need to repent of lying to people.

Any pastor you see who is repeating falsehoods like this is not rigorous and I would go so far as to say that you should not follow pastors who are not discerning enough to avoid being fooled by things like this.

This shouldn't have to be said, because it is implied by Rule 1 (All posts must relate to Biblical end-times prophecy), but apparently I have to say this.

No interpretation of omens! (e.g. freaking out about a meteor shower or a comet or an eclipse or an earthquake.) This practice is abominable to God.

Leviticus 19:26b

You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes.

Deuteronomy 18:9-14

^(9) “When you come into the land that Yehováh your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. ^(10) There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer ^(11) or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, ^(12) for whoever does these things is an abomination to Yehováh. And because of these abominations Yehováh your God is driving them out before you. ^(13) You shall be blameless before Yehováh your God, ^(14) for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, Yehováh your God has not allowed you to do this.

—

Freaking out and posting about an earthquake here, an eclipse there, a war, bad dreams and anxiety that something bad is about to happen is not what this subreddit is about. If the event specifically relates to something foretold in scripture, and you can quote the scripture in context and without cherry-picking and show that a prophecy might be fulfilled by an event, then share it and let's discuss it. If not, don't post about it here. This subreddit is for the serious study of Biblical End Times Prophecy.

I'm saying this because of the rash of submissions about the upcoming eclipse. Eclipses happen regularly and are predictable. Quit freaking out about the eclipse unless you can quote some scripture that specifically foretells something that an event actually fulfills without cherry picking.

In case you're wondering, it is not some sort of sign from God when an eclipse happens near a Biblical feast day. This is not even that rare for eclipses to happen around Biblical feast days, because the Biblical feast days on the Hebrew calendar (which is a lunar calendar) are timed in relation to the new moon. Eclipses are bound to coincide with some Biblical feast days for this reason alone.

Would it have a correlation with the eclipse and the fact that it brings warning for 40 days before pentecost day?

Is the USA as the modern Sodom or Nineveh?

I want to see your thoughts

[TL;DR at the bottom.]

I realize we've all been conditioned to read end-of-the-age prophecy in a strictly futurist way, but if we're being honest, we need to at least thoroughly investigate the possibility that it has already passed.

​

#The End of the Age:

The following scriptures demonstrate that the end of the age began at the very least with Jesus' crucifixion:

[Mat 24:3 NASB95] 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what [will be] the sign of Your coming, and of the end[G4930] of the age?"

[1Co 10:11 NASB95] 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

[Heb 9:26 NASB95] 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation[G4930] of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

​

#The Four Horsemen:

We may not interpret the white, red, black, and pale horsemen in just any way we please. We must look for the Old Testament to define the New Testament and see how a greater narrative emerges.

• Who are the four horsemen? The Book of Zechariah tells us:

[Zec 1:8-11 NASB95] 8 I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him. 9 Then I said, "My lord, what are these?" And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are." 10 And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, "These are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth." 11 So they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, "We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet."

• We see all four of these horsemen in Zechariah 6, riding chariots:

[Zec 6:1-5 NASB95] 1 Now I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming forth from between the two mountains; and the mountains [were] bronze mountains. 2 With the first chariot [were] red horses, with the second chariot black horses, 3 with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong dappled horses. 4 Then I spoke and said to the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these, my lord?" 5 The angel replied to me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of all the earth,

​

#The Angels at the End of The Age:

So how can we know the End of the Age has already passed?

• We may know the answer to this question by the Parable of Wheat and Tares:

[Mat 13:37-42 NASB95] 37 And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and [as for] the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil [one;] 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

• The harvest that is spoken of here is took place between 66-70 AD. In 66 AD, Eleazar, son of Ananias put a stop to the daily sacrifices offer by the gentiles, to spite Rome. This triggered the Roman-Jewish war. Rome sent it's armies to surround Jerusalem, and it was a signal to the elect within the city to flee to the caves before the city was internally sealed off by the zealot gangs.

• From that point forward, there was conquest, war, famine, and death until the Lord came to take the faithful members of the Church.

TL;DR: The four horsemen were patrolling angels sent to gather up the tares and throw them into the furnace of tribulation, between 66-70 AD.

Gods timeline for his creation was put in place in the Old Testament and I believe we are approaching the last of his calendar days. This can be seen if observing and performing a deep dive into Gods 7000 year plan for man. In my study I find that once one understands this timeline All signs automatically fall into place as a matter of fact instead of being an occurrence to build off of. It is original in creation and is wrapped in Gods original teachings and testament. In closing, we are there. It is happening now.

https://youtu.be/4AG_nJNcTjM?si=Rop1Qgh1J2qz2T6u

Love to hear from you!

Premillenialist Dennis McCourt had Amillenialist Steve Gregg on his Kingdom Talk radio program on 1550 KXEX on 1/23/24. This was an informal debate, but they basically they argued over biblical evidence for an AD 70 fulfillment of prophecy (namely Revelation and the Olivet Discourse or a future fulfillment. YouTube link

I don't know if September 23 2017 was the start of end times, but it's definitely been end times since at least then. But if it was the starting point, today would be the 2300 day of the end, and Daniel 8 mentions the sanctuary bearing restored 2300 days into the end. I'm new to this and idk exactly what Daniel 8 means, but I'm wondering if there will be an announcement for the third temple within the next 24 hours. Anyone thought the same?

I’m new to the Bible and end time prophecy. Trying to learn and keep track of everything regarding the end times is confusing but also fascinating.

What is the abomination of desolation? When does it happen in relation to other end times events? Also, who will it involve- certain nations or everyone?

Any insight from those who know this better than me would be greatly appreciated!

I was just rereading Revelations and it occurred to me these sound like drones…

“The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is [c]Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name [d]Apollyon.” Any thoughts?

As I work to form my eschatology view, I like to use black & white markers to lessen the gray areas. So for those who believe that most or all events of Revelation have already been fulfilled, how do you reconcile that Revelation was written after the destruction of the temple in AD 70?

It seems as though most sources of news (in America at least) have the general attitude of trying to fault Israel in its conflict. Is this not what was warned of that all nations will come against Israel in the end?

Could this mean that the end could be any day now?

Could this be a nuclear missile coming down? It could look like a torch to John, with fire at the top and a rod-like body. As of now, 9 countries have nukes, totaling around 13,000. With all of the conflicts going on right now, it seems like we are in a room full of gasoline. All it would take is a spark.

Or it could be a missile carrying a biological/chemical weapon, as the verse says the star turns the waters bitter, causing many to die?

What are your interpretations of this verse?

Rev. 8:10

Food for thought: the word for “bow” in Revelation 6:2 is the same word in the Septuagint’s Genesis 9:13 - toxon.

The LGBTQ rainbow flag comes to mind, here.

It was introduced in 1978 🤔

Understanding the Great Tribulation

The term "Great Tribulation" often brings about misconceptions among many Bible believers. A common misconception is picturing it as a seven-year period during which God pours out His wrath on Earth, reminiscent of the plagues described in the seven trumpets of Revelation. But does the Bible teach this? Let's dive deeper.

Origin of the Term

The term "great tribulation" is derived from Matthew 24:21 where Jesus states:

"For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will." (Matt 24:21, NASB1995)

This raises important questions:

1. Did Jesus indicate that the great tribulation will span seven years?
2. Who are the people warned about the great tribulation?

Addressing the First Question: Did Jesus indicate that the great tribulation will span seven years?

The notion of a seven-year period stems from a prophecy in the Book of Daniel, chapter nine, about the seventieth week. Daniel 9:27 mentions:

"And he [the antichrist] will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." (Dan 9:27, NASB1995)

Key points to note:

• The abomination of desolation takes place "in the middle of the week", implying roughly the mid-point of the seven-year period.
• This timing is reiterated in Daniel chapter 12: "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days" (Dan 12:11, NASB1995).
• Thus, from the moment of the abomination of desolation, there are about 3.5 years (or 1,290 days) until the end of this period.

Drawing from Matthew 24:15-21:

"Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation... standing in the holy place… For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will." (Matt 24:15,21, NASB1995)

Answering the First Question: The great tribulation does not last the entire seven years but roughly 3.5 years or 1,290 days as mentioned in Daniel 12:11.

Addressing the Second Question

Who exactly is forewarned about the great tribulation?

While some believe the entire world undergoes the great tribulation, it's crucial to differentiate between the events described in the 7 seals and 7 trumpets of Revelation and the actual tribulation. To better understand, we must ask: "How does the Bible define tribulation?" Various verses explain:

• "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name." (Matt 24:9, NASB1995)
• "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33, NASB1995)
• "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Rev 7:14, NASB1995)

From the scriptures:

• Tribulation, in the Bible, often refers to the hardships faced by God's people, not the entire world.
• Jesus's warning in Matthew 24:15-16 is directed at people in Judea: "then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains." (Matt 24:15-16, NASB1995)
• Hence, the "great tribulation" particularly refers to the trials of the Jews.

However, do Christians escape unscathed? Likely not. The world will despise and persecute God’s followers for Jesus's name, and many will face martyrdom for their faith. Thus, Christians too will face severe trials during this time.

TLDR:

The Great Tribulation is a period, starting halfway through the seven-year timeline prophesied by Daniel, where Jews will face unparalleled hardship. Concurrently, Christians globally will face persecution for their faith in Jesus. The great tribulation, while perhaps overlapping with divine plagues, is not synonymous with the entire seven-year period.