1998 and its bookends

Lately I have seen several emails and posts recounting the possible prophetic importance of the year 1998.

While meditating on this over the weekend, I realized that the year 1998 was bookended by two significant Jewish years, 5758 and 5760. The year 5758 ended just before 1998 began and 5760 began shortly after 1998 ended.

THE BOOKEND ON THE LEFT -- 5758. It has been pointed out that the Hebrew letter equivalents of the numbers 5758 mean "season of Noah." This means the season of Noah could have begun that year or the next. Jesus said His return (actually the rapture -- Matthew 2437-40) would be "as in the days of Noah." This probably means many things, one of which is the fact that in the days of Noah, "the earth is filled with violence" (Genesis 613). I do not have statistics available, but it may be that demons of violence were unleashed that very year, such as through the demonic al-Qaeda, no doubt an evil, end-time force in the world. I believe there was significant terrorism began by them about that year, causing Bill Clinton to briefly take time off from Monica Lewinsky and weakly lob a few cruise missiles trying to kill Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

THE BOOKEND ON THE RIGHT -- 5760. You may remember that there were many things pointing to the prophetic significance of the Jewish year 5760. I have them documented at http//www.oocities.org/bramlett2000/year5760.html .

So here we have two prophetic bookends on each side of what may have been a significantly prophetic year. I have the many interesting things about the year 1998 documented at http//www.oocities.org/bramlett2000/updates2001/1998.evenmore.html.

What does this all mean? I cannot say for sure but it is all the more reason for watchfulness. It may be, indeed, that 1998 or its Jewish year bookend, 5760 (9-11-99 to 9-30-00), began a final countdown. If true, that is more evidence that the rapture could literally be any day.

An interesting and possibly confirming parallel as previously pointed out by others is the number of years from Jesus' crucifixion, say AD 31 to AD 33, and the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, which would be 37 to 39 years. If you add 37 to 39 years to when Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967, a partial fulfillment of Luke 2124, you arrive at 2004 to 2006.

Another possible parallel pointed out by David Parker is that 2,000 prophetic (360-day) years (1971.5 modern years) plus AD 31-33 = 2002-2004, and we know that early Christian writers said there would be 2,000 years until Christ returns. Of course, as David points out, if the 2,000-year count is in modern years and is counted from the crucifixion, we have a very, very long way to go (2031--2033). But other factors would seem to discount that possibility.

Jim