(With Afterthoughts)
Now the two witnesses will come on the scene about the time when the first-fruits are slain. One of the witnesses will be Elijah as we know from Malichi and the words of Christ. If they are to come in this decade I believe it will be at the “Fast of the Firstborn,” April 21, 2005, three days before Passover. This puts their ministry 1260 days before Tishri 2, 2008 that is Oct. 1, 2008. The Fast of the Firstborn is normally celebrated the day before Passover, but when it falls on Shabbat, the Sabbath, Saturday, it is celebrated the Thursday before Passover. This is the only time when it falls 1260 days before Rosh Hashanah, “the day that no man knows.” Twice, in what is left of this decade, it falls three days before Passover, in 2005 and in 2008.
Elijah, or Elias, will truly come at Passover just as the Jews have celebrated every year for three millennia! The two witnesses will provide the “oil” to the “seven lamps,” which are the seven churches sent out into all the world. The revival started by the 144,000 “children” of Israel will become world-wide, and this church of G-d in the last days will understand what G-d has called them to do, to “love not their lives to the death.” Remember, the servant is not greater than his master, if they hated Christ, then they will hate us too. G-d has called us to be a witness to kings, and judges, and rulers, and the powers and principalities that know Him not. We shall be hated by all for his name’s sake, and they will take our lives for it, but we shall give our testimony and overcome! Whosoever will save his life will lose it, but whosoever loses his life for the name of Jesus Christ will save it.
It is at this point that we come to realize that Revelation chapters 11,12,13, and 14, all begin at the same time. They begin at this interlude between the sixth and seventh seals.
Revelation 11:2-3
2.) “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
3.) And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Revelation 12:6
6.) “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of
G-d, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
Revelation 12:13-14
13.) “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14.) And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
Revelation 13:4-7
4.) “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5.) And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6.) And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against G-d, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7.) And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
Revelation 13:11-17
11.) “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12.) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13.) And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14.) And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the
earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15.) And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16.) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17.) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
Revelation 14:1-3
1.) “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
2.) And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3.) And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”
Revelation 14:6-13
6.) “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7.) Saying with a loud voice, Fear G-d, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8.) And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9.) And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10.) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of G-d, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11.) And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12.) Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of G-d, and the faith of Jesus.
13.) And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the L-rd from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”
Now here we have all of it, this is what will happen at the start of the last half of Daniels seventieth week. Forty-two months is 1260 days (360 day years) and a time, times, and a half time is also 1260 days. All of these chapters are describing the beginning of the 1260-day great tribulation. Notice that the 144,000 are already in heaven before the throne, notice that the hour of G-d’s judgment has come, but it does not say wrath. Does G-d judge his people? He certainly does, but that does not mean they suffer his wrath! Who suffers the wrath of G-d? Notice Rev. 14: 10, those who receive the mark of the beast will be “left behind” to suffer the wrath of G-d! G-d is telling us, in a sense, “don’t get left behind” by accepting the mark of the beast! If you do, you will suffer the wrath of the bowl judgments, the vials that are full of the wrath of G-d! This puts the rapture at the time of the bowl judgments!
Notice also that Babylon has fallen, this is not the physical city in Iraq; it is judged at the very end. This Babylon, that is fallen, is the spiritual hierarchy of Satan that is cast to earth. Notice also that the man of sin has a deadly wound but is healed; this is the start of the great tribulation!
Now we come to the great harvest of G-d’s church and the destruction of the wicked, the two reapers of Rev.14.
Revelation 14:14-20
14.) “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15.) And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16.) And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
17.) And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18.) And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19.) And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of G-d.
20.) And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”
The harvest of the church will be three and a half years, just as the gathering of the clusters of the wicked vine. At the time of the resurrection of the Antichrist the church’s preparation will be done, it will be time to accomplish what G-d has purposed for us. We are the harvest, the “fullness of the gentiles,” after the fullness of the gentiles come in then all Israel will be saved.
Romans 11:25-26
25.) “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye
should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26.) And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
So through the harvest of the church all Israel will be saved! Jesus spoke a parable about this harvest; we shall look at it now, for the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy.
Matthew 13:24-30
24.) “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25.) But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26.) But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27.) So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28.) He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29.) But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30.) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Notice here that the wheat and tares are allowed to grow together until the harvest. Who is gathered first? The tares are the first to be gathered! It will take three and a half years to gather them to the battle of Armageddon! They will be bundled for burning. The wheat is gathered into the barn, ask any farmer: the wheat must first be cut down before it can be put in the barn! So then, how do the reapers know which are the tares and which are the wheat? The reapers are forced to let them grow together because you can’t tell the difference early on. Once they are full-grown the tares will have the mark of the beast, and the wheat will have the mark of G-d on their foreheads! This is the seal of the Holy Spirit, the proof that we belong to G-d, without it we would be forced to accept the wrong mark! There will be no middle ground, no fence to sit on; we will all be forced to make this decision. That’s why the rapture cannot come before the great tribulation.
John 12:24-27
24.) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25.) He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26.) If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
27.) Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.”
Jesus Christ led his life being an example to us; his church. Now in this, the hour of our calling (to do what G-d has been preparing us for,) will you say “Father save me from this hour?” Do not ask G-d to save you from what he has called you to do! The fall harvest is almost here, the latter years of the world, the time when the remaining fall feasts and holy days of Israel will be fulfilled.
Up to this point we have covered six of the seven seals, which included a parenthesis of chapter seven. We understand that Rev. chapters 11,12,13, and 14, all begin at the start of the great tribulation. What remains is quite simple to understand and will be the end of this work.
The seventh seal opens the entire seven-sealed book of Rev.5 for all to understand. It also brings silence in heaven for the space of half an hour. A great work is G-d about to do on earth, seven trumpets will sound and the mystery of G-d would be finished (Rev.10: 7). I do not feel the need to comment on the first four trumpets, they speak for themselves. As for the fifth angel and his Woe, all I can say is this: you better have the seal of G-d, which is the Holy Spirit, for this is a mighty Woe! But take note of the fact that G-d does protect us from this horrible torment. It is meant for those who do not believe, those who do not have the mark of G-d on their foreheads, but have the mark of their father, the beast.
Revelation 9:1-21
1. “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of G-d in their foreheads.
5. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
10. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon,”(Hades), “but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.” (Destroyer)
12. “One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before G-d,
14. Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
15. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
16. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
18. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
19. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
20. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”
Now what catches my attention here, is that this “star” in verse one that falls from heaven, is a personage; for “he” is given the key to the bottomless pit. By person I do not mean human, he must be angelic. So it is quite possible that this is a picture of Satan falling from heaven at the beginning of the great tribulation. Also take notice that there is no mention of the mark of the beast at the end of this passage! If this be the case, and I now believe it to be so, then from the first seal to the fifth trumpet are all sequential events laid out in order. I never claimed that this was not true for it is true, but it changes much of our understanding of what is about to happen. If the timeline laid out herein is correct, then this is world war three but there will be a world war four! The more we realize that the great deception will fool all the world, the more we understand that there has to be a false Armageddon to cause people to believe in the false prophet and his antichrist. This also explains the sixth trumpet being so similar to the bowl judgment on the Euphrates River. It may be true that even the kings of the east will be involved in the first (pseudo) Armageddon; Ezek.38, as well as the true Armageddon, (Ezek.39).
Now another thing that the L-rd has shown me about this passage is that Revelation:17 says that the Beast rises up out of the bottomless pit. This has to happen before, or at the same time as, the man of sin is given power to continue forty-two months. And the star, that we read of here, is given the key to the bottomless pit, and he opens it. So the angel of the bottomless pit, that is king over the locusts, is probably also the Beast of Revelation, 17 that rises out of the pit! Now this name that he has, (Apollyon), means “Destroyer.” One can hardly miss the implications of this name in scripture!
Jeremiah 4:6-7
6. “Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7. The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.”
Now this prophecy in Jeremiah was talking about Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, so the Beast that arises back out of the bottomless pit, after Satan opens it, is Babylon in Iraq and is named “The Destroyer.”
July 5, 2003 Update: The US has now taken over the rulership of Iraq! The possibilities are indeed staggering. This makes George W. Bush the king of Babylon for now. For the latest update on the "lion" and the "Destroyer," see "Bush And The 2300 Days" on the main page listed below.
The Beast is also referenced in the Old Testament as Leviathan, the great beast of the sea, who is king of the proud. G-d, in talking to Job, chides him about the fact that no man can defeat the great beast. We find in the Psalms however that the L-rd himself defeats Leviathan, and the prophecy is reminiscent of the original prophecy in Genesis, that G-d told Satan, when the L-rd said this to the serpent:
Genesis 3:15
15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
Psalms 74:13-14
13. “Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14. Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.”
Notice here in Psalm 74 that the word “heads” is plural yet it is speaking of leviathan in the singular as “him.” This is one of the clues linking this great beast to Satan and the Beast that rises out of the pit when the Devil opens the bottomless pit. The descriptions that are given of each of them are very similar but they are not the same beings. Of the Dragon mentioned in Rev:12, he is said to have seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns on his heads. Of the Beast in Rev:17, he is said to have seven heads and ten horns also, but his crowns are ten crowns on his ten horns!
This slight difference tells us that the Beasts’ power comes not only from Satan but also from the final ten kings that give him their power. Now Rev:12 tells us that, just as leviathan, the Beast rises up out of the sea! It makes one wonder if the sea mentioned here is more literal than we have thought. And all of this takes place just before the beginning of the great tribulation! It may be that the bottomless pit is, quite literally, somewhere in the oceans, maybe the Mediterranean Sea. A curious thing we learn by the words of Luke:
Luke 8:26-33
26. “And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
27. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
28. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of G-d most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.
29. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
30. And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
31. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
32. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.
33. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.”
What this text tells us is that Yeshua has the key to the bottomless pit and the demons knew it! This is the “deep” spoken of here. One day soon Yeshua will stand up and hand the key of the bottomless pit to a falling angel, and Yeshua will probably say to that fallen angel something like this: “That thou doest, do quickly,” the same words He spoke to Judas after Satan entered the man. Another curious detail is what Strongs has to say about the Locusts of Revelation 9.
200 // akriv // akris // ak-rece' //
apparently from the same as 206 ; n f
AV - locust 4; 4
1) a locust, particularly that species which especially infests
oriental countries, stripping fields and trees. Numberless swarms
of them almost every spring are carried by the wind from Arabia
into Palestine, and having devastated that country, migrate to
regions farther north, until they perish by falling into the sea.
The Orientals accustomed to feed upon locusts, either raw or
roasted and seasoned with salt (or prepared in other ways), and
the Israelites also were permitted to eat them.
It seems that these particular locusts that John speaks of in Rev. 9 perish in the same way that they did when Christ drove them out of the man, of the Gadarenes, who had legions of them!
Now the leviathan story sounds far fetched but there is one last passage that we should look at in Isaiah.
Isaiah 26:20-21
20. “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
21. For, behold, the L-rd cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.”
Isaiah 27:1
1. “In that day the L-rd with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.”
Now; talk about a bad place to put a chapter break! I don’t know what the translators were thinking, but obviously Isaiah 27:1 is a continuation of chapter 26! This puts this the punishment of leviathan at the time when the “L-rd cometh out of his place,” and the reason there is a semicolon inserted in Isaiah 27:1 is because the L-rd will not slay the dragon until a thousand years later when he is let out of his “punishment,” (the pit), for a little spell, thus once again we have a thousand-year day; (“In that day“). Some also use Isaiah 26:20-21 to prove a pre-tribulation rapture, but notice the reason that G-d hides his people in verse twenty one: it is because “the L-rd cometh out of his place to punish.” This does not happen until the final Armageddon during the Days of Awe. This is when Babylon comes to remembrance before G-d, in Rev. 16:19, after the last vial/bowl judgment.
At any rate the facts seem to point to the fifth trumpet as the beginning of the great tribulation, and if this is true, and the timeline put forth is true, then we are facing world war three in the spring of 2005. It may only last a month or it may play out from 2003 all the way up to spring 2005, but it will be billed as Armageddon when it is all done, and the great deception will come upon mankind. However, the real Armageddon will still be yet to come. I believe after the sixth trumpet G-d will allow the Devil to finalize his plan of the ages, but it will actually be G-d’s plan that the Devil emplements and fulfills, and the seventh trumpet will not sound until seven days before Christ Yeshua returns with us.
After this we come to Rev.10, which is another interlude. John is told that when the seventh angel sounds then the mystery of G-d would be finished, but first he must prophesy again. So then, after this comes the prophesies of the two witnesses, the woman with child, the dragon and his angels cast out of heaven, the beast and false prophet rising up, etc. etc. This is how we know that Rev.11, 12, 13, and 14, are all at the start of the tribulation. And after the 1260-day testimony of the two witnesses the seventh trumpet will sound, and the rapture will happen. This takes place at Rosh Hashanah, seven days before we return to earth with Christ in glory.
But first the battle of Armageddon, the kings of the east will be there, and all of the armies of the world that are left will be there. The major players though are the Antichrist forces, the kings of the east, and the kings of the far north, who will be back, (the second Magog war). This is why we read in Daniel 11 that at the time of the end when the Antichrist enters Egypt he will get tidings from the east and from the north that “trouble him.” He will return to fight in the Holy Land and Christ will slay him with the breath of his mouth. But first G-d has several appointments to attend to.
Taken from "Warning:"
This morning, (08/15/02), President Bush gave a speech at Mt. Rushmore. Now just so you know, I don’t pick sides in the political arena. I am quite conservative but when it comes to politics both sides support the New World Order. Anyhow; I noticed that behind the President they had set up a large picture of Mt. Rushmore, in other words, an “image.” All of us Americans know that Rushmore is the sight of a great carved or “graven image of stone,” carved out of the side of the mountain. It has the images of four great men of our history’s beginnings, and it is a venerated sight in this country. What astonished me, while watching the President’s speech, was that at the bottom of the TV screen, the news channel I was watching, was flashing interesting facts about Mt. Rushmore. And as I was reading some of them, lo and behold, a fact came up that shocked me. It said; “The carving at Mt. Rushmore is about 60 feet high.”
I nearly fell out of my chair! Here we have the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, at this time anyways, standing in front of a great 60 foot graven image, talking about peace in the middle east, and the war to oust Saddam from Iraq, (the modern kingdom of Babylon)! Now this has serious implications for our country, many of us understand the significance of this number. G-d has forwarned us as to who will ultimately destroy Babylon, it will be “as G-d overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,” and remember; Yeshua met with Abraham on his way to “visit” those cities! I humbly submit to you now what I believe is a warning to the United States:
Jeremiah 50:41-45
41. “Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
42. They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
43. The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
44. Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
45. Therefore hear ye the counsel of the L-rd, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.”
Now I ask you; are we not planning to attack Iraq from Turkey? From the northern border of Iraq? Are we not a great nation? In fact the greatest nation on earth? Who is the habitation of the strong? It is referred to here in the female sense, so I would think that it speaks of Babylon. Yet G-d says that he will make this great nation and coalition of kings, from the coasts of the earth, turn suddenly and run from Babylon! Why would G-d do this? He tells is in the text; “Who will appoint me the time?” In other words it is not G-d’s time! Babylon has an appointment with Jesus Christ. What is the next reason? The text also tells us that because of this attack G-d wants us to “Therefore hear ye the counsel of the L-rd.” And G-d proceeds to inform us that “Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.”
What this is saying is that it is the right of the Messiah Yeshua to destroy Babylon and He will do so at the proper time. How many times did Jesus say to us in his word that the first shall be last? The last shall be first? The greatest shall be the least? The lessor shall become the greater? It is true that He was the “least” of the flock of his people while He was here on earth. He subjected himself to spitting, tearing out of his beard, tortures, beatings, and the death of a common thief or murderer. All because He loved us and He was obedient to his Father’s will.
Now if you think that I may be errant in this interpretation than let us look at another passage in the very next chapter of Jeremiah, which is still prophesying about the overthrow of Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:17-24
17. “Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
18. They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
19. The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and (Israel is) the rod of his inheritance: the L-rd of hosts is his name.
20. Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
21. And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
22. With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;
23. I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
24. And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the L-rd.”
So then who is the Portion of Jacob? If Israel is the rod of His inheritance, who is the Portion of Jacob? The passage tells us that “the L-rd of hosts is his name.”
Lamentations chapter three answers this question:
Lamentations 3:24 “The L-rd is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”
This is none other than Yeshua the King! And the final thing that clenches this fact is the verse that says “for he is the former of all things.” Now what does “former” mean here? It doesn’t really matter if you think about it! If He is the former in the sense that He formed all things including the earth and heavens and mankind, then He was around at the very beginning! If He is the former in the sense that He was around always in former times, then He is the great “I am” and He created all things! This is why Yeshua said “before Abraham was, I AM.” According to this passage G-d the Father will use His Son to destroy nations and kings, people and things, He is the battle axe and weapons of war in the hand of His Father!
Now the former verse that we read: Jer. 50:44-45 is also used in one other place that I was able to find:
Jeremiah 49:17-22
17 “Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.
18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the L-rd, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
20 Therefore hear the counsel of the L-rd, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.
21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.
22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.”
Basically the same passage but with Edom and Bozrah and Teman instead of Babylon! And who is it that will “come up and fly as the eagle,” and not only save His own, but destroy Bozrah, Edom, and Teman? The least of the flock! He has now sat down at the right hand of His Father and has been made the greatest of the flock. But He will be back soon:
Habakkuk 3:3-11
3 “G-d came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.
5 Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.
6 He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
8 Was the L-rd displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?
9 Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.
11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.”
Isaiah 63:1-6
1 “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.
4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.
5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.
6 And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.”
Now there is further proof of this chronology given in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ:
Revelation 19:11-14
11. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of G-d.
14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”
Notice here that, when Christ returns with us, His “vesture” is already “dipped in blood.” He has just kept several appointments at the time when we return with Him!
At that time Christ will judge the nations and Israel will have been saved, if there is no temple standing in Jerusalem it will be built, and by the 25th of Kislev it will be dedicated by our L-rd. The day of dedication will come 1335 days after the after the resurrection of the Antichrist, three days after Passover, three and a half years earlier.
Here at the end I would like to revisit one more verse, we have already looked at it once but I thought it appropriate to include it here.
Matthew 17:1-2
1.) “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2.) And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”
The six great days are over people! The giant solar clock struck midnight on May 5th 2000! We are in the seventh millennium and Jesus Christ is about to be glorified on earth!
Revelation 19:1-9
1 “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the L-rd our G-d:
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped G-d that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our G-d, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the L-rd G-d omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of G-d.”
Amen, and amen, and amen!
Postscript: Now I know that many will say that we cannot know the timing of the return of our L-rd. Here are the verses they use to prove their point, I will also include scriptures that show otherwise.
Matthew 24:36
36. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
Matthew 24:42
42. “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your L-rd doth come.”
Matthew 24:44
44. “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
Mark 13:32-33
32. “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.”
Now this all sounds pretty convincing on the surface, but notice this; Jesus is very careful never to mention the year or month in these passages! It is the day or the hour that no man knows, and to say “no man knows” is to use the present-tense. When Christ spoke these words it was true that no man at that time knew the date! However, Christ did not say that no man will ever know the day, in fact, those who witness the abomination of desolation will know the date if they are familiar with prophecy!
This is why I have said in this work that the timeline presented herein is not positively proven but is something to watch for. Now the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hoshanah, is celebrated two days, this is why the Jews call it “the day that no man knows” or “the hidden day,” (Yom Hakeseh). In fact, for Jesus to say the phrase: “but of that day and hour knoweth no man,” he is directly referring to the Feast of Trumpets!
And now the scriptures that show a slightly differing viewpoint, one in particular, is from the same passage in Matthew already quoted.
Matthew 24:36-39
36. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
So then, what happened in Noah’s day?
Genesis 6:13
13. “And G-d said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”
Genesis 6:18
18. “But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.”
Genesis 7:1-6
1. “And the L-rd said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
3. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
4. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
5. And Noah did according unto all that the L-rd commanded him.
6. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.”
So what do these verses tell us? G-d told Noah that in seven days he was going to destroy the earth! Noah knew ahead of time, for G-d revealed it to him! Did he know the day or the hour? He did not! Was the destruction decreed going to come on the seventh day from when G-d warned him, or was it to come a full seven days after G-d warned him? Noah did not know for sure which day it would be but he did know, within two days, the date of the first destruction of the world! Notice also that Noah was six hundred years old (the typology of the six great days before the judgment and return of Christ). Another part of the typology of this passage is that G-d told Noah he would destroy the earth in seven days. This we saw in the second epistle of Simon Peter and the book of the Revelation. At the end of the millennial reign of Christ the earth will be destroyed a second time by fire. The seven-thousand year plan of G-d will have expired and we will enter the final eighth day of new beginnings!
Genesis 18:16-23
16. “And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17. And the L-rd said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18. Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the L-rd, to do justice and judgment; that the L-rd may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
20. And the L-rd said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21. I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the L-rd.
23. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?”
Here we see that G-d told Abraham in advance that he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
Psalms 25:12-14
12. “What man is he that feareth the L-rd? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14. The secret of the L-rd is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.”
Daniel 2:20-22
20. “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of G-d for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21. And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
22. He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.”
Amos 3:6-7
6. “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the L-rd hath not done it?
7. Surely the L-rd G-d will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
Daniel 12:4-10
4. “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
5. Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.
6. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
7. And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
8. And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my L-rd, what shall be the end of these things?
9. And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”
These verses should speak for themselves, may G-d bless you with the understanding of his word, the power to act on it, and the Spirit of Him who overcame and sat down at the right hand of his Father.
