Times and Seasons
In response to a question from one of Unsealed's readers, I've post my reply to the question, where are we in God's calendar, how close are we to the rapture?
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for your question. I too am ready to go!
Some thoughts.
Ezekiel 38
This is another message that came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: Gog, I am your enemy! I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army—your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons. Gomer and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north, and many others.
“Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! I will go to those formerly desolate cities that are now filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder, for the people are rich with livestock and other possessions now. They think the whole world revolves around them!’ But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’
“Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself. You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the LORD.
“This is what the Sovereign LORD asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people? But this is what the Sovereign LORD says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. All living things—the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign LORD. Your men will turn their swords against each other. I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 39
“Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am your enemy, O Gog, ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north. I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows from your right hand, and I will leave you helpless. You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains. I will feed you to the vultures and wild animals. You will fall in the open fields, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign LORD. And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
“In this way, I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let anyone bring shame on it. And the nations, too, will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign LORD. Everything will happen just as I have declared it.
“Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! They won’t need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need. They will plunder those who planned to plunder them, and they will rob those who planned to rob them, says the Sovereign LORD.
“And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his hordes in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. It will block the way of those who travel there, and they will change the name of the place to the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a glorious victory for Israel when I demonstrate my glory on that day, says the Sovereign LORD.
“After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skeletons to bury, so the land will be made clean again. Whenever bones are found, a marker will be set up so the burial crews will take them to be buried in the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. (There will be a town there named Hamonah, which means ‘horde.’) And so the land will finally be cleansed.
“And now, son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Call all the birds and wild animals. Say to them: Gather together for my great sacrificial feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel, and there eat flesh and drink blood! Eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of princes as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all fattened animals from Bashan! Gorge yourselves with flesh until you are glutted; drink blood until you are drunk. This is the sacrificial feast I have prepared for you. Feast at my banquet table—feast on horses and charioteers, on mighty men and all kinds of valiant warriors, says the Sovereign LORD.
“In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power of my fist when I strike. And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God. The nations will then know why Israel was sent away to exile—it was punishment for sin, for they were unfaithful to their God. Therefore, I turned away from them and let their enemies destroy them. I turned my face away and punished them because of their defilement and their sins.
“So now, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my holy reputation! They will accept responsibility for their past shame and unfaithfulness after they come home to live in peace in their own land, with no one to bother them. When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see. Then my people will know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”
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Ezekiel 38 and 39 talk about war and Gog, Magog and Meschach. This is Iran and Russia. This is in the news every day. This is coming very very soon..
However before this happens there is war coming with Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
If we see war with Iran to be imminent, how close is the Psalms 83, Isaiah 17, Obadiah, Jeremiah 49 war?
Isaiah 17
This message came to me concerning Damascus:
“Look, the city of Damascus will disappear!
It will become a heap of ruins.
The towns of Aroer will be deserted.
Flocks will graze in the streets and lie down undisturbed,
with no one to chase them away.
The fortified towns of Israel will also be destroyed,
and the royal power of Damascus will end.
All that remains of Syria
will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,”
declares the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
“In that day Israel’s glory will grow dim;
its robust body will waste away.
The whole land will look like a grainfield
after the harvesters have gathered the grain.
It will be desolate,
like the fields in the valley of Rephaim after the harvest.
Only a few of its people will be left,
like stray olives left on a tree after the harvest.
Only two or three remain in the highest branches,
four or five scattered here and there on the limbs,”
declares the LORD, the God of Israel.
Then at last the people will look to their Creator
and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
They will no longer look to their idols for help
or worship what their own hands have made.
They will never again bow down to their Asherah poles
or worship at the pagan shrines they have built.
Their largest cities will be like a deserted forest,
like the land the Hivites and Amorites abandoned
when the Israelites came here so long ago.
It will be utterly desolate.
Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you.
You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you.
So you may plant the finest grapevines
and import the most expensive seedlings.
They may sprout on the day you set them out;
yes, they may blossom on the very morning you plant them,
but you will never pick any grapes from them.
Your only harvest will be a load of grief and unrelieved pain.
Listen! The armies of many nations
roar like the roaring of the sea.
Hear the thunder of the mighty forces
as they rush forward like thundering waves.
But though they thunder like breakers on a beach,
God will silence them, and they will run away.
They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind,
like a tumbleweed whirling before a storm.
In the evening Israel waits in terror,
but by dawn its enemies are dead.
This is the just reward of those who plunder us,
a fitting end for those who destroy us.
Psalm 83
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
O God, do not be silent!
Do not be deaf.
Do not be quiet, O God.
Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies?
Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?
They devise crafty schemes against your people;
they conspire against your precious ones.
“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation.
We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”
Yes, this was their unanimous decision.
They signed a treaty as allies against you—
these Edomites and Ishmaelites;
Moabites and Hagrites;
Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites;
and people from Philistia and Tyre.
Assyria has joined them, too,
and is allied with the descendants of Lot.
Interlude
Do to them as you did to the Midianites
and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.
They were destroyed at Endor,
and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil.
Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did.
Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,
for they said, “Let us seize for our own use
these pasturelands of God!”
O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed,
like chaff before the wind!
As a fire burns a forest
and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,
chase them with your fierce storm;
terrify them with your tempest.
Utterly disgrace them
until they submit to your name, O LORD.
Let them be ashamed and terrified forever.
Let them die in disgrace.
Then they will learn that you alone are called the LORD,
that you alone are the Most High,
supreme over all the earth.
Obadiah 1
This is the vision that the Sovereign LORD revealed to Obadiah concerning the land of Edom.
We have heard a message from the LORD
that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Get ready, everyone!
Let’s assemble our armies and attack Edom!”
The LORD says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations;
you will be greatly despised.
You have been deceived by your own pride
because you live in a rock fortress
and make your home high in the mountains.
‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’
you ask boastfully.
But even if you soar as high as eagles
and build your nest among the stars,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the LORD.
“If thieves came at night and robbed you
(what a disaster awaits you!),
they would not take everything.
Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
But your enemies will wipe you out completely!
Every nook and cranny of Edom
will be searched and looted.
Every treasure will be found and taken.
“All your allies will turn against you.
They will help to chase you from your land.
They will promise you peace
while plotting to deceive and destroy you.
Your trusted friends will set traps for you,
and you won’t even know about it.
At that time not a single wise person
will be left in the whole land of Edom,”
says the LORD.
“For on the mountains of Edom
I will destroy everyone who has understanding.
The mightiest warriors of Teman
will be terrified,
and everyone on the mountains of Edom
will be cut down in the slaughter.
“Because of the violence you did
to your close relatives in Israel,
you will be filled with shame
and destroyed forever.
When they were invaded,
you stood aloof, refusing to help them.
Foreign invaders carried off their wealth
and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem,
but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies.
“You should not have gloated
when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.
You should not have rejoiced
when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune.
You should not have spoken arrogantly
in that terrible time of trouble.
You should not have plundered the land of Israel
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have stood at the crossroads,
killing those who tried to escape.
You should not have captured the survivors
and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble.
“The day is near when I, the LORD,
will judge all godless nations!
As you have done to Israel,
so it will be done to you.
All your evil deeds
will fall back on your own heads.
Just as you swallowed up my people
on my holy mountain,
so you and the surrounding nations
will swallow the punishment I pour out on you.
Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger
and disappear from history.
“But Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape;
it will be a holy place.
And the people of Israel will come back
to reclaim their inheritance.
The people of Israel will be a raging fire,
and Edom a field of dry stubble.
The descendants of Joseph will be a flame
roaring across the field, devouring everything.
There will be no survivors in Edom.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
“Then my people living in the Negev
will occupy the mountains of Edom.
Those living in the foothills of Judah
will possess the Philistine plains
and take over the fields of Ephraim and Samaria.
And the people of Benjamin
will occupy the land of Gilead.
The exiles of Israel will return to their land
and occupy the Phoenician coast as far north as Zarephath.
The captives from Jerusalem exiled in the north
will return home and resettle the towns of the Negev.
Those who have been rescued will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem
to rule over the mountains of Edom.
And the LORD himself will be king!”
Jeremiah 49
This message was given concerning the Ammonites. This is what the LORD says:
“Are there no descendants of Israel
to inherit the land of Gad?
Why are you, who worship Molech,
living in its towns?
In the days to come,” says the LORD,
“I will sound the battle cry against your city of Rabbah.
It will become a desolate heap of ruins,
and the neighboring towns will be burned.
Then Israel will take back the land
you took from her,” says the LORD.
“Cry out, O Heshbon,
for the town of Ai is destroyed.
Weep, O people of Rabbah!
Put on your clothes of mourning.
Weep and wail, hiding in the hedges,
for your god Molech, with his priests and officials,
will be hauled off to distant lands.
You are proud of your fertile valleys,
but they will soon be ruined.
You trusted in your wealth,
you rebellious daughter,
and thought no one could ever harm you.
But look! I will bring terror upon you,”
says the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
“Your neighbors will chase you from your land,
and no one will help your exiles as they flee.
But I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites
in days to come.
I, the LORD, have spoken.”
This message was given concerning Edom. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Is there no wisdom in Teman?
Is no one left to give wise counsel?
Turn and flee!
Hide in deep caves, you people of Dedan!
For when I bring disaster on Edom,
I will punish you, too!
Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
If thieves came at night,
they would not take everything.
But I will strip bare the land of Edom,
and there will be no place left to hide.
Its children, its brothers, and its neighbors
will all be destroyed,
and Edom itself will be no more.
But I will protect the orphans who remain among you.
Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”
And this is what the LORD says: “If the innocent must suffer, how much more must you! You will not go unpunished! You must drink this cup of judgment! For I have sworn by my own name,” says the LORD, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror and a heap of ruins; it will be mocked and cursed. All its towns and villages will be desolate forever.”
I have heard a message from the LORD
that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Form a coalition against Edom,
and prepare for battle!”
The LORD says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations.
You will be despised by all.
You have been deceived
by the fear you inspire in others
and by your own pride.
You live in a rock fortress
and control the mountain heights.
But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the LORD.
“Edom will be an object of horror.
All who pass by will be appalled
and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighboring towns,” says the LORD.
“No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.
I will come like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan,
leaping on the sheep in the pasture.
I will chase Edom from its land,
and I will appoint the leader of my choice.
For who is like me, and who can challenge me?
What ruler can oppose my will?”
Listen to the LORD’s plans against Edom
and the people of Teman.
Even the little children will be dragged off like sheep,
and their homes will be destroyed.
The earth will shake with the noise of Edom’s fall,
and its cry of despair will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.
Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
spreading his wings over Bozrah.
Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
like a woman in labor.
This message was given concerning Damascus. This is what the LORD says:
“The towns of Hamath and Arpad are struck with fear,
for they have heard the news of their destruction.
Their hearts are troubled
like a wild sea in a raging storm.
Damascus has become feeble,
and all her people turn to flee.
Fear, anguish, and pain have gripped her
as they grip a woman in labor.
That famous city, a city of joy,
will be forsaken!
Her young men will fall in the streets and die.
Her soldiers will all be killed,”
says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
“And I will set fire to the walls of Damascus
that will burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad.”
This message was given concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which were attacked by King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon. This is what the LORD says:
“Advance against Kedar!
Destroy the warriors from the East!
Their flocks and tents will be captured,
and their household goods and camels will be taken away.
Everywhere shouts of panic will be heard:
‘We are terrorized at every turn!’
Run for your lives,” says the LORD.
“Hide yourselves in deep caves, you people of Hazor,
for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has plotted against you
and is preparing to destroy you.
“Go up and attack that complacent nation,”
says the LORD.
“Its people live alone in the desert
without walls or gates.
Their camels and other livestock will all be yours.
I will scatter to the winds these people
who live in remote places.
I will bring calamity upon them
from every direction,” says the LORD.
“Hazor will be inhabited by jackals,
and it will be desolate forever.
No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.”
This message concerning Elam came to the prophet Jeremiah from the LORD at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says:
“I will destroy the archers of Elam—
the best of their forces.
I will bring enemies from all directions,
and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.
They will be exiled to countries around the world.
I myself will go with Elam’s enemies to shatter it.
In my fierce anger, I will bring great disaster
upon the people of Elam,” says the LORD.
“Their enemies will chase them with the sword
until I have destroyed them completely.
I will set my throne in Elam,” says the LORD,
“and I will destroy its king and officials.
But I will restore the fortunes of Elam
in days to come.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”
Ezekiel 29
On January 7, during the tenth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, turn and face Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh the king and all the people of Egypt. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD:
“I am your enemy, O Pharaoh, king of Egypt—
you great monster, lurking in the streams of the Nile.
For you have said, ‘The Nile River is mine;
I made it for myself.’
I will put hooks in your jaws
and drag you out on the land
with fish sticking to your scales.
I will leave you and all your fish
stranded in the wilderness to die.
You will lie unburied on the open ground,
for I have given you as food to the wild animals and birds.
All the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD,
for to Israel you were just a staff made of reeds.
When Israel leaned on you,
you splintered and broke
and stabbed her in the armpit.
When she put her weight on you, you gave way,
and her back was thrown out of joint.
“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will bring an army against you, O Egypt, and destroy both people and animals. The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.
“Because you said, ‘The Nile River is mine; I made it,’ I am now the enemy of both you and your river. I will make the land of Egypt a totally desolate wasteland, from Migdol to Aswan, as far south as the border of Ethiopia. For forty years not a soul will pass that way, neither people nor animals. It will be completely uninhabited. I will make Egypt desolate, and it will be surrounded by other desolate nations. Its cities will be empty and desolate for forty years, surrounded by other ruined cities. I will scatter the Egyptians to distant lands.
“But this is what the Sovereign LORD also says: At the end of the forty years I will bring the Egyptians home again from the nations to which they have been scattered. I will restore the prosperity of Egypt and bring its people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt from which they came. But Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom. It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors.
“Then Israel will no longer be tempted to trust in Egypt for help. Egypt’s shattered condition will remind Israel of how sinful she was to trust Egypt in earlier days. Then Israel will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.”
On April 26, the first day of the new year, during the twenty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought so hard against Tyre that the warriors’ heads were rubbed bare and their shoulders were raw and blistered. Yet Nebuchadnezzar and his army won no plunder to compensate them for all their work. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He will carry off its wealth, plundering everything it has so he can pay his army. Yes, I have given him the land of Egypt as a reward for his work, says the Sovereign LORD, because he was working for me when he destroyed Tyre.
“And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive, and then, Ezekiel, your words will be respected. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 30
This is another message that came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign LORD:
“Weep and wail
for that day,
for the terrible day is almost here—
the day of the LORD!
It is a day of clouds and gloom,
a day of despair for the nations.
A sword will come against Egypt,
and those who are slaughtered will cover the ground.
Its wealth will be carried away
and its foundations destroyed.
The land of Ethiopia will be ravished.
Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all Arabia,
and all their other allies
will be destroyed in that war.
“For this is what the LORD says:
All of Egypt’s allies will fall,
and the pride of her power will end.
From Migdol to Aswan
they will be slaughtered by the sword,
says the Sovereign LORD.
Egypt will be desolate,
surrounded by desolate nations,
and its cities will be in ruins,
surrounded by other ruined cities.
And the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD
when I have set Egypt on fire
and destroyed all their allies.
At that time I will send swift messengers in ships
to terrify the complacent Ethiopians.
Great panic will come upon them
on that day of Egypt’s certain destruction.
Watch for it!
It is sure to come!
“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
By the power of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,
I will destroy the hordes of Egypt.
He and his armies—the most ruthless of all—
will be sent to demolish the land.
They will make war against Egypt
until slaughtered Egyptians cover the ground.
I will dry up the Nile River
and sell the land to wicked men.
I will destroy the land of Egypt and everything in it
by the hands of foreigners.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
I will smash the idols of Egypt
and the images at Memphis.
There will be no rulers left in Egypt;
terror will sweep the land.
I will destroy southern Egypt,
set fire to Zoan,
and bring judgment against Thebes.
I will pour out my fury on Pelusium,
the strongest fortress of Egypt,
and I will stamp out
the hordes of Thebes.
Yes, I will set fire to all Egypt!
Pelusium will be racked with pain;
Thebes will be torn apart;
Memphis will live in constant terror.
The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in battle,
and the women will be taken away as slaves.
When I come to break the proud strength of Egypt,
it will be a dark day for Tahpanhes, too.
A dark cloud will cover Tahpanhes,
and its daughters will be led away as captives.
And so I will greatly punish Egypt,
and they will know that I am the LORD.”
On April 29, during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. His arm has not been put in a cast so that it may heal. Neither has it been bound up with a splint to make it strong enough to hold a sword. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am the enemy of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt! I will break both of his arms—the good arm along with the broken one—and I will make his sword clatter to the ground. I will scatter the Egyptians to many lands throughout the world. I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he will lie there mortally wounded, groaning in pain. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while the arms of Pharaoh fall useless to his sides. And when I put my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he brings it against the land of Egypt, Egypt will know that I am the LORD. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, dispersing them throughout the earth. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
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I say that the Psalms 83 war will come before the Ezekiel 38-39 war, because it is referred to in Ezekiel 29 and 30 and of course Ezekiel 29 and 30, come before Ezekiel 38-39.
Israel knows that when they attack Iran, that the thousands of rockets in the neighboring countries (Lebanon, Syria, Gaza) will be unleashed on Israel. Israel must take these installations out first.
God's word tells us that there will be a sneak attack. Israel will be surprise, but will retaliate and will be victorious.
I don't see anyway for the chaos that has reached a boiling point can simmer for any protracted period.
I think the rapture is coming very soon.
Matthew 24:33-35 (NASB)
so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
He told us that when we see these things begin to happen, know that it is all about to happen.
It seems every radio preacher, is warning of the soon coming of our King. Why is that? If it weren't true. God is not a God of deception and confusion. His spirit is poured out on all of these spokesman for a reason. He's coming and right at the door.
Of course everything I'm saying is what I believe and what I hear from many others, but I don't know for certain, but I am very highly confident. John 3:16 I am quite certain of, as for the rest, I'm not perfectly certain.
To put a finer point on when He will return I'll offer some insight.
I subscribe to Young Earth creation and the Jewish Holiday fulfillment.
Genesis 1 tells that God created in 6 days and that on the 7th day He rested.
It is commonly believed by young earth creationists that the world is just about 6,000 years old. We know that we will rest, when Christ has his 1,000 year millennial reign. The millennial reign is the 7th day of rest.
This alone tells us that we are close.
We know from Matthew 24, that the generation that was alive to see Israel reborn on May 14th, 1948 would not all die before all these things are fulfilled. This was 64 years ago. We know that the tribulation will be 7 years. The end of the tribulation is at least 71 years after Israel's rebirth.
Psalms 90:1 tells us that a persons age is 70 or 80 years. This tells us that we are very close. Of course God told Noah that many's life would be capped at 120 years. I see no way that this mess can rock along for another 50 years, so the 120 year number seems to be out for our purposes.
In Leviticus 23 God ordains 7 Jewish holiday days or festivals.
3 in the spring.
1 in the summer.
3 in the fall.
Spring
* Passover
* Unleavened Bread
* Leavened Bread
Of course sacrificing sheep at Passover is no longer needed, now that the once for all perfect blemish free lamb of God was sacrificed for us on the cross. The Passover feast is fulfilled and is over.
The Jews baked Unleavened bread before the Passover and that is what they ate Friday night and Saturday, while Christ was in the grave. Leaven is yeast. Yeast is alive. Jesus was dead. Jesus fulfilled the feast of unleavened bread.
After the Sabbath, after Passover, it was okay to make bread with yeast (leavened bread). When Jesus rose on Sunday morning He was alive. The Bread of Life (Christ) was alive and fulfilled the feast of Leavened bread.
3 spring feasts fulfilled.
The summer celebration at Pentecost, occurred 50 days after Passover and remembered God giving the 10 commandments 50 days after the Exodus at Mount Sinai. In Acts 2 on Pentecost the church was born and the Holy Spirit was given.
This leaves the 3 fall feasts, in them we find a secret to the Rapture.
I'll take them backwards, because the Rapture coincides with the first (at least that's my belief).
The last one is the Feast of Tabernacles, also called the Feast of Booths. This remembers the time when the Jews lived in tents in the wilderness and God "tabernacled" (lived) with them.
Revelation 21:1-4 (NASB)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He willwipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
At the close of our Bibles, God tells us that He has made things new and that His dwelling place (His tabernacle) is with men.
When sin is eliminated, God will once again Tabernacle (live) with us and the feast of tabernacles will be fulfilled. No longer will we have to remember a time when God lived with us, because He will be doing so today.
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Prior to the Feast of Tabernacles, is the Day of Atonement. This is a time to grieve over sin. After the Great White Throne judgement when evil is judged and cast into the abyss, this will be fulfilled. I tend to believe that the Revelation 20 judgement is those apart from the saving blood of Christ is on the Day of Atonement.
Lastly and finally this brings us to the first fall feast, the Feast of Trumpets, also called Rosh Hashanah. This is the start of the Jewish New Year. It begins when two or more witness, up on top of the temple declare that a new moon is spotted. No one ever new the "day or the hour" when the new moon would appear. You certainly new when it was close. When the two witness spotted the new moon they would shout. With the testimony of two witnesses before the High Priest, their confirmation was confirmed and it was announced with the loud blast of the shofar trumpet.
When Jesus said "no one knows the day or the hour", this seems to be a direct reference to Rosh Hashanah.
Consider also the words of Paul to those at Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NASB)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as dothe rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain 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 shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
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The next Jewish New Year is on September 16th. The Jewish day begins at what we call 6pm. If you're in the U.S. you have to crank the clock back about 6-10 hours. September 16th actually begins on September 15th.
Yes I believe His return is very soon. I believe He is right at the door. 2012 seems to have some promise, although 2013, 2014 or later could be the date.
We're definitely in the season. Christ told us we should be smart enough to figure this out.
Matthew 16:2-4 (NASB)
2 But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.
John 3:9-14 (NASB)
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
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There are a number of people who believe that America is what the Bible calls Mystery Babylon and that God owes America judgement, if He has judged Sodom, Gomorrah and many other civilizations.
What will allow Israel to launched their attack. The Word says that Israel will be completely cut off and surrounded. (Not protected by America). What's going to happen that America won't come to Israel's aid? Apathy or something worse?
Another 9/11. A big earthquake? Both? Something else? We've seen massive earthquakes all around the Pacific rim the last two years, from Chile, to Christ's Church New Zealand, to the Fukishima, Japan disaster. Everywhere, but here.
I think it might be our turn.
If we see Iran and Israel ready to fulfill Ezekiel 38 and 39 and we know that the Psalms 83 war is closer, how close might be the destruction of America?
Of course in much of this I'm guessing, but you asked my opinion and so I've offered it. I encourage you to be a Berean and examine the scripture to see if these things are so.
Mostly I call you to be ready and to go and tell everyone you know.
We are not given a spirit of fear to sit around and calculate dates, but with the burden of this information, comes a hightened duty to fulfill the great commission.
God bless,
Greg
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for your question. I too am ready to go!
Some thoughts.
Ezekiel 38
This is another message that came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: Gog, I am your enemy! I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army—your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons. Gomer and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north, and many others.
“Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! I will go to those formerly desolate cities that are now filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder, for the people are rich with livestock and other possessions now. They think the whole world revolves around them!’ But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’
“Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself. You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the LORD.
“This is what the Sovereign LORD asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people? But this is what the Sovereign LORD says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. All living things—the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign LORD. Your men will turn their swords against each other. I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 39
“Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am your enemy, O Gog, ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north. I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows from your right hand, and I will leave you helpless. You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains. I will feed you to the vultures and wild animals. You will fall in the open fields, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign LORD. And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
“In this way, I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let anyone bring shame on it. And the nations, too, will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign LORD. Everything will happen just as I have declared it.
“Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! They won’t need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need. They will plunder those who planned to plunder them, and they will rob those who planned to rob them, says the Sovereign LORD.
“And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his hordes in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. It will block the way of those who travel there, and they will change the name of the place to the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a glorious victory for Israel when I demonstrate my glory on that day, says the Sovereign LORD.
“After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skeletons to bury, so the land will be made clean again. Whenever bones are found, a marker will be set up so the burial crews will take them to be buried in the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. (There will be a town there named Hamonah, which means ‘horde.’) And so the land will finally be cleansed.
“And now, son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Call all the birds and wild animals. Say to them: Gather together for my great sacrificial feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel, and there eat flesh and drink blood! Eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of princes as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all fattened animals from Bashan! Gorge yourselves with flesh until you are glutted; drink blood until you are drunk. This is the sacrificial feast I have prepared for you. Feast at my banquet table—feast on horses and charioteers, on mighty men and all kinds of valiant warriors, says the Sovereign LORD.
“In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power of my fist when I strike. And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God. The nations will then know why Israel was sent away to exile—it was punishment for sin, for they were unfaithful to their God. Therefore, I turned away from them and let their enemies destroy them. I turned my face away and punished them because of their defilement and their sins.
“So now, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my holy reputation! They will accept responsibility for their past shame and unfaithfulness after they come home to live in peace in their own land, with no one to bother them. When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see. Then my people will know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”
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Ezekiel 38 and 39 talk about war and Gog, Magog and Meschach. This is Iran and Russia. This is in the news every day. This is coming very very soon..
However before this happens there is war coming with Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
If we see war with Iran to be imminent, how close is the Psalms 83, Isaiah 17, Obadiah, Jeremiah 49 war?
Isaiah 17
This message came to me concerning Damascus:
“Look, the city of Damascus will disappear!
It will become a heap of ruins.
The towns of Aroer will be deserted.
Flocks will graze in the streets and lie down undisturbed,
with no one to chase them away.
The fortified towns of Israel will also be destroyed,
and the royal power of Damascus will end.
All that remains of Syria
will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,”
declares the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
“In that day Israel’s glory will grow dim;
its robust body will waste away.
The whole land will look like a grainfield
after the harvesters have gathered the grain.
It will be desolate,
like the fields in the valley of Rephaim after the harvest.
Only a few of its people will be left,
like stray olives left on a tree after the harvest.
Only two or three remain in the highest branches,
four or five scattered here and there on the limbs,”
declares the LORD, the God of Israel.
Then at last the people will look to their Creator
and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
They will no longer look to their idols for help
or worship what their own hands have made.
They will never again bow down to their Asherah poles
or worship at the pagan shrines they have built.
Their largest cities will be like a deserted forest,
like the land the Hivites and Amorites abandoned
when the Israelites came here so long ago.
It will be utterly desolate.
Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you.
You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you.
So you may plant the finest grapevines
and import the most expensive seedlings.
They may sprout on the day you set them out;
yes, they may blossom on the very morning you plant them,
but you will never pick any grapes from them.
Your only harvest will be a load of grief and unrelieved pain.
Listen! The armies of many nations
roar like the roaring of the sea.
Hear the thunder of the mighty forces
as they rush forward like thundering waves.
But though they thunder like breakers on a beach,
God will silence them, and they will run away.
They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind,
like a tumbleweed whirling before a storm.
In the evening Israel waits in terror,
but by dawn its enemies are dead.
This is the just reward of those who plunder us,
a fitting end for those who destroy us.
Psalm 83
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
O God, do not be silent!
Do not be deaf.
Do not be quiet, O God.
Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies?
Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?
They devise crafty schemes against your people;
they conspire against your precious ones.
“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation.
We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”
Yes, this was their unanimous decision.
They signed a treaty as allies against you—
these Edomites and Ishmaelites;
Moabites and Hagrites;
Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites;
and people from Philistia and Tyre.
Assyria has joined them, too,
and is allied with the descendants of Lot.
Interlude
Do to them as you did to the Midianites
and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.
They were destroyed at Endor,
and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil.
Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did.
Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,
for they said, “Let us seize for our own use
these pasturelands of God!”
O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed,
like chaff before the wind!
As a fire burns a forest
and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,
chase them with your fierce storm;
terrify them with your tempest.
Utterly disgrace them
until they submit to your name, O LORD.
Let them be ashamed and terrified forever.
Let them die in disgrace.
Then they will learn that you alone are called the LORD,
that you alone are the Most High,
supreme over all the earth.
Obadiah 1
This is the vision that the Sovereign LORD revealed to Obadiah concerning the land of Edom.
We have heard a message from the LORD
that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Get ready, everyone!
Let’s assemble our armies and attack Edom!”
The LORD says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations;
you will be greatly despised.
You have been deceived by your own pride
because you live in a rock fortress
and make your home high in the mountains.
‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’
you ask boastfully.
But even if you soar as high as eagles
and build your nest among the stars,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the LORD.
“If thieves came at night and robbed you
(what a disaster awaits you!),
they would not take everything.
Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
But your enemies will wipe you out completely!
Every nook and cranny of Edom
will be searched and looted.
Every treasure will be found and taken.
“All your allies will turn against you.
They will help to chase you from your land.
They will promise you peace
while plotting to deceive and destroy you.
Your trusted friends will set traps for you,
and you won’t even know about it.
At that time not a single wise person
will be left in the whole land of Edom,”
says the LORD.
“For on the mountains of Edom
I will destroy everyone who has understanding.
The mightiest warriors of Teman
will be terrified,
and everyone on the mountains of Edom
will be cut down in the slaughter.
“Because of the violence you did
to your close relatives in Israel,
you will be filled with shame
and destroyed forever.
When they were invaded,
you stood aloof, refusing to help them.
Foreign invaders carried off their wealth
and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem,
but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies.
“You should not have gloated
when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.
You should not have rejoiced
when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune.
You should not have spoken arrogantly
in that terrible time of trouble.
You should not have plundered the land of Israel
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have stood at the crossroads,
killing those who tried to escape.
You should not have captured the survivors
and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble.
“The day is near when I, the LORD,
will judge all godless nations!
As you have done to Israel,
so it will be done to you.
All your evil deeds
will fall back on your own heads.
Just as you swallowed up my people
on my holy mountain,
so you and the surrounding nations
will swallow the punishment I pour out on you.
Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger
and disappear from history.
“But Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape;
it will be a holy place.
And the people of Israel will come back
to reclaim their inheritance.
The people of Israel will be a raging fire,
and Edom a field of dry stubble.
The descendants of Joseph will be a flame
roaring across the field, devouring everything.
There will be no survivors in Edom.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
“Then my people living in the Negev
will occupy the mountains of Edom.
Those living in the foothills of Judah
will possess the Philistine plains
and take over the fields of Ephraim and Samaria.
And the people of Benjamin
will occupy the land of Gilead.
The exiles of Israel will return to their land
and occupy the Phoenician coast as far north as Zarephath.
The captives from Jerusalem exiled in the north
will return home and resettle the towns of the Negev.
Those who have been rescued will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem
to rule over the mountains of Edom.
And the LORD himself will be king!”
Jeremiah 49
This message was given concerning the Ammonites. This is what the LORD says:
“Are there no descendants of Israel
to inherit the land of Gad?
Why are you, who worship Molech,
living in its towns?
In the days to come,” says the LORD,
“I will sound the battle cry against your city of Rabbah.
It will become a desolate heap of ruins,
and the neighboring towns will be burned.
Then Israel will take back the land
you took from her,” says the LORD.
“Cry out, O Heshbon,
for the town of Ai is destroyed.
Weep, O people of Rabbah!
Put on your clothes of mourning.
Weep and wail, hiding in the hedges,
for your god Molech, with his priests and officials,
will be hauled off to distant lands.
You are proud of your fertile valleys,
but they will soon be ruined.
You trusted in your wealth,
you rebellious daughter,
and thought no one could ever harm you.
But look! I will bring terror upon you,”
says the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
“Your neighbors will chase you from your land,
and no one will help your exiles as they flee.
But I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites
in days to come.
I, the LORD, have spoken.”
This message was given concerning Edom. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Is there no wisdom in Teman?
Is no one left to give wise counsel?
Turn and flee!
Hide in deep caves, you people of Dedan!
For when I bring disaster on Edom,
I will punish you, too!
Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
If thieves came at night,
they would not take everything.
But I will strip bare the land of Edom,
and there will be no place left to hide.
Its children, its brothers, and its neighbors
will all be destroyed,
and Edom itself will be no more.
But I will protect the orphans who remain among you.
Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”
And this is what the LORD says: “If the innocent must suffer, how much more must you! You will not go unpunished! You must drink this cup of judgment! For I have sworn by my own name,” says the LORD, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror and a heap of ruins; it will be mocked and cursed. All its towns and villages will be desolate forever.”
I have heard a message from the LORD
that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Form a coalition against Edom,
and prepare for battle!”
The LORD says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations.
You will be despised by all.
You have been deceived
by the fear you inspire in others
and by your own pride.
You live in a rock fortress
and control the mountain heights.
But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the LORD.
“Edom will be an object of horror.
All who pass by will be appalled
and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighboring towns,” says the LORD.
“No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.
I will come like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan,
leaping on the sheep in the pasture.
I will chase Edom from its land,
and I will appoint the leader of my choice.
For who is like me, and who can challenge me?
What ruler can oppose my will?”
Listen to the LORD’s plans against Edom
and the people of Teman.
Even the little children will be dragged off like sheep,
and their homes will be destroyed.
The earth will shake with the noise of Edom’s fall,
and its cry of despair will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.
Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
spreading his wings over Bozrah.
Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
like a woman in labor.
This message was given concerning Damascus. This is what the LORD says:
“The towns of Hamath and Arpad are struck with fear,
for they have heard the news of their destruction.
Their hearts are troubled
like a wild sea in a raging storm.
Damascus has become feeble,
and all her people turn to flee.
Fear, anguish, and pain have gripped her
as they grip a woman in labor.
That famous city, a city of joy,
will be forsaken!
Her young men will fall in the streets and die.
Her soldiers will all be killed,”
says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
“And I will set fire to the walls of Damascus
that will burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad.”
This message was given concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which were attacked by King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon. This is what the LORD says:
“Advance against Kedar!
Destroy the warriors from the East!
Their flocks and tents will be captured,
and their household goods and camels will be taken away.
Everywhere shouts of panic will be heard:
‘We are terrorized at every turn!’
Run for your lives,” says the LORD.
“Hide yourselves in deep caves, you people of Hazor,
for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has plotted against you
and is preparing to destroy you.
“Go up and attack that complacent nation,”
says the LORD.
“Its people live alone in the desert
without walls or gates.
Their camels and other livestock will all be yours.
I will scatter to the winds these people
who live in remote places.
I will bring calamity upon them
from every direction,” says the LORD.
“Hazor will be inhabited by jackals,
and it will be desolate forever.
No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.”
This message concerning Elam came to the prophet Jeremiah from the LORD at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says:
“I will destroy the archers of Elam—
the best of their forces.
I will bring enemies from all directions,
and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.
They will be exiled to countries around the world.
I myself will go with Elam’s enemies to shatter it.
In my fierce anger, I will bring great disaster
upon the people of Elam,” says the LORD.
“Their enemies will chase them with the sword
until I have destroyed them completely.
I will set my throne in Elam,” says the LORD,
“and I will destroy its king and officials.
But I will restore the fortunes of Elam
in days to come.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”
Ezekiel 29
On January 7, during the tenth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, turn and face Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh the king and all the people of Egypt. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD:
“I am your enemy, O Pharaoh, king of Egypt—
you great monster, lurking in the streams of the Nile.
For you have said, ‘The Nile River is mine;
I made it for myself.’
I will put hooks in your jaws
and drag you out on the land
with fish sticking to your scales.
I will leave you and all your fish
stranded in the wilderness to die.
You will lie unburied on the open ground,
for I have given you as food to the wild animals and birds.
All the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD,
for to Israel you were just a staff made of reeds.
When Israel leaned on you,
you splintered and broke
and stabbed her in the armpit.
When she put her weight on you, you gave way,
and her back was thrown out of joint.
“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will bring an army against you, O Egypt, and destroy both people and animals. The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.
“Because you said, ‘The Nile River is mine; I made it,’ I am now the enemy of both you and your river. I will make the land of Egypt a totally desolate wasteland, from Migdol to Aswan, as far south as the border of Ethiopia. For forty years not a soul will pass that way, neither people nor animals. It will be completely uninhabited. I will make Egypt desolate, and it will be surrounded by other desolate nations. Its cities will be empty and desolate for forty years, surrounded by other ruined cities. I will scatter the Egyptians to distant lands.
“But this is what the Sovereign LORD also says: At the end of the forty years I will bring the Egyptians home again from the nations to which they have been scattered. I will restore the prosperity of Egypt and bring its people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt from which they came. But Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom. It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors.
“Then Israel will no longer be tempted to trust in Egypt for help. Egypt’s shattered condition will remind Israel of how sinful she was to trust Egypt in earlier days. Then Israel will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.”
On April 26, the first day of the new year, during the twenty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought so hard against Tyre that the warriors’ heads were rubbed bare and their shoulders were raw and blistered. Yet Nebuchadnezzar and his army won no plunder to compensate them for all their work. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He will carry off its wealth, plundering everything it has so he can pay his army. Yes, I have given him the land of Egypt as a reward for his work, says the Sovereign LORD, because he was working for me when he destroyed Tyre.
“And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive, and then, Ezekiel, your words will be respected. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 30
This is another message that came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign LORD:
“Weep and wail
for that day,
for the terrible day is almost here—
the day of the LORD!
It is a day of clouds and gloom,
a day of despair for the nations.
A sword will come against Egypt,
and those who are slaughtered will cover the ground.
Its wealth will be carried away
and its foundations destroyed.
The land of Ethiopia will be ravished.
Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all Arabia,
and all their other allies
will be destroyed in that war.
“For this is what the LORD says:
All of Egypt’s allies will fall,
and the pride of her power will end.
From Migdol to Aswan
they will be slaughtered by the sword,
says the Sovereign LORD.
Egypt will be desolate,
surrounded by desolate nations,
and its cities will be in ruins,
surrounded by other ruined cities.
And the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD
when I have set Egypt on fire
and destroyed all their allies.
At that time I will send swift messengers in ships
to terrify the complacent Ethiopians.
Great panic will come upon them
on that day of Egypt’s certain destruction.
Watch for it!
It is sure to come!
“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
By the power of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,
I will destroy the hordes of Egypt.
He and his armies—the most ruthless of all—
will be sent to demolish the land.
They will make war against Egypt
until slaughtered Egyptians cover the ground.
I will dry up the Nile River
and sell the land to wicked men.
I will destroy the land of Egypt and everything in it
by the hands of foreigners.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
I will smash the idols of Egypt
and the images at Memphis.
There will be no rulers left in Egypt;
terror will sweep the land.
I will destroy southern Egypt,
set fire to Zoan,
and bring judgment against Thebes.
I will pour out my fury on Pelusium,
the strongest fortress of Egypt,
and I will stamp out
the hordes of Thebes.
Yes, I will set fire to all Egypt!
Pelusium will be racked with pain;
Thebes will be torn apart;
Memphis will live in constant terror.
The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in battle,
and the women will be taken away as slaves.
When I come to break the proud strength of Egypt,
it will be a dark day for Tahpanhes, too.
A dark cloud will cover Tahpanhes,
and its daughters will be led away as captives.
And so I will greatly punish Egypt,
and they will know that I am the LORD.”
On April 29, during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. His arm has not been put in a cast so that it may heal. Neither has it been bound up with a splint to make it strong enough to hold a sword. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am the enemy of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt! I will break both of his arms—the good arm along with the broken one—and I will make his sword clatter to the ground. I will scatter the Egyptians to many lands throughout the world. I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he will lie there mortally wounded, groaning in pain. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while the arms of Pharaoh fall useless to his sides. And when I put my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he brings it against the land of Egypt, Egypt will know that I am the LORD. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, dispersing them throughout the earth. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
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I say that the Psalms 83 war will come before the Ezekiel 38-39 war, because it is referred to in Ezekiel 29 and 30 and of course Ezekiel 29 and 30, come before Ezekiel 38-39.
Israel knows that when they attack Iran, that the thousands of rockets in the neighboring countries (Lebanon, Syria, Gaza) will be unleashed on Israel. Israel must take these installations out first.
God's word tells us that there will be a sneak attack. Israel will be surprise, but will retaliate and will be victorious.
I don't see anyway for the chaos that has reached a boiling point can simmer for any protracted period.
I think the rapture is coming very soon.
Matthew 24:33-35 (NASB)
so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
He told us that when we see these things begin to happen, know that it is all about to happen.
It seems every radio preacher, is warning of the soon coming of our King. Why is that? If it weren't true. God is not a God of deception and confusion. His spirit is poured out on all of these spokesman for a reason. He's coming and right at the door.
Of course everything I'm saying is what I believe and what I hear from many others, but I don't know for certain, but I am very highly confident. John 3:16 I am quite certain of, as for the rest, I'm not perfectly certain.
To put a finer point on when He will return I'll offer some insight.
I subscribe to Young Earth creation and the Jewish Holiday fulfillment.
Genesis 1 tells that God created in 6 days and that on the 7th day He rested.
It is commonly believed by young earth creationists that the world is just about 6,000 years old. We know that we will rest, when Christ has his 1,000 year millennial reign. The millennial reign is the 7th day of rest.
This alone tells us that we are close.
We know from Matthew 24, that the generation that was alive to see Israel reborn on May 14th, 1948 would not all die before all these things are fulfilled. This was 64 years ago. We know that the tribulation will be 7 years. The end of the tribulation is at least 71 years after Israel's rebirth.
Psalms 90:1 tells us that a persons age is 70 or 80 years. This tells us that we are very close. Of course God told Noah that many's life would be capped at 120 years. I see no way that this mess can rock along for another 50 years, so the 120 year number seems to be out for our purposes.
In Leviticus 23 God ordains 7 Jewish holiday days or festivals.
3 in the spring.
1 in the summer.
3 in the fall.
Spring
* Passover
* Unleavened Bread
* Leavened Bread
Of course sacrificing sheep at Passover is no longer needed, now that the once for all perfect blemish free lamb of God was sacrificed for us on the cross. The Passover feast is fulfilled and is over.
The Jews baked Unleavened bread before the Passover and that is what they ate Friday night and Saturday, while Christ was in the grave. Leaven is yeast. Yeast is alive. Jesus was dead. Jesus fulfilled the feast of unleavened bread.
After the Sabbath, after Passover, it was okay to make bread with yeast (leavened bread). When Jesus rose on Sunday morning He was alive. The Bread of Life (Christ) was alive and fulfilled the feast of Leavened bread.
3 spring feasts fulfilled.
The summer celebration at Pentecost, occurred 50 days after Passover and remembered God giving the 10 commandments 50 days after the Exodus at Mount Sinai. In Acts 2 on Pentecost the church was born and the Holy Spirit was given.
This leaves the 3 fall feasts, in them we find a secret to the Rapture.
I'll take them backwards, because the Rapture coincides with the first (at least that's my belief).
The last one is the Feast of Tabernacles, also called the Feast of Booths. This remembers the time when the Jews lived in tents in the wilderness and God "tabernacled" (lived) with them.
Revelation 21:1-4 (NASB)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He willwipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
At the close of our Bibles, God tells us that He has made things new and that His dwelling place (His tabernacle) is with men.
When sin is eliminated, God will once again Tabernacle (live) with us and the feast of tabernacles will be fulfilled. No longer will we have to remember a time when God lived with us, because He will be doing so today.
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Prior to the Feast of Tabernacles, is the Day of Atonement. This is a time to grieve over sin. After the Great White Throne judgement when evil is judged and cast into the abyss, this will be fulfilled. I tend to believe that the Revelation 20 judgement is those apart from the saving blood of Christ is on the Day of Atonement.
Lastly and finally this brings us to the first fall feast, the Feast of Trumpets, also called Rosh Hashanah. This is the start of the Jewish New Year. It begins when two or more witness, up on top of the temple declare that a new moon is spotted. No one ever new the "day or the hour" when the new moon would appear. You certainly new when it was close. When the two witness spotted the new moon they would shout. With the testimony of two witnesses before the High Priest, their confirmation was confirmed and it was announced with the loud blast of the shofar trumpet.
When Jesus said "no one knows the day or the hour", this seems to be a direct reference to Rosh Hashanah.
Consider also the words of Paul to those at Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NASB)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as dothe rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain 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 shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
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The next Jewish New Year is on September 16th. The Jewish day begins at what we call 6pm. If you're in the U.S. you have to crank the clock back about 6-10 hours. September 16th actually begins on September 15th.
Yes I believe His return is very soon. I believe He is right at the door. 2012 seems to have some promise, although 2013, 2014 or later could be the date.
We're definitely in the season. Christ told us we should be smart enough to figure this out.
Matthew 16:2-4 (NASB)
2 But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.
John 3:9-14 (NASB)
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
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There are a number of people who believe that America is what the Bible calls Mystery Babylon and that God owes America judgement, if He has judged Sodom, Gomorrah and many other civilizations.
What will allow Israel to launched their attack. The Word says that Israel will be completely cut off and surrounded. (Not protected by America). What's going to happen that America won't come to Israel's aid? Apathy or something worse?
Another 9/11. A big earthquake? Both? Something else? We've seen massive earthquakes all around the Pacific rim the last two years, from Chile, to Christ's Church New Zealand, to the Fukishima, Japan disaster. Everywhere, but here.
I think it might be our turn.
If we see Iran and Israel ready to fulfill Ezekiel 38 and 39 and we know that the Psalms 83 war is closer, how close might be the destruction of America?
Of course in much of this I'm guessing, but you asked my opinion and so I've offered it. I encourage you to be a Berean and examine the scripture to see if these things are so.
Mostly I call you to be ready and to go and tell everyone you know.
We are not given a spirit of fear to sit around and calculate dates, but with the burden of this information, comes a hightened duty to fulfill the great commission.
God bless,
Greg
amen to everything you wrote. thank you. (my eye is on the sky)...look up-your redemption draweth nigh............!
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