Final Countdown Volume 2

I have begun a series of articles on END TIME PROPHESY. This is Volume 2, which below includes  Chapters 11 to 17.  

To go back to Volume 1, click here.

Final Countdown: Chapter 11: A Woman in Travail: 6000 Years:

Chapter 11: Final Countdown: The world in Travail:

Chapter 2 of the final Countdown, will explain the “No man knows the day or hour —” verse. If you’ve not read it, read it before you read the following.

I have found the following subject difficult to explain, but, will do the best I can. Let’s begin by picturing a woman who has gone through a full term of pregnancy, 9 months, and the day of her delivery is but hours away. Her labor pains intensify, as her most difficult time lies ahead. 

Genesis  3:16, God said unto the woman (Eve), “I will greatly multiply your sorrow (pain) and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children;”

Eve, is placed into a position of sorrow by God when she brings forth her children. This part of the curse would carry into the future for every woman who has given birth. So, from Eve to this very day, a woman’s sorrows have been greatly multiplied when she is ready to give birth.

Romans 8:19-22, “For the creature (and the creation) waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Paraphrased: “For the whole creation waits patiently for the disclosure of the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

Verse 22, “For we know that the whole creation groans (suffers) and (it) travails in pain (as in a woman ready to deliver) together until now.”

Paraphrased, “Sin is a burden to the whole of creation. And both the creature and the creation cry out in agony against the sins of men. But, one day, all believers will be delivered from the bondage of sin, as will the creation itself.

“We Christians groan (being in distress and affliction) within ourselves, waiting (eagerly) for the adoption (those who follow Jesus Christ) to wit, the redemption of our body (meaning, the soul from the body as the physical body is its prison).”

The book of Jeremiah was started before the Babylonian captivity, and continued through to the early years of captivity, between 627 and 586 B.C.

The LORD said concerning Israel and Judah going into the last days:

Jeremiah 30:5, “We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask you now, and see whether a man does travail (suffers birth pangs) with child? Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail (ready to give birth), and all faces are turned into paleness?”

When the days of tribulation arrive, it will be the LORD who will drive men into pain and gestures more fitting a woman giving birth, than to a man.

Jeremiah 4:31, “For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewails herself–.” 

Jeremiah 30:6, “Alas! For that day is great (the tribulation), so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he (the whole house, meaning all 12 tribes of Israel) shall be saved out of it (the tribulation).”

The people of Israel have suffered greatly at the hands of their enemies over the past 3500 years. First the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, the Roman’s, Ottoman, Hitler’s Germany, the Russians, and today, the Islamic nation. The calamities of the Jewish people over these many centuries can be compared to a woman who has been carrying a child and is now nearing the time of her delivery. And the last seven years will be like no other Israel or any other nation has ever suffered, this one will be in the form of the “wrath and the vengeance of God himself.” For the LORD will sent every enemy the Jew has ever know upon them until they cry out for Him, knowing He is their only hope. 

Zechariah was written after the fall of Babylon and during the time of the Medio-Persian empire, between 520 and 508 B.C. He wrote,

Zechariah 13:8-9, writing of the future tribulation, “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land (Israel), — two parts (2/3eds) therein shall be cut off and die (over 6 million Jews reside in Israel today, there being some 14,350,000 worldwide), but the third shall be left (left alive) therein (in the land). And I (God) will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try (test) them as gold is tried (tested): they (the Jews) shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I (their Messiah) will say, it is my people: and they shall say, the LORD is God.”

When reading Isaiah 66:7-8, Israel’s position today as a sovereign nation was established and reaffirmed during the course of a single day, May 14th 1948, the day and year Israel was born of a movement called Zionism. Its declaration of independence was not the result of a war but rather the cause of many wars.

Isaiah 66:7-8, the prophet foreshadows the re-birth of Israel in 1948. He describes it as a woman coming to the day (last stages) of her delivery.

In that same day May 14 1948, the United States issued a statement recognizing Israel’s sovereignty, and, only hours beforehand, a United Nations mandate expired, ending British control of the land. During a 24-hour span of time, foreign control of the land of Israel had formally ceased, and Israel declared its independence; and acknowledged by other nations.

Within hours of its declaration as a Jewish state, they were attacked by the surrounding countries of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Since then they have suffered many wars, and though out-numbered some 40 to one, they have survived because the LORD is standing beside them throughout each and every campaign.  

Ezekiel 37:28, “And the (Gentile) nations shall know that I the LORD (Jesus Christ) do sanctify (make pure, holy, set apart) Israel, when my (Jesus) sanctuary shall be in the midst of them (the Jews) FOR EVERMORE (forever).”

Amos 9:14-15, “I (God) will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them …And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall NO MORE be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, said the LORD thy God.”

That’s God’s promise to the Jews, and a warning to any nation that attempts to overthrow His people.

For the past 6000 years, beginning on October 23ed of 4004 B.C. (Bishop Ussher’s chronology) until this day, March 2020 A.D., God’s 6000 Year countdown continues. During this period, the creation and mankind have suffered many small birth pangs as would a pregnant woman. And now the creation and the creature stand on the threshold of going into full labor. But God said He would deliver this people, the Jew because of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.     

In a previous chapter, I had spoken of Bishop James Usher D.D. who lived in the late 16th century. He died in the year 1665 A.D. Ussher was the author of a 1600 Page document concerning the common chronology of the Bible. John Lightfoot, and others have calculated the day of Adam’s eviction from the garden to be, October 23ed of 4004 B.C. It was then when God’s countdown for man began. We has been given 6000 Years to come back into the LORD’s fold.

Throughout scriptures, God has also used numbers to give clarity to particular end time events; prophecies that concern specific periods of time. Scriptures also use terms such as, a season, a day, a generation or generations; and words like time, times and half time. Also, numbers are used to establish the LORD’s time lines. Some of the more common ones are, 6, 7, 10, 40, 1000 or 1000es, 666 etc.

Proverbs 2:3, “If you cry after knowledge (become skilled in the art of learning) and lift up your voice for understanding; if you seek her (wisdom’s knowledge) as silver, and search for her as for hid treasure; then shall you understand the fear (reverence and awe) of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”

It is our duty as Christians to search diligently through the pages of the Bible for God’s few remaining buried treasures not yet, or only now being unfolded by the Holy Spirit. Certain things which have remained veiled until recently, are now in these latter days being readied to be made known, unconditionally.  

The following are more pieces of the puzzle concerning the last days. Clues that fit perfectly with other pieces of the puzzle already set in place.  

Let’s begin with six thousand years. To declare this subject open, let’s begin by dividing 6000 (years) by 9 periods, each period representing one month of a woman’s pregnancy, but, the number concluded will represent years, not months.  Nine periods into 6000 = 666.666. Meaning 666 years, 6 months, 6 days 6 hours, the number of man and the number of his name.

Each year is based upon one full rotation of the earth around the sun, it, the earth ending up exactly where it started from one year earlier. See chapter 3, “How does God keep time.”

This is God’s way of communication to us, his timeline for things past, and events future. How many literal days in a year according to our calendar’s, depending on the one you use, can consist of 360, 365 or 366 days, will make no difference; because one complete rotation of the earth around the sun equals one year, in the mind and in all revelations give to us by the LORD. So, when it is written, “In the second year,” it means there have been two complete rotations of the earth around the sun.  

Counting backwards from Jesus birth in October between the 15th and 30th of 4 B.C., exactly six periods of 666.666 years, equals 4000 Years. This brings us back to October 23 4004 B.C., the date agreeing with the 16th century chronologist Bishop Ussher and others.

A very specific period of time has been laid out in God’s master plan from the beginning of the creation, to the birth of His Son. In chapter 9, I had shown that Jesus was baptized when he had reached the age of 30 in October of 27 A.D. His death on the cross took place in April of 31 A.D. at three o’clock in the afternoon, the Jewish Passover beginning 3 hours later.   

It was in this short span of time, from Jesus birth October of 4 B.C., to October of 27 A.D., when Jesus was baptism by the Holy Spirit and John the Baptist, that the Father had declared 30 Years of peace, and good will toward all men. The countdown had temporally stopped at 4000 Years.

Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” 

Luke 2:10-13-14, the angel of the Lord came to the wise men and said to them, “fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people. — Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth (God’s) peace, (and God’s) good will toward men.”

This was to be a time of peace and good will coming from the Father in heaven to a sin filled Israel and Gentile world. And for the next 30 years, until the time of Jesus baptism by John and the Holy Spirit, God’s final countdown stopped at 4000 Years.

Once Jesus was baptized and led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit where Satan tested the Lord, the countdown started up once more. It was also at that time the religious elitist of Israel began to confront the Lord. The war between man and God started up once more.

History reveals, from the time of Jesus birth, Rome, by the will of God was at peace throughout the empire. Piracy had been put down in the Mediterranean Sea; roads were being built, trade was doing will, and the Greek language was now the language of the Jews, it opening the door for the New Testament to be written. It was surely a time of peace and good will toward men.

Everything had been prepared for Christ’s final 3 ½ year ministry. At the end of His baptism in 27, God’s clock started up once more for the final 2000 Year countdown.

Luke 4:13, “And when the devil had ended all the temptations (in the wilderness), he departed from him (Jesus) for a season.”

“A season,” that season came 3 ½ Years after the wilderness experience.

Luke 22:3, The time, April of 27 B.C.

Luke 22:14, “And when the hour was come, he (Jesus) sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.”

“Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve (apostles). And he (Judas) went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him (Jesus) unto them.”

It was after the wilderness experience with the devil that the countdown for the final 3 periods of 666.666 Years, or 2000 Years would start up once more.

Luke 1:23, Jesus was 30 years of age when baptism by the Holy Spirit and John in October of 27 A.D.

At 30 years of age, see Luke 3:23, according to Jewish law, Jesus was of age to become King and High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, as prophesied.

Hebrews 5:10, He Jesus was “Called of God (the Father) a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.”

Now the final three periods of 666.666 years, equaling, 2000 Years will bring us to the very last day of the tribulation after the wrath and the vengeance of God has been poured out. This is to be followed by the 1000 Year reign of Christ. At the time, Satan is bound for 1000 Years, and in

Revelation 20:7, “And when the thousand years are over, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. —– And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”   

Hosea is writing to the Jews, Hosea 6:2, On the third day (beginning of the 1000 Year reign), “He (Jesus) will revive us (make alive the Jews in spirit): in the third day (beginning of 1000 Year reign) he will raise us up (Rev.20:4), and we (the Jews) shall live in his sight.” 

According to scripture, and by legitimate reasoning, the rapture of the church will occur sometime in September or October of 2020, see 1 Thessalonians 4:16. My thinking between Passover which falls in April of 2020, and Yom Kippur the Jewish New Year that begins on the 27th of Septumber 2020, the church will be raptured, and tribulation begins.  

I believe all of the above has been written in scripture for our understanding but hidden from us until these last days. The key event that began this final unveiling was the rebirth of Israel on May 14th 1948.

Review, God’s timeline:

From 10/23/4004 B.C. to Jesus birth, October of 4 B.C. exactly 4000 years had passed. Thirty years of peace as our Lord grew in wisdom and understanding, ending in October of 27 A.D. The countdown picks up once more marking off the final 2000 years beginning in October of 27 A.D., and ending on September 20th of 2027 A.D., Yom Kippur, exactly 2000 Years. This marks the end of 9 periods of time, or 6000 Years.

Phillip LaSpino  www.seekfirstwisdom.com

 

Chapter 12: 1290 Days.

Daniel 11:1, begins with the 1st year of king Darius, 530 B.C. Daniel’s vision reveals, there will be four kings used by God of the Medio Persian empire. They are:

1.   Cyrus who ruled from 539 to 530 B.C.

2.   Darius 1st of Persia ruled from 530 to 486 B.C.

3.   Ahasuerus or Xerxes 1st ruled from 486 B.C. to 465 B.C.

4.   Artaxerxes 1 of Persia ruled from 465 to 424 B.C.

 Eventually, the Medio Persian empire would fall before the onslaught of Alexander the Great. Alexander reigned until his untimely death in 323 B.C.

He would be followed by his 4 generals who divided the kingdom into four parcels.

Cassander would reign over Macedonia and Greece; Lysimachus would rule eastward in Thrace and Asia Minor;

Ptolemy ruled in Egypt, Cyprus and nearby Asia Minor; the fourth,

Seleucid 1 Nicator who ruled all the way to the Indus river.

In time, Cassander and Lysimachus would fall, leaving Ptolemy, the king in the South who would rule from Egypt; and Seleucus 1 Nicator king of the North.

Ptolemy 1st, ruled Egypt from 305 B.C. to 283 B.C. King Seleucid 1 Nicator, ruled from 312 B.C. to 281 B.C. In September of 281 B.C. he was murdered by Ptolemy Ceraunus.

Daniel’s vision then takes us far into the future, to the end days when the antichrist comes to power. He overcomes Israel, then Daniel’s vision ends when the LORD returns and crushes all his enemies.   

Daniel 12:9-11, “And he (the man who stood upon the waters) said, Go thy way Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end (the end means the fulfilment of prophesy). Many shall be purified (reformed), and made white, and tried; (refined); but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Daniel 12:11: “And from the time that the DAILY SACRIFICE (Temple sacrifice) SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY (Nebuchadnezzar removes vessels from the Holy of Holy and carries them off to Babylon in 598 B.C.) and the abomination that makes desolate (Dome of the Rock in 692 A.D., is) set up (God has temporally given control of the Temple Mount to the Muslims) there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (from 598 B.C. to 692 A.D. = 1290 Years). Blessed is he that waits and comes to the (end of) thousand three hundred and five and thirty days (from 692 A.D. to September 20th of 2026 A.D, which ushers in the Jewish New Year of 2027,) 1335 Years will have passed).

Let’s paraphrased all of the above:

From the time the daily blood sacrifices performed by the priests of Israel were discontinued because the sacred vessels, as in, the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat and other sacred vessels had carried off by king Nebuchadnezzar in 598 B.C.

2 Chronicles 36:15-18, “And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them (the Jews) by his messengers —–“Verse 16, “But they (the Jews) mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore He (the LORD) brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary — Verse 18, “And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD——Verse 19, “and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.”

Then from 598 B.C. until the abomination of Desolation, the Dome of the Rock was set up (finished) in 692 A.D., an abomination that yet stands on God’s Most Holy Mountain, 1290 Years will have passed.

And because these sacred vessels had been removed, no Temple sacrifices according to the law could be discharged. Islam’s Dome of the Rock stands to this very day over God’s Most Holy Place on Mount Moriah making the Temple Mt. an unclean. Ever since the Jews were thrown out of the land in 70 A.D., this structure has been temporally permitted by God.

Then Daniel writes,

Daniel 12:12, “Blessed is he that waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days (1335 Years).”

From 692 B.C. when the Dome of the Rock was built and finished, until September 2027, the day that begins the Jewish New Year of 2027 A.D., a full 1335 Years will have passed.

Daniel is told to close the book “UNTIL the TIME OF THE END.”

Daniel was told to close the book, it not to be opened until the time of the end. Who the Holy Spirit reveals these last hidden mysteries to is unknown. But it can be to many or to a few, no one knows. We must all pay attention; read and understand with your spiritual heart, eyes, and ears. If you’re one of God’s own, you’ll know that the unveiling of these end time mysteries is from God. This catching away of the church, and the coming days of Tribulation are the final pieces of God’s 6000 Year puzzle.

Also, on May 13, 2019, Israel will celebrate a full 70 Years in the land.  I believe this is another sign to the Jews. I believe the rapture of the church will fall between the Jewish Passover of 2020 A.D., it falling in April, until Yom Kippur which comes on September the 27th, “No man knows the (exact) day or hour the tribulation begins, but the signs given in Matthew 24 appear to have begun in earnest.

In the Middle East, Iran is expanding their territories, their military bases and influence. They appear to be on the brink of possessing nuclear weapons. Russia is supporting this enemy of the Jews. And thanks to Obama, they have been given billions of dollars to support their agenda to eventually destroy the Jewish state and America.

If we are as close as I believe we are, the books that God ordered Daniel to close are now being opened and revealed by the Holy Spirit.

If your argument against the above is because of the verse “No man knows the day or hour,” see chapter 2 in the Final Countdown.

Phillip LaSpino  www.seekfirstwisdom.com

 

Final Countdown: Chapter 13, Belshazzar:

Daniel 12:6; the question was asked, “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders.” The response,

Daniel 12:11-12, “From the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”

The two questions that need to be asked are,

1. What is, the daily sacrifice that is taken away?

2. When this daily sacrifice was it taken away, how serious was it concerning the LORD?

Daniel 1:1, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem and besieged it.” 

Daniel 1:2, “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his (pagan) god-”

How sacred were these vessels that were stolen from the temple and brought to Babylon?

He (the LORD) alone is worthy to be honored and glorified. So now these sacred vessels used in the temple to worship the LORD were now in the house of the gods of Shinar. Scriptures reveal to us that the Most-High God is a jealous God, because He alone is to be worshiped.

So, king Nebuchadnezzar carried (the sacred vessels) into the land of Shinar to the house of their gods in 598 B.C.

The story now moves forward in history 59 years, bringing us to Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson Belshazzar who ruled until September 27, in the year 539 B.C.

This day was to be Belshazzar last days on earth. Why? because he would use the sacred utensils of God for a drunken orgy.

Daniel 5:3-4, “Then they (the servants) brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king (Belshazzar), and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.”  

Daniel 5:5, “In the same hour (while banqueting) came forth fingers of a man’s hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.”  When he saw this,

Daniel 5:6, When the king saw this, his countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.”  In other words, he was scared out of his wits.

Daniel 5:7, “The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldean,…” Remember, the magicians and soothsayers of Babylon and the Chaldean, especially the Chaldean were the most intelligent and the most gifted of the Babylonians. 

Daniel 5:7-8, “Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

Daniel 5:8-9, “Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, (In other words, he began to sweat.)”

Daniel 5:10-11, “Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spoke and said, O king, live for-ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:”

Over the years, Daniel had proved to the kings of Babylon how the God of Israel was far superior then any of their pagan gods, Yet, they could not remove themselves from these pagan idols made of gold, silver, iron and wood.

Daniel 5:11, “There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father (Nebuchadnezzar’s) light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the god was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar your (grand) father, the king, I say, your (grand) father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;”  

Daniel 5:12, speaking of Daniel, “Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” 

So, Daniel is brought in before the king and reveals the message to him.

Daniel 5:22, “And thou his (grand) son, (Now, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart —;”

Daniel 5:23, “But has lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house (from the Temple in Jerusalem) before thee, and you, and your lords, their wives, and your concubines, have drunk wine in them; and you have praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the (One True) God the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:”

Daniel 5:24, “Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.”

Daniel 5:26, “This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered your kingdom and finished it.”

Because the word is spoken twice.   It has been emphasized.  God has numbered your kingdom and finished it.” 

Daniel 5:27, “TEKEL; You art (have been) weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” 

Daniel 5:27, “…weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.” 

For Belshazzar and his kingdom, it was over. So, “MENE, MENE—God hath numbered your kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL—You’ve been weighed in the balances and you don’t measure up.” 

Daniel 5:28, “PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and the Persians.” 

As the king and his guests were in this huge banquet hall in Babylon; where, the Euphrates River flowed right through the center of the city. Unbeknown to the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians had diverted the water away so that the Euphrates going under the wall dried up, and their armies walked in on dry ground and completely surprised and conquered the Babylonians. They had been defeated before sunrise. In that same night Belshazzar was also slain.”

This would bring in the Medio Persian empire, and introduce us to their king, Cyrus the Great.

So, the two questions,

1. What is, the daily sacrifice that is taken away? Once the vessels were taken from the temple, and they may include the Ark of the Covenant, the mercy seat, the Urim and Thurman, the eternal flame was put out, and other vessels the High Priest of Israel would use in the Holy of Holies. Therefore, any blood sacrifices made after the fact, had no value. Also the Levite priests had been disbanded.

2. When this daily sacrifice was it taken away, how serious was it concerning the LORD? The removal of these vessels was so egregious to the LORD it cost Belshazzar his kingdom and his life.

Phillip LaSpino  www.seekfirstwisdom.com

 

Final Countdown: Chapter 14, Hosea 6:2.

Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us, and to our children forever.” And each of God’s mysteries shall be revealed in their own order and time.

Let’s begin with, 2 Peter 3:8, “Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day with the Lord, is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise.”

Question, can we apply Peter’s formula to Hosea 6:2?” Let’s begin with,

Hosea 5:14, “For I (the LORD) will be unto Ephraim (10 Northern tribes) as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah (2 Southern tribes): I even I, will tear (tear them) and go away; I will take away (remove them from the land), and none shall rescue him.

Verse 15, “I (the Lord Jesus) will go and return (ascend) to my place (at the right hand of the Father: Acts 1:9), until (a word of time) they (the Jews) acknowledge their offense, (crucifying their Messiah) and seek my face (cry out to Him) in their affliction they will seek me early.”

Hosea 6:1, “Come and let us (the Jews) return unto the LORD: for He has torn, and He will heal us (Israel), He has smitten (stricken) and he will bind us up.

Verse 2, “AFTER two days (two thousand years) will He (Jesus) REVIVE US (make alive the Jews) in the third day (beginning of 1000 Year reign) he (Jesus) will raise US (saved Jews) up and we shall live in His (Jesus) sight.”

Hosea is writing concerning the people of Israel, and the land of Israel. Now, if we were to apply the formula Peter gave us, two days would = 2000 Years. This would take Hosea’s prophesy well into the future. So, the question, when did this 2000 Year prophesy begin?

The Hebrew word for “revive” means to live, to make alive, too be made alive in spirit. So, “Who is the “US” Hosea speaks of?”

Spiritually the church never died in Christ therefore it would not be necessary to revive Christian believers. But on the other hand, except for a small remnant, the Jewish people have been dead in Christ, having walked in darkness for thousands of years. Therefore, the land and the people need to be made alive once more in spirit.

So, the “US” in not speaking of Christian, but, Jews.  

“AFTER two days:” this word “after” would take us to the last day of the tribulation, and the beginning of the third day. This would represent the first day of the Thousand Year reign of Christ. 

Hosea 6:1, “Come, and let us (the Jews) return unto the Lord,” this includes the whole house of Israel (all 12 tribes), who will one day call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see the 12 tribes called out in Revelation 7: Judah, Reuben; Gad; Asher; Naphtali; Manasseh; Simeon; Levi; Issachar; Zebulun; Joseph and Benjamin. 

Ezekiel 39:25, I, the LORD, “Will have mercy upon the whole house (12 tribes) of Israel.” 

Romans 11:26, “ALL Israel (meaning 12 tribes) shall be saved.” 

Question: When did the two thousand years begin? Jesus was anointed High Priest after the order of Melchizedek when baptized by the Holy Spirit in October of 26 A.D., at the age of 30, see Luke 3:23.

Hebrews 3:1, Jesus is “The Apostle and High Priest of our profession –.”

The book of Hebrews was written between 68 and 70 A.D., just before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. We read,

Hebrews 5: 6, “You (Jesus) are (present tense) a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

History records Jesus as being born in October between the 15th and 30th in the year 4 B.C. With some, this date is controversial, but on the strength of Bishop Usher’s, John Lightfoot and Sir Isaac Newton’s tables of Chronology, and Herod’s reign and his death, this is the date I use. Therefore, being anointed High Priest at the age of 30 would bring us to October of 27 A.D.

Now, if we add 2000 years (2 days) to October of 27 A.D., it would take us to September or October of 2027 when the Jewish New Year, Yom Kippur begins. Therefore, October 7th would end the 2000 years. And when the 3ed day or 1000 Year reign of Christ begins it will be on or shortly after September 8th 2027 A.D., when the Jewish New Year begins. 

It’s at this time when the Lord Jesus will take his rightful place as King, Lord and High Priest of the Jews. He shall rule with a rod of iron upon the throne of David in Jerusalem from Mount Moriah, as prophesied.

Hosea is speaking of Jew’s who will be made alive in Christ when the two days, or 2000 years of Hosea’s prophesy ends. John gave us added information concerning those who are made alive in Christ Jesus.

John wrote, Revelation 20:4, “I (John) saw the souls of them (Jews who cry out to Jesus during the tribulation) that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they (those beheaded) lived (were made alive) and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

All those who had not receive the mark of the beast were beheaded, but when the tribulation is ended, these, will be “made alive,” receiving for themselves an incorruptible body and made perfect in spirit.

Because I am a pre-tribulation believer I understand the bride of Christ will be removed from the earth before the period of tribulation begins, 1 Thes.4:16-17. Jesus bride shall be taken up before the wrath and vengeance of the Lord begins. Only those Jews and Gentiles who are without Jesus Christ’s saving grace will be plunged into a time of trouble like never seen before.

Daniel 12:1, “At that time shall Michael (the archangel) stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your (Daniel’s) people (the Jews) and there shall be a time of trouble (7 years of tribulation, also called the time of Jacob’s trouble ), such as never was since there was a nation (Israel) even to the same time: at that time (after the tribulation) your people (the Jews) shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, (when the tribulation ends) and some to shame and everlasting contempt (when Jesus 1000 years is ended).”  

“The time of trouble  (meaning Jacob’s trouble), such as never was since there was a nation (Israel) even to the same time:” This leaves out 70 A.D. because many war’s since have been far more devastating against the Jews since the Roman invasion. World war 2 being the most horrific, 6 million Jews murdered. 

And for those who have receive the mark:

Revelation 20:5, “But the rest of the dead (who received the mark) lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”

Many get confused concerning the wording of, “This is the first resurrection.”

Verse 6, “Blessed and holy is he (the saved) that has part in the first resurrection; on such the second death has no power.”

Obviously, those who receive the mark will not be blessed of God, so this verse is speaking of the saved.

We are told by Paul in,

1 Corinthians 15:22-23, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order.” 

Here’s the key to understanding “in their own order.”

Verse 23, “But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

In his OWN ORDER is a military term referring to files or ranks of soldiers. It means, this 1st resurrection consists of 3 parts as in 1-2-3 or A.B.C. And is to be accomplished at three different periods of time. Yet, all three are included in, and referred to as “the first resurrection”.

Of course, Jesus had to be the very first raised from the dead. He died in April of 31 A.D., lay in the grave 3 days and 3 nights until His resurrection, then 40 days later, ascended unto the Father in heaven. He would present Himself to His Father as the, “first born of the dead.” 

Then those in Matthew 27:52-53, who immediately followed Christ after his resurrection in April of 31 A.D. would come the first order or rank, or the first fruit unto Jesus Christ after his resurrection. Who were they?  

Matthew 27:52-53, “And the graves (of ancient Jews who had died before the cross) were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept (were dead) arose. And (they) came out of the graves AFTER his (Jesus) resurrection, and came into the holy city (Jerusalem), and appeared (were seen and witnessed) by many.”

The Jews cemetery on the Mt. of Olives is over 3000 Years old, existing 1000 Years before Jesus death.

These were the first fruit unto Jesus Christ by the power of his own resurrection.

The second rank or order of the saved to be resurrected can be found in,

1 Corinthians 15:51, Paul writes this letter in 56 or 57 A.D., 26 years after Jesus death, “I show you a mystery (a secret hidden in God and only now being revealed, 26 years after the Lord had been raised); we (Christians) shall not all sleep (die) but we (those who died in Christ and those who are alive when He returns) shall all be changed, In a moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead (those who died in Christ) shall be raise incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

The third rank or order of the resurrected: These are John speaks of in Rev.20:4. These who will come to Christ in the tribulation will be beheaded for rejecting the mark of the beast, 666.

They will be raised after the tribulation is finished. If Hosea 6:2 is correct and the 2000 years begins at Jesus Baptism October of 27 A.D. it will be finished sometime in September or October of 2027.

After the 3ed rank of the Saved has been resurrected, the tribulation will have ended.

The 1st, 2ed, and 3ed resurrection are all coupled together and referred to as the 1st resurrection. All  three stages of the 1st resurrection will be finished in 2027 A.D., the day before Yom Kippur begins. Yom Kippur, the Jewish New Year begins.  

Phillip LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com 

 

Final Countdown: Chapter 15, The missing 30 Years.

God has given man 6000 years from the time of the fall before His Great Day of Judgement arrives. According to many Biblical chronologists, the countdown began on October 23/ 4004 B.C.

Before 1996 A.D. had arrived, there were many books published that had calculated the year 1996 A.D., to be the year our Lord returned. Even the book by Mchael Drosnin, “The Bible Codes”, pages 89, 92 and 176 concluded 1996 to be the year of the Lords return. Obviously, it wasn’t!

Question; what went wrong? 

We do know that Jesus was born in the later part of October of 4 B.C. This date would be exactly 4000 years from the day Adam and Eve were evicted from the garden, the date, October 23rd 4004 B.C. So, what remains of the 6000 years, are 2000 years.

I had been playing around with this number of 6000 Years for quite a while. I believe it’s part of the key to solving this hidden mystery already having been written in scripture but hidden from us by God until these latter days. We have been given several other pieces of the puzzle that may reveal the secret of Jesus return.

We have been given some insight concerning God’s patience. But when his patience has reached its end point, His wrath quickly follows.

Let me throw a few verses out to you in order to set the stage for my future comments on the subject so we may fully understand where God stands on his timelines, and in dealing out judgment.  

Acts 17:26-31, God “has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and has determined the (designated) times before appointed; —”

Times appointed by God have been set in stone.

Verse 31, “Because he (the Father) has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man (Jesus Christ) whom he has ordained — “in that he has raised him from the dead.”

Psalms 9:8, “He (the LORD) shall judge the world in righteousness; He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.” Now we get an idea of his judgments to come. 

Following are two examples of God’s patience:

Genesis 15:13-16, The LORD is speaking to Abram, he speaks to him concerning the future of his people, the Jews that are yet to be born. He said they shall be strangers in a land that is not theirs (Egypt) and they would serve the Egyptians and be afflicted for four hundred years. He continues to tell Abram that he would die in peace, and at an old age. Now here is the verse I was getting to,

Why did God have to wait 400 years before the people who were born from the loins of Abraham have to wait before entering the Promised Land? It’s the same reason He will wait 6000 years before he brings in His kingdom.

Gen.15:16, “In the fourth generation (some 400 years later) they (the Jews) shall come here again (back to the promised land) for (because) the iniquity (sins) of the Amorites (who possessed the land at that time) was not yet full (complete).”

God knew there was to come a day when the cup of his wrath against the Amorites could no longer be tolerated. Even though He knew the end results, the Amorites had to, by their own choices come to the point, when He had to act. The door had remained open for their repentance, even though he know they would continue in their sins. They were lovers of iniquity, lovers of self, idol worshippers, plunders, and murderers.

We know the rest of the story, the Israelites left Egypt, wandered about in the desert until the LORD was ready to send them in, to possess the land. But, because they put their faith in their own strength, and not in the strength of the LORD, showing little faith, they were sent back into the desert until the next generation of Israelites were born and come to age.

Second example of God’s patience:

Genesis 18:20, “And the LORD said, because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 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.”

Again, the LORD was willing to leave the door of repentance open for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He said, if I can find ten righteous men in the whole city, He would spare them. Obviously 10 could not be found, and we know the rest of that story. So here’s why 1996 didn’t work. 

A very specific period of time has been laid out in God’s master plan from the beginning of the creation, to the birth of His Son. In chapter 9, I had shown that Jesus was baptized at the age of 30 in October of 27 A.D. His death on the cross took place on April of 31 A.D. at three o’clock in the afternoon, the Jewish Passover beginning 3 hours later.   

It was in this short span of time, from Jesus birth October of 4 B.C., to October of 27 A.D., that the Father had declared 30 Years of peace, and good will toward all men. The countdown had temporally been stopped at 4000 Years.

Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” 

Luke 2:10-13-14, the angel of the Lord came to the wise men and said to them, “fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people. — Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth (God’s) peace, (and God’s) good will toward men.”

This was to be a time of peace and good will coming from the Father in heaven to a sin filled Israel and Gentile world. And for the next 30 years, until the time of Jesus baptism by John and the Holy Spirit, God’s final countdown stopped at 4000 Years.

Once Jesus was baptized and led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit where Satan tested the Lord, the countdown started up once more. It was also at that time the religious elitist of Israel began to confront the Lord. The war between man and God started up once more.

Phillip LaSpino  www.seekfirstwisdom.com

 

Final Countdown: Chapter 16, The Last Temple Sacrifice

In the following, all verses are quoted from the King James Bible.

When the LORD speaks directly to or sends one of his angels (messengers) to deliver his word, and in that word we read either, “And it shall come to pass …” or “thus said the LORD,” we can trust this word will come to pass.

Even though the prophecies in Daniel were written some 26 hundred years ago, portions of them are yet to be fulfilled.

This chapter in Daniel 9 under review, was written in the year 539 B.C.  Daniel had been released from Babylonian captivity and was now in the hands of the Medio Persians, they ruled by king Darius. At that time, Daniel would have been in his early eighties.

This change of power provoked Daniel to search the Scriptures to determine the prophetic significance of the defeat of the Babylonians by the Persians. Daniel began to search the book of Jeremiah which had been written between the years 627 and 586 B.C. He realized Jeremiah had prophesied concerning the 70 years of captivity, Jeremiah 25:11-12. He also realized the 70 years was almost over.  

In verses 20-23 of Daniel 9, we read, it was the angel Gabriel who came to Daniel in a vision, he bringing a message to Daniel from the LORD.  Gabriel said; at the beginning of your (Daniel’s) prayer, a commandment from God came forth to give you the skill to understand the matter and the vision which I am about to reveal to you.

We will examine certain words contained in that message. Keep in mind, when the Bible reads, “He, or it shall come to pass,” these words can also be understood as, “thus said the LORD.” This give to us the surety, they will come to pass.

We must also pay close attention to the use of periods, commas, and colons in these particular verses. Let’s go back to your high school days and review colons and commas.  

A comma (,) with or without the conjunction and, is used to connect two independent clauses.

The main task of the semicolon (;) is to mark a break that is stronger than a comma but not as final as a full stop (meaning a period). A semi-colon is used between two main clauses that balance each other and are too closely linked to be made into separate sentences.

A colon (:) is used because the second unit of information expands on the first unit of information. This makes the relationship between the two units more obvious, and, it alerts us to regard the second unit as significant to the former.

A period (.) is a punctuation mark that represents a full stop of a declarative sentence from that of another declarative sentence.

Now the verse under discussion will be the message Gabriel gives Daniel from the LORD.

Daniel 9:27, “And HE SHALL confirm the covenant with many for one week: (colon) and in the midst of the week HE SHALL cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, (comma) and for the overspreading of abominations HE SHALL make It desolate, (comma) even until the consummation, and (connective) that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Other Bibles have changed the punctuation marks, thus causing error in the interpretation of these verses.  

In the above verse Gabriel had declared four events:

1.   “He (the LORD) SHALL confirm (His new covenant) with many for one week (7 years): (colon).” This 7 years shall be confirmed!

What is the new covenant to be? Jeremiah 31:31-34 explains the new messianic covenant in full.

2. but, “in the middle of the week he SHALL cause the (Temple) sacrifices and oblation to cease,” (comma).

When 3 ½ years of the 7 Years is completed, “He” (Jesus) will cause the temple (animal) sacrifices and gift offerings to end, leaving 3 ½ years to fulfill God’s declaration of confirming his new covenant for 7 full years.  

This had also been prophesied in,

Hosea 3:4, “For the children of Israel shall abide many days (almost 2000 Years now) without a king (Jesus Rev.19:16), and without a prince (Revelation 1:5, Jesus is, “the prince of the kings of the earth), and without a (blood) sacrifice and without an image (idols), and without an ephod, and without teraphim (household idols.)”

During Jesus earthly ministry, he had confirmed his new covenant for 3 ½ years before being cut off at the cross, he being crucified in April of 31 A.D., He taking his last breath at 3 P.M.

It was at that moment in time the Jews and the land would be given over to the enemies of the people. The line of antichrists, those who hate Jesus and the Jews began with Rome, followed by the barbarian tribes, then by the Roman Catholic church ruled by the popes; then the Muslims, Germans, English, Spanish, these, followed by the Arab world, and most every member nation of the United Nations. The only people in all the world that support Israel, are Christians.  

And when all true believers are raptured up before the tribulation begins, it leaves the sheep (Israel), without a Shepard (Jesus) and surround literally by a very large pack of wolves waiting to devour them.   

The moment Jesus died, the tearing of the veil in the temple would mark the cessation of sacrifices. Why? because it is written,

Leviticus 4:6, “The (High) priest shall dip his finger in the blood (of the sacrificed animal), and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the veil of the sanctuary (meaning the Holy of Holies).”

And besides the veil being torn in two, there was no Ark of the Covenant or Mercy Seat where the Shekinah glory of the LORD would appear.   

There cannot be a covenant without a sacrifice! Jesus’s sacrifice would forever terminate all, and any other sacrifices. Read Hebrews 10:5-9, verse 10 follows:

Verse 10, “By which will we (the Jews) are sanctified (set apart) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

So, upon Jesus death, the Levitical rites had come to a close, making any further temple sacrifices and offering worthless. The High Priest of Israel, Jesus who is after the order of Melchizedek had been rejected and crucified.

Matthew 23:38, Jesus said, “Behold, your house (the temple) is left unto you desolate (deserted and laid waste).”

Let’s continue with the conclusion of the verse in Daniel 9:27:

3.   “and (is a connective to what has just been said) for the overspreading of abominations HE (Jesus) SHALL make it desolate, (comma)”

Because of the abomination of the Jewish people against their Christ, He (Jesus the prince) shall not only have Jerusalem, the temple, and the sanctuary destroyed, but He would continue its desolation until the time determined, almost 2000 Years now.

4. “even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (the desolators).”

Phillip LaSpino  www.seekfirstwisdom.com

 

Final Countdown: Chapter 17, God’s Two Witnesses:

When the period of grace, meaning the church age comes to a close at the end of Revelation 3, we are given a detailed blueprint of what’s to come. In Revelation 4, John looks up and sees, “A door opened in heaven: and the first voice which I (John) heard —- said, Come up hither, and I will show you things which must be hereafter (future).”

What does the phrase, “a door opened in heaven” point to? First let’s compare,

John 14:6, “Jesus said to him (Thomas) I am the WAY, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father but by me.” Jesus comments seem to be straight to the point and easily understood by any reasonable person.

We know the Father’s is in heaven, and Jesus is the only medium of access into heaven, for Jesus is, “the only WAY,” and He is that “OPEN DOOR” to eternal life.

Both “door and way” are metaphors of objects associated with the person of Jesus Christ. They are figures of speech used to describe His attributes.

Johns passing into heaven is a type of the future catching away of the bride of Christ; otherwise known as the great harvest of the saints. The door John passed through represents Jesus Christ as being the only gate by which the bride of Christ may be taken directly to the Father’s house.

As it was in the garden of Eden when, “God placed at the East of the garden of Eden, Cherubim — to keep (meaning to guard) the way of the tree of life.”

Obviously, there was only one way back into the garden for Adam. It wasn’t from the North, South or West, only from the East. And so also shall it be with heaven. No denomination, no man, or angels, or spirit creature, no prophet, no special prayer, no miracle workers, no one, or nothing can open that door but Jesus Christ.

The key lies in the words, “by faith and faith alone.” Faith in Jesus Christ’s death, his burial; his resurrection and ascension into heaven. If you knock on any other door, all you’ll do is wear your knuckles out.

Let’s move on to Revelation 11, where John is standing in heaven, and is in verse 11, told to measure the temple of God which I understand to be in heaven. John is also told not to measure the court which is outside the temple.

Revelation 11:19, “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: —.

Why not measure the court? The court of the Gentiles was the large outer portion of the temple complex. The area was used to conduct business such as selling sacrificial animals, and for money exchange. But in these last days, the court John is told to measure may be the whole of literal Jerusalem. It’s here, in Jerusalem, during the 1000 year reign that the nations of the world will be led by the Jews to Jesus Christ.

Concerning the courtyard: Matthew 21:12, “And Jesus went into the temple of God (the court yard) and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves.”

This area of the temple, the court, was not considered sacred and was used as a market place, and a gathering place for Jews and gentiles.

I believe John was told to measure the place where the court of the gentiles once was in both Solomon’s and Herod’s temple, or it may refer to the whole of Jerusalem, this after God’s Temple is set in place on Mt. Moriah.  

Zechariah wrote over 500 years before the apostle John was born. He wrote, Zechariah 2:1-5, “I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man (most likely John) with a measuring line in his hand.

This piece of land purchased by king David about 974 B.C. for the LORD’s house, belongs to the LORD. It is only here where God’s Holy Temple and court yard will one day be established. Once the tribulation is over, and the temple of God comes to stand on Mt. Moriah, the whole city of Jerusalem may become the court John was told to measure. Why?

After the LORD returns, Zechariah 8:22-23, “Many people and strong nations shall come to Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. In these days it shall come to pass, that ten men (Jews) shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, we will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.”

But, because the Jews rejected and killed their Messiah, God’s holy place (the ground on Mt. Moriah) has been temporally given over to the Gentiles beginning in 70 A.D. Understand this, the Dome of the Rock, the abomination of desolation that now stands on the temple mount in Jerusalem, has been allowed by the LORD to remain standing,

Luke 21:24, “Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Compare with,

Daniel 9:27, “He (Jesus) shall make it (Jerusalem) desolate (from 70 A.D.,) even until the consummation (utter destruction, end of tribulation), and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (or desolators, meaning the Jewish people.”

After the church is raptured, the two witnesses of Revelation 11, will be established by God outside the gates of Jerusalem, to begin their testimony. They shall confirm for 3 ½ years God’s new covenant with the Jews; see Jeremiah 31:31-32.

Revelation 3:3, “I (God) will give power (dominion, authority, rule) unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy (meaning, they will be ambassadors of God, the interpreters of His mind and will for) a thousand two hundred and threescore days (3 ½ years) clothed in sackcloth (these are the garments of prophets.)”

During Jesus earthly ministry, it beginning in October of 26 A.D., after his baptism, until his crucifixion on April 5th of 30 A.D., Jesus had confirmed his new covenant with the Jews for 3 ½ years, then He cut himself off from the people and the land. He said, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” So, after his death their remains another 1260 days or 3 ½ years.

And when the two witnesses have finished their 3 ½ years, they like the Lord Jesus will be murdered, but will have finished confirming God’s new covenant with the Jews.

This ends the final 7 years of the 490 years spoken of in Daniel 9:24-25: “Prophesy fulfilled”!

“Seventy weeks have been determined (490 years) upon thy (Daniel’s) people and upon the holy city (Jerusalem).”

The prophesy had been broken down into 3 periods of time. The 1st was, seven weeks or 49 years, it began in 457 B.C. when Artaxerxes gave the command to return and to rebuild Jerusalem. This period ended in 408 B.C. This may be the year the last book of the Old Testament was finished by Malachi, and, or when the last of the Old Testament writers, Malachi died, or both.  

The 49 years was to be followed by 62 weeks, or 434 years. This would take us from 408 B.C. to 26 A.D. the year Jesus turned thirty (Luke 3:23), and was baptized by John and the Holy Spirit, being made High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:15-16-17, “And it is yet far more evident; for that after the similitude (likeness) of Melchizedek there arises another priest (Jesus), who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testified, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”  

So, what remained? One week or seven years. Jesus began to teach His new covenant beginning at his baptism, and ended after the last supper in April of 31 A.D., exactly lasting 3 ½ years. Now what remained to finish the confirming of this covenant after Jesus death is 3 ½ years.

This 3 ½ years will be picked up by the two witnesses at the beginning of the tribulation and sealed when they are murdered 3 ½ years into the tribulation, this fulfilling the final 7 years of the 490 years.   

After the two witnesses are raised back to life and taken into heaven, the “Great tribulation,” the last 3 ½ years begins, it ending when God’s vengeance and wrath are satisfied, 3 1/2 years after the two witnesses are taken into heaven.     

Revelation 13:1, “And I (John) stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Back to the two witnesses,

Revelation 11:5: “If any man will hurt them (during the 3 ½ years) fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These (two) have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power (authority) over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”

Without question, the people of the world and especially the Jews will hear their testimony, and because they hate the Lord Jesus, all will attempt to kill the two messengers God sent.

Revelation 11:7, “When they (two witnesses) shall have finished their testimony, the (1st) beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.”

Until the 3 ½ years are finished, no man or any army of men, be they the Iranians, Turks, Russians or any combination of armies will be able to overcome these two. Any attempt will be met with the power of God that has been given them.

The world will hate and despise the two because they will prevent rain from falling upon the earth for 3 ½ years, and what fresh water remains, the two witnesses will turn to blood. They will also send plagues upon the people.

After 3 ½ years, this 1st beast will accomplish what no other man could, he kills the two witnesses (the two saints) of God. 

Revelation 13:7, “And it was given unto him (the 1st beast) to make war with the saints (two witnesses) and to overcome them (a temporary victory for him): and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues and nations.” The world population will worship this one man because he was able to kill the two witnesses who had been tormenting them.

And when he has overcome them (two witnesses),

Revelation 11:8-9, “Their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city (Jerusalem), which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not allow their dead bodies to be put in graves.

Verse 10, “And they (the people) that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them (the two witnesses), and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them (the people) that dwelt on the earth.”

I can see this being accomplished today with the technology available. Up until these days of high technology, cell phones, satellites, etc., this would have been impossible, but, no longer.

Now it appears the two witnesses had wounded (by the sword) the 1st beast and put him out of commission, this, setting the stage for the 2ed beast to take power.

Revelation 13:12-14, “And he (the 2ed beast) exercised all the power of the first beast before him, and caused the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”

Verse 14, “And (he, the 2ed beast) deceived 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 of the (1st) beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”

Verse 15, “And he (2ed beast) had power to give life (breath) unto the image of the (1st) beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as may as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Again, in today’s environment of science and technology, this is now possible.

Verse 15 appears to be the anti-type of the events we read about concerning Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, see Daniel 3. Verse 6, “And whoso falls not down and worship (the golden image of a man) shall the same hour be cast into the midst of burning fiery furnace.”

Phillip LaSpino  www.seekfirstwisdom.com