How Close Are We to The End? Vol 2

How Close Are We to The End? Volume 2.

God’s continues His Countdown! Today’s generation can look back into history and understand much better God’s prophesies; prophesies that have been declared in the Bible but not understood until their fulfillment. The prophesies of God are declarations that have come from Him concerning the future of people and nations. And when these prophesies are fulfilled, as declared, they give and continue to give convincing evidence that God is.  The mind of man must be informed of this relationship and what lies ahead.

John 5:39, Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye thing ye have eternal life: and they (the scriptures) are they which testify of me.”

Isaiah 34:16,” Seek ye out of the book of the LORD (His inspired prophesies,) and read: no one of these (prophesies) shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.”

Peter wrote; 2 Peter 1:19, “You do well that you take heed;”

On the Mt. of Olives Matthew 24, three questions were asked by the disciples, the last two were, “What shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world (age)?”

Let’s discuss Jesus reply: Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32, Jesus said, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”

Let me make a quick observation; Jesus said “no man knows the day or hour” but no mention of what year or month. In various parts of the world the time zones vary from continent to continent; if it were 1 P.M in New York it would be 10 A.M in California and on and on around the globe. Therefore, the day an hour would be impossible to state for the correct answer would depend solely on a person’s whereabouts. But, have Scripture had hidden in its pages the answer to the month and year of our Lord’s return? Also, Jesus reply had nothing to do with the catching away of the church (the rapture) only of his return and the end of the Jewish age.

Let’s begin with the Greek word “no” in,

Matthew 24. “No man —.” The Greek is “me.” It is used as an Adjective, in a common form meaning both genders, male and female, and as a substantive which is a part of speech that expresses something that already exists. This means the Father alone had the information when Jesus was asked the question for it had not been revealed to men; angels, or the Lord himself.  “No” here is a negative particle, “not” implying everywhere a dependent and conditional negative, as in depending on the idea, conception, thoughts of some subject, and therefore subjective.

Let’s take a look at the word “knoweth” or to “know.” Most all commentator I have read believe what Jesus was saying; “no one has or will ever have this information not even the Son, but the Father only.”

I disagree with this assessment. The present tense of the verb “knowest” in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 expresses the state of understanding and the knowledge of men, angels and the Son of God at the time Jesus spoke these words, “No man Knoweth”.

So, what He was saying was, “At this present time no man knows—.” Also, when he spoke these words many prophesies had not been fulfilled, especially, and concerning his death, burial, resurrection, destruction of the Temple, dispersion of the Jews, the sending of the Holy Spirit and bringing the Gentiles into the fold of His grace. But after His assentation into heaven, He took his place at the Father’s right hand, for the work of salvation was finished.

After the Mount of Olive discourse, Jesus said,

John 16:13, “when he, the (Holy) Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth —- he will show you things to come.”

Verse 15, “All things that the Father has are mine, therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” Now, Jesus did not say “some of the things that the Father has are mine” but He said “All things” and in my mind this would include revealing the time of His second coming, a mystery unknown, hidden in scripture until the generation of 1948 came along. This opened the door to this once hidden mystery of God.

The disciples 1st question concerned the Temple, and Jesus reply was,

Matthew 24:2, “There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” this was answered in 70 A.D. But concerning the other two questions asked in verse 3, “What shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world (or age)?”

Before May 14 1948 these two questions could not have been answered because the Jews were not in their homeland and Israel was known as Palestine. But it had been prophesied thousands of years before that God would gather the Jews back to Israel.  

This return to Israel by the people is called (Aliyah, a Hebrew word meaning “to ascend,” or “to go up”.) It began in 1881 when 70,000 Jews returned to Israel. The second Aliyah between 1904-1914; the third between 1919 1923; the 4th 1924 -31 when some 48,000 returned and settled cities like Tel Aviv; another between 1931 -39 when 230,000 Jews, most fleeing Nazi Germany immigrated to Israel.

So, from 1881 to 1946, the Jewish population grew from 24,000 to 686,000. The Jews purchased land (paid for in cash) from the Arabs who thought they were exploiting the poor Jews by selling them desolate, desert land that was for the most part considered worthless. But the returning Jews turned this wilderness into fertile farmland and citrus groves. Cities sprang up, commerce and banking thrived and roads constructed.  So, the Arabs who sold them the land, never realized their actions would help lay the foundations for the restoration of the Jewish state. “Isn’t God’s work a wonder!” He used the enemies of the gospel, Arabs, Nazi Germany, the league of Nations, and the U.N. to fulfill His prophesies.

God’s curses and blessings on His people the Jew:

Deuteronomy 30:4-5, “If any of thine = (the Jews) be driven out (from their land) from thence (there) will the LORD thy God gather thee and from thence (strange lands) will He fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land (Israel) which thy fathers possessed, and thou (the Jews) shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.”

Ezekiel 37:21-28, “Thus saith the LORD God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen = (nations) whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land (1948 to this day): I will make them (the whole house of Israel 12 tribes) one nation they all shall have one shepherd (the :Lord Jesus) they shall also walk in my (God’s) judgments, and observe my statutes … I (God) will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant … And the nations shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.” 

Isaiah 11:10-16, It shall come to pass, the Lord, “shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left … and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

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.” Outnumbered and outgunned 40 or 50 to one, and by the true word of God, they have driven the Arab nations back to their own places.

Hosea 3:4-5, “The children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice … Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king (symbolic of Christ); and shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the Latter days

At the Mt. of Olives, Jesus goes on to describe all future events before He sets up His 1000 Year reign. He said in,

Matthew 24:34, “This generation (the generation that sees all the events he spoke of) shall not pass, till all these things are fulfilled.”

So, the first question the disciples asked was literally fulfilled in 70 A.D., but the answer to the other two remained unknown. So, is the generation of 1948 the one Jesus was speaking of?

Question; what do the Jews consider a generation?

There are three schools of thought concerning this matter. One hundred years; Seventy years, and forty years. Seventy appears to be the answer, Psalms 90:10, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten (70).” Also, if we were to add 100 to 40 we would have 140, divided by 2 = 70. The average age men die today in Israel is 78, one generation. 

What generation was Christ speaking of, could it have been the generation we now live in? The nation of Israel and the Jewish people are the key. When they became a nation in one day on May 14, 1948, it marked the first day of their 1st birthday. The 1st year ended May 13 1949; when they were 1 year old, therefore, the end of their 70th anniversary will be May 13th 2019.

I would like you to remember this year, 2019. I will show how it agrees with many other end time prophesies that concern major historical events that touched the Jews, the land of Israel, and the Christian Church.

The number seventy has a sacred meaning, it is made up of the factors of two perfect numbers, seven representing perfection, and ten representing completeness and God’s law. After 70 years God’s promise of the Jewish return will have been carried out to perfection. Ancient Israel had spent 70 years in captivity in Babylon, Jeremiah 29:10. The number 70 is also tied to Jerusalem. The city kept 70 years of Sabbaths while Judah was in Babylonian captivity Jeremiah 25:11.

Seventy sevens (490) years were determined upon Jerusalem for it to complete its transgressions, to make an end for sins (still future) and for everlasting righteousness (still future) to enter into it Daniel 9:24. Now 483 years have been completed, so, the prophesy has 7 years remaining for its completion; that last 7 years represents the 7 years of tribulation for the Jews. 

My understanding is May 13 1949 marked the year of the 1st generation that will see all the events leading up to the second coming of Christ. This thinking is also based upon the generation alluded to in the parable of the fig tree, in which the fig tree was symbolic of the nation Israel.

In Ezekiel’s prophesy of the valley of dry bones we read, “I (God) will — bring up flesh upon you (physically and spiritually dead Israel), and cover you with skin —.” Then the Lord will lay skin upon their dry bones and sinew. The flesh put upon the dry bones of once dead Israel is next to the last step of the Jewish revival before the Lord puts his Spirit in them after the tribulation when all Israel will cry out to Him.

The flesh of men is the largest organ of the integumentary system. It has seven layers of ectodermal (outer) tissue and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. Man’s skin would represent the condition of Israel today; it protects the body (this by the Holy Spirit) it insulates, regulates, synthesis their health. Also the outer skin contains no blood vessels and cells in the deepest layers are nourished almost exclusively by diffused oxygen from the surrounding air. What Israel needs to do is to cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ; then He will breath the breath of life into their flesh, their sins will be covered by his shed blood, and He will be there King and High Priest. 

Phil Laspino   www.seekfirstwisdom.com