revvel

Hello CWF, The coming (parousia) of Christ has very distinct characteristics, for there are two stages that are separated by time. In the first stage, Christ will descend from Heaven for the church. Seven years later, Christ will descend from Heaven with the church to rescue Israel. CM: When it comes to salvation, we are talking about justice. To address the question of universal salvation, we need to look to where the Bible speaks of justice. In essence, what is Heaven’s definition of justice? Does God speak of justice that will eventually culminate in universal salvation, or does God speak of justice that yields eternal blessings for the righteous and permanent consequences for the unrighteous? We both know the heart of God: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. (Ezek. 33:11) Perhaps you see God’s heart regarding his creation and you just can’t accept how a loving God would allow his creation to perish with no hope of redemption. God is a loving God, which means he is a just God, which means he must be just in the way he approaches his creation. Consider these prophecies that shall be fulfilled: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. . . . Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. . . . Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matt. 25:31, 34, 41) But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Rev. 21:8) According to the Scriptures, the lake of fire is the culmination of Heaven’s justice toward the unjust. The eternal fire is the eternal fire… there is no thought in the Scriptures that this fire is used as a temporary cleansing pool. It is the second death. “Death” means “the sentence and punishment of God against sin, not merely an occurrence, but a state.” Universal salvation is not to be found in the context of judgment because universal salvation is without justice. God is a just God and he will fulfill the prophecies spoken in the Scriptures: the unjust will have no place in eternity for they will die the second death and never will they live again. That is justice. CM: Why not allow yourself to accept what God is saying about justice? Perhaps you won’t fully understand it yet, but you will be in harmony with the Scriptures. God bless. revvel

Sunesis Thank you for your thoughts… THE APOSTLE JOHN AND THE PROPHET DANIEL When Peter prophesied, “the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,” he wasn’t the only apostle who spoke of these signs. There were two apostles (witnesses), not one, who spoke of the sun turning dark and the moon turning blood red: Peter and John. John’s prophecy marked the same signs as Peter—as well as other celestial and earthly signs. I [John] watched as he [Christ] opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red. (Rev. 6:12) Are we in Christ’s church supposed to believe that two apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, who prophesied of the sun turning dark (black) and the moon turning blood red, are referring to two entirely different events? Why couldn’t John and Peter be two witnesses given to us by God who are referring to the same event, only providing different pieces of the same puzzle to help us understand more of the same picture? What will happen to the church after the sun turns dark and the moon turns blood red? Peter said, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How is the church saved? Paul said it will be gathered off the Earth into the clouds with Christ. What is the ultimate destination? Look at the vision Heaven gave to John: After this I [John] looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation [not wrath]; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Rev. 7:9–17) Who is the “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb”? Who are they who “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”? The Gentiles? The Jews? Or are they the saved in Christ? John and Peter both spoke of the signs that would mark the time of salvation (deliverance) for the saved in Christ. The multitude described by John is the same multitude described by Peter: “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” John’s revelation added a piece to the divine puzzle by expounding upon the revelation first spoken by Peter: “The sky [filled with those who call on the name of the Lord] receded like a scroll, rolling up [to Heaven]” (Rev. 6:14). John is in agreement with Peter, and both are in agreement with Joel: the sun will turn dark (black) and the moon will turn blood red when Christ arrives to save those who call on the name of the Lord. This is the divine harmony of divine revelation, which contradicts the religious tradition of the “signless” rapture. In the Book of Revelation, John identified the chronology of end-time events. 1. The church shall be “saved”… gathered into Heaven (Rev. 6:12–14; 7:9–17). 2. The time of “wrath” shall follow. The world shall witness three and a half years of God’s prophets and then three and a half years of Satan’s prophets: God's prophets: And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. (Rev. 11:3) Satan's prophets: The beast [the Antichrist] was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. . . . Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. (Rev. 13:5, 11) This seven-year prophecy of John was first given by the prophet Daniel. Known as the seventieth “seven,” this is the final seven years of prophecy decreed for Daniel’s people, which is Israel (Dan. 9:24). He [the Antichrist] will confirm a covenant with many for one “seven [seven years].” In the middle of the “seven” [after three and a half years] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him [at the time of the Apocalypse] (Dan. 9:27). 3. Finally, like Daniel, John marked the culmination of this time: the Apocalypse. Christ shall descend from Heaven with the church to destroy the armies of Satan and rescue the remnant of Israel. They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers. (Rev. 17:14) I [John] saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. [Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints (Rev. 19:8).] Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, “so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. (Rev. 19:11–21) John’s prophecy expounded upon prophecies first given by the Old Testament prophets—which include Zechariah and Joel. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zech. 14:3–5 KJV) The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. . . . [F]or on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls. (Joel 3:16 KJV; 2:32) According to the prophets and apostles, the coming of Christ has very distinct characteristics, for there are two stages that are separated by time. This text now turns back to the apostle Paul. What piece of the prophetic puzzle did Paul provide when he referred to “the day of the Lord”? To be continued… revvel

Hello CWF, Well said about our Lord’s ministry and Peter’s declaration. Hello CM, When Paul spoke of every knee bowing before the Lord, he introduced it by referring to “it is written.” For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Rom. 14:11 KJV) Consider the context of Paul’s prophecy, and how Paul referenced an Old Testament prophet, and that he is writing to the church: But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we [the church] shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us [in the church] shall give account of himself to God. (Rom. 14:10–12 KJV) Paul spoke of the same “judgment seat” in his second letter to the Corinthians. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Cor. 5:10) “Good” things refer to actions of the heart that are worthy of admiration; “bad” things express a lack of moral character, unbefitting for someone who claims to represent the Son of God… It is from the judgment seat that the Lord Jesus Christ will judge his church, determining the impartation of his “reward.” This is where, and when, every knee will bow… When Paul referred to “it is written,” he referenced Isaiah: By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. (Isa. 45:23) What did God mean by this? Paul told us: Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in us, the church, when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ. …Many concepts and prophecies spoken by the apostles—and by Christ himself—were first spoken in the days of the Old Testament prophets. In essence, God provided multiple witnesses in both Testaments who testify to God’s truth. So no matter the time or culture, Heaven’s message could be understood as originally given when the prophecies are “framed” by both Testaments. CM… Give thought to this: If everyone is a part of a grand plan of universal salvation, then why would God speak of the lake of fire and the second death? If everyone (no matter what they believe) is saved, then who is going into the lake? And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:15 KJV) God bless… revvel

Hello dmiller, I understand what you are saying, for we were both taught to focus on the New Testament… since the church was a mystery in Old Testament times. ...Although the church was a mystery to the Old Testament prophets, the church was in the mind of God. Therefore, God could give revelation about the church to the prophets—without the prophets understanding the implications of that revelation. How do we know that God gave revelation to the Old Testament prophets about the future time of the church? The apostles. The apostles are our guides to help us see where God marked the church in the Old Testament. For example, in the Book of Romans, Paul referenced Habakkuk: For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Rom. 1:17 kjv) This is what Habakkuk foretold: “but the just shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4 kjv). God gave revelation to Habakkuk about a future time when those made righteous by the blood of Christ would be “just,” and live by “faith.” Even though the Old Testament prophets didn’t understand the fullness of their revelation, and even though the church was a non-entity, and even though Satan and his rulers were oblivious to God’s plan, it doesn’t mean prophecies about the church are absent in Old Testament writings. If God can give revelation to Habakkuk about the church, can God give revelation to Joel about the church? Just as Paul marked Habakkuk’s revelation about the church, Peter marked Joel’s revelation about the church. With regard to signs, we both agree that the unique administration of the church began with dramatic, divine signs on Pentecost… If dramatic, divine signs marked the beginning of the church, why can’t dramatic, divine signs mark the gathering of the church? This is what Peter foretold on Pentecost: “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Dmiller… You call on the name of the Lord and you will be “saved” (delivered) at the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. It is the same “salvation” foretold by Paul: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9). Salvation means deliverance. CM... You asked, “does this mean it will happen to everyone at the same time?” The testimony of the New Testament is “Yes.” The descent of Christ from the right hand of God is a one-time occurrence to gather the church. Allow me to unfold this thought in future postings. CM... The church begins for a person when he accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and believes the miracle of his Resurrection from dead (Rom. 10:9, 10). At that time, we do have the eternal, spiritual seed within us, but Christ himself is seated in Heaven... so his coming (which is his personal presence) will not be from within, but from above. Dmiller and CM... The parousia of Christ is what we are talking about… In the first century, Christ ascended to the right hand of God. Next, he will descend for the church and then later for Israel. This is the “advent” of Christ, or arrival of Christ… which has two stages and two purposes. If God used the same word (Greek: parousia) to describe Christ’s descent from Heaven for the church and for Israel, then why can’t we do likewise? That’s all I’m saying. God bless. revvel

Hello CWF, I understand where you are coming from on this. Classic Christian thinking is this: The pre-tribulation folks believe the signless rapture and the post-tribulation folks disbelieve the signless rapture. Where I am coming from on this thread is this: Prophecies mark a rapture that is accompanied by signs, and that this rapture will precede the wrath (pre-tribulation). In essence, the coming of Christ has two stages: First, the coming for the church and then seven years later the coming for Israel. Prophecies in both the Old and New Testaments reveal that the arrivals are marked by unmistakable, divine signs. Allow me to share a vision for this thread: We have twenty centuries of Christianity that have gone before us. The light of Christ has been passed on to us, our generation. My interest is to follow the lead of those who had greater honor in the Bible: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). The Bible speaks with one voice, for there is one author: God. Let this thread be a place of sanctuary where together we see the perfect harmony of end-time prophecies given to us in the Old and New Testaments. Impossible? Not if God is the author. Anyone game? CM... Perhaps the best way I know to respond is to continue with the posting. THE APOSTLE PETER AND THE PROPHET JOEL When Paul stated “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night,” he was not the only apostle who spoke of the “day of the Lord.” There were two apostles (witnesses), not one, who specifically prophesied of the “day of the Lord”: Paul and Peter. ...How important was the first day of the church to God and to us? How important was the revelation spoken by Peter on the first day of the church? On the first day of the church—Pentecost—Peter stood up and addressed the crowd. [T]his is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:16–21) Who are those who call on the “name of the Lord”? Who are those who “will be saved”? When will “the sun be turned to darkness and the moon to blood”? “Before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord”—the same “day of the Lord” spoken by Paul. Are we in Christ’s church supposed to believe that two apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, who specifically spoke of the “day of the Lord,” are referring to two entirely different concepts? Why couldn’t Peter and Paul be two witnesses given to us by God who are referring to the same concept, only providing different pieces of the same puzzle to help us understand more of the same picture? On the first day of the church, Peter spoke to the crowd and referenced Joel. Why? Why did Peter quote Joel? Why did Christ quote Isaiah in the synagogue of Nazareth? Because it was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Why did Paul quote Isaiah in the context of speaking in tongues? Because it was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Why did Christ quote Daniel in the context of the Antichrist? Because it would be the ultimate fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. Who established the precedent to help the church understand why a New Testament apostle would quote an Old Testament prophet? Christ. Peter quoted Joel on Pentecost because it was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (and it would be the ultimate fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy). Isn’t there something fundamentally wrong with any man making an exception to the precedent established by Christ regarding why an Old Testament prophet would be quoted in New Testament times? Here is Peter’s statement on Pentecost: “[T]his is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” It was not “like” what was spoken by Joel; it was what Joel spoke. To witness the magnitude of what Peter accomplished on the day of Pentecost, the prophecy first given by Joel is now presented. What Peter quoted from Joel’s prophecy is capitalized. The following is taken from the second chapter of Joel: And afterward, I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL PEOPLE. YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS WILL PROPHESY, YOUR OLD MEN WILL DREAM DREAMS, YOUR YOUNG MEN WILL SEE VISIONS. EVEN ON MY SERVANTS, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT IN THOSE DAYS. I WILL SHOW WONDERS IN THE HEAVENS AND ON THE EARTH, BLOOD AND FIRE AND BILLOWS OF SMOKE. THE SUN WILL BE TURNED TO DARKNESS AND THE MOON TO BLOOD BEFORE THE COMING OF THE GREAT AND DREADFUL DAY OF THE LORD. AND EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls. (Joel 2:28–32) When Peter quoted Joel, he stopped before he quoted “for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” Why did Peter stop at the semicolon? Why didn’t he at least finish the sentence? Why didn’t he read the whole prophecy given by Joel? What is Peter telling the church on the first day of the church? When these questions are answered, the harmony between the Old and New Testaments is revealed. Why did Peter stop where he did? Truly, on the first day of the church, Peter carved out that section of Joel’s prophecy that directly applied to the time of the church. Peter marked the signs that initiated the church (“I will pour out my Spirit on all people”); he marked the signs that mark the presence of the church on Earth (“prophesy,” “visions,” etc.); finally, Peter marked the signs that mark the gathering of the church into Heaven (when “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord”). It’s the MYSTERY revealed. The MYSTERY unfolded with dramatic signs on the Feast of Pentecost, the MYSTERY would be made known by God through divine signs, and the MYSTERY will end with dramatic signs on the Feast of Trumpets. Hundreds of years prior to Peter’s declaration on Pentecost, God had already established the irrefutable signs that would mark the MYSTERY. Not one Old Testament prophet understood it. It was Peter who made it known to the “world” on the holy day of Pentecost. On the first day of the church, Peter did not speak about “Mount Zion” and “Jerusalem” because that part of Joel’s prophecy is about the future of the twelve tribes: “Israel.” This is the time of great distress foretold by Jeremiah; it is “the time of Jacob’s [israel’s] trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jer. 30:7 KJV). Jeremiah foretold precisely what Joel foretold: there will be “deliverance” for Israel—“among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” This is what Peter didn’t quote because it applied not to the church but to Israel. What is the significance of Peter’s reference to Joel? Regarding Christ’s return for the church, God has given the church two witnesses: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Therefore, it is impossible that God is relying upon one New Testament apostle (Paul) to be the single witness to communicate the “picture” of Christ’s return for the church. This text now turns to another apostle: John. What divine light did John give us regarding the signs that mark Christ’s return for the church? To be continued… revvel

Hello dmiller, coupcake, and CM, To address your posts, I would like to refer to Greek words found in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4. “Coming” is translated from the Greek word parousia, which means “advent, return, coming, presence.” “Caught up” is translated from the Greek word harpazo, which means “to seize, catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take.” The Latin word for “caught up” is raptus and is translated into the English language as rapture. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming [parousia] of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [harpazo/raptus] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:15–17 kjv) Another record of Christ’s parousia for the church to catch away the church is found in Corinthians: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming [parousia]. (1 Cor. 15:22, 23 kjv) Parousia itself does not identify a specific event, for this Greek word is found in the context of gathering the church and rescuing Israel. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul spoke of Christ’s parousia in the context of destroying the Antichrist: And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming [parousia]. (2 Thess. 2:8 kjv) Note: The Greek definitions are taken from Strong’s Greek Dictionary. God bless. revvel

The “Signless” Return: Dogma Author’s Note Most of us in the church have been taught that the return of Christ to gather the church is a “signless” event. Invariably, one verse is used to substantiate this position: “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2). Is it true that God is relying on one apostle and one figure of speech to communicate that Christ’s return for the church is a “signless” event? Or is it Satan who wants us to isolate one apostle and isolate one verse and then misunderstand one figure of speech, leading to the wrong conclusion? How would Christ respond to these questions? How would the apostles Peter, Paul, and John respond to these questions? How would the Old Testament respond to these questions? . . . INTRODUCTION When the apostle Paul prophesied, “the day of the Lord” will come “like a thief in the night,” what did he communicate to the church? Is Paul introducing brand-new concepts, or is he referring to concepts already established by biblical prophets that precede him? How can we as the church understand Paul’s reference to a “thief” unless we look to where “thief” is used relative to end times? In the Book of Revelation, Christ prophesied about his return for Israel: “Behold, I come like a thief!” (Rev. 16:15). Christ spoke this prophecy in the context of Armageddon, which is “the battle on the great day of God Almighty” (Rev. 16:14). If Christ’s return for Israel is like a “thief,” is Christ’s return for Israel a “signless” event? No. The Apocalypse is not a “signless” event. If Christ did not use the word “thief” to mean a “signless” event, then how can we as his church justify using “thief” to mean a “signless” event? What did Christ communicate when he said that he would return for Israel like a “thief”? The prophecy spoken by Christ has a precedent. Isaiah prophesied of Israel’s salvation and how that salvation would be instantaneous. Moreover the multitude of thy strangers [enemies] shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. (Isa. 29:5, 6 kjv) Isaiah spoke of time and marked dramatic signs that shall accompany the second coming of Christ—when he returns “like a thief.” Herein, Christ’s reference to a thief speaks not of a “signless” return, but of the sudden surprise of his return, and how those who are in spiritual darkness will be overtaken, and how those who embrace spiritual light are commanded to “watch” (Rev. 16:15 kjv). Like Christ, Paul’s reference to a “thief” speaks of time, not signs, and addresses those who will be overtaken (1 Thess. 5:3), and those who are commanded to “watch” (1 Thess. 5:6 kjv): Now, brothers, about times and dates [not signs] we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (1 Thess. 5:1, 2) Christ’s sudden return will not overtake those who have embraced spiritual light. A thief arrives as a sudden surprise and overtakes those who are in spiritual darkness. These prophetic truths apply to Christ’s return for the church and for Israel. Like Christ and Paul, Peter’s reference to a “thief” speaks of the sudden nature of Heaven’s intervention and the drama that will follow: [T]he day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10 kjv) In their prophecies, Christ, Paul, and Peter did not equate “thief” with a “signless” event. In essence, there is no scriptural justification to use the symbol of a “thief” to claim that an event is “signless.” The religious tradition of the “signless” return has served only to cast a shadow upon the Scriptures; there is no need to be in subjection to this tradition. Now, prophecies that speak to the church about Christ’s return can open up to us. That said, this text explores both the Old and New Testaments and ends up with one inescapable conclusion: just as dramatic signs shall mark the instantaneous arrival of Christ for Israel, so shall dramatic signs mark the instantaneous arrival of Christ for the church. In the light of Scripture, the true nature the “signless” return is understood for what it is: this dogma is nothing more than a religious tradition masquerading as the truth, causing us to neglect prophecies that directly apply to us. Why would Satan want Christ’s church to believe the lie of the “signless” return? The answer concerns Heaven’s commands. Paul issued the command to “watch.” Without knowledge of Heaven’s signs, the church cannot watch for Heaven’s signs. This text presents prophecies given by Christ, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Joel, Luke, Peter, John, and Paul. To be continued... revvel

Hello David, Let me begin by saying that I wrote the work: "Prophecy: The Seven Holy Days." What appears on this thread is straight from my Web site: www.thetimeline.org. Yes, certainly all quotes need to be documented... and the documentation of what I quote in the "Holy Days" can be found on my Web site. The references are listed below the actual text. God bless. revvel

Allan, LornaDoone, and David, Many thanks for your thoughts. God bless. revvel

Hello Belle, OK… I’ll copy a paragraph from the Introduction… God “wrote” his plan to rescue souls from Satan in the Law—in the holy days; in the writings of Moses, God “embedded” the prophecies that Christ would ultimately fulfill, for within the seven holy days, God painted a “hidden” picture: the chronology, content, and significance of major events that pertain to the first coming of Christ, and the chronology, content, and significance of major events that pertain to the second coming of Christ. While there are a number of concepts to take away from God's plan in the “Holy Days,” I’ll focus on one of them that applies to us (the church)… that pertains to Christ’s command to us… regarding his return for us… and that is to “watch.” Knowing that Christ shall return for us, not “any day” but on the one “holy day” of the year, we are able to add a dimension of time to Christ’s command—which he intended for it to have. In essence, knowledge of God’s plan in the “Holy Days” directly impacts how we carry out Christ’s command. revvel

Prophecy: The Seven Holy Days (PT2) The next grand event on Heaven’s prophetic calendar is Christ’s return to gather his church, and the next feast to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets. The prophecies given by the Son of God, the apostle Paul, and Moses reveal the divine harmony within and between the Old and New Testaments, for they speak with a unified voice regarding the Feast of Trumpets. The apostle Paul unmistakably connected the return of Christ to gather his church to the Feast of Trumpets, for in Paul’s prophecy he referred to “the last trumpet”: “n a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed [transformed immortal]. For the perishable [the dead] must clothe itself with the imperishable [everlasting life], and the mortal with immortality” (1 Cor. 15:52, 53). According to Paul, this prophecy will unfold at “the last trumpet,” which is a specific reference to “the last trumpet” blown on the Feast of Trumpets. During this feast, the religious authorities mark the celebration with a series of short trumpet blasts. The ritual is concluded with a single unbroken blast, held for as long as possible. It is called the Tekiah Gedolah. It is “the last trumpet.” On the Hebrew calendar, the Feast of Trumpets falls during a unique season: Teshuvah. In Hebrew, it means “to return or repent,” and the message is straightforward: God desires that his creation live righteously, and this time of the year was set aside for people to ponder their approach to life—with a view to setting the heart and mind straight before the Feast of Trumpets, for on that day God offers judgment. This feast is also referred to as Yom HaDin, or the Day of Judgment. On a future day in time, on the Feast of Trumpets, those who have been made righteous by the blood of Christ (judged righteous) will receive the blessing of that judgment and will ascend to Heaven. Exactly how does the Feast of Trumpets foreshadow what shall come to pass on this future day? When the trumpet blasts sounded on the Feast of Trumpets, they were more than just ceremonial expressions; they literally summoned the Jewish people. When the Jewish workers in their fields heard the trumpet call, they would immediately cease harvesting and journey to the temple for worship. As it was then (and is now), a Jewish worker could be harvesting alongside a non-Jewish worker, and when the trumpets were heard, the Jewish worker would leave the fields, but the non-Jewish worker would remain. Jesus Christ himself made reference to this phenomenon (and to this feast) when he spoke of his return to gather the believers in his church: As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the [second] coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the [second] coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken [to be with Christ] and the other left [behind]. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. (Matt. 24:37–41) When “the last trumpet” sounds, “one [who belongs to Christ] will be taken [to be with Christ] and the other [who does not belong to Christ will be] left [behind].” God already marked this glorious, future event by way of the Law. The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.’” (Lev. 23:23, 24) The Feast of Trumpets fell on the first day of the seventh religious month: Tishrei (equivalent to either September or October). Although Tishrei is the seventh month on the Jewish religious calendar, it is the first month on the Jewish civil calendar. The first day of Tishrei is known as “Rosh HaShanah” or, the “head of the year.” It is the start of the Jewish New Year. In the Torah (the books of Moses), Rosh HaShanah is referred to as Yom Teruah: the “Day of the Sounding of the Shofar (trumpet),” or the “Day of the Awakening Blast.” Teruah means “an awakening blast” and is also translated as “shout.” The Talmud (Jewish commentaries on Scripture) associates Rosh HaShanah with the resurrection of the dead. The corresponding prophecy is unmistakable: when the “awakening blast” sounds on Rosh HaShanah, truly the church of Christ shall “awake” to the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump [trumpet] of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:16, 17 kjv) The trumpet blast and the shout will summon all in the church of Christ. When shall this come to pass? Thousands of years ago, God had already marked the very day of the year on the Hebrew calendar when his Son would return for the church: New Year’s Day (Rosh HaShanah). How does the Hebrew calendar mark New Year’s Day? Unlike our modern-day calendar, the Hebrew calendar relied upon the moon to mark the first day of each month. The first day of each month on the Hebrew calendar was marked by the appearance of the new moon. When the first sliver of the new moon appeared in the sky, the Jewish authorities marked the first day of the month. Hence, the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) was determined by the appearance of the seventh new moon. Herein, the heavens marked the start of the Feast of Trumpets: when the first sliver of the seventh new moon appeared in the sky, the first day of Tishrei was marked—and so was the start of the feast. The Feast of Trumpets is also referred to as the “Feast of the New Moon,” for it is the only annual feast of God that commences with this lunar sign from the heavens. In ancient times, Jewish religious authorities could not predict the day or hour the Feast of Trumpets would begin; they had to wait until the new moon was actually seen by reliable witnesses. As stated in the Jewish Encyclopedia, “On the 30th of each month, the members of the [Jewish] High Court (Bet Din) assembled in a courtyard in Jerusalem, named Beit Ya'azek, where they waited to receive the testimony of two reliable witnesses; they then sanctified the New Moon. If the moon’s crescent was not seen on the 30th day, the New Moon was automatically celebrated on the 31st day.” In essence, the Jewish religious authorities did not know when the Feast of Trumpets would actually commence; they did not know the day or hour. Jesus Christ made specific reference to this fact when he spoke of his return to gather his church; he said, “No one knows about that day or hour” (Matt. 24:36). This phrase about “not knowing the day or hour” is a specific Hebrew saying, peculiar to the Feast of Trumpets. To expound upon this thought, Christ’s prophecy about not knowing the “day or hour” refers to two unique segments of time: “day” means “the time from one sunrise or sunset to another,” and the word “hour” means “a definite and limited time. . . . [T]he time of the day . . . the hour.” In essence, “day” literally means a “day” and “hour” literally means an “hour”—two segments of time associated with the Feast of the New Moon (Rosh HaShanah). Hence, Christ’s prophecy about “not knowing the day or hour” of his return is actually a direct reference to a common phrase used to describe the Feast of Trumpets. This conclusion—that Christ is specifically referring to this feast—can be viewed from Hebrew history. Rosh HaShanah is also referred to as Yom HaKeseh, which means the “Day of Hiding,” or the “Hidden Day.” This is because the Feast of Trumpets was the only day on the Hebrew calendar “hidden” from view: no man knew the day or hour that this feast would commence. Herein, Christ and Paul both made direct references to the Feast of Trumpets when referring to the return to gather the church to Heaven. In other words, the day of the return corresponds to the day of the Feast of Trumpets—just like the day of the Crucifixion corresponded to the day of the Feast of Passover. This divine harmony cannot be broken. “I [Christ] tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matt. 5:18). God’s accomplishments through Christ had to correspond to the Law: Christ couldn’t die “any day,” nor could he be in the burial tomb “any day,” nor could he be resurrected “any day,” nor could he send his Spirit to the apostles “any day,” and Christ can’t come back “any day.” To believe that Christ can return “any day” for the church is to disbelieve that Christ has to fulfill the Law of Moses. The belief that Christ can return “any day” is rooted in religious history—not in the Scriptures. Our religious ancestors neglected the voice of Moses and consequently were deceived—and the deception continues to this day. When we stand before the throne of Heaven, what will be our individual testimonies to our Lord and Savior? Will it be the supreme authority of religious tradition? Will it be the supreme authority of famous names of renown? Or will it be the supreme authority of Scripture? For those of us in the body of Christ who hold to the supreme authority of Scripture, there is no intent to create traditions or stories, but to be worthy of the divinely inspired story already written. Let us not silence the prophecy God marked in the Law of Moses. The Old Testament Law stands: the day of Christ’s return for his church corresponds to the holy day marked by God. What we do not know about that day is the hour of the day—on the Feast of Trumpets—that Christ will return for his church. In Christ’s prophecy about this subject, he said: Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. . . . You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Luke 12:35–38, 40) When Christ prophesied of the “hour,” he referred to the thought he just introduced: “the second or third watch of the night.” “Watch” refers to a unit of time into which the night was divided when people were charged to “watch,” or be on guard. In another prophecy about his return, Christ said, “keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn” (Mark 13:35). The Messiah referenced four specific “watches,” or times of the night that could mark his return. (The Romans divided the twelve-hour night into four watches: “evening,” “midnight,” “when the rooster crows,” and “at dawn.”) Whereas God identified the exact hour on the Feast of Passover that Christ would be crucified, God has kept the exact hour of Christ’s return on the Feast of Trumpets a mystery—exhorting the church to “keep watch” throughout this holy day and be ready. Once Christ and his church are both in Heaven, God will fulfill his end-time promises to the followers of the Old Covenant on Earth. Those promises include the next major, divine event: the second stage of the second coming of Christ—his return for Israel. Known as the Apocalypse, this divine event corresponds to the next feast to be fulfilled: the Day of Atonement. The sixth feast given to Moses was the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. It falls on the tenth day of the Hebrew month called Tishrei, and it is the most solemn day on the Hebrew calendar. The ten days that lead up to and include this day are referred to as the “Ten Days of Repentance.” They are the final ten days of the unique season of Teshuvah, and they are High Holy Days. God gave this final ten-day span of time for his people to examine their lives, pray for forgiveness, and return to what is right—before the Day of Atonement. Seven years will separate Christ’s return for his church and Christ’s return for Israel. (The prophet Daniel prophesied of this seven-year time span.) During these seven years, the followers of the Old Covenant will again have the opportunity to examine their lives in light of the Scriptures. As in Old Testament times during the season of Teshuvah, they will have the time to choose “life” before the Day of Atonement. As revealed throughout the Old and New Testaments, God’s track record is to create awareness and warn—before evil consumes the heart. He did so on an annual basis with the Israelites by way of the season of Teshuvah and the corresponding feasts. God revealed what is in his heart, regarding this matter of people living righteously: “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live” (Eze. 33:11). This heart of God can be seen throughout biblical records. In Old Testament times, an entire city received word from God that their evil stretched into the “heavens,” and God did not plan on allowing it to continue. Therefore, he sent a prophet, Jonah, to declare judgment. Jonah proclaimed the following: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” The Ninevites believed God. . . . When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: . . . “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah 3:4–10) Our Creator desires that we seek “life” through righteousness. Those in Nineveh chose “life” that day when they heard divine revelation. In contrast, when the Son of God came to Jerusalem, the Israelites did not embrace “life.” As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. “It is written,” he said to them, ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Luke 19:41–46) In the first century, God’s own people didn’t recognize the first coming of the Messiah. The religious leadership had a different agenda; they made God’s house of prayer “a den of robbers”; they had no intention of allowing Jesus to change that reality. The religious authorities that rejected Christ were blind to his presence and blind to the timing of God’s prophecy. Christ prophesied about Nineveh and Jerusalem in the same breath when he referred to the ultimate judgment, Judgment Day: “The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation [in Jerusalem] and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one [Jesus] greater than Jonah is here” (Matt. 12:41). The inhabitants of Nineveh did not reject the truth when the prophet Jonah spoke it, and they shall testify to it in Heaven—condemning those of the generation in Jerusalem that chose to scoff at the truth. When God gave Moses the Law regarding the Day of Atonement, he gave his people a way to choose to be free from their sins, to be clean. “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among you—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. . . . He [the priest] is to put on the sacred linen garments and make atonement for the Most Holy Place . . . and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community” (Lev. 16:29, 30, 32, 33). The high priest acted on behalf of the people to bring about this cleansing of sin. On the Day of Atonement the high priest entered into the holiest of all: the Holy of Holies in the temple. There he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice (the sin offering) on the mercy seat, and it yielded the cleansing of sin. Of the many prophecies that refer to Christ’s return for followers of the Old Covenant, one given by the prophet Isaiah makes specific reference to the priestly responsibility that takes place on the Day of Atonement: the sprinkling of the blood. Isaiah prophesied, “so will he [Christ] sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him” (Isa. 52:15). In Heaven, Christ now reigns as the great high priest, and he shall return as King—and sprinkle the nations, and cleanse the Earth. The Day of Atonement is the most solemn day of the year because Heaven’s judgment is sealed. On this future day in time—on Yom Kippur—justice will be delivered to the Earth. The King shall return with his angels, which include his church. Those who were transformed immortal and the dead who were raised to eternal life shall return with their Lord: “The armies of heaven were following him [Christ], riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (Rev. 19:14). (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints) (Rev. 19:8). “[T]he Lamb [Christ] will overcome . . . because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers” (Rev. 17:14). This is the prophecy of the Apocalypse; it is the battle of Armageddon; it is the salvation of Israel; it is the Day of Atonement. [T]he Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. (2 Thess. 1:7–9 kjv) [T]he Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord. (Isa. 66:15, 16) [T]he Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. . . . Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. (Zech. 14:3–5) “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. . . . I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.” Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, “The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.” . . . “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” (Zech. 12:3–5; 13:1) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. . . . Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever. (Eze. 36:25, 26; 37:28) With evil defeated, and the cleansing complete, God shall establish the millennial kingdom: the 1000-year reign of Heaven on Earth. The seventh and final feast—the Feast of Tabernacles—foreshadows this magnificent time to come for our world. The Feast of Tabernacles calls to remembrance the time the children of Israel lived in the desert (the wilderness), following the exodus from Egypt. The Hebrew word for “tabernacle” means “booth, cottage . . . pavilion . . . [or] tent.” The Old Testament makes reference to the temporary dwellings in which the Israelites lived in the wilderness while on the path to the Promised Land. As recorded by Moses, the Feast of Tabernacles—which begins on the fifteenth day of Tishrei—lasts for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. (Lev. 23:41–43) This seven-day feast foreshadowed the millennial kingdom. This holy time calls to remembrance the wilderness experience and the supernatural presence of God. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (Exod. 13:21, 22) In the desert, the Israelites saw the hand of God, understood his presence, and knew he had delivered them—and built a sanctuary for him. It is written: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I [God] will dwell among them” (Exod. 25:8). As God dwelt with the Israelites and protected them in the wilderness, so shall the Son of God dwell and reign in this world. At this future time, immortal souls shall reign over the Earth and live with the mortal souls (those among the nations who lived through the final seven years of prophecy). For 1000 years, peace shall reign on this planet. What follows are prophecies about this divine, future time: “Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.” (Zech. 2:10–12) In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isa. 2:2–4) The Feast of Tabernacles is also referred to as the “Festival of Ingathering” and the “Feast of the Nations.” As prophesied in the Old Testament, during the time of Heaven’s 1000-year kingdom, nations on Earth will celebrate this feast: “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zech. 14:16). The Feast of Tabernacles is also called the “Season of Our Joy.” It is the joy found in God’s deliverance and presence. This can be seen from the following prophecy that speaks of the coming millennial kingdom: e glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I [God] will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. (Isa. 65:18–24) This is the time of the glorious restoration of the nation of Israel by God Almighty—when all those who dwell in the Holy Land and throughout the world shall know the Creator. God’s hand of blessing shall extend not only to the living, but also to the dead; many who currently sleep in the grave shall rise to live in this coming kingdom. Just as there shall be a resurrection of the dead when Christ returns for his church on the Feast of Trumpets, there shall also be a resurrection of the dead when Christ returns for Israel on the Day of Atonement. The believers from Old Testament times shall rise from their graves to live in the millennial kingdom. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” The hand of the Lord was upon me [the prophet Ezekiel], and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” (Ezek. 36:37, 38; 37:1–14) revvel

Prophecy: The Seven Holy Days AUTHOR’S NOTE Can Christ return “any day” from Heaven? How would Christ answer that question? How would the apostle Paul answer that question? How would the Old Testament Law answer that question? … INTRODUCTION The seven holy days in the Law of Moses foreshadowed major events that pertain to the first and second coming of Christ and reveal God’s plan to save the “Earth” from Satan—which includes Christ’s return for his church. These holy days make known not only how God would rescue souls, but how God would defeat Satan on the battlefield—both in the spiritual realm and in the flesh and blood realm. The prophetic holy days disclose knowledge of God’s vision—especially as it concerns prophecy and our place in it. To explore Heaven’s grand plan, this text moves back in time to the first century, to the days when the Messiah walked in the Holy Land and spoke forth this prophecy: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matt. 5:17, 18) What has been accomplished with the first coming of Christ? What shall be accomplished with the second coming of Christ? How did God reveal in the Law the prophetic picture of what Christ would accomplish? Christ answered that question: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses” (Luke 24:44). What is specifically written about Christ in the Law of Moses? What has to be fulfilled? What is specifically written about Christ in the Law and what has to be fulfilled are the seven holy days: the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles. God “wrote” his plan to rescue souls from Satan in the Law—in the holy days; in the writings of Moses, God “embedded” the prophecies that Christ would ultimately fulfill, for within the seven holy days, God painted a “hidden” picture: the chronology, content, and significance of major events that pertain to the first coming of Christ, and the chronology, content, and significance of major events that pertain to the second coming of Christ. It wasn’t until the days of the New Testament, and the revelation given by Heaven, that this divine story was revealed: the holy days are prophetic in nature. Just as Christ had to fulfill the Ten Commandments in his behavior, he had to fulfill—and has to fulfill—the prophecies written about him in the seven holy days. This connection between the holy days of the Old Testament and future events of the New Testament was made clear by the apostle Paul: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival [holy day], a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come” (Col. 2:16, 17). The apostle Paul referred to the prophecies contained in the Old Testament Law: the holy days of the Old Testament “are a shadow [a foreshadowing] of things that were to come [in the New Testament].” Paul wrote this to Christ’s church because the holy days foreshadowed not only the birth of the church, but also the future of the church. In addition, the holy days give Christ’s church a prophetic picture of what is to come for “Israel” and the world. What is the significance of Paul’s reference to the holy days and of Christ’s reference to the Law of Moses? If the Old Testament Law foretold what would come to pass in the future, then the Old Testament set God’s precedent: New Testament prophecy must be in agreement with the precedent set in Old Testament prophecy. The Old Testament Law is God’s standard—not only for behavior but also prophecy. Herein, we as Christ’s church need not be blown about with every wind of doctrine on the subject of prophecy. God already established the irrefutable standard in the Old Testament. This divine harmony between the Old and New Testaments cannot be broken. Frequently, Christ and his apostles quoted Old Testament prophets to demonstrate the fulfillment of prophecy and, in addition, what shall be fulfilled in the future. In essence, the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. With an understanding of the Old Testament holy days, New Testament prophecy speaks with a clear, unified voice regarding what was accomplished during the first coming of Christ, and what shall be accomplished during the second coming of Christ. What follows are prophecies given by Christ, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jonah, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and Moses. Sit back, relax, and watch the divine harmony of divine revelation speak about you, your future, and what is to come for our world. The Holy Days As recorded in the Old Testament Law, Moses received from God seven holy days that the Jewish people were to celebrate every year. These holy days—known as feasts—commemorated deliverance and blessing (among other things) for the Jewish people wrought by the hand of God. These feasts, however, had a dual purpose: they were not only annual days of remembrance for the Jewish people, but also were prophetic symbols that foretold of God’s ultimate plan of deliverance and blessing for all peoples by way of Christ. “The law is . . . a shadow of the good things that are coming” (Heb. 10:1). Exactly how does the Old Testament Law speak to us in Christ’s church today? The annual feasts that were marked on the Hebrew calendar were physical celebrations that foretold of future events and their timing. It was by way of these feasts that God marked time: key events that pertain to Christ would occur on the very holy days that God had given in the Old Testament. These ancient holy days not only marked time, but also foreshadowed what Christ would ultimately accomplish by way of his life, death, burial, Resurrection; his sending of the Holy Spirit; his return for his church; his return for Israel; and, finally, his 1000-year kingdom on Earth. Exactly how did the seven feasts in the Law of Moses foreshadow major events that pertain to Christ? Hundreds of years prior to the first coming of Christ, God marked the timing of the following dramatic events: Christ’s Crucifixion, burial, Resurrection, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Christ fulfilled the first four holy days: he was crucified on the Feast of Passover; he was in the burial tomb on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, he was resurrected from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits, and, finally, Christ sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)—which was fifty days after the Resurrection. These events occurred as appointed by God, prophesied in the Old Testament Law. Herein, Heaven established a precedent: If the first four feasts foreshadowed events that pertained to the first coming of Christ, then, logically, it stands to reason that the last three feasts foreshadow events that pertain to the second coming of Christ. There are three major events that have yet to be fulfilled—Christ’s return for his church, Christ’s return for Israel, and Christ’s 1000-year kingdom—and there are three feasts that have yet to be fulfilled: Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. In essence, God’s plan to save the “Earth” from Satan would be accomplished in seven stages: God’s Son fulfilled the first three stages of the divine plan as the ultimate sacrifice and Savior while here during his earthly ministry; Christ fulfilled the fourth stage as man’s great high priest from the throne in Heaven when he sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and he shall complete the final three stages when he returns as Lord and King. This divine plan is revealed not only by seeing the prophetic nature of the holy days, but also how the holy days themselves fall on the Hebrew calendar. The first four feasts occur during the “spring season,” forming the first unit of time. The last three feasts occur during the “fall season,” forming the second unit of time. The spring feasts spoke to the first coming of Christ; the fall feasts (celebrated during the time of harvest) spoke to the second coming of Christ. A long gap in time exists between the spring and fall feasts. On God’s prophetic timetable, this gap in time correlates to the time between the first and second coming of Christ; it is the time known as the “mystery”—the time of Christ’s church. It is the time the world is living in now. Exactly how did God set all this motion in Old Testament times? The first four feasts mark key events that pertain to God delivering the children of Israel from Egypt through Moses—which includes God dwelling with his people on Mount Sinai. The parallel to our time is the spiritual reality of God delivering souls from Satan through Christ—which includes God dwelling with his people through the Holy Spirit. This parallel between God’s deliverance of the Israelites, and God’s deliverance of souls, can be seen by looking back at the epic events that took place at the time of Moses. In the known history of this world, few events compare to those that rocked the Egyptian Empire and eventually led to God meeting with Moses and giving him the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. This historical saga begins with the children of Israel being slaves to Pharaoh of Egypt, who, despite nine plagues brought upon him and his people, refused to let the Israelites leave. For the tenth and final plague, the angel of death would “strike down every firstborn—both men and animals” (Exod. 12:12). The Israelites, however, would be spared if they sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial Passover lamb on the doorposts of their homes. The angel would see the blood and pass over the house. The parallel to our time is as follows: just as the blood of the Passover lamb would save Israelites from death, so would the blood of God’s Lamb (Christ) ultimately save souls from death. The Feast of Passover marks this historical event for the Israelites. Passover is also referred to as the “Feast of Our Freedom,” for it marked the beginning of the end to slavery; it was the first holy day God gave to Moses. God spoke to Moses and provided the details associated with this holy day: a lamb was to be killed on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month called Nisan (equivalent to either March or April on the modern-day calendar). When God gave Moses this revelation, he was setting the stage for what would ultimately occur with his Son, the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29). When God marked the day the lamb was to be slain at the Jewish feast, God simultaneously marked the future day in time his own Son would be crucified. Here is the Law that God gave Moses: The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month [Nisan] is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. . . . Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight [Hebrew: 3 p.m.].” (Exod. 12:1–3, 6) This literal feast was also a prophecy that was fulfilled in the first century a.d. by the Lamb of God. While the Jewish religious leaders carried out their ceremony of Passover and sacrificed a lamb on the fourteenth day of Nisan, the Lamb of God was simultaneously sacrificed on the Cross. According to the Law given to Moses, the sacrificial lamb was to be slain at “twilight,” which is a reference to the exact midpoint between our 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.—which is 3 p.m. This is the precise moment that Christ “gave up his spirit” (Matt. 27:50). Herein, Christ fulfilled the Law given to Moses and fulfilled the prophecy contained within it. If Christ didn’t fulfill the Law, then he wasn’t the Messiah. There is no doubt that Christ would fulfill the Law of Moses because he was the Messiah. As God’s own Lamb, Jesus had to die at the precise moment in time as originally given by God in the Law. In essence, God had to follow his own Law. The apostle Paul confirmed that Christ fulfilled the Law as God’s Lamb: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). Just as God marked the timing of Jesus’ Crucifixion by way of a Jewish feast, he marked the timing of the burial, Resurrection, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost by way of Jewish feasts. Christ’s burial is marked by the next feast: the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This feast began on the next day, the fifteenth of Nisan, which began at sunset. (Biblical days began at sunset.) The Feast of Unleavened Bread is marked at the fifteenth day of Nisan, for on that day the angel of death struck down the Egyptians before midnight, and the children of Israel left Egypt that same evening. On this very day in ancient history, “Moses said to the people, ‘Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast [nothing leavened]’” (Exod. 13:3). This feast marks the separation from Egyptian life, their gods, and what is sinful (leavened), and invites the believer to feed upon the Word of God. Jesus Christ is the true “bread of life” (John 6:35). Three days after the Passover sacrifice, on the seventeenth day of Nisan, the Israelites reached the shore of the Red Sea. However, fear, not joy, filled their hearts as an angry Pharaoh sought vengeance—chasing after the Israelites with his army. Now, with their backs to the Red Sea, the Israelites could see Pharaoh with his chariots pressing toward them. Yet Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today” (Exod. 14:13). Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. . . . Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” (Exod. 14:21–23, 26) God established a bridge to freedom—the land bridge formed at the base of the Red Sea. It was the salvation of the Israelites. It saved them from certain death. Hundreds of years later on the very day that God parted the Red Sea and severed Pharaoh’s hold on the Israelites, he would raise his own Son from the dead. Therein, God would bring about deliverance from sin, sever Satan’s hold on the soul, and usher in immortality—and its freedom. This is our spiritual reality that reflects the physical reality of what took place across the Red Sea. The annual feast that commemorates this day of deliverance at the Red Sea is the Feast of Firstfruits. The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest’” (Lev. 23:9, 10). By offering the firstfruits of the harvest, the Israelites would acknowledge the miracle that ushered in their new “life.” Hundreds of years later, when God raised Christ from the dead on the seventeenth day of Nisan, the Messiah became the firstfruits of the divine harvest from the heart of the Earth. Those who would believe this miracle would themselves become a miracle (by gaining eternal life), and would ultimately witness another miracle: the transformation to an eternal, spiritual body, harvested from this Earth to Heaven. The apostle Paul made specific reference to this truth: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [died]. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die [the physical death], so in Christ all will be made alive [transformed to immortal, spiritual life]. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes [at Christ’s return], those who belong to him [will also be harvested from the Earth to Heaven]. (1 Cor. 15:20–23) The key to this transformation is Christ: he is the bridge to move from mortality to immortality. In the days of Moses, God established the land bridge to freedom that enabled the Israelites to journey forward toward the Promised Land. Along the way, they reached the wilderness of Sinai and camped by its holy mountain. Exactly fifty days after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, God met with them at Mount Sinai. [T]here was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. (Exod. 19:16–19) This descent of God on Mount Sinai “in fire” foreshadowed the descent of the Holy Spirit—the sign of which was “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3). As God communed with his people on Mount Sinai fifty days after his divine intervention at the Red Sea, so God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within the disciples fifty days after the Resurrection of his Son. The fourth feast that marks this revelation of God on Mount Sinai is the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). (“Pentecost” in the Greek language literally means “fifty.”) The Feast of Weeks is marked fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits, and it completes the season of Passover. If Christ fulfilled the first four feasts on the exact days required by the Old Testament Law, then, logically, it stands to reason that the final three feasts shall be fulfilled with the same precision. The “fall feasts” can be found in the following: “Prophecy: The Seven Holy Days (PT2)” revvel