RAPTURE AND 2017..KEEP LOOKING UP!

Pete Garcia 

 

Several years ago, there was a growing movement within the watcher community that really tried to justify the Rapture happening in 2011. I remember this being a high-watch year for the Rapture of the Church and people were coming out of the woodwork with dreams and visions trying to validate/justify this reasoning. 

 

The excitement centered on the idea that if we added 70 years to 1948, it would bring us to the year 2018. According to this logic, if the Second Coming took place in 2018, then by necessity we would have to subtract the required seven years for the Tribulation to occur, bringing us back to the year 2011. Well, 2011 came and went and we are still here. Clearly, there were some faults in this logic.

 

Although I remain hopeful every year, I did not throw my lot in with the majority in this group simply because I still had many reservations about the timing. My problem with 2011, was that it did not coincide with any other combination of years as they pertain to any pattern of historically significant or prophetic events as they relate to Israel...God's prophetic timepiece. Interestingly, I had my own "dream" if you can call it that in March of 2012. It was very vivid in my mind even after I woke up and I emailed Jack Kinsella about it.

 

Jack probably thought I was off my rocker a little, but I kept this dream to myself for the most part over these last five years. I tend not to give a lot of credence to dreams and I do not consider them divine messages per se...but I do not completely discount them either. I think we must use discernment in these issues. But back on point, if you added 50 years to 1967, you would get 2017. But if you subtracted seven years from 2017 for a Second Coming, it takes you back to 2010 which cuts the seven-year tribulation (Daniel's 70th Week) short by one year if you used 2011 as the benchmark. You could try this with any other year besides 2017 and you continually run into the same issues of numerical and prophetic incongruence.

 

Another high watch year was 2007, which if you were to subtract 40 years from, would bring you to 1967; the year the Jews recaptured Jerusalem in the Six Day War. Seeing as that time (and a subsequent seven-year tribulation) has come and gone, clearly, this could not have been the case, unless perhaps you happen to be a hardcore historical-preterist. (Just kidding) Other high watch years tended to be more symbolic than anything: 2012, 2000, 1999, etc. The truth is that Christ could have returned at any of those times but He didn't. If Israel is the SUPERSIGN of the last days (which I believe it is), then Israel has been back in her land since 1948. She has had control of Jerusalem since 1967. Why then are we still here in 2017 and the Lord has yet to return? What is He waiting on?

 

Assessment

 

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9

 

I do not think the Lord's patience is random or arbitrary. Neither do I think it is simply because He is longsuffering (even though He is). But if longsuffering were God's sole prerogative, then He could choose to wait until every last person alive today either dies in unbelief or converts and becomes a believer. This could take another hundred years or more which, in my opinion, would maximize longsuffering to its uttermost. But we then have two dilemmas; one which states that God is longsuffering and wants none to perish (this is true), and the other which is a Bible that states that the whole world (minus those redeemed) would enter into a time of judgment for their unbelief. Thus we must deduce that God's longsuffering, in regards to a Christ-rejecting world, has an expiration date. So why should we think 2017 is any different or more special than 2011, 2007, 1999, 1988, etc.? Let's recap what we know:

 

The significance of 2017:

1. 1897-2017=120 years, (Warning till judgment) First Zionist Congress convenes
2. 1917-2017=100 years, (God allows for time to store up judgment against the Amorites) Balfour Declaration
3. 1947-2017=70 years, (Punishment for Israel's violation of the Land Sabbath) Israel wins right for statehood on 29 November 1947
4. 1967-2017=50 years, (Jubilee) Israel regains all of Jerusalem back in Six Day War
5. 1977-2017=40 years, (Period of testing) beginning of trials Vis a Vis "Land for Peace" beginning with the Camp David Accords
6. 1987-2017=30 years, (Priestly duties begin at 30 years of age) Temple Mount Institute founded
7. The Jubilees
   1. 1897-1947= 50 years=one Jubilee cycle
   2. 1917-1967= 50 years=one Jubilee cycle
   3. 1967-2017= 50 years=one Jubilee cycle

 

I believe that trying to justify anyone single definition of a generation in the Bible is futile. There are several examples of how long a generation could be, thus I do not believe the Bible pins its definition to just one. We know that before the flood, and just afterward, people lived for centuries which would make the standard 25-40 year generation seem awfully short. Likewise, we know that in the ensuing time different cultures have varying life spans. Thus trying to determine the exact length of a generation is pointless. Well, how then can we know what Jesus was referring to in the "Parable of the Fig Tree" when He said this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place (Matt. 24:32-34)? Well, about the only thing we can discern from this comes from the above-underlined portion, which harkens back to the length of time God has given a man to live in our present age.

 

The days of our lives are seventy years;

And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,

Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;

For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10

 

We know some folks live longer than 70 or 80 years, but there also many who do not even reach 70 years of age. I believe this is a general average for all mankind and still allows for exceptions. Psalm 90 was the only one Moses penned and he lived to be 120 years old (Deut. 34:7). But concerning 2017, there has been at least five different points that converge together at this particular year. Grouping them you have:

 

• The biblically significant years (As shown above)
• The Jubilees connection (Lev. 25:8-55)
• Astronomical alignment (Revelation 12 sign, Luke 21:25)
• The political connection: President Trump ends 40 years of continual pressure on Israel to divide her land for peace; the two-state solution against Israel
• Geopolitical: Ezekiel 38, Psalm 83, Isaiah 17, etc. (All of these are in play today)

 

In fact, no other year has so many signs pointing to it that it could be confused for any other. No other combination works. This leads me to three points: the first by the angel Gabriel (to Daniel), the second by Jesus, and the third by the apostle Paul.

 

Daniel

 

The 70 Weeks Prophecy (as given to Daniel) would pinpoint the precise time period the Messiah would come to Israel by pointing out that He would be killed in the 483rd year (out of 490). This tells me two things:

 

1. 1.    God does not shrink back from telling us precise things about the future.
2. 2.    That if His people were to pay attention, they would know without a shadow of a doubt, when the Messiah would come.

 

Yet, only a handful of people were anticipating the Messiah's arrival at the correct time (Wise men from the east, Simeon, Anna the prophetess, and John the Baptist's parents). Jesus even remarked in Luke 19:41-44 that they (the Jews and Jerusalem) should have recognized their day (Palm Sunday) and that it was exactly 483 years to the day (173,880 days) since the recognizable commandment as was given to the cupbearer Nehemiah in his book, chapter 2.

 

Jesus

 

In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus explained that there would be 16 general signs marking the end of the age. Yet, these signs have been present in every generation. The distinction He makes is that they would escalate in size, frequency, and intensity until they reach a culmination point (i.e....birth pangs would not go on indefinitely). Then He gives an absolutely obvious, unmistakable sign that happens smack dab in the middle of the 70th Week (three and a half years into the seven years) which is known as the Abomination of Desolation (Matt. 24:15).

 

So if we backward plan from the Abomination of Desolation would first require that a Jewish temple existed again. Remember He told them at the beginning of His Olivet Discourse that the Temple would be destroyed to the extent that not one stone would be left on the other (Matt. 23:37-24:2). For a Jewish temple to exist again requires that Jews are back in control of Jerusalem which had not been the case for 2,000 years. For Jews to control Jerusalem means that they would have to be back in their land as a sovereign Jewish nation. Clearly, the Arabs would not have any need or desire to rebuild a Jewish temple. Only Jews, in control of their land, would have the need and desire to rebuild a Jewish Temple. What they had lacked for the last 50 years, is the political will.

 

But the interesting thing Jesus stated (this after chastising the Pharisees for not recognizing the signs of the times-Matt. 16:1-4), was that no man could know the day or hour (Matt. 24:36). He stated only the Father would know when He would send His Son back to earth to fetch the Church. We know this is in reference to the Rapture because once the Tribulation begins, it is clearly defined by two, three and a half year halves of 42 months or 1,260 days each (Daniel 7:5; Revelation 12:6, 14, 13:5). One could easily count down the time from either the covenant (Dan. 9:27) or the Abomination of Desolation (Matt. 24:15, 2 Thess. 2:4) to know when the Second Coming would occur.

 

I believe because Jesus is being so specific here (day or hour) He is simply telling us that for two thousand years, mankind would not know the exactness of His return. It is not that we won't know, but that we couldn't know simply because this was all predicated on Israel being back in her land. With the exception of a certain Evangelicals and Dispensationalists of the 19th century, nobody expected Israel back as a nation again. Even then, these men didn't know that it would require two World Wars for that to become a reality. In light of that fact, Israel is now back in her land. Now that we can clearly see this means we should know the season of His return is at hand. I would wager to say that the late 19th and 20th centuries were the ramping up of birth pangs and we all know what follows birth pangs? The Birth of the Church at the Rapture (Romans 8:22-23, 28-30)

 

Another thing to consider about those few Jews who read and anticipated Daniels 70 Weeks prophecy.  They knew the Messiah would die in the 483rd year (of the 490 years per verse 9:26), but what they didn't know was how old the Messiah would be when He died. Even the Wise Men had to follow a Star (a cosmic sign) to Bethlehem. So while they did not know exactly when the Messiah would be alive, they had a general idea. (See Daniel 2 for why I hold that view on the Wise Men).

 

So for the better part of 2000 years, men, women, scholars, teachers and everyone else has wondered...when will Jesus return?  But the missing key to making this whole puzzle come unlocked was the nation of Israel. Without Israel back in her land, there could be no AoD, because there would not be a Jewish temple, which means that those aforementioned 16 general signs would have had no frame of reference by which to place them. We even have a saying now that coincides with this: WWI prepared the land (Israel) for the people (the Jews), and WWII prepared the people (the Jews) for the land (Israel). Without Israel, those general signs would have just kept flowing cyclically both waxing and waning according to Satan's schemes and agenda.

 

Paul

 

The last reference is to the apostle Paul. He explains the Rapture of the Church to the fledgling Thessalonian church and in doing so (remember they didn't have chapter breaks back in the original texts) he states that they needn't fear because they (we) would recognize the season. After the Rapture, there is immediately sudden destruction, and they (Non-believers) shall not escape. Read it all together.

 

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:5

 

I believe Paul believed that the Rapture of the Church would/could be imminent. He didn't know (or at least we are not told whether he knew) when exactly it would occur. In his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, Paul does clarify that the Antichrist (son of perdition) could NOT come, until the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit) was taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed (2 Thess. 2:6-8). Just as the Holy Spirit existed and operated on the earth prior to the day of Pentecost, so too will He exist and operate post-Rapture. What changes is His role in sealing a particular group of people known as the Church (salt and light) who being neither Jew nor Gentile, but a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).

 

Conclusion

 

Just as the Pharisees refused to walk the 5 miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to see this newborn King of the Jews (Matt. 2:1-12), so too are their modern day counterparts (the skeptical religious class) who are unwilling to recognize the signs of the time. They do so at their own peril (at a minimum is a loss of spiritual rewards) because they refuse to teach, watch, or listen to those who do wait for the Lords return (2 Peter 3:3-7).

 

Will Christ return in 2017? I believe all signs point to yes making it a strong contender year, but that's just my opinion.

 

Will my faith be shaken if He does not? No, because I know without a doubt we are in The Season, just not sure which season that means. Does Christ's return have to align with a Biblical Feast Date like Pentecost (Shavuot) or the Feast of Trumpets? From a historical and scriptural standpoint, it would seem logical...i.e., Christ fulfilled prophecies on the first four including the conception of the Church at Pentecost. But since I can't see into the future, I really do not know. Logically, given all the signs of convergence, it seems like a strong year to keep looking up.

 

To answer a previous question, if Israel was the SUPERSIGN, why has He yet to return? I believe Galatians 4:4-5 answers that for us.

 

When Jesus came the first time, it was at the fullness of times (Gal. 4:4-5). Since Rome was the world power in Christ's first century and they were the epitome of judicial law, regional order and stability (Pax Romana), military might, common language, accumulated knowledge, and so forth, that was God's definition of the fullness of times. I believe that God's longsuffering has been demonstrated quite thoroughly seeing that it is both 70 years since Israel become a nation again and 50 years since they've regained Jerusalem. Should the Lord tarry beyond 2017, all significance to the timing (see above) would move into the realm of random and arbitrary. This is not to say that God couldn't still extend the time though if He chooses.   

 

Fast forward to today, where mankind has dabbled and dominated in every domain of life to include playing God. The 20th century saw man break the sound barrier, walk on the moon, and built large hadron colliders. Communication went from messenger to telegraph, telephone, the internet, and satellite communication. Man has discovered and figured out how to sequence, alter, add, or subtract to his DNA and modern medicine continues to extend life beyond that which was prescribed to man. Man can control devices with his mind, create robots and is building artificial intelligence. I believe what we are witnessing now is the fullness of times once again, as foretold in Daniel 12:1-4...(keeping in mind Daniel was not told about the Church and the Church age was still a mystery).

 

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

IN AN HOUR YOU THINK NOT

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"  Matthew 24:1-3

 

One of the most common rebukes used to discourage people from studying prophecy or the Rapture of the Church is a passage taken from Jesus in the Olivet Discourse. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus states but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. On the surface, it appears that Jesus was trying to dissuade His disciples from trying figure out when exactly all these fantastical things He had just shared with them would occur. Yet, if Jesus was really trying to dissuade them from knowing, why explain in such great detail all the things He does concerning the original three questions they asked?

 

At the time of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus had not been arrested, tried, crucified, or resurrected so even the events surrounding even that very week was not fully clear to the disciples. At His arrest, the disciples scattered, Peter would go on to deny Christ three times, and they would watch in agony as their Messiah gets publicly and humiliatingly nailed to a cross. Even after His resurrection and subsequent forty days amongst them, the disciples were still in confusion as to what was to happen next.

 

Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:6-8

 

Assessment

 

We have the luxury today of reading all these events in our neatly chaptered and versed Bibles with a great deal of theological, historical, and archeological hindsight. We often read into the text this idea that the disciples should have known what was is clearly plain to us. They did not have a New Testament explaining all this to them. It would not be for some time after Christ ascended in which these future things would be revealed to them.

 

After Pentecost, the Apostles were now being shown by God the Holy Spirit all the things which would take place for them then and in the days to come. This knowledge was not all given to Peter or James, but to each according to their ministry and to what God wanted them to know at the appropriate time. It was to the Apostle Paul that Christ revealed the mystery of this new creation known as the Church. Pulling from an ever growing Gentile audience and consisting of both Jew and Gentile converts, the Church would become in Christ neither Jew nor Gentile. The Church would become a hybrid and unique entity conceived at Pentecost by the giving of the Holy Spirit and would continue to grow until some future point when the fullness of the Gentiles is complete.

 

God's mechanism for transferring His attention and purposes from the Church back to Israel, is known as the Rapture of the Church. This event accomplishes several things, the first of which is fulfilling a promise Christ made to them (and us) in the Upper Room Discourse (John 14:1-3). That if He went away (He did), that He would return and take us to be where He is (He will). Then God would return His focus solely back upon the nation of Israel to finish that final week of Daniel's Seventy Weeks of which He determined (chathak) to them that He would complete the six items listed below.

 

"Seventy weeks are determined

For your people and for your holy city,

 

(1) To finish the transgression,

(2) To make an end of sins,

(3) To make reconciliation for iniquity,

(4) To bring in everlasting righteousness,

(5) To seal up vision and prophecy,

(6) And to anoint the Most Holy. Dan. 9:24 (emphasis mine)

 

These things HAVE to happen. As mentioned in my article last week, God does not shrink away from revealing specific things to us and for us. On one hand, we have God revealing via the Angel Gabriel to Daniel the exact timing of Christ's First Advent to the earth as the God-Man. This ended exactly at the 69th week with the Messiah being cut off. On the other, what is not revealed to Daniel (or later to the disciples), is that there would be a 2,000-year gap in time we now refer to as the Church Age or the Age of Grace. This is a unique time for a body of believers from every tribe, tongue, and nation who are brought into the singularly-corporate body of Christ. This global drawing is what Paul referred to as the fullness of the Gentiles in Romans 11:25. It is a summation of what Jesus stated in two passages within Matthew's gospel.

 

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14

 

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Matt. 28:17-19           

            

Having now two thousand years of church history behind us, we can see with crystal-clear clarity that the Gospel has indeed gone out into all the nations. This is not to say that the Gospel has been embraced by every nation and taken root, but you can bet there are believers in every nation on earth and believers of every major tribe and tongue. Satan has worked very diligently to blanket the earth with antichristian governments and religions (e.g....Communism, Islam, atheism, etc.). So this brings me back to the original issue regarding Matthew 24:36; can we know when Christ will return at His Second Advent?

 

• The answer absolutely yes. It will be seven years from the start of that final 70th Week.
• What we can't know is when that final week will start. That final week will not commence until after the Church is removed at the Rapture, triggering or allowing a covenant to be made by Israel with the many (Dan. 9:27).

 

Both the Church and subsequently the Church Age were a mystery both to Daniel and the other Old Testament Prophets as well as to the disciples. The disciples, as mentioned previously, asked Christ when He would restore the Kingdom to Israel. They were still thinking in terms of the Old Testament prophecies and promises which had been made to Israel. It would not be until the Apostle Paul later reveals that the Church has a different timeline and destiny than that of national Israel. Speaking to the believers at the church at Ephesus Paul writes...

 

...having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-in Him. Eph.1:9-10

 

Paul had shared with the church in Rome...

 

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Romans 11:25

 

Conclusion

 

We cannot know the day or hour of the Rapture simply because the Church as an extension of Christ Himself (we are His body), adopted heirs, and an object of His affection will continue to grow and mature until this fullness of the Gentiles comes to a culmination point. Will that culmination point be in 2017? It might be...but I do not know for certain. However, I do believe 2017 will be significant to Israel if the historical pattern holds true (1897, 1917, 1947, 1967, 1977, 1987-see previous article).

 

This fullness of the Gentiles serves as a bookend of sorts, capping the age of the church from Pentecost until Rapture. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to earth in spectacular fashion (Acts. 2:1-4). At the Rapture, those Spirit-sealed believers are also removed from the earth in spectacular fashion (Ephesians 1:11-14; 1 Cor. 15:51-55).

 

The Church is the singular, corporate, multi-membered body of Christ. I am not saying that no other person (Jew or Gentile) will be saved after the Rapture. We know that they do according to Rev. 6:9-11 amongst other Revelation passages. In truth, the Gospel will continue on into the Tribulation by the 144,000 Jewish male virgins and with the angelic proclamations in the Heavens (Rev. 14:6-7), but those who come to faith after the Rapture are not Church-Age saints.

 

Some might argue this point, but considering all the variations we plainly see within humanity, within the angelic ranks, and within creation itself, speaks volumes to the idea that within the redeemed, there is also variation and distinctions. The Church-Age saints are as distinct from the Old Testament saints (or pre-Christ saints), as they will be from the post-Rapture saints. The main distinction itself coming from the knowledge of Christ. The OT Saints knew a Messiah would come, but they didn't know exactly who, when, or how. They had faith that One would come and this time of waiting was completed with John the Baptist.

 

You yourselves bear me witness that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:28-30

 

The Church had knowledge of Christ and His coming but were not eyewitnesses (except for those in Jerusalem/Judea in Christ's day). We had to take things by faith and by God's word.

 

 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29

 

Those who come to faith after the Rapture will be plunged into the darkest period of human history replete with supernatural signs, wonders, and judgments, as well as having witnessed the Rapture event itself. This fullness of the Gentiles is not to be confused with the times of the Gentiles which does not find its completion until the end of the seven-year Tribulation (Luke 21:24).

 

Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near-at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. Matt. 24:32-36 (emphasis mine)

 

We often get hung up with the identity of the fig tree. But whether we attribute it to the nation of Israel (Judges 9:10-11; Jeremiah 24:1-10; Hosea 9:10; Mark 11:12-14; etc.), or not, we understand the intent of the parable. Christ said when its branch has become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. He didn't say you may know, or you might know, but He said, you know.

 

Christ spent His precious time and energy conveying to His disciples (and to us) these signs of the times so that we will know that the season is near, even at the doors! If 2017 holds true to historical patterns, then something significant should happen as it regards to Israel (i.e...the fig tree). That means God is getting ready to conclude this current Church Age, and return His focus back to the nation of Israel. He did not bring her back out of national extinction and diaspora, to continue on indefinitely with her and the Church Age overlapping. That overlap will come to an end just as it did before and He will finish what He started with her regarding Daniel's 70 Weeks.

 

Like a countdown, we have seen 120, 100, 70, 50, 40, and 30 year-markers as well as three Jubilee cycles (two of which overlap) happening in the same period of time. Perhaps 2017 does come and go without a peep and we are still here. At this point, then I would really be looking up. Either 2017 comes and goes, or we do, but therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect (Matt. 24:44).

TRUE CONTENT OF THE COVENANT OF THE TRIBULATION

by Bill Salus -

The Treaty of Versailles signed on June 28, 1919, ended World War One. United Nations Resolution 181 of November 29, 1947, i.e. the Partition Plan, reestablished the Jewish State of Israel. The December 13, 2007, Treaty of Lisbon, established the constitutional basis for the creation of the European Union. These three monumental agreements of the 20th Century were significant because World Wars, the reestablished State of Israel and the Revived Roman Empire are relevant end times prophetic topics.

As notable as these three past accords were, they will all pale in comparison to a forthcoming covenant predicted in Isaiah 28:15-18 and Daniel 9:27. Something about this covenant, which will likely be confirmed soon in the 21st Century, causes the world to experience seven-years of its severest tribulation. During this period, many seas and rivers will turn into blood, the sun will scorch men with great heat and fire and great earthquakes will cause islands to crumble and mountains to topple. (Revelation 16)

What is it about the content of this covenant that provokes the Lord to pour out His wrath upon the earth? This article presents the biblical clues that seemingly identify the TRUE CONTENT of this FALSE COVENANT. This covenant kicks off what is commonly referred to as the "Seven-Year Tribulation Period," (Trib-Period), which is also called "Daniel's 70th Week."

THE TRIBULATION COVENANT

The primary verses that provide details about the covenant are listed below.

"Then he (the Antichrist) shall confirm a covenant with many for one (seven-year) week; in the middle of the week (after three and one-half years) He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate." (Daniel 9:27; emphasis added)

Daniel informs us that the Antichrist will confirm a seven-year covenant with many, meaning between Israel and some other party or parties. Moreover, the confirmer of the covenant will also be the one who annuls it by ending the sacrifices and offerings in the middle of the seven-years.

Daniel provides some important facts, but we turn to Isaiah to ascertain additional pertinent prophetic information.

"Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves." Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Also I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it. (Isaiah 28:14-18)

Isaiah points out the following crucial details:

* The leaders of Israel are "scornful men" at the time the covenant is ratified

* The other party of the covenant with Israel is "Death and Sheol"

* The reason Israel covenants is to avoid "the overflowing scourge"

* The covenant is deceitful, it is based upon "lies" and "falsehood"

* The covenant is made "hastily"

* The covenant will be "annulled"

* Israel will not avoid "the overflowing scourge," but will be "trampled down by it"

Bible prophecy expert Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum states the following concerning this problematic covenant.

"The Tribulation begins with Israel signing a seven-year covenant. Two key passages bear this out. The first passage is Daniel 9:24-27, the famous prophecy of the seventy weeks or seventy sevens of the prophet Daniel.... The second passage is Isaiah 28:14-22. In Isaiah 28:14, God calls the ones making this covenant scoffers. He considers them mockers rather than serious leaders. Isaiah 28:15 gives the reason for this and provides God's viewpoint of the covenant itself. It is obvious that the leaders of Israel will enter into this covenant to obtain some measure of security and to escape the overflowing scourge. Hence they will believe that entering the covenant will free them from further military invasions. However, God declares that this is not a covenant of life, but a covenant of death. It is not a covenant of heaven, but a covenant of hell. Rather than gaining security, they will gain a strong measure of insecurity."(i)

WHO ARE DEATH AND SHEOL?

We know from Daniel 9:27 and Isaiah 28:14-18 that the Antichrist confirms a covenant between Israel and Death and Sheol. These two sinister characters bear a striking resemblance to the dual riders of the pale horse of the Apocalypse.

When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades, (Sheol in the Hebrew), followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:7-8)

These two horsemen have authority over a quarter of the world's population to kill people. This could mean that they kill a quarter of mankind, or that they have governing authority over a quarter of mankind to kill an untold number of people. Whichever is the case, among those being killed are Christian believers. This is confirmed in the verses below.

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. (Revelation 6:10-11)

These slain souls appear to be the victims of Death and Hades. These saints have been martyred for believing and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, which must contradict the counterfeit gospel being presented by Death and Hades. Whoever Death and Hades represents, and whatever gospel they are preaching, it is not a message that the fifth seal saints agree with. However, according to Isaiah 28:15, the scornful leaders of Israel will be in agreement with it, at least for politically expedient purposes. They will agree, even if it involves lies and falsehood, to avoid the overflowing scourge being perpetrated by Death and Sheol/Hades.

In the Bible, death deals with the material departure of a being from its body and hades is concerned with the immaterial aspect of a person after death, which is their soul. Presently, when someone dies their soul is delivered to its destination, which is either heaven if they're saved or hades if they're not. However, the Death and Sheol/Hades that is martyring believers and that Israel signs a covenant with represents a tangible, rather than an intangible entity. Israel cannot confirm an agreement with a non-entity.

So, who does Death and Hades represent? Their identity is found by recognizing that there exists only two killing crusades of Christians after Death and Hades come into the world. These two are the Harlot and the Antichrist. Per Revelation 17:6, the Harlot is "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." Per Revelation 13:15-17 and 20:4, the Antichrist will kill believers for refusing to receive the "Mark of the Beast."

Unless Death and Hades represents a third campaign of Christian martyrdom, which is not likely, then it must find association with either the Harlot or the Antichrist. It can't be related to the Antichrist for two reasons.

1. The Antichrist is the White Horseman, (Rev. 6:1-2), and Death and Hades are the Pale Horsemen, (Rev. 6:7-8), of the Apocalypse. These two horses carry distinctly different riders who operate independent of each other. The Antichrist is given a crown and instructed to go out conquering and to conquer. Death and Hades are given authority over a quarter of the earth's population to kill, namely Christian believers.

2. The Antichrist's killing crusade doesn't start until the middle of the Trib-Period, but Death and Hades begin their targeted murders beforehand.

Therefore, based upon the minor premises above, the major premise is that Death and Hades seemingly finds association with the Harlot world religion. Or, more boldly and directly stated; DEATH AND HADES are associated with "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." If this is the case then whoever THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS represents, is the likely embodiment of the fourth horsemen of Death and Hades.

And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. (Revelation 17:5-6)

WHAT IS THE OVERFLOWING SCOURGE THAT CONCERNS ISRAEL?

What is the overflowing scourge that compels Israel to become a signatory to the false covenant? If Death and Hades represents the Harlot world religion, and if that system is perpetrating a killing campaign upon those who descent from it, then the obvious answer is that the scourge has a connection with the killing crusade of the Harlot. In other words, the Jews don't want Revelation 17:6 to read;... I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus and the BLOOD OF THE JEWS. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The fact is, that like the Fifth Seal Saints won't believe the counterfeit gospel of the Harlot, neither will the Jews. Coming off decisive prophetic war victories in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38, which will have likely happened prior, they will be on a fervent quest to reinstate their ancient Mosaic Law. This means that they will want to build their third temple to perform animal sacrifices and offerings again, which they believe will hasten the coming of their Messiah. They don't now, and they won't then, believe in Jesus as the Messiah.

Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 are distinctly different prophecies. Psalm 83 is an ancient prophecy that predicts the conclusion of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It foretells that Israel will defeat their Arab neighbors in an epic war and end the oppression of those peoples once and for all. Ezekiel 38 prophesies that God will stop a massive invasion of Israel supernaturally. Because of both biblical wars, the Jewish state will be emboldened and recognized by the Harlot as a force that must be reckoned with.

(The Inner Circle map overlays the ancient names of Psalm 83:6-8 over their modern-day counterparts. Note that the Inner Circle is mostly comprised of Arab states and terrorist groups that share common borders with the Jewish state. These ancient civilizations have been Israel's most notorious enemies from time immemorial.)

  

(The Outer Ring map superimposes the historic names of the Ezekiel 38:1-5 coalition over their present equivalents. The arrows depict the location of the coalition members. Note that the Outer Ring of nations does not share common borders with Israel, include any of the Inner Circle countries or notable terrorist organizations, involve any of Israel's historic enemies, apart from Persia at the time of Esther, or incorporate many Arab states).

 

WHAT IS THE TRUE CONTENT OF THE TRIBULATION COVENANT?

If the wars of Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 have concluded prior to the confirmation of the false covenant, then the content of the covenant does not likely concern the Arab-Israeli conflict. This bitter entanglement is probably over with because of these two major wars. The Dome of the Rock that presently sits on the Temple Mount and is an obstacle to the Jews for building their temple, will probably be destroyed or demolished after Psalm 83. It could easily vanish in little to no time. Additionally, there is nothing in the Scriptures that talks about the content of the covenant having anything to do with the Arab's and the Jews.

THE 3 CLUES ABOUT THE COVENANT AND THE TEMPLE CONNECTION

However, there are at least three important biblical clues that suggest that some of the content of the covenant is concerned with the building of the Jewish Temple. The first clue is contained in Isaiah 28:16-17. These two verses are sandwiched in between Isaiah 28:15 and 18, which are the verses referring to the overflowing scourge and the false covenant.

Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Also I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding place. (Isaiah 28:16-17)

These passages use terms like a "tried stone," a "precious cornerstone," a "sure foundation," a "measuring line" and a "plummet." These are terms that can find association with constructing a Jewish Temple. To build the Temple, you start with a tried stone that becomes the precious cornerstone. This cornerstone has a sure foundation built around it. The length and width dimensions of a building needs to be calculated with a measuring line, and the vertical accuracy of a structure is determined with a plummet, (plumb-line).

I interpret Isaiah 28:16-17 as a warning to the scornful rulers that drag Israel into being a signatory of this dreadful covenant. These leaders seem to think that they are going to build a Temple and hasten the coming of the Messiah, but Isaiah cautions them not to hastily enter into this covenant, because the Messiah, Jesus Christ, has already come as the, tried stone (1 Peter 2:4-8), precious cornerstone (Matthew 21:42, Ephesians 2:19-22,) and sure foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11).

A second clue is found in Daniel 9:27, which also is a proof text verse regarded with the false covenant.

"Then he, (the Antichrist), shall confirm a covenant with many, (the Harlot religion), for one week; (of seven years), But in the middle of the week, (after three and one-half years), He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering, (taking place in the Temple). And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate." (Daniel 9:27; emphasis added)

Jesus Christ foretells that this event predicted by Daniel happens in the holy place, which represents the Third Jewish Temple at the time.

"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (Matthew 24:15-16)

The intimations in these related verses above, are that by the middle of the Trib-Period the Third Jewish Temple will exist. The Antichrist will make a bold statement by entering this Temple and stopping the priestly sacrifices and offerings occurring therein. This is in fulfillment of Isaiah 28:18, which says the false covenant will be annulled. What better way to dissolve a covenant than to void out its terms?

If the true content of the false covenant allowed the Jews to build their Temple and perform sacrifices and offerings inside of it, then the action taken by the Antichrist to go into the Temple and stop the sacrifice and offering terminates the contract.

A third clue is in the book of Revelation. Several important details are provided in these passages below concerning the benefits to both signatories of the covenant. These verses describe what happens in the immediate aftermath of the ratification of the false covenant.

"Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, 'Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.'" (Rev. 11:1-3, NASB)

The time frame of "forty-two months" is associated with one-half of the seven years of tribulation. The same increment of time is used in the ensuing verse but worded differently as, "twelve hundred and sixty days." It is commonly taught that both usages allude to the first half of the Trib-Period.

Thus, the very first thing that appears to happen as part of the implementation of the covenant, is that the Temple gets measured for its construction. The apostle John is given a measuring rod and instructed to measure the temple of God, alluding to the Third Temple. If the covenant called for the construction of the Temple, then this would be one of the first order of events. Measure it so that it can be built.

CONCLUSION

Isaiah 28:16 issues a stern warning for the Jews to not become a signatory of the FALSE COVENANT, but rather to recognize that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the TRIED PRECIOUS CORNERSTONE, the SURE FOUNDATION. Unfortunately, the Israeli leaders at the time will mock all the mounting evidence that supports this biblical truth! They will blatantly turn a deaf ear to the true gospel message of the 5th Seal Saints and a blind eye to their killings by the Harlot world religion.

Isaiah 28:18 declares that their scornful behavior will be to the detriment of the Jewish state. At that time, the Jews will trust that the content of the covenant will enable them to build their Third Temple. They will mistakenly believe that the completion of this Temple will cause the coming of their Messiah, who will promptly end the overflowing scourge being perpetrated by the Harlot. After their Messiah comes and promptly remedies the Harlot problem, the Jews expect that he will usher in the Messianic Kingdom, which is the high point of their Old Testament teachings. Unfortunately for these Jewish leaders, the Antichrist who confirms the covenant will be the one who annuls it!

The Antichrist will kill two religious birds with one stone in the Middle of the Trib-Period. First, he will enlist ten powerful kings to desolate signatory #2 of the covenant in Revelation 17:12-17. Shortly after eliminating Death and Sheol/Hades, which typologically represents the Harlot world religion, the Antichrist will enter the third Jewish Temple and stop the priestly offerings and sacrifices. This abominable act will ANNUL the FALSE COVENANT in fulfillment of Isaiah 28:18 and Daniel 9:27. Then, the Antichrist will proceed to eliminate signatory #1 of the covenant by committing the final genocide attempt of the Jews. Zechariah 13:8 informs that two-thirds of the Jews will be killed during this time.

In the end analysis, many Christian believers, Jews and the pagan Gentiles of the Harlot world religion are ultimately going to be killed at the cost of this terrible covenant. Israel's participation in this accord acknowledges their general acceptance of the Christian persecutions by the Harlot. Unwittingly, they and the Harlot trust the Antichrist to meet their mutually exclusive ends, which are the advancement of their own respective religious agendas. However, the Antichrist has his own different religious agenda as per Revelation 13 and elsewhere. Upon annulling the false covenant, his plans to entirely control the world are implemented.

Now we know why the TRUE CONTENT of the FALSE COVENANT amounts to nothing more than a truly BAD DEAL that comes out from the PITS of HELL!