Random Eschatology Considerations

1.         A few fundamental considerations should apply with regard to eschatology:

a.         Prophecy Demonstrates the Sovereignty of God. In performing miracles, God demonstrates His sovereignty over matter and energy; in providing prophecies, God demonstrates His sovereignty over space and time--collectively, His creation.

b.         Consider Prior Fulfilled Prophecies. Within Scripture we see numerous examples of prophecies made and fulfilled, giving us confidence in the reliability of the prophecies involving our future. 

Example: Joseph prophesies, from the pharaoh's dream, that a famine was coming to Egypt, and the famine came (Genesis 41-47).

Example: Daniel's prophecies regarding Alexander the Great and Antiochus Epiphanes proved so accurate that secular/liberal scholars believe the passages to have been written after the fact.

c.         See the Celestials as Signs. God uses the sun, moon and stars to mark appointed times (Gen. 1:14). 

Example: The Day of the Lord is marked by substantial celestial events.  See Matthew 24:29-31.

d.         Be Like the Magi. Just as the Magi observed the stars and studied Scripture to conclude that a king had arrived in Israel (Matthew 2:1-12), so we can perhaps observe celestial occurrences and assess the likelihood of the occurrence of key events.

e.         Get a Reward.  A crown of righteousness is promised for those who love the appearing of Jesus (2 Timothy 4:8; 2 Peter 3:12); those who look for His appearing will likely love it more.

f.          Focus on Our Next Big Event. The next major prophetic event for which we are watching is the 2nd Coming of the Messiah, and the events surrounding that event.

g.         Avoid Extremes. Don't say that everything remains the same (2 Peter 3:4), and don't pick dates (Matthew 24:36).

2.         A key starting point of analysis regarding the 2nd Coming of the Messiah is Daniel 9:24-27; the prophecy is significant:

a.         The prophecy given verbally by Gabriel directly to Daniel.

b.         Daniel was recognized by the Babylonian and Persian rulers as a seer, blessed by God with wisdom. (See Daniel 5:10-12.)

c.         The book of Daniel contains a number of prophecies regarding our end times. (See Daniel 7.)

d.         The prophecy was given at a moment when Daniel was praying and fasting, after he had been considering a prophecy given to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:10) regarding the period of 70 years during which the Jews would remain in captivity in Babylon.

e.         The prophecy concerns the end times, Jews, Jerusalem, the Messiah, the antichrist, desolations and a special 7 year period.

3.         September 2015 seems to be a marker for something significant.

a.          A tetrad, 4 consecutive blood moons, has appeared, beginning with Passover 2014 and concluding September 28, 2015.

b.         The moon's turning to blood in Scripture (Joel 2:31, Revelation 6:11-13) portends the "Day of the Lord."

c.          A total of 5 tetrads have occurred since Jesus that have coincided with the feasts of Passover and Sukkot.

1.         162-163 - marker for worst persecution of Jews/Christians in Roman Empire

2.         1493-1494 - marker for the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492

3.         1949-1950 - marker for the first official government office of Israel in 1949

4.         1967-1968 - marker for Israel's 6-Day War--Israel's control of Jerusalem.

5.         2014-2015 - marker for ?

d.         A total of 10 tetrads since Jesus have occurred on Shemitah years

e.          Only 1 tetrad has occurred in Shemitah year & Passover/Sukkot: 2014-2015

f.          The paradigm of days = millenia coincides with 6,000 years being concluded on September 23, 2015; see analysis on blog entry: Is the Rapture around the Corner?

g.         The current Shemitah ends on September 13, 2015; it may well mark the beginning of the 7th Shemitah of the 70th Jubilee.

1.         Jews entered Canaan in 1407 b.c. (See Brantley, Garry K. "The Conquest of Canaan: How and When?" apologeticspress.com. 1994. Accessed 8/26/2015:"According to 1 Kings 6:1, 480 years transpired between the Exodus and the fourth year of Solomon’s reign—the year in which he began to build the temple. We can date Solomon’s reign with reasonable confidence at 971-931 B.C., which places his fourth regnal year at 967 B.C. These figures, therefore, suggest that the Exodus occurred about 1447 B.C.Allowing for the 40-year wandering prior to the Israelites’ invasion of Canaan, the initial stages of the conquest occurred around 1407 B.C."

2.         Seventy x 49 = 3430; 3430 - 1407 = 2023; 2023 - 7 = 2016; nearest Shemitah to 2016 is September 13, 2015; particularly interesting, considering that it would make sense that a Jubilee be proclaimed when Jesus arrives.

h.         In addition to the Jewish holidays and the culmination of this latest tetrad, a number of interesting events are scheduled for September:

1.         Pope coming to the U.S.; meeting with President Obama on September 23--Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

2.         49 360-day "prophetic" years from June 7, 1967, is September 23; reading Daniel's prophecy regarding the restoration of Jerusalem to the coming of the anointed one is 7 periods of 7 years.

3.         UN Meeting in NYC; the pope to address the UN on September 25.

4.         15 September 2015 is the 70th Session of the UN.

5.         Events in Syria, including the mass exodus of its population and the conflicting military involvement by Russia and the U.S.

4.         Other considerations suggest that something significant may be imminent:

a.         Parable of the fig tree: Luke 21:29-32 - when the fig tree buds, end is near; Jerusalem may be the fig tree; Jesus said, "This generation will certainly not pass away until all things take place." Life expectancy worldwide is 71 years (10 years longer in Israel). 1948 + 71 = 2019.

b.         A Jewish sense: "Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a leading authority in mainstream Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, has been giving clear and unequivocal messages recently that the coming of the Messiah is imminent. He is urging Jews to make Aliyah as soon as possible. Aliyah, the Hebrew verb for “going up”, refers to immigrating to Israel, which is seen as higher spiritual action that can help herald in the coming of the Messiah." Berkowitz, Adam. "Leading Rabbi Says the Arrival of the Messiah Is Imminent." 3 July 2015.  http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/44534/leading-israeli-rabbi-messiah-imminent-jewish-world/#6cb1v3pWeddPwmfB.97. Accessed 29 August 2015.

c.         An Islamic sense: "Based on our numerical analysis of the Quran and Hadith, the official beginning of the End of Time and the coming of the Imam Mahdi will most likely be in 2015 (or 2016)  and Jesus Christ (p) will come down from Heaven to Earth in 2022, in-sha Allah (if Allah is willing)." Discoveringislam.org. "End of Time Prophecies, Apocalypse & Eschatology." Accessed 29 August 2015. http://www.discoveringislam.org/end_of_time.htm


Mark Absher
California



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