Marcus Walker Van Every

The Day of the LORD — The Siege of Jerusalem

December 12, 2019April 22, 2022Marcus Walker Van Every3 Comments

“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.”
[Zechariah 12:2-3]

If there is one word that best encapsulates the nature of the Day of the LORD, it is the word Convergence. The Day of the LORD will be that monumental point in time when everything in heaven and on earth converges in unimaginable climatic finality. It as if all the collective forces of the entire universe — visible and invisible — will be accelerating from every possible direction and will collide at the very same place and time.

Of course once the dust clears, there will be One standing above all — His name is Jesus. It will be His day and His day alone.

We may not know precisely when everything will converge in the end, but we at least will know when the end is near and when the return of Jesus is close at hand, even at the very gates [Mark 13:29]. Although it is not for us to know the exact time … we do know the place.

The Scriptures unequivocally are clear that the Day of the LORD will converge in one pre-determined place on earth — Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the spiritual epicenter of the world and the unique geographical location on earth where God Almighty has chosen to place His name and laid special claim [see 1 Kings 11:36]. Therefore, it should be no surprise that on that Day all the collective forces of evil will gather and lay siege to the holy city Jerusalem.

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain.”
[Zechariah 8:2-3]

Jerusalem — A Cup of Staggering

The Middle East provides the original historical context of the Biblical narrative, which simply means that all of the events and accounts in the holy Scriptures occurred within the Middle East. Nestled in the heart of the Middle East in the Promised Land — Israel — and more specifically the city of Jerusalem. Therefore, all that originally began in Israel and the Middle East also will inevitably end there.

The prophet Zechariah provides some of the most interesting details about the Day of the LORD and the fate of Jerusalem in the last days. The LORD describes the scene in Zechariah 12, saying that on that Day the peoples immediately surrounding Jerusalem will converge in a drunken rage to lay siege to the city, not to mention “all the nations of the earth” [Zechariah 12:3].

This last day invasion of Israel and siege of Jerusalem is emphasized by the prophets, Apostles, and Jesus Himself, and their testimony overwhelmingly agrees. This may not be the first time in history that hostile armies have laid siege to Jerusalem, but it most certainly will be the last.

The horrific, historical accounts of the destruction of Jerusalem both in 586 B.C. and again in 70 A.D. were but typological shadows of the final invasion in the last days. As we will see, the testimony of the Biblical prophets all point us to the final siege of Jerusalem at the end of the age, culminating with the Day of the LORD.

The Beast and His Armies

“And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”
[Revelation 16:13-16]

Biblical eschatology is complex and enigmatic to say the least. When reading the prophetic passages describing the siege of Jerusalem and the final battle of Armageddon, however, one thing is clear. An evil tyrant king — aka the Antichrist — will emerge on the world stage in the last days and successfully will unite the kings of the earth and their armies to invade the Holy Land and lay siege to Jerusalem.

Now when it comes to the identity and end-time exploits of the Antichrist, or Beast, there is no shortage of differing interpretations and proposed scenarios. Elements of timing and geography are challenging, yet with careful study we can at least put the pieces of the prophetic puzzle together and begin to form a picture of the Beast and his kingdom.

The prophetic writings of Daniel and Ezekiel lay the groundwork for the beast imagery and provide a composite overlay of the collective territories that most likely will be aligned with the Beast in the last days.

For instance, I firmly am convinced that the Antichrist will rule a Middle Eastern kingdom — NOT a revived Roman Empire. For a deeper study on this, I encourage you to read Joel Richardson’s free online book, Mideast Beast, which is one of the most comprehensive Biblical explanations of why the Antichrist must emerge from and rule over a predominately Middle Eastern kingdom.

Again, apocalyptic literature uses mysterious symbols like “beasts” and “statues” and “horns” to describe the kingdoms and kings who will be aligned with the Antichrist in the last days. Although the scope of this post will not attempt to parse the intricacies of apocalyptic symbolism etc… I will at least provide some basic facts that help provide context for those surrounding nations involved in the final siege of Jerusalem.

The Antichrist is foreshadowed by many ruthless historical figures, such as Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus Epiphanes, Haman, etc…
Other Old Testament titles for the Antichrist include the Assyrian, Gog, the cruel master, the king of the north, and the “little horn”
The Antichrist will emerge from obscurity (little horn) and gradually will gain influence and power through intrigue, political diplomacy and deceptive schemes.
As the Beast grows in popularity and political power in the Middle East, the Bible says that he will begin forming strategic alliances and launching military campaigns throughout the region. Some will resist at first (i.e. Egypt) but eventually the Beast will become an irresistible force.
The Beast will form a military coalition of 10 kings, according to Revelation 17, which may or may not be in addition to his previous alliances.
With the help of the false prophet and demonic deception, the Beast also will convince the kings from the east to join him for the final battle for Jerusalem.
Armageddon — of the Valley of Megiddo — is the wide-open plain in northern Israel where the Antichrist and his hoards will gather for battle, but the intensity of the battle will actually take place in and around Jerusalem.

The 4 Beasts of Daniel — A Composite Kingdom

“As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.”
[Daniel 7:23-24]

“And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
[Revelation 17:12-14]

Although I cannot be certain about the entire complexion of this end-time alliance of nations, the Bible does at least provide some clues and also some specific names that help fill in the blanks. The kingdom of Antichrist will consist of 10 kings/kingdoms, who eventually will relinquish all authority to the Beast.

Beginning with the 4 beasts in the book of Daniel (Daniel 2 & 7), I believe that the prophet received a composite picture of the end-times empire of the Antichrist. The beast kingdoms in Daniel’s visions were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Javan (Ancient Greece/Macedonia) and then a fourth terrifying beast unlike all the others — which I believe describes the revived Islamic Caliphate/Ottoman Empire.

These 4 “beasts” create a composite of the historical territories that were conquered and ruled by these successive kingdoms. In short, all of these ancient kingdoms are included in what is modern-day Middle East. Territories like Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Northern Africa immediately come into view. Again, these are the same modern territories that encompass Israel.

It is worth noting that all of these nations today are overwhelmingly Muslim majority nations. The maps below provide a visual representation of what the Mid East Beast kingdom could be.

Gog, of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.”
[Ezekiel 38:14-16]

The next context clue we discover is in the book of Ezekiel, and it involves the last-days invasion of Israel at the direction of Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Again, the Antichrist is in full view here. Gog is a clear description of the end-times Beast, leading his hordes of evil armies against Israel.

Fortunately, Ezekiel provides historical geographic locations that can easily be linked to modern-day nations in the Middle East, further building the composite picture of the end-times kingdom of the Antichrist.

“Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you.”
[Ezekiel 38:5-6]

Any preliminary study of the ancient world will show that Magog, Meschech, Tubal, Gomer and Beth-togarmah all refer to modern-day Turkey/eastern Greece — or what was known as Asia Minor in Biblical days. See the map below.

Persia is modern-day Iran. Cush represents modern day Sudan, while Put represents modern-day Libya. Again, this brings Northern Africa into view.

The Kings from the East

“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.”
[Revelatin 16:12]

The final piece of the Armageddon puzzle refers to the kings from the east, which potentially could include armies from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, and possibly China. Although we can’t be sure, I believe Islam will be the ultimate unifying factor in this massive assembly of armies.

Potential Territories of the Kings from the East

Conclusion

The final invasion of Israel and the siege of Jerusalem will be led by the Antichrist (Gog, the Beast) and will involve a massive Middle Eastern army from the surrounding nations. This assembly of hostile armies will most certainly include Israel’s closet neighbors like Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria [Psalm 83], but also will involve the predominantly Muslim nations of the greater Middle East and Northern Africa.

The Scriptures are filled with depictions of this final battle for Jerusalem and also of the subsequent outpouring of wrath on the nations by King Jesus Himself. I would like to leave you with a sample of these prophetic passages that describe this fateful battle on the Day of the LORD.

Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves there.
Bring down your warriors, O LORD.
Let the nations stir themselves up
and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.
Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
for their evil is great.
Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
[Joel 3:11-15]

“Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.”
[Zephaniah 3:8]

“For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.“
[Zechariah 14:2-3]

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.”
[Luke 21:20-22]

“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.”
[Revelation 19:19-21]

The Day of the LORD — The Great Earthquake

December 11, 2019April 22, 2022Marcus Walker Van EveryLeave a comment

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake.
[Revelation 16:17-18]

In my last post, I established that the Day of LORD will be accompanied by signs and wonders on earth and in heaven.

Today I want to focus in on another great sign that is associated with the Day of the LORD — the great earthquake.

The Lord Jesus prophesied that the beginning of birth pains in the last days will be characterized by a growing frequency and intensity of earthquakes in various places throughout the earth, but He clearly said that “the end is not yet.”

But the Scriptures are clear that there will be a great earthquake associated with the return of Jesus Christ that will shake the very foundations of the earth. It is THE EARTHQUAKE of ALL EARTHQUAKES — the likes of which this world has never before seen. There is no Richter scale on earth that will be able to measure the magnitude of this monster quake.

As we dig into the prophetic Scriptures, we can begin to put pieces together that will help determine when this great earthquake will hit.

In my introductory passage above [Revelation 16:7-8], this great earthquake is connected to the 7th bowl judgement, in connection with the return of King Jesus from heaven to fight the battle of Armageddon. Let’s see what else we can learn.

Islands Removed and Mountains Thrown Down

“And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.”
[Revelation 16:20]

The first think I immediately pick up on is the language used to describe the aftermath of the great earthquake on the Day of the LORD. When interpreting Scripture, especially the prophetic and apocalyptic, it is imperative that we draw from comparative language throughout the Bible to gain a comprehensive picture of the event.

The 7th bowl judgment clearly says that the magnitude of this earthquake is so catastrophic that the islands “fled away” and the mountains were not to be found. Now this language could be hyperbole — using extreme exaggeration to make a point — or it could be literal. Either way, the message is clear. This quake is so devastating that the topography of the earth is permanently changed.

But this isn’t the only place we find this language depicting extreme devastation?

The Great Quake in the Old Testament

The Old Testament is riddled with language about such a great earthquake — an utter shaking of the earth — and these accounts are always connected to the Day of the LORD.

The Psalms

“Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.”
[Psalm 18:7-12]

THe Prophet Isaiah

“Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.”
[Isaiah 13:13]

“Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants … For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.”
[Isaiah 24:1, 18-21]

The Prophet Nahum

“The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.”
[Nahum 1:5-6]

The Prophet Joel

“Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
The LORD roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth quake.
But the LORD is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.”
[Joel 3:14-16]

The Prophet Jeremiah

“I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert and all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger.”
[Jeremiah 4:23-26]

“But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.”
[Jeremiah 10:10]

The Prophet Ezekiel

“But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, my wrath will be roused in my anger. For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground.”
[Ezekiel 38:18-20]

The Prophet Zechariah

“Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.”
[Zechariah 14:3-5]

Of course these Scriptures are not exhaustive, but I wanted to show how the Old Testament prophets all predicted a great shaking of the earth in association with the Day of the LORD and His fierce wrath upon the wicked. All of these prophetic passages are describing the same GREAT EARTHQUAKE that will devastate the earth when the Lord Jesus returns in power and glory to wage war.

But as we will see, there are several other passages in the book of Revelation that describe this same great earthquake.

The Great Quake in Revelation

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
[Revelation 6:12-17]

The 6th Seal in Revelation ties everything together.

Notice how the language of the 6th seal is identical to the language in Revelation 16 and the 7th bowl judgment, as well as the Old Testament passages describing the Day of the LORD. Clearly these are the same events. Both refer to a “great earthquake,” which causes the mountains and islands to be removed from their place.

Furthermore, this language is repeated through the book of Revelation to give us a key to interpretation. Again, when the same language and description is repeated verbatim in the Scriptures, it is an interpretive clue to understand that those Scriptures are describing the same event. For example …

The 6th Seal = the great earthquake, every mountain and island removed, day of God’s wrath
The 7th Seal = “and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” [Revelation 8:5]
7th Trumpet = “There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail” [Revelation 11:19]
7th Bowl = “And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake … And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe” [Revelation 16:18, 20-21]

Now I’m not the brightest man, but I am at least simple enough to understand that all of these Scriptures above are describing the VERY SAME EVENT. Just in case you missed it, I will recap.

When we put the 6th & 7th Seal, the 7th Trumpet, the 7th Bowl and all the Old Testament prophecies together, it is clear that they agree in the following details and provide an outline of the sequence of events leading up the final Day of the LORD and His return.

The Great Earthquake
Lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder
Severe Hail (Also See Ezekiel 38)
Mountains thrown down
Islands removed
Heavens opened — sky rolled back like a scroll
Jesus coming back on the clouds in glory
Host of heaven coming with Jesus
Jesus waging war on the nations at Armageddon
Final Wrath of God poured out on Antichrist and his evil armies
The wicked try to hide from the fierce anger of the LORD (see Isaiah 2:19-21 and Luke 23:29-30)
Jesus establishes His kingdom

There is only one GREAT EARTHQUAKE, and it will occur on the Day of the LORD when Jesus comes in wrath to judge the nations and wage war at the Battle of Armageddon. The Scriptures agree.

The Day of the LORD — Signs and Wonders

December 10, 2019April 22, 2022Marcus Walker Van EveryLeave a comment

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.”
[Joel 2:30-31]

The Old Testament prophets, such as Isaiah, Joel, Zephaniah, and Zechariah, are expert witnesses when it comes to the Day of the LORD. Every New Testament reference to the last days and the Day of the LORD are built upon the imagery and information in these prophetic books.

The problem, however, is that the majority of believers are not well versed in the Old Testament, much less the prophets, which breeds much unnecessary confusion and misinterpretation of the end times and Day of the LORD.

In our introductory passage above, the prophet Joel says that there will be signs and wonders both in the heavens and on the earth leading up to the “great and awesome (dreadful) day of the LORD.” In other words, these signs and wonders will be seen just “before” the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven and comes back to earth to wage war against the ungodly.

So what are these signs? I’m glad you asked.

Signs on the Earth

I will begin by considering the wonders on the earth that will be connected to the coming of the Lord and His great Day of vengeance. Joel says that on the earth there will be “blood, fire, and columns of smoke” [Joel 2:30].

My first step in discerning the nature of these signs is to look for similar language and descriptions in the Bible that potentially provide a more comprehensive picture.

One obvious place to start is the book of Revelation — more specifically the trumpet and bowl judgments. As a matter of fact, the first two trumpet judgments in Revelation 8 are quoting verbatim from Joel 2.

“The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”
[Revelation 8:7-9]

As we continue to work through the trumpets and bowl judgments, we see even more details about the signs on the earth before the great Day of the LORD.

The 5th Trumpet — “He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.” [Revelation 9:2]
6th Trumpet — “By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.” [Revelation 9:18]
The Two Witnesses — “They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.” [Revelation 11:6]
The 2nd, 3rd & 4th Bowls — “The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.… The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.” [Revelation 16:3-4,8]

All of these signs on the earth will intensify in severity and frequency the closer we come to the Day of the LORD. That is why this time of great tribulation and distress will be like no other and never again shall be.

Notice that all of these signs and wonders on the earth culminate with the gathering of the evil armies under the authority of the Beast (Antichrist) “to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty” [Revelation 16:14].

Interestingly enough, Joel and the prophets have much to say about this final battle for Jerusalem. This will be the futile attempt of the Antichrist to assemble all the armies of the earth to come against Jerusalem, only to discover that the King of kings has returned to the earth to utterly destroy him. [see Revelation 16:12-21, 19:11-21]

I plan to save the Battle of Armageddon for a later post, but for now, let us take a look at the heavenly signs that accompany the Day of the LORD.

Signs in the Heavens

“Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.”
[Joel 3:14-15]

From the very beginning, God created the celestial bodies to measure time, mark the seasons, and also for signs [Genesis 1:14]. At the same time God’s judgments on the earth are causing men’s hearts to melt with fear, there will be signs in heavens above that will be getting the world’s attention. The cosmic chaos before the Day of the LORD will warn all the inhabitants of the earth that the end is at hand.

What could these heavenly signs be and how should we interpret them?

I believe solar and lunar eclipses are in full view, as well as celestial conjunctions where stars and planets converge. I also believe these signs could include potential meteors and comets falling to earth [see Revelation 8:8-11].

The Scriptures also allude to billows of smoke causing the sun to be darkened in Revelation 9:2, and the 5th bowl judgment seems to supernaturally plunge the kingdom of the Beast into darkness, just like the LORD caused the plague of darkness to fall on Egypt while at the same time providing light for the Israelites [Exodus 10:21-23].

The prophet Zephaniah also alludes to the Day of the LORD as a day of thick darkness.

“The great day of the LORD is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness.”
[Zephaniah 1:14-15]

Jesus Himself quotes directly from Joel 3 and speaks of the “sign of the Son of Man” appearing in heaven when He returns in power and great glory [Matthew 24:29-31]. There are multiple passages in both the Old and New Testament that emphasize these unique heavenly signs. I will share some of them here for context.

Old Testament

“Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.”
[Isaiah 9:9-13]

“For the LORD is enraged against all the nations,
and furious against all their host;
he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.
Their slain shall be cast out,
and the stench of their corpses shall rise;
the mountains shall flow with their blood.
All the host of heaven shall rot away,
and the skies roll up like a scroll.
All their host shall fall,
as leaves fall from the vine,
like leaves falling from the fig tree.”
[Isaiah 34:2-4]

“I will drench the land even to the mountains with your flowing blood, and the ravines will be full of you. When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord GOD.”
[Ezekiel 32:6-8]

New Testament

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
[Luke 21:25-27]

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
[Matthew 24:29-31]

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'”
[Revelation 6:12-17]

Conclusion

The Biblical authors have spoken and are clear. The Day of the LORD is the END. It is the final day of His vengeance upon the earth when He comes in power and great glory to tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God.

There will be clear signs in the heavens and on the earth just prior to the epic moment the sky is rolled back like a scroll and the LORD is revealed from heaven in flaming fire. This is the day our Warrior King Jesus returns to the earth to wage war against the Antichrist and his evil hoards at Armageddon.

Jesus reminds His followers not to fear, however, because the Day of the LORD is the day of our ultimate redemption, when we receive our resurrected bodies and join the heavenly host in triumphant procession on the earth behind the King of kings. This why Jesus tells us …

“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
[Luke 21:28]

The Day of the LORD — A Day Like No Other

December 6, 2019April 22, 2022Marcus Walker Van Every1 Comment

How awful that day will be! No other will be like it …
[Jeremiah 30:7 – NIV]

The testimony of human history is plagued with disaster, calamity, war, and devastation. Millions have suffered and died at the hands of their fellow man, as mankind has proven to possess the relentless capacity to bring the worst out in each other.

Countless more have perished in the indiscriminate wake of natural disasters, whether earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, or floods, and even more still have fallen victim to disease, plague and famine.

In the 20th Century alone, we witnessed some of the worst atrocities known to man. Multiple world wars, the Holocaust, systematic genocide, and abortion on demand just to name a few.

But lest we forget that no matter how bad things have gotten in the past, we still are awaiting a Day to come that will be like no other — the Day of the LORD. As difficult as it is to fathom, the Bible says that a Day is coming that will make all of the collective catastrophes of human history pale in comparison.

It is almost impossible to conceive of a scenario that could be worse than what we already have seen and experienced, and yet the Scriptures are clear. The Day of the LORD will be unique is scope, intensity, devastation, and distress. Jesus Himself makes this abundantly clear.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
[Matthew 24:21-22]

The Day of the LORD is a process of cataclysmic events that will end with the climatic and triumphant appearance of Jesus Christ. The Day of the LORD will be the greatest amalgamation and concentration of human wickedness, spiritual evil, satanic destruction, cosmic disintegration, natural disaster, and divine indignation that the world has ever seen.

The closest thing we have seen to the Day of the LORD was the global flood of Noah’s day, which is one of the primary templates to help us understand what is to come.

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
[Matthew 24:36-37]

The Height of Spiritual Rebellion

There was a supernatural rebellion and heavenly mutiny in the days of Noah that led to one of the grossest forms of corruption the world has ever seen. The sons of God (angelic beings) willfully abandoned their proper position of authority in the heavens and came down to earth in an attempt to corrupt the human race, destroy mankind, and eliminate the potential for the Messiah to be born through the “seed of the woman” [see Genesis 3:15, 6:1-5].

This spiritual rebellion introduced all forms of perversion to mankind, resulted in the acceleration of evil on the earth, and forced God to intervene with an extreme act of divine judgment. We should expect, therefore, the Day of the LORD to be preceded by an even greater supernatural rebellion and satanic manifestation, as in the person of the Antichrist.

The Depth of Human Depravity

In the days of Noah, the wickedness of mankind had passed the point of no return. Of all the people on the earth in that day (which some have estimated to be billions) only Noah and his family were in right relationship with God.

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart … And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.'”
[Genesis 6:5-6, 12-13]

We can expect the Day of the LORD to be preceded by a comprehensive spirit of sinful rebellion, immorality, idolatry and violence on the earth. As Paul says …

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God …”
[2 Timothy 3:1-4]

The DAY of Divine Judgment

As in Noah’s Day, the LORD determined to make an end of all flesh and bring swift destruction on the ungodly through a global flood. No flesh survived, save Noah and those on the ark. The global flood again is perhaps the greatest Old Testament prefigurement of the coming Day of the LORD. What makes the Day of the LORD so great and dreadful is that it will be the complete outpouring and exhaustion of the righteous indignation of a Holy God upon the earth.

As the Apostle Peter says, the Day of the LORD will be like the flood of Noah’s da,y, yet God will use different means having promised never to flood the entire earth again. The Day of the LORD will be a Day of fire instead, as our God is an all-consuming fire!

“That by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
[2 Peter 3:6-7]

While the flood of Noah’s day may be the closest thing we have ever seen to the Day of the LORD, we still have never seen a Day like it and never will again. It is a Day like no other because it will be the Day that God Himself come in all His glory and take the stage for all the world to see!

As we will see next time, it will be a Day characterized by a series of unmistakable signs in heaven and on the earth.

An Introduction to The Day of the LORD

December 5, 2019April 22, 2022Marcus Walker Van EveryLeave a comment

“But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
[2 Peter 3:7-8]

The Day of the LORD.

What exactly is the Day of the LORD?

It is a Day like no other … Unique … Set Apart … Unmatched.

It is a Day foreshadowed in the past yet anticipated in the future. It is a Day of great judgment but also of deliverance. It is a Day of final endings and new beginnings. It is a Day of divine wrath and also salvation. It is a Day of great fear but also a Day of hope.

The Day of the LORD is the culmination, the climax, the crescendo of all things, and it will be the end of the world as we know it — the end of this age.

Yet as with all things pertaining to God and His redemptive work, the Day of the LORD is riddled with nuance and mystery and is expressed through multiple layers of meaning. The Day of the LORD is rich with prophetic significance and fulfillment and can only be understood through the lenses of the holy Scriptures.

In light of this Advent season — which celebrates the Lord’s first coming — it is my aim to unpack the complex connections and discover the characteristics of His second coming, as revealed in the prophetic Word. A tall task indeed, yet one most worthy of pursuit.

Declaring the End from the Beginning

“Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.
Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
you who are far from righteousness:
I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
and my salvation will not delay;
I will put salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.”
[Isaiah 46:8-13]

The LORD Himself reminds us through the prophet Isaiah of a very important principle and a critical key to understanding the Day of the LORD. We must remember the former things of old in order to understand the future things to come. We must be firmly grounded in our Biblical foundations and origins if we expect to be able to discern the times and understand the prophetic word.

Isaiah 46 is just one of countless prophetic passages that provides context to the coming Day of the LORD, and we are told that God has been “declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done” [Isaiah 46:10].

Of course we must remember that we are dealing in the realm of time when dealing with the prophetic word. The human experience is bound by time and we live our lives in a linear, chronological manner, whereas God transcends time and exists in the eternal present. Somehow God sees and experiences all things — past, present, future — at once. He knows the end from the beginning because He is beyond the boundaries of time.

Yet at the same time … [pun intended] God has uniquely created a universe in which He interacts with His creation within the realm of time and works out His purposes within the parameters of time. God even took on human form and was born of a woman in the “fullness of time” [Galatians 4:4] in order to accomplish His amazing work of redemption that was ordained before the very foundation of the world!

Now ponder that for a moment …

Even though time ultimately is irrelevant to God, it is not irrelevant to His creation and therefore God still interacts with us in the dimension of time. And in that respect, the entire creation is groaning and awaiting its final redemption — the restoration of all things — which will happen on that Day — The Day of the LORD!

The Day of the LORD, therefore, could be generally understood as God’s Time. God will have His Day and that Day is yet to come.

Back to the Beginning

If the LORD has declared the end from the beginning and hidden clues to the end times within the ancient times, then it doesn’t get more ancient than the creation of the world as recorded in Genesis.

What can we learn about the Day of the LORD from the creation of the world?

More than you may think.

“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
[Exodus 20:8]

Tucked conveniently within the 10 Commandments, the LORD does something profound when consecrating the Sabbath Day as the day of rest for His people. He connects our regular 6-day work week and 7th-day Sabbath rest to the original creation week.

In other words, just as we work 6 normal, 24-hour days and rest on the 7th day, so God created the universe in 6 normal, 24-hour days and rested on the Sabbath. God was setting a pattern for His people to follow in order to enjoy the fullness of blessing in relationship to Him.

But the LORD also was doing something else. I believe He was giving us a clue to the end of all things through the beginning of all things. Creation week and the subsequent Sabbath rest actually tells us something else about the Day of the LORD — the final Day of rest for God’s people.

For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
[Hebrews 4:3-4]

So I have established that the original 6-day creation week and 7th-day Sabbath rest is a template of sorts that is somehow connected to the prophetic word and the coming Day of the LORD.

Interestingly enough, the Apostle Peter also makes a connection with the beginning at God’s creation and the ending at the Day of judgment.

A Day is as a Thousand Years

For the sake of context, I feel compelled to include a considerable portion of Peter’s prophecy to show how he connected the creation of the world to the coming Day of the LORD.

“You should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” [2 Peter 3:2-10]

The Day of the LORD will come and nothing will stop it.

Although I plan to spend considerable time deciphering the details of the events leading up to and surrounding the Day of the LORD, I would like to propose a general overview of how the creation week in Genesis gives us a blueprint for God’s prophetic timeline.

Have you ever considered this correlation? If a day with the Lord is like 1,000 years, then perhaps we can view the entirety of human history and God’s prophetic timeline by using 1,000-year “days.” In other words, 1,000 years of human history can be understood as being equivalent to “one day.”

Let me explain.

From Adam to Abraham = approximately 2,000 years or 2 “Days”

From Abraham to the birth of Jesus Christ = approx. 2,000 years or 2 “Days”

From Jesus Christ’s Ascension to His second coming = approx. 2,000 years or 2 “Days”

All of human history and God’s prophetic timeline = 6 Days or an estimated 6,000 years, and therefore we have only one “Day” remaining on the prophetic calendar — the 7th Day or Sabbath Day of rest.

The Millennial Kingdom of Christ = 1,000 years or 1 Day — the Day of the LORD

This 7th Day — the Final Sabbath Rest — will be inaugurated on the DAY of the LORD, when Jesus Christ will return at the end of this age (6,000 years) and will usher in His 1,000 year rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

If this composite of the prophetic timeline is correct, then we must be approaching the very end of this 6,000 year age — an age where the devil and fallen man had their chance to rule. And if we are at the very end of this age, then that can only mean that the Day of the LORD — the 7th Day — is at hand, even at the very door. And what will follow is the 1,000 year kingdom of King Jesus!

The Day of the LORD is near. I can feel it. God’s people can sense it. The days are evil. It all adds up. And we must be ready.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
[Ephesians 5:16-17]

The Feast of Tabernacles Future Fulfillment

November 15, 2019April 22, 2022Marcus Walker Van Every1 Comment

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
[Revelation 21:3]

It all started in the Garden. God creating man in His own image. Man dwelling with God in perfect harmony. God made His home with man. Man in right relationship with his Maker. It was paradise.

Then paradise was lost.

Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden — separated from God. The entire creation was cursed. The consequences of sin and death ensued, and the earth — man’s home — became the devil’s playground.

Ever since man was expelled from the Garden, he has been trying to do one thing — find a way back to God.

That is the essence of the gospel. Man could never make his way back into right relationship with God on his own. Man could never merit the privilege of being allowed back into the presence of a Holy God. That is why God had to initiate the plan of restoration and provide the only way of salvation by coming to us.

When it comes to the final fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, we must be reminded that God’s people are awaiting the Day when the dwelling place [tabernacle] of God will forever be with man!

The Word Become Flesh

The entire gospel story of God’s redemption hinges upon the restoration of God and man through the Person and work of Jesus Christ. As Peter says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” [1 Peter 3:18].

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator — God the Son — the Word become flesh. The good news is that God, in His love for humanity, chose to leave His position in heaven, temporarily laying aside His divine glory, and came to earth to “tabernacle” among us in human form [see John 1:1-14]. That is why He is Immanuel — God with us — and He came to provide mankind the only way back to God the Father.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
[John 14:1-6]

After accomplishing the work of redemption through His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus spent valuable time teaching His disciples about the kingdom of God. Just before ascending to heaven, Jesus promised to tabernacle with His people in a new and living way — through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
[1 Corinthians 3:16]

In one very real sense God’s kingdom already has come in the Person and work of Christ, and God’s Spirit dwells within every believer. But in another sense God’s kingdom is not yet because evil remains at work in this world and the restoration of all things is yet future.

So how and when will the Feast of Tabernacles be ultimately fulfilled?

The Second Coming of Christ

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
[Revelation 11:15]

If we are following the prophetic timeline that God has established through His appointed Feasts, then we should remember that the first two fall feasts will be fulfilled at second coming of Christ. The Feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled when the last trumpet is sounded and Jesus returns from heaven to earth on the clouds in power and great glory [see Matthew 24:29-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18].

The Day of Atonement will be fulfilled, as all Israel will be saved when Christ returns to punish the enemies of God and trample the Antichrist and his hostile armies surrounding Jerusalem.

Immediately after the Lord Yeshua defeats His enemies and liberates Jerusalem, He will be exalted as King of kings and take His place on David’s throne in Zion to reestablish His Kingdom Israel on earth.

Zechariah provides a glimpse into this awesome Day.

“Behold, a day is coming for the LORD, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him … And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one.”
[Zechariah 14:1-6, 9]

Once King Jesus takes His place on the throne, God’s people will be invited to take part in the marriage supper of the Lamb, which will be the great victory banquet on earth celebrating the triumph of the King.

Jesus said … “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
[Matthew 26:29]

The Millennial Kingdom and the Feast of Tabernacles

Once Jesus returns to the earth as King, He will rule and reign His Kingdom from Jerusalem, and the saints will rule with Him. Many have called this the Messianic Age, or the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. The Kingdom will be God’s way of bringing paradise back to the earth. God will live in physical, bodily form in the midst of the earth, and we will dwell in the presence of Almighty God.

The Millennium will be a literal 1,000 year period for Christ to reign as King and for God to dwell with man. It will give mankind the privilege to enjoy an age of unprecedented peace, prosperity, knowledge, restoration, longevity, blessing, and beauty.

Interestingly enough, the Feast of Tabernacles will play a prominent role during this unique Messianic Age, as the survivors of the nations will be required to present themselves before the LORD each year to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
[Zechariah 14:16-19]

The saints of the Most High will rule and reign with King Jesus and the nations will be subject to Him. There are a variety of passages that portray this unique Millennial Kingdom, but for sake of time I will only share one more from the prophet Isaiah.

“It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
and many peoples shall come, and say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.” [Isaiah 2:2-4]

The New Heaven, Earth and Jerusalem

After the earth is allowed to experience this 1,000 year Sabbath rest of peace under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Bible then describes a New Heaven and New Earth, where God makes everything new and dwells with His people forevermore. Everything that was lost in the Garden will be restored and recreated, and there will be no more evil, no more sin, no more death, and no more suffering.

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”
[Isaiah 65:17]

The Apostle John provides even more detail about the eternal state of man and God’s promise to tabernacle with mankind forevermore.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son’ … And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.”
[Revelation 21:1-7, 22-26]

As you can see, the Feast of Tabernacles symbolizes the ongoing, perpetual state of Holy God dwelling with man. Just as God commanded Israel to set aside the 8th Day of rest following the Feast of Booths, He has set aside an eternal 8th Day — the Day of New Beginnings of Recreation — which will be the everlasting life we will experience through and with Christ in the New Heaven and New Earth!

The Feast of Tabernacles – Part 1

November 13, 2019October 10, 2022Marcus Walker Van Every1 Comment

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) to the LORD … You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”
[Leviticus 23:33-34, 41-43]

The third and final fall feast is the Feast of Tabernacles — or Sukkot in Hebrew. Sukkot is the Hebrew word for booth or temporary shelter, which is why this appointed feast is also called Booths. The Feast of Tabernacles always falls on the 15th day of the seventh month of Tishrei, which is 5 days after the Day of Atonement.

In contrast to the Day of Atonement, which is commemorated with fasting, repentance, and solemn self-examination, Tabernacles is a joyous occasion with feasting, dancing, singing and worshiping the LORD. Tabernacles is to be celebrated for an entire week, followed by a special 8th day solemn day of rest called ‘Shemini Atzeret‘ (the eighth day of assembly). I will discuss the significance of this 8th day in my next post.

Like every other appointed Feast of the LORD, Tabernacles was designed by God to be an annual memorial of the past and a dress rehearsal for the future. It is no surprise that Tabernacles is directly connected to the most important event in Israel’s history — the Exodus.

After Yahweh redeemed the children of Israel from bondage and demonstrated His supreme power over Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, He led Israel through the Red Sea on their way to the Promised Land. That journey lasted much longer, however, because of the people’s stubborn unbelief, which derailed them into a 40-year wandering in the wilderness.

During this wandering, the Israelites were forced to dwell in temporary shelters, or booths. The LORD also instructed Moses to build a Tabernacle for Him — the Tent of Meeting — which always was located in the center of the camp. All 12 tribes of Israel were to remain encamped around the Tabernacle of the LORD.

To remember the Exodus story, the LORD instructed the Israelites to build their own temporary shelters — or booths — and dwell in them for an entire week each year. As you might imagine, this appointed feast also points to a time when the LORD will once again dwell in the midst of His people.

The Tabernacle and the Temple

Once the Israelites settled in the Promised Land and the 12 tribes received their allotted inheritance, the Tabernacle lost some significance in the Biblical narrative. Although the Tabernacle was moved around some, it eventually landed in Shiloh, where a community of priests took care of it’s contents, especially the Ark of the Covenant.

Years later King David established Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and resolved to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Zion. The Bible says that David erected a replica of the Tabernacle to house the Ark, which the Prophet Amos called the “tent of David” [Amos 9:11].

Although the LORD would not allow David to build Him a permanent dwelling place, David’s son, King Solomon, was chosen by God to build the Temple in Jerusalem. Solomon dedicated the Temple on the 15th of Tishrei — the Feast of Tabernacles — and the Shekinah glory of the LORD filled the Temple [2 Chronicles 7:8-10].

“But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.”
[2 Chronicles 6:18-20]

Jesus and the Feast of Tabernacles

Although we do not have Biblical clarity on the exact time of the birth of Jesus, I do not believe that December 25 is the best option. If God is true to task with giving prophetic significance to His appointed Feasts, then it would stand to reason that the Lord Jesus likely was born during one of them. The best candidate in my opinion is the Feast of Tabernacles or perhaps Trumpets.

John’s gospel doesn’t begin with the birth of Jesus, yet John does provide the most thorough theological explanation of how God the Son became the Son of Man.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made …
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
[John 1:1-3, 9-14]

Interestingly enough, the Greek word used for “dwelt” here in John 1:14 is skénoó — meaning to dwell as in a tent, encamp, have my tabernacle.

Taking this into consideration, John could be saying that the Son of God literally took on a human tabernacle, or body, on the actual Feast of Tabernacles.

For a more in-depth explanation of this concept, you can read here.

One of the complementary traditions that became associated with this festival was the erection of four massive golden lampstands [50 cubits high] in the Temple Compound to be lit at sundown. The lampstands emitted light all over Jerusalem, which according to the Jewish rabbis, was symbolic of the God’s Shekinah glory that was promised to return to Israel with the coming of the Messiah.

It is interesting that Jesus appeared in Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths and caused great controversy with His teaching [see John 7-8]. With the massive golden lampstands serving as a backdrop, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” [John 8:12].

Tabernacles in the Future

As we will see next time, the Feast of Tabernacles has prophetic significance that will be realized after the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus! Stay tuned.

The Feast of Yom Kippur {The Day of Atonement} Future Fulfillment

November 6, 2019April 22, 2022Marcus Walker Van Every3 Comments

“For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come.”
[Isaiah 63:4]

As we discovered in my last post, the Lord Jesus partially fulfilled many of the specific elements of the Day of Atonement during His first coming. Yeshua is our Great High Priest who offered His own life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins and entered the heavenly tabernacle by His own blood, preparing the way for us to approach the throne of God with confidence.

It is Yeshua who now is the Mediator of a new and better covenant in His blood, as He is seated at the right hand of God the Father in the throne room of heaven, making intercession for His people. Yeshua effectively tore the veil that once separated Holy God from sinful man and provided direct access to God for all who believe in Him.

The richness of the redemptive work of Christ is profound, as books could be written about the depth of the atonement.

This post, however, will consider how the Lord Jesus will ultimately fulfill the Day of Atonement during His second coming. I believe you will find these connections just as significant and worthy of our attention.

MOSES and the SINAI CONNECTION

As mentioned in my last post, there is a traditional connection between the Day of Atonement and the Mosaic Covenant at Mount Sinai. Moses ascended the mountain met with the LORD for 40 days on two different occasions. Moses supposedly descended the second time — face a glow — with the tablets of stone on 10th of Tishrei, which is the Day of Atonement.

Keeping these two distinct mountain top events in mind, I do see a connection representative of the two comings of Jesus Christ. The first descent of Moses from the mountain found the nation of Israel rebellious sin and idolatry, which is synonymous with the condition of the Jews when Jesus came the first time.

At the second descent of Moses, the Israelites were not in rebellion, and Moses’ face shone with the glory of God. Moses also brought the instructions for the tabernacle at his second descent, which correlates with the Feast of Tabernacles. This second descent points to the events associated with the glorious coming of Jesus Christ in all His glory, lighting up the sky from east to west!

Interestingly enough, Jesus also experienced His own 40-day mountain experience. After being baptized by John, Jesus spent 40 days of temptation in the mountain wilderness. Immediately after His 40 days of temptation, Jesus retired to Galilee and began teaching in the synagogue of Nazareth, His home town.

Jesus was given the scroll of Isaiah and He read it before the people, saying that He was the fulfillment of that very prophecy [Luke 4:16-30]. But Jesus purposefully stopped reading the prophecy at a specific point.

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
[Isaiah 61:1-2]

The Lord Jesus did not keep reading about the day of vengeance on this occasion because He came the first time to offer forgiveness and mercy through His own death on the cross. This dual prophecy in Isaiah contains elements of both His first and second coming, so Jesus was trying to make a point. He came the first time to offer grace. That’s why He stopped reading when He did. The Day of Vengeance is being reserved for His return to the earth.

The DAY

The Day of Atonement — Yom Kippur — is the highest holy day of the year and therefore became known simply as “The Day.” Unlike all the other appointed feasts of the LORD, Yom Kippur is associated with mourning and judgment and affliction and repentance.

“For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people.”
[Leviticus 23:29-30]

The future fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is directly connected to great ant terrible “Day of the LORD,” or Judgment Day. It will be both a Day of Vengeance and also a Day of Deliverance.

Vengeance on the Nations

When Yeshua Messiah returns in all His glory, He will judge and repay all of His enemies by treading the winepress of the fury and the wrath of Almighty God. All the nations who align themselves with the satanic forces of darkness and the armies of the Antichrist will be brought to nothing on that Day.

The Day of Vengeance is a Day of blood, and it is Jesus Himself who will be leading this great judgment of the wicked nations who will be united against God in the last days. Consider some of the primary passages that convey this coming “Day!”

Who is this who comes from Edom,
in crimsoned garments from Bozrah,
he who is splendid in his apparel,
marching in the greatness of his strength?
“It is I, speaking in righteousness,
mighty to save.”
Why is your apparel red,
and your garments like his who treads in the winepress?
“I have trodden the winepress alone,
and from the peoples no one was with me;
I trod them in my anger
and trampled them in my wrath;
their lifeblood spattered on my garments,
and stained all my apparel.
For the day of vengeance was in my heart,
and my year of redemption had come.
I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold;
so my own arm brought me salvation,
and my wrath upheld me.
I trampled down the peoples in my anger;
I made them drunk in my wrath,
and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
[Isaiah 63:1-6]

“Hasten and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves there.
Bring down your warriors, O LORD.
Let the nations stir themselves up
and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.
Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
for their evil is great.
Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.”
[Joel 3:11-14]

“The great day of the LORD is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness.”
[Zephaniah 1:14-15]

“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”
[2 Thessalonians 1:5-10]

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”
[Revelation 19:11-16]

To summarize, Jesus is our Faithful High Priest, dressed in fine linen, is coming from heaven to earth in wrath, but as He comes to judge the nations, His pure white vesture is spattered in the blood of His enemies. This is a picture of the high priest entering the Holy of Holies and sprinkling the blood on the altar, which would have spattered on his all white garments.

The Day of Atonement will not be completely fulfilled until the Lord returns on that DAY.

Vengeance on Azazel — the Scapegoat

There is another connection that must be worth mentioning here, and it is associated with the scapegoat that was banished on the Day of Atonement. The Hebrew word for scapegoat is Azazel, which is also associated with the name of the devil himself.

The prophetic shadow picture is that once the guilt of Israel was transferred to Azazel, then he was banished to the wilderness to die, removing the guilt from God’s people. This is connected to God’s final judgment of Satan and the principalities of evil who are forever guilty for introducing sin and rebellion to mankind.

According to the Book of Enoch, Azazel is one of the leaders of the rebellious Watchers in the time preceding Noah’s flood [Genesis 6:1-5]. Azazel taught men the art of warfare and weaponry and revealed to the people the secrets of witchcraft and corrupted their manners, leading them into wickedness and impurity until at last he was bound hand and foot by the archangel Raphael and chained to the rough and jagged rocks of [Ha] Dudael (= Beth Ḥadudo), where he is to abide in utter darkness until the great Day of Judgment, when he will be cast into the fire to be consumed forever.

“The whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.”
[1 Enoch 10:8]

The Bible confirms the Enoch account in 2 Peter and the Epistle of Jude.

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.”
[2 Peter 2:4]

“The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
[Revelation 20:10]

The condemnation of the scapegoat, or Azazel, was a reminder to God’s people year after year that the LORD would ultimately judge the devil and the spiritual forces of wickedness on that Day.

Time of Jacob’s Trouble

The day of Atonement is known for ‘the affliction of the soul’. Thus the Israelites would fast on this day and abstain from anointing their body and from cohabitation. The true affliction of the soul will come during the time of Jacob’s Trouble — the Great Tribulation — when God’s people will suffer persecution and affliction at the hands of Antichrist.

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.”
[Luke 21:20-22]

Although it is my firm conviction that all the saints (the church) will be present through this Great Tribulation, it will be a unique time of testing and trouble for the Jews. Historically, the Jews have suffered more than any other people group in the world, and the time of Jacob’s trouble will be one final period of testing for the Jews. God, however, will use this great tribulation to bring them to true repentance so that they will never again rebel against the LORD.

“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it … And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.“
[Zechariah 12:2-3, 10]

The time of Israel’s affliction will end when all the tribes of the earth see Yeshua coming on the clouds in great glory and realize that they have rejected their own Messiah.

All Israel Will be Saved — National Redemption

The Day Atonement more specifically is associated with the redemption and restoration of the entire nation of Israel. Whereas Passover emphasizes individual salvation, Yom Kippur is the Day of corporate salvation, as the high priest would offer an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all the people.

The future fulfillment of the Day of Atonement will also be a national salvation of all the survivors of Israel. As the Jews endure the Great Tribulation and God begins to bring them repentance through the time of Jacob’s trouble, all of Israel will be saved in the end at the second coming of Christ.

Romans 11, Zechariah 12, Jeremiah 30,

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.”
[Daniel 12:1]

Alas! That day is so great, there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.”
[Jeremiah 30:7]

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
[Hebrews 9:27-28]

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob;
“and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
[Romans 11:25-27]

The Feast of Yom Kippur {The Day of Atonement} – Part 1

October 30, 2019April 22, 2022Marcus Walker Van Every2 Comments

“And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.”
[Leviticus 16:21]

The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is the holiest appointed feast of the year for the people of Israel. Once a year, the high priest of Israel was to consecrate himself before the LORD on behalf of the nation by entering the inner sanctuary of the temple and sprinkling blood over the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant. The sins of the entire nation were confessed before God, as the people sought mercy, forgiveness and restoration.

In studying the Day of Atonement, I have come to discover significant connections that are rich with meaning. Once I started pulling on this particular thread, it began to unravel deep prophetic mysteries that I had never seen before.

In short, this holy convocation — or annual rehearsal — provides the most comprehensive typological shadow picture of the Day of the LORD — that great Day of judgment for the whole world.

This initial post will attempt to lay the groundwork and Biblical backdrop of Yom Kippur.

Moses on the Mountain

Once the Feast of Trumpets was announced on Tishrei 1, the LORD instructed the children of Israel to enter into a 10-day period of self examination, fasting, fear, and trembling — called the days of Awe. These 10 days of repentance were to prepare the people of Israel for the Day of Atonement, which was appointed on the 10th of Tishrei.

Jewish tradition historically has associated the 10th of Tishrei as the very day Moses came down from Mount Sinai the second time after spending 40 days mediating between the LORD and the people. God’s anger burned against the children of Israel for their idolatry and rebellion with the golden calf, and Moses knew that something had to be done.

The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
[Exodus 32:30]

When Moses came back down the mountain from having met face to face with the LORD, his face was shining before the people.

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” [Exodus 34:29]

From that point, Moses primarily would speak with the LORD in the tent of meeting — or tabernacle — and after communicating God’s word to the people with his face aglow, he would place a veil over his face.

The Tabernacle and Holy of Holies

As the children of Israel camped in the wilderness, the LORD instructed Moses to build an intricate tent for His own unique dwelling place in the midst of the people. The tabernacle was called the tent of meeting because it was the one place that the the LORD of glory would visit to meet with Moses.

The tabernacle was divided into three parts, and the inner sanctuary was concealed with a curtain and was the most holy place — the Holy of Holies. The inner sanctuary contained the ark of the covenant [which contained the 10 commandments] and the mercy seat, where the blood from the atoning sacrifice was to be sprinkled on behalf of the people.

Once a year, the high priest would consecrate himself and enter the Holy of Holies wearing only white garments to make atonement for the entire nation. If the high priest failed to approach the LORD in total observance to the law, he would be killed on the spot.

The Scapegoat and the Crimson Cord

The 16th chapter of Leviticus provides the detailed instructions for the Day of Atonement. The high priest was to sacrifice a bull for his own sin before entering the inner sanctuary, and then he was to bring a censor of burnings coals from the altar and incense to cover the mercy seat while applying the blood.

Then the high priest was to take one of two goats and cast lots for them. One goat was to be sacrificed on behalf of the entire nation and the other goat was to be the scapegoat — or Azazel in Hebrew. The first goat was to be the atoning sacrifice, which temporarily satisfied God’s righteous anger toward the sins of the people. This conveyed the act of propitiation, where a substitute is sacrificed on behalf of another to punish sin and appease the wrath of God.

After making atonement for himself and the people, the high priest then was commanded to place both hands on the scapegoat and confess all the sins of the people over the goat, which effectively transferred the guilt onto the scapegoat and removed the guilt from the people. This conveyed the act of expiation, where guilt is transferred onto another and removed far away from the guilty. The scapegoat was then driven out into the wilderness, where eventually it would be forced off a cliff.

Jewish writings later reveal that the priests would tie a crimson thread both to the scapegoat and the door of the temple in order to determine if the LORD had accepted the sacrifices. If both crimson threads turned white, then the people took that as a sign that the sacrifices had been acceptable in God’s sight.

Interestingly enough, according to the Jerusalem Talmud, during the 40 years between the death of Yeshua and the destruction of the Temple (A.D. 70) the crimson cord never turned white.

“Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open.”
[Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157]

Jesus Partial Fulfillment of Yom Kippur

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption … Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
[Hebrews 9:11-12, 25-26]

The book of Hebrews elaborates on the role of the high priest and the Day of Atonement, specifically how the Lord Jesus has entered into the very presence of God in heaven by His own blood on our behalf. When Jesus died once and for all as the atoning sacrifice for sin, the veil in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom, exposing the inner sanctuary. God was communicating a message that sinners now have direct access to the Father through the Son — our Great High Priest.

The Day of Atonement does find its partial fulfillment in the first coming of Christ, as He has made propitiation for our sins and the sins of the whole world. The annual rehearsal on Yom Kippur was merely a shadow picture of the good things to come.

“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near … Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
[Hebrews 10:1, 19-22]

The Day of Atonement, however, will not ultimately be fulfilled until Christ comes a second time to bring judgment on His enemies, transfer the guilt of sin upon Azazel (the devil), forgive and save the nation of Israel, and completely pour out his wrath upon the wicked.

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him … But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.”
[Hebrews 9:27-28, 10:12-13]

Stay tuned for my next post — part 2 of the Day of Atonement.

The Feast of Trumpets Future Fulfillment

October 23, 2019April 22, 2022Marcus Walker Van Every1 Comment

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
[Revelation 11:15]

In the same way that the Lord Yeshua precisely fulfilled the spring Feasts of the LORD in His first coming, He will fulfill the remaining fall feasts at His second coming. The Lamb of God will return as the King of Glory to crush God’s enemies and establish His Kingdom on earth.

In my trumpets part one post, I discussed how the Israelites were to blow the trumpets on the first day of the seventh month, primarily as an annual reminder of when Yahweh appeared before Moses and the people at Sinai. As we will see, Sinai is the predominant typological event from the Old Testament that corresponds to the return of Christ to the earth. The LORD also prescribed other general occasions for the trumpets to be sounded in Israel — all of which have prophetic significance.

All in all, many of the prophetic passages of Scripture that describe the second coming of Christ and the Day of the LORD intentionally use identical language involving trumpet blasts, angelic battle cries, and loud shouts from heaven. As we will see, this is not by accident.

Old Testament Depictions of the Day of the LORD

Before I get to the obvious New Testament passages that correspond to the future fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets, I would like to examine a few prophetic passages from the Old Testament. These prophecies are concerning the great Day of the LORD, which always has been connected to the coming of Messiah the King at the end of the age to destroy the enemies of Israel.

“The great day of the LORD is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.
[Zephaniah 1:14-16]

“Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near.”
[Joel 2:1]

“Then the LORD will appear over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning; the Lord GOD will sound the trumpet and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.
[Zechariah 9:14]

The Prophetic Teachings of Yeshua

Beginning with the prophetic words of Yeshua Himself and working through the Apostles, it becomes very evident that the LORD established the Feast of Trumpets so that His people would rehearse each year the dramatic events of God’s future arrival to Zion. We must not forget that these appointed feasts are “holy convocations,” or practice runs in anticipation for the real thing.

As Jesus taught His disciples the details surrounding His second coming on the Mount of Olives, He used language that would have been very familiar to devout Jews who were anticipating the coming Kingdom of God.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
[Matthew 24:29-31]

The “loud trumpet call” that Jesus referred to would have provoked several images in the minds of the disciples. First, the disciples would have remembered the LORD coming down in power and glory at Sinai. Just as Yahweh descended upon the earth at Sinai in flaming fire and thick clouds with trumpets blasting [Exodus 19], so Yeshua will return to the earth in like manner. Only this time, every eye will see Him coming and all the tribes of the earth will mourn at the sight of the Son of Man [see Revelation 1:7].

The Feast of Trumpets undoubtedly would have been in the minds of the disciples, as they had rehearsed this climatic event every year with the sounding of trumpets and with great shouts of joy in anticipation of the King of Glory. Jesus reinforces the imagery of the Feast of Trumpets by using language that uniquely corresponds to this holy day.

We must remember that the Feast of Trumpets was sometimes called the “Hidden Day” in Israel because it could only be determined by the sighting of the new moon on the first day of the seventh month. As the appointed time drew near, the people of Israel would wait and watch throughout all hours of the night to ensure that they did not miss the appearance, or “sign,” of the new moon.

Because of the uncertainty of when the first sign of the moon would appear, no one in Israel could know or predict the exact “day or the hour” when the Feast of Trumpets would arrive. Only the LORD in heaven had perfect knowledge of the precise day and hour.

Only in light of the Feast of Trumpets do the words of Jesus make sense. Unfortunately, many have misinterpreted His words to imply that the second coming could happen without notice at any moment, but that is NOT what Jesus was communicating at all. As a matter of fact if we read His words carefully, He is teaching the exact opposite.

From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates …
But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only …
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
[Matthew 24:32-33, 36, 42-44]

Notice that Jesus, using the exact “Feast of Trumpets” language, is teaching His followers to be watchful, ready, and prepared for His return. He clearly says that those paying attention will be able to recognize the signs leading up to His return and therefore will know when His second coming is near, “even at the very gates.”

Like the anticipation of the new moon appearing on the horizon, we are to wait and watch for the appearance of His coming. We may not know the exact hour or even the day, but WE WILL KNOW WHEN HIS RETURN IS CLOSE AT HAND! If we are willing to stay awake and pay careful attention to the signs, we will not be caught sleeping like the rest of the world in darkness, but we will be prepared to meet Jesus in hopeful expectation.

The Prophetic Teachings of Paul

The Apostle Paul builds on the teachings of Jesus and uses the same language to describe the “glorious appearing of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ” [Titus 2:13]. As you will see, the trumpets again play a prominent role in Paul’s prophecies.

“For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power … I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
[1 Corinthians 15:21-24, 50-52]

Immediately one can see that Paul is connecting the coming of the Lord with the “last trumpet“, which was the longest and loudest trumpet blast during the culmination of the Feast of Trumpets. Paul also corresponds the sounding of the last trumpet with three simultaneous events.

The Return of Jesus at the end of the age
The Resurrection of the righteous
The Rapture of the church

Paul provides even more detail in his letter to the Thessalonians.

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
[1 Thessalonians 4:13-18]

Again, Paul’s language draws on two primary sources — Moses and Jesus. This description is almost identical both to the appearance of Yahweh on Mount Sinai and to the words of Jesus on the Mount of Olives. Paul is prophetically illustration the events surrounding the second coming of the Lord.

Like at Sinai, the Lord will descend from heaven in a cloud and flaming fire [see 2 Thessalonians 1:8] with the battle cries and shouts from heaven and the blast of the trumpet of God! He is coming back to the earth in the same way He left [Acts 1:11].

Paul also draws from the language of Jesus, who described the great gathering together of His elect from all over the earth at His return [Matthew 24:31]. Just like the trumpet blasts were to summon the children of Israel to gather together before the LORD, we too will be caught up together at the last trump to meet King Jesus as He is descending to the earth in power and great glory. Here again we see the trumpet of God connected to the simultaneous Return of Christ, Resurrection of the dead and Rapture of the church.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

So much more could be said about the future fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets and the Return of Jesus Christ. But for the sake of time, I would like to at least mention the testimony of Jesus to the Apostle John concerning the final apocalypse — or revelation — of the Lord.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ remains one of the most mysterious and misinterpreted books in all of holy Scripture. I do believe that the key to understanding Revelation is to read the 7 seals, trumpets and bowls — not in strict chronological order — but rather as partially overlapping and culminating together at the coming of Jesus and the battle of Armageddon.

For example, the 6-7th seals, 7th trumpet and 7th bowl all are describing the same event — the return of King Jesus. All three culminate with similar Sinai language as well, further validating that they are referring to the same event.

7th Seal — “there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” [Revelation 8:5]
7th Trumpet (Last Trump) — “there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail” [Revelation 11:19]
7th Bowl — “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake” [Revelation 16:17-18]

It only makes sense to harmonize the overlapping descriptions and understand them as the same event. There is only one second coming of Jesus Christ to earth — not multiple, but there are at least five different descriptions of the return of Jesus in the book of Revelation [Revelation 6:12-17, Rev 11:15-19, Rev 14:14-20, Rev 16:15-21, Rev 19:11-21].

Obviously Jesus doesn’t return five separate times! These are all depicting the same event from different perspectives. For the sake of our study today, let’s finish by looking at the 7th Trumpet, or Last Trump, in Revelation 11.

At the blowing of the 7th Trumpet, the kingdoms of the earth become the kingdom of Christ, as He begins to reign. The Lord pours out his final judgement in wrath upon His enemies and rewards the saints who are to inherit the kingdom.

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
[Revelation 11:15-19]