End Times

An Introduction to The Day of the LORD

Marcus 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 Yom Kippur {The Day of Atonement} Future Fulfillment

Marcus 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

Marcus 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

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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.

  1. The Return of Jesus at the end of the age
  2. The Resurrection of the righteous
  3. 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]

Stranger Thing #18 — Sodom and Gomorrah

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“Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.”

[Genesis 13:13]

The notorious city of ancient Sodom will be forever remembered for its extreme wickedness and its severe judgment. The Bible has much to say about Sodom, and frankly, none of it is good. Something exceptionally perverse and grossly immoral was taking place among the people of the plains.

Granted, all men are sinful in the eyes of God and deserve His righteous judgment.

The sin of Sodom, however, must have been extraordinarily offensive to the LORD, as the Scriptures repeatedly refer back to Sodom as one of the most extreme examples of spiritual depravity, cultural corruption, and sexual immorality.

So what can we learn from this perverse place and its peculiar punishment?

Sodom had become Comprehensively Corrupt

Sodom’s sin had become so grievous that the LORD Himself decided to come down in physical form to see it for Himself. It’s not that He had to come down to know what was happening, but rather it was a sign of extreme divine displeasure on God’s part. Much like the LORD “came down” to observe the rebellion at Babel [Genesis 11], God felt the need to personally intervene after hearing the outcry against Sodom.

“Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

[Genesis 18:20-21]

We know that the corruption of Sodom was comprehensive because Abraham’s plea for the righteous was reduced to Lot and his family. The LORD had said that for the sake of 10 righteous people in the city He would not destroy it [Genesis 18:32], but in the end it seemed that Lot alone was the last righteous man left.

Most historians and archaeologists estimate that Sodom and the other cities of the plain easily could have sustained a population of well over 50,000. Just as it was in the days of Noah when “all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” [Genesis 6:12], Sodom and Gomorrah morally had reached the point of no return, and the LORD could withhold judgment no longer.

Pride was the Root of Sodom’s Sin

“Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.”

[Ezekiel 16:49-50]

The people of Sodom represent the epitome of evil mankind attempting to live independently of God — totally without restraint — indulging in the appetites of the flesh, even defiantly flaunting their sins in the face of the Creator. Sodom had grown so brazenly rebellious in the eyes of God that they practically were daring the Judge of the earth to punish them.

To put Judah’s rebellion in perspective, the LORD condemned His own people and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for being even more wicked than Sodom in her day. Consider God’s word of judgment on Judah just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile.

“As I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done … Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed.”

[Ezekiel 16:48, 51]

Homosexuality was the Rotten Fruit of Sodom’s Sin

Pride and arrogance may have been at the root of Sodom’s rebellion, but the depravity of this wicked people was made manifest in the abominable act of rampant homosexuality. An abomination is a unique sin against the LORD that makes Him sick. The LORD was repulsed by the blatant acts of sexual perversion in Sodom, specifically the sin of homosexuality.

The LORD designed sexuality within the parameters of a faithful, monogamous marriage relationship, and all other sexual deviancies are an offense to God and a perversion of His purpose for sexuality. Fornication, prostitution, rape, and adultery clearly violate God’s design for sexual expression and are destructive in their own right.

But there are certain sexual sins that are even more repulsive and offensive to God because they violate the created order and nature itself. These sins would include homosexuality, pedophila, incest, and bestiality.

The LORD instructed the children of Israel about the unique seriousness of these sexual sins.

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion … If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them … If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.”

[Leviticus 18:22-23, 20:13,15]

While revisionists and liberal scholars have tried to suggest that Sodom’s sin had nothing to do with homosexuality, or at least that it wasn’t Sodom’s primary transgression, the Bible clearly connects Sodom’s judgment with its sexual perversion.

LOT’S JUDGMENT WAS AGAINST SODOM’S UNNATURAL DESIRE

The Bible says that the men of Sodom were wicked and “great sinners against LORD” [Genesis 13:13]. This emphasis strongly implies something shamefully wicked. Just a casual reading of the rescue of Lot in Genesis 19 also helps fill in the blanks.

“But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.”

[Genesis 19:4-8]

Homosexuality is clearly in view here, when you consider the following …

  1. All the men of the city, apparently every last one, rushed to Lot’s house at night and demanded that Lot release the two men (angels) so that could “know them.” This is a Hebrew euphemism for sexual intercourse. The men wanted to have sex with Lot’s two guests.
  2. Lot acknowledged their unnatural desire as a “wicked” thing.
  3. Lot sadly offered his two virgin daughters to the men, which was pathetic in its own right, yet this also proves that the men of Sodom were seeking to satisfy sexual desires.

The Apostle Peter also comments on the torment that Lot endured living in such a sexually perverse culture. He mentions the wicked men of Lot displayed an unbridled sexual lust.

“If by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);”

[2 Peter 2:6-8]

JUDE’S JUDGEMENT WAS AGAINST SODOM’S UNNATURAL DESIRE

Jude, the biological brother of James and the Lord Jesus, also correlated the sexual sin of Sodom with that of the fallen angels in Genesis 6:1-4, who left their proper dwelling place and had sex with human wives and so violating God’s created order. Just as the fallen angels lusted after “strange” or “unnatural flesh,” so the men of Sodom preferred to have sex with men rather than women.

“And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”

[Jude 1:6-7]

Sodom serves as an Example for the Coming Judgment

Although there is much more to be written about the sin of Sodom, we must remember that history unfortunately repeats itself and that the Lord Jesus warned us that just as it was in the days of Sodom, so will be at His coming.

First, those who reject the gospel of the Lord Jesus and refuse to receive God’s only provision for salvation will suffer worse fate than Sodom [Matthew 10:15; Matthew 11:24].

Second, the LORD compares the wickedness of Lot’s generation with the wickedness in our generation today, where homosexuality is becoming more and more normalized and celebrated in our sexually perverse culture.

As the Apostle Paul says, “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth … For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” [Romans 1:18, 26-27].

And sadly, like Sodom, “though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them” [Romans 1:32].

We may be tormented like Lot in this generation, but we must continue to boldly preach the gospel like Noah did in his own wicked generation. Calling all to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ before He comes to judge the earth.

“Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

[Luke 17:28-33]

The Apostate Church and Spiritual Deception

Marcus Walker Van Every1 Comment

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.”

[1 Timothy 4:1-2]
The Satanic Temple’s seven-foot-tall Baphomet statue, complete with beatific children gazing at it lovingly, is just about ready to take its place on the Oklahoma Statehouse lawn. (2018)

Historically speaking, there has always been a battle for truth and a satanic attack on the authority of Scripture within the church. The early church fathers fought the devilish lies and heresies of Gnosticism. The leaders of the Protestant Reformation risked their lives speaking out against the ecclesiastical corruption and doctrinal distortions of the Catholic Church.

After the Enlightenment and the introduction of Darwinian Evolution, many faithful pastors and theologians in Europe and America held firmly to Biblical truth in spite of the new-age seduction of scientific indoctrination and academic intimidation.

With each generation, God’s faithful remnant of believers has been faced with a new threat to the integrity and authority of the Scriptures and been forced to fight for sound doctrine. So in that sense, there is nothing new under the sun.

But Jesus reminds us in Matthew 24:4-5 that spiritual apostasy and deception within the church will be one of the birth pains of the last days. In other words, the spiritual lies, doctrinal compromises and gross misrepresentations of God’s word will become more intense, more insidious, and more frequent in these last days. If we are to take the words of Jesus at face value, the onslaught of satanic deception will not relent but only grow and climax at the revelation of man of lawlessness himself — aka the Antichrist.

It is as if the “church” is being seduced and led astray with each passing satanic contraction. Sadly, this is happening all over the world, as the enemy has infiltrated the church, influenced false teachers, and accumulated for himself an army of apostates all over the world.

The common denominator in all of the deception is easy to identify. Wherever there is a departure from the authority of the Bible and a compromise in sound doctrine, heresy and satan’s destructive lies are embraced.

Just consider where the church is today.

Many mainline denominations in the U.S. have embraced same-sex marriage and even ordain openly homosexual clergy, with many more soon to follow. These include but aren’t limited to The Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Some of the largest congregations in America and other parts of world also are led by some of the wealthiest pastors in the world. Prosperity preachers like Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar are making millions off of the masses, as they peddle a false gospel to satisfy the itching ears of man’s carnal nature.

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

[2 Timothy 4:3-4]

Another growing threat to evangelical churches is the infiltration of popular “worship” music that originates from suspect churches, such as Hillsong Church Northpoint Church and Bethel Church. Although most of the lyrical substance of this music is doctrinally solid, there are clear dangers in the worldly impression of “performance” and “entertaining” the masses. Also, there are many problems with the teachings that emerge from these churches.

Here is a good article on the problems with Bethel Church in California — http://www.piratechristian.com/messedupchurch/2018/2/10-reasons-why-bethel-redding-is-a-false-church

Furthermore, even among most people who identify as “evangelicals” today do not affirm the essential doctrines of the faith. A 2017 survey from Lifeway Research reveals a major decline in doctrinal integrity. You can see the survey here.

If we couple the obvious compromises within the church with the failure of the church to disciple the next generation and teach our children the authority of God’s Word, then we have a culture primed for more satanic influence than ever. The U.S. has experienced a substantial rise in satanism and witchcraft in the past 20 years. Whereas the occult once was forced to operate in the dark corners of society, today we see it brazenly parading out in the open.

Wicca, for instance, now acknowledges more adherents in America than some mainline denominations. You can read about this here.

The L.A. Times just published an article titled – “How Millennials Replaced Religion with Astrology and Crystals.”

Obviously spiritual deception is on the rise like never before, which is why the remnant of true believers must be steadfast in our commitment to the Word of God, to sound doctrine, to evangelism and discipleship.

Reformer and theologian John Wycliffe, who is credited with first translating the Latin Bible into the English vernacular of his day, relentlessly fought for the authority of God’s word and the danger of compromising sound doctrine. He reminds us of the role the Bible will forever play in our lives.

“Holy Scripture is the highest authority for every believer, the standard of faith and the foundation for reform.”

John Wycliffe

We must heed the word of God, lest we too fall for satan’s schemes. We must ground ourselves in the truth lest we fall for the lie. Because Jesus says that just is the beginning of birth pains, and a greater deception is coming that will sweep away millions into believe the lies of the enemy.

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”

[Matthew 24:24]

If there has ever been a time for God’s people to know God’s word … it is TODAY!

The Earth is Groaning

Marcus Walker Van Every1 Comment

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now…”

[Romans 8:22]

The recent 6.4 and 7.1 earthquakes in Southern California have many geologists and seismologists on edge about the probability of a catastrophic quake along the San Andreas fault. A massive earthquake near one of the densely populated regions in California would create a natural disaster of devastating proportions.

Likewise, geologists are closely watching the super volcano under Yellowstone Park that has the potential to erupt, creating an explosion substantially more powerful than multiple atomic bombs. We should shudder to think of the devastation such an eruption would cause.

https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-would-happen-if-a-supervolcano-eruption-occurred-again-yellowstone?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products

Ever since Charles Richter invented his Richter scale in 1935, scientists have had a standard system of measurement to track major earthquakes around the world. Earthquakes of various strengths are measured every day, but very few are ever felt on the surface. Volcanism in the earth’s mantle and constant tectonic shifting in the earth’s upper mantle and crust keep the surface of the earth moving underneath our feet.

Some data models show a noticeable increase that major earthquake activity over the last 50 years or so, while other reports say that earthquake activity has remained relatively normal since 1900.

The last time the earth experienced a catastrophic tectonic shift on a global scale was during the flood of Noah’s day. The Bible says that the fountains of the deep burst forth, which created the great continental rifts and fault lines around the world.

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.”

[Genesis 7:11]

Regardless of what the scientific data may show, if we are living in the last days and if we are seeing the very beginning of labor pains, then the we should expect to see a noticeable increase in earthquake frequency and intensity around the world.

Based on the words of Jesus, the beginning of birth pains will lead to an increase of major, new-worthy earthquakes in various places around the world. Here in the U.S., we would expect to see the San Andreas and New Madrid faults begin to produce major earthquakes.

And as devastating as these things may be, God is using the groaning or the earth to shake us up, wake us up, and get our attention through natural disasters. God has always used natural disasters as signs to get our attention and remind us how desperately we need Him in the midst of tragedy.

Earthquakes in the Great Tribulation

Earthquakes also play a prominent role in the last 3.5 years of history, prior to the return of Jesus to earth. The book of Zechariah speaks of a great earthquake in Jerusalem that coincides with the coming of Jesus to judge the nations.

“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.”

[Zechariah 14:2-5]

Ezekiel mentions the same earthquake in his prophecy about the war against Antichrist (Gog) and his armies.

“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 book of Revelation likewise mentions this same catastrophic earthquake multiple times. Although the earthquake is mentioned during the different seal, trumpet and bowl judgments, I believe the context of each description is referring to the same event — not separate quakes.

“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.”

[Revelation 6:12-14]

The second mention of the earthquake in Rev. 8:5.

“Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

The third mention coincides with the resurrection of the two witnesses in Revelation 11, which I believe describes the same quake from Zechariah and Ezekiel.

“And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

[Rev. 11:13]

The final mention is at the seventh bowl of God’s wrath poured out upon the earth. Again, this description matches all the others from the sixth seal to the Old Testament references, leading me to believe that this is one major quake that coincides with God’s judgement on the Day of the LORD and the Return of Jesus to the earth.

“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. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 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 16:17-21]

The earth is groaning, as it awaits it Creator to return to liberate the entire creation from its bondage. As the earth continues to groan from within, we can expect more earthquakes to increase in frequency and intensity, as Jesus said they would.

The beginning of birth pains will continue to increase until the most intense quake the earth has ever seen will shake this planet to its core, just in time for the Redeemer to return in all His glory!

Even so, Lord Jesus, Come!

Are We Living in the Last Generation?

Marcus Walker Van EveryLeave a comment

“So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”

[Matthew 24:33-34]

Over the years, I have heard well-meaning preachers and teachers repeatedly say that virtually every generation of disciples –beginning with the Apostles — expected Jesus to return in their lifetime.

But is this what we really learn from the Bible?

Although it is clear that immediately after the resurrection, Jesus’ original followers were somewhat confused about the timing of the coming kingdom, Jesus quickly clarified their misunderstandings. We pick up the dialogue in the book of Acts, just before Jesus ascends to heaven 40 days after the resurrection.

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

[Acts 1:6-11 — ESV]

We learn several valuable truths from this passage.

First, the disciples had a clear understanding of God’s future promise to restore the fortunes of Jacob and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel under the reign of the Messiah. Second, they reaffirmed their faith in Jesus — the Risen Lord — as the long-awaited and promised Messiah and King of Israel. And third, the disciples wanted to know if that time had finally come for Jesus to take His seat on David’s throne and establish His everlasting kingdom.

Jesus’ answer may have surprised them. Although the Apostles were given the unique privilege to be eye witnesses of the life, miracles, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus, they were not to be the generation alive on earth when He returns. He plainly tells them …. “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” [Acts 1:6]

Instead, the Lord had a different mission for the Apostles — to be His witnesses by proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth and to make disciples of every nation until the end of the age. And in all actuality, that same mission has not changed for the church throughout each and every generation.

In others words, Jesus has always commanded His followers to be focused on fulfilling the Great Commission and preaching the gospel to all creation. Jesus didn’t want the Apostles to get distracted with the “times or seasons” of His return because He had a mission for His church to carry out.

At the same time, Jesus and the Apostles taught extensively on the signs of the end times and the coming of Jesus at the end of the age. And according to the testimony of the Biblical prophets, the Apostles and Jesus Himself, there will be one last generation alive on the earth to witness these things unfold.

What unique signs are being observed today that have never been seen by any generation before?

Could we be approaching the end of the age? Is this the last generation before the coming of the LORD?

The End is Not Yet

When Jesus taught us about the beginning of birth pains that lead into the revelation of Antichrist and the great tribulation, he said some general signs will begin to surface but that the end is not yet. But like labor pains, these general signs will begin to become more frequent and more intense in nature the closer to end we get. Here is a list of these birth pains we can expect to observe.

  1. Spiritual Deception — “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” [Matthew 24:4-5]
    • Beyond spiritual deception in general, Jesus warns us that there will be a specific satanic assault within the church to deceive many in the name of Christ. This sign perhaps has never been more evident than it is today, as the church is in a dangerous state of doctrinal compromise and spiritual apostasy.
  2. Instant access to news and current events — “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” [Matthew 24:6-7]
    • A 7.0 earthquake shakes California, and I have access to the news story literally minutes after it hits. Iran attacks oil tankers in the Straight of Hormuz, and I hear the report within the hour. Hamas launches attacks in Israel, and I read about it that same day. Never before has mankind possessed the kind of technology that Jesus is speaking of here. Jesus uses a unique Greek word, akoém [rumor], which is the closest word to news report we have in the Bible. Jesus obviously was speaking of a future generation who would have instant access to keep track of reports and current events in diverse places all around the globe.
    • As with the growing spiritual deception, we can expect the groaning of the earth to continue to writhe in labor pains, producing more intense and frequent earthquakes, storms, and other natural disasters. As Jesus says … “Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” [Luke 21:26] This is the first generation that has the technological capabilities to hear news reports from around the world at the touch of a button.

That DAY will Not Come Unless

The church in Thessalonica was concerned that somehow it had missed the second coming of Jesus, but the Apostle Paul comforted them and reminded them that it was impossible to miss the return of King Jesus because there were certain signs that must first transpire before Jesus comes back.

Again, this proves that the Apostles did not expect Jesus to return at any moment, but rather they affirmed certain signs that would be discernible by the last generation. Consider Paul’s words.

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.”

[2 Thessalonians 2:1-3]

Sealed until the Time of the End

The LORD repeatedly revealed glimpses of the future to the prophet Daniel, but then told him to seal up these prophecies until the time of the end. In other words, there is only one unique generation that is alive during the last days that will be able to understand Daniel’s prophecies as they begin to unfold in real time.

He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.”

[Daniel 12:9-10]

This Generation will Not Pass Away

Jesus says that the last generation will be alive to witness the beginning of birth pains, the rebirth of national Israel, the revelation of Antichrist, the rebuilding of the third temple, the abomination of desolation, the great tribulation, the persecution of the saints, satanic deception, and the signs in the heavens.

Jesus says that just like we know summer is just around the corner because of the signs of spring, then we also will be able to know when His return is near because of these signs. We may not know the day or hour, but we will certainly know the general season — possibly with years, months or even weeks of His coming.

Are we THE Generation that will not pass away before all these things take place and Jesus returns?

I believe there is a strong possibility that we are!

And as we explore these signs in depth and continue to compare them with the current events of our day, I believe we will see that we are the unique generation that God is preparing for the final countdown of human history.

As the Apostle Peter says …

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness …”

[2 Peter 3:11]