August 10th - Be Commended For Your Faith

”These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40)

Who were those “all commended for their faith"? The list is the hall of fame of the Bible…Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel.

They were commended for their faith but did NOT receive immortal life that God has promised.

God has promised to make us perfect… but not in this age…for now we all die. Now we can only believe the promise of God that….

“…as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” for “just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man” and these earthly bodies will be “buried in weakness and raised in power; buried a natural body but raised a spiritual body…The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-53)

Only the joy of having faith in God’s promise will make a sinful man good, and a religious man humble.

Look Up!

"Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the LORD says: “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me. Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.” Oh, what a sinful nation they are—loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him." (Isaiah 1:2-4)

The "LORD" is Yahweh who became flesh and dwelt among us, He is Jesus, "the Holy One of Israel" that Israel turned their back on and had crucified when He came the first time. They are no longer the people of God but are termed "not my people".

"And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.” (Hosea 1:9)

But there will come a day when Israel will again become His people.

"...and I will sow her for myself in the land. And will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” (Hosea 2:1)

Two days (two thousand years) after they rejected Jesus, He will return and heal them. Listen to Hosea, Peter and Paul.

"Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence. So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth." (Hosea 6:1-3)

"I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created...But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day...This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—speaking of these things in all of his letters." (2 Peter 3:3-4, 8, 15-16)

"I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israeli away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.” Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn." (Romans 11:25-29)

As best as I can tell, Jesus was crucified on either Wednesday April 28, 28 AD or Wednesday April 25, 31 AD. We are nearing 2,000 years from that  day - watch the events taking place in the world, then look up, for our redemption is drawing nigh!

"For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. WHEN THESE THINGS BEGIN TO TAKE PLACE, STAND UP AND LIFT UP YOUR HEADS, BECAUSE YOUR REDEMPTION IS DRAWING NEAR.” (Luke 21:22-28)

When Will the Antichrist Be Revealed and the Rapture Occur?

"Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for HE CAN BE REVEALED ONLY WHEN HIS TIME COMES." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-6)

The "man of lawlessness" Paul is speaking about is the Antichrist. There will be a final government of humanity during "his time" and he will begin as one of the "seven heads" of that final government. The book of Revelation calls this government a "beast".  The Antichrist will become the leader of the "beast" government in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel. I believe the "day of the Lord" that Paul is speaking of is the final year of the 70th week of Daniel, a 7 year period of time immediately before the return of Jesus. Many refer to this seven years as the Tribulation. I will use this term hereafter.

"Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns...and the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority." (Revelation 13:1-2)

This final powerful government comes to great power during the Tribulation. It gets its power from the dragon/Satan who will be "throne to the earth" together with his angels in the middle part of the Tribulation. 

"Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels." (Revelation 12:9)

The Antichrist is revealed as the "man of lawlessness" sometime after he receives a deadly wound and miraculously recovers. He takes total control of the beast government with the help of a strong religious leader called "another beast" and the "false prophet". The seven leaders that at first share power in the government are reduced to one  - the Antichrist.

"I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”" Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made." (Revelation 13:1-8)

"Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life." (Revelation 13:11-14)

It seems to me that until the middle of the Tribulation, the seven headed beast government is the "white horse rider" of what is known as the four horseman of the apocalypse. They most likely establish policies that bring the world together into a new world-wide order - these policies seek to establish peace, heath, environmental protection and equal financial prosperity for all humanity, ignoring national boundaries, sexual preferences, and racial differences.

"I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory." (Revelation 6:2)

The process is greatly helped when this final government body negotiates a seven year alliance between Israel and its enemies. Daniel tells about this so we know the "alliances" have to do with Israel and its place of worship. These seven year alliances begins the Tribulation. 

"Then for one seven, he will forge many and strong alliances, but halfway through the seven he will banish worship and prayers. At the place of worship, a desecrating obscenity will be set up and remain until finally the desecrator himself is decisively destroyed.’” (Daniel 9:27)

And then all hell breaks loose bringing in rapid succession the last three horsemen of the apocalypse, war, famine, and death. Under the afflictions brought on by the Antichrist, the pale green horse rider (death) kills one-forth of humanity by the the sword, famine and disease. Another one-third of humanity are killed by the "Four Angels" God has prepared for that purpose when He pours out His wrath on the kingdom of the Antichrist.

"I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals." (Revelation 6:8)

"The sixth Angel trumpeted. I heard a voice speaking to the sixth Angel from the horns of the Golden Altar before God: “Let the Four Angels loose, the Angels confined at the great River Euphrates.” The Four Angels were untied and let loose, Four Angels all prepared for the exact year, month, day, and even hour when they were to kill a third of the human race." (Revelation 9:15)

That means one out of every two people on earth will die during the Tribulation. Jesus Himself said unless that time was cut short everyone would die and that one of every two will be taken.

“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place."...For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones." (Matthew 24:15,21-22)

"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day...People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes." “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.  “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming." (Mathew 24:37-42)

As best I can tell from the chronology recorded in the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament, the 6,000th year from the creation of Adam to the return of Jesus will be 2035 AD.

The beginning of the Tribulation would then START in 2028 AD.

INTERESTING NOTE: The last US President's administration negotiated what is called the Abraham Accords: The Abraham Accords are a joint statement between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States signed on Septembe15, 2020, three days before Rosh Hashana 2020.  Something broader will have to be accomplished by the beast government in the fall of 2028 AD for my views to be accurate, at least as to the exact date of the beginning of the Tribulation.

If the start of the of the Tribulation turns out to be 2028, the Antichrist will be revealed between 2031 and 2034 AD. And I think believers will be Raptured to meet the Lord in the air during 2034, one year before the return of Jesus to earth.

“When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the saints before God. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” (Revelation 8:1-5)

From this point on is what the Bible calls  "the favorable YEAR of the LORD" for the people of God. It will be “a YEAR of retribution” against the kingdom of the Antichrist.

Again, Paul is speaking to believers when he says “God has not destined us for WRATH”. 

"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep (dead or alive when Jesus returns), we will live together with Him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8-11)

Therefore, in my view, the Rapture will occur during the “half an hour of silence” just before the “YEAR of retribution” when the wrath of God is poured out on the Antichrist. And I think it will occur in 2034 AD.

Watching, Counting and Waiting

A few days before His crucifixion Jesus told His disciples about His return...

"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,  but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “THEREFORE KEEP WATCH, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:32-44)

For those of us who watch for signs of the return of Jesus, there has been a thought that the Bible implies that God will tolerate humanity trying to govern themselves for six thousand years, a thousand years for each day of creation.

"A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night." (Psalm 90:4)

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8)

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. AFTER TWO DAYS He will revive us; on the third day He will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3)

In my retirement years I have had time to meditate on the above Scriptures, and others, watching for His return. I no longer attend church services or bible studies but occasionally I feel that sharing my thoughts may be beneficial to others who are "watching" for His return.

I began to think that if God is in fact going to allow humanity 6,000 years (a thousand years for each day of creation) there should be some evidence of such in the Bible.  Below is my thoughts after searching the Scripture for that evidence. The Bible has some interesting chronological passages that I found...

Creation of Adam to the world wide flood:                    1656.00 years  (Genesis 5:3-32; 7:6, 11; 11:10)

Flood to birth of Arphaxad:                                                  2.00 years   (Genesis 11:10)

Arphaxad to birth of Abraham                                          350.00 years  (Genesis 11:12-32; Acts 7:4) 

Abraham's age when he entered Canaan                             75.00 years  (Genesis 12:4)

Length of time in Canaan and Egypt                                 430.00 years  (Exodus 12:40-41; Galatians 3:17)

Exodus from Egypt to start of Temple                               480.00 years  (1 Kings 6:1)

Reign of kings of Judah to Babylonian captivity               419.25 years  (1 Kings 6:1through 2 Kings 24:8) 

Years in captivity                                                                  70.00 years  (Jeremiah 25:11)

End of captivity to birth of Messiah Jesus                          483.00 years  (Daniel 9:24-25)

TOTAL years from creation of Adam to birth of Jesus:   3,965.25 years

Years remaining to add up to 6,000 years                         2,034.75 years

                                                                                           6,000.00 years

Today we are in year 2021 AD (AD refers to the year of the birth of Christ). So, we are 14 years from 6,000.  That would be in the year 2035AD.

Another interesting thought I had was about why God instituted the 50th Year Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-12) celebrated on the day of Atonement. That Jubilee came in 50 year cycles at the end of which all land returned to the original owners, all debts were cancelled, and all slaves were set free. 120 Jubilees would be exactly 6,000 years (120 X 50=6000).

Passover in 2035 AD would be almost if not exactly 2,000 years from the crucifixion of Jesus! See Hosea 6:1-3 above. If Jesus returns around that time it would fit nicely into my thoughts!

I was going to keep this to myself since most people think such meditations to be foolish - but in case you don't, Jesus also said...

"At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near...Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:27-28; 36)