Bible Study Seattle

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.”  Matthew 24:32

Jesus’ discourse on end times gives several hints, one of which is summer.  To get a sense of when ‘summer’ is, we first look at Moses’ Psalm 90:

“For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it passes by,
Or as a watch in the night.
You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep;
In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.
In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew;
Toward evening it fades and withers away.”  Psalm 90:4-6

There are several items of note here.  First is that a day is as a thousand years.  The Hebrew day starts at sundown.  Therefore, the first half of the day is evening or darkness.  The second half is morning or daylight.  Midnight is the darkest, and noon is the brightest.  If we were to compare a thousand years or a day to a year, when would the seasons fall?  Undoubtedly, summer would surround the noontime sun.  Winter would fall around midnight.  Roughly speaking, winter would be 9pm to 3am.  Summer would be 9am to 3pm.  Spring and fall being in between.  In a thousand years, winter would fall between the 125th and the 375th years, and summer would fall from the 625th to the 875th year.  This leads us to question using Israeli statehood as the final generation, since we are in the 142nd year since 1874.  Assuming Jesus returns on the Day of Atonement, which is slightly past half way through the year, this is roughly the 528th year out of 1,000.  Then ‘summer’ will be near relatively speaking.  Some ‘leaves’ will have come early in the springtime (375th to 528th years).  These will be the ancient Israelites such as Elijah, Moses, and David.  David’s battle prowess will come in handy.  When they see the Son of Man standing on the Mount of Olives to assist them, they will become fearless and unstoppable.  All their enemies’ hearts will melt.

“For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.  Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.  In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.  You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!  In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle.  For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.”  Zechariah 14:2-7

This is the day of Atonement!  God will fight for Israel as he did at the Red Sea.  Will he arrive at midnight?  “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.  For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.  Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.  But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’”  Matthew 25:1-6

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.  Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”  Matthew 24:32

Jeremiah 24 shows that the fig tree represents Israel.  It is assumed that the fig tree putting forth leaves is modern Israel gaining statehood.  But if putting forth leaves represents the resurrection of old Israelites?  All manner of interpretation has gone into this generation being 40 years from 1948 or 80 years from 1948 or even 120 years from 1948.  But one thing everyone seems to miss is this:

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.  He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”  Malachi 4:5

Where is Elijah?  Some will say, “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.”  Matthew 11:14

Therefore, Elijah has already come.  Really?  Was John’s name Elijah?  Jesus is here speaking metaphorically.  Yes, John was a type of Elijah to come, but he was not the Elijah.  Scripture needs to be fulfilled literally here.  Who is going to fight on the side of Messiah when he comes?  The Israelites!!  It says, “In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them.”  Zechariah 12:8

So we also need David and his house back on earth before the Messiah can swoop down.

Recently I came across a prophetic interpretation of the days of Noah as expounded by Jesus:

“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”  Matthew 24:37-39

The interpretation started the days at the flood itself.  It counted the first 150 days as the years from the flood to the invisible presence of the Lord, 4345 years.  Then it takes the days, one for a year, up to a possible fulfillment around 2092AD.  This reminds me of people who divide Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy between the 69th and 70th weeks, but inserting 2000 or more years!

Scripture guides us:  “Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth.”  Genesis 7:6

Why not 547?  Why 600?  Because the days of Noah are to come 6,000 years from the fall of Adam.  Another heavy clue:

“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.”  Matthew 24:37

In what way did the Son of Man (Jesus) come between the flood and 1874AD?  He didn’t.  This prophecy is about the second coming, not before.  The reason we have such interpretations is because people want to force prophecy into preconceived notions.  Many the notion that the second coming and Kingdom of God must be soon.  It’s not.  This site maintains the view that the dramatic second coming, where Christ descends to stand on the Mount of Olives will occur near the year 2400AD, give or take.  No man knows the day or hour, but we can know the season:

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.”  Matthew 24:32-33

Only one psalm is attributed to Moses:
“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

Apparently there is a movement to create a merger of Christianity and Islam called Chrislam.  Rick Warren is the founder of the idea(?) and a conference was held at the Vatican under the auspices of Pope Francis in late 2014.  Rick Warren is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, a globalist group working toward world government.  Perhaps world government needs world religion?  http://theolivebranchreport.com/pope-francis-and-rick-warren-to-unite-for-global-chrislam-conference/

“Because I am confident of this, that he who has begun the good works in you will accomplish them until the day of our Master Y’shua the Mashiyach.”  Philippians 1:6 AENT

“And this I pray for, that your love may still increase and abound in knowledge and in all spiritual understanding; so that you may discern the things that are suitable, and may be pure and without offense in the day of the Mashiyach.”  Philippians 1:9-10 AENT

Paul is saying that their faith and works must grow in and through the day of the Messiah.  That’s past most people’s death.  He is including faith and works when we are resurrected in the Millennial reign.  This hints that our faith won’t be complete and tested until that time.  That Day will be very special.  It will be the seventh Day, a Sabbath, the seventh 1,000 year ‘day’ since Adam & Eve fell in the garden.

Paul speaking to Gentile believers:  “And you are built upon the foundations of the Shlichim and the prophets; and Y’shua the Mashiyach has become the head of the corner of the edifice.  And in him all the edifice is framed together and grows into a Set Apart temple in Master YHWH.  While you also are built in him for a habitation of Elohim through the Spirit.”  Ephesians 2:20-22

Continuing: “To me, among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the Mashiyach.  And should show to all men what is the architecture of the mystery which for ages was hid up in Elohim might become known to the principalities and powers that are in heaven.”  Ephesians 2:8-10

“And that you may be able to explore, with all the Set Apart believers, what is the height and depth and length and breadth,”  Ephesians 2:18

“Until we all become one and the same, in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of Elohim, and one complete man according to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Mashiyach.”  Ephesians 3:13

“And from him (it is) the whole body is framed together and strongly melded by all the connecting points, according to the gift that is delivered by measure to each member for the growth of the body; that his structure may be perfected in love.”  Ephesians 3:16

All these verses are from the Aramaic English New Testament.  It is striking the architectural language.  Could Paul have had in mind the Temple or the Great Pyramid?  Peter also uses this imagery.  The cross section of the internal compartments of the Great Pyramid looks like a man.

Here is a great article comparing Cyrus and Christ.  The downfall of the Babylonian and Papal systems are compared.  And the resettlement of Isreal back then and in our day are compared.  http://www.biblestudentarchives.com/documents/CyrusChrist.pdf

The 70 years desolation are compared from our day and back then.  But there is a wider similarity.  Just as it was decreed to rebuild Jerusalem and then the Messiah would came, so it will be in our day.  Messiah came 70 weeks or 490 years later.  The same will be true in our day.  Exactly what the start date is, is not yet known, whether it be 1874 or 1911 or some other.  Jesus will come at Armageddon 490 years later.

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”  2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV

“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.”  NLT

“ Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”  NKJV

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”  KJV

What test?  Notice how vague these verses are about the ‘test’ or what constitutes being disqualified or reprobates.  These are all translated from Greek manuscripts.  Then we come to the older Aramaic manuscript:

“Examine yourselves, whether you stand in the faith: prove yourselves.  Don’t you acknowledge that Y’shua the Mashiyach is in you?  And if he is not, you are despised and against Torah.”  AENT

So true believers are doing Torah!  That is the test!  Yes, the ten commandments and the feasts of YHWH still are in force.  What Jesus and Paul railed against was following the letter of the law without the spirit of the law.  (And against the Jewish Talmudic traditions that nullified the Mosaic Torah.)  The ultimate completion with no Law is still way future when sin and death have been eliminated.

On any given Sunday, you may hear grace emphasized with many passages to support it.  On another Sunday, you may hear judgment pounded on with many passages to support it.  Sometimes Christians seem a bit schizophrenic that way.  Which is it?  The truth is both.  We have to realize that they don’t necessarily happen at the same time.  The problem is that churches teach that this (first) life is it – you either have faith and go to heaven, or you don’t and you burn in hell, or at least you have eternal separation from God.  That’s wrong.  The bible promises a resurrection for everyone, and it means everyone.

“Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.”  Isaiah 26:19

“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;
    I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
    Where, O grave, is your destruction?”  Hosea 13:14

“Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people.  I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land.  Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.”  Ezekiel 37:12-14

“Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”  Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”  “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”  John 11:21-25

“Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again.”  John 5:28-29

“But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’  So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”  Luke 20:37-38

All will live again: that’s grace!  But what we have done will come back – to bless us or haunt us.  “Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.  I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.”  John 5:29-30

Here Jesus confirms that what we have done will have consequences.  We must repent and forgive lest we are prohibited from the kingdom of heaven.  Remember Jesus’ words: “On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.”  Matthew 7:22-23

We must conform to God’s ways or we will be excluded from the kingdom of Heaven.  However, this potential exclusion cannot happen unto our second life during the Millennial reign!