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Biblical Prophecies
It was a study of the prophecies many, many years ago which
led Ron Wyatt to his profound belief in the accuracy of the Bible. The complete
and extremely precise fulfillment of prophecies written thousands of years ago
were to him a most overwhelming evidence of the Divine Inspiration of this Book.
That, coupled with the archaeological evidences of the last few centuries, led
to Ron's work today.
One of the archaeological discoveries which provided him a
most profound basis for acceptance of the King James Bible was the Dead Sea
Scrolls. Containing fragments of every Old Testament Book but one, he saw that
they were almost identical to the texts used in the translation of the KJV.
Here, for the first time, were fragments written from before and perhaps during
the time of Christ, which verified our Bible. The voices which cried out that
the Bible was unreliable due to errors which occurred over the years were
finally silenced -- at least, for him.
With the knowledge that the Scriptures of the Old Testament
were preserved uncorrupted in the texts used to translate the KJV, he then found
evidence that these Scriptures were truly Divinely Inspired. In studying the
prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation, along with other prophecies spread
throughout the Bible, he discovered that all those already fulfilled had been
fulfilled in an incredibly precise manner. He found no flaws in the chain of
prophecies.
However, today we hear constantly of prophecy teachers who
are presenting interpretations of prophetic events (which Ron believed to be
already fulfilled) in a manner which places them in the future. And what we will
attempt to do this issue, is present our beliefs- based on Scriptures- as to
certain of the prophecies, as well as some of the symbolism used in prophecy.
What you will discover is that we are of the belief that we are much closer to
Christ's return than most of the other interpretations. One thing we would like
to stress is- PLEASE read the Scriptures presented in this text. They are the
sole basis for our acceptance of any Biblical principle. DON'T skip though them
and simply read our comments, because without the Scriptures, our comments are
worthless.
WHY DO WE BELIEVE CHRIST'S RETURN IS NEAR?
With all the differing interpretations of prophecies
relating to Christ's return, the one thing most have in common is that they all
agree that the time is near. Why NOW? Why at the end of 6,000 years? Why not at
the end of the NEXT 1,000 years? There is a passage in the Bible which indicates
that there is to be 6,000 years of the earth's existence under sin, and then
Christ returns:
2PETER 3:3-10 Knowing this first, that there shall come in
the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is
the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they
willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old,
and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world
that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the
earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire
against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not
ignorant of this one thing, that ONE DAY IS WITH THE LORD AS A THOUSAND YEARS,
AND A THOUSAND YEARS AS ONE DAY. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But THE DAY OF THE
LORD will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
In this passage, Peter talks about the time when "the
day of the Lord" will come (v. 10)- that the scoffers will be saying,
"You expect us to believe He's coming after all this time when everything's
going along as it has since the beginning?" (v. 3, 4). But he assures the
reader that Christ WILL come, and he tells them a bit of information which he
felt they needed to know- information which would assure that they had some idea
of WHEN this would occur -- and that information is that ONE DAY with God is
equivalent to a thousand years, and vice-versa. Therefore, the "day of the
Lord," which Peter was talking about, is to be understood as consisting of
what WE know as 1,000 years.
Another point to be understood is that here, Peter makes
reference to the fact that "by the Word of God" the heavens and the
earth "were" (created). This reference to God as the Creator is what
gives the "day as a thousand years" principle it's complete
explanation. Peter's reference to God as the "Creator" is reflected in
the fourth Commandment, and is the statement which identifies Him as the True
God- the "Creator" of heaven and earth. He created it in six days and
rested on the seventh.
EXODUS 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy
son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle,
nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh
day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Types & Shadows- Vital to Understanding
Prophecy
Is it possible that God's creation of the earth in six
days, (resting on the seventh), is the same principle reflecting the 6,000 years
that this planet is to exist in a state of sin and bondage under Satan (resting
during the last 1,000 years)? We believe this to be the case. Clearer
establishment of this principle is seen when God gives the ordinances for the
Sabbatical years:
LEVITICUS 25:2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel,... ,When
ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a Sabbath
unto the LORD. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt
prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year
shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt
neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own
accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy
vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
The fourth Commandment speaks of the Sabbath rest for man-
HERE we read of a Sabbath rest for THE LAND. Therefore, in typology, could this
represent the 1/7 of time "rest" for the earth?
In the next passage, He further establishes a cycle of
seven sabbaths which are followed by the Jubilee:
LEVITICUS 25:8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years
unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of
years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
The Jubilee occurs AFTER the seven sabbatical cycles take
place, or AFTER the land has had it's allotted rest for 1/7 of the time:
LEVITICUS 25:9-13 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the
jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of
atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye
shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land
unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall
return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his
family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow,
neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it
of thy vine undressed. For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: ye
shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. In the year of this jubilee
ye shall return every man unto his possession.
In "type" it appears that the earth is to have
it's Sabbath rest. In the Mosaic law, this was represented by the seventh year
in which the land was not farmed. After seven of these cycles, the jubilee year
was celebrated in which everything reverted back to the original owners- AND all
slaves were set free. The number seven is used many times in the Bible and it is
accepted by most people that this number, when used in symbolic language,
represents perfection. Therefore, the symbolism represented by the jubilee seems
to represent the time AFTER the completion of the earth's existence in sin AND
the final rest of the earth.
If indeed the Lord is to return at the end of 6,000 years,
then there will remain a 1,000 year rest for the land. AFTER THIS, comes the
jubilee when everything is restored. Is this a plausible concept? We believe it
is.
Belief of the Early Church
What did the early church believe? Is this idea about
Christ's returning at the end of 6,000 years a "new" concept? No, far
from it. In his book, Even at the Door, G. Edward Reid provides ample evidence
of the early belief in this same concept in this excerpt from his book, p. 129:
Justin Martyr (c. 100-c. 165) writes when discussing the millennium in his
Dialogue with Trypho,
"We have perceived, moreover, that the expression, `The
day of the Lord is as a thousand years' is connected with this subject."
(i.e., the 1,000 years.)
Justin Martyr, Dialogue With Trypho, Chapter LXXXI.
Footnotes cite Ps. 90:4 and II Peter 3:8.)
Irenaeus (c. 130-c. 202) writes,
"For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in
six days created things were completed; it is evident therefore, that they
will come to an end at the six thousandth year," (Irenaeus, Against
Heresies, Book V, xxviii, 3. Footnote cites II Peter 3:8.)
Hippolytus (died c. 236) writes,
"For the Sabbath is the type and emblem of the future
kingdom of the saints, when they shall reign with Christ, when He comes from
heaven, as John says in his Apocalypse. For a day with the Lord is as a
thousand years. Since, then, in six days God made all things, it follows that
6000 years must be fulfilled." (Hippolytus, Fragments From Commentaries,
Section on Daniel 2, chapter 4.)
"Types & Shadows" in the Mosaic Law
After Christ died, the apostles went to great lengths to
try to make the Jewish people understand the temporary purposes of the Mosaic
law, "the handwriting of ordinances."
GALATIANS 3:23-25 But before faith came, we were kept under the
law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore THE
LAW WAS OUR SCHOOLMASTER TO BRING US UNTO CHRIST, that we might be justified
by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
The word "law" here also means
"ordinances" and clearly refers to what the Jews called "the
law", (the law of Moses)- it is not the Ten Commandments (the Law of God).
Everything in those ordinances (Mosaic law) was designed to point forward to
Christ and His work, both on earth and in Heaven. In Hebrews, Paul explains that
there was no forgiveness in the sacrifices made under that law, but that they
were designed to teach the people about the work of the Messiah:
HEBREWS 9:23-10:1 It was therefore necessary that THE PATTERNS
OF THINGS IN THE HEAVENS should be purified with these; but the heavenly
things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered
into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but
into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that
he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place
every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since
the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.... For THE LAW HAVING A
SHADOW OF GOOD THINGS TO COME, AND NOT THE VERY IMAGE OF THE THINGS, can never
with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the
comers thereunto perfect.
The "types and shadows" of the Mosaic law, which
included the sacrificial system, were illustrations of the "things in the
heavenly" (sanctuary). These things showed us how God operates.
PSALMS 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:...
As a God of total and complete order, and as a perfectly just
yet merciful God, He explained the entire plan of salvation to man through the
system of "types and shadows" of the Mosaic law. He does not just
arbitrarily decide to do something without reason. He gave the nation of Israel
the sabbatical years and the jubilee to impress major truths in their minds.
In the ordinances God gave to Moses for the establishment of
the government of Israel, the jubilee was the time when the land reverted back
to it's original owners and all slaves were set free- everything was restored,
so to speak. Of course, we know that Satan won temporary ruler-ship over the
planet by lies and deception when he persuaded Adam and Eve to disobey God by
eating of the forbidden fruit and he still maintains his ruler-ship. The TRUE
Jubilee represents the time when the earth reverts back to its original
"owner" and Creator, God, who then gives the promised inheritance to
the saints.
MICAH 4:8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of
the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even THE FIRST DOMINION; the
kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
And just as the jubilee year occurred AFTER the seven
sabbatical cycles during which the land had it's rest, the TRUE jubilee occurs
AFTER the earth has completed it's seven "typical days" which include
it's rest of 1/7 of that time, or one thousand years.
The picture now can be seen- if a day equals 1,000 years in
"type or shadow", then the earth is to exist in sin for 6,000 years
(1,000 years for each day of the active creation week). It is to observe it's
Sabbath rest of 1,000 years, during which time, the land is not tilled nor
harvested- this is represented in "type" by the sabbatical year:
LEVITICUS 25:4 But in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of
rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field,
nor prune thy vineyard.
THEN, comes the true Jubilee, represented in "type"
by the Jubilee year:
LEVITICUS 25:10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and
proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it
shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his
possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
The TRUE Jubilee arrives- the land is restored to it's
original owner, God, Who then gives the promised inheritance to His people who
live on the land (earth) throughout the ageless eons of time.
The Millennium- the Earth is "Without Form &
Void"
The subject of the "millennium" is where many people
vary in thought. Many believe that the earth is held captive by Satan for 6,000
years, and that then Christ returns at the end of the 6,000 years and He and His
saints live on the earth for 1,000 years. However, this is not what the
Scriptures indicate. They indicate a time when the earth is completely desolate,
uninhabited, and untilled:
JEREMIAH 4:23-28 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without
form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the
mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld,
and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I
beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities
thereof were BROKEN DOWN AT THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, AND BY HIS FIERCE ANGER.
For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not
make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be
black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent,
neither will I turn back from it.
This wonderful passage tells us that there will be a time when
the earth will be completely desolate, and that this is the result of everything
being "broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by His fierce
anger". It also tells us that although the "whole land shall be
desolate", that it will not be the "full end", which indicates
quite plainly that it will again one day be inhabited. And finally, we are told,
these events described WILL come to pass, and God makes this VERY clear by His
statements, "because I have spoken it, and will NOT repent, neither will I
turn back from it." This is NOT a conditional promise, it is a statement of
FACT.
Conditional Promises vs. Prophecy of Future Events
Throughout the Bible, we read of promises God made which were
conditional on obedience. It is extremely important not to confuse prophecies of
events that will (or have) occurred, with God's promises of things which would
have come to pass if certain requirements were met (or would not come to pass if
the requirements were NOT met). A good example is Jonah's being called by God to
warn Nineveh of it's impending destruction:
JONAH 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's
journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown.
When the people of Nineveh heard God's warning through Jonah,
they repented and the destruction was averted.
JONAH 3:5,10 So the people of Nineveh believed God,... even to
the least of them: And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil
way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto
them; AND HE DID IT NOT.
This principle is explained in Jeremiah:
JEREMIAH 18:7-10 At what instant I shall speak concerning a
nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to
destroy it; IF THAT NATION, against whom I have pronounced, TURN FROM THEIR
EVIL, I WILL REPENT OF THE EVIL THAT I THOUGHT TO DO UNTO THEM. And at what
instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build
and to plant it; IF IT DO EVIL IN MY SIGHT, that it obey not my voice, THEN I
WILL REPENT OF THE GOOD, WHEREWITH I SAID I WOULD BENEFIT THEM.
Since the Lord was speaking directly to Israel at this time,
this demonstrates that this principle applies to all nations, including Israel.
"Prophecy" ALWAYS Comes to Pass
Prophecy, as opposed to conditional promises, tells of events
that will occur, regardless. In Daniel, for example, a statement is included in
one of his prophecies which gives emphasis to the fact that the events will
occur:
DANIEL 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and
upon thy holy city, to..., and to..., and to..., and to..., and TO SEAL UP THE
VISION AND PROPHECY, and to...
Therefore, we understand the difference between
"conditional promises" and "prophecy"- "prophecy"
presents events which WILL come to pass.
But returning to the 6,000 year principle, we need to study a
great deal more. After all, this concept provides the entire basis of all
present day belief in the return of Christ at this particular time. With the
"day of the Lord" being a literal 1,000 year period, we know from
"types and shadows" that this "Sabbath for the land" shows
the earth has NOT had it's Sabbath rest for 6,000 years. Yet, present day
interpretations of events nullify the principle because they place the saints on
the earth during this time.
THE Millennium- Where are the Saints?
The question now is "where do the saints live and reign
with Christ" for the 1,000 years"? The Bible tells us that we need to
study God's Word for understanding:
2TIMOTHY 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The ENTIRE Word of God must be taken into account. Both the
Old Testament AND the New Testament must be studied carefully for the entire
picture.
ISAIAH 28:9-10 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he
make to understand doctrine? ... For precept must be upon precept, precept
upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a
little:
ALL the information on a subject must be gathered from the
entire Bible. And therefore, we find information on the subject of the events of
the millennium NOT just in Revelation, but all through the Bible. The popular
concept is that Christ will return at the end of 6,000 years and then reign on
earth for 1,000 years with the saints.
But when the disciples wanted to go with Christ when He was
about to leave (to return to heaven) Christ TOLD them WHERE HE WAS GOING, and
WHERE HE WOULD TAKE THEM when He came for them:
JOHN 14:2-3 IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS: if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also.
And can we be sure His Father's house is in Heaven?
HEBREWS 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto THE
CITY OF THE LIVING GOD, THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM, and to an innumerable company
of angels.
GALATIANS 4:25-26 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and
answereth to Jerusalem which NOW is, and is in bondage with her children. But
JERUSALEM WHICH IS ABOVE IS FREE,...
When Christ returns at the end of the 6,000 years, He receives
the saints, both those dead and those still alive:
1THESSALONIANS 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The saints meet Him in the clouds, and return with Him to His
Father's house, where He has prepared a place for those who are His.
BIBLICAL
PROPHECIES, PART II
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