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Pt. 21
DAY 1,335: GREAT DAY OF THE LORD
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Armageddon: War, Darkness & Desolation
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The 144,000 Elect Are Gathered from the Four
Winds
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The 1,000 Year Millennial Delay of Judgment
Armageddon: War, Darkness & Desolation
The Hebrew Calendar climaxes at that momentous day
when both the Father and the Son are revealed to deal with sin and to conclude
the wrath of Almighty. The Great Tribulation will have begun 40 days earlier,
when the seven angels with their trumpets and plagues emerge to punish
unrepentant humanity. In a few short weeks, Day 1,335, the blessed day of
waiting will arrive, the Great Day of the LORD. According to Revelation,
Messiah will mount His horse, and the army of angels and great multitude of
saints the LORD will bring with Him.
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The whole earth will
become like a desolate wilderness. The ruins of cities and towns destroyed by
earthquakes, uprooted trees, ragged rocks thrown out by the sea and torn out of
the earth itself
…
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“Every eye will see Him,” says Revelation 1:7. The
opening of the sixth seal brings with it colossal changes in the sun, moon and
stars, while on earth fiery destruction is about to be unleashed upon the wicked.
Sinners will run to hide from the “face of Him who sits on the throne [Father]
and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the Great Day of their wrath has come, and
who can stand?” No sinner will remain, according to the evidence of God’s Word.
The sixth trumpet sounds,
and the four angels are released to battle. All who are not killed in the
military uprising, because of their unrepentant hearts, will meet their doom in
the winepress of God’s wrath.
“Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and
their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great,”
(Revelation 19:17-18). It is the feast of righteous retribution in response to
the cry from the martyred souls of the last days, “How long, Sovereign LORD,
holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our
blood? Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a
little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were
to be killed as they had been was completed,” (Revelation 6:10-11).
At the
celebration banquet, Almighty God serves up the demise of all remaining sin and
sinners, and with it, the sweet taste of victory over Lucifer and his evil
army. The great Deceiver will be captured and imprisoned
along with the evil angels, that is, “powers in the heavens above” (Jude 6-7)
who have employed supernatural events in the skies and around the globe to
deceive the masses. The fallen ones are imprisoned for 1,000 years until their
release, judgment and fiery execution.
“In that Day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above [demonic
angels] and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded together like
prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished
after many days,” (Isaiah 24:21-22).
The prophets of old wrote the Great Day of the LORD
is a day of bitter crying, wrath, trouble, pain, darkness, gloom, clouds,
blackness, trumpet and battle. “In the fire of His jealousy the whole world
will be consumed, for He will make a sudden end of all who live in the
earth,” (Zephaniah 1:14-18). “See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth
and devastate it; He will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants… the earth
is completely laid waste and totally plundered… the earth is defiled by its
people; they have disobeyed the laws [of God], violated the statutes and broken
the Everlasting Covenant [Ten Commandments]. Therefore a curse consumes the
earth… earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left [that is, only
the redeemed],” (Isaiah 24:1-6). Included in the great sea of fire will be
Antichrist and the False Prophet,
and all the remnant of sinners will be slain by the Word of the LORD and the
brightness of His glory.
The whole earth will become like a desolate
wilderness. The ruins of cities and towns destroyed by earthquakes, uprooted
trees, ragged rocks thrown out by the sea and torn out of the earth itself will
be scattered over its surface, while vast caverns mark the spots where the
mountains have been moved off their foundations. Jeremiah wrote, “I looked at
the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light
was gone. I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were
swaying. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown
away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins
before the LORD, before His fierce anger. This is what the LORD says: The whole
land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely. Therefore the
earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will
not relent. I have decided and will not turn back,” (Jeremiah 4:23-28). As a
result, the planet will sit in total darkness for 1,000 years of Sabbath rest.
The 144,000 Elect Are Gathered from the Four
Winds
The 144,000 elect from the twelve tribes of Israel,
those who were alive and remained on earth from Yom Kippur to Day 1,335, will be
caught up in the air and gathered from the four winds. As the Great Tribulation
nears its end (Day 1,335), “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky…
they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and
great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will
gather His elect [144,000] from the four winds, from one end of the
heavens to the other,” (Matthew 24:30-31). The prophet Isaiah prophesies, “And
it shall be said [by the long-suffering saints] in that day, Lo, this is our
God; we have waited [40 days] for Him, and He will save us: this is the
LORD, we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His
salvation,” (Isaiah 25:9). As it is written, “Blessed is the one who waits
for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days,” (Daniel 12:12).
Following this gathering, the unrepentant are
destroyed in the fire of God’s wrath, while faithful believers of the Most High
will possess the kingdom forever.
The 144,000 elect will travel [with the army of saints] to the City of
God to stand on Mount Zion in Heaven (Revelation 14:1-5).
A song only they can learn will be sung in praise and worship to Adonai. This
select group of redeemed, who will live through the most horrendous period of
destruction and demonic deception (Matthew 24:20-25), will “follow the Lamb
wherever He goes” as His beloved companion.
The delay will be spiritually, emotionally and
physically exhausting, but well worth the wait. Titus 2:11-13 concludes, “For
the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to
say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and live self-controlled, upright
and godly lives in the present age, while we wait for the blessed
hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
The warning of the last days will go forth that time
is short, and decisions of life or death must be made. Paul wrote the “wages of
sin is death,” (Romans 6:23). No sinner, nor anyone in a physical state, will
continue alive into a 1,000 year period on earth. There is no second chance, for
either one is taken up in the care of God’s angelic protectors and on to Heaven,
or doomed to fiery destruction.
The Judgment Court announcement is proclaimed just before the Day of the LORD
begins, that seals the destiny of every living man, woman and child, and
settles the matter: “Let
him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be
vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy
continue to be holy. Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will
give to everyone according to what he has done,” (Revelation 22:11-12). All
that remains for the Court of Heaven is to either offer reward for the repentant
or mete out fiery punishment for evil-doers who remain alive on Planet Earth.
The book of Revelation focuses on two major
groups—the 144,000 elect of the twelve tribes of Israel and the “great
multitude” of all nations. The 144,000 sealed saints, “who are still alive
and are left” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) upon earth at the resurrection of those who
are asleep in Christ, must endure the last 40 days of earth’s history—the Great
Tribulation. They are hand-picked and sealed by God. After enduring 40 days of
running for their lives, they will be caught up in the air and rescued from the
Armageddon battle at the end of the 1,335 days.
For the sake of clarification, the twelve tribes are
never referred to as tribulation “witnesses” in the Word of God. This is a
fabricated teaching by modern-day futurists who are obliged to find a group to
take the place of the missing church stashed away in Heaven during a lengthy
seven year tribulation (which itself is an erroneous teaching). Instead, the
church (of both Jew and Gentile Christians) is to remain as faithful ambassadors
of God’s love and grace through the final trial, all the way to the edge of
eternity. Jesus said, “Therefore [church of God] go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely
I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Although personal repentance and trust in the LORD
can come at any time for anyone, Israel’s national salvation is not realized
until the full number of Gentile believers is completed, which occurs during the
final years of human history. It is the duty of the church, not the 144,000, to
witness and harvest the full number of Gentiles. Whereas, the Deliverer
Himself, as the final and living “Witness” of God’s love, will chose His elect
from the twelve tribes of Israel at the very edge of eternity, sealing them for
divine protection. “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full
number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel [144,000 of all twelve
tribes] will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion; He
will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is My covenant with
them when I take away their sins,’” (Romans 11:25-27).
In addition to the 144,000 elect, John “saw thrones
on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the
souls of those [alive in glorious bodies] who had been beheaded [martyred—the
“great multitude” of every nationality] because of their testimony for Jesus and
because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and
had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands [for they are
overcomers of the last-day drama]. They came to life [in resurrection at the
voice of Michael the Archangel at Yom Kippur] and reigned with Christ a thousand
years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life [but remained in the state of
death] until the thousand years were ended [and the Day of Judgment arrived].)
Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection [for they are
the keepers of law and order—the ruling leaders of the dominion of God]. The
second death has not power over them, but they will be priest of God and of
Christ [in the Temple] and will reign with Him for a thousand years [in
the City of God above],” (Revelation 20:4-6).
The great multitude of martyred believers—those who
“overcome” even at the point of death (Jew and Gentile alike who have faced the
last trial without denying Christ—Revelation 7:9) will be resurrected on the Day
of the LORD. This is not the general resurrection of all saints, which comes at
the end of the thousand years. This is a special resurrection (like the special
resurrection at the crucifixion)
made up primarily of the “wise” teachers of righteousness.
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The observance of rules
and regulations can never fix salvation, and Paul understood the arrival of
Messiah as a sin bearer placed the emphasis upon a personal relationship with
Jesus above all…
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Hashem’s overall plan is revealed in Holy Writ, but
some matters will remain a mystery until the voice of God is heard calling forth
the dead.
For this reason, we cannot be emphatic here. There will no doubt be faithful
saints from ages past who are also resurrected at Yom Kippur along with the
tribulation saints. However, in Revelation, the primary emphasis is on the
“end-day tribulation saints” who have stood firm in the midst of global
apostasy—those who will not revere the beast, but trust in God for their future
well-being and eternal life.
These individuals will live holy lives during the
great final trial. They will not deny Yeshua or the Holy Covenant to follow
Antichrist, even at the threat of death. For this reason, they will be the
priestly rulers in God’s dominion for all eternity. They will administrate over
other believers in God’s kingdom, those who will pass through the Great White
Throne Judgment to life eternal. “Hold on to what you have until I come,” Jesus
said. “To him who overcomes and does My will to the end, I will give authority
over the nations—‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to
pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from My Father. I will
also give him the morning star,” (Revelation 2:25-28). As the night hours end,
the rising of the Son penetrates the world’s darkness with the brilliant light
of resurrection and the supernal Sabbath.
Yeshua made it clear that in Heaven one’s standing,
or position, is based upon that person’s attitude toward God’s Law and His
inspired Word, the Hebrew Scriptures. Here are Christ’s own words: “Do not
think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets [Hebrew teachings]; I
have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth,
until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and
teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of
heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 5:17-19). Jesus never
diminished the obligations of the law during His ministry on earth, but neither
did He say that law-keeping saves. He alone saves.
Whether Jew or Gentile, we ought to decide in good
conscience what YHVH requires of us. The cross changed everything in that the
emphasis moved from doing to believing. The problem comes when some
individual or group says you must do this or that to be accepted by God.
Paul confronted over-zealous Jews who were “demanding” Gentiles be circumcised
and observe certain days in order to be saved. The observance of rules and
regulations can never fix salvation, and Paul understood the arrival of Messiah
as a sin bearer placed the emphasis upon a personal relationship with Jesus
above all else, who offers His Spirit to guide and teach us each step of the
way.
Our standing with God is secure in our personal
relationship with the Savior. However, the question remains, “Will you be
considered a valiant follower of Jesus on the day of reckoning, or be numbered
among the least?” It will be based in part upon the attitude of your heart and
the record of your actions. How do you treat others who live or worship
differently from you? Would you ever join others in forcing seventh-day
Sabbath-keepers to keep a Sunday rest, should it ever be legislated? Do you
ridicule those who eat differently than you, or celebrate holy days you consider
unimportant? Let each individual decide, based on his/her conscience, what is
considered acts of worship and faithfulness to the LORD, and leave the rest to
God. “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers
every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He
who regards one day as special, does so to the LORD. He who eats meat, eats to
the LORD, for he gives thanks to God,” (Romans 14:5-6).
This truth is not diminished by time and culture; it
is as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. Obedience is a matter of personal
conviction, and the days you consider as sacred are between you and God.
Whatever we do, let it be a sweet fragrance to our Savior and not a means of
winning God’s favor for salvation, which cannot be bought, earned or coerced.
In contrast, Antichrist, in the spirit of satanic
rebellion against Almighty God, will demand that we break the Law of YHVH
and keep manmade laws instead. Do not let him rule over you. Laws will
be enacted to force religious observances upon the people. Do not let
neighbors, friends or family members discourage you from faithfulness to Christ,
whoever they may be. You, in turn, are not to demand that others follow
your convictions. If you believe it to be important, lead by example, with
love and gentleness. “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though
they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on
the Day He visits us,” (1 Peter 2:12).
At the appointed time of the end, many “Christians”
will join in the Pope’s lawlessness and in compelling others by threat of life
and limb to keep Sunday as the Sabbath instead of the seventh day. Worship of
the Virgin Mary will likely be compelled and idolatry promoted. He will place
demands upon the saints to forsake the Law of God. It is foretold that
Antichrist will “vent his fury against the Holy Covenant [Ten Commandments]. He
will return and show favor to those who forsake the Holy Covenant. His armed
forces will rise up to desecrate the Temple fortress and will abolish the daily
activities at the Temple Mount. Then they will set up the abomination that
causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the
[Holy] Covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him,”
(Daniel 11:30-32). “He will speak against the Most High and oppress His saints
and try to change the set times [of worship and religious rites established by
God] and the [divine] laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time,
times and half a time [1,260 days],” (Daniel 7:25).
Only God, and God alone, can do away with laws,
which He Himself established. No human has the right to add or delete divine
commands, not even the Pope.
The 1,000 Year Millennial Delay of Judgment
A thousand years is as a day to Adonai. The sixth
millennium of man’s work and activity is nearly over, just as the week of
creation prefigured. Soon the seventh will begin, the one thousand year
millennium of “repose” from war, conflict and disruptions that both Heaven and
earth have endured down through the ages. In the peaceful setting of Heaven, in
a long Sabbath rest, the ruling believers will help administer the eternal
kingdom that will be established upon the earth after the Great White Throne
Judgment. Although God will one day write His Law in our hearts, we will not
become mindless robots. There will be important decisions, and God will allow
the overcomers opportunity to judge: “Do you not know that we will judge [rule
over] angels? How much more the things of this life!” (1 Corinthians 6:3).
Revelation 20:11-15 and other references in the
Scriptures, indicate that, at the close of the thousand years, the second and
general resurrection will take place of both the righteous and wicked.
All who were not raised in the first resurrection will be called up to be judged
for life or death. Whether they died on land or sea, the planet will release its
lifeless victims: “The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades
[grave] gave up the dead that were in them,” (Revelation 20:13). The Great
White Throne Judgment will be called into session. John saw “the dead, great
and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was
opened which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they
had done as recorded in the books,” (Revelation 20:12).
“All nations will be gathered before Him, and He
will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from
the goats. He will put His sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then
the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My
Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation
of the world’… then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who
are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels’… then
they will go away to eternal punishment [“to suffer the punishment of eternal
fire,” (Jude 5-7), along with the evil angels and Lucifer—Ezekiel 28:16-19], but
the righteous to eternal life,” (Matthew 25:31-46).
Peter states with clarity the earth is the location
of the eternal fire and the punishment of sinners, and the Word of God is very
forthright about the literal destruction of sinners. “By the same word the
present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of
Judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 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. The LORD is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand
slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to
come to repentance. But the Day of the LORD will come like a thief. The heavens
will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the
earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will
be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live
holy and godly lives as you look forward to the Day of God and speed its coming.
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the
elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking
forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness,” (2 Peter
3:7-13).
The
prophet Malachi wrote, “Surely the Day is coming; it will burn like a furnace.
All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that Day that is coming
will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be
left to them. But for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise
with healing in its wings… Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be
ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the
LORD Almighty,” (4:1-3).
Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake.
Satan will also be unleashed from his prison at the end of the millennium, for
the last and great finale! At the Great White Throne judgment, everyone will be
humbled before God. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD,
‘every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God,’” (Romans
14:11) that He is LORD. However, it will be too late for the mob of sinners.
Their destiny was sealed long before by their faithless life of disobedience.
Therefore, the goats (sinners) will hear the sentence of death, which is eternal
separation from God.
Upon recognition of their fiery fate, Lucifer will
work the crowd to muster one last attempt to take the New Jerusalem. How much
time is given him, we are not told. But he will lead the evil horde of sinners
in a march towards the City of God to surround and attack it. Nevertheless, God
will call fire to rain down upon them, burning up all sinners and sin,
including Satan.
John saw the result of the global fire: “the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I
saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her Husband… Now the dwelling of God
is with men, and He will live with them… He will wipe every tear from their
eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain [in God’s entire
universe], for the old order of things has passed away [forever out of sight and
mind],” (Revelation 21:1-4).
In contrast to old Jerusalem and her wicked
inhabitants—the spiritual prostitute of idolatry during the appointed
time of the end, the redeemed will live in the City of God, the beautiful
Bride. Abraham longed [not for the earthly city, but] for the Heavenly, “for
he was looking forward to the City with foundations, whose architect and builder
is God,” (Hebrews 11:10). Great patriarchs of faith “were longing for a better
country—a heavenly one,” (verse 16). Paul wrote, “for we do not have an
enduring city [Jerusalem, on earth], but we are looking for the City that is to
come [from Heaven above],” (Hebrews 13:14). Jesus promised: “I am going there
to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am,” (John 14:2-3).
“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be
glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to
be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take
delight in My people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no
more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an
old man who does not live out his years… They will build houses and dwell in
them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build
houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a
tree, so will be the days of My people; My chosen ones will long enjoy the works
of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to
misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their
descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still
speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion
will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will
neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, says the LORD,” (Isaiah
65:17-25).
“Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up
to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us
His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.’” The law will go out from Zion, the
word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will
settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against
nation, nor will they train for war anymore,” (Isaiah 2:3-4).
May we each be found within the City walls as
servants of the Most High God, for it was Christ’s blood and sacrificial death
at Calvary, and His resurrection to life, that has made our eternal salvation a
living reality.
“Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.
Sin has left a crimson stain; He washed me white as
snow.”
Revelation 20:7-10; 2 Peter 3:7-10
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