Please read two articles on our website, What Does Lawlessness Mean in the New Testament? and Are Two Houses Scriptural?, before reading this article. They contain important foundational information that must be understood before reading The End of Days. Thank you.
We do not claim to be end-times experts at The Way of the Messiah; just students of the Word of God. This article expresses our opinion, based on Scripture as we’ve studied it, and is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Anyone who says they “know” exactly how it will be in the end times beyond any shadow of a doubt is a liar or does not study the Word.
We’ve found that studying Revelation in isolation can cause difficulty. Many people compare Revelation and Daniel, looking only at those two books, studying them exclusively. There’s a lot of help to be gained from Daniel, but erroneous conclusions can result from leaving out what the Messiah said, and to some degree, information found in the epistles as well. This article endeavors to put all of this information into a cohesive whole.
To get a good foundational start let’s look at Daniel 12:1-4:
1. “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.
2. "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
3. "Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
4. "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase."
This passage tells us that at the end of time, knowledge will increase, and that “many” (people) will go back and forth. Today, this is the norm in our lifestyle and that of the majority of the world. We are also in the information age, so this Scripture seems a very good fit to our day.
Revelation chapters 2-3 give us two statements that are made to each “church”. After chapter 3, the word “church” is not used again. These statements are as follows:
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree *of life, which is in the Paradise of God. Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. Revelation 2:11
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. Revelation 2:17
26. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS;
27. AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father;
28. and I will give him the morning star.
29. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 2:26-29 (capitalization, NASB)
5. He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:5-6
12. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
13. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:12-13
21. 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:21-22
What two statements are consistently made? “…to him who overcomes…” and “…he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says…”
So, there is something to overcome and something to which we must listen closely that the Spirit is saying at the end of days.
Now let’s look at a few more Scriptures:
1. After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." Rev. 7: 1-3
Everyone knows about the mark of the beast, but not many know that there is a sealing that God is going to do. Look at this Old Testament reference regarding the sealing of God:
3. Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case.
4. Yahweh said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst."
5. But to the others He said in my hearing, "Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare.
6. "Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary." So they started with the elders who were before the temple. Ezekiel 9:3-6
What is it that these two passages tell us? Destruction cannot come until the righteous of God are sealed first. Then, those who are not sealed are dealt with and those who are sealed are protected. We believe we are in the time of God’s sealing; God is sealing those who will let Him.
In the article Are Two Houses Scriptural? what did we learn was God’s sign, His seal?
His Sabbaths, including the Sabbaths during the Feasts
There’s a huge influx of non-Jewish people, believers in the Messiah, who are beginning to keep these biblical commandments, just like the Messiah kept them. Today, we are seeing something that hasn’t been seen since
How many of you grew up or have been under one of these ideas? Either
Pre-tribulation doctrine?
Mid-tribulation doctrine?
Post tribulation doctrine?
Well, we grew up under one of these, too.
As we understand it, the pre-tribulation tradition came out of the 1800s, and it was not a doctrine that was believed and held to until then. The Scofield Bible helped to promote this idea, because that was his particular view. Prior to that, we find no evidence that the vast majority of believers held to that belief, but it has definitely gained prominence in our day.
Pre-tribulation (and mid-tribulation) doctrine necessitates two raptures (catching away with Y’shua to escape the tribulation). These raptures are:
1) before the 7 year tribulation
2) a later tribulation for those who came to belief in Messiah after the
first rapture
The church has promoted the pre-tribulation doctrine, but as we have studied and investigated all three, we found Scriptures that caused us to dig deeper. It is appropriate that we identify here the only word used that is translated as “rapture” or “coming” from the Greek in Scripture, and that word is:
Parousia
Strong’s New Testament 3952:
parousia (par-oo-see'-ah); from the present participle of NT:3918; a being near, i.e. advent (often, return; specifically, of Christ to punish
This word is interesting, because it is only used in the singular. Some examples of where this word can be found are:
“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be”. Matt 24:27
"For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah”. Matt 24:37
This word used in these two passages is what we’ve been told is the rapture. However, this same word is used in 1 Thessalonians
“so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints”.
Many denominations teach that He comes and believers are raptured or taken up with Y’shua (Jesus) into heaven to escape the tribulation. Then all this bad stuff happens on earth, and when He returns with all His saints, those “left behind” are raptured (caught up with Him) in a second rapture. This is traditional second coming doctrine.
“Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming”; 2 Thess 2:8
Once again this is the end, because He has destroyed the enemy.
What is interesting is that parousia is in the singular. This means there can be only ONE “catching away.” The word parousia can’t be both “rapture” and “second coming”, because the tense of the word indicates there is only one “event”. Based on this, if pre-tribulation doctrine is correct, there’s a rapture, but no second coming. If mid-tribulation doctrine is correct, there’s a rapture, but no second coming. If post-tribulation rapture is correct, there’s a rapture and a second coming at the same time. Based on the language of the text, the latter post-tribulation interpretation would be the most logical reading.
Studying solely Revelation and Daniel, one predictably comes to a mid-tribulation conclusion. We did a two year, four part study comparing these two books and came to that conclusion ourselves. However, this reading overlooks the pieces of the puzzle that Y’shua (Jesus) contributes, that is that pre and mid-tribulation doctrines are not possible. Let’s look at what He said:
37. "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38. "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,
39. 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
Y’shua says that the end will be as it was in the days of Noah. In this passage, just who are “they” to whom Y’shua refers? Who are the ones eating drinking, and marrying, who didn’t understand until the flood took them away? The people defined as “they” are the unrighteous! Then how is it possible that this passage is used by many to defend the pre-tribulation rapture, saying that it shows that the believers are the ones removed first when that is not what the Messiah said? How can we hold to that belief if it contradicts what God incarnate said?
Is there additional Scripture to substantiate the unrighteous being removed first? Most definitely, yes. Let’s take look at Matthew 13:
24. Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25. "But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.
26. "But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.
27. "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
28. "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?'
29. "But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.
30. “Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn’””. Matthew 13:24-30;
We don’t have to wonder what these symbols mean because in vv. 36-43, Y’shua gives the interpretation:
36. Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."
37. And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,
38. and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;
39. and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
40. "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
41. " The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,
42. and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43. "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
This is the same phrase used to address each of the churches in Revelation.
From this passage, Y’shua (Jesus) Himself tells us that the TARES are removed first and after that, the righteous, those not removed, shine forth as the sun. He explicitly tells us who the wheat and the tares are, so there can be no mistaking who is removed first. In light of this, if we continue to hold to the pre-tribulation rapture theory, then we have a serious choice to make: do we believe what the Messiah plainly told us, or don’t we?
Is there more information from Scripture that gives us a similar picture? Yes, there is.
1. I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2. "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
3. "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” John 15:1-6
From this passage, we can see once again that that those who do not “abide”, are not part of Him, will be cast into the fire and burned, as Matthew 13 clearly states. Yahweh is a wonderful teacher, giving us consistent clues in Scripture by using similar phrases and word pictures. This allows us to find what He wants us to see, but it will not come to the causal looker; it takes some study to find these things. Yahweh even tells us this in His word:
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
Proverbs 25:2
So in John 15:1-6 we have the same picture we had with the tares; they are bundled together, and burned. Those who don’t abide in Him and don’t bear the fruit that He produces in man, will suffer this fate. Recall John
He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not believe the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God remains upon him. John 3:36
After much study, and struggling with this Scripture, one day Yahweh opened our eyes, and we “got it”!
He who believes, he who has trusted in the Messiah has eternal life. But he does not obey the Messiah, he who does not make the choice to walk obediently His way: he will see the wrath of God.
It is not God’s choice; it’s ours, because He has laid forth a way that we are to live: Obedience to Him in accordance with His commandments (John 14:15) is to live as Y’shua lived, keeping the Sabbath He kept (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown), the feasts (Leviticus 23), and obeying God’s or YHWH’s commandments (the Torah, the first five books of the Bible).
If we choose not to live that way – in obedience to Him – then we don’t have the information, we don’t know His “road map,” and we are not now nor will we be in the place protected by Him. We will consider this aspect later in this study.
In Scripture, the time of the end is known as:
The day of Yahweh (“the LORD, Isaiah 13:6; 13:9; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; Amos 5:18, 20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:14; Malachi 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3;10)
The day of wrath (Job
Many people refer to a “seven year tribulation”. There is only one reference in Scripture to a seven year time period, allegorically referred to as a week:
27. "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." Daniel 9:27
Friends who studied this passage, took their conclusions to Hebrew scholars in
However, the rest of the end time references we are given speak of a definite 3 1⁄2 year time period. This 3 1⁄2 year period is the focus of most of the information given in Scripture about the events at the end of days. For more information on the Scriptural references to 3 ½ years, please get a Strong’s Concordance and look up the Scriptures dealing with “time, time and half a time”, “1260 days” or “forty-two months.”
Please get a Bible and read Revelation, chapter 12.
In this passage, we are given several clues. We are told in v.6 that the woman will be in the desert for 1260 days. This number of days equals 3 1⁄2 years. Verse 14 says time, time and half a time (precisely the same words used in Daniel
In verse 12 of Revelation 12 it says:
"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."
This time is what is generally referred to as the tribulation period. The devil has come down to earth, he no longer accesses heaven, he is here on earth, to set up his kingdom, and persecute believers. Believers will have to overcome this onslaught. Have we seen hints of this before? “He who overcomes”? How will the devil be overcome?
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. Rev 12:11-12
Is this consistent with all we’ve looked at so far? If there’s only one parousia and believers are not taken away first, if we’ve something to “overcome” then this tells us HOW to overcome and that believers of this time will face death. (see last part of verse, above)
Some may say we’re using scare tactics. To this we respond this is what Scripture says. If the “rapture” (meaning escape from persecution and difficulty) doctrine is right, what have any of us to lose? But if Scripture compared to Scripture indicates something contrary to what is widely accepted or taught, then, in spite of the consequences we could face before earthly authorities, we must speak what YHWH has revealed in His word or be prepared to stand before God and give an account for NOT preparing people for what is to come.
Corrie ten Boom, famous author and speaker who hid Jewish people in
“I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution. In
“Turning to me he said, ‘You still have time. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes – to stand and not faint.’
“I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation…
“Since I have gone already through prison for Jesus sake, and since I met that bishop from
We believe that those who do not “have an ear to hear” will need this preparation. If we don’t keep the feasts and the weekly Sabbath, then we’ve no idea of the way to God’s protection during this time of persecution. Therefore, we feel compelled to warn anyone “who has an ear” to prepare for what may come. Each must choose whether to be obedient to Scripture or to follow church tradition.
The “three destinies for believers” are of singular importance, and we will discuss those in Revelation 13, but first we’ll examine Revelation 12.
Verse 17 of chapter 12 says:
17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
This passage tells us that when the dragon cannot harm the woman, he goes off to “make war with the rest of her children” or “offspring”. If the church is raptured then who are these offspring? Since the word for rapture is singular and therefore there can be only one, the pre-tribulation theory [saying] that people will come to belief in Messiah during the tribulation and then be raptured at Messiah’s second coming won’t work, or the word would be plural, giving us the allowance to claim more than one “rapture”.
But, there is other important information in this verse and it gives us some characteristics about her offspring. What are they? Specifically:
Her offspring hold to the commandments of God and to the testimony of Y’shua.
So what does this tell us? It tells us that her offspring do both: they hold to the commandments of God and believe in Y’shua. It also tells us that not every believer will be in this divinely protected place since the dragon goes off to war against more of the woman’s children. If they are not in this place, where are they and what happens to them? This is where we see the fullness of the three destinies for believers, because Revelation 13 tells us:
1 The Beast from the Sea and the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.
2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
5 There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10 If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. Rev 13:1-10
Once again, verse 5 gives us the time of 3 1⁄2 years in the form of 42 months. Verse 7 tells us that the dragon makes war with the saints and is given the power to overcome them. This is not a teaching we’ve heard in most churches, yet it is on the pages of our Bible.
Verse 9 tells us to listen to what is being said, be warned. If anyone has an ear also ties this to this same phrase that is used to all the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 as well as the use of this phrase in Matthew 13. We believe Yahweh spoke this in order to tie these passages together and give us a broader picture about this time.
Verse 10 shows the remaining options for those saints who are not with the woman:
captivity
the sword
Scripture tells us that there is only one divinely protected place: the desert, and that there are believers who will not be in this place, as we saw in Revelation 13. Thus, those not in the desert with the woman will end up facing one of these two destinies. Is it appropriate that we presume to assert there will be additional destinies? Is this in keeping with “rightly dividing the word of truth”? To presume on something we’re not given? We think not; rather, it may be adding to “the words of the prophecy of this book”, which brings with it a curse (see Revelation
This is clearly on the pages of our Scriptures, but let us ask you this: is this what we’ve been taught?
If there is only one Scriptural place of safety, then there is Scriptural significance attached to that place, with clues and cues Yahweh has given in Scripture: what is that place, how do we get there, what is its significance. We don’t have all these answers, but we will share what we’ve learned.
For more information, let’s look again at the book of Daniel:
5. Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river.
6. And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be until the end of these wonders?"
7. I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.
8. As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?"
9. He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.
10. "Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.
11. "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
12. "How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!
13. "But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age." Daniel 12:5-13
Time, times and half a time: the 3 1⁄2 year time period puts us into the context of Revelation. In verse 9, we see that this information would be “sealed until the time of the end.” As we’ve discussed, according to Daniel’s description, our time fits the description of the end of days and there is no mistaking the parallel with Revelation 22:10:
10. And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
How will they realize that the anti-Messiah is not the Messiah they thought since he’s going to help them rebuild their temple, etc. (We can’t go into all of this at this time, but you are welcome to study it for yourself.) The Jewish people will realize it because Daniel
25. 'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. Daniel 7:25
If you’ve read the two previously mentioned articles, then you understand the significance of this statement, how Yahweh views divergence from His word, alteration to his plans and those who engage in either. “To make alterations in time and in law” means this “king” (v. 24) will alter the Torah instructions for the times and the sacrifices.
times = z’man, 2166, 2165, 2163 root = to fix a time, an appointed occasion, = THE FEASTS
The “King”, to whom we refer as the “Anti-Messiah”, will do exactly what Jeroboam did: make for himself and his followers other gods, appoint religious leaders, and institute his own feasts, casting YHWH behind his back (I Kings
BECAUSE HIS MASTER, SATAN, KNOWS THAT THE FEASTS ARE GOD’S TIME TABLE.
The first three feasts given in Leviticus 23 are in the spring and are generally believed to have been fulfilled by Y’shua’s first coming:
Passover – He was the Passover lamb who redeemed us from sin (lawlessness, or Torahlessness) Leviticus 23:4-5
Unleavened Bread – He was the offering without sin (leaven, a symbol for sin) Leviticus 23:6-8
First Fruits – He was the first fruits risen from the dead (1 Cor.
Shavout: Fifty days after Passover is the feast of Shavout, commonly known as Pentecost (Pente = 50). This feast was commemorated with a wave offering of two loaves of bread and the offering of a goat and two lambs. Leviticus 23:15-21
The three feasts yet to be fulfilled are in the fall:
1) Yom Teruah – the Feast of Trumpets
2) Yom Kippur – the day of Atonement
3) Sukkot – the feast of Tabernacles or Booths
Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets is celebrated by the following: On this day there are four trumpet blasts saying:
Awake!
Repent, weep, be broken before God
Alarm (get your attention)
And lastly blown is the GREAT BLAST
These are all done in succession on the same day.
Did Paul have this in mind as he penned I Corinthians 15:52?
“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.”
As a Jew, by his own account a “Pharisee” (Phil. 3:5), did Paul know there were four trumpets since He specifically stated that these events would happen at the last trumpet?
Paul hints that we are to know about these things when he wrote to the believers in Thessalonica:
1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.
2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
3 While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.
8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11:
Paul’s language clearly indicates he wasn’t telling the believers at Thessalonica something they hadn’t heard before (v. 1). He’s telling them to encourage each other (v. 11). This is good news!
Note in this passage the use of “they”, “them”, and “those”, referring to the unrighteous upon whom destruction comes suddenly. Sound something like Matthew 24 and Matthew 13? Also, notice that Paul addresses the brethren (“you” in this passage) as informed, “you have no need for anything to be written to you”. Is it possible they didn’t need instruction because they understood the times and recognized the significance of the feasts?
The early church was predominantly Jewish, certainly prior to the events of Acts 10, 15-17 years after Y’shua’s ascension to heaven. We submit they did know, since believers of that time still lived within the framework of the Torah, keeping the feasts and weekly Sabbath.
Verse 9 tells us we are not destined to wrath. Compare that to John 3:36, which tells us upon whom the wrath of God will remain: those who do not obey Him. Once again, we can see that like salvation, the choice is ours to obey and be delivered, or disobey and face the wrath. This is not a salvation issue! Anyone who believes that Y’shua is the Son of God, who asks Him to be their eternal sin sacrifice and who becomes a “new creature” in Him has eternal life. However, according to John
Now to the rest of the Fall Feasts:
2) The next fall feast is Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement
This is the day of national atonement; Passover is for personal atonement. Atonement for the nations has yet to happen.
3) The last fall feast is Sukkot – the Feast of Tabernacles
This feast gives the picture of God coming to tabernacle among us and is most likely the time when Y’shua actually was born. It also provides a picture of the millennial kingdom and our eternal home with Yahweh.
But what about the feast of Shavuot or as you may know it, “Pentecost”? Was it fulfilled? The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit came down on this day in Acts 2. (Please read Acts 2) Perhaps most importantly, realize that all of this happened on a feast day.
In the church we’ve been taught that this was about the giving of the Holy Spirit, with which we emphatically agree. However, is that Shavuot’s only significance?
First, we must disclose the fact that this next section is our opinion, since it is not specifically given in the Word of God. There is an interesting picture to be found in this feast. A widely accepted teaching puts forth the notion that Shavuot (Pentecost) was fulfilled with the giving of the Holy Spirit and that only the fall feasts remain to be fulfilled. We have found additional insight in another interpretation, particularly being mindful that God tells “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). If an event or events took place in a particular way, some thing or things had special relevance or application in the past then there is justification, precedent, if you will, for similar events to occur or items to gain prominence a second time. Now, to the point.
Let’s pose an initial question to clarify: Does the Holy Spirit glorify Himself? The only way we can know for certain is to see what the Bible tells us about Him. Y’shua tells us in John 16:13-14:
13. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
So, the answer to the question is, “No,” the Holy Spirit does not glorify Himself. If that is so, and Y’shua has or will fulfill all the feasts, then has the feast been fulfilled? We submit to you that the answer is that it has been partially fulfilled, but not totally fulfilled.
Will it be fulfilled? Yes it will. But to understand what will be fulfilled, we need to recognize that the first Shavuot took place on
14 "Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Bring her into the wilderness
And speak kindly to her.
15 "Then I will give her her vineyards from there,
And the
And she will sing there as in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the
16 "It will come about in that day," declares Yahweh,
"That you will call Me Ishi [(][husband][)]
And will no longer call Me Baali [lord].
17 "For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth,
So that they will be mentioned by their names no more.
18 "In that day I will also make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
The birds of the sky
And the creeping things of the ground.
And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land,
And will make them lie down in safety.
19 "I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice,
In lovingkindness and in compassion,
20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.
Then you will know Yahweh.
21 "It will come about in that day that I will respond," declares Yahweh.
"I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth,
22 And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil,
And they will respond to Jezreel.
23 "I will sow her for Myself in the land.
I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion,
And I will say to those who were not My people,
'You are My people!'
And they will say,
'You are my God!'" Hosea 2:14-23
When this was written, the northern kingdom of
Hebrews 8:5 and 10:1 tells us that the law (Torah) was a copy and shadow of heavenly things and of the good things to come.
Is it possible that the Feasts, appointed times YHWH requires us to keep and rehearse, are a key to the end of days? We think so. Does Scripture bear this out? Yes, it does.
14. "Therefore behold, days are coming," declares Yahweh, "when it will no longer be said, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of
15. but, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of
16 "Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen," declares Yahweh, "and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. Jeremiah 16:14-16
Does this have any connection to the words Y’shua spoke to the disciples, that they would be “fishers of men”? For whom were they to fish? The ones for whom Y’shua said He had come!
5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans;
6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of
But He (Y’shua) answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of
So what were the disciples supposed to do? They were supposed to re-gather
With this next Scripture, Yahweh ties it together:
19 O Yahweh, my strength and my stronghold,
And my refuge in the day of distress,
To You the nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
"Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood,
Futility and things of no profit."
20 Can man make gods for himself?
Yet they are not gods!
21 "Therefore behold, I am going to make them know--
This time I will make them know
My power and My might;
And they shall know that My name is Yahweh."
Jeremiah 16:19-21
If you have studied the first exodus then you know that it was about taking the Hebrew people back to the land and fulfilling the promise to Abraham, but it was and is also very much about Yahweh making the nations know that His name is Yahweh and He was the God of Israel; He was the one true God.
Every plague in the book of Exodus was a challenge to an Egyptian deity. The Egyptians worshipped the
The next exodus will also be about His Name. He will not be doing it for us; He will be doing it for His name’s sake. The world will know that it is about His name. He will proclaim, I AM YAHWEH! I am God of all gods.
7. "Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares Yahweh, "when they will no longer say, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of
8. but, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of
Jeremiah 23: 7-8
- This is about the GREAT Exodus -
There will be another exodus, a second Exodus that will be so great, we will not remember nor speak of the first anymore! (Jeremiah 23:7-8;
The first time the Hebrews left
We need to know the Torah!
We need to know WHY to be prepared to depart
When to leave
Where to go
AND how to behave when we get there so we don’t die in the wilderness like our forefathers did! (See Exodus 19) When we go to worship at the holy
Ezekiel 20:34-38 foresees a purging of the rebellious from among those gathered in during the end times:
34. "I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out;
35. and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.
36. "As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the
37. "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
38. and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the
There will be another group of rebels in the wilderness at the final exodus, just as there were during the first exodus. If we don’t want to be purged out before we get to enter the land, we need to be practicing now. We need to practice how to not complain about the people Yahweh has put into leadership, don’t complain about the temperature, don’t complain about the food! Now is the time to practice self-restraint and encouragement: “It’s okay. God’s in control. Despite appearances, God is sovereign.” Complaining on the second great exodus will reap consequences as dire as those our Hebrew brethren faced.
We believe that the bride will be those who are on the mountain. It is very possible that if the feast of Shavuot was not completely fulfilled, and we must return did the first time, that neglecting to observe the appointed times of Yahweh will result in , for lack of a better phrase, “being in the wrong place at the wrong time”. The first exodus is more than mere history; it is a foreshadowing of, a template for, what is to come, what must be accomplished in the end time.
Studying, observing, “living” the feasts, and keeping the Sabbaths is “holy rehearsal.” We are rehearsing for something yet to come.
Honoring YHWH’s appointed times keeps us attuned, with “an ear to hear” what He is saying. We have common ground, a reference point. God moves according to HIS appointed times, not men’s. Hearing the Holy Spirit whisper “Go to the mountain,” holds meaning for those who observe a feast that originally involved going to a mountain. We don’t know what the Holy One will say to each individual, only that the framework embedded within the calendar of Feasts, or appointed times, must be understood in the context of end time events. Scripture indicates the opportunity to prepare will be limited for some; where to go and how to move quickly may determine our destinies in the end of days.
Where to go? We’re not sure, but the “real”
We believe that if we are following the feasts of God then we have a reason to leave, we have the information to leave. This is not an exclusive club with access to secret information. At present, those who believe in Him are called the body of Messiah. We are His hands, His feet, but there is only one Head and that is Messiah, Himself. The bride is spoken of in future tense in Scripture: She has yet to be revealed. We believe what determines we are the bride will be whether or not we find ourselves on the mountain and the only way we will get to the mountain is understanding and following the observance of the feasts and the Sabbath in accordance with YHWH’s loving instructions, His Torah. This is a choice each person must make, as with salvation, as with the baptism in the Holy Spirit. God offers to everyone; not everyone accepts His offer.
God is calling whosoever will back to the Torah, to listen to, comply with and live according to His instructions and teaching. This is NOT for salvation, but to be obedient, as we’ve seen.
Becoming Torah observant, one walks according to YHWH’s instructions and teaching having an understanding of His appointed times and a REASON to go to the wilderness when He calls!