Prophecy: From Now On...

By David Reynolds

This world is ending.
What does the future hold for this world and for us? Prophecy is a controversial subject and some folks even claim to still be the recipients of prophetic words, visions, visits to Heaven, visits to Hell… And yet most of these accounts contradict one another.

Biblical prophecy, however, has withstood the test of time for its astounding accuracy. If you believe in a sovereign God then you must believe God can superintend his thoughts, make some write down exactly what is intended for deadly accuracy. This is the reason why other religious holy books never attempt the prophetic.
So then, why all the wild speculations and diverse understandings of biblical prophecy? Frankly, it is because most have a preconceived notion of where they think things should go, and then they impose those notions upon the text.

Prophecy: From Now On… enjoyed a good run on the Amazon Bestseller List for Kindle for a reason. In this Second Edition some additional thoughts and clarifications based upon questions on blogs, speaking engagements and one-on-one discussions.

Read and learn how some cultural and traditional ways of thinking from ancient Israel inform a correct understanding that a westernized way of thinking misses. Things like the Lord’s Feast Days, the ancient Hebrew wedding traditions… such things tell us how to understand the words of Jesus and the Book of Revelation. Understand Revelation like never before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781312536630

David Reynolds

my Smashwords interview details some of my personal history, and the memoirs details even more. Best way to know more about me is to read the memoirs.At present 2024 I am still involved with Foxfield heritage railway museum. I am also busy upon a number of ancestry projects for friends or clients ( [e-mail] ) if you wish to contact. 2nd memoirs installment, out very soon Latest novel , Right place wrong time, 2nd part of eden to armageddon trilogy recently published. final part in trilogy already written, but needs polish and formatting. Busy compiling yet another reality & beyond anniversary magazine. Took on slot as cosmic commentator writing stories and articles for Star Trek universe. This has now evolved into full editorial position for U.K. based Star Trek / Star Wars/ Dr. Who monthly mag. Also producing articles for the hub pages. The rest of the time I was continuing with regular occupation ( international coach driver )

Book preview

1

Where To Begin...

(why no prophecy in churches today)

This first chapter will serve as a rough outline of the subject matter covered at greater length in the rest of the book. It sets the tone for what follows.

Every generation tends to think life begins with them. No one had it as tough as them and nothing good came along until they did. Needless to say, when I was a young lad of twelve I was very naive in many ways. Really though, how much about life does one know at that age? Though frequently told I was wise for my years, that is admittedly among the more backhanded complements ever.

I did not grow up in a church home. I recall a couple of holidays my parents taking us to church...at least I think that was the occasion. It was so rare and I was so young, I really cannot be certain. Whether of a sense of duty, or guilt or fear for my soul, my mother would occasionally read to me from an illustrated children's Bible. Between that and the movies played on television during Christmas and Easter, that was all the gospel I ever got.

Movies like The Robe, Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, King of Kings, Barabbas, The Greatest Story Ever Told... These were my Bible background. Don't knock it. Good luck seeing these broadcast today. It gave me enough of a sort of foundation to realize I wanted this sort of relationship in my life. I wanted to be a disciple of Jesus but was distressed that it was too late. I mean, that was 2,000 years ago and I'd missed it. On some level I understood that I could pray and talk to God beyond Now I lay me down to sleep... but that was where my comprehension ended.

Not until about 1970 when my older brother, Frank, came to know Christ did I begin to understand that church was more than about going to hear some old man preach about good and bad because of some history about Jesus. It was about relationships with others who shared a passion for knowing more about Jesus and seeking to grow in a relationship (somehow) with him.

While I was impressed by immediate, overnight changes I'd seen in his behavior and his more loving attitude toward me and others, I did not know what to make of his new Jesus Freak status and why he was pursuing this new fad. Bit by bit, as a new believer, he began sharing the gospel to me in dribs and drabs. My eyes were darkened though. Factually, I knew these events historically, but what was he trying to tell me?

Then his friend and our neighbor from around the corner, Jay Harris, began to drop in and share with me. We dialogued. He shared scripture and began to patiently clarify that years were not standing between me and a relationship with Jesus, but sin. He shared with me what it was and what Jesus did on the cross to remedy that broken relationship and how he rose from the dead victorious. I was shown I needed to repent of my sins. I got the call, as some say.

You mean, I can have eternal life in heaven with Jesus? I'd really had no idea. Mom used to pray with me, ...I pray the Lord my soul to take but that horrified me. What would I do without my soul? Yes, I'd been clueless as a child. Now at twelve and I am confident, by the Holy Spirit opening my eyes, the gospel now made sense. June 30, 1971 Frank and Jay rushed into the house and caught me snacking in the kitchen (as twelve year old boys will do) and Jay asked me point blank, Would you like to accept Jesus?

"Yeah!"

He said, Let's go! and I followed them outside. We sat on the front lawn and Jay took me through several Bible verses and affirmed for me my place in sin and need of repentance. He took me through the gospel message and asked me if I'd like to give my life to Jesus, and would I like to pray. Well, yeah, but... How? He led me in prayer and that day I gave my life to Christ. I still sin and hate it and still try not to, but know that one day I will be victorious when I am glorified. The intervening years have been rough and glorious.

But the point I am headed to was with respect to why no prophecy teaching in today's churches, for the most part. Vivid in my memory is attempting to share my faith with my bitter mother. She used to say, They always think we're in the last days. They thought they were in the last days when I was growing up and they used to think that in every generation before.

Well, of course this is likely true. Over the centuries as folks waited yet Jesus did not return, the naysayers turned to mockery as was prophesied by Peter.

They will say, Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. ⁵ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, ⁶ and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

–2 peter 3:4-6

At first this stumped me. Not yet being well-versed, I had zero knowledge of the Diaspora, the scattering of Israel across the globe. No other ancient nation has ever been scattered without being utterly and completely assimilated. But then as of the 20th century, the aliyah (the Regathering back into the Land) had begun. It began in earnest after WWII with the United Nations' recognition of Israel as a Nation in May of 1948.

Had I known this, and other prophecies, I could easily have pointed out that prior predictions of being in that last generation were error and why. And why not! As a few of these recent past events are key to understanding all end times prophecies, let's take a look at how we know where we are at in the Prophetic Timeline.

Events As A Guidepost

You know, his disciples asked Jesus that on the Mount of Olives in what has become known as the Olivet Discourse. The most expansive coverage on that discourse was by Matthew in chapter 24, primarily. Luke touches on it as does Mark, and contributes some additional narrative. As we cover some of this from a prophetic perspective, we will interject history and current events to illustrate the point.

As an aside (and because folks often do not read a Preface) I would like to interject a caution well pointed out by Ron Rhodes in his discussion on what he refers to as Newspaper Exegesis. Says Rhodes:

Current events must never be the means of interpreting the prophetic Scriptures, but rather the prophetic Scriptures must interpret current events. To illustrate, when it is stated that certain events transpiring in our world today, such as the political alliances emerging between Russia, Iran, and other Muslim nations seem to be setting the stage for Ezekiel 38-39, is not because sensational headlines from the news paper have been found and then forced into Ezekiel's prophecies as the definite fulfillment of these prophecies. Rather it is because the scriptures reveal specific details about the end-times invasion into Israel that we can accurately discern the times, something Christ clearly desires of us. Properly discerning the times involves measuring current events against what the Bible reveals in order to give thoughtful consideration as to whether there is a legitimate correlation. If we conclude there is, we can rejoice in God's sovereign control of human history while at the same time resist the temptation to set dates, recognizing that this is something God forbids. All the while, we avoid sensationalism, recognizing that Christ calls His followers to live soberly and alertly as they await His coming.¹

So the caution becomes one really of eisegesis (reading into the Bible) as opposed to proper hermeneutics employing exegesis. We test and validate scripture with scripture, not take events and attempt to find them and force them into scripture.

I came to faith in the very early 1970's when the first great end times prophecy book ever was Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth. It was everywhere. One literally could find it near the cash register of most markets and convenience stores. I just have this mental snapshot of a rack of books and that one being there.

In my new faith and in my exuberance to share with all my family, I can recall discussing many of these signs and what the book said was sure to come any day now with my mother. She would typically counter with colorful language and tell me how every generation thinks theirs is the last and how they used to think the same thing when she was little.

While this may be true, that each generation tends to think its ills are unique in time and no one has had it worse in some ways, when we take our gaze off headlines and look to the Bible for what it says we will see, the murk clears considerably.

Many pseudo prophecies from the likes of such characters as Nostradamus or Edgar Cayce can be very subjective. As a child I recall how some ran to Nostradamus to dredge up:

"The great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt,

An evil deed foretold by the bearer of a petition. Another falls at night time. Conflict at Reins, London and a pestilence in Tuscany."

This after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Such predictions are seldom if ever clear in advance and waiting hundreds of years, one might eventually hit. If one splits the prediction into three or four segments, you can make it fit. In fact, you might also make it about any number of people, including Martin Luther King. Except perhaps that Reins, London, Tuscany bit.

In other words, it is all very subjective.

Biblical prophecies can at times be tricky, to be sure, but studied and informed by the whole of Scriptures they tend to clear up. And, they always come to pass and never miss. One such example we may cite is given to us by Jesus himself when asked directly by some of his disciples what the sign of his coming would be. This took place while strolling on the Mount of Olives after Jesus offered dire predictions for Jerusalem while at the temple mere minutes before. He sat down and some of his disciples came to him and asked him what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Let's take a look at some of this as recorded by Matthew in chapter 24.

He told them about an increase in pretenders or False Christs. He told them about wars and rumors of wars. And not just small ones. Entire nations and kingdoms would rise against one another. Then famines and earthquakes in diverse places. We have always had wars. We have always had famines and we have always had quakes. So how do we know we have reached the point in time of which Jesus speaks?

As we can observe by the above United States Geological Survey graph (not current) we do see an up-tick in quakes of magnitude 6.0 and greater. What about other natural disasters? Though not current, the following will show us from 1900 to 2009:

What is interesting about such natural disasters is the data reflects no outside man-made influence. This keeps the data a bit more objective. A quick internet search will yield a bounty of such data.

With technological increase since the industrial age of the 20th century, we have had for the first time, two world wars. Yet with all this, Jesus said, See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

In verse eight Jesus says, All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Mothers have no trouble whatsoever understanding this analogy. What are the characteristics of birth pains distinct from other pains? There is increase in pains over time, closer and closer together before the delivery.

John, who called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved, and the author of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, recorded this toward the end of Jesus' ministry in the 16th chapter of his gospel:

¹⁹ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? ²⁰ Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. ²¹ When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²² So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you." –Revelation 16:19-22

Is this not a most awesome analogy? Folks often ask me how I can get excited at the news of a devastating war or dangerous alignment of allies as with Russia and Iran. Such news is but the sad harbinger of the delivery spoken of by Jesus! Not many men look forward to watching their pregnant beloved wife in the pain of childbirth. Most look on it with dread. Many would prefer to wait in another room for it to be over with than watch their beloved suffering (a euphemism for birth pains).

But it is all in the delivery!

Paul also carries this analogy forward writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Romans and his first letter to the Thessalonians. In Romans eight wrote:

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. –Romans 8:18-23

Interesting, is it not, that creation is groaning and undergoing birth pangs while awaiting delivery. In 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul wrote in part:

³ While people are saying, There is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  –1 Thessalonians 5:3

We certainly will be visiting this passage at length, but clearly the Lord is attempting to hammer home a point. That is, that just before our own delivery it will be like childbirth. Very uncomfortable, even painful, with greater and greater intensity with the pains coming closer and closer together. This is reflected in the previous charts and others populating the internet.

What else did Jesus say in his Olivet Discourse as recorded in Matthew 24?

⁹ Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.  –Matthew 24:9

Do we really need to address this? Whether Jews or Christians, people of The Book are reviled the world over. Leaving Middle Eastern and communist nations out of the equation, what about civilized Europe and the United States? Since 1960 we have seen the slide of prayer removed from public schools to prayers now forbidden in public schools, unless one is Muslim, in which case one is likely to be accommodated. We scarce need chronicle what the news media aptly records daily with respect to our slide into our non-Christian-friendly environment into open hostility toward anything and anyone associated with the Bible and the lifestyle and values promoted within.

Let's play an un-fun word association game. What comes to mind when you read: school prayer, cross at work, Ten Commandments in public, abortion, marriage... shall we continue?

In formerly Christian-friendly, or at least Christian-tolerant countries is now open hostility to anyone bearing the name, even if false religions. Beheadings, burnings, crucifixions, drownings, torture, rape, shootings, even of infants. In some so-called free countries, even the good ol’ USA, we have seen arrests and enforced church closures. 2020 and following have been remarkable years. We cannot doubt the fulfillment of Jesus' warning in Matthew 24:9.

What else did Jesus share?

¹⁰ And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 

–Matthew 24:10-12

Paul shared with Timothy how that in the end people would not tolerate, or endure, sound doctrine. And it is true today. Truth is relative to what it means to me rather than what the Bible says. And Christendom has become peppered with self-proclaimed prophets who lead many astray with false promises of health and wealth.

But fear not and do not distress. Jesus says,

"¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

–Matthew 24:13, 14

And indeed, the time of great tribulation will see a revival unlike the world has ever seen, not just with 144,000 evangelists, but angels circling the globe proclaiming the gospel. Strange indeed!

Verses 29 to 31 Jesus talks about after the tribulation of those days, then he parenthetically goes back in verse 32 and follows up with:

 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates."

–Matthew 24:32, 33

But what is the meaning of this fig tree that puts out its leaves? The fig tree is often used symbolically in the Bible to describe Israel. Jesus is alluding to Ezekiel's valley of dry bones prophecy in Ezekiel 36 and 37. The famous spiritual tune that came of this prophecy was Dem Bones which many sang at one time or another in Sunday School.

Ezekiel connected dem dry bones,

Ezekiel connected dem dry bones,

Ezekiel in the Valley of Dry Bones,

Now hear the word of the Lord.

Toe bone connected to the foot bone

Foot bone connected to the heel bone

Heel bone connected to the ankle bone

Ankle bone connected to the shin bone

Shin bone connected to the knee bone

Knee bone connected to the thigh bone

Thigh bone connected to the hip bone

Hip bone connected to the back bone

And so the song goes, just like in Ezekiel with the prophecy that although Israel would become scattered among the nations of the world, in the end, the Lord would bring them back into the land, the valley of dry bones. In Jesus' day this had not yet happened, but he continued the story by talking about the fig tree once again blooming, it's leaves becoming tender. (See Matthew 24 chapter).

We read about this again in Mark 14 where Mark records:

²⁸ "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁰ Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." –Mark 14:28-31

So then we understand that the generation that sees all these things come to pass, including Israel again blooming, the people coming back into the land, will not pass. That generation will see what? Well as with the Matthew 24 passage, how does it end before Jesus describes the fig tree in verse 32, 33? Look earlier:

³⁰ Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. –Matthew 24:30

So we have within that last generation the beginnings of all the things Jesus spoke of, from increase in wars, quakes, famines, pestilences, Israel even now returning to the land, all the way to the 2nd Coming is within a generation! Israel began flowing back into the land at the beginning of the 20th century and became officially recognized as a nation once more in May of 1948. Ultimately, this will see complete fulfillment during the Millennium.

Unfortunately, date setters have performed mathematical gymnastics and machinations and performed to Olympic levels to determine a generation and have failed every time to parse generation. Is it 40 years? No. 70? Who knows how long? No one knows. But we do know that generation will not pass without seeing the Second Coming.

I try to keep in mind what I call The Methuselah Principle. Methuselah is a picture, in this respect, of the patience and mercy of God. His name loosely translates when he is gone it comes. Before the flood of Noah's day, all creatures and plants lived an extraordinarily long time. It was not unusual up until Noah for people to live well over 800 years old and beyond. Methuselah was the oldest living man ever recorded having lived to the ripe old age of 969 years. Within days of his death the Lord shut Noah into the ark and flooded the world.

During this Olivet Discourse Jesus alluded to that day being as in the days of Noah and this may well be in part what he was speaking of when he said that. God is most patient and merciful. Even during the time of wrath upon the world people will hear the gospel. The Lord will send two witnesses. From there we see 12,000 evangelists from each of the twelve tribes of Israel upon the world, and we also see angels, of all the crazy things, circling the globe and calling people to repentance.

The impact of date setting

Show of hands; Who can think of a date-setting circumstance that did not turn out as planned? Here are the issues we will address:

Feast Days so far match Jesus' activity

We appear foolish

Some folks get extremely depressed

It is hubris to presume to know the will of God

It contradicts the Doctrine of Imminence.

The truth of the matter is, so far, no one has ever been correct. Although the Bible is replete with signs to watch for, orders of events and so forth, Jesus still told his disciples when questioned But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only... Now granted, this is an abused and misunderstood passage that is actually a triple entendre with respect to Hebraisms, but the fact is, it still holds true.

Let's go ahead and visit this issue.

We may as well, as this phrase is bandied about as carelessly as one might wield a broad sword and often with similar intent, and that is to slay the notion that we might ever know in any way, shape or form when Jesus will come for his people. Ever! So shut up! That is the intent, if we are honest.

No man knows is an idiom among Jews that is used in two other ways other than our mere western understanding of this phrase as straightforward. Still, concerning the day and hour, it holds true. But what is this triple meaning?

One use of the phrase comes from the Lord's Feast Days. Okay, you ask, what are those? I thought we are no longer under the Law, so why should I care about Jewish feasts? We are no longer under the Law. After the Lord led His people out of Egypt, knowing man is prone to forgetfulness (among other reasons) He proscribed seven feasts and said,

"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.'" –Leviticus 23.

Therefore, these are not Jewish Feasts but the Lord's Feasts. He gave seven (7) of them and upon examination, we find there is, as often the case, another reason. That being, they are offered as types with respect to the messiah, Jesus Christ.

How so? Coming up in the next chapter we will see how much is lost in not learning Israelology and how the Old Testament scriptures inform the New Testament. There are a couple of key traditions we will unpack in the upcoming chapters.

Group Discussion Questions:

What is Newspaper Exegesis and is it a valid means of interpreting Bible prophecy?

How do we validate prophecies that are not found in the scriptures?

What is the difference between looking at the Bible in light of events, versus looking at events in the light of the Bible?

How is end times like childbirth?

How do we view the length of a generation in light of the Methuselah in the days of Noah?

When is a good time to fix dates?

2

The Lord's Feast Days as a Guidepost

In this chapter we will examine how that groundwork the Lord has laid out in the Old Testament are intended to be word pictures—types of Christ. Many errors have cropped up in various forms of eschatology (study of end times) from not applying the foreshadowing given in former bible passages.

You may ask why it matters and what clear examples in Scripture do we have connecting the Lord's Feast Days with the end times. This is a fair question. We could pursue an exhaustive study of the entire Old Testament and break out myriad commentaries of course, and we encourage this always. But as this is a Layman's Guide and our approach is to as much as possible glean our answers directly from the Bible as our starting place, we do not wish to become lost running down those worthwhile and excellent rabbit trails lest we end with a volume to rival the U.S. Tax Code in scope and complexity.

The Lord’s feast days are addressed in greater or lesser complexity depending upon the passage of scripture you visit. Much like the gospels, some narratives emphasize one aspect or more while another passage will elaborate upon something else. I great summation may be found in Leviticus 23.

Table 1: Simple Lord's Feast Days Chart

The above simple chart illustrates the seven feast days and appointed days handed down directly from the Lord. Note from the passage that these are not Jewish Feasts or traditions that they have instituted. Although these were handed down to the Hebrews to observe, from the standpoint of fulfillment in Jesus Christ they clearly hold significant prophetic meaning for the church.

Note the Spring Feasts are fulfilled during Christ's first incarnation and the fulfillment of the Fall Feasts will be fulfilled at the onset of the final events of the end that culminate in the establishment of the Kingdom at Jesus' Second Coming.

By way of introduction we would wish to point out that although there are many laws in the Old Testament given to Israel, that we are now under the New Testament. There are those who would disagree and say things like nowhere does the Bible say to quit doing ________ (fill in the blank). Yet there are! How does one read any of Galatians, for instance, at all and still not understand the we now have a New Covenant/Agreement/Contract/Testament in Christ?

Some of these folks are involved in lesser or more extreme degrees of legalism in what is sometimes called The Hebrew Roots Movement. There is also a Sacred Name Movement. To a lesser or greater degree, it is the belief that we ought to all return to these Old Testament ways as they are God's way (excuse me...G_d's way, if you prefer) and some day we will again be speaking Hebrew, etc. This is not what we wish to belabor here, but some who do read the New Testament have concluded that to continue along this path they must have a reason to eliminate all of Paul's writings. You read that right. And though in Peter's second letter he endorses Paul's writings, they then say, well, we must then relegate 2nd Peter to the ash heap as a fake as well. Oh. And let's not forget the lion's share of Acts!

This movement is not new. We would encourage you to be aware of this movement as it of late has gained some traction. In the New Testament these folks were called Judaizers for attempting to foist Hebrew traditions upon the new believing Gentiles of the day. Indeed, there is nothing new under the sun. Some in the Sacred Name movement will even teach that if you are not pronouncing the name of the Lord correctly (and there is much debate on even that score) that you are not praying to the correct G_d and will not make it into Heaven!

But the various iterations of this movement ignore that they are very selective in which laws they will abide by. They will abide by the Sabbaths and Feasts, try to pronounce everything in perfect Hebrew where possible and various other laws, but ignore heaps of Levitical practices for cleanliness, farming, etc.

Might I offer one perfect example?

Are you all cozy with following the Law, observing the Sabbaths and the Feasts? If you are depending upon these things to get into God's good graces, you are Breaking the Law of God!

What are you referring to!? you may wonder. Consider this. Are you of Israel? Are you a circumcised stranger living with or dwelling among the people of Israel? If your answer is None Of The Above and you have been observing the Passover, you are a Lawbreaker.

Consider Exodus 12:

⁴³ And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. ⁴⁴ But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. ⁴⁵ A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. ⁴⁶ In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. ⁴⁷ All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. ⁴⁸ And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. ⁴⁹ One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you." –Exodus 12

So this is an example of how the Law was for Israel and is the Old covenant (contract or testament). Other than as a memorial, the history and the collateral theology behind it, these traditions have no bearing on us today as something that must be observed. Particularly if you are not one of Israel, or dwelling (living with) them as proscribed. Or else, you are breaking the Law by trying to keep it. Paul tells us in Romans that the purpose of the Law was to reveal our sin, and thereby our need for redemption. It was never intended to successfully be followed, else why the need for our Messiah, our Savior Jesus Christ?

Fall on the mercy and grace of God in Christ's completed work for us on the cross. Do not be downcast and discouraged. Christ has freed us from that yoke of bondage. Take a break here and read Galatians. It is a short and rewarding letter.

I. The Feast of Passover

"These are the feasts of the L

ord

, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the fourteenth  day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover." –Lev. 23:4

 Passover was meant to commemorate Israel's deliverance from Egypt, and with the sacrifice of the lamb for each family, show how the blood of the lamb averted the judgment of God for each Israelite family.

The feast of Passover represents Jesus as our Passover, the Lamb of God who was sacrificed, and whose blood was received and applied, so the wrath of God would pass us over.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! –John 1:29

For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

–1 Corinthians 5:7

This typology of the Passover Lamb is probably the most significant of all with respect to foreshadowing and typology of the Messiah Jesus Christ. So significant is this imagery and ingrained inextricably into the gospel message that we think it worthwhile to recount a number of them here.

³⁵ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, Behold, the Lamb of God! ³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

–John 1:35, 36

Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. –Acts 8:21

¹⁸knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you... –1 Peter 1:18-20

⁵ And one of the elders said to me, Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. ⁶ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

–Revelation 5:5-8

¹²saying with a loud voice,

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!"

¹³ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!"

¹⁴ And the four living creatures said, Amen! and the elders fell down and worshiped. –Revelation 5:12-14

II. The Feast of Unleavened Bread

 "And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the L

ord

; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the L

ord

 for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it." –Leviticus 23

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week-long celebration the week immediately following Passover (from Nisan 15 to Nisan 21). This feast showed the purity Israel was to walk in (illustrated by eating only bread without leaven, a type of sin) after the blood-deliverance of Passover.

This relates time of Jesus' burial, after His perfect, sinless sacrifice on the cross, during which He was received by God the Father as holy and complete (the Holy One who would not see corruption, Acts 2:27), perfectly accomplishing our salvation.

We may regard the burial (or actually, entombment) of Jesus as a small thing in God's redemptive plan; but it was an essential part of Paul's gospel: For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

⁷ Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

–1 Corinthians 5:7, 8

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

–Hebrews 4:15

III. The Feast of Firstfruits

'And the L

ord

 spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the L

ord

, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the L

ord

. Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the L

ord

, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.'" –Leviticus 23

The day following Passover's Sabbath was a time to give the firstfruits of the harvest to God. The idea was to dedicate the first ripened stalks of grain to God, in anticipation of a greater harvest to come. The firstfruits at Passover would be barley, which ripens in the warmer areas as early as March.

The feast of Firstfruits relates to the resurrection of Jesus, who was the first human to receive resurrection.

¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. –Colossians 1:18

²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ..²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

–1 Corinthians 15:20ff

The Feast of Pentecost (Weeks)

"And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the L

ord

. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the L

ord

. And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the L

ord

, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the L

ord

. Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the L

ord

, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the L

ord

for the priest. And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations." –Leviticus 23:15ff

Fifty days after the feast of firstfruits, at the completion of the wheat harvest, Israel was to celebrate the feast of Pentecost by bringing a new grain offering to the Lord; and by waving two loaves of leavened bread unto the Lord.

The Feast of Pentecost is connected with the birth of the Church and the harvest resulting (Acts 2). In the ceremony at the feast of Pentecost, two unleavened loaves of bread are waved as a holy offering to God, which refers to the bringing of unleavened Gentiles into the church.

The first four feasts, the Spring Feasts, relate to the work of Jesus in His first coming, of His earthly ministry. Between the first set of four feasts and the second set of three feasts, there is a significant time gap – almost four months, which, significantly, was a time of harvest in Israel; even as our current age is a time of harvest for the church, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25)

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

–Acts 2:1-4

There is a school of thought that the Rapture of the church will take place during this summer harvest period, and the Lord may do as He likes, of course. However, the pattern of Jesus fulfilling each of the Feasts to the day with major events, and this gap in which we now reside between his first and second coming seems better to indicate that we are the benefactors of this extended summer harvest period. The fulfillment of these summer harvests is the predominantly gentile church age where we have been grafted in to God's plan of redemption for a season. A season that will conclude with the church being removed and Israel again grafted back in once we are gone. More on this to come in greater detail soon.

The Fall Feasts and the Second Coming of Christ

The second group, the Fall Feasts, relate to events connected with the Second Coming of Jesus. Pattern. Embrace that term. We earlier alluded to the reality of different ways of viewing the world between the western way of thinking, the oriental or middle eastern way of thinking, etc. One basic distinction is we in the west will write and read from left-to-right. From the middle east over, they read and write from right-to-left.

The differences in which we are raised and educated have ways of influencing the way we see the world. That sounds obvious and trite, but think for a moment about those differences. Many cultures read and write through pictographs. We commonly think of the pictures engraved into the walls of the Great Pyramids.

Consider this flag from Moldavia. What do you see when you consider this flag? What is the meaning behind the colors? The imagery? Without knowing the culture we are likely to get it wrong. To make matters more complicated, we also tend to imprint based upon our own upbringing. How so? Have you ever laid on your back and gazed at either stars or clouds? Do you sometimes recognize shapes? Some of this we are born with, like an infant's instinct to look around for a face and find the eyes. Other things are based upon our experiences. We may lay out and look at a cloud and see a brontosaurus because of our experiences when we grew up. Unaware of the existence of dinosaurs, a child from the 18th century would be unlikely to see such an animal in the shape. Further, scientists have determined the brontosaurus was an error and never existed!

Pattern not firmly grounded in the Bible can be error. It seems like several times each year there is a filler news story about someone seeing the virgin Mary in the steam on the shower door, or the face of Jesus on the toasted bottom of a biscuit. Similarly, some will work over scripture and torture it till it gives up the data they want from it. Again, this is eisegesis, which is the wrong way to approach a good hermeneutic for interpreting scriptures.

Now when you look at the U.S. flag, what could you tell me?

Fifty stars for each of the fifty states, thirteen stripes for each of the original colonies, etc. Also, because the flag is waving, in our culture this may evoke certain emotions.

All this to say that, similarly, we tend to imprint our western culture upon our understanding of our Hebrew culture-laden Bibles as we read.

Well, what does this have to do with the Lord's Feast Days and prophecy?

Much in every way. In western culture we tend to think of prophecy in terms of Prediction, Fulfillment, Prediction, Fulfillment. In Hebrew culture, this is not so. Yes, prophecies must be fulfilled, but pattern is key.

An important cultural difference we ought to note is that the Hebrew Calendar is based on a lunar cycle, distinguished from our solar calendar. The Biblical month is 30 days and a year is 360 days. See how important these distinctions can be? We will illustrate this more thoroughly when we visit the Book of Revelation later.

In a 2001 article Chuck Missler noted:

Pattern, Not Just Prediction

The western mind views prophecy merely as prediction and fulfillment. The Jewish mind saw prophecy as a pattern being recapitulated, where a pattern of events illuminates a thematic replay in the future. The western (Gentile) misunderstandings are crucial in understanding the errors of dominionism, restorationism, and preterism, which continue to confuse current eschatology (the study of last things).

Among the illuminating warnings are the attribution by Matthew of the return of Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus from Egypt to the quote from Hosea. There is no rational way to view the Hosea passage as Messianic in the traditional sense. The academic overemphasis on context seems to break down when viewed too narrowly. The answer is pattern, not just prediction. Matthew's allusion to Jeremiah regarding Herod's murder of the babies in Bethlehem is another example.

The richness and understanding that accompanies the rediscovery of the Midrashic hermeneutic is one of the most exciting aspects of studying the Old Testament. ²

In Romans we read:

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,