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The Lord’s Prayer | How Did Jesus Pray? Line-By-Line Meaning Explained

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Praying the Lord's Prayer

Jesus taught His disciples ‘the Lord’s Prayer,’ but what does each element of the prayer really means? How did Jesus pray the Lord’s Prayer?

For more than 50 years I confess that I mechanically prayed the Lord’s Prayer without really understanding it. Then, in early 2019 the Spirit of God led me to dig into the details of the Lord’s Prayer and uncover its deeper meaning. So, after hundreds of hours of Biblical research, prayer, and revelation from the Holy Spirit, here are the original 5 topical sections of the Lord’s Prayer. The remainder of this article will dig deeper into their meaning.

  1. Father, Yahovah, hallowed be Your name.
  2. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on the earth as it is in heaven.
  3. Give us this day our daily bread.
  4. Forgive us our debts as we forgive all our debtors.
  5. And bring us not into trials, but rescue us from an evil heart of unbelief.

For reference purposes, the Lord’s Prayer is found in two places: Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.

The Lord’s Prayer, Line 1 | “Father, Yahovah, Hallowed Be Your Name”

Father

If you are a believer in Jesus, then Yahovah (YHWH) became your Father when you repented of sin and believed in Jesus. Following your sincere repentance and faith, YHWH miraculously birthed new spiritual life in your heart and you literally became His child, a new creation, a different person.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is begotten of God.

1 John 5:1

Begotten of God

What does ‘begotten of God’ mean?

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

(2 Corinthians 5:17)

We don’t use the words beget, begat, or begotten very much today. As you can see below, the Greek word translated ‘begotten’ literally means to procreate a descendant and produce an offspring.

Biblehub reference

So, YHWH literally becomes every true Christian’s Father. We become members of His personal family; we share His spiritual DNA. Therefore, when we pray to the Father we’re confessing two things:

  1. He is my Father and I am His child; I have His DNA in the new spirit He quickened within me.
    • I’m no longer a mere man (1 Cor 3:3).
    • Christians are a different species from unregenerate people; they’re members of a new creation (2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15).
  2. My sibling believers are those who also have God’s spiritual DNA; those who’ve had their spirits quickened within them. Therefore, God is ‘our Father.’

In Heaven

Our Father is in heaven. What does this mean? Is God’s abode a physical place, far beyond the constellations? Or is it in another dimension that exists invisibly alongside the physical space-time dimension we live in? A good argument can be made for both of these views.

But years ago, God revealed this to me—God isn’t far away (across the universe) in heaven. Just the opposite! He is closer to us than we are to ourselves. He is closer to you than the breath in your lungs.

God is constructing an eternal temple, built with ‘living stones.’ This spiritual temple is God’s dwelling place forever.

As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:4-5

So, when I pray to the Father I don’t add the words ‘in heaven,’ which makes it seem like He is somewhere far away. He is not far away. Instead, I’m prompted to intentionally quiet my natural thoughts and focus my attention toward the Holy Spirit of God who dwells in my spirit, my innermost heart.

Yahovah

Scripture tells God’s people to call on His name, extol His name, make His name known, etc.  It’s respectful and worshipful to address YHWH by His name, so when I pray I begin by personally addressing Him, saying “Father, Yahovah.”

The next line of the Lord’s Prayer is “hallowed be Thy name.” How can I pray this if I haven’t said His name?

The Father’s Name

What is the Father’s name? There are two reasons why most people don’t know it.

  1. Unfortunately, for thousands of years God’s people avoided saying the name of God, supposedly out of respect. Because of this, Bible translators even changed ‘YHWH’ to ‘LORD’ in most English Bible translations.
  2. In addition, Satan’s world system actively pressures people not to acknowledge the true God, or to pronounce God’s name. 
Call Upon His Name

But YHWH tells us to call on His name, extol His name, make His name known, etc.  For a few examples, see: Joel 2:32, 1 Chronicles 16:8, Isaiah 12:4, Psalm 105:1, Romans 10:13, and Acts 2:21.

But Don’t Speak the Names of False gods

In contrast, YHWH explicitly commands us not to speak the names of false gods…

You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.

(Exodus 23:13)

God commands us not to say the names of false gods because that would legitimize them. But over the centuries Satan has deceived God’s people by preventing them from speaking God’s name, even though YHWH encourages us to call on His name.

Pronunciation

Many people avoid pronouncing God’s name for fear of mispronouncing it, but if your heart is sincere and reverent it’s not important to pronounce God’s exactly correctly. God looks at your heart; He is not judging your pronunciation.

That said, based on compelling evidence from Jewish Hebrew scholar Nehemiah Gordon I believe the most-likely pronunciation for YHWH is “Yahovah.” Here are URLs to three videos for anyone who’d like to investigate this further, or to hear how a Hebrew scholar pronounces Yahovah.

Yahweh vs. YHVH: The Name of God – Q&A with Michael Rood & Nehemia Gordon

The Origins of Yahweh

God’s name is not Yahweh – Proof from Jewish Rabbis

Hallowed Be Your Name

To ‘hallow’ something means to treat it as holy and pure, separate from common things.

After I address YHWH saying, “Father, Yahovah,” I pray “Hallowed be Your name” to reinforce my recognition that I am entering the presence of Almighty God, the creator and sustainer of all things, and the holy Judge over every creature eternally.

In 1973 the Holy Spirit gave me a glimpse of God’s love. I experienced God’s love as so deep and powerful that I felt like I was drowning in an ocean of love. It was overwhelming. I had to ask the Spirit to reduce the experience because I felt like I the glory was too much for my flesh and it would have killed me. In the Spirit I ‘saw’ the Son in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18), surrounded by the Father’s infinite love, and I realized that that’s where I was too, since my life is now ‘in Christ.’ I flashback to this experience when I pray “hallowed be Thy name.” He is infinitely holy and pure and loving. I’ve experienced that even a glimpse of His glory is too much for us fleshly creatures.

The Lord’s Prayer, Line 2 | Your Kingdom Come; Your Will Be Done. As In Heaven, So On The Earth

The Lord’s Prayer is first and foremost a kingdom prayer. In this part of the Lord’s Prayer, we’re first praying for YHWH to perfect His kingdom in heaven by throwing the Devil and his angels out, and then to extend the Messiah’s authority over all the earth, until all of heaven and every nation on earth submits to God’s throne and willingly aligns with His will.

When we pray ‘Your kingdom come Your will be done, as in heaven so on the earth” we’re engaging in spiritual warfare. We’re using our Adamic authority to exercise dominion over the earth. The goal is for all the earth to conform to God’s will, in peace, righteousness, and prosperity.

For more information about this spiritual warfare, read Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven and Spiritual Warfare for God’s End-Time Overcomers.

From the Book of Revelation we know that we won’t see God’s kingdom come onto the earth until after Armageddon. Then, Jesus will oversee YHWH’s kingdom on the earth for 1000 years. Here’s my Prediction of Life in the Next Millennium.

The Lord’s Prayer, Line 3 | Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

Sometimes we forget that Jesus didn’t emerge from His mother’s womb as a fully-developed and mature man. Just like us, He grew from infancy, to childhood, adolescence, and finally manhood.

About this developing and maturing process the Bible says,

Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Luke 2:52

Our Daily Bread is Living Bread

The Bible is the logos, the written word of God. It is static and permanent, a constant reference for anyone to read.

In contrast, the rhema is God’s spoken word. It is the voice of the living God speaking to us today, to teach us, direct us, or command us about a specific topic in our life right now.

Biblehub reference

As He grew and matured Jesus learned the logos perfectly, and He also demonstrated His total dependence on YHWH’s rhema.

See and Hear God’s Rhema

In the Gospel of John (chapter 5) Jesus revealed that He both saw and heard YHWH’s rhema in His daily life. Without this rhema, Jesus said He could do nothing.

Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does. The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.

John 5:19-21

I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 5:30

If Jesus could do nothing without the rhema direction from His Father, how much more do we need to seek the Father’s rhema in everything we do.

God wants us to ask for and depend on Him to provide whatever physical, mental, and spiritual ‘bread’ we need to accomplish His will through our lives today. 

The Bread of Life

Physical and mental bread are important, but spiritual bread gives us eternal life. The rhema of YHWH is this daily bread.

Bread of Empowerment

Our daily bread is not only to keep us alive and well, but it’s our empowerment to complete our mission of advancing God’s kingdom.

Just as we depend on God for life itself, He depends on us to bear His fruit on the earth.

For more information about ‘our daily bread’ read Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread and Christian Passover.

The Lord’s Prayer, Line 4 | Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive All Our Debtors

True Christianity requires a supernatural transformation of our human spirit. Otherwise, it’s impossible for us to forgive our debtors as much as God requires us to.

The Lord’s Prayer (and many other Bible verses) teach that if you don’t forgive everyone of everything, then God won’t forgive you. 

According to Why “Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors?” there are three reasons why our ability to forgive is so important to God:

  1. Our ability to forgive others is evidence to God of our true repentance
  2. Our ability to forgive others is evidence to mankind of a transformed life with supernatural quality
  3. Our ability to forgive others is evidence to celestial principalities and powers of God’s victory through Christ in us.

The Lord’s Prayer, Line 5 | Bring Us Not Into Trials, But Rescue Us From An Evil Heart of Unbelief

If you’re like me you’ve prayed ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil’ for a long time without understanding what Jesus meant in this part of the Lord’s Prayer. For example, the traditional words ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil’ often brought these questions into my mind:

  • It always sounded to me like I needed to ask God not to lead me into circumstances where He knows I’d be weak and tempted to sin.
    • But, as a loving heavenly Father, wouldn’t it be against His nature to lead me into sinful temptation?
  • What evil was I asking God to deliver me from?
  • Some translations (NASB, KJV, YLT) say, ‘deliver us from evil’ and other translations (NIV, NLT, BSB) say, ‘deliver us from the evil one.’ What is the correct translation of this phrase?

After detailed study of this verse I believe Jesus’ original teaching conveyed this meaning: “Bring us not into trials, but rescue us from an evil heart of unbelief.” The reasons for this wording, as well as the answers to the questions above, are all explained in detail in Lead Us Not Into Temptation But Deliver Us From Evil.

Amen

Finally, when we say “amen” in the Lord’s Prayer it’s in the same context as the ancient Hebrews, who meant two things by the word ‘amen:’

  1. Whatever has been said is true and in alignment with God’s will.
  2. God made man the ruler over all the earth in Genesis 1:28. Therefore, just as God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence, may God manifest my words into reality. Let them be done on the earth.

“Amen,” replied Benaiah son of Jehoiada. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it.

(1 Kings 1:36)

In Conclusion

The Lord’s Prayer is a kingdom prayer. Now that you understand how Jesus taught His disciples to pray–with the goal of advancing God’s kingdom on the earth–you can pray the Lord’s Prayer as (I believe) it’s meant to be prayed.

What Do You Think?

Did this article answer all your questions on this topic? Please leave a comment below and tell me:

  • Were you satisfied by the information in this article?
  • Or, did it leave you wanting more?

Related Questions and Answers

Q: What about the traditional end of the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever?”

A: Most authoritative ancient manuscripts don’t include the traditional end of the Lord’s Prayer, which is why modern translations omit it from Matthew’s gospel, except perhaps to mention it in a footnote. In Luke’s gospel there isn’t even a footnote.

Filed Under: Kingdom-of-God Tagged With: Armageddon, living bread, living stones, millennial reign of christ, prayer, principalities and powers, rhema, satan, spiritual warfare

The Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence | Matthew 11:12 | Luke 16:16

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For decades I’ve struggled to understand what Jesus meant in Matthew 11:12 and Luke 16:16, where He said ‘the kingdom of heaven suffers violence,’ and I finally learned what it means. If you’ve also wondered what Jesus really meant in these verses, this article is for you.

So, what did Jesus mean when He said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force?” After detailed study, I believe a more accurate translation could say, ‘From the days of John the Baptist until now men are forcefully pressing-into the kingdom of heaven, and eager men pursue it, grab hold of it, and forcefully claim it.’

For years I thought the verse “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force” meant something negative. Like me, have you pondered how the Devil could possibly use violent men to abuse the kingdom of God? Now I know that’s the exact opposite of what Jesus really meant, as I’ll prove below.

The kingdom of God suffers violence: John the Baptist

Matthew places our subject verse “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence” between some fantastic verses about John the Baptist.

Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 11:11-15

John was the greatest man who ever lived – Until God’s kingdom came to earth

Jesus praised John the Baptist, saying John was the greatest man that ever lived in the 4000 years since Adam. Think about it…John the Baptist was greater than Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and all the prophets!

And yet, beginning with the proclamation of God’s kingdom coming onto the earth, Jesus said every person in the Kingdom of heaven–even the weakest and most humble of them–are greater than John and all the ancient patriarchs. How can this be?

The kingdom of God is a new humanity

Members of God’s kingdom are greater because they’re no longer ‘mere men;’ they are reborn–they’re a new creation. Members of God’s kingdom are begotten-again of God’s Spirit. They are ‘born again’ as a new kind of human. They literally become a child of Almighty God. Here are 3 verses attesting to this fact:

for you have been begotten again, not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

1 Peter 1:23

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, except anyone be begotten from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3

For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

1 Corinthians 3:3

Luke’s version of our main subject verse agrees.

The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

Luke 16:16

John’s ministry marked a turning point in the evolution of God’s plan for mankind. Until John and Jesus began proclaiming that God’s kingdom had arrived on the earth, the law and the prophets were the highest form of God’s revelation to man. But then, John and Jesus proclaimed that God’s kingdom had come, eclipsing the law and the prophets as the highest manifestation of God’s revelation to mankind.

With reference to the kingdom of God, what is John the Baptist’s significance? John’s role was to announce the coming King, Israel’s Messiah, the royal Son of David, and to smooth the way for this King’s arrival. His primary message was,

Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.

Matthew 3:2

The kingdom of God suffers violence: Elijah

Jesus said John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi’s prophecy that Elijah the prophet would come before the Day of the Lord.

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

Malachi 4:5-6

Jesus came in history, but He is also coming again in our future. In the same way, many believe there will be a double fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy. That is, John fulfilled the prophecy 2000 years ago, but Elijah will also come again in the end time as one of the Two Witnesses in Revelation chapter 11.

And so now, in the 21st century, when Jewish and Messianic Christian families celebrate the annual Passover dinner, they always set a place at the table for Elijah in anticipation of his promised return.

The proclamation of God’s kingdom signaled the turning point in God’s plan for mankind

Why is the proclamation of the kingdom of God the turning point in mankind’s history? How is the world different before and after this event?

For about 4000 years, from Adam until Jesus, not even one person lived a sinless life. All had sinned and therefore all were under the power of the lord of this world system, the Devil.

the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

1 John 5:19

But then, Jesus lived a sinless life as defined by God through the Hebrew Bible, also know as ‘the law and the prophets.’ Even before His death on the cross, as a sinless man He claimed the right to exercise dominion over creation, according to God’s blessing to our first ancestors in Genesis chapter one:

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

Genesis 1:28

Jesus displaced the Devil as Lord of mankind

Therefore, when John and Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God, they proclaimed (to both men and angels) that Jesus displaced the Devil as the lord of this world. Jesus restored mankind’s original authority over creation. God finally had a man who could begin the restoration of God’s intent for creation–that all creatures would live in obedience and fellowship with their Creator.

The good news of the kingdom of God

The good news of the kingdom of God is that, through Jesus, the Devil’s authority has been overpowered. Jesus authenticated His kingdom message by binding the Devil and plundering the Devil’s kingdom during His earthly ministry. He healed people, walked on water, raised the dead, cast-out demons…

Jesus said,

If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Matthew 12:28-29

What is the kingdom of God?

So, through faith in Jesus we can now enter the kingdom of God, but what is this kingdom?

Answering the question “What is the kingdom of God” would become a whole book in itself. So for now, here’s a brief summary definition.

Definition of the kingdom of God

Today, the kingdom of God includes all people reconciled to God through faith in Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice; people who honor His authority in their daily lives. It also includes spirits (angels, etc.) who are not in rebellion against God.

At the end of this age, God will institute the Millennial Reign of Jesus over all nations.

For sinners, the initial door into God’s kingdom is repentance. The path from there is discipleship, in cooperation with God’s Holy Spirit. This cooperation continues until we’re complete and mature, with the character and righteousness of Jesus.

The kingdom of heaven suffers violence? This doesn’t make sense.

Forcefully pressing into the kingdom

How can the kingdom of heaven suffer violence? It just doesn’t make sense. One big problem is that it contradicts Jesus’ victory and current position at the right hand of God. For example, this verse says that after His victory on the cross Jesus openly humiliated all of His spiritual enemies.

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:15

The ‘Gates of Hades’ shall not withstand the Ekklesia’s advance

God’s kingdom is not under violent attack. No! We’re not on the defensive.

On the contrary, the disciples of Messiah Jesus are advancing the kingdom of God against the enemy. Jesus said their gates shall not withstand our advance.

The historical ‘Gates of Hades’

What are these enemy’s gates that shall not withstand our advance?

Caesarea Philippi was the ‘home’ of the pagan god Pan on Mount Hermon. It’s in the far Northern part of Israel, bordering Syria. This is ‘the gates of Hades,’ where pagans offered human sacrifices by throwing them into a huge, deep cave.

Caesarea Philippi exhibit – the ‘Gates of Hades’

Jesus intentionally chose this pagan spiritual stronghold at Caesarea Philippi to ‘poke the Devil in the eye.’ This is where He proclaimed:

I will build my ekklesia (called-out ones) and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her.

Matthew 16:18

What Jesus really meant in Matthew 11:12 | the kingdom of heaven suffers violence

In the beginning of this article I said we should understand Matthew 11:12 as saying:

“men are forcefully pressing-into the kingdom of heaven, and eager men pursue it, grab hold of it, and forcefully claim it.”

Let’s dissect this sentence to learn why this is the correct meaning, and how the common translations are not only misleading, but harmful.

The original Greek word biazatai is translated ‘suffers violence’ in many translations. However, in Luke 16:16 biazatai is ‘forcing his way into’ or ‘pressing into.’ This is the correct meaning instead of ‘suffers violence.’

‘Violent men take it by force’

The root for biazatai “suffer violence” is biazo. In the example below you can see this term is positive in the only two places where the Bible uses this word: Matthew 11:12 and Luke 16:16.

https://biblehub.com/greek/971.htm

Eager men pursue the kingdom of God

‘Violent men’ is the Greek word biastes, which (as you can see below) means ‘one who is eager in pursuit’ or ‘positive assertiveness… of the believer living in faith.’

So, according to the ‘word studies’ at the bottom of the snapshot below, it’s reasonable to replace “the violent man taking the kingdom of God by force” with “an eager Christian believer who is positively ‘fired up’ to pursue the kingdom of God.”

This is a much-different (and much better) understanding than I had when I looked at it from a negative perspective–i.e., violent men abusing the kingdom.

https://biblehub.com/greek/973.htm

‘The kingdom of God suffers violence’ means we must seize it!

‘Harpazousin’ the kingdom of God

The final Greek word to shine light on the meaning of Matthew 11:12 is harpazousin, a variant of the root word harpazo.

Bible students will instantly recognize harpazo as the same Greek word the Bible uses for the ‘rapture‘ or catching-away of the saints.

As you can see below, harpazo means to seize or snatch-up using an open, public display of force. In combination with the words we’ve already discussed above, the context of harpazo in Matthew 11:12 and Luke 16:16 means to decisively grab onto, hold, and eagerly claim the kingdom of God.

https://biblehub.com/greek/726.htm

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been perfected, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have laid hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

The kingdom of God suffers violence — Conclusions

1. Based on the information presented above, here’s how we should read Matthew 11:12 and Luke 16:16:

From the days of John the Baptist until now men are forcefully pressing-into (biazetai) the kingdom of heaven, and eager men (biastai) pursue it, grab hold of it, and forcefully claim it (harpazousin).

2. “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence” is a bad translation. It presents a negative, defensive perspective, as if the Devil’s forces assail God’s kingdom. The opposite is true.

3. The correct interpretation teaches us that we cannot enter God’s kingdom passively. We must actively eagerly press into it, pursue it, grab onto it, and claim it with both hands.

What Do You Think?

Did this article answer all your questions on this topic? Please leave a comment below and tell me:

  • Did the information in this article satisfy you?
  • Or, did it leave you wanting more?

Related Questions

Q: Almost all Bible translations present Matthew 11:12 from a negative perspective, as if the kingdom of heaven is being attacked by violent men. How can they all be wrong?

A: You’re correct in saying that almost all translations use the negative perspective of Mt 11:12. Some exceptions are God’s Word Translation and the Jubilee Bible 2000. I explained my rationale for the positive perspective of Mt 11:12 in the article above. Snapshots show the Greek word meanings. A positive interpretation fits much better into the overall context of the Bible as a whole.

Q: How can I press-into the kingdom of heaven, pursue it, grab hold of it, and forcefully claim it?

A: Here’s a short answer:

  1. Repent of your sins and receive forgiveness through faith in Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice for your sins. Receive new life from God as a result. (Romans chapters 1-6)
  2. Walk in discipleship, which means daily obedience to and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8)
  3. Be proactive to study and meditate on the kingdom of God. Today’s ministers (almost universally) neglect God’s kingdom in their teaching.
  4. Serve and fellowship with fellow disciples of Jesus.

Filed Under: Kingdom-of-God Tagged With: millennial reign of christ, principalities and powers, the rapture, Two Witnesses

Christian Passover

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What is Christian Passover? Even after being a dedicated Christian for over 45 years, I didn’t understand Passover; and, like most Christians, I believed that Easter replaced Passover. But in the last few years I’ve discovered Passover’s spiritual importance and how Christians should celebrate it.

Most Christians know God fulfilled Passover about 2000 years ago when the Lamb of God voluntarily sacrificed Himself for our sins. That’s true, but the ongoing, Christian meaning of Passover is that disciples are to follow the Savior’s example, themselves becoming lambs of God, “living sacrifices.” How?

In this article you’ll learn:

  1. Past: How Jesus physically fulfilled Passover. This includes how He fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits, both of which directly result from His sacrifice as our Passover Lamb.
  2. Present: How God calls His disciples to celebrate Christian Passover in their own lives, with purity, obedience, and sacrifice.
  3. Future: Since God fulfilled the Spring feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits) exactly as prophesied, what can we expect concerning the Autumn feasts in our future?

“Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

1 Corinthians 5:7

1.     Past: How Jesus Fulfilled Passover

Terminology: Jewish Passover vs Christian Passover

Jewish Passover

Since the exodus from Egypt, God commanded Israel to annually celebrate Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

So, for more than 3000 years, descendants of Israel remember Passover every springtime in a Passover Seder (pronounced say-der), which is a traditional Passover event.

Christian Passover

During the Last Supper on the evening before His crucifixion, Jesus fulfilled the symbolism of the Jewish Passover and instituted a New Covenant version–a Christian Passover.

Christian Passover doesn’t replace the Jewish Passover. Rather, it builds on the original Passover’s foundation and adds expanded meanings to it.

Here’s a Christian Passover Seder incorporating some of the traditional Seder, but updated in light of the cross and resurrection of our Savior. Feel free to download and use it to celebrate your Christian Seder. If you’d like a Microsoft Word version that you can edit, email Tom@Standinfaith.org to request it.

Passover-Outline-v7Download

When to Celebrate Christian Passover?

Disclaimer: Since 164BC, Jewish leaders use a lunisolar calendar, which is primarily controlled by the moon’s phases. (If you’re interested in learning about Israel’s calendar before 164BC, read my post entitled God’s Calendar.)

The Jews determine Passover season dates according to the monthly cycle of the moon. (Leviticus 23:5-8)

  • Nisan 1 begins each Jewish year with a new moon.
  • Passover preparation (lambs are killed) occurs on Nisan 14
  • The feast of unleavened bread runs 7 days, from Nisan 15-21
  • Nisan 15 and 21 are Sabbath days

The Hebrew Calendar

Nisan? For centuries many doctrinal misunderstandings and errors occurred because our Gregorian calendar is different from the Hebrew calendar, so (trust me) it’s important for you to briefly understand the Hebrew calendar before proceeding.

From Sunset to Sunset

Ever since the first day of creation in Genesis chapter one, days in the Bible go from sunset to sunset—not from midnight to midnight as we’re accustomed.

(example above from Hebrew4Christians.com)

God’s Appointed Times

Explanatory Note About God’s Names

First (because it’s a stumbling block to some people) this section is a quick side-note to explain why I use the names YHWH and Jesus in this article.

YHWH

In Exodus 3:14 we learn that “YHWH” is Almighty God’s personal name. There are many opinions about how to pronounce YHWH, with Yahweh or Yehovah being the most popular.

In this article, rather than referring to Him using the generic word ‘God,’ which allows people to imagine whatever their concept of God is, I’ll often use the specific name of YHWH. YHWH is the God who covenanted with Israel. He is the Father of Yeshua the Messiah.

Yeshua

There are almost as many opinions about how to correctly say our Savior’s name. He is called Yeshua, Yahushua, Issa, Iesue, and Jesus. In this article I’ll refer to the Lord by the name Jesus, not because it’s more correct, but because this article’s target audience are Christians who know Him by this name.

The Seven Moedim (Appointed Times)

In the Bible (Leviticus 23) YHWH ordained seven ‘moedim’ for His people. YHWH’s appointed times, or ‘Moedim’ (pronounced mo-a-deem) are sacred assemblies for His people (Leviticus 23:2).

The 4 Spring moedim teach us about God’s plan for redeeming mankind from sin and death through the Messiah. Christian Passover is a spring moedim; we celebrate it to remember (and personally identify with) Jesus’ sacrifice as the Lamb of God. The other 3 Spring moedim are:

  • Unleavened Bread
  • Firstfruits
  • Pentecost

The 3 Autumn moedim promise how YHWH will resurrect His saints and establish the Messiah’s kingdom on the earth.

Here are the 4 Spring and 3 Autumn moedim:

The 7 Moedim from holyimpactministries.com

God fulfilled the Spring moedim in the past; He will fulfill the Fall (Autumn) moedim in our future.

Lunar Month of Nisan

Passover is in the lunar month of Nisan, which is the first month in the Hebrew calendar. Nisan always coincides with March/April.

The first day of each Hebrew month starts at sunset when Israel sights the first sliver of the new moon. (Or, a minority believe the new moon is ‘at conjunction,’ when the moon is completely dark–the Bible doesn’t define which is correct.) Then, two weeks later, the full moon is on the 15th of each month. Here’s a depiction of one lunar cycle; one Biblical month.

Moon Phases image from goodnet.org

Passover on Nisan 14

From the following verses we learn Passover occurs ‘between the sunsets’ on Nisan 14. The Feast of Unleavened Bread follows immediately afterward, for the next 7 days, from Nisan 15-21:

These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you shall proclaim at their appointed times. The Passover to the LORD begins between the sunsets on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

Leviticus 23:4-6

Every year, the Jewish Passover Day (Nisan 14) is when the lambs are killed. But, it is not itself a Sabbath Day.

Rather, Nisan 14 is a preparation day, to prepare the lamb (and vegetables, etc.) for the Passover ‘Feast of Unleavened Bread.’ This feast begins after sunset, as the ‘high Sabbath’ begins on Nisan 15.

The Passover feast is the ‘Feast of Unleavened Bread,’ and Nisan 15 is a ‘high Sabbath’ day.

Events on Christian Passover Day – Nisan 14, from Sunset to Sunset

This is a brief, chronological summary of events that happened on Nisan 14, Christian Passover Day, in the year Jesus died on the cross:

  1. Jesus and His disciples met for the Last Supper at the beginning of Nisan 14, just after sunset. This was a Tuesday evening.
  2. After dinner, Jesus and His disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Judas led a a mob there to arrest Jesus.
  3. Pontius Pilate convicted and condemned Jesus to be crucified early on Wednesday morning.
  4. By 9am Jesus was crucified. At about 3pm (still on Nisan 14) He died on the cross.
  5. His disciples hastily laid His body in a nearby tomb before Nisan 14 ended at sunset. This was before the Feast of Unleavened Bread began at sunset, the beginning of Nisan 15. (John 19:31, 42)

The Last Supper

Jesus and the 12 disciples met in an upper room for (what Jesus knew was) His last meal.  During this meal He emphasized to them (and demonstrated) the Christian Passover concepts of purity, obedience, and sacrifice.

Purity: Mikveh and Foot-Washing

Before entering the sacred temple area for Passover, Jews ritually purified themselves by immersion in a mikveh, a ritual bath. Archaeologists discovered hundreds of mikvehs around Jerusalem for this purpose.

Jerusalem Mikveh Exhibit

Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.

John 13:10

From this verse (John 13:10) we know Jesus and His disciples bathed to cleanse their bodies before walking to the upper room for the Last Supper.

Ancient Stepped Mikveh in Jerusalem
Another Ancient Stepped Mikveh in Jerusalem

Obedience:

Jesus didn’t want to die on the cross. Even so, knowing He was going to be crucified as the Lamb of God within just a few hours, Jesus said,

I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.

John 14:31

Sacrifice: Bread and Wine

At the Last Supper, Jesus used leavened bread (artos, Strong’s #740) and wine to symbolize His body and blood.

The Melchizedek Priesthood

The symbol of bread and wine wasn’t new in Hebrew history. In the book of Genesis, Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He ‘brought out bread and wine’ when he blessed Abraham in Genesis 14:19.

According to Hebrews 5:10, 6:20, and 7:1-28, Jesus is our High Priest ‘according to the Order of Melchizedek.’

So, what did it mean when Jesus ‘brought out bread and wine,’ and how does it relate to Christian Passover? Months before, in Galilee, Jesus told His followers:

I AM the Living Bread of Life

Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

“Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood you have no life in you…”

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink.

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this teaching, Jesus asked them, “Does this offend you? Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before? The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. However, there are some of you who do not believe.

John 6:53-63
Jesus is the Living Bread

So, what did it mean when Jesus ‘brought out bread and wine,’ and how does it relate to Christian Passover? The bread and wine in the Last Supper were elements of an ancient blood covenant ritual. It is a ‘New Covenant in His blood.’

The New Covenant

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them, declares the LORD.

But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD.

For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Who Are the Parties Making the New Covenant?

Who did YHWH covenant with in the New Covenant? Contrary to popular opinion, the Church didn’t replace Israel as God’s chosen people when Jesus instituted the New Covenant.

According to Jeremiah 31:31 above, the New Covenant is between YHWH and the houses of Israel and Judah.

Spiritual Israel

New Covenant disciples are citizens of spiritual Israel.

Jesus is God’s High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He mediated the New Covenant between YHWH and the houses of Israel (10 tribes) and Judah (2 tribes). The apostle Paul revealed that Gentile believers are reconciled to God because they’re grafted-in to the ‘lost 10 tribes’ of Israel.

At the Last Supper Jesus revealed that His body and blood would be sacrificed to renew the covenant that God made with Israel at Mount Sinai—the covenant Israel had broken.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”

Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:26-28)

This is the Christian Passover ceremony.

The New Covenant Is A Blood Covenant

Bread and wine are ‘blood covenant‘ symbols. In ancient times, whenever two men made a formal covenant, they sacrificed an animal. They spilled its blood (its life) and then roasted and ate its body in a covenant meal. Eating this meal constitutes an unspoken agreement that whoever breaks the covenant will be cursed to die, just as the sacrificed animal died.

In like manner, when we eat the Christian Passover bread and drink the Christian Passover wine (in the Feast of Unleavened Bread) we’re symbolically eating the body and drinking the blood of the Christian Passover sacrifice, the Lamb of God.

When you eat the bread and drink the wine in the Christian Passover ceremony you are literally entering into a covenant with YHWH.

That’s why the apostle Paul warned:

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 11:27-30
Our Responsibility In the New Covenant:
  • Believe in the Messiah as our Christian Passover sacrifice
  • Have God’s law written in our mind and on our heart (and walk accordingly)
  • Know YHWH.  
YHWH’s Responsibility In the New Covenant:
  • Reconcile believers to Himself—both Jew and Gentile. Reconciliation is available to anyone who believes. Belief in YHWH’s Christian Passover sacrifice is the only method of reconciliation with YHWH. (John 14:6)
  • Replace believers’ heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Make it possible for them to live according to God’s instructions.
  • YHWH now inhabits a spiritual house made from ‘living stones,’ making all stone temples obsolete.

As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, you also, like living stones, are built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:5

Arrest, Trial, Crucifixion, Burial

The themes of purity, obedience and sacrifice continue:

Purity

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.

1 Peter 1:19

Obedience

“Not My will, but Thine be done.”

Luke 22:42

In His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Luke 22:44

He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:8

Regardless of the cost and pain, Jesus completely obeyed the Father and submitted Himself to the Father’s will.

Sacrifice

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

Isaiah 53:7

Feast of Unleavened Bread, from Nisan 15-21

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is the actual Passover meal, when we eat the roasted, sacrificial lamb.

Historical Christian Passover Week Details

Note: the year 30AD is not certain, but the Nisan 14-18 details are correct.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread occurs every year after sunset, at the beginning of Nisan 15. This is about 4 hours after the lamb’s blood (its life) is taken.

Jesus died on the cross on Wednesday at about 3pm. This was exactly the same time as the Levitical priests in the temple were killing the Passover lambs to cover the nation’s sins. Just after sunset on that Wednesday, all families in Israel would be eating roasted lamb in Passover Seder meals. A ‘Seder’ (pronounced say-der) is the ritual feast commemorating the exodus from Egypt under Moses.

A bright, white full moon at the beginning of this feast on Nisan 15 represents the Messiah’s resurrected glory.

Why Unleavened?

Whereas Jesus and His disciples ate leavened bread at the Last Supper, this is the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Why unleavened? There are two reasons:

  1. In the exodus from Egypt they didn’t have time to leaven their bread. So this is a remembrance of their leaving in haste.
  2. Leaven represents sin. While Jesus was in His mortal body, it was corruptible, like ours. In fact, in this sinful world Jesus suffered temptation in every way we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) But after His body died, it was no longer possible to tempt Him to sin. He is forever incorruptible. His body has (symbolically) changed from leavened to unleavened.

In the New Covenant YHWH gives us a heart of flesh and writes His law in our mind and on our heart. So, unleavened bread also represents our changed nature, from sinner to saint. We can now walk in sincerity and truth…

Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.

1 Corinthians 5:7

Why is the Feast of Unleavened Bread 7 Days?

The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles have many similarities:

  • Both feasts last 7 days (Tabernacles lasts 7 days, but adds an 8th day)
  • Both begin and end with “a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work”

Ever since the 7 days of creation in Genesis, the number 7 represents the fullness, completeness, and perfection of YHWH’s creation. For example, every 7th day speaks of complete rest; there are 7 colors in God’s rainbow, and 7 notes in the musical scale.

Why these feasts last 7 days is a mystery, but here’s my belief; the 7-day duration of these two holy feasts tells me that they have eternal significance.

  • Throughout all eternity we’re grateful to YHWH because He provided us the bread and wine of the New Covenant in the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We owe everything to YHWH’s love and grace, and to our Passover Lamb, Jesus.
  • For all eternity we’re the ‘tabernacle’ of YHWH; that is, He will dwell in us and we will be His temple, built of living stones.

Should Christians Celebrate Moedim?

In a word, yes. For Christians who don’t believe the moedim apply to them, Zechariah 14:16 tells us all nations will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles annually in the millennial age to come–after the Battle of Armageddon.

Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Zechariah 14:16

Think about it objectively…

  • God required Israel to celebrate His moedim in the past, and He will require require all nations to celebrate Tabernacles in the future Millennium.
  • It’s therefore highly unlikely that God thinks it’s okay for His people today to disregard His moedim, and to replace them with non-Biblical ‘Christian’ holidays.

Firstfruits, Nisan 18

Firstfruits celebrates the first portion of the harvest of mankind in the kingdom of God.

The Sign of Jonah

The Jewish leaders asked Jesus for a sign to confirm God sent Him. In response, Jesus told them,

A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”

Matthew 12:39, 16:4, Luke 11:29

Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.

Jonah 1:17

The sign of Jonah is that Jesus would be in the grave three days and three nights.

His disciples placed Jesus’ body in the tomb on Wednesday afternoon, Nisan 14, before sunset. Three days and 3 nights later, Jesus arose from the dead on Saturday afternoon, Nisan 17, before sunset.

Timing

While fulfilling the sign of Jonah, Jesus also fulfilled the timing requirements for the Firstfruits moedim.

And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.”

Leviticus 23:9-11

After the Nisan 17 sunset, ending the Sabbath, Jesus ascended into heaven and waved the sheaf of firstfruits before YHWH on Nisan 18.

Firstfruits Offering in Heaven

As the spotless Lamb of God Jesus fulfilled Passover and Unleavened Bread. When YHWH resurrected Jesus’ body, transforming it into an incorruptible, heavenly body, Jesus ‘entered the land’ in the spiritual realm. As the resurrected High Priest according to the Order of Melchizedek, Jesus brought many resurrected saints with Him as the Firstfruits offering in the heavenly sanctuary…

At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people

Matthew 27:51-53

Some believe these resurrected saints are the 24 elders John saw in Revelation 4:4.

2. Present: Christian Passover

How should Christians apply the spiritual truths of Passover?

Christian Passover – Purity

Just as Jesus and His disciples ritually purified themselves before Passover, we must purify ourselves before we can…

offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Romans 12:1

How to Purify Yourself

The Passover sacrifice of Jesus makes it possible for us to overcome all shame and an evil conscience. This enables us to ‘have confidence’ to enter YHWH’s presence without guilt or shame…

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body. And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:19-22
The Tabernacle

God told Moses to build the tabernacle “according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” (Exodus 25:40) God showed Moses the divine pattern that everyone must follow to enter YHWH’s presence.

Enter through the Door at the bottom. Proceed up to the Holy of Holies.
The Temple

Later, Israel’s temples followed this same pattern…

Christian Passover – Spiritual Application
  1. First, enter through the Door. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7)
  2. Sacrifice on the brazen altar. Jesus was offered once for all time as a permanent sacrifice for sins. (Hebrews 10:12)
  3. Sanctification (mikveh) in the brazen laver (large tub) of water. We have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. (Hebrews 10:10)
  4. After sacrifice and sanctification you can enter the Holy Place to praise YHWH, receive revelation (the Word), and enjoy the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

In the same way, before we can enter YHWH’s presence we must partake of the Passover sacrifice by faith. Then, we can mikveh (cleanse) our mind and conscience through introspection, repentance, and prayer.

Other New Testament scriptures concerning our purification: Ephesians 5:27, Colossians 1:22, Hebrews 9:14

The ‘bottom line’ is that nothing impure or unholy may enter YHWH’s presence.

Christian Passover – Obedience

Jesus frequently said, “If you love Me keep My commandments.” He also warned,

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. But only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 7:21

Similar verses include: 1 John 2:17, John 9:31, Mark 3:35, Matthew 7:24, 12:50, and Revelation 2:26.

Cheap Grace vs Costly Grace

Dietrich Bonhoeffer became a martyr for Christ after he opposed Hitler during WWII. He wrote “The Cost of Discipleship,” contrasting cheap grace with costly grace.

Cheap Grace

Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything they say, and so everything can remain as it was before…Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin…. “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. It is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

“The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Sadly, most of today’s visible Church wants ‘cheap grace.’ Its leaders merchandise the gospel for their own benefit, while ‘tickling the ears’ of large crowds on the broad way that leads to destruction. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Costly Grace

Costly grace is… costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life but delivered him up for us.

“The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God’s grace was costly. We respect the price He paid by becoming morally pure according to His Spirit in us…

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Jeremiah 31:33

Don’t Tolerate Sin In Your Life!

If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:26-31

Obedience to God isn’t always easy or pleasant…God’s will led Jesus to die on the cross. In like manner, God’s will may lead us to sacrifice our money, our property, and our lives. But following God’s will is the only path to success and glory in God’s eternal kingdom.

Christian Passover – Sacrifice

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:1-2

How to Become a Living Sacrifice

  1. Purity: partake of the bread and wine of the Passover sacrifice by faith. Then mikveh (wash, cleanse) your mind and conscience through introspection, prayer, and faith in the Messiah’s sacrifice for your sins. Do this until you can stand before God without any shame or guilt.
  2. Obedience: having purified your conscience, don’t be defiled by allowing leaven (sin) in your life. Be holy, as YHWH is holy (1 Peter 1:16). Be sure to mix holiness with genuine humility; remember, pride is a sin.
  3. Sacrifice: having cleansed your conscience by faith in the Christian Passover Lamb, put away all leaven in your life. Then you can offer yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. God will mightily use you to advance His kingdom on the earth.

Job Openings in God’s Kingdom

All of these saints will be ‘living sacrifices’ unto YHWH during the years ahead:

3. Future: The Autumn Feasts in Our Future

At the exact moment the Levitical priests were killing the Passover lamb in the temple, our Christian Passover Lamb was dying on the cross. He arose from the grave after fulfilling the sign of Jonah, just in time to wave the sheaf of Firstfruits in heaven on the Sabbath following Passover.

God fulfilled the Spring feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits) exactly as prophesied. Since YHWH fulfilled the Spring feasts so exactly, what can we expect concerning the Autumn feasts which haven’t been fulfilled yet?

Obviously, (just like the Spring feasts) we can expect the Autumn feasts to be fulfilled on the exact dates when the Jews are celebrating them. The Autumn feasts all take place in the Hebrew month of Tishri, the 7th month, which occurs in September/October on the Gregorian calendar.

Trumpets, Tishri 1, Leviticus 23:24-25

Many reputable teachers believe this will be the day when “the Last Trump” will sound and all dead and living saints will be resurrected or ‘snatched-up’ to heaven and changed in the twinkling of an eye. (1 Corinthians 15)

Day of Atonement, Tishri 10, Leviticus 23:26-32

Whereas Passover deals with personal redemption, the Day of Atonement is the national-level ‘covering’ of sin, with offerings for the priesthood, the nation, and the sanctuary.

I believe the Battle of Armageddon, when Messiah returns with the armies of heaven to defeat the armies of the Antichrist, will occur on a Day of Atonement.

Following the resurrection of Jesus’ disciples on Tishri 1, I believe this is the day when ‘all Israel’ will be saved, in fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10.

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion. He will remove godlessness from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.

Romans 11:25-27

The Year of Jubilee, when all debts are cancelled and properties are restored, will begin on a Day of Atonement. (Leviticus 25:8-12)

Tabernacles, Tishri 15-22, Leviticus 23:33-43

  • Saints commanded to dwell in booths (tents or temporary shelters) for 7 days to remember how Israel dwelt in booths when they came out of Egypt
  • Joining ‘the camp of the brethren’ for a week every year is practical training for the ‘Greater Exodus,’ when believers will flee from the Antichrist (Revelation 12:13-17, Jeremiah 23:7-8)
  • Also known as the Feast of Ingathering (of the final harvest) in Exodus 23:16
  • Many reputable teachers believe the Wedding Supper of the Lamb occurs during this feast
  • God will require all nations to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem every year during the millennial reign of Messiah (Zechariah 14:16-19)
  • The 8th day symbolizes the saints dwelling in YHWH’s presence for eternity

Christian Passover – Conclusion

Most Christians know Passover was fulfilled about 2000 years ago when the Lamb of God voluntarily sacrificed Himself for our sins. That’s true, but the ongoing, New Covenant meaning of Christian Passover is that disciples should not only partake of the bread and wine, but they should themselves follow the Savior’s example, becoming lambs of God, “living sacrifices.”

They can do this by:

  1. Purity: partake of the bread and wine of the Christian Passover sacrifice by faith, and then mikveh (wash, cleanse) your mind and conscience through introspection and prayer. Do this until you can stand before God without any shame or guilt.
  2. Obedience: don’t let any leaven (sin) defile you. Be holy, as YHWH is holy (1 Peter 1:16). Be sure to mix holiness with genuine humility; remember, pride is a sin.
  3. Sacrifice: having cleansed your conscience by faith in the Christian Passover Lamb, and having put away all leaven in your life, offer yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. God will mightily use you to advance His kingdom on the earth.

What Do You Think?

Did this article answer all your questions on this topic? Please leave a comment below and tell me:

  • Did this article satisfy you?
  • Or, did it leave you wanting more?

Related Questions and Answers

Q: Should Christians celebrate Old Testament festivals?

A: Yes. The New Covenant is between YHWH and Israel–sealed by the blood of Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the Spring festivals exactly according to their dates and prophetic patterns and He will likewise fulfill the autumn festivals in our future. God gave the annual festivals in Leviticus 23 to His people so that we’d understand God’s plan of redemption, and He commanded His people to keep these festivals. Christians are grafted into Israel (Romans 11:17-24), so let’s keep the Biblical festivals, not blindly and mechanically according to their letter, but intelligently, according to God’s spiritual intent, as I’ve illustrated in this article about how to spiritually observe Passover and the Spring feasts.

Q: This article doesn’t jive with the church’s Good Friday and Easter holidays. Why not?

A: Good Friday, Easter, Ash Wednesday, Lent, and all other ‘church’ holidays are both absent from and contrary to scripture. For any objective person, it’s easy to trace their evolution from Babylonian roots. Though many of these holidays seem harmless, and even reverent, they illegitimately substitute themselves for the truths that YHWH’s moedim provide. Thus, they deprive you of the moedims’ revelation and truth, and they deprive YHWH of the form of worship He commanded us to present to Him.

YHWH designed His moedim to teach you His plan of redemption, including how and when events will unfold in our future. Just as Jesus fulfilled the Spring feasts, so will He fulfill the Autumn feasts.

Therefore, instead of following the world in celebrating pagan holidays, Christians should follow YHWH’s appointed times (holidays) found in Leviticus chapter 23.

Filed Under: Moedim Tagged With: Armageddon, Autumn Feasts, Babylon, Day of Atonement, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, God's appointed times, greater exodus, Jubilee, living bread, living stones, millennial reign of christ, new covenant, satan, Spiritual Israel, Temple, Trumpets

When is the Next Year of Jubilee? | The 70th Jubilee | Leviticus 25:10

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70th Year of Jubilee in 2024

When is the next Biblical Jubilee year… the 70th Jubilee? This article presents compelling archaeological and prophetic evidence suggesting the trumpet announcing the 70th Jubilee year will sound on the ‘Day of Atonement’ in 2024.

Yom Kippur 2024

This day will announce the 70th Year of Jubilee since Joshua led Israel to enter the promised land in 1406 BC. This 70th Year of Jubilee will celebrate our release from the toils of this world and the restoration of our ancient spiritual inheritance in God’s kingdom.

What is the Year of Jubilee?

According to Leviticus 25:8, the Biblical Year of Jubilee happens after every 49-year cycle. It’s announced on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement–the holiest day on God’s calendar, when the High Priest enters God’s presence to ‘cover’ the sins of the whole nation.

The Ancient Hebrew Jubilee Year

Jubilee first appears in the book of Leviticus. God said a Jubilee year was to be celebrated after every 49 years. During this 50th Jubilee year, all debts were erased and all indentured Israelites were freed. Everyone and everything in Israel was to be restored to their original clans and families.

God told Moses to start the 49-year Jubilee cycle “when you enter the land that I am giving to you.” Also, “the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD..” (Leviticus 25:2)

There’s no record of Israel ever celebrating the Year of Jubilee by complying with all its requirements to forgive debts, free slaves, etc.

Jubilee in the New Covenant

Enter Our Promised Land

Just as Israel was to celebrate Jubilee after entering their promised land under Joshua, we have a spiritual promised land to enter. What better time to enter our promised land than on the 70th Jubilee anniversary?

In the New Covenant, the Year of Jubilee represents entering our promised land, when God glorifies His overcomers.

This restoration includes: complete deliverance from our sinful nature, glorification, immortality, and restoring our heavenly inheritance in God’s kingdom.

Return to Your Property and Your Clan

…consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.

Leviticus 25:10
Property and Clan
Return to His Property

What property are we to return to? Before you can understand the property we’re returning to, you need to know where we came from in our past.

Warning–the following section will probably be new and strange to you, so I ask you to consider this information without preconceived bias, according to the Bible–not according to denominational theology.

Our spirits existed with God in the eon of time before Adam, but we all fell into sin, resulting in God destroying the earth, making it without form and void. Our spirits continued to exist, but sin alienated us from our holy God. The situation was hopeless–something in us died. Then, since ‘before the foundation of the earth,’ God devised a plan to reconcile us through the sacrifice of His Son, our Savior and Messiah. (Revelation 13:8, 17:8, Ephesians 1:4, Titus 1:2, Matthew 25:34)

Now, during our present eon, God reconciles Himself (and restores spiritual life) to every spirit who responds to the gospel truth. This includes everyone who receives the Father’s forgiveness through faith in our Savior and Messiah, Jesus. We are ‘begotten-again’ in a new creation. We’re sons of the ‘Second Adam.’ (see John 3:3, 1 Peter 1:3, 1:23 1 John 5:18, 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15, 1 Cor 15:47)

Therefore, Jubilee will be fulfilled when we recover our previous state of glory and joy in YHWH’s presence. Just as the Israelites returned to their ancestral allotment of land, God will restore us to our ancient spiritual position in His kingdom, completely reconciled and reinstated through His infinite grace and love.

I realize these concepts are not commonly taught, so if you’re curious to learn more about our spiritual pre-existence and God’s plan of reconciliation, refer to my free book Overcomers’ Treasure Map.

Return to His Clan – Spiritual Israel

What clan will we return to? When believers are grafted into Israel (Romans 11:17-21) we are grafted into one of spiritual Israel’s tribes. Within each tribe of spiritual Israel are families, or ‘mishpachah,’ which is translated ‘clans’ in Leviticus 25:10 above.

Natural Israel versus Spiritual Israel

Be careful–don’t confuse the present state of Israel, or Jewish people, with ‘spiritual Israel.’ The apostle Paul wrote:

Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

Galatians 4:26

Paul was a Jewish rabbi, and he loved his Jewish countrymen. YHWH also loves the carnal descendants of Abraham, and many natural Jews will be reconciled to the Father through faith. But, YHWH has no favorite children who can disregard His rules. Yeshua is the only door to reconciliation–access to the Father is only through faith in Yeshua as our Passover sacrifice. (John 10:1-18, 1 Cor 5:7)

Spiritual Israel

So, in contrast to natural Israel, ‘spiritual’ Israel is comprised of every person (from any nation) who responds to the gospel truth–everyone who has ever been reconciled to the Father through faith in our Savior and Messiah, Jesus.

What about believers who lived before Jesus came? Spiritual Israel includes ancient saints, such as Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Ruth, and all the others who looked forward to the Savior in their future. Spiritual Israel is based only on faith in YHWH’s promises, not on carnal lineage. Therefore, Spiritual Israel includes all disciples of YHWH, since Abel, who wholeheartedly trust Him and walk in His ways.

Our Clan?

Currently, most of us don’t know what tribe and clan we belong to. I expect God will reveal our clan ‘allotment’ during Jubilee’s fulfillment. From then on, we’ll possess an eternal home within one of the 12 tribes of spiritual Israel.

Your Eternal Home

Jerusalem today is divided into four quarters–Jewish, Muslim, Armenian, and Christian. And, there are ancient gates coming into each quarter. But, in the New Jerusalem, there are 12 gates–one for each tribe of spiritual Israel. Each gate is made of a single pearl (Revelation 21:12). If you’re a disciple, one of these gates will access your clan’s portion of the city–your eternal home in God’s capital on earth.

During the Year of Jubilee the Land Itself Will Observe a Sabbath

…when you enter the land that I am giving to you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD.

Leviticus 25:2

When YHWH fulfills Jubilee, the earth itself will enter into Sabbath rest.

All of creation eagerly awaits the manifestation of the (144,000) sons of God. When Jubilee Year comes, creation will be delivered from the bondage of decay into glorious freedom:

The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Romans 8:19-21

Not only will the overcomers return to their ancient property and clan, but YHWH will return creation to its original state in the Jubilee Year. During the Millennial Reign of Messiah the earth will be like the Garden of Eden, prosperous and peaceful.

God’s ‘Appointed Times’ Reveal God’s Plan and Sequence of Events

In Leviticus chapter 23 God established 7 ‘appointed times’ for His people. These appointed times symbolically portray God’s plan of redemption and deliverance. They also reveal how God will re-establish His kingdom on the earth.

God’s Appointed Times

  1. Passover
  2. Unleavened Bread
  3. Firstfruits
  4. Pentecost
  5. Trumpets
  6. Atonement
  7. Tabernacles

Jesus fulfilled the first 4 (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost) on the exact days and times while the Jews were celebrating them.

Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect God will fulfill the remaining 3 (Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles) exactly on their annual anniversaries in our future.

The Biblical 49-Year Jubilee Cycle

Starting the year Israel entered the ‘promised land,’ the Jubilee-year cycle occurs every 49 years.

Here are the details from Leviticus 25:

Shmitah Years – Sabbath Every 7th Year

When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD…For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops. But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD…The land must have a year of complete rest.

Leviticus 25:2,3,5

Jubilee Year – Every 49 Years (7 Shmitah periods)

And you shall count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to forty-nine years. Then you are to sound the trumpet far and wide on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the Day of Atonement. You shall sound it throughout your land. So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.

Leviticus 25:8-10

The 50th Year in the 49-Year Jubilee Cycle

The Jubilee-Year cycle repeats every 49 years (7 shmitahs), but the actual Year of Jubilee is the 50th year. That is, the 50th year is the same as (it overlaps) the first year in the next 49-year cycle. Here’s a diagram to illustrate this overlap:

http://endtimepilgrim.org/70wks12.htm

So, in this diagram, both year #1 and year #50 are Jubilee years.

Here’s another example: Every week has 7 days. According to the Bible, Sunday is the first day and Saturday is the seventh day. The next Sunday would be the eighth day, but it’s also the first day of the next week.

If this 49 versus 50 concept is still confusing, watch this video for a good explanation.

When is the next Year of Jubilee?

If you ask Google ‘When is the next year of Jubilee’ you’ll see there’s a lot of ignorance, disagreement, and confusion about this question. It’s a mystery.

According to Leviticus chapter 25, the Biblical Jubilee year cycle started when Israel entered the Promised Land.

Then the LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD.”

Leviticus 25:1

I discovered a BibleArchaeology.org article which convincingly proves that Joshua led Israel to enter the Promised Land in 1406BC. A search on their website will provide many references to 1406BC. Here is one of them:

The commencement of the conquest can be dated exactly. With the exodus datable to 1446 BC, the conquest automatically is dated to 1406 BC, because for “40 years the sons of Israel walked in the wilderness” before entering Canaan (Josh 5:6). Since the crossing of the Jordan River transpired on the 10th day of the first month, a date of 28 April 1406 BC is fixed as the day in which the Israelites crossed into Canaan (Josh 4:19).

BibleArchaeology link

Jubilee Year Starting in 2024?

Based on this 1406BC start date and a 49-year Jubilee cycle, the next Jubilee Year will start on Nisan 1 (Day 1 of the Biblical calendar, in the spring of 2024) and Jubilee will be formally announced by trumpet blasts on Yom Kippur, in the autumn of 2024. It will be the 70th Jubilee.

Here are my calculations:

2024AD + 1406BC = 3430 years.

3430/49=70

The pattern and dates fit exactly, just as they would if they match God’s plan.

In his 1260d.com website, Dean Coombs provides detailed corroboration that the 70th Year of Jubilee will start in 2024.

2017 and the 50-Year Cycle

In the 20th century important events happened for the Jews and the nation of Israel. Events occurred in 1917 and 1967, 50-years apart, making people wonder if something big would also happen for Israel in 2017… 50 years after 1967 and 100 years after 1917.

I enjoyed Israel’s 70th birthday in May 2018 in Jerusalem with Dr Michael Heiser and Derek & Sharon Gilbert of Skywatch TV. As you can see in my iPhone video below, Israelis filled the streets, celebrating with overflowing joy on the day the American Embassy moved there from Tel Aviv. Being there was an awesome experience!

https://standinfaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Jerusalem-VideoVga.mp4

Recognizing Israel’s Capital and Moving the US Embassy

On December 6, 2017 President Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and announced plans to move the US Embassy. But, other than the Revelation 12 Sign in the heavens, I can’t find any other ‘big’ events that happened regarding Israel in 2017… at least not on the same level as the 1917 Balfour Declaration or the 1967 Six-Day War.

The 50-Year Cycle

People naturally associate this 50-year 2017/1967/2017 cycle with Leviticus 25:11, which says, “You shall have the fiftieth year as a Jubilee.” They assume that since every fiftieth year is a Jubilee, therefore 1917 and 1967 must have been Jubilee years because God did good things for Israel on these events which were fifty years apart.

Not a Jubilee Cycle

As I’ll explain below, I do recognize this important 50-year cycle. But it’s not the Jubilee-Year cycle.

For a compelling presentation why 49 is correct for Jubilee Year calculations instead of 50, see Jubilee Year Cycle (49 or 50?)

The 50-Year Cycle – Since Creation

The 50-year cycle started at creation, approximately 3983 BC, not in 1406 BC when the Jubilee cycle started.

So, what does the 50-year cycle symbolize? The apostle Peter wrote,

Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

2 Peter 3:8

Therefore six days represent 6000 years. Six days reminds us of the 6 days of creation before God rested on the 7th day.

Most Bible teachers believe this means mankind will have 6000 years before the ‘7th-day’ millennial reign of Christ begins. 6000 is evenly divisible by 50, resulting in 120. 6000/50 = 120

The number 120 will immediately remind Bible readers of what God said in Genesis 6:3… After 200 angels mated with human women, producing ‘nephilim’ giants (for more about this see the Book of Enoch chapter 6), God said:

My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.

Genesis 6:3

The Perfect Resolution of the 49-Year and 50-Year Cycles

Let’s connect the dots…

50-Year Cycle

The 50-year cycle begins with the Biblical creation in Genesis, ending (after 6000 years) on its 120th anniversary in 2017.

After 6000 years, the 120th anniversary of the 50-year 1917/1967/2017 cycle coincides with the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week in 2017.

2017 starts the final 7-year shmitah cycle.

49-Year Cycle

In contrast, the Bible reckons the 49-year Jubilee cycle from when Israel entered the promised land in 1406 BC, ending on its 70th anniversary in 2024.

The 70th anniversary of the 49-year Jubilee cycle coincides with the end of Daniel’s 70th week in 2024.

Coincidence?

The 120th and 70th anniversaries of the two cycles are symbolically significant in themselves. But for them to frame the beginning and end of the 2017-2024 period is too auspicious to ignore or discount. I cannot believe this is coincidental.

When Does Daniel’s 70th Week Start?

What event initiates Daniel’s 70th week?

Daniel 9:27 famously states, “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week“. But, who is the “he” who makes this firm covenant? And what is this ‘covenant with the many’ for one week?

  • The common view is “he” refers to the Antichrist, who will make a ‘covenant with many’ for 7 years.
  • A common assumption is the ‘covenant with many’ is a 7-year peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel.
  • But, others believe “he” refers to Jesus, who confirmed the New Covenant in His own blood, poured out for many. (Matthew 26:28, also Mark 14:24)
  • Finally, many believe Antiochus IV Epiphanes already fulfilled many details of Daniel’s prophecies in 167-164 BC.

With so many unknowns I’m not confident we can know who “he” is, or what the ‘covenant with many’ is. As a result, we may not recognize the event that starts Daniel’s 70th week.

Conclusion – the 70th Year of Jubilee

A Bright Future

We are living at the end of the age, and the birth pangs are increasing for everyone. The good news is that God will defeat all His enemies and God’s people have nothing to worry about.

When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Luke 21:28

There is nothing man can do to us if we are in Christ.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39

Finally, my advice is to be watchful. Abide in God’s Spirit continuously, listening and obeying His voice. Strive to make yourself ready for the Lord’s imminent appearing.

Filed Under: Moedim Tagged With: 144000, abomination of desolation, Autumn Feasts, Daniel's 70th week, Day of Atonement, God's appointed times, Jubilee, millennial reign of christ, new covenant, our inheritance in Christ, Pentecost, principalities and powers, Spiritual Israel, The Great Tribulation, Trumpets

End Time Events Sequence | End Times Prophecy Timeline

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What is the true sequence of Biblical end-time events? Have these events already begun? If so, where are we in the sequence and what can we expect in our future? How can you prepare for what’s coming in end time events?

End time events will happen to every person on earth–with no exceptions.

Your future survival and eternal destiny depends on you understanding what’s happening to our world, and subsequently making godly choices.

The Ages in God’s Plan

There are many ages, or eons, in God’s plan.

The end time events we see today are signs that “the Present Wicked Age” is ending. You’ll find “the Present Wicked Age” near the center of this chart:

The Beginning of the Present Wicked Age

The Present Wicked Age started after Noah’s flood. The flood destroyed ‘the Ancient Age,’ which began with Adam. Notice that both the First Age and the Ancient Age ended with a cataclysmic change to the earth. The Present Wicked Age won’t be any different.

After the flood, Noah and his 3 sons’ families repopulated the earth.

Soon afterward, at the Tower of Babel mankind again organized itself in rebellion against God. In response, God confused their language, so that men couldn’t understand each other.

God then delegated rulership over the 70 nations of mankind to 70 celestial principalities, who became the idol ‘gods’ of the 70 nations listed in Genesis chapter 10. More about this topic is outside the scope of this article, so to get more details about these events, including the fate of the 70 principalities, get my free book The Overcomers’ Treasure Map.

The End of The Present Wicked Age

The end of this age will be similar to the cataclysmic end of the previous age by Noah’s flood. According to Bible prophecy the earth itself will be severely damaged, and almost all flesh will die before the next age of righteousness and peace is birthed on the earth.

This article details the end time events you can expect to occur during the transition from the present wicked age to the next age–the millennial reign of Christ.

The Next Age in God’s Plan–The Millennial Reign of Christ

In the coming age (that replaces this present wicked age) God will restore the damaged earth to Edenic abundance.

At the same time YHWH will repopulate the nations, and every ethnic group will worship Him with their own cultural distinctiveness. God loves this diversity.

In the coming age Jesus will reign over all nations as the King of kings and Lord of lords for 1000 years. Jesus will reign through resurrected overcomers who will serve as priests and kings in Christ’s kingdom.

Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:4-6

The Certainty of Bible Prophecy

This article focuses on the coming sequence of Biblical, prophetic end-time events, from now until the Abomination of Desolation, then through the Great Tribulation to the return of Christ, to His Millennial Reign.

A reasonable person may wonder whether Bible prophecy is reliable, and whether prophetic events will certainly happen?

Since God lives in the eternal realm, outside of time as we know it, these things are not in the future to Him. He can see past, present, and future altogether.

Albert Einstein said,

The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. He also said, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”

Therefore, Bible prophecy about the future is as certain as a reliable history book about past events. In Bible prophecy, God reveals events that haven’t happened yet from our perspective, but they did already happen from His perspective. And so, they are certain to happen in our future.

Sequence of End-Time Events’ Timeline

This article will cover every element on this Timeline Chart, in detail.

Have a Positive Mindset About the Sequence of End Time Events

In the Timeline Chart above, mankind is now seeing the third horseman of the apocalypse (Shortages).

We’ve started the birth pangs that signal the end of the Present Wicked Age. And, just like birth pangs, we can expect the frequency and intensity of end-time tribulations to increase until the kingdom of God is birthed on the earth.

But, don’t let this frighten you. Jesus encouraged His disciples to have a positive mindset, saying,

A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.

John 16:21

It’s normal for a pregnant mother to have apprehension about the inescapable pain and uncertain outcome of her upcoming birthing experience. But, (since Eve) every woman overcomes this apprehension with the positive hope and anticipation of birthing her child into the world.

In the same way, the end time events in our future will be difficult and painful for everyone, but the kingdom of God will be birthed out of it, and it will be glorious.

The Sequence of End Times Events: The Seven Seals

Setting: in the Book of Revelation the apostle John sees Jesus opening a scroll secured by seven wax seals.

Image from presenttruthmn.com

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

When Jesus opens the first seal, the sequence of end time events begins.

Image from vision.org

1. Deception

Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!” So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider had a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.

Revelation 6:1-2

A False Christ

This rider represents deceivers. I can confidently say this because the first five seals exactly parallel the signs Jesus foretold in Matthew 24:4-11. The first thing Jesus said concerning the end time is,

See to it that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

Matthew 24:4-5

So, the rider on the white horse is a false version of Christ. Most churches today proclaim this ‘false Christ,’ encouraging adherents to disregard God’s instructions. They:

  • Tolerate sin, including pornography, drug use, homosexuality, gluttony, abortion, gossip, etc.
  • Sell a seeker-friendly message, downplaying the need for repentance, consecration, and holiness.
  • Celebrate pagan holidays while totally ignoring God’s ‘appointed times’ found in Leviticus 23.

Does this sound like your church?

2. Wars

And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword.

Revelation 6:3-4

The next thing Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24 is,

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Matthew 24:6-7

3. Shortages

And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”

Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not waste the oil and wine.”

Revelation 6:5-6

Jesus said,

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Matthew 24:7-8

Famine

On April 23, 2020 the chief of the United Nations’ Food Relief Agency said the corona-virus pandemic “will cause famine of biblical proportions,” causing ‘hundreds of millions’ to starve to death. Meanwhile, a rich minority continues to live in luxury.

Image from Wikipedia.org

Today, I believe this is where we are in the end-time events’ timeline. The 4th horseman is next in our future.

4. Death

And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

Then I looked and saw a green (Greek, chloros) horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

Revelation 6:7-8

This horseman has authority to kill people in one-fourth of the earth. The Greek word for ‘earth’ is ges, which means soil.

Therefore, the fourth horseman doesn’t have authority to kill one-fourth of the world’s people… he has authority to kill people within one-fourth of the earth’s geographical territory. Within this territory he can kill by war, (probably followed by) starvation, disease, and wild animals.

5. The Fifth Seal in the Sequence of End Time Events: Martyrs

After Jesus releases the four horsemen, He opens the 5th seal.

And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood? Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.

Revelation 6:9-11

Jesus Said to Expect Persecution

Following the ‘beginning of birth pangs’ in the first four seals, Jesus said,

Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.

Matthew 24:9-11

In the fifth seal, John sees the souls of martyrs under the altar of heaven; they’re crying out to God for vengeance. They’ve waited centuries (since Cain killed his brother Abel) to attain the full number of martyrs.

Once the full number of martyrs is attained (Revelation 6:11), Michael throws Satan down to earth and ‘The Great Tribulation’ will kickoff. I expect this to happen during a Passover week.

Note: to understand the history behind the War in Heaven, and why the martyrs’ sacrifice enables Michael to cast the Devil down to earth, read The Overcomers’ Treasure Map.

War in Heaven – Satan Thrown Down

When that number of martyrs is full, God will dispatch Michael to throw the Dragon down from heaven onto the earth. Here’s how John depicts this event:

Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down—he who accuses them day and night before our God. They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.

Revelation 12:7-12

Now Have Come…

Notice above that when Michael throws the Devil down, the voice in heaven says, “Now have come the salvation, power, and kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ” will come. Up to this point in the history of the world the Devil’s kingdom has reigned over mankind. But that’s about to change.

Since Adam chose to disobey God, the Devil (through sin and violence) rules over mankind. But, after Michael throws the Devil down to earth, God will overtly and visibly begin to overthrow the Devil’s kingdom.

Rejoice in the Heavens; Woe to the Earth

Immediately after Michael throws the Dragon down, the Bible says,

Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He’s filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short… the dragon went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 12:12, 17

Trigger Events for the Abomination of Desolation

In the Timeline Chart above there are 3 trigger events leading up to the Abomination of Desolation.

  1. The “full number” of Christian martyrs is attained, resulting in the war in heaven.
  2. The archangel Michael casts Satan and his angels down from heaven to earth.
  3. When he is cast down, Satan inhabits ‘the man of sin,’ transforming him into the Antichrist, who commits the Abomination of Desolation.

Jesus said the Abomination of Desolation will trigger the greatest tribulation in the history of the world.

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house. And let no one in the field return for his cloak.

How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on the Sabbath. For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

Matthew 24:15-22

The Sixth Seal

When Michael throws the Devil down to earth, the Sixth Seal (Revelation 6:12-17) tells of a great, global earthquake. Every mountain and island will be moved from their place. In addition, celestial signs cause the kings of the earth and all others to hide in caves. They’ll beg for protection against the coming wrath of God against the Devil’s kingdom.

The ‘Abomination of Desolation’ is a Major Turning Point in the Sequence of End Time Events, Triggering ‘The Great Tribulation’

Not Just a Great Tribulation, But The Greatest Tribulation in History

Jesus prophesied,

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains…For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

Matthew 24:15-22

First, notice that Jesus said the Abomination of Desolation won’t be secret or hidden. We will see it.

Next, Jesus said this tribulation would be ‘unmatched from the beginning of the world.’ This level of ‘great tribulation’ will ‘never be seen again.’ Jesus also said the Great Tribulation starts with the Abomination of Desolation.

What is the Abomination of Desolation?

The prophet Daniel originated the phrase “Abomination of Desolation”. He wanted to describe an act that is so disgusting to morality, so offensive to godliness, that it forces people to flee its presence, leaving the place desolate.

For further study, here’s a good Article about the Abomination of Desolation.

Past ‘Abomination of Desolation’ Fulfillments

Scholars consider all of these historical events as fulfillments of Daniel’s Abomination of Desolation prophecy:

  • Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed a pig and erected a statue to Jupiter in the Jewish temple in 168BC
  • The unjust crucifixion of God’s holy Son, the Messiah
  • Titus destroyed the temple and erected idolatrous Roman standards on the Jewish temple mount in 70AD
  • Hadrian dedicated a temple to Jupiter on the Jewish temple mount ~135AD
  • Muslims built the Al Aqsa mosque and the Islamic Dome of the Rock built on the Jewish temple mount in 691AD

One More ‘Abomination of Desolation’ Required

While all these abominations fulfilled the prophecy, the Biblical prophecy requires one more Abomination of Desolation. Daniel tells us that after the final Abomination of Desolation there will be exactly 1290 days to the end of the age. Obviously, this hasn’t happened yet.

And from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation set up, there will be 1,290 days.

Daniel 12:11

When Will the Abomination of Desolation Occur in the Sequence of End Time Events?

Answer: the Antichrist will commit the Abomination of Desolation during Passover week. Here’s the scenario:

The archangel Michael will violently throw the Devil down from heaven. Most Bible-believers (including me) teach that the Devil will then (demonically) possess the ‘man of sin,’ transforming him into ‘the Antichrist.’ Then, during a coming Passover, the Antichrist will commit the Abomination of Desolation. This event starts the final 3½ year ‘Great Tribulation.’ (Revelation 13, Matthew 24:15)

Why During Passover?

Jesus literally fulfilled the spring feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits. So, we can assume the Great Tribulation will end during the autumn feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. Therefore, if you start with the autumn feasts and subtract the prophesied 3½ year duration of the Great Tribulation, you’ll arrive at a Spring Passover season.

A second reason is that Passover was the time of ancient Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The Abomination of Desolation will kickoff the ‘Greater Exodus’ discussed below. This will occur during the same 3½ years as the Antichrist reigns over the nations.

Where Will the Abomination of Desolation Occur?

In a Literal Temple?

Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

The ‘man of lawlessness’ reveals himself as Antichrist when he sits himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. But what is ‘the temple of God’ today?

What is the Temple of God?

A Physical Temple of Stone?

Most evangelical Christians today expect Israel to build a literal temple that the Antichrist will desecrate, as Antiochus Epiphanes and Titus did.

The Spiritual Temple?

But, in Luke 13:35 Jesus proclaimed judgement against the Jews’ stone temple, saying, “Your house is left unto you desolate,” and in Matthew 24:2 Jesus prophesied the glorious stone temple would be utterly destroyed, with not one stone left upon another.”

Soon afterward the Holy Spirit filled the Messiah’s disciples on Pentecost, over 1900 years ago.

Since then, God dwells in His ekklesia–the Body of Christ–the spiritual temple of God. God is building His temple in His disciples. (See 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and 1 Peter 2:5.)

So, Which Is It?

Will the abomination of desolation happen in a physical or spiritual temple? There are good arguments for both options, so let us all be watchful, and wait to see how events unfold.

If a stone temple is built, the prophetic direction will be obvious. However, if the abomination of desolation somehow takes place in a spiritual temple, only the watchful may recognize it while the majority wait for a literal fulfillment. We don’t want to be like the Pharisees, who missed their Messiah because He didn’t come as they expected.

The Seventh Seal

At this point in the sequence of events, Michael has thrown the Devil down to earth. Then, the Antichrist committed the Abomination of Desolation. This triggers the start of the Great Tribulation in the sequence of end time events.

When the Abomination of Desolation occurs, everyone familiar with Bible prophecies will know there are 3½ years remaining until the beginning of God’s reign over the earth.

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets. Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Revelation 8:1-5

7 Trumpets Similar to Plagues Against Egypt

The seven trumpets are comparable to the plagues against Egypt, when God forced Pharaoh to release Israel from bondage. Except, in the Great Tribulation, God is delivering all of creation from Satan’s bondage. (Romans 8:21, Hebrews 2:15)

The Three Destinies For God’s People During the Great Tribulation

During the next 3½ years after the Abomination of Desolation, God’s people will experience one of three destinies: captivity, sword, or perseverance and faith.

If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he will go; if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed.” Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.

Revelation 13:10

1.     Captivity

Rather than fleeing into the wilderness, normalcy bias will cause the most Christians worldwide to continue their normal routine, hoping for things to get better. But, when either their food runs out or they’re arrested, the government will force them into a camp where most, if not all, will die.

Governments prepared for this years ago. For example, here is the US Army field manual FM 3-39.40, published in 2010, titled Internment and Resettlement Operations. This document could easily resemble the Nazi plan for ‘internment and resettlement’ of Jews during WWII. We all know how that plan worked. In Matthew 24:21 Jesus warned us the great tribulation will be worse than what the Nazis did to the Jews.

2.     Sword

Some will fight the Antichrist’s totalitarian government, but violence isn’t God’s way of establishing the Messiah’s kingdom. As a result, the Antichrist’s forces will prevail and Christians who fight the Antichrist with carnal weapons will be killed. Jesus warned,

All who draw the sword will die by the sword.

Matthew 26:52

And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven. Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.

Revelation 13:6-7

3.     Perseverance and Faith: The Greater Exodus

For 3½ years, many of God’s people with perseverance and faith (Revelation 13:10) will follow God into the wilderness, just like the children of Israel who came out of Egypt.

Where is this wilderness?

There are two strong possibilities–either (1) in the ancient land of Edom, or (2) in every nation. The links below provide you the resources to research, pray, and decide for yourself.

Gather in the Land of Edom

I know of four ministries who believe the ancient land of Edom (located Southeast of the Dead Sea) is where God’s people will gather to wait on the Savior’s deliverance. The website links below explain their reasons why they believe this, so I encourage you to click on them to learn more.

As we ‘see the day approaching,’ the first two ministries listed below encourage saints to leave their home country and join them in Jordan now.

The Call to Jordan

Beastwatch News

End Time Pilgrim

Escape All These Things

In Every Nation

Monte Judah teaches that during the Great Tribulation there will be a ‘camp of the righteous’ in every nation of the world. See his video below for his perspective.

My Belief

I personally believe both will be true–there will be ‘camps of the righteous’ in every nation, but ‘the Greater Exodus’ will be in Edom. Let me explain:

  1. I believe the Spirit of God will scatter the 144,000 as witnesses (literally martus, or martyrs) to every nation, tribe, and language. The beast system will force them to dwell in their respective nation’s wilderness during the period of their testimony. (I discuss the identity and ministry of the 144,000 in more detail below.)
  2. But, I believe the scriptural focus of “the Greater Exodus” is in the land of Edom, where Jesus will supernaturally protect and deliver that specific ‘camp of the righteous’ at the end of the age.

‘Greater Exodus’ Prophecy

The prophet Jeremiah foretold this ‘Greater Exodus’—greater than when God delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh in Egypt.

Yet behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when men will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’ Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’

Jeremiah 16:14-15, also in Jeremiah 23:5-8, and 29:11-14

Who Is Included in Greater Exodus?

Note: the term ‘Israelites’ includes all 12 tribes of Israel. Today’s Jewish people only descend from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. God grafted non-Jewish disciples of YHWH into the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13), restoring the other tribes. (Romans 11)

As I mentioned above, some of these ‘Israelites’ from every nation are gathering in Edom already.

Others will see the Abomination of Desolation take place during Passover. They’ll quickly leave their homes and join the ‘camp of the righteous,’ where God will protect them in the wilderness for 3½ years (Revelation 12:14-17).

How to Prepare for the Greater Exodus

How are they preparing for this event? The 8-day Feast of Tabernacles is an annual dry-run, with believers gathering every year. In nations around the world, they gather as ‘camps of the righteous’ in the wilderness. To understand this concept, and to learn how you can join in such a group, watch this video:

The 144,000

In Revelation 7:1-8, angels seal 144,000 disciples with the ‘seal of the Living God.’ This seal shows YHWH’s ownership, empowerment, and identification with these holy servants of God.

The 144,000 Spirit-filled saints will go into the world, clothed in glory and the power of God to authenticate their message. As a result, an ‘innumerable multitude’ of new believers will believe their message to become citizens of God’s kingdom and disciples of the Messiah in the final harvest of souls. (Revelation 7:9, 14:14-16)

In response to this massive rebellion against his authority, Satan will carry out worldwide persecution against the God’s people.

When Will Angels Seal the 144000?

This is the ‘manifestation of the sons of God’ that all creation is eagerly waiting for.

I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Romans 8:18-21

Since this is such a major event, I believe this ‘latter rain’ outpouring of God’s Spirit on the 144,000 will happen in conjunction with one of the Biblical festivals, Firstfruits or Pentecost, within two months after the Abomination of Desolation.

144000 Mortal or Immortal?

As I wrote in Arise, Shine!, the 144,000 will be ‘glorified’ saints. In this case, ‘glorified’ means they’ll still be mortal, but their bodies will emanate the light of God’s glory, like Moses’ face that glowed when he came down from Mount Sinai. Also, like Jesus when God’s glory transfigured Him on the mountaintop.

Moses and Jesus emanated God’s glory during their lifetime, but later their bodies died. Even so, the 144,000 will remain mortal until the 7th Trumpet rapture/resurrection.

Who Are the 144000?

  1. The 144,000 will include Jesus’ disciples from every tribe, language, people, and race.

Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and race.

Revelation 5:9

2. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They are blameless. (Revelation 14:4-5)

To understand the 144,000’s role in end-time events, you must be familiar with two Old Testament examples.

Seal of Protection From God’s Judgement during the Great Tribulation

In Ezekiel 9:1-11, God commanded an angel to “put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed” in Jerusalem. Then, God commanded the angels are to kill everyone who doesn’t have this mark of protection, without pity, starting in the temple.

So, the mark (or seal) was to protect them from divine judgement. Likewise, to protect the 144,000 from the coming (7 trumpet) judgments against the earth, the angel in Revelation 7:3 says,

“Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

So, the 144,000 will be on the earth when the trumpet judgments harm the land, sea, and trees, but God will protect the 144,000 from these judgments.

While the 144,000 are protected from God’s judgments, this doesn’t mean the 144,000 they’re protected from persecution by men.

Witness Against the Watchers

In Genesis 6:1-3, as detailed in the Book of Enoch, the Watchers are angelic sons of God. They lusted-after and impregnated beautiful women, producing evil, nephilim giants.

…the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day. In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire.

Jude 6-7

In contrast to the sins of the Watchers, in Revelation 14:4 the 144,000 “are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are chaste, following the Lamb wherever He goes.” The purity of their lives testifies in the heavenly court against the Watchers.

The concepts of the heavenly court and the Watchers are outside the scope of this post. To learn more about the 144,000 and the heavenly court, see God’s Plan: How the 144,000 Will Defeat the 70 Principalities and Powers.

Locations of the 144,000

I expect the 144,000 will follow the pattern Jesus established with His disciples. They’ll go out in pairs (Luke 10:1, Mark 6:7) to their own tribe, fluently proclaiming the gospel of God’s kingdom to their kinsmen.

72,000 pairs of glorified sons of God will soon reach every city and town worldwide. They’ll challenge every man, woman, and child on earth to either (1) believe and obey, or (2) reject the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Their ministry, validated by their visible glory and miracle-working faith, will prompt ‘an innumerable multitude’ to ‘wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb.’ (Revelation 7:14)

An ‘Innumerable Multitude’ Comes Out of the Great Tribulation

Immediately after hearing about the 144,000, the apostle John sees an innumerable multitude in heaven. An angel tells John,

These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 7:14

These are millions (or billions) of martyrs who will commit themselves to God because of the testimony of the 144,000. They suffered on earth, but God will comfort them in heaven:

They are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Revelation 7:15-17

The Two Witnesses

Plagues on Satan’s Kingdom During the Great Tribulation

In Revelation 11:3-13, the Two Witnesses are two human prophets who stand in God’s presence. Their ministry to testify against (and punish) the Devil’s kingdom will begin at the Abomination of Desolation.

God will delegate authority for them to stop the rain and to smite the earth, as often as they wish. They will publicly challenge and humiliate the Antichrist, just as Moses challenged Pharaoh and Elijah challenged king Ahab.

Rebellious mankind will hate the Two Witnesses for making them suffer. After 3½ years, just before the Seventh Trumpet announces the resurrection of the saints, the beast will kill them. Sinners will rejoice and send gifts to each other for 3 days. But then God will resurrect them into heaven while their enemies watch. 

Sequence of End Time Events: The Seven Trumpets

What is Wormwood?

‘Wormwood‘ is the name of a large comet, asteroid, or planet that comes close to earth, generating catastrophic, planet-wide, end time events.

Before you scoff, know that ancient histories and mythologies on all continents tell us similar celestial events occurred many times in history. For hundreds of documented examples, read Worlds in Collision by Immanuel Velikovsky. This is a radical book that Albert Einstein respected so much he read it three times.

During these judgments, the Antichrist continues his persecution of true believers. (Matthew 24:29, Luke 21:25-26, Mark 13:24, Revelation 8:7-12).

Sequence of End Time Events: Trumpets 1-4

After the Abomination of Desolation event, Wormwood will approach the earth. Trumpets 1-4 list the catastrophic, worldwide end time events that occur.

During these judgments, the Antichrist continues his persecution of true believers. (Matthew 24:29, Luke 21:25-26, Mark 13:24, Revelation 8:7-12).

Trumpet 1: Hail and fire mixed with blood. One-third of the earth, trees, and grass burnt. This is fallout from Wormwood’s tail.

Trumpet 2: Like a great mountain thrown into the sea. One-third of the sea becomes blood. This is a chunk from Wormwood that earth’s gravity pulls into the sea.

Trumpet 3: Wormwood is a great star that falls from heaven, poisoning one-third of the fresh water on earth. More Wormwood debris from space.

Trumpet 4: One-third of the sun, moon, and stars darkened.

Based on the preaching of the 144,000 and the Two Witnesses, the Antichrist will blame God for Wormwood’s destructive effects and increase his persecution of God’s disciples.

The Mark of the Beast

The ‘mark of the beast’ will force every man, woman, and child on earth to publicly choose to either follow God or follow Satan. There will be no third option and no secret believers. (Revelation 13:16-18)

a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

Revelation 14:9-11

The mark may be a mandatory biometric ‘mark’ or microchip that stores identity and personal information. It will authenticate people to access benefits from the global government. Benefits will include access to buy or sell using a worldwide crypto-currency account. Without the mark you won’t have any access to their global, cashless money system.

During this time, God will miraculously provide the needs of the ‘camps of the righteous’ in the Greater Exodus, just as He did for Israel during their exodus from Egypt.

The 6th Trumpet War

This war will be terrible, killing one-third of mankind. (Rev 9:13-21)

The First Resurrection and Rapture of the Saints as the 7th Trumpet Sounds

Feast of Trumpets = 1st Resurrection day (Rev 11:15-19, 20:4-6) near the end of the 3.5 year Great Tribulation. This resurrection is only for believers in God’s sacrificial Lamb, including believers from the Old Covenants and the New Covenant.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 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 will be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:50-52

Sequence of End Time Events: The Seven Bowls of Wrath

After God resurrects believers to heaven, seven angels pour out God’s wrath on the unbelievers who remain on the earth.

There are 10 days between Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). During this time angels will pour seven bowls of wrath onto the Beast’s kingdom. (Revelation 16)

Sequence of End Time Events | The Return of Christ | The Kingdom of God Comes to Earth.

The Son of Man Returns in Glory

At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn.

They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Matthew 24:30-31

The Return of Christ

On the Day of Atonement, Jesus Christ returns in glory as King and Lord over all nations. He destroys the Antichrist and his army in (what is called) the Battle of Armageddon. (Rev 19:11-21).

This day begins the Jubilee, the reign of Messiah on the earth for 1000 years. Jesus will govern all nations with love, righteousness, peace, and impartial justice. (Revelation 20)

Following Jesus’ 1000 reign on the earth, God will judge every soul (Revelation 20:11-15) and then He will create a glorious new heaven and earth for eternity. (Revelation 21)

When will the Great Tribulation Start in the Sequence of End Time Events?

Biblical prophecy assures us we’re in the final 3½ years when we witness the Abomination of Desolation, but until then we can only try to fit puzzle pieces together. For reasons I explain in detail in my Daniel’s 70th Week posting, I am watching these three candidate 7-year time periods closely.

  • 2017 to 2024
  • 2020 to 2027
  • 2025 to 2032

*Now that we’re past the midpoint of the 2017-2024 period, with no apparent ‘abomination of desolation’ event during Passover in 2021, this 7-year period is looking unlikely.

The Sequence of End Time Events: my advice

Regardless whether it’s one of these time periods or another time, the most important thing is to be ready to meet the Lord at all times, striving to walk in communion with God’s Holy Spirit 24/7. If you do, God will surely bless you!

Filed Under: End-Time Tagged With: 144000, abomination of desolation, Antichrist, Armageddon, Autumn Feasts, Daniel's 70th week, Dragon cast down, false religion, first resurrection, glory of God, God's appointed times, greater exodus, Innumerable multitude, living stones, Mark of the Beast, martyrs, millennial reign of christ, Pentecost, principalities and powers, satan, satan's world system, Temple, The Great Tribulation, Trumpets, Two Witnesses

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