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Jim Bramlett
Apr 12, 2004
This is long, but you may find it meaty and well worth the time. It is in two parts.
PART 1.
Friend Sherry Vance has an interesting view of where we are on God's time line. Sherry is a diligent and knowledgeable student of the Word and Bible prophecy, and I take her views seriously, even though I may not always agree. She is not dogmatic about the following, but says that is the way she sees it right now. This is based on several e-mails from her and two telephone conversations on April 11, 2004.
WARNING: This may be contrary to your long-held end-time scenario of a rapture followed by a seven-year tribulation period. But as with FOX NEWS, I report, you decide.
Sherry reminds us of several salient and, amazingly, interlocking points:
1. Shortly after the latest Palestinian Intifida that began when Sharon marched to the Temple Mount on September 28, 2000 (the last day of Jewish year 5760), leading rabbis in Israel declared that Israel was now in "the time of Jacob's trouble" as prophesied by Jeremiah (30:7). This was a profound, historic announcement.
2. According to Sherry, the rabbis also declared that the Jewish year 5760 (modern year 2000) was the end of 6,000 years since Creation – or the end of the sixth millennial day. (See my comments about the year 5760 in PART 2 below.
BRAMLETT NOTES (Info from Sherry will continue after these five notes, A-E):
NOTE A. So here we have all history pointing to the year 5760/2000 as climactic. Interestingly, on May 5, 2000, a very extraordinary event occurred in our solar system. The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and at least five comets were in close alignment, fitting together in a geocentric arc of only 25 degrees. This alignment will not occur again until the year 2675! The last occurrence of this alignment was in September 1186 AD. (God gave the heavens as "signs" -- Genesis 1:14).
NOTE B. In the modern year in which Jewish year 5760 later began in the fall, early in the morning of January 23, 1999, was the most brilliant explosion ever witnessed by humanity – a historic gamma ray explosion in the far reaches of the universe. It could be seen nine billion light-years away, more than halfway across the observable universe. If the event had instead taken place a few thousand light-years away, it would have been as bright as the midday sun, and it would have dosed Earth with enough radiation to kill off nearly every living thing.
NOTE C. The very next year after the year 2000, in 2001, we saw the seventh anniversary of when the 21 fragments of the Shoemaker-Levy Comet that slammed into the planet Jupiter on July 16-22, 1994, no doubt a heavenly sign. Historically, the planet has been linked to the Jewish Messiah. July 16-17, 1994 is especially significant. It overlaps with the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar, a date that historically has meant destruction and tragedy for the Jews, and is commemorated by them as a dark day. The Midrah states that God marked the 9th of Av as a day of catastrophe and declared it an eternal day of mourning. Both Solomon's and Herod's Temples were destroyed by invaders on that very same day. It may be no accident that the 21 comet collisions extended over seven days, possibly representing the seven years of Daniel's 70 week and the time of "Jacob's trouble," as well as the 21 judgments of Revelation.
NOTE D. Also, the very next year, September 11, 2001, saw the Al Qaeda attack on the Twin Towers, changing the world forever, and many believe a final warning. This marked a major end-time release of demon power upon the world through radical Islam.
NOTE E. With inclusive counting, the rare and stunning comet Hale-Bopp was discovered in 1995, seven years earlier than 9-11-01, and was closest to the earth on March 22, 1997, which was about 3.5 years earlier than the end of 5760. The Jewish-Roman historian, Josephus, described a similar comet hanging "like a sword" over Jerusalem before the prophesied Roman destruction of the city in AD 70.
NOW, BACK TO SHERRY'S IDEAS… WHAT ABOUT THE REAL JACOB'S TROUBLES?
3. Interestingly, Sherry compares the 14 years 1993 to 2007 (of which 2000 is midpoint) to Jabob's 14 years of trouble with and servitude to Laban, father of Leah and Rachael. She says, "In 1993 an historical event took place: the Oslo Accords. It was a "lied-to-agreement". The typology is clear: Laban (Arafat) contracted with Jacob (Israel) to work for seven years for the desire of Jacob's heart (Rachel, or today, peace). These were the seven "good years" -- filled with hope that at the end of it, he would see fulfillment of his desire. We know that the contract of the seven good years was a "lied-to-agreement" because in Genesis 29:26 we see Jacob confronting Laban regarding his LIE (tricked with Leah, not Rachel, or today, tricked into giving up land for NOTHING in return). Laban says, "It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn." In other words, Laban KNEW ALL ALONG he was lying and going to trick Jacob -- and so did Arafat. The first week of Jacob's Trouble ends grieving because the labor was in vain -- and the second week begins -- the 7 bad years (2000 to 2007) -- but from which Jacob shall be delivered and finally given the desire of his heart (peace).
4. Sherry believes the "time of Jacob's trouble" period 2000 to 2007 to be the same as the "70th week of Daniel" (Daniel 9:24), which means we are now about halfway through. But she does not see an exact seven-year tribulation corresponding to that period as commonly taught.
5. REASON: She points out that we know that the 70 weeks are "determined" (Daniel 9:24), and thus cannot be shortened. But we know that the tribulation will be "shortened" (Matthew 24:22), thus the two cannot be the same; yet, the 3.5-year tribulation of Revelation will take place within the 70th week and will end at the same time. She believes the actual judgments will only last about a year at the end.
6. She believes a confusion factor is equating the 70th week of Daniel to a seven-year tribulation, and the fact that the antichrist will "confirm a covenant for one week" (Daniel 9:27), but "in the midst of the week" will cause sacrifices to cease. The antichrist, indwelled by Satan, the father of lies, may confirm a seven-year covenant, but being a liar he will lie about it, like Arafat, with no intention of observing it. In the "midst" of the week does not necessarily mean halfway through, but could be anytime after the phony covenant is made.
7. Sherry is unsure and non-committal about where she sees the rapture in all this, and is not sure, although certainly before the final judgments, but not as traditional pre-trib theology is taught. She admits it could be any day and nothing else has to happen before it.
IN SUMMARY:
If the above understanding it true, (1) we are about halfway through the 70th week of Daniel, (2) the tribulation will end in 2007, and (3) the rapture could be at any time.
_____________________
PART 2.
Below is some fascinating information about Jewish year 5760 that I wrote several years ago:
Jewish year 5760 began on September 11, 1999 on the modern Jewish calendar and will end on September 30, 2000. What is so unusual about it?
First, with this year, we may have an unprecedented convergence of three of the most profound events in all history: (1) the end of the sixth millennial days (6,000 years) of creation and beginning if the seventh; (2) the end of the second millennial day (2,000 years) since Christ's birth and the beginning of the third; and (3), the Jubilee year (50th anniversary) of Israel officially declaring Jerusalem its capital on January 23, 1950, and shortly after Israel's own Jubilee year, both no doubt of great prophetic significance.
Second, the following, which came to me from various sources, seems amazing:
Thanks to Bonnie Gaunt, we learn that the gematria, or letter/number equivalents of the Hebrew language, for the words SIX DAYS multiplies to 5760 and also the words THIRD DAY multiplies to 5760 (both with extra zeros). The statistical improbability of such an outcome must be astronomical.
Creation was in six days. Six days X 24 hours = 144 hours. If these six days were a type of the 6,000-year earth lease, and assuming 1 hour = 1 generation, and 1 generation = 40 years, we have 144 X 40 = 5760!
Verse number 5760 in the Hebrew Bible is Deuteronomy 32:7: "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations" But that's not all: This verse exactly follows 50 verses from Deuteronomy 30:5 which speaks of Israel's rebirth in 1948, and the year 5760 exactly follows 50 years from Israel's rebirth! This is truly amazing.
Israel, the "fig tree" of Matthew 24:32, "put forth its leaves" in the June 1967 miracle six-day war by acquiring the Golan Heights, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, also a fulfillment of Luke 21:24. Jesus said the generation which saw this would not pass away until "all these things have happened." June, 1967 was Jewish year 5727. If a generation is 40 years, then 5727 + 40 = 5767 (which coincides with A.D. 2007). Year 5767 minus seven years (possibly Daniel's 70th week) = 5760.
Counting multiple books as one (e.g., 1 and 2 Samuel), Revelation is book number 57 in the Bible. Book 57 verse 60 happens to be Revelation 3:11: "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown." Counting numbered books also, Revelation is the 66th book of the Bible, making verse 3:11 verse number 66:60!
Finally, here are some more fascinating tidbits: (1) A cube has six sides, eight corners and twelve edges, and 6 X 8 X 12 = 576, showing the importance of the number in Gods design. (2) The gematria of "Messiah the Prince" in Daniel 9:25 = 576. (3) Similarly, "He shall appear in His glory" in Psalm 102:16 = 576. (4) Oddly, there are 5,760 grains in one pound (troy) of gold. Gold is symbolic of royalty and the coming King. (5) On the first day of the Jewish year 5760, monster hurricane Floyd was born, one of the largest in history, menacing the entire East Coast of the U.S. Multiplied, the Hebrew gematria for FLOYD (pe, lamed, vaw, yod, daleth) = 5760 (00), a pointed reminder of Psalm 98:7-9: "Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it... For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness he shall judge the world."
In addition to the above, below is an interesting commentary from "Ask the Rabbi" about the year 5760:
ASK THE RABBI is written at
Ohr Somayach Institutions / Tanenbaum College
22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103
Jerusalem 91180, Israel
Tel: 972-2-581-0315 Fax: 972-2-581-2890Dear Rabbi,
I heard recently that some great Rebbe in Jerusalem said that this year, 5760, will be a difficult, (G-d forbid) hard year for the world in general. Are there -- in the gemara or various different sources--opinions to back up this claim? Have you heard of it? Doesn't 5760 stand for "Tehai Shnat Segulot -- It should be a year of treasures?"
Dear Debbi,
One of today's great Torah Sages, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliyashev, in regard to questions such as yours, said the following: "Those who know don't say; those who say don't know." He meant that those who purport to definitively predict the future are only speculating; anyone truly wise enough to know the future is also wise enough to know how much to reveal, when, and to whom. However, some interesting things have been said about the year 5760:
In Jewish law, the number 5760 represents purity. Thus, one of the kabbalistic writings (Chesed L'Avraham, written around 200 years ago) saw 5760 as the year in which G-d will "remove the spirit of impurity from the land" (Zecharia13:2).
The connection between 5760 and purity is as follows: In Jewish law, ritual purity is achieved by immersing in a pool of naturally gathered waters called a mikveh. Now, for a mikveh to be valid it must have a certain minimum amount of water. The Oral Torah (the unbroken chain of information going back to Mount Sinai) teaches that this minimal amount is 5760 "egg-volumes." Thus, 5760 symbolizes a mikveh and hence the removal of impurity.
(An "egg-volume" is the amount that spills from a totally full cup when you put an egg in it. Ancient mikvehs discovered in Israel, such as those at Qumran and Massada, are built precisely to this standard. One se'ah =144 eggs; hence, a minimum 40 se'ah mikveh = 40 x 144 egg-volumes, or 5760.)
Another source, the Yalkut Reuveni, wrote that 240 years before the year 6000, the world will be engulfed by a flood. But didn't G-d promise Noah never again to flood the entire world with water? What kind of "flood," then, is being referred to? Earthquakes in Mexico City, Taiwan, Turkey, Peru and California; deadly storms in Central America, Japan and Florida; volcano alerts in Ecuador and the Philippines. This flurry of tragedies prompted CNN to ask "Is there a Link Between Recent Natural Disasters?" Add to this a nuclear meltdown in Japan, the train tragedy in London and a military coup in nuclear-capable Pakistan; all of these which occurred in the few weeks since the year's beginning on Rosh Hashana. Could these events be the rumblings of a deluge of disaster? Or will the "millennium bug" bring an ocean of information crashing down around us?
The possibilities are endless. Let's pray for another possibility, that a flood of love and kindness will engulf the globe, and that "the earth will be full of G-dly knowledge, just as the waters cover the ocean." (Isaiah 11:9)
Bookmarks in the Torah, and history?
An amazing discovery was published in January 1998. It is an article by Gary Stearman in J.R. Church's Prophecy in the News magazine, and it is titled, "There is a Prophecy in Abraham's Name."With pages of more explanatory and scholarly detail than I can include here, Stearman describes two anomalies in the Hebrew Masoretic Text of the Torah (first five books of the Bible). Both involve the Hebrew letter "hay" (cannot reproduce here), equivalent to our letter H, the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and also the number five. It is considered the number for grace in the Bible. It is pronounced by the exhalation of breath, signifying the breath of the Spirit. It is the letter God added to the new names of AbraHam and SaraH, to whom grace through faith alone was first revealed ("He believed the Lord and He counted it to him for righteousness," Genesis 15:6).
The letter "hay" appears throughout the Scriptures, but there are two occasions where it is distinctive and unique. It appears one time in MINIATURE form (Genesis 2:4), and it also appears one time in ENLARGED form (Deuternomy 32:6). Stearman suggests these may be BOOKMARKS of history. The first time, in Genesis 2:3, is at the beginning of creation. The second time is in the 5759th verse of the Bible.
With illustrations from the Hebrew text and about the first, miniature "hay," Stearman says, "Highlighted above is the Hebrew word 'behibaram' in Genesis 2:4. It translates into the phrase "when they were created" Note the miniature letter 'hay,' which calls attention to God's work of grace. This small 'hay' appears to be sort of a bookmark denoting the beginning of man's pathway to redemption."
Then Stearman says, "Note the enlarged 'hay' It is the first letter in Deuteronomy 32:6, creating the phrase, 'Do ye thus requite the LORD?' It signals the Lord's tempering of grace with judgment. This enlarged 'hay' appears to be another bookmark, this time alluding to the judgments of the 'day of the Lord.'"
This would put the second and final bookmark of man's history at 5759, just before Jewish year 5760, for which we found so much other prophetic implication. Year 5759 ended and year 5760 began in the fall of 1999.
(BRAMLETT NOTE: And in the year 5760, (1) 6,000 years since creation ended, (2) the Palestinian Intifida began, (3) and the final seven years of "the time of Jacob's trouble" began, according to the rabbis.)
If you have any questions about Sherry's views, please do not direct them to me, but to Sherry, as I will not be able to answer them. Her e-mail address is SLVance235@aol.com. However, she is leaving for Israel in a few days and may not be able to answer right away.
Jim
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