A
number of Christians have emailed me wondering whether we are now living
in the
last year before the tribulation period could begin. The
reasoning behind this is, this year in Israel is a ' shmita'
year - the sabbatical year in which the Jews are commanded by God to let
the
land rest from producing fruit. In
the Autumn of 2008, the Feast of Trumpets will mark the beginning of
another
cycle of seven years for the Jewish people. The covenant
between Israel and the surrounding nations is also strengthened by the
Antichrist for a period of seven years (Daniel 9:27), so the thought is
that
this agreement could fall into one of these seven-year cycles on the
Jewish
calendar. The fact that the international community is aiming for a
peace
agreement by the end of 2008 is therefore quite significant. The book of Daniel states that the actual
time of Jacob's trouble will begin after the agreement is broken by the
Antichrist, and will run for a period of three and a half years (Daniel
12:7),
or 42 months (Revelation 11:2), or 1260 days. Daniel also mentions
another figure,
1335 days (Daniel 12:12). Revelation
11:2 Daniel
7:25 For
a moment let's say that the tribulation period does begin at the end of
this
year. There are two or three Jewish feast
days
that have not yet found their fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ.
They are Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of
Trumpets) and Yom Kippur
(Day of Atonement), and possibly Sukkot (Feast of
Tabernacles).
The Bible seems to indicate that the Day of Atonement will find its
fulfillment
upon the return of Christ to this earth. The Day of Atonement is a day
of
national repentance for Israel, the holiest day of the year, in which
Jews are
commanded by God to afflict their souls for the sins of the past year
(Leviticus 23:27). The
prophecy of Zechariah indicates that the Jewish nation will be in
mourning for
the One they crucified after He returns to defeat the Antichrist and his
armies
(Zechariah 12:10). So let's say that this is the day on which Christ
returns to
earth at the end of the tribulation period. From the prophecy of Daniel
we know
that the Great Tribulation period will last exactly 1260 days, or three
and a
half years. If
we count back 1260 days from the 23rd of September 2015 (Day of
Atonement), we
reach the 11th of April 2012. This date happens to fall right
in the middle of the Feast of Passover, which was fulfilled at Christ's
first
coming to earth. This date is also in the middle of the seven-year
tribulation
period, and would be the day on which the Antichrist turns his back on
the
peace agreement, and begins his persecution of the Jewish people. It is
interesting to note that many Christians feel that the Antichrist will
counterfeit some of the events in the life of Jesus Christ. According
to Zechariah 11:17 and Revelation 13:3, the Antichrist will receive a
deadly
wound, but he will be miraculously healed, and this 'resurrection' will
cause
the whole world to worship him as God. The fact that this date falls on
Passover is most intriguing, considering this was the time of year when
Jesus
Christ was crucified and was miraculously raised from the dead (John
13:1). SEE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbacGdhuN9k
Remember that other figure of 1335 days? If we
count 1335 days from 11th of April 2012 (the middle of the seven year
period),
we reach December 7, 2015. According to the prophecy of Daniel, all who
live to see this date will be blessed (Daniel 12:12). This date happens
to fall
on Hanukkah, the celebration of the Maccabbees victory over Antiochus
Epiphanes
and the subsequent rededication of the Temple. As
we can see,
the prophecy of Daniel is 100% accurate. With current events pointing
towards
the division of the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, which will
occur
in the middle of the seven year period, there is no doubt we are nearing
the
time when this prophecy will be fulfilled. The question is not if these events will
occur, but when
they will occur. We still can't be certain whether this
coming seven
years will see the fulfillment of these prophecies, or whether the
prophecy is
for another seven years yet to come. If
Christ came today, would you be caught
up to meet Him in the air, or would you be caught out, still in your
sins,
having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12)? Come to
Christ
for salvation today. He will not turn you away (John 6:37).
Here are the past
Sabbatical Years: 69/70 AC was a
Sabbatical Year: EVENT: Destruction of the
Second Temple by the
Romans! 1966/67 was a
Sabbatical Year: EVENT: Six-Day war, Israel
gains control of
Jerusalem after 2,000 years! 2001/02 was the
last Sabbatical Year: EVENT: Destruction of the
World Trade Center (9/11) 2008/09 is the
next Sabbatical Year: POSSIBLE EVENTS: (SEE ABOVE) If it is
not 2008/09 Source: Haaretz, Guardian,
Reuters,
YNet
News,
Jewish
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