Greg
Wilson (3 September 2018)
"Watching
and Wondering"
Beloved of God,
For some time I have been focused on God's
use of Seventy (70) year patterns in the context of
Israel.
Assumption: It has been my firm
belief that the 70-year period following Israel's national
reemergence in 1948 would be associated with one or more "end of
the age" type biblical prophecies.
Question: If the assumption were
true about a 70-year period heralding end of the age prophetic
events, then how is God counting the seventy years? Which
70-year period? There appear to be three such candidate
periods.
I had been persuaded to only consider 1947 to
2017 and 1948 to 2018 as the two most probable sets of 70-year
periods culminating the end of the age. The years 1947-2017 were
the 70 years from the November 29, 1947 U.N. Resolution
approving a Jewish state in Palestine to 2017. The years
1948-2018 were the 70 years from Israel's May 14, 1948
Declaration of Independence to 2018. This 1948 declaration
event surely fulfilled Isaiah 66:8, as a nation born in a
day.
Presently, these two 70-year periods have not
yet produced any visible prophetic results. I have been
fearful that there might be some grave doctrinal error in my
dispensational understanding of God's great doctrines of
truth. I have been discouraged. During these last
three months, I have made divine inquiries, if it might be
knowable, that understanding might grace my mind. (1 Corinthians
2:16)
Two Instructions:
Study Joshua. (Joshua 1-12) Consider again,
the Fig Tree and all the trees. (Luke 21:29) These two things
were consistently in my thoughts this Summer. Therefore, I
searched and studied the Scriptures of truth. I
contemplated God's words. I have endeavored to understand
Joshua and reconsider the Fig Tree in the context of all the
trees in regard to my 2018 error.
Another 70-year period has come into
prophetic focus. The new possibility, which I had not
heretofore considered, was the seventy year period
1949-2019. This 70-year count begins in the year
1949. There were two important events affecting Israel in
1949: (1) on May 11, 1949 Israel was admitted as the 59th member
of the United Nations, and (2) Israel prevailed at war defeating
the five Arab nations which had attacked Israel following its
May 14, 1948 declaration of independence. Israel's War of
Independence formally ended on July 20, 1949. I wondered
if God was counting the 70-year period from 1949 because these
two events were the most important prophetically. Israel
fought a war to possess the land, just as Joshua had been
instructed after crossing the Jordan. The world had
formally recognized the Jewish nation.
Lessons from Joshua: God's
promises require responses from His people. God gave
Israel the land of Canaan. (Joshua 1:2, 11) Israel had to
fight wars to possess the land. God's promises require
faith and obedience. God's promises often require His
people to engage in warfare, whether it be spiritual or
physical. (Ephesians 6:12) When Joshua led the Israelite
nation across the Jordan River, God instructed Israel to seize
the land which He had promised and given to
them. The land was theirs, but they had to
fight for and possess it. Israel had to exercise obedience
and faith in God's promises and act accordingly. Faith
always produces action. Without faith it is impossible to
please God. (Hebrews 11:6)
Lessons from Israel's War of Independence:
Israel may have declared independence on May 14, 1948, but
Isaiah's prophecy likely required action, not unlike Joshua's
and Israel's conquest of Canaan. Israel had to fight in
order to possess the land "as a nation". Therefore, I am
considering the 70-year period 1949 to 2019 as another
possibility for the end of the Age. I believe the Age will
end on a future Pentecostal resurrection/rapture, a day and hour
only known to God, in His sovereignty and wisdom.
Lessons from the United Nations Admission
of Israel: Israel was admitted as a member of the
U.N. on May 11, 1949. Israel, as the Fig Tree, had been
admitted to the United Nations, as a member of "all the
trees". Perhaps the world's recognition of the nation of
Israel was the fulfillment of the Fig Tree prophecy.
Conclusion:
Perhaps God will have used these three
consecutive 70-year periods as a trinity of years, a divinely
perfect pattern, heralding the end of the Age. Just
perhaps. Each is worthy of our consideration.
I am once again encouraged as I consider the
"blessed hope" and therefore offer you the encouragement of the
apostle Paul. (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18)
Postscript: Some years
back there was a great stirring up about lunar tetrads.
Emphasis and uniqueness were associated with the "blood moons"
of 1949-1950, 1967-68 and most recently 2014-15. These
events may have been shadows of the Joel 2 blood moons which
will occur during Daniel's 70th week. The events of years 1947
and 1948 never lined up with the 1949-1950 blood moons.
Perhaps Israel's War of Independence and U.N. admission were the
important events from God's perspective.
Postscript: Recently, I
purchased a book titled, "Codex Judaica" Chronological Index of
Jewish History. It covers history from Jewish Year 1
(Gentile year 3760 BC) forward until Jewish year 5761 (Gentile
year 2001). Its author is Mattis Kantor. It was
published by Zichron Press, New York 2005. I have the 2010
Sixth Edition. I cannot attest to the credibility of
the author, however, there is a very interesting
citation. The author states that Abraham was born in
Hebrew Year 1948 and that the covenant with Abraham was made in
Hebrew Year 2018. What I find curious is that these
Jewish years have their counterpart in Gentile years 1948 and
2018. Abraham's seed was nationally reborn in Gentile year
1948 and who knows what 2018 holds in this regard.
Attachment: I have attached a revised
copy of my "Terminal Generation" article which considers the
70-year period 1949-2019.
The
Terminal Generation 9.3.18.pdf
Gregory M. Wilson