The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-One - K Sep 20, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T003_20200920.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Jer 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. Today we will continue to look at the final 1260 days of Daniel's 70th seven. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday September 20th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 21K The Remains of the Day 1). Jer 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. 8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. 9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them. 10 ‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the LORD, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. 11 For I am with you,’ says the LORD, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern 2 tribes of Benjamin and Judah, prophesying concerning the impending Babylonian captivity that would begin the times of the Gentiles. And consequently, that said by Jeremiah would have had a partial fulfillment at that time. a). It would have been ‘a’ time of Jacob’s trouble in the same way that this phrase could have been applied throughout Israel’s history, going all the way back to the captivity in Egypt. But in v7 this time is spoken of as ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’, and that ‘none is like it’. b). As significant as the Babylonian captivity was it will be eclipsed by the events of the tribulation, as the Lord made clear in – Mt 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And we will remember that it was from Jeremiah’s writing that Daniel had seen the prophesy of the 70 years for the Babylonian captivity and to Daniel that the Lord revealed the 70 sevens, the full 490 years that God would use to bring Israel to repentance. c). In one sense then, the Babylonian captivity never ended, but has continued even to today, only now held in abeyance awaiting the final form of the Babylonian kingdom and the final form of the captivity that will begin at the mid-point in the tribulation – Lk 21:24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Despite the inevitability of that recorded in Luke, there remains the promise given in Jeremiah - But he shall be saved out of it……‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds……. For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. Also in conjunction with this, it is in Jeremiah that we find the promise of the new covenant that God will make with His restored and healed nation – Jer 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. This promise remains yet future and is qualified at the end of Jeremiah 30:11, Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ Not going ‘altogether unpunished’ and being corrected in justice is what we have seen in – Zec 13:8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the LORD, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ” The unprecedented nature of these days and the severity of God’s judgment upon His people, in order to refine them and test them, we had seen last time in Ezekiel Chapter 5, a Chapter that begins with the same prophetic picture given in the verses from Zechariah – Eze 5:1 “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber's razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. 2 You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. This is a Chapter that continues by revealing God’s never to be repeated actions – Eze 5:7 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you’— 8 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. 9 And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations. And that which God will do is then described in the verses that follow - Eze 5:10 Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds. 11 ‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity. 12 One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. 13 “Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them. As shocking as this appears, it had already been foretold to the first generation to come out of Egypt – Le 26:27 “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. And repeated again to the second generation prior to their entrance into the land - De 28:53 You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you. What we will realize then, is that the horror described in these verses could have been avoided if Israel had chosen faithful obedience instead of disobedience. God will only act in accordance with His word and the nation itself has chosen what that action will be. Lam 4:9 Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field. 10 The hands of the compassionate women Have cooked their own children; They became food for them In the destruction of the daughter of my people. 11 The LORD has fulfilled His fury, He has poured out His fierce anger. Keeping all this in mind will explain for us the Lord’s expressed ‘woe’ in Matthew Chapter 24 – Mt 24:19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And will explain the Lord’s words to those who followed Him as Simon, a Cyrenian, carried His cross to Calvary – Lk 23:28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 2). The full horror of these days will be brought to pass during the final 1260 days of Daniel’s 70th seven following the breaking of the covenant made with the many in Israel. An action that is predicated by Satan and his angels being cast to the earth and then Satan giving his son his power, throne and great authority. And predicated by the killing of the 2 witnesses, who before this time could not be touched, emboldening the beast to declare himself to be God in the temple of God, and in his delusion will lay his hand against the Jewish people to attempt to annihilate them. a). And all of this is what is seen through the opening of seals 2, 3 and 4 on the 7-sealed scroll – Re 6:3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. 5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” 7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. But in the midst of this, let’s not forget what we saw in Jeremiah as we began today - And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it……….. Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ Let’s not forget what has been foreshadowed through the flood of Noah; foreshadowed again through the burning bush and the fiery furnace heated 7 times hotter than before, and shown to us again figuratively in – Re 12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. Nor let’s forget God’s promise in – 2 Ch 7:13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. And as previously foreshadowed through the first generation of Israel in Egypt, the Jewish people will cry out to the God of their fathers and He will hear from heaven – Ps 106:43 Many times He delivered them; But they rebelled in their counsel, And were brought low for their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry; 45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies. And given the many horrors the Jewish people have experienced in the past, why will this time be different? Well clearly, because this is how the Scriptures present the matter. But within this, let’s also consider the ministry of the 2 witnesses to the Jewish people during the first 1260 days of Daniel’s 70th seven – Re 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. The 2 witnesses are shown in v4 to be the fulfillment of the 5th prophecy of the 8 given to, and recorded by, Zechariah at the beginning of his Book Zec 4:1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 3 Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” 4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. These prophecies were given to Zechariah following the return of a remnant from the Babylonian captivity and contextually have to do with Israel’s disobedience, the consequence of her disobedience seen in the times of the Gentiles, Israel’s repentance, and what would follow the nation’s repentance. b). And as such these prophecies span the time gap between the first king of Babylon who began the times of the Gentiles and the last king of Babylon, with whom these times will end. c). And that which is the context for these prophecies would have to form the content of the prophetic message brought by the 2 witnesses to the Jewish people during the course of their ministry – they would have to draw attention to Israel’s disobedience, particularly with respect to the nation’s involvement with the beast, and the consequence of this disobedience. They would have to call the nation to repentance and make clear what would happen following national repentance. d). In this respect their ministry would parallel that of John, Jesus, the 12 and the 70 and the church during the Acts period. And as with these previous ministries there will be the accompanying supernatural signs, attesting to the witnesses’ appointment and the veracity of their message. e). And as with the previous ministries, their ministry will also be rejected by the nation, but received by individuals within the nation, 144000, 12000 from each of the 12 tribes. f). And let’s keep in mind that the supernatural signs they will perform will be the first signs seen among the Jewish people since the close of the Acts period, around 62AD. g). And in a parallel to that seen in Moses day – Ex 7:10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. There will be false signs and wonders to counter those of the 2 witnesses 2 Th 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Re 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Throughout the OT there are only 2 occasions when God empowered individuals to perform supernatural signs; firstly, as we have seen, was through Moses and his successor Joshua, where Israel and the Kingdom were in view, which has set in place a first mention principle with respect to signs. And the second, was under Elijah and his successor Elisha, where Israel and the Kingdom were in view again, along with a call to national repentance. h). The supernatural signs performed by the 2 witnesses are exactly those seen under Moses and Elijah and it is both these individuals who are at the forefront at the end of the OT Scriptures – Mal 4:4 “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” During his first ministry Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, turning Israel back to God – 1 Kg 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. That pictured through these events will await the end of the tribulation, after Christ has returned to the earth accompanied by Moses and Elijah. i). Nonetheless, the ministry of Moses and Elijah during the first 1260 days of the tribulation must have a direct impact on Israel’s response to the intensity of the persecution they will experience during the final 1260 days. j). And this is foreshadowed in the 144000 who are saved and sealed, who, like the Apostle Paul, will be taken into heaven where the Lord Himself will teach them the message they are to return to the earth with and take to the Gentile nations during the final 1260 days – Re 14:1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads…..3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb…..6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— Mt 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake…….13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. The 144000 are the ‘firstfruits to God and to the Lamb’ of the whole nation of Israel, who during the Millennial Kingdom will take God’s message to the Gentile nations in the antitype of Jonah going to Nineveh, after being brought out of the place of death. 3). So then, during the final 1260 days of Daniel’s 70th seven the Jewish people will experience such great distress and persecution that 2/3rds of all Jews will be killed and so desperate will these days be that they will resort to eating their own children. In the midst of this the 144000 will preach ‘this gospel of the Kingdom’ ‘in all the world as a witness to all nations’, resulting in an unknown number of Gentiles becoming eternally saved and receiving the gospel of the Kingdom. a). And the kingdom of the beast will be utterly devastated as the impact of the opening of the first 6 seals on the 7-sealed scroll take effect Re 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” The Jewish people brought to the end of themselves and remembering the ministry of the 2 witnesses, will cry out to the God of their fathers who will hear from heaven and the Christ will return to the earth, to bring Daniel’s 70th seven to completion, to bring an end to Man’s Day. b). All that will be left will be ‘the great day of His wrath’, to complete the redemption of the inheritance and usher in the Millennial Kingdom – Da 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.” This will have to wait until next time though – If the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-One - K Sep 20, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T003_20200920.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Jer 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. Today we will continue to look at the final 1260 days of Daniel's 70th seven. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday September 20th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 21K The Remains of the Day 1). Jer 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. 8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. 9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them. 10 ‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the LORD, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. 11 For I am with you,’ says the LORD, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern 2 tribes of Benjamin and Judah, prophesying concerning the impending Babylonian captivity that would begin the times of the Gentiles. And consequently, that said by Jeremiah would have had a partial fulfillment at that time. a). It would have been ‘a’ time of Jacob’s trouble in the same way that this phrase could have been applied throughout Israel’s history, going all the way back to the captivity in Egypt. But in v7 this time is spoken of as ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’, and that ‘none is like it’. b). As significant as the Babylonian captivity was it will be eclipsed by the events of the tribulation, as the Lord made clear in – Mt 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And we will remember that it was from Jeremiah’s writing that Daniel had seen the prophesy of the 70 years for the Babylonian captivity and to Daniel that the Lord revealed the 70 sevens, the full 490 years that God would use to bring Israel to repentance. c). In one sense then, the Babylonian captivity never ended, but has continued even to today, only now held in abeyance awaiting the final form of the Babylonian kingdom and the final form of the captivity that will begin at the mid-point in the tribulation – Lk 21:24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Despite the inevitability of that recorded in Luke, there remains the promise given in Jeremiah - But he shall be saved out of it……‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds……. For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. Also in conjunction with this, it is in Jeremiah that we find the promise of the new covenant that God will make with His restored and healed nation – Jer 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. This promise remains yet future and is qualified at the end of Jeremiah 30:11, Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ Not going ‘altogether unpunished’ and being corrected in justice is what we have seen in – Zec 13:8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the LORD, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ” The unprecedented nature of these days and the severity of God’s judgment upon His people, in order to refine them and test them, we had seen last time in Ezekiel Chapter 5, a Chapter that begins with the same prophetic picture given in the verses from Zechariah – Eze 5:1 “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber's razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. 2 You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. This is a Chapter that continues by revealing God’s never to be repeated actions – Eze 5:7 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you’— 8 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. 9 And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations. And that which God will do is then described in the verses that follow - Eze 5:10 Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds. 11 ‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity. 12 One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. 13 “Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them. As shocking as this appears, it had already been foretold to the first generation to come out of Egypt – Le 26:27 “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. And repeated again to the second generation prior to their entrance into the land - De 28:53 You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you. What we will realize then, is that the horror described in these verses could have been avoided if Israel had chosen faithful obedience instead of disobedience. God will only act in accordance with His word and the nation itself has chosen what that action will be. Lam 4:9 Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field. 10 The hands of the compassionate women Have cooked their own children; They became food for them In the destruction of the daughter of my people. 11 The LORD has fulfilled His fury, He has poured out His fierce anger. Keeping all this in mind will explain for us the Lord’s expressed ‘woe’ in Matthew Chapter 24 – Mt 24:19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And will explain the Lord’s words to those who followed Him as Simon, a Cyrenian, carried His cross to Calvary – Lk 23:28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 2). The full horror of these days will be brought to pass during the final 1260 days of Daniel’s 70th seven following the breaking of the covenant made with the many in Israel. An action that is predicated by Satan and his angels being cast to the earth and then Satan giving his son his power, throne and great authority. And predicated by the killing of the 2 witnesses, who before this time could not be touched, emboldening the beast to declare himself to be God in the temple of God, and in his delusion will lay his hand against the Jewish people to attempt to annihilate them. a). And all of this is what is seen through the opening of seals 2, 3 and 4 on the 7-sealed scroll – Re 6:3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. 5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” 7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. But in the midst of this, let’s not forget what we saw in Jeremiah as we began today - And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it……….. Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ Let’s not forget what has been foreshadowed through the flood of Noah; foreshadowed again through the burning bush and the fiery furnace heated 7 times hotter than before, and shown to us again figuratively in – Re 12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. Nor let’s forget God’s promise in – 2 Ch 7:13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. And as previously foreshadowed through the first generation of Israel in Egypt, the Jewish people will cry out to the God of their fathers and He will hear from heaven – Ps 106:43 Many times He delivered them; But they rebelled in their counsel, And were brought low for their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry; 45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies. And given the many horrors the Jewish people have experienced in the past, why will this time be different? Well clearly, because this is how the Scriptures present the matter. But within this, let’s also consider the ministry of the 2 witnesses to the Jewish people during the first 1260 days of Daniel’s 70th seven – Re 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. The 2 witnesses are shown in v4 to be the fulfillment of the 5th prophecy of the 8 given to, and recorded by, Zechariah at the beginning of his Book Zec 4:1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 3 Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” 4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. These prophecies were given to Zechariah following the return of a remnant from the Babylonian captivity and contextually have to do with Israel’s disobedience, the consequence of her disobedience seen in the times of the Gentiles, Israel’s repentance, and what would follow the nation’s repentance. b). And as such these prophecies span the time gap between the first king of Babylon who began the times of the Gentiles and the last king of Babylon, with whom these times will end. c). And that which is the context for these prophecies would have to form the content of the prophetic message brought by the 2 witnesses to the Jewish people during the course of their ministry – they would have to draw attention to Israel’s disobedience, particularly with respect to the nation’s involvement with the beast, and the consequence of this disobedience. They would have to call the nation to repentance and make clear what would happen following national repentance. d). In this respect their ministry would parallel that of John, Jesus, the 12 and the 70 and the church during the Acts period. And as with these previous ministries there will be the accompanying supernatural signs, attesting to the witnesses’ appointment and the veracity of their message. e). And as with the previous ministries, their ministry will also be rejected by the nation, but received by individuals within the nation, 144000, 12000 from each of the 12 tribes. f). And let’s keep in mind that the supernatural signs they will perform will be the first signs seen among the Jewish people since the close of the Acts period, around 62AD. g). And in a parallel to that seen in Moses day – Ex 7:10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. There will be false signs and wonders to counter those of the 2 witnesses 2 Th 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Re 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Throughout the OT there are only 2 occasions when God empowered individuals to perform supernatural signs; firstly, as we have seen, was through Moses and his successor Joshua, where Israel and the Kingdom were in view, which has set in place a first mention principle with respect to signs. And the second, was under Elijah and his successor Elisha, where Israel and the Kingdom were in view again, along with a call to national repentance. h). The supernatural signs performed by the 2 witnesses are exactly those seen under Moses and Elijah and it is both these individuals who are at the forefront at the end of the OT Scriptures – Mal 4:4 “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” During his first ministry Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, turning Israel back to God – 1 Kg 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. That pictured through these events will await the end of the tribulation, after Christ has returned to the earth accompanied by Moses and Elijah. i). Nonetheless, the ministry of Moses and Elijah during the first 1260 days of the tribulation must have a direct impact on Israel’s response to the intensity of the persecution they will experience during the final 1260 days. j). And this is foreshadowed in the 144000 who are saved and sealed, who, like the Apostle Paul, will be taken into heaven where the Lord Himself will teach them the message they are to return to the earth with and take to the Gentile nations during the final 1260 days – Re 14:1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads…..3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb…..6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— Mt 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake…….13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. The 144000 are the ‘firstfruits to God and to the Lamb’ of the whole nation of Israel, who during the Millennial Kingdom will take God’s message to the Gentile nations in the antitype of Jonah going to Nineveh, after being brought out of the place of death. 3). So then, during the final 1260 days of Daniel’s 70th seven the Jewish people will experience such great distress and persecution that 2/3rds of all Jews will be killed and so desperate will these days be that they will resort to eating their own children. In the midst of this the 144000 will preach ‘this gospel of the Kingdom’ ‘in all the world as a witness to all nations’, resulting in an unknown number of Gentiles becoming eternally saved and receiving the gospel of the Kingdom. a). And the kingdom of the beast will be utterly devastated as the impact of the opening of the first 6 seals on the 7-sealed scroll take effect Re 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” The Jewish people brought to the end of themselves and remembering the ministry of the 2 witnesses, will cry out to the God of their fathers who will hear from heaven and the Christ will return to the earth, to bring Daniel’s 70th seven to completion, to bring an end to Man’s Day. b). All that will be left will be ‘the great day of His wrath’, to complete the redemption of the inheritance and usher in the Millennial Kingdom – Da 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.” This will have to wait until next time though – If the Lord is willing.