How Close Are We to The End? Vol 1

How Close Are We to The End? Volume 1:

The following volumes are an earnest effort to give believers a practical form concerning any information of God’s end time prophesies; information that will enable you to comprehend clearly the coming fulfillment of our great hope; the resurrection, and also to warn those not prepared to meet the Lord of the coming disaster that will engulf every continent and island; and every man, women and child on this earth who has rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And for those left behind, be assured, there will be no place to hide once the days of God’s vengeance begin. So, we must be prepared for that great hope, the catching  away of the body of Christ in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16); or for total destruction as the Lord himself will fulfill his promise of vengeance on the wicked.  I urge all Christians to approach the following, and to consider all Biblical and historical evidence presented. I will attempt to prove these Biblical narratives, not leaving these sources for chance or confusion, present them accompanied by the living word and there truthfulness, also any historical facts that pertain to scripture.

The leaders of nations: kings and queens; dictators; presidents; monarchs; false religious leaders and those who claim to be Christian, but follow their own will not knowing the One true God, Jesus Christ, these are lost forever. These, and all who follow after them will fall by the sword. These following will include the countdown of 6000 years set down by God to bring a final solution to sin and death.

I will discuss Nebuchadnezzar’s great image of a man Daniel 2, the head of gold, Babylon; breast and arms of silver, Medes and Persians; belly and thighs of brass, Greece; legs of iron Rome; and feet and toes part of iron and part of potter’s clay (potters clay can be formed and usable). Also, mentioned are the toes and feet of iron and miry clay Daniel 2:43. Miry clay unlike potter’s clay is unusable by the potter for within its body is mud, grim, sand and dirt.

We will examine Daniels prophesies concerning the 2300 days Daniel 8:14; the 1290 days and the 1335 days Daniel12:11-12. Hosea 6:2 concerning 2 and 3 days. Included will be the major events that have touched the Jews and the land of Israel over the centuries up to and including the 7 years of tribulation concluding with the 1000 Year reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, from Adam to the end of the 1000 Year reign of Christ, God has given man in his present form 6000 years and 1000 years when Christ will rule from Zion, totaling 7000 years.

We will examine Ezekiel’s prophesy of the valley of dry bones; the book of Revelation; the promised seed (Jesus Christ); God’s blessings and curses on the Land of Israel and the Jewish people, past, present, future and Christianity itself since Jesus resurrection.

All of God’s prophesies have been declared in Scripture, and history has shown God to be true to his word. Many scholars feel that this is the generation that shall not pass away, Matthew 24:34 until all things be fulfilled? I have had a difficult time deciding where to start, but we have to start somewhere so let’s begin with the following.

The date, Saturday, October 23, 4004 BC.

When did God’s countdown for the human race begin? When was the first minute man’s flesh began to die? There are three lines of thought concerning this question.

1.   From the beginning of the creation?

2.   From the moment Adam sinned in the garden?

3.   Or when the LORD God cast Adam from the garden and placed a Cherubim and a flaming sword at the east of the garden so man could not put forth “his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever (in sin).”

I understand it to be the latter. If the LORD had not closed the way to the garden, man could have taken from the tree of good and evil and lived “forever;” and if man had been able to live forever in sin, there would have been no need for the clock to make its first strike or for a Savior to come.

Let me introduce you to Bishop James Usher D.D., archbishop of Armagh who lived in the late 16thcentury; he passed away in the year 1665. He was the author of the common chronology of the Bible, taking all the generations of the Bible from Adam to Noah, to Abraham, David, Solomon, and every son in between. He estimated the earth to be in his day some 5700 years old. Bishop Ussher had concluded that the first day of creation began at nightfall on Saturday, October 23, 4004 BC, in the anticipated Julian calendar, near the autumnal equinox. He dates the time to 6 pm. Ussher’s specific choice of starting year may have been influenced by the then-widely-held belief that the Earth’s potential duration was 6,000 years (4,000 before the birth of Jesus Christ and 2,000 after), this corresponding to the six days of Creation. I fully agree with Bishop Usher except on one point, Saturday, October 23, 4004 B.C. was the time Adam was cast from the garden.

So, is his work reliable? Many Christian scholars who followed after his work agree with his calculations. The true age of the earth has been given to us by our Creator through the genealogies written for us in Scripture, for God knew, in these end days many false teachers in science, archaeology and religion, shall deceive many, calling God’s word foolishness.

Isaiah 9:6 we read, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son (from God) is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The might God (Hebrew “el” = The Almighty) The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

In Luke 2:14 concerning the Christ child we read, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, and good will toward men.” The design for peace and God’s good was to make known the then hidden glories of God; to reconcile men to each other and to the Creator of heaven and earth. When Jehovah is at peace with men, all peace will result from it. The goodwill of God toward mankind is glory to God in the highest. 

The Greek word for peace is the opposite of man’s war and dissension with God. At the moment of Jesus birth, a time of tranquility and a sense of Divine favor came over Israel, for Jesus is the Prince of Peace. And for the next 30 years, from the time of his birth October, 4 B.C., to the time of his thirtieth birthday in 27 A.D., and at His Baptism by John and the Holy Spirit, Gods peace and goodwill toward all men prevailed.

The eternal God manifesting himself in the flesh, 1 Timothy 3:16 K.J.V. meaning the infinite has entered into this expression of Himself at that exact prophesied moment in time, giving to us this amazing theme. Man’s pride for this short period of time had been stripped away by the immense simplicity of the Almighty’s incarnation, “unto us a Son was given,”

Matthew 1:23, and “They shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”  

The Greek word for Christ means the Anointed of the Father: Septuagint for the Hebrew, Messiah for He is our High-Priest, not after the Levitical priests, but after the order of Melchizedek. Jesus walked among his people, and for 30 years God’s countdown of 6000 years was interrupted, then commenced once more in October of 27 A.D. when Jesus was baptized of the Holy Spirit at the river Jordan; then led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and for forty days tempted of the devil. This mirrored what happened to Adam and Eve in the garden, the difference, both fell into sin; but our Lord overcame the temptations of the devil, therefore, he was without spot or blemish, a lamb worthy of sacrifice for the sins of the world. Now from the time of Adam’s expulsion to the birth of Jesus Christ in October between the 15th and 30th, of 4 B.C., exactly 4000 years had had been completed. And for the next 30 years the countdown of 6000 years ceased, as God’s peace and good will toward men prevailed, giving the Lord the opportunity to grown in wisdom and spirit.   

Question; “Has the mystery of the Lord’s return for the catching away of the church, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; the 7 years of tribulation, and the establishment of Jesus 1000 Year reign, see Revelation 20 been written in scripture, but hid  from us, until now? Have the prophets of old through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit been given the answer to these questions, but the book was ordered closed by the LORD, until this end time generation came into being?

As it was in the days of Noah, man back then was warned and given a specific time for the coming disaster, Genesis 6:3. It was 120 years, yet, only 8 heeded God’s warning. So, as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be for this generation?

But, Jesus said,

Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

Jesus response was to the questions asked by his disciples on the Mt. of Olives, “What shall be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world (age)?” Jesus reply concerned the Jews, the city of Jerusalem, the Temple, the destruction of their enemies and the establishing of his 1000 year reign.

Jesus said, concerning the time of his return, “Verily I say unto you, this (end time) generation shall not pass, till all these things (end time prophesies) be fulfilled.”

Let’s clarify certain several words.

A day in many prophesies may represent one 24 hour period, or it may represent a 1000 years. The Jews were very particular in defining time. One day, that is, reckoning from sunset to sunset, when the adjectives, first, second etc. are connected with the substantive “day.” Thus, the time is made certain, 24 hours; if not, it is uncertain, and the event itself must elucidate it. For example, the creation of the world is limited, beyond doubt to six ordinary days according to the Hebrew language.

Genesis 1:5, “And the evening and the morning were the first (adjective) day (substantive.)”

Luke 13:32, Jesus said of Herod, “Go you, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.” Because Jesus was a prophet, prophets had a liberty of speech in reproving princes and great men. So here was a specific prediction of his coming Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Numbers 4:34, “After the number of the days in which you searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year (meaning 40 years) shall you bear your iniquities, even forty years.”

Ezekiel 4:6, “Thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.”

Also a year may represent a year (Jewish year, 360 literal days), or a day may represent 1000 years; as I stated, the event or events will make it clear.

2 Peter 3:8, “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,”

Hosea wrote, in 6:2, “After two days (2000 years) will He (our Savior) revive us (make the Jews alive in the spirit again,): in the third day (the next one 1000 years) he (Jesus) will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.”

The 1st day of the 2000 years began when Christ became the High Priest of the Jews in October of 27 A.D. after the order of Melchizedek, after turning 30 years old.   

Luke 3:21-22-23, “It came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him,—- and Jesus himself began to be thirty years of age” Thirty years of age was the age required by law for a Jew to be set aside for the priesthood;

Numbers 4:3, “From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Six days to create, than man entered into God seventh day of rest, that is, until sin entered into the picture. And when the 6000 years are finished, we will again enter into Jesus Christ seventh day of rest, better known as the 1000 Year reign of Christ. Back to question one, when did the first day of these last days begin? The only correct and accurate source we have concerning the true age of the world’s is by the chronology the Bible reveals to us.

Professor James Barr (then Oriel Professor of the interpretation of the Holy Scripture, Oxford University) wrote in 1984 concerning Bishop Ushers work: “So far as I know, there is no professor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world-class university who does not believe that the writer of Genesis 1 intended to convey to their readers the ideas that the figures contained in the Genesis genealogies provided by simple addition a chronology from the beginning of the world up to later stages in the biblical story.”

James Barr was a Scottish Old Testament scholar at Oxford University and the Oriel Professor of the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and the Regius Professor of Hebrew; educated at Daniel Stewart’s college in Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh. Ordained to the ministry of the Church of Scotland held professorship in New College Edinburgh, University of Manchester, Princeton Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt University.

You may ask, what is a Regius Professor? This is a name given to the incumbents of those professorships which have been founded by royal bounty. What I was looking for was indisputable evidence coming from a Christian source who had dedicated his or their lives in order to draw a proper conclusion as to, “God’s time-table” and I believe Bishop Ussher’s work fulfills this bill.

I have also found several highly-regarded individuals that examined closely Biblical chronology of the human race. Stephen Jay Gould who, while totally disagreed with Ussher’s chronology, wrote: “Ussher’s proposed date of October 23ed 4004 B.C. differed little from other Biblically-based estimates, such as those of Bede (3952 B.C.) Scaliger 3949 B.C.) Johannes Kepler (3992 B.C.) and Sir Isaac Newton (4000 B.C.) and Dr. Lightfoot agreed completely with Ussher.”      

Lightfoot wrote a chronology that is sometimes called the Ussher-Lightfoot chronology because he published a chronology in 1642-1644. But this however is a misnomer, because his chronology was based on Bishop Ussher’s work alone and not Dr. Lightfoot. If so, Dr. Lightfoot appears to have agreed fully with the work of Bishop Ussher because he put his name to the work.

Doctor  Lightfoot was born 3/29/1602 died 12/6/1675. He was an English churchman, rabbinical scholar, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and Master of St. Catharine’s College. Cambridge. He had left his library of Old Testament books and documents to Harvard University, but it was all destroyed in the great fire of 1764.

Bishop Ussher had concluded that the first day of creation began at nightfall on Saturday, October 23, 4004 BC, in the anticipated Julian calendar, near the autumnal equinox. He dates the time to 6 pm. Ussher’s specific choice of starting year may have been influenced by the then-widely-held belief that the Earth’s potential duration was 6,000 years (4,000 before the birth of Jesus Christ and 2,000 after), corresponding to the six days of Creation, on the grounds of the following verses;

Psalms 90:4, “For a thousand years in thy (God’s) sight are but as yesterday when it is past.”

2 Peter 3:8, “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,” and this view continues with many to this day.

But according to Ussher the day of the week was to be a backward calculation from the six days of Creation with God resting on the seventh, which in the Jewish tradition is Saturday; therefore, Creation began on a Sunday. He estimated that the equinox occurred on Tuesday, only one day earlier than the traditional day of its creation, on the fourth day of Creation week. Modern equations place the autumnal equinox of 4004 B.C. on Sunday 10/23 Julian period.

Chronologies by others correspond closely to Ussher’s because they all used much the same methodology to calculate certain events recorded in Scripture. Three distinct periods used by Ussher and others are,

1.  Christ’s day of conception given Mary by the Holy Spirit; because Josephus indicated that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C. and Jesus could not have been born after that date.

2.  Other known event from this period can be found in other cultures such as the Chaldeans, Persians and Romans.

3.  We have the death of the Chaldean King, Nebuchadnezzar the 2ed, besieged Jerusalem in May of 598 B.C., removing the sacred vessels of the temple. He would return who in 588 and destroy Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 B.C. This can be correlated with the 37th year of the exile of Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 25:27.

These five distinct periods that Ussher and others had to tackle:

1.  Early times, (Creation to Solomon). Ostensibly the easiest period, as the Bible provides an unbroken male lineage from Adam through to Solomon complete with the ages of the individuals involved. However, not all of the versions of the Bible provide the same ages – for example, the Septuagint gives much longer ages, adding about 1500 years to the date of Creation, so Ussher resolved this problem by relying on the Hebrew Bible.

2.   The early age of kings, (Solomon to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity).

3.   The lineage breaks down at this point, with only the length of the kings’ reigns being provided and a number of overlaps and ambiguities complicating the picture. Ussher had to cross-reference the Biblical records with known dates of other people and rulers to create an overall timeline.

4.  Late age of kings, (Ezra and Nehemiah to the birth of Jesus the Jews Messiah).

5.  Ussher was able to establish an unadjusted Creation date of about 4000 BC. He moved it back to 4004 BC to take account of an error perpetrated by Dionysius Exiguus, the founder of the Anno Domini numbering system. Christ’s birth year, 4 B.C. is calculated, because Josephus indicated that the death of Herod the Great occurred in 4 BC. 

Jesus could not have been born after 4 B.C.  Five B.C. may should be the year in which we read, Luke 1:35, when “the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee (Mary) and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: there-fore also that holy (One) which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.”

Therefore, 5 B.C. is most likely the year Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Ghost.

In all of the articles to follow, I will use Ussher’s chronology of October 23ed 4004 B.C. as a start point, attempting to show that Scripture had hidden within its pages the answers to the questions posed to Jesus by his disciples on the Mt. of Olives,

Matthew 24:3, “When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world (age?)” The greatest sign to the Jews who always required a sign would be the sound of a trumpet from heaven and the taking away into heaven the whole body of believers.

I will also show how the number, 666 breaks down into nine periods of time and how significant it is; Hosea’s, Peter’s and Psalms 1 Hebrew word for day, equal 1000 years. And how Daniels 2300 days, 1290 and 1335 days, and Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay all support Ussher’s findings of 4004 B.C. We can establish through the word of God that these very specific periods of time will give to us the time of the rapture of the church and of the 2ed coming of Jesus Christ. It has all be written for us in scripture, but hid in God until now. It’s only now these once held secrets can be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, because the kickoff was the Jews return in May of 1948 to Israel, as promised by the LORD over 3000 Years ago.    

Phillip LaSpino  www.seekfirstwisdom.com