Saturday, March 9, 2013

God Does Everything Using A Pattern: Even His Return

Written by: Gail Green
 

Everything God does he does it with a pattern: He gave King David a pattern to go by to build the temple and all the things that were to go therein (Exd 25:9). The human body is made from a pattern: two hands, two legs, two eyes, and one head. Trees are made from a pattern they all have trunks, limbs, and leaves; flowers have stems and petals.  God follows patterns and He gave the Christians a pattern to follow: the pattern of Jesus: 1 Ti. 1:16—Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, FOR A PATTERN to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting; 2 Tts. 2:7—In all things SHOWING THY SELF A PATTERN OF GOOD WORKS: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity.

There are even patterns in the way God keeps time. He counts time the same way the Jews do; that is the only way of keeping time in the Bible, there is no month of July in God’s word only names for Jewish months (each month being a 29 or 30 day period). God gave the Israelites His calendar to keep up with the feasts so that they would fall at the very same time of year. One very significant thing about the feasts was that there was to be a pattern of seven weeks (49 days) and on the fiftieth day it was to be the feast of first fruits (Lev. 23:16: today it is called Shavuot and/or Pentecost). Another pattern God set forth was when He told the Israelites to work the land six years and in the seventh year it was to be a Sabbath year and they were to let the land rest: they were to do this seven times seven years and on the fiftieth year it was to be Jubilee (Lev.25:8; 11): Feast of Weeks 50 days and working the land 50 years: two more patterns set by God and they concern a particular keeping of time.

Another thing we must understand about the way God keeps time is that He uses what is called inclusion time keeping. Here is an example of what I mean: Jer. 34:14—AT THE END OF SEVEN YEARS LET YE GO EVERY MAN his brother an Hebrew which hath been sold unto thee; and WHEN HE HATH SERVED THEE SIX YEARS, THOU SHALT LET HIM GO FREE. Notice God says AT THE END of seven years let every man go free but then He says, after he hath served thee six years let him go free; this is inclusion time keeping. God calls it seven years but it is at the end of the sixth year the Hebrew is set free leaving the whole seventh year to be a Sabbath where no work of any sort should be done not even the work of setting a slave free. If you investigate the history of the Babylonian captivity you will find that God used inclusion time keeping for that too. He said it would be a period of seventy years and yet the Israelites were back in Jerusalem at the very beginning of the seventieth year: the tenth Sabbath year since the beginning of the exile. The exiles returned home at the end of the sixty ninth year.  Am I making sense?

God used a pattern when He accomplished three very important things in the history of the Bible: the life of King David, the Babylonian captivity, and the life of Jesus; all three are listed in one verse: Matthew 1:17:  they are all labeled generations and they are all a period of seventy years. We discussed that God used inclusion time keeping with the Babylonian captivity now let’s look at the generation of Jesus. Jesus died at a young age but His generation lasted until the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Although the year is called 70 AD there was no year zero, if there had been a year zero it would have been year 69 AD (coincidence?). Which by the way did you know there is no ancient Hebrew word for coincidence? That is because with God there is no such thing.

In Daniel chapter nine you notice Gabriel describes to Daniel that there will be seven weeks and sixty two weeks a total of sixty nine weeks. Considering what I said previously is it possible this is a case of inclusive time keeping? I know that most people adhere to the interpretation that Daniel’s seventy weeks are a period of four hundred and ninety years but (I ask these questions with respect to this conclusion): If Gabriel meant for the seven weeks to be counted before the sixty two weeks then why wouldn’t he say: and after sixty nine weeks the Messiah is cut off? Wouldn’t you think Gabriel knows how to count (not meant to sound sarcastic really)? Why would Gabriel tell Daniel about the seven weeks and then neglect to count them or explain them? Does it make sense he would do that? Wasn’t he there to give Daniel understanding?

Something else we must consider when thinking about Daniel’s seventy weeks. Unlike the word “week” the word “weeks” is never and I repeat never used as a period of years like the word week is in Genesis 29: 27-28. Eight out of fifteen times the word weeks is used it is used in the context of the “Feasts of Weeks” three times it is used is concerning a regular week. The other four times it is used is in Daniel chapter nine and man says it means years. If God intended for us to use the word weeks as a period of time that means years then doesn’t it seem logical that He would have used it as such somewhere else in His word as he did the word week? For example when He was talking about working the land for forty nine years why didn’t He say you will keep seven weeks of years instead of seven times seven years?

More patterns of God include the way He has done and will do things and they are all according to His feasts days. The Israelites were kept safe (delivered) from the hand of God by sacrificing a lamb and painting the blood over the doorway when He killed the first born of Egypt.; this is called Passover (the first of the feasts): Christ the Lamb was sacrificed on Passover for our sins so that we may be delivered from the wrath of God at judgment. Fifty days after the Israelites left Egypt they were given the Torah (law: second feast): fifty days after Christ crucifixion we were given the Holy Spirit. This is a clear case of God following a pattern and using His feasts days as the appointed times to do so. When the Israelites were freed from Babylon the first sacred occasion observed in Jerusalem was the feast of Tabernacles (Ezra 3:2-4: third feast): when we are freed from Mystery Babylon by Jesus, we to shall observe the feast of Tabernacles (Zech. 14:16-19).

Clearly from scripture the coming of Jesus is like unto a harvest: we can see that in Matthew 13:30 and Revelation 14:15. Jeremiah made this statement when considering his time as a captive in Babylon. Jer.5:24—Neither say they in their heart, let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Wouldn’t it be logical to think that when Gabriel said weeks in Daniel nine he was referring to the “feasts of weeks”?

The whole point of what I have said is to say that God has a particular time frame in mind for the last generation and it is a pattern of the way he has done things before. And according to the way he has done things before His time frame is seventy years. If that is true then the covenant has to have already been confirmed and we are now waiting on the abomination of desolation. The covenant would have been confirmed in the sixty third year since Israel was born and started the generation of the return of Christ. We are that generation!

Many Blessings to all!

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6 comments:

colin said...

Gail!
Me again!
I believe the verses; Exodus 21.2, Deuteronomy 15.12, seem to make more straightforward reading than the parallel one in Jeremiah 34.14 that you quote? Yet they must mean the same thing? In Exodus and Deuteronomy, the Hebrew slave worked six years and on the seventh, he was commanded to be set free? This would appear to be on the FIRST day of the seventh year? Yet in the Jeremiah passage the slave would appear to have to be kept by his master for another year, before being set free on the last day of the seventh year? Sounds like he was forced to do nothing for a year? I must have a blind spot here! God is NOT the author of confusion.
I believe what you say regards the Jewish calendar, feasts, Pentecost, jubilee, sabbaths etc is correct.
The year 'zero' concept is particularly weird!?
The fact that there is no such thing as 'coincidence' with God is correct! Why do folk everyday keep saying luck?
The divide between the '7 weeks' and the '62 weeks' is surely because of the 'wall being built in troublous times'? Nehemiah did indeed so I believe build the wall in 'troublous times'? Did this not occupy the first seven heptads? After this, most would universally agree that Messiah was 'cut off' 62 heptads afterwards? In Daniel 9.25, it would appear more specifically the city of Jerusalem was to be 'rebuilt' as opposed to the temple?
In order for your theory to work (as I understand it)the 'street and the wall' has to be rebuilt in 'troublous times'? I think most would agree that we are in 'troublous times'? But surely it is the temple we are looking for, not the 'street' or the 'wall' as we already have those? Or am I missing something? Won't be the first time!
In Daniel 9.24, the word 'week'is a 'heptad', cannot that just mean the same as when we use 'dozen' for 12, 'score' for 20, 'century' for 100?
I make no claim to an understanding of these things, they seem too great and beyond me! However I take God at His Word, and maybe with prayer and study we may receive revelation regards these wonderful things? Maybe there is some kind of double fulfillment?
This stuff going on in the Vatican, in my opinion is a distraction that is deluding folk. Same as the sabre rattling in Korea? We may have MUCH more time than some think, before Antichrist manifests himself?
I think we should also consider in greater detail God's purposes for a LITERAL rebuilding of Babylon to further surpass her former glory? We must study God's prophetic Word through EVERYTHING that God revealed to His prophets? Having said that, events are moving fast and the time scale for everything to be accomplished may be a lot smaller than we think?
I am sorry if I am a little disjointed with my thoughts!
It is good that your theory is making me study more!
God bless you!

Gail said...

Hi Colin,
I hope all is well!

You are right about the three verses meaning the same thing and that Exodus and Deut are a bit more straight forward but they don’t show the inclusive intent as well as Jeremiah does i.e. the contrast between “at the END of seven years” and “after he has served the six years.” I believe God wants us to understand that He uses inclusion time keeping and that is why Jeremiah 34:14 is explained the way it is.

I don’t know if you know this or not so I will say it in case you or others who may read this don’t. The Jewish people always start their day in the evening of the day before. In other words when the Jews start their Sabbath day (Saturday) they begin on the evening before (Friday) around dusk and it ends on the following evening (Saturday) around dusk. So, in accordance this would probably be the way God would want the slave set free: the evening of the last day of the sixth year.

Another example of God wanting us to understand time keeping in the Bible is in 2 Sa. 2:11, 2 Sa. 5:5, and 1 Ch 3:4 where it says that King David reigned for SEVEN YEARS and SIX MONTHS in Hebron, then in 1 Kings 2:11 you read SEVEN YEARS reigned he in Hebron. One says seven and a half years and the other says seven years the reason for this is because of the times the kings begin their reign. There are accession years and non accession years and then there are two different times of the year that the reigns started: one being the Jewish year that starts at Passover (spring) and the other being the creation year (Sep./Oct; fall). I believe that the seven and a half and the seven years point to King David actually dying in his sixty ninth year but it is so hard to understand the accession and non accession years I can’t quite get it straight in my head.

Another thing about the way God keeps time that is different than ours is for example: when we have a birthday (let’s say we turn ten years old) and someone ask us how old we are we say we are ten years old. Well God doesn’t count like that if He was to turn ten and we asked Him how old He is He would say He is in His eleventh year. Here is an example from the Bible: Exd. 40:17—And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. If this was a person today saying that they would say: and it came to pass after a year and a month. Interesting huh?

The year zero concept is an odd thing but it is factual and I believe that is just another way that God is telling us that at the end of sixty nine years His judgment ends and the tenth Sabbath year is to be kept holy?

Nehemiah did indeed rebuild the wall but he done it in 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15) not seven times seven years (49 years). So for the act of Nehemiah being the fulfillment of Daniel 9:25 it would have to said that the seven weeks were actual weeks (Sun - Mon: plus a few days) and that the other sixty two weeks were weeks of years to MAYBE come to the time of Christ crucifixion.

Gail said...

In Daniel 9:25 the word “wall” means trench or ditch (H2742: charuwts; 1) sharp-pointed, sharp, diligent (adj.), 2) strict decision, decision, 3) trench, moat, ditch, 4) gold [poetical]).

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2742&t=KJV

The word “wall” in Nehemiah 6:15 is chowmah: H2346

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2346&t=KJV

The wall Daniel speaks of is talked about in the following excerpt concerning the Six Day War.

"Even as plans were made for an offensive operation, Israeli society prepared for an Arab invasion. Israeli civilians “dug fortifications” and defenses, and preparations were made for evacuating children to Europe."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War

For those who don’t know what the word fortification means here is the definition: structure for defense; a structure built in order to strengthen a place’s defenses, e.g. a wall, ditch, or rampart.

As for the temple being rebuilt in troublous times Daniel doesn’t say anything about a temple being built. He said the street and the wall will be built. As a matter of fact I don’t know of anywhere that it actually says the temple will be rebuilt but I have not studied on that extensively so I can’t really say rather it will or not. In some ways it seems certain in others it don’t?

In my opinion we have very little time before the Antichrist goes on his rampage to kill all those that oppose him: very little time indeed! There may be a literal rebuilding of Babylon I really don’t know, but I do know that apostasy abounds and Obama rules the world?

I am glad that what I say gets you to study more. That is always a good thing! You make me study more too!

God Bless You!!!

PS: I haven’t had a chance to look at your blog just yet but I intend to do so after I get this posted.

colin said...

Gail,
Oh yes! I was very aware of how the 'Jewish people' do things! For about two years or more, I used to regularly worship in a Messianic outfit! I used to say 'Yahashua' or 'Yeshua', never 'Jesus'! We used to eat 'kosher' changed the Saturday into Sunday, and would as you say, start our Sabbath at sundown on the Saturday! Some even had Bibles that the pages went from right to left. (I never went that far!) We would do the feasts, sing the Schema (in Hebrew), blow Shofars, Pray toward the temple, the men (mostly gentiles!) wore kippas, tallits, tzitzits (not me!)I got so confused! These were the genuine 'Judaisers', the real thing!
I think this lot 'ripped out' most of the Pauline Epistles from their Bibles!
Having said all this, we mustn't chuck the proverbial 'baby out with the bathwater'? I hearken to Paul's words of wisdom; "For whatsoever things were written aforetime WERE written for OUR learning, that WE through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" Romans 15.4, emphasis mine.
I will read again what you have written above especially regards the 'wall' etc. The temple; When you say " I don't know of anywhere that it actually says the temple will be rebuilt..", this, is as I understand it, read into the Scriptures through verses like Matthew 24.15, Daniel 9.27 and 2 Thessalonians 2.4?? How can the "Sacrifice and oblation" cease if there is no literal temple standing? But there again exactly what form this temple will take, who knows? And of course, there is confusion regarding "Naos" and "Hieron"? Some like Lumbley (from memory) believe, and teach we as believers ARE the literal temple (1 Corinthians 3.16 & 6.19), and these teachings can be quite convincing. At this moment I cannot be too dogmatic. As we know, we are in an age of increasing knowledge, but ALSO apostasy! Which is why we must ever cling close to the written Word and not take wild detours?
I try not to watch too many of these weird and wonderful films (that's not to say there isn't any truth in them).
Going back to this "inclusion timekeeping" as you call it, this is a study in it's own right? The problem for us westerners is that we have been so ingrained into our gentile mindsets? We have been "programmed" to "think" in a certain way? And it is not easy to "unthink"? But this is what we have to do, somewhat in order to fully understand certain things as regards Biblical monarchical reigns and times etc.
Again, we must pray to God the Father for His Holy Spirit, daily, for wisdom and understanding regards these great things, in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

It is a wonderful thing that we don't have to figure ALL these things out in order to be saved? Otherwise I think we would speak as the disciples in Matthew 19.25?

May God bless your studies!

James said...

Gail,have a look at a website called End time forecaster.blogspot.It has an article about the jubilee and the Rabbi Judah Ben Samuel,you may find of interest.

Gail said...

Hi James and thanks! I have seen this prophecy. I have been meaning to write an article on it and other Witnesses that line up to the same time frame as what I have on this blog. You know for centuries people have been trying to name the time of Jesus return but it usually involved one person making the claim. In our world today many are claiming 2016-2018 and they are ariving to these dates in different ways. I got there through studying what a generation is others got there from studying the feast days and then there are the older prophcies such as the one you pointed out. In essence there are many witnesses to the Lords return being between 2016 and 2018. Many Blessings! Gail