REVISED PERSPECTIVE ON “THE END TIMES”

INTRODUCTION

As followers of Jeshua, we look forward to His return to live with His bride as prophesied in the Bible.  Like most believers I get excited when I see events playing out in the world which I recognise as end-time events and signs.  Jeshua told us, in Matthew 24, that there would be signs that we should look out for.  Over the years the prophecy scholars have more or less settled on a 7 year tribulation period, based on various scriptures from Daniel and Revelation. These highlight time periods such as 42 months and 1260 days.  Others have combined 3 of these blocks and teach about a 10 and a half year tribulation.

Word received from the Lord by many prophets in recent years include statements such as “the end of the age” or the “end of time” and “the final mile”.  A little more than a year ago I was looking out over the sea at the West Coast of South Africa, near Port Nolloth, when the word of the Lord came to me and He said: “Greet the end-times”.   I asked:  “Greet Lord?”.  And He answered: “Say hallo end-times”. 

Needless to say this got me really excited and I immediately interpreted this word from the Lord in terms of my limited frame of reference.  I had studied the end-times intensely and was well aware of the 7 year tribulation period and immediately assumed that what the Lord just said meant that we have entered the last 7 years.   I started trying to interpret other prophecy and world events in light of this 7 year deadline.  Often it was possible but sometimes I got stuck and couldn’t understand how there could be enough time left for certain prophetic events to come into fulfilment before the end of the 7 year period.

Receiving prophetic word and visions from the Lord is one thing, but the ability to interpret these correctly is quite another.  As a servant of the Lord I enjoy the gifts of prophecy and visions, but I have to admit that the interpretation of these words and visions are sometimes a struggle to me and I have been wrong with the interpretation of time-lines before.

“Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.”  - 1Co 14:29 (KJV)  I find Kim Clement peculiar at times, a compliment according to 1Pe 2:9 (KJV), and I have great respect for him as a prophet of the Lord and in recent months I have heard him say more than once, that yes he believes we are living in the end-times but that it is not the end yet (my paraphrase). 

This statement seemed at odds with where I believed we are in the end-time timeline and for this reason, and knowing that I have been wrong before, I started asking the Lord for knowledge and wisdom on the matter.  When reading this please keep in mind that the Bible says:   “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” - Mat 24:36 (KJV)

VISION

A few days ago I received the following night vision from the Lord: “I see a Bridegroom walking down a road with His bride.  She was younger than Him, 1999 days to be exact.  She was saying that she longs to be with Him.  He was about to answer when she said that the Holy Spirit has just confirmed to her that whatever He is about to say is from God the Father.  He answered her and said that he had permission from God (His Father) to tell her that he is to come and live with her in a month and a week from now.  He then said that actually it isn’t a whole week probably earlier in the week, by the Thursday or soon after that.”

INTERPRETATION

What does this mean?  – “in a month and a week from now”  -  It is clear from the study of Bible prophecy that a “prophetic day” is equal to a year and this principle repeats itself many times in Bible prophecy.  The Lord has used this principle with me in word received from Him, and my interpretation of the vision has to be that the Bridegroom will come to live with the bride within 35 to 37 years from now. That is 30 years for one month plus 7 years for one week, but He said Thursday which is day 5 of the week or 5 years.  So it gives me somewhere between 35 and 37 years from now. (see explanation of “prophetic day” below)

FURTHER WORD

This new information troubled me because it did not fit into my expectation of being within the last 7 years already.  I continued to ask the Lord for wisdom and understanding and he woke me early one morning and said the following: “There are 30 years missing from your eschatology.” (see definition of eschatology below)  This clearly dispels any misunderstanding that I still may have had on the matter and I received various confirmations from the Lord for this word and new time-line information.   

RELEASE INSTRUCTION

I took a decision to ponder on the information for a while before I start telling the world but as I was praying last night and thanking the Lord for correcting my understanding on the matter, He gave me a vision of a candle under a bucket (Mat 5:15,KJV).  I know very well what this means since he has used it with me before – tell the world.

This morning the voice of the Lord came to me and He said: “Release the word – inform the bride – you have My permission.”  I asked the Lord for scripture confirmation for this specific instruction to release the word and received the following from him: 

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.”  - Isa 6:8-9 (KJV)

CONCLUSION

I believe it is clear from my experience that we need to guard against looking at Bible prophecy and current world events and then try to fit the information into our own limited understanding and expectations – which may not always be that realistic.  Let us ask the Lord for wisdom which will enable us to understand the knowledge and events that we are presented with on a daily basis.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” - Jas 1:5 (KJV) 

EXPLANATIONS

ESCHATOLOGY:

I understand “my eschatology” to be:  my specific understanding and interpretation of end-time events as explained in Bible prophecy.

Dictionary definitions of eschatology:

The part of theology concerned with death, judgement, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind: Christian hope is concerned with eschatology, or the science of last things.[Oxford]

The branch of theology that is concerned with such final things as death and Last Judgment; Heaven and Hell; the ultimate destiny of humankind. [Wordnet]

The doctrine of the last or final things, as death, judgment, and the events therewith connected. [Websters].

PROPHETIC DAY

A “prophetic day” is generally understood by Bible prophecy scholars to refer to a calendar year and it is often understood to be a calendar year according to the Hebrew calendar which is 360 days.  Much information is available on this topic on the internet and in books written by writers such as Grant Jeffery.  Thirty prophetic years on the Hebrew calendar will be calculated as follows: 30 x 360 days = 10 800 days which in turn gives 29.589 years on the Gregorian calendar.  However it must also be taken into account that the Hebrew calendar is regularly adjusted to catch up with the cycles of the moon or lunar calendar, by inserting an extra month of Adar into the year. This will produce a different answer again. 

One could study the topic in detail and calculate how many days would be in a prophetic week or month or how many days would be in 30 prophetic years.  As for me I am satisfied with adding 30 years to my timeline expectations and to only expect the serious end-time events to start occurring 35 to 37 years from now - as discussed above.  I believe the essence of the message is to adjust incorrect expectation and not to produce a day for the return of our Lord.  Which would be impossible anyway due to all the variables and the vagueness of the information on the last week.  

“But concerning that day and the hour no one knows, not even the messengers of the heavens, but My Father only.”  -  Mat 24:36 (The Scriptures, ISR 1998)