Numbers as Prophetic Keys for the Future – 12
…Questioning Standard Interpretations: the Moment of Return...
In this post I want to question certain interpretations concerning the return of Yahshua.
When making the rounds on the internet I come in touch with lots eschatological theories based on subjective INTERPRETATIONS of certain passages in the Bible.
There’s nothing wrong with that if it weren’t for the fact that some of these interpretations are widely adopted to such an extent that they are being promoted as THE view of the future that the Bible holds up in prophecy.
Especially if these interpretations are not correct, the fact that they pass for Bible prophecy may cause unnecessary damage on the truth of the Bible when these ‘prophecies’ do not come to pass.
...The Second Coming: When?
‘We cannot know the day or the hour so we should refrain from any date setting whatsoever’ is an argument often put forward by Christians who oppose any date setting.
They are right that we cannot know in advance what day or hour Yahshua will return, as I will explain in this post, but it does not mean that we cannot determine any timeline or very probable dates for prophetic events to happen.
Often the Bible gives explicit time frames which commence from a certain starting point in the time line.
In addition to that there’s a logical structure to YHWH’s prophetic reckoning of time with certain keys given in the Bible as to how the logical structure should be applied.
Also, as we progress forward in time certain points (prophetic markers) begin to show up, and they provide starting points from whence prophetic time frames are activated.
Like for instance the birth of the nation Israel, the conquest of Jerusalem, we KNOW that these are very important prophetic markers.
From these starting points we can apply logical structures YHWH announced in prophecy to determine a certain date for a prophecy to occur, like for instance Daniel’s last week.
So although care is commended in calculating dates, we would be foolish to ignore Biblical references in prophecy intended to help us and encourage us.
We willfully make ourselves blind if we adhere a false credo which induces apathy and ignorance towards the very things which are intended to alert and encourage us.
As Paul said, we should not be ignorant of the times and the seasons like unbelievers.
A very popular theory is that right after Daniel’s final week (the week of the ‘Great Tribulation’) Yahshua will return.
However, I want to point out that this statement is NOT supported by Yahshua Himself.
In my opinion the ultimate spirit of prophecy is found in the words of Yahshua Himself, and we can read in Mark 13.24:
“But in those days, after that tribulation [Daniel’s final week bringing the time of Jacob’s trouble], the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory”.
In other words, AFTER the time of tribulation (Daniel’s last week) cosmic disturbances will begin to occur, and after those disturbances have begun (the time during which YHWH pours out His bowls of wrath upon the earth) there will come a moment when Yahshua returns, which is AFTER the pouring out of the bowls of wrath.
So, Yahshua will return, but NOT immediately after Daniel’s final week.
We CAN pinpoint Daniel’s final week easily by reading Daniel 8.13&14:
“Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, ‘For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?’
And he said to me, ‘For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.’"
If we assume the earthly year to remain fixed during Daniel’s final week at 365 days, then the whole week lasts for 7 * 365 = 2555 + 2 (there are 2 leap years) = 2557 days
2557 – 2300 = 255 days remaining.
If we take into account that the building of the temple will take a year to be completed then we arrive at 255 – 365 (the year to build the temple) = -110 (110 days prior to the start of the final week).
So when you hear the announcement that the temple is going to be rebuilt at a certain date you know that Daniel’s final week will commence only a few months after the planned date to start rebuilding temple (assuming that the rebuilding of the temple will take a year).
In addition to that there have been other prophetic markers from whence a countdown to the final week can start, but I have already discussed that elaborately in previous episodes of this series.
If Yahshua would return right after Daniel’s final week we would be able to pinpoint His return quite accurately.
However, taking into account Yahshua’s words, the date of His return cannot be pinpointed at the end of Daniel’s final week. We have to wait for the bowls of wrath to finish and the final battle of Armageddon to take place.
Yahshua explains that right after Daniel’s final week has ended, when the worst tribulation in the history of Israel is over, we are going to witness strange phenomena in the heavens.
Yahshua does NOT tell us for how long these phenomena will occur, He only indicates at some point His sign will appear in the heavens and He will return.
WHEN that happens is not clear.
It might be just a matter of days or weeks (if we do not consider Ezekiel 38 as I will explain further on in this post), but it also COULD be a matter of years.
From Yahshua’s words we cannot determine the time span between the end of the great tribulation and the return of Yahshua, and as such the day of His return may not be quite as fixed as some think it to be - right at the end of the tribulation week.
Just like Yahshua said, ‘no one knows the day or the hour’.
From the Bible book Revelation we can learn that AFTER the tribulation YHWH will judge the nations on earth and the bowls of His wrath will be poured out.
AFTER the bowls have been poured out a great army representing a coalition of nations will try to conquer Israel and come against her, and THEN Yahshua will return.
...Stringing Verses Together...
Concerning the moment of Yahshua’s return it is interesting to put verses from different parts of the Bible together.
Let’s set Yahshua’s words which I quoted side by side to Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7, where Daniel saw four Beasts rising out of the sea.
The fourth Beast was different from all the rest; it had 10 horns and one other little horn came which uprooted three of the first horns.
This little horn is the last anti-christ, and we read in Daniel 7.21-27:
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom.
Thus he said: `The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in pieces.
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall rise after them, and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.
But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.'”
The phrase ‘until the Ancient of Days came’ looks like a description of the return of Yahshua, but if we read Daniel 7.13 and 14 it becomes clear that the Ancient of Days is a reference to YHWH Himself.
This part of Daniel, chapter 7.13&14, is the continuation of Acts 1.9:
“And when He [Yahshua] had said this, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.”
…and then Daniel 7.13&14:
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
And there was given Him dominion and glory and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
These verses describe the time of Yahshua’s ascension into heaven where He receives the power of the Kingdom from His Father.
So, the phrase in Daniel 7.22 (“until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints received the kingdom”) actually refers to the time AFTER last trumpet (shofar), when the bowls of wrath (= the "judgment given for the saints of the Most High") are poured out on the world, after which one final massive end times army will cross the Euphrates to deal with Israel for once and for all, thus bringing about the final defeat of the Satan’s worldly military power by the might of Yahshua and the saints finally can receive the kingdom.
The ‘giving of the kingdoms to the saints’ is a process where YHWH turns the tables and allows Israel become victorious, and pours out His bowls of wrath on the enemies of His Kingdom and His chosen people, which ultimately will bring out the final act of rebellion against YHWH’s authority: the massive end times army crossing the Euphrates to march into Israel in order to snatch the Kingdom once again out of the hands of the saints.
This is when the saints will fully receive the Kingdom because then the enemy will be utterly destroyed so that the saints can live in security.
If we now connect Daniel’s words with Revelation it’s amazing to see how well they fit.
Daniel 7.21:
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them”
This ties in with Daniel 7.25:
“They [the saints] shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time"
Which connects to Revelation 13.5:
“And it was allowed to exercise authority for 42 months”
And Revelation 13.7:
“Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them”
And Daniel 12.1:
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book”
And Daniel 8.24:
“And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wondrously, and shall prosper and perform, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people”
And Revelation 12.6:
“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by YHWH, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days”
And Revelation 12.13-14:
“And when the dragon [the Satan] saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman [Israel] who had borne the male child [the Messiah Yahshua]. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time”.
These verses describe the final week of Daniel, as it also is depicted in the 7 seals being broken and the 7 trumpets (shofars) sounding in Revelation.
It is a week where during the second half of the week the dragon (the Satan) will seem to have succeeded in overcoming Israel (the woman).
Yet YHWH will provide place of refuge for the refugees of Israel whose hearts are inclined to Him, and He will shelter them into the wilderness (of nations, or the wilderness of Israel).
Then, after this final week, after the last shofar, we read in Daniel 7.22:
“Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom.”
Which ties in with Daniel 7.26-27a:
“But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High”
Which ties in with Daniel 7.9-10:
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days sat down, whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. Thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
Which connects to Revelation 11.15-18:
“And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in Heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever!’
And the four and twenty elders, who sat before YHWH on their seats, fell upon their faces and worshiped YHWH, saying, ‘We give Thee thanks, O Lord YHWH Almighty, who art, and wast, and art to come, because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry; and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints and them that fear Thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them that destroy the earth.’”
Which connects to Revelation 15.1:
“Then I saw another portent in Heaven, great and wonderful, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of YHWH is ended”.
We see how after the 7 seals and the 7 trumpets the tables are turned as YHWH is bringing about His justice and restoration for His people.
As He sits in judgment the 24 elders announce the judgment and the restoration for YHWH’s people.
This is paralleled by the words of the angel speaking to Daniel in chapter 7 when he announced that the dominion of the little horn and the beast empire shall be taken away, consumed and destroyed to the end, and that the saints of the Most High are to receive the kingdom.
The judgment consists of the bowls of wrath to be poured out.
YHWH has shown Himself to be just and will not destroy the righteous with the unrighteous. Just think of Lot being sent out of Sodom before it was destroyed, and Noah being commanded to build an ark to be able to survive the flood.
In the same way YHWH will provide places for protection for His people, and during the time of His wrath Israel will probably be the safest place on the planet.
During the period of the bowls of wrath being poured out strange signs in the heavens will accompany the calamities taking place upon this earth according to the words spoken by Yahshua in Matthew 24.29.
Yet in spite of the calamities and the strange signs the powers that be will not turn around and repent.
Instead they will unite, -being prompted by the Islamic Beast empire (Rev 16.13-15)-, and condemn Israel, probably charging the nation with ‘war crimes, refusal to submit to the international court of justice, and colonial imperialism’, etc., and march with a strong coalition of military forces across the dried up river Euphrates with the dismantling of Israel in mind.
And when the situation looks very bleak for Israel and the massive army is gathered at Armageddon, at that very last battle before the Kingdom of Yahshua can unfold upon earth, the King will interfere as announced in Revelation 19.17-21:
“And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God, that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.’
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who wrought miracles in his presence, by which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire, burning with brimstone.
And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, whose sword proceeded out of His mouth. And all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”
Then, that which we hope for will happen: with the return of Yahshua the kingdom of Heaven will enter our realm, and it will transform us and raise up the dead.
Evil will be subdued, bound and sealed up for the duration of the millennium.
Revelation 19.17-21 is connected to Ezekiel 39.17-20:
“And as for you, son of man, thus says Master YHWH, Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field:
‘Assemble yourselves and come;
Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal
Which I am sacrificing for you,
A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel,
That you may eat flesh and drink blood.
You shall eat the flesh of the mighty,
Drink the blood of the princes of the earth,
Of rams and lambs,
Of goats and bulls,
All of them fatlings of Bashan.
You shall eat fat till you are full,
And drink blood till you are drunk,
At My sacrificial meal
Which I am sacrificing for you.
You shall be filled at My table
With horses and riders,
With mighty men
And with all the men of war,’ says Master YHWH.”
Since Ezekiel 38 and 39 also speak of Gog and Magog, which is a reference to the battle AFTER Yahshua’s millennium as we can read in Revelation 20:7-10, this prophecy very likely has a dual application: the final large battle which will usher in Yahshua’s millennium AND the battle which aims to end Yahshua’s reign.
As such Ezekiel 38 and 39 encapsulates Yahshua's millennium.
The setting of Ezekiel 38 describes a land restored from war, where the people are gathered from many nations upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste, a land where the people now dwell securely.
Clearly this is not the case with Israel in our time, nor is it the Israel during Jacob’s trouble.
It’s an indication that after the turmoil and war of Daniel’s last week Israel will be restored and there will be a massive exodus from the nations of people to Israel to participate in the restoration.
With the defeat of her enemies the people of Israel will feel safe and secure, which will then be interrupted by the coalition of nations marching up across the Euphrates against Israel.
IF this prophecy of Ezekiel 38 indeed has a dual application (and the words of Ezekiel seem to indicate as much due to reference to the words of Revelation 19 AND 20), then Yahshua’s return will NOT be within days or weeks after the end of Daniel’s final week (unless it’s possible to restore a nation in a matter of a few weeks?), but it will take a number of years during which the bowls of wrath will be poured out on the nations.
With this post I wanted to shed a different light on interpretations which are held up as ‘infallible truths’, and point out that these premises may not be as infallible as they are considered to be.
When I read the words spoken by Yahshua, and I read Revelation, and Daniel, and Ezekiel, I could come to no other conclusion than that the premise of Yahshua’s return right after the end of Daniel’s final week is NOT correct.
After the final week the tables will be turned in Israel’s favor, and this will culminate in the return of the Messiah, just as after the night daybreak does not arrive suddenly, but at a certain point light begins to shatter the darkness, and grows to the strength of the emerging sun.
This is why the Biblical day begins after sunset, a prophetic shadow picture of how the 7th millennium begins with the light being overtaken by the darkness, and how after the darkest night YHWH will send His light to shatter the power of the darkness and pave the way for the rising of the sun, the Return of the faithful Son of Yah, Yahshua.
Labels: 70 weeks prophecy, Daniel, ezekiel, return of Yahshua, Revelation, Yom YHWH






