26 Questions

Jeremiah---Michael-Angelo Did you know there are hundreds of books written about the prophecy of Daniel 9? I’ve enjoyed reading many of them over the past 25 years but surprisingly, no matter what position is taken on the prophecy of 70 Weeks, nearly all the books have one deficiency in common. What I’m talking about is a total disregard for establishing the starting point of the prophecy of 70 Weeks on a reasonable Biblical foundation in the chronology of the 2nd temple era.

This may not seem like a big deal to some of you but Daniel 9 and the 70 Weeks prophecy influences how we see the Messiah Yeshua, the Antichrist, and much of the timing found in the book of Daniel and Revelation. No prophecy in the Bible has had more influence on our futurist understanding of end time events than Daniel 9 and the 70 Weeks. That being said, wouldn’t one of our most basic responsibilities as Bereans be to established this prophecy on a rock solid Biblical foundation? I believe it would.

For those of you’ who would like to see how well you’ve laid your foundation for the prophecy of 70 Weeks, I’ve come up with Continue reading →

Are 2015, 2016, or 2017 Jubilee Years?

The Biblical jubilee has gained a substantial amount of attention in Bible prophecy circles the last few years causing some to speculate that the years 2015, 2016, or 2017 might in fact be a Jubilee year. Books, like Jonathan Cahn’s: Mystery of the Shemitah or Gidon Ariel and Bob O’Dell’s: Israel First!, really got people thinking about the jubilee and Sabbath cycles as they relate to the Bible’s prophetic record. While this attention to the subject is welcome and needed, there still remains Continue reading →

Bridging the Covenants

The book of Genesis tells us of what is arguably the single greatest tragedy in mankind’s history. It records mankind’s first sin and how, as a result, our ancestors were cursed with death and cast out of Eden. But thankfully, the story doesn’t end there. Mankind is not left without hope of a future restoration and reconciliation with our Creator. Before Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, our Creator, YHWH, promised them that someday their “seed” would triumph over Continue reading →

Calendar Confusion & the Bible’s Prophetic Record

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You know one of the greatest things about the Bible’s calendar? It’s right up there in the daytime and nighttime sky for us to see. YHWH didn’t hang His calendar on our wall, He hung it in the heavens to declare His glory and His redemptive message about Yeshua, our salvation. But how far back does our current Biblical calendar extend into the past? And what calendar does the Bible use when predicting the future? These are the questions we will explore today. Continue reading →

Calendar Confusion & the Basics of Biblical Time

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I have a question for you. What calendar do you use when interpreting the Bible’s prophetic record? Do you see “time” in the Bible through an Evangelical, Messianic, Hebrew Roots, Adventist, Catholic or some other denominational perspective? Can you give a reasonable explanation for your interpretational bias?

In my opinion the mechanics of “time” in the Biblical record is one of the most neglected aspects of Bible prophecy. It doesn’t matter whether you are one of today’s bestselling authors on Bible prophecy, a local pastor, or a layman like myself, few today can articulate a clear or reasonable understanding of how the Bible reckons “time” as it relates to the Bible’s prophetic record.

Some say the prophecies of the Bible should be interpreted using a solar year, others a lunar year and still others lunar/solar. Even more disconcerting is the fact that many prophecy teachers today use multiple and often conflicting calendars when interpreting the Bible’s prophetic record.

None of us like to miss appointments and as we draw closer to the Messiah’s return we need to ensure that we are reading our calendars correctly. Even if you believe you’re not going to be here for the final events of this age what about the people you leave behind? Will the calendar you have hanging on your wall provide them with an accurate understanding of the final prophetic events leading up to the Messiah’s return?

Today, I’d like to make an effort to bring a little bit of clarity to the calendar confusion. Hopefully by the time we are done you’ll have a more congruent understanding of Biblical “time” and how that “time” applies to the Bible’s prophetic record.

The Basics of Biblical Time
To get us headed in the right direction Continue reading →

What is the 13th Enumeration?

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If you are wondering why this blog is The 13th Enumeration – Where History and Bible Meet, today you’ll learn part of the amazing Biblical history behind The 13th Enumeration. Our adventure takes us back nearly 2000 years to a tax collector who penned a Biblical lineage of 41 names, an enigma which has become one of the most disputed texts of the New Testament.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”
Proverbs 25:2

Even a quick perusal of the biblical record will show you that our Creator, YHWH, doesn’t always do things in a way mankind expects. In fact, when we’re dealing with God, it’s prudent to expect the unexpected. Whether because of our shortsightedness, His sense of humor, or something else, humans have been misunderstanding YHWH’s actions and words since the very beginning.

The examples are almost too numerous to recount: He promised us a Savior. We expected a conquering hero on a white horse; instead He sent us a humble carpenter on a donkey. To meet a giant, He sent a shepherd boy with a stone and a sling. To protect His people from the wrath of Persia, He prepared a young Jewish maiden. To give the city of Nineveh a second chance, He sent a giant fish. We could go on and tell of a young Hebrew man sold into slavery who became the second most powerful ruler in Egypt, or of a harlot who would be the grandmother of a future king. The bottom line is that YHWH often does things that do not make sense based upon our human experience and expectations.

An Unexpected Argument
The first chapter of the first book of the New Testament is no exception. I mean, come on—this is the place you’d expect to find rock-solid, ironclad proof that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures. Chapter 1 of the gospel of Matthew is like the opening argument in the most important legal case in the history of the world. Mess up here, and the repercussions will have untold consequences. Continue reading →

Gog & Magog in the Latter Years

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As I was preparing for this final article on Gog & Magog, thanks in part to a comment by one of my readers, I realized that in my article last week, Gog and Magog in the Millennium, I had completely overlooked an important piece of the evidence for determining when Israel will be dwelling in their land securely (yashab betach). That piece of evidence is found in Ezekiel 28 and frankly it’s embarrassingly obvious. See if you can find what I missed:

Thus saith the Lord YHWH; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen,

…then shall they dwell [yashab] in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell [yashab] safely [betach] therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am YHWH their God. (Ezekiel 28:25-26)

Notice the chronological order found here in Ezekiel 28. First YHWH gathers the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered and He is sanctified – in Israel – in the sight of the heathen – then – Israel will dwell securely. This message is repeated again in Ezekiel 36. Continue reading →

Gog & Magog in Ezekiel 38-39

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Last week’s post, Gog & Magog in the Millennium looked at a yet future invasion of Israel by Gog & Magog at the end of the millennium. This exploration of the Gog & Magog invasion allowed us to set a basis for comparing it to the Gog & Magog invasion mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39 with the goal in mind of determining whether these two invasions are related.

I think it only appropriate to once again look at the Biblical text before we dig into the subject. The following is an abridged portion of Ezekiel 38-39. I’d recommend you read all of Ezekiel 34-39 to get the complete contextual basis for Ezekiel’s prophecy:

Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord YHWH; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:…

After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them…

Thus saith the Lord YHWH; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, (Ezekiel 38:2-11)

Now let’s look at some of the context found in Ezekiel 38-39. Keep in mind our goal here is to determine if this passage from Ezekiel is related to the Gog & Magog invasion of Israel described in Revelation 20:

- Gog and Magog comprises a great army of horsemen with bucklers, shields, swords, & helmets. (Eze. 38:4)
- These events take place in the “latter years”. (achariyth – end, latter, last ) (Eze. 38:8)
- Gog & Magog invades Israel, in the “latter years” when they (Israel) have been gathered from the nations, in a land “brought back from the sword” and at a time when “they shall dwell safely all of them.” (Eze. 38:8)
- Israel is a land of unwalled villages at rest. They dwell “safely” without walls, bars, or gates. (Eze. 38:11)
- Israel’s desolate places are inhabited. (Eze. 38:12)
- Gog & Magog come to take silver, gold, cattle, and goods. (Eze. 38:13)
- Gog & Magog’s armies come “riding on horses”. (Eze. 38:15)
- This takes place in the “latter days” so that the heathen may know YHWH. (Eze. 38:16)
- Gog is the one whom YHWH, through the prophets of Israel, foretold would come against Israel. (Eze. 38:17)
- Gog and his bands will be judged by showers of hailstones, fire, and brimstone. (Eze. 38:22)
- Only 1/6^th of Gog and his armies survive.
- Gog’s armies use bows and arrows. (Eze. 39:3)
- YHWH will make His name holy in Israel and the heathen will know that YHWH is the Holy One in Israel (Eze. 39:7)
- After YHWH’s judgement, Israel will burn Gog’s weapons: shields, bucklers, bows, arrows, hand staves, and spears. (Eze. 39:9)
- The weapons will be so numerous they will be burned for 7 years. (Eze. 39:9)
- Israel will not have to cut wood from the field or forest during those 7 years. (Eze. 39:10)
- Gog will have a grave in Israel (Eze. 39:11)
- It will take 7 months to bury the dead (Eze. 39:12)

Continue reading →

Gog & Magog in the Millennium

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Exploring the Bible’s prophetic record over the past twenty five years has been a grand adventure. I’ll admit I don’t have it all figured out, but instead of discouraging me, this has only given me a greater appreciation for the depth and richness of the subject. One aspect of Bible prophecy that I’ve been considering lately is the yet future invasion of Israel by Gog and Magog.

I like to read books on Bible prophecy and it seems that lately the battle of Gog and Magog has been on the mind of many respected prophecy teachers. In this blog post I’d like to explore the subject with the intent of trying to understand where this great prophetic event takes place within the Biblical timeline.

To give you a sense of how the subject is understood by some of today’s popular teachers, I’m going to briefly summarize five interpretations. Though each of these authors offer a unique perspective on certain aspects of this discussion, the majority share a belief that the events of Gog and Magog as described in the book of Ezekiel take place before the millennial reign of Yeshua. Most of my life I have held a premillennial view of Gog and Magog but in researching the subject lately I’ve found several aspects of the subject which trouble me about my long held understanding.

Before we dig into the subject, let’s take a brief look at the two places in the Bible where Gog and Magog are mentioned. The following are only excerpts, so in order to get the full context I recommend reading all of Ezekiel 34-39 and Revelation 20.

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (Revelation 20:7-8)

Five Perspectives
Now let’s see how some of today’s prophecy teachers see the subject. Please note, due to the constraints of this blog article I’ve only summarized how I understand their positions. Please see their respective writings on the subject for fuller context. Links are provided. Continue reading →

Messiah & Middle Wall of Partition

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Did you know that nearly 2000 years when Yeshua paid the price for our sins (thus reconciling us to YHWH), there was a wall built around the house of YHWH which prevented gentiles, on pain of death, from approaching the presence of God. That’s correct, at that time Gentiles were tough out of luck. The apostle Paul described it this way:

…That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Ephesians 2:12)

But something happened that famous Passover week which changed the history of the world and gave the Gentiles the privilege to approach the presence of YHWH. This week let’s look at how Yeshua’s death and resurrection forever changed the dynamics of how mankind approaches their Creator. This Passover season I hope to give you another way of seeing the love and mercy YHWH showed mankind by becoming our Yeshua (Salvation of YA).The following is a excerpt from my book The 13th Enumeration: Key to the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism.

Chapter 14:
The Middle Wall of Partition

“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” —Ephesians 2:12–14

If I’ve accomplished my purpose in writing about the 13th Enumeration, by now you’ve recognized the Messianic symbolism associated with the numbers 13 and 14 as found in the biblical record. These “Messiah factors,” as I like to call them, are like a prophetic thread woven into the Bible’s fabric which shows YHWH’s desire to reconcile mankind to Himself through Yeshua, the Messiah promised in the Scripture from the very beginning.

In this final chapter, I would like to look at one last aspect of the Messiah factors as they relate to the Second Temple era, that exciting time when the Jewish people returned from Babylonian exile to rebuild the temple and Jerusalem. By all accounts, the Second Temple, as finally reconstructed by Herod, was a truly impressive structure. So impressive, in fact, that we find in Mark 13 one of Yeshua’s disciples commenting on its grandeur. It’s beyond doubt that the temple was important to the Jewish people, but is it also possible that within its design were hidden the symbols of the Messiah’s redemptive purpose? I believe so; see what you think.

The Number 13 in Jewish Thought
It may come as a surprise to some, but Jewish thought does not attach the same negative superstition to the number 13 as does the rest of the world. In fact, 13 finds great prominence in Rabbinic traditions related to both the Torah and the Second Temple. Continue reading →

Passover & the Bible’s Sacrificial Symbolism

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In two weeks the Biblical calendar commemorates one of the most important milestones in YHWH’s redemptive plan for mankind. We know it as Pesach or Passover and it is a Biblical holyday in which nearly every aspect of the celebration reminds us of Yeshua’s sacrifice on our behalf.

Each year more and more believers are becoming aware of the rich context and symbolism of Passover. From the Passover supper and Unleavened Bread to the Firstfruits offering several days later this holyday practically shouts to us of YHWH’s redemptive plan through Yeshua our Messiah.

Today I’d like to share with you a bit of wonderful symbolism which is often overlooked in the celebration of Passover. As many of you know Passover is part of the “law” YHWH gave to Israel through Moses. The author of the book of Hebrews described the law as but a “shadow of good things to come…” Hebrews goes on to show why Yeshua was a literal fulfilment of those shadow pictures found in the Torah.

We have to look no further for confirmation of this than Matthew 5:17 where Yeshua proclaimed: Continue reading →