The Christian Letter, Volume One: Chapter 37
End times is a difficult subject, indeed. Perhaps it is because there are so many who have different interpretations of the Word. “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture came to be of one’s own interpretation,” (2 Peter 1:20). Herein lies the foundational key to the Word’s interpretation: The Word interprets Himself. If the Word doesn’t grab you with understanding, then let it be for a while; you’re not ready yet. Man cannot add to Scripture, and we dare not subtract from it. Because it is perfect, we must approach the Word of Yahoweh with reverence and fear, laying all our man-taught doctrine aside. Those who are willing to honestly approach the Word, with fear, will have a most rewarding and lifelong fulfilling pursuit learning about love.
The Saviour told us, “And as it came to be in the days of Noah, so also shall it be in the days of the Son of Adam:” (Luke 17:26). He also went on to explain that the end time will be like the time of Lot, and to remember Lot’s wife who turned back to the condemned Sodom. In these events, evil was destroyed and the good was left; the good people were few, and they were called to essentially “come out of her My people.” When these days occur, the days of testing gold with fire, then, as the days of Noah and Lot, there will be so very few left.
Many look to Luke 17:34 and therein interpret pre-tribulation rapture: “I say to you, in that night there shall be two in one bed, the one shall be taken and the other shall be left.” Some Christians proclaim they will be taken up, while the non-believer will be left without knowledge of the Saviour. Ah, but as we read on, we see His disciples asking Yahoshuah where they were taken. The Messiah responds that where there is death, there are vultures. That is not Heaven. We will be left; for we, the believers, have much need to be refined. Before you say Yahoweh would never allow us to suffer for He is a Rabbi of love, I ask you where was the rapture for the Apostles? Where was the rapture for Jews fed to the lions? Where is the rapture for the Christians who fight to defend Yahoweh’s Word with their lives all across the world this very day? Where was it for those under His throne in Revelation 6:9-11? Nowhere—and it shall not be at the end, either. “Then they shall deliver you up to affliction and kill you, and you shall be hated by all nations for My Name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9). I boldly proclaim: He is worth the hate of the world!
We must look to these passages the church tells us shows rapture, such as 1 Thessalonians 4, without preconceived ideas. For these same passages helped men and women face brutal deaths. They looked to these verses and saw a resurrection, not a flying away on a fluffy cloud. They saw a hope worth dying for today, rather than a hope of not dying tomorrow. Some say that if there were no rapture before the tribulation then they would rather not be Christians. It is a good possibility that those who say such things are not true believers at all, and do not yet understand the Gospel.
“But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the darnel you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I shall say to the reapers, “First gather the darnel and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my granary.”’” (Matthew 13:29-30). First, collect the weeds! The Master Gardener knows this well.
“The Son of Adam shall send out His messengers, and they shall gather out of His reign all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing lawlessness, and shall throw them into the furnace of fire—there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the reign of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:41-43).
I know, it sounds great to be taken home. I certainly wouldn’t mind. But we must look to the teachings of the Messiah and not the ideas of those who claim the Father’s Law changes. Of Who, or who, do your eyes admire the most: Christian forefathers, or the Father of the Yahudim?
The underlying question within all studies on end times is: When will the Bridegroom return? We see in Scripture that no one but Yahoweh knows the hour (Matthew 24:36); however, we read in Mathew 24:6 that, “And you shall begin to hear of fightings and reports of fightings. See that you are not troubled, for these have to take place, but the end is not yet.” These wars, along with earthquakes, conspiracies, and many other signs, show prophesy being fulfilled before our eyes. Does this then mean that the end is at hand, or near? Nearer. Despite this, many churches are telling their congregants, “Look to the sky because the lord is coming very soon.” but the Bridegroom says, “If anyone then says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe. For false messiahs and false prophets shall arise, and they shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. See, I have forewarned you.” (Matthew 24:23-25).
Indeed, there are many messiahs: The Mormon one, the Jehovah’s Witnesses one, the Catholic one, the Hindu one, and even the Atheist’s one. So many ideas about Him are lies. Ladies and gentlemen, behold, there are many false messiahs amongst you. Worship instead the One Who has changed you—not the ones that have been changed!
So when will He return? When we are not expecting Him. How is that possible when everyone is looking for Him? Could it be that the Messiah will return when many people think He is already here? Many Jews were looking for a Lion; He came as a Lamb, and they missed Him. Many Christians will be looking for a Lamb, and they will run to a lamb, but then see the sight of a Lion. I assure you that the devil knows this, and will seek to act as a lamb to deceive many. “And then the sign of the Son of Adam shall appear in the heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Adam coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and much esteem. And He shall send His messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:30-31).
“And know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Because of this, be ready too, for the Son of Adam is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.” (Matthew 24:43-44).
Note: There are groups that proclaim, “See, He said, ‘hour,’ that means, while we will not know the hour, we can know the year and the day.” This is false. If you knew a thief was coming, but you did not know the hour, you would just stay up all night if you knew the day. This, and many other passages, show that not knowing the hour, is the same as saying you will not know the time. In 2,000 plus years, with scholars that exceed our combined education, no one who has claimed hour, day, year, or century, has been correct. All of them—all of them are wrong. If you want a guaranteed way to be fooled and to be foolish, then listen to someone tell you the time of His return. Only Elohim knows this! Therefore, if someone comes to you and claims they know, then they are claiming to be Elohim, and, at best, have been fooled, and at worst …
“Enter in through the narrow gate! Because the gate is wide—and the way is broad—that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in through it. Because the gate is narrow and the way is hard pressed which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). The broadest path is not the world, but that of fluffy Christianity, or, rather, humanism masquerading as a thousand different faiths. I urge with tears that you do not listen to the teachings of men if they are not in the Truth of Yahoweh’s Word. “Do your utmost to present yourself approved to Elohim, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15). Is guessing about, and forming doctrines of fantasy rightly handling the Word of Truth? Which brings me to this:
While the question of when the Messiah will return is top on the list, there is another mystery that sparks the imagination. The mark of the beast: The number of six-hundred-and-sixty-six.
“And he causes all, both small and great, and rich and poor, and free and slave, to be given a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads, and that no one should be able to buy or sell except he that has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” (Revelation 13:16-17).
I once had so many ideas as to what this number may have been or meant. From the idea of nightmares with the number 666 being tattooed into one’s skin, to the much talked about tracking chips that can now be placed in your hand or head, which may one day replace currency. Or perhaps the number is the clue. In Genesis, man was created on the sixth day. Is that number a clue? In 1 Samuel 17:4-7, the Philistine David slew was six cubits in height, had six pieces of armor, and whose spearhead weighed six hundred shekels. Is the number of the beast a representative of one who blasphemies the Name of Yahoweh by removing His Name, or is it man’s perfect number? Perhaps driver’s licenses, credit cards, social security numbers, money, birth certificates, bank accounts, and the likes, are precursors. It is in the skin, not on the skin, but then tattoos are in the skin. Perhaps it is in the hand? Could this mean one’s work, or a chip, or a tattoo?
Ah, but what if we look to the beginning for understanding? What John saw was recorded as being a human number. Well, what other numbers are there? Furthermore, what did John really see, when he beheld 6 6 6? He didn’t see it in English. He didn’t see it in Roman. What would a learned Hebrew Jew see as a number that he could read, but would not be common anymore? If you answered Hebrew, you are almost right. The text in a Heavenly vision may not have been written in Babylonian Fire Script, or modern Hebrew. What else could it have been? Paleo Hebrew script. What is 6 6 6 in Paleo Hebrew? … It is three crosses.
Could it be, someday, if you do not have a mark of Consolidated Christianity upon your head or hand that you will not be able to buy or sell? Maybe. Maybe not. Then again, history has shown us that different lands and churches have denied sale to those who were not of their affliction. (Yes, I meant to write affliction, not affiliation.)
No passage seems to show us that using a bank account is a sin, and how could John have seen it if it were inside the skin, or in a numerical system he could not read? Another idea is that this number is not literal. We know that those who keep Passover have a mark in their forehead (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). I do not have a visible mark, though, because it is in my head and hands, the tools of my heart. Could the mark of the beast be lawlessness? After all, the mark of a servant of Elohim is obedience.
Or, again, could this be a literal mark like the tattoos Hitler issued?
Regardless, those trying to find numerical codes, or unlock great Bible mysteries, ought consider the plain and simple fact that Moses, Solomon, and even the Messiah, did not do such things. People who seek these things often have some tantalizing ideas, but they act almost nothing like the Messiah. These are opinions on the mark of the beast; that is all. Considering Revelations: John did not specify it clearly, so how could we? The disciples did not fully understand the Messiah when He said He would rebuild the torn down temple in three days until after He rose. We, too, may not understand the revelations until after the fact. And when we do see clearly, we all will proclaim: “Yahoweh is Awesome! Revelation has now been revealed! His Word has always been, and will always be, Truth! For see … He has told us ahead of time.”
“And I looked and saw a Lamb standing on Mount Tsiyon, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s Name written upon their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1).
Many have claimed to be amongst the 144,000, and many more filled with wonder. Who are they? Well, I doubt they are the ones who would boast they are of the 144,000. I feel they are much more humble than that. They also have written on their foreheads the Name of Yahoweh and Yahoshuah. Therefore, it is of much doubt that those who deny His Name would have His Name upon their brow, or in their heart.
“They are those who were not defiled with women, for they are maidens. They are those following the Lamb wherever He leads them on. They were redeemed from among men, being first-fruits to Elohim and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:4).
In Revelation, we see women are symbolically representing either false religion or the people who are the true bride of the True Bridegroom. The 144,000 were not infected with the world and its false religions, or the tainted ones, for that matter. We also see these 144,000 elect followed the Lamb. “And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands. The one who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. The one who says he stays in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked.” (1 John 2:3-6).
I know. I know. I use that passage a lot. But you know what, in today’s watered down faith, it is a much-needed passage! “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them everlasting life, and they shall by no means ever perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28).
“And become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22). To be doers we must first be true hearers; yet, if we listen to strangers, we will forget the Good Voice, and think another’s words are good enough (see John 10:11-13). Sin sneaks in and the hirelings seek to keep things as is.
Many today try to expose all the lies in Christianity, but we need not study the false ways to see if we are walking in the truth. We need only study the Truth in the Spirit of Elohim, seeking to know the voice of the Good Shepherd; the false ways will then be evident. Concerning the 144,000: Revelation also speaks of them having no deceit in their mouth. Let us follow suit.
I don’t speak on end times much because if it was not clear to John, then who on earth is it supposed to be clear to? Me? Sure, some may say, “Well it is called Revelation because it reveals.” Well, while this vision may reveal things, it also hides much, and John did not call it Revelation to the best of my knowledge, inasmuch as Paul never called the book of First Corinthians, First Corinthians, or a book for that matter. No, I’d rather speak to you about loving your family, caring for widows, orphans, and strangers, and doing things as the Messiah did them, such as seventh day Sabbath keeping and sharing the Message of hope with all.
“And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing children in those days! And pray that your flight does not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there shall be great distress, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the sake of the chosen ones those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:19-22).
Many, including myself, believe He may return during a celebration of trumpets. So then, will I or anyone else know which day? No. He says that during that time the moon will be darkened. The moon is darkened once during its monthly cycle, true, but could this be caused by one of the wars that will be occurring, or volcanoes, or was the moon only darkened over Israel, or is it something else entirely like a blood moon? People have many ideas, but little knowledge. Every generation has tried, and failed. Let us, therefore, be more concerned with loving Elohim, our neighbors, our family and friends, and even our enemies.
“As to the coming of our Master Yahoshuah Messiah and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as if the day of Yahoweh has come. Let no one deceive you in any way, because the falling away is to come first, and the man of lawlessness is to be revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim or that is worshiped, so that he sits as Elohim in the Dwelling Place of Elohim, showing himself that he is Elohim. Do you not remember that I told you this while I was still with you? And now you know what restrains, for him to be revealed in his time. For the secret of lawlessness is already at work—only until he who now restrains comes out of the midst.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-7). They had been told before, face-to-face, and again in this letter. Do not be misled!
I hope He returns in my time, but even if it is another thousand or more years, we believers have no reason to doubt.
In a Jewish wedding, the bride waits for the bridegroom at the altar. His Return is the same way. Let us, therefore, remain pure and patient. He will return. That is enough.
“and upon her forehead a name written, a secret: BABEL THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE WHORES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the set-apart ones, and with the blood of the witnesses of Yahoshuah. And having seen her, I marvelled—greatly marvelled!” (Revelation 17:5-6). Oh, how I pray that “God bless America” will change to “America praise Yahoweh” by way of repentance and submission. Bring back the sackcloth and ash within our hearts! Bring back true prayer. Let us not marvel the prophets by our still being stuck in Babylon when we have the Messiah to run to.
There is so much more to study on this subject. I didn’t even give you a small portion of what the Word teaches about this event. Please do not hesitate to pray earnestly and then begin your own study of Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. Yet know this: we are in the end times regardless of how you look at it, as the longest anyone is going to be living is by no means going to exceed one hundred twenty years. If everyone knew He was coming in fifty years you’d start seeing a change in people, however, if He doesn’t come here … we will be going there! … End times are upon you.
“And see, I am coming speedily, and My reward is with Me, to give to each according to his work.” (Revelation 22:12). My dear brothers and sweet sisters in Yahoshuah: Yahoweh is our wisdom or we have no wisdom. What have we done with His Holy Name? What have we done for the least of these asking for but bread and water? Have we truly cared for widows, orphans, strangers, family, and Levites, with love unto Yah? What would an enemy say about us? In the answer to this we will know what Yahoweh will say on Judgment Day. No, Yahoweh is not the enemy, but it is true, yes so very true, that whatever we do to the least of these we have done to the Messiah. How can we get back to where we need to be? … Perhaps, understand our true purpose, we should start at the beginning of the end: The Genesis of Revelation!
“But I hold this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:4).
Be Blessed and be a Blessing
Shalom
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Additional Scripture References:
James 1:22-25, Isaiah 51:12, Revelation 14:9-12, Mark 8:35, Luke 21:34