2nd Coming Part I Print

Prophecies of Jesus Christ's 2nd Coming
Part I: General Survey of Old Testament
2nd Coming Prophecies

In the Old Testament Messianic prophecies we'll come to see that often the prophecies of Jesus' first coming are blended into prophecies of his 2nd coming in glory and power to rule the world. This confused the Jews who were watching and waiting for the coming of the Messiah. In this three part series we will examine those prophecies, looking at the portions of them that tie into his 2nd coming and comparing them to the 2nd coming prophecies Jesus gave us in the New Testament. We will come to see there is vital continuity of message here between both Testaments. In these prophecies that contain descriptions of both his first and second coming, this study will have the portion dealing with his 2nd coming in bold, and the 1st coming portion in normal type.

Malachi 3:1-5, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts..." [That was verse 1, which describes Jesus' 1st coming. Now verses 2-5 describe his 2nd coming. This totally confused the Jews because you will notice many of these 2nd coming descriptions where more dynamic and eye-catching than the descriptions of his 1st coming.] "...But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment: and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts."

Malachi 4:1-3, "For, behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked: for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts." Verse four is seen by most new covenant Christians to be addressed to the Jews of the period just preceding Jesus' first coming. It states, "Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments." This may have been because the House of Judah was still a nation at this time and the old covenant law of God was the theocratic constitutional law of the land even up through Roman rule of Judah. But verse 5-6 are more interesting. We know Jesus said John the Baptist was the Elijah prophecied to come. But in context with the end of verse 5 and verse 6, the end-time body of Christ, the Church, may become the embodiment of a spiritual work of Elijah. Verses 5-6, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse [Hebrew for curse: utter destruction]." So we see, one tiny verse, verse 1 of Malachi 3 is devoted to Jesus Christ's first coming. Then verses 2-5, and Malachi 4:1-6 are totally devoted to his 2nd coming. Let's now turn to Jeremiah 23:1-5.

Jeremiah 23: 5-8, "Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, "The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land." This time, not even one whole verse, in verse 5 is devoted to the first coming. Verse 5b through 8 is strictly devoted to second coming--again confusing to the Jews who were waiting for his arrival to install the Messianic Kingdom of God over Israel and the world. Judah refers to the House of Judah, the Jews, and some few (even some Messianic Jewish groups) think the House of Israel is composed of some other countries who are made up of people they call "The Lost House of Israel". Israel proper, living north of the House of Judah was captured and deported by the Assyrian Empire between 721 and 719 BC. The major portion of this population never returned to the land of Israel or Palestine, but was lost historically. They had been taken to the Caspian Sea region of Assyria and their population replaced by another race who had lived in Assyria. But in the early 600's BC, Babylon conquered Assyria, and drove the Assyrians out of power in the region. One Assyrian general is thought by some historians to have taken a contingent of Assyrians up the Danube. Those of the House of Israel living in Assyria at that time had never returned. Some feel a lot of them did, some don't. Interpretation here is up for grabs. When the 2nd coming occurs, if Jesus is leading the other ten tribes of Israel out of "the north country", wherever that is, we'll know Israel is more than just the House of Judah. Till then, it's not important. Those that take the Israel is more than just the Jews view come under the name of being called proponents of British Israelism. This is a secondary doctrine that deals more with race than grace, and whether true or not, can have nasty racial side-effects for those who believe in this doctrine, regardless of whether the actual doctrine is true or not. I'm not taking sides, just stating the dangers. One major thing, interpreting Israel as more than just the Jews changes the interpretation of end-time prophecy somewhat. It means the United States and British peoples are taken into slavery into "the north country", and then led out of it by Jesus at his return, along with eight other tribes. As we get further into these prophecies, we may get an indication of where that "north country" could be. But again, that is open to interpretation. Some think it is Babylon, because there are a lot of end-time prophecies that deal with Babylon. But the actual nation of Babylon is east of Jerusalem and the Israeli nation, not north (unless end time Babylon represents another national or international system set up somewhere to the north or northwest of Jerusalem. Prophetic locations in the Bible are almost always made with Jerusalem as the focal point of a compass. Let's turn now to Jeremiah 50:1-4-5, 19-20.

Jeremiah 50:1-5, 19-20, 33-46 "The word that the Lord spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces. For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast... [Now when is this to occur, or has it already? I think we'll see that verses 4-5 put this in the context of taking place sometime in the future, not past.] Verses 4-5, "...In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together [this sort of indicates the children of Israel and Judah are right now separate--interesting], going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten." [If the whole chapter is read, this appears it could be talking about the taking of Babylon by the Medes and Persians under Darius and Cyrus, but verse 46 seems to point to a greater event, an end-time event, putting these verses in the realm of 2nd coming timing.] Verses 33-46, "Thus said the Lord of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. Their redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon. A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men. A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed. A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed. A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation. As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein. Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon. The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail. Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? For who is like me? And who will appoint me the time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before me? Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath proposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them. At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations." Now the earth was never "moved" at the first fall of Babylon under Darius and Cyrus. But it is prophecied to be moved, even perhaps out of orbit, at or just prior the Jesus Christ's 2nd coming. So this may indeed be a "Day of the Lord" prophecy. There are a few views as to who this Babylon could be, a people from Iraq, or some new symbolic Babylon with different national origin [some think it refers to the economic system of the European Economic Community under a new and militarily powerful United States of Europe]. We'll have to wait and see, I guess. (Hopefully at a safe distance.) Let's turn now to Ezekiel 20:34-43.

Ezekiel 20:33-43, "As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: and I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God." This is definitely talking of a future re-gathering of Israel back to the Lord and into the land of Palestine. Passing under the rod is an Old Testament phrase that means to chose out ten percent, like a tithe to the Lord. This could be an indication that only ten percent of Israel's current population will survive the tribulation [and the numbers could vary depending again on whether Israel is just the Jewish population or more than that]. Scary thought. Let's turn now to Ezekiel 36:1-38.

Ezekiel 36:1-38, "Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord God; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people; therefore ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; therefore thus saith the Lord God; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. [Historically, Idumea referred to the Edomites living east of the Jordan. Now that could be referring to the Jordanians or the Palestians living in the West Bank and all around Jordan, or it could refer to whoever the Edomites are now (some think they are now the Turks).] Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I have spoken in my jealously and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen: therefore thus saith the Lord God; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown; and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited and the wastes shall be builded: and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.

Thus saith the Lord God; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord God. Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord God. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: and I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. [This "scattering" first occurred with the conquering and deportation of the entire northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrian Empire between 721 and 719 B.C. This northern kingdom, called in the Bible, the House of Israel, never returned to the land of Samaria or Palestine. The House of Judah was taken captive to Babylon in the 600's B.C., but returned to Palestine seventy years later. Technically, the House of Judah was composed of three tribes, Judah, the Levites, and part of Benjamin. Some Christian and Jewish scholars interpret the House of Judah as becoming "Israel" in these prophecies, while others don't or aren't sure.] But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and I will bring you into your own land..." [Now verses 25-27 show this is not talking about the formation of the Israeli nation in 1948, but a regathering that will be brought about by the Lord himself, for the event prophecied in verses 25-27 has not occurred yet, and will not occur until the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. These verses put the entire 36th chapter of Ezekiel in context.] "...Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. AND I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU, AND CAUSE YOU TO WALK IN MY STATUTES, AND YE SHALL KEEP MY JUDGMENTS, AND DO THEM. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers: and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord." Just a note about that last few verses and the reference to the flocks in the cities being like Jerusalem in her solemn feasts. The population of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts, especially in the spring Passover season around the time of Jesus up to about 65 A.D. would often grow to ten times her normal population. With a normal population of 300,000 in Roman times, during the Passover season Jerusalem's population would swell to about 3 million people. So God is saying the cities in Israel would have populations numbering in the millions after he re-gathers them into their Palestinian homeland. Millions in the cities, all having the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. That is not the Israeli nation of today. This is a prophecy for the future, just after Jesus Christ's return. Let's now turn to Ezekiel 39:25-29 Ezekiel 39:25-29, "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; after that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them into their own land, and have left none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord." Again, in verse 29, this last verse hasn't occurred, so this is a future regathering of the house of Israel in the land of Palestine. For God's Spirit, called my spirit here, has not been poured out upon the entire house of Israel yet. Verse 29 puts these verses in context with the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. Turn now to Jeremiah 3:11-18.

Jeremiah 3:11-18, "And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion [This is a scary verse, "one of a city and two of a family". Imagine one survivor of New York City. The World Trade Towers were just destroyed by Arab terrorists flying in two hijacked airliners. Almost 5,000 people died, it's too early for an accurate body-count at this point. That's nothing compared to what this tiny verse is saying, and this verse is a part of God's Word.]: And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. [Do you really want your neighbors and friends to have to wait, coming through all that's predicted, or maybe not coming through it alive--just so they can have good pastors then, when they could have them now?] And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord [cf. Zechariah 14:9]; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem; neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers." This prophecy shows the regathering of both the house of Judah and house of Israel back into Palestine and Jerusalem and the Lord living in Jerusalem. He promises to put good pastors over all those who are regathered. Just as in Ezekiel 36, we see different elements of this regathering described, as the Lord sets up his millennial kingdom, the Kingdom of God, over the whole earth, starting in Jerusalem. Let's see where it all begins and look at a few more details before we get into the chronological timing events. Turn now to Daniel 7:13-14. 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." This is a vision Daniel was given of the very coronation ceremony of Jesus Christ, Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is the future King of the World, as we shall come to see from the Scriptures contained in God's Word. Turn now to Psalm 96:11-13.

Psalm 96:11-13, "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh, to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth."

Isaiah 40:3-5, 10-11, "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: [cf. Rev. 16:17-18, 20, "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great...And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found."] and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it...Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." Here again, we see half a verse, in verse 3 of Isaiah 40 devoted to our Lord's first coming, prophecying about John the Baptist. Then from verse 3b through 5, and 10-11 deals with his 2nd coming.

Micah 1:3-4, "For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place." Pretty dramatic picture of the very power of the Lord's presence upon the rock matter that makes up the mountains. Remember the description of Mount Sinai when the Lord God came down on it to deliver the Ten Commandments, how the mountain smoked? Nothing different here. Curious what Jesus looks like right now? Turn to Revelation 1:13-18 and read it for yourself. Jesus glows brighter than the sun in its full strength. Daniel 12:2-3 says we Christians in the resurrection to immortality will be like Jesus, glowing like the very stars. Again, look it up and read it. 1 John 3:2 says we will be like Jesus is right now. Keep this in mind when we get to Zechariah 14. Turn now to Isaiah 26:19-21.

Isaiah 26:19-21, "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." There are some pretty awesome statements made in these three short verses. First, in verse 19 we see this is one of the two major resurrections predicted in the Bible. Verse 21 shows it's the first resurrection to immortality, since this verse shows it's the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. Verse 20 shows "my people" are somehow hidden from the devastation to come upon the earth, predicted in verse 21. Verse 21 shows not only that the Lord comes back, but on this particular coming, he's coming to punish the inhabitants of the earth, and that the earth shall "disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." To not cover your slain indicates the slaughter will be so great that normal burial won't be possible. A powerful lot is being said in these three short verses. Turn now to Isaiah 9:6-7.

Isaiah 9:6-7 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice form henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." Just half a verse relates to Jesus' first coming, 6b and 7 relate to Jesus 2nd coming and his attributes and heavenly titles. Anyone who doubts that Jesus is also God need only look at these titles--The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 11:1-16, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord: and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. [these next verses, 6-16 describe the beginning of his millennial kingdom being set up on earth at his glorious return] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. [Now verses 11-16 get into a little of the mop-up battle to take place after Jesus' return. It mentions two different tribes of Israel here, one of which has not been seen since the deportation of Israel in 721 B.C.--one of the "Ten Lost Tribes of Israel" according to the Jews.] And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together; they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt."This next one shows a Babylonian system existing at the end time, and I don't think it has anything to do with the ancient people of Iraq or the territory of ancient or modern Iraq. We will come to see this later when we get into the book of Revelation, chapters 17 & 18.

Prophecy about time of Jesus Christ’s 2^nd coming

and future captivity of whoever Israel is

[red, 2^nd coming of Jesus, green, Millennial Kingdom of God]

Jeremiah 30:1-24, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ‘Thus speaks the LORD God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will bring back from captivity my people Israel and Judah,’ says the LORD. [King James Version: “I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah…” King James Version, if more accurate than the New King James Version, it’s translation of that verse indicates a new, captivity of those who are descendants of Israel, the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, along with Judah, mentioned here as a separate kingdom, as it was from king Rehoboam onward. There is a reason hard-shell Baptists stick with the original King James version.] ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah. For thus says the LORD: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! For the day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from your neck, and will burst your bonds. Foreigners shall no more enslave them. But they shall serve the LORD their God. And David their king, whom I will raise up for them. [Comment: Verse 9 shows this is the time of the 1^st resurrection to immortality for the saints, including all the saints from the Old Testament, the patriarchs, including king David, who then will rule over the 12 tribes of Israel from then on. Jesus Christ, Zechariah 14:9 will be King of the whole earth, while David will be king of Israel, all 12 tribes.] Therefore do not fear, O my servant Jacob,’ says the LORD, ‘nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, and no one shall make him afraid. For I am with you,’ says the LORD. ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and I will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ For thus says the LORD: ‘Your affliction is incurable, your wound is severe. There is no one to plead your cause, that you may be bound up; you have no healing medicines. All your lovers have forgotten you; they do not seek you; for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased. Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you. Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; and all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; those who plunder you shall become a plunder. And all who prey upon you I will make a prey. For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the LORD, ‘because they called you an outcast saying: This is Zion; no one seeks her.’ Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; the city shall be built upon its own mound, and the palace shall remain according to its own plan. Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as before, and their congregation shall be established before me; and I will punish all who oppress them. Their nobles shall be from among them, and their governor shall come from their midst; then I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach me; for who is this who pledged his heart to approach me?’ says the LORD. ‘You shall be my people, and I will be your God.’ Behold the whirlwind of the LORD goes forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind; it will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD will not return until he has done it, and until he has performed the intents of his heart. In the latter days you will consider it.” [The whole chapter of Jeremiah 30 is about a future, yet to come, captivity of Jacob, Israel (some believe this is talking about the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel, who are somewhere in the world, now having become nations). The context is within the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ. What follows the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ is his setting up of the Millennial Kingdom of God on the earth, which will rule over the entire earth, bringing peace and prosperity to all. Jeremiah 31:1-40 describes this period of time. That last sentence of Jeremiah 30 places this prophecy in “the latter days”. The Lord also said his fierce anger will not return until he has done it, and until he has performed the intents of his heart, verse 24a.” That means, if we’re in “the latter days”, as I believe we are, the Lord is fiercely angry with whoever Israel is, all 12 tribes, not just Judah. That is like a final warning at the end of this prophecy about a future captivity amidst what probably is a World War, and that God is not going to relent in his anger until all is accomplished. Something to contemplate.]

Jeremiah 31:1-40, “‘At the same time,’ [context, right after Jeremiah 30:24, the story-flow continues] says the LORD, ‘I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.’ Thus says the LORD: ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness---Israel, when I went to give him rest.’ The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying, ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria; [now that indicates Yahweh is addressing the northern kingdom of Israel, the 10 northern tribes, which often were referred to as Samaria in the Old Testament histories of Chronicles and Kings.] The planters shall plant and eat them as ordinary food. For there shall be a day when the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim, ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.’’ For thus says the LORD: ‘Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel!’ Behold I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the ends of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and the one who labors with child, together; a great throng shall return there. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble; for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. [Ephraim was one of the 10 tribes within the “house of Israel”, a part of the northern kingdom called alternately as Samaria or the house of Israel from the time of king Rehoboam of Judah onward.] Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the LORD---for wheat and new wine and oil, for the young of the flock and the herd; their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together; for I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow. I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance. And my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says the LORD.”

Mercy on Ephraim

[Verse 15 is quoted in Matthew and Luke, referring to Herod’s slaughter of infants two years old and younger in the area of Bethlehem and Ramah. It could also have a future fulfillment during the tribulation period, but is mainly recognized as a 1^st coming of Christ prophecy] “‘A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, because they are no more.’ Thus says the LORD: ‘Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded,’ says the LORD, ‘And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the LORD, that your children shall come back to their own border. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: ‘You have chastised me, like an untrained bull; restore me, and I will return, for you are the LORD my God. Surely, after my turning, I repented; and after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh; I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated, because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD. ‘Set up signposts, make landmarks; set your heart toward the highway, the way in which you went. Turn back, O virgin of Israel, turn back to these your cities. How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth---a woman shall encompass a man.’” [Now I have no idea what that means. Have any ideas, send them to me on the Guestbook.]

Future Prosperity

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I bring back their captivity: ‘The Lord bless you, O home of justice, and mountain of holiness!’ And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all its cities together, farmers and those going out with flocks. For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.’ After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me. ‘Behold the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. [Comment: Notice the house of Israel and the house of Judah are mentioned throughout this prophecy as two distinct “houses” or national groups. This would indicate that the “house of Israel” is none other than the “ten lost tribes of Israel” taken into captivity in 721 BC, who never returned from that captivity, but were historically lost from view. Jesus has, by the wording in these prophecies, regathered them back into the land of Samaria north of Judah. And now in this prophecy he’s also talking about his regathering the house of Judah as well, out of this future captivity.] And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck them up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. In those days they shall say not more:

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.’”

A New Covenant

“‘Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah---not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive them their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’” [Comment: Now there are two time periods where a group of people come under the new covenant, where it specifically applies to them. By the context of verses 31-34 of Jeremiah 31, the new covenant applies to the “house of Israel” (all 10 tribes) and the “house of Judah” (two and a half tribes, historically), just after the 2^nd coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. But historically, and Biblically, we see that another group of people came under the terms of the new covenant in advance of it being bestowed on the houses of Israel and Judah at the 2^nd coming. The apostle Paul showed that all Christians and Messianic Jewish believers in Jesus have come under the terms of the new covenant. See Hebrews 8:7-13 for proof of this. The basic terms of the new covenant shift the responsibility of an individual to keep the Law of God from man to God. God emphatically states that he now will write his laws in the hearts and minds of believers. For Christians and Messianic Jewish believers in Yeshua, this applies now, historically from 31AD in Acts 2, right up to the 2^nd coming of Christ, Messiah. But Jeremiah 31:31-34 shows that all of Israel, all 12 tribes, and then all of the world which has survived WWIII, will also come under the terms of the new covenant, as Jesus draws them into the understanding of God’s Word, cf. Isaiah 2:2-4, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, the house of the God of Jacob; he will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” This is the time period when the whole world, including the re-united 12 tribe nation of Israel, will come under the terms of the new covenant, as they’re drawn into a real living and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, as he rules the world from Jerusalem (cf. Zechariah 14:9). That explains the two separate applications of the new covenant, for us believers in Jesus, Yeshua now, for the whole world later.]

What the LORD says about his covenant promises to the physical nations of Israel and Judah

Verses 35-38, “Thus says the LORD who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinance of the moon and the stars for a light by night, who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is his name): ‘If those ordinances depart then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before me forever.’ Thus says the LORD: ‘If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD.” [What Yahweh, the LORD God of Israel is saying in verses 35-38 is that all the covenant promises made in the Old Testament to Israel and Judah will be fulfilled by God. The physical nations or kingdoms of Israel and Judah are never replaced by the Church, so these verses show ‘Replacement Theology’ is a terrible heresy (coming originally from the Catholic church). Multiple millions of innocent Jews have been slain from the 300s AD to 1945 due to this flawed heretical ‘doctrine’ called ‘Replacement Theology.’ See http://www.unityinchrist.com/prophecies/definitions.htm and read through the next two html pages.]

The city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt for the LORD

Verses 39-40, “Behold the days are coming, says the LORD that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. The surveyor’s line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb;. Then is shall turn toward Goath. And the whole valley of dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever.” [cf. Zechariah 14:9-11 correspond to these verses.]

Isaiah 13:1-19, "The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. Lift up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: and they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine [that was Isaiah 13:10, which directly cross-references with Revelation 16:10 and Matthew 24:29. Rev. 16:10, "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness: and they gnawed their tongues for pain." Matthew 24:29, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken..."]. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. [i.e. men would become as scarce as a bar of gold is for the average person to possess.] Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger [Matthew 24:29 again.]. And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land. Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished. Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. [The Medes are now living and make up some of the races living in the C.I.S. states that were under Soviet domination around the Caspian sea region and beyond, and into Russia as well, so this may refer to the Russian people being stirred against this "Babylonian Empire" of the end times.] Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah." This is an end-time prophecy for sure, dealing with and tying directly into the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. Turn quickly now to Revelation 18 to see this Babylonish system being referred to, and that system having just been described in Revelation 17 is not one coming out of Iraq as we shall see later. Revelation 18:2, "And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit..." Do you notice how these prophecies are taken from the midst of prophetic texts, as if they are all scattered around these texts in random? God inspired their random placement, and described how some Bible doctrines are to be discerned in Isaiah 28:9-10, which states, "Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept; precept upon precept; line upon line; line upon line; here a little, and there a little..." In these Old Testament prophecies, we have been garnering these details "here a little, there a little, precept upon precept"--like scripture added to like scripture. We will come to see these Scriptures all tie into a very unified description of the end-time battle of Armageddon and the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, given in the book of Revelation.

Isaiah 30:26-33, "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound [cf. Revelation 16:8-9, "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blashemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him the glory."] Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire: and his breathe, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err. Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of Israel. And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones [cf. Revelation 16:21, "And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great." Also see Revelation 11:15-19, esp. vs. 19.]. For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod [some historians believe that parts of the German race are directly related to and descended from the ancient Assyrian race. This would mean that end-time 2nd coming prophecies that mention Assyria could be talking about Germany. Proof isn't conclusive on this, though, like in so many fine details of prophecy, we'll have to wait and see--from a safe vantage point, I sincerely hope.]. And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the Lord shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it. For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it." Isaiah 24:1-23 is another Day of the Lord prophecy. In all these Old Testament prophecies we're looking at, the general description of the battle is given, but the order of the events isn't clear, nor is the timing of the events. After we get finished viewing this survey of Old Testament "Day of the Lord" prophecies, we'll zoom in on the two major books of the Bible that show the historic context of when these prophecies are to come to pass. Then in Part III we'll look at Revelation 16 & 19 and start to see a clear picture emerge of what these prophecies are showing, and the shear magnitude of this event. After that we'll give the description of this event given by Jesus in Matthew 24.

Isaiah 24:1-23, "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usary, so with the giver of usary to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left [cf. Revelation 16:8-9, which we've already read.]. The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh. The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in. There is crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction. When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires [valleys], even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitants of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake [cf. Revelation 16:18-21 pinpoints this as the time of the seventh last plague of the seventh trumpet, the very time of Jesus Christ's arrival and the resurrection of the righteous dead in Christ.]. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited [or, found wanting]. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." This is a definite picture of the period of the seven last plagues, filling in some of the details of that scary event which is believed to occur within the span of one or a few days at most--as Jesus and the saints are descending from the upper atmosphere. The book of Revelation, chapters 16 and 19 fill in the time sequence of this awesome event. As we see, the Lord gave the Old Testament prophets the finer details of the events. His gave the timing sequence of events to Daniel and the apostle John (in Revelation). We have a few more prophecies to go in the Old Testament before we look at Daniel and Revelation to see the actual sequence of events and where we are in the historic context of all this. We'll turn now to Isaiah 33.

Isaiah 33:7-17, "Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man. The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. Now will I arise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? [i.e. who will dwell with the Lord, Jesus Christ, who is a devouring fire?] who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously [in righteousness], and speaketh uprightly [uprightnesses]; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions [deceits], that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood [bloods], and shutteth his eyes from evil; He shall dwell on high [heights or high places]: his place of defence shall be munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. ["munitions of rocks" is thought by some Bible scholars to refer to Petra, a place of safety. There are two interpretations as to who ends up in this region or place of safety called "munitions of rocks". One interpretation amongst some evangelical circles is that those who are allowed to dwell there are the righteous Jews dwelling in Israel. Others interpret those who are allowed to dwell there are Christians, the Christian Church, due to the description of verse 15--he that walketh righteously, speaketh uprightly, despiseth the gain of oppressions, shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, shutteth his eyes from seeing evil--this some interpret as the basic qualities of a Christian. This sort of messes up the "Rapture" theory, if Christians are to be protected in a place of safety, but then again, maybe the Lord will "Rapture" the church to the "munitions of rocks" instead of heaven. Our focus as Christians is to live up to verse 15 in the power of the Holy Spirit, not through our own ability, and to focus on the job the Lord has given us to accomplish (Matthew 28:18-20; 24:14; Acts 1:6-9), and trust him for whatever protection we're to receive. As far as I'm concerned, we as Christians waste far too much of our time on rapture or safety theories and not enough time trying to do the Lord's will for us in our lives. 99 percent of all Christians who have ever lived are in the grave or will be, and will be coming up in the resurrection of the righteous at the Lord's return, never having been raptured or put in a place of safety. Time to get the proper perspective on this subject, and then get off it entirely. We have a job to do. Let the Lord worry about how, when and where he's gonna protect us. He's capable, don't you think?]. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off. [Interestingly enough the narrow entrance of Petra is about 50 miles from Jerusalem as the crow flies.]"

Zechariah 6:12-13, "And speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." As we see again, verse 12 describes Jesus Christ in his first coming. Verse 13 gets into his second coming.

Zechariah 9:10-17, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee; When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. The Lord of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids." Again, one verse, verse 9 describes Jesus Christ's first coming, and his triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey the foal of a donkey, just before his crucifixion. Verses 10-17 describe final elements of his second coming, as he uses Ephraim and Judah in mop-up operations against their enemies. In one previous prophecy we saw he uses these same two tribes to "fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines. Now it is against "thy sons, O Greece." For some evangelical denominations, Jews and Messianic Jews all these events fall into the symbolic meaning of the Feast of Trumpets. For others, they carry no such significance. Each to his own. Let's allow each to his own sincere beliefs in these secondary matters of fine interpretation without vexing each other, which goes against unity in the body of Christ. Next in Zechariah 12:1-9, these same Feast of Trumpets analogies hold true for some--and then in Zechariah 12:10-14 is seen by some again to be a literal enactment of the Day of Atonement, just after the Lord's glorious return. And the Day of Atonement does follow right after the Feast of Trumpets. Some see this significance in these verses, and others don't. Again, no big deal, each to his own. It won't change the events themselves, attaching or not attaching significance on specific Hebrew Holy Days.

In these verses in Zechariah 12:1-9, the reaction of the "governors of Judah" and "the house of David" is described, their reaction to the coming of the Messiah in great power to save them. Jesus has come and set them free. Now they fight like they never fought before. Try to picture the scene as you read this. Zechariah 12:1-9, "The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. [This is the same event as what is described in Zechariah 14, but from a slightly different vantage point.] And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut to pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. [These verses 1-9 directly cross-reference into Zechariah 14:1-15 which we will get into shortly.] Now, verses 10-14, which tie into the theme of the Day of Atonement, which the Jews call The Fast. Jesus' sacrifice atoned for the sins of mankind (John 3:16). He is the embodiment of the Day of Atonement. Now the Jews in the whole nation of Israel hold a fast honoring Jesus' atoning sacrifice, recognizing him as the one they pierced, and thus as their Messiah, for the first time in their long history. Just as the Day of Atonement comes right after the Feast of Trumpets, so this national fast comes right on the heals of Jesus Christ's 2nd coming. For some, these verses signify a modern or prophecied fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. Zechariah 12:10-14, "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn [Hebrew term for fasting] for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart." One of the requirements of fasting for the Jews was that they weren't to have relations with their wives while fasting. This is undoubtedly a national day of fasting being described and prophecied here. The symbolism of Atonement continues in Zechariah 13:1-6.

Zechariah 13:1-6, "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. [One interpretation for Atonement, attached to Leviticus 16's Atonement ceremony, of putting the Azazel goat out into the wilderness, is that just after the Messiah's coming Satan is put away, and the sins of Israel are covered. In his first coming, the power of Satan was broken for those coming under the blood of Christ, symbolized by the blood of the sacrificed goat in Leviticus 16. Just after Jesus 2nd coming, it shows us in Revelation 20:1-3 that Satan is put away, locked up, and all his demons with him, as Zechariah 13 shows. This chapter also shows the end of false religion. Let's pick up in verse 3.] And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." This theme on a grander scale is reflected in Revelation 20:1-3, where Satan himself is locked away for the whole period of the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ. As Satan is locked away, so are the demons. And as Zechariah 13:1-6 shows, those that continue to teach religious lies are killed as well. This period of time is just after the return of Jesus Christ. In Revelation 19 the 2nd coming is depicted, and in Revelation 20:1-3, this putting away of Satan is depicted, just after Jesus' return.

In Zechariah 13:7 is a prophecy about Jesus just before his crucifixion, and then verses 8-9 give an overview of the total destruction to come on the people living in the area of Palestine, the Jews, during the tribulation period leading up to the 2nd coming. Zachariah 13:7-9, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God." At the end of this trying period comes Zechariah 14:1-15, the 2nd coming, to rescue those being tried and refined as silver and gold. While the actual timing elements of the 2nd coming are very well laid out in the book of Revelation, some of the best descriptions of that event occur in these Old Testament prophecies, and Zechariah 14 is one of those.

Zechariah 14:1-15, "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. [As Revelation 19:11-21 shows, Jesus is returning with the army of God (which if you study further on, is made up of those saints just made immortal cf. 1 Cor. 15:49-54). He is descending to earth on a white horse, as are all the saints--the army of God. Zechariah 14 picks up the story as he alights on the top of the Mount of Olives.] Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. [That's us, folks! ] And it shall come to pass, in that day, that the light shall not be clear nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light [cf. Joel 2:1-11 describes this battle as well.] And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former [or eastern] sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and winter shall it be [cf. Ezekial 47:1-12--the land of Israel gets a new river system]. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. [Geba is about 10 miles north of Jerusalem, Rimmon is about 30 miles south of Jerusalem. The mount of Olives splitting and the two halves moving north and south has created a giant plain on top of the mountain range Jerusalem sits on top of. So what is being stated in verse 10 is that the Lord has just created a flat plain on top of a mountain range, and this will become the foundation of the Jerusalem of the Millennium, the future capital of the King of the world, Jesus Christ [vs 9]. As Jesus in his radiance glows brighter than the sun [Rev. 1:13-18] and we will glow like the stars [Daniel 12:1-3], this future Jerusalem will be seen glowing in the night for miles around, a forty mile long city, five to ten miles in width running east and west, 40 miles long running north and south, on top of a mountain range.] And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. [An apt description of what happens to a human who stands in front of the radiance of Jesus Christ in all his glory, and perhaps the saints as well, as they shine as the stars of heaven. In John Hershey's famous book Heroshima a Japanese anti-aircraft gunner in a gun-emplacement on one of the mountains overlooking the city happened to be looking down into the city when the atomic bomb went off. The shear intensity of the light of the fireball caused his eyes to melt in their sockets. This seems to be what's being described in Zechariah 14:12.] And it shall come to pass in that day, that a tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem [cf. Zechariah 12:1-9]; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague."

This first section has just given most of the major Scriptures in the Old Testament that describe the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ in power and glory. Part II will contain a description of the Scriptures that give us the historic context of where we are right now in prophecy. Part III will then go on to lay out the specific timing order of these events as they unfold as the seven last plagues, and Jesus Christ's 2nd coming.

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