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The Jews have always kept meticulous track of time. If you check The Jerusalem Post today, you’ll find the Jewish
date to be
12 Cheshvan 5768,
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Thursday, March 16, 2007.
That means, 5 thousand 768 years from Adam. Did you know that the tribes of Judah and
Levi have made it their responsibility, through captivities and dispersions,
to
keep accurate tabs on time? That’s so
they might know when their Messiah was to come.
Nowadays, though, I think it’s more of just a habit for them, because
their Messiah did come.
In the Year 135
of our calendar – that is 100 years after the resurrection of Yahshua and
about 65 years after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the Jewish
scribes, thinking the Messiah had come as a
military leader (Simon bar Kokhba), set their
calendar back 240 years to conform his advent with the messianic
prophecies of Daniel (Seder haDorot).
The Jewish calendar was never corrected –
it’s 240 years short. Check Rabbi Akiva!
When we add those
years back to the date on today’s Jerusalem Post,
we learn that we’re living in the 6008th year since Adam. We call this adding back of years “the
Hebraic Calendar.” In
doing so we see that six prophetic days have passed, six days of a
thousand years each, six thousand and seven years. That means we’re slightly into the seventh
millennium; for those with ears to hear, we’re seven years into THE
Millennium, according to this simplistic reckoning.
The Christian calendar also bears this
out. The year 2000 corresponds with the
Hebraic year 6000.
Therefore, though we're still in
the waning 2007, The Hebraic Clendar ostensibly bears out 6008.
Our Messiah first
came as a babe at the end of the 4th prophetic day and the beginning of the 5th prophetic day – after
4000 Hebraic years had passed from Adam.
His return is to be at the beginning of the 7th prophetic day
– after 6000 Hebraic years.
So, Snyder,
if we’re in 6008, IN THE MILLENNIUM, where IS the "Jesus Christ
our Lord" right now?
I’m glad you’re sitting down. And
I'm glad you're smart.
Consider: he might have already returned.
Before you put me out, let me remind you of
our Savior’s words,
Matthew
24:42-44. Watch, for you do not know on what day your Sovereign is coming. If the householder had known when in the
night the thief was coming, he would have watched. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son
of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
There’s
something secret about his return if he insists on using the metaphor,
“like a thief in the night.” Further,
didn’t the “Risen Jesus” reiterate his warning of a covert return?
Revelation 16:15 I shall come
like a thief. Blessed is anyone who has kept watch, and has clothes on, so that
he does not go out naked and expose his shame (NJB).
And didn’t Peter, Paul and John record the
same metaphor – he’s coming as a thief in the night – sometime on the seventh prophetic
day – the day of the seventh trumpet.
What does this mean? It means
that before the public appearance of the King of Kings, he’s already
present to prepare the world for his reign. Only a few will recognize his thief-like
return because only a few will be watching.
(Acts 1:11:
In like
manner, just a few will perceive his return.)
It’s apparent that he’s preparing just a little flock to reign
with him in his earthly Kingdom.
Luke
12:32. “Fear not, little flock,
for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Maybe rather than ask, “¿If the time has
come, Jack, where IS he?” we should ask, “Where are we?” Are we awake?
Are we alive? Have we kept our
pants on so we won’t be ashamed at his appearance? Or do we stand exposed on this, the seventh
prophetic day of creation? Heaven
forbid.
(2)
The second sign I’ll share is from Yahshua’s prophetic word. He’s speaking of Judea when he prophesies in
Luke
21:23.
“For great
distress shall be upon the land (thV
ghV) and wrath upon this people (law);
24. they
will fall by the sword and be led captive among all nations.”
Of course,
this was old news even in Yahshua’s day.
And the people of Yahweh have been dispersed in every generation
since. However, he also predicts the end
of this dispersion:
Luke 21:24b
“Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles
are completed.”
Yahshua says the times of the Gentiles will
be complete when non-Israelites no longer control Jerusalem. This gives us a firm date to go
by. Jerusalem has always been
occupied by Gentiles. Until the 1960s,
no one thought Gentile occupation could ever end. Even after Israel became a nation in 1948,
Jerusalem was still split down the middle into Israel and Jordan.
But finally, on June 28th, 1967
after the Six Day War,
the entirety of Jerusalem was annexed by Israel
on the seventh day. This was the only
time since before Yahshua that Israelis had control of Jerusalem, the very
people to whom this Olivette prophecy was
addressed.
(In 1980, the Israeli Parliament passed
the Jerusalem Law, which made this city
the capital city of Israel, which it remains today.)
Yahshua goes on to say
Matthew 24:33b When you see all these things, you know that HE is near, at the very
gates. 34. Truly, I say to you, this generation will
not pass away till all these things take place.
The “he” in the passage is the coming
Sovereign. The generation is the
seeing generation. Hallelujah! I’ve made it to the seeing generation no
matter how many times the devil’s tried to kill me, and I praise Yahweh that
you’re here too! We’ve lived to see
Yahshua’s final sign come to pass, the liberation of the Set-apart City,
thus we trust he’s at the very gates.
Next, we need to know that A prophetic generation, or cycle, is 40 years
– the time period that the children of Israel wondered in the desert. The rule of David. The wonderings of Yahshua.
IF
If six thousand years of time
has passed; if we’re living at the beginning of the seven
millennium; if the time of the Gentiles was completed in 1967; if
a biblical generation amounts to 40 years; if he comes as
a thief when the world is sleeping; if we are the seeing
generation; and if we aren’t asleep or adverse to this
possibility – then Yahshua may be inside the gate right now. One prophetic generation beyond 1967
culminates in 2007; and it seems like more than coincidence to me that the
Hebraic year number 6000 and the Christian year number 2000 coincide, as do
6007 and 2007. As Ronald Reagan said,
“Everything happens for a purpose.”
You’re here for a purpose, my friend.
“Repent, and believe the Good News.”
One More Sign Added
The most pervasive date for Yahshua's birth these
days in 7 AD. Read it again, historian - 7 AD. For 6 AD
was the only time in that 20 year period when all the signs of Matthew and
Luke were aligned. The main sign was the "taxation" or census.
Secular history tells us the census of the "world" was in 6 AD and at no
other time. In addition, this is the only time of the finalists that
had Quirinius as governor of Syria (Luke 2:2). Go to your old
antiquated study books and see for yourself, Rabbi. This is why Luke's
short history of the Good News covers such little time and says that yahshua
was "about 30" (Luke 3:23). Actually, he was 27 - 29 years of age.
If he was born on at the end of the 4th prophetic
day and the beginning of the 5th, this gives us 2006 - 2008 as the beginning
of the 7th prophetic day and the Millennium.
You rabbis and preachers - be
bold! You know this to be the truth and then case, and that he returns
as a thief in the night to only a few.
What need have we of charts and
talk of some Beast or Antichrist. Good night, man; the time is up!
My friend, the signs of Yahshua’s return aren’t
meant to be obscure or difficult to figure out, especially for the
generation that dwells upon the event horizon – the very lip of
eternity. As Reagan said, let’s
not overlook the obvious, although there is vast prophetic confusion in our
day.
Hey!
Why would Yahshua tell us that he’s
coming as a thief if he didn’t expect some few to catch him? I’m watching closely; are you? I will catch the thief!
Some contend, “the
Bible says nobody may know dates or times.”
These folks have
no idea of the context of this saying. Messiah assured us that a righteous
generation ought to be able to interpret the signs of the times. ¿Are we not a royal
priesthood, a holy nation? I’ve
just outlined to you the signs of the times – the calendar is about
times! In the next installment of this
series, I’ll share another irrefutable sign of Yahshua’s presence for your
consideration.
Yet our prophetic insight isn’t our main
objective today, only the alarm bell that hopes to awakes
us from slumber, and the slothful, pew-centered, program-polluted religion
observed by the spiritually dead. Our primary
mission is to prepare now for his visible appearance any day.
(For me, the rapture is a
far too iffy foundation upon which to build my claim upon eternity. If Yahweh was going to rapture believers out
of tribulation, why isn’t the rapture happening now in places like Sudan and
Algeria, where millions of innocent believers have been slaughtered in this seeing
generation.)
As for me, I want to be ready to walk in
Jerusalem just like John. How
about you?
When the angel of Yahweh came to Zechariah in the Set-apart Place, he
gave the priest good news about a most unusual son that was to come from his
own loins; we know him as John the Baptist or Yochanan the
Dunker. Yahshua made it clear that John was given to
be the forerunner of the Messiah not only in days gone by but in the last
days.
The angel gave Zechariah a
sketch of John’s purpose – to prepare the way of Yahweh, appearing in
the persona of Yahshua of Nazareth, Yahweh’s only begotten son. John came and gave his life in preparing
hearts for Yahshua’s advent – “Repent!” he cried. “For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Those who heeded this trumpet call were later
entrusted with the sacred oracles of the end-time plan by the Sovereign Yahshua
himself.
In our time, we understand that the latter-day forerunner is to
be a small John-the-Baptist movement – a little flock. Indeed, Yahweh is preparing his little
flock now in the same
way that he once sent John to make his path straight. If we look at the angel’s prophecy to
Zechariah about John’s ministry, we see a supernatural diagram for preparing
the way for the soon-coming King of Kings and his austere Rule.
We find in the angels’ prophecy that, just as
there are seven millennia in salvation history, there are seven
characteristics of a people prepared.
Yahweh bless Bar-Nabba, who, in
these latter days, gives us the key to truth.
1)
“He Will Be Great” – We Must Be a Great People
What makes a people great? Many
equate greatness with fame. But
the most foundational meaning of “great” is “big” in the sense of magnanimous
or all-encompassing. A
people becomes great if its hopes, dreams and faith are big. In his essay on successful human resources
strategies, Dr. James W. Walker describes what greatness
requires in the workplace. He writes,
“Companies too often set their sights too low and end
up with human resource strategies that are too functional, too operational, too
narrow, and too generic. At best, these strategies maintain parity.
They fail to make the compelling and convincing case necessary to energize
their organizations to take bold actions and [make] changes to achieve a
competitive advantage through people.”
Famous Religious Man - Do Some Study - Take Some Risk
What Walker
is saying is that “companies” should be less conservative and more willing to
take risks. Risk-taking excites
employees and invites them to take “bold actions” on behalf of their common
goal. Friends, we desperately need some
excitement! We need to abandon the
status quo and make a new case for Messiah.
We must NOW set our sites higher than the rest and focus on Yahshua
first, then our collective vision.
I
don’t know about you, but I’m desperate for something thrilling.
There's nothing thrilling about sitting around reciting Hebrew in a Nazorean
Synagogue. There's nothing thrilling about the dead old corrupt
Episcopal Church any more, yet once even I GOT A THRILL THERE.
I’m so sick and tired of sitting around
I
could live forever. Too
many lives at stake – eternity at stake – the fate of the world at stake. So what are you worried about? Your
reputation? It's already shot.
Walker’s
advice applies to us perfectly. Being
the seeing generation, we’re in the human resources
business. We may not be a great
people in number or fame, but that doesn’t matter. We can always be a great, magnanimous and
wider-visioned people if we decide that’s
what we want to be, because we already claim an apostolic faith and a powerful
Mighty One, yes?
The sky’s not the limit.
¿Shall we not be great in the eyes of Yahweh
(John 1:15) and be called the children of the
Most High? Yes, if we want to, we
are able! Get excited then! Focus in!
BE GREAT!
To be great,
we are to be consistent in our Messianic witness and dedicated entirely to our
mission as preparedness workers.
In John’s day, “to drink no wine” was a technical expression
indicating that John was dedicated to Yahweh from birth. When he reached the age of bar mitzvah,
he accepted a Nazarite vow. You see, John was a Levite of the priestly
class. He was to inherit his father’s
office in the Temple, if he would just take it, but he denied his just desert
in favor of just the dessert. He abdicated
his glorious ecclesiastical office in favor of his true calling. He avoided a career to take up a life-consuming
mission. He chose death
rather than a parchment and a pension – all for the sake of preparing
saints of all ages – saints like us – to look up and live.
¿What does
this have to do with wine drinking? With
a sober determination, John passed up the convenient and profitable for a
Kingdom he couldn’t even see – the Kingdom of Heaven. He wasn’t disappointed.
The Nazarite, having taken a vow,
didn't even go near a grape, its juice, its flesh - or a raison. Too
much like body and blood - too much like a corpse. Not qadosh like
Messiah was to be. (Jeremiah 35 - Rechabites.)
MULTIPLE CHOICE
The same
Messiah who fulfilled John in his day
a)
is returning
b) has returned
in ours.
We
who stand the watchtower
will not be disappointed. You might recall Yahshua saying, “He who is
least in the kingdom is greater than John” (Luke 7:28). However, at the
time this was said, there was only one other person in the Kingdom and
that person WAS the Kingdom.
John is second only to Yahshua because “many are called but” John made
the sobering first choice.
For us,
sobriety means we seek Yahweh’s will for our mission and allow nothing,
nothing, nothing to deter us. Consider
the terse statement of your Savior found in
Luke 14:26. “If
any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and
children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my
disciple. 27. Whoever does not bear his own torture stake
and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28. For which of you, desiring to
build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has
enough to complete it?
Oooh! This is a hard saying. But what more can we add
to the notion of sobriety to this?
Listen! Six thousand years have
passed. Now serious choices must be
made, and serious sacrifices are required.
Time’s up.
And time’s
up for my message. We’ll conclude this
morning’s word with the third of the seven characteristics of the forerunner,
certainly the most powerful:
These days,
everyone who can sing, “This Is the Day” considers herself
spirit-filled.
Entire churches and
denominations call themselves spirit-filled while denying the very foundation
of what that term entails. Nowadays,
“spirit-filled” has come to mean upbeat or exciting or enthusiastic
or entertaining or guitar strumming. But in truth, to be “spirit-filled” or
“spirit-baptized” means to be personally endued from the Set-apart One above
with a two-fold power – first, unto personal set-apartedness (holiness) – second, unto boldness
to witness.
“I have baptized you with
water,” cried John, “but he will baptize you with the Set-apart Spirit and
fire.” And the Risen Yahshua
reiterates the same message to his disciples at the time of his ascension:
Acts 1:4,5. Yahshua charged them not to depart from
Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you
heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall
be baptized with the Set-apart Spirit.”
What does
this mean? Indeed, for the seeing
generation, the baptism of the Set-apart Spirit has little to do with
entertainment. It has much more to do
with accepting the call to your mission then tarrying in prayer,
faith and expectation until the Spirit of Yahweh ignites your spirit
ablaze through the Shekinah of his glory or the hands
of the Apostle.
3a) Spirit-baptism Evidence ? ¿ ? Questions,
Questions
There’s also
confusion as to the evidence of spirit-baptism.
We mustn’t overlook the obvious.
We may ask ourselves, “Have I remained in
expectation until I’ve felt the power of Yahweh’s esteem coursing through my
body?” “Am I being supernaturally
motivated to model the fruits of the Spirit and seek His gifts?” “Am I acquiring a mission and boldly going
forth like never before?” “Am I lifted
up in the sight of Yahweh because I’ve first humbled myself before him?” “When I am weak, is he made stronger through
me?” “Am I strengthening the brothers
and sisters, or am I at the business of tearing them down?” Most importantly, “Am I
loving Yahweh with all my being?”
Now that’s the most important question of all.
John the Dunker
and the Bible clearly teach that this baptism is a second work of grace apart
from justification, salvation or born-again experience. It’s also called ‘the gift of the Set-apart Spirit’
because when you receive, you’ll know for certain – there’s a powerful
assurance. No more will you have doubts
about your salvation because you’ll obtain an inner, undeniable proof that
Yahshua is real and alive and “nigh unto you”; and that he’s called and
empowered you to be his witness in your
seeing generation. Your devotion, actions and words are
indicative of your interior condition.
So the
Baptism in the Set-apart Spirit isn’t some optional thrill or merely a useful
accessory to being a believer. If we
are to be a people prepared and preparing, if we are to fulfill the heavenly
calling, if we are to be awake with our clothes on, then we mustn’t let another
powerless, tedious and tasteless month go by - even if we are
doctrinally correct - without seeking out this essential
blessing. There may not be many months
remaining before his presence (Matthew 24:3) becomes a public spectacle. Don’t be caught naked; be clothed in the Shekinah Glory at all times in the meantime.
NOTE: Matthew 24:3 is grossly mistranslated causing us
to lose heart.
kai ti to
shmeion thv shv
parousiav
and what the signs
the ones of your presence
kai
sunteleiav tou aiwnov.
even completion of the
age / dimension?
parousian (parousian)
is the problem. Everywhere
else in the New Covenant it is correctly translated as "presence." The
word literally means "being alongside." Only here is it translated
"coming," as through it were to be a public exhibition. This gross
error is included in even the ISR The Scriptures. However,
one's presence has little to do with one's public exhibition!!
Yahshua left a small group of elect and he will return to a small group of
elect if he hasn't already. As far as I am concerned, time is up.
He is here. And that's why I'm fulfilling a mission I was called to
over 40 of my 54 years ago.
Finally, if
you’ve already received this second blessing, there’s no better time than now,
as we study to be a prepared people, a seeing generation, to
examine yourself anew to determine how you’ve used your precious
endowment.
As there are seven great
prophetic days
of creation, and as there are seven long millennia of salvation history, there
are also seven levels through which we may progress to assure our receiving
empowerment and becoming a seeing people, a people prepared. We shall learn the other four along with an
unquestionable sign at our next meeting.
1. Sincerely
make confession of your commissions and omissions against the Father Yahweh and
your generation.
2. Renounce
all evil, all unsavory attachments, all occult bondage, all habitual bad
behavior and worldly folly.
3. Affirm
your trust in Yahweh and his son to save you from the wrath to come. Ask that you might be born again.
4. Determine now to start leading a life that
reflects
Yahshua and keeps the commandments of Yahweh.
5. Nurture a
personal relationship with the Father and Son through prayer, devotion, charity
and good deeds.
6. Determine
that without fail you’ll frequently assemble with likeminded believers and
worthily partake in the sacrament.
7. Remind the
Father that you are a holy nation and ask Him to gloriously baptize you in the Set-apart
Spirit.
8. Keep
seeking; keep asking; keep living in total expectation of receiving your
endowment at any time.
Jackson Snyder, May 24, 2005; March 1, 2007 |
