· THERE’S A NEW DAY COMING
There’s A New Day Coming
Wednesday, November 6th, 2013
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle.
On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.
Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime-a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. (Zech 14:1-9)
In view of the current emphasis on peace in the Middle East, we should take another look at how (and when) this conflict between Israel and the rest of the world will be resolved. Let’s take these nine verses individually to see what they say.
1) A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you.
By the time we get to verse 4 it will be clear that Zechariah is speaking of the time leading up to the actual day the Lord arrives on the Mount of Olives to establish His Kingdom. The plunder spoken of is Jerusalem itself, and the phrase “among you” literally means in your midst or in front of your faces. As we’ll see, the city will be divided yet again, not by negotiations but by force.
2) I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.
The phrase “all the nations” points to a time still in the future when all of Israel’s allies will have abandoned her. This could only happen after the Rapture of the Church, when the Christian influence that keeps the US and some other western countries at least nominally allied with Israel is long gone. This is the final battle of the age, Armageddon.
3) Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle.
This is a clear reference to the Lord’s role as Israel’s real commander-in-chief just as He was through out the Old Testament.
4) On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.
The Lord in this reference is King Jesus, returning like He said He would, to the very spot from which He left (Acts 1:10-11). According to Isaiah 63:1-6, He will be coming from Bosrah (Petra) where He will have just fulfilled His promise to protect the believing remnant of Israel from their enemies. His return will trigger an earthquake that creates an East / West cleft as the Mount of Olives is split in two. The geological fault line along which this split will occur has been discovered and runs from the Mediterranean in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. Its presence prohibited the Intercontinental Hotel (now called the Seven Arches Hotel) from being built on the brow of the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem as originally planned. It was re-located to the south and built on more stable ground where it stands today.
5) You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
The cleft creates a route of escape for those fleeing the battle. They will flee in fear for their lives, just as their ancestors did in the ancient past (Uzziah reigned from 792-740 BC in the time of Isaiah). The phrase Holy Ones is used 13 times in the Bible: 6 times its translated saints, 4 times holy and 3 times holy ones. Rev. 19:14 calls them the armies of Heaven. so I think Zechariah had angelic warriors in view. Also, the Lord didn’t build the Church to become His army, but to become His bride.
6-7) On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime-a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light.
Even a day without light from the Sun would normally cause freezing temperatures, but this day is unique in all of creation: warmth without light. The fact that evening brings light is reverse to all we know, but Matt. 24:29 says that one of the signs that the Great Tribulation has ended will be the absence of light from the Sun, Moon or stars. Rev 21:23-24 explains that the New Jerusalem has no need for the Sun or Moon for the Glory of God gives it light, and that the nations of Earth will walk by the light of the New Jerusalem as well. The phrase “on that day” means that Zechariah is describing the actual day the Lord arrives. He’ll be followed by the New Jerusalem, which will arrive at the end of the day to give light to the Earth.
8) On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.
Ezekiel 47:1-12 tells us that fresh water will flow constantly from under the south end of the Temple and will fill the newly created valley with water that becomes a great river flowing west to the Mediterranean and East to the Dead Sea. A line drawn due west from the place on the Mount Of Olives where Jesus departed would pass through the Eastern Gate of the Temple Mount. That means the earthquake triggered by the Lord’s return will destroy the Temple Mount, consigning it forever to the bottom of the great river. Only a Temple constructed some place to the north of the current Temple Mount could survive to provide the flowing river on the Day that the Lord arrives. And sure enough, a comparison of the boundaries outlined in Ezekiel 48 with ancient maps of Israel reveals that the coming Temple will be built in Shiloh, where the Tabernacle once stood. (ReadThe Coming Temple for a complete explanation.)
9) The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.
This verse looks forward to Phil 2:9-11 which says,
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Together they tell us that eventually there will be peace in the Middle East and indeed the whole world, for the Prince of Peace will have become King of the whole Earth. Until then mankind will struggle in vain, grasping at one false hope after another, because if the truth be known the very existence of Israel is a cause for war in the Middle East.
But the Lord promised that after He re-gathered His people to Israel for the 2nd time He would never disperse them again (Isaiah 11:11 & Amos 9:11-15). This re-gathering began in 1948 and continues to this day. One day soon He will use an unexpected attack against Israel to reveal Himself to them and to the world in an undeniable way (Ezek 39:1-7) drawing every living Jew to Israel (Ezek 39:28) to re-establish His covenant, re-build His Temple, and complete the remaining 7 years of the Dispensation of Law (Daniel’s 70th Week).
But during that time a false messiah will emerge and lead the world astray again. Standing in the new Temple, he’ll claim that he is God and millions will be deceived (2 Thes.2:4). For a time it will appear as if he’s brought peace to the world, but while people are saying “peace and safety”, destruction will come upon them as suddenly as labor pains on a pregnant woman and they will not escape (1 Thes. 5:3). This is the Great tribulation, a 3 1/2 year long period of judgment unequaled from the beginning of the world and never to be equaled again (Matt. 24:21).
At its end the Lord will return to defeat this false god and those who have joined him. On that day the Lord will finally be King over the whole Earth, having taken possession of that which He redeemed with His own blood, and peace will flow like a river throughout the land. If you listen carefully you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 06-20-09
The Coming Temple
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
According to Prophecies in Daniel 9:27, Matt 24:15 and 2 Thes 2:4, a Temple will exist in Israel at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. This is confirmed byRevelation 11:1 which describes John measuring a Temple during the Tribulation. Its location is the “Holy City.” Chapter 11 also introduces the 2 witnesses who preach in the “Great City” and are ultimately killed there, their bodies left lying in the street. The Great City is identified as the place where the Lord was crucified: Jerusalem. But is Jerusalem also the Holy City?
According to Zechariah 14:6-9 on the day of the Lord’s return an earthquake will split the Mt. of Olives in two along an East-West line that creates a great valley through the center of Jerusalem. Immediately a river will fill the valley creating a waterway from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea. If the Lord returns to the same area of the Mt. of Olives from which He left, as suggested by Acts 1:11, the earthquake creating this East-West valley will destroy the current Temple mount and anything that may be standing upon it.
Ezekiel 47:1-12 describes a great river flowing south from under the south side of the Temple and then eastward to the Dead Sea during a period of time that most scholars believe has not occurred yet. Revelation 22:1-2 confirms this. If as it appears, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Revelation all describe the same river, then an interesting scenario begins to emerge.
This scenario requires a Temple to be present on the day the Lord returns, but since the current Temple mount will have been destroyed by the earthquake mentioned above, this Temple must be somewhere else. Since the river originates under the Temple and flows from its south side before heading East and West, the Temple must be north of the newly created river valley.
Where Are The 12 Tribes?
Plotting the land grants for the 12 tribes given in the 48th chapter of Ezekiel on a map of Israel places the precincts of the Holy City somewhat north of the current City of Jerusalem. This new location is the ancient City of Shiloh, where the Tabernacle stood for nearly 400 years after the Israelites first conquered the Land. This is the Holy City and its name is Jehovah Shammah according to the last verse in Ezekiel. The Hebrew translates as “the LORD is here.”
If accurate, this location would meet all the requirements for the Temple mentioned in the above references. The current Temple Mount in Jerusalem would not.
According to Ezekiel 44:6-9, this Temple will have been defiled in a way never seen in history, therefore at a time yet future to us. A foreigner un-circumsized in heart (neither Christian) and flesh (nor Jewish) will have been given charge of the sanctuary while offering sacrifices. If we understand the chronology of Ezekiel, this event will have taken place after both the 1948 re-gathering prophesied in 36-37 and the national wake-up call prophesied in 38-39 but before the Millennial Kingdom begins. The only event we know of that fits that chronology is the Great Tribulation. This is confirmed by Paul’s prophecy of 2 Thes. 2:4 where the anti christ sets himself up in the Temple proclaiming himself to be god.
Here then is a rough outline of events. Following Israel’s return to God after the battle of Ezekiel 38-39, the Jewish people will re-establish their covenant (old not new) with Him. This will require a return to Levitical practices and so a Temple will be built. This is the Temple spoken of by Daniel and Revelation. Following instructions given by Ezekiel and needing to avoid the enormous problems a Jerusalem Temple would create in the Moslem world, this Temple will be located north of Jerusalem in Shiloh. It will be defiled in the middle of the last 7 years as outlined in Daniel 9:24-27, Ezekiel 44:6-9, Matt 24:15 and 2 Thes 2:4 kicking off the Great Tribulation, but will be cleansed by living water that begins flowing on the day the Lord returns (Zech 14:8). This temple will be used during the Millennium to memorialize the Lord’s work at the cross and provide the perspective for children born during the Kingdom Age to choose salvation just as you and I have had the perspective of the Lord’s Supper in making our choice. Remember, He said, “Do this in memory of Me until I come.” Acts 15:14-16confirms that after the Lord has chosen a people from among the gentiles for Himself (the church) He will return and re-build David’s fallen Tabernacle (the Temple). This is the Millennial Temple so vividly described in Ezekiel 40-48.
The New Jerusalem
The Ezekiel passage also solves the Jerusalem / New Jerusalem problem. For as long as I’ve been studying these things, there has been debate over the issue of the New Jerusalem. Some wonder how the Lord could permit redeemed believers and non- believing natural humans to co-exist in the Millennium. (The rotten apple spoiling the barrel theory) Others wonder how a city with a foot print 1400 miles square and tall could be located in Israel when the whole country won’t be that big.
Carefully examining Rev 21 and 22, we notice that John never actually says the city arrives on earth. We are only told he sees it coming down out of heaven, prepared as a bride. (Not that the city IS the bride, but that as with a bride on her wedding day, no effort has been spared to make it look its absolute best.)
I don’t believe the city ever rests on the Earth’s surface, but rather orbits in the proximity of Earth, like a satellite or perhaps another moon.
Also comparing the descriptions of New Jerusalem with Jehovah Shammah we see some similarities but enough differences to refute the notion that John and Ezekiel described the same place. Compare the following:
|
New Jerusalem |
Jehovah Shammah |
|
12 gates named after Israel (21:12) |
12 gates named after Israel (48:30) |
|
12 foundations named after Apostles (21:14) |
Foundation not described |
|
1400 miles square and tall (21:16) |
One mile square (48:30) |
|
Coming Down from heaven (21:2) |
Located in Israel on Earth (40:2) |
|
No Temple … God and the Lamb are its Temple (21:22) |
Temple just north of the city (40:2) |
|
No sin; nothing impure will ever enter (21:27) |
Daily sin offerings in the Temple (45:13-15,17) |
|
No more death (21:4) |
Still death (44:25 also Isa 65:20) |
|
No natural beings … only the perfected (21:27) |
Natural Beings (46:16) |
With the differentiation of these two Holy Cities, the apparent conflict between Jewish and Christian eschatology is resolved. Israel was promised that one day GOD would come to Earth to dwell among them forever, while the Church is promised that Jesus will come to take us to heaven to live with Him there. Both promises come true.
Since Ezekiel specifically quoted the Lord’s promise to dwell among the Israelites forever (43:7) and then described the new Holy City, while Jesus promised to return for the Church to take us to be with Him (John 14:1-3), they must have been talking about two different destinations. They were. Heaven is the New Jerusalem where we will dwell with the Lord forever, while the Holy City on Earth is Jehovah Shammah where God will dwell in the midst of His people Israel forever.
