Two Extremes Side by Side
Jumping from the prophetic worst time in man’s future, a time of trouble that has never been or will be, to the prophetic best time in man’s future, the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven is 1,335 days.
1,335 days from the middle of the tribulation to the New Jerusalem.
Daniel 12:12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
The mystery of 1,335 days is hidden between the Autumn Jewish Feasts of the High Holy Days (God given) and Hanukah (Man made). All Jewish Feasts are also Christian feasts concerning their prophetic nature.
Hanukah was instituted after the Jewish Maccabees defeated the mad man Antiochus IV Epiphanes and re-dedicated the cleansed temple.
The historical Antiochus IV desecrated the temple in the Holy of Holies fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 12:12, and yet, according to Jesus, there is another – yet to come – even worse.
This makes Antiochus IV a “type” of the Antichrist, and a shadow of things to come.
Antiochus “sent out his soldiers to plunder them without mercy. He also spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months.“
~Josephus
Book I (Of The War), Chapter I, Paragraph I.
From the middle of the seven year tribulation to it’s end is three years and six months when there will be a repeat of causing the sacrifices to cease.
Hanukah was instituted on Dec 25th after the Jewish Temple was desecrated by the Syrian king Antiochus IV. Three years later it was cleansed and rededicated on the exact same day.
Miraculously, the oil in the Menorah never ran out.
The oil of the Menorah is it’s light, and, like Jesus, the Light of the world will never run out.
In order to understand this particular time in our future is to understand Antiochus IV’s dealings with the Jews in the past. Antiochus IV is the last king of North (Syria) mentioned in Daniel when scripture jumps ahead to the tribulation; tying Antiochus IV directly to the Antichrist.
We have to understand the order of these kingdoms. Scripture describes their order as a seven headed dragon/beast/Leviathan/sea monster that lives in the sea of people.
The dragon in Revelation has seven heads. These seven heads are gentile kings who have ruled over the Jews since Babylon conquered Judah. Each head represents a kingdom. The book of Daniel focuses only on one head, the last head which is the last kingdom. This last kingdom is called a “Beast” in both Daniel and Revelation.
This “Sea Monster” is “Satan”. The imagery is that of a dragon illustrating how Satan works in the lives of men and the kingdoms who rule over the Jews.
- For scriptural markers to recognize who this coming “Antichrist” might be see: Topic: The I.D. of the Antichrist.
- The beginning of the seven year tribulation introduces this man of perdition as he rides in on a white horse, looking like the Jewish Messiah, making a seven year peace treaty which he breaks in the middle of the tribulation and causes the sacrifices to cease.
John, in Revelation, writes concerning these kingdoms: “five are, one is, and one is yet to come.” John lived and wrote during the Roman Empire which is the “One that is” or the sixth head. Therefore; five kingdoms preceded Rome, the one that “is”, and one kingdom will succeed Rome.
The five preceding kingdoms were: Babylon, The Medes and Persians, Alexander the Great as Greece, the King of the South as Egypt and the King of the North as Syria.
Most biblical scholars don’t seem to recognize that our present age is still part of the Roman Empire and that like John who wrote the book of Revelation, we also are part of the kingdom that “IS”….
The Roman Empire transformed from the Caesars to the Holy Roman Empire, to the Hapsburgs, to the present day titular head of the Holy Roman empire which is the current Catholic Pope, Pope Francis.
At present, the world is living in anticipatory dread watching for the signs of the last head on the dragon: the kingdom of the “Antichrist” during seven years of tribulation for both the Jews and for the world.
Scripture describes this last kingdom, the seventh head, bringing in Armageddon and concluding with the return of Jesus the Christ.
Note: The chart below illustrates the Jewish Autumn Feasts and their prophetic inferences.
A simplified chart below skips over the Feast of Booths and goes directly to Hanukkah in order to clarify how the High Holy Days are significant to prophecy and how Hanukkah fits in.
Hanukkah represents many things one of which is the 1,000 year millennium; the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven; faithful, cleansed, and dedicated to serve Jesus who will rule with an iron scepter.
- Revelation 21 All Things Made New: Now I (John) saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
Revelation 21:22 The Glory of the New Jerusalem-But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
One Last Note:
It is commonly believed Christmas sprung from a Druid Celtic Celebration.
While it is true that Jesus’ Birthday is nowhere near a winter holiday, there is another option that seems to make more sense.
It was common for the Catholic Church to override non-Christian celebrations with Catholic celebrations, for example replacing Halloween with All Saints Day.
Therefore; it is at least probable that the Feast of Hanukah was dubbed a celebration of Jesus’ birth and called “Christ’s Mass”.
Antiochus IV Ephiphenes desecrated the Holy of Holies on what our calendar would consider to be December 25th. The temple was cleansed and rededicated on the exact same day three years later. Christmas is always on December 25th but the Feast of Hanukah can shift according to our modern day calendar. Sometimes the two land on the same day and sometimes they don’t. The conclusion being that Christmas isn’t necessarily based on a Druid Celtic Ceremony and may be closer to a Christian holiday than one would be made to believe.
Regardless, there should be no shame in setting aside a day to celebrate the birthday of Jesus, whatever the day.
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