Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Evotional: "Better" -God Calling- (July 19)

 
 Twitter: #Devotional or #Evotional
God Calling
 

"My Prayer is you would hear Jesus and follow Him" 


God Calling
with Michael James Stone  

 

Posted by at

Evotional: "Tithing for ministry?" -Daily Light- (July 18)

Read your "God News" Today? 

(google: "Evotional Network" )
 
Twitter: #Devotional #Evotional  

 

-Daily Light-
 with Michael James Stone
"My Prayer is you would hear Jesus and follow Him"

 

Posted by at

Evotional: "Godly Action" -Starting Your Day- (July 19)

Read your "God News" Today?

Twitter: #Devotional #Evotional    

 

Starting Your Day

with Michael James Stone

"My Prayer is you would hear Jesus and follow Him"

 

  The Evotional Network of Emotional Devotion


  

Posted by at

Prophecy Today Q&A: "No Peace After The Rapture? -Jack Kelley


  BIBLICAL PROPHECY TODAY NETWORK

 Biblical Prophecy Today   Biblical Prophecy Today   Biblical Prophecy Today   Biblical Prophecy Today

 BIBLICAL PROPHECY TODAY with JACK KELLEY 

Every day We Post Perspectives in Prophecy

(BiblicalProphecyToday@gmail.com)

(google: "Prophecy Today Q&A" or "Biblical Prophecy Today")

NOW ON FACEBOOK PAGE HERE

"Articulating Prophecy Biblically"

 

 Prophecy Today  Q & A

"Answering the Questions in Prophecy Biblically"

Jack Kelley

No Peace After The Rapture?

Q. Re: Seven Things Part 1.  With all due respect, your order of end times event just can’t be correct.  I don’t see how the Rapture can occur prior to the Battle of Ezekiel because scripture clearly states that Israel will be living in peace and security and without walls!  The Rapture will foster anything BUT peace and security for anyone in the whole world so how then will Israel find itself peaceful for this battle to subsequently occur?  It seems to me that Psalm 83 may just provide the cloak of protection Israel needs to be able to let down it’s guard, followed at some point by the Battle of Ezekiel when Israel is living peacefully.  The Rapture may happen on the heels of this battle but I don’t see how the Rapture can occur first. There will be no peace after the Rapture.

 

A. I gave sound Biblical reasons for my view and you responded with your perception of how things will be after the rapture, something about which the Bible says nothing. I agree that Psalm 83 will probably create the conditions necessary for Israel to let down its guard, but Daniel (Daniel 8:25) Paul (1Thes. 5:3) and John (Rev. 6:2-4) all indicate a time of peace following the anti-Christ’s appearance at the beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week.  For reasons I cited, God will use Ezekiel’s Battle to bring Israel into that last 7 years and the Church has to be gone before it can begin.

Tags: , , 

Related Posts:

ShareThis

 


 

 Yes! Jesus is Coming!

Posted by at

Evotional: "The Pain" -Streams in the Desert- (July 19)

Streams in the Desert

 
Twitter: #Devotional #Evotional  

 

 Streams in the Desert 

with Michael James Stone
"My Prayer is you would hear Jesus and follow Him"

 

Posted by at

Prophecy Today Series: "The Kingdom, Power & Glory”(4) -Koinonia House


  BIBLICAL PROPHECY TODAY NETWORK

 Biblical Prophecy Today   Biblical Prophecy Today   Biblical Prophecy Today   Biblical Prophecy Today

 BIBLICAL PROPHECY TODAY with KOINONIA HOUSE 

 

Every day We Post Perspectives in Prophecy

(BiblicalProphecyToday@gmail.com)

(google: "Biblical Prophecy Today")

NOW ON FACEBOOK PAGE HERE

"Articulating Prophecy Biblically"

 

 Prophecy Today Series 

"Answering the Questions in Prophecy Biblically"

The Kingdom, Power & Glory "Hope Realized"

by Nancy Missler		  

PURSUE THIS TOPIC:
MINISTRY WEBSITE
King's High Way
RESOURCES
The Kingdom Power and Glory - The Overcomer's Handbook

Thank you for the hundreds of calls, letters and e-mails that we have received about our new book. It has been so exciting to see so many “receive the Word with openness of mind,” but then “search the Scriptures to be sure these things are so.” (Acts 17:11) Bible Studies on this material seem to be springing up all over the country! Praise God!

If we had only two words to describe what this study has meant to us personally, they would be “Hope Realized.” Through learning and applying these principles, our hope in Christ has been realized, apprehended, understood and em-braced. We now know why we have been called, where we are going and what we have to do to get there.

What exactly is “hope” and why is it so very important to possess? Strong’s Concordance defines it as: “favorable and confident expectation.” It goes on to say, “it’s anticipation with pleasure, and expectation and confidence in the future.”

Ephesians 1:18 stresses the importance of each of us possessing this kind of “hope”: Paul says “…that we may know what is the hope of His calling and what [are] the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…” In other words, he is saying once we understand the real reason why God has called us—what His purpose is—hope, confidence and expectation will result.

Proverbs further tells us that this hope will become a “tree of Life” in our lives. (Proverbs 13:12) Validating again, that when we realize (apprehend or understand) the “real reason” why we have been called, it will put everything together for us—i.e., the whole Bible will come alive. The symbolism of the “tree of Life” in the Word of God simply represents “equipping believers with divine wisdom and understanding” in order to have levels of responsibility in the coming kingdom. (Proverbs 3:13-18) It also stands for man’s possibility of ruling and reigning with the King of Kings over all the earth.

When this hope is embraced, it becomes the most powerful motivating force in our lives. This hope is produced from understanding the purpose of our salvation, which is to be able to rule and reign with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom and after that for eternity. Our life here on earth is just the testing ground, the proving ground and the training ground for that purpose. (Proverbs 9:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11)

Listen to one of the hundreds of letters we have received recently about The Kingdom, Power and Gloryand how it has revived this person’s “hope of His calling”:

“I wanted to take the time to tell you both how much your new book, The Kingdom, Power and Glory has meant to my wife and I. This book, more than any other, has revolutionized our viewpoint and attitude about the importance of our Christian commitment and service to the Lord with each and every moment that we have been blessed with.

“Let me share with you one of the most important insights that we have gleaned so far. Prior to reading KPG, I never had the slightest idea of what was really at stake in terms of my eternal destiny, possible rewards, or the contribution in terms of service to the Kingdom that could be uniquely mine own. Not only that, but the concept of eternal rewards for service to the Kingdom was never a part of any teaching or theology that I had previously had.

“In fact, I was raised in the Assembly of God Church. There we were taught that it was possible to lose our salvation for virtually any infraction. Sadly, it put many of us in a state of ‘manic depressive theology’ due to the belief that a person can lose his salvation for committing any willful sin. As a result of this type of theology, it became a virtual impossibility to feel secure in my salvation and as a result, there was no attempt to really grow in the faith because I never knew whether I was really saved to begin with.

“What better ploy could Satan use? What better way to keep us from witnessing to others: After all, how can anyone feel totally comfortable in witnessing to someone else, if they are not sure they are saved themselves?

“Bottom line: I am learning each and every day as I study and ponder the messages contained in KPG. The only regret I have is that I didn’t have it forty years ago. It would have saved me years and years of stumbling around in spiritual darkness looking for the light…”

* * *

Interestingly, Proverbs 13:12 also tells us that “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” In other words, without knowing the “hope of our calling,” we die. We are unable to witness to others as the above letter so beautifully describes, because we ourselves are not sure where we are going. And, this is why the enemy is making such inroads in so many of our lives.

Having “hope” is a huge factor in being able to endure and persevere though our trials—being able to stay afloat in the heaviest of storms. Having “the hope of our calling” becomes the “anchor of our souls.” (Hebrews 6:19)

The purpose of The Kingdom, Power and Glory is to help believers understand the real reason for their salvation (their inheritance in Christ in the coming kingdom). (Titus 2:13) And, also, to help believers implement the practical application of sanctification in their lives so they may apprehend the above reward.

It’s important to understand this future hope does not re-place our temporal hopes (our hopes for marriage, careers, family, ministry etc.); it simply enhances (magnifies, amplifies and strengthens) them. In other words, when our temporal hopes fade (and they will because they are temporal), our eternal hope will always be there to carry us through. Our temporal hopes are fleeing (brief, they pass away quickly), but, the “hope realized” that we are talking about here—our inheritance in Christ—is eternal.(Romans 15:13)

It’s like God’s Agape Love. When the human loves fade away and die, which they often do because they are human, God’s Love (Agape) will always be there to carry us through. It’s the same thing with the “hope of our salvation”—it will always be there to carry us though life’s ups and downs. This is the answer to the hopelessness that so many Christians are experiencing today.

Hope that anticipates what can be ours if we hold fast our confidence firm to the end (Hebrews 3:6) does, in itself, pro-duce “fruit.”

Encouragement and Hope for the Future

Our purpose, again, with our book is to integrate “the sanctification process” (actually learning how to live Christ’s Life) here on earth with “the reward of inheritance” (co-reigning with Christ) there in the coming kingdom. Our purpose is to provoke one another “unto love and to good works.” (Hebrews 10:24)

As older Christians, who have at times blown it just like everyone else, we have learned through the grace of God how to turn around (1 John 1:9), how to give things to God (Romans 12:1-2) and how to overcome. “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors [overcomers] through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creation, shall be able to separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Je-sus, our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

Our intention is to give encouragement and hope for the future, to shed more light on God’s specific plan of redemption, and to answer those three important questions: Why are we here? Where are we going? And, what do we have to do to get there? Once we understand God’s answers to these questions, it should give us the incentive to live here and now, as God desires because this life truly is the training ground for the next.

The bottom line is: The way we live our lives here and now will have eternal and unchangeable consequences in the next life. In other words, what we do after we have been born-again dramatically affects our role, ourposition, our place, our status and our authority in the coming Millennial Kingdom. “He that overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be My Son.” (Revelation 21:7)


 Yes! Jesus is Coming!

Posted by at

Evotional: "To Obey" -My Utmost for his Highest- (July 19)

 
"My Prayer is you would hear Jesus and follow Him" 
My Utmost 
with Michael James Stone

  

 


 


 

Posted by at

Eschatology Prophecy Studies:(Eschatology 101) 4 "The Millennial Day Concept -J.R. Church

  BIBLICAL PROPHECY TODAY NETWORK

 Biblical Prophecy Today   Biblical Prophecy Today   Biblical Prophecy Today   Biblical Prophecy Today

 BIBLICAL PROPHECY TODAY with J.R. Church

Every day We Post Perspectives in Prophecy

(BiblicalProphecyToday@gmail.com)

(google: "Prophecy Today Q&A" or "Biblical Prophecy Today")

NOW ON FACEBOOK PAGE HERE

"Articulating Prophecy Biblically"

 Eschatology Prophecy Studies  

"Prophecy Biblically Questioned and Answered"

 

J.R. Church

Eschatology 101

The Secrets of Psalm 90

By  on May 6, 2010

The 17 verses in Psalm 90 divide naturally into seven parts, corresponding to the six days of Creation and the seventh day wherein God rested. But more than that, each division also contains an overview of those events, which marked each of six millennia. The seventh millennium is depicted in the final division as the kingdom of our Lord.

An outline of Psalm 90 is as follows:

Creation Day One - vv. 1-4

Creation Day Two - vs. 5a

Creation Day Three - vv. 5b-7

Creation Day Four - vv. 8-10a

Creation Day Five - vv. 10-11

Creation Day Six - vv. 12-13

The Sabbath Rest - vv. 14-17

This structural design of Psalm 90 offers convincing proof that the millennial-day theory is a viable concept. It was introduced by Moses and held by the other prophets who followed him. Therefore, let us review this remarkable structural design of Psalm 90:

Creation Day One (vv. 1-4)

“LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

“Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

“For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:1-4).

Psalm 90:1

“LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1).

In verse 1, we are reminded that God created our dwelling place. “In him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). This planet was specifically made for mankind. It could not have just happened by accident. There are too many complicated designs in the atmosphere, vegetation, climate, etc., for our planet to be the product of chance evolution. In that famous sermon on Mars Hill, Paul concurred with Moses that “God made the world and all things therein…” (vs. 24).

Furthermore, Paul noted that God “hath determined the times before appointed” (vs. 26). The six days of Creation were given their particular order by divine appointment so that they could be a prophetic overview of the following 6,000 years. The seventh day was predetermined to represent the seventh millennium. There can be no doubt — once we view the accuracy of the previous six days. They are convincing proof that the great Sabbath Rest lies ahead in our immediate future.

Moses opened Psalm 90:1 with the term “all generations.” He also closed his eleven stanzas in Psalm 100:5 with “all generations.” He didn’t leave out a single generation. All of human history is covered in the Song of Moses. Psalm 90, in particular, gives us the guidelines for this teaching.

Psalm 90:2

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world…” Verse 2 clearly alludes to the opening verses of Genesis:

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep, And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

“And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:1-5).

There are two things about this first day of Creation of which we should take note.  First, God said, “Let there be light,” and second, He “divided the light from the darkness.” He called the light “good,” implying that darkness represents evil.

In like manner, God put man in the Garden of Eden, and gave him a choice between the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God made the first day of Creation to represent the first millennium of human history. “Let there be light … and it was good.”

Therefore, the events of the first day of Creation are typical of those events that happened in the first millennium.

Adam’s Fall

“Thou turnest man to destruction and sayest, Return, ye children of men” (Psalm 90:3).

Psalm 90:3 reveals the main event, which characterized the first day of Creation — namely, the fall of Adam. Moses wrote, “Thou turnest man to destruction.” This is the single event, which characterized the first millennium. It was in the plan of God for Adam and Eve to be tested. Otherwise, He would not have placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. Nor would He have allowed Satan in the form of a serpent to beguile Eve. The purpose can be seen in the phrase “Return, ye children of men.” Redemption was at the heart of God’s plan.

As soon as the fall occurred, God was on the scene to instruct Adam and Eve. He promised them that the seed of the woman would come and have his heel bruised. This prophecy was fulfilled at Calvary.

God also promised them that Christ would bruise the head of the seed of the serpent. This prophecy will be fulfilled at His Second Coming. From that day, the Chosen People have been looking for the Messiah. They do not understand that He came the first time 2,000 years ago, and that He will soon return.

The Call for Repentance

Psalm 90 was dedicated to Reuben and its theme is repentance: “Return, ye children of men” (Psalm 90:3b).

A Jewish commentary on Psalm 90 says, “In his blessings, Moses blessed Reuben first, saying, ‘Let Reuben live and not die’ (Deuteronomy 33:6), referring to Reuben’s sin and to his subsequent repentance (Genesis 35:22). With his sincere remorse and penitence, Reuben introduced the principle of complete repentance to the world (Bereishis Rabba84:19). Thus, this psalm relates to Reuben, the symbol of repentance.”

Psalm 90:4

“For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4).

Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer cites ancient rabbinical thought on the concept that each day of Creation prophetically represents a thousand years of human history and that the seventh day of rest represents the Messianic age — a thousand year reign of the Messiah:

“It is both unreasonable and unwise to pass judgment on a work of art before it has been completed; even a masterpiece may look like a grotesque mass of strokes and colors, prior to its completion. Human history is God’s masterpiece. Physical creation was completed at the end of the sixth day, but the spiritual development of mankind will continue until this world ends, at the close of the sixth millennium. Thus it is both unfair and impossible to judge God’s equity before the denouement of human history, despite the fact that history appears to be a long series of tragic injustices. On the seventh day of the first week of creation, on the Sabbath, Adam surveyed God’s completed work and he was stirred to sing of the marvelous perfection, which his eyes beheld. Similarly, when the panorama of human history is completed, the seventh millennium will be ushered in as the day of everlasting Sabbath. At that time all Adam’s descendants will look back and admire God’s completed masterpiece.”

The teaching of the rabbi will either come to pass, or we will soon know that he was wrong.

A Thief in the Night

“…and as a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4b).

Moses divided the millennium into two parts, most of which is taken up in the “yesterday.”But the rest of it concludes with “a watch in the night.”

“Rashi maintains that one day of God consists of less than one thousand years, for God warned Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge, saying, ‘For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ (Genesis 2:17), which implies that Adam’s entire life span was considered a single day in God’s eyes. When Adam’s life ended after 930 years (Genesis 3:5), it was the end of God’s day. Thus, one thousand years in God’s eyes are like one yesterday plus a short watch in the night composed of seventy years.”

Peter further explains his “millennial day” concept by addressing the “watch in the night:”

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…” (II Peter 3:10).

Paul also writes about the Second Coming in terms reminiscent of this “watch in the night:”

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night” (I Thessalonians 5:1-2).

John also added to this concept:

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth” (Revelation 16:15).

Our Savior was not merely using a colloquialism when he referred to this same concept:

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

“But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh”(Matthew 24:42-44).

In respect to these passages, it is essential that we view Psalm 90 and its “watch in the night” as prophetic and that we are busy watching!

Creation Day Two (vs. 5)

“Thou carriest them away as with a flood. They are as a sleep” (Psalm 90:5a).

Moses alludes to the second day of Creation and at the same time gives its prophetic implication — representing that which occurred in the second millennium. On the second day, God divided the waters from the waters.

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

“And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

“And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day” (Genesis 1:6-8).

In this prophetic scenario, we can see the great deluge, which covered the earth in the days of Noah. On the second day of creation God divided the waters above the firmament from the waters under the firmament and in like manner, we are told that in the time of Noah, the waters in the firmament above rained down upon the earth for forty days.

Please note that on the second day of Creation, God did not say that it was good. This alludes to the fact that in the second millennium, the flood came as a judgment upon an unbelieving human race. I am convinced that the great Flood of Noah’s day was predicted by the events of the second day of Creation. This is clearly implied by Moses statement,“Thou carriest them away as with a flood.”

Creation Day Three (vv. 5b-7)

“In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

“In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

“For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled” (Psalm 90:5b-7).

That brings us to the third day of Creation when God called forth the dry land and the grass:

“And God said, Let the water under the heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

“And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

“And the evening and the morning were the third day” (Genesis 1:9-13).

He caused the land to be fruitful and multiply. In like manner, God caused the waters of the great deluge to be abated and gave Noah the command to “be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.” Just as on that third day of Creation the earth brought forth grass and vegetation, in like manner, during the third millennium the earth again produced vegetation to replace that, which was destroyed by the Flood.

At the beginning of the third millennium, God told Abraham that his progeny would end up in Egypt, but that, in 430 years, they would return to possess the Promised Land.

Egyptian Bondage

“In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

“For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled” (Psalm 90:6-7).

Verses 6 and 7 allude to the years spent in Egypt before the Exodus. Furthermore, history attests to the fact that eventually God drove Israel from their land to dwell among the nations. Generation after generation have come and gone. Indeed, Israel’s days were passed under the wrath of God. Unlike other nations, their years have been like “a tale that is told.” Stories of Jewish suffering make a heart rending and seemingly never-ending series of sorrow!

Rabbi Feuer addresses Jewish suffering in his commentary on this passage, “we are consumed by your fury” and “we are terrified by your wrath:”

“Now the Psalmist turns his attention to the special perils of the exile (Radak), for if mortal men are vulnerable in times of tranquility, they are certainly in even greater danger when they are exposed to the Divine fury unleashed in exile (Eitz Yosef). Rashi explains that the word ‘fury’ also means nose. Among the most prominent physical manifestations of anger are flaring nostrils and heavy nasal breathing. In contrast, ‘wrath’ is a hostile, violent feeling which is kept inside (Malbim).”

Concerning the statement, “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance,” the rabbinical commentary says that God remembers everything forever (Rabbi Yoseif Titzak). Since our past sins remain before You eternally, You never stop punishing us for them (Radak). The term, “secret sins,” refers to immaturity or youth. The psalmist refers to sins committed in the immaturity of youth.

It is apparent that Israel is the subject of this passage, having suffered God’s judgment over the centuries. Jewish scholars, however, attribute the sins of ancient Israel to a national adolescent immaturity. For this reason, God will not punish them forever, but will be reconciled to Israel when they reach maturity.

Creation Day Four (vv. 8-10a)

“Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

“For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.”

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten…”(Psalm 90:8-10a).

The “light,” “days,” and “years,” in these verses allude to the fourth day of Creation. It was on that fourth day that God created the sun, moon, and stars to give “light” and to mark the“days” and “years”:

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

“And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

And the evening and the morning were the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19).

On the fourth day God created two great lights in the firmament of the heaven — the sun and moon. He created the stars and set them in the heavens for signs. They conform to the Gospel message found in Scripture.

Beginning with Virgo, they tell the story of the virgin who bore the Christ child. Concluding with Leo, they tell of the Lion of the tribe of Judah who will destroy the dragon symbolized by Hydra. It is a powerful story given to early civilizations during those 2,500 years from Adam to Moses.

This fourth day of Creation also gives a prophetic overview of the fourth millennium of human history. This is a picture of those days, which began with the building of Solomon’s temple.

Psalm 90:8-9

Now let us return to Psalm 90:

“Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

“For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told”(Psalm 90:8-9).

These two verses in Psalm 90 seem to reflect the judgment of the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities that took place in the fourth millennium. Indeed, it could be said of the Chosen people, “For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.”

Psalm 90:10a

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten…” (Psalm 90:10a).

The opening statement of verse 10 may be a reference to the seventy years duration of the Babylonian captivity: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten…” Or, they may be linked to the fifth millennium and the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. For that reason, I have included it in the next division of this psalm as well. Either way, the statement fits the prophetic scenario laid out by Moses. It may also set the definition of a generation. Jesus could have referred to this “generation” (Mt.24:34).

Creation Day Five (vv. 10-11)

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

“Who knoweth the power of thine anger: even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath” (Psalm 90:10-11).

The reference to “fly away” alludes to the fifth day of Creation when God made the birds to fly in the sky.

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

“And the evening and the morning were the fifth day (Genesis 1:20-23).

This division of Psalm 90 not only alludes to the fifth day of Creation, but also represents events that characterized the fifth millennium. In A.D. 70, Herod’s Temple was destroyed and over a hundred thousand Jews were massacred. It was perhaps the most dreadful event in Jewish history. In the years that followed, the Romans emptied the Promised Land of its Chosen People and scattered them to the slave markets of the world. The Jew has suffered more than any race or nation in history. They became the wandering Jew — with only a hope that someday they would rise again. With that promise of restoration, Moses’ Song prepared the Jew for their modern return to the land of his forefathers.

Creation Day Six (vv. 12-13)

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

“Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants” (Psalm 90:12-13).

Just as God began to punish the Chosen People at the beginning of the fifth millennium, He has restored them at the close of this sixth millennium. In 1948, God kept His promise. The nation of Israel was reborn. As verse 13 suggests, “let it repent thee concerning thy servants.” Fallen Israel is rising again. Soon, the Messiah will return as verse 13 pleads,“Return, O LORD.”

Moses alludes to the sixth day of Creation as implied in verse 12, “So teach us to numbers our days.” It was on the sixth day of Creation that the Lord brought forth the “living creature after his kind.” It is a picture of redemption and soul winning.

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

“And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply …

“And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:24-27).

As we have previously stated, in both the fifth and sixth days of Creation God said, “Be fruitful and multiply.” In like manner, the Church has been busy for the past 2,000 years witnessing and winning people to Christ.

It was also on the sixth day of Creation that God made man in His own image. In like manner, all who have received Christ as Savior will someday be resurrected or translated — made again in His image.

Psalm 90:12

“So teach us to number our days” (Psalm 90:12).

In 1990, leading rabbis concluded that the year was very significant. Their calendar year for 1990 was 5750 — five thousand, seven hundred fifty years since the creation of Adam. Rabbis noted that each millennium was represented by a day of Creation. They concluded that 5750 marked the three-quarter point of the sixth day. They said it represented 3:00 on Friday afternoon. They got that idea from Psalm 90. Their proposed millennial day began at 6 A.M. The 9:00 position corresponded to the 250-year point; 12:00 noon marked the 500-year point; and 3:00 in the afternoon suggested the 750-year point of the millennium.

Since 5,000 years had come and gone (corresponding to Sunday through Thursday) and since 750 years of the sixth day (Friday) had come and gone, the Jewish calendar year 5750 (1990) represented 3:00 on Friday afternoon. That is the hour each Friday when the first Sabbath candle is lit. Rabbis reported that religious Jews did not need to wait another 250 years for the prophetic Sabbath (the seventh millennium) to begin. They said it was time for the Messiah to come and establish the Messianic era — just as verse 13 pleads,“Return, O LORD.”

A Jewish interpretation of verse 12 says, “According to the count of our days so make known, then we shall acquire a heart of wisdom.” The word “So…” is translated from a Hebrew term pronounced, “kane,” which has a numerical value of 70 and compares to the previous teaching in verse 10, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten …”These rabbinical interpretations give a prophetic view to the passage. Since God cast Israel into exile, there should come a day when God will restore the nation. The count of “our days” is made to refer to national Israel, not just those of a single individual. The prayer for“wisdom” to “number our days” seems to be that of the generation upon whom the restoration will come. Since Israel has been revived in this century, after two thousand years of exile, we suggest that the prayer is about to be answered!

The statement, “… that we may apply our hearts to wisdom,” was interpreted by Rabbi Radak (twelfth century) to have a prophetic meaning. He said that the word “apply”translated from the Hebrew root word “bow” functions as a noun — “the prophet.” Radak gives this interpretation:

“When the days of this world are finally counted out, we will witness the advent of the prophet Elijah, who will herald the advent of Messiah. The enlightened teachings of the prophet will bring a heart of wisdom to mankind, as Scripture states, ‘The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of HASHEM [the LORD] as water covers the sea’ (Isaiah 1l:9).”

This astounding interpretation by a twelfth-century rabbi reflects the teaching of historic Judaism about Psalm 90. The implication of this part of the Song of Moses is overwhelming — that its message should be applied to the concluding days of the sixth millennium!

Psalm 90:13

“Return, O LORD How long? let it repent thee concerning thy servants” (Psalm 90:13).

Note, though the Jews do not believe that their Messiah has ever come before, the verse asks Him to “return.” They are looking for the First Coming of Messiah. But Moses wrote that He would “return.”

The question, “How long?” is especially significant. This question appears 18 times in 12 passages in the Psalms. If the question is to be asked at all, it is at least the prerogative of the Jews. They are the Chosen People. Though they have suffered as no other nation, they have not been forever forsaken. The promise of deliverance will come. Messiah will appear to establish a millennium of peace. God will keep His promise.

The Sabbath Rest (vv. 14-17)

“O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

“Make us glad according to the days wherein thou has afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

“Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it” (Psalm 90:14-17).

Before we look at the seventh millennium, let us review the account of Creation week. On the seventh day, God rested:

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).

God resting on the seventh day following Creation was the leading prophetic theme of the Genesis account. It was a clear promise that the seventh millennium of human history would be a time of utopia for redeemed mankind. It will be a thousand years of rest from the continuing temptations of the serpent. The devil will be restrained from the planet during the reign of Christ. What a wonderful prospect!

When Christ returns to reign, Israel will be set at the head of the nations and Christ will rule from Jerusalem. The suffering of the Jew will finally be understood — as verses 14 and 15 suggest: “O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days[concerning all seven millennial days]. Make us glad according to the days [the past millennial days] wherein thou has afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.”

During the kingdom reign of Christ, God’s work concerning the Jew will be explained. They will at last understand why they were made to suffer — as verse 16 implies, “Let thy work appear unto thy servants.” God’s glory will return to the Temple Mount as the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the righteous remnant — as verse 16 concludes, “and thy glory unto their children [the offspring of those earlier generations].”

Psalm 90:14

“O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14).

Radak observes this verse as “a reference to the dawn of the Messianic era, which will shine as brilliantly as the morning sun. At that time, we will be sated [gratified with more than enough] by God’s kindness and we will never again experience any misery. Then we shall sing out and rejoice all our days.”

Psalm 90:15

“Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil” (Psalm 90:15).

Rashi comments, “Make us glad in the Messianic era of the future for a duration of time which will equal the length of time that we suffered in exile in this world.” Many opinions are offered by the Talmud (Sanhedrin 99a) to determine the duration of the Messianic era. Some say that it will last forty years corresponding to the number of years the Jews suffered in the wilderness… or 400 years corresponding to the years of the Egyptian bondage… or 365 years corresponding to the days of the solar year, for the burning sun is a symbol of fiery Divine retribution, … or 7000 years like the days of the week, and each day of God is 1000 years.”

Jewish scholars have been hard at work for centuries trying to determine the time for the coming of the Messiah. Psalm 90 appears to be one of those special passages studied by the rabbis. They seem to be convinced that it refers to the conclusion of the sixth millennium!

Psalm 90:16-17

“Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it” (Psalm 90:16-17).

Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer, in his commentary on the Psalms, wrote:

“Specifically, we await the most monumental accomplishment of Jewish history: the final reconstruction of the third Beis HaMikdash [Temple]. Actually, since the destruction of the second Temple, God has been slowly reconstructing the edifice in heaven. When it is completed, God will display His works by bringing the celestial Temple down to earth (Dorash Moshe).

“After God returns His presence to earth, we ask that He continue to dwell here for future generations so that our children and descendants will enjoy His glory. Indeed, we hope that His glory will be apparent soon!”

Dorash Moshe observes: “After the Temple is reconstructed, God will gather in the scattered exiles, and Israel will return to the Holy Land.”

Moses prays for God to establish “the work of our hands.” The rabbinical interpretation says, “The blessing of the Temple and the Tabernacle is not confined to Israel. Rather, it is the factor, which lends solidarity and prosperity to the entire world. We pray that God will return to this world and establish His blessed presence for all time (Dorash Moshe).”

This verse-by-verse commentary on Psalm 90, quoting rabbinical theology, offers us a rare opportunity to see this stanza of the Song of Moses in a special prophetic light.

We may, indeed, be the generation targeted by the prophecies of this outstanding psalm. Every phrase of every verse appears to give a prophetic view of a Chosen People who are approaching the end of 6,000 years and the anticipation of the millennial reign of Christ!

Go to Lesson 4: The Millennial Day Concept

Go to Lesson 6: The Doctrine of the Great Sabbath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Yes! Jesus is Coming!


Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)