(9/23/2017) - 7 years on...

Tomorrow is September 23, 2024.

It will be an even 7 years from the Revelation 12 sign, on September 23,2017.

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Now, we all remember the story of Joseph in Egypt...

7 years fat, 7 years lean. Pharoah's dream, interpreted by God through Joseph.

7 years shows up a lot in the bible (known as a Heptad), as does 14 (2 sets of 7). I think 2 shows up a lot with 7 for the idea of Official Witness.

Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt and after 14 years of learning the ways and knowledge of the world (Egypt in that time), reached his pinnacle of service to God, for the next 14 years.

Jacob (later to become Israel) worked 7 years for Laban (again representative of the world in that time) to gain the hand of Rachel, and then another 7 after being deceived by Laban with Leah.

Many other examples, but simply to say biblical events and prophecy often relay and relate in periods of 7.

Starting with (Daniel 9:23), which the irony of 9/23/2017 of (Revelation 12:1-2) is not lost on me, Gabriel answers Daniel's prayer and petition of understanding with the prophecy of 70 weeks, which includes all that relates to it from the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the cutting off of the Messiah for a total of 69 weeks of that 70 that God decrees for Israel (Daniel's people) through verse 25.

Verse 26, as we have learned over the millennia of history, is the great Age of Grace given us as a gift beyond measure. Most things are never understood until they are seen in hindsight and in fulfillment.

Verse 26 also begins the layout of the last period of 7, or the last week of the 70 weeks decreed (we know as Jacob's trouble and as the 7-year Tribulation), listing "the prince to come" (satan/antichrist) and contrasting him with "the Prince" (Jesus/God in the Flesh) in verse 25. This entity to come, this prince (who comes in his own name - John 5:43) "Confirms" a covenant with many (peoples).

I bring up (Daniel 9:20-27) because I believe we are close to the beginning of that last period of 7 literal years. And because also people often ask or take you to task on equating Jacob's Trouble, the Tribulation Period, and this last week of Daniel's prophecy.

Also, since the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation are "bookend" treatments of this same overall prophecy and its details, where one is closed up until the end times have arrived and then everyone starts to understand it, and the other (post messiah) is the one that opens up the prophecy and its details to the believing body who will read it.

If none of this rings true for you, in regard to the Tribulation period, Daniel etc., then there's not much we can have as a conversation about it. I sit firmly on its existence in reality.

From here on are my thoughts and speculations.

- I believe for example that (Revelation 12:1-2) and only those 2 verses, were fulfilled on the celestial event of 9/23/2017. I further see it as the starting gun of the period of Labor Pains, which is expressly contained in verse 2.

- As said before I believe in the 7-year Tribulation, and also believe in the FULL Pre-Tribulation rapture of the Body of Christ (in whatever state of sanctification). There is no earning or maintaining Salvation and HIS Justification, except by faith and belief in Him.

I could go into great depth about my position on the seals and the relationship to the Tribulation, but it is beyond the scope of this particular blog entry, so I will simply just say, and trust me on this, that I am very much Pre-Tribulation Rapture, Pre-millennial, Dispensational (within reason), etc.

- I also rely very much on Root Word meanings, Context, Typology, and the Illustrative use of parable like language to gain the deeper and more accurate meanings. We lose so much in English, be it the kings English or Modern.

With that said, I want to look at the case of the Typology of Joseph's interpretation of Pharoah's Dreams, and the resulting actions and playout of 14 years.

7 Fat Cornstalks, 7 Fat Cows, devoured by 7 Lean Cornstalks, 7 Lean Cows. We know from the word in the story that the interpretation was 7 Fat years, and then 7 extremely lean years. And only the preparation of storage of excess, kept all alive who lived through it.

Here I will state a disclaimer that I can only speak in terms of being in the United States.

In 2014-2015 I considered the Blood Moon Tetrad a forerunner of change to come for Israel. And there's no denying that Trump's first term in 2016-2020 saw Trump's treatment and progress with Israel as part of that change.

Not only that, but the biggest increase in quality of life seen in quite some time in the USA. Yet it took some time to reach that quality, at least a year.

2017 was a well-remembered year with some hope and some stability, but for me the high point had to be the 8/21/2017 Solar Eclipse and the 9/23/2017 celestial event above Jerusalem Israel, even though the naked eye could not see it.

And we have had the Aleph-Tav eclipses of October 14, 2023, and the 2nd Great American Eclipse of April 8, 2024, to close it pretty close to a seven-year cycle for the USA.

I'll admit here that I had high hopes for our exit back then, but I can honestly say that I never said it was a sure bet. No one ever really knows until it has already occurred.

I take a general approach now to it all as being "similar" in nature to the first seven years of a two-part cycle.

And why am I on this topic? Well, tomorrow of course is 9/23/2024, exactly 7 years later, and what do we see all around us?

Chaos closing in, Perilous Times, insane mental expressions of extreme ideology, polarized political stances, good being called evil and evil being called good, the love of many waxing cold, the inundation of Narcissism via media and social media and the Anonymous and unaccountable actor.

- We have seen the formation of (Ezekiel 38-39) alliance in these last 7 years without any shadow of a doubt.

- There's indication that (Psalm 83) is coming to its final conclusion in this last year since the October 7, 2023 attack.

- The (Zech 12) attempt at splitting Jerusalem and Israel into 2 states.

- The Abraham Accords which will lead into the coming false religion, and maybe even the covenant to be confirmed in the future.

- The 2020 Covid deception, the gender neutral war, border invasion, genetics, economics, etc.

With all of the foreshadowing of the Tribulation occurring and much of its technology already in place, I can't help but wonder if we are just about there at this point. How much longer can this continue without a threshold event causing the dominoes to fall?

These last few years have seen the decline of morals, integrity, character, common sense, and the rise of aggression against the former. And we have seen this occur at a faster and more extreme rate...

Like Labor Pains...

So, what comes next?

Birth obviously...

Now, a case can also be made for (Revelation 12:3-4) in our time now 7 years down the road. There have been several times that events in the sky, can be shown to seemingly be an answer to the conditions of the (Revelation 12:3) description.

Verse 4 furthermore aptly describes the progression of aggression towards Christians and Christianity. The attempt to devour the child at its birth, the persecution, the attempt at persuasion and the temptation to deny God (His Name and His Existence), to deny His word (His Authority and His Power).

When it comes to birth, we often limit it in biblical discussions to Spiritual Birth, but the whole Redemption relies on the completion of the Physical Body being redeemed as well. This translation from mortal to immortal, whether dead or still mortally alive is the resurrection of the saints, the Body of Christ, His church, of which He is the head.

Make no mistake, verse 5 of Revelation 12 is a Rapture verse, because the very word (G726 - harpazó) in the Greek is used here just as it is in Paul's (1 Thessalonians 4)... To be "caught up" (snatched, seized, plucked forcefully and quickly). The meaning of the word is likened to a Parent forcefully grabbing and yanking a child out of the way of oncoming traffic.

Now here some complain that it refers to Christ Jesus and His ascension, and that it is a historical reference to identify Israel as the woman. While partially true that it does indeed identify Israel as the woman, it excludes the other details like:

- Jesus ascended softly and slowly under His own power because he had resumed His glory now being Resurrected by the Father, and so He was carried up, (G399 - anapheró) and was not plucked up forcefully. (Luke 24:50-51)

- Jesus gave His authority and power to the Church (His body), and in the future we Rule and Reign with Him as well, so therefore the Man Child she births is not just Jesus (the Head), but includes His body (the church) as well. This places this event in the future, from the time of John's writing down the Revelation of Jesus Christ, at the Island of Patmos.

- It ignores her other children as well (Revelation 12:17), the saints of the Tribulation period. This is indicative of the difference between the Grace age saints who were just resurrected and Raptured, and those now in the 7-year Tribulation.

So, now we start with the Tribulation period in verse 6 onward. We see her fleeing to the wilderness due to the rage of the Dragon (satan) and his angels being cast down to earth. But let us not make the mistake that she flees immediately right after the events of verse 5. Verse 6 is a "forward" entry linked to later in (Revelation 12:13-17).

The book of Revelation is not entirely linear and chronological.

(Revelation 12) for example, is a parenthetical subset chapter that includes the whole Tribulation plus some time before in the way of the time of Labor Pains at the start. It is a summation, and its focus is only on a few characters, namely:

- The Woman (Israel and her disposition at the start and throughout the Tribulation)

- Her Child just birthed (Grace Age saints just Resurrected and Raptured)

- Her other children (Tribulation Saints who go through the Tribulation)

- The Dragon (satan) and his angels

- Michael the Arch Angel (Defender of Israel) and his angels

That's it...

So, coming back to Joseph and Pharoah's dreams, I feel we are seeing the setup for the Tribulation (Seven Extreme Lean Years) right at our Laodicean doorsteps, and so the Philadelphian child should be just about to be reborn and raptured in complete and eternal redemption, Body, Mind, and Spirit. Because, we will be as He IS...

No. I'm not setting a date. I am NOT saying it will be tomorrow sometime in Israeli time. But I certainly cannot say it won't either. :)

We can ask however, how much more time could be possibly left in the coming days, months, or remainder of the year? Or even into next year?

I have long felt that the Rapture is event oriented even though there is no specific sign for its arrival. We have events galore that border on Tribulation fulfillments. And in this way, deductively, we know desperately that we are oh so in the season for it.

I find myself so subdued in mood these days, making even the simplest and short-term plans seems an effort of hubris...

I fall back to (Luke 21:28, 34-36 / Revelation 3:8-11) to ground myself and standing firm in these days of evil. Looking up for that soon Redemption.

Grace and Peace to you in Christ Jesus our Lord, God in the flesh!

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Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]