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BOOK OF HEBREWS – PART 2
October 19, 2007
The book of Hebrews begins by stating in Verse 2 that God has in these “last days” spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom He also made the worlds.” Verse 1 says in former times, (Old Testament) God spoke though His prophets. Therefore, we learn something about the last days in the opening verses of Hebrews. Why would the author (Paul) of Hebrews begin his book by making those statements? By the way, if you printed the first lesson, you will need to reprint the outline as I added this part about the last days. The reason he said that in the former times God spoke through the Old Testament prophets, specifically Moses, but now has spoken to us by His Son, Jesus, was to draw attention to the Jews who were coming out of Judaism that a higher revelation of the Word and a New Covenant was now in place to supplement and in many ways replace the old one. This does not mean that the recorded words of Jesus in the Gospels are the sum total of His revelation in the New Covenant, for Jesus told the disciples that He had many more things to tell them, but they were not capable of receiving it until the Holy Spirit came to indwell them:
John 14:26 KJV
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 16:12-15 NKJV
12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
1 Corinthians 2:9-12 NKJV
9 But as it is written:
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
It is clear from these passages that the only ones capable of knowing the Word of God are those who have been reborn and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and even many of them do not seek the revelation of the Word by the Holy Spirit. What most believers know including theologians is “mind knowledge” which is only able to grasp external doctrine and historical facts, but not the deep things of God. It took me many years to learn this valuable lesson. If you want to know the revelation of the Word of God, you must be born-again and allow the Holy Spirit to be the teacher of the Word.
To prove that Jesus continued to speak after he ascended to heaven, notice John 16:13; the Holy Spirit who inspired the written word (II Tim. 3:16) spoke only what He heard, not of Himself. Who was He listening to – the Father and the Son. Therefore, the Canon of the New Testament (Old also) was Jesus dictating to the Holy Spirit what He wanted written down in the New Covenant. The New Covenant is the Word of Jesus the same as those “red letters” in the gospels.
Now returning to the topic for today, Paul says the “last days” began with the first advent of Jesus. That means we have been in the last days for almost two thousand years. Then why do some say these are the last days or that the last days did not begin until Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948? It would help to define the terminology associated with the last days or the end-time:
Time or periods that describe the end time; important terms/periods for understanding prophecy:
The Last Days
The last days begin with the first advent of Jesus and marked the beginning of the countdown to end Gentile world dominion - Gen. 49:1; Isa. 2:2; Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:2; I Pet. 3:13
Latter Days
The last of the last days began when the Zionist Movement gave birth to the modern secular state of Israel and the controversy over who controls Jerusalem. The Jews had to be back in the land and in some type of control of Jerusalem for the end time to arrive. Num. 24:14-25; Deut. 4:30; 31:29; Jer. 49:39; Ezk. 38:16; Dan. 2:28; 10:14. This does not mean that God is favoring the Jews over other races or that they are “the chosen” people. No, God is allowing the Jews back in the land of Israel, even though the nation is illegal, to fulfill end-time prophecy, that is, to complete the remnant of saved Jews and Gentiles, destroy all false religion, defeat Satan and bind him in the bottom-less pit, cast the Antichrist and False Prophet into the Lake of Fire, defeat the armies of Antichrist at Armageddon, destroy all the works of man on the earth, judge the sheep and goat nations (actually people for nations are people), cast those who took the Mark of the Beast into the Lake of Fire, and setup His kingdom on the earth in the New Jerusalem, which will be in the vicinity of the old one, but much larger and on a higher plane.
Time of the End
The mid-point of the seven-year tribulation - Dan. 8:17; 11:35, 40; 12:4, 9. From this point, the second coming of Christ can be known almost down to the day for is at this point that the last generation has only 42 months before it ends.
End Generation
This is the generation that experiences the signs mentioned in the Olivet Discourse and is identified by the birth of the physical fig tree – the modern state of Israel and/or the bad figs of Jeremiah 24. I will explain what this means in the teaching on the good and bad figs of the tribe of Judah and what is the real tribe of Judah. Matt. 24:34; Mk. 13:30; Luke 21:32. It is my position that the end generation began in 1897 and will end in 2017. If I am wrong, then God in His mercy has given us more time and for that, we will praise Him, but if not then we will also praise Him that we will soon be with Him – the greatest of all joys. See my article in the “Other Articles Section, entitled, “The 120-Year Generation.”
The End
This is the Day of the Lord or the second coming of Christ at Armageddon - Dan. 6:26; 7:26; 8:19; 9:26; 11:27; Matt. 13:39-40, 49; 24:3, 6,13-14; Lk. 21:9; Rev. 2:26; 21:6; 22:13. This is when the mystery of God is finished – bringing the final harvest of Jews and Gentiles into the body of Christ and the spiritual tribe of Judah.
End of Days
Whenever you see this term, it is usually associated with New Age and occult/cult writings. It is not a Biblical term.
In Matthew 24: 25 Jesus said that He told us in advance what would happen in the last days or the last generation. Prophecy is history in advance. Therefore, we have no excuse not to know the times in which we live. The Bible is replete with much information, both Old and New Testaments, concerning the world in which we live and how we can recognize the “signs” foretelling the approaching tribulation and Second Coming of Jesus back to earth.
The Lord rebuked the Sadducees and Pharisees for now knowing the time of His first advent because the Old Testament Scriptures (prophets) gave precise details of his birth and ministry and even crucifixion and resurrection. They had no excuse. We also have no excuse today if we do not know the prophecies of the Bible concerning the Second Advent:
Matthew 16:1-4 NKJV
1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and threatening. O you hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them, and departed.
If you will keep these terminologies separate and distinct in identifying the last days or the end-time, it will help your understanding of the biblical passages dealing with each one. Know that we are now in the end generation of the last days that will not expire until the tribulation has come upon the earth and Jesus has returned. If you are 60 years of age and younger and live a normal life span of 70 or 80 days (Psalms 90: 10), you will be alive when the final seven years begin!
There are other passages of Scripture that predict the time in which we now live. For example, Hosea 6:1-3. Hosea was a contemporary of Amos and prophesied to the northern Kingdom of Israel after they were taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. His ministry covered about 60 years:
Hosea 6:1-3 KJV
1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
This passage has great significance in terms of eschatology, soteriology, and pneumatology. In terms of eschatology (the doctrine of last things or the last days), it nails down in microscopic lenses the window of the end generation. Soteriology deals with salvation in Christ in its three stages – justification, sanctification, and glorification. The Hosea passage reveals when the final stage will commence. Pneumatology is the doctrine about the Holy Spirit. Hosea 6 looks back to the second Pentecost and forward to the third and last Pentecost.
Notice in Verse 1 Hosea speaks of Israel’s past and future punishments and deliverance – He has torn us; He has smitten us; He will heal us and He will bind us up. Always keep in mind when you are reading about Israel in the Old Testament, you must interpret it according to the New Covenant and remember that not all physical Israel is the true Israel and not all Jews are true Jews. Only those who are in Christ are the true Israel and the true Jews. Even in the Old Testament “remnant theology” is prominent in Israel’s future, meaning only a remnant of the total race of Jews will be saved and accept Jesus as the Messiah.
Verse 2 says, “After two days, God will revive Israel (remnant) and in the third day, He will raise them up (remnant) and they shall live in his sight. What does the two and three days mean? Is the prophet speaking of literal days of 24 hours or some extended period? Obviously, he is speaking of an extended period for we know that Israel was neither revived nor raised up after two days of the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. On the contrary, they remained in captivity and exile after the Assyrian and Babylon experiences and are still in exile today, that is, the good figs (Jeremiah 24). So what does Hosea mean? We have to go to Psalms 90, which is a Messianic Psalm to understand the meaning:
Psalms 90:4 KJV
4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
This verse implies that in God’s eyes, one day is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. The apostle Peter quoted this verse in his eschatological passage in II Peter 3:8:
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Using this as our day-year measurement, then two days from the Assyrian captivity (2000-721 B.C. = 1279 A.D.) would be the 13 century A.D. and two days from the Babylonian captivity (2000-606 B.C. = 1394 A.D.) would be the 14th century A.D. However, God told them that if they did not repent after each captivity and exile, he would punish them 7 times over. Therefore, we have to consider two additional prophecies:
Leviticus 26:1-28 NLT
1"Do not make idols or set up carved images, sacred pillars, or shaped stones to be worshiped in your land. I, the LORD, am your God. 2 You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. 3 "If you keep my laws and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees will produce their fruit. 5 Your threshing season will extend until the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will extend until it is time to plant grain again. You will eat your fill and live securely in your land. 6 "I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep without fear. I will remove the wild animals from your land and protect you from your enemies. 7 In fact, you will chase down all your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath the blows of your weapons. 9 "I will look favorably upon you and multiply your people and fulfill my covenant with you. 10 You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to get rid of the leftovers from the previous year to make room for each new harvest. 11 I will live among you, and I will not despise you. 12 I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt so you would no longer be slaves. I have lifted the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk free with your heads held high. 14 "However, if you do not listen to me or obey my commands, 15 and if you break my covenant by rejecting my laws and treating my regulations with contempt, 16 I will punish you. You will suffer from sudden terrors, with wasting diseases, and with burning fevers, causing your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will plant your crops in vain because your enemies will eat them. 17 I will turn against you, and you will be defeated by all your enemies. They will rule over you, and you will run even when no one is chasing you! 18 "And if, in spite of this, you still disobey me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. 19 I will break down your arrogant spirit by making the skies above as unyielding as iron and the earth beneath as hard as bronze. 20 All your work will be for nothing, for your land will yield no crops, and your trees will bear no fruit. 21 "If even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey, I will inflict you with seven more disasters for your sins. 22 I will release wild animals that will kill your children and destroy your cattle, so your numbers will dwindle and your roads will be deserted. 23 "And if you fail to learn a lesson from this and continue your hostility toward me, 24 then I myself will be hostile toward you, and I will personally strike you seven times over for your sins. 25 I will send armies against you to carry out these covenant threats. If you flee to your cities, I will send a plague to destroy you there, and you will be conquered by your enemies. 26 I will completely destroy your food supply, so the bread from one oven will have to be stretched to feed ten families. They will ration your food by weight, and even if you have food to eat, you will not be satisfied. 27 "If after this you still refuse to listen and still remain hostile toward me, 28 then I will give full vent to my hostility. I will punish you seven times over for your sins.
Ezekiel 4:4-6 NLT
4 "Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side. 5 You will bear Israel's sins for 390 days — one day for each year of their sin. 6 After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days — one day for each year of Judah's sin.
We know from Israel’s history the full punishment for their sins did not take place in either 390 days or 40 days. Therefore, the prophecy must have a long-term rather than a short-term fulfillment. The passage is clear; the days are prophetic years not days, that is, 390 days is 390 years and 40 days is 40 years. God’s time clock is based upon the tribe of Judah since the northern 10 tribes were completely destroyed and assimilated by the Assyrians and eventually the Europeans. Today the ten tribes are ex-Israelites because there is no longer a pure bloodline. They migrated to Europe and intermarried with the Gentiles (there is much more to this, but do not have time in this lesson to discuss it, perhaps in a future study). Therefore, we must add the 390 years and the 40 years, which is the total number of years for Israel’s punishment (both Israel and Judah) and we get 430 years. Since God left the remnant only in the tribe of Judah, we subtract 70 years for the Babylonians captivity from the 430 years (the Babylonians captivity lasted from 606 B.C. to 536 B.C. Did Israel repent when they came out of the Babylonian captivity – unfortunately no! It was during this time that Kabbalism was invented by the Rabbis, which is a wicked secret society that butchered and corrupted the Word of God and joined Judaism to the occult. Therefore, God’s decree in Leviticus went into effect and their captivity ran for 7 times more, that is, from 536 B.C. to 1984 A.D. (430 – 70 = 360 x 7 = 2520; 2520 – 536 = 1984).
Look again at Hosea’s prophecy; AFTER TWO DAYS, the Lord will revive the remnant of Israel (bring them out of exile) and IN THE THIRD DAY He will raise them up (the First Resurrection, when the overcomers of all ages receive their glorified bodies). It has been more than 2 days (2000 years) since Judah came out of the Babylonian captivity and we are now in the third day (more than 2520 years). We are now in the 28th year beyond the 2520 years of total punishment time. If there are 7 years of tribulation still future, then how do you reconcile the total punishment time of 2520 years? We are obviously in a gap period or grace period and keep in mind that God never said the 2520 years could not be extended if Israel did not repent. They have not repented, but are as barren spiritually as when Jesus rebuked the barren fig tree – the symbol of fruitless Israel. Honestly, I believe God is not working with the nation of Israel as a whole as pretrib teaches, but is saving individual Jews who are willing to come into the New Covenant. God is going to destroy the nation one last time and purge out the rebels and their wicked religion – Judaism and Kabbalism. Note: Scroll back up to the passage in Hosea where it speaks of the 2nd and 3rd day and notice it says God will raise them up IN the 3rd day. We are in the 3rd day now, so this prophecy can be fulfilled at any time.
In closing this lesson, when Hosea speaks of the former and latter rain, He was saying the same thing as the prophet Joel (Chapters 2&3). The former rain is the second Pentecost in Acts 2 (the first was in Exodus 19 with the giving of the Law). The latter rain is the third Pentecost when God’s Spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh (not all people and surely not the lost), but upon all the people of God – saved Jews and Gentiles when the Lord returns.
May the Lord bless you all.