Charles R. Sabo

There are those of us, who have been well educated and gifted by the Holy Spirit to understand the difference between allegory and literal words within the scriptures. Because many of you do not understand the difference, you are motivated to argue, rather than pray, research, and learn. The Bible is not entirely literal in everything that is disclosed. If you do not have the proper education, you will misinterpret these highly complex passages. I learned many years ago to deep dive into God's word, using hermeneutics properly, as the Holy Spirit guided me in my research. Not everyone has the knowledge, therefore those that simply read the words and assume all is literal will have extremely misguided interpretations. Let the educated teach the uneducated, rather than argue. I do apologize to anyone offended by my passion for God's word. Can we all just read someone's opinion, then let it go? God has given you the learned, and you must decipher who is and who isn't. Pick your education from well-learned teachers, and not be influenced by the unlearned. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strife. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, (2 Tim. 2:22-24) As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. (Rom. 14:1) Should he argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which he can do no good? (Job 15:3) ____________________________________________ When I post, I am teaching. I apologize for any type of arguments. It seems that no matter how much research that I have done, how many prayers I have offered, how much education I have received, and how many books I have written, there are always those who assume me their equal in knowledge and understanding. It was the Lord who told me to go after higher education because I was distraught over others rejecting my knowledge. It has been the Lord who has led me into deep, deep dives inter His Holy words, while studying histories in depth. It was the Lord who provided me so much clarity, and so much information that I had to outpour into books. I respect those learned on this forum, and I recognize them differently from those ignorantly arguing. I will do my best to only make posts to teach, and no longer argue against the ignorant.

Zechariah Chapter Five As the world moves closer to the days of Judgement, one can read of current events, which will cause a person to wonder when the end of days’ wars will begin. By reading the Scriptures, we can understand that there is a countdown to the beginning of these wars, which has already begun. Ever since Israel became a nation again on May 15, 1948, many wars have already been fought against them. The first large-scale assaults began on January 9, 1948, when approximately 1,000 Arabs attacked Jewish communities in northern Palestine. By February, the British said that so many Arabs had infiltrated, they lacked the forces to run them back. In the first phase of the war, lasting from November 29, 1947 to April 1, 1948, the Palestinian Arabs took the offensive, with help from volunteers from neighboring countries. The Jews suffered severe casualties and passage along most of their major roadways was disrupted. On May 4, 1948, the Arab Legion attacked Kfar Etzion. The defenders drove them back, but the Legion returned a week later. After two days, the ill-equipped and outnumbered settlers were overwhelmed. Many defenders were massacred after they had surrendered. This was prior to the invasion by the regular Arab armies that followed Israel’s declaration of independence.[1] In 1956, the Jews were attacked again, during what is now called The 1956 Suez War; this then built up to the famous Six Day War of 1967; Israel had regained Jerusalem for the first time, since it was lost in A.D. 70. In 1964, the Arab League created the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which had engaged in terrorist attacks against Israel, until the Six Day War of 1967. After the Six Day War of 1967, a War of Attrition (1967-1970) was fought, as the Jews awaited a negotiation or compromise from the 1967 Six day War. The Arab League refused to negotiate and continued to attack through terrorism against them. On October 6, 1973, The Arab League attacked Israel, after not getting co-operation with the United States; they wanted the UN to require Israel to give up the land that was taken from the Arab League after their loss in 1967 Six Day War, including Jerusalem. This is known as The 1973 Yom Kippur War. The Arab League and the PLO continued with terrorist attacks against Israel from around all borders, meanwhile new terrorist groups formed, such as Hezbollah of Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. After many ceasefires and treaties had been violated by the Hamas in Gaza, the IMF (Israeli Defense Force) used aggression for the first time since 1967 to stop the day to day missile launches fired upon them from the Gaza strip by Hamas. Hamas, cowardly, was using Arab citizens in Gaza as their shields of protection, as they fired hundreds of missiles daily onto Israel. This is now known as The 2008 Gaza War (Operation Cast Lead).[2] 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zech. 12:2-3) In Zechariah 12:2, one can see that the nation Israel will be a passion shared by the people of the surrounding nations. Obviously, this is definitely a prophecy that is coming to pass and will continue this way, until the Lord returns. The prophecy of Psalm 83 is coming to pass and will someday climax with a terrible fire burning devastation. That prophecy can easily be described as a nuclear event, like others in the Scriptures. Soon an event will spark this battle mentioned in Psalm 83:11-18 to begin. Many will agree that this event, which would spark this war, would be something that would bring a high passion or sense of revenge against Israel. I believe this to be a nuclear strike against Damascus, as mentioned in Isaiah 17:1. Isaiah 17:12-13 reveals a tumultuous attack against Israel, as described in Psalm 83. Whether the nuclear strike against Damascus comes from Israel, or from another nation, it will not matter. Israel will be blamed for this nuclear strike, thus the tumult will be escalated. “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” (Is. 17:1) There are various references in the Scriptures, which resemble the consuming results of a nuclear strike. It is frightening to most to think of the world and the devastation that could occur, if these nuclear warheads were to get into the hands of evil people, with a cause for the destruction of others. Clearly, the Arab nations have demonstrated this evil desire to destroy the people of Israel. Many will ignore the various Scriptures, which show these destructive results, and will even try to rationalize them into being just the results of devastating conventional warfare. Many will imply that there is no reason to believe that the Bible has shown any prophecy of nuclear war. Zechariah 5, which has been misinterpreted by many theologians, reveals a prophecy of nuclear war to come in the last days. The translators of the Scriptures have misused the Hebrew text and substituted different meanings to various words used by the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah 5:1 Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. From being told by the cherub angel what the two olive branches were in verse 4:14, Zechariah lifted up His eyes and saw a vision of a flying roll, which was flying through the air. The certain English translations (NIV, NASB, ESV, etc.) have revised God’s word and substituted this word to be a “scroll.” The word “roll,” from the original Hebrew text, is translated from the word mĕgillah, which is translated as a “small roll, writing or book.” The word “scroll” is only used in one place in the Old Testament and that is Isaiah 34:4. Isaiah used the Hebrew word cepher, which has a very similar definition. Historically, a scroll was a complete book, rather than a roll being a small segment of a book. So there is a difference between a roll and a scroll, when a person reviews historically, what each one represented. A scroll is a document or book that has two rolls together. The word “roll” is a single cylinder of paper for a smaller document. One can even recall the use in everyday terms, when someone is to roll something up, they roll it into a single cylinder of paper or material. I take my toilet paper off of a roll, and not a scroll. A book in ancient times consisted of a single long strip of paper or parchment, which was usually kept rolled upon a stick, and was unrolled when a person wished to read it. The roll was usually written on one side only. As the ancient manuscript was unrolled to read it, the opened end would roll up into its own roll causing it to be a scroll with a double roll. The important distinction referenced in Zechariah 5:1 makes a tremendous difference, when one is attempting to interpret this chapter in Zechariah. Zechariah was not seeing an ancient scroll, when he saw this vision. He was looking at a single roll. Zechariah 5:2 And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits. The cherub angel asked Zechariah what he saw and he replied that he saw a flying roll. Most people can decipher the difference in the aerodynamics between a scroll and a roll. Certainly, one can throw a double roll (scroll) through the air; however, if someone were to attempt to cast a roll shaped object, it tends to be much more aerodynamic to fly (spear, missile, javelin). Amazingly, Zechariah provides his readers the dimensions of this flying roll, (the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits). A cubit is an ancient biblical unit of measurement. Most have agreed that a cubit is equal to about 18 inches. So, the length of this flying roll is 360 inches (30 feet), while the breadth (circumference) is 180 inches (15 feet). The reality should be setting in right now, that this is not an ancient scroll, or even ancient paper roll flying through the air. Zechariah 5:3 Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that steals shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that swears shall be cut off as on that side according to it. The word “Then” links us to the previous statement. The same cherub angel revealed a declaration of a coming judgment, which will be set upon the people of the Earth. God is one who blesses, as well as curses. The curse is designated against a certain people, who have performed certain acts that God is going to place judgment against; “for every one that steals, and every one that swears” are the two sins. The word steals is translated from the Hebrew word ganab, which is defined as “to steal, steal away, carry away.” The word swears is translated from the word shaba`, which is defined as “to swear, take an oath.” The words “shall be cut off” is translated from the Hebrew word naqah, which has a definition of either to be “made clean and pure,” or it has an adverse definition to mean “to be desolate, bare or extirpated.” With the flexibility of the definition of the Hebrew word nagah, one can refer to verse 4, in order to figure which definition pertains to these people. Zechariah 5:4 I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that swears falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof. This verse needs to be used, while interpreting verse 3. In verse 3, one knows that God will judge those that steal and swear falsely. The details of the two sins are given more clarity here. There are those that are stealing are as a thief. I believe that this can also be applied to those that steal from the truth, commit adultery, and even those that backstab their neighbors (covet or envy). Those that are swearing falsely by God’s name can be understood to be those who say they believe in God, and swear by his name, but turn and sin like the devil. It can be all those that commit idolatry, putting worldly things above God, even though they say they believe in Him. Basically, these two offenses can be applied to the entire Ten Commandments of God, which these people have violated. In verse 3, the word nagah can be applied with both definitions from the above paragraph and applied to the phrase “shall be cut off as on that side according to it.” This judgment will separate the good from the wicked; it will purge the righteous as clean and pure, while purging the wicked to be desolate or bare. Those that are wicked will have used up their time to repent and judgment will then fall upon them. Zechariah is told that “it shall remain in the midst of his house.” That seems to imply that people will be caught unawares, while they are at home living life as normal, when this judgment enters into their house. The rest of this verse indicates that this judgment will be something that will consume the natural things, such as timber and even stone: “and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.” This judgment would have to be something of a very intense heat level to consume stones. Zechariah 5:5 Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goes forth. Zechariah is told to look up to see what it is that is going forth to bring this judgment upon the people. It seems that as the cherub angel is explaining, Zechariah looks at him; then the cherub angel has to tell him to look up once again at the flying roll. Zechariah 5:6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goes forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. Zechariah looked up and saw something and asked: what is it? The cherub angel tells him that this thing is an ephah and then indicates that this is a resemblance over all the Earth. This, which he sees flying, can be found throughout the Earth. The word ephah is a Hebrew name 'eyphah, which is defined as a unit of measurement for the Jewish people. It is similar to what people in the United States know as a bushel. It is a unit of measurement, but also a container that is used for transport of that item being harvested, which is like a bushel also. Its approximate measurement is about nine imperial gallons. Please avoid assuming that this is a bushel basket flying through the air, that which we have seen all over the world. That is not what is being implied here. Zechariah 5:7 And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sits in the midst of the ephah. This verse is one that so many theologians stumble upon and never really get this prophecy’s true meaning. There are two very important words that are misinterpreted in this verse. “A talent of lead” was something that was well understood back in the days of Zechariah, however, the lead is not exactly what he saw. Lead is a basic element. There are isotopes that will decay, down through time, into their basic element. Plutonium is an isotope, which is made from the isotope uranium. Both of these will break down to their basic element, through time, into their basic element lead. Plutonium-239 Decay Chain The decay process of Plutonium-239 produces Uranium-235 as the daughter nuclide. Lead-207 is the stable element produced at the end of this Alpha decay chain. The complete decay chain is expressed in the following reaction: Plutonium-239 → Uranium-235 → Thorium-231 → Protactinium-231 → Actinium-227 → Thorium-227 → Radium-233 → Radon-219 → Polonium-215 → Lead-211 → Bismuth-211 → Thallium-207 → Lead-207.[3] Since Zechariah would not have understood what plutonium was, nor even uranium, the cherub angel disclosed to him the basic element that he could understand. The word “talent” was a common unit of measurement of weight used back in that time. Since this unit of measurement is not used today, there is only a vague weight equivalent, which can be estimated. Generally, it is understood to be about 75-95 U.S. pounds. So, one can just summarize that this is a 75-95 pound plate of plutonium. To summarize what is known about this judgement so far: there is a 3o foot roll, which is about 15 feet in circumference, with a container the size of a bushel basket, with a 75-95 pound plate of lead (plutonium) in it. This was lifted up into the air, as Zechariah looked up to see (there was lifted up a talent of lead). The second phrase of Zechariah 5:7 is confusing to theologians and misinterpreted, because of the word being plugged in by the English translations. The word “woman” is a mistranslation by all of the English translations, including the King James Version. The translators were confused by a word in the Hebrew, which actually has two different Lexicon references. All of the English translators used Strongs H802 for the Hebrew word used 'ishshah, which is translated as “a woman.” The word that should have been translated is Strongs H801 for the Hebrew word 'ishshah, which is defined: “burnt-offering, offering made by fire, fire offering.”[4] The Lexicon did not exist back in the times of the translators, so all they had were two totally different definitions for the same word in the Hebrew manuscript. Obviously, the translators could not make sense of what a fire offering had to do with a talent of lead within an ephah or basket, so they chose the woman. Apparently, a fire in a basket with lead, flying through the air, was not as easily explained; a woman in a basket with a talent of lead, flying through the air, must have been more explainable. Now that modern day humanity has seen or heard of a nuclear missile, and know what they are capable of, the translation using a fire offering makes much more sense. Zechariah 5:8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Knowing proper English grammar, one needs to refer to a previously stated noun, when referencing a pronoun. At the beginning of verse 8, “And he said, This is wickedness,” one needs to refer to the most previous noun to know what noun “this” is referencing. A person usually can plug the noun with the word “this” and it should make sense. “This fire offering is wickedness.” Notice that the cherub angel casted the fire offering (it) into the midst of the ephah, then casted the talent of plutonium on the mouth of the container (thereof). Zechariah used the pronoun “it” to refer to the last noun used, which was the fire offering from the previous verse. If it would have been a woman, he would have said that he cast “her” in the midst of the ephah. This would have been very awkward, casting a woman into the middle of the bushel basket and then, cast the talent of lead on top of her to cover the basket. The “fire offering” is allegorical for what the nuclear warhead will accomplish upon impact, but God included this as being already in the container, in order to represent that the fire was part of this container. Zechariah 5:9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Zechariah continued describing what he saw in this same vision. When Zechariah looked up at this nuclear warhead, he saw two fire offerings (there came out two women) lifting the warhead off the ground, he recognized that they had great swiftness, as if they had wind in their wings. The same mistake was made on the proper translation for 'ishshah in this verse, whereas these are clearly two fire offerings as one can see in the above photo. There are two rockets flaming out of the tail of this nuclear warhead, in order to lift it to its destination. A proper translation would say “Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two fire offerings, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork.” The wickedness of the war mongering nations will be used against them by God, as He will use these nuclear warheads for their destruction. Zechariah 5:10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? Zechariah asked an interesting question to the cherub angel. The word “Whither” is translated from the Hebrew word yalak, which is defined as: “to lead, bring, lead away, carry, cause to walk.” God revealed to me that Zechariah asked the cherub angel: “for what reason do these people build such a wicked device?” Zechariah 5:11 And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base. The cherub angel provided Zechariah a very deep answer to his question in verse 10. There has been a desire for Satan and his evil followers to bring in a single one world government, ever since the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). God has confounded the languages and dispersed the people throughout the Earth, in order to prevent such an evil and diabolical plan, which would enslave the human race under one evil, ruling system. God has delayed their plan, in order to send His Son to be the Savior and Redeemer for the people of His kingdom. Since Christ had come and did succeed to die in the place of His people, the world has been moving closer and closer to that day, where they will destroy many and try to rule over the Earth. The house, which started to be built in the land of Shinar, was the Tower of Babel; the Mystery Religion had been born there and is still alive in the pagan churches, as well as the Roman Catholic Church (Rome). “And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.” (Gen. 11:2) Typically, the word of God uses a feminine pronoun to indicate a church, or people. The Mystery Religion will be the evil realm responsible for the building of so many nuclear warheads all over the Earth. The Lord has indicated that He will set the nuclear warheads against her own base; this implies that He will use their own nuclear warheads against them (set there upon her own base). This prophecy ends with an explanation of why the nuclear warheads exist. The satanic realm will provoke the use of these weapons, as God has planned. The end will be God’s choice to judge the wicked, and these devices of the wicked will be used against them.

Thank you for the Bible verses that you desire to associate with this. If you will notice, GOD the Father will send fire down upon the entire mass of people attacking Jerusalem within Revelation 20:10. Your attempt to connect Ezekiel 38-39 with Revelation 20:10 is actually pretty absurd. Your taking the names Gog and Magog and assuming that these two passages are connected. The Ezekiel Magog reference is strictly a location (land of Magog). Magog has been dead for over 4,300 years. The fire being sent down on Magog in Ezekiel 39:6 is a nuclear fire; it represents a nuclear war, where that land will be burned up entirely. The fire sent down ( Ezek. 38:22) on Gog and his bands of the military are to be fire and brimstone as was formerly sent down on Sodom and Gomorrah. That nuclear exchange of Ezekiel 39:6 will occur within the first week of the seven-year Seventieth Week of Daniel. Nuclear war is coming. Your uneducated use of the term "ultimate latter days" is a twist. Whenever we see the term "last days" or "latter days," it refers to the latter days before the end of the age. This dispensational "age" will end when Christ returns on day 2,520 of the seven-year timeline of the Seventieth Week of Daniel 9:27. The mention of "latter days" insinuates that this event will be before the end of this age.

The Second Coming of Christ is biblical in both the Old and New Testament. He will come into the air, catch up His Bride to heaven, while leaving His Father's side. He will come to the Earth at His Second Coming, touch down on Mt. Olives, all while leaving His Father on HIS throne in heaven. The expression "sit at my right hand," within Psalm 110:1, should be understood to mean that GOD the Father will see to it that all enemies (including death) will be made Christ's footstool (under His feet). This expression is metaphoric, and not to be construed to be literal.

John did not call the city a bride, he compared her appearance to be "as" a bride.

Easy enough. Paul espoused Christ's church to One Husband. Because I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:2)

The name "church age" has been construed by men, but the doctrine is of God. The "church age" has been construed to have begun at Pentecost from Act 2:1-4. The end of the church age has been construed to be when the church is caught up (harpaz0/rapturo) to be with the Lord (our Ressurection).

In Revelation 19:7, John wrote of a wedding "Marriage of the Lamb." The Marriage Supper will be on Earth, where the awaiting mortals will be invited. Revelation 19:9 And he said unto me: “Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are the true sayings of God. This is a verse, which we cannot link to anyone speaking previously to link the pronoun “he.” If we go to the following verse, we will find that this person that spoke to John was one of the brethren of the church. This member of the Bride of Christ said, “Write, Blessed are they, which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” He also said: “These are the true saying of God.” The cherubim angels were involved in advising John of what He was seeing in the visions, while John had been writing things down. He was obeying what Jesus had commanded from Revelation 1:19, but now the member of the church stepped in to make sure that John wrote this very important proclamation down. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is not the same event as the Marriage of the Lamb from verse 19:7. In heaven will be the Marriage of the Lamb, which will be right before the Second Coming of Christ. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be an event, which will be held on Earth, after the Second Coming and Armageddon. During His first advent, Jesus had told a parable, concerning the wedding and its guests. In the parable, there were welcome guests, as well as unwelcome guests. The parable is key to be understood as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, where a remnant of Israel will be invited to that wedding feast, while others will not be invited. In reality, the uninvited will already be dead from the seven years of wrath, while the protected remnant will all be invited. “So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.” (Matt. 22:10) The point of the parable was to Israel, when Jesus had implied that there would be a certain guest, who would be an imposter; He will order the imposter guest to be cast out “into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 22:13) This hit home with the Pharisees of that time, because they knew that He was referring to them as well. The importance of the proclamation of Jesus here in 19:9 is simply a call to those on Earth, who will be there when He arrives. The invited guests will be the remnant of Israel, whom He will have been protecting for 3 ½ years, until He will have arrived. The marriage celebration will be a glorious venue with the Old Testaments Saints (immortals), the Tribulation Saints (immortals) the cherubim angels, the protected remnant of Israel (mortals), the gathered “elect” from Earth (mortals), and the Bride of the Lamb (immortals), who will all be there with the Groom (Jesus). All will be truly blessed! “These are the true saying of God.”

And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Rev. 21:2) Notice in Revelation 21:2 that John was comparing (as a bride adorned) the appearance of New Jerusalem, but never says that that is what the city is.

Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to HIM, because the Marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. The worship service will continue right into the introduction of the Bride of the most important marriage ceremony to ever come to pass. The multitude of the church, cherubim, seraphim, Tribulation and Old Testament Saints will recite verses 19:7 and 19:8, along with the Groom, and the Father of both the Bride and the Groom. Everyone in heaven will be heard saying: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to HIM, because the Marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” As all of heaven is glad and rejoicing, they will honor the Father (HIM), because the Marriage of the Lamb (Jesus the Son of God), and His wife, who had made herself ready to be joined with their Lord, God, and Savior. The Apostle Paul said: “Because I am jealous over you with godly jealousy, because I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:2) John the Baptist said concerning the Messiah: "He who has the bride is the Bridegroom; but the friend of the Bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice; so this joy of mine has been made full.” (Jn. 3:29) Jesus had told the Jews listening to Him, a concern for them to be watchful, because the remnant in the future were going to be waiting for Him to come (see Rev. 12). “And you yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord; when He will return from the wedding, that when He comes and knocks, they may open unto Him immediately.” (Luke 12:36) Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. The brides of men of the current age, will still dress themselves in white dresses, in order to proclaim their purity, when they have already given up their virginity to someone beforehand; this is a false proclamation of their purity. The significance of white raiment, shows the purity of the Bride, and is important in the context of theology. The sins of the Bride have been washed away clean like snow, when it was at one time, scarlet from their sins. Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Is. 1:18) As Jesus had been introduced by John in Revelation 1:5, John had said that the Lord had “washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Isaiah foretold of the salvation to come within Isaiah 1:18 (Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow). The Apostle Paul wrote: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Eph. 1:7) The Tribulation Saints will be in heaven, because they held fast to their salvation, because they will “have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” of God (Rev. 7:14). These expressions are allegory representing the sins of each person, after they had stained their garments scarlet red; the stain represents their offenses committed against God; when a person trusts in the sacrificial blood atonement performed by God upon His Son Jesus, the sins accumulated are washed away clean, white as snow. Knowing that the Tribulation Saints will have been in heaven, immediately after they will have been killed, we can also conclude that they will have also washed their garments clean white with the blood of the Lamb.

DeighAnn, Great point, but Leviticus 21:12 is not a promise to anyone of a crown, but this kind of kingship crown is promised to the Bride of Christ. We shall all be kings and priests as our Lord is, while we rule under Christ's rule during the Millennial Kingdom. Also, Zechariah 9:16 speaks of the "stones" of a crown. And has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Rev. 1:6)

If I said that it was imperfect, and you say that it was imperfect, then why are you arguing? When the translators interpret this as "it came to pass," then they have made this a finished action (perfect), when Ezekiel wrote this as imperfect and implies that the word of the Lord "continued" (imperfect).

So you can argue against the Lexicons all you want. I will side with them, when all of them say that this is inflected as an imperfect verb. The Blue Letter Bible, the James Strong Lexicon, and the Scholars Gateway all parse this as an imperfect verb. https://scholarsgateway.com/parse/וַיְהִי The original hāyâ הָיָה is Qal perfect, then is reversed into a Qal imperfect verb, as all lexicons have determined. Why pose this argument against my point? If you have concerns, go argue with the lexicons. My point being made in my Bible Commentary is that the English translators have changed the tense to past tense, when it should have been an unfinished action. Ezekiel's timemarks can be determined with all of his writings being ongoing until he determines them to have changed.

Thank you for your efforts, but the reversal typically occurs. הָיָה (hāyâ) began as a perfect verb, then the vav reversed it into an imperfect verb. Vav conjunction represents the conjunction “and,” when this verb began and is a perfect verb and is reversed into imperfect, it became a vav reversive. https://scholarsgateway.com/parse/וַיְהִי+ Therefore, the translators were incorrect.

The church age began at Pentecost as we can read in Acts 2. The Resurrection of Life is to be understood to be in three phases, just as the annual harvest of Israel was. The first fruits of the Resurrection of Life are immortals now in heaven with their immortal bodies. However, those dead in Christ have gone to heaven with only their soul and spirit. They have not yet been resurrected, until the rapture of the church. Then that second phase of the Resurrection of life will have come to pass. The Jews would obey the commandment of God on the first workday, following the first regular Sabbath (after the Feast of Passover), they would waive the first fruits of their barley harvest. The Feast of First Fruits was a divine appointment, set by God for Israel, in order to prepare them for their future redemption. Little did they know that it symbolized the First Fruits of the Resurrection of Life (Jn. 5:29). Jesus Christ arose, that first day after the Sabbath, fulfilling the third Feast of the Lord; this was in the exact order of the feast schedule and on the exact day. The time between Jesus’ death on the cross, and His resurrection, was three days and nights that had passed. Many will ask: “Where was Jesus Christ during those three days and nights? “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matt. 12:40) With the verse in Matthew 12:40, we should understand that Jesus the Messiah spent three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth. Then, many ask: “What was He doing in the heart of the Earth?” The Bible does answer this specifically. In Ephesians 4:8-10, one can read the Apostle Paul’s explanation of what Jesus was doing in the heart of the Earth for three days and three nights. 8Wherefore He said, “When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” 9 (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the Earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things. (Eph. 4:8-10) The Apostle Paul explained that Jesus had descended down to the center of the Earth, before He ascended up to heaven. Many will not understand what Paul meant by “He led captivity captive.” Jesus the Christ, having died on the cross, fulfilled Genesis 3:15. He crushed the head of Lucifer, even though Lucifer bruised Christ’s heel, by sending Him to the cross. The sting of death is gone for those who have believed. From the Garden of Eden, until the last breath Jesus took on the cross, there was a place called hell (sheol) where all souls went after they died a physical death. Jesus had already explained that hell was a two compartment waiting place. One side is bottomless, dark, hot, painful and hopeless. The other side was a pleasant place called “Abraham’s bosom,” where the saints from the Old Testament had been sent, because they had to wait for the Messiah to come and fulfill what God had promised. Jesus had spoken about this in the story about Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16. It has to be an absolutely true story, because He used names of real people. In all of the parables that Jesus ever told, he never used real names of actual people. Abraham was a real person, and so therefore, was Lazarus also. 22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (Luke 16:22-23) The Old Testament Saints were still prisoners of their sins, which they had committed, during their life on Earth. They waited for their redeemer to pay the price for the sins which they had committed. Only God could have lived a sinless life; only God could have a “high enough value” because of who He is, in order to be the only acceptable sacrifice for the sins of all who would trust in Him. If a normal man had lived a sinless life, and died on the cross, it would not satisfy God’s price for the sins of all mankind? If an angel had done this, would the value of an angel be enough? It would not be so. It was the value of who Jesus is, as the only begotten Son of GOD the Father, which makes His value worthy of paying for the sins for all mankind. This is why the “virgin birth” is so important to the gospel. If Mary wasn’t a virgin, then how would mankind be sure that Jesus was the Son of God? God the Son was sufficient for the sins of mankind. As Jesus had said “It is finished,” the price was paid in full. 22But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. (1 Cor. 15:22-23) The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, tells the church that Jesus Christ is the firstfruits of them that slept. If one were to ask: “Who was sleeping?” The only conclusion would be, that this was all those who had died before Christ had died, who were waiting for their Messiah to come; these were those that lived their life for God and trusted that He was going to send His Messiah. One can see in verse 1 Corinthians 15:23, God resurrects all of mankind in an order. Yes, all of mankind, that has ever lived, will have a resurrection! This also means that there is more than one phase in the Resurrection of Life. There is a verse in John 5:29 that states that there are only two resurrections. The Resurrection of Life and the Resurrection of Damnation. The Resurrection of Life has three phases, which are similar to the traditional Jewish harvest. This will be explained a little later. Your dead men shall live, together with My dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, you that dwell in dust: for your dew is as the dew of herbs, and the Earth shall cast out the dead. (Is. 26:19) Jesus descended down to the center of the Earth to gather the Old Testament Saints; He took them from captivity in hell (sheol), and led them captive into victory; they were resurrected and ascended to heaven with God the Son! Praise the Lord! Notice in Matthew 27:52-53 that the Old Testament Saints had resurrected after Jesus had, and walked into the city of Jerusalem. 52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. (Matt. 27:52-53) The prophet Hosea also wrote of this day that the Old Testament Saints would rise and be with their Lord. A person should be able to read this and see that it has already been fulfilled; please notice that the Lord was to raise them up on the third day. With Matthew 27:52-53 confirming it, the first phase of the Resurrection of Life was completed. Is it a coincidence that it happened on the Feast of First Fruits? Thus, they were the first fruits of the Resurrection of Life. 1 Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He has torn, and He will heal us; He has 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. (Hos. 6:1-2) It probably wasn’t long after the saints were resurrected, that Jesus then led them to heaven. One can read in John 20:14 that Jesus was about to ascend up after speaking with Mary. The Feast of First Fruits was fulfilled, and once again on the exact feast day, by Jesus Christ as He resurrected from the dead; he fulfilled the prophecies of that day (Isaiah 26:19, Hosea 6:1-2), by raising up those that were waiting for their Messiah to free them from their captivity in sheol; His victory over death guarantees all Christians a resurrection onto eternal life someday as well. 14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said unto her: “Woman, why do you weep? Whom do you seek?” She, supposing him to be the gardener, said unto Him: “Sir, if You have borne him hence, tell me where You have laid him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said unto her: “Mary.” She turned herself, and said unto Him: “Rabboni,” which is to say, “Master!” 17 Jesus said unto her: “Touch me not, because I have not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” (Jn. 20:14-17)

A little help....please excuse my analysis, it is just how my spirit works within me; GOD's Spirit has made me this way, Amen! 2 Thessalonians 2:5 Remember you not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? Having to flee from Thessalonica so quickly, Paul took with him the realization that there were still people believing the false prophets, who were declaring that the “day of the Lord” was “at hand.” He had been setting people straight, while he was there, by informing them of the two prerequisites that had to occur first, before the seven-year “day of the Lord” could begin. Here in verse 5, Paul reminded them that he was there recently and had been correcting them in their false beliefs, concerning the timing of the two events described in verse 1. 2 Thessalonians 2:6 And now you know what withholds that he might be revealed in his time. While Paul reminded the Thessalonians of what he was teaching them before he fled, he acknowledged that they “now” know what “withholds” the world from the revealing of that person (he) in his time on Earth. The pronoun “he” reflects back to the noun spoken of in verse 3 (man of sin), reflected additionally in verse 4 with the pronoun “who.” The translators used the verb “withholds” for the Greek verb katechō, which is defined as “to restrain, hinder.” The inflected form of the Greek word is used in the accusative singular neuter form (κατέχον), so a gender was not yet used in the translation. From this declaration, Paul reminded the Thessalonians that there was something, which they had already been told about, that would restrain the “man of sin” (Antichrist) from being revealed. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way. The conjunction “for” is interchangeable for the conjunction “because.” This verse is one of the most debated verses of the Bible. It provides the reason for the previous statement by Paul. The focus, that Paul is reminding the Thessalonians of, is “what withholds” (restrains) the revealing of the man of sin (Antichrist). Satan and his dominion know the Bible and anticipate the removal of this restrainer, ever since it had been written of. The evil realm preserves their candidates through the centuries, ready to jump in and be this man of sin. The Apostle John revealed this same doctrine, within his first epistle, that Paul had here in verse 7 concerning the “mystery of iniquity.” Little children, it is the last days: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last days. (1 Jn. 2:18) The second sentence of verse 7 is the controversial verse, which is debated between Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, and Post-Tribulation Rapture believers. “only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way.” In breaking down the Greek, the translators used the verb “lets” for the Greek verb katechō (κατέχων) in the nominative singular masculine, which then has indicated that this is a male gendered person, who is performing this action. The pronoun “he” is then to be used as the one who is performing the action of restraining. The definition of the verb katechō is “restrains,” due to the tense being used within the sentence. The tense of this verse is determined by the word “now” being translated from the Greek adverb nyn meaning present, or now. Paul first states that “only” he is now letting (restraining), so it should be understood that there is no other thing, or person performing this action. The identity is verified as a male gender restraining the revealing of the man of sin (Antichrist) in the current age. Since we know this to have been occurring over the last two millenniums, the single person should be realized to be God. Can this be understood to be God the Father, or even God the Son? Yes, it is them, but the true Person that should be realized is God the Holy Spirit. “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Rom. 8:9) Everywhere in the world are Holy Spirit-filled Christians, who prevent the world from becoming totally overwhelmed in darkness and decay. Jesus had told his disciples that we are the salt and the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-16). Salt, being the preservative used to prevent spoilage, while our light is keeping the darkness at bay. Those, who do not have the Holy Spirit, do not understand this. Paul implied here in verse 7 that the Holy Spirit (He) “who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way.” Post-Tribulation and Mid-Tribulation Rapture believers twist this when they argue that it cannot be the Holy Spirit-filled church; they have a hard time wrapping their minds around the removal of the Holy Spirit from the Earth. If a person were to understand that the iniquity becomes so dominant in the world during the seven-year “day of the Lord,” they should also realize that God the Holy Spirit still is everywhere because He is omnipresent. He will not be indwelt within a multitude of believers, who until the rapture, has been influencing and restraining the world from utter darkness and the extreme decay of morality. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” (Jn. 14:16) The objections to this is because they do not understand how involved the Holy Spirit will be, when the church has been removed from the planet. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: The conjunction “and” connects this clause with the previous verse. Once the second prerequisite has come to pass, then shall that Wicked one be revealed. In other words, once the Holy Spirit-filled church has been removed from the entire Earth, then the man of sin (Wicked) shall be revealed. Paul’s intent was to remove any doubt from the Thessalonians that the seven-year day of the Lord could not be at hand, because the Christian church is still on the planet. In the modern world, non-Christians will know when the rapture of the church will be, because hundreds of millions of Christians will disappear at the blink of an eye. The world media will fill the internet and news broadcasts with the mysterious disappearance and catastrophic events that will transpire, as a result of them suddenly vanishing. Planes, trains, and automobiles will crash violently when their operators will have left them out of control. Many catastrophic deaths will transpire throughout the Earth, sending the survivors into utter panic. Loved ones will have vanished, or died, or be seriously injured. It will be an obvious occurrence, while the non-believers search for answers to why this will have happened. The world will be in turmoil, while wars will have been transpiring to bring the rapture of the church, which will bring a need for peace.

5In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the Lord: seven days you must eat unleavened bread. (Lev. 23:5-6)

Great discussion going on here! I love it!! I just want to help to understand this misunderstanding. Mark 14:3-9 is an interruption in the timeline, when John Mark recalled (via Simon Peter) the anointing of Jesus before He proceeded towards His death. John Mark then kept on the timeline beginning in Mark 14:10. The event being recalled was of the time while in Bethany, which occurred before Nisan 10 (Palm Sunday). Notice, in Mark 14:10-11, that Mark had also inserted the meeting between Judas Iscariot and the Pharisees (occurred on Passover [Mk. 14:1]). The timeline then continued to be counting down from Mark 14:10 (first day of Unleavened Bread was the Passover). The gentleman was correct (52:58 time of the video), Mark’s reason for going to the anointing within Mark 14:3-9 was to point out what offended Judas, which caused him to betray Jesus. The event within Luke 7:36-50 was a totally different event from Mark 14:3-9. In Luke 7, it was a Pharisee named Simon (his house), as opposed to Simon the leper (his house) in Mark 14:3; the woman did not pour the oil over Jesus’s head In Luke 7:46, but she anointed His feet, while later Mary (sister of Lazarus) poured the oil upon Jesus’ head in Mark 13:3. Luke provided totally different information, because it was a different event totally from the time in Bethany within Mark 14:3. 5In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the Lord: seven days you must eat unleavened bread. (Lev. 23:5-6) Since the Passover meal was accompanied with unleavened bread at their table, the Feast of Passover was adopted into being called the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was meant to be started on the fifteenth day of the month, otherwise the day after the Feast of Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven-day feast. Through Jewish tradition, it was combined into an eight-day feast; they ate the Feast of Passover on the first day, which was the fourteenth day of the month. Now the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, “Where will You that we prepare for You to eat the Passover?” (Matt. 26:17) The timing is important, so that one can see that the scriptures give an accurate account. For many centuries, most of the church has been deceived by false doctrines on the crucifixion day of Christ. These doctrines which say that the crucifixion happened on Friday, and then Christ rose again on Sunday, actually contradict Jesus. Jesus is quoted in saying: Because as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth. (Matt. 12:40) A Friday death does not give Jesus three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth, in order to be resurrected on Sunday morning. If one looks in Mark 11:1-10, the Scriptures tell of Jesus and His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This was the tenth day of the month of Nisan (Ex. 12:3). Then if one keeps reading in Mark 11, one will find a verse which proclaims that it turns to the morrow (next day). “And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry” (Mark 11:12). This would be the eleventh day of the month of Nisan, which would be a Monday. Then look to Mark 11:19-20, and notice another day had passed; this makes it the twelfth day of the month of Nisan, or Tuesday. And when even was come, He went out of the city. 20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. (Mark 11:19) Mark 14:1 indicates after two days, which would be Thursday, Nisan 14, and was the Passover. Please notice how Mark called that Thursday the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was actually the Feast of Passover. After two days was the Feast of the Passover, and of Unleavened Bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by craft, and put Him to death. (Mark 14:1) This brings us to the Feast of Passover on the fourteenth day of Nisan, which was a Thursday, then the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the fifteenth day of the month of Nisan, and was a Friday. 13And they went, and found as He had said unto them, and they made ready the Passover. 14 And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 And He said unto them: “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:13-15) May God bless everybody in Christ!

Thanks all, I will take the feedback into consideration. I will condense where possible. Hopefully, y'all understood my point. If not for the existence of Psalm 110:4, we would all be dead in our sins.

The Four Horns And Four Carpenters Zechariah 1:18-21 The Four Horns and the Four Carpenters. While driving to work, I listened to the daily broadcast given on the Christian AM radio station, which always has Dr. J. Vernon McGee on at this time in the morning. Dr. McGee was teaching from the Book of Zechariah and was in the topic of the four horns and four carpenters of Zechariah chapter 1. I was literally right here in the writing of this book discussing the four beasts of Daniel 7. What an amazing time for the Lord to show me that I needed to address this passage, from Zechariah 1:18-21, right at this point. Though I do not totally agree with who Dr. McGee thought were the four horns and four carpenters, I felt God revealing to me who they were. I will bring this to you just hours after this has been revealed to me. 18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. 19 And I said unto the Messenger that talked with me: “What be these?” And he answered me: “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 And the Lord showed me four carpenters. 21 Then said I: “What come these to do?” And he spoke, saying: “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it. (Zech. 1:18-21) If a person reads about this vision, they will see that the Lord revealed to Zechariah a vision of four horns, who were those that had and were to scatter Judah. Many want to declare that the four beasts of Daniel 7 are those four horns; that would be incorrect, if a person were to investigate this word “scattered” written in Zechariah 1:19, 21. Only two of the four beasts of Daniel 7 had scattered the Jewish people; the two would be Babylon in 605 B.C. thru 586 B.C. and also the Roman Empire in A.D. 70, when they destroyed the second temple and scattered the Jews among the Gentile nations once again. In Bible prophecy, one needs to understand what the allegorical meaning of a “horn” is; we can see this explained in Revelation 17. “And the ten horns which thou saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.” (Rev. 17:12) With it understood that these four horns in Zechariah 1 are kings, this will help in realizing who these four horns are. The first time the Jews of either Judah (southern kingdom) or Jerusalem, were scattered was against an Assyrian king. If we consider that Assyrian King Sennacherib had taken some of the surrounding Judeans around Jerusalem captive, then we have our first horn of this Zechariah 1:18-21 prophecy. “Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defensed cities of Judah, and took them.” (Is. 36:1) With that being proven historically, a person must conclude and declare Assyrian King Sennacherib as the first horn of the prophecy of Zechariah 1:18-21. The second horn of Zechariah 1:18 would have to be King Nebuchadnezzar. As I have already disclosed in previous chapters, he was sent by God to scatter the Jews and take them into captivity. “And Jehozadak went into captivity, when the Lord carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.” (1 Chron. 6:15) The third time that the Jews were scattered was not until 70 A.D., when General Titus, (Regent Titus) under his father, Vespasian (reigning Emperor of Rome), invaded Jerusalem; Vespasian had sent his son to destroy the temple and city of Jerusalem, while killing and scattering the rebellious people of Israel. It is most recognized that Titus was the one that lead the charge over Jerusalem, thus the scattering of the Jews; but to be consistent with the prophecy, one has to declare the king to be the “horn” in the prophecy, therefore, I believe that the third horn of Zechariah 1:18 is Emperor of Rome, Vespasian. Since the scattering of the Jews in A.D. 70 lasted until May 15, 1948, we should realize that the fourth “scattering” of the Jews has yet to happen. God told the prophet Ezekiel that He would bring them back again to their land. 21 And say unto them, “Thus says the Lord God; ‘Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.’” (Ezek. 37:21-22) If one continued and read into Ezekiel 38, they would understand that right after Israel is brought back into their land, there is to be an end-times battle; this battle is now known as the “The Battle of Gog of Magog.” We can then conclude, since Israel is now back in their land since May 15, 1948, that this can be considered the latter days, or last days. Knowing that Israel still will experience another scattering, makes one wonder: “How and why will this happen?” The Scriptures do prophecy of another captivity (scattering) of the Jewish people. Yes, a fourth scattering will happen! 1For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (Joel 3:1-2) In Joel 3:1, the Lord declared that He will bring another captivity to Judah and Jerusalem. “Those days” can easily be understood that it is during the time right before Armageddon as all nations are to be gathered into the Valley of Jehoshaphat. 1Behold, the day of the Lord comes, and your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you. 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zech. 14:1-2) Notice that Zechariah 14:1-2 implied that timing is to be the “day of the Lord” and the gathering of all nations once again against Jerusalem. Most theologians will agree that the “day of the Lord” is the final wrath that God will consummate against the world during the Seventieth Week of Daniel. Reading further into verse Zechariah 14:2, one can see that the city shall be taken, houses rifled and women ravished, as half the city will go into captivity. As in the other captivities of Israel, the people do flee, while others are killed and the rest are taken into captivity; these horrified Jews will scatter into other lands. If I haven’t convinced you as of yet of the future “scatter” of Israel, I will refer you to a comment that the Lord Jesus Christ made in Matthew 24. 15 When you therefore shall see the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: (Matt. 24:15-16) There is a remnant of Jews that will remember what Jesus has said and will flee and they will influence others to join them. They will flee to a place and be protected by God for the second half of the seven years of the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 (Revelation 12:6, 14). I will cover this prophecy in great detail later on, concerning Daniel 9:24-27. Remembering what Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:15-16, there will be an event that will cause these people to flee. There is the Antichrist, who becomes a sudden enemy of the Jews; when he will declare himself as God, he will demand people to worship him, or die; this causes the Jews to flee Jerusalem. This Antichrist is the fourth horn of the prophecy in Zechariah 1:18, because he will cause the fourth scattering of the Jewish people. The fours horns of Zechariah 1:18 are: Assyrian King Sennacherib, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, Roman King Vespasian, and world king, the Antichrist. Now that I have covered the four horns of Zechariah 1:18, I will gladly go over the four carpenters mentioned in verses 1:20 and 1:21; “…but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles…;” this comment about the four carpenters indicates that these four men will “fray” the horns who had, and will have scattered the Jewish people. A person must refer to the carpenters as men, since each of the “horns” were men as well. The word “fray” is translated from the Hebrew verb: “charad,” which is defined as: “to drive in terror, rout (an army).” Knowing that the first scattering of the Jews, when they were taken captivity by the Assyrians, we can determine the first “carpenter” as the one that “frayed” the Assyrians. King Nabopolassar was an Aramaean of the Kaldu tribe, also known as the Chaldeans. After a year of guerilla-type warfare, Nabopolassar sat on the throne of Babylon in November 23, 626 B.C. This was the Eleventh (and last) Dynasty of Babylon, known as the Chaldean Empire, or the Neo-Babylonian Empire.[1] King Nabopolassar took Nippur, while also liberating Sumer and Akkad. By 617 B.C., he had cleared out of Babylonia, the Assyrian garrisons south of the neck. In 616 B.C., he marched up the Euphrates River to the district of Harran, to Arrapkha and Assur; he established bases in this area. In 614 B.C., Cyaxares of Media marched against Nineveh, which was too strong for him, but he took Assur and Tarbisu and inflicted great destruction. King Nabopolassar met him after the battle and they established a friendship. A marriage did seal this union in which the Babylonian prince, Nebuchadnezzar, would marry Amytis. In 613 B.C., the Medes were inactive; this allowed Assyria to mount a counterattack. In 612 B.C., Nabopolassar united with Cyaxares and the Ummanmanda in an attack on Nineveh. After a two to three-month siege, they destroyed the famous city of Nineveh. The city was sacked and plundered; the people were enslaved.[2] The Sovereign God of the universe started to make his move to accomplish the second scattering of Israel (known as the Babylonian Captivity), when He brought the overthrow, or “fray” of the Assyrians, or first horn country of Zechariah 1:18. Nabopolassar can be declared the first carpenter of Zechariah 1:20, as he accomplished the demise of Nineveh, which was the capital city of Assyria; he set up the Babylonian Empire which his son, Nebuchadnezzar, would rule over in the future. As I have established already that King Nebuchadnezzar was the second horn of the four horns prophecy, one can then figure who the second carpenter of this prophecy is. The Babylonians went down in defeat by King Cyrus of Persia in 539 B.C. God had declared that Cyrus would be the one who would also make the first order to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah wrote this prophecy between 700 and 681 B.C. That said of Cyrus: “He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure:” even saying to Jerusalem: “You shall be built; and to the Temple, your foundation shall be laid.” (Is. 44:28) If King Cyrus was God’s shepherd, I would think it would be safe to say that he was definitely one of the four carpenters as well. Understanding the Isaiah prophecy, the defeat (fray) of the Babylonians (second horn empire), we should absolutely declare King Cyrus of Persia the second carpenter of Zechariah 1:20-21. With the scattering of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the Emperor of Rome, Vespasian, we already know that the scattering had lasted 1,878 years. At midnight on May 14, 1948, the Provisional Government of Israel proclaimed the new State of Israel. On that same date, the United States, in the person of President Harry S. Truman, recognized the provisional Jewish government as de facto authority of the new Jewish state (de jure recognition was extended on January 31). The U.S. delegates to the U.N., and top ranking State Department officials, were angered that Truman released his recognition statement to the press without notifying them first. Though it is known that President Truman was a bit of an anti-Semite, he was the commander and chief of the victorious United States military, who had defeated the Nazi war machine under Adolph Hitler and brought peace to Europe. The Jews were heavily persecuted by Hitler and his dreadful holocaust. The Jews were then involved in an incredible series of events, which fulfilled Bible prophecy, as they regained their Jewish homeland; President Truman made a mysterious move to confirm the Jewish declaration of a new State without U.N. approval. To be consistent with the prophecy of Zechariah 1:20-21, we should declare the one who was clearly the one king most responsible for the “fray” of the “third horn;” the scattering of Israel was ended, because of the victory over Israel’s oppressors and deliberation in order to return to their land; therefore we must declare that Harry S. Truman is, in fact, the third carpenter of Zechariah 1:20-21. This can be confirmed more accurately, when we consider that the fourth beast of Daniel 7 (Roman Catholicism) is still ruling the Earth, while Harry S. Truman defied their rule, by making this amazing declaration. With the biblical prophecy already mentioned that confirms that there will be a fourth “scattering” of Israel, we can rest assured that it will be the Antichrist of the seven-year Seventieth Week of Daniel, who will send the people of Jerusalem scattering. It is very easy to declare the fourth carpenter of the Zechariah 1:18-21 prophecy. Ironically, He was born a carpenter’s son and became a carpenter Himself, until He started His ministry. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ is the fourth carpenter of the Zechariah 1:18-21 prophecy. He will return and free Israel and cast the Antichrist into the lake of fire, Amen. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Rev. 19:20) [1]Steve R. Miller, The American Commentary:44 [2] Rocío Da Riva, The Inscriptions of Nabopolassar, Amel-Marduk and Neriglissar, (Boston: Walter De Gruter, Inc., 2013):7-8

You do good work, William!

Great job!!