Sequence-of-Events Analysis

[Sister]

 

On 23/07/2016 at 9:45 PM, Montana Marv said:

What do those "days" refer to?  Those days being shortened.

Quote

The days of the Great Tribulation.  How long could you last without being able to buy food while all the while they're hunting you down?

 

Those "days" that are being shortened, is the actual war in Israel with all the kings of the earth fighting each other.  It's not speaking of the whole tribulation being shortened, but this actual war.  Because of technology, they have the capability to destroy the whole earth with their weapons of mass destruction.  If Jesus does not stand in at this point, to stop the war that has killed already a third of men, then there would be no flesh left.  Armageddon comes next where they all gather this time against the Lord, united now.  So Jesus stops that war by his appearing in the sky, which leaves the armies pretty dumbfounded.  The sky must be lit up so bright that the armies have no choice to stop warring, because to them it would seem like an invasion from space that they have to deal with now, not even knowing who it is in the air just yet, because the deception is so great, ..... but will soon find out after they have reassembled and point their weapons up to the one the clouds.

You don't last long without food, which is why the angel calls us all to come out of Babylon. 

Revelation 14:12   Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Revelation 14:13   And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

If we don't heed the warning, we will become like Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup.  Esau was only concerned with his flesh,...he wanted food that day so that he could live.  It will be the same when this time comes.  A decision must be made.

Mark 8:35   For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

Hebrews 12:16   Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

John 6:48   I am that bread of life.

  John 6:49   Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

  John 6:50   This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

  John 6:51   I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

[Retrobyter]

On August 11, 2016 at 8:45 PM, Sister said:

Marcus

My explanation was that there were three reapings.  All taken from chapter 14.

The First group to be reaped is the 144,000, the FIRST-FRUITS.  I explained there are two types of sealings.  Only 144K are sealed with the Father's name on their foreheads and know that song that no man knows but them, and the 24 elders in heaven.  So because they follow the Lamb, they have been fed by him....this is that same song he gave the apostles, ....that same doctrine is what they have been given which is why they are chosen.  The details given about them are the clues as to why they are reaped first, which is why they are standing before the throne of God in heaven, where the 24 elders are and the four beasts.  They did what was commanded and followed that same doctrine which was provided to all of us.

If you need some more information, I can provide and show why they are taken up first;

John 6:51   I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

 John 6:56   He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

 

That flesh we ought to eat, is Christ's doctrine.  The only place we can find this is in the scriptures where there is truth.  It has been provided for us already, so no need to go to man's books, written by man and depend on his interpretation, through his eyes, because men make mistakes.  So for someone to say, heh I've written a book, come to MY book, and you will find truth, is going against what Christ taught us.  Christ will feed us himself, from his words, and when he sees that we have obeyed this commandment, and searched out his word because we love truth, then he will provide the holy spirit to give understanding of those scriptures and to tie it all together.  This can not be given from man, but from only from Christ himself.  So in proving truth, we should refer men to the scriptures, and this is where whatever is said by one's opinion can be verified or rebuked.  So I ask you again, to please read Rev 14, and look at it real carefully this time, and forget about what you have already stated, or written, but look at it with fresh eyes again because in that chapter, it shows us, and when I say clearly, I mean clearly, because the Word of God does not lie, that when we analyse that chapter, you will see a little jewel there,  a rythmn, that there are three reapings and that order is laid out already. It's subtle, and it's vague, but it's there.

When you go to Rev 7, you will also see a rythmn concerning the resurrection, who is chosen first, and who comes next, and when you go to Rev 11, there's a rythm there also, with the measuring of the temple, and those left outside in the court who are given to the gentiles, ....and if we are not inside the temple measured, then the only place we can stay is in the outer court to be trodden on by the gentiles.  In all three scenarios, there are a small elite group, and a large group, and they tie in perfectly, in absolute harmony with all three chapters.  The jewel is staring us in the face, and we dismiss it so easily.

All I ask is to look at it again with fresh eyes, and see for yourself what is being shown to us, and instead of us becoming the shepherd, we need to hear the shepherd, for he is the only one who truly leads.

Have a blessed day yourself.

 

Shabbat shalom, Sister.

You don't even understand what you are reading. Do NOT claim to know or believe "Christ's doctrine," if you cannot accept that the teachings of the Christ or the teachings of the Jewish Messiah were for the children of Israel!

Matthew 10:5-8
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
KJV

Matthew 15:22-24
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
KJV

[Retrobyter]

4 hours ago, inchrist said:

The house of isreal , Ephrayim....means double fruit, who do you think sojourns with the house of israel presently?

You forgot the rest of the story of the canaan woman

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her,  “Woman, you have great faith!  Your request is granted.”And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Shabbat shalom, inchrist.

I didn't "forget the rest of the story of the K'naa`aniy woman." She was the ANOMALY, not the typical scenario! It did NOT change the fact that Yeshua`s mission was to the children of Israel, particularly those of the tribe of Y'hudah, His OWN tribe. Efraayim is just ONE of the twelve (thirteen) tribes of Israel. He was actually a GRANDSON of Isra'el, Yosef, his father and Isra'el's son, being given the double blessing, while the tribe of Leeviy was assigned the work in the Tabernacle and later the Temple:

Genesis 41:49-52
49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him.
51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.
52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
KJV

52 V'eet sheem hasheeniy qaaraa' Efraayim kiy hifraniy Elohiym b'erets `aanyiy:

He said this because Yosef had received a SECOND son; THIS is the reason for his name, not some false connection that Christians, ignorant of their Jewish heritage, concoct!

Numbers 18:20-21
20 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
KJV

Genesis 48:11-19
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
KJV

[Retrobyter]

4 hours ago, inchrist said:

Then it must also be a anomaly that Christ offered living water to the Samaritan woman, later to call more Samaritans for Christ.

It further seems to me you dont understand the meaning of multitude of nations, nor the understanding in Ezekiel 47:22-23, were the “stranger” is joined to whatever tribe of Israel that they choose to sojourn with.

Ephrayim is like the prodigal son in Luke 15:24, who was thought to be dead, but when he comes back home to the Father and his Towrah (commandments) he is given the blood atonement (the fatted calf or the red heifer) and he is given  a robe “resurrected” into a new creature and a ring "wedding"of the bride the wise virgin....Notice the older sons reaction (judah - the foolish virgin).

Paul was called to preach to the Gentiles, Ephrayim by the way is the 13th Tribe of Israel and guess how many books of the New Testament Paul wrote? He wrote 13 books of the New Testament for the 13 Tribes of Israel!

Hence you find Ephrayim’s name is blotted out in Revelation 7 but you see his multitude of Nations who are to be resurrected.

Shalom, inchrist.

What a RIDICULOUS string of allegories!

First of all, you need to understand that the Shomroniym (the Samaritans) were HALF-BREEDS! They were children of Israel who had intermarried with the Gentile inhabitants of the Land. Therefore, the timing may have come into play, but they ABSOLUTELY WERE children of Israel, to whom Yeshua` was sent. The problem that Y'hudiym (Jews) had with the Shomroniym is that they believed they could sacrifice to God wherever they wanted to instead of in the Temple in Yerushalayim. However, they KNEW about the Messiah (the Christ) of prophecy!

John 4:25-34
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
KJV

Second, you've taken FAR too many liberties you have no right to take!

Efrayim is NOT the "prodigal son" of Yeshua`s parable,
NOR is the "fatted calf" the "red heifer," 
NOR is the "robe" the "new creature" in the Resurrection,
NOR is the "ring" a "sign of the bride," 
NOR is the "older brother" "Y'hudah!"

Furthermore, the "bride" is NOT the "wise virgin,"
NOR is "Y'hudah" the "foolish virgin!"
Remember: the parable that Yeshua` gave involved TEN virgins (bride's maids), FIVE of which were wise and FIVE were foolish!

You can't just go around, making things up as you go, just because it SOUNDS good! You don't have that liberty nor do you have that right! You are USURPING the authority of the Messiah Yeshua`, attempting to put words in His mouth, a VERY dangerous habit that those who interpret the Bible allegorically have!

Third, Efrayim is NOT the "13th tribe of Israel." His tribe is technically the twelfth as they were blessed by Ya`aqov (Jacob) in Genesis 41, Mnasheh (Manasseh) being the thirteenth. However, his tribe was the largest of the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Also, you're using the common number "13" to equate the number of tribes of Israel with the number of books that Rav Sha'uwl (Paul) wrote?! Where's the support for THAT?! He certainly didn't address his thirteen books to these thirteen tribes! Again, you are taking far too many liberties when you have no authority to do so.

Fourth and final, Efrayim is NOT "blotted out" in Revelation 7! Since the tribe of Mnasheh (Manasseh) is listed in verse 6, then the tribe of Yosef (Joseph) listed in verse 8 IS the tribe of Efrayim!

It's time to come back down to reality; get your head out of the allegorical clouds!

[Sister]

13 hours ago, Retrobyter said:

Shabbat shalom, Sister.

You don't even understand what you are reading. Do NOT claim to know or believe "Christ's doctrine," if you cannot accept that the teachings of the Christ or the teachings of the Jewish Messiah were for the children of Israel!

Matthew 10:5-8
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
KJV

Matthew 15:22-24
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
KJV

Shalom Retrobyter

Firstly, I don't understand what your comment has to do with Rev 14?

We know that the Messiah came to his own first, and that he sent his apostles out on foot to testify to them first.....so that the scriptures could be fulfilled.

John 1:11   He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Therefore, because his own received him not, he gave them another commandment;

Matthew 28:19   Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

John 9:39   And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

 Matthew 23:37   O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

 

Today, the same Messiah, and the same Word that was not believed and accepted in his own country, has gone out to the ends of the earth.  The gentiles have never seen Christ, nor his apostles, yet they believe in him and his Word that we can access even today.  Can you tell me who then has the advantage?  Who gets to find out the straight path first?  The ones who heard it first or the ones who heard it last?

 

  Mark 16:15   And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
 

[WilliamL]

10 hours ago, Retrobyter said:

Third, Efrayim is NOT the "13th tribe of Israel." His tribe is technically the twelfth as they were blessed by Ya`aqov (Jacob) in Genesis 41, Mnasheh (Manasseh) being the thirteenth.

Jer. 31:9 For I [YHWH] am a Father to Israel,
And Ephraim is My firstborn.

Gen 48:5 “And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

Reuben and Simon were the former first and second born of Israel, but were replaced by Ephraim and Manasseh, who became the new first and second born. Their father Joseph replaced Reuben as the firstborn when Reuben sinned:

1 Chr. 5:1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; 2 yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph's...

[Marcus O'Reillius]

On 8/11/2016 at 1:02 PM, WilliamL said:

You ignore the context, which is fully eschatological; and there is nothing to allude to Jesus being the mountain, except in your imagination.

WilliamL is talking about a physical location of Mount Zion in Hebrews 12:22.
He says my take on it, comparing this mention of a mountain to Jesus as pure fabrication of imagination...

Here is how the NASB translates the pertinent verses:  The bold face is how they introduce this passage.

Contrast of Sinai and Zion
18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the command, " IF even A beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned." 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, " I am full of fear and trembling." 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

Here is the Expositor's Bible Commentary on Hebrews 12:18-24.

Note 22 "But" is the strong adversative (alla) and introduces a marked contrast. It is not a Sinai type experience that has befallen Christians. They "have come" (the perfect tense points to an accomplished and continuing state) to Mount Zion. This is one of the hills on which the city of Jerusalem was built. It sometimes stands for that city (Matt 21:5), and stands here, of course, for that city as the home of God's people. It is also called "the heavenly Jerusalem" and "the city of the living God." Elsewhere in the NT there is the thought of the Jerusalem above (Gal 4:26, where again there is a contrast with Mount Sinai; cf. also Rev 3:12; 21:2, 10).
The author has already spoken of "the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (11:10). He is bringing out the thought of the ideal, heavenly city. His mention of "the living God" (see comments on 3:12) emphasizes the thought that this city is no static affair; it is the city of a vital, dynamic, living Being, one who is doing things. Its inhabitants include large numbers of angels.

In Daniel, we have this mountain to which I make the comparison:

Daniel 2:34 You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:45 Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy."

In Revelation 16, we have this end-time event where the mountains will not be found - this is the great leveling of mountain ranges so that the only mountain that remains is the one upon which Jerusalem stands:

...and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

Yet, there will be a Mount Zion upon which the Remnant Jews and the meek who now follow them to embrace the Lord upon which they will encamp.
The city of Jerusalem will be the camp of God's people.
It even has, in Ezekiel 47:1-12, a source for water which refreshes the waters it touches after the devastations God has wrought which so totally destroyed the life in it.
And it is uphill, so that the water flows down from it.

Do not forget the last verse of Ezekiel 48:

35 The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ' The Lord is there. '"

In the Millennium, Jerusalem stands as the camp of God's people:

Rev 20:9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city,

Again, there are no mountain ranges in the Millennium.  The earth has been flattened so that rain is dependent upon obedience (Zec 14:17-18).

So not only is Jesus the figurative mountain in the Millennium, the city itself is and it is synonymous with Mount Zion - this is on the earth: not in the spiritual realm of the Kingdom of God where Jesus is now.

[Retrobyter]

13 hours ago, Sister said:

Shalom Retrobyter

Firstly, I don't understand what your comment has to do with Rev 14?

We know that the Messiah came to his own first, and that he sent his apostles out on foot to testify to them first.....so that the scriptures could be fulfilled.

John 1:11   He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Therefore, because his own received him not, he gave them another commandment;

Matthew 28:19   Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

John 9:39   And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

 Matthew 23:37   O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

 

Today, the same Messiah, and the same Word that was not believed and accepted in his own country, has gone out to the ends of the earth.  The gentiles have never seen Christ, nor his apostles, yet they believe in him and his Word that we can access even today.  Can you tell me who then has the advantage?  Who gets to find out the straight path first?  The ones who heard it first or the ones who heard it last?

 

  Mark 16:15   And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
 

Shalom, Sister.

You've got to "drop the other shoe!" First of all, those sealed in Revelation 14 were sealed from the TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL! That's LITERALLY the children of Israel, the actual, physical family of Yeshua`.

Secondly, Matthew 28:19 has this for its context:

Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
KJV

Mark 16:14-20
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel (herald the good news) to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 .They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
KJV

In Luke's account, he continues on into the book of Acts:

Acts 1:1-12
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.
KJV

So, the message was NOT just "go ye into all the world" and "teach all nations"; there was an ORDER to His Great Commission! First, they were to go to those in Yerushalayim, then to all those in Y'hudah, then to all those in the rest of Israel (Shomron), and THEN to the "uttermost part of the earth." And, this was not just a historical order, either. They were to do this order in EVERY generation! That's why Paul always went to the synagogues first, wherever he went! Paul verified this in his epistle to the Romans:

Romans 1:13-17
13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel (herald the good news) to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (the good news about the Messiah): for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
KJV

Thirdly, add the verses following Matthew 23:37:

Matthew 23:37-39
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
KJV

There's a promise of a FUTURE there! These verses are not to be interpreted as "Done with the Jews, moving on!"

Regarding John 9:39, I would direct your attention again to Paul's words to the Romans:

Romans 11:1-29
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them (the children of Israel) to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (i.e., God does not renege on His promises!).
KJV

Yeshua` did NOT just send His "apostles out on foot to testify to them first," just "so that the scriptures could be fulfilled!" They were the INTENDED recipients of God's Kingdom!

You asked the questions, "Can you tell me who then has the advantage?  Who gets to find out the straight path first?  The ones who heard it first or the ones who heard it last?" The answers are these:

Romans 3:1-4
1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles (the sayings) of God.
3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
KJV

"Who gets to find the straight path first, the ones who heard it first or the ones who heard it last?" The answer is, "YES! Both!"

[Marcus O'Reillius]

Another objection is that there is no second earthquake in the sixth Seal.

On 8/11/2016 at 1:02 PM, WilliamL said:

There is no second earthquake mentioned in the 6th Seal, other than in your imagination. And the passage certainly does not "record Jesus' touchdown," except in your imagination.

12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Let's look at this in the timeline of the Day of the Lord.
Here are the events described with the opening of the sixth Seal.

1. A great earthquake
2. Sun becomes black
3. Moon becomes like blood
4. Falling stars
5. Scrolling of the sky
6. Every mountain and island (mountains off the sea bed) moved.

When we look at the timeline, we see that we must go by necessity of what is described as happening from day until night.

• First we have an earthquake to "shake" things up - so that only what is unshakable (God) remains.
• At the height of day, at noon, the sun becomes dark
• At night, the moon is red
• A celestial fireworks comes with meteor shower.
• The night sky scrolls back, revealing?...  In the evening it will be light.
• THEN - at least half a day later - another earthquake happens.

This SECOND ONE is at night - not before noon as the first.

 

[Marcus O'Reillius]

Shaking the heavens and the earth indicates that these are both elements of creation rather than the realm of God.  Likewise, the nations will also be shaken.  The idea here is two-fold.  One, what is hidden will be made plain.  This analogy works like this.  In a container place some rocks and cover them with sand.  Shaking the container will actually bring the rocks to the surface as the sand works its way downward filling the smaller spaces the around the rocks.  The other is that is only what is unshakeable or solid will remain.  This means all the falsehoods built upon lies will come down and only the truth of God remains and in conjunction with the first aspect, become plain because it is all that is left standing.  This is exactly what the author of Hebrews says in quoting Haggai:

^{HEB 12:26a} …now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." ²⁷ The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

            Which raises the question of what remains?  As the truth cannot be shaken, then truth remains.  The Psalms speak of this in reverse fashion, here like the term Holy being applied in reverse fashion to the righteous in the meaning of Saints, going to those that are like MountZion; they trust in the Lord.  As Jesus is unshakeable so is Heaven:

  ^{PS 125:1} Those who trust in the LORD are like MountZion,

    which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

The Seal account does not address the events within the sixth Seal as the Day of the Lord, but having the element of the sun/moon/star event certainly includes it as describing that Day because of the multiple accounts and references to it.  This second event in Revelation’s Seal account has a parallel in the Olivet Discourse.  It comes directly after the period Jesus identifies as the Great Distress “unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.”  This preserves this section as maintaining a straight line chronological order.  As a sign, the sun/moon/star event has an element of the signature of God in the miraculous.  Miracles are God’s stamp of exclusivity that marks an event as being authored by Him.  God used the miraculous to put His stamp on the Law with all the miracles in bringing the Hebrew nation out of Egypt.  Prophets are imbued with the miraculous to validate their words as coming from God.  Jesus’ miracles proved God the Father witnessed to His teaching as well as Jesus.  So it is fitting that Christ’s return be stamped with the miraculous as an indelible seal of God’s work. 

As a time sequence marker, the darkening of the sun, the bloody appearance of the moon, and the fig like aspect to the stars, allows the sixth Seal to be linked directly to Jesus’ Olivet Discourse to the Disciples.  Jesus’ Words as recorded by Matthew and Mark are not a direct quote of any Old Testament passage.  Luke gives no detail, but he does state all three as signs in his gospel, but then his book is a compilation rather than a strict recitation.  Starting with the Olivet Discourse as a mainline timeline are the following descriptions:

    ^{MT 24:29} "Immediately after the distress of those days

  " `the sun will be darkened,

    and the moon will not give its light;

  the stars will fall from the sky,

    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

 

 

^{MK 13:24} "But in those days, following that distress,

  " `the sun will be darkened,

    and the moon will not give its light;

 

  ^{MK 13:25} the stars will fall from the sky,

    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

^{LK 21:25} "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.

As a matter of a counterpoint, looking at the sun/moon/star event ushers in some overlap of verses, because as a theme, darkness appears more than once in the struggle between God and Satan and more specifically, as a Judgment by God.  Darkness can apply to being outside of God’s orb, as being thrown into the darkness when rejected by God.  Darkness also represents the power of evil because it contains no light, being representative of Jesus.  Darkness was featured at Christ’s crucifixion.  Darkness is also used as Judgment of God in the fourth Trumpet and the fifth Bowl Judgment.

In this commentary, the idea behind presenting the Day of the Lord has it as a special day, separate from the rest.  While darkness is used to demonstrate the withdrawal of the Lord’s favor and so act as a form of punishment, the darkness on this day in the verses linked to this particular day have additional characteristics not associated with other Judgments.  To identify this day as a literal day, the three parts, should be listed.  In addition, prophecy connects certain elements with the Day of the Lord aside from just darkness: blood, fire and smoke.  These or some action by God which would lead to that should also be present in the context of any sun/moon/star passages which could be used to picture this unique day.

If the first order of the Day is an earthquake, then this covering of clouds could be just as sudden.  While no verse puts both on the same day: that remains a distinct possibility.  Joel does list an earthquake before the darkening as well.  If the darkening sky were to be accepted as a natural phenomenon, then there would not be the fear expressed by those hiding themselves.  Having it happen quickly would reinforce the change in the heavens as being supernatural.  Man, not regularly acknowledging God, would then be forced to concede that he is faced with something he doesn’t understand and it follows that fear would surround his thinking.  Just such a decisive change is indicated in Amos:

    ^{AM 8:9} "In that day," declares the Sovereign LORD,

  "I will make the sun go down at noon

    and darken the earth in broad daylight.

The point here is one of contrast.  Noon, supported in the Hebrew, is the brightest part of the day.  It is this time that God chooses to make dark announcing the end of the Great Distress that has persecuted followers of Christ.  A rough parallel would be Elijah pouring water several times on the sacrifice God will consume on Mount Carmel, seemingly; it is against the odds.  The accompanying word study to ‘noon,’ sohar, backs this up:

The brightness of that hour symbolizes the intense purity of justice (Ps 37:6; cf. Job 11:17) and the blessing that dispels gloom (Isa 59:10).  It is also viewed as a time of security; thus a conquest carried on at this time indicates a conqueror’s superior strength (Jer 6:4; 15:8; 20:16 Zeph 2:4).  Conversely, the rebellious grope in darkness even at noonday (Deut 28:28f.; Isa 58:10; Job 5:14).  Since the sun will set at noon on the day of judgment, the troubles of that day will be very severe (Amos 8:9).―TWOT p.755

The nature of the sun going down at noon with the verb action has not been stressed in this analysis.  Down is implied.  Go is a primitive root word and has a variety of applications to include the setting of the sun.  By itself, the verb action here does not lend itself to complete understanding of the process by which the sun goes, the important aspect of this verse is the timing which shows the utterly opposite contrast; at its peak: the sun is darkened.  This is because the nature by which the sun is removed may be understood in light of other Bible prophecies.  The important aspect here is the darkening of the earth; all relative accounts are in agreement there.  Having the sun go down would then be like a figure of speech for its absence to provide the light of day; the important part of Amos 8:9 is the timing of its absence.

Now while Amos describes a time of wrath against Israel what evidence separates this day from other instances revealed in Revelation to include darkness, specifically, the fourth Trumpet of the seventh Seal and the fifth Bowl?  The very section begins with the time being “ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer” as God says.  This in itself suggests the beginning of judgment.  Another clue which will tie this day to the Day of the Lord is the cryptic passage in verse 8:3, where bodies are flung everywhere and then silence.  But revealing the nature of that passage will have to wait until later in this chapter, but it does tie in with the Day of the Lord as will be explained.

An aspect of the Bible which is lost with the advent of modern post-Renaissance perspective is the imagery surrounding various descriptions of this sun/moon/stars event.  John’s use of imagery of sackcloth, blood and figs is not literal, but can be understood as being both descriptive of an unscientific viewpoint and also harkening to a greater meaning from the Bible.  The Revelation verse is not an objective news report.   To remove oneself and try to describe an event in an absolute, neutral and objective manner, especially one in which they were largely ignorant, was not part of their culture.  Thus the reader has to accept this passage and like passages within the viewpoint that was prevalent then because this is another instance where the observer’s true point of view holds.  From the viewing point on earth, the reader can conclude that the lights of the heavens will not be viewable.  Hence the aspect of darkening as is used in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse and other sun/moon/star references.  Furthermore, as to falling stars, not only did the ancient Hebrew people have no scientific knowledge of stars as solar fusion furnaces in all their various sizes, even in the educated age in the Roman age of Caesars the apostles did not have an objective point of view of space.  From an observer’s true point of view, though not possible for a star as massive as the sun to fall to earth, nevertheless could describe a meteorite shower and they are commonly called falling stars, just as people today refer to sunrises and sunsets or even the sun ‘going down’ from Amos.

The greater meaning the reader can get out of the figurative language is how it is associated in the Bible, especially from John’s point of view because he is the writer.  His experience, growing up with the Scriptures which modern Christians know as the Old Testament and his personal experience under Jesus ought to be taken into account.  First of all, when John writes that the sun is like sackcloth, and the stars fall as figs, is to use simile.  Also the color of the moon being blood red, and while the moon in an eclipse can appear reddish, may be imbued with descriptive language to suggest another element at work in the sixth Seal.

Sackcloth was coarse like burlap and was the dress of prisoners, slaves and the poor.  It was adopted by prophets and worshippers to show identity with the poor and slaves and also to show mourning.  The aspect of doom inherent with mourning is aptly applied here.  This is day of sorrow.  The image of darkness coming with judgment as with Pharaoh in Egypt is reflected in the Prophets as coming from God:

  ^{ISA 50:3} I clothe the sky with darkness

    and make sackcloth its covering."

Blood can be a cleansing agent; it is provided by God for the remission of sin.  It is blood that makes atonement for one’s life.  In the Exodus, blood averted harm by substituting for the firstborn and appeased the angel of death.  Likewise, Christ’s blood propitiates God’s wrath from believers in Jesus.  But this aspect of the redeemer in grace also carries with it the aspect of wrath.  As the goel of Isaiah 63:16 refers back to the winepress of Isaiah 63:2 and in Isaiah 63:4 describes both the year of the Lord’s favor which Jesus quoted for His ministry, the word for redeemer in Isaiah also is the one who brings about the day of the Lord’s vengeance.  Blood is also a judgment upon the world and the means for expressing wrath.  The blood that will pollute the land brings up another use of goel in Hebrew, defilement.  Those left to take God’s wrath will have their water turned to blood like Moses did, and the same blood that cleanses the Saints becomes a curse for the damned as it will be all they have to drink eventually: drinking blood is prohibited by the Law.  Much like Paul’s analogy of the burning incense to the returning victors’ celebration contrasts to the same perception it has for the condemned, the same element, blood, can have two vastly different meanings on the Day of the Lord depending on which side of judgment a person falls.

The last figurative simile has overtones in prophetic passages from the Old Testament and to the very Gospel message Jesus used to indicate the sun/moon/star event was a sign for those the Disciples represented, the core of God’s Church here on Earth.  While it is not possible to discern John’s intent in writing this section entirely, the parallel between stating the stars to fall like figs, especially when wind is involved with all the overtones that wind carries with it being the word for the Spirit of God becomes unmistakable.   If John wanted to point at the Gospel message of the Olivet Discourse, he could do nothing more to indicate alignment with the parable Jesus gives to the listeners to know this is the time they have inquired about: Jesus’ return.

    ^{MT 24:32} "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ³³Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.

So in the figurative sense, John is also describing a day of sorrow that rich and poor will mourn.  It has a cutting edge to it in both redemption and wrath as the two uses of blood.  Finally, the end is very near, right at the door as Jesus said.  So adding these elements to the description gives the verse significance that transcends just the physical descriptions of events in the celestial realm.

On the other hand, the description of the heavens’ signs will be visible and real.  There is a literal aspect to the Day of the Lord with the sun/moon/star event.  To uncover this day and how it can be understood in terms modern man would be familiar with, leads to the Old Testament.  First is the nature of the sun becoming like sackcloth.  This event is perhaps best described in Ezekiel, here in a lament directed at Egypt, describes a future apocalypse:

^{EZE 32:7} When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens

    and darken their stars;

  I will cover the sun with a cloud,

    and the moon will not give its light.

 

  ^{EZE 32:8} All the shining lights in the heavens

    I will darken over you;

    I will bring darkness over your land,

        declares the Sovereign LORD.

First of all, the image God uses here in Ezekiel shows that His Wrath is not quick in being carried out but takes time.  The picture the words paint is of a flame being slowly extinguished for lack of oxygen.  The process is slow and painful; much like crucifixion was in Jesus’ time.  It also carries with it the idea of darkness, and all that is represented when the light (a symbol of Jesus and God) is removed.  While those condemned to God’s judgment may wish to get it over with quickly, that is not what is in store for them.

The applicability of this verse in Ezekiel to the Day of the Lord is loose.  Originally speaking of Egypt to be smashed in her arrogance by the Babylonians, it does contain the general order of sun/moon/stars in the event.  Blood is also a major component in the passage, but being in Egypt may not be the same as the great flow of blood that will emanate from God’s Winepress which cover the land around Jerusalem.  However, as and example of how God will fulfill prophecy with the sun becoming like sackcloth, this verse can be used to show the means by which God brings that about, and the aspect of clouds being used to make the sun like sackcloth was described by another Prophet:

^{ZEP 1:14} The great day of the Lord is near —

near and coming quickly.

The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;

the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.

¹⁵ That day will be a day of wrath—

a day of distress and anguish,

a day of trouble and ruin,

a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and blackness —

¹⁶ a day of trumpet and battle cry

against the fortified cities

and against the corner towers.

 

As a modern people, this event where the sky is darkened by cloud cover can be accomplished and understood as an unprecedented weather phenomenon whereby the clouds are so thick, like that under a summer thunderstorm where it literally gets dark.  In one aspect of interpretation, this could remove the sun from sight.  Covering the earth completely is not a normal weather pattern and so brings in that aspect of the miraculous.  Just as Job gets his audience with God, He speaks to Job out of a storm, so it will be with this sign when God is about to come to the world.

    ^{ZEC 14:6} On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. ⁷ It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime--a day known to the LORD.

The aspect of unique would single this day out for consideration, but it must be remarked that ‘unique’ itself is inferred from the original Hebrew.  While the NASB renders Zechariah 14:7 similarly, the King James renders it as ‘one day.’  This goes back to the word in the Hebrew, ’ehad.   This word is used in Deuteronomy 6:4 for describing God, and also describes the union of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:24. 

It is closely identified with yahad “to be united” and with ro’sh “first head,” especially in connection with the “first day” of the month (Gen 8:13).  It stresses unity while recognizing diversity with that oneness. ―TWOT p. 30

            Zechariah uses this same word later in the same section to describe one Lord, and His name as one, which then takes on the connotation of singular as in only.  So interpreting ’ehad as unique is to take it in the sense of only.  However, in the greater context of the Day of the Lord as unfolds here in this commentary, as a day of diverse elements united in one, actually describes the true sense of ’ehad.  This is one day that is divided between an eerie calm and a bewildering aftermath yet united; it is all the Day of the Lord.

The unknown feature of the Day of the Lord from Zechariah is repeated by Jesus:

^{Mt 24:36} "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

This aspect also marries with the first century Judaic idiom for Rosh ha-Shannah as the “unknown day.”  The arrival of this ‘appointed time’ with God was problematic; it was the only ‘appointed time’ (festival) which was coincidental with the sighting of the new moon.  All other festivals happen with the full moon, or at a set time after the new moon, so they could be calculated.  Furthermore, the requirement to be sighted could be hampered by weather conditions even in an arid region like Israel.  Therefore, even being able to know when the new moon was to arrive, still didn’t confer absolute certainty about the ability of the Priests to announce Rosh ha-Shannah.  So too, the Day of the Lord, while being able to be anticipated, will not be known until the initial earthquake and sun/moon/star signs which precede it happen.

What cements this passage in Zechariah as a Day of the Lord is two-fold.  First, it has the element of darkness that is so much a part of the Day of the Lord.  The second is the aspect of knowledge by God of this day.  As an additional bit of information, God reveals through the Prophet the condition of temperature here that is not specified in other end-time prophecy concerning this day.  With an adjudication of being part of the Day of the Lord, this attribute can be added in to describe that day as it opens.

            The Day of the Lord starts with a great earthquake.  Then, in an unprecedented meteorological event, the earth is clothed in clouds so thick it is actually dark.  Joel echoes this sequence of events as happening before the Lord appears:

Joel 2:31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

This passage here in Joel with the sun/moon/star event is explicitly tied to the Day of the Lord by the express language that it is the Day of the Lord.  Not only will this day have this specific and unique sign associated with it, but the other elements of Joel 2, the advance of the Lord as the commander with His army in action.  Furthermore, Joel agrees with the application of Ezekiel 32:7 to this day as well, noting it is a day of clouds in the opening in verse 2:2 followed by fire devouring the land before the advancing army.  This judgment destruction is delayed in the opening of the sixth Seal in Revelation 7:3 until the army is properly sealed themselves.

Up until this point on Earth, there are several reactions to the day. On the one hand, while activity may pause, it certainly does not stop.  When the day comes and it is recognized as not being a natural day, expect an interruption of the normal flow of life.  There are two parts to the reaction.  One is to pause then continue.  The other is to hide and wait for it to pass.  Jesus in speaking about this time of His coming said people would be working, preparing meals and sleeping.  On the other hand, in Revelation, John writes the words of the Messiah and says people of all types will be hiding in fear of the coming of the Lord.

The dictates of sun, moon and star means this Day of the Lord so far has progressed from day into night, though the differentiation may be very subtle due to the darkening.  The Bible as God’s Word has some interesting verses and all indications given to us align with the hour being late.  If as Paul says, God’s Law can be found written in the heart of man in his intrinsic sense of morality, then there is parallel in not only in popular sayings of ‘the calm before the storm’ and ‘the eleventh hour’ but also in the universal notion of calamity from beyond man’s capacity in doomsday scenarios.  For the moon to be viewed reddened, two things must occur: one, the cloud cover must dissipate, and two, nightfall will have happened.  This could occur on the same day as the darkening.  The stars being viewable means the evening must go beyond twilight.  This brings in an interesting aspect of the scrolling.  From Zechariah’s unique day, verse 14:7 ends with these words:

When evening comes, there will be light.

            This marks the second miraculous juxtaposition of light and dark now in the opposite.  It was the brightest time of the day when God made the sun dark, now at night, it is light.  This occurs with the scrolling of the sky.  The scrolling of the sky may be viewed as dimensional rift whereby the three dimensional ‘heavens’ normally viewed would be rolled aside to reveal the realm of Heaven: the natural world giving way for the super-natural, or beyond this natural world.

The command to the Christian is to watch.  Jesus commands us to remain faithful.  He gives the Christian the means to know when the time is ripe, though no one will know the day, and when that day arrives, no one will know the hour.  The general sequence of events allows the Christian to prepare for a time when those in rebellion against God oppress those that follow Christ, and ultimately persecute them until, if God had not shortened those days; none would be left.  But Victory is not far off, and can be found as the sky scrolls back.

The day advances into night, but is not a night as would normally take place.  The moon is darkened or if visible is reddish like an eclipsed moon.  Going to the least light, the stars, has them falling.  In Isaiah’s account, they do so with the next event: the scrolling of the sky. 

          Isaiah 34:4 All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree. 

Which is matched by Revelation 6:14

The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up…

 

There are only two instances in the Bible that describes the sky being scrolled; here in Isaiah and in Revelation with the opening of the sixth Seal.  Because the scrolling in the sixth Seal comes at the end of this age and Gabriel indicated to Daniel that prophecy will be completed with the coming of the Messiah with the seventy ‘sevens,’ there is no basis to put Isaiah’s scrolling as a separate event apart from the Day of the Lord.  Likewise, there are only four instances of falling stars, this in Isaiah, two in the Synoptic Gospel accounts from the Olivet Discourse, and last in the section in Revelation with the sixth Seal.  (Other stars falling concern allegorical usage to describe Satan’s fall as noted from the discussion previously in chapter 4 of this book from Revelation chapter 12 in conjunction with Luke 10:18.)  Three of these are firmly linked to the same sun/moon/star event.  Therefore, like with the scrolling of the sky, the falling stars describe a unique event happening at the end of the age on the Day of the Lord.  This passage in Isaiah is also closely linked to Wrath, and specifically to a “day of vengeance,” and that will be shown to be the case in a Pre-Wrath eschatology with the second half of the Day of the Lord. 

The scrolling of the sky is the last celestial manifestation preceding Christ’s parousia.  As such, there may well be a connection to this unique, observable event, and a sign which Jesus stated to Him:

Mt 24:30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

This sign, which is an observable event so that people will know it comes from God, also happens “in the sky” and it is immediately followed by Jesus, as the Son of Man, the way in which He referred to Himself more than any other idiom in Him Ministry, “coming on the clouds of the sky.”  As with the second contrary miracle for a normal day night into day, the scrolling of the sky certainly marks it as the third sign that this Day is from God. 

The suggestion here, (not originally by this author, but by another Christian friend opining about the magnificent show-stopping celestial fireworks accompanying the scrolling of the sky) is that the scrolling of the sky represents a dimensional rift of this three dimensional world from the timeless plane of Heaven. 

            With the scrolling of the sky and the cascading of the ‘stars,’ Jesus also says that His Salvation is literally at the door at this point.  This analysis labels this second celestial sign as the sign of the Son of Man in the sky.  Thus this final sign after the foreboding beginning of the Day of the Lord signals a distinct event and this celestial lightshow precedes Christ’s arrival.  Those on the earth around the point of His descent then see the Lord descending as He had gone up.  Subsequently, the rest of the earth sees Him covering the earth on the clouds.

            The sky scrolls to reveal Jesus descending with a celestial firestorm of falling stars.  As He touches down as He left, the second earthquake of Revelation 6:14 ensues.  Since Jesus has some work to do on the Earth and beyond the natural world, the scrolling does not have to continue, but could pause.  Indeed, other events are ordered before Jesus gathers the Elect from the corners of the Earth which necessitate a pause at this juncture.  However, when He comes on the clouds, the scrolling of the sky would continue when the Lord arises to the clouds with the resurrected souls from Paradise.  If the scrolling were to proceed from east to west not only would each time zone be able to have the sky turn light at night, but it would be a literal fulfillment to Jesus’ words describing His parousia being like lightening flashing in the east unto the west.  Thus suggested as a best “fit” looking forward to Christ covering the earth would see Him from the vantage point of one still standing on the earth as looking up, seeing the sky scroll back from the east and with a host of falling stars, see Christ illuminated on the clouds with all the resurrected souls from Paradise with Him.

Keeping with a late hour, Jesus gives two parables to the Disciples.  One in Matthew, the parable of the ten virgins, has the bridegroom, Jesus, coming after the midnight hour.  The other in Mark, concerns the example in 13:35 and states that “you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.” The point here is that the hour is still not known, though a general indication that the day will not be truncated before the moon would normally be visible is supported by all the language used in the Bible, and by Jesus’ parables as well.  As a disclaimer, saying this should not offend any that would insist upon a literal know-nothing position which could have the hour coming during the day.  Knowing that hour does not come during the normal hours of daylight does not specify which hour the Lord returns.

Getting back to the order from the sequence of events described with the breaking of the sixth Seal is this:

^{REV 7:1} After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.

            This would be the last element of the Day of the Lord: no wind.  In sequence fashion, this happens after the scrolling of the sky.  If there would be calm before the storm, then this would be it.  No wind would mean there were no pressure gradients, having no Highs nor Lows, and no trade winds.  Such a phenomenon is beyond the normal, or, supernatural, and that is the Bible’s claim as well as John records here what Jesus has revealed to him through God.  If the entire world would be breathlessly waiting, then what unfolds next will leave it wondering and reeling as every mountain and island has moved.

 

            The utter joy of the Day of the Lord’s redemption for His people is expressed in Isaiah.

 

  ^{ISA 60:1} "Arise, shine, for your light has come,

    and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

 

  ^{ISA 60:2} See, darkness covers the earth

    and thick darkness is over the peoples,

  but the LORD rises upon you

    and his glory appears over you.

 

  ^{ISA 60:3} Nations will come to your light,

    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

 

  ^{ISA 60:4} "Lift up your eyes and look about you:

    All assemble and come to you;

  your sons come from afar,

    and your daughters are carried on the arm.

This passage captures the elements of darkness and light and the joy that many will receive as well as the glory unto the Lord when He gathers His Elect.

In the Seal/Scroll chronology, after the celestial sign identifying the events put into motion by the breaking of the sixth Seal, the Firstfruits of the Harvest are mustered.  This will be covered in detail later.  Another event, not listed, but logically absent, would be the source for the next event to unfold in the Heavenly scene in which John writes: the Great Multitude.