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Prophetic Patterns in Numbers


Patterns in Numbers

Golden types and precepts of old
with shadowy imagery are there foretold
Many are familiar to the types are they
They're in the Bible, understood by many straightaway And somehow to others they
seem completely foreign with nothing to say
as if from some long and bygone day,
but certainly not for today
Some have sadly forgotten to gaze at
these wonderful beautiful types
that reveal so much of His mercy in every single type
The types foreshadowed when no longer concealed
they're like fountains of truth, there now revealed
In the Holy Bible where it says of these
that were and are yet to be
The precepts of old are understood when we view the type with Christ in the lens
The greatest prize awarded and yet to be found When we look for gold nuggets and they're all around
It's then that the types are perceived in our sight We see the clearer as it's lit up in light
We see over and over with all these imagery types The great light casting these shadowy types
"Precepts of the Blessed Hope"- By Don Mills

God designed His Word with purposeful patterns and symmetry that prove He inspired it. We can see God's designs and patterns not only through types and parallels, but also in numbers and in the meaning of names of people and places. These are part of the "deep things of God":

1 Corinthians 2:7-10 - But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

It is important to note that parallels and patterns should never be used to form doctrine, but rather to support what has been already been revealed by the Holy Spirit through the clear teaching of the Word.

The first part of this study is about the patterns of numbers in the Bible. In the beginning, God set the pattern of the days of the week. From God's perspective, He views a day as a thousand years on the earth:

Psalm 90:4 - For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night.
2 Peter 3:8 - But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The two passages certainly speak of the eternal nature of God and His longsuffering when speaking of a thousand years and a day. However, Peter says a thousand years is a day twice in two different ways. When we see things mentioned twice in Scripture, it is generally expected that there will be a dual fulfillment, or that it has a dual meaning.

The first meaning in the passage from 2 Peter 3:8 is obviously speaking of God's longsuffering when we look at the immediate context. Upon further study, we find evidence throughout Scripture that God has set a pattern after the creation week for the span of time He has determined for His redemptive work of man. This second meaning fits with the context of the rest of 2 Peter 3:8 about the day of the Lord, or the last thousand years when Christ will rule the earth in the flesh.

The following two charts show the creation week pattern in the days, weeks, months, years, and millenniums:

Creation Week
Creation Week and Human History

In the creation week, the days begin at sundown. In Genesis 1, we see that every day of creation had an evening and a morning, except the seventh day. Interestingly, during human history we find that about every thousand years there has been an evening of "judgment" that has dawned to a new beginning, or new covenant. Following the pattern God set out at the beginning of time, the last "day" will begin in darkness with the Tribulation and dawn to a new beginning during the thousand-year reign of Christ.

It is interesting that God told Adam that he would die the very day that he ate of the fruit of the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:17). It is true that Adam spiritually died that fateful day. However, Adam was 930 years old when he died and according to the "thousand years as a day" interpretation, Adam would have been less than a day old in God's sight when he died. As a side note, this was 70 years shy of 1,000 years. As seen in the book of Daniel, the number 70 is a highly prophetic number related to Israel. We will further discuss the number "70" later in the study.

Scripture shows that Christ will rule for 1,000 years before eternity begins (Revelation 20:4-6). Going back to the pattern set in the days of the week, it is not hard to see that humans would have 6,000 years of toil before Christ would come to reign the last thousand years, when He will lift the curse on the earth. Even more interesting is that when God rested on the seventh day there was no evening and morning (Genesis 2:1-3). In other words, the seventh day of the creation week had no end and neither will Christ's kingdom (Isaiah 9:7, Daniel 6:26, Luke 1:33).

The thousand-year pattern also fits with resurrection of God's people at the dawn of the "third day" (Hosea 6:2), at the beginning of the third millennium, when Christ will return:

The Third Day

The other unit of time that goes along with the "thousand years as a day" pattern is the jubilee, which is a 50-year cycle of liberty and restoration in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 25:10). The Lord told Moses that He would only strive with man for 120 years. Man's life did decrease in length right after the flood, though in Genesis 11 we find many people still lived longer than 120 years. Psalm 90:10 shows the life expectancy of man at that particular time was 70-80 years. Though there have been rough times and places on Earth that have decreased this number for certain populations, in normal conditions the 70-80-year life expectancy has held true.

The 120 years actually makes more sense in light of the 7000-year time span of man when you look at the jubilee cycle. 120 jubilees of 50 years are equal to the 6000 years of God striving with man's ways before Christ's rule on the earth. The jubilee cycle also brings to light many scriptures that describe the end times, or the 2000 years since Christ, as a woman in child labor. It takes an average of 40 weeks of gestation before a baby is born. 40 jubilees are equal to 2000 years. We are witnessing the groaning of creation, increasing in intensity and frequency like birth pangs, as many signs are converging for the soon return of Jesus (Romans 8:18-25, Matthew 24:6-7, Mark 13:7-8, Luke 21:9-11):

The Pattern of Jubilees

You will need to reference the charts presented here as you read through the parallels. These patterns show up in nearly every story throughout the Old Testament. As Augustine once said:

    "The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed."

There are patterns in the Gospels that shed light on the rest of the New Testament as well. Not every prophetic pattern has numbers in it, but most of them do. In this study, we will focus on the 2nd Coming of Christ. However, there are also several patterns in the Old Testament that shadow the 1st Coming of Christ.

Prophetic Numbers

We have already discussed the pattern of "a thousand years as a day" and the creation week. But what do these numbers mean? What other numbers show a prophetic pattern is present? And why are they significant?

The Bible is a supernatural book. On this side of Heaven we can't possibly understand all the layers of meaning or nuggets buried in Scripture. However, repeating patterns, especially numerical, can often illuminate or support other Scripture. God is the great mathematician and His creation and His Word are rich with numbers. To find the meaning of numbers, we need to look at the context they are found in Scripture. The following websites do a fantastic job of showing the context in which numbers are found in the Bible:

The single digits are pretty self-explanatory. Once you grasp the meaning of each number, their significance in prophetic patterns usually becomes a lot clearer. The meaning of larger numbers can sometimes be seen in the combined meaning of the smaller numbers, and can also be multiplied to make the larger number. In many cases, the use of a larger number in the context of Scripture is clearer than the meaning of the smaller numbers combined, as seen below:

1 = Union or oneness

2 = Witness, companionship, support, or division, or contrast

3 = Complete or divine unity

4 = Creative works of God (2x2 = divisions)

5 = Grace or weakness

6 = Number of man (2x3 = unity divided)

7 = Complete, perfect, rest

8 = New beginning or renewal (2x4 = a new division in creation)

9 = Finality or fullness (3x3 = divine completeness)

10 = Perfection of divine order (2x5 = witness or support to grace or weakness)

11 = Disorder or chaos

12 = Divine government (2x6 = division of man or 3x4 divine order in Creation)

13 = Rebellion or lawlessness

21 = Spiritual perfection (7x3 = divine perfection)

40 = Testing or probation (5x8 = weakness or grace x renewal or 4x10 = divine rule over a dominion)

42 = Working out opposition with God (6x7 = man x perfection or 21x2 = Spiritual perfection x division)

50 = Jubilee or deliverance (5x10 = grace x perfection of divine order)

60 = Number of Israel; the chosen people (6x10 = number of man x perfection of divine order)

70 = Perfect spiritual order (7x10 = perfection x perfection of divine order)

120 = Divine appointed period of probation or number of persons
         (40x3 = probation x divine or 12x10 governmental perfection x perfection of divine order)

360 = Prophetic year(3x10x12= complete x perfection of divine order x governmental perfection
          or 120x3 = divine appointed period of probation x completeness
          or 60x6 = number of Israel x number of man)

1000 = Prophetic day (10x10x10 = perfection of divine order to the third (complete/divine) power
            or 50x10x2 = Jubilee x perfection of divine order x union or witness)

144,000 = Sealed Jewish servants (12x12x10x10x10 = Governmental perfection squared x
                 Perfection of divine order cubed or 120X120X10 = Divine appointment of persons squared x
                 Perfection of divine order)

Prophetic patterns sometimes show up as a multiple of the original prophetic number. We see this in the 144,000 sealed Jewish servants, in that it is a multiple of the prophetic number of 120, having a root of the number "12." As another example, we will see in the first pattern presented below that Noah was 600 years old when the flood began The number "6" is the root in the pattern of the creation week. So Noah being 600 years old when the flood began is a pattern of the time that man will toil on the Earth before the Tribulation Judgment, which will be about 6000 years.

Noah and the Flood

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

  • Type = Abraham prays for Lot to escape destruction (Genesis 18:16-33, Genesis 19:29).

    Parallel = We are to pray to be counted worthy to escape the Tribulation (Luke 21:36).

  • Type = Lot escapes to a city (Genesis 19:20-22).

    Parallel = The Church will escape the Tribulation and go to the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, or the Father's house (John 14:1-3).

  • Type = Lot's wife didn't want to give up her life, so she looked back and lost her life (Genesis 19:26).

    Parallel = Many people will be destroyed during the Tribulation because they don't want to give their life to Christ (Luke 17:30-33).

  • Type = Sodom & Gomorrah was destroyed by fire & brimstone (Genesis 19:24-25).

    Parallel = Unbelievers and all evil will ultimately thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 19:20, 20:10, 21:8).

Abraham, Isaac, the servant and Rebekah

  • Type = Isaac's birth to his aged mother was miraculous (Genesis 21:2).

    Parallel = Jesus was miraculously conceived and born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23).

  • Type = Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac (Genesis 24:1-4).

    Parallel = The Church is the Bride of Christ. The Father sent the Holy Spirit to seek out the Bride through conviction of sin (2 Corinthians 11:1-2, John 16:7-8, Revelation 19:7-9).

  • Type = The servant gave gifts to the bride he found, and Rebekah invited him to her home (Genesis 24:22-24).

    Parallel = When a person accepts Christ, the Holy Spirit comes into their heart. They become part of the Bride of Christ and the Holy Spirit gives gifts to them (1 Corinthians 12:7-10).

  • Type = Of the gifts the servant gave, there were two bracelets weighing 5 shekels of gold each (Genesis 24:22).

    Parallel = 5 is the number of grace. The Holy Spirit is also known as the Spirit of Grace, and will be poured out a 2nd time at the end of the age (Zechariah 12:10).

  • Type = Rebekah went back with the servant instead of staying with her family (Genesis 24:50-59).

    Parallel = The Church will be raptured with the Holy Spirit, instead of staying with the unbelievers (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7).

  • Type = There were 10 camels in the servant's company, that brought Rebekah to Isaac (Genesis 24:10).

    Parallel = In the parable of the 10 virgins, 5 wise and 5 foolish, they were to accompany the Bride to meet the Bridegroom. However, in the parable, only the 5 wise, those with the Holy Spirit or Spirit of Grace, went in with the Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13).

  • Type = Isaac went out to meet Rebekah and the servant coming on camels (Genesis 24:62-65).

    Parallel = Jesus will meet the Church in the clouds at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).

  • Type = Isaac married Rebekah and was comforted after his mother's death (Genesis 24:67).

    Parallel = Jesus betrothed the Church by extending salvation to the Gentiles after Israel rejected Him (Romans 11). The nation Israel died in 70AD (Luke 21:20-24). Israel is pictured as the mother of the Messiah. (Revelation 12:1-6).

Jacob's Trouble

  • Type = Jacob's "trouble" with his father-in-law Laban, started by Jacob being tricked into marrying Leah instead of Rachel. Jacob had to wait 7 days before getting his beloved Rachel as wife. Jacob was then obligated to work for Laban for 7 more years (Genesis 29:23-28).

    Parallel = The time of "Jacob's Trouble" is another name for the Tribulation (Jeremiah 30:1-7). After the 7-year Tribulation, in the Millennium, God will annul His divorce and restore His marriage to Israel, His chosen people (Jeremiah 3).

  • Type = Jacob had to finish Leah's honeymoon week (7 days long) before marrying his beloved Rachel (Genesis 29:29-30).

    Parallel = God will take back Israel as His beloved wife after they go through the testing period of the 7-year Tribulation, or a week of years (Hosea 3:1-5, Zechariah 13:9, Daniel 9:24).

Joseph and His Brothers

Moses and the Law

  • Type = God did not heal the waters until 7 days after He struck the Nile River with blood (Exodus 7:19-25).

    Parallel = God will spring forth healing waters from Jerusalem after the 7-year Tribulation (Ezekiel 47:1-9).

  • Type = God commanded Israel to eat unleavened bread for 7 days, before eating a feast for the Lord after the Passover (Exodus 13:6-7).

    Parallel = It will take 7 years for Israel as a nation to accept the sinless "unleavened" bread of life (John 6) as their Messiah (Jeremiah 31:31-36, Zechariah 12:10, Romans 11:25-27) before they join the marriage supper of the Lamb as guests at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 19:9).

  • Type = God commanded Israel to have a 7-day feast to the Lord in the Feast of Tabernacles (or Ingathering), and make booths out of palm trees (Leviticus 23:39-41). There was a sacred assembly after the 7th day (Leviticus 23:36, 2 Chronicles 7:9, Nehemiah 8:18).

    Parallel = The Church, the Bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2), will spend 7 years in Heaven with her Bridegroom in the Father's house (John 14:2-3), to complete the spiritual consummation (1 Corinthians 6:15-17). (Note the "Traditional Jewish Wedding" was 7 days). The Tribulation saints who arrive in Heaven throughout the 7-year Tribulation stand before the throne with palm trees (Revelation 7:9). These Tribulation Saints are the last of the harvest of souls of believers before the Feast of Tabernacles (or Ingathering) is fulfilled (Revelation 14:12-15). All believers in Heaven will assemble and return with Christ in the armies of Heaven, to rule and reign with Him on Earth after the 7-year Tribulation (Revelation 19-20).

  • Type = God warned Israel He would punish them 7 times for their sins with famine, pestilence, wild beasts, and the sword (Leviticus 26); the four severe punishments of God (Zechariah 6:6-7).

    Parallel = The fourth horsemen of the apocalypse arrives near the beginning of the Tribulation, bringing the four severe punishments from God (Revelation 6:7-8). The consequences of this judgment will surely continue through the 7-year Tribulation and become compounded by later judgments.

  • Type = God plagued Moses' sister Miriam with leprosy for 7 days and she was shut out of the camp until she was healed and considered clean again (Numbers 12). Also of note, a person that had abnormal spots on their skin had to wait 7 days for a priest to declare them clean (Leviticus 13:1-37), a woman bearing a male child was unclean for 7 days (Leviticus 12:2), and a person defiled by touching a dead body was not considered clean for 7 days (Numbers 19 & 31).

    Parallel = God will shut Israel as a nation out of the marriage during the 7-year Tribulation (Matthew 25:1-13). God will then cleanse them of their iniquity (Jeremiah 33).

  • Type = A garment covered in a mold or fungus was isolated 7 days before either the priest considered it unclean or ordered it burned in the fire (Leviticus 13:47-59)

    Parallel = At the end of the 7-year Tribulation, those who reject Christ remain as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and are sent to torments to await the final judgment (Matthew 13:24-30). Those who accept Christ as overcommers will receive white robes (Revelation 3:5, 6:11, 7:9, 19:14) and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus, the High Priest according the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7 & 9).

  • Type = Every 7 years was the "year of release"; debts were to be cancelled, the land was to rest in Sabbath, and God commanded that the Law be read before Israel during the Feast of Tabernacles in the same year (Deuteronomy 15 & 31).

    Parallel = After the 7-year Tribulation, the Feast of Tabernacles will celebrate the beginning of the Millennium, which begins God's eternal rest (Hebrews 3-4), where Gods' people will be prosperous (Isaiah 65) and have His Law written on their hearts (Jeremiah 31).

The Destruction of Jericho

  • Type = The name "Joshua" in Hebrew is Yeshua, which means "the Lord Is salvation" (Matthew 1:21).

    Parallel = The name "Jesus" is a transliteration of the Greek name for Yeshua.

  • Type = The men marched around the city once each day for six days (Joshua 6:3).

    Parallel = Man's toil will be about 6,000 years.

  • Type = On the 7th day of marching around Jericho, the men in Joshua's army marched around the city 7 times (Joshua 6:4).

    Parallel = There will be a 7-year Tribulation at the dawn of the 7th Millennium.

  • Type = At the last trumpet there was a great shout and the people went up to the city (Joshua 6:5,20).

    Parallel = At the "last trumpet" there will be a "shout" from an archangel and the dead in Christ will rise followed by those alive in Christ where they will go to the New Jerusalem or the Father's House (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, John 14:1-3).

  • Type = The priests took up the ark of the covenant, which housed the Lord, in the parade around the city. (Joshua 6:7-9).

    Parallel = The Church, whose bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) will be taken up before the Tribulation.

  • Type = Rahab, a Gentile, was "hidden" and protected from the destruction because of her faith (Joshua 6:17, Hebrews 1:30).

    Parallel = The Church, mostly Gentile, will be "hidden" and saved from the indignation during the Tribulation (Psalms 27:5, Isaiah 26:20-21, Zephaniah 2:3).

  • Type = Jericho was destroyed by fire (Joshua 6:24).

    Parallel = Babylon will be destroyed by fire near the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 18:17-18).

  • Type = It took 7 years for Joshua to conquer the Promised Land (calculated from Joshua 14:6-15).

    Parallel = After 7 years of God's wrath, Jesus will return and conquer the world (Revelation 19), setting up His earthly Kingdom in the Promised Land (Ezekiel 40-48).

Abimelech

  • Type = Abimelech killed 70 sons of Jerubbaal; except Jotham who hid (Judges 9:5).

    Parallel = The antichrist will attempt to kill most of the Jews during the Tribulation. Only the Jewish remnant will be safe as they take refuge in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6, 14).

  • Type = The men of Shechem gave Abimelech 70 shekels of silver. There were also 70 sons of Jerubbaal killed (Judges 9:4-5).

    Parallel = "70" is a prophetic number concerning the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:2, 24).

  • Type = The olive tree, fig tree and vine represent the would be rulers of the people of Shechem in the parable of the trees (Judges 9:7-13).

    Parallel = These trees in scripture are representative of different aspects of Israel: Olive tree - salvation (Romans 11), Fig tree - the nation (Luke 13:5-9, Matthew 21:18-22), Vine - spiritual state (Isaiah 5). The Israelites would later reject God and demand a king (1 Samuel 8:7). The king would not only rule over the nation (fig tree), but he would take the best of the vineyards and the olive groves (1 Samuel 8:14).

  • Type = In the parable of the trees, the bramble is Abimelech, who would rule over Israel (Judges 9:14-15).

    Parallel = The antichrist will rule over Israel during the Tribulation (Daniel 11:40-45).

  • Type = Shechem was the first capital of the kingdom of Israel, where Jeroboam ruled after the kingdom split years later (1 Kings 12).

    Parallel = The antichrist will "plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain"; in Israel during the Tribulation (Daniel 11:45).

  • Type = Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out into the fields and "gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them" before going against Abimelech (Judges 9:27).

    Parallel = An angel will reap the grapes of the vine of the earth and throw them into the great winepress of the wrath of God during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 14:17-20, Joel 3:13).

  • Type = Abimelech and his army fought against Shechem, the first capital of Israel (Judges 9:29-45).

    Parallel = The antichrist and his army will fight against Jerusalem, the current capital of Israel (Zechariah 14:1-2, Revelation 19:19).

  • Type = Abimelech endured a lethal head wound, but he was killed by his armor-bearer driving a sword through him (Judges 9:53).

    Parallel = The antichrist will receive a lethal head wound, but not see his final end from it (Revelation 13:3) His will be thrown into the lake of fire at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 19:20).

Samson and His Philistine Wife

Boaz and Ruth

  • Type = Naomi lost her husband and lived in a foreign country because drought had forced her family out of Israel (Ruth 1).

    Parallel = God divorced the Jews because of their harlotry (Jeremiah 3, Hosea 2) and they were eventually forced out of Israel in global exile (Isaiah 11:12).

  • Type = Boaz was the kinsmen redeemer, through blood relation of Naomi, for the Gentile, Ruth, whom he took for his bride (Ruth 4).

    Parallel = Christ is the kinsmen redeemer for His mostly Gentile Bride, the Church, through His shed blood (Revelation 5:9).

  • Type = Boaz, the son of the harlot Rahab, redeemed the land and status back to Naomi (Ruth 4).

    Parallel = Christ will redeem Israel and the world back at the end of the Tribulation and give the Jews the land and promises made to Israel after they accept Him as Savior and stop harloting after other gods (Zechariah 12,13,14).

  • Type = Boaz gave Ruth 6 ephahs of barley as a sign that he would settle the redemption matter (Ruth 3:15-18).

    Parallel = After 6,000 years of human history, Christ will redeem the earth and His people (Revelation 5).

  • Type = Ruth was betrothed to Boaz during the barley harvest (Ruth 3-4).

    Parallel = Christ was resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits, which is at the beginning of the barley harvest (Matthew 28, Leviticus 23). The Bride of Christ, the Church, began to be gathered on Pentecost, also during the barley harvest (Acts 2).

  • Type = Ruth was to glean to the end of the barley and the wheat harvest, but was betrothed and married during the barley harvest and before the wheat harvest. (Ruth 3-4).

    Parallel = The Church will be raptured before the harvest of wheat: the Tribulation saints (Matthew 13:24-39, Revelation 14:14-16).

David

  • Type = David called for Abigal to be his wife. She "rose in haste" with her 5 maidens (1 Samuel 25:40-42).

    Parallel = When Jesus, the Bridegroom calls for His Bride, the 5 wise virgins will enter the Kingdom (Matthew 25:1-13).

  • Type = Goliath was 6 cubits and a span in height, he owned 6 pieces of armor (helmet, coat, leg armor, javelin, spear, shield bearer), and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels (1 Samuel 17:4-7).

    Parallel = The antichrist's number is 666 (Revelation 13:18).

  • Type = Goliath presented himself for 40 days (1 Samuel 17:16).

    Parallel = There will be about 40 jubilees or 2,000 years from the time of Christ until the antichrist presents himself.

  • Type = David had no sword in hand when he struck down Goliath (1 Samuel 17:50).

    Parallel = Christ will strike down the nations by the Word of His mouth (Revelation 19:15).

  • Type = David prevailed over and struck down Goliath (1 Samuel 17:50-51).

    Parallel = Christ will defeat the antichrist, and he will be thrown alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

  • Type = David proclaimed that the birds of the air would feast on the carcass of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:46).

    Parallel = The birds of the air will feast at the Great Supper of God on His enemies (Revelation 19:17-18).

  • Type = David was anointed and declared to be king, before he conquered Goliath. It was several years before David actually took the throne (1 Samuel 16:1-13, 2 Samuel 2:1-7).

    Parallel = Jesus was declared to be king at the triumphal entry on a donkey at His 1st Coming (Matthew 21:1-11). Jesus will rule as king on Earth, after the 7-year Tribulation, and after He strikes His enemies at His 2nd Coming (Revelation 19:15-16).

  • Type = God struck David's child conceived in adultery with sickness because David broke the Law. David fasted for 7 days until the child died and then ate food (2 Samuel 12).

    Parallel = God will punish Israel in the 7-year Tribulation due to their transgression of the Law (Daniel 9:24). They will mourn the one they crucified at the end of the Tribulation (Zechariah 12) and then join the marriage supper of the Lamb as guests (Revelation 19:9).

  • Type = David reigned in Hebron (which means "joined") for about 7 years and Jerusalem about 33 years (1 Kings 2:11, 1 Chronicles 29:27).

    Parallel = Jesus lived on Earth for about 33 years (Luke 3:23, 16:6-9) and died in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8). Jesus and His Bride will join together at the rapture in Heaven (John 14:2-4, 1 Corinthians 6:15-17, 2 Corinthians 11:2), before returning to Earth 7 years later to rule from Jerusalem (Isaiah 66, Joel 3, Zechariah 8, Ezekiel 40-48).

Elijah and Elisha

  • Type = After Elijah had the prophets of Baal executed, he told his servant to go look to see if there was a cloud approaching. After the 7th time, a rain cloud was visible which turned into a full-blown storm (1 Kings 18) that ended the 3 ½-year drought (Luke 4:25, James 5:17-18).

    Parallel = God's enemies, who continue after idols in the 7-year Tribulation (Revelation 9:20-21) will largely be destroyed when Christ returns on a cloud to battle them in Armageddon by the Word of His mouth, and a severe hail storm (Matthew 24:30, Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27, Revelation 16:21, Revelation 19:15) that will end the drought of the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation (Revelation 11:6).

  • Type = Elijah was taken to Heaven by the Lord alive and Elisha stayed behind (2 Kings 2:11).

    Parallel = Those in the Church that are alive at the time of the rapture, will not see death and the rest of mankind will stay behind (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

  • Type = Elisha asked for a double portion of the spirit that was on Elijah (2 Kings 2:9).

    Parallel = God will pour out the Holy Spirit a second time on His servants near the end of the Tribulation (Joel 2:28-29). The first pouring out of the Spirit was on the Church in Acts 2.

  • Type = Elisha took up the mantle, continuing the ministry of Elijah after he was raptured (2 Kings 2:13).

    Parallel = The 144,000 servants and the 2 witnesses will "take up" the task of spreading the gospel after the Church is raptured (Isaiah 61:1-6, Revelation 7:3-8, Revelation 11:2-7).

  • Type = Elisha cursed the 42 young people that were mocking him, and they were mauled by 2 female bears (2 Kings 2:23-24).

    Parallel = The 2 witnesses will prophesy for 42 months, and they will have the power to devour their enemies (Revelation 11:2-7).

  • Type = Elisha prayed over a dead child to revive. The child came back to life and sneezed 7 times, before he opened his eyes (2 Kings 4:32-35).

    Parallel = God brought Israel back as a nation from the "valley of dry bones." But there is no breath in them yet (Ezekiel 37:1-8). After the 7-year Tribulation, God will put His breath in them (Ezekiel 37:9-14), pour out His Spirit on them (Joel 2:28-32, Zechariah 12:10), and open their eyes, removing the spiritual blindness (Romans 11:25-27).

  • Type = Elisha told the commander of the Syrian army to wash in the Jordan River 7 times to become healed of leprosy (2 Kings 5).

    Parallel = As the Tribulation Saints arrive in Heaven throughout the 7-year Tribulation, they will wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, which cleanses them from sin (Revelation 7:14).

  • Type = Elisha warned of a coming 7-year famine (2 Kings 8:1).

    Parallel = The 7-year Tribulation is characterized as a time of famine (Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:11, Revelation 6:5-8, Revelation 11:6).

Esther

  • Type = After a 7 day feast, King Ahasuerus' anger burned because the queen refused to come (Esther 1).

    Parallel = During the 7-year Tribulation, God will pour out His wrath due to His wife, Israel's disobedience (Jeremiah 3:20, Daniel 9:24).

  • Type = Queen Vashti, was dethroned for her disobedience, and her royal position was given to Esther (Esther 1:19).

    Parallel = Israel was rejected as God's people for a time because of their disobedience. The Gentiles were given salvation and the position as the Bride of Christ (Hosea 1:9, Romans 11:11).

  • Type = Mordecai and the other Jews were persecuted by Haman (Esther 3).

    Parallel = Satan has been persecuting the Jews since they've been in existence. It will be even more so during the Tribulation through the antichrist. (Revelation 12:13-17).

  • Type = Mordecai and the Jews mourned in sackcloth and ashes with fasting weeping and wailing (Esther 4:1-3).

    Parallel = The priests will lie in sackcloth and the assembly will consecrate a fast and cry out to the Lord after the "Great Middle East War" (Joel 1:13-15).

  • Type = Esther had not been called by the king for 30 days (Esther 4:11). It was three days later she went in to see the king (Esther 5:1).

    Parallel = Christ didn't begin His ministry until he was 30 years old (Luke 3:23). It was three years later that he completed His ministry to the Jews and the Church began (Luke 13:5-9).

  • Type = On the "third day," Esther put on her royal robes and went to intercede for the Jews before the king (Esther 5:1-8).

    Parallel = On the third millennium after the cross, the Church, as the Bride of Christ, will come out of her "dressing room" (the Bema Seat), wearing white robes (Revelation 4:4) and intercede for Israel during the Tribulation (Joel 2:15-17).

  • Type = Haman was killed on a gallows, 50 cubits high, on the "second day" of Esther's feast, instead of Mordecai the Jew (Esther 7:2,9-10).

    Parallel = The Jewish remnant will survive and be delivered (Jubilee=deliverance=50) from Satan. Satan will all be cast into the lake of fire after the Millennium, or the second "day" after the Tribulation (Revelation 20:10).

  • Type = There was a feast and celebration after the Jews were saved (Esther 8:17).

    Parallel = The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be after the Tribulation, where the Jewish believers will be the guests at the feast (Luke 12:35-37, John 3:29, Revelation 19:9).

The Fiery Trial

  • Type = Nebuchadnezzar made an image, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide. The people were to bow down to worship the image when six specific musical instruments were played (Daniel 3:1-7)
    * Note: Some Bible translations group the musical instruments together and thus list less than six.

    Parallel = The false prophet will require everyone to worship the image of the antichrist, whose number is 666 (Revelation 13:14-18).

  • Type = Nebuchadnezzar dictated that anyone that didn't worship the image would be killed (Daniel 3:6).

    Parallel = The false prophet will dictate that anyone who doesn't worship the image of the beast will be killed (Revelation 13:15).

  • Type = Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were Jewish men God saved through the fiery furnace that was made 7 times hotter than normal (Daniel 3:8-25).

    Parallel = God will save the Jewish remnant through the fiery trial of the 7-year Tribulation (Zechariah 13:9).

  • Type = Nebuchadnezzar's men were killed instead of the Jewish men (Daniel 3:22).

    Parallel = The antichrist's men will be killed at the 2nd Coming of Jesus, instead of the Jewish remnant (Revelation 19:17-21).

  • Type = After the three Jewish men came out of the fiery furnace alive, Nebuchadnezzar blessed those who would be kind to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. And anyone who would speak against the three Jewish men or their God would be "cut to pieces" (Daniel 3:28-30).

    Parallel = Jesus will bless those who bless his brethren and curse those to eternal punishment who curse his brethren during the Tribulation (Matthew 25:31-46). Everyone that comes against Jerusalem in the last days will be "cut to pieces" (Zechariah 12:3).

  • Type = Daniel is not present during the fiery trial of his friends (Daniel 3).

    Parallel = The Church will not be present, but will be raptured to Heaven, before the fiery trial of the Tribulation begins (Luke 21:36).

Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar

  • Type = Nebuchadnezzar repented and accepted the God of Daniel after going through a trial period of "7 times." After this trial, God restored his kingdom to him. (Daniel 4).

    Parallel = The people of the nations that accept Jesus as the Messiah during the 7-year tribulation will enter the Millennial kingdom (Matthew 25:33-40).

  • Type = Belshazzar worshiped idols. He did not repent and was slain because he did not humble his heart before God after witnessing Nebuchadnezzar's conversion (Daniel 5).

    Parallel = The people of the nations that will reject Jesus and are against the "brethren," during the 7-year tribulation, will be sent to everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:41-46).

The temple, the antichrist, and 666

Revelation 13:18 - Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 - for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Isaiah 66:6 - The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the LORD, Who fully repays His enemies!

*Note: There's no proof that Scriptural passage numbers have been inspired. That said, 666 in the Isaiah passage which mentions both the temple and God's vengeance on His enemies is interesting nonetheless.

The 1st temple and 666 - Solomon's reign

As a side note, the best theory I've come across, for calculating the number of the beast, actually supports the 7,000 year pattern. Since Israel was under Roman rule at the time John penned Revelation, it would be ironic, yet plausible, for the number of the beast to be coded in the first seven Roman numerals letters, as depicted below. What this table suggests, is that the antichrist will arrive on the scene about 6,000 years into human history:

Mark of the Beast in Roman Numerals

  • Type = The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon 120 talents of gold (1 Kings 10:10, 2 Chronicles 9:9).

    Parallel = There will be about 120 jubilees between Adam and the Millennial Kingdom.

  • Type = Solomon's yearly income was 666 talents of gold (2 Chronicles 9:13, 1 Kings 10:4).

    Parallel = The mark of the beast is 666 and will be required to buy and sell (Revelation 13:16-18).

  • Type = There were 6 steps to the top of Solomon's throne (1 Kings 10:19, 2 Chronicles 9:18).

    Parallel = There will be about 6,000 years of human history until Jesus sits on His earthly throne.

  • Type = There were 12 lions on the 6 steps (1 Kings 10:20, 2 Chronicles 9:19).

    Parallel = The 12 tribes of Israel will be judged after 6,000 years of human history, when Jesus comes to rule during the Millennium (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:29-30).

  • Type = Solomon ruled for 40 years (1 Kings 11:42, 2 Chronicles 9:30).

    Parallel = There will be about 40 Jubilees between the 1st and 2nd Comings of Christ.

  • Type = The front of the temple sanctuary was 40 cubits long (1 Kings 6:17).

    Parallel = The Church Age will be about 40 Jubilees long or 2000 years long.

  • Type = The "Most Holy Place" at the back of the temple, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, was 20 cubit long (1 Kings 6:16-20).

    Parallel = The Millennium, when Christ will physically rule on earth will be 20 Jubilees long or 1000 years.

  • Type = The porch or vestibule going into the sanctuary was 10 cubits (1 Kings 6:3).

    Parallel = There were about 10 Jubilees between the return from Babylonian exile to the cross.

  • Type = The length of the temple (10 cubits + 40 cubits + 20 cubits) was 70 cubits long (See chart below).

    Parallel = There will be about 70 jubilees (3,500 years) from the beginning of the "Time of the Gentiles" until the end of the Millennium, which completes Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the statue, which depicted the earthly kingdoms that would rule leading up to eternity (Daniel 2).
The Temple in Creation Week

The 2nd temple and 666 - Ezra and the return of the remnant from exile

  • Type = There were 70 years of the Jewish exile (Jeremiah 25:1, Daniel 9:2). There were 70 Sabbath years that the Jews presumably did not observe (Leviticus 26:34-35).

    Parallel = There will be about 70 jubilees (3,500 years) of the "times of the Gentiles" until the completion of earthly kingdoms, including Christ's thousand-year reign (Daniel 2). There will also be about 70 jubilees (3,500 years) from the beginning of Israel's kingdom rule to when Christ begins His thousand-year reign (see chart above).

  • Type = Ezra listed 666 people from the clan of Adonikam that returned from exile (Ezra 2:13).

    Parallel = The Jewish remnant will be exiled to the wilderness at the time the mark of the beast (666) will be implemented (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

  • Type = Adonikam son's names were Eliphelet, Jeiel, Shemaiah. (Ezra 8:13).

    Parallel = Adonikam means "My Lord has risen." Eliphelet means "God is deliverance." Jeiel means "Snatched away by God" (rapture?). Shemaiah means "heard by Jehovah."

  • Type = There were two prophets (Haggai and Zechariah) who helped build the temple (Ezra 5:1-17).

    Parallel = There will be two witnesses that arrive on the scene right after the Tribulation temple is measured (Revelation 11:1-6). The two witnesses are also mentioned in Zechariah 4.

  • Type = King Darius confirmed the decree given by Cyrus to allow the Jews to rebuild the temple (Ezra 6:1-12).

    Parallel = The antichrist will confirm a covenant with the Jews (Daniel 9:27). It is thought that this covenant will include permission for the Jews to build a third temple due to the breaking of it by the abomination of desolation.

  • Type = The Jews were helped by the King of Assyria and kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread for 7 days (Ezra 6:19-22). The spiritual meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to be sanctified and separated from evil.

    Parallel = The antichrist is also known as the King of Assyria (Isaiah 10,14 & Micah 5). The Jewish people will be sanctified and set apart as God's people by the end of the 7-year Tribulation (Ezekiel 37).

  • Type = Ezra arrives on the scene the seventh year of King Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:8).

    Parallel = The 2nd Coming of Jesus will be in the seventh millennium of human history after the 7-year Tribulation.

  • Type = The Jews separated themselves from their pagan wives (Ezra 9-10).

    Parallel = The believers and unbelievers will be separated by Jesus at the Sheep and Goat Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46).

Jonah

  • Type = Jonah paid a fare to flee from the presence of the Lord (Jonah 1:3).

    Parallel = Jesus paid the ransom price (1 Timothy 2:6) and was separated from the Father's presence when He took our sin upon Him (Matthew 27:46).

  • Type = A great storm arose when Jonah fell asleep on the bottom of the wooden ship (Jonah 1:4-5).

    Parallel = Darkness covered the land when Jesus died on a wooden cross (Mark 15:32-33).

  • Type = The crew on the boat cast lots to find out who was to blame for the storm (Jonah 1:7).

    Parallel = The soldiers cast lots to divide Jesus' garments (Luke 23:34).

  • Type = Jonah willingly volunteered his life for the sake of those on the boat (Jonah 1:12).

    Parallel = Jesus willing laid down His life for us (1 John 3:16).

  • Type = The crew on the boat cried to the Lord for mercy before tossing Jonah overboard (Jonah 1:14-15).

    Parallel = The thief on the cross asked the Lord for mercy (Luke 23:42).

  • Type = After Jonah was thrown overboard, the storm and the sea calmed (Jonah 1:15).

    Parallel = Jesus became sin for us to satisfy the wrath of God that was against us (Romans 5:9-10, Colossians 1:19-21).

  • Type = Jonah's body was in the belly of a great fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17).

    Parallel = Jesus' body was in the grave for three days and three nights after His crucifixion
    (Matthew 12:40).

  • Type = Jonah's soul was in Sheol for three days and three nights (Jonah 2:2, 6).

    Parallel = Jesus' soul was in Sheol for three days and three nights (Acts 2:27).

  • Type = Jonah understood who God was (Jonah 1:9, 4:2).

    Parallel = Simon Bar-Jonah (aka Peter) knew who the Son of God was (Matthew 16:15-17).

  • Type = Jonah preached repentance to Ninevah (Jonah 3:1-4).

    Parallel = Jesus called sinners to repentance (Luke 5:31).

  • Type = Jonah finished preaching on the third day of journey through Ninevah (Jonah 3:3).

    Parallel = The Church is called to spread God's Word until His return (Acts 1:7-11) in the third millennium.

  • Type = Jonah warned there would be 40 days to repent (Jonah 3:4).

    Parallel = There will be 40 Jubilees, or about 2,000 years for sinners to make a decision for Christ during the "dispensation of Grace."

  • Type = There were 120,000 people in Ninevah (Jonah 4:11).

    Parallel = There will be 120 Jubilees, or 6,000 years, that God will strive with man's ways, before Christ's thousand-year reign on Earth.

The Wedding at Cana

  • Type = The wedding was on the "third day" (John 2:1).

    Parallel = The "marriage supper of the Lamb" will be after 2,000 years or in the third millennium after Christ's 1st Coming (Revelation 19:7).

  • Type = Christ manifested His glory, through His first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding (John 2:11).

    Parallel = The Bride of Christ will be glorified with Him at His 2nd Coming at their wedding celebration (1 John 3:1-3, Philippians 3:20-21).

  • Type = After the wedding (which traditionally lasted 7 days), Jesus drove out the money changers to cleanse the temple (John 2:13-17).

    Parallel = After the 7-year Tribulation, Jesus will destroy His enemies (Revelation 19:17-21, Matthew 25:31-46) and He will build the millennial temple to replace the desecrated temple of the Tribulation (Daniel 9:27, Zechariah 6:12-13).

The Samaritan Woman

  • Type = The Samaritan woman had 5 husbands and was living with a man when she met Jesus (John 4:17).

    Parallel = The Gentiles had, up to Jesus' time, been under the domination of 5 world kingdoms (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Mede & Persia, Greece). Rome had dominion during Jesus' day.

  • Type = Many Samaritans believed in Jesus through the witness of the Samaritan woman, but then knew for sure He was the Son of God by hearing Jesus for themselves (John 4:39-42).

    Parallel = The Gospel is spread by the witness of the Church, but only by the Holy Spirit will people accept Christ and be sure of their salvation. (Ephesians 1:11-14).

  • Type = Jesus left Judea (Jewish), stopped in Samaria (Gentile) for two days, and then went to Galilee (Jewish) (John 4).

    Parallel = Jesus turned his focus to the Church (which is mostly Gentile) after the Jews rejected him (Romans 11). He will turn back to the Jews after about 2,000 after the rapture of the Church (Hosea 6:1-2).

  • Type = When Jesus left Samaria, He was welcomed at Galilee. But previously, Jesus was rejected in Galilee in the town of Nazareth where He grew up (Luke 4:16-30).

    Parallel = Jesus was rejected by the Jews and turned His focus on the Church. When He turns His focus back on the Jews they will accept Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10-14).

  • Type = The first thing Jesus did in Galilee was heal a sick boy of a nobleman. The fever left the boy at the 7th hour (John 4:46-54).

    Parallel = After the fiery trial of the 7-year Tribulation, God will save and heal the Jewish remnant (Zechariah 13:8-9, Romans 11, Hosea 6:1-2).

  • Type = After Jesus healed the fever of the nobleman's boy, He went to Jerusalem for a feast (John 5:1).

    Parallel = When Jesus comes back after the Tribulation, there will be a feast at the "marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9).

The Transfiguration

  • Type = Between 6 and 8 days, Jesus took some of His disciples up to a mountain, where they saw Him in His glory. (Matthew 17:1-2, Mark 9:2, Luke 9:28).

    Parallel = After 6,000 years of human history, man will be able to see Jesus in His Glory. (Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2). There will be another 1,000 years, or the dawn of the 8th Millennium before all of mankind will see Christ in His Glory (Revelation 20:4-6).

The Rapture and the "Great Middle East War" - Will they occur near the same time?

  • Type = Elijah was taken to Heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).

    Parallel = God will make Israel's enemies like "chaff before the whirlwind" in the war (Isaiah 17:13, Psalms 83:13, Zephaniah 2:1, Amos 1:14, Isaiah 26:18, Jeremiah 23:19).

  • Type = Gideon went up against Israel's neighbors, the Midianites, and the Lord delivered them; even being outnumbered (Judges 7).

    Parallel = The Lord will deliver Israel, being outnumbered, from its neighbors in the "Great Middle East War."

  • Type = Gideon had his men blow a trumpet and break pitchers with torches inside when they went up against the Midianites (Judges 7:15-22).

    Parallel = At the trumpet sound at the rapture, the light inside believers will be revealed through the transformation of their earthly vessels, to that of a glorified body (2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 1 Corinthians 15:52).

  • Type = Sisera, and Jabin were other neighbors of Israel from Canaan that were defeated (Judges 4).

    Parallel = The Psalmist pleads with God to deal with Israel's neighbors in the same manner that he dealt with Sisera and Jabin. (Psalms 83:9-10).

  • Type = Gideon killed Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah, and Zalmunna (Judges 7:25, Judges 8:1-21).

    Parallel = The Psalmist pleads with God to deal with Israel's neighbors in the same manner Gideon dealt with Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah, and Zalmunna (Psalm 83:11).

  • Type = Gideon took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of Zebah and Zalmunna's camels after he killed them (Judges 8:21).

    Parallel = The vast majority of Israel's neighbors are Muslims, whose symbol is the crescent moon. Israel's neighbors will also be defeated in the "Great Middle East War."

  • Type = The Psalmist, writing of a war with Israel and her neighbors, asks that the Lord's beloved be delivered by His right hand (Psalm 108).

    Parallel = Jesus is at the right hand of God, and His beloved is His Bride the Church (Matthew 22:44, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 21:9).

  • Type = Before God pours out His Judgment on Israel's neighbors, he hides those that seek Him from the day of the Lord's anger (Zephaniah 2:1-3).

    Parallel = The Church is not destined for God's Wrath (Romans 5:8-9, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 5:9-10).

Are the "hidden ones" in Psalm 83 the Church?

Psalm 83:1-5 (King James Version) - Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee.

In the passage above "thy people" is Israel. The following passages support the Church being the "hidden ones," as they describe God's people being "hidden" during the time of trouble, or the indignation, or the day of the Lord's anger; all terms interchangeably used for the 7-year Tribulation:

Psalm 27:5 - For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
Isaiah 26:19-21 - Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the LORD comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.
Zephaniah 2:3 - Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD's anger.

It appears that the "Great Middle East War" starts because the opportunity arises for Israel's enemies to come together against her in the aftermath of the resurrection and rapture of the Church.

Is Psalm 108 another prophetic parallel to the "Great Middle East War"?

Psalm 108 - A Song. A Psalm of David.

1 O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2 Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.
3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples,
   and I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4 For Your mercy is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth;
6 that Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and hear me.
7 God has spoken in His holiness:
   "I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem and measure out the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet for My head;
   Judah is My lawgiver.
9 Moab is My washpot; over Edom I will cast My shoe; over Philistia I will triumph."
10 Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
   And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
12 Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless.
13 Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
    →   Verse 2 appears to be speaking about the resurrection.
    →   Verse 6 may be describing the rapture of the Church; the Bride/Beloved of Christ.
    →   Verses 7-8 describe the land that Israel will gain during the Great Middle East War.
    →   Verses 8-9 show that the West Bank, Jordan and Gaza will be defeated.
    →   Verses 10-13 show that God will deliver Israel from her enemies.

A Secret Rapture?

Scripture points to two ascensions of Jesus to Heaven, one non-public and one public, after His resurrection. The following could be a prophetic parallel for the return of Jesus in a two-phase event; the rapture of the Church before the Tribulation and the 2nd Coming after the Tribulation:

Type
Leviticus 23:9-12 - And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD."
Parallel
John 20:17-18 - Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
John 20:19-23 - Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
John 20:24-29 - Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
    →   Christ was resurrected on Sunday (the first day of the week).
    →   Jesus appeared to Mary and the disciples the day of His Resurrection (day of Firstfruits).
    →   The day after the Sabbath that the sheaf and lamb could be offered was the day Jesus rose from the dead.
    →   He appeared to Thomas 8 days after his Resurrection (the next Sunday).

According Leviticus 23, Christ would have had to physically offer His blood on the altar in Heaven on the day He was resurrected, according to the Law. Therefore, we see that He went to Heaven sometime after He met with Mary.

Hebrews 9:11-15 - But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Christ was also specific on His reasoning for Mary not to touch Him: "for I have not yet ascended to My Father" and then He says: "I am ascending to My Father." It seems pretty clear that He had "ascended to the Father" before allowing others to touch Him (Matthew 28:9) and inviting the disciples to "handle" Him later that day (Luke 24:39). This is because according to the Law, if Jesus would have been touched, He would have become ceremonially "unclean" before He was able to offer His blood, being our sacrifice of "Firstfruits." Also, Jesus would have had to do this in the temple in Heaven, so that we would be reconciled to God and be able to dwell with Him in Heaven:

Colossians 1:19-20 - For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

The following is not "proof" of a pre-Tribulation rapture, but rather a possible parallel:

    1. First, we have the 7 days between the appearances of Christ after His resurrection to the disciples.
    2. Second, those who "believed without seeing" would represent the Church. Thomas would represent those who become believers in the Tribulation after they see "proof." Thomas also would represent the Jewish remnant, as he believed after he saw the "piercings" (Zechariah 12:10).

Note that there are two times in John 20 where the "door" is shut. We also have at least two times in scripture that the "door" to Heaven is shut: before the Tribulation, where unbelievers will be punished in the Tribulation, and after the Tribulation, where unbelievers will be sent to eternity:

Isaiah 26:20-21 - Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the LORD comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.
Luke 13:25-28 - When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.

Even more intriguing, is the verse that says Jesus preached to captives in the heart of the earth, before His resurrection:

1 Peter 3:18-19 - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison.

On the day of Christ's resurrection, there were resurrected saints who appeared to people in Jerusalem:

Matthew 27:51-53 - Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

We are also told in Scripture that Jesus led a band of captives to Heaven:

Ephesians 4:8-10 - Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." (Now this, "He ascended" - what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

It would appear that these resurrected saints received their glorified bodies right after Christ did. They were then taken with Him to Heaven. There were 7 days between the appearances of Christ after His resurrection to the disciples. In the prophetic parallel, these Old Testament saints would represent the "dead in Christ," that will go with Christ at the rapture. Those in Christ will be in Heaven 7 years during the Tribulation, before Christ returns to Earth again at His 2nd Coming.

Throughout this study, there have been numerous parallels to the 7-year Tribulation outlined in Daniel 9:27 and supported in other passages. Click here to see all of these parallels together, including a few not included in this study.

Conclusion

The increasing signs around us support the time patterns shown in this study. In other words, we are about 6,000 years into human history, and all the signs are pointing to the end of the prophetic creation week and the imminent return of Jesus Christ:

1 Corinthians 10:11 - And all these things as types did happen to those persons, and they were written for our admonition, to whom the end of the ages did come....
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