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Friday, October 4, 2013

What are HaShem’s Redemption Rules For Israel In The End Times?

A passage from the famous eschatological Ezekiel 38-39 chapters has perplexed me for years: How does a nation besieged by terrorists on every side, become a nation living in shalom (peace) in the center of their country, after removing their walls, bars, and gates?

HaShem, and HaShem alone, wrote this passage, because if I wrote it, you would deem it to be fiction (Did I mention that I’m a novelist?). In the end times, why would Israel tear down her protective fences in the presence of her enemies, and their nuclear /chemical weapons? Let’s find out why.

I’m going to let you inside the mind of an eschatologist—me. Whenever, I have problems with a verse, I employ a system. First, I search the Torah for a specific related instruction. Let’s face it; most of the Bible is veiled in multiple layers of enigmatic prophecy. And most of the Torah isn’t veiled, and that’s why few of us read it; for the literal meaning convicts us of our many sins. If the Torah states a reference to the puzzling verse(s), then I have a foundational passage with which to interpret the other scripture. After I research the Torah, I search for an application of the Torah with the prophets. (Sometimes the application of the process can be used for Brit Chadashah (NT)/Revelation verses too. That’s when my system is really fun.) 

Now let’s apply my system:

Step 1. What are the perplexing verses?
“Adonai Elohim says: ‘When that day comes, thoughts will well up in your mind, and you will devise a sinister scheme. You will say, “I am going to invade this land of unwalled villages; I will take by surprise these people who are at peace, living securely, all in places without walls, bars or gates. I will seize the spoil and take the plunder.” You will attack the former ruins that are now inhabited and come against the people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and other wealth and are living in the central parts of the land. Sh’va, D’dan and all the leading merchants of Tarshish will ask you, “Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hordes to loot; to carry off silver, gold, livestock and other wealth; to take much plunder?”’

“Therefore, human being, prophesy! Tell Gog that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘Won’t you be aware of it when my people Isra’el are living in security? You will choose just that time to come from your place in the far reaches of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them on horseback, a huge horde, a mighty army; and you will invade my people Isra’el like a cloud covering the land. This will be in the acharit-hayamim; and I will bring you against my land, so that the Goyim will know me when, before their eyes, I am set apart as holy through you, Gog.’
“Adonai Elohim says: ‘I spoke of you long ago through my servants the prophets of Isra’el. Back then, they prophesied for many years that I would have you invade them. When that day comes, when Gog invades the land of Isra’el,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘my furious anger will boil up. In my jealousy, in my heated fury I speak: when that day comes there will be a great earthquake in the land of Isra’el; so that the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the wild beasts, all the reptiles creeping on the ground and every human being there in the land will tremble before me. Mountains will fall, cliffs crumble and every wall crash to the ground. I will summon a sword against him throughout all my mountains,’ says Adonai Elohim; ‘every man will wield his sword against his brother. I will judge him with plague and with blood. I will cause torrential rain to fall on him, his troops and the many peoples with him, along with huge hailstones, fire and sulfur. I will show my greatness and holiness, making myself known in the sight of many nations; then they will know that I am Adonai.’ Ezekiel 38:10-23 (CJB)

Step 2. What does Torah state about walled or unwalled cities?
“‘If someone sells a dwelling in a walled city, he has one year after the date of sale in which to redeem it. For a full year he will have the right of redemption; but if he has not redeemed the dwelling in the walled city within the year, then title in perpetuity passes to the buyer through all his generations; it will not revert in the yovel. However, houses in villages not surrounded by walls are to be dealt with like the fields in the countryside — they may be redeemed [before the yovel], and they revert in the yovel. Leviticus 25:29-31 (CJB)

Step 3. How should the Torah verses be applied here?
Regular Redemption: If you sell in a walled village, you have one year to redeem a property, regardless of jubilee rules. Afterwards, it will become a perpetual contract.  

Jubilee (yovel) Redemption: The plain meaning of the text seems to be that you may redeem properties only in villages without walls after the jubilee years (49 year sequences), just like farm property redemptions. Properties may be redeemed anytime after the jubilee. This is a legal contract from HaShem, so you may count on it.
Step 4. What do other prophets add to this walled/unwalled application?

Next, Adonai showed me four artisans. I asked, “What are these coming to do?” He said, “Those horns that scattered Y’hudah so completely that no one could even raise his head — well, these men have come to terrify them, to overthrow the nations that raised their horns against the land of Y’hudah to scatter it.”
I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He said to me, “To measure Yerushalayim, to determine its width and length.”

Here the angel who was speaking to me went forward, and another angel went out, met him  and said to him, “Run and tell this young man [na’ar], ‘Yerushalayim will be inhabited without walls, because there will be so many people and animals; “for,” says Adonai, “I will be for her a wall of fire surrounding her; and I will be the glory within her. Up!” says Adonai, “Move! Flee the land of the north! For I scattered you like the four winds of the sky,” says Adonai. “Move, Tziyon! You who are living with the daughter of Bavel, escape!” For Adonai-Tzva’ot has sent me on a glorious mission to the nations that plundered you, and this is what he says: “Anyone who injures you injures the very pupil of my eye. But I will shake my hand over them, and they will be plundered by those who were formerly their slaves.” Then you will know that Adonai-Tzva’ot sent me. “Sing, daughter of Tziyon; rejoice! For, here, I am coming; and I will live among you,” says Adonai. Zechariah 2:3-14 (CJB)
Step 5. How should you apply the Zechariah 2 verses?

The plain meaning seems to be that HaShem will designate that Jerusalem will be considered inhabited in villages without walls, whether there are actual walls or not. Why? If a nuclear bomb is launched toward Jerusalem, a chain-link fence will not defend anybody. In future dire circumstances, when no other nation will defend Israel, HaShem must protect them, according to His word—his bond. Therefore, HaShem has the Torah right of redemption to surround the Jews with fire (Fire Wall), and bring glory into their assembly.
Now let’s add Mark Biltz’ and Jonathan Cahn’s theories about the timing of the shmita/jubilee years. Late 2015 seems to be the end of a shmita/jubilee sequences. If this time frame is accurate, HaShem may redeem Jerusalem anytime after 2015, when their enemies surround them.

Step 6. Are there more biblical applications?
There seems to be another reference to a young boy [na’ar] that has end time’s significance. I claim that he is the Man Child of Revelation 12 (& Rev. 2:26-28), a human ruling under Yeshua’s leadership—a long established tradition. Consider that HaShem didn’t need Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, David, or anyone else. Yet, He permitted human leadership. I believe that He will permit human leadership in the end of days too. The na’ar is the leader.

The wolf will live with the lamb; the leopard lie down with the kid; calf, young lion and fattened lamb together, with a little child [na’ar] to lead them. Isaiah 11:6 (CJB)
I liken the measurement of the temple from Zechariah 2 to the Temple measurement beginning in Ezekiel 40. Then, I think the young boy [na’ar] and the sar [prince] mentioned in Ezekiel 44 and 45 are synonymous. This is a special young man.

Step 7. The final link is to Revelation:

I was given a measuring rod like a stick and told, “Get up, and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count how many people are worshipping there! But the court outside the Temple, leave that out; don’t measure it; because it has been given to the Goyim, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. Revelation 11:1-2 (CJB)

Frankly, I’m shocked that I found a relevant Revelation reference. The angel measuring for the Temple of HaShem is describing future walls. After His redemption, these walls will be built by HaShem’s army, and enforced by HaShem’s army. However, first the walls must be prophesied and measured. Do you see the links to all the above verses? Bless HaShem!
Shalom!

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