THE LASTDAY'S EVENTS

I. OUTER PATH –
Ten Events; 40 Vs. as Earth’s Armies Gather to Armageddon

#1 - Plague #7 - “It is Done” - [Background - 16:12-17].
#2 - Seal #6 – Day of Wrath – “After G. T.” - 6:12-17
#3 - Seal 144000 Jews – Firstfruit to God & Lamb - 7:1-8
#4 - Firstfruit Rescued; Taken to Heaven – - - 14:1-5

The proposition supported by this presentation is that 15 of the Lastday’s 22 main events (62 of 100 verses) occur while the 7th Plague remains suspended in the air (#1). Seal 6 (#2) opens after the Great Tribulation (G. T.) The sealing of 144000 Jews (#3) follows the opening of Seal 6. The Lamb’s next act (#4) occurs after Seal 6 opens and is described after the Beast’s 42-month global rule of Rev.13.

Events 3 & 4 reveal the vital role of the Lamb in rescuing 144000 Jews. Daniel sees them in heaven with the Saints to “present” the Son of Man to God. They are the “Firstfruit” reaped by the Lamb and escorted to God on the Harvest-Day Feast of Tabernacles.

The Lamb purchases them from men. John anticipates the harpers will play in Rev.14:2 for their song and in Rev.15:2 for the Martyrs’ song of Moses.

Jesus revealed the signs of the Day of the Lord will occur “on one of the (3½ ) days after the two Prophets finish their 1260-day task which ends as the Beast kills them and the 7th Trumpet is about to sound. The world will celebrate with their dead bodies lying in a street of the Holy City. No one knows which of these 3½ days will be the Lastday! But it’s the time 144000 Jews gather to Mt. Zion.

Joel and Peter reveal the Lastday’s signs introduce the Great Day of the wrath of God Almighty. If one thinks Seal 6 is part of the G. T., he has not yet understood that Seal 6 occurs afterward! Matt.24:29; Mark 13:24. Its signs occur “before” the Day of the Lord begins. Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20. Seal 6 opens after the 7 last Plagues “complete God’s anger,” not His wrath.

Plague #7 remains suspended for the 15 events of the Outer/Middle Concentric Paths before the 7th Trumpet sounds that God’s wrath has come. The smoke of God’s glory/power fills the Temple during the Plagues. “No one enters the Temple until the 7 Plagues are finished.”Rev.15:1,8.

Christ comes “immediately after the G. T.” Matt.24:29. That Day begins the 7-day Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot (“booths”) at full moon time during the first month of a civil New Year and the start of the Fall Festival. Tishri 15 may or may not occur on a Sabbath.

No man can know the exact day since that day varies one or two days each year relative to the full moon and because only the Father knows when the last Martyr must be killed. Rev.6:11. But it involves the Sabbath as the 1st and 8th days are considered a “rest” unto the Lord like that from Israel’s 40-year wilderness journey upon entering the land of promise. Living for a week in booths is a reminder of God’s deliverance. But the Feast has even greater significance!

This Feast is the only one of 3 annual feasts to be prophetically fulfilled at the Endtime harvest. In “The Temple,” by famous Alfred Edersheim, last published by Hendrickson in 1994, it is the Feast of Ingathering. Every male came to the Temple with his Firstfruit offering to the Lord 5 days after the Day of Atonement.

In the End of the Age harvest God will take away the rebuke of Israel. The Lamb brings His own Firstfruit unto God prior to the main harvest and before the Gentiles come to worship at Jerusalem. Deut.16:13-16; Ex.23:16; Lev.23:16; Isa.25:6-8; Ezek.14:16; Rev.15:4. See “The Temple,” P.213-215.

In Revelation, 144000 Jews are the Son of Man’s Firstfruit. Already sealed with the Father’s name, they are sealed by the Lamb’s name in Event #3, also being the Firstfruit of the main harvest. He rescues them on Mt. Zion in Event #4. Rev.7:1-8; Rev.14:1-5. The Son of Man reveals His worthiness to take His Bride and be crowned King of kings.

Firstfruit of the living Harvest, He rescues them prior to reaping the wicked symbolically to the winepress and prior to the opening of the Temple.

This first event after Seal 6 opens, while its 4 winds are held back, suggests the Day of the Lord is very short. While men’s hearts fail from fear at the darkening of the sun and awful effects of giant tsunamis, 4 angels hold back the winds while a 5th angel seals the 144000 Jews gathered to Mt. Zion. Joel 2:32. Then the Lamb rescues and prepares to take these Firstfruit to heaven and be presented by them as their expected Bridegroom and worthy King of the Jews. Dan.7:13.

Having been sealed (Rev.9:4) with the Father’s name and kept and nourished in the desert for 1260 days by the two Witnesses, Rev.12:6,14, they are redeemed in haste “from earth; from among men; the Firstfruit unto God and the Lamb who will follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” They present Him as their Bridegroom to the Father and as the Son of Man worthy to take the Kingdom. This happens before the Court sits in the open Temple to judge the wicked and before He is crowned King of kings in Trumpet #7. Rev.14:4; Dan.7:13-14,22; Rev.11:15.

The Witnesses will “stand before the God of earth” as the Two Lampstands and Two Olive Trees to prepare Israel for restoration to her own Olive Tree and to "re-unite the sticks of the tribes of Ephraim (Israel) and Judah in their land forever”. Ezek.37:15-28.

On one of the 12-hour days of lying dead in a street of Jerusalem after the G. T. completes God’s Mystery, these two suddenly arise and join the 144000 and countless Martyrs praising God and the Lamb. Rev.11:9-12; Rev.7:9-12.

All this happens quickly as Israel earnestly seeks to “obtain what the Elect have obtained.” Rom.11:7. By the 20th event of this Day, Israel will mourn as they see Christ appear to destroy the wicked.

At the same moment, the main harvest of the Elect will be gathered from earth to heaven and the angels sent to gather them out of all 4 extremities of the heavens. A Jewish remnant of at least 5 million will also be “kept from death.” While not members of the Lamb’s Bride, their names are recorded in the Book of Life. Rev.21:27.

The 144000 “redeemed from earth” will follow the Lamb and present Him as the worthy Son of Man to the Father. The hearts of the remnant kept alive on that same Day are no longer hardened. “Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgressions, salvation came to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. Since their trespass brought riches to the nations of the world, how much greater riches will their fullness bring” to the nations during the Millennium! Rom.11:11-12; NIV.

This tells us who will populate the Kingdom. What the 144000 will be to God and the Lamb, the Jewish remnant redeemed on the Lastday will be to the nations still in need of knowing the true God. Once God concludes the Gentiles also in a state of “disobedience, He will then show mercy to ALL.” Rom.11:32.

That prospect will permeate the week’s joyful celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles which includes these 5 million Jews and millions of Gentiles left behind to be the “guests at the Lamb’s wedding supper.” Rev.19:9.

Israel’s tribes are to be re-united by the sticks of Ephraim and Judah! Millions of their half-brothers by Ishmael will also be guests at the wedding supper for the Lamb and His Bride. And it will be one of 3 days, Tishri 14,15 or 16, since the Hebrew calendar varies. Zech.4:11; Zech.14:16; Ezek.37:15-23; Rom.11:4,7-12.

Reformed theology teaches that all unbelievers will be destroyed and the 144000 Jews are just symbolic of the entire Church. That cannot be true since each tribe is named and they are alive and separate from the countless Martyrs coming out of G. T. from all the nations and peoples. Dispensationalists claim all unbelievers will be destroyed so as to require surviving Tribulation Saints to remain in their mortal bodies to populate the Kingdom. Instead, all the Saints are among the “called, the elect and faithful who come with the Lamb to destroy the wicked.” Rev.16:14; Rev.17:14.

The 144000 will be the Firstfruit of the End of the Age Harvest and separate from the Jewish remnant that enters the Millennial Kingdom in mortal bodies. The Lamb redeems the Firstfruit from among men to stand before God’s Throne. They are without blemish and sing the song of the Lamb which none but they can learn. They present Him before He is crowned King of kings or the Last Trump reveals: “God’s wrath has come; the time appointed to judge the dead, reward the Prophets and Saints and all who fear God and to destroy the destroyers of earth.” Rev.11:18.

The 144000 Jews are sealed as the 4 winds of the 6th Seal are held back. Their rescue, recorded in Rev.14, follows the 42-month rule of the Beast of Rev.13. All the Martyrs appear before God right after the Lamb rescues the Firstfruit. The Lamb’s primary “concern” is that of being presented to the Father as their worthy Bridegroom and King of the Jews before the 7th Trumpet sounds for the dead to be raised, the prophets and saints rewarded and wicked destroyed.

The Lamb’s concern explains why the Temple opens for the dramatic Middle Path Events #11 to #15 that follow the Outer Path’s 10 events in 40 verses. During all 15 events the last Plague remains in suspension. With the Temple filled with the smoke of God’s glory during the Plagues, no one enters “after these things” at Rev.15:5 and Rev.7:9 until ten Outer Path events occur and the smoke clears. Rev.15:8.

Three times the key phrase appears: “After these things, I looked and behold….” It reminds us of Daniel who “kept looking” after seeing the Court Scene of Dan. 7:9-11 and the Beast cast into Hell. The Martyrs praise God in Rev.7:9-11 (1st act in the open Temple on the Day of the Feast of Tabernacles where they hold the traditional Palms; Lev.23:40). Daniel keeps looking after the Books open and God sits on a crystal river of fire. His throne is ablaze in the context of the Son of Man’s presentation and Court’s pending judgment.

The Firstfruit present Him to God in Dan.7:13 before His Judgment can be rendered in Dan.7:22 and Seal 7. On His way to heaven with the Firstfruit, the Son of Man stops with them on a cloud to reap the tares to the winepress of God’s great anger. Rev.14:14-19. Tares are reaped prior to the Temple Drama (Middle Path events #11-15) but not until the Lamb rescues the Firstfruit. He will then “ingather the wheat” (into the Celestial Barn) and “tread the overripe fruit in the winepress of anger and wrath” to begin the week of celebration. Matt.13:30; 2 Thess.2:1; Rev.19:15 (14:20).

The rejoicing begins as the Firstfruit join the Martyrs holding traditional Palms at the initial celebration of joy in the Temple. Harpers play and the Saints sing. The Temple Drama with God and the Lamb seems to begin in Rev.7 after the 144000 are sealed; but they and the Martyrs first sing their songs and the Temple opens at Rev.15:5! The Temple opens “after these things” (Rev.15:5; Rev.7:9) with the Firstfruit sealed and rescued. The songs of Rev.14:3 and Rev.15:3 are sung before God sits in Judgment.

“Redeemed from earth, from among men, the 144000 follow the Lamb wherever He goes” and sing the song of the Lamb before God sitting on His throne ablaze with fire. Then they enter the Temple with the Martyrs for the Drama of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.

Upon rejoicing and praising God in heaven, the Saints dress in their fine linen for the Lamb’s wedding. Rev.19:1-7. Five million or more Jews who mourn, and all who beg for mercy, will be guests at the wedding supper and during the Week of Celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.

The list of Firstfruit does not include the name of Dan but his inheritance is restored during the Millennium. Ezek.48:1. Manasseh will take Joseph’s place; Ephraim takes Levi’s place. Levites live in Jerusalem for Temple ministry. As the stick to restore the Houses of Israel and Judah, Ephraim fulfills Ez.37:15-23.

Separation of Church and ethnic Israel exists now as the Body of Christ grows to a holy Temple, the Lamb’s completed Bride at His return. Eph.2:21. As in O. T. times, Ezekiel reveals a distinction will exist between ethnic Israel and Gentiles while the Davidic Covenant goes into effect in a new, everlasting Kingdom on earth. God’s sanctuary will exist in that Kingdom forever while the Bride inhabits New Jerusalem. Rom.11:25-27; Ezek.37:24-28.

All those now being killed for their testimony, both Jew and Gentile, will be rewarded with names of the Father, the Lamb and the New Jerusalem. They will reign with Christ  in heaven, serve God day and night in the Temple and the Lamb will shepherd them for 1000 years. Rev.3:12; Rev.7:15-17; Rev.20:4-6. 

See next for more on the Concentric Paths.

Mel