The Placement of Ezekiel 40:1 in the Scriptural Record
To gain some background for today’s post, you may want to go to Tim McHyde’s website at www.escapeallthesethings.com and find his study on Ezekiel 38 and 39. From Tim we learn that Ezekiel 38 will occur about 1,000 years from now, or around 3020-3030 CE. Ezekiel 39 will occur just about any year now in our time. Let’s look at a couple Scriptures to understand why this is so. 1 Kings 4:25 (NKJV) “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” This golden period of Israel’s history is the “when” referenced in Ezekiel 39:25-26 (NKJV) “Therefore thus says Sovereign Yahweh: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name– 26after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid.” Modern Israel today does not dwell safely like they did in Solomon’s day, but the regathering is slowly taking place and will speed up once modern Israel allows Christians and Messianic believers to return to our homeland of Israel. So the “now” of Ezekiel 39:25 refers to today’s timeframe, while the “now” of Ezekiel 38:8 refers to about 1,000 years from today. Ezekiel 38:8 (NKJV) “After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.”
Ezekiel helps us understand the truth of Tim’s revelation in Ezekiel 39:9 (NKJV) “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years.” This seven years is an obvious reference to Daniel’s 70th week, the soon coming seven Tribulation years of our modern end times that we live in today. We know Yahshua returns at the end of the seven year period, at the end of the three and one half year Great Tribulation. So the Gog Magog war of Ezekiel 39 happens soon, which basically introduces us to the seven year Tribulation period, followed by Yahshua’s return. Yahshua’s Advent 2.0 then brings us to Ezekiel 40:1.
Ezekiel 40:1 (NKJV) “In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of Yahweh was upon me; and He took me there.” As we’ve learned in previous posts, the phrase “at the beginning of the year” is the words Rosh Hashanah in the Hebrew, meaning Ezekiel is declaring the Year of Jubilee on the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, on the tenth day of the seventh month. Because for 48 years Rosh Hashanah is on the first day of the seventh month, we know this is the Jubilee Year declaration being made on the tenth day of the seventh month. From the context of Ezekiel 39, we now know this declaration of the Jubilee Year will be made at the end of the seven year Tribulation. Our soon coming King and Redeemer, Yahshua HaMashiach, will personally make this declaration from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
It is no accident that Yahweh had Ezekiel write down his Jubilee experience in 40:1 right AFTER the Gog Magog war and seven year Tribulation of Ezekiel 39. What was seemingly just a historical recording for Ezekiel becomes a prophecy for us!! Israel could not celebrate the Jubilee Year in 576 BCE, because the Kingdom of Judah was no more, the Temple having been destroyed fourteen years before this prophecy. Most Israelites had been exiled to Babylon or murdered, thus they were no longer in the Promised Land. Therefore, Israel could not observe Yahweh’s Jubilee Commandment from Leviticus 25. But none of the anguished history of Israel of that period invalidates the fact and truth that the Jubilee Year was scheduled on Yahweh’s calendar! Just the fact that Ezekiel was able to maintain Yahweh’s sacred calendar while in captivity in Babylon is miraculous.
Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48 are our future history, describing the Millennial Temple to be built in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount during the first year or two of Yahshua’s 1,000 year reign on earth. Don’t worry if you don’t make it through the seven year Tribulation. Most, if not all, of us will not survive the Tribulation years. In fact, it may prove to be a blessing to die or get martyred early on in the Tribulation. Nonetheless, if you don’t make it, you’ll be resurrected at Yahshua’s Advent 2.0 with your immortal body! In your grave or state of death, just listen for the last trumpet!
Now I want you to let the following statement sink deep into your spirit. The Jubilee commandment of release and forgiveness of all kinds of debt is one of the main reasons WHY YOU WANT to live under Yahweh’s Law, His Torah, now and on into the Millennium, and then throughout eternity. Yahweh’s Law is a Law of Grace. The Jubilee levels the economic playing field every 50 years. If humans would follow Yahweh’s Jubilee Law, we would not have Great Depressions. Yahweh’s Kingdom Law is what has ruled all existence from eternity past, through all of human history, and will rule all existence throughout all future eternity. Only the ritualistic ceremonial law of Moses was done away with at the execution stake of Messiah Yahshua. We’ve looked at this understanding several times before, so I won’t elaborate the point in this post. The moral Law of Yahweh’s word can never be done away with. The moral Law is Yahweh’s nature, His righteous character. To eliminate the moral Law of Yahweh is to destroy His holy nature and character, which would eliminate life itself. You can deny Yahweh, but Yahweh can never, and never will, deny Himself. Paul stated the Law of Yahweh is holy, righteous, and good. Yahweh Himself LIVES by His holy Word!
2 Timothy 2:10-26 (NKJV) “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Messiah Yahshua with eternal glory. 11This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. 14Remind them of these things, charging them before Yahweh not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15Be diligent to present yourself approved to Yahweh, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness [Sabbath-breaking]. 17And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. 19Nevertheless the solid foundation of Yahweh stands, having this seal: “Yahweh knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Messiah [His name is Yahshua.] depart from iniquity.” 20But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Master out of a pure heart. 23But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24And a servant of the Master must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if Yahweh perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
Some may believe that many of my recent posts have been harsh toward believers. Well, heresies like the pre-tribulation rapture and the lunar Sabbath can destroy the faith of some, so these heresies must be severely dealt with. You would not want Yahshua or the Apostles Paul and Peter to rebuke you in these matters, so my rebukes should be a little easier to swallow. Straying from the clear teaching of Scripture leads to your captivity to the devil, so you end up doing his will instead of Yahweh’s will. That leads to spiritual death and you don’t want that.
I apologize for not posting over the last few weeks. We had to move our international ministry headquarters down out of the high country. Yahweh’s hand was in this move, though I didn’t always see His hand in it. Praise Yahweh, we’re moved and back online. All glory to Him forever and evermore.
Gene Benjamin II
April 15, 2013 CE
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