The book bestselling author Joel Richardson considers his most important work ever.
“Sinai to Zion is an exciting study of how the Bible uses the Exodus story as the basis for its vision concerning the glorious and triumphant return of Jesus the Messiah. For the first time, this book presents a thorough examination of many often-overlooked, yet critically important Old Testament texts that the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament authors looked to as describing the return of Jesus.”
Revelation 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, PREPARED as a bride adorned for her husband.
BASED upon all that we have learned from how God worked in the first prophetic cycle of the coming Messiah, let’s consider how God might work similarly in the second prophetic cycle, possibly coming upon us sooner than you might think. Remember, the majority of the institutional religious leaders were apostate and wrong in regards to what God was doing in their day and time. Because their doctrine was wrong (especially in regard to Biblical prophecy), they misunderstood the assignments and roles they were to play in God’s unfolding plans and purposes. Not only did they not work with God, they actively worked as his enemies. In contrast to the majority religious establishment, the marginalized minority or the remnant (represented by the Zadok priesthood and Essenes), were in agreement with God and able to both cooperate and participate in what God was doing. It is for that reason they would eventually disappear from the pages of history. BECAUSE THEY ALL BECAME CHRISTIANS.
Let’s first discuss the problem of UNBELIEF regarding prophecy in the first prophetic cycle. The disciples had UNBELIEF because they were in agreement with the wrong prophetic doctrine of the majority religious establishment.
Mark 16:9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
(Bear in mind, Jesus had repeatedly instructed his disciples all of this was going to happen. And now even after the events had happened, exactly like Jesus said they would would, the disciples still didn’t believe it!)
Luke 24:36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,43 and he took it and ate before them.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
(Amazing! Jesus is standing right in front of his disciples, asking them to touch him and eating in front of them so they can understand it is really him in the flesh. And they still didn’t believe their lying eyes!!! Don’t think for a second this couldn’t be you in the second prophetic cycle.)
Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
(The problem isn’t a lack of understanding, it is blindness caused by a refusal to get in agreement with the plans and purposes of God. Peter’s hardness of heart towards the prophetic cycle that was unfolding caused him to actively work against God as an enemy, even as one of Jesus’s chosen Apostles.)
Why a Correct Understanding of Biblical Prophecy Is Becoming More Urgent.
Let’s first consider the timeline of prophecy, according to the Zadok priesthood as they understood history, that we are currently living in.
A Jubilee cycle is a 49 year time frame followed by 1 year of Jubilee prescribed by the Old Testament law. Consider all that happened in the final 50 year Jubilee cycle before the beginning of the current Age of Grace, or the church age:
Jesus starts his ministry 29 AD.
Upon his death, burial, and resurrection the church is born on Pentecost 32 AD, creating a new gentile priesthood of believers. This officially begins the Age of Grace.
Possibly outside of Revelation, all of the books of the New Testament were written.
The project of world evangelism begins.
With the destruction of the two temples, the Old Testament sacrificial system, along with the Levitical priesthood is permanently abolished permanently ending the Age of Torah.
Notice the two ages overlap. There is a phase of transition from one age to the next.
All of these events, just to name the highlights, were accurately predicted by the Zadok priests and played out over the span of a 50 year Jubilee cycle. Not only did they pinpoint the date of the crucifixion as being during the Passover of 32 AD, they also called the date of destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. These were both accurately predicted hundreds of years in advance. Amazing!
JOSEPHUS ON THE ESSENES
(8.12) 159 “There are also among them those who profess to foretell what is to come, being thoroughly trained in holy books, various purifications, and concise sayings of prophets. Rarely if ever do they fail in their predictions.” (Josephus - The Jewish War, Book II, Chapter 8)
With that said, its important to take a closer look at the calendar from which the Zadok priests marked time. “The Dead Sea Scroll calendar, also called the Zadok calendar, maps out time from the Creation (in Genesis) to the Creation of a New Heavens and a New Earth (in Revelation). The scrolls teach that between these two events spans seven thousand years (of human history, mirroring the seven days of creation).”
“Elijah's School of the Prophets taught that the time of man, which started at the Genesis Creation and ends with the Revelation Creation of a New Heavens and New Earth, would last seven thousand years. (One Onah = 500 years)
AGE OF CREATION (2,000 years) - The first four Onahs make up the first 2000-year Age, 1-2000 AM or 3925-1925 BC.
AGE OF TORAH (2,000 years) (Old Testament Law) - Onahs five through eight make up the second 2000-year Age, 2001-4000 AM or 1926 BC - 75 AD.
AGE OF GRACE (2,000 years) (New Testament Church Age) - Onahs nine through twelve make up the third 2000-year Age, 4001-6000 AM or 75-2075 AD.
AGE OF THE KINGDOM (1,000 years) (The Millennium when Jesus Rules on Earth) - Onahs thirteen and fourteen make up this fourth Age which only lasts 1000 years. It is commonly called the Millennium, 6001-7000 AM or 2076-3075 AD. (all above from dsscalendar.org)
According to the Zadok priests, who were proven to be 100% accurate in everything else they predicted (see Parousia Part 1), the beginning of the last fifty-year Jubilee cycle before the inauguration of the Kingdom Age would start at the conclusion of the year 2025 in March of 2026.
I’ll allow you to make of that what you will. But remember, the dead sea scrolls record the correct prediction that, “The Messiah’s death would occur on Passover of AD 32 (the Pesach at the end of the first Shemittah (a 7 year cycle) after the ninth Jubilee of the eighth Onah of the Age of Torah).” (Ken Johnson, “Ancient Mysteries of the Essenes”). So it would be unwise to dismiss this prophecy out of hand. Jesus said no man knows the day or the hour, but no one is predicting any date with that level of specificity.
Could they be wrong or mistaken? Of course. But the more pressing question is, given their track record, is it likely they are wrong? I would argue no. So given that, let’s operate on the assumption they might be correct, and let’s think through what we might expect from the coming decades. This isn’t just a fun exercise in conjecture. As we have seen from the original disciple’s failed responses to prophetic events, even though they were trained by Jesus himself, training in this information has very real implications for how we will stand, or even if we will stand in our faith in the decades ahead of us.
Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets (teaching false doctrine/wrong interpretations of scripture) will arise and lead many astray.
Matthew 24:24 For false christs (political figures) and false prophets (religious leaders) will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Matthew 24:10 And then many will fall away
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion (apostacy = falling away) comes first
Luke 18:7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Given this very clear information, how will we be able to stand in this soon coming time frame of events?
Luke 21:34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
We stand by guarding against these warnings of lies and massive deception, while also expecting, watching for, and instructing others in the positive outcomes God intends to bring about in the future. It is doing a combination of these two things that causes us to be prepared at the time of His coming. Jesus warns in the parable of the ten virgins, immediately following his teaching on the end times to his disciples in Matthew 24, that half of the church will be prepared at the time of his coming, and half won’t. Half of the body of Christ, because they neglected to adequately take heed of bible prophecy, are caught completely off guard at Christ’s second coming, and because of that they are rejected.
Here are some major things we should be expecting and watching for:
Satan will increasingly take over the governments of the earth with a subsequent growing madness (2 Thes 2:1-12; Rev 13).
As cited above, people increasingly will quit practicing their faith and participating in church. As a consequence, churches will begin teaching whatever they feel they need to teach in order to keep people coming. This will also help them to stay at peace with the governments and the prevailing apostate culture.
Much like John the Baptist, faithful Christians will be marginalized, heavily persecuted, imprisoned and even executed (Rev 13). But they will also begin functioning in unprecedented divine power. As they form countercultural communities, many will flee the madness and chaos to remote areas of refuge (Rev. 12:14; Rev 8).
For the first time, the message of the Kingdom of God will come to maturity and be communicated and understood worldwide (Dan. 12:8-10; Matt. 24:13-14). The reason you may not have heard or understood this message before now is because it wasn’t time (Luke 24:45 “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures”).
Widespread war and chaos, along with disruptions in nature likely blamed on “climate change”, will lead to a realignment of global power and economic structures. People will gladly submit to strict social controls from a false hope to return to “normal”. This realignment will be comprised of a ten-nation alliance from which will emerge the antichrist (Rev 13). This could be a regional alliance that wields global economic, social, and military power.
Massive numbers of death. Some orchestrated by sinful men, others by the hand of God (Rev. 6:8; Rev. 8:11; Rev. 9:15).
A political leader will rise from obscurity to defeat three of the ten nation alliance in war, the remaining seven will make him their king. He will establish a peace treaty between Israel and the Muslim world, allowing them to resume temple worship on the temple mount in a newly built Jewish place of worship (Dan 7:7-8; Dan 9:27).
Somewhere in the midst of this upheaval, there will be three and a half years of unprecedented peace and prosperity for the nations brought about by this counterfeit messiah (antichrist means “false political savior”). His unparalleled success will gain him the perceived right to be considered a “god” demanding worship. And because of the great prosperity and pleasures people will enjoy, they will grant him worship in order to keep it (Rev. 17-18).
There will be mind boggling satanic supernatural and technological wonders revealed by the antichrist’s regime. Witnessing these wonders caused even the apostle John to “marvel greatly” when he saw them (Rev. 17:6-8). Prepare now to resist being duped by the lies told around these seemingly miraculous signs and wonders, while at the same time not becoming hardened in heart and disbelieving the prophetic promises of scripture.