August 2010 Letters
From Ontario:
Dear Brooks, I know you have discussed the importance of different years as far as prophecy is concerned but lately, even from media sources, we hear often about 2012. Any comments?
Thanks Ontario:
Dates come and dates go. I know that I have expected more to take place at certain times and when you look back, they were important dates. For example, according to some scholars, the six days of God’s Plan (6,000 years) expired in 2001 and of course, as we all know, 911 took place in September of that year. It’s interesting that many quote Isaiah 30: 25 concerning this tragedy, “And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall”. Interesting too, is the fact that the towers (The Trade Centers) could well represent “Economic Babylon” to a great extent. Noah was given seven days warning of the flood that was to take place and adding 7 years [a day to a year as per Ezekiel 4:6] we come to 2008 when Economic Babylon received such a shock in real estate, equity markets, etc. that it is unlikely to recover, as it awaits a second blow brought about by unsustainable deficits. The bailout packages only added fuel to the fire.
Now, turning to 2012, this phenomenon comprises a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on December 21, 2012 which is said to be the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mayan Long Count calendar. If you are trying to equate this date as a possible return of the Lord Jesus Christ, it’s difficult to fathom but if you used the same 7 years (Noah’s warning) added to 2005, it could prove interesting. I say this because a few years back our special correspondent Don Robson had been studying the book, “The Coming of Christ” by Bonnie Gaunt, who had looked at Hosea 6:1-2, “Come and let us return unto the Lord, for he hath torn and he will heal us, he has smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us; in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.”
[inset side=”left” title=””]I suppose in our anxiety we want to know when Jesus will definitely return.[/inset]Ms. Gaunt places the Crucifixion and Resurrection at 33AD, which I believe is a correct date and wrote on such in my book, “The Mystery of the Seventh Millennium.” She writes, “It remains then to compute the two days from 33 A.D. and it should bring us to the time to recognize Him and joyfully accept Him. Considering these a “thousand-year days,” we must also consider those years as being 360 days each. Two thousand years of 360 days each becomes 720,000 days. Divide this by 365.242 and it gives us a period of 1971.30 years. If we begin counting this period of time from 33 A.D., it brings us to the spring of the year 2005……….” By the way, eminent Bible scholar Howard Rand in his Documentary Studies, pinpoints the end of the six years of God’s Plan at 2005.
I suppose in our anxiety we want to know when Jesus will definitely return. Yet, whenever a new date comes up I guess my mind goes to the Bible passages that state the time of His return is not for us to know. Still, I have attempted to understand Second Advent prophecy and have conveyed my thoughts from time to time. I guess I continue to pursue such thoughts because God seems to have inspired His prophets to write what could appear to be conflicting statements. To Amos, He said, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing his secrets to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3: 7) or to Paul who wrote “But as to the times and the precise seasons and dates, brethren, you have no necessity for anything being written to you (1 Thessalonians 5: 1). Or the Book of Revelation, which name in itself means to “reveal.” On the other hand, Daniel asked the Lord, “what shall be the end of these things” and was told, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” (Daniel 12: 9). Perhaps this excerpt from Howard Rand’s “A Study in Revelation” might demonstrate at least the statement made in Acts 1: 7 (i.e., “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons”) is not a conflicting statement but was directed solely at the disciples gathered around Jesus at the time.
Rand writes, “The disciples had been very much concerned as to when the Kingdom was to be restored to Israel. Jesus had told them, at the time of the ascension, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” (Acts 1: 7). Now revelation means to reveal or to make known what was before secret, private or unborn. We have in Revelation the answer to the question that so concerned the disciples. The fact that such a revelation is concealed in this Book is a challenge for Christians to give heed and to observe the things that John has written….”
Then to, Jesus also said, “Behold, I have told you before.” And although we will never be able to pinpoint the day or hour, I believed we must study the prophetic word and be able to recognize the seasons. So, is 2012 a possibility?
From Wales:
About four years ago, a reader from Wales sent us a note incorporating these thoughts, “On the anniversary of “Waterloo” June 18th, 1815, when we the British defeated Napoleon, the tyrant of Europe, to make Britain and the world a free and safer place [it is sad that our prime minister] …….., against the wishes of the indigenous people of these islands, capitulated to the French and Europe, by agreeing to a European Constitution. This action has desecrated the graves of all those valorous British men and women who have given their lives for our Freedom, and this has denied us of our Birthright, as a Sovereign Nation under God. [It] has trodden into the ground our History, the “Magna Carta”, “The Bill of Rights”, “The Act of Settlement,” “The Coronation Oath,” etc. etc. …..”
Editor’s Note: In our editorial this month, we talk about how our Royal Family is under constant barrage of ridicule and how ordinary Britons seem to take it with a grain of salt. And over the years the idea of a European Union has been emphasized so much that they do not remember their glorious history, in fact, young Britons are not even being taught about their proud heritage. It only goes to prove that given a generation to mould the hearts and minds of young people, the enemies of Christ can keep them from even considering they are Israel. And of course, most of them have given up on God anyway. Fortunately as Jeremiah 33: 24-26 demonstrates, God has not given up on Briton. Ironically, as enthusiastic as most were when entering the EU, the financial debacle of the past few years has many of them thinking if the right choice was made. It makes one think of the Bible passage, “Come out of her, my people.” Perhaps we are seeing the beginning of the exodus. Of course, there will be those who comment, “But it will take leadership, and the leaders are firmly on the side of world government”. This is true to the greater extent but I like what the prophet Isaiah had to say in chapter 41: 14, “Fear not, thou worm [simply means puny or weak] and ye men of Israel; I will help thee ….” He is going to make us strong and able ourselves, what he has planned for leaders is not mentioned, but I suspect James 5: 1-6 picks up on this thought.
In any event, the universe is unfolding exactly as God designed it. Soon, we will know the last great stages of His plan.
