Studying God's Word

Many people look upon the Holy Spirit as the red-headed stepchild of the Trinity, as if He is somehow inferior to the Father and the Son. While the Holy Spirit clearly occupies a place of submission within the Trinity to both the Father and the Son He is nonetheless co-equal, co-eternal and co-divine with the other two persons of the Triune Godhead. All three persons of the Trinity are of the same divine essence but differ in their relationship to each other, by mutual consent.

What cleared up the confusion for me was knowing that whatever the Holy Spirit knows the Father and Son knows and and whatever the Holy Spirit does the Father and Son are in agreement. The persons of the Trinity are always of one mind and one will so when you read in the Bible about any of the three persons of the Triune Godhead just say to yourself, “this is God.” People seem to think the Holy Spirit is some kind of glowing power source that God can switch on or off from heaven. The Holy Spirit has a mind, a will, and a personality which makes Him a person. The following is a list of some of the attributes of the Holy Spirit:

1. He has a mind

Romans 8:27 – And He (Jesus) that searches the heart knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because He (the Holy Spirit) makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

2. He reveals things of God

1 Corinthians 2:10 – But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

3. He has a will

1 Corinthians 12:11 – But one and the same Spirit works all these things (Spiritual gifts), distributing to each one individually as He wills.

4. He forbids – One one of Paul’s missionary trips he and Silas were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach in Asia.

Acts 16:7 – After they (Paul and Silas) had come to Mysia (Asia), they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.

5. He permits

Acts 16:10 – Now after he (Paul) had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

6. He speaks – The Holy Spirit spoke to Philip in the desert, Peter on a housetop, the elders in Antioch, and to each of the seven churches in Asia Minor. Here is one reference:

Acts 8:29 – Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

The Holy Spirit was directing Philip to witness the gospel to a court official of Queen Candace of Ethiopia so he could return and spread the good news in Africa.

7. He loves

Romans 15:30 – Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me (Paul).

8. He grieves

Ephesians 4:30 – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

9. He prays

Romans 8:26 – Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

In the New Testament there are 261 passages that refer to the Holy Spirit. He is mentioned 56 times in the Gospels, 7 times in the Book of Acts, 112 time in the Pauline epistles and 36 times in the other New Testament books.

The first rule of Bible interpretation is when a verse of Scripture makes plain sense seek no other sense. It should be obvious when God is using a metaphor, allegory, parable or some other figure of speech. If it’s not obvious look outward to the surrounding verses to give you clues. Take the word “day” for example. A day can be the 24 hour solar day we’re used to. Or it can refer to the general time in history in which a person is living. A day can also be a prophetic God-day which is 1,000 years long. God created the heavens and the earth in six solar days and then rested on the seventh day.

In the Garden of Eden God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because, “In the day you eat, you will die.” If you take that verse literally you’d expect Adam to be dead in 24 hours which obviously wasn’t the case. Adam was around 35 years old when he and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve went on to have many more children and Adam died at the age of 930. What happened? God cannot lie and the Bible is without error. When God told Adam he would die that day He was speaking prophetically about a God-day of 1,000 years. As long as Adam didn’t live to be 1001 and go into a second God-day then God’s Word was still fulfilled. Before the flood all men lived long lives. In the first 10 generations after Adam seven lived to be over 900 years old. Since they all inherited Adam’s sin nature they too were under God’s judgement to die within one thousand-year God-day.

Psalm 90:4 – For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night (three hours).

2 Peter 3:8 – But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Hosea 6:1-2 – Come and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two day He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.

The entire Book of Hosea is God lamenting about having to punish Israel for their sins but He promises to restore them eventually. It’s obvious in the above verse God is not talking about solar days but prophetic God-days of 1,000 years. When the Jews crucified Jesus, their Messiah, God cut them off temporarily in favor of the Gentiles to spread the gospel of Christ. The time allotted to the Gentiles was two days or 2,000 years. AFTER the church age is over in 2033 (two days or 2,000 years after Jesus was crucified in 33 AD) God will again deal with Israel for seven years (revive them). The church age is not officially over until the saints have been raptured and taken to heaven which I predict will be at the end of the Feast of Trumpets in 2033. The third day referred to in Hosea is the 1,000 year millennial kingdom set us by Jesus five days after His Second Coming when Scripture say the Jewish people will live in the presence of Jesus and have a place of honor (raised up). The phrase, “the day of the Lord,” we find a lot in Scripture which can refer to a solar day when people and nations receive final judgement from Jesus after the Second Coming or it can mean the 1,000 year long millennial reign of Christ on the earth.

Fall festivals (cont’d):

After the Feast of Trumpets the next festival in God’s divine order is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), which is a clear picture of God’s judgement in the Tribulation. I’ve previously stated the time of the Gentiles (2,000 years) will run out on Pentecost of 2033 but won’t officially end until the rapture, which will occur four months later during the Feast of Trumpets. In the Book of Daniel the angel Gabriel told the prophet Daniel that God would deal with Israel for 490 years but would be cut off at 483 years because of the crucifixion of Jesus. Scripture also tells us that the timeclock on the last 7 years of Jewish history will begin ticking when Israel signs a peace treaty. The peace treaty can’t be signed until after the rapture of the church which ends the time of the Gentiles. The rapture will occur four months after Pentecost during the 9 day Feast of Trumpets in the year 2033. The last day of the feast features four kinds of trumpet blasts, over 100 in all. The last trumpet, known as the Tekiah Hagadol, is a great and long final blast to close out the festival. This is the last trump the apostle Paul is referring in 1 Corinthians 15:52, that will call all believers alive on earth to be translated and meet Jesus in the air (the rapture). Since Israel must sign the peace treaty after the rapture but before the Day of Atonement it has to occur within the same 9 day window of the Feast of Trumpets of 2033.

The Tribulation will begin at the signing of the peace treaty by Israel and end exactly 7 years later during the Feast of Trumpets of 2040, when Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives at His Second Coming. The coming of the Lord to the earth the next two times will both be heralded by the sound of trumpets which is why the rapture and the Second Coming both occur during the Feast of Trumpets, only 7 years apart. Another reason the Second Coming occurs during the Feast of Trumpets is because the day after this feast is over we have the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year for Jews. On this day God weighs the sins of the people and shortly after Jesus comes to earth He will weight the sins of all people and all nations and dispense His judgement. The tribulation is clearly concealed in the patterns of the Day of Atonement.

The seventh and final Jewish festival is the Feast of Tabernacles which starts 5 days after the Day of Atonement. This feast commemorates when Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and lived in tents and God dwelt in their midst. The 7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles is a picture of the setting up of the Kingdom of God on earth where God will once again dwell in their midst. This time Christ will be ruling as King for a thousand years. The Bible foretold Jesus would come twice to the earth, once as a suffering servant and the Messiah and once as the ruling King. The first coming of the Lord was a composite of the first three Jewish spring festivals, Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. The second coming hasn’t happened yet but when it does the Lord will appear as the ruling King, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The next time Jesus appears it will be in all His glory and His angels with Him. The Second Coming of our Lord will mirror the three Jewish fall festivals, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles. The fall festivals clear up any misunderstanding about the divine order of events to come: the rapture comes first, then comes the Tribulation, and last comes the millennial reign of Christ – in that order.

Fall festivals:

Notice that God has prophetically followed a perfect order for the first four festivals. It stands to reason that He will fulfill the three remaining fall festivals in the very order they were revealed to Moses. These would be Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. We are currently living at Pentecost (or the church age) which won’t end until 2033 according to Hosea 6:2. The next festival on the prophetic calendar is the Feast of Trumpets which begins on the seventh month of the Jewish calendar (Tishrei) and four months after Pentecost. This would be September or October on our calendar. God established this festival as a period of rest, a sabbath, for the Hebrews. God decreed Trumpets as a holy convocation memorialized by the blowing of trumpets. This is the only festival where God didn’t give a specific reason for having it. I think God was keeping the rapture of the saints during this festival a mystery until the end times.

Leviticus 23:23-25 – Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it.’ “

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:52 – In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

As indicated in Scripture, one of the central features of Christ’s return will be the blowing of trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets is a clear picture of the trumpet of God that sounds and brings God’s family into a season of sabbath-rest. In Hebrews 4:9-10, the Greek word for rest is “sabbatismos” which is different from “rest” when used anywhere else in the Bible and it means believers entering into their rest when they arrive in heaven on trumpets.

Hebrews 4:9-10 – There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has also ceased from his works as God did from His.

This is a picture of the rapture of the church when Jesus comes in the air to gather the saints and take them to heaven. God is precise with his timing so the rapture will occur in 2033 during the Feast of Trumpets because the church age will have reached its appointed time four months prior, fulfilling the prophecy in Hosea 6:2. The Feast of Trumpets is the only feast without a set time to start because it’s based on the cycle of a new moon which is always changing. That’s why Scripture says no man knows the day or hour of his coming. But God has left us clues in His Word that pinpoint the year of His coming and which festival the Lord will come for His saints. It’s not a sin to try to guess when the Lord is coming. We’re told to pray and watch for the coming of the Lord and guessing is part of that.

Summer festival:

The one Jewish festival all by itself is Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks. Pentecost is also referred to as Rosh Hashanah. Pentecost occurs 50 days after Passover, hence its name, and sometime in March or April. In 33 AD this feast of the Lord was when the Holy Spirit first descended from heaven to indwell all believers which ushered in the time of the Gentiles, what we refer to as the church age. The original “Pentecost” was when Moses went to the top of Mount Sinai to receive God’s law. On the first Pentecost after the ascension of Jesus there were numerous conversions to Christ, water baptisms and fulfillment of the promise of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This represents the three primary messages that we are to preach: go into to all the world and preach the gospel, baptize believers in water and encourage believers to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The power of the Holy Spirit authenticated the resurrection of Christ at Pentecost by empowering all believers, especially the disciples, to spread the gospel to all nations. After the infilling of the Holy Spirit the timid disciples were turned into lions of the faith who preached to all the world. All the disciples except John were martyred for preaching the gospel of Christ. The church was anointed on Pentecost and assigned to spread the “good news” of salvation to all nations. Once the Jews crucified Jesus, their promised Messiah, God turned to the Gentiles to spread the gospel of Christ. Two God days of 1,000 years each (2,000 years) were assigned to the church age so the time of the Gentiles is over at Pentecost in 2033 but does not officially end until the church is raptured four months later during the Feast of trumpets. This will fulfill the prophecy of Hosea 6:2. Again we see the parallel between an Old Testament feast of the Lord and the coming of Jesus into the world to save us from our sins. All of the Hebrew feasts were established by God to point to the coming of Jesus Christ. Some historians believe Jesus died in 32 AD and not 33 AD which, if true, would throw all my dates off by a year.

Spring festivals:

When the Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years after their exodus from Egypt God spoke to the people through Moses and established feasts to honor the Lord. Each festival was to commemorate a major event in the life of the Hebrews. There were to be seven festivals each year, three in the spring, one in the summer, and three more in the fall. In this blog we’ll only address the three festivals held in the spring, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread and Feast of First Fruits. While these are Jewish festivals they also have prophetic significance for Christians because they mirror God’s salvation plan for mankind. During the millennial reign of Jesus these festivals will be celebrated in Jerusalem every year and in heaven forever. All these festivals point to Christ and all Christians should celebrate these festivals alongside the Jewish people.

We all know the story of Pharaoh refusing to let the Hebrew slaves leave Egypt until finally God sent His death angel to kill all the first born of Egypt. To protect the Hebrews from the same fate they were instructed to kill an unblemished lamb and place its blood on the two posts and lintel of their doors so the death angel would “pass over” their house. The slain lamb was to be roasted and eaten. In a prophetic parallel, the Passover lamb was later fulfilled in Christ, who was called in John 1:20, “the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” The three crosses were part of the crucifixion narrative, reminding us that three marks of blood were on each Hebrew door post in Egypt. The blood of Christ was required to seal the redemption of those who believe in Him. The stripes Jesus carried through his scourging became the stripes of healing for those who could believe.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is the day after Passover and commemorates the Hebrews leaving Egypt so fast they didn’t have time to bake any bread properly so they ate it unleavened. Pharaoh freed the Hebrews and they left Egypt the day after the death angel passed over. In the New Testament, leaven is considered a picture of a sinful lifestyle and bread without leaven represents a life without sin. The yearly commemoration of Unleavened Bread is the picture of Christ dying as a sinless sacrifice. Immediately following Unleavened Bread is the Feast of First Fruits, which marks the beginning of the barley harvest. Christ fulfilled this imagery as He rose from the dead on the morning of First Fruits. I always thought it odd the Jews had three festivals so close together (back to back) but now it makes sense. God has appointed these three spring festivals to represent the death, redemption and resurrection of Jesus Christ which happened over a three day period.

I’ve left the Book of Job until last because it’s in a category by itself. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible around 1400 BC. Job was written at least 700 years earlier (2100 BC) and possibly as early as 2600 BC. Although much older than Genesis, God chose to place the Book of Job in the Old Testament canon behind the historical books and just ahead of the poetical books. The Book of Job addresses why God allows righteous people to suffer. We know that when we suffer as Christ did our character is somehow strengthened and our souls are purified. We ultimately grow closer to God and learn to depend on His strength.

Through Job’s experience we learn of God’s awesome power and inscrutable ways. We learn of God’s deep love for us and that He superintends every aspect of His creation. The lesson here is we need to know God in a personal way and never stop seeking to deepen that relationship. As we know God better our trust in Him will grow stronger. We will know for certain that God will do his best for us in every circumstance. We will learn to endure whatever happens to us with patience and fortitude knowing it’s God’s will for us as we continue to trust in Him and praise His name. This was the lesson Job learned through his suffering.

Job 19:25-27 – For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed , this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God. Whom shall I see for myself, and my eyes behold, and not another.

New Testament – Galatians 4:4 – But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.

Job 14:4 – Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean one? No one!

New Testament – Hebrews 10:14 – For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Job 33:23-24 – If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to show man his uprightness, then He is gracious to him, and says, “Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom.”

New Testament – Mark 10:45 – (Jesus speaking) – For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Jesus in the Prophets:

Minor prophets with messianic prophecies (cont’d):

3. Amos 9:11 – On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.

New Testament – Acts 15:16-17 – After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild it s ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does these things.

4. Micah 2:12 – I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture; they shall make a loud noise because of so many people.

New Testament – John 10:14 – I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

5. Habakkuk 2:14 – The herds shall lie down in her midst, every beast of the nation. Both the pelican and the bittern shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be at the threshold; for He will lay bare the cedar work.

New Testament – Romans 11:26 – And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

6. Zechariah 6:12-13 – Then speak to him, saying, thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne, so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

New Testament – Hebrews 8:1-2 – Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not by man.

7. Malachi 4:2-3 – But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this, says the Lord of hosts.

New Testament – John 1:6-9 – There was a man sent from God, whose name was John (the Baptist). This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness to that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

Jesus in the Prophets:

All prophets of God are equal. Bible scholars refer to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel as major prophets because of the voluminous body of work contained in their books. The other twelve prophets with books in the Bible are referred to as the minor prophets because their books are very small in comparison to the major prophets. Not all prophets of God were writing prophets. Elijah was an important prophet in the Old Testament but he didn’t leave us with any written Scripture. Elijah was in such favor with God that he was translated to heaven without dying. Elijah will come back as one of the two witnesses for God in Jerusalem during the great tribulation. Elisha is another prime example of a prophet without a book in the Bible. Elisha was the disciple of Elijah. Upon Elijah’s departure for heaven Elisha asked for and received a double portion of the grace God bestowed on Elijah. Elisha performed more miracles than any other prophet in the Old Testament.

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS AND WHERE THEY MINISTERED:

1. Obadiah (850-840 BC) – Edom
2. Joel (835-796 BC) – Judah
3. Jonah (784-774 BC) – Nineveh
4. Amos (764-755 BC) – Israel
5. Hosea (755-710 BC) – Israel
6. Isaiah (739-680 BC) – Judah
7. Micah (735-710 BC) – Judah
8. Nahum (650-630 BC) – Nineveh
9. Zephaniah (635-625 BC) – Judah
10. Jeremiah (627-570 BC) – Judah
11. Habakkuk (620-605 BC – Judah
12. Daniel (605-536 BC) – Jews in Babylon
13. Ezekiel (593-570 BC) – Jews in Babylon
14. Haggai (520-505 BC) – Judah
15. Zechariah (520-470 BC) – Judah
16. Malachi (433-424 BC) – Judah

Minor prophets with messianic prophecies:

1. Hosea 3:5 – Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.

New Testament – Romans 11:26-27 – And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I will take away their sins.”

2. Joel 2:28 – And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

New Testament – Romans 15:13 – Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus in the Prophets:

The best known Bible story is about Daniel in the lion’s den being rescued by God. That Daniel is the fourth and final major prophet of the Bible. Daniel ministered to the Jews from 605-536 BC, which coincided with the seventy years of Babylonian captivity. The Book of Daniel contains phenomenal prophecies, especially about the times of the Gentiles which ends with the second coming of Christ to the earth to judge the nations. The book’s main theme is that God alone is sovereign in history and over human affairs. The book also serves as an object lesson in faith under trial and adversity. This is especially important for us to remember today as we see signs of the approaching end times all around us. God reminds us in Scripture that He’s got this and we’re not to worry. Look to God and be strong.

1. Daniel 7:13-14 – I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.

New Testament – Matthew 25:31 – (Jesus speaking) – When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

2. Daniel 7:27 – Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.

New Testament – 1 Corinthians 15:23-25 – But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

3. Daniel 2:44 – And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

New Testament – Luke 1:33 – And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.