LOOK TOWARD 2016?

By Brooks Alden, Canada

Courtesy of Thy Kingdom Come -December 2013

Editor Comment: I received a telephone call from a reader  in the  east who said  she is a doubter  when someone throws possible dates for Jesus’ return but lately she has been hearing suggestions that 2016 could be a date to watch. She mentioned that only a couple of weeks earlier on one of her favourite websites concerning world events, she noticed  an article mentioning this date as well. Then she asked, “Brooks, you seem to like prophecy so, is it possible. “

I replied that anything is possible but Jesus Himself told us that no one knows the hour or day. Still, we are aware of the times and seasons and they certainly look ripe. And we are told that at the end, the wise, probably dedicated students, will understand (Daniel  12:10). Certainly, there is hope of an early return but could things come  about  quickly enough  for 2016? Recently there was a story about how China has the capability of unleashing a nuclear attack on all major U.S. cities and we know Russia has been flexing her muscles as oflate. The powder keg in the Middle East has not yet subsided and the modern Israeli State could well draw us into a massive war by attacking Syria or lran; thus bringing a coalition of nations against True Israel nations. So, even though there are  less than three years from let’s say, the 2016 Feast of Tabernacles, it is more than enough  time for an age ending conflict.

I   have  always been fascinated by Isaiah  40:12 which  suggests that our Mighty God will hold to His Plan and  not move  the pieces until all pieces are in place. Isaiah wrote, “Who [God) hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and  meted  out heaven with the span, and conprehended the dust of the  earth in  a  measure, and   weighed the mountains in  a  balance?” The  prophet  Esdras declared the same thing  in slightly different words when he  wrote, “By  measure hath  he  measured the times, And by number hath  he numbered the times, And he  will  not  move  or  stir  them, Until such measures have been  fulfilled”.

Isaiah begins Chapter 40 by pointing out that God is speaking  to His People  Israel  in order  to give them comfort, to reassure them and to tell them their time of service will definitely end  and  their iniquities will be forgiven. In Isaiah 40:3 we are told to prepare  for the LORD; verse 5 tells us “The  glory of the  LORD will appear  for all to see, that the LORD has  promised this”.(Refer to Acts 1:11) And Isaiah 40:10 basically says, “Look,  the all-powerful LORD is coming  to rule”. (As King of kings and Lord of lords- see Rev. 19:16).

The question is, “Could it all happen sometime in the year 2016”? In pondering the reader’s question, my mind drifted back to previous articles I have penned  to see if there was any correlation of prophetic events that would pinpoint 2016. And yes, there is least one I can think of but in presenting  it, I caution  readers  that it is simply a possibility, one probably of many. Yet, it is intriguing.

Let’s first set the stage:

• Through Biblical chronology a Bible scholar named Dimbleby reckoned that the 6,000 years of God’s Great Plan (i.e. paraphrased- six days labour, one day of rest) was reached at the 2001 Equinox (September 2001).

• Noted scholar David Davidson in his study of the Great Pyramid (the Bible in Stone) also reckoned the 6,000 years at the 2001 Equinox.

• Such being the case, we are now early in the seventh day or the 1 ,000 year Millennium. Does this hold any significance?

• Well, Hosea 6:1-2 tells us, that after two days He will heal us, in the third day He will raise us up and we will live in His sight. Sounds like the Resurrection. And we are in the third day from the Lord’s First Advent, coinciding with the seventh day of God’s Plan.

• The pattern of Exodus 19:10–11 echoes Hosea, coming Under the blood of Christ (i.e. Wash their clothes Revelation 7:14) and be ready on the third day.

• And Jesus was resurrected very early in the third day.

It’s significant that  Isaiah  30:25  ” …..in the  day of great slaughter, when the towers fall” took place on September 11, 2001, a time that I believe heralded the  harvest  stage  of the  Esau  Dominion. When we look back to this date and reflect upon the loss of freedoms, staggering financial debt, becoming servant to our lenders, the downhill economic slide of Israel  nations, loss  of prestige around the world and  so on,  we should readily realize we cannot extradite ourselves from  this  mess by ourselves. Instead, we go on fooling ourselves day by day and immersing ourselves in materialism, sports, pleasures and denial as a way of pretending all is normal. If we could face up, we would quickly realize we lack backbone. So,  we  meekly accept  whatever our leaders feed us.

It is important to understand there  is an antidote for all of our troubles. 2 Chronicles 7:14 sets this out, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and  pray, and  seek my  face, and turn  from their wicked  ways; then  will I hear from heaven, and  will  forgive their  sin, and  will heal their land”. There  is no other  way. But, sadly, the  Israel  people are  just not  ready to humble themselves. Still, we will be. It is only a question of time before some event  affects  each  and every one of us to make  us listen.

Perhaps it will be a financial  collapse, or nuclear war, or cataclysmic nature, but something will occur to get us to our knees and ask for help. It could even be the unveiling of our  identity and  wake true Israelites up as to their relationship with God.

But, will it occur  so a 2016 rescue takes  place?  Is there any event in the Bible that could give us comfort in Isaiah’s words  in 40:1-2?

Maybe this one! Remember King Hezekiah; he was king of Judah when the Assyrians swooped down and conquered the Kingdom of Israel and  deported the lsraelites  north to Halah and  Habor. His own  nation was attacked shortly thereafter and 46 fenced cities subdued and those people deported as well. This left Hezekiah in a very vulnerable position. He had come to the  throne in very  troublesome and  idolatrous times but as 2 Kings 18:3 relates, ”And he did right in the  sight  of the  LORD, according to  all that David his  father did”.  He removed the idolatrous images  and  kept  the  LORD’s commandments.  So when  the  Assyrians  came against  Jerusalem,  God stepped  in and smote 185,000 of the enemy and drove the king of Assyria back  to his land.  It’s kind of reminiscent of what  Christ  will do  when  Gog and Magog come  against  us in the final battle.

By 2001, True Israel was experiencing troublesome times and idolatry was rampant. Strangers were our leaders and we were headed for difficult times. It has become increasingly worse and the great falling away prophesied by the Apostle Paul has intensified, as God is being shut out of our lives and our lands are overrun by non-Christians. Not much different than  what Hezekiah faced. So, the “six days of labour” have been extended  to our chagrin.

Now comes  the good  part. As sick as we in True Israel are today and as close  to total slavery, as we are, we can be lifted by what happened to Hezekiah. He was sick unto death too, but unlike the majority of True Israel people at this particular moment in time, he  walked  with  God in truth  and  faithfulness and when  he asked the Lord for mercy, the prophet Isaiah delivered God’s  message that he would  not die and to set his house in order. Later the Lord gave Hezekiah certain instructions. He told  Hezekiah that  fifteen years would be  added to his  life.  I  must  say that despite a number of Bible studies, I  have  not been able  to completely understand this chapter (2 Kings 20) but it is intriguing that God said, “I will heal thee, on the third  day thou  shalt  go up unto  the house of the LORD.” This sure  reminds us of Hosea 6:1-2.

What  if these passages depict a dual fulfillment! Could we see fifteen years added  to the six days (6,000 years) from 2001 taking us to 2016, as our reader pointed out is being bandied about in some quarters?

Here’s a couple of stimulating thoughts. The name “Hezekiah” means “Jehovah strengthens” so perhaps God will give us renewed strength to overcome our idolatry  and  bondage. I  have  always  thought the exclusion of the leaders in Isaiah 41:9 depicts God’s excluding  them when  He strengthens True Israel.

The other  stimulating thought  is that the number “fifteen” stands for  “Rest”. I   love  the  underlying meaning of John  15: 21, when tribulation is at  its pinnacle and Jesus  arrives and  simply says, “It is I: be not  afraid” and  we enter into  the beautiful Kingdom  for the  Millennium. Remember, friends, “Rest” is the result of “Deliverance” or “Salvation”.

Is 2016 a possibility? You be the judge.

AN AFTER THOUGHT

Psalm 2 basically begins by saying, ” The kings of this earth have all joined together to turn against the Lord and his chosen  one, they say let’s cut the ropes  and set ourselves free.” In 1945 we Israel nations trod  where we  shouldn’t have,  we  joined ourselves to the United  Nations, made a treaty with the heathen.

NOW! here  is something very  interesting. The beginning of the U.N. began in 1946, Here’s what one journalist wrote: “The  first  session of  the  United Nations General Assembly opened on the 10th of this month (Jan/46) ushering in a renewed effort  in the quest for world peace and co-operation. British Prime Minister Clement Attlee welcomed the representatives of 51 nations ……...Attlee said the new venture would succeed  if the  nations involved brought the  same sense of urgency, the same self-sacrifice and the same willingness to subordinate self interests  with which they won the war. “

Ironically, the first U.N. problem involved Iran. But, let’s go further. From 1946 to 2016 represents 70 years. And according to Evangelist Ed Vallowe, in his book “Biblical Mathematics” “70” is the number of Universality-Israel and her  Restoration”

So, keep tuned. Maybe 2016 will have a significant impact  on our future.