Biblical End-Times Begin This Fall

Summary: A complex of astronomical signs, economic conditions and sabbatical cycles point to this fall and next spring for the biblical end-times. Biblical information indicates the religious year begins in the spring, (Exod 12:2) six months after the civil year begins as currently observed in the fall, starting with Rosh Hashanah—the Feast of Trumpets on the new moon of the 7^th month.

Admittedly, biblical chronologies are like a land-mine that often have been blown apart by events that don’t fit, but here’s a view that could fit with the latter part of September being huge.

First of all, the context is an overlooked factoid from TIME Magazine. “May 5, 2000: the date that Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up with the sun and moon—the first time in 6,000 years.” European Edition, January 17, 2000.

 The 4^th Commandment says God gives us six days to do our work. Jewish sages projected a 6,000 year period, based on “A thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past,” Psalm 90:4. We might think this Psalm of Moses is merely poetic, but verse 12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” God apparently wants us to know how much time we have.

This is emphasized by Peter: “beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack…the day of the Lord will come.” 2Pet 3:8-10.

The Greek word for slack is braduno, the text means no tarrying, no delay in the context of 6,000 years, but how? We recall the evil servant thinks the Lord delays his coming (Matt 24:48) and the Bridegroom tarried (Matt 25:5), but in the context of 6,000 years, there’s no delay or tarrying. So where are we in time?

Much has been made of the sabbatical cycles call the shemitah that came every seven years. Also in their description of Leviticus 25 is the jubilee that was the 50^th year after seven cycles of seven. The famous time prophecy of 70 sevens (490 years) spanned 10 jubilees and pointed to the anointing of Messiah at the end of 69 weeks of years from the decree by Artaxerxes to release the Jews (a Jubilee event) in 457 BC, margin of Dan 9:24,25 KJV.

The point is, 490 + 490 = 20 jubilees in 1000 years with 20 years left over. We’ve just seen that 6,000 years were complete in 2000. We are 15 years toward the real jubilee of which all previous ones were a type. If the first trumpet of Rev 8:7 sounds this fall with economic downturn, decoded by grass as riches in James 1:9-11, KJV, then the 7^th trumpet (2^nd coming?) may occur six years later at the end of the civil year in 2021, but not on the Feast of Trumpets because the 6^th trumpet has odd timing–an hour, a day, a month and a year in Rev 9:15.

To answer Francis Schaeffer’s query, How shall we then live?–we should live expectantly, thoughtfully, ready to light our lamps with the message, “The Bridegroom comes!”

Dr. Richard Ruhling believes those words are not about the rapture nor the 2^nd coming, but about an impending event in the spring. If we understand it, we may respond and be blessed by a New Covenant relationship for the last seven years, even as Jacob [Israel] was betroth to Rachel for seven years. For more information, please visit http://TheBridegroomComes.com

/contributor/pages/42/778/bio.html offers other articles by Dr. Ruhling