The Rough Places Made Smooth-Part 2

    We’ve mentioned several times that the scriptural end-time scenario includes the Church, the Jews, and the Gentiles. A crucial part of the prophetic Day Code refers specifically to the Jews: Hosea 6:1-3.
      “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 days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth” (vs. 1-3).
      For the two great Days of the Church age, the Today and Tomorrow as Jesus described it, the Jewish people were cut off because they rejected Christ at His first coming. Michael was ordered, in effect, to stand still. The time of Jacob’s Trouble came to a devasting crescendo at the Siege of Rome, when the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD and the Jewish people were scattered across the nations in the Diaspora.
         This passage is an excellent example of how we can determine whether God’s Word is referring to great prophetic Days as God counts prophetic time or regular 24-hour earthly days. The passage doesn’t make sense if it refers to regular 24-hour days. Why would Israel be torn and stricken for only 48 hours, and then suddenly revived on the third day? It only makes sense when we apply great Days, each lasting 1,000 years. We saw this with Jesus’ strange prophecy about journeying to Jerusalem for Today, Tomorrow, and a third Day of perfection.
        End-Time Lesson: Ignoring God’s prophetic timetable has caused much of the end-time confusion in the Church. The foundational apostles and even some of the early Church Fathers understood what we call the Day Code. You can check out some of these quotes on our website, under the Resources tab. We are meant to see the Day approaching (Heb. 10:25), which means we can know the timing of Christ’s return when we understand the times and the seasons.
           FYI: Jesus didn’t say in the Olivet Teaching on these last Days that we cannot know when He is coming. What He said we cannot know is the what the unknown day and hour will be like when heaven and earth pass away and God creates the new heavens and earth. Only the all-knowing God the Father, who sees the past, present, and future all at once, can know what that eternal, perfect Day of eternity future shall be like after He creates the new heavens and new earth.
           We have to be careful not to treat the headers and subheadings that were added by mankind to the scriptures as equally inspired. We also have to pay attention to the conjunctions, such as the word “but” in vs. 36. We must remember that the chapter and verse numbers were likewise added to the scriptures by mankind after the fact. They were not divinely inspired; in fact, they often separate chapters that obviously go together and continue the same thoughts. Not recognizing all this is what has led to the false doctrine that we cannot know being so widely accepted even though the Scriptures literally say otherwise.
          The reason so many people ignore God’s prophetic Day plan is because those who prophesied certain dates that have come and gone, ignored the two crucial aspects: both the chronos time in term of great Days and the corresponding kairos signs that are seen during that time. Like the two companion views of our two eyes, we need the full perspective to see clearly. Like a pregnant woman, we can know the general time fame, but we also need to see the corresponding signs to know when the birth is about to happen.
          Which brings us to another rough place smoothed out by Rev. 12. It has to do with a major corresponding sign of the last Days. That is, the outpouring of God’s spirit upon mankind. The first outpouring happened at Christ’s first coming, as Peter so rightly pointed out in the first sermon of the Church Age (at Pentecost, Acts 2). This outpouring of the Spirit during this Church age is what is commonly called the early rain.
          But notice that Hosea said Jesus would come like the rain, the later and former rain to the earth. This means there are two distinct comings, and only two. There can be no secret coming. With His first coming Jesus brought the former rain to empower the Church to be His witnesses and carry on His earthly ministry. When Israel accepts Jesus as the Messiah and finally has “the testimony of Jesus Christ,” they shall receive the latter outpouring. It, too, shall empower them to be His earthly witnesses.
           Interestingly, the land of Israel had two growing seasons for two different types of crops. The early rains nurtured the first harvest. The latter rains shall nurture the second harvest.
          Our earthly assignment to preach the Gospel in all the earth ends at the rapture. Our former earthly assignment shall fall to Israel. Our new heavenly assignment of ruling and reigning with Christ begins and lasts forever!  
          The first harvest resulted in the Church being resurrected to heaven and seated as the immortal government. The second harvest shall result in the Jewish believers and any others born during the millennial reign to be resurrected at the end of the Days. Either way, both shall live with God and Christ for all eternity!