Greetings Fellow Eschatologists! Welcome back to our series on the Mystery of the Full Circle. We’ve been talking about how the Times of the Gentiles begins and ends in the same place, completing a full circle. This is the second part to our last post where we began to list the 15 elements in a series of events that happened in the second section of the Times of the Gentiles. Today, we finish up the last of the 15 elements that the Jewish people experienced. It is utterly fascinating to see how the Jewish people have been experiencing their history in circles. Okay, let’s look at the last of the elements.
THE MYSTERY OF THE FULL CIRCLE
By Karen Thompson
Fifth in a Five-Part Series
We’ve been talking about how the Times of the Gentiles begins and ends in the same place, completing a full circle. The Times of the Gentiles is divided into two sections. The first section is the beginning of the Times of the Gentiles. The second section is the end of the Times of the Gentiles. The beginning and end of the Times of the Gentiles begin and end in the same place, creating full circles.
We looked at 15 events the Jewish people experienced during the beginning section of the Times of the Gentiles. They will experience those same 15 events during the ending section of the Times of the Gentiles, thus bringing the Times of the Gentiles to a complete circle.
In our last post, we looked at the first eight elements. We reviewed Enemy Invasion and Exiled, Temple Destroyed, Judgment Involving the Number 70, Attempt to Annihilate Jewish Race, Decree for a Return to Jerusalem, Trouble From Neighbors, The Decree Is Reversed, and the Cultural War Among the Jews. So we’ll pick up our study of the ending elements of the Times of the Gentiles, starting with number nine.
Ninth Element: Caught in the Middle Between the Wars of the King of the North and the King of the South
The ninth element in the series of events that will bring the times of the Gentiles full circle is when Israel will be caught between two warring nations—the king of the north and the king of the south. Daniel chapter 11 tells us how in the last days, Egypt, king of the south, will come against Antichrist, king of the north, leaving Israel to be caught in the middle (Dan. 11:40–41).
Full Circle: The Jews in Israel were caught between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic Empires at war with each other. During end times, they will again get caught between these two warring nations that are now present-day Syria to the north and Egypt to the south. When Israel is again caught between the king of the north and the king of the south engaged in war, the ninth element will have completed a full circle.
Tenth Element: Jerusalem Invaded by Antichrist
The tenth element in the series of events that will bring the times of the Gentiles full circle will be when Jerusalem is invaded by Antichrist. Daniel chapter nine tells us Antichrist will make a seven-year covenant with many and in the middle of the seven years, he breaks the covenant by invading Israel: (Dan. 9:27). Revelation chapter 11 tells us Jerusalem will be tread underfoot by Gentiles for forty-two months, or three and one-half years, for the last part of Daniel’s 70th week. And like Antiochus Epiphanes destroyed Jerusalem by the deceit of peace, Daniel 8:25 also says Antichrist “by peace shall destroy many….”
Full Circle: Antiochus Epiphanes was able to invade Jerusalem through the guise of peace, and for three and one-half years, it was under the control of Gentile powers. As a result, many of Jerusalem’s citizens fled into the wilderness to escape Antiochus. Likewise, Antichrist will also use the guise of peace to invade Jerusalem, and for three and one-half years, it will be under the control of Gentile powers. Jerusalem’s citizens will, again, flee into the wilderness to escape Antichrist, thus bringing the 10th element full circle.
Eleventh Element: Antichrist Claims to be God and Forces All to Worship Him and Desecrates the Temple
The 11th element in the series of events that will bring the times of the Gentiles full circle is when Antichrist will declare himself to be god and force everyone to worship him under the threat of death. The book of Revelation tells us the false prophet will create an image of Antichrist and force all to worship him as god (Rev. 13:15). Antichrist will also desecrate the temple by entering it and declaring himself to be God (2 Thess. 2:4).
Full Circle: In the same way that Antiochus Epiphanes forced the Jewish people to worship him as god under the threat of death and then desecrated the temple, Antichrist will also force the Jewish people to worship him as god under the threat of death and desecrate the temple, which will bring the 11th element full circle.
Twelfth Element: Mark of the Beast
The 12th element in the series of events that will bring the times of the Gentiles full circle is when the false prophet will command all to receive the mark of the beast [Antichrist] on their foreheads or their right hands. Revelation 13:17 says, “no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
Full Circle: This marking of one’s forehead is an echo of the behavior of the apostate Jews during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes who received tattoos in their foreheads to indicate their allegiance to a particular god. Is this just an amazing coincidence, or is it another element that completes a full circle for the times of the Gentiles?
Thirteenth Element: Jewish People Fight Like Mighty Men
The 13th element in the series of events that will bring the times of the Gentiles full circle is when the Jewish people will rise up and fight against Antichrist after he invades Jerusalem. God will anoint them, and they will fight like mighty men. The prophet Zechariah prophesied of the end time battle between the Jews and Antichrist. In chapter 12, he prophesied how the leaders and the citizens of Israel will be strengthened with God’s might and ability (v. 5). The leaders are compared to a fire in a hearth burning up wood, meaning they will devour their enemies all around them (Zec. 12:6). The leaders of Israel will lead their people to fight against their enemy, and they will do so with the anointing of God. They’ll fight with supernatural strength. The feeble among them will be like David, and collectively they will be like God (v. 8).
Full Circle: When Antiochus Epiphanes made Jerusalem a Gentile city, it set off the Maccabean revolt when the Jewish people fought back against their oppressors. They fought like mighty men and won battles that, in the natural, they should not have won. In this same way, when Antichrist invades Jerusalem, the Jewish people will fight back against their oppressor, and God will anoint them to fight like mighty men. In this way, the 13th element will have come full circle.
Fourteenth Element: Save the Small Towns First and Jerusalem Last
The 14th element in the series of events that will bring the times of the Gentiles full circle is when the Jewish people will use the same strategy used in the Maccabean Revolt to free the people of Israel from the Gentile oppression of Antichrist. Zechariah 12:7 tells us about their strategy: The Jewish people will first save the tents, or communities, of Israel, meaning they will save the smaller towns and villages of Israel first. Then at the end of Daniel’s 70th week, Jerusalem will be saved. So during the three and one-half years of Gentile oppression, the Jewish people will fight to free the towns in Israel first and then at the end of the three and one-half years, they will free Jerusalem.
Full Circle: During the Maccabean revolt, the strategy the Maccabees used was to liberate the smaller communities in Judah first. Then after three and one-half years, they liberated Jerusalem. When Antichrist invades Jerusalem, the Jewish people will also save the smaller communities first and then after three and one-half years at the end of Daniel’s 70th week, they will liberate Jerusalem, thus bringing the 14th element full circle.
Fifteenth Element: The Second Coming of Jesus
The 15th and last element in the series of events that will bring the times of the Gentiles full circle is the Second Coming of Jesus, when King Messiah returns to rescue His people by defeating Antichrist in the battle of Armageddon. Revelation chapter 19 describes Jesus with His army: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. … And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. … And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:11–16).
When Jesus comes back and defeats Antichrist in the battle of Armageddon, the times of the Gentiles will have come to an end. After the Antichrist kingdom is destroyed, Jesus will then fulfill His calling as King and will rule the kingdom of men for a millennia. Daniel chapter two talks about Jesus’ millennial kingdom: “And … the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: … it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Dan. 2:44–45). From that time forward, the nation of Israel will be free of Gentile oppression.
Full Circle: At Jesus’ First Coming, He came to fulfill His calling as high priest, and at Jesus’ Second Coming, He will come to fulfill His calling as King, which will bring the 15th element full circle.
The Tumblers Are Turning
When I began to write this chapter about the times of the Gentiles completing a full circle, I kept hearing a phrase being repeated over and over in my inner man. I kept hearing the words “the tumblers are turning, the tumblers are turning, the tumblers are turning.”
I didn’t know what it meant. First of all, I didn’t know what a tumbler was or why it was turning. And I didn’t know if it was a good thing the tumblers were turning or if it was a bad thing the tumblers were turning.
This phrase wouldn’t go away. To see if I could understand what this phrase meant, I finally got my dictionary out and looked up the word “tumbler.” The first definition was of a drinking glass, which provided no insight. But then I read the second definition: “the part in a lock that releases the bolt when moved by a key.” As soon as I read that definition, I knew instantly what the phrase meant.
The times of the Gentiles are being locked down. Some of the tumblers have already turned, locking down several of the elements. The tumblers that have turned are the following:
Number one: Roman invasion and the Jews were scattered
Number two: Temple destroyed on the 9th of Av
Number three: A judgment involving the number 70
Number four: Hitler’s attempt to annihilate the Jewish race
Number five: A decree for Jews to return to Israel
Number six: Trouble with the neighboring nations
Number seven: A reversal of the decree for Jews to return to Jerusalem
Number eight: A cultural war between the secular and religious Jews
Eight of the tumblers have turned, confirming that the times of the Gentiles are, indeed, in the process of being locked down—coming full circle!
This concludes our study of the Mystery of the Full Circle. I hope you have enjoyed learning about this fascinating revelation. From this point on, you’ll probably begin to see in your personal Bible study time biblical examples of how the times of man runs in circles.
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