LESSON TWENTY-FIVE

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“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. His EYES are a FLAME of FIRE, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His NAME is called The WORD of God. And the ARMIES which are in HEAVEN, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a SHARP SWORD, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh, He has a name written: 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'” Revelation 19:11-16

"And it shall COME to PASS in THAT day, that the LIGHT shall NOT be CLEAR, NOR DARK: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.”  Zechariah 14:6-8 

Scripture to read: Leviticus 16, Zechariah 12 & 14

Calendar: Christ’s Return (turquoise)

Lord’s Feasts: Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement (turquoise)

The long-awaited return of Jesus is at hand, and in the next 30 prophetic days, He will deliver His verdict on the remaining judgments. Upon His arrival, Jesus will gather Israel's survivors for a battle in the wilderness, where two-thirds will face death or enter captivity for their transgressions.

"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and HALF of the city shall go forth into CAPTIVITY, and the RESIDUE of the people shall NOT be cut off from the city." Zechariah 14:1-2

“And I will bring you out from the people and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will PURGE out from among you the REBELS, and them that TRANSGRESS against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall NOT enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 20:34-38

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion,” says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. And it shall come to pass in all the land, “Says the Lord,“ That TWO-THIRDS in it shall be CUT OFF and DIE, but ONE-THIRD shall be LEFT in it:" Zechariah 13:7-8

God then tests and preserves a remnant of one-third to maintain His covenantal promises, ensure the lineage of the Messiah, and provide a faithful witness. 

"I will bring the ONE-THIRD through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” Zechariah 13:7-9

By saving a small, devoted group, He balances perfect justice with grace, preventing a total loss of faith and ensuring His divine plans continue into future generations.

“So too at the present time there is a REMNANT, chosen by GRACE. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.” Romans 11:6

 Jesus then gathers the surviving Gentiles in the Valley of Jehoshaphat before the Battle of Armageddon. He will place those who supported the Jewish remnant on His right as sheep and those who persecuted them on His left as goats. The "sheep" will be welcomed into the kingdom, but the "goats" will undergo judgment at Armageddon.  

"I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Joel 3:2-14

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” Matthew 25:31-41

To preserve His chosen remnant and the saints (sheep), Jesus will provide them with protection in a great valley by splitting the Mount of Olives during the earthquake of the seventh bowl.

"Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a VERY great VALLEY; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall FLEE to the VALLEY of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and ALL the SAINTS with thee." Zechariah 14:3-5

Birds are then called together to prepare for their feast of the dead. Interesting note, the biggest migration of birds of prey to Jerusalem is in the fall (Aug-Nov) just in time for this feast.

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the BIRDS that fly in midheaven, 'Come, assemble for the great feast of God, so that you may EAT the FLESH of kings and the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, and small and great.'” Revelation 19:17-18

Now that the chosen, mortal Jewish remnant and sheep nations have been separated and protected, it is time to deal with Babylon, it’s rulers and the goat nations that follow their lead. Christ is described as a royal conqueror wearing a robe dipped in the blood of His enemies; at the helm are the armies of heaven. Now displayed as the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus will single-handedly obliterate the earthly armies amassed against Him. 

“And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.” Zechariah 14:12-15

Christ’s return is neither humble nor meek; this battle against the Antichrist and his armies in the Valley of Megiddo ends quickly with just a word from His mouth. The Antichrist, the False Prophet, and those who worshiped the beast are seized. The verdict on the beasts was already determined when the books were opened a year earlier, and their names were immediately written in the Book of Death. The judgment of the two beasts is swift; they are instantly thrown alive into the lake of fire. Their armies are killed by the sword, and their flesh is eaten by birds of prey. Now, they await their final execution and second death. 

“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army. And the BEAST was seized, and with him the FALSE PROPHET performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown ALIVE into the LAKE of FIRE, which burns with brimstone. And the REST were KILLED with the SWORD which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” Revelation 19:19-21

After the Lord casts the rulers of Babylon into the lake of fire and destroys the armies who followed them, it is time for the Devil and his angels to receive their due justice. Their probationary period on earth is over, and they are given a sentence of a thousand years in the abyss. 

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones (angels) that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited." Isaiah 24:21-22

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years” Revelation 20:1

Finally, during this time, the martyred saints of the Old and New Testaments are brought back to life and stand before their peers of the church for judgment. Afterward, they will receive instruction for their priestly duties in the new kingdom. 

 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4

Now that the evil has been removed from the earth, the Holy Spirit arrives to indwell the mortal Jewish remnant, the mortal sheep nations and the resurrected Old Testament and Tribulation saints.

"Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall PUT MY SPIRIT in YOU, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord." Ezekiel 37:12-14

"And I will POUR upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the SPIRIT of GRACE and of supplications..." Zechariah 12:10

"And it shall come to pass AFTERWARD, that I will POUR out MY SPIRIT upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit." Joel 2:28-29

Previously, the Bride was judged and rewards were presented. Now, the Tribulation and Old Testament saints have also been judged by their peers and blessed with entry into the kingdom. All those blessed with glorified bodies and filled with the Holy Spirit will reign in the new kingdom and be included in the first resurrection. 

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:5-6

The mortal Jewish remnant, along with the sheep nations—all now filled with the Holy Spirit—will begin their new lives in Christ's kingdom, where they will raise their families and worship their new king.

“And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year.” Leviticus 16:32-34

Yom Kippur is known as the Day of Atonement and marks the end of the Ten Days of Repentance, also known as the "Ten Days of Awe".  According to the Talmud, this is the God renders His final judgment on all people. If a person has repented and their good deeds outnumber their sinful ones, their name will be written in the Book of Life. However, if they remain unrepentant, their name will be written in the Book of Death.

"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days." Daniel 12:11

Thirty days have passed since the tribulation ended, and the heavenly sanctuary has been closed for cleansing ten long months. Satan, his demonic kingdom, and the followers of the beast have been judged, and an indictment of incarceration in hell has been rendered. "Babylon" has been destroyed, and its rulers have received an immediate judgment of eternal death. All books are then closed and sealed, marking the end of 1,290 days referenced in Daniel 12. 

“And he said unto me, unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true.” Daniel 8:14&26

It is also when the heavenly sanctuary is finally cleansed, marking 2,300 days since it was violated.