Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time? Luke 12:56In the interests of interpreting this present time, I am reporting my insights into the progression of the Night Watches. Now approaching the end of February 2001, I believe there is convincing evidence we are in the third watch of the night, and that the likelihood of our seeing the confirming sign for the church this upcoming April is very high. As I was in the process of updating this article (previously titled The Great Flood and the Great Divide of 2000) to bring it up to date with this present time in the third watch, I was shown the remarkable appearance of the third Creation Day theme in various passages I have exposited throughout this site that present the Bride Theft event in the third watch of the night. The Lord's continued goodness and grace is very much appreciated! I will assume you have already familiarized yourself with all the other material on this web site so this presentation will not be overly burdened with reestablishing the foundation. The principles upon which these comparisons are founded are laid out in The Master Overlay of Weeks, in which you find some overlap of material where appropriate. By my estimation, the watches of the night began on Yom Kippur, 5759 - September 30, 1998. By considering the pattern established in the historical and scriptural accounts of the Millennial and Creation weeks, a comparison can be made between the corresponding "days" with a focus on how these last 2 1/2 years match up. I think they match up pretty well.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.Genesis 1:1-5Light is a symbol of truth and it is the nature of God. Light becomes the nature of those who abide in the light. (1 John 1:7, Luke 11:34-36) In the first watch of the night, I noted that the separation of the light from darkness was the dominant theme for the year.
Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. Daniel 9:27We learn from verse 24 that these weeks which are the context of this covenant are of paramount importance - comparing to when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden in the first Millennial Day.
Seventy `sevens' [3] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish [4] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Daniel 9:24So, was there such a covenant made in the year 5759? I believe so! On October 23rd, 1998, a day attended by certain celestial signs, influential men met at Wye Plantation and confirmed or strengthened a covenant, one made previously at Oslo on September 13th, 1993. The man primarily responsible, William Jefferson Clinton, has been shown by many proofs (by such as J.R. Church - Tickling the Tail of the Dragon) to be a prime candidate for the role. I believe this event was indeed foreshadowed in Daniel 9:27 and that it followed after the pattern of the millennial week. We have a match! Keep your eyes on the holy city, The Land and the people of The Land for signs, as Y'shua directed!
And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day. Genesis 1:6-8Separation, as we saw in the first day's pattern, plus water are clearly the subjects of this passage. The waters are separated by the sky, which is the expanse created on that day. It is worth noting here that the sky is often associated with heaven. Hey, water below separated from the water above... isn't that like the flood that happened in the second Millennial Day? This correlation is so obvious it's impossible to miss!
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month--on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. Genesis 7:11Now, is there a match for the separation of waters above and below to be found in the second watch of the night? I think so, though what I observed was not what I had expected. First, I'll address at some length what I had perceived to be the primary issue, then I'll share some additional insight based upon hindsight. The Lord has been showing me His focus through these first three watches is upon his Bride and her preparedness. For a launching point, there is a verse in Lamentations that alludes to a "flood" in the directive to "pour out your heart like water," and directly references the time period of the early watches of the night.
Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street. Lamentations 2:19In my little corner of the world, my children were safe and well fed though I had heard from some more well traveled that there was danger and famine in other corners of the world. I'm not going to suggest that this verse was fulfilled in 5760 in that way because I honestly don't feel qualified to make such a judgment and reports I've heard didn't indicate that the situation was dramatically different fom other years. You may recall the threat of famine that loomed ahead while we awaited to see what January 1, 2000 would bring, threatened by the possibilities of the Y2K bug. I lot of people were pouring out their hearts about this matter, which might relate to the second watch "flood," or separation of water, but I don't really know. Concern about the perceived Y2K threat certainly caused the biggest stir I'd seen lately in our society. I feel that, having seen how the matter was handled by many directly involved in the Y2K bug remediation, the Lord sovereignly moved to spare us the tragic consequences of judgment for sin the world justly deserved at that time. Thank God for His mercy!
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." Luke 6:46-49The symbolism is pretty plain, the foundation built on rock is on Jesus Christ (See 1 Cor 3:9-17 and 10:4). The house is God's house, the temple (see also Hebrews 3) also known as the church which is the body of Christ. The flood tests the work of the men, whether or not the house they are building is built upon the foundation of the rock. This test by flood that divides the church separates them according to whether they do what he says. If they put the Lord's words into practice, the house is well built and the foundation is laid on rock. This house will not be shaken. On the other hand, the moment the torrent strikes the house built by the man who says "Lord, Lord," and does not do what he says, well... it will collapse and its destruction will be complete.
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matthew 7:24-27We read in this verse that the rain came down, the streams rose, language very much like we just read about from the Genesis flood account, where the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. In this parable, the foolish man builds his house on the sand. Wow! It has got to be some grand kind of house that would fall with a great crash on the sand! This parable is about the same kind of test as the one in Luke, testing the works of those who build their house.
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Matthew 7:20-23How did you fare in that year? Personally, I found it very humbling. I think another view of the "flood" test appears in the symbol of a boatload of disciples on the sea of Galilee to representing a group of disciples during the watches of the night. The flood of water as a torrent confronts them as the waves sweep over the boat.
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Matthew 8:23-27This is a furious storm, one that caused these Galileans, some of whom were fishermen used to the lake, to fear for their lives. What's that all about? Prophecy - end time prophecy. Here's a similar scenario.
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" Mark 4:35-41There were other boats with him in this account, which is to say that there is an acknowledgment that there are several distinct groups of people "on the lake" that are "with him" during this stage of the Famine week. I infer that there has been no Bride theft yet, that the Bride's boat was yet with him. This is obviously the case at the present. This squall that nearly swamped their boat tested the disciples' faith. They did finally call upon the Lord and wake him up. The Lord saved them from the present disaster. He rebuked the wind (as always, wind is a spirit type), spoke to the waves and it became completely calm. These disciples who were tested by the storm and found to have little faith didn't trust in the Lord's great ability. They didn't know what kind of man he was that the winds and the waves obeyed him. What kind of disciples are these who know so little about their Lord? These are the kind of disciples whose Lord is asleep on a cushion in the stern until they finally call upon him in a crisis. He's not awake, leading them from the bow of the boat. They've let him sleep in the stern, on a cushion. Isn't that nice. Did you notice that peculiar detail in verse 36, that they took him along "just as he was"? How was their Jesus before they entered this time of trial if not as we see him in the boat - asleep on a cushion? These are the kind of disciples who don't know their Lord's power because they haven't built the kind of trust relationship that comes with faithful obedience. This is the kind of church that hears the word and doesn't put it into practice. These in this boat, though, do call on him and are spared as he answers their plea for help. I wonder how some of the other boatloads of disciples fared???
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For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. I Peter 3:18-22Consider what we find written earlier in the chapter. I believe we will find Ephesians 5 is the key to why these two seemingly unconnected issues are bound together in 1 Peter 3. It's about the Bride / Bridegroom relationship, submission, the Bride's adornment and appearance, with the related theme of the washing of water / the pledge of a good conscience toward God.
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. 7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. I Peter 3:1-7That is a profound mystery about the Bride. I think that washing of water by the word to cleanse the Bride like the baptism in Noah's day is really what the second watch of the night water was about - and I believe that was the year 5760.
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing [2] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church.33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:21-33
And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day. Genesis 1:9-13From the short 8 verse Psalm that is the Psalm for the year 2001. Note two references to the land and the focus on the differences or separation.