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Redemption from Egypt

After prophesying about the signs preceding His second coming, Jesus said in Luke 21:28,

²⁸ But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

In other words, don’t be pessimistic. Don’t look down. Don’t be discouraged by the wars, rumors of wars, betrayals, persecutions, etc. These signs are evil, but they signify something good that is soon to come.

Such elements of tribulation have been occurring every year since Jesus spoke those words. So also, preachers since the beginning have thought that Jesus would return in their lifetime. In that sense, we are no different, for we see the same signs that they did. Revelation is progressive, of course, so it is not likely that we will receive the final pieces of the puzzle until this “redemption” actually occurs. Nonetheless, we have an advantage, in that we have been given greater revelation, especially of timing.

Generally speaking, Hosea 6:2 says, “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day.” This applied to Jesus’ own resurrection on the third day, but the prophecy itself was addressed to the House of Israel—i.e., to us on a broader scale. It was not a mere “two days” but 2,000 years (2 Peter 3:8). Most prophecy teachers in past centuries failed to understand this, as they were impatient.

Fig Tree Prophecies

In 1948 the Israeli state was established, and most prophecy teachers understood that this was the fulfillment of Matthew 24:32-34, the explanation of the cursed fig tree that was to come back to life. These teachers were partially correct, but they failed to see that the Israeli “fig tree” could only bring forth more leaves—not any fruit. Jesus’ curse had said, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you” (Matthew 21:19). This is why Jesus said in Matthew 24:32 that the fig tree would only put forth leaves.

Fig leaves have been a problem since Adam (Genesis 3:7). It is a false covering for sin. Hence, the Israeli state will not bear fruit that God requires to be included in His Kingdom. The Israeli state will never fulfill the promise to the true Israel in Isaiah 27:6,

⁶ In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, and they will fill the whole world with fruit.

Jesus Himself eliminated the fruitless fig tree from the roster by His prophetic curse, even though He knew that this cursed fig tree would come back to life in the latter days. But leaves are not fruit. Leaves give a natural expectation of fruit, but in this case, the anticipation only led to disappointment. So also is the situation today, for when Jerusalem is finally destroyed (Jeremiah 19:10, 11), many Christians will be shocked and even disillusioned. That is why it is important to understand prophecy.

God’s Clock

Many prophecy teachers use the year 1948 as the primary date for the end times, telling us that God’s “clock” started again after being stopped at Christ’s crucifixion. Their assumption is mostly false, because God’s clock has never stopped. Nonetheless, 1948 was indeed an important date in prophecy, though not in the way that most people think. To assume that 1948 was the fulfillment of the prophecies to Israel was a matter of misunderstanding of the identity of Israel. The Jewish state called (by men) Israel is not the biblical Israel at all.

From Joshua’s Jordan crossing until the year 2024 is 70 Jubilees (or 7 x 490 years). This is a series of “Blessed Time” cycles (490). But as I have shown elsewhere, there is also a “Cursed Time” factor (414) that is involved in this, especially when we focus on the Canaanites who were conquered after Joshua crossed the Jordan.

From the Jordan crossing to the year 1492 A.D. is 7 x 414 years. The year 1492, then, is another very important year in prophecy, as it opened up a whole new era in regard to the Americas after the arrival of Columbus in that year. The main difference is that while Joshua crossed the Jordan River, Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

To bring us into Blessed Time, we have to add 7 more cycles of 76 years to the year 1492, because 414 plus 76 is 490 (i.e., Blessed Time). The final cycle of 76 years began in 1948 and ends in 2024.

So in long-term prophecy, the year 1492 and 1948 are very important, and these time cycles provide us with the basic structure of long-term prophetic events in our time. The outworking of these prophetic events is another story, of course. While Joshua conquered the Canaanites with the physical, Old Covenant sword, Columbus ought to have known better. However, the church in his time did not have a serious understanding of the New Covenant or of the sword of the Spirit by which the world should have been conquered.

Hence, the arrival of Columbus did much damage when he might have blessed the inhabitants of the New World with the gospel of peace. Columbus and those who came after him used Joshua’s Old Covenant example as their model, even while giving lip service to the New Covenant. They simply did not know the Scriptures and certainly did not understand the two covenants.

The same Old Covenant model was used in the Jewish conquest of Palestine. This was not a model of any New Covenant Kingdom. If the Jews had accepted Jesus as the Messiah, they might have had an opportunity to utilize the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. But having rejected Him and His gospel (“good news”), it is not surprising that they would make war on the Palestinians and refuse to be a blessing to all families of the earth.

I myself am more disturbed that Christians would retain an Old Covenant mindset, not only in the conquest of the Americas but also in their support of the Jewish conquest of Palestine. Those who have been given greater revelation are more accountable to God than those who have not.

Redemption

When Jesus spoke of His second coming in Luke 21, He said that “your redemption is drawing near.” Notice His choice of words. Why “redemption?” Why not “deliverance?” This takes us back to the redemption of Israel from their Egyptian bondage. Deuteronomy 15:15 says,

¹⁵ You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you…

Slaves are the legal property of others. To transfer ownership of a slave from one master to another is not necessarily a redemption. Redemption involves the rights of a near kinsman (Leviticus 25:25). Those rights are non-negotiable. To sell a slave to anyone else is the right of the slave master to sell or not to sell. But if a near kinsman has the means to purchase a slave, the former slave master has no choice in the matter.

When God redeemed Israel from Egypt slavery, it implied that God was a near-kinsman. This was clarified further in the New Testament when Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from the bondage of sin (1 Peter 1:18, 19). We read in Hebrews 2:11-17 that He came to earth in order to become our “brother,” a near kinsman. He came of the seed of Abraham to redeem Abraham’s descendants, and He also came in flesh and blood in order to be a near-kinsman to all who are of flesh and blood.

Yet it takes two comings of Christ to complete this redemption. He paid the price in His first coming, but when He comes the second time, we are to lift our heads because our redemption is drawing near. That which was accomplished legally at the cross is now about to take effect in the world as a practical manner.

In other words, when we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, we are volunteering to take part in the redemption work of Christ. The year 2024, I believe, is a key year in this great work. Columbus and others had the opportunity to do this in 1492 and after, but they were functioning on the principle of Cursed Time (7 x 414 years). Hence, they failed.

We, however, will succeed where they failed, because we are privileged to function on Blessed Time (7 x 490 years) from the Jordan crossing. In other words, we will be directed by Christ through the New Covenant, which will succeed where Columbus failed. The final 76-year cycle from 1948-2024 has given us the time to prepare and to learn the ways of God—especially His New Covenant plan and methods.

For this reason, I have tried to explain the difference between the two covenants. Without such understanding, no one—not even Christians—will play a significant role in the redemption of the world that is coming quickly. But I know that many of you do indeed have the revelation that will enable you to carry the responsibilities of this great work.