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Where We Are in Prophecy--Part 7

Most Americans may suspect that the year 2001 was a pivotal year in prophecy, but not many know why unless they have read my booklet, The 1986 Vision of the Two Gulf Wars. There I tell of a vision I had in 1986 of being transported to an underground "dungeon" in Saudi Arabia, where I learned of two Gulf Wars that were about to take place. Of course, the first occurred in 1990-1991, and ten years later, beginning in 2001, we entered into the second war.

But in the midst of all of this, we discerned that President Clinton would repent (or more accurately, he would humble himself) some time during his term of office, because the Lord had linked him with the pattern of King Ahab in Scripture. Note 1 Kings 21:29 and 22:1, which says that God postponed the judgment (war) upon Israel for three years because of Ahab's humbling.

President Clinton, of course, was forced to humble himself angrily on national television on August 17, 1998, and then a few weeks later, at a Congressional Prayer Breakfast, he was much more contrite and even read Psalm 51 as a prayer, "create in me a clean heart, O God." This was done on Sept. 11, 1998. That act postponed the beginning of judgment on America for precisely three years to Sept. 11, 2001.

The year 2001 was important in another way as well. It was 2,520 years ( 7 x 360, or 2 x 1,260) after Haggai began his ministry. Haggai began to prophesy in the second year of Darius of Persia (Hag. 1:1) in the sixth month of the Hebrew calendar. His purpose was to spur the people to finish building the second temple. The temple was completed, then, on the third day of the 12th month in the sixth year of Darius (Ezra 6:15). This, we know, was on March 15, 515 B.C.

The temple in Haggai's day, however, was never glorified by the divine presence as Solomon's temple had been glorified. In fact, in Haggai's day the Ark of the Covenant had disappeared, so the Most Holy Place was an empty room, except for a flat stone that was placed on the floor where the Ark should have stood. Haggai's prophecy, then, spoke of another day and another temple--the true temple of Eph. 2:20-22.

Because God forsook Jerusalem like He had already forsaken Shiloh (Jer. 7:12-14), He cannot glorify a temple in Jerusalem, even if the people should rebuild one on the original site. He has moved from Jerusalem as He moved from Shiloh, and His next address is YOU, if you are part of the New Jerusalem and the New Temple.

The point is that Haggai's work was to establish another type and shadow of a greater temple that was yet to be built out of Living Stones. In my view, the time frame for completing this particular work (on a corporate level) was 2,520 years later.

The foundation of the second temple was laid in 534 B.C. when the people first returned to Judea to begin rebuilding after their captivity. 2,520 years later is 1987 A.D., and this year began (by Hebrew reckoning) on October 4, 1986. That year (1986-1987) happened to be the 120th Jubilee from Adam, as I explained in my book, Secrets of Time. It marked the time in modern history when God began to lay the foundation for the True Temple to bring together the Living Stones of the Church under the anointing of the feast of Tabernacles.

The Lord first began to reveal this transition from Pentecost to Tabernacles in May 1985, and it has been a progressive revelation since that time. Perhaps some day I can share the details, but right now I don't want anyone to get lost in those details.

The point is that Haggai began to prophesy 14 years after the foundation was laid (534-521 B.C.). This was the second year of Darius, proven by astronomy, as any historian can tell you. Historical records tell us that there was a lunar eclipse in the 20th year of Darius, and another in his 31st year. Astronomers have fixed these as occurring on Nov. 19, 502 B.C. and on April 25, 491 B.C. These dates fix the 20th and 31st years of Darius, and that means his second year was in 521 B.C.

It is important to get the date right, because I believe Haggai's prophecy has a 2,520-year fulfillment in our own day. That means Haggai prophesied of a time period from 2001-2006, wherein God resumed building His Tabernacles Church ("temple).

More precisely, Haggai began to prophecy in the 6th month of that year. Is it not interesting that Sept. 11, 2001 was the 24th day of the 6th month that year? In my view, the Twin Towers Disaster of 9-11 was not only the beginning of judgment upon America, but it was also the beginning of the Haggai ministry to complete what had been started in 1986-87.

The Indian Hills Church in North Little Rock began teaching the Restoration of All Things on April 13, 2003, just a few days after Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled in Baghdad. Symbolically and prophetically, it shows that the fall of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, releases us into a higher realm of worship and teaching.

The Haggai cycle ended on March 15, 2006, precisely 2,520 years after March 15, 515 B.C. when the second temple was finished (Ezra 6:15). Again, we saw the signs occur, details which deserve an entire web log in itself. We do not have such luxury of unlimited time and space, unfortunately. But I will say that on March 15, 2006 the temple work was completed on a corporate and prophetic level.

We then entered into another building phase to complete the VESSELS of the temple. This is much like we read in Solomon's temple, where the temple itself was completed, and then the vessels. I believe that the vessels in Solomon's temple took an additional 3-1/2 years to complete, and then the temple was dedicated and glorified precisely 490 years after Israel left Egypt.

It is possible, then, that we are looking at another 3-1/2 year period from March of 2006 to Sept. of 2009. Time will tell.

The vessels of the temple signify callings and ministries, which are to be used in the temple service. These vessels must be built and cleansed. Because it is still ongoing, I cannot tell you the end of this story yet.

But I do know that from October of 2000 to October of 2006 was the period of the seven vials (bowls of wine) that were poured out upon the Babylon/Jericho. The year 2006, then, was somewhat pivotal in that it was the end of one work and the beginning of a new work. Haggai's work ended, and the work of the seven vials ended as well.

The new work that God set before us was rooted in the building of the vessels of the Living Stones Temple. But we have also seen the rise of opposition from the old-order Church (Pentecost), which objects to being replaced by the Tabernacles Church.

This should not be surprising, since the same thing occurred in the book of Acts. The old-order church at that time was centered around the old temple in Jerusalem. They objected--and still object--to being replaced by Pentecost. The conflict is recorded in the book of Acts. So why should it be any different today? The fact is, the Tabernacles Church is open to all who have eyes to see and ears to hear. If anyone is content in the old order, they will remain there until God has mercy on them and heals their blindness.

On October 31, 2007 we completed a cycle of 490 years from the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the Church door in Wittenburg. That act inadvertently sparked the Reformation. Some are prophesying today that we will see another Reformation. I agree, but it will be so much more than a mere Reformation or "Revival." Unless we see that we have completed the Age of Pentecost and are now entering a Tabernacles Age, we will not really understand the extent of this new Reformation.