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The search for Blessed Time, part 2

Israel’s entire time in the land of Canaan was spent on Judged Time and Cursed Time. It was, therefore, impossible for Israel and Judah to fulfill its calling during that time. They entered the land already on Judged Time, having entered 38 years late. That cycle ended with Saul, who, by consulting the witch of En-dor, put the monarchy—and the nation—on Cursed Time.

Their Cursed Time ended in 597 B.C., when King Jehoiachin was taken captive to Babylon. Jerusalem had submitted to the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar in 604 B.C., and later, in 589-588, King Zedekiah had revolted against Babylon. This brought about the siege of Jerusalem and its destruction in 586 B.C.

When Jehoiachin was imprisoned in 597 B.C., the Babylonians also took the sacred vessels from the temple and brought them to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:7). Spiritually speaking, worship was taken over by ungodly men, and 666 years later, the Romans did the same thing in 70 A.D.  This is recorded on the Arch of Titus, picturing the menorah as one of the spoils of war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Titus

This event speaks into the meaning of the number 666. It is not only the number of a man, as Revelation 13:18 tells us. It is also about man’s takeover of divine worship. From an economic point of view, it is also about taking control of gold (money), as we see in 1 Kings 10:14. Furthermore, because gold represents the divine nature, the Babylonian takeover of gold hindered (delayed) the overcomers from being changed into His likeness.

This situation was delayed until 1996, when we were led to declare the Jubilee. This change was confirmed by the return of the Stone of Scone to Scotland, as I have written before. The Stone, along with other sacred vessels and public records, had been taken from Scotland to London in 1296. The Stone was placed under the coronation chair at Westminster Abbey whenever a new monarch was crowned, signifying the divine right to rule.

In 1328, however, the Treaty of Northampton agreed to return the Stone to Scotland, and this would have taken place in 1330, had not the nobles prevented its return. What is of interest is that 1330 was precisely 1,260 years after the Romans took the vessels of the temple to Rome in 70 A.D. This is a well-known time cycle of 3½ “times” (Revelation 12:6, 14).

From 1330-1996 was another 666 years. The Stone was then returned to Scotland, and Prince Andrew presided over this event. In this case, the event prophesied the change of authority from the princes of this world to the saints of the Most High.

Hence, when the Babylonians took control of the vessels of the temple in 597 B.C., they triggered a long-term set of prophecies that was reversed only in 1996.

How God Dealt with Canaan

A return to Blessed Time for the earth is scheduled for the year 2024, according to the time cycles on the Creation Jubilee calendar. One should not read too much into this, but it is increasingly clear that the year 2024 will bring about huge changes among the nations. I make no claims about the second coming of Christ, but 2024 ought to empower the saints of the Most High in positions of authority in the earth.

To understand this, one must go back to the time of Noah’s curse upon Canaan in Genesis 9:25, 26,

²⁵ So he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brothers.” ²⁶ He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.”

This was the moment that Canaan was put on Cursed Time, just three years after Noah had emerged from the ark and had planted a vineyard. It was the year 1660 from Adam.

This curse was the start of Canaan’s grace period which, by the mercy of God, gave him and his descendants 414 years in which to repent. After 414 years, the Philistines, who legally represented the Canaanites at the time, stole Abraham’s well (Genesis 21:25). The Bible does not date this event, but the book of Jasher does.

King Abimelech repented on behalf of his servants who had stolen the well, and he made a covenant of peace with Abraham (Genesis 21:27). This gave the Canaanites an extension of grace. So another 414 years passed before Joshua led Israel across the Jordan and executed judgment upon Canaan.

Here we encounter a perfect illustration of the distinction between God’s will (thelema) and His plan (boulema). It was God’s will that the Israelites should enter Canaan from Kadesh-barnea, but if they had done the will of God, they would have executed judgment upon Canaan 38 years too soon. Canaan’s grace period did not end until the year that Joshua crossed the Jordan.

We see, then, that the will of God was for Israel to displace the Canaanites in the year 2450, which was the 50^th Jubilee from Adam on the Creation Jubilee calendar; but it was the plan of God that Canaan would be judged 38 years later in the year 2488.

Another way of looking at this is that if the Israelites could have entered Canaan from Kadesh-barnea according to the will of God, they would have conquered by the sword of the Spirit, rather than by the physical sword. The sword of the Spirit is much sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), for it can pierce the thoughts and intents of the heart. Physical swords can only separate one’s head from the body or cut apart bone and marrow.

Hence, I believe that if the Israelites had accepted the sword of the Spirit at Mount Sinai when it was offered to them on that first Pentecost, they would have had the faith to fulfill the will of God at Kadesh-barnea. Further, they would have fulfilled the prophecy of the 50^th Jubilee and the feast of Tabernacles. They would have been transformed into His image, and the Canaanites would have repented and turned to the God of Israel—Jesus Christ.

In other words, the Israelites would have been given the Great Commission to preach the gospel and kill them spiritually through baptism, teaching the Canaanites how to identify with Christ in His death and how to crucify the flesh. This is the work of the sword of the Spirit, which we ourselves have been given.

It is clear—at least to me—that the Canaanites should have been given the opportunity to repent in the year 2450. It is primarily the fault of the Israelites—their lack of faith—that prevented the conversion of the Canaanites through a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This was a terrible consequence of Israel’s refusal to hear God’s voice in Exodus 20:18, 19.

Yet we know that God was not taken by surprise. What actually occurred was part of the divine plan (boulema). In the end, Canaan was judged 828 years after Noah’s curse when Joshua crossed the Jordan and made war on the Canaanites.

Canaan’s Debt

When God brought judgment upon Canaan, the curse of the law was executed, and the debt to sin was paid. All sin is reckoned as a debt in Scripture, as we see in many of Jesus’ parables. But the story does not end there, for God left many Canaanites in the land in order to test the hearts of the Israelites.

The Israelites were yet carnal, and their sword remained fleshly. They were assigned to “tear down their altars” (Judges 2:2), that is, to get rid of their heart idols so that they might repent and turn to the God of Israel. But Israel failed once again, so God said in Judges 2:3,

³ Therefore I also said, “I will not drive them out before you, but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.

Hence, the Canaanite problem did not end. It was prolonged on a larger scale. The Canaanites became types and shadows of the world at large, especially in its role as occupying the Kingdom as tares in the wheat and thorns in their sides. These thorns were still present in the days of the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7), who was afflicted by many of these “thorns.”

The World

Joshua was a prophetic type of Christ (Jesus-Yeshua). Both were called to lead us into the Kingdom and to expel the ungodly ones occupying the land. Each, however, was given a very different type of sword. Joshua’s commission was to destroy Canaanites; Jesus’ commission was to “preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15) and to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).

We see, then, how the Canaanites were prophetic types of “the nations.” It is imperative that we understand the difference between the two swords, for this will determine our method of dealing with the world. Those who have an Old Covenant mindset will pick up swords and go on Crusades to kill perceived enemies. Those who have a New Covenant mindset will have the power to discern and lay bare the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Paul describes the New Covenant methodology in his discussion about the gifts of the Spirit. We read in 1 Corinthians 14:24, 25,

²⁴ But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by fall; ²⁵ the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.

This is much different from the cry of the carnal crusader: “Convert or die!”  It is also very different from the carnal manner in which the Native Americans were conquered.

And what shall we say about modern Zionism, which seeks to follow the Old Covenant example of those who used physical swords to expel Palestinians and occupy the land? If we are to understand the mind of God as New Covenant believers, we ought to know how to apply prophecy as Jesus would.

Unfortunately, not many of today’s prophets have an in-depth understanding of the New Covenant and its methods of conquering the world. For this reason, few of them are equipped beyond a certain point to establish God’s Kingdom in the earth. Few understand that we are fast approaching the climax of the modern fulfillment of the real conquest of Canaan—that is, the world—and the transfer of authority to the saints of the Most High.

We will discuss that in Part 3.