“I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him”
The Promised Chosen Heir
For the true believer and disciple of Christ the circumstances we are facing today, should move us to look into God’s word the Bible to get a full understanding for the reasons why things are the way they are. It requires looking back into the past when a long period of time was set by God during which He allowed the nations to rule the Earth with no sovereignty expressed on His part in the kingdom of mankind. God promised that at the end of this period of time, He would raise a King whose rulership would never end. Further, God promised that his rulership would put an end to all other rulerships. The Bible tells us that in the Day of his rulership, he would “shepherd the nations with an iron rod”.
But when was all of this to occur and in what way has the King of Kings and Lord of Lords been shepherding the kingdoms of the Earth with an “iron rod”? Who is responsible for the tribulation that we are faced with today?
We will begin with the prophecy that foretold the Messiah’s coming and what was going on in terms of punishment that God was delivering on His chosen nation at the time, Judah (the two-tribe kingdom) and Israel (the ten-tribe kingdom).
If you open your Bible to the Book of Daniel to chapter 3, you will find these words of prophecy given to the prophet Daniel in a vision inspired by God:
Daniel 7:13,14
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed”.
History clearly indicates that this prophecy has yet to be realized. It is not possible for mortal humans to achieved within human power an everlasting kingdom nor an everlasting king. Because we are mortal human beings, no one has the capacity to establish an “everlasting dominion.
The verses cited from the Bible book of Daniel are part of a record that begins with king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieging Jerusalem during the reign of king Josiah’s son Jehoiakim and making him a vassal of the gentile nation.
According to Daniel, this happened in the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign.
Daniel 1:1,2
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem and besieged it.
And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
This event, when God gave the king of Judah into the hand of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, marked the beginning of a 2,520 year-long period of time during which God removed His sanction of any king or rulership within the dominion of man. This period was to last until such time that the Everlasting Heir would be given rulership.
Historians date the death of Jehoiakim’s father Josiah at about 609 B.C.E. This means that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in about 606 B.C.E. The city, Jerusalem, was not destroyed until some twenty years later in about 587 B.C.E.
The city’s destruction is not the significant factor. The terms ‘appointed times of the nations’ and ‘the gentile times’ are used interchangeably. They both infer the same meaning that points to loss of sovereignty and domination.
It was the loss of national sovereignty the marked the beginning of gentile domination ie the gentile times.
The city was rebuilt quickly after the captives and exiles returned in about 537 B.C. This to the neglect of the rebuilding of the Temple. After the Temple was rebuilt, God lifted the curse He had placed on the land and it became productive again. This was about 517 B.C.
What did not return is a matter of both ‘sovereignty’ and ‘kingship’.
As stated previously, these events began a 2,520-year absence of any Divinely sanctioned sovereignty within the kingdoms of mankind.
“Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him”. Ezekiel 21:26,27
Although the Bible’s historical record tells us that God restored the people of Israel to their homeland (537 B.C.E.) and God lifted His curse on the land returning it to productivity (517 B.C.E.), independent sovereignty did not return. This is not an ordinary sovereignty. The sovereignty of Judah was an expression of Elohim’s sovereignty in the kingdom of man.
This ‘expression’ or ‘intervention’ into the kingdom of man by a King that God sanctioned as His Anointed, would not commence again until the Messiah began to exercise his kingly power. This would not begin until the expiration of the gentile times period.
Ezekiel was another of Elohim’s prophets at that time and he also prophesied about the removal of Divine sovereignty until the rightful, eternal King would be given rulership.
Ezekiel 21:
25 And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end,
26 Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.
27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.
The Lord after his death and resurrection, sat at God’s right hand as ‘King-designated’ until the “appointed times of the nations expired”.
This is why the apostle Peter at Pentecost made the statement he made found in the Book of Acts at chapter 2.:32-35
32 “God has raised this very Jesus from death, and we are all witnesses to this fact.
33 He has been raised to the right side of God, his Father, and has received from him the Holy Spirit, as he had promised. What you now see and hear is his gift that he has poured out on us.
34 For it was not David who went up into heaven; rather he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit here at my right side
35 until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.'”
At the end of that period that is referred to as the “appointed times of the nations” and the “gentile time period”, Christ began to exercise his kingly rulership from Heaven in fulfillment of the prophecy Yahuah Elohim gave through His angel to the prophet’s Daniel and Ezekiel.
Christ’ beginning to exercise kingly authority marked the beginning of what the Book of Revelation calls “the Lord’s Day”. (See Revelation 1:10)
His return is not set to occur until the final part near the conclusion of the Lord’s Day. “Lord’s Day” runs concurrently with what is referred to as the “Last Days“. The Lord’s Day is the last days of Satan, his rulership, his empire, and all else that corrupts Creation.
Concerning the “last days”, what the apostle Paul told the disciple Timothy reiterates much of what Jesus told his disciples that we read about in Luke chapter 21. Paul spoke of the godless spirit the would be pervasive among humankind during that “last days” i.e. the Lord’s Day.
2 Timothy 3:1-7:
1 THIS know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 For Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of Elohiym;
5 Having a form of holiness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts,
7 For Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth.
These traits of thinking and behavior dominate many societies, groups, and families today. They reflect the godlessness Jesus described in Luke chapter 21 and in the Book of Revelation. That make sense since all three citings are referring to the same time period.
The visions recorded in the Book of Revelation, are stated by John as being a vision of and pertaining to the Lord’s Day:
Revelation 1:10, 19
10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,”
19 “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”
Let us examine what is written in the Book of Revelation about what is to take place on the Lord’s Day.
The Book of Revelation details Christ’ exercise of his power and authority both as High Priest and as King. When the Messiah returned to Heaven after his resurrection, he immediately began his role as High Priest. This discussion focuses on exercising his kingly power and how he rules the nations with an “iron rod” during the Day of the Lord.
What is fundamentally important to understand and appreciate is that everything that happens in what we read in the Book of Revelation is a result of acts initiated in Heaven. In other words, everything that occurs is a result of God’s will and direction.
We read in the Book of Revelation that Christ entered the sanctuary and passed through into the Holy of Holy. He took a scroll from the hand of Yahuah Elohim who is Almighty God and returned to his station in the Sanctuary:
Revelation 5:5-8
5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Don’t cry. Look! The Lion from Judah’s tribe, the great descendant of David, has won the victory, and he can break the seven seals and open the scroll.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb standing in the center of the throne, surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb appeared to have been killed. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that have been sent through the whole earth.
7 The Lamb went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sits on the throne.
8 As he did so, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.
When Christ breaks the seven seals on the scroll, the events described in the Revelation prophecy begin to occur.
What transpires thereafter, begins to occur with the opening of the first four seals which calls forth of the 4 horsemen described at Revelation 6:1-8:
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
But it is the opening of the 3 remaining seals that details the events mankind would experience as a result of mankind’s resistance to the King of Kings who is God’s Anointed One.
As King, Christ wages war against those in opposition to God’s kingdom. This is where his “ruling the nations with an iron rod” can be examined for what that means for the nations of the Earth.
This should make us particular to the rise of antichrist whose ambition is to reestablish a man-made physical kingdom and temple in opposition to Christ and the Kingdom of God.
At the conclusion of the “appointed times of the nations” or the period of domination of the earth by gentile nations in the absence of the presence of Divine rulership among the kingdoms of men, according to Elohim’s words to the prophet Daniel, He would install a King whose rulership will never end. As was mentioned previously, the Lord was the Chosen One but sat at God’s right hand until the appointed times of the nations expired.
Also referred to previously, the prophecy Elohim gave Daniel mark a period of time during which Divine sovereignty would be withdrawn from the kingdoms of mankind. This began when sovereignty was removed from Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar when he besieged Jerusalem, took Judah’s King captive, and thus made Judah a vassal State. The Israelites were restored to their land in 537 B.C.E. when King Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian empire. The desolation of the land occurred about 517 B.C.E. after the completion of the Temple rebuild. But again, what did not return was the nation’s independence and sovereignty.
This is the meaning of Elohim’s words we read at Ezekiel 21:26 and 27:
26 Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.
27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.
It is concerning this one “who has the right” that Daniel saw a vision of coming from Heaven at the conclusion of the appointed time of the nations:
Daniel 7:13,14
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed”.
Although Yeshua the Chosen One received all authority in Heaven and on Earth upon his return to Heaven after his resurrection, he would await exercising his kingly power in the realm of mankind until the expiration of the appointed times of the nations. (Psalm 110:1)
This brings us into modern day events as we live near the conclusion of the Day of the Lord and the period of time called the Last Days. Christ is exercising his kingly power from his station in Heaven now and has been since the end of the appointed times of the nations ended. The Lord’s Day was not to bring peace to the kingdoms of mankind. Since we have no evidence that Jesus in any way promoted any act of violence during his human lifetime, he must have been speaking of a future time when he told his disciples this:
Matthew 10:43-36
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother
Matthew 10:43-36
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother-in-law.
36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
The Day of the Lord was prophesied to bring woe to the Earth.
Revelation 8:13:
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! KJV
It has been and still is a misconception of many believers that Christ exercising influence in the affairs of the kingdoms of the Earth requires his return. In reading the Book of Revelation we see Christ stationed in the Sanctuary of the heavenly temple. From there he is opening the seals on the scroll he has received from God. It is from there that he carries out the will of God. His coming as he told his disciples would be at final part of the Lord’s Day. His coming is at the final part of the Day for the execution-phase of Divine Judgment.
When you think about it, why would it be any more necessary for the Lord to come to Earth to influence what happens here anymore than it is necessary for God our Father to do so? It is not. Keep in mind where Jesus is when he opens the seals on the Scroll.
The events connected to the Lord’s exercising his Kingly rulership and power and his Second Coming are not connected. In other words, Christ taking power to exercise his kingly authority is not the time at which point he prophesied according to what we read in Scriptures, was to be the time of his return. While on Earth, Jesus prophesied many things that had to occur before he returned. (Luke 21)
After foretelling these things destined to occur in the final days of this system, Jesus told them that all of the things he prophesied must take before his return. It is evident that the expectation that the end of the “gentile times” would bring the immediate return of the Lord and Armageddon had no biblical basis.
Beyond this misunderstanding that is, what to expect at the end of the appointed times of the nations, a failure pay close attention to mathematical differences in attempting to calculate the end of the 2,520-year time period according to the present-day calendar we currently use.
Miscalculations as to When the “Gentile Times’ Ended
For over 130 years, a specific date in terms of years has been declared as the date the “appointed times of the nations” ended. That date is 1914 C.E.
It is very important to briefly take time to consider what would be necessary to accurately calculate the approximate end of the gentile times. This calculation being based on starting in 607 B.C.E. and ending 2,520 years later.
I hope you will allow yourself to continue to read and to think about it. It has to do with the number 1914 and the year 1914 C.E The fact is that no matter what date or number of years you attempt to use in finding an end date of the gentile times according to our present-day calendar, if you do not consider the factors that follow you will not arrive at a correct answer.
Any accurate attempt to approximate the end of the appointed times of the end must factor into it the difference between the length of a biblical year in which the prophecy was given in, and the length of our present-day year. Please look closely at the illustration above that is provided by the Watchtower Organization and take note of how they reckoned that 1914 C.E. was the end of the gentile time period. Can you see the flaw?
The conclusion that the time period is a total of 2,520 years is arrived at by multiplying 7 times 360 per the number of days per calendar year according to the Hebrew system. 1914 of these years in terms of their days is equal to 1914 times 360. That equals 689,040 days.
Now use this same method to calculate the number of days that are in 1914 of our present-day calendar years. 1914 times 365 equals a total number of 698,610 days.
There is a differential of 9,570 days between the two calendar systems. To express these days in terms of our present-day years, we simply divide the number of days by 365. This equals 26.21 common-era years.
1914 C.E. is therefore 26.21 years off of the actual end date when this is factored in.
This brings the actual end of the appointed times of the nations to approximately 1940.21 C.E.
The following is an excerpt from the Watchtower Library that explains how the Watchtower teachers arrive at the year 1914 C.E. You will note that they simply count up the 1914 years with no accounting for the fact that they have changed from counting in lunar (360 day-years) to counting in common-era (365-day years).
“From October 607 B.C.E. to October 1 B.C.E. is 606 years. Since there is no zero year, from October 1 B.C.E. to October 1914 C.E. is 1,914 years. By adding 606 years and 1,914 years, we get 2,520 years. For information on Jerusalem’s fall in 607 B.C.E., see the article “Chronology” in Insight on the Scriptures, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
They also conflate the end of the gentile times with an immediate return of Christ by teaching that he returned invisibly to all mankind and selectively chose them as his ‘appointed faithful slave’. For this to be true, would not that also mean that what we read in the Book of Revelation chapter 1 verse 7 would then be Jesus’ third coming?
Revelation 1:7
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen”.
Since we have yet to experience the fulfillment of Jesus’ words quoted above, The Second Coming the Lord and others whose prophecies are recorded in the Bible. There is no proof of any invisible return of Jesus then nor any other time.
Please reflect on the events that were occurring during the period of 1940 A.D. The events of this time period propelled mankind into a whole new era that has given fruit to the current state of human affairs both geopolitically and continuing factional strife. These and other things foretold by Christ began when he began to loosen the seals that bound the scroll he received from his Father. Praised be our Father and our Lord forever.
All of the information we are given in the Holy Bible is for the purpose of understanding. That includes the prophecies concerning this time period, both its beginning and its end. So, it is wrong to completely dismiss them as if they have no value. But it is as equally wrong to attempt to pinpoint specific dates relying on the accuracy of calculations made by imperfect men who often lack the necessary skills needed to solve the problem accurately.
Christ gave us a sign to pay close attention to. (Matthew 24 -Luke 21- the Book Revelation) Theses should be our primary indicators of the time that would mark the beginning of the Lord’s Day’ and all things destined to occur during it.
By looking closely and honestly at the teachings of C.T. Russell and the beliefs of the Bible Student’s that followed him we can see the confusion they had as to what the end of the gentile times would bring. We find that he had many obvious misunderstandings about what it really meant and what it did not mean. Their concept left no time for the Lord’s Day nor the Last Days. They were expecting the immediate return of Christ at the end of the gentile times not appreciating that they were wrong about the year the gentile time period ended.
Was the End of the Appointed Times of the Nations to Mark the Return of Christ?
The belief of Charles Taze Russell as well as those associated with him was that at the end of the “gentile times” or “appointed times of the nations” that are based on the prophecy in the Book of Daniel, would bring the immediate coming of Christ.
As is evidenced in their own publications, they believed at the time that within a short number of years after the conclusion of the gentile times, Christ would return, gather the remaining elect, and Armageddon would occur. All this immediately. Their concept left no time for the “Day of the Lord” nor the “last days”.
As this consideration of how Christ is ruling the nations from Heaven with an “iron rod” prior to his Second Coming let’s examine what is in Gospel of Luke, chapter 21.
Within the context of these verses, it is quite clear that the Lord is speaking about the “last days” in terms of his Second Coming. This was the nature of the question that his disciples had posed to him. It was this question Yeshua was answering.
He foretold of many events that would occur within the last days that would happen prior to his return. In fact, he said all these things he mentions must occur “first”.
Luke 21:7-9
“Teacher,” they asked, “when will this be? And what will happen in order to show that the time has come for it to take place?”
Jesus said, “Watch out; don’t be fooled. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t follow them.
Don’t be afraid when you hear of wars and revolutions; such things must happen first, but they do not mean that the end is near.”
But the specific intent of their question is perhaps made clearer to us in the Matthew’s gospel recollection of what was said:
Matthew 24:3
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Although the Lord not not answer them by giving them a specific date, he did not leave the approximate time span of the last days leading up to his coming unclear. While he did not reveal a specific hour, day, or year he revealed a “season” of events which would occur during the lifespan of a single generation. He assured that the generation alive at the beginning of his sign, would still have a remnant alive when he returned”.
Luke 21:29-33
29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.
31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”.
Given the context of Yeshua’s statement, this has to refer to the generation in the times during which he would return. Remember, that is the question the disciples posed to him. So, the belief that Yeshua was referring to events that occurred in the first century does not reconcile with the Lord’s return in kingly glory. Remember what question his disciples asked him?
The biblically based interpretation excludes any notion that the last day time period was of quick duration. Otherwise, why would the Lord speak in terms of the life span of a human generation (V 32)? Or why would he caution not to be quick to conclude the end had come by the fearful things happening upon the Earth (V 9)?
Yet, many believers who followed C.T. Russell, International Bible Students, Seventh Days Adventist, and Millerite s believed somehow that Christ would return immediately at the supposed end of the gentile times with no serious time period for the “Day of the Lord” nor the “last days’ to occur. The present teachings of the Watchtower Organization continue to teach that Jesus returned in 1914 A.D. invisibly.
They either consciously or unconsciously play a role in fulfilling a negative role in Yeshua’s prophecy. He warned against following teachers who prematurely announced his return.
Luke 21:8
“Jesus said, “Watch out; don’t be fooled. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t follow them”.
Since nothing happened in 1874 nor in 1914 nor any other date until present that in any way fulfilled the expected return of the Lord, the gathering of the remaining members of the body of Christ, nor Armageddon, these are clearly false beliefs. False beliefs that became the basis for creating even more false teachings to support and reinforce the false doctrine of an ‘invisible’ return of Christ in 1914 A.D. Because he didn’t show up when they claimed he would, their leaders fabricated one false interpretation after another for the last century. For example, the 1990’s “overlapping generations: teaching in an attempt to by more time. It is the year 2024 now.
The correct expectation was and still is that the end of the gentile times marked the beginning of the Lord’s Day exercising control from Heaven. Their end marked the beginning of the Day of the Lord. The end of the gentile tie period also marked the beginning of “last days”. That is the last days of Satan and his kingdom. It was incorrect to expect that the Lord would return immediately at the end of the gentile times period.
Remember what Jesus told his disciples:
Luke 21:29-30
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Jesus plainly stated that he would not return until after the “tribulation”. This would be near the very end of the Lord’s Day.
Nothing Learned and No Repentance
Certainly, as the thing we read happening in the Book of Revelation occur, we expect to see dramatic events reflecting these things. The history of humankind experienced human life due to warfare on a scale never having been witnessed nor that has been witnessed since the period of World War II. The decade previous had visited widespread poverty and conditions of famine among many in the world.
The post war period of the late 1949 to mid 1950’s saw a high rise in various infectious diseases such as mumps, measles, chicken pox, polio, and others.
We have seen the near total collapse of cultures that were thought could endure for centuries. We have seen a shifting away from a biblically-based moral code to others that judge what is morally acceptable on whatever is popular at the moment. They speak of a “rules based order” that doesn’t even exist in any codified form that someone can examine. While a godless spirit dominates the world, Christians and Christian values have come increasingly under assault.
Nothing of real value was learned by the nations in general from the World War II experience. The imperialistic powers have circled back to the same point as before. Rather than rejecting the ideologies that led to the crisis we call World War II, they have embraced them as their own. They have embraced the powers of evil to achieve a long-term vision and ambition. A vision that is in diametrical opposition to the kingdom of Heaven. Look at the historical record of the decline of human civilization, the constant wars, and the hardening of the hearts of many who now lack any of the natural affection toward their own family members much less to those not connected to them in the flesh.
The stiff opposition of wicked opposers of God and Christ, causes them to reject any direction from God and by our Messiah.
This being so, when they are given a sound command that will benefit them from God, they by nature recoil and refuse to conform. This response works against their interest and actually aids their demise.
An analogy would be like two people facing off at each other. One is facing a cliff and there is another man facing toward him standing at the edge of the cliff.
The man with the cliff behind him is adamant that whatever the other man suggests, he will do the opposite.
Suppose it is the desire of the man facing the man on the cliff for him to go off the cliff?
He could control the situation by suggestion. Since the man with the cliff behind him is dead set to do the opposite, the other man could demand, “Take a step toward me!” The man on the edge would by his nature rebel and take a step back in defiance. With set command and opposing reaction, it moves the man at the edge one more step toward the objective of the man he is resisting. So too, God has used the resistance of Satan and his seed to maneuver them into the position they find themselves in today. Some call this reverse-psychology.
Revelation 15:5 & 16:2
5 “After this I saw the temple in heaven open, with the Sacred Tent in it. 6 The seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed in clean shining linen and with gold bands tied around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven gold bowls full of the anger of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory and power of God, and no one could go into the temple until the seven plagues brought by the seven angels had come to an end”.
Revelation 16: 2 “Then I heard a loud voice speaking from the temple to the seven angels: “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s anger on the earth!”
Christ is using the resistant nature of those who bear the mark of the beast against them as the bowls containing the plagues that torment them are poured out from Heaven according to what is written in the scroll.
Notice what is written at Revelation 9:20,21
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Instead of repenting, the wicked double-down in their defiance against the King of Kings, they make their situation worse and worse in terms of the calamities they confront. Their resistance helps lead to their downfall.
The ‘Lord’s Day’ and the ‘Last Days’
The coming of the kingdom of God, will bring about the end of the present human system of things. In exercising his kingly power and authority during the last days before his return, Yeshua told his disciples it would be a time of meting out punishment.
Luke 21:22
“For those will be ‘The Days of Punishment,’ to make come true all that the Scriptures say”.
All prophecy indicates that this would is Yeshua Hamashiach exercising kingly intervention in the affairs of the kingdom of man according to the will of Elohim. These are the “last days” of rulership opposed to the rulership of Yeshua Hamashiach and the Kingdom of Heaven.
“You will break them with an iron rod; you will shatter them in pieces like a clay pot”. Psalm 2:9
To get an accurate understanding of the biblical usage of the term “rod of iron” we need to look for it. The first mention of a king wielding an “iron rod” is recorded in the Book of Psalms. This Bible book also provides the context of why the Lord is punishing the nations.
By examining the historical record of what happened to nations who warred against God’s anointed King and God’s kingdom at that time, we will learn how their falls largely was a result of their ending up being pitted one against the other. At that time wars broke out among the hostile neighboring nations and as a result kingdoms fell. Not by human might but by the orchestration of Elohim from Heaven. God turned them on one another. So, it is similar at present.
Let’s begin our consideration of the Messiah’s rulership of the nations in these last days by reading Psalm 2 in historical context to understand rulership with an iron rod from the biblical perspective. By doing this, we can establish the biblical usage of the phrase, “rule with an iron rod” as it applied to God’s anointed King at that time. After, we will see how this is unfolding now in real time.
The leaders of these nations surrounding David, fought among themselves, but they were united in their opposition to Elohim and His anointed.
These leaders “took their stand” against Him and conspired together against His anointed king. In David’s day, it was he who was the anointed one (in Hebrew, messiah). The conspiracy was against David because he stood for God.
Elohim by using His great power, had established His earthly kingdom above all the kingdoms of the known world.
Psalm 2:6
6 “On Zion, my sacred hill,” he says, “I have installed my king.”
The anointed King of God is whom they plot against. In resentment they said,
Psalm 2:3
3 “Let us free ourselves from their rule” they say; “let us throw off their control.”
It is in this context that Elohim mocks their plots to overthrow His anointed King. It is in these circumstances that an “iron rod” would be used to punish those nations. Elohim tells us that His anointed King uses this iron rod to punish those nations who stand opposed to God’s kingdom.
Psalm 2:9
9 You will break them with an iron rod; you will shatter them in pieces like a clay pot.’ “
The situation confronting King David at the time
In Psalm 2:5–6, David said that God rebukes the conspirators in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, proclaiming that He has installed His holy king over them all.
David knew that his strength and protection came from the power of God. He knew that Elohim is ever present, and He can force His will like a hardened rod of iron to force his enemies in any direction. David in his own words praises and thanks Elohim for fighting his enemies. He also gives us an idea of what his enemies have against him. By his words it is apparent David has no desire like his enemies to “cast off” the rules and commandments of God. It is clear that David wants to lead a God-fearing obedient life and for his good characteristics and behaviors, he became despised.
David understood through personal experience what it felt like to be the object of hatred. When we read David’s expressions found in the Psalms, we should also think about how, the Messiah was attacked and mistreated for no just cause. It was because he was the Anointed of God and was righteous. Listen as well to David’s strong outcry for God’s intervention:
Psalm 109:2-18
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labor.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
David understood well that his ability to conquer his enemies was due to the power of God.
Psalm 23:2-6
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Looking at the experience of Christ, those that pursued Yeshua knew by the prophecies fulfilled in him and that he was truly the anointed of God. But that did not stop them, because they had a plan to kill off the Messiah, thereby “cast off” Elohim’s bands, and install a counterfeit earthly kingdom in its place a kingdom in which they determined law, morality, and right versus wrong. They thought that they would “rule as kings”.
After examining the original biblical usage of the term ‘iron rod’, let see how it applies to the rulership of Christ. In the Revelation given to John, Christ is described as “ruling with an iron rod”. But, there is another feature of the Lord that is also worthy of taking note of that is mentioned here and that is a “sharp sword” that came “Out of his mouth…”. From our perspective we know that the Bible writers used the word ‘sword’ is symbolically in regard to speaking the truth of God.
We need also to reflect on Jesus’ prehuman existence as “The Word” of God. This exclusive title bears witness to Jesus being the ‘mouthpiece’ or “spokesperson’ for God prior to his human existence.
Revelation 19:15
“Out of his mouth came a sharp sword, with which he will defeat the nations. He will rule over them with a rod of iron, and he will trample out the wine in the wine press of the furious anger of the Almighty God”.
The Word of God
“Out of his mouth came a sharp sword”
The Messiah or Hamashiach is the “Word of God. The Word of God is an exclusive designation of the Son of God. Even in his prehuman existence our Lord was known as “The Word”. The Hebrew Cepher Bible translates the biblical passage found in Ezekiel 1:3 in terms that convey that it is Jesus in his prehuman existence that came to Ezekiel and that we are not to interpret the text is referring to say a ‘voice’ from God.
“The Word of Yahuah came expressly unto El־Yechezq’el the priest, the son of Buziy, in the land of the Kasdiym by the river Kevar; and the hand of Yahuah was there upon him”. (Cepher)
“Yahuah” is the Hebrew translate for “Yahweh” or Elohim. Do you note that “Word” is capitalized in the rendering of the text? In the original Hebrew/Aramaic, the term for “word” is דְבַר which is masculine in gender. This capitalization infers that a person came to Ezekiel who spoke the word of God to Ezekiel. This was Christ acting as spoken person for God prior to his human life.
Jesus is the faithful and true witness of God and has been since prior to being born of man. In the Book of John in chapter one, John refers to Jesus as the “Word”. And in his writing of the vision given by Christ recorded in the Book of Revelation, John declares Jesus’ name to be “the Word of God”. When reading in the Book of Revelation about “Out of his came a sharp sword”, we need to remember that from the beginning Christ has been the mouthpiece of God.
Rev 19:11-16
11 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.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Verse fifth teen above states that the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” would “smite the nations” with a sharp sword that goes “out from his mouth“.
As the Word of God, the Messiah is the mouthpiece of God the Father so therefore the power of God carries forth in his word because it is God’s will.
That is why the Lord could make the statement to his disciples we read in specifically verses 32 and 33 of the passage cited below:
Luke 21:29-33
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Although some interpret Jesus’ statement to infer that the ‘generation’ he spoke about in verse thirty two, was in reference to that current generation of that time, history doesn’t prove it so.
The Lord did not return during the lifetime of those disciples. It is almost 2,000 years later and we are still waiting for the Messiah to return.
Let us go back a reread the question Jesus’ disciples asked him, but read what was asked according to the Gospel of Matthew:
Matthew 34:3
As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him in private. “Tell us when all this will be,” they asked, “and what will happen to show that it is the time for your coming and the end of the age.”
His disciples were specifically asking him about his return. So, the generation he spoke of must be a generation that would be alive at the beginning and during of the Lord’s Day. This is when the events foretold in the Book of Revelation take place. The “end of the age” is the equivalent to the “last days”.
The events Jesus foretold of while on Earth that we read in the Book of Matthew chapter 24 and the Book of Luke chapter 21, need to be remembered when we examine the context of the Book of Revelation. It is no coincidence that the same plagues mentioned are mentioned previously by the Lord during his earthly ministry. War, plague, famine, social upheaval, etc.
While what we are living through currently reflects severe instability and uncertainty, the situation is only reflective of human ability to address much less solve the global threats to humanity. The plagues described in the Book of Revelation chapter 9 that occur as a result of trumpets blowing and bowls being poured out upon the Earth, continue as a result of the failure of those who practice wickedness to repent from their godless behaviors.
Revelation 9:20
“The rest of the human race, all those who had not been killed by these plagues, did not turn away from what they themselves had made. They did not stop worshiping demons, nor the idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic, their sexual immorality, or their stealing”.
We must also keep in mind that everything that happens that we read in the Book of Revelation, are results of the opening of the scroll the Lamb receives from Elohim Yahuah who is the One seated on the throne. From the first seal being opened and the riders on the four horses are summoned forth by the four living creatures to the “star” falling from Heaven making the waters poisonous to the angel of the abyss being granted to open it and released imprisoned demons to what befalls the great harlot, the false prophet, and the wild beast, all occur as a result of the opening of the seals on the scroll Christ received from the hand of God. What is happening is according to the will and plan of God.
Elohim our Father by means of Christ, is bringing an end to the devil’s empire. What we are experiencing are not random events that are totally out of control. It is true that they are out of the control of the fallen angels and man. But our Father and our Lord are in absolute control and have been since the beginning. We have considered prophecy given long ago that are being revealed in startling detail and accuracy.
Since the beginning of the Lord’s Day, Christ has exerted his power as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is subduing his enemies by shepherding all those opposed to him and the Kingdom of God by force as if with an “iron rod” to their eventual destruction.
Summary and Conclusion
The same Jesus who spoke the words recorded in the twenty first chapter of Luke who is the standing in the Sanctuary in the vision given to John in what John tells us is a vision of “the Lord’s Day”.
The Lord’s prophecy he gave to his disciples while still alive as a human, reflects many of the plagues poured out as a result of him opening the seals in the Lord’s Day.
The Lord’s Day began when he started exercising his authority by direct influence in the kingdom of man.
There was a period of time after the Lord’s resurrection that he sat as it where, ‘King Designate’ at his Father’s side until the “appointed time of the nations” would be fulfilled.
This is alluded to in what we read in the Book of Acts in the teaching of the apostles.
Acts 2:34–35
34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
When that period of time expired, the Lord’s Day commenced; which is also the “Last Days” of Satan and his corrupt system of things.
What has been happening since the beginning of the Lord’s Day is a direct result of him opening the seals of the scroll he received from Elohim the Father. Armageddon thusly too, is a result of opening the seals.
The plagues released by the opening of the seals including Armageddon are the will of God contained in the scroll. The plagues unleashed by the opening of the seal are a precursor to Armageddon.
The Lord made this clear when he told them that these things must take place first:
Mat 24:4-6
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
The time of tribulation is Jesus’ sign that the time of his return is eminent.
This was his disciple’s question according to the Gospel written by Matthew:
Mat 24:3
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world‘”?
They asked for a sign of his return or coming and of the “end of the world”.
Armageddon is the culmination of the things that will bring about the end of the world opposed to the kingdom of God. That will occur when Christ returns to execute Divine judgment.
What is most important for us as disciples of Christ is to pay attention to his teaching. He gave us this sign for a purpose. So, he tells us to pay attention less we be deceived by false prophets and teachers.
Mat 24:22-27
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
His last words of verse 27 are echoed by him again in the vision he gave to John concerning the faith that it would be manifested to all alive on Earth.
Rev 1:7
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Until such time, we wait in eager expectation.
When Christ does return, we will enter the execution phase of the Judgment during which all rewards will be rendered. Whether that be the blessing or the malediction.
For the true believer and disciple of Christ the circumstances we are facing today, should move us to look into God’s word the Bible to get a full understanding for the reasons why things are the way they are. God set a period of time during which He allowed the nations to rule the Earth with no sovereignty expressed on His part in the kingdom on mankind. Through His prophets Daniel and Ezekiel among others, God promised that at the end of this period of time, He would raise a King whose rulership would never end. This one we have come to know as the Christ or the Hamashiach which means Messiah. God promised that his rulership would never end and that it would put an end to all other rulerships in opposition to him and the Kingdom of God. The Bible tells us that in the Day of his rulership, he would “shepherd the nations with an iron rod“.
True believers like everyone else living today are experiencing extreme tribulation and extreme threat to their very existence. While we have read the prophecies concerning the times we live, the Bible tells us that this would be a time of hardship for everyone on Earth. Our being disciples of Christ and attempting to lead a God-fearing obedient life does not make us immune to suffering. And what should be of paramount importance to us individually is what will be our standing in the eyes of the Lord when he arrives.
Listen to how bad Jesus described conditions would be:
Luke 21:21,22
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
A notice the effect that these ongoing tribulations are bound to have on most people as they continue and amplify in their intensity:
Revelation 21:25 and 27
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.
26 People will be fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
It is definitely true that many fear-inspiring things are happening and that there does indeed exist palpable fear among many people of many nations as they watch their ruler send things spiraling further and further out of control. They either do not have the desire to turn back or they lack the necessary skills to create answers to the critical problems mankind is confronted with.
However, these events we are experiencing should bring us comfort in the realization that the things we hope for are not far off from becoming reality. I have to believe that this is what the Lord meant when he said:
Luke 21:31;
“So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand”. (KJV)
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