The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light
The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light
By Vassilis Zafeiroglou 2015
Article from: http://www.themelios-lithos.gr/
Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
Jesus spoke in parables which hid a profound message which the Lord revealed only to those who loved him and wanted to do His will. In fact He emphasized this in a special way:
Matthew 13:9 The one having ears to hear, let him hear! And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
So anyone who has Christ will be given greater involvement and understanding of the mysteries of God's Kingdom. On the contrary those who do not have Christ and those who thought they had the keys of knowledge would be proven not to be keepers of the knowledge of God. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,So that I should heal them.’ “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Mark 4:33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
Luke 11:51 “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”
The scribes and the Pharisees thought they knew everything from the law and the prophets; not having the Spirit of Christ in them they behaved like infants who needed "milk" and took the word of God "according to the letter" and not "in accordance with the spirit". They gave importance to the obvious and carnal and not in the deeper meaning that only the Spirit of Christ could reveal to them.
Whoever has ears to hear let him hear.
After the transfiguration of Jesus, the disciples said to Jesus:
Matthew 17:10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
Matthew 11:10 “For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
The Pharisees well knew the prophet Malachi:
Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
The Scribes had rightly read the prophecy of Malachi and they thought they were wise, but they became fools because they had not received the Spirit of God in their lives who had written this prophecy and whose love brought His Son to the cross of Calvary.
Unfortunately many Christians of our time who are moved by this immature and sanctimonious spirit of promotion and of the chief seats insist on saying that before "the second coming" in our days Elijah with Moses, Enoch, or John the Apostle will come, ignoring the words of the Spirit.
Matthew 17:12 “But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
But from the days of John the baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence, and [the] violent seize on it. For all the prophets and the law have prophesied unto John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, who is to come. He that has ears to hear, let him hear.
John the Baptist was "Elijah who would come" as a strong sign before the great and apparent day of the Lord. It is very important to be careful with the context whenever a scripture ends with the phrase "Whoever has ears to hear let hear " because there is a particular spiritual meaning there.
The establishment of the nation of the New Israel of God
Another strong sign that took place before the great and apparent Day of the Lord was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. At that day the establishment of the nation of the New Israel of God would be the Assembly of Jesus Christ and not "the natural Israel".
Ezekiel 36:22-32 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”
Indeed fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, God gave the credentials of the establishment of the New Nation and the New Kingdom of God. The "new tongues" and the power of the Spirit that blew on that small number of disciples in the "upper room", was the beginning of the authority and the power with which
the Kingdom of God would ultimately prevail against the nation that denied and crucified the Lord and King of Glory with its rulers.
In other words the prophet Joel prophesied about the same event. (Joel 2: 28-32)
These prophecies of Ezekiel and Joel, concerning the establishment "of the nation of the New Israel" were fulfilled on the day of Pentecost as described by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.
Acts 2:1-12 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
"Be saved from this perverse generation"
Jesus Christ and His apostles full of the Holy Spirit prophesied of a coming of God's Kingdom and on the other hand the wrath of God upon the wicked and disobedient Jews of that "perverse generation".
Peter standing in front of the astonished crowd which was gathered in front of the disciples on the day of Pentecost, cried:
Acts 2:14 -21 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’
Acts 2:37-40 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”
From the fig tree then, learn the parable
Jesus Christ during His ministry shortly before his arrest by the Scribes and Pharisees was found for second time in the Temple. Τhere he ascertained the fruitlessness of the ministry of Scribes and Pharisees. Then he cursed a fig tree that he found in His way.
Matthew 21:19-22 [Darby] "And seeing one fig-tree in the way, he came to it and found on it nothing but leaves only. And he says to it, Let there be never more fruit of thee for ever. And the fig-tree was immediately dried up. And when the disciples saw [it] , they wondered, saying, How immediately is the fig-tree dried up! And Jesus answering said to them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and do not doubt, not only shall ye do what [is done] to the fig-tree, but even if ye should say to this mountain, Be thou taken away and be thou cast into the sea, it shall come to pass. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
Matthew 24:32-35 [Darby]
But learn the parable from the fig-tree: When already its branch becomes tender and produces leaves, ye know that the summer is near. Thus also *ye*, when ye see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors. Verily I say to you, This generation will not have passed away until all these things shall have taken place. The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall in no wise pass away.
It is important to focus on the above words of Jesus, "When already its branch becomes tender and produces leaves, you know that the summer is near "
On the one hand we see Jesus cursing the fruitless fig tree and commanding it not to bear fruit "forever" and on the other hand we see Him a few days later talking about another fig tree branch that will become soft and leaves will spring up.
Isaiah 27:6 Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, And fill the face of the world with fruit.
It is impossible for Jesus to say contradictory things.
This cursed the barren legalistic system of Scribes and Pharisees who symbolized the fruitless fig tree. He gave hope to His disciples with the new fig tree that stood up in their days. This new fig tree was "the nation which will bring fruit in his time." It was "the Assembly of Jesus Christ," the new fig tree which was elected and supported by the Spirit of God of Israel on the day of Pentecost.
Τhe establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 has nothing to do with the fig tree that shoots and gives leaves. Besides, Jesus identified this would take place in the days of the apostles, that is, in their own generation. In that generation the summer would come, namely the end of the domain of the "letter of the law" that did not bear fruit and perfection.
Matthew 21:40-45 [Darby] When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what shall he do to those husbandmen? They say to him, He will miserably destroy those evil [men] and let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus says to them, Have ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone: this is of [the] Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing the fruits of it. And he that falls on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder. And the chief priests and the Pharisees, having heard his parables, knew that he spoke about them.
The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light
Unfortunately, many Christians, wanting to be prophets, insist on immaturity and deception. This way of thinking leads the children of God in the false expectation of prophecies. They interpret them in a literal way and not in a metaphorical way as Jesus explained all the parables to His disciples.
Matthew 24:29-35 [Darby] "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the land lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from [the one] extremity of [the] heavens to [the other] extremity of them. But learn the parable from the fig-tree: When already its branch becomes tender and produces leaves, ye know that the summer is near. Thus also *ye*, when ye see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors. Verily I say to you, This generation will not have passed away until all these things shall have taken place. The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall in no wise pass away."
So when Jesus said: "the sun shall be darkened, and the moon not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken " did He mean there would be a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse at the same time and the stars would fall from the sky?
In the Old Testament several times we find these terrible images, where the sun darkened, the moon does not shine and the stars of heaven fall. Does this mean the Universe was destroyed many times in the Old Testament?
Did "the end of the world" happen many times?
If so then none of us would exist after such a complete and overwhelming destruction. I will mention some of these "global disaster" which was prophesied by the Spirit of God by the prophets to the people of Israel.
These changes occurred in the Old Testament whenever God decided to withdraw one kingdom and raise another kingdom in its place. God judged and abolished a kingdom where the rulers of this kingdom were very cruel and merciless and took the place of God demanding obedience and worship.
So we see the kingdom of Babylon to be demolished and the kingdom of Medo-Persia to take its place.
The prophet Isaiah prophesied the destruction of Babylon by the Medes:
Isaiah 13:9-11 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.
Isaiah 13:17-19 “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not regard silver; and as for gold, they will not delight in it. Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
Similarly, God speaks of the destruction suffered by the Egyptian army of Pharaoh Nechama by the Babylonians in Charkemis:
Ezekiel 32:1-2 [LXXE] And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, on the first [day] of the month, [that] the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him, Thou art become like a lion of the nations, and as a serpent that is in the sea: and thou didst make assaults with thy rivers, and didst disturb the water with thy feet, and didst trample thy rivers.
Ezekiel 32:7-9 [LXXE] And I will veil the heavens when thou art extinguished, and will darken the stars thereof; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the [bodies] that give light in the sky, shall be darkened over thee, and I will bring darkness upon the earth, saith the Lord God. And I will provoke to anger the heart of many people, when I shall lead thee captive among the nations, to a land which thou hast not known.
Ezekiel 32:11-12 [LXXE] For thus saith the Lord God; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee,
with the swords of mighty men; and I will cast down thy strength: [they are] all destroying ones from the nations, and they shall destroy the pride of Egypt, and all her strength shall be crushed.
Jeremiah 46:1-2 [LXXE] In the beginning of the reign of king Sedekias, there came this word concerning Aelam. FOR EGYPT, AGAINST THE POWER OF PHARAOH NECHAO KING OF EGYPT, who was by the river Euphrates in Charmis, whom Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Joakim king of Juda.
So when the prophet Jeremiah said, "And I will veil the heavens when thou art extinguished, and will darken the stars thereof; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the [bodies] that give light in the sky, shall be darkened over thee, and I will bring darkness upon the earth" he was not referring to the destruction of the universe, nor "to bloody moons", resulting from both total eclipse of the sun and the moon, but to the destruction of Egypt.
Then Isaiah again prophesied about the destruction of the nations around Israel:
Isaiah 34:1-6 [LXXE] Draw near, ye nations; and hearken, ye princes; let the earth hear, and they that are in it; the world, and the people that are therein. For the wrath of the Lord is upon all nations, and [his] anger upon the number of them, to destroy them, and give them up to slaughter. And their slain shall be cast forth, and their corpses; and their [ill] savour shall come up, and the mountains shall be made wet with their blood. And all the powers of the heavens shall melt, and the sky shall be rolled up like a scroll: and all the stars shall fall like leaves from a vine, and as leaves fall from a fig-tree. My sword has been made drunk in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and with judgement upon the people doomed to destruction. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is glutted with fat, with the blood of goats and lambs, and with the fat of goats and rams: for the Lord has a sacrifice in Bosor, and a great slaughter in Idumea.
The Prophet Daniel said:
Daniel 12:1 “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
In contradiction with the words of Jesus who said that "the stars shall fall from heaven and the heavenly bodies will be shaken" Daniel wrote that "they will comprehend will radiate like the splendour of the firmament and the many righteous as the stars in the centuries and beyond."
From these two scriptures we understand both Jesus and Daniel speak in a parabolic way about a great change made in the spiritual sky and not in the physical sky. However, this time the sun and moon of the spiritual kingdom of Israel would be extinguished and the stars would fall from the sky and new stars would replace the position of fallen stars.
God predestinated Israel to be "the holy nation" and "the royal priesthood". It was the kingdom that would dominate forever over all nations in order to proclaim the virtues of God and lead first themselves and then all nations to repentance through the promised by the prophets Messiah.
Unfortunately the rulers of Israel left God and turned to idols many times. "Those stars" should shine in order to enlighten the people of God to walk in the "shadows of the Law" until the "real light" came. This light was our Lord Jesus Christ, who would lighten every person to come in the world. The climax of apostasy "these stars" was to lead the people to deny the true King and Saviour.
So when the pagan governor of Judea, Pilate, said to the Jews, "Behold your King" they were full of bitter bile and hatred for the light and said "We have no king but Caesar."
These verses seem to foreshadow some shocking facts. For most Christians this prophecy is interpreted as the end of the world and the destruction of the entire universe.
Furthermore "named pastors and prophets" who take advantage of ignorance and immaturity of their flocks guide them to an erroneous and false expectation. So many modern preachers argue the phenomenon "four Bloody Moon" is the phenomenon signifying the gathering of all Jews in Israel, the second coming of Christ, and the destruction of the world.
Is this indeed the true message of Jesus Christ, which was revealed to the first Apostles, or some other serious hidden message? Furthermore, to whom is it addressed to?
First of all we have to think the audience Jesus addressed was His disciples and the Jews who lived in those days in Jerusalem and Judea. The scribes and Pharisees of Christ's time and later of the apostles' times were symbolized by "the sun, "the moon" and "the stars" where the people turned for spiritual food and in order to understand the times of the coming of Messiah.
Luke 11:43-44 [Darby] Woe unto you, Pharisees, for ye love the first seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market-places. Woe unto you, for ye are as the sepulchres which appear not, and the men walking over them do not know [it] .
Luke 11:47-52 [Darby] Woe unto you, for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, but your fathers killed them. Ye bear witness then, and consent to the works of your fathers; for *they* killed them, and *ye* build [their sepulchres] . For this reason also the wisdom of God has said, I will send to them prophets and apostles, and of these shall they kill and drive out by persecution, that the blood of all the prophets which has been poured out from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the house; yea, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. Woe unto you, the doctors of the law, for ye have taken away the key of knowledge; yourselves have not entered in, and those who were entering in ye have hindered.
Matthew 21:37-45 [Darby] And at last he sent to them his son, saying, They will have respect for my son. But the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him and possess his inheritance. And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what shall he do to those husbandmen? They say to him, He will miserably destroy those evil [men], and let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus says to them, Have ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone: this is of [the] Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing the fruits of it. And he that falls on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder. And the chief priests and the Pharisees, having heard his parables, knew that he spoke about them.
Jesus identified and warned that the Scribes and Pharisees were those who would kill the Son of the Lord of the vineyard and as a consequence the kingdom would be removed from them and given to "another nation". Having the prophetic word as a basis, in order for this change of the kingdom to take place, the words of the Prophet Jesus, "the sun shall be darkened, and the moon not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" should be fulfilled.
Indeed Jesus identified very clearly the period during which those events would take place:
Matthew 24:32-35 [Darby] But learn the parable from the fig-tree: When already its branch becomes tender and produces leaves, ye know that the summer is near. Thus also *ye*, when ye see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors. Verily I say to you, This generation will not have passed away until all these things shall have taken place. The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall in no wise pass away.
Matthew 5:17-18 [Darby] Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass.
The Lord said very clearly, heaven and earth shall pass away in their own generation. Indeed He emphasizes all these extraordinary events would occur during in the generation of apostles.
Someone could ask, “What are you talking about, Brother? The destruction of heaven and earth has never happened.” Indeed I would agree with you heaven and earth were not destroyed in the generation of disciples. On the other hand, allow me to defend the words of Jesus Christ and support Jesus' words "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."
Certainly the words He proclaimed, "Heaven and earth shall pass away". These words were not told by one of the great or small prophets but by the Prophet, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Acts 3:19-24 [Darby] Repent therefore and be converted, for the blotting out of your sins, so that times of refreshing may come from [the] presence of the Lord, and he may send Jesus Christ, who was foreordained for you, whom heaven indeed must receive till [the] times of [the] restoring of all things, of which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since time began. Moses indeed said, A prophet shall [the] Lord your God raise up to you out of your brethren like me: him shall ye hear in everything whatsoever he shall say to you. And it shall be that whatsoever soul shall not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. And indeed all the prophets from Samuel and those in succession after [him] , as many as have spoken, have announced also these days.
So the Lord Jesus is the Prophet to Whom God "does not give the Spirit by measure" like other prophets.
Indeed both Old Testament prophets and the Prophet and King Jesus Christ with His disciples, who were His servants, prophesied through the Spirit that the last days would be just before the great and illustrious day of the Lord.(Joel 2:28-32,Acts 2:17-19, Matthew 23:34-38).
Let the word of God lead us with his Spirit in explanation of His words:
Isaiah 1:2-4 [LXXE] Hear, O heaven, and hearken, O earth: for the Lord has spoken, [saying], I have begotten and reared up children, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel does not know me, and the people has not regarded me. Ah sinful nation, a people full of sins, an evil seed, lawless children: ye have forsaken the Lord, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 1:10-12 [LXXE] Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodoma; attend to the law of God, thou people of Gomorrha. Of what [value] to me is the abundance of your sacrifices? saith the Lord: I am full of whole-burnt-offerings of rams; and I delight not in the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats: neither shall ye come [with these] to appear before me; for who has required these things at your hands? Ye shall no more tread my court.
Hear, O heaven, ..... ye rulers of Sodoma and hearken, O earth ..... thou people of Gomorrha.
From the above verses we can clearly see that "the heaven" in a symbolic way is refering to "the rulers" and "the earth" is "the people".
Deuteronomy 30:19 [LXXE] I call both heaven and earth to witness this day against you, I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse: choose thou life, that thou and thy seed may live;
(Read Deuteronomy. 31:28, Isaiah 44:21-23)
Deuteronomy 32:1-2 [LXXE] Attend, O heaven, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words out of my mouth. Let my speech be looked for as the rain, and my words come down as dew, as the shower upon the herbage, and as snow upon the grass.
Jeremiah 2:26-29 [LXXE] As is the shame of a thief when he is caught, so shall the children of Israel be ashamed; they, and their kings, and their princes, and their priests, and their prophets. They said to a stock, thou art my father; and to a stone, thou has begotten me: and they have turned [their] backs to me, and not their faces: yet in the time of their afflictions they will say, arise, and save us. And where are thy gods, which thou madest for thyself? will they arise and save in the time of thine affliction? For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, o Juda; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem they sacrificed to Baal. Wherefore do ye speak unto me? ye all have been ungodly, and ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord.
(Read Jeremiah 2:7-13)
The above verses show very clearly what God would do against those "heaven" and "earth" during the "last days" of the kingdom of the Law operated by the Scribes and Pharisees of the era of Jesus and His disciples.
Isaiah 50:2 Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink because there is no water, And die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, And I make sackcloth their covering.”
Isaiah 50:7 “For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed. He is near who justifies Me; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me. Surely the Lord GOD will help Me; Who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; The moth will eat them up. Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God. Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks: Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled— this you shall have from My hand: You shall lie down in torment.
Isaiah 50:7-11 [ABPen] And the Lord, the LORD a helper to me was. On account of this I was not ashamed, but I set my face as a solid rock; and I knew that in no way should I be ashamed. For approaches the one justifying me. Who is the one judging me? Let him oppose me at the same time! Yes, who is the one judging me? Let him approach to me! Behold, the LORD shall help me. Who shall inflict evil on me? Behold, all you as a cloak shall become old, and as a moth you shall be devoured.
Who among you is the one fearing the LORD? let him obey the voice of his servant! Let the ones going in darkness, and there is no light for them, yield upon the name of the LORD, and support yourselves upon God! Behold, you all a fire kindle, and you strengthen the flame; you go to the light of your fire, and the flame which you kindled. On account of me came to pass these things to you; in distress you shall remain the night.
If we carefully contrast the above verses of the translation between the masoretic text of KJV and the O' translation text we shall see the ancient O' text uses second plural person. Isaiah speaks of the Lord's enemies who would be Jesus' enemies and enemies of His disciples during the generation of the Scribes and Pharisees. The heaven during their generation would be furnished by darkness. The ministry of the Scribes and Pharisees would be like the smoke that goes up and then disappears forever, and the people following them would be the earth which would get old like an old garment.
Isaiah 51:6-8 [LXXE] Lift up your eyes to the sky, and look on the earth beneath: for the sky was darkened like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and the inhabitants shall die in like manner: but my righteousness shall not fail. Hear me, ye that know judgment, the people in whose heart is my law: fear not the reproach of men, and be not overcome by their contempt.
For as a garment will be devoured by time, and as wool will be devoured by a moth, so shall they be consumed; but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation for all generations.
Psalms 102:24-28 [LXXE] Take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years [are] through all generations. In the beginning thou, O Lord, didst lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest: and [they all] shall wax old as a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. The children of thy servants shall dwell [securely], and their seed shall prosper for ever.
Jeremiah 3:21-24 [LXXE] A voice from the lips was heard, [even] of weeping and supplication of the children of Israel: for they have dealt unrighteously in their ways, they have forgotten God their Holy One. Turn, ye children that are given to turning, and I will heal your bruises. Behold, we will be thy servants; for thou art the Lord our God. Truly the hills and the strength of the mountains were a lying refuge: but by the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. But shame has consumed the labours of our fathers from our youth; their sheep and their calves, and their sons and their daughters.
Jeremiah 51:53-56 [LXXE] For though Babylon should go up as the heaven, and though she should strengthen her walls with her power, from me shall come they that shall destroy her, saith the Lord. A sound of a cry in Babylon, and great destruction in the land of the Chaldeans: for the Lord has utterly destroyed Babylon, and cut off from her the great voice sounding as many waters: he has consigned her voice to destruction. For distress has come upon Babylon, her warriors are taken, their bows are useless: for God recompenses them.
The above verses show that "the hills and mountains" are the rulers of Israel who are called to minister and judge the people with peace and justice. Unfortunately the people trusted in these rulers who were apostates and finally after many afflictions and disasters they would realize that they would find salvation only from the Lord and God of Israel.
Jeremiah 4:3-9 [LXXE] For thus saith the Lord to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Break up fresh ground for yourselves, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to your God, and circumcise your hardness of heart, ye men of Juda, and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my wrath go forth as fire, and burn, and there be none to quench it, because of the evil of your devices. Declare ye in Juda, and let it be heard in Jerusalem: say ye, Sound the trumpet in the land; cry ye aloud: say ye, Gather yourselves together, and let us enter into the fortified cities. Gather up [your wares] and flee to Sion: hasten, stay not: for I will bring evils from the north, an great destruction. The lion is gone up from his lair, he has roused [himself] to the destruction of the nations, and has gone forth out of his place, to make the land desolate; and the cities shall be destroyed, so as to be without inhabitant. For these things gird yourselves with sackclothes, and lament, and howl: for the anger of the Lord is not turned away from you. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be amazed, and the prophets shall wonder.
Jeremiah 4:21-25 [LXXE] How long shall I see fugitives, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For the princes of my people have not known me, they are foolish and unwise children: they are wise to do evil, but [how] to do good they have not known. I looked upon the earth, and, behold, [it was] not; and to the sky, an there was no light in it. I beheld the mountains, and they trembled, and [I saw] all the hills in commotion. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the sky were scared.
Jeremiah 4:26-30 [LXXE] I saw, and, behold, Carmel was desert, and all the cities were burnt with fire at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of his fierce anger they were utterly destroyed. Thus saith the Lord, The whole land shall be desolate; but I will not make a full end. For these things let the earth mourn, and let the sky be dark above: for I have spoken, and I will not repent; I have purposed, and I will not turn back from it. The whole land has recoiled from the noise of the horseman and the bent bow; they have gone into the caves, and have hidden themselves in the groves, and have gone up upon the rocks: every city was abandoned, no man dwelt in them. And what wilt thou do? Though thou clothe thyself with scarlet, and adorn thyself with golden ornaments; though thou adorn thine eyes with stibium, thy beauty [will be] in vain: thy lovers have rejected thee, they seek thy life.
Isaiah 65:17-19 [ABPen] For there will be the [2 heaven 1 new], and the [2 earth 1 new]. And in no way shall they remember the former [things], nor in any way shall it come upon their heart. But [4 gladness 5 and 6 a leap for joy 1 they shall find 2 in 3 her]. For behold, I make Jerusalem a leap for joy, and over my people [for] gladness. And I shall exult over Jerusalem, and shall be glad over my people. And no longer shall there be heard in her a voice of weeping, nor a voice of crying;
There is a difference between the text of Septuagint and the Masoritic text in this verse.
Isaiah 65:17-19 [KJV] For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
Isaiah 66:1-2 [ABPen] Thus says the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth a footstool for my feet. What kind of house shall you build to me? and what kind of place for my rest? For all these things I made by my hand, and are mine all these, says the LORD. And upon whom shall I look upon, but only upon the humble and unassuming, and the one trembling at my words?
Jeremiah 3:17 [LXXE] In those days and at that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered to it: and they shall not walk any more after the imaginations of their evil heart.
Joel 2:10-11 [ABPen] Before his face shall be confounded the earth], and shall be shaken the heaven; the sun and the moon shall darken, and the stars shall let down their brightness. And the LORD shall give forth his voice from in front of his force; for great is exceedingly his camp; for are strong works his words; for great is the day of the LORD, apparent exceedingly, and who will be fit for it?
If the rulers of that age had known the Lord of glory, they wouldn't have crucified Him. Unfortunately it was their faithlessness and apostasy that brought their destruction and the destruction of their city.
Jeremiah 9:25-26 [LXXE] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will visit upon all the circumcised their uncircumcision; on Egypt, and on Idumea, and on Edom, and on the children of Ammon, and on the children of Moab, and on every one that shaves his face round about, [even] them that dwell in the wilderness; for all the Gentiles are uncircumcised in flesh, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised [in] their hearts.
Matthew 22:6-7 [ABPen] and the remaining having taken hold of his servants, insulted and killed them. And having heard, that king was provoked to anger. And having sent forth his military, he destroyed those murderers, and their city he burned.
Jeremiah 10:1-2 [LXXE] Hear ye the word of the Lord, which he has spoken to you, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord, Learn ye not the ways of the heathen, and be not alarmed at the signs of the sky; for they are alarmed at them, falling on their faces.
Isaiah 44:21-26 [LXXE] Remember these things, O Jacob and Israel; for you art my servant; I have formed you to be my servant: and do you, Israel, not forget me. For behold, I have blotted out as a cloud your transgressions, and your sin as darkness: turn to me, and I will redeem you. Rejoice, you heavens; for God has had mercy upon Israel: sound the trumpet, you foundations of the earth: you mountains, shout with joy, you hills, and all the trees therein: for God has redeemed Jacob, and Israel shall be glorified. Thus says the Lord that redeems you, and who formed you from the womb, I am the Lord that performs all things: I stretched out the heaven alone, and established the earth. Who else will frustrate the tokens of those that have divining spirits, and prophecies from the heart of man? turning the wise back, and making their counsel foolishness; and confirming the word of his servant, and verifying the counsel of his messengers: who says to Jerusalem, you shall be inhabited; and to the cities of Idumea, You shall be built, and her desert places shall spring forth.
Unfortunately, some preachers ignore the Word of the Lord, they give attention to solar and lunar eclipses (blood moons); following the steps and ways of the astrologists and false prophets. The signs in the heavens are there to show that a new kingdom with a new king has arrived. The kingdom of God and His king, the Lord Jesus the Christ.
Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
Amen