ARMAGEDDON - Christ Riding Up to Jerusalem

Armageddon

Christ Riding Up to Jerusalem

Even that movement has its counterparts. What was done at the evening of the day of the Lord will be repeated in the morning of the same day, but it is then carried out spiritually and is of a higher meaning.

We read first Matt. 21. 1-13:

"And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disci­ples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek; and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written. My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

The kingly train to Jerusalem started from The Mountain of Olives.

In the spiritual dispensation that means the gathering together of the wise and the foolish virgins about the question of oil, as the parable in Matt. 25th chap. sets forth. The conditions on the earth become so depressive that all the virgins become awake and inquire about the cause of the terrible times that prevail at that period. All are in need of spiritual light because great spiritual darkness encloses them all. (Click on Matt. 25 Link and read)

The mountain of Olives was called so because the olive trees grew about there, and the oil pressed from such trees constituted the means by which the lamps burned and gave light. That sym­bolizes the spiritual, or prophetic light that the virgins on their way to meet the Bridegroom are in need of at just that particular time. The olive oil was used to keep light in the temple, and that in particular prefigured the prophetic light required in the temple of the spiritual dispensation.

Christ calls the two witnesses, referred to in Rev. 11th chap. "The two olive trees and the two candlesticks," thereby denoting that they furnish the temple with prophetic oil.

Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Rev 11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

Rev 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

Rev 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

And in Zech. 4. 11-14 they are called "the two anointed ones." Anointed so to deliver prophetic light to the spiritual temple.

Zec 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

Zec 4:2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

Zec 4:3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

Zec 4:4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

Zec 4:5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zec 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

Zec 4:8 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Zec 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

Zec 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Zec 4:11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

Zec 4:12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

Zec 4:13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

Zec 4:14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Christ sent two disciples and told them to go into the village that laid before them, where they would find an ass tied and a colt' with her. "Loose them and bring them to me," He said.

The working animal represents the working class in the new dispensation, the woman of Rev. 12th chap. The colt with her, the man-child who shall finally rule the nations with a rod of iron. The Messiah rode on the colt and led its mother at His side. The prophecy says that the great red dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And his tail (the appendix) drew the third part of the stars of heaven and did cast them to the earth. That denotes that the laboring class at that time is closely watched by the military power and that many of the leaders among the people be­come imprisoned. The Babylonian power binds them so to hinder them to leave the stations where the national powers direct them to stay, like Egypt did with the Hebrews.

Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Under such circumstances Christ sends His witnesses to the village, that lays right before them. And what village is that? From the spiritual mountain of olives they see the Babylonian chain of cities wherever they look, and just there the slaving masses are tied. "Loose them and lead them to me," He says "And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say: The Lord needs them. "

That reminds us of the mission of Moses when Jehovah sent him to loose Israel from bondage:

"The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee (Pharaoh), saying: Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness." Now that mission will be carried out to completeness.

The colt, prefiguring the class- that finally develops as the kings and priests of the kingdom to come, bears the rider, the King anointed for the throne of David. The prophetic word is under­stood by them and has a controlling power over their minds and actions, and they lead the people, denoted as the mother, by the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom to come.

When the two witnesses are sent on their special mission, the door that opens with the key of David stands before them, and at the same time the Image of the beast is active in its mission to control the foodstuff so that no one except those that have the mark of the beast can buy or sell. Here then begins the religious war. The god-powers on either side, like as it was at the time of Elijah, shall be tried. If Baal, the god-power controlling the pro­ducts of the earth, upon which the human life depends, by the institutions, laws and works of man, is the true God, or if the God of Israel that has created the heaven and the earth is the God man ought to worship and obey - that is the Question to become forever settled.

It is the war between the Son of man and the "Man of sin," or Anti-Christ, that will be fought to a finish by the Champions on both sides of the line of battle.

When the train started from the mount of Olives, the multitude began to sing the kingly song of jubilee, the song of liberty, and they said: "Hosanna (in the Highest) to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Jehovah). The echo of the same song to be sung as the train is moving onward in the morning of the great day of the Lord was then heard. And Christ says to the Jews at the time He prophesied about the calamity that avaited them: "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me hence­forth, till ye shall say: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Matt. 23. 39.

It is at that time the following prophecy, foretold by the prophet Isaiah, will be accomplished:

"I have set watchmen upon thy walls, 0 Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness. Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken." Isa. 62. 6-12.

As the kingly movement meet the opposing power, the Representative of the covenant cry to Him that sits on the cloud, the King riding the colt: "Thrust in thy sickle and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap: for the harvest of the earth is ripe." Rev. 14. 15.

Then the great drought sets in.

"Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy; they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

(Is. 9: 3-7.)

The Prince of Peace, who will gather the people in the last days, is the Son that has been given us. This Son is Christ. When he came the first time, instead of gathering the people to himself in order to become their king, he was put to death or taken away from the people. But at his second coming, according to Peter, the prophecy of Moses, which says "that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people," will be fulfilled by him.

How will he establish his position or office as the Prince of Peace ? He will break the yoke of his (Jacob's) burden and the staff or rod of his oppressor as in the day of Midian, when Gideon with only three hundred men conquered the Midianites and two other armies, who like a multitude of grasshoppers came to devour Israel. By his kingly power, every noisy implement of war and every garment rolled in blood shall be burnt with fuel of fire.

This was not done when Christ came the first time. The house of Jacob is yet in bondage, and the world is filled with implements of war. At his first advent, he, in the words of the patriarch, "stooped down, he couched as a lion." But at his second advent he will manifest his lion-nature and conquer his and his people's enemies. Like Moses, he will deliver his people from all oppression and raise them into national power, and by them he will destroy all weapons of war and establish peace on the earth.

In the 30th chap. of Jeremiah is a prophetic declaration concerning the Messianic movement that will finally restore the throne of David as the seat of the Messiah:

"For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people" Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him." (Jer. 30: 3-8.)

The days referred to by Peter and all the prophets, are pointed to here again as the time for the gathering of the house of Jacob. But that house in its scattered state is not one, but two houses: namely, the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Judah represents the two tribes which existed in Palestine at the time of Christ's first coming—Judah and Benjamin. The house of Israel represents the other ten tribes, which at that time were in captivity; from that captivity they have not been restored yet.