The year 2017 will mark 120 years from an event known as the First Zionist Congress which met in Basil, Switzerland beginning on August 29, 1897. It was called by Theodor Hertzel who declared that the goal of Zionism is to create for the Jewish people a home in Eretz-Israel secured by (international) law. The congress came up with four goals, including promoting the settlement in Eretz-Israel with Jewish farmers, artisans and manufactures, the organization and unifying of worldwide Jewry, the strengthening of Jewish national sentiment and national consciousness and promoting the cause with national governments.
Theodor Hertzel is known as the father of modern day Israel and August 29, 1897 marked the beginning of the reestablishment of the Jewish people into their ancient and promised homeland.
The time frame of 120 years is first mentioned in scripture in Genesis chapter 6;
Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God (fallen angels in this reference) saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the Lord said; "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
God was not pleased with this corruption of man's genetic code and He also noticed that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. So God decides that He is going to wipe off mankind from the face of the earth with the exception of Noah and his family. Before this judgement God gives man another 120 years of grace.
Now let us look at a couple of things that Jesus tells His disciples in the 24th chapter of Matthew. The temple during Jesus day was considered to be one of the wonders of the ancient world. In Matthew's account Jesus is walking out of the temple and His disciples come up to Him and point out the temple buildings. In response Jesus informs them;
Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.
Jesus words came true in 70 AD when at the end of a 2 year campaign the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem, slaughtered the inhabitants, set fire to the temple and when the massive amount of gold in the temple melted in the flames the soldiers tore apart the stones to get to the gold.
The disciples later come up to Jesus and ask Him; What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? One of the things Jesus tells them is the parable of the fig tree. In scripture the fig tree is one of the symbols for the Jewish nation.
Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so you too, when you see all these things recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
The Jewish nation basically ceased to exist after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Millions of Jews were either killed or hauled off into slavery and although there were other rebellions such as Masada some years later. that was it. There would always be a small remnant of Jews left in the land but most would eventually settle in other parts of the world.
In Matthew 24 Jesus is talking about things that would happen in a reestablished Israel and it's capital Jerusalem. Israel is the fig tree that would start to bloom and the word generation is not, as many try to suggest, a time frame for the last generation. It refers to the Jewish people. They would be scattered throughout the world but would not become extinct. Always God's unique people they would be restored to their promised land and see Jesus prophecy fulfilled.
From this we must notice two things. First, Israel is now after almost 2000 years once more a Jewish nation. And second, "When you see these things (false Christs, the gospel of the kingdom being preached to all the world, the Abomination of Desolation standing in the holy place which would require a Jewish temple located in Jerusalem,) recognize that He (Jesus) is near".
And why is Jesus near? To bring about a judgment on the world, the purpose of which is to prepare the world for the return of Jesus, this time as the King of kings who will rule the world from the nation of Israel, based in it's capital, Jerusalem.
And the judgement will be horrible, both for the world as well as for all Jews living either in Israel or any other part of our planet. Jesus words from Matthew 24 goes on;
For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
There are other significant dates concerning the Jewish nation. In the year 1517 Jerusalem and the promised land became controlled by the Ottoman Empire. In 1917, twenty years after the First Zionist Conference in 1897 and 400 years after 1517, control of the promised land switched over to Great Britain who conquered Jerusalem without a fight during WWI.
In 1917 Britain issued The Balfour Declaration which was a letter from Foreign Secretary Balfour to Baron Rothschild, a leader of the Jewish community, stating: "His Majesty's government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best efforts to facilitate the achievement of the object."
In 1947, 50 years after the First Zionist Conference, 30 years after Jerusalem was freed from total Arab and Muslim control, and 30 years after the Balfour Declaration the United Nations adopted on November 29 Resolution 181. This called for the creation in Palestine of an independent Arab state, an independent Jewish state, and the status of the city of Jerusalem to be under international trusteeship.
On May 18, 1948 Israel declared itself to be an independent Jewish nation and survived all attempts during the next few years to wipe it out.
Then in 1967, 19 years after becoming a nation, 20 years after the UN resolution, 50 years after Jerusalem was freed from total Arab and Muslim control by the British who gave consent to the Jews to settle there and 70 years after the First Zionist Conference, the eastern half of Jerusalem was captured by Israeli forces during the 6 day war against Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Prior to that the old city of Jerusalem was divided into four quarters. One was Muslim, one was Christian, one was Armenian and one was Jewish. Almost all of the Jewish holy places, including the temple mount, had been under Muslim control and were not accessible to Jews. Now for the first time in almost 2000 years control of the entire city reverted back to Jewish hands. The foundation for prophecy to be fulfilled was now laid. Israel was once again a nation and Jerusalem was once more at the center of everything.
The year 2017 will also be the Jewish year 5777. On May 18, 2017 (5777) modern Israel will celebrate it's 49th anniversary. That is a time frame of 7 weeks of 7 years (7 x 7). It will probably wait until it's 50th anniversary in 2018 to begin the rebuilding of the temple. The year 2017 will mark 120 years from the call in Basil, Switzerland for a Jewish homeland. It will mark 100 years of freedom from total Arab and Muslim control. It will mark 100 years of exodus from the gentile nations back to the promised land. And it will mark 70 years from when the world via the United Nations called for the creation of a Jewish state.
On June 4, 2017 (5777) the Christian world celebrates the feast of Pentecost. The corresponding Jewish feast of Shavuot is celebrated on May 30/June 1. As I've suggested before, if the Rapture is to occur on a feast day it is my opinion that because the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Church on the first Pentecost after Jesus resurrection and ascension it would make sense that the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the Church would be removed via the Rapture on another Pentecost.
Like Noah and his family the Church is first taken from the world (secured in the ark) so that God's judgment can proceed.
Pentecost is the middle of the 7 major Jewish feasts. In His sufferings and death (Passover), His time before the resurrection (Unleavened Bread) and resurrection (First Fruits) Jesus prophetically fulfilled the first 3. These were Spring Feasts. Passover/Shavuot was 50 days later and then we have waited all these years for the fulfillment of the final 3 Jewish feasts which happen in the fall. Most prophecy scholars are looking for the Rapture during the Feast of Trumpets / Rosh Hashanah (the first fall feast) because of the mention of trumpets that the Bible talks about in a couple of end time prophecies that are connected to the Rapture of the Church and also because the idea of the trumpet blast was to call out the assembly (the Jewish nation or in this case the Church) from the world. And maybe they are right.
Rosh Hashanah is also known as the Jewish New Year. in 2017 Rosh Hashanah occurs on September 20/22 and will be at the beginning of the Jewish year 5778.
If the Rapture does happen on that Pentecost or Rosh Hashanah there will still be at least 7 years before the return of Jesus to Jerusalem sometime in the year 2024 or later. There may be a gap of days or weeks or even years until the Antichrist makes a 7 year agreement with the Jewish nation. In the middle of that his image is set up in the holy place of the Jewish temple (the Abomination of Desolation) and the Jewish people will flee Jerusalem for their lives.
The world can change quite a bit by the time we reach June of 2017. Ebola or something else might lead to panic, the collapse of the financial markets, martial law and the overall destruction of our society. Or, as scripture says, everything could be just fine. People will be eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, blissfully unaware that an hour later The Restrainer will be taken away and the Righteous Judge will begin the process of reclaiming what is rightfully His.
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