Dearly Beloved of Yeshua: “Maranatha”
The Return of Messiah
Maranatha means “Our Lord is Coming” or “Come, O Lord.” The Bible clearly states that Yeshua, the Messiah, came once and is coming again—personally, bodily, and visibly. The theme of His return occupies a large portion of the New Testament (Brit Hadashah). The return of Yeshua is mentioned more than 300 times in the New Covenant. The Apostle Paul refers to it at least fifty times in the Epistles. It is mentioned eight times as often as Messiah’s first coming!
While Bible scholars disagree on the timing of events, many believe that there are two distinct appearances of Messiah. One is called the “Rapture” or “Catching Away” and the other is the “Second Coming.” Other scholars, including many Messianic Jews, see these appearances as ONE coming at the end of the Tribulation. In other words, believers will experience the Tribulation and Messianic Jews will suffer along with their fellow Jews—sharing Yeshua and the hope we have in Him during this terrible time of trial on the earth.
Whatever one’s theology is regarding Yeshua’s return, our attitude should be one of expectation. II Timothy encourages believers to love Messiah’s appearing. There are a number of scriptures that encourage patient waiting for Messiah’s return (I Thess. 1:9-10; Rev. 3:10). James 5:7-8 emphasizes the importance of waiting, “Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord…Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
For years, Neil and I taught about the return of Messiah based on two sections of the Bible: Leviticus chapter 23 and the Feasts of the Lord and John chapter 14 and the Ancient Jewish Marriage Customs. Since the Lord fulfilled Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost—the spring and summer feasts on the EXACT DAYS—we expect Him to fulfill the fall feasts in like manner. The next one is Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets, followed by Yom Kippur and Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. The fall feasts occur each year in either September or October, according to the Jewish, biblical calendar. That is why we have always expected Yeshua to return in the fall, when shofars are blown at all three feasts.
The Feast of Trumpets takes place on the first day of the month of Tishrei. It is followed by a ten-day period of repentance and then the Day of Atonement, known in tradition as the Day of Judgement. This is a picture of an end-time scenario. A shofar is blown at the Rapture. The following Ten Days of Awe foreshadow the Tribulation, and a final shofar blast on Yom Kippur signals the Second Coming.
This year, I was especially drawn to a verse in Jeremiah (8:20), “‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!'” As I visited my dear friends in Amish country in late June, the wheat was getting ready for harvest—a graphic representation of the spiritual harvest of souls that is on God’s heart right now. A call to repent is going out. It is harvest time.
This is August. Summer will end soon. Are we saved? Will we (will YOU) meet the Lord in the air at the sound of the shofar as proclaimed in I Thessalonians 4:16-17? “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Consider also I Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”.
If Yeshua follows the biblical pattern, He will fulfill the Feast of Trumpets at the beginning of autumn— in some year. Could it be the fall of 2026? Yes. It could be. And interestingly, Yom Teruah (aka Rosh HaShanah), the Feast of Trumpets, occurs this year on September 11-13 (9/11). (Consider also 911—could this be a final call for rescue before the world plunges into deep darkness?)
What about the connection with the Ancient Jewish Wedding Customs? Bridegrooms at the time of Yeshua entered into covenant with their brides, which included a ketubah or marriage contract, before returning to their father’s home to prepare a wedding chamber for their beloveds. When the father of the groom gave the OK, his son returned to claim his bride—often at the midnight hour. The bride did not know when he would return for her, so she had to be ready and waiting.
In like manner, before He left earth, Yeshua spoke in bridal terms to His disciples (and us), promising to return for us when Father God gives His permission, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:2-3). That explains Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
Messiah’s Return in 2026?
My co-teacher at our condominium Know the Bible Club is convinced that Yeshua is returning this fall—specifically on Yom Teruah. Since the Feast of Trumpets is a two-day holiday (9/11-9/13 this year), Rod sees no contradiction with Matthew 24:36 since the Rapture could be one of two days. He bases his calculations on II Peter 3:8, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” And Hosea 6:1-2, “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.” The two days would be 2,000 years. Counting from Yeshua’s resurrection and ascension in 33 A.D., we arrive at 2033 as the date for the Second Coming. Counting backwards seven years (the Tribulation), we come to 2026—a potential Rapture year. I see this as a possibility, but I am not convinced.
Whenever the Second Coming occurs, it seems to be connected with Yeshua and the Mount of Olives. After His resurrection, when Yeshua ascended to heaven and was taken up from the Mount of Olives, the Bible says, “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus [Yeshua] who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come [RETURN] in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven'” (Acts 1:10-11). This will happen at the Second Coming, as prophesied in Zechariah 14:4, “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two.…”
It is clear that Yeshua will return bodily to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Many of you have probably been there, if you have ever gone to Israel. It is directly opposite the Eastern Gate, also known as the Golden Gate. According to biblical prophecy, Yeshua will cross the Kidron Valley and enter the Temple Mount through the Eastern Gate just as He did 2,000 years ago. Ezekiel prophesied that the gate would be shut to prevent any human from entering it and to preserve it for the entrance of the coming Messiah who would rule the world after entering the Temple Mount through the gate (Ez. 44:1-3).
1200 years ago, Muslim scholars, in hopes of preventing the Messiah from fulfilling prophesy, sealed the gate. (Ironically, by sealing the gate they were fulfilling prophesy.) They also built a large graveyard in front of the Eastern Gate, believing that this would keep the Messiah out! (Walking through a graveyard would defile a priest. Num. 19:16).
The gate remains sealed to this day. However, recently there have been reports that the Eastern Gate is moving by itself. Is it preparing for the soon return of the Messiah? The movement may be due to a shift in the landscape around the gate in preparation for the split that will occur in the Mount of Olives. Yeshua’s return is drawing near.
Tribulation
If Yeshua returns NEXT MONTH at the sound of the shofar, we will spend the following seven years enjoying our bridal celebration with our Heavenly Bridegroom in heaven, while the world plunges into the Tribulation, rule of the Anti-Messiah, and prelude to the time when Israel will look on the One whom they pierced. “…Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn” (Zech. 12:10).
Scripture seems to indicate that the bride of Messiah will be hidden away with her Bridegroom while the wrath of God is poured out on the earth (the timing is debatable). Isaiah 26:20-21 speaks about this time, “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity….”
What is the Tribulation? Who will experience it? The Tribulation is a specific, intense seven-year period of global trouble, persecution, and God’s wrath before the return of Yeshua HaMashiach. While opinions differ concerning whether believers in Yeshua will experience none, part, or all of the Tribulation, I base my opinion on the word “wrath.” I Thessalonians 1:10 exhorts believers to wait for “…His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus [Yeshua] who delivers us from the wrath to come.” I Thessalonians 5:9-10 says, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” The Lord will keep His bride from “the time of wrath”: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10).
According to scriptures such as Jeremiah 30:4-7, the time of great trial centers on pre-believing Israel. “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it” (vs. 7). In Hebrew, tzarah hi l’Yaakov צרה היא ליעקב (tzah-RAH HEE lehyah-ah-KOHV) is a time like none before in the history of Israel. It is widely believed that the time of Jacob’s Trouble includes two three and a half year periods. The first half will seem tame compared to the second half.
Matthew chapter 24 gives numerous details about the trials of the Tribulation before Messiah’s return to reveal Himself to all Israel, who will say, “…Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD” (Matt. 23:39). The trials include a ruler called the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet. This evil one stands in the holy place. He is described as the “lawless one” in II Thess. 2:7-10, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
God’s people Israel are exhorted to flee from the anti-Messiah. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matt. 24:21-22).
A final battle, death and vultures, the sun growing dark, no light from the moon, and stars falling from the sky precede the Son of Man coming with tremendous power and glory. Messianic Rabbi Barney Kasdan comments in his book Matthew Presents Yeshua, King Messiah: “There will be no excuses on that day of Messiah’s return, as every mouth will be shut. On that day, Messiah will send out His angels with a great shofar and will gather together his chosen people.” (See Matthew 24:2931). “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:27).
The Blessed Hope
While believers differ on the manner and timing of events of Yeshua’s return, all agree on the “blessed hope.” Messiah is coming back again! Our motto should be: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” The “blessed hope” is a confident, joyful expectation of the return of Yeshua HaMashiach—that He will come again to redeem believers, raise the dead, establish His eternal kingdom, and make all things new. Hope, tikvah תקוה (teek-VAH) is not wishful thinking but assurance and a firm guarantee based on the promises of God. The “blessed hope” is a source of comfort for all believers. We can all agree on Hebrews 9:27-28. I like these verses in the Amplified Bible version: “And just as it is appointed and destined for all men to die once and after this [comes certain] judgement, so Messiah, having been offered once and once for all to bear [as a burden] the sins of many, will appear a second time [when he returns to earth], not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly and confidently waiting for Him.”
These verses make it clear that our time to get right with God is NOW. Today. Then we have “the blessed hope”—eternity in heaven, as opposed to eternity separated from God. Hell was never created for man—but for the devil and his angels. It is not God’s will that ANY person spend eternity in hell. He is longsuffering, “…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Pet. 3:9). That includes YOU, if you have never asked the Lord to forgive you of your sin, to give you a new heart, a new life, a new start in Him. The Bible tells us that, “…Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2). Receive the Messiah Yeshua, by faith, and experience Ps. 118:14, “The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation” (Yeshua ישוע in Hebrew).
Are You Ready?
How do we prepare for the return of the King of kings? Please consider reading the verses that summarize what we, as Messianic believers, are exhorted to do—and to be—in the End Days.
- Repent (Acts 3:19; Rev. 2:5; Rev. 3:19)
- Watch and Be Ready (Matt. 24:42-44; I Thess. 5:6; Luke 12:40)
- Abide in Yeshua (I Jn. 2:28; 1 Jn. 3:24; Jn. 15:4)
- Be Holy (I Thess. 3:13; 2 Peter 3:11,14; Titus 2:11-14)
- Be Self-Controlled and Prayerful (1 Peter 4:7 AMP)
- Stay in the Love of God (Jude 1:21)
- Exhort, Rebuke with Authority (Titus 2:15)
- Be Patient and Steadfast (James 5:7-9)
- Don’t Let Your Heart be Troubled (Jn. 14:1-3)
- Look Up: Focus on the Eternal (Titus 2:13)
While I am praying that my pre-Tribulation views are correct, I am prepared for the other scenario. If we have to endure any part of the Tribulation, may it be for the salvation of multitudes! I am willing to suffer for the sake of Israel’s salvation; how about you?
“Abba Father, thank You for the blood of the Messiah Yeshua that cleanses me of all my sin. Help me to be ready when He comes for His bride. I choose holiness and watchfulness and separation from worldliness—not by my strength but by Yours. Please increase my faith today and each day until You return. Keep me in the Love of God. Guide me by Your Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) as I look up with expectation, saying, “This could be the day…” In Yeshua’s name, Amen.
P.S. Please pray for me to find a graphic designer for my new “God Stories” book.
You must be logged in to post a comment.