WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 17
Volume 27, Issue 3
By Barbara L. Klika, MSW, Undershepherd, Set Apart Ministries Considering Prophecy Interpretations (Part 2)
oners. Some of the men were pretty skeptical and unsure what to expect. As the story played out, we could literally see the proverbial “lights” going on in their heads and hearts! For us, as Messianic Believers in Messiah, it is a remembrance of the past but also the celebration of the Savior/Lamb Who died in our place. Passover/Pesach, the first of seven Feasts that is listed in Leviticus, often seems to be a door of understanding that can open because the parallels are so obvious!
Summer 2026 For those who believe in the God of Abra- ham, Isaac and Jacob, the Bible is our hand- book — the source of guidance and direction. The number of people who look to
the Word for this direction has been variable. There is some ev- idence of parts of our population turning back to it while there con- tinues to be indication of many having a very limited understanding of it, including believers. Today in America, there are people who have never been intro- duced to the Word at all. Buddhism and Muslim teachings are quite often promoted, even where Christian teachings are prohib- ited. (A February 2026 article I just saw identified a Wylie, Texas school administration official being put on leave for permitting an unauthorized display and promotion of “Why Islam?” and “Under- standing Shariah Law” materials. It was part of a “World Hijab Day” put on by the Muslim Student Association there, but they had not followed the approval process in place). For those who believe in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus there is the Presence of the Holy Spirt to help guide the use and interpretation of this Word. There are also various principles of study that help to keep interpretations consistent with the whole Word. Context is an established necessity to interpret correctly. While this is spo- ken often in Western Christianity, it is also true that the entire con- text of the Word is often disregarded. Reggie White used to say that the blank page between the Testaments needs to be torn out because they are all one Book. We agree! The continuity between the “Old” and “New” Testaments is as- tounding although we shouldn’t really be surprised. When I did my Bethel Series Teacher training, I was SO looking forward to the “New” Testament, thinking it would be filled with new revela- tions. Instead, I just kept seeing that what was happening in this portion of the Word was fulfilling what had gone before…Of course, Messiah would do _____ because that is what Our Father had established beforehand! One among many resources for those interested to further explore this continuity is: “Understand- ing the Difficult Words of Jesus,” by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard. Arcadia, CA: Makor Publishing, 1983. In Part 1, I wrote of Messiah’s Words about the message of Jonah being the only sign given to that wicked and adulterous generation….three days and three nights…the image of life, death and resurrection conveyed in so many examples where a theme of “three” is included; yet this one very specific for Messiah. Any “Jesus” who did not spend three days and three nights in the tomb before resurrection would NOT fulfill His prophecy of His own fu- ture. It occurred to me during conversations about this prophecy that although many believers know that our Messiah is referred to as “The Lamb of God,” they likely do NOT know that this is because He is the Fulfillment of the Passover Celebration. I remember wondering why I saw in an old hymnal, “I Lay my Sins ON Jesus.” What did it mean to LAY them ON Jesus? It became more clear to me when I learned of the practices of Passover/Pesach in Hebrew. A lamb without blemish was chosen for each household, and essentially lived with the family as a beloved pet prior to the Feast Day. That beloved lamb was then brought to the Temple where the family member laid their hands on the head of the lamb as it was sacrificed; a physical picture of transferring our sin to the substitute that would die in our place. It was never the physical lamb that provided the forgiveness and atonement but this was a thematic picture of THE Lamb of God to come who would do so. They looked forward to it and we look back to it. His death was the penalty for our sin and He com- pleted all that is needed to cleanse us from it. So when we “lay” our sin on Him, we are transferring our sin onto the Substitute while also recognizing that it is a grievous thing. It requires the loss of a beloved one to pay the price and restore us. That picture of the physical lamb that had come to each family was an audio/vi- sual aid so that we could begin to comprehend the magnitude of the cost. We have a Messianic Seder meal format for Set Apart Ministries that makes this especially clear … a “seder” meal involves the order of the gathering to annually retell and celebrate Messiah’s work for us. An Orthodox Jewish seder meal does not acknowl- edge that this original picture has been fulfilled because they are still waiting for Messiah. One year, we were asked to do a pres- entation using our seder at a local prison for some Christian pris-
(See: Hebrew4Christians.com/Holidays/Introduc- tion/introduction.html for a concise overview.)
the words of Revelation, which addresses what we are to expect leading to “that Day.” It also seems relevant and important to me because we are also told that there will be a false Messiah who will come first: a counterfeit Christ that could fool many people if they are not alert and looking for the prophetic words to be fulfilled correctly. Since one of the principles of study of the Word has to do with drawing out the intended meaning, exegesis, rather than reading INTO it a desired meaning, eisegesis, it appears to me that the prophetic picture of the Feasts needs to be taken into account to most accurately understand how we are to walk and how we are to understand what is coming. A common belief also recently came up in conversation which is that we “cannot know” the time of His return. It is usually based in Matthew 24:36-44. It states we cannot know the day and the time, as only the Father knows. However, there is additional con- text to consider as the time draws near. It is a matter of progres- sive revelation. Not that there is new written content but that He will open up our understanding as the season nears. “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with fore- boding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heav- ens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:25-28. “Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. For when they shall say, ‘Peace and safety,’ then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in dark- ness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6). Children of the Light will want to study the Word in order to be able to recognize the season as His return draws near and not falling prey to the anti-christ. Whenever that is, the important point is for us to be ready, walking in obedience to the FULL counsel of the Word! ONLINE: Set-Apart-Ministries.org EMAIL: info@set-apart-ministries.org
As I have written before, and so many others have as well, these Feasts are described as “The Feasts of the LORD” and never de- scribed as only for Jewish people. It is because each Feast has a part of the story of our Messiah. Together, they are rehearsals for us: to remember the spring Feasts that He has already fulfilled in His first coming, and to look toward the Fall Feasts that we fully believe He will perfectly fulfill on His return. If people have done any study in prophecy, they may already know of the various places in Scripture that seem to indicate a seven year timetable of that last series of events. As the reader probably already knows, there are many different interpretations of this, including the timing of the Tribulation and where in the process there might be a Rapture of believers. I found it interest- ing that Sir Isaac Newton, who was a Biblical scholar as well as scientist, had understood that the seven years was split between His first and second coming…so that when He returns now, it will be with just the three and a half years to endure before Messiah comes. At least one modern Bible teacher has considered this possibility as well. Pastor Steve Moutria of www.TorahFamily.org has put forth a number of plausible possibilities including that idea. He has also pointed out this interesting observation from the words of another prophet whose words have also contributed to the idea of the seven years of tribulation following the making of a covenant between Israel and the anti-christ. Consider Daniel 12:7: “a time, times and a half time.” The word “time” has been translated as “years,” leading to interpretations about Messiah’s return at three and a half years, the midpoint of seven years of tribulation. Did you know that the original language was not the word for “year” but “mo’ed” H4150 meaning “appointed time” which generally refers to the Feasts of the LORD? ~~~~~~~~~ h4150 Time and times is mo’ed ְלמוֵֹעדמוֵֹעד m ô ʿēḏ appointed time….translated into English as “years” but there is another word in Hebrew for Years…Strong's H8141 – š ā n â The most frequent prophetic interpretation of Daniel’s words has been that it means that when our Messiah returns, it will be at the mid-point of a seven year period of time. It also connects to the picture that the tribulation of those years will step up in in- tensity to the GREAT Tribulation of the last 3 ½ years. Many peo- ple have thus been watching for that covenant to begin the seven year count. In light of the observation that the word “times” is represented by “mo’ed” in Hebrew, which refers to the appointed times, mean- ing Feasts, it could be understood in the framework of the Feast
calendar. Seven feasts in a calendar year, and the timing of His return could begin in nearly any Feast in that time. But if it begins at Pesach, half-way through them would be “Pentecost” as it is known to the Western Christian church. The Feast of Shavuot/weeks was renamed by the church fa- thers. Pentecost is from the Greek Language re- ferring to the fifty day count down to the day. In Hebrew, the countdown is called the “Counting of the Omer.” If this is the case, the entire time period could fall within one calendar year, not seven. And in light of Messiah’s words that the time would be short- ened for the sake of the elect, it could be less than that. (Matthew 24:22). I spoke with someone recently who wondered why we would need to be aware of these things. Isn’t it enough to just know that Messiah is coming back and God knows the time? There are many reasons to be aware of these, probably starting with the reference I made in the first part of this ar- ticle: that there is a blessing for those who study
There is a difference between the western/Greek way of thinking and interpreting Scripture and the Hebraic worldview context that our Father chose to usher in our Messiah. The foundation of the Old Testament gives us what we need to correctly understand all that happens in and since the New Testament times. Join in with us for a topical Bible study that identifies the context of the Hebrew worldview and how it is that we have come to believe that the WHOLE Bible remains relevant and necessary for us today. The WHOLE Bible Is Relevant!
Contact us at info@Set-apart-ministries.org to register for this class. To begin September 2025 on Sunday evenings at 6:30 pm CST.
“Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the command- ments of God and their faith in Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12 NASB).
Set Apart Ministries • P.O. Box 5584 • De Pere, WI 54115
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