Footsteps of Messiah
Come Back Again
In the last Footsteps newsletter, “How Far Gone is the Night?”, we put forward a prophetic verse from Isaiah to help us understand the final beast kingdom. Here it is in its couplets:
“The pronouncement concerning Edom:
One keeps calling to me from Seir,
‘Watchman, how far gone is the night?
Watchman, how far gone is the night?’
The watchman says, ‘Morning comes but also night.
If you would inquire, inquire;
Come back again.’” (Is 21:11-12)
This is important because the last beast performs his deceiving signs “in the presence of the first beast.” The first beast is Babylon. This explains why Babylon the Great is “fallen, fallen.” The image of the beast King Nebuchadnezzar set up for the nations to bow down and worship was one image. Because Daniel had interpreted his gold-silver-bronze-iron dream of the image as the successive beast empires, the King of Babylon thought by forming the image ALL of gold, his kingdom would endure forever. He thought all he needed to do was bring in representatives from all the nations to bow to it. Of course, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego would not bow, and the king temporarily repented. He’d have to be turned into a crazy beast to be completely broken (Da 4:33).
Likewise, in Revelation, human beings who will not repent or who will only repent superficially and worship the image of the beast will be completely broken. If Babylon the Great falls, then all the beast empires fall with it, including its systems among the nations of the world upon which the iron-and-clay feet stand. From the Babylonian head to the Persian chest to the Greek lower torso to the Red Roman iron legs, the Beast will fall. It is empires and nations, yet ONE image, which helps us to understand how the last beast’s signs are performed in the presence of the first. The feet don’t rome too far from the head. Sorry. Couldn’t resist a pun.
Edom is Rome, the last beast kingdom, and its feet are standing upon the earth mixed with the clay, the peoples of the earth. It will be shattered by the Stone of Israel, and all the beast kingdoms that attached to the golden head of Babylon will fall. The night watchmen, who represent those skilled in knowing the times and seasons that turn in their cycle, are experts in the moedim. The moedim were set in place on the fourth day of Creation when the sun, moon, and stars were put in their place “for the sake of the moedim,” often translated as “seasons.” The night watchmen watch these stellar movements every "night," or exile.
The stars prophesied of the sons and daughters of Abraham, who would sing as witnesses to the moedim, a sign to the whole world. In Revelation, many of these stars fall because they fell under the influence of the beast, who derives his authority from the dragon. (Re 12:4)
Even the constellations of the night sky have been corrupted by the beast into the occult, twisting the Good News (Na 1:15) witnessed there. Just as the encampments of the twelve tribes have been scattered and lost, so the message in the stars has been corrupted and turned to deceit. The King of Babylon has always sought to stick his head above the “clouds,” the encampment of Israel, and change the times on the mount of the moed in Jerusalem:
How you have fallen from heaven,
You star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who defeated the nations!
But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly ["moed"]
In the recesses of the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit. (Is 14:12-15)
The night represents the times of exile for Israel. In the night of exile, their job is no different from their job when they camped and lived in unity in the Clouds of Glory in the wilderness and when they observed the “foot festivals” of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot in Jerusalem. In the wilderness of the peoples where they are scattered, they are to be stars of Abraham and witnesses to the appointed times, the moedim.
When they do this, the dragon will know his time is short. This is their purpose, to give light to the world and prepare them for the dawn. The Beast will deceive and pose as the Son of the Dawn, but he is not. Those who feed in the pig trough of Rome’s deceptions may miss the true Son of the Dawn Yeshua, who brings the end of the exile and the Light of the Kingdom. Don't eat pigs. Don't eat "the boar from the forest," Rome's deceptions. (Ps 80:13)
There are two types of communication in the first Edom couplet: the “pronouncement” is masa, which is better translated burden, a type of prophecy. The “calling” is koreh, a calling-out or a calling of purpose, character, such as in naming and defining someone or something [H7121]. Its first mention is:
“God called the light 'day,' and the darkness He called 'night.' And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” The division is called by its purposes. Both exile of night and gathering of the righteous in the day have a purpose.
The second couplet forms an axis, which is simple repetition of the question, “How far gone is the night?” Since space is never wasted on the parchment, then the identical question re-stated serves a purpose [burden, purpose].
Often repetition signifies two fulfillments of a particular prophecy, not just intensity of the statement. The question is how much longer the night will be, a night of exile. It may have been the first exile in Babylon, and then an exile in a “Babylon” yet to come, the current one, and the end of the image of the beast kingdoms.
The first couplet signals likely Rome's end as a potential end to the question of how far gone is the night, and yet another “Red One,” Seir, Edom’s habitat as it extends to feet and toes. Edom may feel as though he stands firmly on the Mount of the Moed, yet the beast's feet will be easily shattered by the Rock when his feet set down on the Mount of Olives. The Holy Mount of the Moed will be restored so that the tribes of Israel can once again go up to the foot festivals and proclaim that YHVH is the King of the Universe.
The third couplet emphasizes Genesis 1:5, that it is good to separate the light from darkness, evening from morning, for in these are the watches of the night, or exile. The one who inquires is the one who is alert, checking with the watchman (shomer, an equivalent of the sovev, or circling watchman) who knows the watches of the exile, like Daniel, but also the hours of the appointed times, the moedim. The second division of light and darkness occurred on Day Four of Creation, when the moedim were set in place:
“Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons [moedim], and for days and years; and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.” (Ge 1:14-19)
The purpose of light and dark had already been stated on Day One.
In the Fourth Day, the “lights in the expanse of the heavens” also have purpose both in the "day" of the righteous and the "night" of exile:
- To separate day and night
- Signs
- Moedim
- Give light
- To govern
Notice the repetition. By now, you realize you’re seeing prophecy in Genesis One. Hints to the symbolism of stars appear:
- Children of Abraham “in the heavens”
- Principalities to govern
- To serve as lights, perhaps to signal the beginning and end of darkness/exiles.
"And He took him outside and said, 'Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.' (Ge 15:5)
The third couplet suggests a morning is coming from the Babylonian exile, which it did. The Second Temple was built. “But also the night,” suggests another night, or exile, would follow the morning of return. This second exile was initiated when Rome massacred the Jews at Beitar on Tisha B’Av 135 A.D. Starting in 1948 (even before), the dawn began to break, and Judah began to return to the Promised Land. They are still returning, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes because of tribulation.
Perhaps the children of Abraham can intercede and witness against the King of Babylon this year, and help shorten the time of exile. After all, shortening the days is for the sake of the elect. (Mt 24:22) The Babylonian breach in the wall of Jerusalem was on the 17th of Tammuz [August 7th]. It is a fast day. On the 9th of Av, the Temple was destroyed. Let's keep our eyes open this Tisha B'Av [July 17th]. Fast. Pray. Shine in your calling and purpose.
How far gone is the night?
Pretty far.
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