Its the End of the World as We Know It and I Feel Fine

Eschatology is the study of end-times prophecy and will relate to any religion that believes that the world will end some day (although I only study Christian eschatology). Over the next two or three years, there is going to be a lot of buzzing among the various End Times proponents (Hal Lindsay, Tim LeHay, J.R. Church, etc.).

Most of this stems out of the Six Day War in 1967. After Israel captured the Temple Mount in 1967, many prominent theologians declared that the “time of the Gentiles” was over. Some had already been talking ever since Israel was refounded as a nation in 1948, it was the capture of Jerusalem that got the majority of people’s attention. Hal Lindsay published Late Great Planet Earth and boldly predicted that the church would be raptured by 1988 (40 years since the founding of Israel). Of course, 1988 came and went and no one disappeared. Several other dates were offered based on other calculations: 1994, 1997, and 2000. Meanwhile, people are still waiting and still convincing themselves that they can date set the start of the End Times.

2007 is notable, as it will mark the 40th anniversary since the capture of the Temple Mount. Back in 1967, Israel completely controlled the Temple Mount for all of one day before Moshe Dayan gave governing control of the Mount back to Jordan. Many theologians (and Orthodox Jews) believe this represents a rejection of God’s protection in Israel, much as when the Israelite spies convinced the Israelites not to journey into Canaan after the Exodus. Israel’s punishment then was to wander in the desert for 40 years. Israel’s modern punishment has been to live in the midst of her enemies and steadily give back the land that is rightfully hers. However, May 16th is the 40th anniversary of the capture of Jerusalem (by the Jewish calendar) and there is a feeling that just as Joshua was allowed to begin conquest once the time of punishment was over, so will Israel begin to throw off the chains that the Arabs and the rest of the world have placed on her.

All of this might be simply an academic question if 2007 didn’t also include one other notable event. Throughout her history, Israel has been required to observe a Sabbatical Year (or a year of rest) every seven years. In these years, there is supposed to be no tilling of the soil, debts are to be forgiven and other things that call the people back to God. Thus, a group of seven years that ends with a Sabbatical Year is viewed as a cycle that Israel must complete.

A reference to this cycle is found in the prophecies of Daniel 9:20-27. In this prophecy, Daniel is told that 69 of these 7-year cycles are to be completed before the Messiah will be cut off from his people. After this, one additional cycle is given in which a terrible man will come and defile the Temple before Israel can be saved by the Messiah. Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that after his death and resurrection in AD 30, there has existed a gap in the Jewish cycle in which the Church Age exists. The belief among many theologians is that once the Church is raptured, the final cycle will begin with the Antichrist signing some sort of pact with Israel. But, since the prophecy seems to discuss events in light of the 7-year cycle of years that Israel observes, some theologians think that the treaty that the Antichrist signs with Israel will occur around Rosh Hashanah of the first year of a 7-year cycle of years. This would in turn imply that the rapture would occur in a Sabbatical year.

Now we come back to the importance of 2007. The actual count of Sabbatical years has been lost to history, although two different men looked at historical documents and reconstructed when they though the various Sabbatical years fell. One calculation (and the one used by the Israeli government) has Rosh Hashanah of 2007 (Sept. 13) start the Sabbatical Year of the current cycle. The other method of calculation (which I think meshes better historically) would have the Sabbatical Year start on Rosh Hashanah 2008.

Whichever cycle is correct, Eschatologists and theologians are practically giddy with excitement over the possible turn of events starting around May of this year and ending in September of 2009.

So what do I think? I concede that this does look like an interesting set up and that there are a lot of signs pointing towards the End of Days. However, I also note that my own studies have suggested that the start of the 7th millennium is still a few years away (unlike many people who rely on Bishop Usher’s calculations) and I’m also cautious of any attempt to calculate the start of the End of Days. We are told that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night and that of the day, no one knows its beginning save the Father Himself. So, while I will keep a curious eye out at the newspapers, I would not advise anyone to sell their house and go sit on a hill anytime soon.