It is Impossible for the Messiah to Come this Year!

Joseph F. Dumond

Isa 6:9-12 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Published: Aug 25, 2022

News Letter 5858-026
The 6th Year of the 4th Sabbatical Cycle
The 27th year of the 120th Jubilee Cycle
The 29th day of the 6th month 5858 years after the creation of Adam
The 4th Sabbatical Cycle after the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Sword, Famines, and Pestilence
The 3rd year Tithe

Aug 29, 2022

Shabbat Shalom Royal Family of Yehovah,

I want to remind you that on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, I sent out the invitation to each and every supporter of this work to take us up on our FREE offer to them to have The Restoration of All Things and to begin to read it. As of today, we have only had about 25% of you take us up on our offer. I did check with a few of you, and you may not have gotten the email. Again this may be part of the sending problems we are struggling with.

So IF you supported this work in 2022 and you did not receive that invitation, then please send me a private email to admin@sightedmoon.com, and I will make sure you are on that list to get the FREE offer. Please understand we have set a time limit on the offer until the end of August. So you must open it up and download it to your computer before that date, or the offer expires. This is free for Supporters only.

We arrived in the Philippines Last Thursday and spent Shabbat teaching at MLTC. We taught for about 6-8 hours with questions. And then, after Sabbath, we had the men talking and the ladies talking until late in the evening. Many of the brethren live within walking distance of the Atinpolo Meeting place. Others are a short ten-minute drive. They have a community of brethren living together with the Torah as their guide. It was so nice to be here.

The rooster’s crow all night, and there are many of them in unison. When the roosters are not crowing, then the frogs are calling one another. Males looking for a mate. And they are deep and loud. The whole jungle is loud at night. But about 3 am, there is silence for a bit, but then one male begins to look for his sole mate, and she is on the other side of the house as they call to one another. But despite all the noise, I fall asleep as soon my head hits the pillow.

On Tuesday, I flew to Mindanao to meet Paster Dennis and his team. Aike was there already. Randy Cates flew in Thursday. Wednesday evening we prayed Yehovah would open a door for a meeting with this one Bishop to allow us to present to him our findings so that he might present them to his 5000 pastors scattered across the Philippines.

Yehovah heard our prayers and granted us a meeting Thursday morning before Randy arrived. But Wednesday night as I prepared for the meeting, I saw something I had not seen before. I asked Dennis to read it and see what he saw. He was amazed as well.

There is so much going on and travelling around I hardly get time to work on the teaching or newsletter. Then there are brownouts and poor internet or no internet. Frustrated is not a strong enough word, but this is the Philippines, and they are used to it, so I must too.

As I worked on the Powerpoint presentation in the car as we drove to the meeting Sunday morning, I discovered I had already prepared the PowerPoint last year when I had written the book The Abomination that makes Desolate. I had already written it in the book. I already had the PowerPoint slides. But I had not connected these two obvious verses until last night. Yehovah truly has chosen an idiot to confound the mighty.

We presented our case along with the Daniel 9 prophecy and this new revelation about the Abomination to the Bishop and his assistant. Pastor Joe said he had a dream that 2024 was an important year, and now his eyes opened up when I told him about 2024. The Bishop was the same man I anointed in the hospital in 2018 and then left the hospital 4 days later with no ailments in his stomach. He said I told him the following. “You must get better quickly and get healthy. We have a lot of work to do, and we need all hands on deck.” I did not recall this but he did, and because I came to the hospital at that time and anointed him, he wanted to meet me now and hear what we had to say.

Brethren, the meeting was a grand slam home run. They are going to have us present our teachings to their people and then maybe even more. Aike, Dennis, Pastor Raphael, Nathan and I walked calmly around the corner until we were out of sight, and when the Bishop could no longer see us, we began to jump and shout and hug each other as it was a team effort as Dennis and Aike restated things in Tagalog when the Bishop did not understand what I said in English. Yehovah is mighty and awesome, and He is doing something and about to do something great here in the Philippines. We are now going to reach 5000 pastors over the coming month. And this is just the first week on the ground here.

THIRD YEAR TITHE

Third Year Tithe

I want to remind and ask you all, have you remembered the widows and the orphans this year thus far? We are now in the 6th month. Many of you have supported this cause and I want to thank you on their behalf. I will keep reminding you about this responsibility for the entirety of this year. But this year does not end until Aviv, 2023. So we are not yet halfway. And having now sent out another payment to the widows, I can tell you that we have dropped off by about 60% in our support of this cause.

Let me share with you what one widow recently wrote to me about the recent flooding in Kentucky. Notice how your generosity towards this Widow was used to help those in that flood.

Thank you Bro Joe for all your efforts to be a blessing which I for one truly appreciate. And pray Father will bless you 1000fold in return. The devastation an hour from me is so hard to fathom. I found out today that a couple of sisters I had gone to church with and had moved back home to Hazard lost everything but what one could put in 2 Walmart bags. I wanted to help in some way but did not know what I could do until I saw their post, So was able to give them 100$. The sister I gave it too had come back to London to stay with a friend and replied you don’t have this to give – but I told her, Yes, I do. I have been blessed and I will bless you. An answer to prayer for me as I wanted to help somehow. My son just came and told me that he had heard that there have been some suicides by those who have lost everything. So sad for everyone, especially to the family who had 4 children torn away from them. As bad as this is, I know worse is coming.

Brethren I do want to encourage you not to let up in your support. We all want to receive the blessings, which only come when you comply with the law. This 6th year is the prelude to the 7th year of rest. The Sabbatical year also has things that you are to do to be in compliance with the Kingdom laws. 2024 is the start of the 10 Days of Awe and you do not want to be found out of His Grace at that time.

2022 is the 6th year of the 4th Sabbatical cycle. And anyone who has been reading our website for any time will know how to prove beyond all doubt when the Sabbatical and Jubilee years are. Once you have done that then you will know when the 3rd and the 6th year of the Sabbatical Cycles are. We are told to raise a tithe every third year for the widow, the orphan and the Levite in your gates.

Here is a very severe warning from Yehovah to each of us.

Exo 22:21  You shall neither vex a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry. And My wrath shall become hot, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your sons fatherless.

We have now sent out  (as of June 20, 2022)  our 4th round of gift offerings that you have sent in for the widows and orphans. We have also supported a couple of other ministries that aid us in doing this work. This will fulfill the Levite part of the commandment. It was our desire to get the funds to them as we are told to do in Deuteronomy.

Deu 14:28  At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year, and shall lay it up inside your gates.

Deu 14:29  And the Levite, because he has no part nor inheritance with you, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are inside your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied, so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

We will soon be making another gift to them. If you do not know of anyone in the faith who is a widow or orphan then you can send it to us. Make sure you write me to let me know that those funds are for the widows and I will see to it they get it. But if you do not write me then I will not know where to apply your donation.

May each one of you who has given to this cause, be blessed as Boaz was blessed by Yehovah for his generosity. May each one of you be known for your support of the laws that will make the Kingdom of Yehovah strong and righteous. And may Yehovah bless you so that what you give is never missed and you never lack for your generosity towards Yehovah’s heart.

PROMOTIONS

Promotions

We will be promoting ads, books, and upcoming meetings in this section. I hope you will check it each week, copy and paste it to your social media pages, and help us share this message. We need each of you to help here as much as possible. Make sure you copy the blurb for each ad when you do. Thank you in advance.

You can take each promotion and share it with your loved ones. They might start to watch. You can enter their names and they would have to confirm that they’re interested. But you can plant the seeds by putting these promotions on your social media page and sharing them with the ones you care about.

We are working on more promotions for the Ten Tribes of Israel, Heaven, Hell and It Was A Riddle Not A Command.

They all take a lot of work and James and I are going as fast as we can with them. When you do see a mistake, let us know so we can try to fix it.


The Elijah Trilogy

The Abomination that Makes Desolate, is written. It is partly edited. We need to go through this once again and possible add a little more content.

The 10 Days of Awe, was written in draft. It needs to be organized and the writing finalized. Once this is done then it will need to be edited. I see this coming out in 2023. Do keep us in your prayers. I have a lot on my plate and I do need to get this out ASAP. 2023 and 2024 are right in front of us and this book deals with those things that come at that time.

The Restoration of All Things

It is done. And it is going to go out to all those who are supporting this work. It is a Thank you from me to you. I hope each of you who reads this will inform me of any spelling errors or anything you see that might need to be fixed before we put it into print.


 

Which comes first – the chicken or the egg?  …the chicken!

Here is our latest Doodley teaching. Once Again Eileen has taken one of our Shabbat meetings and turned us into a teaching video. She has done an excellent job.

Which comes first – the chicken or the egg?  …the chicken!
Which comes first to be saved – circumcision of heart or flesh?  …either one!
 
But Yehovah requires both:
Eze 44:9  So says the Lord Yehovah: No son of an alien, uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary, or any son of an alien among the sons of Israel.
 
These snippets from Joe and Randy show:
– The four judgments (below) are a start for the nations just coming into the faith.
– They are to continue to learn the Torah every week and apply it to their lives.
– The 8th day circumcision is a picture of true life and liberty when we return to Yehovah on the 8th Holy Days.
 

Act 15:20  but that we write to them that they should

1) abstain from pollutions of idols,

2) and from fornication,

3) and from things strangled,

4) and from blood.

*Act 15:21  For Moses from ages past has those in every city proclaiming him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.


The Mark of the Beast

Do you know what the Mark of the Beast is? If you have it read what Revelation 14 says: Rev 14:9 And a third angel followed them, saying with a great voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark in his forehead or in his hand, Rev 14:10 he also will drink of the wine of the anger of God, having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented by fire and brimstone before the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. Get the article, and let us show you exactly what that Mark of the Beast is. Once you know it, then you can defend against it. Here is the FREE offer. Just click on the link, and you will receive the PDF immediately. https://sightedmoon.org/mark-of-the-beast-free-offer Shortly after this, you will be sent the other article on what the number 666 actually does mean. And once you see it, you will be stunned. If you can’t wait for this article to be sent, then here is the link for it as well. https://sightedmoon.org/the-bis-mallah-666 Read them both and tell others about what you now know. https://sightedmoon.org/newsletter-signup55469575

 


The Key To End-Time Prophecy is the Jubilee Cycles

The Key To All End-Time Prophecy is the Jubilee Cycles. With the understanding of when every Sabbatical and Jubilee year was throughout history, you can then begin to see patterns develop of when Yehovah brought about major historical events. When you know when the Flood took place in that Jubilee Cycle, you can compare it to our current 120th Jubilee Cycle. Then when you do the same for the time of Lot, and read the scripture in Luke, you can get an idea when the Kingdom of Yehovah will be set up.

The Coming of the Kingdom

Luk 17:20 And being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation. 21 Nor shall they say, Lo here! or, behold, there! For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. 22 And He said to the disciples, The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you shall not see it. 23 And they shall say to you, Lo, here! or, behold, there! Do not go away, nor follow. 24 For as the lightning which lights up, flashing from the one part under heaven, and shines to the other part under heaven, so also shall the Son of Man be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected of this generation. 26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it also shall be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 So also as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but the day Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 In that day he who shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise, he who is in the field, let him not return to the things behind. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 Two shall be grinding together, one will be taken, and the other left. 36 Two shall be in the field, one will be taken, and the other left. 37 And they answered and said to Him, Where, Lord? And He said to them, Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

Our books are based on understanding the Jubilee Cycles and how they reveal many end-time prophecies. You must also have an in-depth understanding of the Holy Days. To learn more sign up for our Newsletter at https://sightedmoon.org/newsletter-signup55469575


The Mystery of the Jewish Rapture 2033

There are many people who kept Pentecost Sunday last weekend. Some are doing so this weekened June 12. Are you aware of the deep meaning of this day? If you did you would not be wondering when the Rapture would be. You would know for sure.
Come let us show you the deep meaning behind this Holy Day and how the understanding of it is revealing so many other truths. Order the book today and begin to learn these things right away.
 
 
 

The Riddle Rapture Book Offer

 
Once you understand the Sabbatical and Jubilee Cycles then you will begin to understand prophecy unlike you have ever understood before. When is the Messiah coming? When is the Rapture?
 
Jesus spoke in parables so that those who would not obey would not understand. If you do not know when the time of HIs coming is, and when the Saints will be raised or changed in a twinkling of an eye, then maybe, just maybe you are one of those who will not obey.
Those who do obey know. Order both books today and begin to understand unlike you have dreamed of before. Order them both now.
Here is what one person wrote who read the book.
 
I love the enormous amount of Scripture the author uses in teaching and making a point. Taking a single verse out of context can totally skew the understanding (case in point, Psalm 10:4 and 14:1 both say that there is no God). Instead of leading his readers to his belief system, Mr Dumond lets the Bible lead the way! He just connects the dots.
 
There were so many Bible verses I never understood, despite many years of Sunday School and Bible studies. Many actually seemed to contradict each other. Once I learned that the Bible uses idioms it made such a difference in my understanding. In English we say things like “killing time” or “kicking the bucket” and recognize that they express something other then the sum of the individual words. Turns out that Hebrew (the language the Creator chose to record His words) uses many idioms also. Recognizing what they mean opened up my understanding!
I’m about to go thru this book a 2nd time as there is SO much I didn’t get it all the first time!
Order your copy today. Start to read it right now.
 
 
 

THE MARK OF THE BEAST – FREE

 
Like many of you, I have read so many different ideas as to what the “Mark of the Beast” is. This “Mark” has been said to be the social security cards, or credit cards, then it was thought to be the barcode system, which is largely how we all shop today, but this ISN’T even on our hands or foreheads as the scriptures state! Then it was the RFID chip planted in our hands that caused an uproar.
Our Bibles explain this if we would just read it. Let me explain this to you. This is FREE.

https://sightedmoon.org/mark-of-the-beast-free-offer

Once you have read the Mark of the Beast then you will be sent an email to read The Bismallah 666. So you must sign up for one to get the other.

            

 


Just for Fun

 
Sing the song with the music and with the whole family. Have a little fun as you do it.
Looking for more lines if you are so inclined. Leave them in the comments.
Y’all have some fun now y’hear.
 
Tune in and watch many of our other teachings about the Sabbatical and Jubilee and the importance of understanding the calendar and begin to understand just how close to the end of this age we are.
 
Subscribe today to our weekly Newsletter https://sightedmoon.com/newsletter/
Subscribe to our Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/dumond1958 and watch our interviews and many teachings about the Calendar and the Jubilee Cycles and prophecy.
 
 
 

The Sabbatical and Jubilee Cycles reveal End-Time Prophecy

By understanding the Sabbatical and Jubilee Cycles, you can know when the 7th Millennium will begin. You can also know when the Rapture will be. When the Messiah is going to come.
 
It is the only way you can understand the Daniel 9 prophecy. Because of this, we were the only Ministry warning you about 2020. We have been shouting out that WAR would start, famines would start, and Plagues would start in 2020 and in this 4th Sabbatical Cycle. We have entered the start of WW III; famines are on the Nightly News, and COVID has rocked the world.
 
I am still shouting this warning, but the next curse is too unbearable to say.  What is coming is so horrible that you do not want to know it. But it is coming non the less. Worldwide Drought, Worldwide Famine, and Genocide on an unimaginable scale.
 
Join our weekly Newsletter to be kept up to date and consider learning more about the Sabbatical and Jubilee Cycles from our books.
 
SABBATH MEETINGS

Sabbath Meetings

There are many people in need of fellowship and who are sitting at home on the Sabbath with no one to talk to or debate with. I want to encourage all of you to join us on Shabbat, and to invite others to come and join us as well. If the time is not convenient then you can listen to the teaching and the midrash after on our YouTube channel.

What are we doing and why do we teach this way?

We are going to discuss both sides of an issue and then let you choose. It is the work of the Ruach (Spirit) to direct and to teach you.

The medieval commentator Rashi wrote that the Hebrew word for wrestle (avek) implies that Jacob was “tied”, for the same word is used to describe knotted fringes in a Jewish prayer shawl, the tzitzityot. Rashi says, “thus is the manner of two people who struggle to overthrow each other, that one embraces the other and knots him with his arms”.

Our intellectual wrestling has been replaced by a different kind of struggle. We are Wrestling with Yehovah as we grapple with His Word. It is an intimate act, symbolizing a relationship in which Yehovah and I and you are bound together. My wrestling is a struggle to discover what Yehovah expects of us, and we are “tied” to the One who assists us in that struggle.

Today, many say Israel means “Champion of God”, or better — the “Wrestler of God”.

Our Torah sessions each Shabbat teaches you and encourages you to constantly challenge, question, argue against, as well as view alternative views and explanations of the Word. In other words, we are to “wrestle with the Word” to get to the truth. Jews worldwide believe that you need to wrestle with the Word and constantly challenge Dogma, Theology, and views or else you will never get to the Truth.

We are not like most churches where “The preacher talks and everyone listens.” We encourage everyone to participate, to question and to contribute what they know on the subject being discussed. We want you to be a champion wrestler of the Word of Yehovah. We want you to wear the title of Israel, knowing that you not only know but are capable of explaining why you know the Torah to be true with logic and facts.

We have a few rules though. Let others talk and listen. There is no discussion about UFO’s Nephilim, Vaccines or conspiracy-type subjects. We have people from around the world with different world views. Not everyone cares who is the President of any particular country. Treat each other with respect as Fellow wrestlers of the word. Some of our subjects are hard to understand and require you to be mature and if you do not know, then listen to gain knowledge and understanding and hopefully wisdom. The very things you are commanded to ask Yehovah for and He gives to those who ask.

Jas 1:5  But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.

We hope you can invite those who want to keep Torah to come and join us by hitting the link below. It is almost like a Torah teaching fellowship talk show with people from around the world taking part and sharing their insights and understandings.

We start off with some music and then some prayers and it’s as though you were sitting around the kitchen back in Newfoundland having a cup of coffee and all of us enjoying each other’s company. I hope you will grace us with your company someday.

Sabbath services begin at 12:30 PM EDT where we will be doing prayers songs and teaching from this hour.

Shabbat Services will begin at about 1:15 pm Eastern.

We look forward to you joining our family and getting to know us as we get to know you.

Joseph Dumond is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Joseph Dumond’s Personal Meeting Room

Join Zoom Meeting

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TORAH PORTIONS

Torah Portions

We read through the entire Torah along with the Prophets and the New Testament, once over the course of 3 1/2 years. Or according to the Sabbatical Cycle which means we read it all twice over a 7 year period. This allows us to cover more in-depth rather than being rushed to cover as much as is covered on an annual basis. We allow all to comment and take part in the discussions.

Septennial Torah Portion

If you go to Torah Portion at our archived section, you can then go to the 6th year which is the 6th year of the Sabbatical Cycle, the one we are in now, as we state at the top of every News Letter. There you can scroll down to August 6, 2022, and see that this Shabbat we could very well be midrashing about:

Leviticus 16

Ezekiel 1-3

Proverbs 29

Acts 25

If you missed last week’s exciting discoveries as we studied that section you can go and watch past Shabbats on our media section.


 

FEASTS OF YHWH

The Feasts of YHWH

We are about to begin the Feast of Trumpets. And I have said that it is impossible for Yehshua to come back this year. Why would I say that?

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father.

If you do not understand this Hebrew idiom, then you should learn it now. You learn this by going out on New Moon day and looking for the moon. This Sunday Night, guess exactly when the moon will appear. Make a contest of who will see it first.

This year we know for sure the Feast of Trumpets begins on Monday, August 29, beginning the evening before. Why do we know that? By looking at the times when the Moon should be available to see.

If you go out to look for the moon, it is only visible on the 30th day of this 6th month. It is not possible to sight it the day before on the 29th day. So we absolutely know when the Feast of Trumpets is going to begin this year in 2022. And yet we are told that the Messiah will come at a day and hour no man can know. But we know the day and the hour this year. So, He is not coming this year.

The Feast Days are fast approaching. Have you made your plans to where you are going to go this year? Here are the dates which could all change by one day depending on the sighting of the moon to begin the 7th Month.

 

Feast of Trumpets – Yom Teruah
1st day of the Seventh Month
Monday, August 29, 2022
(Begins Sunset night before)

Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur
10th Day of the Seventh Month
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
(Begins Sunset night before)

Feast of Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles
15th day of the Seventh Month
Monday, September 12, 2022
(Begins Sunset night before)

8th Day Feast – Feast of Dedication
22nd Day of the Seventh Month
Monday, September 19, 2022
(Begins Sunset night before)

THIS WEEKS TEACHING

The Ten Days of Awe

With this Feast of Trumpets, we are now into what is known as the Ten Days of Awe.

Judaism 101 describes these ten days of Awe like this;

The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. This is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.

One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that G-d has “books” that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter G-d’s decree. The actions that change the decree are “teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah,” repentance, prayer, good deeds (usually, charity). These “books” are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time is “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

Among the customs of this time, it is common to seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged during the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible.

The Shabbat that occurs in this period is known as Shabbat Shuvah (the Sabbath of Return). This is considered a rather important Shabbat.

Shabbat Shuvah literally means “Sabbath of Return,” but it is also a play on the phrase “Shabbat Teshuvah” (Sabbath of Repentance). It is the Shabbat that occurs between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and is a time for reflection leading up to the atonement of Yom Kippur. Shabbat Shuvah has two special haftarah readings, one dealing with the importance of heartfelt repentance (Hosea 14:2-10) and one praising the Creator’s mercy (Micah 7:18-20).

Read carefully the two scriptures that are part of the Torah readings for this time of year. A Plea to Return to Yehovah!

We are to return and we are to bring the words, the Torah Scrolls with us.

Hosea 14:1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Take with you words
and return to the Lord;
say to him,
“Take away all iniquity;
accept what is good,
and we will pay with bulls
the vows of our lips.
Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy.”
I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress;
from me comes your fruit.
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.

Now read the other portion for this day and learn about Yehovah’s Steadfast Love and Compassion

Micah 7:18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.

It is the position of sightedmoon.com that these ten Days of Awe are going to be ten years of complete destruction. Let me explain.

The Ten Days of Awe are in fact ten years.

What reasons do we have for believing the prophetic “days” are actually literal “years”.

The standard texts used are

Numbers 14:34 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years….after the number of the days in which you searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year.

and

Ezekiel 4:6″And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.”

With this understanding then I did an experiment on the Fall Holy Days using this year for a day principle.

I said that the 8th Day was like the Jubilee year and it is in many of its understandings. The Jubilee year is 2045 in this 120th Jubilee cycle.

Then 7 days before that is the Feast of Sukkot, the year 2038.

5 Days before Sukkot is The Day of Atonement and it is the year 2033 in our Jubilee cycle.

10 days before Atonement is the Feast of Trumpets which is the year 2024. See the blue areas in our chart below. The year 2045 is not shown in this chart.

This is all fine but it does not prove anything. But let’s look deeper.

We know that on the Day of Atonement, Satan is to be locked away.

Lev 16:7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.

17 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.

To make sure you see this.

one lot for Jehovah, and the other lot for Azazel. ASV

The one Goat represents YEHOVAH and the other goat represents Satan. Yehovah is the one who dies for us to cleanse us of our sins as shown in verse 17.

The events being described in Lev 16 about the two goats symbolized a real event that would take place in the future. The first part of the event took place when Yehovah died on the Tree for as our Passover Lamb. That 2nd event is shown to us in Revelation and is to take place at the end of the 6th millennium which is our time now.

Rev 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

Ok but none of this proves anything yet.

It was not until I began to ponder the words of Yehshua that the dots began to be connected.

Luke 17:26 And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all: after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.

I then looked at the years in which the flood came and the years in which Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. This can only be done when you have an accurate chronology which we do based on the Jubilee cycle.

We could rephrase the saying instead of the days of Lot or the days of Noah to the Years of Lot and the years of Noah using the day for the year principle again.

So I took a look at the year of the Flood

 

When you do the chronology in the book of Genesis, the flood took place in the year of 1656 after the creation of Adam. In this Chart, I have also show that there were blood moons on the High Holy Days in the year preceding the flood. But take special notice of when the flood took place. It was in the 6th Sabbatical cycle of the Jubilee cycle, and it took place at the start of the 4th year of that cycle.

Then I looked at the year of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaac was born to Abraham one year to the day after the destruction of Sodom, which took place in the year 1790 B.C. To learn how to prove these things for yourself, I strongly urge you all to get the book Remembering the Sabbatical year of 2016 from Xlibris or Amazon. Do read the comments at Amazon and learn what others think of our books.

Again take special note of when Sodom is destroyed. It is at Passover in the 3rd year of the 6th Sabbatical cycle. The Flood took place at Passover in the 4th year of the 6th Sabbatical cycle. And when I look at the chart for our times now I see the year for Satan to be locked away using the Year for a day for the fall Holy Days is the year 2033 which is the 3rd year of the 6th Sabbatical Cycle.

Now the dots are beginning to connect and I think I am on to something of a prophetic nature. so now I begin to look at the other charts in this chronology from Adam to our time based on the Jubilee cycles and I see the 7 years of plenty and the 7 years of famine.


The seven years of Plenty are for Egypt. Egypt represents modern-day Babylon. Those 7 years of plenty begin in the year 1607 BC in our chart above and go to the year 1601 BC. Then the 7 years of famine begin in the year 1600 and go to the year 1594 B.C in our charts.

The first thing I noticed was that the year the famine ends matches with the 3rd year of the 6th Sabbatical cycle. The same as the Flood and the Sodom and the same year as the year 2033 when Satan would be locked away on the day of Atonement. the other thing I see jumping off the page is the start of the 7 years of Plenty matches the year of 2020 in our Jubilee cycle.

2020 is the middle of the 70th week of Daniel 9:24-27.

70 Weeks are 70 Feast of Weeks and that is not 70 X 7 as Christians have assumed but 70 X 49. 49 is the 49 days for the Feast of Weeks. so this 70 X 49 is 3430 year.

 

The Exodus takes place in the year 1379 B.C. and you will notice the years marked in red before the exodus also show us that there were blood moons on the High Holy Days leading up to this special event of the Exodus. The Exodus took place after the 50th Jubilee cycle which I have shown in yellow with the number 50 in it.

Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times. And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off,

The command was to Moses to go and get the people. So from that time, there are to be 70 Jubilee cycles or 70 weeks of 49 days for the Feast of Shavuot. Again 70 X 49 is 3430 years. But it is broken down for us. First, it says 7 weeks until the prince comes. 7 X 49 is 343 years. Moses is called in the 51st Jubilee cycle and now we must count 7 more to see the Prince.

This brings you to the time of King David. he was born in the year 1040 B.C. and became King over Judah in the year 1010 BC and over all of Israel in the year 1003 B.C.

 

Just as the Prophecy of Daniel shows us the Prince, King David came after 7 Jubilee cycles from the time Yehovah told Moses to go and get the people.

But there is more. This same prophecy of Daniel tells us that after those 7 Jubilee cycles would be another 62 weeks. 62 X 49 is 3332 Years and when you add all of this up, the 7 weeks which is 343 and the 62 weeks which is 3332, you get a total of 69 weeks which is 3384 years.

From the time Moses was given the command to go and get the people until the end of the 69th week is the year 1996 C.E.

This is the 120th Jubilee cycle. It is also the 70th Week of Daniel 9. And Daniel 9 then goes on to say;

Dan 9:26 And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined. And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.

After the 69th week, after the year 1996, the anointed, which is now speaking of the Saints, will be cut off and the city and the Saints, not the sanctuary, would be cut off and trampled underfoot. And in the middle of this week, the middle of this Jubilee cycle shall sacrifice and oblation cease. The dead can’t pray.

As I prepared this weeks Newsletter, I have taken one from a number of years ago to share again with you while I am traveling in the Philippines. It is only now that I see this like a gong in my head. I am so stupid for not seeing it clearly before. Read Again what we just said about Daniel 9:26 and pay close attention to when it is speaking of and to the Sacrifices that will be stopped.

That middle, is the year is 2020. WE NOW KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN 2020. AND WE KNOW PRECISELY WHAT DAY IT HAPPENED ON. MARCH 11, 2020 the day we kept Passover.

W.H.O. declared a world pandemic on March 11, 2020. Every synagogue, Church, Temple and Mosque around the world was shut down. No one could go to their place of worship and offer the prayers or the bullocks of their lips. NO ONE!!

Now read Daniel 12 about the abomination being set up and you are to count from the day the daily sacrifice is taken away. That day  is the same day spoken about in Daniel 9:26, which we just read, and now that 2020 is passed, we know which year is the year when the sacrifices would be stopped.

Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the desolating abomination set up, a thousand two hundred and ninety days shall occur.

Now you too can count from March 11, 2020 and know when the Abomination is expected to be set up. Doing the math it works out to be Friday Sept 22, 2023.

Lets continue with our article:

The next thing I noticed was that the year 2020 matches up with the start of the 7 years of Plenty for the end time Babylon system.

And then I read again Daniel 8.

Daniel 8:13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one who spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt-offering, and the transgression that maketh desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Again look up the word sanctuary and know that it can also mean the Saints. It is the Saints who are going to be trodden under foot and slaughtered as sheep for the slaughter. And if I count those 2300 Days from the time this is supposed to take place at Shavuot which is the middle of the year in the middle of this 70th Jubilee cycle then the end of the 2300 days brings us to the Feast of Trumpets in the year 2026.

The covenant made with many began at the Feast of Shavuot in 1972 and was called the UNEP, the United Nations Environmental Plan and today is called the Paris Climate Change Accord.

That is when I realized that the two witnesses will be working for 3 1/2 years and then killed at Passover which is the beginning of the Great Tribulation. 3 1/2 year from the feast of Trumpets in 2026 brings you to Passover in 2030.

Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth. And if any man desireth to hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; and if any man shall desire to hurt them, in this manner must he be killed. These have the power to shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophecy: and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they shall desire.
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And they that dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and make merry; and they shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.
And after the three days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them that beheld them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they went up into heaven in the cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand persons: and the rest were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second Woe is past: behold, the third Woe cometh quickly.

The two witnesses have a job to do besides calling down plaques upon the whole earth. They do this for a specific reason. To learn that job we must now go to Revelation and the 4 horsemen.

Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come. And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.

Jer 16:16 “Behold, I will send for many fishermen,” says the Lord, “and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

This white horse is not the Messiah. It is false religion as it goes out to conquer. The bow indicates the religion that is doing the conquering. See our article The Hunters Cometh. There is one religion on the earth today that is going out to conquer all the nations in front of it and that is Islam and with this white horse comes the other 3 and tell me if this does not ring a bell for the events taking place in our day now.

Rev 6:3 And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come. And another horse came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

What religion have ongoing wars that are fought in order to conquer?

Rev 6:5 And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A measure of wheat for a shilling, and three measures of barley for a shilling; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not.

Yehovah has been warning us for some time of these things. We are currently in the 4th Sabbatical cycle of war, famine and plague the 4th curse of Lev 26. We have had the plague and it is ongoing. We are now entering into the famine stage and the numbers of those starving is growing the longer the current drought lasts which is drying up river after river across Europe.

Lev 26:23 And if by these things ye will not be reformed unto me, but will walk contrary unto me; then will I also walk contrary unto you; and I will smite you, even I, seven times for your sins. And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute the vengeance of the covenant; and ye shall be gathered together within your cities: and I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; then I will walk contrary unto you in wrath; and I also will chastise you seven times for your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.

The famine that is about to come is so bad, that some will resort to eating their own children. We are somewhere between the white and the red horse, but this dark horse is coming soon after these other two go full force.

Consider this prophecy about Damascus.

Isaiah 17:1The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. And the fortress shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria; they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith Jehovah of hosts. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the standing grain, and his arm reapeth the ears; yea, it shall be as when one gleaneth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
Yet there shall be left therein gleanings, as the shaking of an olive-tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost branches of a fruitful tree, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel.

Damascus now is a ruinous heap. the whole nation of Syria is in ruins. Can the leanness of Jacob be far off?

 Rev 6:7 And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

 

All of this I believe is about to begin over 1/4 of the earth starting Shavuot 2020. It is from this point onwards that the Saints will be hunted and slaughtered and killed. When I say the Saints I am speaking of the DNA descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel, whether they believe in Yehovah or not. Whether they keep Torah or not. The descendants will be hunted and killed. And some of those who keep Torah as well.

This then brings us to the 5th seal.

Rev 6:9 And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled their course.

The ones who will avenge those saints killed at this time is going to be the Two Witnesses who bring judgments which are plaques on the whole earth. These will avenge the death of the saints. But it is the famine caused by the stoppage of rain upon the whole earth for 3 1/2 years that causes the people of the earth to allow all the surviving saints to return to Jerusalem for Passover in 2030.

It is here that Satan gathers them all in the notion of killing all that remain in one place. Read what is said in Revelation again.

Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child. And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus:

Luke 21:20 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate beforehand how to answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay. But ye shall be delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. And not a hair of your head shall perish. In your patience ye shall win your souls. But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand. Then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter therein. For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

In the time of the  7 years of famine, it was the second year that the Brothers of Joseph recognized Joseph. In our time now that will be 2029 near the end of the famine and drought by the Two Witnesses. But also know this. That is when the women flee’s but not all the brethren go at the same time. Because you are told that after the woman escapes the Beast makes war on those left behind who keep the commandments.

Again I ask you why is this?

It is because of the two calendars and one escapes and the other does not. One will keep the Passover 30 days after the first group.

Now coming back to the point about Shabbat Shuva.
Hosea 14 says Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Take with you words
and return to the Lord;

And it is during these ten days of Awe that we seek, no, we beg for mercy and forgiveness from Yehovah so that we can survive the horrors that are coming all around us. We should be fasting and praying for our families and loved ones. This is the importance of Shabbat Shuva. The fact that we return in that Sabbatical year to the land of Israel, which is represented by the Sabbath during the Ten Days of Awe. This return is a result of the world caving into the demands of the two witnesses to free the remaining people of Israel and to stop killing them.

When you seriously think about the days these ten Days of Awe represent you will be humbled beyond words by the magnitude of those events that you are about to witness. It is a time to fast and to be humbled.

Mat 24:20 But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath: for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

The Fall Holy Days take place in the winter season. The word used here for Sabbath is Shabbaton which means on a High Holy Day. Pray your flight not have to be on The High Days of Winter. Which means that for some it will be. In Israel they have often been attacked on the Sabbath or the High Days. Take a lesson from the 6-day war which began on the Day of Atonement.


The Magi Almost Caused a War

It is with great pleasure that this week I am able to share with you a teaching that is most appropriate for this time of the year. Far too often we hear the pagan teachings of the birth of Yahshua at the winter Saturnalia. And we all sometimes get these pagan teachings mixed in with the truth from the scriptures and do not go back and study these subjects.

Recently I did reread the birth of Yahshua. I was stunned at how much I had ignored or forgotten. Yahweh willing I hope to cover some of these things for the Day of Atonement.

This week I want to share with you a part of the book Parthia by Steven Collins. He is also a reader of this News Letter and I am so grateful he has allowed me to copy his article here for you to read about the birth of Yahshua. As Harvey Kirk used to say ‘Now You know the rest of the Story.’

The four-book set that Steven Collins has written about the Lost Tribes of Israel is an invaluable collection to have. If you do not know who Israel is in the end times then you will not and cannot know who the prophecies of the Bible are talking about. It is impossible!

Each and every person must have these books which can be purchased at http://www.bibleblessings.net/index.html I do not make any money off these sales. I tell you to buy these books for your understanding of where Israel went and where they now are. When you know this then you will understand why the Roman Empire was attacking certain nations throughout history. It was the Beast Power attacking Israel. Just by knowing this you will then know who is going to attack whom in the very near future.

Also, Mr. Collins has some things in this article which I state differently in the article Conjunction or Sighted which? Which talks about the star at the birth of Yahshua and the year of his birth. Study both opinions and you decide. You can learn more from his site at http://www.stevenmcollins.com/

EXCERPT from the book, PARTHIA, by Steven M. Collins, Chapter 3, Pages 123-151

HIS CHILDHOOD YEARS (BIRTH TO AGE 12)

Much has been written about the life of Jesus Christ, the historical person whose name is attached to the many different denominations of Christianity that exist today. In fact, so much has been written that one might wonder whether anything truly new could be written about this one life. As the reader will see, new facts about the life of Jesus Christ can be ascertained by combining the accounts of the Bible with secular historical accounts and traditions about the time in which He lived. This chapter is not intended to be a complete history of the life of Jesus Christ. It will cover those aspects of His life and times which have not been generally known.

The prior chapter dealing with the Parthian Empire discussed historical events shaping the world into which Jesus Christ was born. When some surprising information about His life is added to the history contained in the previous chapter, it can be seen that Jesus Christ actually played a role in the great power politics which occurred between the empires of Parthia and Rome. The Bible hints that He could have played a much larger role in the political affairs of that era if He had chosen to do so.

Did Jesus Really Live?

There is no doubt that the person, Jesus Christ, actually lived in Palestine at the beginning of the first century A. D. While some skeptics doubt this fact, this chapter will begin by offering firm evidence that Jesus Christ was a real, historical person.

Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century A. D., regarded the life of Jesus Christ as an established fact. In Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus wrote:

“there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for He was a doer of wonderful works, — a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ; and when Pilate [Pontius Pilate, Roman Procurator of Judea], at the suggestion of the principle men among us, had condemned him to the cross…He appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”1

In this account, written shortly after Christ died, Josephus not only gave us a powerful witness that Jesus Christ truly lived, but also provided an independent corroboration of many of the biblically-discussed events of His life. Josephus refers to him as “a wise man,” and wonders whether He was more than a mere man because of the “wonderful works” He did. That a non-Christian, Jewish historian of the apostolic era writes of the miracles of Jesus as actual facts offers contemporary support to the Bible’s accounts about them. Josephus agrees with the testamental writings that Jesus was sentenced to be crucified by Pontius Pilate at the behest of the Jewish Sanhedrin, “the principle men among us.” Josephus also acknowledged that Jesus Christ fulfilled many prophecies of the Hebrew prophets about the Messiah, and even refers to His resurrection as an historical fact!

Josephus’ reference to Jesus as “the Christ” acknowledges that Jesus was the Messiah, “the anointed.” Since a non-Christian source so close to the actual time of Christ has confirmed these facts of His life, the musings of modern skeptics questioning Christ’s existence are without merit. Josephus could speak with eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life; modern skeptics are almost two millennia removed from the events, and their writings are merely speculative. Jesus Christ did live, and the writings of Josephus substantiate the Bible’s claims of His performance of supernatural deeds as well as His being raised from the dead.

Roman secular sources agree with Josephus. Celsus, an anti-Christian writer of the Roman Empire in the second century A.D., wrote:

“It was by magic that He [Jesus] was able to do the miracles which He appeared to have done.”2

Here a Roman opponent of Christianity grudgingly acknowledges the reality of Christ’s “miracles,” which he labels as “magic.” However, Quadratus, writing in approximately 117-134 A.D.,

“urged people to believe in Jesus because the effect of His miracles continued up to the present — people had been cured and raised from the dead, and ‘some of them…have survived even to our own day.’”3

Tacitus, the famous Roman historian, writing about the Christians just decades after the death of Christ, stated:

“Nero fabricated scapegoats — and punished…the notoriously depraved Christians (as they were popularly called). Their originator, Christ, had been executed in Tiberius’ reign by the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate.”4

Tacitus’ comment about Christ appears as a mere aside in an overall account of events in the reign of Nero. It is particularly compelling evidence that Jesus Christ really did live! Tacitus was no fan of Christ or Christianity, and he had no “axe to grind.” His account that “Christ” was a real person crucified by Pontius Pilate is highly credible as Tacitus refers to it as an official act of Pontius Pilate within His overall accounting of Rome’s activities.

Clearly, Roman accounts confirm that Jesus Christ lived, and that He was executed in Judea during the administration of Pontius Pilate. Even His detractors acknowledged that He performed supernatural deeds. Whatever your views about Jesus Christ, we begin with the fact that He, indeed, lived and died when the Bible states that He lived and died, that He performed marvellous deeds, and that He made a major impression on the civilization of His day.

Let us now review the historical setting into which Jesus Christ was born. The Roman and Parthian Empires were both powerful, well-established “superpower” rivals at the time Jesus was born. Rome ruled the Mediterranean region, and Parthia ruled Asian lands from modern Syria to the Indus River. Palestine was located within the Roman Empire, but was close to the Euphrates River constituting the Parthian border.

Five decades before the birth of Jesus, Rome and Parthia fought several battles with one being fought near Antioch of Syria (very close to Palestine).5 In about 40 B.C., the Parthians launched a major assault which drove the Romans out of Asia! For three years, 40-37 B.C., Palestine was within the Parthian Empire and was ruled by a Jewish vassal king of the Parthians named Antigonus. At that time King Herod, the Roman king of Judea, fled from the Parthians in fear of his life. While the Parthian-sponsored rule of Antigonus was brief, it was apparently popular with the Jews. When the Parthians withdrew across the Euphrates, Antigonus, with Jewish support, attempted to maintain himself as king of the Jews, but was defeated by Herod. Mark Antony, the Roman leader famous for his dalliance with Cleopatra, ordered Antigonus beheaded, and Josephus records that this was done to compel the Jews to accept the hated Herod as their king.6 Mark Antony afterward led a massive invasion of Parthia in 37-36 B.C., but his army was utterly defeated by the Parthians.7

To help modern readers gain a frame of reference for these ancient events, these Roman-Parthian wars were more recent events for the people at the time Jesus was born than World War II and the Korean War are to modern readers. Parthian rule over Palestine was, therefore, vividly remembered by many in Jewish society as being preferable to Roman rule.

Parthia’s victory over Mark Antony led to a long period of peace between Rome and Parthia, with the Euphrates River serving as the border between their two vast empires. This prolonged period of peaceful relations lasted from 36 B.C. until 58 A.D.,8 including not only all of Jesus Christ’s life, but also the early period of the Apostolic Church as well. Rawlinson records that it was an established Roman policy not to provoke a Parthian war during that period of time so long as both empires agreed to coexist on separate banks of the Euphrates River. Rawlinson comments on this peaceful interlude as follows:

“It is a well-known fact that Augustus left it as a principle of policy to his successors that the Roman Empire had reached its proper limits, and could not with advantage be extended further. This principle, followed with the utmost strictness by Tiberius, was accepted as a rule by all the earlier Caesars…”9

As long as the Caesars wanted peace with Parthia, Roman officials along Parthia’s border, such as King Herod and Pontius Pilate, knew they risked their positions and lives if they entangled Rome in an unwanted war with Parthia.

Without this period of Parthian-Roman detente, it would have been impossible for some of the events of Jesus Christ’s life to have occurred, as we shall see. The first such event was the coming of the Magi, or “Wise Men” to pay homage to Jesus. We read of this event in Matthew 2:1-12, which becomes more important when considered in the overall context of Roman-Parthian relations.

Parthia’s Magi Visit Jesus (and Frighten Jerusalem)

As discussed in the previous chapter, the Magi were powerful members of the Parthian bicameral body that elected Parthian monarchs and wielded great influence within the empire. One assembly was composed of members of the royal family (the Arsacids), and the other consisted of the priests (the “Magi”) and influential Parthians of non-royal blood (the “Wise Men”). The Magi and Wise Men were jointly known as the Megistanes.10

Matthew 2:1 states that “wise men from the east” came to worship Jesus. The term “Wise Men,” which appears in Matthew 2:1, is not a generic description of these visitors, but was the proper title of Parthian Megistanes. The Greek word translated “wise men” is “magian,” literally meaning “Persian astronomer or priest,”11 from which we derive the word “Magi.” Parthia governed Persia at the time of Christ, so the “Wise Men” cited in the Bible were Parthian nobles and/or priests. While traditional Christian accounts of this episode celebrate the coming of “the three wise men,” the Bible does not limit the number of visiting Magi-Wise Men to three men. Indeed, biblical events and the realities of that time argue for a much larger contingent of Parthian Magi.
Since we saw in previous chapters that the Parthians were descended from the ten tribes of Israel and that their priests were likely descended from the tribe of Levi, it is likely that this delegation of Magi consisted of leading members of the ten tribes of Israel. Because there were numerous Jews of the tribe of Judah in Parthia’s empire, they may have been represented as well. Consequently, the delegation of Magi could easily have consisted of at least ten or twelve men representing the various tribes of Israel.

Also, the Bible confirms that the Magi did not visit the young Jesus in the manger at Bethlehem as most nativity scenes depict, but rather visited Jesus in a house somewhat after His birth. Matthew 2:11 states that this visit of the Magi took place in a house (not at the manger) when Jesus was old enough to be called “a young child.” Luke’s version of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:8-40) mentions the shepherds’ arrival at the manger, but makes no mention of any Magi visiting Christ while He was “in the manger.”

Matthew 2:8 adds that Herod sent the Magi “to Bethlehem” after conferring with the Jewish hierarchy about the prophesied location of the Messiah’s birth. They cited Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would originate in Bethlehem, and they were likely familiar with Daniel 9:25-26 which predicted that the arrival of the Messiah was due at that time. Herod privately met with the Parthian delegation, and enquired when “the star” which they followed had first appeared. He apparently learned that this period of time was almost two years because he killed all male children in Bethlehem under two years of age in an attempt to kill the Messiah, whom he regarded as a competitor for his position as king of the Jews.

Although the Bible tells us that “the star” appeared to the Wise Men almost two years prior to His birth, this offers inexact information in determining how old Jesus was when the Wise Men came to him. The Wise Men were prominent people in Parthia when “the star” appeared, and they had to make a very time-consuming journey to reach Judea. It took time to prepare the costly gifts to present to the Messiah, set their affairs in order for a long absence, organize and equip a caravan, obtain an armed escort for protection and make the slow, lengthy journey to Judea in a caravan of pack animals. Since the “star’s” appearance was not necessarily timed to coincide exactly with the time Jesus was born, He may have been a few months (or up to two years) old at the time of the Magi’s arrival.

Consider also that Matthew 2:1-3 states:

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. Saying, where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (KJV)

The arrival of the Magi’s caravan in Jerusalem was a very public affair because “all Jerusalem” was “troubled” by their arrival. What was it about the Magi’s caravan that scared the Roman leaders and the whole city of Jerusalem? The Magi, a delegation of high Parthian officials, came to Jerusalem in a caravan loaded with costly treasures and escorted by a strong force of armed Parthian soldiers! Since the Magi were high officials of the Parthian government, they would routinely travel with a substantial escort of Parthian soldiers to guarantee their protection. Since they were travelling with many costly treasures to present to the newborn Messiah, their escort may have been unusually large.

The Magi’s caravan would have included large numbers of servants, animal-handlers, cooks, etc. for such a long journey. These people alone would have constituted many hundreds of people! Given the fact that many high Parthian officials and very expensive treasures were in the caravan, there may have been many thousands of Parthian soldiers escorting the caravan! This is not an overstatement.

Josephus records that treasure caravans bringing expensive offerings to Jerusalem from Jews living in Parthian territory did so with “many ten thousand men” as escorts.12 In ancient times, travelling with expensive items was dangerous. There was danger not only from brigands, but also from local satraps who might use their armies to conquer a treasure train passing through their territories. If Jewish commoners from Parthia were allowed to travel to Jerusalem with the equivalent of several infantry divisions as escorts, would an important delegation of Parthia’s ruling class and a treasure train of gifts have been accompanied by any fewer armed escorts? If the Parthian column had included “many ten thousands” of soldiers, it would have justified the widespread fear in Jerusalem caused by their arrival. In the previous chapter, we learned that ancient Chinese historical accounts recorded that the Parthians sent 20,000 cavalry just to escort a Chinese ambassador into Parthian territory.

Plutarch records that Surenas — a Parthian military commander and, no doubt, a member of the Megistanes — travelled on routine business in a caravan of cavalry, servants, and attendants the size of “a baggage train of 1,000 camels…at least ten thousand men.”13 If one Parthian leader travelled with so large a caravan on routine business within Parthia, how large was the caravan of the Magi — a whole delegation of Parthian nobles carrying great treasures to worship a “new-born king?” It was large enough to frighten the whole city of Jerusalem!

The Wise Men coming to Jesus were not bringing just a few samples of gold and other precious things that they carried in their personal saddlebags. They were coming to worship a royal-born child, so they likely had a whole train of pack animals loaded with “gold, frankincense and myrrh!”

Their caravan was so huge that it was a “cause celebre” in Jerusalem. The whole city was in an uproar over their arrival, and that argues for a very visible and impressive Parthian caravan arriving in Jerusalem. The sheer size of the caravan, its treasures and its escorts awed King Herod and the whole city to the point they were all “troubled.” This indicates that the Parthian caravan had so many armed escorts that many feared it was an invasion force coming to besiege Jerusalem and start a new Roman-Parthian war. However, their reason — coming to visit a royal-born Messiah — could have electrified a city of Jews who intensely wanted the Messiah to come and free them from Roman rule! The Jewish hierarchy understood the Parthians were looking for the Messiah as they quickly looked for Messianic prophecies to locate the city of His birth.

After their consultations with Herod and high Jewish officials, the Parthian delegation travelled to Bethlehem to worship Jesus and present their gifts to him. By this time, Matthew 2:11 states Jesus and Mary were living in “a house,” so they were no longer staying at the manger. The Magi’s journey to Bethlehem would have been closely followed by Herod’s spies.

Joseph was then warned by an angel to flee quickly into Egypt (Matthew 2:13) to avoid Herod’s impending slaughter of Bethlehem’s young male children. Since Herod’s edict applied only to Bethlehem, there would have been no need for Joseph, Mary and Jesus to flee unless they were still in Bethlehem. Since Joseph and Mary actually lived in Galilee (Luke 2:4), the fact that they were in a house in Bethlehem indicates that this must have been weeks after Jesus’ birth while Mary was regaining the strength to make an overland trip back to Nazareth. Their flight to Egypt took them completely out of Herod’s area of jurisdiction.

Herod made the mistake of assuming the Messiah would be born to a family native to the Bethlehem area. Since Luke 2:39 states that Joseph, Mary and Jesus returned to Galilee not long after Jesus was born, it seems apparent that the stay of Joseph, Mary and Jesus in Egypt was very brief. Historical sources disagree on the year of King Herod’s death, but there is persuasive evidence that Herod died soon after giving his cruel order to murder the boy babies of Bethlehem. Matthew 2:14-19 states that Jesus and His parents returned from Egypt as soon as Herod was dead, and the account implies their stay in Egypt was brief.

(Yehshua was born on teh Feast of trumpets Sept 11, 3 B.C. Herod died after an eclipse which occurred in 1 B.C. Two years after the birth of Yehshua)

This author acknowledges that there are differing scholarly and historical viewpoints concerning the year of Jesus Christ’s birth. While many people assume that Jesus Christ was born in a theoretical “year zero,” scholarly options for the year of Jesus’ birth focus on the time frame of 5 B.C. to 2 B.C.

It is significant that Jesus’ parents were faithful to God’s law requiring circumcision on the eight day (Leviticus 12:2-3), and to Jewish custom by making an offering to God at the Temple in Jerusalem to consecrate their firstborn male child. (Luke 2:21-24) This is an important observation as it shows Jesus was raised by a Jewish family that devoutly obeyed God’s laws.

When the Parthian column arrived at Jerusalem, the Parthian Magi came directly to King Herod, quite open about their reasons for being in Roman-occupied Palestine. They informed Herod that they had come to worship “He that is born king of the Jews.”
It is a tribute to the power of Caesar’s policy that the Roman-Parthian peace be maintained that war did not result from this statement, for Herod could easily have taken it as an insult. He could have flown into a rage, and yelled “How dare you ask to see another ‘king of the Jews’ besides me; I am king of the Jews!” That Herod swallowed his gargantuan pride, and meekly answered the Parthians is quite noteworthy. This is a tribute not only to Caesar’s policy to maintain the peace, but also to recognition that a sizeable Parthian army had come to Jerusalem as escorts of the Magi. Herod’s meek response to the highly provocative question of the Parthian officials does imply that he was intimidated by the many Parthian soldiers who accompanied the Magi.

Because the whole city was “troubled” by the Parthians’ arrival, the presence of so many Parthian soldiers surely sparked rumors in Jerusalem that a new Parthian-Roman war was imminent. Herod may even have suspected that the Parthians’ question was designed to provoke an incident, which would lead to an outbreak of hostilities and his removal from the throne. Herod and all Jerusalem was surprised, but relieved to learn that the Parthian Magi and soldiers had arrived with peaceful intent. Herod may have been expecting to hear an ultimatum for the surrender of Jerusalem to Parthia when the Magi were ushered into his presence.

Some observations must be made about the “star” which led the Magi to Jesus. Some have proposed that this star was a comet or a celestial phenomenon although the biblical accounts indicate that this was not the case. The biblically-described “star” moved, leading the Magi over a long east-to-west route from Parthia to Judea, and Matthew 2:9 states that it finally “stood over where the young child was.” Simple logic confirms that no comet or celestial phenomenon in the sky could possibly pinpoint a single city, much less “stand over” an individual child on the earth’s surface! Nevertheless, that is what the biblical “star” did.

The Bible periodically uses the word “star” to represent angels (Job 38:7, Revelation 1:20), and there is good reason to believe that the “star” which led the Parthian nobles to a specific child in a specific house in Judea was an angel of God. Nothing else makes sense. Only an angel, a spirit being, could literally “stand over” the baby Jesus to designate one specific child to the Parthian nobles.

Also, nothing in the biblical account indicates that this “star” was visible to anyone other than the Magi-Wise Men! Matthew 2:2 states that the Magi saw “the star,” but the context argues no one else ever saw it. Verse 7 relates that Herod asked the Magi when “the star” appeared to them, indicating no one in Judea was aware of any such “star.” If a striking celestial object had appeared in the sky, Herod and his astrologers would already have known the exact date and hour on which it had appeared.

After leading the Parthians to Judea, the “star” disappeared, forcing the Parthians to ask Herod for directions. After the Magi left Herod, the “star” again appeared to them, led them directly to Bethlehem (Luke 2:9), and finally “stood over” one specific child, Jesus. Verse 10 states the Magi rejoiced that the “star” had again appeared to show them where to go! Obviously, a “star” which appeared, disappeared and reappeared for the Magi (but which was apparently not seen by any other humans) had to be an angel. Supporting this fact is that Luke 2:8-15 records that the birth of Jesus was announced to shepherds by angels speaking to them out of a heavenly light which accompanied their appearance. God also used an angel to warn Joseph to flee to Egypt. Since God used angels to direct the movements of persons in the events surrounding Christ’s birth, it would have been completely consistent for God to also send an angel to guide the Magi’s movements.

Having found Jesus, the Magi worshipped him, offering costly gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense. They were then warned by God in a dream (Matthew 2:12) not to return to Herod, resulting in the prompt exit of the Magi and their many escorts from Judea. When Herod realized that he had been fooled, he wrathfully killed all the young male children of Bethlehem in a vain effort to kill the Messiah. However, there is no indication that Herod made any attempt to overtake or punish the Magi. As high Parthian nobles, they had “diplomatic immunity,” and Herod dared not anger Caesar by provoking the Parthians. Also, Herod’s garrison troops could have been vastly outnumbered by the size of the Magi’s military escorts.

There is another important aspect of this remarkable episode. While it is not surprising that Jewish leaders during Herod’s reign were sufficiently familiar with the prophetic writings to pinpoint for Herod exactly where the Messiah would be born, it is surprising that God was working so closely with members of the Parthian ruling class! This makes no biblical sense unless: (A) the Parthians were descended from the ten tribes of Israel and (B) the Magi (Parthian priests) included some Levites. During His ministry, Jesus Christ asserted that He had not been sent to the gentiles, but only to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24-28 shows the reluctance of Jesus to assist a gentile.

Throughout the Old Testament God worked almost exclusively with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. It was not until after the death of Christ that gentiles were given equal access to the God of Israel. The fact that God was working intimately with the Parthian nobility — sending them angelic messages, giving them divine messages in dreams — confirms that the Parthians had to be descended from the ten tribes of Israel which had migrated into Asia.

The fact that some of the Parthian ruling classes were apparently worshippers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is most revealing. God obviously considered these Parthians to be “righteous” men under the terms of His laws or He would not have been dealing with them so personally. That educated Parthians were ready to visit and worship the Messiah at the time of Christ’s birth indicates they were also familiar with the prophecies of the Old Testament. Who but transplanted Israelites would have been looking for the Messiah at that time?

Although we are jumping ahead in the narrative, consider the events of Acts 2:9 which states Parthians were among those who made pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks, known to Christians as Pentecost Sunday. Verse 9 also mentions “Medes, Elamites, and dwellers in Mesopotamia” as being present at this feast, and all these regions were provinces of the Parthian Empire. We know that portions of the ten tribes had been relocated to “the cities of the Medes,” so the presence of devout visitors from Media most likely designates people from the ten tribes of Israel who still lived in Media. Interestingly, verse 9 also mentions “dwellers…in Asia” were present. The word “Asia” has clouded origins, but the Encyclopaedia Britannica states, “It is probable that it [“Asia”] has an Assyrian or Hebrew root, and was used first…with a specific or restricted local application, a more extended signification having eventually been given it…”14

As briefly mentioned in chapter two, one of the Scythian tribes was called the “Asii” (or “Asiani”).15 Since the “Asiani” were one of the Scythian tribes bearing the name of Isaac, the Sacae or Saka, the Bible’s reference to “Asians” attending the Feast of Weeks could indicate that Scythians were also present in Jerusalem at that time. This further indicates that the Parthians and Scythians were the displaced members of the “lost ten tribes of Israel.” The non-Israelite populations of Asia had no cultural interest in the worship of the God of Israel; only the ten tribes of Israel would retain such a custom.

It was not unusual for large pilgrimages originating in Parthia to travel to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel. Josephus’ statement that caravans from Parthia arrived in Jerusalem under the protection of “many ten thousand men”16 was noted earlier. These must have been magnificent treasure trains to have warranted the protection of a sizeable army. Such huge protection of a sizeable army. Such huge “offerings” going to Jerusalem from Parthia indicates that significant numbers of people within the Parthian Empire worshipped the God of Israel. This meant that, at the time of Jesus and Herod, there was a great deal of travel and trade between the Parthian Empire and the Roman province of Judea. It also shows that there was a strong sense of community between Judea and many regions of the Parthian Empire. If a caravan of Parthian commoners could be escorted by “many ten thousand men,” how many escorts would accompany a caravan of Parthia’s nobility?

The Parthian nobility did not “travel light.” Plutarch records that Surenas, a high Parthian noble, had an entourage of ten thousand men when he travelled “on his own affairs” on routine business. Just one Parthian noble was accompanied by such a huge and imposing caravan when he travelled on routine business! Think how much larger would have been the caravan of a group of perhaps ten or twelve Parthian nobles, the Magi, travelling, not on routine business within Parthia, but through dangerous terrain with rich treasures and into Roman territory! Parthians believed in large numbers of armed escorts for VIPs. When an ambassador came to Parthia from China, an escort of 20,000 armed Parthian cavalrymen greeted him!18

Now you can understand why the whole city of Jerusalem was frightened when the Parthian Magi arrived to look for the young child of royal birth. They were accompanied by a gigantic caravan from Parthia moving toward Jerusalem. This column was escorted by many thousands of Parthia’s military cavalry. Many in Jerusalem feared the Parthians had come to start a war and besiege the city.

The Royal Lineages of Jesus Christ

In an earlier chapter, it was shown that the Magi were loyal to one dynasty, the Arsacids, whose members continuously ruled Parthia. It was shown that many rulers of Parthian and Saka kingdoms had names incorporating the word “Phares” (PH-R-S). This indicates that the Arsacids were descended from the seed of David, who was the first king of the Phares family. (Matthew 1:2-6) The kings of Judah of the Phares dynasty are listed in I Chronicles 3:9-17, but verses 18-24 reveals that the royal lineage continued to flourish after Judah’s captivity. Indeed, David’s dynasty was given high status in the Babylonian Empire. (II Kings 25:27-30) This post-exilic elevation of the Davidic dynasty in Asia likely led to their serving as vassal kings over captive Israelites under Babylonian and Persian masters. Their later elevation to the throne of Parthia fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah 33:17 that David’s descendants would always rule over the descendants of the ten tribes of Israel. This may explain the unshakable loyalty of the Parthians to the Arsacids. With the Parthians being Israelites, and the Arsacids being descended from King David, the Arsacids were the only dynasty in Asia that was racially, historically and culturally related to the Parthian people.

Since Matthew 1:3-17 tells us that Jesus Christ was a descendant of Phares and King David, Jesus was a distant relative of the Parthian ruling dynasty, which also descended from Phares and David. The bloodline relationship of Jesus to the Parthian Arsacids serves as a further explanation for the homage paid to Jesus by the Parthian nobility. It was customary for the Parthian Magi and Wise Men to keep track of male Arsacids in foreign nations. In some cases they sent to foreign nations, Scythia and Rome, to summon male relatives of the Arsacids to come to Parthia to serve as king. As mentioned in the previous chapter, some Parthian rulers killed every male relative they could find in an effort to eliminate potential rivals to their throne. This compelled the Magi to look for distant individuals who had the same bloodline as the Arsacids, the lineage of Phares and King David. At the time of the birth of Jesus, the recent Parthian emperor, Phraates IV, who reigned 37-2 B.C., had killed many male relatives, including his own father and almost thirty brothers.19 Male Arsacids at the time of Jesus’ birth were in very short supply.

When the Magi were led by God to pay homage to the young Jesus, they doubtless learned that Joseph, Mary and Jesus were all related to the Parthian dynasty! Indeed, they may already have known that Jesus was an Arsacid, related to Parthia’s kings.

When the Magi came to Herod, they said:

“Where is He that is born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2, KJV)

This statement confirms that the Magi arriving in Jerusalem already knew that Jesus was “royal-born,” and it implies that they knew He was related to Parthia’s kings. If they did not know that fact prior to their arrival, they learned it during their visit with Joseph, Mary and the young Jesus. Indeed, because Phraates IV, the emperor of Parthia, had killed so many of his male relatives, the Magi were surely to find surviving males of the Davidic bloodline.

Consider some important information. When the Babylonians conquered Judah, they brought King Jehoiachin of Judah and many of his royal family to Babylon. (II Kings 24:15) After languishing in prison for years, King Jehoiachin was exalted into the position of a favored vassal king in the Babylonian empire. I Chronicles 3:17 reveals that Jeconiah had many sons and grandsons, who very likely also became vassal kings in Asia after Jehoichin died. One of Jeconiah’s sons was “Salathiel” (I Chronicles 3:17), who lived in Asia, not Judea. Salathiel, later spelled “Shealtiel,”20 was the father of Zerubbabel. (Ezra 3:2) Matthew 1:12 and Luke 3:27 confirm this as well.

Zerubbabel’s name includes the root word “babel,” indicating he was born in Babylon. Zerubbabel was one of the leaders of the group of Jews who left Asia and returned to Jerusalem during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah under the auspices of Persian kings. Zerubbabel had a prominent role in the rebuilding of a Jewish presence in Jerusalem and Judea, and he is mentioned frequently in the books of Ezra and Haggai and once in the book of Nehemiah. Joseph, the human “father” of Jesus Christ was a descendant of Zerubbabel. (Matthew 1:12-16) So Jesus Christ was born into a very prominent and famous family in Judea, one known to be descended from the Kings of Judah. Since His royal progenitors formerly lived in Asia and had included vassal kings of the Babylonians, the Parthian Magi may have been very well aware that they were coming to visit a family of Arsacids! Babylon was then ruled by Parthia, so its records were available to the Magi. Because Phraates IV had killed so many males of the royal Parthian dynasty at that time, the Magi were compelled to look outside Parthia’s borders for male Arsacids who were eligible for the throne of Parthia.

Now consider this: Because Jesus was eligible for the throne of Parthia, so was His human father “Joseph.” Christian mythology tends to personify Joseph as an obscure, poor “carpenter” struggling “to make ends meet.” But the possibility exists that he was, in fact, well-to-do. The account in Mark 6:3, for instance, indicates that Jesus himself was a “carpenter,” but in that day someone in the building trades business was often more of a “building contractor,” involving all aspects of construction. This could possibly have been a very responsible position.

The concept of Joseph and Mary being “poor” partly comes from the “manger scene” of them staying in a lowly manger when Jesus was born. However, they did not stay there for lack of financial resources. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they tried to stay in a lodging house, but everything was “booked solid” in the city. (Luke 2:7) As soon as the crowds thinned out, they promptly relocated to a rented “house” in Jerusalem. (Matthew 2:11) Also, it takes financial resources to travel. When God warned Joseph to flee to Egypt quickly, he obviously had the financial resources on hand to afford a hastily arranged, indefinite stay in a foreign nation. (Matthew 2:13-15) Either Joseph was not a “poor carpenter,” or these funds came from the gifts of the Magi at Jesus’ birth.

Jesus was descended from the kings of Judah through both His father and mother! While Matthew 1 gives Joseph’s descent from Judah’s dynastic line, Luke 3:23-33 gives Mary’s descent from king David. Both Joseph and Mary were direct descendants of King David, the kings of Judah, related to the Davidic kings in Asia and had Salathiel and Zerubbabel as common ancestors. However, Joseph and Mary’s immediate ancestors were descended from two different sons of Zerubbabel. (Matthew 1:13-16, Luke 3:23-27) Some confusion exists on this point, as it is easy to not grasp that Luke 3’s account gives Mary’s lineage. Henry Halley explains this point as follows:

“The commonly accepted view is that Matthew gives Joseph’s line, showing Jesus to be the Legal Heir to the Promises given Abraham and David; and that Luke gives Mary’s line, showing Jesus’ blood descent, ‘Son of David according to the flesh’ (Romans 1:3). Mary’s genealogy, in accord with Jewish usage, was in her husband’s name. Joseph was the ‘son of Heli’ (Luke 3:23), that is, ‘son-in-law’ of Heli. Jacob was Joseph’s father (Matthew 1:16).”21

Jesus was a “blue-blooded” son of parents descended from royalty. This remarkable relationship meant both Joseph and Jesus were distant relatives of Parthia’s kings. Because Parthia could offer the kingship to any relative of the Parthian king line, not just the oldest son or closest relative of the previous king, both Joseph and Jesus Christ were potential claimants to the throne of the Parthian Empire! While the Bible does record Jesus’ royal lineage of the seed of David, it does not specifically mention His relationship to Parthia’s dynasty. However, as we shall see later in this chapter, the Bible implies that this relationship existed.

Since the Magi who worshipped Jesus were members of the body which selected the kings of Parthia and kept track of male Arsacids, they must have been ecstatic to find living descendants of King David. The Magi no doubt discussed the possibility that this child Jesus, born under such unusual circumstances, might one day take the throne of Parthia. While the Bible is silent on their future contacts, this delegation of Parthian Magi likely would have stayed in contact with Jesus in future years and monitored the events of His life. If the Parthians had a Messianic understanding, Jesus would have been seen as an acceptable ruler because He was a son of David.

Did the Magi Almost Cause a Roman-Parthian War?

Let us consider that the visit of the Magi to Jesus may have been a factor in a political crisis that almost led to a new Roman-Parthian war. Recall that from 40-37 B.C., Parthia had ruled Palestine and Syria before the Romans drove them back across the Euphrates River. That war ushered in a long period of Parthian-Roman détente which included the entire lifetime of Jesus Christ. However, a great Parthian-Roman war was barely averted in 1 A.D. when a “summit conference” was held between the Parthian emperor, Phraataces, and Caius Caesar, the grandson of Augustus Caesar on an island in the Euphrates River (i.e. neutral territory). Roman sources recorded that:

“The armies of the two chiefs were drawn up on the opposite banks of the river [the Euphrates], facing one another; and the chiefs themselves, accompanied by an equal number of attendants, proceeded to deliberate in the sight of both hosts.”22

This “summit conference” averted war, but how could the Magi’s visit have had a role in this crisis?

(Let me just insert who this Caius Caesar is.

Gaius Caesar (Latin: Gaius Julius Caesar; 20 BC – 21 February AD 4) was consul in AD 1 and the grandson of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Although he was born to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder, Augustus’ only daughter, Gaius and his younger brother, Lucius Caesar were raised by their grandfather as his adopted sons and joint-heirs to the empire. He would experience an accelerated political career befitting a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, with the Roman Senate allowing him to advance his career without first holding a questorship or praetorship, offices that ordinary senators were required to hold as part of the cursus honorum.[1]

In 1 BC Gaius was given command of the eastern provinces, after which he concluded a peace treaty with King Phraates V of Parthia on an island in the Euphrates. Shortly afterward, he was appointed to the office of consul the following year in AD 1. The year after Gaius’ consulship, Lucius died at Massilia in the month of August. Approximately eighteen months later, Gaius died of an illness in Lycia. Although he married his second cousin Livilla prior to his death, they did not have children. Following the deaths of Gaius and Lucius, Augustus adopted his stepson as well as his sole-surviving grandson – Tiberius and Agrippa Postumus, respectively – in AD 4.)

The Bible’s account of the Magi visiting Jesus ceases when the Magi left Judea and returned to Parthia, leaving the impression that the issue was concluded. However, if we consider the geopolitical realities of that time, there is no way that the Magi’s exit from Judea ended the matter.

Matthew 2:3 records that Herod and “all Jerusalem” were troubled by the arrival of the Magi. Jerusalem was a commercial city at the nexus of major trade routes, and it commonly received caravans of thousands of people. Three tired Magi arriving from the east would not have made a ripple in the city’s calm. For that matter, caravans from Parthian territory could arrive in Jerusalem with many thousands of armed escorts, and such events did not trouble the city. However, the arrival of Parthian Magi — Parthia’s nobles and priests — in Jerusalem escorted by a large army of Parthian soldiers was unprecedented and unrepeated in the history of the city of Jerusalem. This occurred at a time when Parthia and Rome had a peace treaty, and no major Roman or Parthian military forces had crossed the Euphrates River in over three decades. The arrival of a large Parthian military force in Jerusalem escorting high Parthian officials was militarily provocative and could justifiably be seen by King Herod and the Romans as a treaty violation.

When Parthia had occupied Palestine, it had crowned its own vassal king, Antigonus, as ruler of Judea. When the Magi, Parthia’s official king-makers, came to Jerusalem looking for “a new king of the Jews,” it must have sounded to Herod and the Romans that the Parthians were trying to reassert their claim to Judea and dethrone Herod. Their speaking directly to Herod, who was Rome’s “king of the Jews,” about wanting to find a “new king of the Jews” could be seen by the Romans as very close to a declaration of war, given the region’s history. The fact that King Herod “bit his tongue” and made no rash statement to the Magi and treated them with deference argues that the Parthians must have had an intimidating number of troops at Jerusalem to compel Herod to be so uncharacteristically meek. Since a major Roman-Parthian treaty had been in effect for over three decades, Rome felt unthreatened in the region, and would, consequently, have had only a small garrison in Jerusalem.

Caesar’s decree that no Parthian war be provoked also put Herod in an awkward position. While the Magi and Parthians were in Judea with no harmful intent, there is no way the Romans could be sure this “visit” was benign in nature. After the Parthians left, Herod “blew his stack” (Matthew 2:16) and vented his pent-up rage by murdering all male children in Bethlehem under age two. Official reports surely had to be filed with Augustus Caesar in Rome about this highly unusual event.

Herod was justifiably fearful of Parthian intentions in the area. Hadn’t they come to anoint a replacement for him as “king of the Jews?” Hadn’t they also deceived him by leaving the area without his knowledge? Herod’s murderous act in Bethlehem would also have inflamed Jewish residents, and rumors of revolt against the hated Romans would have intensified. Faced with a possible Parthian invasion and/or a Jewish revolt, Herod needed more Roman soldiers in the region. In his reports to Caesar, Herod surely cast himself in a favorable light, warning Caesar that the Parthians had crossed the Euphrates, made a military reconnaissance to Jerusalem to spy out the city’s weakness and were openly talking about crowning a “new king of the Jews.” Because the Parthians’ arrival in Jerusalem had scared the whole city, news of this extraordinary event would have spread quickly along the trade routes. Roman honor had been slighted, and Rome usually responded to such an insult.

However, the Romans could not respond immediately. Rome had been sapped by the costly civil wars between Brutus and Octavian and also Octavian against Mark Antony and Cleopatra. These wars were fought in the eastern half of the Roman Empire, so Rome’s military forces in the east had been depleted and disorganized. Augustus Caesar could not be entirely sure whom to trust with an army, lest another civil war break out in the east. Herod the Great was a firm ally of Augustus, but Herod was soon to die, leaving Augustus with no close ally in the East to whom he could entrust an army. Also, Rome and Parthia were facing a possible conflict in Armenia over succession to the throne of Armenia. In both Armenia and Judea, the issue was whether Rome or Parthia would choose the kings of those nations. Also, Rome had to finance, train and equip an army to fight the Parthians. Rome’s armies under Crassus and Mark Antony had been “clobbered” by the Parthians, so Rome would need extra time to assemble an army to challenge Parthia. Rome’s leadership crisis is described by George Rawlinson as follows:

“Augustus [formerly “Octavian”], from the time that he heard of the Armenian troubles, and of the support given them by Parthia, seems never to have wavered in his determination to vindicate the claims of Rome…[but] hesitated as to the person whose services he should employ…He would have been glad to employ Tiberius; but that morose prince had deserted him and…was living in self-chosen retirement. Caius, the eldest of his grandsons, was, in B.C. 2, only 18 years of age…the extreme youth of the prince caused him to hesitate…and the consequence was that Caius did not start for the East until late in B.C. 1.”23

In other words, Rome’s political situation compelled a delay in responding to Parthia’s real provocation in Judea and apparent provocation in Armenia. The situation was further muddled by the death of Phraates IV, Parthia’s emperor when the Magi visited Jerusalem.24 Since Phraates IV and Herod the Great had died by the time Rome’s army was ready, all the major principals had a fresh viewpoint by the time Rome and Parthia had their “summit conference” at the Euphrates River in 1 A.D.

Although historical accounts mention only the Armenian dispute, it is significant that the Parthian and Roman armies did not confront each other in Armenia. Their confrontation was along the Euphrates River, which had been crossed by the Parthian armed column led by the Magi. Everyone in the region breathed a huge sigh of relief when war was averted. As we shall soon see, if a war had been fought ending the Parthian-Roman detente, much of Jesus Christ’s ministry in Judea could not have occurred.

If the armed Parthian column led by the Magi provoked the Roman-Parthian confrontation in 1 A.D. during which war was averted, a date of 2 B.C. for Christ’s birth is more logical. If He had been born in 4 B.C., there would be too great a gap between that year and the Roman response in 1 A.D. However, a gap from 2 B.C. to 1 A.D. would be understandable given the political realities of that time. (He was born Sept 11, 3 BC.)

The Bible says little else concerning the early years of Jesus Christ. Luke 2:40 states that Jesus “waxed strong,” and was filled with wisdom and favored by God. Luke 2:41-50 tells us that Jesus, at age twelve, amazed the teachers in the Temple with His wisdom. This passage confirms that Jesus was being raised by His parents according to the Laws of God, as His family annually attended the Passover in Jerusalem, the location of the Temple. Jesus would have been seen by others as a devout, brilliant son of a prominent Jewish family.

ENDNOTES:

1. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, XVIII, III, 3
2.Wilken, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them, p. 98
3.Ibid, pp. 99-100 (citing Eusebius, The History of the Church, 4.3.2)
4.Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, Part II, “The Burning of Rome,” circa XV.42-47
5.Rawlinson, The Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy, pp. 178-181
6.Josephus, Antiquities, XV, I, 2
7.Rawlinson, The Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy, pp. 199-205
8. Ibid, The Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy, p. 216
9. Ibid, p. 210
10.Ibid, p. 85
11.Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, see word “Wise,” subhead 8, p. 1060
12.Josephus, Antiquities, XVIII, IX, 1
13.Plutarch, Crassus, 21
14.Encyclopaedia Britannica, Heading entitled “Asia,” Vol. 2, p. 512
15.Rawlinson, The Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy, p. 118
16.Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, XVIII, IX, 1
17.Plutarch, Crassus, 21
18.website: www.parthia.com, see links: “Geography,” “Parthian Stations,” and “Parallel Passages from the Chinese Annals” (citing Friedrich Hirth’s China and the Roman Orient)
19.Rawlinson, George, The Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy, pp. 195-198, 215
20.Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, see “Salathiel, Shealtiel,” p. 831
21.Halley, Henry, Halley’s Bible Handbook, see “Matthew,” p. 415
22.Rawlinson, The Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy, pp. 218-219
23.Rawlinson, The Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy, pp. 213-214

11 Comments

  1. Ryan

    Wow! With the details that you provide I think you need to invest in making a movie. I fully belive that the 10 commandments movie (which is awesome in its self) would be blown away with the insights presented in this week’s news letter and much others in past! Thank you for all the hard work and research in educating us who are hungry for Yehovahs truth in these delusional times we are in! May Yehovah continue to greatly bless you and those of us who continue to search for the truths of Yehovah and Yeshua!

    Reply
  2. James Haag

    Joe, I too have had a revelation on Yeshua’s return. The Scriptures say two are in the field, two grinding at the mill: this means they are working, so He is not returning on Shabbat or a Holy day for we would not be working. What do you see in this? Jim

    Reply
  3. Elaine

    i share these newsletters but i find the zoom meets are missing….. can you please put them each newsletter for new comers.thank u again for another great teaching!

    Reply
  4. Liviu

    Shabat Shalom. I did some math 69*49 =3381 .So the year would be 1993 C.E.? Can you comment ?

    Reply
    • Lee Robertson

      Wow! I love history and I’ve been praying for my own eyes to see what I can’t see. Then I stumbled onto this incredible information on your website. I look forward to your newsletter. I have also been studying the feast of the Lord in Leviticus … Wow!

      Reply
  5. Phyllis Mannering

    Joe, Please help me with these numbers. In Daniel it says 62 weeks. 62 multiplied by 49 = 3332. I get 3038 years. Could you show me how I could be wrong? Numbers are a bother to me. Phyllis Mannering.

    Reply
    • Anon

      7 weeks = 343 years (Jubilee cycles 51 to 57)
      62 weeks = 3,038 years (Jubilee cycles 58 to 119)
      1 week = 49 years (120th Jubilee cycle)

      70 weeks = 3,430 years (Jubilee cycles 51 to 120)

      Reply
  6. Robert Marr

    Good information. Never gets old. Thanks Joseph and the crew.
    About the Seals, covid and all its mandates have conquered the world through W.H.O. and World Bank and their strongholds over the nations. Covid and its vaccine have killed more people then we can possibly imagine. Besides all this, covid hit the stage on the middle of the week as Dan 9v27 mentions. Immediately following covid’s path was this Russian War that is never ending and will cause huge economical and agricultural issues…

    My point covid 1st seal, russia 2nd seal, 3rd seal is what we see in the news today…inflation, recession, famines, farms burning down…

    Its just so obvious

    Reply
  7. Grace

    You wrote: one lot for Jehovah, and the other lot for Azazel. ASV
    The one Goat represents YEHOVAH and the other goat represents Satan. Yehovah is the one who dies for us to cleanse us of our sins as shown in verse 17.

    Incorrect, Yahusha died. YHVH can not die, he can not touch death.

    Satan is not a person, it means adversary.

    Reply
    • James Relf

      You need to read Leviticus 16. It tells you who the two goats are. Yehshua was not one of the two goats.

      Reply
    • Anon

      Yahusha is a compound word that means “Yehovah saves.”

      Reply

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