Does end of Mark Biltz’s Shemitah mean that the Tribulation starts tomorrow?
World News Daily is asking if the Great Tribulation can begin tomorrow, based on positions of Mark Biltz and Jonathan Cahn related to their Shemitah year (which they believe ends tomorrow):
Is 7-year biblical ‘Tribulation’ about to start?
Shemitah cycle could be key
Millions of investors concerned about the Shemitah cycle are watching stock markets and economies in these dark days of September.
Will the Dow crash, they wonder, like it did in the past two Shemitah years, 2001 and 2008, or will the dollar collapse and take the U.S. economy down with it?
Not Mark Biltz.
The founder and pastor of El Shaddai Ministries is watching for something much bigger.
The start of the Tribulation.
Biltz, author of “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs,” is not predicting that the Tribulation will start with the beginning of a new seven-year cycle at sundown on Sunday, Sept. 13. But if it doesn’t start, then he says it likely won’t for at least another seven years.
That’s because God operates according to seasons that follow the biblical Old Testament feast days, he said.
“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is trying to get the attention of the entire world, and His people in particular, of the need to get on His calendar cycle.
One of the ways He does that is through signs in the heavens, including lunar and solar eclipses, which of course have to do with calendars. A total lunar eclipse or “blood moon” occurs on Sept. 28, which is the Feast of Tabernacles. It’s the last of four blood moons, all falling on Jewish feast days, over the past 18 months, a rare “tetrad” of lunar eclipses. …
Biltz believes the prophet Daniel’s “70 weeks” prophecy was based on the Shemitah cycle.
The one remaining “week,” which is seven years according to Daniel’s prophecy, is that period Christians refer to as the Tribulation, and Biltz believes it will be a Shemitah week.
“Therefore the Tribulation week has to begin at the beginning of a Shemitah cycle. The seven-year Tribulation cannot begin just anywhere. It will not begin in just a random year on our pagan calendar,” Biltz said.
The Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, which starts at sundown Sunday, Sept. 13, begins a new seven-year cycle.
“If the Tribulation does not start this fall, then it cannot start for (at least) seven more years,” Biltz said. “May the Lord give us at least one more Shemitah week or seven more years for the body of believers worldwide to come into this understanding of participating in the feasts that they may be ready.” …
Author Jonathan Cahn posited in his best-selling book, “The Mystery of the Shemitah,” that the seven-year pattern has produced major turning points in history. http://www.wnd.com/2015/09/is-7-year-biblical-tribulation-about-to-start/#PTTV0y3hcwrEXwcu.99
Can the Great Tribulation possibly begin tomorrow?
No.
Jesus laid out a variety of signs which have not happened (cf. Matthew 24:9-20). Jesus said nothing about the ‘Shemitah’ being an important factor.
Here is, however, what Jesus taught what would be the final sign:
15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:15-21)
We will NOT see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the Prophet Daniel standing in the Holy Place between now and tomorrow. Thus, no, the Great Tribulation is NOT about to start. It will not start for years.
Neither the end of a particular Shemitah year nor blood moons were items that Jesus said would happen just prior to the start of the Great Tribulation. Mark Biltz’s position that the tribulation begins immediately after the end of a Shemitah is not biblical defensible–and even if it were, Mark Biltz (along with many others) has the wrong year for the Shemitah.
Perhaps, I should mention that many Protestants believe in a seven-year tribulation which begins with the confirmation of the deal in Daniel 9:27 (see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27). While that is remotely possible to be be done this month, it will not happen by the end of the day tomorrow and the tribulation will not start tomorrow.
As far as the so-called Shemitah year goes, I was never convinced that this was that actual year based on earlier research I did (my conclusion was that the most recent Shemitah year ended September 24, 2014).
As far as financial destruction to the stock market in the claimed Shemitah year by Mark Biltz and Jonathan Cahn, let me state that the DOW Jones Industrial Average opening at the start of this claimed Shemitah year was 17,033.93 and the DOW Jones Industrial Average close yesterday (and yesterday was the last trading day of this claimed Shemitah year) was 16,433.09. This is a reduction of around 3.5%. That is not devastation and probably has more to do with the concern that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates for the first time in years than this claimed Shemitah cycle. And while we could see drops the next week, I do not believe it is related to this claimed Shemitah.
The so-called end of the Shemitah year was popularized by the Messianic Jew Jonathan Cahn, who is perhaps best known for his book The Harbinger. Although I do agree that the U.S. stock market sometimes faces crises near the time of the Fall holy days, since I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WE ARE IN THE SHEMITAH YEAR, any claims based upon that are irrelevant.
(Some specifics on calculations related to the ‘Shemitah year’ are in the article The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance.)
Jonathan Cahn made a pseudo-prediction for tomorrow:
I can tell you now that if Almighty God continues His pattern of judgment on the USA, the financial collapse of the US dollar, will happen on Sunday, the 13th of September 2015. http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?73382-MARKET-CRASH-DATE-PREDICTED-In-line-with-Christine-Legarde-s–Luck-7s-..
I do not believe that will be the case.
Sometime back, I saw an interview on CBN by Pat Robertson of Jonathan Cahn that was first broadcast 02/05/2013. The interview screen at one point showed something that resembled two Power Point slides, apparently from Jonathan Cahn or one of his books. The first slide had the following information:
PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 2015 Sep 13
ELLUL 29 SEPTEMBER 13, 2015
GLOBAL COLLAPSE?
So, the above was a prediction of a possible global collapse at the end of a year that I claim was NOT the Shemitah year. Global markets tend not to collapse on Sundays as most are closed then. The final main trading date of the current claimed Shemitah year was yesterday.
The second slide with the Jonathan Cahn interview had the following information:
TETRAD
4 BLOOD MOONSELLUL 29
THIS SOLAR ECLIPSE IS WITHIN THE TRIBULATION TETRAD
Now if by tribulation, Jonathan Cahn meant the Great Tribulation, then it is not at all possible to begin then. I have gone over this before in various articles and videos, and I have directly debunked the ‘Blood Moon’ hypotheses of the Great Tribulation beginning in 2014 or 2015 (see Blood Moons and Prophecy and/or watch Blood Moons, Prophecy, 2014, and 2015).
Near the end of the interview Pat Robertson said:
God…has ordained this young man as His prophet…Jonathan…
Is Jonathan Cahn God’s prophet as Pat Robertson stated?
No, he is not. Nor is Mark Biltz.
They do not meet the New Testament criteria, plus their misunderstanding of various matters disqualifies them (to learn more about prophets, please see the article How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God and/or watch the video also titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God).
Blood moons were never a sign that the Great Tribulation could begin in 2014 or 2015. There are simply too many additional biblically-required signs that Jesus listed in Matthew 24 that cannot occur between now and then.
Truly a lot is happening in this month, but the end is not yet (cf. Matthew 24:6).
Some items of related interest may include:
The ‘Harbinger’ and September 2015 Are you aware of many events that are to happen in 2015? These expected events include the end of military operation Jade Helm, a claimed end to a Shemitah year, Pope Francis speaking before US Congress, Pope Francis speaking before the United Nations, a planned UN proposal to recognize the State of Palestine, and the fourth of four ‘blood moons’ of 2014 &2015. This is a video.
Jade Helm, Captivity, and Prophecy Jade Helm 15 is scheduled by the US Army Special Operations Command to be held from July 15 – September 15, 2015. Some are concerned that this is a prelude to martial law and imprisonment of American political dissidents by the Obama Administration. Is there anything to this? Will the USA be one day taken captive? If so, by whom? What does the Bible teach about conspiracies like Jade Helm?
Messianic Judaism Beliefs Differ from the Continuing Church of God Both groups keep the seventh-day Sabbath, but have important differences in doctrines and practices. Here is a link to a related sermon: Messianic Jewish Beliefs.
The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians “The Day of Atonement.” Does it have any relevance for Christians today? What is the Jubilee? Is fasting healthy?
Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is ‘the temple of God” in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to a sermon titled The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work.
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a ‘red heifer.’ Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here is a related video in English The Red Heifer and the End of the World.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2015, 2016, or 2017? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2014 o 2015? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? A related video would be United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video of related interest could be Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
The Bible, Christians, and the Environment How should Christians view the environment? Does the Bible give any clues? What are some of the effects of air, water, and land pollution? Is environmental pollution a factor in autism and death? Do pollutants seem to double the autism risk? What will Jesus do? A YouTube video is available titled Air Pollution, Autism, and Prophecy.
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?
The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” An Irish bishop allegedly predicted something about 112 popes in the 12th century. Pope Benedict XVI was number 111. Francis would seem to be number 112–if he is that one–and if so, he is to reign until Rome is destroyed. May he be an antipope/final Antichrist?
Will You Be Deceived by Antichrist? 1964 article by David Jon Hill, originally published in the old Good News magazine.
Could Pope Francis be the Last Pope and Antichrist? According to some interpretations of the prophecies of the popes by the Catholic saint and Bishop Malachy, Pope Francis I is in the position of “Peter the Roman,” the pontiff who reigns during tribulations until around the time of the destruction of Rome. Do biblical prophecies warn of someone that sounds like Peter the Roman? Could Francis I be the heretical antipope of Catholic private prophecies and the final Antichrist of Bible prophecy? This is a YouTube video.
Blood Moons and Prophecy There are four ‘blood moons’ expected in 2014 and 2015. Do they signal the Day of the Lord or the return of Jesus Christ? A related YouTube video is also available: Blood Moons, Prophecy, 2014, and 2015.
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them. Here is a related article in the Spanish language ¿Por qué estar preocupado acerca de falsos y heréticos líderes?.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
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