Today on the “Israel Today” website there was a picture of the Star of David on fire, and a headliner that read; “Israel’s Future-Bloom, or Gloom?” When I saw this it reminded me of the text in the Prophet Malachi which reads… “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.” Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.” (Malachi 3:2-4) The ‘sons’ of Levi mentioned in this text, and in light of its prophetic context for Israel in the future, has a broader application than just the Levitical Priesthood. It includes a royal Priesthood made up of believing men and women, both Jew and Gentile in the Messiah. (1Peter 2:9)
Sons and daughters
In His first coming the Lord Jesus called 12 men and a faithful remnant of Jewish believers to follow Him and set them apart to Himself to be His Bond Slaves. On the Day of Pentecost the refining fire (Tongues of fire) of the Holy Spirit rested upon each of the 120 in the upper room empowering them for witness and service and purifying their hearts by faith. (Luke 24:49) (Acts 1:8) (Acts 2:4) He purified the ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ of Levi. On that day they were shown to be a Royal Priesthood set apart to God. There were women also present on the day of Pentecost among those 120 believers in the upper room. God poured out His Spirit on both His “sons and daughters, his servants both men and women.” (Acts 2:17-18) On that Day David’s fallen tabernacle was restored spiritually. (Acts 15:16-17) Gentiles were also to be grafted into and included in this elect company of saved Israelites (Romans 11:15-18).
The ‘Former’ and ‘Latter’ rain
Pentecost was the ‘former rain’ of the Spirit prophesied to fall upon a faithful believing Jewish remnant and the harbinger of the latter rain of the Spirit to fall at the end of this age upon a faithful believing Jewish remnant. (Joel 2:22-32) (Acts 2:16-21) (Zechariah 12:10-14) Pentecost began with the Jews and spread out to the Gentiles and the same will be true at the end of this age when Pentecost will be repeated in Israel and many Gentiles will be brought into God’s Kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom by the Jewish believers in the Lord Jesus. The Church will also be on earth and witnessing but for the most part decimated through persecution and Martyrdom. (Daniel 7:21, 25; 8:24; 11:33; 12:7) (Revelation 13:4) At this time Israel as a nation will be passing through the Time of Jacob’s trouble (God’s refining fire) but will be saved out of it when the Lord Jesus comes back again. (Jeremiah 30:1-7) (Zechariah 12:1-11; 14:3, 12-14) The faithful surviving remnant of Israelis will fight at Jerusalem alongside their Messiah, the Lord Jesus. (Zechariah 14:14)
Pentecost repeated
Some will say that the Day of Pentecost cannot be repeated but they rely upon the English text of Acts 2:16 which reads; “This is to fulfil what was spoken of by the prophet Joel.” However, the Greek text says; “This is LIKE THAT which was spoken of by the prophets Joel.” In other words it was the ‘pattern’, ‘harbinger’, the ‘foreshadow’ or ‘type’ of what was to come in the future and it was directly connected to Israel as a nation. After all, the whole Bible is a Jewish book! On the Day of Pentecost there were no wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below. There was no blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun was not turned to darkness or the moon turned to blood. Notice that these ‘signs’ in the cosmos and on earth happen just prior to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. Undoubtedly in 70AD, when Jerusalem was burning, the sun would have been blotted out by the thick black billows of smoke from the burning city and the moon turning blood red in colour from the reflection of the flames, but the other ‘signs’ described did not happen in 70AD.
Offerings pleasing to God
Malachi’s prophecy has a double fulfilment for both the first coming and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. Tragically, 70 AD will be repeated during the ‘times time and half a time’ (3.5 years, 42 months, 1,260 days) when Antichrist will rule from Jerusalem and the whole world engulfed in wars, famines, diseases, earthquakes, spiritual deception, economic recessions and persecution and martyrdom of both faithful Jews and Christians. Through all of these things God will be purifying the ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ of Levi to bring about in them righteousness so that the offerings of Jerusalem and Judah will be pleasing to Him as they were on the Day of Pentecost. Whay happened at Pentecost is to be repeated but it will be amidst “blood, fire and vapours of smoke” with the constellations not giving their light. (Joel 3:15) (Isaiah 13:9-13) (Matthew 24:29) Immediately after these ‘signs’ the rapture and resurrection of the Body of the Messiah happens at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. (Matthew 14:30-31) Also at that time the LORD will deliver Israel from the armies surrounding Jerusalem. (Zechariah 14:3)
A Mighty Army!
For Israel as a nation, away from their Messiah and “aliens and strangers” to their own covenants of promise, sadly it will be ‘gloom’ before ‘bloom.’ In 1948, Ezekiel 37:1-1-8 occurred when Israel became “a nation born in a day.” (Isaiah 66:7-9) The ‘rattling noise’ of the bones coming together and the flesh and sinews appearing on them was heard around the world and the ‘bones’ are still ‘rattling’ louder every day. Israel is back in the land of Israel but still there is no breath of the blessed the Holy Spirit in them as a nation to this day even though they are dwelling in the land in unbelief. Once they have passed through the Time of Jacob’s Trouble ‘breath’ will enter into them once again and they shall stand on their feet, a mighty army. At this time Ezekiel 37:9-10 will have occurred. According Ezekiel 37: 11 these ‘bones’ brought back to life are “the whole House of Israel,” not the Church! After all, the whole Bible is a Jewish book!
A Royal Priesthood
On the Day of Pentecost the ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ of Levi (a Royal Priesthood) were purified and refined. This was ‘the former rain’ of the Spirit. When Pentecost happens again at the end of the age it will be ‘the latter rain’ of the Spirit and in both the first and the last Pentecost it was directly related to a faithful remnant of believing Jews that saw multitudes of Gentiles saved and brought into the Kingdom of God. When this last outpouring of the Spirit upon Israel happens, the ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ of Levi will have been purged and refined to co-reign with their Messiah as a Royal Priesthood in His Millennial Kingdom and glory after He has come back.
