|
Symbolism of
cross-reference plays a great part in the interpretation of Scripture:
Interpretation is not a guess. The "Valley of Josephat" is a
symbolism of the Day of the Lord where Christ will do a
like work at His Second Coming.
valley of josephat:
"I will bring all nations into the
valley of Josephat
and there I will plead for MY PEOPLE and my INHERITANCE,
Israel."
There is
only one Valley connected with Josephat
in Scripture, it is 2 Chronicles 20. All the nations gather against God's people
and Josepha with his tiny army does not know what to do.
But he gives himself up to prayer and fasting and a prophet rises up
and assures him that the work is not his but God's.
So Josephat takes courage and with
his tiny army goes out to meet the foe. In the meantime the Ammonites begin
fighting with the Moabites and the Moabites begin fighting with the inhabitants
of Mt Seir. When Josephat arrives at the top of the mountain, he looks down and
sees all the slain before him. He goes down and takes their spoils. And he calls
it "The Valley of Blessing".
GOD HAS A LIKE
WORK IN THE LATTER DAYS:
"Not with an army or by might but by My Spirit, says the Lord"
(Zacharias 4:6); "you shall return and see the difference between
the just and the unjust, between him who serves the Lord and him who
serves him not...when they shall be ashes under your feet, it shall
not leave them root nor branch...
IN THE DAY WHEN 'I
DO' SAYS THE LORD
"
(Malachias 3:18-4:6) God is warning all the world that nations are on the
verge of destroying themselves. The remedy is change of heart and a return to
the Lord "who alone has power to save" and will do so. God warns but does not
force.; He calls but has given us free will. But how do I know for sure? I would
hate to find out too late! The worse thing is for evil to have no end. God's
word is never "woe!" except to those who refuse it. By God's love and
faithfulness, there is a sure remedy: "I made the smith who brings forth his
instrument to destroy. And I made the substance from which he forms his
instruments to destroy. No weapon that is formed against you will prosper...This
is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord and my faithfulness, says the
Lord" (Isaias 54) Another symbolism of the Day of the Lord is,
"as in the day of Median" = Judges 7
"I
beheld till thrones were placed and the Ancient of days sat...
and
the books
were opened (Dan.7:9;
Apoc.20:12) and judgment was
given. And I beheld because of the great words which that horn spoke: and
I saw that the beast was slain, and the body thereof was destroyed, and given to
the fire to be burnt. And lo, One like the Son of Man came with the clouds
of heaven, and He came even to the Ancient of days....And He gave Him power, and
glory, and a kingdom...His power is an everlasting power that shall not be
taken away (Dan. 7:9-14)
ARMAGEDON:
"And I saw from the mouth of the dragon, and the mouth of the beast and the
mouth of the false
prophet, three unclean spirits... the spirits of devils working signs,
and they go forth to the kings of the whole earth, to gather them to battle against
the great day of the Almighty God.
And He shall gather them together into a place which in Hebrew is called
ARMAGEDON (see Zach. 12:11 - murder of the Lord's witness shall bring on the
great conflagration)....And
there
was a great earthquake, such as one as never had been since men were upon the
earth, such an earthquake, so great. And the great city was divided into three
parts; and the cities of the Gentiles (ungodly) fell. " (Apoc. 16:16-19)
"AWAKE,
O SWORD, AGAINST MY SHEPHERD
and
against the man, my companion
(Zach.4;
7:7; Apoc. 11). And there shall
be in all the earth, says the Lord,
two parts in it shall perish:
but the
third part shall be left. And I will bring the third part through
the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined: and I will try them as
gold is tried.
They shall call on My Name, and I will hear them.
I
will say:
You are My people:
and they shall say:
The
Lord is my God"
The world shall be divided
into three camps (Zach.13:8-9): One camp shall be protected by
the Lord's Covenant, and the other two camps comprising
all who refuse His Covenant and kill the prophets sent to save them.
Thus, ARMAGADON is a catastrophy, not a
place: "In that day there shall be a great lamentation in
Jerusalem, like the lamentation of Adadremmon in the plain of ARMAGEDON" (Zach. 12:11
-- Symbolic for the weeping that happened when good King Josias was slain.
The
assassination of the Prophets whom God sent to save the
world, will bring
on the world catastrophe, Atomic War and more: "If anyone
shall hurt them, fire shall come out of their mouths (prophecy) and devour their enemies".
The three days of darkness is part of God's Mercy to save His
people. No one can use any weapons when there is no light,
etc. St Padre Pio says that after this, there begins a new
springtime for the earth will be purified morally and physically.
By God's
Great Mercy, repentance can reverse the greatest
impending disasters. Remember Jonah. Also, God desires "not the
death of the sinner but rather that he be converted and live" |
