THE JERICHO PARALLELS

The 24th chapter of Matthew in which Jesus describes the signs of the end of the age, He warns his hearers about false Christs who would come to deceive the gullible and uninformed. He stated in Matthew 24:26-27 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” What I understand Jesus to be saying is that His return will be no secret to anybody on the planet. Lightning is a highly visible event and can be seen, even indoors. His return will be lightning-fast and everyone will see Him. I also know that Jesus never said a word that wasn’t an important one for us to consider. He could have said; for as lightning flashes, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. But he didn’t. He described the lightning flashing from the East to the West. Understanding that the context of this passage is the prophecy of Jesus, I got to thinking about what other significant event/s involving movement from East to West are described elsewhere in Scripture and how that might be important for our consideration?
I found remarkable parallels in the book of The Revelation and the book of Joshua. The parallels I am listing are not exhaustive but certainly prompt a deeper inquiry. So what are these parallels? As we look at Joshua 5:13 we find Joshua, with Israel following, had come from their wanderings in the desert, miraculously crossed the Jordan River from East to West, and now stand ready to confront the first enemy stronghold, Jericho. Joshua confronts the “commander of the army of the Lord” who instructs him to “March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up every man straight in.” (Jos. 6:3-5) So what are the essential elements of this passage? 1) The people are led by one named Joshua. His name in Hebrew means He Saves. 2) There were 7 priests carrying 7 trumpets. 3) The Ark of the Covenant was carried ahead of the people. The Ark was the place where the Presence and the Glory of God resided on the Mercy Seat.
We know that when the anti-Christ is revealed there will be a 7 year period of unparalleled tribulation upon the earth. Let’s take a look at the parallels in The Revelation with the account in Joshua. 1) This tribulation will be initiated by the blowing of 7 trumpets by 7 angles (Rev 8:6-11:15). 2)Jesus said His coming would be like the lightning flashing from East to West (Mat 24:27) 3) Rev 19:13-14 describes Jesus mounted upon a white horse ready to make war against the anti-Christ and the false prophet followed by the armies of heaven. Oh by the way, the parallel here is remarkable! Jesus is leading the armies of heaven. Joshua was leading the army if Israel. 4) The name, Jesus, is the English translation of the Greek translation of the Hebrew name given the Messiah, Joshua “because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21)
There is one more interesting point that I found that may be of some interest to you. Now, I know we are not to make predictions about the day and the hour of the return of Christ but we are commanded by Christ to know the season. I thought that since there was such a strong similarity in the events of Joshua and The Revelation that it might be interesting to examine the timing of the Joshua events. Joshua led Israel across the Jordan into Canaan in the month of Nissan, the first month of the Jewish calendar. That fact by itself wasn’t so significant until you examine if there were any other significant events in the history of Israel that took place during that same time frame. Well, as it happens, there are remarkable events that took place during that same time of year. In Jewish tradition, Nissan is called the “month of redemption.” It is said “In Nissan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt and in Nissan we will be redeemed.” It is also called the “Month of Miracles.” and expected that “Future redemption will be miraculous even like the miracles of the Exodus. Yes, the Passover and the Exodus occurred in the Month of Nissan. Israel miraculously crossed the Jordan River into Canaan in Nissan. Jesus entered Jerusalem on what became Palm Sunday in the month of Nissan. The Last Supper, Passover, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection all occurred in the month of Nissan. I would not be surprised at all to find that the Lord Jesus will return to Israel and to the earth in the month of Nissan (March/April in our calendar). I suppose then that we can forecast that if the Church is raptured prior to the Great Tribulation, which lasts 7 years, then the Rapture will occur in the month of Nissan (March/April) as well. We cannot be dogmatic about this, but I eagerly look forward to each spring!