In like a Lion. Out like a Lamb

The proverb means that if the month of March begins like a lion (bad weather) it will end like lamb (calm weather). Or the other way around.

It’s an interesting proverb given that Jesus died as ‘the Lamb of God’ in late March (or early April) but promises to return as a roaring lion., (Rev 5).

However, Biblically speaking, likely His return will switch from the spring to the autumn New Year. (These are the two New Years found in the Bible.)

In Jesus day they had their own idiom about winter:

Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! (John 4:35)

In the absolute sense, this was a prophecy about the harvest of souls that would result from His death and resurrection.

Let’s expand this idiom of the Lion and the Lamb and join it with this ancient ‘harvest’ saying.

But first a little background.

Spring ahead or fall back?

We add or delay an hour twice a year when we switch Daylight Savings Time. God does the same thing on His celestial clock but in ways surpassing man’s perception — unless revealed.

Jesus said, “four months until harvest”.

Count back “four months” from the March barley harvest in Israel when Jesus died. That puts the start of these four months in December. December is when the events recorded in John 10 occurred.

The narrative prior to John 10:22 occurred at the end of the autumn Feast of Tabernacles, about mid-October. But suddenly time leaps ahead two months from Tabernacles to Hanukkah (“The Feast of Dedication”) at verse 22 of John 10.

Notice that even though a jump of two months occurs in the middle of John 10, the theme of ‘the Shepherd and His sheep’ remains unchanged. It’s as if no time at all passed between verses 21 and 22.

Nothing is by accident in the Bible.

Notice the words, “It was winter”.

Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. John 10:22

Recall Jesus’ words: “In four months is the harvest” — that is, the barley harvest at Passover when Jesus died and rose again to reap a “harvest” of souls.

Half 2300 days (Dan. 8:14) had elapsed since the start of His ministry unto the Hanukahah of John 10:22. “In four months” (11o days to be exact) Christ would die. Therefore, He died half-seven years (1260 days) from when He began His ministry. (1150 + 110 = 1260, on 360-calendar.) (See Dan. 9:24-27.)

It’s this difference between 1150 of Daniel 8 and 1290 of Daniel 12 (or 1260 of Rev 12) that Jesus refers to when He spoke of the (approximate) “four months until harvest”.

“And it was winter”

Normally the time of sowing in Israel lasted six months, from Tabernacles until Passover. But the “Lord of the Harvest” shortens that saying from six to four months. That’s His prerogatives. After all, He calls Himself “The Lord of the Harvest”, (Matt 9:38).

And as said, the narrative of ‘the Shepherd and the sheep’ of John 10 likewise compresses time by this same two months, jumping from Tishri 22-25th to Kislev 25th of Hanukkah. The math and the narrative say the same thing. Time has been shortened by two months.

What is happening here?

The clue is in Jesus’ words. Read them again:

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! (John 4:34-35)

Among other things, Jesus is hinting at the shortening of the harvest season, from six to four months.

This proverb appears to have originally meant: “At the darkest time of the year, the start of winter, four of the six months of sowing still remain! So be patient!”

But Jesus ‘cuts that time short’ in some way.

Recall Jesus’ words.

Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (Matt 24:20-22)

In the Gospels, the word “winter” is mentioned just twice, here and in John 10. (Not including parallel passages repeating the same story.) And both instances include the shortening of time.

The message is clear: For the sake of His sheep, the days will be shortened.

As said in earlier posts, there are different technical ways God can “shorten the days”.

For example, see the recent sign of Typhoon Descending Dragon. If God acts on it, the autumn of AD 2195 is now being shortened to the autumn of 2019. That’s big news! And the various signs lately attest to this. But whether God acts on this potentiality is still His prerogative.

In a sense, it’s also in our hands, too.

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God… (2Peter 3:11-12).

Combining Proverbs

At times I grow weary of God’s signs. Few listen.

But here we go again!

I believe that the Lord would expand the meaning of our English proverb, “In like a Lion. Out like a Lamb.”

Jesus came the first time early spring to die and reap a harvest of souls. He came “like a Lamb”. Next time He comes like a roaring lion.

He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” (Rev 10: 2-4)

The angel of Rev. 10 characterizes the Lord who led Israel in the wilderness 40 years by a pillar of cloud and fire. At that time entrance to the Promised Land was delayed 40 years due to unbelief. Here Rev 10 alludes to Ezekiel 4 and His “40 days”, as well as the “three-week” delay of Daniel 10.

I leave it to the reader to compare Scripture, but the conclusion is this:

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 

But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” (Rev 10:5-7)

No more delay

The words, “There will be no more delay” implies that once in the past there was a delay but that this delay is either over or that the delay itself will be cut short. This is the same message that is often repeated in my posts: The end-times have many potential pathways. As far as His Second Coming is concerned, only God knows what path He will take.

From our perspective, there is both delay and cutting short of time in some way. Understanding the different ways that this can be accomplished is one of the mysteries being revealed at this time, the complexity of which forbids future date setting. Enjoy the ride. Be flexible!

It’s enough that we know that “God has everything timed on His clock”. His loving paths are past finding out. But we can study His paths. I have studied His paths for 30 years, night and day. I enjoy the ride as long as I keep my hands off the steering wheel.

Winter comes early like never before in 2019

Jesus came in like a lamb and but will return like a lion.

And this winter in North America has come in like a lion, shattering many records for cold and snow. It’s as if we skipped a month or two and went straight to winter!

Remind you of anything?

In like a Lion…

And consider this: Typhoon Descending Dragon is much to blame for this early cold — the same Typhoon that symbolized the shortening of time as explained in that post.

Let this truth warm your heart as you shiver in early winter: God holds the reigns of time.

Dragon Typhoon causes early winter in North America

This typhoon had its greatest effect on land when its remnant energy enforced a weather pattern over North America that set records in many places for the coldest early November weather ever, along with snow.

Early winter is another way of saying that the time schedule has been pushed forward two months, symbolically speaking. It’s four months until harvest!

Falling star at the Arch of St Louis

St Louis is an example of snow and record-cold this season. The same night that record cold occurred there, the roar of a bright falling star was both seen and heard.

The below video was taken at about 8:45 pm, Remembrance Day. The falling star with the iconic Gateway Arch in the background speaks to me again of the fall of Lucifer because in antiquity a circular gateway was a common concept of a portal to the stars.

Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Rev 12:12)

It’s the largest arch in the world at 630 feet. If it were a full circle it would then be 1260 feet in diameter. It coincided with the peak of the Taurids meteor shower (falling stars).

(The dragons)  tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth…The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. (Rev 12:4,6)

Ending on a Pi note

The numeric of this post is hidden in the Pi (π) formula, revealed a few months ago. You can go back and study that for yourself, but the denominator is one season of years (13 weeks times 365).

Or expressed as “one second”: