In Revelation 9:3-5 we read:
3) And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4) And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5) And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
In this study we are going to discuss some things related to the five months of torment that we had thought would take place between May 21 and October 21, 2011. As we do so, we will find that we were correct in our understanding that God intended to judge the world for a period of five months. But we will also learn that we were incorrect regarding one of our assumptions about the dating of the five months period of torment. In this study we will attempt to correct this misunderstanding, and afterwards also see how God’s timeline extends from:
- May 21, 2011 (the beginning of Judgment Day) until the last day of Judgment Day.
- Five months of torment from May 21 until a date in October 2011, during the feast of tabernacles.
- From the end of the five months in October 2011 until the feast of Purim in March, 2012.
In other words, we will show from the Bible a tie in from the conclusion of the five months referred to in Revelation chapter 9 until the end of the feast of Purim. This will give us additional supporting evidence concerning God’s plan to spiritually fulfill the feast of Purim (as we have learned previously that the book of Esther joins the 17th day of the 2nd month to the date of May 21, 2011). As a result of this information we have a direct time path that goes from the date of 2/17 in Esther until the twelfth month feast of Purim. In this study, we will examine a second link with May 21st and the five months of torment that also reaches the feast of Purim.
Overview for Arriving at the Date of October 21, 2011 as the End of the World
Back in the year 2005, Mr. Camping published the book entitled: “Time Has an End.” In this book it was pointed out that the year 2011 A.D. was the 7000th year from the flood of Noah’s day. It also was explained that the feast of tabernacles was the one main feast yet to be spiritually fulfilled.
In addition, it was mentioned that the phrase, “last day” was found eight times in the Bible. This was significant because the phrase “last day” seemed to identify with the end of the world. And since the phrase “last day” was also used twice in connection with the feast of tabernacles, the conclusion was arrived at that the last day of the feast of tabernacles in the year 2011 would be the probable last day for the world to exist. Early on, the date selected as the last day for tabernacles was October 20th in the year 2011. But then it was realized that the Bible speaks of an additional day of travel (a 9th day related to tabernacles), as a result of this the date was moved one day to October 21st, 2011. This date was selected as the probable date for the return of Christ and the end of the world primarily because it was the last day of the feast of tabernacles in the 7000th year from the flood of Noah’s day.
Independent of the date for the last day of the feast of tabernacles was another important date: it was the date of May 21, 2011. May 21st had to be significant because the 23 year great tribulation period (which had begun May 21, 1988) concluded on that day. It was also an exact 8400 day period for the great tribulation. For a little while the two dates of October 21st and May 21st could not be reconciled. The year 2011 seemed certain—but it was not known upon which of these two likely dates Christ would return.
Regarding May 21st, it was soon noticed that the underlying Hebrew (biblical) calendar date for that day was the 17th day of the 2nd month. This was highly significant because that was the very date found in the Genesis account for the shutting of the ark’s door and the beginning of the flood. Let’s take a look at that verse once again in Genesis 7:11:
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
This provided further assurance that May 21st was indeed the day to focus upon for the Day of Judgment. But still the question lingered—what about the last day of the feast of tabernacles on October 21st? How did October 21st relate to this very important day of May 21st? Eventually, it was noticed that there was a five month space of time between May 21 and October 21, 2011. This was promising because the Bible’s record of the flood also spoke of a 150 day period that the flood waters prevailed:
Genesis 7:24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
This was five months of time mentioned immediately after the flood began on the 17th day of the 2nd month. Also, it was learned that verses found in Revelation 9 went into some detail concerning an awful period of five months. Revelation 9:5,10:
5) And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
10) And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
Soon it became apparent that the five months was a period of time God had established in which He intended to bring judgment upon mankind. May 21st would be the beginning of the Day of Judgment; but “Judgment Day” (it was concluded) would be five months in duration.
May 21, 2011 Locked in as the Day of Judgment in Three Major Ways
God confirmed May 21st was the beginning of the Day of Judgment in three major ways:
- The underlying Hebrew/biblical calendar date was the 17th day of the 2nd month identifying it with the flood which occurred 7000 years earlier on the same date.
- May 21, 2011 also happened to be exactly 23 years from the start of the great tribulation (May 21, 1988).
- The date of May 21, 2011 was the 722,500 day since Jesus had gone to the cross in 33 A.D. (Family Radio produced a tract entitled, “Another Infallible Proof” showing how 722,500 broke down to: (5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17)).
We have since found additional biblical proof supporting the truth that May 21, 2011 was truly the Day of Judgment. However, no substantial evidence has developed to support the idea that October 21, 2011 was the end of the five months period. The main evidence supporting October 21st was the assumption that the Lord would return during the last day of the feast of tabernacles. Yet, the feast of tabernacles has come and gone and Christ did not return on October 21st as expected.
Time to Make a Correction
Since the main evidence pointing to October 21st as the last day of the five months period was the assumption (based on biblical evidence) that it would be the last day of earth’s existence; and since the world did not end on that day thereby disproving that assumption, it is now necessary for us to make a correction regarding the actual duration of the five months period of time. Let’s turn to the flood account in the book of Genesis. In Genesis 7:11:
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Let’s ask the question: what was one of the major ways in which the Lord verified that May 21, 2011 would be Judgment Day? The answer is that God put His finger on that particular day once we realized that the underlying Hebrew (or biblical) calendar date was the 17th day of the 2nd month. This was an amazing thing! It was noticed that in the year 2011 (exactly 7000 years from the flood), on the exact day that the 23 year Great Tribulation period came to an end, on that very day, the Hebrew calendar was on the same date as recorded in the book of Genesis when the flood began and God shut the door to the ark.
We also knew from the start of the flood on the 17th day of the 2nd month until five months later the Bible emphasized a 150 day period in which the waters prevailed upon the earth. The Bible gave us a second date for this period of time in the very same flood account that had given us our first date for the beginning of the judgment. We read about this in Genesis 8:3-4:
3) And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
4) And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
We see from the flood account itself that 150 days are mentioned, and a date is given for the end of the 150 days (17th day of the 7th month). Due to the date given of the 17th day of the 7th month, we can see that the 150 days cover a period of exactly five months. Of course upon hearing “five months” our ears perk up. We’ve already seen how there was a five months period of time between May 21st and October 21st. And we’ve also seen that the Bible speaks of five months of torment in Revelation chapter 9.
At this point, we have to note that neither the 150 days nor the date of 7/17 (17th day of the 7th month) were factored into the date of October 21st. October 21st happened to be 153 days from May 21st. But as we’ve discussed before, October 21st was not the last day of the end of the world. So now the big question is: was October 21, 2011 the end of the five months period of torment?
The need for correction comes in once we see that the Lord utilized the date of 2/17 (17th day of the 2nd month) in a major way in confirming the date of May 21. He also gave us another date five months later in the very same flood account, of 7/17 (the 17th day of the 7th month). After receiving the confirmation that May 21 would be the Day of Judgment, due to the underlying Hebrew/Biblical calendar date aligning with the date in Genesis 7, we made the mistake of switching calendars to our Gregorian calendar and confirming the five months later on the basis of seeing May 21 align with October 21. Instead of this, once God confirmed the date of 2/17 through the use of the Hebrew calendar (thereby directing us back to the book of Genesis) we should have continued with the same calendar and dated the end of the five months also according to the date found in Genesis 8 of 7/17 (17th day of the 7th month in the Hebrew calendar).
Once we make this correction we find the following in the Hebrew calendar:
- 2/17 Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011.
- 7/17 Five months period of torment came to an end on October 14, 2011 (Tishri 16/17—Hebrew calendar days overlap two of our Gregorian calendar days).
May 21st through October 14, 2011 (2/17 until the beginning of 7/17), was the space of the five months of torment as described in the book of Revelation. It was exactly 147 days in duration.
What Difference Does it Make?
Someone might wonder, since apparently nothing happened on October 14th or October 21st, what does it matter? What possible difference could it make where the five months of so called torment landed?
This is a good question. The answer can be found once we more closely follow the Bible’s own dating for the flood and the duration of the five months period of time. After making the correction that the five months of torment came to a conclusion on Tishri 16/17 (October 14th), we will find a connection with the feast of Purim in the biblical 12th month of Adar. But before we go to discuss this connection, we first need to consider what the Bible has to say about “double payment” for sins.
He Shall Pay Double
Did you know that in some cases God’s law requires a “double payment” for wrong doing? Let’s turn to the book of Exodus to see some examples of this in Exodus 22:4,7,9:
4) If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.
7) If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.
9) For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.
Clearly, here in the book of Exodus we find the Bible laying down laws requiring (in some instances) that the payment for wrong doing (sin) is to be doubled. This isn’t out of the ordinary, even today in our modern world we see road signs in a construction zone announcing the warning, “Fines doubled”. We recognize it is the right of the authorities to double the normal payment for wrong doing in certain areas or at certain times. They are perfectly within their rights to do so.
Likewise, God has placed laws within His law book (the Bible) stating that in some instances the penalty for sin can be doubled. Alright, some might concede, but what does the doubling of the penalty for sins have to do with the topic at hand, which was the “five months of torment?”
In order to answer this properly we have to keep in mind that the judgment of five months of torment was God’s penalty upon this world (the kingdom of Babylon) for their sins. God’s law stated that the world would be judged, and Revelation 9 went into detail describing the nature of that judgment, which would be carried out over a period of time five months in duration.
We find our answers to what God has done concerning the five months of torment, and also to what God has been doing the entire period of time since May 21st in Revelation 18:2:
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Notice the phrase, “Babylon…is fallen, is fallen” repeated twice. This repetition of the phrase, “Babylon is fallen” is found a few times in the Bible. Isn’t it interesting that we have learned about God doubling the payment for sin in some instances; and here we find when it is time to announce the judgment upon Babylon God doubles the pronouncement. It is not typical of the Bible to double a statement like this. For instance, we do not read of Egypt, “Egypt is fallen, is fallen.” Nor do we read this of Assyria. But of Babylon in particular, their fall is doubled.
Before proceeding, we need to remember two important things.
First, the fall of Babylon came after a 70 year period of awful judgment upon the nation of Judah. It is fairly well documented that this 70 year period (from 609 BC, until Babylon’s fall in 539 BC) is an historical type and figure of the great tribulation period. God raised up the king of Babylon in order to use him as a weapon to destroy and bring judgment upon the rebellious nation of Judah. Spiritually, this typified God’s judgment upon the rebellious churches and congregations of the world during the actual period of great tribulation (23 years from May 21, 1988 until May 21, 2011). Therefore, the phrase “Babylon…is fallen, is fallen” identifies with the conclusion of the historical 70 year period Jeremiah wrote about; but it also identifies spiritually with the conclusion of the actual 23 year great tribulation period which ended on May 21, 2011.
Secondly, we also need to remember that “Babylon” is a synonym for the kingdom of Satan. In the context of Revelation 18 it encompasses the world as well as the churches under Satan’s rule.
Let’s continue on in Revelation chapter 18 to see what else God has to say concerning Babylon’s fall and judgment. Revelation 18:5-6:
5) For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6) Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
In the above verses we find it is Judgment Day! It is the time for God to exact payment for the sins of Babylon (i.e. all the unsaved in the world). Please notice the strong emphasis upon the payment being DOUBLED! Three times the Lord uses the word “double.” The cup is to be filled double.
The Cup of God’s Wrath—The Cup of Torment
The language found in Revelation 18:6 concerning Babylon drinking of a “cup” is not unusual in itself. The Bible often makes reference to the wrath of God in terms of the drinking of God’s anger from a cup. We can see this in the following verses:
Psalm 11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
Jeremiah 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
We can quickly see from the Scriptures given above that the “cup” of God’s wrath is without question the wrath of God that comes upon the sinner at the time of Judgment Day. It is significant to point out the context of the verse from Revelation, chapter 14. It is in that same chapter just a couple of verse earlier that we read the following statement in Revelation 14:8:
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Once again we see the doubling of the phrase, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen.” This leads into verse 10 wherein the Lord refers to the wine being poured out into the cup of His indignation. But it is the next thing we read in that verse which we need to consider at this point: “…and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…”
The cup of God’s wrath is described as something which “torments” the one given to drink it. This is the idea behind the “five months of torment” that we read about in Revelation chapter 9. The same Greek word translated as “torment” in Revelation 9 is also found in Revelation 18:6-7:
6) Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7) How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her:
God is commanding that Babylon (those within the kingdom of darkness in this world) is to be given the cup of His wrath (the judgment upon them for their sins) double. And, then He further elaborates “so much torment and sorrow give her.” That is, God is measuring out the amount of torment that is to be filled in the cup of His indignation. It is to be doubled. God’s perfect justice requires and demands a double payment from Babylon because of all her sins. This payment normally would be five months in duration. In Revelation 9:5:
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
However, since it is to be doubled, it must be twice that of five months.
Doubling the Judgment Brings us to the Feast of Purim
Earlier in this study we saw that we had to make a correction regarding the actual time duration of the five months period of time. Basically, this correction enabled us to more closely follow the biblical dates given. Now instead of focusing on just the underlying date of 2/17 (17th day of the 2nd month) for May 21st, we also continue to follow the next date given in the historical record of the flood, which was 7/17 (the 17th day of the 7th month). Since initially, our date for October 21st did not follow 150 days or the date of 7/17 found in the Genesis account, we can be sure that the correction we have made is much more aligned with the biblical account itself. In other words, we did not pull the 17th day of the 7th month out of a hat to make it fit a scenario we have developed; but rather it is found right on the pages of the Bible (Genesis 8:3,4); just as the 17th day of the 2nd month, was also found on the pages of the Bible itself and could be pointed to as biblical evidence (Genesis 7:11). Also, the date of 7/17 has everything to do with the duration of the five months as God very carefully tells us that between 2/17 and 7/17 there was a space of 150 days in which the flood waters prevailed upon the earth. Therefore God is giving us the date of 7/17 as the end date of a five months period of time. As a result of this we have all the biblical warrant necessary to make our correction for the duration of the five months from October 21st, to October 14th (16th and 17th days of the Tishri, the 7th Hebrew month). We now follow both key biblical dates for the beginning of Judgment Day (2/17) and for the end of the five month period (7/17).
Once we make this correction we find something very interesting. The number of days between May 21st (2/17) and October 14th (Tishri 16/17) is 147 (The number 147 breaks down into the significant numbers of 3 x 7 x 7). The number of days arrived at are due to the two dates the Bible has given us. We cannot change the number of days between the dates of 2/17 and 7/17. God has given us these dates and therefore the number of days in between them. Also, we are given an end date for the five months but we are not given another date for a second five months period of time. If we simply go to 12/17 (the 17th day of the Hebrew 12th month) the number of days would not be the same as the first five months of time. And if the number of days were not the same, it would not be a perfect doubling of the judgment. The only way we can get an exact double of the first five months of time is by doubling the number of days we found between the two key dates given to us. The number of days was 147. We then double this number of days and extend Judgment Day from five months of 147 days to Judgment Day of 10 months encompassing 294 days (2 x 147). The second period of five months goes from October 15th (Tishri 17/18) through March 9th (Adar 15th).
In our study of the book of Esther we have seen how the feast of Purim has everything to do with the end of the world. It is a feast that extends over a three day period: Adar 13, 14, and 15. Let’s go to the book of Esther, chapter 9 to read about the events that took place during the biblical feast of Purim. Esther 9:1,17-18,20-22:
1) Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
17) On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
18) But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
20) And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
21) To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
22) As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
The 15th day of Adar (March 9, 2012) identifies with the last day of the feast of Purim. The 15th day was to be a day of rest to celebrate the fact that all the enemies of the Jews had been killed. What a perfect landing point for the doubling of the five months of judgment upon this world! For it is after God has poured all the fullness of His wrath doubled that He will then bring His people into the eternal rest of the new heavens and the new earth.
The Timeline for Judgment Day
Given what we have learned, we can now lay out a timeline for the duration of Judgment Day:
- The 17th day of the 2nd Hebrew month (May 21, 2011), Judgment Day begins.
- The 16th/17th day of the 7th Hebrew month (October 14th, 2011) ends the first period of five months (147 days).
- The 15th day of the 12th Hebrew month (March 9, 2012), concludes the second period of 147 days and a doubling of five months.
Revised 23-Feb-2012 with many minor edits