(Deut. 24:5) When God was giving the law to His people, there was mention that when a man got married, he was then exempt from going to war for a year. You could say, that perhaps the Lord wanted to ensure progeny for the man before he put his life at risk.
There is something deeper here, some principle which is a picture of Messiah. Everything is a glimpse of who HE IS and where He is taking us. His Word is there to tell us what will happen, before it happens, so when it happens, we will believe. He is developing our faith and hope and the strength to maintain (because in choosing endurance, we find our joy.....IN HIM!)
SO this basic principle of the LAW in setting aside a year to give joy to the new wife, is reflected in some of the archetypal stories which represent Him. He said that His kingdom would be like a marriage....like ten virgins attending a wedding, like a ruler having a marriage supper for His Son. (Matt 22,23,24)
Those who have submerged themselves in His Word have studied the ancient Jewish wedding model, and are familiar with the concept of the "bride theft". The bridegroom, as Jesus called Himself, comes to "steal her away", the one who belongs to him by prior agreement. The Lord is the thief who comes to take what is valuable (from the adversary). He is only a thief to those who do not believe, do not heed His admonition to WATCH. Those who watch read His Word and know the signs to watch FOR.
Now the severity of our trial, and it's heartbreak, creates the capacity for joy, and the trial's removal uncovers our great gratitude and peace! Only The Almighty can perform these works within us, where our simple trust is repaid with His kindness and mercy, and rewarded a thousand times over by His Glory IN us!
SO, contributing to our understanding of the end times,are the narratives in biblical history, the stories of the saints of old being illustrations of what will happen in the future. IN keeping with the prescription of the law, of the year, I give you the stories of Enoch, of Sarah, and of Esther. All three of these stories are depictions of God's two people groups, and teach is what will soon happen.
In Genesis, Enoch is a type of the church, and Noah represents Israel. Enoch is taken from the Earth at exactly 365 years old. The number of years indicates that it is, in actuallity ONE year of 365 days, which is the gap of time between God's two people groups! Noah was born 69 years after Enoch was taken up! (Hmmmm, Daniel 9:26 & 27, anybody?) Remember Jesus said the end would be as the days of Noah?
Jesus also said the end would be like the days of Lot. When He showed up in person, to visit Abraham and Sarah, on His way to Sodom, He tells them that it will be about a year till Sarah has her child, the son of the covenant. Now , Lot being a picture of the church, as Jesus said, makes this soon to be born baby a type of Israel. Lot is snatched out, while Israel takes on the inheritance of the faith and the land!
The third correlation, is the story of Esther. Esther is the "gentile" name of the girl taken into the house of the king, but there is, for her, a year of preparation before she assumes her authoritative seat beside the king and administers intervention on behalf of her relatives. She speaks on their behalf against the antimessiah.
