Proclaiming the End-Time "Everlasting Sign" in the Desert - Isaiah 55.13
Doug Stehling
55.13
The Creator's "Secret Garden" - Isaiah 51.3
This is the "good news" we have been waiting for! This is the remedy
for the captivity we are enduring at this present time, much like the
Israelites endured just before they were delivered from Egypt.
Please read and study these verses on your own to see that something
miraculous is going to occur in the desert before the "Great
Tribulation"! However, before you start, ask the Creator for the
guidance of His Spirit so you can "see" the picture the Creator is
painting with these verses, "a little here, a little there" (Isa
28.10). Soon I will add comments to these verses ("connecting the dots"
like Catherine in the movie {Proof}... see my movie review on this
website) to explain their significance as I see them from my
perspective, and how they add up to a tremendous hope and mission for
the true saints in this End-Time -- the Creator's "HOLY NATION" in the
transformed desert!
1 Pet 2.9-10
"But you are a... HOLY NATION... a PEOPLE".
Those special people who have been called and converted are already a
"NATION". We just have not been gathered yet. That will happen after
the 2nd Annual Holyday is fulfilled. Then we will fulfill the type that
the Old testament Israelites set. We will succeed and do it right this
time, not making the same mistakes they committed, and thereby proving
that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is what is needed to truly to
live the Law of Love, Faith and Trust!
Isa 55.5
"Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, And a nation which
knows you not will run to you, Because of the LORD your God, even the
Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you."
There will come a time when a "call" will go out for the chosen ones to
gather together as a nation!
Isa 51.3
"Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste
places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like
the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody."
The "Secret Garden" in the desert is coming!! The true saints in the
last days BEFORE the Messiah's return will return to the "Garden of
Eden", and this time, by the power of the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit, make the RIGHT CHOICES of FAITH and TRUST as an example to the
world that the Law of LOVE and COOPERATION can and does work!
Isa 43.18-21
"...Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you
not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert...To give drink to My chosen people."
Something NEW and MIRACULOUS is going happen in the DESERT for a
"chosen people"!
Isa 41.17-20
"...I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land
fountains of water... That they may see and recognize, And consider and
gain insight as well, That the hand of the LORD has done this, And the
Holy One of Israel has created it."
It will be a BIG and SUPERNATURAL event that will astound the world...
and even the heavenly beings surrounding the throne of the Creator will
be amazed at the display of creative power (Rev 4.11)!
Isa 35.1-10
"The wilderness and the desert will be glad... The scorched land will
become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water... And the
ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to
Zion..."
Once the desert miracle occurs, then the saints will know where to
gather to return to the Creator!
Ps 65.9-13
"You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;... You have crowned the
year with Your bounty,... The pastures of the wilderness drip... They
shout for joy, yes, they sing."
Notice the reference to "the year". Is this not talking about the year
of the "transformation of the desert", during which it blossoms into an
oasis, and during which those called by the Creator gather to it to
officially establish the "Pentecost Nation" on the next Feast of
Pentecost, a year later?
Ps 96.1; 98.1
"Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth... O sing
to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things,..."
This miraculous event will be recognized by the entire world, and
inspire a "new song"!
Rev 5.9-10
"And they sang a new song,... for You were slain, and purchased for God
with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they
will reign upon the earth."
This "new song" will even be sung by the heavenly beings, singing
recognition of the Messiah as the Passover because the "desert miracle"
will be seen as the fulfillment of the 2nd Annual Holyday, and the
beginning of the "Pentecost Nation" - a gathering of peoples from all
nations.
Isa 14.24, 27
"The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, "Surely, just as I have intended
so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,..."
NOTHING can stop this miracle from happening as planned by the Creator!
Isa 55.10-13
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return
there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And
furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;...So will My word
be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the
matter for which I sent it.
This event is as sure as the rain causes the grass to grow!
Micah 4.6-7, 10
"In that day," declares the LORD, "I will assemble the lame And gather
the outcasts, Even those whom I have afflicted. I will make the lame a
remnant And the outcasts a strong nation, And the LORD will reign over
them in Mount Zion From now on and forever."
The remnant will become a STRONG NATION!!
Zeph 2.1-2
"Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame...
Before the decree takes effect... The day passes like the chaff...
Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, Before the day of
the LORD'S anger comes upon you."
We are to gather to the desert garden BEFORE the Messiah returns on the
Feast of Trumpets, the 4th Annual Holyday!
Zeph 3.12-20
"...At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather
you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the
peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,"
Says the LORD."
The gathering will be an BIG event witnessed by all nations, and the
remnant's fame and wealth will be restored!
Ps 98.1-9
"The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed His
righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His
lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the
ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God... Let the rivers
clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy before the
LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with
righteousness And the peoples with equity."
Notice that PAST tense of the above verbs referring to the BIG event in
the desert, and then the FUTURE tense of the verbs referring to the
coming of the Messiah. Clearly, the BIG event in the desert occurs
BEFORE the return of the Messiah!!
Ps 102.13-22
"This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to
be created may praise the LORD.
Notice that future a generation will be created as a "people". The word
"people" is #5971 in Strong's Concordance, and can also mean a
"nation". In verse 13, it refers to "Zion", the true church, and that
her "appointed time" of receiving compassion has come, and that, as a
result, "the nations will fear the name of the Lord"... "when the
peoples are gathered together... to serve the Lord" (Ps 102.22).
Doesn't this indicate that certain people chosen from all peoples and
nations on Earth will come together to become a "nation" in their own
right and serve the Creator - and NOT be in "commerce" serving the god
of this world?
Ps 105.41-45
"And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with a
joyful shout....So that they might keep His statutes And observe His
laws, Praise the LORD!"
It will be necessary for the Creator to once again bring His People out
of the "Egypt" of this world, its ways and environment, in order to
provide the physical and spiritual healing needed for them to become an
example and light to the world, proving that the Creator's Way of Love,
His Commandments, will work in this world if people would only believe
and do them! The ancient Israelites failed at this, not only to show us
that it is not possible without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but
also that when His "Holy Nation" in the transformed desert does
succeed, we will understand it was not by our own power, but because
we, upon each of us performing the requirements of repentance, baptism
and laying on of hands, have received the power of the indwelling Holy
Spirit from the Father, making it possible for us to obey and thereby
blessed beyond measure.
Ps 107.1-7, 35-43
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the
hand of the adversary; And gathered from the lands, From the east and
from the west, From the north and from the south... He changes a
wilderness into a pool of water And a dry land into springs of water;
And there He makes the hungry to dwell, So that they may establish an
inhabited city,"
There is coming a "Gathering" of the "redeemed" from all over the
world, from the East, West, North and South. This does NOT describe
what happened at the Exodus. Neither is it referring to what happens at
the return of the Messiah, since that "gathering" refers to the 12
Tribes - NOT the "redeemed". The saints are now wandering in a
spiritual wilderness, in a desert region (the world of commerce without
the outpouring love of the Holy Spirit). But they will be led to an
inhabited city once the desert is miraculously transformed, and become
the "Pentecost Nation"!
Isa 51.9-23
"Was it not You who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; Who
made the depths of the sea a pathway For the redeemed to cross over? So
the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to
Zion..."
The "sea" today is the "admiralty/maritime" juridisdiction that is
blocking the way of escape of the "ransomed" people from the modern
Egypt of the world of fictions. That "sea" will become as dry as the
desert, so that the "ransomed" can escape by standing "on the land" of
Divine Law and reality, and come to "Zion" - the "Pentecost Nation".
Isa 52.1-12
"The LORD has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That
all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God. Depart,
depart, go out from there, Touch nothing unclean; But you will not go
out in haste, Nor will you go as fugitives; For the LORD will go before
you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard."
Notice the past tense of these verbs. Something HAS happened - a DIVINE
MIRACLE of DELIVERANCE - that the entire planet acknowledges and that
enables His People to leave peacefully. The Creator will lead the way
and follow them to be sure no one is left behind. This is special
gathering that occurs BEFORE the Tribulation, because then the
"remnant" will be left behind and will have to flee for their lives
(Rev 12.13-17).
Isa 54.1-17
"For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will
gather you."
The Creator will seem far off at the end of the Church eras, especially
in the 7th Laodicean era. But the damatic fulfillment of the 2nd
Holyday will trigger the awakening of His People, and then the
"gathering" will occur!
Isa 4.4-6
"the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her
assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming
fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy."
The area where the "called out ones" are gathered will be
supernaturally protected with an "energy shield" acting as a "canopy".
Isa 62.1-2, 10-12
"And they will call them, "The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD";
And you will be called, "Sought out, a city not forsaken.""
These "holy people" become the "Holy Nation", the "Pentecost Nation",
in fulfillment of the 3rd Holyday.
Ps 22.30-31
"Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming
generation. They will come and will declare His righteousness To a
people who will be born, that He has performed it."
Psalm 22 recounts the last thoughts of the Messiah as He was dying. It
is awesome to realize His last thoughts were about the people who would
finally understand the sacrifice He made, the payment (performance) He
made when He died on the cross. The "posterity" is the last generation
before His return. They will serve Him as the "Holy Nation" fulfilling
the 3rd Holyday witness, declaring the truth of His righteousness as
the payment for all sins, enabling the period of amnesty and
forgiveness extended to all just before His return, so no one has an
excuse for not coming out of this world of commerce and competition and
into His "Holy Nation".
Isa 29.13-14
"Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people,
wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And
the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed."
The miraculous fulfillments of the 2nd and 3rd Holydays will amaze and
confound the wise of this world. But the saints will understand and
respond.
Isa 28.16, 21
"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a
stone... For the LORD will rise up... To do His task, His unusual task,
And to work His work, His extraordinary work."
Something unusual and extraordinary is about to occur in "Zion" (the
church)! The fulfillment of the 2nd Holyday is going to be a BIG EVENT!
Isa 14.32
"How then will one answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD
has founded Zion, And the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in
it."
His people from around the world will gather to the transformed desert
as His "Pentecost Nation".
Isa 26.20-21
"Come, my people, enter into your rooms And close your doors behind
you; Hide for a little while, until indignation runs its course. For
behold, the LORD is about to come out from His place To punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;"
This show that the time setting of the "Pentecost Nation" is BEFORE the
end of this world, BEFORE the indignation from the Creator to punish
the "inhabitants of the earth". So it definitely is BEFORE the return
of the Messiah, as pictured by the 4th Holyday. The people of the
Pentecost Nation, will "Hide for a little while" until the Great
Tribulation and Wrath of the Lord is over.
Rev 12.14
"But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that
she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished
for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the
serpent."
The people of the Pentecost Nation will be hidden for about 3 1/2 years
in the "wilderness", in "her place". So the Pentecost Nation occurs
BEFORE this period of world turmoil. And it appears that these people
"fly" from the area where the Pentecost Nation was established to
another place in the "wilderness".
Isa 55.1-3
"Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no
money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and
without cost."
The Pentecost Nation will not "charge" for anything. Its way of living
will be a stark contrast to the world of commerce and competition. It
will prove to the world that the Creator's way of love, cooperation and
sharing does indeed work to produce happiness, health and prosperity
for all. Those who have wanted to come out of "Babylon" will now have a
place to go, and live, for FREE!
Rev 21.6
Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the
spring of the water of life without cost."
The Pentecost Nation will be established as the type of how it will be
in the new heavens and new earth. Everything will be "without cost"...
just as it was in the beginning in the Garden of Eden.
Rev 22.1-7, 17
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say,
"Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes
take the water of life without cost.
This is the exact same invitation that is given to the people at the
time of the Pentecost Nation (Isa 55.1). Obviously, the Pentecost
Nation" is a type, and it has an awesome mission and example to
accomplish in the plan of the Creator depicted by the Annual Holydays.
Ps 95.1-11
"Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in
the wilderness, ... Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not
enter into My rest."
The people called as the Pentecost Nation must NOT make the same
mistake that their ancestors made. When we see the miraculous
transformation of the desert occur, we had better respond and gather
together in that place immediately to become His Holy Nation. If we
don't, our ancestor died in vain in providing that warning to us today,
and, more critically, we will not be allowed to enter into the Fall
Millenial Kingdom at the Messiah's return.
Heb 3.7-4.11
"Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will
fall, through following the same example of disobedience."
The Pentecost Nation is a type of that Millenial rest, and we must obey
the call to gather when it goes out.
Num 14.11-23
"Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I
performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test
these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means
see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who
spurned Me see it."
The "everlasting sign" of the transformation of the desert, somewhere
in Jacob (Ps 53.6; 59.13; 98.3; 99.4), will be the "call" for us to
gather! Notice that it is in "Jacob", the "House of Israel" where this
miraculous sign will occur - NOT in Judah (modern "Israel"). I believe
"Jacob" descendants migrated to NW Europe, with "Joseph" (his 2 sons)
inhabiting England (Ephraim) and America (Manasseh). I believe the
desert area of southwestern North America is where the miracle will
occur. It will be in an area where it will NOT be able to be explained
away as a "natural event".
Deut 29.1-15
"Now not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath, but
both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of the
LORD our God and with those who are not with us here today"
The covenant and oath to be His Holy Nation also applies to us today!
Their whole history was intended to be a guide for us today - to do it
right this time (1 Cor 1.6, 11)!
Deut 30.1-20
"Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of
your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your
cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again
rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if
you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes
which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your
God with all your heart and soul."
The context of these verses is AFTER the Messiah returns, which is
AFTER both the blessings and curses of Lev 26 and Duet 28 have played
out in the history of the 12 Tribes of Israel. However, the important
point here is that "His Statutes" (the Annual Holydays of Lev 23) are
NOT obsolete. They will still be enforced! In fact, that was the very
purpose of the Creator delivering His People from Egypt, "so that they
might keep His Statutes, and observe His Laws" (Ps 105.45). Their
mission was to be a "model nation" of His Way of Life, His Way of Love!
And our mission today as His "Pentecost Nation" is the same, and is
also wonderfully outlined in Psalms 96-102.
Deut 31.14-21
"For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which
I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and
become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them,
and spurn Me and break My covenant."
This is a warning to us today, to NOT forget the Creator once we become
prosperous in the "Pentecost Nation". The Creator knew it would happen
back then, because they did not have the indwelling power of the Holy
Spirit in them. However, we today will have that power upon conversion,
and will be able to do it right this time. Even so, some in the
Pentecost Nation may not have really been converted, or neglect to grow
in faith, and may not be willing to leave the desert oasis when the
time comes to "fly into the wilderness" during the last 3 1/2 years
before the Messiah returns.
Jer 11.1-14
"They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors who refused
to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them;
the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant
which I made with their fathers."
We must not repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. We must do it right
this time!
Isa 48.1-22
"You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I
proclaim to you new things from this time, Even hidden things which you
have not known. They are created now and not long ago; And before today
you have not heard them, So that you will not say, `Behold, I knew
them.'"
The announcement of the "Everlasting Sign" and the "Pentecost Nation"
has been reserved until the time just before the return of the Messiah.
No one has ever heard this message before! But it has been hidden in
plain sight - in the Annual Holydays of Leviticus 23, and in Isaiah,
Psalms and Revelation. The time is NOW to proclaim the fulfillment of
Holydays #2 and #3, BEFORE they occur, so that, when they DO occur, you
may believe the message in the Annual Holydays - that they are the plan
and timeline for the salvation of all of mankind! And that the churches
of Revelation 2 and 3 were "eras" corresponding to the 7 days of
Unleavened Bread. This will become clear when the 2nd Holyday occurs on
the last "7th" day of Unleavened Bread, the 7th "Laodicean Era" of the
church eras. It will become so clear that many will respond and gather
within the next year to celebrate that next Pentecost, Holyday #3, as
the "Pentecost Nation"!
Isa 49.1, 3, 8-26
Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar... He
said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My
glory... Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth
into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His
people And will have compassion on His afflicted... For your waste and
desolate places and your destroyed land-- Surely now you will be too
cramped for the inhabitants, And those who swallowed you will be far
away."
His People, His Servants from "peoples from afar" will shout for joy
when they are "comforted" and gathered in the desert oasis. However,
the fulfillment of these verses as the "Pentecost Nation" will also
serve as a type for the later fulfillment of these verses when this
occurs on a greater scale at the fulfillment of the "Last Great Day"
Holyday #7.
Isa 40.1-11
"Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God... A voice is calling,
"Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the
desert a highway for our God."
There will be a highway in the desert to travel to the "Pentecost
Nation".
Ps 87.1-7
But of Zion it shall be said, "This one and that one were born in her";
And the Most High Himself will establish her. The LORD will count when
He registers the peoples, "This one was born there." Selah.
The "Pentecost Nation" will have babies born in this desert oasis. It
will become sovereign territory, reserved by the Creator for His use.
Ps 48.12-14
"Walk about Zion and go around her; Count her towers;"
These "towers" indicate that there will be mountains surrounding "Zion"
(the church) at some point in time.
Ex 19.1-8
Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then
you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth
is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.'
The "Pentecost Nation" will be a "kingdom of priests and a holy
nation"! This is exactly what is prophesied to occur in Revelation
5.9-10. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and
they will reign upon the earth." Notice it says "have made"! This is
something that, at that point in time in Revelation 4, had already
occurred! This is showing that a "kingdom" does occur BEFORE the
Messiah returns, and it becomes more obvious upon review of all related
verses, that this kingdom fulfills the 3rd Holyday!
Dan 2.31-45
"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom
which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for
another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but
it will itself endure forever.
This "Pentecost Nation" is going to be set up at the time of the 10
kings (toes) being alive... the last rulers of the Babylon system
before its destruction. It, this "Pentecost Nation" kingdom, will crush
and end all thse kingdoms. Therefore, it, this "Pentecost Nation"
kingdom, exists on the earth BEFORE the Messiah returns.
Micah 4.1-7
And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house
of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. "In that
day," declares the LORD, "I will assemble the lame And gather the
outcasts, Even those whom I have afflicted. I will make the lame a
remnant And the outcasts a strong nation, And the LORD will reign over
them in Mount Zion From now on and forever."
The "Pentecost Nation" will become a "strong nation" in the "last
days". The "last days" are the last days BEFORE the Messiah's return.
The Creator will assemble and gather them into a "kingdom".
Malachi 3.16-4.6
"Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of
the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of
the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their
fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."
There will be a restoration of knowledge BEFORE the Messiah's return.
People will understand who their ancestors were, and that a great plan
is being worked out in earth, and that the Annual Holydays depict that
plan.
Joel 2.15-32
"Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, For the LORD has done great
things. Do not fear, beasts of the field, For the pastures of the
wilderness have turned green, For the tree has borne its fruit, The fig
tree and the vine have yielded in full.... You will have plenty to eat
and be satisfied And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has
dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame.
It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all
mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will
dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.
Notice especially the phrase "after this". The pouring forth of the
Holy Spirit happened in type on Pentecost in Acts 2. The fulfillment of
this type is what this verse is referring to. This verse is talking
about the fulfillment of Holyday #3 - Pentecost. The "after this" is
referring to the previous wondrous event of the wilderness turning
green and feeding His People. So, here is another confirmation that
"after this" wondrous event of the "everlasting sign" in the desert
fulfilling Holyday #2, comes the fulfillment of Holyday #3 - Pentecost
- the pouring forth of the Holy Spirit upon all mankind. The door to
all mankind will be open to join the "Pentecost Nation". Their will be
no racial or national discrimination about this invitation. All who
want to come out of "Babylon" will be able to, and will be welcomed!
Mt 24.14
"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a
testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The entire world will witness the good news of the wealth and health of
those dwelling in the "Pentecost Nation". It will become a testimony
that the Way of Love, Cooperation, and Sharing does work on this planet
IF you submit to and follow the commandments and statutes (Holydays) of
the Creator. Once the world has that proof before its own eyes, then
they will have no excuse for not coming out of Babylon's way of
commerce, competition, and confusion. Then the end of the way Of
Babyoon will begin, as the Creator allows mankind to experience the end
result of that way of life, the way that leads to slavery, death and
destruction. This verse succinctly proclaims the mission of the
"Pentecost Nation" - it is a "kingdom witness" just BEFORE the end of
this world and the return of the Messiah.