Dead Sea Scroll evidence

In 1947 two Bedouin shepherds were tending their flocks by the northwest shores of the Dead Sea. Wandering into a nearby cave, they discovered the great archeological discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls. These scrolls were dated to be about two thousand years old and was the find of the century. The discovery of the scrolls set of much archeological activity in the area of Qumran, not far from where they were discovered.

Much debate began about who the people of the Qumran community were. Because the scrolls were Hebrew scriptures including the Book of Isaiah, the community was obviously a Hebrew sect. Most scholars now believe that the people who occupied the community of Qumran were members of a pious monastic group known as the Essenes.

Most of what we know about the Essenes comes to us from the first century historian, Josephus. The Essenes were a puritan community to which one could not be a member without passing rigorous tests. The importance of the Essenes to us is their close association with John the Baptist and later with Jesus. Water was one of the Essenes most important symbols and John, as an Essene, incorporated it into his name.

Surprisingly, the Edgar Cayce readings tell us that the Essenes were a mystical brother-hood organized for the specific purpose of paving the way for the entrance of Christ into the world. The Essenes' purpose was to purify themselves in order to prepare a virgin who would be a pure channel for the birth of the Christ Child. The readings say that the word Essene means "expectancy." Namely, the expectant birth of the Christ Child.

The Essenes were very familiar with the cycles of the ages and believed that each change in the cycle was accompanied by great changes within the earth. It is possible that some of the Essenes had visions which they believed to be of the immediate future, but were actually of the far distant future. It seems an incredible coincidence that the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls occurred at the exact time Israel was being founded (1947-1948). Perhaps these scrolls were meant to be found during this time to give us a greater understanding of the past and the future.

With this possibility in mind we will examine one of the Dead Sea Scrolls entitled "The Last Jubilee." We will examine three sections of the Scroll, rather than the entire Scroll, which is of some length. The Scroll is about the "Last Days" during which time it says, a "Melchizedek redivivus" (reincarnate) will appear and destroy Belial (Satan) and lead the children of God to eternal forgiveness. Parts of this scroll has been unreadable and will be denoted by this '. . .' symbol. Here is it's message:

"When, therefore, the scriptures speaks of a day of atonement  ... What is meant, ... is that ... by a day on which all the children of Light and all who have cast their lot with the cause of righteousness will achieve forgiveness of their sins, whereas the wicked will reap their desserts and be brought to an end. There is a further reference to this final judgment in the continuation of the verse from the Psalter . . . the allusion is to Belial and the spirits of his ilk - that is to ... defy God's statutes in order to perfect justice ... King ... Melchizedek ...  will execute upon them God's avenging judgment, and ... deliver the just from the hands of Belial and all those spirits of his ilk. With all the angels of righteousness at his aid, he will blast the council of Belial to destruction ... the eminence in question being the destination of all who are indeed children of God ... It will be from Belial ... that men will turn away in rebellion, and there will be a re-establishment of the reign of righteousness, perversity being confounded by the judgments of God. This is what scripture implies in the words, "Who says to Zion, your God has not claimed his Kingdom!" The term Zion there denoting the total congregation of the "sons of righteousness" that is, those who maintain the covenant and turn away from the popular trend, and your God signifying the King of Righteousness, alias Melchizedek Redivivus, who will destroy Belial. Our text speaks also of sounding a loud trumpet blast throughout the land on the tenth day of the seventh month. As applied to the last days, this refers to the fanfare which will then be sounded before the Messianic King."

Melchizedek was a priest described in the Bible as an eternal being.  It says that he had no "beginning of days" and no end of life, that is he was not born of woman and did not die, but ascended into heaven.

The Cayce readings tell us that Melchizedek was a previous incarnation of Jesus. The Book of Hebrews supports this when it says that Jesus was a "priest after the order of Melchizedek." This Melchizedek-Jesus link is very important because, if Melchizedek was a previous incarnation of Jesus, then this scroll could be describing the Second Coming of Jesus, the "Melchizedek Redivivus (reincarnate)".

A "Jubilee" is the 50th year of a fifty-year period which has special significance for the Jews. This fiftieth year begins on the tenth day of the seventh month. This is the day designated each year as the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year for the Jews.  The writer of the scroll "Last Jubilee" believed this fifty-year period would conclude with the arrival of a Messianic King on the Day of Atonement.

The state of Israel was founded in 1948. It is possible that this last Jubilee is the fifty year period of the existence of Israel before the Second Coming. Certainly the Second Coming would fit the description of a "final judgment" in the Last Jubilee scroll. Fifty years from 1948 is the year 1998. Perhaps this was the year that Jesus was born again into the world. Perhaps. I will avoid making any predictions because I believe no man can know the exact year of Christ's return. But I do imply that this may mean we are truly in the period known as the "end of the age."