PALM SUNDAY A PROPHETIC PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE
 
 Zechariah 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.  
 
Daniel 9:25-26 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.      

  Zechariah speaks of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey to present Himself  as the Messiah.  Daniel gave the exact timing of this event which was the 10th of Nisan on the Jewish calendar.   Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that important day we now call Palm Sunday.  This was the exact day the Jews were commanded by Moses to choose a lamb from their flocks to be killed four days later, on Passover.  The blood on the doorpost would bring them deliverance from the bondage of Egypt.  1500 years later, Jesus would become the Passover Lamb and provide the means for deliverance from the bondage of sin and death for every man. 
 
We call this day Palm Sunday because the people placed palm branches on the ground for Messiah to walk upon. Christ’s birth was a mystery, but Palm Sunday was prophesied  right to the day 600 years earlier. This is a huge historic and prophetic event and it took place just as it was prophesied.   Palm Sunday (And it actually was a Sunday) took place 483 years after the command to rebuild and restore Jerusalem given by the decree of Cyrus.  Daniel specifically stated that 69 weeks of years (483 years) from this decree, Messiah would not only present Himself to Israel, but  He would also be “cut off,” rejected and sacrificed for the people. 
 
Historical time line of Palm Sunday Near the end of His 1260 day ministry on earth, (3 ½ years) Christ rode a donkey from the Mount of Olives to the Kidron Valley below on the 10th of Nisan.  Multitudes had gathered to meet Him and placed palm branches in His path and sang “Hosanna, blessed is the king of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”  Jesus then went into the city through the Eastern Gate.   Jesus entered the Temple and turned over the tables of those who sold.  (Matthew 21:12-15)  The High Priest would be in the courtyard choosing a lamb for the nation, not realizing the true Lamb had just entered the Temple.  This all took place on what we now call Palm Sunday.  According to Matthew 21:17, Jesus leaves the city and spends the night in Bethany.  He returns to Jerusalem the next day,  goes to the fig tree but finds no fruit on it.  Jesus rebukes the fig tree.  (Matthew 21:19) 

This takes place on the 11th of Nisan, just three days before the cross.  The fig tree represents the nation of Israel and their rejection of Messiah.  Multitudes rejoiced and sang when He rode in on the donkey, but just four days later they would  cry “crucify Him.”  Later would come the Lord’s supper, Gethsemane, His betrayal, a mocked trial, and finally the cross.  Everything just as it was prophesied to happen and all within a four day period often called “Passover Week.” 
 
 It was prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27 that Messiah would present Himself to Israel at the  69th  week of years, or more simply, 483 years after the command to rebuild and restore Jerusalem given by Cyrus the King of Persia in the book of Ezra.  This prophesy in Daniel 9 was fulfilled from the 10th through Passover the 14th of Nisan. Technically, according to Exodus 12, Passover is a four day event beginning on the 10th of Nisan with the choosing of a Lamb and ending four days later with the killing of the lamb.  Jesus fulfilled it all perfectly and right on time.  The Palm Sunday account is told in all four Gospels.  (Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 12) 
 
A PROPHETIC LESSON FROM PALM SUNDAY There were eight gates that led into the city of Jerusalem.   After the rapture and at the end of the Tribulation, I believe Jesus returns on the Day of Atonement.  I believe it will also be the 70th and final Jubilee.  He will stand upon the Mount of Olives as our Kinsman Redeemer with the seven sealed scroll in His hand, which is the title deed to planet earth.  He will then ride through the Kidron Valley and enter Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate just as He did 2000 years ago.  Praise the Lord, this time he comes riding on a white horse, not a donkey!  He will be crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords and will begin the 1000 year reign! 
 
ANTICHRIST MUST FIRST COME  Realizing there is a seven year Tribulation and reign of Antichrist that must first come, consider carefully what Jesus reveals concerning Palm Sunday: John 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.      I believe Jesus is speaking of the 10th of Nisan when He rides in to present Himself as the Messiah and King of Israel as was prophesied in Daniel and Zechariah.  In John 5:43,  He is foretelling the rejection He will suffer after presenting Himself to Israel as their Messiah on Palm Sunday.  He says, “if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”  I believe He is foretelling the time when the Jews accept the false Messiah, the Antichrist.  You see, we are all awaiting a deliverer today.  The Catholics do not believe in a rapture.  They are planning to bring in the Kingdom through the influence of the Pope.  Sadly, Scripture indicates he could be the False Prophet who points people to the Antichrist. The Muslims are awaiting the 12th Imam who is suppose to come up out of a well and rule for seven years.  You and I, the saints, are awaiting the rapture where we will meet the Lord in the air and attend a seven-year wedding feast.  The Jews are also awaiting the coming of Messiah but they rejected the true Christ and are going to accept the false Messiah, the Antichrist.  That is what the Lord meant in John 5:43 above,  “if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”    

 
 
  The True Messiah presented Himself to Israel on Palm Sunday by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.   Jesus was and is the Passover Lamb and as such, He had to be presented and watched for four days before being accepted as the Passover Lamb according to Exodus 12.  The Antichrist will also be required to fulfill Palm Sunday when, as the Antichrist, he presents himself as the Messiah. 
 
The President and Palm Sunday      In February of 2013, the President (Obama) announced he would make his first trip to Israel.  The following timeline of events is quite stunning, but I want to make it very clear that I am not claiming  President Obama is the Antichrist.  I do not believe any of us can know the identity of the man of sin.  He will not be revealed to the world until the church is gone. However, there are some stunning events that took place back in  March of 2013 that almost everyone missed.  
 
1.  The President arrived in Israel the afternoon of March 20th which is the afternoon of Nisan 9 on the Jewish calendar. Remember, each day starts at 6:00 P.M. in Israel. Nisan 10 is Palm Sunday and began just a few hours after the arrival of Airforce One.   
 
2.  Most of  the President’s diplomacy took place on Palm Sunday, the  10th of Nisan. 
 
3.  The President arrived in Israel supported by the Democratic Party which has a donkey as its symbol. 
 
4.  Jesus was praised when He presented Himself to Israel.  The President received honor and praise upon his arrival. There was even an ice sculpture, an “image” of the President  made in his honor.  (Revelation 13:14)      5.  Jesus entered Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace.  The President entered as a bearer of what’s called an “unshakable alliance.”  After the rapture the Antichrist will make a seven-year peace treaty with Israel.  This is certainly interesting in light of that. 
 
6.  There was some confusion about the Lord’s place of birth, just as there is great controversy about President Obama’s place of birth.  You see, prophesies in the Old Testament said Messiah would be from Bethlehem of Judea.  But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.  (Micah 5:2)      According to Scripture, the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Thirty years later, when He began His ministry, he came from Nazareth.  This brought some confusion and doubts to some.  Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.  (John 1:45-46)  
 
     There are a lot of unanswered questions about the birth of the President.  If there is not anything to hide, you have to wonder why he has spent millions to seal his records.  In fact, what do we really know about this man?  He came out of nowhere and has never been required to show any documentation to anyone.  It is very strange.  His college records are a mystery.  His Hawaiian birth records are a mystery.  His whole life is a mystery.  It is almost like he has no past at all.  There has never been a friend, a classmate, or even an old girlfriend that has come forward to say they knew Mr. Obama from college days.  
 
PALM SUNDAY, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE Palm Sunday in past history is a huge and important event that took place not only at the precise date, but exact in every detail.  It is not only historical fact, but it is Biblical truth as well.   Palm Sunday present is an event each year that gives us figurative lessons and reminders about Christ our Passover and the great price He paid to redeem us from sin.  Palm Sunday future may in fact be just around the corner!  I personally believe the Antichrist will fulfill  his counterfeit version of the seven feasts, including Palm Sunday.  After all, he is coming to present “himself” as the Christ.   March 20,2013 certainly gives us food for thought concerning the President’s trip to Israel.  Again, I am not saying it makes him the Antichrist, but it sure contains all the stuff of a great conspiracy.  Is it all just coincidence?  Is it showing us that he is a forerunner to the Antichrist?  Or did the Antichrist in fact just fulfill Palm Sunday?  We can not know.  Let’s just be aware and keep our eyes on the Lord and be found faithful when He comes for us.  The truth is, we are not supposed to be looking for the Antichrist.  We are to be looking for Jesus Christ! That is what Palm Sunday is really all about. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  Titus 2:13