• "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence" (Hosea 3:1,2). Many, including myself, consider this to be a prophecy of the two thousand years since Jesus was around.

    "Day" = thousand years (2 Peter 3:8). Thus, for two "days" (thousand years), Israel has been in turmoil and upheaval, being punished by God for being unfaithful. (Basically, the book of Hosea depicts Israel's "adultery" with other gods and its unfaithfulness to the real God.) Then, Jesus will return, and the third "day" will be the glorious Millennium, during which Jesus will rule and reign over the earth with righteousness and fairness. At that time, we will "live in his presence" (Hosea 3:2).

    When Jesus was twelve years old (Luke 2:42), He began His earthly ministry. Adding 2,000 years (two "days") to that brings us to 2012. If my hypothesis about the European Neighbourhood Policy is correct, Jesus will appear in the clouds at the Rapture event, soon after opening of the Sixth Seal, in the fall of 2012. Interestingly, the ancient Mayan calendar also is purported to end in the fall of 2012.