Jesus is Coming Soon! & Signs of the Times!

[Cindy]

Prophecy On Fast-Forward

By Dr. Thomas Ice

I recall a conservative political commentator saying that the Democratic Party was the "A" team, while the Republicans were the "B" team on the road to socialism. Boy, oh boy was that a truism. Things are moving so fast in the last six months that stage-setting events are happening so fast that no one person can keep up with events. Prophecy is on fast-forward!

Stage Setting

Virtually all future prophecy will start to be fulfilled when the rapture occurs ending the church age. Then the world will enter the time when the birth pangs that Jesus spoke of begin to be fulfilled (Matt. 24:8). This post-rapture period known in the Old Testament as the "latter days" (Deut. 4:30; Jer. 30:24; 48:47; Dan. 2:28; 10:14), the "last days" (Jer. 23:20; 49:39; Ezek. 38:16), and the "latter years" (Ezek. 38:8) will last for seven years (Dan. 9:24–27; compare with Rev. 11:2, 3; 12:6; 13:5). None of what is happening today indicates that the rapture is near since that event is a signless event that could happen at any moment. Are you ready for the rapture?

The signs of the times that are occurring today relate to Israel as God is preparing the world for the time when He will resume His plan for Israel and that will then involve the fulfillment of times and seasons. One major indicator that we are likely near the beginning of the tribulation is the clear fact that national Israel has been reconstituted after almost 2,000 years. The signs also relate to what is happening in the Gentile world as we move toward a global government centered in the Revived Roman Empire, which is mainly Europe. Dr. John Walvoord explains the significance of signs occurring in our own day as follows:

But if there are no signs for the Rapture itself, what are the legitimate grounds for believing that the Rapture could be especially near of this generation?

The answer is not found in any prophetic events predicted before the Rapture but in understanding the events that will follow the Rapture. Just as history was prepared for Christ's first coming, in a similar way history is preparing for the events leading up to His Second Coming. . . . If this is the case, it leads to the inevitable conclusion that the Rapture may be excitingly near.[1]

Signs For Our Day

In every generation since Christ's ascension there have been Christians who thought that there was reason for His return in their lifetime. However, almost all of these past expectations were derived from the belief that they were experiencing events of the tribulation in their own day. Only in the last 200 years have some interpreters begun to return to a literal, futurist understanding of the impending events of the tribulation, as generally held by most in the early Church. Thus, while so many have believed that Christ's return was near, the basis for such an understanding has not always been the same down through the history of the church—that the church was in the tribulation. The fact that Israel became a nation in 1948 is an undeniable fact of history that indicates that God is up to something in history in our day that could not be said in previous times.

God's plan for history always moves forward in relation to what He is doing with Israel. Thus, the fact that Israel has been and continues to be reconstituted as a nation is prophetically significant, so significant that it makes Israel God's "super-sign" of the end times. Were Israel not a nation again it would be impossible for events of the end time to occur since so many of them take place in that tiny country or in reference to her. But she has returned and so it is that all other aspects of Bible prophecy are also being prepared for the grand finale of history.

Recently we have seen that the European Union threatened and warned Israel about not being open to the so-called "two-state solution" of the Arab-Israeli conflict in their effort to impose a human solution to the conflict.

The prospect of a new hawkish government, with Israel Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman as a possible foreign minister, will be seen in Europe as a setback to the Middle East peace process.

"Let me say very clearly that the way the European Union will relate to an [Israeli] government that is not committed to a two-state solution will be very, very different," said Javier Solana, the EU's foreign and security affairs chief.[2]

New Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is opposed to the two-state solution, which is the EU's framework for dealing with the problem. Whatever the supposed human solution affixed to this crisis will bring, the situation will not be genuinely solved until our Lord returns and imposes His will as the ultimate solution to the situation.

Since the election of Obama to the White House, we also see the United States changing from a sympathetic supporter of Israel to one who will be pressing for an imposed solution. New Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton is said by observers of the Mid-East Conflict to have shifted her pro Israel position she displayed as a U. S. Senator from New York.

Morton A. Klein, President of the Zionist Organization of America, is just one of many supporters of Israel who say that Hillary Clinton, an outspoken supporter of a Palestinian state, has made an anti-Israel switch of late. Klein writes that the U.S. Secretary of State, once a "reliable and vocal supporter of Israel," has now taken many positions that are not in Israel's interest.[3]

Globalism

When George W. Bush was president he was ostracized and viciously attacked for acting upon the national interests of the United States within the now dominate global environment. As a pronounced citizen of the world, Obama instead insists that we must all shoulder "the burdens of global citizenship."[4] Thus, the United States of America, the last major holdout against global governance, has under President Obama joined efforts to deal with most matters within the framework of globalism. Whatever reluctance was shown in the past, America has now officially under the Obama administration joined the global community lock, stock, and barrel.

Scripture teaches that the Antichrist will rise to power out of a federation of nations that correlate in some way with the Roman Empire of two thousand years ago. Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost explains:

Now, when we turn to the prophecies of Daniel 2 and 7 and to Revelation 13 and 17 and other parallel passages, we find that at the end time, during the Tribulation period, the final form of Gentile world power is a federation of ten separate nations, the ten toes or ten horns. It seems as though Europe's leaders are advocating that which Daniel prophesied hundreds of years before Christ, when he said that the final form of Roman world power would be a federation of independent states who elect one man to take authority over them while maintaining their own sovereign authority. The more movement we see in Europe for a common market and a federation of nations, the closer the coming of our Lord must be.[5]

One would have to be totally ignorant of developments within the world of our day to not admit that through the efforts of the European Union, Humpty Dumpty is finally being put back together again. This is occurring, like all of the other needed developments of prophecy, at just the right time to be in place for the coming tribulation period. Prophecy popularizer, Hal Lindsey tells us:

"A generation ago, no one could have dreamed that an empire formed of the nations that were part of old Rome could possibly be revived. But today, as Europe is on the advent of real unity, we see the potential fulfillment of another vital prophecy leading to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ."[6]

Conclusion

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has recently said concerning the global economic downturn that we all should seek global solutions. He further said that the world has never been more willing to see globalism as the answer to our problems, to which he also promised a bright future if we join arms and march in this direction. Henry Kissinger has recently said on multiple occasions that President Obama has a tremendous opportunity to steer America toward globalism in an effort to deal with our problems. Kissinger has further opined that only globalists can solve these problems in the area of economics, environment, agriculture, religion, political, and so on.

It may be true that mankind without God and His word cannot figure out how to solve the pressing problems of humanity without some kind of global governance. However, the realities concerning these matters are always and only found in the Bible and in our Lord's plan for the future as outlined through biblical prophecy. Some critics say that we become fatalists because we trust the veracity of Bible prophecy and thereby contribute to the decline of culture and society. Yet, how can we expect people to find biblical solutions to their problems when they are clearly and vocally in rebellion against God? What Bible-believing Christian would want the unbelieving world to succeed in solving the world's problems apart from God and His word? The Bible predicts this kind of direction and outcome because man is sinful and God is righteous. However, for any individual who will listen to God's word, He has provided a way of salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to Him. Maranatha!

http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot...t-forward.html

[Lee]

The rapture has got to be so close that its surprising it hasn't happened already.

[Cindy]

I was reading this passage in the Bible today and remembered that I had posted about it before. It was from a book I have called:

Global Warning by Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson on pages 124-126. It was so good that I want to repost it now for those that missed it before and as a reminder to all of us of how awesome our God is!

I wanted to post about something else they wrote about Israel and their fulfillment of prophecy today. It's something that I never really thought about. I was familiar with the passage they were talking about as I'm sure you all will be too, but I'd never thought to break it down the way they did. It's really cool! Ok, here goes:

First I'll post the passage though so we'll all know what they're talking about:

Ezekiel 37:1-14 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ ”

Ok, now here's what they wrote on pages 124-126 breaking it down:

Verse 2 clearly states that the bones referred to here represent the whole house of Israel. .......

After receiving the command from God, Ezekiel obeyed and prophesied to this dry boned nation scattered around the world. The words of the prophecy referring to Israel included:

a noise
a rattling sound
bones coming together
tendons and flesh appearing
skin covering them

But there was no "breath" in them. That would come later. The prophecy spoken by Ezekiel indicated a gradual coming together of the nation of Israel. The bodies of Jews were scattered all over this figurative graveyard that contained the bones of other civilizations now dead, such as the Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Medo-Persians, Romans, and so on. But the dead bones of Israel would be different; they would gradually leave the graveyard of dead civilizations and once again become a living nation. Indeed this is what has happened with the resurrection of Israel in the twentieth century.

A noise and rattling sound.

The single most influential event that helped to draw the Jews back to Palestine from around the world was the signing of the Balfour Declaration in 1917. Nothing creates a noise and rattling sound more than a war. But there's actually more to the story of the noise. By 1916, World War 1 wasn't going well for England. The UK was desperate to find a method of manufacturing TNT quickly in order to repel the advancement of the Germans (and nothing makes a noise quite like TNT) A brilliant Jew named Chaim Weizmann invented a formula that made rapid production possible, which helped to change the course of the war. In return, the prime minister of England told Dr Weizmann to name his reward. Rejecting personal recompense, Weizmann requested that Palestine be declared the national homeland for the Jewish people. As a result, the Balfour Declaration was subsequently drafted and signed on November 2, 1917.

Bones coming together.

In 1917, there were fewer than 100,000 Jews living in Palestine; but that would quickly change. For the first time the nation that controlled the land (England) gave official sanction to the scattered Jews to reclaim it. The bones were beginning to come together.

Tendons and flesh appearing.

By the 1920's the bones were coming together but there was no meat on them. There was little national consciousness among the Jews. The government was British, although a few small Jewish unions called kibbutzim were beginning to crop up. However, all this changed when the Arabs began their assaults on the Jewish settlers. The defenseless Jews marshaled together in strength and unity to resist a common foe. The strength from the tendons and flesh was beginning to grow.

Skin covering them.

The organizational unity and ability to self-govern became apparent following the establishment of Israel as a sovereign state in 1948 and it's recognition by the other living nations of the world. With skin covering the tendons and bones, the body of Israel was now recognizable, but there was still no "breath" within. This prophecy clearly indicates that Israel would be physically regathered before she was spiritually reborn.

The word breath (Hebrew, ruach), when used symbolically in Scripture, indicates spiritual life. From the time God breathed into Adam the breath of life to make him a living soul, God has been more interested in man's spiritual life than in his physical. Mankind, for the most part, operates in the opposite manner; and the Jewish emigration to Israel is no exception. Essentially, the regathering of Jews into their homeland beginning in 1917 has been primarily a physically, politically and economically motivated experience. The majority of Jews who inhabit the Promised Land today have no "breath" in them. That is, they are not committed to God by faith and practice. Many tend to be rather secular and humanistic.

Theodor Herzl was actually an atheist and the Zionist movement he founded was not a spiritual organization, but instead reflected strong humanistic tendencies. In fact, the Zionists in the Israeli government today frequently find themselves at odds with the orthodox rabbis and other minorities who are likely to deserve and live according to the Old Testament.

But this will one day change. It is significant that Israel is only "a breath away" from completely fulling Ezekiel's prophecy in chapter 37, and this could happen within the very near future. In fact, the greatest prophetic event will take place in a sudden flash and without warning!

*********
Just as an update about the population of Israel, I wanted to share this with you also:

Israel announces its population as almost seven and a half million people on the eve of their 61st birthday

April 27, 2009

Israel's population on its 61st independence day numbers 7,400,000 according to the data released by the central bureau of statistics with 75% of that population Jewish residents and just over 20% of the population Arabs leaving in Israel. 70% of Israel's total Jewish population are native Israelis or "sabras" as they are called, and at least half of that number are second generation Israelis as compared with a native Israeli population of 35% back in 1948.

In 1948, there was only one city in Israel with more than 100,000 residents - that was Tel Aviv. Today, there are 14 Israeli cities with more than 100,000 and 5 of those have more than 200,000 with Jerusalem as the largest Israeli city with around 700,000 residents.

more
http://prophecytoday.com/news/archiv...27_archive.php

[Cindy]

Signs of the Times – Part I

By J.R. Hall

"Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these [prophecies] shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate." - Isaiah 24:16

One of the things we do as part of Berean Watchmen Ministries is search the world news headlines for items that may be of some prophetic significance to events described in Bible prophecy. It is amazing how these prophecies that were written so many years ago, seem to make more and more sense as the current events unfold around us. The Bible tells us that this would be so.

"Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end ... and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." - Daniel 12:9-10

As we search for only those events which we believe fit into the end time prophecies of the Bible, it is amazing how more and more, every day, the headlines shout end-time events with every word. What once took only a few minutes a day 4 years ago, now takes over an hour to complete; and even at that, the search is by no means finished. One only needs to remember a few key ideas, and scriptures, to recognize for oneself - the Prophecy in the News.

So what are those prophecies? What do we look for in the news? Do we have a checklist of end time events? I believe we all do. Although Jesus said, that we could not know the day or the hour of His return, He did tell us that we would be able to recognize the season.

In an effort to compile our own checklist here at BWM, we have in essence created a commentary journey into the End times 'Signs' or 'Warnings' that exist in the Scripture.

It is our hope that with such a checklist in hand, anyone could use it as a guide to the signs indicating 'When the end is near'.

It is not my intent in this article to provide a concise list, at least not up front. If you wish to make such a list, you can do so by following our discussions as I try to relay some of the things wandering around in this brain of mine (and in the haphazard notes around my desk.)

So why watch the news?

I personally watch the news, because I’m hoping to get people thinking that Christ could perhaps come very soon. If we believe that Christ is coming back (which He is) and that He is returning very soon… perhaps even before I finish this article, then it should ignite us into passionate service for our Lord. If you know that there is a tsunami coming, we would be remiss as human beings if we fail to warn our neighbors of the impending destruction. Likewise, if we believe on Christ, and believe what the Bible says, then we should do all we can to reach the lost before our time is up and the trumpet sounds.

This might surprise some of you, but the Bible tells us that the darkest days of Earth's history are not behind us, but rather, they are in front of us. The Bible warns that these dark days will contain awesome and terrifying events and that they will come upon the world with no immediate warning. All will be taken by surprise by these events, except for those that watch and know. You see, although we have no immediate warnings of the exact day and hour, the Bible does have many ‘signs’ that we are to watch for that will indicate that the time is near. When we see someone buying a turkey and decorations for Thanksgiving, we can say, "Ah,
Christmas is coming soon". Not because Thanksgiving is directly related to Christmas, but because we know that Christmas follows on the coat tails of that celebration. Likewise with the return of Christ.

The Bible promises hope and escape from the terrifying days that are coming upon the whole world. For all who believe in the Christ, the Messiah the Savior and the resurrection; for all those who have received this free gift from God - we have a blessed hope (Tit 2:13). But to those who reject God and his Son - the times ahead are full of fear, pain, and devastation, for there is to be a fury unleashed on the world such has never been seen before in history.

“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober... For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” - 1 Thess 5:4-6,9

God gave us His prophetic Word, so that we could watch and know. Almost 30% of the Bible is dedicated to prophecy. God obviously wanted us to know his plan for the future... and he has told us to ‘Watch and be ready’.

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” - Matthew 24:42-44

“Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” - Revelation 3:3

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” – Revelation 16:15

So join me in the following paragraphs as we look into the signs of the end of the age. We will begin our journey with the most significant prophetic event in recent history.

I'll give you a hint.

I guarantee it's in your paper tomorrow.

The #1 Sign

On a long forgotten shelf, alone... stood a clock. The clock was not forgotten because of lack of greatness....for the clock was a marvelously crafted clock....but for many, many years the clock lay silent. In years before it ran and chimed, and ticked and tocked, but for many, many years it lay dormant...Frozen in time the clock sat quietly until it happened...On May 14, 1948 God's prophetic clock started ticking again....LOUDLY.

A Day that Changed the Modern World

"What I am trying to do is make the whole world safe for Jews," Harry Truman wrote as he wrestled over the decision to recognize a Jewish state in Palestine. Deeply affected by the Holocaust, Truman sympathized with Jewish aspirations for a homeland. In November 1947 he lobbied for the U.N. resolution that divided Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Britain announced it would hand authority over Palestine to the U.N. by May 14, 1948. Secretary of State George Marshall advised against recognition, warning Truman that Arab countries would cut off oil and unite to destroy the Jews. On the eve of British withdrawal — to be followed by an immediate Jewish declaration of independence — he told Truman "the great office of the President" was at stake.

But Truman's mind was made up. At 4 p.m., David Ben-Gurion read a 979-word declaration of independence in front of a small audience at the Tel Aviv Art Museum. He finished, "The state of Israel is established! The meeting is ended." At midnight, British rule over Palestine lapsed; 11 minutes later White House spokesman Charlie Ross announced U.S. recognition. "God put you in your mother's womb," the Chief Rabbi of Israel later told Truman, "so you would be the instrument to bring the rebirth of Israel." With Truman's decision, the hopes of the Jewish people were realized, but so too were Marshall's fears. Arab opponents of the new nation immediately declared war, prompting a bloody struggle over Israel's existence that would rage into the next century.” (Time Magazines - 80 days that changed the world.)

Israel

So why is the fact that Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948 an important event to the study of biblical prophecy?

Simply because they are mentioned so many times in future events. For example:

* Antichrist will make (or reaffirm) a 7 year covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27)
* Antichrist will invade Israel and desecrate the temple (Daniel 11:40-41; Matthew 24:15-20)
* Gog and his allies will invade Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:1-9; 14:1-2)
* The People of Israel will flee into the wilderness to escape the wrath of Satan (Revelation 12:13-17)

"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." - Gen 12:3

For almost 2500 years, starting with Jewish captivity under Babylon, then Persia, then Greece, then Rome and, almost 2000 years since the birth and rejection of the Messiah, the Jews were dispersed as a people without a nation. (That in itself was a prophetic event due to Israel's 'falling away' so-to-speak.)

Why is that important?

Because God said that he would one day re-gather the children of Israel into the Land promised them through his covenant with Abraham. This prophetic re-gathering, which we have seen take place within this century, is to serve as a sign to the world that the 'Day of the Lord' draws near.

Ezekiel 37

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

In the passage above we see God giving the prophet Ezekiel a vision of what was to come of Israel. As we read on in Ezekiel 37, more is revealed including the description of the millennial reign of Christ amongst them. But we’ll get more into that later.

In 70 AD the Jews were driven out of the land and dispersed. It is important to note that even though they stayed dispersed, they retained their nationality. Whether Canadian, Spanish, American or French, the Jews have kept their identity among all of the new nations they’ve called home. No other cultural group of people have ever retained a sense of nationality and culture after having their homeland taken away… but the Jews did.

Let’s have a look now at an example of how amazing this re-gathering of Israel to the Promised Land is.

Tel Aviv was (is) the first all-Jewish city in modern times. Originally named Ahuzat Bayit, it was founded by 60 families in 1909 as a Jewish neighborhood near Jaffa. In 1910, the name was changed to Tel Aviv, meaning "hill of spring".



“And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” - Ezekiel 36:10-11

Now look at Tel Aviv today.



It would seem the pictures speak for themselves.

Since Israel came into being in 1948, it has become a vibrant, modern, and well populated country. It now boasts over 6 million Jews in a portion of land smaller than Vancouver Island.

I would like to pause for a moment and talk about an idea commonly called Replacement Theology. I do this because it deals with Israel, and I believe it is a very destructive idea that is permeating the evangelical world.

You see, there are some who say that God’s promises to Israel were cancelled; That God revoked them when they denied the messiah and therefore denied God for the last time. They say now that the church has replaced Israel in God’s eyes.

Although the church is very important, if we continue to study the Scripture, especially those areas involved with the end times, it becomes very clear that God is not finished with Israel yet. There are countless passages of proof text to this fact and the idea that the Church has replaced Israel is unscriptural.

Israel is mentioned 2566 times in the Bible. This is second to God himself. With that much attention in the Scripture, it would seem apparent that God takes great concern with Israel.

They are the apple of his eye. He has engraved them in the palm of his hand and his prophetic plans involve them still. (See: Isaiah 11:12, Isaiah 66:8, Ezekiel 37:21, Jer 31:10-11, Eze 34:28)

“But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come… For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” - Ezekiel 36:8,24

Before 1948 there was no Israel. Not one of Israel’s prophecies could ever come to pass without a nation. It was during this time that the idea of replacement theology came about. The thought process was simply that because there was no Israel, God must have meant them symbolically in all the future prophecies about them. Or worse yet, perhaps all of the prophecies that we would call future, have already been fulfilled in some allegorical fashion in ages past. With no Israel on the map it was a complete act of faith in God’s Word to place a nation of Israel in the last days. You can imagine therefore why the study of prophecy was all a buzz in 1948...all of a sudden...ISRAEL!

You mean we can take the Bible literally? You bet we can.

So what of this nation of Israel in the future?

Well, God also said he would make Jerusalem a trouble spot - a prophetic warning sign to the world if you will.

“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” - Zech 12:1-3

Now that you’ve read that passage, read it again and think of the news headlines. I think you’ll agree that there are some definite similarities.

Ask yourself these questions:

* How many Cities in the world are larger than Jerusalem?
* How Frequently do these other cities make world news?
* Do these other cities 'tremble' and incite as much anger as Jerusalem?
* How can one city, invoke such controversy in our large world?

It does because God willed it, and is making it happen.

Another interesting side note is the ominous warning Christ gave to the generation that witnesses the regathering of Israel in the Land.

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” - Matthew 24:32-33 (see also Luke 21:29-33 and Mark 13:28-30)

There are two different interpretations about this parable. The first is that in several places in the Bible the 'fig tree' is a symbol of the Jewish Nation. As such this passage indicates that with the sprouting of leaves (rebirth), we know that summer is nigh.

The same thought could be used for the verse in Matthew 21 when Jesus curses a fig tree when he is nearing his crucifixion.

“Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.” - Matthew 21:19

Could this be symbolism of Israel denouncing the Messiah and the result of such denial? I can't say, but if it isn't meant to be such, it's still an interesting thought.

This ‘fig-tree parallelism’ can be carried over to recent history: “Its branches become tender and put forth leaves.” Miraculously, this tiny nation of Israel is quite prosperous today. And despite their enemies’ best efforts they don't appear to be 'wilting' any time soon.

I want to pause here for a moment. Like a lot of things with the study of prophecy, we should make sure to look at all possibilities within a passage. As such, allow me to present the following:

The other idea about Matthew 24:32-33 is simply that this passage states that when 'all these things' - meaning all of these signs (that we haven't gotten to yet in this study, including the rebirth of Israel) - signify the beginning of the end.

The main reason for this belief is that the Luke passage mentions the fig tree and ‘all’ trees.

Another reason is that Christ describes many things in the surrounding passages, some of which (we know from the book of Revelation) occur during the tribulation week. With this in mind, it may indeed be that Christ was talking about the generation within the Tribulation. I’ll let you make up you own mind on this issue, but regardless, with all we have been studying, it is an exciting prospect in either case.

Now assuming our first premise is correct about Israel’s rebirth, let us take a moment to look at the word “generation” within those passages.

In the words from Matthew:

"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."

Which generation?

The one that sees these signs.

Isn't that generation alive today?

Yes, I believe it is.

How long is a generation?

GOOD QUESTION!

Is it 50 years? 100 years? Can we define it?

“And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." - Gen 6:3

This passage would definitely seem to suggest that it cannot be more than 120 years.

The question now to ask is when did this prophetic countdown begin?

With the birth of the nation in 1948? Or the regaining of Jerusalem in 1967? Or is it measured by some other sign that Christ mentions prior to his announcement of the final generation?

That question I cannot answer, and perhaps we are not supposed to know. All we do know is that we are warned to 'Watch'.

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. – Matthew 24:42

If it were just these passages to consider in deciding if these are the end times, we would be left with much speculation. However, lucky for us, God gives us other signs and warnings to serve as signs to the final generation. God wants us to know and recognize the generation of the end. As just quoted and several times throughout the New Testament, God wants us to ‘Watch and be ready’. Lucky for us, he told us in several other passages what to watch for.

But that discussion is for the next time.

Until then… Serve Your King.

posted with permission
http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot...es-part-i.html


Signs of the Times – Part II

By J.R. Hall

As in the days of Noah...

In Proverbs God talks of a generation with ungodly characteristics.

“There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.” - Proverbs 30:11-12

In 2 Timothy the apostle Paul provides a prophetic profile or ''checklist'' of the
identifying characteristics of 'the generation' who will see the unfolding of the end time prophecies.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” - 2 Timothy 3:1-5

What a list! I encourage you to read it again, this time with the news headlines in front of you.

Let's take a moment to analyze this verse. Follow along and see for yourself how many seem to fit today's headlines and society. (Note: these are not in the order of the verse but rather organized by theme)

1. Lovers of their own selves, boasters, proud, blasphemers, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away - full of pride and arrogance a mocking independence from God honoring only Man not the creator.

2. Covetous (lovers of money) - It seems that all society does is strive for more money. The pursuit of money is the only goal and the acquiring of money the only success. The covetous heart is in pursuit of more and to desire the things that others have.

3. Disobedient to parents - defiant children, disrespectful.

4. Unthankful - No recognition of from where blessings come.

5. Without natural affection – The disrespect of human life, murders, abortion etc.

6. Slanderers, without self control - This comes straight out of the arrogance
and the thought that Man is superior and can do anything. Disrespect.

7. Trucebreakers, Traitors, and False Accusers – It’s all around us. Everyone worried about me, me me and could care less about loving others as you love yourself.

8. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God – Look at all the ways that we have found to entertain ourselves and bring us pleasure. We have an emptiness that we try to fill with earthly things that we should be seeking in God.

These 8 points certainly describe the pulse of the days we live in - do they not? With every day that I read the news and look for prophetic headlines, there are far, far too many of them that are relevant to this 2 Timothy passage. Let’s have a last look again at the first verse in this passage:

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” – 2 Timothy 3:1

The word “perilous” translated from the Greek means difficult, dangerous, fierce or perilous. The only other time this word ‘chalepos’ is used in the Bible is found in Matthew 8:28 where it is used to describe a man who had demons and was out of control - wild like an untamed animal – savage.

Author Stephen Covey, in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families, provides an insight into our lives today.

“Over the past thirty years, the situation for families has changed powerfully and dramatically. Illegitimate birth rates have increased more that 400 percent. The percentage of families headed by a single parent has more than tripled. The divorce rate has more that doubled. Teenage suicide has increased almost 300 percent. Scholastic Aptitude Test scores among all students have dropped seventy-three points. The number one health problem for American women today is domestic violence. One fourth of all adolescents contract a sexually transmitted disease before they graduate from high school.”

Covey goes on to mention another startling fact. Do you know what the most reported problems in the 1940 school classrooms were? Covey mentions them:

* Talking out of turn
* Chewing gum
* Making noise
* Running in the halls
* Cutting in line
* Dress code infractions
* Littering

For a comparison let’s have a look at the problems within the schools of the 1990’s were:

* Drug abuse
* Alcohol abuse
* Pregnancy
* Suicide
* Rape
* Theft
* Assault

That was the 1990’s! I can assure you that it has only become worse since then.

Friends, these are indeed savage times. Timothy told us that perilous (chalepos) times shall come. What we need to realize is that these days HAVE come. They are not coming... they are already here.

A Generation of Liars?

Take a look at what is said in 2 Timothy 3:13:

"Evil men and impostors [seducers] will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” - 2 Tim 3:13

Author Craig Crawford says the following.

"The Scriptures tell us God cannot lie and He hates all liars. God says truth is nonnegotiable and is fundamental to His law. In the past, liars and perjurers were dealt with harshly and severely. Today we see lying casually accepted and even presented as funny or harmless. In God’s eyes, elected leaders of a democracy are mirrors which reflect the people who elected them and willingly keep them in office. As noted, telling the truth is fundamental to God’s law. In the Bible we find when a nation and its leader(s) defiantly mock, ignore, and turn their backs on God’s law, God will turn His back on that nation and remove His protection and blessings from that people. God help us. The future of that people and nation is usually very, very grim.

The other distressing thing found in this prophecy is God warning us that the deception and lying will continue to grow even worse and worse. The leaders of “this generation” will not only disobey and ignore God’s laws but will even brand God’s laws as “intolerant” and will somehow twist obedience to God’s laws into “hate.”

Hmmm... Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

2 Peter also gives some additional insight into the 'heartbeat' of the last days:

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." - 2 Peter 3:3-4

The world seems to be full of scoffers. They look at us Christians and say, “Ha! You’re dreaming. Where is this Christ? It’s all a dream. It’s not real. You’ve been duped.” In accordance in the passage we just read from 2 Peter, the generation of the last days will ridicule those who take the warnings of the Bible seriously and wait in faith. Is this generation not now? Or even at the doors? The world even now scoffs at those of us who believe on Christ and they themselves blindly believe that life here on earth will simply ‘evolve’ and we as a society will simply move on as we always have. This mentality is echoed in the words of Isaiah.

“Come,” one says, “I will bring wine, and we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink; tomorrow will be as today, and much more abundant.” - Isa 56:12

And yet Bible prophecy is clear that life will not continue endlessly as it is now. God has always had a plan for this world, and it seems as though the last phase of the plan is unfolding before our eyes.

Until next time, Maranatha, and go serve your King.

posted with permission
http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot...s-part-ii.html

[Cindy]

I get so excited reading the Bible, LOL can you tell??? Anyway, as I was reading I came to this verse in Daniel, and it's part of a verse that we're all very familiar with!

Daniel 12:9-10 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

Once again the Lord shows us that He only gives His knowledge to those who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Plus, prior to that He tells Daniel to seal the vision because it's not time for it to happen. That part of the verse always meant to me that the things about the Rapture, Tribulation, Second coming and Millennium wouldn't be understood until the people who were going to live them were alive, and that's US! So that's why there was never much teaching or understanding about any of this until now. Add to that the part I put in red and we can see why there are so many different "views" about the Rapture and Trib etc, because those without God's Holy Spirit guiding them, won't understand!

Now before I get flamed, LOL, I am NOT saying that anyone that doesn't believe in a pre trib rapture isn't saved. What I'm saying is that those who don't believe in it have accepted a theory that was man made rather then studying for themselves and letting the Holy Spirit guide them to the Truth.

[Cindy]

The Three Questions of Matthew 24

By Jack Kelley

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3)

One of the mistakes we make in reading the Bible is caused by our tendency to look at everything through “Church colored glasses.” By that I mean we read it as if everything applies directly to us without regard for the context or historical background. I know Paul said everything that was written in the past was written to teach us (Romans 15:4) but that doesn’t mean it was all written to us. It means we’re supposed to learn from the experiences of those who came before us. A prime example of this kind of mistake can be found in our interpretation of the Olivet Discourse. I’ll show you what I mean.

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Matt. 24:1-2)

These two verses set the tone for the entire discussion, yet in our rush to get to the meat of the passage they are often ignored. From Mark’s account we know that after Jesus said this, four of the disciples came to Him for clarification. They were Peter, James, John and Andrew (Mark 13:3), and they asked Him 3 questions. When will this happen? (When will these buildings be torn down?) What will be the sign of your coming? What will be the sign of the End of the Age? Let’s look at them individually to gain more of the background that prompted these questions.

When Will This Happen?

The view of Jerusalem at sunset from the Mount of Olives is breathtaking, even today. In the Lord’s time it was even more so because the Temple was still standing. To them it was the most beautiful building imaginable. The Hebrew Talmud says, “One who has not seen the Temple from the time of Herod has never seen a magnificent building.” It had been 46 years in the construction and was still not finished. At sunset its white limestone exterior took on a bright golden hue, as if it was made of pure gold. Repeating His Palm Sunday prophecy (Luke 19:41-44) Jesus said it would be so completely destroyed that not one stone would be left standing on another. Luke’s version of the Olivet Discourse is the only one that gives a detailed answer to this question. (Luke 21:12-24)

What Will Be The Sign Of Your Coming?

Obviously they meant His 2nd Coming and He actually gave them 2 clear signs. After describing several things that would not be specific signs, but merely “birth pangs”, He gave them the first one in Matt. 24:15. It’s the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place and it will mark the beginning of the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21). The second sign is only described as the Sign of the Son of Man. It will signal the Great Tribulation’s end (Matt. 24:29). After that the Lord will return on the clouds with power and great glory.

What Will Be The Sign Of The End Of The Age?

This question is more complex than they ever imagined when they asked it, even though the answer is simple. Ultimately, the sign of the End of the Age will be the Lord’s return. This question is the one where so many believers are way off the mark. It’s those “church colored glasses” I mentioned. But when you understand the disciples’ perspective you’ll see that it was not possible for them to be thinking of the Church Age when they used the phrase “end of the age” like so many Christians assume. Here’s why.

Over 500 years previously the Angel Gabriel had told Daniel how and when the end of the age would come. He said that from the time they received permission to restore and rebuild Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity there would be 70 periods of 7 years each (often called weeks because the Hebrew word Gabriel used means “a week of years”) for a total of 490 years (70 weeks).

When the disciples asked their questions, 483 years (69 weeks) had passed and there were only 7 years (1 week) left. You can imagine their astonishment when He told them that having come so close, just when the end was in sight it would all be destroyed. How could this be? Anointing the Most Holy referred to the Temple, under construction for 46 years and still not finished. How could it be torn down and rebuilt in just 7 years?

It was this astonishment that led to their questions. They didn’t know anything about a Church Age that would cause a 2000 year pause in Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy. Most of us today don’t understand that the Church Age didn’t end the Age of Law, it has just interrupted it. How could they have understood it? (The fact that the Age of Law hasn’t ended explains why there will be a Temple erected in Israel soon. Israel needs one to complete the final 7 years.)

40 days after the Resurrection, even after receiving the Holy Spirit (John 20:22) they were still thinking that the End of the Age was at hand. When Jesus led them up to the Mount of Olives where He would soon ascend to the Father, they asked Him, “Lord are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?” Once again He didn’t explain anything about the future, but said, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” (Acts 1:7-8)

I’ve Got A Secret

James revealed the answer to the Apostles for the first time 20 years after the cross.

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me. Simon (Peter) has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

“ ‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things that have been known for ages.’ “ (Acts 15:12-17)

Israel was being set aside while the Lord built the Church for Himself. After He had taken us, He would turn His attention once again to Israel. If the Lord had taught them these things, James would not have had to explain it. It wasn’t that they had heard this and forgotten it. It was that the Lord had never told them.

And Paul claimed he was revealing an age old secret when he told the Church in Ephesus that through the Gospel gentiles were being made heirs together with Israel. (Ephes. 3:4-6)

Seen from this perspective it’s clear that the Olivet Discourse is not about the Church. It’s the account of the Jewish Messiah speaking on the Mt. Of Olives to His Jewish followers about the future of Israel. To underscore the point, in Matt. 24:15 He made reference to a Jewish Temple and in Matt. 24:16 He spoke of Old Covenant followers in Judea, the Biblical name for Israel, at the End of the Age. Only observant Jews would be unable to flee on a Sabbath. These are the only specific references to a people group in the entire passage. They both point to Israel and they’re both written in the 2nd person (v. 15, when you see … v.20, pray that your flight … ), indicating that the Lord considered the disciples to be representative of Israel. To place the Church in the Olivet Discourse is to make a fundamental error in interpretation. (Only the pre-Trib Rapture position avoids this error.)

What’s That There For?

So why is the Olivet Discourse even in the New Testament if it’s not for the Church? There are several good reasons. First it gives the Church some early warning signals we can use to know how close we’re getting to our departure. The birth pangs serve as “nearness indicators” in that the more frequently they occur the closer we are. Also, throughout the entire Church Age the signs the Lord gave to Israel have not been in evidence, primarily because until 1948 there was no Israel. This is what makes the re-birth of the nation the pre-imminent sign that the End Times are upon us.

Second, the absence of any reference to the Church shows us that we won’t be here during the time He was talking about.

And third it shows Tribulation believers both inside and outside of Israel what to look for to help maintain their faith that He’s coming to end their ordeal.

Neither the Angel Gabriel nor the Lord misled Israel by not mentioning this indeterminate pause between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. At least up to the cross and maybe all the way to the Ascension the Lord’s offer of a Kingdom to Israel was on the table. The 40 days the Lord spent in Israel between the Resurrection and the Ascension could well have been Israel’s time of testing (40 is the number of testing), their last chance to accept the Kingdom. This could also explain why the Gospel received limited exposure among the Gentiles during and immediately after the Lord’s ministry and why it was 20 years after the cross before the doctrine of the Rapture was introduced.

Clearly the Olivet Discourse was given primarily to Israel and doesn’t mention the Church. No matter what view you hold of the sequence of End Times events, if you’ve based it on an assumption that the disciples represent the Church in the Olivet Discourse, it’s time to re-think your assumption.

posted with permission
http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot...atthew-24.html

[Cindy]

Israel and Prophetic Proof -

By Dave Hunt

"And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them....And they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God." Amos 9:14-15

About 250 years ago, the King of Sweden had troubling doubts about whether the Bible was really true in every word. He asked Count von Zinzendorf, bishop of the Moravian Church, to give him proof that the Bible was truly inspired of God. The King had set aside 10 hours to hear what might be said. To his majesty's surprise, Zinzendorf informed him that the time allotted was far too much. He only needed to say one word. Astonished, the King asked what that could be. The Count replied, "Jews."

Today we would add one more word, "Israel." In Zinzendorf's day, that tiny and beleaguered nation, born on May 14, 1948, did not exist except in the hearts of Zionists who had never given up awaiting the fulfillment of the "God of Israel's" solemn promises. The continued existence of Israel today, surrounded by more than a billion Muslims who have sworn to exterminate her and who continually plot and repeatedly attack her in the attempt to do so, is one of the most astonishing miracles of modern times.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has blessed the Jewish people with a brilliance that generally far exceeds their cousins the Arabs and the rest of the Gentile world.

The Arabs have the oil, but the Jews have the brains. Lest I be accused of racism, one need only compare the numbers of Nobel prize winners among them. In the Arab/Muslim world of 1.4 billion there are 6 Nobelists: 3 for Peace, and 1 each for Chemistry, Physics, and Literature.

In the Jewish population of 14 million (one hundredth of the Arab world) there are 165 Nobelists: 51 for Medicine, 45 for Physics, 27 for chemistry, 22 for Economics, 11 for Literature, and 9 for Peace. This is astonishing!

Supporting the amazing facts surrounding Israel, there are literally dozens of biblical prophecies foretelling her sudden rise to become the world's premiere military power, the persistent attacks upon her from Muslim nations, and the fear of Israel that grips hostile Arab neighbors today. Yes, well might they fear her. Israel could wipe them out very quickly if she chose to do so. Instead, she has all too patiently endured their outspoken hatred, insults, repeated open threats of extermination, persistent rocket and terrorist attacks, and their continued feverish efforts to build the nuclear capability to destroy her.

Israel's patience ends when the threat becomes too dangerous. As it was with Syria, that may soon be the case with Iran, which is hoping one day to launch a nuclear attack on Israel. Iran would then become the hero of the Islamic world. If such an attack became possible, it would force Israel to preemptively destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, as it did after Syria's attempt to develop nuclear capabilities.

For months, by satellite, Israel followed ship after ship from North Korea as they landed in Syria and watched the convoys of trucks as they discharged their cargo in a "secret" desert destination. She patiently watched the construction of a nuclear facility disguised as a "cement plant" and ridiculously surrounded by the latest Russian radar and surface-to-air missiles. The evidence was shown to President George W. Bush, including photos taken inside the facility and missiles and radar protecting the unusual "cement."1 (Condoleezza Rice, whose "Replacement Theology" prevents her from being a true friend of Israel, was not consulted. The State Department has long been the enemy of Israel.)

With Bush's tacit approval, Israeli planes went in and destroyed the nuclear facility along with the latest Russian protection surrounding it. How did Israeli planes pierce these sophisticated defenses? They are not sharing that secret with anyone, least of all with our "friends" in the State Department.

These current events, like so many others, have been foretold in the Bible. In spite of their accuracy, critics deny their relevance. Some claim to be former Christians. One can only wonder what kind of "Christians" they were to remain in such complete ignorance of the Bible while pretending to know it so well. Gary Lenaire, for example, says that he "spent 15 years in the church...released nine contemporary Christian music albums, was nominated for six Gospel Music Awards...preached the gospel...around the world [and] served as a voluntary Chaplain for the Military Department."2 He writes in An Infidel Manifesto:

Biblical prophecy is perhaps the most powerful tool for religious delusion....Look at any so-called prophesies [sic] in scripture: the wording is so general that you could attach almost any event and say, "Look, this is a fulfilled prophecy!" That is exactly why there are thousands of people today saying that they are witnessing prophecies being fulfilled in our generation....Most of the so-called prophecies were never intended...as prophetical in the first place...the words are so general you could make them to mean almost anything. Take a look at them without the dogma of your local preacher.3


This is so pitiful that it is embarrassing. This "expert on Bible prophecy" offers little more than inexcusable ignorance and prejudice. He says, "any so-called prophecies." While some prophecies are difficult to understand, there are hundreds that clearly have been fulfilled to the letter and some are still in the process of being fulfilled.

"So general you could make them to mean almost anything"? In fact, they are so specific that Lenaire's statements would be laughable were they not influencing so many to turn from God.

Here is one of numerous prophecies (circa 600 BC), of which the specificity cannot be denied. "Therefore behold the days are coming, says the Lord, that they shall no longer say 'As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,' but 'As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I have driven them'" (See Jer 16:14-15; 23:7-8).

Notice the detailed prophetic elements. As the deliverance from "the land of Egypt," spoken of in the book of Exodus, was what Jews looked back to each year in the Passover as a reminder of God's love and power, that event would fade from its prominence in their minds to be replaced by something more recent. The prophecy has two distinct parts: 1) a confirmation of many previous prophecies that the Jews were going to be led captive into "every nation" (Lk 21:24), and 2) their eventual deliverance and return to Israel would almost eclipse from the national memory their deliverance from Egypt. And so it has happened.

The great proof that the Bible repeatedly offers of its veracity is the fact that God, through His prophets, tells what will happen centuries and even thousands of years in advance. There is no arguing with the precise detail and accuracy of any of the Bible's hundreds of prophecies. Yet, Lenaire, in typical atheist fashion, declared that most prophecies were so general that one could make them mean almost anything. Not so!

Lenaire is either deliberately attempting to mislead his readers, or he is displaying an abysmal ignorance. Most prophecies are, in fact, so specific that no one could argue with their meaning.

In Joel 3:2 (circa 800 BC), God declared that the day was coming when all nations would join to divide the land of Israel: "I will also gather all nations...and will plead with them [punish them] for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land."

This is remarkable! Throughout its entire 3,000-plus-year history, the land of Israel had never been divided. It had been conquered by various nations, but even when the Turks held it as part of their Ottoman Empire for 400 years, they did not divide the land. A conqueror keeps the land he has conquered intact for himself. Why divide it?

This division of Israel has occurred only in our day. Britain, which had been placed in charge of "Palestine" by the allied forces who had conquered it in World War I, had been given the mandate by the League of Nations to see that this land should remain as a refuge for the Jews, who had been scattered everywhere.

Instead of fulfilling this mandate, Britain gave about 75 percent of the land to the Arab Muslims in exchange for oil. In 1947, the United Nations, through Resolution 181 and in fulfillment of Joel 3:2, formalized this breach of trust. Israel finally received a mere 13 percent of what they had been promised. This is now history. Britain and the UN infamously fulfilled Joel 3:2 and parted God's land.

The God of Israel, knowing all that would happen, had warned in advance that He would avenge Himself for this brazen robbery of His people. After being attacked by Muslim nations, who were following Allah's edict through Muhammad that all Jews must be destroyed, Israel, in self-defense recaptured some of this land.

Christ himself made a number of prophecies before His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Like many other Hebrew prophets, Christ foretold the scattering of Jews all over the earth and the coming Great Tribulation (Luke 21:24-26). Also in Luke 21:24, there is a remarkable and very specific prophecy concerning Jerusalem itself: Jesus declared "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."

When did this "treading down" of Jerusalem by Gentiles begin? In fact, it has been going on for centuries, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:10-11), dated 587-586 BC. This prophecy tells us of what Christ called "the times of the Gentiles." As it has so often, the existence of the United Nations played a key role. In partial fulfillment of Christ's prophecy, a vital part of UN Resolution 181 was the declaration that Jerusalem would be a corpus separatum, never part of Israel and never under the control of Jews.

Consider how specific the following is from the prophet Zechariah:

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zec 12:2-3)


Two groups are distinguished by the prophet: "all the people round about Judah and Jerusalem" and "all the people of the earth." These groups are identified by two separate prophecies. To the first group, Jerusalem will be "a cup of trembling" and to the second group, "a burdensome stone." The first group is further identified as being united together "in a siege" against Judah and Jerusalem, the second group as "gathered together" against her.

Why will Israel be a "cup of trembling" to her neighbors? As we have just pointed out, Israel is the premier military power in the world, and she could wipe out her Arab neighbors very quickly but refrains from doing so. As for being a "burdensome stone," how better to show the fulfillment of this specific prophecy than by the fact that.from 1967-1989 out of 865 resolutions in the Security Council and General Assembly of the UN, 526 were against Israel.

As we have pointed out, that was the first time that Israel had ever been divided. Now we also see the first time that all nations surrounding it have been united in a common goal. Traditionally, these nations had been enemies. What unites them now? They are all Muslims, and it is Islam (which did not even exist at the time of the prophecy) that joins them in the common desire to destroy Israel.

For all nations to be united against Israel, there would have to be an organization of "all nations." The United Nations came into existence in 1945, just in time to be the means of fulfilling this prophecy.

This 2,500-year-old prophecy is both specific in its details and flawless in its accuracy.

Another amazing prophecy concerns anti-Semitism. There is no rational explanation for this implacable hatred that has continued over several thousand years. What fuels this insane obsession is the determination to exterminate the Jews. No other national people have been the long-term targets of such a goal. In The Secret War Against the Jews, Mark Aarons and John Loftus write:

For more than twenty centuries [Jews] have...been persecuted, uprooted, and annihilated. [Yes] many [other] groups have suffered grievously at the hands of tyrants, but there is a crucial difference....


In each of these cases, the genocide was intended to serve a deeper purpose-the conquest of territory, the acquisition of wealth, the enlargement of political power....In contrast, the genocide of the Jewish people was not...attempted in order to achieve a more fundamental purpose. It was the fundamental purpose. This is what makes the Nazi Holocaust unique.4 [Emphasis added]


Yes, many groups of people have suffered greatly. The Muslims wiped out more than a million Armenians as well as millions of other peoples throughout history. Thousands of blacks were transported from Africa to the American colonies to become slaves in a trade begun by Arabs and assisted by Africans. However, the quote above indicates that the intent was not to exterminate these people, as has been (and still is) the Muslims' goal with the Jews.

Incredibly, the obvious lie persists by religious and political leaders such as recent popes, former leaders President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and now President Obama, that Islam is a religion of peace and has been maligned by critics. In fact, Muslims have murdered millions in their long-standing goal to take over the world, and there is an ongoing slaughter that continues to this day in Indonesia, Sudan, Nigeria, and elsewhere.

In contrast to the persistent praise of Islam as a force for peace in the world, Israel, which has never voiced unprovoked threats against other nations and has acted only in self-defense, has been accused repeatedly in the United Nations of aggression against innocent neighbors.

Fulfilled biblical prophecy stands as undeniable proof that the God of the Bible exists. Furthermore, these many prophecies, of which we will, God willing, have more to say next month, stand as a warning to the world of coming judgment. We will also review the many promises of blessing for those who will heed God's Word concerning Israel. TBC

Endnotes


1.http://www.nysun.com/foreign/israel-...ar/64545/;also http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092002701.html.

2. Gary Lenaire, An Infidel Manifesto: why sincere believers lose faith (Baltimore: PublishAmerica, 2006), back cover.

3. Lenaire, Infidel,120-21.

4. John Loftus and Mark Aarons, The Secret War Against the Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed the Jewish People (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994).

posted with permission
http://www.thebereancall.org/node/7745

[Cindy]

Israel and Prophetic Proof Part 2

By Dave Hunt

Israel is the major topic of Bible prophecy, mentioned more than 2,900 times, nearly twice as many times as her Messiah. Without Israel there would be no Messiah and no salvation for anyone, Jew or Gentile. The first mention of His coming is in God's rebuke of the guilty parties involved in man's fall in Eden: the serpent (an identity that Satan retains from Genesis to Revelation) and Adam and Eve. The Bible account is not myth but history. In many places around the world, archaeologists continue to find ancient representations of three figures appearing together: a woman, a serpent, and a tree.

God foretells a long conflict between the serpent and the Messiah and the latter's ultimate triumph that would occur in a way Satan could never have imagined. An old hymn tells it beautifully:

In weakness like defeat,

He won the victor's crown;

Trod all our foes beneath His feet

By being trodden down.

He Satan's power laid low;

Made sin, He sin o'er threw;

Bowed to the grave, destroyed it so,
And death, by dying, slew.

God's declaration to the three guilty parties is simple and to the point. To the serpent He said, "I will put enmity between thee [serpent] and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed [the Messiah]; it [the woman's seed] shall bruise thy head [a death blow], and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gn 3:15).

The fact that God does not say "thy seed and Adam's" must indicate that no man would be involved. From that moment, Satan was eagerly awaiting this virgin birth in order to kill the babe. Watching closely as events unfold, Satan learns that the Messiah will be of the seed of Abraham. Ishmael (father of the Arabs) is Abraham's firstborn, but by Hagar, Sarah's maid 7. Finally, Abraham is given a second son by his wife. He is Isaac, "the son of promise." It seems a miraculous birth because for 90 years Sarah had been barren though not a virgin. Satan watches and waits.

Both Ishmael and Isaac were born "in the land of Canaan" among Canaanites who had lived there for centuries (Gn 11:31; 12:5-6; 13:7, etc.). There was no such place as "Palestine" nor any people called "Palestinians." No Arabs would live in so-called Palestine until the savage Islamic conquest of the world began in the seventh century, and they would not claim descent from "the original Palestinians" until the 1950s. Anyone making such a claim via descent from Ishmael is deluded by tradition. Ishmael's father (Abraham) was a Chaldean (Gn 11:31; 15:7) and his mother (Hagar) was an Egyptian (16:1).

President Obama continues to apply pressure upon Israel to deal justly with the "Palestinians." He asks these misnamed people to cease their violence against Israel. He must know that this is like pleading with a hurricane for mercy. Since long before the days of Arafat and his partner, Mahmoud Abbas, the PLO Charter's call for Israel's annihilation has been the sworn purpose of every Islamic government in obedience to Muhammad and has been reiterated hundreds of times throughout the Muslim world.

As Mortimer Zuckerman, in his U.S. News and World Report editorial of June 9, 2009, recently reminded world leaders demanding that Israel make "peace" with the Palestinians, the latter's violence is fueled by "the incessant spewing of hatred against Israel in schools, mosques, and the media, especially TV. This poisoning of the mind of the next generation is not just the stock in trade of Hamas and Hezbollah but also of the schools and media controlled by Fatah and reporting directly to Abbas."

In spite of the facts, political and church leaders persist in avoiding any mention of Islam or Muslims when referring to their violence. That is always blamed on "extremists." In fact, Muhammad himself began this trail of death, and his followers have obeyed, as supported by the Qur'an. The simple truth of history is brushed aside by the UN and almost the entire world, including the church and, sadly, our own president.

Being repeatedly condemned by the world for trying to defend itself against suicide bomber attacks that were costing the lives of hundreds of Israelis, including women and children, Israel's only alternative was to build a barrier that would cut off the attackers from entering her homeland. World opinion expressed outrage. The World Court ruled 14-1 that construction must cease immediately and everything be dismantled, with compensation to the Palestinians. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on July 20, 2004, 150-6, calling on Israel to respect the World Court ruling. Only the United States, Israel, Australia, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau voted against the resolution. Israel rejected world opinion and, from necessity, has proceeded with construction. Though the barrier has not been completed as of this date, it has already almost totally cut off the infiltration of terrorists.

Israel subsequently "gave back" Gaza, which historically belonged to her. She generously left operative the huge greenhouses that had fed Israel and much of Europe with fresh vegetables and could have done the same for the new "owners." Instead, these new owners tore the structures apart, and the mob carried off the materials for their individual use, thereby losing the potential income from exports that Israel had derived as well as the ability to feed themselves.

Going back to history, in 135 A.D., the Romans destroyed 1,000 Jewish villages, killed 500,000 Jews, and enslaved thousands. Furious that they'd been forced to bring in more legions to quell the rebellion, the Romans angrily renamed what had for more than 1,500 years been known as Israel. They called it Provincia Palestina after the Philistines, Israel's ancient enemies. Those living there became known as Palestinians. Who lived there? Jews! So Jews, ironically were the first "Palestinians." This is what they were called (along with many derisive names that have followed them as they've been hunted from country to country). Only in the 1950s did the Arabs begin to call themselves "Palestinians" in order to gain worldwide sympathy for their acts of terrorism even as UN pressure squeezed Israel into an ever-smaller corner in order to facilitate her destruction. (We document all of this and much more in Judgment Day.)

Since 1948, Israel has been arming herself and fighting back. Her vow of "never again" will be fulfilled but not before Jewry worldwide suffers the worst horror of her history. Under attack by all of the world's armies (Zec 12:3; 14:2; Jl 3:2, Ezk 38:8,9 etc.), Israel will call upon the Messiah, and He will rescue her. It is all declared plainly by the ancient prophets of Israel in the Old Testament (the Tenach).

It has taken the Lord many years and many circumstances to open my eyes to these prophecies. It was all there in His Word, but I didn't understand. How blind I was!

In 1966-67, my wife and I, with our four young children, were living on the third floor of a small seventeenth-century castle in Switzerland. That year was to have been an intensive time of ministry to university students, but God had something far different in mind. Suddenly, an overwhelming urgency to pray for Israel came upon me toward the end of 1966. Even when giving thanks to God at mealtime, I was compelled to include this prayer, "O Lord, I pray that you will defeat, confound, confuse, and frustrate all those who plot the destruction of Israel; turn their counsel into foolishness and protect your ancient people from their evil designs. In Jesus' name, Amen!"

I didn't understand that prayer at the time, but my naiveté was soon dispelled. In Cairo, Egypt, I went into a travel agency and asked, "How can I get to Israel?" The man waiting on me took me aside and whispered, "If you mention that [expletive] word again in this country they'll kill you!" I was shocked. I knew the Bible well but had never realized the significance of Psalm 83: "...thine enemies...that hate thee...have taken crafty counsel against thy people, [saying] let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance." This destruction has been the determined goal of Islam since it was founded by Muhammad.

Muslims are fighting against the God who calls Himself the "God of Israel" 203 times in the Bible. What an embarrassment it would be if Israel could be destroyed! It could never happen, for that act would destroy "the God of Israel" as well. He will not allow it.

Interacting with the very friendly people our family met as we drove the length and breadth of Egypt in our VW minibus in late May 1967, we repeatedly heard the words, "The 19-year war." What war was this? It took a while for that cryptic phrase to sink into our dull understanding. From the so-called 1948 cessation of hostilities until 1967 was 19 years. Even as they professed peace, but inspired by Egypt's dictator, Gamal Abdul Nasser, the 40 million Muslims surrounding Israel had been arming nonstop to achieve her destruction. Nasser had sworn to lead the Arab world to a glorious victory. The humiliating defeat of the Arab armies in "The Six Day War" of 1967 ended Nasser's bombastic boast that he would destroy Israel. He subsequently had a nervous breakdown from which he never recovered.

In May 1948, Israel had declared its independence and was instantly attacked by the combined might of 40 million Arab/Muslims surrounding her. This tiny nation of 600,000, with its hastily assembled, hurriedly trained, and poorly equipped army of 60,000, with weapons smuggled in from Czechoslovakia (France, Britain, America, et al., would sell them nothing) fought for its survival against an enemy that had sworn its utter annihilation. They "crushed 600,000 soldiers of four Arab armies, well trained and heavily armed [with tanks and planes, of which Israel had none], reinforced by units from seven additional Arab countries, not to mention the active help of the British." This quote is part of the lengthy endorsement of Judgment Day by a retired Israeli General.

Three times God calls Israel the "apple of his eye" and warns: "He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye" (Zec 2:8; Dt 32:10; Lam 2:18). The statements that Barack Obama continually makes in favor of Islam are not only alarming for his own sake and the sake of the United States but are a slap in the face of the God of Israel. I can only warn him with what God himself told Abraham regarding the subsequent mistreatment of his descendants: "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gn 12:3).

In a hotel room in Tyre, Lebanon, the evening of June 3, 1967, our family prayed for direction from God. We had visas to drive through Syria into Jordan and then return by the same route. The newspapers the next morning gave the answer clearly. We immediately headed north through Syria and had, by God's grace, barely gotten across the border into Turkey when the war broke out.

In spite of hundreds of very clear declarations by Jewish prophets and the promises that God has given to His people, about 30 percent of today's Israelis claim to be atheists. He wants to bless them and protect them, but how can He, when they continue to reject Him? The following is just a sample of what God has repeatedly said to His people: "I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries...fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.... But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would [have] none of me"

(Ps 81:11-16).


Israel is both under God's judgment because of its continual rejection of the God of Israel, but at the same time, He has not abandoned her, and woe to those who take God's judgment into their own hands!

In the meantime, the nations of the world continue to become a party to Islam's deception by attempting to force Israel into what can only be a false "peace." What Islam has in mind is not what the peacemakers naively intend. It's called a hudna, the "peace" that Muhammad made with the Meccans for ten years. Long before then, under a pretense, Muslims attacked and took over that "holy" city, which had so long been the goal of the hajj (long practiced before Muhammad's birth by most Arab tribes). Of course, this ancient custom, along with others, such as the feast of Ramadan, have been taken over by Muslims. Thus, history is perverted to make it seem that these had always been Islamic practices.

Ramadan had for centuries been agreed upon by warring Arab tribes to be 30 days of peace. At just the right time to allow him to attack a passing caravan, Muhammad received a "new revelation" that Muslims could fight during this time. Ramadan has become a time of the deadliest attacks of Shiites against Sunnis (does this demonstrate to the world that "Islam is peace?")

These prophecies are so important for the strengthening of our own faith, but what about those whom we want to bring into the faith of the God of Israel? We need to provide to everyone with whom we speak (as I often do for those with whom the Lord puts me in contact everywhere, but especially on airplanes) first of all, proof of God's existence. How better to do this than to take the approach of Zinzendorf with the King of Sweden, as we mentioned in Part I of this article, using biblical prophecies about Israel?

We can talk to others about God and Jesus Christ, but when we say "God," what do we mean? A "higher power" of some kind? We have to be sure that those whom we want to introduce to the God of Israel understand who He is, why we believe in Him, and why we think the most intelligent decision they could make is to believe in Him as well. TBC

posted with permission
http://www.thebereancall.org/node/7842

http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot...f-part-ii.html

[Cindy]

Israel: The Preparation and the Bomb - A Prophetic Mini-Study

By Gary Stearman

There is a coming nuclear conflagration in the Middle East. Virtually every authority foresees this eventuality. Israel is now in a state of preparation for the conflict of the ages. Their governance exists in a state of general unbelief, but in the clash to come, their spiritual eyes will finally be opened.

It is a curious coincidence that the existence of modern Israel parallels the development of nuclear capability in the world. The race for nuclear supremacy dates back to the early years of the twentieth century, when Albert Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc2, awakened both the scientific community and the public to the awesome potential of atomic power. A tiny amount of mass can produce an enormous quantity of energy.

Jewish scientists, like Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller, created the nuclear monster that exploded over Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. Three short years later, on May 14, 1948, Israel became a state. Given the fact that Jewish scientists have always led the way in nuclear science, it should come as a surprise to no one that an infant Israel, sensing the surrounding Arab threat, quickly acquired its own nuclear program. Amazingly, the man said to be the most brilliant nuclear theoretician of them all – Dr. Samuel Cohen – became Israel’s director of nuclear planning.

Inventor of the neutron bomb, and other top-secret advanced warheads, he quietly became head of Israel’s nuclear development program at the Dimona Nuclear Research Center, located south of Beersheba in the Negev Desert.

Many observers have declared that Cohen’s accomplishments have given Israel the most advanced nuclear arsenal in the world today. Its secret weaponry is the stuff of legend.

For the Jews, such power is an absolute necessity. Literally, since their statehood, Israel has been surrounded and targeted for destruction by Arab states and the Islamic world at large. For this reason, they have been forced into the strongest possible defensive position. They have quietly positioned their country, first around the "Masada Option," which is the promise that the only way they’ll suffer defeat is through extermination. This amounts to a pledge of "death before dishonor."

Later, as Arab power grew, they began to speak of the "Samson Option." This is the thought that the enemy may eliminate them, but if it happens, the adversary will be brought down with them, as Samson destroyed the Philistine temple and the people in it … including himself.

Most authorities affirm that Israel has the means to carry out this threat. And if their nuclear arsenal contains the super-weapons it is said to possess, they have the ability to keep their pledge.

The "Governors of Judah"

Jewish military leaders have a history of winning against surprise offensives. The Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Intifadas and Hezbollah’s Lebanon offensive, have all failed to dislodge Israel from the Land. There is no reason to believe that this will change. With the Western alliance removing its military support, they will be forced to depend upon their own arsenal, which is more than substantial.

In an oft-quoted prophecy, Zechariah mentions a developing latter-day situation that is growing before our very eyes. From the opening days of Israeli statehood, the United Nations Mandate issued by the General Assembly in November of 1947 called for two side-by-side independent states – Jewish and Arab. But it also strongly stated that the municipality of Jerusalem be left independent, as an international city.

The intention was to retain Rome’s claim to its holy places there, Arab sovereignty over the geography of the Temple Mount and international consulates representing the Gentile world powers. Jerusalem was to be an international city.

However, the first Arab offensive that came only days after Israel’s statehood, had the effect of solidifying the Jewish claim to their holy city. With the defeat of the Arabs, Israeli dedication to its own sovereignty grew exponentially, and has continued to grow through a succession of wars.

Jerusalem is the epicenter of the conflict, just as Zechariah predicted. In the following passage, note not only the accuracy of his prediction about Jerusalem, but also the "fire" that Israeli leaders inflict upon their enemies:

"The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

"And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

"In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.

"And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

"In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

"The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.

"In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem" (Zech. 12:1-9).

Zechariah says that Jerusalem will become an irresistible and intoxicating drink, attractive to all the world powers. But instead of a pleasant experience, it will make them dizzy, as they try to possess it. It will be like a sharp and heavy stone that cuts and tears those who attempt to lift it. Ultimately, their judgment dulled and their lust enhanced, they will come with force. Instead of victory, they will be drawn into a confused vortex of their own annihilation.

Twice, Zechariah uses the phrase "governors of Judah" to describe Israel’s leadership in the conflict. In Hebrew this expression is written, eluphei yehuda [vsuh hpkt]. In modern Hebrew, the word eluph [;ukt] means "Major-General," a term of military rank. From this, it is obvious that Zechariah is speaking of Israel’s current military leadership. And he uses the word "Judah." He is literally speaking of Jewish ranking military leadership.

Furthermore, his imagery is amazingly suggestive of the use of tactical nuclear weapons. We recall that Dr. Cohen, inventor of the neutron bomb, promoted its use for the simple reason that it would instantly burn troops with neutron radiation, while sparing military equipment and structures.

Neutron radiation would be a literal "hearth of fire," upon which the enemy would be immediately roasted. Later in his prophecy, Zechariah precisely describes the way in which troops will die:

"And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth" (Zech. 14:12).

Preparation for Judgment

Since Israel’s statehood, there has been the general feeling among Christians that the tiny nation would continue its chain of military victories, leading up to the great hardships it will experience in the future Tribulation Period. Some have gone so far as to say that all Israel’s latter-day trials have already been experienced in the Holocaust of World War II … that only the Messianic Kingdom lies in their immediate future.

Actually, Israel’s present developmental phase might be most accurately described as a preparation. There is a nuclear war in their future, and in it, they will be victorious.

Israel, the only nation that the Bible names as God’s elect, is mentioned by Isaiah in his epic prophecy about their ultimate destiny:

"For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me" (Isa. 45:4).

But elect or not, Israel has always fallen short in the arena of faith. Their personal and national failures regularly punctuate the long, epic stages of biblical history. Still, the Lord has maintained His promises, displaying faith beyond anything known among men. In the Torah, this fact is stated beyond any doubt:

"Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations" (Deut. 7:9).

In short, Israel will prevail, even while enduring the most rigorous testing. Their current return to the Land has a purpose, namely, their national judgment and purification.

Today, in their first regathering, they are a spiritually diverse group, displaying various kinds of unbelief. Some of them are socialist agnostics, adhering to various Jewish cultural practices while professing to keep the Law. Others follow various Jewish orthodoxies. But as a nation, Israel remains ignorant of its true Messiah.

Prophecy firmly declares that the military minds of modern Israel will be victorious in the battle that surrounds Jerusalem. But as they defend the holy city, they too will experience fire … the fire of the Lord:

"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

"Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.

"Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

"As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.

"Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.

"As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you" (Ezek. 22:17-22).

The Lord’s view of Jerusalem is the dominant feature of this discourse. He sees regathered Israel as corrupt, made of base metals, rather than the pure gold that He desires it to be.

There are two kinds of fire in Israel’s future. One will be the nuclear fire that they inflict upon those who come to take the Land. The other will be the Lord’s fire, as He heats them in a smelting process that will make them pure gold.

posted with permission
http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot...prophetic.html

[Cindy]

EUPHRATES RIVER DRYING UP: New York Times notes connection to Book of Revelation and the End Times

The front page of Tuesday morning’s New York Times had a stunning headline: “Iraq Suffers as the Euphrates River Dwindles.”

The drying up of this historic river in the land of ancient Babylon is so stunning, that even the Times had to note that Bible prophecy says this will happen in the “last days” of history, in the lead up to the apocalyptic battle of Armageddon described in the Book of Revelation.

Excerpts from the Times story: “Throughout the marshes, the reed gatherers, standing on land they once floated over, cry out to visitors in a passing boat. ‘Maaku mai!’ they shout, holding up their rusty sickles. ‘There is no water!’ The Euphrates is drying up. Strangled by the water policies of Iraq’s neighbors, Turkey and Syria; a two-year drought; and years of misuse by Iraq and its farmers, the river is significantly smaller than it was just a few years ago. Some officials worry that it could soon be half of what it is now. The shrinking of the Euphrates, a river so crucial to the birth of civilization that the Book of Revelation prophesied its drying up as a sign of the end times, has decimated farms along its banks, has left fishermen impoverished and has depleted riverside towns as farmers flee to the cities looking for work.” [More photos of the drying-up Euphrates from the NYT.]

more including photos
http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.co...-implications/

[Cindy]

50 Reasons Why We Are Living In The End Times: Part 1

By Dr. David R. Reagan

The Bible says we cannot know the time of the Lord's return (Matthew 25:13). But the Scriptures make it equally clear that we can know the season of the Lord's return (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6):

"You yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night... But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night or darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober."

This passage asserts that Jesus is coming like "a thief in the night." But then it proceeds to make it clear that this will be true only for the pagan world and not for believers. His return should be no surprise to those who know Him and His Word, for they have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to give them understanding of the nature of the times.

Furthermore, the Scriptures give us signs to watch for — signs that will signal that Jesus is ready to return. The writer of the Hebrew letter referred to these signs when he proclaimed that believers should encourage one another when they see the day of judgment drawing near (Hebrews 10:25-27). Jesus also referred to the end time signs in His Olivet Discourse, given during the last week of His life (Matthew 24 and Luke 21). Speaking of a whole series of signs which He had given to His disciples, He said, "When you see all these things, recognize that He [the Son of Man — that is, Jesus] is near, right at the door" (Matthew 24:33).

A Personal Experience

Every time I think of "Signs of the Times," I am reminded of a great man of God named Elbert Peak. I had the privilege of participating with him in a Bible prophecy conference held in Orlando, Florida in the early 1990's. Mr. Peak was about 80 years old at the time.

He had been assigned the topic, "The Signs of the Times." He began his presentation by observing, "Sixty years ago when I first started preaching, you had to scratch around like a chicken to find one sign of the Lord's soon return."

He paused for a moment, and then added, "But today there are so many signs I'm no longer looking for them. Instead, I'm listening for a sound — the sound of a trumpet!"

The First Sign

One hundred years ago in 1907 there was not one single, tangible, measurable sign that indicated we were living in the season of the Lord's return. The first to appear was the Balfour Declaration which was issued by the British government on November 2, 1917.

This Declaration was prompted by the fact that during World War I the Turks sided with the Germans. Thus, when Germany lost the war, so did the Turks, and the victorious Allies decided to divide up both the German and Turkish empires.

The Turkish territories, called the Ottoman Empire, contained the ancient homeland of the Jewish people — an area the Romans had named Palestine after the last Jewish revolt in 132-135 AD.

In 1917 Palestine included all of modern day Israel and Jordan. In the scheme the Allies concocted for dividing up the German and Turkish territories, Britain was allotted Palestine, and this is what prompted the Balfour Declaration. In that document, Lord Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary, declared that it was the intention of the British government to establish in Palestine "a national home for the Jewish people."

The leading Evangelical in England at the time was F. B. Meyer. He immediately recognized the prophetic significance of the Declaration, for he was well aware that the Scriptures prophesy that the Jewish people will be regathered to their homeland in unbelief right before the return of the Messiah (Isaiah 11:11-12).

Meyer sent out a letter to the Evangelical leaders of England asking them to gather in London in December to discuss the prophetic implications of the Balfour Declaration. In that letter, he stated, "The signs of the times point toward the close of the time of the Gentiles... and the return of Jesus can be expected any moment."

Before Meyer's meeting could be convened, another momentous event occurred. On December 11, 1917 General Edmund Allenby liberated the city of Jerusalem from 400 years of Turkish rule.

There is no doubt that these events in 1917 marked the beginning of the end times because they led to the worldwide regathering of the Jewish people to their homeland and the reestablishment of their state.

Since 1917

Since the time of the Balfour Declaration, we have witnessed throughout the 20th Century the appearance of sign after sign pointing to the Lord's soon return. There are so many of these signs today, in fact, that one would have to be either biblically illiterate or spiritually blind not to realize that we are living on borrowed time.

I have personally been searching the Bible for years in an effort to identify all the signs, and it has not been an easy task to get a hold on them. That's because there are so many of them, both in the Old and New Testaments.

I have found that the best way to deal with them is to put them in categories, and in doing that, I have come up with six categories of end time signs. We will explore these catetories beginning in Part 2 of this series.

posted with permission
http://www.lamblion.us/2009/07/50-re...ng-in-end.html

[Cindy]

50 Reasons Why We Are Living In The End Times: Part 2

By Dr. David R. Reagan

I have personally been searching the Bible for years in an effort to identify all the signs that show we are living in the end times and soon return of Jesus Christ. It has not been an easy task to get a hold on them. That's because there are so many of them, both in the Old and New Testaments. I have found that the best way to deal with them is to put them in categories, and in doing that, I have come up with six categories of end time signs. The following are the first two categories.


1) The Signs of Nature

"...and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven." (Luke 21:11)

This category of signs has always been the least respected, even among believers. The mere mention of it usually evokes a sneer accompanied by the words, "Come on, what else is new? There have always been earthquakes and tornadoes and hurricanes." But those who have this attitude forget that Jesus said the signs would be like "birth pangs" (Matthew 24:8). That means they will increase in frequency and intensity the closer we get to the Lord's return. In other words, there will be more frequent natural disasters and more intense ones.

And that is exactly what has been happening. For example, between October of 1991 and November of 2004 — a period of 13 years — the United States experienced:

* 9 of the 10 largest insurance natural disasters in history.
* 9 of the 10 greatest disasters as ranked by FEMA relief costs.
* 5 of its costliest hurricanes in history.
* 3 of its 4 largest tornado swarms in history.

And keep in mind that these statistics were complied before the Hurricane Katrina disaster in August of 2005!


2) The Signs of Society

"Realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..." (2 Timothy 3:1-4)

This passage sounds like a typical evening newscast today! Notice the three things it says people will love in the end times: self, money, and pleasure.

The love of self is Humanism — the belief that Man can accomplish anything on his own. The love of money is Materialism. When Humanism is your religion, your god will always be money. The love of pleasure is the third love that is mentioned. This is Hedonism, the lifestyle that is always produced by Humanism and Materialism.

But God cannot be mocked (Galatians 6:7). He therefore sees to it that when people chose Humanism, Materialism, and Hedonism, the payoff is always Nihilism — which is a fancy philosophical word for despair.

Need I emphasize that our world is wallowing in despair today? We live in a society plagued by abortion, homosexuality, domestic violence, child molestation, blasphemy, pornography, alcoholism, drug abuse and gambling.

Like the days of the Judges in the Old Testament, people are doing what is right in their own eyes, and the result is that people are calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).


We'll look at the third category — Spiritual Signs — in Part 3 of this series.

posted with permission
http://www.lamblion.us/2009/07/50-re...in-end_14.html

[Cindy]

50 Reasons Why We Are Living In The End Times: Part 3

By Dr. David R. Reagan

I have personally been searching the Bible for years in an effort to identify all the signs that show we are living in the end times and soon return of Jesus Christ. It has not been an easy task to get a hold on them. That's because there are so many of them, both in the Old and New Testaments. I have found that the best way to deal with them is to put them in categories, and in doing that, I have come up with six categories of end time signs. The following is the third category - Spiritual Signs.


3) The Spiritual Signs

There are more signs in this category than any other. Many are evil in nature, but there are also some very positive ones. Concerning the negative signs, a typical passage is the following one found in 2 Timothy 4:3-4:

"The time will come when they [professing Christians] will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths."

Some of the negative spiritual signs that are specifically prophesied include the following: false christs, cultic groups, heresies, apostasy, skepticism, deception, occultism, and persecution.

The one that Jesus mentioned most frequently was false christs and their cultic groups (Matthew 24:5, 11, 24). And in fulfillment of these prophecies, we have experienced an explosion of cults since 1850.

But, praise God, we are told that there will be some very positive spiritual signs in the end times. The most important one that is prophesied in many places is a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29).

This outpouring began at the dawn of the 20th Century, and proved to be one of the greatest spiritual surprises — and blessings — of the century. You see, when that century began, the prevailing viewpoint among both Catholics and Protestants regarding the Holy Spirit was Cessationism. This view held that the gifts of the Spirit ceased when the last Apostle died. In effect, it was a belief that the Holy Spirit had retired in the First Century.

The 20th Century had hardly gotten started when a Holy Spirit revival broke out at a small Bible college in Topeka, Kansas in 1901. Three years later, a similar Holy Spirit revival swept Wales and began to spread worldwide. Then, in 1906, the Spirit fell with great power on a humble Black preacher in Los Angeles named William J. Seymour. The Azuza Street Revival, as it came to be called, continued for four years and gave birth to the Pentecostal Movement.

The Bible prophesies two great outpourings of the Spirit and symbolically pictures them as the "early and latter rains" (Joel 2:23), based on the two rainy seasons of Israel. The early rain occurred at Pentecost in the First Century when the Church was established. The latter rain was prophesied to occur after the Jewish people had been re-established in their homeland (Joel 2:18-26).

The latter rain began with the Pentecostal Movement, just as God began to regather the Jews to their homeland under the visionary leadership of Theodore Herzl. But the rain did not become a downpour until after the re-establishment of the state of Israel in May of 1948, just as prophesied by Joel.

First came the anointing of Billy Graham's ministry in 1949, followed by the Charismatic Movement of the 1960's. Today, most of Christianity, whether Pentecostal, Charismatic, or Traditional, fully recognizes that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is alive and well in Spirit-led worship, the continuing validity of spiritual gifts, the reality of spiritual warfare, and the importance of a Spirit-filled life in winning that warfare.

In addition to the rediscovery of the Holy Spirit, there are other positive spiritual prophecies being fulfilled today — like the preaching of the Gospel worldwide (Matthew 24:14), the revival of Davidic praise worship (Amos 9:11) and the emergence of Messianic Judaism (Romans 9:27).

Another remarkable positive sign is the understanding of Bible prophecy. You see, the Hebrew prophets often did not understand the end time prophecies that the Lord gave to them. A good example can be found in Daniel 12:8-9 where the prophet complains to the Lord that he does not understand the prophecies that have been entrusted to him. The Lord's response was, "Don't worry about it. Just write the prophecies. They have been sealed up until the end times."

In other words, the Bible teaches that many of the end time prophecies will not be understood until the time comes for them to be fulfilled. And that is exactly what has been happening in the past 100 years. Historical developments and scientific inventions are now making it possible for us to understand end time prophecies that have never been understood before.

Take Israel for example. All of end time prophecy revolves around the nation of Israel. But how could those prophecies be understood as long as Israel did not exist and there was no prospect that the nation would ever exist again?

This is the reason that Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth, became such a phenomenal bestseller in the 1970's. For the first time it explained the events prophesied in the book of Revelation in natural terms that people could easily understand.


We'll look at the remaining three categories in Part 4 of this series.

posted with permission
http://www.lamblion.us/2009/07/50-re...in-end_15.html

[Cindy]

50 Reasons Why We Are Living In The End Times: Part 4

By Dr. David R. Reagan

I have personally been searching the Bible for years in an effort to identify all the signs that show we are living in the end times and soon return of Jesus Christ. It has not been an easy task to get a hold on them. That's because there are so many of them, both in the Old and New Testaments. I have found that the best way to deal with them is to put them in categories, and in doing that, I have come up with six categories of end time signs. The following are the last three categories.


4) The Signs of World Politics

"You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars... for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom..." (Matthew 24:6-7)

I taught international politics for 20 years before I entered the ministry full time, so this is an area that is particularly fascinating to me.

The Bible prophesies a very specific end time configuration of world politics. Israel is pictured as being re-established (Ezekiel 37:21-22) and surrounded by hostile Arab neighbors intent on its destruction (Ezekiel 35:1 - 36:7). This, of course has been the situation in the Middle East since the Israeli Declaration of Independence in May of 1948.

Daniel prophesied that the Roman Empire would be revived (Daniel 2:36-41), something many men — like Charlemagne, Napoleon, and Hitler — tried to do through force. But the prophecy had to await God's timing for its fulfillment, and that came after World War II, with the formation of the European Common Market that has since morphed into the superpower called the European Union.

The Bible pictures a great power located in the land of Magog in the "remote parts of the north." This nation will menace Israel in the end times and will ultimately lead an invasion of Israel together with specified allies, all of which are modern day Muslim states (Ezekiel 38:1 - 39:16). Russia with all its Muslim republics and its Muslim allies fits this description precisely.

All the nations of the world are prophesied to come together against Israel in the end times over the issue of the control of Jerusalem (Zech. 12:2-3) — a prophecy being fulfilled today.

The magnitude of warfare in the 20th Century is another fulfillment of end time prophecy related to world politics. The 20th Century was one of unparalleled war. Like birth pangs, the frequency and intensity of war increased exponentially. It is now estimated that more people died in wars during the 20th Century than in all the previous wars throughout all of recorded human history.


5) The Signs of Technology

"Men will faint from fear over the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." (Luke 21:26)

The development of nuclear weapons seems to be foreshadowed by this prophecy in Luke 21 that speaks of people "fainting from fear" due to the "powers of the heavens being shaken." The incredible carnage of the Seal and Trumpet Judgments portrayed in chapters 6 and 8 in the book of Revelation indicates that the Antichrist will conquer the world through the use of nuclear weapons. We are told that one-third of the earth will be burned and that one-half of humanity will be killed. Further evidence that this is a nuclear holocaust is found in Revelation 16 where we are told that at the end of the Tribulation the survivors will be covered with sores that will not heal (Revelation 16:11).

As I pointed out earlier, there are many end time prophecies that simply cannot be understood apart from modern technological developments. Consider the prophecy in Revelation 11 about the two witnesses who will call the world to repentance during the first half of the Tribulation. When they are killed by the Antichrist, we are told that their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days, and the whole world will look upon them (Revelation 11:9). How could anyone understand such a prophecy before the development of satellite television in the 1960's?

Likewise, how could the Antichrist control all buying and selling worldwide (Revelation 13) without the aid of computer technology? How could the False Prophet create the illusion of giving life to a statue (Revelation 13) without the technology of holograms, virtual reality, and robotics? How could an army of 200 million come out of the Far East (Revelation 9) before the population explosion that was produced by modern medical technology? How could the Gospel be proclaimed to all the world (Matthew 24) before the invention of motion pictures, radio, television, and the Internet? The list goes on and on.


6) The Signs of Israel

"And it shall come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it." (Zechariah 12:3)

The signs that relate to Israel are the most important of all because the Jews are God's prophetic time clock. What I mean by this is that the Scriptures will often tie a prophesied future event with something that will happen to the Jews. We are told to watch the Jews, and when the prophesied event concerning them occurs, we can be sure that the other prophesied event will also occur.

An example can be found in Luke 21:24 where Jesus prophesied that the Jews would be dispersed from Jerusalem and be led captive among the nations. But then He added that one day they would return to re-occupy Jerusalem, and when this happens, the end time events will occur that will lead to His return.

There are many prophecies concerning the Jews in the end times, many of which began to be fulfilled in the 20th Century, but there are four key ones. The first is their worldwide regathering in unbelief (Isaiah 11:11-12). In 1900 there were only 40,000 Jews in Palestine. By the end of World War II that number had risen to 800,000. Today, there are more than 5.7 million who have come from all over the world. Very soon there will be as many Jews in Israel as died in the Holocaust. The prophet Jeremiah says twice that when history is completed, the Jewish people will look back and conclude that their worldwide regathering was a greater miracle than their deliverance from Egyptian captivity (Jeremiah 16:14-15 and 23:7-8). We are truly living in momentous times!

The second key prophecy concerning the Jews is a natural consequence of their regathering. It is the re-establishment of their state which occurred on May 14, 1948 (Isaiah 66:7-8). The third key prophecy is the re-occupation of Jerusalem which occurred on June 7, 1967 during the miraculous Six Day War (Zechariah 8:4-8).

The fourth key prophecy is the one whose fulfillment we are witnessing today — the re-focusing of world politics upon the nation of Israel (Zechariah 12:2-3). All the nations of the world, including the United States, are coming against Israel over the issue of the control of the nation's capital — the city of Jerusalem. The Vatican wants the city put under its control. The United Nations wants it to be internationalized. The European Union is demanding it be divided between the Arabs and the Jews. The Arabs want all of it.


In Part 5, the final installment of this series, I'll list 50 Bible prophecies being fulfilled today that show we are living in the season of the Lord's return.

posted with permission
http://www.lamblion.us/2009/07/50-re...in-end_16.html

[Cindy]

50 Reasons Why We Are Living In The End Times: Part 5

By Dr. David R. Reagan

I have personally been searching the Bible for years in an effort to identify all the signs that show we are living in the end times and soon return of Jesus Christ. The following is a list of just 50 Bible prophecies that I have found being fulfilled today that show we are living in the season of the Lord's return.

1) Increasing instability of nature.
(Matthew 24:7 & Luke 21:11)

2) Increasing lawlessness and violence.
(Matthew 24:12)

3) Increasing immorality.
(Matthew 24:37)

4) Increasing materialism.
(2 Timothy 3:2)

5) Increasing Hedonism.
(2 Timothy 3:4)

6) Increasing influence of Humanism.
(2 Timothy 3:2)

7) Depraved entertainment.
(2 Timothy 3:4)

8) Calling evil good and good evil.
(2 Timothy 3:3 & Isaiah 5:20)

9) Increasing use of drugs.
(2 Timothy 3:3)

10) Increasing blasphemy.
(2 Timothy 3:2)

11) Increasing paganism.
(2 Timothy 3:1-4)

12) Increasing despair.
(2 Timothy 3:1)

13) Signs in the heavens.
(Luke 21:11,25)

14) Increasing knowledge.
(Daniel 12:4)

15) Increasing travel.
(Daniel 12:4)

16) The explosion of cults.
(Matthew 24:11)

17) The proliferation of false christs.
(Matthew 24:5)

18) Increasing apostasy in the Church.
(2 Timothy 4:3-5)

19) Increasing attacks on Jesus.
(Romans 1:18-19)

20) Increasing attacks on the Bible.
(Romans 1:18-19)

21) Increasing persecution of Christians.
(Matthew 24:9)

22) Increasing occultism.
(1 Timothy 4:1)

23) Wars and rumors of wars.
(Matthew 24:6)

24) Weapons of mass destruction.
(Luke 21:26)

25) Increasing famine.
(Luke 21:11)

26) Increasing pestilence.
(Luke 21:11)

27) Computer technology.
(Revelation 13:7)

28) Television.
(Revelation 11:8-9)

29) Satellite technology.
(Revelation 11:8-9)

30) Virtual reality.
(Revelation 13:14-15)

31) Unification of Europe.
(Daniel 2 & 7)

32) Far Eastern military powers.
(Revelation 9:16 & 16:12)

33) Movement toward world government.
(Daniel 7:23-26)

34) Regathering of the Jews.
(Isaiah 11:10-12)

35) Re-establishment of Israel.
(Isaiah 66:7-8)

36) Reclamation of the land of Israel.
(Ezekiel 36:34-35)

37) Revival of Biblical Hebrew.
(Zephaniah 3:9; Jeremiah 31:23)

38) Re-occupation of Jerusalem.
(Luke 21:24)

39) Resurgence of the Israeli military.
(Zechariah 12:6)

40) Re-focusing of world politics on Israel.
(Zechariah 12:3)

41) Russian threat to Israel.
(Ezekiel 38 and 39)

42) Arab threat to Israel.
(Ezekiel 35 and 36)

43) Denial of the Second Coming.
(2 Peter 3:3-4)

44) Denial of creation by God.
(Romans 1:18-22)

45) Outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
(Joel 2:28-29)

46) Translation of the Bible into many languages.
(Matthew 24:14)

47) Preaching of the Gospel worldwide.
(Matthew 24:14)

48) The revival of Messianic Judaism.
(Romans 9:27)

49) The revival of Davidic praise worship.
(Amos 9:11)

50) The understanding of Bible prophecy.
(Daniel 12:8-9)

This list could be greatly expanded, but the 50 examples above should be sufficient to show that we are living in the season of the Lord's return.

The Bible clearly teaches that God never pours out His wrath without warning for He is a just and loving God who does not wish that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). That's why He has provided so many signs to alert us to the fact that we are living on the threshold of the Tribulation.

The Message

The bottom line message of the signs is that we are living on borrowed time. And the crucial question for every human being is "Are you ready?" Are you ready for the return of Jesus? Will He come as your Blessed Hope or your Holy Terror?

It will be one or the other, for God is determined to deal with sin, and He does so with either grace or wrath (John 3:36). If you have put your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are under God's grace. Your sins have been forgiven and forgotten, and you can look forward with confidence to that glorious day when Jesus will appear in the heavens.

But if you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are under the wrath of God, and you have nothing to look forward to except the terror of His wrath.

The choice is yours. I personally cannot understand why anyone would turn their back on God's free gift of grace through faith in His Son. I have placed my faith in Jesus, and I therefore am able to look forward to His soon return with great anticipation and expectation. All that is within me cries out, "Maranatha! Come quickly Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 16:22).

Posted with permission:
http://www.lamblion.us/2009/07/50-re...in-end_17.html

[Cindy]

Other threads showing prophecy being fulfilled:


News of possible global authority for economy & 1 World Currency

Bible Skeptics Take Note: Babylon Is Being Rebuilt, Just as Prophesied

An Epidemic Of False Christs

News showing that Serious consideration being shown for building the Temple!

[Cindy]

Why Pick 1948 To Begin The End Times?

Q. I know some have explained that the punishment for the sin of Israel and Judah (Ezekiel 4:5-6) was completed in 1948 when Israel was reborn. And too, some have said that in Math 24:32 the fig tree is the nation of Israel, but in Luke 21:29 the Lord also said to look at the fig tree and all other trees. How about the Balfour Declaration in 1917, would not this too be a good indication for the start of the fulfillment of the prophecy as mentioned in Ezekiel 36?

For sure you must be very familiar and have studied these and have selected the reborn of Israel as the starting date for the End times. Could you also share with us the reason of choosing the reborn as for the starting date for the end time? I have struggled with the selection of 1948 the year Israel was reborn as the starting date for the End Times for a long time. Basically, why must I choose the year Israel was reborn as a nation in the starting date for the End Times?

A. When Jesus was asked for the sign of the end of the age, He gave them the Abomination of Desolation, and warned those in Judea to run for the hills. (Matt. 24:15-16) This tells us the End Times couldn’t have begun before the nation was reborn and the Great Tribulation can’t begin until they have a Temple. Later He said that all would be fulfilled in the span of one lifetime (Matt. 24:34) which would all but disqualify 1917. Besides, there was no official Jewish homeland then. In my opinion, this narrows it down to 1948.

posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...the-end-times/

[Cindy]

A Question on Matt. 24:34

Q. My question is about Matt 24:34, many people use the term generation to mean seventy years from the formation of the country of Israel in 1948 to the second coming. When Jesus spoke to the disciples wasn’t he using the Jewish year of 360 days? If you use the 360 day format then 70 years is 25,200 days for a 70 year period. Seventy years using our 365 1/4 day year would be 25,567.5 days or 367.5 more days for the same 70 year period or 2018. Using our calendar that would would work out to be 69 years or about one year less and make His second coming in 2017. Seven years earlier for the rapture would be 2010. How do you see it?

A. Technically a generation is the span of time between the birth of a man and the birth of his first child. (In Biblical times this averaged about 40 years.) In effect, what Jesus said in Matt. 24:34 was that the generation of people being born when the first End Times signs appeared would still be alive at the 2nd coming, so He was talking about a life span, not a generation. Using Psalm 90:10 as our authority we see that man’s average life span is 70 years, and that’s where the number 70 came from.

Most scholars agree that the first of the end times signs was the re-birth of Israel in 1948, because none of the specific signs Jesus gave in the Olivet Discourse could have taken place before then.

As for what calendar He was using, to me there’s a danger here of crossing the line between understanding the signs of the times and conducting a fruitless search for unknowable dates. I’m more comfortable leaving the nuances of the various calendars to someone else.

posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...-on-matt-2434/


Are We The Generation Of Matt. 24:34?

In Matt. 24:34 when Jesus says that this generation shall not pass away what generation he is talking about, the one that sees Israel come back as a nation? How long is a gen.?

Q. In Matt. 24:34 when Jesus says that this generation shall not pass away what generation he is talking about, the one that sees Israel come back as a nation? How long is a gen.? In biblical times was it 40 yrs.? Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem on Matt. 23:36 and that was around 30AD, and as we know the city was destroyed in 70 AD fulfilling his words to the maximum. Now in our time on what critical prophecy that was fulfilled would make the start to the countdown for this gen.? Is the fig tree parable the one? Some people now are saying that a gen. in our times is 50 years. What is your opinion on this please help me understand this.

A. Matt. 24:34 says that the generation being born when the end times signs begin will still be alive when all signs are fulfilled. This doesn’t mean that all the signs will be fulfilled within the span of one generation, nominally 40 years. It says that the people being born when the signs begin will still be alive at the end. So the signs will be fulfilled within their lifetimes. According to Psalms 90:10 a Biblical lifespan is 70-80 years. Most scholars agree that the first of the end times signs was the re-birth of Israel in 1948, so people being born around 1948 can expect to see everything fulfilled before they die.

While the fig tree is often a symbol of Israel, I don’t believe it’s being used that way here. Since the fig tree is the last to get its leaves in the spring, the Israelites knew when they saw its leaves that summer was very near. This parable means that when we see the first of the End Times signs, we’ll know that His return is very near.

posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...-of-matt-2434/

[Cindy]

101 End Time Prophecies
by Eternal Productions - Jim Tetlow

"Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them."
--(Isaiah 42:9)

"Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure'."
-- (Isaiah 46:9-10)

"Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He."
-- (John 13:19)

The Bible foretells many signs that would culminate in the last days. Jesus indicated these signs would arise together as His return drew near (Matthew 24:33-34). Though many of these prophecies won’t climax until the tribulation period, our generation is the first to see every trend in place. As the final seconds of this age tick away, these events will come into even clearer focus. Keep in mind as you read through this list that these prophecies were penned 1900 to 3500 years ago! How does this relate to you? The last several pages provide the answer – you need to read them carefully.

1. - False Bible teachers would bring in heresies, have many followers, and cause others to reject God's Word (2 Peter 2:1-2). It is very common today to find people who reject the Bible out of hand because they have heard it misrepresented by a false teacher.

2. - These false prophets would be money hungry, smooth talkers (2 Peter 2:3). A growing number of TV evangelists epitomize this. They twist the Scriptures, using misleading words, to make merchandise of the unwary.

3. - The Christian gospel would be preached as a witness to all nations (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10; Revelation 14:6). Today, portions or all of the Bible have been translated into over 2,400 languages and dialects covering over 90% of the world's population.

4. - Global communications foreseen (Revelation 11:9-10; 17:8). The Bible prophesies that the entire world will see certain events unfold. The invention of the television and the deployment of global satellite networks during the 20th century allow news to travel the world at the speed of light for the first time ever. Remember that in the apostle John's day, news traveled at the speed of horseback.

5. - Mankind would be capable of destroying all life (Matthew 24:21-22). Consider that when Jesus made this prophecy the armaments of His day were swords and spears. But today, with nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, it is possible to wipe out all flesh on planet earth.

6. - The use of nuclear weapons anticipated (Zechariah 14:12). The neutron bomb melts (dissolves) its victims just as God warned 2500 years ago. "Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths." This was unimaginable in Zechariah's day.

7. - There would be a global cry for peace (1 Thessalonians 5:3). Never has there been such a concerted, global effort to bring about peace at any cost as there is today.

8. - The Antichrist would use (false) peace to destroy many (Daniel 8:23-25). With all the problems facing mankind, multitudes are looking for a savior to usher in peace and prosperity without moral accountability. The Antichrist will promise the world and Israel such a peace if they follow him but his intentions will be sinister.

9. - In the last days Israel would have a peace treaty in place that the Antichrist will confirm and eventually break (Daniel 9:27). Currently the world's governments are striving for an Israeli peace treaty.

10. - Damascus would be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1, 14; Jeremiah 49:23-27; Amos 1:3-5; Zechariah 9:1-8). Damascus, Syria is increasingly in the news and is extremely anti-Semitic. Many terrorist organizations have their bases in Damascus. God declares that they will become a ruinous heap because they have violently taken what was not theirs. In 2007 Israel vowed to wipe Syria off the map if Syria attacked by chemical weapons.

11. - Chaotic weather would be prevalent (Luke 21:25-26). Jesus foresaw the seas and the waves roaring in the last days. He also likened these signs to birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). The Greek word odin, often translated as sorrows in Matthew 24:8, literally means birth pangs. Furthermore, the apostle Paul reminded us that the creation itself will be delivered from the curse at the end of the age (Romans 8:21). And that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs (Romans 8:22). As delivery draws near, birth pangs always increase in both intensity and frequency. Therefore, the creation itself would travail as the time of delivery draws near. Of course chaotic weather is not new, but there are indications that we are witnessing an increase in strange weather.

12. - There would be a move toward a global government (Daniel 2:40-44; 7:23; Revelation 13:7-8). The former Roman Empire which encompassed present-day Europe would revive and eventually dominate the world. The European Union has steadily moved forward in its attempt to unite Europe politically and economically. It has succeeded in creating a European parliament, a court, and a common currency. And globalization is not unique to Europe, it is happening everywhere.

13. - Literal Babylon (formerly called Babel, Genesis 10:10) would reemerge in the land of Shinar known today as Iraq (Zechariah 5:11; Isaiah 13). Saddam Hussein spent over 20 years rebuilding the city of Babylon. Today, with Saddam's regime overthrown, the international community is discussing how to rebuild Iraq.

14. - The fact that God once flooded the earth (the Noahic Flood) would be denied (2 Peter 3:5-6). There is a mass of fossil evidence to prove this fact, yet it is flatly ignored by most of the scientific world because it was judgment from God on man's wickedness.

15. - Increased interest in vegetarianism anticipated (1 Timothy 4:3-4). The New Age Movement has swept the globe during the past 40 years popularizing this.

16. - Many wars would erupt (Mark 13:7-8). According to Project Ploughshares, there are dozens of major armed conflicts in the world today.

17. - Ethnic conflicts would be prevalent (Mark 13:7-8; Luke 21:10). Jesus used the Greek word ethnos to describe the last days battles. Today, as never in history, we have ethnic group rising against ethnic group.

18. - The earth would be filled with violence (Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11-13). In the United States alone, violent crime has increased nearly 500% since 1960. Fifty years ago abortion (the violent murder of an unborn child) was illegal in most countries. Today abortion is legal in most countries and 46 million children are aborted each year.

19. - Jesus foretold that there would be fearful sights (Luke 21:11). The Greek word translated fearful is phobetron, which can also be translated terror. According to the U.S. State Department, between 1981 and 2006, there were more than 38,000 international terrorist attacks.

20. - Multitudes would travel to and fro (Daniel 12:4). Prior to the Industrial Revolution, few individuals traveled beyond their own communities. Until recently, horse, foot, and boat were the only modes of transportation. Yet today we travel by car, bus, plane, train, subway, etc. Millions and millions are running to and fro just as Daniel prophesied 2500 years ago!

21. - Knowledge would increase (Daniel 12:4). Today we are witnessing an explosion of available knowledge. With the advent of the Internet, it is estimated that our cumulative knowledge is doubling every five years. This exponential increase is beyond what anyone could have imagined!

22. - Deadly diseases (which the Bible calls pestilences) would be common (Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:8). Emerging diseases such as AIDS, ebola, Hanta virus, Dengue, West Nile, SARS, bird flu, etc., underscore this fact. Ironically, just a few decades ago, some scientists were forecasting that advances in medicine might soon eradicate deadly diseases.

23. - The final generation would be open to receiving a mark on their right hand or on their forehead (Revelation 13:16). Consider how the up and coming generation is tattooed, pierced and marked with all kinds of insignia. And today, for the first time in history, global tracking and marking technology is available.

24. - A global economic system would exist (Revelation 13:16-17). This was unthinkable in the apostle John's day. Yet today, globalists in every level of government are seeking to unite the world. Connecting the world monetarily is crucial to their goal.

25. - A man would control all banking and commerce (Revelation 13:16-18). Remember, this prophecy was penned 2000 years before our computer-driven society. Yet, until recently, you couldn't have even dreamed how a person could control all commerce.

26. - Famines would be common (Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:5-8). According to the United Nations, an estimated 854 million people went hungry in 2006.

27. - Great signs from heaven prophesied (Luke 21:11, 26). Unexplained sightings in the sky appear to be increasing. For instance, since 1947 UFO testimonies have exploded - terrifying many. Each year thousands of unidentified aerial sightings are reported.

28. - The sun would scorch the inhabitants of the earth (Revelation 16:8-9). In recent years, solar activity has intensified markedly. Though this prophecy is clearly a divine judgment on unrepentant mankind, a compromise in the earth's atmosphere due to nuclear war or other ecological disaster could facilitate this judgment.

29. - The nation Israel would be born in one day (Isaiah 66:8). On May 14, 1948 Israel became a nation.

30. - The Jews would begin to regather in Israel (Isaiah 11:11-12; Ezekiel 37:21-22; 38:8; Luke 21:29-31). Over five million Jews have returned to Israel in recent times! This is unprecedented in human history. Never has a people group been dispersed for hundreds of years to every corner of the globe, and then regathered back to their homeland. Yet, God said it and He has done it before our very eyes!

31. - Returning Jews would come from the north, south, east, and west (Isaiah 43:5-6; Jeremiah 31:7-10). Amazingly, nearly a million Jews have emigrated from Russia in the north. Over 100,000 Ethiopian Jews have emigrated from the south (Zephaniah 3:10). Since 1948, Jews have emigrated from Europe, Asia, the Americas, everywhere!

32. - During the diaspora (the dispersion of the Jews to the four corners of the globe), Israel would become a wasteland (Deuteronomy 29:23-28; Ezekiel 36:8-11; Ezekiel 36:33-36). During the past 1900 years Israel became a nearly uninhabited, desolate wasteland.

33. - Israel, once a desolate desert, would blossom in the last days and export produce to the world (Isaiah 27:6; 35:1-2; Ezekiel 36:34-36). Israel's increased rainfall and world-renowned irrigation technology have caused the land to blossom. Incredibly, as foretold, they currently export over 800 million dollars worth of fresh produce each year, including over 200 million in flowers and ornamental plants!

34. - Israel would prosper economically (Ezekiel 38:12-13). Amazingly, this recently regathered, often attacked, tiny nation exported over 42 billion dollars worth of goods in 2006. This was inconceivable a century ago! In contrast, their neighbor Jordan exported less than 5 billion in 2006.

35. - Israel would once again plant vineyards (Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13-15). Today, sweet wine flows from the Golan Heights and many other vineyards on the mountains of Israel.

36. - The last days Jews would plant forests of trees. The Bible even specifies the variety of trees, cedar, acacia, myrtle, oil, cypress, pine, and box (Isaiah 41:18-20). Since 1900 more than one billion trees have been planted in Israel! This has happened in our day after Israel lay barren for nearly two millennia.

37. - A pure language would be restored (Zephaniah 3:9). At the end of the 19th century the Zionist movement brought about the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language. In 1948, Hebrew became an official tongue of the state of Israel. Originally there was only one language (Genesis 11:1) and this pure speech will be restored (Isaiah 19:18). Interestingly, Hebrew has no swear words.

38. - Jerusalem would be rebuilt on its own ruins (Jeremiah 30:18; Zechariah 12:6). Since 1948, Jerusalem has been rebuilt on the old ruins exactly as foretold.

39. - Jerusalem would be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:24). Since 70 A.D., Jerusalem had been trampled by Gentiles until the Jews regained control of the city during the 1967 Six-Day War.

40. - Anti-Semitism worldwide anticipated (Deuteronomy 28:37; Jeremiah 29:18; 44:8; Luke 21:20-24; Revelation 12). History confirms that the Jews have been persecuted as no other people group. Hitler tried to exterminate them, and the Antichrist will attempt the same during the Tribulation. Today, anti-Semitism is a global epidemic. For example, of over 700 General Assembly resolutions passed since the establishment of the United Nations in 1945, nearly 450 condemn Israel. None have been passed against any Arab country nor any Arab terrorist organizations! In other words, out of 190 nations in the UN, over 60% of all General Assembly resolutions rebuke just one member, Israel!

41. - All surrounding nations would be united against Israel (Psalm 83:4-8; Zechariah 12:2). This hasnever happened in history. Yet today, Israel is surrounded by Muslim nations sworn to her destruction. Muhammad said: The Hour (last day) will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say 'O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him.'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 4, b. 52, Hadith # 177).

42. - Jerusalem would be a cup of trembling to all surrounding peoples (Zechariah 12:2). Jerusalem is a small city, with no natural resources, no port, insignificant manufacturing and industrial capability, yet its very existence causes the surrounding nations to shudder.

43. - Jerusalem would be a burdensome stone to all nations (Zechariah 12:3). Almost daily the world news reports on the conflict over Jerusalem. The United Nations, the Vatican, and many world leaders want to make it an international city. However, God says that the city is His and He has given it to the Jews forever (Genesis 15:18; Leviticus 25:23; 2 Chronicles 6:6). All who burden themselves with it will be "cut in pieces." Despite God's warning, UN resolution 476 flagrantly reiterates that Israel's claim to Jerusalem are null and void. As a result, most countries refuse to transfer their embassies to Jerusalem - Israel's capital.

44. - Israel would be invincible (Zechariah 12:6-9). Since 1948, tiny Israel has been attacked in three major wars and several lesser wars. Yet despite being vastly outnumbered, they have defeated all attacking foes. Even during the final battle, when it looks like Israel will be destroyed, the Lord shall deliver her (Jeremiah 30:3-7; Zechariah 14; Mark 13:14-20). An invincible Israel makes no sense unless you believe God's Word.

45. - Israel would be partitioned by all nations (Joel 3:2; Daniel 11:39). This is another unimaginable prophecy! In 1947, UN Resolution 181 planned the partitioning of Israel. Currently, the West Bank and Gaza have been seperated into Jewish and Palestinian settlements. Dividing Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria are also being negotiated today in order to create a Palestinian state.

46. - The Eastern Gate would remain closed until the Messiah returns. At Christ's Second Coming, He will enter Jerusalem through the now sealed Eastern Gate (Ezekiel 44:1-3). Today, as prophesied, the Eastern Gate remains sealed.

47. - The nation of Israel, which had been divided into two kingdoms since the time of Solomon (950B.C.) Israel in the north and Judah in the south would be one united nation in the last days (Ezekiel 37:15-22). And so it is, Israel is one nation.

48. - The returning Jews would have no king until Jesus returns (Hosea 3:4-5). As foretold, Israel has been without a king for over 2500 years. Amazingly, not only is Israel no longer a theocracy, but today the Jewish state is governed by a democracy comprised of multiple political parties.

49. - Rebuilt temple in Israel anticipated (Daniel 9:27; 12:11; Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 11:1-2). The prophet Daniel, Jesus, Paul, and John all refer to the temple in the last days. Therefore we know it must be rebuilt. Preparations by the Temple Institute are nearly complete!

50. - The temple sacrifices would be reinstituted in Israel in the last days (Daniel 9:27; 12:11). Daniel foresaw the Antichrist ending the daily sacrifices. Therefore, the Jewish sacrificial system must have first been restored in the last days. Currently, the Temple Institute has created the temple furniture, vessels, and priestly garments. There are also several hundred young Jewish men in training for the Levitical priesthood.

51. - A red heifer without blemish must be born and sacrificed to purify the temple in Israel (Numbers 19:2-9). The Temple Institute is actively seeking to acquire a kosher red heifer.

52. - Though Israel would be the focus of many fulfilled prophecies, most Jews would remain blind to the fact that Jesus is their Messiah until the very end (Luke 19:41-42; Luke 13:34-35; Romans 11:25-26).

53. - Ancient Petra (Sela the rock city) in Jordan would exist and become the refuge for the fleeing Jews during the Tribulation (Isaiah 16:1-4; Matthew 24:16; Revelation 12:6, 14). In 1994, Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty making Petra a potential refuge for fleeing Jews.

54. - Russia (Magog) would rise as a military power and lead an attack on Israel (Ezekiel 38). Today, most of the southern states of the former Soviet Union are both military powerhouses and Muslim.

55. - Israel would dwell without walls prior to the invasion from the north (Ezekiel 38:8-11). As foretold, Israel now dwells "without walls" or bars or gates. Untill 1900, most Middle East cities and villiages were fortified. Yet modern weaponry (jets/missiles) can "ascend...covering the land like a cloud" making these barriers obsolete.

56. - Iran (Persia), Sudan (Cush), and Libya (Put) would also partake in this attack on Israel (Ezekiel 38). Anti-Semitism in the Islamic world is rampant. According to the Koran and Hadith, Muslims are commanded to fight and slay non-believers in Jihad (holy war) unless they convert to Islam (Surahs 9:5 and 47:4; vol. 1, b. 2, Hadith # 24 and 35).

57. - Turkey (Gomer) would also join in the attack on Israel (Ezekiel 38). In 2002, Turkey elected a pro-Islamic party to govern the country. In 2005, Hitler's anti-Semitic manifesto Mein Kampf became a bestseller in Turkey. In 2007, Turkey elected an Islamist president.

58. - Ironically, Egypt and Jordan would not participate in this attack (Ezekiel 38). Interestingly, these two nations have signed recent peace treaties with Israel. Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

59. - Birds of prey would eat the dead flesh of the enemy armies that fall in battle against Israel (Ezekiel 39:4, 17; Revelation 19:17-21). It is a little known fact that Israel is the bird migration capital of the world. During the spring and fall migrations, billions of birds fly over Israel. Many of these migratory birds are raptors, carrion (dead flesh) eating birds of prey. In fact, 34 species of raptors migrate over Israel.

60. - The Euphrates River would be dried up (Revelation 16:12). Today, the massive Ataturk Dam in Turkey, completed in 1990, can hold back the Euphrates to a trickle.

61. - Asia (the kings from the east) would be capable of deploying a 200-million-man army duringearth's final days (Revelation 9:14-16; 16:12). Bear in mind, when John penned this prophecy 2000 years ago, there were only an estimated 170 to 400 million people on the entire planet. Yet today, according to the CIA, China alone has 281 million men fit for military service!

62. - Population explosion foreseen (Revelation 7:9, 14). The apostle John, who wrote the Book of Revelation, was told the number of an army in the last days - 200 million (Revelation 9:16). This was the approximate population of the world at that time. That John also beholds a great multitude which no one could number coming out of the Great Tribulation at the end of the age (Revelation 7:9, 14), indicates an enormous number of people on planet earth in the last days.

63. - The nations would bud (Luke 21:29-32). In Scripture, the tree is often used figuratively of a nation (Ezekiel 31:3-6; Daniel 4:20-22). Since 1945, more than 80 former colonies have gained their independence. Our generation has witnessed the end of the colonial era and the budding of the nations. Remarkable!

64. - Egypt would exist in the last days - but only as a "lowly Kingdom" (Ezekiel 29:14-16). Egypt was one of the world's greatest ancient civilizations. Yet today, as prophesied, Egypt remains - but only as a third world nation - which will "never again exalt itself above the nations" (v. 15). And while God's Word foretold of the demise of many other ancient people groups and kingdoms (which have long since vanished), Egypt remains!

65. - Great earthquakes in diverse places foreseen (Luke 21:11; Isaiah 24:19-20; Revelation 6:12-14;16:18-20). Seismic activity appears to be on the rise.

66. - Marriage would be forbidden by many (1 Timothy 4:3). The Bible states that marriage is honorable among all (Hebrews 13:4). Despite this, the Catholic Church forbids their 400,000 priests, 800,000 nuns and numerous bishops, cardinals, and monks from marrying. The Orthodox Church, as well as Hindus, Buddhists, and other religious groups also impose mandatory celibacy for certain orders.

67. - Deceptive signs and wonders would abound (Matthew 7:22-23; 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9). The signs and wonders movement has swept the globe in recent years replacing the Word of God. Experiences that feed the senses in the name of Christ are drawing away millions.

68. - Men would be lovers of themselves (2 Timothy 3:1-2). This generation, like no other, regards self above all else. Self-love, self-esteem, self-reliance, self-gratification, are encouraged by the media, schools, psychologists, etc. In contrast, Jesus taught self-denial. Even many churches today preach a feel good about yourself message.

69. - Youth would become increasingly rebellious (2 Timothy 3:2-3; Mark 13:12). No comment necessary.

70. - Humanity would become increasingly materialistic and lovers of pleasure (2 Timothy 3:1-5). No generation in history has had so many means to entertain and arouse the senses. Every imaginable hedonistic pleasure is available and has become big business.

71. - Jesus said Christians would be hated for His name's sake (Luke 21:17; Revelation 6:9-11; 20:4). The banning of the Bible, prayer, the Ten Commandments, nativity scenes, Christmas songs, etc., reflects this trend. Also consider that more Christians were martyred during the past century than during all previous history.

72. - Homosexuality would be flaunted at the end of the age. Jesus warned that the last days would be like the days of Lot who lived in wicked Sodom (Luke 17:28-30). We know that the root of Sodom's sin was pride and complacency (Ezekiel 16:49) as it is today. However, Sodom's lasting infamy stemmed from their aggressive homosexual sin (Genesis 19; Jude 1:7). Today, the homosexual agenda is flaunted and forced upon our entire society.

73. - Substantial wealth and luxuries foreseen (James 5:1-3; Revelation 3:17; Revelation 18). It is interesting that 40 years ago some authorities predicted that the growing mass of humanity was so quickly depleting the world's resources, that many resources would be exhausted in a few decades. Yet today, vast material wealth and luxuries are in abundant supply just as the Bible anticipated 2000 years ago.

74. - In the last days, fallen angels would interact with mankind (1 Timothy 4:1; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:1-4). There has been an explosion of ET/alien reports during the past 60 years. Studies indicate these entities behave more like demons than space travelers. They transcend the laws of physics, invoke fear, and deliver anti-Christian messages.

75. - Apostasy would occur just before the Antichrist is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Increasingly, experience-based "Christianity" is replacing the Bible as the standard for saving faith. The ecumenical movement is striving for unity at the expense of truth. Christ's exclusive claims are negated in the name of tolerance.

76. - There would be a move towards a one-world religion (Revelation 13:8, 12; Revelation 17). Today, as never before, we are witnessing religions joining hands in the name of peace and tolerance.

77. - Some would say that Christ is in the secret chambers or inner rooms in the last days (Matthew 24:26). According to the Catholic Church, Christ is in the inner rooms of hundreds of thousands of Catholic churches either in Eucharistic tabernacles or monstrances.

78. - Jesus also warned that this deception would be accompanied by great signs and wonders (Matthew 24:23-27). Currently, Eucharistic miracles are reported around the globe.

79. - A woman would call herself "queen" and head the global counterfeit church in the last days - proving herself an imposter (Revelation 17; 18:7). Tens of millions follow the apparition of Mary, who is regarded as the Mother of the Church, the Lady of All Nations, the Co-Redemptrix, and the Queen of Heaven and Earth.

80. - The woman would also represent a great city set on seven hills (Revelation 17:9, 18). The Queen of Heaven is considered the Mother of the Roman Catholic Church which has its headquarters (the Vatican) situated on seven hills. As the Catholic Encyclopedia states, It is within the city of Rome, called the city of seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper is now confined.

81. - In the last days, this wicked woman would go out over the face of the whole earth. She would be associated with a global curse. Her final destination would be Babylon in the land of Shinar (Zechariah 5). Interestingly, the apparition of Mary claims that she will soon travel through the entire world saving those who look to her.

82. - Epidemic drug use foreseen (Revelation 9:21). The Greek word translated sorceries is pharmakeia which can also refer to drug use, both illegal drugs and mind-altering drugs. The use of illegal drugs and the dispensing of mind-altering drugs has risen sharply during our current generation.

83. - Sorceries referring to witchcraft, magic, or occult practices used to enchant and deceive are also anticipated in the last days (Revelation 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; Isaiah 47:9-15; Micah 5:10-15). Today, interest in the occult is flourishing.

84. - Preparations for a global war anticipated (Joel 3:9-14; Matthew 24:22; Revelation 16:14). Never in history have so many nations stockpiled weapons of mass destruction.

85. - Environmental devastation of the planet foreseen (Revelation 11:18). Our generation has done more to ravage the environment than any previous generation.

86. - There would be signs in the sun (Luke 21:25). In recent years there has been a massive increase in solar activity recorded. Still future paranormal events must yet occur (Revelation 13:13-14; 16:14).

87. - Many would call themselves the Christ (Matthew 24:5). Jesus was an itinerate preacher who never traveled outside the tiny nation of Israel and He had the audacity to say that many would come in His name, claiming to be the Christ. And yet today, multitudes within the New Age Movement, Eastern religions, and the cults call themselves the Christ. This is another incredible prophecy!

88. - God said that His name would be great among the nations (Malachi 1:11; Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus in Hebrew Jehoshuah - means Jehovah saves. As we begin the 3rd millennium, over two billion people profess to be Christians. Multitudes more regard Jesus as the greatest prophet and teacher ever. As foretold, no other name compares to the fame ascribed to Jesus Christ.

89. - Jesus prophesied that even after heaven and earth pass away, His words would never be forgotten (Luke 21:33). As we near the end of the age, we see that Christ's words remain as accurate, renowned, and relevant as they were 2000 years ago. Today, Bible societies alone distribute approximately 500 million Scripture portions or entire Bibles every single year.

90. - Despite the Bible's numerous warnings and last days prophecies, many people would be taken off guard when these events culminate (Luke 21:34-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6). Take heed to yourselves!

91. - All true followers of Christ would suddenly vanish, raptured (caught up) by God to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). A false explanation will deceive the unsuspecting masses (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). Today many apparitions, angels, ETs, channelers, and New Agers are offering a counterfeit explanation for this soon to take place event.

92. - During the Tribulation, innumerable multitudes from every nation would wake up and turn to the true Jesus of the Bible and be saved (Revelation 7:9-17; Daniel 12:10; Zechariah 2:11). See also: Acts 2:17-21). Today, the seeds of the gospel are being spread in every nation!

93. - Many from Egypt to Assyria (Iraq and the Middle East) would call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (Isaiah 19:16-25). The Lord is currently moving mightily to save souls throughout the Middle East. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13)!

94. - Some would depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1). This generation has witnessed the explosion of "heavenly visitors" and false doctrines that are embraced by professing Christians even though their messages contradict the Word of God. Channeling, witchcraft, yoga, psychics, etc., have also gained in popularity though forbidden by God (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

95. - People would reject the sound doctrine of the Word of God and follow the doctrines of men that appeal to their own lusts (2 Timothy 4:3-4; Acts 20:29-30). Others would confess faith in Christ, but not obey His Word (Matthew 24:48-51; Matthew 7:22-23).

96. - Many would forsake the Ten Commandments as a moral code: blaspheming, committing adultery, disobeying parents, stealing, lying, coveting, etc. (Matthew 24:12; Revelation 9:21).

97. - Idolatry would be pervasive (Revelation 9:20; 13:12-15; 19:20; Micah 5:10-15; Zechariah 13:1-2). An idol is anything that competes for the attention due only to our Creator. Statues, images, charms, false gods, angels, apparitions, as well as possessions, position, pleasure, a person, self, and any created thing can all become idols (Romans 1:18-25).

98. - Blasphemy would be common (2 Timothy 3:2; Revelation 16:9, 11, 21). Consider how often people use their Creator's name (God, Lord, or Jesus Christ) as a curse word. What they have done is liken the One who is the source of every blessing (eyesight, sunsets, food, family, friends, etc.) to a four-letter curse word. Fifty years ago, Hollywood seldom used God's name in vain. Today, nearly every movie includes blasphemy.

99. - Sexual immorality would be rampant (Jude 18; Revelation 9:21). Keep in mind, Jesus said whoever looks to lust has already committed adultery in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Therefore, God equates Internet porn, lustful movies, TV shows, and magazines to fornication. The availability and consumption of sensual products has exploded in our generation.

100. - Men would sear their conscience so they could continue in sin (1 Timothy 4:2). The conscience is where God reveals right and wrong. Con means with and science means knowledge. Therefore we sin with knowledge when we ignore God's moral law and violate our own conscience.

101. - Men would mock the warning signs of the end of the age saying, These signs have always been around (2 Peter 3:3-4). The Bible even reveals their motivation - they love lust.

There are many more last days prophecies (several too detailed for this brief list). However these 101 demonstrate that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is true that some of these signs have been around for millennia, but only our generation has witnessed the coming together of every one of these events. Contrast the Bible's 100% track record with other self-proclaimed prophetic sources and there is no comparison. The false prophets typically repackage and plagiarize the Bible's prophecies for the unsuspecting masses, or they make so many vague prophecies that one is bound to be fulfilled. Nostradamus did both.

Jesus also said that some men would be gripped with fear when these signs occur (Luke 21:26), while others would look up with hopeful expectation (Luke 21:28). Which camp do you fall into? If you're fearful, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that God will judge every man who breaks even one of His laws. Have you ever blasphemed your Creator's name, Lied (white lies and fibs count)? Stolen (cheating on a test or taxes is stealing)? Looked with lust? If you have answered yes to these questions, then by your own admission, you are a blaspheming, lying, thieving, adulterer at heart. And we have only looked at four of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).

That's how God sees you. Keep in mind, God sees every secret sin of your past as if it just occurred. Nothing is hidden from His holy eyes. Also remember that Jesus rebuked the pious religious leaders of His day because, though they appeared good on the outside, inside they were prideful hypocrites. They were trusting in their own goodness, but the Lord saw their hearts. No matter how upright we may appear on the surface, all of us have broken God's holy commandments and need the Savior. Please listen to your conscience. You know you are guilty, and should justly end up in hell. That's not God's will. In fact, God is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

The good news is that God has made a way to freely forgive us so that we may spend eternity with Him in heaven. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). God desires a loving, eternal relationship with each person free from sin, fear, and pain. Therefore, He sent His Son to die as our substitute on the cross. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus never sinned. Therefore, He alone qualified to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross. We sinned, but Jesus died in our place. He then rose from the dead defeating death. All who turn from their sins and call on His name will be saved.

If these signs alarm you, thank God, because the Lord wants to awaken you from your spiritual slumber and give you eternal life. To repent of your sins and place your trust in Jesus Christ, make Psalm 51 your prayer. Then read your Bible daily, obeying what you read. God will never let you down.

Footnote: Ray Comfort, Nostradamus: Attack on America, Gainesville, FL, Bridge-Logos Publishers, 2001.

posted with permission
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