A Mysterious Sign in Virgo … What Does It Mean?

23 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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The Book of Revelation

I can’t think of any book in the Bible that is so well-known (in name) by both believer and unbeliever alike, while at the same time the least read or understood.

For example: If ten people were asked where in the Bible we find the term Antichrist, I would (safely) surmise that eight of them would answer … in Revelation. However, the only book that refers to this despicable man as the Antichrist is the epistle of I John. Other titles of this false messiah (little horn, ruler, king, worthless shepherd, man of lawlessness, beast) are found in Daniel, Zechariah, II Thessalonians, and Revelation.

Here is an easier question: Is the Book of Revelation about the future? Yes, I realize; that is one of those “duh” questions. But not as rhetorical as you might think.

Which begs the next question: Is Revelation exclusively future tense? The fact that I even asked this question probably gives cause to pause. If you didn’t know for sure, you’d probably answer that it isn’t solely future merely because I asked the question! And you would be right. But just barely. So, then, do you know what passages in Revelation are past tense? Let’s make it simpler —there are only two.

Other than the present-tense dynamics of Chapters 1, 2, & 3 and a reference to the woman (that great city—Rome) that rules (present tense at the time Revelation was written) the kings of the world (Revelation 17:18), the Book of Revelation is almost entirely future tense; except for the two past-tense passages that we’re going to examine. Consequently, it’s natural to view and process everything in the book as taking place in the (still) future, beginning with Chapter 4. For that reason, it’s also easy to miss (more like skim over or actually dismiss) the significance of the past-tense events.

Because nearly the entire book of Revelation pertains to the Tribulation, Second Coming of Messiah, the Millennium, and post-millennial Eternity, the vast majority of prophecy students have overlooked the evidence that the beast of Revelation (Antichrist) had already lived and died before John’s vision of the beast.

Until November, 2008, I, too, had failed to catch the startling significance of the angel’s explanation to John in Revelation 17. It was a disclosure that led to rediscovery of what most 1^st through 4^th century Christians knew all along … the identity of the Antichrist.

One of the Two Past-Tense Passages (Revelation 17:7-11a)

Said the angel to John: “…I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits. The beast you saw was once alive but isn’t now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit … And the people who belong to this world … will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died” (Revelation 17:7-8, italics for emphasis on the past tense portion of this passage).

(See Revelation 17:3-6 for Description of the Woman and the Beast)

Besides Jesus revealing to John, “…the mystery of the seven stars … and the seven gold lampstands” in Chapter 1, there’s only one other meaning that is explicitly exposed in Revelation. The disclosure relates directly to (identity of) the beast. In Chapter 17 it is the discovery of the “mystery” of the beast and the woman. In Chapter 13 it is the “meaning” of the number and, therefore, name of that same (Antichrist) beast. Moreover, the angel encourages John and all readers to ascertain the identity of the beast AT THAT PRESENT TIME.

In Revelation 13:18 the meaning can be “solved” with Hebrew gematria—counting by the alphabet. Six hundred and sixty-six is the equivalent spelling of Nero Caesar, from Greek to Hebrew. In Revelation 13:14 the angel tells John of the beast, “…who was fatally wounded and then came back to life” (One of three times in Chapter 13 where John is told the beast had recovered from his fatal wound).

And three times in Revelation 17, we’re told the same thing. Except this time the angel elaborates even more by confirming that the beast had already lived and died before John saw the beast from the isle of Patmos in the first century! Which invalidates the prevailing view that a modern-day born Antichrist will be killed during the Tribulation, then arise from the dead.

After telling John that the beast he had just seen “was once alive but isn’t now” (verse 8), the angel again states:

“The scarlet beast that was, but is no longer, is the eighth king. He is like (Greek word is ek, which means from, one of, out of) the other seven…” (Revelation 17:11, parenthesis mine).

Before that John is told that the seven heads of the beast, “…also represent seven kings. Five kings have already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief” (Verses 9-10).

Here we see another past tense phrase: “Five kings have already fallen.” All this and more is explained in great detail in my book, Out of the Abyss … can the number of the beast be solved. As well as in many Eye of Prophecy articles under the category of Antichrist.

The Birth Contractions Are Getting Stronger

The second set of past tense events in Revelation is found in Revelation 12:1-5. Before we examine that passage, let’s review the words of Messiah, himself. In what is called the Mount of Olives discourse, the longest narrative of which is found in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus said:

“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come” (Matthew 24:7-8).

In Eye of Prophecy articles, Look Up … Redemption is Near Part I & Part II (published 7-11 & 7-18-15), I listed and discussed in some detail twelve prophetic signs and developments of the 20^th and 21^st centuries—six pertaining to Israel and six to the rest of the world—that clearly show we’re in the last (Omega) generation cited by the Lord in Matthew 24:34.

In addition to two titanic world wars, there have been dozens of smaller wars and ethnic clashes in the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Concerning natural disasters, here is an excerpt from Part II of the above cited articles (in italics):

Our Lord mentions just two (famines and earthquakes), but the implication is unmistakable that he is referring to natural disasters of all kinds. The unbelievable increase in the frequency and severity of natural catastrophes in the last hundred years far exceed proportionally what happened in the nineteen centuries before that.

In general (all kinds), five of the top ten natural calamities of all time have occurred in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. That’s fifty percent in the last one hundred years alone! Likewise, five of the top ten earthquakes through the ages have occurred in the 20^th & 21^st centuries. Or expanding that to the top twenty-five deadliest earthquakes of all time, fourteen have taken place in the last hundred years or so. Of the ten deadliest tornadoes recorded, eight have occurred in this and the last century.

*Note: Since those articles were written, we’ve witnessed more huge hurricanes and earthquakes such as the one below that struck Mexico City recently:

Near the end of that article, I summarized:

What is different now from then is that all twelve have synchronized with a frequency and magnitude never seen before. With intensity that really can’t get much more extreme or enhanced than it already is. Together they have formed a combustible concoction ready to spontaneously ignite. The accumulative impact of these flash point prophecies fits precisely with the Lord’s comparison to childbirth, all in a generation’s time.

Here is the list of the twelve in a handy concise format. Check each one to see if they either have been fulfilled or if they have reached or nearly reached their optimum and maximum flash point.

Rebirth of Israel as a Sovereign Nation, 1948
Recapture of Jerusalem in the June, 1967 Six-Day War
Jerusalem, a Heavy Burden to the Nations
The 3^rd Rebuilt Temple
Israel’s Phenomenal Agricultural Accomplishments
Modern-Day Alignment of Gog/Magog Nations against Israel
National and Ethnic Wars in the 20^th & 21^st Centuries
Amazing Increase of Natural Disasters
Moral & Spiritual Decline & Intense Persecution of Christians
False Messiahs & Prophets
Unequaled Increase in Quantity and Speed of Transportation and Information
Unprecedented Spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the World

The Second Past-Tense Passage in Revelation

We’ve already examined one of those two passages … Revelation 17:7-11. With the last part of verse 8 referring to the future reappearance of the Antichrist beast from the Abyss at the outset of the Tribulation, AFTER he had already lived and died. The beast you saw was once alive but isn’t now.

Here is the other passage (Revelation 12:1-5):

“Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth” (Revelation 12:1-2).

(Depiction of the Other Woman in Revelation … The Good One, As Opposed to the Woman On the Beast)

“Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne” (Revelation 12:3-5).

First, we’ll scrutinize the history of these events of great significance. Later we’ll examine a display in the sky taking place today, September 23^rd, 2017—the same day that the Eye of Prophecy article you are reading was posted. Some say that this spectacle is related to the first event of great significance mentioned in the first two verses of Revelation Chapter 12. Does it or doesn’t it?

Let’s begin with the meaning of the metaphorical images.

The Woman:

“…I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth” (Revelation 12:1-2).

The woman represents Israel, specifically the physical existence of the Jews and corporate entity of the nation Israel. This application is reinforced by the twelve stars depicting the twelve tribes of Israel. The woman is “clothed” with the sun that materially symbolizes the rest of the world—the Gentile nations, which (until 1967) had enveloped and overshadowed Israel for some 2,600 years. But the sun also represents the spiritual light as foretold by the prophet Isaiah. God says about his Messiah: “…You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

The prophet Malachi refers to Messiah as the “Sun of Righteousness,” who will bring healing, but only after “the day of judgement” of the wicked (Gentile nations). See Malachi 4:1-2.

The moon is also Israel, but more specifically a spiritual representation of the Jews, as exemplified by the seven appointed festivals of Israel and other new moon celebrations (see primarily Leviticus Chapter 23). As you may or may not know, the Jewish calendar consists of 30-days based entirely on the moon’s cycles. Whereas, all Gentile nations measure and track time with a solar calendar. All references to days, months, and years in Scripture relate to the Jewish lunar calendar. Those dates can then be matched up to the Gregorian calendar.

The woman (Israel) is in the throes of intensive labor pains, preparing to give birth to Messiah. These labor pains essentially began when Babylon destroyed the Jewish Temple in 586 B.C. and ended the Levitical Sacrificial System for a period of time—to begin the Lord’s intended transition from the Mosaic Covenant of Law to the New Covenant of Grace. The contractions reached a peak during the birth, life, and especially the death of Jesus Christ. The labor pains portrayed in this scene are a historical review of the first coming of Messiah Jesus.

The Red Dragon:

“…I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads” (Revelation 12:3).

Although correlation of the woman, sun, moon, and stars to what/who they represent requires a fairly good measure of Bible study and familiarity with Jewish and Gentile history, the identity of the dragon is given to us later in verse 9: “This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan…”

Have you ever wondered or even thought about the difference in the location of the crowns on the dragon and those on the Antichrist beast in Revelation 13:1? You’ll find few, if any, commentaries on this variance.

“Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns” (Revelation 13:1).

Both Satan (as a dragon) and Antichrist (as a beast) are portrayed with seven heads and ten horns. Satan is shown with crowns on the seven heads of the dragon. Antichrist (Nero) is seen with crowns on the ten horns of his bestial image.

The explanation: Although Antichrist is the composite beast of Revelation 13 & 17, he is also one of (from, out of, belonging to) the seven heads. These heads were seven Roman Caesars (including Nero) who ruled in the first century. Thus, Nero is equivalent to the other six in rank—all Roman emperors. The ten horns of the beast are the ten kings who will give their kingdoms (crowns) to Nero during the Tribulation, upon his astonishing reappearance from the Abyss (Revelation 17:8). Nero will exercise direct authority over them.

However, crowns are shown on the seven heads of the dragon, not the ten horns. The seven heads of the dragon are the same Roman Emperors of the Roman Empire—Satan’s 4^th Gentile empire (following Babylon, Persia, and Greece) allowed by God for the express purpose of accomplishing his plan for Israel, and also for the nations. Likewise, the ten horns seen on the dragon are the same ten horns depicted on the Antichrist beast (ten kings of the tribulation period). However, Nero will control the ten horns (crowns of the kings) of the tribulation; whereas, Satan exercised direct authority over the heads (crowns of)—seven Roman emperors, including Nero, during the first century.

One-Third of the Stars:

“His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born” (Revelation 12:4).

The stars represent one-third of the angels who joined Satan in his ancient revolt against God. When Satan was evicted from his heavenly residence, those “fallen angels” were also banished from heaven and—because of Satan’s direct authority over them—assigned to the earth by the devil.

Satan has permission to be in God’s presence and only then on special occasions (see Job 1). There is no indication in Scripture that other fallen angels can access heaven (God’s throne) itself. However, they can come and go on the earth and in hell if they choose. The Lord banished the excessively wicked of these fallen angels to the Abyss, to be released only during the Great Tribulation (See Jude 1:6 & Revelation Chapter 9).

We get a vivid picture of Satan standing in front of the woman, ready to devour her baby beginning with King Herod’s vicious murder of Bethlehem’s children. Then Satan’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, and the satanic influence over Judas to betray Jesus. Culminating with the Jewish religious leaders (children of the devil as Jesus called them … John 8) handing Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified.

The Son’s Ascension to Heaven in Preparation for His Rule of the Nations:

First to state that: The “baby … son … child” in Revelation 12 are not figurative expressions. They refer directly to Messiah Jesus; “…a child born to us, a son given to us” (Isaiah 9:6). Born of a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14).

“She (Israel in general but also the Jewish Virgin Mary in particular) gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne” (Revelation 12:5, parenthesis mine).

Notice the wording: Was to rule indicates that the appointed birth of the child/son (which includes the entire life, death, and resurrection of Jesus) would not immediately result in setting up the Kingdom of God on earth. That would come later … upon the return of Messiah.

First things first: “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be made whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6).

To Mary’s fiancée, the angel announced: “…Joseph, son of David … do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

Then to the Jewish virgin, the angel Gabriel said: “Don’t be afraid, Mary … for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:30-33).

In contrast to the angel’s appearance to Joseph with an emphasis of Jesus bringing salvation, the announcement to Mary (the woman representing all of Israel) corresponds with Revelation 12 … the Son who would rule the nations. It would be the Kingdom of God headquartered in Jerusalem governing the nations after Israel’s final restoration. A plan that began with God choosing Abraham to be the ancestor of the Jewish people, through whom Messiah would bring redemption to Israel and the whole world (John 4:22).

It was necessary for Jesus to return to heaven in his resurrected eternal body, awaiting God’s fulfillment of his plan to redeem people from every nation and language because they believed and received Messiah Jesus as personal Savior.

“The child” would be “snatched away” from the dragon as a preview and prototype of believers being caught up (Rapture, I Thessalonians 4) to meet Jesus in the air, sparing us from the Great Tribulation. Jesus’ work on earth was finished when he arose from the dead. By returning to heaven and sending the Holy Spirit in his place to indwell all believers, the Kingdom of Heaven (in the hearts of men and woman all over the earth) would spread much wider and more rapidly. Jesus had already defeated Satan and death. His ongoing battle with the devil would be waged from heaven, with the Lord’s final victory over Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet realized upon his glorious return.

The Book of Revelation is a panoramic view of the Tribulation, Second Coming, Millennium, and Eternity. The first part of Revelation 12 is a brief but equally epic review of what John termed significant events. In just five verses, they encompass Israel’s history and destiny (physically and spiritually) to bring Messiah (the very Son of God) to Israel and the whole world, and Satan’s devilish design to prevent Messiah from completing God’s purpose for the human race.

Beginning with verse six of Revelation Chapter 12, we are moved forward into the coming Great Tribulation. There we see the devil’s vile, but vain, effort to once again destroy Israel and vent his wrath against the tribulation saints (both Jew and Gentile).

“And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus” (Revelation 12:17).

An Event in the Heavens Occurring On September 23^rd, 2017

In the Eye of Prophecy article, Hurricane Harvey & A Year of Prophetic Milestones (2017) posted 9-9-17, we looked at a possible correlation between the total eclipse of the sun on August 21^st and Hurricane Harvey that struck four days later. Then, the probable connection between Harvey and other devastating hurricanes in America over the past three decades with (failed) attempts by the United States Executive Staff to force a one-sided peace agreement on Israel. Also covered were prophetic milestones of the 20^th and 21^st century directly related to the 100-year and 70-year generations defined in Scripture and the 50-year Jubilee—all pertaining to Israel’s rebirth as a nation and the Day of the Lord occurring at the end of the final (Omega) generation. Our generation!

What is this event taking place on September 23^rd, 2017—today, if you are reading this article on its posted date? You may or may not have heard about it.

It is an unprecedented astronomical configuration in the zodiac constellation of Virgo, initially determined (discovered) in 2011. One that will appear only in the sky over Israel.

(*Note: Concerning another “end-of-the-world” date setting prediction associated with a meteor or a planet called Nibiru allegedly striking the earth on September 23^rd, all I’m going to say on that subject is: Nonsense! It didn’t happen in May, 2003 as predicted. Nor during the Mayan-calendar omen of 2012, which also came to nothing. Those foolish predictions are not related to the Virgo Constellation event).

To explore the potential implications of the Virgo Constellation alignment, Kade Hawkins—founder of the website Prophecy News Watch—put together a four-part video series entitled, The Great Sign.

Although I have not seen these videos, I have read the preview and listened to the trailer. To some extent, it would appear that the interest level of this solar and planetary phenomenon is akin to the extraordinary attention given to the tetrad of blood moons which took place on the dates shown below:

Two well-known pastors and authors, Mark Biltz and John Hagee, wrote extensively about those blood moons before they took place. After the first of those moons, I joined in with an Eye of Prophecy article entitled (of course) Blood Moons, posted 4-19-14 … but with more of a cautionary approach. Here is an excerpt from that article, including the below sub-title in bold (in italics):

Fortunately, neither Pastor Biltz nor Pastor Hagee dogmatically claim that one of these events will be the day when Christ raptures the Church. And, that’s good, because no one knows the day or hour of our Lord’s return. To select any one of the four days would be just another attempt to “guess” even though the guess may be on a significant date, such as those that comprise the tetrad. As said, one of those days has already come and gone (April 15^th), without an event of huge consequence happening to/in Israel or, for that matter, anywhere in the world.

Connections between Rapture, Festivals, Moons, End Times?

Personally, I think it would be great if the Rapture would occur on one of these very important festival dates. Especially September 28^th … my birthday. Kidding, but not entirely! But all of us who passionately long for the return of our glorious Savior Jesus Christ know full well that ANY day (the sooner the better) would be a wonderful day! Alongside of the triumphant return of Christ to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem to set things right throughout the entire earth, the Rapture of believers in Christ will be the most spectacular event of all time. Not necessarily the most important (that belongs to the day that our Lord arose from the dead), but arguably the most stunning.

Then later in that article, I summarized with:

The Joel prophecy of what is clearly a one-time moon turning to blood-red and giving no light event, preceded by the sun (completely) darkened doesn’t fit with 2000 years of periodic lunar eclipses in which the moon is described as a “blood moon.” However, these blood moon lunar eclipses have been a harbinger and a forerunner of what will take place during that great and terrible day of the Lord. And, in God’s sovereignty and emphasis on holy days that he established for the nation of Israel, blood moon tetrads have been linked with milestones in Israel’s history, and very well may do so again. And, as much as I (and many of us) would like to see the Rapture take place on one of these glorious festivals (holidays, meaning Holy Days), I’m equally convinced it will not.

Instead, the Rapture will most likely take place on some “ordinary” day far removed from such days as Passover, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Christmas, Resurrection Sunday, Purim, or any other vitally important day that we might revere and celebrate. Why on earth would I say something so anticlimactic, so over-the-top, so uninspired, so uneventful, so … well, so, negative!?

What is the basis for such a conclusion? This premise is based on what Jesus, himself, said. Most of us know the passage; in fact, we’ve just referred to it, i.e. Matthew Chapter 24 (and 25). Many of you will recognize the verse. Here it is: “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24:44, italics for emphasis).

…To further emphasize and reinforce his statement that no one knows the hour or the day of his return, Jesus gave us another strong clue. He will return (on a day) when we least expect him to arrive. There are 365 days in the year (360 if you use the Hebrew calendar). If we rely heavily on what Jesus is telling us, then combine it with all the other end times passages, I think we can safely assume (predict) that he will not take us home in the Rapture on any holiday of great importance to us or to the Jews. Besides, the only prophecy remaining for the church, itself (the body of Christ consisting of both Jews and Gentiles) is the Rapture. This prophecy has no bearing whatsoever on all the predictions pertaining to Israel and the Jews, such as the physical and spiritual restoration of Israel as a people and a nation.

Thus, I believe it is a mistake, at least a miscalculated presumption to claim or even to speculate beyond mere possibility that blood moon tetrads (lunar eclipses) have a direct correlation with the Rapture of the Church.

(Back to Today’s Article)

Were the blood moons important? Is the once in a “blue moon” alignment of the sun, moon, and planets in the Virgo Constellation over Israel also meaningful? Yes, to both questions; but as applied to and in the context of what Jesus, himself said in his amazing answers to the disciple’s questions, “…Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3).

“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken … So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:25-28).

In The Great Sign series, Kade Hawkins again draws on views expressed by Mark Biltz. Here are some excerpts from Kade’s pre-program article with statements from Mark Biltz or Scripture in quotation marks (in italics):

On that day, the sun will be in the constellation Virgo (known as the virgin). The moon will be below the “feet” of the constellation. Additionally, Venus, Mars and Mercury will be above the constellation. As the constellation Leo has nine stars and will also be above Virgo’s head, the alignment can be interpreted as a “crown” of 12 stars.

Revelation 12: 1-2 reads: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”

Kade Hawkins’ article continues:

“The woman clothed with the sun is the constellation Virgo and represents the nation of Israel,” he explained. “The 12 stars represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Interestingly, the constellation Leo, the lion, which is above Virgo, is made up of nine stars. The lion represents specifically the tribe of Judah. It just so happens this year during the Days of Awe, three planets will join the constellation Leo making up 12 stars. Virgo will be clothed with the sun, and the moon will be under her feet, fulfilling this sign to precise detail.”

Biltz cited Luke 21:25, which says: “And there shall be strange signs in the sun, moon, and the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves.”

But why should believers care about what is happening in the sky? Isn’t looking for such signs uncomfortably close to the practice of astrology?

Biltz points out Scripture itself speaks of the importance of signs in the sky. He also says there is a critical distinction between astrology and what he calls “biblical astronomy.”

“Biblical astronomy has nothing to do with astrology,” Biltz said. “The devil likes to pervert everything God does as a way of sidelining believers. In astrology, it’s all about you and interpreting the signs in the sky about how it affects your life. In biblical astronomy, it’s all about God. It’s an entirely different focus. God even stated, the heavens are declaring the glory of God.”

Things to Ponder

I totally agree with Pastor Biltz’ distinguishing between astrology and Biblical astronomy. God even referred to constellations when he challenged Job:

“Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? Can you direct the sequence of the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?” (Job 38:31-33).

We are not to set day and hour dates that the Lord will Rapture his church. But we are to recognize the signs of the last days of the end times.

Thus, I believe that today’s alignment over Israel of the sun, three planets, nine stars, and the moon is one of the “strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars” spoken of by Jesus.

But is it a fulfillment of Revelation Chapter 12? When, in fact, Revelation 12:1-5 was not a prophetic vision of the future; it was a reminder (review) of what had already taken place.

Did Revelation 12:1-2 also apply to a future event, i.e. today’s astrophysical sign over Israel?

Answer: Possibly, but unlikely. Why? Because Revelation beginning with Chapter 4 is about the (still future) post-Rapture Tribulation, Millennium, Second Coming, and Eternity. It is NOT about the pre-Rapture birth pains and signs in the heavens foretold by Jesus. The book of Revelation picks up where the Mount of Olives discourse ends. It is the Final Revelation of Jesus Christ—the Day of the Lord beginning with the Rapture.

Revelation 12:1-5 and the aforementioned verses in Revelation 17 are (parenthetical) past-tense passages called interludes that briefly interrupt the future tense continuity and sequence of Revelation. With Revelation 12 a review of historic events that had already occurred; and Chapter 17 a revelation (disclosure of the mystery of the beast) that the Antichrist had already lived and died … but would return from the Abyss.

And as indicated—with the exception of the child/son born to the woman, who is Messiah Jesus—all of the other images of Revelation 12 are figurative … representing Israel, fallen angels, and Satan. Though much of the book of Revelation is literal, there’s no solid evidence to suggest that the sun, moon, and stars are literal in this passage, i.e. representing today’s Virgo Constellation display. Even if they are literal, three planets are part of the Virgo spectacle. The planets are not stars.

Either way, it is certainly time to: Look up, for our (final) redemption is drawing near!

Regarding the Rapture: On whatever day it happens… for believers it will be the first day of the rest of our (eternal) life!

Globalism or Populism … Which Will Antichrist Prefer?

16 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by garybowers in The Antichrist

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Polarization

Polar Opposites

The North Pole and the South Pole are on opposite (vertical) ends of the Earth’s Axis. Thus we have a Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere. With the (horizontal) Equator splitting the difference. Some have successfully traveled to these extreme poles on Planet Earth. However, no one has been to the eastern or western most point on the Globe; there is no such thing as an East Pole or a West Pole. North is up; south is down; east and west are left or right, depending on whether we’re facing north or south. All maps of the world are made in this fashion.

The North and South Poles symbolically characterize the extreme polarization taking place all over the world. East and West represent the immeasurable and unbridgeable distance between two opposite points of reference that otherwise don’t tangibly exist, except for the identifiable extremes between right and wrong, good and evil.

Left is left and right is right. East is east and west is west and never the two shall meet. However, the increasing polarization of the human race is just as predictably obvious on a horizontal level as the vertical polarity between those who have a personal relationship with the Lord and those who don’t. Between those who are spiritually reborn (John Chapter 3)—who no longer have a “polar opposite” disconnect with the Lord—and those who deliberately remain separated from their Creator and Savior.

In fact, when we believe and receive Messiah Jesus as personal Savior, then:

The first definition of pole in Webster’s Dictionary is the physical one that we would expect: “a long slender cylindrical object…”

The next definition set: “either extremity of an axis of a sphere and esp. of the earth’s axis. Either of two related opposites … point of guidance or attraction …. The fixed point in a system of polar coordinates that serves as the origin…” This definition expands the tangible nature of poles and polar to the intangible. So we often use the term “polar opposites” when discussing disparate political, economic, social, and religious paradigms, along with our beliefs and opinions.

Polar: “diametrically opposite.” Polarity: “diametrical opposition.”

All of which lead to a term used to describe the extremes that have always been the norm for the human race, but nothing like what we’ve progressively experienced in the 20^th and 21^st centuries … polarization. Our personal, state, national, and international pendulums swing far to the left or far to the right; we seldom see them stationary in the middle.

After depicting the physical characteristics, Webster’s Dictionary defines polarization as: “a division into two opposites.”

Polarize: “to break up into opposing factions or groupings; to become polarized.”

People and countries all over the world, especially western nations, are more polarized than ever before. These extremes have created a mentality of “us or them” with virtually no political or social or interpersonal conciliatory balance for the greater good of a state or nation.

We seldom communicate rationally or politely anymore, particularly on social media. We rant and rave. We yell and curse. We clash verbally and physically. It’s not, “I’m a Democrat (or Republican), but I respect your opinion.” Instead: “I’m a Democrat and the Republican Party shouldn’t even exist; it’s a threat to this nation. President Trump is not (my) president.” Some Republicans said the same thing about President Obama.

What amazes me most is that all those people out there who claim there is no absolute truth—everything is relative or situational—are the same people who are the most adamant that their world-view is absolutely the only one that should be tolerated. They are politically correct because of their tolerance; however, anyone who disagrees with them is wrong … and, therefore, shouldn’t be tolerated.

In today’s world—ready to explode and in some places has already exploded—if hatred could be registered on a meter, the needle would be deep into the red zone.

A rational polarization that at one time afforded some measure of point, counterpoint (agree to disagree) between individuals, groups, and entire nations has become irrationally dangerous to the point where there is no middle ground, no buffer zone, and no safe haven.

It use to be that:

Now it’s: “This world isn’t big enough for the both of us.”

It’s: Democrat OR Republican; liberal OR conservative (left or right); black OR white; federal OR state; poor OR rich; socialist OR capitalist. So much so that (for example in the United States) we now have physical clashes between the far “Alt-right” and the ultra-left “antifa” (anti-fascist)—as seen in the recent Charlottesville and Berkeley demonstrations.

Many say with their lips but not with their hearts: “Let’s make peace.” What they’re really saying is: “I want a piece of you.” In the Middle East, Muslim nations and the Palestinians don’t want peace with Israel. They want a piece of Israel here, a piece there, until the entire Jewish pie is theirs.

Or: If I can break you into little pieces, then I can put you back together the way I think you should be.

Only the Lord can put Humpty Dumpty (individuals and entire nations) back together again.

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (II Corinthians 5:16-17).

The most far-reaching polarization—increasing with kaleidoscope intensity—is the conflict between national sovereignty and international supremacy on Planet Earth. It is global in its scope and fateful in its implications; a socioeconomic and geopolitical rift that is preparing the earth’s population for the soon to come Antichrist. It is currently experienced on two levels between:

(1) Populism v. Ultra-Federalized Government (of the elite)

Webster’s Dictionary defines Populism as: “belief in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people.” It is the grass-roots premise that the ordinary person has equal say in electing and running the government of his/her nation. For the United States, it is the bedrock belief of America’s founding fathers proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence: the inalienable rights for all citizens of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is the noble idea so eloquently expressed by President Abraham Lincoln: Government of the people, by the people, for the people. It is the rank and file expressing and exercising their right to “equal opportunity,” whether that opportunity leads to success or not.

If it’s necessary to fairly but firmly, peaceably but persistently challenge the “elite establishment” who assume it to be their privilege and authority (just by virtue of being the self-defined elite) to govern the masses, then so be it.

Here is an excerpt from my second book, Out of the Abyss (in italics):

Ironically, that’s exactly what … natural scientists, human secularists, occult spiritualists, God-less governments, and agnostic academia in general try to do. They inevitably ascribe to themselves the controlled capacity, the distinctive domain, and the potent position of determining their destiny. And, if you will but afford them the privilege and opportunity; if you will “give them an ear,” they will gladly assist you in discovering your origin and purpose for life. Ultimately, if you yield complete attention and allegiance, they will be delighted to direct your future.

Okay, a little sarcasm here. And I don’t mean to unduly pick on the scientific, academic, philosophical, political, cultural, and social elite; though they carry a lot of weight and exert a significant influence on the common person. Ultimately every man and woman must choose what they believe, and to whom or what they will listen and follow. As Joshua said, “choose today whom you will serve…” (Joshua 24:15). (Pages 22-23).

Although U.S. President Donald Trump ran on the Republican ticket, he considered himself to be a “Populist.” Among other things his objective was to be a people’s president who would “drain the swamp” (of bureaucracy in Washington D.C.), change the status quo, take back the country for the people, and “make American great again.”

Essentially, he appealed to the rank and file and the silent majority of America’s population who, by and large, wanted a return to the Judeo-Christian moral and spiritual foundation upon which the United States was built, and then blessed by God.

A people who wanted to once again be “in charge” of their government instead of elite federalists determining and even dictating what (it assumed) the people needed or wanted. A bottom-up instead of a top-down administration that would get back to the uncomplicated basics of government that represents the people … not just in theory, but in practice.

Subsequent populism movements failed in the Netherlands when moderate Mark Rutte won the election of March 15, 2017 over the populist candidate, Geert Wilders. Also in France during the final election run-off on May 7, 2017 when liberal-moderate candidate Emmanuel Macron became President over populist Marine Le Pen.

Although the Dutch and French “people” candidates lost, their party platforms are still strong. These countries and others like Hungary, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and, of course, the United States have experienced an incredible change in geopolitics.

The following is a quote from Geert Wilders which conveys his passion for the common people of The Netherlands to regain control of their country. And also speaking for the populist movement in many nations. (An excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, The World Wants a Messiah … But Needs (The) Messiah, posted in January, 2017). Said Geert Wilders:

It breaks my heart when I see that people have become strangers in their own land—almost everywhere in Europe. But it is our country, it’s not their country—it’s our country. And it is unacceptable that you fear for the future of your children, that women are afraid, that Jews, ex-Muslims, Christians fear for their safety.

Our parties give the people an opportunity for good patriots. Patriots who want to make our borders safe again! Patriots who want to stop mass immigration. Patriots who want to restore the sovereignty of our countries, our money, our laws and our future.

The people are fed up with the political correctness of the elites! Are you fed up, or are you not fed up?

It remains to be seen who will win Germany’s election of 9-24-17; however, one of (many say the most controversial) key issues to all of these elections was/is immigration, both legal and illegal.

(2) Nationalism v. Globalism (International Sovereignty over Individual Nations)

This is a polarization that will supersede all other schisms: after the Rapture, one that will separate people into two global camps. One that will force “fence-riding” individuals and nations to choose a (would-be) messiah over personal and national interests. It will be a day and night contrast never before seen. A pre-tribulation polarization is already underway in the European Union, sparked by the United Kingdom’s popular vote last June to leave the European Union (Brexit). The United Nations is an even broader example of an international organization that is supposed to act as a defender and arbiter of the national rights of signatory members. Instead, it has become more of a totalitarian confederation whose underlying purpose is to delegitimize and eventually ostracize Israel from the family of nations.

Most of the recent UN Resolutions have been passed to sanction Israel for non-existent and unfounded reasons, not the least of which is so-called settler occupation of the West Bank (Judea/Samaria). UNESCO is rewriting history by claiming that all of the holy sites in Israel belong to Palestinian Muslims. Nearly all of these injunctions are drafted by Islamic nations, yet dozens of nations including Europeans vote in favor of condemning Israel, the only democratic nation in the Middle East. These sanctions are greater in number than the combined resolutions against such repressive countries like Iran, Syria, North Korea, and China combined.

Of the utmost irony is that polar opposite groups like the alt-right KKK and far left Black Lives Matter or white supremacists like Richard Spencer v. extreme liberalists like Linda Sarsour have one thing in common: they hate Israel and the Jews. As do the polar extremes of Communism and Fascism, and Islamic bitter rivals Sunni and Shi’ite whose governments and people have been at war with one another for several decades now. Both Sunnis and Shi’ites have called for the eradication of the State of Israel.

According to the Bible, that would be the way of it during the end-times. Nation against nation, ethnic group against ethnic group. And virtually all nations against Israel and her Messiah, who is the Divine Son of God, Savior of Jew and Gentile alike. Several passages in Scripture speak of multiple nations rising up against (reborn) Israel in the last days. And though I haven’t counted them in my constant study of Scripture, I would venture to say there are an equal number of times in which the Lord warns nations against harming his special possession Israel. Such as:

“The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads. Just as you swallowed up my people on my holy mountain, so you and the surrounding nations will swallow the punishment I pour out on you. Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger and disappear from history” (Obadiah 1:15-16).

Though we don’t know for certain, it’s highly unlikely that Israel will be attacked (as happened in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, 1967 Six-Day War, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War) by a coalition of (Muslim) nations before the Rapture occurs. I say this for two reasons: (1) It’s clear to many Bible scholars (including me) as well as Christians and (mostly Orthodox) Jews world-wide that we are living in the last days … leading imminently to the Messianic Age. (2) Thus, the next international attack against Israel will be the Gog/Magog coalition composed of Russia, Iran, Turkey and other smaller nations. I have written about this campaign in several Eye of Prophecy articles. God, himself will supernaturally and soundly crush this ungodly, anti-Semitic coalition. As I’ve written with strong supporting evidence, the Gog/Magog assault will take place in the early part of the Tribulation.

The Antichrist and his ten-nation coalition will then attempt to finish the job of conquering Israel (and nations opposing the Antichrist) that Gog/Magog never came close to accomplishing. Although Antichrist will break the seven-year treaty with Israel half-way through it (Daniel 9), his military campaign against Israel won’t take place until the end of the Great Tribulation.

Antichrist Will Appeal to Populists and Globalists, To the Common Man and to the Elite

Another irony is that these extremes will enable Antichrist Nero to capture the attention of many left behind at the Rapture. Both the far left and far right and everyone on a sliding scale in between will realize that there is no geopolitical or social solution to such polarization; only one man can bridge the chasm. This false messiah won’t need a world government or a world religion. Although he will assemble a ten-nation coalition for military purposes, his global appeal will extend far beyond individual differences, political poles, national boundaries, and international coalitions.

In my book, Out of the Abyss and in many Eye of Prophecy articles in the category of Antichrist, you will find an abundance of material from Scripture (including an in-depth study of every single passage on the Antichrist) and from secular history yielding convincing evidence that the Roman Emperor Nero is the Antichrist. For purpose of this week’s article, I will quote only two of those passages:

First Passage: “Why are you so amazed? The angel asked. I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits. The beast you saw was once alive but isn’t now. And yet he will soon (meaning abruptly) come up out of the bottomless pit… And the people who belong to this world (the unsaved left behind at the Rapture) … will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died” (Revelation 17:7-8, parenthesis mine, italics for emphasis).

This is the passage that riveted my attention in November, 2008, and which launched my quest to determine the identity of the Antichrist beast because Revelation 13:18 challenges, “the one with understanding (to) solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.” Who in the first century had already lived and died even before John saw the vision of the beast? Who would “reappear” from the Abyss to the utter astonishment of a chaotic world in shock because hundreds of millions had been taken from the earth?

Second Passage: “I saw that one of the heads (each one of the seven heads were Roman Emperors of the first century, with the composite beast the Antichrist himself) of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal would was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshipped the dragon (Satan) for giving the beast such power, and they also worshipped the beast. ‘Who is as great as the beast?’ they exclaimed. ‘Who is able to fight against him?’” (Revelation 13:3-4, parenthesis mine).

(Please see Eye of Prophecy articles, Exposing Antichrist’s Identity … More Compelling Evidence, Part I & II, published 3-18 & 3-25-17)

There’s absolutely no ambiguity in either of these passages. The angel is revealing the mystery of the visions. Once a mystery is revealed, it’s no longer a mystery. It’s meant to be understood clearly and convincingly. The identity of the beast was meant to be known; in fact, the angel even challenges the reader to do so. In this passage, there was one and only one reason that people all over the earth gave their undivided loyalty to the Antichrist beast. They did so because they “marveled at this miracle.”

What was the miracle that they marveled at? They were amazed (Revelation 17) because an ancient Roman emperor had returned from a 2,000-year old grave. Thus, people from ethnic groups, from languages, and from nations all over the earth will, “give allegiance to” and “worship” this man. Many will set aside their differences. Common and elite alike will identify themselves with the same “mark (of the beast) … either the name of the beast or the number representing his name…” (Revelation 13:18).

(I Suppose a Bar Code Could be Used Instead of an Implant of the Numbers 666, But Many Will Simply Choose the Name of Nero in Their Hand or Forehead)

Nero will flaunt his miraculous return by claiming that he is the Messiah, that he is God. He will cut across cultural, religious, social, and political diversities. He will depolarize liberals and conservatives including the far left and far right. He will bridge an otherwise unbridgeable gap between the elite and the “average person.” He will eliminate the impassable gulf between the nationalists and the globalists. Polar opposites will be in shock and awe due exclusively to Nero’s “reappearance” on Planet Earth.

Nowhere in Scripture do we read that the Antichrist is a military, political, or economic genius or a great orator, a consummate politician, a charismatic leader—all traits commonly exhibited by a world leader. He is a braggart and a blasphemer of God Almighty (see Daniel 7 and Revelation 13) but he is not portrayed as an eloquent statesmen who will persuade the world with an irresistible personality. His magnetism will come directly from a world in wonder and fear of his incredible return from the grave.

From Out of the Abyss:

“The Antichrist is not afforded blind worship because he is a superman in terms of being an accomplished statesman, orator, or leader. The False Prophet does that for him. The superhuman qualities accorded him will literally lie in his mystical return from death” (Page 182).

In the context of Antichrist’s accomplishments upon his reappearance from the Abyss soon after the Rapture by galvanizing the attention and allegiance of a cross-section of people from every nation and language, let’s look at:

A Brief Summary of Nero’s Reign as the Fifth Roman Emperor

During the first half or so of his fourteen-year reign, Nero found enormous favor with the common Roman citizen and (to a lesser extent) with the nobility—including the Roman Senate composed mostly of the wealthy elite—despite his enactment of laws that favored the middle and lower class more so than the upper class. Actually, the masses adored him during most of his reign. When he began to display his base nature of gross immorality, brutality (mostly against Christians), and disregard for the everyday affairs of the Roman Empire, many still revered him … even after his death.

The following is an excerpt from the Britannica.com website (in italics):

He put an end to the more odious features of the later years of Claudius’s reign (Nero’s step-father, the Roman Emperor who preceded Nero, parenthesis mine), including secret trials before the emperor and the dominance of corrupt freedmen, and he accorded more independence to the Senate… His government forbade contests in the circus involving bloodshed, banned capital punishment, reduced taxes, and accorded permission to slaves to bring civil complaints against unjust matters… Claudius had put 40 senators to death, but between the murders instigated by Agrippina (Nero’s mother, Claudius’s wife, parenthesis mine) in 54 and the year 62, there were no like incidents in Nero’s reign. Nero also inaugurated competitions in poetry, in the theatre, and in athletics to counter attractions to gladiatorial events. He saw to it that assistance was provided to cities that had suffered disaster, and at the request of the Jewish historian, Josephus, gave aid to the Jews.

Scripture is clear: When Nero returns, one of his first accomplishments will be a seven-year treaty with Israel (most likely between Israel and the Muslim world). During his rise to power—propelled by world-wide allegiance because of his amazing reappearance—he will curry the favor of both the elite and the common person … just as he did during his first reign as Roman Emperor. Looking again at the above excerpt, it’s evident that many segments of society will adore him: the lower and middle class because of any number of sweeping changes he will make for their benefit; but also celebrity politicians, entrepreneurs, artists, actors, and athletes.

Because of the Jekyll and Hyde transformation of Nero (the overt, noticeable changes) in the latter years of his reign, the Roman Senate turned on him. And Nero turned against Israel when Jewish zealots began a rebellion against Rome in 66 A.D. Nero personally ordered Generals Vespasian and Titus (Vespasian’s son) to crush the uprising. As many know, this ruthless campaign against the Jews ended with destruction of the Jewish Temple and world-wide dispersion of the Jews in 70 A.D. Vespasian became Caesar in 69 A.D.; Titus in 79 A.D.

*Note: In Order, the following are color-tinted busts of Caesars Nero, Vespasian, and Titus

Another thing that appalled the noble senators and their wealthy constituents: their Emperor had embarrassed himself and the image of the powerful Roman Empire by performing in the theatre, including playing the role of slaves. In today’s world, artists and actors are held in much higher esteem than they were in the first century. Long and short of it: the Roman Senate agreed to depose Nero as Emperor, convincing several Roman Generals and their legions to go along with them. Nero knew his time was up and unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide—finally ordering his servant to strike the fatal blows (June 9, 68 A.D.).

An excerpt from Wikipedia (in italics):

According to Suetonius and Cassius Dio, the people of Rome celebrated the death of Nero. Tacitus, though, describes a more complicated political environment. Tacitus mentions that Nero’s death was welcomed by Senators, nobility and the upper class. The lower-class, slaves, frequenters of the arena and the theater, and “those who were supported by the famous excesses of Nero”, on the other hand, were upset with the news. Members of the military were said to have mixed feelings, as they had allegiance to Nero, but had been bribed to overthrow him.

Eastern sources, namely Philostratus II and Apollonius of Tyana, mention that Nero’s death was mourned as he “restored the liberties of Hellas with a wisdom and moderation quite alien to his character” and that he “held our liberties in his hand and respected them.”

Modern scholarship generally holds that, while the Senate and more well-off individuals welcomed Nero’s death, the general populace was “loyal to the end and beyond, for Otho and Vitellius both thought it worthwhile to appeal to their nostalgia.”

Galba began his short reign with the execution of many of Nero’s allies…

Otho overthrew Galba. Otho was said to be liked by many soldiers because he had been a friend of Nero’s and resembled him somewhat in temperament. It was said that the common Roman hailed Otho as Nero himself. Otho used “Nero” as a surname and re-erected many statues to Nero. Vitellius overthrew Otho. Vitellius began his reign with a large funeral for Nero complete with songs written by Nero.

The Treaty

One of Nero’s greatest accomplishments during his tenure as Caesar (which was tantamount at the time to being ruler of the civilized world) was a treaty he initiated between Rome and her bitter enemy, Parthia. Off and on for many years, Rome and Parthia (part of which was ancient Persia) had been at war until the treaty of 63 A.D.

Here is an excerpt from Out of the Abyss that explains both the historical and future implications of this treaty coordinated by Nero. (In italics):

Ancient historians tell us that Nero was obsessed with being popular. He wanted everyone to like him to the point of complete loyalty, adulation, and even worship. For most of his reign he achieved that popularity, especially with the common Roman citizen, but not because Nero was a brilliant speaker or a charismatic leader.

Of all things, it was a treaty that Nero engineered between Rome and Parthia that helped endear him to the Roman Senate, the Roman Legions, and the Roman citizens….

His popularity increased dramatically and this peace between Rome and Parthia would last for another 50 years. Moreover, this accomplishment was not a result of any extraordinary talents or gifts that Nero possessed. In fact, when examining history, the single most influential factor in negotiating a treaty relates to the state-of-affairs conditions and circumstances that gave rise to an agreement between people and nations.

After the Rapture, Nero won’t have much of a problem in negotiating a treaty with Israel. Remember, there will be no Christians left immediately after the Rapture. But there will be chaos, confusion, and disorder. Most Arabs and many Jews will be among the left behind. The world will be ripe for conciliation, for unity, for peace, for order. Nero will capitalize on this pandemonium by orchestrating a treaty, one that will allow the Jewish Temple to be built…. I use the word orchestrating, because one of Nero’s talents was that of arranging and synchronizing things, such as a group of people with dissident views or like a musical play, of which he wrote and performed several—in Greek.

And, who in the world is going to argue with a man who returns to the earth after a two thousand-year absence? With regard to the sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD, all Nero need say is that the Roman Generals went way too far. He will probably remind tribulation Jews that he died in 68 AD, two years before the Roman Legions destroyed the Temple. That he had not intended for the Jews to be exiled from Judea or for the Temple to be destroyed. After a fashion, he might even apologize to the Jews. His way of making up for the ancient Roman mistreatment of the Jews will be to offer them a new Temple.

He will also placate the Arabs, telling them that if there is a god to follow or worship, Allah would be that god. He will remind the Jews and Arabs that his hostility as a Roman Emperor was rightfully and justifiably directed against the Christians—those narrow minded, bigoted, self-righteous hypocrites whose disappearance has done mankind a favor by cleansing the earth of religious intolerance.

If you like, you could come up with any number of lies that a resurrected Nero will fabricate and foist on Israel and the nations. But the bottom line is that untold millions will follow him for the same reason that many have followed Jesus Christ: RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD (Pages 179-180).

Things to Ponder

All the other designations of Antichrist in Scripture—ruler, king, little horn, man of lawlessness, and beast—have been consolidated into one appellation that is much more well-known the world over: Antichrist. Or Anti-Messiah. (Please see the Eye of Prophecy trilogy: A Beast by Any Other Name … Posted 3-14, 3-21, & 3-28-15.

Nero will be anti-Messiah, but he will also counterfeit the true Messiah. The very idea of a Messiah comes from Scripture, through numerous Old Testament prophecies of the coming “anointed one.” Then the fulfillment of those prophecies in meticulous detail by Jesus of Nazareth.

Through his status as a messiah, Nero will depolarize individual and national differences. Most likely during the first half of the Tribulation, before he reveals his true colors—in the same fashion during his reign as Caesar. This time he will be given only seven years, not fourteen, with the last half of the Tribulation the (God-given) “…authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months” (Revelation 13:5).

For the globalists, Nero will unify and consolidate many (but not all) peoples and nations into a world utopia mentality as he almost did for the Roman nobility and masses with his pursuit of the Pax Romana. For the populists and nationalists, he will appear to champion individual rights by promoting personal pride and national identity, as he did with the greater populace of Rome. Before he destroys the Vatican, Nero will conciliate Roman Catholicism with Islam. (Pope Francis is already setting the stage for such an appeasement. See Eye of Prophecy article, The Vatican and Islam … A Perfect Match for Antichrist, posted 6-4-16).

Isn’t that what the world will want and expect? Isn’t that what a messiah is supposed to do?

Nero’s arrogant ambitions will coming to a screeching halt when he and his enemies vainly and absurdly decide to collectively fight the King of all kings, as they watch Messiah Jesus and the “armies of heaven” (we believers) descend to earth! (See Revelation 19).

The irreconcilable polarizations are: Good and evil, truth and lies. Though Nero will deceive billions into believing evil is good and his lies are the truth, he will not succeed in merging these polar opposites together. Good and evil are forever separated by their very definition and essence. The ultimate solution is not coexistence. Only Messiah Jesus—Son of God, Son of David, and Son of Man—can and will eliminate the Satanic polar opposite of all that is good, and right, and just.

“But then the court will pass judgment, and all his (Antichrist) power will be taken away and completely destroyed. Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:26-27, parenthesis mine).

“Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, ‘It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah” (Revelation 12:10).

Hurricane Harvey & A Year of Prophetic Milestones (2017)

09 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by garybowers in Current Events

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Natural disasters

Natural Disasters … Questions of Correlation

This week’s article will examine some remarkable prophetic anniversaries taking place in 2017 which is the Jewish calendar year 5777-5778. But first, we’ll look at some startling time-proximity correlations between catastrophes in the United States and America’s political strategies (to bring peace to the Middle East) that are contradictory to God’s plan for Israel.

I will begin with a disclaimer: These correlations are not meant to inflexibly state that there is a divine causal connection between the peace conferences and the calamities which occurred within a short time span. Obviously, the implications are yours to make.

Could there be a link? Yes, because Scripture is replete with examples of God using the natural elements he created to supernaturally capture the attention of both Israel and Gentile nations. Such as the ten plagues against Egypt. Or the years of debilitating drought in Israel during Elijah’s time. Through miracles or by the sheer scope of some natural disasters, God periodically intervenes in the affairs of the human race to providentially accomplish his ultimate plan.

As stated in prior Eye of Prophecy articles, this plan has two parts. First: selection and separation of Israel as God’s special possession and the Jews as his chosen people to bring God’s light and truth to the world—specifically through the promised Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. Included in this design is return of the Jews to the Promised Land in preparation for Israel’s final redemption; a prelude to establishing the Kingdom of God on earth, headquartered in Jerusalem. Second: to unite Jew and Gentile into one new person through the substitutionary sacrificial death of Jesus to bring personal salvation to all who believe and receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior.

Thus, if individuals and especially entire nations challenge or compromise God’s prophetic purpose for Israel, there will be long-term consequences. But also periodic short-term results possibly related to some specific and unusually severe catastrophes—hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and droughts. With all the other random or regular disasters a general result of an earth dramatically changed when sin entered the world, and especially with the Great Flood that altered some of the geophysical dynamics of nature … such as rain.

“Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:20-22).

Let’s look at two nation-shaking events in America that have riveted the attention of the entire world in just the past few weeks.

The August 21^st Total Eclipse of the Sun

Did you watch it … with, of course, the proper set of sunglasses? Were you aware of the historical significance of this phenomenal event? Did you know that, in an unprecedented manner, it will happen again in seven years … 2024? Let’s look at some intriguing facts and figures with which you may not be familiar.

It’s the first total eclipse of the sun that cut a (diagonal) path across the continental United States since 1918, ninety-nine years ago.

Total darkness enveloped a swath across the country that consisted of a few dozen miles in width; the eclipse began mid-morning in Oregon then progressed on a southeasterly path ending in South Carolina. In 2024 the same thing will occur, but it will be a southwest to northeast path that will move toward the Atlantic states. The most centralized point where the 2024 eclipse will intersect with the 2017 eclipse (marking it with an “X”) is an area in southern Illinois known as, “Little Egypt.” This name came about in the mid-19^th century due to a famine in northern Illinois, which drove the residents to southern Illinois to seek food, much like Jacob and his family moved to Egypt where Jacob’s long-lost son Joseph saved them from starvation. But then Egypt became the object of God’s wrath because the Egyptians had forgotten all about his rescuing them through Joseph.

The composite land mass in which the intersecting “X” of these two eclipses conceals parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky is approximately 9,000 square miles—very similar to size of New Jersey. Which is the state that is closest in land mass to Israel! (See Eye of Prophecy article, United Nations Downsizing of Israel … Resolution 2334, posted 1-7-17).

What comes to mind is the next-to-last (9^th) plague that God inflicted on the Egyptians; one of total darkness for three days, “…so thick you (the Egyptians) can feel it” (Exodus 10:21). “…But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived” (Verse 23).

There’s another horrific darkness soon to come. Read with me:

“Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God” (Revelation 16:10-11).

Speaking of correlations, this is the fifth bowl judgement, one of several that is levied exclusively against Antichrist and his followers … the 19^th of twenty-one calamities (seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls). Which makes it mathematically equivalent to the 9^th plague against Egypt (both periods of intense darkness are 90% through the total number of plagues/judgments).

The Number Four Hundred

A recent Eye of Prophecy article entitled, Countdown to Armageddon … End of the Fourth 400-Year Era, posted 7-29-17, explains the significance of the number four in both Scripture and the universe, with added emphasis on the Biblical factors of forty and especially four hundred. Beginning with the 400-year Hebrew enslavement to the Egyptians which had been foretold by God to Abraham.

On August 22^nd, the day after the eclipse, an article—one of many articles from several sources on the subject of the eclipse, both before and after it occurred—was posted in the online news source Aish.com entitled, The Next Solar Eclipse in 2014: A Startling Message for the World, written by Rabbi Benjamin Blech. Interestingly, he referred to that same prophecy to Abraham. The following excerpt from Rabbi Blech’s column provides more intriguing insight on the number 400, in the context of the 2024 eclipse crossing the August eclipse in Little Egypt:

“There is an all-important number associated with the Torah account of the Egyptian exile. It was a prophecy to Abraham that God informed our patriarch of the time that would first bring darkness to his descendants: ‘You shall surely know that your seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and oppress them for 400 years’ (Genesis 15:13).

“A solar eclipse is predicated on that very number. The sun, as the Bible told us, is larger than the moon… (Genesis 1:15). To be exact we know that the sun is exactly 400 times larger than the moon. How is it possible for the moon, so much smaller, to cover the sun to our eyes in an eclipse? That is because the sun is also 400 times further from us than the moon—a relationship of distance exactly parallel to that of size!”

Another article grabbed my attention (not related to the eclipse) on the subject of the epic 400-year eras. The article written by Yoram Ettinger, published in the online news source Israel Hayom on August 25, 2017 was entitled: 400 years of special affinity. Ettinger’s underlying theme was that the recent incident at Charlottesville, North Carolina involving “Nazi-saluting white supremacists” did not represent American values. He states:

“These episodes defy the civic, moral and religious foundations of the U.S. … which have demonstrated high esteem for Judaism from the era of the Pilgrims through the Founding Fathers until today.”

The final paragraph of Ettinger’s post corresponds to the aforementioned Eye of Prophecy article:

“While there is only one Hebron in the land of Israel—King David’s first capital—there are 18 Hebrons in the U.S., among the thousands of locations in the U.S. bearing biblical names. This reflects the state of mind of the early colonists and the Founding Fathers, who considered themselves to be ‘the modern-day chosen people’ and viewed the New World as ‘the modern-day Promised Land.’ They established the 400-year old foundation for the special affinity of the American people for the Jewish state and for America’s high esteem for the Old Testament, which dwarf the significance of supremacists and any other form of anti-Israel or anti-Semitic sentiments.”

Here is an excerpt from Countdown to Armageddon … End of the Fourth 400-Year Era (in italics):

For that to be even a possibility, I would need to backtrack 400 years to determine if there was a huge milestone event that dramatically impacted human history.

There is such an event! It would certainly qualify as historic, something that billions of people know or have heard about, although not necessarily when it took place. It came after 1,000 plus years of spiritual darkness (Dark Ages) in what scholars commonly call Christendom, in which the Bible was available only to the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church. One result of that Biblical illiteracy was widespread persecution of Jews all over the world, not the least of which was perpetrated by the massively misguided and doctrinally deprived Crusaders, as well as the Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church.

Do you know what that exceptional episode was?

Answer: The King James Bible!

This next portion of the excerpt tracks with the above quoted portion of Yoram Ettinger’s article:

If you prefer, as an alternative (same basic time frame), the beginning of the 400 years also could be attributed to when America got its historical start with the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620, nine years after the King James Bible was introduced. Our forefathers firmly believed that America was the promised land of a new nation, akin to the original and still-standing Promised Land of Israel.

In the closing remarks of the Countdown to Armageddon… article I wrote:

The more I wrote, then edited, this week’s article, the more I’m convinced that we are at the end of the fourth and final (remember the significance of the number four in terms of completeness, continuity, and finality) 400-years of this age of human history. Regarding the historical impact, the King James Bible was one of the biggest events of all time. The written Word of God became accessible to millions more than before, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ began to spread exponentially.

The Solar Eclipse & Hurricane Harvey

Texans, especially in Houston, are still digging and drying out from one of the most devastating natural disasters in our country’s history. Not so much in loss of life (thankfully) compared to other huge storms, but in the mind-boggling Biblical proportions of rain and the sheer expanse of the flooding, along with what could be the largest economic cost/loss of all time.

(Downtown Houston, Texas)

Most Jewish Rabbis place as much weight on the Talmud—a written collection of oral traditions, commentaries, and interpretations of the Hebrew Scriptures—as they do on the Old Testament itself. Although I certainly have not read the entire Talmud (a huge task), I have read quite a few excerpts from and commentaries on select sections. Many portions of the Talmud accurately (even profoundly) analyze the Old Testament; others do not. Meaning there is nothing in Scripture to support some of the Talmudic conclusions or applications, or make a convincing correlation between the commentary and the Bible itself.

Thus, concerning the possible connection between the solar eclipse and Hurricane Harvey, I would recommend that you consider placing the following statement from the aforementioned article written by Rabbi Benjamin Blech more in the context of the opening remarks in today’s Eye of Prophecy article. Keep in mind that Blech’s article was written after the eclipse but before Harvey struck Texas and Louisiana.

“The relationship between the sun and the moon and the years predicted for the Egyptian exile share the number 400 so that we be attentive to a powerful divine message. An eclipse, the Talmud teaches us, is a heavenly sign. An eclipse of the moon, the rabbis tell us, is a bad omen for the Jewish people, an eclipse of the sun is a bad sign for the non-Jewish world. I dare to suggest that an eclipse across the continental United States of America linked to Little Egypt may well serve as a warning of the darkening of the American Spirit….”

He then references Time Magazine headlines immediately after the Charlottesville incident (that Yoram Ettinger also cited as seen in excerpts from his article): “Hatred Across America.”

Although there could be a connection between the August 21^st Solar Eclipse and Hurricane Harvey which struck on August 25-26^th, I believe there is the stronger probability of an association between Harvey and the very latest U.S. delegation to Israel. For example, the total eclipse in the United States of 1918 could be considered a good sign, as World War I was coming to an end, and it followed soon after the Balfour Declaration of 1917. Also, Israel experienced a significant eclipse of the moon in early August of this year with no dramatic or traumatic time-proximity events in Israel.

Correlations between Hurricanes in America and U.S. Interference with Israel’s Sovereignty

First, it’s vital to realize and remember that the United States, far beyond any other nation on earth, has by and large supported Israel—spiritually (Christian Zionists), culturally and economically (millions of American tourists to Israel and aid to Israel), and militarily (equipment including the most sophisticated fighter jets). But not always politically, which more than anything else can affect international relationships and the destiny of some nations.

This is especially true regarding America’s pervasive political ignorance of the Biblical God-given mandate that all of Jerusalem, all of Judea/Samaria, all of the Gaza Strip … all of Israel belong to the Lord’s chosen people. The single biggest error that this country has made is to harbor the same unbiblical narrative of Israel’s enemies; that many of the Jews living in the so-called West Bank, which includes (according to the Palestinians) the eastern part of Jerusalem are “illegal settlers.” Or that Jews are “occupiers.”

Paraphrasing my commentary responses in some previous Eye of Prophecy articles: Occupiers of what? Palestine? There is no such thing as Palestine. There is only Israel. How, then, can Jews occupy—in the negative connotation of the word—their own land?

In fact, I ‘m going to state this Biblically based premise more emphatically than phrased in prior articles (in italics for emphasis): Nor will there ever be a Palestinian State in perpetuity; whether God divinely prohibits it outright, or whether he allows such a state to be established for only a few years just before or during the Great Tribulation.

Over the years, I’ve read several articles that noted an astonishing link between natural disasters in the United States that occurred very soon after our executive staff attempted to impose conditions and restrictions on the Israeli government with regard to settlements and internal boundaries that were artificially and ambiguously assigned to Israel (through international pressure) despite the fact that Israel won the 1948 and 1967 wars against Arab nations.

Not long after his book Eye to Eye – Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel was published in 2004, I met William (Bill) Koenig at a prophecy conference held in Phoenix, Arizona.

He was born in Phoenix, Arizona but has lived much of his life in Washington D.C. serving as a White House news correspondent and consultant. His wife, Claudia, was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. I’m sure she is even more saddened by Hurricane Harvey’s devastation for that reason. She, too, was at the conference and opened it with one of the most heart-felt unpretentious powerful public prayers I’ve ever heard. She truly is a prayer warrior. I can relate to Bill Koenig because he, too, is an avid student of the Bible and of the Middle East. He loves Israel, as do I.

If memory serves, he was one of the first (if not the first) to make these startling correlations between huge natural disasters in America and peace conferences—involving the United States, Israel, the Palestinians, and other nations—that were held in close time-proximity to those catastrophes … the biggest of which was Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The above referenced book that he wrote was revised and updated in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

At that same conference, I also met and spoke with well-known author and expert on Israel and Biblical prophecy, Randall Price. I purchased a copy of Randall’s latest book, but by the time I got to Koenig’s book, the supply was gone. For whatever reason that is hidden away under these gray hairs of mine, I never followed up on obtaining a copy of his book; however, I have read some commentaries on the book.

(Left … Former Governor Mike Huckabee with Claudia & Bill Koenig)

For purpose of today’s article, I’ll provide a couple of excerpts from a Breaking News Israel column written Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, posted August 28^th. His article tracks with William Koenig’s books and articles on the subject and very likely was based on Koenig’s book, others who had read his book, or perhaps a few rabbis who have made similar observations.

Wrote Berkowitz: “Hurricane Harvey, described as the ‘worst disaster’ in Texan history, fits into a troubling pattern of natural disasters striking America at times when the country’s leadership is attempting to push Israel into negotiating with its Palestinian neighbors for a peaceful two-state solution involving Israeli concessions….

“The storm coincided with the Trump Administration’s Middle East negotiating team, led by Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt visiting the region in yet another attempt to jump-start peace talks. The devastation of Hurricane Harvey thus follows a long line of natural disasters that have accompanied the anti-Israel political process of negotiating with the Palestinians.”

Berkowitz then itemized previous natural disasters eerily coinciding with ill-advised and ill-fated efforts to achieve an elusive peace which requires the Jews to give up precious Israeli land.

As commentary to his article, I will add the following in italics for emphasis. Palestinians demand for more land is made without any willingness to stop attacking Israelis or to recognize Israel as a sovereign state in the family of nations.

In addition to Hurricane Harvey, Berkowitz goes on to identify the following incidents. Some of the wording/elaboration is my own, as I’m only summarizing, not quoting him verbatim at this point:

On October 31^st, the day after President George H.W. Bush signed the Madrid Peace Agreement, the full force of a hurricane labeled, The Perfect Storm (also called the No-Name Storm) hit the east coast of the United States, destroying Bush’s house in Kennebunkport, Maine. Who hasn’t seen the movie of the same name, starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, released in 2000?
Attempted implementation of the Madrid Peace Conference agreements (land for peace in Israel) intensified when the Madrid Conference continued in Washington D.C. on August 23, 1992. The very next day, Hurricane Andrew, the worst (still) natural disaster in America’s history ravaged Florida.
Georges, a category 4 hurricane, pummeled the Gulf Coast in 1998 causing $10 billion in damages and killing 604 people. Just a few days before that, Secretary of State Madeline Albright announced an American-sponsored deal requiring Israel to relinquish 13 percent of Judea and Samaria.
Less than one month later when PLO President Yasser Arafat met with the Israeli Prime Minister to further discuss the “agreement” brokered by the United States, Hurricane Madeline tore into the coast of Texas, killing 31 people.
In August, 2005, Hurricane Katrina relentlessly pounded several Gulf States, with devastating damage and horrific loss of life (nearly 2,000, including 135 classified as missing). Just before that, under intense pressure from the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced that every single Jewish resident (about 10,000 in all) of the Gush Katif settlement in the Gaza Strip would be uprooted from their houses and relocated throughout the rest of Israel.

Summary

In recap of this portion of today’s article, I refer you to Eye of Prophecy article: Is President Trump Wavering on the Waiver? Posted 2-4-17. That article was followed by: Trump, Cyrus, and the Jewish Temple (2-18-17). Then more recently: Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem … a Broken Promise? (6-10-17); written not long after President Trump signed the waiver delaying the US Embassy move for another six months. No different than Presidents William Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama had done twice a year during their administrations.

I was among those willing to give President Trump the benefit of the doubt in postponing his campaign promise to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. That move would have been a literal and symbolic signal that the United States was finally following through on its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital; mandated by the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which the US Senate and House of Representatives passed by a huge margin.

Now, I’m inclined to think that our president’s decision was perhaps more permanent. I hope I’m wrong, but Donald Trump seems determined, albeit with his own distinctive style, to pursue the failed peace path of his predecessors. He is wavering on his statement that either a one state or two state solution would be fine with him—as long as the agreement was negotiated directly between Israel and the Palestinians. He seemingly has switched to the already failed tactics of imposing a peace plan on Israel that would to some extent or another result in Israel’s untenable return to the 1967 or even the 1948 borders that are nothing more than cease-fire boundaries.

Fortunately, Trump is holding serve with regard to his and the U.S. Congress demand that the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stop paying monthly salaries to the families of terrorists killed or imprisoned because they attacked and murdered Israelis. On the other hand, our executive staff appears to be buying in to the twisted Palestinian narrative: to the victors (Israel in its defensive wars against Arab nations) belong little or even less than what they had won in war. And to the defeated belong everything they had to begin with and more (such as dividing Jerusalem into two capitals).

That is no different than what Barack Obama promoted during his presidency.

It needs to be stated once again: Sponsoring a two-state solution at Israel’s expense is both a futile and dangerous path to pursue. No nation will be spared the consequences of unilaterally pushing such a plan.

Listen once again to the true and living God, the God of Israel:

“At the time of those events, says the Lord, when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land” (Joel 3:1-2, italics for emphasis).

When will the Palestinians and nations of the earth who insist on Palestinian statehood ever realize that the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem could be theirs, too; if they only would recognize the right of a Jewish State, with Jerusalem its capital? Down deep, Israeli-Arab citizens of Israel know that they are (far) better off inside a Jewish State. That the Palestinians will never agree, short of civil war, whether Hamas or the Palestinian Authority would govern a Palestinian State. Which doesn’t matter anyway, because neither of these two corrupt regimes will voluntarily agree (this side of the Rapture) to recognize Israel as a sovereign state.

Is there a correlation between the Perfect Storm, Andrew, Georges, Madeline, Katrina, and Harvey and America’s determination to bring peace to the Middle East, which is a noble endeavor? But with an ignoble, unbiblical, and one-sided scheme of forcing Israel into “dividing up my land.”

Whose land? God’s land given to the Jews. The entire earth belongs to the Lord; indeed, the universe. When he says that a tiny area of 9,000 square miles (size of New Jersey) belongs to Israel, then we would do well to keep the Jews where they belong.

(Look Hard to Find Israel!)

Remarkable Anniversaries in 2017

Concerning the matter of Israel’s past, present, and future that Scripture clearly shows will impact world history, there are some remarkable milestone anniversaries in 2017. Although mentioned before in a few Eye of Prophecy articles, they are worth looking at again in the context of what appears to be a pivotal year of end-times prophecy. Here they are, with one more added to the list, which is:

Anniversary (120^th) of the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland on August 29^th, 1897

Organized by Theodor Herzl, who many believe to be the father of Zionism (return of the Jews to Israel) and attended by 200 Jewish and Gentile delegates (including two Christians) from European countries and even from the United States, this milestone event in Israel’s history took place 120 years ago last month.

Taken from an article posted on August 28, 2017 written by the founder of Breaking Israel News, Rabbi Tuly Weisz, including a quote from Theodor Herzl, we read:

“Were I to sum up the Basel Congress in a word—which I shall guard against pronouncing publicly—it would be this, wrote Herzl in his diary on September 3, 1897. At Basel, I founded the Jewish state. If I said this out loud today I would be greeted by universal laughter. In five years perhaps, and certainly, in 50 years, everyone will perceive it.”

Then Rabbi Weisz writes: “Indeed, in just over 50 years … the Jewish state was established…”

He, of course, was referring to the sovereign State of Israel reborn on May 14, 1948. I would clarify Weisz’ clarification of “just over 50 years” by adding that it was 50 years—if we identify the UN Resolution of November, 1947 as the pivotal point in Israel’s rebirth as a state.

Concerning the significance of 120 years (2017 anniversary of the Basel Conference), where in Scripture do we see this number?

Correct: The lapse of time between God’s instructions for Noah to build an ark to the time when God’s judgment was poured out on a perversely wicked world. The Great Flood was a divine purge of the earth. Scripture tells us explicitly that there will be another (final) mighty judgment of the earth and its inhabitants. Following the flood, God chose Abraham to be the father of a nation set apart for him to be a light to the Gentiles and to bring Messiah to the nations. Could it be that this same time-lapse prototype was also the pattern that began with the first Zionist conference 120 years ago? One that resulted in the building of the ark of refuge for the Jews … the nation of Israel. One that will (soon) end with God’s final cleansing of the earth.

Anniversary (100^th) of the Balfour Declaration of 1917

Near the end of World War I, Great Britain seized control of “Palestine” from the Ottoman Empire. England’s government approved Lord Balfour’s declaration that the Jews would be afforded the official right to make (a portion of) Palestine their homeland again alongside of the Arabs. The Jews agreed. The Arabs disagreed.

As indicated in Eye of Prophecy article, The Omega Generation (posted 2-15-14) and also the two-part article The Balfour Declaration … Beginning of the Omega Generation (5-13 & 5-20-17), I’m convinced The Balfour Declaration was the beginning of the (100-year) generation foretold by Jesus (see Matthew 24:32-34). It was the first date-dedicated fulfillment of hundreds of Biblical prophesies of the Jewish return to Israel.

The August solar eclipse in America—the Gentile nation Biblically patterned after and representing, not replacing, Israel—(see Eye of Prophecy article, America the Beautiful Is Getting Ugly, posted July, 2016) occurred 100 years, rounding it off, after the last total eclipse.

Anniversary (70^th) of November, 1947 United Nations Resolution

This time not just Great Britain, but the newly formed United Nations voted statehood rights to Israel and to the Arabs.

Same thing happened. The Jews accepted. The Arabs refused.

(Map to the Right–The “Seizure” by Israel Was a Direct Result of Defending Herself From Arab Attacks in Two Wars. Also, the Black Dot Representing Jerusalem Should Be Placed Just Inside the Lavender Shaded Area. Accurate Maps Except That One Dot. Notice the Source From Which These Maps Were Drawn)

This was the beginning of the 2^nd generational period of time as defined by Scripture—seventy years. It was another monumental milestone fulfillment of prophecy concerning Israel’s destiny, but also the fate of Gentile nations. For this resolution was passed by the world’s largest international body after the defunct League of Nations. Although the UN Resolution of 1947 was providentially directed by the Lord, little did or do the “united” nations of the world understand the Biblical end-times implications of their decision. One day soon they will experience firsthand the final results of what it means to bless Israel or to curse Israel (Genesis 12:1-3). They will learn what God’s own people learned the hard way for forty years in the wilderness, when the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land. They, “…will discover what it is like to have me (God) for an enemy” (Numbers 14:34).

Also, next year will be the 70^th year anniversary of the actual rebirth of Israel on May 14, 1948.

Anniversary (50^th) of Israel’s Liberation of Jerusalem

This was the crowning achievement of the prophetic fulfillment concerning Israel. Again referring to the Omega Generation and the trilogy of Eye of Prophecy articles preceding it (Seven Times Seven to the 4^th Power), returning the Holy City Jerusalem to Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land of Israel signaled the end of Gentile domination over the Jews that began during the Babylonian Captivity some 2,600 years ago. I’m convinced that the Lord unilaterally reenacted the Year of Jubilee for his chosen people in 1967; having restored the Jubilee with the Balfour Declaration in 1917, fifty years earlier.

See Eye of Prophecy article, Jubilee and Messiah … They Go Together! Posted 1-23-16.

Things to Ponder

Jesus said no one knows the “day or hour” of his return—meaning the Rapture. But he challenged us to discern the signs of the last days.

The time is soon. The time is near. The time could be here … even this year. Or next year or the one after. But it won’t be long.

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words” (I Thessalonians 4:16-18).

When Messiah Jesus came from heaven to the earth 2000 years ago, he brought with him the New Covenant promised by Jeremiah. With it he brought God’s grace, love, and forgiveness in a whole new way—by simply trusting in Messiah’s sacrificial death. When Jesus returns he will bring God’s final wrath on an ungrateful, ungodly world. Between these two times, God moves in individuals and nations to get us to listen to his Son.

On the Mount of Transfiguration, God spoke in an audible voice:

Are we listening?

Repeating the question while we wait and watch: Is there a correlation between the devastating hurricanes that have struck the United States since our government’s strategy of pushing peace in Israel that diametrically opposes God’s plan for his people?

God has richly blessed the United States of America. Will that continue? To whom much is given, much is required.

Or should we be asking the question: How many national disasters will it take to get our attention?

What about Irma’s ominous path to Florida as today’s article is being posted?

If we seek to bless Israel and not harm her, perhaps the Lord will once again rebuke the wind and say to the waves:

‘“Silence! Be still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).

One Global Language … Coming Soon! (Part II)

02 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by garybowers in The Rapture

≈ 4 Comments

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In the Beginning

Where to Begin?

When we make a mess of things; when our best laid plans unravel and our dreams are shattered; when we are at wits end because the world is falling apart around us; when we feel helpless to do anything about anything, we sometimes respond: “It’s too much. What am I going to do? Where do I begin?”

Predictably, someone whispers a word of wisdom by suggesting: “Why don’t you start at the beginning.” Or, “Let’s get back to the basics.” Which we all know is the right place to begin if we’re going to even come close to fixing those things that make life more difficult than it already is. Even when we go back to what we think is the root of the problem, we still fail all too often.

Why?

Because we don’t go back far enough. We don’t go back to “The Beginning.”

Whether problems on a personal, family, job, community, state, national, or international level; or whether an existential search for the truth that will show us the way to a meaningful life that is filled with unconditional love; we inevitably look for answers in all the wrong places. We start at the end or in the middle by trying to treat the symptoms, not the cause; fixing the problem from the outside in instead of inside out.

There’s only one place to begin.

God begins with the beginning—Himself, and he wants (tells) us to do the same. He is the author of all things including life itself. In his wonderful Word written down for us in the Bible, he explains what happened to the human race when we decided not to believe what he said was true about disobedience and the consequences thereof. We defied the rules. We misuse and abused the privileged gift of free will God gave to us, by breaking one simple command. We forfeited paradise itself. We’ve been paying the price ever since—deceit, disorder, destruction, and death.

“…love comes from God … for God is love” (I John 4:7-8).

Because God loves each one of us, he provided a remedy; a redemptive resolution to the sin problem that separates everyone at birth from our Creator. A salvation that changes our eternal destiny; that gives us absolute truth to understand and follow the one way that leads to life (everlasting).

Messiah Jesus: Fully man.

“For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5).

Messiah Jesus: Fully God.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing made had being. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind” (John 1:1-4, Complete Jewish Bible).

Jesus came to earth as the Living Word of God. He said: “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

In the beginning … God the Father. In the beginning … Jesus the Son of God.

A New Beginning

With Messiah Jesus came a New Way, a New Covenant between God and mankind. A Covenant of Grace that only requires faith in Jesus’s substitutionary sacrifice on the cross for our sins to be forgiven and the verdict for those sins (eternal separation from God) to be overturned.

“He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people (the Jews), and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (John 1:10-14, parenthesis mine).

Sadly, many more people than not have refused to begin with the beginning by believing or remembering that God created them. “…Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

And many more than not have refused to believe and receive God’s Son Messiah Jesus as their Truth, their Way, and their Life.

Although comparatively few in number (to the billions who have lived on this earth), millions down through the ages have returned to the basics. They have started at the beginning by believing that, “…God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood … God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3:25-26).

That is the Kingdom of Heaven on earth; rescuing and changing the human race one heart at a time. Yet this kingdom was designed by God as a preparation for the ultimate Kingdom of God on earth and heaven, ultimately composed of believers whose very bodies have been transformed like the body of our Lord and Savior, Messiah Jesus, to live forever. A Kingdom that will have come (permanently and perfectly) full circle from the first man and woman created in the image of God—body, soul, and spirit.

Because so many people have denied—in theory or practice—that God exists or have rejected the source of salvation (Messiah Jesus), God has allowed mankind to establish humanistic systems of religion and government to prove him wrong. The worst of them—religious and political autocracies that force people to comply with whatever rules are imposed on them in a vain effort to establish a like-minded homogenous community that offers (a false) freedom—have failed miserably. Even the best of them—democracies with parliamentary or republic representatives that need to “legislate” morality and equality—can’t change the pride, greed, selfishness, and hated in the human heart to that of unconditional consideration and compassion for others.

The Great Tribulation Followed by the Majestic Millennial Reign of Messiah

The Lord will give the human race one last chance to show that it can—without God—unify the earth and establish global peace and “brotherhood.” He will give permission to Satan and the Antichrist beast (Nero) to undertake this (futile) plan.

“Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months” (Revelation 13:5, italics for emphasis).

The Apostle Paul warns us of what would happen:

“When people are saying, ‘Everything is peaceful and secure,’ then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape” (I Thessalonians 5:3).

Though Satan and his false messiah will come close to achieving their diabolical goal, they will not succeed. Tragically, this global endeavor of integration will result in, “…greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones” (Matthew 24:21-22, the words of Jesus).

(See Eye of Prophecy article, Shocking Statistics of the Great Tribulation, posted 6-6-15).

We know that our Great God and Savior, Messiah Jesus will come to the rescue. For the sake of his chosen ones (referring specifically to the Jews during the Tribulation) he will conquer the Antichrist and his armies. He will also vanquish other nations that abruptly stop fighting Nero’s coalition and foolishly turn against the rider on the White Horse whose name is:

“…Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war… The armies of heaven … followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King all kings and Lord of all lords” (Revelation 19:11-16).

The Divine Monarchy of Jesus Christ will be much better and far greater than any human form of government ever conceived or established on the earth.

“The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

He is the, “…righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its name: ‘The Lord is Our Righteousness’” (Jeremiah 33:15-16).

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past” (Micah 5:2).

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, King David also foretold of his descendant who would rule and reign from David’s throne. David’s royal heir would be the very Son of God, who existed long before David was born.

“For the Lord declares, ‘I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.’ The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession’” (Psalm 2:6-8).

David also wrote: “The Lord (the Father in Psalm 2) said to my Lord (the Son in Psalm 2), ‘Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.’ The Lord will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies” (Psalm 110:1-2, parenthesis mine).

(Refer to Eye of Prophecy articles, Does God Really Have a Son? Part I & II, published 10-31-15 and 11-7-15).

But there’s more. Referring to believers raised from the dead (along with living believers who will likewise be transfigured) at the Rapture and also the saints resurrected near the end of the Great Tribulation, we read:

“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6, italics for emphasis).

(Please see Eye of Prophecy articles: The Tremendous Transfiguration of Believers! Posted 7-23-16. Also, The Magnificent Millennial Reign of Believers with Messiah, posted 7-15-17)

One Pure Language

Among many glorious changes that Jesus Christ will make during his thousand-year government on the earth, will be a return to one universal language. But this time it will be the Lord’s idea and choice of language to accomplish his sovereign plan: establishing the Kingdom of God on earth.

“Then I will purify the speech of all people, so that everyone can worship the LORD together” (Zephaniah 3:9, The New Living Translation—which I quote from unless otherwise noted).

The New American Standard Bible reads: “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.”

The King James Version: “For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.”

The International Standard Version: “Indeed, then I will return my people to a pure language so that they all may call upon the name of the LORD, serving him with a united will.”

(New King James Version, Except “YHWH” in place of “The LORD.” Zephaniah 3:8 Describes God’s Judgment of the Nations, Similar to Joel 3:1-2 and other passages. Whenever you see the LORD in capital letters in Scripture, it is in place of the Holy Hebrew Name, YHWH–with inserted vowels reading as Yahweh. All Too Often When I Quote Scripture and Type “the Lord,” I Forget to Capitalize Each Letter in LORD)

Although there are more, of the seventeen translations I looked at, eight used the phrase “pure language” and nine chose the wording of “pure speech (or) purified lips.” Those that prefer the “speech” translation of the Hebrew word support the application that all languages will be refined or purified during the Millennium. Meaning primarily: free from profane cursing, absent any blasphemy against God or taking his name in vain, and other means of cleansing. In modern vernacular, it is akin to saying, “clean up your language.” Or even, “go wash out your mouth with soap!” With, however, the inference that there will still be multiple languages on the earth.

Others are convinced that the “pure language” translation is the better one because that is the intrinsic meaning of the text: one language spoken by all.

A few, like me, believe both interpretations are appropriate and accurate, although I have a preference for “pure language.” The 20^th and 21^st century polluted deterioration of the spoken and written word—in private and public conversation, in entertainment circles, books, movies, and particularly in online social media—will undergo an extreme makeover when Jesus Christ comes to this earth to personally set up the Kingdom of God.

However, this cleansing of indecent and obscene speech and writing will be accomplished first and foremost through a pure (universal) language. A language that is innately uncontaminated and free of competing languages.

Part of Webster’s Dictionary definition of pure is: “Spotless, Stainless; free from harshness or roughness and being in tune—used of a musical tone.” (Referring to words that uplift, we sometimes say, “That’s music to my ears” parenthesis mine). More definitions: “free from what vitiates, weakens or pollutes; containing nothing that does not properly belong; chaste.”

*Note: For me and others who have never used the word vitiate, it means: “to make faulty or defective often by the addition of something that impairs; to make ineffective or weak.” The main synonym is: Debase.

With one pure language, God will, “…teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3).

And there will be no need for translators when, “The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes…” (Verse 4).

Whether pure speech/lips or pure language, all of the Biblical translations of Zephaniah 3:9 present the same purpose for and result of this purified language with such phrases as: worshipping the Lord together; serve him shoulder to shoulder; serve Him with a single purpose; serve him with one consent in a united will.

With the summary conclusion: The rendering of “pure language” (meaning one language) is the ideal application of the Hebrew word. One universal language is a far better way to call on the name of the Lord to serve him with one accord, than purifying the speech of all (roughly) 6,000 languages and dialects in today’s world.

If God doesn’t reverse the curse of Babel, then the same confusion (divinely purposed for a period of time) of multiple languages would be a serious hindrance to what will obviously be global praise and worship of, tribute to, and fellowship with the world’s Savior, Messiah Jesus.

(Accurately Depicts An Unfinished Tower of Babel; With, However, the Reversal of Babel’s Curse to be Complete With a Pure Language on Earth)

The fact that God not only spoke the world and all living things into existence through what obviously would have been one language and also communicated with mankind through a single (that same) language, leads to the convincing conclusion that when all things return full circle to a Garden of Eden-like existence, there will once again be only one language.

Powerful Previews of the Coming Universal Language

There are two options: (1) An already existing language; (2) A brand new language given directly by God to the human race.

Personally, I choose option number one. For two reasons: (A) There’s no basis for the Lord to create a whole new language because; (B) A pure language has existed from the beginning. Several of the translations use the term “return” or “restore” to this pure language, with a logically clear inference that the language had already existed.

That language is: HEBREW.

God spoke to Moses in Hebrew; before that to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And after Moses, to all of the prophets. It is the language of God’s chosen people who were called to be a holy nation, a people through whom mankind’s Redeemer would come. It is the language in which the Old Testament was written. It was the language spoken by the mediator of the New Covenant, Messiah Jesus (also Aramaic, a companion language to Hebrew).

Not until Jesus, the Living Word of God, came into this world, did the Lord use the prevalent international language spoken at the time (Greek) to inspire the writers of the New Testament.

Read with me the opening words of Hebrews, which is the only book in either Testament that bears the name of God’s chosen people and their language.

“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

(Above Passage is Daniel 7:13-14; Please See Eye of Prophecy Article, Messiah’s Ascension & Coronation … Seen Long Before It Happened! Posted 5-27-17).

Jesus came to the earth at God’s appointed time in history when the confluence of Roman roads and the Greek language enabled the gospel to be spread far and wide and rapidly (considering the transportation of the time).

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Galatians 4:4-5).

When Jesus was born, the nation of Israel was under Roman domination, a shadow of its former glory. Nearly all Jewish descendants from the ten northern tribes and some from the two southern tribes were in still in exile or had intermarried and were speaking the language of their host nation. The Hebrew language was in decline and hundreds of years later would be nearly extinct.

Jesus came into the world to establish the New Covenant of Grace, a whole new way to and relationship with God—based exclusively on faith in Messiah’s once for all substitutionary sacrifice. A New Covenant was necessary because the Hebrews wouldn’t and couldn’t keep the Law of Moses (See Jeremiah 31:31-34). This New Covenant would be written and spread throughout Israel, the Roman Empire, and the whole world via a language that was considered the universal language—much like English is the most common language, by far, spoken in today’s world. Many Jews and Romans spoke Greek in New Testament times.

In the first century, the Lord gave us a fascinating preview of the fulfillment of Zephaniah’s prophecy. Do you remember what it was and when it happened?

“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were gathered together in one place. Suddenly … what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (Acts 2:1-4).

“They were completely amazed. ‘How can this be?’ they exclaimed. ‘These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!’” (Acts 2:7-8).

*Note: Is it mere coincidence that the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire? In effect, as a result, and for all practical purposes, the Gospel was heard in their own tongue—as though each language was the only language spoken on earth.

The Unprecedented Restoration of Israel and the Hebrew Language

Never in human history had a nation utterly destroyed and an entire people driven from their homeland ever been restored as that same people in that same land. Some, including me, believe that Israel’s rebirth was more than unprecedented; it was a flat-out miracle from God.

But that wasn’t all. The nearly extinct language of Hebrew was also resurrected and is now spoken by nearly all Jews in Israel. That, too, has never been done before by any peoples on this planet.

Incidentally, did you know that Hebrew contains absolutely no words of profanity? There are gestures peculiar to the Jews (as with all races and ethnic groups), but not what we call “four-letter” words.

Why else would the Lord sovereignly bring back the ancient language of his people (along with contemporary Hebrew words to match modern technology and the like)? Unless, he planned to “…restore to the people a pure language, that they may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9, King James 2000 Bible).

There’s another astounding end-times prophecy that dovetails with the restoration of Hebrew as the universal language during the Millennium and throughout eternity: “In that day five of Egypt’s cities will follow the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. They will even begin to speak Hebrew…” (Isaiah 19:18). Please see Eye of Prophecy article, A Most Unlikely Ally of Israel! Published 6-11-16.

Notice that the verse says, “will even begin to speak Hebrew…”

Which, I believe provides an answer to another question: Will the Lord instantaneously give everyone the ability to speak Hebrew after Messiah Jesus begins his millennial reign from Jerusalem?

Answer: possibly, but unlikely.

Just as many birth pain events signaling Christ’s imminent return are unfolding in our (what I’ve called) Omega Generation, such as restoration of Israel and Hebrew as Israel’s national language; just like the five cities in Egypt that will begin to speak Hebrew; so it will be a gradual global process for all survivors of the Great Tribulation to learn Hebrew. It could take one, maybe two generations for this to happen—or longer for those who at first refuse to learn Hebrew.

Please understand: Although there will be a Global Government on the earth with a perfect balance between Messiah’s loving leadership and his stringent supervision, there will still be nations, as such, during the Millennium. And it’s likely that some people, even entire nations, will resist making Hebrew their language.

For example: “In the end, the enemies of Jerusalem who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. Any nation in the world that refuses to come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will have no rain… Egypt and the other nations will all be punished if they don’t go to celebrate the Festival of Shelters” (Zechariah 14:16-19).

(A Modern-Day Sukkah–Temporary Shelter–Erected to Celebrate Sukkot)

Messiah Jesus will rule with fairness, but also firmness. It will be as is said, “Tough love.”

Full Circle

Because it fits with today’s article, I’d like to share an excerpt from the final chapter of my first book, a novel: O Israel, published in 2007. It is about a year after the Rapture and the scene is a dialogue between two of the main characters, IDF Major Barak Goetz and the love of his life, Netanya Bernis—both of whom became Messianic Jews. They are standing on the Mount of Olives looking across the Kidron Valley at the rebuilt Jewish Temple.

They watched the people on the Temple Mount, who looked the size of ants from this vantage point. Arabs walked out of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Islam’s sacred day of the week was about to end. Jewish worshippers entered the temple. Shabbat was about to begin. Two Levite priests plodded along the side of the temple; one led a lamb by a rope.

“What are you thinking?” Netanya asked.

“What you and I talked about at the hospital. About the Garden of Eden, coming full circle, restoration.”

“I remember.”

“The circle is almost closed,” Barak said. “We were made in God’s image, which means that he made us perfect. How could a perfect God create something imperfect? Through the image he gave us, he offered us the choice to live forever. But we did the only thing he told us not to do; we used the free will he gave us to choose another image. We wanted an image that made us equal to him, one that no longer needed the holiness of the perfect image, one that made him in our image. And when we disobeyed a simple command, it distorted our true image. We killed the spirit inside us, and the outside died with it. The image became twisted, unholy, ungodly.

“But God would not leave it that way. He would restore the original created image. There was only one way to do that; a great debt had to be paid to remove the awful presence of sin that had changed and condemned the image. Who could pay such a debt? It had to be someone whose image had not changed, someone who was a prefect and visible image of God. And it had to be a man, because the purchase must be with blood. Life is in the blood. So the Son of God became the Son of Man, and he was both at the same time.

“When we believe the Son for who he is and what he did, the original image is restored. Those who were taken that day have total restoration of the body. That is full circle.”

“That was beautiful,” Netanya said. “It came from the Holy Spirit?”

“Must have. I seriously doubt that I could repeat it on my own.”

“Forever begins again, but in a new way. As good as it was in the beginning, I think it will be even better at the end of the age.”

“I’d go with that,” Barak said.

The horizon hid the sun. Netanya shivered when a strong gust chilled the air. He put his arm around her.

She looked lovingly into his eyes, “As it once was, so shall it be again.” (Pages 338-339).

*As we eagerly wait for Messiah to return to make all things right and new, may God have mercy on America. Please pray for and help if you can the plight of our flood-stricken, fellow-Americans in Texas.

Things to Ponder

More than any other language, Hebrew alphabet characters and the words formed provide illustrative images and pictorial projection to both the tangible and intangible things of life. This is especially true for the meaning of Jewish names. It is a language that condenses and expresses thoughts succinctly and significantly.

For example: Translated to English, we say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Eleven words … too many connecting words).

In Hebrew, we read: Baruch haba beshem Adonai (Four words! No connecting words, but the meaning is the same, even better).

Jewish rabbis and scholars—most of whom speak at least one other language besides Hebrew—are students of the Hebrew language and the Old Testament. They are virtually unanimous in their belief that the Hebrew language reveals the thoughts and character of God like no other language.

Did you know that all believers (both Jew and Gentile) will be given a white stone sometime after we are taken in the Rapture? Do you know what will be written on the stone?

“…and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17). Might this be a brand new Hebrew name? A name the Lord will use when he talks to us privately?! Or, if public, a name whose meaning is private between each person and the Lord.

One of my two sisters and I traveled to Israel in March, 2006. The entire trip was fabulous including our ascension of Mount Megiddo. But we both agreed there were two highlights. One was visiting the empty Garden Tomb of Jesus. We saw the signs pictured below.

(Outside the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem … Entrance to the Tomb Is Pictured in Upper Right of Photograph)

(From Inside the Garden Tomb … He Has Risen Indeed!)

The other was attending a Messianic Jewish Shabbat service at the Grace & Truth Congregation in Rishon LeTsion, south of Tel Aviv. One of my dear friends, David Zadok (a former IDF Major, now a Messianic Jew) later became the pastor of that church … still is today.

Everyone in attendance spoke at least one of three languages: Hebrew, English, and Russian. The pastor delivered his message in Hebrew to those seated in the middle section who spoke Hebrew. His message was translated by one interpreter into English (our group to the left of the pastor … as the pastor faced the audience) and by another interpreter into Russian, to those on the right.

It was a poignant and wonderful experience; though the sanctuary was small and we were packed in, sometimes literally touching the person seated next to you. Yet the idea of fellowshipping with Israeli believers in Yeshua—those recently from Russia and Jews from other countries who had learned Hebrew (and English for some)—moved me to the point of tears. (In 2014, the Congregation moved to a larger facility near Gedera, Israel. The Dutch language was added to the translations).

On the other hand, it was also a bit awkward for two interpreters to be talking at the same time as the pastor, who had to pause frequently for the translators.

This is but one tiny example of how much better one common language (God’s language … Hebrew) will enable people shoulder to shoulder but also those in distant lands to “worship the Lord together.”

To, in person or through the media, watch and listen to Messiah Jesus, the King of kings, as he speaks from Jerusalem, with no interpreter or sub-titles needed. To praise him in unison with one voice (literally). To serve him with one accord and to hear him speak in our own language.

Because everyone’s language will be the same!

One Global Language … Coming Soon! (Part I)

26 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by garybowers in The Rapture

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Tower of Babel

God Said and It Was So

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light … God called the light day and the darkness night” (Genesis 1:3 & 5, italics for emphasis).

Each successive day of creation began with, “Then God said…” (Genesis Chapter 1).

God is Omnipotent. This incomparable power is contained in and expressed through his Word. So much so that the Lord spoke the entire universe and all living things on Planet Earth into existence.

Several Christian apologists and scientists have exposed the theory of evolution for what it is: absolutely absurd and patently false. Evolution started as a theory and rightly so. Today’s secular scientists and agnostic/atheistic evolutionists brazenly present this theory as a fact. Yet none of them will admit that they began with a presumption (no God, nature created itself and life) that is based on faith (trust) in that hypothesis. Thus they prejudicially interpret the existing physical evidence to fit their conjecture of evolution rather than Divine Creation. In doing so, they clearly demonstrate that evolution is as much a religion (belief system) as evolutionists claim Christianity is a religion that is incompatible with science.

(Note: As explained in a few prior Eye of Prophecy articles, the Christian faith is NOT a religion; it is a personal relationship with our Creator and Savior).

Creationists also begin with a faith model, because God not only said he was there when all things were brought into existence, he is the One who created everything out of nothing. We then analyze and interpret the astrophysical, geological, and biological findings in the context of the Bible as the very Word of God.

For example: God said that each life form (species) would reproduce, “…offspring of the same kind” (Genesis 1:24). It’s been that way from the beginning. To this day geologists and biologists have never found (nor will they ever find) fossil or present-day empirical evidence of species mutation or cross-breeding of fixed species. A frog is a frog and a butterfly is a butterfly. There never has nor ever be a futterfly or a brog! A dog is still a dog and a cat is still a cat, and never the two shall cross. Let me know if someone finds a dat or a (living as opposed to inanimate) cog, and I’ll switch to evolution.

(Breeding Within Species Are Unusual, But Possible … Yet It’s Still the Same Species. In This Case a “Liger.” Cross between a Lion and Tiger, Both of the Cat Genus. Same Thing With a Horse and Donkey Producing a Mule, Except the Mule is Sterile)

Through one of the characters in my novel O Israel … the end is the beginning for those left behind, I wrote:

“Let’s say for sake of argument, that one particular species did somehow mutate. If this mutation survived, it would have a gender… In order for that mutation to reproduce, there must be another one of the opposite sex, born or mutated at about the same time and in the same geographical area. Otherwise, no more babies of whatever this mutated thing turns out to be…. Even if a species could mutate, would it necessarily be an improvement? Essentially, that’s what evolution says: things must continually improve. But it could be the opposite … something grotesque and dysfunctional” (Page 130).

Do you see the astronomical odds against the possibility that there would be opposite-sex mutations at the same time and place into a (new) species? Now multiply that by thousands upon thousands of species in the insect, bird, fish, and animal kingdom; when, in fact, there’s no physical evidence of even one mutation in and certainly not between any of these four basic families (kingdoms) of animal life. Using the laws of probability alone, that is an absolute “0.” Which means it simply cannot happen. If someone can show me evidence, thereof, then I’ll go ahead and purchase some beautiful almost crocodile-free swampland in Florida!

(Lion and Giraffe Mixture … Not Possible. This Is One of Those Superimposed Trick Photographs. No lion would pass up eating a giraffe in order to mate with it!)

There’s more: “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.’ …So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

There are many attributes that separate the human race from animals. Differences and gaps that are entirely too vast to entertain the theory of evolution.

The character in my novel also said:

“I’ve always wanted to debate an evolutionist. Ask him to explain the quantum leap from whatever the highest mammal is to man. Why a monkey can’t talk, read, build tall buildings or choose to love or hate? Why a gorilla doesn’t think deep thoughts like we do. Why a chimpanzee has never composed a song, painted a Mona Lisa, written a novel, or discovered electricity?” (Page 129).

Evolution is based on the foundationally flawed formula that I would label: Mother Nature plus Father Time equals life. Evolution is the modern-day version of, “They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen” (Romans 1:25).

The Essence and Power of Language

After the human spirit and mind, the greatest (impassable) gulf between mankind and animals is language. Without language and linguistics we couldn’t adequately comprehend, let alone explain the concept of mind, heart, or spirit unless we express them with words (or at least signs). We speak and write what we think in our mind, believe in our heart, and feel in our spirit. If we didn’t convey what’s inside of us, then what’s inside of is like the proverbial sound of the tree falling (in the forest) that no one hears. If someone is not there to experience and explain what happened, then it’s irrelevant whether the tree made a sound or not when it fell. In this respect, human beings are deductively, inductively, cogently, intelligibly, creatively, and most of all spiritually “light years” (using a scientific measurement) above the animals.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Wrong! Most idioms accurately represent life’s experiences. Sticks and stones is not one of them.

Words are powerful. They can heal a heart or break a heart. They can mend a mind or bend a mind. They can build up the human spirit or tear it down. They can be a source of life or death.

(Now there’s an adage that is right on!)

“We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire… It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself” (James 3:3-6).

The Tower of Babel

“At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They began saying to each other, ‘Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire…’ Then they said, ‘Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world’” (Genesis 11:1-4).

The Tower of Babel incident took place a few generations after the Great Flood that only Noah and his family survived. Even before Noah’s Flood, all people on earth spoke the same language. Why can I say that? For three reasons: (1) there’s no indication in Scripture that people spoke different languages before the flood. The opening of this passage in Genesis 11 (“At one time”) would strongly suggest that people spoke one language from the time of Adam and Eve. (2) There would be no reason for people to arbitrarily want, need, or be able to create another language or languages. (3) The very fact that God suddenly and supernaturally replaced one language with many languages yields the inescapable conclusion that mankind spoke one language from the beginning.

Many people, even those unfamiliar with Scripture, know about the Tower of Babel; why and how God abruptly stopped the arrogant purpose for building such a monument.

Said the Lord: “…The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s (like when the Lord created man and woman, the triune God refers to himself in the plural, “let us”) go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other … That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world” (Genesis 11:6-9, parenthesis mine).

When the Lord said, “nothing will be impossible for them,” did he mean that he couldn’t do anything about whatever the restored human race wanted to do or would do? Of course not, otherwise God isn’t God.

“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

And it’s God who is telling us about the Tower of Babel; indeed, it’s the Lord who supernaturally inspired all of the Bible, which is the very Word of God.

Numerous times in Scripture before or after God announces something, he declares (for example): “Thus, says the Lord.” Or, “I, the Sovereign Lord have spoken.” Whether the Lord spoke directly to prophets and apostles or whether he communicates through the Holy Spirit, we know that:

“All Scripture is inspired (literally, God-breathed) by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (II Timothy 3:16).

Getting back to the Tower of Babel account: In effect, the Lord is saying that he wouldn’t do what he had already promised to Noah: wipe out mankind again with a world-wide flood. Instead the Lord chose to thwart man’s attempt to create a One-World Government by scattering the people into (ethnic) groups with their own language and eventually nations with boundaries. With the supernatural act of dividing one language into many, God displayed his sovereignty by disrupting the peoples’ plans and demonstrating to the human race that we only (vainly) think we can do anything we want, whether God approves it or not.

Although God gave mankind the free will to choose, plan, and act on those plans, Scripture is replete with evidence that God intervenes in the affairs of mankind when he chooses to do so. Just ask Pharaoh! He’ll tell you who had the final say, when God through Moses told him, “Let my people go!”

Jesus said, “…But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26).

He also said: “…For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

In addition to national boundaries with natural geographic barriers such as oceans and mountain ranges, the thousands of languages and dialects on this earth are what God has used to prevent a global government.

As I have maintained in some Eye of Prophecy articles (especially, One World Government? Posted 2-28-15, and One World Religion? Published 8-15-15): despite the prevailing view among Bible scholars, there will never be a (man-made) global government. Not now and not during the Great Tribulation. Scripture is clear that even the Antichrist will have enemies (such as the Kings of the East). If there is even one significant nation on earth that refuses to be part of his empire, then there couldn’t be a “One World Government.” In fact, some countries during the Tribulation (not including the three nations that Antichrist Nero will force to join his ten-nation confederation) will maintain their autonomy and fight to keep their national identity and language intact. (See Daniel 11:40-45 & Revelation 16:12).

Will there ever be a Global Government on earth? Will there be a reversal of God’s curse on the Tower of Babel, whereby everyone on earth will again speak the same language? An unequivocal “yes” to both questions! We’ll get to that later.

Despite contemporary technological advances that enable rapid transportation across natural barriers and a smaller world shrunken by swift communication, a host of different languages remains the greatest obstacle to mankind unifying itself to accomplish the age-old sinister goal—which has intensified even more in our post-modern age of human secularism:

“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they cry, ‘and free ourselves from slavery to God’” (Psalm 2:1-3).

Until the final Kingdom of God on earth, nations and the languages of those nations are part of God’s sovereign plan for the human race. In his remarkable message to the Greek Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, the Apostle Paul explains that the Lord establishes nations and sets their boundaries.

“…Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.

“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. His purpose was for the nations to seek after God… For in him we live and move and exist…” (Acts 17:22-28).

Later, in the context of the extraordinary evidence visually displayed in creation, Paul wrote:

“Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools” (Romans 1:21-22).

The Globalist Movement

Already in place is the making of a central government on one of the seven continents … the European Union. (Please see, Eye of Prophecy articles, The Final Treaty of Rome Part I & II, posted 5-14 & 5-21-16, which provide a summary of how the EU came about through the first Treaty of Rome, and also the soon to come “Final Treaty of Rome” orchestrated by the Antichrist).

Yet, the European Union is coming apart at the seams as evidenced by Brexit, which I wrote about in the article, Brexit … What’s It All About? Posted June 18, 2016.

(Brexit Is Not Yet Officially Complete)

Before but particularly after Great Britain voted to leave the European Union, weaker EU nations have voiced their disapproval of the pressure tactics of the stronger countries like Germany and France to form a final European government that would have absolute “national” sovereignty over all of Europe. Even with free trade, open borders, and a common currency for most of the EU countries, there is not yet a completely centralized government with consolidated military and political power.

What is the underlying motive for people (especially the elite of the world) wanting a global government? You need look no further than the aforementioned European Union, which was progressively established to prevent war between European nations, i.e. World War I and World War II. They argue that if nations didn’t exist or if they merged into one entity by relinquishing national autonomy, there would be no reason or opportunity for one nation to war against another.

The reason that thinking is so wrong is because the vast majority of world leaders and the people they lead don’t understand or place any stock in Biblical history or even secular history. Thus, they don’t agree in the least with God himself, who knows how wicked we are and the evil we do apart from him, his absolute truth, and Biblical redemption. Truth that gives light and life and hope to anyone who believes and receives the One who is The Way, The Truth, and The Life—Messiah Jesus.

They’re oblivious to the fact: When there was one people (essentially one system of government), one culture, and one language, there was so much corruption and violence that God removed man from the face of the earth he had created. Then several generations after Noah and his three sons, people again began to merge; completely ignoring that it’s the wickedness (sin) of the human heart that produces pride, greed, lust for power, and superior dominance of one person over another achieved primarily through amalgamated authority.

It’s not the elimination of nations or national rivalry that will prevent war or terrorism. The horrific terrorism in today’s world has nothing to do with one nation against another. For example, the sworn objective of ISIS—the most hideous and brutal terrorist organization in the history of the human race—is to establish an Islamic Caliphate, which is nothing less than a Muslim world dictatorship.

In order for the fallen and flawed human race to create and maintain such unity, it’s necessary to curtail—if not eliminate—individual, ethnic, national, and linguistic liberties.

Without some nations—those birthed and grown as a democratic republic, especially those founded on the Judeo-Christian heritage—there would be global loss of political, economic, social, and religious freedom. Without the political or military check and balance intervention of certain nations, large portions (if not all) of the world certainly would have been unified—conquered and controlled indefinitely by such rulers as Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Alexander the Great, the Roman Caesars, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Emperor Hirohito of Japan, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Mao Tse-tung, and Saddam Hussein … or current dictators like Kim Jong-un of North Korea. Whether willingly or by force, the people of these domains were more unified than any other peoples on the earth have ever been.

Either out of adulation or fear or both, their people revered these autocrats as gods.

Or the soon reappearance of a Roman Emperor (Nero) who, “…will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God” (II Thessalonians 2:4).

(Artist Impression of the Ancient Statue of Nero, Who Wanted to be Worshipped as God, Not Just As a god)

None of these megalomaniacs were that concerned about nationalized sovereignty or national identity or even for the welfare of their citizens. In fact, they ruthlessly suppressed and killed dissenters among their own people. Their ultimate goal was regional, then world domination. Yet, millions upon millions followed them because what most people ultimately want is one person, a messiah-type to lead them. Not until it’s too late, did the people realize that their messiah and his inner circle harbored a hidden agenda. A scheme that deliberately or unwittingly seeks to accomplish exactly what Satan—the father of lies, deceit, terrorism, and murder—has pursued since he brought evil into the world.

Read with me this chilling account of Lucifer:

“For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High’” (Isaiah 14:13-14).

The Apostle Paul continues with his warning of the man of lawlessness, who would reappear as the Beast from the Abyss: “This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth” (II Thessalonians 2:9-12).

(Statue of Nero Recently Built Near Anzio, Italy. See Eye of Prophecy Article, “Antichrist and Anzio … What Do They Have In Common?”, posted 4-29-17)

History teaches us an unforgettable lesson that we have seemingly chosen to forget. The more unification of peoples and the greater the consolidation of states or nations into a centralized structure, the more legislative, judicial, and military checks and balances will diminish and disappear. And the more that tyranny will flourish. Had England and her partners not stopped Napoleon; had the Allies not opposed Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito; had the United States not stood up against Stalin’s (and his successors) post-war Communism … we can only wonder what language would be the most common (international) tongue spoken today. I doubt it would be English.

God’s Plan: The Kingdom of God on Earth

God is Omniscient. He knew that a man-made global government built on and maintained by one common language would be the worst thing for the human race.

And yet, on the authority of Scripture, I will say again that a One-World Government is, by far, the best kind of administration to bring true peace to the human race, because that is the Lord’s plan for mankind. But not an international government created by man, one that is virtually devoid of any acknowledgment of or reliance on God. Not the United Nations.

From the dawn of human history, it has been proven over and again that human attempts to create a secular godless centralized government with absolute political, economic, educational, social, and military control over its people led to total disaster.

This is not a contradiction. The Lord supernaturally split the ancient language into many languages, which led to dispersion of the human race to the four corners of the earth; which, in turn, led to the formation of cities, states, and nations. If this had not been done, the world would be even worse off than it later became or is today. It is as the choice goes: the lesser of two evils.

Yet even concerning a democracy as Winston Churchill so profoundly quipped:

The existence of multiple nations and boundaries and languages literally provide a buffer zone and a deterrent to tyrants who would conquer and control the entire world if not opposed.

God’s ultimate plan was for the human race to prosper—spiritually, economically, and politically—under the benevolent leadership of one man whose government would truly be one nation under God. But it must begin from the inside out, by changing the human heart. Not from the outside in by, in essence, deceiving people into thinking that ultimate unity is possible only under a world government. Not through a powerful regime that gradually gives the people virtually everything they need and want; then swiftly takes what is given (and more) away. That kind of unity is what inevitably will deprive them of the freedom and peace they long for. True freedom and peace begins with personal redemption, followed by a global cohesiveness created by the Prince of Peace. (See Eye of Prophecy article: Freedom … What Does It Really Mean? Posted 7-8-17).

Here is an excerpt (in italics) from Eye of Prophecy article, The World Wants a Messiah … But It Needs (The) Messiah, posted 1-28-17. This quote was taken from an earlier article entitled, Kingdom of God. Posted 1-17-15.

Jesus spoke often of the Kingdom of God; for example, comparing it to a mustard seed … the smallest of seeds that when planted grows into an enormous tree. Which is exactly what has happened to the body of Christ; an exponential growth down through the ages, to now consist of believers from virtually every nation and language on earth. It is the Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts and minds of those who have been redeemed by the shed blood of Christ. Next, will come the final physical Kingdom of God on this earth; at which time all people, all governments, all nations will be brought under the authority of God’s magnificent Son. He will rule the nations with firmness, but fairness.

Isn’t that what most people want? They want: law, order, equality, safety, peace. And they want someone who has the kind of authority to realize those dreams, but also someone who is kind and considerate with that authority. One who truly cares about people and what’s best for them; who can rule and judge with impartiality and kindness. A truly wise and benevolent King whose attributes perfectly reflect who and what he is: Love, Truth, Justice, Mercy.

Things to Ponder

Following the worst turmoil ever experienced by the human race during the seven-year Great Tribulation, the Kingdom of God will begin with the majestic thousand-year reign of Messiah. It is the inauguration of righteousness, justice, and peace never before experienced on Planet Earth.

Messiah Jesus is the “child born to us, a son given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders … His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity…” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

(Notice that the passage says: The government… Not a government. As in one world-wide government. And it will be His government).

At the end of the Millennium, when Satan assembles a “mighty army” (Revelation 20) and is soundly defeated in one last attempt to replace God’s Kingdom with a Satanic kingdom, the Lord will complete an extreme makeover of the heavens and the earth.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband … Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.

“And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:1-5).

However, there will be many changes (all for the better) during the Millennium, as it is a time of preparation for eternity, a prelude to infinity and beyond.

(It’s Actually the Wolf That Will “Live Together” With the Lamb … See Isaiah 11 For All of the Animal Comparisons. Also, “A little child will lead them all”)

It will be a Messianic Age of and by Messiah Jesus for the people. It will be one (international) nation under God. It will be a culmination of the oneness that believers now have—albeit with our imperfect earthly bodies—in our Savior and Lord.

“For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism (immersion in and identification with Christ), and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all” (Ephesians 4:4-6, parenthesis mine).

And, I’m convinced there will be one language during the Millennium and throughout eternity. The Tower of Babel curse will be no more. As it once was in the beginning, so shall it be again … only better!

In whatever language you listen, hear the words of Jesus:

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep … They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:14-16).

“Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?’” (John 11:25-26).

Put your name in place of Martha’s. Do you believe Messiah Jesus? Then in whatever language you speak:

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Hallelujah! That’s Hebrew for Praise the Lord.

*Discover more about the soon-to-come one universal language in next week’s article.

A Tale of Two (Arab) Cousins

19 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by garybowers in Current Events

≈ Leave a comment

A Literary Masterpiece

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

If you’re an avid reader who enjoys classical as well as contemporary literature, you may have already recognized the source of these memorable words, though they were penned over 150 years ago. Perhaps the title of today’s article helped you make the connection.

Those who’ve never read or can’t remember the origin of this attention-grabbing line are still likely to have seen or heard it, as this catchphrase universally represents people, places, and events down through the ages.

It is the opening lyrics from a historical novel which is one of four bestselling books of all time.

Written by Charles Dickens and originally published in installments from April to November, 1859, it is:

A Tale of Two Cities

So, what is the greatest selling and most read book of all time (by far)?

Easy answer: The Bible.

Was it mere coincidence that Charles Dickens’s began his novel with seven sets of contradictory times? With, for example, the next set: “it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness….”

It occurred to me that Dickens consciously or perhaps subconsciously may have modeled his iconic opening after one of the most recognized passages in the Bible: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). After the opening verse in Ecclesiastes 3, there are seven verses of contrasting “times.” Beginning with: “A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest” (Verse 2).

The final two lines: “A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace” (Verse 8).

Set just before and during the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities was fictional, yet a historical story of two cities—London and Paris. And more so of two countries: England and France. Time doesn’t permit an adequate synopsis of this great novel; plus, I would need to read it again to do justice to even a summation!

Suffice to say that Charles Dickens painted both cities and countries in an unfavorable light throughout most of the book, due to the autocratic oppression by English and French royalty of the poor and less unfortunate. But he also expressed equal disapproval of the Reign of Terror that began with the mob revolt and brutal killing of France’s royal family and many nobles; without really accomplishing the purpose of the French Revolution—righting legal and social injustice.

Historically, you may (or may not) recall: The chaos that resulted by viciously eliminating the autocratic rule of the French aristocracy led directly to a dictatorship in France—as opposed to the democracy established by the American Revolution against England. You remember: Napoleon—one of the greatest (with the connotation of both good and bad … mostly bad) tyrants of all time—filled the lawless vacuum created through anarchy by establishing law and order, then seizing control of France and most of Europe.

Charles Dickens depicted England in a more favorable light toward the end of his novel, principally because the British commoners did not resort to a bloody chaotic revolution. England’s masses also realized that it would be folly and futile to stage a revolution against British royalty while their country was trying to suppress the revolution that had already begun in America.

A Tale of Two Cities is a study of similarities between two eminent cities and countries, and also a study in contrast.

The Ancient Saga of Two (Half) Brothers

The racial and religious friction between Jews and Arabs (rather than a class conflict between the same people as portrayed in A Tale of Two Cities and other novels by Charles Dickens) has been a major struggle from time immemorial. In fact, the dissension between Jew and Arab is longest (continuing) clash in human history. Moreover, both ancient and modern chronicles clearly show that the hostility is almost exclusively a one-way street that runs from Arab/Muslim nations and peoples toward Jews and Israel.

It began when God picked Isaac, not Ishmael, to be the ancestor of God’s chosen people; when he selected Israel, not Egypt (or any other Arab nation), as the Promised Land. Isaac, as the first child of promise, would be the progenitor of the Messiah—the ultimate Child of Promise—who would be the source of redemption for the Jew first, then for all Gentiles, including Arabs! (Romans 1:16). A Jewish Messiah who would come from the lineage of King David, from the tribe of Judah, from the nation of Israel.

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government (of the entire earth) will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, (only he can and will be) Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, parenthesis mine).

*Note: To affirm an obvious historical fact: The sole reason that a descendant of Ishmael—Muhammad, an Arab—conceived the religion of Islam was to replace the Judeo-Christian faith with a counterfeit creed that refuted and rejected God’s covenant promise to Abraham. In order to do this, Muhammed also had to devise a god to supersede the true and living God of Scripture. Thus, he chose the pagan moon-god, Allah. He plagiarized the Bible by alleging that the angel Gabriel gave him revelations … the same angel who had appeared to Mary to announce that she would give birth to Messiah Jesus.

Think about it: Why would God send the angel Gabriel to the Jewish Virgin Mary to tell her:

Then six hundred years later send Gabriel to (allegedly) tell Muhammad that Jesus was merely a prophet, not even equal to Muhammad. That Islam (an Islamic Caliphate) would rule the world. That Jews (and Christians) should be killed if they didn’t submit to Islamic religious demands? This is only one of innumerable dramatic differences between the Bible and the Koran, between the true God who made man and the man-made god Allah, and between Messiah Jesus who arose from the dead and Muhammad who remains in his grave!

An Appropriate and Relevant Analogy

The epic tale of two cities is a meaningful prototype comparison to a much lesser known, but nevertheless intriguing story of two women, who are cousins.

Naturally they have common ground by virtue of being blood relatives. Both are Muslims born in Nazareth, and both are Israeli-Arabs with full citizenship rights in Israel. But you’ll soon see what makes them so very different.

Their names: Haneen Zoabi and Sara Zoabi.

Hanin Zoabi: (The English spelling of her name from Arabic is Haneen Zoabi; in Hebrew it is Hanin Zoubi. Nearly all media references give her name as Hanin Zoabi).

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Haifa and a Master of Arts in communication from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Before entering politics, she was employed by the Israeli Ministry of Education as a school inspector and before that taught mathematics.

Directly from Wikipedia we read that Hanin Zoabi, “…is an Israeli Arab politician, who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for the Joint List. Serving in the Knesset since 2009, Zoabi is the first Arab woman to be elected to Israel’s parliament on an Arab party’s list. Representing the Balad party…”

I wrote about her once before in a portion of the Eye of Prophecy article, More Palestinian Lies, posted 2-20-16. Here is an excerpt from that article (in italics):

The Israeli Government is considered to be a Parliamentary Democracy, and is one of the most unique governments in the entire world. It consists of 120 Knesset members representing the diversity of Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs (citizens of Israel) and currently consists of twelve separate parties, including the Joint Arab List … For years, Arab Israelis have served in the Knesset. Presently there are seventeen such delegates who represent the approximately 1.8 million Arabs living in Israel with full citizenship rights.

These inhabitants should be distinguished from the Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, who have refused to become citizens of Israel, and who now bear the identity of Palestinians. Most of the lone-wolf attackers have been West Bank Palestinians, but there has also been a handful of Israeli Arab citizens who committed these crimes.

Israeli Arabs have freedom of transportation throughout Israel, freedom of education, freedom of employment, and (as indicated) freedom even to serve in the Israeli government. The Israeli Arab Knesset members are supposed to represent their fellow Arab Israeli citizens; not the Palestinians, who are (supposed to be) represented by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. That is if you consider corruption as a representative form of government.

On February 2, 2016, three of these Knesset members (Hanin Zoabi, Jamal Zahalka, and Basel Ghattas) met with the families of eleven terrorists who were killed during their unprovoked murderous attacks on innocent Jews. Then, the following day the families also met with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in his Ramallah office just a few hours after another terror attack killed 19-year-old female Border Patrol Corporal Hadar Cohen, and injured another soldier.

As representatives of the Balad faction within the Joint Arab List Knesset party, both Hanin Zoabi and Jamal Zahalka are well-known for their anti-Jewish activism, and have a long history of confrontational incidents with other Knesset members in particular and Israelis in general.

Though yet to be convicted, Zoabi, in particular, has been charged with incitement several times in the past including participation in violent Palestinian protests; resulting in several attempts by fellow Knesset members to remove her from the Israeli government.

Joint List party member Hanin Zoabi seen at the Israeli parliament during a plenum session in the assembly hall of the Israeli parliament on July 11, 2016.

(*Note: What do you make of the posture of the Knesset Member behind Zoabi?!)

Not mentioned in that article: Hanin Zoabi had been suspended from the Knesset for six months in the aftermath of the three Israeli boys (one of whom was a dual U.S. citizen) who were kidnapped and murdered in June, 2014 by two Palestinians from Hebron … affiliated with Hamas. I wrote about the kidnapping of those three teenage boys in Eye of Prophecy article, Bring Our Boys Back, posted 6-28-14. Followed by another article entitled Prince of Peace posted 7-5-18 (Messiah Jesus, Prince of Peace, who is the only source and hope for peace in the Middle East … in the entire world) after their bodies were found near Hebron.

Soon, thereafter, Hamas began launching rockets and mortars into Israel which resulted in the IDF’s Operation Protective Edge against Hamas. That was the last war between Israel and either Hamas or Hezbollah.

In effect, Hanin Zoabi excused the actions of the Palestinian men who murdered the Israeli boys (even implying they may have been justified in their brutal crime), and also gave implicit endorsement to Hamas which she doesn’t consider to be a terrorist organization. She was reinstated to the Knesset and remains a member to this day, despite subsequent acts that bordered on treason. (Time/space doesn’t permit explanation of the reasons why she is still in the Knesset).

Continuing with the excerpt from More Palestinian Lies:

Yet, in the view of many Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, her (and the other two MK’s) appearance with the families of the terrorists crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Ostensibly this meeting was to demand return of the terrorist’s bodies from the Israelis; but anyone who has any clue at all knows the real reason they met with the families. It was a show of tacit solidarity and overt support of the killers and their actions to snuff out the lives of Jews anywhere and everywhere in Israel.

Political protest is one thing … we have an abundance of that in our own republic of the United States of America. But an out-and-out endorsement of murder (no matter the rationale of the murderers) is far beyond what any democratic or representative form of government should condone in their government representatives….

As an example: Can you imagine if a few United States Senators or Congressmen met with the family of the two Islamic terrorists who killed fourteen people in San Bernardino last year? Moreover, that the purpose of such a meeting was to extend both political and personal sympathy to the family for the loss of these two murderers?

Said Netanyahu: “Members of Knesset who go to comfort the families of terrorists who murdered Israelis do not deserve to be in the Israeli Knesset. I have asked the Speaker of the Knesset to examine what steps can be taken against them….”

Subsequently, the Speaker of the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein filed a complaint to the Knesset Ethics Committee with a strong rebuke of the three Arab MKs … that their actions constituted incitement and, “encouragement to murder.”

Both Netanyahu and Edelstein are absolutely justified in their recommendations, if for no other reason than the oath that all Knesset Members took when sworn into office: “I pledge to bear allegiance to the State of Israel and faithfully to discharge my mandate in the Knesset.”

Using her position in the Knesset to ostensibly represent Israeli Arabs (citizens of Israel), she and a few other Arab Knesset members actually undermine the Israeli government whenever possible—by subtle and sometimes not so subtle representation of the Palestinians who already have their own representatives … the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank (Judea/Samaria) and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

When Hanin Zoabi was first sworn-in as a member of Knesset in 2009, she walked out before Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva, was played and sung. That is tantamount to a member of the United States Congress spitefully walking out on the playing of the Stars Spangled Banner.

I’ve read several of her quotes and quotes about her. In short, she is an avowed enemy of the State of Israel; if (as she puts it) it remains or even is considered, “a Jewish State.” She endorses the rhetoric and actions of Palestinians and many Israeli-Arabs who hate the Jews and do not want a two-state solution. They want one state: the state of Palestine—preferably absent any Jews.

Sara Zoabi:

In stark contrast, Hanin’s cousin, Sara Zoabi, is a staunch supporter of Israel. This is practically unheard of among Arabs and Muslims; and, as expected, vociferously condemned by the vast majority of Arabs in Israel and Muslims in surrounding countries who know of these two women.

She is the mother of Muhammad Zoabi who had voiced his own support of Israel by condemning the kidnapping (then murder) of the three Israeli boys mentioned earlier. Following several serious death threats issued by the Palestinians, he was forced to go into hiding. In an online video he said he wanted to, “show the world the real face of regular Arabs and Muslims who are simply sick of their leaders’ corruption and unlimited hate.” Eventually he was forced to flee to the United States for asylum.

Sara is an accomplished chef who in June, 2015 appeared as a contestant on the Israeli T.V. show MasterChef Israel. During the interview phase of the program, she introduced herself as an, “Arab, Muslim, Israeli, proud Zionist” from the city of Nazareth.

When one of the judges asked her to expand on this shocking disclosure (“proud Zionist”), Sara had much to say. Beginning with, “I believe in the right of the Jewish people to have their own country, which is the state of Israel, the holy land.”

Among other things, she went on to say: “I’m sure that the people who hear me will say, ‘what, have you lost your mind? How can you say you are a Zionist?’ I want to say to all the Arabs (citizens) of Israel to wake up. We live in paradise. Compared to other countries, to Arab countries—we live in paradise.”

She continued: “We have a state that is Israel, and wonderful people who embrace us with love … We must support our soldiers who defend us with their bodies (referring to the Israeli Defense Force) … Our army is the most moral army in the world … Terror and killing is not the way of the Jewish people … (or) our dear Prime Minister … The Jewish people did not choose terror and did not lose their humanity. The Jewish people despite the genocide and persecutions they have suffered, the Jewish people are a pride to humanity.”

Later Sara Zoabi was invited and spoke before the Israeli Knesset, with, of course, strong opposition from her cousin, Hanin Zoabi, who has labeled IDF soldiers praised by Sara, as “murderers.” Hanin had said in the past that she considers the IDF more dangerous than a nuclear-armed Iran. With regard to the IDF or Israeli police silencing Arab terrorists who maim and murder Jews … she’s right!

Then on May 1, 2017, Sara again went public with her dramatic defense of Israel. In a May 5, 2017 Breaking Israel News article posted by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, we read:

“The most inspiring Israel Independence Day video this year was the most unexpected, showing a Muslim Palestinian woman passionately describing her love for the State of Israel in Arabic. As powerful as the video is, the story behind it is even more so.

“The video was posted … by Boomerang, a non-profit organization working towards improving Israel’s image via social media … and in a few short days has garnered almost one million views. In the video, Sara Zoabi, an Israeli Arab, stood proudly in front of the Knesset Building, expressing her love for Israel in no uncertain terms. The video stands as an open challenge to the way Israel-haters view the plight of the Palestinians in Israel.

“Zoabi unabashedly declares in the beginning of the video, ‘I believe with my whole heart in the right of the Jewish People to a sovereign state in the holy Land of Israel. It is a right that God promised.’

“She goes on to enthusiastically praise Israel and the Jewish People, waxing poetic. ‘The sun shining over you and the wind blowing through your fields, they are the inspiration for my love for you,’ she said in her native Arabic. She decries Arab terrorism and praises Israeli humanitarian efforts.”

(Note: Please take a few minutes to watch all or at least part of this video, posted as a link at the end of today’s Eye of Prophecy article).

My personal response: May God richly bless this amazing and courageous woman. May the Lord graciously lead her to the next step in her journey to walk along side of Israel by showing her that He alone is the true and living God. That she will one day also say what a Gentile woman named Ruth said long ago to a Jewish woman Naomi:

“…Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Even more: That she will believe and receive the one and only Messiah to Jews and Gentiles alike—Jesus Christ; who is a descendent of Ruth (and her Jewish husband Boaz).

(Depiction of Ruth and Boaz)

A Tale of Two Cousins: the ancient and modern-day conflict between Arab and Jew.

On the one hand it is the sad story that is indicative of Muslims in Israel and in many democratic countries of the world. Who (either as citizens or refugees) misuse the freedom granted to them by denigrating their host nation and by calling for the demonization of Israel and even genocide against the Jews (as an Imam in a California mosque did just a few days ago).

On the other hand, there are a few Arabs and Muslims like Sara Zoabi (and like writers Khalid abu Toameh, Bassam Tawil, A.Z Mohamed, or Turkish author Uzay Balut) who recognize and overtly support the right of Jews to live in the sovereign State of Israel, a land given to them by God as a permanent inheritance.

It is an ongoing story of good and evil, of light and darkness, of love and hate.

Though not with the same either/or extremes, the story also brings to mind:

Two Attributes (of God)—Love and Justice

God is Love

The last two Eye of Prophecy articles, Jewish Sovereignty on Temple Mount, Part I & II, and a few like them—such as the above quoted More Palestinian Lies—were written to expose the actual adversarial agenda of Arab Muslims in general and Palestinians in particular against Israel.

Does that mean that I dislike or even despise Arab Muslims as individuals? Not at all. Though not as often as my prayers for Israel’s national redemption and personal salvation of individual Jews, I also have prayed for God’s salvation to Israel’s enemies. For you see, the true and living God loves everyone equally and unconditionally, including Arabs. As a sinner saved by the Grace of God, the least I can do is to love them, too. At the very least, not to hate them. It’s the old adage that is truly Biblical in its origin: hate the evil that people do, but not the people themselves.

In his Gospel, the Apostle John records the words of Jesus in what is probably the most well-known passage in all of Scripture: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone (each person can put their own name in place of “everyone”) who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, parenthesis obviously mine).

Later in his first epistle, John confirms what Jesus proclaimed: “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (I John 4:9-10).

God gave us his Son, because:

As a result, “We love each other because he loved us first” (Verse 19).

As difficult as it is for me to understand this; the Lord loves Hanin Zoabi the same as he loves her cousin, Sara Zoabi.

“…He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (II Peter 3:9).

All of God’s attributes are entirely equal and consistently compatible. The Lord demonstrates his attributes (his glory, his very essence) in perfect harmony one with another.

God is Holy and Just

Yes, God IS Love. But he is also a holy God, who is the righteous judge of all the earth.

Wrote King David: “But the Lord reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness” (Psalm 9:7-8).

We all are under God’s judgment as soon as we are born into this world. It is a foregone conclusion that we will sin because we are born with a sin nature.

King David acknowledged his sin and innate capacity to sin when he confessed to the Lord:

“Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:4-5)

The Apostle Paul reminds us: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23).

Set aside for a moment any objection you may have that God’s judgement of (all) sin is too harsh; meaning eternal separation from him and heaven, for all who do not accept his pardon by believing and receiving the one and only remedy for sin—Messiah Jesus’s substitutionary sacrifice on the cross.

Think about the incredible evil in the world in general, and the specific horrible consequences we’ve all experienced because of the wrong things we’ve done to ourselves, to others … or what has been done to us.

Dare we abolish law-enforcement and judicial systems that prevent anarchy and help keep us safe by apprehending, trying, convicting, and punishing people for their crimes? Shall we ignore the life-giving and life-guarding moral benefits of the Ten Commandments or trivialize the consequences of breaking them? Should anyone be able to get away with anything that violates God’s laws.

According to God’s righteous standards, any and all sin is an offense against him, whether it’s a violation of civil/criminal statutes, or not. Is it right to get away with lying, stealing, adultery, and a host of other sins as long as we don’t get caught? Even though you might bring yourself to forgive someone for raping your daughter or murdering your son, would you also want the person who attacked your child to not pay the price for their terrible crime? Is do the crime, but not the time the way to maintain law and order?

Everyone’s salvation is a personal matter between them and God. Each person’s eternal destiny (heaven or hell) depends on whether they accept Messiah Jesus as their personal Savior. God’s final judgment at the end of the Millennium on all who have rejected his Son is actually the sentencing phase of God’s justice. Just like a judge in a court of law imposes the sentence on someone who has already been found guilty. (See Revelation Chapter 20).

Let’s read the verses immediately following John 3:16.

“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil” (John 3:17-19).

For those who have been born again from above, God has forgiven all our sins and granted a full pardon from the penalty thereof. Messiah Jesus paid that penalty and satisfied God’s perfect justice.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus … The Law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son is a body like the bodies we sinners have … giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4).

Things to Ponder

The tale of two Arab cousins is the universal story of two hearts. One filled with goodness, kindness, and love (for Israel and the Jews). The other harboring irrational hate and senseless bitterness toward another race of people, just because they’re Jews.

All hearts—both good and bad—need Jesus. Sara Zoabi needs personal redemption just the same as her cousin, Hanin.

However, as mentioned in a few prior Eye of Prophecy articles, God has designed two plans for the human race. In addition to personal salvation for Jew and Gentile alike through the Jewish Messiah Jesus, he also has established a national destiny for his chosen people the Jews and his special possession Israel. Accordingly, the Lord promises to bless those who bless his people and bless those nations whose God is the Lord (Genesis 12:3 & Psalm 33:12).

God will bless those who support Israel and who champion the sovereign right of the Jews to live in the Promised Land. For Sara Zoabi and others like her, I believe God’s blessing could very well result in her salvation. That she will embrace the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and make a personal decision to accept Messiah Jesus, a descendent of Israel’s forefathers, as her personal Savior. And as the King of all kings.

Although possible, it’s (sadly) unlikely that Hanin Zoabi will ever get to that point in her life. She seemingly has staked out an irreversible position that most Muslims take: Their Muslim god hates all infidels (Jews and Christians) who refuse to submit to Islam.

Although the Lord had to discipline his people for their disobedience, that time of corporate punishment is over. His plan for Israel’s final restoration of their sovereignty in Israel and national redemption is nearing completion.

His passionate love and purpose for Israel and Jerusalem will not be denied.

Nor will his justice against Israel’s sworn enemies be dismissed.

The following is an excerpt from the earlier mentioned Eye of Prophecy article, Prince of Peace, which was written after the three kidnapped Jewish boys were found murdered and buried in a shallow grave near Hebron, Israel (in italics):

Warning! You are about to read graphic language straight from the mouth of the true and living God, the God of Israel, and the God of all who have put their trust in his son, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ). But these harsh future judgments to be inflicted by God against Israel’s enemies (and there are many such passages in Scripture) reveal to us the serious consequences and destiny of those who seek to destroy Israel and the Jews…

(*Note: In Scripture, Edom (Mount Seir) is representative of all nations who despise Israel. The Edomites were descendants of Esau. God chose Esau’s twin brother Jacob to continue the Jewish lineage of Messiah. See the one-chapter book of Obadiah which, in addition to the below passage from Ezekiel, also contains God’s indictment against Edom … the nations).

“Again a message came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, turn and face Mount Seir, and prophesy against its people. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: ‘I am your enemy, O Mount Seir (Edom), and I will raise my fist against you to destroy you completely. I will demolish your cities and make you desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Your eternal hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless, when I had already punished them for all their sins. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come! I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return. I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your ravines will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword … Therefore, as surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I will pay back your angry deeds with my own. I will punish you for all the acts of anger, envy, and hatred. And I will make myself known to Israel by what I do to you” (Ezekiel 35:1-11).

“But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…” (Joel 2:32).

Jewish Sovereignty on Temple Mount (Part II)

12 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by garybowers in Current Events

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Chosen people

Sovereignty versus Superiority

Unlike the totalitarian suppression of varying degrees found in Middle Eastern Muslim nations, Jewish sovereignty over Temple Mount, Jerusalem, and all of the land of Israel given to them by the true and living God and reclaimed in four defensive wars of survival against Arab nations, does not equate to superiority of one people over another.

The very idea of sovereignty is understood in principle and practice to be that which a “sovereign state” is entitled to by virtue of belonging to the family of nations on this earth. Israel was afforded that status by the United Nations in 1947 and, accordingly, declared her statehood in 1948. Whereas, there is no such thing as a Palestinian State or even “Palestinian territories occupied by Israeli settlers” except in the indoctrinated mindset of virtually all Palestinians and many Israeli-Arabs.

Webster’s Dictionary defines sovereignty: “a: supreme excellence or example of it. Supreme power esp. over a body politic. b: freedom from external control. Autonomy…”

In contrast, the definition of superiority is: “…in a higher or better manner or degree … in a haughty or condescending manner.”

Last week’s Eye of Prophecy article included the period of Jewish ancient history when her people did harbor a haughty attitude toward Gentile nations, even toward the Lord their God—exhibited in Israel’s disobedience to and defiance of the Lord. Consequently, God severely disciplined them when the Romans in 70 A.D. devastated Israel and destroyed the Temple, then exiled the Jews to the four corners of the earth. For nearly 2,000 years, God’s people were humbled. In fact, they were often humiliated, persecuted, and murdered by the millions.

Here is an excerpt from last week’s Eye of Prophecy article (in italics):

…God ended his centuries-long punishment of Israel—through Gentile domination of the Jews—in the 1967 Six-Day War. Yet Israel did not, by any stretch of the imagination, become arrogant or feel superior by virtue of this stunning victory. Instead, they (one could even say “humbly”) relinquished what was their rightful sovereignty over Judea/Samaria, the Gaza Strip, and the Temple Mount to the Arabs. In fact, many, including me, believe that this self-effacing gesture was ill-advised.

However, they did so to appease international pressure (including that from the United States) not to assert their God-restored self-determining authority; because the world-at-large had not yet (still hasn’t) accepted Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel or the Temple Mount as the original holy dwelling of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob among his people. In short, the world still refuses to recognize the God-given right of Jewish sovereignty over ALL of Israel, first and foremost Temple Mount.

For Israel to continue to allow Jordan administrative supremacy over Temple Mount as well as Palestinian self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (properly called Judea/Samaria) is anything but an expression of apartheid-like arrogance or superiority of one people over another. For example, the millions of Palestinians in Jordan don’t have near the liberties or standard of living that Israeli-Arabs citizens of Israel and even the Palestinians who live in Israel enjoy.

Then, the last paragraph of that excerpt:

Yes, the Jews are back and Israel is here to stay forever. As in their glory years of King David and King Solomon…

The Chosen People … Why the Jews?

The Lord didn’t choose the Jews to be his special possession because they were better than anyone else. He did not select and separate them from other nations because they were special. Rather, they became a special possession because God chose them. God chose Abraham and his descendants because that was his choice. Those who rant and rave against Israel are defying the sovereignty of the Most High God. They also are harming themselves by refusing to accept God’s sovereign plan to bless all peoples and nations through Israel.

On the other hand, God imposed a higher standard of faithfulness on his people; one that was attainable—if they would only reciprocate by trusting that God knew what was best for them, and choosing to obey God’s Laws. Laws of light and life that would set them apart as an example of morality and integrity; a godly nation that the Lord would provide for, prosper, and protect … so much so that other nations would want to emulate their example.

“The Lord has declared today that you are his people, his own special treasure, just as he promised, and that you must obey all his commands. And if you do, he will set you high above all the other nations he has made. Then you will receive praise, honor, and renown. You will be a nation that is holy to the Lord your God, just as he promised” (Deuteronomy 26:18-19).

This lofty position of Israel was not to lord it over other nations or peoples. Rather, they were called to be a “holy” people, which means set apart by God for a specific purpose—to ultimately bring the light of God’s salvation through the Jewish Messiah (Jesus) to the whole world. And for Jerusalem to be the seat of God’s divine government on earth forever, which began to take shape with the miraculous recreation of the State of Israel.

“The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength: ‘I will never again hand you over to your enemies. Never again will foreign warriors come and take away your grain and new wine. You raised the grain, and you will eat it, praising the Lord. Within the courtyards of the Temple, you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed” (Isaiah 62:8-9, italics for emphasis).

Never again is the poignant prayer of Jews the world over. Never again could they or would they suffer another holocaust. Prophetically, this longing came to pass beginning with Israel’s rebirth in 1948; stamped with divine certainty when the Israelis liberated Jerusalem in 1967, and Gentile domination of the Jews came to an end. Then sealed tightly with Israel’s victory in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Since then, no Arab coalition has attacked Israel by conventional warfare.

The crops and the vineyards of Israel are flourishing. One day soon they will eat the grain and drink of this wine in the courtyards of the rebuilt Temple.

(Vineyards and Crops in Israel)

Ironically, like the Persian King Cyrus—whom God chose to return the Jews from Babylonian captivity and rebuild Solomon’s Temple—another Gentile ruler will be instrumental in getting the 3^rd Temple built. This will be accomplished as part of a seven-year treaty between Israel and the Arab nations. It will be orchestrated by, of all people, the Antichrist (See Daniel 9).

While solidifying his ten-nation federation, Antichrist Nero will sit on his hands and gleefully watch Russia, Iran, Turkey, and other smaller nations invade Israel to destroy the Jews and accomplish his real agenda against God’s people under the pretext of bringing them peace. When this assault fails miserably, it won’t phase Nero a bit … not even the fact that it is God himself who personally crushes Gog/Magog. From the outset, Nero will boast of his divinity by virtue of returning from a 2,000 year-old grave (actually reappearing from the Abyss, but the world won’t know this or care). He will pick up where Russia and its cohorts failed, and break his treaty with Israel half way through the Tribulation. Then, a man-made hell will break loose on the earth. And God’s wrath will be poured out from heaven on a wicked, warped, and wretched world.

For a brief time, Israel, especially in Jerusalem, will once again experience great peril, but nothing like the Holocaust. See Zechariah Chapter 14. See also Eye of Prophecy article, Two-Thirds of the Jews Killed … Past or Future? Posted 9-19-15.

In the final days of the Great Tribulation during Nero’s campaign against Israel, the Jews will do something they couldn’t do and hadn’t done for over 2,500 years … until 1948. They will fight back. Even the weakest among Israeli warriors will fight valiantly like King David (Zechariah 12:8).

And the Lord will do something for Israel that he hadn’t done during almost all of that same 2,500 years of Israel’s history; until he providentially restored the State of Israel, and divinely directed her victories in the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973.

“Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past” (Zechariah 14:3).

Aftermath of the Temple Mount Attack on July 14th

Nearly 75% of Israelis were critical of Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to take down the metal detectors just a few days after they were installed. Israel’s Minister of Culture Miri Regev voiced the prevailing view of many Jews by saying:

“The Cabinet’s decision is regrettable. You don’t have to be a security expert to understand that the metal detectors have a security and deterrence effect.”

Said Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely: “Placing the metal detectors was a legitimate action. When what you want to do is ignite the region, any excuse works.”

Although I’ve conveyed the same thought in a few Eye of Prophecy articles as Ms. Hotovely’s last sentence, I’ll choose an excerpt from Jerusalem, City of Peace? (Posted 12-27-14) as an example:

If anyone carefully examines the wars that Israel has fought since her national birth, the incidents of intifada terror that has killed and maimed thousands of Israelis, or just the daily stream of hate-filled verbiage from the mouths of Muslim leaders and much of the Palestinian people, they would realize that the level of tension really can’t get any higher. Meaning that when Muslim armies, terror groups, and lone wolf assassins decide it’s time to strike, that’s exactly what they do. They may cite a particular incident or problem, but it’s always just an excuse to do what they were going to do anyway. The balloon is always full of enough air to burst. The string is always tight enough to break.

The Palestinian and Muslim pathetically flawed protest over the metal detectors seemed to accomplish its aggressive agenda: Divert attention away from the three Israeli-Arabs who started the whole thing by murdering two Israeli policemen (in an entrance to Temple Mount no less), by accusing the Israelis of arbitrarily forcing Arabs to go through metal detectors. How dare Israel change the “status quo?” No matter that Jews themselves have always had to go through metal detectors at the one and only entrance (Dung Gate) through which non-Muslims can ascend Temple Mount?

(Dung Gate, the Gate Nearest to the Western Wall … Metal Detectors Are Further Ahead)

Even after the metal detectors were removed, for days Arabs rioted in the streets. They wouldn’t miss the opportunity to do what they seem to do best: incite the radicals among them to periodically antagonize, terrorize, and murder Israelis. Since September, 2015, that incitement has focused even more sharply on the flagrantly false allegation that the Jews are “desecrating” Al-Aqsa Mosque and are seeking to change the “status-quo” of Temple Mount by asserting “illegal” sovereignty over it. No matter that the Israelis do, in fact, have ultimate jurisdictional authority over Temple Mount and all of Israel; but have chosen not to exercise that right for reasons already covered in last week’s and this week’s Eye of Prophecy articles.

Another incident in which an Israeli Embassy guard shot and killed a Jordanian who had stabbed the guard with a screwdriver (obviously trying to kill the guard) was part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to do what (I along with a handful of others conclude) was tantamount to a tactical retreat … as opposed to an unwarranted capitulation to the Arabs. In order for the Jordanians to release the Embassy security guard, Israel needed to withdraw the metal detectors. More security cameras and security guards would be a substitution for the removed metal detectors.

According to Netanyahu, his and his cabinet’s decision was made in the context of several factors that, in the long run, would provide a more beneficial long-term solution to the problem. Bottom line, however: Many Israelis believe that their Prime Minister compromised, and missed a golden opportunity to restore Jewish sovereignty on Temple Mount that had been relinquished soon after Israel liberated Jerusalem in 1967.

Palestinian Reaction to the Israeli “Capitulation”

Although the Palestinians would never ever consider a simple “thank-you” to the Israelis for taking down the metal detectors, you would think that gesture would be enough for the Muslims to at least return to their own “status-quo” by lying low for a while. Instead they have ramped up their incitement rhetoric to an unmatched loathsome level.

Just last weekend Muslim Arabs in Israel released a vile (music) video that has gone viral on Palestinian social media. Breaking Israel News columnist Abra Forman described it as, “real footage of terror attacks and car rammings, as well as graphic illustrative animations depicting bloody stabbings as the singer croons, ‘I will attack you, tear you apart, and stab you.’”

The singer brags: “I will do what’s never been done before for the sake of Al Aqsa Mosque, so that the Jews will know who I am—a Muslim, an Arab, a Palestinian.”

Obviously, this is a boast to reinforce his perverse point as to who will be killing the Jews. Still, do those behind this taunting song (representing the Palestinians as a whole) seriously think that the Jews don’t know or won’t remember the identity of those killing them, or that something will be done that’s never been done before? When, in fact, as recently as July 14^th that’s exactly what happened: the unprecedented killing of Israelis in the entrance to Temple Mount. Then the brutally evil murder of three Jews in their own home on July 22^nd.

The songster disgustingly crows—what Abra Forman described as an upbeat, Middle Eastern-style tune—in perfect Hebrew in order to intimidate the Jews even more: “I will kill you, I swear by my religion … You will be killed, I guarantee. An axe, a gun, or a rifle will kill you.”

Although there have been hundreds, if not thousands of Palestinian online cartoons, caricatures, and videos denigrating the Jews and calling for their elimination and eradication of Israel, this recent video has grotesquely pushed the envelope that much further.

See Eye of Prophecy article, Ethnic Cleansing of Jews … The Real Palestinian Agenda, posted on 9-17-16.

The video concludes with what is (always has been but lately is being broadcast by Palestinians like never before) the real objective of Muslims in Israel and the world over: “cleanse my country of every Jew.”

Their country? Not according to the League of Nations which recognized the British Mandate for Palestine based on the Balfour Declaration of 1917, followed by the United Nations Resolution of 1947 that granted statehood rights to both the Jews and Arabs in Palestine. The Arabs flatly refused to create their own state if it meant one next to the State of Israel. They still reject such a notion unless Israel concedes to every single one of their (non-negotiable) demands, not the least of which is eastern Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.

Thus, the Palestinians have no country; they have no one to blame for that, except themselves. It’s quite simple: they live in the sovereign Jewish State of Israel. But the only way for the Palestinians to tolerate that fact is if the words, sovereign, Jewish, State, and Israel were all deleted.

(Earlier This Year at the Western Wall, Israelis Celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Jerusalem’s Liberation During the 1967 Six-Day War. From God’s Viewpoint There Is No Such Thing as East or West Jerusalem. It Is and Will Always Remain the Undivided Capital of Israel)

*Note: I still don’t understand why the United States won’t consider giving the eastern half of Washington D.C. and the east-wing of the White House to Great Britain, so the British can create their own “status quo” and govern all of the immigrants who have come to America from England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland!

Although nearly two million Arabs are citizens of Israel, Israelis still permit Arab non-citizens (about 3.7 million Palestinians) to reside in Israel. Unlike some surrounding Muslim countries that have evicted all Jews since Israel became a state in 1948, the Jews have not expelled Palestinians from Israel. My guess is that 95% of the world’s population doesn’t know these historical and contemporary facts. And 4% of those who do know, don’t care.

Most Palestinians either don’t know or choose to ignore their real history. Instead they have begun to rewrite history to vainly justify their warped agenda of wiping Israel from all maps of the world. And UNESCO is all too happy to believe this fake Palestinian history by passing resolutions that Temple Mount, the Western Wall, and the Tombs of the (Jewish) Patriarchs are all Muslim holy sites! Pray tell … how can these sacred Jewish sites be Muslim holy places when they (and more) existed long before Islam became a religion? As we use to say, “Go figure!”

(Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Israel)

More Incitement from Palestinian Leaders

Here is another quote from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in response to the Israeli metal detectors: “These are political steps in the guise of imaginary security, whose goal is to take control of Al-Aqsa and set facts on the ground, evade the peace process, and turn the conflict into a religious one.”

“Imaginary security,” says Abbas. Was it the figment of Israeli imagination that two of their police officers were murdered in cold blood, then three innocent Israeli civilians knifed to death in their own home?

“Take control of Al-Aqsa mosque,” contends Abbas. If that were the case, Israel could have done that long ago. Jews couldn’t care less about the mosque, which is NOT the mosque that Arabs claim was visited by Muhammad in his fictitious journey to Israel and his imaginary ride to heaven on his fanciful flying horse (See Eye of Prophecy article, Myth of Al-Aqsa Mosque published 4-16-16).

I can state with absolute certainty: If the Jews did assert their God-given right to exercise complete control over Temple Mount, Israel would still allow Muslims to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Just as they did after a brief 48 hour shut down of Temple Mount when the police officers were murdered, only to reopen it to Arabs … albeit through metal detectors, which were then removed a couple of days later.

“Evade the peace process,” claims Abbas. It has been Abbas who has several times rejected Netanyahu’s request for a peace conference. Instead, Abbas has taken his case to the United Nations, calling for unilateral establishment of a Palestinian State without any input from Israel whatsoever.

Finally, Abbas ludicrously asserts that Israel is turning, “the conflict into a religious one.”

Absolutely false, as though Palestinian insistence that only Muslims have the right to Temple Mount is exclusively a political reason, having nothing to do with Islam. So much could be said in response to this absurd allegation, but I’ll limit commentary to the following: The Jews don’t indiscriminately kill Palestinians or anyone else in the world. And when they do silence terrorists in self-defense, they don’t yell, “Great is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Who is it that constantly commits terror atrocities not only in Israel but all over the world? And who is it that screams in the name of their religion, “Allah Akbar” (Allah is the greatest) as they bomb, shoot, stab, and ram cars into innocent people?

As stated by Bassam Tawil in his August 1^st article, The Battle over Jerusalem Has Just Begun” posted in the online Op-ed source, Gatestone Institute:

“We have reached a new level in this discourse: Palestinian Authority (PA) officials are now openly admitting that it is not the metal detectors or security cameras that are at issue. Instead, they admit, this is a battle over sovereignty on the Temple Mount and Jerusalem … The real battle, in their eyes, is over the Jews right to live in their own state in the Middle East…”

In fact, Bassam Tawil based the title of his article on a statement by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki.

Bassam Tawil writes: “In a speech before the Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo, Malki explained: ‘The issue is not metal detectors or cameras, but who is in charge and who has sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque … The battle over Jerusalem has just begun,’ he said, adding that the wave of Palestinian protests over the Israeli security measures had succeeded in ‘thwarting’ Israel’s ‘conspiracy’ to change the historical and legal status quo at the Temple Mount.”

Later in his article, Bassam Tawil summarizes: “Now that Israel has complied with their demands regarding the security measures, Palestinians feel more emboldened than ever. Murder and incitement, in their case, does indeed pay. They got away with the murder of the two police officers at the Temple Mount; they got away with the murder of the three family members in Halamish, and, in their view, they also got away with the recent violent protest and incitement against Israel.”

According to PA Foreign Minister Malki: “The battle for Jerusalem has just begun.”

Whether Malki realizes it or not—in the light of Biblical prophecy and contemporary developments in fulfillment of those prophecies—what he’s really saying is that: The FINAL battle for Jerusalem has just begun. Not “just begun,” because it’s been going on for millennia, centuries, decades; but with increasing intensity in just the past few years, months, and days … via a verbal and physical Muslim intifada against Israel.

Palestinian and Israeli-Arabs are audaciously testing international political waters and the court of world opinion. Now that they’ve crossed the line of Temple Mount violence with (in their eyes) virtually no impunity, they have and will continue to publicly accelerate their devious objective—absolute autonomy over Temple Mount. Then Jerusalem, then all of Israel.

They have shown their true but ugly colors. They are no longer trying to disguise their real agenda with such fabrications as stated by PA President Abbas to President Trump (“we are raising our children in a culture of peace”). They have ratcheted up their rhetoric and, I believe, will more overtly intensify their avowed intention to destroy Israel. In light of and reaction to several nations warming up to Israel in just the past few weeks and months, the Palestinians have now charted a course to determine if the world-at-large will support the Palestinian narrative or the rights of the Israelis in the sovereign state of Israel.

Like never before, the Arab/Muslim mindset is: It’s us or them. Now they’ve added: We can get away with anything. Let’s see who’s on our side.

Israeli Sovereignty … The Real Issue in Israel

Several conservative and even some liberal Jews have called for Israel to take this opportunity—in which the Arabs crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed and violated the holiest place of Judaism—to assert sovereignty over Temple Mount that should have never been relinquished in the first place, going back to the 1967 Six-Day War. This begins effectively with more proactive media publications, as written representatively in a July 26^th Israel Hayom article by Ariel Bolstein—founder of the Israel advocacy organization Faces of Israel:

“We must refine our message and focus our efforts on emphasizing our rights and not the rights of others.”

His reference to the rights of others was not what the United States of America or other democratic nations would consider the inalienable rights of all people; rather his remarks were in the context of what he previously identified as “anti-Israel propaganda incitement in the Muslim world.”

Ariel Bolstein went on to say: “Our right to the land of Israel, to Jerusalem, and to the Temple Mount is indisputable, and the time has come to realize this right with the uncompromising implementation of Israeli sovereignty throughout the country … Our path to a public diplomacy victory is long, but determination and an insistence on our rights will take us there.”

Regarding Israel’s regrettable lack of reactive and proactive promotion of Jewish sovereignty in Israel, Nadav Shragai, a regular columnist for the online news source Israel Hayom, wrote in an article posted July 28, 2017:

“The problem is that we are in a constant state of defensiveness, retreat and apology. No one ever mentions the enormous, profound and unimaginable concession Israel made back in 1967 regarding the Temple Mount. No one brings up the fact that Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people, took the Temple Mount, the holiest place for the Jewish nation, and placed it in the hands of a competing religion, Islam, for which the Temple Mount is only the third-holiest site—essentially infringing on the rights of Jews there. This unacceptable state of affairs is now being taken for granted for some reason, even though it really shouldn’t be. In terms of religious relations across the globe, this concession is unprecedented in scope, but Israel downplays it, hides it, as if in never happened. Israel is neglecting the obvious. It is not telling the world the most basic and elementary truth—that the Temple Mount is first and foremost a holy place for the Jews…”

Of course there are many Jews and some Gentiles (including me) who love Israel; who have spoken and written about her God-given right to the Promised Land, which includes Divine-delegated sovereignty in Israel. Several Eye of Prophecy articles have dealt with that issue to some extent or another. In fact, the title of last week’s and this week’s article is precisely on that subject.

Naturally, Nadav Shragai knows there are others like him who passionately and proactively defend and support Israel. So when he states, “No one ever mentions…” he’s saying this for dramatic effect; to stir the hearts and minds of Israelis to do more and say more in defense of their country and their rights.

In another Israel Hayom article written by contributing author Annika Hernroth Rothstein (Jewish, but a resident/citizen of Sweden … one of my favorite Op-Ed columnists) also posted on July 28^th, she tells the story of a recent meeting she had with a Chinese woman who was “a fan of Israel.” However, the Chinese woman was puzzled over the disposition of Israeli Jews in general and the mentality of Israel’s government in particular. So much so that the Chinese woman asked Annika: “Why do you (Jews) not assert yourself? Being humble is nice but it seems like you don’t believe in standing up for yourself.”

I, too, am a “fan of Israel!” So, I, too, will ask a question: Whether Gentile or Jew, what about you? Do you believe God’s promise to Abraham and God’s special possession Israel?

“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).

As for me, I will echo the prophetic words of the Prophet Isaiah:

“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance” (Isaiah 60:1-3).

As long as the Lord gives me breath, I will continue to shout: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Gentile)” (Romans 1:16, NASB, parenthesis mine).

By God’s grace, I will continue to exalt my Lord and Savior Messiah Jesus. Because: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

And concerning Israel’s final redemption, I say ardently with the Jewish Apostle Paul (former Pharisee who was dramatically and eternally changed by the risen Messiah, Jesus):

“Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God” (Romans 10:1-4).

Things to Ponder

Restating the premise proposed in last week’s Part I article:

As Temple Mount goes, so goes Jerusalem. As Jerusalem goes, so goes Israel. As Israel goes, so goes the world.

I’m not stating or even implying that the nation of Israel is the only nation on earth that matters, and certainly not that Israel is perfect. However, based on the authority of God’s Word, I am saying that God’s ultimate plan and purpose for the human race goes directly through Israel.

How much sovereignty Israel will regain over Temple Mount, over Jerusalem, and over Judea/Samaria before the Rapture—which will take place any day now—remains to be seen. But whatever the extent of any reclaimed authority, it won’t be enough until they exercise their God-given right to sovereignty over ALL of Israel.

(Star of David Superimposed Over Temple Mount to Symbolize Jewish Sovereignty in Israel)

Those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to know the truth of God’s salvation and the sovereign position and responsibility he has given to Israel will eagerly agree with the prophet Isaiah who said:

“Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory…” (Isaiah 62:1-2, italics for emphasis).

And from whom does this righteousness come?

“In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. In those days Judah shall be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she shall be called: the Lord is our righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:15-16, NASB, italics for emphasis).

Once upon a time, the Kingdom of God on earth was almost here. When Jesus of Nazareth rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, thousands in Israel proclaimed, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! (Hosanna) Praise God in highest heaven!” (Mark 11:9-10).

Heartbreakingly, their religious leaders handed Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified. But just as Jesus said would happen: He arose from the dead to prove he was and is the Messiah, the Son of God. That was God’s providential purpose: The Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts of men and woman who believe and receive His Son’s supreme sacrifice for our sins. Soon, God’s ultimate plan will be fulfilled: the Kingdom of God on earth.

Nearly half of Jews on this earth are now living in Israel. And many more, if not all, will return when Jesus Christ himself returns to Israel—setting foot on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem directly across the Kidron Valley from Temple Mount. He will then enter Temple Mount through the now sealed Eastern Gate.

From then on Messiah Jesus will be the Status Quo.

Jewish Sovereignty on Temple Mount (Part I)

05 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by garybowers in Current Events

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Palestinian terrorism, Temple Mount

An Amazingly Disproportionate Focus on Israel

Is it mere coincidence that 20^th and 21^st century global attention has been focused on Israel like never before in history?

Is it by chance that events in the Middle East have repeatedly captured media headlines since Israel’s miraculous rebirth as a nation on May 14^th, 1948, followed by her miraculous defeat of five Arab nations that attacked the newborn Jewish state the very next day? Then the dramatic “against-all-odds” Israeli Six-Day War victory in 1967, followed by another stunning triumph in the Yom Kippur War of 1973? Or the (failed) Oslo Accord of 1993, and the Palestinian intifada of 2000 leading to incessant atrocities committed by “lone-wolf” Palestinians to the present day? And the intervention of the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, Turkey, Iran, and some European nations in the broader scope of Middle East wars and terrorism?

Not at all random, according to Scripture as found in numerous end-times prophecies of the last days concerning the Jews and Gentile nations’ attitude toward and treatment of Israel.

“Then the remnant left in Israel will take their place among the nations. They will be like dew sent by the Lord or like rain falling on the grass, which no one can hold back and no one can restrain” (Micah 5:7).

Based on the above end-times prophecy and others like it, and in the context of the horrific holocaust of World War II which directly led to the reborn State of Israel just three years later, it’s clear that the Jews who have immigrated to Israel and the native-born Israelis (Sabra) are the remnant spoken of by Micah. (Please see Eye of Prophecy article, Two-Thirds of the Jews Killed … Past or Future? Posted 9-19-15).

Says the Sovereign Lord regarding the last days: “I will strengthen Judah and save Israel; I will restore them because of my compassion. It will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, who will hear their cries” (Zechariah 10:6).

God has seen the plight and heard the pleading of his people from the floods of dispersion and the fires of Nazi death camps, just like he listened to their cries of slavery in Egypt long ago. If anyone doubts the powerful prominence that the true and living God places on Israel, listen to the following passage:

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: ‘My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!” (Zechariah 8:2).

Those nations and peoples who seek to destroy the Jews and Israel or even harm them, would do well to heed Almighty God’s warning: “At the time of those events, says the Lord, when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land” (Joel 3:1-2).

In light of what’s happened in the current generation (last 70 years)—especially events in the past few weeks that have drawn global attention to the real overriding issue of Jewish versus Arab sovereignty on Temple Mount, Jerusalem, and ultimately all of Israel—we can on the authority of the Bible recognize the validity of the following premise:

As Temple Mount goes, so goes Jerusalem. As Jerusalem goes, so goes Israel. As Israel goes, so goes the World.

God’s sweeping plan for mankind is centered on the tiny nation of Israel and on her Messiah—born of a Virgin from the lineage of King David, from the tribe of Judah. Messiah Jesus: who brings salvation to all who believe and receive him as their personal Savior; who will soon return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and put an end to human misery caused by pride, greed, inequality, injustice, terrorism, and war.

Listed to this magnificent prophetic announcement of both the First and Second Advent of the Messiah:

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Said the mighty angel Gabriel to the virgin:

“Don’t be afraid, Mary … for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:30-33).

From the Garden of Eden when God cursed Satan through the serpent and told him that the offspring of the woman (Eve, but also referring to Mary, the Jewish virgin who would give birth to Messiah … Isaiah 7:14) would strike Satan a death-blow; then God’s promise to Abraham that his heir (Isaac) would be the predecessor of salvation and blessings (ultimately through Messiah), Satan has tried maliciously to thwart God’s plans.

Satan’s plan bears the ugly name of Anti-Semitism: demonstrated by entire nations through horrendous hatred, persistent persecution, and attempted annihilation of the Jews.

This intolerant, irrational disdain for the Jews (just became they’re Jews) and insidious agenda to destroy the nation of Israel originates mostly from an unreasonable and flawed assumption that the Jews are arrogant. When, in fact, virtually every nation and peoples that have despised the Jews have done so out of sheer jealousy over what the Jews have accomplished down through the ages. That, and their refusal to acknowledge that the God of Israel is the only true God.

A Review of the Latest Terrorist Murders of Israelis

The Eye of Prophecy article entitled An Unprecedented Palestinian Attack in Jerusalem, posted 7-22-17, summarized the cold-blooded killing of two Israeli policemen and the aftermath, which included Israel’s sensible security installation of metal detectors to all gates that lead to Old Jerusalem. Never before had Arab terrorists killed Israelis in the confines of Temple Mount. Then the pathological audacious accusations by Jordanian, Hamas, and Palestinian Authority officials that the Jews were violating the “status quo” conditions of Temple Mount with these metal detectors. All the while, deliberately oblivious to the fact that it was the three Israeli-Arab (citizens of Israel) terrorists who started the whole thing.

Just a few hours (Israel time) after I posted that Eye of Prophecy article, a 19-year old Israeli Arab entered a Jewish home and brutally stabbed 70-year old Yosef Salomon, his son Elad, age 36, and daughter Chaya, age 46, to death. Yosef’s wife Tova, 68, was seriously wounded while protecting her grandchildren.

Not that Arabs need a stated reason to kill Jews, but the latest and most prevalent excuse is to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount from what they call (non-existent) Jewish desecration. Muslim definition of Al-Aqsa defilement is simply that of any Jew setting foot on Temple Mount, as there has never ever been any Jewish desecration of the mosque.

Among other vile things the murderer posted online before he butchered the Salomon family was that the Jews would not, “open the gates of al-Aqsa.” Even that was a distortion (lie) as the only (reasonable) change was erection of metal detectors—not taking away the privilege of Arabs to enter the gates that lead to Temple Mount. The mendacious mentality of this killer reflected the warped mindset of the greater majority of Palestinians and Israeli-Arabs in Israel: Such unmitigated gall of the Israelis to require Muslim entrance to Temple Mount through metal detectors under the “pretext” of heightened security?

After Palestinian and Arab, mostly from Jordan, uproar over the metal detectors (which are commonplace even in Arab holy sites, such as Mecca and Medina), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the metal detectors removed … in favor of a larger, more sophisticated and apparently less intrusive security system.

(Israel Removes Metal Detectors)

Here is an excerpt from the aforementioned Eye of Prophecy article, An Unprecedented Palestinian Attack in Jerusalem (in italics):

Along with the favorable trend of world opinion toward Israel exemplified by diplomatic relations and trade agreements between Israel and several nations, more people are also getting a glimpse of the real Palestinian agenda. How could anyone miss seeing it? It’s been there all along; now the Palestinians have unmasked themselves directly in front of international eyes with actions that speak as loud as their words.

Slowly at first, but now much more rapidly, Western nations and even some Arab countries are beginning to realize that Jews—not only in Israel, but the world over—have contributed so much to the welfare of the human race; and will increase this contribution exponentially if the nations would only work with them and not against them. This global atmosphere of increased toleration for the Jews and enhanced empathy for their suffering (BDS discrimination, maiming, murders, and vandalism of their crops) is exactly the condition that Scripture predicted would occur during the beginning of the last days of the end times….

“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them” (Jeremiah 33:6-9).

This more respectful disposition toward Israel is now at the highest level since 1948 … in my opinion even higher. That is exactly the condition that will exist during the unexpected Gog/Magog assault against Israel by several nations—led principally by Russia, Iran, and Turkey—that will take place during the (early part of) Great Tribulation. The surprising increase of international recognition of Israel is yet another prophetic milepost that demonstrates just how close we are to the Rapture followed in seven years by the magnificent return of Messiah Jesus to make all things right.

There are two primary reasons why Jews will not only return to Temple Mount under their terms, but also why the Jewish Temple itself will be rebuilt on the very site where God spared Isaac, and where Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple stood.

The first reason is in two parts: (1) the Rapture that will create world-wide confusion and panic followed quickly by, (2) the return of Antichrist Nero from the Abyss. His perceived miraculous reappearance and the chaotic condition of the world as a result of the disappearance of hundreds of millions will facilitate desperate global longing for peace and safety. Because of the divine status accorded him (by virtue of returning from the grave), Nero will have no problem orchestrating a treaty between Arabs/Muslims and Jews, including a rebuilt Jewish Temple.

The second reason: Increasing global favor toward Israel that has already begun, and will (soon) enable her to be in a position of peace, safety, tranquility, and prosperity, unequaled since the glory days of King David and King Solomon’s reign. But it will be a false peace because it will be arranged by a false messiah … Antichrist Nero.

And then it will happen. Listen to the Holy Spirit inspired prediction against Gog/Magog uttered by the prophet Ezekiel some 2,600 years ago … a prophecy that will soon come to pass:

“…In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands… You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud … You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages!’ … When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will arouse yourself” (Ezekiel 38:8-14).

The Real Agenda toward Israel Will Soon Surface

Soon after the Rapture, the malevolent motive and sordid scheme of nations who hate Israel will prevail over the 161 nations that currently have diplomatic relations with Israel. Today’s affinity of most of these nations toward Israel is shallow and superficial … with a few exceptions such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

The Psalmist pleads with the Lord: “O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God. Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies? Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up? They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence’” (Psalm 83:1-4).

The Ayatollah of Iran and several Arab national leaders have repeatedly uttered these very words in our generation. And the avowed goal of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority is an Arab state in place of, not alongside of Israel … a state without a single Jew left.

We can be sure that the Lord will answer the prayer of the Psalmist. The time has come when God will not be silent about Israel. This silence was lifted in 1948. Soon the Lion from the Tribe of Judah will roar, and the earth will be shaken as never before!

Let’s continue with the Gog/Magog prophecy in Ezekiel by adding one more verse left out of the passage from two weeks ago, in which this arrogant man, called Gog, boasts against Israel:

“I will go to those formerly desolate cities that are now filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder, for the people are rich with livestock and other possessions now. They think the whole world revolves around them!” (Ezekiel 38:12, italics for emphasis).

When the Iranian, Turkish, and Russian-led coalition attacks Israel, Gog’s malicious mentality will be a carryover from the misguided mindset of many in today’s world. The Gog/Magog alliance of nations which is developing before our 21^st century eyes, and even some national leaders who have fostered a favorable diplomacy toward Israel, mistakenly assume that Israel and the Jews think the whole world revolves around them.

Are modern-day Jews and contemporary Israel arrogant?

No they are not, not even close. (For example, see Eye of Prophecy article, The Heart and Soul of Israel, published 1-4-14).

The Jews as a collective whole do not see nor think of themselves as arrogant. If anything, it’s just the opposite. So much so that they do not adequately defend or even sufficiently explain (through the media) their God-given right to total sovereignty in Israel, especially on Temple Mount but also in the Gaza Strip and Judea/Samaria (West Bank). In part this is borne out of twenty-five hundred years of being humbled by God himself through discipline of his people—by allowing Gentile nations to not once, not twice, but three times exile the Jews from Israel.

Beginning with the Assyrian demolition of the ten northern tribes in 722 B.C. Then the Babylonian conquest and exile of Jews from the southern kingdom of Judah in 586 B.C.

Followed by the devastation of Israel and Jerusalem and total destruction of the 2^nd Temple in 70 A.D. that would lead to world-wide dispersion of the Jews until 1948. Culminating in the worst disaster that has ever befallen the Jews … the hideous holocaust.

For you see, there was a time when the Jews were haughty, not only toward Gentile nations but also toward the true and living God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This occurred more often than not during the 400-year decline of Israel that began when they split into two kingdoms soon after King Solomon died. God had warned Israel of this puffed-up attitude as long before as the time of Moses. Through Moses, he told them that they would lose their God-given sovereign status as a nation if they disobeyed him and pompously pursued the false gods of their pagan Gentile neighbors.

Here is one such warning: “Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive” (Deuteronomy 4:26-27).

Here is another of God’s warnings to his people after they would take possession of the Promised Land:

“Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt … He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness … He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy’” (Deuteronomy 8:14-17).

It was God’s purpose for the Jews to be a shining example, a light to the Gentile nations. So that other nations would recognize the God-given sovereignty of the Jewish nation as the source of the Lord’s blessings—first to Israel, then to every nation whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12).

Instead, the Jews misused their position of prestige and prosperity among the nations and became smug and selfish in their attitude toward Gentiles. Worse, they refused to acknowledge their conceit, as recorded by the last prophet God would send to Israel for 400 hundred years. Not until the Lord implemented the New Covenant of Grace promised through Jeremiah, would he speak again to Israel; a covenant commenced and sealed by their very Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. Although addressed by other prophets, it was Israel’s last prophet Malachi who brought the final indictment against Israel’s ingratitude and egotism toward God

Just like God used the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, he humbled Israel for the final time in 70 A.D., with the Roman destruction of the Temple. Just a short time before the religious Jews handed him over to the Romans to be crucified, Jesus had exposed their arrogant self-righteous hypocrisy. Still he loved them as conveyed in his poignant words immediately after he blasted the Pharisees, in which Jesus also foretold of Jerusalem’s impending destruction.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:37-39).

In fact, observant Jews once again mourned the worst day in Jewish history this past Tuesday, simply called Tisha B’Av (9^th day of the Hebrew month of Av). Both temples were destroyed on that same calendar date, the first in 586 B.C, the second in 70 A.D. (Please see Eye of Prophecy article, Day of Infamy, posted 7-25-15, which begins with America’s Day of Infamy Pearl Harbor attack, then covers in great detail the Jewish 9th of Av).

Yet, the Bible is crystal clear that God’s discipline of Israel was for their own good; in order for them to eternally inherit all of the wonderful benefits and blessings that God has for them … and through them the world. The alternative of God’s final judgment on mankind is far worse than the tough love discipline he imposes to get the attention of his people to return to him, both the nation of Israel and New Covenant born-again believers (Jews and Gentile alike) when we sometimes go our own way.

“Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good” (Deuteronomy 8:5).

“For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they know how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (Hebrews 12:10-11).

It’s Not Israel, But Her Enemies Who Are Arrogant

Israel’s corporate conceit ended nearly 2,000 years ago. The God-directed humbling of his people in 70 A.D. resulted in periodic humiliation and persecution of his chosen people without any recourse for the Jews to resist and fight back … until 1948.

On the other hand, the vanity of Israel’s adversaries in today’s world has reached … well, Biblical proportions. Listen to God’s warning:

“…At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked … I warned the proud, ‘Stop your boasting!’ I told the wicked, ‘Don’t raise your fists! Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with such arrogance.’ … It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall” (Psalm 75:2-7).

I can safely and will strongly state on the authority of Scripture coupled with the astounding sequence of today’s unfolding events matching Biblical prophecies: The time that God has planned is near, so very near.

Listen to the results when God’s “fury boils over” (Ezekiel 38:18) against those nations and people who display the same kind of arrogance toward Israel that they falsely accuse the Jews of:

“In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them (Gog/Magog) and the power of my fist when I strike. And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. The nations will then know why Israel was sent away to exile—it was punishment for sin, for they were unfaithful to their God. Therefore, I turned away from them, and let their enemies destroy them. I turned my face away and punished them because of their defilement and their sins” (Ezekiel 39:21-24, parenthesis mine).

As I’ve detailed in several prior Eye of Prophecy articles, God ended his centuries-long punishment of Israel—through Gentile domination of the Jews—in the 1967 Six-Day War. Yet Israel did not, by any stretch of the imagination, become arrogant or feel superior by virtue of this stunning victory. Instead, they (one could even say “humbly”) relinquished what was their rightful sovereignty over Judea/Samaria, the Gaza Strip, and the Temple Mount to the Arabs. In fact, many, including me, believe that this self-effacing gesture was ill-advised.

Webster’s Dictionary defines arrogant: “exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one’s own worth or importance in an overbearing manner.” And arrogance is defined as: “a feeling of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or presumptuous claims.”

In fact, both of these terms could easily and accurately be applied to the Palestinians with a plethora of examples given, some of which are listed in the aforementioned Eye of Prophecy article, and more to be identified in next week’s Part II article.

(Palestinians in Jordan are not self-governed as they are in Israel. They are ruled by the Jordanian Hashemite King Abdullah II, pictured above)

Don’t miss next week’s article in which we’ll continue with the dynamics of the God-given right of Jewish sovereignty in Israel.

Things to Ponder

Said the Lord to his people long ago: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high” (Leviticus 26:13).

But then the Lord warned them not to disobey and abandon him through apathy, complacency, and pride; as only he was their source of provisions, prosperity, and protection.

As we’ve seen, the Jews failed to keep God’s Covenant with them through Moses. As a result they suffered all four of the seven times over punishments found in Leviticus Chapter 26. The fourth and final being the worst of all: banishment to foreign nations with the last of those exiles lasting nearly 2,000 years. During that time Jews all over the world could not walk with their heads held high. Often, in humiliating fashion, they were forced to run with the proverbial tail between their legs.

Listen to what the Lord said would happen to his people, and, in fact, did take place during turbulent times of persecution after they were driven out of Israel by the Romans:

“And for those of you who survive, I will demoralize you in the land of your enemies. You will live in such fear that the sound of a leaf driven by the wind will send you fleeing. You will run as though fleeing from a sword, and you will fall down even when no one pursues you … You will have no power to stand up against your enemies. You will die among the foreign nations and be devoured in the land of your enemies.” (Leviticus 26:36-38).

This affliction of God’s people continued from the 1^st century to the mid- 20^th century, which was also an inordinate global focus on the Jews, but in a menacing and destructive way. Beginning with more Roman emperors who persecuted those Jews left in Israel after many were killed and many more exiled in 70 A.D.; Mohammed’s slaughter of Jews as he forcefully expanded his newly invented religion of Islam; Crusaders who killed as many Jews as they did Muslims in order to claim Roman Catholic supremacy in Jerusalem; Roman Catholic Inquisitions; European Pogroms; and finally the Holocaust. And these were just the more well-known episodes of Anti-Semitic brutality against the Jews.

BUT NO MORE!

God promised that this discipline through exile of his people would end and so it did; it began to end in 1948, and ended in 1967. Please refer to Eye of Prophecy trilogy, Seven Times Seven (to the 4^th power), posted 1-25, 2-1, & 2-8-14. These articles disclose in great detail that the seven-times over paradigm in Leviticus Chapter 26 was a pre-determined time (years) set by the Lord for Israel’s discipline to run its full course.

In that same chapter in Leviticus, the Lord said: “Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land … I will not utterly reject or despise them while they are in exile in the land of their enemies. I will not cancel my covenant with them by wiping them out, for I am the Lord their God” (Leviticus 26:42-44).

Yes, the Jews are back and Israel is here to stay forever. As in their glory years of King David and King Solomon, the Lord has once again made them, “…the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom…” (Deuteronomy 28:13).

Countdown to Armageddon … End of the Fourth 400-Year Era

29 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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Epoch Periods of Time

A Personal Thank-You

Four years ago (last week of July), the first article was published on this website, with the Home Page title of: Eye of Prophecy … watch and wait. “…For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus” (Revelation 19:10).

And, as stated on the About Page of the website: “…defending and confirming the truth of the Good News” (Philippians 1:7).

Also shown on that page is an acronym:

The intent, form, and content of Eye of Prophecy is presented through Eschatology

P I C T U R E S

Prophetic Inspirational Connections Through Understanding Relevant Events (and) Scripture

Either directly or indirectly, Eye of Prophecy articles are designed to hopefully achieve these objectives. In some fashion or another, all of the articles are written with a Biblical world-view; to better understand and connect prophecy to the events taking place on a regular basis in our lifetime. To provide inspiring counsel, correlation, and to correctly refit the prophetic puzzle when necessary.

I’d like to express a sincere thank you to all visitors—both frequent and infrequent—to the Eye of Prophecy website, especially those who follow this site weekly. Though there are a wide variety of topics, all posts are assigned to one of four categories: The Rapture, The Antichrist, Prophecy in General, or Current Events.

Jesus of Nazareth is the prophesied Messiah who came to this earth to accomplish the two providential plans that God conceived for the human race, to the Jew first and then to the Gentile:

(1) To bring salvation, through the Jews, to every Jew and Gentile who believes and receives Messiah Jesus as Lord and Savior.

(2) To fulfill God’s promise that Abraham’s descendants would possess the Promised Land of Israel forever.

In the last 70 years both of these magnificent plans have been in high gear and are now in the final stages. Tens of thousands of Jews have come to Christ especially since the Six-Day War of 1967, as have millions of Gentiles the world over. Israel has been reborn as a sovereign nation, with Jews immigrating to or being born in their homeland in great numbers.

In the Eye of Prophecy articles, Look Up, Redemption is Near Part I & II (posted 7-11 & 7-18-15), I listed twelve powerful prophetic signs of the 20^th & 21^st century—some fulfilled and others being fulfilled. The twelfth of these indicators is the unprecedented spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world, which is the most distinctive milepost that Jesus said would usher in the Day of the Lord (beginning with the Rapture).

Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who Jesus is. Not because of who I am, but because of what he’s done, do I marvel at how such a small ministry as Eye of Prophecy can be global in its scope (visitors from 167 nations to date). Despite the adverse and sometimes perverse misuse of the Internet by so many, God has sovereignly utilized this medium to spread the Good News.

Four years—210 Eye of Prophecy articles, one every week. So, with a sort of author’s website anniversary, why not write about the number four; which I believe is the third most significant number in Scripture after the divine numbers of three and seven. With, however, special focus on its multiplied factor of four hundred (years).

The Number Four

One other time I wrote about the number four, but only as a precursor to the main subject of the four Gentile kingdoms portrayed in the book of Daniel. Here is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, Four Locusts Kingdoms!, posted 8-22-15 (in italics):

Several numbers in the Bible bear a great deal of meaning … we are going to see how the number four relates to and explains a huge portion of Israel’s history; in the context of God’s providential direction for the Jews and their interaction with mighty Gentile nations.

The number four derives its significance from God’s creative work especially pertaining to the earth, including God’s dealings with and disposition (rise and fall destiny) of nations. It is the number of wholeness, totality, entirety, and summation. It is a number concept that would be completely incomplete if we eliminated just one of the component parts of any given foursome.

If we want to move from one place to another, we must go forward, backward, left or right. Up or down doesn’t count; if we go beneath or above the earth, we must then travel in one of four directions.

…There are four seasons, four primary lunar phases, and four sides to what is probably the most perfect geometric object we can think of … a square. And many more fours:

I went on to list fourteen more fours prominently displayed in Scripture and the universe, including one that you may not have thought about—in terms of the number four. Which is, as quoted from Four Locusts Kingdoms:

“Each day has four component parts: Seconds, minutes, hours, and day. One day is cyclical … it begins, ends, and starts all over again. Weeks, months, and years are linear, continuous.”

(Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse … One of the Ominous Fours!)

That post also contained brief information on three epic periods of 400 hundred years depicted in the Bible. Today’s article will reexamine those remarkable 400-year eras, and will also present an additional 400-year period of time (a total of four!) that leads us to the last days of the end times. In other words, right now!

Before we scrutinize these four 400-year long epochs of Scripture and history, let’s look at two other multiplied factors of the number four: (1) Four Thousand. (2) Forty.

Four Thousand (Years)

As indicated earlier, God has two separate (but interrelated) plans for the human race.

(1) Promised Land: God’s call of Abraham to, by faith, leave his home and go a country that his descendants would inhabit forever. Because of Israel’s failure to keep the Mosaic Covenant, the resumption and realization of this plan only began to unfold when the Jewish State of Israel was reborn in 1948. It will be finally fulfilled when the Jews are restored to total sovereignty and safety in Israel.

(2) Promised Child: Abraham would father a child with Sarah (a miraculous birth considering Sarah was 90 years old). Isaac would be the progenitor and prototype of the ultimate Child of Promise, Messiah Jesus—the Savior of both Jews and Gentiles who exercise the same kind of faith (trust/acceptance) in God’s promise as did Abraham. So great a salvation was purchased by the substitutionary sacrificial death of Jesus, and sealed by his resurrection that initiated the Kingdom of Heaven in the individual hearts of people all over the world. And it will culminate in the Kingdom of God on earth.

Scholars are not completely certain when Abraham was born and then called (at age seventy-five) to pack up and leave for the land God would show him. Yet they have narrowed it down to a (rounded-off) range of 2,100 B.C. to 1,800 B.C. Much depends on tracing the generation of the Patriarchs Jacob and Isaac backward from the Exodus, which can have two historical timelines: 1446 B.C. or 1280 B.C.

With a reliable and reasonable splitting and rounding-off of the difference, let’s place Abraham’s calling to the Promised Land at 2,000 B.C.

Leaping forward to the 21^st century—with my ardent belief as well as some Bible scholars and many born-again believers that the Day of the Lord is so very near—we have an approximate 4,000 year time line between God’s prophecy that the first Child of Promise (Isaac) would be born and commencement of the Day of the Lord that begins with the Rapture of believing Jews and Gentiles by the second (ultimate) Child of Promise. That’s why Messiah Jesus is the essence of prophecy. He will fully accomplish both of God’s preordained plans for mankind.

Forty (Days and Years)

Forty days or years in Scripture is the length of time for testing and preparation with a substantial accomplishment the result, thereof. This model and its meaning also applies to the factor of four hundred (years), which we’ll get to shortly.

First Forty:

“Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24:18).

What mountain did Moses climb?

Correct: Mount Sinai.

For what purpose did Moses ascend Sinai? Don’t you like easy Bible questions?!

Answer: Ten Commandments. “When the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18).

For Moses, forty days and nights on the mountain was a time of preparation to lead God’s people into the Promised Land, and show them that listening to and obeying God’s life-giving laws and commandments—beginning with the Ten Commandments which are a universal source of truth—is what would distinguish them from the ungodly pagan nations. God chose Israel to be an example, a light, and the conduit of God’s blessings to the Gentile nations.

For the people, it was a time to test just how much they would trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for Moses to return with the Covenant that God has already announced when he spoke in a thunderous voice to them from Mount Sinai. They failed that test, miserably. You remember—Golden calf; Moses smashing the tablets in righteous anger; 3,000 killed for their shameful idolatry and gross immorality.

Moses had to return to the mountain for another forty days and nights to get a new set of the Ten Commandments.

Second Forty:

Sadly, the Israelites failed another test of trust in and obedience to the Lord their God. Unlike their father, Abraham, who believed God and acted on his faith that the Lord would lead him to an unknown land, the Israelites sided with ten of the twelve spies who convinced them that Canaan couldn’t be conquered because their enemies were too strong for them. With the absurd implication that their enemies were also too strong for the Lord. How soon they had forgotten what God did to Egypt!

“But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. ‘Let’s go at once to take the land,’ he said. ‘We can certainly conquer it!’” (Numbers 13:30). But the people didn’t listen to him or to Joshua or to Moses.

Did God let them have their way? You know the answer. But only for that generation of unbelievers. Not for their children, because what God says will happen always happens (in this case the Promised Land). It’s just that his promises sometimes are delayed and then later fulfilled to a remnant who truly trust him with their lives and destiny.

Said the Lord to the people who refused to enter the Promised Land:

“You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised. But as for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness … Because your men explored the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years—a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. Then you will discover what it is like to have me for an enemy” (Numbers 14:31-34).

After forty years in the wilderness—just a short while before Joshua led the people across the Jordan River into Canaan—Moses reminded them of the terms of their Covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The entire book of Deuteronomy contains that review. Said Moses in summation:

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy” (Deuteronomy 30:15-16).

Third Forty:

“The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him” (Mark 1:12-13).

Although the forty days in the wilderness was a time to prepare Jesus for his ministry, the most prominent feature of this period of time was Satan’s testing of our Lord.

Permit me to quote from my book, Out of the Abyss (in italics):

Yet, it was the temptation scene that dealt the first Messianic blow to Satan’s plans, because that was the devil’s first opportunity to create an antichrist right then and there; to, in one fell swoop, twist and turn the true Messiah into Satan’s messiah.

Eternal praise to our God and his Messiah that this did not happen! All glory to Yeshua who did not send a legion of angels to annihilate those who had arrested him in the garden! Everlasting gratitude to our Lord for not saying I’ve had enough, and stepping down from the cross! All power and dominion to the Son of Man for arising from the grave and conquering death once and for all! Go ahead, say it aloud with me. Amen! (Page 219).

Jesus is the Son of God. No one on planet earth has ever taught like he taught.

“Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law” (Mark 1:21-22).

Jesus could teach with such authority because he taught the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Nor would he ever have to swear to these words in a court of law. Because he is truth itself (John 14:6). But, if he did agree to repeat those words, he certainly wouldn’t say, “So help me God.” Instead he would say: “Because I AM God!”

When on trial before the High Priest Caiaphas, Jesus affirmed that he was the Messiah. Later before Pontius Pilate, he said: “…Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true” (John 18:37).

But if you question whether or not to take him at his word, then believe the many mighty miracles he performed. Read them for yourself in the Gospels. If the miracles aren’t enough, then what about his astonishing resurrection from the dead—a historical fact witnessed by hundreds (I Corinthians 15:1-9).

He is also the Son of Man (conceived by the Holy Spirit but born, nonetheless, of a woman). Which is why he could be and was tempted and tested for forty days just we all are tempted throughout our lives. With one huge redemptive difference:

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (II Corinthians 5:21, italics for emphasis).

(*Note: There is a fourth prominent forty (days) in Scripture … the time it took Elijah to reach Mount Sinai where the Lord met with him. See I Kings 19).

Four Hundred (Years)

Keep in mind, we’re looking at the time-lapse connection between an exceptional event or extraordinary existing condition and a subsequent significant occurrence; to show that the Lord’s sweeping plan for Israel (interacting with Gentile nations) sometimes correlates to and takes place in set periods of time.

Thus, we need to understand this dynamic paradigm:

Each four hundred year cycle began with a positive (good) event/time, then deteriorated into a negative (bad) condition of God’s people; culminating with a historic life-changing, destiny-altering event that ended the four hundred year span.

This is important to grasp, because we could arbitrarily select (create) other Biblical or secular 400-year eras by pointing to any number of beginning and ending events. By the objective concept of what qualifies as and constitutes a historic 400-year epoch, I know of no other such periods in history other than the evidence found in the following four epochs. Meaning a cause and effect correlation with an equally obvious continuity during those 400-year periods of time.

However, these four epochs were not consecutive. Beginning with Abraham, they comprise a total of 1,600 years (four phases of 400 hundred years), compared to the 4,000 years of history since Abraham.

First Four-Hundred Year Span

“So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. During the night God spoke to him in a vision. ‘Jacob! Jacob!” he called. ‘Here I am,’ Jacob replied.

‘I am God, the God of your father,’ the voice said. ‘Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes’” (Genesis 46:1-4).

Jacob’s descendants prospered for a while in a country that welcomed them with open arms; a nation that Joseph helped deliver from disaster during a seven-year famine. And, of course, Joseph’s father, brothers, and their families were rescued from starvation in Canaan.

We then read: “In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation. But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.

“Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. He said to his people, ‘Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more … So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor…” (Exodus 1:6-11).

Another easy question: How long were the Israelites in Egypt before God called Moses to deliver them?

Answer: Four hundred years.

I’ll pose a tougher question for those who need more of a challenge. What prophet predicted that the Israelites would be in Egypt for 400 years?

Tough question, huh? Actually, don’t spend any more time trying to think of the answer. It was a trick question … as would be recognized by you who know that it wasn’t a prophet who spoke to Abraham (there weren’t any prophets at that time!).

It was God, himself, who told Abraham far ahead of time that his people would, “…be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth” (Genesis 15:13-14).

God’s prophecies always come true. Although it would take another 30 years or so to prepare Moses and the people (including the time of the plagues and actual deliverance), the fact remains that it was 400 years from the peak time that Jacob’s and Joseph’s descendants prospered in Egypt to when God called Moses to deliver his people.

To this day, the Exodus is still celebrated by the Jews as the greatest event in their history. An occurrence that led to establishment of Israel as a nation in accordance with God’s covenant with Abraham.

Second Four-Hundred Year Span

King David unified the twelve tribes of Israel; over his reign of forty years Israel became the most powerful nation on earth, with Jerusalem as its capital. Those glory years of Israel increased even more under the reign of King Solomon, also for forty years. Soon after Solomon died in 930 B.C., Israel split into two kingdoms—the northern kingdom called Israel and the southern kingdom called Judah. Early in Solomon’s reign, the magnificent Temple was built, then destroyed during Babylon’s final (of three) invasion and conquest of Judah in 586 B.C. Then rebuilt after Persia conquered Babylon, and King Cyrus issued a decree in 538 B.C. that the Jewish exiles could return home.

During the last few years of Solomon’s kingship, he and many in Israel began to abandon the Lord in favor of pagan gods.

Although there is some overlap, the core period of time that these events occurred lasted 400 hundred years. Like the other 400-year epic periods, this one began under opportune, optimistic conditions with Israel at its peak as a national power, whose people faithfully obeyed and followed the Lord God. However, after the kingdom was divided, it inevitably deteriorated morally and spiritually to a point of no return. God withdrew his protection and provisions. Assyria completely destroyed the northern kingdom in 722 B.C. and relocated nearly all Jews of the ten northern tribes to foreign lands.

Then Babylon crushed the southern kingdom, and exiled most of the Jews to Babylon. However, God had precisely predicted that this exile punishment would last only 70 years, and so it did, with the second temple finished in 516 B.C. Which also fits the pattern of the other 400-year models, meaning it ended on a very positive note.

During this four hundred span, all but three (Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi) of God’s prophets spoke both warnings and promises to Israel and Judah. Those three were post-exile prophets.

Essentially, this period of time lasted between 940 B.C. and 540 B.C (rounded off). With a transitional combined 30 years on either side of the time span, i.e. Israel at the height of its glory, then the actual completion of the second temple, although Israel as a nation had been decimated and there would be no more kings in Israel.

Third Four-Hundred Year Span

About 120 years after Solomon’s Temple was rebuilt, something stunning took place. Actually, better remembered for something that didn’t happen, which would lead to profound changes in Israel’s future. And not only Israel … the whole world.

“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6).

These are the final words of the last Old Testament prophet as recorded in the Bible. After Malachi there would be no prophets in Israel and no word from God whatsoever, the duration of which was 400 years. Bible scholars accurately refer to this era as the “silent years.”

Malachi’s final announcement is obviously a prophecy. It’s one of several Old Testament predictions that relate to both the First and Second Advent of Messiah Jesus, such as Isaiah 9:6-7. In this instance (the return of) Elijah would be a symbolic representation of the next prophet sent by God … John the Baptist, who would “…Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!” (John 1:23).

(Painting of the Prophet John Baptizing Jesus)

Jesus even said that John the Baptist was the Elijah of his time. But this prophecy also applies to the second advent of Jesus when he returns to the earth. During the Great Tribulation, Elijah will literally return alongside of Moses as the two witnesses of Revelation Chapter 11.

Here is an excerpt from the previously mentioned Eye of Prophecy article, Four Locust Kingdoms! (In italics)

One of my favorite verses is Amos 3:7, which says, “Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.” Which means that anything pertaining to God’s plan for Israel and Gentile nations as they interface with Israel has been proclaimed by his prophets! Did you know that God announced this period of silence with Israel ahead of time? I certainly didn’t until just recently, when I read again and this time realized the following passage says exactly that. And from the same prophet no less!

“The time is surely coming, says the Sovereign Lord, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it” (Amos 8:11-12).

Malachi wrote his book approximately 430 B.C., just two or three years after the book of Nehemiah was written. Fifteen years or so before that, there was a remarkable revival and return to the Lord, though it was short-lived. Here is what the people said in front of their great and godly leader Nehemiah:

“…They swore a curse on themselves if they failed to obey the Law of God as issued by his servant Moses. They solemnly promised to carefully follow all of the commands, regulations, and decrees of the Lord our Lord” (Nehemiah 10:29).

Their revival and promise didn’t last very long, which is why God abruptly stopped any and all communication to the people.

It was time for the Lord to phase out the Old Covenant he made with his people through Moses and prepare them for the New Covenant that he had announced through Jeremiah some 200 years earlier (see Jeremiah 31:31-34). Like the forty-day and forty-year periods of time and like the preceding 400-year cycles, they would go through a time of trial and testing, such as the slaughter of thousands of Jews and desecration of the Temple at the hand of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 169-168 B.C.

Four hundred years after Malachi, the greatest event of human history took place … the birth of Israel’s Messiah. The New Covenant of Grace would soon be implemented and sealed with the awesome once-for-all atoning sacrifice of the Son of God.

Not only had another 400-year span of time been completed with an earth-shaking event, so had the 2^nd of, what many Bible scholars believe is, a consecutive tri-part division of God’s historical interaction with the human race. (1) Two thousand years from Adam to Abraham; (2) Two thousand years from Abraham to Messiah Jesus; (3) Two thousand years to the return of Christ to establish the one thousand-year Kingdom of God on earth. Which will also be the 7^th millennial period of time to represent the Sabbath 7^th day of creation.

Fourth Four-Hundred Span—Leading to the Present Day

At the outset of this week’s article, it occurred to me that there very well could be a final span of 400 years that would track with the generational prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 24 (based on two Biblical definitions of a generation … 100 years and 70 years), ending somewhere close to the year 2020. Please see a detailed explanation in a trilogy of Eye of Prophecy articles entitled Seven Times Seven to the 4^th Power posted 1-25, 2-1, 2-8-14, and the sequel article entitled The Omega Generation (2-15-14). There is no specific “date setting” in those articles, nor would I ever do such a thing. Jesus, himself, said that no one knows that “day or hour” of his return. On the other hand, Jesus said that we should understand the signs of the time (era) that points to his return.

For that to be even a possibility, I would need to backtrack 400 years to determine if there was a huge milestone event that dramatically impacted human history.

Do you know what that exceptional episode was?

Answer: The King James Bible!

After seven years of translation work, it was published in 1611. Although the Roman Catholic Church considered it to be a Protestant Bible, the King James Version nevertheless swept over Europe, then later the United States and other parts of the world. It contained, of course, both the Old and New Testaments … the complete Bible. In fact it was simply entitled: The Holy Bible.

The world has never been the same since. God’s Word in the hands of born-again ministers and lay people led to many more accepting Jesus as personal Savior since the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd centuries. It ignited spiritual revivals in Great Britain and the United States in the 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th centuries. Availability of the King James Bible and application of the Judeo-Christian principles and practices found in the absolute truth of God’s Word was a catalyst to the foundational formation of the greatest nation on earth, the United States of America.

Alas, the latter part of this 400-year time frame has seen the same kind of spiritual apathy toward, ignorance of, and rebellion against the Bible and the God and Messiah of Scripture, that we found in the previous 400-year cycles.

In the 20^th and 21^st centuries, we’ve seen more excellent translations of Scripture in literary form, style, and language that fits our generation, compared to the English language of the 17^th century. This is true for other languages as well. Nonetheless, the King James Version of The Holy Bible remains the favorite for millions of Christians.

I have my (departed) mother’s King James Version… Scofield Reference Bible. The pages are so old, I’m reluctant to even touch them. There are far more pages than not, where my mother had underlined verses, wrote in the columns, or otherwise highlighted passages. It has become a family treasure.

*Note: Though on a non-historic, insignificant (compared to the actual 400-year epoch), subjective personal level—for the benefit of members of my family—I offer the following: The King James Bible was published in 1611. My mother died in 2011. Do the math, family! My mother’s name: Mary.

Things to Ponder

God himself set the precedent for 400-year periods of time when he told Abraham that the Jews would be in Egypt that long.

The more I wrote, then edited, this’s weeks article, the more I’m convinced that we are at the end of the fourth and final (remember the significance of the number four in terms of completeness, continuity, and finality) 400-years of this age of human history. Regarding the historical impact, the King James Bible was one of the biggest events of all time. The written Word of God became accessible to millions more than before, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ began to spread exponentially.

Like the in-between passage of time in the previous 400-year epochs, we’ve seen more evil and human misery than ever before. One need only to think of World War I, World War II, and the current wars, terrorism, and Muslim slaughter of other Muslims and also Christians.

Very soon, we will witness (whether believers taken to heaven or unbelievers left behind to suffer the Great Tribulation) the Living Word of God—Messiah Jesus—coming back to earth, some 400 years after the written Word of God was restored, published, and disseminated to the nations.

When Messiah Jesus returns, he will once again in person: “…teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3).

An Unprecedented Palestinian Attack in Jerusalem

22 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by garybowers in Current Events

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Terror in Jerusalem

And the Beat (of Terror) Goes On

Their brutal tactics are contemptibly transparent: kill Israelis—one, or two, or a few at a time—to teach the Jews and sway world opinion that it is really all of Israel which belongs to the Palestinians. With these ungodly, morally reprehensible actions, the Arabs will not succeed. The Jews are in Israel to stay … forever!

In September, 2015, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared: “Al-Aqsa is ours and so is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. (Jews) have no right to desecrate them with their filthy feet. We won’t allow them to do so, and we will do whatever we can to defend Jerusalem.” This call to defend Jerusalem became the battle cry for the 2015-2016 so-called lone-wolf knife intifada (mostly knives were used, but also cars, axes, and guns). What the Palestinians really mean by Jewish defilement of Temple Mount is even one Jew setting foot on the Temple Mount complex.

The false Palestinian narrative will fail. But as long as the Arabs believe the lies that their religious and political leaders spout on a daily basis, they will continue with their treacherous agenda.

Eight of nine Palestinian attacks in Jerusalem since the first of the year (2017) have taken place at one or more of the seven entrance gates to the Old City of Jerusalem, such as the Damascus Gate. The two gates nearest Temple Mount are the Dung Gate—through which my sister and I entered to access the Western Wall and Temple Mount in 2006—and the Lions’ Gate, also called the Saint Stephens Gate.

(Lions’ Gate in Jerusalem)

The most recent assault took place on July 14^th at the Lions’ Gate. Three Arab gunmen, (I choose not to list their full names) ages 19, 19, and 29—all residents of the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm, northwest of Haifa—each with the first name of Muhammad (that says it all), opened fire on Israeli policemen guarding the gate. The barrage killed Staff Sgt. Haiel Sitawe, age 30, and Staff Sgt. Kamil Shinaan, age 22. A third policeman was injured.

Although the final objective of the terrorists is unknown, it’s deductively evident they wanted to enter the Temple Mount complex to eliminate as many Jews as they could. After shooting the policemen, the terrorists fled into the Temple Mount complex where they were pursued and killed.

Before the Temple Mount incident, the previous attack occurred on June 16^th in which an Israeli Border Police officer (a woman, Hadas Malka) was stabbed to death near the Damascus Gate by one of three Palestinian terrorists, when she ran toward the other two terrorists who were shooting at Israelis nearby. Four Israelis were injured. All three Arabs were silenced before they could kill more Jews.

New Perverse Level of Arab Reaction to yet another Brutal Murder of Israelis

To demonstrate the increasingly brazen actions and disgusting responses of the Palestinians, here is an excerpt from a June 19^th article written by Bassam Tawil who writes primarily for the online news source, Gatestone Institute:

“For many Palestinians, the stabbing murder of a 23-year old Israeli Border Police … proves that the ‘revolution against the Zionist entity will continue until the liberation of Palestine, from the (Mediterranean) sea to the (Jordan) river.’

“In a statement published in Ramallah shortly after the terror attack, Fatah ‘condemned the Israeli occupation forces for killing three young Palestinian men in East Jerusalem.’ It said that the killing of the three terrorists ‘proves that the Israeli government is pursuing its policy of escalation.’ Fatah called on the international community to ‘seriously look into providing protection for the defenseless Palestinian people.’

“The Fatah statement failed to mention that the three Palestinian ‘young men’ were armed with knives and a homemade submachine gun. Nor did Fatah mention a word about the Border Police officer who was stabbed to death in the terror attack.”

(Photo of Hadas Malka, Not Long Before She Was Killed)

Bassam Tawil—a Muslim, but one who recognizes the right of the Jews to live in the sovereign State of Israel—went on to say:

“Such a statement could never have been published without the approval of Abbas and his top cronies in Ramallah … This is the twisted logic of Abbas and his people. How dare the Israeli police officers shoot terrorists armed with knives and a machinegun and prevent them from killing more Jews? … This is but further proof in an endless string of damming evidence concerning the ‘peace lies’ spouted by Abbas and his PA. The PA president is always among the first to denounce terror attacks around the world, including Britain, France and Germany. Yet when Palestinians murder Israelis, they suddenly become ‘heroes’ and ‘martyrs.’”

(See Eye of Prophecy article, Can a Murderer be a Martyr? Posted 1-30-16)

The Palestinians are intensifying their sordid strategy of making the guilty look innocent and the innocent seem guilty. But this tactic is beginning to backfire on them. For decades, millions the world over including all too many Europeans, Canadians, Australians, and Americans bought into the Palestinian agenda. Which is: there should never have been a State of Israel, or at least Jews have no right to occupy (so-called) Palestinian territory.

Here, I’m referring to Westerners who know little about the real history of Israel and the Middle East or prefer not to be bothered with the facts. But who are quick to form uninformed opinions based mostly on a narrative that is predicated on fake rewritten history by Palestinian and Muslim journalists, educators, politicians, and religious leaders. Gradually, however, they are beginning to comprehend the real motives of the Palestinians in particular and Muslims in general, which I’ve discussed in several Eye of Prophecy articles, and as summarized earlier by Bassam Tawil.

On the other hand, the extreme liberal left among us will never give up their convoluted logic that has gone to such detestable extremes as accusing Israel of being an apartheid regime like the former government of South Africa. Or even more revolting: comparison of Israel to Nazi Germany’s Third Reich. This is warped and vile thinking at its worst. How on God’s earth could anyone liken Israel to Nazi Germany? Millions of Germans condoned and/or sat idly by while the Nazis stripped Jews of their German citizenship, confiscated their property, destroyed their businesses, deprived them of the right to work, herded them into concentration camps, and then slaughtered six million Jews during the horrendous Holocaust? All this just because the Jews were Jews, and didn’t have the right to live alongside a superior Aryan race.

Compare this to the Israeli Government which has granted citizenship rights to some 1.7 million Arabs to travel freely throughout Israel; own their own real estate; start and run their own business; vote in elections; to even serve in the Israeli government (Knesset).

Why the Horrific Attack of July 14^th Was So Different

There was one thing unusual about this murderous rampage, and three things virtually unprecedented including its aftermath. Which is why this latest unprovoked Arab killing of Israelis has generated more outrage than usual from Jews and from some world leaders, as well as an exceptional response from Israel.

Partially Different but Not Unprecedented

The majority of hundreds of past terrorists attacks in Israel were committed by Palestinians from the West Bank; whereas, Israeli Arabs killed the two policemen. Is there a difference? Absolutely. Israeli Arabs are citizens of Israel. The terrorists among them (meaning those who actually do the killing that is applauded and rewarded by fellow Arabs whose virulent anti-Semitic attitude stops short of terrorist acts … this applies to both Palestinians and Israeli-Arabs) can carry out such attacks more easily than their West Bank or Gaza Strip Palestinian counterparts.

As a refresher: Arabs living in “Palestine” when Israel became a sovereign state on May 14^th, 1948 (pre-approved by the United Nations Resolution in November, 1947) rejected their opportunity to also become a state. They wanted no part of living next to a Jewish State; instead five Arab (Muslim) nations attacked Israel the very next day with the sworn objective of annihilating the infant State of Israel. Only then would the Arabs establish their own state of “Palestine.”

After Israel won this war against impossible odds, the Israelis offered citizenship to Arabs … some of whom accepted, most of whom did not. But it was not until 1964—when the Palestinian Liberation Organization was formed by Yassar Arafat—that Arabs began calling themselves Palestinians, a designation that had previously applied almost exclusively to Jews. As a result of the Oslo Accord of 1993, the PLO became the Palestinian Authority. Those living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are now called Palestinians.

Because Palestinians are not citizens of Israel, they can enter Israel proper only through work or visitation permits or the like. Whereas, the vast majority of Israeli Arabs live outside the West Bank, because they are citizens of Israel.

Alarmingly, however, the recent trend (including Lions’ Gate) has seen more Israeli Arabs committing these atrocities. What makes this all the more disturbing is the added difficulty for Israelis to prevent such attacks (although they do thwart many planned strikes). Arab citizens of Israel can travel and move freely throughout the country including Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. They can conceal weapons right up to the flash point of using them.

Which is why Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Temple Mount closed to visitors until the area was deemed safe and a full investigation could be undertaken. He also called for the immediate installation of metal detectors at the entrance gates to Old Jerusalem and more surveillance cameras on Temple Mount. A reasonable response wouldn’t you agree? Just as reasonable as when all air traffic in the United States was abruptly suspended for a period of time after 9/11. Followed by the incredible amount of security measures that 9/11 and then the shoe-bomber have inconvenienced and frustrated Americans and international travelers to this day.

(Note: Netanyahu reopened three of the seven gates to access Temple Mount on Sunday, 7-16-17, but would not relent on his decision to keep the metal detectors in place at the gate entrances).

(Metal Detectors Recently Installed at One of Old Jerusalem’s Gates)

Once again I ask the rhetorical question: Was Netanyahu’s response reasonable, one that any reasonable person should and would understand?

Not according to Palestinians and their misguided die-hard supporters.

Hamas, the terrorist entity that governs (controls) some 1.8 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, called the closure of Temple Mount an Israeli declaration of “religious war;” then called for an “uprising” against Israel’s military and also Jewish “settlers” (referring to Jews who live in the West Bank which is really the Judea/Samaria region of Israel that includes so-called East Jerusalem).

For sure we could consider the source and realize that kind of bellicose language is expected from Hamas. After all, they have sworn never to recognize the Jewish State of Israel; they have determined that intifada is the only recourse to rid “Palestine” of Jews. But what about the Jordanian Waqf which dictates visiting privileges and protocol (called the status quo) on Temple Mount?

Immediately after Benjamin Netanyahu lifted the ban on Temple Mount visitation, but kept the metal detectors in place, Jordanian Waqf officials advised all Palestinians to defy the new security measures, which they labeled as, “symbols of Israeli control.” Realizing that the Israelis would turn away, by force if necessary, anyone trying to go through an open gate without first passing through a metal detector, this defiance was in the form of boycotting Temple Mount. As if that would affect or disappoint the Jews?! In fact. some Jews took this rare opportunity to ascend Temple Mount even though it was during restricted visitation hours for them.

Another irony of such an order by the Arab Jordanian Waqf is that more Israeli Arabs elected to pass through the metal detectors, than those who stood outside the gates and offered prayers that they could have otherwise offered on Temple Mount had they simply complied with the security measures.

(Muslims Line Up at Lions Gate Last Weekend)

Moreover, the Jordanian Waqf officials (who sometime speak for and represent Palestinians and Israeli Arabs, but only when it serves Jordanian interests) seized the opportunity to play the status quo card; claiming that the metal detectors were a violation of the” status quo” and a demonstration of “Israeli aggression.” The term status quo has been bandied about for several years, one that the Palestinians are frequently (falsely) accusing the Israelis of changing.

Here is an excerpt from an article posted on July 17^th in the online news source Israel Hayom:

“Pictures of worshippers and the metal detectors in the entrance to the site stirred anger in the Arab-Muslim world, especially in Egypt and Jordan. The Palestinian Authority called on Israel to ‘refrain from steps that would compromise regional stability.’ Arab-Israeli leaders also called on Israel to take down the metal detectors.”

Unbelievable! These Arab officials were callously oblivious to, and considered irrelevant the fact that the murder of two Israelis (Druze nationality … descendants of Moses’ father-in-law Jethro … loyal to the Jewish State of Israel) and the ensuing unprecedented entrance into Temple Mount by the Palestinian murderers, could or would be the real cause of a compromised regional stability.

*(Let’s pause parenthetically for a moment of cynical commentary: Who or what gives the Israelis the right to discriminate against Muslim Arabs by imposing restrictions, especially if the safeguards might save Jewish lives, which would require a little more time for Arabs to ascend Temple Mount? Along those lines, isn’t it high time that Americans protest against metal detectors all over the United States? Even if it means we can’t get to our workplace or enter government buildings or get on an airplane? Down with detectors. Up with mayhem and murder).

Seriously, the wickedly absurd rationale of these officials reflects the same mushy mentality of Muslims and several nations that belong to the European Union, whose leaders blindly accept the false “moral equivalency cause” of Palestinians or Muslim refugees—many of whom are not true refugees, but just people who want a better life that their Islamic Sunni or Sharia governments can’t provide. How dare some dissenting eastern European countries like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic (called the Visegrad Group) refuse to fill the immigration quotas imposed on them by the European Union? I am not at all against granting immigration rights to suffering refugees, but not indiscriminately without proper vetting procedures, or just to fill quotas.

(Leaders & Flags of V4 Group, Left to Right: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia)

Well, I digress a little; but for what is, I trust, a worthy world view.

Lions Gate Attack—Different, Unprecedented

(1) Closure of Temple Mount For Two Days

Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that the Temple Mount be shut down, but only temporarily. This is the first time it had been totally off limit to visitors for 50 years … since the Six-Day War of 1967 when Israelis liberated and reunited all of Jerusalem including Temple Mount from illegal Jordanian control. (See Eye of Prophecy article, The Liberation of Jerusalem. Published 6-3-17).

(2) The First Arab (Muslim) Attack on Temple Mount

Until the Lions’ Gate incident, there was no previous attempts by terrorists to gain access to the Temple Mount area itself during those attacks. Undoubtedly, most Palestinians wish that their three “martyrs” could have killed more Jews inside Temple Mount before their glorious deaths.

The incident was a blatant violation of the precious “status quo” condition of Temple Mount that Palestinians constantly and falsely accuse the Jews of doing. But it was Muslim Arabs who violated the status quo, one that grants unlimited access to Muslims, but highly restricted conditions for Jews ascending Temple Mount.

Which is more proof that the Palestinians couldn’t care less if their so-called holy site is compromised or desecrated, as long as it’s not Jews who are doing it. For example, it’s a documented fact that Palestinians have played soccer, held barbecues, and left garbage on Temple Mount in the past. Many of them treat it as a picnic playground, not a place of prayer.

Here is another quote from a Hamas spokesman:

“The attack in Jerusalem is a natural response to Israeli terrorism and the desecration of Al-Aqsa mosque, and it confirms the commitment to the intifada and the unity of our people.”

This statement would be laughable if it wasn’t so hideous in its sinister implications and false innuendoes. The only accurate part of this provocative rhetoric is that these three terrorists all named Muhammad were, indeed, committed to the religious (Islamic) and political (Palestinian) intifada. But pathetically and pathologically wrong about Israeli terrorism, Jewish desecration of the mosque, or unity of the Palestinian people. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have been at each other’s throat ever since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2006-2007. Their leaders are diametrically opposed to and actually hate each other.

Yet this first-time terrorist act on Temple Mount is, in fact, a matter of concern to the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank. For you see, PA President Mahmoud Abbas doesn’t directly exercise control over the “lone-wolf” assassins, although he fully supports their atrocities figuratively and literally—with his incitement rhetoric and by paying monthly stipends to families of Palestinian prisoners and those killed in the course of their crimes. In recent months, Abbas made the bad decision (for him … good for Israelis in terms of world opinion) to up the ante in his belligerent bombast against Israel, with hypocritical double talk that much of the world is finally seeing through, e. g. President Trump’s face to face dressing down of Abbas a few weeks ago, by accusing him of lying about the Palestinian “culture of peace.”

After the Lions’ Gate assault, Abbas realized that this unparalleled act by three of his people was, in fact, what Israel Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan had called it: “A very serious” incident. Said Erdan: “This is an unprecedented event. The terrorists violated the sanctity of the Temple Mount and crossed a red line.”

And what Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Zeev Elkins said:

“The cynical use of the Temple Mount as a place of granting immunity to those who incite terror must stop. We’re not clamoring to act on the Temple Mount, but if we have to—we will. The very fact that terrorists target the Temple Mount stems from incitement.”

Or the words of Jerusalem’s Mayor, Nir Barkat who called the attack, “particularly troubling … anyone who thinks that they can make gains through terrorism in this place of prayer and worship is wrong. The exact opposite is true—we will pursue anyone who is motivated in such terrorist activities and we will exact a price from them. We will not capitulate to terrorism.”

(Jerusalem’s Mayor, Nir Barkat)

This unprecedented killing of Israelis at Lions Gate, then pursuit and elimination of the terrorists in the Temple Mount confines led to another extraordinarily rare event.

(3) Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Condemned the Attack!

Why would Abbas step completely out of character and risk criticism from his own people, most of whom (the greater majority) endorse and actually celebrate the killing of Jews? For example, they dance in the streets and hand out candy to Palestinian children, all the while praising their heroic martyrs, and naming streets after them.

First on the more safe side: Mahmoud Abbas calculated that the risk of exacerbating his already tenuous leadership stance with the Palestinians would be lessened by the fact that the killers were Israeli Arabs who were technically citizens of Israel, not residents of the West Bank … within his Palestinian Authority jurisdiction.

Second, on the unsafe side: He knew full well that such an incident in/on the Temple Mount compound had, in fact, vaulted over a line that even he would not cross. The world court of public opinion that was already beginning to comprehend the real Palestinian agenda (elimination of the State of Israel altogether), would side with the Israelis. As horrific as any murder of innocent people for religious or political gain can be—this crime was worse because it violated a sacred site.

Thus, you can be sure that Abbas’ real motive for condemning the crime via a direct phone call to Benjamin Netanyahu, was not because two Israeli policemen were murdered. Rather, because it happened on Temple Mount with the obvious implication to anyone with an open mind that it was the Arabs who changed “the status quo” of Temple Mount.

Putting the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict into a Broader Biblical Perspective

Is it possible for anything good to come out of yet another Arab atrocity against innocent Israelis? Yes, it is. Scripture is replete with amazing ways in which the true and living Sovereign God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has providentially turned bad things into good. The historical account of Jacob’s son, Joseph, is an epic story that all Jews and Christians hold near and dear to their faith.

Said Joseph to reassure his brothers that he would not take revenge on them for selling him into slavery, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20).

And now, the Lord’s astounding prophetic plan for Israel to end their agonizing exile to the nations is miraculously unfolding daily before our very eyes. Beginning with the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948, return of Jews to Israel from the four corners of the earth, and the end of Gentile domination of the Jews in the Six-Day War of 1967.

For Jewish and Gentile believers in Messiah Yeshua, this Old Testament pattern has been increased to a New Covenant ironclad promise:

Viewing Israel through a Different Lens

Statistically, incidents of Anti-Semitism have increased in the past few years. As would be expected, the source stems primarily from Muslims in European countries. And also internationally from those who (mostly liberal professors and students on college campuses) ignore facts and conditions in Israel or deliberately disregard the real evidence and actual truth that the Jews are not “illegal settlers” whose government is oppressing the Palestinians.

However, there’s a remarkable (unprecedented) phenomenon that has taken place in just the past couple of years. Never before in Israel’s history have so many nations begun to establish or reinforce diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, the most recent of which was India … with the second largest population on earth. As have several African nations, Australia, China, Canada, a few European countries, and even Saudi Arabia and its coalition of Arab gulf states, with the exception of Qatar. Although some countries have ulterior motives (as do some of the allies of the United States), their leaders are beginning to see that Israel is not their main enemy, or an enemy at all.

They recognize the amazing things that the Jews have accomplished in Israel in such areas as: agriculture, water conservation, medicine, computer technology, construction, education, new business start-up, and inventions of all sorts. They better understand that these astounding contributions are proportionally far greater than any nation on earth, considering that the Jewish population in Israel is only 6.3 million. If they continue to examine the facts, they’ll see, for example, that Israeli hospitals have treated thousands of Syrian civilians injured in that bloody conflict. And, they are acknowledging Israel’s military might even though she is such a tiny nation.

Palestinian Terrorism is the Pattern for Global Terrorism

Just a brief glance at history will show that Palestinian terrorists were the primary pioneers of nearly all terrorism; adapted globally by terrorist groups such as: Hezbollah, al-Qaida, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Boko Haram, and of course ISIS—which has taken terrorism to a brutally new level.

Although there were other terrorist’s cells like the Red Army in Germany, modern-day terrorism tactics basically began with the Palestinian slaughter of eleven Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics of 1972. With millions of other, I vividly remember watching the horror unfold in real (television) time.

Released in late 2005, Munich, a film directed by Steven Spielberg, is a powerful depiction and reminder of the brutal birth of terrorism, Palestinian style; but also the resolve of Israel to hunt down and dispense justice to those who would seek to annihilate the Jews. Global terrorist groups have modeled their violence after the sickening style of Palestinian hijackings, suicide bombings, car-rammings, knifings, shootings, and blowing up hotels, cafes, and markets.

People and national leaders the world over are beginning to see that statements like the following one from Jordan’s Minister of Islamic Affairs Wael Arabiyat are not only ridiculously illogical, but morally reprehensible.

Arabiyat, in an attempt to legitimize the Jordanian Waqf’s criticism of the metal detectors and incitement call for Palestinians to defy such restrictions, actually labeled the Israeli response to the brutal killings an Israeli “crime.” He cited the reason for the entire incident as Israel’s “unprecedented and persistent violation of Al Aqsa Mosque sanctity under the pretext of containing violence and tension.”

Yours, mine, and the world’s immediate response to this absurd accusation is or should be: “What pretext?”

A pretext is an alleged ulterior motive or mindset to do something about something (else) perceived that hasn’t happened or won’t happen or doesn’t exist.

First, there’s absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the Jews have ever violated or “desecrated” (the more commonly used term of Arab incitement) the Al Aqsa Mosque. I repeat for emphasis: absolutely none. As said before, the Palestinians and those who presumptuously promote their cause consider any Jew stepping foot on Temple Mount as a violation. Then, they make certain that such (non-existent) desecration doesn’t go any further. During the limited time Jews can ascend and remain on Temple Mount, they must not exhibit any signs of worship, such as reciting or even mouthing prayers, bowing, kneeling, lifting their hands, reading from the Torah … the list goes on.

Second, the killing of two Israelis in an attempt to commit more murders within the Temple Mount confines is as (horribly) real as it gets. The Israelis killed the murderers to contain (eliminate) further carnage by the terrorists. There was no pretext.

It’s the Palestinian “pushing the envelope” that has gone too far, and (fortunately) has begun to irreversibly do exactly the opposite of what they intended. Their extreme rhetoric has now been matched with terrorism that crossed a line that was beyond the line already drawn of terroristic murder of Jews and other innocent people the world over.

This “crossed-the-line” attack could and probably will result in what should have been the “status quo” since the Jews liberated their capital in 1967: Israeli sovereignty over Temple Mount both in practice and principle. At the very least, it may lead to what Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev stated:

“The time has come for the Temple Mount to be a place that is open and free for all, without restrictions on (visiting) hours or areas, just like everywhere else in Jerusalem. The Waqf should only manage the mosque and not the entire compound.”

(Temple Mount Complex, Including View of Western Wall & Lower Courtyard)

Summary

Along with the favorable trend of world opinion toward Israel exemplified by diplomatic relations and trade agreements between Israel and several nations, more people are also getting a glimpse of the real Palestinian agenda. How could anyone miss seeing it? It’s been there all along. Now the Palestinians have unmasked themselves directly in front of international eyes with actions that speak as loud as their words.

Some passages in the Old Testament speak exclusively of the millennial period following the majestic return of Messiah Jesus to rescue Israel and the final glorious victory over her enemies. Many others, like the following passage, describe both the Millennium and the signs and conditions immediately preceding the Day of the Lord.

“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them” (Jeremiah 33:6-9, italics for emphasis).

This more respectful disposition toward Israel is now at the highest level since 1948 … in my opinion, even higher. That is exactly the condition that will exist during the unexpected Gog/Magog assault against Israel by several nations—led principally by Russia, Iran, and Turkey—that will take place during the (early part of) Great Tribulation. The surprising increase of international recognition of Israel is yet another prophetic milepost that demonstrates just how close we are to the Rapture followed in seven years by the magnificent return of Messiah Jesus to make all things right.

Things to Ponder

And then it will happen. Listen to the Holy Spirit inspired prediction against Gog/Magog uttered by the prophet Ezekiel some 2,600 years ago … a prophecy that will soon come to pass:

Big mistake Gog/Magog! And later in the tribulation an even bigger mistake when Antichrist and his coalition march against Israel!

They picked the wrong time to take on God and the apple of his eye, his special possession Israel. They will unwittingly choose a time providentially chosen by God long ago; a time when God once again is protecting and providing for his chosen people, the Jews. A time when his planted (in Scripture) prophetic plan for Israel’s physical restoration and spiritual reconciliation is about to reach full harvest.

Beware Gog and Antichrist! You think that Israel is there for the taking because she has let down her guard through false pretense of peace.

Think again.

“But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over!” (Ezekiel 38:18).

“I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38:22-23).

God the Father will supernaturally destroy the Gog/Magog coalition with Israel simply standing by to watch as God’s “fury boils over.”

During the final battle of Armageddon we see the same results. And this time God’s Son, Messiah Jesus, will win a resounding victory as we believers ride along side of him and behold his incomparable power and authority.

“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet … Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse…” (Revelation 19:19-21).

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~ "For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus" (Rev.19:10)

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