Watchman Blog

Ezekiel 37 and End-Times Bible Prophecy: Fulfillment Before Our Very Eyes

Christian Post (Link) - Blog: John Claeys (June 28, 2011)

Frederick the Great of Prussia, who had been listening to Voltaire’s agnostic ideas, asked one of his court chaplains: “If the Bible is true, it ought to be capable of very clear and succinct witness. Generally when I ask if the Bible is true, I am handed some long scholarly volume which I have neither the time nor the patience to read. If your Bible is true, give me the proof of it in one word.” The chaplain answered in this way: “Sire, Israel.”

Israel is the one-word demonstration of the veracity of Scripture because God has chosen the Jewish nation to be at the center of God’s kingdom plan. In addition, the miracle of Israel demonstrates the trustworthiness of Scripture. After all, the Bible predicted Jews would be scattered from the land—which occurred in 70 A.D.—and then would be brought back to form a nation.

Never before in the history of human-kind had a nation been dissolved and then, after many years (in Israel’s case, almost 1,900) resurrected—until it happened with Israel. Never before had a language been lost to the world and then resurrected—until it occurred with Hebrew, the language of the Jews of Israel.

Revolution in the Middle East and its connection to Revelation

The Examiner (Link) - Nicole Horrelt (February 7, 2011)

In response to the recent wave of Arab revolts and current uprising in Egypt, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his February 4 Friday Prayer sermon in Tehran, welcomed the “revolution and awakening” and interpreted in detail his ideological analysis and aspirations with regard to the “explosion of sacred anger” in the Middle East.

Khamenei, identifying himself as a ‘brother in religion’ to the Arab people, concluded that the recent wave of unrest shaking the nations was an “earthquake” triggered by the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and condemned the Mubarak regime for siding with the West; choosing to support the ‘Zionists’ rather than the Palestinians, pointing out that since Camp David a great divide was created between the Egyptian people and the government.

During Friday prayers the Ayatollah addressed the Egyptian protestors saying “the uprising of the Muslim Egyptian nation is an Islamic and freedom-seeking movement. I, in the name of the people and government of Iran, send salutations to you and pray to God for your complete victory. Of you and your uprising I am filled with pride.”

The Fig Tree Has Budded

Douglas Hamp (Link) - Douglas Hamp (December 2010)

Evidence from Matthew 24 that the Lord will return in the span of a generation from Israel’s Birth

As a boy I remember feeling the rush of the wind strike my face, the sky grow dark as ominous clouds rolled in and covered the sun. Then the sounds of the thunder could be heard in the distance and the sky flashed. It was a time of great anticipation and excitement. Even though the storm was several miles away, it was clear to all that it was coming. The end times can be likened a great deal to a coming storm. We can see the storm coming and feel its effect even though it has not yet arrived fully. So it is with the Lord’s return, the signs are evident even though the event itself has not yet arrived.

Concerning the time of the Lord’s return, Jesus’ disciples asked him: “what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (Matthew 24:3b ESV). Jesus then began to describe the many things that would precede His second coming – many of which are being fulfilled before our eyes. Jesus said “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many,” (Matt 24:5). Since 1900 there have been many dozens who have either claimed to be Jesus or the Christ in one form or another. Some of the most notable are Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church and David Koresh of the Branch Davidian religious sect, Ariffin Mohamed from Malaysia and Sergei Torop from Russia.

He then spoke of wars, rumors of war and nation against nation.

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows, (Matthew 24:6-8).

Only in the twentieth century have we seen the entire world at war not just once but twice. The projected death toll for the Second World War alone is upwards of fifty million people – a number unheard of before in human history. The past century could easily be classified as wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

There are many signs of the Lord’s second coming just as there were for his first coming and the Lord rebuked the leaders of his day for not picking up on the revealed signs that were evident of his first coming.

Strange Prophetic Silence

Bible Prophecy Today (Part 1 | Part 2) - Rapture Ready - Terry James (October 18, 2010)

Todd often makes the observation these days that there seems to be a strange lack of prophetic activity; nothing in the news rivets the observer in the dramatic way, say, that an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities might grab one’s attention.

This Strandberg perception of a lull in prophetic progression, as he calls it, might seem at first nonsensical, considering the tremendous procession of probable end-times issues and events that we at Rapture Ready address each week. Geopolitically, there are many signals of biblically prophetic significance. The European Union (EU) continues to consolidate power while remaining at the same time loosely confederated. Certainly, we legitimately can and do make the case for this strange entity being the likely candidate for producing revived Rome – the ten toes of iron and miry clay given in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream-vision of the final world empire (Daniel 2).

Russia is a brooding giant to Israel’s north, and at every opportunity, Iran threatens the Jewish state with oblivion. These nations combine with Turkey and others to constitute a coalescing agglomerate that has the characteristics of the foretold Gog-Magog military machine of Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin openly displays ambition that easily qualifies him as one who might aspire to be the Gog of the Ezekiel prophecies. Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spouts the kind of hatred for God’s chosen people that the prince of Persia no doubt will use to inspire Iran’s (Persia’s) leader to join with Gog in raging against Israel in that satanic attack (Daniel 10:20).

Replacement Theology - Part 1-3

Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3) - James A. Showers (June 28, 2010)

Divestment involves withdrawing investments from companies doing business with a particular nation in order to put economic pressure on the government. It was a technique used against South Africa to break apartheid. Over the years, some Protestant churches have asked people to stop investing in companies doing business with Israel based on their claim that Israel is a racist nation. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Israel is a democracy that freely gives the vote to both Jews and Arabs. Apartheid occurs when a minority race uses its power to take economic advantage of the majority of another race. Such is not the case in Israel.

In 2007 a Methodist women’s group wrote a report, sponsored by and paid for by the Methodist church, that referred to the founding of the State of Israel as the “original sin,” thus equating modern Israel with Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God. The report implied humanity sinned against God in creating the modern nation. It was a shocking statement.

The same report claims, “The Holocaust, and the impact of the Holocaust on Israel’s society, has caused hysteria and paranoia amongst Israelis.” The report not only treated the murder of 6 million people casually, as if it were a minor event, but also claimed Jewish people have blown it out of proportion. If an event in history had put 6 million Methodists to death, these women probably would have a different outlook on the Holocaust.

Then, of course, there is Jimmy Carter. The former U.S. president’s 2006 book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, distorted facts, demonized Israel, and contained hundreds of falsehoods and fictional statements.

In light of all these events, perhaps you’ve asked yourself, Why are all of these Christians picking on Israel? What’s behind these attacks?

The answer is Replacement Theology, the belief the church has replaced physical Israel (the Jewish people) in the plan of God. Those who hold this view believe the church has become “spiritual Israel” and the inheritor of all the covenant promises God made to Israel. But they say the Jewish people retain all the curses.

A Land of Unwalled Villages

Grace Thru Faith (Link) - Jack Kelley (June 26, 2010)

I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record by now, but there’s an enormous potential for a giant leap forward in End Times prophecy this summer, and this week we came breathtakingly close to witnessing its beginning.

After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm, you will be like a cloud covering the land.

This is what the sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages, I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people – all of them living without gates and bars.” (Ezekiel 38:8-11)

Many students of prophecy, myself included, see the battle of Ezekiel 38-39 as one of the most significant events on God’s prophetic calendar. In the scenario Ezekiel described nearly 2500 years ago, a coalition of Moslem countries, armed and led by the Russians, will attack Israel and be utterly defeated due to God’s direct intervention. He will use this battle to re-introduce Himself to Israel as their protector, to recall the rest of His people to their ancient homeland, and to reinstate His relationship with them.

Lest We Forget [Who Owns] Jerusalem

Jerusalem Watchman (Link) - Stan Goodenough (May 17, 2010)

It is not all that unusual for an Israeli politician to garnish his or her speeches with a verse or even two from the Bible (the Tanach or “Old Testament.”) Religious and non-religious Jew alike will dip into the most famous and cherished Hebrew-language original to underscore a message to their people.

Prime ministers have also used the Bible to encourage Christian visitors to Israel to continue and increase their support of the Jewish state.

Somewhat less common is the practice of using the scriptures in the Knesset (Israeli parliament) to buttress one side of a political debate.

When, on Jerusalem Day last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dared reference the Holy Book in defense of the Jews’ claim to the city, the response was predictably harsh.

According to Reuters, Netanyahu told a parliamentary session commemorating the 1967 return of Jerusalem to Jewish control that “Jerusalem” and its alternative Hebrew name “Zion” appear 850 times in the Tanach.

“As to how many times Jerusalem is mentioned in the holy scriptures of other faiths, I recommend you check,” he said.

Why Won’t Netanyahu Listen...

The Trumpet (Link) - Brad Macdonald (April 29, 2010)

…to the words of those he loves, admires and never stops talking about?

It appears the Bible is enjoying a renaissance in Israel. In a speech at the annual International Bible Contest last week (in which his 15-year-old son placed third), Israel’s prime minister said he was pleased to see that the Bible is “again becoming the Book of books of all the people of Israel.” Of course, Benjamin Netanyahu has never been one to shy away from invoking the words and deeds of the ancient prophets. In major speeches in the last month alone, Netanyahu has referred to the Jews as the “seed of Abraham,” quoted the prophets Isaiah and Amos directly, and spoken freely of his own heritage with King David.

He’s right, too. Beyond the Old Testament and the secular historical record, stunning archeological discoveries are increasingly revealing the Jews’ vast and glorious history with God, His prophets, and with Judea and Samaria, and especially Jerusalem.

With this in mind, consider the following statement Netanyahu made to the Knesset on April 19: “Don’t rely on help from strangers. Don’t trust even the charitable and don’t wish for stones to grow soft …. A nation that wishes to stand tall must place all its trust in itself only” (emphasis mine throughout).

Mideast Matters May Meltdown in 2010!

Prophecy News Stand (Link) - Bill Salus (April 14, 2010)

Major Mideast wars are coming according to the Bible prophecies in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39. It would be prudent for people to prepare now, in 2010, for their soon and sequential arrivals.

It is public knowledge that as of December 2009 Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas became allied together by bonafide war pacts against Israel. Iran is a member of Ezekiel 38-39 and Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas appear to be identified in Psalm 83. These war pacts reportedly commit them to fight alongside each other should any of them come under attack by Israel. Had these war pacts been in place during the 22 day conflict between Israel and Hamas that ended in January 2009, the outcome could have been dramatically different.

Back then the Israeli Defense Forces (I.D.F.) seemingly ambushed Hamas with their retaliatory show of force and caught these others off guard. None of them were able to lift a finger to rescue Hamas from the pounding inflicted by the I.D.F. Iran’s nuclear program was incomplete, Hezbollah was in the process of restocking their rocket arsenals, and Syrian war scars from 1948, 1967, and 1973 made them reluctant to join alongside Hamas. Thus, these vowed enemies of Israel were reduced to sideline saber-rattling at the time.

However, matters have deteriorated and are quite different today. A brief review of Mideast events occurring since the Israel – Hamas war suggests the Fertile Crescent is presently a ticking end time’s bomb set to explode. In addition to the war pacts described above, here are a few more troublesome interim occurrences:

Arab Murmuring Over Israeli Gas Already Begun

Oil In Israel (Link) (March 18, 2010)

Most of the people following the story of Israel’s recent off shore gas discovery and possible onshore oil discoveries see idea of Israel as energy independent and economically prosperous as a good thing. At least that’s the assumption. But not everyone sees Israel’s independence and prosperity as a plus – especially her neighbors.

If the Arab world views Israel (without hydrocarbon resources) as a worrisome usurper and unwelcome squatter today, an economically and energy independent Israel certainly won’t reduce fear and loathing of it’s Jewish neighbor.

It’s easy to predict an Arab response to a massively successful hydrocarbon industry in Israel. If the Jewish State is viewed as a usurper now, the natural response would be that if the land (and the sea) doesn’t belong to Israel, then neither does its natural resources. It’s an issue today; when economic quantities of oil and gas come into play it becomes the issue.

It’s no surprise that the Arab world will cry foul when Israel becomes energy independent, I just didn’t expect to see signs of it this soon. The excerpts below are from a March 11 article in Abu Dhabi’s newspaper, ‘The National’, written by Dubai-based energy economist Robin M Mills. The piece itself sounds well written and even handed … from an Arabist perspective. The general tone of the article , unsurprisingly, paints Israel as an aggressor and exploiter of the Palestinian people. If this apparently reasonable, thoughtful Arabist response predicts political storm clouds from Israel’s oil and gas success, you can imagine what a more radical response might be.