Bible Predicts: Israel To Nab Russian, Iranian Nukes - By Bill Salus

In light of the rumors of war between Israel and Iran these days there is a military intelligence report circulating that is commanding an enormous amount of Christian attention. The contents of this document are contained in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. These ancient biblical writings forewarn the world that Russia will form a nine-member coalition and invade modern-day Israel. Coincidentally, Iran, formerly known as Persia, is listed within this Russian consortium.

Many eschatologists are suggesting that the fulfillment of this Bible prophecy could occur soon because Russian and Iranian national relations are at an all-time high and Russia is proactively assisting Iran’s bid for nuclear weapons.

Adding fuel to the fire, Iran’s recently re-elected president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has previously declared Israel should be wiped off of the map, and Israel’s present leadership believes that Iran will soon have the nuclear wherewithal to accomplish his Jewish genocidal goal.

Without extending into a detailed Bible study nor an active litany of current Israel and Iran centered military events, the prophetic point of interest is that Russia’s confederacy will be divinely defeated, and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will confiscate a massive amount of its state of the art weaponry. This conclusion can be drawn from the events described in Ezekiel 38:18-39:9.

This suggests that at some point in the not so distant future, Israel will potentially become one of the most powerful military nations in the world.

Ezekiel 39:9 informs that us in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion the Jews will possess much of, if not all of, Russia’s, Iran’s, Turkey’s, Libya’s and the other five confederate members’ advanced arsenals. This intelligence information suggests that some of these weapons will potentially be nuclear in nature - we are informed that Israel will be converting these weapons into fuel for seven years.

In addition to this massive weapons cache, it is highly possible that Israel will already possess at the time large quantities of the current Syrian, Egyptian, Saudi, Jordanian, Lebanese, Hezbollah and Hamas Arab arsenals as well. As I detail in my book “Isralestine, The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East,” Israel will likely conquer these populations and confiscate their weapons prior to the events described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 in conjunction with the Bible prophecy of Psalm 83.

Presently, some Christian leaders are closely examining the staggering ramifications of a Greater Israel coming into existence in the aftermath of the prophetic events described above. For instance, for decades many Bible-based believers have been taught that the Antichrist will create a temporary end-times peace in the Middle East. The general understanding gathered from prophecies contained in Daniel 9:27, Isaiah 28:15,18 and elsewhere is that this charismatic last-days world leader will initiate a false seven year covenant that finally brings peace to the Middle East and protects the Jews from the Arabs and/or vice versa.

However, the new Psalm 83 insights, as Bible prophecy expert Dr. David Reagan calls them, contained in “Isralestine” have many scholars re-thinking their end-times models. It is entirely possible that the powerful prophetic events blueprinted in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 and 39 occur prior to the arrival of the Antichrist.

This possibility suggests that his false covenant with Israel is not an Arab-Israeli peace pact since Mideast peace would have already been achieved through the might of the IDF. This new presupposition has eschatologists pondering the possible content of the false covenant from a new Greater Israel prophetic perspective.

If, as Bible prophecy suggests, Israel soon becomes one of the world’s mightiest military nations why will they concern themselves with a seven-year covenant, and what might this treaty purpose? To answer these questions one must advance the clock into the geo-political future and replace the struggling-to-survive lesser Israel of today with the mighty Greater Israel of tomorrow.

www.worldnetdaily.com

Mystery Babylon: Anti-Israel at the Highest Level - By Joseph Chambers

Mystery Babylon and the One World Church have many very sharp characteristics. One of those characteristics is usually called “Replacement Theology.” There are certain religious groups that are Biblical in some areas of their beliefs but proponents of “Replacement Theology” in another area. I do not believe we can characterize all of these as Mystery Babylon, but they have a tendency in that direction. What is “Replacement Theology”? It is the belief that the true Christian church has taken Israel’s place for the whole of the church age and for the whole of the future. Israel as a distinct people or a specific nation has no future prophetically according to this theological view. Nothing could be more wrong and contrary to Scripture.

Anyone that denies Israel as a chosen people and a chosen nation is aiding and abetting the Antichrist and his developing “One World Religion.” I must be fair to everyone, so I say kindly that not everyone that believes this false idea of “Replacement Theology” hates the Jewish people. But anti-Israel or anti-Semitism is usually the end result of “Replacement Theology.” When the chosen people of the Father Himself are relegated to the back burner of Biblical thinking, the process that follows is naturally contrary to truth. There are several major doctrines that cannot be reconciled to any idea that rejects the nation of Israel. The millennial reign of one thousand years has a profound Jewish connection. The Seven Years of the Great Tribulation has a clear connection to Israel as a nation, to the Jews as a people, and especially to the third temple. Every prophetic event on the calendar is left in confusion when Israel as a nation and as a chosen people is removed.

Anti-Israel designs of any description are demonic. Satan has hated God’s chosen people from the moment Abraham was called. This occurred many years preceding the name of “Israel” being given to Jacob as he wrestled with God. It was all part of the seed of woman and the promise of the Messiah. Trace the Bible truth and its history of revelation from the first mention of the seed of woman to Abraham and, from there, all the way to the cross. Then, pull Abraham and Israel out and God’s great design becomes absolute folly. God is sovereign, and His great plan of redemption is absolutely perfect. No stone has ever been left unturned as God has guided those chosen to effect His final plan. To read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, to see the prominence of the people of the coming Prince and King of Kings, and then to try to remove them out of this eternal mosaic of redemption is folly. The whole picture of the harmony of the Bible is full of holes when Israel is rejected in the end time events.

Nothing reveals the missing links and emptiness of present day theology more than the rejection or confusion surrounding Israel. The whole Bible is a Jewish book. To throw the Jews out is to render the Bible broken and destroyed. This effort is out of the imagination of unconverted man. It is inspired by none other than the fallen angel that God cast out of heaven, and God has prepared Hell as his final abode. As we approach the final hour, it is to be expected that Satan will take out all the stops to destroy God’s plan and the family that was part of the Father’s gift of His only begotten Son.

Anti-Israel at the Highest Level
Two extraordinary movements are occurring simultaneously in the church world. These two movements cannot be so intimately related by accident. The church world has become tolerant of everything and everybody, including homosexuals, Muslims, and every kind of religious faith right down to paganism. At the same time, the Jews are out of favor. That kind of thinking is bizarre and mindless. The Muslims are in, but the nation of Israel is out. The homosexuals are becoming priests and ministers, but the Jews are the troublemakers and the cause of world tension and wars. The liberals on the left in the church are ready for anything but Old Testament believing Jews and New Testament believing Christians. Satan is the only possible source for such diverse thinking right in the house of God.

The Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) recently made the decision to begin the process of divesting its monies from all companies that do business with the nation of Israel. After the Presbyterians made this decision, the World Council of Churches, representing three hundred and forty denominations, issued a call to member churches to do the same. We are talking about Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, United Church of Christ, Lutherans, and almost every worldwide church. Numerous visits by delegations of religious leaders to Israel or Arab countries have ended in statements of support for almost anyone and everyone, except Israel. One group of Presbyterians met with the terrorist group Hezbollah, and later issued a statement blaming Israel for the conflicts.

Let me share a report by the “Institute on Religion and Democracy” that studies the human rights efforts of mainline churches. This report included the United Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), and the World and National Council of Churches. The report was for the years 2000-2003. They found, “…that one hundred ninety-seven human-rights criticisms by mainline churches and groups, thirty-seven percent were aimed at Israel and thirty-two percent at the United States. (That translates to seventy-three incidents attributed to Israel and sixty-three attributed to the Untied States. Ed. Note) Only nineteen percent of these criticisms were directed at nations listed as ‘unfree’ in Freedom House’s respected annual listing of free, partly free, and unfree nations. So Israel was twice as likely to be hammered by the mainliners as all the unfree authoritarian nations put together. The fixation on Israel left little time and inclination for these churches to notice the most dangerous violations of human rights around the world. Not one nation bordering Israel was criticized by a single mainline church or group, the IRD report says. No criticisms at all were leveled at China, Libya, Syria, or North Korea.” (Institute on Religion and Democracy) What a travesty of judgment by religious leaders.

Bishops of the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts conducted a demonstration in front of the Israeli Consulate proclaiming a “Christian-Muslim alliance”. South African Anglican Bishop, Desmond Tutu, announced that Israel is an “apartheid state.” Liberal religious leaders are happily using this charge to promote their “hate Israel” campaign. The Catholic Church has preached “Replacement Theology” for hundreds of years and promoted their Amillennial view that Israel has no future as part of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ on this earth. It has become impossible to find fellowship with local religious leaders without embracing the Muslims, the Hindus, the Mormons, and almost every conceivable expression of religion. Bible believers must prepare for religious isolation in every community of the world. It is not future; it is present.

It’s a Miracle: America is Still Pro-Israel
Only God could have enabled America to still be so strongly pro-Israel. The Pat Buchanans and the Robert Novaks (both anti-Israel) are out there, with many others, and the liberal left is extremely soft, when not critical, on Israel. Were there not many Jews in Hollywood and Washington, both politicians and wealthy businessmen, the liberals would quickly follow the anti-Israel rhetoric of Europe. The Clintons embraced Arafat during their eight years in the White House, but President George W. Bush is staunchly pro-Israel. His decision to support a Palestinian state in the nation of Israel is prophetically demanded, although I would imagine obnoxious to him. If there is one God-fearing characteristic of America that is honored by God, it is our defense of this tiny nation called Israel. Because of this, I am expecting a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit in revival to at least touch the godly remnant of saints in America with a harvest of souls.

There is a host of Evangelicals that are strongly pro-Israel but are slowly melting into the framework of the One World Church. The Catholics are making incredible in-roads in Evangelical circles. No religious denomination in the world has been more openly anti-Israel than Catholicism. Arafat and other terrorists have been embraced by the Pope and by Catholic spokesmen. A growing attitude that you meet among Protestants and Evangelicals is the false assumption that the Catholic Church is the Mother Church, and all of the denominations are breakaways from them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Catholicism hijacked the church in the capital city of Rome in the fourth century, but God had a true church that never bowed to this pagan imitation. In spite of the apostasy in religious circles, the Eternal God will inspire enough Americans to continue to be pro-Israel until the end.

Theological-Bent Toward Mystery Babylon
The Charismatic movement has utterly robbed the large portion of Pentecostals of their prior fundamental foundation. The Pre-Tribulation, Pre-Millennial truths were foundational to the Pentecostal world until the Charismatic movement emerged. Many of the leaders of the early Charismatic days came out of churches that were mainline denominations with very little theological strength. They knew practically nothing about end-time theology, and what they did know was skewed. This weakness in understanding the great eschatological revelations left them vulnerable to any human revelation that developed. Consequently, the “Kingdom Dominion” theology has swept a large portion of them into this ancient Catholic thinking. Fifty years ago, when I came to faith in Christ, the great strength of these churches was a yearly prophecy conference where everybody packed the churches to learn about our Biblical future. That day is long gone among Pentecostals.

“Replacement Theology” is automatically the new thinking when anyone embraces “Kingdom Dominion” theology. It cannot be both ways. There is no kingdom future for the nation of Israel if the church is going to establish the kingdom. If the Paul Crouches, Pat Robertsons, and Rick Joyners are going to lead the world into a one-world church, then Israel as a nation is out and has no national future. Either Jesus Christ returns with His saints after the seven years of Tribulation to establish the Kingdom, or this mind-distorted view of an unbiblical church does it with their schemes and mystery revelations. Benny Hinn had a revelation on television with Paul Crouch in which he saw Trinity Broadcasting Network becoming the revelation of Heaven on earth. He said, “Men won’t need to go to heaven to see it, they can look at TBN and see heaven.” (Benny Hinn on worldwide television). It’s all a progressive slide into “Mystery Babylon”.

The Biblical Truth Will Prevail
It’s thrilling to proclaim the absolute infallible Word of God that Biblical truth will prevail. It is not maybe, but factual, that: “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (St. Matthew 5:18b) It is beautiful to search the Word of God and to view God’s future plans, written in advance. There are some great Bible truths that “…we see through a glass darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12), but there are many great truths that cannot be confused. Biblical eschatology has been laid out in the Book of Revelation in perfect chronological fashion. The two books studied the least, and denied the most are Genesis and Revelation, yet those are the two books where every foundation of Scripture is beautifully provided.

The chronological picture of the end time events is given to us by Jesus Christ in that great piece of Divine literature called “The Book of Revelation”. The order is simple. The church age ends at the conclusion of chapter three. The church is never called the church from chapter four until the end of the book except one time when He is reaching back before chapter four to warn the church of His coming. The saints are called elders from chapter four until chapter nineteen, verse fourteen, where they become His army and follow Him back to the earth as He and the saintly army defeat the Antichrist and proceed to establish His kingdom on earth. “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” (Revelation 19:13-14)

Between the time when His elders are seen in Heaven after the supernatural Rapture in chapters four and five, and the scene in chapter nineteen, a seven year tribulation or redemption for mankind and this earth will occur on this planet. From chapter six through chapter eighteen, Jesus lays out the scene of darkness and judgment on this earth. Instead of a great church movement of dominion on earth, it is an apostate church of Mystery Babylon, led by religious harlots and big-time preachers doing the business of Mystery Babylon. We have a world full of “big-time religionists” who have denied “old-time religion”, and they are preparing to do the business of the Antichrist and his false prophet. Many are denying that there will be a literal Antichrist individual. Rick Joyner says that “the man of sin is the sin of man.” They are obligated by their theological confusion to deny many great revelations of the “Book of Revelation.” The “preterists” say that the book of Revelation was all fulfilled in the first century when Rome destroyed Jerusalem. Another false idea is to relegate this book to a non-literal mosaic depicting spiritual warfare between good and evil. The latter view is popular with Charismatics in Dominion Theology. Nobody has the right to deny literal truth.

Israel is clearly in the very center of these developing events. It was Biblically proclaimed that Israel would be back in her nation and that it would be in a trouble-saturated time. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” (Zechariah 12:2-3)

The prophets spoke of the Seven Years of Tribulation as “Jacob’s Trouble”. “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jeremiah 30:7)

But then, the prophet Isaiah saw the hand of God bringing Israel to her knees in repentance. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10)

When Jesus returns with the Raptured church, then to be called “His army”, the nation of Israel will rejoice at His coming and receive Him as their King. Even the Eastern Gate entering onto the Temple Mount has been closed for centuries awaiting the Messiah to enter triumphantly. Jesus Christ will make Jerusalem His world capital, and He will rule Israel and the world from the throne of David. To remove Israel out of this developing triumph and glory is the ultimate blasphemy. All that do so shall pay a bitter price. For one thousand years, He and His national family of Israel, and His glorious Bride, the saints of the ages, will reign over a new paradise of earthly glory. The long-awaited Sabbath will have come.

Mystery Babylon, and her hordes of deceived church denominations and members, will be judged with the Antichrist, the false prophet, and the “One World Church”. The Bible tells us that they will worship at our feet, and confess the error of their religious schemes. “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:9-10)

Be faithful to the infallible truth of holiness and Biblical living. Come out of Babylon and all the religious facades. If it is not totally true to the Bible, you must not allow its error to fill your heart or mind. Some will say “pick the meat off the bones”, but half-truth is always more dangerous than lies.

www.raptureready.com

Israel: The Preparation and the Bomb - By Gary Stearman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.prophecyinthenews.com

The Final Week Of Bible Prophecy – Part 2 - By Duncan Conner

One of the central features of Bible prophecy holds that God is not “finished” with the Jewish people. In fact much of the confusion that a lot of people have today regarding Bible prophecy is the lack of understanding when it comes to how God fulfills his promises, i.e. to his people (the Jews included). We must never forget when we study Bible prophecy that God made certain promises to Abraham and the Jewish people as a whole, and just as assuredly as he keeps his promises to us as his people-so too according to God’s own decision, he will keep his promises to his people the Jews.

To make sure no one misunderstands, I am not advocating that the Jewish people are saved apart from faith in Christ. No one is saved except through the previous blood of our Lord and Savior. However, the whole divine program of the end times has as its goal the bringing of his people, the Jews, to a saving faith in Jesus Christ (see Romans 11:11-32). This is where the prophecy of Daniel’s 70-weeks comes into play.

The Scope of the 70 Weeks
In Daniel’s 70-week prophecy, the whole schema of God’s program with the Jews is laid out in a surprisingly profound way, and yet simple in simple detail. In my previous article on this topic we looked at the prophetic-historical background of the prophecy of Daniel’s 70 weeks. The aim of the first article was to lay the groundwork and interpretive framework from which we would be able to properly understand verses 26-27-undoubtedly the most studied and talked about portion of the whole prophecy.

As we mentioned previously, the whole scope of the prophecy is given in verse 24. As Gabriel relates the prophecy to Daniel, he tells him in verse 24, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy [place.]

The prophecy thus states that within the timeframe of these 70 weeks, 7 things will be accomplished. You could argue that Jesus, through the cross accomplished 1-4 above, (as those who have an amillenial viewpoint would point out), but that would not explain items 5-7. Jesus did not seal up vision and prophecy when he came the first time. There are still prophecies yet to be fulfilled that are awaiting their fulfillment in the second coming of Jesus Christ. Also with the last one, to anoint the most holy, when did that happen? After the ascension of Jesus, the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70A.D. If you try to “spiritualize” this final item of fulfillment, then you would have to make it the only non-literal aspect in the whole passage. It seems clear then that the whole scope of the prophecy points to a fulfillment at the end of the age, at the second coming of Jesus Christ.

From Reestablished Israel To The Arrival Of The Messiah
Daniel’s prophecy continues as follows: 25 “So you are to know and discern [that] from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince [there will be] seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

Again, as we mentioned in the previous article, from the issuing of the second decree of Artaxerxes on Nisan 25th, 444 B.C. until the arrival of Christ in Jerusalem was 476 solar years, which comes up to the 10th of Nisan, 33 A.D, the day that the lambs were to be selected by each family for the Passover, and also the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem before his crucifixion. So the first major portion of this prophecy spans from time it is decreed for the Jews to go back to their homeland in Israel after the Babylonian captivity, until the time of the arrival of their Messiah. Note that when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, he was at that moment proclaiming himself clearly to be the Messiah (Zech. 9:9).

From The Death of The Messiah To The 70 A.D. Destruction
Next the prophecy details exactly what will happen after the messiah presents himself to the Jews. Gabriel continues by saying: 26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end [will come] with a flood…”

So after the 62 weeks (the time from the issuing a decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the time of the arrival of the Messiah), the Messiah will be murdered. Then the prophecy states that the next immediate and significant prophetic event that will take place is the destruction of the city and the temple. Again, it says: “…and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end [will come] with a flood.”

Of course we know in history that after the time of Jesus death and resurrection, the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple did occur as predicted by Jesus (see Matthew 23:37-39, also Luke 21:24) in 70 A.D.

From The 70 A.D. Destruction Until Today
The prophecy continues in verse 26 by saying: “…even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”

The prophecy envisions that the desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple will be something that has an ongoing consequence for an indefinite period of time. And indeed, ever since the time of 70 A.D., there has been no Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount. So even all the way up until the time of the end, i.e. the end times, there will be nothing but war and desolation for the Jewish people. Jesus mentioned in Luke 21:20 when he was referring to the coming destruction of Jerusalem: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand.” (Luke 21:20). Jesus also mentions in Luke 21:24 that Jerusalem will be “trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” So there is a set definite time that God has in mind for these desolations to last.

But how long will they last? This becomes an interesting question when one takes into account that on May 14th, 1948 Israel became a nation again, and on June 7th, 1967 the Jews recaptured Jerusalem. It seems that in order for the rest of the prophecy to be fulfilled (which we will see in a moment), after this indeterminate time of war and desolations, the Jews will have had to come back to the land and not only have control of Jerusalem, but also have another Jewish Temple as well. Jesus qualifies the time element in Daniel 9:26 by saying that the time of desolations will correspond to the times of the Gentiles, i.e. the time of Gentile domination over Israel and the Temple area. It is clear that we can say, at least, the time of Gentile domination has either ended or has started to end by the fact that Israel is in the land, and they now have control of Jerusalem.

Paul comments about this same time period as well in Romans 11:25, noting that in this intervening time, God will be calling Gentiles to himself. Paul says, “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in…”

Come into what? The obvious answer here is the church. After Jesus ascended the church was inaugurated on the day of Pentecost in 33 A.D. From that time on, began the ingathering of the Gentiles (for the church has been a predominantly Gentile movement). From the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. onward, Israel has been under a time of desolations.

Jesus and Paul make the point that there is going to come a time when the times of the Gentiles (Gentile domination over Israel) and the fullness of the Gentiles (God’s focus on the Gentiles for salvation in Christ) will come to an end.

So what will occur when this happens? We continue in Daniel 9:27, 27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations [will come] one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

So one thing becomes very clear at this point. The prophecy indicates that after this long intervening time of desolations–when Jerusalem is trampled on by the Gentiles and there is a huge influx of Gentiles into God’s kingdom the church, there will come a time when the Temple will be rebuilt. The only way you can have someone put a stop to the sacrifice is if there is another Temple. One of the things that makes Bible prophecy so exciting for our time is because the Jews are back in the land, they have control of Jerusalem, and there are now even plans to rebuilt the Temple (see www.templeinstitute.org)

What Will Soon Happen
Getting back to the prophecy, again it states: 27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations [will come] one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

Let’s look at this verse very carefully. First of all, it is safe to assume that if all the other time elements that we have seen thus far (i.e. the first 476 years going from the time of the end of the Babylonian captivity, to the time of the arrival and death of Jesus Christ), then it is safe to say that this final week of 7 years should also be taken literally. It has been suggested by some that that this verse refers to the time of Christ’s ministry on the earth, and then 3 ½ years into his ministry, he made the covenant (i.e. the New Covenant). This makes no sense. As we’ve seen already, verse 26 states plainly that after the arrival of the Messiah, the Messiah would be “cut off.” And then after this event would come the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. So the events that this verse is referencing are events that take place after the long period of time known as the “times of the Gentiles” that we referred to earlier.

The next element that we see here in this text is the “he” that is spoken of as the one who will “make a firm covenant,” (lit. “confirm a covenant”) with the many for one week of 7 years. The “he” here is not specifically identified. However, linguistically the nearest subject takes us back to verse 26 where it says, “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.”

The ones who destroy Jerusalem and the Temple are “the people,” here in this text. The “prince who is to come,” is linguistically reserved for something that is to come later in the context of this passage. However the people and the price are somehow linked. But how? Also “the prince who is to come” is the obvious answer to our question of who the “he” is in verse 27. The one that will make a firm covenant with “the many,” is the prince (whose people destroyed the city and the Temple in 70 A.D.).

But how can this be? We have already settled the fact that God has a long intervening time in view for the time period that we call the church-the time of the ingathering of the Gentiles and the desolations of Jerusalem. How is the prince here (already now some 2,000 years later) connected to the “people” that destroyed the city? The only answer is that the prince who is to come will be of the same type and lineage as the ones that destroyed the temple in 70 A.D., i.e. a Roman, or from the territories of the original Roman Empire.

Taking a step back from our look at this text, we can safely assume a number of very important things:

1.) There is an unaccounted for week (7 years) after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.-a week that has not been fulfilled as of yet.
2.) In order for this 7 year time period to be fulfilled, the Jews have to be back in the land of Israel after their scattering in 70 A.D.
3.) Jerusalem has to be back in the hands of the Jews
4.) The Temple has to be standing in Jerusalem (or at least some means for making sacrifices and grain offerings has to be in place)
5.) These things have to come after a time period of the ingathering of the Gentile people into the church.
6.) These things have to come after a time period of Gentile domination over Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple area.
7.) The “prince who is to come,” has to be somehow linked to the same people that destroyed the Temple in 70 A.D., i.e. a Roman or from what was then the Roman Empire.

Looking at history over the last 2,000 years, we see that a great number of these conditions have already been met for the fulfillment of this last part of the 70 week prophecy. For example:

1.) After nearly 2,000 years, the Jews reestablished the nation of Israel on May 14th, 1948.
2.) On June 7th, 1967 the Jews recaptured the city of Jerusalem. As of this day the Temple mount, on which stood the Temple, is controlled by the Jews’ sovereignty, but is under the religious control of the Jordanians (Arabs).
3.) Plans for the 3rd Temple have been under way for years. Various implements and clothing for the Temple have already been fabricated.
4.) All of 1-3 has come after nearly 2,000 years of ingathering for the Gentile people.
5.) For the last nearly 2,000 years, Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple mount area have been under the control of the Gentiles. Only in our lifetime has this not been so. They are all now under the control of the nation of Israel.
6.) In the last few decades we have seen a “restructuring” of the old territories of the Roman Empire-known today as the European Union. The unionizing and regionalization of these old territories are still underway today. It is not a coincidence that all these things are culminating together.

Some Thoughts About What Lies Ahead
So what does this verse say then about what is to come in the future? Here is what we can infer. Since in the time we live in currently we have seen the reestablishment of the nation of Israel and Jerusalem in the hands of the Jews, we can be confident that in the months and years ahead we will see more and more of an interest in the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. Most likely the building of this Temple will have extreme political repercussions as currently the Al-Aqsa Mosque sits on the Temple Mount-the third most holiest site in the religion of Islam. What political instability, wars, etc. will precede the building of the Jewish Temple is unknown. All we know is that it will be built.

Perhaps due to the repercussions of the building of this Temple, or as the peace treaty that makes the building of this Temple possible, there will be a political leader from the old Roman territories (presumably someone from the newly established European Union or a yet to be seen descendant of this institution). This man is known elsewhere in the book of Daniel as the “little horn”-i.e. the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will make a peaceful covenant with the nation of Israel for a period of 7 years. Everything will at first seem great. Israel will enjoy new power and a new sense of peace with its Arab neighbors, they will have their Temple, and due to the Temple being rebuilt and the inauguration of sacrifices, there will be a great sense that the time of the arrival of the Messiah has come or is about to be near. Perhaps they will accept this leader from “Rome” as the Messiah? It seems that this is a likely scenario.

However, this sense of peace will be short lived. In the middle of this 7 years, 3 ½ years into it, the Antichrist will break the covenant that he confirmed with them, and he will put a stop to the sacrifice at the Temple. Yet again, just as in 70 A.D. will come “one who makes desolate.” Thus the events of 70 A.D. serve as a type or foreshadowing of this end time event. However the difference between that ancient event and this one is that “a complete destruction” will be “poured out on the one who makes desolate.” So in other words, the Antichrist will be destroyed at the second coming of the messiah, Jesus.

Paul makes reference to this event in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10,

1 “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for [it will not come] unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains [will do so] until he is taken out of the way.

8 And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 [that is,] the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.”

Paul makes it clear that from the time that the Antichrist “takes his seat in the Temple of God” until the time that Christ returns (the 3 ½ years after he stops the sacrifice at the Temple), he will wreak havoc on the earth and specifically with the Jewish people. However at the end of the 7 years, the Lord will return, and just as our text mentioned in verse 27, that “a complete destruction” will be “poured out on the one who makes desolate” so too Paul mentioned that Jesus will slay the Antichrist “with the breath of His mouth” and bring him to an end “by the appearance of His coming.”

So how close are we to these things? Very close! Again, after nearly 2,000 years, the Jews reestablished the nation of Israel on May 14th, 1948. On June 7th, 1967 the Jews recaptured the city of Jerusalem. As of this day the Temple mount, on which stood the Temple, is controlled by the Jews’ sovereignty. They choose not to rebuild a Temple due to the political ramifications of such a move. However there is a large and growing movement in Israel to reestablish the Temple. For example just this month the Temple Institute (a Jewish group committed to making everything ready for the new Temple when it is built) announced that they have just finished manufacturing the golden sensors to be used in the new Jewish Temple (see Temple Institute announce manufacture of golden sensors) Obviously news like this plus the recent election of Benjamin Netanyahu (who tends to be more conservative), has made Arabs fearful of the possibility of the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple (see Sheikh Salah: Netanyahu wants to rebuild Temple).
Right before I was about to publish this article, I came across this news as well: Is there a place for God’s Holy Mountain in Jerusalem? And A New Vision for God’s Holy Mountain.

Also another element that we see in this prophecy is the arrival of a man who will initiate the “peace” deal with the Jews-the Antichrist-a man who will arise from the territories of the old Roman Empire. While we are not sure which territory he will arise from (the left leg or the right leg of the Roman Empire), one thing that we know for sure is that the formation of the European Union is a modern day ongoing fulfillment of this prophecy. In no other time period since the days of Rome has the old Roman territories come together like they have.

The pieces of the puzzle are indeed coming into play. These are the last days. America is in decline. Russia and China are on the rise. Iran is buddying up to Russia and other countries mentioned in the Gog/Magog prophecy. These are definitely the final days of the end times. How much time will we have left? I do not know. But one thing I do know…even so come Lord Jesus!

You may contact Duncan Conner at: duncan@theomegareport.com

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The Jews in Prophecy - By Dr. David R. Reagan

Few Biblical studies are as exciting as an examination of the Jews in prophecy, for the Jews are one of the key focal points of Bible prophecy.

The Scriptures reveal the Jews as “the apple of God’s eye” (Zechariah 2:8). Their land is described as “holy” (Zechariah 2:12). Their city of Jerusalem is termed the “center of the nations” (Ezekiel 5:5). They are pictured as the wayward wife of God (see Ezekiel 16 and the book of Hosea). And the Bible makes it clear that they will be the object of both God’s wrath (Jeremiah 30:7) and His grace (Zechariah 13:1) in the end times.

The panorama of prophecy that relates to the Jews is breathtaking. It applies to the past, the present, and the future. It demonstrates God’s love and grace as nothing else does except the Cross itself.

Paul was so overwhelmed by God’s patient determination to bring a remnant of the Jews to salvation that he cried out in ecstasy: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Romans 11:33).

Let’s take a look at the incredible prophecies that pertain to the Jewish people, and let’s begin with the prophecies that have already been fulfilled.

Fulfilled Prophecies

1) Dispersion - The Jews were warned repeatedly that they would be dispersed worldwide if they were not faithful to their covenant with God. Consider the words of Moses: “The Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other…” (Deuteronomy 28:64; see also Leviticus 26:33).

2) Persecution - The Lord also warned the Jews that they would be persecuted wherever they went. Again, the words of Moses are graphic in this regard: “And among those nations you shall find no rest, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul” (Deuteronomy 28:65).

3) Desolation - God promised that after their dispersion, their land would become “desolate” and their cities would become “waste” (Leviticus 26:33). Moses put it more graphically when he said, “the foreigner who comes from a distant land…will say, ‘All its land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it’” (Deuteronomy 29:22-23).

4) Preservation - But God in His marvelous grace promised He would preserve the Jews as a separate people during their worldwide wanderings. (See Isaiah 66:22; Jeremiah 30:11; 31:35-37.) Isaiah puts it in a colorful way. He says the Lord could no more forget Israel than a mother could forget her nursing child (Isaiah 49:15). He then adds that God cannot forget Israel because He has them tattooed on the palms of His hands! (Isaiah 49:16).

God has fulfilled all four of these prophecies during the past 2,000 years. In 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and took the Jewish nation into captivity, desolating the land and scattering the Jewish people across the face of the earth. As prophesied, everywhere they went they were persecuted, with their persecution culminating in the Nazi Holocaust of World War II.

But God also preserved the Jews, and the fulfillment of this prophecy has been one of the most remarkable miracles of history. No other people have ever been so dispersed and yet been able to retain their identity as a nation.

Current Prophecies
We are privileged to live in an age when God is fulfilling many promises to the Jews. What a testimony this is to the fact that God is alive and well, that God is on His throne and in control, and that God is faithful to His promises.

1) Regathering - The Old Testament prophets promise repeatedly that the day will come when God will regather the Jews to Palestine (see Isaiah 11:10-12 and Ezekiel 36:22-28). This remarkable regathering of the Jews from the four corners of the earth has occurred in our life time. World War I prepared the land for the people as the control of Palestine was transferred from a nation that hated the Jews (the Turks) to a nation that was sympathetic to their return (Britain). The Holocaust of World War II prepared the people for the land by motivating them to return.

2) Nationhood - The prophets stated that when the people were regathered, the nation of Israel would be re-established. This occurred on May 14, 1948 (see Isaiah 66:7-8; Zechariah 12:3-6). This is the cornerstone prophetic event of our age. It is an event that prophetic scholars have pointed to for 400 years amid much scoffing and ridicule by those who did not believe that Israel would ever exist again as a nation.

3) Reclamation - God promised that with the re-establishment of the nation, the land would bloom again (Isaiah 35:1-7; Joel 2:21-26). As Ezekiel put it, people would one day exclaim: “This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden!” (Ezekiel 36:35). And that is exactly what people exclaim today when they visit Israel, for it is once again a land of milk and honey. Over 300 million trees have been planted in this century. Rainfall has increased 450 percent. The former malaria infested swamps have been converted into cultivated land. Water from the Sea of Galilee has been channeled to the deserts, causing them to bloom.

4) Language - When the Jews were scattered worldwide in the first century, they ceased speaking the Hebrew language. The Jews who settled in Europe developed a language called Yiddish (a combination of Hebrew and German). The Jews in the Mediterranean basin mixed Hebrew with Spanish to produce a language called Ladino. The prophet Zephaniah implied a time would come when the Hebrew language would be revived (Zephaniah 3:9). It has been. Today the Israelis speak Biblical Hebrew. It is the only example in history of the resurrection of a dead language. The man God used to revive the language was Eliezer Ben Yehuda (1858-1922).

5) Jerusalem - Jesus said that one of the surest signs of His imminent return would be the re-occupation of Jerusalem by the Jews (Luke 21:24). This occurred during the Six Day War in June 1967.

6) Military Strength - Zechariah prophesied that when the Jews were re-established in the land, their military strength would be overwhelming - like “a flaming torch among sheaves” - and that they would “consume” all the peoples around them (Zechariah 12:6). Need anything be said about the fulfillment if this prophecy?

7) Focal Point - Israel is always pictured as the focal point of world politics in the end times (Zechariah 12:3; 14:1-9). This has been true since the Arab oil boycott in 1973. The West suddenly realized its dependence on Arab oil and began to line up behind the Arab obsession to annihilate Israel.

Future Prophecies

1) Tribulation - God will put the Jewish people through an unparalleled period of tribulation (Deuteronomy 4:30), during which two-thirds of the Jews will perish (Zechariah 13:8-9). The purpose will be to soften the hearts of a remnant so that they will accept Jesus as their Messiah.

2) Salvation - A remnant of the Jews will “look upon Him whom they have pierced” and will accept Him as Lord and Savior (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:1-6,25-29).

3) Primacy - God will then regather all the believing Jews to Israel where they will be established as the prime nation in the world during the millennial reign of Jesus. (See Deuteronomy 28:1,13; 2 Samuel 7:9; Isaiah 60-62; Micah 4:1-7.)

God’s Infinite Love
God set the Jews aside and put them under discipline because of their disobedience, but He did not cut them off from His grace.

He intends to bring His wayward wife home: “For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince… Afterward, the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God… and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.” (Hosea 3:4-5)

The lovingkindness and faithfulness of God in keeping His promises to the Jewish people should be a source of encouragement to all Christians. As we watch God fulfill promises which He made to the Jewish people thousands of years ago, we can be absolutely certain that He will be faithful to fulfill all the promises He has made to the Church.

God’s Amazing Grace
The first time my wife heard me preach about the Jews in prophecy, she came to me and said, “When you talk about how much God loves the Jews, you make me want to be one.”

I responded by saying, “No, Honey, you don’t want to be a Jew because if you were, you would most likely have a veil over your heart and would refuse to believe in Jesus as your Messiah” (2 Corinthians 3:12-18).

I then stressed something to her that I hope you will never forget. I pointed out that everything God is doing for the Jews He is willing to do for you and me. They are witnesses of His amazing grace. And that same grace is available to all of us, whether we be Gentiles or Jews.

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The Ark of the Covenant in Prophecy - By Randall Price

The Ark of the Covenant (Hebrew,’ aron ha-brit) was Israel’s most sacred ritual object and was designed as a repository for the original tablets of the Law given at Mount Sinai and as the footstool of God at which the Shekinah Glory was manifested in the Tabernacle and the First Temple. It consisted of a box of acacia (KJV shittim) wood overlaid with gold (Ex. 25:10-11) approximately three and four feet in length and one and two feet in height and width. On top of the Ark was a golden lid with sculpted figures called in Hebrew “the covering” (kapporet), though in English translations as “the “Mercy Seat.” The figures on the Mercy Seat symbolized cherubim, angelic creatures who served as guardians of God’s holy Presence in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24), which appeared between their wings as stated in Exodus 25:22: “And there I will meet with you; and from above the Mercy Seat, from between the cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.” The Ark apparently served as the place between heaven (the throne between the cherubim) and earth (the place of the Temple). As the visible footstool for the invisible throne of God, it was available when He “descended” to earth, such as at Sinai, on the battlefield, or in a foreign land (Philistia). The purpose of the Ark was to enable the Presence of God to be manifested among the Israelites. For this reason - to house the Ark - the Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting, and finally the Temple, were constructed (cf. Exodus 25:8-22; 2 Chronicles 6:10-11). The Ark disappeared at the time of the destruction of the First Temple, and despite the restoration of other Temple vessels with the post-exilic return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple (Ezra 1:7-11; cf. Jeremiah 27:16-22; Isaiah 52:11-12), the Ark was mysteriously absent. This led to the development of a wide body of tradition in Jewish literature to explain its loss and eventual return.One example of Jewish tradition respecting the Ark in a future Temple is found in one of the Dead Sea Scroll documents known as The Temple Scroll. In a passage describing the furnishing of the great Temple of Israel’s restoration we read: “And two cherubim [you shall make at both ends of the cover, the one cherub on this end, and the othe]r end the second, spreading (their) wings [over the place of the Ark, and shielding the cover with their wings] above the Ark, with their faces on[e to the other ...]” (11Q19 7:10-12). If this future Temple of The Temple Scroll was to be legitimate it must include the Ark, as did the Tabernacle in the wilderness (and the First Temple), for only with the Ark present could the glory of God return to take its appointed place “between the wings of the cherubim” (cf. Ezek. 43:1-7). The Temple Scroll seems to have understood that the restoration Temple would least have included the elements of the Tabernacle and the First Temple (cf. Haggai 2:3-9). According to rabbinic literature, the ancient rabbis noted that five things from the First Temple were missing from the Second Temple, including the Ark (m. Seqalim 6:1-2; m. Yoma 5:2; t. Yoma 3:14; t. Sota 13:1; b. Yoma 21b; cf. Jewish Wars 5.5§5). The author of the Temple Scroll felt that only the pattern of the Tabernacle would suffice for his Temple, since he probably regarded the First Temple as having been improperly built, and the Second Temple, aside from being polluted, contained no Ark. This fact was emphasized in the extra-biblical literature (cf. 2 Macc. 2:4-5; 2 Apoc. Bar. 6:7-10), but only as a means to heighten the Ark’s return as a sign of the Messianic Age. For the same reason The Temple Scroll’s author would have included the Ark.

In biblical prophecy, its disappearance and reappearance is linked with the destiny of the Temple as well as that of national Israel as a symbol of divine discipline and restoration. In this light, Ezekiel’s prophecy of the Temple’s desecration and destruction was revealed by the departure of the Presence of God from the Ark and the Temple (Ezekiel 10:4-11:23). In like manner, his prophecy of the Temple’s rebuilding and rededication will be revealed by the return of God’s Presence to the final Temple, and presumably to the Ark within it (Ezekiel 43:1-7). In support of this is the language of the restoration of the Divine Presence in the eschatological section of Ezekiel (33-48). Between the battle of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:1-39:20) and the erection of the Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 40:1-48:35), Ezekiel mentions the national restoration of Israel that comes at the conclusion of the Tribulation (Ezekiel 39:21-29). In verses 21-26 God declares that He will set His “Glory” among the nations (vs. 21a), restore Israel’s blessings in connection with His holy Presence (vs. 25), with the result that Israel will thereafter live securely (vs. 26b). This description seems to recall the functions of the Ark: the “Glory” attended the Ark (1 Samuel 4:21) and therefore it brought blessing to Israel (2 Samuel 6:11-12), which secured Israel in its Land (Numbers 10:33–36). If such language is intended to include the Ark, then here is an implication that it will indeed be present in the Last Days. In addition, the language of Ezekiel 43:1-7 resembles that in passages describing the Ark. In this text “the glory of God” fills the Temple (vs. 5), eliciting the divine declaration that this place is “My throne and the place of My feet, where I will dwell with the sons of Israel forever” (vs. 7). When God’s glory previously filled the Temple it was said to have followed the installation of the Ark (1 Kings 8:4-12), constituting the Temple as God’s throne (cf. 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; Isaiah 37:16; Psalm 80:2; 99:1) and the place where He would dwell forever with Israel (Psalm 132:7-8, 13; cf. Ezekiel 37:26-28). Where else would Ezekiel’s audience have expected God’s glory to have returned but to the Ark (cf. Exodus 25:22)? Would they have considered the restoration program complete if the final Temple did not have returned what the First Temple had lost? Even though the Ark is not explicitly stated to be in Ezekiel’s final Temple, it is seems to be implicit in other statements that require its presence to properly fulfill ritual functions such as the Day of Atonement (included in the “all My appointed feasts” of Ezekiel 44:24). Other items of Temple furniture are mentioned such as the priestly garments (Ezekiel 42:14) Altar of Burnt Offering (Ezekiel 41:22; 43:13-27) and Table of Shewbread (Ezekiel 41:22; 44:16), while others of importance are not (Altar of Incense, Menorah). The inclusion of some furniture implies the inclusion of all, since this Temple appears as a fully functioning Temple.

In keeping with Ezekiel’s presentation of judgment and restoration with respect to the Temple and the Ark, the Book of Revelation reveals a similar pattern in its depiction of judgment coming from the heavenly Temple and Ark in response to the earthly desecration of the Temple in the Tribulation period. Characteristic of the Book of Revelation is the alternating depiction of events in heaven and earth in which heaven responds in increasingly severe acts of judgment to the increasing abominations of the “earth-dwellers” and the Antichrist. In this interplay between heaven and earth, Revelation 11 focuses on the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. In Revelation 11:1-2 the earthly Temple’s outer court, along with the city of Jerusalem, is predicted to be “trampled underfoot” by the Antichrist (cf. Daniel 11:45). This is apparently the same event of future desecration of the Temple by the “Abomination of Desolation” prophesied by Daniel (Daniel 9:27; 12:11), Jesus (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14) and Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). In response to this act of desecration on earth, the scene in heaven reveals God’s heavenly Temple with its Ark of the Covenant (Revelation 11:19) out of which proceed divine wrath. This correspondence may imply that the Tribulation Temple will again house the Ark that will, like the Temple itself, be subject to ritual violation. This implication of the existence of the Ark in the Tribulation Temple may find support in an examination of the act of Temple abomination described by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 which is based on Daniel 9:27.

In the Daniel text, the one who desecrates the Temple (the Antichrist) comes on “the wing of abominations” (verse 27). The “wing” may suggest the precise place where the “Abomination of Desolation” occurs - in the Holy of Holies in relation to the winged cherubim on the Ark. The mention of the sacrifices being stopped just before the explanation of the abomination further sets this act in the context of ritual violation. The epitome of desecration in the First Temple was the abomination of Manasseh, who replaced the Ark with an idolatrous image of Asherah (see 2 Kings 21:7; 2 Chronicles 33:7; compare 35:3). Paul’s further explanation of this desecration in 2 Thessalonians 2:4b is that the “man of lawlessness” (the Antichrist) will seat himself in the innermost part of the Temple as an act of divine enthronement, “displaying himself as God.” This act of self-deification in relation to the Holy of Holies would only make sense if it followed the precedent of God’s display of His Divine Presence at the Ark (Exodus 25:22; Psalm 80:1; 99:1). Numerous archaeological reliefs contain portraits of rulers sitting on winged thrones, reflecting the concept in the ancient Near East of God’s Presence being accompanied by a winged retinue or guardian cherubim. The enthronement of the Antichrist on the historic symbol of deity in Israel’s Temple would certainly conform to Satan’s desire to make himself “like the Most High”(Isaiah 14:14), and to restore his heavenly position on “the mountain of God” which formerly involved a cherubic status (Ezekiel 28:16). It may also serve as a strong delusion to an unbelieving world whose acceptance of the Antichrist as divinity will seal their spiritual doom (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).

The Ark of the Covenant also appears in a prophetic context in Jeremiah’s prophecy of the restoration of Jerusalem in the Millennial Kingdom in Jeremiah 3:16-17. This difficult text has been variously translated based on the interpretations given to it. The King James Version reads: “And it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem; neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.” The opening words of verse 16 concerning a regathered Israel and the closing words of verse 17 describing a regenerated Israel indicate that the context of this passage is the Millennial Kingdom. Jeremiah describes the time of unease over the Ark as just prior to “those days” (verse 16), a period that may describe the Tribulation in which the desecration of the Temple will be a primary concern. However, Jeremiah’s prophecy was directed toward the apprehension of those during First Temple times who suffered the loss of the Ark. Whatever his statement implies concerning the future existence of the Ark, his point in this context is to relieve Israel’s concern that their future could not be fulfilled without the central presence of the Ark. Jeremiah’s statement concerning the Millennium is that under the New Covenant the Ark would no longer have the central importance it had under the old covenant. In that day, all of Jerusalem would serve as the Glory-bearer as a Sanctuary-city (cf. Isaiah 4:5; Ezekiel 43:12. In other words, in the Millennium the Ark will not be needed as it was previously, therefore, there should not be concern over its present fate since its loss will not prevent Israel’s final restoration.

Having said this, it should also be noted that this passage does not say that the Ark will not be present, but only that it will not function as it did under the old covenant. Jeremiah’s wording is that “they will no more say, be concerned for, remember, visit, the Ark,” suggesting that in the time before the Millennium they may have been doing these things. If the Ark reappears and is included in the rebuilt Temple of the Tribulation, pilgrimages to the place of the Ark (the Temple) will be revived. Furthermore, the Temple invasion of the place of the Divine Presence by the Antichrist will produce great concern. The phrase in this verse appearing in the KJV as ” neither shall it come to mind,” is better translated “neither shall it be taken to heart,” This idiom means that the people should not worry about the Ark in the future as they have in the past. Read in this light the words of verse 16 are understandable.

However, the last words of verse 16 “they will not make it again” require clarification to avoid contradiction of this proposal, for as it stands in this translation it implies the Ark was destroyed and would not be remade. Therefore, the Ark could not exist in the future. However, the translation “make it again,” can be rendered “use it again.” The Hebrew word ‘asah usually means “to make” or “to do,” but it also has may mean “to use,” and significantly one of the two instances in which the verb appears with this nuance is in a context concerning the materials “used” in the construction of the Ark (Exodus 38:24; cf. 1 Samuel 8:16). In this case the meaning is that the Ark in the time of the New Covenant would not be used as it was previously (under the old covenant). Two areas of function that will of necessity be absent will be that of the Ark as a witness to the Law and as a conduit of the divine power in warfare. Under the New Covenant God’s Law will be internalized through the indwelling Spirit so that, as verse 17 records “they will no longer walk after the stubbornness of their evil heart” (cf. Jeremiah 31:33-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27). The tablets of the Law within the Ark will no longer be needed to bear witness against Israel of their violation of God’s holiness, for they will be holy and live in obedience to God’s Will (Ezekiel 36:27-28, 33; Zechariah 14:20-21. Moreover, in the Millennium Israel and the nations “will no longer learn war” (Isaiah 2:4). The Ark will no longer have to function as a symbol of God’s protective power in war, since war will no longer exist. This interpretation is put forth in the textual notes of the present Israel Defense Forces standard issue Bible: “The Law of the Lord will be written in the heart, and there will be no need to keep it in the Ark. There will not be wars and there will be no need to take the Ark from place to place on the battlefield as it was in those former times.”

From this evidence, while not conclusive, it may be suggested that the Ark of the Covenant may have a role to play in the end time, returning to complete the prophetic program in its focus on a rebuilt Temple and the restoration of the Glory of God to Israel and the nations in the Millennium.

Bibliography
Randall Price, In Search of Temple Treasures: The Lost Ark and the Last Days (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 1994), ________, Searching For the Ark of the Covenant (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2005), Arthur Bloomfield, Where is the Ark of the Covenant and What is its Role in Bible Prophecy? (Minneapolis: Dimension Books, 1976), David Allen Lewis, Prophecy 2000 (Green Forest, AR: New Leaf Press, 1993).

http://www.worldofthebible.com/

The Fall Feasts of Israel - By Chuck Missler

 The Torah—the five books of Moses—details seven feasts during the Hebrew calendar:

 Three feasts are in the spring, in the month of Nisan: Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits.

Fifty days later there is the Feast of Weeks, Shavuot, also known as Pentecost.

There are three remaining feasts in the fall, in the month of Tishri: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles.

(There are two reckonings of the Hebrew year: the civil year starts in the fall on the 1^st of Tishri; the religious calendar starts in the spring in the month of Nisan. )

Their Prophetic Role

While each of these feasts has a historical commemorative role, each also has a prophetic role. Jesus indicated this in Matthew 5:17:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Paul also emphasized that in Romans 15:4:

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning. . .

The prophetic role of the feasts is also highlighted in Colossians 2:16 and 17:

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come . . .

The Feast of Trumpets

The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hoshana), along with the Feast of Trumpets, begins on the 1^st of Tishri which, this year, is September 30^th. Immediately following the Feast of Trumpets begins the seven Days of Affliction, in anticipation of the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is observed on the 10^th of Tishri, or October 9^th of this year. This day was a day of sin offerings and numerous other rituals as it was the most solemn of all the observances.

This was the day—the only day—that the High Priest was able to enter the Holy of Holies, and then only after elaborate ceremonial washings, offerings, and associated rituals.

This was also the day that two goats were selected, one for an offering and one as the “scapegoat.” (The lottery box, used to select which goat was to serve in which capacity, has been fashioned for service in the forthcoming Temple, and may be seen during a visit to the Temple Institute in Jerusalem to-day.)

As many aspects of the feasts were prophetic, the scapegoat is also Messianic.

Even the seven days preceding, the Days of Affliction, are an affliction of preparation, suggestive of the threshing floor, which is also a prophetic idiom.

Since the loss of the Temple in 70 A.D., the God-centered observances of the Torah have tragically been replaced with a man-centered, good works system of appeasement through prayer, charity, and penitence.

However, it appears that a return to the traditional ways is on the horizon with the plans to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

Although we know that we have been freed from the Law and the “observances” of new moons, feasts etc., there is still value in understanding the roots of the Feasts. And if they can be used for edification and growth for the Christian, then why not take advantage of these so-called “rehearsals”?

Instead of approaching New Years in the way our culture puts it forth, why not take the time to reflect on the past year and during the Days of Awe ask the Holy Spirit to assist you in evaluating your walk. Give Him control and allow Him to free you from the things that can so easily entangle you. And visualize Jesus as the Lamb and Scapegoat that is a part of Yom Kippur.

Now concerning the prophetic angle, consider the fact that “the rapture” is clearly associated with the sound of the trumpet, as can be seen by reading the following Scriptures:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…

I Thessalonians 4:16-17

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

I Corinthians 15:51-52

Succoth (The Feast of Tabernacles)

Five days later, on the 15^th of Tishri (October 14^th this year) is the final feast of the year: Succoth, the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths. This lasts for eight days and is one of the three feasts that were compulsory for all Jewish males.

It is fascinating to visit Israel at this time and observe them build their temporary “booths” in the traditional way, leaving deliberate gaps in the branches to view the stars at night, and for the wind to blow through during the day. This is intended to remind them of the wilderness wanderings.

At the end of the eight days, they leave their temporary dwellings to return to their permanent homes. (This is one of the reasons some suspect that this feast, rather than the Feast of Trumpets, is suggestive of the Rapture of the Church. Also, there appears to be a hint by Peter, desiring to build “succoths” at the transfiguration.)

This day, traditionally, is the day that Solomon dedicated the first Temple.

This feast also involved a daily processional to the Pool of Siloam to fetch water for the Temple. This ceremonial procession is the setting for the events of John 7, where Jesus offers them “living water.”

This procession involved four types of branches: the willow, the myrtle, the palm, and a citrus. The willow has no smell and no fruit. The myrtle has smell, but no fruit. The palm has no smell, but bears fruit. The citrus has both smell and bears fruit. This sounds reminiscent of the four soils of the first “kingdom parable” of Matthew 13, doesn’t it?

The prophetic implications of this climactic feast are many. Most scholars associate it with the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom in Israel.  This can be seen as a time for resting and rejoicing, giving a glimpse of Yeshua on the Mercy Seat reigning and fulfilling the promise that Gabriel gave to Mary.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Luke 1:30-33

In Summary

Most observers note that the first three feasts, in the first month of the religious year—Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Feast of First Fruits—are prophetic of the Lord’s First Coming. They each were also fulfilled on the day they were observed.

Between these three feasts and the final three feasts is the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, which is predictive of the Church. (It is also the only feast in which leavened bread is ordained!)

It is believed that the last three feasts, in the seventh month, are prophetic of the Lord’s Second Coming. That is why many are particularly watchful in the fall of each year.

http://www.khouse.org/

The Final Week Of Bible Prophecy - Part 1 - By Duncan Conner

The Book of Daniel is a book that covers the time period from about 605 B.C. to about 530 B.C., roughly from the time that Daniel was a young man, taken captive to Babylon in the 70 year captivity, all the way through the fall of Judah and Jerusalem in 586 B.C., all the way until after the fall of the Babylonian Empire, when Daniel is a court official in the Persian empire.

Daniel’s prophetic writings end at about the third year of the reign of Cyrus in 535 B.C. And it seems that Daniel made his final edits to the book somewhere around 532 or 530 B.C. when we was about 90 years old or so.

Now by the time we get to chapter 9 in Daniel, the chapter we’re going to be looking at this morning, Daniel is already now a much older man. Babylon has already fallen to the Persian empire. And the children of Judah are now beginning to reach the very end of their 70 year captivity.

And what we are about to read here is a vision that the angel Gabriel is going to give Daniel during the first year of the Persian King Darius-which places this vision somewhere in the year 539 or 538 B.C.

Now we don’t have time to get into this, but if we did have time, we would just go ahead and read the first 19 verses of the chapter because these verses alone are very fascinating and they deserve a study in their own right.

But in short, what Daniel is doing in the first 19 verses, is he’s reading from the scroll of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11-13), and he realizes as he’s counting up the number of years, the end of the appointed 70 year captivity for God’s chosen people was now about to come to an end. And in fact, when you do the chronology, Daniel is writing this at about year 67 or so of the 70 year captivity.

So the prophetic clock, so to speak, is about to end (only 3 or so years away). So what did Daniel do when he realized that this prophetic clock-this 70 years was about to expire?

Well as we read in verses 1-19, he begins to pray fervently and repent on behalf of Israel. And again, we don’t have time to really get into all that here, but what Daniel is doing, is very much tied into with what you read over in the book of Leviticus 26. But I will let you chase that one down on your own for now.

But anyway, Daniel continues his prayer all the way down to verse 20, and in verse 20 he says, 20 Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in [my] extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he gave [me] instruction and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23 “At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell [you,] for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.

And here’s the vision…24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy [place.] 25 “So you are to know and discern [that] from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince [there will be] seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end [will come] with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations [will come] one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

Now for the sake of time and space, because we don’t have enough time to look at every single detail of the prophecy, I’m only going to deal with verses 24-26 which make up what is pretty much the bulk of what the vision is all about in this article, and save the rest for part 2 of this article (coming soon) So let’s go ahead and jump on in.

Daniel’s Prophecy of the 70 Weeks
24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city…” Now let’s get our bearing a little bit on exactly what the intent and scope of this prophecy is all about. First of all, who is this prophecy for? Who does it pertain to? Well if you look very closely, you see that it’s for the Jews.

He says that 70 weeks have been decreed “for your people” Who’s people? Daniel’s people (the Jews) the ones that he’s been praying for, for the first 19 verses. It’s for his people and for their holy city, which would be Jerusalem.
So in other words, what we are going to read about here pertains to things that will affect the Jews and the city of Jerusalem. Now we’ll get to what those affects are in just a minute. But let’s go ahead and look at this 70 weeks thing.

The Hebrew here for 70 weeks literally says “seventy sevens” or “seven units of seven.” In English we would simply say “70 X 7,” or 490. But 490 what? Well the Hebrew here can refer to days or years. So 490 days or 490 years have been decreed for the Jews and for Jerusalem. So which one is it?

Well if you keep the context of the entire chapter, you know that Daniel is very much concerned about the years that have been decreed concerning his people and concerning Jerusalem. That’s what his prayers have all been about in this chapter.

And so when the angel comes and gives him the answer to his prayers, I’m going to argue that he’s giving him some insight into some things that are going to take place over the course of the next 490 years.

And I think that you’ll see this as we get further into the text because, if its days, it won’t make any sense at all. And there are other reasons why its years, but we’ll just stick with what we got for now and move on. So 490 years have been decreed for the Jews and Jerusalem.

Now, what is to be accomplished in those 490 years? Well he identifies 6 things that will be accomplished by the end of the 490 years. He goes on to say in verse 24,

24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.

Now let me ask you a question. What event can you point to in history where you can say that transgressions and sin was brought to an end, where atonement for iniquity was made, and everlasting righteousness was brought in? What is the only event in history that you can point to? The cross.

So as we complete verse 24 we have then the entire scope of this prophecy. The angel Gabriel is giving Daniel a vision of the coming Messiah and the effect that the Messiah’s sacrifice on the cross is going to have. And not only this, he even gives him the time frame for when the Messiah is going to come. He says that all these things are going to take place within the span of 490 years.

Now let’s go on. Since Gabriel has given him the overarching scope of the prophecy, he’s now going to explain to Daniel some of the details. He goes on to say in verse 25,

25 “So you are to know and discern [that] from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince [there will be] seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

Ok. Now there is a whole lot to unpack here. So let’s take this one at a time. The first thing he says is that there is going to be a decree made by a ruler that will give the authority for Jerusalem to be restored and rebuilt. Now why is Jerusalem going to have to be restored and rebuilt?

Because remember Nebuchadnezzar when he came in and took Judah captive, some 67 years earlier, he completely leveled the place. That’s the time when the Jews were taken captive and their 70 year captivity began.

So from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah comes, there will be…a certain number of years. Now to us in this room, when we hear the word Messiah, there can only be 1 candidate for that title right? Who is the one that Daniel is speaking of here? Jesus.

Ok, so from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (obviously sometime after the 70 year Babylonian captivity), until Jesus the Messiah comes, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.

Now remember, we already know that the total time for this prophecy is 490 years. We saw that back in verse 24. But now we see that the angel is going to give this prophecy to Daniel in 3 sections-dividing up the 490 years into 3 different time periods.

He tells Daniel that there will be seven weeks (7 X 7 = a period of 49 years) and 62 weeks (62 X 7 = a period of 434 years) and later on he’ll talk about 1 more week (or a period of 7 years), again making a total of 490 years.

So he says, “…from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be [a period of 49 years and then a period of 434 years]; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”

So essentially Gabriel gives Daniel the beginning point of the prophecy-the exact place from which you can start counting down the years until the Messiah comes. And that beginning point occurs when a decree is issued to restore and rebuild the city of Jerusalem.

Now we all know that after the 70 year Babylonian captivity, the children of Israel went back home right? When did this take place? Well biblically speaking this took place during the time of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. That’s what all of those books are about. They are about the Jews being released and coming back to Israel and restoring and rebuilding their city and their country.

But the beginning point that we need to look for is a decree. So are there any decrees in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, or Esther? You bet. There are actually 4 of them.

The first one was the decree of Cyrus which was issued in 537 B.C. (Ezra 1:2-4; 6:3-5). The second one was the decree of Darius (Ezra 6:1-5, 8, 12). The third one was the decree of Artaxerxes which was issued in 458 B.C. (Ezra 7:11-26). And the fourth one was actually a second decree from Artaxerxes given in 444 B.C. (Neh. 2:5-8, 17, 18) And by the way, it was after this third decree that Nehemiah was able to return to Jerusalem.

So at this point you say, “Ok, which decree do I use as my starting point to start counting?” Well really it is not as hard as you might think. Because if you go and look at the first 3 decrees: the one by Cyrus, the one by Darius, and the first one by Artaxerxes, all three of them have to do with the Temple in Jerusalem.

But remember, what did the prophecy say? It said, “…from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem…” not the temple. So the decree that we’re looking for is going to be one that has to do with the rebuilding and restoration of the city itself.

And by the way, the text goes on to say that, “it will be built again,”-that is, the city will be built again, including its “…plaza and moat.” And it also tells you that all this restoration effort will be done “even in times of distress.”

Well if the first 3 decrees don’t fit the prophecy, what about that fourth one-that second decree that Artaxerxes gave in 444 B.C.? Turns out, that decree fits the prophecy perfectly.

If you remember, that’s what the whole book of Nehemiah is all about. The book starts out with Nehemiah as the royal cupbearer to the king. And when the news reached him that back in Israel, the Temple was being rebuilt, he grew kind of anxious over it because he knew that Israel’s infrastructure was in shambles-that among a lot of other things, there was no wall there to protect the city.

So to make a long story short, King Artaxerxes eventually gives Nehemiah permission to return to Jerusalem (he gives him a whole bunch of supplies), and he gives him the authority and the permission to go and rebuild the city.

And when you read the book of Nehemiah it fits the prophecy perfectly, even the part about the rebuilding being done in times of distress. You can read about that in Nehemiah 4:7-23.

So now we have the beginning point-the starting point. We know from very good historical records that King Artaxerxes made that decree in the month of Nisan in 444 B.C.

So again, let’s read verse 25, “So you are to know and discern [that] from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince [there will be] seven weeks (49 years) and sixty-two weeks (434 years); it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

Now you might be wondering, why does he separate the 49 years and 434 years? Well to make this simple, what most people believe is that it took 49 years to complete the restoration of the city of Jerusalem. Once that restoration was done, after the 49 years, then it was still going to be another 434 years until the coming of the Messiah.

But for us, we don’t have to worry about all that because all we have to do is count from the issuing of that decree, in 444 B.C., add the 49 and the 434 years (483 years) and that will bring us to the time of the arrival of the Messiah.

So let’s do a little math and play with this for a minute and see what we come up with. Now at this point, all we know is that the decree was made in the month of Nisan. We learn that from the dates that are given in the book of Nehemiah. We don’t know the exact day of the month that the decree was issued. But as it turns out, we don’t have to, and you’ll see why in a minute.

Now before we add the 483 years to date of the decree in 444 B.C., we have to take into account the fact that they’re using a 360 day calendar. We’re going to have to make a conversion from their calendar into our calendar before we can count. So how do we do that?

Well we take their 483 lunar years and we multiply that by 360 (the number of days in a lunar year). You come out with 173,880 days. Then you take those days and you convert them into our solar calendar by dividing them by the number of days in a solar year, that is, 365.24219879 days. When you do that you get 476 solar years and some change (25 days to be exact).

Which, by the way, tells you the exact day that King Artaxerxes made his decree. Because we know that he could not have made the decree before the 1st of Nisan, (because we know that it had to be within the month of Nisan), so then you simply add the 25 days and you come to the decree being made on 25th day of Nisan 444 B.C.

So now we know the starting point. Let’s count. When you count from Nisan 25th, 444 B.C., 476 solar years, you come to 32 A.D. But you have to bear in mind something. Because of the calendar the way it was, there is no year between 1 B.C. and 1 A.D., (it skips a year), so you have to compensate for this by adding one year. So you actually come to the 10th of Nisan, 33 A.D. (or March 30th, 33 A.D. on our calendar).

What happened in the year 33 A.D.? A man by the name of Jesus was placed on a cross. How do we know that? It’s based on a lot of things. It’s based on evidence that you can read in the gospels, with the writings of early church fathers, with the evidence of astronomy (where the moon was during that year at that time), and how that coincided with the time of the Passover, and on and on.

The point is, there is heavy evidence that places the crucifixion as occurring in the month of Nisan, 33 A.D.

What happens on the 14th of Nisan on the Jewish calendar? The Passover. Now there is a debate about which day Jesus was crucified on-whether he was crucified on Thursday (the day before Passover), or whether he was crucified on Friday (the day of the Passover). But we do know that it has to be one of those 2 days (Thursday or Friday).

But regardless which day he was crucified on, that doesn’t matter because that’s not what this prophecy is about. Remember, this prophecy in Daniel 9, ends on the 10th of Nisan, 33 A.D. which would have been on a Monday, a few days before the crucifixion.

So was there anything significant that happened on the 10th, the Monday before the crucifixion? Absolutely. As predicted in Zechariah 9:9, and as recorded in Luke 19:28-40, Christ presented Himself for the first time to Israel as their Messiah, as their king, as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.

And if you remember, all throughout the gospels, he wouldn’t tell anyone who he was-that he was the Messiah. If demon’s proclaimed it, he would hush them up. But on this particular day, this special day, he went to great lengths and orchestrated this whole thing–with the prearranged guy in the city, and the password, and the colt that they were to go and untie and bring to him-he did all of it on this day, to proclaim himself as the Messiah for all the nation to see.

But as we read the gospel story, what happens? They reject him don’t they? And Jesus knows what’s going to happen to him. He knows that the crucifixion is only a few days away.

And so after he rides in on a donkey, Luke 19:41-42 continues to say, 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things [that] [make] for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

And folks when I read that, I can’t help but wonder, when he said, “in this your day,” that that’s not referring to the fact that Daniel’s prophesied, this very day 473 years before.

Now I find this amazing, because look at what Jesus goes on to say, about what will happen to them as a nation because of their rejection of him as their Messiah. He says, 43 “For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 “and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Jesus holds them accountable for not knowing the time of his coming. And what is the punishment going to be? The city and people will all be judged and destroyed. Did this ever happen? Yes it did. Jesus died in 33 A.D. and 37 years later, in 70 A.D. the Romans came, under the leadership of Titus and Vespasion, and they completely leveled the place and slaughtered more than a million Jews.

Having said that, let’s go back and finish the reading of the prophecy back in Daniel 9:26: 26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks [that is, after 10th of Nisan, 33 A.D.-after the triumphal entry] the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing [referring to the crucifixion], and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end [will come] with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined [referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.].

Conclusion
You know, I find it amazing that we can live in a society today that is so ignorant of the truth, that on the TV and in books, and in movies, people constantly tell us that the Bible is untrue, that it is full of errors and that its archaic and too old for it to even be relevant today.

And yet, if they would just read it and study it, they would be able to see things like this prophecy-a prophecy that was written in 538 B.C., over 530 years before the birth of Christ.

And in this one prophecy alone, it predicted the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem 95 years before the event occurred. It predicted that the Messiah would come and present himself to the Jewish nation 572 years before the event occurred. It also predicted that the Jews would reject him and that he would be cut off, that is killed, again 572 years before the event occurred.

It also predicted that because of their unbelief the nation of Israel and Jerusalem would once again be leveled and destroyed, an event that occurred 610 years after this prophecy was first uttered.

And guys, that’s just looking at 1 prophecy of hundreds that are recorded in the Bible. Over and over again, the proof says, that this is God’s word and it is indeed true.

You may contact Duncan Conner at: info@theomegareport.com
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