Saturday, July 23, 2005




Ezekiel 38
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.

19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.

22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD


Hello everyone,

It is amazing how the Lord works in our lives and directs our steps. While I was planning to use this blog site for political exposé’s and happenings in our nation, it seems as if the Lord wants this site used as an indicator for His soon return. I pray if this is so that someone will chance upon the site and through it, find the Lord as Savior. I believe with all my heart that He is coming soon and we must be busy winning souls for His kingdom.

I fear for America as our leaders are flying about in the Middle East and forcing Israel to give away Covenant Land. Condoleezza Rice is busy doing this and she informed Mr. Sharon on this trip that the evacuation of the Jews must occur on time. No sympathy is given to the Jewish people who have developed these lands, loved them and built them up from nothing. They are going to be rounded up and herded out of their homes.

Take a look at the heat wave in this nation that is killing people. Take a look at the weird weather patterns. In Europe, which is also forcing this agreement in Israel, they are experiencing heat waves and death, terrorist bombings, dust bowls and much more. Italy is even being hit with a plague of grasshoppers. I believe as we see these nations entangle themselves more in the God of the Bible and Israel's business, the more trouble they are going to experience. Gods Word says so.

I am posting an article by Hal Lindsay today that is so pertinent for this time. We have to remember that as watchmen, we must remind others of what the Lord has given us in His Word. This article by Hal Lindsay does so. May you have a blessed new week.

Elaine

Israel: The True Wonder of the Ancient World

By Hal Lindsay

I thought, “How amazing that the world will focus on Nostradamus’ predictions, which at best are so nebulous that they are capable of many interpretations.”

But it did impress me how interested the average person is to discover what is going to happen in the future. The tragedy is that the world ignores Ezekiel’s prophecies that are amazing beyond compare. They pinpoint an exact time, place, and precise historic conditions of a future world catastrophe. Ezekiel names the peoples and nations involved in an intricate convergence of history. And he predicted all these things more than 2600 years ago.

Ezekiel chapters 36 through 39 contain one of the most amazing series of prophecies in the Bible. Certainly it is more amazing than anything the so-called prophets of the world have to offer.

In chapters 36 through 38, Ezekiel foresaw the following events. And remember, this must be seen from Ezekiel’s perspective of 7th Century BC.

(1) The Israelites would be driven from their land for a very long period of time

(2) The Israelites would survive as a distinct people

(3) Their land would be confiscated by the surrounding nations

(4) These nations would be descended from Esau and Ishmael

(5) These peoples would have a perpetual hatred of the Israelites

(6) The land of Israel would become an utter desolation and not respond to the agricultural efforts of the usurpers

(7) Against all odds, the Israelites would return and become a nation

(8) The land would miraculously respond to them and flourish

(9) The Arab nations would conduct an unending war against the Israelites

(10) Israel would survive all assaults and prosper

(11) This will finally provoke a confederation of the Russians and a Persian led Confederacy of all the surrounding Muslim nations to Israel

Most important to this prophesy is WHEN if would take place. Ezekiel carefully pinpoints the time:

“After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them.” (Ezekiel 38:8 NAS)

Note that when Ezekiel made this prediction, Israel had not been scattered throughout all nations. Its land had not been reduced to “a continual waste”.

Its people had not been brought back to the land from a very long worldwide dispersion. It was not “the last days.” And Israel by no means was restored to the land to dwell securely.

Historically, this can only apply to the events that began to take place in the early 20th Century and culminated with the creation of the State of Israel in May 1948.

Moses first predicted that this would happen. He predicted that this would occur in the second destruction of the nation. The first was the Babylonian Holocaust. The
Second was the Roman Holocaust of Titus and the Roman Tenth Legion in AD70. Moses predicted both the Babylonian and the Roman dispersion.

About the second destruction, Moses forewarned, “Moreover, the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will 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. So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, `Would that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, `Would that it were morning!' because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see.” (Deuteronomy 28:64-67 NAS)

All of this is assumed by Ezekiel’s prophesies in chapters 36-39.

One of the most amazing wonders concerning the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is that they could remain a distinct people in spite of the centuries of exile and relentless persecution.

Ezekiel clearly predicts that God would scatter them among all nations, “Also I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them.” Yet he predicts that in the latter days God would gather them from all nations, “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24 NAS)

Ezekiel forewarns the surrounding nations of the Arab people who confiscated HIS Land;

“Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities which have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the nations which are round about, therefore thus says the Lord God, ’Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all EDOM, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.” (Ezekiel 36:43-5 NAS)

Ezekiel forewarns the Arab people of the last days who would confiscate Israel’s land;

“Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two lands (Israel and Judah) will be mine, and we will possess them,’ although the Lord was there, ‘therefore as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘I will deal with you according to your anger and according to your envy which you showed because of your hatred against them; so I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.’” Ezekiel 35:10-11 NAS)

The whole world has been drawn into this ancient conflict. No one has been able to resolve it because of the supernatural hatred that has been enshrined in the Muslim religion toward Jews.

When Ezekiel made these predictions, Israel was not an utter desolation. But he foresaw the terrible desolation that would come upon the land during the centuries the Israelites would be scattered among the nations.

Ezekiel refers to this desolation when he predicts Israel’s restoration to the land; “After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel WHICH HAD BEEN A CONTINUAL WASTE; but its people were brought out from the nation …” (Ezekiel 38:8)

Samuel Clement, or Mark Twain, said of Israel while touring there in 1867;

“ ... [It is a] desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds—a silent mournful expanse ... A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action ... We never saw a human being on the whole route … There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of the worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.” (From his book, Innocents Abroad)

This was the condition of the land until the Jews began to return around the end of the 19th century.

When the British Christians began to argue for what became the ‘Balfour Declaration’, they argued for returning the Jews to Palestine by saying, “A people without a land for a land without a people.” That is how desolate and barren it was.

Ezekiel predicted that the Israelites would miraculously begin to return and become a nation again in the last days. God made it clear that He would do this despite the fact that the Israelites did not deserve it. God said He would do this for His great name’s sake. He swore an oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He would establish David’s Throne and kingdom on earth. So His Word is at stake.

This is why God said, “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, ‘It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,’ declares the Lord God, ‘when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:22-28)

Something that is almost as great a miracle as the rebirth of the people scattered throughout the world for 2000 years is the agricultural rebirth of the land. Yet Ezekiel predicted this would happen:

“But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated and sown.”

None of the people who occupied the land during Israel’s exile could ever make it productive. But when the Israelites returned, it became a modern agricultural marvel. Fruits and vegetables from Israel supply most of Europe today.

The Arab-Israeli Conflict continues to upset the whole world. The world’s great powers have sought to resolve this conflict without success.

Since the world’s economy depends on a steady flow of oil, and since most of the world’s oil supply is controlled by the Arab/Muslim nations, whatever troubles the Arabs troubles the world. And Israel troubles the Arabs most. And with the Muslims, the real issue is not economically based. It is religiously based.

The Muslim’s third holiest place on earth is Jerusalem with its Temple Mount. Whatever agreements of peace with Israel can only be temporary. Ultimately, Islam will never accept a Jewish State in what they consider their sacred land.

Ezekiel predicts that this will ultimately cause a war that will envelop the whole earth.

Zechariah predicts this also:

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.” (Zechariah 12:2-3 NKJ)

Jerusalem will become a cup that causes all the surrounding Muslim nations to become intoxicated. That will make them do irrational things. This will cause all the nations of the world to become involved and go to war. Current events certainly are moving that way.

No matter how we seek to resolve this conflict, there is no way to satisfy the religious issues that are at the very heart of both Islam and Judaism over possession of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel predicts that Israel will miraculously survive all attempts to throw her out of the land. Not only this, he predicts that Israel will become very, very rich. According to Ezekiel 38:1-7, this will cause an all out invasion of Israel led by a power from her extreme north. There is only one nation to Israel’s extreme north – Russia. Russia will arm and lead a Muslim confederacy headed by Persia or modern Iran.
Israel has prospered and gathered much wealth, but not of the kind that would provoke this kind of reckless invasion. I believe that Israel will strike oil in a big way.

This will cause Israel to become a world economic center. Ezekiel predicts the rationale for the Russian led invasion;

“and you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world.” (Ezekiel 38:10-11)

Israel will apparently be living in the false security of the Antichrist’s covenant that Daniel predicted they would sign. This will cause them to tear down the security walls they are now building to protect against Palestinian terrorists.

Everything except this final invasion is already a matter of history. Iran is moving quickly into the leadership role of Islamic Fundamentalists with a full-blown nuclear program. Russia has been arming and siding with the Muslim nations for decades.

So nothing in Ezekiel’s scenario is out of line with what is happening before our eyes. There are only a few details yet to be fulfilled. I believe that Israel must have a vital chip to play in the world arena to survive. And I believe that ‘chip’ is the discovery of a large oil reserve. Watch! I believe that will happen soon.

Folks, we are really at the very threshold of the Lord Jesus’ return. It is all happening so fast. The things I have looked for some 50 years are already here.

All of this proves that we can have total confidence in God’s Word.

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24 NAS)

Isn’t that wonderful? All who believe in Jesus as his Savior has already passed out of judgment and death into eternal life. And as the days get darker, Christ’s sudden return to snatch us up to meet Him grows nearer.

These are the most exciting days to be alive -- if you are a Christian. If not, they must be terrifying times indeed.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE RAPTURE?




JOHN3:16