Author: Mike Wingfield

  • 2016 January – The Jewish Spiritual Awakening

    article linkPublished 10 times annually

    Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy

    P.O. Box 13006, Roanoke, VA 24030-3006

    The Jewish Spiritual Awakening

    “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Delieverer,and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” – Romans 11:26

    By Mike Wingfield

    As 2016 begins, it is very evident that our world is being uniquely prepared for the return of our Lord for His church, and the subsequent events of the Tribulation Period. The Scriptures are filled with detailed descriptions of this unique and unprecedented period of time. The prophetic Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments, highlight the spiritual, political, economic, moral, climactic, and geological trends that will unfold during the day of the Lord.

    Our world is rapidly moving toward a major military conflict that will engulf all of the nations, ultimately leading to Armageddon. ISIS is exporting its brutal savagery from the Middle East into Europe and the United States, while declaring that they are establishing a global Islamic empire controlled by the law of the Koran. Iran continues to threaten the destruction of Israel, to chant death to America, and to plan to dominate the Middle East as it develops weapons of mass destruction. All of this is a part of their strategy to create a global Islamic empire. A dangerous Islamic regime is developing in Turkey that is aligning itself with more militant Shiite Islamic elements in the Middle East. Just like ISIS and Iran, these elements in Turkey have the ambition of creating a global Islamic government. Saudi Arabia and Iran seem to be moving toward a major conflict, raising tensions in the Persian Gulf. Russia continues to strive for more global power as it rattles the sabers of war in the Ukraine and Syria, while joining forces with militant Islamic nations in the Middle East. The leadership of North Korea continues to spew out dangerous rhetoric, threatening to annihilate the United States. As all of this unfolds, it is obvious that, in general, our world is becoming a more dangerous place to live. A spirit of lawlessness, hatred, and violence is escalating out of control.

    The Scriptures indicate that shortly after the Tribulation Period begins, one-fourth of the world’s population will be killed in hellish attacks by those who love violence and death. (Revelation 6:8) As we witness Islamic jihadists’

    efforts around the globe, we can begin to understand how all of this will unfold. We live at a time when the West is protecting and promoting Islam. When the Islamic Antichrist arrives, they will worship him. (Revelation 13:8)

    All of this global anarchy is being promoted and welcomed by the world’s evil political systems that want to seize the moment of fear and confusion so that they can exercise their power over the nations to their own end. The communists, socialists, and Muslims have cast their political lots together, with the hope that the old world order can be replaced by a New World Order of their choosing. It is my opinion that this political marriage will form the fragile but dangerous regime of the Antichrist. (Revelation 17:12-13) It is not an accident that the President of the United States is promoting a socialist agenda, while protecting the global image of Islam.

    Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Argentina, and Puerto Rico are all on the brink of economic collapse. Other major global economic players, like China and the U.S., are facing serious economic stress that signals dangerous and unpredictable days are ahead. The U.S federal debt is at more than $19 trillion, while our total debt is more than $100 trillion. With such spiraling debt, this could be the year that the default of the U.S. government takes place. The Scriptures indicate that the Tribulation Period will begin with a time of hyper-inflation. (Revelation 6:6)

    While we are bewildered by all of this, we are furthermore stunned by the moral madness of our world. Pornography, prostitution, sex-slavery, homosexuality, lesbianism, and bestiality are all being embraced by the global population. All of this is accompanied by a total disregard for marriage and the sanctity of the home. The moral foundation of life has crumbled before our eyes. All of these are signs of a global culture that has departed from God and has passed the spiritual point of no return. (Romans 1:18-32)

    While these horrific trends catapult our world deeper into an age of spiritual darkness, it is refreshing to turn to another very significant sign that also indicates that we have arrived at the end of this age. Perhaps one of the most relevant and exciting signs of the end times is the spiritual awakening that is beginning to take place within Jewish circles.

    Anyone who has studied the history of the church knows that since the first century, the Jewish people have adamantly rejected the gospel and refused to even consider that Jesus is the Messiah and Savior. However, all of this is about to end! According to the New Testament, the end of this age will begin with an end to Jewish spiritual blindness. (Romans 11:25)

    We must recognize that salvation is not a matter of the exercise of the human will alone. Without the preliminary work of the Holy Spirit before the moment of conversion, salvation is totally impossible. Romans 3:11 states: “there is none that seeketh after God.” 1 Corinthians 12:3 declares that no one can call Jesus Christ Lord, unless the Holy Spirit has done His work to lead the sinner to faith in Christ.

    The Scriptures indicate that a majority of Jewish people are currently in a state of spiritual blindness. (Romans 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:13-16) This state of spiritual blindness will continue “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Romans 11:25) This simply means, when the Lord’s divine completion of the predominately Gentile church is complete, He will return to His promise to enlighten a remnant of His chosen people, Israel. Eventually, all of living Israel will be saved. (Ezekiel 36:25-32; Zechariah 12:10-13:9; Romans 11:26)

    When the final 7 years of this age begins, it will feature the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit in history! (Joel 2:28-32) On the very first day of the Tribulation Period, the Lord will send two very special Jewish witnesses. (Malachi 4:4-6; Revelation 11:3-6) Without question, these two witnesses will proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, and call the nation of Israel to repentance. Notice that after their deaths at the mid-point of the Tribulation by the forces of the Antichrist, their disciples “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17)

    According to Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1-5, some of the disciples of these two witnesses will be 144,000 young Jewish men. They, along with tens of thousands of other Jewish people, will come to realize that Jesus is their Messiah and Savior. (Joel 2:28-32) It is amazing to read Joel’s prophecy and note that the salvation of the Jewish people will be accompanied by dreams and visions. (Joel 2:28) As you read this, we are hearing amazing testimonies of thousands of Muslims in the Middle East, who are having dreams and visions of Jesus, and after hearing the gospel, they are being saved. Many of these converts have already been martyred by ISIS, while many others are suffering persecution as they share the gospel with their Muslim families and friends. Will these visions and dreams begin to happen in Israel with the Jewish people? Is this the same kind of dreams and visions mentioned by the prophet Joel? Only time will tell!

    The spiritual awakening that will take place in Jewish hearts and minds at the beginning of the Tribulation Period is unprecedented! There were only 3,000 people saved on the day of Pentecost (they were all Jews). (Acts 2:41) This will be supernaturally dwarfed by the amazing conversion of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses — 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. (Revelation 7:1-8) These young Jewish converts are called “the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:4) This indicates they will be some of the first Jewish people to be saved at the beginning of the Tribulation Period. So, like on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, their conversions will take place in a very short period of time. We cannot begin to imagine the impact this will have on Jewish people in Israel and around the world!

    In light of this, we are witnessing a great movement in Jewish circles that is preparing for this spiritual awakening. In December, Israel Today reported: “More than 25 prominent rabbis from Israel and abroad recently issued a statement calling for a renewed look at Jesus, Christians and the New Testament faith. Quoting from their own sages, these outstanding Orthodox rabbis are not ashamed to exalt the name of Jesus, welcoming the carpenter from Nazareth back into the Jewish fold. … What we are now witnessing is the undoing of 2,000 years of Jewish rejection and animosity towards Jesus, a miracle by any estimation. For the out-and-out refusal by Jews to accept Jesus is slowly, but surely, coming to an end, as growing numbers of prestigious Orthodox rabbis welcome Jesus back.” (www.israeltoday.co.il, December 24, 2015)

    Friends, this has NEVER happened before. As expected, this announcement by several Orthodox Jewish rabbis has caused a great stir of opposition in Israel. This is to be expected. However, when Moses and Elijah, the two witnesses who will appear at the beginning of the Tribulation, confront this opposition, it will melt like a snowball in July! Regardless of this opposition, this announcement signals that a great Jewish awakening is approaching! I am absolutely convinced that the Rapture of the church is upon us. I hope that you are ready, and know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

    As we come to the end of this age, I am appalled at the attitude that so-called Christians have toward Israel and the Jewish people. With a very heavy heart of shame, I need to remind you that during the last 19 centuries, the church has divorced itself from the very doctrinal foundation of the true church. Most of the church in this 21st century is not practicing true Biblical Christianity!

    The early church began in Jerusalem, with Jewish believers, following Jewish apostles, and worshipping a Jewish Messiah and Savior. For the first couple of decades of church history, the church was distinctly Jewish. The Jewish believers’ meetings took place in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem (Acts 2:46; 3:11; 5:12, 42) and the many synagogues in Israel and throughout the ancient world. (Acts 9:2) For the first few decades, the early church proclaimed and taught the only Scriptures they had, the Old Testament. The first New Testament book, James, was not written until 45 A.D., 15 years after the church began. The New Testament was written by Jewish apostles and their associates to a predominately Jewish audience.

    You might ask, “Does this really matter to us?” Absolutely! We, as members of the true body of Christ, have been commanded to follow the doctrine of the early church, which is the doctrine of the Jewish apostles. (1 Timothy 1:3; 4:13-16; 2 Timothy 1:13; 3:16-17; 2 Peter 3:1-2) This doctrine is the body of what we call “The New Testament.”

    Salvation has come to the world through the Jewish people. Jesus said, “Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22) Through them, we have received our eternal Savior, the sacred Scriptures (Romans 3:2), a godly heritage, and abiding faith! (Hebrews 11:8-12:1)

    The Christian faith is a Jewish faith! The true church is a body of saved Jews and Gentiles that are members of one body that has a Jewish foundation and cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:14-22) Using the analogy of God’s work as an olive tree, Gentiles (as wild olive branches) have been supernaturally grafted onto a Jewish tree with Jewish roots. (Romans 11:16-18)

    This simply means that when we study our Bibles and worship our Lord, we should do this with Jewish eyes and a Jewish heart! Jesus called the Jewish people “my brethren.” (Matthew 25:40) He said that whatever we do to them is a manifestation of what we are doing as unto Him. (Matthew 25:31-40)

    The church is to have a missions and evangelism effort that is to be “to the Jew first.” (Romans 1:16) It is God’s desire that the faith of the predominately Gentile church would provoke Israel “to jealousy.” (Romans 11:11)

    For 19 centuries there has been a sharp division between the church and the Jewish people. Many Gentiles in the church have falsely accused the Jews of being “Christ killers.” It is true that the Jewish people of the 1st century rejected Christ, and called for His death. However, we must remember what Jesus said before His crucifixion: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself…” (John 10:17-18) According to the prophet Isaiah, Jesus was “smitten of God.” (Isaiah 53:4) It was the Father who “bruised him; … put him to grief: …[and made] his soul an offering for sin.” (Isaiah 53:10) While understanding all of this, on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Apostle Peter looked into the eyes of His fellow Jewish brethren and said: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain…” (Acts 2:22-23)

    In light of these Scriptures, it should be observed that the apostles of the New Testament NEVER viewed the Jewish rejection of Jesus as a means whereby the Father would reject the Jewish people and replace Israel with the church. In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul was directed by the Holy Spirit to record, under divine inspiration, the answer to this question that was being asked only a few decades after the beginning of the church. Read his answer in Romans 9-11. Paul’s conclusion is that the beginning of the church, which included Gentiles, was not the end of God’s covenant with Israel. Furthermore, He warned the Gentile believers about their arrogant attitude toward Israel. In Romans 11:18-25, he admonished the Gentile church to not “boast” against the Jews, thinking that God is done with the sons of Jacob, believing the church is separate from Israel in their standing before God. He further reminded the Gentile church that their faith was still grounded in the Jewish roots of His unconditional covenant with Israel. Later, Paul admonished the Gentile believers to not be willingly uninformed about God’s future plans for Israel. Furthermore, He warned them to not “be wise in your own conceits.”

    In spite of these Scriptures, very influential Gentile leaders in the early church taught that God was finished with Israel and that the church had replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. Unfortunately, this false teaching became the prevalent view and has been taught in most Christian circles for 19 centuries. Today, this false doctrine is called “Replacement Theology.”

    Replacement Theology is the major view in both Catholic and Protestant churches here in America. Those who hold this view (like Rick Warren and Joel Olsten), have been guilty of twisting the Scriptures to reject Israel. In effect, they have attempted to create a non-Jewish faith. This is not the faith of the New Testament!

    All those who adopt this view have a major problem understanding Biblical prophecy. Obviously, if their view is correct, there can be no future prophecies that relate to Israel or the Jewish people. Therefore, they are forced to do two things: Minimize prophecy and ignore it, and adopt an allegorical interpretation of all Scriptures that do not support their view. This is not only tragic; it is dangerous! Those who love and respect the Lord, must approach all of His Word with a sense of awe, integrity, and honor. We should never attempt to force the Word of God to fit our world view. We must humbly accept the reality that we do not think like God! And, that is putting it mildly!! In Isaiah 55:8-9, the Lord says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and thoughts than your thoughts.”

    Another evidence of the prevalence of Replacement Theology in American churches is the growing movement in Christian circles to support the Palestinian cause of creating a Muslim state on the “West Bank,” the very heartland of the territory promised to the Jewish people forever! (Genesis 13:14-15) These same Christians also support the economic sanctions on all Jewish products from the “West Bank.” They also believe and adopt the lies that are being circulated about Israel. In reality, those who believe in and promote the applications of Replacement Theology are blindly supporting the spirit of Antichrist. They are in direct opposition to the will and work of God in our world today!

    As New Testament believers, we do not have the liberty to change or challenge the teachings of the Apostles. The Scriptures are the very foundation of our faith. We are exhorted to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) Sadly, we live at a time when most church leaders are attempting to reinvent the church. We are living in days of great apostasy and spiritual confusion. (1 Timothy 4:1-2) Furthermore, the people in the pews are Biblically illiterate and are being swept along in the floods of deception.

    It is very clear from the prophetic Scriptures, and the growth of the modern nation of Israel, that God is not done with His people. After all of the living church saints have been raptured, the Lord will revive His unique plans for the Jewish people. The spiritual implications of both the Tribulation Period and the kingdom are distinctly Jewish. During the Tribulation Period, salvation and deliverance shall go forth from Jerusalem. (Joel 2:32) During the kingdom, “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) Then, the Gentile nations will respect and admire the Jewish people and bless them. (Isaiah 60:3-17; 62:1-4, 12)

    It is obvious to me that we are now witnessing the beginning of a powerful movement of the Spirit of God in the global Jewish community. As the church observes this, what should be our reaction? What does the Holy Spirit want us to do at this hour?

    We should fulfill our mission to make the Jewish people jealous of the Jewish faith that is in our hearts. (Romans 11:11) We should love them and pray that their spiritual eyes will be opened to the gospel. We need to make our evangelism efforts “to the Jew first.” (Romans 1:16) We need to pray for the Messianic pastors and congregations in Israel and around the world. We need to check our attitudes about Jewish people. We need to honor them, and thank them for the part they have had in providing us with our faith.

    Christians should prayerfully and financially support the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. We should pray that the Jewish people will occupy all of Jerusalem and the Promised Land. Only those who promote the spirit of antichrist will support the division of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. This is what the Antichrist will do. (Daniel 11:39) The division of the Promised Land will be the divine reason for Armageddon. (Joel 3:2)

    We need to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” (Psalm 122:6) We need to pray that the Lord will deliver Israel from its enemies. We must recognize that the nation of Israel is on the front lines of the war between heaven and hell. Satan hates Israel and wants to destroy this fulfillment of the ancient Biblical prophecies. Israel’s war is a war against an apocalyptic Islam that wants to conquer the entire world. Those who stand with God should pray that the Lord will deliver Israel from the Islamic hordes that love war, violence, deception, and death.

    According to the Bible, the redemption of the world is bound up in Israel! If Israel is destroyed, the Word of the Lord is not true! God will have failed! Satan will have won! And, our faith would be null and void!!

    Praise the Lord, we know this is not true. The preservation of Israel is bound up in the eternal, unchanging, and faithful power of God! (Psalm 121) The Lord has declared: “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)

    Israel is Returning to “the Land of their Fathers”

    The Palestinians, and many others in the world, reject the record of the Scriptures, and claim that the Jewish people never inhabited the land of Israel or the city of Jerusalem before modern times. For those of us who claim that the Bible is our final authority in all matters, we do not need any other proof. However, we live in incredible times when the historical record of the Bible is being verified by archeological findings in Israel almost every week.

    For example, most Biblical scholars agree that Daniel’s prophecy about a very powerful Hellenistic Greek king who would destroy the temple and stop the sacrifices, was the historical leader known as Antiochus Epiphanes. There never was any scientific proof to indicate that this powerful Greek leader was ever in Jerusalem. However, that all changed a few months ago. Archeologists at the site of the ancient city of David, have uncovered a military garrison that was built by Antiochus Epiphanes. They found lead slingshots, bronze arrowheads, and ballista stones stamped with a trident, “which symbolized the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes.” (The International Jerusalem Post, December 11-17, 2015, p. 7) A tourist group that I led this past November was able to see and photograph this military garrison.

    Following this, a more amazing archeological discovery took place closer to the site of the ancient Jewish Temple Mount. On December 2, Israeli archeologists announced they had uncovered the royal seal of King Hezekiah, who reigned in Jerusalem over 2,700 years ago (727-698 B.C.).
    Around the impression on this seal was an inscription in ancient Hebrew, stating: “Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah.” The impression contained “a two-winged sun with wings turned downward, flanked by two ankh symbols serving as emblems of life.” (The International Jerusalem Post, December 11-17, 2015, p. 13) It is believed that Hezekiah added these emblems to his royal seal when his life was extended by God after he discovered he had a life-threatening disease. God caused the sun to go backwards by ten degrees to give Hezekiah a sign that he would be healed. (2 Kings 20:1-11) Therefore, this seal (pictured below) symbolically depicted Hezekiah’s extended life and the sun going
    backwards as a proof of God’s promise. Think about this! The Lord has allowed us to see a piece of historical proof that one of the greatest questioned miracles in the Bible did take place, and was recognized on the royal seal of the king of Judah!

    16-1 news- Jewish Awakening seal

    Long ago, the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed that the Lord would return His people “to the land that I gave to their fathers and they shall posses it.” (Jeremiah 30:3) The Lord has kept His promise. The Jewish people are returning to the land of their fathers. And, no one is going to successfully remove them from Jerusalem or their land. It is settled in heaven.

    The record of all of this has been preserved in the written Word of God and on the historical artifacts being unearthed in the land of the Bible. Only fools deny these realities and question the God of truth!

    Muslim Sheikh Claims Islam is the Protector of Jews

    A few weeks ago, a Yale University Professor, Sheikh Omer Salem, a PhD graduate of Al Azhar University in Cairo, visited Israel and spoke at Haifa University. According to Israel Today, Sheikh Salem believes that the Koran teaches that the Jews have the right to their land, even the Temple Mount. He believes that when Islam rules the world in the future, as in the past, they should be the protector of Jews.

    He told his Israeli audience that eventually Allah would give the Jewish people their Temple Mount. He said: “You will get the Temple Mount, but that needs to happen in stages. Muslims will agree to remove the mosque, but it must be initiated by the Muslims. If Jews try to do it there will be great bloodshed. When it [the removal of the mosque] will happen it will be a gift from Allah. He is the one who will turn the hearts of the Muslims.” (www.israeltoday.co.il)

    This is exactly what I believe the Scriptures teach. The Antichrist will establish a false peace covenant with Israel, marking the beginning the Tribulation Period. (Daniel 9:27) He will promise the protection of Israel and allow them to rebuild their Jewish temple on the Temple Mount. Isn’t it amazing that Sheikh Salem has told Israel to expect this?

    After the Antichrist has successfully conquered the world, he will break his covenant with Israel and invade the Temple Mount, halting Jewish worship. (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:4) The stage is set! Get ready for the shout that will take us out!

    Please download the .pdf file.

  • 2015 November/December – Jesus is a Jew

    Jesus is a Jew

    “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star”  

    – Revelation 22:16

    By Mike Wingfield

    A few weeks ago, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former pastor of our president, openly declared at a massive gathering in Washington D.C. that Jesus was a “Palestinian.” This is nothing new! For several years, the Palestinian leadership, while speaking to Christian tourists in Manger Square in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, has declared that Jesus was a Palestinian freedom fighter. Those who know the Word of God realize this is an absolute lie!

    We are living at a time when the world rejects the truth about the Biblical Jesus. Many people have created their own version of Jesus. We live in a culture with a secular, consumer-oriented mindset that celebrates diversity instead of truth. Thus, it is very attractive for people to create a Jesus that meets their needs and desires. This mindset is expressed in a very popular contemporary song we hear at Christmas, entitled “Some Children See Him.” The lyrics are: “Some children see Him lily white, the baby Jesus born that night. Some children see Him bronzed and brown, the Lord of heaven to earth come down. Some children see Him almond-eyed, this Savior whom we kneel beside. Some children see Him as dark as they, sweet Mary’s Son, to whom we pray. …” This is not a song that true believers should sing or celebrate. Clearly, the Biblical Jesus is not everything to everybody in every culture. He is the sinless and eternal incarnate God-Man, who must be identified as the Jewish Lamb of God!

    The denial of Jesus’ Jewish incarnation is part of a very devious and rapidly growing global movement aimed at destroying Biblical Christianity. This movement is motivated by a hatred for the Jewish people in general and the nation of Israel in particular.

    This hatred of Jews and Israel has always existed within certain strains of the professing church. The denial of Jesus’ Jewishness is the ultimate extension of the dangerous doctrine of “Replacement Theology,” which teaches that God has permanently divorced the Jewish people as His chosen people. Those who proclaim this message say the church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. This teaching is a part of the dangerous apostasy of the last days. It has permeated churches in America. It is reported that approximately 67 percent of the pastors in the U.S. are teaching this! Therefore, it is very important that we know what the Bible teaches and are able to expose this lie about our Lord and Savior. What we think and believe about Jesus is at the very heart and foundation of our faith.

    As we begin to examine the evidence that Jesus is a Jew, we must not forget the context of the entire Bible. The Bible is a divine revelation by the Holy One of Israel, given through the prophets and apostles of Israel. Many of the names of the God of the Bible directly connect Him with the Jewish people. The message about the Messiah and Redeemer of the Bible is immersed in the land, history, customs, and language of the Jewish people. Jesus declared to the Samaritan woman at the well: “Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22) Therefore, the attempt to alter the Jewish identity of Jesus ignores the very divine fabric of the sovereign plan of God for all of mankind.

    Let us begin to examine the Biblical evidence of the Jewish identity of Jesus. I pray that this brief overview of this Biblical truth will strengthen your faith and enable you to defend the truth about our Savior. As we shall discover, to err on this truth leads to dangerous and deadly consequences.

    His Past: Jesus’ Incarnation and Earthly Ministry as a Jew

    The New Testament begins with a clear statement about the Jewish identity of Jesus. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1) The Holy Spirit moved the Apostle Matthew to begin the New Testament with the genealogy of Jesus Christ through His legal father, Joseph. Matthew 1:1-17 traces the ancestry of Joseph through King David to Abraham. It is absolutely necessary to demonstrate that Jesus has the legal right to the throne of David. (2 Samuel 7:12-16) If Jesus is not a Jewish descendent of King David, then He could not be the Messiah and rule over Israel during the future millennial kingdom! (Luke 1:31-33) Obviously, this is a major teaching of the Scriptures. Not only is Jesus the legal descendent of King David, but through His mother, Mary, He is also a physical descendent of King David. Luke 3:12-38 traces the physical ancestry of Mary through King David and Abraham to Adam. Therefore, it is biblically indisputable that Jesus was legally and physically born a Jew.

    Jesus’ godly parents raised Jesus under the law of Moses and followed all of the Jewish traditions and customs of their day. Jesus was circumcised according to the law on the eighth day. (Leviticus 12:1-3; Luke 2:21) He was redeemed with the payment of five shekels according to the Jewish law. (Numbers 18:15-16; Luke 2:22-23) Joseph and Mary took Jesus up to Jerusalem every year to keep the feast of the Passover. (Luke 2:41) The account of Jesus sitting with the experts of the law at the temple when He was only 12, certainly illustrates that He was diligently schooled in the Old Testament Scriptures. Luke 2:47 states “And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.”

    All of Jesus’ names and titles are Jewish. The angel told Joseph that the baby Mary was to deliver was to be called “JESUS; for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) The name “Jesus” was a common Jewish name, the same as the Old Testament name of Joshua.

    Hundreds of times in the New Testament, the name Jesus is accompanied by the title “Christ.” The Greek word (the language of the original New Testament) “Christ” is the translation of the Hebrew word (the original language of the Old Testament) “Messiah,” which means “anointed one.” Literally, the name Jesus Christ means “Jesus the Messiah.” Obviously, in the larger context of the Bible, it is understood that Jesus was recognized by the New Testament writers as the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. Therefore, when a person refers to Jesus as Christ, they are openly recognizing that Jesus is a Jew.

    Jesus was also called “the King of the Jews” (John 19:19), “the King of Israel” (John 12:13), “the son of David” (Mark 10:47), “the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1), “Rabbi” (John 3:2), and “Jesus of Nazareth” (John 19:19). All of these titles indicate that Jesus was a Jew.

    Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Jewish Messiah and the God of Israel in the Old Testament. While speaking to a Jewish audience in John 8, Jesus declared that He lived at the time of Abraham. He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) Many times in His earthly ministry Jesus said “I am…” Jesus knew that His people would connect these “I am” statements to the appearance of God to Moses at the burning bush, when He identified Himself as the “I AM THAT I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) In the very next verse, God instructed Moses to tell the children of Israel that the “I AM” is “The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:15) Therefore, in all of His “I am” statements, Jesus was claiming to be the eternal God of Israel that revealed Himself to Moses and to Abraham. Jesus taught His followers that He was the direct and literal fulfillment of all of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. (Luke 24:26-27, 44-47)

    The New Testament teaches that Jesus is the redemptive fulfillment of all of the Jewish sacrifices in the Old Testament. (Hebrews 9:11-10:14) Most perfectly, He is the ultimate Passover Lamb. (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 5:7) When Jesus was introduced to His generation at His baptism, John said: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Throughout the book of Revelation, Jesus is called “the Lamb.” (Revelation 5:6, 12, 13; 7:9; 12:11; 14:4; 19:7, 9; 21:14, 22-23, 27; 22:3) Certainly, this unique title of Jesus within the context of the Bible speaks of His Jewish identity.

    According to the gospels, Jesus practiced and taught about the Jewish customs in His time, and kept the Biblical traditions of His day. He observed the Feasts of Israel and visited the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem frequently.
    [Click here to view the picture]

    www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/09/christianity-judaism

    This artist’s portrayal of what Jesus may have looked like is probably more accurate than the more famous images that in many ways deny or ignore Jesus’ Jewish identity.

    Jesus’ earthly ministry was distinctly Jewish. Some people think that because Jesus is the cornerstone of the church (Ephesians 2:20) that His ministry was a Christian ministry. Therefore, they conclude that He was a Christian, not a Jew. However, we must remember that Jesus always spoke of the church in the future tense (Matthew 16:18) because the church was not born until the Feast of Pentecost after Jesus had ascended back to heaven. (Acts 2) Jesus never preached in a church. He preached in Jewish synagogues throughout Israel. (Mark 1:39) Furthermore, it is a mistake to think that a Jew cannot be a Christian. All of the early church believers from Acts 1-9 were Jewish. A Jew is a person who has a physical ancestry that is traced back to one of the 12 tribes of Israel. However, a Christian is a person who has spiritually entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Spiritual salvation is “of the Jews.” (John 4:22) The gospel of Christ is the “power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first.” (Romans 1:16) Therefore, while Jesus is the cornerstone of the church, and the church is built upon Him, in the strictest sense, Jesus was not a Christian, but a Jew. As explained by the Apostle Paul, the life of the church comes from its Jewish roots in Jesus Christ and the Jewish Scriptures. (Romans 11:11-24)

    All of Jesus’ associates in His ministry were Jewish. His disciples were Jewish. (Mark 1:16-20) His audience was almost exclusively Jewish. (Matthew 10:5-6) His opponents were the Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 22:15-40) His message consisted of an offer of the kingdom of God to Israel. (Matthew 10:7; Luke 8:1) While identifying with the Jewish law and prophets, and proclaiming a kingdom message, Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah in His transfiguration. (Luke 9:28-36)

    Furthermore, Jesus’ earthly ministry took place within the land of Israel. He was born in Bethlehem, and grew up in Nazareth. He was tempted in the Judean wilderness. Jesus’ ministry was centered in Galilee. He fulfilled many prophecies about Himself in Jerusalem. He preached in Israel’s cities and villages. He visited Jacob’s well at Sychar. He performed miracles throughout Israel. He was buried in a Jewish tomb, and ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives. Jesus was recognized as a Jew by His historical contemporaries. The Jewish people called Jesus rabbi, the Son of David, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus of Galilee, a prophet of Israel, and Messiah. All of these names and titles would clearly mark Him as a Jew. When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water from Jacob’s well at Sychar, she responded: “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?” for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” (John 4:9)

    During His ministry, Jesus identified with the Jewish people, calling them “my brethren.” (Matthew 25:40; 28:10) Those who hate Jews should remember that Jesus is Jewish and that the Jewish people are His people. Those who hate or harm the Jewish people are touching “the apple of his eye.” (Zechariah 2:8)

    His Present: Jesus is the Jewish God-Man in Heaven

    The same Jesus who appeared to the disciples as the resurrected Jewish Messiah, is the same Jesus who is in heaven today. Several years after the ascension, Jesus spoke to Saul (who later became the Apostle Paul) on the road to Damascus in the language of the Jews, Hebrew. (Acts 26:14) Today, Jesus functions as our Jewish High Priest in heaven. Hebrews 2:16-17 declares: “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.” Therefore, we must conclude that Jesus is the eternally glorified Jewish God-Man in heaven. His Jewish robe of flesh that He began to wear during His earthly incarnation will continue to be the nature of His divine revelation in His state of eternal glorification. This was certainly the declared truth of the two angels to the disciples on the Mount of Olives at Jesus’ ascension to heaven. They said: “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

    His Future: Jesus will return to earth as the Jewish King of Kings

    When Jesus bodily returns to this earth in His awesome revelation at the end of the Tribulation Period, He will have the same resurrected body that He ascended to heaven with almost two thousand years ago. The ancient prophet of Zechariah wrote that when Jesus returns, His people will mourn when they recognize that their Messiah is the One that was crucified outside the ancient walls of Jerusalem in 30 A.D. Zechariah wrote: “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. … And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” (Zechariah 12:10; 13:6)

    When Jesus returns as the Jewish “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16), He will return first to the Mount of Olives. (Zechariah 14:4) He will judge the surviving Gentile nations on the basis of how they have treated His Jewish brethren. (Matthew 25:40) He will establish His kingdom of peace upon all of the earth, ruling from the “holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:6) As promised to His apostles in the Upper Room at His last Passover, He will once again celebrate the Passover with all of the redeemed nation of Israel in Jerusalem. (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18) It is emphatically clear from Scripture that the kingdom over which Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, will reign will be a Jewish kingdom. (Isaiah 2:1-5; 60:1-22; Zechariah 14:16-21)

    Why is all of this so relevant and significant to our faith? According to the gospel, our faith is firmly anchored in the person of the biblical Jesus! Our faith must be grounded in the historical Jesus whom the apostles portrayed in the gospels. To change anything about His spiritual or physical identity as determined by the eternal “counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23), is to reject the Lamb of God! Rejecting God’s Lamb is the same as rejecting God’s salvation. They are one and the same. Jesus said to His Jewish disciples as they celebrated the Passover, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

    Contrary to what many believe, God has not divorced the Jewish people from His calling as a people set apart unto Himself for His eternal purposes. The Lord said to Israel through His servant Moses: “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he hath sworn unto your fathers…“ (Deuteronomy 7:6-8) God’s choice of Israel as His chosen people is not based upon their performance, but upon His unconditional promises and unchanging character. It is not based upon Israel’s accomplishments, but God’s faithfulness. At the end of the Old Testament, even after all of Israel’s rebellion against Him, the Lord declared: “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)

    God’s blessings upon the nation of Israel in the last days is not because of their faithfulness to Him. Concerning the last days and the supernatural return of the Jewish people back to the land of Israel, Ezekiel wrote: “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes; O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.” (Ezekiel 36:22)

    The question of God’s divorcement of Israel was being considered in the early days of the Church Age. When the Apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the church at Rome in 56 A.D., he was directed by the Holy Spirit to deal with this matter. He wrote: “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” (Romans 11:1-2) Later in this same chapter, Paul explained that the very spiritual life of the predominately Gentile church flows out of believing Israel. Using the analogy of Israel as a domesticated olive tree and the Gentiles as a wild olive tree, Paul explains that the Gentile believers in Jesus Christ have been grafted into the Jewish faith, both of which have the same Jewish roots. (Romans 11:11-24) The predominately Gentile church enjoys the life and fruit of God because of its connection to the Jewish roots of faith. (Romans 11:18) This text explains that the Gentile church has not replaced the Jewish salvation through a Jewish Savior and a Jewish revelation, the Word of God. Believing Gentiles have been grafted in, but the Jewish roots have not been altered! To take away the Jewish identity of Jesus is to kill the Jewish roots and would thus kill the true church which receives its life from the Jewish roots.

    Therefore, anyone who willfully rejects the Jewish identity of Jesus and hates the Jewish people has been deceived and is in opposition to God. According to Psalm 83:2-4, those who hate Israel also hate God and are the enemies of God. The rejection of a Jewish Jesus and the hatred for Israel are one and the same! This fact is illustrated in the life of Adolf Hitler. On April 12, 1922, Hitler said: “My feelings as a Christian point me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded only by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God’s truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was His fight for the world against the Jewish poison. Today, after two thousand years, with deepest emotion I recognize more profoundly than ever before in the fact that it was for this that He had to shed His blood upon the Cross.”

    Hitler arrived at his conclusions because of the writings of a German pastor, Martin Luther. While Martin Luther was instrumental in bringing about the reformation, he failed to fully grasp the entire revelation of God. Unfortunately, Luther was trapped in the false teachings of Replacement Theology that had preceded him in Catholicism. His anti-Semitic writings and statements clearly illustrate this. His anti-Semitic teachings ultimately led Hitler and the Germans to brutally murder one-half of the world’s Jewish population in the Holocaust.
    [Click here to view the picture]

    A member of Westboro Baptist Church during a public rally

    The statements of Jesus (Matthew 10:22; 24:9), and the context of the prophetic Scriptures (Revelation 12) indicate that at the end of this age there will be a great revival of hatred for Jews and for Israel. At this very hour we are witnessing an incredible resurgence of hatred being directed toward the Jewish population in Israel. Even here in the United States, anti-Semitism is growing out of control. As in Nazi Germany, this movement toward socialism and a godless agenda is being fueled by a professing church that rejects a Jewish Jesus and openly adopts replacement theology. These parallels are very frightening!

    We continue to hear that the fastest growing religion in the world and in America is Islam. Islam teaches that Jesus was not Jewish, but is a Muslim. They believe that when their Islamic messiah arrives he will be accompanied by Jesus, who they say will destroy churches, break crosses, and kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. Obviously, underlining all of this is the Islamic hatred for Israel and the Jewish people. The most dangerous and venomous hatred for Israel and the Jews is propagated within Islamic circles around the world. The reason Islam is growing so rapidly around the world is because it proclaims a message that the godless world wants to hear and mimic. A part of that attractive message is a hatred for Jews, Israel, and the church.

    The war that ISIS is waging in the Middle East is based upon their view of a Muslim Jesus, which is traced back to the teachings and lifestyle of their founding prophet, Mohammed. This is why ISIS is decapitating and crucifying Christians. ISIS continues to state that their ultimate goal is to capture Jerusalem and kill all of the Jews in Israel. This is exactly what the Antichrist and his armies will do on a global scale during the Tribulation Period.

    My friend, I hope that you are beginning to see how dangerous and deadly it is to deny that Jesus is a Jew. On the surface it may appear that this is not a serious matter. However, to deny the Jewish identity of Jesus is to unravel the very divine fabric of the Word of God. God’s eternal choice of the Jewish people covers the entire Bible from Genesis 12 to the last chapters of the Bible in the book of Revelation. As a matter of fact, the eternal city in which we will dwell forever is called the “new Jerusalem.” (Revelation 21:2) This city will have 12 gates, on which will be written “the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 21:12) And, the 12 walls of the city will contain “the names of the twelve [Jewish] apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:14)

    I wish to conclude this article with a quote from biblicalaracheology.org: “To wrench Jesus out of his Jewish world destroys Jesus and destroys Christianity, the religion that grew out of his teachings. Even Jesus’ most familiar role as Christ is a Jewish role. If Christians leave the concrete realities of Jesus’ life and of the history of Israel in favor of a mythic, universal, spiritual Jesus and an otherworldly kingdom of God, they deny their origins in Israel, their history, and the God who has loved and protected Israel and the church. They cease to interpret the actual Jesus sent by God and remake him in their own image and likeness. The dangers are obvious. If Christians violently wrench Jesus out of his natural, ethnic and historical place within the people of Israel, they open the way to doing equal violence to Israel, the place and people of Jesus. This is a lesson of history that haunts us all [as we begin the 21st century].” (www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/was-jesus-a-jew)

    Major Oil Discovery in Israel

    Several news sources are reporting that a major oil deposit has been discovered by Israel on the Golan Heights near the border with Syria. Those who have completed this exploration indicate that the size of this oil pocket will make Israel energy independent for several years. All of this follows the discovery of massive natural gas deposits off the coast of Israel in the last few years.

    These reports are significant because they illustrate that Israel is becoming a major economic player in the Middle East. According to Ezekiel 38:12-13, the nations of the Middle East will join Russia in a war to seize Israel’s wealth. With the military forces of Russia and Iran gathering in Syria to fight against the Sunni radicals that are attempting to overthrow the Syrian government, and this discovery of oil, just a few miles away on the Golan Heights, all of this could be setting the stage for the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel. “Sputnik News, an international news agency wholly owned and operated by the Russian government, is already claiming that the oil belongs to Syria. ‘The oil deposit lies in the Golan Heights, which is internationally recognized as Syrian territory but has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 war between Israel and Arab states.’” (www.breakingisraelnews.com)

    Jewish Immigration up by 35 percent

    One of the most frequent prophetic promises in the Bible is the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland- Israel in the last days. The Lord has declared: “I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” (Jeremiah 30:3) Israel’s population now stands at 8.4 million, of which 6.3 (74.9 percent) are Jewish. In the last Jewish year there was a 35 percent increase in Jewish immigration to Israel over previous years. Most of these Jewish people came from Ukraine (26 percent), France (25 percent), Russia (21 percent), and the United States (9 percent).

    I have witnessed this immigration trend during the 30 years I have been traveling to Israel. I remember asking several Israeli Jews why they immigrated to Israel and their response was, “Something inside of me said it was time to come home.” In the 1990s, I remember being in the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and watching an entire jet load of Russian Jews flood the immigration lines.

    The Lord is speaking to the world through this process. In Ezekiel 36:22-24, God said to the returning Jews in the last days: “I do not this for your sakes: O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, … And I will sanctify my great name, … and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.”

    The Lord of heaven has married the Jewish people to the land of Israel. (Isaiah 62:4-5) “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:6) The world, and especially the current U.S. administration is attempting to remove the Jewish people from the heartland (the “West Bank”) of what the Lord has promised to His chosen people. The world is at war with God. To God, the inhabitants of the earth are “as grasshoppers.” (Isaiah 40:22) Do you know what happens when the grasshoppers declare war on the God of the universes? “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.” (Psalm 2:4)

    Download in .pdf format

  • 2015 October The Rise of the Final Superpower State- Israel

    The Rise of the Final Superpower State- Israel

    “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. ” – Malachi 3:6

    By Mike Wingfield

    The tiny nation of Israel is divinely destined to become the final superpower state. At its humble beginning in 1948, there were only 600,000 Jews living in the Promised Land when the world witnessed the revival of an ancient nation, reborn to join the nations of the world in the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, this tiny nation, about the size of New Jersey, has defied conventional wisdom. Not only has it survived 67 years, but it has thrived, and confronted the entire world. God’s Word, as declared in His infallible book, the Bible, will come to pass. The power and presence of this little nation, like David facing Goliath, is destined to demonstrate to the world that there is a God in heaven.

    It is not an accident that the entire world, including the Vatican and the U.S. administration, is currently collaborating on the demise of the modern nation of Israel. This is not a surprise to the Almighty! Long ago, the Psalmist declared that the leaders of the world would unite in their opposition to God’s Messiah and His eternal plans. (Psalm 2:1-3) According to the Bible, the final global attempt to wrestle the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem from the Jewish people will take place at the end of the Tribulation Period at the Battle of Armageddon. At Armageddon, the Lord will return from heaven in all of His power and divine majesty to bring a final and lasting retribution against the evil global agenda to destroy Israel. (Zechariah 14:2-3) “For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion.” (Isaiah 34:8) The divinely stated reason for God’s reckoning at Armageddon against the New World Order of the Antichrist is found in Joel 3:2. There, the Bible clearly states that the world’s final conflict at the end of this age will take place because the world will attempt to divide the Land of God and scatter the Jewish people throughout the nations. It is very apparent that we are witnessing the global policies that are attempting to invoke an order to remove the Jewish people from the West Bank (Judea and Samaria- the very heartland of the Promised Land), and the Biblical city of Jerusalem, to create another radical Islamic state — the State of Palestine. Everyone knows that the ultimate goal of all of the Muslims of the Middle East, including the Palestinians, is the complete annihilation of the Jewish nation.

    Why is the world so focused upon the removal of the Jewish people from their ancient homeland, while supporting the creation of another Islamic terrorist state? The answer is found in Psalm 83. In this text, the Bible states that the “enemies of God” constantly scream out their hatred for God and “have taken crafty counsel against [the] people [of God].” (verses 2-3) “They have said, Come and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederated against [God].” (verses 4-5) The evidence is abundantly clear. Our world is filled with antichrists who oppose the purposes of God for His chosen people in the Holy Land and the holy city of Jerusalem.

    Amazingly, many in the professing church deny the literal interpretation of the re-gathering of the Jews to their land and the restoration of the nation of Israel as a reality in the last days. The false doctrine of replacement theology has permeated most of the teachings of the churches in America and around the world. The open rejection of the modern nation of Israel and the alignment of the professing churches with the godless governments and media of the world that support the destruction of Israel, is a demonstration of the apostasy of the church in these last days. They deny the full context of the Scriptures that clearly and repeatedly declares that the same God that scattered Israel will re-gather Israel at the end of this age. “Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.” (Jeremiah 31:10)

    We are now entering a very challenging period of time for the nation of Israel. Jesus described the nature of the end of this age to His Jewish disciples when He said: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6) There has never been a nation that will face the constant barrage of hatred, ongoing threats, and attempts of annihilation like Israel will face during the Tribulation Period. The Lord revealed to the great prophet Daniel: “… and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” (Daniel 12:1) Notice that in both of these texts, the Lord told His people to not be troubled, and promised their ultimate deliverance. The Bible is filled with many promises that the newly re-gathered nation of Israel will not be destroyed in the last days. (Isaiah 29:1-8; 41:8-13; Jeremiah 30:1-11; Ezekiel 38:18-23; Amos 9:14-15; Zechariah 12:1-9; 14:1-3, 12-15; Malachi 3:6) I want to remind us all that these words are the infallible declarations of unconditional promises given to the Jewish people by the unchanging Almighty God of the entire universe. His purposes will come to pass. (Isaiah 14:24, 26-27) He is totally sovereign over all of His creation. No one, including all of the powers of hell, can stop Him! (Daniel 4:34-35) Compared to the great Holy One of Israel, “the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance …. all nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. … the inhabitants [of the earth] are as grasshoppers, … [He] bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.” (Isaiah 40:15, 17, 22-23)

    According to a multitude of Biblical passages, the nation of Israel is destined to become the final superpower state at the end of this age. As we consider the Biblical evidence that supports this truth, we must constantly remind ourselves that the future of the nation of Israel is not because of who they are, or the resources they possess. God’s future plan for Israel is bound up in His own glory. (Isaiah 46:9-13) While speaking about the Jewish people, the Lord said: “This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.” (Isaiah 43:21) God has revealed that Israel’s final restoration is for “mine holy name’s sake … [that] the heathen shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 36:22-23) Therefore, it must be concluded that the greatness of Israel as the final superpower state is bound up in the greatness of God’s Messiah, God’s eternal Son, Jesus Christ.

    Israel will become the global superpower, ruling the world with justice and mercy

    According to the Scriptures, at the end of the most deadly and destructive time in human history – the Tribulation Period – the Lord Jesus will supernaturally return to earth from heaven and destroy the global political systems at Armageddon. (Daniel 2:42-45; Joel 3:1-17; Zechariah 14:1-15; Revelation 19:11-20:6) After this occurs, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will reign over all the earth for 1,000 years from Jerusalem, Israel. “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” (Zechariah 14:9) All nations, including the redeemed from current nations who are calling for Israel’s demise, will respect and submit to the rule of Israel’s Messiah. (Isaiah 60:6-12; Zechariah 14:16-19)

    The Lord has decreed that His Son will rule over the nations as the sovereign dictator from His “holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:6-9) The perfection and power of Israel’s global influence will reside in the nature and authority of her divine Messiah. Jesus the Messiah will be the king, legislator, and judge. (Isaiah 33:22) There will be no need for checks and balances on His government, because the King will be perfect. The government in all of its aspects will be guided by the perfect law of God, “for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) For the first time in human history, justice, mercy, truth, and peace will prevail over all the earth. “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:7)

    The application of God’s Word in all governmental aspects will be directed by resurrected and glorified saints, who have perfect wisdom. Within the living nation of Israel, the Messiah’s administration will include the resurrected King David as his co-regent. (Isaiah 55:3-4) Serving under King David will be the 12 apostles. (Matthew 19:28) Faithful church saints in their glorified bodies will rule over the living Gentiles in the global kingdom. (2 Timothy 2:12) Through this godly administration, justice and peace will be enforced throughout all of the nations.

    Israel will become the global spiritual leader

    The world has forgotten that peace, security, and prosperity are the divine rewards for those nations who worship and obey God. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” (Psalm 33:12) Those who have the knowledge of God and fear Him possess wisdom for living. (Proverbs 9:10) The Bible promises that those who delight in the Lord and His Word “shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3) In both the past and in the future, the Scriptures promised Israel that if they obeyed the Lord He would prosper them. (Joshua 1:7; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; 30:8-10)

    Currently, there is a major spiritual awakening taking place in Israel. There are already more than 20,000 Messianic believers worshiping in more than 200 churches in Israel. As Israel faces growing international isolation and the threat of an Iranian nuclear attack, many Israelis are turning to the Bible for answers. In fact, Jewish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has revived a tradition started by Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion and is hosting a “Bible Study” at his official Jerusalem residence. Furthermore, an increasing number of Israelis are considering the possibility that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and Savior of the world. However, all of this is only a small development in light of what is about to take place.

    By the end of the Tribulation Period, the entire global Jewish population will be saved. (Zechariah 12:10-13:9; Romans 11:26) The Jewish remnant will be saved while scattered among the Gentile nations. (Deuteronomy 30:1-6) There is no doubt the Lord will use the 144,000 Jewish evangelists that are saved at the beginning of the Tribulation, trained, and sent forth into the nations from Jerusalem during the first half of the Tribulation Period to evangelize the global Jewish population. (Revelation 7)

    All Jews and Gentiles who enter the Millennial Kingdom will be saved. (Matthew 25:31-40) However, as the kingdom age progresses, it will be necessary for those children who are born with a depraved heart to receive the gospel and be saved. At the forefront of the global evangelism and education will be the nation of Israel.

    The proclamation of the Word of God will be centered in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3) The nations of the world will drink from the spiritual wells of salvation that will gush forth from the throne of the Messiah in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 12:1-6) Throughout the Kingdom Age, the redeemed of the Lord in Jerusalem will make the nations thirsty for His salvation. (Isaiah 52:7-10) The glorious light of God’s redemption will finally shine forth from Jerusalem and Israel will be a light unto the Gentiles. (Isaiah 60:1, 3) The walls of Jerusalem will be called “Salvation” and the gates will named “Praise.” (Isaiah 60:18)

    The world will worship the One and only true God for 1,000 years. Other idols and gods will not be tolerated. The Lord has declared that the Gentile nations “shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.” (Isaiah 60:7) Finally, the temple in Jerusalem will become a house of prayer for all nations. The prophet Micah wrote: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob: and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Micah 4:1-2)

    The global worship of the God of Jacob, with its center at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem has been the decreed aim of God from the beginning of time. (Genesis 22:14; Deuteronomy 12:5-14) It is not a surprise that Satan has chosen the same piece of property as the center of his hellish kingdom against God. (Isaiah 14:13) Since 693 AD, the Dome of the Rock has stood on the spot that God has chosen as the center of His future kingdom on earth. The conflict that pits the god of Ishmael (Islam) against the God of Isaac continues to battle for this little 35-acre plot in Jerusalem. Finally, when Satan is cast into the bottomless pit at the beginning of the kingdom, this conflict will be over. (Revelation 20:2-3) However, when Satan is released to deceive the Gentile kingdoms one more time, notice where the rebellion takes place — Jerusalem. (Revelation 20:9) It is no surprise that those who are in league with Satan are demanding that Israel give up East Jerusalem to the Palestinians for the creation of another radical Islamic nation. The battle for the Temple Mount is really heating up. As this newsletter was being written, there were several days of violent riots on the Temple Mount. Muslims have attacked Jews and Christians who are just visiting the area. As a result, the world, including the U.S. administration, is demanding that Israel forbid Jews from entering the Temple Mount. The global appeasement on behalf of Islam certainly tells us whose side the world is on. The world preaches a message of tolerance, until it applies to Jews and Christians!

    Everyone knows that the future of a nation is invested in the education of its children. The Word of God will once again become the curriculum for the education of all children in the global kingdom. “All thy children shall be taught of the LORD…” (Isaiah 54:13) Consequently, “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)

    I would like to remind all of us that the New England Primer, which was filled with Scripture, was used to teach the children of America to read for the first 200 years. One of the things that made America great in its founding years was the Biblical education of its children. They were given a godly moral foundation along with academic factual knowledge. In the last 50 years America has removed God, the Bible, and prayer from public education, and we are now reaping the results of a moral collapse.

    Notice that when the global inhabitants of the kingdom are in submission to Jesus, it will result in no more war or violence. The nations will not “learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders.” (Isaiah 60:18)

    The present godless culture does not connect the dots when attempting to find a solution to the growing problems with hatred, lawlessness, rebellion, and violence. The problem is not with guns or a flag, but the real problem is the human heart! Jesus declared that murder and theft are the result of the wicked human heart. (Matthew 15:19) Only Jesus can change the human heart. Our social ills will get much worse as our culture moves further away from God and His laws of morality. There will be no change or hope until King Jesus comes to establish His kingdom of peace.

    Israel will be a powerfully united nation

    As one examines the nations, it is obvious that our world is in a state of confusion and lawlessness. The nations are radically divided spiritually, politically, economically, morally, and racially. America is rapidly becoming a divided nation. We are politically divided. The political partisanship within our leadership and the nation in general has blinded us. Too many Americans are busy defending their political party, rather than defending and protecting the nation. Like sheep being led to the slaughter, we are becoming a godless socialist state. We are economically divided. There is a very sharp divide between working America and those who have an entitlement mentality. We are morally divided. Those who support and those who oppose abortion and same-sex marriage are passionately opposed to each other. We are racially divided. A spirit of hate and revenge is brewing across the nation along racial lines. It is only a matter of time before America will be in a state of revolution. The evil powers that are in control are waiting for such an opportunity to seize the moment to declare martial law and take complete control of America. We must remember that Jesus said that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. (Matthew 12:25)

    Recent years in Israel have illustrated that the Jewish nation also suffers from division when the security of the nation seems to be strong. However, it is very evident from the last political election in Israel that the global isolation and international threats against Jews in general and Israel in particular, are binding the Jewish people together. The growing hatred for the Jewish people and Israel is accomplishing two things: First, it is fueling the return of the Jewish exiles to their ancient homeland. Long ago, the prophet Isaiah wrote: “Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 43:5-6) Ultimately, at the beginning of the millennial kingdom, every Jew will come back home to live in Israel. (Ezekiel 39:25-28)

    The global rejection of the Jewish people will also help to create spiritual and political unity within Israel that will continue to exist throughout the entire millennial kingdom. (Ezekiel 37:15-24) The Lord has promised: “And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel: and one king shall be king to them all … And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.” (Ezekiel 37:22, 24)

    Israel will become the most prosperous nation in history

    I have been taking tour groups to Israel for 30 years and I have been continually amazed at the prosperity and growth that is taking place in Israel. Israel has a growing high-tech economy. The Jewish state has proven itself as an innovative nation in the latest computer technology, agriculture advancements and techniques, and medical research and achievements. Israel is also a world leader in the creation and manufacture of military weaponry. On any given day, Israel has one of the strongest economies and currencies in the world. The recent discoveries of several large natural gas fields off the coast of Israel have given Israel the energy it needs to be energy independent and to develop as a world-class economic leader in the 21st century.

    According to Ezekiel 38:12-13, it will be the wealth and food in Israel that will tempt Russia, Iran, Turkey, and other nations to attack Israel. However, all of this current wealth is only the prelude to what will unfold in Israel during the millennial kingdom.

    Israel is currently spending about 14 percent, about $15 billion, of its annual budget on defense. One can only imagine what would take place if these funds could be directed toward agriculture. This is exactly what will take place in the kingdom. Isaiah predicted that during the kingdom Israelis will “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks.” (Isaiah 2:4)

    The land of Israel will become a lush garden, “like the Garden of Eden.” (Ezekiel 36:35) “He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit.” (Isaiah 27:6) The millennial Israel will experience miraculous expansion and growth of infrastructure and construction of cities and highways. (Psalm 102:16; Isaiah 19:23-24; Ezekiel 36:33, 35; Amos 9:14)

    The collective wealth in the final global superpower will surpass anything ever accomplished in all of human history. The business that Israel will conduct with the Gentile nations will cause the Jewish state to become the economic giant of the ages. The transfer of wealth from the Gentile nations to Israel will be staggering. (Isaiah 60:6, 16) The Lord has promised: “For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron.” (Isaiah 60:17)

    My friend, it should be crystal clear that we are living in a world in rebellion against God. We are watching the final conflict that is leading the nations of the world to Armageddon. At the heart of that conflict is Israel and its land. God has supernaturally called His chosen people back home to Israel and has caused them to thrive. We are witnessing the final drama that is leading to the beginning of the Tribulation Period. It is only a matter of time!

    In light of all of this, we must be ready for the shout that will take us out!

    As the Free-World Collapses

    For those who study history and follow the trends in current events, it is abundantly clear that the free world and its flag-ship nation, the United States, are in the final stages of collapse. It is obvious that the enemies of the free-world are acting like sharks that smell blood and are preparing for the attack. Russia, Iran, North Korea, China, and various groups within the Islamic world are poised to take over the world when the United States officially falls from its superpower status. The United States and Europe are politically divided, morally corrupt, economically bankrupt, and spiritually pagan. To this we must add that both the U.S. and Europe are operating in the spirit of political appeasement and military retreat. All of these are signs of weakness.

    Russia is making its move in Europe and the Middle East to flex its military muscle, almost daring anyone to stop them. No one has hindered them from taking eastern Ukraine. Now, Russia and Iran have agreed to come to the military aid of their friends in Syria. A DEBKAfile report on September 13, revealed that Russia and Iran agreed at the end of July to send a massive military buildup of marines, air force units, warships and missiles to northern Syria. “Russian forces are streaming to Latakia, and Moscow has declared the area from Tartous, Syria up to Cyprus closed to shipping and air traffic from Sept. 15 to Oct. 7 in view of a ‘military exercise including test firings of guided missiles’ from Russian warships.” (DEBKAfile, September 13, 201) For those of us who study the prophetic Scriptures, this has set off a major alarm. According to Ezekiel 38, Russia and Iran, along with other allies from Turkey, Libya, and Sudan, will invade Israel in the last days. These troops are now occupying the same area from which they will invade Israel!

    The same DEBKAfile reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin called Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in July and offered to help militarily guard the newly discovered gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel. Obviously, it was his plan to cash in on the billions that will be made from the exports of the natural gas now operated by Israel. It is worth noting that Putin never revealed to Netanyahu his plans for the military buildup with the Iranians in Syria. Netanyahu never responded to Putin’s offer. Once again, all of this is very important in relationship to Ezekiel 38, which indicates that one of the major reasons for the Russian/Iranian invasion of Israel is to plunder Israel of its wealth. (Ezekiel 38:12-13)

    In addition to these concerns, on September 15th USA Today reported: “North Korea … has restarted operations at its atomic bomb fuel production plants, …. it is fully ready to use nuclear weapons against the United States.”

    Europe is facing another immediate threat to its survival as a part of the free world. It has been known for decades that Europe is suffering from a serious demographic time bomb. Native Europeans are not having enough children to sustain control of their future political destiny. Many have observed that the growing Islamic immigration and natural birth rates of Muslims in Europe will finally overwhelm the continent in the coming decades. However, the steady stream of Muslim refugees that are currently fleeing the war-torn Middle East is speeding up this threat. Millions of Muslims are fleeing Libya, Syria, and Iraq. Hundreds of thousands are trying to enter Europe. No one can estimate at this point the impact this mass exodus of Muslims will have economically and demographically upon their host countries.

    Radical Muslim leaders are praying that this will speed up the demise of Europe by flooding Europe with Muslims, making it a part of the Islamic world. John McTernan, the founder of Defend and Proclaim the Faith ministries and an expert in Biblical prophecy, recently commented about a fiery sermon that a top Imam, Sheikh Muhammad Ayed, gave at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem: “Speaking at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Ayed stated that European countries were not rolling out the red carpet for migrants because they were compassionate, but because Europe was in dire need of a new source of labor. ‘Europe has become old and decrepit and needs human reinforcement….they are not motivated by compassion for the Levant, its people and its refugees,’ said Ayed, adding, ‘Soon, we will trample them underfoot, Allah willing.’

    ‘Throughout Europe, all the hearts are enthused with hatred toward Muslims. They wish that we were dead, but they have lost their fertility, so they look for fertility in our midst,’ he added. ‘We will give them fertility! We will breed children with them, because we shall conquer their countries!’ Ayed stated that ‘whether you like it or not,’ Americans, Italians, Germans, and the French will be forced to take the ‘refugees’. ‘We shall soon collect them in the name of the coming Caliphate. We will say to you: these are our sons. Send them, or we will send our armies to you,’ concluded Ayed.” (http://defendproclaimthefaith.org/blog/?p=35400, September 18, 2015)

    Download in .pdf format