Category: Politics

PTNews

March 2019

Published 10 times annually

(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)

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

Peace and Security Summit

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By Mike Wingfield

On February 13, sixty world leaders gathered in Warsaw, Poland under the banner “Peace and Security in the Middle East,” to speak out against the Iranian aggression leading the Middle East toward war. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence hailed this as a “new era” in the Middle East. Pence said that the “gathering of Middle Eastern countries ‘breaking bread together’ was the sign of ‘a hopeful sign of a brighter future.’” (World Israel News, February 14, 2019). In attendance were Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many high ranking dignitaries from the Arab Gulf states., “sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). This simply means that while the unbelieving world is seeking for peace and security, the horrors of the Tribulation will engulf them and they won’t be extracted from the trouble and distress that will overwhelm the nations.

The threat of a nuclear Iran is driving the Arab nations of the Middle East to seek some type of cooperation with Israel. These former enemies of Israel see the Jewish state as the only nation in the Middle East that is militarily powerful enough to deal with the Iranian threat. Iran is on Israel’s northern borders entrenched in Syria and Lebanon. And the Iranians are supporting Hamas on Israel’s southern border. Israel is facing the constant threat of “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6). The Israeli Defense Force has assured the nation they are ready for any military attack. The Israeli military and the public have a very high level of confidence in their ability to defend the nation against any threat.

In light of Ezekiel 38, this summit seems to indicate we are moving very close to the time when the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel will become a reality. It is extremely revealing to examine the list of countries that were in attendance at this summit and those who were not. Those who did not attend included the nations that will invade Israel – Russia, Iran, Turkey and their allies. Those who did attend and are in cooperation with Israel are also mentioned in Ezekiel 38:13 as opposing this invasion.

Ezekiel 38:13 states that “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof” will speak in opposition to this invasion of Israel. Many Bible scholars indicate that Sheba and Dedan are references to the Arab Gulf states. The others mentioned possibly point to European nations, also including “the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and other present-day western democracies” (Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, p. 73). If these observations are correct, we have just witnessed a major development that was predicted by Ezekiel more than 2,500 years ago. It certainly would indicate that the events moving our world closer to the fulfillment of this text are dramatically near.

As all of this is happening, we are being told that a major announcement is coming soon about a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. We have witnessed numerous failed attempts to bring peace to the Middle East. However, according to Daniel 9:27, the Antichrist will confirm a covenant of peace with Israel that will begin the Tribulation Period of seven years. Is the antichrist about to step onto the world scene with his peace plan? Current events seem to be pointing in that direction.

From my understanding of the timing of Ezekiel’s revelation about Gog and Magog, we are very close to the Rapture of the church. When I initially read the reports concerning the Peace and Security Summit in Warsaw, Poland, I was stunned by the clarity of what we are witnessing. If anything has become a neon light flashing out the signs of the last days, this would be it! Get ready for the shout that will take us out!

Israeli Medical Team Finds Cure for Cancer

United with Israel has just announced, “Using cutting-edge genetic coding to kill diseased cells, Israeli researchers may have discovered the first complete cure for cancer…. According to Dan Aridor, chairman of the board of the company developing the treatment, ‘Our cancer cure will be effective from day one, will last a duration of a few weeks and will have no or minimal side-effects at a much lower cost than most other treatments on the market.’ The treatment is called MuTaTo (multi-target toxin). MuTaTo uses a combination of several amino acids to specifically target and kill cancer cells.” (E-mail from United with Israel)

This treatment is amazing. It attacks only the cancer cells in the tumor, but does not harm the healthy tissue around the cancerous tumor. In only two weeks it can destroy all cancer cells in 70 percent of cancerous tumors, while shrinking the remaining 30 percent, making a surgical removal of the tumor possible. After going through all of the legal tape, this Israeli firm will be able to ship the treatment in a regular box to hospitals where the patient will have an out-patient daily treatment for two weeks and in most cases be cancer free.

One Israeli doctor said, “We are already saving lives in the trials. It’s amazing to see patients who have been told their life expectancy is in weeks get treatment under local anesthesia and, 60 days out, they’re clear, they have no evidence of any tumors.” This quote is taken from, https://unitedwithisrael.org.

I have been saying for about 20 years that the Israelis would discover a cure for cancer. It has now come to pass. The Lord promised the Jewish people, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). Once again, Israel has blessed the world. Isn’t it amazing that most of the people in the world hate the Jews? Satan has deceived the world into hating the people through whom God is blessing the nations.

Radical Shifting of Earth’s Magnetic Field

When a person wants to pinpoint his location he can take a compass and find his position in terms of the North Pole. The compass will always point north toward the North Pole due to the earth’s magnetic field. Scientists know the earth has a magnetic field that is created by the movement of ferrous fluids that travel around the earth’s core. While they do not completely understand this effect, they have been able to determine that the earth’s magnetic field is changing. They have noted that the magnetic point known as the North Pole is traveling southward. Thirty years ago, this was taking place at a rate of 9.3 miles per year. However, now it is moving at the rate of 34 miles per year.

According to Breaking Israel News, “Scientists confirm that the magnetic pole shift is happening and that it will have a major impact on the planet. Researchers estimated that the planet’s magnetic field has already lost 30 percent of its intensity in the last 3,000 years and predict it will drop to near zero in the next few centuries.”

The shifting of this magnetic field is having a major impact upon all navigational systems being used today. Breaking Israel News states, “On January 30, the World Magnetic Model governing modern navigation systems is due to undergo an unscheduled update. This update, delayed because of the U.S. Government shutdown, is a vital component of almost every navigational system in use today. The current model set up in 2015 was expected to remain valid until 2020 but the magnetic pole is shifting so quickly that officials decided it needed to be adjusted.”

The reduction of the earth’s magnetic field also has a more dangerous result. Most scientists concur that this magnetic field protects earth from most of the sun’s harmful radiation and particles. Therefore, as the magnetic field continues to deteriorate, it could cause certain areas of the earth’s surface to become unbearably hot.

If this trend continues, it could cause a complete reversal of earth’s magnetic field. The North Pole would become the South Pole and vice versa. A study of earth’s rocks indicates this happened several thousand years ago. It is possible that this is what happened to bring about the sudden climate conditions that prevailed upon the earth at the time of the global flood in Noah’s day.

This also sounds like what will happen during the Tribulation. While referring to the geological upheaval of the Tribulation, Isaiah 24:1 says, “Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.” Read the entire chapter. This is what is coming upon the earth. It will cause major global warming. Read Revelation 16:8-9. This should humble all of us. God is in control of His creation. God has His hand on earth’s thermostat, not those who speak of dooms-day global warming for political scare tactics.

Get ready friends. Jesus is coming for His church. He is coming soon!

European Hatred for Jews on the Rise

During the last World War, the aggressors who were attempting to change the world were driven by anti-Semitism. Germany’s chancellor, Adolf Hitler, devised an insidious strategy to wipe out the Jewish race. This was based upon the false doctrine of replacement theology. Martin Luther, a German theologian who is credited for leading the Protestant Reformation, hated the Jews. Luther called for radical treatment of the Jewish people – destroying their homes, desecrating their cemeteries, burning their books, and calling for the demolition of their synagogues. While these kinds of expressions were not new, it set the tone for the doctrine of the German church that laid the foundation for the radical thinking of Adolf Hitler. We must be reminded that this same dangerous doctrine is sweeping through churches in the United States. More than half of the pastors and churches in America believe in replacement theology and favor the Palestinians over the Israelis.

The stage is being set for another holocaust that will eclipse the one of almost 80 years ago. Many biblical texts indicate that the most horrific time for Jews and believers in Jesus Christ will come during the Tribulation (Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21-22).

Today, the church is almost non-existent in parts of the European Union. Furthermore, radical Islamic immigrants are flooding Europe, bring their hatred of Israel and the Jews with them. Consequently, anti-Semitism is once again raising its ugly head and setting the stage for another world war – the last one – Armageddon. “The Commission of the European Union recently published a survey which showed that 75% of British Jews feel that anti-Semitism has become a very large and serious problem. As a result a third of British Jewry is considering emigration due to the upsurge in anti-Semitism.” (The Jerusalem Report, January 28, 2019, p. 10)

Studies now indicate that new Palestinian school curriculum is growing more radical. Funded by the EU, this curriculum does not promote peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. It teaches children that Jews have no part in their land. And, it promotes jihad and martyrdom to accomplish the radical goal of eliminating Israel. The next generation of Palestinians is being educated to be more radical and more anti-Semitic. From a human vantage point, there is no real hope for peace in the Middle East.

This also spells trouble for Christians. The radical Muslims have a saying, “First comes Saturday then comes Sunday.” This means that their war of eradication of all non-Muslims is aimed first at Jews, then at Christians. This is evidenced all over the Middle East where the Jewish and Christian population is dwindling. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is safe and growing.

We need to understand that the enemies of Christians and Jews are the same. This present state of affairs will only worsen as we approach the final days at the end of this age. The coming world dictator, the antichrist, like Hitler, will lead an all-out war to annihilate Jews and those who will be saved during the Tribulation. We can see the storm coming. We only pray that our exit through the Rapture is imminent. “Even, so, come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Israel is Safe

I have been going to Israel for 34 years and have always experienced the calm assurance that I am in a safe place. Contrary to world opinion and the biased American news media coverage, Israel is much safer than many areas within the United States.

In a recent article in The Jerusalem Report, the Israeli author expressed how safe it is to live in Israel. “Israel is safe now. I live here with my children and I would not do so unless it was a safe place. … Since 1948, Israel has succeeded in building a thriving and stable economy, impressive health and educational system, and world class academia. It is also one of the most innovative countries in the world. With a strong and sophisticated army, effective security organizations and a young but deeply rooted democratic tradition – all these make Israel a safe, comfortable, prosperous and interesting country in which to live. …

“I live in Jerusalem, a city safer than the majority of American and European cities. Even at the height of the last knife intifada three years ago, Jerusalem was safer than New York, London, Paris, or even Portland. I would not have raised my children in a war zone, nor in a country whose future is uncertain. I encourage you to believe this Israeli, who decided to live in this country, and raise his children in its capital – because, really, Israel is safe.” (Amir A Segal, The Jerusalem Report, “Israel is Safe,” January 28, 2019, p. 6, 7)

If fear has been keeping you from going to Israel with me on a tour, you have been deceived by the world’s lies. Contrary to what many have been told, most Jews and Arabs get along together and they have developed friendships where they live and work together. Just like here in the U.S., it is always the militant minorities who cause problems and get all of the attention. Believe me when I say I always feel safe in Israel. Come and enjoy Israel with us.

The National Redemption of Israel

Part One

[This article will be continued in the April newsletter.]

It should be obvious to those who read the Bible and have a heart for God that the Lord has a special love for His people, Israel. There are numerous statements in the Bible that indicate this. And, the actions of our Lord in His first visit to earth certainly illustrated this fact. For example, as Jesus rode the donkey down the slopes of the Mount of Olives on Palm Sunday, amid the worship of His believers around Him, He stopped to gaze upon Jerusalem. As He did, He wept over His people. He wept over their rejection of Him and the subsequent deadly, divine judgment that would come upon Jerusalem and the entire nation only 40 years later at the hands of the cruel Romans. He knew the Romans would level the city and slaughter the people.

Later, near the end of the first century, the apostle John would write the final gospel and note the painful rejection that Jesus faced. John wrote, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:10, 11). John was saying that Jesus came to His own people – the Jews, and they rejected Him.

The Jewish nation, from the time of Abraham, has held a special place in the heart and plans of God. Six hundred years after the time of Abraham, the Lord told Moses that He had chosen Israel “to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Even through all of the rejection of Him and His Word, the Lord continued to keep His promise to love the nation with an everlasting love. Seven hundred years after Moses, God spoke through the Jewish prophet Amos and said, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2). Numerous times throughout the Old Testament, God referred to the Jewish people as “my people” (Exodus 3:7; 1 Kings 6:13; Joel 3:2; and Zechariah 8:7-8).

We must remember that the Bible is a self-revelation from God. It is about Him. He is not like all of the other fake gods that have been created by the imagination of men with the help of demonic empowerment. Our God is a God of grace, mercy, love, patience, and kindness. That is why much of His revelation about Himself is revealed through His great love story of redemption of undeserving sinners. His revelation of redemption is like a thread that runs throughout the entire Bible.

From man’s perspective, as revealed by an eternal God, God’s plan of redemption was in the heart and mind of God’s eternal purposes before the creation. Jesus Christ was God’s lamb that would freely shed His blood “from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).

God’s heart is good and full of mercy and grace. He “is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God has no pleasure in the sinner’s eternal damnation and separation from Him, especially those of the household of Israel. In Ezekiel 33:11, God said, “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked: but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

In the Bible, there is no greater love story of redemption that runs like a continuous thread throughout the Bible as God’s pursuit of the Jewish people. For 4,000 years, God has been waiting for the nation to repent and come to Him for salvation. The record of the Scriptures demonstrates just how obstinate and rebellious the Jewish people have been down through the ages. And yet, the Bible foretells the final redemption of the entire nation of Israel. Nothing like this has ever happened in all of human history. The entire story of Israel is a story of the miraculous intervention by God to graciously demonstrate to them and through them that He is a great God of redemption.

The Holy One of Israel is passionate about the final redemption of His people. He has declared, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth” (Isaiah 62:1).

In this article, let us examine the what, when, how, and why of this amazing redemptive work of God.

1. What? – All of Israel shall be saved.

Numerous biblical passages declare that a time will come when all of living Israel will be saved. Here is a brief list: Deuteronomy 30:1-6; Psalm 130:7-8; Isaiah 4:3-4; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Zechariah 12-13; and Romans 11:25-27. God has made a new covenant with the house of Israel that guarantees their future salvation. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. … After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34).

2. When will Israel’s national salvation take place?

According to the Bible, since the days of Israel’s apostasy in the days of Isaiah, there remains a judicial spiritual blindness upon the great majority of the Jewish people (Isaiah 6:9-10). This spiritual blindness continued in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry (Matthew 13:10-15) and was evident during the ministry of the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 3:12-16). During these years, only a remnant of Jewish people came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. According to Romans 11:25, this temporary spiritual blindness will continue in part “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” This would indicate that the great movement of redemption by the Holy Spirit upon the Jewish people will not begin until the Rapture of the predominately Gentile church. The process of the national redemption of Israel will begin at the time of the Rapture.

This redemptive work of the Holy Spirit among the Jewish people is also connected to the battle of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38. When the Lord destroys the enemies of Israel upon the mountains of Israel, it will be very evident to Israel and the nations of the world that this invading force was supernaturally defeated. God said, “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. … So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name anymore. … So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward” (Ezekiel 38:23; 39:7, 22).

This process of Israel’s redemption will take place during the entire 7-year Tribulation. This is one of the major purposes of this time of great stress and difficulty for the Jewish people. While speaking of this period of time, the Lord declared, “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, it is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:8-9). This would indicate that only one-third of the world’s Jewish population will survive the Tribulation. However, all of those who survive will call upon the Lord and be saved.

At the conclusion of the battle of Armageddon, the remaining Jewish survivors will all call upon the Lord for salvation. “And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem. When the LORD shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning” (Isaiah 4:3-4).

This article will be concluded in the April newsletter.

PTNews

October 2018

Published 10 times annually

All Bible references are from the KJV

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The Miraculous Return of the Jews to Israel

“And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” Jeremiah 30:3

By Mike Wingfield

In our lifetime we have been witnesses to one of the greatest miracles mentioned in the Bible. More than 3,400 years ago, God spoke through Moses to communicate with the community of saints about His eternal plans that would be wrapped up in the one and only nation that He chose as His own – Israel. Before Israel would occupy the Promised Land for the very first time, God declared that the day would come when the Jewish people, because of their sin, would be scattered to the nations of the world (Deuteronomy 28:63-67). Then, amazingly, God promised that He would have compassion upon the Jewish people and call for them to return to their ancient homeland in the last days (Deuteronomy 30:1-5).

In the last 120 years, the world has witnessed the beginning of this amazing miracle. A scattered nation is being restored. An ancient people and an ancient land are being reunited. A dead nation has been resurrected. A dead language has been revived. A desolate land is beginning to live and once again become the land of milk and honey. Ancient ruins are being reconstructed.

Every time I visit Israel, I am reminded that this amazing miracle is happening before our very eyes. I stand in awe of the mercy and faithfulness of my God. He is doing everything He promised He would do in Israel in these last days. I understand that the world does not see nor appreciate the glory of this amazing miracle. However, I am torn when I recognize that so many professing Christians fail to see the hand of God in the ongoing return of the Jewish people to their land. How spiritually blind we must be to not see this miracle!

Let us examine the details of this miracle. Let us glory in the mercy and faithfulness of God. He is revealing Himself to the world at the end of this age as the time of His final judgment upon the nations draws near.

God spoke to Abraham 4,000 years ago and instructed him to leave his home in modern-day Iraq and to go “unto a land that I will [show] thee” (Genesis 12:1). Notice that God selected a people and a land. In His sovereign plan of the ages, God married the Jewish people and their land to each other to reveal Himself to the nations of the world.

Once Abraham arrived in that land, God gave him the following promise, “For all the land which [you see], to [you] will I give it, and to [your] seed for ever. And I will make [your] seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall [your] seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breath of it: for I will give it unto [you]” (Genesis 13:15-17). In this ongoing eternal plan, God has exhibited, from a human perspective, incredible patience. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were collectively strangers and sojourners in this land for 220 years. Then, according to God’s divine plan, a total of 70 Jewish people moved to Egypt and lived there for 430 years, becoming a powerful nation. Finally, after they sinned against God and ended up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, the Lord fulfilled His promise to Abraham and gave the nation of Israel the Promised Land. Altogether, God waited a total of 690 years to fulfill His promise to Abraham.

The Jewish people lived in the Holy Land for almost 800 years until they were finally driven out by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. After 70 years of exile, a small remnant returned to the Promised Land, and lived there for an additional 600 years until they were driven out by the Romans in 70 A.D. and scattered to the nations of the world.

According to the thinking of some people, this was the end of the Jewish occupation of the Promised Land. However, the Bible gives us overwhelming evidence that during the last days, God will regather His people from all nations and bring them back to their ancient homeland. The Jewish people are coming home and prophecy is being fulfilled every day in the land of Israel.

Let us examine three aspects of this divine work in these last days:

1. The Power of God in Israel’s Ingathering

One of the most awesome displays of the power of God can be seen in the ongoing miracle of the return of the sons of Jacob to the land of their forefathers. An examination of the Scriptures demonstrates that Satan and his demons, and all of the godless nations who have been deceived by him, work feverously to destroy or delay this work of God.

Those who support the devil’s kingdom of darkness know that this divine promise is the foundation of God’s eternal plan for this earth. The return of the Jewish people to their land in the last days is a divine banner that signals to the world that God is sovereign and that His Word is true. Jeremiah wrote, “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). Isaiah declared, “And he shall set up an ensign [banner] for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12).

God has determined that His people and their land will be a divine instrument in His hand to display to the world that He is the Almighty Lord God. According to the Bible, God created the Jewish people and the Land of Israel for His glory. Therefore, His work to scatter them and then restore them in the last days is a mighty miracle to be displayed among the nations. Isaiah proclaimed this in the following words, “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed [you], I have called [you] by my name; [you] art mine. … Fear not: for I am with [you]: I will bring [your] seed from the east, and gather [you] 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; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea I have made him. … This people have I formed for myself; they shall [show] forth my praise” (Isaiah 43:1, 5-7, 21). The same three Hebrew words in verse 7 that are translated “created,” “formed,” and “made,” are also a part of description of God’s creative work in the creation account in Genesis 1-2. Hence, the Holy Spirit is pointing out that the regathering of Israel is a supernatural work, just like the creation in the beginning! This is perfectly illustrated in Ezekiel 37. In this chapter, Ezekiel is shown a large valley filled with very old human skeletal remains. According to Ezekiel 37:11, these bones depict the death of the nation of Israel and the scattering of the people to the nations of the world. But amazingly these bones are reconnected and live once again! Notice that Ezekiel reports that it is the word of the LORD that supernaturally causes these bones to live once again. Psalm 33:6 declares, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” The language of the miracle of creation in Psalm 33:6 and Ezekiel 37 concerning the resurrection of the nation of Israel is exactly the same.

As mentioned previously, before the nation of Israel occupied the Promised Land the first time under the direction of Joshua, God told Moses that He would drive His people out of the land into the nations of the world. (Deuteronomy 28:63-67) Furthermore, God said He would orchestrate their return to their land in the last days. (Deuteronomy 30:1-5) God used the enemies of Israel to scatter them, and amazingly, He is using the enemies of Israel to regather them today. In the last 120 years, many Jews have returned to the Promised Land because of anti-Semitism, economic hardships, societal collapse, or wars and conflicts in the countries in which they were scattered. God said, “I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it” (Jeremiah 30:3).

Today, there are about 15 million Jews (almost 0.2 percent of the global population) in the world. In 1900, there were only 50,000 Jews living in the Promised Land. Today, 6.6 million Jews (44 percent of the current global Jewish population) live there. In the last 120 years, more than 3.5 million Jews have immigrated to Israel. About 58 percent of Israel’s Jewish population was born in the nation.

According to Wikipedia, Jewish people are still scattered among 118 different countries. Most of the remaining 8.4 million Jews are living in six countries. The United States has 39 percent, France 3.5 percent. Canada 2.7 percent, United Kingdom 2.1 percent, the Russian Federation 1.4 percent, and Argentina 1.3 percent.

I have witnessed the ongoing return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel with my own eyes. I have interviewed many Jewish people and heard their testimonies as to why they decided to immigrate to Israel. I shall never forget several years ago when my Dad went with me to Israel. Russia had just opened its doors to allow the Jewish people to leave and immigrate to Israel. During the last decade of the 20^th century, more than 1 million Russian Jews immigrated to Israel. As Dad and I stood in the passport-control line at Ben Gurion airport to enter Israel, we witnessed the arrival of hundreds Russian Jews. They had congregated together in the immigration line only a few feet from where we stood. I told my Dad, “We have not even got out of the airport, and we are already seeing the prophetic hand of God in Israel.” Long ago, the prophet Jeremiah had prophesied that the day would come when the Lord would bring “the children of Israel from the land of the north” and proclaim “I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers” (Jeremiah 16:15). In this text, “the land of the north” is Russia.

2. The Plan of God in Israel’s Ingathering

The Time of Israel’s Return

According to many Scriptures, the Jewish people will return to the land of Israel from their international dispersion in the last days. The Bible indicates that the Jewish people will return to their land from the nations on two different occasions (Isaiah 11:11). The first return was after the Babylonian captivity in the fifth century B.C., as mentioned in the book of Nehemiah. The second and final regathering began in modern times about 120 years ago. According to the prophet Amos, the Jewish people will never be driven out of their land again. The Lord has declared, “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God (Amos 9:15).

The Conditions of Israel’s Return

The Biblical prophecies indicate that the Jews would initially return to their country in spiritual unbelief. The modern nation of Israel was established in 1948 as a secular state, just as the Scriptures predicted. In Ezekiel 36, the Lord promised that He would return them to their land, and then at a later time, they would spiritually return to Him and be saved (Ezekiel 36:24-29). This two-stage process is illustrated in Ezekiel 37 when the dry bones were first turned into corpses, and then later they came to life. This observation is significant because many who do not recognize the current nation of Israel as a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy do so because they struggle with believing that the present godless, secular nation could be a representation of the divine work of God. However, as just noted, this is exactly what the Scriptures predicted would happen.

The Bible also predicted that when the Jews returned to their homeland, they would be met with great opposition by the surrounding nations in the region (Ezekiel 36:1-7). Ezekiel 36:5 states that it would be “Idumea” that would passionately declare that the land belongs to them. Idumea is the Greek form for the Hebrew name “Edom.” The area of the Edomites is the current country of Jordan, to the east of Israel. About 68 percent of the Jordanian population claim to be Palestinians. How amazing that the Bible would predict that it would be the Palestinians who would violently oppose the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland.

Furthermore, the Bible foretold that the land of Israel would be a desolate and barren wasteland that would be miraculously restored to the new Jewish residents in the last days (Ezekiel 36:8, 9, 34, 35). The Bible predicted, “Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit” (Isaiah 27:6). Amazingly, this prediction is coming to pass at this very time. David Dolan, an American believer and journalist living in Jerusalem, writes: “Although over half of its land is still arid desert, Israel exports high-quality farm produce in all seasons, even while its neighbors must import food to feed their populations. …The Israeli people are blessed with one of the most nutritious food supplies in the world. In a recent global survey by the Bloomberg news agency of the world’s healthiest countries, Israel ranked an impressive sixth, far ahead of the United States at number 33.”

The Process of Israel’s Return

As we might expect, the process of the Jewish people’s return to Israel is very specific. The Bible indicates that their return to the land would be assisted by the Gentiles. (Isaiah 49:22, 23) Isaiah 60:10 states, “And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee…” As Americans, we can be proud of many of our former leaders who stood beside of the state of Israel in the last 70 years. President Harry Truman went against the counsel of all of his political advisors when he became the first international leader to recognize the Jewish state on May 14, 1948. The recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by President Donald Trump is being hailed in Israel as one of the most important declarations in the modern history of the state of Israel. Whether the world likes it or not, God is directing our president to bless Israel, just as the prophecies foretold.

According to Daniel 9:27, when the Tribulation Period begins, the Antichrist will confirm a covenant with “the many” [literally Hebrew rendering] Jews in Israel. More Jews live in Israel now than in any other nation. Many more will return to Israel during “the time of Jacob’s trouble” in Tribulation Period (Jeremiah 30:7). When the seven-year Tribulation Period is over, the remainder of the world’s Jewish population will return to Israel. Speaking of this time, God has promised, “I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there [in the nations]” (Ezekiel 39:28). During the millennial kingdom, all Jews will reside in Israel.

3. The Purposes of God in Israel’s Ingathering

To display His glory to the nations

Once again, many people in Christian circles struggle with recognizing that Israel is a divine fulfillment of God’s eternal plans. They fail to grasp that God is not working in the church primarily because of us, but because of who He is! Likewise, the Bible declares that the divine work of restoring the Jewish people and their land in these last days is not something that He is doing for the Jewish people, but for His glory. Carefully consider Ezekiel 36:22-24, “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus [said] the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes: O house of Israel, but for [my] holy name’s sake, which [you] have profaned [treated sacrilegiously] among the heathen, whither [you] went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which [you] have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, [said] 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 tiny restored nation of Israel is at the center of the world’s media and political considerations each day. This is amazing since Israel contains less than 0.1 percent of the world’s population and is about the size of the state of New Jersey. Only Washington D.C. contains more international journalists than Jerusalem.

Israel is officially rated as the eighth most influential nation in the world. It is considered to be the eleventh happiest nation on the planet. The Israeli IDF is highly respected as the tenth most powerful military on earth. All of this is amazing considering that the nation is only 70 years old and has been in a state of war and conflict with her neighbors and shunned by the United Nations during her short existence. Obviously, this should be viewed as the divine blessings that rest upon God’s chosen people and His Holy Land. God has kept His promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). He promised the Jewish people who would return to Israel in the last days: “I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and [you] shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 36:11).

To set the stage for the Kingdom of God on earth

Everything that is happening in Israel today, including the influx of Jews from the nations, should be viewed as a divine process that is laying the groundwork for the approaching millennial kingdom. In Psalm 102, God has sent a very powerful message to the nations in the final generation. Psalm 102:18 says, “This shall be written [for the last generation]…” What is that message? “[You shall] arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come. … When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory” (Psalm 102:13, 16).

The multitude of prophetic Scriptures that paint the Biblical picture of the last days displays a world with Israel and her people at the center of the global stage. The Holy One of Israel has uniquely gifted and prepared Israel to be the hub of the world for 1,000 years during the reign of the Messiah, Jesus, from Jerusalem, Israel. Jerusalem and Israel are literally at the geographical center of the land mass of the planet. (Ezekiel 5:5)

To redeem the entire nation of Israel

At the heart of the miraculous return of the Jewish people to their land is the amazing and gracious redemption of the entire nation. When the end comes and all of the Jews go home, they will all call upon the Lord and experience His saving power (Jeremiah 32:37-41; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Zechariah 12:10-13:9; Romans 11:26). “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, [said] the Lord.” (Isaiah 59:19)

Those who refuse to accept or grasp the central role of Israel and her land have not yet discovered the heart of God and His eternal plan. Near the end of Moses’ life, God caused him to write the following words, “When the Most High [which means ‘the possessor of heaven and earth’- Genesis 14:22] divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye” (Deuteronomy 32:8-10).

The God who has announced that His eternal plan will come to pass and no one and nothing can deter Him, has set forth His passionate determination in Isaiah 62:1-7, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that [burns]. And the Gentiles shall see [your] righteousness, and all kings [your] glory: and [you shall] be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. [You shall] also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. [You shall] no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall [your] land any more be termed Desolate: but [you shall] be called Hephzibah, and [your] land Beulah: for the Lord [delights] in [you], and [your] land shall be married. For as a young man [marries] a virgin, so shall [your] sons marry [you]: and as the bridegroom [rejoices] over the bride, so shall [your] God rejoice over [you]. I have set watchmen upon [your] walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: [you] that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

As finite creatures of time living in the 21^st century, we are so focused upon this moment of our lives that we have lost sight of eternity. God does not live in a time bubble like us. He is eternal. “One day is with the LORD as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). In God’s eternal plan, the time has come for the greatest miracle in the world to unfold before our eyes. Are we so blind as to not see the hand of God?

The ingathering of the Jewish people tells us that the king is coming. With the return of each Jewish person to Israel we are getting closer and closer to the day of the Lord. Are you ready?

America – Divided by Hate

We are living in dangerous times in America. As I look at the Bible and understand the times in which we are living, I am fearful for the future of our nation. It is apparent that a very vocal and militant minority in America are filled with hate. On the surface it appears their hatred is racially or politically motivated. However, if you listen to them and their message of hate, they may not know it, but their hatred is flowing out of a heart that despises God and all that is good in the eyes of God.

While describing a culture that has reached the spiritual point of no return, the Apostle Paul concluded in Romans 1:29-31 that such people are immoral, wicked and malicious. They also have an entitlement mentality. Furthermore, they are filled with envy, murder and strife. Their minds are continually filled with evil. These people are also filled with pride. They are vocally brazen, unforgiving and unmerciful. Most significantly, they are “haters of God” (verse 30).

In a similar passage, the Apostle Paul writes that the last days will be “perilous” because people are in love with self (2 Timothy 3:1, 2). This certainly describes the days in which we live. The seeds of humanism (the belief that man is the center of our world) have been sown in America for decades. However, now we are experiencing humanism on steroids. We have produced a generation that has moved beyond humanism to “me-ism (the belief that self is the center of their world). It is all about “my” personal rights. I am convinced that this is what is driving all of the violence and hatred at this hour.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-9, the Bible describes these people as those who are in love with possessions and pleasure. They rebel against all authority. They are unthankful and unloving. They refuse to forgive. They love to slander people. They are brutal and haughty. They constantly blaspheme God and are “despisers of those that are good” (verse 3). Does that sound familiar?

These two passages fittingly describe what is currently taking place in the American culture. A crusade against God and good is moving across America. The moral laws of decency that have governed this nation for hundreds of years are being openly ridiculed and rejected. Those who continue to hold to the Biblical commandments are hated.

The kind of self-love that the Bible speaks about in 2 Timothy 3 produces lawlessness. When people put self first, they become a law unto themselves. They make up the rules of law that protect their own rights and pleasures. They do not care about what their parents say. The rules at school, work, or in the community or nation do not matter. Self becomes god and god makes the rules.

According to the Bible, at the heart of the 10 Commandments is a respect and honor for God and mankind. While summarizing these commandments, Jesus said, the first commandment is to love God. The second is, “Love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:39).

The kind of hatred and threats that are being directed toward President Trump, his family, and his associates are frightening! In recent days, the media and TV personalities have made absurd and exaggerated accusations against the political right. They are resorting to lies and deception to promote their hate. We may not agree with each other, but there is no excuse for the lying and threats that are being made. Believers should not be a part of this kind of behavior. Jesus taught us, “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44).

I want to remind us all that Satan is the father of lies and murder. In John 8:44, Jesus called Satan “a murderer from the beginning,” and “a liar, and the father of it.” The kind of lies and slanders that are being passionately paraded across the political spectrum in America are sowing the seeds of a deadly revolution. These are the same kinds of lies that have been levied against the Jewish people and the nation of Israel for years. These slanderous lies have fueled the deadly scourge of anti-Semitism that is growing around the globe.

It is my observation that Satan is doing everything He can to destroy the United States and Israel. These two nations are the only two nations holding back Satan’s plans for his evil kingdom of darkness to take control of this planet under the leadership of the lawless one – the Antichrist.

According to the Scriptures, Israel will not be destroyed. The Jewish nation will be protected by God. However, there is no mention of the U.S. in the prophetic Scriptures. Is America about to fall? Remember that Jesus said that a “house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25).