Comfort My People

These are wonderful desciptions of the lovingkindness of God for Israel,
some of this has already begun as Israel grows and matures. These texts belong to Israel, the Jewish people and to no one else.

There is a great future in store. Note the tenderness and love expressed by God in the Hosea text. Israel will be his lambs and God will be their shepherd.

Israel as a whole will experience this. Unfortunately many in Israel don't appreciate the blessings already being placed upon them. Near is the time when they will all return to haShem. Near is the time when God will contend once more for his people. The time that there enemies will be gone. I won't hazard a guess, but consider that the expectations and waiting will seem as nothing once this is realized.

Isaiah 40:1-2
1)Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God.
2Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended,
That her iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the LORD'S hand Double for all her sins."
9Get yourself up on a high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear
Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"
10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him Behold, His reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.
11Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes

Isa 41:11-13
Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you,
'Do not fear, I will help you.'

Isaiah 49:25
Surely, thus says the LORD,
"Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will save your sons.

Hosea 2
14-15Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her.
Then I will give her vineyards from there,
And the valley of Achor as a door of hope
And she will sing there as in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt

19-20 I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me
in righteousness and
in justice,
In lovingkindness and
in compassion,
And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.
Then you will know the LORD

The Glory

Recently I was considering the imagery of Ezekiel chapter 1. The overall meaning was said to show the glory of God. Of course, that's the God of Israel. Listed below are some interesting aspects to this imagery that are very encouraging.

The 4 living beings appear to be cherubim, this is evident from chapter 10 and from other texts like Psa 99:1. God is enthroned above them.

The sound of the 4 living ones is said to be like the voice of the almighty, it's also said to be like the sound of an army camp. At the time of Ezekiel this sound may refer to the ongoing attacks of Babylon on Israel and Jerusalem. Many had already been taken captive, but some were resisting and relying on false prophets, that's what got Zekekiah in trouble. In that time Israel's fortunes were severely declining. In Ezekiel 10 and 11 the glory of God moves away from Jerusalem, he did not protect them any more.

In the end times, the sound of the army returns, only this time Israel is the one with the power, they will comprise the army under the leadership of the returned ancients like Moses and Abraham. See Ezekiel 37:; Joel 2; Micah 4 and 5. Israel will again be mighty in the power of God.

Revelation 19 describes a similar scene, this time God and his Messiah are on the move against the corrupt nations and kings. His voice is heard, the sound of many waters, the sound of an army. It's actions are shown later in that chapter. It's how he is going to fight for Israel, how he is going to establish his kingdom as shown in chapters 20-22.

Terrorists not being stopped

One of the primary goals of the so called peace process between Israel and the Palestinian authority is to stop violence between the 2 sides. So yesterday President Bush tells the US public how well Mr. Abbas is doing to keep the peace with Israel. Mr. Bush must not read the news from Israel. Look at any of the Israeli news reports. Debka File, Arutz Sheva, etc. Suicide bombings, shootings, rocket attacks, daily threats about Israel's destruction, execution of collaborators, PA TV broadcasting routine invective against Israel and insulting Israel at every turn. This man is not doing a good job. What else could be expected from a man whose published PhD thesis was a denial of the holocaust. By that standard there isn't much that can truly be classed as a crime.

US media doesn't say much about any of this and that's a crime by itself. Contrast how many stories preceeded the recent disengagement with how many followed it. It's about 100:1. That is not balanced or truthful.

I recommend that everybody dig into the news, get the real story.

Zechariah 12 says Israel would be a fire to those around them, that's certainly been the case among the Palestinians, Lebanon and Egypt. The palestinians are even fighting amongst themselves, terrorists factions fighting against each other and against the PA. Israel is also a burdensome stone, those like the USA that try to pressure Israel too much may experience this side effect. The country may be in that phase already.

The kingdom of God is coming to this earth, pray for it, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

The Israel of God

Who consitutes Israel? Well, there is a nation with that name and they do have a history to back up that name. Case closed.... But alot of Christians have a problem with that position.

Those Christians make questionable assumptions on this topic and provide a variety of reasons for their position. Firstly, they assume the name Israel applies to them. And in line with replacement theology they assume that the name Israel no longer applies to Israel as a national human people. Jews are not considered as "of Israel" since they aren't Christians !

The book of Romans, an epistle of Paul is one of the primary sources for some of these claims.
Romans 2 is also used to justify that only true christian believers can be considered a Jew.
On the contrary, this only says that anyone who should be considered truly Jewish has the inward character necessary. Paul's main point is to establish a place for gentile inclusion into the people of God, Israel. This shouldn't be turned backwards to displace nearly the whole of the Jewish nation.

Romans 3 is used to say that everyone is in sin and therfore out of relationship with God, the Jews are usually lumped into this side of unbelief and sin. The quotation that Paul supplies is concerned with the fact that gentiles are all cut off from the covenant arrangement that God already has with Israel and by grafting "believing gentiles". There are clearly people in scripture who were considered righteous individually, see Hebrews 11, also Daniel, Job, Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc. Israel as a nation maintained a righteousness under the law arrangement that provided forgiveness of sins and atonement in God's eyes. Even if that is considered temporal it was the extent intended by God, to maintain a good life on earth and blessings in the land.

Romans 4 is used to say that Abraham is only the father of faith for those who believe in Christ.
Abraham provided an excellent example of faithfulness, by his own actions and belief. God also demonstrated his faithfulness to Abraham. Faith is nowhere stated to be only through Abraham, but is also implied as being possessed by those who observe Torah.

Romans 7 is used to say that Paul as a Jew considered himself miserable beyond desciption.
Paul's frame of reference isn't about himself personally, but pointed back to chapter 1. This deals with the situation of gentiles trying to reach to God by taking a route of Torah conversion but still maintaining a gentile identity. This was a common issue with Roman citizens who built relationships with first century Judaism.

Romans 9 is used to say that the prophets considered Israel as "not my people" and that Christians filled in for that failure. No where does this exclude Israel, in fact the first 4 verses say that to them belong the covenants and fathers, etc. The arguments about Pharoah and others are only building a case for inclusion of gentiles into God's people. God can make them righteous, just as he had taken other previously and dealt out negative examples. The quotations from Hosea allow for gentiles who were not God's people (as some of Israel was temporarily were also), to become God's people.

Romans 11 is used to say that Israel has stumbled and has been replaced by a grafted in true people. Israel throughout this section is either all the human Israelites or it's all spiritual Israelites, it's not taking only the good as spiritual. Therefore, I read this a consistently human and Jewish. When gentiles are mentioned, as Christians, they are put in as branches grafted in, but never called Israel. Verse 25 culminates in the phrase "so all Israel will be saved". To identitify this as natural Israel provides an answere to the pending conclusion, what of Israel? He wouldn't have to say that about gentile Christians. Thus all references to Israel apply to the obvious literal people of the Jewish nation.

Galatians 6 is read to apply Israel to believers in Christ.
The phrase can just as easily be translated with an "and" between the phrases.
15Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. 16Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.
so vs 16 is "to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God", the Jewish people.
It could also be read as an extention phrase:
vs15 the uncircumcision vs circumcision leads into vs 16 as a) all who follow this rule, and b) even as far as the Israel of God


Many points in the book of Acts imply that Paul, Peter, James still continued to deal with other Jews as if they were all still in relationship with the one God. No trace of the idea that they have been cut off from the covenant. Paul's last encounter with the Jews of Rome indicates a willingness to talk and listen with his fellow countryman.

So Israel is Israel, the Jewish nation.
Christians are grafted into Israel, but not Israel.

Recommended reading
Paul and Torah - Lloyd Gaston
Rediscovering Paul - John Gager

Friendly Replacement theology

Many Christians are generally sympathetic with Israel and Jewish people. Of course some are not so friendly. The difference is quickly apparent in conversations about Judaism, the people and the land of Israel. But among those who are well disposed on this topic there can still be inconsistencies that partially accept the premises of those more actively opposed to Israel.

I will pose a number of questions in this regard, hope it helps to think through the issues.
I will just put my brief answers after each.

1. Was it possible to observe the law as given through Moses? Yes, Moses said that the things he was telling them "is not too hard", and that "if you do these things you will live long and be blessed in the land"

2. Were any Jews considered righteous, just and worthy of life? Yes, Luke 1 mentions Mary, Elizabeth, Zacciaus, Heb 11 mentions Moses and others. Faith existed for the Jews even before the time of Jesus.

3. Are all of the Jews responsible for the death of Jesus? Some rejected him, some accepted him, Peter said the rulers were simply acting in ignorance. That's not willful sin . Look back at Leviticus 5-6 sins of ignorance which could be corrected and atoned for. It wasn't deicide.

4. Who killed Jesus, the Jews or the Romans? He was delivered up by Judas to the Romans, they did the killing, a crowd of thugs forced this one through.

5. Did Jesus forgive those that did commit crimes against him? Yes, before he died, he said father forgive them.

6. Have the Jews had a covenant relationship with God since 30-33AD? Yes, the law covenant with God was without end, he would not terminate the covenant or the people unless he was to admit himself a failure which he will not, it's permanent. The prophecy of Hosea 1 -3 tells of a separation period using a title of "divorce", but they are always his people. What bad things that have happened actually show God's continued correction, even if harsh at times.

7. Does God hear the prayers of the Jews? Yes, it's part of the covenant.

8. Do Jews have to become Christians at the present time to be saved? No, salvation isn't limited to this age, 2 Cor 6 tells us about "a" time of salvation.

9. Will Jews convert to Christianity in the age to come, Millennial kingdom? No, they go under the new covenant with God. Christianity is something special for a limited period in this gospel age. It doesn't constitute the only group that will be saved..

10. Will Israel just be one of the nations in the millennial kingdom? No, they will be very special Isa 2 says all nations will come to Jerusalem, Isa 66 says they will be the mother of the nations, Zech 8 describes all peoples taking hold of the skirt of a Jew. A very bright future indeed.

Replacement Theology

In my study of Bible prophecy I have realized that other subjects intrude and control how interpretations are developed. How are texts concerning Israel to be read? How are the prophecies of the Bible to be placed? Is it literal Jewish applications or has most of it been fulfilled by Christians instead. Who are the people on earth that God is dealing with since the time of Christ? To a Jewish audience these questions are self evident, it's Christians that need to examine their premises. Consideration of the history replacement theology is a substantial undertaking.

Simply defined replacement theology holds the following points:
1. That the Jews rejected Jesus as Messiah and he in turn pronounced judgment against them. That judgment then is thought to result in their cutting off from God, they were no longer his special people. The history of Jewish suffering is seen as proof of Divine wrath against them.
2. That a few years after Jesus death, God turned to the gentiles to fill up for Israel's lack of responsiveness to his loving call to Christ.
3. That Christians have replaced Jews in God's special purpose.
4. That Jews have suffered individually and as a people for their rejection of Christ and can only approach God by accepting Jesus Christ.
5. The Law covenant and everything Jewish is considered to but an old shadow of the new spiritual reality displayed in Christ and among Christians.

My view of these points is that they dangerously wrong and do not reflect the views of the first Christians. Some progress has been made in recent decades that has prompted soul searching among some Christians.

Each of these questions is a large topic, here are a few references for further research.

A Guest in the House of Israel - Clark Williamson. 1993

Has God Only One Blessing - Mary C Boys. 2000

The Crime of Christendom - Fred Bratton. 1994

The God Of Israel and Christian Theology - Kendall Soulen. 1996

Disinheriting the Jews - Jeffrey S Siker. 1991

Paul and Torah - Lloyd Gaston. 1987

In the Shadow of the Temple - Oskar Skarsaune. 2002

The Broken Staff, Judaism Through Christian Eyes - Frank Manuel. 1992

Without walls ? How it could happen

In the past couple of years the Israeli government has built up large walls that have prevented a significant number of terrorist attacks. There is no sign that international pressure will cause Israel to remove those walls. So when I was reading in Ezekiel 38:11 the question popped up, how the prophecy be reconciled with the harsh reality of present day Israel. Can it be that somehow Israel will gain peace with their Arab neighbors that would fit this description? In my opinion that's not likely, so what to do with that verse? Nobody around there is going to disarm anytime soon ( more than a generation if ever).

I would like to suggest that the reason the land of Israel is without wall isn't due to peace, but to numbers of people accompanied by increasing economic vitality. Immigration and settlement have been one of the prime success stories in modern day Israel. Pre 1948 settlements and economic growth allowed them to survive the onslaught of the Arab League in 1948 and in all subsequent wars. It is a large factor in modern Israel's survival as a free democratic nation.

There is Biblical warrant for this mechanism, that's in Zechariah the 2nd chapter. Verse 4 tells of the great numbers of men and livestock, just what was described above. Jews have been immigrating from the north country, see vs 6, that includes Russia and Ukraine. Since the early 90's this is exactly what's been happening as 10's of thousands of Jews make aliya. Verse might be taken 2 ways depending on the meaning applied to Babylon, is it literal Iraq or is it mystical Babylon. If the first, then that's already occured in the emmigration of all Iraqi Jews in the 1950's back to Israel. If it's mystical then there may be future waves of Jewish refugees from Christian Europe or America.

Aggressive forces are being dealt with in Zechariah 2. In vs 8 YHWH describes Zion as the apple of his eye, that's the eye pupil, a very sensitive part of human anatomy. To God that shows how intensely he will protect his people. The method of protection is described here, in verse 9, it will be the slaves of those who intend to plunder Zion that will strike their masters. It's the poor and oppressed of the peoples who rise up against their rules. In today's middle east setting it's all the poor deprived among the Muslim world and Arab peoples who are beginning to realize that their rulers are self serving and greedy.

Examples are rampant:
1.3 billion taken by the interim government of Iraq
The house of Saud in Saudi Arabia taking untold billions from oil revenues
The greed of Yasser Arafat and the present Palestinian government. Billions given to them by the EU and the USA have disappeared into private bank accounts.

This isn't anything new, during WW1 individuals Arab leaders took bundles of money in exhange for military cooperation with England against the Turks. The average person never saw any of that, only the few got fat and rich.

The times already show how many of the poor in the region are starting to get wise to their corrupt leadership. Even the Saudi's are being given notice from terrorist organizations that see their government as one cause of their problems. Anarchy is coming across the entire region, it's flaring up already. That anarchy will not be able to stand up to a developed and strong Israel.

More of the context of Ezek 38 then goes on to say who will actually pose the real threat to Israel, it won't be the locals, but outside organized forces that may already be stirring in countries like Iran and Turkey. So in the end Israel will still need the help of their savior, the Lord God almighty. He will protect them.

Crusaders Or Jubilee

I've recently noted on news reports that some Muslim terrorist factions refer to the USA and UK forces as crusaders. That reference is to the time that several waves of European armies tried to take back Palestine and Jerusalem from Arab forces that conquered "the holy land". They succeeded for a time and had established small crusader states around a few cities.

There has been some good material written about these events, it certainly constituted a violent period of history, no lack of brutality and wild misbehavior on all sides. In the prophetic record there are allusions to the conflict between the forces of the Christendom and Islam. The time of the 7 trumpets of Revelation are partly concerned with these conflicts, armies, darkness, destruction, a very bad time for all. But the primary lesson is that other Christians and Jews have suffered at hand of both sides.

But note that the European response was primarily defensive, it followed centuries of Muslim/Arab aggression throughout Palestine, North Africa and Spain. Robert Spencer has a book out, it's been on the NYTimes bestseller list and has been ignored by most of our media. It's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades, I recommend it if you want a snap shot into this most awful period of time and how it relates to today's world violence. The roots of many eastern European and middle eastern ethnic and political upheavals go back to that period.

So when you hear American personnel or politicians referred to as crusaders, remember what the conflict is all about. It's in large part a conflict between religions, not a few simple political mis-steps by today's politicians. The United States and England don't have to apologize for standing up for what is right. Our support of Israel is something to be proud of, our support for human rights is a good thing. The support for what is right has been a major achievement of modern European and American culture. It's the prophetic Jubilee of Leviticus 25. Humanity is regaining a sense of their individual rights. Israel deserves that same right, to exist, to be at peace and to function among nations in a positive way.

In harmony with the ancient law of Jubilee that Israel observed we see the repossession of the land by it's rightful owners. See Leviticus 25. This jubilee has taken a long time to reach fruition. Conflicts occuring in today's Israel show the lack of respect by many who completely deny Israels' Divine right to the land. That's the key to biblical Zionism, a return to the land.

Times of the Gentiles : How Long?

This is a term only used in the Gospel of Luke. Caution is urged when applying it to other Biblical texts. The original meaning that Jesus mentions in Luke 21:24 is consistent with the prophets, that the nations would have a time of triumph over God's people Israel.

Many Christians of the historicism and Adventist movements add Christian elements. Church-state and Divine right of kings are two phrases used within a strong urgent framework. This approach tends to figure the historicism Papal anti-Christ as essential in determine the end point.

In this presentation I suggest the Papal church state view is incorrect since it's placing the main burden of gentile oppression in a Christian setting, Christians being persecuted in Europe. Dating it from World War 1 is likewise futile, since Europe still exists, it's still fully functional in all national and social aspects. Both of these totally neglect the original Israelite setting of every one of the texts listed below.


How Long do the nations dominate?

2520 Year period

1. 606 BC - 1914 CE one problem is that there is no zero year, so the start has to be 607, some have adopted that reasoning. The secular records do not bear out either year as the starting point of the GT.
--OR-- 605/604 BC - 1917 CE - From fall of Nineveh, the defeat of Egypt and the death of Josiah by Babylon at Carchemish. This was followed by a subsequent invasion of Judah. This is Nebuchadnezzar's expansion westward.

2. 587 BC - 1933 CE - From the death of Zedekiah to the formation of an effective Zionist organization in response to the Nazi's. Zionist actions starting in 1933 provided the infrastructure for the modern state of Israel in 1948.

The basis of this time period follows from seven years multiplied by 360 days/year, then figures each day as a literal year, hence 2520 years.

• Leviticus 26 Seven Times, but the word "times" is only implied. The word seven appears to modify the word more as in seven times more intense. But if times as a term is allowed to mean years, then the idea is 7 years of 360 days, hence 2520 years. A further justification is sought in connection with Daniel's 3 1/2 times mentioned below, but the phrases don't correspond in my reading of the texts.
  
• Daniel 4 Nebuchadnezzars seven year madness is computed using the day year system of prophetic interpretation. Issues are ending dates for the madness don't correspond to any sanity manifested by world governments.
  

Indeterminate Period
The time that Jerusalem is oppressed by the nations
Leviticus 26 describes suffering at the hand of enemies leading to eventually reconciliation. It all goes back to the restored covenants promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Luke 21:24 Jerusalem trodden down until the times of the gentile nations is fulfilled, no particular time period is stated there. But a hopeful note is implied, the oppression will eventually be no more, dramatic world events will signal that time.

1260 Years
Luke 21 may be derived from Daniel's prophecy as is explicitly stated in the Matthew 24:15 synoptic account of the same discourse. Based on Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 this period of subjection to the nation-beasts is a time, 2 times and a half, which appears to be a 1260 period (3 1/2 years).
Revelation 11:1-3 describes the trampling of the holy city for 42 months, that's clearly another 1260 day period.
1260 years from conquest of Jerusalem by Arab Muslim armies. 637 CE - 1897 CE. Leads to beginning of Zionist movement under Theodore Herzl.


2300 Years
Daniel 8 - Sanctuary trodden down 2300 days, year-day from 334 BC Alexander the Great as the horn of the Goat, shows the effect of Greek hellenization on the Jewish people, continued under Rome and expanded in the later days by another king that would trod the place of the temple and the holy people Israel. That king was Mohammed. 334 BC + 2300 = 1967 CE, Jerusalem liberated by modern state of Israel.

I think we can see that each of these has useful aspects, although to my mind the 1914 application to a European Church state collapse is Biblically weak since it's basically unrelated to the framework of the prophet Daniel and Moses. Dates for that supposed event are usually placed in the past, but if that has really ended, then why hasn't the God of Heaven setup his earthly kingdom? On the contrary apostate Christian churches still exercise significant political and social influence, they even attempt to meddle in Israeli affairs. So it simply doesn't work out by looking at visible world events. Conversely, it doesn't seem right to say this happened in heaven as some do. The fulfillment of the gentile period in end times should bear some relation to how it all began, viz, in national natural Israel

What I do see is that Israel has taken several essential steps in reassuring the kingdom that Daniel 2 looked forward too. Several points in historical steps provide progressive markers along the way to complete shedding of foreign domination. In the end the last remnant of that will be cast off when Jerusalem is no longer threatened by the nations, not by the Arabs, not by the EU, not by the USA. It isn't fully over until Jerusalem is at peace and Israel has the ownership without challenge. As long as Jerusalem is surrounded by antagonists, by foreign governments and is free to control every aspect of their affairs independently it isn't over.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Obadiah

A while back I ran across an idea concerning the book of Obadiah and current events. It's one of the shorter books of the Bible, but full of action. He was a prophet from the time of the Babylonian invasion of Israel and other surrounding countries, dates being the progrssive incursions from 605 to 586 BCE. His message parallels the prophet Jeremiah, however Obadiah focuses on the fate of Edom. This appears to be another case of prophetic continuity and recurrence. It's happening all over again. I've listed the verses and a few comments sprinkled in. Remember that Edom was a close neighbor of ancient Israel. Conflict periodically flared up between the 2 rival nations. This map shows where Edom was.http://www.bible.ca/maps/maps%2Ddivided%2Dkingdom.htm. It was considered the "south country" in ancient times, today it's included in the west bank territory, a prime area of conflict between Israel and the Arabs.

vs1 We have heard a report from the LORD, And an envoy has been sent among the nations saying, Arise and let us go against her for battle vs 6 O how Esau will be ransacked, And his hidden treasures searched out!
{support that Israel has gotten from England and the US since 1917 through the present}

vs7 All the men allied with you Will send you forth to the border, And the men at peace with you Will deceive you and overpower you They who eat your bread Will set an ambush for you {Identifies the indigenous peoples who took the name Palestinians after the 6 day war of 1967. They are used as pawns of political forces by regional Arab and Muslim countries opposing Israel. Otherwise they're despised and kept suffering in refugee camps by their own Arab brothers. Lately being taught the ways of suicide bombing.}

vs8 Destroy wise men from Edom And understanding from the mountain of Esau? 9 Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman, So that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.
10Because of violence to your brother Jacob, You will be covered with shame, And you will be cut off forever. {a dreadful fate due to their open opposition against YHWH, in the name of Allah}

11On the day that you stood aloof, {numerous attempts to get favorable treatment and bribes by European governments during Mandate period, started with T E Lawrence and King Faisal of Syria during WW1}
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, {Nazis confiscation of Jewish wealth and genocide}
And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem {League of Nations Mandate}
You too were as one of them.

{The Shoah}
12Do not gloat over your brother's day, The day of his misfortune And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes,do not boast In the day of their distress. {Amin al-Husseni, grand Mufti of Jerusalem allied with Nazis}
13Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity In the day of their disaster And do not loot their wealth In the day of their disaster. {continual Arab riots and conflict from 1929 onward}
14Do not stand at the fork of the road To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of their distress. {Arabs objections to Jewish immigration along with many British Arabists who blocked Jews trying to escape Europe, then again major aggression during 1948 war of independence}

vs 15For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations As you have done, it will be done to you Your dealings will return on your own head. {started with fall of Ottoman empire WW1, continued in WW2 and constitutes a major source of world troubles today until the battle of Zechariah 14:3}

vs 16Because just as you drank on My holy mountain, All the nations will drink continually. They will drink and swallow And become as if they had never existed.
vs 17 But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, And it will be holy
And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions. {progressive increase of Jewish presence in pre 1948 Palestine, building steadily through settlements and Israeli nation building}
vs 18 Then the house of Jacob will be a fire And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau will be as stubble And they will set them on fire and consume them, {multiple conflicts where Israel has triumphed, 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, intifadas, etc}
So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau, {yet to occur}
For the LORD has spoken.

vs 19Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain; {Israel has the right to this territory, they will regain all of it}
Also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead.
vs 20And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel, Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Will possess the cities of the Negev. {the forgotten expulsions of nearly 1,000,000 Jews from Arab countries since 1948.}

vs 21The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom will be the LORD'S. {David will sit on his throne again, Messiah}

Gazastan

Now that the Arabs have Gaza to themselves, we may see history repeat itself. Several Biblical prophecies suggest that Israel's ancient enemies the Philistines have returned in the guise of freedom fighters and oppressed Gaza residents. These prophecies are suggestive of current and near term events in the area called Gaza. The God of Israel performs his tasks fully and completely, if there is a recurrence of an adversary the same terms of judgment apply again. The geographical referents are still the same, something that could only have occurred since 1948 when Israel came back into existence. It's the same parties involved in the same conflict, just another 2500 year old national conflict.

If reference is made to present events this is what's going to happen:

Jeremiah 47 "For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines and to cut off all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon. The LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor."

Amos 1 "This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath . Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom"

Zephaniah 2:5 "Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; And I will destroy you So that there will be no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will be pastures, With caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7And the coast will be For the remnant of the house of Judah, They will pasture on it In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening; For the LORD their God will care for them
And restore their fortune. "

Zechariah 9 "Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted. "

Since Israel's recent disengagement from Gaza the lines are drawn again, it's not only some unhappy palestinians, but throngs of intruders that are up to no good. Note the establishment of several Islamic terrorist groups in Gaza itself. Al-Qaeda has established a base in the Sinai. They've already kicked out the Egyptian forces who are supposed to be guarding the borders.
Exactly what's going to happen? That isn't clearly indicated, only that they won't reach their goals regarding Israel. This could be more trouble for Europe since it's an easy trip across the sea.

Conversion of the Jews

There has been quite some fuss in much of the Israeli government, Jewish media about Christian efforts at converting the Jews to Christianity. The most recent efforts involve the Baptist church announcements of potential alliance with Messianic Jewish groups. This reminds me of when Martin Luther was all love to the Jews in his early protestant years, enough that other Christians called him half-Jew. But as it turned out the Jews weren't responding to his solicitation and he turned exactly 180 degrees against them. That when he composed "The Jews and their Lies", talk about not turning the other cheek. He was totally out of line in several aspects, the most egregious being the advocacy of physical force to drive the Jews out of Germany. Early Christians regarded the use of physical force to be what they would experience themselves, no thought be given to repaying in kind. Luther also composed a litany of how the Jews were so evil, so they deserved to be paid back in the present life, he probably drew that conclusion from Augustine who held that the Jews were being preserved, albeit down-trodden, in the world as an example of God's punishment of disbelievers. Then what's a good Christian to do but help God out by kicking them when they were down. (((very sad)))

I mention all this since their is the clear potential that Christian's today could do this same turn around as Luther. The missionaries of today are going to expect results. They might even be supportive of Israel and think Jewish-Christian dialogue is a good thing. When the Jews tell them to back off, as the ZOA is already doing, then how are they going to feel? Spurning God's love again ! ? Good time to throw the Jews (diaspora) and Israel to the wolves again.

The US is in reasonably good prosperous shape, everybody is fairly optimistic about the future. But... what if our economy goes south? What if Europe gets dragged down...let's see... oil shortages...terrorist attacks everywhere...who going to be blamed ? It's easy to see how the old path trodden will come alive....those Jews again ! Still controlling the banks, the media, politicians, etc. Henry Ford's book about the Jews may enjoy a renewed circulation.

The time for the many Jews to turn back to God isn't until the coming time called Jacob's trouble Jeremiah 30 and Joel 1. That's not Christian conversion either, it's simply going to be their return to the God of Israel, Moses prophesied that in Deut 32. To quote the writer at the Gamla website, it's in the book. It's time for Christians to really support the Jewish people, don't push them around with religious polemic, it's not going to work. Push against the real enemies of both Jews and Christians. Push against the present rulers of this world's darkness. Look for the redemption that's coming for everybody. God will send the Messiah to Israel when needed, the prophecies say that's coming.

Ezekiel's Preview

I recently picked up a book titled The Mountains of Israel by Norma Parrish Archbold. This book has some good Biblical insights concerning the situation involving Israel, the Palestinians and the West Bank.

Here are a few additional observations and a synopsis of Ezekiel's scenario ( a present day view).

Ezek 34 involves the leadership under the title "the shepherd of Israel" - alludes to the problem of corrupt leadership that plagues the nation of Israel even today. In the ancient days that resulted in Israel's destruction at the hands of Babylon. God won't let that happen again so he'll remove those leaders at the appropriate time.

Ezek 35 concerns Mt Seir - that's today's "Palestinian" leadership. They're in for trouble. They're hatred and greed concerning Israel will be their downfall.

Ezek 36 concerns the mountains of Israel - the West Bank, Judea, etc. Ownership by Edom and covetousness of the nations will not be allowed any longer. Today's world concern for Israeli disengagement is sadly mistaken, the onus should be on Edom/Palestinians.

Ezek 37 Valley of dry bones - how Israel comes together as a powerful nation. Aspects of this have already happened but there is apparently a coming empowering that will be much greater and with more finality. Joel 2 and 3 contain much similar material.

Ezek 38-39 - The coming final encircle of Israel again, this tells us about which nations will compose the forces coming against Israel, apparently the "Palestinians" aren't a factor at that point (or at least of no military significance). Some nations will simply stand aside and ask impotently what Gog / Magog is doing. This suggests some friendly countries like the US and UK may not be able or willing to help Israel at this future crisis point.

Ezekiel 40 - Israel's future glory, the rebuilt Israelite kingdom on earth. Is the temple literal? Possibly, but that's not as critical as the idea that present conflicts and trouble in the middle east will come to an end and be a blessing to all of the nations. That is explained additionally in the Christian book of Revelation 22. Jerusalem will be a source of blessing and good government for all of the world

The Transfer Agreement

This book is authored by Edwin Black. It is extremely interesting to see what twists and turns preceded and enabled the establishment of the state of Israel. There is a detailed accounting of the transfer of money and German Jews out of Nazi Germany. It was only possible because Jews and non-Jews from many countries united in giving notice to Hitler that persecuting Jews was not acceptable. It turned out this environment of threatened economic boycott forced Hitler to give just a little at a crucial time. Roughly 60,000 Jews escaped from Germany with a sizable chunk of money prior to the Shoah. That turned out to be crucial in the next decade in preparation for their war of independence in 1948-9.

The lesson from that is that Jewish people can't let the world's governments tell them to be quiet and just hope nobody gets hurt. They can't hide and hope the trouble will pass them by. The rank and file among Jews and non_jews recognized the threat that Hitler posed. The Jewish leadership did amazing things considering their predicatment. They had to make wrenching choices. The protagonists of those times continue under different labels in present day Israel. The goal of many was then and is now an independent Jewish state. This book is highly recommended.

A Note on Christians and Zionism

Over the past 200+ years a number of Christian writers have presented good Biblical studies concerning the topic of the prophecy and the restoration of Israel. I would like to point out some distinguishing points among these writers.

The return of the Jews to the land is seen as a prelude to a coming period of 7 years in which the 3rd temple will be rebuilt and a Jewish anti-Christ will set himself up as a world leader. This is an inaccurate and dangerous view since it places the Jews among the enemies of Christ again. They will appear to be either direct supporters of the anti-Christ or complicit and deceived by him. They lose both ways. Alternatively we see the rebuilding of the nation as a continual and progressive upbuilding that will challenged from outsiders. Those outsiders include the nations "round about" Zechariah 12 and those further away Zechariah 14, Joel 3 and Ezekiel 38. Israel will defend itself in the power of God when the time is ripe. Micah 5 and Isaiah 41.

Jews are seen as fodder for Christian missionaries in these end times. They have continually been in hot pursuit of converts since that is regarded as how Israel turns of God. Christian missions to the Jews have accompanied every step of support for the modern state of Israel. But the prophets of Israel are very clear. Israel is to turn back to God, but it isn't stated they have to come to Christ in a mass conversion to be delivered in the coming tribulation. The statement is simple "return to me". Hosea 3, Isaiah 62, Leviticus 26. Jesus himself said they would return to their God when they say "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" Matthew 23.

Jews are also seen as needing salvation from the terrors of hell in spite of all the nice things they will say about Israel. We suggest that modern Biblical studies in what is called The New Paul and the historical Jewish Jesus present us with a much broader picture of what salvation is. It extends beyond the typical evangelical protestant conversion field. God is the redeemer of Israel, he has taken care of them in the past and present. In the future he will deliver all those found written in the book of life of Moses and Daniel. Additionally, modern studies in Christian eschatology also suggest that medieval doctrines of eternal torment are perversions of scripture and that Gods love extends beyond this temporal life into the ages to come when all people will have the opportunity to know him without interference. That will happen on this very earth and that Israel will be the center of the educational restitution process. Isaiah 2:2-3 won't happen through the U.N., but it will happen in Jerusalem.

Few Christian writers/teachers have these points accurately presented. A few that do include:

• James Bicheno - The Restoration of Israel. 1800. He noted that the Jewish people would return to the land prior to any conversion.
• Dunbar I Heath - The Human Kingdom of Christ. ~1845. An AGE TO COME approach
• Henry Dunn - The Destiny of the Human Race. 1863. An AGE TO COME approach
• Charles T Russell - Thy Kingdom Come 1889, then in 1910 New York Hippodrome meetings with very large Jewish audiences. His magazine Zion's Watchtower had many notes concerning events among the Jewish peoples and early Zionism.
• Kenneth Rawson - Israel Appointment with Destiny program in 1990's to date.

Introductory Message

My subject matter will be concerned with the Biblical basis for the restoration of the Jewish people to their rightful homeland. I firmly support the Zionist cause. The Bible contains many threads of thought that can be profitably gleaned in this vein. I have used an inspiration for this blog a book published in the year 1800 titled The Restoration of Israel by James Bicheno. He wrote another book called Signs of the Times. I just ordered a copy. He accurately assessed the future restoration of the Jewish people to their homeland. More of his understandings will be presented at a later date. He was an early example of many expositors and writers who will be highlighted in time.

Events in the middle east are pivotal in discerning the meaning of many other world wide events that are daily seen in our media.

I enjoy examining aspects of human thought and behavior that continues to view the Jewish people negatively. History is full of lessons concerning anti-semitism among Christians, seculars and Muslims. The subject mattter is not simply academic, but emotionally involving, much like watching disaster footage on TV national news.

I look to the restored nation of Israel more than simply a fulfillment of Bible prophecy in order to make way for the 2nd coming. I would suggest the value of Israel and the Jewish people in their own sphere, not in accord with most politically correct liberal Americans. The Bible tells us of the great future in store for the Jewish people, their sufferings and blessings are all described in the Hebrew Bible. Judaism is not a waystop to becoming Christian. Instead the coming Kingdom of God is for them as believers in the one God.

I will post items that are pertinent to Israel, the Jewish people and Christianity:

1. History
2. Present events
3. Jewish and Christian scriptures texts and interpretations
4. A bit of philosophy, motivations, lessons
5. Helpful books related to the subject, especially the ones I like