Significant Facts about Israel's History

The Jewish people have had an inseparable relationship with the Land of Israel, the Land of the Bible, for the past 4,000 years since the days of Abraham. There have been ebbs and flows in Jewish habitation of the land. However, to be sure, at no period since the days of Joshua have all of the Jewish people been exiled from the Land of Israel. Some Jews have always remained in the Land, in greater or lesser numbers. While their exiles under the Assyrians and Babylonians were relatively short lived, the last greater exile by the Romans lasted almost 1,800 years. Nevertheless, God said He would restore His people Israel to their land in one final and great return and restoration. There are a multitude of biblical prophecies concerning the re-gathering of the Jewish people from around the world to a barren land that would be restored to its former glory. This began to unfold in the late 1800s. Events leading to the establishment of the modern State of Israel began during the period when the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire controlled the region, then called Palestine. The chronology of past invaders who ruled in the land of Israel reads like a Who's Who of World Empires. The Land of Israel was a choice fruit that everyone wanted to pluck for their own ends. Those characteristics that made this land desirable enough to be chosen by the Lord as "His Land," and also made it the focus of empires that wanted to rule the world. In some cases, they just wanted to overrule the Jewish people, because they were the people of God and some of these world powers were opposed to the things of God. Israel and the Jewish people are some of those important "things" of God. In this Israel Teaching Letter, I want to traverse the significant facts of over 4,000 years of Israel's history so that we have a foundation to validate the Jewish claim to this land.

Fact # 1

According to many scholars, the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were active in Canaan between 2100-1875BC. The birthright to the covenant established with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 was passed on from Abraham to Isaac (not Ishmael or the other sons of Abraham), to Jacob (not Esau), and through Jacob's twelve sons who became known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The twelve sons of Jacob were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Napthtali, Joseph and Benjamin. God withdrew Levi from the list of tribes to use the Levites in the transport and care of the tabernacle and its service (Numbers 1:47-53). Why Joseph was withdrawn from the list, we are not told, but his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (two half tribes), were selected to make up the number of twelve. Some suggest it was an expression of the double portion of inheritance to a firstborn son, showing that Joseph's dream was, in fact, true. After Jacob's son, Joseph, was sold into slavery and eventually became the Prime Minister of Egypt, the rest of the family found refuge there from a regional famine. They remained in Egypt, and the Hebrews ultimately became slaves under a Pharaoh "that knew not Joseph."

Fact # 2

As promised, about 400 years after Joseph first came to Egypt, a redeemer was raised up to bring the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt in a great Exodus. His name was Moses. It was God's intention for the Children of Israel to move into the Promised Land directly, but they chose to stay in the desert after receiving the report of the twelve spies that the people of the land were powerful and their cities fortified. Despite the fact the Joshua and Caleb brought examples of the produce of the land, grapes, figs and pomegranates, the people chose not to enter. Not violating their freewill, God kept them in the desert for 40 years, so that the second generation was the one to move into and conquer the Promised Land. Even though the first generation of Hebrews who left Egypt in the Exodus showed a lack of faith in God, choosing not to enter the Promised Land immediately, God was still with them. He provided shelter, food (manna and quail), shoes that would not wear out, and showed Himself in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He still loved them even though they disobeyed Him. He protected them so that their children could fulfill His calling to enter into His land.

Fact # 3

After God brought Joshua and the Israelites into the Promised Land, it took hundreds of years to conquer the land, just as God had said: "The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But, the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them. The images of their gods you will destroy by fire" (Deut. 7:22-25a). The Bible is very specific as to where the Twelve Tribes of Israel were settled in the land, describing their territorial claims in great detail. With a Bible and current map of Israel, you can still trace the borders of these tribal regions. Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh were settled on the east side of the Jordan River (Numbers 32:33). The other nine and one-half tribes were settled west of the Jordan as recorded in Joshua 15-19.

Fact # 4

Saul became Israel's first king in about 1050BC. However, only under Kings David and Solomon, Israel second and third kings, did the nation fully consolidate into the Davidic (1010-970BC) and Solomonic (970-930BC) empires. Solomon's empire incorporated all the land from the Sinai desert up to the Euphrates River, but not the totality of what God had promised to Israel. Prophetically, this will come to pass in a day to come.

Fact # 5

In 1004BC, Jerusalem became the capital of a United Israel, by God's choice. It was specially located to be the administrative and spiritual center of the kingdom, on the border between the tribal area of Judah and Benjamin. It was not located on any major trade route, nor a major waterway or seaport, or near an economic or agricultural resource. Jerusalem's only main attraction was the Temple of the Lord and His Presence, even in the past. Other empires and religions only wanted to conquer Jerusalem because of its spiritual identity and importance in the Bible. David conquered the city and bought the threshing floor of Araunah for fifty shekels of silver for the House of the Lord. Eventually Solomon built the Temple (II Chr. 3:1), and to this day, the only recorded deed for this land is in the Bible. However, instead of there being a Jewish Temple to the Lord there today, there are several Moslem mosques on this site and religious Jews and Christians are forbidden to pray on this Temple Mount. Yet, according to the Bible and history, it is a sacred area that does not belong to the Moslems, but to the Jews. It is also the site for the Third Temple that is yet to be built (Ezekiel 40-44), so one day its status will change.

Fact # 6

After Solomon's death in 930BC, the United Kingdom was divided into a northern kingdom (Israel), with its capital in Samaria, and a southern kingdom (Judah), with its capital in Jerusalem. The major kings of the northern kingdom (Israel) were: Jeroboam I (928-907BC), Nadah (907-906), Baasha (906-883), Omri (882-871), Ahab (871-852), Joram (852-842), Jehu (842-814), Jehoahaz (814-800), Jehoash (800-784), Jeroboam II (784-748), Menahem (747-737), Pekahiah (737-735), Pekah (735-733), and Hoshea (733-724). The line ended with the Assyrian Captivity in 722 BC. The major kings of the southern kingdom (Judah) were: Rehoboam (928-911 BC), Abijah (911-908), Asa (908-867), Jehoshaphat (867-846), Jehoram (846-843), Athaliah (842-836), Joash (836-798), Amaziah (798-769), Uzziah (769-733), Jotham (750-735), Ahaz (733-727), Hezekiah (727-698), Manasseh (698-642), Joshiah (639-609), Jehoiakim (608-598) and Zedekiah (596-586). The line ended with the Babylonian Captivity in 586BC. The major prophets of the northern kingdom (Israel) were: Elijah (875-848BC), Elisha (848-797), Jonah (785-775), Amos (760-750), and Hosea (750-715). The major prophets of the southern kingdom (Judah) were: Obadiah (855-c.840), Isaiah (740-681), Jeremiah (626-585) and Ezekiel (593-571). After the exile, we find Daniel (605-530), Zechariah (520-480), and Malachi (440-430).

Fact # 7

In 722BC, judgment came upon the northern kingdom when Sennacherib, King of Assyria, conquered it, but unsuccessfully laid siege to Jerusalem. King Hezekiah built the underground water tunnel that emptied into the Pool of Siloam so that the people had water inside the city walls. The angel of God killed Sennacherib's army on the hills around Jerusalem and he went home in shame (II Kgs. 19). In the record of his life, Sennacherib recorded the event just as it is told in the Bible. In 586BC, the southern kingdom of Judah eventually fell to Nebuchadnezzer, King of Babylon, who captured and destroyed Jerusalem, dismantling the First Temple of God. The Ark of the Covenant disappeared at this time. Many speculate on where it is, but no one has made such a discovery public. Judah was taken into captivity in Babylon (II Kgs. 25).

Fact # 8

In 539-537BC, following a decree by the Persian King Cyrus who had conquered Babylonia, some Jews returned to Israel. An estimated 50,000 embarked on their First Return, led by Zerubbabel, a descendant of the House of David. The first thing the people did was to reestablish the Temple of the Lord, as recorded in the book of Ezra. Less than a century later, in 445BC, a Second Return was led by Ezra the Scribe and Nehemiah. They undertook a massive reconstruction and fortification of the city walls and the further development of the Temple of the Lord, as recorded in the Book of Nehemiah. The establishment of this Second Temple was ultimately enlarged and beautified by Herod the Great, 500 years later. The repatriation of the Jews, Ezra's inspired leadership, the building of the Second Temple, the refortification of Jerusalem's walls and the establishment of the Knesset HaGedolah (Great Assembly), which was the supreme religious and judicial body of the Jewish people, marked the beginning of the Second Commonwealth (Second Temple Period). Within the confines of the Persian Empire, Judah was a nation centered in Jerusalem, whose leadership was no longer under a king, but entrusted to the High Priest and the Council of Elders.

Fact # 9

In 350BC, the Persians captured Jerusalem. This was closely followed by the Greeks under the leadership of Alexander the Great in 332BC. After Alexander died, the region was divided up among his three chief generals. In 313BC, Ptolemy I of Egypt ruled Jerusalem. Then, in 170BC, the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes IV, King of Syria, plundered Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop worshipping the God of Israel, and to worship the pagan gods of the Greeks. During this time, many Jews followed Greek customs and became Hellenized. When Antiochus Epiphanes IV desecrated the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar of God and forced the Jewish people in the towns and villages to do the same, this was too much for some religious Jews. In 167-4 BC the Hasmoneans revolted, led at first by Mattathias of the priestly Hasmonean family, and upon his death by his son Judas, known as the Maccabee (hammer). The terms Hasmoneans or Maccabeans can be used interchangeably. On the 25th of Kislev, 165BC, the Hasmoneans captured the Temple, which they purified for proper worship. However, they only had enough sacramental oil for the Temple lampstand for one day. Yet, God allowed it to burn for eight days until enough new oil could be prepared. From this miracle, we get the holiday of Hannukah that is still celebrated today. Jesus also celebrated this holiday, also known as the Feast of Dedication, "And it was at Jerusalem the Feast of the Dedication, and it was winter" (John 10:22). The Hasmonean Empire was quite successful and achieved independence from the Seleucids. The Hasmonean rulers became hereditary kings and regained boundaries not far short of Solomon's kingdom. During the period of the Hasmonean dynasty, which lasted about 80 years (142-63BC), political consolidation under Jewish rule was attained and Jewish life flourished again in Israel and Jerusalem.

Fact # 10

In 63BC, the Romans invaded the region, led by Pompeii. They granted the Hasmonean king, Hyrcanus II, limited authority under the Roman governor of Damascus. The Jews did not accept the Roman rule well, as evidenced by numerous insurrections. The last attempt to restore the former glory of the Hasmonean dynasty was made by Mattathias Antigonus in 40BC. His defeat and death three years later at the hands of the Romans brought Hasmonean rule to an end, and the land became a vassal state of the Roman Empire. In 37BC, Herod, son of an advisor to King Hyrcanus II and married to his daughter, was appointed King of Judea by the Romans. Although he had no authority in foreign policy, he was granted almost unlimited autonomy in the country's internal affairs and became one of the most powerful monarchs in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. The main regional names for the area can be found in the New Testament, which are: Judea, Samaria, and Galilee west of the Jordan River, and the Decapolis and Perea east of the Jordan River. The name Palestine is not found anywhere in the Bible and is a name given to the land by the Romans 100 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Herod was known as a master builder and built a huge port city in Caesarea (named after Caesar), and fortifications: the Herodian (southeast of Bethlehem), Sabastia in the mountains of Samaria, and Masada on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Jerusalem, however, was Herod's crown jewel where his building programs went on for decades as he made this city one of the wonders of the world. In 20BC, Herod began the expansion and beautification of the Temple, which must have been a site to behold from the Mount of Olives, as the pilgrims came from the Jordan Valley up to Jerusalem.

 Fact # 11

Jesus was born approximately 3BC and spent his entire life and ministry in the Land of Israel. The religious and political influences of this period greatly affected His ministry and ultimately resulted in His crucifixion in Jerusalem, which was then part of the Roman province of Judea. Herod was not a very popular king for two main reasons. First, he was a puppet of the Romans who were occupiers and made the people subject to Rome. More importantly, Herod was Idumean (from the line of Esau), making him illegitimate as a true king of Israel because he was from the wrong covenant/family line. This was good for the Romans, because Herod was acceptable enough to be king, but also unacceptable enough that they knew the people would never follow him into a revolt. In AD 6, Judea was brought under direct Roman administration, because the heirs of Herod who sat on the throne of Judea became progressively ineffective. Simultaneous with the introduction of direct Roman rule, a Jewish Resistance

 Movement, called the Zealots, began to organize and rebel against Rome. Eventually, a full-scale revolt against Roman rule took place in AD 66-73.

Fact # 12

In AD 70, the Roman siege of Jerusalem lasted for 134 days, resulting in the sacking of Jerusalem by Titus and the destruction of the Second Temple of God. According to the first century historian, Flavius Josephus, an estimated one million Jews perished in the siege of Jerusalem alone, with many killed elsewhere in the country and tens of thousands sold into slavery. Nearly 1,000 Jewish men, women and children who had survived the fall of Jerusalem occupied and fortified King Herod's mountaintop palace complex of Masada on the western shore of the Dead Sea. For three years, they held out against repeated Roman attempts to dislodge them. When the Romans finally broke through the fortress, they found that the defenders and their families had chosen to die rather than be enslaved. Ten men were chosen by lot to kill everyone, then one killed the nine and only one killed himself. The ten lots, written on broken pottery shards, were discovered by archaeologists when Masada was excavated in the 1960-70s. After the fall of Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin (Supreme Jewish Council headed by the High Priest with religious, civil and criminal jurisdiction) was reconvened in Yavneh and later in Tiberias. With the Second Temple, the central focus of Judaism, destroyed, the Sanhedrin needed to interpret how Judaism would be practiced. The priests of the Temple were replaced by community rabbis and, in the absence of a central place of worship, the synagogue became the hub of each community. Judaism had to be reinterpreted so that it could survive without the Temple in Jerusalem. The beginnings of rabbinical Judaism were established here.

Commssion On Global Governance.

     In 2003, the United Nations tabled a 410-page final report of the Commission on Global Governance, dubbed “Our Global Neighbourhood.” The 28-member “independent commission,” created by German Chancellor Willy Brandt, developed the following strategy: “To represent a shot-across-the-bow of George Bush’s New World Order, and make clear that now is the time to press for the subordination of national sovereignty to democratic trans-nationalism.” In the present economic and financial desperation, many leaders around the globe are convinced, and are openly calling for the creation of a “New World Order.” On Jan 5, 09, Dr Henry Kissinger was interviewed by CNBC on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. He responded to a question about President-elect Obama’s first actions as President: “He can give new impetus to American foreign policy ... I think that his task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period, when really a ‘new world order’ can be created. It’s a great opportunity. It isn’t such a crisis.” Oh, really?

Kissinger earlier praised Barack Obama’s appointees for economic recovery! Obama picked Trilateral Commission wonder boy, Timothy Geithner, to be Secretary of the Treasury. The rest of the team are protégés of Robert Rubin who was a Trilateralist and a former Treasury Secretary under Bill Clinton. Barack Obama’s top foreign policy advisor has been Zbigniew Brzezinski, the cofounder of the Trilateral Commission with David Rockefeller. Various European and other world leaders are also calling for a New World Order.

On January 7, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that “in the 21st century, there it is no longer a single nation who can (independently) say what we should do or what we should think.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the world “cannot continue as it is.” It needs new global mechanisms. Both Tony Blair and the current British PM, Gordon Brown, have repeatedly called for a New World Order for many years, but their cries have now intensified. Interestingly, when President-elect Obama delivered a speech in 2008 to hundreds of thousands in Germany, he stated, “Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for

President, but as a citizen — a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.” The media hailed Obama for his vision of America and the New World Order. Indeed, the chorus for a New World Order is being heard around the world. A sampling of the global press:

• Africa: Time for a new world order

• Australia: We need a new world health order

• Canada: A new world order rising?

• China: Hu urges revamp of world finance system

• India: Plotting India’s route in the new world order

• Japan: New financial order will emerge from crisis

• Malaysia: Groups to call for new world order

• Qatar: Islam to emerge as the new world order

“OBAMA PRIMED TO CREATE NWO”

“Global upheaval presents great opportunity”

Jan 6/09. Conflicts across the globe and an international respect for Barack Obama have created the perfect setting for establishment of “a New World Order,” according to Henry Kissinger, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former secretary of state under President Nixon.

DR HENRY KISSINGER

Kissinger has long been an integral figure in US foreign policy, holding positions in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations.

WHAT IS THE NEW WORLD ORDER?

What do they mean by a New World Order? Is it simply a “new deal” – a better state of international affairs? Or is it, as Willy Brandt said, a subordination of all nations to some form of world government – or as they are calling it - “world governance”?

It has become increasingly clear that the “illuminated” seeds for the coming new world order, sown over the past 250 years, are now ready to produce a new global harvest of one world socialism. Many world leaders are unanimous in declaring that three main things are necessary for its success.

1. A One-World Government

2. A One-World Monetary-Economic System

3. A One-World Religion

Who Are Freemasons?

“Some of the greatest names of the American Revolution were Masons: Ethan Alien, Edmund Burke, John Claypoole, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, William Daws, John Paul Jones, Robert Livingston, Paul Revere, Colonel Benjamin Tupper, and George Washington. 1776, as well as being the year of the Union foundation, was the year a secretive organisation called The Illuminati, which was founded by Adam Weishaupt, a professor of Canon Law in Bavaria, Germany.

ADAM WEISHAUPT

Weishaupt was born in 1748, and was credited as being “the profoundest conspirator that has ever existed.” He had received early training under the Jesuits, but as a rebellious youth, turned to radical and occult philosophy. Before Weishaupt’s Illuminati was formed, there were many other secret societies
such as the German Illuminists, and the French Martinists or French Illumines. Under the guidance of the latter sect, a wave of occultism swept over France, and lodges everywhere became centres of instruction on the Cabala, magic, divination,
alchemy, and theosophy; masonic rites degenerated into ceremonies for the evocation of spirits - women, who were now admitted to these assemblies, screamed, fainted, fell into convulsions, and lent themselves to experiments of the most horrible kind. Weishaupt, “the profoundest conspirator,” capitalized on the existing and rivaling societies, and succeeded in consolidating control over many of them. From the very
beginning, he conspired to capture the Freemasons. In 1777, Adam Weishaupt became a member of the Freemasons, which itself was,
and still is, an extremely secret society. The Illuminati infiltration of the Masonic Lodges was so thorough, that for many years the European Lodges were filled with “Illumination.” The Illuminati became an order of the Freemasons and the Freemasons became an order of the Illuminati. The Illuminati used the symbol of the “all-seeing eye,” as did the Freemasons, and other groups such as the Rosicrucians. In fact, all three are believed to be linked. Weishaupt’s Illuminati organisation promoted a long-term program of abolition:

1. Abolition of monarchy and all ordered government
2. Abolition of private property
3. Abolition of inheritance
4. Abolition of patriotism
5. Abolition of the family (i.e. of marriage and all morality), and the institution of the communal education of children.
6. . Abolition of religion. The replacement of the worship of God by the worship of “reason” - rationalism.

Members were enlisted and brought into the Order, as Novices. These people were “illuminated” with humanitarian ideas and conditioned to embrace the “higher mysteries.” As they “progressed” they were promoted to higher levels but only as they proved satisfactory, and reached the inner circles, were they allowed to see the real goal - “World Rulership.” Only a handful of most trusted initiates of the innermost circles, knew that Weishaupt was the founder and head of the society. The society had immense success in attracting prominent men throughout Europe, and even in America. In 1798, George Washington, although a Mason, warned of the doctrine of the Illuminati. The Illuminati played a leading role in the French Revolution of 1789-94, using the “Jacobins Club,” as a front. This club had a membership of 1300, composed of some of the most influential men of France. They called for a New World Order and a
“Universal Republic.”

The New World Order

“For the mystery of iniquity and lawlessness is already at work; but He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the glory of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with great power and with all kinds of signs and counterfeit miracles, and with all the deception of wickedness among those who are perishing, because they would not receive the love of the truth which could have saved them.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-10)

The expression New World Order, which we are hearing quite regularly these days, is not new. The Latin form of the term appeared on the Great Seal of America which was first used publicly in 1782; and both sides of the Great Seal have been printed on the reverse side of the one dollar note since 1935. The Latin phrase is Novus Ordo Seclorum, which means, “New Order of the Ages” or New World Order.

THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES THE GREAT SEAL

The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the US federal government. The phrase is used both for the physical seal itself (which is kept by the US Secretary of State),

and more generally for the design impressed upon it.The design on the front of the great seal is the national coat of arms of the US which is officially used on documents such as US passports, military insignia, embassy placards, and various flags. As a coat of arms, the design has official colours; but the physical Great Seal itself, as affixed to paper, is in monochrome - black/grey and white. The Seal of the President of the US is directly based on the Great Seal, and itselements are used in numerous government agency and state seals.

The coat of arms features a shield, which is supported by a bald eagle with its wings outstretched. From the eagle’s perspective, it holds a bundle of 13 arrows in its left talon (foot), and an olive branch with 13 leaves in its right talon, together symbolizing that the USA has “a strong desire for peace, but will always be ready for war.” The eagle has its head turned towards the olive branch. This is said to symbolize a preference for peace. In its beak, the eagle clutches the motto E pluribus unum (“Out of Many, One”). Over its head there appears a “glory” (or halo) with 13 stars on a blue field, arranged in rows of 1-4-3-4-1, forming a six-pointed star. On the reverse side of the seal is an unfinished pyramid. The capstone, suspended above the pyramid, is a triangle with an eye in the centre, emitting a glory of light. On the base of the pyramid is inscribed the date in Roman numerals, MDCCLXXVI (1776) – the year of the formation of the United States Union.

Above and below the pyramid are two Latin mottos:

1 . “Annuit Coeptis”. This motto has 13 letters, and signifies that, “He has favoured our undertakings.”

2 . Novus Ordo Seclorum which means “New Order of the Ages” (New World Order).

The number 13 is featured nine times on the Great Seal. * 13 stars (in the “glory”above the eagle’s head) * 13 stripes on the shield * 13 arrows in the eagle’s talon * 13 olive leaves and 13 olives on the branch * 13 brick levels of the pyramid *13letters in the mottos “E pluribus unum” * 13 letter in “annuit coeptis” and * there are 52 characters on the whole seal - 4 x 13. The number 13 refers to the original 13 states of the American Union. There are various interpretations of the Great Seal. Some American Christians believe it is an inspired symbol – a sign of God’s work in establishing the American republic. The number 13, some believe represents unity.

Others claim the Great Seal of America, as printed on the dollar bill, uses Masonic emblems: the eye in the pyramid, the eagle and the inscriptions are replete with secret Masonic symbolism. It is believed by many that the detached Capstone of the Pyramid represents Lucifer, who, in the person of the Antichrist, will rule during the second half of the Great Tribulation.

The All-Seeing in the Capstone is also known as the Eye of Horus, the Egyptian sun god, who is a form of Tammuz, and Baal. Christians have been led to believe that the government of the USA is based on the basic principles of the Bible. But historical evidence argues against the view that those who formulated the foundational documents of American government were fundamental Christians. To the contrary, many of those who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution, were Freemasons.

Moral Degradation Of Our World!

Some 2000 years ago, Apostle John reminded the Church that ‘we are living in the Last Hour’ (1Jn 2:18). If he were to write the same thing today, he probably would have said that ‘we are living in the closing minutes of the last hour. Indeed how alarming is this statement for the Body of Christ to gird itself for the final showdown. The urgency of the hour is such that Apostle Paul calls the Church to wake up out of the sleep and gird with armor (Rom 13:11-12). There are mockers in the streets and mockers within the church today, mockers who treat the return of our Messiah Jesus as a fairy tale. (2Pet 3:3-4). Let me remind you that the final countdown has begun and every second is precious; therefore, the scripture says ‘be wise and redeem the time…’ (eph 5:16).

There are few wise who have understood that they are living on borrowed times, therefore they are cautious in living their life. Yet some are living like fools. How about you?

We can’t afford to sleep without oil like the five foolish virgins (Mat 25:3-5). If the chances for the Bride (Church) to miss the coming of Bridegroom were zero, then Jesus would not waste His time narrating the parable. Let’s be reminded, if we miss at this ‘Last Hour’ (emphasis added), we are left with no time to prepare ourselves to meet our Lord Jesus.

Jesus taught us heavenly things with earthly matters like interpreting seasons. He said; when you see these signs come to pass know that it is near, even at the doors. You may ask, Signs, what signs….?

Yes, Bible talks about signs before Jesus returns and signs are just what you need when you are walking into the unknown. The Signs, which we all must watch for …

Restoration of Israel and Jerusalem- the End Times Boiling Pot.
The Moral Deterioration our Social World.
Global Economic Meltdown
Increasing Natural Disaster.
Call for ‘New World Order.’
Rise of the beast (Anti-Christ).
Rebuilding of Third Jerusalem Temple & many more.
Let me remind you, that the moralities that the world believes in do not have an anchor; it has no real foundations, ‘tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of philosophy, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. (eph 4:14)

It is the resultant of wisdom that is earthly, sensual and demonic and men are deceived into such living. And for this reason our social world is collapsing under the heavy load of filth everyday. Many Immoral practices have found shelter in the so called phrase ‘age of social acceptance’ .

What our social institution fought against, yesterday; today they not only consent but defend the same. Sodomy was heinous act until yesterday; today it is not only tolerated, but protected by the law in many nations. But Will they go unpunished? Certainly No.

As you understand the morality that is believed and practiced today, there are 10 Most disturbing trend in the world today that exposes the morality of the world, and We the Church must ‘Be Aware.’ There is today...
1. Parenthood without concern.
2. Luxury without limits.
3. Money without honesty.
4. Authority without responsibility.
5. Entertainment without ethics.
6. Relationship without sanctity.
7. Love without commitment.
8. Education without culture.
9. Freedom without decency.
10. Selfishness without boundaries.

This is how Paul describes the moral lives of the people at the end times,

“For men will be lovers of themselves, money-lovers, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural feeling, unyielding, slanderers, without self-control, savage, haters of good, betrayers, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power…” (2Tim 3:1-5)Aren’t we witnessing all these today? These things are bound to come but question is how do we live as Christians?

Paul calls the Church to “even turn away from these.” (2Tim 3:5). Know that the call for the Church is Holiness (1Ths 4:7), We must be separated from the ways of the world. We must turn away from all evil deeds to good works. And above all We must watch & pray. Remember, you are living on borrowed times.

Living on borrowed time...!

What is the time in your watch? What if you have an important appointment at 12:00 O'clock, an appointment that will seal your fate for the rest of your life on earth? Pause for a moment and imagine, if you have 10 more minutes before your life changing appointment, how would you prepare yourself? Without a shadow of doubt, I can well assume that you would spend every second cautiously, making the most of every minute that you have.

The bible reminds us that We, the Church, have an appointment that will seal our fate for all eternity, and that appointment is our meeting with the Lord Jesus at His coming. Paul says, “In a moment…We shall be changed.” (1Cor 15:52). We all are waiting for that moment, that second, when We all shall be changed.. Are you?

So, how much time do We have? Apostle John wrote some 2000 years ago, ‘we are living in the Last Hour‟ (1Jn 2:18). And today, we can well conclude by saying, “we are living in the closing minutes of the last hour” The bible is so full of parables that reminds us that our master will return on a day and hour, when we do not expect Him, therefore, watch and pray. (Luke 21:36)

Jesus is not slack about His promise to return but God in His longsuffering is lending us time to repent. The longsuffering of God is salvation. (2 Pet 3:9,15). What are we doing with these borrowed time?

The days of Jesus’ return is going to be in the manner of the days of Noah (Mat 24:37).
Noah spent over 100 years making an ark that seemed like a stock of mockery for Godless people. But Noah hammered every nail with perseverance and faith. The mockery and the scorn of Godless chatters did not deter Him from trusting, obeying and waiting on God

Noah chose to suffer for His Call for more than 100 years, while the world outside enjoyed the late night party in drunkenness, wickedness, lewdness and in all the works of the flesh. It was their season to rejoice over the works of the flesh but for Noah, it was a season to obey and prepare himself for the day salvation (1Pet 1:5), it was a season to suffer for the Call. While the world enjoyed the passing pleasure of sin, Noah was groaning in his spirit.

This is true of our world today. But the day Noah entered the ark, he was rejoicing in God’s salvation and the world outside were mourning. The door's were opened to the obedient Noah but shut for those mockers, who sought the way of flesh rather than the ways of the Spirit

It must have been a painful moment for Noah to know millions perishing but know this is the heritage of Goldless people, "Unless you repent, you shall all perish. Luke 13:3
Even so, Church, this is your season to suffer for your Higher Call. Trust, Obey and Wait on faithfully for your Lord, for a time is coming when you will rejoice and the world will mourn.

The borrowed is time about preparing ourselves for His visitation. God never visited Israelites, until He gave them time to prepare themselves. (Exo 19:10-11). In Exodus, God said that He would visit the Israelites only on the ‘Third day’, for the first and second day was meant for preparation and the third day for visitation. Church, your legal husband comes on the third day to take you away, are you ready to meet Him?

… therefore, watch and pray. (Luke 21:36)

The Jews Come Home & Palestine Becomes a Problem

At the end of World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed and among its subject provinces, the region known as "Palestine" was assigned to the British, to govern temporarily as a mandate from the League of Nations. The restoration of the "desolate" land began in the latter half of the Nineteenth Century with the first Jewish pioneers. Their labors created newer and better conditions and opportunities, which in turn attracted migrant workers from many parts of the Middle East, including Arabs.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917, confirmed by the League of Nations Mandate, committed the British Government to the principle that "His Majesty's government viewed with favor the establishment in Palestine of a Jewish National Home, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object." It was specified both that this area be open to "close Jewish settlement" and that the rights of all inhabitants already in the country be preserved and protected. Mandate Palestine originally included all of what is now Jordan, as well as all of what is now Israel, and the territories between them. However, when Great Britain's protégé Emir Abdullah was forced to leave the ancestral Hashemite domain in Arabia, the British created a realm for him that included all of the Mandate Palestine east of the Jordan River. There was no traditional or historic Arab name for this land, so it was called after the river: first Trans-Jordan and later Jordan. It has since become known as the first Palestinian State.
By this political act, that violated the conditions of the Balfour Declaration and the Mandate, the British cut more than 75 percent out of the Jewish National Home. No Jew has ever been permitted to reside in Trans-Jordan/Jordan. Less than 25 percent then remained of Mandate Palestine, and even in this remnant, the British violated the Balfour and Mandate requirements for a "Jewish National Home." Britain progressively restricted where Jews could buy land, where they could live, build, farm or work, until WWII.

During the period of the British Mandate, it was the Jewish population that was known as "Palestinians". British policy was to curtail their numbers and progressively limit Jewish immigration. By 1939, the White Paper virtually put an end to admission of Jews to Palestine. This policy was imposed the most stringently at the very time this Home was most desperately needed, after the rise of Nazi power in Europe. At the same time that the British slammed the gates on Jews, they permitted or ignored massive illegal immigration into Western Palestine from Arab countries Jordan, Syria, Egypt, North Africa.

By 1948, the Arabs had still not yet discovered the mythical ancient nation of Falastin. When they were offered half of Palestine west of the Jordan River for a state, the offer was violently rejected. Six Arab states launched a war of annihilation against the nascent State of Israel. Their purpose was not to establish an independent Falastin. Their aim was to partition western Palestine amongst themselves. They did not succeed in killing Israel, but Trans-Jordan succeeded in taking Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and East Jerusalem, killing or driving out all the Jews who had lived in those places, and banning Jews of all nations from Jewish holy places. Egypt succeeded in taking the Gaza Strip. These two Arab states held these lands until 1967. Then they launched another war of annihilation against Israel, and in consequence lost the lands they had taken by war in 1948. During those 19 years, 1948-1967, Jordan and Egypt never offered to surrender those lands to make up an independent state of Falastin. The "Palestinians" never sought it. Nobody in the world ever suggested it, much less demanded it.

It was only after the Six-Day War in 1967 that Israel was finally able to settle some small part of those “mandated” lands from which the Jews had been debarred by the British. Successive British governments and now world governments regularly condemn Israeli settlements as "illegal". In truth, denying Israel a right to settle the so-called “occupied territory” is tantamount to giving away the Allied victory in WWI, and denying the Christian Zionist movement that led Great Britain and America to oversee the birth of the Jewish Homeland in the first place!

But it was actually three years earlier, in 1964, that the Palestine Liberation Movement was founded. PLO co-founder Ahmed Shukairy, who less than 10 years earlier had denied the existence of Palestine, was its first chairman. Its charter proclaimed its sole purpose to be the destruction of Israel. To that end it helped to precipitate the Arab attack on Israel in 1967. Yasser Arafat emerged as the terrorist leader of this movement to destroy Israel, and yet the West invited him to participate in a new scheme to partition the Promised Land in 1991.

As Arafat and his terror thugs learned how to manipulate the media and use it for propaganda purposes, they discovered it sounded better for Western consumption to speak about the liberation of Falastin than of the destruction of Israel, which they had screamed so much about prior to 1967. Much of the world, governments, media and public opinion, accept virtually without question of serious analysis the new-sprung myth of an Arab nation of Falastin, whose territory is unlawfully occupied by the Jews. Even though since the end of World War I, the Arabs of the Middle East and North Africa have been given 22 independent states in 99.5 percent of the land they claimed, the Islamic-Arab world remains intent on destroying Israel. Lord Balfour once expressed his hope that when the Arabs had been given so much, (that would later be discovered to hold vast reserves of oil) they would "not begrudge" the Jews the "little notch" promised to them. But alas, the voice of demonic hatred of Israel that resides in the Arab psyche resonated recently in the words of the President of Iran, who vociferously announced what the whole Muslim world aspires to, “the end of Zionism and the annihilation of Israel from existence.”