REASONS TO INVESTIGATE BIBLE PROPHECY

To demonstrate that the Bible is Divinely inspired, as only God could make such accurate predictions thousands of years ago.

The Bible accurately predicted the downfall of Tyre and Egypt and the four great Empires of the world (Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome -Daniel 2, 7&8).

The Bible accurately predicted the regathering of the Jews to Israel.

We are watching the rapid fulfillment of this ‘latter day’ prophecy which gives us the confidence that the rest will soon follow.

REASONS TO INVESTIGATE BIBLE PROPHECY

• To be aware and responsive to what is about to come on this earth, that we may view it with HOPE and not DESPAIR.

Jesus, to the Jews of his day, regarding AD70.

Luke 21:20-22 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out… For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

REASONS TO INVESTIGATE BIBLE PROPHECY

• To be aware and responsive to what is about to come on this earth, that we may view it with HOPE and not DESPAIR.

Jesus – to those living in the Last Days…predicting wars and distress just before He returns:

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

• To see the connection between this epic battle and Jesus’ return, as this won’t be evident to all, therefore the importance of getting it right!

The Jews in the 1st Century did not get it right, and look what happened!

(The Messiah they were looking for did NOT match the Messiah of Prophecy!)

THE BIBLE IS DIVINELY INSPIRED - consider THE RETURN OF THE JEWS

Jesus was a prophet:

• Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

THE BIBLE IS DIVINELY INSPIRED - consider THE RETURN OF THE JEWS

Ezekiel 37:21-22

• Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land.

Late 1800’s and early 1900’s

• And I will make them one nation in the land,

1948

• on the mountains of Israel.

1967 to the present!

• And one king shall be king over them all…

Ezekiel 38:8

After many days thou shalt be

visited: in the latter years thou shalt

come into the land that is brought

back from the sword, and is

gathered out of many people,

against the mountains of Israel,

which have been always waste: but it

is brought forth out of the nations,

and they shall dwell safely all of

them.

The Context

THE BIBLE IS DIVINELY INSPIRED - consider THE RETURN OF THE JEWS

Sir Isaac Newton (the famous scientist in late 1600’s and early 1700’s)

• “…the mystery of this restitution of all things is to be found in all the Prophets…which makes me wonder with great admiration that so few Christians of our age can find it there.'‘

• What was this prophetic “mystery” that such a small number of his contemporaries could discover? He goes on to explain:

• “For they understand not that the final return of the Jews captivity and the setting up a peaceable righteous and flourishing Kingdom at the day of judgment is this mystery.”

“THE MYSTERY OF THIS RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS”: ISAAC NEWTON ON THE RETURN OF THE JEWS, Dr. Stephen D. Snobelen (article online)

THE BIBLE IS DIVINELY INSPIRED - consider THE RETURN OF THE JEWS

John Thomas in 1848 wrote in his book “Elpis Israel” page 395:

• "There is, then, a partial and primary restoration of Jews before the manifestation, which is to serve as the nucleus, or basis, of future operations in the restoration of the rest of the tribes after he has appeared in the kingdom. The pre-adventual colonization of Palestine will be on purely political principles; and the Jewish colonists will return in unbelief of the Messiahship of Jesus, and of the truth as it is in him. They will emigrate thither as agriculturists and traders, in the hope of ultimately establishing their commonwealth, but more immediately of getting rich in silver and gold by commerce with India, and in cattle and goods by their industry at home under the efficient protection of the British power.”

Written 100 years before there was even a nation called “Israel“!

I know not whether the men,

who at present contrive the

foreign policy of Britain,

entertain the idea of assuming

the sovereignty of the Holy

Land, and of promoting its

colonization by the Jews; their

present intentions, however, are

of no importance one way or the

other, because they will be

compelled, by events soon to

happen, to do what, under

existing circumstances, heaven

and earth combined could not move them to attempt.”Bro. John Thomas

Elpis Israel (1848)

Bro. John ThomasElpis Israel (1848)

The finger of God has indicated a

course to be pursued by Britain

which cannot be evaded, and

which her counsellors will not only

be willing, but eager, to adopt when

the crisis comes upon them.

The decree has long since gone

forth which calls upon the Lion of

Tarshish to protect the Jews.

Upwards of a thousand years

before the British were a nation,

the prophet addresses them as the

power which at “evening-tide”

should interest themselves in

behalf of Israel.

From the time when John Thomas wrote Elpis Israel (1848), Christadelphians have taught Britain has to be separate from Europe.

Elpis Israel part 3, p293 says “Britain cannot be included among them (the toes of Europe)”.

Graham Pearce wrote in Milestones to the Kingdom in 1981 (p18-19) “though we don’t know how it will happen, Britain will separate from Europe”. He also wrote in Milestones to the Kingdom in 1989 (p69) “It should be obvious that Britain, biblically, has no place in Europe when Christ comes”.

Paul Billington wrote in 1990 in “Guardians of Israel and Arabia” (p24) “She (Britain) is therefore perforce [of necessity], not part of the European system when these prophecies are finally fulfilled … Britain’s eventual exit from Europe is a certainty.”

Brexit

PERSIA

Alignment of Nations in Ezekiel 38 match what we see today!

Some in the crowds held placards reading “Down with England” outside the British embassy in Tehran on Sunday following the brief arrest of the UK’s ambassador to Iran. British and Israeli flags were set alight by protesters as tensions continue to escalate… The British ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, was arrested after…attending a vigil for the 176 killed in a plane crash near Tehran last week.

• Ezekiel 38 predicted that Russia would be allied with Persia, Ethiopia & Libya, Syria & Turkey….and grow closer to Europe (Magog & Gomer).

Russian Allies in the Last Day

The targeted killing of QasemSoleimani is a potential game-changer in the Middle East. Vladimir Putin certainly sees it that way. Within days, he had rushed to Damascus, Syria…to show that Russia remains a central player...His visit to Syria was one such indicator. His follow-on trip to Turkey was another. . Here was Russia’s president, shortly after the killing of Soleimani, showcasing his role as the real arbiter in the region.

• Ezekiel 38 predicted that Russia would be allied with Persia, Ethiopia & Libya, Syria & Turkey….and grow closer to Europe (Magog & Gomer).

Current Events and the Bible Predictions about Russia’s Allies!

• Ezekiel 38 predicted that Russia would be allied with Persia, Ethiopia & Libya, Syria & Turkey….and grow closer to Europe (Magog & Gomer).

Current Events and the Bible Predictions about Russia’s Allies!

• Ezekiel 38 predicted that Russia would be allied with Persia, Ethiopia & Libya, Syria & Turkey….and grow closer to Europe(Magog & Gomer).

Current Events and the Bible Predictions about Russia’s Allies!

The Daily Telegraph, 9th September 2019

Psalm 83Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot…

Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession. O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm….That men may know that thou, whose name alone isYAHWEH, art the most high over all the earth.

WHAT DOES BIBLE PROPHECY SAY ABOUT RUSSIA’S MOVE SOUTH?

WHAT DOES BIBLE PROPHECY SAY ABOUT RUSSIA’S MOVE SOUTH?

Ezekiel 38:8

After many days thou shalt be

visited: in the latter years thou shalt

come into the land that is brought

back from the sword, and is

gathered out of many people,

against the mountains of Israel,

which have been always waste: but it

is brought forth out of the nations,

and they shall dwell safely all of

them.

The Context

Ezekiel 38:13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

How will Russia dominate, and what is the spoil in Israel???

WHY IS THIS BATTLE SO SIGNIFICANT THAT IT WOULD BE PREDICTED 2500 YEARS AGO?

The Ezekiel 38 battle is tied into the ‘latter years’, the time period just before Jesus Christ’s return to this earth and God’s intervention in the world!

• Zechariah 14:1-4

• Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof

WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS PROPHECY BECAUSE NOT ALL WILL SEE THE CONNECTION:

• Some will believe that this miraculous deliverance from the Russian invasion, is not Jesus Christ intervening but the introduction of Antichrist!!

• Psalm 2:1-6

• Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

THIS EPIC BATTLE IS A REASON FOR HOPE - NOT DESPAIR!

WHAT IS THE FUTURE HOPE THE BIBLE PROMISES?

• The Bible promises resurrection when Jesus Christ returns to earth. At the resurrection, those who Jesus deems to be faithful will receive immortality, just as immortality was given to Jesus when he rose from the dead.

• The Bible promises Jesus will be the King of the world, ruling over all nations that have survived the battle of Armageddon, with his throne in Jerusalem. Those who have been made immortal will rule with him for 1000 years. After the 1000 years there will be another resurrection and judgement. Then there will be no more pain, death, or mortality, for those judged worthy will live with God and Jesus forever.

THIS EPIC BATTLE IS A REASON FOR HOPE - NOT DESPAIR!WHAT IS THE FUTURE HOPE THE BIBLE PROMISES?

Matthew 24:29-34

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon

shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the

heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and

then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in

the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great

sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from

one end of heaven to the other.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth

leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things,

know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not

pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

THIS EPIC BATTLE IS A REASON FOR HOPE - NOT DESPAIR!

WHAT IS THE FUTURE HOPE THE BIBLE PROMISES?

• 1 Corinthians 15:20-25

• But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

• Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

THIS EPIC BATTLE IS A REASON FOR HOPE - NOT DESPAIR!

WHAT IS THE FUTURE HOPE THE BIBLE PROMISES?Ezekiel 38:18-23

• And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel…

• And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

• 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.

Summary: A suggested timeline of future events based on Bible Prophecy.

• A war between Israel and its Arab/Syrian neighbours (Psalm 83; Zechariah 12) in which Israel is victorious and controls Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). This ushers in a time of ‘peace and security’. (Ezekiel 38:11-12)

• The resurrection from the dead - occurs at Christ’s return - the giving of immortality. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

• The calling away of believers from all over the world. (Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27)

• The Russian confederacy enters through Israel to take over Egypt and other countries. When they return to attack Israel, Russia and its hordes will be miraculously destroyed. (Ezekiel 38-39; Zech. 14; Daniel 11:40-45)

• Jesus establishes a righteous government on earth - and gradually all nations submit to his rule. (Zechariah 14; Micah 4)

• Jerusalem to be the centre of worship - Ezekiel 40-48 (the temple). All nations come up to Jerusalem to learn of God and His Law. (Isaiah 2:1-4)

• However, European Nations (10 kings) will fight against Jesus Christ, believing him to be the Antichrist and will be soundly defeated. (Revelation 17:12-18; 16:13-21)

• …And then God will begin to rejuvenate the world. (Isaiah 11, 35)

And that, knowing the time,

that now it is high time to

awake out of sleep: for now

is our salvation nearer than

when we believed.

The night is far spent,

the day is at hand: let us

therefore cast off the works

of darkness, and let us put

on the armour of light.(Romans 13:11–12)