By Prince Handley
The Ethiopian eunuch, a man of great authority in the government of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, who also had charge of a the treasury for the queen, was riding in a deserted area from Jerusalem to Gaza, returning to Ethiopia. He had been worshiping in Jerusalem and probably was an Orthodox black Jew.
The worship of Jahweh, G-d of Israel, has been carried on in Ethiopia since the time the Queen of Sheba returned from visiting King Solomon around 1,000 BC (or 3000 Hebrew calendar).
Legend has it that there was a son born to the Queen of Sheba who was fathered by Solomon. Even to date the Falasha (black skinned Ethiopian Jews) are Orthodox believers. Many were air lifted a few years ago to Israel. It is believed there are still about 2000 left in Africa.
This Ethiopian eunuch was reading the Scroll of Isaiah (Yeshaiyahu) out loud while traveling in his chariot. Philip, the evangelist, had been preaching to great crowds in Samaria.
“And Philip went down to the city of Shomron [Samaria], and proclaimed unto them the Messiah.
The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he did.
For unclean spirits (demons) came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.
And there was much joy in that city.? [Acts 8:5-8]
However, God sent an angel to Philip to tell him to leave the large crowd of people and go to one person: the Ethiopian eunuch.
But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Yerushalayim to `Aza. This is a desert." [Acts 8:26]
So Philip obeyed the angel and went.
“The eunuch was sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Yeshaiyahu [Isaiah]
The Spirit said to Philip, "Go near, and join yourself to this chariot."
Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Yeshaiyahu (Isaiah) the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
He said, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?" He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.
Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn't open his mouth.
In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth." [Isaiah Chapter 53, Tanach]
The eunuch answered Philip, "Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?"
Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him Yeshua.
As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from [performing the Mikvah] being immersed?"
And Philip said, If thou believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Yeshua ha Meshiach is the Son of God.
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.? [Acts 27-39]
In Jeremiah Chapter 38 we read of another Ethiopian eunuch, Ebed-Melech (`Eved-Melekh the Kushite). The prophet Jeremiah had been cast into a dungeon because he spoke the truth to King Zedekiah [Tzidkiyahu]. There was no food, no water, only mire in the dungeon.
Ebed-Melech, the Eunuch, pleaded with the king to have Jeremiah released. The king gave the eunuch permission to do so. Then Ebed-Melech took men with him and took old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
“And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah [Yirmeyahu], Put now these rags and worn-out garments under your armpits, under the ropes. And Jeremiah did so. So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon.? [Jeremiah 38:12-13]
The Ethiopian eunuch comforted, delivered, and brought Jeremiah into favor; let me ask you: What are you doing to comfort, help, and bring favor to those who speak for the G-d of Israel?
NOTICE:
1. An Ethiopian Eunuch helped a man of God, a Jew. Jeremiah’s day: 600 BC (3400 Hebrew calendar).
2. A man of God helped an Ethiopian eunuch have a personal relationship with the Messiah of the Jews and brought the opportunity of salvation to a Gentile nation. The early New Covenant Church: 50 AD (4050 Hebrew calendar). The church in Ethiopia grew strong but there was never a record of missionaries in the early church going to Ethiopia. A man who was preaching to multitudes was directed by an angel to go to one man. Then ... the Spirit of the LORD transported him to Azotus [Ashdod].
3. At times, service to one individual is more important than to great crowds.
4. God still uses angels today ... AND ... The Ruach Elohim still transports people today when they need it ... “Spirit flight? is still available in Kingdom work.
"For I, YAHWEH, do not change; therefore you, sons of Ya`akov, are not consumed.? [Tanach - Old Testament Malachi 3:6]
“Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever.? [Brit Chadasha - New Testamant Hebrews13:8]
5. G-d still has eunuchs today.
“For there are eunuchs, that were so born from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, that were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs, that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.? [YESHUA - Matthew 19:12]
Right now there are 144,000 Jewish male virgins ... 12,000 out of every tribe of Israel who will be prophets of G-d (nabi'm) in the final days of Planet Earth. Oh, they may not know what tribe they are from, but G-d knows every tribe and all the members of each tribe. He has the hairs of your head numbered! These are 144,000 Jewish males undefiled with sex ... have never had sex with a woman or anything or anyone ... separated unto God for special service. Some of these may be, or will be, eunuchs who have prepared themselves for this calling. They will prepare the earth for the re-appearing of Messiah Yeshua to establish His Kingdom.
"He that is able to receive it, let him receive it." [Y'shua]
Baruch haba b’shem Adonai!
Prince Handley
Time: 11 minutes, 20 seconds (with music interspersed)
Size: 10.3 MB
Contact: PrinceHandley@gmail.com
Website: WWW.PODCASTSATELLITE.COM
Tower of Babel’s Ruins Waiting for Archaeologists
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Archaeologists are hoping to save the ruins of the Biblical era Tower of Babel, located in Iraq, and learn how it was built before it crumbled under the weight of confusion.
Following years of devastation under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and the ensuing American invasion of Iraq, World Monuments Fund conservationist Jeff Allen told The New York Times this week that archeologists are beginning to work on ancient Babylonian sites and possibly restore some of them.
No one has broached the idea of reproducing the Tower of Babel, which the Creator destroyed because of the generation’s attempt to compete with Him, "make a name for ourselves," and build a tower to the skies while everyone in the world still spoke one language.
The Bible relates that their effort turned to confusion, with no one understanding anyone else, and that the tower became a self-destructive effort, both physically and morally..
“All this is unexcavated. There is great potential at this site. You could excavate the street plan of the entire city,” said Allen.
As a first step, experts are working on a plan to prevent further deterioration of the mud-brick ruins, which were damaged by Hussein’s personal building projects.
A mound of mud-brick buildings is all that remains of the ancient city in Babylon where the Tower was being built, whose foundations appear to be a square of earthen embankments, measuring 300 feet on each side.
King Nebuchadnezzar II, who reigned nearly 2,600 years ago, tried to rebuild the Tower of Babel to a height of almost 300 feet.
It is not clear whether the original building was actually a “tower,” an English translation of the Hebrew term, or was a “ziggurat,” a stepped pyramid that was common at the time. Building materials consisted of mud and brick because stone was not readily available.
Nebuchadnezzar described how "gold, silver and precious stones from the mountain and from the sea were liberally set into the foundations" and how to rebuild it he called on "various peoples of the Empire, from north and south, from mountains and the coasts.”
The rebuilt tower also began to crumble, but a Greek historian, visiting the site 2,570 years ago, wrote, “It has a solid central tower, one furlong square, with a second erected on top of it and then a third, and so on up to eight. All eight towers can be climbed by a spiral way running around the outside, and about halfway up there are seats for those who make the journey to rest on."
(IsraelNationalNews.com)
Archaeologists are hoping to save the ruins of the Biblical era Tower of Babel, located in Iraq, and learn how it was built before it crumbled under the weight of confusion.
Following years of devastation under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and the ensuing American invasion of Iraq, World Monuments Fund conservationist Jeff Allen told The New York Times this week that archeologists are beginning to work on ancient Babylonian sites and possibly restore some of them.
No one has broached the idea of reproducing the Tower of Babel, which the Creator destroyed because of the generation’s attempt to compete with Him, "make a name for ourselves," and build a tower to the skies while everyone in the world still spoke one language.
The Bible relates that their effort turned to confusion, with no one understanding anyone else, and that the tower became a self-destructive effort, both physically and morally..
“All this is unexcavated. There is great potential at this site. You could excavate the street plan of the entire city,” said Allen.
As a first step, experts are working on a plan to prevent further deterioration of the mud-brick ruins, which were damaged by Hussein’s personal building projects.
A mound of mud-brick buildings is all that remains of the ancient city in Babylon where the Tower was being built, whose foundations appear to be a square of earthen embankments, measuring 300 feet on each side.
King Nebuchadnezzar II, who reigned nearly 2,600 years ago, tried to rebuild the Tower of Babel to a height of almost 300 feet.
It is not clear whether the original building was actually a “tower,” an English translation of the Hebrew term, or was a “ziggurat,” a stepped pyramid that was common at the time. Building materials consisted of mud and brick because stone was not readily available.
Nebuchadnezzar described how "gold, silver and precious stones from the mountain and from the sea were liberally set into the foundations" and how to rebuild it he called on "various peoples of the Empire, from north and south, from mountains and the coasts.”
The rebuilt tower also began to crumble, but a Greek historian, visiting the site 2,570 years ago, wrote, “It has a solid central tower, one furlong square, with a second erected on top of it and then a third, and so on up to eight. All eight towers can be climbed by a spiral way running around the outside, and about halfway up there are seats for those who make the journey to rest on."
(IsraelNationalNews.com)
Shuvah Yisrael High Holiday Schedule - Long Island & Manhattan
The Ninth of Av: “A Day of Infamy” & America’s 911
By Rabbi David Rosenberg
We are all familiar with the prophetic and redemptive significance of the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot which form a parenthesis between the death and resurrection of Messiah and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit seven weeks later. But, there is another seven week period that begins on a day that can be described with the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: “a day that will live in infamy.” That day is the 9th of Av when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple in 587/6 B.C.E.
Our sages named the seven Haftarah portions between Tisha B’av and Rosh Hashanah “The Seven Messages of Consolation,” all of which derive from Isaiah. Now, instead of beginning our introspection within the 10 Days of Awe (between Rosh Hashanna & Yom Kippur), we begin our preparation for the Holy Days “seven weeks” earlier on Tisha B’av, with the hope of learning from our past so we don’t have to repeat the past in our future.
But if the attack on Pearl Harbor isn’t strong enough a comparison, imagine the unthinkable idea of America letting it happen again, in the same place, and on the same day. That would be a day of double infamy.
Unfortunately, for us, the Jewish people, it did happen again. The second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, again on Tisha B’av. Forty years earlier, on that same day of Tisha B’av in 30 AD, Yochanan declared this prophetic warning, “The ax is already laid at the root of the tree (Luke 3:9).” These prophetic words of Yochanan help us understand who he is and why his life is inextricably linked to Shabbat Nachamu and the ninth of Av.
“Nachamu” (Parasha V’et’chanan) is the first of the seven messages after Tisha B’av, which opens with these incredible words: “Comfort, yes, comfort My people! says your God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her... For she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God (Isaiah 40:1-3).”
Still, more evidence emerges that Yeshua was immersed by Yochanan (John) on or near the 9th of Av, a very important fast day on our Jewish calendar. We know Messiah began a 40 day fast immediately after His immersion. Also, when Yochanan was asked “who are you,” he gave a first person, eyewitness testimony, “he answered in the words of Yesha‘yahu the prophet, “I am ‘ The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of Adonai’ (Yochanan 1:23).’” In other words, “If you want to know who I am, read this weeks Haftarah portion.”
It is here that Messiah departs into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. These same 40 days parallel precisely the first 40 days of Israel’s 40 year wilderness journey that, according to Jewish tradition, began on the 9th of Av (Num. 14:34).
But as Yeshua went into the wilderness, what were they reading during these seven weeks in every synagogue? Following Shabbat Nachamu, the next four weeks of Isaiah are divided into four readings from Isaiah 49:14-55:5, with some very interesting edits missing in the sequence: Isaiah 51:4-11 (8 verses) and of course, Isaiah 52:13-53:12.
Why did the rabbis omit Isaiah 53? Is it because it vividly points to Yeshua as our Messiah on the very week (4th message) where Moses himself declares in the Torah portion: “the Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear (Deut. 18:15)?”
Luke’s narrative in chapters 3 and 4 helps us to look through the lens of the Torah and Haftarah portions to vividly see a clearer, more observant picture of Messiah in the New Testament as we approach the Holy Days every year. But, there’s more.
Carefully examine the dialogue of Messiah with Ha’satan during His temptation. Messiah refutes Ha’satan exclusively from the Torah portions in Deuteronomy that were being read in every synagogue during the first three weeks of the seven messages.
‘“And Satan said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ But Yeshua answered him, saying, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’ (Luke 4:3-4; Deut. 8:3 - Parashah Ekev, week two).”
Now, examine the larger context of Messiah’s answer: “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger....that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone... (Deut.8:2-3).” It is important to understand that Yeshua had nothing to say to Ha’satan in the wilderness, other than to quote the Torah portions being read in the synagogue at the very time of His testing.
Finally, as Messiah returns to Nazareth they are about to read from the seventh message of Isaiah, Parashah Nitzavim (Isaiah 61:10-63:9). As Messiah was handed the scroll of Isaiah, He began to read, “The Spirit of Adonai is upon me; ... he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the imprisoned and renewed sight for the blind...” (Luke 4:18,19; Isaiah 61:1-2a ). He then said, “Today, these Scriptures are fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:21)”.
It has been exactly 49 days from Tisha B’av to Nitzavim and 43 days between Nachamu and Nitzavim, clearly more than enough time for Messiah’s wilderness journey. Look at the Scriptures we read every year between Shabbat Hazone, Tisha B’av and Nitzavim. He has fulfilled more than we have ever imagined. He came at the right time, to the right place, to make right all our past days of infamy, so that our future can be found in Him.
(All Biblical quotes are from The Complete Jewish Bible & NKJV)
Rabbi David Rosenberg and his wife, Helene, are co-founders of Shuvah Yisrael in Roslyn/East Williston, Long Island, N.Y. Both are Master of Divinity graduates of Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, N.Y.
This article is taken from The Mystery of the Babylonian Torah & Haftarah Cycle in Luke 3 & 4 (Messiah 96).
Email Rabbi Rosenberg at: rabbidr@shuvah.com with any comments or questions.
By Rabbi David Rosenberg
We are all familiar with the prophetic and redemptive significance of the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot which form a parenthesis between the death and resurrection of Messiah and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit seven weeks later. But, there is another seven week period that begins on a day that can be described with the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: “a day that will live in infamy.” That day is the 9th of Av when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple in 587/6 B.C.E.
Our sages named the seven Haftarah portions between Tisha B’av and Rosh Hashanah “The Seven Messages of Consolation,” all of which derive from Isaiah. Now, instead of beginning our introspection within the 10 Days of Awe (between Rosh Hashanna & Yom Kippur), we begin our preparation for the Holy Days “seven weeks” earlier on Tisha B’av, with the hope of learning from our past so we don’t have to repeat the past in our future.
But if the attack on Pearl Harbor isn’t strong enough a comparison, imagine the unthinkable idea of America letting it happen again, in the same place, and on the same day. That would be a day of double infamy.
Unfortunately, for us, the Jewish people, it did happen again. The second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, again on Tisha B’av. Forty years earlier, on that same day of Tisha B’av in 30 AD, Yochanan declared this prophetic warning, “The ax is already laid at the root of the tree (Luke 3:9).” These prophetic words of Yochanan help us understand who he is and why his life is inextricably linked to Shabbat Nachamu and the ninth of Av.
“Nachamu” (Parasha V’et’chanan) is the first of the seven messages after Tisha B’av, which opens with these incredible words: “Comfort, yes, comfort My people! says your God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her... For she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God (Isaiah 40:1-3).”
Still, more evidence emerges that Yeshua was immersed by Yochanan (John) on or near the 9th of Av, a very important fast day on our Jewish calendar. We know Messiah began a 40 day fast immediately after His immersion. Also, when Yochanan was asked “who are you,” he gave a first person, eyewitness testimony, “he answered in the words of Yesha‘yahu the prophet, “I am ‘ The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of Adonai’ (Yochanan 1:23).’” In other words, “If you want to know who I am, read this weeks Haftarah portion.”
It is here that Messiah departs into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. These same 40 days parallel precisely the first 40 days of Israel’s 40 year wilderness journey that, according to Jewish tradition, began on the 9th of Av (Num. 14:34).
But as Yeshua went into the wilderness, what were they reading during these seven weeks in every synagogue? Following Shabbat Nachamu, the next four weeks of Isaiah are divided into four readings from Isaiah 49:14-55:5, with some very interesting edits missing in the sequence: Isaiah 51:4-11 (8 verses) and of course, Isaiah 52:13-53:12.
Why did the rabbis omit Isaiah 53? Is it because it vividly points to Yeshua as our Messiah on the very week (4th message) where Moses himself declares in the Torah portion: “the Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear (Deut. 18:15)?”
Luke’s narrative in chapters 3 and 4 helps us to look through the lens of the Torah and Haftarah portions to vividly see a clearer, more observant picture of Messiah in the New Testament as we approach the Holy Days every year. But, there’s more.
Carefully examine the dialogue of Messiah with Ha’satan during His temptation. Messiah refutes Ha’satan exclusively from the Torah portions in Deuteronomy that were being read in every synagogue during the first three weeks of the seven messages.
‘“And Satan said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ But Yeshua answered him, saying, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’ (Luke 4:3-4; Deut. 8:3 - Parashah Ekev, week two).”
Now, examine the larger context of Messiah’s answer: “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger....that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone... (Deut.8:2-3).” It is important to understand that Yeshua had nothing to say to Ha’satan in the wilderness, other than to quote the Torah portions being read in the synagogue at the very time of His testing.
Finally, as Messiah returns to Nazareth they are about to read from the seventh message of Isaiah, Parashah Nitzavim (Isaiah 61:10-63:9). As Messiah was handed the scroll of Isaiah, He began to read, “The Spirit of Adonai is upon me; ... he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the imprisoned and renewed sight for the blind...” (Luke 4:18,19; Isaiah 61:1-2a ). He then said, “Today, these Scriptures are fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:21)”.
It has been exactly 49 days from Tisha B’av to Nitzavim and 43 days between Nachamu and Nitzavim, clearly more than enough time for Messiah’s wilderness journey. Look at the Scriptures we read every year between Shabbat Hazone, Tisha B’av and Nitzavim. He has fulfilled more than we have ever imagined. He came at the right time, to the right place, to make right all our past days of infamy, so that our future can be found in Him.
(All Biblical quotes are from The Complete Jewish Bible & NKJV)
Rabbi David Rosenberg and his wife, Helene, are co-founders of Shuvah Yisrael in Roslyn/East Williston, Long Island, N.Y. Both are Master of Divinity graduates of Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, N.Y.
This article is taken from The Mystery of the Babylonian Torah & Haftarah Cycle in Luke 3 & 4 (Messiah 96).
Email Rabbi Rosenberg at: rabbidr@shuvah.com with any comments or questions.
Iran: The "Next Prophetic War" News
By Kevin Swift
PERSIAN GULF WAR CONFLICTS
Iraq, Iran & the Beginning of Sorrows
February 1, 2011--Editor's Note: There is a good chance that Iran will see renewed protests, and Rafsanjani will come out the winner in the fight for power. His time has come prophetically to rise up and take [even more] control of Iran.
Iraq’s defeat by the American-led coalition commenced on March 19, 2003, at Shushan Purim—the day Purim is celebrated in Jerusalem. Triumph over neighboring Iran by Western powers has also long been predicted in Daniel 8:1-8. In fact, this Persian Gulf conflict with old Persia is the catalyst that sets in motion a torrent of end-time war following disaster after disaster, which arrive in quick succession.
The prophet Daniel was taken into vision “in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal (8:2),” which is in the Iran, Iraq and Kuwait region near the Persian Gulf. Daniel “looked up, and there before me was a [Islamic] Ram with two horns [two countries—Iraq and Iran], standing beside the canal, and the horns were long [two prominent Islamic nations in the Gulf region]. One of the horns [Iran] was longer [geographically bigger/stronger] than the other and grew up later… suddenly a Goat [Western powers] with a prominent horn between his eyes [America] came from the west, crossing the whole earth [a great distance] without touching the ground [with speed]. He came toward the two-horned [Iraq and Iran Islamic] Ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. I saw him attack the [Islamic] Ram furiously, striking the Ram and shattering his two horns [Iraq and Iran]. The [Islamic] Ram was powerless to stand against him; the Goat [from the West] knocked him [Islamic Ram] to the ground and trampled on him, and no one could rescue the Ram from his power. The [Western] Goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn [America] was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven [dispersed in all directions of the globe],” (Daniel 8:3-8).
Some people believe the Ram and Goat confrontation of Daniel 8 occurred long before the birth of Jesus, and therefore has nothing at all to do with our modern world. However, Daniel was told in no uncertain terms, “the vision” of war concerns “the appointed time of the end” (Daniel 8:19). These Persian Gulf regional clashes, Iraq’s defeat followed by Iran’s demise, set the stage for a wider Middle East war, the last days and the fulfillment of God’s end-time Calendar.
Gabriel explains the vision of war to the prophet Daniel later in the chapter . He is told the conflict involves Media (modern-day Iraq) and Persia (modern-day Iran), which two horns sit atop the Islamic “Ram”. Iraq is overcome first, followed by Iran. Daniel said, “One of the horns was longer than the other [Iran is larger geographically, and stronger than Iraq] but grew up later [meaning, the Iranian confrontation would follow some time after the Iraqi overthrow],” (8:3).
Centuries ago, Bible translators connected the confronting “Goat” to “Greece”; however, the Hebrew word interpreted as Greece is “Yawan” (“Javan”). Javan was one of the sons of Japheth , and at the writing of Daniel, Javan implied regional powers from the west, rather than a specific nation. Furthermore, Daniel’s vision involves events at the “time of the end,” so it must be applied to modern times. Javan, the Western powers, is said to have a prominent horn—the first king (United States). Prophecy indicates the Goat will defeat the two-horned (Iraq/Iran) Islamic Ram. Nevertheless, the prominent horn (America) will quickly be “broken off,” indicating her loss of world dominance. In its place, four major power bases will emerge—the New World Order. From one of these horns of power (Western European Union) the “little horn”—literally the smallest nation in the world (0.2 square miles)—will gain worldwide supremacy. The “stern-faced king, a master of intrigue” who blasphemes the Holy One of Israel and persecutes the true believers, will emerge from the vestiges of darkness to rule with great authority.
Civilization originated in the Middle East, and the end of civilization as we know it will begin there. Global tensions have been escalating in the last two decades. The U.S.-NATO-Israeli alliance will overthrow Iran, enraging Islam and her allies—the Chinese-Russian-Iranian coalition. Israel and Syria will clash. The Russian Bear will attack with overwhelming force, devastating three countries in Western Europe. Once nuclear armaments are unleashed, mayhem and global holocaust will spiral out of control. America will falter and collapse and this once powerful nation will lose her prodigious superpower status.
PERSIAN GULF WAR CONFLICTS
Iraq, Iran & the Beginning of Sorrows
February 1, 2011--Editor's Note: There is a good chance that Iran will see renewed protests, and Rafsanjani will come out the winner in the fight for power. His time has come prophetically to rise up and take [even more] control of Iran.
Iraq’s defeat by the American-led coalition commenced on March 19, 2003, at Shushan Purim—the day Purim is celebrated in Jerusalem. Triumph over neighboring Iran by Western powers has also long been predicted in Daniel 8:1-8. In fact, this Persian Gulf conflict with old Persia is the catalyst that sets in motion a torrent of end-time war following disaster after disaster, which arrive in quick succession.
The prophet Daniel was taken into vision “in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal (8:2),” which is in the Iran, Iraq and Kuwait region near the Persian Gulf. Daniel “looked up, and there before me was a [Islamic] Ram with two horns [two countries—Iraq and Iran], standing beside the canal, and the horns were long [two prominent Islamic nations in the Gulf region]. One of the horns [Iran] was longer [geographically bigger/stronger] than the other and grew up later… suddenly a Goat [Western powers] with a prominent horn between his eyes [America] came from the west, crossing the whole earth [a great distance] without touching the ground [with speed]. He came toward the two-horned [Iraq and Iran Islamic] Ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. I saw him attack the [Islamic] Ram furiously, striking the Ram and shattering his two horns [Iraq and Iran]. The [Islamic] Ram was powerless to stand against him; the Goat [from the West] knocked him [Islamic Ram] to the ground and trampled on him, and no one could rescue the Ram from his power. The [Western] Goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn [America] was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven [dispersed in all directions of the globe],” (Daniel 8:3-8).
Some people believe the Ram and Goat confrontation of Daniel 8 occurred long before the birth of Jesus, and therefore has nothing at all to do with our modern world. However, Daniel was told in no uncertain terms, “the vision” of war concerns “the appointed time of the end” (Daniel 8:19). These Persian Gulf regional clashes, Iraq’s defeat followed by Iran’s demise, set the stage for a wider Middle East war, the last days and the fulfillment of God’s end-time Calendar.
Gabriel explains the vision of war to the prophet Daniel later in the chapter . He is told the conflict involves Media (modern-day Iraq) and Persia (modern-day Iran), which two horns sit atop the Islamic “Ram”. Iraq is overcome first, followed by Iran. Daniel said, “One of the horns was longer than the other [Iran is larger geographically, and stronger than Iraq] but grew up later [meaning, the Iranian confrontation would follow some time after the Iraqi overthrow],” (8:3).
Centuries ago, Bible translators connected the confronting “Goat” to “Greece”; however, the Hebrew word interpreted as Greece is “Yawan” (“Javan”). Javan was one of the sons of Japheth , and at the writing of Daniel, Javan implied regional powers from the west, rather than a specific nation. Furthermore, Daniel’s vision involves events at the “time of the end,” so it must be applied to modern times. Javan, the Western powers, is said to have a prominent horn—the first king (United States). Prophecy indicates the Goat will defeat the two-horned (Iraq/Iran) Islamic Ram. Nevertheless, the prominent horn (America) will quickly be “broken off,” indicating her loss of world dominance. In its place, four major power bases will emerge—the New World Order. From one of these horns of power (Western European Union) the “little horn”—literally the smallest nation in the world (0.2 square miles)—will gain worldwide supremacy. The “stern-faced king, a master of intrigue” who blasphemes the Holy One of Israel and persecutes the true believers, will emerge from the vestiges of darkness to rule with great authority.
Civilization originated in the Middle East, and the end of civilization as we know it will begin there. Global tensions have been escalating in the last two decades. The U.S.-NATO-Israeli alliance will overthrow Iran, enraging Islam and her allies—the Chinese-Russian-Iranian coalition. Israel and Syria will clash. The Russian Bear will attack with overwhelming force, devastating three countries in Western Europe. Once nuclear armaments are unleashed, mayhem and global holocaust will spiral out of control. America will falter and collapse and this once powerful nation will lose her prodigious superpower status.
Egypt's 40-Year Desolation
Dear Mr. Salus, Greetings in the Name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. In reading some of your articles it is clear you believe Psalm 83 precedes Ezekiel 38. I’m puzzled about some prophecies regarding Egypt in the end time's. Could you please answer the following questions?
Q. Ezekiel 29:12-13 says Egypt is made desolate for 40 years, has this happened in history?
A. I believe Egypt's 40-year desolation period, which corresponds with the 40-years of Egyptian deportation into world nations remains, an unfulfilled prophecy. However, some expositors believe this has already been fulfilled. To argue their point they often refer to the writings of the Jewish Historian Josephus in “Antiquities, Book 10, Chapter 11, Section 1". Book 10 is titled, "From the Captivity of the Ten Tribes to the First of Cyrus" and Chapter 11 is titled, "Concerning Nebuchadnezzar and His Successors, and How Their Government was Dissolved by the Persians; and What Things Befell Daniel in Media; and What Prophecies He Delivered There".
In this section Josephus appears to quote Berosus from "the third book of his Chaldaic History" that a young Nebuchadnezzar was sent by his father to conquer Egypt due to rebellion by the Egyptian governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar's father. Deportation is spoken of as follows, "...the captive Jews, and Phoenicians, and Syrians, and those of the Egyptian nations, and having committed the conveyance of them to Babylon..." (i)
The Egyptian 40-year captivity could have been fulfilled at this time; however it is hard to find historical or archaeological proof that this past deportation spanned 40-years. Thus Ezekiel 29:12 may still be a pending prophetic event.
I recently emailed the following comments to a friend regarding the 40-year Egyptian deportation. "There is the inference of Egyptian deportation by Josephus but it seems to be for an unspecified time. Some estimated dates of importance in considering the length of the Egyptian deportation are Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt in 568 B.C. and Cyrus of Persia, defeated Babylon in 539 b.c. From these dates it is difficult to determine if the 40-year deportation was fulfilled.
Portions of Ezekiel 29-30 seem to find connections with Nebuchadnezzar's time; however Ezekiel 30:3 alludes to the "day of the Lord," which is commonly associated with the Tribulation period. Additionally, Ezekiel 30:5 speaks of more than Egypt being attacked. It alludes to Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, and Chub. The expanse of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom seems to not have included all these countries. Therefore, this part of Ezekiel's prophecy seems to connect better with Daniel 11:42-43, which is also often taught to be a Tribulation event.
Thus, we have to consider the possibility that Ezekiel 29-30 contain both near (fulfilled during prophets lifetime) and far (to be fulfilled after the prophets lifetime) prophecies. Some events Ezekiel describes clearly found fulfillment during Nebuchadnezzar’s time (near), whereas others seem to be reserved for future fulfillment.
Isaiah 19:16-18 and Daniel 11:42-43 are far prophecies and could trigger the forty years of Egyptian deportation. If so then forty years could commence after either Psalm 83 or Daniel 11:42-43. In either instance the deportation could carry over somewhat into the Messianic kingdom.
It is hard to imagine how 82 million Egyptians today, minus those slain and those who remain in Egypt after both Psalm 83 and Daniel 11:42-43, could be deported in the future. But, that could be what the Ezekiel 29:12 implies."
Additionally the widely respected eschatologist, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum discusses these topics briefly in his Footsteps of the Messiah. The pertinent pages to study regarding Isaiah 19 and Ezekiel 29 are 497-509. In a nutshell, he states that because of Egypt's longstanding hatred of Israel ... they will suffer desolation similar to that of Edom according to Joel 3:19. This desolation will lead to the 40-years of Egyptian deportation.
However, at the end of the deportation an Egyptian remnant will be regathered and Egypt restored. But, Egypt will be a lowly kingdom throughout the 1000-year Messianic Kingdom. Arnold believes the first 40 years of the Messianic Kingdom could find the land of Egypt in a desolate condition and Egyptians dispersed throughout the world. Thus, he appears to believe the 40-year deportation is still a pending prophetic event and could overlap into the Messianic Kingdom.
I agree with Dr. Fruchtenbaum that the deportation could extend into the Messianic Kingdom, but if the deportation commences after Psalm 83, then I don’t believe there will be a full 40-year overlap. If Israel's victory over Egypt in Psalm 83 begins the 40-year Egyptian deportation process, then I believe much of this 40-year period could elapse before the Messianic Kingdom even commences.
Q. Isaiah 19:23 says there will be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt. When do you believe this finds fulfillment?
A. I believe this finds fulfillment during the 1000-year Messianic Kingdom period.
Q. Isaiah 19:18 says 5 cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan. Has this happened in history?
A. The language of Canaan was Hebrew. I believe this remains an unfulfilled prophecy. Contextually, these five cities speak Hebrew after Egypt has a terrorizing encounter with Judah (Israel). I believe this encounter has to do with Egypt's participation in the climactic concluding Arab - Israeli war described in Psalm 83. Egypt is identified in Psalm 83 under the banner of the "Hagarenes." Hagar was the Egyptian matriarch who mothered Ishmael to Abraham.
However, some teach this may have already found fulfillment. Here is what the "New Commentary on the Whole Bible; Old Testament" says - "By Jeremiah’s day, 130 years later (Jer. 44:1), four places are addressed by the prophet as having Hebrew speakers: Migdol and Tahpanes, both in the northeastern delta; Noph (Memphis), located at the base of the delta; and Pathros, upper Egypt. Elephantine Island, at Egypt’s southern border, was inhabited by Jews in the sixth century b.c."
......
(i) Research provided by Danny Isom of Moriel Ministries
Posted by AUTHOR / LECTURER at 10:13 AM
Q. Ezekiel 29:12-13 says Egypt is made desolate for 40 years, has this happened in history?
A. I believe Egypt's 40-year desolation period, which corresponds with the 40-years of Egyptian deportation into world nations remains, an unfulfilled prophecy. However, some expositors believe this has already been fulfilled. To argue their point they often refer to the writings of the Jewish Historian Josephus in “Antiquities, Book 10, Chapter 11, Section 1". Book 10 is titled, "From the Captivity of the Ten Tribes to the First of Cyrus" and Chapter 11 is titled, "Concerning Nebuchadnezzar and His Successors, and How Their Government was Dissolved by the Persians; and What Things Befell Daniel in Media; and What Prophecies He Delivered There".
In this section Josephus appears to quote Berosus from "the third book of his Chaldaic History" that a young Nebuchadnezzar was sent by his father to conquer Egypt due to rebellion by the Egyptian governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar's father. Deportation is spoken of as follows, "...the captive Jews, and Phoenicians, and Syrians, and those of the Egyptian nations, and having committed the conveyance of them to Babylon..." (i)
The Egyptian 40-year captivity could have been fulfilled at this time; however it is hard to find historical or archaeological proof that this past deportation spanned 40-years. Thus Ezekiel 29:12 may still be a pending prophetic event.
I recently emailed the following comments to a friend regarding the 40-year Egyptian deportation. "There is the inference of Egyptian deportation by Josephus but it seems to be for an unspecified time. Some estimated dates of importance in considering the length of the Egyptian deportation are Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt in 568 B.C. and Cyrus of Persia, defeated Babylon in 539 b.c. From these dates it is difficult to determine if the 40-year deportation was fulfilled.
Portions of Ezekiel 29-30 seem to find connections with Nebuchadnezzar's time; however Ezekiel 30:3 alludes to the "day of the Lord," which is commonly associated with the Tribulation period. Additionally, Ezekiel 30:5 speaks of more than Egypt being attacked. It alludes to Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, and Chub. The expanse of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom seems to not have included all these countries. Therefore, this part of Ezekiel's prophecy seems to connect better with Daniel 11:42-43, which is also often taught to be a Tribulation event.
Thus, we have to consider the possibility that Ezekiel 29-30 contain both near (fulfilled during prophets lifetime) and far (to be fulfilled after the prophets lifetime) prophecies. Some events Ezekiel describes clearly found fulfillment during Nebuchadnezzar’s time (near), whereas others seem to be reserved for future fulfillment.
Isaiah 19:16-18 and Daniel 11:42-43 are far prophecies and could trigger the forty years of Egyptian deportation. If so then forty years could commence after either Psalm 83 or Daniel 11:42-43. In either instance the deportation could carry over somewhat into the Messianic kingdom.
It is hard to imagine how 82 million Egyptians today, minus those slain and those who remain in Egypt after both Psalm 83 and Daniel 11:42-43, could be deported in the future. But, that could be what the Ezekiel 29:12 implies."
Additionally the widely respected eschatologist, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum discusses these topics briefly in his Footsteps of the Messiah. The pertinent pages to study regarding Isaiah 19 and Ezekiel 29 are 497-509. In a nutshell, he states that because of Egypt's longstanding hatred of Israel ... they will suffer desolation similar to that of Edom according to Joel 3:19. This desolation will lead to the 40-years of Egyptian deportation.
However, at the end of the deportation an Egyptian remnant will be regathered and Egypt restored. But, Egypt will be a lowly kingdom throughout the 1000-year Messianic Kingdom. Arnold believes the first 40 years of the Messianic Kingdom could find the land of Egypt in a desolate condition and Egyptians dispersed throughout the world. Thus, he appears to believe the 40-year deportation is still a pending prophetic event and could overlap into the Messianic Kingdom.
I agree with Dr. Fruchtenbaum that the deportation could extend into the Messianic Kingdom, but if the deportation commences after Psalm 83, then I don’t believe there will be a full 40-year overlap. If Israel's victory over Egypt in Psalm 83 begins the 40-year Egyptian deportation process, then I believe much of this 40-year period could elapse before the Messianic Kingdom even commences.
Q. Isaiah 19:23 says there will be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt. When do you believe this finds fulfillment?
A. I believe this finds fulfillment during the 1000-year Messianic Kingdom period.
Q. Isaiah 19:18 says 5 cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan. Has this happened in history?
A. The language of Canaan was Hebrew. I believe this remains an unfulfilled prophecy. Contextually, these five cities speak Hebrew after Egypt has a terrorizing encounter with Judah (Israel). I believe this encounter has to do with Egypt's participation in the climactic concluding Arab - Israeli war described in Psalm 83. Egypt is identified in Psalm 83 under the banner of the "Hagarenes." Hagar was the Egyptian matriarch who mothered Ishmael to Abraham.
However, some teach this may have already found fulfillment. Here is what the "New Commentary on the Whole Bible; Old Testament" says - "By Jeremiah’s day, 130 years later (Jer. 44:1), four places are addressed by the prophet as having Hebrew speakers: Migdol and Tahpanes, both in the northeastern delta; Noph (Memphis), located at the base of the delta; and Pathros, upper Egypt. Elephantine Island, at Egypt’s southern border, was inhabited by Jews in the sixth century b.c."
......
(i) Research provided by Danny Isom of Moriel Ministries
Posted by AUTHOR / LECTURER at 10:13 AM
Is Egypt in Psalm 83?
By Bill Salus
Most modern day equivalents of the Psalm 83:6-8 participants are easily identifiable today. Clearly, the territories of Edom, Moab, and Ammon represents modern day Jordan. Furthermore, Tyre still exists in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip is located in ancient Philistia. However, Egypt is more difficult to identify causing some scholars to question its existence in the Psalm.
Among them is the respected broadcast journalist David Dolan. He authored a book in 2001 entitled “Israel in Crisis, What Lies Ahead.” Dolan’s book along with Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s, Footsteps of the Messiah, were among the first books published that addressed Psalm 83 as a future war between Israel and its bordering Arab enemies. Dolan excluded, but Fructhenbaum included, Egypt in the Psalm 83 confederacy.(i)
Probably motivated by the February, 2011 crisis in Egypt, David Dolan wrote the following.“Will Egypt eventually break its peace treaty with Israel? I suspect that in the end, the American-funded and trained army will not allow this to take place. I noted in my latest book, Israel in Crisis, that Egypt is not listed in Psalm 83 as being among a host of regional Arab powers that will attempt to destroy Israel in the prophesied end days, while Jordan, Lebanon and Syria are mentioned, along with the Palestinians.”
David Dolan 2/7/11
As much as I respect Dolan’s work, I respectfully disagree with his assessment on Egypt’s non-participation in Psalm 83. Here is what the Psalm says: O God, keep not thou silence: 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. Thy take crafty counsel against thy people, And consult together 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; Against thee do they make a covenant: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre: Assyria also is joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah (Psalm 83:1-8, ASV; Emphasis Added)
(The image identifies who this author believes are the modern day equivalents of the Psalm 83 confederates.)
The Enemies vs. The Haters
Asaph seems to identify two distinct groups inside the ten member confederacy. He says “thine enemies make a tumult; And they that hate thee have lifted up the head.” The New American Standard Version translates; “Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves.”
Who are the “enemies” and “haters” of God listed inside the Psalm? I cover this extensively in my book Isralestine, The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East in the chapter called “Olam Ebah, The Ancient Arab Hatred of the Jews.”
The Psalmist says the Lord has those who hate Him, but unlike the general carnal hatred characteristic of sinful humanity described in Romans 8:7, it is a deeply rooted hatred dating back almost 4000 years. These haters listed by Asaph include the Egyptian matriarch Hagar alongside the ancient patriarchs; Ishmael, Edom (Esau), Moab, Ammon, and Amalek. These all had familial relations with Abraham and histories of aggression against Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and their Hebrew descendants.
Hagar mothered Abraham’s first son Ishmael. Esau was Abraham’s grandson from Isaac. Moab and Ammon were the children of Abraham’s nephew Lot. Lastly, Amalek was Abraham’s great-great-grandson through the line of Esau.(ii) Esau fathered the Edomites according to Genesis 36:1.
These individuals coveted the rich contents of the Abrahamic Covenant and entered into family feuds with the true Hebrew recipients of the covenantal promises. These individuals, along with their Hebrew counterparts, were the Benjamin Netanyahu’s, King Abdullah’s, and Hosni Mubarak’s of their time. Out from their loins nations were formed.(iii)
These jealous “haters” incubated an enmity against the Lord that manifested throughout the region against the Israeli descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Bible calls it an “ancient hatred,” also translated as a “perpetual enmity.” Ezekiel 35:1-5 informs us it was spawned by Esau identified with Mount Seir of ancient Edom.
The two Hebrew words used by Ezekiel are Olam Ebah, which when used together can be translated as, “a condition stemming back long ago in ancient times, perpetuated throughout time, manifesting into hostility with no apparent end in sight.” As time progressed the Hebrews staked their covenantal claims throughout the Middle East.
These claims included;
1. Our God is the only God and you shall have no others before Him, (Exodus 20:3)
2. We will be a “great nation” above all others, (Genesis 12:2)
3. Arabs must bless Hebrews or be cursed, (Gen. 12:3)
4. You Arabs are trespassing on our Hebrew lands. (Genesis 15:18)
Suffice it to say the other four members of Psalm 83, Gebal, Philistia, Tyre, and Assyria, found it favorable to their religious, real estate, and cultural needs to resist these Hebrew claims and embrace the ancient hatred well established throughout the region. Thus, these four populations probably represent the “your enemies” group in Psalm 83.
The family feuds that developed can be studied in the chapters depicted in the image.
Hagar’s contemptuous behavior toward Sarah is one of the reasons we can include her among the Psalm 83 haters. Considering Hagar was an Egyptian according to Genesis 16:1 and had her son Ishmael marry an Egyptian bride in Gen. 21:21, we can safely conclude the Hagarenes represent Egypt in Psalm 83 through her and Ishmael’s family tree.
However it’s not quite that simple, some Bible translations list Hagarites or Hagrites, rather than Hagarenes. This has caused many to believe Psalm 83 is describing another ethnicity rather than Egyptians. This is because the Hagrites or Hagarites show up in 1 Chronicles 5:10,19-20 and elsewhere as a tribe dwelling approximately 300 miles northeast of Egypt, east of Gilead.
The Hebrew word used by the Psalmist to identify the Hagarenes was “Hagri.” Both the Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, and the New American Standard Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries suggest “Hagri” has a possible matronymic relationship to “Hagar” the Egyptian matriarch.
Additionally, listed below are other reputable quotes supporting the Psalm 83 Hagar - Egyptian connection:
Holman Bible Dictionary
HAGARITE (Hag' ahr ite) Name of nomadic tribe whom the tribe of Reuben defeated east of the Jordan River (1 Chron 5:10, 19-20). Reuben won because they called on and trusted in God. The tribal name is apparently taken from Hagar, Sarah’s maid and mother of Ishmael (Gen. 16).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Hagarenes / Hagarites / Hagrites
An Arab tribe, or confederation of tribes (1 Ch 5:10, 19, 20 the King James Version “Hagarites”; 1 Ch 27:31 the King James Version “Hagerite”; Ps 83:6 “Hagarenes”), against which the Reubenites fought in the days of Saul. In Gen 25:12-18 are recorded the descendants, “generations,” of Ishmael, “whom Hagar the Egyptian Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham.”
New Commentary on the Whole Bible: Old Testament
Ps. 83:6-8 tabernacles—i.e., tents. Edom—Esau’s descendants; they were located southeast of the Dead Sea and repeatedly attacked Israel (Psa. 137:7; Obadiah). Ishmaelites—descendants of Hagar and Abraham (Gen. 25:12ff.) as are the “Hagarenes.”
Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament – Ps. 83:6-8
And the Hagarenes—The Hagarenes were properly Arabs, so called from Hagar, the handmaid of Abraham, the mother of Ishmael. Gen. 16:1; 25:12. As connected with the Ishmaelites they would naturally join in this alliance.
Due to the confusion between the Hagarene verses Hagrite translation in Psalm 83, I emailed my friend Dr. Arnold Fructhenbaum of Ariel Ministries in 2008. Dr. Fruchtenbaum, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, ranks among today’s most respected eschatologists. I asked him how certain he was that Psalm 83 identified Egypt through the Hagarenes. His email response to me was emphatic that Egypt is identified through the Hagarenes in Psalm 83.
Lastly, those who omit Egypt from Psalm 83 need to explain Egypt’s apparent future confrontation with Israel in Isaiah 19:16-18. Isaiah 19:16 declares Egypt will someday greatly fear Israel. From Isaiah’s time until now, this fear has only been in place since Israel’s defeat of Egypt in the wars of 1948, 1967, and 1973. It is this fear that drove former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to make peace with Israel in 1979.
Isaiah 19:17 says this fear evolves into a terror of Israel that overtakes all of Egypt. Isaiah 19:18 predicts this terror results in Egypt allowing Hebrew to be spoken in five Egyptian cities. One of these cities will be renamed, the “City of Destruction.” These three passages encourage the possibility that Egypt’s participation in Psalm 83 provokes the wrath of the Israeli Defense Forces against at least 5 Egyptian cities. In the aftermath of an I.D.F. victory over Egypt, five cities promote Hebrew as the spoken language. This suggests Jews migrate into these five cities taking their language, religion and culture with them.
Some suggest Isaiah 19 deals with the Antichrist’s invasion of Egypt specified in Daniel 11:42-43. Although portions of Isaiah 19 may find partial association with Daniel 11:42-43, it is doubtful that Isaiah 19:16-18 finds any association.
Why would the Antichrist take over 5 Egyptian cities and allow Hebrew to become the spoken language? It is commonly understood the Antichrist will be attempting Jewish genocide at the time. If this is the case it would be contrary to his overall purposes to allow 5 cities in Egypt to promote the language of Hebrew.
For the above reasons I strongly believe that Egypt is identified in Psalm 83.Therefore, unlike David Dolan, I believe Egypt will someday break its peace treaty with Israel and join the Psalm 83 confederacy.
____________________________
(i)The Footsteps of the Messiah (Revised Edition) Chapter 20 page 498 (Hardback).
(ii)Esau grandfathered Amalek according to Genesis 36:12
(iii)Nation promised to Abraham Gen. 12:2, to Ishmael Gen. 17:20, to Jacob and Esau Gen. 25:23
Posted by AUTHOR / LECTURER at 12:35 PM
Most modern day equivalents of the Psalm 83:6-8 participants are easily identifiable today. Clearly, the territories of Edom, Moab, and Ammon represents modern day Jordan. Furthermore, Tyre still exists in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip is located in ancient Philistia. However, Egypt is more difficult to identify causing some scholars to question its existence in the Psalm.
Among them is the respected broadcast journalist David Dolan. He authored a book in 2001 entitled “Israel in Crisis, What Lies Ahead.” Dolan’s book along with Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s, Footsteps of the Messiah, were among the first books published that addressed Psalm 83 as a future war between Israel and its bordering Arab enemies. Dolan excluded, but Fructhenbaum included, Egypt in the Psalm 83 confederacy.(i)
Probably motivated by the February, 2011 crisis in Egypt, David Dolan wrote the following.“Will Egypt eventually break its peace treaty with Israel? I suspect that in the end, the American-funded and trained army will not allow this to take place. I noted in my latest book, Israel in Crisis, that Egypt is not listed in Psalm 83 as being among a host of regional Arab powers that will attempt to destroy Israel in the prophesied end days, while Jordan, Lebanon and Syria are mentioned, along with the Palestinians.”
David Dolan 2/7/11
As much as I respect Dolan’s work, I respectfully disagree with his assessment on Egypt’s non-participation in Psalm 83. Here is what the Psalm says: O God, keep not thou silence: 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. Thy take crafty counsel against thy people, And consult together 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; Against thee do they make a covenant: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre: Assyria also is joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah (Psalm 83:1-8, ASV; Emphasis Added)
(The image identifies who this author believes are the modern day equivalents of the Psalm 83 confederates.)
The Enemies vs. The Haters
Asaph seems to identify two distinct groups inside the ten member confederacy. He says “thine enemies make a tumult; And they that hate thee have lifted up the head.” The New American Standard Version translates; “Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves.”
Who are the “enemies” and “haters” of God listed inside the Psalm? I cover this extensively in my book Isralestine, The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East in the chapter called “Olam Ebah, The Ancient Arab Hatred of the Jews.”
The Psalmist says the Lord has those who hate Him, but unlike the general carnal hatred characteristic of sinful humanity described in Romans 8:7, it is a deeply rooted hatred dating back almost 4000 years. These haters listed by Asaph include the Egyptian matriarch Hagar alongside the ancient patriarchs; Ishmael, Edom (Esau), Moab, Ammon, and Amalek. These all had familial relations with Abraham and histories of aggression against Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and their Hebrew descendants.
Hagar mothered Abraham’s first son Ishmael. Esau was Abraham’s grandson from Isaac. Moab and Ammon were the children of Abraham’s nephew Lot. Lastly, Amalek was Abraham’s great-great-grandson through the line of Esau.(ii) Esau fathered the Edomites according to Genesis 36:1.
These individuals coveted the rich contents of the Abrahamic Covenant and entered into family feuds with the true Hebrew recipients of the covenantal promises. These individuals, along with their Hebrew counterparts, were the Benjamin Netanyahu’s, King Abdullah’s, and Hosni Mubarak’s of their time. Out from their loins nations were formed.(iii)
These jealous “haters” incubated an enmity against the Lord that manifested throughout the region against the Israeli descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Bible calls it an “ancient hatred,” also translated as a “perpetual enmity.” Ezekiel 35:1-5 informs us it was spawned by Esau identified with Mount Seir of ancient Edom.
The two Hebrew words used by Ezekiel are Olam Ebah, which when used together can be translated as, “a condition stemming back long ago in ancient times, perpetuated throughout time, manifesting into hostility with no apparent end in sight.” As time progressed the Hebrews staked their covenantal claims throughout the Middle East.
These claims included;
1. Our God is the only God and you shall have no others before Him, (Exodus 20:3)
2. We will be a “great nation” above all others, (Genesis 12:2)
3. Arabs must bless Hebrews or be cursed, (Gen. 12:3)
4. You Arabs are trespassing on our Hebrew lands. (Genesis 15:18)
Suffice it to say the other four members of Psalm 83, Gebal, Philistia, Tyre, and Assyria, found it favorable to their religious, real estate, and cultural needs to resist these Hebrew claims and embrace the ancient hatred well established throughout the region. Thus, these four populations probably represent the “your enemies” group in Psalm 83.
The family feuds that developed can be studied in the chapters depicted in the image.
Hagar’s contemptuous behavior toward Sarah is one of the reasons we can include her among the Psalm 83 haters. Considering Hagar was an Egyptian according to Genesis 16:1 and had her son Ishmael marry an Egyptian bride in Gen. 21:21, we can safely conclude the Hagarenes represent Egypt in Psalm 83 through her and Ishmael’s family tree.
However it’s not quite that simple, some Bible translations list Hagarites or Hagrites, rather than Hagarenes. This has caused many to believe Psalm 83 is describing another ethnicity rather than Egyptians. This is because the Hagrites or Hagarites show up in 1 Chronicles 5:10,19-20 and elsewhere as a tribe dwelling approximately 300 miles northeast of Egypt, east of Gilead.
The Hebrew word used by the Psalmist to identify the Hagarenes was “Hagri.” Both the Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, and the New American Standard Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries suggest “Hagri” has a possible matronymic relationship to “Hagar” the Egyptian matriarch.
Additionally, listed below are other reputable quotes supporting the Psalm 83 Hagar - Egyptian connection:
Holman Bible Dictionary
HAGARITE (Hag' ahr ite) Name of nomadic tribe whom the tribe of Reuben defeated east of the Jordan River (1 Chron 5:10, 19-20). Reuben won because they called on and trusted in God. The tribal name is apparently taken from Hagar, Sarah’s maid and mother of Ishmael (Gen. 16).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Hagarenes / Hagarites / Hagrites
An Arab tribe, or confederation of tribes (1 Ch 5:10, 19, 20 the King James Version “Hagarites”; 1 Ch 27:31 the King James Version “Hagerite”; Ps 83:6 “Hagarenes”), against which the Reubenites fought in the days of Saul. In Gen 25:12-18 are recorded the descendants, “generations,” of Ishmael, “whom Hagar the Egyptian Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham.”
New Commentary on the Whole Bible: Old Testament
Ps. 83:6-8 tabernacles—i.e., tents. Edom—Esau’s descendants; they were located southeast of the Dead Sea and repeatedly attacked Israel (Psa. 137:7; Obadiah). Ishmaelites—descendants of Hagar and Abraham (Gen. 25:12ff.) as are the “Hagarenes.”
Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament – Ps. 83:6-8
And the Hagarenes—The Hagarenes were properly Arabs, so called from Hagar, the handmaid of Abraham, the mother of Ishmael. Gen. 16:1; 25:12. As connected with the Ishmaelites they would naturally join in this alliance.
Due to the confusion between the Hagarene verses Hagrite translation in Psalm 83, I emailed my friend Dr. Arnold Fructhenbaum of Ariel Ministries in 2008. Dr. Fruchtenbaum, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, ranks among today’s most respected eschatologists. I asked him how certain he was that Psalm 83 identified Egypt through the Hagarenes. His email response to me was emphatic that Egypt is identified through the Hagarenes in Psalm 83.
Lastly, those who omit Egypt from Psalm 83 need to explain Egypt’s apparent future confrontation with Israel in Isaiah 19:16-18. Isaiah 19:16 declares Egypt will someday greatly fear Israel. From Isaiah’s time until now, this fear has only been in place since Israel’s defeat of Egypt in the wars of 1948, 1967, and 1973. It is this fear that drove former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to make peace with Israel in 1979.
Isaiah 19:17 says this fear evolves into a terror of Israel that overtakes all of Egypt. Isaiah 19:18 predicts this terror results in Egypt allowing Hebrew to be spoken in five Egyptian cities. One of these cities will be renamed, the “City of Destruction.” These three passages encourage the possibility that Egypt’s participation in Psalm 83 provokes the wrath of the Israeli Defense Forces against at least 5 Egyptian cities. In the aftermath of an I.D.F. victory over Egypt, five cities promote Hebrew as the spoken language. This suggests Jews migrate into these five cities taking their language, religion and culture with them.
Some suggest Isaiah 19 deals with the Antichrist’s invasion of Egypt specified in Daniel 11:42-43. Although portions of Isaiah 19 may find partial association with Daniel 11:42-43, it is doubtful that Isaiah 19:16-18 finds any association.
Why would the Antichrist take over 5 Egyptian cities and allow Hebrew to become the spoken language? It is commonly understood the Antichrist will be attempting Jewish genocide at the time. If this is the case it would be contrary to his overall purposes to allow 5 cities in Egypt to promote the language of Hebrew.
For the above reasons I strongly believe that Egypt is identified in Psalm 83.Therefore, unlike David Dolan, I believe Egypt will someday break its peace treaty with Israel and join the Psalm 83 confederacy.
____________________________
(i)The Footsteps of the Messiah (Revised Edition) Chapter 20 page 498 (Hardback).
(ii)Esau grandfathered Amalek according to Genesis 36:12
(iii)Nation promised to Abraham Gen. 12:2, to Ishmael Gen. 17:20, to Jacob and Esau Gen. 25:23
Posted by AUTHOR / LECTURER at 12:35 PM
"I Will Set Egyptians Against Egyptians"
By Bill Salus
These are the days when the Bible is its own best commentary. Imagine Isaiah the prophet standing on the streets of Cairo today speaking in front of a mainstream news camera declaring:
The burden against Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. “I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers. And the Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them,” Says the Lord, the LORD of hosts. (Isaiah 19:1-4, nkjv)
Like a swift moving cloud, Isaiah predicts the rapid deterioration of events in Egypt. Civil unrest causes Egyptians to fight against each other. This fighting spreads from household to household and grows into a kingdom war. Probably quoting Isaiah 19:2, Christ warned kingdoms would rise against each other in Matthew 24:7. Unlike nation coming against nation, which alludes to world wars, “kingdom against kingdom” refers to regional conflicts. Christ taught these prophecies would come upon the world like birth pains. Like a woman about to deliver her newborn, these events are foretold to come with increased frequency and intensity each building upon the other.
Rumors of regional kingdom wars presently abound in the Middle East. Egypt and Saudi Arabia reportedly conducted joint military exercises in 2010 preparing for a possible confrontation with Iran. Iran represents the Persian kingdom and Egypt and Saudi Arabia the Arab kingdom. Additionally, the apocalyptically minded president Ahmadinejad of Iran has threatened on several occasions to wipe Israel, representing the Jewish kingdom, off of the map.
Psalm 83 predicts the Arab kingdom will someday rise against the Jewish kingdom to banish the name of Israel forever. Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia along with eight other Arab populations join the Arab kingdom in this pending prophetic war.
Isaiah’s prognosis for Egypt worsens as you read the rest of his chapter nineteen. Isaiah 19:5-12 tells us unprecedented religious and economic strife plagues the nation according to the purposes of the Lord. Apparently, this disastrous condition befalls Egypt because of its future involvement in Psalm 83 since we read in Isaiah 19:16-18 that Israel will take over five cities in Egypt and cause Hebrew to be the spoken language inside their city limits. One of these cities will be called “the City of Destruction,” implying the I.D.F. destroys this city.
In that day Egypt will be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He waves over it. And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts which He has determined against it. In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the LORD of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction. (Isaiah 19:16-18, nkjv)
Will the civil strife developing in Egypt cause the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, who supposedly has cancer and turns 83 on May 4, 2011? Many expected his son Gamal Mubarak to be his replacement; however, Gamal and his family have reportedly fled to the U.K. for safety. If the Mubarak government is overthrown will the Muslim Brotherhood fill his office with one of its own fulfilling Isaiah 19:4? The Muslim Brotherhood, presently banned in Egypt, hates Israel and supports Jihad against the Jewish State. Hamas, also participating against Israel in Psalm 83, is their political arm inside of the Gaza. Hamas, like the Muslim Brotherhood, calls for the destruction of Israel.
Will the present protests inside Egypt metastasize into the fulfillment of Isaiah 19? If so will the coming cruel leader be the one who leads Egypt into the Psalm 83:6-8 confederacy? All of this is unknown but entirely possible. One thing is for certain; the Middle East appears to be on the verge of going apocalyptic.
January 2011 has seen the governments of Lebanon, Tunisia, and Egypt become severely challenged. The government of Jordan is expected to be next. Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan are involved in Psalm 83 and Tunisia appears to take part in the Ezekiel 38 & 39 prophecy. It appears high time Christians familiarize themselves with the prophecies of Isaiah 19, Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38 & 39. These are a few of the world changing prophecies stage setting on the prophetic horizon.
Related read: Dr. Lawrence of India
Posted by AUTHOR / LECTURER at 8:30 AM
These are the days when the Bible is its own best commentary. Imagine Isaiah the prophet standing on the streets of Cairo today speaking in front of a mainstream news camera declaring:
The burden against Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. “I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers. And the Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them,” Says the Lord, the LORD of hosts. (Isaiah 19:1-4, nkjv)
Like a swift moving cloud, Isaiah predicts the rapid deterioration of events in Egypt. Civil unrest causes Egyptians to fight against each other. This fighting spreads from household to household and grows into a kingdom war. Probably quoting Isaiah 19:2, Christ warned kingdoms would rise against each other in Matthew 24:7. Unlike nation coming against nation, which alludes to world wars, “kingdom against kingdom” refers to regional conflicts. Christ taught these prophecies would come upon the world like birth pains. Like a woman about to deliver her newborn, these events are foretold to come with increased frequency and intensity each building upon the other.
Rumors of regional kingdom wars presently abound in the Middle East. Egypt and Saudi Arabia reportedly conducted joint military exercises in 2010 preparing for a possible confrontation with Iran. Iran represents the Persian kingdom and Egypt and Saudi Arabia the Arab kingdom. Additionally, the apocalyptically minded president Ahmadinejad of Iran has threatened on several occasions to wipe Israel, representing the Jewish kingdom, off of the map.
Psalm 83 predicts the Arab kingdom will someday rise against the Jewish kingdom to banish the name of Israel forever. Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia along with eight other Arab populations join the Arab kingdom in this pending prophetic war.
Isaiah’s prognosis for Egypt worsens as you read the rest of his chapter nineteen. Isaiah 19:5-12 tells us unprecedented religious and economic strife plagues the nation according to the purposes of the Lord. Apparently, this disastrous condition befalls Egypt because of its future involvement in Psalm 83 since we read in Isaiah 19:16-18 that Israel will take over five cities in Egypt and cause Hebrew to be the spoken language inside their city limits. One of these cities will be called “the City of Destruction,” implying the I.D.F. destroys this city.
In that day Egypt will be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He waves over it. And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts which He has determined against it. In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the LORD of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction. (Isaiah 19:16-18, nkjv)
Will the civil strife developing in Egypt cause the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, who supposedly has cancer and turns 83 on May 4, 2011? Many expected his son Gamal Mubarak to be his replacement; however, Gamal and his family have reportedly fled to the U.K. for safety. If the Mubarak government is overthrown will the Muslim Brotherhood fill his office with one of its own fulfilling Isaiah 19:4? The Muslim Brotherhood, presently banned in Egypt, hates Israel and supports Jihad against the Jewish State. Hamas, also participating against Israel in Psalm 83, is their political arm inside of the Gaza. Hamas, like the Muslim Brotherhood, calls for the destruction of Israel.
Will the present protests inside Egypt metastasize into the fulfillment of Isaiah 19? If so will the coming cruel leader be the one who leads Egypt into the Psalm 83:6-8 confederacy? All of this is unknown but entirely possible. One thing is for certain; the Middle East appears to be on the verge of going apocalyptic.
January 2011 has seen the governments of Lebanon, Tunisia, and Egypt become severely challenged. The government of Jordan is expected to be next. Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan are involved in Psalm 83 and Tunisia appears to take part in the Ezekiel 38 & 39 prophecy. It appears high time Christians familiarize themselves with the prophecies of Isaiah 19, Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38 & 39. These are a few of the world changing prophecies stage setting on the prophetic horizon.
Related read: Dr. Lawrence of India
Posted by AUTHOR / LECTURER at 8:30 AM
Judea & Samaria: What’s Legal?
October 22, 2010 by Lisa
I’ve written before about what is commonly called “The West Bank” and how this area really is the territory of Judea and Samaria. In that entry I asked my readers to remember just what territory the media is referring to when they say ‘The West Bank’ and to consider calling this territory “Judea and Samaria” instead. I also loosely addressed the issue of “occupation”, a term that the media also enjoys using when referencing the area of Judea and Samaria because of the image it puts into our minds.
Today there is much negative media coverage about the “settlers in the West Bank” and the fact that the building ban has been lifted so the settlers have begun to build. There is also much news about the harvest of the farmers crops being damaged and even schools, being damaged by zealous Jews.
I have wanted to shed a little more light on the matter of the West Bank for a while now, and today seems to be the day.
Prior to World War I the land of Israel was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. After the close of WWI, in April 1920, the four principle allied countries met together for a conference in San Remo, Italy to discuss the allocation of the former Ottoman Empire. New states were formed: Syria, Palestine (Israel & Jordan), Lebanon and parts of northern Mesopotamia was reserved as an independent Arab state or confederation of states. Syria and Mesopotamia became self-governing states and Israel/Jordan and Lebanon became mandates of Great Britain and France, respectively. As this agreement was a work in progress, it was two years before the League of Nations confirmed the council’s decisions with Turkey (what was left of the former Ottoman Empire) accepting the terms later on. See Mandate for Palestine
So this is how Great Britain became steward over the tiny land of Israel and the greater land of the Transjordan. Great Britain had desired to help establish a homeland for the Jewish people prior this time, as evidenced by The Government of His Majesty in 1917. You may recognize this statement by it’s name, The Balfour Declaration. Great Britain honored this declaration regarding Israel as they began working to establish this tiny wasteland as a home for the Jewish people while not displacing the current population – Arab or Jew. Jerusalem was made the capital city and the precise boundaries of this new homeland were left unspecified in 1917 but finalized in the Mandate for Palestine agreeing to give unbinding and irrevocable acknowledgement of Jewish sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, including Jerusalem.
The borders of Palestine (Israel) and Transjordan as eventually determined
What’s interesting to note about Israel at this time in history is that very few people lived there. This tiny bit of land was considered a wasteland to the majority of the world. I’m sure you have heard Mark Twain’s comment on The Land when he visited in 1867:
Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies… Palestine is desolate and unlovely… It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land… [a] desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds – a silent mournful expanse… A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action… We never saw a human being on the whole route… There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of the worthless soil, had almost deserted the country…
Israel was not a robust or thriving metropolis, it did not even contain many cities with inhabitants. There were some Jewish communities and some Arab communities but overall life was incredibly difficult in The Land and few chose to dwell there. If you will notice in the map above, the Arabs were given a much greater piece of land on the east side of the Jordan River. The declarations and agreements that were made by the ruling parties clearly stated that the Arab population and the Jewish population were intended to dwell peacefully together, yet provision was made for them to migrate into separate nations if they choose to do so. The Arab leaders felt it was necessary to maintain a foothold in Jewish territory primarily because many zealous Arabs long to see the delegitimizing and ultimate destruction of not only a Jewish state but the Jewish people as a whole. You can see records of the Arab publications and media releases from 1948 as an example.
Modern Israel and Jordan
So, what’s with the “occupied” parts of the nation of Israel? Do you notice “the west bank” and “gaza” on this current map? What happened to the unbinding and irrevocable acknowledgement of Jewish sovereignty over all of Israel, including Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and Gaza that was part of the Palestinian Mandate that the League of Nations unanimously agreed to in 1920?
In 1946 the League of Nations became the United Nations and in 1948 Israel became it’s own independent state. As part of the agreement to recognize Israel as an independent state, Jordan demanded that Israel relinquish the territory of Judea and Samaria, and it’s title “The West Bank” was proposed by Jordan to distinguish this land as part of the Jordanian territory even though it was beyond it’s original border and was contrary to the Palestinian Mandate. After the War for Israel’s Independence in 1948, Jordan crowned King Abdulah as “King of Jerusalem” and he gave Palestinian Arabs and the Arabs of East Jerusalem Jordanian citizenship. From 1948 to 1967 this land was under Jordanian rule. The land was still sparsely inhabited as it was a difficult land to live in. However, it is a strategic bit of land that gives easy access to any attack on the nation of Israel (see video below). In 1967 Jordan retreated from the territory of Judea and Samaria, leaving it to Israel in the Six Day War. Jordan officially relinquished it’s claim to this land in 1988, stripping the Arab inhabitants of those territories of their Jordanian citizenship. Israel is the only nation that has laid claim to this land.
Who is occupying Judea and Samaria today?
Are the Jewish people “occupying” a land that they don’t have any right or claim to? Well, they are the ones the land was given to in 1920 and again in 1988. Judea and Samaria fall into a unique category in that it has never been it’s own independent state and there is no legitimate claim to the land by any body other than the ‘occupier’, which has been Israel since 1967 and recognized by their former occupier since 1988. These facts are ignored by the international community. It does seem strange, however, that a piece of land that wasn’t important to anyone before it became a homeland for the Jewish people, and was so sparsely populated even afterwards, all of the sudden became among the most highly valued territory in all the world and the primary obstacle to peace in the entire middle east region, at least the media would have us think so.
Is it illegal for Jewish settlers to build in Judea and Samaria? The truth is that no law has ever been passed by the United Nations or any other country that prohibits Israel from building homes in Judea, Samaria, Gaza or the East side of Jerusalem. Israel violates no law whatsoever when Jewish settlers build homes for themselves or other buildings necessary for their continued dwelling in their ancient homeland. The only violation that occurs with the renewed legal building in Judea and Samaria is the violation of the perception that the media and the Arab world would have us to believe. Why was there a building ban in the first place? It was part of an agreement that was intended to bring peace to the Middle East, just like the part the of the agreement that said Israel needed to withdraw it’s security forces from those same towns and districts that have experienced significant increases in bombings, shootings and terror as evidenced by recent terrorist activities targeting the Jewish settlers here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Paul Harvey used to say, “And now you know – the rest of the story”. While this surely isn’t the wholeness of ’the rest of the story’ it just might be part of the story you didn’t know before and it just might change how you view the Jewish Occupied Territory of Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem.
I’ve written before about what is commonly called “The West Bank” and how this area really is the territory of Judea and Samaria. In that entry I asked my readers to remember just what territory the media is referring to when they say ‘The West Bank’ and to consider calling this territory “Judea and Samaria” instead. I also loosely addressed the issue of “occupation”, a term that the media also enjoys using when referencing the area of Judea and Samaria because of the image it puts into our minds.
Today there is much negative media coverage about the “settlers in the West Bank” and the fact that the building ban has been lifted so the settlers have begun to build. There is also much news about the harvest of the farmers crops being damaged and even schools, being damaged by zealous Jews.
I have wanted to shed a little more light on the matter of the West Bank for a while now, and today seems to be the day.
Prior to World War I the land of Israel was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. After the close of WWI, in April 1920, the four principle allied countries met together for a conference in San Remo, Italy to discuss the allocation of the former Ottoman Empire. New states were formed: Syria, Palestine (Israel & Jordan), Lebanon and parts of northern Mesopotamia was reserved as an independent Arab state or confederation of states. Syria and Mesopotamia became self-governing states and Israel/Jordan and Lebanon became mandates of Great Britain and France, respectively. As this agreement was a work in progress, it was two years before the League of Nations confirmed the council’s decisions with Turkey (what was left of the former Ottoman Empire) accepting the terms later on. See Mandate for Palestine
So this is how Great Britain became steward over the tiny land of Israel and the greater land of the Transjordan. Great Britain had desired to help establish a homeland for the Jewish people prior this time, as evidenced by The Government of His Majesty in 1917. You may recognize this statement by it’s name, The Balfour Declaration. Great Britain honored this declaration regarding Israel as they began working to establish this tiny wasteland as a home for the Jewish people while not displacing the current population – Arab or Jew. Jerusalem was made the capital city and the precise boundaries of this new homeland were left unspecified in 1917 but finalized in the Mandate for Palestine agreeing to give unbinding and irrevocable acknowledgement of Jewish sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, including Jerusalem.
The borders of Palestine (Israel) and Transjordan as eventually determined
What’s interesting to note about Israel at this time in history is that very few people lived there. This tiny bit of land was considered a wasteland to the majority of the world. I’m sure you have heard Mark Twain’s comment on The Land when he visited in 1867:
Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies… Palestine is desolate and unlovely… It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land… [a] desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds – a silent mournful expanse… A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action… We never saw a human being on the whole route… There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of the worthless soil, had almost deserted the country…
Israel was not a robust or thriving metropolis, it did not even contain many cities with inhabitants. There were some Jewish communities and some Arab communities but overall life was incredibly difficult in The Land and few chose to dwell there. If you will notice in the map above, the Arabs were given a much greater piece of land on the east side of the Jordan River. The declarations and agreements that were made by the ruling parties clearly stated that the Arab population and the Jewish population were intended to dwell peacefully together, yet provision was made for them to migrate into separate nations if they choose to do so. The Arab leaders felt it was necessary to maintain a foothold in Jewish territory primarily because many zealous Arabs long to see the delegitimizing and ultimate destruction of not only a Jewish state but the Jewish people as a whole. You can see records of the Arab publications and media releases from 1948 as an example.
Modern Israel and Jordan
So, what’s with the “occupied” parts of the nation of Israel? Do you notice “the west bank” and “gaza” on this current map? What happened to the unbinding and irrevocable acknowledgement of Jewish sovereignty over all of Israel, including Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and Gaza that was part of the Palestinian Mandate that the League of Nations unanimously agreed to in 1920?
In 1946 the League of Nations became the United Nations and in 1948 Israel became it’s own independent state. As part of the agreement to recognize Israel as an independent state, Jordan demanded that Israel relinquish the territory of Judea and Samaria, and it’s title “The West Bank” was proposed by Jordan to distinguish this land as part of the Jordanian territory even though it was beyond it’s original border and was contrary to the Palestinian Mandate. After the War for Israel’s Independence in 1948, Jordan crowned King Abdulah as “King of Jerusalem” and he gave Palestinian Arabs and the Arabs of East Jerusalem Jordanian citizenship. From 1948 to 1967 this land was under Jordanian rule. The land was still sparsely inhabited as it was a difficult land to live in. However, it is a strategic bit of land that gives easy access to any attack on the nation of Israel (see video below). In 1967 Jordan retreated from the territory of Judea and Samaria, leaving it to Israel in the Six Day War. Jordan officially relinquished it’s claim to this land in 1988, stripping the Arab inhabitants of those territories of their Jordanian citizenship. Israel is the only nation that has laid claim to this land.
Who is occupying Judea and Samaria today?
Are the Jewish people “occupying” a land that they don’t have any right or claim to? Well, they are the ones the land was given to in 1920 and again in 1988. Judea and Samaria fall into a unique category in that it has never been it’s own independent state and there is no legitimate claim to the land by any body other than the ‘occupier’, which has been Israel since 1967 and recognized by their former occupier since 1988. These facts are ignored by the international community. It does seem strange, however, that a piece of land that wasn’t important to anyone before it became a homeland for the Jewish people, and was so sparsely populated even afterwards, all of the sudden became among the most highly valued territory in all the world and the primary obstacle to peace in the entire middle east region, at least the media would have us think so.
Is it illegal for Jewish settlers to build in Judea and Samaria? The truth is that no law has ever been passed by the United Nations or any other country that prohibits Israel from building homes in Judea, Samaria, Gaza or the East side of Jerusalem. Israel violates no law whatsoever when Jewish settlers build homes for themselves or other buildings necessary for their continued dwelling in their ancient homeland. The only violation that occurs with the renewed legal building in Judea and Samaria is the violation of the perception that the media and the Arab world would have us to believe. Why was there a building ban in the first place? It was part of an agreement that was intended to bring peace to the Middle East, just like the part the of the agreement that said Israel needed to withdraw it’s security forces from those same towns and districts that have experienced significant increases in bombings, shootings and terror as evidenced by recent terrorist activities targeting the Jewish settlers here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Paul Harvey used to say, “And now you know – the rest of the story”. While this surely isn’t the wholeness of ’the rest of the story’ it just might be part of the story you didn’t know before and it just might change how you view the Jewish Occupied Territory of Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem.
The West Bank – what/where is it?
June 10, 2008 by Lisa
You’ve heard of “The West Bank” in news reports. Maybe you’re not so sure if it’s on the coast or inland so you’ve gazed at a map and see that it’s a decent size territory in Israel north of some body of water. What’s the big deal about the West Bank anyway, other than it’s part of the territory of Israel and it’s always in the news?
Do you know what is contained in the West Bank? Do you know WHY they refer to it as “The West Bank” and not by another phrase?
Take a look here and see what places are contained within the famous West Bank.
Let’s see – there’s the eastern section of the religious capital city Jerusalem, all of Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Nabulus… This is the territory known in the Bible as Judea and Samaria. Now THAT makes more sense, doesn’t it? Judea and Samaria. Oh, okay. Now we know more about what and where this West Bank is. So why don’t they just call it that so the rest of us know what they’re talking about? Do you have any ideas? I’m wagering that it’s because people would get upset if they heard that certain people are wanting to take Judea and Samaria away from Israel. If it stays abstract, nobody really cares. Right?
Do you notice what the map says? “-Israeli occupied-” Do you know what that is intended to imply? That Israel does not belong there. You only occupy territory if you’re an invader. So let’s find out what happened. The West Bank was under Jordanian control for a while, it was called the West Bank of the Jordan River. During the Six-Day War in 1967 Israel captured this territory and it’s part of the nation of Israel still today. Wikipedia says this:
Prior to the First World War, the area now known as the West Bank was under Ottoman rule as part of the province of Syria. In the 1920 San Remo conference, the victorious Allied powers allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War saw the establishment of Israel in parts of the former Mandate, while the West Bank was captured and annexed by Jordan, who destroyed any existing Jewish villages. The 1949 Armistice Agreements defined its interim boundary. From 1948 until 1967, the area was under Jordanian rule, and Jordan did not officially relinquish its claim to the area until 1988. Jordan’s claim was never recognized by the international community. The West Bank was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War. With the exception of East Jerusalem it was not annexed by Israel. Most of the residents are Arabs, although large numbers of Israeli settlements have been built in the region.
In 1967 Israel was the conquering country of this territory but it wasn’t till 1988 that Jordan relinquished it’s claim to the territory? Still, 1988 was 20 years ago. Israel hasn’t officially annexed this territory yet, which seems to show that it’s a sensitive political move to do so. Only Israel has claims to this territory, as far as I know, and it is covered under Israeli law. As long as the West Bank has been a part of the country of Israel the Arabs living in that territory have remained and have not been asked (or forced) to leave. That was part of the 1948 request too, “Please don’t leave. Please be comfortable staying here in your homes and your cities. We can live and work together.” Still, the maps say “occupied”. Occupied? Of course they occupy it, it’s part of their territory. That’s like saying the US occupies Hawaii or Texas. Of course. So why say “occupy”? I’m wagering that it’s because it just feeds the anti-Israel cause.
So I ask you to join me in referring to this territory as it should be – this is the area of Judea and Samaria, part of the modern country of Israel. Many Arabs live there, they live in other parts of Israel as well. In the US we have people from other cultures and countries too, so we should understand what it’s like in Israel for there to be people of various nationalities living in one country. Next time you hear a news report concerning The West Bank, remember just what and where that is and remind yourself that “This is happening in Judea and Samaria”.
Some 500,000 Jews live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem among 2.7 million Palestinians. Some want to push their neighbors into the sea and others want all the fighting to go away so they can make a living, raise their children and live a peaceful life in the land of their ancestors along side their neighbors.
You’ve heard of “The West Bank” in news reports. Maybe you’re not so sure if it’s on the coast or inland so you’ve gazed at a map and see that it’s a decent size territory in Israel north of some body of water. What’s the big deal about the West Bank anyway, other than it’s part of the territory of Israel and it’s always in the news?
Do you know what is contained in the West Bank? Do you know WHY they refer to it as “The West Bank” and not by another phrase?
Take a look here and see what places are contained within the famous West Bank.
Let’s see – there’s the eastern section of the religious capital city Jerusalem, all of Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Nabulus… This is the territory known in the Bible as Judea and Samaria. Now THAT makes more sense, doesn’t it? Judea and Samaria. Oh, okay. Now we know more about what and where this West Bank is. So why don’t they just call it that so the rest of us know what they’re talking about? Do you have any ideas? I’m wagering that it’s because people would get upset if they heard that certain people are wanting to take Judea and Samaria away from Israel. If it stays abstract, nobody really cares. Right?
Do you notice what the map says? “-Israeli occupied-” Do you know what that is intended to imply? That Israel does not belong there. You only occupy territory if you’re an invader. So let’s find out what happened. The West Bank was under Jordanian control for a while, it was called the West Bank of the Jordan River. During the Six-Day War in 1967 Israel captured this territory and it’s part of the nation of Israel still today. Wikipedia says this:
Prior to the First World War, the area now known as the West Bank was under Ottoman rule as part of the province of Syria. In the 1920 San Remo conference, the victorious Allied powers allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War saw the establishment of Israel in parts of the former Mandate, while the West Bank was captured and annexed by Jordan, who destroyed any existing Jewish villages. The 1949 Armistice Agreements defined its interim boundary. From 1948 until 1967, the area was under Jordanian rule, and Jordan did not officially relinquish its claim to the area until 1988. Jordan’s claim was never recognized by the international community. The West Bank was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War. With the exception of East Jerusalem it was not annexed by Israel. Most of the residents are Arabs, although large numbers of Israeli settlements have been built in the region.
In 1967 Israel was the conquering country of this territory but it wasn’t till 1988 that Jordan relinquished it’s claim to the territory? Still, 1988 was 20 years ago. Israel hasn’t officially annexed this territory yet, which seems to show that it’s a sensitive political move to do so. Only Israel has claims to this territory, as far as I know, and it is covered under Israeli law. As long as the West Bank has been a part of the country of Israel the Arabs living in that territory have remained and have not been asked (or forced) to leave. That was part of the 1948 request too, “Please don’t leave. Please be comfortable staying here in your homes and your cities. We can live and work together.” Still, the maps say “occupied”. Occupied? Of course they occupy it, it’s part of their territory. That’s like saying the US occupies Hawaii or Texas. Of course. So why say “occupy”? I’m wagering that it’s because it just feeds the anti-Israel cause.
So I ask you to join me in referring to this territory as it should be – this is the area of Judea and Samaria, part of the modern country of Israel. Many Arabs live there, they live in other parts of Israel as well. In the US we have people from other cultures and countries too, so we should understand what it’s like in Israel for there to be people of various nationalities living in one country. Next time you hear a news report concerning The West Bank, remember just what and where that is and remind yourself that “This is happening in Judea and Samaria”.
Some 500,000 Jews live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem among 2.7 million Palestinians. Some want to push their neighbors into the sea and others want all the fighting to go away so they can make a living, raise their children and live a peaceful life in the land of their ancestors along side their neighbors.
What Is The Prophetic Significance of Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate?
February 20th, 2011
by Dr. David Reagan
The Eastern Gate in the old walled city of Jerusalem has a very special place in my heart, for it was that gate which God used to open my eyes to His Prophetic Word.
The year was 1967. The occasion was the Six Day War. As the fate of the new state of Israel hung in the balance, I searched the newspapers daily for any information I could find about the war. The turning point came on June 7 when the Israeli army broke through the Lion’s Gate and returned control of the ancient city of Jerusalem to the Jewish people for the first time in 1,897 years.
A Mysterious Remark
The next day I read a fascinating news account about one of the Jewish commando groups that had been involved in the assault on the city. The article stated that some members of the group had suggested catching the Jordanian defenders of the city off guard by blowing open the sealed Eastern Gate. But the leader of the group, an Orthodox Jew, had vehemently protested the idea, stating that “the Eastern Gate can be opened only when the Messiah comes.”
That statement caught my eye. I wondered what the fellow was talking about. I knew nothing about the Eastern Gate except that it was the only gate of the city that led directly onto the Temple Mount. I was not aware that it was sealed, nor did I know that its opening was in any way Biblically linked to the return of the Messiah.
A Remarkable Prophecy
I decided to do some research on the matter, and that decision initiated my study of Bible prophecy. I had been attending church for 30 years, but like most Christians, I knew nothing about Bible prophecy. The topic was generally ignored by the preachers in the church I grew up in.
My concordance quickly directed me to the passage that the Orthodox Jew had alluded to. I found it in Ezekiel 44. The context is a supernatural tour the Lord is giving Ezekiel of the future Millennial Temple (40:1-3).
In chapter 43 the Lord gives Ezekiel a vision of God’s glory entering the Millennial Temple from the east, through the Eastern Gate. The Lord then says to Ezekiel:
“Son of Man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of my feet where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever” (43:7).
The Lord then reveals to Ezekiel that the Eastern Gate will be closed for public use and will be available only to a person who is described as “the prince” (44:3).
The identity of this prince is one of the mysteries of Bible prophecy. He certainly is not the Messiah, for he offers a sin offering for himself (45:22), and he has sons (46:16). Some have speculated he might be King David, but David will have a glorified, sinless body during the Millennium and thus would not need a sin offering. Most likely, he is a regent of King David, a prince in the flesh who is a descendant of David.
A Pre-fillment in Type
Bible prophecies often have a pre-fillment in symbolic type before their actual fulfillment in history. A good example is Antiochus Epiphanes who was a symbolic type of the Antichrist. Another example would be the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, which was a symbolic type of the destruction Jerusalem will experience during the Great Tribulation.
In like manner, I believe the prophecy of Ezekiel 44:1 was pre-filled symbolically almost 500 years ago in 1517 when the Turks conquered Jerusalem under the leadership of Suleiman the Magnificent. He commanded that the city’s ancient walls be rebuilt, and in the midst of this rebuilding project, for some unknown reason, he ordered that the Eastern Gate be sealed up with stones.
Legends abound as to why Suleiman closed the Gate. The most believable one is that while the walls were being rebuilt, a rumor swept Jerusalem that the Messiah was coming. Suleiman called together some Jewish rabbis and asked them to tell him about the Messiah. They described the Messiah as a great military leader who would be sent by God from the east. He would enter the Eastern Gate and liberate the city from foreign control.
Suleiman then decided to put an end to Jewish hopes by ordering the Eastern Gate sealed. He also put a Muslim cemetery in front of the Gate, believing that no Jewish holy man would defile himself by walking through a Muslim cemetery.
Another Prophecy
The Jews believe the Eastern Gate will remain shut until the Messiah returns. I think they are correct.
Psalm 24:7-10 contains a prophecy about the Lord’s return. It reads as follows:
“Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.”
This is clearly Second Coming imagery. The Lord is returning as a King ready for battle. And when He returns, the doors of one of the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem will open to receive Him. I believe this is speaking of the Eastern Gate which is now closed, for the Messiah is always pictured in Second Coming prophecies as returning from the east. For example, in the Second Coming passage in Isaiah 63:1-6 the Messiah is portrayed as coming to Jerusalem from the direction of Edom and Bozrah — areas to the east.
A Prophetic Symbol
The Eastern Gate has remained sealed now for almost 500 years, and the Muslim cemetery still blocks the entrance. The old walled city has eight gates, and the Eastern Gate, and it alone, is sealed — just as prophesied in Ezekiel 44. The world would call that an “amazing coincidence.” I call it a “God-incidence.”
I believe the Eastern Gate is proof positive that the Bible is the Word of God. Its sealing is clear evidence that we are living in the end times. The Gate awaits the return of the Messiah. Then and only then, will it be opened.
An Exciting Vision
I have a vision of what that glorious day will be like. It is related to the Lord’s First Coming. I believe Jesus is going to replay His triumphal entry into Jerusalem when He returns.
When He came the first time, Jesus rode a donkey from the Mount of Olives down into the Kidron Valley and up to the Eastern Gate where He entered the Temple Mount for His last days of teaching. As He made that ride, the Valley of Kidron was filled with thousands of admirers who had heard about the resurrection of Lazarus. They waved palm branches and chanted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Within a few days that same fickle crowd was shouting, “Crucify Him!”
We are told in Revelation 19 that when Jesus returns He will come as a victorious military conqueror, riding through the air on a supernatural white horse. In Isaiah 61 we are told that He will come from the east, and in Zechariah 14 we are told that he will touch ground on the Mount of Olives.
Revelation 19:14 says that all the Redeemed will come with the Lord. Think of it! You and I will be there to witness the Lord’s return. Zechariah 14 says He will speak a word that will supernaturally destroy the Anti-Christ and his forces.
Then, I believe we will witness a replay of the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. With angels hovering above and millions of the Redeemed filling the Kidron Valley, Jesus will ride up to the Eastern Gate on His white horse, and as He approaches the Gate, it will blow open. He will then enter the City of David, and to the triumphant shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David,” He will be crowned the Kings of kings and the Lord of lords.
by Dr. David Reagan
by Dr. David Reagan
The Eastern Gate in the old walled city of Jerusalem has a very special place in my heart, for it was that gate which God used to open my eyes to His Prophetic Word.
The year was 1967. The occasion was the Six Day War. As the fate of the new state of Israel hung in the balance, I searched the newspapers daily for any information I could find about the war. The turning point came on June 7 when the Israeli army broke through the Lion’s Gate and returned control of the ancient city of Jerusalem to the Jewish people for the first time in 1,897 years.
A Mysterious Remark
The next day I read a fascinating news account about one of the Jewish commando groups that had been involved in the assault on the city. The article stated that some members of the group had suggested catching the Jordanian defenders of the city off guard by blowing open the sealed Eastern Gate. But the leader of the group, an Orthodox Jew, had vehemently protested the idea, stating that “the Eastern Gate can be opened only when the Messiah comes.”
That statement caught my eye. I wondered what the fellow was talking about. I knew nothing about the Eastern Gate except that it was the only gate of the city that led directly onto the Temple Mount. I was not aware that it was sealed, nor did I know that its opening was in any way Biblically linked to the return of the Messiah.
A Remarkable Prophecy
I decided to do some research on the matter, and that decision initiated my study of Bible prophecy. I had been attending church for 30 years, but like most Christians, I knew nothing about Bible prophecy. The topic was generally ignored by the preachers in the church I grew up in.
My concordance quickly directed me to the passage that the Orthodox Jew had alluded to. I found it in Ezekiel 44. The context is a supernatural tour the Lord is giving Ezekiel of the future Millennial Temple (40:1-3).
In chapter 43 the Lord gives Ezekiel a vision of God’s glory entering the Millennial Temple from the east, through the Eastern Gate. The Lord then says to Ezekiel:
“Son of Man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of my feet where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever” (43:7).
The Lord then reveals to Ezekiel that the Eastern Gate will be closed for public use and will be available only to a person who is described as “the prince” (44:3).
The identity of this prince is one of the mysteries of Bible prophecy. He certainly is not the Messiah, for he offers a sin offering for himself (45:22), and he has sons (46:16). Some have speculated he might be King David, but David will have a glorified, sinless body during the Millennium and thus would not need a sin offering. Most likely, he is a regent of King David, a prince in the flesh who is a descendant of David.
A Pre-fillment in Type
Bible prophecies often have a pre-fillment in symbolic type before their actual fulfillment in history. A good example is Antiochus Epiphanes who was a symbolic type of the Antichrist. Another example would be the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, which was a symbolic type of the destruction Jerusalem will experience during the Great Tribulation.
In like manner, I believe the prophecy of Ezekiel 44:1 was pre-filled symbolically almost 500 years ago in 1517 when the Turks conquered Jerusalem under the leadership of Suleiman the Magnificent. He commanded that the city’s ancient walls be rebuilt, and in the midst of this rebuilding project, for some unknown reason, he ordered that the Eastern Gate be sealed up with stones.
Legends abound as to why Suleiman closed the Gate. The most believable one is that while the walls were being rebuilt, a rumor swept Jerusalem that the Messiah was coming. Suleiman called together some Jewish rabbis and asked them to tell him about the Messiah. They described the Messiah as a great military leader who would be sent by God from the east. He would enter the Eastern Gate and liberate the city from foreign control.
Suleiman then decided to put an end to Jewish hopes by ordering the Eastern Gate sealed. He also put a Muslim cemetery in front of the Gate, believing that no Jewish holy man would defile himself by walking through a Muslim cemetery.
Another Prophecy
The Jews believe the Eastern Gate will remain shut until the Messiah returns. I think they are correct.
Psalm 24:7-10 contains a prophecy about the Lord’s return. It reads as follows:
“Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.”
This is clearly Second Coming imagery. The Lord is returning as a King ready for battle. And when He returns, the doors of one of the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem will open to receive Him. I believe this is speaking of the Eastern Gate which is now closed, for the Messiah is always pictured in Second Coming prophecies as returning from the east. For example, in the Second Coming passage in Isaiah 63:1-6 the Messiah is portrayed as coming to Jerusalem from the direction of Edom and Bozrah — areas to the east.
A Prophetic Symbol
The Eastern Gate has remained sealed now for almost 500 years, and the Muslim cemetery still blocks the entrance. The old walled city has eight gates, and the Eastern Gate, and it alone, is sealed — just as prophesied in Ezekiel 44. The world would call that an “amazing coincidence.” I call it a “God-incidence.”
I believe the Eastern Gate is proof positive that the Bible is the Word of God. Its sealing is clear evidence that we are living in the end times. The Gate awaits the return of the Messiah. Then and only then, will it be opened.
An Exciting Vision
I have a vision of what that glorious day will be like. It is related to the Lord’s First Coming. I believe Jesus is going to replay His triumphal entry into Jerusalem when He returns.
When He came the first time, Jesus rode a donkey from the Mount of Olives down into the Kidron Valley and up to the Eastern Gate where He entered the Temple Mount for His last days of teaching. As He made that ride, the Valley of Kidron was filled with thousands of admirers who had heard about the resurrection of Lazarus. They waved palm branches and chanted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Within a few days that same fickle crowd was shouting, “Crucify Him!”
We are told in Revelation 19 that when Jesus returns He will come as a victorious military conqueror, riding through the air on a supernatural white horse. In Isaiah 61 we are told that He will come from the east, and in Zechariah 14 we are told that he will touch ground on the Mount of Olives.
Revelation 19:14 says that all the Redeemed will come with the Lord. Think of it! You and I will be there to witness the Lord’s return. Zechariah 14 says He will speak a word that will supernaturally destroy the Anti-Christ and his forces.
Then, I believe we will witness a replay of the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. With angels hovering above and millions of the Redeemed filling the Kidron Valley, Jesus will ride up to the Eastern Gate on His white horse, and as He approaches the Gate, it will blow open. He will then enter the City of David, and to the triumphant shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David,” He will be crowned the Kings of kings and the Lord of lords.
by Dr. David Reagan
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