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| ISBN-13: | 9781546250814 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 07/27/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 152 |
| File size: | 973 KB |
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CHAPTER 1
The Future Of Our World
This World/Age Is Going To End
One day, the world/age and time, as we know them, will end. The prophet Daniel testifies to this fact when he records his instructions from God, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end" (Daniel 12:9).
Jesus' disciples knew such an end would come. Much of Matthew 24 contains Jesus' answer to the disciple's question, "... what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age" (Matthew 24:3)? If this is not enough, refer to Revelation 19-21. The second coming of Jesus will usher in the end of the age — and the world, as we know it, will cease to exist.
When will the end of the age (the world as we know it) occur? The simple answer is that only God knows: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Matthew 24:36). When Jesus spoke these words before His death, not even He knew the day or the hour. Rest assured that He knows now — and He will be instrumental in putting God's final plans into operation.
Signs Of The End Of The Age
When the disciples questioned Jesus on the Mount of Olives about His second coming and the signs that would precede the event, Jesus shared the signs with His disciples in His famous Olivet Discourse (Appendix A):
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:7-8)
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. (Matthew 24:36-44)
Scripture teaches that Jesus' second coming and the end of the age (Revelation 19) will occur following the seven-year period commonly referred to as the Tribulation. The Tribulation follows the Rapture of the church and the wars described by the psalmist/prophet Asaph (Psalm 83) and the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 38-39). There is no Scripture that suggests anyone will know the day or hour that the Rapture will occur; rather, the Rapture itself may be considered a sign that Jesus' second coming is imminent (Appendix A).
There have been suggestions and predictions of end time dates since the days of the Apostles up to the present. Paul and many of the early Christians expected Jesus to come back in their lifetime. But, is there anything unique about the times in which we live that might portend Christ's return sooner than later? I believe the answer may be yes; but note that this is sheer speculation, based on recent secular history roughly correlated with my understanding of Biblical data. None-the-less, consider the following:
End-Time Events Focused On The Nation Of Israel
Prophecy Fulfilled In Our Time — Israel Reunified (1948)
Not every generation has the privilege of seeing Biblical prophecy fulfilled during its lifetime. Those of us who were alive in 1948 saw the reunification of Israel and Judah, which was foretold by the Old Testament prophets.
The prophet Ezekiel foretold a future reunification of Israel and Judah, before the end times, when God would bring them back together to live in their own land:
Thus, says the Lord God, "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand". ... This is what the Sovereign Lord says, "I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms". (Ezekiel 37:19 & 21-22)
The prophet Zechariah also foretold concerning this time:
This is what the Lord Almighty says: "I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God." (Zechariah 8:7-8)
As did the prophet Isaiah:
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, "Give them up!" and to the south, "Do not hold them back. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth ..." (Isaiah 43:5-6)
Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. (Isaiah 66:8)
This final reunification of God's people began on May 14, 1948 — the day and moment when Israel became a nation once again — fulfilling God's prophecies to the letter.
Prophecy Fulfilled In Our Time — Economic Prosperity In Israel
Through Zechariah, God also prophesied of Israel's prosperity in the days following their reunification:
Proclaim further: This is what the Lord Almighty says: "My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem." (Zechariah 1:17)
God — always true to His word — working through the Jews, has performed an economic miracle, which totally fulfills this and other prophecies of prosperity for Israel (Ezekiel 36.11; Amos 9:11-13; Isaiah 41:18-20 & 51:3).
Since the founding of the prophesied modern state of Israel in 1948, according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) (Atlas Media, 2016), Israel's annual exports have skyrocketed from $5 Million in 1948 to $55.8 Billion in 2016. This represents an average annual increase of 165 percent. Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined. According to CIJA (2015), Israel's Gross National Product (GNP) per capita rose from $15,600 in 2003 to $40,620 in 2014.
Israel has surpassed struggling European countries like Italy, Spain, and Greece, and even has a higher GNP per capita than oil-rich Saudi Arabia ($26,510). As a result, despite a population of only 7 million, Israel now has 17 billionaires and more than 88,000 millionaires (Ynet News, 2015) and Israel's GDP is more than double that of any oil-rich Middle East country (Kreiger, 2007).
Furthermore, with its growing brain trust, Israel will continue to grow in wealth and goods. Israel is the second most educated country in the world, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) — second only to Canada. More than 45% of Israelis have a university or college diploma. By any standard, with God's blessing, Israel is as rich as Zechariah prophesied.
For example, Israel, which is about the size of New Jersey, is now the world's third-largest fruit exporter and supplies most of Europe with fruit and produce in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy: "In days to come, Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit" (Isaiah 27:6). Furthermore, according to an article in Economist (March 19, 2008), wealth from the high-tech industry in Israel's "Silicon Wadi" has surpassed agriculture as the number one source of wealth in Israel.
Petroleum In Israel
Currently, the world, including Israel, runs on oil. Until recently, Israel was energy poor and not only was forced to pay exorbitant rates for natural gas and oil, which it had to import from Arab states, but has been deprived of any opportunity to benefit from the commerce generated by regional oil wealth. In January 2009, however, a U.S. company, Nobel Energy drilling in northern Israel, along with its Israeli partners Delek Drilling, Avner Oil & Gas Ltd, Isramco, and Dor Gas Exploration, discovered a huge offshore natural gas field (Tamar). Subsequently, a considerably larger field — the Leviathan — was discovered in 2010 (Map 1).
Tamar contains an estimated 8-10 trillion cubic feet of gas. The Leviathan field contains at least double that amount (16 to more than 20 trillion cubic feet) and the Aphrodite-1 field, which abuts Leviathan, contains at least 7 trillion cubic feet. Israel began producing gas intended for domestic use to fuel electricity generation from its Tamar field off Haifa March 30, 2013. Leviathan will be fully operational in 2019.
It looks as if Israel will no longer be dependent on Arab oil and, in fact, Israel is now an energy exporter. Israel's current plans are to export at least 40 percent of the gas. This will bring in some $60 billion in profits in the next two decades. Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that the rest of the gas is enough to meet Israel's energy requirements for at least 25 years (Fox News, 2013).
In 2014, Jordanian firms Arab Potash and Jordan Bromine signed a deal to import 70 billion cubic feet of gas from Israel's Tamar field over 15 years. In September 2016, a larger deal worth an estimated $10 billion was signed to export gas from the Leviathan offshore field to Jordan once it is operational. According to Economic Times (2017), Delek Drilling began exporting gas from an offshore field to Jordan in January 2017, marking the country's first ever exports of natural gas.
In addition to the gas finds, oil shale in Israel is widespread, but is an undeveloped resource, largely because of economic and technological constraints. From 1978, however, oil from oil shale deposits in the Negev region southwest of the Dead Sea has been used to power small-scale power generation facilities (Minster, 2006). In 2015, oil reserves were discovered in in the Golan Heights of Israel near the border with Syria that could further transform the country into a world energy power (Globes Online, 2015). See Map 1. Although there is disagreement among Bible scholars, to some — who have been willing to invest millions of their own dollars (or shekels) (Rapture Forums, 2017) — these newly discovered petroleum sources seem to fulfil Moses' prophecy:
And He made him suck honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty (shale or slate) rock. (Deuteronomy 32:13).
This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death ... they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand ... Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers and let him bathe his feet in oil. (Deuteronomy 33:1, 19, 24)
Technology, Science, And Medicine From Israel
Through God's blessing, Israeli scientists, mathematicians, and technologists have provided, and continue to provide advances that improve the world's way of life. Israelis share their technology with the world and Israeli physicians' treatment of illnesses and injuries in Middle-Eastern people — injuries often caused by Arab/ Muslim atrocities regardless of their countries or religions — is well documented.
Technology advances in Israel span the spectrum (Wikipedia, 2015). Just a few examples include:
• Robotics — ReWalk;
• Physics — prediction of quarks and formulation of black holes entropy;
• Chemistry — discovery of quasicrystals,
• Optics — world's smallest video camera;
• Biotechnology — nanowire;
• Medicine — too many to mention; and
• Computer science — USB flash drives and a multitude of computer software. Recent cyber terrorist's attacks that crippled computer systems in more than a hundred countries hardly were noticed in Israel.
Necessity being the mother of invention, Arab/Muslim terrorism has strongly motivated the Israeli defense industry. Being under constant attack from its Arab/Muslim neighbors has resulted in technological and scientific breakthroughs by Israel's military complex that have resulted in the nation being the safest in the Middle East. Examples of defense innovations include: the Iron Dome anti-missile system; David's Sling; Arrow 3; Barak 8; the Uzi submachine gun; the Protector USV; a variety of air-to-air missiles; and a radar system that can see through walls (Wikipedia, 2015). Israel has just (June 2018) confirmed the success of the Cormorant — a flying car capable of maneuvering in terrain where helicopters could not land.
A huge number of leading technology firms have established offices or research centers in Israel. These include Apple, Google, Yahoo, Motorola, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Intel, AT&T, and Hewlett-Packard. In total, at least 250 US-based high-tech firms have set up R&D facilities in Israel.
Agriculture In Israel
Historically, when the modern Jews were allowed to move back to their homeland in 1948, the region was anything but prosperous. The nomadic Arab people who had lived there had all but destroyed the land before they moved on. They basically left the region a wasteland; there were few trees, and because of the lack of trees, the weather changed and it rarely ever rained. The irrigation systems of the once fertile valleys were all destroyed, rendering most areas malaria-ridden swamps. The terraces of the mountainsides were torn down, causing extreme erosion that left only barren rocks (Lindsey, 2003).
In spite of these overwhelming negative conditions, through God's blessing, the Jews have been successful in rescuing their land from the earlier devastation caused by the Arabs. They have restored Israel to a livable, productive state in fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy:
The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, "This land that was laid waste has become like the Garden of Eden" ... (Ezekiel 36:34-35)
Those of us alive since 1948 have seen the nation of Israel metamorphose from this virtual wasteland to a fertile, productive land as Ezekiel prophesied:
... I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. ... the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited. (Ezekiel 36:29-30 & 35)
But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. (Ezekiel 36:8-11)
Agriculture in Israel is a highly developed industry that provides produce to Europe and much of the world. Through God's blessing, Israel has become not only a major exporter of fresh produce, but a world-leader in agricultural technologies (soil conditioners, water desalinization, and drip irrigation) despite the fact that the geography of Israel is not naturally suited to agriculture.
More than half of the land area is desert, and the climate and lack of water resources do not favor farming. Only a small fraction of the land area is naturally arable. In 2008, agriculture represented 2.5% of total GDP and 3.6% of exports. While farmworkers make up only 3.7% of the work force, Israel produces 95% of its own food requirements (Agriculture in Israel, 2017).
We only have to contrast these Jewish accomplishments with the stellar Arab/Muslim contributions to the world — hatred, misery, torture, terrorism, and death — to understand that God's hand has never left His chosen people and has not been on Ishmael's and Esau's descendants for a very long time.
The World's Response
So, how does the world — including their supposed friend the United States — respond to God's miracle restoration of Israel? First of all, these successes have not gone unnoticed by the world's financial community. In fact, economists around the world are astounded at Israel's strong economic status. According to Sharaby (2002), even before the energy advances by Israel, they recognize that a multitude of unique factors converged to result in Israel's economic success.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Prophecy and Current Events in the Middle East"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Chuck Lee.
Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Prologue, vii,
The Future Of Our World, 1,
End-Time Events Focused On The Nation Of Israel, 4,
America's Future, 74,
Epilogue, 85,
Appendices, 87,
References, 127,
About The Author, 135,
Charts and Maps,