Living in Interesting Times

An old Chinese saying (are Chinese sayings always old?) goes, “May you live in interesting times.”

I suspect that everyone experiences that to varying degrees, but for those living in the early 21st century, world events are all that. This is especially true if you are up on Biblical prophecy as it applies to the nation of Israel.

Astounding, amazing, awesome, incredible and unbelievable are just some of the terms to describe what has happened to Israel in the last 2,000 years.

“But,” you say, “Israel hasn't been a nation for the last 2,000 years.”

Exactly!

Never before in all of history has a nation disappeared for 2,000 years and then come back into being. And NEVER - EVER has it been predicted thousands of years in advance that a nation would disappear, its inhabitants scattered around the world, and then be brought home virtually in an instant.

Yet this is exactly what we find in Biblical prophecy concerning the nation of Israel.
1948 was the first time since 70 A.D. that the people of Israel have been brought back to control their homeland.
Ezekiel - 37:21 (Written 597 years before the birth of Christ) - For the Lord God says, “I am gathering the people of Israel from among the nations and bringing them home from around the world to their own homeland, to unify them into one nation.”

Ezekiel 38:12 - “I will go to those once desolate cities that are now filled with people again, those who have returned from all the nations, and the whole earth revolves around them. This will happen in the distant future, in the latter years of history.

The new state of Israel now contains people who have come from 100 different countries, speaking 60 different languages and the trek homeward continues to this day.

Zechariah 12:2,3,7, & 9 (Written 520 years before the birth of Christ) - I will make Jerusalem and Judah like a cup of poison to all the nearby nations that send their armies to surround her. Jerusalem will be a heavy stone burdening the world and though all the nations of the world unite in an attempt to move her, they will all be crushed. For my plan is to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem.

Zechariah 2: 4 & 7 - Jerusalem will some day be so full of people she won’t have room enough for all. I scattered you to the winds, but I will bring you back again.

This is part of the problem with Palestine and Israel right now. There is not enough room for all of the Jews coming home and they are building settlements in Palestinian territory.

What is even more fascinating is watching Russia, the Great Bear of the north, Magog as it’s known in the Bible, as it supplies billions and billions of dollars of war machinery to Israel’s enemies. Russia is who's supplying Iran with nuclear technology. Little by little Israel’s enemies are being drawn into economic dependence upon Russia. Russia’s hatred of Jews and of the nation state of Israel is barely disguised. Russia,along with Iran, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and all the others can hardly wait for the opportunity to destroy Israel.

Again, this has all been predicted, thousands of years in advance. Regardless of whether we work for peace in the Middle East(which we absolutely must do) or whether we work to bring about Armageddon (an absolutely insane way of thinking)It will happen! Russia, along with the other dictator states of the Middle East have only one goal, the elimination of Israel as a country and the death of every Jewish person.

For me it’s a lot like driving past a horrendous multi-vehicle accident. The mixture of horror and interest that I experience in myself is both disgusting and fascinating. It’s like watching a movie to which I already know the ending. We are indeed living in interesting times.

Prophecy of Jesus

Most people understand that psychics and fortune tellers are little more than third-rate entertainment. When their endless failures are documented on television or in a magazine, almost no one is surprised.

Critics however have worn themselves out trying to destroy the idea of prophecy as it pertains to the Bible. This is because Biblical prophecy has shown itself in archeology and historical literature to be 100% accurate. The main method of denying or disproving this astounding achievement is to try to “late date” anything called Biblical prophecy. What the critics say is that because the prophecies are so accurate, they must have been written after the events actually happened. When it comes to Old Testament Prophecy in general and the prophecy of Jesus specifically, these people run into somewhat of a problem. Here’s why.

The vast majority of scholars agree that all of the Old Testament Scripture was completed 450 years before Jesus the Christ was born. However even the most sceptical must admit the date of 250 B.C. since that is when the Old Testament was translated into Greek.

In calculating odds of probability, scientists agree that 10 to the power of minus 50 is the same as zero - impossible. Here is what those odds look like.
1 chance in 100,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000

Professor Peter Stoner, himself a sceptic and former Editor of ‘Science Digest’ has calculated that the odds of the prophecies of what happened to Jesus on the last day of His life here on earth, to be 10 to the power of minus 157, against them coming true in one man, accidentally. Here’s what those odds look like.
1 chance in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000

This information will have zero positive impact on sceptics. They will just say something like, "Well, that just proves that those things couldn't have happened the way the Bible says they did."

On the other hand, honest spiritual seekers should give a pause for thought about what exactly took place at the end of Jesus' life on earth.

The following were prophesied from 1000 - 500 years before Jesus was born but were all fulfilled in one day.

Betrayed by a friend
Sold for 30 Pieces of silver
Money "thrown" into God’s house
His best friends would all run away and desert Him
People would lie about Him in order to get Him killed
He never said a thing to defend Himself - “That’s a lie” or “I didn’t do that.”
He was killed by crucifixion
He asked God to forgive those who were killing Him
Hated without cause
Friends stood afar off
Soldiers would gamble for His clothes
They’d offer Him a pain killer to drink
His forsaken cry - “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.”
Committed himself to God - “Into they hand I commit My spirit.”
Bones not broken
His side pierced with a spear
Darkness at noon
Buried in a rich man’s grave

Jesus had no control over the prophecies about:
Place of birth
Time of birth
Manner of birth
Betrayal
Manner of death
People’s reaction
Piercing, and
Burial

Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” The life of Jesus was put before us in such a way that no one need mistake who He was or is.

From which race He would be born into, right down to the town He would be born in, we have a record of His life on earth before it even began.

You're Outta Here!

"Get Out Of Here!!!"
"But Jesus! You are my Lord!"
"Get away from Me. I never knew you."
"But I healed people in Your Name. I spoke in tongues and cast out demons."
"I said, "Get away" - You’ve never been a part of Me or My message."
"But I prophesied damn it. Don’t you get it? I prophesied!!!!"
"Get - Away - From - Me."

How is it that people can believe they’re a Christian with out the presence of Christ making a radical change in their character and priorities?

How can we believe we are a light to the world when our behaviours and our speech show that our lives are as dark and confused as the life of the pagan next door?

How can I claim the love of Jesus if I don’t sacrificially love?