BY
Pastor Mike Taylor
1 “The
hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the
LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full
of bones,
2And
caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there
were very
many in the open valley; and, lo, they
were very
dry.
3And
he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O
Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4Again
he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye
dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5Thus
saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to
enter into you, and ye shall live:” (Ezekiel 37:1-5)
The
prophet Ezekiel was writing of the destruction of the house of Israel
some two hundred years after the political subdivision called the
“Kingdom of Israel” was destroyed by Sargon II , and the southern
Kingdom of Judah was sent into exile by King Nebuchadnezzer of
Babylon.
When
the northern half of the land of Israel was destroyed by Sargon II,
he did what most conquerors did in that day. He would take the
captives and disperse them through out the kingdom and replace the
captives with other subjugated people transplanted from other areas
of the empire to the land he had just captured. As time passed those
subjugated people assimilated to the new country they were taken to,
and this country became their country. The point was to keep the
captives and those conquered docile, because when you are a people
without a country, there is not much reason to fight.
This
is how the Ten lost Tribes of Israel were lost to history and from
the beginning of the 7th century
BC, there was no place in the world called Israel.
The surviving kingdom of Judah, known as the Jews, were eventually captured and partially assimilated by the Babylonians in the 5th century BC. They survived their captivity in Babylon and later by the Medo-Persians, only because they were allowed to return to their own land by Artaxerxes.
In Ezekiel's day, there was no land called Israel, and had not been a place called such for 150 years and would not be a place named “Israel” for another 2520 years, for the time of the Jewish people being returned to their land, they were ruled by Rome, and the land was called Palestine. But Ezekiel's prophetic writing speak of a future land of Israel, one that he describes as “the people that are gathered out of the nations” (Ezekiel 38:12)
11 “Then
he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of
Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost:
we are cut off for our parts.
12Therefore
prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my
people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your
graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13And
ye shall know that I am the
LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up
out of your graves,
14And
shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you
in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it,
and performed it,
saith the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:11-14)
Here Ezekiel writes of the regathering of Israel to her own land in the last days. In Ezekiel 37, the prophet is shown a valley full of dry bones. God prophesied to Ezekiel that these dry bone would be restored to their ancient land in the last days. At the time of this writing, it would be six hundred years before the remaining Jews were scattered again by the Romans, but the Lord said Israel would be restored.
21 “And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22And
I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel;
and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two
nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at
all:” (Ezekiel
37:21-22)
THE
RESTORATION OF NATIONAL ISRAEL
The
fulfillment of this prophecy could not be more obvious with the
restoration of Israel as a nation in May, 1948. The Jews of the
Diaspora have indeed come from among the heathen from every side and
returned to the Promise Land.
Historically, in 1897, the first Zionist Congress petitioned the British Crown to allow the in-gathering Jews to set up a state in what was the British colony of Uganda. At the time, Palestine was in the hands of the Muslim Ottoman Empire. The British told them they should ask the Ottomans to let them have their historical homeland and turned the Uganda request down. Ezekiel prophesied that they would return to their own land, not a land in Africa that was not their ancient land, but return to the land God had given them by a promise made to their forefather , Abraham.
8 “After
many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come
into the land that
is brought
back from the sword, and
is gathered
out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been
always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they
shall dwell safely all of them.” (Ezekiel 38:8)
Abba Ebban, one of Israel's Founding Fathers, wrote in his book, 'Personal Witness' that, right up until the last moment before issuing their 1948 Declaration of Statehood, they were quibbling about what to name the new Jewish State. Some liked 'Zion' others 'Judea' -- and it was only at the last minute, AFTER Ben-Gurion had already requested the new state be recognized by Washington, that they decided on the name 'Israel'. Ezekiel foretold all this two and one half millennia before it happened. He said his prophecy was for "the latter days." (38:16)
Some will look at a passage in Ezekiel that says that the people of Israel will be in a “ land of unwalled villages” and wonder about the wall that Israel has built to protect themselves from terrorist of the PLO. In Ezekiel's day, moats and walls to protect against invaders was a common strategic option. For this reference to a “land of unwalled villages” was a generally interpreted as a metaphor for a condition of peace, rather than a literal condition, although in Israel the peace is fragile as they have Muslim terrorist that fracture the national peace and are surrounded by Arabs who only wish to destroy their nation. The only other modern equivalent would be the Berlin wall but was built to keep people in, rather than keep people out.
But Ezekiel's walls are clearly defensive -- the whole 38th chapter is about a war of invasion against Israel. And today, 2500 years after Ezekiel foretold it, and more than seventy years after Israel's restoration, the Israelis have built a defensive wall around their country. Most of it is complete and Israel continues to build. It is proving its worth, as the threat of terrorism has been drastically decreased, but it equally certain that the wall will come down during the coming Tribulation.
The entire world community has opposed it (although they are having a hard time explaining why) and is why Israel did prepare to mount its defense in the past at the trial before the World Court in The Hague to justify its continuation. And so at the present, the wall stands.
THE INTERNATIONAL MADNESS POINTED AT ISRAEL
2 “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3And
I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis
12:2-3)
In
recent weeks, a new chapter in the madness of the World Community
concerning Israel has flooded the news with its continued insanity.
With all the problems we see in the Middle East with the years of
civil war in Syria, the rising of ISIS killing Christians, and anyone
that doesn't line up with their hateful ideology including Sunni
Muslims, nuclear aggression by an insane leader in North Korea, Iran
building nuclear facilities to manufacture a nuclear weapon to
control the whole Middle East and still threatens Israel with
annihilation, the U.N. has condemned Jewish settlements in
Judea and Samaria as illegal and demanding they return to their
pre-1967 borders that are indefensible, giving up East Jerusalem, the
Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall to the likes of the so called
“Palestinians”. Where are their world political priorities to
single out Israel?
What
makes a true Christian supporter of Israel's sovereignty and right to
the land God gave them thousands of years ago completely baffled, is
the past traitor in the White House refused to veto a resolution that
condemned Israel for their “illegal” settlement activity in the
West Bank which they captured in the war with the Jordanians. Israel
was first attacked first by their Arab neighbors and captured these
Biblical areas of Judea and Samaria, along with the Temple Mount,
part of their ancient homeland. This has put Israel in a very
precarious situation that the new incoming Trump administration
realized, and has now made Jerusalem the capital of Israel and given
them the green light to annex Samaria and the Jordan Valley as part
of Israel and broadcasting the belief that doing so is not illegal.
Many
feel the aforementioned betrayal that this past “idiot in chief”
was a collusion between the USA White House and the U.N. To demonize
Israel and bring sanctions against her by the international
community. It worked for awhile, as Europe and the rest of the world
put
sanctions on Israel with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)
where initiated to limit the economy of Israel, but Israel has only
become stronger, as God blesses her and she is the center of great
agricultural and technological discoveries in science and medicine.
Not to mention the discovers of large oil and gas deposits that have
only made her richer.
But
remember, that damage of BDS was far from over. Our reckless PAST
“commander in chief” was not done with his betrayal of Israel.
In the past, there was seventy countries that requested to attend a
Paris Summit and have their say at the high-level get-together over
the stalled two-state solution of Israel and the Palestinians. Yet
the two parties whose fate the meeting is aimed at deciding, have
only been invited to meet separately at the conference’s
conclusion.
Remember
how in 2016, France had doggedly tried to kick-start the flailing
peace process, hosting an “opening summit” on June 3, 2016. While
the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), United States and a
number of Arab countries attended the meeting, neither Israel nor the
Palestinians were invited. Following the June get-together, the
French vowed to persist in their reconciliation efforts and host a
follow-up conference before ushering in 2017. I remember reading
in their last attempt that Paris was flooded with the level of
flooding that had not been seen for many years. In a news report is
was written:
“The conference ended
and a divine reaction was almost immediate as the Seine River
rose 20 feet overnight. Parts of the Metro system shut down, as did
major landmarks. The Louvre museum was also closed as staff worked
desperately to move 250,000 priceless works of art to safety. The
Orsay Museum also scrambled to save its collections. Four people died
and 4 were injured in France in the worst flood the country had seen
in 30 years. More than 20,000 people had been evacuated in France
since the weekend and 19,000 homes in and around Paris remained
without electricity. The capital city remains under the
second-highest alert, which warns of a “significant impact”.
Experts say it will take at least ten days for the flooding to return
to normal levels.” (Breaking Israel News)
Every
time that the world thinks they are going to divide God's land or
take punitive measures to unilaterally punish Israel in a “Land for
Peace” initiative, tragedy has struck every time, and it is aimed
primarily at the leader of the free world, the USA for its
involvement in attempting to come against Israel. In the past,
environmental damage has happened each time the attempt was done...
-1991
31 October
President
George H. Bush promoted the Madrid Peace Conference, where he
attempted to divide the land of Israel in exchange for “peace”
with the Palestinians. The next day, the perfect Storm came with 30
foot tidal waves and destroy Pres. Bush's Maine home.
-1992
23 August
The
Madrid Conference was not successful the first time around, so a year
later President Bush tried it again. Evidently, God’s opinion of a
“land for peace” deal had not changed in the preceding 12 months,
and disaster struck again…on the very same day. Hurricane Andrew
visited Florida and caused billions in damage.
-1993 13 September ,
the Oslo Peace Accords:
President
George H. Bush promoted and proudly signed the infamous Oslo
Accord. The same day Hurricane Emily slammed the Outer Banks
with 115 MPH winds.
-1994
16 January, Talks to give up the Golan Heights by Slick Willy
Clinton.
A
devastating 6.9 earthquake hits southern California and was the
second most devastating earthquake to hit the USA in its history.
-1998
21 January ,
Impeachment.
Prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coldly received by Pres. Clinton and
the Monica Lewisky scandal broke out, and resulted in impeachment
proceedings for Clinton.
-1998
28 September, Attempt to divide Israel again by Madeline Albright and
Clinton,
Two
days later, Texas is hit with devasting tornadoes and heavy flooding.
-I
could number each one of the attempts to divide God's land and each
time, disaster has struck, but the worst was in 2005, America
pressured Israel to give up the Gaza Strip.
When
Hurricane Katrina slammed into the New Orleans gulf coast, it was the
worst natural disaster in our history..the news report said it like
this:
“Katrina
raced directly toward New Orleans, harnessing deadly strength every
moment. Literally recording wind strength “off the scale” On
Monday, August 29, the nation watched in horror as deadly Katrina
slammed and slaughtered the fragile Gulf Coast. Destructive Katrina
left beautiful homes as piles of worthless rubbish. Deadly Katrina
tossed bodies like litter along the highway. When Katrina ended her
deadly mission America suffered the worst disaster in her storied
history. As I saw the thousands of homes destroyed, my mind kept
going back to those U.S. ordered bulldozers destroying the Jewish
homes in the Gaza Strip. As I saw the thousands and thousands of
United States citizens being evacuated from their land, my mind could
not keep from remembering the Jewish people crying and literally
begging to stay in their land. America found no mercy for the Jewish
people.
The
God of Israel is neither slumbering nor sleeping, America should
remember that.”
Back in Israel Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister at the time, suffered a massive stroke and lay in a vegetative state for many years before finally succumbing to his massive brain bleed...no matter if you're an American, or a faithless Israeli commander of the armed forces of Israel, you mess with God's land or His people, bad things seem to happen. There are many tragedies associated with Israel and the international community attempting to divide God's Land.
Back in Israel Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister at the time, suffered a massive stroke and lay in a vegetative state for many years before finally succumbing to his massive brain bleed...no matter if you're an American, or a faithless Israeli commander of the armed forces of Israel, you mess with God's land or His people, bad things seem to happen. There are many tragedies associated with Israel and the international community attempting to divide God's Land.
Thankfully,
this present Trump administration realizes that Israel is our only
ally in the Middle East and giving her the recognition she deserves.
The left can't stand this and has tried every thing in their power to
bring Trump down, even to the point of a sham of a impeachment
proceedings that are easily disproved by written phone records and
witnesses that show that this is built on a pack of lies...Anything
the left can do to try and railroad a duly elected POTUS because he
stands in the way of a Socialist type government, our loss of
sovereignty, and no borders between Canada and Mexico. It is all
about power and Democratic party is out to take power away from any
who stands in the way of their “One World Government” dream.
Look
at our economy that has hit the highest recorded numbers on the New
York Stock Exchange, or the employment numbers being at an all time
high, and unemployment at a 50 year low....Satan just can't stand
that God is blessing us for our standing with Israel, but how long
will that last?....We pray for more of the same in the next four
years of a second term for our present administration who is the best
friend Israel has had for a long time. But who will be president
after Trump leaves office...will this one be a friend of Israel or
Obama on steroids?
I
even read an article outlining a military pact between Israel and the
USA to fight again any invasion, be it the Psalm 83 war or the coming
Gog-Magog war that follows on its heels....but then I read in Ezekiel
that there is only verbal disagreement of the coming invasion of the
Gog-Magog coalition and I wonder, “what happened to the USA?”...Has
the present administration been defeated or has a new “socialist”
president now seen as “commander in chief” and turns his/her back
on our best friend in the war torn area of the Middle East...Only
time will tell.
13 “Sheba,
and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions
thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast
thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and
gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”
(Ezekiel 38:13)
This
verse tells me that those who stand afar off, those who were the
friends of Israel will do nothing to prevent this flood of Arab and
Persian invaders, financed by Russia to come down into Israel, as God
will make them unable to help Israel, as God will save them by His
own hand and the glory will be Almighty God's alone and He will not
share that with any outsider of what is coming upon the earth. It
will be known in all of Israel, that the God of their fathers is
indeed alive, as it will be quite obvious from what is displayed on
the battlefield.
19” For
in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in
that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
20 So
that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the
beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the
earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall
shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the
steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21 And
I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains,
saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his
brother.
22 And
I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will
rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are
with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and
brimstone.
23 Thus
will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in
the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am
the Lord.”(Ezekiel 38:19-23)
THE
WORLD BORDERS ON THE TRIBULATION
The
prophet Daniel, and both Paul and John foretell a peace agreement
with Israel that kicks off the Tribulation Period. Daniel says that a
leader of the revived Roman Empire confirms a peace covenant between
Israel and her enemies, which he breaks halfway through.
In
context, one could assume the covenant involves a mutual defense
agreement, since, after the walls come down, Ezekiel says this
Russian-led Islamic alliance launches a sneak invasion against
Israel. Ezekiel
38:13 says
Israel's 'allies' launch what amounts to little more than a weak
diplomatic objection.
...You
see the dominos lining up and each are beginning to fall, as the
world flies head long into the coming Tribulation and the removal of
God's church from this planet. The political news is moving so fast,
that is hard to keep up. Russia in the Middle East making nice to
Iran, fighting in Syria and the possibility of the Oracle of Damascus
being fulfilled, the isolation and treachery heaped upon God's land
and people....a coming war prophesied of the Gog-Magog invasion, and
most likely bringing about a 7 year treaty with Israel because of the
total devastation that rained down upon the invaders. Thus ushering
in the coming 7 year tribulation that looms larger, as the puzzle
pieces are ushered into place waiting for their act in world history
to be orchestrated by the God of the universe.
The
literal fulfillment of prophecies penned tens of centuries ago
continue to unfold in our generation. Right down to details such as
Israel's Tribulation status as a 'land of unwalled villages'.
The
same Guiding Hand responsible for Ezekiel's unwavering accuracy and
attention to detail also guided those prophecies that yet remain to
be fulfilled. Don't let anybody steal away your excitement! We are
that special, chosen generation who 'shall not pass away, until
all be fulfilled." The time of Jacob's trouble is in the near
future as the picture grows plainer and more into focus as time
passes...
WHEN
THE TRIBULATON COMES, WHERE WILL YOU BE?
If
anything, those reading these passages can see that a war could break
out any minute between Israel and the God of the Universe in this
corner...and the Gog-Magog coalition in the other corner...when
fighting starts, it will be a mass suicide of those who dare come
against God's ancient people who He has gathered on the mountains of
Israel. If I'm right, and this signals the coming treaty of 7 years,
the wrath of God will fall on this planet and the Tribulation will
begin as our Lord Jesus breaks the 1st seal and each seal of the
title deed to this earth, which He created and bought with His own
blood. But just prior to that historical event, another most
important event will take place, as all hell will break loose and the
devil and his evil host will attempt to destroy all of mankind, and
to secure worship for himself, as he has lusted for power reserved
only for God Almighty when he brings the Anti-Christ upon the world
scene.
7 “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8And THEN shall
that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit
of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”
(2nd Thessalonias
2:7-8)
This
is a prophetic warning that when the beginning of the 70th week
of Daniel begins, most likely with the aforementioned “peace
treaty” with Israel, the Anti-Christ will step front and center
stage. But I see the Church being removed prior to this if you take a
careful reading of scripture, when the man of sin is revealed the
Holy Spirit is removed from this earth in its fullness and we who
have His Spirit residing in each of us, will leave with Him. Why?
Because Jesus said He would never leave us alone, or comfortless and
my God cannot lie...We are leaving..and possibly soon...Some people
scoff and think we are grasping at straws. But fear them not, we are
not grasping at straws, or following vague and ambiguous prophecies
that can be explained away by calling them 'interpretations.' This is
the real thing.
"And when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:28)
And
brothers and sisters, the signs are all around us, screaming of their
coming fulfillment. Be not those who slumber, but keep alert and
watching, for our Lord will come when they least expect it. So how do you get ready for the coming of our Lord, and not be left behind to face
what is coming? The Tribulation is very close, and most people sense
an urgency in world events that something big is about to
happen...What can you or anyone do to miss this coming “hell on
earth”? Two passages give each of us the key to the end time events
that God will remove His Bride before it begins...No where in the
Bible will you find God pouring out His wrath on His chosen people,
when they are following Him and believing the next two passages:
16 “For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
17 For
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through him might be saved.
18 He
that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)
8 “But
what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy
heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved.
10 For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
12 For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
As
I have said in the past, keep your eyes on Israel, as she is the door
to end time prophecy and Jerusalem is the key to that door...So come
Lord Jesus.
This
is Pastor Mike Taylor, proclaiming the nearness of our Lord. If you
need prayer, counseling, or just a listening ear, contact me at
pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com,
or visit me online for more biblical messages
at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com,
. God bless you all.
TILL
WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.
Well, I am so glad many are finally realizing how as we knew this from years ago from the scriptures. makes me happy and makes me pray for those still blind that in the end, Israel and the people who loved them will rule forever with them in heaven. so we pray that people will get there bibles out and read the truth. G-d has warned not to list to just one pulpit as apostasy is creeping in all over the churches, and HE said the pulpits will get double punishment. and should not frustrate the Grace of our L-rd G-d, and HE is the Word. time is all but up, forget the world and remember , money and all of the world will not save you, only the blood of Yeshua will, amen
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