PROPHECY ~ LAST DAYS

Although Russia and USA relations have warmed and Presidents Bush and Putin have joined forces to fight terrorism, Russia will still have a leading role to play in the future ‘Battle of Gog and Magog’. Ezekiel prophesied more than 2500 years ago, that in the ‘last days’ Russia will team up with Iran (Persia), Libya, Ethiopia, Germany and Turkey to fight Israel! (Ezekiel 37 & 38)  

Genesis 15:18
Prophecy #1. 
The Jews will have their own country back

Fulfilled: 1400 BC and in 1948 AD
The Bible said the descendants of Abraham (Abram) would have their own country, between Egypt and the Euphrates. This prophecy has been fulfilled more than once. About 3400 years ago, the Jews first established Israel. Then, about 2900 years ago, Israel divided into two kingdoms, called Judah and Israel. Both kingdoms were later conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians.

In 1948, the Jews regained independence for Israel. It was the first time in 2900 years that Israel was both united and independent.

Genesis 15:18
   On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates…"

Prophecy #2. 
Jacob saw a vision of Israel's future
Genesis 28:10-15
Fulfilled: Throughout history
   
In Genesis 28:10-15, the Bible says that Jacob, who lived about 4000 years ago, received a vision from God about the future of his descendants (Jews). The vision  foretold the future of the Jews. 

1. The Jews would have Israel as their own This was fulfilled about 3400 years ago when the Jews first established Israel.

2. The Jews would be scattered worldwide. This was fulfilled when the Jews were forced out of Israel more than 2500 years ago by the Assyrians and Babylonians.  Once again approximately 1900 years ago by the Romans.

3. The Jews would have a worldwide impact. Jews have had a tremendous worldwide impact in all areas.  The worldwide spread of Christianity began about 2000 years ago by a group of Jews who were followers of Jesus.

4. The Jews would be brought back to Israel. This began to be fulfilled during the late 1800s when many Jews worldwide began returning to their ancient homeland. They re-established Israel's independence in 1948, after 19 centuries of exile and persecution throughout the world.

Genesis 28:10-15
   Jacob ... had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

3. God will save the Jews and destroy their enemies
Jeremiah 30:11
Written: sometime from 626 to about 586 BC
Fulfilled: Throughout history
   
Jeremiah 30:11, the prophet Jeremiah said the enemies of Israel will be destroyed but that the Jews will never perish. History has many examples of how nations have tried to destroy Israel and the Jews:

• In about 721 BC ~ Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel. They tortured, killed and exiled many Jews.
• In 586 BC ~ Babylon destroyed the southern kingdom of Judah. They killed and exiled many Jews.
• In 70 AD ~ the Romans killed an estimated 1.1 million Jews and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
• In 135 AD, the Romans killed an estimated 580,000 Jews and exiled many others.
• In the 1930s and 1940s, the Nazis killed an estimated 6 million Jews. The Nazi plan, called the "final solution," was to kill all Jews.
   
Since then, millions of Jews worldwide have returned to their ancient homeland. Today, Israel again is a vibrant, independent country. But, the empires of the Nazis, Romans, Babylonians and Assyrians have vanished. Today, we can judge with our own eyes as to whether Jeremiah was correct when he said, 2600 years ago, that the enemies of the Jews would be destroyed, but that the Jews would be preserved.

Jeremiah 30:11
   I am with you and will save you,' declares the Lord. `Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.'

4. The Jews would face many disasters and difficulties
Deuteronomy 31:16-17
Fulfilled: Throughout history
   
Deuteronomy 31:16-17, the Bible said that the Jews would face many difficulties if they turned away from God. And, according to the Bible, many people in ancient Israel did at times turn away from God and worship the false gods of pagan Gentiles. This prophecy of persecution has been fulfilled many times. During the past 1900 years in Europe, for example, Jews were often heavily taxed, robbed of their possessions, stripped of their civil rights, forced into ghettos, tortured and slaughtered. 

Government leaders and church leaders at times banished the Jews from living in Spain, England, France, Belgium and Italy. During the Crusades, Jewish villages were often destroyed and men, women and children were burned alive. Those centuries of persecutions culminated with the Holocaust of the 1930s and 1940s, when the Nazis killed an estimated 6 million Jews. When Israel reclaimed independence in 1948, the surrounding countries invaded and tried to destroy the tiny nation.

Deuteronomy 31:16-17
   And the Lord said to Moses: "You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, `Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?'

5. The Jews would be scattered worldwide
 Deuteronomy 28:64
Fulfilled: 721 BC, 586 BC, 70 AD, 135 AD
   
Deuteronomy 28:64, the Bible said the Jews would be scattered worldwide. This prophecy has been fulfilled. Look at the explanation of the Jewish "Diaspora," which means "scattering," from the Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition: "… by 70 A.D. Jewish communities existed in Babylonia, Syria, Egypt, Cyrene, Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. Jews followed the Romans into Europe and from Persia and Babylonia spread as far east as China. 

In modern times, Jews have migrated to the Americas, South Africa, and Australia. The Jewish population of Central and Eastern Europe, until World War II the largest in the world, was decimated in the Holocaust. Despite the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the vast majority of the Jewish people remains in the Diaspora, notably in North America, Russia, and Ukraine."

Deuteronomy 28:64
   Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods--gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.

6. The Jews would have a worldwide impact
Genesis 12:2-3
Fulfilled: Throughout history
Genesis 12:2-3, and Genesis 28:10-15, 

Jews ought hardly to be heard of, but they are heard of, have always been heard of. Jews are as prominent on the planet as any other people, and the Jew's commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. Jews contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are great when compared to the population of them.

The Jew has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and had done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone. Other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all… All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"

Genesis 12:2-3
   "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

7. Israel would be partitioned by other nations
Joel 3:2
Written: about 400 BC
Fulfilled: 1900s
   
Joel 3:2, the prophet said that the nations of the world will be judged for having scattered the people of Israel and for having "divided up" (or "parted" or "partitioned") the land of Israel. Christian scholars believe that this is a prophecy that will be fulfilled during the End Times. But, portions of the prophecy already have been fulfilled. The Jews have been scattered to nations throughout the world, and the nations of the world have divided up the land of Israel. 

On November 29, 1947, when the United Nations General Assembly approved a motion to partition the land, which at that time was called "Palestine." The partition plan divided the land into two separate states, one for Jewish people and another for Arab people. Today, that partitioning is interlocked with many political problems as the Jews seek to reclaim the land promised to them in the Bible (see Genesis 15:18, Genesis 28:10-17 and Genesis 35:9-12), and the Arabs seek to create a homeland for "Palestinians" - Arabs who have lived in that land for many generations.

Joel 3:2
   I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.
(NOTE: "Jehoshaphat" means "the Lord judges.")

8. Israel would be restored and repopulated
Ezekiel 36:8-10

Fulfilled: late 1900s
   In Ezekiel 36:8-10, the prophet Ezekiel said that the Jews would return, rebuild and repopulate their fallen cities. Ezekiel, according to the Bible, lived about 2600 years ago during the time of the Babylonian Captivity, when many Jews, including Ezekiel, were taken as captives to Babylon. 

After the Babylonian Captivity ended, many Jews left Babylon and returned to their homeland. But about 1900 years ago, the Jews again were forced into exile, this time by the Romans. However, since the late 1800s, millions of Jews have returned to their ancient homeland. And, once again, they have been rebuilding and repopulating their ancient cities. In 1948, there were about 600,000 Jews living in Israel. Today there are about 6,000,000. And more Jews throughout the world are returning to Israel each year.

Ezekiel 36:8-10
   "`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.

9. Jesus' life was foreshadowed by the prophet Isaiah
Isaiah 42:1-9
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 2000 years ago
   
In Isaiah 42:1-9, the prophet Isaiah speaks of a servant of God who will be a light to the Gentiles (non-Jews) and bring justice to the world. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this promise. Jesus' teachings govern the lives of Christians throughout the world. There are an estimated 2 billion Christians worldwide. More people follow the teachings of Jesus than those of any other person in history.

Isaiah 42:1-9
   "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. … In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. … "I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."

10. Jesus said His words would never be forgotten
Luke 21:33
Written: about 30 AD
Fulfilled: At this very moment
   
Luke 21:33, Jesus said that regardless of what happens to the world, His words will never be forgotten. Here we are 2000 years later and the words of Jesus are all around us: There are 2 billion Christians worldwide and the Bible is most circulated book in the world. Of all the people who have ever lived, can you think of a single person who could have made this claim more effectively than Jesus - that his words would never be forgotten?

Luke 21:33
   Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass.

END TIME PROPHECIES:

1. The Messiah will appear after the Jews return to Israel
Jeremiah 23:3-6
Fulfilled: end times

In Jeremiah 23:3-6, the prophet said that the Jews throughout the world would be re-gathered and brought back home to Israel and that a descendant of King David would reign as king. We Christians believe this has already been partially fulfilled and will be completely fulfilled in the future.

More than 2500 years ago, the Jews were forced out of Israel by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. But many Jews returned to their homeland before Jesus was born about 2000 years ago. Jesus, according to the book of Matthew, is a descendant of King David, and He will return in the future to establish an everlasting kingdom. About 40 years after Jesus was crucified by the Romans, the Jews were again forced out of their homeland and scattered worldwide.

But, during the past 200 years, many Jews have been returning to their ancient homeland. They re-established independence for Israel in 1948. This marked the second time in history that Israel was a sovereign nation. Christians believe that Jesus will return a second time too, to bring justice to the world, and to judge the living and the dead.

Jeremiah 23:3-6
   "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord. "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.

2. When Israel blooms again, the Kingdom of God will be near
Luke 21:29-31
To be fulfilled: End Times
   
In Luke 21:29-31, Jesus said that when the fig tree blooms again, people will know that the End Times and Kingdom of God is near. The fig tree is understood by some Bible scholars as a symbol for Israel. This passage is often interpreted to mean that the End Times will begin sometime after Israel blooms again. When Jesus delivered this prophecy about 2000 years ago, Israel was ruled over by the Roman Empire - the Jews did not have independence. Shortly after Jesus was crucified by the Romans, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and forced many Jews into exile. But, in 1948, the Jews regained control of part of their ancient homeland and re-established independence.

Luke 21:29-31
   He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

3. Jerusalem would become an international problem
 Zechariah 12:1-5
To be fulfilled: End Times

In Zechariah 12, the prophet said Jerusalem would become an international problem, that the nations of the world will attack Jerusalem, and that God will protect Jerusalem during that time.

During the time of Zechariah, who lived about 2500 years ago, Jerusalem, and the rest of Israel, was controlled by the Medo-Persian empire. The Jews did not have independence. The Jews regained control of Jerusalem for a brief time about 2100 years ago. And it wasn't until the Six Day War in 1967 that Jews regained sovereign control of Jerusalem. Today, the Palestinians (Arabs who have lived in the land for many, many years) are trying to claim a portion of Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of Israel. Many countries are trying to persuade Israel to give up part of Jerusalem to the Palestinians. This has not yet happened. But, Jerusalem has indeed become an international problem, just as Zechariah had prophesized 2500 years ago. Many Bible scholars believe that the Battle of Armageddon will be fought over the issue of Jerusalem. But the Bible makes it clear that God, and the Jews, will ultimately prevail.

Zechariah 12:1-5
   This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness," declares the Lord. "I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, `The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.'

4. The Gospel will be preached to the entire world
Matthew 24:14
To be fulfilled: End Times

In Matthew 24:14, the Bible says that the Gospel (the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) will be preached throughout the world. The Bible also says that after this happens, the end times will come. The Bible has been preached throughout the world for a long time. But now, with the increasing worldwide availability of television and the Internet, there is greater potential for the Gospel to be preached to everyone, everywhere.

Matthew 24:14
   And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

5. The world would be able to simultaneously witness events
Revelation 11:9-10
To be fulfilled: End Times

In Revelation 11:9-10, the Bible gives a prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled, at least not in a literal sense. But, perhaps for the first time in history, it can be fulfilled. The prophecy says that people all over the world will be able to simultaneously witness a particular event (the death of two prophets). This of course would have been difficult before the popularization of television and the Internet. But it is now common for people worldwide to simultaneously witness events via television and the Internet.

Revelation 11:9-10
   For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

6. Zechariah foreshadowed modern warfare
Zechariah 14:12
To be fulfilled: End Times

In Zechariah, chapter 14, the prophet says a time will come when nations gather to attack Jerusalem. In Zechariah 14:12, the prophet says the nations that attack Jerusalem will be struck with a "plague" that will cause their flesh to rot while they are still standing. This might be a fitting description for modern warfare if it were described by a person who lived 2500 years ago, as Zechariah did. Chemical weapons are capable of causing rapid deterioration of flesh. And a blast of heat from a nuclear weapon could have a similar affect. Some Bible scholars, however, believe that this plague could refer to a supernatural event from God to protect the Holy Land.

Zechariah 14:12
   This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

7. Many people will go to Jerusalem to seek God's favor
Zechariah 8:22
To be fulfilled: End Times

In Zechariah 8:22, the prophet said 2500 years ago that a time will come when many people go to Jerusalem to seek and honor God. This prophecy has been at least partially fulfilled already. The Jews recaptured Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. Since then, people from around the world have toured Jerusalem to visit various sites that are important to the history of Judaism and Christianity. Jerusalem is also an important city to Moslems.

Zechariah 8:22
   And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him."

8. Book of Revelation envisioned an army of 200 million
Revelation 9:16
To be fulfilled: End Times

In Revelation 9:16, the Bible says that an army of 200 million will one day march toward Israel. Of course, this prophecy hasn't been fulfilled yet, at least not literally. But, as the world's population rises above 6 billion, it is increasingly possible for a coalition of countries to amass an army of 200 million, and this would have been have been unthinkable even 100 years ago.

Revelation 9:16
   The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.

9. The troops would cross the Euphrates
Revelation 16:12
To be fulfilled: End Times

In Revelation 16:12, the Bible says there will come a time when the Euphrates River becomes dry so that an army can cross it and march into Israel. When the book of Revelation was written 1900 years ago, it would have taken a great natural disaster, or a great amount of labor to divert the flow of the Euphrates so that an army could cross it. (In 539 BC, Cyrus and his army diverted the flow so that his troops could march across the riverbed and conquer Babylon). But, today, there are a series of dams that would make it much easier to divert the flow of the powerful river.

Revelation 16:12
   The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

10. People would be forced to receive the mark of the beast
Revelation 13:16-18
To be fulfilled: End Times

In Revelation 13:16-18, the Bible says that there would come a time when a powerful leader would force people to receive a "mark" on or in their right hand or forehead, and that no one would be able to buy or sell unless they had that mark. When the book of Revelation was written about 1900 years ago, it would have been nearly impossible for a world leader to force everyone to receive such a mark. But, today, with modern technology, it would be much easier. Today, for example, it would be possible to implant under a person's skin a small microchip that could be used like a credit card.

Revelation 13:16-18
   And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (KJV).