ISRAEL & MID-EAST
IN THE NEWS & PROPHECY

God typifies the Hebrew people as "the apple of His eye" (Deut. 32:10; Zec. 2:8), because He loves and protects them as one would the pupil of their own eye.    These Hebrew people are the nation of Israel.    They are a microcosm typifying the rest of mankind.    They were chosen of God to be the people through whom He gave both His written Word (Rom. 3:1-2) and His incarnate Word, Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14).

Israel's half brother is Ishmael.    Abraham had only these two sons, Ishmael and Isaac.    Ishmael is the father of many of the Arabian peoples (Gen. 25:12-16).    Isaac fathered Israel, and God promised the land of Canaan, or Palestine as it is variously called to Israel (Psalm 105:9-12; Gen. 17:19, 26:3, 28:13; Deut. 30:3-5).    This land of Israel is focal point of the final conflict of the ages.    "For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land." (Joel 3:1-2)

Israel is also God's time piece.    These people have been fulfilling prophecy for thousands of years (Deut. 28; Gen. 12:1-3).    We know that we are in "the latter days" from observing the Nation of Israel (Matt 24:32-34; Deut. 4:30, 31:29; Jer. 23:20, 30:24; Ezek. 38:8, 16; Dan. 2:28; Hos. 3:5; Rom. 11:25).    Daniel 9:24-27 is an amazing prophecy of the timing of events of the Hebrew people from the captivity in Babylon (605 B.C.) on to the seven year Tribulation (20?? A.D.).    It tells of the rebuilding of the Temple that had been destroied by the Babalonians; it gives the exact time of the Messiah's first coming; it prophesies of the destruction of the rebuilt Temple a second time.    All these things happened with 100% accuracy.    Only the last verse remains unfulfilled.    Daniel 9:26 predicted that Messiah would be "cut off" or put to death.    Just days prior to fulfilling this prophecy the Lord Jesus prophesied again concerning the destruction of Temple and the desolation of the nation of Israel (Matt. 23:38 - 24:2).    This was fulfilled in 70 A.D. just 40 years after the Lord spoke the words.    However, Jesus also prophesied of the restoration of Israel to the Land just prior to His second coming to judge the world.    Using the "fig tree" (Hos. 9:10) as a symbol for Israel He said:    "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Matt. 24:32-34)    That last verse, Daniel 9:27 says, "And he ["the prince that shall come" (v. 26) who is the Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."    This verse is speaking of the soon coming Tribulation when the Antichrist will confirm a 7 year covenant between many nations (i.e Israel and the Arabs), allowing the Jews to return to the Old Testament Temple sacrificial system, but he will break the covenant in the middle of the 7 year Tribulation and sit himself up as God in the new Temple in Jerusalem.    In Matthew 24:8 Jesus says, "All these [antichrists, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes] are the beginning of sorrows" (cf. vv. 3-8) and again in verse 33 He said, "... when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near ..."    All what things?    Answer:    1) "the beginning of sorrows" (vv. 4-8),    2) persecution (v. 9),    3) doctrines of devils (v. 11),    4) perilous times (vv. 10, 12), and 5) "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" which will include the mark of the beast and the New World Order (v. 15).    The Lord Jesus Christ said, "... when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.   Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Matt. 24:32-34)     Since the re-establishment of Israel on May 14, 1948 all 5 of theese signs have been increasing, and Israel itself is a sixth sign of the soon coming of Christ (Matt. 24:3).