Prophecy Update
Sunday Morning Bible Study
December 27, 1998
Introduction
For me, the time of the New Year is a great time to stop and look at where we’re heading.
After having given His disciples a huge list of things that would let them know when His return would be, Jesus said,
(Mat 24:32-42 KJV) Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: {33} So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. {34} Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. {35} Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. {36} But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. {37} But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. {38} For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, {39} And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. {40} Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. {41} Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. {42} Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Though we won’t know exactly when Jesus is coming back, He told us to keep our eyes open so it wouldn’t take us by surprise. We are to pay attention to the times around us. We need to be aware of where we’re heading.
In preparing for my annual "Prophecy Update", I usually keep a file of stuff through the year. It takes a lot of work sorting through all the news, looking for what’s important. I came across this tidbit, though it’s a year old, it’s worth it …
THE YEAR'S BEST HEADLINES FOR 1997 WERE...
Include Your Children when Baking Cookies
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
Clinton Wins on Budget, But More Lies Ahead
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Some things to keep your eyes on:
1) Israel
Always keep your eye on Israel.
Current government
One of the events we’re looking for sometime soon is an invasion of Israel by Russia (more about that later), yet the land that Russia is to invade is a land of "peace":
(Ezek 38:11 KJV) And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
Keep your eye on Israel this week as they make decisions about early elections for a change in government.
… The choice of a date pivots around May 4, when Palestinian Authority
Chairman Yasser Arafat has said he will unilaterally declare a state …(Jerusalem Post)
From the online "Time" just today (12-27-98): "Former Israeli army chief of staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak is popular with the public and wants to run as a centrist solution." He’s a protégé of Rabin, in the "peace" camp.
Temple Preparations
Paul hinted that there would be a temple in the last days, during the time of the antichrist:
(2 Th 2:3-4 KJV) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; {4} Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Some recent developments towards a new temple.
RABBIS SEEK CHILDREN FOR TEMPLE SERVICE (March, 1998)
An ultra-orthodox Jewish sect is searching for parents willing to hand over newborn sons, to be raised in isolation and purity in preparation for the rebuilding of the Biblical Temple in Jerusalem. Only members of the Jewish priestly caste (Kohanim) need apply, according to a report in the (Haaretz) newspaper. The Movement for Establishing the Temple wants to keep the children in a secluded compound in the hills of Jerusalem. "The idea is to raise a child, who from the moment of birth will not touch the dead, not be under the same roof with the dead, and will not even be in a hospital where the dead are also found,'' Yosef Elboim, the rabbi assigned to finding willing parents, told Haaretz. Once the boys turn 13 they will be able to slaughter and burn a sacred red heifer, literally a holy cow, and sprinkle its ashes on people, in a purification ritual last performed in Biblical times. The ritual is meant to cleanse those who have come into contact with the dead and prepare them for the reconstruction of the Temple destroyed in 70 AD. "Today, when there is no one undefiled who can prepare the ashes in a state of purity, there is a problem, which we intend to solve with the help of priestly children,'' Elboim said. Even if willing parents step forth, the sect will still face a major problem -- finding an unblemished red heifer.
Red Heifer
HOLY COW NO MORE (From CC Jerusalem 1/17/98)
Hopes that a red heifer named Melody would be the key to Jewish salvation were dashed Friday after the cow's owner said white hairs have been spotted on her tail. Melody gained world fame in May after Rabbi Shmaria Shore said she was a likely candidate to be the first pure red heifer born in the Holy Land in two millennia. Shore, a rabbi at Kfar Hassidim, a religious village in northern Israel, revised his prediction after noticing the white hairs. "The truth is that I had serious doubts about her all along," he said Friday. Still, the hopeful rabbi said Melody was pregnant with the seed of a reddish bull. "We'll check in six months and who knows, maybe we'll have red heifer then," Shore said. (Nando Times)
2) Europe
Scripture seems to point to a world dominating empire in the end times that is related to the old Roman Empire.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that related to the empires of the world. The dream was of a huge statue with different parts being made of different elements. Each section of the statue represented another world empire.
(Dan 2:40-45 NASB) "Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. {41} "And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. {42} "And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. {43} "And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. {44} "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. {45} "Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy."
This last kingdom was the feet and toes (ten toes), an empire related to the previous one (the Romans), strong yet brittle. Could this be a picture of what is forming in Europe?
Daniel himself had a parallel vision of the earth's kingdoms, with a latter kingdom having ten parts to it, arising out of the Roman empire. This will be the antichrist's kingdom.
(Dan 7:23-25 NASB) "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. {24} 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. {25} 'And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
The European Community began in 1951 with the Treaty of Paris, and now, as of March, 1994, there are now 15 members of the European Union. We are currently on the brink of the strongest unity that Europe has yet established, being the new, common currency, the "Euro", that goes into effect on January 1, 1999.
The Euro
From the O.C. Register -
Q. Which countries of the European Union are involved?
A. Eleven nations — nicknamed Euroland — will switch to the Euro: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
Great Britain, Sweden and Denmark are waiting to see how the Euro fares before deciding whether to switch. Greece failed to reach economic benchmarks and must wait to adopt the Euro.
Q. When will the switch occur and how?
A. The Euro will be gradually introduced to member nations over a three-year period. In 1999, you won't see Euro coins or bills, but the Euro will exist electronically in noncash transactions, primarily in financial markets. Stock and bond prices will be reported in Euros. Large companies will keep track of finances in the Euro.
Euro coins and bills will begin to circulate Jan. 1, 2002. At the same time, the 11 member nations will start withdrawing their old national banknotes and coins from circulation.
On July 1, 2002, all 11 national currencies will be replaced by the euro.
It’s curious to note that the actual printed and minted currency won’t go into effect for three and a half years. For the next 3 ½ years, you will only be able to use the Euro electronically, that is if you have the right "numbers". Could this economic union be the bond that’s both "strong" and "brittle"?
3) Russia
One of the events we expect to happen soon involves Russia.
(Ezek 38:1-13 KJV) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, {2} Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, {3} And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: {4} And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: {5} Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: {6} Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. {7} Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. {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. {9} Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. {10} Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: {11} And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, {12} To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. {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?
The ancient Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities I.6.1) identifies "Magog" as the ancient "Scythians", the forerunners of the Russians.
Missler: Numerous ancient sources have clearly identified the classic "Magog" as referring to the Scythians, which were the ancestors of the true Russians. Among the allies, the lead ally is listed as "Persia" (Iran). Yeltsin has signed a treaty with Iran to back them in their military intrigues.
We’ve seen Russia this year go through tremendous economic turmoil as Yeltsin tries to maintain his leadership. With his health like it is, there may be a new leader soon, and who knows?
Ezekiel says the leader of Magog will get this "idea" to "take a spoil" and attack Israel. I wonder what the "spoil" could be?
This comes from the Jerusalem Post, December 12, 1998
OIL FOUND IN ISRAEL
"Givot Olam Oil Exploration has struck oil at a site near Rosh Ha'ayin. …Givot Olam confirmed that the fluid gushing through a pipe at the Meged-2 bore is high quality oil from the Paleozoic oil basin...Just south of Kfar Sava, the company believes the oil deposit reaches a thickness of 300 meters. In a year's time the company hopes to begin drilling there. That location, known as Meged-3 is thought to contain 1 billion barrels and 4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. "If this proves to be the case, there will be enough oil for Israel to last your lifetime and mine," said Tovia Luskin, the company's senior scientist and director… (Jerusalem Post)
Technology
Microchips
We’ve often heard of the "mark of the beast", required in the last days to buy or sell.
(Rev 13:16-18 KJV) 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: {17} 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. {18} 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.
Some have suggested this might not only involve current electronic cash transfer technology, but perhaps even microchip technology that would implant your "smart card" under the skin.
Microchip implants to foil VIP kidnaps, By Bruce Johnston in Rome La Repubblica
ITALIAN dignitaries who fear being kidnapped are having microprocessor homing devices planted in their bodies so police can track them down if they are abducted. The microchips - called Sky-Eyes - were originally developed for intelligence use by Israeli researchers…
In Israel, it’s not the dignitaries that are getting microchips …
ELECTRONIC CHIPS FOR DOGS (from CC Jerusalem JANUARY 1, 1998)
A new law will go into effect, which will require all dogs to have an electronic chip on their body that contains pertinent data. The chip will provide ownership information, vaccinations records and other useful information. All the chips used will be read by one standard machine, which will simplify identifying loose dogs in any location in Israel. The new law is expected to go into effect sometime in January 1998.(IINS)
Y2K
We are possibly facing a major crisis in our country next year when we enter the 21st century. Older technology that uses a two-digit date is going to think the year is 1900, and there are some serious consequences being forecast.
But I’ve recently discovered another problem as well:
The 100G Bug (Firebringer News Service - FBNS) -
Experts warned today of a new and deadly threat to our beleaguered civilization: the 100GB Bug. As most people know, McDonald's restaurant signs show the number of hamburgers the giant chain has sold. That number now stands at 99 billion burgers, or 99 Gigaburgers (GB). Within months or even weeks, that number will roll over to 100GB. McDonald's signs, however, were designed years ago, when the prospect of selling one hundred billion hamburgers seemed unthinkably remote. So the signs have only two numeric places. This means that, after the sale of the 100 billionth burger, McDonald's signs will read "00 Billion Burgers Sold." This, experts predict, will convince the public that, in over thirty years, no McDonald's hamburgers have ever in fact been sold, causing a complete collapse of consumer confidence in McDonald's products. The ensuing catastrophic drop in sales is seen as almost certain to force the company into bankruptcy.
This, in turn, will push the teetering American economy over the brink, which, finally, will complete the total devastation of the global economy, ending civilization as we know it, and forcing us all to live on beetles. "The people who know (the sign-makers) are really scared of 100GB," one expert said. "I don't know about you, but I'm digging up a copy of THE FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS and heading for the hills."
Actually, all kidding aside, the Y2K thing is quite serious. Though there are some people out there trying to hype you, the government itself is quite concerned.
(MSNBC) WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (1998) — With only 400 days to go, the Pentagon, State Department and other big government agencies are lagging in efforts to remedy Year 2000 computer problems, a congressman said Monday. "The picture is a gloomy one," said Rep. Stephen Horn, R-Calif., warning of possible breakdowns in the Medicare payments system, electrical blackouts and telecommunications havoc if the problem isn’t fixed. (
Is Y2K in the Bible? I don't think so. It's possible that some of the possible effects of Y2K could be. It’s also a part of this increase in technology we’ve seen.
Wake up
I received a phone call the other day from a person who is in the middle of a family tragedy. They described the tragedy as a "wake-up call". Why do we have to go through difficult times to wake up? Why can’t we just read the newspapers?
(Mat 24:42-46 NASB) "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. {43} "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. {44} "For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. {45} "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? {46} "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
Are you ready? Are you prepared? Do you really think He’ll come?
Illustration
Herman and I locked our general store and dragged ourselves home. It was 11:00 p.m., Christmas Eve of 1949. We were dog tired. We had sold almost all of our toys; and all of the layaways, except one package, had been picked up. Usually we kept the store open until everything had been claimed. We wouldn't have happily awakened on Christmas knowing that some child's gift was still on the layaway shelf. But the person who had put a dollar down to hold that purchase had never returned.
Early Christmas morning we and our twelve-year-old son, Tom, opened gifts. But I'll tell you, there was something humdrum about this Christmas. Tom was growing up; I missed his exuberance of past years. As soon as breakfast was over Tom left to visit his friend next door. Herman mumbled, "I'm going back to sleep. There's nothing left to stay up for." So there I was alone, feeling let down.
And then it began. A strange, persistent urge. It seemed to be telling me to go to the store. I looked at the sleet and icy sidewalk outside. That's crazy, I said to myself. I tried dismissing the urge, but it wouldn't leave me alone. In fact, it was getting stronger. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer, and I got dressed. Outside, the wind cut right through me and the sleet stung my cheeks. I groped my way to the store, slipping and sliding. In front of the store stood two boys, one about nine, and the other six. What in the world? I thought. "See, I told you she would come!" the older boy said jubilantly. The younger one's face was wet with tears, but when he saw me, his sobbing stopped. "What are you two doing out here?" I scolded, hurrying them into the store. "You should be at home on a day like this!" They were poorly dressed. They had no hats or gloves, and their shoes barely held together. I rubbed their icy hands, and got them up close to the heater.
"We've been waiting for you," replied the older boy. "My little brother Jimmy didn't get any Christmas." He touched Jimmy's shoulder. "We want to buy some skates. That's what he wants. We have these three dollars," he said, pulling the bills from his pocket. I looked at the money. I looked at their expectant faces. And then I looked around the store. "I'm sorry," I said, "but we have no----" Then my eye caught sight of the layaway shelf with its lone package. "Wait a minute, " I told the boys. I walked over, picked up the package, unwrapped it and, miracle of miracles, inside it was a pair of skates! Jimmy reached for them. "Lord, let them be his size." I prayed. And miracle added upon miracle, they were his size. The older boy presented the dollars to me. "No," I told him," I want you to have these skates, and I want you to use your money to get some gloves." The boys just blinked at first. Then their eyes became like saucers, and their grins stretched wide when they understood I was giving them the skates. What I saw in Jimmy's eyes was a blessing. It was pure Joy, and It was Beautiful. My spirit was prostrate before His Throne, in humble gratitude, praise, and awed worship. We walked out together, and as I locked the door, I turned to the older brother and said, "How did you know I would come?" I wasn't prepared for his reply. His gaze was steady, and he answered me softly: "We asked Jesus to send you."