Transcript Slide 1

Scott Huckaby
www.BibleTract.org
Today’s Discussion:
How Israel is the most
important Sign of the Times
Various Signs of the Times
related to Israel
What miracle is represented here?
For I am the
LORD, I do
not change;
therefore
you are not
consumed, O
sons of
Jacob.
(Malachi 3:6 , NKJV)
Despite dispersion, the uniqueness
of the Jews has been preserved.
The Jews not being assimilated
into local cultures is historically
unprecedented.
Why is Israel such
an important sign
from God?
The LORD has proclaimed
you to be His special people.
(Deuteronomy 26:18 , NKJV)
The Lord ordained that the Jews
would be a special people,
unique in all the world…
He revealed Himself to us
through the Hebrew prophets
and Jesus Christ.
Why hasn’t the Church replaced
Israel in God’s promises?
Israel has experienced
a hardening in part
until the full number
of the Gentiles has
come in. And so all
Israel will be saved,
as it is written: "The
Deliverer will come
from Zion; He will
turn godlessness
away from Jacob.
(Romans 11:25-26, NIV)
God has made
separate promises to
Israel and the church.
God is not done
working through
Israel as a nation.
How do we know prophecies about
Israel’s restoration to the land have
not been fulfilled in history?
Their context is related to the coming of the
Messiah to set up His kingdom on earth.
Categories of Israel restoration prophecies:
• Their return from Babylon (fulfilled in history)
• Regathering from all the world in unbelief
(being fulfilled)
• Regathering as believers from all the world
(yet to be fulfilled)
What category is this prophecy?
'Thus says the Lord GOD:
"I do not do this for your
sake, O house of Israel,
but for My holy name's
sake, which you have
profaned among the
nations wherever you
went... For I will take you
from among the nations,
gather you out of all
countries, and bring you
into your own land.
(Ezekiel 36:22-24, NKJV)
End Times…
re-gathering from
multiple nations
Unbelief…
refers Israel as
having profaned the
name of the Lord
How do we know this prophecy has
not been fulfilled yet?
'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I
will take the children of Israel from
among the nations, wherever they
have gone, and will gather them from
every side and bring them into their
own land; and I will make them one
nation in the land, on the mountains
of Israel; and one king shall be king
over them all; they shall no longer be
two nations, nor shall they ever be
divided into two kingdoms again... and
they shall dwell there, they, their
children, and their children's
children, forever; and My servant
David shall be their prince forever.
(Ezekiel 37:21-25, NKJV)
It says that they
shall dwell in the
land forever.
What is the significance of Israel
not being pulled from the land?
I will bring back the captives
of My people Israel; they
shall build the waste cities
and inhabit them; they shall
plant vineyards and drink
wine from them; they shall
also make gardens and eat
fruit from them. I will plant
them in their land, and no
longer shall they be pulled up
from the land I have given
them," says the LORD your
God.
(Amos 9:14-15, NKJV)
It reinforces the idea
that this restoration of
Israel to the land is a
sign of Christ’s return.
How do we know this
re-gathering fulfills prophecy?
I will bring back the captives
of My people Israel; they
shall build the waste cities
and inhabit them; they shall
plant vineyards and drink
wine from them; they shall
also make gardens and eat
fruit from them. I will plant
them in their land, and no
longer shall they be pulled up
from the land I have given
them," says the LORD your
God.
(Amos 9:14-15, NKJV)
It is not God’s pattern
to prematurely end
restoration before
they turn back to Him.
How do we know this is not about
Israel’s restoration from Babylon?
'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I
will take the children of Israel from
among the nations, wherever they
have gone, and will gather them from
every side and bring them into their
own land; and I will make them one
nation in the land, on the mountains
of Israel; and one king shall be king
over them all; they shall no longer be
two nations, nor shall they ever be
divided into two kingdoms again... and
they shall dwell there, they, their
children, and their children's
children, forever; and My servant
David shall be their prince forever.
(Ezekiel 37:21-25, NKJV)
Restoration from
multiple nations
David ruling over
them
What does the reference to no
longer being two nations mean?
'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I
will take the children of Israel from
among the nations, wherever they
have gone, and will gather them from
every side and bring them into their
own land; and I will make them one
nation in the land, on the mountains
of Israel; and one king shall be king
over them all; they shall no longer be
two nations, nor shall they ever be
divided into two kingdoms again... and
they shall dwell there, they, their
children, and their children's
children, forever; and My servant
David shall be their prince forever.
(Ezekiel 37:21-25, NKJV)
There will be no
division like in
the time of the
kings when God
restores them.
How do we know this
has not been fulfilled?
They shall not defile
themselves anymore with
their idols, nor with their
detestable things, nor with
any of their transgressions;
but I will deliver them from
all their dwelling places in
which they have sinned, and
will cleanse them. Then they
shall be My people, and I
will be their God.
(Ezekiel 37:23, NKJV)
It says the nation
of Israel will
return to being
God’s people…
future fulfillment.
When will Israel as a nation be
God’s people again?
I saw another angel coming up
from the east, having the seal of
the living God. He called out in
a loud voice to the four angels
who had been given power to
harm the land and the sea: "Do
not harm the land or the sea or
the trees until we put a seal on
the foreheads of the servants of
our God." Then I heard the
number of those who were
sealed: 144,000 from all the
tribes of Israel.
(Revelation 7:2-4, NIV)
During the
tribulation when
the 144,000
preach that
Jesus is Messiah
What does it mean that David will
rule over Israel?
David My servant
shall be king over
them, and they
shall all have one
shepherd; they
shall also walk in
My judgments
and observe My
statutes, and do
them.
(Ezekiel 37:24, NKJV)
During the millennial reign of
Christ, resurrected saints will
have positions of authority in
the Lord’s government.
What is significant about what the
land of Israel will be called?
Thus says the
Lord GOD:
"Behold, O My
people, I will
open your graves
and cause you to
come up from
your graves, and
bring you into the
land of Israel.
It could have been called
(Ezekiel 37:12, NKJV)
Palestine, Galilee, Samaria, or
Judah but it is to be known by
its biblical name, Israel.
What else will God restore to Israel?
The desert and the
parched land will be
glad; the wilderness
will rejoice and
blossom. Like the
crocus, it will burst
into bloom; it will
rejoice greatly and
shout for joy. The
glory of Lebanon
will be given to it,
the splendor of
Carmel and Sharon
(Isaiah 35:1-2, NIV)
God will make the
desert bloom and
restore the forests
when He brings back
Israel to the land
How has Israel bloomed and
blossomed like a rose?
In days to come
Jacob will take root,
Israel will bud and
blossom and fill all
the world with fruit.
(Isaiah 27:6, NIV)
Mark Twain visited Israel in the 1860s and
reported that Israel was a barren wasteland
with no trees in “Innocents Abroad.” Today
there are over 400 million trees in Israel and
rainfall has increased over 450% since 1900.
Israel exports more food than it imports.
Why has Israel has been able to
produce so much food?
The days are coming,
declares the LORD,
when the reaper will
be overtaken by the
plowman and the
planter by the one
treading grapes. New
wine will drip from
the mountains and
flow from all the hills.
(Amos 9:13 , NIV)
Israel’s advanced
irrigation has enabled
them to grow several
crops a year
How has this been fulfilled?
Do not be afraid, for I
am with you; I will bring
your children from the
east and gather you from
the west. I will say to the
north, 'Give them up!‘
and to the south, 'Do not
hold them back. Bring
my sons from afar and
my daughters from the
ends of the earth
(Isaiah 43:5-6, NIV)
Russia
Ethiopia
The order: Mideast (Syria,
Iraq, Jordan 1930-1940);
Western Europe after
WWII; Russia starting in
1988; finally Ethiopia
(Operation Solomon,
Summer, 1991).
How has this been fulfilled?
My determination is
to gather the nations
to My assembly of
kingdoms, to pour on
them My indignation,
all my fierce anger;
all the earth shall be
devoured with the fire
of My jealousy. For
then I will restore to
the peoples a pure
language
(Zephaniah 3:8-9, NKJV)
A pure language that was
lost will be restored in the
end times…
Hebrew is the only lost
language that has ever
been restored.
What is the trend for languages?
There are fewer languages
in the world than there
once were because many
have been consolidated
and some have been
effectively lost (Latin).
Why are there fewer languages?
Languages and dialects are
consolidating as the world
seeks to work together
more thus attempting to
reverse what happened at
the Tower of Babel.
How may today’s Hebrew be
considered a pure language?
During the dispersion of Israel, Hebrew as a spoken
language was all but lost except for Biblical scholars.
How may today’s Hebrew be
considered a pure language?
During the dispersion of Israel, Hebrew as a spoken
language was all but lost except for Biblical scholars.
The Hebrew language had been corrupted with others…
Ladino (Hebrew & Spanish); Yiddish (Hebrew & German)
How may today’s Hebrew be
considered a pure language?
During the dispersion of Israel, Hebrew as a spoken
language was all but lost except for Biblical scholars.
The Hebrew language had been corrupted with others…
Ladino (Hebrew & Spanish); Yiddish (Hebrew & German)
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda dedicated
his life to reviving the pure
Hebrew language inventing
thousands of new words
based on Hebrew
root words.
How may today’s Hebrew be
considered a pure language?
During the dispersion of Israel, Hebrew as a spoken
language was all but lost except for Biblical scholars.
The Hebrew language had been corrupted with others…
Ladino (Hebrew & Spanish); Yiddish (Hebrew & German)
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda dedicated his life to reviving the pure
Hebrew language inventing thousands of new words
based on Hebrew root words.
Today Hebrew is the
language that binds
Israelis together
despite their coming
from different nations.
How may today’s Hebrew be
considered a pure language?
During the dispersion of Israel, Hebrew as a spoken
language was all but lost except for Biblical scholars.
The Hebrew language had been corrupted with others…
Ladino (Hebrew & Spanish); Yiddish (Hebrew & German)
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda dedicated his life to reviving the pure
Hebrew language inventing thousands of new words
based on Hebrew root words.
Today Hebrew is the language that binds Israelis together
despite their coming from different nations.
Israelis can now read original biblical scrolls without
translation. (You can’t say the same thing about English,
Old English is almost unintelligible to us today.)
What foreshadowed
this in 1967?
They will fall by the
sword and will be taken
as prisoners to all the
nations. Jerusalem will
be trampled on by the
Gentiles until the times of
the Gentiles are fulfilled.
(Luke 21:24, NIV)
Israel re-took possession of Jerusalem for the first time
since they were dispersed by the Romans in 70 A.D.
Since then, Jerusalem has been under the governments
of the Romans, Byzentines, Arabs, Crusaders,
Mamlukes, Turks, British, and Jordanians.
How is Jerusalem still trampled on
by the Gentiles?
Therefore when you
see the 'abomination
of desolation,' spoken
of by Daniel the
prophet, standing in
the holy place"
(whoever reads, let
him understand),
then let those who are
in Judea flee to the
mountains.
(Matt 24:15-16, NKJV)
A mosque is on the temple
mount and…
the abomination of desolation
at the mid-point of the
tribulation causes Israel to
flee Jerusalem
Why is there always something
about Jerusalem in the news?
It shall happen in
that day that I will
make Jerusalem a
very heavy stone
for all peoples; all
who would heave it
away will surely be
cut in pieces,
though all nations
of the earth are
gathered against it.
(Zechariah 12:3, NKJV)
The peace of Jerusalem stands
in the way of world peace
Its strategic location near most
of the world’s oil
How will the end times government
of Israel differ from ancient times?
And the
governors of
Judah shall
say in their
heart, 'The
inhabitants of
Jerusalem are
my strength in
the LORD of
hosts, their
God.
(Zech 12:5, NKJV)
Israel will be ruled by a democracy
rather than a monarchy.
Note: Leaders of Israel during this
time will be secular because they
refer to the Lord as “their God.”
How was this fulfilled
on May 14, 1948?
Before she was in labor, she
gave birth; before her pain
came, she delivered a male
child. Who has heard such
a thing? Who has seen such
things? Shall the earth be
made to give birth in one
day? Or shall a nation be
born at once? For as soon
as Zion was in labor, she
gave birth to her children.
(Isaiah 66:7-8, NKJV)
Israel was born as a
nation in a single day
then immediately had
travail from war with
Arab neighbors. Most
nations form following
war, with Israel it was
the other way around.
What will Israel's military power be
like in the end times?
In that day I will
make the governors
of Judah like a
firepan in the
woodpile, and like a
fiery torch in the
sheaves; they shall
devour all the
surrounding peoples
on the right hand
and on the left.
(Zechariah 12:6, NKJV)
Israeli forces have won against
superior forces in ’48, ’56, ’67,
’73, ’81. Today they are the
most powerful force in the
region and currently the only
nation with nuclear weapons.