Signs Of The Times (Part 199 of 0)

Signs of the Times – Part unknown

Readers of the Signs of the Times section of The Tidings are, no doubt, quite familiar with the broad outline of prophecy It is so obvious to the Bible student that we live in the last days of history that Paul s words addressed to the Christians in Thessalonica could well apply to us today ‘But of the times and seasons brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night (1 Thess 5 1,2) However, it is well that we do not allow the apparent stalemate in the Mid East to lull us into that state of apathy which Paul warns against ‘Let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober’ (1 Thess 5 6)

Perhaps repeated reference to Mid East affairs may seem, to some, that the writers of this column have an obsession concerning prophecy in this part of the world It may be pointed out that there are other critical areas of concern on our troubled planet that require attention This is true of course, for though political and social distress is universal, the thrust of prophecy has invariably found its major focal point in the Mid East This area is the prophetic hub around which outside events revolve and world wide problems will find their solution on the basis of what takes place there So once again we will direct our attention to current events and conditions in what has been termed the most volatile trouble spot in the world—with the lowest ignition point

Understanding Bible History Helpful

An understanding of Bible history is very helpful in enabling us to see some of the cause and effect factors which complicate the Mid East problem The antipathy which exists today between Jew and Arab has its roots in ancient history

The account of this enmity is recorded in the sixteenth chapter of Genesis and arose around a conflict that took place in the family of Abraham Sarah his wife, who was childless, gave her Egyptian handmaid Hagar to her husband for a concubine that his lineage might be perpetuated The son that was born to Hagar was named Ishmael and was the apparent heir until fourteen years later when Sarah herself became the mother of a son whom Abraham named Isaac. This was the true heir, by God’s promise, and because of the resentment and hostility of Sarah toward Hagar and Ishmael they were expelled from the family circle. This animosity has continued throughout history and exists in a particularly aggravated form today.

Ishmael grew up a true son of the desert, impatient of restraint and overbearing in his temper. The treatment he had received in the family of Abraham and the necessity of earning a precarious living by his sword and bow would naturally wound his proud spirit and make him what the angel predicted, “A wild man; his hand will be against every man and every man’s hand against him.” (Genesis 16:12) Such was the progenitor of the Arab races and we wonder as we trace their history if his temperamental characteristics have not been transmitted from generation to generation.

A very interesting observation comes to mind as we read the Bible record concerning Ishmael. His mother was an Egyptian and when they dwelt in Paran she “took him a wife out of the land of Egypt (Genesis 21 :21) . We have no account of Ishmael having any other wife, and if this be the case, she was the mother of twelve sons and one daughter. This half Egyptian daughter, Mahalath, had her part, as we shall see in the development of the kinship of the desert tribes. Under this circumstance the Arab nations had their origin in a Semitic father and an Hamitic mother. We wonder if the compatibility which seems to exist in the present Arab-Egyptian detente is not prophetically indicated in this blood relationship?

Esau Marries his Cousin

The narrative concerning Esau and Jacob is remarkably similar in its divisive result. A bitterly disappointed Esau, deprived of his birthright, leaves his home and family to take up his abode in Mt. Seir (which is part of present day Jordan). He is strikingly like his uncle Ishmael in disposition and temperament “a cunning hunter, a man of the field” (Genesis 25:27), who was delighted to roam the wilderness and was impatient with the restraints of a settled life. When Esau heard that his father had commanded Jacob to take a wife of his kinsman Laban, he also resolved to try by a new alliance to appease his parents. He accordingly married his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:6­9). Here once more we see how a seemingly unimportant episode such as the introduction of an Egyptian blood line into the house of Edom may have a significant prophetic connotation in relation to the present Arab-Egyptian alliance. Blood is thicker than water, particularly to the Arabs.

The Arab-Egyptian confederation has its elements of strength but it also has its weakness as well. Its strength lies in its religious solidarity and particularly in the unity of its mutual hate for Israel. Its weakness is the suspicion and distrust that exists among its members and the lack of organization and discipline within its own ranks. Is this a latter day depiction of the temperamental and unstable characteristics of Ishmael and Esau? Let us take a look at the Mid East and see if conditions support this approach.

Some excerpts from the current news media will be helpful by giving us an insight into the problems that exist in the Mid East, particularly those that relate to the Moslem world. An article in Newsweek points out that “When Henry Kissinger’s efforts to negotiate an interim agreement between Egypt and Israel collapsed last March, the Arab States were widely expected to close ranks and begin to prepare for a fifth Middle East war. Part of this scenario has come true. The Arab countries have settled many of their old differences in recent weeks and achieved an unprecedented degree of unity. But far from uniting for war, an unexpected consensus has developed in the Arab world that the wiser course might be to negotiate a Mid East settlement with Israel. The sole holdouts have been the last remnants of the so called “Rejection Front”, the most militant members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and Libya’s fanatically anti-Zionist leader Muammar Kaddafi. Last week the P.L.O. and Kaddafi were the odd men out in the Arab camp, but that did not deter them from trying everything—up to and including a plot to assassinate Egypt’s President Anwar Sa­dat—in their desperate determination to block a new step toward peace”.

“Egyptian intelligence officials told Newsweek that, in an extraordinary meeting, Kaddafi offered Habash, the radical Palestinian leader 5 million dinars (16 million dollars) to kill Anwar Sadat. Habash, the sources said, readily accepted the “contract” on the Egyptian President, and boasted: If we can penetrate the heart of Tel-Aviv, you can imagine how much easier it will be in Cairo or Alexandria.” That this was no idle threat was confirmed on July 4th when a bomb exploded in the center of Jerusalem, killing 13 persons and injuring 72 others. The Palestinian Liberation Organization, Ha-bash’s guerrilla group, issued a communique in Beirut claiming responsibility for the bombing. The P.L.O. statement said the bombing showed it can strike at will into any part of Israel This heroic operation in the heart of Jerusalem proves anew the ability of our revolutionaries to fight the Zionist enemy at any time and any place the statement said Of course there will be reprisals Israel, in the past, has always moved swiftly to retaliate, generally against the PL0 centers in Lebanon This action increases the tension throughout the Moslem world and complicates the efforts toward a peaceful settlement of Mid East affairs This is exactly what the radical groups want, for it is their declared objective to scuttle all attempts to recognize the validity of Israel s statehood

Problems of Peace Compounded

Let us look at a few of the factors which compound the problem of peace in the Mid East Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in a press interview was asked how strong Russia s influence was in the Arab world He answered It is not evident to me, in contrast to our own position, that the Soviet Union has improved its position in the Middle East in the last two years The opposite seems to me to be the case To a follow up question Can you count on any help from the Russians in promoting a settlement, or are they mainly interested in perpetuating a conflict which they can exploit ? Mr Kissinger answered On the one hand you can argue they like the tension in the area because it creates a chance for enhanced influence On the other hand It can be argued that tensions which force a country to take positions which it then cannot implement do not in the long run, enhance its influence

So I would think that, as the result of events of recent years, the Soviet Union would come to the view that it is running risks disproportionate to what it is getting out of it And if that is true, perhaps conditions for a more con structure relationship will develop Certainly in recent months the Soviet Union has not been as aggressive about the Middle East as it might have been

Mr Kissinger s views, however, do not seem to be echoed by a number of the members of the press Marquis Child’s, an experienced columnist writes Thanks to massive help from oil rich Arab neighbors, Egyptian military strength is nearly back to the point at which Sadat initiated the war that began nearly two years ago

The build up owes little to the Soviet Union, since all the evidence indicates the Russians would like to bring Sadat down He is, in turn, taking unannounced steps to curtail what remains of their presence since 1972, when he ordered out 20,000 Russian technicians and soldiers

The Soviets are doing their best to encourage the hostility of certain of Egypt s neighbors notably Libya With terms greatly exaggerated in the press, Moscow has concluded a deal with Libya s inflammatory dictator Maummar Kadiffi This calls for military help of one billion dollars over a period of years The Libyan radio, meanwhile, spews out hate broadcasts against Sadat Newsweek comment mg on this same situation notes that while Libya had signed a pact with the Kremlin to buy modern Soviet arms, this would hardly be a serious threat to Egypt Some Cairo officials however, viewed the move as foreshadowing a campaign of subversion and sabotage Accordingly, Egypt shifted a number of army units from the Israeli front to the Libyan border

We conclude our article with one more commentary Britain was looked upon, in times past, by many students of prophecy as the latter day friend and protector of the Jew Subsequent events have proved how far this viewpoint was astray An Associated Press report from London confirms this as we read Britain and France, hungry for petroleum dollars, have entered into secret commitments to help make Egypt the arsenal of the Arab world

Senior officials of Britain, France and Egypt said that their governments are now in the final phase of negotiating a series of interlocking multi billion dollar transactions for the supply of plants and technology, as well as weapons, to Egypt

The informants disclosed the broad outlines of a two-stage program. In the first stage, Britain and France will supply Egypt with a wide range of war material, including 200 trainer and light attack planes, at least 250 helicopters, anti-tank guided missiles, light tanks, armored cars, communication systems and radar gear. The British expect to earn more than a billion dollars from this transaction and the French nearly as much.

In the second stage, Britain and France separately, and in some cases jointly through merged British and French firms will provide the plants, technicians and capital equipment for the Egyptians initially to assemble and later to manufacture helicopters, tanks, missiles, and other weapons. British and French earnings for equipment, technology, licensing and patent rights could run into the billions of dollars.

Arabs Unstable

We see, in summation, that in spite of some claim for unity within the Arab league, much that indicates the characteristic instability of their forebears, Ishmael and Esau. The disorganization that exists in the Arab world brings to mind the many occasions in the Scriptures when God frustrated the enemies of Israel by creating disorder and chaos within their ranks. An example relevant to our article is the invasion of Israel by the early ancestors of the Arabs, the Ishmaelites. Gideon, with God’s help, in a night attack caused such confusion in their camp that “the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow” (Judges 7:22).

While the attitude and actions of Israel leave much to be desired, they are still God’s people with a future in the Holyland. There is assurance in the words of the Psalm “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:3,4) There is a warning in the Scriptures also, for Zechariah prophecies “Thus saith the Lord . . . he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” (Zechariah 2:8)

Israel must go once again into the furnace of affliction. This time it will be for refining, to purge away forever the dross that has adulterated their relationship with their God, “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say it is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God” (Zechariah 13:9).

The Arabs too must recognize the root from which they sprang—the God of Abraham and Isaac. In that great day soon to come they will repudiate their false prophet Mohammed and accept the true prophet„ Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Then, and not until then, shall the age old conflict cease between the sons of Ishmael and Isaac, and the children of Israel be at peace with the descendants of Esau.

World News

Most of us have become accustomed to the daily reporting of important news items from around the world. The greater part of it could be classified as bad news. There seems to be almost a collapse of human values. Never before in the history of the nations, has there been such a condition of perplexing problems, for which man cannot find solutions. Conditions will grow worse, as the time of man’s mis-rule of the world (almost 6000 years) draws to a close. These evil conditions that prevail, bring dismay to most people, but they have a much different effect on the true followers of Christ To them, they are signs of the times, portending the only solution to the world’s dilemma. The personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, will solve all problems. The gospel (good news) which Jesus preached, promised the establishment of God’s Kingdom over all of the earth. It established the Name of Jesus as a means of salvation for the individual. At last the world will have a righteous ruler, ruling in the fear of God. This is good news indeed.

U. S. Foreign Policy Change?

Vice President Nelson Rockefeller in a recent speech, said that the U.S. is at the Foreign Policy crossroads. That the basic issue facing United States foreign policy, is whether to continue to accept world responsibility or to withdraw and let the Soviet Union bear it. He said further, “we must decide if we are willing to pay the cost to preserve freedom outside the U S., in order to preserve freedom inside the U.S. Whether we continue to accept responsibility and the burdens that go with it, or whether we are going to withdraw and turn over world leadership to the Soviet Union.” He called for a strong, common and consistent foreign policy on which other nations can rely. However, this could be very difficult to achieve now. With the fall of South Vietnam and Cambodia to the Communists, the loss of over fifty thousand men killed and many thousands injured and missing, the American people and the Congress are against further involvement in international affairs for the present. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union stands ready to fill the gap. Their ships are in great number in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf. They stand ready to take control of the Suez Canal as soon as it is opened. In these developments, we can see the advancing of the Soviet Union to a strong, commanding position in the Middle East. This of course in fulfillment of the prophecy of Ezekiel 38. In this is portrayed the invasion of a great northern confederacy against the mountains of Israel. The sequel is the destruction of the great host by the power of the Almighty; Meanwhile, American influence in the Middle East has suffered a great setback. It was hoped that by shuttle diplomacy, engineered by Dr. Kissinger, that agreement would be reached and peace attained. Accordingly, he visit­ed Cairo, Damascus, Amman and Jerusalem, on a number of occasions. The objective had been a new long range agreement between Israel and Egypt, Israel and Syria. But after weeks of negotiations, there were miscalculations on all sides. Kissinger believed that he could bridge the differences and could move the positions of all sides. As it turned out, there appeared to be a mistake of both timing and judgment about what could be achieved in the Mideast at this stage. On the Egyptian side, Sadat left the impression from the beginning of the negotiations that he believed Kissinger would be able to wring from the Israelis the territorial concessions the Egyptians demanded in Sinai. This was a miscalculation. As for the Israelis, their leadership were convinced that Kissinger could win from Egypt the kind of political concessions they required to mark a first step toward Egyptian recognition of Israel as an independent state. That did not occur. So in the end, there was not enough flexibility on the part of either Egypt or Israel to compromise and to win the peace agreement that the Mideast needs so badly. But is there something that was not taken into account? Is it possible to bring about lasting peace, by man’s efforts? What saith the Scriptures? The Prophet Isaiah (47:21), said, “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” Further, the Apostle Paul, in writing to the Thessalonians (1st Thess. 5 :3 ), spoke of these latter days, “For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” So there can be no peace for this world, while evil conditions prevail.

What is wrong with our World?

Perhaps the question should be, “what is right,” since it would be far easier to answer. There is very little right. By the world, we do not mean the earth, which is a beautiful place of God’s creation. By the world, we mean the order of things, the men, women and children who live here. We have no desire to paint a pessimistic picture. But we do wish to show present conditions as they are and how man has placed himself in opposition to his Creator. The cause or reason is man’s sin and its results. There is no supernatural devil on which to place the blame. We have the simple record in the book of Genesis, where we learn of man’s disobedience to the commandment of God and the curse that followed. Then followed sin in all of its manifestations. Man has forgotten God, His commandments have been disregarded. In Revelation 4:11, we find the reason for creation. “Thou art worthy 0 Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” But in the six thousand years of man’s existence, he has given very little pleasure to God and has not justified his existence. But we may analyze what is wrong today. Some may say that our world has a certain respectability, and that most people are law abiding and well meaning citizens, but it goes deeper than this. Over 8 percent are out of work in the U.S., and in some areas the percentage of unemployment is as high as 20 percent, of the work force. But in foreign countries conditions are much worse. In Africa and Asia, thousands are starving to death. Even in America, thousands are under nourished, and go to bed hungry.

Many are the poor and under-privileged, while billions of dollars are being spent to prepare for war, To finance this burden, heavy taxes are placed on the people. In countries like Britain, the end can be only bankruptcy, with all others not far behind. The serious economic situation has brought an unprecedented increase in crime. With this has come an alarming use of narcotics of all kinds, as well as alcoholism. This has affected the young people particularly, who are easy prey for the pushers. So juvenile delinquency has increased tremendously. Parents show little interest and can’t be bothered. The schools are not much help, since the knowledge imparted, is the wisdom of men only, Divine wisdom is excluded. Instead, evolution is taught, replacing the Bible. Little wonder that there is no respect for God and His laws. No thankfulness or praise for the Almighty. Sad to say, the churches are very little better. They do not teach the truth concerning God’s promises and the Kingdom of God to be established on the earth, with the Lord Jesus Christ as king. Instead, they teach the doctrine of the immortality of the soul and the reward in heaven at death, which are foreign to the Scriptures.

In order to keep their membership, many churches have adopted the policy of making religion relevant to the needs of the people and the times. Often this involves taking part in politics and community affairs, with games of chance, in order to raise funds. How does the situation today agree with that prophesied in God’s Word? The prophet Jeremiah tells us, (17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.” Instead of following man’s devices, the Lord Jesus Christ counselled to “rather seek ye the Kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Luke 12:31). Or as the Master said as found in Math. 6:33, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” But most people today have no time for this. They are too busy pursuing the things that perish.

But the words of Jesus to the Jews of his day, are just as applicable today. “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24) So the world of today is perishing because of its disregard of God’s commandments and of the way of life that He has offered. Jesus himself gave the warning, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man.” Sin and violence characterized the days of Noah, as they do today. The people refused to heed the warnings and the flood of waters took them all away. In like manner, the judgments of the Almighty will sweep away all that offend. The prophet Jeremiah (25:31) has some solemn words concerning the judgments of the last days. “A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth, for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations. He will plead with all flesh! He will give them that are wicked to the sword. Saith the Lord.”

As the severe judgments were visited on the people in the day of Noah, and on the wicked cities of Sodom and Go­morrha and even on God’s chosen people Israel who were disobedient, so will judgment come on the evil nations of today. It is described by the prophet Daniel (12:1) “At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the hook.” That is the book of life or record of the faithful of all ages.

The prophet Daniel speaks of the resurrection of the dead, “many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life.” All of the signs of the times indicate the near return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth again, to solve all of the many problems of the world. Let us therefore, heed the words of the Master, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate, — they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north and from the south and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God.”

“Oh ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” Matt. 16:3

In this way the Lord Jesus, through Matthew’s gospel record, gives us the phrase which has headed this column for a number of years. We would like to preface our remarks on the world situation, with a few thoughts about the situation which gives us this phrase.

The Pharisees and Sadducee’s had come to tempt Jesus, in all probability so as to have some evidence with which to construct a charge serious enough to have him, at least put away, if not destroyed. So they came and “desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven.” (verse 1)

What Sort Of Sign?

We may well wonder what sort of sign they had in mind. Was it fire from heaven, as in Elijah’s day? Was it to be a staff-that-became-a-snake-that – became a ­staff-again, as Moses had done? It might have been that they wished to see a cripple healed, or a dead man raised, right before their eyes. That way they would have no questions about unreliable witnesses and superstitious people. We may be quite certain, however, that there was little true desire to know of the Lord’s origin and ministry in their request. “Perform another trick, so we can see you do it,” seems to have been more like their attitude. But of course they said it in terms that were outwardly respectful: “Show us a sign from heaven.”

The Lord saw through their play acting, and called them hypocrites, that could easily and correctly read the weather signs, but somehow could not discern the “signs of the times.” They would ignore the moral force of his teaching, and attribute his acts of healing to the foolishness of their poorer countrymen, for whom they had no love or pity. These self appointed keepers of the flocks had no concern for their well being. “This people who knoweth not the law are accursed!” (John 7:49) That was their estimation of those they had the responsibility to teach. It was a far cry from the tender concern the Good Shepherd had for his sheep, even for the one-in-a-hundred who strayed off and was lost

And so the Lord challenged their foolishness, and though denying them the sign they sought, (which would have only, at best, satisfied their immediate curiosity), promised them a sign which had been given long before—the sign of the prophet Jonah Matthew (chapter 12 34) records that Jesus had earlier spoken similar words to the Scribes and Pharisees Apparently none had digested the meaning of Jonah s three days in the belly of the fish If they had, they dismissed it

The day was to come, however, when they would call to mind those words as the Apostles, now energized by the power of the Spirit, spoke again of ‘ this Jesus, whom they had crucified, which God had raised from the dead For many thousands, the Lord s resurrection was the needed proof that his claim of Messiah was genuine

A Somber Reminder

Because of our interest in discerning the “signs of the times, the condition of the Pharisees and Sadducee’s provides a somber reminder of our responsibility to the lost, the sick, the poor and the lame “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” exclaims God through Hosea This is truly the case on all sides of us today We must not, however, as the Pharisees and Scribes did, despise them for their ignorance, but pity them and take the good news of the gospel of Christ to them Time is running out

Both at home and abroad, the severity of the economic slump is still increasing In many quarters, at least domestically, there are those who voice optimism that conditions will stabilize during this year and next, followed by a gradual upturn Despite this guarded optimism, there is general agreement that there will be high levels of unemployment, high costs and increased scarcities for a long while to come

The degree to which these conditions will persist is difficult to assess from signs about us now Some indications may be gotten from recent reports that state it is unlikely that the U S ‘ Project Independence will ever be successful Revised estimates now give the U S a little over 15 years of oil reserves even counting the highly controversial offshore drilling on the eastern and western coasts Natural gas supplies are said to be even less plentiful On top of this there are warnings that conservation of forts have achieved all that is beneficial and that further economizing might deepen the economic recession Needed alternative sources of power, using coal and nuclear fuels are being deferred, ironically, by the very recession they are intended to ease The government is being looked to for the necessary funds, yet many are fearful of that form of solution will develop into, later The times in which we live truly seem to defy human solution

Signs of Internal Strain

There is an interesting state of affairs developing in the middle east that bears watching In the past few weeks,
there have been reports that the oil producing nations’ cartel is showing signs of internal strain The causes appear to be a great surplus of oil, arising from conservation measures by the consuming nations The high prices of oil, in addition, are so inflating the costs of goods purchased by the producing nations, that some oil company heads are forecasting trade deficits to the producing nations as early as 1976 As a result, some of the producers would like to lower their prices, while others with great surpluses of capital, would like to see production lowered to boost the prices still higher Some of the western governments are hoping that the cartel will fracture and permit things to return to the state they were in before the Yom Kippur war.

Such a happy state of affairs is, of course, no longer possible. Everyone has had it indelibly impressed upon him that our resources which we took for granted are very limited, indeed. But it is apparent that a fragmentation of the OPEC monolith is indicated even in the Bible’s prophecies. This is nothing particularly new, but rather stares us in the face in Ezekiel’s prophecy of Gog’s invasion of Israel in the last days.

Persia, Ethiopia And Libya Vs. Saudia Arabia?

In Ezekiel 38:5, we read of Persia, Ethiopia and Libya as confederates among Gog’s horde as it comes up as a cloud to cover the land. In verse 13 we find Sheba and Dedan opposing or at least questioning the purpose of the invasion. Persia, (present day Iran) and Libya are major oil producing nations. Libya is distinctly revolutionary in its outlook, but the Shah of Iran is, at present, decidedly more pro-west than pro­communist. Both of these will one day come under the “protectorate” of Gog. Sheba and Dedan, if we correctly identify these as Saudi Arabia, are thus the largest oil producing nation, and are found in opposition to Gog’s maneuver, and even possibly in sympathy with Israel’s plight, although most certainly first concerned about their own futures.

As we think about this, it seems a bit odd if oil is the reason why Gog is “drawn” into the middle east, that we find, confederate with him, major oil producers of the middle east. Have they now run out of their black gold ? In addition, if Gog and his horde are after “spoil,” as we sometimes say, why do they go to Israel first, and not at least to Saudi Arabia, who has the largest reserves? Besides, Ezekiel clearly says they go to Israel with the intent to “take great spoil.” (13) We can, of course, only speculate at the causes which bring about the rearrangements in political alliances, but the record seems clear enough that they will occur. The answer is most likely within the borders of Israel, and in the months to come we may well see further signs of these changes.

In all our watching let us not forget that the land of Israel, from which the eyes of the LORD never depart, is to become the site of the mountain of the LORD’s house in days to come. There will be nothing unclean within it. Let us examine our spiritual houses, personally and ecclesially, and be certain they are in order. Let us cast out the old leaven in all its forms, preparing to meet the Son as he comes to assemble his own house; “Whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of our hope firm unto the end.” Heb. 4:6

Our days of waiting are drawing to a close.