Have you ever wondered why Israel is in the news so frequently?  I mean this is a country that could completely fit into Lake Michigan.  It seems isolated because it is surrounded by its enemies, and yet the whole world has strong opinions about Israel, its right to the Land, and its future.  As a small nation, it has prospered and converted the area from a wasteland to a producer of so many resources.  It is the envy of many nations for its wealth, and technology.  How did this happen in 72 years?

   We know from the Bible that Israel is God’s chosen people.  The Old Testament gives a detailed history of the Jewish people and their relationship with God.  It contains the covenant (testament) God made with Abraham that the Land of Israel would always be for the Jewish people.  Also, the covenant He made with King David that his reign over Israel would be “everlasting.”  God gave them commandments and laws to follow on Mt. Sinai.  Time after time, they would rebel against God and He would discipline them.  Because of prophecies in the Old Testament (books of Daniel and Ezekiel), many scholars say that Israel is “God’s Timepiece.” 

      Daniel was told that from the time a command was given to “rebuild the walls of Jerusalem” until the “Anointed One” (Messiah) would be killed, would be 483 years (or 69 x 7).  It happened exactly that way.  But, Daniel was told there would be another set of seven (seven years) that would be the 70^th week.  During that last week, another ruler (the Prince anti-Christ) would make a 7-year treaty with Israel.  He would allow them to build the third temple, and they would accept him as their “Messiah,” but at the mid-point (3½ years), He would set himself up in the Temple as “god” and force everyone to worship him.  Then, they will realize he is a false-messiah and they will repent and acknowledge Christ as their true Messiah.  This 70^th week is also referred to as “The Great Tribulation” or “Jacob’s trouble.”

    Jeremiah 30:7: “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it”.

This seven-year period was also mentioned by Jesus in:

   Matthew 24:21: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”. 

   The major purpose of these seven years is to bring Israel to repentance, accepting their true Messiah.

    God told Ezekiel that He would gather His people and bring them back into their own land.   Ezekiel 37:21: “And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, wherever they are, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land”: 

    Isaiah was told in Isaiah 66:8: “Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children”.

    From 70 A.D. until May 14, 1948, Israel was NOT a nation—her people were scattered all over the world.  Then on that day, they were recognized as a nation by the “League of Nations” and by the U. S.  In one day, they became a nation and the Jewish people have been returning to Israel for the last 72 years.  Returning to their homeland is referred to by them as “Aliyah” and over 8 million have returned.  I just read the other day that their government is concerned there won’t be enough room for everyone returning.  It is being intensified by the pandemic, and the rising anti-Semitism throughout the world.

    Now, let me say something else about where Israel is standing today.  Their government is different than ours in that they have multiple “political parties”.  When they have an election, they are not voting for a president but a “party”. 

    Whichever party receives the most votes is allowed to “form a government” by combining various “party’s” until they have a majority or “quorum” of all party’s combined (in agreement on the same “agenda/platform”).  This system has worked fine until the last election, and for the first time in Israel’s history, there wasn’t a clear winner.  Two parties were “tied” ~ so they had a second and third election, but with the same result.  They are now talking about a “4^th election”.  The “leaders” of the two parties (Netanyahu and Gantz) are taking turns being “prime-minister”.  This is totally unprecedented, and the Israeli people are pleading for a “Leader” and praying that their “messiah” will appear!  Having never accepted Jesus as their Messiah, they are ready to accept a “false messiah” or the “anti-christ”.

    We mentioned earlier that this “anti-christ” will “set himself up in the temple as god” – so there has to be a “temple”.  It so happens that within Israel there is an “organization” called the “Temple Institute”.  They have been working for several years to prepare for the 3^rd Temple to be built.  They have all the materials collected to build it, and claim it could be built in 90 days.  They have used DNA to identify true Levi’s (Aaron’s tribe), to be trained as “Temple priests” and offer sacrifices.  They have made all the golden accessories for the Temple, and are working on breeding perfect “red heifers” for the sacrifices.  They have reestablished the “Sanhedrin (a 70-member body of priests) to be their “spiritual judiciary”.

    One other development I’d like to mention, is the prophecy in Ezekiel concerning a “War” that has not yet taken place.  Using ancient names of the “nations” (i.e. Magog, Persia, Togarmiah, etc.), which would today be Russia, Iran, and Turkey (among others); it tells of how these countries will “swoop down from the north”, to attack Israel ~ but God himself will destroy them to show to all nations that He Is God!  If you’re not aware, today these countries all have troops in Syria, just north of Israel.  They all have failing economies and internal problems.  They envy Israel’s prosperity and resources.

    Do you see a “trend” here?  Oh, and by the way, there is this “Israel-Palestine Peace Deal” (created by Donald Trump and Jared Kushner), that is expected to be signed and implemented shortly after the U. S. election on Nov. 3^rd.  The President has not only recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital, but the “peace deal” will give them sovereignty over the “west bank”.  It does include provisions that God (in His Word) takes exception to (such as dividing Jerusalem), and allowing all “faiths” to “worship” on the Temple Mount.  During the “Great Tribulation”, there will be “One World Leader, One World Government (Order), and a One World Religion”!

    By reading the Bible and today’s headlines, you can see that the “stage is set”, all the actors are in place and the “curtain” is about to go up!  Speaking of “going up”, God will take His Church (all believers) up and out of this world before He pours out His Righteous Anger on this sinful, violent, immoral, hateful, decadent world!  Pray, and witness to those who haven’t accepted Jesus, so they won’t be “left behind” for that terrible period, and possibly be eternally lost.

   Luke 21:28 “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!

I was asked to write an “Easter blog,” but I think at this time we should reflect on the “Hope that is within us!”  I’m asking you to read Paul’s “blog” with me.  I only added emphasis and he makes it so much clearer than I ever could.  Please read slowly and absorb his words.  Be encouraged!  We Have Hope!!

1 Corinthians 15: The Resurrection                             [NLT]

The Resurrection of Christ:

Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. 

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.  After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.  Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.  For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.  But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.  So, it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.

But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead?  For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.  And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.  And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still guilty of your sins.  In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!  And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

So, you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man.  Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.  But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.

After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power.  For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.  And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says, “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)  Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.  If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?   And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.  And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”  Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”  Think carefully about what is right; and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.

The Resurrection Body:

But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?”  What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting.  Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.  

Similarly, there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.  There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies.  The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory. 

It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.  Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.  The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.  What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.  Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man.   Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man. 

What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.  But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!   It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.  For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.  Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Romans 10:9: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Luke 21:28: “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!

This is God’s Message to us this Easter season!