Volume 47 | Number 4
JEWISH VOICE TODAY MAGAZINE
End-Time Prophecy: Where Are We On God's Timeline?
July/August 2013 | Tamuz/Av/Elul 5773 | lwla/ba/zwmt
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SHALOM Dear JVMI Partners and Friends,
The more I look at the condition of the world around me, the more I am convinced we are getting closer and closer to the End of the Age. Global terrorist acts in our backyard, heightened natural disasters, a world economy on the edge of collapse, the decline of morality and acceptance of abominable lifestyles, the growing persecution of Christians, and rapid rise of anti-Semitism are all signs of the End. With the restoration of Israel in 1948 and Jerusalem in 1967, the prophetic time clock began. Now we’re also witnessing the regathering of the “outcasts of Israel” from all the nations where they were scattered—further evidence that we are nearing the return of Jesus to this earth. But just how close are we to Yeshua’s return? That’s a question we attempt to answer in this July/August edition of Jewish Voice Today. Though no one knows the day or hour of His return in glory to Jerusalem as the King of Kings, we can certainly discern the season. Like a woman in labor, we are experiencing increasing birth pangs of a world in long and difficult labor. All creation is groaning for redemption! To help discern just where we are and where we are headed, we have a fabulous team of contributors, including archaeologist Randall Price; widely-followed prophecy experts Joel Richardson, Walid Shoebat, Jan Markell, and Bill Salus; our UK board member and Ethiopian Jewry expert Gerald Gotzen; Messianic teacher and good friend Kevin Geoffrey; and, of course, our team of news correspondents, William Koenig and Carrie Hart. They help us to connect the dots of our End-Time map. I start it off with my article, Just How Near to The End Are We? We hope you enjoy this issue just as much as we do. We pray it will help you to fulfill your call as a watchman on the walls of Jerusalem. May we not rest nor give Him rest until He makes Jerusalem the praise in all the earth (see Isaiah 62:6-7). Yours for Jerusalem’s sake,
Jonathan Bernis, President & CEO Jewish Voice Ministries International Jewish Voice Today
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CONTENTS
6
12
20
Regulars
On Topic 6 UP FRONT Just How Near to The End Are We? By Jonathan Bernis
10 PERSPECTIVE The Arab Spring and the Revival of an Islamic Caliphate By Joel Richardson
12 PERSPECTIVE Jerusalem, a Stumbling Block for All Nations By Carrie Hart
14 PERSPECTIVE The Psalm 83 Confederacy: Proclamation of a Mideast War By Bill Salus
18 WASHINGTON UPDATE The Man Behind the Voice By William Koenig
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20 PERSPECTIVE Rebuilding the Ottoman Empire: A Sign of the Last Days By Walid Shoebat
3 SHALOM By Jonathan Bernis
5 NOTEWORTHY 16
RESOURCES
22 PERSPECTIVE The Temple Movement Today By Randall Price
24 PERSPECTIVE Quest for the Scattered Tribes of Israel By Gerald Gotzen
26 PERSPECTIVE The Foreshadowing By Jan Markell
28 PERSPECTIVE What Kind of Person Must We Be? By Kevin Geoffrey
Where to Watch! 30 BROADCAST GUIDE
NOTEworthy Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” —Matthew 24:3 NKJV We are living in extraordinary times! Every day, world events seek to divert our attention from those things that the Bible warns us to watch for as signs of our times— the End of the Age and the return of Yeshua. Unseasonal global weather patterns, cultures that promote what God considers abominable, and political systems that are increasingly militant against Believers—these negative signs juxtaposed against the backdrop of more and more Jewish People finding faith in Messiah can only spell one thing: clear birth pangs that the End is indeed near. The battle between good and evil takes center stage. But how near are we to the End of the Age?
Todah Rabah, thank you, to: Publisher
Executive Editor Jonathan Bernis Director of Publications Mary Ellen Breitwiser
No man knows the day or hour, but we can take an educated guess based on reviewing the signs of the times and comparing them to what Scripture says. This edition of Jewish Voice Today addresses in ten articles from ten leading experts on the subject of the Last Days issues that you, our readers, tell us you want to know more about. We pray that you remain faithful, keeping yourselves alert in the days ahead, while accepting the mercy and grace that God has for you today. It is the beauty of balance that we pray you will find as the signs of our times foretell a future global showdown. May you be ever mindful that God protects His own, and that in the end, we will join Him in glory. Maranatha! — The JVMI Publications Team
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Magazine questions or comments: magazine@jewishvoice.org
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Graphic Designers Evie Kriegbaum Jennifer Nelson
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New International Version.
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U P F R O N T | J O N AT H A N B E R N I S
Just How Near to
The End Are We?
Revived Roman Empire . . . Islamic Alliance . . . The Mark of the Beast . . . The Sixth Seal . . . The Ten Horns . . . Gog and Magog . . . The Twelfth Imam . . . The Antichrist . . . The Abomination of Desolation . . . The New World Order . . . 666 . . . Does all of this confuse you?
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f it does, you’re not alone. End-Time prophecy is a virtual bubbling caldron of strange symbols, odd numbers, mystical concepts, and hidden revelation—all of which can be very confusing. And while all of these various subjects merit careful study and observation, they can also potentially divert us from what is most important: First, to cultivate a relationship of intimacy with the Lord and learn to hear His voice, and Second, to share our faith with those who need to hear the Gospel. And although we at Jewish Voice inform and educate God’s people to understand the times in which we live, our primary mission is and always has been to reach the world with the Gospel of Messiah . . . to the Jew first, and also to the nations (Romans 1:16).
Global Trends and Developments While no one can predict exactly when the End will come and the hour of Yeshua’s return, we are exhorted to watch, pray, and discern the times. God doesn’t want us to be in the dark about what’s in store for planet Earth. With that in mind, I want to point out five global trends and events that I believe tie into Last Days’ prophecy:
financial collapse of the EU. Smith writes: “The strength of democracy will become the Achilles Heel of Europe and the Muhammadans will rise, claim the seats of power, and by that power fulfill the prophecy of Muhammad that one day ‘Islam will rule the world.’” The world’s most powerful nation is now the most indebted nation. In 2012, the U.S. national debt reached $16 trillion—more than America’s annual economic output as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A procession of so-called debt ceilings, pay-as-you-go rules, and balanced budget proposals have severely beleaguered our economy—helped along by divisive political maneuvers that are plagued by an infectious spending virus. Can we sustain such out-of-control spending and a runaway deficit? It is clear we cannot continue to “print our way” out of this mess. As large as the U.S. federal government is, something eventually has to give. Other economic powerhouses, like Japan, are following suit. In fact, all three of the world’s major central banks have committed themselves to open-ended, cash-pumping programs to stimulate economies and protect financial stability. The problem is, money is like any other commodity—the more of it there is, the less it is worth. As a result, this deluge of cash could create a tsunami of inflation. I see an eventual worldwide economic meltdown and the social chaos that most certainly will follow as a development moving us toward the End-Time landscape.
1. Worldwide Financial Instability and Social Chaos
Struggling economies marked by soaring unemployment rates throughout Europe (12% vs. 7.7% in the United States)—and bailouts or near bailouts of numerous European countries with the worst so far being Cyprus and Greece—are causing a weakened global financial scenario and growing economic instability. In addition, new postCyprus “austerity measures” have resulted in worldwide unrest and protests in Greece and Spain . . . and removal of power in Italy and Portugal, as the Eurozone slouches toward double-dip recession. Jack Smith, author of Islam, the Cloak of Antichrist, conjectures that the rapid rise of the Muslim power base in Europe will fill the huge void left by the impending
2. Worldwide Rise of Anti-Semitism
Who is to blame for the emerging global financial crisis? According to a recent bestselling book in China, the answer is clear: The Jews. Thousands of blog posts and commentaries populating the web seem to underscore this new face of an old hatred. And this is nothing new. The Jewish People have always been blamed in times of economic woes. Post World War I hyper-inflation in Jewish Voice Today
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Germany was blamed on the Jews. Hitler did not invent anything new. He simply capitalized on the mass antiSemitism that was already rampant throughout Europe. If you think these negative attitudes toward Jewish People are confined to fringe lunatic politics or anti-Zion hate rhetoric, think again. Highly recognizable and “respectable” world leaders are now echoing the same sentiment: “Jews are greedy global capitalists; Jews are wealthy secret communists; Jews are cheapskates; and Jews control the media with their money to unduly influence society.” According to a recent poll of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), anti-Semitism is at an all-time high since World War II. Incidents of Jewish cemeteries being desecrated, Jewish school and synagogue bombings, and other Jewish hate crimes are increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world. Anti-Zionism, which is really nothing more than a repackaging of age old anti-Semitism, has become the normative attitude throughout Europe as Islam spreads its Israel-despising venom. Sadly, America is not exempt from this trend. College and university campuses across the United States are now breeding grounds for anti-Israel propaganda, and a nation that for the last 65 years since Israel’s inception has been an unwavering friend and ally is now shifting. We are moving toward the time spoken of in Zechariah when all the nations of the earth will turn against the tiny Land and people of Israel (see Zechariah 14:2), a definite sign that the End of the Age is near.
on lab computers at night and blasted AC/DC’s 1990s song “Thunderstruck.” My prediction? If and when Iran completes a nuclear weapon, Israel will attack. And they will likely be on their own. What could follow may catapult us into utter chaos. I could go on and talk about Syria, Turkey, Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, and a Hezbollah armed to the teeth, but space does not allow. To better understand this volatile landscape and whether there can ever be real peace, I encourage you to get my small book Is Peace Possible: Understanding the Current Middle East Crisis (see page 16).
4. The Gospel to Every Nation
In 1960, there were an estimated 50 million evangelical Christians in the West, and 25 million in the rest of the world. Today there are an estimated 75 million in the West, and a staggering 325 million living in rest of the world. Most of these “new evangelicals” reside in China, South Korea, India, Africa, and Latin America. Ironically, they are now sending “reverse missionaries” to Europe and the United States! Although the fastest growing rate of Christianity is taking place in China (60-80 million people and between 10,00025,000 coming to faith every day), one of the most surprising revival movements is taking place in none other than the Muslim world. While Islamic extremists shout “death to the infidels” (Jews and Christians), a growing number of former Muslims are embracing those “infidels” as long-lost brothers.
3. Growing Unrest in the Middle East
Not America, but Israel and the Middle East are at the center of Last Days' prophecy, and are now at center stage of world media focus. At the forefront is Iran. The world waits for them to finish building their nuclear weapon. Why has it taken so long? I’ll tell you: cyber-terrorism. On at least two occasions that we know of, Israel and the United States have attacked Iran’s centrifuges . . . first through a cyber-bug called “Stuxnet,” followed by a musical virus that turned 8 JewishVoiceToday.org | July/August 2013
Mission researchers estimate that more Muslims have committed their lives to Jesus in the last ten years than in the last fifteen centuries of Islam. Amazingly, most of these Muslims are coming to know the Lord through dreams and visions. Jesus Himself declared that the Gospel of the Kingdom would be proclaimed to every ethnos (people group or nation) before the End would come. That is happening today and will be a growing trend as we move toward the Last Days and the Lord’s return.
south, east, and west (see Isaiah 11:11; Jeremiah 16:1416; Zephaniah 3:10; Deuteronomy 30). Amazingly, this is happening before our very eyes and is largely under the radar of most Christians. More than a million Jews have emigrated from the Former Soviet Union in the north since the fall of Communism. Some 100,000 Ethiopian Jews have emigrated from the south.
5. All Israel Shall Be Saved
Both the physical restoration of Israel and Jerusalem in 1948 and 1967 respectively as well as the spiritual restoration of Israel (the Jewish People) back to their God are perhaps the most significant events to occur before the Messiah returns. Jews are returning to their Homeland in record numbers. The prophets declared that in the End of Days, God would “regather the scattered outcasts of Israel” from the north,
Since 1967, Messianic Judaism (Jews who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah) has become the fastest growing stream of religious Jewish life—with an estimated 100,000+ Messianic Jews in the United States and more than 250,000 worldwide. They are still a small minority in Israel (just 16,000-20,000) but rapidly growing. Yet while the numbers of Messianic Believers in Israel and worldwide may be relatively small now, the Bible tells us the day will come when all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26). I see this awakening of Israel to their Messiah as the greatest single event preceding the return of Yeshua, and it is happening today.
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PERSPECTIVE | JOEL RICHARDSON
The Arab Spring and the Rev I
n 2011, when the tsunami of revolution swept across the Arab world, many hopeful Western analysts and politicians welcomed the Arab Spring. But two years later, few still believe that the end result is a positive thing for the cause of freedom, human rights, or civilization in general. What many in the West refer to as the Arab Spring is more accurately referred to throughout the Muslim world as the “Islamic Awakening.” So far, this “awakening” has produced the Islamization of at least six Arab governments, with others yet to follow. Despite the dramatic impact this has had on the nations that surround Israel, many students of the Bible are still unable to decipher how these events might relate to biblical prophecy. Due to the widely embraced, but faulty Europeancentric perspective on the End Times, many students of prophecy simply have no grid to interpret the transition now taking place in the Muslim world.
Anyone who has been studying Bible prophecy for any length of time is aware of the fact that since the 1980s, many students of prophecy have looked to the emerging European Union and have essentially said, “This is that which was spoken of by the prophets.” I vividly remember watching various prophecy teachers on television in the early ‘90s excitedly awaiting the time when the EU would reach 10 nations—to fulfill the prophecy of a Last Days’ 10-nation alliance. But soon enough there were 11, then 12. Eventually there were 27. Now there is talk of the whole thing collapsing. But how was it wrong to look so intently at Europe specifically for the fulfillment of the coming Antichrist empire? Simply put, the entire emphasis of the Bible’s End Time prophecies revolves around Jerusalem, Israel, and those nations that surround Israel (e.g., Zechariah 12:2, 14:14; Joel 3:11,12). In fact, despite its wide acceptance among many students of prophecy, the Bible never actually speaks of a
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revived End Time Roman Empire. Instead, it speaks of a revived Middle Eastern/North African empire. This reality emerges clearly when we examine Revelation 13 and 17. In chapter 13, we are introduced to a “beast having seven heads and ten horns” (v. 1). Most modern scholars agree that the seven-headed beast represents seven pan-historical empires that have persecuted the Jewish People and resisted their possession of the Promised Land. Then, the “seven heads” of Revelation 13 become “seven mountains” in Revelation 17. Mountains are a common biblical symbol representing kingdoms (e.g., Isaiah 2:2-4; Ezekiel 35:2; Daniel 2:35, 44, 45; Obadiah 1:8). Most agree that the first six pagan kingdoms/empires are the following: 1. Egyptian 2. Assyrian 3. Babylonian 4. Medo-Persian 5. Grecian 6. Roman
vival of an Islamic Caliphate But according to the text, the Roman Empire is to be followed by another, a seventh empire. Some argue that the seventh is a revival of the sixth—a revived Roman Empire. The problem with this view, however, is that if we simply read the next verse, we see that there is also an eighth empire! And in the greater context of these chapters, it is clear that the final Antichrist empire is actually a revival of the seventh. Are we, then, to look for a revived revived Roman Empire? Is the Roman Empire the sixth, seventh, and the eighth? Let us consider the pattern set with the first six empires. These were all pagan empires in deep political and religious opposition to Israel. In their day, they were each the premiere source of satanic anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. They were all pagan empires that opposed the worship of the God of Israel, and eventually, after the “Church” was established, the Roman Empire also carried a deeply anti-Christ spirit as well. Which empire is the natural successor of these six empires? Which
What many in the West refer to as the Arab Spring is more accurately referred to throughout the Muslim world as the “Islamic Awakening.” So far, this “awakening” has produced the Islamization of at least six Arab governments, with others yet to follow. empire picked up the baton of antiSemitism, anti-Zionism, and carried a deeply anti-Yahwistic and antiChristic spirit as well? The historical Islamic government known as the Caliphate ruled the entire Middle East, large portions of North Africa, and even significant segments of Europe for more than 1,300 years. It was not until 1924 that the Caliphate was disbanded and the head of that empire—the Caliph—beheaded.
that surround Jerusalem are reemerging as a unified and powerful threat to the Jewish People and the State of Israel. Are we witnessing the emergence of the final eighth empire of the Antichrist? Personally, I believe we are. Never before in history has there been a moment when it has been more crucial for Believers everywhere to stand with the People of Israel.
Now, with the rise of the Arab Awakening, we are seeing the apparent deadly wound of the Caliphate being healed. In nation after nation, they are crying out for the revival of the Caliphate and the destruction of the State of Israel. From the ashes, the nations
Joel Richardson is the New York Times bestselling author of Islamic Antichrist: The Shocking Truth About the Real Nature of the Beast along with his current book, The Mideast Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist. Joel is an internationally recognized speaker and expert on biblical prophecy and the Middle East. For more about Joel, visit his website, www.joelstrumpet.com. Jewish Voice Today
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PERSPECTIVE | CARRIE HART
W
ith America’s encouragement, Israel and the Palestinians are considering a revised peace plan based on the Arab League Initiative. The plan calls for an Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 borders with some minor land swaps. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that any agreement must include Israeli security arrangements along the Jordan River; Palestinian recognition of Israel as the State of the Jewish People; a solution for absorbing returning Palestinians into the state of “Palestine” (not into Israel); and an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
JERUSALEM A Stumbli ng Block
for All Nations Photo by Carrie Hart 12 JewishVoiceToday.org | July/August 2013
But, the elephant standing in the room of peace enthusiasts is the issue of Jerusalem. During Netanyahu’s second term in office (2009-2013), Israeli interlocutors agreed to leave Jerusalem to Final Status talks. However, in the revised 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which Israel is being pressured to adopt, East Jerusalem becomes the capital of a Palestinian state. This is not acceptable to a majority of Israelis, Diaspora Jews, and proIsrael Christian supporters. Many have voiced opposition to a divided Jerusalem, and do not want Israel to share or relinquish control of its capital city. Today, because Israel has legal jurisdiction over the holy sites, the Israeli police take action on
the Temple Mount during violent disturbances. But, daily, the area is controlled by the Waqf (Muslim religious authorities). They refuse to allow Jews and Christians to pray on the Mount, yet Muslims can pray there freely. Their claim is that any change to the status quo will ignite a Middle East war. Israeli rightwing activists have tried to ascend the Mount during special holy days but have been refused by Israeli authorities. Several attempts by the Temple Mount Faithful group to lay a cornerstone on the Mount in preparation for the building of the Third Temple have been unsuccessful. During Passover this year, they tried to bypass Israeli police and perform a ritual sacrifice of a lamb. The police caught them and refused access to the area. In late March 2013, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II signed an agreement to jointly defend Jerusalem, in an effort to further weaken Israeli control over the city. The deal states that Jordan has full right to exert all legal efforts at safeguarding and preserving the city’s holy sites. Jerusalem has been contested territory since the re-birth of the modern State of Israel 65 years ago, with few nations recognizing Israel’s rule over the city. America has contributed to the controversy. The State Department consistently refuses to acknowledge citizens born in Jerusalem, Israel on U.S. passports. Many American leaders, including past U.S. presidents, will not acknowledge Israel's historical and biblical rights over the city. These leaders will not move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. All the nations that Israel has diplomatic relations with now have their embassies in Tel Aviv.
Diplomatically, the world wants to internationalize Jerusalem. Spiritually, Jerusalem is the Divine seat of God’s governmental authority. According to the biblical Scriptures, the fight over Jerusalem will only intensify in the days to come. Since the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Palestinians have laid claim to Jerusalem as the capital of their homeland. During U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Ramallah in March 2013, he stated that the Palestinians should have a contiguous Palestinian state. He was implying that Israeli settlement building in the controversial E1 land corridor, which is on the outskirts of Jerusalem, would somehow separate East Jerusalem from the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), damaging Palestinian prospects. The Israelis deny this. They note that the Palestinians have two separate entities that make it impossible for their proposed state to be contiguous anyway. The Palestinian territories in the West Bank are under the rule of the Fatah government. The Palestinian entity of the Gaza Strip is under the rule of the Hamas government. But, once the Palestinians achieve reconciliation under one Palestinian government, their focus will turn toward Jerusalem. They will fly their flag over the city and demand their right to rule there. Abbas is already accusing Israel of Judaizing East Jerusalem, urging Islamic states to prevent Israel from occupying Jerusalem and seeking to change the character of the city. Often, Jerusalem Arabs are incited by any slight changes to the area. Even talk of repairing a tourist ramp near the Temple Mount caused quite a stir this past winter. Israeli former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been accused of negotiating the division of Jerusalem.
Reportedly, Olmert agreed to West Jerusalem being a part of Israel, while releasing East Jerusalem to Palestinian or international control— except for the Western Wall (which would remain in Israeli hands). Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak also negotiated with the Palestinians in regard to the division of Jerusalem. His comments became public knowledge and caused 600,000 Israelis to protest, forming a human chain around the city in 2001. Diplomatically, the world wants to internationalize Jerusalem. Spiritually, Jerusalem is the Divine seat of God’s governmental authority. According to the biblical Scriptures, the fight over Jerusalem will only intensify in the days to come. The nations, one day, will surround Jerusalem with their armies. The city is a political and religious hot button that if pushed, will ignite the masses and stir passions on the streets of the Middle East. "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And, 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 12:2-3 NKJV). Carrie Hart is an Israel-based news correspondent for Jewish Voice, reporting on current issues affecting Israel and the nations. Jewish Voice Today
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P E R S P E C T I V E | B I L L S A LU S
The Psalm 83
Confederacy Proclamation of a Mideast War
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he sands in the End-Time hourglass have been quickly running out ever since Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948. Identified as the “fig tree” in Matthew 24:32, Israel was clearly intended to be the super-sign of the Last Days. Presently, almost every weapon has been fashioned, technology discovered, and national relationship developed to enable the remaining Bible prophecies to find fulfillment soon. And now the missing piece of prophecy that has eluded Bible scholars for more than 3,000 years has been revealed. In my latest book called Psalm 83: The Missing Prophecy Revealed, How Israel Becomes the Next Mideast Superpower, I point out how understanding the centuries-old prediction in Psalm 83 becomes crucial when sequencing End Times’ events. “War is coming to the Middle East!” proclaims the Psalmist. Asaph, the author of Psalm 83, was also a prophet, according to 2 Chronicles 29:30. In no uncertain terms, he predicts that someday Israel’s historic Arab enemies will form a final confederacy in an attempt to eradicate the Jewish State and abolish the name of Israel forever. They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You (Psalm 83:4-5 NKJV). This impending prophecy appears to now be imminent. Apart from fragile peace treaties between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan—all participants identified in Psalm 83— Middle East events could mushroom into the “Mother of all Mideast Wars.”
The culmination of volatile evolving events resulting from the Arab Spring of 2011, coupled with Iran’s rapid race to become a nuclear nation, has turned the Holy Land into a prophetic Pandora’s Box about to burst at the seams. The international community has wasted more than six decades since Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948, in failed efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict; and now the Psalm 83 populations are armed and dangerous.
brands them as refugees. In my Psalm 83 book, I correlate a clear connection between the Palestinian refugees today and the Edomites of old. The modern-day Edomite descendants became tent dwellers immediately after the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, and they desperately still seek a Palestinian state of their own. Although not all Palestinians are Edomites, there is a definite connection to be made.
Psalm 83:9-12 explains that the The Psalm 83 Confederates: goal of the Arab Tents of Edom Palestinians & Southern Jordanians confederacy is Ishmaelites Saudis (Ishmael, father of Arabs) to possess the Promised Land, Moab Palestinians & Central Jordanians like Israel’s ancient Hagarenes Egyptians (Hagar, Egypt Matriarch) enemies the Gebal Hezbollah & Northern Lebanese Midianites and Caananites once Ammon Palestinians & Northern Jordanians did. These verses Amalek Arabs of the Sinai Area also beseech the Philistia Hamas of the Gaza Strip Lord to defeat the dreadful Tyre Hezbollah & Southern Lebanese confederacy by Assyria Syrians & Northern Iraqis empowering the Israeli Defense From top to bottom, the modern-day Forces, similar to when Gideon equivalents, listed by their historic defeated the Midianites and Barak names in Psalm 83:6-8, are identified defeated the Canaanites. In both in the table. They are Israel’s enemies instances, the enemies of Israel were from time immemorial, and today defeated from top to bottom, infantry they are fixated on bannering the to generals, and princes to kings. In plight of the Palestinians. Observe the end analysis, the Midianites and that the very first member identified Caananites were defeated so soundly is the “Tents of Edom.” This may be that they ceased to ever oppress Israel significant for two reasons. again. These historical accounts can be read in Judges chapters 4 through 8. First, when a member of a confederacy is listed first, it could infer that Moreover, Psalm 83:13-17 petitions they are the lead participant of the the Lord to make the confederates prophecy. They are likened to the star like stubble, burning wood, blazing of the show, similar to the credits at fire, persecuted, afraid, ashamed, the end of a movie that rank the actors confounded, and ultimately to in order according to the significance perish. To the extent that the Arab of their roles within the film. confederacy will recognize that the Lord alone is God. Below is what Secondly, the Edomites are listed (Continued on page 31) as tent dwellers, which biblically Jewish Voice Today
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RESOURCES A RABBI LOOKS AT THE LAST DAYS Jonathan's surprising insights, drawn from both Old and New Testaments, will challenge almost everything you thought you knew about the End Times—and show how you can actually help to usher in God’s Kingdom. BOOK | ORDER #9141 | $25.00 GIFT
BEARING THE STANDARD Kevin Geoffrey's brand new book is a rallying cry to all Messiah's disciples. Bearing the Standard exhorts us to raise the banner of Scripture as the only sufficient and supreme standard for our lives.
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THE CASE FOR ISLAMOPHOBIA This book will open your eyes like never before as Walid Shoebat brings clarity to the dangers we face as a nation.
BOOK | ORDER #9135 | $30.00 GIFT
GOD’S WAR ON TERROR: ISLAM, PROPHECY, AND THE BIBLE God’s War on Terror is Walid Shoebat’s journey and his journal of studying the ancient Bible predictions that convinced him to leave Islam. BOOK | ORDER #9035 | $30.00 GIFT
IS PEACE POSSIBLE? This insightful commentary by Rabbi Jonathan Bernis combines historical, biblical, and prophetic teaching to help Believers understand what is going on and how to respond to these events. BOOK | ORDER #9095 | $10.00 GIFT
THE ISLAMIC ANTICHRIST In The Islamic Antichrist, Richardson exposes Western readers to the traditions of Islam and predicts that the End Times may not be far away. His research on the relationship between Christian End-Time prophecy and Islamic expectations of world domination will shock readers and shape the debate over radical Islam for years to come. BOOK | ORDER #9063 | $25.00 GIFT
MIDEAST BEAST Whereas most students of the Bible have long held that some form of humanism or universalist religion would catapult the Antichrist to world power, Mideast Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist systematically proves that the longawaited system of the Antichrist is even now before us and knocking at our door. BOOK | ORDER #9128 | $30.00 GIFT
MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST Jan Markell shows through pictures, commentary, film, and Scripture that all of Israel’s accusers are resorting to myths to discredit Israel’s right to exist. DVD | ORDER #6061 | $15.00 GIFT 16 JewishVoiceToday.org | July/August 2013
PSALM 83, THE MISSING PROPHECY REVEALED Bill Salus predicts a climactic, concluding Arab-Israeli war that has eluded the discernment of today's top Bible scholars, and yet, the Middle East stage appears to be set for the fulfillment of this prophecy.
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WA S H I N G TO N U P D AT E | W I L L I A M K O E N I G
The Man Behind the Voice
A
naïve, idealistic, and inexperienced 35-year-old is molding Obama's Middle East foreign policy, which is leading the region to Armageddon.
How could that be? President Obama, who had very little real-world experience before he took the office, apparently doesn't fully understand the great importance of surrounding himself with experienced Middle East staff. According to Mark Landler of The New York Times in his article “Worldly at 35, and Shaping Obama's Voice,” Benjamin J. Rhodes, a 35-year-old deputy national security adviser with a soft voice, strong opinions, and a reputation around the White House as the man who channels Mr. Obama on foreign policy, has had a very 18 JewishVoiceToday.org | July/August 2013
significant hand in some of the great failures in the Middle East in the last three years and nine months. Examples Landler gave: • Rhodes drafted Obama’s address to the Israeli people that was given in Jerusalem on Thursday, March 21 • Rhodes helped prod his boss to take a more activist policy toward Egypt and Libya when those countries erupted in 2011 • In January 2011, when protesters thronged Tahrir Square in Cairo, Rhodes urged Mr. Obama to withdraw three decades of American support for President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt • A few months later, Rhodes was among those agitating for the president to back a NATO military
•
•
intervention in Libya to head off a slaughter by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi “He became, first in the speechwriting process, and later, in the heat of the Arab Spring, a central figure,” said Michael A. McFaul, who worked with Mr. Rhodes in the National Security Council and is now the American ambassador to Russia At the White House, Rhodes first came to prominence after he wrote Mr. Obama’s landmark address to the Muslim world in Cairo in June 2009. The speech was notable for President Obama’s assertion that governments should “reflect the will of the people,” prefiguring his policy in dealing with President Hosni Mubarak and Colonel Qaddafi
“Ben always holds on to the pen,” Mr. McFaul said. “Because of his close personal relationship with the president, Ben can always make policy through the speeches and statements made by President Obama.” The speech Obama gave to the Muslim world from Cairo, Egypt, on June 4, 2009, was filled with inaccuracies, falsehoods, and total distortions, and was obviously written by someone who wasn’t familiar with the region, the long history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the depth of conflict between the Shiites and the Sunnis. Just think: Obama spoke to the Muslim world with a speech written by a young ideologue with very little real-world experience, a speech that he gained much credit for, which further led to his responsibility for preparing and writing Obama's major address to the Israelis on March 21, 2013. Ben Rhodes wasn’t even born at the time of the Six-Day War of 1967 or the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Furthermore, Rhodes has had a major influence on some very serious decisions that have had bad results in the Middle East via the Arab Spring. Moreover, the fact that Ben Rhodes can make policy through speeches and statements made by Obama is too much power for someone who doesn't have the whole picture, especially when so much is riding on U.S. decisions and actions in the Middle East. In his youthful ideology, he thought the young people’s ousting of Mubarak, with his encouragement that Obama and Hillary Clinton push him out, would turn into a revolution. The youth did have a significant role in the overthrow of the Mubarak government—and the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Nouri Salafists quickly came to power and shoved the youth aside, with some even being forced to leave Egypt.
There is an ever-growing humanitarian disaster in Egypt, and the plight of Coptic Christians is precarious. Some estimates say 100,000 have already fled the country, due to the implementation of Sharia law and a government controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Al-Nouri political parties. Additionally, Mubarak’s treatment angered U.S. allies King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and others in the Middle East—leaders who no longer trust Obama and his administration. The Libya invasion greatly angered Russia’s Vladimir Putin, strained U.S.-Russian relations, opened up a tribal conflict and a war between Islamic extremists inside the country, and led to the Benghazi debacle of Sept. 11, 2012. The U.S./NATO actions in Libya also influenced how the United States approached Syria—careful not to anger Russia any further. According to Michael Singh of the Washington Institute, in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs in late March, the United Nations has asserted that 70,000 civilians have been killed in Syria since March 2011, and almost 4 million out of a population of 22 million have been forced from their homes—about 1.2 million of whom have fled Syria entirely. These political errors and miscalculations will continue to lead the Middle East and the world toward the final-day battles and the battle for Jerusalem (Armageddon)— not a more peaceful neighborhood as the White House envisions. Read my in-depth analysis and counter to Obama's Cairo address to the Muslim world of June 4, 2009: http://goo.gl/2c83n. William Koenig is the director of “Koenig International News” (http://watch.org), an Internet news service with readers and e-mail subscribers in 50 states and 105 countries, and has been a White House correspondent since January 2001. Koenig publishes an online weekly news report called “Koenig’s Eye View from the White House” that focuses on biblically relevant world news and White House news from a Christian perspective. He has authored Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel, which is in its 14th printing, and published the book in Hebrew.
Jewish Voice Today
19
P E R S P E C T I V E | WA L I D S H O E B AT
Rebuilding the Ottoman Empire: A Sign of the Last Days The Bible declares, “by peace he shall destroy many” (Daniel 8:25 KJV).
T
oday we are getting much closer to seeing Israel make a peace treaty with an Antichrist figure, which is why we are primarily focused on one nation: Turkey. Our two-decade-old analysis— Turkey’s Ottoman Revival—has today become an ironclad case not just in prophecy circles, but also confirmed by secular analysts, who have observed leaders in Turkey outwardly declaring big plans for peace but inwardly deceiving Israel, the West, and the whole of the Middle East with their flattery. Turkey’s evil satanic leader is known by several ancient names such as “Yavan,” “Pergamum,” “chief prince of Meshech and Tuval,” and “Lydia.”
These ancient names for Turkey were sprinkled throughout the Bible, including even a Messianic prophecy in Zechariah 9:13 (OJB) where Messiah Himself is seen fighting Yavan. Indeed, around Passover this year Turkey played a significant role when Erdogan twisted Israel’s arm to accept humiliating peace terms, forcing Israel to kowtow to Turkey’s demands and even issue an apology for killing terrorists on the passenger ship Mavi Marmara. Netanyahu’s apology to the ‘Sultan’ of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has advanced Turkey in the West (no thanks to President Obama) as the nation that represents moderate (peaceful) Islam, and in the Muslim World as the nation that has brought Israel to its knees. All this has prophetic significance. Turkey is leading Israel into making
20 JewishVoiceToday.org | July/August 2013
a peace treaty, which Isaiah calls “a covenant with death” (Isaiah 28:15) that will happen in Egypt (Isaiah 30:1-2). Soon Turkey is likely to confirm the Camp David Accord, which is the main concern for Israel and its neighbor Egypt. If this happens, we need to be looking upwards, for our redemption draws near. The Muslim world is awaiting an Islamic Messiah who will make a covenant (Ba’ya) for seven years. If in doubt, just ask any Muslim scholar and they will tell you that this Mahdi will come from a non-Arab region and will enter Jerusalem and make a covenant with the sons of Aaron (the Jews). Today the West needs to listen closely to Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu proclaiming recently that his country has a big plan to rebuild the Turkish Ottoman Empire by using “peace”: “Last century was only a parenthesis for us. We will close that parenthesis. We will do so without going to war . . .” Of what “parenthesis” is Davutoglu speaking of? He is saying that Turkey will launch itself as the peacemaker in the region and will revive the Ottoman Empire as in the days of old: “we will again tie Sarajevo to Damascus, Benghazi to Erzurum to Batumi. This is the core of our power . . . These may look like all different countries to you, but Yemen and Skopje were part of the same country 110 years ago, or Erzurum and Benghazi. When we say this, they call it ‘new Ottomanism . . . ’” 1 This will tie Turkey to lead the whole of North Africa (biblical Phut) deep into central Asia, including the entire Middle East. The West needs to pay close attention to what the East says regarding Erdogan. Armenian
analyst Henry Astarjian summarizes Erdogan brilliantly: “Now comes Erdogan with his overt opposition to Israel to fill a leadership vacuum in the Islamic world. For the first time since Ataturk, Turkey has revealed hostility toward Israel, and the Arab world likes it. They like it very much. They consider Erdogan as their leader; Erdogan likes it. He champions the Palestinian cause, he champions the unity of the Islamic world, he has become a catalyst for the unity of all those who oppose Israel, he is to liberate Jerusalem. He is the new Saladin, who was a Kurd but waged a war against the Crusaders as a Muslim. Erdogan is a Turk, but also a Muslim warrior waging a war to liberate Jerusalem. Americans are mistaken in thinking that Turkey is a secular country. The U.S. deludes itself by thinking that it can contain Iran by supporting Erdogan’s government. The State Department deludes itself by thinking that Turkey and Israel can live in Pax Americana.” 2 With Syria (Iran’s ally) in shambles and Iraq’s power humiliated when its wings were plucked out by the West (Daniel 7:4), the only struggle for power left is the outcome of this regional contest between Turkey (the Leopard) and Iran (the Bear), which is determining the power center in the “Great Sea” (Daniel 7) , or the Mediterranean region. With the rise of Erdogan’s Ottoman dream, no analyst can deny that we can justly lay claim that Erdogan is the most popular politician in the Muslim world. While many would disagree, we urge students of the Bible to focus on parallels, hermeneutics, and longterm fulfillments when it comes to
Daniel’s prophecies, most of which were sealed until the time of the end (Daniel 12:9). Contrary to what most modern western prophecy circles that conjectured a European Antichrist think, we see Turkey’s leadership emerging to focus on Jerusalem, which Erdogan calls “the apple of my eyes.” Daniel declared: by peace he shall destroy many (Daniel 8:25 KJV). In the beginning of Antichrist’s reign, and similar to Davutoglu’s declaration (“without going to war”), he will establish his power and rebuild an empire that was once wounded. Today we see that this wound of the Ottomans is being healed. The Sick Man of Europe died and its deadly wound is being healed soon to be seen, not only at the gates of Vienna, but also at the gates of Jerusalem. For more, please read God’s War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy, and the Bible. NOTES: 1. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/03/ turkey-davutologu-ottoman-new-order-mideast.html 2. Armenian Weekly http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/07/01/astarjianerdogan-a-modern-day-saladin/
Walid Shoebat was born into a prominent Arab Muslim family in Bethlehem and was raised to hate Jews and the Western world. He joined the PLO and was involved in numerous acts of terror, including the attempted lynching of an Israeli soldier. He immigrated to the United States where, upon a challenge to discredit the Bible in order to convert his wife, he found the truth and became a Believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in 1993. His life has been dedicated to exposing the danger and deception of Islam, and spreading the Good News of Israel’s Messiah at great personal risk through speaking engagements, on television, radio, and the web, and through the production of books, CDs, and DVDs, such as God’s War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy, and the Bible (see page 16). Jewish Voice Today
21
PERSPEC TIVE | RANDALL PRICE
I
n reciting their thrice-daily prayers, observant Jews around the world turn in the direction of the site of the former Temple in Holy Jerusalem. However, according to a recent survey of Israel’s public, 43 percent of secular Israelis and 92 percent of religious Jews (an average of 52 percent of the entire Jewish public) support Jews being allowed to physically pray at the Temple Mount. The 1,300-year-long Muslim occupation of the site, as well as their political clout, makes the realization of this goal problematic. It has caused the Israeli government to support their unwavering prohibition of any non-Islamic act of worship (prayer, Torah reading, even carrying a Bible or ancient Temple drawings) on the Temple Mount. Countless riots, skirmishes, and even war have erupted here over alleged Jewish attempts to exercise their religious claims to the site. (The second Intifada, known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada after the Islamic name for the sacred site, claimed its rise from Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount in September 2000.) At the center of the Jewish call to reclaim the Temple Mount is the Temple Movement, birthed in Israel as a result of Israel’s 1967 conquest of eastern Jerusalem that made possible Jewish access to the Temple Mount for the
22 JewishVoiceToday.org | July/August 2013
first time in almost 2,000 years. Because one-third of the 613 commandments were unable to be fulfilled due to the absence of a Temple, the rabbis that participated in the Temple Mount’s deliverance in the Six Day War believed it was time to reverse this situation. Many of the early efforts of these rabbis were in education, but after the first Palestinian Intifada in 1987, the rabbis who advocated a return to the Temple Mount were galvanized into organizations to prepare recovery of the site from Muslim occupation in order to rebuild a Third Temple.
Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) tabled a bill calling for a change in the legal status of the Temple Mount. The status quo agreement established in 1967 called for the site to be under Israeli sovereignty but administered by the Islamic Waqf and that non-Muslims had no rights or access to the site for religious purposes. The Waqf violated the status quo from 20002003 by forbidding Jews to enter the site for any reason, resulting in a closure of the Temple Mount to all persons, including government officials. This bill would make it possible for Israel to exercise real sovereignty and permit the prayers of all people at the site.
Over the next two decades these disassociated groups of Orthodox Jews developed competing research and activist The government support is interesting organizations that promoted social in light of one of the goals of the Temple At the center of the awareness of the need for a Temple Movement being the political overthrow and appealed to the government to Jewish call to reclaim of the current secular democratic end the ban on Jewish prayers on the government and the reestablishment of the Temple Mount is the Davidic Monarchy. This has been a Temple Mount. The two most vocal and conspicuous organizations have the Temple Movement, particular project proposed by the revival been the Temple Institute, founded by of the Sanhedrin, the ancient Jewish birthed in Israel as a high court of law dissolved in A.D. 358. Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, a member of the Israeli Paratroop Brigade during the result of Israel’s 1967 Prof. Hillel Weiss, a literature teacher Six-Day War and one of the first to reach from Bar-Ilan University, and chairman conquest of eastern the Western Wall, which is dedicated of Friends of the Temple, is at the front to preparing the ritual vessels for the seeking to restore the Sanhedrin, and Jerusalem that made of Temple service; and the Temple Mount since 2004 various rabbis have met as Faithful, headed by Gershon Salomon, possible Jewish access a “renewed Sanhedrin” to discuss its whose unit in the war also reached institution and implementation of to the Temple Mount formal the Temple Mount, that has sought to goals such as rebuilding the Temple and reverse the political prohibitions against for the first time in returning to the sacrificial system. Jewish worship at the site and prepare for the rebuilding of the Temple. Today almost 2,000 years. This new impetus of Jewish fervor for the there has been a significant proliferation Temple Mount has crossed religious lines of new organizations, and no less than ten of the former and has attracted young secular Zionists. As Eldad has established organizations share an active central explained, “What had been marginal once upon a time administration. is gaining momentum. Temple Mount is perceived as avant-garde. It attracts the young. Maybe older people had Once consigned to extremist fringes by the government become accustomed to Temple Mount belonging to the and the media, the Movement is now endorsed by many Arabs and waiting for the [third] Temple to fall from the Orthodox rabbis who have withdrawn their ban on heavens.” visiting the Temple Mount, and joined by a growing number of moderate rabbis, who regularly visit the site The new mainstream status of the Temple Movement has themselves. Even the Education Ministry has taken sides been a factor in the Palestinian Authority ratcheting up by encouraging pupils to visit the Temple Mount. their revisionist rhetoric denying a Jewish Temple ever existed at the site and to make the withdrawal of Israel The Movement is also supported by those in the Israeli to the pre-1967 war lines and the demand for Jerusalem government in recent years. In 2012 Vice Prime Minister as the capital of the Palestinian state a non-negotiable Silvan Shalom was a guest of honor at the annual Temple starting point in renewed peace talks. From the side of the Mount Conference sponsored by Temple Movement Israeli government, the pressure exerted by the EU and the organizations, and many Knesset members have United States to comply with Palestinian demands, as well visited the site with others even participating in public as the threat by the Arab states and fear of provocation demonstrations with the Temple Movement. Moreover, (Continued on page 31) Knesset Members Aryeh Eldad (National Union) and Jewish Voice Today
23
P E R S P E C T I V E | G E R A L D G OT Z E N
Quest for
Scattered Tribes of Israel the
24 JewishVoiceToday.org | July/August 2013
R
abbi Schlomo Riskin makes this amazing comment in The Jerusalem Post: “The continual survival of the nation of Israel, despite exile and persecution in accordance with the Divine Covenant, serves as eloquent testimony to the reality and truth of God: the historic community of Israel stands as the most persuasive witness to God's presence in the world and history.” Since the captivity by the Assyrians and the Babylonians in the 8th and the 6th centuries BCE, a continual search has been made regarding their location and identity. Real evidence is available that the Karait community in the region of the Caspian Sea, the Pathans from Afghanistan, and the Bnei Menashe from Manipur, India, are descendants of the Lost Tribes who practice their ancient Jewish customs. Focusing our attention on Africa, especially Ethiopia, the Beta Israel have lived in isolation and affliction from the time of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon in Jerusalem. According to their tradition, they made the difficult journey along the river Nile and through the deserts of Arabia across the Red Sea to the land of Ethiopia. The events recorded in Acts 8:26-40 of the official from Ethiopia, who was actually the finance minister with royal connections, confirms that he was Jewish. The purpose of his visit was “to worship” and he was reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah when the evangelist Philip joined him in his chariot. On his confession of faith that Yeshua was the Son of God, he gladly accepted baptism - ‘mikva.’ The Jewish Community adhered to the Torah and observed the feasts of Leviticus. During the Passover, they slaughtered a lamb. There was absolutely no knowledge of the
teaching of the Talmud. Throughout the generations, their hope and prayer was eventually to make aliyah. Regularly on the Sabbath, the congregation would all stand in the direction of Jerusalem (to the north) and pray from their hearts: “The hungry go to food, the thirsty go to water, but I shall go to Jerusalem.” The miracle of the exodus took place in
Unfortunately, they are treated with a certain amount of suspicion and even hostility. Many of them are now Messianic Believers. Since I met Jonathan Bernis by Divine appointment in the Ghion Hotel in 2004, Jewish Voice Ministries has been arranging the medical missions every year with the establishment of a permanent clinic.
They have maintained secret traditions of their Jewish identity, beliefs, and customs. They keep the Mosaic laws with a strict observance of the Sabbath and celebrate the Passover by eating unleavened bread. 1985 when thousands of them escaped to the Sudan. It was called Operation Moses. Then in May 1991, during the festival of Shavuot when the Communist regime was collapsing, Operation Solomon took place. Today the government of Israel recognizes that approximately 140,000 Jewish People from Ethiopia have returned to the Promised Land; and about 40,000 have been born in Israel. One of the rabbis has stated: “The return of the Jews from Ethiopia is a sign of the coming of the Messiah.” By surprise in the spring of 1992 I was introduced to the House of Abraham residing in the district of Kechene on the edge of Addis Ababa. They are known as “The Hidden Community.” They could be described as ‘The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel.’ They have maintained secret traditions of their Jewish identity, beliefs, and customs. They keep the Mosaic laws with a strict observance of the Sabbath and celebrate the Passover by eating unleavened bread. Every boy and girl is taught a trade by their parents. Their crafts are displayed in weaving, pottery, and building.
With Pastor Kassahun from the ministry of Beit Shalom and Mezmur ZeMichael, the African director of Jewish Voice, we travelled to a remote district about six years ago. It was a real adventure of faith. Upon our arrival, we were introduced to the leaders of the Gefat community, who originated from Gondar and the region of the Blue Nile. They revealed to us for the first time in their history that their ancestors came from the Beta Israel. Because of various pressures, they were forced to convert to Christianity. Very secretly they practiced customs that were definitely Jewish and they have a love for Israel. Their neighbors regard them with apprehension and maintain a certain distance from them. Since this discovery, Jewish Voice has regularly conducted medical outreaches, treating with compassion nearly 10,000 patients in a week, and distributing a special edition of the Bible with the Star of David on the front cover. It is estimated their population is approaching 200,000. These people living in Ethiopia can be described as ‘the outcasts of Israel.’
(Continued on page 31) Jewish Voice Today
25
PERSPEC TIVE | JAN MARKELL
O D A H S E R THE FO I
f the strong delusion that is racing across the globe doesn’t shock you, something is wrong! Whether it was the ecstasy on thousands of faces in St. Peter’s Square waiting with adoring eyes for their new Pope, or the shenanigans in Israel earlier this year, it’s a scary time. It’s both a privilege and a challenge to be born for such a time as this. The Bible speaks extensively about delusion! It is on overdrive in the Last Days. And you saw deluded college students in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 21. When Barack Obama suggested that they had to give away more land, the Leftist students applauded for a full minute. Though the land give-away has never worked, I guess this time, they thought that Obama delivering the idea in person in Tel Aviv was the magic trick needed! This time, world, just watch. It’s a go! Keep in mind that rockets were raining down on Israel as Obama spoke! Yet, this idea, that is, weakening their own security, was still a good idea to them. “For I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:12-14 NKJV).
26 JewishVoiceToday.org | July/August 2013
An American president screamed, “Peace! Peace! Give up more land for it! The hour is at hand. I have the magical formula. Hear me out. This time, I guarantee, it will work.” Could you imagine with me the Antichrist speaking to Israelis as he will someday, just like this? He will offer Israel a peace covenant in a manner similar to this. Was the March 21 speech a dress rehearsal? A dry run? I am not suggesting that Barack Obama is the Antichrist, as we don’t know who it will be. But a man talking about peace journeyed to a land occupied by people who long for it, although they haven’t a clue how to bring it about other than land exchanges. Keep in mind that in the Palestinian territories, there are streets, public squares, summer camps, high schools, and even a kindergarten named after suicide bombers and other mass murderers. So much for the notion that if only Israelis would care about Arab kids, peace would be possible. Israelis have wanted nothing more than peace and security for all the children. That’s why they accepted the 1947 U.N. partition of British Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state. Unfortunately, the Arabs said no. To this day, the Palestinians have rejected every peace offer that leaves a Jewish state standing.
Harness The Power of
G N I W O
Speaking God's Word
For Your Peace
The Bible foretells through Paul to the Thessalonian Believers that in the Last Days, a time in church history would come when God would send “strong delusion.” In like manner, Paul even warned Timothy that in the Last Days, there would be a group of demons who would infiltrate the churches with false and mixed doctrine, capable of even causing some to “depart from the faith” and give heed to devilish false teachings. God instigates this. It’s not just the increase of evil that brings this on. Yes, Satan ratchets up his evil in the Last Days, but God sends the delusion. I think He gets mighty disgusted and just sends the delusion as a judgment! He washes His hands and turns His back.
CONFESSING THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES
You don’t want to be on the back-side of God as He does this. Those Israeli students were on the back-side of God, and they were blinded.
The second of the Confessing The Hebrew Scriptures series is Adonai—Jehovah Sha•lom (Hoo Sha•lom), The Lord Is Peace. Like volume one, this workbook is a carefully selected collection of Scriptures that contain the English, Hebrew, and transliterated Hebrew words for peace. Beautiful photographs and an accompanying CD features every Scripture recited in Hebrew by a native Israeli, so you can hear the correct pronunciation.
Our times are way too perilous to be this unprotected. So, we’ve had a foreshadowing of the blind and strong delusion that will play out unchecked in the Last Days. We’re having lots of dress rehearsals these days. Most of them are around dark events. That’s why the Bible reminds us to stay yoked to one another and to God at the end of the end. There are even murkier waters ahead. Look up and not around! Jan Markell is host of the syndicated Understanding the Times radio show on 650 radio outlets. The radio show is live Saturdays, 9 a.m. CST out of Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Minn. Go to www.olivetreeviews.org for more.
ADONAI HOO SHA•LOM
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PERSPECTIVE | KEVIN GEOFFREY
WHAT KIND OF PERSON
MUST WE BE?
So let not this one thing be unobserved by you, beloved, that one day with the LORD is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The LORD is not slow in regard to the promise, as certain [ones] count slowness, but is patient toward us, not wanting any to be destroyed, but all to yield to reformation. And it will come—the Day of the LORD—as a thief in the night, in which the heavens 28 JewishVoiceToday.org | July/August 2013
will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements be dissolved with burning heat, and earth and the actions in it will be burnt up. All these, then, being dissolved, what kind of people must you be in holy behavior and godly acts? [The kind who are] waiting for and hastening the [coming] presence of the Day of God (by which the heavens, being on fire, will be dissolved, and the elements will melt with burning heat). And we wait for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise in which righteousness will live. —Keifa Beit (2 Peter) 3:8-13
A
s the world around us appears to be spiraling faster and deeper into darkness, there is a feeling that the end of the world is rapidly approaching—that time is winding down, and God must be close to putting a stop to it all. But what if it’s not that simple? What if it’s not just a matter of waiting on God to exact His vengeance, bringing about the inevitable end of an increasingly degenerate world? On the contrary, according to Keifa (Peter), it is not the preponderance of evil that speeds us closer to the Last Days, but the holy behavior and godly actions of the righteous—the followers of Messiah. It has been nearly two thousand years since Yeshua appeared to us, leaving His disciples with an expectation for the End of Days and His soon return. So why are we still here? Why does God delay in bringing His followers to Himself, and endure the fallen creation that rejects His evident existence? Because He is patient toward us, not wanting any to be destroyed, but all to yield to reformation. Despite the world’s corruption and perversion, God is doing all He can to fulfill His promise to His children by demonstrating His extreme, supreme patience. Though He most certainly will destroy and punish those who oppose (or ignore) Him, destruction is not what He
wants. Surely, the Day of the LORD will come without warning as a thief in the night; nevertheless, He is delaying its arrival as long as He can. But the Creator of the universe is not the only One who is waiting. We, the followers of Yeshua, also wait for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise in which righteousness will live. So, on the one hand, God is patiently and faithfully holding back the world’s inevitable end. Yet on the other hand, we who long to be eternally with our Master—free from the evil and unrighteousness of this world—eagerly welcome His coming . . . swiftly and soon. How, then, will this tension be resolved? What is our responsibility as Yeshua’s representatives to a fallen creation? Keifa gives us the decisive answer: [You must] be in holy behavior and godly acts . . . waiting for and hastening the [coming] presence of the Day of God. This simple yet profound truth ought to come as a stinging slap across the face: the manner in which we live our daily lives as disciples of Messiah hastens the Day of the Master’s return! Though we must patiently wait for God to eventually fulfill His promise, amazingly, we mere human beings can also speed or slow the coming of that Day by how we live our everyday lives. God is waiting on us to know whether or not we
will walk according to His Word, the Scriptures; to see if we are the kind of people who will walk daily in holy behavior and godly acts. The Creator of the Universe is waiting on—of all things—you. He is waiting for you and me, the followers of Messiah, to do our part in saving the world. Won’t you help hasten the coming of the Day of God by living according to the perfect standard of Scripture? Won’t you submit your actions, attitudes, and behavior to the holiness and godliness of His Word? Have you truly dedicated your life to serving and proclaiming the Messiah Yeshua alone? Then what are you waiting for? Scripture verses are modified from the Young’s Literal Translation and have been updated for the modern Messianic reader.
Kevin Geoffrey is the principal laborer of Perfect Word Ministries, a Messianic Jewish equipping ministry. Visit Perfect Word online at www.PerfectWordMinistries.org.
NEW! BEARING THE STANDARD Why is the body of Messiah ineffective in the world today? Because we have compromised God’s perfect Word, the Scriptures. Bearing the Standard is Kevin Geoffrey's rallying cry to all of Messiah's disciples, calling us to boldly raise the banner of Scripture as the only sufficient and supreme standard for our lives. See page 16 for order information
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the final verse of the Psalm says concerning this climactic concluding Arab-Israeli war.
over Jewish claims to the Islamic holy sites, has prevented any official support of the Movement’s goals. However, one constant in the Middle East is that a lot can change in a short amount of time.
The main purpose of Jewish Voice is discovery and recovery of “The Sheep of the House of Israel.”
That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth (Psalm 83:18 NKJV). When the prophecy is fulfilled, the record will be set straight as to whether Allah, the god of Islam, or the Lord, the God of the Bible, is the greater God. In the aftermath of an IDF victory over the Psalm 83 confederates, no longer will the Islamic Jihadist be able to declare confidently, “Allahu Akbar,” which is commonly interpreted as “Allah is the greatest,” or “the greater god.” The reality will begin to promptly set in among Muslims across the globe that Allah is an imposter, the greatest false god! The prophet Zephaniah sheds more light upon the demise of Allah. The LORD will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations (Zephaniah 2:11 NKJV). To achieve a greater understanding of the prelude, episode, and aftermath of the Psalm 83 prophecy, you are encouraged to read Psalm 83 – The Missing Prophecy Revealed, How Israel Becomes the Next Mideast Superpower (see page 17). Bill Salus is an author, researcher, lecturer, and radio talk show host of the popular Prophecy Update Radio program. In his book Revelation Road: Hope Beyond The Horizon, Salus combines fiction with nonfiction and focuses on the prophetic relevance of current Middle East and world events, revealing biblical truth concerning God’s Chosen People and the Last Days.
The Temple Movement is of particular interest to those who take a future and literal interpretation of the biblical prophecies concerning the second coming of Yeshua and of Israel’s restoration. The New Covenant predicted by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31-33) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36-37) included a renewed Davidic rule and Temple priesthood, including the rebuilding of the Temple and revival of animal sacrifices (Jeremiah 33:15-22; Ezekiel 37:27-28). In addition, Yeshua’s statements in the Olivet Discourse, as well as those of Paul, foretold a rebuilt Temple would stand before the return of Messiah and be desecrated by the Anti-messiah (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), apparently in fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 9:27). As the Temple Movement prepares for the return of the Temple, many prophetic students believe such actions signal the nearness of the return of Messiah as the Scriptures declare: “Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come . . .” (Malachi 3:1). Randall Price received his Th.M. in Old Testament from Dallas Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in Middle East Studies from the University of Texas. He also did graduate study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is Distinguished Research Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Judaic Studies at Liberty University (www.liberty.edu/ judaicstudies) and the Founder & Director of World of the Bible Ministries, Inc. (www.worldofthebible. com). He has published numerous books on the subject of the Temple and the Middle East conflict.
How can we truly establish their identity? First, by their location, the region where they are residing. Second, by their vocation—their occupation as weavers, metal and pottery workers, masons, and carpenters; including their reputation as herbal practitioners, which is legendary. And, finally, the witness of the relations, or the members of the family who are able to confirm their identity. Through your prayers and practical concern for the Chosen People, you have the possibility and the opportunity to relieve their suffering and to give them hope for the future. The cry of these Jewish communities from Ethiopia is this: “Hear our prayer, God, King of the universe; When You help your People Israel You help all mankind. Have mercy on the city of Jerusalem: Let us enjoy Your kingdom With your Chosen People in Israel.” It was the famous author of the book Treasure Island, R. L. Stevenson, who wrote: “At the end of the day, you shall not be judged by the harvest you have reaped, but by the seeds you have planted.” Gerald Gotzen is a JVMI UK board member and a respected, world-renowned leading authority on Ethiopia Jews. He has worked with Ethiopian Jews for 45 years, and partners with Beth Shalom, a Jewish Voice-supported ministry in Addis Ababa. Gerald and his wife, Elly, distribute large consignments of Bibles, publish Christian literature, and minister practically to the Ethiopian people. Jewish Voice Today
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