Jerusalem, Jerusalem How I Would have gathered you under my wings

Joseph F. Dumond

Isa 6:9-12 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Published: Mar 31, 2011

News Letter 5846-064
27th day of the 13th month 5846 years after creation
The 13th Month in the first year of the third Sabbatical Cycle
The Third Sabbatical Cycle of the 119th Jubilee Cycle

April 2, 2011

 

Shabbat Shalom Brethren,

I want to let those of you in the Harrisburg area of PA to be aware that The Prophecies of Abraham and the DVD, The Chronological Order of Prophecy are now available at the JOY Books Store in Sinking Springs PA. Go there and you can then see just how packed this book is with information. Let them know you appreciate the Messianic section to the book store.
You can look them up at http://www.echristianstore.com/joybookstore/Default.aspx?tabid=15320

One person wrote in to share their thoughts about the book.

Joseph,

Regarding your Book, The Prophecies of Abraham.
Just want to say thank you for sharing your time and effort that you have put into these studies. This is helping us tremendously. I appreciate that you don’t hold it back as treasure just found for yourself. It gives me the opportunity to study this without having to put in all of the effort before hand, with homeschooling, being a mother and wife, this is a blessing unto us. It is so exciting to discover the truth.

Thank You,

Shalom Another wrote to say;

Joseph,

You said,

“I do not see anything here where it says we are to fight amongst ourselves over how to say His name.
So get off your high horse and get your butt out the door and go back to the places you all have come from, the churches and false religions you all used to keep and go back to these places and find others who are looking to know about the truth. Teach them the Sabbath and Holy Days and how they reveal the entire plan of Salvation, and how you will not understand it unless you start to keep and obey it. Stop the endless bickering please. And do not teach them the lies of those things we have spoken of above. Teach them the Torah and quote it to them; then go and find another and another and never stop.”
To that, I say, “AMEIN!!!!!” We have too important of a message to get out to millions of people, we don’t have time to bicker over such things!!
btw, I learned so much by reading The Prophecies of Abraham. Just passed it on to a friend and I will read it again when he is completed.

YHWH bless you achi!

 

Others from Belgium meet in one home and they said they love the News Letters, and another wrote to tell me “We Believe!!!” from Colorado.

Thank you brethren for your notes and encouragement and for supporting the farm Project.

We are awaiting the sighting of the New Crescent moon from Jerusalem to begin the New Year and then to know exactly when the Passover will be and the Days of Unleavened Bread. You now have just two weeks to de-leaven your properties.


 

Whenever the Middle East is upended by violence and hostility, Israel is generally at or near the center of controversy. But with the recent uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya, the tiny Jewish state has been left alone to watch these frightful events from the sidelines.

This past week, Israel’s short-lived role as spectator ended abruptly when a bomb exploded at a Jerusalem bus stop, killing a British woman and injuring more than 30 others. It was the first time in nearly seven years that Jerusalem was hit by a bomb.

This explosion follows the resumption of Hamas’s rocket barrage on southern Israel and the Fogel family massacre in the West Bank on March 11. Added together, these attacks represent a deliberate escalation of violence against Israel.

And looming larger than ever before, behind the scenes, is the Islamic Republic of Iran. From the very beginning of the region-wide turmoil that started in December, Iran has been covertly working to first destabilize, and then dominate, the entire Middle East—just as the Bible said it would.

Nothing illustrates this grand strategy quite like the revolution in Egypt. Despite the best efforts of the Western media to convince us otherwise, this was a radical Islamic uprising from the very beginning.

Egypt’s military began preparations for an Egyptian swing into the Iranian camp as soon as Mubarak stepped down. This is why the Iranian Navy was granted safe passage through the Suez Canal within days of the regime change. It’s why Egypt’s new foreign minister has proposed opening Egypt’s border with Gaza. It’s why the exiled Jew-hating father figure of the Muslim Brotherhood was allowed to return to Egypt with a celebrated speech about the forthcoming Islamic conquest of Jerusalem. And it’s why Egypt’s military has cleared the way for the Muslim
Brotherhood to take over the reins of government this fall.

Last weekend, Egyptian voters overwhelmingly supported a referendum for constitutional reform that will limit presidential powers, but which also clears the way for legislative elections to occur as early as June, which leaves little time for secular groups to mount a successful campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood—the largest, best-organized political force in Egypt.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the constitutional amendments “were written by a group handpicked by the military that didn’t include anyone from an organized political group other than the Muslim Brotherhood. All leading secular democratic figures in Egypt opposed the referendum”.

One of the loudest opposition voices was Mohamed ElBaradei. Just a few weeks ago, he was seen by many as a leading candidate to bringing about democratic reform in Egypt. On Saturday, Islamic radicals hurled stones and shoes at ElBaradei as he attempted to vote against the referendum.

There can be no doubt that these events have galvanized the terrorist sponsors in Tehran. They know Egypt is now on their side. They know the forces of religious extremism are closing in on Israel from every side. And they know the Israel-Egypt peace treaty is in danger of becoming obsolete.

Against this backdrop, what a perfect time this is to provoke another conflict with Israel.

The escalating tensions between Palestinians and Jews have already been compared to the run-up to Operation Cast Lead two years ago. Israel has already responded to the rocket attacks by firing missiles at launching pads in Gaza.

“No country would be prepared to absorb protracted missile fire on its cities and civilians, and of course the State of Israel is not prepared to,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this week. “It could be that this matter will entail exchanges of blows, and it may take a certain period of time, but we are very determined to strike at the terrorist elements and deny them the means of attacking our citizens.”

Israel’s response to Palestinian provocation may well play right into Iranian hands. As Stratfor reported on March 23, Israeli retaliation could endanger the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, especially if Israel lashes out at Hamas in Gaza.

Stratfor wrote, “When looking at the unrest overall in the region, the one key ingredient that was missing was Israel. Israel is often the single unifying call for many on the Arab streets, and that is certainly something that a lot of Palestinian factions will be paying attention to right now.

Watch for groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and others in the region to escalate attacks in an effort to provoke a military confrontation with Israeli forces, create a crisis for Egypt through the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and threaten Israel on multiple fronts. This is something that could well play to the Iranian agenda and escalate the regional unrest overall.”

Among Middle East analysts, it has been commonly known that Israel’s alliances with Turkey and Egypt have really been all that have held its enemies at bay for many years. The alliance with Turkey is now extremely fragile—leaving the peace treaty with Egypt the only real security for Israel.

Former cia official Reuel Marc Gerecht, speaking at a forum on the Muslim Brotherhood convened by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Monday, warned that the Muslim Brotherhood would seek to scrap Egypt’s treaty with Israel. “I think it’s highly likely the Muslim Brotherhood will push very hard for a review of the treaty with Israel,” he said, adding that since much of the secular elite also disliked Israel, “it is possible that you will see that treaty nullified.”

Moreover, he pointed out the extraordinary support Muslim Brotherhood affiliates around the globe have for Hamas. “One point that brings them all together is their support for Hamas. That is the one issue on which they do not compromise,” he said.

This, then, well illustrates why Iran is so pleased with developments in Egypt. In reality, they bring it one step closer to its goal of claiming the city it believes belongs to Islam.

Zechariah 14:2 prophesies that half of Jerusalem is going to fall. Zechariah is speaking of an impending, partial conquest of the Holy City by Islamic warriors—one that will precede a total conquest of the city by a European force.

As Iran works behind the scenes today to destabilize and dominate Middle Eastern nations in turmoil, realize this is all part of its plan to dismantle the obstacles to it taking Jerusalem.

However, remember also that in the final analysis, after the biblical nation of Judah has been punished, there will come a time when, as Isaiah prophesies, “the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off” (Isaiah 11:13)—when Jerusalem truly will be a city of peace upon Messiah’s return.

We have been shouting out to you and those on FB warnings of what is happening in the world as reported in the nightly news.

We get our understanding from the Sabbatical and Jubilee years cycles and from The Prophecies of Abraham. Daniel 11:40-43 tells us that the King of the North will come down and take over Egypt and Libya and Ethiopia. In the news in recent months has been Egypt and Libya.

We have been telling you to watch Ethiopia and now it is beginning there as well.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/24/thousands-christians-displaced-ethiopia-muslim-extremists-torch-churches-homes-2057387870/?cmpid=cmty_fb_Gigya_Thousands_of_Christians_Displaced_in_Ethiopia_After_Muslim_Extremists_Torch_Churches%2C_Homes

Thousands of Christians have been forced to flee their homes in Western Ethiopia after Muslim extremists set fire to roughly 50 churches and dozens of Christian homes. At least one Christian has been killed, many more have been injured and anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 have been displaced in the attacks that began March 2 after a Christian in the community of Asendabo was accused of desecrating the Koran.

The violence escalated to the point that federal police forces sent to the area two weeks ago were initially overwhelmed by the mobs. Government spokesman Shimelis Kemal told Voice of America police reinforcements had since restored order and 130 suspects had been arrested and charged with instigating religious hatred and violence. 
 “We believe there are elements of the Kawarja sect and other extremists who have been preaching religious intolerance in the area,” he said at a Saturday press conference. 
 The string of attacks comes on the heels of several reports of growing anti-Christian tension and violence around the country where Muslims make up roughly one third of the total population but more than 90 percent of the population in certain areas, 2007 Census data shows. 


So why is all of this of any importance? Why should any of us care? Because this is all leading up to the capture of Jerusalem as we shared with you above.

As we approach Passover it was here on the Mount of Olives, and in particular the Mount now known as the Mount of Offence that Abraham offered Isaac. It was at this time known as Mount Moriah. Isaac represented Yehshua and just like Yehovah who was willing to sacrifice His own son so was Abraham.

Paraphrased from http://www.thetrumpet.com/?page=book&q=1209.6.0.1

 


 

Jerusalem is a powder keg, loaded with nuclear potential! No city on Earth is so fraught with INTERNATIONAL TENSION as JERUSALEM!

Not only does this ancient city play a central role in the beliefs of the three major religions—Judaism, Islam and Christianity—it is a powerful nationalist symbol for both Arabs and Jews.

Today the Israelis and Palestinians are in a bloody deadlock over who will control Jerusalem. They have tried for years now to resolve their many differences through negotiation and compromise. But their talks always break down over Jerusalem!

This is an impossible problem with no resolution that will be acceptable to all parties. As one analyst put it, “A peace between the Arabs and Jews that does not resolve the question of Jerusalem will be no peace. Indeed, a peace that weakens the Jews by returning the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights to Arab control but leaves Jerusalem as an unresolved dispute will make war more not less likely.?
?The assumption of the diplomats that all things can be solved by negotiation underestimates the emotions involved. Jerusalem is non-negotiable” (Islamic Affairs Analyst, June 1, 1993). That means there is NO PEACEFUL SOLUTION.

The situation is very bad in Jerusalem today, but your Bible says it will get MUCH WORSE before it gets better.

Yehshua spoke of Jerusalem when addressing the leadership of His day in Mathew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you tithe the mint and the anise and the cumin,1 and have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah: the right-ruling and the compassion and the belief. These need to have been done, without neglecting the others. Footnote:1The wording in Lk. 11:42 is somewhat different.

And in Mathew 23:29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Yet THEY PROCEEDED TO SPILL FAR MORE PRECIOUS BLOOD—THAT OF YESHUA!

This isn’t a message just to the Jews. It’s a message to ALL people—especially religious people! “Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who did murder the prophets – 32 and you fill up the measure of your fathers! 33 “Serpents, brood of adders! How would you escape the judgment of Gehenna? (verses 31 33).

If they didn’t kill the prophets, they drove them out of town. YEHSHUA CALLED THESE CORRUPT RELIGIOUS LEADERS SERPENTS AND VIPERS! Then Yehshua delivered some dire prophecies.

“Truly, I say to you, all this shall come upon this generation. “Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her! How often I wished to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you would not! (verses 36 37). “O JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM,” that kills and stones the prophets. Throughout the ages, Yehshuawould have gathered the children of Jerusalem (and all mankind) like a hen gathers her little chickens, but they refused.

They didn’t want Yehovah in their religion—OR IN THEIR LIVES! That is true of all religious and non-religious people throughout man’s history.

And what a price Jerusalem (and all mankind) has paid. Yehshua says the word woe eight times in this chapter. We shall see that Jerusalem’s history has been filled with woe, woe, woe. And the worst is YET TO COME! But so is the best, which is greater than we can even imagine.

“Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (verse 38). Really all we need to do is look at Jerusalem’s past and present, with its history of bloodshed and desolation, to realize that things will never improve until the glorified Yehshua intervenes. RIVERS OF BLOOD HAVE FLOWED IN THAT CITY!

The suffering that has occurred in Jerusalem is a type of what will happen to all humanity before Yehshua’s Second Coming. Yehshua wants all mankind to learn a lesson from what has happened in Jerusalem. So far, that lesson has not been learned. This city, so filled with woe and desolation, will soon learn a major lesson from Yehovah—because of a far more intense woe and desolation yet to come.

Israel, most of all, should be inspired to seek Yehovah just because of Jerusalem’s history. The Jews want to be religious, but their way, not Yehovah’s way. Again and again Yehovah has appealed to Israel, but it continues to rebel. It refuses to set an example for the world. Now mankind has come to the point where every human being is about to be destroyed unless Yehshua intervenes (Matthew 24:21).

Matthew 24, the Olivette prophecy, which foretells a cataclysmic global destruction, follows Yehshua’s condemnation of Jerusalem in chapter 23. We now face human extinction because Jerusalem and Israel (and the world) have REJECTED YEHSHUA!

Father and Son
What is so special about Jerusalem? Why is it so important to Yehovah?

The exciting history and prophecy of Jerusalem began all the way back in Genesis. And it came to be after these events that Elohim tried Ab?raham, and said to him, “Ab?raham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Take your son, now, your only son Yitsh?aq, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriyah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I command you.” (Genesis 22:1-2). The land of Moriah has always been associated with Jerusalem. This is where Abraham was about to sacrifice his son.

“And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son” (verse 10). But Yehovah stopped him. but the Messenger of ???? called to him from the heavens and said, “Ab?raham, Ab?raham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy, nor touch him. For now I know that you fear Elohim, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (verses 11 12). Isaac was as good as dead in his dad’s mind.

Abraham and Isaac were a type of Yehovah the Father and Jesus Christ. That is a major reason why this incident occurred in the Jerusalem area. Later, Yehovah the Father did sacrifice His only begotten Son in Jerusalem. The very Son of Yehovah was sacrificed in Jerusalem. How rich and inspiring the history of Jerusalem is!

But as we will see later, the richest part of that history is yet to be fulfilled.

 

Yehovah Chose Jerusalem

Notice this remarkable statement that Yehovah made: “Only, I shall not tear away all the reign but give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant Dawid?, and for the sake of Yerushalayim which I have chosen.” (1?Kings 11:13). YEHOVAH HIMSELF CHOSE JERUSALEM. HE DIDN’T CHOOSE PARIS OR LONDON OR NEW YORK—HE CHOSE JERUSALEM.

Imagine: This is a city Yehovah has chosen! It is yet to dazzle the world with its brilliance! The whole world will soon be looking to this city for leadership. Yehovah is now calling out spiritual Israel, His Church, to have its headquarters in Jerusalem and rule the world. He is offering you, if you are one of those called-out ones, the greatest responsibility ever given to any man.

There is strong evidence that Melchizedek founded Jerusalem. And Malkitsed?eq sovereign of Shal?m brought out bread and wine. Now he was the priest of the Most High ?l. (Genesis 14:18). Melchizedek was king of Salem, which became known as “Jeru-salem.” Jeru is canaanite for city and Salem is Peace. For this Malkitsed?eq, sovereign of Shal?m, priest of the Most High Elohim, who met Ab?raham returning from the slaughter of the sovereigns and blessed him, to whom also Ab?raham gave a tenth part of all, his name being translated, indeed, first, ‘sovereign of righteousness,’ and then also sovereign of Shal?m, that is, ‘sovereign of peace,’ (Hebrews 7:1-2).

Salem means “peace.” Jerusalem means “city of peace.” If you understand the history of Jerusalem, this could be likened to a sick joke! This city’s history has been filled with rivers of blood. No city on Earth has had more bloodshed! No city has suffered like Jerusalem. It has known almost no peace! That’s because man has ruled Jerusalem apart from Yehovah.

THIS BLOOD-SOAKED CITY IS YET TO BECOME A CITY OF PEACE!

No other city has had such an incredible beginning. It was chosen by Yehovah and undoubtedly founded by Melchizedek—the great Being, the son of Noah called Shem, who executed Nimrod.

Yehovah chose Jerusalem from the very beginning. Yehovah founded this city in peace. It was founded to be a city of peace forever! You can be sure Yehovah will complete His plan. If you understand Yehovah’s goal, you know that THE MEANING OF THE CITY’S NAME CONTAINS A PROPHECY OF ITS MAGNIFICENT FUTURE!

There will only be peace when the inhabitants of the world are all keeping Torah. Only then will there be peace. See my article:

Yehovah has turned His back on Jerusalem because of the sinful people. But that problem will be corrected in the near future.
During the time of Joshua, Jerusalem was called Jebus (Joshua 18:28; Judges 19:10). The Jebusites lived there. They were Canaanites, descended from Ham through Canaan. Yehovah promised to drive out the Jebusites if Israel would be His soldiers (Exodus 33:1-3; 34:11-15).

David was the one who finally captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites (2?Samuel 5:1-6). This city was such a fortress that it appeared the blind and lame could defend it. But David trusted Yehovah and triumphed.

But Dawid? captured the stronghold of Tsiyon, the City of Dawid?. 8 And Dawid? said on that day, “Anyone who smites the Yeb?usites, let him go by the water-shaft and take the lame and the blind, who are hated by Dawid?’s being.” That is why they say, “The blind and the lame do not come into the house.” 9 And Dawid? dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of Dawid?. And Dawid? built all around from the Millo and inward. 10 And Dawid? went on and became great, and ???? Elohim of hosts was with him. (2?Samuel 5:7 10). Jerusalem was called the “city of David.” But that would soon change.

Yehovah Rejects Jerusalem

Judah turned away from Yehovah. Jeremiah was sent to Jerusalem to warn it. Thus ???? said to me, “Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, by which the sovereigns of Yehud?ah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Yerushalayim. (Jeremiah 17:19). Jeremiah was told to stand in the gates of Jerusalem—where the kings and rulers would enter—and to warn them. They were breaking Yehovah’s Sabbath day.

Yehovah always sends a messenger to warn His sinning people and Israel. The message must be declared where the people can hear it. “And you shall say to them, ‘Hear the word of ????, you sovereigns of Yehud?ah, and all Yehud?ah, and all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, who enter by these gates. 21 ‘Thus said ????, “Guard yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Yerushalayim, 22 nor take a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work. And you shall set apart the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. 23 “But they did not obey, or incline their ear, and they made their neck stiff not to hear and not to receive instruction. (verses 20 23). They were commanded to hallow Yehovah’s Sabbath—keep it holy. If we keep a holy Sabbath, it prepares us for a holy week and a close relationship with Yehovah. Repeatedly, Israel was punished because of breaking this commandment and turning away from Yehovah.

We are told in Lev 23 that there are more than just the weekly Sabbath. The word Sabbath also includes each of the Holy Days spoken of in Lev 23 and it also includes the Sabbatical and Jubilee years.

Jerusalem was destroyed because of Sabbath-breaking. It has been trodden down ever since—over 2,000 years! There is a cause for every effect. Jerusalem is a city in deep trouble today. Why? Because of sin.

2Ch 36:20 And those who escaped from the sword he exiled to Bab?el, where they became servants to him and his sons until the reign of the reign of Persia, 21 in order to fill the word of ???? by the mouth of Yirmeyahu, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay waste she kept Sabbath, until seventy years were completed.

In 586 BC Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians for not keep the Sabbatical years from the time of King David. Judah today still does not keep the Sabbatical year at the right time. On top of this they also postpone the Fall Holy Days which is not allowed in Torah.

Nebuchadnezzar made Jerusalem look like a garbage dump. Therefore, because of you, Tsiyon is ploughed like a field, and Yerushalayim becomes heaps, and the mountain of the House like a wooded height. (Micah 3:12). After Jerusalem was destroyed in 586?B.C., it looked like heaps of garbage.

Jerusalem is a type of all Israel. This is history and prophecy. In this end time, Yehovah’s lukewarm, Laodicean brethren will be “plowed as a field”! Yehovah’s own people will be torn into pieces because of their sins. What is their guilt? “Hear this, please, you heads of the house of Ya?aqob? and you rulers of the house of Yisra’?l, who despise right-ruling and distort all that is straight, 10 those building up Tsiyon with bloodshed and Yerushalayim with unrighteousness. 11 Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay1, and her prophets divine for a price. Yet they lean on ????, and say, “Is not ???? in our midst? Evil does not come upon us.” Footnote: 1John 10:12. (Micah 3:9-11). Anciently, the priests and prophets taught for hire. But this is mainly a prophecy for today. Spiritual Jerusalem, or Yehovah’s Laodicean brethren, has priests and prophets who teach for hire. They trust man for their sustenance, not Yehovah.

However, not all of Yehovah’s ministers trust in man. “But truly I am filled with power, with the Spirit of ????, and with right-ruling and with might, to declare to Ya?aqob? his transgression and to Yisra’?l his sin1. Footnote: 12 Chr. 24:20, John. 16:8. ” (verse 8). We are commissioned to declare their sins. That is what Yehovah’s loyal people will be doing. Yehovah prophesied of such a work.
Nebuchadnezzar left Jerusalem as a plowed field and in heaps of garbage. Josephus was an eyewitness when the Romans destroyed this city in A.D.?70. He said if a person came upon that place, they would never imagine a city was once there!

Jerusalem was rebuilt, and then the Jews rebelled again in A.D.?132-135. Rome was so incensed that it destroyed every building constructed since A.D.?70. The records claim that, once again, Jerusalem became like a plowed field! No Jew was allowed within 20 miles of Jerusalem.

During the religious crusades, the “city of peace” again flowed with rivers of blood. Yehshua said Jerusalem was left desolate. He said WOE, WOE, WOE AND WOE TO JERUSALEM! Has Jerusalem been desolate and filled with woe? Yes. And THE WORST WOE BY FAR IS YET TO COME!

““See, I am making Yerushalayim a cup of reeling to all the people all around, and also against Yehud?ah it is in the siege against Yerushalayim.” (Zechariah 12:2). Every nation that has ruled Jerusalem has experienced serious problems. This is true up to the present day.

“And in that day it shall be that I make Yerushalayim a very heavy stone for all peoples – all lifting it are severely injured. And all the nations of the earth shall be gathered against it.” (verse 3). Yehovah said the Jerusalem problem would be a nightmare for peacemakers and diplomats who get entangled with it, not to mention the people who call it their home. And yet, it seems that EVERY NATION wants Jerusalem.

No city has suffered like Jerusalem. As we are about to read, it is presently weighed down by insoluble problems. Yet, ultimately, there is very good news. Yehovah established Jerusalem to be a city of peace—and one day He will make sure that it finally becomes so! It is actually the city from which Yehovah’s Family will rule the entire universe!

Then in the news this week we read about how the EU and NATO are going to take up the peace making between Jerusalem and the Palestinians.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/diplomats-britain-france-germany-want-un-eu-broker-20110325-170523-097.html

Britain, France and Germany want the United Nations and the European Union to propose the outlines of a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, U.N. diplomats said.

The three European countries, all members of the U.N. Security Council, are pressing for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union to propose a settlement text at a meeting in mid-April of the Quartet of Mideast mediators, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks are taking place in private. The quartet includes the U.N., EU, U.S. and Russia.
The aim is to get a basis for direct Israeli-Palestinian talks to resume.

Putting the job in the hands of the EU and the U.N. would sideline the United States, Israel’s closest ally which has tried unsuccessfully for months to get face-to-face negotiations going, as well as Russia, an ally of the Palestinians.

All of this is fulfilling prophecy as the Sabbatical cycles show us and as The Prophecies of Abraham also show us. You are to have Egypt and Libya and Ethiopia in turmoil so that the King of the North comes down and enters also into the Glorious land of the current state of Israel. Jerusalem is to be surrounded by 2012 and in 2013 the NATO forces come down.
But I am getting ahead of the rest of this article.

The citizen of Israel stares out his window at his nation, a tear in his eye and a knot in his stomach. He knows Israel is in trouble. The guys at work and the people I am talking to know something is not right in the world.

It is true that for the whole of its mere six decades of existence, the country has existed without peace. But as this Jewish citizen watches Palestinian teenagers and Israeli soldiers tussling in the streets, as the multilingual shouting and popping of gunfire fills his ears, he knows that today the situation is worse than it has ever been. He fears Israel is changed forever.

Israel’s Birth

Let’s look back at Israel’s recent history.

When World War?II ended, there were many Jewish refugees with no place to call home. Most of the world became sympathetic to these Jews.

After a bitter struggle in the United Nations, the land of Israel was declared a nation. In 1948, when Israel (biblical Judah—the name Jew is just a shortened version of Judah) was declared a nation, the Arabs attacked immediately.

The Jews had no real army. They were losing the war after three weeks. Then the Arabs strangely called for a temporary truce. This is exactly what Israel needed to re-arm and train its weary troops—many of them civilians who carried guns.

Shortly thereafter the Arabs started fighting again. This time the Jews were well prepared and soon won the war.

It was a MIRACLE from Yehovah. Many of the Jews acknowledged that. They experienced many miracles in the following years.
The Jews were prophesied to have a nation in this end time. So it had to happen!

The Jews were determined fighters. This was their first sovereign nation in 2,000 years. Only death could make them surrender their new and only homeland.

 

Will to Fight

There continued to be many problems between the Jews and Arabs. The problems became so intense in 1967 that almost every nation in the world believed the Arabs were about to attack Israel again.

The Soviet Union was strongly urging Egypt to attack. Egyptian troops poured into the Sinai and ordered the UN forces out. War seemed imminent.

Egypt, Jordan and Syria were allied to start a war. So the Jews felt compelled to strike first. Jewish war planes flew into Egypt and destroyed 300 Egyptian combat fighters in three hours. The Jews then captured all of the Sinai, the Suez Canal, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights in just six days.

Again, a series of MIRACLES by Yehovah saved the Jewish nation.

Tourists began to pour into Israel. The state became prosperous and complacent. The Jews were lulled into a false sense of security.

In late 1973, the Jewish military ignored serious intelligence reports that the Arabs were again going to attack. The attack occurred on October 6—during the solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

The Jews won the war in three weeks, with much aid from the Americans. Egypt was beaten, but not humiliated. Once again biblical Judah had been MIRACULOUSLY saved.

But soon after, something dramatic changed in Israel.

Menachem Begin was elected prime minister in 1977. President Carter persuaded him to give the Sinai back to Egypt in the late 1970s.

This was the beginning of the Israeli-Arab peace process. The Jews gave up land for a piece of paper.

 

Mount Sinai

Again, the biblical name for the modern nation called Israel is Judah. But the modern descendants of the ancient Israelites include many nations—primarily the U.S. (biblical Manasseh) and Britain (biblical Ephraim). In other words, biblical Judah is only a small part of Israel today. America and the British people are also Israel. The prophecies about end-time Israel are primarily focused on those three nations.

The United States and Britain were both instrumental in pressuring Judah to give the Sinai back to Egypt, even though our ancestry was also a part of Israel when Yehovah’s law was given.

Prophecy states that those three nations, Israel, the U.S. and Britain, will be conquered together just before Yehshua returns (Hosea 5:5). “And the Excellency of Yisra’?l shall witness to his face, and Yisra’?l and Ephrayim stumble in their crookedness. Yehud?ah shall also stumble with them. The Jewish nation had to be established by Yehovah for that prophecy to be fulfilled. A miracle by Yehovah had to be performed.

Why are these three nations in such serious trouble today? GIVING THE SINAI BACK TO EGYPT IS AT THE HEART OF THEIR PROBLEMS!

If Yehovah were to give me the Sinai, I would never give it back unless Yehovah commanded it—which, I’m quite sure, He never would. The whole world could not influence or force me to do so.

Those three nations are looking to men for peace and not to the great Yehovah. THEIR HISTORY WITH YEHOVAH IS VIRTUALLY MEANINGLESS!

No other nation on Earth was ever chosen as Yehovah’s people—chosen not as a favorite people, but to lead the world to Yehovah. Israel has failed Yehovah miserably—anciently and today. Soon Yehovah will punish nations as never before. The people of biblical Israel talk a lot about Yehovah but don’t believe and obey Him. That is the real source of all our problems today. The nations of Israel will fall because of that faithlessness.

THE JEWISH NATION WAS BORN AND SUSTAINED BY YEHOVAH’S MIRACLES. BUT IT STILL REFUSES TO TRUST YEHOVAH!
Today, in spite of the fact that the Jews gave the Sinai back to Egypt—an unparalleled gift—Egypt is fast becoming one of Israel’s most hostile neighbors. That should give us some idea of how giving land away does not buy peace.

Nevertheless, Israel has taken on the same mentality of weakness and trusting in men in its dealings with the Palestinians living in Israel. The Jews continue to give land for empty promises of peace. It started in 1993 on the White House lawn with a handshake between the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. There Israel surrendered bits of that hard-won, strategically important land in hope that the Arabs could be simply bargained into giving up their goal of destroying Israel.

The Jews have also given Gaza, Jericho, Bethlehem and other West Bank areas back to the Palestinians. It seems the world has forgotten that those areas were won in a war where the Arabs were trying to annihilate the Jews. This land-for-peace process is almost unheard of in history, except perhaps what has happened in South Africa.

Yehovah gave Bethlehem—the birthplace of Yehshua—to the Jews. Through the “peace” process, they gave it to the Palestinians. The Jews rejected and crucified Yehshua almost 2,000 years ago. They still reject Him today. But then, so do most of those people who profess to be Christians.

The Jews have given back many other biblical sites to the Arabs. America and Britain have strongly urged them to do so. We fail to realize that such a lack of faith is why all the adults of ancient Israel had to die wondering in the wilderness.

Throughout this terribly misnamed “peace” process—involving giving up land and seeing no appreciable drop in violence—Palestinian leaders have consistently told politicians and media that they want peaceful coexistence with Israel while simultaneously promising to their people Israel’s destruction.

Now, after years of gambling with its own soil, Israel finds itself depleted of property and will, sapped and bloodied by a policy that has publicized, for all to see, the fatal weariness of this tiny nation.

 

Judah’s Wound

Today, we must tell Judah, America and Britain the real cause of their serious problems.

The book of Hosea was written as prophecy for the end time. Again, the nation called Israel today is really biblical Judah. There are some specific prophecies about Judah in this book. “When Ephrayim saw his sickness, and Yehud?ah saw his wound, then Ephrayim went to Ashshur and sent to Sovereign Yar?b?. But he is unable to heal you, or to remove the wound from you. ” (Hosea?5:13). Studying this verse in the original Hebrew reveals that both Ephraim (Britain) and Judah (called “Israel” today) go to Assyria (or Germany).

Why do the Jews go to Germany, and what is Judah’s WOUND? The word wound is number 4205 in Strong’s Concordance. It means “in the sense of binding up: a bondage, i.e. remedy.” Gesenius’ Lexicon defines it this way: “the pressing together, binding up of a wound; here used figuratively of a remedy applied to the wounds of the state.” In other words, THE REMEDY is THE WOUND!

Another word for wound is also mentioned in Obadiah 1:7: “All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.” This wound is number 4204 in Strong’s. Gesenius defines it as “falsehood; hence, fraud, insidious dealing?
?net, or snare.” It has the same root word as the word used in Hosea 5:13. IN OBADIAH THE WOUND IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO BEING DECEIVED BY A PEACE PACT!

 

Trusting Their Enemies

Is the peace pact with the Arabs the Israeli wound that Yehovah refers to in Hosea 5:13? There would have been no peace pact if Judah would have trusted Yehovah instead of men.

The word wound doesn’t necessarily itself refer to some violent act, but it will undoubtedly lead to violence.

“Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness” (Hosea 5:12). The word rottenness should read worm. The Anchor Bible Commentary states that the word usually describes the rottenness in wood or bones (Habakkuk 3:16; Proverbs 12:4; 14:30; Job 13:28; Isaiah 40:20). This wound reaches into their bones like cancer.

The worm is “like maggots infesting open wounds and then begins to devour the flesh.” This is a sickness unto death. The only cure is Yehovah.

The word wound in verse 13 means bandage. It’s as if a bandage is hopelessly applied to an open, running sore. From the beginning of the peace process, the Jews have looked to men, often their enemies, for help—not Yehovah. That is the unseen wound.

So little trust in Yehovah—so much trust in their enemies!

The real wound is spiritual—a lack of faith in Yehovah. The Jews keep trying to heal themselves by making peace pacts. They were strong when they trusted Yehovah. Even recent history proves that truth. Just a few years ago they were a terror to the Arabs. Now the Arabs are a terror to the Jews. A complete reversal in such a short time! Why?

The Israelis will finally see that their peace pact with the Palestinians has failed. The Jews really only see the effect of their wound. They don’t see the cause. That is why they turn to Germany for another peace pact! This time they place their trust in an even greater enemy! Once again they fail to trust Yehovah. It will lead to the worst disaster in the Jews’ long history of suffering.

The lesson still has not been learned. Yehovah is going to teach them emphatically about what their wound is and what the real solution is.

Today the Jews only see their wound humanly. But even that understanding comes painfully slow. Before this is over, they will see their wound spiritually—through Yehovah’s eyes. Then their wound will be healed and they will have peace forever.
But before that happens, they have to learn the most terrifying lesson of their national life!

 

Deadly Delusion

The Israelis are trying to negotiate peace with the Palestinians. Many of the Hamas terrorists are Palestinians. In fact, the Palestinian people are their closest friends. The Israelis have given control of Gaza and areas in the West Bank to the Palestinians. The terrorists often operate from these Palestinian-controlled areas. That means the Israelis are no longer free to declare war on the terrorist base of operations.

In 2005, Israel evacuated the 9,000 Jewish residents of the Gaza Strip and turned the area completely over to the Palestinians. With all Israeli military installations dismantled and troops gone, terrorists took the opportunity to flood the area from neighboring Egypt—and to bring their weapons along. They immediately began using the Strip as a launching ground for rocket attacks, which have continued at a steady pace ever since. In the summer of 2007, the radical terrorist group Hamas staged a violent coup and took over all of Gaza; this gave this terrorist proxy of Iran a toehold right on Israel’s doorstep. This is the dangerous result of Israel’s policy of trying to reconcile with the Palestinians by giving them things.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once said, “I think the central problem of the terrorism that we see today is that we have created a situation where we rely on 
 the Palestinian Authority to be our subcontractors to fight terrorism.”

The Jews are DEEPLY DIVIDED over the peace agreement. This makes any democracy extremely vulnerable. It paralyzes the decision-making process, and hard decisions need to be made!

Why is the peace process a wound? Intelligence Digest wrote September 27, 1996: “There were always two fundamental problems with the Madrid PEACE PROCESS. The first was that if it ‘succeeded’ it would leave Israel physically vulnerable without having removed all the causes for war between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbor—thus MAKING WAR MORE NOT LESS LIKELY.

“On the other hand, if it ‘failed’ it would have heightened Palestinian expectations only to dash them later, thus making the general atmosphere in the Middle East worse not better”.

That assessment has been proven true repeatedly. Every “success” in this process has weakened Israel, and every “failure” has ended in an explosion of violence!

If the peace process makes violence and war “more not less likely,” then it is a wound for Israel. That means by trusting men, instead of Yehovah, Israel is a loser either way!

Another issue of Intelligence Digest, October 4, 1996, said this: “Both prospects are appalling: but they are the inevitable result of THE PRINCIPAL DELUSION underpinning the Middle East peace process, namely THAT ALL PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED BY NEGOTIATION.”

The DEADLY DELUSION that “all problems can be solved by negotiation” is going to lead Israel and the U.S. to disaster!
Such a philosophy destroys nations. NO GREAT NATION HAS EVER BEEN BUILT OR SUSTAINED BY SUCH A BELIEF! Any good history book should teach us that. Bible prophecy certainly does. IT IS A PHILOSOPHY BASED ON WEAKNESS. Any powerful nation that reasons from such weakness is plummeting to disaster!

Through weakness and a lack of faith in Yehovah, THE JEWS HAVE CREATED THEIR OWN WOUND! Because of the land they have already given the Palestinians, the Jews can no longer even pursue their enemy. And you would think the Palestinians would be grateful to the Jews for the land they have already been given. Instead, they use that gift to intensify their hatred!

A little psychology ought to convince any honest person that a peace pact will never work! But the Jews cling to their illusions because of weakness.

The Jews are afraid to get tough even in the Arab areas which they control. They don’t want the “peace” process to break down. But WHAT MOST OF THEM DON’T KNOW IS THAT THE PEACE PROCESS IS A DEADLY DELUSION! It is a wound that will cause death. It is like terminal cancer!

The number-one Arab leader in the peace process for many years was Yasser Arafat. Before the peace negotiations, he was the leading terrorist in the Middle East! This is not a good foundation for peace.

Why would the Israelis have trusted the greatest terrorist in the Middle East to protect them from terrorism? They have more than enough power to protect themselves. But they lack the WILL to use it! That is because Yehovah has broken their will—and that includes America’s and Britain’s. And here is why.

 

The Law of Moses

We need to read an end-time prophecy specifically directed to America, Britain and Israel about their security. “ “And we have not obeyed the voice of ???? our Elohim, to walk in His Torot, which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 “And all Yisra’?l have transgressed Your Torah, and turned aside, so as not to obey Your voice. So the curse and the oath written in the Torah of Mosheh the servant of Elohim have been poured out on us, for we have sinned against Him. 12 “And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our rulers who judged us, by bringing upon us great evil. For under all the heavens there has not been done like what was done to Yerushalayim. (Daniel 9:10-12). EVIL IS GOING TO BE DONE UPON JERUSALEM (AND ISRAEL) THAT HAS NEVER BEEN DONE “UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN”! Yehovah has “set before us” His message. Yehovah did it in His love and mercy through His word. Yet still Israel rebels.

Yehovah is “bringing upon us a great evil.” These words ought to strike terror in our minds! No people can prevail against their enemies when Yehovah is against them. “The curse is POURED upon us”! However, the curses have not caused us to pray to the true Yehovah. Many people have prayed, but we have not prayed to “turn from our iniquities” (verses 13-14). This is what Yehovah commands. We have not repented. That means our prayers are of little or no value.

The only way Israel can achieve security is through repentance. Yehovah has promised to destroy us unless we learn that lesson! How can we not take careful note of these prophecies?

Daniel is an end-time book (Daniel 12:4, 9). According to Daniel, there are many prophecies in the books of Moses that are also for this end time (Daniel 9:11).

Let’s look at one of these prophecies. “But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments?
. And I WILL SET MY FACE AGAINST YOU, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you?
. And I WILL BREAK THE PRIDE OF YOUR POWER; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass” (Leviticus 26:14,?17,?19). Because we have not hearkened to Yehovah, curses are upon us. Yehovah prophesied, “I will set my face against you.” IF WE TRULY UNDERSTOOD THIS PROPHECY, EACH ONE OF OUR PEOPLE WOULD TREMBLE IN FEAR!
These are the curses for not keeping the Sabbatical cycles.

There is a reason why everything seems to go wrong in America, Britain and Judah. But our people never seem to fear enough to “TURN from our iniquities”—our sins! And that does not mean to repent of what we call sin, but WHAT YEHOVAH CALLS SIN—Yehovah’s definition.

So Yehovah states, “I will break the pride of your power.” THAT MEANS WE HAVE POWER, BUT LACK THE WILL TO USE IT. America has more military power than any other nation on Earth. But we are afraid to use it. Britain probably has more nuclear power and conventional military might than any nation in Europe. However, it too fears using it. The Jews have more military power than any other nation in the Middle East. A few years ago they struck fear in all of their enemies. But today, they have been in A LONG RETREAT called the “PEACE PROCESS.” Why?

When Benjamin Netanyahu was elected for his first term in 1996, the New York Times wrote, “Mr. Netanyahu also indicated what he meant by negotiating with Arabs during his debate with Prime Minister Shimon Peres. The Arabs, he said, were ‘realistic’—‘when they see a weak government like Mr. Peres,’ they demand everything, they get everything, and they demand more.’”

This is true of government in America, Britain and Israel (biblical Judah). We just don’t understand that Yehovah has broken the pride of our power because of our sins. But OUR ENEMIES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE our nations know that the pride of our power has been broken—that we are pitifully weak. And as Mr. Netanyahu said of the Arabs, our enemies will keep demanding more and more—until we collapse.

Just a little understanding of history reveals that such an American-sponsored “peace process” can only lead to destruction.
Henry Kissinger said that Yitzhak Rabin, the assassinated prime minister, had “no other choice than the peace process.” That was not true a few years earlier, because the Israeli people had a much stronger will.

Such a statement is made out of weakness! We are weak because Yehovah has BROKEN our will to fight and win. We now want to trust others to protect us, because we cringe in fear before our enemies. We no longer trust Yehovah! Our sins are destroying us.

We must understand this terrifying reality. Yehovah said, “I will set my face AGAINST YOU.” Do we grasp what this means? The mighty, all-powerful Yehovah is AGAINST us! THE PUNISHMENT WILL INCREASE UNTIL WE REPENT OR DIE!

We must learn to have faith in Yehovah, or we will be totally destroyed. Read all of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Those chapters are part of the woeful prophecies Daniel said would come upon us in the end time.

Why won’t we turn to Yehovah in repentance? Only He can save us. Notice the end result for our nations: “Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat” (Leviticus 26:28-29). Yehovah says, “I, EVEN I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.” He is emphasizing “I, even I.” This is Yehovah talking—the omnipotent Yehovah who created man and the universe! These are not the words of weak men. Do we really know what this means? He is sending the 4th curse of war upon us.

It gets even worse. “And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up” (verses 36 38). This is a horrifying prophecy. Our enemies will devour us!

Read verses 1-13 and see the wonderful rewards and blessings that will come if we turn to Yehovah. We have never experienced such peace and prosperity. “And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and NONE SHALL MAKE YOU AFRAID: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land” (verse 6). Yehovah promised peace to the nations of Israel. Nobody would make them afraid—NOBODY! The sword would never enter their land.

This is the way we should be living today. All we have to do is obey Yehovah. “And I will walk among you, and will be your Elohim, and ye shall be my people” (verse 12). If only we would let Yehovah rule us. What glorious examples we could be to this sick world.

There is good news. Yehovah is still going to usher in this paradise. We should never have to experience what is happening in Judah today. It is totally unnecessary.

Security is coming to Israel very soon, when Yehshua returns. But our repentance must precede that event. Then we shall have unparalleled prosperity and security. The only reason we don’t have it now is our refusal to repent. The sooner we learn that lesson, the quicker the security will come.

Our nations won’t repent until they are in captivity. Still, Yehovah promises safety to any individual who truly repents (Revelation 3:10, 19).

Voting for a certain man will never give us security. Repenting of our sins will give us security forever.

 

Middle East Explosion Soon

Many intelligence sources see that there will NOT be peace in Israel. Here is what the March 1, 1996, Intelligence Digest stated: “The propensity of people to ignore unpalatable truths is one of the most damaging of human traits. Unfortunately it is in full evidence over the Middle East peace process.”

The editor went on to quote Yasser Arafat from a secret speech he gave in May 1994 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Arafat called for a holy war in order to liberate Jerusalem. And concerning the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, he said, “This agreement, I am not considering it more than the agreement which had been signed between our Prophet Mohammed and the Quraysh.”

Continuing from Intelligence Digest: “This was a reference to the non-belligerency agreement Mohammed signed with the Quraysh tribe which controlled Mecca. Two years later, Mohammed violated the agreement, conquered Mecca and killed the leaders of the tribe.”

Notice also what Arafat said in early 1996 to a group of Arab diplomats in Sweden: “[Israeli Prime Minister Shimon] Peres and [Israeli negotiator Yossi] Beilin have already promised us half of Jerusalem [but] WE PALESTINIANS WILL TAKE OVER EVERYTHING, INCLUDING ALL OF JERUSALEM?
. Within five years we will have 6 to 7 million Arabs living on the West Bank and in Jerusalem?
. If the Jews can import all kinds of Ethiopians, Uzbekis and Ukrainians as Jews, we can import all kinds of Arabs?
. WE PLAN TO ELIMINATE THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND ESTABLISH A PALESTINIAN STATE?
. We will make life unbearable for the Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. Jews will not want to live among Arabs.”

In March 2001, after months of clashes between Arabs and Jews, Arafat was quoted as saying, “Our people will continue the Aksa intifada until we raise the Palestinian flag in every mosque and church and on the walls of Jerusalem.”

The situation has changed little since Arafat died. His successor as Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, simply cannot maintain a leadership role unless he accommodates the spirit of the overwhelming majority of Palestinians who reject Israel’s existence.

As it turns out, evidence suggests that, despite his moderate persona, this is really not too hard for Abbas. “Abu Mazen [the popular name for Abbas among Palestinians] was an Arafat crony and comes from the Palestinian elite. He has consistently held the hardline anti-Israel agenda since his years as a student. His doctoral dissertation was a full-blown foray into Holocaust denial and aimed to prove that Zionism and Nazism are branches of the same tree.?
 Abu Mazen may wear a suit while Arafat wore fatigues but much of their world view is still the same—the destruction of Israel remains on the ‘to-do’ list” (Philadelphia Daily News, Jan. 8, 2005).

Far from denouncing his terrorist predecessor, Abbas actually draws on Arafat’s legacy to gain extra authority. In his pre-election campaign speeches, he called for the same “right of return” that Arafat espoused, which, as the New York Sun termed it, is “code for the destruction of the Jewish state” (Dec. 31, 2004).

Abbas has received kudos for his attempts to coerce terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad into curbing their lethal violence. Many have been willing to dismiss his public anti-Israel rhetoric and expressions of solidarity with terrorists as mere politics.

Of this, Charles Krauthammer asked, “What of Abbas’s vaunted opposition to violence? On January 2 [2005] he tells Hamas terrorists firing rockets that maim and kill Jewish villagers within Israel, ‘This is not the time for this kind of act.’ This is an interesting ‘renunciation’ of terrorism: Not today, boys; perhaps later, when the time is right” (Washington Post, Jan. 7, 2005).

Daniel Pipes commented, “Mr. Abbas shows tactical flexibility. Unlike Arafat, who could never let go of the terrorist tool that had brought him wealth, power and glory, Mr. Abbas sees the situation more cogently. If stopping the violence against Israel best serves his goal of eliminating the sovereign Jewish state, that is his program. He no more accepts what he so charmingly the other day called the ‘Zionist enemy’ than Arafat did (or Hamas, or Palestinian Islamic Jihad), but he is open to a multiplicity of means to destroy it” (New York Sun, Jan. 11, 2005).

That assessment was backed up by the method Abbas took to rein in the terrorists—not by cracking down on them, but by inviting them to become politicians. On February 16, 2005, Abbas announced that, in the words of Stratfor, “he supports sharing national leadership with Hamas, jihad organizations, and public and democratic fronts?
.” But Hamas and other jihad groups openly base their existence on war against Israel. They are precisely the source of the problem.

In January 2006, Hamas not only entered politics, but took over the government, winning 74 out of 132 parliamentary seats. A Hamas-led Palestinian unity government formed in March 2007 was subsequently dissolved when Hamas violently took over the Gaza Strip three months later.

At the end of the day, whoever is in power among the Palestinians, there will be no peace in the Middle East as long as there are groups agitating for Israel’s destruction. The Palestinians are clearly NOT interested in making peace with Israel! But Israel is so war-weary and blinded by wishful thinking that it won’t face reality! Its naivetĂ© is leading it into a disaster of untold magnitude. It is easy to see why Yehovah calls the peace process a “deadly wound.”

Going to Germany

Let’s look again at Hosea 5:13. “When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.” Lange’s Commentary states that the word Jareb, the German leader, means “warlike monarch.” The Soncino Commentary translates it as “King Contentious.” This man will be far more dangerous than Hitler was.

About Germany, you will see that this leader, according to biblical prophecy, will be ruled by Satan! And Britain and the Jews will go to him for mercy and aid!

Already the European Union has stepped up its efforts to help the Middle East peace process as the U.S. pulls out of the region and grows weaker. German-led Europe has been publicly mentioned as being a protector to Israel.

Can anyone miss the cruel irony of this situation? One Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor who lives in Israel said, “If there is anything that frightens Israelis more than Syrian troops on the Golan, it is German troops on the Golan.”

IT SEEMS THE ISRAELIS CAN TRUST THEIR WORST ENEMY, BUT THEY CAN’T TRUST YEHOVAH TO PROTECT THEM! And Yehovah is their only true source of help.

Israel will become “lovers” with the Germans. This move will lead to their destruction. It is not the Arabs who will destroy them. The friendship between Germany and Israel will lead to one of the biggest double-crosses in the history of man! We will study this more shortly.

“I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early” (verse 15). Yehovah will not stop punishing the Jews (and all Israel—mainly America and Britain) until they “acknowledge their offense,” or repent of their sins and seek Yehovah. But how can they know what their sins are and how to repent?

“Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin. Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be” (verses 8 9). The Jews are going to suffer at the hands of the Arabs and Germans until they awaken! They must acknowledge the message from Yehovah! If they don’t hear the alarm of war, they must experience being conquered!

“For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him” (verse 14). The lion is king of the beasts—the most fearsome predator. It is the strongest metaphor of destruction!

Why is Yehovah so angry? The prophets always had scathing messages when Israel went to and trusted the heathen.

 

The Way of Peace They Know Not

America, Britain and Judah must understand that they are being punished for their sins. Jeremiah is also a book written for the end time (Jeremiah 23:20). Prophecy clearly reveals why our problems are overwhelming us. “Why then has this people, Yerushalayim, turned away in a continual backsliding? They cling to deceit, they refuse to turn back.” (Jeremiah 8:5). Jerusalem is a type of all the nations of Israel. They all “hold fast deceit” and continue in their ugly sins.

“6 “I have listened and heard – they do not speak right. No man has repented of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’ They all turned to their own course, like a horse rushing into battle.” (verse 6). “No man” repents when they hear Yehovah’s Word.
“7 “Even a stork in the heavens knows her appointed times. And a turtledove, and a swallow, and a thrush observe the time of their coming. But My people do not know the right-ruling of ????.” (verse 7). The animals understand their purpose better than America, Britain and Judah!

“How do you say, ‘We are wise, and the Torah of ???? is with us’? But look, the false pen of the scribe has worked falsehood. 9 “The wise shall be put to shame, they shall be broken down and caught. See, they have rejected the Word of ????, so what wisdom do they have? (verses 8 9). They have heard Yehovah’s Word and rejected it. They abhor Yehovah’s law and government. They have no judgment or wisdom.

A terrible penalty is coming. “Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for everyone from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, FROM THE PROPHET EVEN UNTO THE PRIEST EVERY ONE DEALETH FALSELY” (verse 10). The enemy is going to take Israel’s wives for themselves! Why? Because Israel is so blatantly rebellious!

Our physical and spiritual leaders have deceived the people. “For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (verse?11). Our leaders have gotten the people to accept peace pacts like the one with Judah and the Palestinians. The leaders continually talk of peace, peace, WHEN THERE IS NO PEACE.

Look around. Do you see peace? THE MORE VIOLENCE WE SEE, THE MORE THEY TALK ABOUT PEACE! They don’t know how to have peace. “The way of peace they have not known, and there is no right-ruling in their ways. They have made crooked paths for themselves, whoever treads in them shall not know peace.” (Isaiah 59:8).

Our peoples boast of all the Bibles we print. But we don’t BELIEVE what is in them! We don’t believe Yehovah! We talk about Him much of the time. But we don’t believe Him—His Word!

All this suffering could be eliminated. Because of our sinful attitude, our people refuse to obey Yehovah. So we must suffer until we change that attitude.

Through the peace process, Judah has become vulnerable to the enemy, with very little freedom to strike back. Just a few years ago, it would have retaliated with far greater force! But not today.

Soon the whole world will see what the Arabs saw all along—that the peace process is a wound from which the Jews will never recover!

Their future is extremely bleak. The good news is, this present crisis will soon culminate in the return of Yehshua. What a glorious future that lies just ahead! But immediately before that event, the worst time of suffering ever on Earth is upon us.
Sidebar: “Will to Withdraw”

What is happening in Judah today? Some of the Jews do see where the problem lies. Here is what Shmuel Schnitzer wrote in Maariv, or the Mideast Mirror, back on September 14, 1994: “For the first time in 2,000 years, we are preparing to deny our historical rights, both the divine promise and in terms of referring to the land by the name of its people, ‘The Land of Israel’—a land which belongs to the children of Israel, from then and to eternity. [The Jews are only one tribe of Israel.]

“SUDDENLY, WE ARE GRIPPED BY A WILL TO WITHDRAW. A delight in withdrawing, euphoria in cutting ourselves off from it. Pulling out of Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) will be a holiday. We shall say: ‘Goodbye, not au revoir’”.

We continue to make the same mistake our forefathers made. And unless we repent we are going to have the same tragic end!
The problem is that Yehovah has broken their will, or the pride of their awesome power, because of their sins (Leviticus 26:19). And the problem is only going to get worse until they repent!

Mr. Schnitzer continued: “First we referred to parts of the homeland as ‘territories.’ That’s a term which evinces no love, no link. ‘Territories’ are not ours. We never dreamt of territories, nor prayed to return to them. We didn’t nurture them with the blood of our young men. We didn’t hear in them the calls of our prophets and we didn’t bury our forefathers in the ‘territories.’ We didn’t fight over the ‘territories’ with the Canaanites and the Egyptians, the Babylonians, Greeks and Romans, the British and the Arabs. We didn’t read of them in the Book of books, nor yearn constantly for them.

“WE ARE A GENERATION THAT IS BETRAYING ITS FOREFATHERS, THEIR FAITH AND THEIR SACRIFICE. We are now engaged in tearing out the heart of the land from ourselves, undercutting everything which we nurtured.

“AN ENTIRELY NEW JEWISH PEOPLE IS BEING CREATED BEFORE OUR VERY EYES. A nation which doesn’t belong to its land, which doesn’t continue the past, which will inherit nothing and is promised nothing. THE BIBLE IS NO LONGER OUR CALLING CARD. IT’S A MERE HISTORICAL CURIOSITY.”

Yehovah clearly gave the Jews their land. But the “peacemakers” don’t like to refer to it as a gift from Yehovah, because they have no faith in Yehovah.

So we see a “new Jewish people” unwilling to fight as in the past. Now they have a broken will.

A U.S. intelligence document stated that the Arabs now believe the Jews have lost their will to fight.

Few reports could signal a greater danger! The Arabs will exploit this weakness. You can be certain of that.

Shmuel Schnitzer wrote, “Suddenly, paths of peace are more important than the paths down which we traveled for 2,000 years, more important than our prayers and our faith.

“I ask myself what kind of Jewish people will this be with no attachment to its land, without all the places of the book of Joshua, the wonderful vistas there, WITHOUT THE INTENSITY OF THE PROPHETIC VISION, without the heritage of our fighters who spilt their blood for the country which was promised them and their descendants?

“This is the will of the majority, and we are told that in a democracy the majority’s will is that which counts.
“But let us not forget on the eve of our holiest day (the Day of Atonement) that while a majority can rule, it hasn’t a monopoly on truth and on good sense. A majority can make a tragic mistake, create a golden calf and dance about it” (ibid.).

The Jewish people are now looking to the will of the majority, not the great Yehovah who gave them their own land.

Now the peace pacts are more important than faith in Yehovah. That is a sure recipe for disaster!

Presently the Jews rule over all of Jerusalem, even though East Jerusalem is mostly comprised of Arabs. The Palestinians want this half for their capital. But most of the Jews won’t budge, saying they must rule ALL of Jerusalem.

Both sides proclaim that they must rule East Jerusalem or there will be war!

Here is the real shocker. Did you know the Bible prophesies about this one half of Jerusalem and the super-miraculous outcome? It is a prophecy that will stagger your mind.

Half of Jerusalem
“See, a day shall come for ????, and your spoil shall be divided in your midst.” (Zechariah 14:1). The subject is the Day of ???? —the end time. This whole book is focused on the latter days.

“And I shall gather all the gentiles to battle against Yerushalayim1. And the city shall be taken, the houses plundered, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into exile, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Footnote: 1Joel 3:2, Zeph. 3:8, Rev. 16:14. ” (verse 2). Yehshua prophesied that He would “gather all nations” to battle Him in Jerusalem. Then He makes what might appear to be a STRANGE STATEMENT. One half of Jerusalem is to be taken captive. Notice how specific this prophecy is. East Jerusalem—one half of the city—will be conquered by the Palestinians!

The nation of Israel was established in 1948. At that time the Jews only had roughly one half of Jerusalem. The Arabs had East Jerusalem. Zechariah 14 is also a prophecy that the Jews would conquer all Jerusalem, because in order for half the city to be taken just before Yehshua returns, the whole city must be controlled by the Jews just before that time! The Jews did take full control in the 1967 war.

So the prophecy in Zechariah 14:1-2, which has not yet been fulfilled, has to happen between 1967 and the Great Tribulation. Jerusalem is going to be totally captured in the Tribulation (Revelation 11:1-3). Many prophecies tell us that.

Today the Arabs live in roughly one half of Jerusalem. They just don’t control it—yet. When such an attack occurs, the Jews couldn’t effectively drop bombs, especially nuclear bombs, on one half of their own city.

Looking at the ongoing violence in Jerusalem today—the absolute inability of the involved parties to solve things by peaceful means—we can easily see HOW one half of Jerusalem shall be taken captive in the very near future. THE PRESENT VIOLENCE IS AN EMBRYO THAT IS ABOUT TO GROW INTO MUCH GREATER VIOLENCE. That is the critical event prophesied in Zechariah 14:2.
We will see this prophecy in Zechariah 14:1-2 fulfilled very soon. And while it will involve some sickening atrocities and bloodshed, it is directly connected to the greatest news this world has ever heard!

 

Yeshua’s Return

Look again at Zechariah 14:2. “And I shall gather all the gentiles to battle against Yerushalayim1. And the city shall be taken, the houses plundered, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into exile, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Footnote: 1Joel 3:2, Zeph. 3:8, Rev. 16:14.”

The first half of that verse is talking about a great climactic battle that will occur at Yehshua’s return. Again, at the time of this final battle, the whole of Jerusalem will have been captured—by German-led European armies, called the king of the north (Daniel 11:40-41). We will look at these events in detail later.

The question is, why does the last half of Zechariah 14:2 talk about only half the city being taken?

Consider it: THE DAY OF ???? AND THE DISPUTE OVER ONE HALF OF JERUSALEM ARE PRESENTED IN THE SAME CONTEXT. That is because when half of Jerusalem goes into captivity, THAT CRISIS TRIGGERS A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT LEADS TO THE RETURN OF YEHSHUA! One half of Jerusalem being taken captive is like the first domino to fall leading to Yeshua’s return and battle against all nations in Jerusalem! It all begins and ends in Jerusalem.

In other words, THE CURRENT DISPUTE OVER EAST JERUSALEM IS A STRONG SIGN THAT THE DAY OF ???? IS ALMOST HERE! We must wake up! Men must heed Yehovah’s warning before it is too late!

Any peace talks over Jerusalem make headlines around the world. But here is the greatest “scoop” of all, and the news media totally ignore it!

The peace? talks will lead directly to the fall of East Jerusalem. This battle will trigger events that lead to a nuclear World War?III! THIS WILL BE THE CROWNING RESULT OF MAN’S BEST EFFORTS TO BRING THE WORLD PEACE!

Thankfully Yehshua will intervene just before all life has been exterminated (Matthew 24:21-22). Then Yehshua will usher in 7th Millennium of peace.

“And ???? shall go forth, and He shall fight against those gentiles, as He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, which faces Yerushalayim on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, a very great valley, and half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. ” (Zechariah 14:3-4). The Jews and Palestinians will never settle the Jerusalem issue until Yehshua returns. Yehshua is obviously not a part of the peace talks. He is nevertheless orchestrating the overall direction of these events.

Only Yehshua can and will settle the Jerusalem issue!
Why won’t more people recognize the truth of this prophecy? Why won’t they listen, when it is about the violent outcome of a world-famous peace process where men are fighting verbally for the rights to East Jerusalem? And it is tied directly to the return of Yehshua—the greatest event ever to occur on Earth or in the universe!

This prophecy is thrilling, wonderful and awesome! It ought to stir the imagination of the whole world! But men are too drunk on deception to comprehend what is happening. Only great violence can sober them.

When will men learn that they don’t know how to bring true peace?

Now let’s examine in more detail the chain of crises to follow the capture of one half of Jerusalem.

 

Going to the Assyrian

We have shown that the peace process is Judah’s wound. But the Jews do not see it that way—yet! However, when one half of Jerusalem is taken captive, they will see that it all happened as a part of the Middle East peace process. Their wound, or the peace process, primarily causes them to lose one half of Jerusalem.

At the mercy of the Arabs, little Israel will feel backed into a corner. As we covered in the last chapter, the Jews are prophesied to go to Germany for help. “When Ephraim [Britain] saw his sickness, and Judah [Israel] saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian [Germany], and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound” (Hosea 5:13). The Hebrew clearly indicates that both Israel and Britain go to Germany for help. Both Judah and Britain are in danger of falling. By this point, America will be too weak and too sick itself to help.

We are already seeing Israel beginning to look to Germany for help. It was just last month in Jan of 2011 that Israel and Germany signed a mutual agreement on Terror. They are now allies in this fight.

Yehovah tells Judah that Germany cannot “heal you, nor cure you of your wound.” Why does Yehovah say that? Because Judah got into this mess by looking to men. Now it is trying to get out of the quagmire by looking to men. THE PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM WILL NEVER FIND A CURE OR BE HEALED UNTIL THEY LOOK TO YEHOVAH! That is what Yehovah is teaching them—the hard way.

 

The Whirlwind

At that point in the course of future events, another prophecy fills in some vital details.

After the Palestinians gain control of East Jerusalem, Israel will turn to Germany and the European Union for help. This will set the stage for a violent clash between the EU and Islamic fundamentalism. The Bible refers to these two forces as the king of the north, led by Germany, and the king of the south—led by Iran. “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over” (Daniel 11:40). This push by the king of the south will probably be a clash directly related to Jerusalem. It could certainly involve cutting off oil to punish the king of the north, over a dispute about Jerusalem. (Europe receives more than one third of its oil from the Middle East.)

The king of the north is going to come against him like a “whirlwind.” Genesis defines whirlwind this way: “a storm or tempest?
?to sweep away in a storm” or “to be fierce as a tempest.” Strong’s Concordance states, “by implication to cause to shiver with fear.” It leaves people terror-stricken.

After the German-led European armies conquer the mighty king of the south, the world will tremble and the Germans will feel invincible!

Little Judah will then no doubt ask them for protection. “He shall ENTER also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon” (verse 41). The powerful European Union army will then ENTER the glorious land, or Israel. The word enter in no way indicates the use of force. The Germans will undoubtedly be invited in as a peacekeeping force.

The king of the north immediately enters the glorious land, specifically Jerusalem. That is a strong indication that the war was triggered over that city. Anyhow, Jerusalem is its main concern.

The Vatican has said that Jerusalem must be an international city. The Catholic Church, like the Arabs, also has a passionate interest in this city.

The Vatican and Germany are the heart of the Holy Roman Empire. They have conquered Jerusalem several times before. And they are destined to do so one last time!

Even though Germany cannot help the Jews, the Germans do get involved in Jerusalem. The Catholic Church is going to unite with and then guide the European Union, or the king of the north—with Germany as the real power behind it.

Three great religions—Christianity, Judaism and Islam—all have an intense interest in Jerusalem. That city is the third-most holy site to the Muslims. It is the most holy city for the Jews. Christians consider it their first or second holiest city. In the end, it is going to bring disaster to all three religions. “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be CUT IN PIECES, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:3). Even the United Nations is burdened down with Jerusalem. Those nations that burden themselves with that city will be “CUT IN PIECES.” Instead of trusting Yehovah for a solution, they trust men.

Because of its past and future, Yehshua has more interest in that city than in any other city on Earth. Yehshua died in Jerusalem. HE AND HIS FATHER ARE GOING TO RULE THE EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE FROM THERE!

This takes us to another critical end-time prophecy.

Jerusalem is to enter one last bloodbath before Yehshua returns.

 

Abomination of Desolation

“So when you see the ‘abomination that lays waste,’1 spoken of by Dani’?l the prophet, set up in the set-apart place” – he who reads, let him understand – Footnote:1 See Abomination that lays waste in Explanatory Notes. 16 “then let those who are in Yehud?ah flee to the mountains.” (Matthew 24:15-16). Some translations read the abomination that makes desolate. What is this abomination of desolation?

Let’s look at Luke’s account: ““And when you see Yerushalayim surrounded by armies, then know that its laying waste is near. “Then let those in Yehud?ah flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of her go out, and let not those who are in the fields enter her.” (Luke 21:20-21). Here there is no mention of any abomination; just armies.

Who is this army surrounding Jerusalem?

We are already watching on the nightly news country after country rising up and causing the dictators to fall. Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, soon Ethiopia, and maybe Saudi.

This week I was told about the 3rd Intifada. A Facebook page has been created calling for a third “Intifada” on Israel.

For those unfamiliar with this term, they are calling for the Arab World to take over Israel by force. The last Intifada resulted in 18 deadly terror bombings, and hundreds of Israelis (both Jews and Arabs) were killed.

The number of people clicking on the “Like” button on this page is increasing by the hour, and has surpassed 282,000.

According to the Prophecies of Abraham and Daniel 11:40-43 The King of the North is going to come in a blitzkrieg or whirlwind and take over Egypt, and Libya and Ethiopia and shall also enter the glorious land.

We have to keep in mind that the prophecy in Zechariah is when the Messiah comes back and mountain is cleaved in two. It is not about this time when Jerusalem is first surrounded by armies.

But the prophecy in Mathew and Luke is not when the mountain is split. It is when the city of Jerusalem is attacked. It is going to be attacked by an uprising of Arab for the 3rd intifada. They will surround Jerusalem and it is at this time that we must flee to the mountains.

According to the Prophecies of Abraham we expect this to take place in 2012. The King of the North will come in 2013 and take Egypt and Libya and enter the glorious land to save the city from the Arabs. Not to save Judah. But Daniel 7 tells us that from these three horns that are removed comes another horn. It well soon be time to watch someone rise up from this part of the world.

This army the King of the North has just conquered is there to keep peace in Jerusalem. The Holy Roman Empire will undoubtedly make some kind of a peace pact to protect Jerusalem with the King of the South.

It will look like the world is about to have peace. The beast power will enter into Jerusalem.

At that point, over the next 3 Âœ years this European power will double-cross the Jews (see Ezekiel 23). It will become one of the greatest double-crosses in the history of man. At this point, people will realize that Judah’s “wound” leads to a cataclysmic end!

Yehovah’s very elect will escape all this violence. “Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into” (Luke 21:21). When the European Union armies surround Jerusalem, Yehovah’s people only have days to escape! They understand Bible prophecy and what is really going to occur.

Jerusalem’s Final Captivity

“He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps [or at his feet]” (Daniel 11:42-43). This is all part of the destructive rampage of the king of the north.

After this takes place from the fall of 2012 to the end of the Sabbatical year of 2016 many christians will think this is the last years of the tribulation and they will be fooled. Satan is to deceive the whole world and if possible the elect too.

Psalm 83 now comes into play. Why? Because the USA has now lost control over the Middle East and Europe has taken control. The plight of the Jews will become worst and worst and the USA will seek to come to their aid but too little too late.

According to the Prophecies of Abraham and the Sabbatical cycles and the 70 weeks of Daniel the anointed, Israel is to be cut off in the middle of this last shabuwa. That year is 2020 and it at this time they are destroyed and taken into captivity.

Ten years well pass. 7 years of plenty for the Beast power followed by 31/2 years of drought brought on by the Two witnesses.
The unprecedented scale of bloodshed and conquest by the king of the north greatly disturbs the Asiatic millions in Russia and China. They will not sit idle. “But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many” (verse 44). Russia and China will ally themselves against the king of the north. This will be very troubling to the beast power. We are now in the last 3 Âœ years from 2030 to 2033.

“And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him” (verse 45). The great religious beast of Revelation 13 will move its headquarters to Jerusalem out of fear. This will probably include the political beast as well. Both of these powers know how violent Russia and its allies can be. They need to remember only as far back as World War II. That is why “tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble” them.
Here is an end-time prophecy that includes Israel and Judah. “Thus said ???? of hosts, “The children of Yisra’?l were oppressed, along with the children of Yehud?ah. And all who took them captive have held them fast, they refused to let them go.” (Jeremiah 50:33). ISRAEL AND JUDAH WERE NOT OPPRESSED TOGETHER IN THEIR ANCIENT CAPTIVITY. This is a prophecy for the end time. Israel went into captivity in 718-723?B.C., while Judah’s was over 100 years later, in 586?B.C.

“A sword is upon the Chaldeans,” declares ????, “and it is upon the inhabitants of Bab?el, and upon her heads and upon her wise men. ” (verse?35). Then the king of the north will be destroyed. His headquarters at that time will probably be in Jerusalem.

“As Elohim overthrew Sed?om and Amorah and their neighbouring cities,” declares ????, “so no one would dwell there, nor would son of man sojourn in it. 41 “See, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation and many sovereigns stirred up from the ends of the earth. 42 “They lay hold of bow and spear, they are cruel and they show no compassion. They sound like the roaring sea, and ride on horses, set in array, like a man for the battle, against you, O daughter of Bab?el. 43 “The sovereign of Bab?el has heard the report about them, and his hands became weak. Distress has seized him, pain like that of a woman in labour. ” (verses 40-43). The European Union then will begin to tremble. This is the same fear mentioned in Daniel 11:44.

Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed totally by fire from heaven. Soon Europe is going to suffer destruction and be left like Sodom and Gomorrah! It too will receive fire from heaven.

We are told by whom this will come in revelation

Rev 17:12 “And the ten horns which you saw are ten sovereigns who have not yet received a reign, but receive authority as sovereigns with the beast for one hour. 13 “They have one mind, and they shall give their power and authority to the beast. 14 “They shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Master of masters and Sovereign of sovereigns. And those with Him are called, and chosen, and trustworthy.” 15 And he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and crowds, and nations, and tongues. 16 “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these shall hate the whore, and lay her waste and naked, and eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 “For Elohim did give it into their hearts to do His mind, to be of one mind, and to give their reign to the beast, until the words of Elohim shall be accomplished.

The ten toes of Daniel will reign for one hour with the beast power. These ten kings agree to work with the Beast Power as we are told verse17. They do this in order to take out the USA and UK powers. As we were told in Psalm 83. But they will turn on the whore. They only work with her to achieve world dominance of the Muslim faith. Now with the USA and UK out of the way they turn on the catholic faith and destroy her.

How you may ask? We are told in Isaiah13. The Medes are today call Iran and the bows are what launch the Nuclear missiles into Rome the heart of the Babylonian Mystery religion.

“So I shall make the heavens tremble, and the earth shall shake from her place, in the wrath of ???? of hosts and in the day of the heat of His displeasure. 14 “And it shall be as the hunted gazelle, and as a sheep that no man takes up – every man turns to his own people, and everyone flees to his own land. 15 “Whoever is found is thrust through, and everyone taken falls by the sword. 16 “And their children are dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses plundered and their wives ravished. 17 “See, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who do not regard silver, and as for gold, they do not delight in it. 18 “And bows dash the young to pieces, and they have no compassion on the fruit of the womb, their eye spare no children. 19 “And Bab?el, the splendour of reigns, the comeliness of the Chaldeans’ pride, shall be as when Elohim overthrew Sed?om and Amorah. 20 “She shall never be inhabited, nor be settled from generation to generation; nor shall the Arab?ian pitch tents there, nor shepherds rest their flocks there. 21 “But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be filled with owls. And ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats frolic there. 22 “And hyenas shall cry in their citadels, and jackals in their pleasant palaces. And her time is near to come, and her days are not drawn out.”

Once the Medes have acted, the crescendo of global tension will hurtle toward its explosive conclusion. The united armies of the massively populated Asian bloc will make their entrance. GREAT DESTRUCTION IS ABOUT TO LEAD TO GREATER DESTRUCTION.

 

The Battle of the Day of the Lord

Nothing will stop the massive Asiatic army of 200 million people! (Revelation 9:16). Only Russia and China could amass such a gigantic army. They will be the only other world power, besides the European Union. Yehovah has reserved them to destroy most of the European power.

Yehovah is going to dry up the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. Massive armies shall flow into the Middle East and Europe—heading toward Jerusalem.

That makes it very difficult for the European army to use nuclear power. It doesn’t make much sense to bomb yourselves.
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16). Yehovah GATHERS them into the plain of Megiddo. Armageddon means armed Megiddo.

There will be only two real military powers left at that time—the king of the north and the Russia-China axis. They will meet and be ready to clash in the plain of Megiddo—located in northern Israel, where there is a huge air base and a gigantic area to assemble armies.

Great military strategists will think they are making all these plans. But in truth, THE SUPREME MILITARY STRATEGIST BEHIND ALL THIS IS YEHOVAH!

This event in Megiddo leads to another chain reaction. They see Yehshua returning to this Earth and both armies decide to fight Him, instead of each other.

“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem” (Joel 3:1). Judah and Jerusalem (a type of all Israel) are in captivity. “I WILL ALSO GATHER ALL NATIONS, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land” (verse 2).

Yehovah says, “I WILL GATHER all nations.” This is the same language used in Zechariah 14:1-2: “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle?
.” Yehshua gathers the main armies of the Asiatic millions and those of the Holy Roman Empire to Jerusalem.

It is there that Yehshua puts an end to warfare and brings peace to the Earth (verses 3-4).

Though the armies will gather in the plain of Megiddo, the battle involving “all nations” will take place in the valley of Jehoshaphat. This deep valley, or ravine, borders Jerusalem on the east, between the city and the Mount of Olives. Today it is more commonly known as the Kidron Valley.

Jehoshaphat means “judgment of the Eternal.” The rebellious and unrepentant nations of this world will be judged there by Yehovah for their disobedience!

The world’s armies will converge on Jerusalem to fight Yehshua. The confrontation is called in the Bible “the battle of that great day of Yehovah Almighty” (Revelation 16:14). It is not the “battle of Armageddon” as some mistakenly assume. That is because it will not take place at Armageddon! It all revolves around Jerusalem.

Zechariah 14:12-13 graphically describe this supernatural confrontation at Jerusalem with the world’s armies. They will turn against each other in mistrust and fear as their very flesh decomposes and their eyes cease to see!

THE BLOOD IS GOING TO BE UP TO THE HORSES’ BRIDLES! “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of Yehovah. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs” (Revelation 14:19-20). The length of 1,600 furlongs is about 200 miles. The Valley of Jehoshaphat is GOING TO BECOME A RIVER OF BLOOD, ROUGHLY 4 FEET DEEP AND ABOUT 200 MILES LONG! That is almost too much blood to even imagine. However, the Asiatic armies alone have 200 million soldiers.

THIS IS HOW YEHOVAH WILL “PLEAD WITH THEM”—IN THE ONLY LANGUAGE THEY UNDERSTAND!

Just the mention of these prophecies ought to frighten men into repentance. But men have no idea of how hard and rebellious they are!

“and his strength pass away because of fear, and his commanders shall be afraid of the banner,” declares ????, whose light is in Tsiyon and whose furnace is in Yerushalayim. ” (Isaiah 31:9). Yehshua’s fiery furnace will be in Jerusalem! This is where Yehovah will refine His created Family.

After the dust settles from this incredible conflagration, Yehshua will establish His government in Jerusalem. Global peace will finally break out!

What looks so gloomy and dark in Jerusalem today is almost ready to start this chain reaction. It will lead to the greatest event ever to occur in history, not just the history of this Earth, but the history of the universe—THE RETURN OF YEHSHUA! Thank Yehovah that glorious event is about to explode on this planet! What a momentous time to be alive!

Many of these events revolve around the Passover season and are intricately tied into the Sabbatical and Jubilee cycles. When you pray for the Peace of Jerusalem know that all of these events must first take place before Jerusalem will have peace.

This Passover that you eat with your cloak and shoes on and your staff in your hand so that you are ready to flee when you see the armies surrounding this beautiful city, may this Passover be kept with the sober attitude of these events that are yet to take place.

 


Triennial Torah Cycle

 

You now have just two weeks left to de-leaven your homes cars and work places.
We now return to our 3 1/2 year Torah studies which you can follow online.

Ex 7      1 Kings 13-14      Ps 112-114      Luke 22:1-38

 

Ex 7

Let me tie this week’s Torah study into the article above that we have just read.

Moses asks Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage to worship Yehovah in the wilderness. When Pharaoh is stubborn, Yehovah sends a series of plagues, wondrous signs for Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and the Israelites to see. These signs are to prove Yehovah’s power and might, but more than that, they are to show that a refusal to follow Yehovah’s commands will result in pain and loss.

The third plague, lice, is telling. Pharaoh and the Egyptians have witnessed two plagues before: blood and the frogs. When Yehovah turns the Nile to blood, Pharaoh’s magicians do the same, and “Pharaoh turned and went into his palace, paying no regard even to this” (Exodus 7:23). The magicians are also able to replicate the frogs, though they are powerless to get rid of them once making them appear. But with the lice it is different. The magicians are unable to replicate the sign. They understand what they are witnessing. The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of Yehovah!” (Exodus 8:15). But Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he would not heed them.

The difference between the magicians’ response and Pharaoh’s response teaches us something important. Both see the same evidence for Yehovah’s power and presence, but each responds differently. The magicians see the lice, and they understand that Yehovah is more powerful than they. They connect completely with what their eyes are telling them. They are able to call it unequivocally what it is—this is Yehovah’s power, not ours. But Pharaoh refuses to believe what his eyes see. His heart stiffens.
How does that happen? Why do we refuse so often to believe what our eyes tell us? Why do we ignore what is so plain to see? Many of you refuse to see or admit to the Sabbatical cycle and those prophesied events now taking place on the world scene yet you know they are happening.

I believe the answer is that believing does not come from the eyes, but from the heart. Our eyes can witness all the evidence in the world, but unless the heart is willing to believe, then the evidence matters none. Israel saw all of these miracles and then they saw the Red Sea split open and they walk through and the Egyptians wiped out. Yet many of them still did not believe.

Take, for example, Pharaoh’s response to the fourth plague. Yehovah brings swarming insects throughout the land of Egypt, laying the land to waste. The region of Goshen, where the Israelites live, however, is spared. Yehovah wants to show Pharaoh a distinction between his people and Yehovah’s people. So Pharaoh begins bargaining. First, he offers them the opportunity to worship within the land of Egypt. Moses explains that this won’t work, so Pharaoh seems to relent: “ ‘I will let you go to sacrifice . . . but do not go very far’ ” (Exodus 8:24). But when he sees that the swarms of insects have abated, he stubbornly refuses to let the Israelites go.

So long as the threat seems imminent, Pharaoh is willing to believe. But when the threat seems to have passed, he reverts back. He sees with eyes, but has not yet come to believe in his heart.

This is exactly the same thing we see today. The Palestinians negotiate and do not give in an inch if they think they have the upper hand. They only relent when force is applied. As we discussed above with the current peace for land deals Judah is dealing from a weak position and the Arabs know it so they do not relent.

So often throughout history, we cannot make the connection between head and heart. We see a loved one succumbing to illness but refuse to believe it will be fatal. We hear stories of concentration camps and mass murder, but refuse to believe it will spread to our village. We are told time and again that we are despoiling our environment and causing climate change, and yet still there are those who say, “We don’t believe it.” We are taught from early childhood the dangers of cigarette smoking, and yet we ignore them.

We can, like Pharaoh, believe there is no Yehovah. We can believe that we have all the power, that there is nothing out there larger than we are. We can ignore all the signs we see all around us of a deeper sense of meaning and purpose to our lives. We can rationalize the power of human connection and spiritual empowerment. We can harden our hearts to what lies deep within ourselves and in the experience of life.

Or we can soften up a bit. We can open our hearts to the spiritual potential we find in the world, a spiritual power that asks us to create a unity between head and heart, between what we see and what we believe. We can let the connections we build between our heads and our hearts inspire us to act, to build healthier lives and a holier world.

Perhaps we do not have the immanent wonders that Moses brought before Pharaoh and the Israelites, but we have plenty of signs of our own that should be tugging at our hearts. And if we can learn to open our hearts to what Yehovah is trying to tell us, then we may find ourselves liberated from the plagues that afflict us in our age, and find our way forward to a brighter and better future.

 

1 Kings 13-14

http://www.britam.org/Kings/1Kings13.html

[1-Kings 13:1] AND, BEHOLD, THERE CAME A MAN OF GOD OUT OF JUDAH BY THE WORD OF THE LORD UNTO BETHEL: AND JEROBOAM STOOD BY THE ALTAR TO BURN INCENSE.
The prophet according to tradition was Iddo, cf.
THE VISIONS OF IDDO THE SEER AGAINST JEROBOAM THE SON OF NEBAT [2-Chronicles 9:29].

[1-Kings 13:2] AND HE CRIED AGAINST THE ALTAR IN THE WORD OF THE LORD, AND SAID, O ALTAR, ALTAR, THUS SAITH THE LORD; BEHOLD, A CHILD SHALL BE BORN UNTO THE HOUSE OF DAVID, JOSIAH BY NAME; AND UPON THEE SHALL HE OFFER THE PRIESTS OF THE HIGH PLACES THAT BURN INCENSE UPON THEE, AND MEN’S BONES SHALL BE BURNT UPON THEE.
Josiah the son of Amon was a king of Judah. He reigned about 300 years later , ca.640-609 BCE according to conventional dating whereas the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat is given as 930-909 BCE. King Josiah threw off the yoke of Assyria, destroyed Assyrian idols, took control of the former territories of the northern kingdom of Israel and went through them destroying every vestige of idolatry he came across.
For more on the activities of King Josiah see:
The Completeness of the Exile
http://www.britam.org/CompleteExile.html
See points (3) and (4).
Josiah purified the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, “even unto Naphtali” of idolatry.
[2-Chronicles 34:6] AND SO DID HE IN THE CITIES OF MANASSEH, AND EPHRAIM, AND SIMEON, EVEN UNTO NAPHTALI, WITH THEIR MATTOCKS [Hebrew: “BeCharvoteihem” i.e. “IN THEIR RUINS”] ROUND ABOUT.
The words translated above as “WITH THEIR MATTOCKS” in Hebrew is “BeCharvotayhem”which means “IN THEIR RUINS”!
King Josiah went around the RUINED CITIES of Northern Israel and destroyed the remnants of idols he found in them. The verse in Hebrew actually affirms that the cities were in ruins and presumably uninhabited.
[see “Olam HaTanach” Divrei-HaYamim-b p.261).
See also:
“Daat Mikra” (Sefer Diverei HaYamim-b) p.902:
#The matter of the verse as read is “becharvotayhem” in their destroyed cities. This is how the Aramaic translation renders it (Bait Tsadiyut-hon -in their ruins) and so too does Gersonides: Cities that were then in ruins#
n.16 For “charvot” in the sense of deserted cities Psalm 9:6 Ezekiel 36:4.
[Daat Mikra points to the related expression “churba” in Arabic].

[2-Chronicles 34:7] AND WHEN HE HAD BROKEN DOWN THE ALTARS AND THE GROVES, AND HAD BEATEN THE GRAVEN IMAGES INTO POWDER, AND CUT DOWN ALL THE IDOLS THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND OF ISRAEL, HE RETURNED TO JERUSALEM.

[2-Kings 23:15] MOREOVER THE ALTAR THAT WAS AT BETHEL, AND THE HIGH PLACE WHICH JEROBOAM THE SON OF NEBAT, WHO MADE ISRAEL TO SIN, HAD MADE, BOTH THAT ALTAR AND THE HIGH PLACE HE BRAKE DOWN, AND BURNED THE HIGH PLACE, AND STAMPED IT SMALL TO POWDER, AND BURNED THE GROVE.

[2-Kings 23:16] AND AS JOSIAH TURNED HIMSELF, HE SPIED THE SEPULCHRES THAT WERE THERE IN THE MOUNT, AND SENT, AND TOOK THE BONES OUT OF THE SEPULCHRES, AND BURNED THEM UPON THE ALTAR, AND POLLUTED IT, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD WHICH THE MAN OF GOD PROCLAIMED, WHO PROCLAIMED THESE WORDS.

[2-Kings 23:17] THEN HE SAID, WHAT TITLE IS THAT THAT I SEE? AND THE MEN OF THE CITY TOLD HIM, IT IS THE SEPULCHRE OF THE MAN OF GOD, WHICH CAME FROM JUDAH, AND PROCLAIMED THESE THINGS THAT THOU HAST DONE AGAINST THE ALTAR OF BETHEL.

[2-Kings 23:18] AND HE SAID, LET HIM ALONE; LET NO MAN MOVE HIS BONES. SO THEY LET HIS BONES ALONE, WITH THE BONES OF THE PROPHET THAT CAME OUT OF SAMARIA.

[2-Kings 23:19] AND ALL THE HOUSES ALSO OF THE HIGH PLACES THAT WERE IN THE CITIES OF SAMARIA, WHICH THE KINGS OF ISRAEL HAD MADE TO PROVOKE THE LORD TO ANGER, JOSIAH TOOK AWAY, AND DID TO THEM ACCORDING TO ALL THE ACTS THAT HE HAD DONE IN BETHEL.

[2-Kings 23:20] AND HE SLEW ALL THE PRIESTS OF THE HIGH PLACES THAT WERE THERE UPON THE ALTARS, AND BURNED MEN’S BONES UPON THEM, AND RETURNED TO JERUSALEM.

The “priests” killed by Josiah were non-Israelite Samaritans who the Assyrians had settled in the area and who took up some of the practices (pagan and otherwise) of the departed Israelites see 2-kings ch.18 (see “Olam Ha-Tanach” Malacim-b p.202).

The Bible 2-Kings 17:24-27 tells us how the King of Assyria brought in non-Israelite colonists to take the place of the exiled Israelites.
These Gentiles were pagans and God sent herds of lions to afflict them. The King of Assyria was advised that the new settlers needed to honor the “God of the Land”. One (or more, tradition says there were at least two of them) of the exiled Israelite priests was therefore sent to teach them how to act.

[2-Kings 17:27] THEN THE KING OF ASSYRIA COMMANDED, SAYING, CARRY THITHER ONE OF THE PRIESTS WHOM YE BROUGHT FROM THENCE; AND LET THEM GO AND DWELL THERE, AND LET HIM TEACH THEM THE MANNER OF THE GOD OF THE LAND.

[2-Kings 17:28] THEN ONE OF THE PRIESTS WHOM THEY HAD CARRIED AWAY FROM SAMARIA CAME AND DWELT IN BETHEL, AND TAUGHT THEM HOW THEY SHOULD FEAR THE LORD.

This priest and his family would have taught them the mixed Hebraic-Canaanite practices instituted by Jeroboam that had resulted in the Israelites being exiled. In addition the new settlers (referred to as “Samaritans”) continued to maintain their pagan customs only added the new “Hebraic” ones onto them (2-Kings 17:19-41).
It was the descendants of these priests whom Josiah was to kill.

Incidentally Josiah also took action against homosexuals:
[2-Kings 23:7] AND HE BRAKE DOWN THE HOUSES OF THE SODOMITES, THAT WERE BY THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, WHERE THE WOMEN WOVE HANGINGS FOR THE GROVE.

Josiah also attempted to bring some of the Israelites back and small colonies of Scythians were established in the north but were abandoned after the death of Josiah.
See our discussion on this matter in “The Tribes”.
http://britam.org/the-Tribes.html
[1-Kings 13:3] AND HE GAVE A SIGN THE SAME DAY, SAYING, THIS IS THE SIGN WHICH THE LORD HATH SPOKEN; BEHOLD, THE ALTAR SHALL BE RENT, AND THE ASHES THAT ARE UPON IT SHALL BE POURED OUT.

[1-Kings 13:4] AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN KING JEROBOAM HEARD THE SAYING OF THE MAN OF GOD, WHICH HAD CRIED AGAINST THE ALTAR IN BETHEL, THAT HE PUT FORTH HIS HAND FROM THE ALTAR, SAYING, LAY HOLD ON HIM. AND HIS HAND, WHICH HE PUT FORTH AGAINST HIM, DRIED UP, SO THAT HE COULD NOT PULL IT IN AGAIN TO HIM.
The vitality of his hand stopped still as if dried up and he could not move it.

[1-Kings 13:5] THE ALTAR ALSO WAS RENT, AND THE ASHES POURED OUT FROM THE ALTAR, ACCORDING TO THE SIGN WHICH THE MAN OF GOD HAD GIVEN BY THE WORD OF THE LORD.
On the spot the altar split apart and the ashes that were on it were spilled out.

[1-Kings 13:6] AND THE KING ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO THE MAN OF GOD, INTREAT NOW THE FACE OF THE LORD THY GOD, AND PRAY FOR ME, THAT MY HAND MAY BE RESTORED ME AGAIN. AND THE MAN OF GOD BESOUGHT THE LORD, AND THE KING’S HAND WAS RESTORED HIM AGAIN, AND BECAME AS IT WAS BEFORE.
Jeroboam recognized that the Almighty had caused his hand to stop dead. He swallowed his pride and asked the prophet to pray for him.

[1-Kings 13:7] AND THE KING SAID UNTO THE MAN OF GOD, COME HOME WITH ME, AND REFRESH THYSELF, AND I WILL GIVE THEE A REWARD.

[1-Kings 13:8] AND THE MAN OF GOD SAID UNTO THE KING, IF THOU WILT GIVE ME HALF THINE HOUSE, I WILL NOT GO IN WITH THEE, NEITHER WILL I EAT BREAD NOR DRINK WATER IN THIS PLACE:

[1-Kings 13:9] FOR SO WAS IT CHARGED ME BY THE WORD OF THE LORD, SAYING, EAT NO BREAD, NOR DRINK WATER, NOR TURN AGAIN BY THE SAME WAY THAT THOU CAMEST.

[1-Kings 13:10] SO HE WENT ANOTHER WAY, AND RETURNED NOT BY THE WAY THAT HE CAME TO BETHEL.

[1-Kings 13:11] NOW THERE DWELT AN OLD PROPHET IN BETHEL; AND HIS SONS CAME AND TOLD HIM ALL THE WORKS THAT THE MAN OF GOD HAD DONE THAT DAY IN BETHEL: THE WORDS WHICH HE HAD SPOKEN UNTO THE KING, THEM THEY TOLD ALSO TO THEIR FATHER.

[1-Kings 13:12] AND THEIR FATHER SAID UNTO THEM, WHAT WAY WENT HE? FOR HIS SONS HAD SEEN WHAT WAY THE MAN OF GOD WENT, WHICH CAME FROM JUDAH.

[1-Kings 13:13] AND HE SAID UNTO HIS SONS, SADDLE ME THE ASS. SO THEY SADDLED HIM THE ASS: AND HE RODE THEREON,

[1-Kings 13:14] AND WENT AFTER THE MAN OF GOD, AND FOUND HIM SITTING UNDER AN OAK: AND HE SAID UNTO HIM, ART THOU THE MAN OF GOD THAT CAMEST FROM JUDAH? AND HE SAID, I AM.

[1-Kings 13:15] THEN HE SAID UNTO HIM, COME HOME WITH ME, AND EAT BREAD.

[1-Kings 13:16] AND HE SAID, I MAY NOT RETURN WITH THEE, NOR GO IN WITH THEE: NEITHER WILL I EAT BREAD NOR DRINK WATER WITH THEE IN THIS PLACE:

[1-Kings 13:17] FOR IT WAS SAID TO ME BY THE WORD OF THE LORD, THOU SHALT EAT NO BREAD NOR DRINK WATER THERE, NOR TURN AGAIN TO GO BY THE WAY THAT THOU CAMEST.

[1-Kings 13:18] HE SAID UNTO HIM, I AM A PROPHET ALSO AS THOU ART; AND AN ANGEL SPAKE UNTO ME BY THE WORD OF THE LORD, SAYING, BRING HIM BACK WITH THEE INTO THINE HOUSE, THAT HE MAY EAT BREAD AND DRINK WATER. BUT HE LIED UNTO HIM.
He may not have really been a Prophet as he claimed but he must have been at a sufficiently high level to make the necessary initial impression and mislead the real Prophet. Today you see this with many people claiming to have visions and direct communication with God and making all sorts of claims. Almost all of them are of their own imaginations. I often encounter those who are teaching Torah and have added to it and make lofty claims about their status. I will not submit to them or their teachings if they do not adhere to the written word of Yehovah. And I often think of this incident.

[1-Kings 13:19] SO HE WENT BACK WITH HIM, AND DID EAT BREAD IN HIS HOUSE, AND DRANK WATER.

[1-Kings 13:20] AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS THEY SAT AT THE TABLE, THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME UNTO THE PROPHET THAT BROUGHT HIM BACK:

[1-Kings 13:21] AND HE CRIED UNTO THE MAN OF GOD THAT CAME FROM JUDAH, SAYING, THUS SAITH THE LORD, FORASMUCH AS THOU HAST DISOBEYED THE MOUTH OF THE LORD, AND HAST NOT KEPT THE COMMANDMENT WHICH THE LORD THY GOD COMMANDED THEE,

[1-Kings 13:22] BUT CAMEST BACK, AND HAST EATEN BREAD AND DRUNK WATER IN THE PLACE, OF THE WHICH THE LORD DID SAY TO THEE, EAT NO BREAD, AND DRINK NO WATER; THY CARCASE SHALL NOT COME UNTO THE SEPULCHRE OF THY FATHERS.

[1-Kings 13:23] AND IT CAME TO PASS, AFTER HE HAD EATEN BREAD, AND AFTER HE HAD DRUNK, THAT HE SADDLED FOR HIM THE ASS, TO WIT, FOR THE PROPHET WHOM HE HAD BROUGHT BACK.

[1-Kings 13:24] AND WHEN HE WAS GONE, A LION MET HIM BY THE WAY, AND SLEW HIM: AND HIS CARCASE WAS CAST IN THE WAY, AND THE ASS STOOD BY IT, THE LION ALSO STOOD BY THE CARCASE.

[1-Kings 13:25] AND, BEHOLD, MEN PASSED BY, AND SAW THE CARCASE CAST IN THE WAY, AND THE LION STANDING BY THE CARCASE: AND THEY CAME AND TOLD IT IN THE CITY WHERE THE OLD PROPHET DWELT.

[1-Kings 13:26] AND WHEN THE PROPHET THAT BROUGHT HIM BACK FROM THE WAY HEARD THEREOF, HE SAID, IT IS THE MAN OF GOD, WHO WAS DISOBEDIENT UNTO THE WORD OF THE LORD: THEREFORE THE LORD HATH DELIVERED HIM UNTO THE LION, WHICH HATH TORN HIM, AND SLAIN HIM, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, WHICH HE SPAKE UNTO HIM.

[1-Kings 13:27] AND HE SPAKE TO HIS SONS, SAYING, SADDLE ME THE ASS. AND THEY SADDLED HIM.

[1-Kings 13:28] AND HE WENT AND FOUND HIS CARCASE CAST IN THE WAY, AND THE ASS AND THE LION STANDING BY THE CARCASE: THE LION HAD NOT EATEN THE CARCASE, NOR TORN THE ASS.

[1-Kings 13:29] AND THE PROPHET TOOK UP THE CARCASE OF THE MAN OF GOD, AND LAID IT UPON THE ASS, AND BROUGHT IT BACK: AND THE OLD PROPHET CAME TO THE CITY, TO MOURN AND TO BURY HIM.

[1-Kings 13:30] AND HE LAID HIS CARCASE IN HIS OWN GRAVE; AND THEY MOURNED OVER HIM, SAYING, ALAS, MY BROTHER!
This whole incident is very strange. Opinions are divided as to what exactly happened. It appears that the so-called Prophet from Samaria was not a real Prophet but rather Pretender though of a higher level. He wanted to bring about the downfall of the true prophet and he succeeded. In a sense he was also defending the honor the northern kingdom, of Ephraim. He wanted to show that even the greatest of Judah could be mislead in the same way the men of northern Israel had been. He was sorry that he had been proven correct.

If God tells us something we cannot believe the message of any human being that the message has been annulled!
Ephraim should be warned:
Do not try to make Judah as yourselves!
This is liable to destroy Judah and cause you only regret.

[1-Kings 13:31] AND IT CAME TO PASS, AFTER HE HAD BURIED HIM, THAT HE SPAKE TO HIS SONS, SAYING, WHEN I AM DEAD, THEN BURY ME IN THE SEPULCHRE WHEREIN THE MAN OF GOD IS BURIED; LAY MY BONES BESIDE HIS BONES:

[1-Kings 13:32] FOR THE SAYING WHICH HE CRIED BY THE WORD OF THE LORD AGAINST THE ALTAR IN BETHEL, AND AGAINST ALL THE HOUSES OF THE HIGH PLACES WHICH ARE IN THE CITIES OF SAMARIA, SHALL SURELY COME TO PASS.
Indeed in the time of Josiah all the altars and places of worship in the ruined and abandoned cities of Samaria were destroyed.

[1-Kings 13:33] AFTER THIS THING JEROBOAM RETURNED NOT FROM HIS EVIL WAY, BUT MADE AGAIN OF THE LOWEST OF THE PEOPLE PRIESTS OF THE HIGH PLACES: WHOSOEVER WOULD, HE CONSECRATED HIM, AND HE BECAME ONE OF THE PRIESTS OF THE HIGH PLACES.
#MADE AGAIN#. Daat Mikra points out that this expression may indicate that after the incident there was a period in which Jeroboam ceased the idolatrous path he had embarked upon only to go back to it later.
THE LOWEST OF THE PEOPLE. See our commentary to [1-Kings 12:31] where we explained that “Miktsot” translated as #THE LOWEST# could alternatively mean the better or more elevated section. In Hebrew the word “Katsin” (from the same root, katseh, as “Miktsot”) means officer. The fact that Jeroboam himself was one of the people in question could help strengthen this understanding.

[1-Kings 13:34] AND THIS THING BECAME SIN UNTO THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM, EVEN TO CUT IT OFF, AND TO DESTROY IT FROM OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH.
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 102;a) roughly paraphrased says:
##Rabbi Abba said:
God grabbed hold of the shirt of Jeroboam and said,
‘Repent, and you and I and the Son of Jesse will stroll together in the Garden of Eden!’ Said Jeroboam: Which of us will have precedence?
God answered: The son of Jesse!
Jeroboam replied: if such is the case I am not interested!

The Bible and all other sources indicate that Jeroboam was a great man with a great potential but he chose the wrong path.
Jeroboam could if he so wished have retained his position or something close to it and still have gone in the right way along the pathway of the Torah.

In the future a leader will arise from the seed of Joseph (and according to some source a descendants of Jeroboam himself) who is referred to as the Messiah son of Joseph. He will lead the Ten Tribes back and enable their reconciliation with Judah and all Israel will then be ruled over by the Messiah son of David.
For a list of articles concerning the Messiah son of Joseph see:
http://www.britam.org/ContentsSubject.html#Messiah

http://www.britam.org/Kings/1Kings14.html
[1-Kings 14:1] AT THAT TIME ABIJAH THE SON OF JEROBOAM FELL SICK.
ABIJAH. Pronounced “Abiya” in Modern Hebrew. It means “God is my father”.

[1-Kings 14:2] AND JEROBOAM SAID TO HIS WIFE, ARISE, I PRAY THEE, AND DISGUISE THYSELF, THAT THOU BE NOT KNOWN TO BE THE WIFE OF JEROBOAM; AND GET THEE TO SHILOH: BEHOLD, THERE IS AHIJAH THE PROPHET, WHICH TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD BE KING OVER THIS PEOPLE.
AHIJAH. In Modern Hebrew pronounced as “Ahiyah”.
DISGUISE THYSELF Radak: #He knew that Ahiyah hated him since he had turned away from God. He said to himself that if Ahiyah will know she is my wife he will only predict something bad. He therefore said to his wife to disguise herself that he should not recognize her as the wife of Jeroboam.#

[1-Kings 14:3] AND TAKE WITH THEE TEN LOAVES, AND CRACKNELS, AND A CRUSE OF HONEY, AND GO TO HIM: HE SHALL TELL THEE WHAT SHALL BECOME OF THE CHILD.
CRUSE. In Old English “cruse” meant a small jar or pot.
Hebrew “bakbook” which in Modern Hebrew means a bottle but in Biblical Hebrew connotes any vessel with a narrow opening.
HONEY. In Hebrew “devash” which can mean honey from bees or an extract from fruit such as dates.
It was the custom when going to the Prophet to bring a gift cf. 1-Samuel 9:7.
[1-Samuel 9:7] THEN SAID SAUL TO HIS SERVANT, BUT, BEHOLD, IF WE GO, WHAT SHALL WE BRING THE MAN? FOR THE BREAD IS SPENT IN OUR VESSELS, AND THERE IS NOT A PRESENT TO BRING TO THE MAN OF GOD: WHAT HAVE WE?

[1-Kings 14:4] AND JEROBOAM’S WIFE DID SO, AND AROSE, AND WENT TO SHILOH, AND CAME TO THE HOUSE OF AHIJAH. BUT AHIJAH COULD NOT SEE; FOR HIS EYES WERE SET BY REASON OF HIS AGE.

[1-Kings 14:5] AND THE LORD SAID UNTO AHIJAH, BEHOLD, THE WIFE OF JEROBOAM COMETH TO ASK A THING OF THEE FOR HER SON; FOR HE IS SICK: THUS AND THUS SHALT THOU SAY UNTO HER: FOR IT SHALL BE, WHEN SHE COMETH IN, THAT SHE SHALL FEIGN HERSELF TO BE ANOTHER WOMAN.

[1-Kings 14:6] AND IT WAS SO, WHEN AHIJAH HEARD THE SOUND OF HER FEET, AS SHE CAME IN AT THE DOOR, THAT HE SAID, COME IN, THOU WIFE OF JEROBOAM; WHY FEIGNEST THOU THYSELF TO BE ANOTHER? FOR I AM SENT TO THEE WITH HEAVY TIDINGS.

[1-Kings 14:7] GO, TELL JEROBOAM, THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, FORASMUCH AS I EXALTED THEE FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE, AND MADE THEE PRINCE OVER MY PEOPLE ISRAEL,

[1-Kings 14:8] AND RENT THE KINGDOM AWAY FROM THE HOUSE OF DAVID, AND GAVE IT THEE: AND YET THOU HAST NOT BEEN AS MY SERVANT DAVID, WHO KEPT MY COMMANDMENTS, AND WHO FOLLOWED ME WITH ALL HIS HEART, TO DO THAT ONLY WHICH WAS RIGHT IN MINE EYES;

[1-Kings 14:9] BUT HAST DONE EVIL ABOVE ALL THAT WERE BEFORE THEE: FOR THOU HAST GONE AND MADE THEE OTHER GODS, AND MOLTEN IMAGES, TO PROVOKE ME TO ANGER, AND HAST CAST ME BEHIND THY BACK:

[1-Kings 14:10] THEREFORE, BEHOLD, I WILL BRING EVIL UPON THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM, AND WILL CUT OFF FROM JEROBOAM HIM THAT PISSETH AGAINST THE WALL, AND HIM THAT IS SHUT UP AND LEFT IN ISRAEL, AND WILL TAKE AWAY THE REMNANT OF THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM, AS A MAN TAKETH AWAY DUNG, TILL IT BE ALL GONE.
H8366 ???? sha?than shaw-than’
A primitive root; (causatively) to make water, that is, urinate: – piss. Who said the bible was not real and down to earth.

[1-Kings 14:11] HIM THAT DIETH OF JEROBOAM IN THE CITY SHALL THE DOGS EAT; AND HIM THAT DIETH IN THE FIELD SHALL THE FOWLS OF THE AIR EAT: FOR THE LORD HATH SPOKEN IT.

[1-Kings 14:12] ARISE THOU THEREFORE, GET THEE TO THINE OWN HOUSE: AND WHEN THY FEET ENTER INTO THE CITY, THE CHILD SHALL DIE.

[1-Kings 14:13] AND ALL ISRAEL SHALL MOURN FOR HIM, AND BURY HIM: FOR HE ONLY OF JEROBOAM SHALL COME TO THE GRAVE, BECAUSE IN HIM THERE IS FOUND SOME GOOD THING TOWARD THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL IN THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM.
The Commentary, “Mishbetsot Zahav”, quotes from the “Beer Moshe” who in turn cites the Zohar Chadash, the Megileh Amukot, and other works. The Zohar Chadash says:
#And that Messiah [Mashiach, i.e. Annointed One] will be from the Tribe of Ephraim of the seed of Jeroboam son of Nebat, a descendant of Abiya who died in his youth. On the day that Abiya died a son was born to him?.and from that son of Abiya will come the Messiah [son of Joseph] of whom it is written AND ALL ISRAEL SHALL MOURN FOR HIM, AND BURY HIM [1-Kings 14:13]. This was a prophecy both for the immediate events and for the distant future FOR HE ONLY OF JEROBOAM SHALL COME TO THE GRAVE, BECAUSE IN HIM THERE IS FOUND SOME GOOD THING this is the Messiah [son of Joseph] in whom will be found SOME GOOD THING TOWARD THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL. #

[cf. AND THEY SHALL LOOK UPON ME WHOM THEY HAVE PIERCED, AND THEY SHALL MOURN FOR HIM, AS ONE MOURNETH FOR HIS ONLY SON[Zechariah 12:10]
Also understandable as saying,
AND THEY SHALL LOOK UPON HE WHO HAS BEEN PIERCED.

The Megaleh Amukot (i.e. Rabbi Nathan Nata Spira, 1585- 1633, Poland) on the above passage from the Zohar says [and we shall paraphrase in the light of the sources quoted]:

#The Messiah son of Joseph [is a descendant of] Abiya son of Jeroboam, as it says BECAUSE IN HIM THERE IS FOUND SOME GOOD THING [1-Kings 14:13]. The Ancestors of the Tribes [who were jealous of Joseph and angry with him] saw that Jeroboam was destined to descend from Joseph but the Patriarch Jacob [their father] saw further. He foresaw that the Messiah son of Joseph would come from him, that in him would be FOUND SOME GOOD THING [1-Kings 14:13]. This is what it means BUT HIS FATHER KEPT THE MATTER [Genesis 37:11] {translated in the KJ as BUT HIS FATHER OBSERVED THE SAYING}.
[The future redemption is described as a time when we shall]
COME REJOICING bringing in the sheaves [Psalms 126:6]. [This was foretold when Joseph said to his brothers about a dream in which
WE WERE BINDING SHEAVES IN THE FIELD [Genesis 37:7][and your sheaves bowed down to mine. This signified that Joseph would rule over them. They were angry as a result of which it came to pass that the Kings that came from Joseph caused the Israelites to worship idols.
Midrash Breishit Rabah 84:10:
[Genesis 37:7] FOR, BEHOLD, WE WERE BINDING SHEAVES IN THE FIELD, AND, LO, MY SHEAF AROSE, AND ALSO STOOD UPRIGHT; AND, BEHOLD, YOUR SHEAVES STOOD ROUND ABOUT, AND MADE OBEISANCE TO MY SHEAF.
The Hebrew word for MY SHEAF is ALUMATI which came to expression in a negative fashion,
YOU ARE DESTINED TO MAKE DUMB IDOLS [Hebrew Elilim [idols] Alumim [dumb] which sounds similar to ALUMATI (MY SHEAF) by the golden bull calves of Jeroboam and to say,
BEHOLD THY GODS, O ISRAEL [1-Kings 12:28]. [Commentary Yafet Toar: As if the brothers of Joseph due to their jealousy of him caused the kings that came out of him to bring Israel to worship idols. ] Nevertheless, the Messiah son of Joseph, descendant of ] Abiya will bring in the sheaves [ALUMOT] and atone for the DUMB IDOLS of Jeroboam.##
The above Commentary based on the Midrash and other Commentatories is not necessarily making any historical claims but rather pointing out how from Joseph was destined to emerge Jeroboam who himself caused damage but from his descendants will emerge a Savior in the End Times.

The whole degeneration of Joseph (representing all the Ten Tribes) with his Exile and losing his Israelite Identity in the End Times will be seen as having fulfilled a Divinely Ordained Plan which will culminate in Joseph returning and rectifying whatever wrong he may have done.

[1-Kings 14:14] MOREOVER THE LORD SHALL RAISE HIM UP A KING OVER ISRAEL, WHO SHALL CUT OFF THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM THAT DAY: BUT WHAT? EVEN NOW.

[1-Kings 14:15] FOR THE LORD SHALL SMITE ISRAEL, AS A REED IS SHAKEN IN THE WATER, AND HE SHALL ROOT UP ISRAEL OUT OF THIS GOOD LAND, WHICH HE GAVE TO THEIR FATHERS, AND SHALL SCATTER THEM BEYOND THE RIVER, BECAUSE THEY HAVE MADE THEIR GROVES, PROVOKING THE LORD TO ANGER.
BEYOND THE RIVER i.e. beyond the Euphrates River. The Euphrates is the border of the Holy Land
http://www.britam.org/Questions/QuesLand.html
The Land of Israel stretches from the western confluences of the Nile Delta, encompasses all Sinai, part of Northern Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, parts of Iraq, southeast Turkey, the island of Cyprus, and reaches along the Euphrates River and beyond.
See Map:
http://www.britam.org/Questions/QuesLand.html#Boundaries
The whole Kingdom was destined to be conquered and all the inhabitants exiled. They lost consciousness of their ancestry and became known as the LOST TEN TRIBES OF ISRAEL.
THEIR GROVES. Hebrew “Ashayrim”.

[1-Kings 14:16] AND HE SHALL GIVE ISRAEL UP BECAUSE OF THE SINS OF JEROBOAM, WHO DID SIN, AND WHO MADE ISRAEL TO SIN.
Jeroboam sinned and made Israel sin but they could have repented.

[1-Kings 14:17] AND JEROBOAM’S WIFE AROSE, AND DEPARTED, AND CAME TO TIRZAH: AND WHEN SHE CAME TO THE THRESHOLD OF THE DOOR, THE CHILD DIED;
TIRZAH. This city was made the capital after Schechem. Tirzah was east of the Jordan. It was renowned for its beauty.

THOU ART BEAUTIFUL, O MY LOVE, AS TIRZAH, COMELY AS JERUSALEM… (Song of Solomon 6:4).

[1-Kings 14:18] AND THEY BURIED HIM; AND ALL ISRAEL MOURNED FOR HIM, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, WHICH HE SPAKE BY THE HAND OF HIS SERVANT AHIJAH THE PROPHET.

[1-Kings 14:19] AND THE REST OF THE ACTS OF JEROBOAM, HOW HE WARRED, AND HOW HE REIGNED, BEHOLD, THEY ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL.

[1-Kings 14:20] AND THE DAYS WHICH JEROBOAM REIGNED WERE TWO AND TWENTY YEARS: AND HE SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS, AND NADAB HIS SON REIGNED IN HIS STEAD.
NADAB. In Modern Hebrew “Nadav”. It means “generous”.
According to the simple gist of Scripture Jeroboam comes across as a very negative character. Nevertheless a deeper nobler element was there.Jeroboam reignednfrom931/30 BC to 910/909 BC

[1-Kings 14:21] AND REHOBOAM THE SON OF SOLOMON REIGNED IN JUDAH. REHOBOAM WAS FORTY AND ONE YEARS OLD WHEN HE BEGAN TO REIGN, AND HE REIGNED SEVENTEEN YEARS IN JERUSALEM, THE CITY WHICH THE LORD DID CHOOSE OUT OF ALL THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, TO PUT HIS NAME THERE. AND HIS MOTHER’S NAME WAS NAAMAH AN AMMONITESS.
The mother of Rehoboam was Naamah the Ammonitess who like Ruth the Moabitess was permitted to become an Israelitess whereas this was forbidden to the males of Moab and Ammon. Rehoboam reigned from 931/930 BC to 913 BC.
Loyalty to David is Required: Ruth and the Oral Tradition
http://britam.org/DavidandOralLaw.html

[1-Kings 14:22] AND JUDAH DID EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, AND THEY PROVOKED HIM TO JEALOUSY WITH THEIR SINS WHICH THEY HAD COMMITTED, ABOVE ALL THAT THEIR FATHERS HAD DONE.

[1-Kings 14:23] FOR THEY ALSO BUILT THEM HIGH PLACES, AND IMAGES, AND GROVES, ON EVERY HIGH HILL, AND UNDER EVERY GREEN TREE.
All these things may have been built for the sake of idolatry or they may have been intended as means to draw close to the Almighty. At all events God was displeased with them.

[1-Kings 14:24] AND THERE WERE ALSO SODOMITES IN THE LAND: AND THEY DID ACCORDING TO ALL THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE NATIONS WHICH THE LORD CAST OUT BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.
SODOMITES. Hebrew “Kadesh” or “Kodesh” which can mean sacred but it also connotes something set aside for a particular purpose, in this case for the purpose of sex. Daat Mikra says that here the intention is to both male and female prostitution in which the fee for the sexual act would be consecrated to the holy places. Targum Yehonatan renders it as referring to male prostitution i.e. homosexuality and pederasty. Nearly all homosexuality evidently entails an inclination towards young men and even animals. There is nothing innocent or natural about it. It may be that this affliction has always been amongst us but on the whole when it has been publicly condemned and punished its incidence has been much less. Either the wrongdoers are punished or they will punish us. Pederasty or paederasty ( /?p?d?rĂŠsti/, UK /?pi?d?rĂŠsti/) is a (usually erotic) relationship between an older man and an adolescent boy outside his immediate family. The word pederasty derives from Greek (paiderastia) “love of children” or “love of boys”,[1] a compound derived from ???? (pais) “child, boy” and ??????? (erast?s) “lover”.

[1-Kings 14:25] AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF KING REHOBOAM, THAT SHISHAK KING OF EGYPT CAME UP AGAINST JERUSALEM:
Shishak is identified with Shoshenik (945-922 BCE) king of Egypt. At Karnak in Egypt has been found a description of his expedition against Judah and Israel. It contains a list of cities in Judah and Israel that he conquered together with depictions of what appear to be the Israelite governors of these cities. More Israelite cities are mentioned than Judean even though the Bible only recalls his incursion to Judah. At Megiddo in the North of Israel has been found part of a Stelle recording his conquest of the site.
http://www.katapi.org.uk/BAndS/SheshonkInscription.htm
[Not everybody agrees with the identification of Shoshenik with Shishak.
see
http://www.biblemysteries.com/lectures/shishak.htm

http://www.domainofman.com/ankhemmaat/rohl.html
The interrelated chronologies of ancient Egypt, Israel, and Mesopotamia are based on a single “essential synchronism”(1) established over 165 years ago.(2) In 1822, Jean Francois Champollion deciphered the Hieroglyphic Code using the Rosetta Stone, and inaugurated the field of Egyptology. Unfortunately, six years later, he dealt the new discipline a serious setback with his misinterpretation of a military campaign mural belonging to the Egyptian 22nd Dynasty Pharaoh Sheshonq I.(3)
Champollion thought he had found “Judah the Kingdom” among the hieroglyphs of subdued cities listed in Sheshonq’s inscription,(4) and concluded that Sheshonq could be none other than the Biblical Pharaoh “Shishak.”(5) Shishak, according to 2 Chronicles 12, “captured the fortified cities of Judah” five years after the death of King Solomon. The Bible goes on to say that Jerusalem was spared only after Shishak “carried off … everything.” By 1888, Champollion’s “Judah the Kingdom” had been correctly translated as “Monument of the King,”(6) and associated geopgraphically with northern Israel by virtue of its position in the Karnak mural campaign itinerary.(7) However, the mis-identification of Shishak with Sheshonq was not overturned, and has remained the cornerstone of ancient chronology.
In the New Chronology model, the Pharaoh who besieges the fortified cities of Judah and subdues Jerusalem five years after the death of Solomon is re-identified as the 19th Dynasty Pharaoh Ramses II.(8) The well documented campaign of Ramses II against Palestine in his Year 8 corresponds much more closely to that of the Biblical Shishak than that of Sheshonq. Examination of the account of Sheshonq’s invasion reveals that it was directed primarily toward the northern kingdom of Israel, and that Judah was deliberately bypassed by the Egyptian army.(9) Moreover, no mention is made in the Bible of the northern kingdom of Israel being humbled by Shishak. On the other hand, Ramses II’s campaign did concentrate primarily on Judah and the Shasu nations of the Sinai and southern transjordan, and Ramses II specifically claims to have “plundered Shalom,” i.e., Jerusalem.

Furthermore Rohl has determined that Shisha is an acceptable transliteration of the official Egyptian nickname (Sysw)(10) of the Pharaoh Ramses II, and that the liguistic path to the Biblical name Shishak is more straightforward than that of Sheshonq, especially if it is recognized that the final “k” was added as a play on words (a recognized practice used in the Bible when translating foreign names) to render the connotation of “assaulter” in Hebrew.(11)

The New Chronology determination that the Biblical King Rehoboam (besieged by Shishak) and the Pharaoh Ramses II were contempories is secured by several archaeological finds and a completely independent synchronism, that being the recording of a rare solar eclipse in the reign of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh, Akhenaten.(12) Shortly after the death of his father Amenhotep III, Akhenaten received a letter from his vassal Abimilku(13) of Tyre informing him of a fire that destroyed half of the palace of King Nikmaddu II at the city of Ugarit (north of Tyre on the Syrian coast of the Mediterranean Sea). In the charred remains of that palace, archaeologists found a tablet describing an eclipse of the sun that occurred at sunset in the month of “Hiyaru” (mid-April to mid-May). As the setting sun was considered a goddess in the Ugarit pantheon, the eclipse represented a particularly evil omen, and it was indicated as such on the opposite side of the tablet. Computer retro-calculation has confirmed that an eclipse did occur thirty minutes before sunset on May 9th in the year 1012 B.C., and that this was the only total solar eclipse which occurred within one hour of sunset at this location during the entire 2nd millennium B.C. Rohl therefore deduces that the palace fire and Abimilku’s letter to Akhenaten occurred after (and likely no more than a year after) the tablet recording the solar eclipse of 1012 B.C. was inscribed.
Circa 1012 B.C. is the accepted time (in the conventional chronology) for the rise of King David in Israel, however it has until now been believed that the Pharoah Akhenaten ruled in Egypt over 300 years earlier! The letter to Akhenaten was one of 340 political correspondences written primarily in Akkadian, the diplomatic language of the day, and dating to the reigns of Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamun. The group of letters are collectively known as the Amarna tablets after the site in Egypt where they were discovered in 1887.

Comparisons between the frequently mentioned “Habiru” of the Amarna tablets and the Biblical descriptions of David and his band of “mighty men” (2 Samuel 10:7) have been made by noted scholars. However, due to the 300 year offset in the conventional chronology, an association with the Biblical accounts had not been seriously considered. A new study of the Amarna tablets by Rohl has revealed that the ethnic and political makeup of Palestine, and the activities of the Habiru are even more similar in their correspondence with the Biblical record that was originally suspected.(14)

[1-Kings 14:26] AND HE TOOK AWAY THE TREASURES OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, AND THE TREASURES OF THE KING’S HOUSE; HE EVEN TOOK AWAY ALL: AND HE TOOK AWAY ALL THE SHIELDS OF GOLD WHICH SOLOMON HAD MADE.

[1-Kings 14:27] AND KING REHOBOAM MADE IN THEIR STEAD BRASEN SHIELDS, AND COMMITTED THEM UNTO THE HANDS OF THE CHIEF OF THE GUARD, WHICH KEPT THE DOOR OF THE KING’S HOUSE.
BRASEN in Hebrew “Nechoshet” usually translated as copper but according to many probably actually meaning bronze which is an alloy of copper and tin.

[1-Kings 14:28] AND IT WAS SO, WHEN THE KING WENT INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, THAT THE GUARD BARE THEM, AND BROUGHT THEM BACK INTO THE GUARD CHAMBER.

[1-Kings 14:29] NOW THE REST OF THE ACTS OF REHOBOAM, AND ALL THAT HE DID, ARE THEY NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH?

[1-Kings 14:30] AND THERE WAS WAR BETWEEN REHOBOAM AND JEROBOAM ALL THEIR DAYS.

[1-Kings 14:31] AND REHOBOAM SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS, AND WAS BURIED WITH HIS FATHERS IN THE CITY OF DAVID. AND HIS MOTHER’S NAME WAS NAAMAH AN AMMONITESS. AND ABIJAM HIS SON REIGNED IN HIS STEAD.
The son of Jeroboam was called Abiya.
The son of Rehoboam was called ABIJAM.
In 2-Chronicles he is called Abiyah e.g.
[2-Chronicles 12:16] AND REHOBOAM SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS, AND WAS BURIED IN THE CITY OF DAVID: AND ABIJAH HIS SON REIGNED IN HIS STEAD.
From this two points are worth noting.
A parallel between the names of the Royal Families of northern Israel with those of Judah.
The term “YAM” was used interchangeably with Yah.
Here we find it used in Judah but archaeologists have noted it most especially in Northern Israel.
In Norse Mythology we have Ymir who gave rise to the race of the giants and later also to that of mankind.
Yama in India and Yan in Chinese and the Avestan (Zoroastrian Persian) Yima.
The Ten Tribes were exiled by the Assyrians.
Some of them for a period went eastward before going west. They influenced Indian concepts as well as giving rise to the religion of Zoroaster. The Persian religion of Zarathustra (Zoroaster) was originally similar to that of the Israelites and was based on Biblical concepts. Later it was taken over by pagan idol worshippers and corrupted.
See our article:
What Spake Zarathustra?
http://britam.org/zarathustra.html

 

Ps 112-114

“He Has Sent Redemption to His People”
Psalm 112 is another wisdom psalm with, as noted above, the same acrostic structure as that of Psalm 111. The two psalms form a matched pair. Like Psalm 111, Psalm 112 also begins with “Praise the LORD” or Hallelujah-and follows from the final words of Psalm 111, “His praise endures forever.” Psalm 112 then picks up where 111 leaves off with the benefit of fearing God and keeping His commandments-finding happiness in them (compare 111:5, 10; 112:1).

Comparing the two psalms, we see in Psalm 112 that the righteous, who are like God in the way they live, will be greatly blessed with honor and glory and the perpetuity that God Himself has. Notice that both God and those who follow Him are “gracious and full of compassion” (111:4; 112:4). And of both we are told, “His righteousness endures forever” (111:3; 112:3, 9).

Observe that the wonderful blessings God’s people receive are not for selfishly hoarding-but for sharing with others in need. A godly person will have wisdom to manage his affairs and help others (verses 4-6), and he will not live in fear (verses 7-8). He will remain confident that God will turn things around so that “he will look in triumph on his foes” (verse 8, NIV).

Of course, we should not view Psalm 112 as a promise of material riches and an absence of hardship and harm throughout this life. God often does bless those who follow His ways with material well-being in the here and now, but we should understand the blessings mentioned throughout Psalm 112 as coming over the course of life, through generations as God’s way of life is passed down, and, most importantly, as part of the ultimate inheritance of the righteous in eternity to come.

This is in stark contrast, as the last verse shows, to the wicked, who will ultimately “melt away.”

113

“He Has Sent Redemption to His People”

As earlier noted, Psalm 113 is the first in a collection of six psalms (113-118) called the “Egyptian Hallel.” These hallel, or “praise,” psalms “came to be used in the Jewish liturgy at the great religious festivals (Passover, Weeks, Tabernacles, Dedication, New Moon; see Lev 23; Nu 10:10; Jn 10:22…)” (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, note on Psalms 113-118). The moniker “Egyptian” is derived from their special use in the celebration of Passover, commemorating the Israelites’ deliverance in Egypt. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary states, “The Egyptian Hallel psalms received a special place in the Passover liturgy, as 113-114 were recited or sung before and 115-118 after the festive meal (cf. Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26)” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, introductory note on Psalm 113).

Regarding the customary singing of Psalms 113-114 prior to the traditional Passover meal of Jewish people today, The Nelson Study Bible states: “Both psalms remarkably capture in poetry and song the major ideas of the prose liturgy that is also recited before the Passover meal. That is, they speak of God’s saving works at the time of the Exodus. The first psalm [113] focuses the worshipers on the condescending grace of God. He is the merciful Redeemer who bends from heaven to meet the needs of His people. Then with the singing of Ps. 114, the Jews recall Israel’s deliverance from Egypt-the reason for the Passover celebration and the central act of God’s saving grace” (“INDepth: The Psalms of the Passover,” sidebar on Psalms 113-118).

Psalm 113 opens and closes with Hallelujah-“Praise the LORD.” Indeed, in the opening three verses the psalmist five times calls for the servants of the Lord to praise His name. “In biblical thought a name is not a mere label of identification; it is an expression of the essential nature of its bearer. A man’s name reveals his character…. This was a concept shared by the peoples of the ancient world. Hence to know that name of God is to know God as he has revealed himself (Ps. 9:10)” (“Name,” The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible). So God’s name includes who He is, all He has done and everything He instructs and stands for.

In verse 3, the phrase “from the rising of the sun to its going down” designates not daytime, from dawn to dusk, but rather means from the distant east to the distant west-i.e., in all places God’s name is to be praised.

Though God dwells in unimaginable glory and splendor beyond the creation, He nonetheless humbles Himself to be mindful of it (verses 4-6; compare 8:4). The Mighty God has compassion on His people. He lifts the poor and needy out of dust and ashes-referring to both the physically impoverished and spiritually humble and repentant-to seat them with princes (verses 7-8). He relieves the stigma and desperation of a barren woman by giving her a happy home (verse 9). In these verses we have a picture of God’s salvation and reward of His humble people-raising them in stature to rulers and giving them joy in His family forever.

114
“He Has Sent Redemption to His People”
Psalm 114, still sung with Psalm 113 prior to the Jewish Passover meal as noted above, is a song about the power of God in delivering the Israelites from Egypt, bringing them into the Promised Land and preserving them in the wilderness in between.
Stating that the Israelites “went out…from a people of strange language” (verse 1) is meant to stress the foreignness of the Egyptians and their ways (compare Psalm 81:5)-particularly their foreignness from God’s ways. This would also seem to indicate that the Israelites retained their own language while in Egypt. Recall that they were not scattered throughout Egypt but had been settled in the land of Goshen in the Nile Delta region. Sadly, the Israelites were nevertheless corrupted from living in Egypt.

Thus, coming out of Egypt was representative of coming out of Egypt’s ways. “In terms of ‘biblical geography,’ Egypt represents the world and the bondage of the sinner to its evil forces (Eph.2:1-3)” (Warren Wiersbe, Be Exultant-Psalms 90-150: Praising God for His Mighty Works, 2004, note on Psalm 114:1).

When God led Israel out of Egypt, the nation became His sanctuary and dominion (verse 2)-that is, His temple and sovereign domain or kingdom. God told Moses, “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). And in dwelling among them, the people would in an extended sense become His holy dwelling place-His sanctuary. God further said: “I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them” (29:45-46). Today God dwells within His people, true Christians, who constitute spiritual Israel-the spiritual temple of God.

Verses 3-6 concern the miraculous parting of the waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan River for Israel to cross-at the beginning and end of their wilderness wanderings. The Red Sea is figuratively portrayed as “seeing” the dominion of God among His people and “fleeing” from His manifest power. The Jordan is personified as intentionally turning back from its normal flow. In concert with these events, we also see mountains and hills “skipping” like frightened lambs. This would seem to indicate major earthquake activity on one or both of these occasions.

Continuing the earthquake imagery, verse 7 directs the earth to tremble at God’s presence. This probably also is instruction to all the earth’s people to likewise tremble with appropriate fear and respect before God. Ironically, those with proper fear need not be terror-stricken-for God uses His great power to benefit His people. It was the awesome presence of God that gave the Israelites water in the desert to preserve them from the time they left Egypt to the time they entered the Promised Land (verse 8).

Even so, God’s presence within His people today will preserve them following their personal “Exodus” from the sin of Egypt and “Red Sea baptism,” giving them spiritual drink from the divine Rock (compare 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 11). And by His mighty power He will see us through to the future “Jordan crossing” into the spiritual “Promised Land”-the Kingdom of God.

Luke 22:1-38

I would like to share with you the order of the Passover as some are confused about this.
In the 1st month of the year on the 14th day is Passover from Sunset the evening before until sunset the following day.

The apostles went to prepare the Passover where they were taken to the large upper room.
In the churches of God from where I come from we would have a very sombre service at the beginning of the 14th. At this service we would break the bread and drink the wine, not grape juice and wash each others feet. As this was what Yehshua was doing on this evening.

The Next evening was the Night to be much remembered. It was after the day that Yehshua was killed at 3 PM on the 14th day of the 1st month. This is when the sheep were killed for the Passover. This night to be much observed was the Passover meal of the Lamb that was killed that afternoon. So this Passover meal is eaten at the beginning of the 15th day.

I would also like to show you that Yehshua was killed on Wednesday and rose from the Dead on Saturday after noon exactly three days and three night in the grave which was the only sign that He was the Messiah. https://sightedmoon.com/sightedmoon_2015/?page_id=19 The Sign of Jonah.

 


The 613 Mitzvot

 

We now continue to study the 613 laws of Torah which we can read at http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm
We are doing 7 laws each week. We shall study laws 381-387 We also have commentary, with editing from me, again from http://theownersmanual.net/The_Owners_Manual_02_The_Law_of_Love.Torah

(381) Show honor to a kohein, and to give him precedence in all things that are holy. “The priest is holy to his God. Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I Yahweh, who sanctify you, am holy.” (Leviticus 21:7-8) Although it’s a fine sentiment to show honor to those whom God has appointed for a special purpose, that’s not really what the verse says. The Hebrew verb translated both “consecrate” and “sanctify” (qadas) is from the same root as the word translated “holy” (qadows). The consonant root qds literally means “to cut” or “to separate.” The point is that the priests of Israel were to be set apart from ordinary Israelites, dedicated to the service of Yahweh, because He Himself was unique—set apart from all others—in terms of purity, power, and purpose.

(382) A High Kohein shall not defile himself with any dead, even if they are relatives. “…Nor shall he [the High Priest] go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother.” (Leviticus 21:11) A distinction has been made between ordinary priests and the High Priest. The rules were stricter for the High Priest: he could not approach the corpses of even the closest of relatives. His position as symbolic intercessor for the people was too important to them; thus personal sacrifices, as in this mitzvah, were required on his account. We should not be surprised to find that the High Priesthood was not a position of power (as Caiaphas saw it), but one of responsibility. It was the High Priest who was required to risk his life on the Day of Atonement by entering the Most Holy Place, approaching the Ark of the Covenant, and sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice upon it. People had died by touching the Ark. The Levitical High Priest’s responsibilities mirror those of the ultimate High Priest, Yahshua, whose own blood was shed for the remission of our sins, and whose death rent the curtain blocking access to the Most Holy Place. From that moment on, we—His followers—became priests in our own right, with direct access to the Father through prayer. We have thus become holy through the sacrifice of our High Priest. But more than that, He has made us alive by giving us His Spirit, because after all, the High Priest may not go near the dead.

(383) A High Kohein shall not go (under the same roof) with a dead body. “…Nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am Yahweh.” (Leviticus 21:11-12) Maimonides is giving lip service to rabbinic tradition here, but as you can see, the Torah says nothing about it. But as long as we’re here, let’s look at the prohibition against departing from or profaning the sanctuary. The sanctuary is the Hebrew miqdas, which is linguistically derived from the same root as qodesh—holy, or set-apart. Miqdas can refer to any holy place or thing, the most obvious and prominent of which in the life of Israel being the temple. The Hebrew word for “go out” is yatsa, parallel to the noun yowtse’t which connotes (according to the Dictionary of Bible Languages with Semantic Domains): “captive, i.e., one going out of the land into captivity and exile, so changing one’s place of habitation.” What Yahweh is saying here is not that the High Priest can’t ever leave the sanctuary—in Moses’ day, the Tabernacle. He’s saying that he is not to switch affiliations, allowing himself to be “taken captive” by false gods. The reason given is that the “anointing oil” of God is upon him. The word “anointing,” of course, (mishchah) is related to the word we transliterate Messiah—Yahweh’s anointed One. Further, the oil with which he is anointed is a common Biblical metaphor for the Holy Spirit. All of this adds up to one thing: Israel’s High Priest is a stand-in, a metaphor, for Yahshua our High Priest.

(384) The High Kohein shall marry a virgin. “And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.” (Leviticus 21:13-14) Dan Brown had lots of satanic help with his best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Now you know why Satan loves (and promotes) the odd idea that Yahshua married Mary Magdalene (who had once been “defiled,” even if she wasn’t a harlot). It would (if true) disqualify Yahshua as High Priest material, leaving us without an Intercessor, and without a Savior. No, Yahshua our High Priest would wed a pure virgin—us—even if He had to die to attain our chastity for us. Paul wrote, “For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (II Corinthians 11:2) And John saw in a vision the wedding of this virgin to the Lamb of God: “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” (Revelation 19:6-8)

(385) The High Kohein shall not marry a widow. “…A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.” (Leviticus 21:13-14) The death of a woman’s husband made her legally and morally eligible for remarriage. Thus regular priests, though they couldn’t marry divorcees, weren’t prohibited from marrying widows (see Mitzvot #378-380). But not so for the High Priest. He was to marry a virgin, and only a virgin. This difference points out something significant concerning our relationship with Yahshua. He, being our High Priest, may be joined only to one who is pure and undefiled, for He is holy. (Of course, He alone has the power to make us pure.) But we (who have been made priests through our faith in Him—see Revelation 1:5-6) may have things in our lives that were once joined to other gods. As long as those other gods are dead and gone, we can still be of service. If they are alive to us, however, we may not serve—which explains why priests could not be married to harlots or profaned women.

(386) The High Kohein shall not cohabit with a widow, even without marriage, because he profanes her. “…Nor shall he [the High Priest] profane his posterity among his people, for I, Yahweh, sanctify him.” (Leviticus 21:15) Fornication and adultery are specifically forbidden elsewhere, so this is not a loophole that Yahweh is attempting to close. Rather, it is a restatement (a common literary device in Hebrew speech) confirming and explaining what had just been said, that the High Priest was not to marry a widow, harlot, or divorced woman. To do so would chalal—defile, profane, or treat with contempt his zera’—his seed, semen, children, offspring, or posterity.

(387) A person with a physical blemish shall not serve (in the Sanctuary). “And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron, saying: “No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch. No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to Yahweh. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy; only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I Yahweh sanctify them.”’” (Leviticus 21:16-23) It’s not that God doesn’t like short people with acne. The lesson here is that just as the sacrifice must be perfect, without spot or blemish, so also must the one offering the sacrifice be spotless. The reason (we can see in hindsight) is that Yahshua was not only making the sacrifice, but also being the sacrifice—the ultimate High Priest was the Lamb of God.

Note that though the man with the defect was disqualified from serving in his hereditary role as a priest, he was not prohibited from eating his share of the sacrifices that were brought before God—as was the privilege of all the priests. Yahweh, as always, is fair and merciful. But we need to remember, the priesthood—whether under Moses or under Yahshua—is not a job; it’s a calling.

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