Israel, Egypt, Russia & Christ's Coming
Recent years have seen amazing events take place in the Middle
East. In 1948 Israel became a nation after 2000 years of dispersion;
in 1967 it occupied Jerusalem; in 1973 the Yom Kippur war (Egypt's
attack on Israel) was followed by world inflation as the Arabs
commenced using oil as a weapon; and now, in 1979, following dramatic
moves initiated by President Sadat of Egypt, a peace-treaty has been
signed by Egypt and Israel that has brought the two nations together
after contesting four bitterly fought wars.
What is to be the outcome of these events? Bible prophecy has the
answer.
The importance of these events cannot be over-emphasized; Bible
prophecy shows that they are of the utmost significance in the destiny
of men and nations. The future of the Middle East looms large in the
predictions of the Bible. It was that stretch of country to which God
made reference when he told Abraham nearly four thousand years ago:
"Look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and
eastward, and westward: for all the land that thou seest, to thee will
I give it, and to thy seed for ever" (Genesis 13:14-15).
That promise is yet to be fulfiled. It requires the resurrection
from the dead of Abraham and those who constitute "his seed"
to accomplish it. And the Bible reveals how anybody can be classified
among "the seed of Abraham", by following Christ in the way
appointed (Galatians 3:26-29).
Meanwhile, the restoration of the Jewish people back to the land in
modern times, is preliminary to that glorious consummation; for the
Bible declares: "When the Lord shall build up Zion, (another name
for Jerusalem), he shall appear in his glory" (Psalm 102:16).
Jewish Return Witnesses To Christ's Coming
The return of the Jews in our times, and the revival of the nation
of Israel, comprise clear indications of the nearness of Christ's
return. Consider the following declaration of God through the prophet
Ezekiel:
"Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of
Israel from among the nations, whither they be gone, and will gather
them on every side, and bring them into their own land; and I will
make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one
king shall be king to them all . . . and I will cleanse them, so shall
they be My people, and I will be their God" (Ezekiel 37:21-23).
Notice the four developments predicted in that prophecy; and take
heed that two of them already have had token fulfilment, underlining
the certainty of the whole program listed therein:
- A return of the people back into the land: "I will
gather them on every side, and bring them into their own
land".
- The revival of the ancient nation of Israel: "I will
make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel . .
."
- The transformation of a democracy into a monarchy: "One
king shall be king to them all".
- The restoration of the Jewish people to divine favor: "I
will cleanse them, so shall they be My people, and I will be their
God".
Consider the partial fulfilment of the above. In the year 1917, the
Balfour Declaration was proclaimed inviting the Jewish people to
return to their ancient homeland, and establish therein "a
national home for the Jews". Point one has had partial fulfilment.
Thirty years later, in 1948 Israel became a nation through the
decree of the UNO the year before. Point two has had partial fulfilment.
Part's three and four have yet to be fulfiled, and Bible prophecy
clearly reveals what they will be. Indeed, the amazing events taking
place in the Land in recent years, witness to the fact that God is
working among the nations to that end. Israel's king, in the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ, is to return, and will discipline them, finally
educating them in the Truth, and so "cleansing" them.
Paul the Apostle clearly predicts that also, in the following
words:
"I would not, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery. . .
. that blindness in part is happened to Israel UNTIL the fulness of
the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is
written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn
away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant unto them, when I
shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies
. . . but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's
sake".
It is obvious from this statement, that God has a future for
Israel, and that the present revival of the nation is a step towards
that consummation.
Israel is to form the nucleus of the world-wide reign of Christ,
that it is the purpose of God to establish upon the earth:
"The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never
be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but
it shall break in pieces and consume all (other) kingdoms, and it
shall stand for ever" (Daniel 2:44). In the events taking place
in the Middle East relating to Israel, the miracle of Bible prophecy
is taking shape, leading to that end.
Other passages clearly reveal the vast changes to take place.
Jerusalem shall be called "the throne of the Lord, and all
nations shall flow unto it" (Jeremiah 3:17), the "city of
the great king" (Matthew 5:35), the center of divine worship
(Zechariah 14:16), and the "place of His throne were He will
dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever," and they
shall no more defile themselves (Ezekiel 43:7).
And the restoration of the Jews to their ancient land is the
guarantee that this will take place. God says concerning them:
"Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O
house of Israel, but for Mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned
among the nations whither ye went . . . For I will take you from among
the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you
into your own land" (Ezekiel 36:22-24).
God declares that He does not do this for Israel's sake, so much as
for His holy name's sake. He does it to vindicate His name, to fulfil
His promises and prophecies; to demonstrate that perfect confidence
may be placed in anything that He has declared He would do in the
earth.
In other words, the restoration of the Jews to their land, and the
revival of the ancient nation of Israel, is a sure and certain sign of
the imminence of Christ's return to fulfil the purpose that he
initiated 1900 years ago. Christ is to return, to set up his power in
Jerusalem, to discipline the Jewish people and bring them as a
converted nation under his rule, and to extend his authority
throughout the earth. When the existence of the Jewish state was
threatened by war in 1956 and again in 1967, Radio Jerusalem broadcast
the words of the Lord through the prophet Amos: "Also I will
restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the
ruined cities and live in them, they will also plant vineyards and
drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also
plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from
their land which I have given them, said the Lord your God" (Amos
9:14-15).
Why has all this happened to the Jewish people? Because the purpose
of God requires it.
God Is Interested in World Politics
It may come as a surprise to Bible loving people, that God is
interested in world politics. But such is indeed the case.
Through Daniel the prophet, the declaration is made:
"This matter is by decree . . . to the intent that the living
may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth
it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of
men" (Daniel 4:17).
This Scripture epitomizes the whole purpose of prophecy. It teaches
that the great events of world history are governed by a destiny
determined of God. He guides the destiny of nations to His
predetermined end: the establishment on earth of His Kingdom. In the
original language of Daniel 4:17, the last statement is couched in the
future tense, and can be rendered: "He will set up over it him
that is set at nought of men." The declaration teaches that
God rules in the kingdom of men. and giveth it to whomsoever He will,
but that, ultimately, He will set up over it him that is set at naught
of men.
Who is it, whose claims to rule are set at naught of men? It is a
clear reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified by the
Jews because he claimed to be king, and is rejected and ridiculed by
Gentiles today. God's purpose is to establish him as King upon earth,
bringing all mankind subject to his rule.
Christ's Coming Reign On Earth
The Lord Jesus Christ was born and died as King of the Jews, but
has never yet assumed that position. When he was born, wise men came
from the east asking, "Where is he born King of the Jews"
(Matthew 2:2); when he died the caption was placed over his cross: This
is Jesus the King of the Jews (Matt. 27:37). Later, when he was
about to ascend into heaven, the apostles asked him: "Wilt thou
at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" to which he replied:
"It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the
Father hath put in His own power" (Acts 1:7). Notice that the
Lord did not deny that the Kingdom would be again vested in Israel,
but that the time when that should take place was not then known to
him. Earlier, he had told the Apostles:
"They (the Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and
shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be
trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfiled"
(Luke 21:24).
Christ predicted that the dispersion of the Jewish people would be
for a limited period only, after which they would return and
take over their ancient possessions once a gain. He indicated this by
stating that Jerusalem "shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until.
. ."
In 1967 Israel was attacked by Jordan, and in the victory won, she
annexed Jerusalem. Christ's until had been brought to a
dramatic end.
The Coming Crisis In The Middle East
However, the complete restoration of the people and nation of
Israel will be preceded by a great international crisis, the nature of
which is clearly revealed in the prophecies of the Bible.
It has relationship to the great national judgment described as
Armageddon. The details are given in numerous places in the Bible, but
two in particular have specific reference to the subject of this
booklet: Ezekiel 38 and Daniel 11:40-45.
Both show the impact of the Egyptian-Israeli peace pact recently
signed.
The former predicts an invasion of the Middle East "in the
latter days" that shall involve all the world in war (v. 16).
This latter-day invasion is directed by one described as "the
chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" (Ezekiel 38:2). But this
statement should be rendered, as it is in the Revised Version of the
Bible, as "Prince of Ros, Meshech and Tubal". Ros is
the most ancient form of Russia, whilst Meshech and Tubal can be
aligned with Moscow and Tobolsk prominent cities of modern Russia.
Moscow is its capital, whilst Tubal is the name of an old state in
Siberia, the capital of which is Tobolsk. In Russian Bibles, printed
before 1917 (when the Communist revolution took place), these
place-names were clearly identified in the text of Scripture:
"Chief prince of Meshech (Moscow) and Tubal (Tobolsk)"
so that the identification of this invading power by Russians who
read their Bible would be clearly obvious. To make it clear beyond
doubt as to the identity of the power referred to, and against whom it
will move, the prophecy declares:
"Thou shalt come from thy place out of the UTRERMOST PARTS OF
THE NORTH (R.V.) ... and thou shalt come up against My people of
Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days .
(vv. 15-16).
Moreover, the prophecy not only clearly identifies the time of fulfilment
as the "latter days", but it also shows the condition of
Israel at the time of invasion:
"Thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled
villages, I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all
of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to
take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate
places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered
out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in
the midst of the land" (vv. 11-12).
In that statement Israel is described as having returned from
dispersion inhabited desolate places, and brought a measure of
fertility to land previously sterile.
That precisely describes the modern-day restoration of the people
and nation of Israel.
Thus, for 2500 years, the Bible has clearly identified conditions
as they would exist in the Middle East in the latter days.
One aspect of the prophecy, however, is missing. Israel is
described as being "at rest" and "dwelling safely"
-- and that has not been the case in the land today, surrounded as it
has been by bitter, hating enemies.
Change In Egyptian-Israeli Attitudes
But it now appears as though conditions are altering in the Middle
East, even in that particular. The most bitter enemy of Israel until
recently was the nation of Egypt. On no less than four occasions, the
Egyptians invaded Israel in an attempt to drive the Jews into the sea,
but failed on each occasion. Nasser, the former President of Egypt,
vowed to accomplish that objective, and was preparing to invade Israel
again when his death took place. He was followed by Sadat, but under
his guidance, a vast change has taken place in Egypt, one that goes
far to vindicate this aspect of Ezekiel's prophecy. In a dramatic and
unexpected move to bring peace to the Middle East, Sadat flew to
Israel and in Jerusalem extended the olive branch to the Jewish
people. President Carter of USA took the matter up, and in a series of
dramatic moves, and by great patience, succeeded in bringing the two
great enemies together in a pact of peace. The terms of peace as
signed by the three countries, calls upon the presence of American or
UN troops in the Middle Last, the restoration of some territories by
Israel, and the guarantee of the final borders by USA. The
implementation of the treated will relieve the pressure of an hostile
army on the southern borders of Israel, and will strengthen her
ability to resist other enemies to the east and north of her land.
The signing of the treaty has greatly assisted to develop a greater
confidence in the people of Israel in their ability to develop their
nation. The Hebrew word tendered "safely" in the passage
quoted above (Ezekiel 38:11), actually signifies confidently;
and peace with Egypt has contributed greatly to that end.
What is also of greatest significance prophetically, is the ensuing
relationships between Egypt and Russia. The peace act signed by Egypt
with Israel has only been accomplished by Egypt breaking its ties with
Russia. Previously, under Nasser, Egypt was closely aligned with the
Soviet, and relied on that nation for arms and economy. It was Russian
weapons of war and military potential that comprised the basis of the
Egyptian fighting forces.
That has now changed, and changed in accordance with Bible
prophecy. Indeed, during the epoch of Nasser, when Egypt was
closely united to Russia and was hostile to Israel, we showed by an
appeal to the prophetic word that such an attitude must change, and
that Russia would manifest hostility towards Egypt.
We made this prognostication, because it is clearly revealed in the
Bible. Daniel 11:40-45 provides a companion prophecy to that of
Ezekiel 38, relating to the "king of the north" at the time
of the end. It describes how this power will invade the Middle East,
and will attack not only Israel, styled "the glorious land"
but also:
"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 the precious things of
Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps".
This amazing prophecy declares that, at the "time of the
end" (v. 40), Russia will attack Israel and Egypt, whilst
numbering among its allies "the Libyans and Ethiopians".
Today the last two powers are closely tied to Russia, whereas there
is a growing antagonism manifested between the Soviet and Egypt.
The peace plan signed at Camp David between Israel and Egypt is
developing this latter-day crisis which will contribute to the
humbling of the people of Israel.
God Does Not Favor The Peace Pact
For God is not in favor of that peace treaty. The very security it
could bring Israel could contribute to the Jewish people becoming
self-satisfied with what they have developed in the Land, so that they
turn further from God. The true source of safety which they should
seek is peace with God, not peace with Egypt, and that is what they
fail to do. In signing with Sadat, the Israelites are placing their
confidence in the flesh to secure their borders; and their own
Scriptures warn them against doing this. The prophet Isaiah warned
them saying: "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord,
that take counsel, but not of Me . . . that walk to go down into
Egypt, and have not asked at My mouth; to strengthen themselves . . .
and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!" (Isaiah 30:1-2).
Isaiah's words have primary application to a crisis that took place
in his own day, when Sennacherib, the ruthless Assyrian conqueror,
invaded the land "to take a spoil and to take a prey".
Israel should have sought the help of God; instead the nation turned
to Egypt for assistance. But Egypt was no help, and the Assyrian took
most of the cities of Judah, and besieged Jerusalem. But then an
amazing thing occurred, an extraordinary occurrence that is confirmed
by history. Hezekiah prayed to God for help, and the angel of death
destroyed the Assyrian forces on the slopes of Mount Scopus to the
north east of Jerusalem (see Isaiah 38:36). History has its
explanation of the disaster, and attributes the amazing demise of the
soldiers to a virulent plague that swept through the Assyrian army.
But the Bible is insistent that it was due to the overshadowing hand
of God, extended on the behalf of His people.
Certainly, the warning words of Isaiah were vindicated in the
events of Isaiah's time, 3000 years ago.
But what is most significant is that Isaiah presents that as a
type of what will take place in the last days. He was told:
"Now go, write it before them (the Israelites) in a tablet,
and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever
and ever" (Isaiah 30:8).
But those words can be rendered: "Note it in a book, that it
may be for the latter day; as a testimony reaching to the age to
come".
The peace pact between Egypt and Israel today shows that the
instructions given to Isaiah are relevant. There is seen a repetition
today in the Middle East of those things that happened in the days of
Isaiah the prophet and Hezekiah the King, which. however, in their
latter-day manifestation, will effect the whole world, including you,
the reader of this article.
Russia is going to enact the part of the Assyrian who besieged
Jerusalem, and was unexpectedly overwhelmed by disaster through a
divine hand. That is to be the experience of the Russian forces to be
sent down into the Middle East at the time of the end. Ezekiel
declares that the Gogian army shall come to its end through divine
intervention (Ezekiel 38:17-23): through the Lord Jesus Christ, and
his resurrected and immortalized followers. Daniel, in his prophecy of
the same invasion and defeat says that "he shall come to his end,
with none to help him" (Daniel 11:45). The expression denotes
that he would be brought to his end by means other than those of human
agency.
As God was displeased with the pact signed between embattled Judah
in the days of Hezekiah and Egypt, so He is with the present pact
between Israel and Egypt. Israel should place its confidence in God,
not in flesh. If it did that, it would not do so in vain.
Hence it is that Ezekiel the prophet is instructed to indict Israel
for its indifference towards God in these days, and particularly
during the period that it is "at rest, dwelling safely" in
the land. Ezekiel describes the people as being like that I when the
Russian Gog invades modern-day Israel (Ezekiel 38).
In the next chapter, that describes developments in the land
consequent upon the defeat of the Russian invasion, the prophet is
told to address Israel of the latter-days:
"Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the
captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and
will be jealous for My holy name; after that they have borne their
shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against
Me WHEN THEY DWELT SAFELY IN THEIR LAND, and none made them
afraid" (Ezekiel 39:25-26).
The prophet declares that Israel will trespass against God under
conditions (now developing through the peace treaty) when they are
"at rest, dwelling safely" in the land. God's purpose in
restoring the people of Israel as we see them today, is not that they
should build a nation and establish their individual prosperity under
present conditions, but that they should form the nucleus for the
establishment of the Kingdom of God under Christ. Hence, because of
their manipulation of politics to bring about their own desires, God
will permit the Russian invasion to take place. that Israel may be
disciplined and humbled, and ultimately, be forced to accept those
principles of righteousness, which He has set before them ever since
they were a nation, 3,500 years ago.
Oil: As A Bait For The Russian Invasion
The prophecy claims that Russia will invade the land "to take
a spoil, and to take a prey" (Ezekiel 38:12). It describes the
confederated Eurasian forces under Gog as being drawn out like a huge
whale with hooks in its jaws in the midst of the seas. God is
represented as saying: "I will put hooks into thy jaws, and I
will bring thee forth . . ." (v. 4).
There are some well baited hooks in the Middle East, well
calculated to draw the Gogian forces to their doom. Part of the bait
is the lure of oil which is a key element in modern conditions. At the
present time, Russia has ample oil, and supplies much of this
commodity to those nations behind the Iron Curtain; but it is
assessed, that by 1985, Soviet Russia will have to become an importer
of oil. And the rich oil of the Middle East will comprise most
attractive bait to the Russian dictator.
A further "bait" is the strategic position of Israel and
Egypt; for the Middle East is the bridgehead to three main continents:
Europe, Asia and Africa, and its domination is necessary to a nation
bent on world conquest.
A third attractive "bait" is the fact that Jerusalem is a
holy city to the three great religions of the world: Catholic
Christianity, Judaism and Mohammedism; and the recent moves between
Catholicism and Communism on the one hand, and Russia and the Moslems
on the other, could make that consideration of prime importance to an
invading force that desires to unite the world under one Communistic
rule.
As far as oil is concerned, it is significant that Egypt today is
self-supporting in oil, and her potential in that regard is
increasing. One of the terms of the Camp David peace treaty is that
Israel return the sources of Egyptian oil she captured in the Six Days
War, whist Egypt has agreed to supply Israel with whatever oil that
country needs.
So here is portion of the bait that will cause Soviet Russia, with
the confederated forces of Europe, to turn covetous eyes towards the
Middle East.
But what of the Western powers?
The prophecy speaks of nations who will protest against the Russian
invasion of the Middle East:
"Sheba, Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish with all the
young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a
spoil, hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? ... to take a
great spoil" (Ezekiel 38:13).
Sheba and Dedan are the ancient names for Arab countries that today
remain sympathetic to the West, and are opposed to Russia. Tarshish
can be identified with Great Britain, whilst "the young
lions" are familiar symbols of English speaking nations.
The statement, therefore, relates to the English speaking world,
whose officials will make an ineffectual protest against the Russian
invasion of the Middle East. And well they might protest, for a Soviet
dominated Middle East, with its wealth of oil, will spell doom for the
future of Western Democracy.
And here, again, the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel is of
greatest significance. For one of the terms, signed by President
Carter on behalf of the USA, is that military forces will be
established in the Middle East to buttress the terms of the treaty.
Accordingly, this peace treaty will bring USA and other English
speaking nations, physically back into the Middle East, in such a way
as to justify the protest suggested by the prophet Ezekiel as
emanating from powers that can be identified with Britain, USA,
Australia, Canada and so forth.
Events now taking place in the world answer exactly to the
requirements of this amazing prophecy of Ezekiel 38.
And this shows that Christ is at the door.
For two protests are voiced in Ezekiel 38: an ineffectual one, and
a powerful one. The ineffectual one is represented as coming from the
powers of the West, as cited above; the effectual one, is that uttered
by God's representative then returned to earth: the Lord Jesus Christ.
The former one is expressed in the terms of enquiry: "Art thou
come to take a spoil? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a
prey?" (v. 13). It is the type of ineffectual protest that is
normal with the UNO, and which might well be ignored by an aggressor
like Russia.
Nevertheless, it would appear from Daniel's prophecy, that the West
will make preparations to resist the Russian challenge for world
domination, and will aim to fortify Jerusalem, and so cut off Gog's
line of communications, because, the prophet declares, "tidings
out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him" (Daniel
11:44). These shall cause him to withdraw his main troops from Egypt,
and aim at the conquest of Jerusalem. He shall set up his headquarters
"between the seas (the Mediterranean and Dead Seas) in the
glorious holy mountain" but there his might shall be broken
"without hand" (Daniel 8:25; 11:45), that is, by divine
instrumentality.
And this introduces us to the second protest. It is a protest made
with power. God through Ezekiel declares:
"It shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come
against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that My fury shall
come up in My face. . ." (Ezekiel 38:18).
God's anger at the power-crazed attack of Gog, will be manifested
through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. For Bible prophecy
indicates that before the judgment of Armageddon on the nations,
Christ will return; the resurrection of those responsible (a
comparatively small percentage of humanity. See Psalm 49:19-20; Isaiah
26:14; Ephesians 2:12) will take place, and those judged worthy will
receive eternal life, and will be appointed positions of
responsibility in the government to be set up by the Lord.
Daniel predicted these events. He wrote:
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince
which standeth for the children of thy people, and there shall be a
time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to
that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every
one that shall be found written in the book. And many (not all) of
them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt"
(Daniel 12:1-2).
The time referred to is "the time of the end" of Daniel
11:40: the time that will witness the attack of the power of the north
against Israel and Egypt. Whilst that is taking place, Christ will be
supervising the judgment of those resurrected from the dead. The site
of the Judgment, most likely, will be in the isolated area of Sinai.
This is east of Egypt, and probably will comprise the "tidings
out of the east" that shall trouble the king of the north. If so,
they will be tidings that he will not understand, and, therefore,
tidings that he will ignore, as he makes his drive towards Jerusalem,
to meet the threat in the north. His action will bring him, and
"all nations to Jerusalem to battle" (Zech. 14:1).
But the prophet, having predicted such a gathering of nations to
Jerusalem, and current events illustrating how such a battle is likely
in these days when the Middle East is the key to world domination and
power, proceeds to state:
"Then shall the Lord go forth to fight against those nations,
as when He fought in the day of battle . . . and the Lord my God shall
come, and all the saints with thee" (Zechariah 14:3,5).
Consider the significance of such a statement. It means that when
Russia attacks Israel and Egypt, Christ already will have returned.
And as a Russian attack on the Middle East is already a possibility,
how close is Christ's coming?
And how important is it that we make our peace with God in the way
appointed, for at the Lord's return the door of opportunity to attain
eternal life at his coming will close.
It would seem from the outline of prophecy above, that the Camp
David Peace Treaty is contributing considerably to the development of
things in the Middle East, as predicted by Bible prophecy over 2,500
years ago. For example:
- Bible prophecy requires that Israel be "at rest, dwelling
in safety (in confidence)" at the time that Russia attacks
from the north. The peace treaty is adding to Israel's confidence.
- It predicts that Israel would continue to trespass against God
because of self confidence induced by peace, so that the nation is
indicted by God for its attitude (Ezek. 39:26). Israel's
self-confident attitude, and its ignoring of the help of God is
indicative of this.
- It anticipates the physical presence of Western troops in the
area to strengthen the ties of peace between Israel and Egypt. The
prophecies of Ezekiel, Daniel and elsewhere require the same
thing. "All nations" will be drawn to Jerusalem to
battle (Zech. 14-1-2), whilst Ezekiel predicts a protest on the
part of nations that can be identified with the English speaking
world (Ezek. 38:13).
- It necessitates Egypt being in the Western camp, so as to be
attacked and invaded by Russia (Daniel 11:40-45). Since the
signing of the Peace treaty, Egypt has become tied more completely
with the West, and has received the bitter hostility of Russia.
- Russia will invade Egypt and so secure a prize of great wealth
(Daniel 11:43). Today the possession of oil is of more value than
gold, and in recent years, oil has been discovered in the area
dominated by Egypt.
Therefore, in a remarkable way, thoroughly vindicating the
predictions of Bible prophecy, the peace accord signed between Israel
and Egypt has contributed towards the development of a situation that
answers to the requirements of Bible prophecy.
What this means to you
The time is rapidly approaching when the world will no longer be
able to ignore the claims of God and the Bible. A crisis is developing
that will force every person to make a decision. How important then,
to make it now, and to make it wisely.
That Christ is to return to the earth to bring to consummation the
divine purpose therein is beyond doubt. It is a doctrine clearly
taught in the Bible, and one tied in with personal salvation. Consider
the following appeal:
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence
of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached
unto you; whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution
of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy
prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:19-21).
Your personal salvation is bound up with Christ's second coming,
and the fulfilment of Bible prophecy in our day teaches that his
coming is near at hand.
Why not seek further information concerning these matters. It costs
you nothing to do so, but it is to your advantage to seek it out.
Remember! the times are significant, the issues are vital. You owe it
to yourself and your family to seek God's way.