The End of History—Messiah Conspiracy

CHAPTER 18—Israel—Is Real

“...And in a word it was the ignorance of the Jews in these Prophesies which caused them to reject their Messiah and by consequence to be...captivated by the Romans....”¹ “The Jews will return to Jerusalem in the 20th century.”²

Sir Isaac Newton, 1600’s

“Israel’s regathering to its land is the trumpet of the Messiah that is blasting out over the earth. Already we hear the footsteps of the Messiah in the corridors.”³

Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, 1973

“Everywhere you turn in Israel today the Bible is coming to life. I’m not talking only about archeological discoveries, but about the international political scene as it affects us today. If you read the Biblical prophecies about Armageddon and the end days, and you look at the current realities in the world and especially the Middle East, things certainly begin to look familiar. ‘The vast number of archaeological discoveries in Israel have all tended to vindicate the pictures that are presented in the Bible. If therefore the Bible has been proven true concerning the past, we cannot look lightly at any prognostication it makes about the future.’ ”⁴

Israeli Major General, Chaim Herzog, 1977

“I have the survivability of a super power.”⁵ Israeli General, Ariel Sharon, 1987

“We [Israel] will have a war with Russia because Ezekiel 38 and 39 predicts it.”⁶

Israeli President, Yitzhak Navon, 1993

18
ISRAEL—IS REAL

God told Abraham, nearly 4000 years ago: “...I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed....in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice” (Gen. 12:2-3; 22:18 KJV).

Few realize that Sir Isaac Newton, known today as the greatest scientist to ever live, was also a prophetical Bible commentator. In our opinion, he is unsurpassed in history. He foresaw Israel’s return.⁷
The promise meant that one day all the world will return to the God of Israel from the pagan and atheistic culture that had developed in the 2000 years between Adam’s creation and Abraham’s time. This plan included the very redemption of man from the Fall, described in the Torah book of Genesis, and the creation of the “New World,” commonly referred to in Hebrew tradition as the olam haba, which will even surpass that of the Garden of Eden before the Fall.
It was the Messiah who would come out of this nation, Israel,
and be a blessing to all the world. The Messiah, as we read in a previous chapter, had two clearly predicted roles: one of suffering servant and one of kingly redemption. When He came at the exact
time that Daniel said He would, He was rejected, as predicted in Isaiah 53, ushering in this suffering role. Because of the rejection, His earthly kingdom was postponed 2000 years (Hos. 5:15-6:2).
These Messianic events had profound implications for the dispersion and return of Israel. Moses had already outlined the two dispersions, and Jesus pinpointed the time of the second one.

THE FIRST JEWISH DISPERSION (AND RETURN), FORETOLD IN ITS SEVERITY AND LENGTH
BY ISAIAH, JEREMIAH AND MOSES HIMSELF

Moses predicted in his fifth book, Deuteronomy: “The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young....” (Deut. 28:49-50 KJV).
This occurred when the Babylonians overran Jerusalem and carried its inhabitants to Babylon in the year 606 BC. This was predicted by the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until
this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord” (Isa. 39:6 KJV).
Jeremiah the prophet indicated that the captivity would last for seventy years. “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon
seventy years” (Jer. 25:11 KJV).
Of course, every detail occurred precisely as predicted. The Jews were invaded by Babylon and there they remained captive exactly seventy years (II Chr. 36:15-21). At the end of the Babylonian captivity, the Jews were permitted to return to their land (II Chr. 36:23) by King Cyrus! If you check Isaiah 44:28-45:4, you may be amazed to see that this king was predicted by his very name two hundred years before his birth: “That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid....For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me” (KJV; bold mine).

MOSES FORETOLD THE SECOND
DISPERSION (70 AD), GIVING ISRAEL’S DISOBEDIENCE
AS THE REASON FOR GOD’S DISCIPLINE

Moses, nearly four thousand years ago, in his famous discourse in Deuteronomy, went on to warn the Jewish people that a second dispersion would occur. However, unlike Babylon’s, which was local, it would be a worldwide event in which the sons and daughters of Israel would be scattered into all nations (Deut. 28:64). This of course, would occur because of Israel’s disobedience. Moses wrote: “Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee...because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee....” (Deut. 28:45 KJV).
Chief among these statutes was the acceptance of the Messiah, mentioned in Deuteronomy 15:18; thus when Israel rejected her Messiah (Jesus), this predicted worldwide dispersion became a historical reality! Moses continued: “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other....And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning!....And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt...and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you” (Deut. 28:64-68 KJV).

***


Nazis hold Jews at gunpoint during the Holocaust.



This illustration, published before the rebirth of Israel in 1948,
represents 2000 years of Jewish persecution.

Jesus pinpointed the time of the second dispersion, of which Moses warned, in His discourse in the Gospel of Luke shortly before He was arrested and crucified. Jesus, the greatest of the Hebrew prophets (being the Messiah), foretold: “ But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they 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 fulfilled” (Luke 21:23-24 KJV).
Jesus also remarked that it would be His generation that would see this dispersion: “Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation” (Matt. 23:36 KJV).

JESUS WANTED TO SAVE THE FIRST CENTURY
JEWISH NATION—WITH TEARS IN HIS EYES
HE PREDICTED HER FATE, EXPLAINING WHY

Jesus also implied that, had He been received, He would have remained and saved Israel under His wings. He said these words with tears in His eyes: “...‘If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation....O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!’ ” (Luke 19:42-44; Matt. 23:37 KJV).

JESUS WOULD HAVE SAVED ISRAEL HAD THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS NOT MISLED THE PEOPLE REGARDING HIS IDENTITY AND ABILITY TO BRING PEACE

Because the religious leaders and political factions succeeded in convincing the majority of the people to continue to reject the Jewish Messiah instead of setting up a royal kingdom, Jesus, the rejected king, left the scene forty days after the resurrection and ascended into the clouds with the promise to return upon acceptance. What righteous king would force His kingdom? Some of Jesus’ last words to the religious leaders who rejected Him were: “...how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matt. 23:37-39 KJV).

AFTER JESUS LEFT, HIS AND MOSES’ PREDICTIONS
OF DEFEAT, DISPERSION, SLAVERY AND WORTHLESSNESS BECAME REALITY

Luke’s eyewitness testimony of the departure of Jesus included: “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And it came about that while He was blessing them, He parted from them. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising God” (Luke 24:50-53 NASB).
As history has recorded, less than forty years after these events, Titus and the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and dispersed her inhabitants into “all the earth.” The Romans slaughtered hundreds of thousands by “the sword.” Some survived, and were shipped to the slave markets in Egypt. When the supply of slaves there exceeded the demand, they “became worthless, even as lowly slaves.” Moses’ prediction said, as you recall: “And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships...and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you” (Deut. 28:68 KJV).

THE PROPHET MOSES PREDICTED THE GREATEST OF ALL PROPHETS (JESUS), BUT BECAUSE HIS PEOPLE REFUSED TO “HEARKEN” AS MOSES FORESAW,
MUCH TRAGEDY EXISTS TO THIS DAY!

No prophets have been more precise regarding the dispersion than Moses and Jesus. Remember, the Bible of the Jews predicted through Moses: “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken....And the Lord said....I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him” (Deut. 18:15, 17-19 KJV).
This was the Messiah Jesus, for He, like Moses, dealt with the true interpretation of the Jewish law (Matt. 5-7)!⁸ Because Israel’s religious leaders did not hearken to this prophet’s words spoken in God’s name, remember Jesus said, “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not....” (John 5:43 KJV). It truly was and still is being required of Israel, for there was a terrible dispersion, and anti-Semitism⁹ continues to the present day!

An illustration of the destruction of Jerusalem and
dispersion of Jews by the Romans under Titus (70 AD).

A chart by Reverend Clarence Larkin, entitled,
“The Types and Anti-Types of Scripture.”

yy´lÉ=ae hw:ÁhyÒ rm,aYoy´w" .... .@W[?m;v]Ti wy´ylÉ?ae *y´yh2=l¿a> hw:°hyÒ *?y´l] !yqÊi?y: ynIy´mo<eth>K; *~y´yj,~a'y´me *|y´B]rÒQiy´mi aybiÙn:
rB2¢dIy´wÒ wy´ypi<eth>y´B yÙr"b;dÒ yTi|t'n:y´wÒ *y´/m<ETH>K; !h2?y´yjea} br<QÊ2?y´mi !h2?y´l; !yqÊi?a; aybiÙn: .WrB«?DI rv2?a} Wbyfi?yhe
yy´mi=v]y´Bi rB«?d"yÒ rv2?a} yr"<eth>b;DÒAla, [~m'v]yIAal¿? rv2|a} v~yaiy´h; hy:<THORN>h;y´wÒ .WNy´W<?x'a} rv2?a}AlK; ta«? !h,<eth>y´ylea}]
rBe<eth>d"y´l] wÙy´ytiyWIxiAal¿? rv2|a} ta«¢ yy´mi%v]y´Bi rb;ÚD: rBeÙd"y´l] dòyzIy: rv2¢a} aybiûN:y´h' &a3⁄4¢ ./y´M?[iy´me vrodÒa, yki?nOa;
.aWh?y´h' aybi?N:y´h' tm«?y´W !yrI<ETH>jea} !yhi¢l¿a> !v«?y´B] rBe<eth>d"yÒ rv2¢a}y´w"

fy-zy ;wf.jy !yrbd

OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE TRANSLATION

Deuteronomy 18:15, 17-19 NASB

ANCIENT RABBINICAL COMMENTARY

“Behold, my servant, the Messiah, shall prosper; he shall be exalted, etc. ‘Behold, my servant shall deal prudently.’ This is the King Messiah. ‘He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.’ He shall be exalted more than Abraham; for of Him it is written, ‘I have exalted my hand to the Lord’ (Gen. xiv. 22). He shall be extolled more than Moses....”¹⁰ Yalkut in loco
“Rabbi Berachia said in the name of Rabbi Levi: ‘As the first redeemer, so the last....’ ”¹¹ Ruth Rabba, sec. 5

NEW TESTAMENT RECORDED 33 AD

John 6:4-14 NASB

Modern Rabbinic Comment/Refutation

The Real Messiah, by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, et al, p. 54; 1976

Author’s Comment—Evangelical Christian Position

Philip Moore


The land of the prophets is once again blooming,
as predicted by Ezekiel (chapter 37) nearly 3000 years ago.

“....the Apostles and those who in the first ages propagated the gospel urged chiefly these Prophesies and exhorted their hearers to search and see whether all things concerning our Saviour ought not to have been as they fell out. And in a word it was the ignorance of the Jews in these Prophesies which caused them to reject their Messiah and by consequence to be...captivated by the Romans....Luke 19. 42, 44.”¹²

Sir Isaac Newton’s comment on Jewish dispersion in 70 AD

For the next 1800 years, until 1948, the Jewish people wandered over the earth. They were people without a country, persecuted in every land through which they passed, just as Moses and Jesus had warned. Genuine Evangelical Christians were virtually the only ones who offered true love and shelter, as you previously read in our “Christian Zionist” and “Christian Heroes of the Holocaust” sections. Remember Moses’ warning: “...thy life shall hang in doubt....” (Deuteronomy 28:66); and Jesus’ words: “...they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations....” (Luke 21:24 KJV).
We see that Israel, her dispersions and judgments, have truly been a sign to all other nations, as Moses predicted. “And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among
all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee....And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever” (Deuteronomy 28:37, 46).
Israel has indeed become a sign before the entire world because she was warned, did not heed that warning, and suffered the consequences, which fell exactly as foretold by the Bible. This shows all who read the Bible that God is not playing games. He is to be taken seriously and truly loves all of us who return. The same prophets who foretold the dispersion, including Jesus, also foretold the second ingathering of Israel to her land, which occurred in 1948, when Israel became a sovereign Jewish State.

ORIGINAL HEBREW TEXT WRITTEN 713, 587 BC

rWVÙa'y´me ròaeV;yI rv2¢a} /y´M<ETH>[' raÉ¢v]Ata, t/nªq]y´li /y´d<eth>y: t~ynIve { yÊn:¥doa} #ysiÙ/y aWh%y´h' !/Y?y´B' { hy:°h;y´wÒ
!yI±/Gy´l' s~nE acÉ?n:y´wÒ .!Y:?y´h' yYEÁaiy´mey´W tm;<eth>j}y´m«¢y´W r~[;nÒViy´miy´W !lÉ|y[ey´mey´W vWK%y´miy´W s/r?t]P'y´miy´W !yIr"Úx]Miy´miy´W
.$r<aÉ?y´h; t/p?nÒK' [B3⁄4?rÒa'y´me $Be<eth>q'yÒ h~d:WhyÒ t/x¥punÒy´W la«=r:c]yI yj«¢dÒnI #s3⁄4?a;y´wÒ

by-ay.ay hy[`y

!~k,y´t]a, yTi|j]q'l;y´wÒ .... .!y´yTi?f]p'v !y´tÉ?/lyli[}y´k'y´wÒ !y´KÉ?rÒd"y´K t/x<ETH>r:a}y´B WrªZ:YIy´w" !yI±/Gy´B' !~y´t;ao $ypi|a;y´w:
.!k2?y´t]m'dÒa'Ala !k2?y´t]a, yti?abehey´wÒ t/x<ETH>r:a}y´h;AlK;y´mi !k2?y´t]a, yTi?x]B'qiy´wÒ !yI±/Gy´h'A@mi

db-fy.wl laqzjy

OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE TRANSLATION

Ezekiel 36:19, 24 NASB

ANCIENT RABBINICAL COMMENTARY

Midrash waYosha’, BhM 1:56-57

NEW TESTAMENT RECORDED 65, 37 AD

What Christians Should Know About Jews and Judaism,
by Yechiel Eckstein, p. 218; © 1984

“We consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious community, and therefore expect neither a return to Palestine, nor a sacrificial worship under the sons of Aaron, nor the restoration of any of the laws concerning the Jewish state.”

There are many “Bible teachers’’ today who deny that the New Testament speaks of the rebirth of Israel, which occurred in 1948. The dominion theologists and liberals are a good example. Gary DeMar, in his book, Last Days Madness, claims that the New Testament is silent on the subject of Israel’s rebirth, and that Ezekiel’s prophecy refers to the first restoration from Babylon. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is expressed by Jesus’ words when questioned on the subject of Israel by His apostles. Notice that He did not tell them, “You are wrong, Israel will not be restored.” In answer to their question, He clearly told His disciples that they were not to know when it would occur. In retrospect, we see that though some rabbis of a hundred years ago denied Israel’s miraculous rebirth, the secular news magazine, Time, described it as a “miracle.” Interesting, isn’t it? In addition, the prophetic Christian writer, Lance Lambert, noted in his book, Israel: A Secret Documentary: “An Israeli captain, again totally irreligious, said that at the height of the fighting on the Golan, he looked up into the sky and saw a great, gray hand pressing downwards, as if it were holding something back. In my opinion that was exactly what happened. Without the intervention of God, Israel would have been doomed. Shimon Peres, once a key adviser to Golda Meir and the present Minister of Defense, has said, ‘The miracle is that we ever win. The Arab nations occupy eight percent of the surface of the world. They possess half the known oil resources and are immensely rich. They have more men in their armies than we have people in our state, and on top of the Arabs come the Russians, who have built for them a great war machine. On our side we have only America....[Lambert detailed of the ‘73 war] Three days before the war began the Soviet Union launched two orbital Sputniks, which crossed Israel at the best time for aerial photography. Russia then relayed information to Syria and Egypt as to whether Israel was prepared....the war was originally planned for six o’clock in the evening of Yom Kippur, but was moved up to two o’clock. The Russians had passed on the information that preparations had begun on the Israeli side.”¹⁵ Hence, even though the enemy used the most modern, sophisticated, scientific technology of the time, Israel won as a result of her miracles. Philip Moore

THE BIBLE SAID THE WORLD WAS ROUND BEFORE SCIENCE FIGURED IT OUT MATHEMATICALLY

Remember the quote we used to illustrate Israel’s rebirth, Isaiah 11:12, mentioned “four corners.” Well, many philosophers have tried to use this to claim that the Bible said the world was flat instead of round. Hence, they maintain that the Bible is wrong and that there really is no God. I will never forget my high school English literature teacher, Mrs. Young, who always tried to pound this idea into my head.
The Scripture uses figurative language to describe the future of God’s regathering of Jews from all areas of the earth. Thus, Isaiah says “corners.” Since the voyage of Christopher Columbus,¹⁶ Bible critics have used this verse from the Bible to try to convince the world that the Bible is in error (I Tim. 6:20-21)¹⁷ because it states the world is flat. Thus, it is not a reliable document in which to place one’s faith.
Let it be known, from now on, that the Bible taught the world was spherical and suspended in space long before Columbus took his first breath or the advent of modern science, which made it possible to photograph the earth from the moon. The oldest book of the Bible, Job, written over 3500 years ago, says: “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7 KJV). Isaiah, writing over 2600 years ago, added: “...have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in....” (Isa. 40:21-22 KJV).
The ancient rabbinical writing, Midrash Rabbah Numbers, intended as a commentary on the Old Testament and written before the time of Columbus, reads: “He brought One silver basin (mizrak) as a symbol of the world which is shaped like a ball that can be thrown (nizrak) from hand to hand.”¹⁸

AS WE CAREFULLY STUDY THE WORDS OF JESUS,
WE SEE THAT HE KNEW THE WORLD
WAS ROUND 2000 YEARS AGO

Only recently was it scientifically accepted that winds blow in cyclic currents. Yet the Bible foretold thousands of years ago: “The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits” (Ecc. 1:6 KJV). This is illustrated in this photo of Earth taken on the way back from the moon—notice the white swirls.

There are cyclic wind patterns which illustrate that what the Bible says is true. Jesus illustrated His knowledge that the world was round and that it rotated on an axis. He said that when He came the second time, two would be working and sleeping at the same time, thus inferring day on one side of the earth and night on the other side.
We believe Columbus, being a believer and ardent Bible student, realized from these verses that the world was not flat. He was not afraid, as many were, of falling off the edge when navigating the globe, because Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, had predicted: “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other left....Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left” (Luke 17:34, 36 KJV).
“Field” implies day because people did not work at night. Since this statement of Jesus’ consists of one instant in time, when we will be Raptured (see our chapter 25, “The Rapture Factor”), it shows Jesus knew that the world was not flat, but round. In order to have day and night at the same moment, a spherical Earth would have to have one side facing toward the sun while the other would obviously have to be facing away. The Hebrew word translated as “circle” in Isaiah 40, means a three-dimensional sphere.
“The Jews will return to Jerusalem in the 20th century.”¹⁹

Scientist Sir Isaac Newton, 1642-1727

JESUS GAVE SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR JEWISH SAFETY, WHICH APPLIED TO THE ERA AFTER ISRAEL’S BIRTH BUT IMMEDIATELY BEFORE HIS SECOND ADVENT

Jesus foretold warnings to the Jews living in Israel during the general time of His return! Thus, we are able to observe from His words, He was aware that after dispersion, His people would be regathered into their own land. Jesus remarked, “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day....” (Matt. 24:20).
From Jesus’ special instructions for Jewish safety just prior to the terrible war which He will return to stop, we see that there would have to be a new Israel in existence and that Jesus, as a prophet and the Messiah, clearly saw this nearly 2000 years earlier. As a matter of fact, the Temple (not yet rebuilt), according to Jesus’ words, will soon be erected. He said in Matthew 24:15: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)....” (KJV).
The “abomination of desolation” refers to the taking of an unholy thing into the Holy of Holies chamber of the Temple. It occurred once before in 165 BC, when a pig was sacrificed in the second Temple.
Paul, in the New Testament book of Thessalonians, described Jesus’ warning regarding Daniel’s prophecy. The apostle wrote: “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God....that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming....” (II Thes. 2:3-4, 8 NASB).

THE FIG TREE (ISRAELI NATION) HAS PUT OUT LEAVES, INDICATING OUR ERA AS THE GENERATION TO SEE
JESUS ARRIVE AT THE PROPHETIC DOOR

Jesus also used the parable of the fig tree. The fig tree is an Old Testament symbol of Israel, along with the olive tree, clearly
foretelling Israel’s rebirth as a key apocalyptic sign for His return. His presence at the door, ready to return to save His people, is imminent.
In His very words: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matt. 24:32-33 KJV).
If you are asking, as many have in past times, “Who is the fig tree?”, we will make use of a first century document, The Apocalypse of Peter, for our answer. This early writing, which only fully came to light in 1910, identifies the fig tree parable Jesus used as a reference to Israel. It also speaks of the future Antichrist’s attempt to kill those who reject his (Antichrist’s) claim that he is Messiah. Although we realize this is not a canonical part of the New Testament, and therefore not divinely inspired, it nevertheless sheds light on our understanding of the New Testament in reference to the age of Jesus and Israel today, in relation to the parable of the fig tree. It reads: “ ‘And ye, receive ye the parable of the fig tree thereon: as soon as its shoots have gone forth and its boughs have sprouted, the end of the world will come.’ And I, Peter answered and said unto him ‘Explain to me concerning the fig tree...’ And he answered and said unto me: ‘Dost thou not understand that the fig tree is the house of Israel?’....Verily I say unto you, when its boughs have sprouted at the end, then shall deceiving saviors come and awaken hope, saying: ‘I am the Savior who am now come into the world.’ And when they shall see the wickedness of their deeds (even of the false saviors) they shall turn away after them and deny him to whom our fathers gave praise, the first Messiah whom they crucified and thereby sinned exceedingly. And this deceiver is not the messiah. And when they reject him he will kill them with the sword, and there shall be many martyrs...”²⁰
Jesus cursed²¹ the fig tree for unbelief. This tree was a representation of Israel’s unbelief at that time. This disfavor for unbelief peaked in Israel’s dispersion in the first century. However, Jesus blessed it in a parable of the future, exclaiming it would one day again bring forth fruit!
This began in 1948 with the rebirth of Israel. Jesus said that the generation²² which saw Israel reborn would not pass until all (which includes His Second Coming) would be fulfilled. In reference to the generation of the fig tree, Jesus said: “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matt. 24:34 KJV; bold mine).

HOW LONG CAN A BIBLE GENERATION BE? APPROXIMATELY ONE HUNDRED YEARS — ISRAEL
IS ALREADY FORTY-EIGHT YEARS OLD — CLOSE,
MAYBE IN YOUR LIFETIME!

Though we realize we can not know exactly when, Jesus did give us indications of the approaching nearness of His return! These signs of His Second Coming include: 1. The Rapture of all true believers sometime after Israel’s rebirth—obviously yet to occur, if you are a believer²³ still on Earth reading this book (see chapter 25, “The Rapture Factor”); 2. The coming of the Antichrist, whose rule will last seven years (see our chapter 23, “The False Messiah Armilus Equals Antichrist”), ending at Armageddon, at a point three and one-half years after he enters the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem to proclaim himself God (II Thes. 2:3-4). This is called the abomination of desolation. Jesus spoke of it in Matthew 24:15 when He warned His future Jewish people to “flee to the mountains for safety” (see our Vol. II, chapter 38, “They Escaped to Petra”).
The construction of this Temple would be impossible unless Israel owned the area of old Jerusalem. In the Six Day War of 1967, Israel’s victory over five Arab armies put this piece of land, along with their most sacred holy shrine (the Wailing Wall), back into their hands for the first time in two millennia. Thus we are one step closer to the rebuilding of the Temple.
After the victory, the Israeli General Moshe Dayan marched to the Wailing Wall and proclaimed: “We have returned to our holiest of holy places, never to leave her again.”²⁴ “No power on earth will remove us from this spot again.”²⁵ Later, Israeli General Ariel Sharon said: “I have the survivability of a superpower!”²⁶
The full thrust of this statement was later revealed in a Time magazine article written during the Yom Kippur War, which quoted Dayan and Prime Minister Golda Meir. “ ‘The Third Temple (a term for modern Israel) is falling,’ Dayan reportedly told his prime minister. ‘Arm the doomsday weapon.’ One of the world’s worst-kept military secrets is that Israel has strategic nuclear capabilities.”²⁷
Recently, an Israeli nuclear technician publicly confirmed that as of 1982, Israel had at least two hundred nuclear weapons.²⁸ During the 1991 Gulf War, Prime Minister Shamier put Israel on full nuclear alert. Had Iraq dropped a chemical bomb on Israel, she would have gotten more than Saddam Hussein bargained for. Shamier said: Our retaliation will be so terrible that it will be impossible to imagine. Iraq will never be able to forget it.²⁹ Thus, Israel is not going to disappear.

At present, ornaments are being manufactured for use in the new Temple by the Temple Institute (see our Vol. II, chapter 17, “Jewish Plans for Rebuilding the Temple”). Richard K. Ostling, in a Time magazine article entitled, “Time for a New Temple?”, commented: “During six years of research, the institute has reconstructed 38 of the ritual implements that will be required when Temple sacrifices are restored; it will complete the other 65 items as funds permit. A museum of the completed pieces has drawn 10,000 visitors....”³⁰ The same article mentioned: “Temple restoration is also a fixation for literal-minded Protestants, who deem a new Temple the precondition for Christ’s Second Coming. Two Talmudic schools located near the Western (Wailing) Wall are teaching nearly 200 students the elaborate details of Temple service.”³¹
In a more recent article by the national news magazine, U.S. News & World Report, which had the words, “Waiting for the Messiah” blazing across the cover of its December 19, 1994 edition, the latest and most startling information was revealed. The article was entitled, “The Christmas Covenant.” A profile of the article regarding the anticipated rebuilding of the Temple pointed out: “The first step, says Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute, is replication down to the precise detail of Temple objects, half of which have now been made. In addition, a Mississippi cattle farmer has agreed to provide special unblemished red heifers,^[32] the ashes of which are required for a purification ritual.
Others also prepare for the miracle. Rabbi Nahman Kahane of the Old City has created a data base of all Jews descended from Aaron, the priestly brother of Moses. They will be called into service if the Temple is rebuilt.”³³
Gershom Soloman, an Israeli member of the Temple Mount Faithful who is greatly interested in working for the Temple’s rebuilding, said recently: “We must start immediately the rebuilding of the third Temple because this is a condition for the coming of the Messiah.”³⁴
I will not be surprised if Soloman’s wish is accomplished within twenty-five to thirty years of our writing! However, it will be the Antichrist’s negotiation of a temporary peace between Israel and the Arabs which will allow this Temple to be rebuilt.

Because God is faithful, it will not be our fate that His Messiah will be late. He will be right on time. His scheduled time to arrive is to be found in Psalm 102:16.
When Jesus came 2000 years ago it was a Coming in humiliation, to suffer. However, He made reference to His Second Coming “when the Son of Man shall come in all of His glory” (Matt. 24:30). Psalm 102 references this glory as follows: “When the Lord shall build up Zion [Israel], he shall appear in his glory” (Ps. 102:16 KJV; [ ] mine). Thus according to David’s inspired line, He will be right on time.
Jesus could not have returned to Earth until Israel became a nation in 1948, as this Psalm clearly says that when He shall build up Zion (Israel), the Lord (Messiah) shall appear (come) in His glory to save the earth and usher in the royal Messianic Kingdom. This kingdom was promised by hundreds of prophecies, inspired by God, throughout the Old Testament. So, since He promised to come in the generation of Israel’s rebirth (Matt. 24:32-34), and a generation cannot be more than one hundred years (Gen. 15:13-16), and since Israel was born in 1948,³⁵ we do not have long to wait!

The front page of the May 16, 1948 edition of what is now The Jerusalem Post reporting the rebirth of Israel. Courtesy of The Jerusalem Post.


This is the school presently preparing the ornaments for the Temple. It is located in Jerusalem’s Old City, next to the Moriah Bookstore.

The author and Hal Lindsey examine the garments recently woven for the high priest at the Jerusalem school. These garments may one day be used by a future priest in the Temple.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalms 23:4 KJV

HAVE NO FEAR—JESUS AND AMOS ASSURE US
THAT ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED, NEVER AGAIN
TO BE PLUCKED UP OUT OF HER LAND!

Before the final war is over, it is predicted that Jesus will...

¹ Yahuda Manuscript 1.

² Ruvic Rosenthal, “The Ostracized Newton,” Al Hamishmar, July 26, 1985, p. 10.

³ Birgitta Yavari, Min Messias. Jerusalem: Rahm & Stenström Interpublishing, © 1979, p. 10, used by permission. Ben-Gurion quite accurately identifies this generation as the one which will see the Messiah come. Israel was established in 1948 and Genesis 15 indicates a maximum generation is approximately one hundred years.

⁴ Hal Lindsey, The 1980’s: Countdown to Armageddon. New York: Bantam Books, Inc., © 1980 The Aorist Corporation, Inc., p. 35, used by permission.

⁵ Morris Cerillo, “Evangelical Newsletter,” 1987.

⁶ Perhaps Today, May/June 1993, p. 7. [ ] mine.

⁷ Our design consists of a portrait of Sir Isaac Newton and a modern satellite photo of Israel and the ancient Sinai.

⁸ The lives of Jesus and Moses were beautifully paralleled in events and meanings. For example: “Both were preserved in childhood, Ex. 2.2-10; Mt. 2.14,15. — Contended with masters of evil, Ex. 7.11; Mt. 4.1. — Fasted forty days, Ex. 34.28; Mt. 4.2. — Controlled the sea, Ex. 14.21; Mt. 8.26. — Fed a multitude, Ex. 16.15; Mt. 14.20, 21. — Had radiant faces, Ex. 34.35; Mt. 17.2. — Endured murmurings, Ex. 15.24; Mk. 7.2. — Discredited in the home, Nu. 12.1; Jn. 7.5. — Made intercessory prayers, Ex. 32.32; Jn. 17.9. — Spoke as oracles, De. 18.18. — Had seventy helpers, Nu. 11.16, 17; Lu. 10.1. — Established memorials, Ex. 12.14; Lu. 22.19. — Re-appeared after death, Mt. 17.3; Ac. 1.3.” Frank Charles Thompson, D.D., Ph.D., “Condensed Cyclopedia of Topics and Texts,” Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Indianapolis, IN: B.B. Kirkbride Bible Co., Inc., © 1964, p. 95.

⁹ Our point is that had Jesus been accepted, He would have set up the kingdom, defeated Rome and created a world free of disease, hunger and war. As we will see in our chapters 29 and 30, He will soon. Had His nation accepted Him, He would have accomplished this in the first century and there would be no opportunity for anti-Semitism today. Jesus would not have allowed this. His reign, which will be free of anti-Semitism is still in our future, but moving ever closer! I believe we are within approximately thirty years of this date.

¹⁰ Rev. B. Pick, Ph.D., Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied by the Ancient Synagogue, published in the compilation Hebraica, A Quarterly Journal in the Interests of Semitic Study, Vol. I, p. 268. Though this rabbinical commentary says the Messiah will be more extolled than Moses, which is a point in our favor, the learned scholar, Risto Santala, enlightens us with a Hebrew Targum on this very verse in Deuteronomy. He tells us: “The Targum attaches an interpretation to this verse which from the point of view of Christian theology is of great importance: ‘The Lord your God will raise up from your midst a prophet by the Holy Spirit who will be like me’, and, ‘A prophet I will raise up from amongst your brethren, through the Holy Spirit.’ ” Santala’s footnote to Holy Spirit reads: “In Hebrew, respectively, be-Ruah qudsha and de-Ruah qudsha.” Risto Santala, The Messiah in the Old Testament in the Light of Rabbinical Writings. Jerusalem: Keren Ahvah Meshihit, © 1992, p. 58, used by permission. Available through Keren Ahvah Meshihit, POB 10382, Jerusalem, Israel.

¹¹ Rev. B. Pick, Ph.D., Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied by the Ancient Synagogue, published in the compilation Hebraica, A Quarterly Journal in the Interests of Semitic Study, Vol. II, p. 30. In this Midrash it is understood that the first redeemer is Moses and the second is the Messiah.

¹² Frank E. Manuel, The Religion of Isaac Newton, pp. 108-109

¹³ Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts, p. 228.

¹⁴ Ibid, p. 218.

¹⁵ Lance Lambert, Israel: A Secret Documentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., © 1975, pp. 15-17, used by permission.

¹⁶ Columbus was a Jewish-Christian, as you can see from the evidence in our chapter 16, “Was Christopher Columbus a Messianic Jew?”

¹⁷ I Timothy 6:20-21 of the New Testament reads: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’ — which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you” (NASB).

¹⁸ Midrash Rabbah Numbers, Vol. II, Rabbah 13:14. New York: The Soncino Press Ltd., © 1983, p. 528.

¹⁹ Ruvic Rosenthal, “The Ostracized Newton,” Al Hamishmar, July 26, 1985, p. 10.

²⁰ G. Alon, The Jews in Their Land in the Talmudic Age, p. 619. Bold mine.

²¹ Matthew 21:19-21 KJV. The literal meaning is “disfavored.”

²² See our Vol. II, chapter 1, “A Liberal Interpretation on the Prophecy of Israel—Disproved,” for the opinion of a writer who denies the prophecy of Israel as told by Jesus.

²³ That is, if you were born-again before it occurs.

²⁴ Hal Lindsey with C.C. Carlson, The Late Great Planet Earth, p. 55.

²⁵ Grant R. Jeffrey, Armageddon, Appointment with Destiny. New York: Bantam Books, © 1988, p. 109, used by permission.

²⁶ Morris Cerillo, “Evangelical Newsletter,” 1987.

²⁷ Hal Lindsey, The 1980’s: Countdown to Armageddon, p. 39.

²⁸ Grant R. Jeffrey, Armageddon, Appointment with Destiny, p. 203. This was also confirmed in the May 16, 1982 issue of the Toronto Star.

²⁹ This author heard Shamier’s address on Israel TV in Jerusalem.

³⁰ Richard K. Ostling, “Time For a New Temple?”, Time, Oct. 25, 1989, p. 63, used by permission.

³¹ Ibid, p. 62.

³² Concerning the past search for the red heifer and presently the Ark (see our Vol. II, chapter 37, “The Vendyl Jones Adventure”), it was not what it was cracked up to be. Prospective Christian donors should know.

³³ Jeffrey L. Sheler, “The Christmas Covenant,” U.S News & World Report, Dec. 19, 1994, p. 70, © used by permission. Quoted from the profiles by Gareth G. Cook and David Makovshy, “Jerusalem Temple, Preparing for the Messiah,” U.S. News & World Report.

³⁴ The 700 Club, Christian Broadcasting Network, Dec. 8, 1994.

³⁵ Risto Santala comments: “The Talmudic scholars picture the Messiah arriving in the middle of a crisis for humanity. These birth-pangs connected with the last generation relate to individual morals, the history of the nations and the whole of creation. Just a short example of this: ‘If you see kingdoms arming themselves one against another, you can expect the coming of the Messiah.’ ‘The Messiah, the Son of David, will not come until the whole world is filled with apostates (Heb. minût, by which the Rabbis seem to understand the ‘Christians’). ‘The Son of David will not come until judges and authorities cease to be in Israel.’ ‘The Messianic footsteps will appear when insolence increases....’ We could add here the so-called ‘Messianic signs’ according to which in that time there will be dreadful diseases, plagues and epidemics’, ‘the whole world will be bathed in blood’ ‘the sun will be darkened and the moon changed to blood’. There are descriptions corresponding to these both in the words of Christ and the letters of Paul. It is worth keeping this symmetry in mind when studying Jewish scholars’ expositions of psalm 102, which gives a description of the ‘last generation’.” Risto Santala, The Messiah in the Old Testament in the Light of Rabbinical Writings, pp. 141-142. Santala’s footnote to “blood” reads: “Jellinek, Beit ha-Midrash, vol. II pp58-63 ‘The Messianic signs’ and vol. V1117-120 ‘The wars of the Messiah-King’.” Ibid, p. 142.