Egypt begins revoking citizenship of Hamas leaders

Egypt begins revoking citizenship of Hamas leaders 

Jerusalem Post 08-Dec-13 

The Egyptian authorities have begun revoking the citizenship of Hamas leaders, according to reports in Palestinian and Egyptian media outlets. 

The move is seen in the context of intensifying tensions between Egypt and Hamas in the aftermath of the downfall of deposed President Mohammed Morsi’s regime. 

Under Morsi’s rule, the Egyptian authorities granted Egyptian citizenship to thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, including top Hamas officials. 

One of the Hamas leaders who received an Egyptian passport was Mahmoud Zahar, who was born to an Egyptian mother. 

The Palestinian daily Al-Quds reported that the Egyptian authorities have taken effective measures to revoke the citizenship of Zahar and many other Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. 

The paper quoted an Egyptian source as saying that the latest measure targeted Palestinians who are “affiliated with certain Palestinian political parties or those who are connected to outlawed groups in Egypt.” 

The source pointed out that Egyptian law prohibits those who obtain Egyptian citizenship from engaging in political activities or membership in political parties in the first five years. 

Palestinian sources claimed last year that the Egyptian authorizes had agreed to grant citizenship to more than 50,000 Palestinians who were born to Egyptian mothers. 

Last month, the Egyptian daily Al-Youm Al-Sabe revealed that Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim turned down a request by members of Zahar’s family to receive Egyptian citizenship. 

The paper said that the decision was taken for “security reasons.” The decision applied to Zahar’s daughter, Huda, and his nephews, Abdullah and Ahmed. 

Zahar confirmed last year that he had been granted Egyptian citizenship. He said that he was also planning to vote in the Egyptian presidential election.

The border fence between Israel and the Sinai has been completed

The border fence between Israel and the Sinai has been completed 

JerusalemOnLine 04-Dec-13 

After dozens of years of border breaches, the last section of the border fence between Israel and the Sinai has been completed. The length of the fence is 245 kilometers long, from Rafah to Eilat, and costs 1,600,000,000 NIS. It was one of Israel’s largest projects in recent years. 

After three and a half years of construction, the building of the border fence with Egypt has been completed.  For two and a half years, the building of the first 230 kilometers of the fence took place.  It took another year and a half to build the remaining 15 kilometers along the south-western border with Israel. 

 The last section is characterized by deep and steep valleys, as well as hard rocks.  Surprisingly, the last section was one of the busiest infiltration routes.  “They passed here in the hundreds,” Brigadier-General Eran Ofir stated.  “A third of the infiltrators passed via the enclosures surrounding Eilat and it was the biggest part of this section.” 

 At the beginning, the purpose of the fence was to halt the flow of illegal migrants from Africa.  The fence stopped almost all of the job seekers, but when terrorists started to arrive in the Sinai Peninsula, the Israeli security establishment needed to add to the fence other components. 

 “The next step is a fence on the Jordanian border” 

 The fence will not prevent the firing of grad rockets from the Sinai, but it will make it very difficult to wage terrorist attacks from within Israeli territory.  “Today, we are capable to produce better intelligence on terrorist organizations,” Southern Command Colonel Aviv Reshef stated.  “We follow them and monitor them even when they are in the Sinai, and when they try to engage us, we thwart them.” 

 Part of the land border is very close to Eilat and there is a sea boundary that meets it.  The border fence comes with an under-water component.  The Israeli Defense Ministry is planning to build an additional sea fence and meanwhile, Israeli naval ships are dispatched to divide this section of the border. 

 Brigadier-General Eran Ofir worked on the fence for three years as the commander of the complex project.  Now with its completion, he is not sure that this southern fence is the last one that Israel will build and already in recent days has discussed a fence along the Jordanian border that is in the planning phases.

The Geneva Accord Leaves Israel out on a Limb

"What was concluded in Geneva last night is not a historic agreement, it's a historic mistake. It's not made the world a safer place. Like the agreement with North Korea in 2005, this agreement has made the world a much more dangerous place. I know that many share the concern of Israel, especially in the region and there is a reason for this. For years the international community has demanded that Iran cease all uranium enrichment. Now, for the first time, the international community has formally consented that Iran continue its enrichment of uranium. This is in direct contravention of UN security resolutions. Iran is taking only cosmetic steps which it could reverse easily within a few weeks, and in return, sanctions that took years to put in place are going to be eased. Iran is going to receive billions of dollars worth of sanctions release. So the pressures on Iran are being lifted and eased, and with this pressure this first step could very well be the last step. Without continued pressure, what incentive does the Iranian regime have to take serious steps that actually dismantle its nuclear weapons capability? Why would it dismantle the centrifuges and plutonium rectors? None of this is covered in the agreement. They are left in tact. So Israel is not bound by this agreement. We cannot and will not allow a regime which calls for the destruction of Israel, to obtain the means to achieve this goal. We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapons capability. Israel has many friends and allies but when they are mistaken, it is my obligation to speak out clearly and openly and say so. It is my solemn responsibility to protect and defend the one and only Jewish state..."

This was the reaction of Benjamin Netenyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, after world powers agreed to what has become known as the "Geneva Accord" signed at 4am last Sunday 24th November. The agreement permits Iran to continue to develop its nuclear capabilities for the first time and was made with the so called "P5+1":  the United States, Great Britain, France, China and Russia along with Germany.

Why were there Sanctions against Iran?
Much of the media and politicians in the western world have heralded the deal as a positive step towards world peace. However Israel responded disparagingly. What the western media seems to have failed to report on is why? Why are Israel so enraged? Why were there sanctions against Iran in the first place?

After the Islamic revolution in Iran of 1979 that overthrew the Shah of Iran, the new Islamic republic, led by Shite Muslim Clerics, saw Israel as an illegitimate state with no right to exist - certainly not amongst Muslim nations. Iran was also very antagonistic at that time against the west - with the new leader, Khomeini, declaring that the U.S. was the "Great Satan." During the revolution, the Islamic revolutionists famously stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding 52 Americans for 444 days. This led to the U.S. halting diplomatic relations with Iran.

Throughout the 1990's both the U.S. and Israel accused Iran of sponsoring various terrorist attacks against them. Although hostile toward one another, Israel and Iran continued relatively peacefully. This was mainly due to them having a common enemy - Iraq. However, since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Iran has turned its spotlight on Israel.

In 2005, President Ahmadinejad was elected in Iran. Ahmadinejad publicly denied the Holocaust, and was even quoted as saying he believed Israel should be "wiped off the map". He frequently called for the elimination of Israel, a key ally of the U.S.

This drove the U.S. to rally international support against Iran's nuclear activity, causing international sanctions to be put in place which have crippled Iran's economy. These began in 2006.

This all really originated around Iran's hatred of Israel.

However, with the election of a more moderate President, Hassan Rouhani back in August, Iran has made efforts to open up negotiations with America and European countries, leading to this deal. Tensions between Iran and the U.S. and Europe have eased. However Israel still have major concerns and rightly so.

Even during the negotiations in Geneva, Iran's Supreme Leader -Khamenei publicly insulted Israel in Tehran. He was reported to have said Israeli officials "cannot be even called humans" and referred to Netanyahu as "the rabid dog of the region."
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/24/world/meast/iran-israel/

Naftali Bennett, Israeli Minister of Trade and Industry said: "If in five years, a nuclear suitcase explodes in New York or Madrid, it will be because of the agreement that was signed this morning."

One nation which has always supported Iran's nuclear programme is Russia. The deal was described almost as a victory for Russia who has long been working with Iran to help them with their Nuclear development. Russia's Vladimir Putin said after the deal was struck "A breakthrough step has been made, but only the first on a long and difficult path. As the result of talks...we managed to get closer to untying one of the most difficult knots in world politics". Once again we see Russia's influence in world politics, as it seeks to help the interests of its allies and once again we see the world falling in line with Russia's view of things.

A New Shift In Middle East Alliances
The Israeli ambassador to the U.K.  -Daniel Taub was reported by the Independent newspaper to have said:

"If you look at the region you see this very radical axis that runs from Tehran to Damascus to Beirut and actually on to Gaza, and I think that we are not alone [in being worried] about it... There are many countries that look on these issues and it’s a reminder that if we can rise above some of our immediate differences and paradigms we actually have an awful lot in common, many of our most fundamental strategic concerns are actually aligned, and of course we would be interested in trying to deepen relationships on that basis.”

He's talking here about the Gulf States who are also very concerned about Irans nuclear capabilities  For the Biblical significance of these new shifting regional alliances which are beginning to be formed in the Middle East, between Israel and its Sunni Arab neighbours in the Gulf, please see last week's Bible in the News.

Bible Prophecy & Iran
So - why is all this interesting about Iran and how is this the Bible in the News? Well Iran is mentioned as "Persia" in the latter day prophecy of Ezekiel 38:5. This chapter records that "Persia" (Iran) will be in an alliance with European and North African nations - headed up by Russia. This alliance invades Israel from the north.

How amazing it is then, when we see relations between countries starting to move in line with Bible predictions. The west has again demonstrated that it is moving more inline with Russia's world view. Indeed the prophetic jigsaw puzzle is slowly coming together and will be completed when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth to save Israel and re-establish God's Kingdom.

God will save his people
It is this point that Benjamin Netenyahu simply fails to recognise. In the clip we played at the start you may have noted him saying "It is my solemn responsibility to protect and defend the one and only Jewish state...". Many in Israel trust in him to do just this but the Jewish people would do far better to trust in the God of their ancestors and to seek His mercy. As a nation we know from the Bible that soon a time of tribulation such as never was will befall them. It would be far better for individuals within the nation to turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who is in control of world affairs and to seek His truth and mercy.

Psalm 115 declares: "O Israel, trust thou in Yahweh (the LORD): he is their help and their shield."

The question for us all is do we trust in Him? The living God.

This has been Matt Davies joining you. Join us again next week God Willing for another Bible in the News.

First Sinai-based al Qaeda cell infiltrates the West Bank

First Sinai-based al Qaeda cell infiltrates the West Bank 

Debka 28-Nov-13 

The three terrorists killed by Israeli forces in the south Hebron village Yata Tuesday, Nov. 26, belonged to the first al Qaeda cell to infiltrate the West Bank from Sinai, most likely through Jordan, debkafile reports. They came to establish a major new network for attacking Israel and the Palestinian Authority - hence the combined army, Shin Bet and special anti-terror force’s expeditious action to terminate the cell. It is now feared to be the harbinger of more such cells currently embedded around Israel’s borders in Sinai, Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. 

UAE takes larger role in manufacturing Boeing components

UAE takes larger role in manufacturing Boeing components 

GeoStrategy direct w/e 27-Nov-13 

The United Arab Emirates has been awarded an expanded role with a U.S. defense major. 

The UAE'S premier aerospace and defense contractor has been given increased responsibility for producing components for commercial aircraft for Boeing. On Nov. 18, the UAE's Mubadala Development Co. signed what was termed a strategic agreement with Boeing valued at up to $2.5 billion. 

"Today's agreement further strengthens our relationship with Boeing, and provides an important platform as we continue to develop our role as a significant supplier to Boeing of composite aerostructures, and develop Strata into a major Tier 1 industry supplier," Mubadala Aerospace executive director Homaid Al Shemmari said. 

Executives said Mubadala, already a Tier 1 supplier, would produce advanced composites and machined metals for such aircraft as the 787 and 777X. Mubadala was also assigned development of pre-preg and carbon fiber manufacturing capabilities in Abu Dhabi. 

"This will support the ongoing development of the aerostructures industry and create raw-materials capabilities in the United Arab Emirates," Boeing said. 

Mubadala has been operating a subsidiary, Strata Manufacturing, to produce components for Boeing. Executives said Strata was being prepared to supply the vertical fin for the 787 Dreamliner. 

"Boeing is pleased to expand our relationship with Mubadala, a company that is committed to creating globally competitive and strategic aerospace capabilities in the UAE," Boeing Commercial Airplanes president Ray Conner said. 

Mubadala has led the UAE defense industry. In 2009, Mubadala signed a strategic framework agreement with Boeing for composites manufacturing and manpower development, and three years later Strata was assigned to produce vertical fin ribs. Airbus, another leading supplier to UAE airlines, has also pledged to purchase billions of dollars in components from Strata. 

"It's a really important commitment from Airbus and Boeing to grow Strata, and it's also a reinforcement of the kind of credibility they've appreciated in terms of cost, quality and timely delivery out of Al Ain," Strata chief executive officer Bader Al Olama said. 

Up to 300,000 Christians have left Egypt

:Up to 300,000 Christians have left Egypt 

Catholic World News 26-Nov-13

Father Rafic Greiche, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Egypt, said that up to 300,000 Christians have left the country since the Arab Spring uprising led to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. 

“There are sometimes legitimate reasons, but most of the people, at the first problem, they leave,” Father Greiche told Catholic News Service. “They take their American passport and go.” 

Urging Christians to remain in Egypt, Father Greiche said that “we need them to invest, not only their money but also their energy, and as Christians they have the duty to be missionaries in their own country.”

Russia in the Middle East: Return of the Bear

“...I will turn thee (the Russian Gog) back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army... Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them...” Ezekiel 38:4,5. It is now fifteen years since The Bible Magazine published an article entitled “Hungry Russia: A Bear Robbed of her Whelps...” At that time (1998) Russia had lost its Soviet empire, and few expected a speedy recovery, but now the BBC runs a headline on its web-site declaring: “Russia in the Middle East: Return of the Bear!”
The turning back of Russia was foretold in Ezekiel chapter 38:4 where Russia, as Gog “the prince of Rosh,” is addressed by the God of Israel saying:

“I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws...” But He continues to say: “and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army...”

So this teaches us that there would be a temporary arresting of Gog’s (Russia’s) progress, followed by a come-back, or return. That is what news headlines are indicating now.

An article in the Daily Telegraph (London, Nov 15, 2013) said:

“Russia is launching a new front in its attempt to wrest power in the Middle East away from America, dispatching a high-level delegation to sell arms and influence in Egypt.

“Both the foreign and defence ministers, Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu, will meet their opposite numbers in Cairo on Thursday...”

“The rapprochement between Egypt and Russia, four decades after President Anwar Sadat threw out the Soviet advisers cultivated by his socialist military predecessor, Col Gamal Abdul-Nasser, is part of a crunching shift in the geopolitics of the Middle East.”

A slightly different view of the situation was suggested in a report on the Israeli website Arutz Sheva. This stated:

“Some analysts posit that the visit doesn’t necessarily signify a Russian replacement of the US military alliance.

“Mohamed Gomaa, a political analyst at al-Ahram center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al Arabiya that ‘Egypt’s foreign affairs are being restructured, but relations with Russia shouldn’t be seen as a substitute for ties with the United States,’ adding ‘the current Egyptian decision-makers have no intention to drift away from the U.S. at this period.’

“In 1979, when Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel, the US began gifting an annual $1.3 billion in defense and economic aid, and the Nile state shifted from Russia towards America.

“Currently as rapprochement appears imminent between Egypt and Russia, Gomaa noted that while Russia can be an additional source of military equipment, unlike the US Russia intends to sell weapons, and not give them away for free.”

Bible prophecy leads us to expect that Egypt will not escape the coming advance by the northern “king.” Daniel 11:40-43,

“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. 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. 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.”

It is with considerable alertness then that we watch current developments, as the news follows the path predicted in the Scriptures of Truth.

Russia in Egypt The Return of the Bear

America's Withdrawal the Middle East Becomes More Volatile - Bible Prophecy

Symptoms of the weakening of Western influence are being seen all around the globe. The government shutdown in America is tarnishing America’s reputation as a credible world power. Alarm bells are being sounded about withdrawal of aid from Egypt. Other forces are happily stepping into the vacuum. Bible Prophecy is hitting the headlines.

Symptoms of the weakening of Western influence are being seen all around the globe. Alarm bells are being sounded about withdrawal of aid from Egypt. The government shutdown in America is further tarnishing America’s reputation as a credible world power. Other forces are happily stepping into the vacuum.

Government Shutdown

America continues to struggle to operate as its government has been shut down by strife in the different “houses”. The Economist reported:

The trouble is, the shutdown is a symptom of a deeper problem: the federal lawmaking process is so polarised that it has become paralysed.

There is great concern that the upcoming vote on the “debt ceiling” will be affected by this same attitude. The article continued:

Later this month the federal government will reach its legal borrowing limit, known as the “debt ceiling”. Unless Congress raises that ceiling, Uncle Sam will soon be unable to pay all his bills. In other words, unless the two parties can work together, America will have to choose which of its obligations not to honour. It could slash spending so deeply that it causes a recession. Or it could default on its debts, which would be even worse, and unimaginably more harmful than a mere government shutdown.

While the Democrats and Republicans continue to bite and devour one another… the words of Christ come to mind:

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.” (Luke 11:17)

The division in the “house” is destroying America’s influence at home and abroad. It is embarrassing to America’s allies. The fight in the house is very destructive. Consider the words of the Apostle Paul:

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. (Galatians 5:15)

A Weakened West

A couple of weeks ago the Economist placed on its cover a picture of a bandaged and toothless lion under the heading “A Weakened West”.  The corresponding article stated:

“…this week, a decade after the invasion of Iraq, it suddenly became clear just how far the influence of the West has ebbed…

America’s credibility as an ally has been undermined. Whereas Mr Putin has stood firmly by Mr Assad, even while 100,000 people have perished, the West has proved an inconstant friend to the opposition….

The Arab spring has driven a wedge between the West and its allies….

America’s credibility as an opponent has also suffered….

….a leader who the world sees is unable to fulfil his promises is inevitably weakened. And although nobody doubts that America’s armed forces continue to enjoy overwhelming superiority, its unwillingness to use them undermines their ability to give force to its diplomacy….

Everyone knew that Western citizens were tired of fighting, but until Mr Obama and Mr Cameron asked them, nobody knew just how tired. Now every tyrant knows that a red line set by the leader of the free world is really just a threat to ask legislators how they feel about enforcing it. Dictators will be freer to maim and murder their own people, proliferators like North Korea less scared to proceed with spreading WMD, China and Russia ever more content to test their muscles in the vacuum left by the West.

The choice of graphics was very interesting. America, described in Ezekiel 38 is one of the young lions of Tarshish. When Russia eventually invades the Middle East it is one of the voices of dissent:

And 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. Sheba, and 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 carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (Ezekiel 38:11–13)

The angels are directing our attention to the “young lions of Tarshish” and the role they will play in the latter days. Their weakening influence in the world is sure sign that we are approaching the unfolding of the drama of Ezekiel 38.

The weak response of the west is also echoed in Daniel 11. There is no opposing military action is described. The West has had its day in the sun and its influence is beginning to withdraw from the arena.

Withdrawal of Egyptian Aid

A further symptom of the waning influence of America and its allies in the Middle East is the withdrawal of aid from Egypt.  Fox News reported the US is cutting military aid and hundreds of millions in cash assistance to Egypt. The article stated,

The Obama administration was criticized by an Egyptian government official Thursday in the wake of its decision to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and military aid in response to the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi and the crackdown by the military-backed government on his supporters.

The U.S. is "holding" -- as in not sending to Cairo -- a dozen F-16s; a similar number of Apache helicopters; four M-1/A-1 tanks, and an unspecified number of anti-ship missile.

Also, the U.S. is not proceeding with the planned transfer of $260 million in cash to the Egyptian government. However, these funds were already on hold pending the outcome of talks between the Egyptians and the International Monetary Fund.

The U.S. is also not proceeding with a $300 million loan guarantee slated as part of our foreign military financing programs.

The article continued:

The U.S. decision to cut aid to Egypt, though, will create new friction in Washington's already uneasy relations with the government that ousted the first democratically elected Egyptian president. And the consequences won't end there. The move will anger Persian Gulf states, push Egypt to seek assistance from U.S. rivals and upend decades of close ties with the Egyptians that that have been a bulwark of stability in the Middle East.

The article summed up the situation:

The cutoff of some, but not all, U.S. aid also underscores the strategic shifts underway in the region as U.S. allies in the Gulf forge ahead with policies at odds with Washington. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, are strong backers of Syrian rebel factions and were openly dismayed when the U.S. set aside possible military strikes against Bashar Assad's government. The Gulf states also feel increasingly sidelined as Washington reaches out to their rival, Iran.

What is interesting is the result of America’s withdrawal of influence. There is a clearer image amongst the nations of “Sheba and Dedan” as to how they see their role. These Arab states are being driven closer together into an alliance, which eventually America, the other young lions, and the mother lion Britain will become more closely associated with.

It is also interesting that while America is making overtones to Iran, the Arab states in the gulf are much more aligned in opinion with Israel.  

Israel is not impressed by America’s decision over aid to Egypt and views them as shortsighted. A New York Times headline read, “Israel Expresses Dismay at Cutback of U.S. Aid to Egypt.” The article stated:

Officials and experts in Israel responded on Wednesday with a mixture of disappointment and alarm to the news that the United States planned to reduce its military aid to Egypt in response to this summer’s brutal crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and the continuing violence it has spawned. Israel views the aid as part and parcel of its 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, and essential to the maintenance of stability in the region…

…one Israeli official, warned that the implications of punitive cuts in Egypt’s aid could go far beyond the issue of Israeli-Egyptian relations. The United States is playing with fire, he said.

“You cannot disassemble the peace treaty and take out this part or that part,” the official said. “But there are other elements in this conundrum. This is not just about Israel. This is about America’s standing in the Arab world.”

“If America is seen to be turning its back on Egypt, an old ally, how will it be seen? People will see it as the United States dropping a friend.”

The Article continued noting the response of the Israeli’s:

They expressed concern over a possible erosion of American credibility when President Obama flip-flopped on his threat to strike Syria in retaliation for its use of chemical weapons against its citizens, even though Israel generally welcomed the Russian deal for a peaceful resolution…. The Egyptian military has been fighting Islamic militants in the Sinai Peninsula, along the border with Israel, and destroying tunnels that were long used by the Hamas militant group to smuggle weapons into Gaza, where they could be used against Israel.

The withdrawal of this support has certainly caused concern. Egypt and Israel are both opponents of radical Islamic militants in the region. America’s withdrawal will no doubt force some formerly uncomfortable alliances to be formed according to the outline supplied by the prophets.

The Bible in the News – quite literally

What was also of great interest this week was FOX News carrying a series of interviews regarding Bible Prophecy. 

Take a listen….

And how about this to think about today. The crisis in Syria may be more than just a current foreign policy problem, with some seeing signs of Biblical Prophecies of the Apocalypse in the events that are unfolding overseas. Passages in the Old Testament even make reference to Damascus falling into ruin sparking world wide conflict that some say leads to the coming of the Messiah.  Joel Rosenberg is a former aid to Benjamin Netenyahu and he is a Middle East analyst, and he has written several books on this issue….

Now before we give Mr. Rosenberg the floor it should be noted that the books Mr. Rosenberg has written are fiction novels and not worth the paper they are written on, he admits his writings are about what could happen, but he’s not really sure. He gets things very muddled up and is not very well versed on his ancient history. However… there are a few things he said that are of interest.

What is interesting about this one is that, you are right, we don’t know for certain we are in some timeframe where these Bible prophecies will come true. But other Bible prophesies have come true, like the rebirth of the state of Israel, in our own lifetime.  Those are major End Times prophecies, Jews coming back to the holy land….

This is the problem or the challenge with Bible Prophecy: you want to study what the text says, and you want to understand it in its historical grammatical context. You can certainly look at the current events,  but you do have to be careful not to overreach or to sensationalize the text, doing what people call newspaper exegesis…

The Bible stands on its own. For many centuries people didn’t think that Israel would be reborn as a country, and Jews would come back to the Holy Land. They thought that was symbolic, but it has happened now.  Now that those series of end time prophecies have happened it does cause people, even skeptics to say, “hmmm maybe the other things the Bible says will happen in the future, will happen possibly in our lifetime.”

The point is, the Bible, and specifically Bible prophecy is making world headlines. Prime time news television is discussing the fulfillment of Bible Prophecy. So what are we doing about it?  We do know what will happen. Our brethren and forefathers have been lecturing and writing on this for years in books like Elpis Israel, Exposition of Daniel, Eureka, and many others. People are interested and are looking for answers it behoves us to be “light in the Lord” and hold forth the word of life to those around us!  Now is the time to start up our public lectures – and focus on Bible prophecy, the nation of Israel and the fulfillment of God’s word as evidence of His existence. Many “theologians” can speculate, but the truth has been given to us. Let us redouble our efforts to shine as lights before our Lord returns.

This has been Jonathan Bowen for the Bible in the News.