Hal Lindsey -
For many of you who read this letter each week, there's not much I can tell you about Israel that you don't already know.
And that is good. Because, as you've heard me say so often, Israel is God's time clock.
End-times prophecy kicked into high gear when Israel became a modern nation back on May 14, 1948. It fulfilled Isaiah's incredible prophecy, found in Isaiah 66, that Israel would be reborn in a day. Even Isaiah was incredulous: "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once?" (Isaiah 66:8 NASB)
And just to punctuate the unbelievable -- that a nation could be born in a single day -- God put a little cherry on top to prove that these are, indeed, unusual days and that His Word can be believed even when it seems impossible.
Not only was Israel born in a day, but it was recognized by the world's greatest power just 11 minutes later. 11 minutes! No grass grew under Harry Truman's feet!
Isaiah probably didn't even know what a minute was. If he found it difficult to believe Israel could be born in a day, he certainly could have never understood what an incredible miracle it was that the nascent nation was afforded instant legitimacy in the time it takes to brew a cup of coffee.
But God doesn't do things halfway. And when God says it, He means it.
On April 18-19, Israel officially celebrated its 70th anniversary.
According to the Jewish calendar, on which Israel operates, the 70th anniversary occurred this past week. According to the Gregorian calendar, on which most of the rest of the world operates, the anniversary will fall on May 14, 2018. Not to worry, though. The nation will celebrate again so that we can all join in.
As I said earlier, many of the prophecies concerning the end of this Age of Grace could only be fulfilled after the Jews were regathered in their ancient homeland and became a national entity. Against all odds and in defiance of the overwhelming physical forces that surrounded them, that occurred 70 years ago.
Since then, prophecies concerning these days have been rapidly coming to pass. In fact, it is breathtaking to consider the movement in the prophetic scenario that has occurred in just the few years I have been reporting them on this program and on my previous program, "The International Intelligence Briefing." That's why our opening line each week is "Yesterday's prophecies. Today's headlines."
Not the least of those dramatic developments is the formation of the alliance between Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Historically, the nations have been enemies. Even just a short few years ago, this alliance would have been impossible.
But Ezekiel predicted that these three specific nations would join together to launch an assault on Israel. (Ezekiel 38 & 39) Now, they are cooperating militarily, Russia is protecting Iran in the United Nations, Turkey is under dictatorial rule once again, and Russia has established military bases next door to Israel in Syria.
And all of that has coalesced in just the last few years. Another breathtaking, seemingly impossible prophecy that has come to pass.
And why is it so important to be aware of these "end-times" developments? Because Jesus said that the generation that sees Israel reborn would not fully pass away until it also sees His return for His bride. (Matthew 24:30-36, Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32)
The clock is ticking. No matter how you define a "generation" (and there are multiple definitions), 70 years means that the major part of it has passed and there can't be much left.
That's why it's important to make sure you, your family, and your loved ones have accepted the free gift of pardon that Jesus Christ bought for you with His death on the cross. Be ready to go when Jesus returns. Which, literally, could be at any moment now.
As you may have guessed by now, on this week's program I will be focusing on "Israel at 70." I'll discuss Israel: The Miracle, The Byword, The Timepiece.
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