The following is Part 1 of this 6-part series ..... --- ISRAEL --- Ever wonder why such a small spot on the Earth constantly dominates center stage in today's world? ... No other nation occupies the planet's attention like tiny Israel. ... Why? ... Because God, through His prophets, told us that His chosen people would, and will always be, in the center of all biblical prophesies concerning the end times. ... The following is a brief overview ...... Looking back about 100 years, there was not on single, measurable sign that indicated we were living in the final days leading up to the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. .. But then, in 1917, we saw the Balfour Declaration which was issued by the British Government. .. The Turkish territories, called the Ottoman Empire, contained the ancient homeland of the Jewish people - an area the Romans had named Palestine after the last Jewish revolt in AD 132-135. ... In 1917, Palestine included all of modern Israel and Jordan. .. In the plan the Allies put together for dividing up the German and Turkish territories after their defeat, Britain was allotted Palestine, and this was what prompted the Balfour Declaration. .. In that document, Lord Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary, declared that it was the intention of the British Government to establish in Palestine a national home for the Jewish people. Now, the leading Evangelical in England at the time was F.B. Meyer. .. He immediately recognized the prophetic significance of the Declaration, for he was well aware that the scriptures prophecy that the Jewish people will be regathered to their homeland right before the return of the Messiah. (see Isaiah 11:11-12). ... Simply, there is NO DOUBT that these events in 1917 marked the beginning of the end-time countdown because they led to the worldwide regathering of the Jewish people to their homeland and the re-establishment of their state. Moving forward, Let's once again remember that any and all signs that relate to Israel are the most important of all because the Jews are God's 'prophetic time clock.' ... What is meant by this is that scriptures often tie a prophesied future event with something that will happen with the Jews, and when the prophesied event concerning them occurs, we can be sure that the other prophesied events will also occur. An example can be found in Luke 21:24 where Jesus prophesied that the Jews would be dispersed from Jerusalem and be led captive among the nations. .. But then He added that one day they would return to re-occupy Jerusalem, and when that happens, the end events will occur that will lead to His return. .. (Note: ... Other possible examples to pay attention to are events that involve Jewish holidays - events such as 'The Shemitah' & 'The Blood Moons') ...... There are many prophesies concerning the Jews in the end times, many of which began to be fulfilled in the last century. ... Let's now focus on just four of them ......

1) The Worldwide re-gathering of the Jewish people (Isaiah 11-12 - which we've already touched upon briefly - Jeremiah 30:10 & 31:8-12, Ezekiel 36:24 & 35-38) ...... At about the time of the Balfour Declaration, there were only about 40,000 Jews in Palestine. .. By the end of World War Two, that number had risen to 800,000. .. Today, there are some six million who have come from all over the world. .. The prophet Jeremiah says twice that when history is completed, the Jewish people will look back and conclude that their worldwide regathering was a greater miracle than their deliverance from Egyptian captivity (Jeremiah 16:14-15 & 23:7-8). ... We are truly living in momentous times!

2) The consequence of their regathering which resulted in the establishment of their state, which occurred

on May 14th, 1948 (Isaiah 66:7-8). ...

3)The re-occuption of Jerusalem, which took place on June 7th, 1973 during the miraculous Six-Day War

(Zechariah 8:4-8) ...

4) This 4th key prophecy is one whose fulfillment we are witnessing today - the re-focusing of world politics upon the Nation of Israel (Zechariah 12:2-3) ... All the nations of the world, which now includes the United States, are coming against Israel over the issue of the nation's capital - the City of Jerusalem. ... The Vatican wants the city put under its control, the United Nations wants it to be internationalized, the European Union is demanding it be divided between the Arabs and the Jews, and the Arabs want it all!

The bottom line is this ... Today, most every nation on this planet hates the Jews! ... The United Nations Human Relations Commission says they are the worst violators of human rights of all, while disregarding the likes of The Sudan, Iran, North Korea .. to name just a few. ... As the prophet Jeremiah stated some 2600+ years ago, in the last days they will be hated, isolated, and surrounded by all who's sole desire is to destroy them! Here's a brief list of some other scriptures as they relate to Israel in these times ...    *Romans 9:27 - The revival of Messianic Judaism ...    *Ezekiel 36:34-35 - Reclamation of the Land of Israel ...    *Zechariah 12:6 - Resurgence of the Israeli military ...    *Ezekiel 38 & 39 - The coming Russian/ Iranian coalition threat to Israel ...    *Psalm 83 & Ezekiel 35 & 36 - Arab threat to Israel ... That's enough for now. .... From just this very brief glance at this tiny, isolated nation, you can see God's prophetic plan unfolding before our very eyes! .... And it's just part of what I will be sharing in the coming days & weeks. ... Next in Part 2, we will take a glimpse of The Signs of Nature. ... This is the one the 'Scoffers' love to attack the most. ... I pray they will at least take a look at what is actually taking place. .. I truly believe it will change their minds! ..... Until next time, Red