chapter 1

chapter one

Introduction

About this chapter:
a. The author's vision and experience
b. The purpose of America
c. The abomination of desolation? What is it?

I have studied Bible prophecy for several years, but until a series of events had happened in my own life, it was impossible for me to see how they all corresponded with one another. In September 1990, I was watching television in the living room. I was very much interested about the events that were beginning to happen in Kuwait. I had been distracted temporarily, probably in my own thoughts, when there appeared a picture of the map of Israel on TV. The minute it appeared there was a voice deep within me saying: "Look, the sword of the Lord." I could feel the presence of God all through my being.

Needless to say, I sat up and began to take notice. When you look at a map of Israel, it looks like a sword with a notch in the blade. Lebanon could very easily be the handle, but is not a part of Israel yet. Someday, it will be. The cutting edge of the blade is facing Jordan, and the other Arab countries that hate her. God then reminded me that at various times God used nations as a sword against his enemies. Then I thought of Gideon, where he said: "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon."

Then I was reminded that God had said in prophecy that He would use the tiny nation of Israel to provoke His enemies to anger. He does this so that He can come to her rescue and fight for her. Anyone who opposes Israel will be considered to be God's enemies. God uses nations to fulfill His will in many instances in this life. God allowed Israel to become a nation once again in 1948. In the six days war during the sixties, Israel regained Jerusalem. This has caused the Muslim people in the Middle East great distress. All the Muslim countries that are not really Arab claim to be and hate Israel with an obsession. At one time the nation of Egypt, joined with Syria, called their selves the United Arab Republic. Yet, Egypt has shown more kindness to Israel than most. There are many Muslims in the old former Soviet Union territories.

God said in Zechariah 12:3:

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

To the Arabs it is as if someone has set a large stone in their back yard and they do not want it there. God is saying that whoever tries to remove this burdensome stone will be cut in pieces (destroyed). The Muslim people in the Middle East hate the Jewish people. God is going to draw these people, through their hatred, to Armageddon some day. God says that whoever curses Israel will be cursed!

In Zechariah 12:9, God said:

and it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem.

Not all the nations of the world are against Israel, and some will defend Israel during the tribulation against the Antichrist and his ten nations. God will seek to destroy His enemies. The nations that hate Israel are His enemies.

Then, in December 1990, I was standing in the back yard. It was night and the stars were so clear and beautiful to look at. I could not help but to admire God for His beauty in creation. While I was standing there a voice from within spoke to me again. It said, "Your daughter, Ginger, is going to go through a lot of pain, but her end will be good." I went into the house and told my wife, Judy, what I had heard and asked her to write it down. She did, and put it in my Bible. The next few months that followed turned into a tragic experience for us. In February, we were informed that Ginger had leukemia, but the doctors seemed confident that everything would be all right. We were raised to believe that God could heal, so we devoted ourselves to believing for her healing.

In the following month of May she died. But, before she died, she wrote this note to one of the nurses on duty. It said, "I may have leukemia, and I may be on a ventilator, but I have Jesus, and that makes me a winner! At her funeral services, at the end of the preaching, six people were born again. Many people criticized me for accepting her death as being the will of God, but nothing in this world can convince me that God was not with us during this terrible tragedy in our lives. God has proven to me that He can take a bad situation and turn it in to something good. He has, and He does. While we were going through this experience, I had another strange thing happen that changed my opinion about America and what God has planned for her.

I was sitting in the recliner resting one evening. I was very discouraged. My heart was heavy. My daughter had gone to be with Jesus, but I was worrying about America and her relationship with God. The fear that God might destroy us for the horrible sins that we have committed as a nation was troubling my mind. I thought about prayer in school and the abortion of little infant children. As I thought about these things, and although no one was in the house with me, I spoke out loud and said, "God is going to destroy America." Instantly there was a reply and God spoke in a small still sweet voice into my heart and said, "No, I'm not. America is mine, and I'm going to save America."

All at once I was filled with the presence of God. In a moment of time I experienced something that was very unexpected. I saw America, from her very beginnings to this present day. I heard every marvelous song that was ever sung about her. I saw her in a way that I had never seen her before. I heard many voices, and words from the pledge of allegiance where it is said "one nation under God," to our very beginnings where it was said that we were all given certain unalienable rights by our creator. The song, God Bless America, stood out in my mind. It was in this moment that a voice from within spoke and said, "I created America for myself, and I am going to bless America in a wonderful way." I began to weep, because I knew that I was hearing the voice of God.

Then, I saw a place in the wilderness where people could worship and follow God without persecution. I then saw America as a great protector over the nations of the world, standing as a guardian against the oppressors of this world. During World War II, when Hitler was trying to exterminate the Jews from the face of the earth, God forced the United States into this war that she did not want to enter, in order to stop him. When we did this, God, through a Jewish-German by the name of Einstein, gave America the Atomic bomb.

This caused us to be feared by every nation in the world. It was this fear that enabled the Jews to go back to Israel. Iraq and other Arab countries tried to stop them, but if any large nation had gone against Israel, the United States would have retaliated. We have been like a guardian angel over Israel ever since. It is the plan of God, and even though America is very oppressed by sin at this time, God is going to pull us through. This nation belongs to God. I am convinced that during the next few years we will experience some very hard times, but do not give up hope. God is getting ready to bless America with the thing that we need the most, and that is salvation.

While experiencing these things about America, I was weeping because of the joy of what my heart could see. At that time, I saw another picture. I could see a great battlefield. It was dark over head, with flashes of light that reflected against the bottom of the clouds that loomed over us. I found myself in a trench of mud with American soldiers all around me. While looking at the faces of these soldiers, I knew that there was a feeling of desperation. It seemed hopeless. Instinct told me that this was the battle of Armageddon, and we were in Israel. The moment was intense with anticipation. There was an American flag with its staff sticking out of a mound of dirt in front of me. You could hear it quietly popping as the wind furled it from time to time. All at once, there was a noise from behind, and, as we whirled around to see what it was, a white horse leaped over us. My heart leaped when I saw the rider on its back. It was JESUS!

As He cleared the trench, He turned in the saddle. Looking back at us with a smile, He motioned with His left hand in a single move for us to follow. There was great joy and great courage at that moment, because all at once we realized that victory was certainly at hand. Needless to say, this experience overwhelmed me with emotion. It also made me very interested in what the Bible had to say about this. Since then, God has revealed these prophecies to my heart. I have written this little book with the hope that the Christians in America, during the dark times that are to come, will put all their trust in Jesus. He is the only true hope that the world has and will ever have. He also explained the meaning of this vision and told me that my feeling that we were at the battle of Armageddon was symbolic. The vision was to show me that America would come to God during a very hard time that would be very close to the end of the age. That we will come out of the trenches to serve God before it is over.

Back in the early part of the 1990's God gave David Wilkerson a vision of the coming punishment on America for her sins. Since then David has preached many messages on the meaning of this vision and America's coming punishment. David Wilkerson believes that the American stock market is going to crash so bad that it will be the worst crash we have ever seen in America. This event will bring about chaos and havoc along with much destruction all over America, especially in cities like New York. He believes that it will be so bad that there will be uncontrollable fires in the city with much death and looting. I believe that his vision and mine are one and the same showing the hardship and despair that is coming to America. The soldiers in the trenches was an expression showing how America will be feeling before they finally turn to God and do his will. America's sins are many and they are terrible but God also gives us hope.

In this book, I will attempt to teach the Bible shadows that give us a complete account of what is to happen during the seven-year tribulation.

God has a great work for the Gentile Church during this time. We will grow closer and closer to Him during these last days. I pray that God will open your understanding to see His great love for mankind. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God told us this secret:

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Notice He said, "Declaring the end from the beginning." The beginning is the book of Genesis, and the ending is the book of Revelation. God is telling us that in Genesis we will find the answer to understanding the book of Revelation. Without the Book of Genesis, the other prophecy books are not complete. I will attempt to share these with you, beginning with the promises so that we can understand his plan. May God bless your understanding.

With careful study, we find that there is a reason for the great tribulation that is to come. In Bible prophecy, it is known as Jacob's troubles. It will be a time for Israel to accept Jesus as Lord. It is their day of redemption. God will save the Jewish people in the nations, first, especially in America, because of a promise made to Ephraim, Joseph's youngest son. This will happen before the seven-year tribulation begins. Then, during the seven years of tribulation, He will save the Jews who live in the nation of Israel itself. This He will do because of a promise made to Judah. Out of this group of Jews, he will save 144,000 special preachers to take the Gospel to the nations under the control of the Antichrist.

It is commonly taught that the seven-year tribulation that is coming is a time that God is going to pour out His wrath on the whole earth. This will beduring the second half of this period, which will last 3 1/2 years. The Antichrist will conquer the whole earth and force everyone to take the mark of the beast. If you do, you will be eternally lost. If you don't, then the Antichrist will kill you.

It is believed that this test is brought on because of sin and the refusal to accept Jesus. Because of this the people who are saved during this time will have to suffer the loss of their lives because they waited so long to accept Him. Of course, we know that the tribulation will end with the battle of Armageddon. It is also commonly believed that Christ will rapture the Church before the seven-year tribulation begins because the Church is not appointed to wrath and He will spare them of any hardship.

Most people accept this teaching without any problem. Basically, because it is the popular thing to believe, the majority of people do believe this, without researching the scriptures. And, because the Bible is so big to most of us, it is a lot easier to accept, or go with the flow with others, rather than to research for ourselves.

The tragedy that is created by this is the hard opposition that rises up out of it against the truth that is in the Holy Bible itself. There is one thing that God's people need to always remember and that is that God always keeps his promises. In Bible prophecy the teachers have forgotten the most basic of promises and when they do remember, they fail to put it into God's plan of salvation.

It all began with Gods' promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3:

And 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 them that curse thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

What most of us fail to realize while reading these scriptures is the significance of the blessing and cursing that is in this promise. It is easy to see that because of New Testament scripture, Jesus is the way God intended to bless the nations. Jesus is Abraham's promised seed. And, because Israel had been so blinded and had so venomously rejected Jesus as Messiah, we have mistakenly thought that their actions had some how annulled God's Word, concerning our treatment of Israel.

Nations have risen and fallen because of Abraham's promise. Sometimes people think that God has failed to keep His Word when they observe the Jews being mistreated. But, we must remember that God is slow to wrath. It took God four hundred years to bring judgment upon Egypt for it's treatment of Israel. And, even after bringing great destruction upon the Egyptians, God felt that He owed a debt to Egypt because Israel had lived in their land. God never forgets a promise. (Deuteronomy 23:7-8)

Without considering the Abrahamic promise, we fail to see the broader scope of Bible prophecy. While reading scriptures concerning prophecy, did you ever wonder how such a loving God could allow someone as wicked as the Antichrist to ever rise in power? Did you? Well, the answer is found in God's word, rather than through speculation. The promise of blessing and cursing associated with the treatment of Israel is the very reason the Antichrist is coming to power. God has always brought judgment on nations for mistreating the Jews but the Antichrist will be the final act of judgment on the nations that despise Israel. The final blessing on the nations that treat Jews well, will be salvation and deliverance from sin. JESUS! He is the blessing and the resurrection from the dead.

The promise given to Abraham of blessings and cursings has become a test for the nations. I know that most of the Church has no idea of the importance of this. The Jews have been scattered into the earth and everywhere they go the promise of blessing and cursing goes with them. Did God intend for this to be a test? I believe He did, and it will eventually be the reason that God either destroys or rescues the people in these countries. Some people may say that it is unfair to be put to a test without prior knowledge, but this promise is clearly stated in the Bible. God'sWord is sure. It does not return to Him void. It is our choice to believe it or reject it.

In Jeremiah 23:1-4, Jeremiah 25:34-38; and Micah 5:5, God compares the nations in which Israel has been scattered to shepherds or pastors. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Every government in the world is responsible for the people who live there. God is holding all nations accountable for their treatment of the Jews. This is what God says to these nations in Jeremiah 23:1-2:

Woe unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.

God is promising to curse these nations, but God also promised to raise up other nations who will care for the Jews. In Jeremiah 23:3-4, God says:

And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds (nations) over them which will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.

The United States was the first nation in the world to reach the Jews with equal justice. We are also the most powerful nation in the world because of it, but the final judgment on our nation has not come yet. It will come during the time of the end when God will pour out His Spirit and save our land. But the nations that have mistreated Israel will be brought into final judgment, the curse, the Antichrist. This man will terrorize these nations and do everything he can possibly do to prevent these nations from accepting Jesus as their Saviour. Because of God's mercy, He will send evangelists to these people, but they will kill them. Even then, His hand will be outstretched to save, even in wrath He will be merciful. The Antichrist will be a stumbling stone (the curse) and whoever takes his mark will be eternally lost.

In Isaiah 49:25-26, God says:

But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children (Israel). And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.

In these scriptures God is promising to contend with the nations that oppress Israel and that they will suffer death because of it. He will send the Antichrist to oppress them.

In Jeremiah 25:31, God says:

A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath controversy with the nations.

He says in verse 34:

Howl ye shepherds, and cry; ;and wallow yourself in ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished.

Once again we see God calling nations "shepherds", and He is declaring their judgment because of their treatment of Israel.

Verse 38:

He hath forsaken His covert, as the lion; for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.

This oppressor will be the Antichrist. In Daniel we will see this once again. Notice that this verse in Jeremiah says that their land will be desolate because of the oppressor. In Daniel 9:26, God gives us more insight on this point. And, because I don't want you to lose your thought on this desolation issue, I will only explain a portion of this verse. In part it says:

And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

This is what God is telling us. He is saying that the Antichrist, this prince, is going to invade Israel and this will cause a war. During this war, nations will be made desolate because God has made judgment and determined which ones should be desolate!

Remember Jeremiah 25:38:

For their land shall be made desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor.

This "prince" in Daniel is the same oppressor. Daniel reveals more about this desolation in Daniel 9:27:

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate , even until the consummation, and thatdetermined shall be poured upon the desolate.

In order to understand this desolation we must go back to what Jesus said in Matthew 23:37-39:

Oh: 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 chicks 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.

Here we are able to clearly see what God is saying about desolation. The word "desolation" to God means unfruitful or barren. It means nations with unsaved people living in them. Nations who are unable to accept Jesus as Savior. To understand this we must see nations the way God sees nations. He pictures them as women who are being impregnated with the seed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is placed there by the preaching of it. If a nation hears and bares children then she is not a desolate woman. In Israel if a woman was barren, she was consider to be desolate. This is why the Antichrist is the abomination that maketh desolate. He will prevent nations from accepting the Gospel and being saved.

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).

In order to understand, let's go back to Daniel 9:27. The scripture says that he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. This week is a week of years, actually a total of seven years. He confirms the covenant, notice it does not say that he is the leader of world peace or a one-world government, or a new-world order, or any of those things. He simply agrees to this seven-year treaty along with everyone else. It says that in the midst of this week of years, he does something that will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate.

II Thessalonians 2:3-4 says:

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition: who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

This occurs in the middle of the week, or 3 1/2 years after the signing of the treaty. This act is the abomination that maketh desolate.

Daniel 11:31:

And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

In these scriptures we begin to see what Revelation 13 is talking about. It says they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. They are the people and armies that follow after him. They exalt him and declare him to be God. This is the abomination that maketh desolate. There is not a doubt that this man will claim to be God and his people will exalt him in the temple in Jerusalem. This is the abomination that will prevent nations from coming to Jesus. They will remain desolate, which means very few people will become Christians in these nations and if they do, the Antichrist will kill them. This is also one of the abominations that maketh desolate. God gives the nations that are already desolate, an oppressor because of their hatred for Israel, in order to prevent their salvation when the Gospel goes across the earth in the last seven years of this world. He is the curse on the nations that have cursed Israel, and becomes a stumbling stone to the salvation of those countries. But the nations who have been good to the Jews will be blessed by Abraham's promise of salvation through Jesus Christ!

This oppressor of nations will come to Israel, but God will help Israel to escape. He will then bring great oppression to all of the desolate countries around Israel. Israel's enemies! God has already brought this inability to come to Christ by allowing them to believe in a false God created by Mohammed! This is already astumbling stone to prevent them and their generations from receiving Christ. God is not willing that any man should perish, but His promise to Abraham cannot be broken to people or nations. Many people believe that the Muslims worship the same God as Abraham. Even the Muslims themselves believe it. But, the God that Mohammed created in the Koran is not the same God that Abraham worshipped. He would never command anyone to kill Christians and Jews. The true God of Abraham is commanding them to reject Mohammed and accept Jesus but they will not hear it.

The Lord will still save a remnant of people out of these countries because of the prayers of the Christians who pray for them. We must remember that God placed a stumbling stone in front of Israel and put them in partial blindness because of their sins against Him. They and their children have been going to hell for the past 2,000 years over His word! Do you suppose that He will keep His word with Israel, but doesn't intend to keep His word with us because we are Gentiles? I DON'T THINK SO!

The last seven years of the earth as we know it will be a judgment on all the nations of the world. We have been unable until now to see what this judgment is about. Because we mistakenly thought that the seven-year tribulation period was judgment brought on man for not receiving Christ, or a penalty for sin, we were blinded from the truth. That judgment will follow for sure, and every man will give account, but the seven-year tribulation is not that judgment. This period is not about who has received Christ, but about who will receive Him, and be saved.

Picture it like this: You own a business, and for some reason you have to close. Maybe to retire or possibly to move to a new address. In any event, you are shutting down. When you do this you realize, of course, that you will have to settle all of your accounts. You will pay your debts and collect from the people who owe you before closing the books. You realize that you can't leave these accounts open forever, you must close NOW. It's over.

God is doing the same thing. He is bringing everything to an end. He is slow to wrath, but since the end is near, He must settle His account and pay His debts, and settle with those who owe Him. He will begin with the nations that were good to the Jews, by bringing great revival and salvation to their nations. During this time, out of these nations, He will raise up seven nations (shepherds- Micah 5:5) to defend Israel. Israel will be saved and return the favor by taking the Gospel, with great zeal.

Matthew 23:14:

and this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then the end shall come.

But the nations who have hated Israel will be given an oppressor who will blind them through deceit, simply because they received not the love of the truth (II Thessalonians 2:9-12). Unable to receive Christ, they will oppose Him until Armageddon, at which time they will be destroyed. God brought judgment on Europe and parts of Asia because of their hatred for the Jews by giving them three men to lead them to death. Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. Millions died! He also used this to bring an end to His judgment on Israel. But this time He will use one man instead of three who will bring the final oppression and desolation to the nations that hate Israel. He will prevent their salvation and cause their eventual destruction. The rapture of the Church will occur right before this happens at Armageddon.

The Antichrist will only conquer one fourth of the world. The Holy Spirit will be poured out in a great measure in order to save the Jews. While this is happening, God will bring great Revival to the world. It will cause the warfare between good and evil to become stronger and stronger. The good get better and the wicked become more wicked, only to end at the battle of Armageddon, with the wicked being destroyed by Jesus. The Antichrist will not be the leader of world peace, but will simply be one of Israel's old enemies. The only one world government we will see during this event is the Kingdom that Jesus brings with Him from Heaven. Then, there will be a one world government.

End chapter one

chapter two

The First Shall Be Last

About this chapter:
a. There are many allegories (Bible types and shadows).
b. Genesis is the Key.
c. Jew first and then the Gentile. What happened?

In the Bible are many stories and scriptures that are allegorically understood. An allegory is a story or scripture that has a spiritual meaning that is far greater than its literal understanding. This is a Bible principal that has been taught to us by Jesus Himself. For example:

John 3:14:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

By using a story from the Old Testament about Moses and the children of Israel, Jesus was able to open our understanding of His crucifixion, and the terrible price He paid on Calvary.

In this story the children of Israel had sinned against God. Because of this, fiery serpents had bitten them. Many died, and many more were dying. God told Moses to make a brass serpent and put it on a pole. He was told to hold it up for everyone to see. Everyone who looked upon this serpent was healed from the serpent's bite.

This story is an allegory about Jesus. When Jesus took upon Himself our sins, He became sin. He took the blame for our sins. In God's eyes, Jesus was the worst sinner He had ever seen. The allegory of the serpent helps us to see the severity of this. The serpent represents our sins on Jesus. The pole represents the cross. Everyone who looks upon Jesus in faith is healed from sin, or the bite of the serpent, and is saved from eternal death.

Paul used an allegory to explain the law and Grace.

Galatians 4:21-29:

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the Law, do ye not hear the Law: For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was born after the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, REJOICE, THOU BARREN THAT BEAREST NOT: BREAK FORTH AND CRY, THOU THAT TRAVAILEST NOT: FOR THE DESOLATE HATH MANY MORE CHILDREN THAN SHE WHICH HATH A HUSBAND. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

Paul is using the story of Sarah and Hagar out of the Old Testament to open our understanding about the Law and Grace. This is why Abraham had two wives. It is the reason God allowed many events to occur that didn't really seem to make a whole lot of sense. Those things happened and were written down to become allegories of revelation today. They happened for our understanding. God never wanted man to have two wives, but He allowed this story so that one day He would be able to use it to show us the difference between Law and Grace. The Law is born of the flesh, and Grace is born of promise. We are children of the promise.

These stories are allegories, and the Bible has many that have been overlooked down through the centuries. It was God's plan to keep them a secret until now, but now He wants us to understand these stories in the Old Testament, in the allegorical interpretation.

In this book are many Old Testament stories that reveal God's plan for Israel. By understanding this plan, we are also able to understand the book of Daniel, Matthew 24, the book of Revelations, and many more mysteries that have been hidden for centuries.

The names of Bible characters in the Old Testament are allegorical in their meanings. While researching the names that are used in this book, their meanings were drawn from a number of references. I was surprised to see that the leading concordance fell short in some ways, even though it is still the greatest source of words and their meaning probably in America.

I will explain by using one of the names in the Bible, as to why and how did I determine which references were right in their meaning. For example:

In Genesis 32:28, God gave Jacob a new name. It was the name of Israel. The leading concordance said the name of Israel meant He will rule with God. Other concordances and Bible references said that it meant Prince of God. I chose this meaning because of what God said to him in Genesis 32:28:

And he said thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and has prevailed.

Which sounds right to you? I have also heard the Jews themselves say that prince of God was the meaning. I don't know about you, but if I really wanted to understand Russian, I think that I would prefer a Russian's opinion over that of an Englishman. We use references, but must always take into account, what the scripture says, including the persons life in the scriptures.

Many people call allegories Bible shadows. I have called them shadows for so many years. In this book the shadows are what I call allegories. When I mention Bible shadows, they are simply allegories.

Jesus was talking to Israel when He said, in Luke 13:26-30:

Then shall ye begin to say, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last...

There are a number of places in the New Testament that Jesus referred to the first being last, and the last being first. With careful study through Old Testament Bible shadows, we can understand what Jesus was talking about. In the scriptures above, Jesus was simply saying that the people of Israel wouldgo through much sorrow for not accepting Him as the Messiah. And that, even though the Gospel came to them first, the Gentiles would receive it. That, in the end of the age, the nation of Israel would accept Him. When Israel is born again, they will not only receive the Gospel, but will, for a short period of time, take the Gospel to the world.

The parable of the workers in the vineyard, (Matthew 20:1-8) is a parable concerning the Gentiles and the Jews. This parable is a warning to the Gentiles, that even though they received the Gospel first, and have labored for the Lord a long time, Israel would come to God, in time to do a short work for the Lord. He wants us to rejoice with Israel, rather than being jealous of her.

The story of the prodigal son, (Luke 15:11-32), is also a warning to the Gentiles. Even though I believe that this parable can be taken on a personal level, showing God's mercy to the backslider, God is referring to Israel. After having spent all their substance in a foolish way, they will return to God. When they do come to Him, God wants us to rejoice with them, rather than feeling resentment towards God's mercy. It will be a time of celebration!

In the Old Testament, God has given us a number of shadows concerning the first being last, and the last being first. Even though the Gospel came to the Jew first, it will be the Jew who will be last to receive it

Abraham's firstborn son, Ishmael, did not receive the promise, but his last born, Isaac, did (Genesis 21:10). Isaac was Sarah's only child, born to her in her old age. This was a shadow of Israel not having children of promise until the end of the age. Ishmael was a son of the bondwoman. She, being a shadow of the Law, made Ishmael a son of the Law. (Galatians 4: 23-31). When Jesus came to Israel to give them salvation, Israel preferred the Law to Jesus, and was blinded by it. They were unable to receive Him because of this, but the time is coming that Israel will be able, as a nation, to receive Him.

Once again, Isaac had two sons, Esau, the first born, and Jacob, the last. Esau sold the promise to Jacob for a bowl of pottage. Esau did not love the promise, but Jacob did. Esau represents the condition of Israel when Jesus came to bring salvation. Being deceived by the love for other things, Israel did not care much for the promise, and rejected it. But, by this shadow of Jacob, we see that Israel will receive the promise in the latter days.

Since Jacob was the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, God used him as a shadow of Israel itself. Jacob, in a place called Bethel, wrestled with God all night long. Late in the night, Jacob finally prevailed with God to receive the blessing. His walk was changed, and his name was changed from Jacob (which means supplanter) to Israel (prince of God). This is a shadow of the promise of Abraham. The blessing, being redemption, the restoration of Israel, and Jesus, Himself reigning from Jerusalem.

Israel has wrestled with God down through the ages of time and are still wrestling, but the time will come that they will be blessed and God will change their walk just as He did Jacob's.

Rachel then becomes the next shadow of this. Rachel, although Jacob preferred her first, became last when becoming the bride of Jacob. Jacob, in this shadow, is a shadow of Christ. Rachel (a shadow of Israel), his first love, and Leah (a shadow of the Gentiles), who became his first wife and gave him more children.

Rachel was barren for many years, but finally, after a long time, God remembered her and gave her children to Jacob. The first child she had was Joseph, who was a shadow of his own two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. These were a shadow of the Jews in the nations being saved first. But, the last child she had was born at the time of her end. She was on her way to Ephrath, which means becoming fruitful. In her sorrow she gave birth to her last son. She named him Benoni, which means son of my sorrow, but Jacob called him Benjamin, which means son of the right hand. Although Jacob was referring to Rachel being his own right hand, it symbolized the relationship of this last born son being born from the right hand of God, who is Jesus Christ. This shows Israel's rebirth through the redemptive work of Christ in the last days. The Jews who live in the nation of Israel, the last of the Remnant.

This shadow of the first being last and the last being first continues through the house of Judah. Although Judah himself was not the last born to Jacob, he was not the first born either. The promise becomes divided among the twelve sons of Jacob, the scepter (or King) to come out of Judah. This promise to Judah would show us that the Messiah would come out of Judah's bloodline. But, it would not be Judah's first born who would receive the promise, but rather his grandson, Zarah, who would become a shadow of Israel receiving the promise, redemption.

Judah's first born son should have received the promise, but he was very wicked, and God killed him. The second son was to give seed to his brother, but refused, so God destroyed him also. His youngest son was too young to give seed to his brother. So, God allowed a deception to occur in order that Judah's first born could bring forth the promise. Judah's first born son's wife Tamar, deceived Judah into giving seed to his own first born son. She brought forth twins to her husband, through Judah. Judah was father to his own grandchildren.

When these two children were born, Zarah tried to be born first. In the process, he stuck out a limb, to which they tied a scarlet thread. But, Pharez, the other child, pulled him back into the womb and was born first. The name Pharez means breech, and the name Zarah means a rising light. The scarlet thread was a shadow of the redemptive work of Christ, the blood of Jesus. Zarah should have been born first, but his brother prevented this from happening.

When Jesus came to Israel to bring redemption, the people themselves became a breech. In Matthew 23:13, Jesus told the Pharisees, ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. These people prevented the promise from coming to Israel at that time. But God has shown us, through the shadow of Zarah, that they will become a rising light to the world, through Christ, who is the True Light, to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The next shadow of this comes to us through Jesse, a descendant of Judah. When Samuel the prophet went to Jesse to choose from his sons the one who was to be anointed king of Israel, we see a shadow of the youngest son being appointed to salvation.. Jesus said that we would reign as kings and priests with Him. This is a shadow of Israel receiving Christ in the last days, to reign and rule with Him, from Jerusalem. It was not Jesses' first born, but his last born, David.

Jesus said in Luke 13:34-35:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; and verily I say unto you, "Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Israel has been left without children to God ever since the time of Christ. But, the time is getting close for them to accept Him. Then, shall He gather the children together. The phrase "being left desolate," is talking about no children to God. In Bible times, a woman unable to give birth to children was considered desolate, or barren.

I suppose that the most interesting shadow in the Bible is the one that God gave to us through the life of Adam and Eve. How great is God's wisdom, how wonderful are His ways. When Adam was created, God created him from the dust of the earth. His name means red earth. It makes sense, does it not? When Eve was created from Adam, she was named Eve, which means life. This also makes sense. But, what we begin to see is a mystery in prophecy begin to unfold before our eyes. Since she came from Adam, whose name meant red earth, and her name meant life, she was life from the earth. It would be through her that all life would come to the earth.

Even though all men have come from her, she was a symbol of Israel, whom God would use to bring true life from the earth for Himself. All of the promises, including the Messiah, have come to the world directly through the promises given to her. Jew and Gentile have been given salvation through the promises to Israel. God chose this nation to bring salvation to the world.

Then, Eve sinned against God, which leads to the greatest love story ever told. The penalty for this sin was death. Adam loved Eve more than anything in the world. Eve had been seduced into sin, but Adam, after calculating the cost, knowing that he was going to die because of her transgression, chose to die with her. He did it willingly, because of his love for her. This was a shadow of God's love for Israel. Israel had sinned against God, and Jesus came and became sin for her, dying in her place that she might live. He died for her, and for all those that were in the promise with her. The whole world! Adam brought death, but Jesus brought life.

When Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden because of their sin, and began to have children, it would become a shadow of God's plan of redemption. The first son to be born was Cain. His name meant spear, or smith. He was a tiller of the soil, and a perfect shadow of the Law; or, salvation through works. He was doing well until a brother came along. It would be because of him that he would find that his works would not be accepted and he would become a murderer. His parents would be pierced like a spear in their hearts because of his sin.

When this second son was born, he was named Abel. His name means breath. Now, look at this carefully. Adam's name means red earth, Eve's name means life, Abel's name means breath. He would be a breath of life from the earth. He was a shadow of Christ, also.

Adam was the first son of God. Abel was the first son of man to please God. Jesus was both. He was the son of God, and the son of man. Abel was a shepherd, a keeper of sheep. He offered a blood sacrifice to God, and God accepted it.

Cain also offered a sacrifice to God that was the works of his hands, and God refused it. Cain became jealous and killed his brother over this. What this shadow tells us is this---When God sent His Son, the son of man, to Israel, He would be killed. Jesus had come to be a shepherd to Israel, and to offer the perfect sacrifice for sin.

After Cain had killed Abel, God came to speak to him. Cain tried to deny it, but God said that Abel's blood cried to Him from the ground. It was his brother's blood that got him into trouble. Then, God put a mark on him, and sent him from the land where he lived, to become a vagabond in the earth. Cain said that it was more than he could bear.

When Jesus came, the sons of Israel cried, "Crucify Him, His blood be on us, and on our children." And, so, the Romans crucified Him. The children of Israel, forty years after this, were driven from their land to become vagabonds in all the earth. They have suffered torment and death in many lands down through the centuries, being accused as "Jesus killers" by people who said they were Christian but,who certainly did not know Jesus.

God placed a mark on Cain for a special reason. Many people see the mark of Cain as something bad, you know, something to identify him so people could treat him bad. But, the truth is, that God placed this mark on Cain to warn others to leave him alone, and do him no harm. God said that if anyone killed Cain, they would suffer seven times a greater punishment than Cain did.

The mark that God has placed upon the children of Israel is the same one that is on their flag today. Hitler, and many other people, have used this mark to identify the children of Israel, in order to destroy them. But, God intended it to be used for a blessing to others. God said that whoever blesses Israel, He will bless; whoever curses Israel, He will curse. The mark is a six pointed star, the Star of David. It is the symbol of the Messiah, the Bright and Morning Star. Six is the number of man. These six points are a symbol of God in the flesh, the Son of man, the Son of God, Jesus. When we see this mark, we should feel love in our hearts for Israel.

The children of Israel have been blamed for the death of Jesus, but it was the Romans (Gentiles), who actually did the killing. So, who killed Jesus? We all did! It was all of our sins, both Jew and Gentile, that put Jesus on the cross. If you want to blame someone, look in the mirror. He laid down His life freely, because He loves us all!

The next son, the last that Eve gave birth to, was named Seth. His name means appointed. This is a shadow of salvation coming to the earth in the last days. It is both Jew and Gentile who have been appointed unto salvation in our time. Appointed to life from the earth all of those who accept Jesus through the promise given to Abraham.

There are several things that I think we should all recognize out of these shadows.

No. 1, that Israel will be saved through the preaching of the Gospel, in our day, along with everyone who will receive it.

No. 2, that God has scattered Israel into all the nations as a test. This test is to try the hearts of all the nations. Our treatment of the Jew determines the way God has chosen salvation to the nations. The nations that despise the children of Israel will utterly be destroyed during the great tribulation that is coming upon the earth. The nations that have treated, and continue to treat, Israel with kindness, will find Jesus before the end of this terrible time. Wherever the Jews have been scattered, the Gospel has followed. But, if they were treated badly, the Gospel was taken away.

I am aware that God is saving a remnant out of these nations, but, it is only because of the prayers of the Church that these nations have received any mercy at all. In the time that is coming very soon, God will be trying to save the Remnant of Israel. We as Christians must do everything we possibly can to make this happen. It is very important to God and the Church. The blessing that will come to us will be tremendous.

End Chapter two

chapter three

What Paul Said About Israel

About chapter three:
a. Paul's love for Israel
b. The blessing that God will bring to the Gentiles
c. The commandment for the Gentiles to save the Jews

While writing to the Romans, Paul said that it was the desire of his heart that Israel would be saved (Romans 10:1). He loved Israel so much, it was his family and he wanted to see them accept Jesus as their Saviour. Their continued rejection of the Gospel caused him much concern and grief, but Paul also knew that God would not always allow Israel to remain in blindness. Knowing this, and understanding God's plan for Israel gave him hope. He knew that God would someday save Israel, and he also knew that it was God's plan to use the Gentiles to bring Israel to the cross. This caused him grief on top of grief, because the Gentile Christians had no burden for the salvation of the Jews. In fact, they had a heart problem concerning Israel.

The Gentiles in Paul's day believed that God preferred themselves to the Jewish people. They believed this so much that they were boasting about it. It is sad to know that many Gentile Christians still believe this today. Paul was so provoked over this belief that he warned the Gentile Church. He warned them that God could cut them off, just as well as Israel, if they didn't stop this kind of thinking.

In Paul's letter to the Romans he made an appeal to the Church, to help him reach the Jew with the Gospel. He knew that it was God's plan for this to happen. In Romans 11:31, he said,

That through your mercy they may obtain mercy.

In Romans 11:5 Paul said,

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

In Romans 11:7, Paul said:

The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Jesus said, concerning Israel, For many are called, but few are chosen. What was it that determined the elect? How did Jesus choose out of Israel? If all were called, then why were they not all chosen? He only came to those who were looking for redemption. If they were content to live the way they were, He left them in blindness. But, God loves Israel, and they are still in His plan of salvation. Even though there was a remnant saved at that time, God concluded all of Israel in unbelief that He might save the whole world.

In Romans 11:11, Paul told us that God had saved the Gentiles in order that Israel might become jealous and receive Christ. It was God's hope, even then, to save as many of Israel as He could. The Gentile Christian, at that time, had power with God, through prayer, to reach great numbers of Jewish people, but they did not love the Jewish people enough. We, through prayer, have power with God in reaching souls.

When Jesus settled the score on Calvary, it was His hope that, through the saving of the Gentiles, or the rest of the world, the Gentiles would appreciate what He had done so much that they would reach Israel. It is the same hope that He has in us today! We are in God's plan for Israel's redemption!

Many of our teachers today try to teach that Israel will be saved through the Law and animal sacrifice. After having once experienced the blood of Jesus taking away our sins, how could we ever believe that the blood of goats or bulls could ever be enough to bring salvation to anyone, be it Jew or Gentile?

In Romans 11:16-24, Paul began to show us a mystery that should open our eyes and hearts to the will of God. He told us the Jew was the natural branch that had been cut off, and that the Gentile was the wild olive branch, that had been grafted in. He warned the Gentiles that God could cut the Gentile off as well. Why was he warning the Gentile? Because of the Gentile's pride. It is only pride that says the Jew is not worthy of salvation. Any hatred for any man, let alone the natural olive branch, the Jew, could cost you your soul. Our effort to save the Jew should be with the utmost urgency. God is depending on us.

In Romans 11:12, Paul said:

Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

Paul once again made this amazing statement in Romans 11:15:

For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

Paul was simply saying that if the casting away of the Jew caused salvation to come to the Gentiles, then at the time the Jew does come to God, the blessing of salvation will be so great, that it will bring world revival to the Gentiles!This means that God is going to save the Gentiles in a greater way than ever before. Millions will come to Christ at that time.

In Romans 11:25-26, Paul said:

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; 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 Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

Paul was not saying that after the Gentiles are saved that God would then turn to Israel. He was saying that the fullness of God would come to the Gentiles when Israel is no longer blind. Then both Jew and Gentile will share the burden of the Gospel. This will no longer be the Gentiles responsibility alone.

Keep in mind what Paul had already said concerning Israel's fullness. He was saying that the Gentiles will be blessed even more when Israel is saved. He is speaking a mystery. There is no such thing as a Gentile dispensation and a Jewish dispensation. But, there is one dispensation of Grace.

Ephesians 1:9-10:

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

How do I know? Paul continued to reveal the mystery. In Romans 11:30:

For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

He was saying that the Gentiles had received salvation because the Jew refused to believe the Gospel.

And, in Romans 11:31, he concluded this mystery:

Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Paul has just revealed God's plan for Israel's salvation. What is it? It is that the Gentiles will, through the mercy of the Lord Jesus that He has placed in their hearts, take the Gospel to Israel. And, when they do, God will remove the blindness so Israel can be saved. It is our responsibility! If there were two separate dispensations, then the Gentiles would have to go back to unbelief in order for Israel to obtain mercy. But, he did not say that through your unbelief they would receive mercy. But, that through your mercy they may obtain mercy.

In Isaiah 60:16, God shows the Gentiles taking the Gospel to Israel and them receiving it as new born babies in the laps of the Gentiles:

Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

Here, God shows Israel sucking milk. Paul called the pure Gospel the milk of the Word. This is the scripture he saw concerning the Gospel. He called it "milk." The Gospel in its purest form, without the poison of so called special revelation. The Gentiles, taking the Gospel to Israel. He called us priests and kings, taking Jesus to the Jew, the deliverer who would turn Jacob from ungodliness.

Isaiah 61:6-7, concerning Israel:

But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: Ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. For your (Israel) shame, ye shall have double; and for their (Gentile) confusion, they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore, in their (Gentile) land, they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

Remember what Paul said in Romans 11:12:

Now if the fall of them be the riches of the Gentiles?

Paul obtained this revelation out of the book of Isaiah. The riches of the Gentiles is Jesus. In this scripture, we see Israel receiving Christ from the Gentiles, and God giving them a double portion, so they, themselves, can become ministers of the Gospel, also. And, because of the confusion that the Gentiles experience in trying to reach Israel in a last minute scramble, He gives them a double portion in their own lands. He saves their nations! He gives Israel a double portion because of the shame that she has carried down through the ages.

In Zechariah 9:12, He said this concerning Israel:

Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee;

He said that men would call Israel the ministers of our God. Israel will reach the world with the Gospel in a way that we have never been able to. They will reach our children, our cities, our towns, and God's power will be with them to do the work. It will be a short work, but God uses them to bring in the fullness of the Gentiles. We will bring in the fullness of the Jews.

Zechariah 8:23:

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Now, let us see a prophecy of this in Isaiah 66:10-13, concerning the Gentiles:

Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

The glory of the Gentiles is JESUS. We also see the Gentiles as little babies being carried on her hip, and sitting on her lap while sucking her breast. This is new born Gentiles as babes receiving the Gospel from Israel. Hallelujah! GOD SAVE ISRAEL!

In the hour that all of this happens, the Church all over the world will have a great burden for souls. It shows the desire for this in Isaiah 4:1:

And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

The greatest reproach a woman could have in Bible times was to be barren, or not to have children. Here, we see the desperation of the Church gathered around Jesus, saying, you do not have to do anything for us except let us bear your name, and give us children to God. Revival? NO DOUBT!

Paul said that through YOUR MERCY, they also may obtain MERCY. Are YOU willing to help Israel?

End Chapter three

chapter four

The Prophecy Of The Two Sticks

About this chapter:
a. We see Israel as one nation, God sees Israel as two nations.
b. The one nation will come to Christ before the tribulation.
c. The other will come to Him during the tribulation.

In Ezekiel 37, God spoke to Ezekiel again, and told him what he wanted him to do.

Ezekiel 37:16-17:

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become ONE in thine hand.

Ezekiel 37:19:

Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

One of the mysteries the Church doesn't see or understand today is that God still sees Israel as two nations. They are all Israel for sure, but God Himself separated Israel when Solomon had sinned a great sin against the Lord.

Solomon was from the tribe of Judah. God allowed Solomon to remain king over Judah and the tribe of Benjamin but gave the other ten tribes to King Jeroboam (II Kings 11:28-37). The tribes of Judah and Ephraim had struggledfor leadership over Israel from the time Israel left the wilderness and had entered the Promised Land. I believe that this struggle for power was created by the promises given to these tribes over the birthright and the promise of the great king.

In I Chronicles 5:1-2 scripture says that the birthright belonged to Joseph and his two sons. Of course we know that the greater part of the birthright went to Ephraim, Joseph's youngest son. God had promised that out of Judah would come the promise of the great king. Because of these two promises the people of Israel had difficulty in choosing which one to follow. The birthright or the great king, Ephraim or Judah?

The emblem or ensign on the flag or banner of Judah was the lion, the emblem on the banner of Ephraim was the Oxen. The temple that Solomon built for the Lord was decorated with images of Lions and Oxen (1st Kings 7:29). This shows us that even before Israel was divided, God knew that it would happen. Jeroboam was the first king to rule over the ten northern tribes of Israel. He was from the tribe of Ephraim.

Because leaders of the tribes of Ephraim ruled the northern tribes, God often called the Northern Kingdom of lsrael Ephraim. The southern two tribes were called Judah. From the 8th century BC in the Old Testament, God called the whole house of Israel either Israel and Judah, or Ephraim and Judah, which were one and the same. For example: Isaiah 11:13:

The envy also of Ephraim shall depart and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

This is a prophecy of the time that God will bring all of Israel back together again.

Israel, the Northern Kingdom called Ephraim, was invaded by the Assyrians in 721 BC. They were then taken captive and scattered into all the countries around the Mediterranean Sea, and in parts of Africa and Asia. They for the most part never returned to Israel. Down through the centuries they have been scattered into the entire world as well.

Later the Southern Kingdom, called Judah, was taken captive by the Babylonians for 70 years. Afterwards they returned to the land of Israel, but many of these never returned to Israel, and like their brothers and sisters from the Northern Kingdom, they have been scattered into all of the world as well.

At the time of Christ, after Israel had rejected Him, Jesus told them that Israel would go into captivity once more. In 70 AD. the Jews in Israel, then called the land of Judea, were once again scattered into the earth.

Although we don't know for sure where each individual from the children of Israel went, we do know that God does. In Ezekiel, and in the story of Israel in the wilderness, God tells us more. In Ezekiel, God is speaking a great mystery. God still sees Israel under two different banners. As we take a look at the two sticks, God will reveal to our hearts what He is about to do with the nation of Israel, and their regathering.

God told Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:15-28), to take a stick and write upon it the name of Judah, for Israel and his companions (which means all 12 tribes). He then told him to take another stick and write upon it the name of Ephraim. This would be for Joseph's sake and for all the house of Israel and his companions (which means all 12 tribes of Israel as well).

Then He told him to put the two sticks together and they would then become one in his hand. God also told him that He would gather Israel back to their land to become one nation, to never be divided into two kingdoms any more. This will happen in our time. Do you now understand how God sees Israel as two groups? Israel is scattered all over the world, but God is going to put them into two groups.

The mystery of these two sticks is this; God is saying that He would make a stick out of part of Israel for Judah's sake, and that He would make a stick out of part of Israel for Ephraim's sake, because of his father Joseph. In order to do this He must gather them together into two different locations. He has already begun this process but most people are unaware that it is even taking place.

It is easy to see that one of these places is the nation of Israel itself located in the Middle East. He has been assembling Jews in Israel over the past one hundred years. The nation of Israel has really developed since World War II. This will continue to happen until God puts this group together with another group of Jews in another location. This location is in the Western part of the world. The Jews living in the nation of Israel today is the stick of Judah, not the tribe of Judah, but for his namesake. There are children of Israel from all 12 tribes living in the land of Israel today, but He has gathered them there in the land for Judah's namesake.

The children of Israel are scattered all over the world. It would be impossible for us to say where each individual is located, but God has a plan. All the eyes of the world are on the nation of Israel itself, but God has been gathering Jews in another nation, almost unnoticed, for a long time. In fact this nation has more Jews living in it than any other nation in the world, including the land of Israel itself. This nation is the United States of America! I believe with all my heart that the gathering of Jews that live in America is part of the other gathering, Ezekiel's other stick, Ephraim. There are only two places in the world today that have large numbers of Jews living in them, and that is the nation of Israel and the United States of America.

Some folks believe that I am wrong because they think that I am saying that the Israelites in America all come from the tribe of Ephraim. But I am not saying that at all. The Israelites in America are from all 12 tribes, but, God has simply gathered them together in America under the banner of Ephraim, for Joseph's sake. Ephraim was Joseph's son. Joseph pleased God more than any of his 11 brothers who made up the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel).

God told Ezekiel concerning both sticks; for Israel and his companions. He is gathering Israel under these two names, in two different locations in the world, all of Israel! But God told Ezekiel to put them together and that they would become one in his hand. God is going to put these two sticks together before the whole house of Israel in her entirety returns to the land of Israel, to reign with Christ in their land. Before this can take place there is something that many of us overlook concerning Moses in Deuteronomy 30:1 3:

And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey my voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return (rapture), and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.

God was telling Moses that if Israel failed to keep his commandments and did not love God with all their heart and soul, that they would be scattered into all the nations. This has happened to Israel. God also told Moses that if Israel would repent and turn to God to serve Him with all their hearts, that He would return and gather them out of the nations and place them back in their land to bless them there.

Israel has sinned, and God has made a way for them to be restored to the relationship that He wants them to have with Him. That way is Jesus Christ the son of God. Until they have received Him that relationship cannot be restored.

John the Baptist declared it, Jesus himself declared it, Paul went to the nations to declare it, but Israel refused. Why do so many people believe that the gathering of Israel to their land that we are seeing today is the final gathering? Why are so many trying to get Israel to return to the land when Israel hasn't repented and returned to God with all their hearts and souls?

Jesus himself said to Israel in Matt. 23:37-39:

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that 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! 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.

At the time Jesus came to Israel, there were millions of Israelites living in nations all around the Mediterranean Sea. These are the children He was talking about. Jesus was talking about gathering Israel together. He wanted to, but couldn't. Why couldn't He gather Israel? Because they rejected Him! Do you believe that God's word is true? Then we must believe that Jesus is not going to return and re-gather Israel until they accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. But the time will come that they will accept Him, we have this promise in His Word.

I do believe that the gathering of Israel that is taking place in the Middle East is the work of God. He is gathering it for Judah and the whole house of Israel, one of Ezekiel's sticks. But that part of Israel is headed for a very serious event. Trying to live in the land without repentance is going to cause a very grievous happening in the land of Israel.

God is going to force the Israelites in Israel to repent and come to Jesus. He is going to use the Antichrist and his armies to cause this. Israel, or the stick of Judah, will escape to a place in the wilderness that God has prepared for her and they shall feed her there for 3 1/2 years, Ezekiel's other stick, Ephraim.

As little as two hundred years ago, America was still very much a wilderness. But God is not slack concerning His promises. America is that place that God prepared in the wilderness, a place to feed Israel for 3 1/2 years. Those that will feed her are already here. By the time Israel from the East comes to America, The Israelites in America will have been saved, These people, along with the Gentile Church in America, will all feed Israel together. The Israelites in America will be waiting for them when they arrive. Only all of these will be Christians, waiting to feed them the Bread of Life, when they arrive. These of course are Ezekiel's other stick, Ephraim. This is how God is going to put these two sticks together. The Israelites from the land of Israel, who God has gathered under the name of Judah, will receive Jesus as their Saviour after they arrive in America. They will all become one stick in Jesus Christ. Now it will be possible for Him to return and gather them out of every nation in the world.

The thing that will cause the Israelites to accept Jesus after they come to America is this. Think about it. At the present time Israelites are gathering into Israel from every nation in the world, especially from Russia and other Asian countries. Not as many from America as people would like to think. The Israelites in Israel believe that God has re-gathered them, and that they will never be driven out of Israel again. But they haven't accepted Jesus yet. This is the problem.

After the seven year treaty with their enemies is signed, everything will seem to be going great for 3 1/2 years. The Antichrist will invade Israel so fast, and so sudden, they will be taken completely off guard. God will help them escape. America, because of their involvement with Israel, will help them to escape. Think of it! They will be in complete shock. They will wonder what did we do wrong? We had returned to the Law, we were offering sacrifices on the altar, we had rebuilt the temple. What did we do wrong? Why would God allow such a thing to happen to us? When they come to America the children of Israel who are here will show them in Matthew 24 and then they will understand. Hindsight is better than 20/20. They will actually read about themselves right out of the Gospel of Matthew, just like a newspaper. I am sure that God will use other things as well, but this is a certainty.

The reason I know that God is going to save the Jews in America first is this. God said In Jeremiah 31:9:

I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

The Jews in America are gathered under Ephraim's name for his namesake. This is what God was talking about when He said that Ephraim was his firstborn. If you remember Ephraim wasn't Joseph's firstborn, he was the youngest son. It has to be a Spiritual birth.

There is another reason that I know that this gathering of Jews in America is part of the stick called Ephraim. In the tabernacle in the wilderness, which was a shadow, or allegory of salvation through Jesus Christ, we see Israel camped around the tabernacle in four different groups, There were three tribes in each group. Ephraim was camped on the West side, Judah was camped on the East side. We also know that all of Israel would eventually be included into these two groups. As long as Israel was in the wilderness, Ephraim camped in the West, Judah camped in the East. But, while Israel lived in the Promised Land, Ephraim was in the North and Judah was in the South. This shows us that as long as Israel is not in the Promise of God (Jesus Christ) that Ephraim will dwell in the West and Judah will dwell in the east. This is exactly where they are today!

The Northern Kingdom of Israel, also called Ephraim, has lost its identity down through the centuries. There are millions of these people who don’t realize that they are Israelites. I believe that God knows who and where they are. I also believe that there are some that do know. But, whether they or anyone else knows, I believe that God has gathered them to the United States just as he has the Jewish people from the Southern Kingdom and that they and the Jews in America make up the stick of Ephraim, for Ephraim’s namesake.

The Church in America has a lot to do in getting ready for these events. During the times that are ahead of us we need to prepare to help rescue people from all over the world. America was created to be a refuge in the earth, and God is not finished with her yet. Jews and Gentiles alike will be fleeing from the anti-Christ. They will come to America by the millions; we must be ready to help them. Not only physically, but spiritually as well.

I am very concerned because of the hardness of the hearts of the Christians in America. It seems that no matter how many people's lives are at stake, we would rather argue about the rapture, than to become compassionate enough to help God's people Israel in their time of distress. Don't you think that six million men, women, and children being slaughtered was enough? Do you want it to happen all over again? If you are still unmoved, it is a possibility that Satan has influenced you into becoming anti-Semitic. You don't hate the Jews, but you don't plan on doing anything to help either. Do you think that God will let you get away with that? Do you think that He will rapture you with that in your heart?

During World War II, The killing of the Jews by the Germans became so intense, that they were throwing little children into the furnaces without killing them first. Little children burned alive in these furnaces, while Christians in America went to Church and their children laughed and played in the streets without a care in the world. If the Church in America has always been so close to God, why didn't they know what the devil was doing in Europe! Why didn't they do something to help? I believe with all my heart that if we don't shake loose from our doctrines and become human beings for a change, and try to do something, that the blood of these people will be on our hands.

It was Satan that blinded the eyes of the Church and the world, while he killed six million Jewish people, along with several million Christians in Europe. But, God wouldn't let anything like that happen, would He? It did happen and the reason it did was because people would not listen to what they were being told. When the truth came, they did not recognize it. Can we be so proud of our doctrines that we can't possibly hear the voice of God? I pray that this is not your case.

What can we do? We must start with prayer. We need to organize groups to reach the Jews in America with the Gospel, and not give up the first time they get mad when you give it to them. God said it would make them angry. Then we must prepare the nation of America by sharing with them what God's plan is for the world. This is part of God's work for the Church in America. Won't you help? Please pray for Israel.

End Chapter four

chapter five

When Zion Travails

About this chapter:
a. Are we Spiritual Zion?
b. Will Israel help take the Gospel?

Before we get into the scriptures about the travail of Zion, it would be good to understand who Zion is. It is very sad what the Gentile Church has done to the promises that God made to Israel.

The common belief that the Church is spiritual Israel is a very overspiritualized misconception. The promise that God made to Abraham was that he would become the father of many nations. What most people don't take into consideration is that everyone born of Abraham was not Jews. Surprised? Abraham had one son by Hagar, another son by Sarah. He also had seven other sons besides these two children. In all, Abraham had nine sons. The New Testament called Isaac, the son of Sarah, Abraham's only begotten son. With careful study, you will realize that Isaac was the only begotten son of promise. This was an allegory about salvation coming to the world from the barren woman (Sarah). We are born again, not by the Law, but by Promise.

Abraham was a Chaldean, not a Jew. Being Abraham's son did not make Isaac a Jew. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be the father of Israel, the Jews, but they themselves were not Jews. Everyone born of Abraham was not a Jew. For example, Ishmael became the father of the Arabian people, who are not Jews, but are the descendants of Abraham from Ishamel. Esau, the son of Isaac, was not a Jew, neither did his children become Jews. Esau became the nation of Edom, and they are not Jews. This group of people are now living in the nation of Jordan, next door to Israel. Can you see what I am saying?

It wasn't until Jacob, who was Israel himself, that the Jew became a people. Out of the twelve sons of Jacob would come the people of God that we today call Jews. This name wasn't used until the land of Judea was established. Being named after the tribe of Judah, one of Jacob's sons, the name Jews was in reference to the people out of the land of Judea.

The Church isn't spiritual Israel either. Paul said that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, there are no nations in Christ. We are the NATION OF GOD. Why did the Bible say that we were the sons of Abraham? It is simply this: Abraham was the father of faith. We have followed his example, and are now following God after this principal. He is a spiritual Father, but he is not our Jewish Father. We are children of the promise that God made to Abraham. Faith Children. In Christ there are no Jews, only children of God.

This misunderstanding about Israel has created a lot of problems for the Jewish people down through the centuries. It was literally born out of hatred for the Jewish people. Many people, out of hatred for the Jew, have taken scriptures from the Bible and have twisted them to be talking about any believer, which eliminated the Jews from scripture. The promises that were intended to be given to the Jew were obscured by their overspiritualism. God's people, who were unaware of what Satan was doing through these people, down through time have adopted some of their teachings by not realizing the end results of such a thing.

There have been a number of false doctrines born out of the teaching that the Church is Spiritual Israel. One of these is the Jehovah Witness denomination that believes that out of their denominational belief will come the 144,000 Jews in Revelation 7^th chapter. The spirit that comes out of this is very damaging to Israel and to the Church. Another is the Seventh Day Adventist, who believe that everything in the book of Revelation about Israel is about themselves. The Mormon religion does the very same thing. These teachings are very, very destructive. Satan has come to steal, and has been stealing the promises that God literally made to Israel, through the ignorance of the Church.

The new covenant promises made to Israel in the Old Testament are applicable to the Church in many ways, but even in this we must be careful. We are not Spiritual Israel, or Zion. It is a sin to believe that we are. It is theft. By applying these scriptures to ourselves, we have been unable to see what God is going to do for Israel in the last days. We have hidden the truth from our own eyes by our own vanity and pride. By not understanding what God is going to do for Israel, it has kept us from being able to understand the book of Revelation, or any of the other prophecy books concerning the end time.

We are partakers with Israel in their promises by Jesus Christ, but we did not replace Israel.

Galatians 3:28-29:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Here Paul is making it very clear that we are heirs to the promise of Abraham. That we are the children of promise, but not Israel. Look very carefully at what he said. Neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, male nor female. Think about this. Every man that I have ever known remained a male after he was saved. I have never known a woman who did not remain a woman after she was saved. There have been many Christians who spent their whole lives as slaves to other races. So there has always been bond or free. I have never known an Indian, or a black or a Caucasian, or an Hespanic who did not remain what they had been born after the flesh. It is fairly easy to see that Paul wasn't talking about after the flesh. Paul himself told us that he too was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin. So what was he saying?

Paul was talking about in Christ, in the Spirit. If we are not Spiritual Jews in Christ, tell me, how could the Church possibly be Spiritual Israel? When this is the exact thing that Paul was talking about. Spiritual. In the Spirit, we are neither Jew nor Greek. But there are direct promises that God made to Israel after the flesh, and there are direct promises that God has made to the Gentiles after the flesh. But that is after the flesh, not the Spirit.

Satan has been very careful in promoting the idea that the Church is Spiritual Israel. He has done it in a very tender, subtile way. I am going to share with you one of the scriptures that Satan has used to hide God's promise to Israel.

Isaiah 66:8:

Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

The Zion in this scripture is commonly preached as being the Church. The message that is preached out of this teaches that when the Church, or Zion, begins to pray to the point of tears and much labor, that God will save many souls. This is a pretty tricky thing. You know why? It's because it works! When the Church does pray, with tears and great labor, that is exactly what God will do. But this is not the scripture that God intended for us to use for this teaching. The scripture that we needed for that is found in the book of Psalms.

Psalms 126:5-6:

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

This truly works, and this teaching is found here. But when Zion travails in Isaiah 66:8, it is not about this at all. This is for sure talking about souls coming to God, but it is Israel that is travailing, not the Gentile Church. And it is not because she is praying with tears for souls to be saved, but rather is suffering a time of trouble that will cause this to happen.

There is a lot to be said about the travail of Israel. Many scriptures in the Bible talk about it, including Jesus when He was here on the earth. It's called the time of Jacob's troubles. Some call it the time of sorrows.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:21:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

Jesus was very concerned about this seven-year period. Things would happen on this earth that will change the destiny of millions of people. It is the time of great pain and turmoil, but, out of this seven-year period, we will see the final acts of God in this great stage of life. With many violent events, but with God manifesting His great love, and power to deliver, to bring about the salvation of Israel, and that great company of nations that God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Remember that I said Rachel was a shadow of Israel? Let's look at her again. Rachel was the one that caught Jacob's eye, and he wanted to marry her very bad. Circumstances did not allow him to marry her when he wanted to, but, after much work, he finally married her, which brought them both much happiness. He married Leah first. Leah is a shadow of the Gentiles. She made him a good, faithful wife, and gave him more children than Rachel. Jacob is a shadow of Christ coming to Israel first, but having to take a Gentile bride instead. But, it is still His plan to marry and have children with Israel.

Rachel's first two children were not her own. She allowed Jacob, according as to custom, to sleep with her handmaid, Bilhah. The first son's name was Dan. His name meant judging. These first two sons were a shadow of the Law. Dan represents a child of the Law. His name meaning judging is very revealing. When God delivered Israel from Egypt, Moses became the first person to rule over Israel as a judge. Israel was governed by judges for a long time, but became dissatisfied with this arrangement and decided that they wanted a king.

The next son born to Rachel was Naphtali, whose name meant wrestlings of God. From the time of the kings, Israel wrestled with God. Even today, they are still wrestling with God. At the time Jesus came to Israel, they wrestled with Him. It resulted in Israel being scattered into all the earth, until this century. They are gradually being restored to their land, but God will spiritually restore Israel through the Blood of Jesus.

After a long time of being barren, or without children of her own, God remembers Rachel. But, before this happens, Rachel goes to Leah with a request. She asks Leah for a favor. She wanted Leah to get some mandrake from Reuben. Mandrake was an herb, which was thought to cause a person to become able to conceive children. This is a shadow of the Gentiles giving the Gospel to Israel, causing child birth. The Gospel is the only thing this mandrake could represent. Christ is the one that gives birth, but, without the hearing of the Gospel, it is pretty hard to be born again. Leah did not want to help her, but, after a promise of a night with Jacob, she did it. This act caused her to have more children of her own. When the Gentiles, in these last days, finally realize what will take place after Israel hears the Gospel, they will more than gladly do what God has called us to do from the beginning. It will bring salvation to the Gentiles, more children to God.

So, God remembered Rachel, and gave her real children of her own. The first son was named Joseph, whose name meant the Lord shall add. In this shadow Joseph is a shadow of his own family or house. The birthright has been passed down from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, to Joseph. It was given to his sons born to his Gentile bride in Egypt. Their names were Manasseh and Ephraim. The greater part of this blessing was given to Ephraim to whom it was promised that He would become a multitude of nations.

By placing the ten tribes in the Northern Kingdom of Israel under kings from the tribe of Ephraim, God was able to bring all of Israel in that part of Canaan into the promise with Ephraim. God called the Northern Kingdom by the name of Ephraim to prove this. This group of Jews were scattered into the earth beginning in 721 BC. Their descendants have gradually come to the western part of the world.

When this group of people is saved it will bring world Revival. In the story of Joseph's life we will see shadows of this group of Jews being saved in the seven years before the tribulation. This will be the Jews in America and the other nations in the Western Hemisphere of the world. It will be the Gentile Bride in America who will give birth to these Jewish people. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Jews will be born into the kingdom of God. There are six million of them living in America right now, more than any place in the world, including the nation of Israel herself. These Jewish Christians and the Gentile Bride will play a great role in causing the next son to be born, who will be born during the tribulation.

In the end of Rachel's life, which is a shadow of Israel in the end of the age, Rachel gives birth to another son. But, this story is so tragic. It was the time of her end. She was so sorrowful, she named this son Benoni, which means son of my sorrow. This is the shadow of Israel during the time of sorrows, the great seven year tribulation. But, Jacob said, no, we are not going to name him son of my sorrow, but rather, his name will be Benjamin, son of the right hand. This son is a shadow of the Remnant of Israel (the Jews living in the nation of Israel), Rachel's last born son to Jacob. This Remnant of Israel will be saved during the seven year tribulation. He is Jacob and Rachel's very own true born son, not of the Law, but born into the glorious liberty of Christ. He will step over to the right hand of God, into Jesus, who is the Right Hand of God, to be glorified with Him forever. It will appear to be the end of Israel, but in reality, Israel is about to be reborn.

The other ten sons of Jacob loved Benjamin very much. After having grieved their father with the rejection and cruelty they had given Joseph, they were very protective of Benjamin. The years of guilt and shame had taken its toll, working in their hearts a determination to never let their father suffer anything like it again. During the seven years of famine, the thought of something happening to him among the Gentiles was more than they could bare. But they were forced to take him anyway -- the Lord of that land demanded it.

During the seven-year tribulation the Remnant of Israel will be forced to leave Israel and go to a Gentile land. There will be much fear and distress in protecting this Remnant. But, Israel will have to trust God. He knows what He is doing. It will be there, in that land, that the Remnant (the Jews from the land of Israel) will be saved! When Joseph's servants fed the children of Israel, Joseph gave to Benjamin a double portion of everything. This is a shadow of Christ giving the Remnant of Israel a double portion of the Spirit, after the Jews and Gentiles in that land feed them the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

World Revival is coming! But, we are going to have to take great care in preparing for this Remnant. Much prayer, many Missionaries, much planning, great preparation is needed. I am praying for Israel. Please join with me to do the same. Paul said that through our mercy, that Israel may obtain mercy.

The book of Revelation is not given to men so they can boast of their great knowledge, but rather, so the people of God will know what they must do during this great time of distress. Now, let us go to understanding this great mystery. In Isaiah 66:8 it says:

Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or, shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

This, to me, is one of the most wonderful scriptures in the Bible. What God has given us is a wonderful insight into the plan of God. The one day that He is talking about is not a literal 24 hour day. He is talking about a short time that He will do a wonderful work. It will be during the seven year tribulation. Israel will be born again to Jesus Christ during this time, but, it will be under great stress. That is why He calls it travail, pains of childbirth, pains that will bring about birth. But, Israel is not all that will be saved. He said, "Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day." It is during this time that God saves whole nations and fulfills His promises to Abraham.

Isaiah 66:9:

Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.

In this scripture God assures us that He will not change His mind. He will cause it to happen! Whatever it takes! His Word is true. It is God's plan to use us, the Gentiles, in performing His will in reaching Israel. Will we refuse to help? Will we refuse to help Israel? God help us if we do.

He will get our help either way, either through asking us, or out of our desperation for His help. He is going to perform His will, and it will come through the obedience of the Church. If we choose to help Him, He will give us a double portion, and save our families, and our nation! What an opportunity! This outreach is going to bring unity to the Church, all over the world. He said in that day the watchmen would see eye to eye. Are you a watchman? Get ready to trash your doctrines. They will not be able to stand the heat of the fire that is coming! We have all got to have one purpose, and that is to reach lost souls all over the world, especially Israel.

Another wonderful scripture is found in Jeremiah 30:5-7:
For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

In these scriptures, God is telling us that the time is coming that will bring great fear. But, out of it, He is going to save people by the millions. The man that we see in travail with child is Jacob. He represents the whole nation of Israel giving birth to God, during Jacob's troubles. Children to God! God's children! But, it says all men. These men represent nations.

It will be during the tribulation that God will try to bring forth children to Himself, out of all nations. Some will. But, sadly, many nations will not, and will be destroyed during this time. The Antichrist will only receive power over a fourth part of the earth. So most of the stress we will feel in America will be the war, the rescue of Israel, and trying to warn others, that the end is at hand. But, it will also be a time that the Church will do more works for God than at any other time in the history of the world. There will be a lot of love among the children of God. God will also be performing many miracles to show His love for mankind. The people of Israel will be living with us, many in our own homes. It will also be a time of great blessing. Whoever blesses Israel, I will bless; whoever curses Israel, I will curse. He will bless us!!

In Genesis 38:27-----Tamar, Judah's daughter in law, was giving birth to Pharez and Zarah:

------- and it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

The Bible calls the pains of childbirth, when delivering, Travail.

The Bible also teaches us that, in the last days, Israel would go into travail. That inside this nation would be children that would be born to Him (God).

Micah 5:3:

Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: Then, the remnant of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel.

Micah 4:6-7:

In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation; and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.

Jeremiah 30:5-7:

For thus saith the Lord; we have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man (Jacob) doth TRAVAIL with child? Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas, for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob's trouble: but he shall be saved out of it.

Isaiah 29:22-23:

Therefore thus saith the Lord who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob; Jacob shall not be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

Jesus said in John 16:21:

A woman, when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but as soon as she is delivered of child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world.

In the scriptures above, we can clearly see that Israel will be born again. It is in the book of Revelation that we will get the rest of this story, beginning with Revelation 12.

Revelation 12:1:

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.

This woman remains a mystery unless we know our Bible symbols, and they have to be the symbols the Bible uses, in order to be accurate.

In Genesis 37:9-10, it says this (Joseph's dreams):

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and behold, the sun, and the moon. and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, what is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I (sun) andthy mother (moon), and thy brethren (stars) indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

Now we see that Jacob, Rachel, and his brethren, along with Joseph, were a perfect symbol of Israel. God also changed Jacob's name to Israel.

In Revelation 12:1, the nation of Israel is this woman!

Revelation 12:2:

And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Here we see Israel about to give birth to a child in the time of her travail. As soon as this child is born, Satan tries to destroy it, Revelation 12:3-5, but the child was caught up to God and His throne.

In the past I believed that this child was Jesus, until I ran across this scripture in Isaiah 66:7:

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

Now, this man child was Jesus. He came at a time when Israel was far from God. Their mouths professed Him, but their hearts were far from Him.

They thought they didn't need Him, and Jesus told them in Matthew 23:37-39:

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! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate (without children to God). 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.

But, when Jesus comes back to Israel, she will have many children and will be looking for His coming with great anticipation.

The man child in Revelation 12 is not Jesus, but someone else. This child she has is the first fruits of her children, and God harvests the first fruits quickly to keep them from being killed by Satan. Now, you might say, this is a man child. Let me remind you that many times God has used a man or a woman to represent a group of people, such as Jacob, or even this woman in Revelation 12, who stands for the whole nation of Israel. I believe that this man child is the 144,000 of Revelation 7:1-8, Revelation 14:1-5, the First Fruits unto God and the Lamb in Revelation 14:4.

Now, God becomes angry with Satan for this, and casts him and his angels down to the earth. (Revelation 12:7-12) Satan is cast into the ten nations of the Antichrist. It is only in these nations that he has any power, until Jesus comes to destroy him, and his power over these countries, and chains Satan up for a thousand years. It is this power that the beast uses to gain control and conquer.

Daniel 8:24:

And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power (Satan).

Now, I used to think that maybe Satan was cast down before this. Satan stands before God all of the time to accuse us before God. But, Jesus is our intercessor, and takes up for His people.

In Bible prophecy, we see in Zechariah 3:1-10 that God uses Joshua, the High Priest, as a shadow of Israel in the last days. God rebukes Satan for opposing Joshua and gives Joshua a new garment. If you read verses 8-10, you will see that Israel has already received Jesus as Lord, and He has established His reign in Israel. When Satan is cast down, it is a curse to the ten nations, because he will lead them to their own destruction. But, it will be a blessing to the Church, and the rest of the world.

Revelation 12:10:

Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom, of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day; and night.

This is talking about salvation to Israel, but it opens the door for the Gentiles, too.

Paul said in Romans 11:12:

Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness

In other words, if the casting away of the Jew brings salvation to the Gentiles, then there are going to be a lot more Gentiles saved when Israel does come back to God through Jesus Christ

Satan goes immediately after Israel in Revelation 12:13, but Israel is given two wings of a great eagle to escape for three and a half years. In Bible symbols, we find that God compares powerful nations to eagles. So, I believe that we see by this symbol (Ezekiel 17--the riddle of the eagles), that a great nation rescues Israel and takes her away so that the Antichrist cannot kill them. A great earthquake swallows up a great portion of the armies of the Antichrist, and separates those that escape from danger. While this is taking place, it will allow them the time they will need in order to board transports and leave. It is this time that Matthew 24:16-22 talks about, when it tells those in Judea to escape. In Luke, He tells them to pray that they would be accounted worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of Man. Then, Satan goes after those children who do not escape. In Matthew 24:22, it tells us that if the Lord did not shorten the days, that no flesh would be saved. This is talking about all of the land of Israel.

But, we have much more to say about Israel than this. When Israel is forced to leave their country, they will go to a place that God has prepared for them in the wilderness, to be protected from the face of the dragon. They will be fed there for three and a half years. When God gave this prophecy to John, America was just a wilderness. I believe that God has been preparing America for this time from the very beginning of her birth as a nation. It will be the place in the wilderness where she will be protected from the dragon. Why? Because this nation belongs to God. God created it for a safe haven among the nations of the world. It is a sister nation to Israel. Even though there are a lot of vile sinners in this nation, it will not stop God from blessing the Church. This nation has evangelized more than any nation in the world. We are still the largest Christian nation in the world today, and God has raised this nation for a special purpose.

When Israel comes to America, the Church all over the world will be praying for her safety. We are the one nation that God has raised up in the world who will do everything it can to rescue Israel. Of course, I believe that our allies will help. God will put it in our hearts, just as He always has in the past. America has more Jews living here than in the nation of Israel, herself. And, that is the other reason God blesses this country. If you were a Jew, living in Israel when this trouble comes, where would you want to go? America is still the greatest power among the nations. And, would you not want to go where there are relatives? Of course you would.

God has a perfect plan. When they come to this country, they will be fed for three and one half years. The Church in America will feed and protect Israel when they arrive. But, natural food is not all they will receive from the Church. Remember the scriptures in Isaiah, showing Israel as little babies in the arms of the Gentiles, being fed milk from their breasts? This is talking about Israel's rebirth to God, through Jesus Christ. Israel will come face to face with a great Revival in America. The milk from the Gentile's breasts represents the Gospel being preached to Israel along with the Jews that are already here.

After Israel is saved, it will take the Gospel to the world, all nations. They will go to every nation that God opens a door to go to. Her preaching in America, and all the nations who do not support the Antichrist, will result in the salvation of whole Gentile nations, including America. Praise the Lord!! This is the hidden message in the Word, that is just now being revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ!

In looking at this woman who is in travail, Jesus gives us an interesting insight. At the middle of the tribulation, the Antichrist invades Israel, and declares himself to be God in the temple.

In Mark 13:17-18, Jesus said:
But woe to them that are with child, and to them who give suck in those days! And, pray that your flight be not in the winter.

Here, we see a warning to Israel. Those who are with child is the nation of Israel, pregnant with the Gospel that is being preached there. The other warning goes to those that give suck. These people are the missionaries in Israel who have been preaching the Gospel. Jesus warns these people to escape! They will escape, because He will make a way. Some of these people will stay, but only by their own choice. This will be the remnant that stays in Israel, who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. The Antichrist will seek to kill these people, and some will die as a testimony to their Lord.

In Isaiah, the 26^th chapter, we see Israel among the Gentiles after she has been born again by the Spirit. Isaiah 26:15-18:

Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased the nation: Thou art glorified: Thou hast removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. Lord, in trouble have they visited Thee, they poured out a prayer when Thy chastening was upon them. Like a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs So have we been in Thy sight, O Lord. We have been with child, we have been in pain. We have, as it were, brought forth wind; We have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; Neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

Here, we see Israel after she has been born again. But, she is troubled! Why is she troubled? Because, it has been the Gentiles, up to this time, that have mainly been responsible for taking the Gospel to the world. Why does this trouble her? Because she knows that it will not be long till Jesus will return, and Israel has not had the opportunity to reach souls. But, Israel is in for a great surprise, and so are the Gentiles. God has saved the best for the last!

In the next two verses of Isaiah 26, it talks about the rapture. God hid from Isaiah, in this chapter, how God was going to bless Israel and the nations. But, in Isaiah 66:18-19:

For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues: and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal. and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

Here, we see Israel, after she escapes to the Gentiles from the Holy Land, taking the Gospel to the nations that God has chosen to salvation. Remember the parable about the workers in the vineyard? Here, we see Israel working in the vineyard at the end of the day. Even though the Gentiles have labored a long time, and have borne the heat of the day, Israel will receive the same reward for her services. In the parable, the late workers came to work. The other workers did not quit working just because these came to work, but, they finished out their day just the same. There is only one dispensation of Grace, not one for the Gentile and another for the Jew. The Jew and the Gentile will finish the work together, the salvation of a multitude of nations, as promised to Abraham. Then, the rapture will happen.

Revelation 14:6-7:

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of Heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Matthew 24:14:

And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Many people believe that the Gospel will be preached to all the world, then the tribulation will begin. But, according to these scriptures, the Gospel will reach the world during the seven-year tribulation, then the end will come! World Revival during the tribulation! Jew and Gentile working together for the salvation of the nations. Then the RAPTURE!

Let's go back to Isaiah 26:19-21. (The rapture of the Church):

Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

In these scriptures, we see Israel has given birth, preached the Gospel to the nations, and, along with the Gentiles, is raptured together, the whole Church!! Then Christ destroys His enemies. He will then bring the Church back from Heaven to reign and rule with Him for a thousand years. The Gentiles will go back to their lands that He has given them to teach the nations, who are being born at that time. Israel will go back to her land, where He will rule forever.

Isaiah 66: 10:

Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her; rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her.

In Revelation 4:1-2, God caught John up into a heavenly vision to show him things that were to take place in the future. What John was about to see was not an actual event occurring at that moment. Everything he was to see was something in the future. His being told to come up hither was not telling us that the rapture would occur between the third and fourth chapters. God was catching John up to a higher plane in the spirit (verse 2) in order to understand what he was about to see.

It is our own vanity and pride that has kept us from seeing the truth about Israel. Deep down, the Gentile people feel that they are a little better than the Jew. We exhibit this in teaching after teaching in our interpretation of scripture. I have personally listened to preacher after preacher take scripture, especially in Isaiah and Jeremiah, and twist their meaning to be something about us instead of it being to the people to whom it was written.

The scriptures have been hidden from us because of our own selfish attitude about ourselves. Our vanity has blinded our own hearts. We don't mind Israel getting saved, it's OK. It's just that we don't want God to do it in a big way. It would hurt our feelings. It's true what I tell you! This is what has blinded our hearts to the truth in Bible prophecy! Believe me when I tell you that the Jews will be saved before Jesus comes and we will all be raptured together, BOTH JEW AND GENTILE!

The pride that declares that the wild olive (the Gentiles) is going to be raptured without the tame olive (the Jews) is a ridiculous assumption. We have been grafted into them, think on this! We are partakers of their promises, remember?

What we have not realized in the past is that the fourth chapter of Revelation is about Israel's redemption. In the fifth chapter are seven seals that reveal events to come during the time of their redemption and their labor in glorifying God before Jesus comes.

John is about to see something that is certainly going to warm his heart. In the third and fourth verses, John sees God sitting on the throne with twenty four elders gathered around Him. These elders are the twelve sons of Jacob and the twelve apostles. In reality, John literally sees himself along with the other elders. Remember, this is a vision.

These elders represent both covenants, the twelve patriarchs, who represent the old covenant and its promise of Christ to come to fulfill the promises, and the twelve disciples who represent the new covenant and its promises. These twenty four elders are there to declare by their presence that all of Israel will be saved. All twelve tribes are represented by both covenant leaders.

John saw four creatures around the throne of God. One had the face of a lion, another like a calf, another had the face of a man, and the fourth had the face of a flying eagle (Revelation 4:7). All of these faces are emblems that were on the four flags or banners of Israel, when they were camped around the tabernacle in the wilderness. The reason God allowed John to see these as beasts, or living creatures, was to show him that someday Israel would be alive again, and that they would be back in fellowship with God.

Their bodies are full of eyes, they had eyes before and behind, and (in verse eight) they were full of eyes within. This is very revealing. These creatures represent the whole house of Israel. They are full of eyes because God has given them eyes to see. In other words, God has opened Israel's understanding. Israel has been in partial blindness ever since the coming of Jesus, but now he has given them eyes to see.

In verse six, it says that these creatures had eyes before and behind. In verse eight it says that they were full of eyes within, and in verse eight we find the reason for the eyes. These creatures now say Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

OK now, let's put this together. No 1., the eyes behind go along with the creatures saying which was. They are able to look back and realize that Jesus really was the true Messiah that was crucified at Jerusalem for their sins. They need not look for another.

No. 2, the eyes within (which are under the wings), are revealed when they say in verse eight, and is. This scripture tells us that Israel knows that Jesus is real and that he is alive because He is now living in their hearts. They have been born again, and now they can see Him within.

No. 3, the eyes before also tells us more, along with verse eight they say and is to come. This isn't very hard to see now that we see what has happened to Israel. Israel is now looking for the coming of the Lord, the rapture of the Church, just like the rest of the Church.

No wonder in verses 9-11 the twenty four elders cast their crowns at God's feet. Their family, the house and nation of Israel, has now been saved.

The Bible also tells us in verse 8 that they rest not day and night. This speaks of Israel's intensity to take the Gospel to the world. This is their calling, according to Old Testament scriptures.

In Romans 11:28, Paul was speaking of Israel when he said that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. He was saying that God would not change His mind about saving Israel, or about their calling, which is to take the Gospel to the world! When God put Israel in blindness, it was only temporary. After He gives them the ability to see again, they will accept this call to carry the Gospel, with great zeal and enthusiasm.

In Isaiah 54:1-8 this is explained so clearly. God speaks of Israel as being a barren woman that is unable to bring forth children. This is speaking of Israel's rejection of Jesus as Lord, and their inability to give God children. You must come to Jesus in order to be a child of God, and to be saved.

In Matthew 23:37-39, Jesus told Israel that they would be left desolate, which means barren, because of their rejection of Him, until the time that they accept Him as the One who God sent, the Messiah.

In Isaiah 54:1-8, He tells this desolate woman to sing and cry aloud (to shout with joy) because now she is going to give God more children than the married wife. Paul, in Galatians 4:24-31, compares this married wife with to the first covenant, or the law, but there is a deeper truth in this message than we realize. Paul is using these scriptures in Isaiah to demonstrate the difference in the two covenants, but what Paul was unable to share (because of prophetic timing) was that God had a married wife that would not bare as many children as the desolate woman would, because of her calling.

Isaiah clearly tells us that this desolate woman is going to give birth to millions of Gentiles. Isaiah 60:1-5 bears witness to this message. Read Isaiah 66:19.

There are many more scriptures than this declaring the work that Israel will do after they have accepted Jesus as Saviour. The Church in America has been trying to convert our nation to Jesus since the Pilgrims first came to convert the Indian, but the Church has become so divided over issues, that winning souls is second place to their stands on doctrinal differences. But, if we can reach the Jews in America with the Gospel, God will use these new converts to re-enforce the Church, and bring deliverance to our sin sick nation. GOD WILL, I PROMISE YOU, SAVE AMERICA! God's promises will always reign victorious! Jesus is that deliverance!

Through faith, I believe that God has many great and gallant Christians who are uncompromising and unafraid of what others think of them, because of their love for Jesus; who, for His sake, are willing to endure hardship from others in order to accomplish the will of God. We must share this message with others around us, in order to get the job done. It will only succeed through prayer and sharing. Please join me in praying for America and the salvation of the Jews who live here. There are SIX MILLION Jews in America.

Paul said in Romans 10:1, Brethren, my heart's desire for Israel is, that they might be saved. Paul was a Jew who knew that God wanted him to reach the Gentiles, and out of love, he obeyed God. Now, God is asking us who are Gentile to reach the Jew. Do you have the same love in your heart that Paul had? Do we have the same Jesus in us?

Rev. 5:8-10:

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vial full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

And they sung a new song, saying thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth.

Of course by now you realize that the four beasts and the four and twenty elders all represent the people of Israel and their leaders.

They are singing a new song. This song is a song that they have never sung before. It is about redemption and their gratitude to Jesus for saving their souls. These people are the Jews who live in the nations. Most of the Jews today live in the western part of the world, like America with six milion. These Jews are not the ones living in the nation of Israel. We will learn of their redemption through the seven seals.

God has identified these Jews in the four beasts by showing us a difference in Ephraim's banner (Revelation 4:7). Ephraim's banner was the Ox. Here we see a calf. What is the calf? It is a baby ox!! God is showing Ephraim, or the Jews who God has placed under Ephraim's banner) as having been born again. God is pointing out to us, by this calf, who these Jews are. Remember Ezekiel's two sticks? One for Ephraim, another for Judah. This is Ephraim's stick, the Jews in the nations. Most of them are American Jews!

In verse eight they are holding golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. Why are they carrying these vials of prayers? Why are these prayers so important that they would be holding them like a treasure? These golden vials of prayers of saints are the reason that they have been redeemed! They are your prayers for their salvation and these people treasure your prayers because they know that they wouldn't have been saved if you hadn't prayed. Wonderful, huh?

End Chapter five

chapter six

Israel In The First Four Seals

About this chapter:
a. The four beasts are the emblems on Israel's banners.
b. The tribes of Israel under these banners reveal what will happen to Israel during the first four seals during the tribulation.

Revelation 4:6-8:
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast was like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within; and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

These beasts in order were THE LION, THE CALF, THE MAN, AND THE EAGLE.
In Numbers 2:10,17,18,&25 we see Israel as God placed them in order around the tabernacle with their banners (flags). Through history we know that the four beasts in Revelation 4 were the emblems on these four flags. There were three tribes gathered under each flag, all together they were the twelve tribes of Israel. The prophet Ezekiel saw these same creatures at the river Chebar.
Ezekiel 1:10:
As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side; they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

The calf in the fourth chapter of Revelation and the ox in Ezekiel are the same thing.

Ezekiel 10:14:
And every one had four faces; the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

In Ezekiel 10:15, Ezekiel said that this was the same creature that he saw at the river Chebar. But, there is a difference. That difference is that you no longer see the face of the ox, it was replaced by a Cherub. Ezekiel said in verse 17 that the Spirit of Life was in this creature. In verses 18-19, we see this creature leave Israel, taking with it the Glory of God. But, it did not take the ox with it. This was a prophecy, that one day the Glory of God would leave Israel, and, that the only banner (flag) that the Glory would remain in, would be the banner of the ox. Glory, representing the presence of God and the Spirit of Life. This banner represented the camp of Ephraim, Joseph's last born son. The tribes were Ephraim, Manesseh, and Benjamin.

When Jesus went to the cross, the presence of God, and the Holy Spirit, left Israel, except for the house of Ephraim. Israel had become divided into two states. The ten northern tribes were in the state of Ephraim, the two southern tribes in the state of Judah. Seven hundred twenty-one years before Jesus came, the state of Ephraim was taken captive by the Assyrians. A handful returned but most never returned to Israel. Ephraim was scattered among the Gentiles. This scattering was the fulfilling of God's plan to take salvation through Jesus Christ to the nations.

God had told Jacob in Genesis 28:14-15:
And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the West and to the East and to the North and to the South: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the Earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

In order to fully understand what God is doing we must go back to the original promise that God gave to Abraham.
In Genesis 12:1-3, God said this:
Now the Lord had said to Abram get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and 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.

The promise to Abraham was that God would bless the nations through him. Of course, all Christians know that the promise was redemption through God's son, Jesus Christ, who was also Abraham's promised seed. The thing that most Christians do not know is that this promise has come with a condition. God intended to bring salvation to the nations that treated the Jewish people well. The promise, or birthright, came to us through Ephraim. It came from Abraham to Isaac, from Isaac to Jacob, from Jacob to Joseph, to the youngest son of Joseph, EPHRAIM. (I Chronicles 5:1-2) and (Genesis 48:12-20)

The birthright is vague to most Gentiles and has little significance, but had we not received it, we would still be without promise. Jesus is the total answer to salvation, but the promise was to the Jew. God had to devise a plan to get this promise to us.God knew that Israel would become divided into two kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, would be led by kings out of the tribe of Ephraim. The Southern Kingdom, Judah, would be led by kings out of the tribe of Judah. The Northern Kingdom possessed the birthright through Ephraim. The Southern Kingdom, Judah, would give birth to the great king. (I Chronicles 5:2) God was to bless the world through both houses of Israel. Ephraim, the Northern kingdom, would take the birthright to the north, south, east and west to be a blessing in the earth. Judah would remain in Israel, to give birth to Jesus Christ, the Savior.

Had the whole house of Israel not sinned against God, they would have taken the Gospel to the world. As great world evangelists, they would have gone to the north, south, east, and west, through the earth, preaching the Gospel to all men. But, unhappily, Israel sinned a great sin against their God. So, God, in His great wisdom, used their punishment as the means to bless the world with salvation.

Wherever Ephraim went, the Holy Spirit went with them to save souls, and bring the promise of Jesus Christ. When Jacob blessed Ephraim, God said that Ephraim would become many nations. When Jesus came to Israel, the house of Judah rejected Him, so He sent the Holy Spirit, and the Gospel, out to fulfill this promise. It followed Ephraim, and wherever he set his foot, the Gospel came to save souls, and make them joint heirs, through Ephraim. This is how the promise came to the Gentiles.

There were many oxen and lions in the design of the decorations and furnishings in Solomon's temple. (I Kings 7:29) The ox is the emblem of the house of Ephraim, and the lion is the emblem of the house of Judah. In the wilderness there were four camps, but in the Promised Land there were only two banners, the ox and the lion, Ephraim and Judah. This tells us that the promises would come to the world through Ephraim and Judah. God had promised Ephraim, Joseph's son, when Jacob blessed him, that along with the birthright he would become a multitude of nations. Jacob's right hand upon Ephraim's head meant that the birthright was his.

Although Judah did not receive the birthright, God promised that Jesus would be born through their house. Judah did not have the birthright and God had to bring them redemption. When Judah's grandchildren, through his daughter-in-law, were born, he gave them the promise of redemption by the red thread being tied to Zarah's arm. He was born last.

From Jacob, the promise of salvation went to Ephraim, his grandson. The red thread of redemption on Judah's house was on Jacob's great grandson Zarah. By this shadow we can clearly see that Ephraim, the Jews that were to become many nations, would be saved before the nation of Israel that is under Judah's banner, the lion. In Jeremiah 31:9, God said that He was a father to Israel and Ephraim was his first born. When you realize that God is talking about the Northern Kingdom being his first born (Jews that God has placed under Ephraim's banner), then you can see what I am saying. The son Ephraim was Joseph's last born, so it is not to be a natural birth, but a spiritual birth. One of the things that I find interesting is that all of the Disciples of Christ except one were not from the Southern Kingdom called Judea. The one Disciple that was not from the Old Northern Kingdom was Judas. He was from the land of Judea which was the Old Southern Kingdom given to Judah. The other eleven were from the same Northern Kingdom that the Bible called Israel or Ephraim only now it was called the land of Samaria.

After Judas' betrayal of Jesus He was replaced by a disciple by the name of Matthias who had been with them from the beginning. In scripture it says that all of these men were Galileans. To be with Jesus from the beginning he had to of been a Galilean. Why? because Jesus began his ministry there. The Birthright is the Gospel and Jesus gave it with the Twelve Disciples who were living in the Northern Kingdom of Israel under Ephraim's banner. Judas' betrayal was not only for real but it was to be a symbol of the rejection of the Jewish people who lived in Judea with Jerusalem as their capitol, the Southern Kingdom known as Judah.

In I Kings 7:24-25, the Bible describes a huge tank of water in Solomon's temple. This tank was made out of bronze, and was sitting on the backs of twelve oxen, which were also made out of bronze. Three of these oxen were facing to the North, three to the South, three to the East, and three to the West. Remember, the ox is the emblem of Ephraim. This tank was called a sea and it was used by the priest to wash their hands and feet before going into the temple to do service for the Lord. It was a shadow of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that would be used to cleanse the nations. Remember we are called kings and priest in the Kingdom. The blood of Jesus cleanses us so that we can do service in the Kingdom.

In Revelation 4:6 there is a similar tank, in front of the throne of God, only it is made of glass. This sea, or tank of water, is the same as the bronze sea in the Temple it represents cleansing, or washing of nations. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is also the Birthright. This is a shadow of Ephraim being part of God's plan to cause the nations to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. The tank being on the backs of the oxen in I Kings, also showed that they would bear the burden of the Gospel. These 12 oxen were a shadow of the twelve Disciples from Galilee that would bear the burden to take the Gospel to the world, going North, South, East and West.

Matthew 28:19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
God began his search for Ephraim then and still continues today. Their first real opportunity came on the day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:5:
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
These Jews had come to Jerusalem to observe the Passover and the feast of Pentecost. They, for the most part, were descendents of the Northern Kingdom of Israel called Ephraim. They were from many nations all around Israel and the Mediterranean Sea. Their ancestors were taken captive by the Assyrians in 721 BC, but that was almost 750 years ago. Now they were free men living in the nations that they had been scattered into. They had journeyed to Israel not knowing what God had in store for them. During the preaching of Peter, 3,000 of these people were saved. God was trying to save them first. Ehpraim was to be the firstborn, and God was keeping His word. The spirit of God brought these people together and the word was preached openly and clearly so that they could easily understand the message of salvation.

This was very different from the ministry of the Gospel to the Jews living in the nation of Israel itself. Jesus would only speak to them in parables because He did not want them to understand the scriptures. Why? Because He had promised that Ephraim would be the first born, they had to be saved first. This was, and still is, His plan!

Just as it is today, there were more Jews living outside the land of Israel than in the land of Israel during the time of Jesus. This majority was under the banner of Ephraim. God called them Ephraim. Think about this for a moment. The Northern Kingdom of Israel, called Ephraim, that was taken captive in 721 BC, was over 80% of the whole population of the land of Israel.

The Southern Kingdom, called Judah, was less than 20%. The Northern Kingdom never returned to Israel, but remained in the nations.These Jews that the Lord saved at Pentecost were to take the Gospel back to their lands to try and convert their brethren, but like Paul, they didn't have much success, only a remnant. And what about Paul? Was he also from Ephraim? Paul was a Benjamite born in the city of Tarsus which was a Roman owned free city. Paul was not born in the nation of Judah, which placed him in Ephraims promise under Ephraims banner. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles but also set about to the Jew first and many rejected Paul's preaching.

God then concluded all of Israel in blindness and turned to the Gentiles. Ephraim had rejected his birthright just like Esau, and God gave it to someone who wanted it, the Gentiles. But, God only postponed the day of their salvation to the end time. When He does save Israel, the Jews in the nations known as Ephraim will be saved first. So spiritually, the Gentiles who are saved are included in the promise given to EPHRAIM, but only by faith. We are the Bride of Christ, not Ephraim, but are saved through Ephraim's birthright, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Christ we are the Bride of Christ.

The fullness of the Gentiles that Paul told us about, when he spoke of a mystery in Romans 11:25-32, will not be complete until all of Ephraim is saved. This is talking about the Jews, all twelve tribes that God has placed under Ephraim's banner, coming to Christ. These are the Jews outside of the nation of Israel, most of these live in America. The fullness of the Gentiles is simply the Gentiles who are saved because of the blindness of the Jew. But, when all of Israel is saved, the Gentiles will be saved because of Israel's preaching. Now, all of Israel will see. This is the mystery that Paul saw. While Ephraim is blind we are the Gentile Bride, but when Ephraim is able to see, and is saved, we will be no longer the Gentile Bride, but both Jew and Gentile will be ONE in the Bride of Christ.

The Gentiles have been included in Ephraim's promise of being the first born, but the time is coming when the nation of Israel (Jews under the banner of Judah) will be saved. And, then, everyone who is saved in this period will be included in the promise given to Judah, the last born. The Gentile Bride is in the first promise, but, after Judah is saved we will become ONE to become the Bride of Christ, period. There will be neither Jew, nor Gentile.

I have, until this time, believed that we were living in the time of the latter rain. But, now I know that we are in the former rain. The outpouring for the first born, or Ephraim's promise of First Born. But, now I know that the greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be during Ephraim's ministry, (doubly fruitful). After the whole house of Israel is saved, and while Jew and Gentile alike are taking the Gospel to the whole world, millions will come to Christ.

The emblem of Ephraim has always been the ox. In Revelation 4:7, we see this ox as a new born calf. This shows us that Ephraim, the Jews in the nations, have just been saved. This will happen right before the seven year tribulation, before the peace treaty. In Revelation 5:6, Jesus comes into their midst to open the seals of the tribulation. During the tribulation God will use Ephraim, the Jews in the nations, to reach the nation of Israel. During the second seal, under the Emblem of the Calf, we see missionaries in Israel in great numbers. There are Gentiles who will help in this effort.

In the third seal, Israel will be invaded, but will be rescued by two wings of a great Eagle. The two wings of a great Eagle will be the two witnesses from Revelation 11:3; and 12:14. These two prophets of God will help lead Israel out of danger into the nation of Jordan. They will then protect Israel from the anti-Christ with an earthquake and other plagues, while Israel escapes on ships and planes to the United States of America. Most of Ephraim (Jews in the nations under Ephraim's banner) live in the United States. The Jews from Israel will come to join their family in the West. This will be the putting together of Ezekiel's two sticks. America is the place that God has prepared in the wilderness to feed Israel for three and one half years.

When looking at Israel as they camped around the tabernacle in the wilderness with Moses, we see that the Emblem to the North was the Eagle. The Emblem to the south was the man. The Emblem to the East was the lion, and the Emblem to the west was the Ox.While looking at a map of the earth, we can see the ox in the West the United States, Canada, Mexico, and South America. These countries have more Jews and Christians than any place in the world. It is where Ephraim lives. In the East we see the lion. Judah, or the nation of Israel, is in the continent of Asia. Asia is considered the East. The New World is considered the West.

The flag, or banner of Ephraim, was on the West side of the tabernacle, which was the direction that Ephraim would go. When looking at a map of the world, you will see that it is the nations to the West of Israel that have been most blessed with the Gospel. Like America? America has more Jews than the nation of Israel itself. The mercy seat was on the West end of the tabernacle, that is the reason the Gentiles to the West of Israel have treated the Jew better than the other countries. The mercy of the Lord, shining to the West, caused many Jews to come to this part of the world to live. It is the reason for the birth of this nation, the United States.

There is more. When Israel was in the wilderness, their habitation, or living position, was different than it was in the Promised Land. In the wilderness, Ephraim lived on the West and Judah was in the East, but while living in the Promised Land, Ephraim lived in the North, and Judah lived in the South. God was telling us something. He was saying that as long as Israel was living outside of the Promised Land, Ephraim's habitation would be in the West and Judah's habitation would be in the East. This is exactly where they are today, and it is because they haven't accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and entered the Promise through Faith. When they receive Christ and receive the Promise, their habitation will change.

In the 4^th chapter, these four beasts, which represent the twelve tribes of Israel, are gathered around the throne of God. This shows us their relationship with God at this time. God has restored His presence to Israel once again, and is now ready to give her Children to God. In verse 5, we see the twelve tribes, worshipping and praising God, looking for His coming.

Here, again, I would like to mention that the four beasts were the symbols on the four flags of Israel. Each one of these banners represented Jesus. But, I do not believe that they, themselves, realized it. The ox was the shadow of Jesus becoming the supreme sacrifice for sin. The face of a man was a shadow of the life that Jesus lived on earth as a man. The lion was a shadow of Jesus becoming the lion of the tribe of Judah when He fights for Israel. The eagle was a shadow of Jesus as the supreme leader of the greatest nation in the world, the Kingdom of God. The great speckled bird in the Bible was an eagle, representing the Church, made up of every race in the earth.

In Ezekiel, these creatures left Israel, taking the Glory of God with them. But, the ox did not leave, which means that, at the time Jesus went to the cross as the sacrifice for sin, the ox, or sacrifice, would remain with Israel. The ox has never left Israel, and there have been a few Jewish people accept Him down through the ages. But, these seven years coming up, will be the time that the whole Remnant of God, Israel, will be saved through this sacrifice.

When we arrange these children of Israel under their banners, we can find the mystery of the first four seals

LION	CALF	MAN	EAGLE
Judah	Joseph	Rueben	Levi
Issachar	Benjamin	Simeon	Naphtali
Zebulun	Manasseh	Gad	Asher

These four beasts announce the four horsemen of the first four seals of Revelation 6. If we take a look at these four beasts first, we will see that they tell of Israel's rebirth by the Spirit of God, and also tell us about certain events that will occur in Israel during the seven-year tribulation. By the end of these announcers, we will see that it will cover the whole seven year period. From their beginnings under the Law, at the beginning of the tribulation, to the rapture, and the return to this earth with Christ, to reign and rule with Him. She will then be admired by all the nations of the earth. These first four seals cover the whole seven year period of time. The other three seals will tell of special occurrences during the second half of the seven-year period.

THE FIRST SEAL

(The Lion says, "come and see!")

It is no wonder that this first seal begins with the Lion, which was the banner of Judah. The Holy land of Israel today, in God's eyes, is still under that banner. Here we see Him focusing His attention on this group of people once again. He has already saved the other half of Israel, the Jews in the Western Hemisphere. Now, He has focused on the East, and by the end of this seven year period, He will have brought the whole house of Israel together. Both East and West to be joined together with the Gentile Bride. Together, the Gospel will go to the whole world, in a final effort to save the world before Armageddon.

Here are the names of the first group of sons born under the banner of the Lion, the meanings of their names, and the prophecies that were spoken at their birth. By looking at these three sons, we are able to see what is happening in Israel, during the first seal in Revelation 6.

NAME	MEANING	WHAT HIS MOTHER SAID
Judah	Praised	Now will I praise the Lord
Issachar	Man of Hire	God hath given me my hire
Zebulun	A Dwelling Place	Now will my husband dwell with me

These are found in Genesis 29:35; 30:18; & 30:20

In Daniel 9:27, it says that the Antichrist will confirm the covenant with many for one week. In prophecy, this week is a week of years, or seven years. In Daniel 11:28, the Bible calls this, the covenant that he confirms, the Holy Covenant. No man can make a Holy Covenant. Only God can make a Holy Covenant. This covenant is the same covenant that God made with Abraham: that the land of Israel belongs to the children of Israel! He will not be the leader of world peace, but will be one of Israel's old enemies from the Middle East. His signing this agreement with Israel brings a great sigh of relief from them. They will believe that peace has been secured for them at last, and that God has accomplished this.

We can see how happy they will be feeling by looking at the son, Judah. His mother said, "Now will I praise the Lord." Praising God for peace at last, Israel will begin to turn to Him from the heart. What they are unaware of, are the warnings of Paul, "When they shall say peace and safety, then, sudden destruction cometh." The name Judah means praised. By this, we can see how all the nations praise Israel for working so hard to comply with all the demands of this peace treaty. Everyone is happy.

Israel will also feel that they deserve peace. In the name Issachar, we can see this feeling. "God hath given me my hire." In other words, we have been given what we deserve. Personally, I feel that they deserve it also. Also, we see their relationship with God by the meaning of Issachar's name, man of hire. This strongly suggests the rebirth of Mosaic Law, or works, for salvation. Israel will become so enthusiastic about the Law, believing that this peace treaty is a sign from Heaven, telling them that the Messiah will soon come to Israel.

We can see this in the name Zebulun. His mother said, "God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me because I have born him six sons."

God gives us a wonderful insight into a great mystery. Before the tribulation comes, the Jews in the Western part of the world will be saved. These are the Jews under the banner of Ephraim, or the Ox. If you remember, Ephraim and Judah are the divided house of Israel. The number six is very revealing, because six is half of twelve, and twelve is the whole house of Israel. These six sons means that half of the house of Israel has already been saved. In the second seal, we will see what an effect they will have on the land of Israel.

They also believe that surely the Messiah will come to them now. So, they will begin to plan on a place for Him to live. The rebuilding of the temple? The name Zebulun means, A dwelling place. They begin to rebuild the temple at this point, with much zeal, hoping to see the Messiah very soon. Zebulun's mother said: Now will my husband dwell with me! They will begin to expect this with great enthusiasm. Finally, their Messiah.

THE SECOND SEAL

(The Calf says, "come and see")

The second seal being under this banner of the calf has a very special meaning. The ox was the symbol, or banner, of Ephraim, or the Jews in the Western Hemisphere. These people have been born again through Jesus Christ before the tribulation began. Now, we see this ox as a brand new baby, a calf. Why? Because it will be these brand new born again Jews, along with the help of their Gentile Christian friends, who will be trying to take the Gospel to the nation of Israel under this second seal.

The reason that we know that these events will happen during the Second Seal is because the Second Seal is announced by the second beast, that is the Calf. The Calf is Ephraim’s emblem or banner; it is a baby ox. This shows that Ephraim, the Jews who live in the Western Hemisphere have been born again, this is why it is a baby. This will happen to the Jews who live in America before the Tribulation. The reason they announce this seal is because they will play a major part in reaching the Jews in Israel with the Gospel. We also know that three things are going to happen in Israel because of the names of the three tribes of Israel that were under this Western Banner. We also know what the Antichrist is doing because of the information given in the Second Seal.

Revelation 6:3: And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
4: And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

Here are the names of the second group of sons, born under the banner of the calf, the meanings of their names, and the prophecies that were spoken at their birth. By looking at these three sons, we are able to see what is happening in Israel during the second seal, in Revelation 6.

NAME	MEANING	PROPHECIES THAT WERE SPOKEN
Ephraim	Doubly Fruitful	For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
Benjamin	Son of the Right Hand	His mother tried to name him Benoni, which means son of my sorrow, but Jacob said No, his name will be Benjamin.
Manasseh	Forgetting	Joseph said, For god hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.

These are found in Genesis 35:16-19, Gen. 41:51, Gen:41:52

In the second seal, we begin to see another change in the nation of Israel. God will begin bringing salvation, through the redemptive work of Christ. Missionaries from other nations will begin to preach the Gospel in Israel. A special group of Christian Jews will be born again under this seal. They will be despised and rejected by many people in Israel, but the impact of their message of the Gospel will be planted in every heart in Israel. This group of Christian Jews will be the 144,000, taken from every tribe in Israel, twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes. They will become the first fruits unto God and the Lamb. We see a picture of their salvation in the name of Ephraim, which means Doubly Fruitful. When he was born Joseph said,"For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."

Christ comes to Israel through the preaching of missionaries, and He is adding children to the Kingdom of God from the nation of Israel.There are several things about Ephraim that we must think about. One was what Joseph said at Ephraim's birth, "For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." Here we see the thoughts of Jesus as salvation begins to come to Israel, the land of his affliction, the place that he was crucified. Also the fact that the name Ephraim means, Doubly Fruitful. Remember Zech:9:12: Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;. Israel is repenting and God will pour out a double portion of His Spirit upon them as they receive the Gospel

Joseph was a shadow of Christ himself. When he was born Rachel said,"The Lord has taken away my reproach, and the Lord will give me another son." Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph's sons and Benjamin was his only true brother born from Rachel. So this whole group were the fulfillment of what his mother said. God has taken away the reproach of Rachel, Israel. This small group of Christians that are being saved through the preaching of the 144,000, and other missionaries, will be the beginning of the salvation of the Remnant of Israel, which is shadowed by the son, Benjamin. She also said that the Lord had taken away her reproach. These children being born to God do just that. Israel is not barren anymore! Praise the Lord!

Ephraim is a shadow of the 144,000 Jews who make a desperate attempt to convert Israel to Christianity. But, their stay will be short lived, because the dragon of Revelation 12, will, during the next seal, try to kill them. God will catch them up to His throne, and seal them against the plagues to come. But, the seeds they plant in the hearts of the children of Israel will later result in their salvation through Christ.

The next son, Benjamin, reveals more of what is happening. The name Benjamin means son of the right hand. This represents the beginning of the salvation of the Remnant of Israel. Remember that his mother tried to name him Benoni, meaning son of my sorrow?

Most of this Remnant will later be saved in a Gentile land, far from the Holy Land. The nation of Israel is very confused at this time. As you know by the first seal, they have become very dedicated to the Law of Moses. They are rebuilding the temple, expecting the Messiah at any time. All of a sudden, there are Christians popping up all over Israel. They fear that all of Israel will become converted to this Gentile God called Jesus. They will not understand what God is doing in Israel. They will become very sorrowful, because of all these children of Israel converted to Jesus. What they will not realize is that all of this is the work of God. Benjamin's name means Son of the right hand. The Remnant that God begins to save will be very much like Jesus, who is the Son of the Right Hand of God.

The next son was Manasseh. His name means to forget. Joseph said, at his birth, "For God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house." This is very revealing. Up until now, the nation of Israel, as a whole, has rejected Jesus. But, now, they have begun to receive Him. This makes Jesus so happy. He is so excited about the birth of these children of Israel. It causes Him to forget all the rejection and suffering that He experienced from them in the past. Israel is forgiven, and Jesus will not remember their past anymore. He will stand for Israel as His married wife from now on.

THE THIRD SEAL

(The Face of a Man says, "come and see")

It is no wonder that we see the face of the man. The face of the man was the banner of Rueben. This man's face is the face of Jesus. Israel will need Jesus so bad in this seal because of the hardships that they are about to face. He is always a present help in time of trouble. It is during this seal that He will come to their aid in the Spirit and defend them against their enemies while He makes a way of escape.

Here are the names of the third group of sons born under the banner of the face of a man, the meanings of their names, and what their mothers said when they were born. By looking at these three sons, we are able to see what is happening to Israel, during the third seal in Revelation 6.

NAME	MEANING	WHAT HIS MOTHER SAID
Rueben	Behold a Son	Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now, therefore, my husband will love me
Simeon	Hearing	Because the Lord has heard that I was hated, He hath therefore given me this son also.
Gad	Fortune	A troop cometh.

These are found in Genesis 29:32; 29:33; & 30:11

This seal will be the beginning of sorrows for Israel. But, what they do not know is that God will turn their sorrow to JOY. During this seal Israel will be invaded by the Antichrist. This is the time that Jesus spoke about, saying for those in Judea to flee to the mountains. It is also the time for the abomination that maketh desolate, which is very simple to understand. The Antichrist is the curse that God promised would come to those who hate Israel. He is the abomination that maketh desolate. The Gospel will soon be preached to all the world to bring salvation to the nations who have blessed Israel. The abomination of desolation is an oppressor that God allows to become a curse to lead the nations who have hated Israel to their own destruction. This man will prevent millions of people in these countries from receiving the Gospel to be saved. He will cause these nations to be desolate, which means he will prevent these nations from bearing children to God. If a nation has very few Christians living in them, God considers them to be desolate.

The Antichrist will invade Israel with the hope of accomplishing this in Israel, but God makes a way of escape for Israel. At the time of this invasion, the Antichrist will go into the new Temple and declare that he is God. He, himself, is the abomination. If they follow him, they can never find Jesus.

Rueben, behold a son, was Jacob's first born, the shadow of the first fruit. This name tells us what happens to the 144,000 in this seal. They become the first fruits of the people who are saved in the Nation of Israel. The Antichrist invades Israel with the intent to kill all the sons of Abraham, but Satan has sent him there with the hope of killing the 144,000.

God catches away the 144,000 to get them out of harm's way, and helps the rest of Israel to escape. They will be sealed from the plagues to come and will then return to preach the Gospel among the nations of the Antichrist. There will be some born-again Jews who will stay in Israel to die for the name of Jesus, and they will do it willingly, as a testimony for the Lord. At Rueben's birth, his mother said, "Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now, therefore, my husband will love me." God does look upon Israel's affliction, and He DOES love her.

The name Simeon means hearing. His mother said, "Because the Lord has heard that I was hated, He hath therefore given me this son also." God hears the hatred that these nations have for Israel under this seal. He rewards her for her suffering and distress, by saving her children, who become born again in a Gentile land, that He has prepared for this purpose.

When Gad, fortune, was born, his mother said, "A troop cometh." In the Bible a troop is an army. Here we see the invasion of Israel by the anti-Christ. God has seen and heard the things that are happening to Israel, and does something about it. In Revelation 12, the Bible tells us that Israel escapes to a place in the wilderness for three and one half years, where she is protected from the face of the dragon during this time. And, she will also find salvation through the Blood of Jesus. Israel does find a fortune worth more than all the silver and gold in the world; the riches of the Gentiles that Paul spoke about, JESUS CHRIST. The Bible says that she escapes upon the two wings of a great eagle. In Ezekiel 17, the Bible uses eagles as a way to describe great nations with power. I believe that the eagle in Revelation 12 that rescues Israel, will be the United States of America.

THE FOURTH SEAL

(The Eagle says, "come and see")

All of the events that happen during the Fourth Seal will cover from the middle of the Tribulation, that is from the time of the Invasion and the Abomination that makes Desolate is setup until the time of Armageddon. The Antichrist will kill from that time until the time of Armageddon without mercy. He will be joined by the false Prophet and the other three nations that will finally make up his 1/4th part of the Earth. This is the last horse he rides; he will ride it to his death. He will kill three different ways during this period of time. The mark of the beast will go into full swing and people will be killed for not taking it. The Fourth beast announces the Fourth Seal, which is a flying Eagle. It is at this time that Israel will escape and fly away on the wings of a Great Eagle to be taken completely away from the presence of the Antichrist and his armies. They will escape to America a place that God has prepared in the Wilderness where they will feed them there for 3 ½ years. This Seal will end with great happiness and honor for Israel and her name will be re-established among the nations. We are reminded that the rapture will take place at the end of this ride. Judgement will follow the ride of the Antichrist. Remember his ride will last until he is taken alive at Armageddon and cast into the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 6:7: And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8: And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Remember, the fourth seal is announced by the flying Eagle. Israel is rescued by a great Eagle with two wings and taken to a Gentile land to be fed, protected, and to find salvation. It is from there that Israel will begin preaching the Gospel to the world. There will be a great Revival in that land, and all the other nations that help Israel during this distress. I believe that this nation will be the United States of America. But, it is up to the Church in this nation, to be willing to help and to pray. God has told us to pray for Israel. Will you do it? Will we send missionaries to the Jew? YOU can take advantage of this great opportunity to do something meaningful for God.

Here are the names of the fourth group of sons, born under the banner of the Eagle, the meanings of their names, and the prophecies that were spoken at their births. By looking at these things, we are able to see what is happening to Israel during the fourth seal in Revelation 6.

NAME	MEANING	WHAT MOTHER SAID
Naphtali	Wrestlings of God	With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed.
Dan	Judging	And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.
Asher	Happy	Happy am I, for my sisters will call me blessed.

These are found in Genesis 30:8; 30:6; & 30:13

The name Naphtali means wrestlings of God. When he was born his mother said, "With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed." Israel has wrestled with God from the very time that they decided they wanted a monarch in Israel. Just like Jacob, who wrestled way up into the night and finally prevailed. This wrestling that Israel has in this seal is with the Gentile Church and the Gospel. When the Gentiles try to convince her, she wrestles with it, but finally accepts it. When she yields, she Wins! Just like Jacob! To me, it never seemed that Jacob had won, but, he said that he prevailed.

In his wrestling, God touched the hollow of his thigh, and Jacob turned loose. God had crippled him, but Jacob said he had won. God changed Jacob's walk, and renamed him Israel. I cannot help believing that if Jacob had believed God his name would have been changed just the same, but, he wrestled instead. Now that Israel has believed God, she will never be the same again. She wrestled, and God changed her walk with Him, forever. Now, remember this, she is in a Gentile land when this occurs. Then, she begins to preach the Gospel to the world! The sister in this prophecy is the Gentile Church. Paul said that the Gentiles received salvation to provoke the Jew to jealousy, and it worked.

The next name under this seal is Dan, which means Judging.Although Dan was the son of the handmaid Bilhah, Rachel none the less was his given mother by custom who spoke these words at his birth. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan. This is very significant because Rachel is a shadow of Israel. This is the reason the woman in Revelation the 12th chapter that is clothed with the sun and standing on the moon. The Sun represents Jacob, the moon Rachel and the 12 stars their 12 sons Gen.37:9-10. Here in this place we can see that God has judged Israel, her time of Judgement is over and she has now given birth. She is no longer barren. Jesus said in Matthew 23:38: Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39: 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. In these Scriptures Jesus is clearly telling Israel that until they accept his as the Messiah and would say to him blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, which referring to him coming to Israel, that Israel would remain desolate. What this means is that until Israel accepts Jesus they would be like a barren woman unable to bare children. But, now she has given birth which tells us that Israel has been born again by the Spirit during this Seal. Paul said that all of Israel would be saved. Jeremiah said that time would come that no one would have to ask a Jew if the knew the Lord for all would know him from the least to greatest.

The next name under this seal is Asher, which means happy. His mother said, at his birth, "happy am I, for my sisters will call me blessed." For the past two thousand years Israel has been looked down upon. They have been treated like animals in many parts of the world. Now she is happy! She says her sisters will call her blessed. The sisters she is referring to, are the born again nations that were promised to Abraham.

In Zephaniah 3:30, it says:
At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you; for I will make you a name, and a praise among all the people of the earth, even when I turn back your captivity before your eyes saith the Lord.

Israel is no longer the tail, but is the head, just as the scriptures say.
Isaiah 29:22-23 says:
Therefore thus saith the Lord who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But, when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

Micah 4:6-7:
In that day saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that is halted a remnant, and her that was cast off, a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even forever.

By these prophetic events from Genesis, we are able to clearly see that the first four seals of Revelation 6 cover the whole seven-year period. We have seen Israel's travail, her childbirth to God, and her triumph as the nation from which Christ will rule the earth. Does it seem so strange that God would tell us in the first book of the Bible what would happen in the last book?

Listen to this scripture in Isaiah 46:9-10:
Remember the former things of old; for I am God and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from the ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand, and I will do my pleasure.

You must go through the front door of prophecy, to get to the back door of truth. He has told us from the very beginning what will happen, and it will. PRAY FOR ISRAEL!

End Chapter Six