It’s arguably the the greatest evidence for God that has ever existed. And 2017 is perhaps the most auspicious year possible for this living miracle in the Middle East.
It’s the nation of Israel, the home for the Jewish people returned after centuries of exile. The 70th anniversary of the modern nation-state is almost at hand. It’s also the 50th anniversary of the retaking of the capital city of Jerusalem and the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Balfour Declaration, which committed the United Kingdom to the formation of the Jewish state.
“This is a big year for Israel, with some major anniversaries,” says Joseph Farah, author of “The Restitution of All Things: Israel, Christians and the End of the Age” and the WND founder who leads large tour groups to Israel annually.
“Just think about the symmetry in 2017: June 7 will be the 50th anniversary of Israel’s retaking of its capital city of Jerusalem; November 2 will be the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Balfour Declaration that set in motion the plan that led to statehood; November 29 is the 70th anniversary of the U.N.’s approval of the plan that returned Israel to statehood after a dispersion that lasted nearly 1,900 years.”
Farah urged Christians to recognize how truly important 2017 is for believers.
“That is like the Blood Moons phenomenon,” says Farah. “It’s not ever going to happen again. That makes 2017 a historic year to visit Israel – and those coming with us this November will be there for the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and just before the 70th anniversary celebration.”
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Experience the miracle. It’s one of the most important anniversaries in Israel’s history – and this will be an experience unlike any other. Fulfill the dream of generations by embarking on a pilgrimage to Israel. Join us on the 2017 WND Israel Tour led by Joseph Farah. It’s a life changing experience – and, more than ever, one you can’t afford to miss!
The man who discovered the “Blood Moons,” Pastor Mark Biltz, also argues 2017 is significant.
“The number 70 is a very significant number for believers in Messiah,” said Biltz. “Seven is the number for spiritual perfection while 10 is the number for the perfection of divine order. The number 70 is the multiplication of these two factors. The number 70 is the completion of a whole cycle.
“For example, 70 weeks of years was determined for Jerusalem to make an end of sins according to the book of Daniel in chapter nine. With the 70th anniversary of the rebirth of the nation of Israel connected to the 50th anniversary of the retaking of Jerusalem, believers in Messiah should be excited as to what the upcoming new cycle may bring!”
Biltz, who analyzes the meaning of the biblical feasts for believers in his newest book, “God’s Day Timer,” also urges Christians to join the WND Israel Tour during this critical year.
“They should be excited about the anniversary of prophecy being fulfilled,” says Biltz. “Christians should also be praying for the security of Israel. I believe they should try to make a pilgrimage to Israel as well. If that is not possible, I think it would be fun if believers sent cards of congratulations to the Knesset.”
Indeed, Biltz maintains Israel isn’t just an American ally or something of vague interest to Christians, but proof positive God is real.
“The existence of Israel is a definite miracle that proves God is concerned and intervenes in the affairs of men,” he tells WND. “God is more than willing to step into human history to show mankind who is the supreme authority. Only God could bring a nation that had been scattered around the world for 2,000 years back to live in their own land, forming a nation in a day. God is about to intervene in human affairs again in a big way within a very short time!”
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, the bestselling author of “The Harbinger” and “The Book of Mysteries,” shares the view Israel is evidence not just of God’s existence but His faithfulness.
“The rebirth of Israel is the seminal event of end-time prophecy,” Cahn states. “The prophecy of Israel’s resurrection is foretold, explicitly or implicitly throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, from the time of Moses down through the Hebrew prophets.
“For any believer in Messiah, the resurrection and existence of Israel is a critical reality bearing colossal implications. First, it is another sign of how real the word of God is. For 2,000 years most people would never have believed the idea that Israel would ever be a nation again. Yet it happened. God’s word is true.
“Second, it is a sign and guarantee of God’s faithfulness. God gave His word to Israel that He would bring them back to the land. He fulfilled His word. If He fulfills promises to the Jewish people after 2,000 years, then we can all trust God to fulfill His promise in our lives.
“Third, the rebirth of Israel is a key sign concerning the end of the age. End-time prophecy ultimately centers on Israel. Therefore, there has to be an Israel for end-time prophecy to operate. Thus, those who, in past generations, held to the word of God and to end-time prophecy, held fast to the belief that, though it seemed impossible, one day the Jewish people would return to their ancient homeland and the land that had been a desolate wilderness would bloom again. It has all taken place. We are in the end times.”
Cahn also argues Israel is key to Christians because of the prophesied events that must take place within the Holy Land for Christ to return.
“When Yeshua, Jesus, was finishing His mission on Earth, His disciples asked him if he was going to, at that time, restore the kingdom to Israel,” Cahn explains. “He didn’t tell them that God was finished with Israel, as many in the church age have maintained. He replied that it was not for them to know the time. In other words, the kingdom would be restored to Israel. Thus, the resurrection of Israel is as key to the New Testament as it is to the Old.
“Messiah also told the Jewish people of Jerusalem, ‘You will not see me again until you say, ‘Baruch Ha Ba Ba Shem Adonai,” ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’
“For that one prophecy to come true, the Jewish people had to survive for 2,000 years against all odds – they did. Then they had to be gathered from the ends of the earth to be able to say those words in Israel – they did. Then they had to regain their ancient city of Jerusalem in order to say those words in the holy city – and so they did. So the resurrection of Israel is not only crucial to the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures – it’s just as crucial to the fulfillment of Messiah’s own words. In fact, He won’t come again until it all happens.”
Cahn urges believers to see and experience the miracle of Israel not as something tangential to their faith but as the very center.
“Believers need to realize, reverence and celebrate God’s fulfilling of His word in the midst of human history,” he says joyously. “For above all, the rebirth of Israel, proclaims to the world – God is real!”
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Bill Cloud, head of Shoreshim Ministries, author of “Esau Rising: Ancient Adversaries and the War for America’s Soul” and another leader in the movement to bring Jewish traditions back into the Christian faith, agrees Israel is a wonder all Christians should experience and reflect upon.
“From the beginning, Israel’s existence has been miraculous,” Cloud says. “Starting with the birth of Isaac, God continually intervened to bring about His purposes through the seed of Abraham. Today it is no different – that Israel exists presently is proof that God intervenes in the affairs of men and that Israel still serves a purpose and has a destiny.
“That destiny will come to fruition when her King, the Messiah, comes to rule and reign from Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”
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Christian apologists are also eager to point to the Jewish state as evidence of the truth of the faith. One of the most well-known both to believers and to the larger culture is Ray Comfort, head of Living Waters Publications and the author of books including “Nothing Created Everything” and “Hitler, God and the Bible.” He is famous for his street evangelism and his skill at winning converts. And he tells WND the existence of Israel is one of the most important pieces of evidence for a thinking Christian.
“After the tragedy of the Holocaust and the end of World War II, we saw the Jews miraculously drawn from the nations, to Israel,” Comfort explains. “This was in fulfillment of Ezekiel 36:22-28 and happened in 1948. Then, in 1967, they got possession of Jerusalem. That was also nothing short of a miracle. This happened after 2,000 years of being scattered among the nations. Many believe that this was a fulfillment of the words of Jesus, as in Luke 21:23. What has happened during our lifetime in Israel is the undeniable the hand of God.”
Comfort also argues the contemporary geopolitical situation should snap Christians to attention.
“Those of us who are familiar with the Word of God know that we are living in very exciting times,” he says. “We are seeing fulfillment of Bible prophecy, particularly 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.’ We can’t help but feel a sense of excitement as we see that Jerusalem is a burdensome stone for the nations. No other city in the world is such a hot potato, and each day it becomes more like a hand-grenade with the pin pulled.”
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Indeed, one pastor who has made it his life’s work to understand eschatology says the world is not only in “exciting” times but in the “most prophetic times since the first coming of Jesus Christ.”
Carl Gallups, author of “When The Lion Roars,” believes the 70th anniversary of Israel is heavy with meaning.
“Many believe that when Jesus spoke of the fig tree ‘blooming’ in Matthew 24, He was speaking of the eventual return of Israel,” Gallups says. “Then Jesus spoke of an entire generation will ‘not pass away’ until ‘all these things happen, Matthew 24: 33-34.’ From that it is reckoned that Jesus was predicting the return of Israel as a last day’s timer of His eventual return, which would take place in less than a generation from Israel’s rebirth. A number of Bible students figure that a generation is defined by the Bible as about 70-80 years, as in Psalm 90).
“These things may be so, but there are various scholarly interpretations of Jesus words in Matthew 24 that do not agree with each other. So, it is a bit difficult to make a dogmatic interpretation and then ‘set a date’ for the return of the Lord based upon one’s particular interpretation. I am not a ‘date setter’ – but I do know from many Old Testament scriptures that the eventual return of Israel would be God’s prophetic time clock and sign to the nations that we are in the very last days. See Ezekiel 37, 38 and 39:7, 21-24, and 27 for a few examples of this truth.
“Well, we are the first generation in 2,600 years to see that prophecy fulfilled. Regardless of the various interpretations, we know that Israel is God’s sign to the nations. We also know the number 70 is an extremely significant biblical number.”
Gallups provided several examples of how the number 70 is important in the Bible.
- Israel spent a total number of 70 years in captivity in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:10).
- Seventy elders were appointed by Moses (Numbers 11:16).
- Moses took 70 elders, along with Aaron and his sons, up Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:9 – 11)
- Seventy is also connected with Jerusalem. The city kept 70 years of Sabbaths while Judah was in Babylonian captivity (Jeremiah 25:11).
- Seventy “sevens” were prophesied upon Jerusalem for it to complete its transgressions, to make an end for sins and for everlasting righteousness to enter (Daniel 9:24).
- Seventy disciples were sent out by Christ to preach the gospel to the surrounding area (Luke 10).
Gallups avoids any specific predictions. But he urgently tells Christians to keep their eyes on the Holy Land.
“Considering how God has already moved with regards to the biblically revenant nation of Israel, and considering the deeply significant number 70, it is best to approach these times with our spiritual eyes and minds in a state of watchfulness. The literal return of Israel, and having been in the land for 70 years – this year – may be a minuscule matter in the eyes of the world, but I can assure you, the nation of Israel’s testimony to God’s glory is no small thing to Him!”
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Indeed, for one of the world’s most insightful and prolific filmmakers and scriptural teachers, the real mystery is not how Israel has returned, it’s how so many Christians can’t recognize the miracle. Joel Richardson, author of “The Islamic Antichrist” and the new book “Mystery Babylon,” urges believers to open their eyes to the remarkable developments right in front of them.
“Sadly, many Christians today do not see Israel’s miraculous rebirth as being the fulfillment of biblical prophecy,” mourns Richardson. “Ironically, they believe that God’s sovereignty was involved in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., yet argue that God was not involved in the reestablishment of the state of Israel. Not only was God sovereignly involved in both events, but He declared that He would restore Israel in numerous places throughout the Scriptures. Discerning followers of Jesus must recognize that we are indeed living in prophetic times. Much prophecy has been fulfilled before our eyes and much is about to be fulfilled.”
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Richardson urges Christians not only to pay close attention to Israel but to awaken to the duties they owe to God’s chosen people – including introducing them to their Messiah.
“Christians have two primary responsibilities with regard to Israel and the Jewish people,” Richardson says. “First, we must recognize the absolutely central role they play in the fulfillment of the Lord’s global redemptive purposes and the resultant rage that is directed against them. We must stand with Israel against the satanic and irrational rage that is continually directed their way. Second, we are also called to call them to repent and return to the Lord their God through Jesus, or more accurately, Yeshua their Messiah.”
Though the return of Israel is a miracle, Richardson believes Israel’s darkest may lie ahead.
“Moses, all the prophets, Jesus and the apostles made it clear that in the latter days, Israel would repent and be forever reestablished to their land of promise,” he explains. “Many Christians agree with this.
“The component that many are not aware of however is that before Israel is permanently planted in their land, before they are truly restored, there would be a breaking. The Lord will bring Israel to the end of herself, in order that she will lean fully on Him alone. Difficult times are indeed coming. This is why it is so critical that Christians prepare to lay down their lives to stand with their Jewish brothers and sisters.”
One of the best ways for Christians to more fully understand the Jewish people and the roots of their own faith is to visit Israel itself during this historic year. The 2017 WND Israel Tour is a chance not just to see the Holy Land, make new friends, deepen one’s faith and create treasured memories. It’s a chance to experience a miracle during a year of profound importance. It’s an experience no believer will want to miss.
Experience the miracle. It’s one of the most important anniversaries in Israel’s history – and this will be an experience unlike any other. Fulfill the dream of generations by embarking on a pilgrimage to Israel. Join us on the 2017 WND Israel Tour led by Joseph Farah. It’s a life changing experience – and, more than ever, one you can’t afford to miss!
