THE MIRACLE OF THE WORD OF GOD!

THE MIRACLE OF THE WORD OF GOD! (July 2004 - Jan. 2005)

ISRAEL AND THE MESSIAH...

For many years, I viewed the prophetic scriptures and the book of Revelation with awe and wonder, but could not surely understand their contents, nor could I see the divine connection between them, and the rest of the word of God. Recently the Holy Spirit of the Lord has been making clear some of the amazing realities of his word, and we have seen the prophetic scriptures in a brighter light, and that light is quite simply, (as it should be with all scripture), the rest of the word of God. We have seen, like never before, that all prophetic scripture is intertwined in a divine scenario, so profoundly together, and in such amazing harmony, that I find myself more in wonder today at the greatness of God, than I have ever been. Here in this article, we will draw the distinctions that make so many of the prophetic books of scripture now manifest themselves not only as great writings by the authors, but rather an intricate map of God's plan that now more than ever becomes obvious that the authors could not possibly have planned, coordinated, or conspired to do, even in their most brilliant and inspired moments. The books I will note, (and there are others), of the Bible that hold these end times prophecies are as follows" Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Revelation. In these books, we find a number of prophecies concerning the end times, or "last days" of creation, and the return of Israel. The prophecies have always carried their own places in history and in the minds of believers as they read the word. Here, we will show that God, in his infinite wisdom, has chosen to repeat himself quite a number of times and with tremendous, and incomprehensible accuracy, and that in fact there are a number of Old Testament prophesies, that are in fact repeated a number of times, to the degree that it is astounding! We believe that some of these pertain to modern events pertaining to Israel, and view them with tremendous excitement.

THE RETURN OF ISRAEL...

There has been no shortage of debate about whether or not the reformation of the state of Israel in 1948, completed in 1967 when Israel gained possession of Jerusalem, is a fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy. There appear to be a number of Old Testament Prophecies that do indicate a time when Israel will be brought back to the land that was promised to their Fathers, the difficulty seems to be in determining if any of those had already been fulfilled, specifically in the time that Jesus walked the Earth, since the Jews were in fact there at that time, even though they were occupied by the Romans. If I am not mistaken, in 70 A.D. Israel was scattered when it was overrun by Rome, and that those people did not again have possession of that land until 1948, completed in the 6 day war of 1967, when they possessed the City of Jerusalem.

EZEKIEL...

In Ezekiel 37, there is prophecy concerning bringing the house of Israel together as one and returning them to the land of their Fathers. It is not hard to say if this pertains to the modern day state of Israel because verse 21 states that he will return them from among the heathen, and gather them, and bring them to their own land. Since AD 70, they were separated, and all over the world. Ezekiel 37: 21 And say unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: This is especially interesting, since as I said, In the Old Testament days, where ever Israel was dwelling, they were at least dwelling together in one land. Only in new Testament times, after the coming of Jesus were they scattered all over the world, completely broken apart, living in many different countries, so I find that the information in verse 21 supports that this prophecy has to do with the fulfillment we see now, although I am sure there are those who would disagree.

Ezekiel 37: 21-28 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

This is definitely an end times prophecy, as there is mention I believe of three things that will only come to pass in the fulfillment of the Revelation...

That they will be gathered from many lands, nations and places. All scatterings of the children of Israel in days of old (prior to the one in AD70) still had Israel together dwelling in certain places. Today's gathering united them from as many as 45 different countries.
That it is a RETURN to an Israel that had previously existed. In verse 22 it says: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and again in verse 25: And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: indicating that they are in fact returned to a former establishment of the land that was promised to, and given to the Fathers.
That David will be prince and ruler over them in this gathering. This is the strongest argument in this text that it is pertaining to the current Israel. They will dwell there on a final basis, and "David" will be prince and ruler over them. Most folks are well aware of the fact that many of the old testament references to David mean The Messiah. In verse 25 it says: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. This is clearly a reference to the final existence of Israel, at the time of the return of the Messiah. Today, as Israel awaits the first arrival of Messiah, The coming of the Lord Jesus, whom hey have pierced, is at hand! Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
That the Tabernacle of God shall dwell among them. Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. The book of Revelation caps off this series, with the fulfillment of the scripture in Ezekiel!

ZECHARIAH...

In Zechariah 8, There is another reference to this gathering, and it is much easier to accept that this prophecy is pertaining to modern events. In verse 7, a very profound and prophetic assignment is given about from where they will be gathered, and it relates to what current civilization is, and has never been before 7:Thus says the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country I would find it difficult to separate those words from the fact that modern civilization is broken up into East and West, Eastern civilization and Western civilization, and that this is a modern day classification. I would also find it difficult not to see that the people of Israel were scattered in among both of those civilizations. I definitely believe this prophecy speaks of the situation we see in the middle east today, except for the fact that Israel has not yet become what I believe it will soon become, a revived religious nation, as mentioned in verse 8: And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. Israel is not exactly a religious nation today, not many folks would argue that point. Modernization has pretty much quieted the once dominating sense of God that once made Israel great. There are many many extremely religious folks there, but as a nation, Israel does not speak with one spiritual voice as in the days of old.

Zechariah 8: 1-8 Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

This too can be viewed as an end times prophecy, which sees its fulfillment in the Revelation, and is specifically indicated to be what can only be described as an end times fulfillment, for the following reasons...

The Lord is returned to Zion, and dwells in Jerusalem. verse 3: Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: In Chapter 14 of the Revelation is the fulfillment of this prophecy: Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
East and West. In Verse 7: Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; I'm viewing this with chills, since the current trends of classifying countries and peoples by philosophy, has resulted in "East" and West", America and its client states, being labeled as "The West" and the European/eastern cultures as "The East". Today East and West has more meaning than just geographical location!
They shall be my people. Again this series of prophetic words is capped off with the fulfillment showing up in Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. All of the scriptures I am sighting end with this scenario, which is why I believe they are the End times prophecies of Israel's return to its land!

JEREMIAH...

There is no Prophetic word in Old Testament scripture however in my mind, that more clearly speaks of the end times existence of the nation of Israel, than that in Jeremiah 30. Here, there are many references that one doesn't have to stretch his imagination to apply to events which have occurred concerning Israel. In verse 8 of chapter 30, there is a reference that can't be ignored concerning the fact that during THIS fulfillment of Israel being gathered, it will be final and that they will NO MORE serve others. 8: For it shall come to pass in that day, says the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: Every time in history that Israel has been gathered and lived in the land in the middle east, they have again, after that, been scattered, enslaved, oppressed and hated, as they have always been. I don't believe that Israel will ever again be held captive, oppressed, or successfully scattered abroad. (except when they flee into the mountains) This return of Israel is final, and with the protection of the American Government, I don't see any way that they will lose that, until the fulfillments of the prophecies of Revelation.

The whole of Chapter 30 is important, but to avoid putting the entire chapter here I have inserted the verses that have the key elements concerning the point being made and the "Last days" relevancy of this prophecy...

Jeremiah 30:1-11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. 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. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

Jeremiah 30:18-24 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

This is certainly a prophecy pertaining to the end times, and again bears all of the identifying verses I have pointed out here that indicate this...

God will return them to land given to their Fathers. Verse 3: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. again, a reference to a return to the land as opposed to the finding of the land by the Fathers.
The Time of Jacob's trouble. the time of Jacob's trouble has been referred to many times in modern writings as the same period that we identify as the tribulation, which would of course place this prophecy's fulfillment at the end of time. verse 7: 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.
Another reference to David Their King. Here another reference is made to the fact that in the return that is being spoken of here, Messiah will be among the house of Israel. verse 9: But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. I love the reference to whom I will "raise up unto them".
A rebuilding of the original Israel. Once again, in this prophecy, it is said that the nation will be rebuilt upon the old. Verse 18: and the city shall be builded upon her own heap As in the other scriptures quoted here, we see indications of the current Israel!
The Revelation fulfillment again! Yes, the fulfillment seen in Revelation 21:3 is spoken again in this prophecy in Jeremiah. Verse 22: And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. This common thread shouldn't be ignored, as should those verses in Revelation.
When will this take place? There is NO mistaking in this one when the prophecy is going to come to its fulfillment, Verse 24: The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it. I suppose I could say at that point I rest my case. There is no denying what the Holy Spirit is saying in this passage of scripture.

The people of Israel were harshly scattered after AD 70, and it is an astounding Miracle that they still exist as a people. From the mass murders in The Soviet Union, to the attempt to wipe them from the face of the earth by Germany, this people somehow still lives! No Military to speak of for 2000 years, no land to call their own, it is just one of the greatest signs that there is a God that the world has ever seen that they didn't at some point become citizens of the lands they lived in, and cease to exist as a separate nation just out of self preservation! There has also never been a people this hated, despised, mistreated, and persecuted just simply based on who they are, than the people of Israel.

I believe that the scripture does predict the current existence of Israel. However I will say that even if someone felt that they could prove that it may not, the current nation of Israel carries a weight as great as the fulfillment of any other prophecy in the bible, since ALL of the end times prophecies place Israel in its homeland at the time of the end. It is a foregone conclusion in the text of the Revelation, which makes many references to things happening in Israel. This fact can not be denied, so for those who refuse to acknowledge that the current existence of Israel is the trigger for the end times prophecies, and would debate that the current existence is a specific fulfillment of a specific passage of scripture, there is no escaping that it is the most significant, expected, mandated event in history as a precursor of the end times events and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE MESSIAH...

How could a person write a document called "The Miracle of the Word of God" without pointing out the myriad fulfillments of messianic prophecy in the life of Jesus of Nazareth? The answer is that you CAN NOT! There are so many fulfillments in his life concerning the coming Messiah that was promised to Israel, that even the Pharisee's claim that he purposely went about to fulfill those prophecies is outlandish and ridiculous! No man could, even in a 33 year life time, find a way to walk in perfect concert with over 300 Old Testament passages regarding the Messiah, not to mention that so many of them were with regard to things prior to his birth, surrounding his birth, and during times when he was simply too young to have begun this life long endeavor to cast himself in the role. We have a document on this website that lists those prophecies Old Testament locations, and the New testament verses that saw their fulfillment, located here...

Prophecies fulfilled in the Life of Jesus of Nazareth.

There are so many, that I know most folks won't take the time to go through them, but it is the most profound display of the Miracle of the Word of God that can be made. Surely he will arrive, surely he will stand in Zion, surely every eye will see him, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

In Christ, F.E.Reilly