Proclaiming The Truth. Are you ready?

   NOTE: For regular articles, newslinks, and general prophecy updates visit:  www.raptureready.com

Shall I ask you to believe prophecy about Jesus without concrete proof of fulfilled propecy?  OF COURSE NOT.

        1.   Josiah in the book of Kings-  1 Kings 13:2 predicts King Josiah by name and lineage 300 years before he was even born...."This is what the LORD says: 'A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David.'"  Josiah was a contemporary of Pharaoh Neco, King of Egypt (610-595 B.C.; see 2 Kings 23:29)  God also predicted that this king would destroy the altar at Bethel after sacrificing the evil prophets & burning their bones upon it.  All of this occurred exactly as prophesied.

        2  Babylonian Captivity in the Book of Isaiah ( which is also where many prophecies about Jesus' are made)  The Book of Isaiah was written approximately between 700-680 B.C.  In Isaiah 39-5-7 the Babylonian captivity is predicted: "Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ' Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.   Nothing will be left, says the LORD.  And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon'" (see Daniel 1:1-3)  [ even the Assyrian conquest of Israel 722-721 B.C. is hinted at as early as Deuteronomy 28:49-50, 64-65 {written in 1500 B.C.} "Then the LORD will scatter you among the nations, from one end of the earth to the other.  There you will worship other gods--gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.  Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot."  Isaiah also contains specific predictions against Babylon (see Isaiah 2:19-22;14:22-23 & Jer. 51:36:44)  Babylon was to be devestated by the Medes (Isaiah 13:17-22)  150 years after Isaiah's prediction, the Medes & Persian besiged the walls of Babylon in the exact manner predicted by the prophet (Jer. 25:11-14 & Chapters 51-52)  

The probability that these items could be fulfilled by chance alone is about 1 in 5 billion.   

[Source: Fast facts on defending your faith: AUTHORS: John Ankerberg {Master's degree in divinity, church history & philosophy of Christian thought}     &                               John Weldon { 3 master's degrees and a doctorate in comparative religion} ]

3. King Cyrus in Isaiah- 700 B.C., Isaiah predicted a very important Persian king by name 120 years before he was born.. The prophet predicts King Cyrus as the one who would perit the Jews to retrun to their land after the Babylonian captivity to rebuild Jerusalem:  'I am the LORD, who....fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, "It shall be inhabited," of the towns of Judah, "They shall be built," and of their ruins, "I will restorethem"... who says of Cyrus, "He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please;" he will say of Jerusalme, "Let it be rebuilt," and of the temple, "Let its foundations be laid." (Isa. 44:24-45:6; Ezra 1:1-8)  Jeremiah also predicted a 70-yr captivity (25:11, 29:10-14) and Ezra records the fulfillment of this prophecy in chapter 1.  The founder of the Persian empire, Cyrus, reigned over the Persians from 559-530 B.C. and conquered Babylon in their homeland this occurred in 538 B.C. Thus Isaiah predicted the return to the Holy Land 150 years before it occurred [and the one who issued the decree was named 120 years before he was born]

4.City of Tyre (see Ezek. 26:3-14, written about 597 B.C.) Ezekial prophesied that the city of Tyre would be destroyed.  At the time the city was one of the greatest trading sources and seaports.  The prediction was partially fulfilled in 586 B.C. through a siege led by Nebuchadnezzar.  But Ezekiel’s prophecy had said, “more than one nation will come against it.”  -->Around A.D. 330 the prophecy was completed- When troops led by Alexander the Great finished the destruction of Tyre. Today , the ancient city, lie in ruins udner the waves of the Mediterranean Sea.                                                                                                                         

5. Prophecy concerning Israel which leads into today: 17"Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman's monthly uncleanness in my sight. 18 So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. Ezek. 36:17-18

In 70 A.D. the Roman general Titan came in and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, thus this began the dispertion---the Jewish people had to leave and the "scattering" began---> This continued up until the 20th century ( I will explain momentarily) The Jews kept their identity, culture, traditions, & language in tact.  This has not happened before or since.....We no longer have Hittites, Cannaanites, Jebusites, or Spartans--they have vanished their identity lost to history. The Jewish people are in tact. "I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. " Ezek.....

 Prophecy in action

 24 " 'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. Ezek. 36:24-28

Fast foward to current times---> In 1948 after WWII Israel became an independant nation- today Jewish people are flocking home to Israel in droves: Whole-scale immigration has continued from other Arab countries and Iran. The Ahkenazi "European" establishment in Israel officially welcomed these immigrants from the Sephardic or "Oriental" tradition of Jewry. But the culture clash between East and West was enormous, and many Jews from Eastern countries resented placement in bleak development towns, limited job opportunities, and disrespect of their traditions.
Jewish immigration from Ethiopia came to Israel in two major movements. The first, called "Operation Moses," was the covert removal of Ethiopian Jews who had fled to Sudan during a famine in 1984. Approximately 8,000 came to Israel during the two-and-a-half-month operation. An estimated 4,000 died in the desert from the difficult conditions and at the hands of bandits. After media reports on the secret operation, the airlift came to a complete stop due to Arab pressure on Sudan.
In 1991, a second, larger wave of Ethiopian Jews arrived via "Operation Solomon." Political and economic unrest at that time grew as Eritrean and Tigrean rebels challenged the Ethiopian government. Days after the government fell, a 36-hour airlifit took over 14,000 Jews to Israel.
According to the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, there are about 85,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel now; of those, about 20,000 were born in Israel.  But the biggest wave of immigration in the last 20 years followed the dissolution of the former Soviet Union. Approximately 900,000 Soviet Jews have settled in Israel.

(Source: http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=321)

The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria grew by 5.2 percent, rising by 14,000 residents from 268,000 at the end of 2006 to 282,000 at the end of 2007.The figures do not include citizens who reside in communities that the government has deemed illegal. Nor do the statistics include approximately 250,000 Jewish residents of the Jerusalem suburbs built after the 1967 Six-Day War.All together, over half a million Jews live in the areas of Judea and Samaria liberated in the 1967 Six Day War.Birthrates rose significantly in the communities of Beitar Illit, Modi’in Illit and Emmanuel, with major increases also noted in Maale Adumim, Givat Ze’ev and Ariel. (Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124990)

Today (April 8, 2008) According to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on the eve of Israel's 60th Independence Day, 7,282,000 people live in Israel. About 75.5% of them are Jews, some 1,461,000 are Arabs, and 322,000 are defined as "others". According to forecasts, Israel's population will include some 10 million people in the year 2030.

"I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. 32 I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel!" Ezek. 36:30-32  

 >>>Israel is about the size of New Jersey and is currently the #1 source of citrus fruit for the entire EU.  

God's Word is being fulfilled today, in YOUR lifetime.  The restoration of people in such a circumstance as the Jewish people is unheard of.  Except for, they are God's chosen people and so His purpose will be fulfilled regardless of the odds.  Deuteronomy 14:2, "For you are a holy people to YHWH your God, and {God has chosen you }to be his treasured people from all the nations that are on the face of the earth."

Messianic Prophecy

 1. Prophecy:The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2 (Old Test.) “But you Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Ephrathah was the region Bethlehem was in) 

 {New Testament fulfillment }(Matthew 2:6)  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod...

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 2. Prophecy: The Messiah would be betrayed by a friend:  Zechariah 13:6 (OT) “If someone should ask him, “What are these wounds on your body?” he will answer, “These wounds I was given at the house of my friend.”                                                                                                                    →Additional -Old Testament (Psalms 41:9) says: Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.                                                                                                                                               {New Testament fulfillment }(Matthew 26:47-50) says:
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus{Yeshua}, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. Jesus {Yeshua} replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.

------>Additional New Testament : (Luke 22:19-23) And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him." They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

"The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus{Yeshua} answered, "Yes, it is you."

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