GENTLE BREEZE
By NELLY FAVIS-VILLAFUERTE
(Part I)
Nelly Favis Villafuerte
Israel’s end-times role in Bible history is unmatched by any other nation. God’s time schedule revolves around Israels; it holds the distinction of being God’s end-time alarm clock -- God’s prophetic clock in other words. The number one sign that we are now living in the “last days” is the historic regathering of the Israelites in Israel after becoming a nation in May, 1948 - as predicted in various parts of the Holy Bible.
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Let us refresh our minds with the incredible story of the regathering of the Jews that took place after centuries of exile in various countries around the world. God delivered the Jews from one country at a time) after they were in bondage to nations like the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians. However, when the State of Israel was established on May 14, 1948 (essentially for the first time since AD 70), God delivered the Jews from “all the countries” at the same time, so to speak. The population then of Israel her independence was declared in 1948 was only 675,000. Since 1948, thousands and thousands of Jews from all over the world have arrived every year to reside in Israel. The returning Jews were the Jews persecuted in various parts of the world.* * *
The historic regathering of the Israelites after being removed from their homeland has not been duplicated by any other nation. Let us recall that the Israelites were driven out of Israel by the Romans in A.D. 135 after a rebellion. The Roman government then issued a decree that any Israelite found in the conquered territory could be killed on sight. But history will attest that the Israelites (or Jews) never ceased as a people although they were scattered in Europe and later in the Americas. After more than 17 centuries of bloody exile in other countries, the Israelites maintained their national identity/heritage. They have survived and continue to survive while those mighty powers of the ancient world that conquered the Jews at different times in history (like the Hittites, Assyrians, and Babylonians) have vanished. Why is this so? Because God promised that Israel would exist until the end times.* * *
While Israel returned to its land in 1948, its establishment as a nation was completed only in 1967 when Jerusalem was recaptured by the Israeli army in the 1967 Six-Day War. After six days of fighting, the Israelites captured Jerusalem, Sinai, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. The 1967 Six-Day War started with an Israeli preemptive attack on Egypt. All the planes of the Israeli Air Force (except 12 planes left behind to defend Israel’s air space), took off early in the morning of June 5, 1967 (7:14 am), and in less than two hours destroyed over 300 Egyptian aircraft sitting on the ground. At the time of the attack, the Egyptian pilots were having breakfast. This was followed by the destruction of the Jordanian air force and half of Syria’s air force on the ground. Before the pre-emptive attack by the Israelites in Egypt was launched, the Arabs had approximately 465,000 troops, 2,800 tanks, and 800 aircraft assembled to attack Israel. The attack launched with lightning swiftness by the Israelites assured an Israeli victory even before the ground war could get started. The Six-Day War in June, 1967, is considered one of the most miraculous wars in history.* * *
When, one may ask, does the prophetic clock start ticking? The end-time alarm clock began ticking when Israel became a nation.* * *
And continues ticking to this day. Despite the many past attempts to relegate Israel to a memory, Israel exists today as a sovereign nation. And according to the Bible, Israel will continue to exist as an independent nation until the end times. There are many prophecies in the Bible that require that Israel must exist before the prophecies can be fulfilled.* * *
Let me share with you at least five (5) prophecies in the Bible that presupposes the existence of Israel before the Biblical prophecies will be fulfilled: 1. Antichrist will make a seven-year covenant with Israel (Dan. 9:27). 2. Antichrist will invade Israel and desecrate the temple (Dan. 11:40-41; Matt. 24:15-20). 3. Gog and his allies will invade the nation of Israel when it is at peace (Ezek. 38-39). 4. All the nations of the earth will invade Jerusalem (Zech 12:1-9; 14:1-2). 5. The people of Israel will flee into the wilderness to escape the wrath of Satan (Rev. 12:13-17) (Reference: Bible Prophecy by Mark Hitchcock)It’s truly amazing that despite the fact that Israel is outnumbered and outgunned by the nations that fight her, she comes out victorious. Why is this so? Simply because from the biblical standpoint, it is foolhardy to dare to reverse God’s will.
(To be continued)
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This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 LRV Building, Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.Be joyful and forgiving! (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected])