Now the blood moons have passed, where are the world-changing events that many thought would accompany these celestial signs?

Blood Moons and the Shemitah Year

On September 28, the final of the tetrad of 'blood moons' was visible across the world. The blood moons were considered significant because they coincided with God's 'appointed times' (moedim), the biblical feasts of Passover and Tabernacles, two years in a row.¹

In addition, 2014-2015 was a Shemitah (meaning 'release') year. Every seventh year Israel's land was to lie fallow and debts were to be released.² Added to that, a Jubilee year is thought to begin (calculations of years are uncertain³) in September 2015 at Rosh HaShanah (Jewish New Year, the biblical Feast of Trumpets).⁴

America or Israel?

Yet the financial collapse leading to global catastrophe that many anticipated has not occurred - at least not yet! It may be that with hindsight we will see how current events from this period set in train future cataclysmic events.

In the meantime, much has been made of signs of judgement for the United States. As a nation founded on biblical principles, "under God", by its Pilgrim Fathers seeking Christian freedom, its rejection of God's word on marriage and the erosion of biblical values in public life are thought to have invited God's judgement. This focus regarding the blood moons themselves may be misplaced since signs in the moon relate to Israel, according to Jewish tradition, not to the Gentiles.

Much has been made of the blood moons as signs of judgment on America, but this focus may be misplaced - since signs in the moon traditionally relate to Israel .

The Talmud (containing the wisdom of the sages of Israel) considers that signs in the sun are for the Gentiles and signs in the moon are for Israel, since the Gentiles reckon their calendar by the sun and Israel's calendar is lunar:

Our Rabbis taught, When the sun is in eclipse it is a bad omen for idolaters; when the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel, since Israel reckons by the moon and idolaters by the sun. If it is in eclipse in the east, it is a bad omen for those who dwell in the east; if in the west, it is a bad omen for those who dwell in the west; if in the midst of heaven it is bad omen for the whole world.

If its face is red as blood, [it is a sign that] the sword is coming to the world; if it is like sack-cloth, the arrows of famine are coming to the world; if it resembles both, the sword and the arrows of famine are coming to the world...Thus saith the Lord, 'Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the nations are dismayed at them, the idolaters will be dismayed, but Israel will not be dismayed.' [emphasis added]

The last part is a quote from Jeremiah 10:1, reminding Israel that God is in charge of their future and that they do not need to fear heavenly signs.

The Coming Sword

Accordingly, not everyone sees the blood moons as a sign of trouble. One Messianic leader in Israel, Bob O'Dell, who has studied the blood moons extensively says that the blood moons are "bread crumbs in the sky", left by God to remind the Jewish people that he has not forgotten his covenant to restore them to the land of Israel. Thus, they should be a cause for celebration for the Jews, rather than fear. He has proposed a theory that the chronology of the Exodus from Egypt fell on the dates of a blood moon tetrad.⁵

However, the 'sword' did come to Israel and its diaspora during this lunar tetrad period. In July 2014 the Israel-Gaza conflict took place, leading to an upsurge of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe. The worst incidents took place in France, culminating in January 2015 with the kosher supermarket hostage crisis following in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Whilst the blood moons may signify God's faithfulness as well as coming trouble, 'the sword' has come to Israel during the recent tetrad period.

Signs for the Gentiles

The Gentiles are not left out of this picture though. The latest tetrad of blood moons was also accompanied by signs in the sun. In 2014, the Passover and Tabernacles blood moons were followed by a partial solar eclipse and, in 2015, the Passover blood moon was preceded by a total solar eclipse and the Tabernacles blood moon was preceded (just before Rosh HaShanah, the biblical Feast of Trumpets) by a partial solar eclipse.⁶

What do these signs in the sun mean? Certainly, there is plenty to concern us in the Gentile world. The migrant crisis has worsened significantly during this period, presenting a Gentile mass movement of Exodus proportions. In the stock markets, the most significant event has been what a Beijing spokesman called 'Black Monday' on 24 August 2015, causing hundreds of billions to be wiped off global financial markets and a plunge in oil and gold prices.

The recent 'signs in the sun' perhaps signify that Gentiles are not being left out – with events of global concern including the European migrant crisis and economic problems in China.

In our own nation believers are interceding, pleading for God's mercy in prayer groups up and down the land as we slide into further spiritual torpor and decline. At the prophetic gathering in October 2014, at which Prophecy Today online was announced, a lady received a picture of a sword over Britain. Another participant entered into travail and deep sorrow through the Holy Spirit for Britain's state. Our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Clifford Hill, linked this to the great shaking prophecies received at Mount Carmel in Israel in 1986.

'First to the Jew...'

However, it is in Israel that trouble has arisen most swiftly since the final of the tetrad of blood moons at the Feast of Tabernacles – "first to the Jew".⁷ There is talk once again of a third intifada. Terror has struck Israel's streets in an unprecedented form. Random stabbings, shootings and vehicles driven into crowds are the new and terrifying weapons being used by Palestinians. Formerly bustling public spaces have been deserted, children have been kept home from school and extra security guards have been deployed on buses.

It is in Israel that trouble has arisen most swiftly since the final blood moon of the tetrad, with a sharp rise in terror attacks and talk of a third intifada.

On 17 October, Palestinians set fire to the compound containing the tomb of the patriarch Joseph, where Jews go to pray. This was doubly calculated to offend as it was set ablaze on Shabbat (during the early hours of Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath).

The catalyst for the current crisis was in July when Jewish worshippers tried to go up on to the Temple Mount for Tisha B'Av (meaning the 9th of the month Av, which is a day of mourning commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples). Muslims worshippers repelled them and soon after Israeli police went up on to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to remove weapons being stockpiled there. It was thought the intention was to attack thousands of Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall below gathered for Tisha B'Av. Stones, Molotov cocktails and firecrackers were discovered inside the Al Aqsa Mosque. As the police entered the Temple Mount they were met with Muslim rioters.⁸

The Blood Moons and Temple Mount

There is a precedent for violence over the Temple Mount following the occurrence of blood moons.

The last time blood moons coincided with both Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles was in 1996⁹ (also the year that Benjamin Netanyahu first came to power). A new exit was opened from the Western Wall Tunnel on to the Via Dolorosa in the Arab quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, so that visitors could leave the tunnel without having to retrace their steps from the entrance by the Western Wall.

The Palestinians were incensed, believing this to be a sign of major excavation under the Temple Mount that would destabilise the foundations of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, both of which stand on the Temple Mount. This led to the worst violence in Israel since 1967 and the Six Day War. Again, Joseph's tomb in Nablus was an easy target for violence, as it falls under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

The last time blood moons coincided with Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles was in 1996 – when Israel experienced the worst violence since the Six Day War in 1967.

Each time violence flares, Israel and the Palestinians come under pressure to renew peace talks. The Temple Mount is the eye of that storm, being the touchstone of faith for Jews, as the site of the biblical second Temple and their most important religious heritage site, and for Muslims, who deem it their third holiest site. For Christians, it is thought by many that Jesus was crucified somewhere on Mount Moriah (an area larger than the Temple Mount), where Abraham was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, since it links to Abraham's description as being the place where God provided sacrifice: "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided" (Gen 22:14).

Jerusalem an Immovable Rock

The United States and the UN have not tried to push for any further progress regarding the status of Jerusalem because it is the hottest religious and political coal of all. The Lord has decreed that Jerusalem will be a cup of reeling or staggering for those who come against it and an immovable rock (Zech 12:2-3): "All who try to move it will injure [lit. rupture] themselves."

He promises to protect all those living in Jerusalem and destroy the nations that attack his city (Zech 12:8-9) because his ultimate purpose must be protected, which is to pour out on his re-gathered people Israel glorious repentance and grace:

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

God has promised that Jerusalem will be an immovable rock for all who come against it.

No Need to Fear

We need not fear signs in the heavens because the Lord has decreed Jerusalem's future. As the Talmud reminds us, quoting Jeremiah (10:1):

Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the nations are dismayed at them, the idolaters will be dismayed, but Israel will not be dismayed.

Whatever happens, those who have joined with Israel by faith in their Messiah need not fear because the Lord promises: "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you" (Is 54:10).

So as we wait for the Lord's return, let us be faithful in praying for the peace of Jerusalem in the words of Psalm 122:

May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, 'Peace be within you.' For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity. (Ps 122:6-9)

References

1 Biblical references to blood (ie red) moons: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come" (Joel 2:31), which is quoted by Peter in Acts 2:20 and echoed in Revelation 6:12: "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood."

2 Lev 25:3–6.

3 Lev 25:8-13. Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs writes, "...there is considerable doubt whether the present identification of Sabbatical years is correct and whether the count begins again on the jubilee year, the fiftieth, or on the next year, the fifty-first after the previous cycle." Jacobs, 1995 Sabbatical Year (Shemitah) and Jubilee Year (Yovel). My Jewish Learning. Re-printed with permission from The Jewish Religion: A Companion (OUP).

4 The year 5775 in the Jewish calendar is the Shemitah year and 5776 thought to be the Jubilee year.

5 Forman, A. Blood Moons: Everything You Need to Know. Israel Breaking News, 22 September 2015.

6 Stucken, P. Signs of the Times. Operation Exodus website.

7 Rom 1:16 and 2:9.

8 Temple Mount Erupts in Violence. Israel Today, 26 July 2015. See also Clashes erupt at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa on Jewish holiday. Al-Jazeera, 26 July 2015.

9 27 September 1996 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1996_lunar_eclipse.

'I will pour out my Spirit on all people...both men and women': Edmund Heddle looks at the Bible women who exercised a prophetic ministry.

It was the prophet Joel who foretold the day when there would be an unrestricted outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

And afterwards I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)

This promise would signify unrestricted giving on God's part, for he undertook to pour out his spirit and it would come down on all people. The promise does not mean that the Spirit would descend on all people without exception but that he would come down on them without distinction. No longer would there be any restriction imposed on the basis of sex, age or social position. The Spirit would come on sons and daughters, on old men and young men, on male and female slaves.

God's promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not without exception, but is without distinction.

In his commentary on these verses, John Calvin says that this was giving "in great abundance". However deep our own experience of Pentecost, there is much more for each of us of God's unrestricted outpouring and in the gift and ministry of prophecy which is thereby made possible (Acts 2:17¬-18). In this article we investigate how Bible women exercised a prophetic ministry.

Women Prophets in Scripture

Miriam

Miriam was the sister of Aaron and Moses and is described as a prophetess (Ex 15:20). Following the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites joined in a song of praise to the Lord: "I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea..." When Miriam saw the Israelites walk through the sea as on dry ground, she took a tambourine and, as all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing, sang to them, echoing Moses' song with these words: "Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea".

We must not think of Miriam just as some young thing aflame with enthusiasm. By this time Miriam was well past middle life. She was twelve when Moses was born, and remembering that Moses spent forty years in Egypt and then a further forty years in the land of Midian before the crossing of the Red Sea, we may conclude that she was well into middle age at the time of this account. What a blessing it is when the older women can lead their younger sisters in prophetic praise!

Josephus, the Jewish historian, states that Miriam was a married woman - but the Bible is silent on the matter and hymn-writer George Matheson says of her: "There is neither marriage nor courtship. Her interests are not matrimonial, they are national. Her mission is not domestic, it is patriotic." How much should we thank God for prophetic women who have a deep concern for our national well-being and are not afraid to stand up for God's standards today!

Miriam, described in Exodus as a prophetess, shows what a blessing it is when older women can lead their younger sisters in prophetic praise.

Deborah

Deborah the prophetess functioned as one of Israel's judges (Judges 4 and 5). She was married to Lappicloth and had her headquarters under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel. She must have been open to the prophetic gifts of wisdom and knowledge (1 Cor 12:8), for Israelites from various tribes who had questions to ask and disputes to settle travelled to her for counsel. It was therefore only to be expected that when Israel came under oppression by Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, the people turned to Deborah for advice.

Deborah summoned Barak, a leader of Israel, saying, "The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you..." His answer indicated Deborah's standing among the people: "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go, I won't go." She said she would go with him but warned that the honour would not be his, as Sisera would be killed by a woman. Her Song of Deborah (Judges 5) is one of the most ancient passages in the Old Testament, and from it we learn that victory over Sisera's chariots was brought about by a cloudburst. Sisera was killed by Jael, another woman, with a tent peg.

So far as we know, Deborah never experienced natural motherhood, but this judge, prophetess and poetess was a "mother in Israel" (Judges 5:7). Some of today's women who have not had their own children might exercise a prophetic ministry among God's people, not least in the matter of spiritual warfare.

Huldah

Huldah the prophetess was the wife of Shallum, keeper of the wardrobe in the Temple during the reign of Josiah. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District (2 Chron 34:22). In 621 BC the Book of the Law was discovered when building work was being undertaken in the Temple. When the book was read to the young king he tore his robes and sent his officials off with the order:

Go and enquire of the Lord for me about what is written in this book which has been found. Great is the Lord's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book (2 Chron 34:14-21).

It is remarkable that, although Jeremiah and Zephaniah were both prophesying at that time, it was a woman and not these prophets who were consulted. Huldah's message to the king confirmed that divine wrath would be poured out on Jerusalem, but she went on to say, "Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God...you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place" (2 Kings 22:15-20).

When King Josiah sought God's word of guidance, he called upon Huldah, a prophetess – despite the fact that both Jeremiah and Zephaniah were also alive and prophesying at the time.

One of the purposes of prophecy is to provide the 'Now word' of guidance as to how Scripture may apply. Again, we remark how significant it is that, although there were other male prophets around and the king was surrounded by men like Hilkiah the chief priest, Shaphan the secretary, Asaiah the king's attendant and others, it was a woman prophet who was consulted for God's Now word.

Anna

Coming to New Testament times, we meet Anna in the opening chapters of Luke's gospel. Also a prophetess, "She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the Temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying" (Luke 2:35-38).

Anna arrived on the scene just as the aged Simeon had taken the infant Jesus into his arms and was uttering what we now call the Nunc Dimittis. Under the guidance of the Spirit, she gave God thanks for the child and went on to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

These so-called 'quiet people' were remarkable for the 'timing' of their lives. Simeon entered the Temple under the direction of the Spirit just at the time Jesus' parents were bringing him in to present him to the Lord. Anna also came in "at that very moment" (Luke 2:38). It is not enough to know the right prophetic word to bring; we need also to know the right time to bring it to those to whom it is directed.

Anna shows us that it is not enough to know the right prophetic word to bring – we also need to know the right time, the right place and the right recipients.

Women False Prophets Named in Scripture

Noadiah

Noadiah was a prophetess who opposed Nehemiah, governor of Jerusalem (Neh 6:14). She was a supporter of Sanballat and Tobiah, opponents of Nehemiah in his work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Her name means 'One to whom the Lord revealed himself', and it is possible that she was a genuine prophet who really knew the Lord.

Sadly, she attached herself to these two men and used her speaking abilities to intimidate the man God had sent to renew the walls. Sanballat and Tobiah made repeated attempts to persuade Nehemiah to meet them and discuss the situation, but he refused and committed the situation to God in prayer.

Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.

This prayer was answered; Noadiah's influence was overthrown and Nehemiah finished the work of restoration (Neh 6:15). How important that God's prophets should make sure that they are not passing a word which is not from him.

Noadiah may have been a genuine prophetess, but she attached herself to the wrong people and ended up passing on 'words' that were not from God.

Jezebel

Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab, who had introduced Baal-worship into Israel and who had erected a sanctuary for four hundred priests who fed at her table. She was a typical oriental despot, ready to murder anyone who stood in her way. Hers was the name given to the New Testament false prophetess who had led the church at Thyatira into idolatry and immorality.

The risen Lord Jesus writes to the church and tells them, "I have this against you. You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess...she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols...do not hold to her teaching" (Rev 2:20-25). All prophets, male or female, need to remember that no prophetic word that contradicts scripture is ever to be accepted or promulgated.

Women Prophets Not Named in Scripture

Isaiah's wife

Isaiah, whose name means 'Yahweh is salvation' and who is called the 'evangelical prophet', had a wife who was a prophetess. Some scholars think that this is merely a courtesy title for a prophet's wife, but others believe she exercised the prophetic gift in her own right.

If this was the case, it must have been a great blessing to her husband to be able to share the Lord's burden with someone close and sympathetic - she must surely have been a real prophet to let her husband get away with naming her two sons Shear-Jashub, and Maher-Shalal-¬Hash-Baz! But if she really shared his prophetic insight she would rejoice that her boys were a constant reminder of her husband's message that 'a remnant will return' and that 'quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil' would come the king of Assyria to capture Samaria (Isa 8:3).

How useful it would be in our churches if we were to encourage prayerfully the coming into being of husband-and-wife prophets moving together in the prophetic ministry.

Philip's daughters

Philip the evangelist was one of the seven deacons appointed by the church in Jerusalem to relieve the apostles from the burden of organising relief for the widows. Following the outbreak of persecution in Jerusalem, he took the gospel to Samaria (Acts 8:5-13) and from there to the Ethiopian eunuch travelling through the desert (Acts 8:26-28). 'Spirited' away from there, he settled in Caesarea.

At some point Philip married and had four daughters, all of whom prophesied (Acts 21:9). But the absence of any reference to his wife may mean that by now he was a widower. If this was the case, he would have been very glad to have them care for him and his home. But his greater joy must have been that that each manifested the prophetic gift which would have worked so happily together with his own ministry as an evangelist.

Families that are one in Christ might well encourage within themselves the development of complementary spiritual gifts and ministries, thus becoming more efficient and effective in the Lord's service.

Isaiah's wife and Philip's daughters show the blessings that can come when families work together with complementary gifts and ministries.

Women Who Functioned Prophetically

In addition to those whom the scriptures call prophets there are a number of women who manifested prophetic gifts.

Hannah

Hannah, whose name means 'grace', was one of the two wives of Elkanah but unlike Peninnah had no children She vowed to God that if he would give her a child she would devote him to the Lord as a Nazirite. When God granted this request Hannah gave expression to her joy and praise to God in a prophetic psalm of thanksgiving (1 Sam 2:1-10). This was clearly a prophetic utterance, containing the first reference in scripture to the king as 'Yahweh's anointed' or 'Messiah', one who would come to save his people.

Elizabeth, wife of Zechariah

After the angel Gabriel had told Mary she was to give birth to the Messiah, she hurried off to a town in the hill country of Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting the baby leaped in her womb and she was inspired by the Spirit to speak the words of encouragement that must have kept Mary going during the testing days ahead:

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear... Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished (Luke 1:39-45)

As we in the same way go about discovering God's purpose for our lives we, too, may experience that same leap within, manifesting itself in a blush or a moistening of the eyes and confirming that God has his hand in what is happening to us. Like Elizabeth we, too, may be privileged to confirm God's will to others. What a precious ministry this is!

Mary the mother of Jesus

Mary's response to the encouraging words of Elizabeth was to do as Hannah had done so many years before and express her praise and thanksgiving to God in the form of a prophetic utterance. Her Magnificat is first of all praise that God had deigned to choose her, a humble peasant girl, fulfil the hope of every Jewish maiden, to be the mother of the Messiah. But it also expresses praise for God's special love towards his chosen people Israel.

Alongside our traditional hymns and our modern songs is there not a place for 'spiritual songs' (Eph 5:19), with both words and music immediately inspired by the same Spirit who inspired Hannah, Elizabeth and Mary? It certainly seems an aspect of prophetic utterance most suitable for women prophets, though not exclusively so.

Alongside hymns and songs, is there not a place for 'spiritual songs' such as those uttered by Hannah, Elizabeth and Mary?

Summary of the Women Prophets

The women prophets of the Bible functioned in a number of different situations in personal, family, community and national life. In their respective situations they discovered that the Spirit promised by the prophet Joel was just as active in them as he was in their men-folk.

Miriam led the women in praise on a great national occasion.

Deborah gave wise counsel and encouraged Barak, a national military leader, to go out to conquer the enemy.

Huldah was consulted in order to bring understanding about the law book that had been found and what the king should do about it.

Anna lived in the Temple but came into the particular court where Mary and Joseph had brought the infant Jesus 'at just the right moment', guided by the Spirit.

Isaiah's wife shared a prophetic partnership with her husband.

Philip's daughters had a complementary ministry to their father's ministry as an evangelist.

Elizabeth gained the witness of the Spirit as at Mary's arrival her baby leaped in her womb.

Hannah and Mary, both promised a son, expressed spontaneously prophetic praise in words given by the Holy Spirit.

Let the women of our churches be encouraged to develop the gift and ministry of prophecy, following the example of the women prophets in Bible!

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 4, July/August 1988.

'Has God Really Finished With Israel?' by Mark Dunman (New Wine Press, 2013, 187 pages, available from the publisher for £9.99, or from the author's website for £9. Save £2 when you buy with 'The Return of Jesus Christ').

Mark Dunman's first book is intended for Christians who want to know more about Israel and what the scriptures have to say on the subject. The spur to write this book was "born of a desire to encourage Christians to recognise God's prophetic return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel and to alert the Church at large to the need to pray for Israel, the Jewish people, the Palestinians and the whole complex situation in the Middle East" (p9).

This call to pray for Israel and the Middle East is the theme of the final chapter and provides a crucial finale to a book packed with information and insight into this vital topic. God is calling us to partner with him in achieving his purposes on earth - something we can do with much more conviction after reading this book. It is no surprise to discover that the author leads such a prayer group.

Industrious Research, Intelligent Reflection

As a first book it is an exceptional effort based upon industrious research and intelligent reflection. The author has spent many years listening and learning, including time spent in Israel and with Palestinian Christians in the West Bank. He displays a great talent to absorb and then share. Here you will find solid facts, common sense and Spirit-led clarity. His writing is detailed yet not crowded or verbose. As a retired science teacher he is gifted communicator, well used to presenting the evidence for his beliefs, which he does brilliantly.

God is calling us to partner with him in achieving his purposes – something we can do with much more conviction after reading this book.

The author has been willing to examine political perspectives from all sides but ultimately believes that God's word overrides all men's ideas and that God's purpose is paramount. For instance, he sets out to show that "the current return of the Jews to the Holy Land is a fulfilment of Old Testament biblical prophecy and furthermore that in doing this God is honouring his Covenant to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (p39).

Theological Coverage

Two early chapters are devoted to providing some Old Testament background, namely Israel's two exiles - familiar to those who are Biblically literate but a useful summary nevertheless. The next chapter helpfully explains various ways to understand the Bible, in particular how literal and symbolic interpretations differ. The author also analyses the varied opinions and approaches of other well-known Bible teachers (names are given), distinguishing between those who are Christian Zionists and those who are Covenantalists. This is a helpful critique for those wishing to read more widely about Israel in God's purposes.

The author is very clear that Replacement Theology is fundamentally wrong, calling it "an unwarranted interpretation of what the Old Testament actually says about Israel and the Jews" and declaring that "a principal purpose of this book is to demonstrate this" (p10). This he achieves in a chapter which explores its origins and consequences. The next chapter follows this up with a discussion of Palestinian liberation theology, a topic which may be less familiar to many readers. This balance and integrity is typical of the book as a whole.

Here you will find solid facts, common sense and Spirit-led clarity – Dunman is a gifted communicator whose writing is detailed yet not crowded or verbose.

Supporting Resources

Each chapter has excellent endnotes, indicating the amount of research the author has faithfully undertaken over the years and also providing a useful source for further study by his readers.

As for appendices, bibliography, glossary and indices (both Scripture and general), these do exist but not in the book! Instead they can be found on his website. This is an interesting idea with the intention of keeping the book to a reasonable length and price, but it is inconvenient for the reader - it is noticeable that this experiment was not repeated in the author's second book.

Nevertheless, the website is easy to use and worth looking at to get a feel for the book. As the author explains, the website is intended as a continuation of the book. It also provides a means of buying the book, with a special deal for buying both his books together.

Moses prophesied that a prophet like himself would one day be raised up by the Lord. This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus – but does it end there?

It was Moses who prophesied that the Lord would raise up a prophet like himself, a prophet descended from the race of Israel who would be given God's words to proclaim. As one authorised to speak in God's name he would do so with divine authority, and God promised that he would punish anyone who refused to obey his message.

This provision was made when, on Mount Sinai, the people begged Moses that they would not again have to listen to God himself or to behold his fiery presence. God commended them for this request and promised instead that he would raise up in their nation a prophet who would mediate God's word to them (Deut 18:16-19).

God's Alternative to the Occult

The promise to send another prophet like Moses was (and is) given as an alternative to seeking guidance and help through witchcraft and spiritualism:

Don't let your people practise divination or look for omens or use spells or charms, and don't let them consult the spirits of the dead. The Lord your God hates people who do these disgusting things...in the land you are to occupy, people follow the advice of those who practise divination and look for omens, but the Lord your God does not allow you to do this. Instead, he will send you a prophet like me...and you are to obey him (Deut 18:10-15).

God's views do not change with the passing of time. He is still absolutely opposed to witchcraft, spiritism and any other kind of occult practices. Those who do these things arouse his anger. Such steps are in any case, unnecessary for his people because he has made provision for their guidance and well-being through the prophet like Moses.

God's Promise Fulfilled

The promise of God to send a prophet like Moses was fulfilled in two ways. Every time a prophet emerged in the course of Israel's history he would be seen to be the fulfilment of God's promise through Moses, even if only partially. Speaking to those who had witnessed the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, Peter referred to God's promise of a prophet like Moses and saw its fulfilment in "all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken" (Acts 3:22-24).

An oft-repeated question down the years was, "Are you the prophet?", the question that was asked concerning John the Baptist and Jesus himself (John 1:21-25, Matt 16:14).

None of the succession of prophets that brought God's word to Israel down the years completely fulfilled Moses' promise - until the coming of Jesus. They spoke the words God gave them to speak, but he was the word, the complete speaking forth of the word of God. "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in many ways, but in these last times he has spoken to us by his Son..." (Heb 1:1-2).

None of the prophets through the years completely fulfilled Moses' promise – until Jesus. The prophets spoke the words of God - he WAS the Word of God.

After the crowd had witnessed the miraculous feeding of 5000 people they drew the conclusion, "Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14). The sermons preached to the early church show that Peter and Stephen believed that Jesus was the complete fulfilment of God's promise to raise up a prophet like Moses (Acts 3:22-23; 7:37).

Jesus is Like Moses

There are a number of fascinating parallels between the life of Moses and that of Jesus. Their young lives were spared in infancy (Ex 2:9-10; Matt 2:13-14). They both renounced a royal court to share their brothers' sufferings (Acts 7:22-23; Phil 2:6-8). Both were said to be meek (Num 12:3; Matt 11:29). Both were said to be faithful (Heb 3:2). Both were men with the compassion of a shepherd (Num 27:17; Matt 9:36). Each had the supreme privilege of beholding the face of God (2 Cor 3:7-13; John 1:18).

They were the ministers of covenants (Deut 29:12; Heb 8:6). Their ministry was to reveal God's will to his people (Deut 6:1; Matt 5:21-48) but where his will had been rejected both had a mighty ministry of intercession on behalf of those people (Deut 9:18-19; Heb 5:7 and 7:25).

Those with a prophetic ministry today do well to cultivate the qualities revealed in this summary of the characteristics of Moses and, supremely, those of the "greater than Moses" (Heb 3:3). Among the prophets heard today there are too many who have forgotten the warning "if I have no love my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell" (1 Cor 13:1).

There are many fascinating parallels between the lives of Jesus and Moses, including character qualities that those with a prophetic ministry today would do well to imitate.

Jesus Spoke Only God's Words

The most important characteristic of 'the prophet like Moses' that the Lord promised to raise up for his people is this: "I will put my words in his mouth and he will tell them everything I command him" (Deut 18:18).

Jesus claimed that the initiative in his speaking always came from the Father, and that he never opened his mouth to say what he wanted to say: "I do nothing on my own initiative but I speak these things as the Father taught me" (John 8:28). "For I did not speak on my own initiative, but the Father himself who sent me has given me commandment, what to say and what to speak" (NAS) or, as the NIV helpfully translates, "what to say and how to say it".

If it is still true that "man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4) (and we can be sure that the Lord has not changed his ideas on the subject), then we must face up to the fact that the well-being of God's people depends upon their regular attention to his word, spoken through his prophetic messengers.

It is still true that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word from the mouth of God. The well-being of God's people depends on their regular attention to his word.

How tragic that so many of the Lord's people have dished up every Sunday the latest theories and ideas currently being circulated in their particular group of churches; the experience and theories of their leadership or the latest humanistic conclusions of their Bible critics. God's people need his word spoken in the power of his Spirit, for there is no hope of their spiritual growth if this element is missing from their diet.

Jesus is THE Prophet

Although Moses' promise that God would raise up a prophet like him was partially fulfilled in the prophets subsequently sent to Israel and Judah, it was not until the coming of Jesus that Moses' promise was finally fulfilled. Those who heard him and watched what he was able to do came to the unanimous conclusion that he was THE promised prophet.

When Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain from death: "They were all filled with awe and praised God. 'A great prophet has appeared among us' they said" (Luke 7:16). When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey "the whole city was stirred and asked 'Who is this?' The crowds answered 'This is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee'" (Matt 21:10-11).

After Jesus' crucifixion two disconsolate followers journeying to Emmaus nevertheless said of him: "He was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people" (Luke 24:19). Later on a New Testament writer compares and contrasts Moses and Jesus. He declares them both to have been faithful but expresses the difference between them: "Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house...but Christ is faithful as a son over God's house" (Heb 3:5-6).

Proclaiming God's Standards

If we ask the question 'What is a prophet?' we find many aspects calling for attention in order to reach a complete definition. One aspect which stands out in any study of Moses or Jesus as examples of what a prophet should be is that they took a courageous stand for God's standards. One answer to the question 'What is a prophet?' must therefore be 'someone who makes God's will known and who makes obedience possible'.

God's laws are not designed to make life as miserable as possible but to open our lives to the fullness of his blessing. Hear the heartbeat of God in the words: "Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!" (Deut 5:29).

God's laws are not designed to make life as miserable as possible, but to open our lives to the fullness of his blessing.

Prophets Like Moses Today

If a knowledge of God's standards and his will are the secret of his blessing in the church and in society as a whole, where are we to find those authorised to get the message over? There were prophets in the early church (e.g. Acts 11:28, 13:1-2, 15:32, 21:10). They were not office-bearers limited to one Christian community, neither were they elected to office or set apart by an ecclesiastical ceremony; they simply received a word from God and then proceeded to speak it wherever he sent them. They came and went as the Spirit moved them. The local church was required to test them and then to receive or reject their message.

The picture of these wandering prophets, unburdened by pastoral duties and uninvolved in ecclesiastical responsibilities, coming into a fellowship, speaking what God had given them to say and then departing elsewhere is one we need to recover today; that is, if we have the courage so to do.

Moses Spoke to the Nations

The word ecclesia is used in the Greek version of the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 18:16, where Moses refers to the 'church' of his day. What he said, however, was intended not just for a restricted community, but also, for all mankind.

In Old Testament days Nathan spoke to King David about his treatment of Bathsheba's husband (2 Sam 12:1-15); Elijah spoke about the way King Ahab and Queen Jezebel had appropriated Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21:17-29); Amos addressed the pampered women of Samaria who caused their husbands to oppress the poor so that they could sleep on ivory beds, over-eat and spend a fortune on beauty preparations (Amos 4:1 and 6:4-6); and Jonah was told to rebuke Nineveh (Jonah 1:2).

We accept that Old Testament prophets spoke the word of the Lord to rulers, cities and nations. Why then do prophets today operate almost exclusively in Christian circles?

In New Testament times, John the Baptist not only sought to prepare the hearts of the faithful for the coming Messiah but also rebuked Herod Antipas for his immorality and gave guidance to soldiers and tax-collectors (Luke 3:12-14, 19). We accept that Old Testament prophets spoke the word of the Lord to rulers, cities and nations. Why then are New Testament prophets today operating almost exclusively in Christian circles? In their day Chrysostom and Ambrose did not hesitate to speak God's word to emperors and others in authority. May God raise up prophets like Moses who will fearlessly declare God's standards to our rebellious, sick world.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 2, March/April 1988.

God speaks not only in word, but also in deed. Edmund Heddle unpacks divine signs and their interpretation as part of his series on the prophetic ministry.

The writer of Psalm 46 invites us to come and see "the works of the Lord", while Psalm 105 instructs us to "make known his deeds among the people!" This is because in Bible times God spoke not only through his word, but also by his deeds. God still speaks today through the events and experiences of human history and it is part of the prophet's task to explain the significance of these happenings. For those whose eyes are opened by the Spirit they are 'signs'.

Shocking desolations

Psalm 46:8 tells us that along with other works of God we are to look into the desolations he has made in the earth. The word 'desolations' (Hebrew shammah) comes from a root which means to stun, to grow numb or to stupify. It describes the kind of event that causes shock and consternation. In the older versions of the Bible the word 'hissing' is also found which describes an event that causes a person to whistle through his teeth.

The later versions employ words such as horror or horrific (Jer 25:9). But however 'horrific' these things may be, we are instructed to look into them so that we can grasp what God is saying to the world and to his people through them. This is an important part of the prophetic ministry, both in Bible times and today.

We are instructed to look into the works of God so that we can grasp what he is saying to us. These works include desolations – events that cause shock and horror.

Loving intention

Although they appear awesome and frightening, the prophet Amos makes it clear that all the events recounted in his book (Amos 4:6-13) had as their objective to bring the nation to its knees in repentance; God's grief at the hardness and indifference of Israel is revealed in the constantly repeated phrase, "yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord." The events by which God sought to bring the nation to repentance fall into four categories:

1. Rain failure. The result of the failure of the rain was drought and famine, as is clear from what the Lord said to the people:

I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town...I also withheld rain when harvest was three months away...I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another...people tottered from town to town for water (Amos 4:6-7).

As in the time of Elijah God used a drought to humble a wicked king, Ahab, whose wife was seeking to introduce the worship of Baal into Israel (1 Kings 17:1). In both cases men were reduced to searching the country for water to keep themselves and their cattle alive.

2. Natural calamity. The second category of desolation spelled out in Amos 4 is that of natural calamity. It needed only the wind to be blowing in a certain direction to bring into the land of Israel an invasion of locusts. They usually came from the Arabian Desert to the south or south-east. Locust swarms are driven along by the wind as they have little power of travel by themselves. But the prophet from Tekoa records, "Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees" (Amos 4:9) and it is clear that the Lord directed their invasion of Israel.

Every desolation sent by God – whether disease, war or natural disaster – is sent to bring people to their knees in repentance.

Another natural calamity is the effect of lighting or of a thunderbolt, similar to that which overthrew the cities of the plain. "I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah" (Amos 4:11). The word 'overthrew' may indicate that an earthquake was also involved. Certainly Amos has experienced one, as we see in the opening sentences of his prophecy (Amos 1:1). Some cities were completely devastated whereas others were partially burned, and were compared by the Lord to half-burned sticks saved from a fire.

3. War and bloodshed. The third category of desolation present in Amos 4 is that of war and bloodshed. Continuing to show the lengths to which he had gone to turn their hearts back to him, God said, "I killed your young men with the sword along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps". This particularly sad affliction involving what the old expositor Matthew Henry called 'the strength of the present generation and the seed of the next' must rank amongst the most devastating of all these terrible desolations.

Horses were an important part of ancient warfare and Israel's had been captured and killed. Whoever their enemy was at that particular time we do not know; what we are told is that the stench of corpses and decaying horse-flesh was unbearable and probably caused the pestilence to which the final reference is made.

4. Pestilence and disease. The fourth and final category of desolation which God brought upon Israel was that of pestilence and disease. He says, "I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt" but he also referred to their fields and trees when he added, "I struck your gardens and vineyards with blight and mildew" (Amos 4:9-10). As Amos mentions some nine terrible afflictions brought about by God himself he repeats again and again, "yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord".

The series of disasters that befell Israel were not chance or accidental incidents. It had been revealed to Amos that these desolations came about by divine action and intervention. We have here a striking picture of the persistence and forcefulness of God's loving purpose. The heathen king Nebuchadnezzar was right when he said: "How great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders" (Dan 4:3).

The disasters that befell Israel were not chance or accidental incidents. They came about by divine action, displaying the persistence and force of God's loving purpose.

Prophets and Signs

It is both interesting and informative to study the relationship between signs and prophets.

Samuel was the prophet who asked for a sign to confirm his warning when the people were determined to appoint themselves a king. Samuel said to the people:

"Is it not the wheat harvest now? I will call upon the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realise what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king". Then Samuel called upon the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel (1 Sam 12:17-18).

Normally in that region there is no rain from April to October, so to have rain at wheat harvest, from the middle of May to the middle of June, was a miracle. The sign which Samuel requested gave divine approval to his words of censure.

Elijah was the prophet who after prayer announced that a sign would take place. He confronted King Ahab with the statement: "There will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word" (1 Kings 17:1). He had sought God in prayer concerning the growth of heathen idolatrous worship under the auspices of the wicked queen Jezebel and had asked God to withold rain, "and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years" (James 5:17).

Moses was the prophet commissioned by God to bring into effect a series of signs in Egypt designed to force Pharaoh to release the children of Israel. One of the 'plagues' was a devastating hailstorm. We read:

...when Moses stretched out his staff towards the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground...it was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation...the only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were. (Ex 9:23, 26)

Joel had the happier experience of seeing people repent after the sign of an invasion of locusts. He urged the priests and the people, the children and even a bride and her groom to join a solemn assembly (Joel 2:15-17) to beseech God to spare his people. He was able later to assure all who had joined in the humbling that God would repay them for the years the locusts had eaten: "You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God" (Joel 2:25-26).

Haggai was the prophet who explained the meaning of the disappointing sign to a group of people who had returned from exile in Babylon.

Now this is what the Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat but never enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it" (Hagg 1:5-6).

Haggai then was able to interpret the signs when he complained, on God's behalf, "My house remains a ruin while each of you is busy with his own house, therefore because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops" (Hagg 1:9-10).

The first Bible sign

In contrast to the signs that provoke shock and horror, the first sign in the Bible is one of beauty and mercy. After the evil generation of Noah's day had been destroyed, God began again with Noah and his family. As they emerged from the ark to begin a new life God showed them a beautiful sign and said, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds". It was not left to a prophet to explain its meaning for God himself revealed its significance when he said,

...this is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you...whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures...on the earth. (Gen 9:12-16)

There are good signs for today's prophets to interpret, just as there are horrific desolations that need explanation.

What do today's events mean?

When questioned about some Galilean pilgrims whose blood Pilate had mixed with the sacrifices they were offering in the Temple, Jesus refused to accept the popular idea that this crime proved they were greater sinners than other Galileans. He then went on to draw his questioners' attention to an accident in which eighteen people had been fatally injured when a tower in Siloam had collapsed and fallen upon them (Luke 13:1-5). Again he stated categorically that they were not worse offenders than the other citizens of Jerusalem.

The right way of reacting to these signs - Jesus insisted - was to repent, otherwise they too would perish. As we seek to discover what God is saying through today's shocking events, the call to repentance - both in the way we live and in the message we proclaim - remains a constant word from God. Alongside this, we need prophets to help us learn the other lessons which God reveals to us through his deeds.

As we seek to discover what the Lord is saying through today's shocking events, the call to repentance remains a constant word from God.

The American space-shuttle disintegrated before the appalled gaze of millions across the globe. The Soviet Union experienced a nuclear disaster at Chernobyl that released radioactive material far and wide with devastating effect to both human and animal life. Britain witnessed the lighting strike York Minster, the Bradford football stadium disaster, the Zeebrugge ferry capsize and the massacres at Hungerford and Bristol carried out by gun-crazy young men, in one case responding to occult instructions.

God is surely speaking today through deeds as well as by his words. We urgently need prophets who can interpret these stupendous events and explain what God is saying to his church and to his world.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 1, January/February 1988.

This perhaps unattractive title refers to an essential aspect of any true prophetic ministry, one which cannot be neglected without creating an unbalanced presentation of God's truth.

The prophets of the Old Testament rejoiced to proclaim God's acts of mercy in the past, delivering his people and individuals from their enemies and from disasters of all kinds. They delighted to reassure God's people that he was present with them and that the Holy One of Israel in their midst was mighty. They strained their linguistic ability to express his promise of a future deliverance and victory, when "the wolf will lie down with the lamb" and "the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea" (Isa 11:6-9).

They had also to proclaim divine warnings of the awful consequences of the continued breaking of God's laws by both individuals and nations. The people were longing for 'the Day of the Lord' but the prophets had to point out that, unless they changed their ways, it would be for them a day of darkness and disaster (Amos 5:18). "Wail, Alas for the day!" was their reaction (Eze 30:2-3), and their prophecies are littered with such expressions as "Woe", "Ah, Lord God", "Alas" (for this) and "Alas" (for that), all of which expressed their reaction to the prophetic 'burden' they were called to bear.

Today's Prophets

As we give further thought to the prophet's role, we must stress the unchanging responsibility of today's 'forth-tellers' to declare God's laws and the consequences of ignoring or rejecting them. We have heard any number of prophecies which assure us that all is well; like the people of Isaiah's day, we want today's prophets to "tell us pleasant things" (Isa 30:10). We are living in serious times, far more serious than many imagine.

At the same time I am not calling for a rash of heavy condemnatory utterances which reveal more of the personal animosity of the prophet than they do of the heart of God. Like Isaiah, Jeremiah and the other prophets who said, "I weep...I drench you with tears"..."I will weep and wail...and take up a lament" (Isa 16:9 and Jer 9:10), we need to stand in the presence of God until we feel his heart-beat before we can even begin to share their ministry.

There are any number of prophecies assuring us that all is well. What we need is to feel God's heart-beat – even if it's one of lament.

Weeping Prophets' Vocabulary

'Alas!' is an exclamation of unhappiness or alarm expressing grief and voicing concern. It occurs only about four times in the Old Testament but expresses the anguish of the prophets who voiced it (Jeremiah 30:7, Ezekiel 6:11, Joel 1:15 and Amos 5:16). The word 'Alas!' occurs in the RSV rendering of these verses.

'Ah, Lord God' or 'Ah, Sovereign Lord' are special phrases used by both Jeremiah and Ezekiel, occurring four times in each of their prophecies. It is used to express their bewilderment at what God had allowed to happen, or to challenge the situation. They reason with the Lord and even tell him that he has deceived them. This poignant little phrase indicates both their respect for God but also their involvement with his people and the awful tension that these situations created (Jer 4:10, 32:17; Eze 9:8; 11:13). Jeremiah was so distressed that he even cursed the day he was born (Jer 15:10).

'Woe!' is the most frequently employed word in this connection. It is used nearly 60 times and occurs in ten of the prophetic books of the Old Testament. It is a word of condemnation and as such used in both the Old and New Testaments. But it speaks of sadness as well as of judgment. Although it may have the nature in prophetic denunciation of pronouncing an anathema or curse, it also conveys an element of grief and distress. This is true also of the 'Woes!' of the Lord Jesus recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke (Matt 11:21, 23:13-16; Luke 6:24, 11:42-47).

'Woes!' Addressed to Individuals

In Habakkuk 2:5-20 there are five 'Woes!' (verses 6, 9, 12, 15 and 19), and they are addressed to the man who piles up stolen goods, who builds his kingdom by extortion, who resorts to bloodshed in his building programme of self-glorification, who gets his neighbour drunk with evil sexual intent, and who makes an idol and bids it "Come to life!".

There is a similar list of six 'Woes!' in Isaiah 5:8-23. Like those in the Habakkuk passage, they are all addressed to individuals. There is still a place for a prophetic word today to individuals, pointing out where their conduct is contrary to what we know to be the word of God. Spoken in the power of the Spirit, such a word can lead to repentance and a change in lifestyle.

There is still a place for prophetic words to individuals, spoken in the power of the Spirit to provoke repentance.

'Woes!' Addressed to Nations

In order to gain the full force of what the Old Testament prophets felt about their ministry to nations as well as to individuals, we need to re-discover a word that is now hidden if we are using one of the more recent versions of the Bible. In the King James' rendering we come across the word 'burden', which is used frequently to describe the prophets' awareness of the weight and importance of the message God gave them to speak to the nations.

From a Hebrew word which means 'to lift up or to bear away', it has the dual meaning of that which is borne by a man and that which is born to a man. A prediction of severe judgment might well be a 'burden' that would render both body and mind uneasy. It might even be spoken of as being more than someone can bear. Such a prophetic word would be a 'burden' to the one who carried it, as well as to the one for whom it was destined. The word is translated as 'oracle' in most modern versions, by the prophet called to announce it.

The Prophet's Burden

The earlier chapters of Isaiah speak of the vision he saw (Isa 1:1) or of the word he received (Isa 2:1) but from chapter 13 onwards each prophecy is introduced by a different expression: that of a 'burden'. This continues until chapter 23.

God had things to say to Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Idumea, Arabia, Tyre and the Negev, as well as Jerusalem herself. To each of the nations or communities quite detailed and specific messages were conveyed - one wonders whether they were ever received. What is clear is that a considerable part of Isaiah's prophecy is taken up with foreign nations. Are we to assume that God had things to say to those ancient nations but has nothing to say to the nations of today? Is prophecy to be limited to the local church and its activities? Is there not a burden on our shoulders, too, to find out what the Lord wants proclaimed?

Considerable parts of Isaiah's prophecy are addressed to nations other than Israel. Are we to assume that God had things to say to them but has nothing to say to the nations of today?

Are We God's Burden?

In a foreboding passage in Jeremiah (23:33-40) the people are told by the prophet that when asked "What is the burden of the Lord!" they were to reply "You are the burden and I will cast you off". Instead of carrying God's word to whoever he had sent it, they were a burden and an obstruction to his purposes.

Later on in the same passage it is clear that the burden they were carrying was not the divine word but their own word, and in so doing they were perverting the words of the living God. Judgment is inevitable on those who stand in the way of sending forth God's word or who pervert the truth as they pass it on to others.

Expressing God's Compassion

One book in the Old Testament expresses particularly well the compassion, even agony, of a prophet - in this case Jeremiah - at the disaster that had overwhelmed Jerusalem. In Lamentations we see the kind of attitude that today's prophets ought to take over those who reject the Lord's word and plunge themselves into terrible trouble.

One could go almost through the alphabet with words that are used in this book to express the feelings felt in such situations: affliction, anguish, betrayed, bitterness, calamity, crushed, crying out, disgraced, downcast, destroyed, disturbed...right through to weary, wasting away, weeping, without pity and without hope! How the nations need prophets who will care like Jeremiah did!

The 'Woes!' of Jesus

There was one who cared even more than Jeremiah. Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth, wept over Jerusalem. He did not pray for that city, because it was now too late. He could only weep and exclaim, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not" (Matt 23:37). For Jerusalem, the Lord's special city, it was too late. There is still time, though perhaps not much, for us to get God's word to the nations. "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?" (Isa 6:8). It is those who care who will reply: "Send me!"

First Published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3 No 6, November/December 1987.

We submit two historical prophecies to readers for weighing and testing.

This week we are re-publishing two historical prophecies given in Norway – one from 1968, the other from 1937. They concern events in Europe and their relation to the fulfilment of end times prophecy. Of particular interest and encouragement is point four in the 1968 prophecy, which appears to foresee the current refugee crisis.

These prophecies can be found elsewhere on the internet, but their authenticity has been verified to the best of our ability. We submit them to you for your prayerful testing.

1968 Prophecy by 90 Year Old Woman in Norway

An old woman of 90 from Valdres in Norway had a vision from God in 1968. The evangelist Emanuel Minos had meetings (services) where she lived. He had the opportunity to meet her, and she told him what she had seen. He wrote it down, but thought it to be so unintelligible that he put it in a drawer. Now, almost 30 years later, he understands he has to share the vision with others.

The woman from Valdres was a very alert, reliable, awake and credible Christian, with a good reputation among all who knew her. This is what she saw:

"I saw the time just before the coming of Jesus and the outbreak of the Third World War. I saw the events with my natural eyes. I saw the world like a kind of a globe and saw Europe, land by land. I saw Scandinavia. I saw Norway. I saw certain things that would take place just before the return of Jesus, and just before the last calamity happens, a calamity the likes of which we have never before experienced."

She mentioned four waves:

1. "First before Jesus comes and before the Third World War breaks out there will be a 'détente' like we have never had before. There will be peace between the super powers in the east and the west, and there will be a long peace. (Remember, that this was in 1968 when the cold war was at its highest. E. Minos) In this period of peace there will be disarmament in many countries, also in Norway and we are not prepared when it (the war) comes. The Third World War will begin in a way no one would have anticipated - and from an unexpected place."
2. "A lukewarmness without parallel will take hold of the Christians, a falling away from true, living Christianity. Christians will not be open for penetrating preaching. They will not, like in earlier times, want to hear of sin and grace, law and gospel, repentance and restoration. There will come a substitute instead: prosperity (happiness) Christianity."
   • "The important thing will be to have success, to be something; to have material things, things that God never promised us in this way. Churches and prayer houses will be emptier and emptier. Instead of the preaching we have been used to for generations -like, to take your cross up and follow Jesus, - entertainment, art and culture will invade the churches where there should have been gatherings for repentance and revival. This will increase markedly just before the return of Jesus."
3. "There will be a moral disintegration that old Norway has never experienced the likes of. People will live together like married without being married. (I do not believe the concept 'co-habitor'? existed in 1968 - E. Minos) Much uncleanness before marriage, and much infidelity in marriage will become the natural (the common), and it will be justified from every angle. It will even enter Christian circles and we pet it - even sin against nature. Just before Jesus return there will be TV- programs like we have never experienced." (TV had just arrived in Norway in 1968. E. Minos)
   • "TV will be filled with such horrible violence that it teaches people to murder and destroy each other, and it will be unsafe in our streets. People will copy what they see. There will not be only one 'station' on TV, it will be filled with 'stations.' (She did not know the word 'channel' which we use today. Therefore she called them stations. E. Minos) TV will be just like the radio where we have many 'stations,' and it will be filled with violence. People will use it for entertainment. We will see terrible scenes of murder and destruction one of the other, and this will spread in society. Sex scenes will also be shown on the screen, the most intimate things that takes place in a marriage." (I protested and said, we have a paragraph that forbids this kind of thing. E. Minos) There the old woman said: "It will happen, and you will see it. All we have had before will be broken down, and the most indecent things will pass before our eyes."
4. People from poor countries will stream to Europe. (In 1968 there was no such thing as immigration. E. Minos) They will also come to Scandinavia - and Norway. There will be so many of them that people will begin to dislike them and become hard with them. They will be treated like the Jews before the Second World War. Then the full measure of our sins will have been reached." (I protested at the issue of immigration. I did not understand it at the time. E. Minos)

The tears streamed from the old woman's eyes down her cheeks. "I will not see it, but you will. Then suddenly, Jesus will come and the Third World War breaks out. It will be a short war." (She saw it in the vision.)

"All that I have seen of war before is only child's play compared to this one, and it will be ended with a nuclear atom bomb. The air will be so polluted that one cannot draw one's breath. It will cover several continents, America, Japan, Australia and the wealthy nations. The water will be ruined (contaminated?). We can no longer till the soil. The result will be that only a remnant will remain. The remnant in the wealthy countries will try to flee to the poor countries, but they will be as hard on us as we were on them."

"I am so glad that I will not see it, but when the time draws near, you must take courage and tell this. I have received it from God, and nothing of it goes against what the Bible tells."

"The one who has his sin forgiven and has Jesus as Savior and Lord, is safe."

WHEN THE OIL FLOWS

An elder in the Pentecostal Church at Moss, Norway, Martin Andersen, heard the following prophecy in 1937, in Moss:

'When oil comes out of the North Sea and along the Norwegian coast, things will begin to happen, and the return of Jesus is approaching.'

When these words had been proclaimed, people stood up in the congregation and asked the man to sit down and not speak such nonsense. In 1937 it was indeed nonsense to talk about oil being pumped along the Norwegian coast. Today all the world's big oil companies are pumping oil along the coast of Norway. Norway is the world's second greatest exporter of oil - after Saudi Arabia.

The sum of it all is: Jesus is coming soon (suddenly).

Original source editor's note:

The above account was originally transmitted from Israel to friends in the US. It was sent by a Norwegian Christian worker by the name of Ragna Von Porat. Ragna states in a footnote that it was translated from Danish. She further states that Emanuel Minos, the evangelist mentioned in the account, was her friend's closest neighbor in Oslo. She says, "I heard him in my young days. My parents knew him."

Because of my fear of transmitting false prophecy, I have diligently inquired concerning the information in this letter. Publication has been delayed until permission could be secured from Ragna in Israel. In my contact with her, she has assured me that these accounts are true and reliable. In fact, she relates that the first account has already been published in one of Norway's Christian newspapers.

I have found in my own research that the first account was also published by the Christian Information Service in Germany. The website of Dr. Emanuel Minos is active today and can be accessed for verification [NOTE FROM PROPHECY TODAY: Emanuel Minos passed away in 2014 and his website is no longer live]. Although the language on this site is Norwegian, the very similar story of the woman and her vision is posted there in English. The above accounts are transmitted just as they were received.

Ragna took it upon herself to verify as much of the above information as she could. In contacting the Embassy of Norway she learned that Norway has now dropped to the world's third largest oil exporter. Ragna states, "I certainly have no objection to your going ahead [with publishing]. It must be now-if ever."

Clifford Hill suggests that God might be offering European Christians a great opportunity through the refugee crisis.

There are no signs of stemming the flow of people seeking to escape war and poverty in the Middle East. Nearly half a million people have crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe this year, and this is just a fraction of the millions who may be heading for Europe. EU leaders meeting on 23 September decided to "tackle the dramatic situation at our external borders and strengthen controls at those borders".¹ So Europe's open door is soon to be closed in face of the tide that has overwhelmed Italy, Greece, Macedonia, Hungary, Serbia and Croatia and created problems throughout Europe.

Even Germany is struggling to cope with the sheer numbers involved and the nightmare task of registering people with no passports or personal papers. But these numbers could lead to a vast inflow from the 60 million displaced people worldwide according to UN estimates.

Germany has at last realised that continuing to signal welcome signs could have catastrophic effects upon the social and economic health of Europe and they too say they must limit numbers. But Germany is now facing other problems.

Germany is finally realising that continuing to signal welcome signs could have catastrophic effects upon the social and economic health of Europe.

German DominationGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel.

For a number of years Germany has been boasting of its riches and flexing its power muscles in Europe; dominating the European Central Bank, forcing disastrous policies upon Greece and directing EU economic and political policy.

Suddenly the VW scandal has broken on the scene. The motor company with the world's largest sales has been caught cheating with a device that gives a false reading of its engine efficiency when on the test pad. Millions of euros were wiped off the value of the company within 48 hours and the scandal is so enormous that it has the potential of bankrupting the firm and seriously affecting the German national economy. Germans need to ask what God is saying to them through such a humiliation.

Quota System

Meanwhile meetings of EU heads and officials this week struggled to agree a quota system for those already in Europe, in the face of fierce opposition from East European nations who do not want an influx of Muslims into Christian countries. Having triggered the large inflow of migrants, Germany is now agreeing with others who believe the right way to deal with this crisis is to put EU funds into helping Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, where they are struggling to cope with the 4 million displaced Syrians already in their countries. In addition there are 11 million homeless Syrians in their own country, displaced by a brutal war.

Russian Involvement

A further complication to an already confusing situation is the evidence that Russia is becoming involved in military action in support of President Assad. There seems no chance of the rebels in the Syrian civil war being victorious. But Russia's fears are of the real possibility of an Islamic State victory, which would undoubtedly destabilise already troubled relationships within Russia with its own large Muslim minority.

This is presenting the USA with a dilemma: their bombing missions over many months have been unable to deter the advance of ISIS in the region, but they have no wish to see Russia establish a base in Syria and become a dominant force in the Middle East.

Russia's growing military support of Assad is presenting another Middle East complication, as the US has no wish to see Russia a dominant force in the region.

Israel Anxiety

Sitting on the sideline, people in Israel are watching the situation developing on their doorstep with growing anxiety. Lance Lambert believed that solving the Syrian crisis would not bring peace and security to Israel. In fact he believed that once the Muslim nations stopped fighting each other they would turn their attention to Israel because their ultimate objective is the annihilation of the Jewish State (see Part 2 of his 1988 interview with Gary Clayton, here).

International negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme, March 2015.

This is why the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has been so strongly opposed to the deal with Iran agreed by Obama that allows the continuation of Iranian nuclear ambitions. He knows that their aim is to build a nuclear bomb for an attack upon Israel.

Is there any word from the Lord?

How will it all end? Is there any word from the Lord to guide us in these chaotic days? One of the things that Jesus said would be a sign that we are approaching the time of his Second Coming is what we've often described as the "shaking of the nations". This is prophesied in a number of places in the Bible, notably Isaiah chapters 2 and 24, as well as Haggai 2 and Hebrews 12. The main places in the Gospels are in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.

Luke records the teaching of Jesus on this subject, saying that it will not only be the earth and the nations that will be shaken but that "Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken" (Luke 21:26).

But Jesus also said, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28). So, far from being nervous, we should be excited when we see these things beginning to happen in our own lifetime! But it is most essential both to study the word of God and also to learn to use our prayer times for listening to the Lord and not just for speaking. We need to know what God requires us to do.

Jesus said that when we see things prophesied in Scripture coming to pass, we should stand in hope – not faint from fear – for his Second Coming draws near.

False Religion

One of the things that Jesus says will be a feature of the end times is that there will be a lot of false religion around. He warns about being deceived, "for false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible" (Matt 24:24).

The greatest threat from false religion today is Islam, whose militant leaders are deceiving many to give up their own lives and take those of others. Right across the world, Christians are being persecuted by Muslims. This is most intense where militant Islamists operate and in areas where multitudes of Muslims are converting to Christianity (such as in Indonesia, where two million Muslims a year are leaving Islam and accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour). Militant Muslims are carrying out a savage persecution of Christians. Churches are being attacked and Christians beheaded, but all this is only causing more conversions to Christianity.

Indonesian Spiritual Awakening

Until recently, Indonesia was known as having the largest Muslim population in the world. But since the 1980s there has been an escalating growth in Christian churches right across the land. Our team from Issachar Ministries has ministered there many times in the past 20 years and had a small share in this. In the 1990s the Muslim Government became worried about this growth and they introduced a programme of mass resettlement – moving large numbers of Muslim families out of overcrowded Jakarta into islands that were solidly Christian.

Something amazing happened! The Christians welcomed the newcomers with open arms and great generosity; helping them to settle, find work and be part of the local community. They were shown so much love which the Christians said was "the love of Jesus" that most of the families converted to Christianity. The Imams complained that the policy was disastrous and so the Government stopped the resettlement after about 10 years. But news of what had happened spread like wildfire across Indonesia, fuelling the great spiritual awakening and move from Islam to Christianity that is now gathering momentum.

God's Purposes for Europe

Could it be within the purposes of God to bring large numbers of Muslim migrants into Europe in these days in order for them to be released from the spiritual darkness of Islam?

We've not done a very good job with the four million Muslims from Pakistan who have arrived in Britain since 1960. But that's due largely to our immigration policy that makes no attempt to integrate them into society and teach them our language and Judaeo-Christian heritage. It allows them to form closed communities where many women live in virtual slavery and there are few opportunities for Christians to have any contact with their neighbours.

Could it be part of God's purpose in bringing large numbers of Muslim migrants into Europe today is for them to be released from the spiritual darkness of Islam?

The migrants coming from Syria come from a very different culture to that in rural areas of Pakistan and there will be greater openness to integration and opportunities for Christians to share their faith. At the same time God has allowed the Islamic State to perform the same barbaric practices as the founder of their religion in the seventh century, exposing to the world the spirit that drives this religion.

Opportunity for Christians

This is giving Christians in Europe the opportunity of showing the difference between the god whom Mohamed served and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas Mohamed insisted on forced conversions at the point of the sword and beheaded those who refused, Jesus said:

You have heard that it was said, 'love your neighbour and hate your enemy'. But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven... (Matt 5:43)

There can be no greater contrast than this between the two religions. This is the opportunity that God is presenting to Christians in Europe through the great migration currently taking place.

References

1 Press release from the informal meeting of EU heads of state or government on migration, Brussels, 23 September 2015.

Clifford Denton asks: is there something special about the year 2015? What should we make of the large number of anniversaries celebrated this year? Are they just 'coincidences' - or is Almighty God speaking to us through them?

Looking back while going forward

It is a biblical principle to constantly look back and remember what God has done for his people. This is the basis of the Passover when, once a year, the families of Israel were to gather round the meal table and recount their deliverance from Egypt so many years ago. This was also the opportunity for the baton of remembrance to be passed on to each new generation, as the youngest child asked the father, "Why is this night different from other nights?"

If we do not take steps to remember then we easily forget.

More positively, to look back and remember God's faithfulness helps us to step forward in faith into an otherwise uncertain future.

To look back and remember God's faithfulness helps us to step forward into an otherwise uncertain future.

History is littered with metaphorical ebenezars – our stones of remembrance (see 1 Samuel 7:12). So, in 2015 it is good for us to pause and consider where we have come from and how God has helped us. The United Kingdom, despite all its faults, has much that is good to remember this year.

A Long List of Anniversaries

Earlier this year the Daily Telegraph published English Heritage's 'Top Ten Anniversaries for 2015'. Each has brought with it some form of significant celebration across the nation, including:

1. 800 years since the signing of Magna Carta
2. 200 years since the Battle of Waterloo
3. 600 years since the Battle of Agincourt
4. 100 years since the beginning of trench warfare of the First World War
5. 70 years since VE Day marked the ending of the War in Europe
6. 50 Years since the death of Sir Winston Churchill
7. 750 years since the first English Parliament
8. 700 years since the Siege of Carlisle by Robert the Bruce
9. 1000 years since the Viking invasion of England by Cnut
10. 75 years since the Evacuation of Dunkirk in the Second World War

It is difficult to know where to draw the line on our celebrations of the past. An extreme example is a list of '4000 newsworthy items' occurring in 2015, many less well-known than others but some of major significance to add to our list of 10 (or 20, or 30) or so anniversaries already noted in the news and elsewhere.

Celebrating Major National Landmarks

Every week this year seems to bring a memorial or celebration of yet another major milestone in our history.

For example, on the day that I drafted this article (15 September) there was a memorial flight of a large gathering of Spitfires and Hurricanes across the south of England - perhaps the greatest number seen over our shores since the Battle of Britain, which began on this date 75 years ago. Millions watched the television coverage of this event.

Just over a fortnight ago, amidst much national and international jubilation, the Queen became the longest serving monarch in British history.

Around the same time, in the regular yearly celebration at the BBC's Last Night of the Proms the promenaders burst forth in song with 'Land of Hope and Glory', 'Rule Brittania' and even 'Jerusalem', with keen nationalistic fervour (perhaps the stronger this year because of its many historic reminders). Perhaps this is over-enthusiastic - and yet there is much in our history to stir such sentiments.

All this in a world which is beginning to shake in fulfilment of biblical prophecies pointing to the soon return of Jesus the Messiah.

Rejoice, Repent...or Both?

Could it be that it is no casual coincidence that our nation is remembering so much in one year – but that it is of God? Are we reaching a point where such reflection should lead us to repentance and trust in God for the last few years of this era of human history? This may seem a bleak sort of question to ask of a nation that is celebrating good things, but could this be God's purpose for us (the opposite of what some might think)?

Any one of the major celebrations tugs at the heart. World conflicts where millions of men and women once struggled for survival; major landmarks of the formation of Britain's constitutional principles settling a balance of freedom in which we could be a nation under God; our long-living monarch who made a solemn vow to God to maintain his laws and the true profession of the Gospel.

If we examine the dates closely we find not only political and military milestones but also significant dates of the formation of missionary movements, reminding us how our nation was used by God to send the Gospel to many Gentile nations. Layer upon layer of wide-ranging history is before us this year. It is time to pause and think – and to pray.

Man's Point of ViewFlypast for Battle of Britain anniversary, 2015. See Photo Credits.

Many of the celebrations this year have been accompanied by Church services. This, on the face of it, brings some encouragement. Yet, if we dig a bit beneath the surface there is a tendency for two points of concern. One is that services are increasingly multi-faith – a heritage of Empire perhaps, when we failed to sufficiently emphasise the Gospel at the time of our greatest opportunity, majoring instead on trade and political influence. Now we reap some repercussions as our nation struggles for identity, when biblical principles are gradually compromised in a multi-cultural, multi-faith society.

Secondly, there is a growing tendency to remember what men and women did, rather than what God did for us. Of course there has been much human effort to bring our nation through its developing history, and much human sacrifice in the cause of freedom. Yet we did not do this alone and we must balance our view of man's contribution with a clear understanding of how God has helped us – perhaps more than we think.

God's Point of View

Has God sent us a clear word during this year of celebration that draws our attention to his own perspective and his own call to our nation? Surely this is the opportunity for us to seek him and ask him. Throughout our history the hand of God has been on our affairs. If there is anything good then it is he who brought it about. At our best we realised this, but the memory soon fades.

For example, in the hours of our greatest need in the Second World War, the King called the nation to prayer. When victory finally came, after many a miraculous deliverance, the first thing that Prime Minister Winston Churchill did was lead the entire body of Parliament to St Margaret's Church in Westminster to give thanks to Almighty God.

We are in a different war now. It is more in the spiritual domain. This is the time of rising deception, false prophecy and false messiahs (among other things), as foretold by Jesus himself (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13). Is this why we are looking back so significantly to the ebenezars (stones of remembrance) of our history?

Is God himself wanting us to pause and consider our history from his perspective and not our own? How much time do we have? Perhaps this year, perhaps the duration of our Queen's reign, who knows? Is this why there is so much emphasis on looking back all in one year – to make the point most strongly?

Days of Prophetic Fulfilment

It is interesting that there was another year of significant memories not long ago - the year was 1988. Then, we recalled such things as:

• 450 years of the availability of the English Bible in every parish
• 400 years since the defeat of the Spanish Armada
• 350 years since the National Covenant in Scotland
• 300 years since the 'Glorious Revolution'
• 250 years since the conversion of the Wesleys
• 150 years since the abolition of slavery in the British Empire;
• and - still of great and central importance - 300 years since the Coronation Oath Act.

1988 was another significant year to reflect as a nation.

Around that time a number of Christian ministries came to prominence; among them was the Prophecy Today. Having been launched in its print magazine format in 1985, in 1988 the Prophecy Today team undertook a national tour with large meetings around the country, declaring the word of the Lord for our times.

Now, at the time of this second wave of significant memorials, Prophecy Today has been re-launched. The first editions of the earlier magazine brought warning. Now we are at a time of fulfilment. Perhaps 2015 marks a decision point for our nation in greater ways than most of us have realised.

It is time for us to pause and consider so that we might, in a meaningful way, turn to prayer. It is a poignant, God-given moment in our history where, in the context of present crises among the nations and with weak international leadership, we can recall what God has done for us in the past, and ask him what he has to say to us today. This is true for both the Christian Church and the nation as a whole.

This year is an opportunity for both church and nation to pause and consider what God has done for us in the past, and to ask him what he has to say to us today.

Last week we re-printed part of an interview with Lance Lambert, in which he gives a Messianic perspective on the future of the Jewish people. Interviewed by Gary Clayton, he concludes by assessing the significance of lsraeI's fortieth anniversary in the light of scripture and world events.

I believe that in many ways the fortieth anniversary of modern IsraeI's history has to be deeply significant. Indeed, there has hardly been a phase in the past forty years that has not been of significance.

It is surely noteworthy that most of the political and military analysts examining the Middle East situation in 1946 and 1947 — before the State of Israel was created — found it hard to believe that Israel would survive. Even after her first year it still seemed incredible that she could have lasted so long. There have been five wars in the forty year period, three of which could easily have seen the liquidation of both state and nation. lt is remarkable that every war has ended not only in Israeli survival, but in triumph — including the first, a war of independence.

Triumph and survival

People tend to attribute this survival to Jewish intelligence and ingenuity, but as someone who is both a Jew and an Israeli, living in and being part of the nation, I realise what a miracle it is that we have come through. But this is not the only miracle. Anyone examining the economy of Israel can see that it has been disastrously managed. Red tape and bureaucracy have caused enormous problems, which is surprising when we remember that throughout the world Jews are regarded as shrewd and successful businessmen.

Yet forty years on, despite such mismanagement, Israel has a viable economy. This to me is as great a miracle as the one of political stability. It is truly remarkable therefore that Israel has reached her fortieth year.

The question we need to ask is what this new phase actually signifies. Some believe that IsraeI's wars and troubles are over and that she is going to move into a period of peace and establishment, but l cannot subscribe to that view. My intuition and understanding of the prophetic word tell me that Israel faces further war and suffering in the years immediately ahead. I expect that this will herald the beginning of a much greater fulfilment of God's purposes for the nation. The fortieth anniversary is just the start.

My intuition and understanding of the prophetic word tell me that Israel faces further war and suffering in the years immediately ahead. The fortieth anniversary may herald a much greater fulfilment of God's purposes for the nation.

Hakhel: The Solemn Convocation

An event took place in Israel last year during the Feast of Tabernacles which went practically unnoticed by the outside world, yet it was one which I feel has great significance. This was the re-enaction of a ceremony which had not been held in Jerusalem for over 2,500 years, not in fact since the time when the last kings of Judah were in the land. It is called the Hakhel, a solemn convocation. This was always summoned in the Sh'mittah, or seventh year, when the land had to lie fallow.

During this ceremony the high priest would gather the people in the Temple and ask the king to read the law from the book of Deuteronomy. For the first time in two and a half millennia, the two chief rabbis gave notice that they were going to hold this ceremony at the western wall, and asked President Chaim Herzog if he would represent the king while they took the place of the high priest. I was present with a group of Messianic believers. It was a most moving and remarkable event with more than thirty-five thousand people present, the largest crowd I ever seen at the western wall.

In 1987 during the Feast of Tabernacles, the Hakhel ceremony was re-enacted in Jerusalem for the first time in over 2,500 years.

Unearthly Sounds

It began with a fanfare of military trumpets to announce the arrival of the president, and then a strange, unearthly sound suddenly filled the air. I wondered what it was, but looking up l saw seven men on the western wall dressed in the garb of Levites, blowing seven silver trumpets. From the south-west corner of the temple wall came the sound of a further seven blowing similar instruments, and the two groups echoed one another back and forth. These silver trumpets were being blown for the first time in thousands of years so as to call together the meeting, the solemn convocation.

The law was read and there was much prayer, which I found very moving. There was a strong sense of the Spirit of God and there could hardly have been one Messianic Jew present who was not deeply moved, even to tears. The prayer was for Israel to be given the gift of repentance; for her to return to the Lord and for the Lord to renew her so that she would be able to walk in his ways, forsaking all unrighteousness.

Moving prayers were said for Israel to be given the gift of repentance, for her to return to the Lord and for the Lord to renew her so she would be able to walk in his ways.

We all felt it was a most important event, and coming at the beginning of the new Jewish year of 5748, the fortieth anniversary of Israel, we could not help but wonder what it might herald. It could indicate the beginning of a movement of the Spirit of God to establish the Messianic community and turn the nation towards the Lord.

On the one hand this new phase in Israel's history may see even more war and suffering, on the other it may see the establishment of the nation in new and deeper ways than ever before, particularly on a spiritual level.

Prophecy of Conflict

Looking at Israel and the global situation, I recollect that it is now 14 or 15 years since I first began warning people that we could be in the run-up to the fulfilment of the prophecy in Ezekiel 38 and 39 concerning war against Israel:

In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land (Eze 38:7-9).

Viewing the Middle East through Israeli eyes, it seems clear to me that events are being moved into place in readiness for this prophecy to be fulfilled.

Reflections on the Gulf War

The Ayatollah has received something of a setback in the Gulf as a result of the involvement of Western powers, with lraq's re-arming by the French, the West Germans and the British naturally prolonging the war. The involvement of the United States in bringing its navy into the Gulf with 14 of its warships and the re-flagging of Kuwaiti ships under the Stars and Stripes have likewise prolonged the conflict, as has the Soviet Union's own massive military assistance to Iraq.

It is hard to believe that this war has gone on for more than eight years, resulted in over a million deaths and continues with still no sign of an end in view. Israeli intelligence believes that there will be at least another two years before there is any outcome. Had Iraq and Iran been left to themselves, lraq would probably have collapsed long ago. Her economy is in ruins and her second-largest city practically a ghost town, with no ships able to get in or out of her port. The oil fields in the north have been partially wrecked and Baghdad has been under continuous threat of bombardment by missiles. The Iranians number about 70 million people and are determined to win this war. Morale is quite high and although the economy has suffered it is still functioning.

Iraq, meanwhile, is in colossal debt. She numbers just under 16 million people and suffers from poor morale. I believe Iran will win this war, and so far every month that passes makes it seem even more likely. The other Arab and Islamic leaders are all afraid of Iran. An American intelligence report based on a three and a half month's study stated that it did not matter if there were forty American ships in the Gulf or a hundred, Iran would still win. Not long ago a number of unofficial delegations comprising high-ranking Soviet officials went to Tehran. This may be significant since the American presence in the Gulf is quite likely to trigger a Soviet response.

In the end, Iran may get desperate to conclude the war and so might decide to do some kind of deal with the Soviet Union. I am not predicting that this will necessarily happen, but we should watch out for such developments as they could be significant in the light of Ezekiel's prophecy in chapter 38, concerning the evil scheme of the 'country from the far north' to advance with many nations against Israel.

Agenda against Israel

For many years people have asked what would happen if Iran won the war. The answer is simple, since their oft-stated aim is the 'liberation' of Jerusalem and the liquidation of Israel. I have no doubt that once victory over Iraq is complete they will seek to thrust through Jordan and press on to the mountains of Moab and Gilead.

Iraq is also an enemy of Israel, and this is why the latter has been only too happy for Iran and Iraq to have been at each other's throats for so long. I believe that, once the war is over, the victors' attention will shift to Israel.

I believe that once the Gulf War is over, the victors' attentions will shift to Israel.

Syria, meanwhile, is in a quandary. Her economy is in ruins and she is dependent on Saudi Arabia to bail her out. The Kuwaitis, Saudis and other sheikhs have been pouring large sums of money into Iraq to keep her afloat and Saudi Arabia recently questioned whether she would continue to support Syria in view of the latter's antagonistic attitude towards Iraq. Not so long ago at the Islamic Conference at Amman Jordan's King Hussein tried to bring about a reconciliation between Syria and Iraq. The one thing Syria and Iraq have in common is that both are violently opposed to Israel.

Glasnost: real openness or window-dressing?

In Mikhail Gorbachev the Soviet Union has the youngest and most popular leader for decades. As a result of his glasnost ('openess') policy he has an excellent public image. He appears a much more open, contemporary and compassionate leader, yet it is hard to believe that a man who was for many years a leader in the KGB could ever really be as good as he sounds. I do not know of a single Jew released from Soviet Union who does not regard glasnost as little more than an exercise in window-dressing. Many of them are concerned that the West is being taken in by this new approach.

I believe that the Soviet Union's real plan is to let out some ten thousand or so Jewish activists who are considered to be trouble-makers but keep the remaining three million Jews where they are. There is no doubt, however, that this community will come home to Israel in the end, and that it will be by divine dictate. I am certain of this because of the prophetic words of Isaiah 43:3-6:

For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour...do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you up from the west. I will say to the north, "Give them up!" and to the south, "Do not hold them back". Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth.

Some good things are happening in Israel and we have to be thankful for them. We live in a country battling for its life, one in which most young people have been involved in at least one war before reaching their twenties, and which has problems no other nation has. If we have special problems, however, we have special promises as well; promises made by God through the prophets. They are promises no other nation has.

If Israel has special problems with conflict and survival, it also has special promises made by God that no other nation has.