The Middle East: It's all back to the future, again!

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  I believe that old adage to be very true.  Our minds work on many levels, and just relying on the written word is the level on which our brains remember the least.  Imagine that!  That is why I do think that we need words and pictures together, and why television and movies are some of the most powerful mediums of communication on the planet.  But, I am not here to give you a thesis on communication, but on Israel and it's significance in the end of time.
     No, I am not going into a lengthy diatribe on the subject.  There are far too many books out there that you could read on the subject.  In fact, I realize that if you continually follow my Blog you will read and see pertinent information regarding that subject over time. So, this is more like a pictorial Tweet. I am going to show you some pictures, and give you  scriptures, and then let you decide.  After all, that is what most teaching ,and if you like, preaching should do for you.  Bring to to a decision in your heart and mind, upon which you can base all future decisions.  It either, reinforces what you already believe, or causes you to change course.  It's that simple!
     So, here it goes. Ezekiel 38:1-     " And the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man set your face toward Gog of that land of Magog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, "Thus says the Lord God, " behold  I am against you O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.  I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws and I will bring you out, and all your army,horses, and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler, and shield, all wielding swords; Persia( modern day Iran), Ethiopia ( Modern day Ethiopia, and southern Eygpt), and Put( Modern day Libya, and North Africa), all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer ( South Central Europe/Armenia area), with all it's troops: Beth-Togarmah ( Areas of modern Turkey), from the remote parts of the north with all of it's troops - many peoples with you.    
   " Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all of your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard fro them.  After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountians of Israel which had been a continual waste; but it's people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them..." I would suggest that you read the rest of verses 10 through 23 to get the big picture.
     The following pictures are of 2 categories that I hope will help add another dimension to the words above, and give you that visual that you need to be impressed by the written words.  The Black and White pictures are of the land of Israel prior to it's founding in 1948.  They span about a 100 year period at the most.  But, please keep in mind that the scenes were the same when Napoleon was there in 1800 and were pretty similar when the Crusaders came in the Middle Ages.  I guess what I am trying to say is the land didn't change a whole heck of alot in the almost 2000 years since the Romans evicted the Jewish people in the year 70.

     The second set of pictures are from our modern era.  They show Israel in the late 20th century.  All taken within the relatively short time from which Israel became a state, and Jews from around the world immigrated there for freedom and security.  I know that if you have an open mind, you possibly see things in a different light? 

   

Signs of Our Times

     We live in uncertian times.  Wait, let me re-phrase that statement.  More accurately, we live in very uncertian times! The stock market gyrates like a top on steriods.  The Middle East is seemingly remaking itself geopolitically before our eyes.  Jobs, Pensions, Home Ownership, cannot be taken for granted anymore.  Peace, stability, and things being
"solid as a rock", seem to have lost their meaning in these times.  It just seems to go on, and on, and on.

     Now, let me throw some gasoline on the fire.  All over the internet we see, hear, and read about how we are now even approaching the end of days.  That the end is maybe coming sooner than we may think!  Actually that sounds like a rephrasing of a statement by St. Paul from the Book of Romans.  He said, " the hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed". (Romans 13:11)  So, whether it be 2012, an asteriod, climate change ( formerly known as Global Warming), WWIII, economic armageddon, any and or all of which, could usher in extremely uncertian times;  we just seem to have an inner sense that mankind is living things out on a cosmic linear scale having a set appointment with destiny.
     Yet, within Paul's statement he paints a curious and reassuring twist on all of our doom and gloom.  Let's read it, again.  " The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation nearer", Stop there!  In the midst of what some may see as global demise, Paul sees hope!  He sees real hope and change, not just some cheap political gimic.  At a time when we least expect it, yet may have a gut level instinct that "something's up!", there it will be.  Our hope, the world's ONLY hope, Jesus.  Now, let's remember the world as it was from which Pauls words eminate.  He lived in the glory, depravity, and brutality of ancient Rome.  Yet, he preached hope and change.
     For the believer, the Second Coming of Jesus is the salvation of which he speaks.  It is salvation for the world and the material universe.  It may not be a bed of roses getting to that point.  But, He is coming back to reclaim all that was stolen from Him, and to seperate good from evil.  That is hope that you can believe in!  And, make no mistake about it, He is coming back.
     Jesus stated, referenced, and inferred; this policy position enough in His Word to call you to either accept it by faith as a future truth, or to make Him out to be a liar.  He leaves you no alternative.  He didn't want to have it any other way.
     Well, my original intent was to simply ask you, as I have recently been asking myself, still being cognizant of our times; Where is your heart at?  I mean your spiritual heart.  If, and I say If, we are "closer to (that day) than when we first believed", do you not think that that is a very valid question for all of us?  Would you be overcome with joyful anticipation if you knew His appearing was in say, 6 hours?  Or, would you be in regret and angst over the parting and loss of the pleasures, riches, and wonders of this earthly world?  Honestly, would you have a hard time seperating yourself from the entanglements of life on earth?  These may be hard questions, but I think that they are ones that we should be periodically be asking ourselves on a regualr basis.  Because He is coming back to reclaim what is rightfully His in the first place.
     I hope that you've been challenged, I have been challenged.  And with each passing day of our current era, my antenna perks up, to see if it could be tommorrow?  How's your antenna?  Is it out of tune and alittle rusty?  Or is it always ringing with joyful anticipation of that Day?