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[0:00] It's rather timely in that I received a letter just this week from the Friends of Israel, the president of the organization, Bill Sutter, and he's the executive director.

[0:14] Friends of Israel is a Christian Hebrew organization that started way back in the late 30s by a Jewish man who came to faith in Christ.

[0:25] And he launched this program, this ministry called Friends of Israel. And since then, it has been instrumental in leading a great many Jewish people to faith in Christ all over the world.

[0:42] And they publish what, in my estimation, is one of the most outstanding magazines in America, particularly along the line of prophecy, and that is Israel, My Glory.

[0:53] I know many of you get it on a regular basis and subscribe to it. Those of you who don't, I recommend it to you. It's probably the only magazine that I sit down and read when it comes.

[1:09] And it's the only magazine that I keep back copies of because it always has fascinating and very good biblical articles in it. And I've got a stack of Israel, my glory is like that.

[1:21] I've been saving them for years. The letter is dated May 2011, and it reads, Israel is being challenged by a political war that escalates every day.

[1:37] This is a statement that was made by Caroline Glick, who is the deputy managing editor of the Jerusalem Post. And he, Mr. Sutter, quoted her as he opened this letter.

[1:53] And then he goes on to say, Having recently returned from Israel, I can confirm Caroline Glick's observation. Every conversation I had with Israeli citizens and leaders confirm they are acutely aware of the dangers they face in the coming days.

[2:13] Among the worst is the UN's scheduled September push to impose a Palestinian state without negotiations.

[2:27] With good reason, Israelis wonder if the United States will veto the UN's creation of a new terrorist entity. Stand aside or join the crowd.

[2:39] As I write, a more imminent challenge is developing as Israel's May 15th Independence Day commemoration draws near.

[2:52] By the way, pay particularly close attention to the news over the next three or four days, because we're getting very close to May 15.

[3:04] Many internet sites are calling for a third intifada. Intifada means uprising, demonstrations, rebellion, etc.

[3:18] Many internet sites are calling for a third intifada to begin after Muslim prayers that day, with thousands, perhaps millions, of Palestinians and their supporters marching against Israel.

[3:38] A Facebook page, later taken down by Facebook management, called for extreme violence. Judgment Day, will be brought upon us only once the Muslims have killed all the Jews, read the call.

[3:58] Others picked up on the cry for jihad, and one site claimed more than three million hits. The move is obviously motivated by the same spirit generating mob violence in countries like Egypt.

[4:16] Guiding the turbulence, demanding change, are such radical Islamists as the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood. Closest to their hearts is Israel's destruction and the imposition of Muslim rule and repressive Sharia law.

[4:35] Sharia law is nothing more than the imposition of the requirements, the standards, etc. that are set forth in the Koran.

[4:46] And it's usually based upon somebody's interpretation. And many of the Muslims have disagreements among themselves as to the interpretation of several passages. But it does make it very, very clear.

[5:01] Such as, if someone is accused of stealing, you cut off his hand. And if someone is accused of blasphemy against Allah, if they profane the name of Allah, or if they smear or ridicule the Koran, or if they were to change from Islam to any other faith, no matter what it is, they are subject to execution.

[5:35] I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but Saudi Arabia occupies a large part of the Mideast, and they implement Sharia law, as do some other Muslim countries, on a weekly basis.

[5:52] And on Friday afternoons, in Riyadh, there are executions, beheadings, hands cut off, or whatever, just a standard operating procedure.

[6:04] That is Sharia law. That's the implementation of the law of the Koran on the citizenry. These new reformers have, and this is their goal, of course, an Islam over all mentality, and an obsessive belief that Israel has no right to exist.

[6:28] They consider it an illegitimate, oppressive element in their midst that must be destroyed. And essentially, this is what we've been talking about for the past several weeks, as we have engaged this subject, and the base text for it, which we'll not turn to now, but we have already consulted it a number of times in the past, is Psalm 83, where these Islamic nations that virtually surround the nation of Israel, on every side, I mean, north, east, and south, and the only thing that's on the west is the Mediterranean Ocean.

[7:08] All of these nations surround them, and they are enumerated in Psalm 83. And there is a picture given of a confederation, an Arab confederation, where all of these surrounding Muslim states are going to join together with the vow, come, let us destroy Israel, so that their name will be mentioned no more on the earth.

[7:38] Their goal is the complete obliteration of Israel. And Psalm 83 makes it quite clear that they are not going to succeed. And what I would like to do tonight for the moments that we have is direct you to a couple of passages in the prophets.

[7:55] The first one is Ezekiel 25, and rather than just try and pick and choose and skip through some of these verses, I'm just going to start reading and we'll offer some running comment or running commentary as we move through it.

[8:10] We'll also be looking at Ezekiel 36 and 37, time permitting, and then possibly even Jeremiah 49. You feel free to interrupt me at any point and just raise your hand and I'll stop talking and you can start if you have a question or comment that you want to make.

[8:30] And if I am engaged and do not see you raise your hand, just start talking because I've got my hearing aid in tonight and I'll probably hear you. And then I'll stop. So, I'd just like to read a few of these verses in Ezekiel, beginning with Ezekiel 25.

[8:46] And the really important thing I want to point out about this is these passages we'll be considering from the prophets have nothing in the historic past that even resembles a fulfillment of what is being said here.

[9:08] And I know that there is a tendency on the part of some who do not know and have not studied the subject any more thoroughly to look at these and just kind of assume that, well, that's all history.

[9:21] It's all been fulfilled. And what I am sharing with you tonight, you will discover none of it has been fulfilled. Ron? I have a question on something that I haven't read anything about.

[9:32] I don't understand what it's all about. Have you ever heard of the 25th or the 12th, I think it's the 12th Iman? Yes. What is that all about? The 12th Iman? The 12th Iman?

[9:45] Well, an Iman, an Iman is an exalted ruler, a holy man of Islam, recognized, a Quranic scholar, very wise individual, an advanced mullah.

[10:05] Yeah, kind of like, kind of like a pope. That would probably be as good a characterization as you could give it. There have been, I guess, 11 of those.

[10:18] They are like talifs, C-A-L-I-P-H, a caliph, and that over which a caliph rules is called a caliphate, and the goal of radical Islam is to establish a worldwide caliphate.

[10:37] This, by the way, is kind of like a counter to our concept of the kingdom in which Jesus Christ will rule and reign over all the world.

[10:47] it will be the kingdom of the Son of God. It will be messianic kingdom, the kingdom of which John the Baptist and Christ both spoke come to fruition.

[10:59] But the 12th imam is the individual that would be most corresponding to our anticipation of the coming of Christ.

[11:15] And the 12th imam is on the horizon these Muslims believe. And God is simply waiting for the right time to reveal this 12th imam.

[11:31] And when he does, he will be the equivalent of the Muslim Messiah. He will be God's special agent.

[11:41] He will be like a Pope. He will be the closest thing to Muhammad removed 1300 years. So, I don't know if any of you saw or remembered Ahmad Ahmad when he met several years ago and had an opportunity to address the United Nations and as he stood there he was like transfixed almost as if he were in a spell.

[12:16] And here he is addressing all of these august international dignitaries there representing the UN several hundred this joint session of the UN and he begins talking about the soon anticipated arrival of the 12th Imam.

[12:38] Furthermore, many of them believe that the only thing that is prohibiting the arrival of the Imam is that not enough Islamists have done their job so as to have created a world climate for the arrival of the Imam.

[13:04] And of course, they believe the best way to do that, that which would surely hasten the arrival of the 12th Imam would be the annihilation and destruction of Israel.

[13:20] Then, Allah would be so pleased, he would send the 12th Imam and set up the worldwide caliphate and the whole world would be subjected to Islam and Sharia law, willingly or unwillingly.

[13:42] Now, I'm just going to throw out something for your consideration and I have no valid basis for saying this at all, but all of the this is just a Wiseman opinion.

[13:56] This is one of those things, I'm not saying this is the way it's going to be, I'm saying I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it turned out like this. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the so-called 12th Imam is none other than the Antichrist of Revelation 13.

[14:18] That would fit the scene in so many ways. I'm not predicting that, I'm not prophesying that, I'm not saying it's going to be that way, I'm just going to say it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

[14:31] Would not surprise me in the least. So, I hope that satisfactorily answers your question. Think in terms of the Imam being our equivalent of the coming of Christ.

[14:48] So, in Ezekiel 25, here, is what we have. The word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, set your face toward the sons of Ammon and prophesy against them.

[15:05] Does anybody remember who the sons of Ammon are? This is present-day modern Jordan Ammon where Lot, these are descendants of Lot.

[15:23] Ammon and Moab are the two sons born of Lot and his daughters. And the people in Jordan, both northern Jordan and southern Jordan, northern Jordan is the Ammonites, southern Jordan is the Moabites.

[15:40] this is where Ruth went, or where Naomi went with her husband and two sons, when there was a famine in the land of Israel. They went over into the land of Moab, and they came back, and you remember that Ruth was with her, and the story about Ruth and Boaz.

[15:57] So, that's Moab. It was a completely pagan nation, and Chemosh was the deity.

[16:10] So, say to the sons of Ammon, and when it says the sons of, it's simply talking about the descendants, the offsprings. Hear the word of the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God, because you said, ah, again, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel, when it was made desolate, and against the house of Judah, when they went into exile.

[16:38] God doesn't like that. What they were doing was ridiculing, poking fun, they were relishing the negatives that were happening to Israel, and God says he's going to hold them accountable for that.

[16:56] You may not gloat over the misfortunes of my people, and those who do are going to pay a price, and that's exactly what this is all about, because you said, ah, therefore, verse 4, I am going to give you to the sons of the east for a possession, and they will set their encampments among you, and make their dwellings among you, and they will eat your fruit and drink your milk, this of course is a takeover, and I shall make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and the sons of Ammon, a resting place for flocks, thus you will know that I am the Lord.

[17:41] And I want to say something about that phrase, because it is used dozens and dozens and dozens of times, particularly in the prophets, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

[17:54] And the idea is that I, Jehovah, am the Lord, and not what you are calling the Lord, whether it's Chemosh, or Baal, or Dagon, or any of the others, that the Lord God is the only Lord.

[18:13] And then in verse 6, Thus says the Lord God, Because you have clapped your hands, and stamped your feet, and rejoiced with all the scorn of your soul against the land of Israel, therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against you, and I shall give you for spoil to the nations, and I shall cut you off from the peoples, and make you perish from the lands.

[18:41] I shall destroy you, thus you will know that I am the Lord. We do not know of any time in history when this could be considered fulfilled.

[18:55] There just isn't anything in history that answers to it. And then verse 8, Thus says the Lord God, and by the way, both of these, of course, are among those nations that encircle Israel that we've talked about from Psalm 83, same nations, same people.

[19:14] Thus says the Lord God, because Moab and Seir, Moab is more central Jordan, Seir is down further south in Edom, close to where Petra is.

[19:26] So think in terms of Jordan and the elongation of it, with the top being Ammon, and that, by the way, is where the capital is, and it's almost spelled the same way.

[19:37] It's just A-M-M-A-N, it's pronounced Ab-on, but there's just very little difference. And then in the middle is Moab, and then down below are the people of Mount Seir, sometimes called Edom, and sometimes called Basra, because that's one of the principal cities, and there is another that slips my mind, but it'll be coming up.

[20:00] Because Moab and Seir say, and these are of course our descendants of Esau, behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations. Therefore, behold, I am going to deprive the flank of Moab of its cities, of its cities which are on its frontiers, the glory of the land, Beth Jeshamoth, Baal, Meon, and Cariatham, and I will give it for a possession along with the sons of Ammon to the sons of the east, that the sons of Ammon may not be remembered among the nations.

[20:39] Thus, I will execute judgments on Moab, and they will know that I am the Lord. Thus says the Lord God, because Edom, that's just further south, Edom has acted against the house of Judah by taking vengeance and has incurred grievous guilt and avenged themselves upon them.

[21:03] Therefore, thus says the Lord God, I will also stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off man and beast from it, and I will lay it waste from Teman, that's one of the principal cities down in lower Jordan, even to Dedan, Dedan is southern Saudi Arabia.

[21:29] They will fall by the sword, and I will lay my vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel. Look at that. What's that saying?

[21:39] How is God going to bring all of this to pass when he says, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that, I'm going to leave you this way? He's going to use the nation of Israel to do it.

[21:51] this is going to be a military expedition of unparalleled activity in the Mideast.

[22:04] Nothing up to this time on a scale like this has taken place. We've had the Six Day War, the 48 War for Independence, and the 67 and the Yom Kippur War in 73, but this is going to be of a greater magnitude than all of those and it's going to be very, very extensive.

[22:31] I will lay my vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel. Therefore, they will act in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath.

[22:46] Thus, they will know my vengeance declares the Lord God. There is a theme that is realized throughout Scripture that goes something like this.

[23:02] Vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord. That simply means that it's not our prerogative.

[23:14] we are not to exact vengeance upon those who wrong us. We are not to return evil or good.

[23:24] We are to return good for evil, not evil for evil. We are to bless and curse not, all because vengeance belongs to the Lord.

[23:35] God and one of the reasons that God has not delegated vengeance to us to carry it out is because we are not capable of doing it.

[23:46] You know what we want to do? if we are getting even with somebody, we want to repay them in kind and a little bit more, don't we?

[23:58] That's just the way we are. We're not equitable about it. Our emotions come into play, our prejudices come into play, our hatred comes into play, and all the rest. The only one who can judiciously evoke vengeance that is just and due and not overly so, but rightly so, appropriately so, the only one who can do that is the Lord.

[24:24] That's why he has reserved it unto himself. And here is when it comes to pass. This is payday here.

[24:34] This is God evoking his vengeance. And let me tell you, it is going to be something. And he is going to use his covenant people to do it.

[24:48] But the vengeance will be his. Verse 15, Thus says the Lord God, Because the Philistines have acted in revenge and have taken vengeance with scorn of soul to destroy with everlasting enmity.

[25:08] There it is again, the Olam Iba. We've been talking about the everlasting hatred. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, even cut off the Karathites and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.

[25:27] This is Gaza and the area along the coast, just south of Israel, between Israel and Egypt. You have to go through Gaza to get to Egypt if you're going to go on the land.

[25:38] This is where they're lobbing rockets from Gaza over. Now, there's a million and a half people. I don't know if you're aware of how the Gaza Strip became populated, but this started in the 1940s, particularly in 1947 and 48.

[26:02] When Israel was established as a nation, May 15, 1948, as soon as they declared their nation state, they were almost immediately attacked by all of these same neighbors that we're talking about.

[26:19] That was called the War of Independence. Of course, they won it. What a lot of people don't know or don't remember was before that war began, in 1940, 1945, after the war ended, World War II ended, Great Britain was empowered by the international community to establish a quasi-government in the land of Palestine.

[26:58] And there were living there Jews and Arabs. This is all during World War II. And when the war ended, the British were as much as given permission or ordered or asked or whatever to go into Palestine and set up a provisional government and keep the peace.

[27:21] So there were thousands of British soldiers who went into Palestine and the Arabs didn't want them there and the Jews didn't want them there.

[27:32] Nobody wanted them there but it was an international thing and it was called the British Mandate. Well when the British Mandate ended, that was May 14 or 15 1948 and they pulled all their troops out.

[27:50] All the Britain's troops pulled out and left. And here are the Jews and the Arabs. Well, word was put out to the Arab community by the surrounding Arab nations.

[28:06] All of you Muslims, Arabs, who are living in Palestine, we are asking you to leave.

[28:17] Leave the country because we don't want you there and we don't want you in harm's way when we absolutely annihilate Israel.

[28:29] we're going to kill every Jew in Palestine and when we have done that then you can return. You can return to your home and you can take over.

[28:42] So we are asking you to leave. Well, thousands of them did. They left. They just, you know, they became refugees and they fled. Many of them fled to Jordan and Jordan received them and that, of course, was to the immediate east.

[29:01] They crossed over the Jordan River and into Jordan and thousands of them went there. But this was supposed to be a very temporary thing. And then thousands of them also went down to the south in Gaza and took up residence there and many of them pitched tents because after all, they weren't going to be there long because all of these neighboring nations were going to obliterate Israel and when the carnage is over, then they can return home.

[29:36] There was just one fly in the ointment and that is Israel won the war. Now what do these people do? Well, believe it or not, some of them returned anyway.

[29:50] and to make a long story short, some of them were actually accepted as citizens of Israel, Arab citizens of Israel.

[30:06] Some of them had jobs and businesses there and they resumed them. Of course, many never went back. Many stayed away. And the thousands that went to Lebanon were there for several years afraid to come back even though Israel invited them back.

[30:25] Internationally, Israel invited them to return after they had established the nation state. They told the Arabs who left that they were welcome to return and they would not be harmed.

[30:37] But of course, there is the hatred factor. And now, the thing that intensifies the hatred even more was the fact that Israel won that war.

[30:49] and declared themselves to be a nation. So that upped the temperature in the whole region. And after several years went by, these refugees who had fled to Jordan that were under the reign of I don't know what Abdullah's father's name was.

[31:12] Was it Hussein? I think it was Hussein. King Abdullah's father was Hussein, the little guy with the mustache, he's dead now. But anyway, these former Palestinians who had gone to Jordan started becoming a real problem.

[31:34] And there was talk that they might try to mount an insurrection and actually overthrow the reign of the king. And of course, you know the kind of intrigue that goes on in the Middle East nations.

[31:48] So what did he do? He kicked them all out. He made them leave. He said, you are not welcome here any longer. Get out of the country. And if you don't go, we'll force you out. So guess where all these people went?

[31:59] Most of them went down to Gaza. And in fact, here in this book, Israel Stein, there is a picture here somewhere.

[32:16] Pardon me? 29? That's not 29 on mine. Did you say 29? I don't know where it, well, there's a picture in here anyway.

[32:31] And the picture is of Palestinian Arabs dwelling in tents there in the Gaza Strip.

[32:42] And they are still there today. And there are huge, huge areas, virtually tent cities. Now, of course, there are buildings and structures there in Gaza also, but there are also thousands of these tents.

[32:54] And I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but these people in their history are tent dwelling people anyway. Nomadic life, many of them. In fact, Abraham, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all tent dwellers.

[33:09] They didn't dwell in what we know as regular houses. So they had a nomadic life, and this is where they are even to this day. Now they are looked upon as refugees or as people who have been displaced and many in the international community consider Israel as the culprit in this area rather than the Palestinians.

[33:39] So it's a real difficult situation and it's going to be resolved. And if our author is correct, it may be resolved very shortly.

[33:51] Now let's come over, if we may, to Ezekiel 36 while we're in the neighborhood. Yes? Did not Israel actually purchase some of the land after the war?

[34:06] They actually bought it? I'm not prepared to say that. I don't know. It could very well be. It could very well be. I don't know.

[34:17] I think there were some need changes. That's entirely possible. That would be in keeping with the way they're accustomed to doing things, really. Ezekiel 36.

[34:31] And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God, because the enemy has spoken against you, aha, there it is again, and the everlasting heights have become our possession.

[34:53] Therefore, prophesy and say, thus says the Lord God, for good cause they have made you desolate and crushed you from every side, that you should become a possession of the rest of the nations, and you have been taken up in the talk and the whispering of the people.

[35:10] Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities, which have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the nations, which are round about.

[35:31] Therefore, thus says the Lord God, surely, in the fire of my jealousy, I have spoken against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, once again, descendants of Esau, who appropriated my land for themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.

[35:57] Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, thus says the Lord God, behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because you have endured the insults of the nations.

[36:13] Therefore, and by the way, you don't have to be a scholar to know that Israel has and is today enduring the insults of the nations.

[36:30] If there is anyone who is a friend to Israel in the 200 plus number nations of the UN, it's the United States.

[36:47] And sometimes we wonder just how solid that is. Derision to the rest of the nations roundabout. You have taken, you have been taken up in the talk and the whispering of the people, mountains of Israel.

[37:07] Therefore, says the Lord God, surely in the fire of my jealousy, in verse six, prophesy concerning the land of Israel, say to the mountains, and so I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath because you have endured the insults of the nation.

[37:20] Therefore, thus says the Lord God, I have sworn that surely the nations which are around you, that's that confederation, will themselves endure their insults.

[37:35] But you, O mountain of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come.

[37:46] For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be cultivated and sown, and I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it, and the cities will be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt, and I will multiply on you, now this is really significant, this verse 11 here, I want you to pick up on this, God is saying to Israel, I will multiply on you man and beast, that's very, very significant, because we tend to think of Israel as being a tiny little nation, well, it's going to be a tiny nation with a big population that is going to mushroom, and they are right now probably in a negative birth rate growth, it's not at anything at all to be considered significant, they can't even begin to, you can't even, can't even begin to keep up with the

[38:53] Arab nations that surround them, because when you, when you make it possible, and even encourage a man who can afford it to have four wives, that's going to create a population explosion right there, and Israel is not beginning to keep up in any way, I will multiply on you man and beast, they will increase and be fruitful, I will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly, and will treat you better than at the first, thus you will know that I am the Lord.

[39:23] Does Israel know today that God is the Lord? No. Most of Israel today prides itself on being a secular state.

[39:41] Lots of people think that Israel is just brimming with Judaism, don't you believe it? Only a small percentage of Jews are observant or orthodox, the vast majority of them are non-observant, secular, many of them are even atheists.

[40:05] Well, this goes on and it is quite apparent what's going to take place. Let's skip down to verse 16. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds.

[40:26] Their way before me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. Therefore, I poured out my wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols.

[40:46] Also, I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds, I judged them.

[40:57] And that's where they still are today. A great many Jews have returned to the land of Israel, but there are a great many Jews outside the land of Israel. They and their descendants remain in those areas where God scattered them from this land many, many years ago.

[41:14] They became the dispersion or the diaspora. The word diaspora, a compound, Greek word, diaspora means through, from which we get the word diameter, like the distance through, and the spora comes from the word spore, as in seed or germs, to sow.

[41:40] So it is through the spores, through the dispersion, Jews scattered all over the world. They are everywhere. And it is because of the idolatry that God drove them out of that land.

[41:51] And he says that it was because of their idolatry according to their ways and their deeds I judged them. When they came to the nations where they went, to France, to Germany, to Ireland, to the United States, to Yugoslavia, to Russia, all over the world, when they came to those nations where they went, they profaned my holy name, because it was said of them, these are the people of the Lord.

[42:23] Yet, they have come out of his land. In other words, these are Jews. These are the so-called chosen people. They are from the holy land. So, what are they doing here?

[42:37] Why do they leave their land? Why haven't they been consistent and stayed where God put them? Well, we know it was because of idolatry that he drove them out.

[42:49] But when they went to these strange lands, and were they well received? Not on your life. For the most part, they were tolerated and frequently persecuted and driven out.

[43:07] But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went. Therefore, say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God, it is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.

[43:34] And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when I prove myself holy among you in their sight.

[43:53] For I will take you from the nations. Just as I scattered you throughout the world to the nations, I'm going to bring you back from the nations, gather you from all the nations, and bring you into your own land.

[44:10] then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

[44:24] You know what this is? This is reconciliation. This is revival. This is God and his estranged, chosen, distant people making up.

[44:37] making up. They aren't there now, but they will be.

[44:49] And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

[45:02] And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will be careful to observe my ordinances, and you will live in the land that I give to your forefathers.

[45:15] So you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and multiply it.

[45:26] I will not bring a famine upon you. I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field. You may not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations.

[45:37] Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations.

[45:50] This is repentance. I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Lord God. Let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

[46:03] Thus says the Lord God, on the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited and the waste places will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passed by.

[46:18] And so on. This is going to be really, really remarkable. And this is the burden of Ezekiel. And none of these things have ever had anything in history that resembles fulfillment.

[46:35] This is all coming. And the point that I really want to stress, that I do think is very valid, is that it is coming very soon.

[46:46] This is pre-rapture, pre-tribulation, pre-everything, if these are being put together in a way that I think they belong.

[46:57] So, questions or comments? I'm reluctant to go into chapter 37. This is the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. It's very significant, plays a real key role, but we've only got a couple of minutes left, so I'm reluctant to undertake that.

[47:14] Comments or questions? Chuck? About a month ago, Richard Engel on NBC News was asked to make a comment on these uprisings in various countries, you know, the rebels, and the answer that he gave surprised everybody.

[47:34] He said, well, it's not so much that there's an uprising in each country. He said, yes, it's true that the rebels do want a change in their own governments.

[47:46] He said, like 80% of them are more interested against Israel than they are claiming their own country.

[48:01] And I was surprised that he said that on national TV, but he said that as he puts it together, something's going to happen with all these rebels banding together.

[48:16] He says, they're looking for a leader, and then they're going for Israel. He feels it'll happen within three years. Well, it could be even sooner than that.

[48:27] And the observation was made just last week that with all of these Arab nation states being in turmoil, and Egypt started it, and it just kind of caught fire, and now everybody is tasting regime change and a new found kind of freedom, because this is something that you and I cannot begin to identify with.

[48:52] But for the most part, these people in the Mideast have never known anything but oppression under different rulers and different regimes, whether it's a military takeover or a king or whatever.

[49:10] There is a great deal of deprivation of freedom and liberty. A lot of oppression goes on, and it's just become a way of life with them.

[49:23] And many of them, what they are saying is, we are fed up, and we're not going to take it anymore. And they are rising up in rebellion, they're turning out in the streets, marching and protesting and everything, and the more that goes on, the more other nations crank up their courage to do the same thing.

[49:41] While they're doing that in Egypt, they threw Mubarak out, and what's his name is in trouble? Yeah, Hassad, and he's in trouble, and Jordan, King Abdullah is making all kinds of concessions and promising reforms and everything.

[50:07] He's feeling the heat, and they are concerned lest these revolts and rebellions spread. And the observation was made last week, if these heads of state see themselves as, and their regimes as really threatened, and they want a major distraction to take the heat off of them, they could very well enter into this confederation that is referred to in Psalm 83 and say, let's kill two birds with one stone.

[50:46] Let's first of all take the heat off ourselves, and let's go after Israel. And that would unite all of those people together, all of those protesters and demonstrators, as much as they hate their regime, they hate Israel even more.

[51:07] And if they could be convinced to make a concerted effort to go after Israel, I think they would probably jump at it. Now, I don't know that that's what's going to happen, but again, I would not be a bit surprised if something along that line developed.

[51:25] Something else? Anyone? Got just a couple of minutes left. I do want to share a couple of verses with you from Jeremiah 49 because they tie in with what we're talking about in this very thing too.

[51:41] And it is remarkable because it gets really specific.

[51:58] In Jeremiah 49, actually this whole chapter, and again, it's concerning the sons of Ammon. Thus says the Lord, does Israel have no sons? Has he no heirs?

[52:10] And why then has Malcolm taken possession of God? Malcolm is a false deity. It's also referred to as Milcom. And if you come down to chapter, verse seven, concerning Edom, thus says the Lord of hosts, is there no longer any wisdom and temen?

[52:27] Good counsel been lost to the prudent. These are the same people that these complaints are being leveled against. And when you come a little further in the chapter, we land in verse 23 and Damascus.

[52:41] And here are the prophecies given regarding Damascus. And if you want to just skip down to verse 26, therefore, Damascus, her young men, will fall in the streets, and all the men of war will be silenced in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, and I shall set fire to the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the fortified towers of Benadad.

[53:13] And I don't know how familiar you are with Damascus, but it has the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the entire world.

[53:27] And God says he's going to utterly destroy it. Damascus will be no more. When this march of the nations in Psalm 83 takes place, Israel is going to fight back with a retaliation that is going to be absolutely devastating.

[53:51] And all of these enemies are going to be reduced to rubble. I don't know if it's going to be nuclear or not. it may well be. But it's going to be a final blow.

[54:04] And Israel, Israel, for the first time, is going to have the heat taken off because its victory against its perennial enemies is going to be so complete and so entire that there aren't going to be any enemies left in the region.

[54:24] then Israel will be free for the first time in its existence, will be free to expand and encompass the lands that God originally gave them in the book of Genesis.

[54:42] And they are going to add a huge chunk of real estate to their national identity. community. And that is what will make them so attractive to Gog and Magog.

[55:01] It will be a confederation between Russia and Iran that will come against that new enlarged area of Israel.

[55:15] Only this time, Israel will not fight against them. God will personally. And it will be an even greater slaughter than that of Israel with their surrounding neighbors.

[55:33] Yes, Chuck? One more little thing here. Hamas and Hitler have been at each other. They haven't already seen eye to eye, but a week and a half ago, their leaders got together and signed the pact, and they only listed in those things the commonality between the two, and they're forgetting their differences, and that's a force to continue with.

[55:57] Oh, yeah. Well, there's an old saying among the Arabs in the Arab world, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And they can make friendships and slice them and dice them overnight, and they have down through the years.

[56:13] I want to just make mention of something before I let you go. I talked about this Sunday, I think.

[56:25] I mentioned this Sunday. Memorial Day, the 30th, on Monday, we're going to have a picnic, and this will be just an old-fashioned picnic.

[56:36] Rain or shine, and if it rains, we'll have it inside. And otherwise, we'll put some tables outside and eat outside. But I really want you to see this film.

[56:48] And I saw it probably 40 years ago, and it's really an outstanding film. It's called Exodus, and it has to do with the conflict and the birth of the nation of Israel right after World War II.

[57:07] And the setting is in 1947, and it starts in Cyprus, and it stars Paul Newman. I can't believe how young he looks, but it's just a great, great movie, and it pretty accurately recounts the events that took place.

[57:25] So we'll plan to show that on Memorial Day, and you will really appreciate it, and you'll get a good concept, because it's historically pretty accurate.

[57:37] Anything else before we dismiss? Yes, yes, Bob? This anticipated confrontation that you're talking about with Israel, do you feel that it's going to be an ongoing thing, or are you very short?

[57:49] I think it's going to be pretty short. It's not going to be, I don't think it's going to be protracted over several weeks or several months. I think that I think that once Israel is convinced that they are really threatened, they will act, and they will act preemptively if it's in their best interest to do so.

[58:18] And they have got intel that has proved itself to be more accurate than our intel.

[58:29] on a number of cases. And the Mossad, which is the Israeli CIA, has tentacles just about everywhere.

[58:42] And not only that, but these people have an unbelievable ingenuity that is just really remarkable. They are very well trained, very gifted.

[58:54] And as I pointed out to you before, Israel today has the third largest standing army in the world. Most people don't know that. And they are going to be brought into action one of these days, and it's going to be something.

[59:12] Yes? any day. Could happen any day. Could happen any day.

[59:23] Things will heat up over there. And, yeah. they're just basically looking for a Pearl Harbor type of moment where something happens and they can react to it.

[59:36] Yeah. And that may well be what it is. Because, you see, as has been pointed out in the past, since 1948, including the War for Independence in 1948, Israel has been involved with four major conflicts.

[59:59] All of them, essentially, with the same people. And Israel won all four of them. And they weren't supposed to win any of them.

[60:10] I mean, the population of the nation surrounding them compared to Israel, I mean, it's just, it's even, it's even worse than 20 to one. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's worse than 20 to one.

[60:22] And yet, these neighbors get the socks beat off of them every time they tangle with Israel. And Israel has never won a war that they were supposed to.

[60:33] They were supposed to lose them all, and they won them all. And what a lot of people don't understand is that when these nations that have fought against Israel lose a war, what happens to them?

[60:50] essentially nothing. They crawl away, lick their wounds, and they're internationally embarrassed, and they vow for revenge. But they're still a nation.

[61:02] They still exist, they still have a capital, they still have diplomatic resources, they're still recognized as a nation all throughout the world, whether it's Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, or whatever, they continue right on.

[61:13] But if Israel loses a war, that's it. They are no more. They are extinct. They are gone. They cease to exist as a nation, and they know that.

[61:27] So they are desperate. Their backs are to the wall, and if you're going to mess with them, you're going to pay a pretty heavy price, retaliation. Yes? One nation that isn't having any problems with their people right now is Iran, Iran.

[61:42] And if there's an alliance, then Iran probably won't be involved. That's just my guessing. And if Israel attacks an alliance against some of Arab nations, they probably also will hit Iran nuclear facilities.

[61:59] And that will give Iran a reason to hook up later with Russia. True. That's true. Yeah. That's good observation. That could very well play out that way.

[62:10] We're having problems. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Especially the younger population, they are pretty well fed up with the fat old mullahs.

[62:23] And they would rather go back to the days of the Shah of Iran because, of course, many of them weren't even old enough then to...

[62:34] No, they weren't even born then. But their mothers and fathers told them about those days. The internet is really causing some problems.

[62:46] Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is. It is. It is. Yeah. The greatest threat, the greatest threat that any despot has to face is his people getting informed and educated.

[63:04] educated. That scares the daylights out of them. Because you get an informed educated people, it is really hard to keep them under your thumb.

[63:16] That is what many of these are facing. This is the information explosion and the technology that has sent information worldwide so that these people have access to what is going on in other parts of the world and they are learning things that they never dreamed of.

[63:34] And we take it as business as usual. But for them, it is a real eye opener. And many of them are becoming restless because of what they know the rest of the world has.

[63:49] And they have been deprived long enough. You used the ratio 20 to 1. The Israel Connection released just today. The ratio is 33 to 1.

[64:00] Well, that is probably a lot more realistic. Yeah. 33 to 1 instead of 20 to 1. Yeah. Okay. Well, let's have a word of prayer. Father, all we can say to what we've been discussing is we are grateful that you are aware that you are who you are and that nothing escapes you and that you are not only the God who promises but the God who fulfills all that he's promised.

[64:29] We bless you for it. we pray that as these events loom on the horizon you will see fit to honor yourself in the way that you choose best.

[64:41] Whatever that is, it will be a demonstration to the world above all else that you indeed are the Lord.

[64:51]  We bless you for being who you are in Christ's name. Amen.