Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
A growing majority of Israelis no longer see the presence of Jews or the Israeli military in the so-called "West Bank" as an occupation.
Many do see it as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
That wasn't what the researchers behind a recent survey hoped to find.
Under the banner "Save Israel. Stop the Occupation," Tel Aviv University professors Dr. Nimrod Rosler and Daniel Bar-Tal set out to reveal what most Israelis think about the biblical heartlands of Judea and Samaria and the Jewish settlements there.
According to the survey, as reported by Israel National News, a mere 30 percent of Israelis today view this as "occupation."
That is down from 51 percent who said in 2004 that Israel was occupying the West Bank.
The drop in the number of Israelis who see the situation in Judea and Samaria as an occupation has corresponded to a drastic reduction in those who support the land-for-peace process leading to a "two state solution."
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The end of it shall come with a flood. And until the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator (Dan. 9:26b-27).
The book of Daniel has many references to end-times prophecy. One of these, found in Daniel 9:26b-27, refers to a special event at the end of days. Before Jesus comes back, there will be a seven-year treaty formed with many nations. This is often called Daniel's 70th week of prophecy. In the middle of this seven-year period, the temple of God will be defiled; sacrifices will be ceased.
Interestingly enough, no temple stands in Israel today. No animal sacrifices are taking place. This means that for the verses in Daniel to come to pass, this temple must be rebuilt. What will surprise you is that the heart of the Jewish people is turning towards the restoration of the Temple.
At the end of 2016, UNESCO ruled that the Temple Mount has no connection to Judaism. This has caused outrage on both sides of the political spectrum in Israel. Last week, some in the Israeli Parliament decided to respond. Leaders in the Likud party put forth a proposal to create a new foundation that would educate people about the powerful connection between the Temple Mount and Judaism. The plan calls for the US equivalent of $550,000 to be directed towards this effort.
The creation of this special foundation is just one of several events that have been preparing the way for the third temple. In 2015, the Temple Institute declared that they reconstructed the Altar of Sacrifice for the Third Temple. Last month, the Sanhedrin announced that they were reinstituting the temple tax of half a shekel of silver found in Exodus 30:11-16. Arrangements have been made for Jewish people across the world to pay the tax. This will allow funds to be set aside for construction of the third temple.
The reconstruction of the third temple is a necessary event for the fulfillment of Daniel's 70th week. This year is particularly special because it is the Jubilee, or 50th year since the Jewish people retook the Temple Mount at the end of the six-day war (June 7, 1967). The efforts to bring awareness to the significance of the Temple Mount are a reminder that we are just that much closer to seeing God's Word come to pass.
Kelly McDonald Jr.is an ordained evangelist at Hungry Hearts Ministries in Jackson, Tennessee. He has written over 40 books and booklets on pursing Christ, Hebrew roots and end-times prophecy. He is currently president of the Bible Sabbath Association (BSA). You can follow him at: kellymcdonaldjr.com.
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When people visit Jerusalem's Old City, they may believe it's the same place King David set up as his capital more than 3,000 years ago. But that's not exactly the case. Archaeologists are uncovering the original city and telling others its amazing story.
Anarina Heymann serves as the outreach coordinator for the City of David.
"Welcome to the City of David," Heymann told CBN News. "It's the home to the ancient biblical Jerusalem and up until 150 years ago, everybody thought that the ancient biblical Jerusalem lies within the confines of the Old City right behind you in the wall—within the walls there. So the question is, what happened 150 years ago, and where is the ancient biblical Jerusalem?"
She then helped answer that question by explaining how the City of David lay hidden for nearly 2,000 years until a British archaeologist began a discovery that continues to this day.
"Chris, we're standing at a magical place right now," Heymann continued. "This is the place when Charles Warren came through the fascia that he found. He saw something. And when Charles Warren saw this, he knew that he rediscovered the ancient biblical Jerusalem."
Asked if this Warren's work was the beginning of the unveiling of the City of David in modern times, she responded, "Exactly, because we're speaking of a 2,000- year period where nobody knew where the ancient city was. Most people thought when they—when they came—that what they saw in the Old City, that was ancient biblical Jerusalem. It's only when he found this that they discovered ... the ancient Jerusalem lies outside of what we call today the Old City."
The discovery of the tunnel system known as Warren's Shaft visually tells how King David captured the city and brings the Bible to life.
"When we saw this, we suddenly saw exactly how the picture came together," Heymann continued. "And many times when we do excavations, we also don't know what we're looking at and then we have to go to the Bible and that starts explaining it. So it's the Bible and then the excavations and the excavations and the Bible coming together, giving us the full picture of ancient Jerusalem."
Anointing Israel's Kings
Further down, archaeologists found where men became kings.
"Most of the kings of Israel were anointed where we're standing right now. We are standing at the place of anointing. And Isaiah says you will draw forth water with joy from the springs of salvation," she said.
In fact, the City of David echoes with the people of the Bible.
"Abraham, when he met Melchizedek, but then we get to David, to Solomon, we get to Isaiah when he was giving his prophecies on these very walls here," she said. "Jeremiah, afterwards, when he had to speak about the destruction that was looming over Jerusalem ... all those things happening exactly where we're standing right now."
More than 10 years ago, archaeologists uncovered another biblical site, the Pool of Siloam, which was fed by the nearby Gihon Spring. It's the place where Jesus healed the blind man and also where the Jewish people would gather for the Feasts of the Lord.
"Three times a year, all the men had to come to the mikvah [ritual bath] in the pool and from there get ready to go to Temple Mount and this is the walk, the final ascent, that all the pilgrims can do again when they come to Jerusalem," she explained.
Heymann sees this final ascent as a merger between archaeology and prophecy.
Opening a Door to the Future
"Something amazing is happening because you see that we are now excavating this road and again prophecy is being fulfilled because it says in Isaiah 'build up, build up the road,' the highway. And it says remove the stones for my people's return," she said.
One ongoing excavation is the tunnel leading from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount. Heymann says it reveals the past and opens a door to the future.
One of the City of David's most ambitious projects is an excavation called the Givati, where the entire history of Jerusalem is being revealed as if the rocks are crying out.
"You can see exactly how she [Jerusalem)] slowly disappeared from civilization because one city was built upon the other, and you could see how probably the city could have lost hope, thinking 'Who's ever going to discover me again? Until God says, but in a time of favor, nothing can stop it and that's what we see in Givati. Jerusalem is slowly being revealed," she said.
She sees prophecy unfolding.
"We're starting to see in the last decade, the blueprint. She's starting to share what she looked like to us again. So you can see how prophecy is speeding up as we go. It's said [Hebrew] 'shake off your dust, arise, take your rightful place, Jerusalem.' If you see the excavations here on a daily basis, you can see the buckets flying. You can see the dust literally flying about, how she's shaking off her dust."
Heymann considers her role in the City of David a privilege.
"I call myself the luckiest person in the world—the luckiest girl in the world—because I have the opportunity to take what we see here and tell the people about the City of David, about the ancient Jerusalem, and every person that is passionate about Jerusalem and serious about biblical prophecy needs to know this," she said.
Reprinted with permission from CBN.com. Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., All rights reserved.
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And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gemorrah, like the garden of the Lord.
After conflict arises between their shepherds, it becomes clear that Abraham and Lot must separate. Lot chooses the fertile, well-watered plain of the Jordan, leaving the Land of Canaan, bereft of its own water source, to Abraham. Though lush and bountiful, Lot chooses a land that is cruel and corrupt and is ultimately destroyed. Abraham, on the other hand, settles the Land of Israel, knowing that while other places on earth can be enticing, when it comes to Godliness there is no better place than the Land of Israel. Today, the natural resources of the Land's Dead Sea region are well known for their healing powers. Stock up on Dead Sea mud products and get a free gift!
The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee: Israel’s two seas, starkly different from one another, have one very important thing in common – the message they teach future generations.
Nothing can live in the Dead Sea’s hypersaline environment – or so scientists thought until recently. Signs of life have begun appearing on its shores, precisely as written in the Book of Prophets.
These beautiful pieces by Rafael Jewelers contain 2,000 year old Roman Glass. Discovered in archaeological excavations of ancient workshops, these pieces of Roman glass were manufactured in the Land of Israel and exported around the world during the 4th century. Their discovery has shed light on the ancient glass trade and the ancient world of commerce. The beautiful colors and shapes of the unique glass are as stunning today as they were thousands of years ago.
Yesterday's photo by Yehuda Poch features the Keshet (Rainbow) Cave in the Galilee. The Keshet Cave is one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the Land of Israel, and a popular spot for rappelling adventurists.
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It’s great to hear from you and make new friends from all over the world. Please send me an email and let me know how you are enjoying Israel365 (don’t forget to say where you are from!).
Thank you for the emails. The Scriptures are well known to me and I enjoy hearing them. I am from the U.K. I love Israel and I'm praying for the Jewish people and for the peace of Jerusalem and indeed the whole of the Holy Land. Kind regards, Lynne.
“And it shall come to pass in that day that living waters shall go out from Yerushalayim: half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter shall it be.” Zechariah 14:8 (The Israel Bible™)
The Dead Sea (Photo: Shutterstock.com)
Almost ten times saltier than the ocean, nothing can live in the Dead Sea’s hypersaline environment – Or so scientists thought until recently. Scientific research has proved the existence of life at the bottom of the sea, but due to a unique set of circumstances, signs of life have begun appearing on its very shores, precisely as it is written in the Book of Prophets.
A young woman on a nature hike was shocked recently when she discovered freshwater ponds with fish on the shores of the Dead Sea. Samantha Siegel, a Jewish woman living in Jerusalem, often takes trips to the desert and the ancient body of water. On a recent visit, she encountered an incongruous sight with powerful implications: a prophecy appearing before her eyes that seemed to contradict the laws of nature.
The Dead Sea is, as its name implies, dead. More than 400 meters below sea level, it is the lowest point on dry land. No life can exist in its ultra-salty waters and its shores are coated with a thick layer of salt that kills any plant.
Its inhospitality has been documented for centuries. A mosaic on the floor of a church in Medeba, Jordan, showing a map for Byzantine pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, illustrates this. It features a picture of fish swimming down the Jordan River and then turning around once they arrive at the waters of the Dead Sea.
The Bible, however, describes a very different picture of the region. Lot looked out on the valley where the Dead Sea is now and saw an incredibly fertile and well-watered region.
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before Hashem destroyed Sdom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Hashem. Genesis 13:10 (The Israel Bible)
The Bible relates that the landscape changed when the fire and brimstone destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah turned the valley into a wasteland. Indeed, people who visit the Dead Sea today would find it difficult to envision a garden in the arid region.
Even more perplexing are the Messianic prophecies that water will flow east from Jerusalem into the Dead Sea, and these bitter waters will fill up with fish and the surrounding desert will be teeming with life.
Then said he unto me: ‘These waters issue forth toward the eastern region and shall go down into the Arabah; and when they shall enter into the sea into the sea of the putrid waters the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass that every living creature wherewith it swarmeth whithersoever the rivers shall come shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither that all things be healed and may live whithersoever the river cometh. Ezekiel 47:8-9 (The Israel Bible)
The water level at the Dead Sea has been receding at the fantastic rate of up to one meter every year. This is due to water being diverted from the Jordan River for agricultural purposes and evaporation caused by the Dead Sea mineral works. The dropping water level has led to sinkholes appearing on the shores of the Dead Sea. On a visit to the arid region, Siegel discovered that many of these pools have been filling up with sweet fresh water, and even more incredibly, fish.
The proof is undeniable. Siegel produced a video (see below) in which fish are clearly seen swimming on the shores of the Dead Sea, and she films herself swimming in a large pool surrounded by green plants.
Fresh water at the Dead Sea is a clear example of how the prophets were able to see things that remained hidden from scientists for thousands of years. In 2011, a team of researchers from Ben Gurion University in the Negev sent divers to the floor of the Dead Sea. This endeavor posed serious technical difficulties as the super-saline environment renders regular scuba gear inoperable. It was the first time such a dive had ever been made, and what they discovered was astounding.
The researchers discovered huge craters on the seafloor, 15 meters across and 20 meters deep. Fresh water was flowing from these craters, which were carpeted with mats of microorganisms, showing that the Dead sea was not entirely dead. The beginnings of the prophecy are in place, waiting to spring forth.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this Biblical prophecy appearing in plain sight is, as Siegel stated in her video, “This is a big deal, and no one is really talking about it.”
