PRO:The Middle-East in Bible Prophecy

   These are amazing days in which we are living. Almost every week we
read about some new developement in the Middle East, but the most
amazing thing is that all of these major developements are foretold in
the Bible in one manner or another. Over half of the Bible is prophecy,
and many of these prophecies tell us the future of Israel, Egypt and
the World.

   Before you can understand these prophecies, you must know a little
about the history of the Israelites, and the promises of God to them.

   About 2,000 B.C., God called Abraham and told him to leave the city
of Ur, his home town, and go on a journey to the north and west to
another country. He told him in Genesis 12:1-3, that he would give him
this new country and from his descendants, He would possess this
country. God fulfilled His promise and the Jews are the descendants of
Isaac, Abrahams's son by Sarai. Many of the Arabs are the descendants
of Ishmael, Abrahams's son by Hagar, and Egyptian. These two sons and
their mothers had quarrels and their descendants are still fighting
today.

   The Jews rejected Jesus. When they crucified Him, they cried out,
"His blood be upon us and our children." Forty years later, 70 A.D.,
Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, and the Jews were scattered into
all the world. The rain began to fail and the land became a desert.
God's curse fell upon the Jewish nation because they rejected Jesus
Christ. For 2,000 years they have been scattered over all the owrld.
God's Word tells us that in the last days, that He will gather the Jews
out of all the nations, and will take away the curse from off the land
and it will be fruitful again. We are now seeing this happen. God is
gathering them back because their Messiah, Jesus Christ, is soon going
to return to earth, and this time they will accept Him as their King.
He will estasblish His throne in Jerusalem and rule the world for 1,000
years of peace.

   ISAIAH 11:11-14

   And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his
hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which
shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from
Cush, and from Elam and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the
islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and
shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the
dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy of
Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off:
Ephraim. But they shallfly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward
the west; they shall spoil them or the east together: they shall lay
their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey
them."

   ISRAEL...The Jews have returned. The adversaries are being cut off.
Has not God cut off Egypt, and made it hard for her to war against
Israel even in our day? "They shall fly upon the shoulders of the
Philistines to the west." One of the main ways the Jews have returned
to Palestine is by the airplanes of the nations of the west cooperating
with the U.N.

   God is now dealing with Israel. Many wars and troubles have come and
are going to come upon them to get them in the place where they will be
willing and anxious to recieve their Messiah (Jesus Christ).

   EGYPT...The prophecies in chapter 19 of Isiah and Ezekiel 29:13-15,
tell us that because Egypt persecuted the Israelites during the time of
Moses, a curse would be upon their land and their people and would no
longer be a great nation but a base people. Egypt, under the Pharoahs
was the greatest nation in the world. Since the curse came upon it, it
has become a base nation.

   ISAIAH 19:22

   "And the Lord shall smite Egypt: He shall smite and heal it: and
they shall return to the Lord, and He shall be intreated of them, and
shall heal them."

   This prophecy is being fulfilled right today. Egypt has smitten and
God has used the armies of Israel, France and England to do it.

   The situation in the Middle East might clear up from time to time
but it will always start in again until God has brought all these
things to pass.

   ARMAGEDDON...The last seven years of the "age" is known as the
Tribulation Period. During this Tribulation period God will pour out
great judgements upon the world because of the sins and wickedness of
men. At the end of this Tribulation period there is to be a battle of
armegeddon. All the armies of the nations of the world will be gathered
together in the valley of Armagedo just north of Jerusalem. They will
be there to destroy Isreal but Jesus Christ shall destroy all of these
armies at His Coming and that will be the Battle of Armageddon. (Zech.
14, Isa. 13:1-18).

   Already we see the armies gathering in that vinicinity. We see the
stage being set for this great slaughter. It will start with little
wars and grow and grow until there will be a great climax "Armageddon."

   During this seven years Tribulation, a great King, known in Bible
prophecy as the AntiChrist, will rule ten nations. He is to make a pact
to protect Israel seven years. Dan. 9:27. Israel certianly wants a
protector right now.

   RUSSIA...In Ezekiel 38 and 39, the Bible prophesies that Russia will
come down to fight Israel in the last days and God will destroy the
armies of Russia before they reach Palestine proper. Right now Russia
would like to come down on Palestine and get the Arabian oil. Also, she
might fight against Isreal to help her friends, the Arabs. All this
will come to pass soon.

   ATOMIC WAR...The Bible prophecies the terrible destruction of the
last days in such a way that it describes what could be a world-wide
atomic war. In Revelation 8:7-12 and 9:18, it tells us that one third
of the world will be burned over, and one third of the people killed.
Scientists tell us this is exactly what would happen if we had a full
scale atomic war. Also read Isaiah 2:17-21. Here it describes the
people of the world digging into the rock and making holes and hiding
in caves for protection from the Judgement of the last days. This is
exactly what the countries of the world are now doing. They are putting
factories and national security installations underground.

   THE RAPTURE...Did God let His people perish in the flood of Noah's
Day? No, they were put in a place of protection before the judgement of
God came upon the world. Did not God put His children, Lot and his
family, in a place of protection before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah
with fire? Jesus said this coming Tribulation would be the greatest
judgement of God upon the world and do you not see that God is going to
take the children of God to Heaven before this last judgement is poured
out on the world?

   LUKE 21:36

   "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worth
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before
the Son of Man."

   If you want to excape the things that are coming on the world, you
will have to be a born-again Christian.

   1 THESSALONIANS 4:16,17

   "For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive, and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

   This advent is known as the rapture.

   All of the prophecies have been fulfilled that have to be fulfilled
before the rapture. Jesus is coming very soon. Are you ready? Is your
heart right with God? Friend, don"t you want to be a Christian? Don't
you want to miss this great time of tribulation and judgement that is
coming upon the earth?

   God is love. He does not want you to suffer. He does not want you to
go to Hell. He gave His only begotten Son for you. Jesus shed His blood
for you so you can have your sins forgiven. The Holy Spirit is speaking
to your heart tight now trying to get you to turn from sin and turn to
God. All of this proves that God loves you and He does not want you to
go to Hell.

   God will not tolerate sin. You cannot go to Heaven if you are living
in sin. The judgement of God comes upon all men because God is a just
God and God must punish sin. If you will accept Jesus Christ as your
Saviour, then your account i settled with God because Jesus Christ
suffered for your sins at the Cross. When you repent of your sins and
accept Jesus Chrsit into your heart, your sins will be forgiven and you
will be happy because the burden of sin, shame and guilt has been
lifted from your soul.

   Repent and accept Christ today. Tomorrow may be too late....

   GOSPEL TRACT SOCIETY P.O. BOX 1118 INDEPENDENCE, MO. 64051
