Prophecy and Current Events in the Middle East: Framing Israel’S and America’S Future

By Chuck Lee

As the title implies, Prophecy and Current Events in the Middle East: Framing Israels and Americas Future traces Old and New Testament prophetic events beginning with the patriarch Abrams fathering of two sons who form the roots of religions now at war. It details how the fulfillment of these events is impacting the world today and will impact the world in the near future. The book documents ancient prophecies fulfilled through the modern miraclethe nation of Israeland it delves into yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecies of future wars that Israel will be forced to fight. It documents the construction of the third temple, and it examines ancient prophecies of a future tribulation time, Gods hand in Israels survival, and his role in the total destruction of their enemies.

The book documents how the prophecies of Old Testament prophets, such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Jeremiah, Joel, Asaph, and Isaiah, correlate perfectly with New Testament prophecies of Jesus and the apostles John, Paul, Peter, and Jude to show Gods power and total control as this present age comes to an end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546250814

Chuck Lee

Chuck Lee is a native of Colorado. He and his wife Diane (editor) currently live in Marietta, Georgia--a suburb of Atlanta, where he attended undergraduate (geology and mathematics) and graduate school. While working for the AEC in western Colorado, he taught geology and general science at Intermountain Bible College. He currently is a consultant to the environmental industry. He has been a student of Bible prophecy for more than 30 years and has authored numerous studies on general Christian subjects and Bible prophecy, which can be found on his website: https://sites.google.com/site/atleastthatsthewayiseeitnet/. His previous prophetic books: John's Revelation From A Literalist, Futurist, Premillennial Point of View and Prophecy And Current Events In The Middle East--Framing Israel's and America's Future are available online or in bookstores.

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Copyright © 2018 Chuck Lee. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/25/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5082-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5080-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5081-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018908045

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Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Public Domain

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Contents

Prologue

Root Cause Of Current And Future Events

Abram’s Call And God’s Promise

Ishmael And Isaac

Jacob And Esau

Muhammad And Islam

The Future Of Our World

This World/Age Is Going To End

Signs Of The End Of The Age

End-Time Events Focused On The Nation Of Israel

Prophecy Fulfilled In Our Time—Israel Reunified (1948)

Prophecy Fulfilled In Our Time—Economic Prosperity In Israel

Petroleum In Israel

Technology, Science, And Medicine From Israel

Agriculture In Israel

The World’s Response

Prophecy Of End-Time Events Yet To Be Fulfilled—

Reunited Israel Invaded

End-Time Invasion Of Israel (Psalm 83)

Israel’s Post-Psalm 83 War Peace Covenant

End-Time Invasion Of Israel (Ezekiel’s War)

Major Consequences Of Ezekiel’s War.

Prophecy Of Events Yet To Be Fulfilled—

The Final Post-Ezekiel War Events

Two Seven-Year Prophetic Periods

Construction Of The Third (Millennial) Temple

Antichrist’s Covenant Confirmation

Summary Of End-Time Events Leading Up To The Tribulation

The Great Tribulation

Conditions Following The Tribulation

Armageddon

America’s Future

Jewish History Lesson

America’s Current Status

God’s Promise To Abram

God’s Land Grant To Israel

America’s End Game

Epilogue

Appendices

Appendix A: Jesus’ Olivet Discourse

Appendix B: Future Scriptural Battles

Appendix C: Satan’s Henchmen

Appendix D: End-Times Weapons And Execution Methods

References

About The Author

Charts and Maps

Chart 1: Likely Timeframe Of End-Time Events

Chart 2: Alexander’s Greek Empire Divided

Among His Four Generals

Chart 3: Roman Empire

Map 1: Israeli Gas Fields-2013; Oil Find-2015; Oil Shale-2011

Map 2. Current Map Of Israel’s Neighbors

Map 3: Psalm 83 Alliance

Map 4. Current Locations Of Invading

Countries During Ezekiel’s War

Prologue

Root Cause Of Current And Future Events

In order to understand what will transpire during the end-times prophesied in God’s word, simply follow the events surrounding the nation of Israel. Like it or not, Jews are God’s chosen people and they and the Middle East will be the focal point of end-time events. Those events will culminate with the return of Jesus to rule the earth during the Millennium. But, until that time, activities in the Middle-East will continue to revolve around the Israeli-Arab/Muslim conflict—the roots of which can be traced back to Abram/ Abraham (circa B.C. 1,900).

Abram’s Call And God’s Promise

God’s relationship with Abram is first documented in Genesis 12:1-2: The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.’

In order to be a nation, Abram had to have children. Since they were childless and unable to have children immediately, and because they were getting up in age, Abram and his wife Sarai decided to take matters into their own hands and help God to keep His promise. Since Sarai (at age 76) was convinced that it was physically impossible for her to bear children, she gave her servant girl Hagar to Abram when he was 86 years old in hopes that she would conceive a child:

Sarai said to Abram, Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived…. (Genesis 16:2-4)

Why God did not stop Abraham before Ishmael was conceived, has been a source of controversy for centuries. Although God has concealed the reason, it seems to stem from a couple of traits built into human DNA: 1) all of mankind has free will; and 2) along with that free will, mankind demonstrates a propensity to defy God. So, faithful Abraham, like all humans, with his free will and his capacity to defy God, demonstrated a momentary lack of faith in God to keep His promise. And, although Abraham defied God; for whatever reason, God let him.

Regardless, Abram and Sarai’s efforts were successful. We get a sense of impending disaster when even prior to her son’s birth, God sends His angel to Hagar with this less than optimistic prophetic description of his nature:

You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael (God hears) for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers. (Genesis 16:11-12)

It is not clear whether or not Ishmael developed his combative nature as a result of Isaac’s birth, or whether it developed later when he became a man, because God’s word is silent on the issue. Furthermore, whether Hagar even told Abram of the angel’s visit or if he was aware of his son’s hostility is not known. What is known, however, is that both Abram and Ishmael believed for 13 years that the boy was the son of God’s promise. That delusion came to an end when God appeared to Abram to inform him of His covenant He was going to make:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you and will multiply you exceedingly. Genesis 17:1-2

And, a major part of that covenant concerned another son:

I will bless her (Sarah) and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her…. My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year. (Genesis 17:16 & 21)

God was finally ready for His plan to be implemented. He established the exact timeframe and named Abraham’s second son—Isaac.

Ishmael And Isaac

So, Abraham had fathered two sons: Isaac, son of Sarah—as God intended; and Ishmael, son of Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar—most likely against God’s wishes.

It is not difficult to understand how Ishmael, who had been Abraham’s only son and who believed that he was the son of God’s promise for 13 years, was hurt and angry at the birth and attention given to his half-brother. Ishmael’s hostility, of which the angel had prophesied to Hagar, lived up to God’s description of him, "his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him". That anger and hostility manifested itself towards Isaac. As a result, Sarah insisted that Abraham send him and his mother Hagar into the wilderness:

But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac. (Genesis 21:9-10)

The consequences of Abraham’s and Sarah’s actions began to take their toll. To Abraham’s credit, he never hesitated to obey God. Although it must have broken his heart, he reluctantly acquiesced to his wife’s demands.

The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. But God said to Abraham, Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. (Genesis 21:11-12)

As a result, the young Ishmael suddenly found himself an outcast even from his father. Although Hagar and her son were banished to live in the wilderness, however, because he was Abraham’s son, God made provisions for Ishmael:

And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. (Genesis 17:20)

Despite the fact that God blessed Ishmael (God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer, Genesis 21:20), and he did father a large, albeit hostile, nation (Genesis 25:12-18) it seems that Ishmael never forgot his hurt and anger, and consequently, the stage was set for generations of hostility, resentment, and strife between his descendants and those of Isaac.

While Isaac’s descendants became the Jewish nation, blessed by God, Ishmael’s descendants became many Arab tribes. The Ishmaelites also were known as the Midianites (Genesis 37:25-36) and also are, most likely, the group known as the Hyksos (Kaulins, 2017).

Jacob And Esau

The Palestinian story, however, is more complex than Ishmael and Isaac. Just one generation later, there was competition and conflict between Abraham’s grandsons, the sons of Isaac—Jacob and Esau:

This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac…. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah …Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, Why is this happening to me? So, she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, Two nations (Israel and Edom) are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. (Genesis 25:20-23).

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so, they named him Esau (hairy). After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so, he was named Jacob (usurper). (Genesis 25:25)

Later, the eldest son, Esau, sold his birthright to his younger twin Jacob, thus fulfilling God’s prophecy that the older will serve the younger:

…Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished! (That is why he was also called Edom—red). Jacob replied, first sell me your birthright.

Look, I am about to die, Esau said. What good is the birthright to me? But Jacob said, Swear to me first.’ So, he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So, Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:29-34)

Later, when Isaac was near death, Jacob also tricked his father