December 2010 | Bible Prophecy Blog

Friday, December 31, 2010

Evidence that the Church Began at Pentecost in Acts 2

By Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum
Ariel Ministries

Q. What is the biblical evidence that the Church began at Pentecost in Acts 2?

A. The evidence comes in four passages of Scripture. The first passage that deals with the beginning of the universal church is Colossians 1:18:

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The point of this verse is that the Church is the Body of the Messiah.

The second passage that deals with the beginning of the universal church is I Corinthians 12:13:

For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit.

The point of this verse is that entrance into this Body, the Church, is by means of Spirit baptism. In other words, it is the Holy Spirit's ministry of Spirit baptism that places one into the Body of the Messiah. This is the reason this verse clearly teaches that every believer has been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of the Messiah, not just some. So long as there was no ministry of Spirit baptism, there was no universal church. If it can be determined just when Spirit baptism began, that will also reveal when the Church began, since Spirit baptism is an absolutely essential element to the existence of the Church, the Body of the Messiah.

The third passage that deals with the beginning of the universal church is Acts 1:5:

for John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence.

According to this verse, Spirit baptism was still future as of Acts 1. Spirit baptism had not yet begun, because Jesus used the future tense again, “You will be baptized by the Spirit not many days hence.” They had not yet experienced this because, although Yeshua had already been resurrected, He was not yet ascended. So the question is: Just when did Spirit baptism begin? The logical answer is that Spirit baptism began in Acts 2. The problem is, however, that Acts 2:1-4 does not mention Spirit baptism. What is mentioned is the fact that the Holy Spirit filled them, but the passage does not state that He baptized them. How can it be proven that Spirit baptism did begin in Acts 2, and therefore, so did the Church?

The exact beginning of the universal church can be proven by the fourth passage, Acts 11:15-16. The background to this passage begins in Acts 10 when Peter had gone to the home of Cornelius, a Gentile. Peter had preached the gospel to these Gentiles and they had been saved and filled with the Holy Spirit as a result. In Acts 11, Peter defended his actions of going to a Gentile home before the council of the Jerusalem Church. Verses 15-16 state:

And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

In verse 15, Peter stated that the Holy Spirit fell upon them [these Gentiles], even as on us [the Jews] at the beginning. When was this beginning? The beginning was Acts 2, for in verse 16, Peter stated that what had happened at the beginning was a fulfillment of the words of Jesus (Acts 1:5). So Spirit baptism began at Pentecost. Since Spirit baptism is essential to the existence of the Church, that is also when the Church was born.

Summarizing the four points of evidence dealing with the beginning of the universal church found in these four passages: point one is that the Church is the Body of the Messiah (Col. 1:18); point two is that entrance into this Body is by Spirit baptism (I Cor. 12:13); point three is that Spirit baptism was still future as of Acts 1:5; and point four is that the Church began at Pentecost in Acts 2 and will continue until the Rapture occurs (Acts 11:15-16).

Related Links

The Universal Church - Ariel Ministries (Arnold Fruchtenbaum)

'I Will Build My Church' - BPB (Dave Hunt)

The Church - SpiritandTruth.org (Steve Lewis)

What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? - GotQuestions.org

Messianic Christology - Arnold Fruchtenbaum (Book)

Hizbullah and the Information War

Caroline Glick By Caroline B. Glick
CarolineGlick.com

On January 15 the UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon is scheduled to issue indictments against a number of Hizbullah operatives for the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. All of Lebanon and much of the region is waiting in suspense that grows with each passing day.

The news that Hizbullah would be fingered by the prosecutors was first made public in July. Since then, Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has threatened repeatedly to set fire to Lebanon and perhaps Israel if Daniel Bellemare, the chief prosecutor dares to go forward. Given Hizbullah's track record of war, murder and intimidation, no one doubts that the Iranian-proxy force will keep its promise if it comes to that.

Almost immediately after Hizbullah was named as the central suspect in Hariri's assassination, Hizbullah's ally Syria began negotiating a deal with Saudi Arabia, which serves as the patron of Lebanon's Sunni community. The goal of these talks is to get Hizbullah off the hook, "in order to preserve stability."

Bellemare made clear this week that he will not be influenced by politics in dispatching his duties to the law. If he is true to his word, then Hizbullah members will certainly be indicted for assassinating Hariri next month.

What this means is that the most attractive option for Hizbullah and its allies right now is to discredit the tribunal. To this end, Hizbullah has repeatedly characterized the UN tribunal as an Israeli and American plot. Syria has insisted that the Lebanese who testified before the tribunal gave false testimony.

While these allegations may have convinced their supporters, both Syria and Hizbullah know that the only effective way to discredit the tribunal is to coerce Hariri's son, Prime Minister Saad Hariri to disavow the tribunal and withdraw Lebanese governmental support for its proceedings.

Although such a move would probably have little impact on the tribunal's ultimate judgment, it might reduce the political impact of the indictments for Hizbullah in Lebanon.

And so according to Ha'aretz, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and Saudi King Abdullah reached a deal in which Hariri Jr. will disavow the tribunal. In exchange, Hizbullah will agree not to murder him.

Hizbullah has not surprisingly announced its support for the deal. Hariri has given a series of contradictory statements that lend to the sense that he is trying to run down the clock. This week he met with Abdullah in New York where the Saudi despot is undergoing medical treatment. On Wednesday he travelled to Saudi Arabia for further talks.

In the meantime, just to underline its willingness to make good on its threats, last week Hizbullah had its affiliated trade union, the National Union for Labor Syndicates stage a protest against the government. As Hanin Ghadar at the NOW Lebanon news portal noted, in the days leading up to the terror group's coup in May 2008, it had its labor affiliates stage similar protests.

And that brings us to the basic question of why is Hizbullah taking the tribunal so seriously?

What does it care if its members are indicted for murdering Hariri? This is a terror group that has always been perfectly willing to kill in order to get its way. And everyone knows it.

Hizbullah operatives killed Hariri because he was irritating Nasrallah and Assad with all his talk about Lebanese sovereignty. Then they killed parliamentarian after parliamentarian to deny Hariri Jr.'s parliamentary majority the power to form a government or do anything else without Hizbullah agreement. When even that was insufficient to force the government to slavishly do its bidding, Hizbullah carried out its bloody coup in May 2008 in order to take over effective control of the government and the Lebanese army.

So too, after the June 2009 elections, Hizbullah coerced members of Hariri's coalition to change sides and so prevented him from forming a coalition without Hizbullah receiving veto power over all government decisions.

And even if Hizbullah did care about what its fellow Lebanese think of it, the fact is that Hizbullah is not an independent actor. It is an Iranian proxy. And the Iranians have made clear that they do not care what the tribunal does. Iran's supreme dictator Ali Khamenei announced earlier this month that as far as Iran is concerned, the tribunal's judgments are null and void. In his words, "This court is a kangaroo court and every verdict it issues is rejected."

So again, why is Hizbullah so concerned about this tribunal?

Hizbullah is concerned because Hizbullah understands the power of symbols. No, its operatives will probably never be jailed for their crimes. But the tribunal is a symbol. If Bellmare dares to defy Hizbullah, then others might consider doing so.

On the other hand if Hizbullah is able to coerce Hariri to withdraw the Lebanese government's support for the tribunal and disavow its work, it will have demonstrated its strength and authority in a way that will deter others from challenging it.

Hizbullah's response to the specter of the Special Tribunal is not only interesting for what it tells us about prospects for Lebanon's future and for regional stability and peace. Hizbullah's response to the threat that its members will be exposed as Hariri's assassins teaches us interesting lessons about the nature of information warfare.

Information warfare is not simply a question of competing narratives, as it is often characterized in the West. Information war is a form of warfare whose aim is to use words, symbols and images to force people to take real action. These actions can involve everything from war to terrorism to surrender.

In closed societies, information warfare is used to cause people to rally around the side of the group conducting the information operation and to mobilize supporters to act against the chosen enemy. For instance, when its leadership is interested in inspiring terror attacks against Israel, the Palestinian Authority broadcasts around the clock incitement against Israel.

On May 8, 2001 a group of Palestinians from a village adjacent to the Israeli community of Tekoa in Gush Etzion got their hands on two Jewish children Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran from Tekoa. The two boys were bludgeoned to death with stones. The details of the butchery are unspeakable.

The question is what can make human beings butcher children? How can a person hurt a child the way that their killers hurt them?

The answer is Palestinian television.

In the weeks before the murder, PATV (funded by foreign donors) broadcast doctored footage around the clock of what they claimed were atrocities carried out by Israel. They showed doctored images of mutilated corpses and claimed that Israel had mutilated and abused them. Israel and Jews were so demonized by these false images that after awhile, the Palestinians watching these shows believed that Jews, including Jewish children, were all monsters who must be destroyed and made to pay for their imaginary crimes.

This was an act of information warfare that in the event, led Palestinians to butcher Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran.

As for information warfare aimed at Westerners, here too, the Palestinian Authority, like Hizbullah has a long track record of success. Journalists know that the PA has no compunction about kidnapping, arresting and beating up reporters. They do it to Palestinian reporters routinely. With their sure knowledge, Western reporters who come into the PA recognize that if they want to be safe, they have to report stories that will make the PA happy.

For instance, after a television crew from Italy's Mediaset network broadcast footage of the PA police-supported lynch mob murdering and dismembering IDF reservists Vadim Nozhitz and Yosef Avrahami in Ramallah in October 2000, Ricardo Cristiani, deputy chief of Italy's RAI television network's Jerusalem bureau published an apology in the PA's newspaper Al Hayat al Jadida.

Among other things, Cristiani wrote, "We [RAI] emphasize to all of you that the events did not happen this way, because we always respect (will continue to respect) the journalistic procedures with the Palestinian Authority for (journalistic) work in Palestine and we are credible in our precise work."

Fearing Palestinian revenge attacks, Mediaset was forced to shut down its offices.

This week, Swedish and Danish police announced the arrest of four Muslim terrorists who were en route to carrying out a massacre at the Jyllands Posten newspaper. The attack was supposed to avenge the newspaper's publication of cartoons of Muhammed in 2005.

A US diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks and published Monday by Sweden's Aftonbladet newspaper reported that Syria's Assad himself directed the information operation in 2006 that led to rioting against Denmark and Jyllands Posten throughout the Muslim world in 2006. Assad reportedly ordered Syria's Grand Mufti to incite his fellow imams to attack Denmark for publishing the pictures.

The Arab world's response to WikiLeaks shows just how powerful the incitement against Israel and Jews on the Arab psyche is. According to Hazem Saghiyah from the NOW Lebanon news portal, the Arab world was beset by confusion by the leaked US cables because Israel was not exposed as demonic.

As Saghiyeh put it, for Arabs who have come to believe that Israel controls the world through its satanic power, "these documents should have provided the decisive argument" against Israel.

The fact that it is the Arab leadership, rather than Israel that has been exposed as lying and two-faced, makes the Arab world writ large view the WikiLeaks operation as a huge Zionist conspiracy.

What all of this shows is that information wars are not just about getting out the facts. Like kinetic warfare, they involve power plays, intimidation and the use of subconscious and visceral manipulation.

Israel has recently awoken to one aspect of information warfare. It has recognized the consequences of years of demonization of Israel in Europe and international organizations. But Israel has yet to awaken to the fact that it is a type of warfare and has to be countered with counter-information warfare.

Obviously this doesn't mean that Israel should begin acting like its enemies. But what it does mean is that Israel must begin using more hard-knuckle techniques to defend itself. It must begin targeting people's emotions as well has their minds.

For instance, when Israel is confronted by threats of lawsuits for acts of self-defense, it responds with defense attorneys. When the US was threatened with lawfare by Belgian courts, then secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld responded by threatening to remove NATO headquarters from Belgium.

When Israel is accused of targeting Palestinian civilians, it responds by attaching legal advisors to combat units. What it should be doing instead is providing film footage of Palestinian children being trained as terrorists and exploited as human shields.

War is a dirty business. Information warfare is a dirty form of war. And if we don't want to lose, we'd better start fighting.

Related Links

Lebanon is staring into the abyss - The Guardian

Lebanon approaches new year with crises hanging - Daily Star

Turmoil in Lebanon - FrontPage Magazine

The Economist: Middle East calm is, yes, hanging by a thread - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Shackled Warrior: Israel and the Global Jihad - Caroline B. Glick (Book)

Obama Snubs Hillary, Senate in Appointment

By Aaron Klein
WorldNetDaily

The Obama administration has bypassed the U.S. Senate by directly appointing four new ambassadors, including the first U.S. envoy to Syria since 2005, during the Christmas recess for Congress.

It marks the second time President Obama bypassed another agency or government branch to appoint a new ambassador to Syria.

WND reported in July that Obama bypassed Hillary Clinton's State Department in his announcement he would send a new ambassador to Syria, even disrupting agency negotiations with the Syrian government aimed at extracting concessions from the Damascus regime for the stepped-up diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The U.S. withdrew its ambassador from Syria several years ago in protest against the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, an attack widely blamed on Damascus.

Now the White House has picked a career diplomat for the post as part of an announcement regarding four new ambassadors despite some senatorial opposition based in part on the proposed envoys' experience.

In the case of Syria, a number of senators were concerned sending an ambassador would reward Syria for its increased militant stance.

Syria is in a strategic and military alliance with Iran. It has been accused of helping fuel the insurgency against U.S. troops in Iraq. Syria is a state sponsor of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, reportedly helping the Iranian-backed Hezbollah to arm itself with more than 10,000 missiles and rockets. Also, leaders of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations are based in Syria.

The White House announced Obama was using his power to make recess appointments to fill envoy posts to Azerbaijan, Syria and NATO allies Turkey and the Czech Republic. Career diplomat Robert Ford will become the new ambassador to Syria.

When the Obama administration announced in June it would send a representative to Damascus, it did not obtain any concessions from Syria in exchange, a top official from Syria's Information Ministry told WND in July.

The official said Syria was in consultation with the State Department at the time about the possibility of renewing an American ambassadorship to Syria in a major upgrade of relations with the Damascus regime. The official said the White House announcement on the ambassador came without Syria first agreeing to preconditions for the move.

The official claimed that Syria would not have ended its relationships with Iran, Hezbollah or various Palestinian organizations in exchange for the sending of a U.S. ambassador regardless of State Department negotiations.

"There was no concession regarding any Syrian principles for having an American ambassador," the information ministry official said, speaking from Damascus.

"We would not accept any interfering in the Syrian sovereignty and the Syrian right to have independent foreign relationships," said the official, referring to Syria's military alliance with Iran.

The picture emerging from Syria seems to jibe with a Washington Post column in July by Jim Hoagland, who quoted diplomatic sources as stating that White House decision makers had unilaterally determined the U.S. would send an ambassador to Syria.

The announcement of the selection of Ford Wednesday – which provided Damascus a major prize – took State Department officials by surprise, according to Hoagland.

A U.S. official who spoke to WND last week confirmed a working group within the State Department was in the process of negotiating concessions from Syria as part of the appointment process.

The U.S. official told WND the White House had hastily leaked the news of an ambassador, thus relieving Damascus of any need to negotiate or reciprocate with any concession.

Related Links

Obama Again Circumvents Congress with Recess Appointments - The New American

Obama to Appoint Six Without Senate Okay - NewsMax.com

Obama uses power of appointment, sidestepping Senate - Washington Times

Executive-branch tyranny marches on - WorldNetDaily (David Limbaugh)

Rep. King: Obama recess appointment at Justice Dept. 'absolutely shocking' - TheHill.com

The Manchurian President - Aaron Klein (Book)

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Decision Making to the Glory of God

By Dr. John MacArthur
Grace to You

Did you know 90% of the choices you make as a Christian involve areas where Scripture says surprisingly little? What you wear, where you go, how you spend your free time — you won’t find many explicit instructions in the Bible. But you can find plenty of rules and strictures in the various spheres of evangelicalism, many of them unhelpful and even harmful (and not only in the fundamentalist camp).

Of course Scripture forbids all clear-cut sins such as lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, or committing adultery. The Bible also clearly calls us to pursue Christ and grow in our faith. No Christian seriously questions whether he should read the Bible, pray, or tell others about Christ. Scripture is unambiguous about those things.

There is, however, one class of questions that seems to fall somewhere in the middle. These are the issues dealing with Christian freedom — things that fall between what God prohibits and what He commands. What entertainment is acceptable? What kind of music is okay? What can a Christian do or not do on Sunday? What about what you wear, what you eat and drink, or how you spend your free time — does the Bible address those things?

Some would say, "No, the Bible doesn't address those things. Those are gray areas, so do what you want to do — you're free in Christ!" While it is true that the Bible doesn't specifically list every possible decision you'll face in life, it does address all choices with principles that govern Christian freedom. When you run your choices through the following grid of principles from God's Word, you'll find both clarity and true freedom to live your life to God's glory.

Will It Benefit Me Spiritually?

All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify (1 Cor. 10:23).

A "profitable" thing is useful, helpful, or to your advantage to do; and the idea behind "edify" is to build up spiritually. So based on this verse, ask yourself, "Will doing this enhance my spiritual life? Will it cultivate godliness? Will it build me up spiritually?" If not, you should seriously question whether that behavior is the best choice.

Will It Bring Bondage?

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Cor. 6:12).

In the second part of this verse, Paul is saying, "I will not be brought under the power of anything." If what you are considering can be habit-forming, why pursue it? Don't allow yourself to be in bondage to anything or anyone. You are a bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him alone.

Will It Defile God's Temple?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Don't do anything that you know will harm your body or bring shame — it is the only instrument you have to glorify God. Romans 6:13 says, "Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." How you choose to use your body should always reflect your concern to honor Jesus Christ.

Will It Cause Anyone to Stumble?

Food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak (1 Cor. 8:8-9).

This is the principle of love. As Romans 13:10 says: "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law." If you know that your choice — what you consider "in bounds" and approved — causes another Christian to stumble and sin, love that brother or sister enough to restrict your own freedom. That is not very popular in our self-absorbed society, but it is biblical. To continue to indulge in a legitimate freedom that causes problems for another Christian is a sin. For "by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore," Paul said, "if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble" (1 Cor. 8:12-13).

Will It Further the Cause of Evangelism?

Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved (1 Cor. 10:32-33).

Whether you are aware of it, what you allow or disallow in your behavior affects your witness for Christ, and the world is watching. It's an issue of testimony — what your life says about God. Your testimony either tells the truth about God, or it tells a lie. The choices you make in areas where Scripture speaks principally rather than specifically should reflect your concern not to bring offense to God's reputation but to bring Him praise instead.

Will It Violate My Conscience?

He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).

First Corinthians 10:25-29 contains three references to abstaining from a certain practice "for conscience sake." Never train yourself to violate your conscience. If your conscience is troubled by what you consider, don't do it. If you aren't sure about it, don't do it. It is hard to overstate the value of a clean conscience, but it is worth keeping your conscience clear so that your relationship to God will not be hindered. If you'll keep yourself in prayer and the study of God's Word, you will inform your conscience so you can "walk as children of light...finding out what is acceptable to the Lord" (Eph. 5:8, 10).

Will It Bring Glory to God?

Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

That verse is clearly both the summary and the goal of all the principles listed above. Isn't our heart's cry to glorify our Lord and Savior with our lives? Think about your decision — Will He be glorified, honored, and praised through it? May we say along with Jesus, "I glorified You on the earth" (John 17:4).

So the next time you face a decision where Scripture is less than specific or overt, run it through the principles above and enjoy your freedom in Christ. Happy New Year from Grace to You!

Related Links

Is it ever right to lie? - GotQuestions.org

Right From Wrong - Josh McDowell (Book)

Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View - Garry Friesen (Book)

Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong: A Biblical Response to Today's Most Controversial Issues - John F. MacArthur (Book)

If God's Will is So Important, Why Can't I Find it? - Grace to You (John F. MacArthur)

N-B-C Battalion Established in Israel

By David Dolan
DDolan.com

Israeli armed forces commanders have announced the formation of a special military battalion whose main task will be to deal with any non-conventional attack upon the Jewish state. The new unit, called Yanshuf in Hebrew, has already been trained to respond to any potential nuclear, biological or chemical missile assault upon Israel.

Officials say the possibility of such an attack is increasing every year, with Iran moving toward producing nuclear warheads while its ally Syria continues to stockpile deadly VX and Sarin nerve gas that can be carried by its large Russian-supplied missile force. The new battalion will be readied for possible rapid deployment to any part of the small country, which is only 280 miles long and less than 50 miles wide.

During a recent military ceremony inaugurating the new battalion, Major General Sami Turgeman noted that “not far from us, the Syrians are diligently developing warring capabilities that we must prepare for. Our job now is not to prepare for conventional occurrences, but instead to prepare for the extreme event, and the Yanshuf battalion is the spearhead for this defense.”

Related Links

IDF Launches First NBC Defense Battalion - Arutz Sheva

Israel Inaugurates First Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) Battalion - defpro.com

Leaked cable warns of Syrian attempt to create bioweapons - BioPrepWatch.com

Pakistan makes two nuclear weapons available to Saudi Arabia - DEBKAfile

Obama appoints ambassador to Syria - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Holy War for the Promised Land: Israel at the Crossroads - David Dolan (Book)

New Israeli Natural Gas Find May Have Prophetic Implications

By Chris Schang
The Rapture Report

In a news article today it is being reported that a new found natural gas field found offshore of Israel is the largest natural gas find in the history of Israel. This new natural gas field has the potential to make Israel an exporter of natural gas. This recent discovery could play a role in the future prophetic scenario of Ezekiel 38-39. The Jerusalem Post is reporting:

The natural gas reserves in the Leviathan structure total 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, based on preliminary results of the production tests received in the past few days. This was same amount estimated from a recent 3D seismic survey. The quantity found is double the gas reserves at Tamar. The results were reported Wednesday by Noble Energy Inc., which owns 39.66% of the prospect.

According to Noble Energy, "The well encountered a minimum of 220 feet (67 meters) of net natural gas pay in several subsalt Miocene intervals. Apparent reservoir quality is very good, and the intervals discovered are geologically similar to those intersected at Tamar."

Noble Energy CEO Charles Davidson said, "Leviathan is the latest major discovery for Noble Energy and is easily the largest exploration discovery in our history."

The Jerusalem Post article went on to further state:

Noble Energy president and COO David L. Stover added, "This discovery has the potential to position Israel as a natural gas exporting nation. For nearly a year now, we have had a team evaluating market possibilities, which includes various pipeline and LNG options. It's our belief that the natural gas resources at Leviathan are sufficient to support one or more of the options being studied. We are excited to be leading the exploration and development in this new basin and look forward to determining the best development option."

These recent discoveries of natural gas as well as oil could have prophetic implications in the future for Israel. According to the ancient prophet Ezekiel, there will be an end times invasion of Israel led by Russia and a coalition of Islamic countries that are coming after a "spoil". Bible prophecy teachers and students have long wondered what the "spoil" might be as Israel does not have an extensive amount of wealth outside of the Dead Sea mineral deposits. While Israel's high tech industries are lucrative and successful, she is still not really an attractive target yet for this future Russian coalition. However, when adding the prospects of oil and natural gas finds to the equation especially in light of the religious significance of Israel, suddenly we have a situation that provides Israel as a lucrative target for a Russia invasion. Especially since Russia is a leading natural gas supplier and has been using energy resources as a political weapon against the European Union.

For Israel's allies and friends, the recent natural gas discoveries provide a more stable and attractive market in which to buy natural gas. Israel is a more dependable and friendlier country as opposed to Russia. For Russia's part, they will be very interested in the effect of Israel's influence and ability to market natural gas thereby depriving them of essential income that is hard to find in Russia. This Israeli natural gas find could be the kind of thing that provides the "spoil" for the Ezekiel 38-39 scenario. The prophet Ezekiel warns in these chapters that Gog and Russia will be aiming for the "spoil" in the following verses:

Eze 38:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: Eze 38:4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts [of armour, even] a great company [with] bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Eze 38:5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Eze 38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: [and] many people with thee. Eze 38:7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. Eze 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land [that is] brought back from the sword, [and is] gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Eze 38:9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Eze 38:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, [that] at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: Eze 38:11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, Eze 38:12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places [that are now] inhabited, and upon the people [that are] gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. Eze 38:13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

As we can see in these verses and from the rest of Ezekiel 38-39, the Russian led invasion will center around a wealthy and prosperous Israeli state. Since the re-birth of the state of Israel in 1948, Israel has slowly but surely improved itself economically despite it's small size. The country has survived numerous Islamic attempts to wipe it off the map, yet still remains just as God has foretold. The interesting thing is that for the first time Israel has the opportunity with the discovery of oil and natural gas offshore to break the ceiling and become a mighty financial state. This coupled with the breakdown of peace talks with the Palestinians and international community may finally convince the Russians and surrounding Islamic countries to finally make a move on Israel militarily as Ezekiel foretold thousands of years ago.

As a result, we need to continue to watch the Middle East region as it appears that every day we are moving closer and closer to the prophecies as foretold by the Bible. We also can see that as this occurs, we are also moving even faster towards the rapture of the church which can literally happen at any moment when God sends his Son to gather his church. Let us continue to pray for Israel as well as pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The coming days are surely to be eventful as we move closer and closer to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Stay tuned!

God bless.

Related Links

Noble CEO: Leviathan is largest gas find in our history - The Jerusalem Post

BIBLE PROPHECY UPDATE: ISRAEL DISCOVERS ANOTHER 16 TRILLION CUBIC FEET OF NATURAL GAS - Joel Rosenberg’s Weblog

Israel Needs to Find Gas Export Markets, Central Bank Chief Says - Bloomberg

Psalm 83 or Ezekiel 38, "Which is the Next Middle East News Headline?" - BPB (Bill Salus)

Northern Storm Rising: Russia, Iran, and the Emerging End-Times Military Coalition Against Israel - Ron Rhodes (Book)

Israel Confirms Major Gas Find - New York Times

Largest natural gas reserve discovered in Israel worth approximately $95 billion - Haaretz

Anti-Israel Propaganda Becomes Mainstream Entertainment in US

By Ryan Jones
Israel Today

For years pro-Palestinian apologists and propagandists in America have been whittling away at traditional strong backing for the Jewish state.

Self-described experts have been working hard to undermine US diplomatic and financial support for Israel by claiming the dreaded “Israel lobby” controls US foreign policy. Even within the Evangelical Church, that bastion of pro-Israel sentiment, there is a growing movement to disassociate from Israel.

But poll numbers continue to show that most Americans support Israel and recognize who are the true antagonists in the Middle East conflict. Because of that, pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel propaganda never caught on as mainstream entertainment the way anti-communist productions did.

Until now.

Scheduled for a March 2011 release, the new feature film “Miral” follows the turbulent life of a young Palestinian Arab girl who becomes involved in terrorism against Israel. It unabashedly demands sympathy for this girl and other Palestinian terrorists in their battle with a Jewish state that is portrayed as arbitrarily cruel and barbaric.

There is little surprise there, since the film is an adaptation of a book written by director Julian Schnabel’s new Palestinian Arab girlfriend, Rula Jabreal. In a series of interviews following screening of “Miral” at the Toronto and Venice film festivals, Schnabel, who is Jewish, acknowledged that it was not the film’s intent to give a comprehensive background to the conflict or present a “balanced” view.

Further evidence that the film is, as Schnable himself hinted, aimed at promoting the Palestinian narrative of the conflict is the fact that Vanessa Redgrave is given a cameo. Redgrave is famous for denouncing the “Zionist hoodlums” during a 1978 Academy Awards acceptance speech. Despite Redgrave’s minor role, her presence in the film is being used as part of the marketing campaign.

In addition to its skewed portrayal of the situation in the Middle East, critics have widely dismissed the film as uncreative, and certainly not up to par with Schnabel’s previous offerings. At least one critic said Schnabel had “forfeited his talent to please his collaborator” - his Palestinian girlfriend.

With those kinds of reviews, and the “foreign film” feel of it all, such a movie would ordinarily be relegated to the status of a minor release, not pushed as a potential blockbuster. But the latter is precisely what the entertainment industry in the US appears to be doing.

Israel Today has learned from a number of people in the US that trailers of “Miral” are being shown before currently playing major feature films at American movie theaters. The lead-up to major feature films is usually reserved for the trailers of movies that the studios believe will become blockbusters, or want to push to become blockbusters.

We have all known for decades that the mainstream American press is no friend of Israel. But is anti-Israel propaganda finally breaking through into mainstream entertainment as well?

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