FULFILLMENT OF TIME

As the "end" of the End Times is prime to become the "beginning" of the Tribulation Period, the "birth pangs" become VERY evident, and we see many shadows of things which must find their (completion during the Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom. Indeed, the fulfillment of prophetic Scripture which must occur prior to the onset of these times is ever increasing.

In Ezekiel we find a passage of interest that relates to the Temple in the Millennial Kingdom. In verses 47:1-11 we find that waters will come down from under at the south side of the alter. It will be a river that can not be passed over. These waters will issue out toward the east country, go down into the desert, and into the sea. Being brought forth into the sea, the waters will be healed, and there will be a very great multitude of fish. Everything will live where the river goes, but the miry places and the marshes will NOT be healed. They will be given to salt.

We know that this passage refers to the "Dead Sea", so it has long been a mystery how part of the Sea will be restored to life while the other part will remain dead. How can this be with a single body of water? We are told that the dead sea is so profoundly concentrated with salt that the human body CANNOT sink in it. People are said to float on their backs (without aid of rafts) awhile reading newspapers! It is ten times saltier than any other body of water, and nothing can live in it! It is the lowest point on Earth, and is so deep that Mount Everest could be submerged within it, leaving a meter of space before the surface of the water. Because of it's size And the concentrations of minerals, it is said to be worth $2 trillion! Thus, people are now beginning to tap into its wealth of magnesium, salt, calcium chloride, potassium chloride, and magnesium bromide. In ages past the Dead Sea had received a flow of one billion cubic feet per day of water from the Jordan River. Now, however, this flow has been drastically reduced to only 300 million cubic feet per day, less than 1/3 of the original flow. Due to the mining of its minerals and/or the reduction of water flow into the Dead Sea, its boundaries are now shrinking. Even twenty years ago, satellite pictures still showed this sea to be the same as it has been throughout all of recorded history, but within the last few years, a strange phenomenon has occurred. Now toward the southern end of this sea is a peninsula of land called the Tongue of the Dead Sea. Possibly due to the shrinking of the edges of the water, the passage of the water around the peninsula has "ceased to exist!" New satellite pictures show that there are now two distinct and separate bodies of water where there was only recently just one! We also find that the northern part is beginning to become fresher, while the southern is becoming saltier. Though a canal has been constructed to allow some flow from the north end to the south, the most recent satellite pictures indicate a very vivid difference in coloration between the two, while close up pictures show actual salt formations protruding above the water levels in the southern portion. It appears that the northern part of the Dead Sea is being fed by waters from the Kidron Brook.

There are many systems of cisterns, aqueducts, and pools beneath the Old City of Jerusalem, layered three deep in places. Some have water in them, and others don't. Something unique was recently noted, however. When the water was drained from certain cisterns, they somehow managed to refill up to three feet within days. The supply which replenished them could not be seen. Now, a native of the area has shared with Perry Stone, of Voice of Evangelism, a remarkable discovery he had made. He had broken through an area of rock and found a raging river below which he called "crazy" because it had such a fierce and thunderous flow. He sealed it back over, but emphatically says that it IS THERE.

It is said that there is now a shifting in the bedrock of Jerusalem. This should not be surprising to as the Mount of Olives sits right on a major fault line. We find in Revelation 16:17-18 that AFTER the last vile is poured out, and the great voice from the heavenly Temple pronounces that "IT IS DONE" we have a mighty and great earthquake on Earth that will divide Jerusalem into three parts. Zechariah 14:4 tells us more about it. "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." Could it be that this earthquake will open up the earth to allow this vast and strong river to flow openly? Will it be a river that cannot be crossed Ezekiel 47:5 because it is so large and "crazy"? Could a trickle from it already be flowing into the Kidron Brook, and thus into the northern portion of the Dead Sea, showing us the shadow of the healing of the northern portion of this Sea even now? We see in Ezekiel 47:12:

We should note that many trees have now been planted here. Indeed the landscape near this Sea has undergone many recent changes. The Arabah is the desert land immediately south of the Dead Sea, which until very recent days was totally desolate, but for a few scrubby shrubs. ”However, a pool of water has now been found about 1,500 feet beneath the desert floor, which now gushes up through the earth with such rich blue color that it is called Sapphire. This pool has 75 billion cubic meters of water, an increase of 40 to 50 times the 1.5 billion cubic meters of fresh water supply previously known to Israel. Isaiah 41:17-18 sheds some light on the weight of the discovery of this pool of water. It states:

Through the use of massive irrigation systems, the desert now produces roughly 100 tons per acre of the largest tomatoes grown anywhere (here in the U.S.A., we do well to produce half that per the same area). Desert produce also includes numerous varieties of melons, fruit, and vegetables. The Jewish people are one of the most intellectually blessed people on Earth, and their new agricultural techniques (along with the use of some good fertilizer) have allowed this elect people of God to become one of the highest ranking nations in exports of citrus, vegetables, and even flowers. Yes, the desert is alive with the green of foliage, and the color of flowers. The desert seems to be rejoicing in a splendor that only God could provide. It is blooming, just as we find in Isaiah 35:12:

We would also want to note an abundance of grass, reeds and rushes by the water. We see in Isaiah 35:7-8:

Matthew 24:15-17 explains:

Revelation 12:6 indicates that Israel will remain here for years.

Some interesting information is coming to light about this area called Petra as well. Also called Mt. Hor (place of caves), it has been called the "most amazing ghost town in the world". It is only in recent days that it has become alive with activity. Because Petra is composed of sandstone, it is being disintegrated by flash flooding, and is gradually crumbling away. However, a new drive is underway to save Petra. Led by the Petra National Trust, efforts are underway to restore the caves.

The elaborate aqua system is being refurbished, and even electric lights are being installed. It is of interest that Petra was basically lost to the world until a Swiss explorer "rediscovered" it about the same time the Jews began to return to Israel. There has been a uniquely urgent desire in the hearts of the Jewish people to visit this place since it has been "rediscovered", but it was only since 1995 that they were legally allowed to do so. There has been a tremendous interest on the part of the media to learn more of this area as well, and many articles are being written in major magazines and newspapers regarding the progress of its restoration. Some sources even report that there has been an abundance of food and clothing hidden away in the passageways that lie within her rosy red interior. It appears that God has ordained that the work be accomplished to prepare for His place of refuge for the Jewish people!! In Ezekiel 36:8-10 we find, " But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For behold, I am for you, and I will return unto you, and ye shall be tilled and own: And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:"

And indeed the Jews are "at hand to come", and ARE ALREADY COMING in large numbers. This in itself is a major sign of the END of the End of Times. In 1948 (when Israel was born) there were only 640,000 Jews living within the confines of the nation. In the last ten years we have seen that amount triple. Isaiah prophecies about this time in 43:5-6:

To the west we would find North and South America, Europe, and Africa. To the East would be Asia. Jewish residents of all of these areas have been free to return to Israel, and indeed many have done so. To the South we find Ethiopia. May of 1991 saw the return of some 14,500 Ethiopian Jews just about 30 hours before rebels attacked the capital. Another 7,000 had been returned in 1985 in a rescue effort tagged "Operation "Moses". The interesting portion of this Scriptural passage however, is in reference to the "north". God's Word admonishes the "north" to GIVE UP His elect, so they can return to their homeland! In 1983 there was a report of the "disappearance" of some 100,000 Jews who had sought legal permission from Soviet authorities to return to Israel. They had been arrested for desiring to return to the land of promise. No wonder God's Word emphasized that the North should GIVE THEM UP! We now have current figures from the International Christian Embassy that shows 701,532 Jewish people having left these northern lands to return to Israel. Pearl McLane tells us about one of many efforts to return these blessed people to their land of promise. It is called Operation Exodus, and is comprised of "fishers" who go into the lands of the North, and bring the Jews back to their homeland by boat. It seems that their time to do so may be limited, as there is movement in Russia to close the doors to this exodus once again. Pearl's evidence that the time is now about one minute till "midnight" is overwhelming! Thus we can see that the Jews are returning to Israel from every direction in accordance with God's Word. Ezekiel 37:14 says:

In the Old City we find the Islamic Dome of the Rock and Aqsa Mosque. In former times, this was the site of the Jewish Temple, and many believe it will be the site of the Temple that is to be built prior to the return of Christ. Indeed J. R. Church has come upon a great deal of evidence which seems to verify that the Temple DID stand at the spot where the Moslem mosque now stands. It even validates the discovery of the very rock upon which the Ark of the Covenant may have rested.

Along these lines, it is interesting to note that Vendyl Jones had been digging for about ten years in caves near Qumran, when he discovered 1,400 pounds of Temple incense. Immediately after his find, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) revoked his permit. It seems that they had intentionally misguided archaeologists to the wrong caves for excavation, but were unprepared for his find. Though the law is on his side as he seeks to continue his excavation, the IAA are only issuing temporary permits, and disrupting his work; fighting him each step of the way to keep him from making further significant finds. He feels certain that other Temple treasures are right there, such as the ashes of the red heifer, the priestly garments, etc.

Speaking of discoveries, in addition to the pool of water discovered in the desert, Pearl McLane speaks of a recent discovery of oil in Israel. In Deuteronomy 32:13 we find, "He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock." Could these discoveries of water and oil be a part of the hook in the jaw to attract the enemy of the north to come against Israel in the Battle of Ezekiel? Might not the Lord have buried this hook until the proper time for it to be revealed, that time being now?

We find in an Ezekiel passage, that in the battle of the end days the carcasses of the enemy will provide a feast for ravenous birds of all sorts. Ezekiel 39:4 says:

Perry Stone also enlightens us on this point. He speaks of birds there with a ninefoot wingspan from tip to tip. Where only 25-30 such birds were once seen, there are more than 400 now. During the migration season, he says thousands of birds can be seen, darkening even the sun from view. It appears that God has prepared his army of scavengers in preparation for the job he has assigned to them in the very near future.

In view of all these things, shouldn't we go about the process of being prepared for His soooooon return?