Step by Step through End-time Events/Program 2

Introduction

Ankerberg: Welcome to our program. I’m John Ankerberg. Our program today is going into 184 nations across the world, to over a billion people. And many of you that are watching, you might hear this topic and you say, this is strange to be talking about. Because we’re going to talk about why the nation of Israel is a monument to God being in existence, to God actually doing things in history that we have witnessed. Why is the nation of Israel a monument to biblical prophecy? I can remember when I was a university student, and I was exploring the scriptures, that when I looked at what God had said through the prophets and through the hundreds of years of history, that God had done some things that I needed to become aware of.

And today I’ve got a guest who has actually lived in Israel since 1991, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung. He’s been a journalist, he’s known every prime minister in Israel, he’s interviewed them. He’s talked with the leaders, the military, the religious leaders. And he knows biblical prophecy. And, Jimmy, I’m curious, as we enter into this conversation about the nation of Israel and why should people look at it, how in the world did you get interested about Israel?

DeYoung: Well, in 1983, John, I was a vice president, general manager of a Christian radio station in New York City. Now, I say Christian; we were doing 18 hours of Christian programming and six hours of orthodox Jewish programming. That came about because the FCC required we do that; the station was purchased from a Jewish organization. The Israeli government thought that was very, very interesting, so they took me to Israel on a trip to see the land, to understand all about the State of Israel itself. While I was there I was interviewed by the director of KOL-Israel, the national broadcasting company, and she asked me if I had heart problems. I said, “No, I don’t, I hope I don’t.” She said, “You will.” I said, “What do you mean?” She said, “When you leave here, your heart will yearn to come back.” Well, that was ‘83. In 1991 we went to live, my wife Judy and I, went to live in Jerusalem. And that was the most exciting experience I’ve ever had in my life. Take Bible in hand, look at this modern day State of Israel, realizing what God had promised would happen in the last days. It became real to me. I could touch God. I could see the face of God every day in the Jewish people in the streets of Jerusalem.

Ankerberg: We’re going to take you folks to Jerusalem in a segment that Jimmy and I put together. And we want to show you the prophecies that are in Scripture and how they’ve been fulfilled even in our lifetime. And then, when come back, we’re going to talk about what God says is still up ahead for the nation of Israel; the coalition of nations that are going to come against Israel. Do we see them happening today? And then we’re going to talk about some terrible times that are up ahead for the nation of Israel. I want you to watch this as we look, first of all, at the prophecies that have been fulfilled.

Ankerberg: We begin today in the heart of Jerusalem on Ben Yehuda Street, where you can see evidence of the Jewish people who have come to Israel from over 108 nations of the world. Every Independence Day, this is one of the main places they gather to celebrate the founding of the modern State of Israel.

DeYoung: I’ve been on this same street on Independence Day when they have the celebration. This one little pedestrian street could probably take care of about 200,000 people. I’ve seen that many out here. The celebration goes wild. They use these little shaving cream attacks. And I have been attacked. Everybody’s attacked here on Ben Yehuda Street. But what it speaks of is the independence that was established for the Jewish state after a war. Of course, the pronouncement that Israel was going to be a nation among the nations of the world took place at Independence Hall. And after that, you see the Burger King over here. That used to be the Atara Café. On the lower story of the café, you would have Haganah, the fighting force for the young Jewish nation.

Ankerberg: Right there.

DeYoung: Upstairs on the second floor you would have the group of Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir. They were referred to as the Underground. And though they would not work in concert together, they would communicate between each other. They did it right there at the Burger King. But this street speaks of not only the independence of the nation, but the wars of the nations as well. I’m reminded of one of the worst terrorist attacks ever to hit the Jewish people here in the city of Jerusalem. It happened here on Ben Yehuda Street, just up the street a moment or two ago, and the truth is that we have the police units here, and the terrorists guys, that’s the most elite unit in all of Israel…

Ankerberg: The guys on the motorcycle.

DeYoung: …dealing with the terrorists. Yes. Two of them. And so it’s here on a crowded street that these terrorists, these Palestinian fundamentalist Islamic terrorists would come in trying to continue their struggle to get rid of the Jewish State of Israel.

Ankerberg: Jimmy and I traveled to Tel Aviv to Independence Hall, where it all started when David Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948, and the modern State of Israel was born.

DeYoung: We’re in the heart of downtown Tel Aviv, which is one of the newer cities here in the State of Israel. In fact, the monument there, John, to those who built this city. They say that Jerusalem is where you worship; Haifa is where you study; Tel Aviv is where you play here in Israel.

DeYoung: John, right here in the center of Tel Aviv, Independence Hall. If there’s ever a monument to the fulfillment of prophecy, this is the place where they announced to the world the new state, the modern day State of Israel.

Ankerberg: Jimmy, this is a very important building for Israel.

DeYoung: It certainly is. We step off of modern day streets of Tel Aviv back 60 years ago to Independence Hall where it all began; the monument to the fulfillment of prophecy. Notice the prophetic passage there, Isaiah 35:1: “The desert shall bloom and blossom like the rose.” This was the view from David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel’s home. He was able to look at the desert. And then this mural represents the peoples that have been coming from all over the world, four corners of the earth. Notice Jeremiah 31:8: “I shall gather them in from all over the world,” and then chapter 31 continues to say, “they will come into a land I am going to give them.” Verse 23 of Jeremiah 31, he says, I’ll restore their language, a language dead for 2000 years. The Hebrew language restored to the people of Israel.

Ankerberg: Going into Independence Hall, we were met by lecturer Itzik Dror who told us, “This building was a historic building because Israel was born here. It was one of the greatest moments in the history of the Jewish people as our leaders announced to the world the new state, the modern-day State of Israel.”

Itzik Dror: This is the Hall of Independence. This is where Israel was born 60 years ago. Let me show you the stage where it all happened. You see, this is where Ben-Gurion and his government were sitting. This is his chair. And you can see the microphones and even the gavel that he used to declare independence. At 4:00 pm exactly Israel was born. Now, it was a Friday and it was very important to start on time because the Shabbat was coming in, and you do not want to desecrate a Shabbat. The Egyptians are about to blitz the city and this is why everything must start and be finished before the Shabbat. So at 4:00 pm exactly, the ceremony begins. Ben-Gurion picked up this gavel and rapped three times on the table, three raps, and it will change, to my opinion, the history of the world…

DeYoung: Exactly.

Dror: …and the fate of millions of people. What happened here, to my understanding, is as if the Jews opened the Bible and added another chapter to it. This is how I see it anyhow, and how Jewish people who sat here saw it.

Ankerberg: Itzik showed us some of the historic pictures of the event that were taken on the day of the announcement.

Dror: These are the pictures of the leaders of Israel when they signed the Document of Independence. You can see Golda Meir shaking hands with Moshe Sharett. This is Ben-Gurion here, and more pictures of the leaders of Israel shaking hands right after the…

Ankerberg: The declaration

Dror: …the declaration. Ben-Gurion signing.

Ankerberg: The document.

Dror: People were so moved when he signed the Document of Independence. It was really, it was a very important moment in the lives of all the people who shared this moment. You see Ben-Gurion here, the ministers of the temporary Jewish council, minutes before the actual declaration here, the ministers of the tiny cabinet, and more of Ben-Gurion actually reading. This is what was…

Ankerberg: Around the world.

Dror: Yes, reading the document. And here we can see the outside of the building. It was supposed to be a secret. But it was not a secret. When Ben-Gurion came to the hall, half of Tel Aviv was standing outside. And you can see that it was something that brought everybody here to the streets. It was very dangerous, because the Egyptians were about to blitz the city from the air.

Ankerberg: Yeah, in fact, just a few days later they bombed it, didn’t they?

Dror: Exactly, a few hours. You know, the Egyptians blitzed the city a few hours. One of the reasons why they declared the independence in the heart of Tel Aviv in this room was because they were looking for safety. You know, this room is really in a safe place.

Ankerberg: And you were attacked by what, six different fronts?

Dror: Well, seven Arab armies participated in different numbers.

Ankerberg: Just a few hours after you did this?

Dror: A few hours after Ben-Gurion actually signed the Document of Independence. Even in the darkest hours of Israel—and now let me tell you, it was the happiest hour of our nation, it was the darkest hour of our nation. Seven Arab armies invaded Israel that joined a war that was already waged.

Ankerberg: How soon after the declaration?

Dror: A few hours, a few hours. The morning of the Shabbat morning, we already saw seven Arab armies marching.

Ankerberg: Right here in Tel Aviv, you had bombs.

Dror: Well, some, the Egyptians blitzed the city and you have like seven Arab armies in the range of 40 miles from this point.

DeYoung: 40 miles from here.

Dror: 40 miles from here. It is all over in a way. British officers wrote home, “that’s it; it’s a matter of hours and the Jews will be thrown into the sea.” General George Marshall commented, well, the Secretary of State, he commented, “the old man (talking about Ben-Gurion) the old man lost it. He is leading his people into a complete annihilation.” It is simply impossible. We are talking about a tiny army.

DeYoung: Now, as I understand it, Ben-Gurion had been encouraged not to make the announcement.

Dror: Well, especially by the Americans.

DeYoung: Yes.

Dror: They could not even start to imagine how it is possible that the so few with sticks in their hands can win this. You have to understand, the Jewish army was, well…

Ankerberg: It didn’t exist.

Dror: …a joke! We had two Piper Cubs as an Air Force, you know. And like 40,000 people sharing 10,000 rifles. The top generals of the Israeli army were people like Yitzhak Rabin. You remember Yitzhak Rabin, the guy that was assassinated, our Prime Minister…

DeYoung: The former Prime Minister.

Dror: …in 1990. Very good. And the guy was 23 when he became a top general. So if your top generals are 23, what are the age of your troops? And this was the Jewish army, and we faced seven modern Arab armies. And you know what, you can Google it from here to Japan, read all the books in the world, and I know you guys, you know so much, but I cannot provide a clear explanation to how exactly we survived this war.

DeYoung: Except the Almighty God watching over His people.

Dror: Well, you know Ben-Gurion said once, if you know the history, the modern story of Israel, if you know the story of Israel and what happened here, and you do not believe in miracles, you are not realistic. Something is wrong with you. And he was not a man of miracles, Ben-Gurion, although he knew the Bible heart. There are some things that you cannot use the logic to explain, like the war of independence in Israel. The ceremony started at 4:00. By 4:32, it was all over; 32 minutes that changed the world.

Ankerberg: We left Independence Hall thinking about the three promises God made to the Jewish people through the prophet Ezekiel when he said, “Thus says the Lord God, Behold I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land and I will make them one nation in that land.” No one can doubt that these prophecies have been fulfilled in our lifetime exactly as God said.

Ankerberg: Alright, we’re taking you step by step through end time events, and we’re talking about the nation of Israel. And these have been the prophecies that are already fulfilled in our life time. Jimmy, we’re going to talk about Israel after the break. What are we going to talk about?

DeYoung: John, we’re going to talk about three events in the life of the nation of Israel that bring them to a place where they ultimately will turn to Jesus Christ. There will be a confirmation of a peace treaty. The Antichrist, a false messiah, will come on the scene. That will then set the stage for a coalition of nations to try to destroy the Jewish State of Israel. But, in reality, in the last three and a half years, if the Lord did not release Michael the archangel to protect the Jewish people, they would be totally annihilated off the face of the earth.

Ankerberg: Alright, folks, we’re going to name the nations that are part of that coalition next, right after the break, so stick with us.

Ankerberg: Alright, we’re back. We’re talking with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung. We’re taking you step by step through end time events. And in this program, we have been talking about the nation of Israel: why is it a monument to biblical prophecy? We’ve seen how the nation has been established, and now there are some events that are still coming up ahead. And, Jimmy, what are those three events again?

DeYoung: John, let me remind you. The rapture of the church is the next event as far as the world is concerned. We’re just prior to the rapture of the church. After the rapture of the church, there’s going to be the appearance of an Antichrist, a world dictator; a ruler that will come to the Middle East. He will confirm a peace agreement between Israel and her neighbors. Now, that will all seem good. In fact, many of the Jews who are not believers in Jesus Christ, they will think their Messiah has come. They will lay down their weapons; they will be dwelling safely, supposedly, in their land.

That is when Ezekiel 38, and over in the book of Psalms, chapter 83, Daniel 11, unfolds. And this first six months of the tribulation period will see the effort by this coalition of nations to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. I’m talking about Iran. In fact, President Ahmadinejad used that term, “We want to wipe Israel off the face of the earth that her name be forgotten forever.” Along with her, Turkey. Then there is going to be Syria and Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan. Hey, I’m talking about nations that are now actively involved in trying to do away with the Jewish state. Saudi Arabia, Lebanon. Lebanon is where Hezbollah is located; Hamas coming out of Egypt. All of these players are in place now, trying to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

Ankerberg: How do we know those specific players are going to be part of that coalition?

DeYoung: Because the scriptures tell us in Ezekiel 38, in Daniel 11, and in Psalm 83. These are the nations that will come against Israel in the last days. That takes us into the first six months of the tribulation period. Other judgments will unfold to the midway point.

Remember, the abomination of desolation takes place at the midway point of the tribulation, between the rapture of the church and the second coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus, in His Olivet Discourse, told the people when they saw this abomination of desolation, the Antichrist in the holy of holies claiming to be God, to flee, get out of Jerusalem. It’s going to be a terrible time for the Jewish people. In fact, Jeremiah the prophet said in chapter 30 and verse 7, this would be the great tribulation, the time of Jacob’s trouble. What’s going to happen also at the midway point is there’s going to be a battle in the heavenlies. Michael the archangel will lead the good angels against the old dragon Satan and the devil himself, and throw the evil angels with Satan down to the earth. Verse 13 of the book of Revelation chapter 12 says, “Woe unto the inhabiters of the earth,” because Satan knows he has but a short time. He’s going to come down, try to destroy the Jewish people. Zechariah the prophet said in chapter 13:8, two out of every three Jewish people are going to be killed at that time.

There was a terrible holocaust during World War II. Six million Jews were killed. This is eight million Jews who will be killed, present population of the Jewish world on the earth during this time It’s the worst holocaust ever to come upon the Jewish people. And it culminates with Jesus Christ coming back to save the Jewish people, and then go into the battle of Armageddon.

Ankerberg: Jimmy, people that are listening are saying, “Why is Israel so important. Why is the focus of the Bible here in end time events on the nation of Israel? How come this group of people?”

DeYoung: Well, they’re God’s chosen people. He chose them because He loved them. That’s the book of Deuteronomy. And God has a plan for the Jewish people. All of this that’s going to happen during that tribulation period has one purpose, to turn the Jew to the Messiah, who we believe is Jesus Christ, and indeed the Scriptures indicate that as well. The Jewish people have an opportunity to receive Christ during that seven year period of time. They have an opportunity to receive Him today. Those of us that know Christ as Lord and Savior must realize what’s happening. That should give us a real heart and a burden to love the Jewish people, love them to Jesus Christ. But also to warn all of our friends and loved ones that Jesus Christ is coming, that judgment is going to happen on this earth. Trust in Jesus Christ before it’s eternally too late.

Ankerberg: Alright, we’re taking you step by step through end time events. We’ve talked about the nation of Israel. Next week we’re going to talk to one of the most fascinating topics you can talk about, and that is the Jewish temple. The most controversial piece of real estate in the world is the temple mount. We’re going to tell you why, we going to talk about all the complications that are attached to it and we’re going to talk about what God says is going to happen in the days ahead. I hope that you’ll join us then.