I will bring back My exiled people Israel; they will rebuildthe ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards anddrink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. Iwill plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprootedfrom the land I have given them (Amos 9:14-15).

In my November 1999 Israel Teaching Letter, we exploredthe first five keys of the Twelve Keys to Israel in Prophecy Today.

In my introduction, I mentioned how God chose Israeland the Jewish people to be His instruments on earth to bringsalvation to the world. God never had a Plan A for the Jewishpeople and a Plan B for the Gentile Church. He has only had aPlan A, and we as a Church were brought into Gods ongoingredemptive process that is still connected to the Land of Israel,which God calls His own. Sadly, the world and spiritual forceshave fought Gods plans throughout the ages.

Despite this antagonism of the world and the exile of theJewish people from the land of Israel, God never forgot His peo-ple or His plan. God said He would bring back His people,restore the land and redeem them as a people and nation onceagain (Ezekiel 36).

This prophetic process started just over 100 years ago andis progressing at full force during our lifetime. God is preparingHis land and His people for the soon coming of Messiah. The Bibleis full of prophetic Scriptures that we are seeing fulfilled before oureyes. The Land of Israel and her people were not just tools of Godto be used in days gone by and subsequently discarded. Theywere, and are, part of Gods plan today, for His mercies do endureforever. In our day, instead of persecuting the Jewish people, mil-lions of Bible-believing Christians are praying for the peace ofJerusalem and standing in support of Gods prophetic plan.

In this issue of my Israel Teaching Letter, let us look at theremaining seven Keys to Israel in Prophecy Today.

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Gods people will cherish even the dust of Israel, signaling the time to favor Zion.

The Psalmist, in writing about Gods restoration of Zion, says, You will arise andhave mercy upon Zion; for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come. For your servants takepleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord,and all the kings of the earth your glory. When the Lord will build up Zion, He will appear in Hisglory (Ps. 102:13-16).

While modern archaeology got its start in the last century, the exploration of the bib-lical land of Israel has seen its greatest efforts since the return of the Jewish people. Theprophets speak of the ancient cities being rebuilt. In this century, Jewish archaeologistshave located thousands of ancient sites connected with Israels historical, biblical past. Allhave been carefully preserved until there is time and money to excavate them. Meanwhile,the most important biblical cities have been excavated, and nearby, modern towns havebeen built with the same name as the ancient site just like the prophets foretold.

All around Jerusalem, as well as the rest of the country, a road or a house cannot bebuilt if the construction crews accidentally stumble upon buried history. Highways have beendiverted and new buildings relocated to avoid damaging Israels past.

It is said in Israel that every Israeli is an archaeologist. While this is not so professionally, itis certainly true that almost every Israeli knows something about archaeology and all seem to beamateur archaeologists. They truly take pleasure in her stones and favor the dust, for every dis-covery reveals more of their past in this land. They painstakingly remove the dust from the stonesat the archaeological sites, using small brushes so precious finds are not disturbed.

Today the city of Jerusalem is like a large archaeological garden, for all the finds havebeen preserved for everyone to see, enjoy and learn about her history. Jerusalem has grownlarger in size and population than at any time in her history. Psalm 102 confirms that whenthe people of Israel love the stones and dust of the land and God builds up Zion, then He willappear in Jerusalem in His glory. Considering this passage along with the other fulfilledprophecies, it will not be long until we see the Lord Himself coming to Jerusalem.

God will change the heart of His people, Israel, from stone to flesh.

The prophet Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 36, speaks of a great end-time miracle,which I call the three Rs of prophecy concerning Israel.

First, there is the Return of the people to Zion, discussed in Keys 3 and 4. Second,there is the Restoration of the Land, described in Key 5. Then, he speaks of the Redemption ofthe heart of His people, Israel.

Lets see what God says: For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you outof all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water uponyou, and you will be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. Anew heart will I also give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away thestony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heartof flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and causeyou to walk in My statutes, and you will keep Mine ordi-nances, and do them. And you will dwell in the land thatI gave to your fathers; and you will be My people, and Iwill be your God (Eze. 36:24-28).

God chose the Land of Israel for His people Israel.Neither prospered very well separated from one another,and God makes it clear that the reconnection of the landand the people in Israel is a key to the prosperity ofboth, both physically and spiritually.

We can see with our own eyes the prosperity anddevelopment of the land. While the people of Israel arefar from perfect, there is a definite drawing to God inthe hearts of those who come to Israel. The rhythm ofthe land is biblical; the national holidays are biblical;

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public buildings and parks are adorned with Scripture verses; the Bible is read at most offi-cial government events; Shabbat is observed; and the Bible is discussed openly all over thecountry. After all, it is the Bible that describes the fact that both the land and the people existbecause of the plans and purposes of God. Without Him, neither can fulfill their fullest pur-poses for the redemption of the world.

Are all in Israel closely following the Bible? No. Nevertheless, consider the hundreds ofthousands of Jews who have come from former Communist lands who never saw a Bible orheard about God. Now, in the land of Israel, they can read the Bible, hear about God, and wor-ship Him openly many for the first time in their lives. Truly, God is drawing His people back toHim, as they are finding Him anew in His Holy Land.

God will use the Gentiles to bless His nation and people.

Isaiah, the prophet of Israel, said: Arise, shine, for your light has come, andthe glory of the Lord rises upon you Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the

ships of Tarshish, bringing your sons from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of theLord your God Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you Your gateswill always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you thewealth of the nations For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will beutterly ruined (Isa. 60:9-11).

In Romans 11:11-14, Paul teaches us Christians that we are grafted into the olive tree,which are the covenants, promises and hopes of Israel. We do not hold upthe tree, but it holds us up, so we should not boast against Hispeople, Israel. In verse 28, he tells us that they are beloved for thesake of the Patriarchs. Without the faithfulness of the Jewish peo-ple in Israel, we would not have our example, our Bible, ourYeshua or our salvation. Therefore, he concludes, by ourmercy, they will receive [Gods] mercy. (Rom. 11:31).

Paul teaches us Christians that we have a debtto pay to the Jewish people, by blessing them intangible ways.

Romans 15:27 clearly states: For if the Gentileshave shared in the Jews spiritual blessings, they owe it to theJews to share with them their material blessings. Howmuch more direct can God be regarding our Christianrelationship to Israel and the Jewish people?

God will show the nations that He keeps His promises.

This same chapter 36 of Ezekiel declares that God is restoring His land andpeople to show the nations of the world that He is a faithful God who keeps His promises

and His word. And the desolate land will be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all thatpassed by. And they will say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden, andthe waste and desolate and ruined cities have become fortified and are inhabited. Then the nationsthat are left round about you will know that I, the Lord, built the ruined places, and plant thatwhich was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it (Eze. 36:34-36).

God is a god who cannot lie. He is a God about whom Jeremiah says, Great is thy faithful-ness (Lam. 3:23). Once He has spoken, He will fulfill His Word, which is part of the reason whyHe has moved heaven and earth to bring His land and people, Israel, back together in these days.In a world that mostly disregards the Bible and the things of God, He is showing His faithfulnessthrough Israel today, just as Ezekiel tells us. The nations can see the evidence of Gods propheticWord being fulfilled. Interestingly, this has been and is a catalyst for many to see the truth ofGods Word and come to the Lord. The Church and even the Jewish people have had renewal andgrowth since the founding of the State of Israel. The fact of fulfilled prophecy, seen in so manyareas, brings God out of the realm of mere philosophy and back into the reality of daily life. He isa living God who chooses to interact with man. Just as in the days of the Bible, God is again

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interacting in a physical way with His people Israel. While God does not need to be proved, thefact that the world can see what He is doing today has brought many to faith.

Jerusalem will no longer be in the hands of Gentile nations, and God willrestore the worship of Himself in the city of Jerusalem.

Luke 21:20-24 foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of most of thepeople, which occurred in AD 70, with its final loss to the Jewish people in AD 135, bothtimes at the hands of the Romans. From that time onwards, Jewish sovereignty of Jerusalemhas only been the stuff dreams are made of. Who would have ever thought Jerusalem wouldagain be under Jewish sovereignty?

Well, many of the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures (Older Testament) thought so, and sodid Luke. In verse 24, Luke wrote, Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until thetimes of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Interestingly, in fulfillment of Gods promises to Abraham, theredemptive Word of God went out to the nations for the purpose of converting the pagan Gentilesinto belief in the One God of Israel. However, this was only for a season, the times of theGentiles, at the end of which God would focus His attention again upon His people, the land ofIsrael, and His city, Jerusalem. We have seen this theme running throughout this teaching letter.

In 1967, Lukes prophecy became a reality. The biblical portion of Old Jerusalem, whichhad been in the hands of Gentile nations from AD135 until 1967, was finally put back in thehands of the Jewish people. In June 1967, during the famous Six Day War, the Old City ofJerusalem once again fell into the hands of Israel after about 1900 years of exile. A pictureof Israeli soldiers praying at the Western Wall attests to the sanctity of this moment in the lifeof Israel. Their ancient holy city was theirs again.

Would God now take this sacred Old City away from Israel and give it to the Moslemworld, which is what Yasser Arafat and the Arab/Moslem world wants? Interestingly, allthrough even the Newer Testament, Palestine is never mentioned, but only Israel andJerusalem. And, for us Christians, it is important to note that the Bible records that Yeshuais coming back to Jerusalem, not a Moslem city called, El-Kuds, the name by whichJerusalem is called by the Moslem world.

There will be a struggle over the city of Jerusalem, but the source of the battle is spiri-tual. God is working to re-establish His throne in Zion, and His enemies dont like it.Nevertheless, God will prevail and the nations will one day worship only Him in Jerusalem.

When the Jerusalem Council met (Acts 15) to decide on the degree of the Law which hadto be followed by the Gentiles who found faith inthe God of Israel through Messiah Yeshua, Jamesquoted from Amos 9:11-12. Here, there is adescription of the restoration of Jerusalem to theworship of God, by Jews and Gentiles, at a futuretime when Messiah comes. It says, After this, I willreturn, and will build again the tabernacle of David,which is fallen down; and I will build again its ruins,and I will set it up; so that the residue of men mightseek after the Lord, and all the nations (Gentiles),upon whom My Name is called, says the Lord, Whodoes all of these things (Acts: 15:16-17).

Interestingly, even the Council, living inJerusalem where the Lord God of Israel was stillbeing worshipped, understood the prophecy ofAmos. It described what would entail an exile andreturn of the Jewish people to restore the worship ofthe God of the Bible, not pagan gods, back to theHoly City.

Zechariah 14:16 sees a time, after the Messiahcomes, when His feet will stand in that day on theMount of Olives (Zech. 14:4), and the nations

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(Gentiles) will join Gods people in worshipping the Lord in Jerusalem. Verse 16 says, And it willcome to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem will even goup from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

While the fullest measure of the worship of the God of Israel in His holy city, Jerusalem,has not reached its fullest measure, it is nevertheless moving towards this glorious day. Thenthere will be Gods peace and presence in Jerusalem once again, and only He will be wor-shipped in His Temple.

God will make Jerusalem the central focus of the world to judge the nations.

The prophet Zechariah speaks boldly about Gods use of Jerusalem at theend of days. He says, Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the peo-

ples round about, when they will be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.And in that day, I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples; all that burdenthemselves with it will be cut in pieces, even though all the nations of the earth be gatheredtogether against it And it will come to pass, in that day, that I will seek to destroy all thenations that come against Jerusalem (Zech. 12:2-3,9).

Interestingly, in that day which is a prophetic marker to indicate a future day, God saysHe will use Jerusalem as a standard by which to judge the nations of the world. Just as God hasalways used the land and the people of Israel to show the nations His glory, He is doing it again.Individually, our relationship to God is based on our salvation experience and our return (tshu-vah) to the Lord. Nationally, however, God can test the pulse of a nation by its attitude towardswhat He is doing in the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. This is Gods litmus test: Do youunderstand My redemptive plan for the earth and support My will for Jerusalem to be restored toMy people Israel in preparation for My soon arrival, or will you fight against it?

God promised that those who fightagainst it will incur the very wrath of GodHimself. They will be cut in pieces. Now, itdoes not say that this will happen to all thenations of the earth. Rather, it says thisdestruction will happen to those nations whorise up against Gods plans for Jerusalem.

The question for us today is this: If God isrestoring Israel in preparation for the coming ofMessiah, is a Jewish Messiah coming to a divid-ed Moslem city or a united Jewish city, wherethe God of Israel is being worshipped in Hisholy city? Those nations who seek to divideGods city again will be the nations who willcome up against Judah and Jerusalem to incurGods wrath. We have seen in recent years howthe nations of the world have all ganged up onother nations who have been in error, e.g., Iraq,Haiti, Somalia, Serbia, etc. While this was nec-essary for these unruly nations, I believe thetime will come when other nations will rise upagainst Gods plans for Jerusalem and theJewish people, because Israel is consideredunruly. For what reason, you may ask? Therefusal of the Jews to allow Jerusalem to bedivided again and the holiest part given over tothe Palestinian Authority as a Moslem capital ofa Moslem state of Palestine. The nations believethis intransigence on the part of Israel to redi-vide their city is an obstacle to the New WorldOrder and their god of peace.

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Here we see the new rising up beside the old inJerusalem. Will you support Gods will forJerusalems continued restoration as the

undivided capital of Israel?

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Which side of this argument will your nation take? Will you be for a partition of Jerusalemor against it? Only through your prayers and speaking out to your government leaders can youwork to keep your nation from being among those who come up against the continuation of aunited Jerusalem under Jewish sovereignty. Please note, however, the Scripture is clear that ifyour nation supports a blockade of Jerusalem for the purpose of dividing the city again, it will bejudged severely by God.

Gods people will return, never to be exiled from their land again.

Some critics of Israel say all of the prophecies described in this letter do notapply to Israel today. Rather, they say all of these prophecies were fulfilled when the

Jewish people returned from the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC.However, the fulfillment of these passages in our day has been specific to these verses,

and the magnitude of the fulfillment has never occurred to this degree at any other time inhistory. Whatever degree of fulfillment took place when the Jews returned from Babylon, itwas only a small picture of a greater fulfillment to come.

Amos 9:14-15 is most conclusive that the Babylonian exile and return is not what hewas talking about, when it says, I will bring back My exiled people Israel; they will rebuild theruined cities and live in them. They willplant vineyards and drink their wine;they will make gardens and eat theirfruit. I will plant Israel in their own land,never again to be uprooted from the landI have given them. Note the last verse,when it says, NEVER AGAIN to beuprooted from the land I have giventhem. After the return from Babylon,the Jewish people were uprooted again,so it is obvious that Amos was talkingabout yet another exile and return,which I believe is fulfilled in the Romanexiles and todays return!

What Does this Mean to Us?

This two-part Israel Teaching Letter was not attempting to speculate on the future, asthrough a crystal ball. Rather, I have used the "this-is-that" method of interpretation to showthat so many of the prophetic passages of the Bible have been fulfilled in our lifetime to theletter. For me, and for many others, seeing God at work in this day is a real faith-booster.

Let us move our faith out of the realm of mere philosophy and religious duty into adynamic walk with the living God of Israel, who is not only fulfilling His miracles for His peopleIsrael, but for His Church. Both Christians and Jews need to realize that the time is shortbefore the coming of Messiah, and therefore we must work double-time to bring Gods redemp-tive message, found in the Bible, to a hurting world in great spiritual need of Gods truth.

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The Return to Zion

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Many pastors, Bible teachers andeven lay people have written and asked ifthey can use these notes for preaching andteaching. The answer is a resounding,YES! That is why I am sending out thisIsrael Teaching Letter. It is my hope thatthe information contained herein will bedisseminated over and over again, whetherthrough the spoken word or by photocopy-ing and redistributing these teachings.For out of Zion shall go forth the law, theWord of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isa. 2:3).

Shalom from Jerusalem,

Clarence H. Wagner, Jr.International Chairman and President (CEO)