PROPHECY CLASS NEWSLETTERI S S U E 2

N O V 2 0 1 5

$1000 was raised and donated toBarnabas Fund, towards Operation SafeHavens. In the most desperate contexts,persecuted Christians may have nooption but to flee their homelands inorder to save their lives. This is thesituation for many Christians in Iraq andSyria living in the territories nowcontrolled by Islamist militants. OperationSafe Havens covers their transport andbasic resettlement costs in safe countrieslike Poland where they can live andworship freely as Christians. We arethankful for every dollar that goestowards our call to “Be a safe place forthose on the run from the killing fields.”(Isaiah 16:4) https://barnabasfund.org/

Our class also raised and sent $2000 toChristians For Israel towards the Aliyahproject. Cooperating with the JewishAgency and other Christian ministries,Christians For Israel has helped morethan 80,000 Jews return home to Israel.This is an exciting fulfilment of biblicalprophecy (Isaiah 49:22). $1000 supportsthe return of a family of 4. The termAliyah means 'going up'. It is used inGenesis 50:13 in reference to Jacob’sbones being brought from Egypt towhat would be the Land of Israel:“Joseph returned to Egypt, he and hisbrothers,...to bury his father.” www. c4israel.com.au/projects/aliyah

1. Like Zechariah, Ezekiel was both a_______ and a prophet.

2. Ezekiel’s name means “God will_______” .(provide,/strengthen,/heal,/deliver)

3. God said the House of Israel would fallby the sword, _______and pestilence.(Ez 6:11)

4. God told Ezekiel to prophesy to themountains to shoot forth _______ andyield ______. (Ez 36: 8 – 9) Answers pg2

1 FORUM4 LUNCHES4 TEACHERS

17 MORNING TEAS20 LECTURES

42 SONGS48 CHAPTERS

And when you shall hear of wars and rumors ofwars, be not troubled: for such things mustneeds be; but the end shall not be yet.” ­ Jesus(Mark 13:7)

We’ve often heard it said in this Prophecy Classthat "we must hold the Bible in one hand and thenewspaper in the other". In just the last 2 years,the world has decidedly changed in its politicaland moral landscapes. Global events areunfolding at an accelerating pace, yet as bibleprophecy students, we are privy to these eventsbefore they become news. Here is a pick ofsome recent significant world events that havedominated the headlines:

Refugee crisis in EuropeThe civil war in Syria has lasted over 4 yearsnow with more than 250 000 lives lost so far,but it has recently taken significant turns for theworse. One of the outpourings of the war is themass migration of millions of refugees out ofSyria into Europe. To date, more than 4 millionpeople have fled Syria, and twice as many aredisplaced within Syria itself (source: BBC). Thewar has reached the doors of the West, and theWest is ill­equipped to handle it.

Impact of Russian intervention in SyriaWith Russia’s sudden military involvement inSeptember this year, the war in Syria is nolonger just a civil or sectarian one. A new allianceand axis of power has emerged. In the words ofPresident Bashar al­Assad, Syria’s coalition withRussia, Iran and Iraq “must succeed, otherwisewe are facing the destruction of the entireregion” (source: The Wall Street Journal).Analysts have termed it a proxy war betweenRussia and the U.S., with Russia seen asexpanding her power even as she bolstersAssad’s regime.

Considering these findings, the recent floodof mostly Muslim refugees into Europe doesnot bode well for the Jewish populationsthere.

Escalating violence in IsraelAt the UN Assembly on September 30 thisyear, the Palestinian flag was raised for thevery first time, giving formal recognition tothe State of Palestine. Following that, PLOPresident Mahmoud Abbas declared that hisState of Palestine would no longer abide bythe Oslo Accords, stating that he welcomed“every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem”(source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs).These remarks have arguably licensed afresh rash of near daily shootings andstabbings of Israelis by Palestinians, actstermed as “collective punishment” by thePalestinians and hailed by Hamas as "heroicoperations” (source: BBC), adding to thetension and violence that have eruptedsince the Jewish New Year.

Our responseFaced with such challenging times, howshould we as Christians respond? We woulddo well to heed these words of Jesus:“Take you heed, watch and pray: for youknow not when the time is...And what I sayunto you I say unto all, watch.” ­ Mark 13: 33­37

We can pray for:• World leaders – for wisdom in dealing withthe refugee crisis with grace and love, yetrealising the implications for their nations.• Genuine refugees ­ to find safety, practicallove and compassion, especially the children.• Church in Europe ­ to be active and bold inproclaiming the Gospel as the mission fieldis now brought to their doors.• Arab Christian leaders ­ to be effectiveamong the displaced within Syria andneighbouring areas, that out of tragedy,God will turn Muslims to Himself.• Israel’s leaders ­ that PM BenjaminNetanyahu and his cabinet will understandthe times and make decisions in line withGod's will as they deal with external andinternal threats.• Protection over Israel - that God willdeliver Israel from her enemies, so that allnations will see the sovereign hand of God. • Salvation of Israel – that Israel as a nationwill turn to Jesus as their Messiah.• Messianic Jews – that God will add to theirnumbers, giving them courage andprotection in evangelism.

Finally, we encourage you to keep coming tothis Prophecy Class, and invite your friendsand loved ones too. As we learn from theBible, we will be better equipped to watchand pray as “the coming of the Lord drawsnear” (James 5:8).

Increasing worldwide anti-SemitismAround the world, anti­Semitism has surged toalarming new levels. Last year, in a surveyconducted over 100 countries (source: ADL), itwas found that approximately one in fourpeople in the world is anti­Semitic. This isespecially true as Europe, once a safe haven forJews, becomes rapidly Islamized. A smaller butmore recent poll by the ADL just this year revealsdisturbing statistics. For the first time, the ADLpoll measured Muslim attitudes toward Jews in6 countries in Western Europe.They found thatacceptance of anti­Semitic stereotypes byMuslims in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,Spain, and the U.K was substantially higher thanamong the national population in each country(e.g. U.K.: 54% of Muslims harbour anti­Semiticattitudes, compared to 12% overall; France: 49%,compared to 17% overall).

THE YEAR AT A GLANCE

EYE ON THE WORLD

5. In the vision of the dry bones, Ezekiel sawthe bones come together with muscles, fleshand ______. _____ entered them and theystood up on their feet.

ALIYAH

BARNABAS FUND

QUIZ TIME

A special thank you to all volunteers in everyarea - every thought and action counts!

I would like to thank Ming Li and Esther Chew for inviting meto the Prophecy Class. I have really enjoyed myself and always look forward to each lesson because the classes arevery interesting. The slide presentations, facilitators'explanations and notes given are easy to follow and understand.

I'd like to share my testimony of God's goodness and faithfulness: When Iwas diagnosed with breast cancer, I cried my heart out to God.Jeremiah 17:14 really touched me: “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed.Save me, Lord, and I will be saved, for You are the One I praise.”

Before my surgery, I was fearful, worried and in tears. Matthew 8:26came to my mind: "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" My sisterasked me to recite Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall lacknothing." Knowing that my family and friends were praying for mebrought peace, comfort and encouragement. It helped me get throughthe surgery. I thanked God that the lump was contained and my lymphnodes were clear.

QU I Z AN SWER S 1 . P R I E S T 2 . S T R E NGH T E N 3 . F AM I N E 4 . B R AN CH E S , F R U I T 5 . S K I N , B R E A T H

Before my 1st chemotherapy, I read in the Daily Bread: “In the midstof your life­changing trial, remember that God is still at work. Hewants to use your tribulation experience to build your character. Hehas promised His Grace to see you through (2 Cor. 12:9).” I askedGod to teach me to trust Him to navigate through the storm. Ilearned to stand firm and claim His promises. He will not let me gothrough what I cannot bear because He cares for me. God is good!

The Lord works in mysterious ways. He protected my skin fromgetting burnt from radiation and from any infection. On one of myparticularly bad days, someone shared Philippians 4:6­7 with me. Ithelped me focus on Jesus' love for me. My pain was nothingcompared to His on the cross. During radiotherapy, I would prayand recite bible verses and each session would be over before Iknew it.

Praise The Lord! He sustained me! All glory goes to the Him! I amconfident that God has healed me. I thank God for my family,friends and members from Immanuel Methodist Church, Perth andFaith Methodist Church, Kuching, Sarawak. Their love, care, visits,prayers and encouragement helped me through this difficultseason of my life.

testimonyAGNES FONG

NOTABLEFACTS

ON THE BOOK OFEZEKIEL

Ezekiel's message came in theform of spoken words,

parables, signs and symbols

Nebuchadnezzar

destroyed Jerusalem in

3 stages over 19 years

Ezekiel was 17 when

Daniel was taken to

Babylon and 25 yrs old

when he himself was

taken to Babylon

14 yrs after thedestruction of Jerusalem,

Ezekiel returned in a visionto the fallen city where

he was given specificationfor the reconstruction of

the Temple, the city and theland

facebook.com/Prophecy Class

prophecyclass101@gmail.com

Each time I attend the class, I enquire of the LordHis message for me that I can apply in my walk withHim. Learning is a cumulative process. Becauseof the richness of the content delivered in theProphecy class, I am building my knowledgebase even if I can glean only 10% each time. It’s nothow much we know that matters; it's how we putinto practice what we know, and live inChrist's righteousness.

There is a sense of awe and delight to have thisprivilege to learn from the teachers who are sowilling to teach and share their biblical knowledge.Thank you! Because of the different seasons of life,God’s word is always fresh manna. It is natural forus to want to pass our hindsight to our loved ones,especially to our children and grandchildren.However, God is a grandfather to no one, and eachwill need to have a relationship with Him as ourFather through His son Jesus Christ and by thepower of the Holy Spirit. That is God's gift to allbelievers.

As I reflect and thank God for the class, I look overmy journal, the treasure trove of my fellowship withChrist. Writing and reading these God­givenlessons of my spiritual growth, I relish my awesomejourney of discovery. Have a go at journaling andmake it a part of your learning!

I have benefited much from the studies with the Prophecy Class over the years. Through the studies, I am privileged to understand God's bigger plan unfolding through the prophecies in theOld and New Testaments and theirfulfilment through the Lord Jesus Christ. Theteaching has helped me in understandingGod's relationship with Israel, and given meinsights into events in these present times.

The study of biblical prophecy in the contextof the ancient world heightened myperception of the way of life in and out ofwalled cities. I have learnt anthropology,culture, history and geography; all weavedinto His Story of mankind. The prophetEzekiel, as watchman over Israel, explainedaccountability; so have I learnt to live andlive to learn. When I visited the ancient cityof Xi’an, China, it reminded me of theancient walled cities, where the trumpeter,drummer or bell­ ringer warned the peopleof danger. If one would simply take heed ofthe warning, he would save himself. Applyingit today: Are we serious about what wehear?

C L A S S M E M B E R A N G E L I N E O N G S H A R E S . . .