Shalom Partner and Friend of Israel,

“The Valley of Decision” is a name given to the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” - also known as the “Kidron Valley… It is the location of Yahweh's inflictions on Zion's enemies. The Bible mentions the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” only twice and identifies it as the final place where God will destroy the nations. The word “Jehoshaphat” (Yehoshafat in Hebrew) means; “Yahweh shall judge,” and this narrow furrow of land located in Jerusalem …between Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives and is where it the Bible says the events of Judgment Day will take place (Joel 3:12) …and ALL nations WILL be judged!

The Kidron Valley, is a place of “olive groves” giving this part of the valley a kind-of “pastoral” character, with Ancient Tombs and misnamed funerary monuments, divide in a once deep ravine channelling a seasonal stream that once provided a defensive border to the original City of David  on the eastern side of Jerusalem. It was a route to the “wilderness” for King David when he fled from his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15:23; 18:18). Yeshua (Jesus) often traversed this valley on His way to the village of Bethany and was His favourite place of rest and refuge. After the Last Supper our Lord crossed the valley with His Disciples to the “Garden of Gethsemane” (John 18:1). Then, after Yeshua was betrayed by Judas, He was brought back the same way to the house of the Sanhedrin high priest, Caiaphas (Matthew 26:57) . On the right looms the wall of the Temple Mount, with the sealed double portals of the Golden Gate standing out. The Golden Gate where Yeshua (Jesus) entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11). It was probably also the “Beautiful Gate” of Acts 3:1-10, where the apostle Peter healed a lame beggar. On the left, the world’s largest Jewish cemetery stretches up the Mount of Olives. The cemetery’s location follows Jewish belief that the long-awaited Messiah will pass through the Golden Gate to begin the resurrection of the dead. In reaction to this belief, Muslims then established a cemetery in front of the gate to block the Messiah’s path ...and this may also be why the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent walled up and sealed the Gate in 1541AD and still remains closed!

With the “Pillar of Absalom,” and the wall of the Temple Mount on the right …by the light of the “Passover” moon, the whitewashed tombs cutting into the Valley’s rock-face would have provided a stark reminder to Yeshua (Jesus) that on the following day when His own body would be laid in a tomb and then left empty after His Resurrection. At the birth of our Lord in the Spring of 1 AD… (10 January 1 BC) there was an “Eclipse” of moon spoken of by Josephus (Antiquities 17.167) marking the birth of Yeshua - Herod's Slaughter of the Hebrew children and the death of Herod the Great. And, a Lunar “blood moon” at the death of our Saviour on Nisan 14 (3 April) 33AD …noon to 3pm - 3 hours of darkness after Yeshua (Jesus) died on the cross Then sunlight restored to normal, an earthquake …and the word’s of the Roman Centurion;: "Truly this was God's Son"

The “Veil of Temple” was torn in two and “tombs” opened and saints resurrected. Then at 6pm - sunset & moonrise at precisely the same time and the “Eclipsed blood-red moon” rises (NASA) The Lunar Eclipse lasted 333 minutes and 66 degrees on the horizon, fulfilling Joel 2:31/Acts 2:20.

Since the 4^th Century AD, an identification of the “Kidron” with the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:2,12) has led to the belief that it WILL be the place of “Final Judgement!” During the Second Temple period a high, two-tiered bridge spanned the Kidron Valley from the Temple Mount to the Mount of Olives. Across this bridge on the “Day of Atonement” each year, a goat, symbolically bearing the sins of the people (and the original scapegoat) was led into the wilderness. NOTHING just happens and is NO coincidence with our God! For instance… did you know that some dates and times are of “prophetic” significance to Israel? And, will come into play during the Great Tribulation? The 9^th of Av; is the day of the year on which the First Temple (586BC) and Second Temple (70AD) were destroyed and is considered the worst day of the year and follows what is known as the three weeks of Sorrow!  Jews, especially in Israel refrain from making any important decisions during these days and especially on the 9^th of Av.  Prophetically, the 9^th of Av keeps resurfacing as a terrible day for Israel. (This year the 9^th Av fell on the 27^th July, 2018). Purim – is the happiest day in all of Israel.  It was the day that the Jews were delivered from extermination from Haman and his ten sons. Likewise, Purim has held many “Prophetic” occurrences for Israel as well as the 9^th of Av. Just imagine for a moment the 9^th of Av as the day that the “Saviour of the world” and restores peace in Israel with the historic signing of the anticipated soon 7-year peace-treaty (Daniel 9:27) …and likewise, the Jews “putting to flight” (Revelation 12:6) on Purim? Did you know that the 1^st US Gulf war ended on Purim?  The 2^nd Gulf war started on Purim as well.  Did you know that before Arial Sharon fell into the 8-year coma that took his life with extreme pressure from then US President George W Bush literally have IDF soldiers many in tears have the Israeli’s evicted and homes destroyed in Gaza (even digging up Jewish graves) on the 9^th of Av?  Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world on the 10^th of Av (one day after the 9^th of Av).  He was most likely Jewish (secretly in those days due to persecution) and had several prominent Jews that travelled with him.  A specific decision was made not to sail on the 9^th of Av for good reason!  They arrived at the “new world” (America) on the final day of the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) …the day the Jews sing; “He (God) has brought me through the waters!”

With the Fall Feasts of the Lord beginning 9^th September, 2018 - we need to look closely as it is significant!  Structurally, the first 4 Feasts are linked together, and the last 3 Feasts are also linked …and there is a separation of time between these two groups of Feasts. The group of the first 3 of the 4 Feasts (spring/summer) relate to the work of Yeshua (Jesus) in His First Coming, of His earthly ministry and the 4^th the work of the Holy Spirit and Church. Between the 1^st set of 4 Feasts and the 2^nd set of 3 Feasts, there is a significant time gap – almost 4 months, which, significantly, was a time of harvest in Israel; even as our current age is a “time of harvest for the church, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25) The second group of the last 3 Feasts (Fall/Autumn) relate to events connected with the Second Coming of our Lord. The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the 3 major First Fruit Feasts (Passover and Pentecost are the other two) where God has promised blessing!  The people were forbidden to use any part of the harvest in any way until after the FIRST FRUITS were offered to the Lord and to neglect these First Fruits offerings (or any others) was considered robbery of God according to Scripture.

God described the original Passover, in Egypt, as the 14^th of the 1^st lunar month - Nissan (Exodus 12:6).  The next day, the Feast of Unleavened Bread starts on the 15^th of Nissan, corresponds with March/April on the Gregorian Calendar.  That’s a full moon because a lunar month averages 29½ days, and starts on a new moon.  Before that, the flood started on the 17^th of the 2^nd month - Iyar (Genesis 7:11) – April/May, and the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat on the 17^th of the 7^th month – Tishrei – (November/December)…both of which are near a full moon!  Purim (Feast of Lots) also falls on a full moon because the Israeli victory over the Persians, for which it represents, happened on the 13^th/14^th Adar of the 12^th lunar month (Esther 9:1-19) corresponds with February/March.  God also defined the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) to start on the 15^th of the month (Leviticus 23:34). Yeshua (Jesus) was Crucified and Resurrected during Passover and also happened during a full moon, from the 14^th -16^th Nissan.  Thus, at least five major events, in the Bible, occurred on or near full moons!

Interesting Biblical facts on the Hebrew Calendar based on “Lunar” cycles… Towards the beginning of the moon’s cycle, it appears as a “thin crescent.” That is the signal for a new Jewish month! The moon grows until it is full; the middle of the month, and then it begins to wane until it cannot be seen and remains invisible for approximately two days and then the thin crescent re-appears, and the cycle begins again. The entire cycle takes approximately 29½ days since a month needs to consist of complete days …however a month is sometimes 29 days and such a month is known as chaser, “missing” …and sometimes 30 days (malei, “full”). Knowing exactly when the month begins has always been important in Jewish practice, because the Torah (Old Testament) schedules the “Feasts of the Lord” - according to the days of the month. The 1^st day of the month, as well as the 30^th day of a “malei” month, are called “Rosh Chodesh,” the “Head of the Month,” and have semi-festive status! The members of the Sanhedrin were well schooled in astronomy and were an assembly of 23 or 71 Rabbis plus the ruling high priest represented in the Sanhedrin. The Sadducees of the majority and the Pharisees of the minority were appointed to sit as a tribunal in every city in the Ancient Land of Israel. They knew exactly when the new moon would have appeared, and where it would have been visible. Nevertheless, the ‘sanctification’ of the moon depends on the crescent new moon actually being seen by two witnesses. The word “this” (in the above-quoted verse, “This month shall be to you….” implies something that is actually seen! The Rabbis of the Sanhedrin would question the witnesses in the order of their arrival. They knew what the proper responses to their questions ought to be …and were thus quickly able to identify fraudulent claims. Starting with the elder of each pair, they would ask; “Tell us how you saw the moon? In which direction was it in relation to the sun? Was it to the north or south? How high in the sky did the moon appear to be? In which direction were the crescent’s tips facing? How wide was it?” After they had finished questioning the first witness, they would bring in his partner and question him in similar fashion. If the two accounts corroborated, the evidence was accepted.  That day, the 30^th day, was now declared Rosh Chodesh of the new month. The head of the Sanhedrin would proclaim: “Mekudash!” meaning “Sanctified!”…and everyone would respond, “Mekudash! Mekudash!” The previous month was now retroactively determined to have had only 29 days. The following night (the second night of the month), huge bonfires were lit on designated mountaintops. Lookouts stationed on other mountaintops would see that a fire had been lit, and would light their own fires. This chain of communication led all the way to Babylonia, so that even very distant communities knew that the day beforehand had been declared Rosh Chodesh. Eventually, the Sadducees started lighting fires on the wrong days in order to manipulate the Hebrew Calendar. To prevent this confusion, the fire-on-mountaintop method of communication was discontinued, and instead messengers were dispatched to Babylonia and all other far-flung Jewish settlements. We can read in the Gospels of the New Testament of the Sanhedrin and Sadducees (Mark 14:53-65).  And, today in Jerusalem the Sanhedrin priests are actively working on the soon coming Third Temple!

“Before them earth trembles, Heaven shakes, Sun and moon are darkened, And stars withdraw their brightness.” -  Joel 2:10

The word for world “Olam” comes from the root of the Hebrew word for ‘hidden.’ Rabbis believe that God hides himself behind nature …but occasionally, He pulls the curtain aside a bit and we get to see Him acting directly in the world! This was an opportunity to see this and to strengthen our belief. The reason why “prophecy” exists and the reason why the Old Testament Prophets wrote about these future events - that God revealed to them beforehand is that when it comes to pass in the future as clearly as it is happening today …then it is undeniable proof that God’s Word is true! It's a fundamental belief in Judaism that everything that happens in the world is for a meaning …and there's a message hidden in there somewhere even in “astronomical” phenomenon such as Lunar or Solar Eclipses. Interesting facts according to the Talmud (Jewish writings) and belief - is that the sun and the moon were created the same size but God then made the moon smaller. The Rabbis explain that Israel is compared to the moon, and the nations are compared to the sun. The same source in the Talmud (Sukkot 29a) specifies that “lunar eclipses” are a bad omen for Israel since Israel is “spiritually” represented by the moon. If the “lunar eclipse” takes place in the east side of the heavens, then it is a bad omen for all the nations in the east …and similarly, if it occurs in the western hemisphere of the sky, it is a bad sign for all the nations in the west.

On the night of Friday, 27^th July, 2018 - the longest “lunar eclipse” of the Century appeared in the heavens over Israel… The total “lunar eclipse” was also clearly seen over; the Middle East; parts of Africa (the West) and South Africa who experienced this amazing heavenly phenomenon! This “lunar eclipse” fell on the 16^th day of the Hebrew month of Av. The preceding day (the 15^th of Av) is referred to as Tu B’Av, which is considered; “the best day of the year for the Jewish People.” However, that the “lunar eclipse” also fell during the Sabbath after the 9^th of Av - Tisha B’Av, a fast day commemorating the destruction of both Jewish Temples! The Rabbi’s labelled it “an omen for Israel.” It lasted 6 hours 13 minutes and 613 is also the number for Torah (The first 5 Books of the Old Testament) Commandments. <In Hebrew, the word “Torah” has the numerical value of 611 representing the “Commandments of God” that were instructed to us via Moses - whilst the first two of the “Ten Commandments” were said directly by God, therefore totalling 613. Coincidence? We don’t think so! The specific meaning of this recent “lunar eclipse” according to the Rabbi’s will depend on how a person relates to the 613 Commandments! So, does 613, the number of “Commandments” (Deuteronomy 33:4) that God gave to the Israelites have any symbolic meaning for Christians too? Yes! God’s Commandments are for all of us.

Let’s look further! God’s Commandments are divided into; 248 positive and 365 prohibit (forbidden). According to Jewish sages, the human body is divided into 248 organs (limbs) which correspond to the “positive” …and 365 sinews correspond to the 365 “prohibitions.” Each “Commandment” pairs up with a specific limb or sinew …and just as we take care of our “physical” limbs and sinews, we also need to take care of our “spiritual” - limbs and sinews! The 365 prohibitions represent the 365 days in a solar year’s cycle (Gregorian Calendar) and we should work at fulfilling God’s 365 restricted laws and always strive for righteousness in our lives every day.

Today, 70 years later (1948-2018) the Jewish people worldwide …and the State of Israel in particular, are once again threatened with annihilation; demonized, terrorized, isolated and treated with great injustice - primarily by Islamic nations, the corrupt Liberal Media, and anti-Israel movements such as UN, BDS, but also, to varying degrees, by many others. And, what about us - the “Body of Christ” - Church of today …are we indifferent once again? Or have we NOT learnt from history? Nations will be judged on how they treat Israel! God is very clear and those who bless Israel WILL be blessed but those who curse Israel WILL be cursed. All we need to do is look at history and see what happened to the nations who have cursed Israel? Where are they today? In the dustbin of History! Look at what is happening before our eyes in Britain and Europe where anti-Semitism is on the rise but so too is Islam!

The blood moons of 2014/5… Without a doubt, during then US President Barack Obama the ISIS invasion of Mosul, Iraq, on 10^th June, 2014, was a huge turning point in the Middle East as Obama did nothing to help Christians who were daily being beheaded by ISIS! The terrorist organization also grew under his leadership! The leader, al-Baghdadi, even announced the beginning of an Islamic Caliphate, on the 04^th July, 2014 - from a mosque in Mosul.  Prior to that, ISIS was part of Al-Qaeda or Al-Nusra (which was Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria) and was funded in part by Saudi Arabia as part of their “proxy force” to unseat Assad.  That funding stopped when al-Baghdadi declared a Caliphate …because that essentially put him over every Muslim leader in the world - including Saudi Arabia. At that point, the funding no longer mattered because ISIS had looted millions from Mosul banks and funded them by selling oil at discounted rates through Turkey and so for a time, they were the richest terrorist organization in the world.  Almost immediately, Iran took action to save Baghdad, and the rest of Iraq from falling. Iran was also sponsored by Obama through the illusive “Iranian Nuclear Deal” who was already helping Assad, but the invasion of Mosul was a wakeup call to the Shiites that they had to do more to stave off Sunni terrorists backed by Saudi Arabia. Iran already had some Shia militias ..but a desperate call by Ayatollah Sistani, from Iraq, created  many more and the invasion of Mosul gave Iran a legitimate reason to be militarily involved in Iraq and because they were invited by the president, that gave them more access to help Syria. It eventually gave them a land connection all the way to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran in Syria! Therefore, the invasion of Mosul was perhaps the single most important event that allowed Iran to become the official “king of the north” …because a presence in Ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq and Syria) of Daniel 11. The fact that the Shiites, led by Iran, have been triumphant over the Sunni rebels, backed by Saudi Arabia - “king of the south,” is prophecy being fulfilled and because the “North” is supposed to take authority during End Times. Victory over ISIS was declared on the 21^stNovember, 2017 …however are NOT destroyed and they have now re-emerging in Al-Qaeda. Obama created a vacuum for ISIS in Syria which today is on the northern border of Israel.

God is in control of the nations and has put US President Donald Trump in the White House for “a time such as this,” and bravely against all odds - made a declaration that Jerusalem was the Eternal Capital of Israel, on 06^th December 2017! Immediately riots against Israel began among the Palestinians and Hamas terrorists who realized that NO longer will America allow Palestinian terrorists, UN, EU or other anti-Israel nations to condemn the Jewish State. Although, today Hamas and Palestinian terrorists still continue to receive finances for terrorism with the help of Iran and Turkey and send “fire bombs” into the fields of Israel and their hope is to harm or kill Israeli’s.

The decisive standards by which Almighty God …the judge of the world, will pass judgement on the nations are specified and God WILL Himself gather ALL nations; “... I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine to drink.” - Joel 3:2–3.

(1) They scattered My (God) people among the nations! This occurred repeatedly in the course of Israel’s history. The Jews were violently uprooted from their land by foreign powers. This occurred under the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians (who also oversaw the return from the Babylonian Exile, however), in a slightly different form under the Greeks and then, most decisively and with the longest consequences, under the Romans following the crushing of the two Jewish Revolts - 70AD and 135AD. Nor must it be forgotten that there were repeated violent expulsions of Jewish people in the Diaspora, albeit not from their own country, but from their respective homes. The greatest forced migration of this kind occurred in the time leading up to and during the Second World War. Of the 12–13 million European Jews around 1940, 6 million lost their lives and almost all the others were forced to flee in one way or another. And, in very recent days from Gaza in August, 2005 when about 8,000 Jewish families were heartbreakingly uprooted and forced out of their homes through the US President George Bush and PM Sharon …and in return Israel has received NOTHING but hell-fire with constant Hamas terrorist rocket attacks from this ‘so-called” peace proposal forced upon them 13 years ago! Let’s not even think about the so-called Westbank – the heartland of Israel that the Bible calls – Judea and Samaria. How many Jewish families have been killed and uprooted?

(2) They divided up My (God) land (Israel)!: Here we hit a highly topical issue …the Gentile powers dividing the land that God allocated to the Jewish people. The League of Nations (between World Wars I and II), the United Nations (since World War II), EU, Islamic nations and many individual nations have been guilty of wronging Israel and God in this way to this very day. Some have had evil motives, while others have acted in better faith. This does not change the fact, however, that the nation or government that fails to respect the unique status of the land as belonging “spiritually” and “historically” to the Jewish people is setting itself in opposition to God and His Word. They attached little value to Jewish life and must reckon with God’s Judgement. In the course of European history, and certainly since the time of the Crusaders, this was unfortunately the case again and again. During the Holocaust, the lives of Jews were counted as nothing by Nazi Germany! Furthermore, since the Founding of the State of Israel, if not before, Jewish life has been increasingly threatened and endangered! But, the nations WILL be judged for the way they have treated Israel and divided His Land and City of Jerusalem.

What the Bible has to say about God’s relationship with Israel and the nations is a matter of great and far–reaching importance… Unfortunately, it is an issue that is given too little consideration by Christians! There are various reasons for this; many Christians intuitively believe erroneously that God only speaks about (Israel and the) nations in the Old Testament …and in the New Testament they believe that God only speaks about His intentions for individuals. In the course of Church history, there have been many widely differing, and in some cases highly bizarre popularly held views on the Biblical significance of Israel, the nations, world governments and religions. We must always remember that God looks at it differently and the Bible is very clear about Israel and God’s plan for nations which is through His Land and people. The Book of Revelation and other passages in the Old and New Testament sometimes leave many more questions than answers and while these reasons may be  …they are all the more unjustified when one takes a closer look at the issues they address and then misinterpreted.

Yeshua’ (Jesus) Parable of the Judgement of the Nations should be enough to give us pause for thought. In the opening verses we read…“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” - Matthew 25:31–33.

If we take these verses literally, and that is how they are meant to be taken, they suffice for us to conclude that; (1) For God, nations also have a role to play in the New Testament. (2) There is judgement not only over  individuals, but also over nations. (3) This judgement is connected to the Second Coming of our Lord and so it is still in the future. If all this is true and we believe ever Word of God is true …we must ask ourselves the following questions! Can we as Bible believing Judeo-Christians, remain indifferent to it? Can the future fate of our own nation really leave us cold? Is it spiritually and humanly irrelevant whether our nation is one day counted among the “sheep” or the “goats?” If not, what can we do about it? What is our responsibility before God and man?

Open borders are NOT God’s plan for the nations – it’s man’s rebellion - just like the “Tower of Babel!” When does the Bible mention nations for the first time …and, for the last time?  We have the first appearance of the nations in Genesis 10 where Bible tells us of how a total of 70 nations arose from the descendants of the three sons of Noah: Ham, Shem and Japheth after the flood. The number 70 has a particular significance in Hebrew. The number 7 stands for inner perfection, while the number 10 represents outer perfection or completeness. 7 times 10 or 10 x 7 is a combination of both dimensions. 70 is thus an indication of the “totality” of the nations descended from Noah. At least as important as the numerical significance, is the story of what came before the establishment of the nations …this was preceded by the flood - the destruction of all human life …and the “new beginning” after the flood. This “new beginning” was characterized by numerous promises of God’s grace through Noah and his descendants. The basis for the establishment of the nations was therefore NO less than God’s love and goodness, manifested in the Noahic Covenant, an Eternal Covenant of grace! That was the starting point for the history of God’s relationship with the nations of the world! The story of the rebellion of man follows only one chapter later where we read about the “rebellion” against God in the story of the “Tower of Babel” - Genesis 11. In the story of the Tower of Babel, the nations in rebellious unity turned against God and against His good plans and designs for them. Until then, the nations had apparently lived together and flourished greatly under the blessing of the Noahic Covenant. They had prospered and become strong. And instead of thanking and honouring God for this blessing, they fell prey to “pride” and arrogance and rebelled against God and His Commandments, which they misunderstood as heavy shackles. What had happened at an individual level in the Garden of Eden was now repeated on a collective level, with astonishing parallels, in the events surrounding the Tower of Babel! The nations came together in rebellion to assert their independence from God and took their destiny into their own hands and pushed God away from themselves with something verging on hatred. Yes, the same God who had blessed them for generations and who was concerned with their welfare and had provided for it. They wanted to build a monument to their own creative genius, drive and will power. They shrugged off their attitude of gratitude and satisfaction with regard to what was intended for them in accordance with God’s blessing, becoming excessive and greedy, filled with conceited pride and arrogance towards Yahweh, God. They were seized by the spirit of Babel, a demonic spirit that spurred them on to without God! This Babylonian spirit, the spirit of arrogance and rebellion, remains active to this very day! “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” - Revelation 14:8.

When will the prophesied fall of Babylon happen? Revelation 16:16 announces at the beginning of the Battle of Armageddon; “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” The next three verses record the fall of Babylon the Great... “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” This passage clearly teaches us that the destruction of Babylon will take place at the time of the Battle of Armageddon. Since we know that the Battle of Armageddon occurs at the end of the Great Tribulation, after the reign of the Antichrist and after the Mark of the Beast so it is obvious that Babylon has not yet fallen! The entire ministry of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah was devoted to prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem and the carrying away of Israel into Babylonian captivity. And, he also prophesied the return of Israel to Jerusalem after 70 years and foretold the ultimate destruction of Babylon. The prophecy against Babylon is found in Jeremiah 50:1-23.

The physical city of Babylon was originally built by Nimrod after the flood and was located on the Euphrates River, south of where Baghdad, Iraq stands today. The name Babylon came from the “Tower of Babel” that was constructed there. Babylon became a large city of global prominence around 1728 BC during the reign of Hammurabi. The glory years of Babylon were achieved under Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC). The city declined during the reign of Belshazzar, and came to ruin when Xerxes, the Persian king, destroyed it in 478 BC. Thus, Jeremiah’s prophesied destruction of Babylon was accomplished …and, just as the prophecy said; it has never been inhabited to this day. Saddam Hussein launched a project to rebuild Babylon in the late 1980’s, but the effort was halted by Gulf War I and has yet to be resumed. But, if Babylon is NEVER to be rebuilt …why are two entire chapters of the Book of Revelation devoted to the destruction of Babylon? And, why is the “destruction of Babylon” clearly described as occurring at the time of Armageddon? The Babylon described in Revelation is called “Mystery Babylon and the prophecy is found in Revelation 17:3-5. In our day it clearly symbolizes; anti–God and anti–Christ ideologies and world powers that are pervaded by “a spirit of pride and rebellion!” For example; Germany alone has experienced and suffered from two different expressions of this ideology under the Fascist variant under Hitler’s Nazi dictatorship and the Communist variant that held half of Germany (East Germany) in the Second World War. The ideological colours changed over the course of time …but the fundamental ideology, anti-Israel (Jew) and the underlying demonic inspiration remain the same even today under the rule of Angela Merkel. Most of the major world powers of the past were permeated by this spirit …and Israel was confronted by it repeatedly throughout its history; the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans etc.

We are reminded of Yeshua’ (Jesus) statement in Luke 21:24 prophesying that Jerusalem would return fully under Jewish sovereignty …as soon as the “times of the Gentiles” were fulfilled! This prophecy is being fulfilled step by step and phase by phase in our time!.  As we see that one major step was taken in 1948 when Israel was reborn as a nation and another major step was taken in 1967 when Jerusalem was liberated. However, the Temple Mount is still under shared sovereignty: and divided between the State of Israel and a Muslim authority (Waqf) and this conflict is currently the greatest obstacle to a lasting and genuine peace in the Middle East. We witnessed history in the making and another major prophetical leap forward on the 15^th May, 2018 when US President Donald Trump celebrated Israel’s 70^th birthday celebration with the official opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem! This is huge and is good for America too! God surely must be pleased!

The Bible prophesies that this tendency of lawlessness will escalate at the level of nations and world powers… to culminate in a final anti-God and anti-Bible, anti–Christian, anti-Israel climax before the final judgement of Revelation 19 (against the “Whore of Babylon”) and the spirit it represents! This final judgement over “Babel” goes hand in hand with the Second Coming of the Messiah and the dawn of the Messianic Kingdom, centred on Zion (Jerusalem), as foretold with astonishing precision and clarity by the Psalmist, inspired by the Holy Spirit; “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles…”- Psalm 2.

The end of the story is revealed to us in the very last book of the Bible… Here we have the final details that Scripture reveals to us about the Eternal Age …the Age of the; New Heaven and the New Earth and the New Jerusalem that descends to earth from heaven (Revelation 22:1-2). There are many passages in the Book of Revelation that refer to nations, kings (rulers) …and (anti–Christ) groups of nations referred to as the “Whore of Babylon” (Revelation 19) endowed with “seductive beauty and wealth.” These passages contain numerous dramatic descriptions of battle and final judgement. The very last thing we are told about the “nations,” is completely different and is all about “life and healing.” It conveys an image of peace and plenty in the story of the tree standing by the water of life whose leaves are used for the healing of the nations. A lot could be said about the symbolism of the images used here. The image of the tree reminds us of the two trees in Paradise. What started out at the very beginning with the creation of two people – Adam and Eve and now ends with the “healing of many nations.” Here the Bible comes to full circle! Salvation history, as revealed to us through God’s Holy Word reaches its final conclusion. The beginning and the end of the history of the nations is God’s love and mercy! The key point here is clear. The very first and the very last thing that the Bible tells us about the nations is this - God loves the nations and wants to bless them makes sure that this will happen!

We most sincerely believe that God WILL bless you for your faithfulness and love for His land and His chosen people. God’s Word is true! He IS watching to see how the nations are treating His people. God will have mercy on Israel through Gentile believers acting as mediators towards them. This is one of the most amazing revelations ever given to the church – an opportunity to do something that carries the highest priority in the heart of God. Yet, sadly, so few have seen the potential and the rewards of serving God in this manner - as agents of mercy to Israel and the Jewish people! Israel was and still is despised today and a despised nation continually turning away from God BUT nothing ever altered the purpose of God for that nation. The despised element is always a noticeable element in the purpose of God. When the Saviour of the world came, He came of that despised nation; like Israel… He Himself was “despised and rejected by men,” …and there is that despised element; “…things that are despised God has chosen,” 1 Corinthians 1:28. Now, more than at any time is the time to support Israel and the Jewish people - the Lord’s Brethren! We are witnessing the nations and people turning their backs on Israel. Thank you once again for your prayers and generous support!

We hope that you enjoy and become more informed by our work. We serve an awesome God and we are humbled by this opportunity to bring you this information. With Shalom to you and your family always,

Alf & Julie Saunders

01^st September, 2018

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John Bunyan once said, "You have never lived successfully until you have done something for someone who can NEVER repay you!"