God's Hand in History (Part 3) The following is a miniature history course -- "His Story 101" -- the way it should have been taught in grade school to every child growing up. But historical evidence to support God's hand in history has been LEFT OUT of our history classes. MIRACULOUS intervention and circumstances with PRECISE TIMING at crucial dates in the story of nations and empires point unmistakably to the GUIDING HAND of God. But God has been "kicked out" of school text books. "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind" (void of judgment) (Romans 1:28). "For the material man rejects spiritual things, for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). Secular History Confirms Herod's Murder of the Children of Bethlehem in 4 BC (Matt. 2:16; Jer. 31:15) "Many were under a strong persuasion that in the ancient books, kept by their priests, a prophesy was contained -- That at this very time the power of the East should prevail, and out of Judaea should spring such as should rule over all nations: a prophetic riddle by which Vespasian and Titus were prefigured." (Tacitus Hist. 5:13 [56-120 AD]) Secular History Confirms Our Lord's Birth, Miracles of Healing, Wisdom, Crucifixion and Resurrection
The Sibylline Oracles Silenced By Our Lord The principal ancient heathen oracles included that of Jupiter Dodona in Epirus; of Apollo at Delphi, in Phocis, near Mount Parnassus; and the temple of Jupiter Ammon in the deserts of Libya. According to the heathen tradition, Mount Parnassus was once tenanted by a mighty SERPENT, which had the power of speech and delivered oracular responses from a sacred cave. This Delphic SERPENT, which was called Python, was, according to the tradition, slain by Apollo. From this fabulous monster the name Pythius was communicated to the god, and Pythia, or Pythoness, to the priestess, who, after receiving the vapor of inspiration through the cleft of a rock, delivered the responses. The oracular temples were generally located in deep forests or steep, craggy places. The tripod or chair, on which the priestess was seated, was sometimes over the mouth of a cavern; the vapor issuing from it was said to have an inspiring or infuriating effect on those who were upon it. The Scriptures are our "living oracles" (Acts 7:38; Rom. 3:2) in opposition to the dead oracles of the heathen. "There shall not be found among you anyone ... who useth DIVINATION ... or an ENCHANTER, or a WITCH, Or a CHARMER, or a consulter of MEDIUMS, or a WIZARD, or a NECROMANCER (communicates with the dead)" (Deut. 18:10-11). These oracles often spoke the truth (Acts 16:6 -- "spirit of Python"), but mixed with falsehood intended to deceive from the "father of LIES" (John 8:44) who "deceiveth the whole world" (Rev. 12:9). Balaam spoke true prophecies. So did the damsel at Philippi. Ahaziah consulted Baalzebub at Ekron (prince of demons -- Matt. 9:24) whether he should recover from his sickness (2 Ki. 1:1-4). Cassandra foresaw the destruction of Troy while Priam was unable. Demoniacs confessed the divinity of Christ while the scribes and Pharisees were blind. We know that Herodotus (8:77), Socrates, Xenophon, Cicero, etcetera, the wisest and greatest men of antiquity, both among the Greeks and Barbarians, trusted in them and consulted them.
A Druidess told Diocletian he would be emperor when he had slain Aper, a Boar. Many boars he slew without success, till he recollected that Numerian's father in law was named Aper. Cambyses was told he should die at Ecbatan by the Egyptian oracle at Butos. He avoided the Median city, but died at Ecbatan in Syria, when his own sword wounded him in the thigh as he mounted his horse because he had wounded the Apis calf of Egypt in the thigh. A Greek oracle in 480 BC mentioned "a wooden wall alone impregnable" "O Salamis divine" against Xerxes' Persian forces. In the ensuing Battle of Salamis, the Grecians lost 40 wooden ships; the Persians 200, besides several that were taken. (Herodotus 7:140-143). Pyrrhus was warned to beware of Argos; and Epaminondas of Pelagos, where both found their deaths. Our Lord Predicted the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. In 66 A.D. Cestius Gallus, the Roman governor of Syria, arrived at Jerusalem on Tishri 22, the 8th day sabbath after the festival of Booths (October A.D. 66), to restore Roman rule over the rebellious Jewish people. According to Josephus, the Jewish nation had refused to offer sacrifices and prayer at their temple for the emperor's well being. This sacrifice was a sign of subjection to, and acknowledgement of, the ruler. Therefore, Jerusalem (including Christians) was surrounded by the legions of Cestius Gallus. The "Abomination of DESOLATION" (Matt. 24:15) is defined in Luke 21:20 as "Jerusalem compassed with ARMIES" that cause "DESOLATION." Cestius took the temple wall on Heshvan 5, 66 A.D. He burnt three divisions of the city. At this time he (Cestius) constituted the abomination that caused desolation standing where it ought not in 'a holy place' in the temple and the daily sacrifice had been removed since no one felt like offering up a sacrifice in front of Cestius. The Roman armies carried the images of their gods and emperors on their standards also. The principal figures on their ensigns were gold eagles, which, however obnoxious to the Jews, were at length planted in the midst of the holy city, and finally on the temple itself. As our Lord said, "Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together" (Matt. 24:28). At that time, on that very day, "It then happened that Cestius was not conscious either how the besieged despaired of success, nor how courageous the people were for him, and he recalled his soldiers from the place, and by despairing of any expectation of taking it, without having received any disgrace, he retired from the city, without any reason in the world" (Wars 2:19). Jewish Zealots pursued and attacked the army ferociously, and, with little loss to themselves, slew of his army nearly six thousand men. On this day, Heshvan 5, 66 A.D. we have a fulfillment of the conditions for beginning the 1290 days of Daniel 12:11. Christians were given a brief opportunity to obey our Lord's advice and "depart out of the midst of" Jerusalem and "flee to the mountains" (Luke 21:20-22). "The whole body of the church at Jerusalem having been commanded by a divine Revelation ["Let us remove hence." -- Wars 6:5:3] ... removed from the city, and dwelt in a certain town beyond Jordan, called Pella" (Eusebius 3:5:2). After this calamity had befallen Cestius, many of the most eminent of the Jews SWAM away from the city, as from a ship when it was going to sink (Wars of the Jews, book 2 ch. 20). Returning Zealots didn't tolerate "deserters," so escaping had to be done that very day. Fleeing to the hills in the Bible occurs just before the great tribulation. "Christ Jesus said ‘When you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies (literally or in a supernatural sign), then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them who are in Judea (not just Jerusalem) flee to the mountains; and let them who are in the midst of it depart; and let not them that are in the countries enter into it’ (Luke 21:20-21). How can Christians flee Jerusalem when Jerusalem is completely surrounded with armies? How did Christians in other parts of the country even know that armies were surrounding Jerusalem? "On the twenty-first of the month Artemisium (the last day of the 2nd Passover season In A.D.66, there appeared a miraculous phenomenon, passing belief. Indeed, what I am about to relate would, I imagine, have been deemed a fable, were it not for the narratives of eyewitnesses and for the subsequent calamities which deserved to be so signalized. For before sunset throughout all parts of the country [everywhere throughout Judea] chariots were seen in the air and armed battalions hurtling through the clouds and encompassing the cities" (Wars of Jews 6.5.3). And then, about two weeks later, Josephus tells us: "Moreover, at the feast which is called Pentecost, the priests on entering the inner court of the temple by night, as their custom was in the discharge of their ministrations, reported that they were conscious, first of a commotion and a din, and after that of a voice as of a host, We are departing hence" (War, 6.209,300). With these two signs, what did the Christians in Jerusalem and Judaea do? Eusebius tells us that this is the time they began to leave the region because of the command of Christ and went to a city called Pella on the east side of the Jordan River (Ecclesiastical History, 3.5). They and the apostles obtained safety from the Great Tribulation that soon enflamed Jerusalem and Judaea. The Great Tribulation of the Jews, Matthew 24, occurred during the period from the exit of Cestius until the arrival of Titus and his siege. Three walls surrounded Jerusalem on every side, except that which was deemed inaccessible, and there it was defended by one wall only. Romans took the first wall on the 15th day of the siege -- Iyyar 7. Romans took the second wall indicated by a red radius line -- Iyyar 16. A siege wall of pointed stakes all around the city was built in three days by the end of Sivan 4. Escape was now impossible (Luke 19:43-44). Titus was able to make his inspection of this completed and fully garrisoned pointed-stake wall -- Sivan 5. Now Sivan 5, 70 A.D. is 1290 days after Heshvan 5, 66 A.D. Also, Sivan 4 was the last day of possible escape, before the wall was garrisoned and inspected by Titus. This was the first century fulfillment of Daniel 12:11. This pointed-stake wall was accompanied by a trench of 39 furlongs in circuit and strengthened with 13 towers. "Thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round about, and keep thee in on every side" (Luke 19:43). As no supplies whatever could now enter the walls, the famine spread rapidly. After this, Josephus, in the name of Titus, earnestly exhorted John and his adherents to surrender; but the insolent rebel returned nothing but reproaches and imprecations, declaring his firm persuasion that Jerusalem, as it was GOD'S own city, could never be taken: thus literally fulfilling the declaration of Micah, that the Jews, in their extremity, notwithstanding their crimes, would presumptuously "lean upon the LORD, and say, 'Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us" (Micah 3:11). The third wall fell down -- Tammuz 2. Romans took the tower of Antonia -- Tammuz 5. Those who had defected to the Romans and had been saved in Gophna, by Caesar's decree, were paraded around the wall unharmed -- Tammuz 19. Counting 1335 days from Cestius' invasion of the temple, on Heshvan 5, 66 A.D., which was the beginning of the flight to the hills, we end up on Tammuz 19, 70 A.D. This was also the day when Titus ordered the final assault on the temple to start at the 9th hour of the night (which was in the next Hebrew day -- Tammuz 19). A Roman soldier, urged, as he declared, by a divine impulse, regardless of the command of Titus climbed on the shoulders of another, and threw a flaming brand into the golden window of the Temple, which instantly set the building on fire -- Av 10 (cp. Jer. 52:12,13). Jerusalem was finally taken after nearly 5 months (ending Elul 8, 70 A.D.) (135 days from Nisan 23). The above is taken from Josephus 'Wars of the Jews' 2:19 and books 5 & 6. In book 6 chapter 2, 'in the meantime' of section 7 is 7 days, and the 'in the meantime' of section 9 is that day. Notice that the significant dates in the siege of Jerusalem correspond to the significant dates of Daniel chapter 12. Our Lord pronounce a woe on "them that should give suck in those days" (Matt. 24: 19.). "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for yourselves and for your children; for, behold, the days are coming in which they shall say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the breasts that never gave suck" (Luke 23: 29). He was referring to cannibalism (Deut. 28:56-57). Finally, Elul 29 is traditionally the last day that Jews fast before Rosh HaShanah. Jerusalem survivors may have been given their first good meal on this date. The gold melted and ran down through the crevices of the bricks so the Roman soldiers tore it down stone by stone to get the gold and the silver out. That fulfilled the words of Jesus when He said there wouldn't be a stone of the Temple left standing one on top of the other (Matt. 24:2). Then to further defile it, Titus, the Roman prince went to the high altar of the Temple, planted the standards of the Roman legions by it and then proceeded to sacrifice a pig on the altar in the Holy of Holies. He fulfilled Daniel 11:31 that he should defile the sanctuary, take away the daily sacrifice and place there the abomination. Romans then burned the Lower City. Approximately September 2, Romans assaulted Herod's Palace and entered the Upper City. Resistance ended on September 26. The 1290-day period (Daniel 12:11) runs from the abomination of Cestius (Heshvan 5, 66 A.D.) to finishing of the wall of pointed sticks ending escape (Sivan 4, 70 A.D.)(Luke 19:43 fulfilled). The 1335 days (Daniel 12:12) runs from the abomination of Cestius (Heshvan 5, 66 A.D.) to the parading of escapees from Jerusalem (Tammuz 19, 70 A.D. -- Eridanus). This great city, which only five months before, had been crowded with nearly two million people, who gloried in its impregnable strength, was entirely depopulated, and levelled with the ground. Our Lord predicted that Rome would "lay her even with the ground," and "should not leave in her one stone upon another" (Luke 19:44). This fact is confirmed by Eusebius, who asserts that he himself saw the city lying in ruins. It is recorded, in the Talmud, and by Maimonides, that Terentius Rufus, captain of the army of Titus, absolutely ploughed up the foundations of the Temple with a ploughshare. "Therefore shall Zion, for your sakes (i.e. for your wickedness) be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the LORD's house as the high places of the forest" (Micah 3:12). Josephus reckons not less than 1,100,000 Jews were destroyed during the siege, to which must be added, above 237,000 who perished in other places, and innumerable multitudes who were swept away by famine, and pestilence, of which no calculation could be made. Not less than 2,000 laid violent hands upon themselves. Of the captives the whole was about 97,000. Of the two great leaders of the Jews, who had both been made prisoners, John was doomed to a dungeon for life; while Simon, together with John, in triumph at Rome was scourged, and put to death as a malefactor. All above the age of seventeen were sent in chains into Egypt, to be employed there as slaves, or distributed throughout the empire to be sacrificed as gladiators in the amphitheatres; whilst those who were under this age, were exposed to sale. Our Lord foretold, generally, that they should "fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations; and that Jerusalem should be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). During every successive age and in all nations, the Jews have been constantly persecuted, enslaved, contemned, harassed, and oppressed; banished from one country to another, and abused in all; while countless multitudes have, at different periods, been barbarously massacred, particularly in Persia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt; and in Russia, Germany, Hungary, France, and Spain. Jerusalem only recently became a possession of the Jews. It has been successively occupied by the Romans, Arabs, Franks, Turks, and British. It has always been trodden down. Our Lord stated that there should "be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world, no, nor ever shall be" (Matt. 24:21). Josephus declares its fulfillment in parallel language: "If the misfortunes," says he, "of all nations, from the beginning of the world, were compared with those which befell the Jews, they would appear far less in comparison;" and again, "No other city ever suffered such things, as no other generation, from the beginning of the world, was ever more fruitful in wickedness." These were, indeed, "the days of vengeance," that all things which are written (especially by Moses, Joel, and Daniel,) might be fulfilled" (Luke 21:22). Nor were the calamities of the Jews even now ended; for there were still other places to subdue; and our Lord had thus predicted, "wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together" (Matt. 24:28). After the destruction of Jerusalem seventeen hundred Jews who surrendered at Macherus were slain, and of fugitives not less than three thousand in the wood of Jardes. Titus having marched his army to Caesarea, he there, with great splendour, celebrated the birthday of his brother Domitian; and according to the barbarous manner of those times, punished many Jews in honour of it. The number who were burnt, and who fell by fighting with wild beasts, and in mutual combats, exceeded two thousand five hundred. At the siege of Massada, Eleazer, the commander, instigated the garrison to burn their stores, and to destroy first the women and children, and then themselves. Dreadful as it is to relate, this horrid design was executed. They were in number nine hundred and sixty. Ten were chosen to perform the bloody work: the rest sat 'on the ground,' and embracing their wives and children stretched out their necks to the sword: one was afterwards appointed to destroy the remaining nine, and then himself. The survivor, when he had looked round to see that all were slain, set fire to the place, and plunged his sword into his own bosom. Nevertheless, two women and five children successfully concealed themselves, and witnessed the whole transaction. The period of time from the first attack of the Jews upon the Romans at Masada, in May of A.D. 66, to the final resistance of the Jews at Masada in April of A.D. 73, encompassed seven years. “For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen ... Thy men shall fall by the sword and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground” (Isaiah 3:8, 25-26). The mournful and desolate condition of Judea, at this time, is exactly described by the prophet Isaiah: "The cities were without inhabitant, and the houses without a man, and the land was utterly desolate, and the LORD had removed men far away, and there was a great forsaking in the midst of the land." (Isa. 6:11-12).
A Nine-Month Pregnancy (270 Years -- 34 to 303 AD) With Birth Pangs (10 Years -- 303 to 313 AD) Before the Man Child (Constantine) Rules We know that the Messiah would be cut off "in the midst of the week" of seven years (Dan. 9:24-27) -- in the spring of 31 AD. Adding three-and-a-half more years brings us to the fall of 34 AD when the vision would come to an end with the death of a prophet. Stephen was stoned in 34 AD (Acts 7:59) "to end a vision and a prophet" (Dan. 9:24). Jesus came "unto his own (the JEWS), and his own received him not" (John 1:11). The JEWS rejected him. Jesus was of the tribe of JUDAH (Heb 7:14; Rev 5:5). Paul also said, "salvation to every one that believeth; to the JEW first (for 490 years -- BC 457 - 34 AD), and also to the GREEK" (second for 280 years and more) (Rom 1:16). The GREEKS were Israel. Stephen was the last prophet to speak to the JEWISH people of JUDEA as the elect of God. When he was rejected and stoned to death, the 'vision' and 'prophet' both ended. Soon after, Paul was called to be an apostle to the "gentiles" (ISRAEL) (Acts 9), and Peter was told that "gentiles" (ISRAEL) should be accepted into church fellowship (Acts 10). Jesus said to them, "The stone (Jesus the Messiah) which the builders (JEWS) rejected, the same is become the head of the corner ... The kingdom of God shall be taken from you (JEWS), and given to a nation (lost ISRAEL) bringing forth the fruits thereof." (Matthew 21:42-43). Those ISRAELITES who migrated to Britain. Notice, the New Covenant is with the "house of ISRAEL, AND with the house of JUDAH" (Jer. 31:31). It was to the "JEW FIRST, and also to the GREEK." (Rom 1:16). The gospel in the 490 years was only for the house of JUDAH. Notice Daniel 9:24 again, "Seventy weeks are determined upon THY people." Daniel was of the house of JUDAH, not the house of ISRAEL which was lost in history. The context is JUDAH'S 70-year captivity in Babylon and the remnant of JUDAH that returned -- not ISRAEL -- not the lost ten tribes. But as that period came to a close, Jesus said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of ISRAEL" (Matthew 15:24). And he commanded the apostles to, "Go NOT into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not ... But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of ISRAEL" (Matt 10:5-6). If we add a nine-month PREGNANCY (270 years) to 34 A.D., we come to the "BIRTH PANGS" of 303-313 A.D. when Diocletian persecuted Christians prior to the coming of Constantine (a type of Christ) when their BIRTH figuratively occurred. "Ye shall have tribulation TEN DAYS" (Rev. 2:10). "These things are the beginning of travail" (Matt. 24:7-8). These things are a type of the plan just before the real second coming of Christ. The birth pains come "as travail upon a woman with child" (1 Th. 5:3) beginning the LABOR contractions: war, famine, disease, earthquakes and PERSECUTION (Matt. 24:8; Isa. 13:8). The woman (British Israel) brought forth a man child (Constantine) to rule all nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 12:1-5). Constantine's "Christianity" (Catholicism) was far from perfect, but it was a great improvement over polytheism. Barbaric customs such as branding humans, crucifixion and gladiatorial combat were abolished. Constantine prohibited pagan rites in his new capital of Constantinople. The "dragon was cast out" of heaven (Constantinople) (Rev. 12:9). By around 350 AD the performance of a PAGAN sacrifice had become a capital offense. When Christ returns, "we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:10). The Israelite must be "born again" (John 3:3), not composed of flesh but composed of spirit this time (John 3:6). Jesus was the "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). The resurrection to rulership will occur at his Second Coming. "All other animals give birth to their young without pain; but woman must endure the severest sufferings" -- (Aristot. de Hist. Anim. 7:9). Julian the Apostate Was Unable To Rebuild the Jewish Temple in 363 AD Matthew 23:39 says, "Behold, your house is left unto you DESOLATE." Then Matthew 24:1-2 says, "Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here ONE STONE UPON ANOTHER, that shall not be THROWN DOWN." Being the last emperor of Constantine's dynasty, the son of Constantine the Great’s half brother, Julian attempted to prove Jesus a false prophet by rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem in 363AD. The effort failed dramatically. Emperor Julian’s friend, Ammianus Marcellinus, wrote about the attempt to restore the Jewish Temple: “Julian thought to rebuild at an extravagant expense the proud Temple once at Jerusalem, and committed this task to Alypius of Antioch. But, though this Alypius pushed the work on with vigour, aided by the governor of the province, terrifying BALLS of FLAME kept bursting forth near the foundations of the temple, and made the place inaccessible to the workmen, some of whom were BURNED to DEATH; and since in this way the element persistently repelled them, the enterprise halted." (23:1) Battle of Ravenna in 476 A.D. -- Midpoint of The "Times of the Gentiles" (Lev. 26:28; Luke 21:24) The Battle of Ravenna took place on the 2 September 476 and was a minor confrontation between the Heruli under their King Odoacer, of the Sciri clan (Issachar), and the remnants of the Western Roman Army in Italy. The Roman Empire had been in relative decline until 455 when the Vandals sacked Rome effectively destroying the empire. By 476 the Roman Emperor was little more than a warlord having very little de facto control of any territory outside of Italy. The Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, wasn't even recognized as a legitimate ruler outside of Italy. Herulians were foederati of the Western Roman Empire; they were mercenary troops of the Roman Army of Italy. They envied the fortune of their brethren in Gaul, Spain, and Africa, whose victorious arms had acquired an independent and perpetual inheritance; and they insisted that A THIRD PART of the lands of Italy should be immediately divided among them (cp. Rev. 8:7-9:18). Orestes, the father of the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, rejected their demand causing their revolt. From all the camps and garrisons of Italy the confederates flocked to the standard of Odoacer, their leader; and Orestes retreated to Pavia. Pavia was pillaged and Orestes was executed. The decisive battle was fought near Ravenna, the capital of the Western Roman Empire: it saw the Foederati defeat the heavily depleted Roman garrison. The city was captured swiftly and easily. Two days later the sixteen year old Emperor Romulus Augustulus was forced to abdicate by Odoacer ending twelve-hundred years of Roman rule in Italy beginning with the Roman Kingdom in 753 BC. Romulus was sent into retirement in Campania. Israelite Heruli were prophesied to "break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms" (Dan. 2:44; Jer. 51:20). The first king of the Babylonian Empire represented by the image of Daniel 2 was Nabonassar who ascended the throne at noon, February 26, 747 B.C. This date has been determined with certainty through a series of exact astronomical observations given by Ptolemy. This is therefore the earliest date from which to measure the "seven times." If we add 1222.5 solar years or 446,503 days, to 747 B.C., we arrive at the fall of Romulus Augustulus, August 22nd, 476 A.D; while 1260 lunar years (or 15,120 lunations) contain 446,502.5 days, so that the difference, if any, is merely one of hours. Can any thinking mind regard this fact as mere chance coincidence? The duration of the four kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, from the era of Nabonassar B.C. 747, to the deposition of Romulus Augustulus and the end of the Western Roman Empire in August 22, 476 A.D., all fit perfectly within exactly 1260 LUNAR years (1,222.5 solar years). Mohammed's "Little Horn" (Dan. 8:9) of Islam Appeared in 612 AD The "little horn" of Daniel 8:9 appeared. Mohammed "whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon" (the destroyer) and whose Hegira or era is dated from his flight from Mecca in 622 AD. These Saracens tormented apostate Christendom in the eastern Greek Roman Empire for "five months" (Rev. 9:5) or 150 years "each day for a year" (Ez. 4:6; Nu. 14:34). Mohammed first proclaimed his mission in 612 AD when he demanded, "Who will be my Visier?" To which Ali replied, "O prophet, I am the man. Whoever rises against thee, I will dash out his teeth, tear out his eyes, break his legs, and rip him up!" After having desolated Damascus and Jerusalem in 630 AD, they erected the Mosque of Omar on Mount Moriah and proclaimed, "Ye Christian dogs, ye know your option -- the Koran, the tribute, or the sword!" thus "waxing great toward the pleasant land" Palestine (Dan. 8:9-12). The Saracen Empire continued to extend itself almost unchecked from 612 AD till at length it began to decay, and so continued down to 762 AD -- precisely 150 years when its once-united power was split into the Abassid Dynasty in the east and Omayad Dynasty in the west. Its last remaining vestiges, however, disappeared in 1057 AD when Tangrolipix the Turk put an end to the Saracen Empire by the conquest of the caliph of Persia. Omar the Turk (the "Desolator") Took Jerusalem in 637 A.D. and Set Up the "Abomination"-- Another Midpoint in "The Times of the Gentiles" Nabonassar revolted against Assyria and drove the Assyrians out of Babylon in 625 B.C. and the Neo-Babylonian Empire was established with a Chaldean dynasty by Nabopolassar in 624 B.C. The four Gentile Empires of Daniel 2 have possessed the Holy Land for a combined total of "42 MONTHS" or 1260 days which symbolize 1,260 years (Num. 14:34; Ez. 4:6): Babylon possessed Palestine for 90 years, from 624 to 534 B.C. Medo-Persia for 200 years, from 534 to 334 B.C. Greece for 304 years from 334 to 31 B.C. (Battle of Actium) and Rome for 666 years from 31 B.C. to 636 A.D. Now 90 + 200 + 304 + 666 = 1,260 SOLAR years. From 637 to 1897 A.D. Jerusalem was trodden under gentile feet (Lev. 26:28; Luke 21:24; Rev. 11:2). From when Omar the Turk took Jerusalem in 637 A.D., we add 1,260 more SOLAR years to arrive at 1897 when the Zionist Movement was founded in Basel, Switzerland by Jews of all nations with the object of again settling the Jews in the Holy Land. Just as the Gentiles "tread under foot" (Rev. 11:2) the physical Jerusalem for 42 months (1,260 days), so also Papal Rome was to continue for the second 1260 years (Dan. 7:25). "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolator" (Dan. 9:27). In 637, Omar captured Jerusalem and all Syria and in 638 a wooden mosque was erected on the site of Solomon's Temple, called the "Mosque of Omar." This was rebuilt in stone and called the "Dome of the Rock." "And the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months" (Rev. 11:2; Luke 21:24; Lev. 26:28). If we add 1260 SOLAR years, we arrive at 1897 when the Zionist Movement was founded in Basel, Switzerland by Jews of all nations with the object of again settling the Jews in the Holy Land. Jews held their first Zionist Congress thereby becoming an organized body politic for the first time since their dispersion. Also in 1897 was the Turko-Greek War. The autonomy of Crete was determined by the Great powers. If we add 1260 LUNAR years (1222.5 solar years), we arrive at July 9th, 1860 when there was a Mohammedan Druze massacre of 3,300 Christians in Lebanon and Damascus followed by English and French intervention. Lebanon was placed under a Christian governor and British Protectorate, England and France having a veto on the appointment. Lord Dufferin, British Commissioner, entered Damascus. The Universal Israelite Alliance, whose headquarters were at Paris, was also formed in this year. Its objective was to labor for freedom and moral progress of Israelites and encourage colonization of Palestine. If we add 1260 PROPHETIC years (1241.889 solar years), we arrive at 1878. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 resulted in Russia totally defeating the Ottoman armies in1877, followed in 1878 by British occupation of Cyprus and a Protectorate in Asia. The Berlin Treaty dismembered the Ottoman Empire and deprived the Porte of its most important possessions in Europe and bound it to introduce "necessary reforms" signed 13th July 1878. The office of Sultan-Caliph was abolished by Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) on March 1924. This is confirmed in Daniel 12:11, being 1290 solar years from 634 A.D., when Omar (the "desolator"), who set up the "abomination" here referred to, succeeded to the Caliphate. Exactly 1290 solar years after the Mosque of Omar was built in 638, Islam was abolished as the State religion of Turkey in 1928. In 1973 the Yom Kippur War occurred and Israel was victorious -- 1335 years after Omar Captured Jerusalem. The date 637 A.D. is also tied in to the "FIVE MONTHS" mentioned twice (Rev. 9:5,10) in the 5th Trumpet, which comes to a total of 300 years (150 x 2). This is the full limit of the Arab supremacy from about 632 to 932 A.D. History bears this out. Through luxury and licentiousness the Arabs began to decline. The last Caliph of eminence was slain outside the walls of Baghdad near the Euphrates in 932 A.D. The Caliphate at Baghdad was stripped of its temporal power in 934 A.D. From the taking of Damascus and Jerusalem in 637 A.D., when the patriarch Sophronius saw Omar entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and he exclaimed, "This is of a truth the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place!" (Gibbon ch. 51), we add 300 years to get 937 A.D. In 936 A.D. Persia advanced on Bagdad and stripped the Caliph of his secular office of supremacy. Why not just say "ten months" instead then? Because natural locusts only appear FIVE MONTHS in the year. Fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D. After "an Hour, and a Day, and a Month, and a Year" (Rev. 9:15) Mahomet II besieged Constantinople with an army of 300,000 men. The emperor had a garrison of only 6000 Greeks and 3000 Venetians and Genoese, and a few ships of war. Lion-headed cannons with "tails like serpents" vomited "fire", "smoke" and "brimstone" from their mouths (or gunpowder) to destroy "the third part of men" in Europe using cannon balls made of 100-pound stones, and one even of 600 pounds. (see Rev. 9:16-19) "On the 22nd May 1453, at the first hour of the night, there appeared a wonderful sign in the sky, telling Constantine the worthy Emperor of Constantinople that his proud empire was about to end. The MOON rose, being at this time FULL, so that it should have risen in the form of a complete CIRCLE; but it rose as if it were no more than a three-day moon (CRESCENT-shaped), with only a little of it showing, although the air was clear and unclouded, pure as crystal. The moon stayed in this form for about four hours, and gradually increased to a FULL CIRCLE, so that at the sixth hour of the night it was FULLY FORMED. When we Christians and the pagans had seen this marvelous sign, the Emperor of Constantinople was greatly afraid of it, and so were all his nobles, because the Greeks had a prophecy which said that Constantinople would never fall until the FULL MOON should give a sign, and this was the reason for the fear which the Greeks felt. But the Turks made great festivity in their camp for joy at the sign, because they believed that now victory was in their hands, as in truth it was. "On the 29th May, 1453, the last day of the siege, our Lord God decided, to the sorrow of the Greeks, that He was willing for the city to fall on this day into the hands of Mahomet Bey the Turk son of Murat, after the fashion and in the manner described below; and also our Eternal God was willing to make this decision in order to fulfill all the ancient prophecies, particularly the first prophecy made by Saint Constantine, who is on horseback on a column by the Church of Saint Sophia of this city, prophesying with his hand and saying, "From this direction will come the one who will undo me," pointing to Anatolia, that is Turkey. Another prophecy which he made was that when there should be an Emperor called Constantine son of Helen, under his rule Constantinople would be lost, and there was another prophecy that when the MOON should give a sign in the sky, within a few days the Turks would have Constantinople. All these three prophecies had come to pass, seeing that the Turks had passed into Greece, there was an Emperor called Constantine son of Helen, and the MOON had given a sign in the sky, so that God had determined to come to this decision against the Christians and particularly against the Empire of Constantinople" (Diary of the Siege of Constantinople, 1453 by Nicolo Barbaro). "On May 22, 1453, the moon, symbol of Constantinople, rose in dark eclipse (with just a crescent showing -- comment mine), fulfilling a prophecy on the city's demise. Four days later (May 26), the whole city was blotted out by a THICK FOG, a condition unknown in that part of the world in May. When the FOG lifted that evening, a strange LIGHT was seen playing about the dome of the Hagia Sophia, and from the city walls LIGHTS were seen in the countryside to the West, far behind the Turkish camp. The LIGHT around the dome was interpreted by some as the HOLY SPIRIT departing from the Cathedral" (and going West). (Wikipedia, "Fall of Constantinople"). Therefore, it was probably on that very foggy night, May 26, 1453, that young Greek Orthodox scholars (Orion) fled Constantinople (came "down from heaven" or the government capitol -- Rev. 10:1) secretly ("clothed with a CLOUD" of the Milky Way FOG hiding their escape from Constantinople -- 10:1). This was certainly a real-life GREEK OLYMPIC GAME for these GOLD-MEDAL champions (The sun symbolized a GOLD MEDAL -- 1 Cor. 3:12; the light blue sky a BLUE RIBBON -- Nu. 15:38) RUNNING for their lives, as they must have been, behind enemy lines (1 Cor. 9:24; Gal. 2:2; 5:7; Philip. 2:16; 3:14; Heb. 12:1) carrying precious Greek manuscripts. After escaping, they probably lit these signal fires to let the citizens of Constantinople know they had escaped successfully. The Turks were darkening the sun (Christ, "the sun of righteousness" -- Mal. 4:2) creating the "Dark Ages" but the Scriptures were lighting up a dark world like a TORCH. They enlightened Christians, who read them, like a HALO illuminates Orion's face (The star chart predicted May 26 precisely to the very day). The pillars of fire (feet) and the cloud were leading Israelites -- themselves "A CLOUD of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1) -- westward from Constantinople (which fell to Moslem Turks on May 29th) toward the Promised Land (Britain). In one hand, Orion holds a Greek "open scroll" (Rev.10:2) high to preserve it from the flood. The sun's orb directly on the scroll makes it a TORCH. When the Bible is openly read, it becomes a TORCH. "Thy word is a LAMP unto my feet and a LIGHT unto my path" (Ps. 119:105; Greek Orthodox OLYMPIC TORCH). This ignited both the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. The Spanish Armada -- God "Breakest the Ships of Tarshish with an East Wind" (Ps. 48:7) in 1588 A.D. (30 years [Rev. 10:8-9] + 1260 months [Rev. 11:3]) "They that strive with thee shall perish ... they that war against thee shall be as nothing" (Isa.41:12). "The nations shall see and be confounded at all their (Israel's) MIGHT" (Micah 7:16). "The Eternal thy God will set thee on high ABOVE ALL NATIONS of the earth (Deut. 28:1-10; 26:19; 15:6; 7:6; 14:2). Jacob is the "CHIEF of the nations" (Jer.31:7). "NO WEAPON that is formed AGAINST THEE shall PROSPER, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt CONDEMN. This is the heritage of the servants of the Eternal" (Isa.54:17). "For the nation ... that will not serve thee shall PERISH" (Isa.60:12). "And FIVE of you shall CHASE an HUNDRED, and an HUNDRED of you shall put TEN THOUSAND to FLIGHT" (Lev.26:8). "Thou art my BATTLE-AXE and WEAPONS of WAR; for with thee will I break in pieces the nations" (Jer. 51:20). "I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee" (Ex.23:27). "I will contend with him that contendeth with thee" (Isa. 49:25). From 1453 till 1588 = 135 years or 30 years (Rev. 10:8-9) + 1260 months (Rev. 11:3). Drake's Raid on Cadiz in April 1587 and the subsequent pursuit of his fleet, DELAYED the Armada preparations. Marquis de Santa Cruz, the intended commander of the Armada, DIED before it could sail. He was Spain's most distinguished admiral. Medina-Sidonia was his replacement, an experienced administrator who proved to be resolute and capable in action, but he had relatively LITTLE SEA EXPERIENCE. On May 29, 1588, the Spanish Armada sailed out with 130 ships. Drake's smaller fleet of 101 ships had only 28 properly equipped for fighting. But they were "RACE-BUILT" and had LONG-BARRELLED cannons on rollers to absorb the RECOIL. Spanish cannons were of many different calibers, hard to reload and often blew apart when fired. Due mainly to stormy east WINDS, and the GULFSTREAM, the Spanish fleet arrived back home with 53 shattered gallions. Of the 30,000 soldiers and crew in the Armada probably 20,000 died during the voyage; of wounds, by execution (by the English in Ireland), but mostly of starvation and disease. They continued to die after the Armada reached Spanish ports. It is said that there was no noble family in Spain that did not lose a son in the Armada. One hundred English sailors were wounded. The English fleet suffered little damage. God "breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east WIND" (Ps.48:7). The Armada crossed the English Channel and anchored at Calais the night of 6 August. Drake sent eight blazing fire ships adrift among the anchored Spanish fleet at midnight August 7-8, causing the Spaniards to cut their anchors and put out to sea in confusion. Four Spanish ships were lost at this point. The Armada fled northward, pursued hotly by Drake. The hardest fighting of the entire naval campaign followed, and the Spanish lost heavily. But before Drake could deliver the knockout punch, the English ran out of ammunition. Both the west wind and the English fleet now prevented the Armada from rejoining Parma, and it was forced to make the passage back to Spain around the northern tip of Scotland. The English fleet turned back in search of supplies when the Armada passed the Firth of Forth and there was no further fighting, but the long voyage home through the autumn gales of the North Atlantic proved fatal to many of the Spanish ships. Whether through battle damage, bad weather, shortage of food and water, or navigational error, some ships foundered in the open sea while others were driven onto the rocky coasts of Scotland and west coast of Ireland and wrecked. They had cut their anchors at Calais and were unable to hold their ships off the rocks. For many days, fragments of Spanish vessels were cast by every tide upon the northern coasts of the isles. Of those ships that finally reached Spain, many of them were too badly damaged to be repaired. A Troubling Dream Before the Battle of Zenta in 1697 -- "1600 furlongs" (Rev. 14:20) from 96 A.D. When John Wrote the Apocalypse August of 1697, Sultan Mustafa II crossed the Danube near its junction with the Tisza (Theiss) River leading 100,000 troops. The second in command, Grand Vizier Elams Mehmed, had been troubled by a dream in which he met the former Grand Vizier who was killed at the Battle of Slankamen. Elams interpreted this as a prediction of his death, were he to go near the same area. He therefore urged Mustafa to move WEST toward the fortress of Peter-wardein on the Danube, away from Slankamen. The other pashas (high ranking officers) opposed him, however, and convinced Mustafa to march NORTH and pursue Eugene. This began a pattern of dissension and indecision within the Ottoman high command. The Sultan thought Eugene was beating a retreat when he moved his main forces north away from the Muslim army. But the Field Marshall was not fleeing. He moved north to combine with other forces to increase his army to 50,000 men, then turned around to make a lightning-fast march SOUTH to pursue Mustafa. On 6 September, Savoy slipped his army under the Turks' noses to camp by the Peterwardein fortress, WEST of the Ottomans, where his men would be protected by its guns. Mustafa was stunned by Eugene's return. The Grand Vizier, still shaken by his dream, pronounced God's condemnation on an assault against Peter-wardein. The Sultan listened to him and concluded it would be suicidal to expose his army to the fortress's artillery. Mustafa decided to change plans once again and march NORTH along the Tisza, to attack the city of Szeged. He did so over the objections of some factions within his council who insisted that Peterwardein should be taken immediately. Arguments between the commanders led to a state of indecision when the army began its march on 7 September. Eugene received reliable intelligence from Hungarian light cavalry (hussars) that the Ottomans were committed to going NORTH. These horsemen captured Kiicsug Dzafer, a Turkish pasha and brought him to Eugene. Reports that the Field Marshall threatened to "hack him to pieces" if he did not reveal the Sultan's plans are highly dubious. The pasha's secretary mentioned no such coercion in his account and Eugene's version of the interrogation treated the matter similarly. Eugene concluded that Mustafa had changed his tactics again. The Sultan had canceled attacking Szeged, fearing his army would get caught between the fortress and the Austrian army. He decided instead to cross the Tisza at Zenta, Hungary (now Serbia) to move away from Eugene and reprovision. Eugene saw the opportunity to catch the Turks at Zenta and pushed his men into an 18-hour forced march. In the mean time, Mustafa's French engineers erected a bridge over the Tisza. It was collapsible and portable, supported by 60 boats serving as pontoons. The Turks had to pass over it slowly to avoid damaging it, giving the Austrians time to catch up. Standard procedure in a situation like this would be to convene a council of war to plan the next step, but Eugene preferred a rapid strike. Although there would be only two to four hours of daylight left, he pressed forward, saying "I trust my men, there are no cowards among them". Eugene organized his forces in a crescent to pin the Ottomans against the Tisza. His men moved past outer defensive trenches to surround the core of Turkish defenses. Before them, Janissaries took protection in trenches behind earthworks, which in turn surrounded the area in front of the bridge. These barricades enveloped Ottomans by extending along banks of the river in back of them. They created a second barricade with a semi-circle of wagons. The mounds were buttressed by fascines, stacks of brush covered with mud. The Ottoman soldiers and artillery fired at the Austrians through embrasures, indented pockets between the walls looking out through protected slits. The shooters retired to the protection of the trenches afterward, where they would reload. Time had been cut so short, however, that these defenses were incomplete. The Imperials assaulted their opponents after the sipahies and their heavy artillery had crossed over the river, denying them support from the Ottoman cavalry and heavy cannons on the east bank. General Guido Starhemberg led the left wing forward at 5:00 PM when his cannons began to shell the bridge. Panic broke out among the Janissaries when they saw the span damaged. It was their only hope of escape! Many stampeded to get to it, crushing the Grand Vizier and fulfilling his nightmare. Eugene exploited the confusion by ordering the rest of his army to attack. His cavalry took the unusual step of dismounting so they could join with the infantry and close with the Turks in hand-to-hand combat. Meanwhile, Eugene noticed a bulge of land along the banks of the Tisza that paralleled the mounds in back of the Ottoman camp. He directed the left wing to use it to encircle the enemy from the rear. Though the Ottomans bombarded them with grapeshot, Starhemberg's men scaled the banks of the river and the walls looming overhead. It was such an incredible accomplishment that, in his later report, Savoy could not explain how they had overcome the sheerness of the heights! The exact sequence of events vary from one observer to another, but the following happened: The Sipahies tried to cross over the bridge to reinforce the Janissaries, but only succeeded in trampling the fleeing soldiers to death coming from the opposite direction. Starhemberg's men raced to the bridge and sealed it off. Eventually, the span groaned under the strain of the men overloading it and disintegrated, spilling the soldiers into the river. The Tisza flows at this time of year with a strong, icy current and reaches depths greater than the Danube, making it a death trap for the Janissaries. Hypothermia froze their limbs as they vainly struggled to swim across it. The remaining Janissaries on the west bank were surrounded by frenzied Austrians who showed them no mercy. Eugene described the situation, "The soldiers got worked up to such a pitch that they spared no one and butchered all who fell into their hands despite the large sums of money which the Pashas and Turkish leaders... offered them to spare their lives". Mustafa saw everything from the far bank of the river in a state of despair. He paced back and forth, cursed, tore his hair and threw himself on the ground. An estimated 22,000 of his men were cut down in front of the bridge, another 10,000 drowned. All he could do was to gather the sipahis and flee northeast to Temesvar. The battle concluded just before night fell. Most of the Muslim senior military officials were slaughtered. The Imperials lost 300-400 soldiers. The next day the Imperialist army crossed the bridge into what had been Mustapha’s camp. There it discovered nothing short of a treasure. In his panic, the sultan had left behind all of his artillery, a huge sum in money, roughly 9,000 baggage carts, and an astounding 60,000 camels. Eugene led his men away from the scene as quickly as possible to protect them from contracting diseases from the rotting corpses. The Tisza was choked with bodies for days. Indecision defeated Mustafa and left him a broken man. He never led an army on the battlefield again and was overthrown by his own men in 1703. On the other hand, Eugene's victory gave him the reputation of being one of the best seven generals in history, by Napoleon's reckoning. The scrawny young man retrieved his family's honor and achieved lasting greatness. Rarely does a single battle result in the long-term consequences of Zenta. The defeat forced the Turks to submit for the first time to a treaty as a defeated power and accept Western mediation. The Battle of Zenta signaled the end of the Austro-Ottoman Great Turkish War of 1683-1699, forcing the Turks into signing the Treaty of Carlowitz, which ceded a large chunk of Hungary, the whole of Croatia and Slovenia, and most of Transylvania – all the territory that the Ottoman Empire had gained in central Europe since 1526 – to Austria. The interval from the fall of the Western Empire in A.D. 476 to a time 1260 LUNAR years later brings us to 1698 (1,222.5 solar years). What happened in 1698? The completion of the Protestant Revolution at the Peace of Ryswick in September 20, 1697 (commemorated at the opening of St. Paul's Cathedral on December 2nd of that year) and the Peace of Carlowitz in January 26th, 1699 A.D. The significant date of 1698 bisects the two treaties that limit the two "little horns." From 533 to 1793 AD the Roman Bishop Had Supremacy (1260 Years -- Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 13:5) -- Then Came the French Revolution In 533 AD Justinian recognized the Bishop of Rome as "head of all the holy churches and all the holy priests of God." In 1793 Catholic king Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were executed. The anti-Catholic "Reign of Terror began (1793-1794). November 7, 1793, the Christian religion was abolished in France. The worship of Reason was substituted in its place.
On November 2, 1917, the Balfour Declaration gave Jews authority for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." On December 9th 1917, (during the Festival of Hanukkah which commemorates the recapture of the Temple by Judas Maccabeas) the Turks surrendered Jerusalem to British general Allenby. It was on the equivalent date, 24th day of ninth month of Kislev in 604 B.C., 2,520 years before, six centuries before the birth of Christ, that the Jews formally surrendered Jerusalem and Palestine to Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon. Jews lost their authority over Jerusalem for "SEVEN TIMES" punishment (Lev.26:28). On that day (24th day of ninth month), the word of the Lord came to Haggai saying, "I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen" (Hag. 2:20). Jesus said, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). This scripture alone should be sufficient witness that Britain is Israel. The Babylonian image of Daniel 2 (which included an Ottoman eastern leg) had been smitten by the British Empire and that "stone" then "became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2:35) which included the United States. By the end of the First World War (1917-1918 A.D.) the great Gentile Empires all fell and broke into pieces: Germany, Austro-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Czarist Russia and Italy. Also we know that Benjamin was part of the Kingdom of Judah and so in 1918 Iceland (Benjamin) was granted full self-government a full 2520 YEARS later. Ezekiel 25:14 says, "I will lay my vengeance upon EDOM (TURKEY) by the hand of my people Israel." "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of ESAU for stubble" (Obad. 18). "The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions" (Obadiah 17). "Saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of ESAU ; and the kingdom shall be the Eternal's" (Obad. 21). Yes "the elder (ESAU) shall serve the younger (Israel)." (Gen. 25:23) because " Israel (Jacob) is ... my firstborn (not Esau)" (Ex.4:22). In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins (Jerusalem rebuilt); and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of EDOM, and of all the heathen, which are called by My name (Palestine's mixed population is called Israel), saith the Lord that doeth this" (Amos 9:12). From these verses we can easily identify EDOM with TURKEY-- the people who guarded the site of the tabernacle before Britain took over in 1917. Deuteronomy 11:24 says, "Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and LEBANON, from the river, the river EUPHRATES, even unto the uttermost SEA shall your coast be." After the First World War, Britain held the mandate stretching across the Fertile Crescent through what was then known as Palestine, Trans-Jordan and Iraq. From 1919 and through the 1920s this prophecy received fulfillment. God promised Abraham "all the land of Canaan" (Gen.17:8) and it was promised "for an everlasting possession." Therefore, the Palestinians, who are being given control over the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in Israel today, do not belong there. Isaac prophesied about ESAU, "Behold, thy dwelling shall be ("far from" -- Bas) the fatness of the earth, and ("far from" -- Bas) ... the dew of heaven above; And by thy SWORD shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother" (Gen.27:37-40). Haman and Herod were both EDOMITES (see Josephus). ESAU lives in TURKEY and TURKESTAN. These areas lack most of the important industrial natural resources. ESAU became EDOM (Gen. 25:30) or IDUMEA. One son called "AMALEK" gave his name to the capital of Jagatai in central Asia called ALMALIK (Acad. Am. En. 2:255). The Tarim River in TURKESTAN used to be called YUMALAK-Darya (29:872). The Egyptians called the Amalekites "AMU." In TURKESTAN is the AMU River (called Oxus by Greeks). We also see the SYR River in TURKESTAN named after Mount SEIR. ESAU'S son KORAH named the KARA-Kum desert, KARA-Kul Lake, KARA-Tau Mts., KIRGHIZ and KHORASAN in TURKESTAN. It's called TURKESTAN because it is "inhabited by TURKISH races" (27:419b). TEMAN gave his name to the OTTOMAN Empire (cp. Gen.36:11 & Obadiah 9) which stands "in the crossway" (Obad.14) -- the Bosporus and Dardanelles area that the British, Australians and New Zealanders fought so hard for in World War One. Strabo mentions the ODOMANTES tribe in N. GREECE and the ODOMANTIS country in TURKEY (3:359 & 5:325). They practiced circumcision (Aristophanes Acharn. 157). Herodotus calls these same peoples the SIRO-Painones (5:15) which may refer to SEIR of Pannonia. Plutarch called the Strymon River, on which the ODOMANTI lived, the PALESTINE River (DeFluv. 11). Ptolemy 3:12 mentions the town of IDOMENE and the province of ODOMANTICA both in Macedonia and IDYMUS in Lydia (TURKEY) (5:2). Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army took tribute from Jerusalem in 604 B.C. Jehoiakim was taken captive (cp. Jer. 25:1 & Dan. 1:1-2). From 604 B.C. till 1917 A.D. were the seven "Times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24; Lev. 26:28) which are bisected by the date 657 A.D. What happened in 657 A.D.? In the time of Ali Bin Abu Talib's reign, ruler of the Islamic Realm, Muawiya bin Abu Sufian was the governor of Syria (Al-Sham), and wanted to separate Syria from the realm, to be independent. At the battle of Seffeen, north of Syria, in the year 36 of the Hijri calendar, (some 657 A.D.), the two sides fought. After this battle there was a split in Islam. Those who supported Ali were called the Shiia'ats who were mostly in Iraq and Iran, and those who supported Muawiya are the Sunies. And so the Muslims were divided into two political factions. By 1917 (622 + 1335 = 1917) on the 1335th LUNAR year (Dan. 12:12), (1295 solar years), Turkey was driven from Jerusalem and Palestine completely by General Allenby and Lawrence of Arabia from November 1917 to the Armistice in November 1918. This period on the Moslem calendar occupied the entire 1335th Moslem year since the Moslem calendar ran from September to September. If we add 1260 LUNAR years (1222.5 solar) to 657 A.D. we come to 1879 A.D. In 1878 at the Berlin Conference, the wholesale dismemberment of the Turkish Empire occurred. If we add 1260 PROPHETIC years (1241.915 solar) to 657, we come to 1899 when Theodor Herzl established the Jewish Colonial Trust, the financial arm of the Zionist movement in 1899. From 334 BC Till The 1967 Six-Day War is 2300 Years (Dan. 8:14) If we add 2300 years to 334 B.C. (the Battle of the Granicus River), we arrive at 5-10 June 1967 when Israel (Judah -- "a lion's whelp" -- Gen. 49:9) encircled East Jerusalem. The Old City was conquered June 7 from Jordan. "The sanctuary was cleansed" (8:14) of the Moslem "little horn" from Ptolemy when the Temple Mount and Western Wall were taken along with the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. On being captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, East Jerusalem came under Israeli rule. It included Jerusalem's Old City and some of the holiest sites of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Israeli forces also seized the West Bank cities of Nablus and Bethlehem from the Jordanians as well as the rest of the West Bank. Two thirds of the Syrian air force was destroyed by an air strike on June 5. By June 10 Israeli forces had taken the Golan plateau and Syrians had retreated. Israel seized control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. Less than a thousand Israelis were killed compared to over 20,000 Arab soldiers. The area under Israeli control tripled, significantly contributing to the country's defensibility. A ceasefire occurred June 11. God's Hand in HISTORY Many more examples could be given. In summary, "It was taught in the School of Elijah, the world will last for 6000 years: two thousand years in chaos (due to fallen angels & giants), two thousand years with Torah (Abraham & Moses), and two thousand years will be the days of the Messiah (Yeshua)." (so the Messiah must have come about 2000 years ago) -- Talmud Sanhedrin 97a. "Theopompus, 340 years before the Christian era, wrote that the Persian Magi held 'the present state of things, and the struggles between the good and bad principle, would continue 6000 years: after which Hades would be destroyed, and men would be happy and live without food, and their bodies become translucent.'" (Primitive History by Williams, p.49) "A golden progeny from heaven descends. The jarring nations he in peace shall bind, And with paternal virtues rule mankind." (Eclogue 4, Virgil -- written several decades before the birth of our Lord). "Our God shall come, no longer silence keep: Fire all around devour, and tempests sweep" (Ps. 50:3). We can conclude by saying that "God removes kings and sets up kings" (Dan. 2:21, RSV). Daniel affirmed to King Nebuchadnezzar that "the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory" (Dan. 2:37). The purpose of seven years' punishment of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4) was so "that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men" (Dan. 4:17). Isaiah stated it is God who "bringeth the princes to nothing" (Isa. 40:23). King David of ancient Israel declared that "God is the judge; he putteth down one, and setteth up another" (Ps. 75:7). God's intervention in events is PRECISE and FITS into a MASTER PLAN. He knows the end result from the beginning of time (Isa. 46:10). At certain times, it has been necessary for God to directly intervene to influence events to conform with the timetable of that overall master plan. Why then do men reject the Bible? The Bible history is rejected, not because the evidence of its credibility has been insufficient; but because it denounces the whoremonger and adulterer, the drunkard and thief, Sabbath-breaker and idolater. What the depraved heart wishes to be false, the head strives to disbelieve. |
||||||