Prophecy is the divine foretelling of things that will come to pass in the future.  For example, the entire Book of Revelation is dedicated to the final year (Day of the Lord–“Lord’s Day”–1:10) of the world as we know it and have known it for the past two thousand years.  The Day of Pentecost 31 A.D. marked the beginning of “the last days” (Acts 2:16-18).  We are living in the “time of the end”–the “end of days” (Dan. 12:9,13).  In terms of prophecy, the Book of Daniel, Matthew 24:1-8 and the Book of Revelation all describe the same time frame–the end of the final age of the world.  Revelation 3:14-20 finds Jesus speaking to the churches found in seven cities located along a Roman mail route around 90 A.D. in the area today known as Turkey.  This church system would eventually disappear and be replaced by what would become known as Catholicism as the Roman Empire brought ever more captive societies into its orbit.  The people in each society, including the churches. were given two options EMBRACE CATHOLICISM OR DIE.  All but a few church people–God’s true believers–chose life.  Those who refused to bow to the church-state consortium went into hiding.  Many were found and martyred.  History records that approximately 50,000,000 people chose death over Catholicism.  Read Simon of Samaria: The Legacy.  Key word–Simon.

This information is recorded in secular history and readily available.  But what is known by few is the fact that at Mount Sinai and later recorded in Deuteronomy 28 God (the Word Who became Jesus of Nazareth) made a covenant with Israel that would be binding on both parties until His return to earth to establish the Kingdom of God.  The covenant would be transferred to those living in the “church era” who would be scattered throughout the earth during the final days of the world.  In the final days of this age His words would focus on the United States of America because of her leadership role in the world’s Catholic/Protestant Church System in existence at the time of His return to earth.  Read The God of the Old Testament.  Key word–Old.

Question: Is there a one-to-one connection between ancient Israel of Moses’ day and the United States of America of today?  Could the Words the Lord spoke to Israil at Mount Sinai (a.k.a. Mt. Horeb) have the same meaning for people in a land on the other side of the earth during the sixth century B.C?  Do the exact same Words Moses spoke that day five centuries ago be found in written form in the homes, and in some cases the hearts, of modern day people?  If so, who are those people?  These are the questions Biblical prophecy answers as we watch His Words coming to life in real time today.  The God who DECLARES the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10) said they would.  The Lord’s DECLARATION of a matter is the essence of PROPHECY.  Prophecy’s fulfilment proves its divine origin.  In Daniel God tells the prophet to “seal up the book” (of prophecy) until “the time of the end” when its meaning, through divine revelation, would be made known to God’s appointed and anointed messengers who would share that information with His true saints–His “Very Elect.”  That time has come.  God’s true saints will believe and react accordingly.  False Christians will not.

This series will reveal the direct connection between what God said through Moses to the children of Israel from atop Mount Sinai and what He is saying to His Very Elect–His true church–today through His apostles.  The people to whom they are speaking today are the biological and spiritual descendants of the people who heard the voices of both God and Moses.  The Words are exactly the same and have the exact the same meaning.  THEY ARE WORDS OF LIFE AND DEATH–LIFE IF THEY ARE OBEYED; DEATH IF THEY ARE DISOBEYED.  Those who have ears to hear them will hear, believe and react accordingly.

Recall that among the 3,000,000 or so who heard God and Moses speak at Mount Sinai was “a mixed multitude” of Gentiles who had come out of Egypt “with them” (the Israelites)–Exo. 12:38.  Forty years later the descendants of those Israelites and Gentiles heard Moses repeat those same Words–the Ten Commandments as they were preparing to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land.  In Acts 7:38 God calls these people “the church (ekklesia–congregation) in the wilderness” of the Sinai Desert.  Not all of these people, Gentile and Israelite alike, were true believers.  History confirms that many of them embraced the gods of their heathen neighbors and fell away from God in a great apostasy.  However, there were some exceptions.  God has always had a remnant of true saints.

Today there are biological Gentiles among the Israelites in what is globally referred to as “the church.”  This mixture of Israelites and Gentiles comprise the Catholic/Protestant Church System.  Within that billions-strong group is a tiny “remnant” of true believers who believe and obey God’s eternal Law which He condensed into ten all-encompassing, unchangeable commands.  The Ten Commandments define both sin and righteousness–righteousness if obeyed; sin if not obeyed (1 Jn. 3:4).  God’s Very Elect are those who truly hunger and thirst after righteousness and whom He fills with His righteousness (Mat. 5:6).  THESE ARE THEY WHO OBEY THE LAW OF GOD AND THEREBY ARE FILLED WITH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH ONLY GOD CAN GIVE AS HE MANIFESTS HIMSELF IN THEM THROUGH THEIR WORDS, THOUGHTS AND ACTS, ALL OF WHICH REFLECT HIS LAW.  Now let us delve int0 the precious, eternal, life-giving Word of God in our search for His eternal Truth concerning the straight-line connection between the twelve tribes of ancient Israel and modern day Israel, specifically the United States of America which was founded and initially populated by the descendants of Manasseh, the son of Jacob whose name was changed to Israel, meaning “power with God.”  Read Who and Where is Israel Today.  Key word–Today.

“Now all these things happened to them (Israel) as EXAMPLES, and they were WRITTEN FOR OUR EXAMPLES, UPON WHOM THE ENDS OF THE EARTH HAVE COME” (1 Cor. 10:11).  Here the Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthian Church (and all churches then and now) that God’s dealings with Israel had been recorded and preserved to be used to teach those who have lived and are living during the New Testament Church Age (31 A.D. to the return of Jesus Christ).  God, through His apostles, makes it clear that ancient Israel and the modern day nations of Israel, headed by the United States, are one and the same, even though they are separated by some five centuries and thousands of miles.  Throughout those many generations God has always had a “remnant” (Rom. 11:5) of true believers (His church–the “Israel of God”–Gal. 6:16) who have clung to Him by believing and obeying His Law while the other 99.99% of professing believers were rejoicing that He had “nailed the Law to the cross” of Christ.  What they did not understand was that each time they disobeyed the Law (sinned–1 Jn. 3:4) they in fact “CRUCIFIED CHRIST TO THEMSELVES AGAIN” (Heb. 6:6).  The words “to themselves” means that, in the eyes of God, they themselves are personally and deliberately wielding the hammer that empales His Son to that cross AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN, ….  NOTHING HAS CHANGED.  GOD’S WORDS ARE AS TRUE TODAY AS THEY WERE ANCIENTLY.  “Sinners saved by grace” keep a hammer in their hands at all times.  AND, AS THE FOLLOWING REVEALS, THEIR PAST SINS HAVE NEVER BEEN FORGIVEN.

The word “again” in Hebrews 6:6 tells us that their previous sins, though repented of as they were committed, were (are) not forgiven.  The Lord says that church sinners “treasure (save) up” those sins which, after being proclaimed on the Day of Judgment (Rom. 2:5), will bring forth God’s wrath against the false repenter.  God, we are told in Acts 1:24, knows the hearts of all men, including those who call Him “Lord, Lord” but do not obey Him (Lk. 6:46).  HE KNOWS THAT THEIR REPENTENCE IS COUNTERFEIT.  HE KNOWS THAT THEY WILL NOT STOP SINNING.  Read Sin is a Choice.  Key word–Choice.

According to God’s prophecies that were spoken and written by His servants, His dealings with ancient Israel would be duplicated as He would deal with their descendants at another time and in another place.  And just as He had given ancient Israel the choice between obedience and blessings or disobedience and cursing, He would, through His printed and preserved Word, offer their descendants the same covenant.  And as was the case anciently, only a minority would embrace that covenant (Mat. 7:13,14; 22:14).  In this series we will examine that double-focused covenant and see if what took place so many years ago is being repeated today.  If so, God’s dealings with ancient Israel is being repeated in the United States today.  L.J.