Anne Graham Lotz' 9 1 1: An Emergency Recall to Pray for Jerusalem

I would like to take a one-post break from my current series on "What Would a Shemitah Judgment Look Like?" to let you know about Anne Graham Lotz's call to prayer for Jerusalem and Israel.

She's asking us to take a 1 Hour break and fast to pray on September 1, 2015, at an hour of your choosing.

Please see the details here:

9 1 1: An Emergency Recall to Pray for Jerusalem

We'll resume our series on "What Would a Shemitah Judgement Look Like?" in the next post on September 1.

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A Unique Glimpse: Tunnels Under the Temple Mount

Underground market in Jerusalem
Morguefile.com 

This week we've been talking about the nation of Israel in honor of her birthday on May 14.  In the May 13^th post we remembered the rebirth of Israel on May 14, 1948, a miraculous, prophetic sign that is unique to this generation. (Tweet that!)

In my previous post we learned how to view the Western Wall of the Temple Mount live any time we want to tune in. (Tweet that!) 

It is incredible that today, through computers, laptops, tablets, and even smart phones, we can watch live in real time what is happening at the foot of the mount of the very Temple in Jerusalem we've read about in our Bibles!

Did you know there are tunnels beneath the Temple Mount? Through centuries levels of the city have been built upon each other, leaving tunnels underneath what we currently see above ground. 

Please note the photo with today's post is not necessary a tunnel beneath the Temple Mount, but it was the closest photo I could find to use. The photographer noted this is an underground market in Jerusalem.

Would you like to take a tour of some of the tunnels that run beneath the Temple Mount? (Tweet that!) Let's do that today. This video runs less than five minutes. It is a fascinating journey and glimpse of what Herod the Great built. (Tweet that!) In it we get to glimpse what is on the other side of the Western Wall we saw in the previous post. (Tweet that!)

Enjoy the tour. And would you please share this with a friend? There are share buttons you can use below to Tweet and post on Facebook, Pinterest, or Google+. You can also click the Tweet that!'s within each post. Or invite your friends to receive this blog via e-mail. Sign up for the e-mail list using the box in the upper right. Thank you.

A tour inside the Western Wall tunnels.

Keeping an Eye on Israel: Look into the Temple Mount Cam

The Western Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
Courtesy Morguefile.com 

For Christians and for Bible prophecy geeks, keeping an eye on what is happening in and to Israel is important. And the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is of special importance. But today's post takes keeping an eye on Israel to a whole new level. (Tweet that!) Did you know you can watch what is happening near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem live, any time you want to? (Tweet that!)

There is a live camera that overlooks the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. It is called the "Kotel Cam." (Tweet that!)  Kotel is the Hebrew word for the "Wailing" or "Western Wall" in Jerusalem, which is a part or all of the western wall of the ancient Jewish temple that was destroyed by the Roman, Titus, in 70 AD. (Tweet that!)

The "Live Kotel Cam" broadcasts 24/7/365 what is happening at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. You can also view other areas around the Temple Mount, such as Wilson's Arch, live.

You can tune in anytime and watch what is happening through the Kotel Cam here: http://english.thekotel.org/cameras.asp 

It is especially interesting to tune in on and around Jewish holidays. For example, last year I enjoyed seeing the giant Menorah during Hanukkah.

In the previous post, The Biggest Prophetic Sign Ever: Israel is Back in the Land, we talked about how Israel becoming a nation was a huge prophetic sign unique to our generation.  Another unique aspect of our generation is technology. (Tweet that!)

There are prophecies in the Bible that speak of all the world seeing certain things happen.  Current technology could make "all the world" seeing these things possible, unlike any previous generation. (Tweet that!)

Here are two examples of prophecies that might show world-wide visual communications are needed for End Times prophecy to be fulfilled. Both are found in Revelation.

Revelation 11:7-10: 

"And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth... 

"Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth." 

Revelation 17:8: 

"The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come."

These events might be shown on the evening news or carried as "live" breaking news. Or we might be able to watch them live through streaming on the internet like the Kotel Cam at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. If this is indeed how "the world" sees these events, then the technology that has only come about in our generation that helps us keep an eye on Israel could play a part in fulfilling Bible prophecy.

Related Articles:

Here are two articles I wrote on similar topics for other sites:

"Signs of the End Times? Mass and Vast Communications" by Dianne E. Butts on The Christian Pulse 

"Finding God in Prophecy about Israel" by Dianne E. Butts on Finding God Daily.com

The Biggest Prophetic Sign Ever! Israel is Back in the Land

Front Page of The Jerusalem Post May 16, 1948
Wikimedia Foundation. Fair use.

I often say if we're not in the End Times, you can see them from here.

I often get responses from people, including from pastors, that show their skepticism. They respond with comments like, "We can't know that." One told me, "We have at least another 30 years." Another said, "We have at least another 100 years."

I wish I would have been quick-thinking enough to ask them, "Based on what?"

God gave us information about the End Times for a reason: so we would know. (Tweet that!) (For more on why God gave us prophecies, see Related Articles below.)

Jesus talked about the signs of the end and the signs of his coming in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. He told us what would be happening in our world so we would watch for the signs, understand what was happening, and know it was near. (Tweet that!)

So for all the skeptics out there, in recent history we have witnessed one prophetic sign that has never occurred before in human history. (Tweet that!) One sign that is unique to our generation. One sign that changes everything. It is the biggest sign ever. Like a flashing neon billboard. (Tweet that!)

What is it? Israel is once again a nation.

In Jesus' time, Israel was an occupied country, occupied by the Romans. Israel had not been a free nation since long before the birth of Jesus.

God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel about "The Valley of Dry Bones" in Ezekiel 37. God showed Ezekiel a vision of a vast valley of dry bones. Then God asked Ezekiel in 37:3:

"Son of man, can these bones live?"

I love Ezekiel's response because he spoke with wisdom I never would have thought of:

"O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

God then put flesh on the bones and they became alive. And God explained to Ezekiel that this was the rebirth of Israel in her own land once again:

¹¹ Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' ¹² Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴ And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord." (Ezekiel 37:11-14).

The Jewish people waited a very long time for this prophecy to be fulfilled, but it has happened. In our generation. Israel became a nation again on May 14, 1948. So tomorrow, Israel turns 66 years old – that is the "new," re-established nation of Israel and the prophetic re-birth of the nation. This week we will honor Israel by learning more about this nation and how we can stay in touch with what's happening there. (Tweet that!)

For today, let's remember that it was after Adolf Hitler and his Nazis tried to annihilate the Jews that the result was Israel emerged as a nation once again after 2,000 years. That is an amazing turnaround, a miracle—something only God could do. (Tweet that!)

And that is a miraculous sign that is unique to our generation.

Many of the other prophecies of the End Times refer to the nation of Israel. Therefore, they cannot come to pass unless Israel is a nation. Now, as of 1948, Israel is once again a nation. (Tweet that!)

According to Psalm 90:10 in the Bible, a "generation" is about 70 years: 

The years of our life are seventy,

    or even by reason of strength eighty;

yet their span is but toil and trouble;

    they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Israel was born again on May 14, 1948. That means Israel will turn 70 years old in 2018. (Tweet that!)

The re-birth of Israel is the biggest prophetic sign ever. This sign is unique to the times we are living in right now. (Tweet that!)  It is a unique, one-of-a-kind sign that tells us if we're not in the End Times, we can see them from here.

Related Articles: 

• Why Did God Give Us Prophecies - Part 1
• Why Did God Give Us Prophecies - Part 2