*7 Compelling Reasons why Christ is coming very soon!*

The evidence for the soon return of Jesus Christ is overwhelming. It could be any moment. One scholar lists 167 converging clues just in the last few years. The following are eight:

1. Israels rebirth. As Jesus prophesied, the Jews were scattered during the Jewish-Roman war of A.D. 70 (Luke 21:24). Also prophesied to occur before Christs return, the nation of Israel was miraculously reborn on May 14, 1948. Israel is called Gods time clock.

Geographically, Israel is a very small nation. About one-nineteenth the size of California, Israel is approximately the size of the state of New Jersey. It is only 260 miles long, 60 miles at its widest, and approximately 9 miles at its narrowest point. Yet the nation of Israel is a democratic republic surrounded by 22 hostile Arab/Islamic dictatorships that combined are 640 times her size and 60 times her population!

Israel must be a nation for many prophecies in the scripture to be fulfilled. Here are just a few:

1. Antichrist will make a seven year covenant with Israel (Dan 9:27)

2. Antichrist will invade Israel and desecrate the temple (Dan 11:40-41; Matthew 24:15-20).

3. Gog and his allies will invade the nation of Israel when it is at peace. (Ezekiel 38-39)

4. All the nations of the earth will invade Jerusalem (Zech 12:1-9; 14:1-2)

5. The people of Israel will flee into the wilderness to escape the wrath of Satan (Rev 12:13-17).

A. The Bible predicts that Israel will experience two world wide, end time, regatherings to the Promise Land.

The first worldwide ragthering will be a return of unbelief in preparation for the Tribulation.

The second worldwide gathering will be a return in faith at the end of the tribulation, in preparation for the blessing of the millennium (1,000 year reign of Christ)

Several OT passages highlight a return of Jews in spiritual unbelief as a prelude to the discipline of the tribulation period (Ezek 22:17-22; Zeph 2:1-2) but here is a key OT passage that deals with both world wide regatherings.

Isa 11:11-12: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

12And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah mentions this is the second regathering, which begs the obvious question, When did the first one occur? Some maintain this was the Babylonia return form exile that started in 536 BC. However, this return was not worldwide as described in Isa 11:11-12.

Since Israel will experience two worldwide returns from exile, it seems as if the present worldwide return of the Jews to Israel must be in fulfillment for the first international regathering of Israel.

B. Second, the Bible predicts that Israels initial regathering will occur in phases, or stages.

In 70 AD, the land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, and the Jewish temple were crushed under the heel of Roman domination. Since that time, the Jews have been scattered all over the world.

Gods warning of worldwide exile in Deut 28:64-66 has been lieerally, geographically fulfilled over the last 1900 years.

Deut 28:64-66 - 64And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

65And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

66And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

But as we have seen the Bible predicts that Israel will be regathered to the land in the end times. Scripture says that this regathering will be in stages. It is portrayed, as a process for it will take some time to regather and resettle the land.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel sees a graveyard vision illustration the national restoration, regeneration, and return of the whole house of Israel (37:11).

First, Israel is restored physically. The physical restoration is pictured by the coming together of bones, flesh, and skin to become a complete body. Piece by Piece. But the army is still made uo of lifeless corpses (37:8).

Second, Ezekiel witnesses the spiritual regeneration when the breath of the Sprirt breathes spiritual life into the dead nation (37:9). Of course this wont happen until the messiah returns.

I believe the first gathering has already begun for the last 130 years. A pile of bones is beginning to come together and take shape in the Land of Israel.

The modern return began as early as 1871 when a few Jews began to trickle back into the landof Israel

By 1882, about 25,00 Jews have settled there.

At the first Zionist conference in 1897, lead by Theodore Herlz the goal of reclaiming the land for the Jewish people was officially adopted. But the regathering was slow.

By 1914, the number of the Jews I the land was only 85,000

During WW1, the British sought support form the Jews for the war effort.

Nov 2, 1917, the British gave the Balfour Declaration to Lord Rothschild, a wealthy Jewish entrepreneur stating their approval to the Jewish goal of reclamation.

1939, WW2 broke out, about 450,000 had managed to return.

Nazi Germanys heinous and despicable treatment of the Jews created a worldwide sympathy and favorable environment for the Jews. Hitlers atrocities actually provided the greatest momentum for the establishment for a national homeland for the Jews.

May 14, 1948, the UN approved of a national Jewish homeland and Brisith control ended.

Since those days waves of emigrants, most notably form ethopis and the Soviet union, have pored into Israel.

2001, 38% of the 13.4 million Jews in the world are now living in Israel. (1948 only 6% were in Israel.

42.5% of all Jews reside in Israel (5.7 million), and 39.3% in the United States (5.3 million), with most of the remainder living in Europe (1.5 million)

By 2030, predicted that half the Jews will have returned.

C. Third, the regathering of Israel will set the stage for the events of the end times.

The Bible predicts that Israel must be partially regathered to her land for the events of the end times to unfold. End time prophecy in Scripture is built upon the assumption that Israel will be regathered and functioning as a nation. The clearest passage is Dan 9:27.

Dan 9:27 -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 desolate.

The tribulation doesnt begin until the 7 year peace treaty is signed, it cant be signed if a Jewish state doesnt exist, Therefore a Jewish state must exist before the tribulation.

The main purpose of the first regathering is for the Jews to be present in the Land so they can make the peace pact with the Antichrist.

The Jewish people are organized into a political state, thus making the peace treaty with the Anti- Christ in Dan 9:27 and the beginning of the Tribulation possible for the first time since 70 AD.

The Lord will use the Tribulation and its unparalleled horror to bring the Jewish people to faith in the Lord Jesus as the promised messiah, who died for their sins and rose again on the third day.

During the Tribulation the Jews will be scattered over the face of the earth as they are persecuted by the Antichrist. Many will be killed and many more will flee for their lives (Matt 24:15-21, Dan 7:25)

At the end of the tribulation, Jesus will come again, the second coming, wage war against anti Christ at Armageddon, and defeat the enemy. Christ will then set up his earthly kingdom the millennium for a thousand years and regather Israel for the second and final time.

Today, however, Orthodox Jews are building temple furniture in preparation for a new temple. The Temple Institute, which has already built many of the vessels for the Holy Temple, such as the ark and the menorah, has now embarked on a project to build the altar. Construction begins Thursday in Mitzpe Yericho (east of Jerusalem) at 5:30 pm. Unfortunately, we cannot currently build the altar in its proper place, on the Temple Mount, Temple Institute director Yehudah Glick said. We are building an altar of the minimum possible size so that we will be able to transport it to the Temple when it is rebuilt.

The solid gold menorah, built at the expense of three million dollars, was particularly impressive. Who could believe the timing of renewed interest in rebuilding the temple is coincidental? Think of it: at the very same time that the European Union is gaining power and world events are aligning in preparation for the Antichrists ascension, preparations for a new temple are underway.

2. Plummeting morality. Studies show a shocking breakdown just since mid-century (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

The bible uses the word Apostasy to describe opposition within. It means to fall away

Apostates are characterized by two different traits in the NT: false do