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Christian Biblical Church of God
Post Office Box 1442
Hollister, California 95024-1442
(831)-637-1875
Fred R. Coulter
Minister
July 18, 2006
Dear Brethren,
We are currently witnessing a
new Arab-Israeli war. This one is different,
however, in that the Jews have not been attacked
as in the past by another nation, but by the
terrorist militias of Hezbollah and Hamas. This
latest conflict suggests that a shift in
the power of terrorist organizations is taking
place—away from the greatly weakened Al
Queda and the Sunni Moslems directed by Ben
Laden, and toward Hezbollah and Hamas,
both dominated and directed by the Shiite
Moslems of Iran and Syria.
In another dramatic shift from the past, the
nations of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the
Arab Gulf states—all Sunni Moslems—have not
endorsed the actions of the Hezbollah and Hamas
Shiite terrorist organizations. Apparently, the
Sunni Arab nations fear that Iran and the Shiite
Moslems desire to ultimately dominate all the
Arab states. At the same time, however, they
cannot openly support what the Jews are doing.
It appears that this war will not be ending any
time soon—and some have even labeled it as the
start of WWIII.
While end-time prophecies do not particularly
indicate that Persia (Iran) will be the dominant
power in the Arab world, there are several
prophecies concerning Esau, also called Edom,
the brother of Jacob. Esau’s original
inheritance was Mount Seir, which was south and
east of the Negev Desert in southern Israel
today. The Edomites, however, have been
scattered throughout history into the various
Arab countries, largely as a result of God’s
punishment against them. Today, many have
adopted the Shiite Moslem religion—which fuels
fanatical, extremist terrorist organizations
such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
From ancient times to today, the Edomites have
had an ongoing hatred of the Jews. In Ezekiel,
we read that God pronounced judgment against
Mount Seir because they rejoiced at the Jews’
calamity of being taken captive into Babylon in
605-585 BC: “Moreover the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, ‘Son of man, set thy face
against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, and
say unto it, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O
mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will
stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will
make thee most desolate. I will lay thy cities
waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou
shalt know that I am the LORD.
Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and
hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by
the force of the sword in the time of their
calamity, in the time that their iniquity
had an end: Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord
GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood
shall pursue thee: since thou hast not hated
blood, even blood shall pursue thee” ’ ”
(Ezek. 35:1-6).
Because of their hatred of Israel, God has
scattered Edom among the Arab nations. Ezekiel’s
prophecy apparently has a dual or “ongoing”
fulfillment, which helps explain the Edomites’
utter hatred for the Jews today, and why they
have dealt with so harshly with the nation of
Israel. The prophecy of Obadiah gives some
additional details of God’s judgment against
Edom: “The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the
Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour
from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among
the heathen, ‘Arise ye, and let us rise up
against her in battle.’ ‘Behold, I have made
thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly
despised. The pride of thine heart hath deceived
thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the
rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in
his heart, “Who shall bring me down to the
ground?” Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle,
and though thou set thy nest among the stars,
thence will I bring thee down,’ saith the LORD….
‘How are the things of Esau searched out! how
are his hidden things sought up!…
“ ‘Shall I not in that day,’ saith the LORD,
‘even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and
understanding out of the mount of Esau? And thy
mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the
end that every one of the mount of Esau may be
cut off by slaughter. For thy violence
against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover
thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In
the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in
the day that the strangers carried away captive
his forces, and foreigners entered into his
gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou
wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not
have looked on the day of thy brother in the day
that he became a stranger; neither shouldest
thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in
the day of their destruction; neither
shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of
distress.
“ ‘Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate
of my people in the day of their calamity; yea,
thou shouldest not have looked on their
affliction in the day of their calamity, nor
have laid hands on their substance in the day of
their calamity; neither shouldest thou have
stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his
that did escape; neither shouldest thou have
delivered up those of his that did remain in the
day of distress.
“ ‘For the day of the LORD is near upon all
the heathen [the days in which we are
living]: as thou hast done, it shall be done
unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine
own head…. But upon mount Zion shall be
deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and
the house of Jacob shall possess their
possessions. And the house of Jacob
[including the Jews today] shall be a fire,
and the house of Joseph [the USA and UK
today] a flame, and the house of Esau for
stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and
devour them; and there shall not be any
remaining of the house of Esau;’ for
the LORD hath spoken it” (Obadiah 1-4, 6, 8-15,
17-18).
These prophecies shed some light on events
taking place today. The Jews, the United States
and Britain are really the only ones fighting
against the terrorists of Esau and Ishmael. Now
that the power has shifted to the Shiites of
Hezbollah and Hamas and they have declared war
against the Jews, we can expect this conflict to
be a bloody slaughter against “Edom.”
There is another prophecy, in Zechariah, which
shows that all
nations of the world will eventually become
involved in the Middle East—leading up to the
return of Jesus Christ. In one way or another,
they will all be drawn into this conflict that
centers around Jerusalem: “ ‘Behold, I will make
Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people
round about, when they shall be in the siege
both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And
in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome
stone for all people: all that burden themselves
with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the
people of the earth be gathered together against
it.
“ ‘In that day,’ saith the LORD, ‘I will smite
every horse with astonishment, and his rider
with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the
house of Judah, and will smite every horse of
the people with blindness. And the governors of
Judah shall say in their heart, “The inhabitants
of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of
hosts their God.” In that day will I make the
governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among
the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf;
and they shall devour all the people round
about, on the right hand and on the left: and
Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own
place, even in Jerusalem’ ” (Zech.
12:2-6).
Psalm 83 reveals the very peoples that have been
fighting against the Jews from ancient times—the
same enemies that surround the Jewish nation
today: “Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not
thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo,
thine enemies make a tumult: and they that
hate thee have lifted up the head. They have
taken crafty counsel against thy people, and
consulted against thy hidden ones. They have
said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from
being a nation; that the name of Israel may be
no more in remembrance.’ For they have
consulted together with one consent: they are
confederate against thee: The tabernacles of
Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the
Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the
Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur
also is joined with them: they have holpen the
children of Lot” (Psa. 83:1-8).
This is why the Jews have had to fight so many
bloody wars—even against terrorist
organizations—just to maintain their existence
as a small nation in the Middle East. As a
result of this most recent conflict, proposals
are now being made for various nations to send
troops to stop the fighting between the Jews and
the Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists.
Modern, Instant Communication and Prophecy.
Two hundred years ago—before the technology made
readily available to us today—it would have been
almost impossible to know of events taking place
in other parts of the world. The “news” would
take too long to reach us. Indeed, those living
in the more isolated areas of the world might
never know of wars and natural disasters
occurring elsewhere.
Today, we have instant communication, instant
news—all 24/7. It floods into our living rooms
via television, radio, newspapers and the
Internet. With this in mind, we need to read
again
Matthew 24 and realize that such instant
communication is exactly what is required in
order for us to even know about many of the
events Jesus discussed prophetically. Only in
our modern era has such communication been made
possible.
Let us review some key verses of this critical
end-time prophecy: “And as He was sitting on the
Mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him
alone, saying, ‘Tell us, when shall these things
be? And what shall be the sign of Your
coming, and of the completion of the age?’ Then
Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Be on
guard, so that no one deceives you. For many
shall come in My name, saying, “I am the
Christ”; and they shall deceive many.
“ ‘And you shall hear of wars and rumors of
wars. See that you do not let
these things disturb you. For it is
necessary
that all these things take place,
but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and
there shall be famines and pestilences and
earthquakes in different places. Now
all these
things are the beginning of sorrows. Then
shall they deliver you up to affliction, and
shall kill you; and you shall be hated by all
nations for My name’s sake. And then shall many
be led into sin, and shall betray one another,
and shall hate one another; and many false
prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many;
and because lawlessness shall be multiplied, the
love of many shall grow cold. But the one who
endures to the end, that one shall be
saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be
proclaimed in all the world for a witness to all
nations; and then shall the end come’ ” (Matt.
24:3-14).
In Luke’s parallel account, Jesus shows that the
one event that will signal the immediacy of the
end is Jerusalem being surrounded by armies:
“But when you see Jerusalem being surrounded by
armies, then know that her desolation has drawn
near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to
the mountains, and let those within her go out,
and let not those in the countries come into
her; for these are
the days of vengeance, so that all things
that have been written may be accomplished. But
woe to those who are with child and those who
are giving suck in those days!
“For there shall be great distress upon the land
and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall
by the edge of the
sword, and shall be led away captive into all
nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by
the Gentiles, until
the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the
sun and moon and stars, and on the earth
distress and anxiety among the nations,
the
seas roaring with rolling surges; men dying of
heart attacks from fear and dread of the things
that are coming on the whole world; for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall
they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with
great power and glory. But when these things
begin to take place, look up, and lift up your
heads, because your redemption is drawing near”
(Luke 21:20-28).
Jesus continued with this parable: “Observe the
fig tree, and all the trees. When they have
already begun to bud, and you look at
them, then you know of yourselves
that summer is near. In the same way also, when
you see these things coming to pass, know that
the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you,
there is no way that this generation
shall pass away until all these things
have taken place. Heaven and earth shall pass
away, but My words shall never pass away.
“Watch yourselves, lest your hearts be
preoccupied with high living and drinking and
the cares of this life, and that day
come upon you suddenly. For as a snare it
shall come upon all those who dwell on the face
of the earth. Watch therefore,
and pray at all times that you may be
accounted worthy to escape all these things that
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son
of man” (verses 29-36).
This current conflict is far from the
last war that will be fought by the Jews against
terrorists or the surrounding Arab nations.
Prophetically speaking, there are many things
that must yet take place before the end comes.
Daniel 11 tells us that there must first be a
“king of the north” and a “king of the south”
before the conflict can take place that begins
the great tribulation. Exactly how and when they
will come on the world scene we don’t know. This
is why we are to heed Jesus’ warning to
not get caught up in the cares of this
life and this
world. We must always be ready by continually
praying and watching on a daily basis.
Was Jesus
Really Married? Our new editor,
Philip Neal (who edited our latest book,
Occult Holidays or
God’s Holy Days—Which?) has written a
paper called, “Was
Jesus Really Married?” (I asked him
to write the paper because I simply did not have
the time to write it.) The paper—which wraps up
our short series on “Gnosticism and Attacks on
Jesus”—clearly shows from Scripture why Jesus
could not have married Mary Magdalene as
portrayed in the book and movie, The Da Vinci
Code. We have enclosed it with this mailing.
We have been getting more and more requests from
brethren who would like to receive our sermons
on CDs. We are close to making this a reality.
In my next letter, I will bring you up-to-date
on how soon we will be able to replace the audio
cassettes with CDs. I will also give you a
report on the Bible project—the Old Testament in
its original order.
Brethren, thank you for reaching out to other
brethren—and to new people—by giving them our
books. You are helping many people by sharing
these publications. I am sure that you will be
careful to give our publications to those who
really desire them and who will actually use
them. Remember, we have a good supply of all our
books and publications—so we can send you any
number of books that you need. By reaching out
to others, you are personally helping to spread
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Once again, thank
you for your love, prayers and support through
your tithes and offerings—together we are making
a difference. May God the Father and Jesus
Christ be with you with love, grace and
blessings in everything.
Correct information for North Myrtle Beach SC
Bay Watch Resort and Conference Center
2701 S Ocean Beach Blvd
North Myrtle Beach SC 29582
1-800-845-9700
With love in Christ Jesus,
Fred R. Coulter
FRC
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