Wonder of Wonders
Several years ago I had the joy of performing in a stage production of Fiddler On The Roof. I think that if they had let us, I would have performed that play every weekend for a year! It was such a joy to be a part of the story of Tevye. (I played Yenta the Matchmaker. It is SO me!) One of the really great songs of Fiddler was “Miracle of Miracles”. Tevye’s daughter Tzeitel is secretly in love with Motel (pronounced Mottle), a poor tailor. Motel finally develops the courage to ask Tevye for his daughter’s hand in marriage, and Tevye gives his permission. An overjoyed Motel celebrates with Tzeitel, singing the song Miracle of Miracles, proclaiming the miracle that God gave him the courage of Daniel as he walks into the lion’s den. It is a glorious song! Just like Motel the tailor, we are seeing wonders and miracles in our time as well.
One of the greatest wonders is watching prophecy unfold before our eyes, especially in the Land of Israel. Since the beginning of the year we have seen God perform “wonder of wonders” for Israel. Here is a list of just some of these wonders from a Facebook post by Zahava Englard Shapiro:
The United States, under the leadership of President Trump, is scheduled to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14th, effectively backing the US government's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. [This happened today!]
Mossad locates and successfully steals a half a ton of original files from Iran on its nuclear weapons project. Team returns home safely.
President Trump pulls out of the ill-planned and ill-fated Iranian nuke deal.
Iranian forces in Syria shoot 20 to 30 missiles at Israel, all missing their mark with 4 destroyed by the iron dome. No Israelis harmed and no damage.
Israel retaliates and successfully strikes Iranian military targets inside Syria including striking their munitions storage facilities, effectively debilitating Iran's military build-up and infrastructure in Syria. All Israeli pilots return safely home.
Netanyahu convinces Putin not to arm Hezbola with S-300 ground to air missiles, diminishing the danger to Israeli pilots when carrying out defensive aerial missions.
IDF forces on Israel's southern border hold strong against month-long Hamas attacks and attempted infiltrations.
This Sunday we celebrate 51 years since the unification of our beloved capital, Jerusalem and the liberation of our heartland -Judea and Samaria.
Now THAT is a list to talk about!
God is doing amazing things here in the United States as well. I believe He is preparing believers for the 2nd Exodus. In 2012 God showed me that 2016 would be the “end of America as we know it”. That sounded pretty ominous to me, so I watched in great anticipation to see what in the world would happen in 2016 that would “end” America. In hindsight, I can now see that He was showing me the role that America plays as an “end-time Egypt”.
Wait a minute! I thought America was an end-time Babylon! How can we be Egypt? Didn’t Egypt enslave the people of Israel? I am glad you asked that question. While it is true that the people of Israel were enslaved by Egypt, which prompted the Exodus, it is also true that Egypt was a place of safety for the twelve tribes of Israel. A place where they could be safe and grow into a mighty nation. It wasn’t until a “pharoah arose that knew not Joseph” that the people were put into bondage and persecuted. Just like Egypt was a place of safety for the twelve tribes for many years, America has been a place of safety for them as well. It is the only country where the Jewish people could live in safety without fear of overt persecution or expulsion from their homes. America has been a place where the “vineyard” of Israel could grow until God’s prophetic timetable deemed it was time for the “second Exodus”.
Genesis 46 states that the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt for four-hundred years. Exodus states that they were slaves for four-hundred-thirty years. Although the rabbis have some interesting solutions to that apparent contradiction, I find that any time the bible states an overt contradiction, it usually has some prophetic significance. So I thought I would explore the idea that the 430 years might relate to the end-time “vineyard” that lives in America, rather than it relating to the original people of Exodus. I knew that the elections of 2016 would be important to the future role of America, so I decided to do some calculations and find out if anything of significance happened in American history 430 years ago. Wonder of wonders… there was!
It appears that the first American colony was established in 1586 AD, in Roanoke VA. It was established by Sir Walter Raleigh, 22 years before Jamestown and 37 years before the Pilgrims arrived here. Roanoke was considered the true “birth” of America, 430 years ago! America has been a type of “Egypt” for all these years - holding and protecting the people of Israel, and allowing them to grow into a fruitful vineyard.
It now appears that the time to grow the vineyard has ended. The elections of 2016 have created what some call as a “constitutional crisis”. Many on the left consider the elections invalid. Many on the right consider them to be an uprising over tyranny. With the recent revelations of the use of our federal law agencies as political operatives to spy on a political opposition candidate, it is clear that the rule of law has been violated, bringing an end to what has been a Constitutional Republic for over 200 years. It is may personal opinion that God has placed President Trump in office for His reasons, not ours… but it remains to be seen if we can pull the country back from this Constitutional crisis.
Fast forward a bit to 2017, and we come to the Great Solar Eclipse across the U.S. In Jewish teaching, a solar eclipse warns of judgment over the Gentile nations (compared to a lunar eclipse which is a warning of judgment over Israel). This Great Solar Eclipse over America happened on the Jewish calendar date of Elul 1 - the month of judgment and repentance. Another total solar eclipse will happen seven years later on April 8, 2024 (Nisan 1 on the Jewish Calendar) crossing the U.S. in the opposite direction. The two eclipse paths cross an area of the U.S. called “Little Egypt”. Coincidence? I think not!
I believe God is warning us that this is a seven-year period of judgment and harvest over America, the End Time Egypt. It began on Elul 1 of 2017, and will end on Nisan 1, 2024. Our time of protecting and growing the “vineyard” of Israel is coming to a close. Just as I was not sure what it meant that 2016 was the “end of America”, I am not sure what this time period will look like either. I do believe that we have to prepare ourselves for whatever it means.
So what is our responsibility as believers? Is it time to prepare for the Harvest out of the nations? I think we need to be ready for that possibility. God has been warning His people for several years to get out of debt, to downsize, to get mobile. We need to be serious about these warnings. Learn to listen to His spirit. Develop a usable skill - carpentry, medical techniques, outdoor survival, mechanics… He will tell you what would be useful. Learn to travel, learn a language, teach your children how to do the same. Above all, learn to follow His instructions and be obedient to His leading.
God is doing wonders and miracles for His people - both in Israel and here in America. Let’s rejoice that we are called to be a participant of those wonders. Shalom!