Newsletter Vol. 31

Miracles still happen

“In a time of favor I have answered you, in a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you…” ¹

How we got on this train is a major miracle. There was absolutely no room left, and this was the last train to leave the station. A barrier blocked any access to the train from the railroad platform, where frantic masses were shoving and pushing. Yet somehow the station master’s eyes were drawn to my fragile, beautiful mother. She stood there like a forlorn island in this tossing sea of human panic. The Lord must have moved this man’s heart with compassion, because he took my mother along with me, grandmother and grandmother’s sister (father wasn’t with us) amid screams of protest, and led her to the train. “I get you and yours on this train, if that’s the last thing I do,” he said. Then he shoved us through an open window into the laps of those inside. The window apparently was open because it was the only car of the whole train which was heated..

The train was crossing the white blanket of a wide open field, when the rumbling noise of approaching airplanes could be heard. Then someone screamed, “Allied bombers!”, and the train loudly screeched to a standstill. With naked horror the women and children in that train saw the three conductors flee across the white field towards a forest. The Allies were not all war heroes. They bombed everything, regardless if that were military or civilian places or people. They had bombed every train that moved, including those filled with refugees. For this reason most people fled by foot and trains stopped running. Apparently the bombers were approaching to bomb this train.

There stood their train, like a big, black snake, visible from far in the brilliant white of the snow. Women and children screamed and wept, others prayed to G-d, to Jesus, to all sorts of saints. Mother only whispered, “O G-d, Holy One of Israel, G-d of my fathers, my G-d, help and protect us, I pray!”

The Allied bombers flew right above the train. Four bombers rumbled to and fro, back and forth, above the train. But not a single bomb fell. It was as if they could not see the train. There was now utter quiet inside, not even a child cried. For a long time the bombers searched for the so strangely disappeared train. Then they left.

“A miracle! A miracle!” the women whispered. Truly, it was a miracle!

When the train pulled into “Marktredwitz”, a small town in the Fichtelgebirge of northern Bavaria, the station master there announced that the train would not continue for three days. Women and children poured out of the train. Mother, with me at her hand, and grandmother and aunt got out to stretch our legs, and to get some food. A young woman approached mother and said, “We have been waiting for you, to provide you with food and some much needed rest. Please, be our guest for these three days. We are Christians who serve the G-d of Israel.” A strange thing to say in those days in Germany. Mother was suddenly filled with great peace, and overcome by fatigue. She, grandmother and aunt, followed the young girl like zombies.

When they entered the girl’s house there was a family standing by a table set with dishes and steaming hot food, and a pot of porridge in front of a highchair. Over by a wall stood a table with a baby bathtub. Mother’s face must have shown the utter astonishment, because the family smiled and offered them a welcome in the Name of the Lord. After mother had bathed me in that tub and we had all finished dinner, the lady of the house took mother upstairs. There were three beds freshly made, plus a baby bed. Mother broke into sobs, overwhelmed by this unforeseen, inexplicable provision. “Why?” she wanted to know. “Why us? How did you know us?” Then the family told the story:

For three consecutive nights the Lord had given them a vision of a young woman with a small child, in the company of two older women. He instructed them on which day and at what time to go to the train station, where a train would pull in and stay for three days. On that train would be that young woman with the child and the two women companions. They were to care for them, feed them, and provide beds for them. They went to buy the baby tub, and the high chair and baby bed they brought down from the attic. Since the Lord had given them a specific time, the woman prepared the food and set the table ready for us when we arrived. Their young daughter had no difficulties in identifying my mother whom she immediately saw, walking towards her with me at her hand. Mother and I looked just as the Lord had shown them. Then, grandmother and aunt also walked up, and there were the two older women companions.

When mother and grandmother heard that story, there was no end to their sobbing in relief. Even aunt, who wasn’t given to “mushiness”, had tears in her eyes. Then mother knew that G-d had kept us safely in His hands. And even while the world round about us fell apart, she no longer feared. Because now she knew for certain that G-d, who had kept us safe from the Nazi’s spying eyes until that day, was with us ².

Almost every Friday night when we’d sit around the table, my mother and grandmother would tell me these stories. Throughout my childhood, Shabbat after Shabbat (I did not know then that this was called “Shabbat”), I heard these tales. Maybe it is because of them that I yearned for G-d, even when I turned away from Him because I blamed Him for the Holocaust and the death of my beloved brother. After the Lord Yeshua showed Himself to me and I came to believe in Him as the Messiah of Israel, these stories were revived in my memory. They have been “a rod and a staff” to me ever since, because the Shepherd of Israel did not abandon us nor would He abandon me. For a truth, His faithfulness reaches to the heavens, and His miracles never cease.

Therefore, to believe Him for the “repairing of the breach and the closing of the gap” by means of finding the family book of generations is a small thing in comparison to those miracles. Was that wedding band any easier to find than this book is? Was it any easier to hide a whole train from the sight of those Allied bombers? Was it any easier for complete strangers to know us and provide for us? No, because with G-d nothing is impossible. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is too difficult for Him. Therefore I thank and praise Him for restoring this book unto us, that our “sukkah” may be complete again, with not a single branch missing. Hallelujah!

World War III?

 THE COMING WAR

I want to speak now of what may happen very soon, possibly even while I am visiting you. It is a war that Israel’s neighbors are preparing for.

Syrian, Iranian, Iraqi, Jordanian and Egyptian high-ranking military officials have been meeting secretly to prepare for war against Israel. They consider the present “peace-process” as a historical “window of opportunity” to destroy the State of Israel, because of Israel’s perceived weakness ³. Israeli military intelligence reports an ever increasing presence of missiles aimed at Israel, with Syrian forces on alert at Israel’s northern border, and Jordan and Egypt using maneuvers as a ruse in order to increase their forces on Israel’s southern and eastern borders. (If these are “Gog and Magog”, then how would “Gomer”, alias Germany get involved in this war, plus also Turkey, alias “Beit-Togarmah”?). Thus it would seem that there will be an attempt in the very near future to destroy Israel. This will fail, however, and lead to a time of peace and security as described in Ezekiel 38:11-14: “… the land of unwalled villages; …the quiet people who dwell securely... … when my people Israel are dwelling securely... ”

Hence, this war will bring Israel into a time of peace and security, which leads up to another “attack” as prophesied in Ezekiel 38: for this “attack”, as described in verses 12 and 13, culminates in the “seizing of much spoil”, which at present does not exist! But, we know that in the not too distant future Israel shall retrieve from the Salt (Dead) Sea trillions of dollars ⁴, along with great wealth amassed from oil beds beneath her soil. Therefore, in THE FUTURE… AFTER a time of peace, there will indeed be “great spoil” ⁵. This then puts the war of Ezekiel 38 at some time in the future, and not now. The war of Ezekiel 39, though, I believe to be close at hand.

I have researched much, prayed and meditated about the coming war. Besides a strong inner conviction about this war, there are the prophecies of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 (of which I made mention in my last newsletter, Volume 30). Let us consider it together : these wars cannot occur during the Millennial Messianic Reign, because at that time nations no longer have weapons (they are turned into farm tools), nor do they make war anymore ⁶. These also cannot take place after the Messianic Reign, when Satan once again leads men into war against G-d, for before they can even commence the war, G-d sends down fire from heaven and consumes their armies ⁷. And, of course, there will be no war when G-d’s new heaven and earth are manifest. The new race of men, the redeemed of the Lord, won’t even remember ⁸ what war is, much less fight one. So, when does this war take place?

First of all, it follows the ingathering and restoration of the Jewish people after almost two thousand years of dispersion. Israel has been prospering, with modern cities growing by leaps and bounds, with over fivehundred thousand new immigrants absorbed in the last five years. The countdown for the end time has come, the latter years of which will see this war take place. But it is not yet the end.

For Ezekiel 38:8 states: “After many days you will be mustered; in the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land where people were gathered from many nations upon the mountains of Israel [Judea and Samaria ~Westbank].”

So, there will be a war, from which Israel will be restored. We know that the outcome of this war will be victorious for Israel because of G-d’s intervention. For seven years the weapons amassed by Israel’s enemies will be utilized by Israel as fuel; and for seven months Israel will remove the corpses of the fallen enemy and bury them in a vast graveyard in a valley. This deed of burying her enemies will bring Israel honor in the sight of the nations who will recognize divine intervention.

At this present time Israel does not enjoy any favour with the world who, on the contrary, pressures and blackmails her to give in to the demands of terrorists. However, after this war there will be a reverse policy, and pressure will then be applied on the Arab states and the PLO to sign a “peace”-agreement in Israel’s favor.

Seven years of relative peace will follow this war, during which time a massive ingathering will take place with Jews from every corner of the earth immigrating to Israel. Because of G-d’s divine intervention at this war, many Jews will return to faith in G-d, an event which will put a wrench into the plans of those who were so eager to hand over portions of the Holy Land (It will also be a time of great opportunity for Yeshua’s followers to share the Gospel in Israel).

What am I saying? I believe that this war is a necessity divinely ordained to demonstrate G-d’s glory and power both to Israel and the nations, and bring about a massive “shuva” ⁹ and “aliyah” ¹⁰ of the Jewish people, which will include the ten lost tribes of Israel ¹¹. Thus the Jewish people will again be a light to the nations bringing G-d’s salvation unto the ends of the earth ¹², before the end shall come. Hence, I believe that G-d foreordained this war¹³for this very purpose, and that Ezekiel 39 describes what will happen at that particular battle.

However, Ezekiel 38 seems to describe one of the end-time battles and NOT the battle followed by seven years of using weaponry for fuel. (If these seven years were to occur after the Lord’s Return, there is no reason for the signing by “the many” of a peace-agreement with Israel, to be broken after 3 ½ years).

I believe then, that Ezekiel 38 and 39 speak of two different wars, the one in 39 taking place in the very near future (before the one in Ezekiel 38). When comparing our days with those described in Ezekiel 39, we can’t help but see that the war of Ezekiel 39 is at the door, and will bring Israel into a time period of quiet, security and great prosperity, which will then be followed by the war of Ezekiel 38, and the “time of Jacob’s trouble”^14a, the last 3 ½ years of tribulation ^14b such as has never been since there was a nation, and never shall be again^14c.

“Why,” you may ask yourself, “is it of any importance to me to know about a coming war against Israel?” Because as a genuine believer, through your sharing in Messiah you also have come to share in Israel’s destiny and inheritance, as a fellow-citizen and co-heir. In these last days it literally will prove fatal to continue considering yourself separate from Israel, a “Gentile Christian”, for it clearly states in Ephesians 2, that in Messiah we have been made one new man, with the former hostility between Gentile and Israelite abolished. There are not two “people of G-d,” but only one, called Israel; and there is only one Messiah and One G-d, the Messiah and G-d of Israel ¹⁵.

You may want to obtain my latest book, presently in the final stages of editing, “The Unchangeable Calendar of G-d”, to learn yet in greater detail about the events to come and their sequence according to G-d’s immutable time-table. It will be a desk-top publication, with many colorful illustrations, and a graphic representation of the “end-times” . It will be a helpful guide to understanding end-time prophecies, and will be assembled in such a manner that it can be used for topical Bible studies. You will find plenty of Scriptural references as well as a bibliography. The purpose of the book is to gird up the saints with understanding and light for the coming darkness. And to warn all backsliders and sinners about coming into a right standing with G-d.

With blessings in Yeshua, I am
yours in Him,

Seven Years of Blessing

THE 7 YEARS OF BLESSING

When the nations near and far shall witness the miraculous defeat of Israel’s enemies brought about not by man, but by the outstretched arm of G-d, they will realize that G-d never rejected His people, but only hid His Face from them for a time because of their faithlessness ¹¹.

G-d prepared for a “turn-about” following this war : He will restore the “fortunes” of Jacob and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel ^11a. In practical terms, this means that the nations will reverse for a time their hostile and oppressive policies toward Israel into favorable ones. Israel will even be highly respected and esteemed for burying for seven months the corpses of her fallen enemies. Moreover, Israeli ingenuity will utilize the fallen enemy’s vast arsenal of weapons to produce energy or fuel, lasting for 7 years ¹². Furthermore, G-d will fulfill Isaiah 60:5, by exploiting the wealth of the Salt (Dead) Sea – estimated to be four times the wealth of the U.S. at the height of her prosperity – to provide for the returning exiles ^12a. And the Lord will finally cause the “fatness”, or “greasiness”, i.e. the oil that “couches beneath in the flinty rock” to come up, in fulfillment of the blessings by the patriarchs and by Moses ¹³. The men by whom G-d will suddenly bestow such enormous wealth on Israel are called to bear testimony to the house of Israel and the Gentiles of G-d’s faithfulness, declaring that HE has done it and not man, in fulfillment of His good promises.

It is during these 7 years that a peace-treaty, favorable to Israel, shall be signed by many co-signers, allowing Israel to dwell securely and restore the land from the war. And it is during this time that the Two Witnesses, those Two anointed prophets, shall appear and begin their ministry of 3 ½ years ¹⁴.

The miraculous outcome of the war, the favorable peace-treaty, the sudden great prosperity of the nation, and the testimony of these men will serve to “trigger” the Return of most of Israel’s exiles, with the exception of those who need a stronger “push”, which G-d will supply through the “hunters” ^14a. Then G-d will fulfill His promise of saving and healing the house of Israel from all of their backslidings, sprinkling them with clean water, giving them a new heart, pouring His Spirit out upon them, and not hiding His Face anymore from them ¹⁵.

At that time the divinely imposed blindness will fall from the eyes of many Jews as it fell from the apostle Paul’s, enabling them to finally recognize the Redeemer of Israel, Yeshua HaMashiach. Their ears will be unstopped from the divinely imposed deafness, enabling them to grasp the Good News of salvation when hearing it ¹⁶. But it will be by the circumcision of their heart and the working of the Holy Spirit, that many hundreds of thousands of Jews (I pray it will be millions) will come to believe in Yeshua as their Messiah and Savior.

And it shall be during these 7 good years that a great number of Jews will be born again, baptized in water and with the Holy Spirit and fire, and go together with (formerly Gentile) brethren to every people, nation, tribe and tongue to proclaim the Good News of salvation. Only THEN shall the end come!

But it shall also be mid-way during these 7 years, that the 7 years of tribulationbegin. While Israel will be at the height of her prosperity and fulfill her destiny as G-d’s witnesses to the nations, the world will undergo the trials and judgments of the final 7 years ¹⁷. G-d’s promise to Abraham, by which his descendants shall bless all the nations shall be gloriously fulfilled during the 7 years of plenty when the children of Israel, both natural and ingrafted, shall bring a vast and ripened harvest into G-d’s Kingdom. Never will there have been a time of salvation such as this, just as there will be a time of anguish and troubles such as has never been nor shall ever be again¹⁸.

Yes, the two interlinked sets of 7 years are standing at the threshold. It may be that the war of Ezekiel 38, once again planned by the same enemies of G-d and Israel – Gog – will occur midway into the first 7 years. But for certain the peace-treaty will be broken by the end of the first 7 years, mid-way into the second 7 years ¹⁹. Then, according to many, the “time of Jacob’s troubles” will begin – his “final punishment” ²⁰. However, I am not in agreement with this interpretation because I cannot believe that G-d first regathers the people, has them build towns, cities, settlements and replanting the Land, building a whole infrastructure, only to whack them worse than in the Nazi Holocaust. Such dealings would be wickedness, something not at all a part of G-d’s character. I believe that the Nazi Holocaust was the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” his “final punishment” out of which G-d delivered him by raising up out of it a vibrant nation. And G-d will deliver, save and heal this nation for His holy Names sake and through Israel vindicate His holy name in the sight of all the nations round about and far off.

Signs of the Time of the End

SIGNS OF THE END

A “strange” thing happened recently in Israel : without prior warning, threatening black clouds discharged a massive hail the size of ping-pong balls which, driven by fierce winds, literally “threshed” everything in its path from Beer-Sheva to Eilat. Trees, fields, and flowers were beaten barren; windows and rooftop solar boilers smashed; and houses, cars, and shutters riddled with holes and dents as by bullets. In minutes a several inches deep layer of ice covered the ground and heavy rain turned the wadis of the Arava into wild raging, icy torrents sweeping away whatever was in its path, man or beast.

Then I understood the image given in Isaiah 28, of “hail sweeping away the refuge of lies, and waters overwhelming the shelter.” I remember how theYitzhak Rabin government scoffed at those who trust in G-d’s Word, covenant and promises, while they made lies their refuge and falsehood their shelter. Because signing an agreement with Yasser Arafat is an agreement with Sheol, and a covenant with death. And just as this hail swept away in minutes what man had made and planted, so will massive troubles hitting as hard as bullets strike unexpectedly, and sweep away this refuge of lies called “Oslo I & II”. The “land for peace” agreements are built upon falsehood and not on G-d’s promises. Some day in the future, Israel’s enemies will rush without prior warning like a raging flood upon her and overwhelm this flimsy shelter of a false peace ²¹.

Another warning signal of the soon coming days of wrath are the worldwide effects of a weather condition known as “El Ninjo”. As always, the explanation by the secular media and “experts” of these natural disasters exludes G-d. Apparently the Creator of the heavens and the earth – in their minds – works “magic” by unnatural means. That He might use the things He created, and the laws on which He founded them, to send warning signals and execute judgment, seems a rationalization to them typical for “right-wing extremists”, as they label now those who believe and trust in G-d’s promises. However, Scriptures tell us that winds, hail, fire, rain, lightning and thunder are the Lord’s “servants” who carry out His command ²². In Revelation 7:1 four angels are holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind may blow on earth or sea. Just so G-d apparently held back the wind that moves cooler waters into the warmed up waters of the Pacific. Yet men refuse to see the finger of G-d, whose mere witholding of a certain wind produced world-wide catastrophes, and be warned. They only see what they call the unpredictable caprices of “mother nature”. It escapes them that the phenomenon of global floods, fires, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are warning signals from G-d of worse things yet to come if men will not turn from their corruption, immorality and evil deeds.

Oh, how urgently the world needs G-d’s messengers of warning, faithful to the truth. But the glory of TV evangelists, U and the splendor and exitement of their “shows” has blinded many eyes and deafened many ears to G-d’s end-time messengers. When finally the Two Witnesses shall come with more forceful warnings, they will be hated by all except for those who rather hate lies and falsehood, but love the truth.

Now may the Lord bless you with this newsletter as He has with the last one, according to the many letters of appreciation I received. I happily recount the Lord’s miracles, great and small, for your encouragement and strengthening of faith.

Yours in Him,

Annelore