Further Resources

If you do not already use a whole Bible reading plan, I encourage you to follow one to take in the entire sweep of Scripture. Be like the Bereans, and examine what is written in the studies, to check if these things are really so. Bear in mind what Joshua told Israel shortly before he died, “not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.”[1]

As you read the Old Testament, look out for how Israel fared under each of the beast empires. Read about the suffering of Israel in their slavery in the land of Egypt. Notice how the Assyrians conquered Samaria, despite the warnings of the prophets, and how they brought other nations into the land to intermarry and weaken the national identity of Israel.[2] Consider how Daniel and his friends would have felt in Babylon, having been forcibly removed from the land of their birth to serve the king of the Babylonian beast empire. Read in the book of Lamentations how Jeremiah felt with Jerusalem overrun and emptied. Note the misery of the Hebrew exiles as they were taunted by the Babylonians.[3] Look out for what it was like for Israel in the Medo-Persian empire, especially as you read the books of Esther and Nehemiah. When you read the Bible, you will not directly come across the Macedonian Greek Empire. It existed in the period between the Old and New Testaments. However, it is dealt with prophetically by Daniel and also elsewhere.[4] We have the reference in John’s Gospel to the Feast of Dedication mentioned earlier. We are familiar with the Roman Empire’s treatment of the people and the land of Israel in the New Testament. If you want to read about the Turkish Ottoman Empire, then this is a matter recorded in the annuls of secular history.

There is a wealth of information and detail about the End Times, Israel, world events and Bible prophecy on the website of Tony Pearce: lightforthelastdays.co.uk. If you are interested in Islamic theories about the End Times, Samuel Shahid has written The Last Trumpet,[5] which compares Christian and Islamic Eschatology. You may also like to read Joel Richardson’s book Mid-East Beast.[6] If the political and geographic content of our studies has been of interest, then go to the website of Zion’s Hope, where David Rosenthal has some helpful material. This includes teaching on Neom and a video The Nature of the Beast. There are detailed talks on the End Times in the Mike Bickle online library, under the category of End Times and Eternity, such as on Zechariah, Hosea, the Battle for Jerusalem, and the Jewish end-times prisoners.[7] For a Jewish perspective, the Orthodox Temple Institute’s website is instructive and interesting.

As to other relevant books, Rose Publishing produce Then and Now Bible Maps[8] showing the ancient empires and how they relate to their equivalent modern-day cities and countries. The biography of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who revived the Hebrew language: Tongue of the Prophets[9] by Robert St. John gives a good idea of what it was like for Jewish people living in Jerusalem during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The role of Egypt and Assyria in the future is detailed in the book by Tom Craig: Living Fully for the Fulfillment of Isaiah 19: When Egypt, Assyria and Israel Will Become a Blessing in the Midst of the Earth.[10] Janet Willis has written a fascinating book, What on Earth is Heaven Like,[11] about the New Jerusalem, the Millennium and eternity. The Time of the End[12] by Tim Warner will challenge you to consider the question of when the return of Jesus will occur. The Feasts of the Lord [13] by Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal is a good read if you are interested in God’s prophetic calendar, as revealed in Leviticus 23.

Try and follow the news pertaining to Israel and the surrounding areas. Keep an eye upon Iran and Turkey, two of the main nations involved in Ezekiel’s description of the invasion and represented by the ram and the goat in Daniel 8. Be looking out for the developing alignment of either country with those who hate Israel. Follow the news on the growing friendship between Saudi Arabia (probable location of Sheba and Dedan) and the nation of Israel. Watch for the growing hostility and tension between Turkey and the Arab nations. It is most important to watch and pray for the United States of America.

Contact me if you have any questions or comments on these studies. Let me know if you would be interested in my companion book to encourage and serve those in the churches with a heart for Israel. This will offer easily understandable lessons in reading Hebrew, reading practice together with simple insights into the Hebraic background of the New Testament writings. My mother-in-law has written her life story in a 56-page booklet, “The Last Letter.” This includes some details of living under Nazi occupation in Vienna and her subsequent escape on the Kindertransport. This is also available on request.

[1] Joshua 23:14

[2] 2 Kings 17

[3] Psalm 137

[4] Ezekiel 26; Zechariah 9:1-8

[5] Xulon Press, 2005

[6] WND Books, 2012

[7] mikebickle.org/category/End-Times-&-Eternity

[8] RW Research, Inc., 2008

[9] Wilshire Book Company, 1972

[10] Drawbaugh Publishing Group, 2014

[11] Khesed Publications, 2011

[12] CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012. AIR. answersinrevelation.org

[13] Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997

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