Jonathan Bernis - Unlocking the Prophetic Mysteries of Israel: 7 Keys to Understanding Israels Role in the End-Times

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UNLOCKING THE PROPHETIC MYSTERIES OF ISRAEL by Jonathan Bernis

Published by Charisma House

Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group

600 Rinehart Road

Lake Mary, Florida 32746

www.charismahouse.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Tree of Life Version. Copyright 2015 by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society. Used by permission of the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked MEV are from the Modern English Version. Copyright 2014 by Military Bible Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2017 by Jonathan Bernis

All rights reserved

Cover design by Justin Evans

Visit the authors website at www.jewishvoice.org.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

An application to register this book for cataloging has been submitted to the Library of Congress.

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-62999-140-5

E-book ISBN: 978-1-62999-141-2

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication.

This book is dedicated to my fellow leaders in Messianic Jewish ministry. Many of you have dedicated your lives to this work with very little recognition or support. You have endured the rejection of your parents, families, and friends to follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4). God sees your labors, and they are not in vain. Never forget, in the end all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26). Keep pressing on, my dear comrades!

In memory of my beloved brother

Dave Bernis

April 15, 1958January 21, 2017

CONTENTS

I WISH TO THANK my dedicated staff at Jewish Voice, especially my executive leadership team. Ezra, Troy, Ellen, Joseph, Michael and Matt, growing and learning with you this past year has been an honor and a joy.

Thanks to Angela Smith, Carly Berna, and Charlene McClellan for all your support with the myriad of details, and to Dave Wimbish for your great writing and research support.

Thank you to my beloved wife, Elisangela, and my two beautiful princesses, Liel and Hannah, who gave up their time with Papai over our summer vacation to let me work on this book. I love you very much.

And last, but certainly not least, I thank our faithful God, the Keeper of Israel [who] neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:4).

WHEN ISAIAH PROPHESIED the coming of the Messiah, he wrote: He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, nor beauty that we should desire Him (53:2). In fact, the prophet went on to say, He was despised and rejected by men (Isa. 53:3). To the human eye, Yeshua (Jesus) seemed like an insignificant, ordinary man. He even came into the world in a lowly, drafty grotto rather than in a palace or even a clean room. Yet He was the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Obviously, Gods ways are different than ours!

In a similar way, the nation of Israel seems insignificanta tiny country spread over a few thousand square miles of deserts and hills in the Middle East. Slightly bigger than the state of New Jersey, Israel is not the worlds largest, richest, or most powerful nation. Yet in Gods eyes it is by far the most important nation on Earth. This tiny people with their tiny land are the apple of Gods eye, and because of this, the history of our entire planet is bound up with the history of Israel.

If you want to understand what God is doing in these last days, you must understand what He is doing with Israel. It is there that the Bibles prophecies regarding the end of the age will all unfold.

THE LAST DAYS ARE HERE

Everywhere I go, I hear people speculating about whether these might be the last days of planet Earth. People sense that we are heading toward a cataclysm. Even people who dont consider themselves to be religious are talking about it. There are many reasons this is true.

First of all, its difficult to understand the hatred and complete disregard for human life that is the hallmark of radical jihadists and their sympathizers. Just think about what weve witnessed. Gunmen massacre innocent, unarmed civilians watching a concert. Here in the United States we have experienced massacres in San Bernardino, California; Orlando, Florida; and Boston, Massachusetts, among other cities. Elsewhere in the world there have been attacks in Paris, London, Istanbulthe list goes on. Just look at the death toll in Iraq, where it seems there is at least one suicide bombing every week. There have been so many mass killings, in fact, that its difficult to remember them all. Before weve had time to grieve one bloody tragedy, the next one happens.

And then there are the unrelenting wars that continue throughout the Middle East. Civil war has left Syria in ruins and sent millions fleeing into Europe, causing a refugee crisis thereand resulting in the deaths of thousands of people who have drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe.

I could go on and on. There are the racial tensions and assassinations of white police officers here in the United States as well as renewed belligerence on the part of Russia and efforts to expand their control. For years we have fooled ourselves into thinking human beings are getting bettermore civilized and humane. Now the ugly truth is out: we are the same old flawed humanity we have always been. The Bible is on the mark when it says:

But understand this, that in the last days hard times will comefor people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, hardhearted, unforgiving, backbiting, without self-control, brutal, hating what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!

2 TIMOTHY 3:15

Yes, the end of the age is near, but that is not a bad thing for those who belong to God and serve Him diligently. The end does not mean destruction for Gods people but rather redemption and the emergence of a new chapter of history, one of peace and freedom from suffering. Despite the terrors we see all around us, God is still in control, and He has a plan to bring everything together for our good. As Yeshua Himself said, Now when these things begin to happen, stand straight and lift up your heads, because your salvation is near! (Luke 21:28).