Every major news outlet is abuzz about Ireland’s National Museum discovering a 1,200-year-old Book of Psalms in a water-logged bog (which should have destroyed the document long ago).  The document, open to Psalm 83, was found last week by a construction worker who amazingly spotted the document prior to moving it with a mechanical digger.  Experts are hailing this discovery is as an “Irish equivalent to the Dead Sea Scrolls.” “In my wildest hopes, I could only have dreamed of a discovery as fragile and rare as this,” Patrick Wallace, the director of the National Museum in Dublin, said in a statement.Aoife Demel, a spokeswoman for the museum, told the New York Times the text had been examined by experts and that there was no possibility that it was a hoax.

Read the text of Psalm 83 in the New International Version (copyright International Bible Society):

O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still.  See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads.

With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you—the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal,* Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. Selah

Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, who perished at Endor and became like refuse on the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”

Make them like tumbleweed, O my God like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.

Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O Lord. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

Is the timing of finding this document in Ireland a coincidence?  Or is God trying to send us all a message?  Leave a comment to weigh in on what you think!

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Is Al-Qaida setting the stage for Armageddon?  Are they calling for a final showdown between Islamic extremists and the rest of the world? 

From AP and Yahoo News:

“Al-Qaida’s No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from ‘Spain to Iraq.’”

“In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now views ‘all the world as a battlefield open in front of us.’”

Read full article

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To stay abreast of news and events related to the End Times, the Book of Revelation, Biblical Prophecy, the End of the World or Armageddon, don’t forget to add our RSS feed to your RSS reader (see the orange tag at the lower lefthand side of the page).  Or visit us often at http://endtimesjournal.wordpress.com.  And, don’t forget to add a comment!

In Christian Eschatology studies, Israel plays a significant role in End Times development.  But why?

End Times prophecies about Israel are scattered throughout the Bible.  Perhaps one of the most dramatic descriptions of Israel in the End Times is in the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. 

“Look and see, for everyone is coming home!  Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.  Your eyes will shine, and your hearts will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands…And what do I see flying on the clouds to Israel, like doves to their nests?  They bare the ships of Tarshish to bring the people of Israel home.  They will bring their wealth with them and it will bring great honor to the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he will fill you with splendor.  Foreigners will come to rebuild your cities.  Kings and rulers will send you aid.” – Isaiah 60:4-5;8-10a NLT

Some scholars believe that the events in the passage above correlate with the establishment of the state of Israel in 1947, when Jews from around the world returned to their homeland.  However, other scholars believe that this refers to the New Jerusalem that will be created after the Armageddon.  Regardless of the interpretation, it is clear that Israel is much loved by God and will play a vital role in End Times events. 

As another example, Christian scholars also point to the following passage in Matthew as further evidence of Israel’s return to its homeland being a sign of the times.  Note that the fig tree is often used as a metaphor for Israel in the Bible.

“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree.  When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near.  Just so, when you see the events I’ve described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.  I assure you, this generation will not disappear from the scene before all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will disappear but my words will remain forever.” – Matthew 24:32-35 NLT

In the above passage, the budding fig tree is often interpreted as the reestablishment of the country of Israel.  Once that occurs, the remaining events can transpire–most believe–before that generation (who witnessed the founding of the new country) has passed away.

Although this is a brief summary with only a few examples, hopefully this will illuminate why so many Christians look to and analyze the events occurring in Israel to assess the progression of End Times events.