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Searching for Israel (Part Seven): Seven Years' Punishment
Article by Charles WhitakerThe mass expulsion of the children of Israel from Canaan by Assyrian and Babylonian kings left the land nearly devoid of Israelites, with the theocracy and monarchy gone, and the people enslaved to Gentile nations. This punishment resulted from their habitual rejection of God's law. God established a specific duration for Israel's punishment, as recorded in Leviticus 26, where He promises to punish them seven times more for their sins if they disobey Him. In this context, seven times refers to a duration of punishment, not intensity, equating to 2,520 years when calculated using the year-for-a-day principle, with each prophetic time being a 360-day year. The punishment began with the fall of the Kingdom of Israel in 718 BC and, according to this calculation, ended in AD 1802, marking 2,520 years. Scriptural evidence supports a prolonged period of exile, as Daniel, writing about 178 years after the deportation, indicates Israel had not returned. Christ, in about AD 31, stated He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, showing they were still lost. Decades later, the apostle James addressed his letter to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, confirming Israel's continued state of punishment over 750 years after Assyria's conquest. Additional references in Hosea and Ezekiel reinforce the year-for-a-day principle in defining Israel's punishment duration. Hosea suggests a progressive mercy after periods of affliction, while Ezekiel's symbolic act of lying on his side for 390 days represents 390 years of punishment for Israel. This extended timeframe of 2,520 years serves as a vital criterion for identifying modern-day Israel.
Israel: Future
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughWhat is in store for the nations of Israel? Is their future promising or bleak—or both? This article concludes a three-part series on the people of Israel.
Searching for Israel (Part Eight): The Scattering of Ten-Tribed Israel
Article by Charles WhitakerWhat happened to the northern tribes of Israel after their captivity by Assyria? The Bible tells us where they were driven — and from where they will return.
Israel's Restoration and the Zeitgeist of Zeal
Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)After the Tribulation, God promises to restore Israel to the promised land where she will have a chance to learn and live God's truth in the Millennium.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Fourteen): Israel Redeemed
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod employs a winnowing process in selecting those who will enter the Millennium. The process includes punishment for Israel's failure to serve as priests.
The Fugitive Folk of Jacob's Trouble
'Prophecy Watch' by Charles WhitakerGod uses several Hebrew words in significant prophecies describing the scattering of ancient Israel and the worse scattering during Jacob's Trouble.
The Second Exodus (Part Two)
'Prophecy Watch' by David C. GrabbeThe timing of the regathering of Israel is uncertain, but here are the Scriptural markers that narrow the time frame to a significant prophetic event.
Is God to Blame?
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe 9/11 bombings were tragic and terrible. Some have since asked, 'Was God involved? Is He to blame?' These tough questions have challenging answers.
God's Will in the End Time
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod does not like to inflict punishment on people, but because of sin, He is obligated to correct. But as quickly as God punishes, God restores and heals.
When the Trumpet Blows
Sermon by John O. ReidThroughout Israel's history, the trumpet blast has always meant the onset of war, death, and destruction, ushering in harsh correction for physical Israel.
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughMany professing Christians have rejected major tenets of the Bible, fashioning their own religions, giving themselves license to sin in selected areas.
Amos (Part Five)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughModern Israel cannot see the connection between its own faithlessness to the covenant and the violence of society that mirrors her spiritual condition.
What Is Repentance? (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeRepentance has fallen out of favor in mainstream Christianity, yet neither genuine baptism nor remission of sins can occur until the individual repents.
The Commandments (Part Fifteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJesus emphasized the spirit of the law, which places deterrents on the motive (anger, resentment, envy, revenge), preventing murder from ever taking place.