What Is Next For 2017?

People love to make predictions. 2017 is coming tomorrow and there are lots of articles on what is next. I really do not know what is next, but the Bible says we are nearer and nearer to the second coming of the Messiah (Revelation 19:1-21, Matthew 24:4-51, Luke 21:7-36, Zechariah 14:4, Acts 1:11) and His rule in the Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6). So what can we expect on the way there?

Israel
Besides Jesus the Messiah, the other focus for Biblical prophecy is Israel (Deuteronomy 30:1-10, Isaiah 60:9, Jeremiah 16:14-15, Ezekiel 36:24, Zechariah 10:8-10). The world witnessed the partial fulfilment of a Biblical prophecy (Isaiah 11:11-12) for the first time in almost 2000 years when Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948. This is actually a very significant date. It meant that all the rest of the Bible prophecies concerning Israel and its surrounding nations can be kicked into action.

Ephraim
Now that the tribe of Judah is in, we now expect the northern kingdom of Ephraim to be restored (Hosea 2:19-23) so that all the twelve tribes will be united as one country (Isaiah 11:13, Jeremiah 3:18,  Ezekiel 37:15-28, Hosea 1:11). Ephraim will become a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:4, Genesis 48:19) or fullness of gentiles (Romans 11:25-28), but at this moment, Israel thought that Joseph was dead (Genesis 45:26-28).

Jerusalem
Problem with the status of Jerusalem will continue (Zechariah 12:2-3, Luke 21:24), but the third temple will be built because the Anti-Christ (Revelation 13:1-4) need to perform the abomination of desolation in the Temple (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15-16, Mark 13:14, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Israel's inner circle of neighbors
The immediate neighbors of Israel will wage war against Israel and will be defeated (Psalm 83:4-8, Isaiah 11:14-15). I noticed the absence of Egypt in this conflict.

Israel's outer circle of neighbors
Gog and Magog will invade Israel with Iran, Sudan and Libya (Ezekiel 38:1-6). Again I noticed the absence of Egypt. Also absent are the immediate neighbors of Israel. This could be a hint of the chronology of events.

Kings of the north and kings of the south
We also have the unfinished saga of the kings of the north and the south (Daniel 11:36-45). Who is the wilful king? Is he one of the kings of the north and the south, or is he another king? Is he a local middle east tyrant, like Antiochus IV Epiphanes, or is he the Anti-Christ, leader of a world power? He will honor a god of fortresses, a god unknown to his ancestors (Daniel 11:38). Who is his ancestors and who is their god? Egypt is mentioned in Daniel 11:42.

Egypt

I think Isaiah 19:16-22 contains some unfulfilled prophecies about Egypt. Judah will become a terror to Egypt and five cities in Egypt will speak Hebrew.

The World Powers
The current top world power is America. We also have Europe, Russia and China. But there is a coming world power made up of ten kings or nations (Daniel 2:42-43, Daniel 7:7-8). The purpose of the ten kings is to give their power and authority to Anti-Christ (Revelation 17:12-13). Currently this ten-nation power and the kings have yet to be identified. There was a time EU was thought to be the ten-nation power, but then it expanded to include so many countries. This ten-nation power will be Roman in spirit, since it came from the fourth beast. Thanks to the Islamist, we see many European countries now stressing on their Judeo-Christian-Roman-Greek roots. Let us watch out for some ten-nation coalition in the coming years.

I am not saying that all these will happen in 2017, but it will happen eventually. Don't miss the fun and be on the right side.

Is Ephraim Fullness of the Gentiles

I have heard Ephraim grieving, 'You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the Lord my God. For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.' Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:18-20 ESV)

But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations. (Genesis 48:19 ESV)

Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which delay not for a man nor wait for the children of man. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver. (Micah 5:7-8 ESV)

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25 ESV)

Can multitude of nations be translated as fullness of the Gentiles? In this article "The Two Houses Of Israel - Here a little, there a little - Prophecy" is an interesting discussion on the northern kingdom which I quote with changes to Bible version below:

QUOTE
When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord." So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

And the Lord said to him, "Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel."

She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, "Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen."

When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said, "Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God." (Hosea 1:2-9 ESV)

Earlier, we read in the Tanakh from the prophetic book of Hosea about how God would punish the House of Israel (Samaria) for their sins.  We saw that Hosea's three children born to him by Gomer were symbolically named to describe the fate of Ephraim:  Jezreel ("God sows") described God's future sowing of the House of Israel throughout all the nations; Lo-Ruhamah ("no mercy") showed that God was not going to have mercy on Israel for a period of time; and Lo-Ammi ("not my people") revealed that those from the House of Israel would not be known as God's people for a time.

But the prophecies from Hosea also show that a time would come when God would regather His children and have mercy on them once again.  Just to set the stage, let's recap a few of the pertinent passages from Hosea that speak of this time of forgiveness:

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," it shall be said to them, "Children of the living God." (Hosea 1:10 ESV)

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. "And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people'; and he shall say, 'You are my God.'" (Hosea 2:19-23 ESV)
UNQUOTE

Two Things

Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. (Proverbs 30:7-9 KJV)

Two things:
First, preserve me from falsehood and lies (1 John 2:16);
Second, give me just enough to satisfy my needs (1 Timothy 6:8).

Ravi Zacharias On Christianity As The True Worldview

In the YouTube video "How do you know that Christianity is the one true worldview?", Ravi Zacharias made the following comments:

4 questions about world views to be answered:
Origin
Meaning
Morality
Destiny

Answer must meet two criteria: Correspondence and coherence
Correspond to Truth - empirical or logical
When put together, the answers must be coherent.

Only the Christian worldview can answer the four questions coherently and corresponding to reality.

Stewardship of the Gospel

Scope and Responsibility
For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. (1 Corinthians 9:16-17 ESV)
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. (1 Corinthians 4:1 ESV)

Motivation
And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:21 KJV)
As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. (Ecclesiastes 5:15 ESV)
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. (1 Timothy 6:7 KJV)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV)

Requirement
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:2 ESV)
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? (Luke 16:10-11 ESV)
For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. (Titus 1:7-8 ESV)