December 1, 2011 (written March 31, 2008)
To: My Beloved Family
From: Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard Marden Pratt
Re: The Triumph of the Jews
The immediate future of the Jews includes
the destruction of all their enemies and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Keep your eyes on Jerusalem for the final scenes and the coming of the Lord
will be played out there. I will try to outline in this memo what we
can expect in the lifetime of many of you.
The most dramatic and significant
thing about events which are transpiring in the Middle East today is the fact
that they were anticipated by practically every prophet in the Old Testament.
In an age of cynicism mankind is confronted with the miracle of historical
events unfolding in an orderly pattern just exactly the way they were predicted
by inspired men of God living nearly 3,000 years ago.
However God rarely if ever reveals
dates when things will occur. His prophets are only allowed to describe the
signs of the times or the general period when they will occur. It is a
characteristic of false prophets to constantly emphasize dates. Secondly, when
prophecy is given, it may be subtle, even metaphorical, but when it comes to
pass the fulfillment is literal. The destruction of the temple was literal. The
destruction and scattering of the Jews happened as prophesied, the Six Day War
and all future efforts by the wicked is literal and will end with the tiny
nation of Jews being triumphant. As we shall see things which are happening in
the Middle East are literal. When a handful of Jews could triumph over an army
one hundred times larger than theirs who were also backed, armed, trained and
financed by one of the worlds superpowers, Russia, who can doubt what the
outcome will be in future wars as the whole world comes against the Jews to
destroy them.
Or as recorded in “Fantastic
Victory” by W. Cleon Skousen ~ page 260 ~ “On one of my visits to the Middle
East I was told that the Israelis were pushing for a permanent peace treaty and
making all kinds of overtures to the Arabs which, if they accepted, would have
frozen the existing boundaries of Israel. At the time, the Jewish leaders
simply declared that what they wanted was peace, not territory.
But whether the leaders of Israel
wanted more territory or not, the fact remained that the scripture said they
were going to get more in order to perform certain services and obligations
which are essential to the welfare of mankind. Of course it should be
appreciated that many Jews are not scriptorians. So the Jewish leaders were
offering commitments which would have made it extremely difficult for them to
do all the things the canon of scripture says they literally must do.
Nevertheless, it was amazing how it
all worked out. Instead of accepting the Jews offering of peace, Egypt provoked
a war, intimidated Jordan and Syria into joining her, and even though Israel
pleaded with Jordan and Syria to keep out of the conflict, they insisted on
coming in. As a result, Israel had to fight all three of them and ended up with
vast quantities of new territory, most of which she is now compelled to hold in
order to protect herself from similar attacks in the future. Whether Jewish
leaders wanted it or not circumstances catapulted them into territories which
they were not even seeking. And the end is not yet.
The Prophet Ezekiel described what
the boundaries of Israel ultimately must be. It includes most of Jordan and
most of Syria.
Brother Skousen finishes on a
humorous note: “Some day the Islamic people must realize that the diabolical
stratagem of the Soviet is to fight Israel down to the last Arab.”
The next thing in prophetic history
that we must look forward to is the rebuilding of the temple for the third and
last time. The first temple was built by Solomon about 1000 B.C. the second
temple was built after Solomon’s was destroyed about 587 B.C.; shortly after
Lehi was led away and his family was preserved, was built by Zerubbabel, a
descendant of King David. It was dedicated 516 B.C. and was destroyed in 70
A.D. The Jews now are planning the building of the third temple, the one Jesus
will return to.
They know exactly what the temple
will be like for the prophet Ezekial gives such an accurate account of it, its
size, number of rooms etc. that modern architects have the plans all drawn up.
They are already to build it. Just one big problem, the Holy house of the Arabs
is sitting on the exact spot where the temple is to be built. And the Jews
actually guard this Arab shrine (Dome of the Rock) for fear some fanatic would
destroy it and precipitate a holy war of destruction from the three hundred
million plus Muslims.
When the Jewish leading rabbi was
asked what they were going to do about getting rid of the Mosque, he replied,
“We’ll let God take care of that.”
So here is a direct challenge from
the Arabs in defiance of Biblical prophecy. No one has the slightest idea of
how it is going to happen but unfortunately that magnificent building must go.
And it is truly a beautiful structure, mother and I have been in it.
The fact that the whole thing looks
so utterly impossible to us now is something we should remember after it
finally comes to pass. If it follows the pattern of other prophecies it will be
worked out and in such gradual phases that its final accomplishment will seem
nothing more than a natural evolution of events. So just to dramatize the
fulfillment of this prediction when it does finally come to pass: “That as of
1967 the practical possibility of the Jews building a temple in Jerusalem
appears to be a fantastic and impossible dream. A major lesson of life, of
course, is that all things are possible with God. That’s why it should be
exciting to see just how He is going to work this one out.” Skousen page 268
All of the architectural details of
the temple are given in the last ten chapters of Ezekiel. There is no doubt but
what this generation will live to see a beautiful temple of Israel arise on the
Temple Plaza in Old Jerusalem.
Brother Skousen further records:
“as this book (Fantastic Victory) was about to go to press the following
remarkable development came to our attention. According to an article in
“The Christian and Christianity Today” (Aug. 4, 1967) “five
hundred railcar loads of stone from Bedfor, Indiana, considered to be among the
finest building stone in the world, is being freighted pre-cut to exact
specifications, and one consignment has already been dispatched to Israel.
This report, received from
authoritative sources in Sellsburg, Indiana, said cornerstones for the third
Jewish Temple are already in Israel. Materials for this Temple have been
secretly in preparation for several years, and it is believed American Jews are
mainly responsible for financially undergirding the whole project.” Skouson
page 282)
I might add that other reliable
sources for the past several years report that the Jews, have all the materials
arranged for and the money to pay for them including even the golden dishes and
the priestly apparel. I find it extremely exciting (maybe I’m part Jew ~ but
no, I’m just a member of Israel and as a fellow Israeli am cheering them on and
know it will happen as prophesied and soon.)
Some time soon we shall see and
hear of the battle of Armageddon in which all the nations of the world are
going to join the Arabs in an effort to finally, once and for all, destroy
every Jew from off the face of the earth. Too bad they are not reading
their Bible. Surely would save them a lot of suffering. Many of the prophets
saw it in vision and left some extremely interesting and remarkable details
concerning that tragic, soon coming event.
John in Revelations says that there
will be two mighty prophets raised up by the Lord who thru a series of mighty
miracles will forestall the combined armed forces of all the world from
destroying the Lord’s people. John even gives the size of all the combined
military sources of the world saying that it will be two hundred million
strong. (And that is the current size of the worlds military might.)
Thru mighty miracles this immense
military power will be withheld from totally destroying the Jews by these two
prophets, who incidently will come from the church for where else will they
receive the Priesthood to perform these miracles.
John even gives an account of some
of the miracles performed: “and if any man will hurt them fire will proceed out
of their mouths (be able to call down fire from heaven) devouring their
enemies, and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
These have power to shut heaven,
that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and have power over the waters
to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with plagues, as often as they
will.” Revelations 11:5-6
and the prophet Zechariah 500 years
earlier says: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I (the Lord) will
seek to destroy ALL the nations that come against Jerusalem.” 12:9
“For I will gather all nations
against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled
and the women ravished. And half the city shall go forth into captivity.”
Zechariah 14:2
The Lord will allow the two
prophets to be killed and the triumphant wicked hosts will rejoice and refuse
to allow the bodies to be buried and they will have three and a half days to
celebrate. The two prophets will then suddenly be resurrected!
“And this shall be the plague
wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against
Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume off their bones while they stand upon
their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue
shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that
a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold
everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall raise up against the
hand of his neighbor.” (the wicked will destroy each other)
Zechariah 14:12-13
To add to the tumult, the same
terrible earthquake which split the Mount of Olives in two will have rocked and
cracked the crust of the earth across whole continents. The great cities of the
earth will crumble into rubble and mens hearts will fail them for fear, only
one sixth of the great army of evil will survive.
Zechariah sums it up in this manner
~ after Jesus has descended, met the surviving Jews in the Valley created by
the splitting of the Mount of Olives, the Jews fall at His feet and finally
accept him as their Savior. And they (the Jews) shall look upon me whom they
have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him and finally accept him as their
Lord, King and Savior and when they have purged themselves of their sorrow they
will rise up to perform the great work that God has in store for them.
Yea, the dead in Christ shall be resurrected and we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet him and thus shall we
ever be with the Lord.
Hooray! These are exciting times to live in! The Savior will
come and the things that have been foretold will come to pass.
My love always,
Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard Marden
Pratt
Steamed pudding (Grandma Adaline Pratt’s recipe)
(this is 2/3 the original ingredients but makes a large
pudding!)
2 cups carrots grated
2 cups spuds grated
2 cups sugar
2 cups raisins
1 1/3 cups shortening
melted
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 tsp soda
1 scant tsp salt
2 tsp each: nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
stir all together. Pour in well greased pyrex or double
boiler with a lid on. Steam for 1 hour. Will test done like a cake.
Use lemon sauce or caramel sauce as a topping.
Mother always had pretty cut glass dishes to serve this in!
What a treat at Christmas time!
You can do this ahead in quart jars and fill wide mouth jars
half full follow your pressure canner for potatoes and it saves well.
Christmas thoughts:
“The highest of all ideals are the
teachings and particularly the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and that man is most
truly great who is most Christlike.” David O McKay
“Here is something more than a
babe in a manger; here is the creator of all that is good and beautiful. I have
looked at majestic mountains rising high against the blue sky and thought of
Jesus, the creator of heaven and earth. I have stood on the sand of an island
in the Pacific and watched the dawn rise like thunder-- a ball of gold
surrounded by clouds of pink and white and purple and thought of Jesus, the
word by whom all things were made and without whom was not anything made that
was made. I have seen a beautiful child, bright-eyed, innocent, and loving and
trusting! And marveled at the majesty and miracle of creation. What then shall
we do with Jesus who is called Christ?” President Gordon B Hinckley
“ Just as a light set upon a hill
serves as a beacon to weary travelers, so Jesus Christ stands as a
shining example to all the world, showing us a better way to peace and
happiness. His light illuminates the path of life, leading us along the
straight and narrow way. Those who press on, with their gaze fixed upon
the light of Christ, have their own lights kindled within. He is real, and ye,
HE LIVES!” Greg Olsen
“Each of us is an Inn Keeper
who decides if there is room for Jesus!” Neal A Maxwell”
