February 17, 2000

Dear friends:

This week I have had the privilege of listening to a fascinating audiotape by Dr. Jimmy DeYoung, sent to me by a friend. He has a most interesting view of the times we are in and of what he believes will soon happen in Israel. This needs to be heard, and the situation prayerfully watched.

I have always greatly respected DeYoung. He is an excellent Bible and prophecy scholar. He lives in Israel as a Christian journalist and has many inside government and religious contacts. For several years I have heard him give weekly updated news reports and commentary live from Israel on the Moody Radio Network, and I have seen him on the Day of Discovery television program.

On the tape DeYoung said that slain former Israeli Prime Minister Rabin came to the U.S. and in two different meetings held up a Bible and exclaimed, "This book has nothing to do with the present land of Israel." Shortly after this and upon returning to Israel, he was assassinated.

DeYoung has said on the radio that the rapture is extremely imminent, so close it could be any day or moment (this agrees with John Hagee and others). However, on this tape, an address to a limited church audience, he obviously felt the liberty to be more specific. He asserted that the Second Coming of Jesus will be in seven years from now, and for that reason the rapture is especially imminent, and also that a major event will very soon happen in Israel, as described below.

This is most unusual. He speaks of the two nations, Israel and Judah, descibed in Ezekiel 37:15-28. He gives reasons why he says all 12 tribes are actually already back in the land (or at least God-intended portions of them), but that at about the time of the rapture they will again split into two nations, Israel and Judah. The population already is severly split over policies, as we know, a prelude to a national split, he says. He says he has actually seen a Constitution for the new nation of Judah and he reportedly showed a copy to a church audience!!!

Obviously, this is really, really an unusual view. Hopefully he is correct about the rapture, and time will soon reveal God's plans for Israel.

Jimmy DeYoung's Web site is at http://www.prophecytoday.com but I do not believe you will find this there.

Jim