Understanding the Times
Amir Tsarfati, Part 3: Days of Ezekiel—Understanding the Times and Doing God’s Work
By Christmas Beeler
Photos by Josh Larson and Christian Rodriguez
Taken from Amir’s teaching on August 4, 2021 at CC Reno-Sparks, NV. Amir, an international speaker and the founder of Behold Israel ministries, often teaches on Bible prophecy.
This is a unique time in history—in His story. We are watching Bible prophecies unfold before our eyes as no other generation has seen since the time of Jesus.
I believe that we are living in the days that Ezekiel described. With everything going on today, we can easily miss out on the big picture. We must understand the times in which we live. Many Christians are anxious, unaware of what God is doing.
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Let’s look at a time in history when the believers were in confusion and did not understand what God was doing. The disciples were the closest followers of Jesus, listening to His teachings, walking with Him, leaving their families and livelihoods to follow Him. But even some of them did not understand what God was doing, what Jesus had to do to fulfill His purpose on the cross. Standing beside the cross, they truly thought they had lost Him.
Amir Tsarfati, founder of Behold Israel ministries, shares biblical prophecy and the Gospel at Calvary Chapel Reno-Sparks, NV, to over 1,000 attendees in a packed-out sanctuary.
Discouraged Disciples
Downcast and discouraged, two disciples left Jerusalem and began the seven-mile walk to Emmaus. There, they encountered Jesus, though they did not realize it was Him.
And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” (Luke 24:17) God is on the move, working today, and some of His people are sad.
Jesus asks why they are sad, and they ask Him if He doesn’t know what’s been going on? He asks them to explain, and they describe Jesus in the past tense: He “was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God … condemned to death … crucified… We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:19, 20, 21). They spoke in past tense because they had given up hope in Him.
Before speaking, Amir enjoys worshiping at the back of the church.
Although they saw the empty tomb, they did not believe He had risen. They were angry and disappointed. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus says, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:25b-27).
Why do I bring this up? You can call yourself a disciple of Christ and a Christian, but if you do not study the Scriptures and believe what they say, you will have a hard time understanding the big picture of why things are happening the way they are today.
Amir’s message, "The Days of Ezekiel," came from Ezekiel 38 and 39.
People are giving up hope, forgetting our purpose and our mission. We must preach the Gospel to this dying world. You do whatever it takes to share Jesus, because we are soon out of here. The enemy wants to sow fear, division, and animosity between us to stop us.
Our God is outside of time, and He has told us what will happen in the future. He wants us to know. He says, “I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:9b-10a).
People line up to speak with Amir and have him sign their books after his message.
Days of Ezekiel
We are living in the days of Ezekiel. Look at Israel: 100 years ago, it was a dead land. Mark Twain called it a “barren wasteland” and didn’t see a living soul there. Israel is now ranked as one of the strongest and most powerful nations. Now it’s a nation thriving with technology, a world leader in solar energy, farming and agriculture, a strong military, energy and resources. He has gathered the Jews back to Israel; even in the pandemic in 2020, more than 20,000 Jews returned. God is still bringing people there today.
We see the prophecies in Ezekiel coming to pass. The country was established by people who came from around the world, and many are holocaust survivors. Look what it has turned into. God is faithful, fulfilling the promise of Ezekiel 37 about the dry bones coming back to life.
Amir is happy to pose for a photo with each person.
Going on to Ezekiel 38 and 39, we see a new reality: a prosperous Israel (today a major superpower) will be invaded and attacked by a strong leader from the north: most likely a coalition of Russia, Iran, and Turkey, to take plunder—to steal, not destroy. Other countries are mentioned: the merchants of Tarshish may be Europe, the young lions may refer to the United States.
We have seen an interesting thing in just this past year. [In September of 2020] President Trump helped form allies between Bahrain and Israel, as Ezekiel describes with Sheba and Dedan. Now President Biden’s apathy is allowing for the hostility needed for a coming invasion (from the King of the north, spoken of in Daniel 11). So you see, it doesn’t matter who sits in the White House. God is using it. All of these things are happening for a reason.
Attendees find the time worth the wait as they enjoy a short conversation.
Isaiah 17 tells us that there will be complete destruction of Damascus, the capital of Syria. When that happens, that will bring Russia, Iran, and Turkey against us with their proxies. When and how? I don’t know.
But what I do know is that Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).
Hebrews 9:28b tells us, To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. To whom? Those who eagerly wait for Jesus, not the whole world. First, Jesus will come to rapture us, to meet us in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4). Then the world will endure the most severe seven years in the history of mankind, the Great Tribulation. After that, He will return and we will be with Him, not to save the world but to judge the world. This is the second coming.
My prayer is that you will be filled with the Spirit, understand what we are here for in this time: to make disciples, to spread the Gospel, and be His followers. That when He comes back, He will find us about His Father’s business. That the Lord would heal His church so that we can be doing His work. We know that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. We should be good Bereans: Whatever we hear, then we look to His Word and believe what He has said. Let us understand these times that we are living in.
Some attendees came from other churches or traveled a distance to hear and speak with Amir.
Amir enjoys fellowship with friends, old and new.
Over 1,000 people attended as Amir visited Calvary Chapel Reno-Sparks, NV.
All verses above are quoted from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
© 2020 Calvary Chapel Magazine. All rights reserved. Articles or photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of CCM. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.® Used by permission.