Spiritual Shift (8) Return to Empire

Alexander the Great brought Israel back into the empire.

God sent the children of Israel into exile in Babylon in fulfilment of the prophecies of Jeremiah and friends. Babylon was eventually defeated by the King of Persia, which meant that Israel was in exile in the Persian Empire, although living in the same place. When Darius became king of the Persian Empire, he returned the Jews back to their land. Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem.

A couple of hundred years later, Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire. While advancing towards Persia, he marched through Israel and made it part of his empire. When Alexander died, his empire was split between his generals. Ptolemy took control of Egypt, which included Jerusalem. When Rome took control of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires, they gained control of Jerusalem as part of the baggage. The Persians restored the Jews from exile, but Alexander the Great returned them to empire in their own land.

If "Obama is Alexander" as Robert Holmes prophesied, he will bring Israel back into the empire. Up until the first world war, it was part of the Ottoman empire. Between the wars it was controlled by the British empire. If Israel comes back under empire, it will be controlled by the American empire.

Watch for Obama establishing military bases in the Sinai desert or in the Golan, when the troops are brought out of Afghanistan. He will justify this as necessary for ensuring peace in a volatile region. However, in the future these troops could be used to bring Israel under American control.