Copyright @ 1992

Reverend John Booko

No part of this book may be reproduced in

any form, by mimeograph or any other means,

without permission, in writing, from the

publisher.

Published by

John Booko Ministries

200 S. Hooker Avenue

Three Rivers, Michigan 49093

(616) 279-2672

Printed in the United States of America.

ATTENTION

Bible Group Leaders,

Bible Col eges,

and

Churches

It is our belief that this book contains such

powerful prophetic, revelation truths that it should be

in the hands of as many as possible.

Your local church, Bible col ege, etc., can order

this book in quantity, and receive special volume

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DEDICATION

To my Assyrian mother, Phoebe,

who dedicated me, her first born, to

God, from whom I learned the Assyrian

language and from whose lap I learned

of the God of my fathers.

By her intercessory prayers, I was led

to receive Jesus Christ as my Savior and

Lord in the United States Navy.

I dedicate this book to her, and for

the glory of God.

ASSYRIA -

THE FORGOTTEN NATION

IN PROPHECY!

by

JOHN BOOKO

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION... 11

CHAPTER ONE

The Assyria/Israel Connection... 25

CHAPTER TWO

The Inventive Imaginations Of

The Early Assyrians!... 35

CHAPTER THREE

The Biblical Background Of

The Assyrians... 45

CHAPTER FOUR

The Decline Of Assyrian Power... 55

CHAPTER FIVE

God’s Other "Favored-Nation" -

The Assyrians!... 73

CHAPTER SIX

A Small Sign Of The Prophecy

Comes To Pass... 83

CHAPTER SEVEN

Will Russia Invade Israel?... 89

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Wandering Assyrians... 95

CHAPTER NINE

The Antichrist Appears - Signing

a Seven-Year Covenant With Israel...99

9

CHAPTER TEN

Rebuilding The Temple...103

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Israel Hosts The Battle

Of Armageddon...107

APPENDIX...117

The Lord’s Prayer

Map of Northern and Southern Kingdoms

Assyrian Words In Bible

Assyrian World Population

Assyrians In United States

Map of Assyrian Empire

Assyrian Alphabet

Prophets

Syriac Vocabulary

BIBLIOGRAPHY...131

10

INTRODUCTION

THE MIGRATION OF ASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS

There is a HIDDEN SCRIPTURE which seems to

have been forgotten by most biblical scholars, yet its

meaning and content are not forgotten by God.

Of course, it is not real y hidden in the Bible - it is

more precisely a FORGOTTEN scripture - a

scripture that is like the missing piece of the gigantic

puzzle we call "the endtime hour of spiritual history."

Most Christians have a fairly good understanding

about the God-given role of Israel and the Arabs in

prophecy, but when they first hear that God has a

special place in His heart for Assyria, they are

astounded!

“Assyria? How can that be?"

Then, when I explain how the Assyrian nation fits

into the endtime puzzle, they rejoice to know that

Assyria’s role in endtime events truly is the missing

piece of the Middle East puzzle that no one seemed

to be able to complete.

Assyria fulfills God’s prophetic plan, and

completes a full, prophetic picture about the Middle

East.

But before I discuss this HIDDEN SCRIPTURE

with you in this book, and before I share its

significant prophetic implications, let me provide

you with some background information about my

nationality, and a little about my own, personal

testimony.

11

Like so many others born into other nationalities,

I have nothing to brag about; after all, I had nothing

to do with my being an Assyrian.

It just happened.

I was born that way.

So, if I sound in any way like I am boasting about

my heritage, I assure you that I am not, because the

Word tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:7:

"For who maketh thee to differ from

another? and what hast thou that thou

didst not receive? now if thou didst

receive it, why doest thou glory, as if

thou hadst not received it?"

So, I am not boasting about anything except in

God.

Having stated that I am an Assyrian, you should

know that I am an Assyrian born in the right place. I

must admit that sometimes I pray and ask God,

"Lord, how come I was so blessed to be born in

Chicago, Illinois, in 1922, when I could have been

born in the mountains of Northern Iraq where my

father was a shepherd?"

As you can imagine, life in Iraq as a shepherd

was extremely difficult for my father, Avrahim

(Abraham).

My dad left his hometown of Asheta about 1910,

before World War I, and travel ed through Persia,

Russia (now cal ed

the Commonwealth

of

Independent States), Germany and Poland, arriving

in the United States about 1912. His father was a

priest in the Nestorian Church. His family is known

as the family of priests. It looks like the sons are

maintaining that tradition through the sovereignty of

12

God.

He settled in Chicago, where he soon

discovered there was not much of a job opportunity

for shepherds (but, praise God, thanks to His

heavenly hand, today, I am a shepherd of a spiritual

flock)!

My mother (her father was a deacon in the

Nestorian Church) journeyed to America because of

a persecution that broke out. Her village was Zarni

which was north of the former capital of Assyria,

Nineveh, which is presently named "Mosul" in Iraq.

Let me share with you a bit of that history.

When Assyria lost its land, the Assyrians settled

mostly in what is now known as Northern Iraq.

During World War I, the nations which were

united against Germany and Turkey were the United

States, Great Britain, and others. Here are some

verses from one of their war songs at that time by

Shamasha Ephraim of Van.

Forth we go to battle, ranging o’er the

mountains;

Hearts all yearning forward to

Mosul’s fertile plans.

Nineveh’s fair city summons back her

children.

Forth we go to battle in thy name, O

Mar Shimun (their spiritual leader).

On the Tigris’ banks lies Nineveh the

holy;

Her old walls shall be to us a diadem

and crown.

There alone, Assyrians, can our race

be established.

Forth we go to battle in thy name, O

Mar Shimun.

13

Hark, our Nation calls - our great

Assyrian Mother;

Hark, young men, she calls you -

calls each one of you by name.

Blest that youth for ever who will hear

her calling.

Forth we go to battle in thy name, O

Mar Shimun.

Now, the Assyrians were right up there in that

northeastern corner of Iraq; there were even some of

them inside the Turkish border. The British asked

the Assyrians if they would not consider holding that

region for the Al ies.

The Assyrians agreed.

The British armed them, and the Assyrians

fought and held the Middle East for the Al ies; they

were promised by the British Government that they

would have their own land after the fighting was over

(of course, that is what the Assyrians had been

desiring).

When the war ended, instead of the British

keeping their promise, they gave the land promised

to the Assyrians to the Moslem Arabs!

Turkey, when attacked by the Christian states of

Europe, took the war to be a kind of "jihad" (holy

war) against the Christian "infidels."

Soon, friction erupted between the Turkish

authorities and their Assyrian subjects, to the point

of an Assyrian uprising. A number of scholars hold

that the Russians (and probably the British, as wel ),

encouraged this revolt by promising the Assyrians

autonomy or full independence after the defeat of

the Turks.

14

It is beyond question, however, that the

insurrection cost the Assyrians dearly.

Initial y, they succeeded in repulsing a number of

attacks by government forces assisted by units of

Kurds (who had been the Assyrians’ sworn enemies

since time immemorial).

But soon afterward, they found themselves under

siege and had to fight their way out to move their

entire community - from infants to the elderly, a total

of some seventy-thousand souls - through sub-zero

weather over snow-covered mountains to Iran.

For a while thereafter, they enjoyed the

patronage of the Russians, who provided them with

weapons for self-defense.

With Russia’s withdrawal from the war (following

the Bolshevik Revolution) and the subsequent

stabilization of British rule in Iraq, His Majesty’s

Government extended its protection to the Assyrians

and brought to Iraq those who had survived the

sword, disease, the hardships of exile, and their

journey - altogether their numbers were reduced to

some thirty-five to forty thousand people.

Then, the British recruited fighting units among

the Assyrians, using them to squash sporadic

rebellions within the country and in border clashes

with the Turks.

Taking full advantage of the

Assyrians’ loyalty and eagerness to please, they also

cultivated the il usion of a "common fate," and went

so far as to dub the Assyrians "our smallest al y" - an

expression that bespoke both affection and

contempt.

Further, the British continually nurtured their

al y’s hopes of settling in the mountainous region of

northern Iraq, where they felt at home.

15

Such illusions were shattered one after another

as the British mandate drew to a close.

For although the Anglo-lraqi Pact of 1930

referred to the status of the various minorities in Iraq,

including the Assyrians, when the mandate came to

an end, the Assyrians found that all they had to

show for their loyalty were vague and empty

promises - and no tangible territory.

Worse yet, when they realized they were

unwelcome in independent Iraq, some tried to return

to Turkey; the Turks greeted them with machine-gun

fire.

When they tried to enter Syria - in the hope that

the French mandatory authorities would allow them

to settle in the country’s broad plain in the north -

they were turned back at the border.

That is why a wave of Assyrians came to

America after World War I, most making it to

Chicago, where the nation’s largest Assyrian

population now thrives.

The Assyrians, it should be noted, are all

professing Christians.

There is not a Moslem among them!

You could put a gun to an Assyrian’s head and

say, "Now, you must change from Christianity to the

Moslem faith, or we will kil you," and each Assyrian

would answer, "Kil me, I’l never do it."

That is how strong the Assyrians are for

Christianity.

Today, there are about 3,000,000 Christian

Assyrians living in the Middle East!

Most of the Assyrians were left in Northern Iraq,

exposed to the wrath of the Turks under whom they

were ruled.

For over four-hundred years, in the

16

Ottoman Empire, all that region was under the

Turks, including the Assyrians.

Can you imagine how the Turks felt since they

are Moslems and the Assyrians are Christians?

The Assyrians had fought on the side of the

Allies, and now, here are the Assyrians left holding

an empty bag of false promises, and the Turks and

the Kurds, who are also Moslem, turned on the

Assyrians and massacred thousands of them.

The Assyrians had to flee.

My mother was one of those who had to flee into

Iran (known as Persia in those days).

My mother fled to Persia, and while there she

went to a Presbyterian school for girls, where she

became a teacher and became "born again."

Then, in 1920, she came over to the United

States, and that is where she met my father.

They were married in Chicago in 1921, where I

was born in 1922, and raised with my family,

ultimately consisting of my brothers, Benjamin,

George and Joseph, and my sister, Bertha.

The first language I spoke as a child was

Assyrian, since my father could not speak English.

My mother taught me English to prepare me for

kindergarten.

I remember how Assyrians living in the near

north side of Chicago would gather together in

Lincoln Park on Sundays after church to share their

stories, tea and Khada (a flat bread with butter and

flour filling) and the delicious Dolma (grape leaves

stuffed with rice, lamb and spices).

They all spoke in Assyrian, but we children stuck

with English because we did not want to seem like

foreigners.

17

Right now, there are about 70,000 Assyrians in !

Chicago, but many of them have been going to j

California, and one of the largest Assyrian j

populations in the United States is in Los Angeles, j

California. Assyrians like California because the 1

temperature and weather are similar to that in Iraq.

I

My mother was a godly woman.

j

My father was not too close to the Lord at first. '

He prided himself in the fact that his background

was the Ancient Apostolic Church of the East, and

my mother went to an Assyrian Presbyterian Church

in Chicago.

There are now about ten Assyrian churches in

Chicago, including an Assyrian Pentecostal church.

Later on, my father started attending the Assyrian

Pentecostal Church where he became born-again.

My mother was a prayer warrior.

Oh, could she pray!

I was the oldest of the five children. I went to

Sunday School at the Presbyterian church until I

was about twelve; after twelve, I quit going to ,

church.

My father could not get a job in Chicago as a

shepherd, so he worked in one of the downtown

hotels as a cook.

And then the Depression hit!

Like so many others, we were poor, and I quit

going to Sunday school and started sel ing

newspapers on Sunday. I would get an armful of

papers in a little wagon, then go through the streets

shouting, "Get your morning newspaper here."

I guess I was getting trained for preaching later

on, because I would shout, "Get your morning

newspaper!" very early and very loud each morning.

18

Some would purchase a paper; some would tell

me to shut up.

Then, with the little money I had as a youngster, I

would gamble; I hate to admit it, but I just fell into the

ways of the world (not being saved at the time).

I quit going to Sunday school, and did not step

inside of a church again from the time I was twelve

until I personal y received the Lord while serving in

the Navy when I was twenty.

During that time, my mother was heart-broken to

see her son floundering in the ways of the world;

after all, she had dedicated her first-born son to

God! I was dedicated to God, but here I was going

the way of the world. All of my other brothers and

sister were saved, so I was like the spiritually

stubborn black sheep of the family.

I secured a job working for a dentist when I was

about fourteen. My biggest responsibility was going

to a "bookie joint" to place bets for this dentist, then

wait there until I found out if the horse won or not,

then come back with the money, or tell him the

horse lost.

That is the kind of environment I lived in.

My mother tried to talk to me about the Lord, and

those conversations deteriorated to the point where I

final y said, "I do not want to hear anything anymore

about religion and God."

Truthful y, I was so convicted about being saved

when she talked about God that I felt uncomfortable

and wanted her to stop. She had taught me when I

was a little fel ow about the Lord, but now that I w$s

"older," I wanted no part of God.

When I was younger, she would often sink to her

knees, look me in the eyes, and teach me about

Jesus. Then, she would question me to see how

19

much I absorbed from her teaching and from the

Word of God.

But as I grew older, I drifted away from religion,

saying, "I do not want to hear about it."

Mother respected my wishes and stopped

sharing about God; she knew I would become upset

and run out of the house if she started sharing

scripture with me.

So, she prayed.

She would go into her prayer closet and

sometimes I would even hear her praying.

As a teenager, when I came home late at night

after living a rowdy life, I would go to bed only to be

awakened in the middle of the night.

There would be my mother at my bedside,

praying.

She would just slip in and pray over me.

Mothers, be faithful in your prayers!

Your child can never get away from those

prayers.

As you persist, God wil honor your heart and

your children will come to the Lord.

They wil

eventually be won into the Kingdom of God.

In truth, I was the most unlikely one to be saved.

But when I was in the Navy during World War II, I

started to think, "What if I died, what is going to

happen to me?"

I knew from my mother’s teaching that I would

go to hel if I died, so I reasoned, "Now, is it worth it

to live my life the way I am living it and die and go to

hel for all eternity?"

Fortunately, I said "No."

I loved to gamble, and God used that gambling

instinct in me to bring me to my conversion. No one

talked to me specifically about the Lord; it was just

20

through my mother’s teachings and prayers that I

came to the Lord.

When I went into the war, I was not thinking at

the time that there was a heaven or a hel . Instead, I

was trying to believe that "There is no God" so I

would not be convicted.

But in the face of war, my thoughts went another

direction.

I reasoned, “If I live to be seventy, and suppose

there is a heaven and hell, if I keep living the way I

am living now, I wil be in hel forever.

"But, if I accept the Lord and live a good life, and

if there is no heaven or hell, I have not lost anything;

I have just lived a good life."

So, I concluded, “What is keeping me from

accepting the Lord?"

I thought deeply about the junk I was doing, and

I said to myself, "I am throwing away eternity for this

junk? No, I do not want to die and go to hell."

As a gambler, I did not like the odds: Seventy

years of dubious fun verses eternity.

I remembered my mom teaching about

accepting Christ, so I prayed, "Lord, I want to accept

You as my personal savior, I want to be saved.

Please enter into my heart today.

I ask Your

forgiveness for my sins, and ask You to accept me

into Your spiritual family, and change my life.

Amen."

When I said that simple prayer, a huge, invisible

weight seemed to be removed from my heart!

Immediately I shouted, "Praise God, this is just the

peaceful feeling I have been looking for in the

world."

An unexplainable joy came to me.

21

I started reading the New Testament (the Gideon

organization had given each of us servicemen a

New Testament). I started reading about how Jesus

died for my sins, and my heart was broken.

"For God so loved the world, that he

gave his only begotten Son, that

whosoever believeth in him should not

perish, but have everlasting life" (John

3:16).

I had originally accepted Jesus Christ because I

was afraid of hell.

But now, as I read about Jesus dying for me, I

fell in love with Him, and my heart just broke. I wept,

"O Jesus, You did all of this for me? You gave up

Your life so that I might spend eternity with You in

heaven? Thank You, Lord Jesus. Now, I am going

to live the rest of my life for You."

Then, I started witnessing to my Navy buddies.

I would say, "Hey, you know this being a

Christian is great! I used to think if you became a

Christian, you would not have any fun; I was al

prepared when I accepted Christ not to have any

fun.

I was among some people who said ‘You

cannot do this, you cannot do that,’ and I thought

‘Man, it is no fun being a Christian’."

But I was wrong.

"Hey, this is the greatest joy; there is nothing in

the world so empty as when I go to the taverns,

laugh with the boys, and then go home and feel so

lonesome, so empty."

It seemed as though my worldly life in the Navy

had given me nothing.

22

I was so excited about the changes God was

doing in my life that I cal ed up mother and told her,

"I just accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and

Savior."

You can well imagine how my mother rejoiced

when she heard the news!

Her consistent and persistent prayers had

been answered!

“The effectual fervent prayer of a

righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).

My mother already knew in her spirit that I was

going to be in the ministry (that is a story for my next

book). God led me through the Navy, Navigators,

memorizing the Word, etc., and then ultimately, He

called me into the ministry, where my mother lived

to see me ordained.

Eventually, I studied at the Moody Bible Institute

Night School, then enrol ed in Northern Baptist

Theological Seminary in

Chicago

in

1946,

graduating in 1950 with a Bachelor of Theology

degree.

During this time, while attending and serving in

my home church, Moody Memorial in Chicago, I

met my lovely wife, Burnell Hanson who had also

begun attending the church. She had come from

Wakerfield, Michigan, to train at the Augustana

Hospital School of Nursing. After graduating as a

Registered Nurse, she was employed as a floor

supervisor in the hospital. We were engaged in

March, 1947, and were married in her home town in

June, 1948.

23

Next, I went to Northwestern University Graduate

School in Evanston, Il inois, where I received a

Master of Arts degree in the School of Speech.

Here is an interesting point.

My mother was the first intercessor I ever knew.

Today, I am exceedingly blessed to be able to

represent Intercessors for America - a national

organization that recognizes the power of prayer,

and petitions its members each month to pray and

fast for various pressing needs in our nation.

How mother must be rejoicing and praising God

in heaven today for the power of prayer that

changed her son’s life, and for the power of prayer

her son is now using to transform individual lives,

and to change the course of nations (later I will

share my exciting meetings with the Prime Minister

of Israel, Menachem Begin, and at a separate time,

with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak)!

24

CHAPTER ONE

THE ASSYRIA/ISRAEL CONNECTION

This book is going to take you on an adventure

into biblical prophecy - where you will discover

exciting endtime events concerning the forgotten

nation in prophecy - Assyria.

Some Christians confuse Assyria with "Syria;"

they are not the same. Put an "As" in front of "Syria"

and you have "Assyria." Syria is a country that exists

today, but there is no country today currently called

"Assyria."

That nation - not the people - has vanished from

current maps on geography.

Yet today, there are almost four million

Assyrians living all across our globe!

Assyria was a once-powerful nation mentioned

over 150 times in the Bible, yet today, when so

much is being written about endtime Israel and the

role of the Jew, Assyria has become the forgotten

nation in prophecy.

It may seem strange to you to be reading a book

about a nation that does not currently have a

homeland.

Assyrians are living all around the globe, but like

the Jews in the early 1940’s, they do not YET have a

new homeland to cal their own.

Currently, they reside mainly in Iraq, Syria, and

the United States (see appendix in the back of this

book for a fairly complete breakdown of the Assyrian

25

population around the globe and in the United

States).

You may wonder... "If Assyrians are scattered

around the world, and if there is no longer a nation

cal ed ‘Assyria’, then why write a book about

Assyria?"

Because, in this endtime hour, I believe the Bible

clearly declares through prophecy that...

THE ASSYRIANS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE

GIVEN THEIR OWN HOMELAND BY GOD!

That action is not unprecedented.

The Jews wandered the earth without a

homeland until Israel was miraculously born again

on May 14, 1948, when a Jew named David Ben-

Gurion declared:

"By virtue of the natural and historical

right of the Jewish people and the

Resolution of the General Assembly of

the United Nations, we hereby proclaim

the establishment of the Jewish state in

Palestine to be called ISRAEL..."

After that declaration, two mil ion Jews from all

over the world started returning to the Holy Land.

The event marked one of the greatest miracles in

history, and also was the fulfillment of an endtime

prophecy:

"For I will take you from among the

heathen, and gather you out of all

countries, and will bring you into your

own land" (Ezekiel 36:24).

26

The re-establishment of Israel also fulfilled

another prophecy:

'Who hath heard such a thing? Who

hath seen such things? Shall the earth

be made to bring forth in one day? or

shall a nation be born at once? for as

soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth

her children" (Isaiah 66:8).

I believe a similar miraculous fate awaits the

Assyrian people.

In this book, I will show that one of the

endtime signs Christians should be watching for

is the re-establishment of Assyria as a nation!

The area once cal ed Assyria and, I believe, soon

to be called Assyria again, is roughly the geography

now called Iran and Iraq, with most of it occupying

Iraq, the home of the infamous Saddam Hussein.

But today, as you hold this book in your hands,

Assyria is an invisible country.

It does not exist.

This fact has deep emotional concerns for me

because I am an Assyrian American. My ancestors

were from the rich and powerful land of

Mesopotamia (Assyria) which lies between the Tigris

and the Euphrates Rivers, just north of the Garden of

Eden.

Today, this entire area, once called "The

Crescent of Civilization," is now Iran and Iraq (see

appendix for a map of ancient Assyria).

As you read this book, you wil discover many

biblical and historical surprises about Assyria.

One fact that often shocks Christians the most is

this - Assyrians living throughout the world are

27

not Arabs or Moslems by religion - we are

Christians!

* Jesus grew up with Assyrians:

As the Old Testament is the heritage of the

Jewish people, the New Testament is the heritage of

the Assyrians! Their Gospel text dates from the

second century, nearly two hundred years closer to

Christ than the Greek manuscript. Jesus Christ was

reared in Nazareth of Galilee; Galilee was mostly of

Assyrian lineage.

Jesus was reared amongst

Assyrians and spoke Assyrian (Aramaic).

* Jesus preached in Assyrian:

That was the language of the people where He

lived.

King Abgar, the Assyrian king, was the first king

who appreciated and understood Christ (according

to Assyrian Church history). He invited Christ to his

kingdom saying, "My kingdom is enough for you

and me." Jesus ordered one of his disciples to go to

the King (said to be Thomas) and cure him of his

disease and preach to his people the message of

Christianity.

* The Assyrians were the first to accept

Christianity.

It was in the second year after the Ascension of

Christ that Christianity showed its first signs in

Mesopotamia. About this time, Thomas was one of

the twelve who had begun the preaching and

teaching of the Gospel and the new religion, which

was prophetically destined to embrace all of Beth-

Nahreen (later modern Iraq).

Mar Toma, as Thomas was cal ed, was the first

Assyrian who followed Christ. He continued with his

apostolic mission until 45 A.D., twelve years after the

Ascension, and he proceeded to India to begin his

28

pioneering activities in Christian teaching there. The

results of his work still exists in Malabar, India, under

the present Patriarch MarTemateuss (Assyrian).

In the meantime, Mar Shimon Patros (Simon

cal ed Peter) had succeeded Thomas as the apostle

to Mesopotamia.

It was during this tenure of

apostolic mission that the first Christian church was

founded in Babylon, thus' establishing the Eastern

church.

"The church that is at Babylon, elected

together with you, saluteth you; and so

doth Marcos my son" (I Peter 5:13).

* The New Testament was first written in

Assyrian (Aramaic) as Christ spoke it.

Nearly all Biblical names derive their meanings

from Aramaic.

Assyrian continued to be the

colloquial and literary language of the Jews until the

ninth century, when it was displaced by Arabic

owing to the Muhammadan conquest.

* Assyrians carried the message of Christ into

the remote corners of the World such as Tibet,

Mongolia, China, Japan, Indonesia and Ethiopia.

The Assyrian Church, or as it is now known, the

Ancient Apostolic Church of the East, was one of the

strongest Christian Churches in the world, and was

noted for its missions in the Middle East, India,

China, Mongolia, Indonesia, Japan and other parts

of the world.

* The oldest Christian Church in the World is

the Assyrian Church of Mart Mariam of Urumia in

Northwest Iran.

Reportedly, the Church of Mart Mariam was

established by the three wise Kings of the East who

29

followed the bright star in the East to the place of

Jesus’ birth - where they worshipped Him.

*

An Assyrian (Aramaic) New Testament,

written by hand on vellum, was perhaps the

oldest New Testament in the world.

Assyrians were and are staunch Christians.

Even while fighting as soldiers, they used to fast for

the Lenten season and abide by other church

holidays. During this fast, they would abstain not

only from meat, but from everything that was animal,

including milk, fish, butter and eggs.

Today, Assyrians still speak our ancient mother

tongue, Aramaic, the language of Christ! (Today in

our homes we speak modern Aramaic which is

called "Syriac".)

The Assyrians have a long and proud heritage of

contributions that they have given to Western

civilization (more about this later in the book) - FAR

MORE than most people can ever begin to realize.

Assyrians played an important part in the history

of the Near East, of the Bible, and of world religion in

general.

The ancient city of Nineveh was converted to the

Lord by Jonah. The destruction of Nineveh in 612

B.C. scattered the Assyrians all over the world, but

most Assyrians still live in the Middle Eastern

countries.

Presently, there are about 70,000 Assyrians

living in Chicago, and over one and one-half million

in Iraq.

We have upheld all of our traditions and

customs, and still speak our ancient mother tongue.

Even though we do not have a country anymore, we

have survived steadfastly through the centuries.

30

In this book, I will share with you some of the rich

history of the Assyrians, which can be found

throughout the Old Testament of the Bible, and also

reveal to you

some

SHOCKING

TRUTHS

concerning endtime biblical prophecy and the

nation of Assyria!

People think we do not exist anymore because

we do not have a country.

This book wil show you conclusively that we are

alive, wel , united and anxious to see what God is

going to do in this endtime hour to restore our

nation!

We are looking forward to once again having our

own country!

The Jews received their newly formed nation of

Israel on May 14,1948.

And God’s Word guarantees that BEFORE the

endtime hour of spiritual history comes to pass,

Assyria will once again have their own country!

As you shal see later in this book, that statement

is not based upon the fond hopes of one Assyrian,

but upon a clear, firm biblical promise!

Throughout the ages, God has used Assyria.

In this endtime hour, we have HIS Word that He

wil once again use Assyria for His glory!

Look at Isaiah 10:5:

"O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger,

and the staff in their hand is mine

indignation."

"Woe to the Assyrians," God said, "the rod of my

anger in whose hand is the club of my wrath." God

used Assyria as His club of wrath and judgement

upon His people, Israel, who had backslidden and

31

forsaken Him.

Assyria was the second world

kingdom to oppress Israel - the first was Egypt.

The fact that God has used both Assyria and

Egypt to chastise Israel will become an extremely

important point as this book develops!

Assyria and Israel are closely connected through

almost al of scripture. The words "Assyria" and

"Assyrian" are found in the Bible 151 times, and in

nearly every case they are in connection with Israel.

God directs the great Assyrian armies against

many foes, and they are invincible. The Assyrians

are used to capture and enslave the Israelites

because they turned from Him and worshipped

idols.

"I

will send him

against an

hypocritical nation, and against the

people of my wrath will I give him a

charge, to take the spoil, and to take the

prey, and to tread them down like the

mire of the streets" (Isaiah 10:6).

I believe today that in the ancient land of Assyria

(now cal ed Iraq), God is using Iraq as a rod of His

anger upon Israel.

After al , the scud missiles which were dropped

on Israel certainly created woes.

When the patterns of war started to emerge, I

could not believe Saddam Hussein would dare to

take on the whole world.

But, when the Gulf War broke out, he tried.

It almost seemed as if it were a sovereign plan

pushing him blindly forward.

Nothing else makes much sense.

32

But when he kept the invasion into Kuwait and

took on the whole twenty-seven nation coalition of

the United Nations, including the United States with

all its military power, I predicted his defeat and

demise on February 5, 1991, when I spoke at a

meeting at Reverend Gerald Derstine’s Christian

Retreat in Bradenton, Florida.

But God is using Iraq now as He did Assyria in

the Old Testament - as a rod of His anger to

chastise, to bring people around to God.

Have you ever noticed how world conflict and

crisis always brings people around to God?

Look how much prayer was going on when

President Bush cal ed for a National Day of Prayer

for the Gulf War.

We already have an annual

National Day of Prayer, but we hardly hear anything

about it. It is always on the first Thursday in May.

But during the conflict with Iraq, when the

President called for a National Day of Prayer, even

the secular media reported on it, reminding us to

pray!

According to the reports from the various

Christian chaplains, thousands of young soldiers

stationed in the Gulf came to know the Lord through

their duties in Saudi Arabia.

God used that Gulf War and that time to bring

many new lost souls into His spiritual family.

As the endtime hour increases, I believe God will

continue to use that part of our globe, the Middle

East, in ever-increasing intensity, as a tool to reach

lost souls with the message of Jesus Christ before

the entire endtime scenario is finally played out here

on Earth.

33

CHAPTER TWO

THE INVENTIVE IMAGINATIONS

OF THE EARLY ASSYRIANS!

To understand how God is going to use Assyria

in this endtime hour, and to understand the full

impact of "THE HIDDEN SCRIPTURE" I referred to in

the Introduction, it is first important for you to have a

basic understanding of how God has used Assyria

throughout the ages.

The first time Assyria is mentioned in the Old

Testament is in Genesis 2:14:

"And the name of the third river is

Hiddekel ("Deklak" in George Lamsa’s

Bible): that is it, which goeth toward the

east of Assyria. And the fourth river is

Euphrates."

The name of the third river is "Deklak" in George

Lamsa’s Bible (George Lamsa is an Assyrian who

more accurately translated the Gospels because

Jesus spoke the Assyrian language, Aramaic. This

great scholar later translated the whole Bible from

the ancient eastern manuscripts).

The Deklak, or Hiddekel river, is the Tigris River.

In the NIV version, this river is cal ed the "Tigris," and

in the King James version, it is translated the

"Hiddekel."

35

The Tigris is the river which flows east of Assyria.

The fourth river is the Euphrates.

You can always identify old Assyria because it

was between the two rivers, the Euphrates and

Tigris.

Then look at Genesis 2:10:

"And a river went out of Eden to water

the garden; and from thence it was

parted, and became into four heads."

Assyria is where the Garden of Eden was

located! It was in the southern part of Assyria.

Bordering Assyria, then, were four rivers, two of

them being the Tigris and Euphrates.

The Assyrian empire was founded by Asshur, the

son of Shem. The Semitic people came from Shem,

the people of the Middle East.

"Out of that land went forth Asshur,

and builded Nineveh, and the city

Rehoboth, and Calah,

"And Resen between Nineveh and

Calah: the same is a great city" (Genesis

10:11-12).

The early Assyrians made so many contributions

to our current culture that it is almost impossible to

document al that they have done. In the fol owing

few pages, I will chronicle just some of their major

achievements.

THOSE AMAZING, INVENTIVE ASSYRIANS!

It is hard to imagine what our lives would be like

today without the contributions of the Assyrians,

36

known as the people from Mesopotamia, the cradle

of civilization, in Southwest Asia.

They are an

extension of the Babylonian heritage, and are the

root of our modern, western civilization.

The Assyrians, 4000 years ago, invented glass

by experimenting with sand and quartz, and

ultimately, were responsible for the concept of glass

lenses.

These early discoveries were the

forerunners to the eyeglasses many of you are using

today to read this book. They took these concepts

to also invent the first magnifying glass.

Assyrians were the first inventors, developing

such important contributions as crystal, glazed

brick and stained glass.

And what would our world be like today if there

were no laws, no system of justice?

The Assyrians formed and enacted laws and

government. The first systematically collected and

enacted set of laws was during the reign of King

Hammurabi, who ruled 4000 years ago in Babylon. I

would dare say most students of history have heard

of the Code of Hammurabi.

The Code of Hammurabi consisted of 282

codes; economic provisions were made for prices,

tariffs, trade and commerce; family law, marriage

and divorce; criminal law, assault and theft. Even

civil law, which covered slavery and death, was a

part of the code.

Penalties varied according to the status of the

offenders and the circumstances of the offenses.

These laws were written in Cuneiform, or wedge-

shaped characters, rather than pictorial characters,

foreshadowing the arrival of the alphabetic script

now used throughout much of the world.

37

In Mesopotamia, 5000 years ago, a practical

system of writing was developed, bringing about a

revolution in communications.

Writing is so much a part of our lives today that it

would be hard to imagine our world without it. You

could not be holding this book in your hands today

without the Assyrian contribution to writing.

Further, the accumulation of knowledge through

writing gave way to the first library, in Nineveh, the

capital city of the Assyrian empire, during the

Kingdom of Asshurbanipal, around the 7th century

B.C. This library, preserved in clay tablets, contains

a large number of historical narratives and ancient

legends.

Among the tablets is "The Epic of Gilead," an

early account of the story of the flood.

The library also holds many documents on

science, astronomy and natural history.

These

documents were arranged systemical y on shelves,

and special indications helped the reader to locate

them.

The preservation of knowledge through writing

created the first academic centers of learning.

Scribes began to specialize in teaching on specific

subjects such as science and language - even the

construction of houses, temples, and ships.

Mathematics played an important part in the

Assyrian culture. You may have learned Roman

Numerals when you were a smal child, but they

were not practical for solving a complicated math

problem; they are cumbersome and confusing to

employ.

Our system of modern mathematics comes

from the Assyrians and the Babylonians.

This

38

mathematic method is based on indicating the value

of a number by its relative position.

In comparison, the Egyptian method, the Roman

numeral system designed 2000 years later, is only

able to handle a simple linear equation.

The Babylonian system of mathematics was first

developed in Mesopotamia, and is still used

internationally. These mathematical developments

have served to bring progress in other areas.

Our modern lives are structured around the

concept of time.

Can you imagine going from place to place

without the awareness of time in our daily

schedules?

The Babylonians were the ones who first learned

how to measure time by dividing the day into

twenty-four hours, and then the hour into sixty

minutes, and then the minute into sixty seconds.

They also divided the year into twelve months,

and devised a seven day week in honor of the seven

planets (the only planets they knew about at the

time). They were also the first to divide a circle into

360 degrees, and used this knowledge to help

evolve the first arcs used in architecture and

building.

Mesopotamia is where the first known wheeled

vehicle was made. This discovery revolutionized

the world’s system of transportation, and introduced

the wheeled vehicle - probably the greatest and

most revolutionary mechanical invention of all

time - to the world!

The Mesopotamian contribution to musical

notation and musical theory has just recently been

discovered. Archaeologists have known for many

years that Mesopotamians had musical instruments,

particularly harps and lyres.

But, it was only recently when a Cuneiform tablet

that had mystified scholars for seventy years was

interpreted that the history of music and musical

theory was carried back more than one thousand

years before the first known Greek musical notation!

Before that time, it was general y believed that

music was no older than the European middle ages.

This new discovery verifies the first record in history

of a musical scale and a coherent musical system.

They also introduced musical poetry, the root of

our modern day songs.

The people from Mesopotamia invented many

techniques and tools for our Western civilization

which have never changed in their basic designs.

They were also responsible for the first cities,

and gave birth to the development of city planning.

They

constructed many multi-story towers,

including the tower of Babel.

They are also responsible for the magnificent

hanging gardens of Babylon, and originated the

construction

of

huge

bridges,

canals and

aqueducts, and efficient sewage disposal systems.

The Assyrians created incredible architectural

designs, such as the Gate of Ishtar.

Further, they developed the use of metal,

generated the advancement of astronomy, and

developed the first observatory, calculating the

movement of the planets, forecasting the eclipse of

the moon, and creating the twelve signs of the

zodiac.

They birthed art in visual animal pictures and

pottery, perfected sailing ships, and founded

40

agriculture, bringing man to the end of his nomadic

existence.

They invented the plow, creating the first

economic revolution.

They developed irrigation, bringing large areas

of land under cultivation by watering them artificially.

They developed a merchant class and a system

of trade.

They manufactured linen, creating the textile

industry.

And final y, perhaps the most shocking and

unknown discovery of all attributed to the Assyrians,

they were the first men to travel by air without the

aid of any machines!!!

There was a fascinating division in the Assyrian

Empire called "Tiarayee," and they had the

responsibility to scout and observe the enemy in

war, observing fortifications and locating the

movements and detachments of the enemy.

To accomplish this goal, they had stables of

trained eagles to carry their soldiers. Here is how

the Assyrian "Air Force" worked.

Before the eagles were put in flight, they were

kept indoors blindfolded and without food for two or

three days. When the eagles became very hungry,

they were attached to a strong woven basket

suitable to accommodate people. The basket was

fixed at the end of a long pole, while the other end

j was tied to the jackets which were fastened around

i the body of the eagles (similar to a horse and

carriage).

A pilot and an observer would then sit tightly in

the basket (usually these were young, lightweight

boys). The pilot would carry a long cane pointing

41

high up in the sky. At the tip of the cane there was a

hook and a bait of fresh meat.

At this point, the ground staff would unfold the

eyes of the four eagles attached to the basket, and

by the sight of the bait high above their heads, the

starving eagles, quite familiar with the exercise,

would take off and fly to get at the bait, thus lifting

the basket and the young men inside it high up into

the air!

The adjustment of the basket in flight was made

by the pilot, varying the altitude and the latitude in

accordance with the raising and the lowering of the

pole on which the bait was fixed. The observers

could now fly above the enemy territories observing

their strength, defense positions and military

installations.

On completion of the mission, the pilot would

lower the bait-pole in a descending position until the

basket reached the ground. Then, the eagles were

groomed by the ground staff and fed with chunks of

meat (as much as they could consume).

I discovered this picture of the Assyrian eagle air

patrol at the British Museum in London.

42

As we chart our endtime destiny on the planet

earth, we must remember these major contributions

of the Assyrians to our world-wide community.

The generations of people from Mesopotamia

have left a significant legacy to our generation - a

legacy seldom fully understood or appreciated by

most of our current culture.

I sincerely hope this chapter has heightened

your awareness of the major contributions of the

Assyrian people to our modern-day culture, and

helps

you

appreciate

the

brilliance

and

inventiveness of this forgotten nation called by

historians the "Cradle of Civilization"!

43

CHAPTER THREE

THE BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

OF THE ASSYRIANS

The Assyrians of today are descendants of the

ancient Assyrian people who played a major role in

the foundation of the world’s civilization.

Their

ancient homeland was Mesopotamia (today called

Iraq).

The first biblical mention of this ancient people is

contained in Genesis 10:10-12:

"And the beginning of his kingdom

was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and

Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

“Out of that land went forth Asshur.

and builded Nineveh, and the city

Rehoboth, and Calah,

"And Resen between Nineveh and

Calah: the same is a great city."

Look how early this is in the history of the world

in the Bible (Assyria is estimated to have been

established about 3000 years before Christ). From

the land of Shinar, Asshur went forth and built

Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria (ultimately

destroyed in 606 BC).

Later, in Genesis 10:22, we read:

45

“The children of Shem; Elam, and

Asshur, and Arphax-ad, and Lud, and

Aram" (Genesis 10:22).

Asshur was one of the children of Shem; God

used Asshur to found Nineveh, the Capital city of the

nation of Assyria. Because Asshur was the founder,

the early pronunciation for our people was

Asshurian (when I ministered in the Middle East, the

people there still referred to me as an Asshurian - in

honor of Asshur, the founder of Assyria).

Then, in 2 Kings 17, the next significant mention

of the Assyrian nation relates to Israel (as you will

soon discover, Assyria and Israel are closely related

throughout the entire Bible in their histories and

influence upon each other):

“Against him came up Shalmaneser

king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his

servant, and gave him presents" (II Kings

17:3).

Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, decided to

attack Hoshea, the king of Israel, in Samaria. At the

time, Samaria consisted of the ten tribes of Israel.

The original twelve-tribe kingdom had been a

divided into the Northern and the Southern regions.

The Northern kingdom, composed of the ten

tribes of Israel, was cal ed Samaria.

The two remaining tribes comprised the

Southern kingdom, cal ed Judea.

So Shalmaneser came against Samaria, the

Northern kingdom, for failing to pay proper tribute

(as had been done in previous years). As part of this

process (all documented in II Kings 17), the king of

46

Assyria confirmed Hoshea was the main traitor who

had stopped paying proper tribute to him.

Therefore, Shalmaneser put him into prison.

But the battle in Samaria was not a quick one.

The king of Assyria invaded the land, marched

against all of Samaria, besieged it for three years,

and in the ninth year of Hoshea, Shalmaneser

captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to

Assyria.

Now look what happens!

The king of Assyria imported al the inhabitants

of the ten tribes of Israel to Assyria, including the

nobles and all the upperclass. He settled them in

Halah and in Harbor by the river of Gozan, and in the

cities of the Medes (II Kings 17:6).

This is the very beginning of the dispersment of

the Israelites that is foretold in scripture!

"And the LORD shall scatter you among

the nations, and ye shall be left few in

number among the heathen, whither the

LORD shall lead you" (Deuteronomy 4:27).

Throughout the course of this book, you will

discover that God uses Assyria throughout the Bible

to influence the Jews and the nation of Israel.

And, in this endtime hour of history, God is going

to use these two nations together again (even

though Assyria does not exist as a nation as you

read this book)!

Now, let us look at verses 23 and 24.

"Until the LORD removed Israel out of

his sight, as he had said by all his

servants the prophets. So was Israel

47

carried away out of their own land to

Assyria unto this day.

“And the king of Assyria brought men

from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and

from Ava, and from Hamath, and from

Sepharvaim, and placed them in the

cities of Samaria instead of the children

of Israel: and they possessed Samaria,

and dwelt in the cities thereof

The people of Israel were taken from their

homeland into exile in Assyria, and many of them

are still there today. That is why the ten tribes of

Israel all spoke Assyrian - because they were taken

to Assyria. This was the start of the dispersion of the

Jews, according to the Scripture:

"And they shall fall by the edge of the

sword, and shall be led away captive into

all nations:" (Luke 21:24).

Look what else happened.

The king of Assyria brought people from

Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath and Sepharvaim and

settled them in the town of Samaria to replace the

Israelites.

So, the king took Assyrians and put them into the

cities of the Northern ten kingdoms. He literal y

performed a gigantic population switch, moving the

Assyrians amongst the ten tribes, and moving the

ten tribes (the Israelites) into Assyria.

Precisely because of this extensive intermingling,

Jesus Christ spoke Assyrian (the Assyrian

language was Aramaic).

48

"Wherefore they spake to the king of

Assyria, saying, The nations which thou

hast removed, and placed in the cities of

Samaria, know not the manner of the

God of the land: therefore he hath sent

lions among them, and, behold, they slay

them, because they know not the

manner of the God of the land.

"Then

the

king

of

Assyria

commanded, saying, Carry thither one of

the priests whom ye brought from

thence; and let them go and dwell there,

and let him teach them the manner of the

God of the land" (II Kings 17:26-27).

In these two verses, we see that the King of

Assyria learned that the people he deported and

resettled in the town of Samaria did not know what

the God of that country required. As a result, God

had sent lions among them to punish and kill them

because of their spiritual ignorance.

So, the King of Assyria decided to give this

order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from

Samaria go back to live there and teach the Assyrian

people what the God of the land requires."

Talk about God having a powerful evangelistic

system!

So, they sent a priest from the Israelite

tribes to the Assyrians living in the land of Samaria

so they could learn about the great God Jehovah!

From the passages we have studied thus far, you

now know why Christ spoke Assyrian, and how the

I Assyrians were taught by the Israelites about the

great God Jehovah.

49

However, the most important point to note is that

the Assyrians were used as God’s instrument for

judging His people Israel.

God used the Assyrians to capture and enslave

the Israelites because they had turned away from

Him and worshipped idols.

As a result, the Jews would ultimately be

scattered throughout the world and without a

country until the reestablishment of Israel in May of

1948.

Now, let us shift to Isaiah 10:5-6.

"O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger,

and the staff in their hand is mine

indignation.

"I

will send him

against an

hypocritical nation, and against the

people of my wrath will I give him a

charge, to take the spoil, and to take the

prey, and to tread them down like the

mire of the streets.”

Woe to the Assyrian, "the rod of my anger"

whose hand is above my wrath.

Keep this scripture tucked away in the back of

your mind as we now read in Ezekiel 23; Ezekiel

shows clearly how God used Assyria as His rod

(Isaiah 10:5) to punish His people.

Many Christians are amazed at what this next

passage reveals.

"And Aholah (the ten tribes of Israel)

>

played the harlot when she was mine;

and she doted on her lovers, on the

Assyrians her neighbors,

50

"Which were clothed with blue,

captains and rulers, all of them

desireable young men, horsemen riding

upon horses.

'Thus she committed her whoredoms

with them, with all them that were the

chosen men of Assyria, and with all on

whom she doted: with all their idols she

defiled herself.

“Neither left she her whoredoms

brought from Egypt: for in her youth they

lay with her, and they bruised the breasts

of her virginity, and poured their

whoredom upon her.

"Wherefore I have delivered her into

the hand of her lovers, into the hand of

the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.

'These discovered her nakedness:

they took her sons and her daughters,

and slew her with the sword: and she

became famous among women; for they

had executed judgment upon her.

"And when her sister Aholibah

(Jerusalem) saw this, she was more

corrupt in her inordinate love than she,

and in her whoredoms more than her

sister in her whoredoms.

"She doted upon the Assyrians her

neighbours, captains and rulers clothed

most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon

!

horses, all of them desirable young men"

(Ezekiel 23:5-12).

j

"Aholah engaged in prostitution while she was

! still mine," God says.

She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians.

She gave herself as a prostitute to the elite

Assyrians - warriors clothed in blue, governors and

commanders, all of the handsome young men and

mounted horsemen. She deprived herself of al the

idols of everyone she lusted after. She did not give

up the prostitution she began in Egypt.

"Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers, the

Assyrians for whom she lusted."

They stripped her naked, took away her sons

and daughters, and kil ed her with a sword.

"Aholah" is a name for the ten tribes of Samaria;

God gave that name to the Northern kingdoms.

Her sister, "Aholibah", is Jerusalem. In her lust

and prostitution she was more depraved then her

sister, Samaria.

The two sisters are Samaria and Jerusalem.

Jerusalem also lusted after the Assyrian

governors and commanders, warriors and mounted

horsemen and all handsome young men.

"Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the

Lord God; Behold, I will raise up thy

lovers against thee, from whom thy mind

is alienated, and I will bring them against

thee on every side;

'The Babylonians, and all the

Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa,

and all the Assyrians with them: all of

them desirable young men, captains and

rulers, great lords and renowned, all of

them riding upon horses.

"And they shall come against thee

with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and

with an assembly of people, which shall

52

set against thee buckler and shield and

helmet round about: and I will set

judgement before them, and they shall

judge thee according to their judgments'1

(Ezekiel 23:22-24).

"Therefore, Aholibah" (this is what the sovereign

Lord says), "I will stir up your lovers against you from

every side."

So God is telling Israel that the Babylonians and

all the Chaldeans (Southern Assyrians) will come

against you with weapons, chariots and wagons with

strong people. He is saying, "They will take up

positions against you on every side with large and

small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over

to them for punishment, and they will punish you

according to their standards."

That is the rod God used against His

backslidden people (Remember Isaiah 10: 5-6?).

Today, I believe a similar spiritual parallel is

unfolding, and Isaiah 10 will become a reality

once again.

GOD WILL USE HIS ROD AGAIN!

God wil use His rod to chastise those who call

themselves the people of God, like America. We call

| ourselves the people of God, a Christian nation, but

| we are not a Christian nation - moral y. Of course,

there are many fine Christians in this nation, but

America itself is not a Christian nation any longer!

Not with 1 1 /2 million abortions per year.

Not with millions of babies annual y born to

unwed mothers, and many of them growing up as

abused children.

53

Not with all the major cities in this country

dominated by criminals, gangs, drugs and

Satanism.

Not with a BILLION DOLLAR industry in

pornographic magazines and video tapes!

Not with prayer and the Bible stripped from our

schools by the very Supreme Court founded to

protect our right to freedom of religion!

The truth is clear - America is no longer a

Christian nation, and we should do as the Assyrians

in Nineveh did at the preaching of Jonah in 862 B.C.

- repent of our sins and turn to God in humility.

I

believe we will soon see the rod of God coming

to chastise our nation.

This is not a message of doom and gloom.

The coming chastisement will

bring about the greatest spiritual

outpouring that America or the

world has ever seen!

I

believe that after the chastising we wil see the

greatest spiritual awakening ever to fal upon the

entire world.

For where sin increases, grace

increases all the more (Romans 5:20).

Just as God has used Assyria in the past, it is

a spiritual parallel that in this endtime hour God

will once again use Assyria.

Just as there was a tribulation at a time of the

overthrow of Jerusalem, so too there is coming

another tribulation - a great tribulation.

54

CHAPTER FOUR

THE DECLINE OF

ASSYRIAN POWER

During the reign of Hoshea, king of Israel, the

Assyrian king, Shalmanseser, invaded Samaria and

captured it after a siege of three years. He then

deported the Israelites (the 10 tribes) to Assyria.

II Kings 17:23-23 says:

'The Israelites persisted in all the sins of

Jeroboam and did not turn away from them

until the Lord removed them from his

presence, as he had warned through all his

servants, the prophets. So the people of

Israel were taken from their homeland into

exile in Assyria, and they are still there."

II Kings 18:9-12 says,

"In King Hezekiah’s fourth year, which

was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Eiah

king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria

marched against Samaria and laid siege to

it. At the end of three years the Assyrians

took it.

So Samaria was captured in

Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth

year of Hoshea king of Israel. The king of

Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and

settled them in Haiah, in Gozan on the

55

Habor River and in towns of the Medes.

This happened because they had not

obeyed the Lord their God, but had

violated his covenant - all that Moses the

servant of the Lord commanded.

They

neither listened to the commands nor

carried them out."

Verse 24 describes how Assyria replaced the

Israelites of the ten northern tribes with Assyrians;

they became the formation of the Samaritans of the

New Testament as they intermarried with Israelites

left in the land. Later, the Israelites who returned

from the captivity in the New Testament were called

"foreigners". Luke 17:18 says:

"Was no one found to return and give

praise to God except this foreigner?"

It is interesting in verses twenty-five through

twenty-eight that the Lord uses fierce lions attacking

the people there in Israel to motivate the king of

Assyria to send one of the priests of Israel back to

his land to teach these transplanted Assyrians the

worship of Jehovah.

The practice of transporting the citizens of one

country to another was the custom of the Assyrians.

This was their method of keeping down any rebellion

that might occur after the invaders left.

Once the Assyrians took over the ten tribes of

Israel, they decided eight years later to go after the

other two tribes of Judah.

The Assyrian king,

Sennacherib, attacked all of Judah’s fortified cities

and captured them.

56

Al except Jerusalem.

The King Sennacherib then sends his supreme

commander, his chief officer, and his field

commander with a large army to capture Jerusalem.

Hezekiah was the king of Judah at this time and

the Scripture says of him in II Kings 18:5-7:

“Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God

of Israel. There was no one like him among

all the kings of Judah, either before him or

after him. He held fast to the Lord and did

not cease to follow him; he kept the

commands the Lord had given Moses.

And the Lord was with him; he was

successful in whatever he undertook. He

rebelled against the king of Assyria and did

not serve him."

Though Hezekiah rebel ed against Assyria, he

then submits and pays tribute money, but

apparently that was not enough to turn back the

Assyrian army from Jerusalem’s gates.

The events of these activities are recorded in

three main places in the Bible: II Kings 18 and 19;

(18:13-19:37) II Chronicles 31; (1-22) and Isaiah 36

and 37.

What now follows is a summary of the

miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem and the

catastrophic defeat of the Assyrian army of 185,000

troops by one angel of God!

King Hezekiah prepares to defend Jerusalem

and he assures the Judahites of God’s help.

“After all that Hezekiah had so

faithfully done, Sennacherib king of

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Assyria came and invaded Judah. He

laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking

to conquer them for himself.

When

Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had

come and that he intended to make war

on Jerusalem, he consulted with his

officials and military staff about blocking

off the water from the springs outside the

city, and they helped him. A large force

of men assembled, and they blocked all

the springs and the stream that flowed

through the land. ‘Why should the kings

of Assyria come and find plenty of

water?’ they said. Then he worked hard

repairing all the broken sections of the

wall and building towers on it. He built

another wall outside that one and

reinforced the supporting terraces of the

City of David.

He also made large

numbers of weapons and shields."

"He appointed military officers over

the people and assembled them before

him in the square at the city gate and

encouraged them with these words: ‘Be

strong and courageous.

Do not be

afraid or discouraged because of the

king of Assyria and the vast army with

him, for there is a greater power with us

than with him. With him is only the arm

of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God

to help us and to fight our battles. ’ And

the people gained confidence from what

Hezekiah the king of Judah said" (II

Chronicles 32:1-8, NIV).

58

The Assyrian king sends his leaders to intimidate

and terrify the Jews into surrendering their city of

Jerusalem.

'The king of Assyria sent his supreme

commander, his chief officer, and his field

commander with a large army, from

Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.

They came up to Jerusalem and stopped

at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the

road to the Washerman’s Field.

They

called for the king; and Eliakim son of

Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna

the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the

recorder went out to them.

The field commander said to them, "Tell

Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the

king of Assyria, says: On what are you

basing this confidence of yours? You say

you have strategy and military strength -

but you speak only empty words.

On

whom are you depending, that you rebel

against me? Look now, you are depending

on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff,

which pierces a man’s hand and wounds

him if he leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king

of Egypt to all who depend on him. And if

you say to me, ‘We are depending on the

Lord our God’ - isn’t he the one whose high

places and altars Hezekiah removed,

saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must

worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?

“Come now, make a bargain with my

master, the king of Assyria: I will give you

two thousand horses, if you can put riders

59

on them. How can you repulse one officer

of the last of my master’s officials, even

though you are depending on Egypt for

chariots and horsemen?

Furthermore,

have I come to attack and destroy this

place without word from the LORD? The

Lord himself told me to march against this

country and destroy it" (II Kings 18:17-25).

"Later, when Sennacherib king of

Assyria and all his forces were laying siege

to Lachish, he sent his officers to

Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah

king of Judah and for all the people of

Judah who were there:

"This is what Sennacherib king of

Assyria says: On what are you basing your

confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem

under siege? When Hezekiah says, ‘The

Lord our God will save us from the hand of

the king of Assyria, ’ he is misleading you,

to let you die of hunger and thirst. Did not

Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high

places and altars, saying to Judah and

Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one

altar and burn sacrifices on it’?

"Do you not know what I and my fathers

have done to all the peoples of the other

lands? Were the gods of those nations

ever able to deliver their land from my

hand? Who of all the gods of these nations

that my fathers destroyed has been able to

save his people from me? How then can

your god deliver you from my hand. Now

do not let Hezekiah deceive you and

60

mislead you like this. Do not believe him,

for no god of any nation or kingdom has

been able to deliver his people from my

hand or the hand of my fathers. How much

less will your god deliver you from my

hand!"

"Sennacherib’s officers spoke further

against the LORD God and against his

servant Hezekiah.

"The king also wrote letters insulting the

LORD, the God of Israel, and saying this

against him: ‘Just as the gods of the

peoples of the other lands did not rescue

their people from my hand, so the god of

Hezekiah will not rescue his people from

my hand. ’ Then they called out in Hebrew

to the people of Jerusalem who were on

the wall, to terrify them and make them

afraid in order to capture the city. They

spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they

did about the gods of the other peoples of

the world - the work of men’s hands" (II

Chronicles 32:9-19).

'When the field commander heard that

the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he

withdrew and found the king fighting

against Libnah.

"Now Sennacherib received a report

that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt,

was marching out to fight against him.

When he heard it, he sent messengers to

Hezekiah with this word: ‘Say to Hezekiah

king of Judah: Do not let the god you

depend on deceive you when he says,

61

Jerusalem will not be handed over to the

king of Assyria.’ Surely you have heard

what the kings of Assyria have done to all

the countries, destroying them completely.

And will you be delivered? Did the gods of

the nations that were destroyed by my

forefathers deliver them - the gods of

Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of

Eden who were in Tel Assar? Where is the

king of Hamath, the king of Arpad; the king

of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or

Iwah?" (Isaiah 37:8-13).

‘The field commander said to them,

‘Tell Hezekiah, This is what the great king,

the king of Assyria, says: On what are you

basing this confidence of yours? You say

you have strategy and military strength -

but you speak only empty words.

On

whom are you depending, that you rebel

against me? Look now, you are depending

on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff,

which pierces a man’s hand and wounds

him if he leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king

of Egypt to all who depend on him. And if

you say to me, ‘We are depending on the

LORD our God’ - isn’t he the one whose

high places and altars Hezekiah removed,

saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must

worship before this altar’?

“Come now, make a bargain with my

master, the king of Assyria: I will give you

two thousand horses, if you can put riders

on them. How then can you repulse one

officer of the least of my master’s officials,

62

even though you are depending on Egypt

for chariots and horsemen? Furthermore,

have I come to attack and destroy this land

without the LORD? The LORD himself told

me to march against this country and

destroy it"' (Isaiah 36:4-10).

Speak in Aramaic (Assyrian) language.

*Then Eliakim son of Kilkiah, and

shebna and Joah said to the field

commander,

‘Please speak to your

servants in Aramaic, since we understand

it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the

hearing of the people on the wall’.'' (II Kings

18:26).

Insults!

“But the commander replied, ‘Was it

only to your master and you that my master

sent me to say these things, and not to the

men sitting on the wall - who like you, will

have to eat their own filth and drink their

own urine?’

“Then the commander stood and called

out in Hebrew: ‘Hear the word of the great

king, the king of Assyria! This is what the

king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive

you. He cannot deliver you from my hand.

Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust

in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will

surely deliver us; this city will not be given

into the hand of the king of Assyria’.

"Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what

the king of Assyria says: Make peace with

me and come out to me. Then every one

of you will eat from his own vine and fig

63

tree and drink water from his own cistern,

until I come and take you to a land like your

own, a land of grain and new wine, a land

of bread and vineyards, a land of olive

trees and honey.

Choose life and not

death!

“Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is

misleading you when he says, 'The LORD

will deliver us. ’ Has the god of any nation

ever delivered his land from the hand of the

king of Assyria? Where are the gods of

Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of

Sepharvaim, Hena and Iwah? Have they

rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all

the gods of these countries has been able

to save his land from me? How then can

the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my

hand?

"But the people remained silent and

said nothing in reply, because the king had

commanded, ‘Do not answer him. ’

"Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace

administrator, Shebna the secretary and

Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to

Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told

him what the field commander had said" (II

Kings 8:27-37).

King Hezekiah turns to God in prayer.

“When King Hezekiah heard this, he

tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and

went into the temple of the LORD. He sent

Eliakim the palace administrator, shebna

the secretary and the leading priests, all

wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah

son of Amoz. They told him, ‘This is what

64

Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress

and rebuke and disgrace, as when

children come to the point of birth and

there is no strength to deliver them. It may

be that the LORD your God will hear all the

words of the field commander, whom his

master, the king of Assyria, has sent to

ridicule the living God, and that he will

rebuke him for the words the LORD your

God has heard.

Therefore pray for the

remnant that still survives" (II Kings 19:1-4).

"Hezekiah received the letter from the

messengers and read it. Then he went up

to the temple of the LORD and spread it

out before the LORD.

And Hezekiah

prayed to the LORD: ‘O LORD, God of

Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,

you alone are God over all the kingdoms of

the earth.

You have made heaven and

earth. Give ear, 0 Lord, and hear; open

your eyes, 0 LORD, and see; listen to the

words Sennacherib has sent to insult the

living God.

"It is true, 0 LORD, that the Assyrian

kings have laid waste these nations and

their lands. They have thrown their gods

into the fire and destroyed them, for they

were not gods but only wood and stone,

fashioned by men’s hands. Now, O LORD

our God, deliver us from his hand, so that

all kingdoms on earth may know that you

alone, O LORD, are God" (II Kings 19: 14-

19).

65

“King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah

son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven

about this" (II Chronicles 32:20).

"When King Hezekiah heard this, he

tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and

went into the temple of the LORD. He sent

Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna

the secretary, and the leading priests, all

wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah

son of Amoz. They told him, ‘This is what

Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress

and rebuke and disgrace, as when

children come to the point of birth and

there is no strength to deliver them. It may

be that the LORD your God will hear the

words of the field commander, whom his

master, the king of Assyria, has sent to

ridicule the living God, and that he will

rebuke him for the words the LORD your

God has heard.

Therefore pray for the

remnant that still survives’" (Isaiah 37:1-4).

"Hezekiah received the letter from the

messengers and read it. Then he went up

to the temple of the LORD and spread it

out before the LORD.

And Hezekiah

prayed to the LORD: ‘0 LORD Almighty,

God of Israel, enthroned between the

cherubim, you alone are God over all the

kingdoms of the earth. You have made

heaven and earth. Give ear, 0 LORD, and

hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see;

listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent

to insult the living God.

"Is it true, O LORD, that the Assyrian

kings have laid waste all these peoples and

66

their lands. They have thrown their gods

into the fire and destroyed them, for they

were not gods but only wood and stone,

fashioned by human hands. Now, O LORD

our God, deliver us from his hand, so that

all kingdoms on earth may know that you

alone, O LORD, are God" (Isaiah 37:14-20).

The prophet Isaiah prophecies defeat of

Assyrians.

"When King Hezekiah’s officials came to

Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, ‘Tell your

master, This is what the LORD says: Do not

be afraid of what you have heard - those

words with which the underlings of the king

of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! I

am going to put such a spirit in him that

when he hears a certain report, he will

return to his own country, and there I will

have him cut down with the sword’" (II

Kings 19:5-7).

'Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a

message to Hezekiah: ‘This is what the

LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard

your prayer concerning Sennacherib king

of Assyria. This is the word that the LORD

has spoken against him:

The Virgin Daughter of Zion

despises you and mocks you.

The Daughter of Jerusalem

tosses her head as you flee.

Who is it you have insulted and

blasphemed?

Against whom have you raised you

voice

and lifted your eyes in pride?

67

Against the Holy One of Israel!

By your messengers

you have heaped insults on the Lord.

And you have said,

‘With my many chariots

I have ascended the heights of the

mountains,

the utmost heights of Lebanon.

I have cut down its tallest cedars,

the choicest of its pines.

I have reached its remotest parts,

the finest of its forests.

I have dug wells in foreign lands

and drunk the water there.

With the soles of my feet

I have dried up all the streams of

Egypt.’

Have you not heard?

Long ago I ordained it.

In days of old I planned it;

now I have brought it to pass,

that you have turned fortified cities

into piles of stone.

Their people, drained of power,

are dismayed and put to shame.

They are like plants in the field,

like tender green shoots,

like grass sprouting on the housetops,

scorched before it grows up.

But I know where you stay

and when you come and go

and how you rage against me.

Because you rage against me

and your insolence has reached my

ears,

68

I will put my hook in your nose

and my bit in your mouth,

and I will make you return

by the way you came.'

This will be the sign for you, O

Hezekiah:

This year you will eat what grows by

itself,

and the second year what springs from

that.

But in the third year sow and reap,

plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

Once more a remnant of the house of

Judah

will take root below and bear fruit

above.

For out of Jerusalem will come a

remnant,

and out of Mount Zion a band of

survivors.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty will

accomplish this.

Therefore this is what the LORD says

concerning the king of Assyria:

He will not enter this city

or shoot an arrow here.

He will not come before it with shield

or build a siege ramp against it.

By the way that he came he will return;

he will not enter this city,

declares the LORD,

I will defend this city and save it,

for my sake and for the sake of David

my sen/ant (II Kings 10:20-34).

The miraculous defeat of the Assyrian army.

69

“That night the angel of the LORD went

out and put to death a hundred and eighty-

five thousand men in the Assyrian camp.

When the people got up the next morning -

there were all the dead bodies!

So

Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp,

and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and

stayed there.

“One day, while he was worshiping in

the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons

Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down

with the sword, and they escaped to the

land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son

succeeded him as king" (II Kings 19:35-

37).

"And the LORD sent an angel, who

annihilated all the fighting men and the

leaders and officers in the camp of the

Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own

land in disgrace. And when he went into

the temple of his god, some of his sons cut

him down with the sword" (II Chronicles

32:21).

This is one of the greatest, supernatural battles in

the Bible!

Think of it - 185,000 crack troops conquered

Egypt, al of that land, the ten tribes, and then come

against Jerusalem.

This is one of the greatest supernatural battles in

the Bible.

Hezekiah prays; he calls on God.

God sends one angel.

Just one angel saved Jerusalem!

70

And that single angel wiped out 185,000

Assyrians!

In one stroke.

Talk about a weapon more powerful than a scud

missile!

Could this happen again today?

Of course it could.

God has not changed.

IF ONLY A NATION WILL CALL UPON GOD,

HE WILL SPARE THEM!

"If my people, which are called by my

name, shall humble themselves, and pray,

and seek my face, and turn from their

wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,

and will forgive their sin, and will heal their

land" (II Chronicles 7:14).

Assyria as a nation started having a downfall -

the official date for the fall of the Assyrian Empire is

612 B.C. They were conquered by the Medes of

Persia. The Assyrians started to dwindle and lost

power; Assyria became Mesopotamia.

There is a strong biblical parallel here.

The official date for the fall of Jerusalem is 612

B.C. From that time forward, the Jews were a

scattered nation until May, 1948.

Throughout history, only two nations have been

without a country for thousands of years, and yet

have been able to maintain their identity... the

Israelites and the Assyrians!

In 1948, the Israelites regained their country.

As you shall see soon in this book, God also has

an entire plan for the Assyrians.

71

The Assyrians were unable to recover the might

and power they once built and maintained for more

than two millennia. Thereafter, they fel victim to

many atrocities that reduced their numbers to a

small nation living at the mercy of their overlords in

the vastly scattered lands of the Middle Eastern

region.

And today, the territory that was once called

Assyria is cal ed Iraq.

Iraq is basically where Mesopotamia was, and

Mesopotamia is where Assyria was. In this endtime

generation of spiritual history, I believe that we are

soon going to see God unleash something

remarkable in this region.

72

CHAPTER FIVE

GOD’S OTHER "FAVORED NATION" -

THE ASSYRIANS!

The whole book of Jonah is about Assyria, and

God wanting to spare Nineveh, which He did.

Remember in Jonah it says God said to Jonah,

"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,

and cry against it; for their wickedness is

come up before me" (Jonah 1:2).

"Who me, Lord, a Jew? You want ME to go to

the Assyrians and tell them your message that if they

do not repent, you will destroy them in forty days?

That Nineveh wil be destroyed unless it repents?"

Well, Jonah did finally go, and warned the

Assyrians, and they heeded his warnings.

They repented.

The repentance under Jonah delayed the

judgment of God on Assyria for about a century.

(The entire book of Nahum concerns Assyria, and

forms the sequel to the Book of Jonah).

"So the people of Nineveh believed

God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on

sackcloth, from the greatest of them even

to the least of them.

For word came unto the king of

Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and

73

he laid his robe before him, and covered

him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

"And he caused it to be proclaimed and

published through Nineveh by the decree

of the king and his nobles, saying, Let

neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste

any thing: let them not feed, nor drink

water:

"But let man and beast be covered with

sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea,

let them turn every one from his evil way,

and from the violence that is in their hands.

"Who can tell if God will turn and

repent, and turn away from his fierce

anger, that we perish not?" (Jonah 3:5-9).

By their repenting, God spared Nineveh.

"And God saw their works that they

turned from their evil way and God

repented of the evil that he had said that he

would do unto them; and he did not"

(Jonah 3:10).

It was the ancient apostolic church of the East.

In remembrance, God spared the Assyrians.

Now that is something significant!

Scripture shows here that the first confrontation

the Assyrians had with God was about 782-753 B.C.,

revealed in the accounting of the Book of Jonah.

The Assyrian king at that time was either Adad-Nirari

III (810-782 B.C) or Ashur-Dan III (782-753 B.C.).

This is during the height of the Assyrian empire.

As we read the four chapters of Jonah, the Lord

reveals to us what are cal ed by Biblical Scholars

74

"the five greats": the great refusal, the great fish, the

great city, the great jealousy, and the great God.

In the first chapter, God commands Jonah to

"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city".

Here we see that God regarded the Assyrian city

as great.

In Jonah 3:3, it is described as "an

exceedingly great city".

As we saw earlier in this book, the history of the

Assyrian people clearly reveals the many great

contributions they made to the world.

When Jonah is first instructed to go to the

Assyrians, he foolishly tries to flee from God, and in

his flight (aboard a ship) the Lord creates a tempest

and Jonah is thrown overboard.

The second chapter is Jonah’s prayer of

thanksgiving to the Lord for delivering him from the

Great Fish:

"Now the LORD had prepared a great

fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was

in the belly of the fish three days and three

nights" (Jonah 1:17).

In chapter three, God again cal s Jonah to go to

Nineveh (the great city).

This time he does respond and goes.

God instructs Jonah to cry out and say, "Yet forty

days and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4).

From these prophetic warnings, the Assyrians

proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth. Even the

king and his nobles repented and put on sackcloth

and sat in ashes.

When God saw how they turned from their evil

ways, He forgave them.

75

This is the first confrontation that God has with

the Assyrians, and because of their faith, God

blesses them, and they became a nation favored by

God.

“And God saw their works, that they

turned from their evil way; and God

repented of the evil, that he had said that

he would do unto them; and he did it not'

(Jonah 3:10).

In the fourth chapter, we find Jonah pouting. He

becomes jealous because God blesses the

Assyrians and makes them mighty warriors (the

great jealousy).

The entire book of Jonah is a powerful lesson in

the power of prayer, and in the power of repentance.

Someday, the leaders of the world are going to

come to the Christians - to discover the real wisdom

of the Word, and the real power in the universe.

If President Bush would have asked me my

tactics (and I am no expert, I am going by the Bible)

for the Gulf conflict, I would have sought the wisdom

of the Word because it is the wisdom of God.

To know God’s Word is to know His will.

To know His will is to know His Word.

The wisdom of God is what the world will

eventually seek.

I would have said, "Tell the people in Iraq, tel

Saddam, tell Baghdad that if they do not repent, if

they do not change their mind, they wil be

completely destroyed in forty days."

Just like God threatened the people of Nineveh.

That would have been my tactic.

76

I would have said, "I will give you forty days,

otherwise you are done, you are through. We have

landed men on the moon, we have launched nuclear

missiles. Now, you have forty days."

These are just words, but I honestly believe these

words would have saved us shipping 450,000 troops

to the Middle East. If we could real y talk that way, I

believe we would have seen victory without any

fighting.

That is what God did to Nineveh.

When Jesus was on earth, the Assyrians were

co-mingled with the ten tribes of Israel, so they

heard Jesus (when Jesus told the apostles not to go

to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but to the lost

sheep of the house of Israel - He meant these ten

tribes).

They are the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And the Assyrians were there as wel as the

Jews.

So, the Assyrians were exposed to Christianity at

the time of Jesus, and church history tells us that the

apostles sent Thadeous to King Abgar of Oshroene

to bring the Assyrians the gospel.

This is something few Christians know:

THE ASSYRIANS WERE THE FIRST GENTILE

NATION TO TURN TO JESUS CHRIST!

On the day of Pentecost, they were there as

Mesopotamians. Acts 2 says they were from al

over.

"And there were dwelling at Jerusalem

Jews, devout men, out of every nation

under heaven" (Acts 2:5).

“Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites,

and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in

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Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and

Asia," (Acts 2:9).

They were baptized in the Holy Spirit and went

back to Mesopotamia with the Baptism in the Holy

Spirit.

And the ancient church of the east became

one of the greatest missionary churches of all

time!

The Assyrians ventured as far as India, Japan

and China with the gospel.

They were among the first people to embrace

Christianity as a nation in the first century, and they

played a great role in taking Christianity to the vast

continent of Asia, converting their civilized and

uncivilized peoples. They journeyed to the shores of

the Mediterranean Sea and into the Mongolian

deserts and even into China and Japan.

The first Christian nation was Assyria!

So what has happened?

God is going to use these same Christians in this

endtime hour in the fulfillment of the prophecy in

Isaiah 19:23-25:

“In that day there will be a highway

from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will

go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria.

The Egyptians and Assyrians

will

worship together.

"In that day Israel will be the third,

along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing

on the earth.

“The Lord Almighty will bless them,

saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people,

78

Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my

inheritance’" (Isaiah 19:23-25, NIV).

"In that day" there wil be a highway from Egypt

to Assyria. The highway is named in Isaiah 35:8 - it

is called 'The Highway of Holiness."

"In that day" always refers to the endtime hour of

spiritual history.

The Assyrians wil go to Egypt and the Egyptians

throughout Assyria.

I believe God can accomplish His endtime task

in the same way, fulfilling Isaiah 19.

Isaiah 19 is the most thrilling passage of

Scripture, and many prophets and Bible teachers

continual y refer to it.

I have written that Assyria is a forgotten nation,

but it is not forgotten by God.

Assyria is a lost country, but not by God.

I want to tel you this.

God in His mercy is so good to Assyria.

The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship

together in that day, and Israel will be one of three

nations (along with Egypt and Assyria) - to be a

bl

■ —

- essing

— — — '

i

—

on i the

i

e.a

i l

rlt.h.

These three nations, God says, will be a blessing

on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them

saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people."

"Blessed be Assyria, the work of my hands."

You know what it means to be God’s handiwork?

Assyria will be a work done by God’s hands.

Just as God had an endtime plan for the

Israelites, He has an endtime plan for the

Assyrians!

79

This prophetic Scripture indicates that in the last

days the Egyptians will befriend the Assyrians and

they will both befriend the nation of Israel.

God intends to use Assyria again in this endtime

hour!

LookatMicah 7:11-12:

"In the day that thy walls are to be built,

in that day shall the decree be far removed.

"In that day also he shall come even to

thee from Assyria, and from the fortified

cities, and from the fortress even to the

river, and from the sea to sea, and from

mountain to mountain."

That means Assyria must exist in the endtime

hour!

The people who were converted at the time of

Christ and the apostles, and have maintained their

faithfulness to God for over 2,000 years, will have

their nation restored once again, just as the Jews

had their nation restored!

Yet, from the first confrontation (Jonah) through

the ages, we see a definite link between God and the

Assyrians.

They are his holy instrument.

I have not heard the details of this prophecy

discussed anywhere except when I bring up the

subject.

Others are not talking about it or writing about it.

If it is of God, I pray you may be able to take it.

If it is not, wel , then it is my idea.

But the Word seems clear in what it says here to

me.

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The nations - Egypt, Assyria and Israel - are to be

nations blessed in the endtime.

Symbolically, I believe they represent the three

religions in the Middle East.

What religions do we have there?

We have Islam - the religion of the Egyptians.

We have Christianity - the religion of the

Assyrians.

We have the Jewish faith - the religion of the

Israelites.

According to Isaiah 19, blessed be Egypt my

people. The Egyptians are Islamic. The Egyptians

and Islam will bow to Jesus Christ.

Assyria is the Christian nation.

Israel represents the Jews.

Think about it.

The Jews, Christians and Isiamics together

will be blessed of God because they will all be

worshipping Jehovah God, receiving Jesus Christ

as Savior!

Now that is exciting!

The Assyrians as a united people already are al

professing to be Christians.

However, they need to have a revival because

they are saying they are the ancient church of the

east, they speak the Assyrian language, Aramaic.

Their Masses are in Aramaic.

There is still the need for many of these beloved

people to be "born-again.'1

Yes, they believe devoutly in Jesus Christ.

But they have to have a real born-again

experience, which I believe wil soon take place.

In this endtime, we wil see a sovereign,

almighty, powerful work of God.

1

81

CHAPTER SIX

A SMALL SIGN OF THE PROPHECY

COMES TO PASS!

I am Assyrian.

I was invited, along with our Congressman, Mark

Siljander, to go to Israel in 1983 at the invitation of

the government’s Herut Party. They paid my way,

and our Congressman was the door opener for me.

In Jerusalem, on May 31, 1983, I had the

opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister of

Israel, Menachem Begin.

As we met, I said to him, "I am here in your

country of Israel as a representative of Intercessors

for America. We pray for America, but we also

remember to pray for Israel each day."

Prime Minister Menachem Begin (left) greets Rev.

John Booko in Jerusalem in 1983.

Prime Minister Begin was obviously pleased by ,

this information, and he replied, "I want to thank al

the Christians who support us."

"We certainly do," I responded.

Two years later, in 1985, the Egyptian foundation

invited me to visit their country along with our

Congressman who was on the Middle East subcommittee.

On that visit, I was given the

opportunity to visit Egyptian President Hosni

Mubarak in his Presidential Palace in Cairo.

Our American ambassador

was there; the

foreign minister was there; so were a number of

dignitaries.

(We wil also show a photo of this historic

meeting).

I silently prayed, "Lord, give me an opening here

with Mubarak, the Egyptian president."

God did.

After our official meeting, when I was shaking

hands with the Egyptian president, God gave me a

holy boldness. I said, "Mr. President, I represent

Intercessors for America. We pray for God to bless

America. May I have the honor of praying for you

and your nation?"

To my surprise, he said, "Yes."

So I had the opportunity to pray in his presence

and asked God to bless him and his nation.

I prayed,

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank you for your love and power.

I ask your blessing on President

Mubarak and the people of this country.

84

I pray for your wisdom and strength

upon President Mubarak. I thank you that

he is a man of peace. Your Word has said

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they

shall be called the children of God".

Thank you for your blessing upon this

nation and president. Amen.

When I finished praying, he thanked me and

gave me a warm hug.

I cannot help but believe in my mind that these

small but symbolic meetings were a forerunner of

Isaiah 19:23-25.

"In that day there will be a highway from

Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to

Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The

Egyptians and Assyrians will worship

together.

"In that way Israel will be the third,

along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on

the earth.

"The Lord Almighty will bless them,

saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people,

Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my

inheritance’1' (Isaiah 19:23-25, NIV).

Scriptures proclaim that the Egyptians and the

Assyrians wil worship together!

You may wonder, "Why didn’t you personally ask

to pray with Menachem Begin?"

To be honest, I did not have a leading at the time

(not realizing that this was falling right into the

prophecy of Isaiah 19).

85

It was only later I realized that I perhaps became

a little sign (and I give God all the glory and credit for

this) of the fulfillment of Isaiah 19:23-25.

Why?

Because I am the Assyrian.

I met with both the Israeli Prime Minister,

Menachem Begin, and then with the Egyptian

President, Hosni Mubarak.

Now think of the odds of that!.

Of course, many people visit the Prime Minister

of Israel - but where are you going to get an

Assyrian?

Wel , God picked one out of a little town called

"Three Rivers, Michigan", with a population of about

7,500.

God used a little Assyrian preacher fil ed with the

Holy Spirit, putting him in meetings with officials

from BOTH Israel and Egypt!

Nothing is too difficult for God.

When the Lord declares His word, then one

angel can defeat 185,000 troops, and one unknown

Assyrian can meet with the heads of Israel and

Egypt.

The Apostle Paul said God spoke to him in

Aramaic on the road to Damascus. The voice that

came out of Heaven was Aramaic (Acts 26:14, NIV).

But I want to give you the last word in Aramaic

that did not get translated - but just transliterated. It

is 1 Corinthians 16:22 and the word is Maran-atha.

"If any man love not the Lord Jesus

Christ, let him be Anathema, Maranatha"

(I Corinthians 16:22).

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The Assyrian, Aramaic rendering is "Maran,"

meaning "Our Lord", and "atah," which means "to come."

Hence, the last Assyrian word in the Bible means

our Lord comes.

And when He comes, then Isaiah 19 will be

fulfilled!

Maranatha.

The Lord comes!

Al these things will be fulfilled in exact

accordance with the scriptures.

But the prophet also declares that Israel will be

living at peace with her neighbors.

Egypt must keep a peace treaty.

Jordan, right now a key enemy of Israel, will have

to make a peace treaty.

Syria, another neighbor, and Lebanon, both will

need to make peace treaties.

Conceivably, there will be yet another small war

between Israel and Syria, and possibly Iraq will enter

into this situation to dismember Syria - because that

ultimately will be necessary for an alignment of

peace.

If we look at Isaiah 19, we find that there is going

to be a spiritual revival encompassing Egypt, Israel

and Assyria.

And since Assyria does not now exist, but

modern day Iraq and Northern Syria comprise what

used to be cal ed Assyria, I would see the beginning

of the ascendancy of Iraq in the Middle East to be

extremely significant because ultimately Iraq wil turn

against Syria or Syria wil turn against Iraq and be

beaten by Iraq and Israel, following which there wil

be peace between these former enemies and the

NEW ASSYRIA.

87

It will happen according to the Bible!

And so, the immediate neighbors, possibly even

Saudi Arabia, wil ultimately be at peace with Israel,

and then some members of the Commonwealth of

Independent

States,

in

the

new

Soviet

confederation, will begin to move against Israel.

88

CHAPTER SEVEN

RUSSIA WILL INVADE ISRAEL!

(NOT the Battle of Armageddon)

In these next few chapters, I am going to

attempt to help you understand some of the basic

events you wil see take place in biblical prophecy

before the ascendency of Assyria as a nation will be

fulfilled.

One of the first is the invasion of Israel by

Russia (now cal ed

the

Commonwealth

of

Independent States).

Until just recently - the thought of Russia (CIS)

invading Israel seemed impossible.

Russia (CIS), led by President Gorbachev, was

a nation proclaiming "peace" to the world through

arms reduction treaties. Gorbachev was increasing

his pledges to cooperate with other nations to bring

Capitalism and Democracy to the Soviet Union.

But, on August 19, 1991, a coup was

launched,

and

an

attempt

to

overthrow

Gorbachev took place!

A new RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT was

installed!

VIRTUALLY OVERNIGHT, the political face of

Russia (CIS) changed.

Although this coup was ultimately defeated, it

clearly shows that Russia (CIS) is not the stable,

peace-loving, democratic society many believe it is

becoming.

Gorbachev ultimately resigned as

President of the former Soviet Union, and Boris

89

Yeltsin is now leading "The Commonwealth of

Independent states of Russia."

Expect this new nation to continue to use their

military strength to achieve their objectives - against

any nation, any time, and especial y, against Israel.

Now that they are breaking Russia (CIS) up

into independent states, there are several Russian

states which are heavily Muslim, and are bitter

enemies of Israel (at least five).

Any one of them could be the catalyst in

launching an offensive against Israel.

Ezekiel 38 and 39 give a detailed account of a

great military offensive launched against Israel by

Russia (CIS) and a confederation of Arab and

European counties.

In modern terms, the countries involved will

probably be Russia (CIS), Germany, Turkey, Iran,

Ethiopia and Libya.

Russia (CIS) will lead the invasion.

Daniel tells us:

"And at the time of the end shall the

king of the south (Arab and African

confederacy) push at him: and the king

of the

north

(Russia

(CIS)

and

confederates) shal come against him

like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with

horsemen, and with many ships; and he

shall enter into the countries, and shall

overflow and pass over" (Daniel 11:40).

Russia (CIS) wil attack Israel "to take a spoil."

The most likely reason for the attack would be

to control the flow of oil through the Middle East.

90

"Go up to the land of unwalled

villages; I will go to them that are at rest,

and dwell safely, all of them dwelling

without wal s, and having neither bars

nor gates, to take a spoil, and to take a

prey... upon the people that are

gathered out of the nations..." (Ezekiel

38:11-12).

Russia’s attack wil prove to be a major military

blunder.

The defeat of Russia (CIS) will make it clear

to the Jews that God has protected them.

God is going to supernaturally intervene

and the war will be won through the signs and

wonders He manifests on Israel’s behalf

(remember, one angel against 185,000 troops?).

"But in that day when Gog (Russia

- CIS) shall come against the land of

Israel, says the Lord God, My wrath shall

come up into My nostrils. For in My

jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have

I said, Surely in that day there shall be a

great shaking (cosmic catastrophe) in

the land of Israel; So that the fishes of

the sea, and the birds of the heavens,

and the beasts of the field, and all

creeping things that creep upon the

earth, and all the men that are upon the

face of the earth, shall tremble and

shake at My presence,

and the

mountains shall be thrown down, and

the steep places shall fall, and every wall

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(natural or artificial) shall fall to the

ground" (Ezekiel 38:18-20, TLB)

Ezekiel says only one-sixth of Russia’s great

army will escape death in the battle.

“And I will turn thee back, and leave

but the sixth part of thee" (Ezekiel 39:2).

So many will die that it wil take Israel seven

months to bury all the bodies left behind, and the

burning of the weapons wil go on for seven years.

“And they that dwell in the cities of

Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire

and burn the weapons, both the shields

and the bucklers, the bows and the

arrows, and the handstaves, and the

spears, and they shal burn them with

fire seven years:" (Ezekiel 39:9).

Someone may ask, "Brother John, how is it

possible for weapons to burn for seven years?"

Two ways:

One - The atomic charge in some of the

Russian weapons could be converted to a long-

lasting fuel supply.

Two - Many Russian weapons are made from

lignostone, a special wood process resembling thirty

or so pieces of plywood pressed together by

dynamic steam pressure. Lignostone is stronger

than steel, and very elastic; it burns better and

longer than coal.

So, the actual weapons captured during the

battle could be burned by Israel.

92

When the nation of Israel sees the signs and

wonders God manifests on their behalf to

miraculously deliver them out of the hands of

their enemies during this war, from that day

forward they will know and recognize beyond all

question that He is the Lord their God.

After this war, expect to see a major shift in the

balance of world power.

Since Russia (CIS) looses five-sixths of their

invading army, they wil cease to be a military threat

in the world. This shift in military power will furnish

the political and military climate for the rise of the

Antichrist out of the European community (we will

see in another chapter that the Antichrist is also

called "the Assyrian").

Now, is Israel all that rich?

Wel , the answer is "No, it isn’t."

But there are riches in that area that are coveted

by their enemies.

The oil in the Middle East is absolutely critical to

world expansion and to Western economic growth.

The oil from OPEC and the Arab nations fuels the

industrial machine of Western Europe. Germany,

Italy, France, the low countries are all dependent on

OPEC oil.

If Russia (CIS) can claim control of that oil, she

will have control of Europe. I believe that will be her

motivation as she moves in God’s plan as an

endtime pawn to a pathetic and devastating defeat.

93

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE WANDERING ASSYRIANS

Today, the Kurds are in Northern Iraq.

100,000 Assyrians are in the same area.

In 1933, many Assyrians were massacred by the

Iraqis.

Since World War II, their situation has changed

for the worse in Iran - where they are suspected of

collaborating with the Russians, and are now

returning to Iraq.

For generations, the Assyrians had lived in the

mountainous region in the vicinity of the Iranian,

Iraqi, Syrian, and Turkish borders.

They are the descents from the ancient

Assyrians.

When Nineveh, the capital of the

Assyrian Empire, fell in 606 B.C., many fled to the

north, where their descendants continued to live for

the next two-and-a-half millennia.

Much like the Jews, for decades they have

wandered throughout the world without a country.

The latter-day Assyrians are a smal , veteran

Christian community who pray in the same Syrian-

Aramaic dialect spoken by the inhabitants of

Babylonia in ages past.

This small Christian sect is closed in on al sides

by a sea of Muslims: Turks, Kurds, Persians, and

! Arabs - both Shiites and Sunnis - who are often in

95

conflict among themselves but invariably are hostile

to these unusual Christians.

Much like the Jews, the life of the Assyrians has

therefore never been a blissful one: hardship,

persecution, massacres and wars are their standard

lot.

They are often cal ed "The wandering Assyrians."

For weeks in 1991, the anguish of Kurdish

refugees was front-page news.

Yet, among the Iraqi refugees is another, smaller

ethnic group, one that has suffered Hussein’s

repression, but with much less attention from the

press.

An estimated 500,000 Assyrian Christians, the

descendants of a religious community at least 1,500

years old, have also fled their homes. According to

the Middle East Council of Churches, most of these

Assyrians are active in their Christian faith. Like the

Kurds, the Aramaic-speaking group long for

autonomous rule of their own territory. They have

suffered death and il ness brought on by

dehydration, hunger, and cold.

The Assyrians of Iraq, of whom their American

cousins number at about 300,000 are an oppressed

minority - like the Kurds, only more so, because they

are not even Muslims, so they are hated and

despised for their religious beliefs.

The ancient

Assyrians ruled the Beth-Nahrain, the land between

the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, from about 1100

B.C. to 612 B.C., when their empire fell to civil war

and foreign invasion.

Converted to Christianity in the first century A.D.,

they have been persecuted ever since.

Among

Kurdish rebels killed in Saddam Hussein’s notorious

96

chemical gas attacks during the Iran-lraq War were

several hundred Assyrian nationalists.

There were reports of mass graves of Assyrian

babies. Forty Assyrian men reportedly returned to

their villages in late April, 1991, only to be buried

alive by remnants of Iraq’s army.

Since 1988, over two hundred Assyrian villages

have been destroyed by Hussein, says Albert Yelda,

spokesman for the London-based Assyrian Cultural

and Advice Center.

The Society for Threatened People, based in

Germany, recently reported that over the past two

decades, Hussein’s regime killed 200,000 Kurds

and 20,000 Assyrians. The numbers will jump

much higher when the refugee death toll is finally

added.

In many ways, the Assyrians are the American

Indians of Iraq - they were there first, yet they now

are disenfranchised.

Their hope is that America and others will help

them create an autonomous Assyrian state - the first

in 2,60Q years. A Christian presence in that region

would be a stabilizing influence.

They share a dream of independence, but fear a

repeat of past betrayal, and cannot stomach war

with a country in which friends and relatives still live.

|

97

CHAPTER NINE

THE ANTICHRIST APPEARS -

SIGNING A SEVEN-YEAR COVENANT

WITH ISRAEL

Out of the ashes and over the dead bodies of

millions of people slaughtered from the Russia

(CIS)/lsrael conflict will arise a ten-toed European

kingdom which will have the strength of iron and the

weakness of clay (Daniel 2:40-45). I will not detail

that complete scenario of nations here, since that is

not the purpose of this book.

This ten-divisioned kingdom will be formed in

Europe, but within the boundaries of the old Roman

Empire. The beginning of this union is observable in

the highly successful European "Common Market,"

the goal of which is a political union and a universal

currency for all of the European states.

At the head of this "United States of Europe" wil

rise a president - the Antichrist. It is during the

beginning of his career as executive head of this

European federation that he will make a seven-year

covenant with Israel, which opens the way for Israel

to construct a temple and begin sacrifices.

"And he shall confirm the covenant

with many for one week (seven years):

and in the midst of the week he shall

cause the sacrifice and the oblation to

cease, and for the overspreading of

99

I;

abominations he shall make it desolate,

even until the consummation, and that

determined shall be poured upon the

desolate" (Daniel 9:27).

The Antichrist comes to power by deceit,

promises of "peace," and threats of war and

socialism.

"He shall enter peaceably even upon

the fattest places of the province; and he

shall do that which his fathers have not

done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall

scatter among them the prey, and spoil,

and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his

devices against the strong holds, even

fora time" (see Daniel 11:24).

He will be identified by Christians, though he is

unrecognized as such by the rest of mankind.

"Let no man deceive you by any

means: for that day shall not come,

except there come a falling away first,

and that man of sin be revealed, the son

of perdition;" (II Thessalonians 2:3).

And, he will be cal ed "The Assyrian."

"There thus saith the Lord God of hosts,

O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not

afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee

with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against

thee, after the manner of Egypt" (Isaiah

10:24).

100

"And this man shall be the peace, when

the Assyrian shall come into our land: and

when he shall tread in our palaces, then

shall we

raise against him seven

shepherds, and eight principal men"

(Micah 5:5).

We are already seeing now how the desire for

global peace is leading to the rise of a single

governing force (currently the United Nations), and

is headed to a place where a politician of inordinate

appeal and power could control world opinion.

The recent NEW WORLD ORDER that mobilized

to attack Iraq is indicative of the type of thinking the

nation’s leaders are now considering.

The leader who comes out of the New Roman

empire wil assert his world ambitions by taking on

the most troubling problem - the Middle East crisis.

The chaos of nations after the battle of Ezekiel 38-39

- often referred to as World War III - will suggest to a

war-weary world the need for a single ruler.

Out of this chaos the Antichrist will come up

strong with a smal people and skyrocket to

international prominence as the man with the

answers.

"He will oppose and will exalt himself

over everything that is called God or is

worshipped, so that he sets himself up in

God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be

God" (II Thessalonians 2:4, NIV).

I

For a period of 3 1/2 years, God will al ow the

Antichrist to have power and authority over the

i nations of the world.

It will be a time of great

101

affliction and persecution for those not accepting his

identification mark.

Throughout the world, it wil be a time of drought,

pestilence and worldwide famine. No one wil be

able to buy or sell unless they have the mark on their

right hand or forehead.

"And he causeth al , both small and

great, rich and poor, free and bond, to

receive a mark in their right hand, or in

their foreheads:

“And that no man might buy or sell, save

he that had the mark, or the name of the

beast, or the number of his name"

(Revelation 13:16-17).

Ultimately, the Antichrist is overcome.

"And they overcame him by the blood of

the Lamb, and by the word of their

testimony; and they loved not their lives

unto the death" (Revelation 12:11).

In review, the Antichrist wil make a seven-year

covenant with Israel, guaranteeing her national

security. This security from Arab opposition wil be

necessary, and prepare the way for the rebuilding of

the Jewish Temple.

Until the Antichrist arrives, and signs the treaty

with Israel, the Jewish Temple wil not be rebuilt.

102

CHAPTER TEN

REBUILDING THE TEMPLE

According to Ezekiel 40-48, which significantly

follows the story of the destruction of the Russian-

led confederation as it attempts to invade Israel, the

new Temple is necessary for the Antichrist’s later

appearance there.

Approximately 100 steps behind the Wailing Wall

is located the Dome of the Rock, or the Mosque of

Omar. It is to Islam what St. Peter’s in Rome is to

the Roman Catholics.

Despite the current existence of the Dome of the

Rock, according to Revelation 11:1-2, a Jewish

temple will be in existence in Jerusalem in the

closing days of the age.

It will be built by the time of the Great tribulation.

"And there was given me a reed like

unto a road: and the angel stood, saying,

Rise, and measure the temple of God,

and the altar, and them that worship

therein. But the court which is without

the temple leave out, and measure it not;

for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the

holy city shall they tread under foot forty

and two months.'

It will be constructed on its original site.

103

According to the Law of Moses, the only place

the Jewish temple can be built is upon Mount

Moriah, where the first two temples were erected.

One major obstacle right now is that the third

holiest place of the Muslim faith, the Dome of the

Rock, is squarely in the middle of the old Temple

site, and has been there for thirteen centuries!

Obviously, its destruction would cause great

concern for Muslims around the world.

But prophecy demands the Jewish Temple be

rebuilt there!

Daniel speaks of the Prince who wil make a

covenant with the Jewish people and guarantee

them religious freedom to make sacrifices and

oblations.

"And he shall confirm the covenant with

many for one week: and in the midst of the

week he shall cause the sacrifice and the

oblation

to

cease,

and for

the

overspreading of abominations he shall

make

it

desolate,

even

until

the

consummation, and that determined shall

be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel

9:27).

That can only be done in the Temple.

The prophet also predicted that after three-and-a-

half years, the Temple would be desecrated by the

Prince, the Antichrist, who would invade the inner

sanctum and proclaim himself God.

SO IT IS A PROPHETIC AND BIBLICAL

CERTAINTY THAT ULTIMATELY THE TEMPLE

WILL BE REBUILT!

104

I

The Antichrist must reach an agreement with the

; Arab countries to make a valid covenant with Israel.

There is no way a Jewish Temple can be rebuilt

! without some concession to Arab sensibilities.

Christians will recognize the Antichrist when he

makes his covenant with Israel.

At that time,

1

Christians wil know a time of great trouble lies

ahead.

The Antichrist wil reign in Jerusalem for three-

and-a-half years after having broken a seven-year

covenant with Israel halfway through.

"And he shall confirm the covenant

with many for one week (seven years):

and in the midst of the week (3 1/2

years) he shall cause the sacrifice and

the oblation to cease, and for the

overspreading of abominations he shall

make it desolate, even until the

consummation, and that determined

shall be poured upon the desolate"

(Daniel 9:27).

He will devise and impose a solution which will

be accepted. And peace wil result, for three and a

half years.

Then, the cataclysmic events which will climax at

Armageddon wil begin. The Bible says,

"When they shall say, Peace and

safety; then sudden destruction cometh

upon them, as travail upon a woman with

child; and they shall not escape (I

Thessalonians 5:3).

105

In summary, the Antichrist will arise out of the

new Roman Empire! His beast-kingdom of the last

days will position him as a false world savior under

the United States of Europe.

"I am come in my Father’s name, and

ye receive me not: if another shall come

in his own name, him ye will receive1'

(John 5:43).

AFTER the invasion of Israel by Russia (CIS),

according to the prophecy in the book of Daniel,

there will be a time lapse of about three and a half

years, a time when the Jews rebuild the Temple.

The Antichrist wil then refuse to allow further

sacrifices or rituals at the Temple.

Instead,

the

Antichrist

wil

commit the

"abomination of desolation" by desecrating the holy

of holies by using it as a platform to declare himself

to be God, and demanding the worship of mankind.

106

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ISRAEL HOSTS

THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON

After Russia’s defeat by Israel, only two

superpowers wil remain: the combined forces of

Western civilization, under the leadership of the

Antichrist, wil face the vast hordes of the Orient,

probably under the Red Chinese war machine.

The previous Russian attack will probably give

the Antichrist the excuse for full occupation of Israel

under the guise of protection.

In the actual battle of Armageddon, fully one-

third of the world population wil die!

"By these there was a third part of

men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke,

and by the brimstone (Revelation 9:15).

The BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON will take place

at Megiddo, near Nazareth (Revelation 16:16) - a

great plain where countless battles have already

been fought - over the plain of Jezreel, which

extends from the Mediterranean to the Jordan.

Joel called it the "valley of Jehoshaphat."

War is inevitable.

It will take place at the time of Christ’s return to

earth with His saints.

"And I saw heaven opened, and

behold a white horse; and he that sat

107

upon him was called Faithful and True,

and in righteousness he doth judge and

make war. His eyes were as a flame of

fire, and on his head were many crowns;

and he had a name written, that no man

knew, but he himself.

And he was

clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:

and his name is called the Word of God.

And the armies which were in heaven

followed him upon white horses, clothed

in fine linen, white and clean. And out of

his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with

it he should smite the nations: and he

shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he

treadeth the winepress of the fierceness

and wrath of Almighty God... And I saw

the beast (Antichrist) and the kings of the

earth, and their armies, gathered

together to make war against him that

sat on the horse, and against his army"

(Revelation 19:11-15,19).

Terrible fighting will center around the city of

Jerusalem.

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup

of trembling unto all the people round

about, when they shall be in the siege

both

against

Judah

and

against

Jerusalem" (Zechariah 12:2).

Isaiah speaks of frightful carnage taking place

south of Jerusalem (Isaiah 63:1-4).

John predicts so many people wil be

slaughtered in the conflict that blood wil stand up to

108

the horses’ bridles for a total distance of 200 miles

northward and southward of Jerusalem.

"And the winepress was trodden

without the city, and blood came out of

the winepress, even unto the horse

bridles, by the space of a thousand and

six hundred furlongs" (Revelation 14:20).

Slaughter results in the Middle East.

Also, a world-wide shock wave will destroy the

cities of the nations. In an instant, the great cities of

the world wil be gone.

"And the great city was divided into

three parts, and the cities of the nations

fell:" (Revelation 16:19).

Ultimately, the armies of God defeat this

confederacy of godless world government.

The remnant of nations that joined to battle

against Christ wil be slain by Christ’s sword. The

Antichrist and false prophet are cast into lake of fire,

and Satan is bound for one thousand years.

"And then the lawless one (the

Antichrist) will be revealed and the Lord

Jesus will slay him with the breath of His

mouth and bring him to an end by His

appearing

at

His

coming"

(II

Thessalonians 2:8, TLB).

"These both were cast alive into a

lake of fire burning with brimstone. And

the remnant were slain with the sword of

109

him that sat upon the horse, which

sword proceeded out of his mouth: and

all the fowls were filled with their flesh"

(Revelation 19:20-21).

Al war and rebel ion cease for one thousand

years.

"And I saw an angel come down from

heaven, having the key of the bottomless

pit and a great chain in his hand.

"And he laid hold on the dragon, that

old serpent, which is the Devil, and

Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

"And cast him into the bottomless pit,

and shut him up, and set a seal upon

him, that he should deceive the nations

no more, till the thousand years should

be fulfilled: and after that he must be

loosed a little season" (Revelation 20:1-

3).

In the prophecies of the downfall of Assyria,

because of her oppression of Israel, there are many

references to Assyria as being in the last days an

enemy of Israel.

'That I will break the Assyrian in my

land, and upon my mountains tread him

under foot: then shall his yoke depart

from off them, and his burden depart

from off their shoulders" (Isaiah 14:25;

Isaiah 10:20-27; 31:4-9; Micah 5:5,6).

n o

The future Antichrist is cal ed "the Assyrian,"

because he wil rule the old Assyrian Empire territory

when he comes (Isaiah 10:10-27; 30:18-33; 31:4-

32:20; Micah 5:3-15).

The prophecies in these passages were

recorded against the Assyrian king in the days of the

prophets, but a study of them reveals that they have

a latter-day fulfillment in the future Assyrian king who

is to oppress Israel just preceding her final

restoration. The Assyrian territory will be part of the

Antichrist’s kingdom and in that sense he is the king

of Assyria.

Israel, at the second coming of Christ, will be

regathered from Assyria.

"I will bring them again also out of the

land of Egypt, and gather them out of

Assyria; and I will bring them into the

land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place

shall not be found for them.

“And he shall pass through the sea

with affliction, and shall smite the waves

in the sea, and all the deeps of the river

shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria

shall be brought down, and the sceptre

of Egypt shall depart away" (Zechariah

10: 10- 11).

(Isaiah 11:10-16; 27:12,13; Matthew 24:31).

Assyria is to be blessed in the Millennium with

Israel.

"And in that day thou shalt say, O

LORD, I will praise thee: though thou

wast angry with me, thine anger is turned

i n

away, and thou comfortedst me" (Isaiah

12: 1).

Thus, we see Assyria in the kingdom of the beast

or as part of the eighth kingdom as to territory and

peoples.

At the moment, there are large numbers of

hopeless Assyrian refugees in camps in Greece,

Germany, Spain, Cyprus, Turkey and other

European countries waiting for their unknown

destination. More than 80,000 Assyrian refugees

have entered the U.S. to enjoy the safety and

opportunities given to them in this country of

freedom. A large number of these people are living

with hope that now is the time that America wil

assist them in gaining their long-denied rights as

equal citizens in Iraq, their ancestral homeland.

On August 5, 1991, the Assyrians were formally

accepted as members of the Unrepresented Nations

and Peoples Organization (UNPO) at the 2nd

Assembly of this new organization which was

founded in the Hague, The Netherlands in February,

1991.

From 612 BC to 1991 AD is along time to wait!

It was a historic day for the Assyrians. Is this the

first step in the prophecy restoring Assyria as

recorded in Isaiah 19:23-25?

"In that day there will be a highway

from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians

will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to

Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians

will worship together.

112

"In that way Israel will be the third,

along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing

on the earth.

"The Lord Almighty will bless them.

i

saying. ‘Blessed be Egypt mv people.

Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my

inheritance’" /Isaiah 19:23-25. NIV).

Throughout the world, many nations and

peoples like the Assyrians struggle to regain their

lost countries, maintain their cultural identity, and

establish basic human and economic rights.

In the case of the Assyrians, they are second-

class citizens in the land of their ancestors. The

Assyrians have sacrificed greatly to gain the

independence of their homeland, and despite their

pure loyalty they offered to the Allied cause, and

especial y to protect the interest of Great Britain, the

Assyrians lost hope of ever having the most basic

human rights which they once enjoyed in their high

and now inaccessible homeland in the Hakkari

mountains.

The Baath Regime, under the atrocious

leadership of Saddam Hussein, has shown new

measures of aggression against the Assyrian

people. Under his command the Iraqi forces have

already bombarded and devastated numerous

Assyrian vil ages in the North of Iraq.

A great

number of their historical churches and monasteries

have been leveled to the ground.

The Assyrians have been deprived of the right to

practice and preserve their culture and language.

Their able-bodied men have been dragged into the

army and put into the front lines to rage an unwitting

fight against the Kurds, Iran and Kuwait.

113

Cruel and inhumane atrocities inflicted upon the

innocent Assyrian people have forced these

unfortunate hordes to flee and leave their homes

and belongings and escape their homeland.

This process has been taking place for over two

decades.

In summary, here is the brief biblical history of

how God has used Assyria and Israel together in the

past, and how He will use them in the future:

1. Assyria is first mentioned as oppressing Israel

in the reign of Menahem when Israel was put under

tribute (2 Kings 15:16-20).

2. Assyria invaded Israel in the reign of Pekah (2

Kings 15:27-31).

3. Assyria formed an al iance with Judah against

Israel (2 Kings 16).

4. Assyria took the ten tribes of Israel captive in

749 B.C. (2 Kings 17).

5. Assyria invaded Judah after the fall of Israel (2

Kings 18,19).

6. Next came wars between Egypt and Assyria

for supremacy. During this time, Judah again fell

into the hands of Egypt ( 2 Kings 23). Assyria

oppressed Israel and Judah, periodical y, for about

175 years.

7. In the prophecies of the downfal of Assyria

because of her oppression to Israel, there are many

references to Assyria as being in the last days an

enemy of Israel (Isaiah 10:20-27; 14:25; 31:4-9;

Micah 5:5,6).

8. The future Antichrist is cal ed "the Assyrian,"

because he will rule the old Assyrian Empire territory

when he comes.

114

9. Israel at the second coming of Christ will be

regathered from Assyria (Isaiah 11:10-16; 27:12,13;

Zechariah 10:10,11; Matthew 24:31).

10. Assyria is to blessed in the Millennium with

Israel (Isaiah 11:16; 19:23-25).

Remember this:

"The men of Nineveh shall rise in

judgment with this generation, and shall

condemn it:" (Matthew 12:41).

Ancient Assyria, along with Egypt, was the great

early Middle Eastern empire. Its principal territory

coincided with modern Iraq and Syria. To fulfill

Isaiah’s prophecy, Syria and Iraq must merge into

one entity, possibly cal ed Assyria, which will in turn

make peace with Israel and then experience a

profound spiritual revival.

A merger of Syria and Iraq was attempted at the

beginning of 1979, but the initial undertaking was

aborted. Undoubtedly, one of the key prophetic

areas to watch will be in Syria and Iraq as "Assyria"

begins to move toward God’s plan.

Currently, the Assyrians are scattered, and no

man can gather them - it will take the power of

almighty God.

“Thy shepherds slumber, O king of

Assyria; thy nobles shall dwell in the dust;

thy people

is scattered upon

the

mountains, and no man gathereth them"

(Nahum 3:18).

As a miracle of miracles, Aramaic and most of

the ancient Biblical customs which were common to

115

Assyrian people have survived in northern Iraq

today.

Aramaic is still spoken in Iraq and in

northwestern Iran by remnants of the Assyrian

people and the Jews of the exile.

The Assyrians have now been without a country

for 2600 years, yet they have maintained their

identity. There are only two ancient countries that

have been without a country for thousands of years

and yet maintain their identity.

The Israelites have regained their country.

God has a plan for the Israelites as he does for

the Assyrians.

Believers who are realistic and see the Assyrians

scattered all over the world with no political, financial

or military power can only conclude it is through

God’s power that this prophecy can ever become a

reality.

Today,

Israel,

greatly

outnumbered

and

surrounded by the Arab world, exists by God’s

power and grace as a strong nation capable of

maintaining its freedom as a people. The Israelis will

turn to Christ the Messiah in the last days (Christ’s

second coming). At that time, Assyria wil be a

nation, and with Egypt, will befriend Israel.

Just as God blessed the Assyrians when they

repented back in the days of Jonah, so also today it

will happen once again!

I believe the day is soon coming when this

prophetic word from Isaiah 60:22 (NIV) wil soon be

fulfilled:

"The least of you will become a

thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I

am the LORD; in its time I will do this

swiftly."

116

ASSYRIAN OR ARAMAIC WORDS

THAT APPEAR IN THE BIBLE

In Acts 21:40 and 22:2 (NIV), Paul the Apostle

spoke to the Jews in Jerusalem in "Aramaic" (the

King James versions says "Hebrew tongue"). Dake,

in his Bible note, cal s it "Chaldee-Syriac."

Daniel 5:25-28: Mene. Tekel. Parsin.

Mene: God has numbered the days of your

reign and brought it to an end.

Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales

and found wanting.

Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the

Medes and Persians.

Matthew 5:22: Baca, which means "I spit on

you."

Matthew 27:46: "Eloi. Eloi. lama sabachthani?"

which means, "My God, my God, why have you

forsaken me?"

Mark 5:41: "Talitha koum". which means "Little

girl, I say to you, get up."

Mark 7:11: Corban. that is, "a gift devoted to

God."

Mark 7:34: Ephphatha which means "be

opened."

John 20:16: Cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni"

(which means teacher).

Acts 1:19:

"They cal ed that field in their

language “akeldama" that is, "field of blood."

Acts 21:40: "... he said to them in Aramaic... "

(NIV).

Acts 22:2: "When they heard him speak to them

in Aramaic..." (NIV).

119

Acts 26:14: We heard a voice saying to me in

Aramaic, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It

is hard for you to kick against the pricks."

I Corinthians 16:22: Maranatha (KJV) "Our Lord,

come".

Abba. Father, found in Mark 14:36; Romans

8:15; Galatians 4:6.

In Acts 6:1 (NIV), Luke mentions "the Aramaic

speaking community."

Cephas. Aramaic for "rock," John 1:42;

I Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Galatians 2:9.

Final y, the text in Daniel 2:4 through Chapter 7 is

in Aramaic.

120

ESTIMATED ASSYRIANS IN THE WORLD - 1992

Iraq

1,550,000

Syria

900,000

U.S.A.

290,000

Lebanon

245,000

Russia (now called C.I.S.)

135,000

Iran

73,000

Turkey

61,500

Sweden

24,000

Australia

24,500

Germany

21,500

United Kingdom

12,500

South America

8,500

Canada

11,500

France

7,500

Kuwait

6,900

Holland

12,500

Belgium

5,800

Switzerland

3,600

Greece

3,500

Italy

2,900

All other countries

375,000

Total World

3,773,200

Assyrians include Chaldeans, Jacobites, Church of

the East, and others.

* These numbers are estimates only.

121

Assyrians in the United States -1992

Little Rock, Arkansas

4,000

Los Angeles, California

23,000

Turlock, California

9,500

Modesto, California

10,000

San Francisco, California

8,000

San Diego, California

4,500

Other California

11,500

Chicago, Illinois

68,000

North Eastern Indiana

8,000

Boston, Mass./Hartford,

Conn. Area

9,500

Detroit, Michigan

45,500

Flint, Michigan

4,000

Other Michigan

11,000

New York, New York

9,500

Yonkers, New York

11,500

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

6,500

Elizabeth, New Jersey

6,000

Other U.S.A.

40,000

TOTAL U.S.A.

296,000

* These numbers are estimates only, and also

include Chaldeans, Jacobites, Church of the East

and others.

122

PROPHETS OF THE ASSYRIAN PERIOD

Jonah: Sent to warn the inhabitants of Nineveh

(capital of Assyria) of God’s judgement. As a result,

the people changed their ways and God spared the

city.

Amos: Born in Judah but prophesied in Israel

during reign of Jeroboam II. Condemned Israel’s

neighboring countries for their cruelty, but mostly

Israel for breaking God’s laws. Warned that the

Israelites would be taken captive by the Assyrians.

Hosea: In the years leading up to the fall of

Samaria.

Hosea warned that the people would

become slaves in Assyria because they had

forgotten God. They had even turned to Assyria and

Egypt for help.

Isaiah: Lived in Jerusalem at the time when

Judah was threatened by the Assyrians. Looked

ahead not only to the deliverance of Jerusalem from

the Assyrians but also to its conquest by the

Babylonians and to a future age of peace.

Micah: Warned of the Assyrian and Babylonian

invasions; predicted the fall of both Samaria and

Jerusalem.

Zephaniah:

Lived

during

Josiah’s

reign.

I Condemned the worship of Canaanite and Assyrian

I gods.

Predicted disaster for the pagan nations

around. Foretold the destruction and restoration of

Jerusalem.

Nahum: Predicted the destruction of Nineveh as

a judgement on the Assyrians for their cruel

treatment of other nations.

125

SYRIAC VOCABULARY AS SPOKEN

TODAY IN THE ASSYRIAN HOMES

Believe (to): limhaimoone

I believe: mhaimoone win

I will believe: bit mhaiminin

I believed: mhoominee

Confession: maodeta

Conversation: sohbat

Cross: sleeva

Die (to): limyata

Faith: haimanootha

False: ginaha

Fast (religious): soma

Fear: zdoota

Free: azad

Give (to): leeyava

I will give: bit yavin

I gave: yevilee

Given: peesha yoova

Government: hookma

Grandfather: savoona

Grandchildren: navigi

Help (to): limhayoore

I will help: bit mhayerin

I helped: mhooyeree

Honor: eegara

Hope: hevee

Important: lazim

Kind: mrakhamana

King: malka

Lady: khanim

Lamb: pera

Leader: mtagbirana

126

Learn (to): lilyapa

I will learn: bityalpen

I learned: leeplee

To live: likhaya

I will live: bit khayin

I lived: khelee

Look (to): limgashooge

I will look: bit mgnshgin

I looked: mgooshiklee

Lord: mara

Love: khooba

Minister: wazeer

Mission: skleekhoota

Mistake: khilta

News: khabra khata

Obedience: masyatta

Obey (to) Imasyoote

I will obey: bit masyittin

I obeyed: moosyitlee

Parents: avake

Patience: khamalta

Peace: shlama

People: nashe

Poor: miskena

Possible: momkin

Praise (noun): khigra

Praise (to): likhgara

I will praise: bit khagrin

I praised: khgiree

Pray (to): limsalooye

I will pray: bit msalin

I prayed: msoolelee

Prayer: slootha

Present (gift): pashkash

Price: teema

127

Prophet: nveeya

Promise (noun): qowla

Promise (to make): limgawoole

Proof: sahdootha

Protect (to): lintara

Proud: mare shoovhara

Punishment: mtalamta

Question: mbagarta

Raise (to): Imaroome

Receive (to): limgaboole

Religion: mazhab

Remember (to): lidkhara

Return (to): lidyara

Reward: haqa

Right hand: yam meena

River: nahra

Road: oorkha

Room: otagh

Remember (to): lidkhara

Return (to): lidyara

Rich: dowlatmand

Say (to): lemara

See (to): likhzaya

Send (to): limshadoore

I will send: bit mshadrin

Sheep: erbe

Sick: mirya

Sing (to): lizmara

Sin: khteeta

Star: kaokhva

Talk (to): limhamzoome

Teach (to): Imaloope

I will teach: bit malpin

I taught: mooliplee

Teacher: malpana

128

1 Tell (to): limtangooye

■

I will tel : bit mtanin

i I told: mtoonelee

! Thank (to): litana minta

Think (to): likhshava

, Touch (to): lidgara

Valuable: mare teema

Village: mata

Voice: khala

Wait (to): lispara

Walk (to): likhdara

Want (to): libaya

Way: oorkha

Weep (to): libkhaya

Widow: armilta

Wife: bakhta

Wind:pokha

Wine: khamra

Winter: sitwa

Wise: honana

Witness: sahdootha

Wolf: deva

Word: khabra

Work: poolkhana

World: doonye

Write (to): liktava

Writing: kthawta

Wrong: khilta

Yesterday: timmal or yoma d’vire.

Young: zoora or juanqa

129

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

ASSYRIAN CHURCH CUSTOMS, Surma D’Bait Mar

Shimun, Edited by W.A. Wigram, D.D., 1920

ASSYRIAN SCULPTURE, Julian Reade, British

Museum Publications Ltd., London, England, 1983

ASSYRIAN SELF-TEACHER, Volume One, William

Sarmas, Cannes, France

BY FOOT TO CHINA, Dr. John M.L. Young, Tokyo

Radio Press, 1984 (History of the Church of the

East)

COLLOQUIAL SYRIAC, Lieut. R. Hart, M.B.E., Mosul

Assyrian Press, Chicago, IL, 1926

DAKE’S ANNOTATED REFERENCE BIBLE, Finis

' Jennings Dake, Dake Bible Sales, Inc., Atlanta, GA,

1963

DOCUMENTS FROM OLD TESTAMENT TIMES,

Edited by D. Winton Thomas, Harper and Row, New

York, 1961

FROM IRAQ TO ARMAGEDDON, Keith Intrater,

Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, PA, 1991

GODS’ PLAN FOR MAN, Rev. Finis Jennings’ Dake,

Dake Bible Sales, Inc., Lawrenceville, GA 1949

131

HISTORY OF THE SYRIAN NATION AND THE OLD

EVANGELICAL - APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF THE

EAST, Prof. George David Malech, Minneapolis, MN

HOLY BIBLE FROM THE PESHITTA - THE

AUTHORIZED BIBLE OF THE CHURCH OF THE

EAST, George M. Lamsa, A.J. Holman Co.,

Nashvil e, TN, 1957

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE

DICTIONARY,

Logos

International, Plainfield, NJ, 1977

JOSEPHUS - THE JEWISH WAR, G.A. Williamson,

translator, Penguin Books, Baltimore, MD, 1974

LAND OF THE LION AND THE SUN, Absalom D.

Shabaz, Published by the author, Milwaukee, Wl,

1901 and 1904

MINORITIES IN THE ARAB WORLD, A.H. Hourani,

Oxford University Press, London, New York,

Toronto, 1947

MY NEIGHBOR JESUS, George M. Lamsa, Aramaic

Bible Center, Inc., San Antonio, TX 78246,1932

NATIONAL ASSYRIAN AMERICAN BUSINESS AND

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY, CHICAGO, IL, 1990

and 1992

NAVE’S TOPICAL BIBLE, Orvil e J. Nave, Moody

Press, Chicago, IL 1921

132

j OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY, Wil iam Lasor, David

; Hubbard, Frederic Bush, Wil iam B. Eerdmans

Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Ml 1982

OPERATION BABYLON, Shlomo Hil el, Doubleday

ORAHAM’S DICTIONARY OF THE ASSYRIAN

LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH, Alexander Joseph

Oraham, Mic. D.

Consolidated Press (Assyrian

Press of America), Chicago, IL 1943

OUR YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW,

Peter H. Talia, 1980

POCKET BIBLE HANDBOOK, Henry H. Hailey,

Eighteenth Edition Revised, Henry H. Hailey,

Chicago, IL, 1948

READER’S DIGEST ATLAS OF THE BIBLE, The

Readers Digest Assoc., Inc. Pleasantvil e, NY, 1981

REPUBLIC OF FEAR, Samer al-Khalil, Pantheon

Books, NY, 1990

TEACH YOURSELF ARAMAIC, Dr. Mar Aprem, Mar

Narsai Press, Trichur, Kerala, India, 1981

THE ASSYRIANS AND THEIR NEIGHBOURS, Rev.

W.A. Wigram, G. Bel and Sons, London, 1929

THE ASSYRIAN TRAGEDY, Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII,

Annemasse, 1934

133

THE BLOOD OF THE MOON - THE ROOTS OF THE

MIDDLE EAST CRISIS, George Grant, Wolgemuth

and Hyatt, Brentwood, TN, 1991

THE BRITISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS,

Yusuf Malek, The Assyrian National Foundation,

Chicago, IL

THE DEATH OF A NATION, Abraham Yohannan,

Ph.D., G.P. Putnam’s Sons, NY and London, 1916

THE HOLY BIBLE, New International Version,

Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Ml, 1979

THE

INTERNATIONAL

STANDARD

BIBLE

ENCYCLOPEDIA, James Orr, General Editor, Vol. I,

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids, Ml

1974

THE LION ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE BIBLE, Lion

Publishing Corp., Batavia, IL, 1986

THE LIVING BIBLE, Tyndale House Publishers,

Wheaton, IL 1971

THE NESTORIANS OR THE LOST TRIBES, Asahel

Grant, 1840

THE NEW COMPACT BIBLE DICTIONARY, T. Alton

Bryant, Editor, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand

Rapids, Ml 1967

THE OLD TESTAMENT SPEAKS, Samuel J. Schultz,

Harper & Row, NY 1960

134

THE OLDEST CHRISTIAN

PEOPLE,

William

Emhardt and George Lamsa, AMS Press, NY, 1926

THE RAGE OF ISLAM, Yonan H. Shahbaz, The

Judson Press, Philadelphia

Periodicals

ARAMCO

WORLD

MAGAZINE,

Aramco,

Washington, D.C.

ASSYRIAN GUARDIAN, Assyrian Guardian, Inc.,

Chicago, IL

ASSYRIAN UNIVERSAL ALLIANCE FOUNDATION

NEWSLETTER, Assyrian Universal Foundation,

Chicago, IL

MATHIBANA, Bul etin of Information, France, 1974

THE ASSYRIAN STAR, The Assyrian Star Inc.,

Chicago, IL

VOICE OF ASSYRIANS, Chicago, IL

Papers

"A Comparative Study of the Form and Function of

Assyrian and Egyptian Architecture," Sharon Wel s

Booko, Independent Study in Humanities paper,

Barat College of The Sacred Heart, Lake Forest,

Il inois, April 1985

"A Rock in Iraq," Rev. Kenny Joseph, Tokyo, Japan

135

League of Nations, Official Journal, Special

Supplement No. 143, Geneva, 1935

"Assyrian Nation in the Great War," Part One and

Two.

"The Assyrian Nation After the Great War," Part One

(1920-1932), Part Two (Jan. - July, 1935) compiled

by Dr. Emanuel Yousip Kamber,

Kalamazoo, Ml

"A Brief History of the Assyrian Nation," G.M.

Dooman, 1942

Assyrians: A Synopsis, Assyrian Universal Al iance

Foundation, Chicago, IL

Assyrians, The Ashurbanipal Library, Chicago, IL

"Church of the East," Esho S. Marcus, D.M.D.,

B.D.S.

"Assyria and Assyrian in the Bible," Rev. John

Booko, Three Rivers, Ml

"The Assyrian Bonfire of February," Gewargis M.

Yaco

"Our Smal est Ally," Rev. W.A. Wegram

"The Tragedy of the Assyrians," Lt. Col. R.S. Stafford

"Who Are Assyrians" Wil iam Daniel

"God’s Plan for the Assyrians" John Yoman

136

"Kha-B’Nissan, Assyrian New Year," Dr. Emanuel

Yousip Kamber, Kalamazoo, Ml

"Assyria’s End," Wil iam H. Shea, Ph.D., Berrien

Springs, Ml, 1980

Articles

"The Assyrian Nationhood," David B. Perley, The

Assyrian Star, Jan./Feb. 1971

"There wil be an Assyria," Assyrian Sentinel, Vol. 3,

No. 3, June 1978, Hartford, Conn.

"Ashor, Khoshaba Pnuel," The Assyrian Star

"Immortal Beasts," Time, May 9,1960

"Custodian For the Fertile Crescent, " Time, March

31,1967

"The Assyrians of Iran" Reunification of a Mil at,"

1906-1914, Eden Naby, The Assyrian Star."

"Are the Assyrians a Nation?", Mark Thomas, The

Assyrian Star, Nov.-Dee., 1971

"Away From Iraq, Assyrians Try to Retain Identity,"

Andrew Cassel, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 16,

1991

"Exile on State Street," Paul Glastris, U.S. News and

World Report, p. 15, Feb. 11,1991

137

"Hope For a Homeland," Stephen Franklin, Chicago

Tribune, Jan. 10,1991

"Urgent Assistance Required For Assyrian Refugees

in Cyprus," R.J. Rushdoony,

Chalcedon Report, No. 316, Nov. 1991, Val ecto, CA

"The History of Our Language," Wil iam Sarmas, The

Assyrian Star

"Aramaic, Syriac or Assyrian," Haido Yuarish, The

Assyrian

"A Brief Study in the Aramaic Language, Isaac

Ibrahim," The Assyrian Star, May-June 1974, p. 21

"The Language of Jesus is a Living Tongue: Aramaic

Spoken Stil by Church of the East." The Protestant

Voice, Nov. 14,1947

"Assyrian Church of the East." Victor Wales, The

Assyrian

"Light From the East," Irwen St. John Tucker, The

Protestant Voice, Dec. 26,1947

"Christmas and Christianity An Assyrian Heritage,"

S.M.

"The Assyrian Church Under the Sasanian and

Muslim Rulers," Emanuel Kamber, The Assyrian

"Tatian the Assyrian," John Booko, Northern Baptist

Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL 1948

138

"Nestorius,"

John

Booko,

Northern

Baptist

Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL 1949

Tapes And Video

Phases of Civilization An Assyrian Legacy, Prototype

Productions, Assyrian - American Federation, Inc.

Assyrian Destiny in the Middle East, John Yonan,

Chicago, IL, 1980

Audio

Assyria in Prophecy, Rev. John Booko, Intercessors

For America Lifeline, Seattle, WA, 1991

Assyria and Iraq, Rev. John Booko, Three Rivers

Christian Fellowship, P.O. Box 422, Three Rivers,

Michigan 43093,1991

The Language of Jesus, Rev. John Booko, Three

Rivers Christian Fellowship, 1992

139

Should you desire to contact Brother John

Booko for a speaking engagement or a seminar, he

can be reached at:

Reverend John Booko,

200 S. Hooker Avenue

Three Rivers, Ml 49093

Phone (616) 279-2672

141

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Booko, Sr. is an American born Assyrian

whose parents were born in Northern Iraq; he

speaks the Assyrian language.

Reverend Booko

holds a Bachelor of Theology degree from Northern

Baptist Seminary in Oakbrook, Il inois, and a Master

of Arts degree from Northwestern University

Graduate School in Evanston, Il inois.

He is an ordained Baptist minister having served

in Baptist Churches for 24 years.

In 1975 he

founded the Three Rivers Christian Fel owship, an

interdenominational Church, where he serves the

Lord with his son, Paul. He and his wife, Burnel ,

have resided in Three Rivers, Michigan since 1963.

They have four children and fourteen grandchildren.

John also serves as the Regional Representative

for

"Intercessors

for

America,"

a

ministry

encouraging effective prayer and fasting for the

church, our nation, and their leaders.

His

Trans/Local ministry is to build unity among pastors

and to bless and encourage other churches and

ministries.

In May of 1983, he travel ed to Israel at the

invitation of the government’s Herut Party and met

with Prime Minister, Menachem Begin in his office in

Jerusalem.

In April of 1985, he was invited to Egypt by the

Egyptian Foundation. In Cairo, Egypt, he visited

with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in his

Presidential Palace, and prayed with him.

143