See The Proof

As someone who lives and works in Israel for part of the year for well over a decade, here’s the most common struggle that most people have when it comes to Israel. Most fall into 1 of 2 views:

1) They focus on the long past, ancient Israel, filled with bible stories, spiritual lessons and poetic allegory and are confused about today’s Israel.

2) They focus on the good and bad of modern Israel, full of politics, conflict and confusing news reports and can see little to no connection to their biblical ancestors.

I believe when we can put them together into one unfolding story, something far more valuable emerges. Verifiable evidence.

Years ago, I would speak at different events and verbally attempt to blend these two views of the biblical and modern Israel. I would often get responses like “That was a great presentation, but I think that ______” (fill in their favorite political opinion or spiritual theology).

What was often most challenging for me was that the people who had strongest opinions were those who haven’t stepped foot in Israel, let alone were on a holy land tour.

While I’m not opposed to people’s opinions, I wasn’t attempting to share abstract ideas or theological arguments. I was trying to explain the present day convergence of what is written in the Bible and the practical, on the ground realities.

I needed a better approach. Something more solid that was hard to dispute. Not for the sake of winning an argument; for the sake of revealing the truth.

By this time, I had started bringing a couple small groups under the name of Ezra Adventures. As I got to know more of Jerusalem’s old city shops, I would often be captivated by the piles of old black and white photos that usually stacked in the corner.

You’d find old shots of Jerusalem’s famed views, but with small shacks rather than big hotels or the stone city gates with kneeling camels in front of them, beside piles of oranges, as they were 100+ years ago.

I would recognize where those locations were but they did not look like THAT today. It was like looking into a time capsule, trying to imagine if the people in those pics would recognize these same familiar places in our world.

“I would love for people, that may never travel to Israel, to be able to see these incredible changes”, I thought. “Maybe I could put something together that would be a good advertisement and could get a few more small groups.”

In my head, that’s where it started. Not knowing if anyone, but a few weirdos like me, would want to see something like that.

About that time, I had been reading more of the biblical kings and prophets, just trying to learn about the places they lived and prophesied about. I told myself “If I’m going to be bringing groups here, I need to know this land.” Doing so certainly helped.

The longer I was in Israel, the more changes I saw. Deserts turning green, biblical locations being rebuilt, Jews returning from everywhere. I realized that the prophets’ words were starting to look shockingly similar.

Hula Valley then:

During one unforgettable drive down the Jordan Valley, it hit me. “Waaaaait a minute…” I wondered, “could all what I’m seeing... be that?” Then my skepticism set in. “After 2600 years, surely these words had been fulfilled sometime before.” Or so I thought.

Curiously, I began a personal journey of looking into 1000s of years of regional history and documenting eyewitness accounts for the last 1800 years up to the modern formation of the state of Israel. I even spoke with some Jewish pioneers who returned from the nations, just to hear their stories.

The more I learned, the more I realized something. Several historical anomalies, unique in human history- all surrounding this land and this people group- were looking right at me.

These biblical lands have been conquered and reconquered multiple times through the centuries. It never had become a homeland for any other people group. Jerusalem never became a capital city or even a thriving city for any other nation. Several empires came and went, leaving the land in ruins, mostly forgotten and relatively empty.

The eyewitness accounts for almost 2000 years all spoke to this same thing. By the time the new “cutting edge technology” of photography was creating in the mid 1840s, the first photographs of these biblical places gave visual credence to these historical accounts.

“Coincidentally”, this is exactly what the prophets foretold.

These ancient prophecies tell us that God made a covenant between Himself, the Jewish people and this land- forever. Almost every prophet promises that God will bring His people back home. Isaiah says He will do it TWICE.

They tell us that when the Jewish people are out of the land, the land will be desolate, barren and a mockery of the nations. When they return, the branches will put forth fruit, the land will be cultivated and sown, the waste and forgotten places will be rebuilt, the people will multiply on it- all in ways that it never experienced before. And they say that God will do this the sight of all the nations.

I found that, in comparison, no other ancient people group in human history has any type of ancient writings foretelling the destruction of their homeland and the scattering of their people to then later return to revive the land, rebuild their cities and restore their national sovereignty. Not the Persians, the Greeks, the Chinese… no other people have these kinds of prophecies.

Just another historical anomaly that was hard for me to ignore. And its all in the Bible, talking about this people and this land. The next step was to figure how to visually pull this altogether.

I began gathering some beautiful old photography taken between 1844 and the 1940s, with the goal of capturing these same angles to show how much the land has changed under Jewish sovereignty, according to the biblical promises. Not as a nice then/now collection but as visual evidence that the prophets words are coming true, exactly as they foretold.

Fast forward several years, I’ve worked with some extremely talented photographers and videographers (of which I am neither) to create the “Ancient Prophecy/Modern Lens visual series”.

• “Israel Rising” is a then/now photo book that visually documents incredible revival of the land in over 25 locations all over Israel, according to the detailed descriptions of Ezekiel.

• “Jerusalem Rising” is a then/now photo book that visually documents the ongoing restoration of Jerusalem, according to the detailed descriptions of Zachariah.

• “10 Prophecies Fulfilled in Your Lifetime” is an online video course that looks at 10 more specific prophecies. In this course, we read the prophecies then I take you on location in Israel to show you how and where its happening today, for the first time ever.

• “______ Rising” (coming in 2026) will be my next then/now photo book that captures the incredible personal stories of those who returned from the nations, according to the detailed descriptions of Jeremiah.

Sometimes skeptics will say “That’s great, but ANY city in the world looks better today than it did 100 years ago.” That’s true. But no city or nation on earth has had these dramatic changes foretold 2600 years before they happen.

That’s what makes these visuals unique. Not the pictures, but the promises.

In this series, you can read the ancient prophecy, review the history and eyewitness accounts, then see the visual evidence for yourself. From there you can decide if this is all some wild coincidence or something (or Someone) much more intriguing and powerful is at work.

But that’s not the end of the biblical prophetic promises.

These same prophets say that when the restoration of Israel happens it will not only be by Jewish hands. They say that people from nations will join and help.

The prophets say that the nations will bring the Jewish sons and daughters back on the shoulders. That ships will come from afar with silver and gold and restore the fortunes of Jacob. That foreigners will build up their walls and encourage their leaders. That strangers will tend their flocks, work the fields and the vineyards.

The prophets foretell that foreigners, strangers and people from the nations- not just Jews- will help restore the nation of Israel and fulfill these prophetic words.

100 years ago this sounded practically impossible. Today, you can personally be a part of these fulfillments. I’ve been leading groups that have done all of these things.

But what is the point of all of this? Is God just promising to make Israel pretty again?

These same prophets also foretell a time when all nations will turn on Israel and a King will arrive on the Mount of Olives to defend His people, His city Jerusalem and to establish His rule in peace and justice. According to the prophets, this restoration is all leading somewhere – to the arrival of the King.

I invite you to join this unfolding journey of learning with Ezra Adventures. Through my research I hope you’ll read the ancient prophecies, see the evidence of how they are tangibly happening in our lifetime, then join us in the restoration with a life changing trip to Israel.

Today, when I’m speaking at events, I’m done with just intellectual lectures. No more allegories, spiritual parallels or speculation of the future. I want to show the visual evidence, tangible proof and miraculous current events happening right now that cannot be denied, all unfolding as was promised.

Quite simply, we are living in Bible times. We are living in the times that the prophets foretold. Their words are coming to pass for the first time ever, there is visual evidence to prove it and you are invited to step into the pages of your Bible and to be a part of it.

Whether Jew or Gentile, someone is going to fulfill their words. Many already are. Why not you?

I invite you to join this unfolding journey with the Ezra Adventures community and to see the evidence for yourself.