Jeremiah 30:1-3 “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’”
The world has come to a point in history that is unlike anything we have seen in the past 70 years. The church has known for centuries that Israel would be a center point in last days prophecy and what is currently unfolding in the Middle East can only be described as historic.
Jeremiah 30:4-9. ”These are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah:“Thus says the LORD:
We have heard a cry of panic,
of terror, and no peace.
Ask now, and see,
can a man bear a child?
Why then do I see every man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?
Why has every face turned pale?
Alas! That day is so great
there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
yet he shall be saved out of it. And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.a But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.”
On the morning of October 7th the terrorist group known as Hamas attacked Israel by land, sea, and by air.
On that fateful morning and subsequently through the next couple days, over 1400 Israeli’s lost their lives while 229 people remain as hostages. The reports were staggering, innocent civilians tortured and murdered, women raped, children beheaded, entire families tied together and burned alive…the atrocities are too many and too disturbing to mention.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately declared war against Hamas and soon the reminder of Jeremiah 30 became a rally cry among the jewish people.
The Gaza Strip is an enclave of people referred to as Palestinians, they were once bedouins from multiple countries living in the region who were displaced when Israel once again became a nation in 1948. After multiple wars against Israel by neighboring countries, the lands known as the West Bank and Gaza Strip were segmented off and the people became known as Palestinians. Most Palestinians trace their origins to prominent tribes in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Egypt. The original term for Palestine dates back 1900 years and was a greek reference to the ancient nation of Philistia (Philistines), a nation that disappeared in the 6th century. In 1937, a local Arab leader told the Palestine Royal Commission, “There is no such country [as Palestine]. Palestine is a term the Zionists invented! Our country for centuries was part of Syria.”
Today, the nation of Israel sits between Jordan, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority all bordering Israel to the east. Lebanon serves as the northern border and Egypt borders in the south. To the far north lies Turkey and Russia.
Every country that borders Israel is muslim to the core. They have each regarded Israel as an illegal occupier of lands and refuse to accept them into their original homeland.
In the year 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed the temple and later in 135 A.D . scattered the Jews across the world, a nation of people that maintained their identity while living in foreign lands. It wasn’t until nearly 2000 years later did Israel suddenly and unexpectedly become a nation after the Nazi holocaust.
Hosea 6:1-2 “Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.”
From 70 A.D. until 1948 Israel had ceased to be a nation. Nearly 1900 years after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, the nation of Israel was revived…seemingly out of the dust the Lord brought forth His people once again.
No time in Israel’s history has aligned with the prophecy in Hosea until now.
*1000 yrs—day to the Lord. (2 Peter 3:8)
Like dead bones lying in a valley, the Lord miraculously revived Israel to become a nation once more. Never in history has this occurred to any other people. Israel remains a nation that identifies with God.
Ezekiel 37:1-5. “The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
A Great Tumult
The nation of Israel has been the source of incredible division and controversy since their inception.
Psalm 83:1-4. “Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!
For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
This is exactly what these nations are shouting today. As we speak Iran, the “Palestinians”, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Yemen are all conspiring how to eliminate Israel from the earth.
Zechariah 12:1-9 gives a vivid description of how Israel will appear to her enemies.
*The Lord has made Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the nations that surround it.
*A cup of drunkenness
*All who would try to ruin her will be injured.
*All her enemies will be blinded by God.
*The Lord will strike the nations with blindness
*He will make them like a fire pan in a woodpile, a torch among sheaves.
*The Lord will strengthen them.
Then we see the progression from distress, to deliverance…
Vs. 10. “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
The return of the Lord will be demonstrated by the response of a nation who missed the Messiah. When Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation, the nation of Israel will truly see her King. (Zechariah 14)
A World in Chaos
Yesterday, Sudan with is the biblical country of Ethiopia is aligning with Iran against Israel. Libya (Put) has expelled most of the western diplomats thus aligning themselves with the muslim world.
Russia is holding high level talks with China and Iran and the ground invasion that Israel has promised to occur might be the spark that ignites the wood pile and sheaves.
Hezbollah called for an “unprecedented day of rage” on October 18th against Israel and throughout the world thousands of people showed support for Hamas and shouted antisemitic chants against Israel. “Death to Israel” were shouted in the streets of Ankara, Turkey, throughout Gaza and the West Bank, and in the nations that constitute the Arab league of nations.
Do you think it doesn’t affect you?
Campuses all over the country and world have had rally’s supporting the Palestinian cause, including the University of Washington. The rise of antisemitism is surfacing on streets, in schools, and businesses.
Why is this series of events important today?
Currently America has:
- Two aircraft carrier groups — the USS Gerald Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower — with roughly 7,500 personnel each.
- Two amphibious Navy ships, which are equipped with thousands of Marines.
- F-35, F-15, F-16 and A-10 fighter jets to supplement aircraft already in the area. 37:11-14.
A fleet of support ships positioned in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian gulf are ready for a war that is encompassing the world. It is a war forming to become a vacuum of world intervention.
China is sending ships into the region, Turkey’s president Edrogen announced that Hamas is not a terrorist organization but a Mujahideen which are (Muslims who fight on behalf of the faith or the Muslim community.) These foreign nations see this war as a spiritual war of the cross against the crescent.
The country of Lebanon has an army of radical Hezbollah guerilla’s with tens of thousands of rockets supplied by Iran ready to launch. With clashes already occurring at the border, the tensions continue to escalate. The Houthi’s in Yemen launched 4 cruise missiles toward Israel but the American navy intercepted them before they reached their destination. The UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco all condemn Israel and claim they are violating international law against the citizens of Gaza.
Gog and Magog
Ezekiel 38 is a description of the war that will usher in the rise of the antichrist and subsequently the rapture of the church.
The countries involved will be like a cloud of people, led by Russia, that will descend upon the nation of Israel. The Lord will lead Gog out by placing “hooks” in his jaws and draw him forth against his will, but God will intervene and give Israel an overwhelming victory. Ezek. 38:18-23
The nations that accompany Gog(leader) of Magog include Russia(Rosh), central asian republics of Russia(Magog), Iran (Persia), Sudan (Ethiopia), Libya (Put), and then Turkey (Meshech, Tubal, Beth-togarmah, Gomer) as well as “many peoples”.
The nations of Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Algeria, Tunisia, and surrounding ISIS legions accompany those who are bent on the destruction of Israel.
These nations will be lured by the thought of capturing spoil and plunder (Ezekiel 38:12-13) from Israel. Israel has a vast number of resources such as Dead Sea minerals, natural gas, oil, and livestock.
Ezekiel 38 is the battle, Ezekiel 39 is the aftermath of God’s destruction of these nations.
For the Ezekiel 38 war to occur, there must be certain conditions that are met.
- It will happen in the latter years. (38:8). We know this to be true because Israel has become a nation (1948) and there has been a convergence of prophecies.(signs)
- Israel must be a wealthy nation.(38:12-13). Israel’s advancements in science, development of resources, diamond trade, and advancements in health are unprecedented for such a tiny nation.
- Israel must be living securely. (38:8 & 11). Even though they have many enemies, because of their alliance with the United States they have been protected against any other country from attacking.
- Israel must be in spiritual darkness. This is because there will be a spiritual awakening that occurs as a result of this war (38:23, 39:7, 39:13). Israel has shown itself to be a pagan nation, by forsaking God they have allowed all manner of evil to be perpetuated among their people.
- There must be an alliance between three key powers…Russia, Turkey, Iran. This alliance has not only formed, but Russia has constructed bases throughout Syria and north Africa. The Arab spring that occurred roughly 12 years ago ushered in the opportunity for Russia to gain a foothold of power throughout the middle east.
There is much debate as to the timing of this war and the rapture with respect to the start of the Tribulation. My guess is that this war will happen after the Rapture but before the start of the tribulation. The reason is because it will take Israel 7 years to burn the weapons left on the battlefield(Ezek. 39) and at the 3 1/2 year mark of the tribulation Israel will be forced from the land and driven into exile. This would indicate that there may be a short period of time before the tribulation begins.
The Deliverance
Why do I think the rapture will occur before the tribulation?
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10. “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10. “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”
Revelation 3:10. “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Without the restraining power of the Holy Spirit, (which hold’s back the tide of evil upon the earth), the absence of God’s people will produce a tide of darkness over the land unlike ever before. The tribulation will be a demonstration of this tide. (2 Thess. 2:6-7)
It is during the time of God’s wrath that He will completely give the world over to destruction. (Romans 9:22)
For those who did not believe, the Lord will send a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false in order that they will all be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)
It will be this “hour of testing” that comes upon the whole world that brings about a period of trial unlike anything ever seen upon the earth. Many will be saved out of the tribulation but billions will die. It’s likely that the majority of people who come to Christ will do so in the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation. The second half of the tribulation will witness a gradual hardening of hearts and subsequent increasing in judgement.
What does this mean for us today?
- If you’ve never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, now is the time. Don’t wait any longer.
- Live faithfully, live in unity, pursue righteousness, knowing that the time of redemption is drawing near.
- Be salt and light in a world of darkness. We still have time to lead people to Christ and keep them from this great hour of trial. Be bold in your testimony, draw near to the Lord in Holiness and allow His glory to shine through you.
- Be steadfast, immoveable. Shake off the constraints of this world and live in the freedom Christ has earned on your behalf.
I can’t say for sure if this war is the beginning of the end or not, but I can say that all of the signs are pointing that way. Look around you, the earth is showing the effects of the times, earthquakes, famine, changes in the seasons, war, pestilence, hatred, and all forms of evil.
My friends, we are living in the last days and whether that means the Lord is coming tomorrow or 5 years from now, the time is very, very, short.
God’s people have been called for a purpose…glorify God in your life and you will see His purposes made manifest in and through your life.
U.T. 