The Set Time for Zion Has Come
“Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time, is come. … When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.” Psalm 102:13, 16
By Mike Wingfield
Tucked away in the largest book of the Bible, Psalm 102, is a unique and undiscovered message “for the [last] generation to come.” (Psalm 102:18) According to the Bible, God has purposely hidden some of His Biblical truth from our spiritual eyes and minds until the end of this age. (Daniel 12:9-10) In light of the ongoing international conflict over the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, this message in Psalm 102 has amazing insight for those of us who are keenly watching the prophetic events unfolding at this very hour.
As we begin to understand the message of Psalm 102, we need to know that this message is a signal to the church that the end of this age is in sight. As God’s children, we must prepare to stand in the presence of our blessed Lord at any moment. At the same time, out of His mercy, God is warning the world that they are standing on the threshold of the most horrific period of time in human history – the Tribulation Period.
The Jewish people are Biblically recognized as God’s “Chosen People.” About 3,400 years ago, God revealed to Moses: “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 7:6) The Lord has chosen to uniquely reveal Himself and His eternal plans and purposes through the Jewish people. The Jewish prophets and apostles were God’s instruments in giving us the Holy Scriptures. God has ordained to use the history, customs, festivals and circumstances of the Jewish nation to communicate His revelation to the nations of the world. Israel is a sign to the nations of the world. God has placed His chosen people in a chosen land at the center of the earth for all the nations to see and know that He is the One and only true God!
Anyone who has studied Biblical prophecy realizes that the end time events are intricately interwoven with the restoration of the Jewish people to their land in the last days. If we want to discover who God is, and know His divine will and purposes, we must keep our eyes on “the apple of his eye.” (Zechariah 2:8)
With all of this in mind, let us consider Psalm 102. This unique Psalm, as mentioned previously, was placed in the Scriptures as a distinctive message for the final generation at the end of this age. This Psalm informs us how God will use His people, Israel, to send two powerful signs about the end of this age.
Sign#1
The Terrible Rejection of Israel
at the End of this Age
The Bible is emphatically clear that the Jewish nation, Israel, and her land will be the center of His attention and work as He unfolds His eternal plans. God has promised that He will never permanently divorce Himself from the Jewish people. Because of His unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God cannot change His mind or replace them with another group of people. Read Psalm 89:27-37. God’s choice of the Jewish people is irrevocable! He has declared: “For I am the LORD, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)
In the midst of many passages that speak of the restoration of Israel, the Lord stated that what He does through the Jewish people at the end of history will not be because of who they are, but because of who He is. Speaking through His prophet, Ezekiel, He said: “Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes: O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake.” (Ezekiel 36:22)
While God cannot divorce Himself from the Jewish people or their land, the Scriptures and history certainly illustrate that He has disciplined them, just as He repeatedly promised in the Bible. (Psalm 89:29-32; Jeremiah 30:11; Zechariah 13:7-9) From the beginning of their nation in Egypt until the end of this age, the Jewish people have been rejected, persecuted and killed. However, nothing the Jewish people have experienced will compare to the suffering they will face at the end of this age. While speaking about the time of the end, Daniel wrote: “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time…” (Daniel 12:1) This time of great suffering in the end times began with the horrific events of the Jewish Holocaust from 1933 to 1945. I am convinced that the language of Psalm 102 prophetically speaks of the Holocaust as a significant sign of the coming of the Messiah to rescue Israel from her great time of suffering.
During the years of the Holocaust, 6 million Jews were ripped from their homes and families. After undergoing cruel punishment and rejection, they were sent to their deaths. The opening two verses of Psalm 102 records the prayers of God’s people during this time of death and misery. “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.” (verses 1-2) Verses 19-20 record God’s answer to their prayer: “For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death.” It is estimated that 200,000 Jews were alive and rescued from Nazi forced labor camps at the end of World War II on May 8, 1945. Before the war, it is estimated that there were 9 million Jews living in Europe. Shockingly, two-thirds of the Jewish population was killed during the Holocaust. According to Zechariah 13:8-9, this will take place again on a global scale that will surpass the Holocaust.
Prior to transporting the Jewish people to the concentration camps, the Nazis embarked upon a systematic and well orchestrated scheme to demean the Jewish people in the face of other Europeans. They were called names and blamed for every problem in the culture. Eventually, they were forced to wear a yellow patch in the shape of a star, with the name “Jude” written on the patch. The presence of this star on their clothing became a mark of shame and ridicule. Notice verse 8 of Psalm 102: “Mine enemies reproach me all the day: and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.” The phrase “sworn against me” is a Hebrew expression meaning “my very own name has been used as a curse against me.”
During their processing into concentration camps, Jewish families were divided. The men and the older boys were separated from the women and older girls. The little children were taken from both parents. No one can begin to image how devastating this must have been. This feeling of desperate loneliness is symbolically described in this psalm. Verse 6 declares: “I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.” This is a comparative reference to creatures that are completely out of their normal setting. Verse 7 continues to express the desperation: “I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.” This is the picture of a sparrow crying for its missing mate.
When the Jewish people arrived at the concentration camps, they were met with the horrible smell of burning flesh and ashes from the ovens where Jewish bodies were being cremated around the clock. In verse 3, the suffering victim declared: “For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.” Upon arriving at their assigned camps, the Jewish people were separated. Those who were too young, weak, or old were immediately sent to their death. Those who were strong enough were forced to work, while they were given very little to eat and placed in deplorable living conditions. Eventually, they became too weak and were sent to the gas chambers. Some of the dead bodies were stacked like cordwood outside of the crematoriums. Others were shot at close range so that their bodies would fall into a massive grave. They were buried like animals.
Many of the Jewish people suffered for several months or years as their bodies painfully wasted away due to starvation and forced labor. The prophetic voice of these suffering Jewish victims is recorded in verses 4-5. “My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.” Each time I take a tour group to Israel, we visit the memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem. I have viewed hundreds of photographs that depict the horrible conditions these people had to endure before they were killed. The images of their emaciated bodies etch a memory in your mind that you can never forget.
Their treatment was indeed deplorable and inhumane. In some cases, the molded bread they were forced to eat was sprinkled with the ashes from the crematoriums. In verse 9, the psalmist prophetically wrote: “For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping.” Literally, they were forced to eat the ashes of their own people.
The few who survived the Holocaust recall the hopelessness that permeated the death camps. They lived every day with the thought that they would eventually die someday like the millions who had gone on before them. Some expressed the haunting question as to why God was so angry with them. Thousands of years before this, the psalmist wrote: “Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.” (verses 10-11)
Many people may conclude that during this time of incredible suffering and anguish, the Lord had forgotten His chosen people. But, that was not the case. In the days of spiritual apostasy, when Israel was spiritually far away from God, in the midst of their suffering, they cried out: “The LORD hath forsaken me, and my LORD hath forgotten me.” (Isaiah 49:14) However, through His prophet, God replied to Israel: “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” (Isaiah 49:15)
It is most difficult for our finite, depraved minds to grasp the reality that God has ordained suffering and adversity to draw people to Himself and to spiritually refine them to make them more like Him. All of this is displayed in the divine choice of Israel. God has said to them: “Behold I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” (Isaiah 48:10) The nation of Israel was born in adversity in Egypt. The Jewish people suffered greatly under the bondage of the Egyptians for 400 years. Yet, God never forgot them. At the burning bush, God said to Moses: “I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.” (Exodus 3:7) Think about that! God knew their sorrows and heard their cries for 400 years!
Joseph suffered in bondage and prison for a total of 13 years, all because his brothers hated him and sold him into slavery. Finally, when Joseph faced his brothers, he said to them: “For not: for am I not in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:19-20)
No one can pretend to know all of the reasons why the Holy One of Israel allowed His chosen people to suffer at the hands of the Nazis. However, the events of the Holocaust did help to create a determination in the soul of the future nation of Israel to provide a Jewish homeland where the Jewish people could, humanly speaking, control their own destiny. The Jewish people have never forgotten the Holocaust. They have a day each year, one week after Passover, when they remember the fallen victims of the Holocaust. It is called “Yom HaShoah.” “Since the early 1960’s, the sound of a siren on Yom Hashoah stops traffic and pedestrians throughout the State of Israel for two minutes of silent devotion. The siren blows at sundown and once again at 11:00 A.M. on this date [remember the Jewish day begins at sundown]. All radio and television programs during this day are connected in one way or another with the Jewish destiny in World War II, including personal interviews with survivors. Even the musical programs are adapted to the atmosphere of Yom HaShoah. There is no public entertainment on Yom HaShoah, as theaters, cinemas, pubs, and other public venues are closed throughout Israel.” (www.jewishvirtual library.org)
In retrospect, the Holocaust also created a brief moment of global compassion for the Jews that encouraged the world’s support for the founding of the Jewish State only three years after this horrific event ended. The death and suffering of 6 million Jews opened the door for the creation of the modern state of Israel.
Sign #2
The Triumphant Restoration of Israel
at the End of this Age
Israel is a supernaturally chosen nation. The history of Israel has the finger prints of God all over it! Clearly, the Jewish nation continues to experience God’s blessings and protection in the land given to it forever. (Genesis 13:15)
About 4,000 years ago, God made an unconditional promised to Abram and his descendants. “I will make of thee a great nation.” (Genesis 12:2) About 600 years later, God said to Moses concerning Israel, “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 7:6) God’s purposes for these divine promises were not to just bless the Jewish people, but through them to display His glory and demonstrate to the world His divine character and plans. (Ezekiel 36:22-23)
The Scriptures repeatedly declare that during the history of the nation of Israel, the Jewish people would be driven from the land twice, and be gathered back into the land twice. The first dispersion of the Jewish people from their land began in 722 B.C. when the Assyrians defeated the 10 northern tribes called Israel. Later, the two tribes in the south, Judah, were finally defeated and driven from the land in 586 B.C. After the 70 year Babylonian captivity was over, the Jewish people began the process of returning to the Promised Land. This process continued until the Jews were driven out of the land by the Romans in 70 A.D. For nineteen centuries the Jewish people were scattered among the nations of the world. Finally, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Jewish people began the process of returning to their ancient homeland. On May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation, fulfilling the promise given to Isaiah “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)
The modern nation of Israel is about to celebrate its 70th anniversary. According to Psalm 102, this is a unique sign to the nations of the world. Just as God had promised, the Jewish people are returning to the land of their forefathers. Psalm 102 focuses upon the divine determination behind this great modern day miracle. God’s character has guaranteed His faithfulness to fulfill His promises.
God is eternal. (verses 12, 24-25) The eternal God of Israel is guiding His determined plan to its end. Because He is eternally present, He has guided this determination since the giving of the Abrahamic covenant 4,100 years ago! “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4)
God is merciful. (verse 13) Despite Israel’s rebellion, God has chosen to display His mercy through this nation. After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, Jeremiah declared: “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
God is glorious. (verses 15-16) Because the promises of God to Israel are based upon His holy nature, He cannot lie. Therefore, His glory is bound up in keeping His promises to Israel.
God is immutable (unchanging). (verses 26-28) God’s character and His will are unchangeable. Therefore, this guarantees His faithfulness to Israel. He will keep all of His promises with His chosen people and His holy land. God has declared: “For I am the LORD, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)
What God has determined, He will deliver. It shall come to pass! God has determined a time when He will cause His promises to come to pass. We are witnessing the fulfillment of these promises at this very hour. The divine process of the restoration of the global significance of the city of Jerusalem is happening in our life time. Psalm 102:13 declares: “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time is come.”
Not only has God demonstrated His longing for the restoration of Zion, He has placed this incredible longing in the hearts of the Jewish people. For 2,000 years, the Jewish people have possessed a longing for this city. The last words spoken at the end of every Passover since the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 A.D. have been, “Next year in Jerusalem.” Notice Psalm 102:14: “For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.”
Think about this. Israel is the only nation waiting for the Messiah to come. All of the other nations are preoccupied with the world system. Zion is waiting for Messiah to come and reign over the nations of the world from the city of Jerusalem. Then, Israel will be a light unto the nations. Psalm 102:15 celebrates this truth: “So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.”
Please give special attention to verse 16: “When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.” This verse connects the Second Coming of Christ with the building up of the city of Jerusalem at the time of its final re-gathering from the nations of the world at the time of the end. Friends, I have been going to Israel for 32 years. During this period of time, I have witnessed the incredible growth of Jerusalem. Like a crown jewel, Jerusalem sits on top of the mountains of Judah. As our tour bus ascends these mountains and enters the city, the hearts of those who love the Lord and His Word, pound with excitement as we enter into this city.
The Jewish people are very connected to their Biblical heritage. Listen to these recent testimonies. “Our history is engrained in us– consciously and unconsciously, .. we cannot afford to forget. Because the unbroken chain that links us does not only reach back 6,000 years, it also stretches into the future of our children and their children. If we forget our history, we lose sight of who we are, what we hold dear and what is worth defending. Every Jew represents the next chapter in an age-old story that started with Abraham and carries on with us into the future. How we live today, here, in the land of our promise, is a continuation, the following in the footsteps of our ancient fathers and mothers.” (The Jerusalem Post- Christian Edition, April 2017, p. 25) As they watch the literal building up of Zion, they know this is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. “The echo of hammers, drills, construction vehicles and shouts of builders is a concert of building the land, a performance to the faithfulness of a God who vowed that His people would return to the land of their promise to prosper.” (The Jerusalem Post- Christian Edition, April 2017, p. 28)
The political leaders of Israel openly declare that the Bible is their source of authority for their right to posses the land and the city of Jerusalem. In 2016, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “[The Bible] is the basis for why we are here, why we have returned here and why we stay here.” (The Jerusalem Post- Christian Edition, April 2017, p. 29) Israeli President Reuben Rivlin, says, “Every inch on which you step in this land is soaked in the history of our people. Everywhere you place your feet speaks of our connection to biblical times. Our roots are deep and firmly established here.” (The Jerusalem Post- Christian Edition, April 2017, p. 29)
Israel is one of a few true democracies in the world, but the day is coming when Jerusalem will be the capital of the world and Messiah will rule over all nations. The time for the coming of the Messiah for His church is very near. The Lord is sending two powerful signs through His people, Israel, that the set time for Zion has come. I remind you once again that this Psalm was written for the final generation. (verse 18) While answering His disciples’ question about the sign of His coming at the end of this age, Jesus described the events and trends at the end of this age – the Tribulation Period. While comparing this generation to the budding of a fig tree, Jesus said: “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 24:34)
Obviously, this statement by Jesus was not intended to be used to set a date for His coming. In the context of this statement He said: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36) While we cannot know the precise day, this does not mean we cannot know the general time-frame when these events will occur. An examination of Psalm 102 and Matthew 24 make it clear that the generation that witnesses the Holocaust and the divine restoration of Jerusalem will also witness His coming. This simply means that before all of the people who witnessed these events pass off the scene, the Lord will come. It is worth noting that the survivors of the Holocaust and the founding of the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948, are few in number. In just a few years, they will all have passed away. All of this indicates that God’s “set time” (Psalm 102:13) is rapidly approaching. Nothing anyone can do will alter God’s divine plan. While speaking about these matters, Jesus declared: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
What a privilege and responsibility we have to be this final generation. While speaking to Daniel about “the end of the time” (Daniel 12:9), God told him: “Many shall be purified, and made white; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” (Daniel 12:10) As in the days of Noah, we live at a time when the overwhelming majority of the people around us do not have a clue concerning what is about to take place. I think of this almost every day. This is what keeps me going with all that I do. I am just simply one voice that is attempting to point people to the signs of His coming. Like Noah, they may think that we are fanatics or crazy, but we must keep on warning them that if they miss the Rapture, they will experience the wrathful judgment of God that will be poured out upon the inhabitants of earth for seven very long years. I urge you to join me in this effort. You can make copies of this newsletter, or order more copies from us. Share this with your neighbors, family, and friends. We really do not have much time left!
“Be ready for the shout that will take us out!”
Are Natural Disasters Increasing?
According to many Scriptures, historically God has used extremes in weather as a form of judgment. These acts of the Creator are meant to send a sign to the wicked that He, not them, is in control. They are designed to be a divine wake-up call to the nations. (Psalm 147:15-18; Psalm 148:8; Amos 4:6-13; Malachi 4:1) According to several New Testament passages, the increase of natural disasters will be a means of God’s wrathful judgment upon a world that is in spiritual rebellion. (Revelation 6:12-17; 8:7-13; 16:1-12)
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [recently] reported that “2017 was the worst year in recorded history for natural disasters. …They also identified 710 natural catastrophes around the globe, significantly higher than the annual average of 605.” (www.breakingisraelnews.com) I have observed that the dramatic increase of global natural disasters began in 1948 when Israel became a nation. In 1948 there were only 20 global natural disasters recorded. In recent decades the world experienced an average of 605 annual natural disasters. However, in 2017, it spiked to 710!
In recent years there have been noticeable extremes in weather experienced around the world. Last summer the Middle East experienced extreme heat waves. In just the last few weeks, 4-12 inches of snow fell in some areas of the Sahara desert. “The Sahara is the largest and hottest desert in the world, covering 3.5 million square miles, an area approximately the size of the continental US. In 1922, a temperature of 136° Fahrenheit, the highest land surface temperature ever recorded, was set in the Sahara at El Azizia, Libya.” (www.breakingisraelnews.com)
As Jesus spoke to His disciples about the signs of the last days, he warned that conditions like these are “the beginning of sorrows [birth pangs.]” (Matthew 24:8) These increasing cycles of weird extremes of weather are an expression of the conditions that are pointing to the approaching wrathful judgments of God that are spelled out in the book of Revelation. According to this book, God will use drought, earthquakes, volcanoes, heat, hail, darkness and tsunamis as a part of his final divine retribution against the godless nations.
It is apparent that our world is uniquely being prepared for this judgment. The increase of natural disasters is a megaphone warning from the Creator of His approaching judgment.