Warning and the Heart of God – Part One
God says: “… hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”-Ezekiel 3:17
By Micah Winefeld
What will 2013 bring? Those of us who study the prophetic Scriptures can only wonder will happen in the new year. However, one thing is clear: our world is moving closer to the threshold of a tumultuous time known as the Tribulation Period. This seven-year period of great upheaval will climax with the physical return of our Lord with His saints from heaven, who were raptured seven years earlier. As we enter 2013, we should take heed to the words of Jesus when He warned His disciples that when the end comes, it would be horrific. He said: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21) Several decades later, the Holy Spirit directed the Apostle Paul to write about this same period of time: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” (2Timothy 3:1)
At the close of 2012, we were once again reminded that we live in a world of evil and unspeakable violence. On December 14, we were stunned and saddened by the mass murder of little school children and some of their faculty in Newtown, Connecticut, a town some 90 miles from New York City. In the days that followed this great tragedy, secular analysts and liberal news media clearly showed that they have no true understanding of the world we live in. According to their spin, the tragedy of December 14 can be blamed on the availability of guns or the mental instability of the murderer. However, the Bible declares that murder is a heart issue. (Matthew 15:19) The human heart is deceitfully wicked. Sin is the root cause of what took place in Sandy Hook Elementary School.
We must come to grips with the reality that no person wakes up one morning and decides to kill someone. Murders occur because a person’s conscience has been silenced by a steady mental diet of the violence and a disregard for human life. We live in a culture that sells violence and immorality as entertainment. Do we really think that people can be bombarded with graphic violence on television, at the movies and in video games and not be impacted? Proverbs 23:7 teaches us that we will ultimately mirror our thoughts. Violent thinking ultimately produces violent attitudes, words and actions. Isn’t it strange that our president and others can shed tears over the mass murder of the children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and at the same time promote abortion on demand? I also cried when I heard about this horrible tragedy. But, I also weep with the Lord when I hear about a little baby being ripped from his mother’s womb and killed by medical professionals. Thousands of innocent children are murdered in America every day and around the world. Yet, the world is completely silent, and radically defends and supports this.
As believers, it is our duty and responsibility to warn America that it has chosen a path of departure from God. That path is filled with violence and immorality that will bring sudden and untimely deaths. The real answers to our problems will not come with gun legislation or better security. If we are to return to some level of sanity in this nation and world, we must call for repentance and a return to the path of life. Our only hope is found in the person of Jesus Christ, and the path of life that is offered in the Word of God. Long ago, the Lord warned Israel not to depart from Him and His commandments: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that thou and thy seed many live. That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)
In my opinion, in light of the prophetic Scriptures and the context of our era, we are living in very dangerous times. It is only a matter of time before some horrific global event or series of events will materialize that will change our modern way of life. There are a number of things that could trigger a global catastrophe in the immediate future. We seem to be on the verge of a global economic meltdown that could trigger political revolutions and destroy our ability to provide the security that we have enjoyed for many decades. These revolutions could alter our world and the balance of power. History demonstrates that these kinds of revolutions usually produce evil, brutal tyrants. All of this would perfectly set the stage for the entrance of the Antichrist, a New World Order, and the beginning of the Tribulation Period.
This year, our world could experience a swarm of natural disasters – like earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, droughts, floods and dangerous solar flares. These cataclysmic events could interfere with the electrical grid or our commercial agricultural systems that are already being stretched to provide enough food for a mushrooming global population. Medical analysts are concerned that a new virus or mutation of viruses could produce a contagious disease with no known cure. If that occurs, millions around the world could die.
While we consider these kinds of threats, we must also consider the developments in the Middle East. Will this be the year that Israel and/or the United States militarily attack Iran to halt its development of a nuclear bomb? If they do militarily attack Iran, what will be the outcome? How would it impact the flow of oil out of an area that has the richest oil deposits in the world? If the radical regime in Iran is not stopped from developing a bomb, would they use their new weapon of mass destruction in an attack against Israel this year? Furthermore, would the Iranians use their nuclear threat to control the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf, leading to another major war in the Middle East?
As we look at the global horizon, it seems only a matter of time before something drastic happens. Where is the leadership of the church as our world spirals out of control? When the dark clouds of apostasy and judgment appear on the horizon, the Lord has always called His servants to a ministry of warning. When we look back in Biblical history, we have clear examples that the Lord always raised up godly messengers to warn His people and call them to salvation and repentance. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, Micah, Nahum and Habakkuk are among men who heeded such a call.
A reconstructed watchtower in Israel, photo by Todd Bolen (click here)
To illustrate, let’s examine the life and ministry of the prophet Ezekiel. This Old Testament prophet provides us with some practical insights into what God’s servants ought to do when their people are facing divine judgment. The Lord uniquely called Ezekiel at a very crucial time in the history of his nation, Judah. As a result of Judah’s rebellion and disobedience to the Lord, the Babylonians had been successful in two military campaigns against Judah. In the process, the Babylonians carried Jewish captives to Babylon. Ezekiel was among the second group of captives that were carried away to Babylon in 597 B.C. In 593 B.C., Ezekiel reached the age of 30. Being of the priestly tribe, as was the custom, he began his public ministry as a prophet-priest at this age. The Lord called Ezekiel to become a street preacher in Babylon, warning his Jewish brethren of the judgment of God. We know from history that only five years after he began issuing his warnings, the final Babylonian invasion of Judah took place. In 588 B.C. the Babylonians captured Jerusalem and destroyed the beautiful temple built by King Solomon.
The Lord made Ezekiel’s assignment very clear: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.” (Ezekiel 3:17) Ezekiel knew exactly what the Lord was asking him to do. In Biblical days, each community or city had a watchtower. It was usually located at the highest point in the community. During daylight hours, a watchman was placed in the watchtower to scan the horizon, looking for any sign of a threat to his people. Should he see a potential threat, he was to sound the trumpet to call the people into the city for their own protection. If he failed to warn the people and some of them died, he was held accountable and paid with his own life. (Ezekiel 3:20) However, if he gave the people ample warning and they failed to heed it, they were responsible for their own demise and no harm came to the watchman. (Ezekiel 3:19)
Drawing from this cultural analogy, Ezekiel’s ministry was two-fold. He was to warn the nation of the judgment of God, calling them to repentance. He also was to call them individually to salvation and repentance so as to avoid personal eternal damnation. As we examine the ministry of warning, for our own understanding and application, let us examine four Biblical realities.
Warning is a Complementary Part of God’s Nature.
Notice that in Ezekiel 3:17 the Lord said: “give them warning from me.” Biblical warnings concerning the eternal consequences of sin and judgment flow out of the heart of God. They are a part of His divine nature. He is a God of love, mercy and grace. He is “longsuffering …
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
When we sound out Biblical warnings in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are acting like God. We are identifying with His heart. Consequently, when danger is approaching it is the ethical and moral obligation of those who know and care to warn those in danger! People who do not join the Lord in warning people of the imminent and eternal dangers of sin either do not believe what the Lord has said about these dangers and judgments, or they are so preoccupied with self and sin that they are numb to the things of God. Furthermore, it is evident they do not really care about people.
Warning is a Crucial Part of God’s Revelation.
The Holy Spirit is the author of God’s written revelation – the Bible. (2 Peter 1:21) The Bible proclaims that it is the written Word of God. It is “inspired.” (2 Timothy 3:16) This word means “God-breathed.” The Bible is the very breath of God. It is a book filled with blessings and warnings. God’s Word will bring life or death. (Deuteronomy 30:19) The Spirit has recorded for man many passages that sound out divine warnings that were given to the nation of Israel concerning the imminent judgment of God due to its departure from Him. We should note that these warnings have been recorded and preserved for our admonition. In 1Corinthians 10, the Apostle Paul reminded the church at Corinth that the history of Israel, and the revelation about them, are an example for us. “Now all these things happened unto them for [examples]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11) The Old Testament servants of the Lord were in tune with the Lord’s character and divine plan. Because of this, they were also able to see the rebellion and wickedness of their generation. Knowing the nature of God and His warning of judgment, the prophets faithfully warned their people of the consequences of their sin, both personally and nationally. While none of us hold the office of a prophet, in general, it is the church’s moral and ethical responsibility to follow their example.
As the Lord commissioned Ezekiel to his ministry of warning, He said: “hear the word at my mouth.” (Ezekiel 3:17) Warning is a crucial part of God’s redemptive revelation. Warnings from the Lord appear throughout the entire Bible. The first warning is in Genesis 2:16-17. On Adam and Eve’s first day on earth the Lord warned them:
“Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) In the very last chapter of the Bible, the Lord warned man to not add to or take away from His revelation. If they do, He will “add unto him the plagues that are written in [the ] book [of Revelation.] And the Lord will “take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19)
At the heart of the Holy Spirit’s work in us is the ministry of repentance. The message of repentance carries a message of warning. (John 16:8-11) The Holy Spirit works in the consciences of men, praising them when they move toward that which is righteous and acceptable to God. However, He also warns and shames them concerning sin, with a goal to turn them away from it. A vital part of this warning is the reminder of the judgment to come. This was at the heart of the apostles’ ministry and it should be the aim of the church and its people to sound out God’s warning to turn sinners to righteousness. (Acts 24:25)
(This article will be continued in the next newsletter.)
A Critical Year Ahead for Israel
It is very apparent that 2013 will be a very critical year for Israel. This year promises to be the kind of year that the Scriptures indicate would develop for the Jewish nation gathered in its land in the last days.
This year, Israel will welcome home her Jewish people from the nations. Concerning these days, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isaiah 11:12) Psalm 107:2-3 declares: “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.”
In the last few months, Israel has begun an operation called ‘Wings of the Dove.’ The goal is to bring the last remnant of Jews in Ethiopia back to Israel. As the prophecies declared, they are coming home from the south.
As a very serious wave of anti-Semitism sweeps across Europe, Israel is preparing for a large immigration of Jews from that continent. Jews are being persecuted, threatened and attacked in areas where there is a significant Muslim population. Jews in certain parts of Europe are being told to not wear their skullcaps (kippot) in public, and to refrain from wearing any Star of David jewelry or speaking Hebrew. Israel Today reported in October that “two men in their 40s assaulted and threatened a 12-year old Jewish boy waiting at a bus stop in Paris. The men hit the boy repeatedly with a belt and hurled insults at him in Arabic.” (www.Israeltoday.co.il, October 25, 2012)
Anti-Semitism is spreading all over the world, including here in the U.S. In recent months New York City police discovered a threat spray-painted in a subway. It read: “The world would be much better off if all the Jews were lampshades.” Such attitudes as these prevailed in Nazi Germany immediately before the Holocaust began. According to the Bible, the Tribulation Period will be the final attempt of the world to annihilate the Jewish people. Daniel wrote: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” (Daniel 12:1)
I was deeply moved by this recent picture of an Israeli mother shielding her little child from an incoming rocket from Gaza. This picture is very telling. Israelis shield their children from these attacks, while the Palestinians use their children as shields to discourage Israel from striking an important military target in Gaza. Pictures like this tell the real story of the spiritual difference between these two different cultures. The Israeli culture values life as taught in the Bible, while those who follow the Koran have an entirely different view of human life. – Photo by Israel Today.
While speaking to His Jewish disciples about the Tribulation Period, Jesus said: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21) With
out question, we are beginning to witness the initial attitudes and actions that will produce these horrible acts of hatred and violence in the final days of this age. For those of us who love Israel and the Jewish people, this tugs at our hearts, producing much concern and grief!
This year, Israel will see increased global demands to surrender the territories it captured while defending the Jewish nation from aggressive and threatening Arab nations during the Six-Day war in June 1967. In November, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly, 138-9, to grant the Palestinians observer status in the U.N. This move certainly demonstrates that world empathy is on the side of the Palestinians and against Israel’s right to her historical national homeland. Only days after this vote by the U.N., the Israeli government passed a resolution declaring “that despite what a majority of the U.N. member states say, the Jews have a legal and historic claim in Judea and Samaria, and those territories will remain disputed.” (www.Israeltoday.co.il, December 3, 2012) Israel also announced that it would continue to build in the West Bank – the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria. Furthermore, Israel is determined to build in and around its capital, Jerusalem. Israel is also continuing with a project to construct additional housing in Jerusalem. These announcements have been met with objections from the U.S. and the European Union.
The division of the Holy Land is at the center of the conflict that will lead the nations into a battle with the Almighty during the Tribulation Period. Concerning the last days, Jeremiah declared that the Lord said: “I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. … Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jeremiah 30:35, 7) Speaking of Armageddon, in Joel 3:2 the Lord proclaims: “I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will plead with them [meaning He will execute justice] there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.”
For several decades now, we have been watching this global diplomatic effort to force Israel to surrender the ancient homeland that God promised His people. It is my opinion that this effort is at the end of its rope. Many believe that the covenant between the Antichrist and Israel that will mark the beginning of the Tribulation Period will involve a settlement concerning these disputed territories. (Daniel 9:27) Isaiah revealed that Israel’s government will make “a covenant with death” to avoid a massive war campaign against the Jewish nation. (Isaiah 28:14-22) The Lord revealed that this covenant is based upon “lies.” In light of Isaiah’s prophecy, it is apparent that our world is very close to seeing the announcement of this covenant that will mark the beginning of the world’s conflict with the Almighty over God’s people and God’s land. As believers in Jesus Christ, we will never witness this covenant. We will be raptured immediately before this covenant is made.
In an amazing prophetic chapter in the Bible, Ezekiel 36, we are told that when the Jewish people return to their land in the last days that the surrounding nations would reject the Jewish occupation of the land. It is amazing to note that God says Israel’s enemies “have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.” (Ezekiel 36:5) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been reminding the world that peace is impossible with the Palestinians at this time because they lie in English to the world while they speak the truth in Arabic to their own people. They tell the world that they want to establish a Palestinian state in the pre-1967 borders. However, all of their charters and their open remarks in Arabic make it clear they want to displace all the Jews and claim all of the land that was called Palestine for 19 centuries. For example, in December Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas leader who lives in Damascus, returned to the Gaza area for the first time in over 40 years to celebrate Hamas’ 25th anniversary in Gaza. At this event, Mashaal spoke before hundreds of thousands of Hamas supporters. He declared: “Palestine is our land and nation from the (Mediterranean) sea to the (Jordan) river, from the north to the south, and we will not cede even one inch of it.” (www.Israeltoday.co.il, December 10, 2012) Israel knows that it is fighting for its very existence. While commenting on the E.U.’s demands for Israel to not build new homes in the territories and in East Jerusalem, Israel’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, stated: “Europe doesn’t care if we survive.” (www.Israeltoday.co.il, December 12, 2012)
These attacks on Jews worldwide and the lack of concern for the survival of the nation of Israel certainly tell us that it is late on the church calendar. The day of God’s wrath when He will keep His covenant with Israel and vindicate His chosen people, Israel, has just about arrived.
While speaking to His Jewish disciples about the end of this age, Jesus told them that it would be characterized by a time of “wars and rumors of wars.” (Matthew 24:6) Israel is literally surrounded by nations that are eager to bring about the sudden demise of the Jewish nation of Israel. These nations include: Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, the Persian Gulf states, many radical Muslim elements in Jordan, and especially the territory of Gaza. All of this was predicted with amazing accuracy in Psalm 83.
The Lord has promised that the efforts of the nations to destroy Israel will fail and He will save His people. While speaking about the divine defense for Jerusalem in the last days, Isaiah wrote: “And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her [stronghold], and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall be the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.” (Isaiah 29:7-8) Later, Isaiah wrote: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.” (Isaiah 54:17) These promises were fulfilled in the recent war with Gaza and will be repeatedly fulfilled until the Lord literally returns at the end of the Tribulation Period to fight against the nations gathered against Israel at Armageddon. (Zechariah 14:3)
Israel’s recent eight-day war against Gaza was a retaliatory response by Israel for the rockets, mortars and missiles that radical terrorist groups fired into southern Israel for months. This war was dubbed by Israel as ‘Pillar of Defense’ and ended on November 21 with a cease fire negotiated by the joint efforts of the U.S. and Egypt. The Jerusalem Report gave the following statistical data for this war: “Of the 1,506 rockets fired from Gaza, 420 were shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome system; only 58, less than four percent, landed in built-up areas. By contrast the Israeli Defense Force destroyed over 1,600 targets, including virtually the entire Hama store of long-range missiles, several arms factories, dozens of weapons’ depots and underground launching pads, around 200 smuggling tunnels, government buildings and the Islamic National Bank.
… In addition to pinpointing valued military targets, high-grade intelligence also enabled Israel to target the Hamas and Islamic Jihad military leaderships. At least six top commanders, including Ahmed Jabri, the vaunted Hamas military supremo, were assassinated from the air. One-hundred and fifty-two Palestinians, including 88 militants, were killed in the fighting and around 1,400 wounded. On the Israeli side the figures were six dead and 113 wounded.” (The Jerusalem Report, p. 7, December 17, 2012)
Israelis were very happy with the new Iron Dome defense system. This system uses a computer linked to satellite information to track a short-range rocket in the air to determine its destination. If it determines that it will land in an open area it does not shoot down the rocket. However, if it does determine that the rocket’s target is a populated area, then it will shoot down the rocket. This system was very successful during this war.
Israel has developed a multi-layered defense missile system to protect the nation from the deadly threat of missiles its enemies are deploying against them. For the short range rockets they have developed the Iron Dome System. For the medium range weapons they have created David’s Sling. For the long-range missiles, like those from Iran, Israel has designed and manufactured the Arrow system.
Israel is very busy preparing for the maximum defense against the enemy nations that surround it, just like the prophets of God had warned they would in the last days. Unlike any other nation, Israel lives with the daily threat of wars and rumors of war.
Israel is concerned that the Syrian regime of Bashar As-sad is about to collapse and will fall into the hands of Islamic radicals, like in Egypt, that may prove to be more dangerous to Israel that the former Syrian leadership. Israeli intelligence reports that Iran has used some of its nuclear materials for medical purposes and this has set back the Iranian point of no return to sometime this fall. It does appear that a major war in the Middle East is coming and it may take place in 2013.
Get ready to fly!