Author: Mike Wingfield

May 2024 – When They All Look UP!

May 2024

When They All Look UP!

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up,

and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28

By Mike Wingfield

During the April 8 solar eclipse that moved across America, God’s Spirit reminded me of how utterly uniformed people are about what is about to take place across our planet. As I watched the eclipse on TV, I was reminded that there will be a day every person on earth will be looking toward the heavens. On this day, they will not be looking at a solar eclipse. They will be looking in utter awe at the supernatural heavenly sign that will accompany the King of Kings to this earth!

This recent eclipse was a rare celestial occurrence and was certainly worthy of our attention. However, that eclipse pales in comparison to the amazing supernatural events that will take place during the Tribulation Period. And especially to the last day when Christ returns to earth. Predictably, people were mesmerized by the recent solar eclipse, because of the media hype leading to April 8.

Iran Attacks Israel
On April 13-14, Iran carried out an unparalleled attack against Israel. Considering the prophetic Scriptures, this attack is very significant. See Pages 5-6 for a biblical analysis of this event.

For months, we were bombarded with details of this eclipse, and its direct path across North America. We also know that the next eclipse that will sweep across America will take place in 44 years. How can scientists make these accurate and precise predictions? The Bible has the answer. In the beginning of His creation, the Lord placed the sun, moon, stars, and planets in the heavens for the benefit of man on earth. The Bible says, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so” (Genesis 1:14-15).

God set the order of these heavenly bodies in an exact arrangement and orbit in relationship to earth time. Since the time of their creation, the heavenly bodies have continued to travel through space with incredibly accurate precision. God made the heavens to be a giant clock and calendar. The exact movements of the earth and the heavenly bodies are very predictable because God made them that way. People around is with woke agendas say there are no absolutes. These people need to look up! God’s testimony of faithfulness and sovereign design are all around us!

As I watched the eclipse on April 8, I was drawn to comments being voiced by news reporters and people they interviewed. I was captured by the superlative words they voiced to the viewing audience. Words like “miraculous,” “incredible,” “amazing,” and “awesome,” were commonly used to describe the eclipse. Some people even called it a “supernatural moment.”

As I heard these comments, I thought to myself, “These people do not know what awaits the inhabitants of earth.” As we approach the end of this age, it is critically important that we inform all people that God created and appointed the position and path of the sun, moon, stars, and planets. And the same God has also informed us in His written revelation concerning what He has in store for the world. God has ordained that the incredible signs in the heavens and earth when Christ returns to earth, will be the most awesome manifestation of the power and glory of God ever witnessed by man.

I continue to be amazed and dazzled by the written revelation of God concerning man’s final days on earth. The Bible refers to the unique seven-year period of the Tribulation Period as “the day of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:12; Joel 2:11). This will be the day the Lord of heaven will miraculously intervene into the affairs of man. In His wrathful anger He will pour out His vengeance upon all the wicked, rebellious inhabitants of earth. Isaiah 24:5 tells us why the Lord will do this, “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, [and have] broken the everlasting covenant.” This simply means that God will have reached His final toleration point because man defiantly rejected His spiritual and moral code of conduct that is summarized in the 10 Commandments. Man is continually defying God by attempting to change His creative order. This is at the heart of man’s Artificial Intelligence rebellion. People refuse to accept “an everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:7) that God established with Israel 3,400 years ago, giving them the Promised Land as “an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8).

Furthermore, the nations are once again united in their goal to destroy the Jewish people and to annihilate the modern nation of Israel. The prophet Isaiah declared that this violent rejection of Israel will be at the center of God’s wrathful judgment that will be inflicted upon all the nations. Concerning the Tribulation Period, Isaiah declared, “For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8). The current attacks we are witnessing on Israel for defending itself against Islamic enemies are a testimony to the world’s commitment that will be fulfilled when they march against God and Israel at the battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation.

“Signs” are a manifestation of the power and glory of Almighty God. They are aimed at bringing mankind to a point of awe and humiliation as they recognize God’s supernatural intervention into the physical world of finite man. They are designed to cause wonder and fear, bringing man to repentance and submission to God.

The entire seven years of the Tribulation will be marked by continual supernatural events in both the heavens and the earth. The Bible calls them “signs.” This word could also be translated as “wonders” or “miracles.” In other words, a sign is a supernatural event that is the direct work from the hand of God. These signs are a manifestation of the power and glory of Almighty God. They are aimed at bringing mankind to a point of awe and humiliation as they recognize God’s supernatural intervention into the physical world of finite man. They are designed to cause wonder and fear, bringing man to repentance and submission to God.

For example, near the beginning of the Tribulation, the Lord will strike the world with a massive global earthquake that will trigger a multitude of volcanic eruptions (Revelation 6:12). This will be accompanied by great signs in the atmospheric heavens. “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places” (Revelation 6:13-14).

As a result of these devastating and threatening signs on the earth and in the heavens, the people of earth will all flee to the mountains to find some shelter from the supernatural storm of God. They will cry out to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand” (Revelation 6:16-17)?

The Tribulation Period will be filled with deadly and destructive signs that will bring about an unparalleled global death toll and global devastation that will destroy civilized humanity as we know it in these modern times (Isaiah 24).

When the final day comes, all the inhabitants of earth will look up to the heavens to see the sign of the coming of the Son of Man.

By God’s design, the climax of all these signs will culminate on the final day of the Tribulation Period. A multitude of Scriptures give the awesome details of this final day when the Messiah, the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus, will be unveiled in all His glory, power, and majesty (Psalm 18:7-15; 97:3-6; Micah 1:3-6; Nahum 1:5-8).

When the final day comes, all the inhabitants of earth will look up to the heavens to see the sign of the coming of the Son of Man. The apostle John said, “and every eye shall see him” (Revelation 1:7). Matthew recorded the words of Jesus about this day, “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. … Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:27, 29-30).

Yes, people cheered with amazement as looked toward the sky to see the recent solar eclipse. However, when people all look up at the sign of the coming of the Lord in the heavens, they will have a different reaction. Luke reports about their response on that day, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:25-27).

Unlike the predictable eclipse Americans just witnessed, the earthly and heavenly signs that will unfold during the Tribulation are unparalleled in human history. And these coming events are not on the radar of the world’s astronomers. The human mind and all our God-given senses have never experienced what will transpire in God’s final chapter of man’s rule on earth. God has promised that He will not only violently shake the earth (Isaiah 2:19-21), but also the heavens above (Hebrews 12:25-26).

What the Lord will do in the future is reminiscent of what He did in the days of Moses when He set His people free from the cruelty and unjust oppression of the most powerful nation on earth in those ancient times – Egypt. Before Moses was sent to Egypt with His divine assignment, the Lord told him what would happen, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them (Exodus 7:3-5).

God unleashed His arsenal of terror upon Egypt because they refused to yield to His will to allow His people to go into the Promised Land that God had given them (Exodus 6:1-8). In a similar way, God is calling His people from their exile from the land of Israel for 2,000 years. He has promised, “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).The world has wrestled with God concerning the land of Israel and the Jewish people from the beginning of the modern nation of Israel to this day. It now appears that we are entering into the final phase of the world’s attack upon the Jewish people. The final chapter of this war between God and the nations will be concluded during the Tribulation Period.

It is important to note what happens to those who oppose God. He hardens their hearts and leads them to their demise. Throughout the Exodus account, the Scriptures remind us that Pharoah hardened his heart against the call to let the Jewish people leave Egypt. Then, suddenly in the narrative, the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. This hardened heart of Pharaoh led to His own demise, the death of his people, the destruction of his nation, and the death of his army in the Red Sea (Exodus 7-11, 14). God unleashed His divine power in a series of deadly plagues.

A similar development took place during Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. God hardened the hearts of the people living in the land of Canaan so that they would war against Israel, ultimately bringing them to their demise. Joshua 11:20 reports, “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

History is repeating itself. It is very apparent that the global population has reached the spiritual point of no return. They reject His commandments. They are attempting to confuse and rearrange His creative order. They refuse to recognize and honor the everlasting covenant that God established with Abraham, giving his descendants the Promised Land.

History is repeating itself. It is very apparent that the global population has reached the spiritual point of no return. Except for a small remnant of true believers, the nations are in rebellion against God. They reject His commandments. They are attempting to confuse and rearrange His creative order. They refuse to recognize and honor the everlasting covenant that God established with Abraham, giving his descendants the Promised Land in “an everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:7). God has given the Jewish people their land as “an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8).

When Pharaoh refused to honor God’s commands concerning letting Israel go to the Promised Land, all of Egypt faced the terror of the Lord. God sent ten devastating and deadly plagues upon them. As history replays itself on a global scale, the leaders of the world are refusing to obey God and allow His people to live in all the land He gave them. As a result, God is hardening their hearts to draw them into the final conflict with Him. Soon, the world will enter a time of the wrath of God. He will devastate the world as we know it.

Just as God destroyed the Egyptians in the Red Sea, God will devastate the rebels that oppose Him when He returns from heaven. He will set the redeemed global Jewish population free so that they will enter into the Promised Land and enjoy the reign of their Messiah for 1,000 years.

Friends, God’s playbook is being carried out before our very eyes. “Get ready for the shout that will take us out!”

Iran Attacks Israel

“And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog [Russia, Iran, and others], before their eyes” (Ezekiel 38:16)

On April 13, the world stunningly witnessed an unprecedented Iranian air assault on Israel. For the first time, Iran directly attacked Israel instead of hiding behind its proxy terrorist groups.

More than 300 attack drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles were launched from Iran’s own territory. Israel considers this attack to be a “declaration of war” (World Israel News, April 14, 2024).

In a public statement only hours after Iran’s attack, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said, “This is like a real war. I mean, this is a declaration of war. … The last thing that Israel is seeking in this region since its creation is to go to war, we are seeking peace.

“ We are peace seekers. We went to peace with our neighbors time and time again. Unfortunately, it all started on the 7th of October when a proxy of Iran, Hamas, led an unbelievably brutal massacre against Israeli citizens and the rest is history. We know it. So we should put it in perspective.”

“We were attacked last night from four corners of the Middle East with proxies shooting at us, firing missiles and ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles. It is about time the world faces this empire of evil in Tehran” (World Israel News, April 14, 2024).

With the help of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Jordan, about 99 percent of the missiles never reached their intended targets in Israel. Israel and its partners destroyed the missiles in their 1074-mile flight. As this was taking place, I was reminded of Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.”

In a very limited retaliatory strike, on Wednesday, April 17, Israel attacked a military base in Iran that was only a few miles from one of Iran’s major nuclear sites. During this attack, Israel used a missile that had technology to evade radar. This missile damaged some of Iran’s defense battery systems that protect one of Iran’s major nuclear sites from an air attack. Obviously, Israel is sending a powerful message to Iran that they and their nuclear bases, and other strategic economic and military facilities are in Israel’s crosshairs. It is only a matter of time!

Friends, I believe that these developments are leading the Middle East toward the final conflict of the end-times. Obviously, the first major war will be the one mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39. It does appear that we are witnessing the events that will bring about the Gog and Magog invasion mentioned by Ezekiel 3,600 years ago.

This invasion of Israel, as prophesied by Ezekiel, will be by an assault of a specific coalition of enemy nations. That coalition includes Russia, Iran, Sudan, Libya, and Turkey. For the first time in modern history, these nations are friends and are a part of an evil coalition that hates Israel. In the photo on this page, note the leaders of Iran, Turkey, and Russia depicted together.

Ezekiel wrote that something would happen to cause this group of nations to attack Israel. God said, “Behold, I am against thee… and I will put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth” (Ezekiel 38:3-4). A few verses later, Ezekiel wrote that something would take place so that these nations have things that will come into their minds so that they will “think an evil thought” (Ezekiel 38:10). Could it be that Israel’s retaliation against Hamas and Iran would trigger these evil thoughts that would drive them to attack Israel?

As previously mentioned, we can learn a very valid principle of God’s actions in leading nations to attack Israel so that He might destroy them. In the book of Joshua, God had called His people to enter the land of Canaan and destroy all its inhabitants. God aided Israel in this accomplishment by making the hearts of the nations of Canaan so filled with hate toward Israel that they were drawn to attack them. Joshua 11:20 states, “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts [the nations of Canaan], that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.”

Since the invasion of Hamas on October 7, we have witnessed an incredible global explosion of hatred against Israel and the Jewish people. It stands to reason that an Israeli attack upon Iran would trigger a reaction by Iran and its allies. Today, those allies are the ones mentioned in Ezekiel 38. Are we watching the divine hook in the jaw of Iran and its allies? Is the battle of Gog and Magog on the immediate horizon? It appears that it is imminent!

Friends, conditions in the Middle East are ripe for the Gog and Magog nations to attack Israel. Iran, Russia, and Turkey already have troops in Syria and could be ready at a moment’s notice to invade Israel.

In the Bible, Iran [Persia] is mentioned more than 200 times. This nation is depicted as a major enemy of Israel in the last days. Therefore, it is important for us to watch the developments of our time.

April 2024 – God Loves Israel

April 2024

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God Loves Israel

“I have loved thee [Israel] with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3

By Mike Wingfield

If you publicly declare today that you love Jewish people and the nation of Israel, there will be many who hate you. Hatred for Jews is spreading like a disease around the world. Since Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, anti-Jewish hate crimes are reaching historic levels. It is now reported that approximately one-fourth of people living in the U.S. hate Jewish people. Sadly, many of these people claim to be Christians.

Many people hate the Jews because they believe the ancient lies about the Jewish people that have been in existence for centuries. They view the Jewish people as being in positions of wealth and control. Some believe Jews are trying to take over the world. Others simply hate them without knowing anything about the Jews. They hate them because they choose to hate them.

Speaking about the signs at the end of this age, Jesus said to His Jewish disciples, “Ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). Before He went to the cross, Jesus said to His disciples, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. … They hated me without a cause” (John 15:18, 25).

Many people may not know it, but when they hate the Jewish people, they are acting like God’s greatest adversary, Satan. No one hates Israel and the Jewish people more than Satan. Throughout the centuries Satan has enflamed and magnified people’s hatred for God’s chosen people.

When people hate the Jewish people, they are acting like God’s greatest adversary, Satan. There is no one who hates Israel and the Jewish people more than Satan. Throughout the centuries Satan has enflamed and magnified people’s hatred for God’s chosen people.

Satan knows how deeply God loves the Jewish people. This evil enemy of God understands God’s heart, purposes, and eternal design for the Jewish people. Satan knows that God has created the Jewish people and blessed them to demonstrate His faithful, infinite, and glorious character. The devil knows that God has invested His reputation and sovereign plans to bless the entire world through the Jewish people (Genesis 12:2-3).

Satan’s goal is to dethrone God and exalt himself above all the angels, and to possess all of heaven and earth (Isaiah 14:12-14). Therefore, he has chosen to attack God by striking at God’s heart. He must defeat God by destroying Israel and the Jewish people. History demonstrates that this has been his objective from the beginning of the nation of Israel in Egypt almost 3,900 years ago.

Revelation 12 reveals that Satan is the cause of anti-Semitism. In this imagery, the woman who is about to give birth to a male child is Israel. The dragon that is before the woman stands ready to devour the male child, and then the woman, is Satan. Before and during Christ’s First Coming, Satan did everything he could to destroy the plan of God by attacking God’s Son. He tried to kill Jesus (Matthew 2:16; Luke 4:28-30; John 8:59). He also tried to disqualify Jesus as the sinless Son of God (Matthew 4:1-11).

After Jesus defeated Satan’s schemes, He completed His Father’s mission and ascended back to heaven. Since that time Satan’s major objective has been to eliminate the Jewish people and annihilate the nation of Israel. He is doing this to prevent the Second Coming of Christ. He knows that if he is unsuccessful in this effort, he will be cast into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-2), and then into the Lake of Fire for all eternity (Revelation 20:10). As always, Satan has used the godless Gentile nations in his conflict with God. One of his favorite tools are wicked, godless human governments and their evil leaders.

In Revelation 12:7-8, the apostle John indicated that this war against Israel is an extension of the war in heaven between the good angels of God and the demons of the dragon, Satan. This simply indicates that the central focus of the war in the spiritual realm is focused upon the nation of Israel. In Daniel 12:1 and Revelation 12:7, it is noted that Michael the archangel is “the great prince which [stands] for the children of [Daniel’s] people” – the Jewish people. Michael is known as the most powerful angel in God’s war efforts against Satan. The fact that God has placed His most powerful angel in charge of defending Israel against Satan indicates just how serious this war is in the overall scheme of the battle between God and Satan.

Since Christ’s First Coming it has been Satan’s major objective to eliminate the Jewish people and to annihilate the nation of Israel. He is doing this to prevent the Second Coming of Christ. … One of his favorite tools are wicked godless human governments and their evil leaders.

Since the beginning of God’s choice to make the Jewish people His own people, Satan has used sinful man to attack the people of God. Without knowing it, people and nations have aided Satan in his efforts to annihilate the Jewish people. The Bible teaches that before a person is redeemed by God, they are manipulated by Satan to accomplish hell’s agenda. The apostle Paul described all sinners as those who prior to their salvation “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now [works] in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).

Why should Bible-believing, conservative, evangelical Christians love the Jewish people and Israel? When a person becomes a follower of Jesus as his Messiah and Savior, he must also accept Him as his Lord. If Jesus is our Lord, that means we should obey His commands and agree with His eternal will. Jesus, our Jewish Savior, taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The future kingdom that Jesus instructed us to pray about was not a spiritual kingdom, but a physical kingdom on earth. We will return to earth and reign with Christ in His kingdom over the nations for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6). Christ will rule in His kingdom from the throne of David in Jerusalem, Israel over all nations (Isaiah 2:1-4). This kingdom was a promise given to the Jewish people in many Old Testament texts. Therefore, we should love Jesus and His people, Israel, and joyfully pray for this kingdom to come.

The divine calling of Israel is of great importance and is the foundation of God’s dealing with Israel and all other nations. Since God chose this nation for His divine purposes, what He does to the Jewish nation and all other nations reflects His divine sovereign power and authority over all His creation.

One of the great themes in the Bible is God’s love for His chosen people, Israel. God has openly stated that He loves Israel. Speaking to Israel through His servant Moses 3,400 years ago, God said, “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. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

This divine calling of Israel is of great importance and is the foundation of God’s dealing with Israel and all other nations. Since God chose this nation for His divine purposes, what He does to the Jewish nation and all other nations reflects His divine sovereign power and authority over all His creation. God has chosen to bless those who bless Israel and to curse those who curse Israel (Genesis 12:3). Those who attack Israel are attacking God. Therefore, Israel’s enemies are God’s enemies (Psalm 83:1-4). The history and prophecy of Israel are filled with miracles. God’s supernatural hand upon His people should be a powerful warning to all people concerning what awaits those who oppose the sovereign will and plans of God! “All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity” (Isaiah 40:17).

Several things need to be recognized concerning God’s calling of Israel into a covenant relationship with Him. God has designated them to be a “holy people unto the Lord” (Deuteronomy 7:6). This does not have any application to their spiritual salvation. The word holy simply means they have been “set apart” by God for His purposes. God has chosen them to be a special people “above all people that are upon the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). The word “special” in Hebrew, segulah, designates Israel as God’s treasured possession. It indicates that the person who owns this possession has a special affection for it. It means that the owner considers that possession to be of great value to him. In four other Old Testament texts, the same Hebrew word is translated “a peculiar treasure” (Exodus 19:5).

This means that the nation of Israel is considered by God to be His personal treasured possession. He has declared, “This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise” (Isaiah 43:21). He has said to Israel, “Thou art mine” (Isaiah 43:1). When God’s work in Israel is complete at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom, He will say to them, “Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God” (Isaiah 62:3). The Lord has declared that this will be “that day when I make up my jewels” (Malachi 3:17).

G

God has feelings and emotions. He is not some sovereign robot in heaven without any feelings. However, we must understand that God’s love is more than just emotions. It is not a reaction to the object of His love. It is a self-purposed act of His holiness for His own eternal purposes and glory.

od’s ancient calling of the nation of Israel has not been abandoned by God. Notice Jeremiah 31:1, 3, “At the same time [the time of the end], saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. … The LORD hath appeared of old unto me saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

Many people believe that God has forsaken His covenant with the Jewish people and replaced them with the church. At the heart of this confusion, called Replacement Theology, is the misunderstanding of the very nature and character of God. God’s love for Israel flows out of His sovereign will. It is an act that flows out of His infinite character of faithfulness and mercy (Deuteronomy 7:8). Since God does not change, neither does His nature. He is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). This unchangeable character guarantees that Israel cannot be consumed (Malachi 3:6)

He does not love the Jewish people because they deserve it. God knew that when He called Israel, they would be a rebellious people (Isaiah 48:8). Like all of humanity (both Jew and Gentile), there is none that seeks after God in his own spirit (Romans 3:9-18). However, because of God’s covenant with Abraham, God chose to exercise His patience and did not destroy them. For the sake of His own glory, God has acted with infinite love and promised that someday Israel will be redeemed (Romans 11:26-27).

Often, we forget that God lives in the eternal now (Isaiah 57:15). God has no past or future. With Him, it is all present. Therefore, God’s love for Israel is not based upon what the Jewish people do at any moment in time. God has loved Israel despite their rebellious spirit, and He sees the day that will come when all living Israel, the final generation, will call unto Him in repentance and be saved (Zechariah 12:10-13:9).

In Jeremiah 31:3, God declared to Israel, “with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” The Hebrew word for “loving kindness” is hesed. This speaks of a loyal love, unfailing love based upon devotion that is steadfastly built upon a prior relationship. It speaks of merciful and unfailing love that is an act of the sovereign choice of God. Not on emotions alone.

The psalmist frequently celebrated God’s mercy shown to Israel. The Psalms were written by godly men to whom were given great insight by the Spirit of God. They recognized Israel’s sin, but they also saw God’s great mercy. Because of His mercy they were not rejected or consumed by His wrath. See Psalm 89 and 136. We should all rejoice that “the LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy” (Psalm 145:8). “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22).

God has feelings and emotions. He is not some sovereign robot in heaven without any feelings. However, we must understand that God’s love is more than just emotions. It is not a reaction to the object of His love. It is a self-purposed act of His holiness for His own eternal purposes and glory. God works “all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11). God’s glory is not invested in the object of His love, but in His own glory. God’s choice and calling should not bring about any pride in the object of God’s love. God has chosen weak people, foolish persons, and the people who are the rejected and despised people of the world, so that “no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:29).

God’s love for His people Israel can be seen in two ways. First, God has attached Himself to the nation by using its name as a reference to Himself. He has declared 46 times in the Bible that Israel is His people and that He is their God! After they have been scattered among the nations for thousands of years, in the end He says, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness” (Zechariah 8:7-8).

Names in the Bible are very important. Names are designed to reflect the character or the divine nature of that person’s calling. God’s name in the Bible is holy (Psalm 111:9). The very mention of God’s name is to be approached with great reverence (Exodus 20:7). God has forever attached His identity to the Jewish people. He has called Himself “The Holy One of Israel,” “The God of Israel,” “The God of Jacob,” and “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

God has determined that when people observe the Jewish people, they can learn something about His very nature. God’s work among His people teaches us much about His grace and mercy. It also demonstrates that God is infinitely patient and faithful. God has repeatedly used great miracles in the history of Israel. These miracles are a demonstration of God’s awesome power. The nation of Israel is a testimony to the truthfulness of God’s Word. His promises never fail! The history of Israel demonstrates that God is serious about punishing sin and unfaithfulness to God. The Jewish people also demonstrate God’s infinite love for those who are unworthy of that love.

Hundreds of times in the Bible, God refers to Israel as “my people.” As previously mentioned, God has a unique covenant with only one nation and ethnic group – Israel and the Jewish people. He has set them apart and high above all other nations. In the truest sense of the word, they are His people. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus referred to the Jewish people as “my brethren.” With this comment, Jesus said to

those whom He was speaking, that what they did to His people they had done to Him. When you attack Israel, you are attacking God! God said that those who touch Him, touch “the apple of his eye” (Zechariah 2:8). This means that the Jew is the central focus of God in His eternal plan. As goes God’s divine will and purpose, so goes the nation of Israel. God’s will and the nation of Israel are intertwined in the mind and heart of God! That is why Israel is the target of hell and all the devil’s demons!

Hundreds of times in the Bible, God refers to Israel as “my people.” As previously mentioned, God has a unique covenant with only one nation and ethnic group – Israel and the Jewish people. He has set them apart and high above all other nations. In the truest sense of the word, they are His people.

In the Bible, God gives many symbolic illustrations of the identity of Israel. In Exodus 4:22, Moses declared to Pharoah, “Israel is my son, even my first born.” In the culture of the Middle East, the first-born son held a position of honor and importance over all his siblings. How fitting for God to refer to the nation of Israel in these terms. In Exodus 19:5, God spoke to Israel and said, you are a “treasure unto me above all people.” With great affection, He referred to Israel as His vineyard (Isaiah 5:7). Israel is the unique flock of God (Isaiah 40:11). At Mount Horeb in Exodus 19, God met with Israel and gave them a covenant that is recognized in the Bible as a marriage covenant. In the Bible, Israel is known as the wife of Jehovah. When the end comes, God will renew His relationship with His wife with a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). These, and many other analogies, indicate that God has a deep affection and enduring love for His people. No other nation is looked upon with such honor or calling.

The Lord has assured us that He will never permanently reject His people, Israel. Remember that the Lord has said to Israel, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). He has promised to discipline the children of Israel, but has declared, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips” (Psalm 89:34). God’s promises are bound up in the presence of the sun and the moon. God has said that as long as the sun and the moon stands, the nation of Israel will be before Him to accomplish His purposes (Jeremiah 31:35-37).

I would like to say to all those who are attempting to attack or curse Israel, “look up!” If you see the sun and moon, please know that you will not be able to destroy Israel or stop God’s eternal plans. Not all the demons in hell or all the billions in the nations will be able to defeat the Lord God. When Jesus returns, He will slay all the wicked “with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips” (Isaiah 11:4).

The surge of anti-Semitism is a testimony that Satan is running scared. He must know that His time to defeat God is getting short (Revelation 12:12). He is assembling the nations against Israel. The nations are about to feel the wrath of God. Like fools, they are running toward their own demise.

Get ready for the shout that will take us out!

March 2024 – Real Facts about the Middle East Conflict

PTNews

P r o p h e tic Truth in the N e w s

March 2024

   Published monthly by Mike Wingfield Ministries

All Bible references are from the KJV   

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(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)

P.O. Box 67, Boones Mill, VA 24065

Real Facts about the Middle East Conflict

“And at that time … there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was

since there was a nation even to that same time.” Daniel 12:1

By Mike Wingfield

Just like the Bible predicted, the world is formulating a plan to destroy the modern nation of Israel. Filled with hate, lies, wickedness, and deception, the nations of the world are manufacturing a plan of action to remove the only Jewish nation from the face of the earth. This ever-evolving plan puts the nations of the world in direct conflict with the Holy One of Israel.

The Unites Nations is an organization that is to function to promote peace and security throughout the world. However, this global body consistently attempts to demonize Israel by passing three times more resolutions against the Jewish nation than all other countries combined! In January, the International Court of Justice in South Africa – the judicial arm of the United Nations – continued this alarming trend by accusing Israel with genocide of the people of Gaza in its ongoing war with Hamas.

During Israel’s advance against Hamas’ territory in Gaza, the Israelis made an alarming discovery. In a bunker under the Gaza Strip headquarters of the United Nations’ Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), they discovered a complex data center of Hamas. Times of Israel News reports, “The subterranean data center — complete with an electrical room, industrial battery power banks and living quarters for Hamas terrorists operating the computer servers — was built precisely under the location where Israel would not consider looking initially, let alone target in an airstrike.

“The revelation of the server farm comes amid other accusations of UNRWA collusion with the Gaza-ruling terror group and the entanglement of the UN body that provides welfare and humanitarian services for Palestinian refugees from the 1948 and 1967 wars and their descendants” (Times of Israel News, February 10, 2024).

These resolutions against Israel, the ploy to accuse Israel of genocide against Gazans, and the discovery of the UNRWA’s protection of Hamas prove that the United Nations promotes a very biased network of lies and deception against Israel. This global body seeks every opportunity to make Israel look bad in the eyes of the world. And it is working!

At the same time, the Biden against administration is taking a hard position against Israel. With the world’s support, the U.S. is demanding Israel allow the establishment of a Palestinian State. World Israel News has reported that President Joe Biden is preparing to make an “unprecedented U.S. diplomatic initiative to promote a Palestinian state — NOW” (World Israel News, February 1, 2024)! This is a major shift in American foreign policy. Previous U.S. administrations have stated they would not unilaterally recognize a Palestinian State. It has been the U.S. policy that such a move must come out of a diplomatic process that includes the two parties involved in this conflict – the Israelis and the Palestinians. Other countries, like France, are now preparing to recognize Palestinian statehood. The United Nations is also calling for such a move. This plan would reward the Palestinians with a state that includes the entire West Bank (biblical Judea and Samaria). This would also recognize East Jerusalem (the ancient biblical city) as the capitol of the Palestinian State.

These developments are occurring while Israel is still in shock over the barbaric invasion by Hamas on October 7, 2023. As Israel’s war in Gaza continues the effort to destroy the ranks of the terrorist organization and Hamas’ leadership, the world is preparing to reward the Islamic terrorists throughout the Middle East by giving them another terrorist state – Palestine – next door to Israel. Most Israelis are sending a clear message to the world that they do not want and will not accept a Palestinian State on the land that God promised their forefathers 4,000 years ago. The world condemns their stance and deceptively believes that a Palestinian State is in the best interest of peace in the Middle East. Once again, the world’s evil desire comes at the expense of the Jewish people. And it is a direct attack against God’s eternal covenant with His people.

Those of us who know the Bible and the integrity of the Israelis in their fight for survival understand how critical and dangerous the demands of the world are. The world is standing on the wrong side of evil. Their fight against Israel is riddled with lies and deception. The world has chosen to believe Hamas’ reports of conditions in Gaza. They reject the reports of the Israeli government, while unquestionably accepting Hamas’ casualty reports in Gaza. Hamas fighters are filled with such hate they murder the innocent and take joy in mutilating their bodies. Is it any surprise that they would also lie to the press about their casualty count and condition of their forces? Jesus stated that the father of murderers is also the father of liars (John 8:44).

As prophesied in Psalm 2, the world is in a rage of hatred against God, His Messiah, and His commandments. Those of us who know what the Bible says about the end of this age agree that the stage is being set for the final war between God and the nations, between heaven and hell and between good and evil. The battle ground is the Middle East in general, and the nation of Israel in particular.

With the Bible as our final authority, let us examine the real facts about the Middle East and the final conflict. According to the Bible, God has chosen the Middle East as the epicenter for His purposes. It is where life began, and where it will end. Except for Paul’s missionary journeys, all the events in the Bible took place in the Middle East!

In sharp contrast to most of the Western world, the Middle East has had a long history of conflict that has featured the struggle of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. It is not an accident that the nation of Israel is at the geographical center of the nations. It is the place where the European, Asian, and African continents join together.

More than 4,000 years ago, God spoke to Abraham on seven different occasions, promising him that he and his descendants would receive an eternal land grant from Him. God said to Abraham, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18). While standing in the middle of what is today called the “West Bank,” God gave the following promise to Abraham, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever” (Genesis 13:15). Please take note that this promise was given to Abraham while he was standing at Bethel (Genesis 13:3-4) in the middle of the “West Bank.” In Genesis 17:7-8, God reiterated to Abraham that His agreement with him was “an everlasting covenant” concerning “an everlasting possession.” How much clearer can the Bible be concerning Israel’s eternal right to all the Promised Land, including the “West Bank,” biblical Judea and Samaria?

Furthermore, in the context of this promise in Genesis 13-15, God’s title is El Elyon, “The Most High God” (Genesis 14:18-22). This title means that God is “the possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19, 22). God is sovereign over all the earth. He owns it all! However, God uniquely calls the Promised Land “my land” (Ezekiel 36:5; Joel 3:2). God made it clear to Israel that they could not sell the land to any other people. He said to them, “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me” (Leviticus 25:23).

Those who attempt to change this eternal covenant are in conflict with God! According to the Bible, it is the world’s rejection of God’s people and land that will bring about the final conflict between God and the nations. The nations have already begun their march toward Armageddon! During the final seven years leading to Armageddon, the Most High God will devastate the nations in His holy wrathful judgment!

You might be asking, “But what about the Arab Palestinians? God promised the Arabs that they would also become a great nation and He gave them a great land heritage (Genesis 16:10; 17:20). God has kept His promise to the Arab nations. Today, there are 21 Arab nations that have a combined land mass that is 650 times more than what Israel possesses, including the “West Bank.” The land of Israel is only one-sixth of one percent of the size of all Arab land.

The conflict over the land of Israel today is a Holy War for the Holy Land. All the nations that are mentioned by name that come against Israel at Armageddon are Muslim nations of the Middle East (Psalm 83:1-8; Isaiah 34:1-10; Ezekiel 35-36). According to Muslim law, the world is divided into two realms. The realm under Islamic authority is called “the House of Islam.” The other realm is called “the House of War.” The Muslims passionately claim that once a piece of land becomes a part of “the House of Islam” it must be considered Islamic land forever. Since the land of Israel was controlled by Islam for more than 500 years, it is considered by all the Muslim community (2 billion people) to belong to Allah, their god. The presence of the Jewish people in the land once called Palestine is an embarrassment to their religion. Therefore, they must regain this land, even if it results in their death!

In light of all of the lies and misinformation about Israel and the conflict in the Middle East, let us examine four biblical facts about the Middle East.

1. God Placed Israel in the Middle East

God called Abraham and his descendants to live in the land of His choice – the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1-5). In the beginning, God created this land for the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:8-10). He created this land mass to be at the geographical center of all nations (Ezekiel 5:5). This entire region was a place of spiritual darkness. God called His people, Israel, to live in this darkness to represent Him and to be a light to those around them. God chose for Israel to live in a small land in the middle of the great kingdoms and empires of the ancient world. Today, Israel is the focus of the international media almost every day.

2. God Chose Israel to Dwell in Conflict

When God placed His people in the Middle East, He knew it would be a difficult place for them to live. Concerning Israel, the Lord declared, “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). The Bible teaches that difficult times and persecution build godly character and cause us to trust God. Israel as a nation was born in slavery in Egypt. After the exodus, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. After their rebellion against the Lord, the Lord drove them out of their land into exile. Eventually, their land was occupied and controlled by other kingdoms for 700 years – by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. After their defeat by Rome in the first century, Israel was driven out into the nations and their land was occupied by the Romans, Muslims, and Great Britain until Israel became a nation in 1948.

3. The Truth about Jews and Arabs in the Middle East

There has always been a remnant of Jews and Arabs who have lived in harmony together in the Middle East. However, many of the Arabs, since the time of Ishmael and Esau, have hated the descendants of Isaac and Jacob. They have been jealous of the blessings of the birthright of the chosen people. The Bible points the finger at the Arab nations east of Israel as the perpetual cause of the Middle East conflict.

4. The Spiritual Foundation of the Conflict

The Bible teaches that the conflict in the Middle East is more than a family feud over land. All the animosity, hatred, envy, and war has been driven by the forces of hell. Satan and his demons are deeply motivated to defeat God’s eternal purposes that He has invested in the Jewish people and the land of Israel. The minions of hell know if they can destroy the Jewish people, they will defeat God. This is at the heart of their plan since the death of Christ at Calvary (Revelation 12).

In Isaiah 14:12-14, the Bible reveals that it is Satan’s strategy to defeat and dethrone God. Above all things, Satan wants to control the one place on earth where God has placed His glory and His name – the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This is the ordained location of the throne of the Messiah on earth during the Millennial Kingdom (Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 2:1-4).

Satan knows that when Jesus rules the world from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, he will be in prison for a thousand years in “the bottomless pit” (Revelation 20:1-3). Obviously, this is motivating Satan to not allow the Jewish people to rule over Israel from Jerusalem and ultimately rebuild the temple on the Temple Mount. This is currently at the center of the conflict between Islam and Israel. Israel and Islam are the only people in the world who are passionate about the possession and control of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

The ongoing, raging conflict in the Middle East is beginning to engulf the entire world! This is a sure sign that the war in the spiritual realm is also reaching a new level that is preparing the world for the end of this age!

The world is ignorant of the dangerous actions taken against Israel and the Jewish people around the world. Listen to Psalm 33:10-11, “The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”

Those who war against Israel and the Jewish people will go down in utter defeat. “They that war against [Israel] shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought” (Isaiah 41:12).

The world is joining Israel’s enemies in the Middle East in plotting the demise of Israel. According to World Israel News, a recent survey of 16 nations in the Middle East support what Hamas did to Israel on October 7, 2023. Their report states, “Arabs across the Middle East and North Africa overwhelmingly view Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, which left over 1,200 people dead in Israel and saw 240 others kidnapped to Gaza, as ‘legitimate resistance.’ … Most Arabs said they disapproved of recognizing the State of Israel, with 89% saying they would support rejecting or revoking such a move” (World Israel News, January 24, 2024).

The response of the Palestinians in this survey is even more shocking. “According to the Palestinians Survey Report, more than half believe that Hamas is ‘the most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people today.’ … Almost all (98%) of the respondents said the slaughter made them feel ‘prouder of their identity as Palestinians’” (World Israel News, January 24, 2024).

Comments like these clearly indicate that real peace among the Arabs and Jews in the Middle East is humanly impossible. Only Jesus, the Prince of Peace, can bring real lasting peace to the Middle East and the world. For 1,000 years, while Jesus is on the throne of David in Jerusalem, there will be perfect global peace. There will be peace in Israel for the first time since the rule of King Solomon. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord gave this Kingdom promise to Israel, “Violence shall no more be heard in land, wasting or destruction within they borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:18).

Friends, this is the world’s only hope for peace. According to the Bible, the world is about to enter the most volatile time of war, violence, and death in the history of the planet (Matthew 24:21-22). Pray for Israel and the Jewish people. Pray for their safety and salvation. Pray that we will obey the Holy Spirit and seek to share the gospel with those around us. The age of God’s grace is about to end and the age of God’s wrath is about to begin!

There is only one way to escape the deadly Tribulation Period that is coming upon America and the world. Only those who have personally received Jesus Christ as their Redeemer can escape with us when the trumpet of the Lord sounds and calls us into His presence. Friend, call upon the Lord to save you from your sins.

The Lord has promised, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-13).

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Don’t delay. The time is short. He is coming soon!

Be ready for the shout that will take us out!