Category: Prophecy

May contain help in interpreting the prophetic scriptures, may demonstrate how current events are fulfilling prophetic scriptures.

2015 January – The Holy City of Jerusalem
The Holy City of Jerusalem
“Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof.” Psalm 102:13-14
By Mike Wingfield
Just a few weeks ago, I once again stood within the ancient walls of the most important city in the world – Jerusalem. Strangely enough, when I am in Jerusalem, my heart fills with joy because it feels like “home” to me.
For almost three decades, I have been making trips to Israel. What a privilege I have had to walk where so many prophets and kings of Israel, and especially our Lord Jesus, walked. With each of my tours, I have purposely left Jerusalem as the final destination of our pilgrimage in the Holy Land. As a lifetime student of the Word of God and believer in Jesus Christ, my heart has been greatly stirred each time I have visited the holy city of Jerusalem.
There is no city on earth like Jerusalem. It is the only city with a divine destiny. The sovereign power and zeal of God guarantees that this city will ultimately fulfill its divine purpose. (Read Isaiah 62:1-7.) When the old Jerusalem passes away with the old earth, the New Jerusalem will appear on the New Earth. (Revelation 21:1-2)
No other city in the Bible demands attention like Jerusalem. It is mentioned by name over 800 times. When other names for this city are considered, the Biblical references to Jerusalem number over 1,000. Jerusalem is called “Zion” over 150 times in the Scriptures. Other names include: “The city of the great King,” “The city of the Lord of Hosts,” Ariel, City of God, City of David, City of Judah, City of Righteousness, City of Truth, Holy City, Faithful City.
The Lord considers Jerusalem to be holy. This means that this city is different than all other cities. It is a city set apart from all other cities. It is not the largest city in the world, or the most populated. The uniqueness of Jerusalem is bound up in the eternal purposes of God.
(Psalm 102:13-21; 125:1) It has played a major role in God’s plans in the past and is destined to be at center stage during the last days of man’s time on this earth.
In many ways, Jerusalem is totally unique. With this in mind, let us look at five ways Jerusalem is unique:
1. Jerusalem is geographically at the center of the earth.
When the Lord created the nations, He placed the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem at the center of the earth. (Ezekiel 5:5) Literally, Ezekiel 5:5 declares that Jerusalem is the “navel” of the earth. Just as the umbilical cord has been designed by the Creator to transfer life sustaining substances to the baby while in its mother’s womb, even so the Lord has chosen that spiritual life for the soul has come through Jerusalem to the nations of the world. The Word of the Lord and our redemption have come out of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is destined to be the center of the Messiah’s global administration during His reign over the nations for 1,000 years. (Isaiah 2:1-3) Jerusalem will serve as the spiritual, political, educational, and economic hub of the world. All nations will be required to go up to Jerusalem annually to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16) Those who dwell in the kingdom will call the Holy City “the throne of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:17) How fitting for Jerusalem to be located in the center of the nations.
Before we continue with our consideration of Jerusalem being unique among the cities of the nations, I would like to point out that Ezekiel’s statement about Jerusalem being the geographical center of the nations could not have been humanly determined in his time. The first attempts to construct a global map took place only a few hundred years before the time of Christ. These maps were very crude and inaccurate. Therefore, Ezekiel’s declaration about Jerusalem being the center of the earth must have been due to divine revelation. This is the only logical explanation.
2. Jerusalem is the focus of divine attention.
The divine will and purposes of God are always at the center of His focus. While speaking about the Promised Land, the Lord told Moses that the land He was giving to His people was a land that He cared for, and that “the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.”
(Deuteronomy 11:12) Hundreds of years later, when Solomon had completed the Temple in Jerusalem, the Lord repeated the Davidic covenant to the King (a covenant that guarantees a future descendant of David will rule from Jerusalem). In doing so, He spoke concerning Jerusalem and swore: “mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.” (1 Kings 9:3)
When the Lord looks upon Jerusalem, He uses the language of affection that a young man would use as he looks upon his virgin bride. (Isaiah 62:5) God rejoices over Jerusalem and longs for her with a great love. Under divine inspiration, the Psalmist wrote: “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion.” (Psalm 48:2) In Psalm 50:2, he declared: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.” This beloved city is known as “the mount Zion which he loved.” (Psalm 78:68) “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. … for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. … And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.” (Zechariah 1:14; 2:8, 12)
In a very unique way, Jerusalem is known in the Bible as symbolically being the dwelling place of God. (Psalm 74:2; 76:2) Psalm 132:13-14 proclaims: “For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.” It is called “the throne of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:17) It is “the city of our God” (Psalm 48:1, see also Psalm 87:3), “the city of the great King” (Psalm 48:2), and “the city of the LORD of hosts” (Psalm 48:8) The Lord has determined that His name is to be associated with Jerusalem. (Deuteronomy 12:5, 11) Jerusalem is “a crown of glory,” and “a royal diadem” in the hand of the Lord. (Isaiah 62:3) While speaking of His Son, the Lord Jesus, the Father has announced to the nations: “Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:6)
The Lord has promised that He will never forget Jerusalem. In a very unique way He has declared:
“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah 49:16)
When we begin to grasp the reality of these truths, we can begin to fathom the purposes behind Satan’s great efforts to destroy the very city that the Lord loves. Satan hates what the Lord loves.
3. Jerusalem is the epicenter of the spirit world
Satan is known in the Bible as the prince of this world. It is his objective to dominate and control the kingdoms of this world in his war against the Most High God. God’s name, “the Most High God,” indicates that He is “the possessor of heaven and earth.” (Genesis 14:19, 22)
Satan knows that the creation belongs to God. However, it is his desire to dethrone God and take control of the creation for his own purposes. There is a sense in which the Lord has allowed Satan to have temporary control over the godless kingdoms of this world. All of this is reflected in Satan’s strategy in the temptation of Jesus at the beginning of our Lord’s earthly ministry. (Matthew 4:810) Jerusalem is at the center of Satan’s efforts to dominate the kingdoms of this world in his opposition to God’s eternal plan. (Isaiah 14:12-14) The prophetic Word of God clearly demonstrates that Satan’s messiah, the Antichrist, will desire to dominate the city of Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount. (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 1112) It is not an accident that Israel is locked in a death duel with Islam over the occupation and possession of Jerusalem, and especially the Temple Mount.
While speaking to Satan about His divine purposes for Jerusalem, the Lord referred to Jerusalem as “a brand plucked out of the fire.” (Zechariah 3:2) Indeed, Jerusalem has faced the attack of satanically inspired Gentile forces for centuries. What God has chosen to bless and use for His glory, Satan has desired to curse and abuse for His own purposes in his war against the Lord. At the epicenter of the war in the spirit world is the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel.
While in Israel in November, my Israeli guide informed us that more foreign journalists live and report out of Jerusalem than any other city in the world, with the exception of Washington D.C. It is interesting to note that the occupation and control of Jerusalem was of little significance to the world until the return of the Jewish people in the last century. It is very apparent that Satan opposes any Israeli control of the Holy Land or holy city of Jerusalem because of its relative significance to the approaching kingdom of God upon this earth and his doom in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years. (Revelation 20:1-3)
This struggle for Jerusalem is made even more complicated because it is the center of three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is most unique to be in Jerusalem for a weekend. The Muslim’s holy day is Friday. The Jewish people worship on Shabbat, beginning on Friday evening and ending the following evening. The Christians worship on the first day of the week, Sunday. Most Israeli churches have their worship service on Saturday evening, which according Biblical reckoning of time begins at sundown. (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) In the Jewish frame of Biblical time, Sunday begins at sundown, not at midnight. The weekend in Israel consists of Friday and Saturday. Their workweek begins on Sunday morning.
4. Jerusalem is at the heart of God’s redemptive plan
The city of Jerusalem is at the center of God’s stage in His eternal plans. The city is first mentioned in Genesis 14:18 as “Salem,” which means “peace.” The name Jerusalem means “city of peace.” It is not a coincidence that the eternal God sent His Son to die outside the walls of Jerusalem to reconcile sinful men to Himself, thereby establishing a way that redeemed men can be at peace with God. The final mention of the earthly Jerusalem is found in Revelation 20:9. Here, it is the location of the final satanically induced rebellion against the Lord. This final revolt is the last recorded activity upon this old earth before it passes away and the new earth appears in the new heavens. (Revelation 21:1)
The Lord has ordained that Jerusalem is at the heart of the story of His plan of redemption. The details of God’s redemptive purposes were in place before the world was created by Him in the beginning of time. Revelation 13:8 speaks of Jesus as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” An examination of the hundreds of prophecies of the first coming of the Messiah overwhelms the Bible student with the precious reality that our redemption is a beautifully planned and orchestrated divine provision. At the heart of that plan and its development on earth, the Lord ordained that Jerusalem would be the city of redemption.
It was on the temple mount in Jerusalem, the same as Mount Moriah, where Abraham was tested to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. (Genesis 22:1-14) Later, it was this same mountain where the Lord directed Israel to build the temple. (Deuteronomy 12:5-16; 2 Samuel 24:18-25; 1 Kings 11:32) This location became the only divinely approved place of sacrifice for all of the animals that pointed to the final perfect sacrifice that would come, the Messiah. (Isaiah 53:1-12; Hebrews 9:11-14) Therefore, it was very fitting that the place of Christ’s crucifixion was a part of Mount Moriah.
Historically, the Word of the Lord has gone forth from Jerusalem. The Old Testament prophets were focused upon Jerusalem. The revelation given to them about Jerusalem certainly helped them understand the significant role this city would have in the coming of their Messiah. Jerusalem was the hub of divine activity for the church, and the apostles of our Lord in the beginning decades of the church. The Great Commission given to them by Jesus made it clear that it was God’s plan that the message of redemption was to be sent out to the nations from Jerusalem. (Acts 1:8)
Prophetically, the Word of the Lord will once again flow out to the nations from Jerusalem during the Tribulation Period and the Millennial Kingdom. The two Jewish witnesses (Revelation 11:3-12) and the ministry and training of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Revelation 7:1
8: 14:1-5) will be centered in Jerusalem. The ancient Jewish prophet, Joel, proclaimed: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance…” (Joel 2:32) During the Millennial Kingdom the city of Jerusalem will be the spiritual capital of the world. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “… for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) During the reign of the Messiah on earth, all nations will be required to annually go up to Jerusalem to worship the King. (Isaiah 2:2; Isaiah 60:3; Zechariah 14:16)
The zeal of the Sovereign Almighty God of Israel guarantees that Jerusalem will become a spiritual light
unto the nations. He has declared: “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” (Isaiah 62:1)
5. Jerusalem is at the core of divine protection
Jerusalem is the epicenter of the war in the spiritual realm. Since this holy city is so vital to the eternal redemptive plan of God, the human mind, apart from Scripture, cannot begin to understand the magnitude of the spiritual attack upon Jerusalem by Satan and all those who aid his ancient rebellion against the Lord. This is why Jerusalem must remain at the core of divine protection for the purposes of God to unfold as He has promised. The Lord has declared: “I have set watchmen upon thy walls O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him to rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)
The Lord’s promises to defend Jerusalem are numerous. In Psalm 125:1-2, the Lord pledged: “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” In Isaiah 29:1-8, the Lord calls Jerusalem “Ariel,” “the Lion of God.” In this text He warns all those who dream about capturing Jerusalem as their possession, that they will have their dreams frustrated. While speaking about Jerusalem in Zechariah 2:5, the Lord declared: “For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midist of thee.” When the end of this age comes, He has given the following assurance: “I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
(Zechariah 12:9)
According to the Bible, when the end of this age comes, it will produce the final phase of the spiritual war that has been raging in the spirit world since the fall of Lucifer. We call this final phase – the Tribulation Period. This seven-year period will represent Satan’s greatest effort to defeat God. He must do everything in his diabolical power to detain, disrupt, or defeat the return of Jesus to set up His earthly kingdom in Jerusalem for 1,000 years. If he fails in his attempt to stop Jesus, he knows that there is an angel that has the key to the bottomless pit, and he will be bound by that angel and cast into that pit until the end of the millennial kingdom. (Revelation 20:1-3) Then, he will be released from his prison for one more final attempt to overthrow Jesus. This final confrontation will once again, take place in Jerusalem. (Revelation 20:7-9)
The fact that the world is riveted upon a godless plan that calls for two countries to share the Promised Land, with Jerusalem as their capital, is a clear sign that we are near the end of the Church Age. The world is united in passionate opposition to the eternal plan of God for His people and the Holy City. It is not a coincidence that the Arabs are descendants of Ishmael and Esau, those whom God rejected and made certain in the Scriptures that they were not to inherit the land given to the Jewish people.
Today, the Palestinians are demanding that Israel give up the heartland of what God promised His chosen people, Judea and Samaria and the very city that is mentioned in the Bible over 800 times. And, the world is supporting the Palestinian cause. This all indicates that the stage is set for the Antichrist to appear and the Tribulation to begin. Long ago, the Psalmist wrote: “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. … When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. … This shall be written [for the last generation].” (Psalm 102:13-14, 16, 18)
As this newsletter goes to press, the U.S. administration continues to badger Israel for building residential dwellings within their own capital. World opinion is rapidly turning against Israel for not capitulating to their demands and thereby committing national suicide. The world wants Israel to turn over the very heart of the land to a sworn enemy that continues to demonstrate that they hate the Jewish people and are determined to drive them from the Middle East.
A study of history will reveal that the Arabs and Muslims have never had a compassionate desire to make Jerusalem one of their major cities. Jerusalem is never mentioned in the Koran by name. Islam’s two major cities are Mecca and Medina. It was not until the 20^thcentury and the modern return of the Jewish people to Israel that the Arab/Islamic world began to view the Promised Land and Jerusalem as being important. Why? The answer is found in Ezekiel 36:1-8. In this text, the Lord revealed that when Israel would return to their land in the last days, the surrounding nations would demand that the land is not Jewish land, but Arab land. Concerning this, the Lord announced that these Arab nations “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)
However, Jerusalem has been in the dreams, ambitions, and hearts of the Jewish people for over 3,000 years since King David established it as their capital. I was reminded of this last summer when I read the following article, “We never forgot Jerusalem,” that appeared in The International Jerusalem Post. This article, written by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, was an edited version of a speech he gave as part of the annual Jerusalem days in Israel; in which Israelis celebrate the stunning capture and reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. In this article he eloquently reminds us of the incredible love attachment that the Jewish people have had for Jerusalem for 3,000 years.
“No people ever loved a city more. We saw Jerusalem destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and yet in all those years, wherever Jews lived they never ceased to pray about Jerusalem, face Jerusalem, speak the language of Jerusalem, remember it at every wedding, in every home they built, and at the high points of the Jewish year.
“I ask myself, how could Jews believe so much in a city they had been exiled from for so long? The answer, of course, is very powerful and is contained in [the] words in the story of Jacob. Recall, the brothers return home and show Jacob the blood-stained coat of Joseph. Realizing Joseph has gone, Jacob weeps, and when the brothers move to comfort him we are told, Jacob ‘refused to be comforted.’ Why? There are, after all, laws in Judaism about the limits of grief; there is no such thing as a bereavement for which grief is endless. The answer is that Jacob had not yet given up hope that Joseph was still alive. To refuse to be comforted is to refuse to give up hope.
“That is what Jews did with Jerusalem. They remembered the promise that the people of Israel had made by the waters of Babylon. ‘If I forget Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its cunning.’ We never forgot Jerusalem. We were never comforted. We never gave up hope that one day we would return and because of that Jews never felt separated from Jerusalem.
“When it happened, in 1967, my Jewish identity was transformed when the world heard, ‘The Temple Mount is in our hands.’ These … words changed a generation. ….”
“Twenty-six centuries ago, the prophet Jeremiah said that a time would come when we would not thank God for bringing us out of the land of Egypt, but rather for bringing our people together from all lands of the earth. This second exodus, Jeremiah described, would be even more miraculous than the first. We lived to see this day, when Jews from 103 countries speaking 82 languages came to Israel to build not just their lives but the Jewish homeland. After generations it was Jerusalem that brought Jews together from all over the world as one people, in one voice, singing one song. …
“Never has a city had such power over a people’s imagination. Never did God love a people more and never were a people more loyal than the ancestors who endured and grandchildren or great-grandchildren could come home to Jerusalem, the Holy City, the home of the Jewish heart.” (“We never forgot Jerusalem, Jonathan Sacks, The International Jerusalem Post, June 13-19, 2014, pp. 1011)
The Jewish people have never forgotten Jerusalem. The Lord has declared that He has never forgotten Jerusalem either. (Isaiah 49:14-16) He will also never forsake Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:4, 12)
As we begin this year, we must have our spiritual hearts focused upon the promise of our Lord’s return. The key that unlocks the understanding of Biblical prophecy is the nation of Israel, and especially the Holy City of Jerusalem. So, keep your eyes upon Jerusalem. The Lord does!
Israel a Blessing to the Nations
About 4,000 years ago, when God called the first Jew, Abraham, the Lord told him that his descendants would be a blessing to the world. (Genesis 12:3) In these modern times, the Jews, who represent just .2 percent of the world’s population, have won 22 percent of the Nobel prizes. How ironic that Satan has successfully deceived the nations to hate the people who have blessed them.
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January 1, 2015
2014 November/December – The Global Pandemic of Deadly Diseases in the Last Days
The Global Pandemic of Deadly Diseases in the Last Days
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and [diseases], and earthquakes, in [different] places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” – Matthew 24:7-8
By Mike Wingfield
In recent months, the world community has become alarmingly aware of the threat of a global outbreak of Ebola. The transmission of this deadly disease from Western Africa to the United States has sent the medical world scrambling for answers to stop its spread before it spirals out of control. If unchecked, this disease has the potential to kill tens of millions of people around the world.
About six decades ago, most people thought the world would never again be faced with a serious plague of deadly diseases. Many concluded that modern medicine had a silver bullet to deal with any type of disease that mankind would encounter. Since the discovery and use of antibiotics and medical innovations through the advancement of technology, many people thought humanity was now medically invincible.
However, in the last few decades, the world has gradually been reminded that the wonderful medical achievements that seemed to have made us think we are invincible, have in reality made us more vulnerable than ever before to the inevitable global spread of deadly diseases.
Now, medical researchers are more concerned than ever with what they have discovered. They know that there are thousands of known viruses and have identified hundreds of thousands of strains of bacteria. Whenever these viruses and bacteria enter into a living organism, they have the potential to mutate, producing new diseases for which, in some cases, there are no immediate cures. These newly mutated microscopic germs are clever and dangerous. They can cause cancer, or chemically manipulate the human immune system to their advantage, and hide for years inside human DNA.
About 15 years ago, while I was studying the Scriptures and the medical research available on this subject, the Lord brought into my path a medical doctor. Dr. Matthew Patrick had been hired by the federal government to lecture to EMTs and doctors across America. His lectures centered on the threat of deadly diseases and their potential sudden transmission to millions of Americans due to the use of a biological weapon. Dr. Patrick was the brother of a man who pastored a church near Pittsburgh. I was scheduled to speak at this church, and when the pastor picked me up at the airport; Dr. Patrick had just happened to be accompanying him. Once we were together inside the car, Dr. Patrick introduced himself to me and began to ask me about my ministry. He was very knowledgeable about the prophetic Scriptures and began to question me about certain prophetic subjects. Then, he passionately fired a question to me: “Have you ever considered what the Bible has to say about the pandemic of deadly diseases in the last days?” I was stunned! This was the very area I was researching at the time, but was somewhat at a loss to know where to begin my investigation. I wanted to know what medical analysts were saying about this whole subject. For about 30 minutes, Dr. Patrick gave me a thorough overview of his own personal research. He also detailed his assignment from the federal government to teach medical professionals in the United States about infectious diseases. He then suddenly reached inside his brief case and handed me his personal copy of Laurie Garrett’s award winning book, The Coming Plague, Newly Emerging Diseases in a World out of Balance. This book, published a few years earlier in 1994, was well worn and marked. He told me that he wanted me to have his personal copy to assist me in my research. After church the next morning, Dr. Patrick left. I began to pour over the book he had given me and it has amazed me since how the Lord perfectly timed Dr. Patrick’s assistance in understanding this complex issue and helping me develop the very message I am sharing with you in this newsletter.
Although Garrett’s book was published 18 years ago, it is still considered to be an invaluable tool in understanding the threat of emerging global diseases. In the opening page of the book, Garrett writes: “The history of our time will be marked by recurrent eruptions of newly discovered diseases,… epidemics of diseases migrating to new areas, … and diseases which spring from insects and animals to humans, through man-made disruption to local habitats.
“[There exists] the increased potential that at least some of these diseases will generate large-scale, even worldwide epidemics. The global epidemic of [Aids] is the most powerful and recent example. Yet AIDS does not stand alone; it may well be the first of the modern, large-scale epidemics of infectious diseases.
“The world has rapidly become much more vulnerable to the eruption and, most critically, to the widespread and even global spread of both new and old infectious diseases.” (Laurie Garrett, The Coming Plague, p. xv)
According to the prophetic Scriptures, our world needs to heed the warning of Garrett and others in the medical field. The Bible is filled with warnings that the last days will be marked by global plagues of deadly diseases. In Matthew 24:7 and Luke 21:11, Jesus taught that there would be “pestilences” at the end of this age. This word refers to a plague of deadly diseases. According to Revelation 6:8, one-fourth of the world’s population will die in the opening months of the Tribulation Period, due in part to diseases. They will be killed “with the sword, and with hunger, with death and with the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8) Within the context of Revelation 6, I believe we are being told that this massive death toll will be the result of global Islamic jihad (described in Revelation 6:2-4), famine (mentioned in Revelation 6:5-6), and the transmission of diseases that will be carried by animals (“with death, and with the beasts of the earth,” Revelation 6:8).
For years, Bible students have puzzled over the statement in Revelation 6:8 that people will be killed “with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” To say that people are killed “with death,” very well could be a reference to diseases that erupt due to the massive numbers of rotting corpses that have been left behind by Islamic jihad warriors around the world. In light of the horrific jihadist activities by the Islamic State warriors in Syria and Iraq, we are currently witnessing a small-scale example of what is coming to earth during the Tribulation Period. It has been the practice of Islamic jihadist warriors for centuries to leave corpses of those they have tortured and brutally murdered to rot for days to terrorize those left behind. Everyone recognizes the potential that this carries for widespread diseases to those who come in contact with these dead bodies. For another example of God’s judgment upon Islamic warriors who invade Israel in the last days and are killed by diseases, read Ezekiel 38:18-22; 39:11-16 and Joel 2:20. The possibility of this interpretation seems to fit the context of Revelation 6.
Furthermore, when Revelation 6:8 states that people will be killed “with the beasts of the earth,” this could mean one of two things. First, this could be a symbolic reference to the savage brutality of these Islamic warriors who kill people without any remorse, acting like wild animals that indiscriminately kill other animals and devour them. Please notice that God gave Daniel a vision of the murderous kingdoms of history. They were depicted as savage beasts that devour human beings. (Read Daniel 7.) In the book of Revelation, the Antichrist and the False Prophet are continually referred to as beasts. (Read Revelation 13.)
Several sources have reported that some Islamic jihadists in Syria and Iraq have been collecting blood from Christians they have beheaded. They then sell a vial of this blood for as much as $100,000 to wealthy Muslims in Saudi Arabia. Some radical Muslims believe that if they wash their hands in the blood of a beheaded Christian they will have their sins forgiven and be guaranteed entrance into heaven upon their death. This chilling activity certainly suggests that these savage terrorists are acting as if they have no conscience. They are acting like wild beasts.
A possible second interpretation of the reference to people being killed “with the beasts of the earth,” could be the contraction of deadly diseases that have come from people being in close contact to animals that carry deadly diseases. In recent decades, there have been some cases of human beings contracting diseases from animals. Known examples are: swine flu, bird flu, and mad-cow disease. With the mass production of animals for human consumption and the increase of pork and beef in the daily diets of affluent societies, such as the U.S., the threat of these kinds of diseases are always lurking in the background. “Of the roughly 400 emerging infectious diseases that have been identified since 1940, more than 60% are zoonotic [they came from animals].” (The Guardian, November 9, 2013)
Humans can contract these diseases from infected animals by eating their flesh. For example, meat tainted by mad-cows disease, when consumed by humans, can affect the human brain at a later time. “… the symptoms it produces are neurological. It may start out subtly with insomnia, depression, confusion, personality and behavioral changes, and problems with memory, coordination, and sight. As it progresses, the person rapidly develops dementia and involuntary, irregular jerking movements called myoclonus. … In the final stage of the disease, the patient loses all mental and physical functions, lapses into a coma, and eventually dies.” (www.rarediseases.about.com/od/rare diseases1/a/vcjd.htm){article no longer available at this address, sending you to the front page} Since its discovery, only 164 people in the world have been diagnosed with mad cow-disease.
God’s people can take great joy in the fact that the Bible repeatedly testifies that our Creator has complete control over the body of every person. The health, sickness, and death of everyone are fully under His control! However, this does not mean that we do not bear some human responsibility in this matter. The Lord has created our bodies to naturally respond to His holy standards – mentally, physically, and spiritually. Our wellness or sickness can be impacted by our mental, physical and/or spiritual disobedience.
The Scriptures give many testimonies to these truths. God demonstrated to Moses His power over the dreaded disease of leprosy. (Exodus 4:6-7) When King Uzziah of Judah defiantly went into the temple to burn incense, God suddenly struck him with leprosy. (2 Chronicles 26:1621) When Jesus came to the earth 2,000 years ago, He came to display the power of God to man. (John 1:18) Jesus repeatedly demonstrated that God has total power over all of His creation, including diseases. During His earthly ministry, Jesus healed all that came unto Him. (Mark 1:29-34)
In some cases, the Lord has used diseases as a form of divine judgment of man due to sin. God has struck individuals with a disease because of their personal sin. For example, read about Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. (Daniel 4:28-37) When King David disobeyed the Lord by numbering his people, the Lord sent diseases among the people. In three days 70,000 men died. (2 Samuel 24:13-15) The wicked Roman King Herod died suddenly due to a divine judgment of a disease in Acts 12:21-23. The Lord also uses diseases to judge an entire nation that is in rebellion against Him. God used Moses to warn Pharaoh that He would use diseases and other horrific judgments against the Egyptians if he would not free God’s people and let them leave Egypt. He warned: “For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon they people: that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:14) The Lord repeatedly warned Israel that if they departed from Him, He would visit the nation with incurable diseases. Read Deuteronomy 28:21-22, 27-28, 35, 58-61.
However, we must be very careful to not conclude that all diseases and health-related difficulties are the result of God’s divine judgment due to personal sin. God in His sovereignty has ordained the path of our lives. The Scriptures testify that many times He has chosen that some of His most godly saints suffer and endure some of the most difficult diseases and trials, even unto death. We must remember that God’s work on this earth is not about our good, but His glory. Jesus, the perfect, sinless Son of God, suffered while He walked this earth. Who do we think we are to expect or demand that God not allow us to suffer? It is a hard thing for the depraved mind to grasp, but sometimes it is the perfect will of God for people to suffer and die for His glory. (1 Peter 4:12-19; Revelation 6:9-11) Remember the story of the man who was born blind from his birth in John 9. Jesus disciples asked: “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) Notice Jesus’ answer to them: “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” (John 9:3) In essence, Jesus told His disciples that this man had suffered with totally physical blindness from the time of his birth so that Jesus could heal him for the glory of God.
The modern lifestyles of our ever expanding global population are at the core of the increase of deadly diseases in the last days. More people live on earth than any other time in human history. World population is now estimated to be 7.27 billion. We are growing at the rate of 1.5 million people per week. For comparison, the global population at the time of Christ was only 500 million. Obviously, this means that when a contagious disease appears, there are more people to transmit it. Consequently, there is a greater potential for many more to contract that diseases, threatening a greater number of people.
During the last century, when world population went from 1 billion to 6 billion, with the majority of people moving from rural areas into big cities. In 1900, only 15 percent of the global population lived in urban areas. Today, 54 percent of the world lives in cities. In our affluent nation, 81 percent of Americans live in urban areas. This problem has culminated in the creation of mega cities – cities with a population that exceeds 10 million. In 1952 there were only two mega cities in the world. Today, there are 30 mega cities, and 12 of these have a population that exceeds 20 million! It is obvious that these mega cities have the greatest potential for massive contraction and transmission of diseases. Laurie Garrett states that cities are
“microbe heavens, or graveyards of mankind.” (Laurie Garrett, The Coming Plague, p. 235) In light of this, it is interesting to note that the Lord gave the following warning to Israel: “And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me: I will bring seven times more [diseases] upon you according to your sins. … and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the [diseases] among you.” (Leviticus 26:21, 25)
Many of our diseases are related to sexual immorality. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have become a mega problem for the healthcare industry since the sexual revolution in the 1960s. Here in the U.S., it is reported that there are 20 million new cases of STDs among young adults (15-24 years old) each year! It is estimated that 40 percent of sexually active teen-age girls in America have a STD. Hundreds of millions of people around the globe are suffering and dying from STDs. We must warn these people that their Creator has designed their bodies for sex only within the marriage between one man and one woman. To transgress this law is to invite the natural consequences of divine judgment, which are STDs. (Read Romans 1:27.) People are forced to accept the idea that God has designed our bodies with safety limits. Our bodies were not created to jump off of a three story-building, stay under water for hours, or have sex with multiple people. Deadly consequences remain in effect for those who refuse to accept God’s laws within His creation and in His book – the Bible.
The abuse of illegal drugs is also causing a marked increase in certain diseases, such as AIDS, the hepatitis B virus, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis. When a person takes illegal drugs and is involved in immorality, it greatly increases his potential to contract and transmit diseases among his drug buddies and multiple sex partners. According to the Bible, this will be a major problem during the final days man will be on this earth. Revelation 9:21 reports: “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries [this word could be translated ‘drugs’], nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”
There are other factors to consider concerning our modern lifestyles and the increased risk of a global outbreak of infectious diseases. As a result of our population explosion in the 20^thcentury, new agricultural inventions and techniques for massive food production had to be invented to keep pace with the growing population. Several generations now have known nothing about raising their own food. Less than 2 percent of the population is providing any food for themselves.
Research demonstrates that the agricultural products that are being mass-produced today do not have the necessary nutritional value that is necessary for maintaining the health that our bodies need. The overuse of fertilizers and pesticides has yielded fresh fruits and vegetables that have been raped of their nutrients. In many cases the remaining nutrients in these food products are destroyed with radiation before they are shipped to our supermarkets. We may have more food that looks great, is larger, and tastes good, but is void of nutritional value. This problem is being magnified by the use of genetically modified foods. Once again, Laurie Garrett helps us understand how serious this situation has become. She writes: “Among the cells of the body most dependent upon a steady source of nutrients are those of the immune system, most of which live, even under ideal conditions, for only days at a time. As nutritional input declines, these vital cells literally run out of fuel, or, in worst cases, die off. The body may also lack nutritional resources to make replacement cells, and eventually immune deficiency can become so acute that virtually any pathogenic microbe can cause lethal disease.” (Garrett, p. 199) In addition, there is concern that antibiotics are being used in animals that we consume. It is a proven fact that these antibiotics may protect the farmer’s livestock, but their use has led to the spread of more dangerous microbes that invade our bodies.
Please keep in mind that in relationship to history, these are new lifestyles. Just a little over 150 years ago, almost everyone raised their own food. They knew what they were eating. All of this is further complicated by the increasing trend to eat out more often. Several generations ago, eating out was a very rare occasion. Now, it is not uncommon for the average couple or family to go out to eat several times a week. When people eat out they have no control over the quality of the food they consume, food preparation, food handling, or eating conditions. Therefore, this increases their risk of dangerous food contamination or excessive amounts of harmful foods that lead to poor health, making the body even more vulnerable to diseases.
Since the 1940s, the medical profession has attempted to aid our fight against infectious diseases with the use of antibiotics. However, it is now apparent that we are in grave danger due to the overuse of these antibiotics. When a patient fails to take the entire prescribed antibiotic, the surviving bacteria mutates, strengthening itself against the next round of antibiotics. Consequently, when the next infection comes we need to use a more powerful or different antibiotic. Concerning this problem, Laurie Garrett explains: “We’re running out of bullets for dealing with a number of these infections. [Like MRSA.] … Patients are dying because we no longer in many cases have antibiotics that work. … Bugs are always figuring out ways to get around the antibiotics we throw at them. … They adapt, they come roaring back.” (Garrett, p. 431) Later, she quotes from another medical research scientist that sounds this most alarming warning: “Unfortunately, we played a trick on the natural world by seizing control of these [natural] chemicals, making them more perfect in a way that has changed the whole microbial constitution of the developing countries. We have organisms that probably caused a tenth of a percent of human disease in the past that now cause twenty, thirty percent of the disease we are seeing. We have changed the whole face of the earth by the use of antibiotics.” (Garrett, p. 437)
Another aspect of our modern lifestyles in recent decades has been the marked increase in the movement of goods and people due to increased global air travel. Obviously, this magnifies the potential for the global transmission of deadly diseases. We consume products that are shipped to our communities from around the world. Each year, over 800 million people travel in and out of the U.S. in international air travel. Over 2,500 years ago the prophet Daniel predicted that in the “time of the end many shall run to and fro.” (Daniel 12:4) In recent weeks we have learned that the potential threat of an Ebola outbreak in the United States has increased due to the return of some Americans who have traveled to parts of Western Africa where over 4,900 have died due to an Ebola epidemic.
The potential for the pandemic of deadly diseases is also related to our changing environment. Some are debating the reality and cause of climate change or global warming. However, according to the prophetic Word of God, it will become a great problem during the Tribulation Period. (Malachi 4:1; Revelation 16:8-9) A true consideration of the factors that contribute to global warming, both scientifically and biblically, indicate that climate change is not due to man-made emissions or burping cows! True climate change comes from radical increases of radiation from the sun and gases released from volcanic eruptions. I would like to point out that the Bible indicates that both of these will play a major role in the increase of global warming during the Tribulation Period. As the global climate heats up, it will produce ripe conditions that will cause the multiplication of insects and rodents that transmit dangerous diseases. The man-made pollution of our water, land, and air will also magnify the increase in deadly diseases. Please notice that during the Tribulation Period, the Lord will “destroy them which destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) While evangelical Christians do not agree with those who worship “mother earth,” we do need to recognize that we should be good managers of the creation the Lord has entrusted to us. (Genesis 2:15) For far too long man has raped the land, abused and altered the vegetation, polluted the water, poisoned the air, and wasted our resources. God’s payday is coming. It appears that He will allow mankind to suffer the consequences of his own abuse and neglect as stewards of His creation He allows us to enjoy.
Aside from all of these considerations that make us more vulnerable to the creation, mutation, and transmission of deadly diseases, there is one more concern that is even more frightening. We are living at a time when evil regimes possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD). While we often think about the dangerous threat of nuclear or chemical WMDs, it is a known fact that biological weapons are the easiest to make, maintain, transport, release, and in some ways are the most lethal WMD. “Biological weapons contain natural toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi; sprayed or burst over populated areas, they might cause limited but severe outbreaks of … deadly diseases.”(www.britannica.com) Nine nations of great concern possess these WMDs: Algeria, China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Syria. Israeli news sources have reported that several Islamic terrorist groups, including the Islamic State, are trying to acquire biological weapons. “Plans to develop biological weapons and instructions on how to weaponize the bubonic plague from infected animals were found on a laptop belonging to a Tunisian Islamic State jihadist, by a Syrian rebel commander from a moderate group in northern Syria.” (www.timesofisrael. com, August 30, 2014)
Should these terrorist groups successfully release a biological weapon in Europe, Canada, or the United States, we cannot begin to image how this would change our lives in an instant. This makes me think of the warning in 1 Thessalonians 5:3: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
We are living at a time when mankind is more vulnerable to events that threaten our lives than ever before! On the surface it all appears good and glorious. However, when you examine the Word of God and conservative secular research, we are in deep trouble. Our Lord spoke of the alarming death rate that will characterize the final period of this age. In Matthew 24:21-22, He warned: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
My friend, if you do not know the Lord, you need to surrender your life to Him today. Only those who have repented of their sins and called out to the Lord for salvation will escape the time “which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10) Those who believe and trust in Him, and demonstrate that by abiding in Christ and keeping His Word, will be kept from the “hour of temptation” (Revelation 3:10), and be delivered “from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
May our Lord give us great wisdom for living in this fallen world until He takes us home to be with Him. Keep looking up! Be listening for the shout that will take us out!
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November 1, 2014
2014 September – When God Fights for Israel
When God Fights for Israel
“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle: … Then shall the LORD go forth, and fights against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” – Zechariah 14:2-3
By Mike Wingfield
While the inhabitants of this world are moving frantically about to fulfill their selfish and sinful desires, God is speaking through the ongoing conflict in Israel. Little does the world know that the hand of God is at work while Israel defends herself against relentless attacks from an Islamic terrorist group known as Hamas.
Yes, we are troubled as we see the graphic images of violence and destruction taking place in Israel and Gaza. But at the same time, these are exciting times for students of Bible prophecy, because we are witnessing sensational testimonies of God’s power and faithfulness to His people.
In this newsletter, I will focus on these exciting reports coming out of the Middle East. First, let us examine the larger context of Scripture to set the stage for grasping how God is being faithful to His chosen people, Israel.
The Bible is the only divine written revelation given to man. When we open this revelation, our attitude should be similar to that of Moses when he stood before God at the burning bush. (Exodus 3) He saw it as a time to humble himself and be still before the “I AM THAT I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) While reading the Bible, we should be in awe and reverence, like taking off our spiritual shoes. We should recognize that we are in the presence of the One and only God. We must never question nor forget that He is the One and only God, and that the Bible is His one and only revelation.
Moses became one of the greatest leaders in Israel’s history. Many years later, the Lord raised up another great prophet, Isaiah, to remind the children of Israel of this truth. Throughout His great prophetic book, this faithful prophet of God repeatedly thundered forth this truth. “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me.” (Isaiah 45:5) He repeated this in 45:6, 18, 2122; and 46:9. One of Isaiah’s favorite names of God was “the holy one of Israel.” (Isaiah 1:4) He used this special title for God 25 times in his prophetic book. The use of this title for God was a continual reminder to Israel of the holiness of God. This means that God is sinless, and that He alone is set apart from all other pagan idols and gods. He alone is infinite. As the “I am,” He is not dependent upon anything or anyone in all of His creation. He alone is the Creator, Ruler, and Judge of all of creation. He is totally sovereign.
Biblical prophecy is a declaration of the sovereign control of the God of Israel. He controls everything and everyone. (Daniel 4:34-35) In Isaiah 46:9-11, the Lord declared: “… I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: … I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass: I have purposed it, I will also do it.”
In God’s revelation to mankind, He has repeatedly declared the details of His eternal plan. As the student of the Bible examines this divine plan in history and prophecy, it is clear that God has uniquely chosen a land and a people to fulfill His divine purposes here on this earth. The Lord has established an eternal covenant with a chosen people, a promised land, and a holy city, Jerusalem. Therefore, it is vitally significant for all who want to be blessed by God to join Him in promoting and supporting His eternal plan. Those who willfully oppose Him and go to war with His chosen people and the Holy Land and Holy city will be cursed and ultimately destroyed by Him. (Zechariah 12:1-4)
Let us examine the Biblical answers to four very important questions:
(1) Who is Israel?
If the God of the Bible has uniquely chosen the Jewish people for His eternal purposes, then we must identify who they are. The religion of Islam teaches that the people of God began with Abraham, Ishmael, and Esau. This is the exact opposite of the message of the Bible. In the Old Testament, the Lord made it clear that the line of divine blessing would pass through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s “everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:7) did not come through Ishmael, but through Isaac. (Genesis 17) In His sovereign plan, God rejected Isaac’s firstborn, Esau, and declared that Jacob was the son of promise.
(Genesis 25:22-23) Furthermore, the Lord repeated the Abrahamic blessing (Genesis 17:7-8) to Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4) and Jacob. (Genesis 35:10-12)
The identification of Israel as the line of divine choice is repeated in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, one of the most prolific writers of the New Testament, clearly stated in his letter to the church at Rome that God chose Isaac and Jacob, not Ishmael and Esau, for His divine purposes. (Romans 9:3-13)
The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer and coming Messiah of the Millennial Kingdom, is traced through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Matthew 1:2 and Luke 3:34) It is sad to note that there are certain so-called Christian groups that are attempting to erase the Jewish roots of Jesus. Their hatred for the Jewish people is so great that they are compelled to openly ignore and reject the clear Biblical teaching of the Jewishness of Jesus. Please note that Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” in Revelation 5:5. In recent years, some Palestinian pastors have been teaching that Jesus was a Palestinian, not a Jew.
In spite of these false teachings, the Jewish people who are returning to Israel today are the Biblical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is true that some, or perhaps, many of them have descendants who have intermarried with Gentiles. However, this has not canceled out their connection with Biblical Israel. Note that in Jesus’s Jewish genealogy, three Gentile women are named: Thamar (a Canaanite woman mentioned in Matthew 1:3), Rahab (a pagan harlot listed in Matthew 1:5), and Ruth (a Moabite cited in Matthew 1:5). However, this did not hinder Jesus’ mission as the One who would “save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) The angel Gabriel told Mary that Jesus “shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)
God has chosen the Jewish people to be a very special people with a divine assignment. In Leviticus 20:26, He said to them: “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, and that ye should be mine.” (Compare with Deuteronomy 7:6-10.) God has chosen the Jewish people to be a unique supernatural sign to the nations of the world. A Biblical sign is a unique supernatural work of God that demonstrates to the world who God is. This sign pulls back the curtain that separates the physical world and the spiritual realm and displays the reality that the spirit realm controls the physical world.
The nation of Israel is at the center of God’s dealings with the nations. The world’s treatment of the Jewish people has been chosen by the sovereign Creator as a test for divine blessing or cursing. (Genesis 12:1-3) Those who hate Israel are Biblically viewed as enemies of God. (Psalm 83:1-4)
In spite of Israel’s rebellion, the God of mercy has chosen to demonstrate to the world who He is through His divine protection and blessing of Israel. God is not motivated to do what He does in and through Israel because of who they are, but because of who He is! While declaring that the Jewish people will return to the Holy Land in spiritual unbelief, the Lord declared: “I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake.” (Ezekiel 36:22)
(2) Does God fight for Israel?
Once we understand the Biblical identity of Israel and their unique divine position and mission, it becomes clear that God does fight for Israel. In this article, I would like to examine four considerations that demonstrate that God does fight for Israel:
Biblical Statements There are a multitude of Scriptures that declare God will defend Israel and fight for His people. Here are just a few of them:
Leviticus 26:8-“And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.”
Deuteronomy 28:7-“The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: They shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.” Psalm 91:7-“A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.” (See this entire Psalm.)
Also read: Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:30; 3:22; 20:4; Psalm 121; and Isaiah 29:7-8; 59:19, and Malachi 3:6.
Historical Illustrations In the days of Abraham-After Abraham’s amazing victory over the kings of the east (Iraq and Iran) in Genesis 14, the Lord spoke to Abraham and said: “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield…” (Genesis 15:1)
In the days of Moses-From the time Israel left Egypt until they entered the Promised Land, God fought for Israel against the great armies of other nations. We must remember that many of these military victories came at a time when God was disciplining the Jewish people during the years of their wilderness wanderings. The impact of Israel’s divine victory over her enemies put great fear in the hearts of its enemies. (For example, read Numbers 22:1-6 and Joshua 2:10-11.)
In the days of Joshua-God knew that dislodging the Canaanites from their land would be a long and difficult task for His people. Therefore, in the very first battle at Jericho, He gave Joshua a battle plan that demonstrated to Israel and all of the inhabitants of the land that the battle belongs to the Lord. (Read Joshua 6.)
In the days of the Judges-During this time of Israel’s great rebellion against the Lord, the Lord raised up judges to lead His people to a military victory over their enemies. Most prominent during this time were Gideon (Judges 68) and Samson. (Judges 13-16) Gideon is viewed as a fore-runner of the Messiah by the Jewish people. Gideon defeated a massive army of “the Midianites (Saudi Arabia), and the Amalekites (an Edomite tribe that eventually settled Mecca in Saudi Arabia) and the children of the east,” who were gathered together in the Valley of Jezreel (Aramgeddon.) (Judges 6:33) Samson, who had many spiritual weaknesses, was divinely empowered to defeat the Philistines (located in the area of the Gaza Strip).
In the days of King David-King David was known as a man of war. With divine help, David was able to defeat the enemies of Israel. David is best known for his personal defeat of the Philistine giant, Goliath, when he was a teenager. (1 Samuel 17) When David approached the giant he declared: “…I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand … that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
In the days of King Jehoshaphat-During the days of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, a massive army from Moab and Ammon invaded Israel. (2 Chronicles 20) When the report of this approaching army reached the king in Jerusalem, he and all of Israel called out to the Lord for help. The Lord raised up a prophet who declared to the king:
“Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor be dismayed by reason of this great multitude: for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15) 2 Chronicles 20:16-30 records how the Lord supernaturally caused the enemies of Israel to destroy themselves.
Modern Testimonies The modern nation of Israel bears the fingerprints of the God of Israel from its inception until now. When Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948 at 4:00 p.m. in Tel Aviv, the armies of seven Arab nations were poised to attack. Humanly speaking, there is no logical explanation for the ultimate amazing Israeli victory in the face of great odds. Israel was outnumber 100 to 1. They were gravely unprepared for the war. However, it is very obvious that God fought for Israel in their War of Independence. Many stories of miracles have been confirmed. Here is one astonishing account: “At Safed, near the Sea of Galilee a small unit of Israeli defenders were holding off thousands of Arabs. A sudden tropical storm broke loose. The Israelis, in desperation, took their remaining gasoline, poured it over 50 empty drums, set them afire and rolled them down the hill. The flaming barrels flying down the slopes, the rumble of hollow barrels striking rocks— together with the tropical storm—created such an illusion that the bewildered Arabs imagining some sort of secret weapon took to their heel and fled.” (www.bible411.com/nationofmiracles) – bad link
In June 1967, Israel was attacked by her Arab neighbors on three fronts. In six days, Israel defeated her enemies.
In the process, Israel captured the Sinai, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. The entire world was stunned by this amazing Israeli victory. Once again, many stories of miracles are told about the intervention of God on behalf of Israel. A secular newspaper in Israel, Harretz, openly admitted: “Even a non-religious person must admit this war was fought with help from heaven.” (http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot. com) – bad link
In October, 1973, on the most holy day on the Jewish calendar, Israel fell victim to a sudden tank attack by Syria on the Golan Heights. While Syria was attacking from the north, Egypt launched an offensive in the Sinai from the south. Within a few hours, it appeared that Israel was about to be defeated. The opposite occurred, however, and the story of how the Syrians and Egyptians were defeated and repelled is filled with accounts of incredible bravery on the part of Israeli soldiers. However, many tell stories of divine intervention. Here is one such story: “An Israeli military historian recorded that during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, an Israeli soldier in the Sinai took captive an Egyptian column and led them to where the Israeli troops were. The Egyptian commander was asked why he and his men gave themselves up to the lone Israeli soldier. He responded with surprise; ‘One soldier? There were thousands of them.’ He said that as they neared the Israeli lines, the ‘soldiers’ began disappearing. The Israeli soldier reported that he was by himself when the Egyptian commander and his men surrendered to him. He was totally unaware of the ‘thousands of soldiers’ the Egyptian soldiers saw with him, since he himself did not see them.” (http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=104343) page no longer available, sending you to the front page
In the last few weeks, as Israel has battled Hamas in Gaza, secular Israeli soldiers have witnessed divine interventions. It is amazing that only a few Israeli civilians have not been killed by the 4,500 missiles that Hamas has fired against Israel. It is even more amazing that the Israeli military has suffered minimal casualties during the incursions into Gaza.
Israelis are reporting about many miracles in this war with Gaza. Israel Today gave the following report on one of these miracles: In remarks relayed to an Israeli news site, an Iron Dome battery commander recalled: “A missile was fired from Gaza. Iron Dome precisely calculated [its trajectory]. We know where these missiles are going to land down to a radius of 200 meters. This particular missile was going to hit either the Azrieli Towers, the Kirya (Israel’s equivalent of the Pentagon) or [a central Tel Aviv railway station]. Hundreds could have died.
“We fired the first [interceptor]. It missed. Second [interceptor]. It missed. This is very rare. I was in shock. At this point we had just four seconds until the missile lands. We had already notified emergency services to converge on the target location and had warned of a mass-casualty incident.
“Suddenly, Iron Dome (which calculates wind speeds, among other things) shows a major wind coming from the east, a strong wind that…sends the missile into the sea. We were all stunned. I stood up and shouted, ‘There is a God!’
“I witnessed this miracle with my own eyes. It was not told or reported to me. I saw the hand of God send that missile into the sea.” (Israel Today, August 3, 2014)
The Times of Israel reports another miracle as told by a senior Israeli infantry officer, Givati Brigade commander Ofer Winter. Winter claims that he has never seen anything like this in his military career. “He said that a predawn raid that was intended to make use of the dark as concealment was delayed, forcing the soldiers to move toward their objective as the sun was about to rise. The soldiers were in danger of being revealed in the light but, Winter recalled, a heavy fog descended to cover their movements until the objective was achieved.
‘Suddenly a cloud protected us,’ he said, make a reference to the clouds that the Bible says protected the Israelites as they wandered in the desert. ‘Clouds of glory.’ Only when the soldiers were in a secure position did the fog dissipate, he said.’ ‘It really was a fulfillment of the verse ‘For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to give you victory,’’ he said, quoting a passage from Deuteronomy. (The Times of Israel, July 31, 2014)
As I heard these stories, I was made to remember a sign that I have seen at the foot of a statue of the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel: “Israel is a living sign in world history that God lives and that His Word is ‘yes’ and ‘amen’.”
Prophetic Promises According to the Bible, some of the most awesome military miracles of God fighting for Israel will take place during the Tribulation Period. Ezekiel writes of a war “in the latter days” (Ezekiel 38:16), when Russia and many other Islamic nations will invade Israel. This massive force will “be like a cloud to cover the land.” (Ezekiel 38:9) Before these invading forces can attack Israel, the Lord will unleash a massive earthquake. This earthquake will be so great that it will cause the mountains to collapse and “every wall [in Israel will] fall to the ground.” (Ezekiel 38:20) This earthquake will trigger an eruption of dormant volcanoes on the Golan Heights, raining down upon these invaders “great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.” (Ezekiel 38:22) In their mass confusion and fear, the invaders will turn their weapons on each other and kill their allies. (Ezekiel 38:21) This supernatural defeat of these enemies of Israel will have an incredible impact upon Israel and all of the inhabitants of earth. (Ezekiel 38:23)
The final battle at the end of this age, Armageddon, will feature God’s supernatural work in defense of His chosen people. This will be the most awesome display of the vengeance of God in the history of mankind. Long ago, the prophet Isaiah wrote: “For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke will flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.”
(Isaiah 66:15-16) The final three chapters of Zechariah features the supernatural work of God in the battle of Armageddon. In Zechariah 12:1-9, God promises that He will destroy all those who come against Jerusalem in this campaign. Zechariah 14:2-3 states: “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle … Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” At this time, the most horrific earthquake to ever take place on earth will occur. (Zechariah 14:4-5; Revelation 16:17-20) The armies that fight against Jerusalem will be killed in a most unusual way. “And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume [waste away] while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” (Zechariah 14:12) “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31) “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29)
(3) Why does God fight for Israel?
As we look at all of the evidence that God fights for Israel, we are forced to ask why? Why has God chosen to faithfully fight for a people who have rejected His Son, His revelation, and have been a rebellious people?
Once again, the Bible student must understand that God has chosen the Jewish nation and promised to bless them in an unconditional covenant in spite of what they do. (Genesis 12:1-3) He has repeatedly disciplined them, but He will never destroy them and break His covenant with them. (Psalm 89:27-37; Jeremiah 30:11) It is not about their performance. It is not about who they are, but who He is! It is about God’s character. In the good and bad days of Israel, God has chosen to display to the world who He is.
God has chosen Israel to display His glory to the nations. In Isaiah 43:7, the Lord said: “…for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea I have made him.” Later in the same context, He said: “This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.” (Isaiah 43:21) While rebuking Israel for their past sins and promising to bless them in the last days, the Lord directed the prophet Ezekiel to remind his people why God will bless them. “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, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the LORD GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 36:22-23)
Practically speaking, the Lord has several other reasons for fighting for Israel. First, He wants to reveal Himself to His people and bring them to salvation. “So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel…” (Ezekiel 39:7) However, the same miracles that will bring Israel to salvation, will also bring judgment to the nations. “… and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.” (Ezekiel 39:7) The Lord will demonstrate to the nations that He alone is the Creator/Ruler of the universe. All nations will tremble before Him. “Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” (Psalm 114:7)
The entire plan of God is centrally focused upon the Jewish people. The Biblical revelation came through the Jewish people. Our Savior and Messiah is Jewish. Biblical history and prophecy are about Israel. The church’s foundation and purposes include the Jewish people. The early church and Great Commission began in Jerusalem. (Acts 1:8) The power of the Gospel is “to the Jew first.” (Romans 1:16) Salvation was poured out upon the Gentiles to provoke the Jews to jealousy. (Romans 11:11) The coming millennial kingdom will be distinctively Jewish. And, the final eternal city is called “the New Jerusalem.”
(Revelation 21:2)
God’s plan on this earth will not reach its intended divine goal until the beginning of the millennial kingdom. The Lord has patiently waited for millennia of time for the Jewish people to finally be a light unto the nations. At the beginning of the kingdom He will announce: “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:1) The Lord is passionate about the culmination of His divine plan for Israel. “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth, as brightness, and salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” (Isaiah 62:1)
God will fight for Israel because in doing so, He is displaying His character and being faithful to His covenant with them. Furthermore, He will fight for Israel because He must promote, defend, and progress His eternal plan. He cannot do otherwise!
(4) How does God fight for Israel?
God defends Israel naturally and supernaturally. First, the God of Israel has enabled His people to fight for themselves. He has done this by giving them human strength and wisdom. An examination of the entire modern history of Israel will demonstrate that the Lord has endowed the Israeli people with a spirit of determination, tenacity, and creativity to establish, flourish, and defend their nation. No other nation has been able to accomplish in six decades what the Israelis have done while living on the edge of a desert and in the midst of a sea of Islamic hatred that is determined to annihilate them. The making of the nation of Israel is divinely aided. “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee …” (Genesis 12:2)
Within His sovereign will, the Lord gives supernatural enablement to His people. (Zechariah 12:5-8)
In Israel’s recent war with Gaza, even the Israelis have been singing the praises of the Iron Dome system, an antiballistic missile defense system that was designed and manufactured in Israel, with the aid of U.S. financial assistance. Hamas fired over 4,500 missiles into Israel in recent months. Only a handful of these missiles caused any significant damage in Israel and only four Israeli civilians were killed. This is amazing. Israel has many other high-tech weapons. When the right time comes, these weapons will display the wisdom God has given His people.
As mentioned previously in this article, the Lord also directly and supernaturally intervenes in behalf of His people. He can choose to do this through His creation, which is directed by Him. He may choose to use earthquakes, volcanoes, winds, clouds, meteorites, asteroids, sun, moon or anything else within His creation. He can also choose to by-pass the use of His creation and simply speak His will instantly upon the enemies of Israel. Nothing is more powerful than the Word of God. (Revelation 19:15)
The world has once again witnessed God fighting for Israel. In essence, this means two things. First, this is intended to bring about the ultimate salvation of the entire nation of Israel. We are witnessing the beginning of this process that will continue until the end of this age at the Battle of Armageddon. When God miraculously saves Israel in the Battle of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39), the Lord declares: “So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.” (Ezekiel 39:22) When the final moments of the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the 7-year Tribulation come, the Lord will pour out upon His people “a spirit of grace.” (read Zechariah 12:10-13:9) Consequently, all of living Israel will repent and be saved. (Romans 11:25-27)
However, as we witness these “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) involving Israel, we need to know that a horrific time of global judgment is coming upon the nations. In this present war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Israel has seen the miraculous hand of God. However, Gaza has experience devastation, destruction, and death by the army of Israel –
God’s “battle axe and weapons of war.” (Jeremiah 51:20) In the midst of this, “thewhirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.”
(Jeremiah 30:23-24)
Be ready for the shout that will take us out!
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September 1, 2014