Tag: tribulation

August 2024 – The Time of the End

PTNews

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

August 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
The Time of the End

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

By Mike Wingfield

My soul is filled with a level of excitement like never before in my life. I have known the Lord since I was nine years old. I have attempted to faithfully serve Him most of my life. For more than 50 years, I have been pouring over the prophetic Word of God. I have given much attention to understanding the true nature of the Tribulation Period and what it means for the glory of God and our troubled world.

In recent weeks, the Holy Spirit has flooded my mind with the reality that the end of this age is in sight. We are not there yet, but I can see it coming. We are perhaps only a few months away from the Rapture of the church and the beginning of the Tribulation Period.

I have been prayerfully reflecting upon a multitude of prophetic passages that paint a picture of what the beginning of the end will look like when. I have concluded, with deep conviction, we are there!

As I have been admonishing those who follow this ministry, I am very busy preparing my soul for that glorious moment when I shall see Jesus. I have been longing, waiting, and looking for that moment. I believe it is near. How can I be so sure about this? There are four biblical passages that speak about the timing of the Messiah’s Second Coming. I will examine these passages and their context of how they apply today. This newsletter and the following issue in September will detail these four biblical passages.

First, let us set the biblical context for these passages. When the Bible student examines the prophetic Word of God, it becomes obvious that it revolves around Jesus and the Jewish people. At the center of the global conflict with God are the Jewish people, their land, their city, and their Temple Mount!

T he focus of God’s vision and His purposes for His creation are upon the Jewish people. The ancient prophet of Israel declared, “for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of [God’s] eye” (Zechariah 2:8).

The greater light of God’s Word is riveted upon Jesus the Messiah. Remember that one of God’s angels reminded the Apostle John, “Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

The hope for our world is intertwined with the Jewish Messiah and His people, Israel. God told the father of the Jewish people, Abraham, that the world would be blessed through the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3).

According to the Bible, in eternity past, before the foundation of the world, God decreed His complete divine purposes for His finite creation. Locked in this eternal plan, was an exact timetable of events, from the beginning to the end. It is all based upon earth time. “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” (Genesis 1:14).

God’s eternal plan is all inclusive. It covers all people, places, events, and circumstances. It includes the meticulous details of the ongoing war in the spiritual realm between the good and evil angels. Long ago, one of the wisest kings on earth declared, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

God has an exact appointed time for everything from the beginning to the end. These times are rooted and grounded in the history of the Jewish people. The events and timing of the first coming of Messiah were connected to the Jewish people. The events and timing of the Second Coming of Messiah are connected to the Jewish people.

With this biblical context in mind, let us briefly examine the four biblical passages that speak about the time of the end.

1. The Parable of the Fig Tree

Matthew 24:32-35

This parable was given by Jesus to help His disciples understand His answer to their question about the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). In verses 4-14, Jesus highlighted some of the major developments that would introduce “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). This time of sorrows speaks about the birth pangs of the Tribulation that will give birth to the glorious Kingdom of God. Then, in verses 16-26, Jesus spoke of the sign of the Antichrist, an evil global dictator who will lead the world in its political, religious, and militant rebellion against God during the Tribulation. Finally, Jesus answered the disciples’ direct question about the sign of His coming at the end of the Tribulation. In verses 27-31, He spoke of the unique supernatural sign of His glorious appearing from heaven to earth.

Next, He illustrated His teaching in verses 4-31 with the parable of the fig tree (verses 32-35). In essence, He told His disciples that the time of His coming at the end of this age would be marked by a convergence of all the signs or events He mentioned in verses 4-26. The simultaneous appearance of these signs will be like the leaves on a tree. Leaves never tell us what month or day it is. However, they do show us what season it is. So, He declared, “When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33). Furthermore, He declared that the generation that sees all these things “shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:34).

Friends, we are the generation that is witnessing the convergence of all the signs of the Tribulation Period. We are in the season of the end of this age. This simply means that our world does not have much time left in this current time period. Our world does not have hundreds of years, or even 50 years left!

The stage for the Tribulation is now set! The Rapture could happen at any moment, and it is ready to unfold. In Matthew 24:4-14, Jesus gave many conditions that would be prevalent on earth at the beginning of the Tribulation. Let’s briefly look at only a few of them.

Wars and Rumors of Wars for Israel- verses 6

In verse 7, Jesus mentioned that there would be wars among the greater Gentile nations at the end. However, in verse 6, He addressed the dangerous times of wars and rumors of wars for His people living in their land at the end of this age. Currently, Israel is facing the looming threat of war as never before in its modern history. Many radical Islamic nations have sophisticated deadly missiles aimed at Israel. Israel has been at war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon since October 2023. According to Joel 3:4, this war with the inhabitants of Gaza and Lebanon has set the stage for the battle at the end of the Tribulation Period – Armageddon.

Israel is fighting a war on seven fronts with Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and terrorists in Iraq, Yemen, and Iran. All of these groups are funded and controlled by Iran. Iran itself attacked Israel on April 14 with more than 300 attack drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. Thankfully, most of these were shot down by Israel and some of its allies.

This did not end Israel’s war with Iran. We are being told that Iran now has the nuclear material to make several nuclear bombs. It is only a matter of time before Iran will attempt to launch one or several nuclear bombs or missiles to destroy Israel. We are led to believe that Israel and the world only have a few months to stop this Iranian threat. The clock is ticking.

In the last few weeks Iran, Russia, and Turkey have issued threats to invade Israel. All three nations have stated that if Israel invades Lebanon and attacks Hezbollah (an Islamic terrorist group sponsored, trained, and funded by Iran) they will go to war with Israel to defend Hezbollah, Gaza, and the Palestinian cause.

On Saturday, July 27th, Hezbollah fired a missile from Lebanon that struck a Druze village (an important ally of Israel) on the Golan Heights. More than a dozen children were instantly killed as they ran for cover. This missile is only one of hundreds of missiles that Hezbollah has fired into Israeli territories in the last month.

The world is calling for Israel to restrain itself. However, the day following this tragic attack on the Golan Heights, Iran’s proxy agent CONTINUED to fire missiles into northern Israel. News is coming out of Israel that Israel is preparing for a massive retaliatory strike deep into Lebanese territory. Like Hamas, Hezbollah is using the Lebanese civilians as shields to protect themselves against Israel’s attacks. The IDF attack will be aimed at Hezbollah’s missile stockpiles and its militant leadership. If Israel does not destroy Hezbollah’s ability to launch its deadly arsenal of precision missiles and attack drones, then tens of thousands of Israelis will be killed. Israel has no choice but to defend itself! Its attack must be swift and lethal!

If Iran, Russia, and Turkey are not bluffing, we could be looking at a massive ground invasion of Israel that will dwarf anything Israel has seen in its 76 years of modern existence. It will be the same war that Ezekiel wrote about in Ezekiel 38-39. For years, I have been teaching that my understanding of the chronology of the timing of this war is that it will take place immediately AFTER the Rapture takes place.

Friends, these wars and rumors of wars signal that we are very near the beginning of the end.

Famine and Intense Heat- verse 7

A multitude of prophetic passages indicate that the Tribulation Period will be a time of severe global drought (Revelation 11:3-6), and intense heat (Malachi 4:1; Revelation 16:8-9), that will produce global famine. Politicians and scientists pretend to know what is happening and think they can control the radical change in the climate. However, this is the hand of God in His wrathful judgment. He controls the sun, rain, and wind for His purposes (Psalm 147:15-18; 148:8). The intense heat sweeping across the earth, along with all the other signs, tells us the hour is late!

Hatred and Murder of Jews- verse 9

Jesus said that the beginning of the end would be signaled by intense hatred toward Israel. He said, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). The word “afflicted” is the same Greek word that is translated as “tribulation.” It means the Jewish people will be crushed, distressed, and feel pressure from evil forces. The Greek word for “hate” in this verse speaks of “active ill will in words and conduct, [with a] persecuting spirit” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament). Jewish agencies in around the world tell us that the level of hatred being directed toward the Jewish people is eerily reminiscent of what happened in the 1930s to produce the Holocaust. According to the Bible, Israel and the Jewish people will face a climate of trouble like no nation has faced in all human history (Daniel 12:1).

Division and Lawlessness in Israel- verses 10-12

One of the most shocking signs of the end of this age is the massive display of wickedness and division in Israel. Like America, Israel is experiencing great internal division. Hateful demonstrations and threats continue to be expressed toward the conservative right wing government leaders in Israel. Some fear for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s life. The attempted assassination of Donald Trump has caused many pundits to warn that this could materialize in Israel.

The Israeli public is divided between the religious right and the youthful, liberal secular groups. The older, religious right sees Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy, culminating with the restoration of a Jewish state in its ancient homeland. The more youthful secular groups want no moral commandments. They want to be free to live their immoral lifestyles. They want Israel to be like all of the other nations.

The dark side is clearly at work in Israel. One former prime minister, Ehud Barak, is calling for a military coup, even suggesting the elimination of Netanyahu. This development in Israel is a fulfillment concerning the evil, godless leadership in Israel that will sign the covenant with the Antichrist, beginning the Tribulation Period (Isaiah 28:14-22).

2. The Appointed Time for Jerusalem

Psalm 102:13-18

The writer of this psalm was directed by the Holy Spirit to give a prophecy that is “written for the generation to come” (verse 18). Literally, this is written for the final generation. He speaks of “the set time” to favor Jerusalem that will come (verse 13). This time will come “when the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory” (verse 16).

This passage proclaims that the coming of the Messiah will be preceded by the restoration of Jerusalem at the end of this age (Amos 9:11). The capital of Israel, Jerusalem, is in the news every day around the world. One out of every 15 Jews in the world lives in Jerusalem and calls it home.

According to the Bible, when the end of time comes, all nations will oppose the recognition of Jerusalem as being a Jewish city. Currently, the entire world is united in saying that Jerusalem is a Muslim city that belongs to the Palestinians. Since 693 A.D., two prominent Muslim places of worship have stood upon the holy ground of the Temple Mount. The Muslims proclaim that there is no historical record of the Jews living in Jerusalem prior to modern times. This is a lie. Their lies ignore that Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible by name more than 800 times. In contrast, the Koran never mentions it one time by name!

The Tribulation Period will be a time when the world will be locked in a war with God and Israel over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Speaking of the Tribulation Period, Isaiah wrote, “For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8).

W hen the last days of the Tribulation come, the world will gather its forces in the great battle of Armageddon against the city of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:1-9; 14:1-4).God will destroy all the military might of the world gathered against Jerusalem. God has warned, “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. … And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:3, 9).

Today, all nations stand against God and Israel concerning the Jewish ownership and occupation of Jerusalem. Only one man and his former administration have dared to stand against the global rebellion against God – former President Trump. Love him or not, it is apparent that God raised him up for such a time as this. Is God done with Donald Trump? The entire world, except for his political party, and many Americans and Israelis, hate this man with a passion. Considering all of this, these next few months will be interesting to watch.

3. Daniel’s Prophetic Calendar

Daniel 9:24-27

In the year 538 B.C., the nation of Israel was about to complete a 70-year divine sentence of judgment while it lived in exile far away from its ancient homeland. According to Daniel 9:2, the godly prophet Daniel was made aware of the appointed time of the end of the Babylonian captivity. As Daniel was reading from the scroll of another contemporary prophet, Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:12), he began to wonder if this return of his people to Israel would also be related to the promises by other previous prophets of the coming of Messiah. So, Daniel began to pray and confess his sins and the sins of his people (Daniel 9:3-19). God heard Daniel’s prayer about the coming of Messiah and the Kingdom of God. Amazingly, God communicated to Daniel a wondrous prophetic calendar about future events that would lead up to the end of time and the coming of Messiah and His Kingdom. That calendar is explained in Daniel 9:24-27.

God told Daniel that the calendar He was giving him was a 490-year calendar that would precede the beginning of the Kingdom. Keep in mind that the word translated as “weeks” in this passage is the Hebrew word for “sevens.” These “sevens” were not about seven days, but a prophetic group of seven-years. According to this text, the calendar would begin with the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. According to Nehemiah 2, this date was March 14, 445 B.C. The period of the seven groups of seven years [49 years] mentioned in verse 25 would be followed by an additional 62 groups of seven years [an additional 434 years]. According to verse 26, this period [a total of 483 years] would bring the world to the time of the first coming of the Messiah. Amazingly, this 483-year period coincides with the exact time of the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry when He died and arose again.

When Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah, God’s prophetic calendar in heaven stopped with only the final seven-year period remaining on the calendar. Remember that this calendar was counting down to the time of the coming of the Messiah and the inauguration of His kingdom on earth.

This final seven-year period on this prophetic calendar is the seven-year Tribulation Period. This interpretation is confirmed by Jesus with His comments recorded in Matthew 24:15-26 about the approaching Antichrist, who will rule the world during the Tribulation Period. According to Daniel 9:27, God’s prophetic calendar in heaven will be activated when the Antichrist confirms a false peace covenant with Israel, beginning the Tribulation Period.

Are we witnessing the beginning of a false peace covenant with someone who has the desire to rule the world? Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24, that the false messiah would claim to be “in the desert,” which is east of Israel (Matthew 24:26). Notice that In Matthew 24:27, Jesus said that His coming would be “as the lightening [that] cometh outof the east.” Jesus’ return to the Mount of Olives at the end of the Tribulation Period will be an approach from the east. Therefore, it makes sense that the great counterfeiter of God would mimic the way the true Messiah will return to Jerusalem – from the east.

The desert area east of Israel is all Arab, Islamic lands. For several years now, we have been following the Abraham Accords. Several Arab leaders have established a peace agreement with Israel. The Bible tells us there will be 10 contemporary kings that will join the Antichrist in his alliance during the Tribulation Period (Revelation 17:12). It is apparent that those who are in the Abraham Accords will expand to eventually include a prominent leader among them.

It is my opinion that the Saudi Crown Prince, Muhammad bin Salman, is that leader the entire Middle East is looking for. He has repeatedly stated that he is on the verge of making peace with Israel. He has expressed to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan that he wants Saudi Arabia to be in control of the Temple Mount (apparently as a part of his peace deal with Israel). The crown prince has set a goal to make Saudi Arabia a global financial center (Revelation 13:16-18). At the same time, he is determined to lead the world in the application of Artificial Intelligence. This would set the stage for the fulfillment of the image of the Antichrist as mentioned in Revelation 13:14-15. Amazingly, he is building a city called Neom, which he says will become the spiritual, financial, and commercial hub of the world. This is the exact language of Revelation 17-18.

Friends, the stage is set for the Tribulation Period as never before!

4. The Timing of 7 Feasts of Israel

Leviticus 23

Friends, in the next issue of this publication, I will present the evidence that according to God’s appointed feasts with Israel, the Rapture of the church and the beginning of the Tribulation Period is connected with the first fall feast of Israel – The Feast of Trumpets.

Friends, this is not some rare emotional claim. This understanding of the connection of the Rapture to the Feast of Trumpets is also the view and conviction of many Messianic Jewish scholars, like Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum. In His latest book, The Feast and Fasts of Israel, Dr. Fruchtenbaum gives overwhelming evidence to point to the Feast of Trumpets as the exact time of the Rapture of the church (pages 135- 174).

This year, the Feast of Trumpets will begin on October 2 and conclude on October 4. Could this year’s celebration of the Feast of Trumpets be the year that Messiah will come for His church? Only time will tell. In the next issue of this publication, I will consider this possibility. With all the things that are coming together, as I have presented in this newsletter, it seems very likely that this could be the year.

Be ready for the shout that will take us out!

Special Edition – How to Pray for Israel

PTNews

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

Special Edition

   Published monthly by Mike Wingfield Ministries

All Bible references are from the KJV   

Download this Newsletter

(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)

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

The Rapture & Feast of Trumpets

“Behold, I [show] you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

By Mike Wingfield

When you pray for Israel, you are connecting with the heart of God. We know from Scripture that the Lord has promised to protect and bless Israel. This is His perfect, sovereign will for His chosen people. So, when you ask God to defend and protect Israel, you are asking God to do what He wants to do. You are praying, as Jesus said, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Prayer is about discovering God’s will and joining Him in what He is doing. You are allowing His will to become your desire. The prophetic Word of God is a revealed declaration of the purposes of God. He has promised to do exactly what He has purposed (Isaiah 14:24, 26-27; Isaiah 46:11). God’s counsel and pleasure will come to pass (Isaiah 46:10). He is the One who “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11). God’s purposes, counsel, and pleasure were all determined by Him “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).

God has spoken His sovereign plans in His eternal Word. It has been written for us to know so that we might identify and support His eternal purposes. “God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10). When people ignore or refuse to consider the prophetic Word of God, they are defiantly saying that what is important to God is not important to them. This is not the true spirit of a child of God who calls Jesus “Lord.” It is the natural man [the one in whom the Spirit of God does not dwell] that does not receive “the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

When we become one with God, we will want to know Him, be in Him, and discover what He has said. Jesus described this in His parable of the vine and branches in John 15:1-17. Inverse 7 He said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.” In prayer, Jesus is not giving us a blank check and asking, “How much would you like to have?” Prayer is about discovering God’s will in His Word, and then allowing that to saturate our minds and cause us to pray for His desires, not ours, to come to pass. True, God-honoring, praying children of God focus on God, not self. Many of our prayers go unanswered because we are praying selfishly. James 4:3 says, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

The Bible repeatedly shows us that prayer and the prophetic declarations of God are divinely connected. Listen to Isaiah 62:6-7, “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 no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” This verse tells us that just as God has established His angelic watchmen upon the walls of Jerusalem for its protection, even so we believers need to not cease our crying out to God to do what He has promised. Literally, our incessant prayers are to not give God rest from His heavenly orchestration of events on earth until the Kingdom of God is established and Jerusalem becomes the political and spiritual capital of the world for 1,000 years. The Hebrew word for “rest” could also be translated “silence.” So, God is inviting us to constantly pray for His divine will to come to pass. He has invited us to bombard the gates of heaven in prayer and to come before His throne day and night with this request. This is the chief aim in all the eternal plans of the Father – to set “my king upon my holy hill of Zion” (Psalm 2:6).

The end-time events will be set in motion by the Rapture of the church. After the Bride of Christ is called up to heaven, then the earthly countdown of the final seven years of God’s work with Israel will begin. It will conclude with the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. We are admonished to pray for the Rapture to take place. Revelation 22:17 declares that the Holy Spirit will lead the church to ask the Lord to come for His bride. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.” Finally, Revelation 22:20 demands us to pray, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

God delights in hearing His children pray for His divine will to take place for Israel. He has created the nation of Israel for His glory. He has said, “This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise” (Isaiah 43:21).

When we pray, the Lord loves for us to quote or read Scripture before Him and to claim that promise on behalf of Israel. These promises should formulate the basis of our prayers for Israel. Here are a few promises that seem to be very fitting for this difficult time of war in Israel.

Psalm 121:1-8– This entire Psalm is filled with promises to Israel. Claim verse 7– “The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.”

Isaiah 54:17– “No weapon that is formed against thee [Israel] shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shall condemn.” Ask God to help Israel destroy all the terrorist’s weapons that are being used against it.

Isaiah 59:19– “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”

Isaiah 43:2– “When thou [the people of Israel] passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

Jeremiah 51:20– “Thou [Israel] art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms.”

Malachi 3:6– “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

The Biblical Context of these Last Days

I believe that it should be a priority for God’s people to gather to pray for Israel. As we pray for Israel, we must realize the context of our time. The last days will be a time of great hatred and persecution of the Jewish people. It is a time of wars and rumors of wars. Israel is currently fighting for its survival as a nation. The Jewish nation is fighting a war on seven fronts: (1) Gaza (2) Lebanon (3) Syria, (4) Iraq, (5) Iran, (6) Yemen, and (7) the West Bank terrorists who are supporting Hamas and funded by Iran.

Israel’s war is not just against militant terrorists and Islamic states that are plotting its demise. Israel is also fighting the war of truth concerning its moral character and its legitimate biblical right live in the land God gave them, and to defend itself in its God-given land.

Israel is fighting this war of truth on at least six fronts:

(1) Legally– International lawyers and courts are seeking to accuse Israel of the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. This effort is being led by the International Court of Justice, the Hague, in South Africa.

They are currently seeking to accuse and arrest Israel’s leadership, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

(2) Politically– The lies against Israel are being promoted from the highest international political body, the United Nations. It is obvious that the UN hates Israel and is supporting the Islamic and Communist countries that are plotting the annihilation of the nation of Israel.

(3) Socially– The social media platforms and the Internet are flooded with lies and malicious rumors about the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.

(4) Media Agencies– Forms of media throughout the world are collaborating with the anti-Semitic and Anti-Zionist agendas that are engulfing the nations. Billions of people are being deceived because they believe what these commentators say.

(5) Educationally– The nations of the world have been preparing this generation for an outpouring of hatred against Jews. Liberal socialist professors have joined hands with radical Muslim elements that are passionate about their desire to destroy Israel and kill Jewish people. The outbreak of pro-Hamas demonstrations on our once prestigious U.S. university campuses clearly illustrates this agenda.

(6) Religiously– The war against Israel is a holy war. At the forefront of this war is the religion of Islam. The war against Israel is being fueled in the Middle East by the Islamic nation of Iran. Islam now has 2 billion followers. One out of every four people in the world is a Muslim. The impact of Islam and its agenda against Israel have permeated the global society and it is driving the multi-front war Israel faces.

Fundamental Truths about this Conflict

The enemies of Israel are the same as the enemies of God. Read Psalm 83:1-8. The hatred for Israel is an ancient hatred against the Jews and the eternal purposes of God. The Arabs continue to nurse jealousy and hatred toward the Jews that can be biblically traced back to the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac, and Jacob and Esau. The Arabs are the descendants of Ishamel and Esau that settled in the desert areas east of Israel.

The conflict over the Promised Land between the Jews and Arabs is 4,000 years old. Historically and prophetically, the nations that surround Israel today are Islamic nations. The Islamic world has been at war with God and the Jewish people since the 7th century. The central focus of this war is the land promised to the Jewish people and their descendants in an eternal covenant with God (Genesis 12:7-8; 13:14-18; 17:7-8).

A Call to Prayer
I pray that this article will help you to privately pray for Israel. I encourage small groups, Sunday School classes, and churches to designate a night or certain time to come together to pray for Israel. Use his article to help guide you in prayer.

The aggressors in this war are not the Jewish people. It is the Arab people who are for war (Psalm 120:4-7). The historical record of the last 76 years, since the founding of the modern nation of Israel, demonstrates that the Jewish people have made every effort to live in peace with its Arab neighbors. The historical events of the last 100 years have been filled with lies to make Israel look like the aggressor.

These biblical truths should guide us in our prayers for Israel. Consider these verses:

Matthew 24:9– While answering the question of His disciples about the signs of the end of this age, Jesus said to them, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.”

Ezekiel 36:1-7– The prophetic fulfillment of these verses takes place in the last days when God restores His chosen people to their ancient homeland (Ezekiel 36:24). The nations that surround Israel are depicted as warring against God and the Jewish people over the Promised Land.

Zechariah 14:1-3– When the end comes, the nations will gather against Israel at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:12-16). The focus of this war will be against the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:1-9). Jesus will return to earth at His revelation to defend His people and to rescue Israel from the nations of the world (Zechariah 14:3).

Models of Biblical Prayers for Israel

The Holy Spirit has preserved and recorded two vital prayers by great men of God during a time of crisis in the history of the nation of Israel. We would do well to read these prayers and to reflect upon the message given to us by the Holy Spirit. These prayers provide a great model for us to follow as we pray for Israel.

The Prayer and Example of King Jehoshaphat

(2 Chronicles 20)

King Jehoshaphat of Judah, who reigned in Judah (873 B.C. – 848 B.C.), did not always walk with God. At one low point in his kingship, he participated in an alliance with wicked King Ahab of Israel. However, when three pagan nations invaded Judah, he demonstrated the proper example of how a leader should respond when his nation is facing a threat of annihilation. The crisis that Jehoshaphat faced more than 2,800 years ago is very similar to what the modern nation of Israel is facing today. The enemies of the Jewish people from the east were united in war against Judah. They wanted to cast the Jews out of the land that God had given them (2 Chronicles 20:11).

Instead of forming an alliance with evil nations, Jehoshaphat turned completely and solely unto the Lord. Perhaps the Holy Spirit had directed his attention to the message of Psalm 121. He called the nation to gather at the temple in Jerusalem to repent, fast, and seek the face of God for wisdom. The Scriptures testify to the response of all of Judah. “And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children” (2 Chronicles 20:13). Jehoshaphat went to the temple, and with all of Judah watching, he prostrated himself in total humility before the Lord. His prayer is recorded for us in verses 6-12. Please read and meditate upon this powerful prayer.

At this moment, the war against Israel continues to grow and intensify with the support of the majority of 2 billion Muslims in the world, plus most of the Communist nations. We should pray that the leaders of Israel would follow Jehoshaphat’s example.

God sent one of His chosen prophets to give King Jehoshaphat and all of Judah the answer to their prayers. God spoke to them and told them that they would not need to fight this massive army gathered against them. God’s servant was named Jahaziel. His name means “God sees.” How fitting that the name of God’s prophet who spoke to the nation on behalf of God was named “God sees.” God was saying to them, “I see your crisis and your faith. Verse 14 not only mentioned the name of God’s servant, but also mentioned his previous forefathers of four generations. The prophet’s father was Zechariah, which means “God remembers.” Jahaziel’s grandfather was Benaiah, which means “built by God.” The great-grandfather was Jeiel, which means “God lives.” The prophet’s great-great-grandfather was Mattaniah, which means “gift of God.” So, the message to Judah was, “God is the eternal God who sees and remembers His covenant He established with you. This land is yours as a gift from the One who owns it all.” Therefore, “the battle is not yours, but God’s” (verse 15).

Oh, that the nation of Israel and its current leadership would hear this message. The Lord has remembered His eternal land covenant as a gift to His people. He has called them to return to their land from the nations of the world. Now, the ancestors of the people from the east are once again attempting to murder God’s people and to take control of their land. Fear not Israel. The battle is not yours; it is God’s battle. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Jehoshaphat and his people the next morning marched down to the area where those armies were gathered along the shore of the Dead Sea. The people of Judah worshipped God and praised Him as they descended to that area. God supernaturally destroyed the armies, causing them to turn on each other to kill each other.

This battle that Israel is facing today is moving toward the Battle of Gog and Magog. Once again, God will prove that the battle belongs to Him. History is about to repeat itself! Read Ezekiel 38:17-23.

The Prayer and Example of Daniel

(Daniel 9)

The prayer of the godly prophet of Israel, Daniel, is a perfect example of how prayer and prophecy are intertwined. At a critical time in the nation of Israel, Daniel realized that the Babylonian captivity of 70 years was about to come to an end. As he contemplated this significant historical moment for his people, he was moved to think this could be the moment that Messiah would come and establish His earthly kingdom. As he thought about this, he was saddened to realize that his nation was not spiritually ready for Messiah to come. Furthermore, the city of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple on the Holy Mountain were lying in ruins, brining shame upon the Name of his God. So, Daniel set his face toward Jerusalem and began to confess his sins and the sins of his people.

In this great prayer, Daniel was riveted upon the infinite and holy character of God. He addressed the Lord as the great and awesome God of heaven (verse 5). He declared that the Lord is a faithful God who keeps all His covenants with His people (verse 4). He continually repeated the truth that God is righteous in all His ways (verses 7, 14, 16). He acknowledged that His gracious God is plenteous in mercy (verses 4, 9, 18), and is willing to forgive them of all their sins (verse 9).

Daniel was moved to humility and confession of his sin and the sins of his people. Daniel used a variety of words to speak of the sins of his people. He said they had sinned, committed iniquity, and had done wickedly (verse 5). They had not listened to God’s divine warnings (verse 6) and had transgressed against God’s law (verse 11).

He repeatedly acknowledged that their sins were against God (verses 5, 7, 9, 11, 15). He was filled with sorrow as he admitted that God’s retribution against Israel had brought shame and a reproach upon the Name of God. The anger of the Lord had brought about the destruction of the city and the temple. The presence of God had departed from the Holy Mountain in Jerusalem.

Daniel’s prayer was not anchored in obtaining God’s favor for his people. The heart of his passionate prayer was focused upon the honor of God’s Name and for God’s glory. Daniel was asking that this glory would be recognized by the restoration of the city of Jerusalem and the reconstruction of the Temple upon God’s holy mountain (verses 16, 19, 21).

As a result of this passionate prayer for the glory of God, God sent the angel Gabriel to instruct Daniel concerning the answer to his prayer. The revelation given to Daniel is the most foundational biblical insight into the chronological order of the major events in God’s eternal plan. This chronological order of events was expanded upon in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, and in the book of Revelation.

These amazing insights were given because of the prayer of Daniel in Daniel 9:1-20.

While contemplating the above observations, please join me in prayer for Israel. Please use the following list of suggested petitions for Israel to guide you in your intercession on behalf of God’s work in His chosen people for His glory. This time of great crisis should lead us to pray fervently.

Suggested Petitions for Israel

– Pray that all Israelis and Jewish people in general would be humbled before the Lord God. Just as in Daniel’s prayer, it is important that all of us recognize our sin and failure to obey God. Israel’s wars and rumors of wars, and the eruption of global ant-Semitism is aimed at driving them to their total dependence upon God. God wants to turn their hearts toward Him.

– Pray that Jewish people will recognize their sins and confess them. Pray that their eyes will be opened to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. Pray that they would understand that God is One. Pray that they would understand His revelation of being three persons. Pray that this stumbling block of belief will be removed. Pray that their “confusion” (Daniel 9:7-8) will be removed. As Daniel prayed, May “we turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth” (Daniel 9:13). As we pray for them, pray that the Lord would show us our sin and humble us. Pray that the Gentile church would not be conceited to falsely conclude that we are superior to Israel. Read what the Apostle Paul said about this in Romans 11:11-36. Israel’s spiritual blindness is only temporary! God is not done with Israel. The best is yet to come!

– Pray that the Lord will pour out His grace and mercy upon His chosen people. Pray for a great harvest of Jewish souls around the world.

– Pray that the Lord would open the eyes of the Jewish people to the message of the prophets and apostles concerning “the Day of the Lord,” the Tribulation Period. Like Daniel, may it drive them to prayer and fasting before the Holy One of Israel. Israel is being isolated by the global community. The world has fallen into the hands of the evil one – Satan. We need to stand up for Israel and its people for the glory of God.

– Pray that the religious leadership in Israel would realize that the Lord does not seek empty religious obedience to a list of rules. Obedience to God’s law is important. However, it is not the end of the whole matter. The purpose of the law is to reveal man’s hopelessness and helplessness to please an infinitely holy God. God seeks a relationship, not ritual compliance. Pray that Israel and the church may seek God’s mercies and forgiveness.

– Pray like Daniel. He prayed for the will of God to be done for the glory of God (Daniel 9:16-19). Pray that the Lord’s desires for His people will come to pass in these last days. Pray that Israel will stand firm against the global pressure to surrender the Promised Land and the Holy City of Jerusalem with the holy mountain of God – the Temple Mount. Pray that God will manifest His glory as He defends His people, His land, His city, and His mountain.

– Pray that Israel may place their hope, security, and defense in the Lord. The hope of Israel is not bound up in its relationship with the U.S., or the power of its military ingenuity or might. The nation’s true hope is in the Lord. Read Psalm 91:1-10. Oh God, help the leadership in Israel to recognize they are in Your hands and that you are the One and only true hope. May they be faithful to the Lord, trusting His Word and what He has promised to do.

– Pray for the widows of fallen Israeli soldiers. We cannot begin to imagine the dire sudden needs widows face, along with their children, as they tragically learn that their husband/father has given his life to defend the nation of Israel. Many groups in Israel are attempting to collect donations from around the world to help support these widows and children. If the Lord lays a burden upon you to share in this need, you can mark your gift for “Israel,” and we will send every penny to Israel through agencies we have learned can be trusted to meet the critical needs that Israel is now facing.

– Pray for many Israeli soldiers who are hospitalized with injuries they have received while in combat in Gaza and along Israel’s northern border. As a result of their wounds, they are unable to work. They are not able to play with their children. They are not able to work and provide for their family. Their wives and children deserve our prayers and financial support.

– Pray for the Lord to give wisdom to the political and military leadership in Israel. Pray that they will know what God wants them to do at this critical time in their war with the enemies of God. Pray that they will know their limitations. Pray that they will be so overwhelmed that they will earnestly lead the nation to seek the face of God to defend the nation of Israel.

– Pray that the Lord will be able to speak to the nation of Israel through the leadership of its Messianic congregations. Pray that the eyes of the nation would be opened to know that those who are true born-again Christians love and support Israel. May the Lord provide the pastors of His church in Israel an opportunity to reach out in love and prayer to demonstrate to Israelis that being a Christian is at the very heart of being Jewish. May all Israelis discover that the true faith of the church is the faith of Abraham.

– Pray the Lord will silence the liberal Israelis who do not care about the law of God, the dedication to the return to the Promised Land, the re-establishment of temple worship, and the rebuilding of the holy temple in Jerusalem. They do not recognize the Jewish people as the chosen people. Their spiritual blindness is preparing the way for the Antichrist.

– Pray the Lord will defeat the efforts of Iran to destroy the nation of Israel. Pray for the Iranian believers who are living under constant persecution and martyrdom. Pray that Iran’s efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon would be defeated.

– Pray that Israel’s war with Iran’s proxy terrorist groups (Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and many others) would be defeated. Oh Lord, give Israel strength and wisdom to fight this war against great odds. Lord, demonstrate as you have in the past, that it is not about physical numbers or power. You are the God of the impossible. Demonstrate to Israel and the entire world that you are the Holy One of Israel.

– Pray that the Lord will speak to many about how they can financially support Israel’s war effort in defending itself at this critical hour. We are glad that the nation of Israel is being financially overwhelmed at this hour. Thank you, Lord, for opening the door for us to show our commitment to Your Word and Your people – Israel.

– Pray for the Israelis who are committed to living in the disputed lands of Judea and Samaria. Pray for their safety as they have become physical targets of hatred to Palestinians who seek for their death.

– Pray for the defeat of the Palestinian leadership on the “West Bank.” May all of those who are seeking for the truth understand that this land is not the land of a Palestinian State. All the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea belongs to the Jewish people. This is what the Bible teaches. This is the true biblical recorded found in the Word of God. This is proven every day in Israel by archaeologists who discover historical artifacts from Israel’s ancient biblical days in the soil of the Promised Land.

– Pray to our awesome God! May we reverence and honor God the same way that Jehoshaphat and Daniel did. Call upon Him as the Creator and Sustainer of all creation. Make mention of His holiness, mercy, sovereignty, power, and righteousness. Thank Him for being a faithful God who keeps all His covenants and promises to His people. Praise Him for seeing our needs and providing His way in His time for our security and hope.

– Pray for Israelis to grasp the truth that there will be no true peace until the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Messiah, returns to this earth to establish His kingdom of peace upon this earth. May this hope turn many to Him.

July 2024 – Hell’s Battleground against Heaven

PTNews

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

July 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)

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Hell’s Battleground against Heaven

“For they are the spirits of [demons], working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Revelation 16:14

By Mike Wingfield

At this very moment, the angels in the heavens are preparing themselves for the final battle between heaven and hell. According to the Bible, since the early days of creation, a constant war has been unfolding in the spiritual realm over the affairs of this world. In a battle of opposing agendas, God and his angels in heaven are at war against Satan and his demons. As revealed in the final book of the Bible, Revelation, this war will culminate in a violent struggle that will encompass the nations of the world and all of creation. This war will last for seven years. We call it “The Tribulation.”

As we focus upon this coming war, I want to examine three questions from the Scriptures. (1) What is at the center of this war over the affairs of this world? (2) What do the agendas of heaven and hell focus upon? (3) What does this tell us about where we are now in relation to the beginning of this final war? The answers to these questions are found in the book of Revelation.

I am convinced that we have entered the final days of preparations for this war. Satan and his demons are very busy orchestrating their schemes to trick and deceive the wicked nations. They want the nations to join the forces of hell in their battle against God and His angels. One final battle on earth will culminate this seven-year war. It is called the Battle of Armageddon. Satan is already beginning to orchestrate his power moves in a desperate and futile attempt to defeat God. The Bible tells us how he will do this. Revelation 16 reports that Satan will use his Antichrist and False Prophet to deceive the nations by luring them into a military conflict in the Holy Land. Revelation 16:14, 16 states, “For they are the spirits of [demons], working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. …And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”

It is very revealing to observe that this final battle of the ages will begin and end in Israel. It will begin when Satan’s superman, the Antichrist, confirms a false peace covenant with Israel, luring the Jewish nation into a time of deceptive peace (Daniel 9:27). As stated above, this war will end in Israel when the Antichrist deceives the nations of the world to join him in his final attempt to annihilate the Jewish nation of Israel.

Concerning that final day of the defeat of all nations at Armageddon, the prophet Isaiah wrote 2,700 years ago, “Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood” (Isaiah 34:1-3).

The Valley of Armageddon from the Hills of Nazareth.

The call of Satan and his demons to draw the nations into battle with God in Israel fits perfectly into God’s sovereign permissive will. In Zechariah 14:2, God says, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.” The Lord will allow the world to join Satan in his final feud against His chosen people so that He can destroy all that gather against Him in the Holy Land. Zechariah 14:3 declares that at Armageddon, “Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” After Armageddon, Satan and his demons will be cast into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3).

Look back to October 7, 2023. It is obvious that the heinous acts of brutality and savagery by Hamas and other radical Muslim terrorist groups against Israel have produced the initial momentum that will force hell and the nations to attack God at Armageddon. What happened on October 7 was preceded by decades of spiritual and physical preparations by Satan. His diabolical goal was to bring about a global demonic reaction against God and His chosen people, Israel.

The hateful extreme violence against the Jewish people on October 7, was preceded by 100 years of Satan-fueled hatred, jealousy, and vengeance (Ezekiel 35:5, 11). Since the beginning of the return of the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland 100 years ago, the Arabs have carried out numerous murderous attacks upon them. Arabs in the Middle East are licking their wounds from the losses they have suffered at the hand of Israel in previous wars. These Arab nations have made it their perpetual goal to drive the Jewish people from the Land of Israel. The political environments, education systems, and religious cultures in Arab countries are all geared toward one thing – the defeat of Israel. It is their ultimate goal.

Clearly, Israel was caught off guard when it was attacked by Hamas on October 7. The result of the attack sent the Islamic world into a feeding frenzy. This frenzy, spawned by demonic activity, has led the Islamic world to believe that Israel, for the first time in its modern history, is ripe for defeat. To make matters worse, the United States is openly supporting the creation of a Palestinian State, with Jerusalem as its capital. Muslims are now chomping at the bit, as they believe their long-awaiting dream of ridding the world of Israel is within their grasp.

These rapid events are spawning a global tsunami of hatred toward Jews and Israel. This is not a surprise. Jesus told His Jewish disciples that at the end of this age “ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). A multitude of Scriptures teach that the nation of Israel will face a time of distress and trouble like no nation in all human history shall face (Jeremiah 30:3-7; Daniel 12:1). It will be this hatred for Israel that will drive the nations to Armageddon for their ultimate destruction.

The nations of Canaan prior to Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land in Joshua’s day heard about how God fought for Israel and a great fear of the Jewish people overwhelmed them. Listen to what Rahab told the Jewish spies that came into her house at Jericho, “And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (Joshua 2:9-11).

Fast forward to modern times, the world has seen the hand of God upon Israel in the wars that Israel has faced while defending itself against hostile Arab nations. They have dreamed of attacking Israel, but they had to overcome the fear of God.

In time of Joshua, the enemies of Israel were elated when Israel was defeated at Ai. As a result, these enemy nations in the land of Canaan were emboldened to attack Israel. God used this to harden their hearts against His people. Joshua 11:20states, “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly…”

I am convinced that history is repeating itself. God is allowing pride within the nations of the world to turn against Israel and to side with the terrorists who are filled with hate, violence, and murder. This hatred will blind them and numb their consciences while leading them in their foolish pride to attack God and His eternal promises given to His chosen people.

The hatred and rejection of Israel and the Jewish people have their origins in the heart of Satan. Satan hates what God loves. He wants to curse what God blesses. He is determined to destroy what God has promised to build. One of hell’s major objectives is the annihilation of Israel. This is a strike at the heart of God and His eternal plan revealed in the Word of God.

It is apparent that God’s plan has become Hell’s prime target. In Genesis 12:1-3, God plainly stated that He chose a people and a land for His eternal purposes. God’s sovereign choice is what He is currently orchestrating in the Middle East. God has said to the world, “And I will bless them that bless thee [Israel and the Jewish people], and curse him the curseth thee (Genesis 12:3).

In the Bible, God has repeatedly declared six things that are holy unto Him. The word “holy” signifies that which God has set apart unto Himself for His eternal purposes. That which is holy becomes God’s unique possession and represents His nature, purposes, power, and divine calling. Therefore, Hell’s target is focused upon what God calls “holy.”

The identification of these six things that are holy to God will help us to answer our three questions. (1) What is at the center of this war over the affairs of this world? (2) What do the agendas of heaven and hell focus upon? (3) What does this tell us about where we are now in relation to the beginning of this final war?

Let us examine the six major aspects of God’s eternal plan:

1. Hell’s War against the Holy Nation

History repeatedly demonstrates that there is no nation or people group that has been hated and despised like the Jews. Because of their disobedience to Him, the Lord scattered them among the nations of the world (Deuteronomy 28:63-64). The dispersion of the Jewish people from their land occurred in the first century and continued for 18 centuries until they began to return to their ancestral homeland at the beginning of the 20th century.

God promised them that wherever they lived while being dispersed, they would be rejected. God said, “And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see” (Deuteronomy 28:65-67).

The hatred and rejection of Israel and the Jewish people have their origins in the heart of Satan. Satan hates what God loves. He wants to curse what God blesses. He is determined to destroy what God has promised to build. One of hell’s major objectives is the annihilation of Israel. This is a strike at the heart of God and His eternal plan revealed in the Word of God.

God chose the Jewish people out of all the nations to display who He is among the nations. He declared His love for them and designated them to be a holy nation (Deuteronomy 7:6-10). Therefore, those who wish to harm Israel are attacking God. Zechariah 2:8 declares, “For he that touches you [Israel] touches the apple of his eye.”

According to the eternal prophetic Word of God, the nation of Israel will be in existence at the end of this age. This nation will be the central focus of God’s blessings for 1,000 years!

The fact that our world is currently exploding with anti-Semitism is a clear indication we are nearing the end of this age. It appears that the demonic attack upon Israel on October 7 has triggered the events recorded in the Bible that speak of the end of this age.

2. Hell’s War against the Holy Land

Hell’s war against the nations is focused upon the land of Israel, God’s holy land (Zechariah 2:12). In Leviticus 25:23. God says, “the land is mine.” In the Bible, God continually refers to this land as “my land.” In Deuteronomy 11:12, the Holy Land is described by God as, “A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.”

The Holy Land was chosen by God as a place for Him to unfold His eternal plan. It was prepared by Him for the Jewish people (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). He promised them this land in an everlasting land covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:7-8).

God’s choice of this land has caused it to become the battleground with the forces of hell. From the very beginning, this land has been the center of a conflict between the children of Israel and their enemies. God told Abraham, “thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies” (Genesis 22:17).

It is God’s passion to complete His promises to His covenanted people, Israel. Listen to Isaiah 62:4-5, “for the LORD delights in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” God says His delight is in His people and in His land. God has married the land to the Jewish people.

At the center of the world’s conflict with God is the ownership and occupation of the Holy Land. The world refers to biblical Judea and Samaria as “the West Bank.” The world is attempting to force Israel to surrender its Promised Land to the Palestinian people. This is not what Israel wants and it is not what the Arabs want. The Arabs want all the land that God gave His people. Their passionate desire is based upon the traditions of their religion – Islam. The battle for the Promised Land is a holy war between heaven and hell. The current war in the Middle East is a holy war.

3. Hell’s War against the Holy City

There is no city in the world like Jerusalem! [See photo on this page of the modern city of Jerusalem.] Jerusalem is mentioned by name more than 700 times in the Bible. It is repeatedly called “the Holy City,” and “the City of God.” According to Deuteronomy 12:11, God has chosen Jerusalem as the place of His Name. The Lord has declared, “I am jealous for Jerusalem” (Zechariah 1:14). Obviously, this indicates that the city of Jerusalem is very significant in the eternal plan of God.

Because of God’s love for Jerusalem, Satan has determined to afflict this city and bring it to shame and destruction. Jerusalem has been besieged more than any other city in the world in history. According to World Atlas, “Throughout its history, the city has been destroyed at least two times, attacked 52 times, besieged 23 times, and recaptured 44 times.”

During the final years of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will be focused upon his dominance over this city. His forces will be swiftly and severely defeated by Messiah when He returns to Jerusalem to defend His people. In this final assault of Jerusalem, all the nations of the world will assist the Antichrist in his siege of Jerusalem. The ancient prophet Zechariah wrote with great detail about the events surrounding the battle of Armageddon and its attack upon the Holy City (Zechariah 12-14).

It appears that our world is currently being steered toward this final assault against Jerusalem. Israel is more hated and isolated than at any time in its modern history. The world wants to make Jerusalem the capital of a terrorist entity called Palestine. The Messiah will defeat these enemies and Jerusalem will be liberated.

Following this liberation, Messiah will rule over the nations of the world from Jerusalem, Israel for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-7). During this time, Jerusalem will become the capital of the world. Furthermore, Jerusalem will become the spiritual hub of the world (Isaiah 2:1-4).

Obviously, Satan and his demons will do anything to thwart God’s determined plan to elevate Jerusalem to its divine status before the eyes of all the world. Hell’s battleground is centered upon the city of Jerusalem. However, Satan’s demonic strategies will fail and God and His people, Israel, will prevail (Isaiah 14:24, 26-27).

4. Hell’s War against the Holy Mountain

The Holy Mountain of God is known in the Bible as Mount Zion or the Temple Mount. This mountain holds a very special place in the plans of God. Psalm 78:68 refers to this location as “the Mount Zion which He loved.” God considers it the focal point of His eternal plans on earth. “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” (Psalm 132:13-14).

Since the days of Abraham, 4,000 years ago, this mountain has been called “the mount of the LORD” (Genesis 22:14). This mountain is on the east side of the ancient city of Jerusalem, facing the Mount of Olives. This mountain is also known as Mount Moriah, which was known as the place of Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of his son Isaac. Later, this mountain was purchased by King David (2 Samuel 24:18-25) as the location of the first temple to be built upon this site in the days of King Solomon (1 Kings 5-8). Since the days of Solomon, the Temple Mount became the exact location of all future temples in Israel.

Since the advance of Islam over the Middle East in the seventh century A.D., this mountain has been under the control of Muslim forces. Today, two Islamic structures stand upon this mountain, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock. Islamic authorities consider the Jewish Temple Mount to be the third most holy site in all the Muslim world.

One of the major flash points that will lead to a global war, with its epicenter in the Middle East, is the control of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. There is perhaps no piece of property on earth that carries more significance in the plans of God and of Satan’s future Antichrist than the Temple Mount.

Today, this mountain is at the center of world controversy. Israel states that it is its one and only capital. It has been its capital for 3,000 years. The final war that pits hell against heaven will be riveted upon the control of this mountain. The Bible calls the time of the Tribulation “the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8).

Satan and his demons will do anything to thwart God’s determined plan to elevate Jerusalem to its divine status before the eyes of all the world.

The Bible commands us to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). This means we are to be praying for the Jewish people and supporting them in their rightful place of occupying and defending the nation against all enemies who are attempting to dislodge them from the holy places He has given to them as an everlasting possession. Those who stand with Israel in this struggle are standing with God. Those who oppose the nation of Israel are the enemies of God (Psalm 83:1-18). We are exhorted to do this “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth” (Psalm 83:18).

It is apparent that the whole world is at war with God and His people Israel. Without question, hell is about to enter the final phase of its war with heaven.

5. Hell’s War against the Holy Temple

There are many other temples on earth. However, there is only one temple that is called the Holy Temple. The Temple of God on His holy mountain in Jerusalem has been the ultimate place where God has demonstrated and displayed His glory, power, and blessings to mankind.

According to the Bible there have been two temples constructed upon the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Solomon’s temple was finished in 957 B.C. This magnificent temple stood in its hollowed place until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. When the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem, they built another temple upon the Temple Mount (Ezra 5-6). This temple was ultimately expanded and embellished by King Herod the Great beginning in 20 B.C. This temple was still under construction when it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

The Bible tells us two more temples will be constructed upon the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. According to Revelation 11:1-6, God will send two Jewish witnesses [Moses and Elijah] to help build a temple and reinstitute temple worship in Jerusalem during the Tribulation Period. This temple will be assaulted and desecrated by the Antichrist at the mid-point of the Tribulation (Daniel 9:27).

The final temple will be constructed in Jerusalem during the millennial reign of the Messiah. This temple will be grand and will dwarf all previous temples (Ezekiel 40-46). It will be the location of global worship and the administration of the holy government of the Messiah over all the nations (Isaiah 2:1-4). The prophet Habakkuk wrote of this day when he said, “But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:20).

What a day that will be when Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, will rule over all the nations from His throne in Jerusalem. His kingdom will be a government of great peace and blessings to all people. Satan and his demons will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit at the beginning of this kingdom. This will prevent him from deceiving the nations (Revelation 20:3). Is it any wonder that he is feverishly working to prevent all of this from taking place? This is at the core of Satan’s frantic war against heaven.

6. Hell’s War against the Holy of Holies in the Holy Temple

The most holy place on earth in the future will be the holy place in the holy temple on the holy mountain, in the holy city of Jerusalem. In ancient days, only once a year at Yom Kippur, was the High Priest in Israel allowed to enter the Holy of Holies to present the yearly sacrifice upon the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. However, in the kingdom, the Messiah will rule over the nations from this most holy place. The One who shed His blood upon the cross for the sins of the entire world will rightfully take His seat in the Holy Place to bless the nations over whom He will rule.

The saved people from the former nations that were the enemies of Israel shall come up to Jerusalem to pay homage to the Jewish Messiah. Isaiah wrote, “The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14). Jerusalem and its temple will be the global place of blessings for Israel and the world. Finally, the Jewish people will be honored for being the people of God who blessed all the nations (Genesis 12:3).

There will be no more war in Israel or in the world (Isaiah 2:4). The Bible gives this promise to Israel, “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:18). What a day that will be!

Satan does not want this day to arrive. His Antichrist will attempt to thwart the plan of God by entering the Holy of Holies at the time that is known as “the abomination of desolation” (Matthew 24:15). This day will occur at the mid-point of the Tribulation Period. The Apostle Paul spoke of the Antichrist’s rebellion against God as the one “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

As Psalm 2 declared, the entire world is in a rage of hatred for the Jewish people and the Holy One of Israel. The stage is set for the final war in the spirit world, and the Jewish people and the land of Israel are at the center of it all! At the heart of the world’s rejection of Israel is the rejection of Torah (the Word of God), and the Holy One of Israel.

God has determined that the rebirth and restoration of the nation of Israel be a beacon of truth, flashing a message of hope and warning in the face of an unbelieving world that Jesus the Messiah is soon to return.

God is judging the nations based on how they treat Israel. However, the citizens of the nations have been deceived by Satan and his demons. They have been conditioned by a blinding hatred and lies against the Jewish people so that they are blind and deaf to the will and power of God being displayed on earth today.

Friends, as we watch the war unfold in our world against Israel and the Jewish people, guard your heart against the great deception of our time. Do not believe the lies about Israel. Their army is the most moral army in the history of the world. The world is believing those who are calling for the destruction of Israel. Those who are fighting against Israel are not just using bullets, mortars, missiles, and bombs. Their chief weapon is deception. The enemies of Israel have been slandering the Jewish people for millennia of time. Don’t forget that Jesus has warned us that Satan is a murderer and a liar (John 8:44). Be careful who you believe. Our world is filled with liars who are like their father, the devil.

Stand with God and the Word of God. If you are not saved, now is the time to surrender your life to the Lord. We are rapidly approaching the end of this age. Your time to believe and trust in Christ is drawing to an end. Do not be foolish. Do not wait. Your soul and where you will spend eternity is at stake. I am convinced that many who are already in hell were waiting for the perfect time to trust in the Lord. They waited too long. Now, they are suffering their eternal damnation in fire. Do not let that happen to you!

God has great things in store for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. According to the prophetic Scriptures, the Lord will display His power and protection for His people and His land. Just as in the days of the Old Testament, there are many miraculous events that are about to take place for the glory of God and the protection of His people. Speaking of the Tribulation, the prophet Joel wrote, “Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. … Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things” (Joel 2:18, 21).

Get ready for the shout that will take us out!

URGENT REQUEST




Dear friends, we need your help. We are running out of time. This warning of the lateness of the hour needs to reach as many people as possible. Please help us do that by giving out this newsletter. Feel free to make copies, or order extra copies from us for distribution. Prayerfully think of your family and friends that need to hear the truth about what is happening in our world at this moment.

Israel is about to go to war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. This war will dwarf the war in Gaza. Israel’s response will be devastating to Lebanon. Israel has no choice but to respond with great power against the enemy in Lebanon who is taking their orders from a radical Islamic regime in Iran.

Israel has one of two choices to make. Either they will allow Iran to destroy all of Israel, or Israel will need to take drastic action against Iran’s agents in Lebanon.

The world’s reaction to Israel will be even harsher than what Israel has faced due to the war in Gaza. We are about to enter a very dangerous escalation of war that will impact the entire world.

Please help us to get this word out! For the glory of God and for the souls of mankind we ask for your help.

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