Comfort Ye My People

As I was in prayer early this morning for the Israeli people and troops in Gaza, the Holy Spirit directed by mind to Isaiah 4:1-2, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”

This call of the Holy Spirit to the people of Israel was written by the prophet Isaiah 2,700 years ago. This call has echoed down through the ages to our time and admonishes those whose hearts are with God to cry out for His people. The Jewish people have perhaps suffered more than any other ethnic group of people in the history of mankind. Countless millions of Jewish people since Isaiah penned these words have endured persecution, character assassinations, expulsions, threats, wars, terrorism, and violence in ways unimaginable to most people. They suffered these things because they are God’s chosen people. While speaking of these last days, Jesus said to His Jewish disciples, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and they shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9).

It is chilling to think that at this hour millions are marching and demonstrating in support of the monster terrorist group called Hamas. The word “Hamas” in Hebrew means “violence.” A little over a month ago these murderers invaded Israel, and like savage beasts, they raped, tortured, dismembered, and beheaded babies, children, mothers, and the elderly. They did this to these people for one reason – their victims were all Jews. The righteous mind struggles to grasp this kind of hatred and vicious wicked spirit! Yet, millions are supporting Hamas’s war against God’s people. Not all, but a greater majority of the Palestinian people are all praising Hamas and are calling for the annihilation of Israel. The overwhelming majority of people in the world want to give God’s Promised Land to a people who hate God and His chosen people. Friends, our world is ripe for the vengeance of God. Isaiah spoke of the Tribulation Period as “the day of the LORD’s vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8).

Friends, these events should send a global warning that the end of days, the final rebellion against God, has just about arrived. What can we do? Look at the call of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 40:1-2. We need to pray for and identify with the Jewish people. These are Christ’s “brethren” (Matthew 25:31-46).

The Jewish people are about to suffer more than any other nation in all of human history! Speaking of the Tribulation Period, the prophet Daniel wrote, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1). We need to pray for them. We need to weep with them. We need to support them in their war effort.

We also need to comfort them. We need to remind them that the God of Israel loves them and is about to save them from their sins. Just a few days ago, I was watching a video recording of a battalion of Jewish soldiers standing at the corridor of Gaza. In concert, they were passionately shouting, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” Show me another army in the world that would honor and glorify God with words like these as they about to engage combat for their home, their families, their nation!

We need to comfort them with the hope of the physical and spiritual redemption of the nation of Israel. The Lord is coming to rescue them from the storm of hate that is coming against them. At the end of the Tribulation, the church will return from heaven with Jesus to Jerusalem, and we will witness the final blow against the nations that have aided Satan and his attack upon Israel. Of that day, Zechariah wrote, “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought un the day of battle” (Zechariah 14:3).

I believe that God is at work in Israel. I believe these are the days of spiritual preparation of Jewish hearts. A mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit is about to take place among God’s chosen people.

To the church – prepare to meet the Lord! He is coming for us soon!

They are Fighting for Us

Israel is not only fighting against Hamas, but also against hundreds of thousands of supporters of racial Islam around the world. According to their incessant chants and according to the prophetic Word of God, their global target at the end of this age are Jews and Christians. Israel is currently on the front line of this war.

Israel 365 News reports, “Over 500,000 brave people – 18-year-olds, young fathers and even men in their forties – are currently fighting in the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, putting their lives on the line to defend Israel’s right to exist and to protect Jews and Christians worldwide. … Israel’s army is waging a righteous war in fulfillment of the biblical principles of justice and security. Israel is at the front line of the Western world’s battle against Islamic terrorism, fighting on behalf of all of us. When you stand with Israel, you are actively helping Israel destroy the evil of terrorism. Your support means so much to our brave soldiers, and to all of us here in Israel. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame (Zechariah 10:5)” (Israel 365 News, November 10, 2023).

These Israeli soldiers deserve our prayers and support. Go to www.israel365charity.com and make your donation today.

Israelis Calling Out to God

It is reported that 95 percent of Israelis are living in fear. As they await the outcome of this very difficult war in Gaza, soldiers, and their families and friends back at home are all crying out to God for help. They are broken as they express their complete dependence upon God for their victory.

The nation is focused upon Psalm 120-135. Most of these psalms were written by King Hezekiah while Israel faced an impossible war with the Assyrians in 700 B.C. The Assyrians were very much like Hamas. Their war tactics were inhuman. They were the terrorists of the ancient world (Ezekiel 32:22-23).

It is apparent from the holy prophetic Scriptures that one of God’s main purposes for allowing Israel to suffer so much in the last days is that it will lead to their salvation (Daniel 12:1). God says that He will refine them in the fiery trials of the Tribulation. And “they shall call on my name, and I will hear them,: I will say, it is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:9). See Jeremiah 30:1-7.

During the approaching Tribulation Period, the Jewish people will experience a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit, leading thousands to salvation (Joel 2:27-32; Revelation 7:4-8; 14:1-5). I believe that God is preparing their hearts now for this moment of great salvation.

This has been the longing of the heart of the heavenly Father (Isaiah 59:19-60:1; 62:1-7). As Israelis cry out to God, He will hear their cry and ultimately salvation will come to Israel. Let us pray for the glory of God to be seen by them and all nations, as He destroys the enemies of Israel (Ezekiel 38:16-23; 39:22-29). These passages are about to be fulfilled.

However, the church will not be here to witness these events. When the church is complete and called out in the Rapture, then salvation will come to Israel (Romans 11:25-26).

Global Rejection of God

photo courtesy of Israel Today Magazine

As we watch events unfold around the world at this hour, we need to keep our eyes on Psalm 2. This psalm is a prophetic commentary on what is happening now.

Verse one“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” The word “rage” speaks of an open defiance and disorderly conduct. Our world is erupting into disruptive chaos that glorifies and clamors for evil. Evil brings death and destruction. It is no wonder that God says, “the people imagine a vain thing.” These people are asking for their own demise. The people who glorify Hamas are in love with evil. They will get what they want. The Islamic terrorists will march across the globe during the Tribulation Period, killing, raping, and pillaging as they go. I am convinced that the four riders of the horses in Revelation 6:1-8 represent the global jihad of the Antichrist at the beginning of the Tribulation Period. The events that happened in Israel on October 7th are a little window into global events that will transpire around the world every day for seven very long years!

Verse 2“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed.” It is apparent that the United Nations and all the nations around the globe are siding with Islam. They are chanting for the destruction of Israel and the Jews. They would rather have Hamas than Israel. They are against the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are against God’s “anointed” [the word here is messiah]. They are against Jesus. Therefore, they hate Jews and Christians. This will be the trademark of the Antichrist and his global kingdom. They will kill believers in Jesus by beheading them (Revelation 20:4). The antichrist will blaspheme the name of the God of the Bible (Daniel 11:36; Revelation 13:6).

Verse 3“Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” The references to “band” and “cords” point to the binding commandments of God. These evil people want to be set free from the law of God. They want total freedom to express their depravity. God says we are to not have any other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3-5). The crowds around the world are chanting, “Allah is greater.” Allah is not the God of the Bible. They are calling for the worship of another god. It is not an accident that Hamas attacked Israel on the Sabbath day (Saturday). God demanded Israel to keep the sabbath day as a holy day (Exodus 20:3). When Hamas attacked Israel, they rebelled against all of God’s last six commandments in Exodus 20:12-17. Read them and think about this. Evil people are glorifying this!

Notice God’s response to these rebels. First, He will laugh at them (verse 4). How stupid for man to think He can oppose God and His commandments. Second, He will “speak to them in his wrath and vex [terrify] them” (verse 5). They want terror. He will give them terror! Terror will rule over the nations for seven years! Third, God will set His Son, the Jewish Messiah, upon his “holy hill of Zion” (verse 6). Hamas used the Jewish peoples’ visits to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as an excuse to invade Israel. Islam claims that the Temple Mount belongs to them and not to the Jews. They claim that that Jews have no right to this holy mountain and that it is an Islamic holy site. God will answer by placing His Son on the throne of David on the Temple Mount for 1,000 years (see photo). Jesus will rule over all the nations in His glorious kingdom (verses 7-9). Fourth, God demands that all the kings and judges of the nations serve and honor Him (verse 11). He warns them that their rebellion against Him are stoking the fires of His holy wrath (verse 12).

Will The Current Hatred for Israel Trigger the Ezekiel 38 war?

According to an ancient prophecy in Ezekiel 38, in the last days a massive ground invasion of Israel will take place. This attack upon Israel will not be the same as the Armageddon war that will happen at the conclusion of the Tribulation Period. According to this prophecy, Russia, Iran, and Turkey and other radical Islamic allies will attack Israel “in the latter years” (Ezekiel 38:8). I think this attack will happen immediately before the Tribulation Period begins.

The Bible states that God will use something to lure these armies into this war so that He can defeat them on the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel wrote, “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog [leader of Russia], the land of Magog [Russia], the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen,…” (Ezekiel 38:1-4).

Bible students have always wondered what “the hook in the jaw” represents. What will God use to force Russia and its allies to invade Israel? Could it be that we are watching this unfold at this moment? Since Hamas’ brutal and deadly attack upon Israel on October 7th, the world has twisted the facts and made Israel the aggressor and murderer of innocent people in Gaza. As a result, there has been an explosion of antisemitism around the world, calling for the death of Israel while praising the Hamas murderers. On Saturday, November 4th in Washington DC, it is estimated that 100,00 protesters (see photo) declared that Israel is the terrorist and chanted dead to Israel.

“Since the invasion, China, Russia, and Iran have all used their state-controlled media outlets to promote Hamas claims downplaying or outright denying the terrorist organization’s atrocities, while accusing Israel of persecuting Palestinians and even committing genocide” (World Israel News, November 5, 2023). It is apparent that the evil enemies of Israel and the United States are masking the truth and creating the dangerous context for genocidal attacks upon Israel and the United States.

Israelis are talking about Ezekiel 38 and its possible fulfillment at this current time. It is time for the Lord to demonstrate His sovereign strength when He destroys the armies who want to annihilated Israel (Ezekiel 38:18-23).

All this signals that we are near the time for the exit of the church to heaven. These are very serious developments that demand our attention and prayers. Please pray for truth to prevail. Pray for Israel. Those who hate Israel are the enemies of God (Psalm 83: 1-8). Prepare your soul for the time when we will all stand before Jesus as our judge.