This article is Part 2 in a series on the COVID-19 pandemic. In part one, I wrote about what God is saying to us through this deadly disease. I urge you to read the previous newsletter before you read this article. If you need a copy, contact us and we will be glad to send it to you. Or download it.
“It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go …” The lyrics of this seasonal Christmas song, written and released in 1951 by Perry Como, is etched in the memories of most Americans. I remember hearing this song during my childhood and still enjoy it each year as Christmas approaches.
The song traditionally is played on radio stations around the country beginning sometime in late November. As we listen to the lyrics, we can look around us and see decorations, store displays, and other signs that Christmas is drawing near.
In recent days, I have been thinking about this song and mentally singing a new version to myself. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip our world, my version says, “It is beginning to look a lot like the Tribulation, everywhere you go…” Just as the commercial signs of Christmas become evident to those who have experienced Christmas in the American culture, even so the signs of the approaching Tribulation Period are becoming more prevalent all around us.
My friends, we are living in a unique time. Never in the annals of modern history has the entire family of nations dealt with the magnitude of a deadly pandemic such as we are facing. As we go to press with this publication, the coronavirus is in 198 countries and territories, with more than 800,000 cases and almost 38,000 deaths. What we are experiencing is unprecedented.
This virus and its ramifications have the potential to radically alter our global community. Schools and universities are closed. All sporting events are cancelled. Many businesses are closed or they are working with a drastically reduced work force. Hundreds of millions of people are unemployed. The financial outlook for the nations seems to become more critical with each passing day. The medical resources for many countries are overwhelmed. Church services are cancelled. Millions of people around the world are self-quarantined in their homes. The travel industry, including air traffic, is increasingly coming to a grinding halt.
Many nations have closed their borders to all foreign visitors. Governments are placing greater and greater restrictions upon their people as they deal with the growing number of cases and deaths from this pandemic. A real sense of fear and of the unknown is driving the global population to horde food, water, and other essentials. It seems as if the world is ready to experience a total breakdown in law and order as desperate people scramble to reach some level of personal safety and security.
Furthermore, it is uncertain how long this pandemic crisis will last. Some are saying it could be months before some sense of normality returns. Others are predicting that this crisis in the U.S. could extend into this fall or early winter.
Governments around the world are taking great ricks financial to help their people financially cope with this storm. The U.S. government is planning to send out a financial stimulus package to each American family due to the crisis. It is reported that this financial stimulus package will cost our government more than two trillion dollars. The Federal Reserve is printing trillions of dollars to keep the banking industry from collapsing. We can only imagine how this will impact our burgeoning national debt.
I am absolutely convinced that only those who know God and His Word, and especially His prophetic Word, can understand the nature of what we are dealing with. While speaking about the end times, God said to the ancient prophet of Israel, Daniel, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10).
Earlier in the book of Daniel, God demonstrated to His prophet that He is the only one who knows and controls the future of all the nations and kings on earth. After the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream, he sought the wisdom of all of his royal advisers. He asked them to tell him about his dream and to give the interpretation. After their failure, God send Daniel with the divine response. He reported to the king that the God of heaven “revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him” (Daniel 2:22). After Daniel revealed the kings vision and its interpretation, King Nebuchadnezzar replied, “Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret” (Daniel 2:47).
Today, God speaks to His servants through the powerful Word of God. God has revealed to all those who read and study the Bible His sovereign plan for the future of our world. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
In the next few months, I want to present to my readers a series of questions that we need to answer from the Bible. What is God saying to all of us as our lives are being dramatically altered by the coronavirus? What is God doing at this moment through this virus? What does God want us to do? I believe that the Bible gives us very clear and precise answers to these questions. Please share this newsletter with your family and friends. God is speaking. But are we willing to listen?
It amazes me that a majority of the people, and even pastors, in professing churches in America are not interested in Biblical prophecy. There are many explanations for this. However, at the core of people’s rejection of Biblical prophetic truth is their arrogant attitude – they believe they control their destiny. They like their cozy little world and they do not want God to disrupt it. A pride-filled independent spirit has gripped the soul of too many who claim Jesus is their Savior.
The world worships at the feet of self and the physical trappings that bring comfort, security, and pleasure to their lustful bodies. They don’t need God. They do not believe He created them and they do not pay respect to His sovereign control over them.
At the heart of man’s rebellion is the desire to avoid God. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, their immediate response was to run away and hide from God. Genesis 3:8 says, “And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” Since that beginning, mankind has continued to run from God. The Psalmist wrote, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. … He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity” (Psalm 10:4, 6).
God has repeatedly declared and demonstrated in the Bible that He is sovereign. He is in control of all of His creation and He is moving it toward His divine conclusion for His purposes.
During the days of the prophet Isaiah, the nation of Israel was far away from God. They had fallen into the trap of worshipping other gods and idols. In the Old Testament book that carries his name, Isaiah continually rebuked the nation of Israel and called them to repentance. In this confrontation with Israel, God spoke to them and said, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou has not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me: I am the LORD, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:5-6). This declaration is repeated many times in the book of Isaiah. God was confronting them at the foundation of their sin – they did not know Him as their One and only God.
In the immediate context of God’s statement concerning His sovereign self-existence, He said there is one way in which He demonstrates His sovereign power. God often attempts to get man’s attention through adversity or crises (disasters and diseases). In Isaiah 45:7, God said, “I create evil.” The Hebrew word for evil is not speaking of moral wickedness. God is holy and He cannot be charged with creating something that is against His holy character or nature. The word used by Isaiah indicates that God creates disasters and diseases for His purposes.
Remember that God revealed in Psalm 10:6 that the wicked says in his heart that he “shall never be in adversity.” Unfortunately, sinful man does not have time for God until adversity comes and then God knows he will cry out to him during that time. So, God brings adversity to get our attention. God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5). He demands that we worship and serve Him, and have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3). If we disobey, He has promised to discipline those who refuse to give Him this respect, worship, and obedience (Exodus 20:5). All of this is at the foundation of all of God’s commandments. That is why we call them “the 10 Commandments.”
As we face the coronavirus, we are seeing the hand of God in our world. God has created our world with the potential for all of these diseases. These diseases are all under His divine control. God has created physical and spiritual boundaries, and when mankind violates or ignores these God-given limits, there are consequences. We all understand that the law of gravity displays these limits immediately. The consequences of other laws of God are not so immediate. However, sin does have a payday. The Bible says, “Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7-8).
When God wanted to release His people, Israel, from more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt, He crushed the enemy of His people with diseases. Notice what God said to Pharaoh through Moses in Exodus 9:14-16, “For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and unto thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence [diseases]; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.”
Is it a coincidence that the Middle East, including Israel, is in the midst of this coronavirus as the time of Passover, April 8-16, approaches? Passover is a time when Jewish families gather to celebrate their deliverance from slavery more than 3,400 years ago. With millions of Israelis under strict quarantine, most Israelis will not be able to celebrate the Passover with their entire family.
God spoke through Moses to warn Israel that if they ever departed from Him, He would send diseases [plagues or pestilences] among them as an act of judgment. Read Deuteronomy 28:22, 27-28, 35, 58-62. Also, consider Leviticus 26:25. God used a horrible disease to kill 70,000 because of King David’s sin (2 Samuel 24:10-25).
In the days of the prophet Amos, God warned Israel that He would send them many forms of judgment to bring them back to Him (Amos 4:6-13). One of these judgments was diseases (Amos 4:10).
God demonstrated His control over all sickness and diseases when He sent His Son, Jesus, to this earth almost 2,000 years ago. Matthew, in his gospel, presents Jesus as the Jewish Messiah to the Jewish people. The healing power of Jesus over all kinds of diseases was one of His credentials as Messiah (Isaiah 35:5-6). Matthew says that Jesus healed “all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23). Matthew 9:35 says that Jesus healed “every sickness and every disease among the people.” Jesus demonstrated that God has power over every kind of disease.
God has sent the coronavirus around the globe to call all people to repentance and salvation. Friend, the Bible tells us that we all have an appointment with God. It is called death. The Bible says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Life is precious. Life is fragile. Life is “even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). Are you prepared for eternity? Where will you live forever? Are you procrastinating getting right with God? What if you or a family member were to contract the coronavirus and die? Are they, or you, ready to die? What are you waiting for? Now is the time to cry out to God and ask Him to forgive you of your sin and to receive Christ as your Savior and Lord. The Bible says that “now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Read Romans 10:9-13. I encourage you to read the gospel of John and to place your trust in Christ as the Son of God before it is too late for your soul.
Too many of us who claim to be saved are not spending time with the Lord. More than anything else, He wants us to cease from our labors and activities to know that He is the Lord. Read Psalm 46. In this Psalm, the writer speaks of a time when the world is in ruins. In the midst of this massive geological upheaval, God says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10). God has placed many of us in quarantine to make us be still. He wants us to spend time with Him. If we refuse, what else will He do? We know. It is recorded in His Word!
God sends global judgments for a reason. In Isaiah 2, the prophet tells us that there is coming a time when God shall arise “to shake terribly the earth” (Isaiah 2:21). This will happen during the time of the Tribulation. Why will He do that? In this great chapter, Isaiah 2, God says he will do this “for the glory of his majesty” (verse 10). He will do this to humble all of humanity so that “the LORD alone shall be exalted in the day” (verse 11).
God is speaking through the coronavirus. He is calling us all to humility and brokenness. He is showing us that He, not man, is in control. In the midst of our fear and pain, we need to turn to Him and surrender our time and possessions to Him.
Friends, in my next newsletter I will demonstrate that this global virus is only a harbinger of more horrific pandemics and divine judgments that are coming upon this earth. This pandemic is only the beginning of what God has in store for a world that is in open rebellion against Him. This pandemic is only the beginning of the end.
God is being very merciful to all of us. He has sent this pandemic to wake us up before the big judgments strike one after another for seven very long years upon this earth. In that future day of the Lord, the God of heaven will invite His people, who are saved after the Rapture, to quarantine themselves to be sheltered from the wrathful judgments of God that will fall upon the wicked. He will say to them in that day, “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation [passes by- as in the time of the Passover in Egypt]. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain” (Isaiah 26:20-21). This speaks of a time at the end of this age when the global death toll will be so great that there will be no time to bury the millions who will suddenly die.
As the prophet Jeremiah lamented over the horrific destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, he wrote to his people and said, “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). The Lord continues to show us His mercy, even in the midst of all of the death and pain of this global pandemic. We can rest assured that what is happening now is not the end. According to the Bible, there is at least another 1,007 years left for mankind on this earth.
The Lord is also saying to all of us through this pandemic that He is the only one who can protect and save us. Most of the time, we attempt to face our problems within our own power. Only after we fail to find the answers to our crises do we turn to the Lord as a last resort. This is shear foolishness. We need to remember that He is the only one who can protect us and provide for all of our needs.
I encourage you to read Psalm 91. This psalm gives us a great promise that is very appropriate for what we are facing with the present pandemic. First, please remember that this psalm was not written to us but does contain wonderful admonitions for us. This great chapter is a promise given by the most High God to the Jewish nation of Israel.
In this psalm, God’s people are invited to run from the fear of diseases and crises to take refuge in the shadow of God’s almighty power and grace. It is very important to realize that this promise is given only to those who are willing to dwell in the presence of God. This is not talking about those who intellectually know about the greatness of God. It is speaking to those who daily seek after God and desire His presence as they walk and talk with Him throughout the course of the day. This person will constantly think about God. They will attempt to practice His holy presence in their daily walk. They will acknowledge God in all of his ways (Proverbs 3:6). They will seek His face to have an ongoing audience with God in thought and word. They will “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Their utmost desire will be to please God, to honor and praise Him with their lives. It is said of Noah and Enoch that they “walked with God” (Genesis 5:24; 6:9). This is what is meant by, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”(verse 1). He will make God his “habitation” (verse 9).
Friend, this is really what God wants. He wants us to spend time with Him. He is our Father. He wants us to share life with Him. Jesus prayed for us when He said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). He wants us to adoringly look into His face and worship Him with a whole heart – FOREVER!
As the psalmist speaks of God’s protection of believers, He says that God will “cover thee with his feathers” (verse 4). God is a Spirit. He does not have actual feathers. Here, the writer uses the imagery that depicts little birds that are frightened and seek shelter under the wings of their mother who cares for its young. Jesus used this imagery when He spoke of His love for the people of Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” What love! Even in the midst of Israel’s great sin and rebellion, the Lord continued to express His love for His own people.
I remember a childhood story I learned in Sunday school shortly after I was saved at the age of nine. The story was depicted in a colorful book about a little red hen that died in a tragic barn fire. When the fire was out, the farmer went out to examine the debris. When he saw the charred feathers of the little hen, he kick it over with his foot and out from under the ashes of the hen came three little chicks that were alive. The story was told how the hen could have flown away and saved her life from the flames in the barn. However, she hovered over her chicks, giving her life to the flames to protect her little ones. Then, it was explained to me, that the little hen was a picture of Jesus who took upon Himself my sin and died for me that I might live and not face the fires of hell. [As the Lord was speaking to me in my spirit at 4 am this morning about this newsletter, I thought about Psalm 91. Also, for the first time in many years I thought about this story I heard in Sunday school as a child, sixty-one years ago!]
God has not promised us in Psalm 91 that no believer will avoid getting sick or not have a disease. Many godly people have died at the hand diseases throughout the ages. And, the Bible does not teach that all sickness or disease is a result of personal sin. Again, please remember that Psalm 91 was written to the nation of Israel. John Phillips, a well-known Biblical scholar who taught at Moody Bible Institute for years, wrote, “We need to remember when interpreting these wonderful psalms that they are part of the Hebrew hymnbook. These are not gospel songs, written for those who have put their trust in Christ since Calvary. They are old Hebrew hymns and belong primarily and essentially to the nation of Israel. We need to exercise spiritual discernment before claiming such promises as blanket guarantees of well-being today. The Old Testament blessing for Israel included national prosperity and divine protection. So long as Israel walked in step with God there was not a nation that could defeat her in battle or successfully invade her land. The godly Jew could legitimately claim the promises of Psalm 91 in an hour of danger and could expect that, although people fell all around by the thousands, neither the flying arrow nor the sinister pestilence would come near him” (John Phillips, Exploring the Psalms, 89-150, p. 32).
I believe that God is now saying to the nations, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). The arms of Jesus are wide open to all whom will come to Him for salvation. He is saying, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:22).
In these days of isolation, read your Bible. Let God speak to your heart. He is speaking. Are you listening?
The Middle East has had a history of violence and wars for millennia! For 4,000 years the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Isaac have been in a bitter battle over the land God promised to the Jewish people. According to the Bible, God established an eternal land covenant with the descendants of Abraham through the line of Isaac and Jacob. Therefore, the conflict over the Promised Land traces its roots to the ancient conflict between the sons of Isaac (Jews) and the sons of Ishmael (Arabs).
The Biblical prophecies indicate that due to their disobedience, God would thrust the Jewish people out of their land and eventually scatter them to the nations of the world (Deuteronomy 28:63-64). Then, in the last days, God would cause them to return to the land of their forefathers (Jeremiah 30:3). This would reignite the ancient conflict over the land. Ezekiel 36:1-7 indicates that Israel would be in conflict over the Promised Land with the nations surrounding them. It is not an accident that all of these countries are currently Arab/Islamic nations.
The Bible indicates that the conflict over the Holy Land will culminate in a false treaty between Israel and Satan’s counterfeit messiah – the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27). According to the Bible, the signing of this treaty will mark the beginning of a very deadly and dangerous seven years referred to as “The Tribulation Period.” Therefore, any human effort to bring about a covenant to resolve the conflict between Israel and her Arab/Islamic neighbors captures the attention of students of Bible prophecy. We wonder how any attempt to bring peace to the Middle East will relate to the future covenant Israel will make with the Antichrist.
There have been many attempts to bring the Israelis and the Palestinians to the peace table to create a peace treaty. The leaders of the world have had a longstanding goal of bringing a durable peace in the Middle East. All attempts to bring about such an agreement have failed.
Peace between Israel and her Arab neighbors has been the focus of many American presidential administrations for more than 40 years. In March 1979, President Jimmy Carter persuaded the leaders of Israel and Egypt to sign “The Camp David Peace Accords.” This cold form of peace between Egypt and Israel remains in effect today.
In September 1993, President Bill Clinton helped finalize the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians with the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords. Instead of creating an atmosphere of peace, the so-called accords resulted in the
At the Oslo Peace Accords, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shake hands in acceptance.
Palestinians launching a series of terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli citizens. Thousands were killed in just a few years after these accords were signed. Then, under the direction of President Bill Clinton, a peace treaty that still exists between the Arab country of Jordan and Israel was signed on October 26, 1994.
Twice more, President Clinton attempted to bring about a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel. In October 1998, President Clinton directed the Wy River Memorandum with negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. In President Clinton’s final attempt at brokering a peace agreement, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Arafat at the Camp David Summit in July 2000. At this summit, Israel offered the Palestinians 94 percent of the disputed land called the “West Bank.” Arafat rejected the offer from the Israelis, leaving President Clinton frustrated and furious. This outright rejection by the now deceased PLO leader made it clear that the Palestinians are not really interested in any deal that does not give them all of the land of Israel. They are not interested in controlling only the area known as the “West Bank.”
In February 2005, President George W. Bush brought together the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, at the Red Sea Summit. These talks resulted in a removed of Jewish residents from the Gaza area. After this attempt to bring peace, Hamas, a terrorist group supported by Iran, overthrew the Palestinian leadership and took over Gaza. Since that time, Israel has had three wars with Hamas. Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza continue to launch rocket attacks against Israel. In recent months, they have fired hundreds of rockets and missiles into southern Israel.
In November 2008, President George W. Bush invited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas to the peace table again. In this meeting, the Israelis offered the Palestinians 98 percent of the West Bank and additional land. Once again, the Palestinian leadership rejected this generous offer.
On January 28, 2020, after two years of research, President Donald Trump unveiled his “Deal of the Century.” The Israelis accepted the peace plan, along with many other Persian Gulf Arab states. However, the Palestinians refused to attend the gathering and made it very clear they are in firm opposition to it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on January 28, 2020.
Let us examine this peace plan in light of the prophetic Scriptures. First, it must be understood that this is not theAntichrist’s peace plan spoken about in Daniel 9:27. That covenant will begin the Tribulation Period.
Obviously, the Tribulation Period has not begun, even though signs of its coming are growing more evident each day. Therefore, this peace offer is not the agreement spoken about in Daniel 9:27.
Let us examine the Trump peace offer in light of Biblical prophecy. Overall, this plan calls for a two-state solution to the conflict. It calls for a Jewish State (Israel) that would be recognized alongside a Palestinian State (Palestine). The map below represents the starting point for negotiations concerning the final borders of each state. Notice that the darker areas would represent Palestine, connected to Gaza by an underground tunnel. The 15 circled areas represent Jewish communities that would be imbedded within Palestine. Each Jewish community would have a road linking it to a part of the Jewish state.
Major Points of the Trump Peace Plan
Under the Trump plan, no Israelis or Palestinians would be uprooted from their homes. The plan attempts to accept the current population demographics in these territories. Israelis would need to agree to freeze settlement growth for four years while negotiations for the Palestinian State continue. Jerusalem would remain Israel’s undivided capital, while Palestinians would get an East Jerusalem community, Abu Dis, as their recognized capital. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which has long been a point of friction between the Arabs and the Israelis, would remain a place of Muslim worship.
Positive Aspects of the Trump Peace Plan
I applaud the efforts of the Trump administration and the Israeli leadership for seeking peace. President Trump is the first U.S. president to clearly demonstrate an unwillingness to appease the Arab world by caving in to the demands of the Arab world and jeopardize the security of Israel. His plan also calls for the Arabs to recognize Israel. This is something that the entire Arab world has refused to do since 1948. The Trump plan also recognizes Israel’s security needs. It allows Israel to annex the entire Jordan Valley. Israel believes this is most significant to assure that it would be able to militarily repel a ground invasion from the east. Study the map below and you can see why this is so important to the Israelis.
This plan also demands that the Palestinian State would be demilitarized. It calls for the Palestinians to end incitement against Israel and to stop pay-for-slay benefits to terrorists in jail and families of terrorist martyrs. Overall, the Trump plan is the most balanced of all previous plans. It attempts to create a fair approach to what has become an impossible nightmare.
Negative Points of the Trump Peace Plan
However, the Trump plan does not consider the deeply rooted religious passions of the Muslim Arabs. At the heart of this conflict is the Muslim belief that the area called Palestine was a part of the Islamic empire for hundreds of years. Therefore, it must never be surrendered to any infidel (non-Muslim). For devout Muslims, recognizing Israel as a legitimate state would be an act of religious treason and bring disgrace to their god. From the Islamic perspective, there is no acceptable solution for the existence of a Jewish state on Muslim land. This deep passion and hatred will lead the Antichrist and his jihad forces to the final conflict called Armageddon.
A major point of the Trump plan is an attempt to divide the land that God promised to the Jewish people in His eternal land covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God told Moses “the land is mine” (Leviticus 25:23). The Bible repeatedly declares that God has chosen the Jewish people to be the caretakers of His land. The Bible calls the land Israel’s heritage or possession (Psalm 136:21-22).
The prophetic Word of God declares that God will “cause” (Jeremiah 30:3) His people to return to their land in the last days. God said to Israel, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24). Therefore, any attempt to take this land away from the Jewish people should be viewed as entering into a direct conflict with God Almighty. God said that one of the major reasons for Armageddon will be His vengeance due to the nations’ abuse of His people. He has declared, they have “scattered [them] among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3:2).
Should this plan be adopted, 15 Jewish communities on the West Bank would be surrounded by a Palestinian controlled authority. It may look like it would be feasible at this time when Israel has a great friend in the White House. However, that could radically change in the future with a change in U.S. leadership. If that occurs, it would become a very difficult arrangement to maintain, and we could see a repeat of what happened in the Gaza area several years ago.
The Palestinians have proven that they are not reliable partners for peace. They continue to incite hatred toward the Israelis. The Palestinians have a pattern of breaking promises they make. Their untrustworthiness grows out of their Islamic doctrine. Islam teaches that is acceptable to tell a lie and deceive an enemy for the glory of their god, Allah.
It is apparent to me that the global stage has been prepared for the entrance of the man of sin – the Antichrist. If this is so, then the Antichrist is presently standing in the political shadows ready to confirm his false covenant with Israel, thus beginning the Tribulation Period.
In light of this, let us examine a text that defines the nature of this future covenant and the events in Israel that take place at that time. That text is Isaiah 28:14-22.
How can we be sure that Isaiah’s covenant in this text refers to the covenant mentioned in Daniel 9:27? There are three considerations that convince me that Isaiah is referring to the covenant of the Antichrist. First, this covenant will lead to a time when Israel will suffer a major military invasion. This is described in verse 18 as “when the overflowing scourge shall pass through.” Furthermore, this is described as a time when Israel will “be trodden down by it” (verse 18). While speaking about the Tribulation Period and the resulting battle of Armageddon, Jesus said that “Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). In describing the last half of the Tribulation, the Apostle John declared that the Temple Mount and the city of Jerusalem would be controlled by the Gentiles. He wrote, “it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Revelation 11:2). Notice that Jesus and John refer to Jerusalem being trodden down, as does Isaiah.
Isaiah also points to historical examples of how Israel’s future enemies will be defeated at the time of this failed covenant. Verse 21 states, “For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work: and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” In this verse, Isaiah says that the defeat of Israel’s enemies at the time of this failed covenant will be similar to two other times in Israel’s history. On both occasions, the Lord supernaturally intervened to destroy Israel’s enemy. First, Isaiah points to 1 Chronicles 14:10-17. This text speaks of the supernatural defeat of the Philistines during the days of King David. [It is most interesting to note that the word Palestine comes from the word Philistine.] Then, Isaiah mentions the connection with the last-day battle with the “valley of Gibeon,” (verse 21) which is the Valley of Jezreel, or the valley of Armageddon. So, Isaiah connects this covenant with a people, the Palestinians, and a place, the valley of Armageddon.
Furthermore, Isaiah describes the acts of God during this time as God’s “strange work,” or “strange act” (verse 21). The late Biblical scholar, Alva J. McClain, connects these unique acts of God with events during the Tribulation (Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom, p. 188).
The strange act that the Lord will use to destroy the forces of the Antichrist is described in Zechariah 14:12, “Their flesh shall consume (melt) 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.” According to a multitude of prophetic Scriptures, Armageddon will end with the most colossal global upheaval known to man. Unparalleled earthquakes on a global scale will trigger massive volcanic eruptions. In Israel, volcanic eruptions will produce a deadly flow of molten lava that will kill some of the armies of the Antichrist. Zechariah gives a graphic description of their bodies melting away. It is a perfect illustration of what happens when human flesh comes in contact with liquid magma at more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The covenant that Isaiah mentions also describes a time of difficulty in Israel, when the Lord brings about “a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth” (verse 22). This confirms that it is the same covenant as the one confirm by the Antichrist. There is only one future period of time that speaks of divine destruction that will come upon the entire earth. That will happen during the Day of the Lord – the Tribulation Period. The Scriptures repeatedly refer to the complete global destruction that will encompass the entire world during the Tribulation Period.
The Particulars of this Covenant
Isaiah tells us five things about the covenant of the Antichrist. First, it will include a secular, non-religious, Jewish leadership in Jerusalem (verse 14-15). It is amazing that Israel is currently experiencing the same political upheaval, much like what is occurring in America. Israel is being led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (this name means “gift from God”). He has attempted to lead Israel by navigating his way through the various religious factions in Israel within in his government. Netanyahu continues to refer to Israel’s Biblical right to the Jewish land. His political opponents have vowed to not allow any religious parties in their government. They are very liberal and some have socialist aspirations. Like America, Israel is involved in a political struggle between the right and the left for the future control of the country. At some point, the political left in Israel will win control and lead the nation into the waiting arms of the Antichrist and his false covenant.
God warns Israel in this text that they will adopt a covenant with a partner that is full of deceit and lies, while deviously plotting the destruction of Israel (verses 15, 18). This is a perfect description of the character and actions of the Palestinian leadership, as well as many of Israel’s enemies.
Isaiah also adds that the secular and godless leadership will adopt a peace treaty with the Antichrist, who will divide the land of Israel. These leaders in Israel will be opposed in by religious Israeli Jews who are focused on God’s promises (verse 16). Today, there are many Messianic Jews who are opposed to giving away any of the Promised Land to create a Palestinian state. They clearly see through all of the lies and false promises and know that the Palestinians want all of the land of Israel. They know that peace with the Palestinians is impossible. These Messianic Jews openly reject the idea of a two-state solution. They are calling for the Israeli government to immediately annex the West Bank. They recognize that this is Biblical Judea and Samaria and that it all belongs to Israel. This is at the heart of their Messianic hope mentioned in verse 16.
In a very descriptive way, Isaiah mentions that this covenant with the enemies of Israel will result in increased terrorism (verses 19-20). This is exactly what Israel has experienced in the last 40 years. Every time Israel makes concessions to bring about peace, it has experienced an uprising in terrorism and rumors of war. Citizens of Israel face this reality on a daily basis. Notice that Isaiah describes this by saying that each day will begin and end with a threat of terror in Israel. In verse 20 he uses the illustration of a person lying in bed. This is likened unto a nation that enters into a covenant, thinking that it may rest from the threats of war and terror. In Isaiah’s illustration, that rest never comes because of the complications brought about by the ongoing daily reports of terror and threats war. This perfectly describes life in Israel today and it will continue until the Lord Jesus comes to their rescue at Armageddon.
Finally, this failed covenant will lead to Armageddon (verses 17- 18). Isaiah tells us that the godless leadership in Jerusalem will enter into this covenant to avoid a major war (verse 15). However, their covenant fails and Israel will be faced with the flood of the armies of the world coming against them at Armageddon (Zechariah 14:2; Revelation 16:12-16).
After Armageddon, the Lord will establish His kingdom of peace upon this earth. His people will be free from terror, wars, and rumors of wars. God has promised His people, “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land”(Isaiah 60:18).
I long for peace in our world. I hate war, violence, and terror. I love the Jews, the Arab people and the Palestinians. I want what is best for all of them. What is best for them is to not be at war with God. If they fight over the land of Israel, they are bringing themselves into conflict with God. God gave the Arabs far more land than He gave to the Jews. However, the Arabs are not content with what God has given them.
There is coming a time during the millennial kingdom when the Arabs will accept Israel and honor them as God’s chosen people. They will also recognize that Jerusalem and the Holy Land belong to the Jewish people. Read the amazing text of Isaiah 60. In this chapter Isaiah prophetically writes about how the former Arab/Islamic enemies of Israel will love and honor the Jewish people during the time of the kingdom. Isaiah 60:14 says, “The sons also of them that afflicted thee [mentioned in verses 6-7] 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.”
According to several prophetic texts, at the beginning of the kingdom the Lord will give Israel all of the land that He originally promised them, from the great river of Egypt to the Euphrates. See the map below.
When Israel receives her full promise of all the land, it will be 574,175 square miles of territory. The details of this land division are given in Ezekiel 45:1-8 and 47:13-20. Today, Israel only possesses 10,175 square miles, which is only 1.7 percent of all the land it will possess during the millennium kingdom.
I long for peace in the Middle East. Too many innocent people have been killed in the war that is being waged against Israel by the powers of hell. We are commanded to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). When we pray for this, we are praying for Jesus to come and bring His kingdom of peace to this earth, and especially the Middle East.
The history of this planet since the fall of man proves that there is no peace outside of a personal relationship with the God of the Bible. Only Jesus can give you real peace. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Friend, if you have conflict in your life, only Jesus can give you inner peace in the midst of the storms of life. Some day we will live with Him. Then all of our conflict will be over. Come to Jesus for salvation and peace.
Keep listening for the shout that will take us out!
My friends, we are living in a unique time. Never in the annals of modern history has the entire family of nations dealt with the magnitude of a deadly pandemic such as we are facing. As we go to press with this publication, the coronavirus is in 198 countries and territories, with more than 800,000 cases and almost 38,000 deaths. What we are experiencing is unprecedented. 
storm. The U.S. government is planning to send out a financial stimulus package to each American family due to the crisis. It is reported that this financial stimulus package will cost our government more than two trillion dollars. The Federal Reserve is printing trillions of dollars to keep the banking industry from collapsing. We can only imagine how this will impact our burgeoning national d
spiritual boundaries, and when mankind violates or ignores these God-given limits, there are consequences. We all understand that the law of gravity displays these limits immediately. The consequences of other laws of God are not so immediate. However, sin does have a payday. The Bible says, 
I believe that God is now saying to the nations, 
