2015 January – The Holy City of Jerusalem

The Holy City of Jerusalem

“Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof.” Psalm 102:13-14

By Mike Wingfield

Just a few weeks ago, I once again stood within the ancient walls of the most important city in the world – Jerusalem. Strangely enough, when I am in Jerusalem, my heart fills with joy because it feels like “home” to me.

For almost three decades, I have been making trips to Israel. What a privilege I have had to walk where so many prophets and kings of Israel, and especially our Lord Jesus, walked. With each of my tours, I have purposely left Jerusalem as the final destination of our pilgrimage in the Holy Land. As a lifetime student of the Word of God and believer in Jesus Christ, my heart has been greatly stirred each time I have visited the holy city of Jerusalem.

There is no city on earth like Jerusalem. It is the only city with a divine destiny. The sovereign power and zeal of God guarantees that this city will ultimately fulfill its divine purpose. (Read Isaiah 62:1-7.) When the old Jerusalem passes away with the old earth, the New Jerusalem will appear on the New Earth. (Revelation 21:1-2)

No other city in the Bible demands attention like Jerusalem. It is mentioned by name over 800 times. When other names for this city are considered, the Biblical references to Jerusalem number over 1,000. Jerusalem is called “Zion” over 150 times in the Scriptures. Other names include: “The city of the great King,” “The city of the Lord of Hosts,” Ariel, City of God, City of David, City of Judah, City of Righteousness, City of Truth, Holy City, Faithful City.

The Lord considers Jerusalem to be holy. This means that this city is different than all other cities. It is a city set apart from all other cities. It is not the largest city in the world, or the most populated. The uniqueness of Jerusalem is bound up in the eternal purposes of God.

(Psalm 102:13-21; 125:1) It has played a major role in God’s plans in the past and is destined to be at center stage during the last days of man’s time on this earth.

In many ways, Jerusalem is totally unique. With this in mind, let us look at five ways Jerusalem is unique:

1. Jerusalem is geographically at the center of the earth.

When the Lord created the nations, He placed the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem at the center of the earth. (Ezekiel 5:5) Literally, Ezekiel 5:5 declares that Jerusalem is the “navel” of the earth. Just as the umbilical cord has been designed by the Creator to transfer life sustaining substances to the baby while in its mother’s womb, even so the Lord has chosen that spiritual life for the soul has come through Jerusalem to the nations of the world. The Word of the Lord and our redemption have come out of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is destined to be the center of the Messiah’s global administration during His reign over the nations for 1,000 years. (Isaiah 2:1-3) Jerusalem will serve as the spiritual, political, educational, and economic hub of the world. All nations will be required to go up to Jerusalem annually to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16) Those who dwell in the kingdom will call the Holy City “the throne of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:17) How fitting for Jerusalem to be located in the center of the nations.

Before we continue with our consideration of Jerusalem being unique among the cities of the nations, I would like to point out that Ezekiel’s statement about Jerusalem being the geographical center of the nations could not have been humanly determined in his time. The first attempts to construct a global map took place only a few hundred years before the time of Christ. These maps were very crude and inaccurate. Therefore, Ezekiel’s declaration about Jerusalem being the center of the earth must have been due to divine revelation. This is the only logical explanation.

2. Jerusalem is the focus of divine attention.

The divine will and purposes of God are always at the center of His focus. While speaking about the Promised Land, the Lord told Moses that the land He was giving to His people was a land that He cared for, and that “the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.”

(Deuteronomy 11:12) Hundreds of years later, when Solomon had completed the Temple in Jerusalem, the Lord repeated the Davidic covenant to the King (a covenant that guarantees a future descendant of David will rule from Jerusalem). In doing so, He spoke concerning Jerusalem and swore: “mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.” (1 Kings 9:3)

When the Lord looks upon Jerusalem, He uses the language of affection that a young man would use as he looks upon his virgin bride. (Isaiah 62:5) God rejoices over Jerusalem and longs for her with a great love. Under divine inspiration, the Psalmist wrote: “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion.” (Psalm 48:2) In Psalm 50:2, he declared: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.” This beloved city is known as “the mount Zion which he loved.” (Psalm 78:68) “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. … for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. … And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.” (Zechariah 1:14; 2:8, 12)

In a very unique way, Jerusalem is known in the Bible as symbolically being the dwelling place of God. (Psalm 74:2; 76:2) Psalm 132:13-14 proclaims: “For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.” It is called “the throne of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:17) It is “the city of our God” (Psalm 48:1, see also Psalm 87:3), “the city of the great King” (Psalm 48:2), and “the city of the LORD of hosts” (Psalm 48:8) The Lord has determined that His name is to be associated with Jerusalem. (Deuteronomy 12:5, 11) Jerusalem is “a crown of glory,” and “a royal diadem” in the hand of the Lord. (Isaiah 62:3) While speaking of His Son, the Lord Jesus, the Father has announced to the nations: “Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:6)

The Lord has promised that He will never forget Jerusalem. In a very unique way He has declared:

“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah 49:16)

When we begin to grasp the reality of these truths, we can begin to fathom the purposes behind Satan’s great efforts to destroy the very city that the Lord loves. Satan hates what the Lord loves.

3. Jerusalem is the epicenter of the spirit world

Satan is known in the Bible as the prince of this world. It is his objective to dominate and control the kingdoms of this world in his war against the Most High God. God’s name, “the Most High God,” indicates that He is “the possessor of heaven and earth.” (Genesis 14:19, 22)

Satan knows that the creation belongs to God. However, it is his desire to dethrone God and take control of the creation for his own purposes. There is a sense in which the Lord has allowed Satan to have temporary control over the godless kingdoms of this world. All of this is reflected in Satan’s strategy in the temptation of Jesus at the beginning of our Lord’s earthly ministry. (Matthew 4:8­10) Jerusalem is at the center of Satan’s efforts to dominate the kingdoms of this world in his opposition to God’s eternal plan. (Isaiah 14:12-14) The prophetic Word of God clearly demonstrates that Satan’s messiah, the Antichrist, will desire to dominate the city of Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount. (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 11­12) It is not an accident that Israel is locked in a death duel with Islam over the occupation and possession of Jerusalem, and especially the Temple Mount.

While speaking to Satan about His divine purposes for Jerusalem, the Lord referred to Jerusalem as “a brand plucked out of the fire.” (Zechariah 3:2) Indeed, Jerusalem has faced the attack of satanically inspired Gentile forces for centuries. What God has chosen to bless and use for His glory, Satan has desired to curse and abuse for His own purposes in his war against the Lord. At the epicenter of the war in the spirit world is the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel.

While in Israel in November, my Israeli guide informed us that more foreign journalists live and report out of Jerusalem than any other city in the world, with the exception of Washington D.C. It is interesting to note that the occupation and control of Jerusalem was of little significance to the world until the return of the Jewish people in the last century. It is very apparent that Satan opposes any Israeli control of the Holy Land or holy city of Jerusalem because of its relative significance to the approaching kingdom of God upon this earth and his doom in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years. (Revelation 20:1-3)

This struggle for Jerusalem is made even more complicated because it is the center of three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is most unique to be in Jerusalem for a weekend. The Muslim’s holy day is Friday. The Jewish people worship on Shabbat, beginning on Friday evening and ending the following evening. The Christians worship on the first day of the week, Sunday. Most Israeli churches have their worship service on Saturday evening, which according Biblical reckoning of time begins at sundown. (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) In the Jewish frame of Biblical time, Sunday begins at sundown, not at midnight. The weekend in Israel consists of Friday and Saturday. Their workweek begins on Sunday morning.

4. Jerusalem is at the heart of God’s redemptive plan

The city of Jerusalem is at the center of God’s stage in His eternal plans. The city is first mentioned in Genesis 14:18 as “Salem,” which means “peace.” The name Jerusalem means “city of peace.” It is not a coincidence that the eternal God sent His Son to die outside the walls of Jerusalem to reconcile sinful men to Himself, thereby establishing a way that redeemed men can be at peace with God. The final mention of the earthly Jerusalem is found in Revelation 20:9. Here, it is the location of the final satanically induced rebellion against the Lord. This final revolt is the last recorded activity upon this old earth before it passes away and the new earth appears in the new heavens. (Revelation 21:1)

The Lord has ordained that Jerusalem is at the heart of the story of His plan of redemption. The details of God’s redemptive purposes were in place before the world was created by Him in the beginning of time. Revelation 13:8 speaks of Jesus as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” An examination of the hundreds of prophecies of the first coming of the Messiah overwhelms the Bible student with the precious reality that our redemption is a beautifully planned and orchestrated divine provision. At the heart of that plan and its development on earth, the Lord ordained that Jerusalem would be the city of redemption.

It was on the temple mount in Jerusalem, the same as Mount Moriah, where Abraham was tested to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. (Genesis 22:1-14) Later, it was this same mountain where the Lord directed Israel to build the temple. (Deuteronomy 12:5-16; 2 Samuel 24:18-25; 1 Kings 11:32) This location became the only divinely approved place of sacrifice for all of the animals that pointed to the final perfect sacrifice that would come, the Messiah. (Isaiah 53:1-12; Hebrews 9:11-14) Therefore, it was very fitting that the place of Christ’s crucifixion was a part of Mount Moriah.

Historically, the Word of the Lord has gone forth from Jerusalem. The Old Testament prophets were focused upon Jerusalem. The revelation given to them about Jerusalem certainly helped them understand the significant role this city would have in the coming of their Messiah. Jerusalem was the hub of divine activity for the church, and the apostles of our Lord in the beginning decades of the church. The Great Commission given to them by Jesus made it clear that it was God’s plan that the message of redemption was to be sent out to the nations from Jerusalem. (Acts 1:8)

Prophetically, the Word of the Lord will once again flow out to the nations from Jerusalem during the Tribulation Period and the Millennial Kingdom. The two Jewish witnesses (Revelation 11:3-12) and the ministry and training of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Revelation 7:1­

8: 14:1-5) will be centered in Jerusalem. The ancient Jewish prophet, Joel, proclaimed: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance…” (Joel 2:32) During the Millennial Kingdom the city of Jerusalem will be the spiritual capital of the world. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “… for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) During the reign of the Messiah on earth, all nations will be required to annually go up to Jerusalem to worship the King. (Isaiah 2:2; Isaiah 60:3; Zechariah 14:16)

The zeal of the Sovereign Almighty God of Israel guarantees that Jerusalem will become a spiritual light

unto the nations. He has declared: “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” (Isaiah 62:1)

5. Jerusalem is at the core of divine protection

Jerusalem is the epicenter of the war in the spiritual realm. Since this holy city is so vital to the eternal redemptive plan of God, the human mind, apart from Scripture, cannot begin to understand the magnitude of the spiritual attack upon Jerusalem by Satan and all those who aid his ancient rebellion against the Lord. This is why Jerusalem must remain at the core of divine protection for the purposes of God to unfold as He has promised. The Lord has declared: “I have set watchmen upon thy walls O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him to rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)

The Lord’s promises to defend Jerusalem are numerous. In Psalm 125:1-2, the Lord pledged: “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” In Isaiah 29:1-8, the Lord calls Jerusalem “Ariel,” “the Lion of God.” In this text He warns all those who dream about capturing Jerusalem as their possession, that they will have their dreams frustrated. While speaking about Jerusalem in Zechariah 2:5, the Lord declared: “For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midist of thee.” When the end of this age comes, He has given the following assurance: “I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

(Zechariah 12:9)

According to the Bible, when the end of this age comes, it will produce the final phase of the spiritual war that has been raging in the spirit world since the fall of Lucifer. We call this final phase – the Tribulation Period. This seven-year period will represent Satan’s greatest effort to defeat God. He must do everything in his diabolical power to detain, disrupt, or defeat the return of Jesus to set up His earthly kingdom in Jerusalem for 1,000 years. If he fails in his attempt to stop Jesus, he knows that there is an angel that has the key to the bottomless pit, and he will be bound by that angel and cast into that pit until the end of the millennial kingdom. (Revelation 20:1-3) Then, he will be released from his prison for one more final attempt to overthrow Jesus. This final confrontation will once again, take place in Jerusalem. (Revelation 20:7-9)

The fact that the world is riveted upon a godless plan that calls for two countries to share the Promised Land, with Jerusalem as their capital, is a clear sign that we are near the end of the Church Age. The world is united in passionate opposition to the eternal plan of God for His people and the Holy City. It is not a coincidence that the Arabs are descendants of Ishmael and Esau, those whom God rejected and made certain in the Scriptures that they were not to inherit the land given to the Jewish people.

Today, the Palestinians are demanding that Israel give up the heartland of what God promised His chosen people, Judea and Samaria and the very city that is mentioned in the Bible over 800 times. And, the world is supporting the Palestinian cause. This all indicates that the stage is set for the Antichrist to appear and the Tribulation to begin. Long ago, the Psalmist wrote: “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. … When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. … This shall be written [for the last generation].” (Psalm 102:13-14, 16, 18)

As this newsletter goes to press, the U.S. administration continues to badger Israel for building residential dwellings within their own capital. World opinion is rapidly turning against Israel for not capitulating to their demands and thereby committing national suicide. The world wants Israel to turn over the very heart of the land to a sworn enemy that continues to demonstrate that they hate the Jewish people and are determined to drive them from the Middle East.

A study of history will reveal that the Arabs and Muslims have never had a compassionate desire to make Jerusalem one of their major cities. Jerusalem is never mentioned in the Koran by name. Islam’s two major cities are Mecca and Medina. It was not until the 20th century and the modern return of the Jewish people to Israel that the Arab/Islamic world began to view the Promised Land and Jerusalem as being important. Why? The answer is found in Ezekiel 36:1-8. In this text, the Lord revealed that when Israel would return to their land in the last days, the surrounding nations would demand that the land is not Jewish land, but Arab land. Concerning this, the Lord announced that these Arab nations “have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.” (Ezekiel 36:5)

However, Jerusalem has been in the dreams, ambitions, and hearts of the Jewish people for over 3,000 years since King David established it as their capital. I was reminded of this last summer when I read the following article, “We never forgot Jerusalem,” that appeared in The International Jerusalem Post. This article, written by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, was an edited version of a speech he gave as part of the annual Jerusalem days in Israel; in which Israelis celebrate the stunning capture and reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. In this article he eloquently reminds us of the incredible love attachment that the Jewish people have had for Jerusalem for 3,000 years.

“No people ever loved a city more. We saw Jerusalem destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and yet in all those years, wherever Jews lived they never ceased to pray about Jerusalem, face Jerusalem, speak the language of Jerusalem, remember it at every wedding, in every home they built, and at the high points of the Jewish year.

“I ask myself, how could Jews believe so much in a city they had been exiled from for so long? The answer, of course, is very powerful and is contained in [the] words in the story of Jacob. Recall, the brothers return home and show Jacob the blood-stained coat of Joseph. Realizing Joseph has gone, Jacob weeps, and when the brothers move to comfort him we are told, Jacob ‘refused to be comforted.’ Why? There are, after all, laws in Judaism about the limits of grief; there is no such thing as a bereavement for which grief is endless. The answer is that Jacob had not yet given up hope that Joseph was still alive. To refuse to be comforted is to refuse to give up hope.

“That is what Jews did with Jerusalem. They remembered the promise that the people of Israel had made by the waters of Babylon. ‘If I forget Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its cunning.’ We never forgot Jerusalem. We were never comforted. We never gave up hope that one day we would return and because of that Jews never felt separated from Jerusalem.

“When it happened, in 1967, my Jewish identity was transformed when the world heard, ‘The Temple Mount is in our hands.’ These … words changed a generation. ….”

“Twenty-six centuries ago, the prophet Jeremiah said that a time would come when we would not thank God for bringing us out of the land of Egypt, but rather for bringing our people together from all lands of the earth. This second exodus, Jeremiah described, would be even more miraculous than the first. We lived to see this day, when Jews from 103 countries speaking 82 languages came to Israel to build not just their lives but the Jewish homeland. After generations it was Jerusalem that brought Jews together from all over the world as one people, in one voice, singing one song. …

“Never has a city had such power over a people’s imagination. Never did God love a people more and never were a people more loyal than the ancestors who endured and grandchildren or great-grandchildren could come home to Jerusalem, the Holy City, the home of the Jewish heart.” (“We never forgot Jerusalem, Jonathan Sacks, The International Jerusalem Post, June 13-19, 2014, pp. 10­11)

The Jewish people have never forgotten Jerusalem. The Lord has declared that He has never forgotten Jerusalem either. (Isaiah 49:14-16) He will also never forsake Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:4, 12)

As we begin this year, we must have our spiritual hearts focused upon the promise of our Lord’s return. The key that unlocks the understanding of Biblical prophecy is the nation of Israel, and especially the Holy City of Jerusalem. So, keep your eyes upon Jerusalem. The Lord does!

Israel a Blessing to the Nations

About 4,000 years ago, when God called the first Jew, Abraham, the Lord told him that his descendants would be a blessing to the world. (Genesis 12:3) In these modern times, the Jews, who represent just .2 percent of the world’s population, have won 22 percent of the Nobel prizes. How ironic that Satan has successfully deceived the nations to hate the people who have blessed them.

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2014 November/December – The Global Pandemic of Deadly Diseases in the Last Days

The Global Pandemic of Deadly Diseases in the Last Days

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and [diseases], and earthquakes, in [different] places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” – Matthew 24:7-8

By Mike Wingfield

In recent months, the world community has become alarmingly aware of the threat of a global outbreak of Ebola. The transmission of this deadly disease from Western Africa to the United States has sent the medical world scrambling for answers to stop its spread before it spirals out of control. If unchecked, this disease has the potential to kill tens of millions of people around the world.

About six decades ago, most people thought the world would never again be faced with a serious plague of dead­ly diseases. Many concluded that modern medicine had a silver bullet to deal with any type of disease that mankind would encounter. Since the discovery and use of antibiot­ics and medical innovations through the advancement of technology, many people thought humanity was now med­ically invincible.

However, in the last few decades, the world has gradually been reminded that the wonderful medical achievements that seemed to have made us think we are invincible, have in reality made us more vulnerable than ever before to the inevitable global spread of deadly diseases.

Now, medical researchers are more concerned than ever with what they have discovered. They know that there are thousands of known viruses and have identified hundreds of thousands of strains of bacteria. Whenever these virus­es and bacteria enter into a living organism, they have the potential to mutate, producing new diseases for which, in some cases, there are no immediate cures. These newly mutated microscopic germs are clever and dangerous. They can cause cancer, or chemically manipulate the hu­man immune system to their advantage, and hide for years inside human DNA.

About 15 years ago, while I was studying the Scriptures and the medical research available on this subject, the Lord brought into my path a medical doctor. Dr. Matthew Patrick had been hired by the federal government to lec­ture to EMTs and doctors across America. His lectures centered on the threat of deadly diseases and their poten­tial sudden transmission to millions of Americans due to the use of a biological weapon. Dr. Patrick was the broth­er of a man who pastored a church near Pittsburgh. I was scheduled to speak at this church, and when the pastor picked me up at the airport; Dr. Patrick had just happened to be accompanying him. Once we were together inside the car, Dr. Patrick introduced himself to me and began to ask me about my ministry. He was very knowledgeable about the prophetic Scriptures and began to question me about certain prophetic subjects. Then, he passionately fired a question to me: “Have you ever considered what the Bible has to say about the pandemic of deadly diseases in the last days?” I was stunned! This was the very area I was researching at the time, but was somewhat at a loss to know where to begin my investigation. I wanted to know what medical analysts were saying about this whole sub­ject. For about 30 minutes, Dr. Patrick gave me a thor­ough overview of his own personal research. He also de­tailed his assignment from the federal government to teach medical professionals in the United States about infectious diseases. He then suddenly reached inside his brief case and handed me his personal copy of Laurie Garrett’s award winning book, The Coming Plague, Newly Emerg­ing Diseases in a World out of Balance. This book, pub­lished a few years earlier in 1994, was well worn and marked. He told me that he wanted me to have his person­al copy to assist me in my research. After church the next morning, Dr. Patrick left. I began to pour over the book he had given me and it has amazed me since how the Lord perfectly timed Dr. Patrick’s assistance in understanding this complex issue and helping me develop the very mes­sage I am sharing with you in this newsletter.

Although Garrett’s book was published 18 years ago, it is still considered to be an invaluable tool in understanding the threat of emerging global diseases. In the opening page of the book, Garrett writes: “The history of our time will be marked by recurrent eruptions of newly discovered diseases,… epidemics of diseases migrating to new areas, … and diseases which spring from insects and animals to humans, through man-made disruption to local habitats.

“[There exists] the increased potential that at least some of these diseases will generate large-scale, even worldwide epidemics. The global epidemic of [Aids] is the most powerful and recent example. Yet AIDS does not stand alone; it may well be the first of the modern, large-scale epidemics of infectious diseases.

“The world has rapidly become much more vulnerable to the eruption and, most critically, to the widespread and even global spread of both new and old infectious diseas­es.” (Laurie Garrett, The Coming Plague, p. xv)

According to the prophetic Scriptures, our world needs to heed the warning of Garrett and others in the medical field. The Bible is filled with warnings that the last days will be marked by global plagues of deadly diseases. In Matthew 24:7 and Luke 21:11, Jesus taught that there would be “pestilences” at the end of this age. This word refers to a plague of deadly diseases. According to Reve­lation 6:8, one-fourth of the world’s population will die in the opening months of the Tribulation Period, due in part to diseases. They will be killed “with the sword, and with hunger, with death and with the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8) Within the context of Revelation 6, I believe we are being told that this massive death toll will be the result of global Islamic jihad (described in Revela­tion 6:2-4), famine (mentioned in Revelation 6:5-6), and the transmission of diseases that will be carried by animals (“with death, and with the beasts of the earth,” Revelation 6:8).

For years, Bible students have puzzled over the statement in Revelation 6:8 that people will be killed “with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” To say that people are killed “with death,” very well could be a reference to dis­eases that erupt due to the massive numbers of rotting corpses that have been left behind by Islamic jihad warri­ors around the world. In light of the horrific jihadist ac­tivities by the Islamic State warriors in Syria and Iraq, we are currently witnessing a small-scale example of what is coming to earth during the Tribulation Period. It has been the practice of Islamic jihadist warriors for centuries to leave corpses of those they have tortured and brutally murdered to rot for days to terrorize those left behind. Everyone recognizes the potential that this carries for widespread diseases to those who come in contact with these dead bodies. For another example of God’s judg­ment upon Islamic warriors who invade Israel in the last days and are killed by diseases, read Ezekiel 38:18-22; 39:11-16 and Joel 2:20. The possibility of this interpreta­tion seems to fit the context of Revelation 6.

Furthermore, when Revelation 6:8 states that people will be killed “with the beasts of the earth,” this could mean one of two things. First, this could be a symbolic refer­ence to the savage brutality of these Islamic warriors who kill people without any remorse, acting like wild animals that indiscriminately kill other animals and devour them. Please notice that God gave Daniel a vision of the mur­derous kingdoms of history. They were depicted as sav­age beasts that devour human beings. (Read Daniel 7.) In the book of Revelation, the Antichrist and the False Prophet are continually referred to as beasts. (Read Reve­lation 13.)

Several sources have reported that some Islamic jihadists in Syria and Iraq have been collecting blood from Chris­tians they have beheaded. They then sell a vial of this blood for as much as $100,000 to wealthy Muslims in Saudi Arabia. Some radical Muslims believe that if they wash their hands in the blood of a beheaded Christian they will have their sins forgiven and be guaranteed entrance into heaven upon their death. This chilling activity cer­tainly suggests that these savage terrorists are acting as if they have no conscience. They are acting like wild beasts.

A possible second interpretation of the reference to people being killed “with the beasts of the earth,” could be the contraction of deadly diseases that have come from people being in close contact to animals that carry deadly diseas­es. In recent decades, there have been some cases of hu­man beings contracting diseases from animals. Known examples are: swine flu, bird flu, and mad-cow disease. With the mass production of animals for human consump­tion and the increase of pork and beef in the daily diets of affluent societies, such as the U.S., the threat of these kinds of diseases are always lurking in the background. “Of the roughly 400 emerging infectious diseases that have been identified since 1940, more than 60% are zoon­otic [they came from animals].” (The Guardian, Novem­ber 9, 2013)

Humans can contract these diseases from infected animals by eating their flesh. For example, meat tainted by mad-cows disease, when consumed by humans, can affect the human brain at a later time. “… the symptoms it produc­es are neurological. It may start out subtly with insomnia, depression, confusion, personality and behavioral changes, and problems with memory, coordination, and sight. As it progresses, the person rapidly develops dementia and in­voluntary, irregular jerking movements called myoclonus. … In the final stage of the disease, the patient loses all mental and physical functions, lapses into a coma, and eventually dies.” (www.rarediseases.about.com/od/rare dis­eases1/a/vcjd.htm){article no longer available at this address, sending you to the front page} Since its discovery, only 164 people in the world have been diagnosed with mad cow-disease.

God’s people can take great joy in the fact that the Bible repeatedly testifies that our Creator has complete control over the body of every person. The health, sickness, and death of everyone are fully under His control! However, this does not mean that we do not bear some human re­sponsibility in this matter. The Lord has created our bod­ies to naturally respond to His holy standards – mentally, physically, and spiritually. Our wellness or sickness can be impacted by our mental, physical and/or spiritual diso­bedience.

The Scriptures give many testimonies to these truths. God demonstrated to Moses His power over the dreaded dis­ease of leprosy. (Exodus 4:6-7) When King Uzziah of Judah defiantly went into the temple to burn incense, God suddenly struck him with leprosy. (2 Chronicles 26:16­21) When Jesus came to the earth 2,000 years ago, He came to display the power of God to man. (John 1:18) Jesus repeatedly demonstrated that God has total power over all of His creation, including diseases. During His earthly ministry, Jesus healed all that came unto Him. (Mark 1:29-34)

In some cases, the Lord has used diseases as a form of divine judgment of man due to sin. God has struck indi­viduals with a disease because of their personal sin. For example, read about Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. (Daniel 4:28-37) When King David disobeyed the Lord by numbering his people, the Lord sent diseases among the people. In three days 70,000 men died. (2 Samuel 24:13-15) The wicked Roman King Herod died suddenly due to a divine judgment of a disease in Acts 12:21-23. The Lord also uses diseases to judge an entire nation that is in rebellion against Him. God used Moses to warn Pharaoh that He would use diseases and other horrific judgments against the Egyptians if he would not free God’s people and let them leave Egypt. He warned: “For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon they people: that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:14) The Lord repeatedly warned Israel that if they departed from Him, He would visit the nation with incurable diseases. Read Deuteronomy 28:21-22, 27-28, 35, 58-61.

However, we must be very careful to not conclude that all diseases and health-related difficulties are the result of God’s divine judgment due to personal sin. God in His sovereignty has ordained the path of our lives. The Scrip­tures testify that many times He has chosen that some of His most godly saints suffer and endure some of the most difficult diseases and trials, even unto death. We must remember that God’s work on this earth is not about our good, but His glory. Jesus, the perfect, sinless Son of God, suffered while He walked this earth. Who do we think we are to expect or demand that God not allow us to suffer? It is a hard thing for the depraved mind to grasp, but sometimes it is the perfect will of God for people to suffer and die for His glory. (1 Peter 4:12-19; Revelation 6:9-11) Remember the story of the man who was born blind from his birth in John 9. Jesus disciples asked: “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) Notice Jesus’ answer to them: “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” (John 9:3) In essence, Jesus told His disciples that this man had suffered with totally physical blindness from the time of his birth so that Jesus could heal him for the glory of God.

The modern lifestyles of our ever expanding global popu­lation are at the core of the increase of deadly diseases in the last days. More people live on earth than any other time in human history. World population is now estimat­ed to be 7.27 billion. We are growing at the rate of 1.5 million people per week. For comparison, the global pop­ulation at the time of Christ was only 500 million. Obvi­ously, this means that when a contagious disease appears, there are more people to transmit it. Consequently, there is a greater potential for many more to contract that dis­eases, threatening a greater number of people.

During the last century, when world population went from 1 billion to 6 billion, with the majority of people moving from rural areas into big cities. In 1900, only 15 percent of the global population lived in urban areas. Today, 54 percent of the world lives in cities. In our affluent nation, 81 percent of Americans live in urban areas. This problem has culminated in the creation of mega cities – cities with a population that exceeds 10 million. In 1952 there were only two mega cities in the world. Today, there are 30 mega cities, and 12 of these have a population that ex­ceeds 20 million! It is obvious that these mega cities have the greatest potential for massive contraction and trans­mission of diseases. Laurie Garrett states that cities are

“microbe heavens, or graveyards of mankind.” (Laurie Garrett, The Coming Plague, p. 235) In light of this, it is interesting to note that the Lord gave the following warn­ing to Israel: “And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me: I will bring seven times more [dis­eases] upon you according to your sins. … and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the [diseases] among you.” (Leviticus 26:21, 25)

Many of our diseases are related to sexual immorality. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have become a mega problem for the healthcare industry since the sexual revolution in the 1960s. Here in the U.S., it is reported that there are 20 million new cases of STDs among young adults (15-24 years old) each year! It is estimated that 40 percent of sexually active teen-age girls in America have a STD. Hundreds of millions of people around the globe are suffering and dying from STDs. We must warn these people that their Creator has designed their bodies for sex only within the marriage between one man and one wom­an. To transgress this law is to invite the natural conse­quences of divine judgment, which are STDs. (Read Ro­mans 1:27.) People are forced to accept the idea that God has designed our bodies with safety limits. Our bodies were not created to jump off of a three story-building, stay under water for hours, or have sex with multiple people. Deadly consequences remain in effect for those who re­fuse to accept God’s laws within His creation and in His book – the Bible.

The abuse of illegal drugs is also causing a marked in­crease in certain diseases, such as AIDS, the hepatitis B virus, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis. When a person takes illegal drugs and is involved in im­morality, it greatly increases his potential to contract and transmit diseases among his drug buddies and multiple sex partners. According to the Bible, this will be a major problem during the final days man will be on this earth. Revelation 9:21 reports: “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries [this word could be trans­lated ‘drugs’], nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

There are other factors to consider concerning our modern lifestyles and the increased risk of a global outbreak of infectious diseases. As a result of our population explo­sion in the 20th century, new agricultural inventions and techniques for massive food production had to be invented to keep pace with the growing population. Several gen­erations now have known nothing about raising their own food. Less than 2 percent of the population is providing any food for themselves.

Research demonstrates that the agricultural products that are being mass-produced today do not have the necessary nutritional value that is necessary for maintaining the health that our bodies need. The overuse of fertilizers and pesticides has yielded fresh fruits and vegetables that have been raped of their nutrients. In many cases the remaining nutrients in these food products are destroyed with radia­tion before they are shipped to our supermarkets. We may have more food that looks great, is larger, and tastes good, but is void of nutritional value. This problem is being magnified by the use of genetically modified foods. Once again, Laurie Garrett helps us understand how serious this situation has become. She writes: “Among the cells of the body most dependent upon a steady source of nutrients are those of the immune system, most of which live, even un­der ideal conditions, for only days at a time. As nutrition­al input declines, these vital cells literally run out of fuel, or, in worst cases, die off. The body may also lack nutri­tional resources to make replacement cells, and eventually immune deficiency can become so acute that virtually any pathogenic microbe can cause lethal disease.” (Garrett, p. 199) In addition, there is concern that antibiotics are be­ing used in animals that we consume. It is a proven fact that these antibiotics may protect the farmer’s livestock, but their use has led to the spread of more dangerous mi­crobes that invade our bodies.

Please keep in mind that in relationship to history, these are new lifestyles. Just a little over 150 years ago, almost everyone raised their own food. They knew what they were eating. All of this is further complicated by the in­creasing trend to eat out more often. Several generations ago, eating out was a very rare occasion. Now, it is not uncommon for the average couple or family to go out to eat several times a week. When people eat out they have no control over the quality of the food they consume, food preparation, food handling, or eating conditions. There­fore, this increases their risk of dangerous food contami­nation or excessive amounts of harmful foods that lead to poor health, making the body even more vulnerable to diseases.

Since the 1940s, the medical profession has attempted to aid our fight against infectious diseases with the use of antibiotics. However, it is now apparent that we are in grave danger due to the overuse of these antibiotics. When a patient fails to take the entire prescribed antibi­otic, the surviving bacteria mutates, strengthening itself against the next round of antibiotics. Consequently, when the next infection comes we need to use a more powerful or different antibiotic. Concerning this problem, Laurie Garrett explains: “We’re running out of bullets for dealing with a number of these infections. [Like MRSA.] … Pa­tients are dying because we no longer in many cases have antibiotics that work. … Bugs are always figuring out ways to get around the antibiotics we throw at them. … They adapt, they come roaring back.” (Garrett, p. 431) Later, she quotes from another medical research scientist that sounds this most alarming warning: “Unfortunately, we played a trick on the natural world by seizing control of these [natural] chemicals, making them more perfect in a way that has changed the whole microbial constitution of the developing countries. We have organisms that probably caused a tenth of a percent of human disease in the past that now cause twenty, thirty percent of the dis­ease we are seeing. We have changed the whole face of the earth by the use of antibiotics.” (Garrett, p. 437)

Another aspect of our modern lifestyles in recent decades has been the marked increase in the movement of goods and people due to increased global air travel. Obviously, this magnifies the potential for the global transmission of deadly diseases. We consume products that are shipped to our communities from around the world. Each year, over 800 million people travel in and out of the U.S. in interna­tional air travel. Over 2,500 years ago the prophet Daniel predicted that in the “time of the end many shall run to and fro.” (Daniel 12:4) In recent weeks we have learned that the potential threat of an Ebola outbreak in the United States has increased due to the return of some Americans who have traveled to parts of Western Africa where over 4,900 have died due to an Ebola epidemic.

The potential for the pandemic of deadly diseases is also related to our changing environment. Some are debating the reality and cause of climate change or global warming. However, according to the prophetic Word of God, it will become a great problem during the Tribulation Period. (Malachi 4:1; Revelation 16:8-9) A true consideration of the factors that contribute to global warming, both scien­tifically and biblically, indicate that climate change is not due to man-made emissions or burping cows! True cli­mate change comes from radical increases of radiation from the sun and gases released from volcanic eruptions. I would like to point out that the Bible indicates that both of these will play a major role in the increase of global warming during the Tribulation Period. As the global climate heats up, it will produce ripe conditions that will cause the multiplication of insects and rodents that trans­mit dangerous diseases. The man-made pollution of our water, land, and air will also magnify the increase in dead­ly diseases. Please notice that during the Tribulation Peri­od, the Lord will “destroy them which destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) While evangelical Christians do not agree with those who worship “mother earth,” we do need to recognize that we should be good managers of the crea­tion the Lord has entrusted to us. (Genesis 2:15) For far too long man has raped the land, abused and altered the vegetation, polluted the water, poisoned the air, and wasted our resources. God’s payday is coming. It appears that He will allow mankind to suffer the consequences of his own abuse and neglect as stewards of His creation He al­lows us to enjoy.

Aside from all of these considerations that make us more vulnerable to the creation, mutation, and transmission of deadly diseases, there is one more concern that is even more frightening. We are living at a time when evil re­gimes possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD). While we often think about the dangerous threat of nucle­ar or chemical WMDs, it is a known fact that biological weapons are the easiest to make, maintain, transport, re­lease, and in some ways are the most lethal WMD. “Bio­logical weapons contain natural toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi; sprayed or burst over populated areas, they might cause limited but severe out­breaks of … deadly diseases.”(www.britannica.com) Nine nations of great concern possess these WMDs: Alge­ria, China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Syria. Israeli news sources have re­ported that several Islamic terrorist groups, including the Islamic State, are trying to acquire biological weapons. “Plans to develop biological weapons and instructions on how to weaponize the bubonic plague from infected ani­mals were found on a laptop belonging to a Tunisian Is­lamic State jihadist, by a Syrian rebel commander from a moderate group in northern Syria.” (www.timesofisrael. com, August 30, 2014)

Should these terrorist groups successfully release a biolog­ical weapon in Europe, Canada, or the United States, we cannot begin to image how this would change our lives in an instant. This makes me think of the warning in 1 Thes­salonians 5:3: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail up­on a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

We are living at a time when mankind is more vulnerable to events that threaten our lives than ever before! On the surface it all appears good and glorious. However, when you examine the Word of God and conservative secular research, we are in deep trouble. Our Lord spoke of the alarming death rate that will characterize the final period of this age. In Matthew 24:21-22, He warned: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the be­ginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

My friend, if you do not know the Lord, you need to sur­render your life to Him today. Only those who have re­pented of their sins and called out to the Lord for salvation will escape the time “which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10) Those who believe and trust in Him, and demonstrate that by abiding in Christ and keeping His Word, will be kept from the “hour of temptation” (Revelation 3:10), and be delivered “from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

May our Lord give us great wisdom for living in this fall­en world until He takes us home to be with Him. Keep looking up! Be listening for the shout that will take us out!

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2014 October – Descending into the Darkness

Descending into the Darkness

“… the night [is coming] when no man can work.” – John 9:4

By Mike Wingfield

If you are saved and walking in the light of God’s Word, you know we are living in a time of great spiritual dark­ness. We can see our world descending into a deep, dark pit of depravity. The global culture is rapidly plunging into a deadly cycle of brutal violence, gross immorality, and civil anarchy. All of these developments are being accompanied by an unprecedented global economic col­lapse. This is extremely dangerous because it is taking place at a time when man continues to create and prolifer­ate powerful weapons of mass destruction around the globe. This will be most deadly because planet earth is currently home to the largest global population in history – 7 billion souls.

The Bible tells us that in this pit of darkness, the world will display the greatest rebellion of all times against the Lord. It is my opinion that the global culture has reached the spiritual tipping point of no return. When this hap­pened in the days of Noah, the Lord said: “My spirit shall not always strive with man.” (Genesis 6:3) This simply means that the culture of Noah’s day had collectively de­stroyed their consciences so that they were never guilty nor ashamed of their gross immorality and brutal violence.

The conscience is the spiritual means whereby the Holy Spirit strives with man to produce guilt and repentance that leads to salvation. Without this work of the Spirit in the conscience of man, no one is able to come to Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:3) Therefore, when a society collec­tively reaches the final stage when its conscience is seared (see 1 Timothy 4:2), they are vulnerable to demonic influ­ence and possession. In their fanatical rebellion against God, He gives them over to their passionate desires to continue down the path toward eternal damnation, without any spiritual warning. When this happens in the last days, the Lord will allow Satan to use evil men to deceive the global masses. “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, That they should believe [the] lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)

It is true that history has been filled with some of the same sins that are being expressed around the world today. So, how do we know that this hour is any darker spiritually than previous times? How do we know that this spiritual darkness is the one described in the prophetic Scriptures that will usher in the Great Tribulation? To answer these questions, we must turn to the prophetic Word of God and examine the way God will measure spiritual light and darkness in the last days.

I would like to suggest that Isaiah 60 is the perfect Bibli­cal text that gives us insight into to how the Lord will measure spiritual light and darkness in the last days. This text begins with a prophetic promise given to the Jewish people at the beginning of the millennial kingdom. The millennial kingdom will be established by Christ follow­ing the Great Tribulation. First, the text focuses upon the spiritual light that will shine greatly at the beginning of this earthly Messianic kingdom. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:1) When the Lord returns to earth at the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, the entire living nation of Israel will be saved. (Ezekiel 36:25-28; Zechari­ah 13:8-9; Romans 11:26) No unsaved Jew or Gentile will enter the Kingdom of God on earth. Only the saved Gentiles and Jews who have survived the Tribulation Pe­riod will physically inhabit the earthly kingdom of God in their natural physical bodies. (Matthew 25:31-46) The remaining kingdom dwellers will be made up of the re­deemed saints of all of the previous ages. These resur­rected saints will rule with Christ in His kingdom in their heavenly glorified bodies they respectively received at the time of their resurrection.

This will be a glorious time for planet earth and all those who live to enter this glorious kingdom. “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the earth.” (Isaiah 11:9) All of the Jewish people will return home to Israel and the Lord will rule over them and all of the nations from Jerusalem, Israel. Finally, the passionate sovereign will of God for His chosen people will be fulfilled. The God of Jacob has declared: “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” (Isaiah 62:1) The entire nation of Israel, every Jew on earth, will be a spiritual light unto the Gentile na­tions. As believers in Jesus, “the light of the world” (John 8:12), the entire nation of Israel will reflect the glorious light of their Messiah and Redeemer. The Lord has given them His promise: “The LORD shall be unto thee an ever­lasting light, and thy God thy glory.” (Isaiah 60:19) So, the Lord will begin His millennial reign with this com­mand to His redeemed chosen nation: “Arise, shine: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:1)

However, in sharp contrast to this glorious moment of spiritual light at the beginning of the kingdom, the Lord directed His prophet to remind His people concerning the time that will precede this kingdom – the Tribulation Peri­od. Isaiah wrote: “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:2) According to this verse, and many others, the Tribulation Period will be a time of dangerous global spiritual darkness. On what basis does God meas­ure this spiritual light during the Kingdom and the spiritu­al darkness that will precede His Kingdom? The follow­ing context in Isaiah 60 answers this question.

After making his opening statements in the first two vers­es of Isaiah 60, the prophet was directed to write about the evidences of the great spiritual enlightenment that will exist during the Messianic kingdom for 1,000 years. He lists four major evidences of this time of spiritual light that will shine forth from His physical kingdom in Jerusalem, Israel, and be reflected throughout the Gentile nations over all the earth. Let us briefly examine these four evi­dences of the spiritual light during Christ’s global king­dom. Understanding this will enable us to know and ex­amine the spiritual darkness that will be displayed during the Tribulation Period.

 

Spiritual Oneness

We must remember that during His kingdom on earth, the Lord will “rule all nations with a rod of iron.” (Revela­tion 12:5; compare Psalm 2:9) As the global dictator, He will not tolerate any other gods, idols, or forms of worship that would honor any former pagan deity. Satan and his demons, the great counterfeiters behind all gods and idols, will be banished from earth and locked away in the bot­tomless pit until the thousand years are finished. (Revela­tion 20:1-3)

All of the nations will worship the Messiah on His throne in Jerusalem. “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light. … and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. … They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.” (Isaiah 60:3, 6-7) Earlier in his prophecy, the prophet Isaiah wrote: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:2-3)

In Isaiah 60:6-7, the Spirit of the Lord directed Isaiah to write about the spiritual transformation that will take place in the Arab/Islamic nations that will surround Israel. During the kingdom, the people from Midian, Ephah, Sheba, Kedar and Nebaioth will all come up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. These ancient names clearly point to a remnant of the Muslims living in the desert areas east of Israel, who will surrender to Christ before He returns to earth at the end of the Tribulation. In this text, the Lord points to the incredible transformation of the people who have violently and passionately rejected the God of Jacob for centuries. Finally, they will be spiritually one with Israel and come to Jerusalem to worship the God of Jacob.

Civil Peace

Because of the spiritual oneness that will be enjoyed by both Jews and Arabs during the kingdom, there will final­ly be peace in the Middle East and throughout the world. In this context, Isaiah reminded the future Jewish genera­tion that will inhabit the kingdom: “Violence shall no more be heard in thy walls, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.” (Isaiah 60:18) There will be no more war in the Middle East, or among the Gentile nations.

“And he [the Messianic King] shall judge among the na­tions, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into prun­ing hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)

Therefore, the spiritual light that will permeate the king­dom of God on earth will be evidenced by the dramatic change among the nations in their attitude toward the presence of the Jewish people in their land. The conflict over the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem will cease. The wars and acts of terrorism that had preceded the king­dom will be over. The gates of the millennial Jerusalem will never need to be closed to defend itself against invad­ing forces. (Isaiah 60:11)

The nations will support the immigration of the final Jew­ish remnant to the land of Israel. (Isaiah 60:4, 9) Hatred for Israel and the Jews will be replaced with an attitude of honor, service, and acceptance. (Isaiah 60:7, 10, 12)

“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. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.” (Isaiah 60:14-15) With great praise and joy, Isaiah announced to his people: “the days of thy mourning shall be ended.” (Isaiah 60:20)

Political Unity

Another amazing evidence of the spiritual light that will exist within the kingdom is the global political unity. The nations of the earth will be in submission to the Messianic administration that will be centrally located in Jerusalem. The king will rule with a rod of iron. There will be no tolerance of any rebellion, defiance, or disobedience. He will have no competition. Those who rule with Him will be in glorified bodies and will not be able to sin or rebel. They will be spiritually and politically one with their Lord and King.

Jesus the Messiah will return to earth as “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:16) The earthly kings of the nations will submit to the Messi­anic King. Isaiah wrote: “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” (Isai­ah 60:3) Through Isaiah, the Lord promised: “And the sons of strangers shall build thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee.” (Isaiah 60:10) Rebellion against the Jerusalem-based government of the kingdom will be met with swift judgment. “For the nation and king that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those na­tions shall be utterly wasted.” (Isaiah 60:12)

Economic Submission

The spiritual light of the kingdom age will be evidenced by the economic submission of the nations to the Lord and His people – Israel. All of the kings and their nations will demonstrate their recognition and acceptance of the Jew­ish Messiah as their King and Lord by flooding Israel with economic wealth. The nations will bring their silver and gold to Israel. (Isaiah 60:6, 9) The abundance of precious metals in Israel during the kingdom will be so astounding that Isaiah offers the following description: “For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron.” (Isaiah 60:17)

Therefore, we must conclude that the Lord measures the great spiritual light of His kingdom by the amazing trans­formation of the Arab/Islamic nations that surround Israel. The light of His kingdom is evidenced by the Arab’s spir­itual oneness with Israel. Because their heart has been changed, they will not hate the Jews, but love them be­cause of their Jewish Messiah. Wars and violence over the land of Israel and the Jewish possession of Jerusalem will cease. The Islamic passion to dominate Israel and control the world will be replaced with a submission to the Jewish administration in Jerusalem. Instead of investing in military hardware to destroy Israel, they will give full financial support to the Jewish people and their presence in the land that the Lord has given them.

In light of this understanding, we must now turn to the divine understanding of the darkness that will permeate the earth before the kingdom. Remember what Isaiah wrote: “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.” (Isaiah 60:2) This spir­itual darkness must be the exact and extreme opposite of the spiritual light that is described in Isaiah 60. Let us now examine the evidence of this gross spiritual darkness.

The current developments in Israel are being driven by many prominent radical Islamic groups. The agenda of these radical Islamic terrorists threaten life and freedom in the Middle East and around the world. On Monday, Sep­tember 29, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood before the United Nations General Assembly and very clearly sounded out a warning to the nations concern­ing the radical Islamic threat to the entire world. It is my opinion that Israel’s leadership is at this time speaking with the greatest moral clarity and spiritual light within the nations gathered at the U.N. Here are a few of his comments: “The people of Israel pray for peace. But our hopes and the world’s hope for peace are in danger. Be­cause everywhere we look, militant Islam is on the march. … For the militant Islamists, ‘All politics is global.’ Be­cause their ultimate goal is to dominate the world.

“Now, that threat might seem exaggerated to some, since it starts out small, like a cancer that attacks a particular part of the body. But left unchecked, the cancer grows, metastasizing over wider and wider areas. To protect the peace and security of the world, we must remove this can­cer before it’s too late.

“… They all share a fanatic ideology. They all seek to cre­ate ever-expanding enclaves of militant Islam where there is no freedom and no tolerance — where women are treat­ed as chattel, Christians are decimated, and minorities are subjugated, sometimes given the stark choice: Convert or die.

“… Militant Islam’s ambition to dominate the world seems mad. But so too did the global ambitions of another fanatic ideology that swept to power eight decades ago.

“The Nazis believed in a master race. The militant Islam­ists believe in a master faith. They just disagree about who among them will be the master… of the master faith. That’s what they truly disagree about. Therefore, the ques­tion before us is whether militant Islam will have the pow­er to realize its unbridled ambitions.

“The fight against militant Islam is indivisible. When mili­tant Islam succeeds anywhere, it’s emboldened every­where. When it suffers a blow in one place, it’s set back in every place.

“That’s why Israel’s fight against Hamas is not just our fight. It’s your fight.” (http://www.jpost.com/Arab­Israeli-Conflict/Full-text-of-Prime-Minister-Netanyahus­UN-speech-376626) link no longer valid, routing to home page

I applaud Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech. He not only speaks with moral clarity, but from experience. Isra­el is on the front line of the global battle against militant Islam. In essence, he is acting like the proverbial watch­man on the walls of Jerusalem, sending out a warning to all the nations. (See Ezekiel 3:16-21.) The world is fac­ing the same threat and should listen to his warnings and advice. However, it is apparent that this is not the case. Israelis were saddened when they realized that almost half of the U.N. delegation left the auditorium before Netanya­hu spoke. The world, including the United States, is not listening to his warning. Our world is doomed to suffer the wrath of God as He allows Islam to dominate the world during the Tribulation Period.

It is not an accident that the agenda of radical Islam is an exact replication of the spiritual darkness defined in the prophetic Scriptures. In essence, three major agendas are being promoted by these radical elements:

The Elimination of Israel

An examination of the prophetic Scriptures quickly reveal that the elimination of Jews from the Middle East and the world will be a major agenda of the Antichrist during the Kingdom. (See Revelation 12; 16:12-16.) Many Biblical texts state that the Tribulation Period will be the darkest page in Jewish history. (Jeremiah 30:4-7; Daniel 12:1) When the end of the Tribulation arrives, two-thirds of the global Jewish population will have been killed. (Zechari­ah 13:7-9) At the very end of the Tribulation Period, at the Armageddon campaign, the Antichrist and his Islamic coalition will lead a global assault against Israel. (Revela­tion 16:12-16) This will represent the world’s final at­tempt to slaughter the remaining Jewish population in Is­rael and return the Promised Land to Islam.

The teachings of the Islamic prophet Mohammed, the rhetoric coming out of the majority of mosques throughout the Middle East, the media outlets of Muslim countries, and the education curriculums in the countries that sur­round Israel, all espouse an agenda aimed at eliminating the only Jewish state in the Middle East – Israel. In some cases, this seems to be the sole purpose for the creation of some terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas. The battle cry to free Palestine and Jerusalem from the Jews is heard throughout the nations and especially in the Muslim lands that surround Israel.

The modern return of the Jewish people to their national homeland has been in progress for about 100 years. This entire century has been filled with many violent attempts to remove the Jewish people from their land. However, it is very apparent that this attack on the modern nation of Israel and the Jewish people living among the nations is reaching a very significant climax.

Many Jewish agencies who monitor and report on global anti-Semitism indicate we are witnessing a frightening rise of hatred against Jews. With the massive influx of Mus­lims in Europe in recent decades, Europe has become a hot-bed of Jew bashing. Attacks upon Jewish people are becoming very common. Natan Sharansky, the Israeli chairman of the agency that monitors global anti-Semitism, recently commented: “Something historic is happening,” … It may be the beginning of the end of Eu­ropean Jewry.” (www.jta.org/2014/07/08/news) link no longer valid, routing to home page As a result, many European Jews are leaving, many of them immigrating to Israel.

The Middle East in general is going through a major shift from a moderate Islamic position to a more radical Islamic agenda that calls for the destruction of Israel and the mili­tant advance of Islam to establish a global Islamic king­dom. This has been the driving force behind what has

been called “the Arab Spring.” This is not, as some here

in the West have proposed, a call for democracy in these countries. It is clearly an attempt to overthrow modern Arab regimes with a more radical element that will join the crusade toward the goal of Islamic world domination. The elimination of Israel is at the heart of this movement.

The rise of the radical and brutal terrorist force called “the Islamic State” in Syria and Iraq demonstrates the sweep­ing shift that is taking place in the Middle East. The sud­den rise of this group and its ability to control large swaths of land in Iraq and Syria is unprecedented in this modern era. When one examines ISIL’s stated goals, it is not sur­prising that it is bent on controlling all Islamic countries and removing the Jewish state of Israel from the center of their proposed Islamic kingdom in the Middle East.

However, from Israel’s point of view, the most dangerous threat is the religious leadership in the Islamic State of Iran. While the rest of the world is focused upon other increasingly pressing problems, Iran quietly continues to move toward the production of its first nuclear weapon. Once again, Prime Minister Netanyahu is warning the world of this grave threat to Israel and the entire world. While speaking about Iran in his recent address to the U.N., he said: “The Islamic Republic is now trying to bamboozle its way to an agreement that will remove the sanctions it still faces, and leave it with the capacity of thousands of centrifuges to enrich uranium. This would effectively cement Iran’s place as a threshold military nu­clear power. In the future, at a time of its choosing, Iran, the world’s most dangerous state in the world’s most dan­gerous region, would obtain the world’s most dangerous weapons.

Allowing that to happen would pose the gravest threat to us all. It is one thing to confront militant Islamists on pick­up trucks, armed with Kalashnikov rifles. It’s another thing to confront militant Islamists armed with weapons of mass destruction.” (http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli­Conflict/Full-text-of-Prime-Minister-Netanyahus-UN­speech-376626) link no longer valid, routing to home page

Anyone who is paying attention to all of these develop­ments must conclude that we are moving toward a major confrontation in the Middle East. While we might not be able to connect all of the dots at this time, it is apparent that the stage is being set for the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39.

A War on Christians

A major agenda of the Antichrist during the Tribulation will be the elimination of all those who reject him and his religion. (Revelation 13:16-18) His wrath will especially be poured out upon those who received Christ during the Tribulation. He and his global coalition of all nations will declare war on believers in Jesus Christ. (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:7)

The second agenda being promoted by the radical Islamic elements in the Middle East is the war on the church of Jesus Christ. In recent years, the number of Christians who have been brutally murdered by the Islamic terrorists in the Middle East has dramatically escalated. Thousands of believers in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq have been targeted by these radicals. For those who have the financial ability, they are leaving their homes in the Middle East. The exo­dus and death of Christians in the Middle East is a major story that is being ignored by the liberal media in the U.S. For those who are closely following these events, they have concluded “there is likely to be little place for Chris­tian Arabs in a Middle East rebuilt on intolerant ideologies like those of Isis.” (The Guardian, July 23, 2014)

The brutal killing of Christians in Iraq and Syria by the ISIL is a precursor to the Tribulation Period. The Anti­christ will rule the world from Babylon, Iraq. (Isaiah 14:4) The chief means whereby he will execute believers is decapitation. (Revelation 20:4) We are currently wit­nessing a microscopic picture of what will develop in Iraq and the Middle East on a more grand scale during the final seven years of this age.

The Establishment of a Political­Religious-Economic Kingdom in Iraq

The political, religious, and economic center of the world’s final superpower will be in the Middle East in general and in Iraq in particular. All of the nations that participate in the Armageddon campaign as a part of the Antichrist’s coalition are mentioned several times in Scripture. They are all Islamic nations. (Psalm 83:6-8) The religious power that will be in league with the Anti­christ’s kingdom in the last days is called “Mystery Baby­lon.” (Revelation 17:5) The context of Revelation 17-18, along with the Old Testament passages alluded to in these two chapters (Isaiah 13, 47; Jeremiah 50-51), support the conclusion that both the religion and the political structure of the Antichrist will be centered in Iraq. Those who do not submit to this new international economic order will be killed. (Revelation 13:15-18) These prophetic revela­tions are an exact carbon copy of the Islamic strategy promoted by the current ISIL forces in Iraq and Syria.

Therefore, in conclusion, we should note that the descrip­tive distinctions of the spiritual light that will exist during the kingdom age, according to Isaiah 60, will focus upon the incredible spiritual transformation of the Muslim countries that surround Israel. Israel’s enemies will be­come Israel’s devoted friends. So, the gross darkness that will permeate the preceding Tribulation Period will be measured by the level of hatred that will motivate these same nations to annihilate the Jewish State.

It is a very sobering thought to grasp the reality that our world is entering into the darkest period in all of human history. This is a difficult conclusion for some to grasp. They look at all of the academic, scientific, medical, and technological achievements of this modern era and con­clude that this kind of spiritual darkness does not seem possible at this time. However, one must remember that when Nazi Germany conducted its Holocaust campaign against the Jews almost eight decades ago, it was the aca­demic and scientific giant of the civilized world. While many modern cultures may be excelling in academic and scientific areas, these same cultures are morally and spir­itually in a state of self-destruction.

Those who are attempting to warn our present generation about this time of great spiritual darkness are being con­fronted with rejection and stern opposition. Jesus warned us that this day would come. He said: “the night [is com­ing], when no man can work.” (John 9:4) As we wait for Jesus to come for His church, the darkness will intensify and the global attack on the church and Israel will expand.

It is time for us to join the early church, which was facing persecution and martyrdom at the end of the first century, when they pleaded with the Lord: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:21)

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