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“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 The above verses come from Paul’s messages to the churches in Thessalonica and Corinth. They speak of a miraculous event whereby believers in Christ, both alive and dead, will have their bodies transformed into perfect eternal forms and be brought up to Heaven to be with Jesus. This event is commonly called “The Rapture”. There is some controversy among Christians as to when this event occurs, and from this dispute come the terms “Pre-trib”, “Mid-trib”, and “Post-trib” Rapture. “Pre-trib” Rapture means that the Rapture will occur just prior to the seven-year tribulation period leading up to the Second Coming of Christ. “Mid-trib” Rapture means that the Rapture will occur in the mid-point of the entire seven-year tribulation period. “Post-trib” Rapture means that Christians will have to go through the seven-year tribulation period and will be caught up to meet Jesus as he is returning to reign on Earth. I believe in the “Pre-trib” Rapture. The “Mid-trib” and “Post-trib” Raptures do not properly account for the fact that the Church Age needs to end so that God’s set timeline for his chosen people, the Jews, can resume. There are still seven years left on that timeline. It was put on pause when the Jews denied Jesus as their Messiah. There are some Christians who mistakenly believe that Israel and the Jews play no further role in God’s prophecies. They believe in Replacement Theology, whereby the promises God made to Israel were transferred to the Church as a result of the Jews having rejected Jesus as their Messiah. This is just wrong. The role of Christians is to reign with Christ in his Millennial kingdom. The kingdom itself will have at its core the nation of Israel and the Jews will live and multiply to the point where they cannot be numbered, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham. What was transferred was the governance and priesthood of the kingdom. Had the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’s day accepted him as Messiah, they would have reigned with him and served as priests in his kingdom. But because they denied him, those roles will be filled by those in the Church. If God had truly meant to bring a final end to Israel’s role in his plan, he would not have left seven unfulfilled years for Israel in the timeline he revealed to Daniel. God knew that the Jews would reject Jesus, so he used the Church to spread the Gospel to the entire world. As we drew near the point where the mission of spreading the Gospel was reaching completion, God turned his attention back to Israel and brought them back to their land. The resurrection of Israel as a nation is one of God’s greatest miracles and should not be dismissed out of some ill-conceived need by some in the Church to have themselves called the new chosen people of God. There is room enough in God’s heart for all of us, Jew and Gentile alike. The Gentile Church has been grafted into the vine of Israel. We comprise a symbiotic relationship. Our Savior was a Jew from the royal line of Israel. Gentiles have carried his message throughout the ages and paved the way to re-establish the revived nation of Israel that he will return to rule. Do you really think that God would allow the title King of the Jews to remain forever as a mere term of mockery? The Jews of Israel will one day truly call Jesus their king. Getting to that point requires completing the final seven years of Daniel’s timeline. The resumption of the final seven years is marked by the Anti-Christ confirming some kind of covenant or treaty with Israel. But the Anti-Christ cannot be revealed until the Holy Spirit is taken away, as Paul describes: “Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 The restraining force to which Paul is referring is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is manifested on Earth in all those who believe in Christ. It filled the followers of Jesus on the Day of Pentecost and has resided in the Church from that day forward until now. It is the force that has empowered believers to spread the Gospel to the ends of the Earth. And as Paul described, it has held in check Satan’s ambition to elevate the Antichrist to power. Satan has flashed glimpses of what the Antichrist will look like. From Nero to Napoleon to Hitler we have seen characteristics that the infamous Apocalyptical leader will possess. But each time such a figure has emerged, the Holy Spirit has intervened to end their reign. But the fact that the Holy Spirit will be taken away so that the Antichrist can finally take the stage means that the Church must be taken away (i.e. Raptured). God simply would not remove the Holy Spirit and leave the Church behind. But what of those who turn to Christ during the seven-year tribulation? Are they to be left on their own without the aid and comfort of the Holy Spirit? Consider the following verse: “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar, He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” Revelation 8:3-5 On the surface this sounds like another judgment being unleashed on Earth during the Tribulation. But I believe this is actually the return of the Holy Spirit to fill the new Christians who have emerged during the Tribulation. Here is how the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was described: “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:2-4 Admittedly the descriptions don’t match exactly, but there are similarities. Also, keep in mind that on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was only filling a single house were followers of Jesus had gathered. During this second manifestation there will be new believers spread across the planet, which I would think would cause a much more dramatic arrival of the Holy Spirit I will continue to discuss the Rapture in the next post.
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“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, that My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the face of the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
“I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains, says the Lord God. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. And I will bring him to judgement with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 38:18-23 Much of what Ezekiel describes in these passages mirrors the vision John saw with the opening of the sixth seal in the book of Revelation. “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:12-17 I think both prophets are describing the same event. I think the Rapture occurs and Gog views this as his opportunity to take advantage of the chaos to destroy Israel. With the Christians removed, God begins the seven-year tribulation in which he unleashes his wrath on the Earth. The world already reeling from the chaos of the disappearing Christians, is then devastated by a supernatural calamity that encompasses everything described by Ezekiel and John. The result is the utter devastation of the armies invading Israel. It almost sounds like some kind of massive asteroid passing close enough to Earth to upset our gravitational balance and cause a cataclysmic shifting of the tectonic plates while at the same time breaking off pieces that rain down in a horrific storm of fire and brimstone. The Jews will view it as divine intervention from God. This will lead them to become a fully-fledged religious state and prompt the building of the Third Temple. The aftermath of all this chaos will also see the rise of the Antichrist. He will provide answers to calm the world and he will make a treaty with Israel that enables them to build their temple in exchange for refusing to claim any additional territory from the vanquished Muslim nations. This brief calm after the storm which sees the Antichrist first peacefully consolidating power and Israel returning to God is described by John: “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of those who were sealed, One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed.” Revelation 7:2-4 Thus even as the Antichrist signs his false covenant with Israel, God renews his true covenant with his chosen people. He will protect them even as he unleashes greater horrors on Earth. The safety of Israel will stand as a stark contrast to the nightmare that will become the Antichrist’s realm. This will set up his betrayal of Israel three and a half years later. I believe current Christians will not have to endure any of the horrors described in the visions of Ezekiel and John. I believe the Rapture of the Church will occur before God unleashes his wrath. I will discuss the Rapture in my next post. The recent passage of the Alabama bill banning abortion in all cases except for the life of the mother has not only caused an uproar among those advocating for abortion but has caused some in the Pro-life movement to suggest that it has gone too far. There are some who argue that exceptions should have been carved out for rape and incest.
The rape and incest exception on its surface is a compelling argument. Who would presume to tell a woman who has endured the horror of rape to prolong her mental anguish through a nine-month pregnancy? Who would want to explain to a child conceived in incest the origins of their parentage? These are terrible things to contemplate. But there is one thing worse than these situations and that is ending the life of a child. We in the Pro-life movement must ask ourselves why we are Pro-life. The name of our movement should answer that question. We are for life. And if we are to be effective in our argument for eliminating abortion, must hold to the belief that life begins at conception. We must claim that it begins at that moment when a unique DNA code is created. It is upon that basis that we can seek legal standing for the child in the womb. DNA has already been established in our legal system as a means for incriminating or exonerating individuals accused of crimes. DNA eliminates the absurdity of women claiming that the child in their womb is a part of their body akin to a tumor. An objective autopsy of a child killed in an abortion would identify it in a court of law as a unique being, not a biological piece of the mother. Life as defined by human DNA created at conception removes all debate about viability, cognitive ability, or the soul. It is the only way to achieve the decisive victory that is necessary to fully end the horror of abortion. But if we are to take our stand on personhood at conception, we must remain consistent. Our legal system does not hold children guilty for the crimes of their parents. But the exceptions many who claim to be Pro-life are advocating would go even further than that. We don’t execute rapists, yet many would issue a death sentence to the child of rape. We don’t execute those who engage in incest, yet we would kill a child created under such circumstances. But what do you tell the woman who was raped? The problem is that our society has devalued life to the point where abortion has become the natural decision in this case. In past generations, it would be unthinkable for a woman to kill her unborn child, even if it was conceived in rape. It would not even enter her mental calculus. We have bought into a narrative constructed by those who have made abortion mainstream that has made bringing a child conceived in rape to term a greater emotional horror for the mother than the horror of killing her own child. And let us not forget that the child is only half the product of the rapist. The other half is from the mother. But what about the potential for severe mental and physical deformities for a child conceived in incest? Should we not end that potential before it even manifests? That line of thinking opens the door for abortion in cases of any kind of deformity or disability detected during the course of a pregnancy. It leads us to issuing death sentences to human beings who we deem incapable of having a proper quality of life. We claim it as an act of mercy, but who are we to judge what the future would hold for them if given the chance to live? What medical and technological breakthroughs could occur in their lifetimes to heal such disabilities or provide functionality? But what of the mental state of the child upon learning that they are the product of rape or incest? We immediately resign ourselves to a worst-case scenario where the individual immediately commits suicide upon learning of their infamous parentage. Or we assume they will have a miserable life marked by depression and addiction as they grapple with their origin. Sadly, this does happen. But it also happens with legitimately conceived children whose parents achieve some level of infamy through either crime or scandal. There are also plenty of instances where children rise above their dark lineage and have happy, successful lives. The fact is, those in the abortion movement have overplayed their hand. In our modern age of effective and readily available birth control, rape, incest, and the health of the mother should be the only possible points of discussion for abortion. The fact that they are advocating inhuman policies like abortion up to the point of birth or leaving children who survive abortions to die without any medical care points out just how insincere they are when they attempt to trap Pro-lifers in a rape/incest moral conundrum. They have gone all in on abortion. If they can convince themselves that a child moments from birth is not a human being with all the rights afford to a human being, you will never when any argument with them regarding viability, cognitive ability, or the soul. They will always side with whatever is most expedient for the woman carrying the child. Therefore, we must be the advocates for the child. And we must be unwavering advocates, regardless of how that child is conceived. We have science on our side. We have the law on our side. There can be no compromise because any compromise means death for innocent human beings. And besides, what would compromise look like? The abortion activists have moved so far to the extreme, that they would have us convinced that going back to unlimited first trimester abortions with regulations for second and third trimester abortions is a victory. Those are the very conditions that the Pro-life movement had been fighting against for decades prior to the recent radical push for late-term abortions. Those are the very conditions that have led to millions of dead children. We must stand for life. We must do so firmly and unapologetically. We will be called extremists, but that is only because death has become commonplace in our country. Let us be extremists for life now, so that the day will come when our children and grandchildren will view choosing life as the natural choice. “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meschech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meschech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.
“Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops – many people are with you. Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. “After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.” Ezekiel 38:1-8 This prophetic vision revealed to Ezekiel describes a coalition of nations attacking Israel in the “latter years” or End Times. This prophecy further affirms the fact that Israel would be restored as a nation. It speaks of those “brought back from the sword”, meaning the nation driven into exile by Roman swords in 70 A.D. Israel had indeed been long desolate before Jews started to return during the Zionist movement of the late 1800’s and then in greater numbers following World War II. And as history has shown, the Jews were literally brought out of the nations to resettle in Israel. And while they are surrounded by enemies that have attacked them more than once, they do dwell in safety from the perspective that they have a very highly trained and well-equipped army to protect them – a level of protection they never had during the centuries in which they dwelled as strangers in strange lands, often leading to terrible persecution. The level of detail to which this portion of the prophecy has been fulfilled would seem to validate the other elements, and so it is important that we understand what else Ezekiel is saying. He speaks of “Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal”. There are two primary lines of thought as to whom this is referring. The first, is Russia. Scholars have linked Meshech with Moscow and Tubal with the Russian city Tobolsk. They refer to Meshech as the 6th son of Japheth (the son of Noah). His descendants occupied the territory from the shores of the Black Sea to the south of the Caucasus. They became the Rossi and Moschi tribes who occupied much of what is now Russian territory. The second possibility is Turkey. Some scholars point out that Meshech and Tubal are the Moschi/Mushki and Tubalu/Tibareni tribes that occupied portions of modern Turkey. It could be that both are right, in that tribes originating in Turkey migrated into Russia. Therefore, Gog could be either a leader of Russia or Turkey. We are certainly seeing an increase in Russian involvement in the Middle East in recent years due to the Syrian civil war. We are also seeing Russia play an active role in bringing together several of the nations described in Ezekiel’s coalition. Russia, Turkey, and Iran (modern Persia) have had several high-level meetings in recent years. Again, much of this due to their alliance in assisting Syria in their fight against ISIS and other rebel elements. As a side note, I would like to point out that the goal of ISIS was not to win their fight to maintain a caliphate. Their stated goal was to draw the major powers into a World War that would usher in the Mahdi (their version of the leader of a Messianic Age). One has to wonder how close they have come to fulfilling this goal, as there have been some tense exchanges between Russia and the United States over the course of the Syrian war. In one instance, American forces actually killed Russian contract soldiers who attacked a US/Kurdish base. There have also been tense moments between Israel and Russia as Israel has been launching airstrikes into Russian-protected Syria to destroy Iranian forces moving into the region. The fact is, Russia is actively extending its influence among the nations listed in Ezekiel’s coalition. They have been fostering military ties with Libya, Ethiopia and Iran. They recently caused a controversy by selling weapon systems to NATO ally Turkey. But what would Russia’s interest be in the Middle East and with attacking Israel in particular? Russia’s economy is based on three things – oil, natural gas, and weapons sales. Arming the nations of the Middle East provides a good revenue stream for Russia. They do not care that these weapons are all being trained on Israel. Influencing the Middle East also allows Russia to influence oil production. Any conflict in the Middle East that disrupts oil production (for instance, Iranian proxies sabotaging oil tankers and pipelines) raises oil prices and enriches Russia. Lastly, Russia is Europe’s main supplier of natural gas. The stranglehold Russia holds over NATO nations in this regard has tempered any reaction against Russian attempts to rebuild the Soviet Empire in places like Georgia, Crimea, and the Ukraine. Israel has been actively working to develop and exploit its natural gas reserves. They have now reached the point where they have discovered enough natural gas to become an exporter. They have formed a partnership with Greece and Cyprus to create a pipeline that would tie in to the Poseidon pipeline that feeds natural gas throughout Europe. This, in my opinion, makes Israel a growing threat to Russia from both an economic and a geo-political stance. Note that Ezekiel’s prophecy talks of Gog being turned around by God and led into the conflict. This could have two meanings. The first, is that the Soviet Union had been very active in the Middle East during the Cold War, but then seemed to retreat and give way to American influence in the region following the fall of the Soviet Empire. Vladimir Putin revived Soviet-style global ambitions and one could say has been drawn back into the region in a big way following the chaos of the Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS. Another possibility is that under Donald Trump, America’s support of Israel will become so overwhelmingly apparent that any thought of a successful attack against Israel will be deemed unrealistic and Russia will back away from any schemes to foster a war in the region (at least anything that could be traced back to them). But an event like the Rapture (which I will describe in a future post) where Christians are taken to Heaven in the blink of the eye, would cause immense chaos in a Christian nation like America and create an opening for Russia to lead an attack on Israel without fear of American involvement. This truly would be God creating an opportunity that would be too good for Gog to pass up. Getting back to the Russia/Turkey question, it should be noted that Vladimir Putin has claimed to be a Christian. Whether that is true or just an attempt to use his Kremlin training to psychologically disarm America’s Christian leaders, is unclear. If he is a true Christian, he will be taken up in the Rapture, in which case either some other Russian will step in to lead the coalition, or perhaps the prophecy really is referring to a leader of Turkey, like the increasingly despotic President Tayyip Erdogan who has spoken of re-establishing a caliphate and retaking Jerusalem. Regardless who the leader is, it is clear the coalition of nations described by Ezekiel is forming. The only thing standing in their way is the will of America to defend Israel. If they perceive any weakness in America’s ability or resolve to defend Israel, they will attack. This weakness could come from the Rapture as I described, or if President Trump were to lose the 2020 election and be replaced by a Democrat President who is not committed to defending Israel. Based on much of the rhetoric now coming from Democrat politicians, Israel’s enemies would probably view the transition to a Democratic President as a good time to strike. One thing Ezekiel makes clear is that Israel will win the war and they will do so through miraculous intervention by God. I will discuss this in my next post. There is further evidence that links the rebirth of Israel to the return of Jesus and places the return within our lifetime. This evidence comes from the words of Jesus:
“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24 In this passage Jesus is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. followed by the centuries of Jewish exile and occupation of their land by Gentile (non-Jewish) nations. The land of Israel was indeed trampled by Gentiles. It was turned into a desolate battleground that changed hands many times from the days of the Crusades all the way up until World War I when it fell under British control. The times of the Gentiles refers to a break in God’s appointed timeline for the nation of Israel. It is also referred to as the Church Age, marking the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. The angel Gabriel explained the remaining years appointed to the nation of Israel to the prophet Daniel as follows: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:25-27 The weeks referred to by Gabriel are actually groups of seven years. This is based on the Biblical passage that a year is as a day for the Lord. The command to rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes in the month of Nisan (March/April) in 444 B.C. based on a request by his Jewish cupbearer, Nehemiah. This was actually a reaffirmation of a decree issued by King Cyrus years earlier that had not been completed. The first seven weeks (49 years) represent the time it took to rebuild Jerusalem. The rebuilding did indeed take place in troublesome times, so much so that Nehemiah ordered the men to build with weapons at their sides, for there were adversaries that did not want to see Jerusalem rebuilt. The second 62 weeks represents the remaining time until the Messiah is cut off. Using the Jewish calendar, which is lunar based, not solar based, you end up with the first 69 weeks (483 years) ending in the month of Nisan (March/April) in the year 33 A.D. This puts the time of Messiah being cut off right at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus. As Gabriel stated, the Messiah would be cut off (killed) but not for himself. Jesus died as a sacrifice to save the human race from sin. He died for our sake, not his own. And just as Gabriel foretold, after this event the temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed by the people of the prince who is to come. As mentioned earlier, the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 A.D. This line of prophecy leads to the commonly held thought that the Antichrist (the prince who is to come) will be the leader of some kind of revived Roman Empire. The cutting off of the Messiah marks a pause in the Jewish seventy-week timeline and the beginning of the time of the Gentiles. The final week of the appointed years will begin when the time of the Gentiles comes to an end, and more precisely, when the prince who is to come confirms the one-week (7 year) covenant. The question then becomes, how close are we to the time of the Gentiles coming to an end? The year 1948 saw the rebirth of Israel. The year 1967 saw Israel reclaim control of the Temple Mount of Jerusalem in the Six Day War. However, despite the fact that Israel now controls all of Jerusalem, their holiest site is still occupied by Gentiles in the form of the Muslim Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque. Indeed, as a gesture of peace, Israel granted Jordan administrative control over the Muslim holy sites on the Temple Mount. It should also be noted that even though Israel reunified Jerusalem in 1967 and named it their capitol, the world did not acknowledge it. That changed last year, the year of Israel’s 70th anniversary of returning as a nation, when President Donald Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capitol by moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Since then, other nations have followed suit. However, there are still many nations that do not recognize Israel’s claim on all of Jerusalem and the Gentile Muslim presence still occupies the Temple Mount, standing in the way of the rebuilding of a third Jewish temple, which is crucial to the fulfillment of prophecy. So the time of the Gentiles has not quite come to an end, but it is drawing close. There are a few scenarios that could see the Jews take complete control over the Temple Mount and rebuild their temple. The first would be as part of the seven-year treaty they confirm with the Antichrist. This would involve full international recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capitol, the building of a Jewish temple, and perhaps the continued presence of the Muslim Holy sites as a compromise, but under the complete control of Israel. The second possibility is that a coming war between Israel and the surrounding Muslim nations (most likely the Gog/Magog war prophesized by Ezekiel) will see the destruction of the Muslim holy sites on the Temple Mount, clearing the way for the rebuilding of the Jewish temple. The third possibility is that Israel will continue to pursue its national interests regardless of world opinion and build their temple on the Temple Mount alongside the existing Muslim structures. The razor-thin margin of victory in the most recent election for Prime Minister of Israel has seen the conservative religious faction gain critical political influence and they may exert this influence to push for the building of a temple. I personally believe that it will be a combination of the first and second possibilities. I think the Gog/Magog war (I will describe this war more fully later) will see the destruction of the Muslim holy sites on the Temple Mount, ironically most likely from a barrage of missiles fired by Muslim forces haphazardly into Israel. In the aftermath of the war, the Antichrist will emerge to broker what he will describe as a lasting peace for the region. Building the temple will be a priority for the Jews, because as Ezekiel describes, it will be very clear that they will owe their victory in the war to God. This will turn Israel from a largely secular nation to the full-on religious state it was back when Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem and began the final seventy weeks appointed to Israel. As part of the deal, Israel will forgo exerting further territorial claims to expand to their full Biblical borders in exchange for the removal of any Muslim claim to the Temple Mount. After having been completely devastated by the war, the Muslims will have no choice but to accept these terms. This will remove the Gentile presence from Jerusalem, thereby ending the time of the Gentiles and ushering in the final seven years before the return of the Messiah Jesus. In the next post I will discuss the Gog/Magog War and point out just how close we could be to seeing it unfold. At midnight on May 14, 1948, one of the most amazing events in world history occurred. The nation of Israel was officially reborn. In 70 A.D., the Romans, after having grown tired of Jewish rebellions, sacked the city of Jerusalem. They burned the temple, causing all the gold ornamentation to melt and seep between the stones. In order to recover the gold, the soldiers toppled the entirety of the stone structure, fulfilling the following prophesy Jesus made regarding the temple:
“Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Mark 13:2 The Jews were driven from Israel and thus began their long years of exile in foreign lands. They prospered financially wherever they went, but this success made them objects of envy and the distinct religious and cultural practices they maintained made them targets of persecution. Returning home to re-establish a nation was not an option. After the fall of Rome, the territory of Israel became the battlefield of the Crusades, changing hands between Christian and Muslim powers. And yet they never fully relinquished the hope of one day seeing their nation reborn. For you see, the prophet Ezekiel foretold that it would happen: “Thus says the Lord God: Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountain of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.” Ezekiel 37:21-22 When Israel reformed in 1948, the ancient divisions of the southern kingdom of Judah and northern kingdom of Samaria were forgotten. Israel returned as one unified nation, as God had proclaimed to Ezekiel. And just as Ezekiel foretold, Jews came from all over the world to live in Israel. They have come from Europe, America, Africa, and India. The fall of the Soviet Union saw a massive migration of Jews from lands where they had been persecuted. But beyond the incredible nature of a prediction of a nation returning from complete desolation coming true, there is something else that makes this event particularly noteworthy. It is found in a parable from Jesus: “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” Matthew 32-34 Jesus is referring to all the events he describes in the prior verses that will lead to his Second Coming. I will discuss those events in future posts. He is saying that when you see those events transpire, know that he is returning soon. But there is a second layer to the parable. The fig tree represents the nation of Israel. The putting forth of leaves represents the rebirth of Israel. The conclusion that most prophecy scholars have drawn from this is that the generation that sees the rebirth of Israel is the generation that will see his return. Therefore, there is a strong case to be made that the generation born in 1948 will see the return of Jesus. The Bible refers to the length of a human lifespan as follows: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years.” Psalm 90:10 According to the World Health Organization, the average global life span was 72 years as of 2016. So if you go by the Biblical range, that would place the return of Jesus somewhere between 2018 and 2028. But you must factor in the seven-year tribulation period (which I will describe in greater detail later). This time period begins with the Antichrist signing or somehow confirming a seven-year treaty with the nation of Israel. Since that event has not yet occurred, we cannot place the return of Jesus any sooner than seven years from the signing of that treaty. However, it is reasonable to think that this treaty will be confirmed no later than 2021 so that the seven years can be completed by 2028. I will expand further on the significance of the rebirth of Israel in the next post. “Surely I am coming quickly.” Revelation 22:20 Those were the last words spoken by Jesus in the Bible. Each generation since the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus has had a faction that thought they would see his return. It’s not hard to blame them when you read words like those. But those words are part of a greater prophetic context. One that requires certain preconditions to occur to bring about the ultimate fulfillment of the return of Jesus. Before we explore those conditions, let us make one thing clear. Jesus is returning. His last words make that clear. As do others he spoke: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” Revelation 22:12 “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.” Matthew 16:27-28 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:30 These are just a few of several passages where Jesus refers to his second coming. Some of you might wonder what he meant when he said that “there are some standing here who shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.” I believe that is a reference directed at the disciple John who would later be given a vision of Jesus’s return that he would write down in the Revelation. Peter, John and James also were given a glimpse of how Jesus would look at his second coming when they witnessed his transfiguration, which occurred shortly after he spoke those words. “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” Matthew 17:1-2 You might ask why Jesus speaks as though his return could have happened at any time, and yet here we are almost 2,000 years later and he still hasn’t come back. To understand this, one must understand the true goal of Jesus. His goal was not to complete his sacrificial act and then return and rule on earth as quickly as possible. His goal was to make sure that all the world knew about the salvation he offered so that as many people as possible could be saved. The fact was, if the prophecies leading to his return all became fulfilled, he could return quickly. But he was not the only force determining the timetable of his return. There were two other factors. The first is the free will of humans. It was up to the decisions of humans to set in motion the conditions that would lead to the fulfillment of the prophecies that would pave the way for the return of Jesus. These key events are: 1. The exile of the Jews from Israel and their miraculous return. 2. The Gospel being spread throughout the entire world. 3. The rise of a 10-nation kingdom, most likely from the remnants of the Roman Empire. 4. The rise of an Anti-Christ who will sign a 7-year treaty with Israel. 5. A return to the conditions that existed in the days of Noah before the Flood. Human conflicts, politics, and technological progress all set the pace for the fulfillment of the above prophecies. I will explore each of these key prophecies in future posts. The bottom-line is that it has taken humans a long time to reach the point of achieving all the key conditions that mark the return of Jesus. The other factor is the influence of Satan. I believe that Satan is the direct source of the visions of the “prophet” Muhammad. The rise of Islam checked the global spread of Christianity and made it impossible for generations of Jews to re-establish the nation of Israel. Satan has been actively trying to establish a global pagan empire, from the days of Babylon to his corruption of Christianity in the Holy Roman Empire. But the Protestant Christian movement checked his ambitions, most notably with the rise of the British Empire and later Christian America (both of which became major forces for spreading the Gospel throughout the world). So you can see how historic events have forestalled the return of Jesus. If things had gone differently, the timetable could have been much different. For example, how much further along would our technology be (and therefore the conditions of the days of Noah – as I will explain later) if we had not endured the setbacks of the Dark Ages? Unlike the Jewish prophetic timetable, The Church Age, the age that spans from the birth of Jesus to our current time, had no definitive timespan assigned to it. It would simply last until the fulfillment of the other prophecies relating to the “End of the Age” or the “Latter Days” occurred. We are now beginning to see the fulfillment of those end time prophecies. Next week I will discuss the most significant of these prophecies. It is the one that has set a deadline for the end of the Church Age. It is the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948. Many Christians have come to view the events commemorated on Easter as the culmination of Christ’s work. While the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus did finalize salvation and eternal life for all those who belief in him, this momentous act is but the mid-point of Christ’s work.
There are three groups of prophecies related to Jesus. First are the prophecies that foretold his arrival on Earth. Several Old Testament prophets spoke of the coming of the Messiah – a mighty king from the line of David who would restore the glory of Israel. It is why we read passages from Isaiah during Christmas. It is why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It is why shepherds and wise men alike marveled at the baby in the manger. It is why King Herod was so struck with fear of being usurped that he ordered the deaths of all young males under the age of two upon learning of the birth of Jesus. The child born in Bethlehem checked all the prophetic boxes. The second group of prophecies pertained to the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. These events were also spoken of by the Old Testament prophets and by Jesus’s contemporary, John the Baptist. In the Gospels, Jesus himself refers to his fulfillment of these prophecies. The third group of prophecies relates to the return or “Second Coming” of Jesus. This group of prophecies is largely ignored by mainstream Christianity even though such prophecies are perhaps even more prolific throughout both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Jesus himself spoke of his return both in his earthly ministry and later when he gave The Revelation to his beloved disciple John. There are numerous reasons why the prophecies about the Second Coming of Jesus are largely ignored. They contain imagery that many find too confusing and complex to explain. They are viewed as too dark and depressing (although I would argue the torture and crucifixion of Jesus is pretty dark, and the Church has no problem discussing that). Another reason is the fear of losing credibility. There is no shortage of charlatans and would-be Messiah’s who have hijacked the prophecies related to the Second Coming and made a mockery of them. There is an understandable fear of get painted with the same brush as those who have twisted prophecies for their own gain. But the return of Jesus is too important of an event to leave untaught. I have been heartened to see more and more ministries taking on this subject. But there is still a long way to go to bring it to its proper prominence in mainstream Christianity. Why do I place such importance on this? There are two reasons. First, there is no greater message to focus the Christian world on spreading the Gospel than the urgency of Christ’s imminent return. If you know that time is running out and you have anyone in your life who is not saved, you will most certainly be more motivated to minister to them. The second reason is that I truly believe that we are getting close to Christ’s return. No one knows the exact time of this event except for God, but Jesus did give us clues as to when it would be growing near. I will discuss these clues, as well as the prophecies related to the Second Coming of Jesus in an upcoming blog series. So as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus this Easter, let us not lose sight of the fact that he will be coming back to reign on Earth as King of Kings, and he may be coming sooner than you think. Many of us make the mistake that we can stay clear of sin through the sheer force of our will power. Trying to go it on your own is a recipe for disaster. The truth is our souls are spiritual battlegrounds. There are dark forces at work in this world constantly seeking ways to place stumbling blocks in our paths. Ultimately, we are still free to make our own choices and we bear the consequences for them. But we need to be mindful of how those choices can be influenced.
Satan opened the battle by speaking words of persuasion through the serpent to Eve as she stood before the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. We will never know whether or not she would have followed through on her act of rebellion without that nudge, but there is no denying that Satan’s intervention helped to move her in that direction. Again, this is not to excuse away our sins and fall back on a “the devil made me do it” justification. Satan does not conjure temptations out of thin air. He plays on our own inclinations. He exploits our curiosities. There is no doubt that Eve was curious as to what would really happen if she ate the fruit from the Forbidden Tree. Satan gave her the rationalization that she was craving deep down to explore that curiosity. That is the very purpose of the existence of Satan. He is the counterbalance that makes free will possible. God’s plan was and is for us to freely choose to love him. But that choice cannot be a true free choice if there is no alternative. God is very clear about the consequences of choosing to follow Satan’s path, but he gives us the freedom to make that choice. And these consequences are not born out of spite or retribution on God’s part for having chosen against him. Rather, they are the natural results of the chain of events we unleash when we deviate from God’s perfect plan. The child who touches a hot stove gets burned, not because the parent is seeking to punish him for having disobeyed the warning to not touch the stove. The burn is the natural result of skin coming into contact with a surface that has reached a certain temperature. So too there are natural results for adultery, murder and all manner of sin. But God would not let Satan have the last word. He gave Satan the ability to play a role in the Fall of the human race, but he reserved for himself the ability to redeem those who fell. He did this by sending his son Jesus to live as a human, withstand all worldly temptations, and die as a sacrifice to atone for all the sins of the human race. The path to the Fall was paved through the belief in Satan’s false promise that one could eat the Forbidden Fruit and not die. The path to salvation and eternal life is paved through the belief that Jesus died to save us from our sins. God could not have made it any simpler for humans to find redemption. And yet so many do not take advantage of this gift. That is due in large part to Satan’s continued efforts. First, he actively works to create doubt regarding the very existence of God. He is even willing to mock his own existence (for a time) to achieve this end. Second, he creates doubt regarding the path to salvation. He helps to trap Christians in a cycle of sin and shame, dragging them ever deeper to the point where they falsely believe that they are unworthy of salvation. This deep shame drives them away from their faith and away from God. This is why it is important to deny sin a foothold in our lives. But that is no easy task. Do not presume to think that you are morally superior to Eve and would have withstood the persuasions of the serpent. We all have our own particular inclinations and curiosities that can lead us astray if a certain moment of opportunity opens up before us. We are all one step away from slipping into a downward spiral that can bring us so low that we foolishly question our worthiness to be saved. The fact is that we cannot withstand temptation on our own. It took the Son of God fasting for forty days to prepare himself to withstand the temptations of Satan in the desert. We stand no chance on our own. If you try to go it alone, you will most certainly fail. Try to end your pornography habit on your own and you’ll see a suggestive commercial while innocently watching a football game that will spark your lust and drive you back into sin. Vow that you will never succumb to adultery and suddenly a new girl will start working at your office who laughs at all your jokes and tells you how much she wishes she could find a boyfriend as nice as you. We live in a Fallen world and as such there is no end to assaults waged against those who have proclaimed allegiance to God. Will power is not enough. If it was as simple as mustering up enough will power to ward off sin, God would not have had to send his Son to die to save the world from sin. We need God’s help to fight off the temptations that lead to sin. Paul describes it as putting on the armor of God. I will invoke a metaphor that is perhaps more relatable in our current climate. You need to build a wall. How does one build a wall to ward off sin? You build it one brick at a time. The more you involve God in your life, the more bricks you add to your wall. If you think you can just go to church twice a year and never read the Bible, you’ll end up with a rather pathetic wall so filled with gaps that temptation can flow right through. If you have a particular weakness that you are fighting – a particular sin that you’ve been trying to break but just keep falling back into it – I recommend a very consistent prayer regime. When you wake up in the morning, pray for protection against that sin. Pray again before you leave your car to go into work. Pray again at lunch. Pray when you get in your car to come home from work. Pray before you go to sleep that night. Each prayer is a brick in your wall. I would add further reinforcement by reading the Bible every day and going to church every Sunday. It’s up to you how much work you want to put into it. Just ask yourself, how strong do you want your wall to be? But no wall will keep out all sin. Sooner or later something will slip over it or through it. That’s just the nature of our mortal existence. We all slip up, even those who try their hardest to please God. The key is to not let a minor breach in your wall become something larger. Do not slip down the cycle of shame and start to withdraw from God. Stick to your prayer schedule. Add to it if you feel it is necessary. When a wall becomes damaged, you work to rebuild it. If you neglect it, the entire wall starts to crumble and soon it falls to ruin. Just remember that you don’t have to do this alone. God is always there to help you. He will protect you. And he will lift you back up when you fall. He knows you are not perfect. His forgiveness knows no end and his love for you is boundless. I think I need to clarify my previous post a little bit regarding how Christians should behave in the aftermath of the culture war. Christians sometimes struggle when it comes to separating sin from the sinner. This causes us to swing to one of two extremes. We either alienate those who have sinned by coming across as too judgmental or we find ourselves excusing all manner of sin to the point where our society no longer properly functions.
On the one hand there are Christians who are all law and no mercy and on the other you have those who are all mercy and no law. The fact is we need both the law and mercy. Jesus illustrated this when he saved the adulteress from being stoned – an event that many misinterpret to justify their all mercy/no law point of view. Jesus famously challenges those who are without sin to cast the first stone. Of course no one is without sin, so the crowd disperses. Jesus ends the encounter by telling the woman, “Go and sin no more”. In this episode Jesus does not validate the lifestyle choice the woman made that led her into adultery. His proclamation to “sin no more” points out the fact that the manner in which she had been living was wrong and she needs to stop it. You can substitute any form of aberrant behavior into this story. Replace the adulteress with a thief or a murderer and it still holds true. We all sin. God sent Jesus to wash away all of our sins. None of us has the moral high ground from which to cast stones of judgment at each other. But our collective moral failings do not make the law invalid. Jesus did not take the opportunity of that encounter to tell the crowd, “you know what, that whole adultery thing is outdated. From this point forward I proclaim love is love, even if you are in love with someone else’s husband or wife.” Jesus said “sin no more” – meaning that despite the reprieve the woman had been given, the behavior that led her to that point was still wrong. In sparing her, he validated her worth as a child of God, but he did not validate her sinful behavior. This distinction is important because nowadays a lot of Christians are falling into the trap of validating sin because so many people are now leading lives where they are choosing to be defined by their sin. It is a lot trickier for a Christian to navigate a relationship with a homosexual than it is with someone who has fallen into adultery. No one self-identifies as an adulterer. It is pretty straightforward for a Christian to make it clear that they don’t condone the act of adultery but still show love and compassion to the adulterer. And most importantly, the Christian would make it clear that they would not define that person as an adulterer going forward. But how does this work when you have someone who wants to be defined by their sin? What would Jesus say if the woman had been targeting for stoning because she was engaging in homosexual behavior? The story would play out the same way. He would challenge the accusers by pointing out that they are no less guilty than her. He would show her mercy, but he would end by telling her to sin no more. So just as before, he would validate her intrinsic worth, but he would not validate her lifestyle choice. So for us as Christians that means loving all those who live in ways that don’t agree with our Christian beliefs. But as much as we love the individuals, we cannot support the lifestyle choices they make. We don’t turn our backs on them. We don’t cut them out of our lives. We don’t point fingers at them and call them sinners. But it is fair for us to raise our voices in disagreement when they want to make changes in our society to validate their lifestyle choice. In fact, it is our duty to protect the integrity of God’s laws just as Jesus protected the integrity of the law during his earthly ministry. At every turn he told the sinners that their sins were forgiven. He did not go around telling people that they were wrong to think of themselves as sinners. Think of it this way, when given the choice between declaring his laws null and void to remove the concept of sin or sending his son to die on a cross to redeem people from sin, God chose to keep the concept of sin and redeem people from it. He did this because his laws have value – so much so that he was willing to let his son suffer to maintain their integrity. He did it because human civilization requires laws to properly function. Without them we devolve into madness and chaos. Some might argue we are seeing that unfold right now. So the next time you feel sheepish about taking a stand on an issue because you don’t want to be guilty of judging, remember to separate the sinner from the sin. Have compassion for the person but hold strong to the values that God has assigned to our society. If you are someone who strongly believes in protecting the environment, would you stay silent as some of your friends and neighbors pushed policies that you knew would harm the environment or would you politely take a stand and attempt to counter their actions? If it is acceptable for an environmentalist to speak out to protect the environment, it is equally justified for Christians to speak out to protect the laws of God. But in doing so we must never lose sight of love for our neighbor, for that is the highest of laws, second only to loving God. |
Joseph Blaikieis a Christian writer whose books include "Why You Don't Believe in God and Why You Should" and "You are Never Too Far Gone for God". To learn more about Joseph Blaikie visit: Amazon.com: Joseph J. Blaikie: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle To contact email jblaikie@jjbpost.com
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