I recently
talked to a few
churches and
youth groups
about signs of
the times and
how close we are
to the return of
Jesus Christ for
his church.
As the
day draws closer
for His return,
I am more and
more compelled
to get work done
for the Kingdom
of our Lord and
Savior as we all
should be.
But in
speaking to
fellow
Christians and
churches, my
heart is
increasingly
burdened that
many don’t
realize one
particular sign
that none of us
should miss: the
nation of
Israel.
And all
we have to do is
know a little
bit of history
and watch the
nightly news.
As I saw the
reaction of
people when I
talked about
Israel’s role in
the latter days,
prophecy and the
last seven years
of history in
the Great
Tribulation, I
became more
aware that there
are so many who
don’t understand
the collision
course we are on
in the battle of
good and evil.
They know
the Bible says
God will win,
but little else.
But Jesus
is not just “at
the door’ as he
stated, but
actually opening
and getting
ready to pass
through it and
too many
Christians are
sleeping at the
switch with the
Tribulation in
our headlights.
To be
specific, too
many don’t
understand what
role God has
picked for
Israel to play.
In the
midst of God’s
fore-ordained
events, His
people, the
Israelites are
once again about
to endure a time
of persecution;
one that makes
Hitler’s
extermination of
over 6 million
Jews in Europe
look like
nothing more
than a kitty
playing with a
ball of yarn.
And God’s
wrath will come
upon the whole
world like never
before.
As Terry
mentioned in his
weekly update,
our president
has cast an
urgent shadow on
everything he
has done in
seven months of
leading our
nation.
With a
spiritually
blind and
crooked lot of
politicians in
the Congress and
Senate, bills
are passed
almost daily to
take away our
freedoms, make
us a socialist
country and
prepare our once
great nation to
become one of
the largest
third-world
nations with an
economy going
straight down
the tubes.
But there
is also
never-before
applied extreme
pressure on
Israel to even
give up her
portion of
Jerusalem, stop
making
settlements in
her own land and
even give the
whole of the
city over to
international
leadership.
God’s
Word says
Jerusalem
belongs to the
Jewish people
forever.
It’s not
enough that
opposing evil
forces and
anti-Israelite
murderers have
attacked the
nation and
killed countless
innocent
citizens
continually
since May 1948.
It is not
enough that
enemies like
Syria, Hamas and
the Palestinian
Authority want
Israel to move
back to the
pre-1967 war
days when the
Golan Heights
belonged to
enemies
attacking them,
when Israeli
settlements were
bombed from the
north, south and
east by enemies
who wanted to
push every
single Israeli
into the sea.
John
Hagee said in
his book “In
Defense of
Israel” that
the enemies of
God wanted to
see every Jew
dead and
floating face
down in the Dead
Sea.
I
couldn’t say it
better.
As
Christians, we
sit back, relax
and for the most
part doing
nothing about
it.
We don’t
even pray or
feel compassion
to the people to
whom we owe the
foundation of
Christianity.
There
would not be a
Christian in
this world
without a Jew
named Jesus.
Why do
Christians not
do anything?
Maybe we
do nothing
because we are
too caught up in
the false
doctrines of
health, wealth,
healing, or
getting our ears
tickled by
pastors to pay
attention to the
world around us.
Many of
us are taught a
false
“replacement
theology” by
preachers in the
pulpit; a
watered down
version of
cult-like
Christianity
that “the church
is the new
Israel”, that
the trinity or
virgin birth is
not really true,
Jesus isn’t
really the Son
of God etc.
The list
goes on.
Our weak
faith is making
us a dead
church,
destroying our
witness and
pushing our
faith back to
the Dark Ages
when
Christianity was
almost snuffed
out.
Ill-trained and
misinformed
pastors spew
forth hatred for
the Jewish
people and say
they are the
cause of the
world’s
problems…and
congregations
believe it!
Additionally,
books written by
alleged church
“leaders”
trained in
liberal
seminaries fill
the shelves of
Christian
bookstores, but
a large
percentage of
them also say
the same things
and errantly use
scripture to
prove their
point.
Books say
Jesus was
married to Mary
Magdalene, he
was a
homosexual, or
some other
absurd
accusation.
Authors
write that the
book Revelation
is not literal,
but just a nice
story, which is
absolutely
untrue.
Jesus
said in Matthew
24:24 that false
Christs and
prophets would
appear.
They
would perform
great signs and
miracles to
deceive even the
elect-if that
were possible.
This very thing
is happening
today and too
many of us are
becoming like
the church of
Laodicea: though
seeing, we are
blind.
We are
lukewarm,
neither hot nor
cold and being
deceived!
Israel was
promised
salvation and
protection
through an
eternal covenant
that God
promised through
Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob.
And as
scripture says,
God cannot
lie.
Yes, a
holy God
promised through
prophets like
Ezekiel, Isaiah
and Jeremiah
that Israel
would be
punished for
following
foreign Gods,
but Christians
need to check
those scriptures
out again,
because I don’t
know of one
single prophet
that, along with
a statement of
punishment,
didn’t follow it
up with God’s
promise to
reconcile with
His people and
draw them back
to their
homeland and
Himself in the
end.
He
promised to take
away their pain
and sorrows, and
even defeat
those who
carried out
God’s will in
carrying the
Israelites into
captivity or
scattering them
to the four
winds.
Check it
out for
yourselves.
And it
came true…does
anyone walk
around saying,
“Hi, I am a
Babylonian” or
“Where are you
from? I’m an
Amalekite”.
But
Israel has
become a nation
for three times
now and ONLY God
could make that
happen.
Some
scriptures to
check out are:
Isaiah 43:5-6,
35:10, 61:4,
42:24, 26;
Ezekiel
28:25-26,
34:28-30,
11:17-19,
37:21-28;
Jeremiah31:10-12,
30:3,10; 31:7-8;
Zechariah
1:15-17 (NIV).
Why do we
not believe the
Word of God when
He plainly shows
his love time
after time and
continues to
make promises of
their salvation
and return to
the land?
To all who say
they are
Christians:
Jesus said in
Revelation 1-2,
“I know your
deeds; you have
a reputation of
being alive, but
you are dead.
Wake up!
Strengthen what
remains and is
about to die,
for I have not
found your deeds
complete in the
sight of my God.
Remember,
therefore, what
you have
received and
heard; obey it
and repent.”
Does this
apply to you?
We need to fall
on knees of
repentance and
ask the God of
Israel to search
our hearts,
change our
wicked ways and
forgive us for
nearly two
thousand years
of Christian
persecution of
the Jewish
people. We need
to pray for the
peace of
Jerusalem, their
salvation and
divine
protection, that
all enemies
would be
overthrown and
finally, that
the Lord would
once again place
righteous people
in control of
our nations.
Then as
citizens the
United States,
we need to
contact our
respective
congressmen and
senators,
demanding that
our leaders STOP
pressuring God’s
nation Israel.
Then we
need to pray
more, asking the
Lord to give us
strength to
stand up for
what is right
according to
scripture.
Finally, all of
us need to get
busy telling
others that
Jesus is coming
soon and that
God loves them
right where they
are.
Allow God
to use you, so
be prepared to
share the good
news of Jesus,
to share the
reason for the
hope within
you…it only
takes a minute.
It
doesn’t matter
if people laugh
or persecute us
for our faith.
What did
the One they
killed on the
cross at Calvary
say?
“Blessed
are you when
people insult
you, persecute
you and falsely
say all kinds of
evil against you
because of Me.
Rejoice
and be glad,
because great is
your reward in
heaven, for in
the same way
they persecuted
the prophets who
were before
you.” (Matt
5:11-12)
He also
gave us the
great commission
to go unto all
nations telling
others about
Jesus and made a
promise to be
with us always.
The Holy
Spirit will give
you the right
words when
challenged, so
just do it.
Jesus is seated
at the right
hand of God the
Father,
interceding
constantly for
us…and He looks
forward to one
day soon coming
back to get his
bride, the
church.
Don’t be
caught without
oil in your
lamp, but stand
watch and be
ready.
The Word
of God says that
while we don’t
know the day or
the hour, we
WILL know when
the season is
upon us.
And that
season is NOW.