Posted on June 4, 2013 by Bro Hiltibidal — 230 Comments
The Middle East in Turmoil or Prophecy?
Zechariah. 12:3, “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”
There is not a day that passes that the news is not filled with the affairs of the Middle East and in particular Israel and its neighbors. From the world’s standpoint, Israel is the problem. If they had not taken the land away from those poor Palestinians, there would be no problem.
Of course, those poor people are not wanted by their Arab relatives and make for a great tool to use against Israel in the court of world opinion to cover their own deep seated hatred of Isaac’s seed as opposed to Ismael’s seed from which most of these come.
It appears evident, at least to me, that the stage is well set for a major battle to erupt as the civil war, or so it is made to look, is about to spill over into the Golan Heights into Israel.
Let me list just a few of the news stories reported in a single day.
* Golan Heights villages brace for war as tensions rise between Syria and Israel.
* Israel ‘the most threatened state in the world,’ says PM
“We are deep in the era of missiles that are aimed at civilian population areas,” Netanyahu said during a meeting of the Emergency Economy Committee. “We must prepare defensively and offensively for the new era of warfare.”
* Russian manufacturer to sell 10 MiGs to Syria.
* Assad: Arab world ready to join fight against Israel
Syrian President Bashar Assad told Al-Manar TV on Thursday that “there is pressure by the people to open a new front on the Golan.” “Even among the Arab world there is a clear readiness to join the fight against Israel,” he added in his interview with the Hezbollah TV station.
* Syria’s Assad warns Israel on air strikes and Golan
These are but a few and every day it is the same. The world sees it as turmoil, but for Bible believing Christians that know but a little about the endtimes, they see it as prophecy being fulfilled. The Word of God tells us that these things will take place so we should not be perplexed or burdened by it, but yet many Christians are as worried about this as the world is.
There are those in Christianity that believe and have taught many that prophecy has been fulfilled in the past and that the current Israel is not even considered God’s people. All sorts of ideas unsubstantiated by the Bible, in my view, are sold to people who have little biblical discernment or desire to understand truth from a literal Biblical interpretation. We are living in the days spoken of by Paul in II Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Personally I believe we are seeing the foreshadows of the battle of Psalms 83. The nations mentioned there are the ones that Syria’s president is speaking about that are ready to join the fight against Israel. For those that have held to the idea that present day Israel is not the one spoken of in Bible prophecy, then answer me this.
When in history has this ever been fulfilled? Is not the present situation exactly what God prophesied in Psalms 83? What about the many other prophecies concerning the endtimes that are being seen either as being fulfilled or the stage being set for them to be fulfilled, Iran’s role, Russia’s involvement, Egypt’s readiness, and on it goes?
The present situation in Israel is certainly that which is described in Psalms 83. As to whether this present threat will be the trigger that starts it, or if there will be cooler heads prevail at the present, is yet to be seen, but at some time it will erupt into a full blown war and from the Scriptures the outcome is already told.
Here is a list of the Psalm 83 coalition that is going to come against Israel and see what you think.
Tabernacles or Tents of Edom – [decedents of Esau] Palestinian Refugees and Southern Jordanians
Ishmaelites – Saudi Arabians
Moab – Palestinian Refugees and Central Jordanians
Hagrites – Egyptians
Gebal – Northern Lebanese
Ammon – Palestinian Refugees and Northern Jordanians
Amalek – Arabs South of Israel
Philista – Palestinian Refugees and Hamas of Gaza Strip
Inhabitants of Tyre – Hezbollah and Southern Lebanese
Assyria – Syrians and perhaps Northern Iraqis included
Children of Lot – Moab and Ammon
When it is over, Israel will enlarge its borders greatly. Obadiah 1:19, “And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau [Southern Jordan]; and they of the plain the Philistines [Gaza Strip]: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria [West Bank]: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead [West bank & Golan Hights].”
Islam will suffer a great set back. Ezekiel 25:13-14, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan [Sadi Arabia] shall fall by the sword. And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel [Israeli Defense Force IDF]: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.” The scriptures are numerous concerning the results of this battle.
The nations with vested interest in these Arab nations will suffer a set back the world will be awestruck. Isaiah puts it like this in Isa 17:12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
This will provide a semblance of peace that may be what is described as the setting for the battle of Ezekiel 38-39.
Certainly if Syria falls, Russia will be ready to react. If Iran’s surrogates Hezbollah and Hamas are neutralized, and Islam is set on its heels, the federation of nations as seen as an outer ring of Islamic Non-Arab nations with Russia mentioned in the Gog-Magog war will be ready to invade Israel. As Israel will be drastically depleted from the Psalms 83 battle, God will intervene and destroy this federation as they come into the land against Israel.
The stage is set, and we are no doubt living in the endtimes. Let us take every opportunity to invest our lives in service to our Lord and convert earthly things into eternal investments while there is yet time, for at any moment the trump of God could sound and the voice of the archangel’s shout out come up hither could be heard.
-Additional Thought to the Original Post- (4-16-14)
Is what we are seeing in the news concerning the Middle East peace process headed more towards war than peace? I believe that what we are seeing is the final preparations for the conflict discussed previously.
The Palestinians are now requesting UN recognition towards statehood while flatly rejecting to recognize Israel as a state or nation. Only those deceived by their own blind ambition would ever expect that they would acknowledge Israel in any positive way.
The counter to this move by the PA is to stop the freeing of criminals and terrorists by the Israelis. No matter how hard the US may try to force Israel, there is no doubt a line they refuse to cross. (Good for them I say.)
The idea of canceling the OSLO Accord is being seriously considered as the Islamic crowd speaks of a return to previous political and terrorist activities. The Islamic council of the Arab nations just unanimously stated their flat rejection of the recognition of Israel and place all the Middle East blame on the Israelis. Talk about a deceived and deluded people–no better example could there be.
The supposed Christians from predominantly main line or Protestant churches that side with the PA and oppose Israel are just as blind, but wait. I think I read something like that in the Bible. Luke 6:39, “And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?”
Why do so many that call themselves Christians live in such blindness? This Christianity at the checkpoint movement is led by those blinded by their improper view of Scripture. These are made up primarily of those with the “Replacement Theology” view in which they do not perceive present day Israel as that of the Bible endtimes.
Their view is historically Catholic in nature, and since they are rooted out of that, they have the same view–that the promises of God that were made to Israel have been transferred to the church.
This is why they do not side with modern Israel but with its adversaries. They usually hold to either a historist view of Scripture or the ah-millennialist view. It will only be the pre-millennialist that will see Scripture prophetically and current Israel as the one that will be at the center of God’s final seven years of prophecy that was given to us by the inspiration of God through the pen of Daniel.
The stage is well set with all but a few truly born again believers in opposition to Israel. All religions and governments, as well as the powers behind them, are ready to see the end of Israel, believing this will bring peace to the Middle East and the world.
Only when Israel is all alone and in its darkest hour in all of its history will the King of Glory ride in, and peace will come only because judgment will have been meted out to all the enemies of God’s chosen people. Then and only then will peace come and not only to the Middle East but to the world. (Check Zechariah, Chapter 14.)
Revelation 19:11-16, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”