Don’t Look at the Circumstances; Look up! :: By Alice Childs

Published on: by RR10 Category:Alice Johnson Childs, General Articles

Church, we need to pray like never before. From now until Jesus snatches us out, we must recognize that there is no going back to a “normal” world. The parallels between now and the 1930’s build-up to WWII are staggering. I believe Hitler and his agenda was Satan’s dress rehearsal for the Antichrist. Yet what looms on the horizon now will be far worse. Far worse.

Brethren, we no longer live in a sane world. We live in a world teetering on the brink of the Tribulation. Pray for Israel. Stand with Israel. They are not perfect. In fact, the majority of them are lost. The majority reject their true Messiah. Nevertheless, the Jews are God’s chosen people, the “apple of His eye.” God is right now preparing the Jewish nation to be refined like precious gold, but they, as an unbelieving nation, will have to go through that refining fire of the coming Tribulation. This should cause us all to tremble. What we are witnessing now is but a prelude to what is to come upon the entire world once the Restrainer is removed via the body/bride’s snatching away.

The world is in dire peril. It trembles on the very cusp of the coming Tribulation. With whatever time we, the church, has left, we need to get serious in prayer and in whatever way we can, spreading the gospel like a dying man to a dying world:

  • Warn them all that Jesus is coming first for His church and then in judgment for a world that has rejected its Creator.
  • Tell them Jesus saves! Tell them that Jesus IS the Ark of eternal salvation for anyone who will believe in Him.
  • Tell them that time is running out.
  • Prepare your left-behind boxes in whatever manner you choose.
  • Make sure there are plenty of Bibles scattered all throughout your homes and in each of your vehicles.
  • Write and have on display somewhere accessible your Left Behind letter explaining the rapture. List Bible passages that tell of salvation and about what’s coming. Do this now if you’ve not already done so because we, the church, could be snatched away at any time.

Israel must go through her final 70th year. Tragically, 2/3 of her will continue in rebellion against her Messiah, but God ALWAYS has a remnant. At the end of the coming great Tribulation a 1/3 remnant refined as pure gold WILL at last come to recognize Yeshua as her true Savior and Messiah. And once they do, then all Israel will be saved. Then Jesus will return to earth to rescue that remnant. Accompanied by His raptured and glorified Church, King Jesus will at last bring peace and restore this sin-ravaged earth to its Edenic splendor.

But before the day when Jesus returns to set His foot upon this earth once again, what we face now is a continued escalation of hatred, violence, and overt persecution against not only Jews but against the church also who is Christ’s body/bride. There is no “normal” anymore. We are nearing the climax of the great cosmic Conflict of the Ages. In whatever time we have left while we are still here, we must take our eyes off of our own struggles and place them firmly on our Lord, beseeching Him to show us what He wants us to be doing in whatever time we have left.

Brethren, pray for the Jewish people as a whole. Encourage and help our Jewish brethren in whatever practical ways we can. I know we are tired and weary to the bone, but we must keep our hearts and minds always in prayer and our eyes fixed on the skies. Our Deliverer is coming soon. Let’s not falter now. The spiritual battle is accelerating. The fire of end-times warfare has already been ignited. It is growing in intensity, consuming the world in its path headed toward the coming great conflagration that will be the Tribulation. We fight on the knees of our hearts. Keep going. The war has already been won!

I’d like to end this by quoting lines from a song by Mike Speck. I have sung this many times, but the verses have never been more real to the church today than they are now.

“We have won
We have won!
Through the blood of Jesus, we have won!
Let it ring out through the ages,
Endure though evil rages,
Christians stand courageous: we have won!”

Suddenly, A Burden for Israel :: By Paul J. Scharf

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles

On Shabbat morning, following the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, on Simchat Torah—a day set aside to commemorate the joy that flows from God’s Law—terror fell upon Israel.

On Oct. 7, 2023—50 years and a day after the onslaught of the Yom Kippur War—the forces of Hamas pulled back the curtains and showed the face of undiminished wickedness, their capacity to commit horrific acts of barbarism being matched only by their hatred for Israel and the Jewish people. They undeniably touched “the apple of His eye” (Zech. 2:8). From their attacks against “the Holy Land” (Zech. 2:12), targeting the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we gain significant insight into the depravity of the human heart.

Indeed, the ultimate “Seed” (Gal. 3:16) of Abraham, our Lord Jesus, explicitly warned us that the days before His return would increasingly resemble “the days of Noah” (Matt. 24:37). Those were days fueled by demonism—to such an extent “that every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). Thus, “the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:11). Clearly, the world is moving toward a future time of tribulation when all the restraints against evil will be cast off (see 2 Thess. 2:6-7).

Yet, even on this—a day reminiscent of the Holocaust for the Jewish people—God was watching over His chosen people and their land. He calls to us through the words of the prophet Zechariah, saying:

“My cities shall again spread out through prosperity;
The LORD will again comfort Zion,
And will again choose Jerusalem” (Zech. 1:17).

Appropriately, many Christians are now feeling as if we carry a renewed burden for Israel and the Jewish people. After all, they have bequeathed to us our Scriptures and our Savior, and we anticipate the day when we will share with them in His kingdom—there in their land. More broadly, as Americans, we recognize Israel’s colossal contributions to the development of Western civilization, and today, she serves as a deeply cherished ally in the Middle East.

This is a time and opportunity then, first of all, to seek to “bless” (Gen. 12:3) the people of Israel. Let us not attempt to rid ourselves of this burden that we feel. Rather, may it drive our passions for Israel to run even deeper than they ever have before.

I believe that many Christians are wondering what all of this means with regard to God’s prophetic timetable for Israel and the world. I am sure that many entered churches last Sunday with the hope of hearing comforting words, which would also give them perception to put these events in Biblical context. I am certain that many of them left disappointed.

I would love the opportunity to address those pastors and church leaders who could yet be persuaded of the Biblical importance of Israel. Perhaps they even claim to hold to a dispensational understanding of Biblical history and prophecy and yet have not focused sufficiently on these areas. Perhaps they’ve been neglectful in dealing with them from the pulpit. If I could, I would simply tell them that there will never be a better season to shepherd their people toward an understanding of Israel’s past, present and glorious future—rooted in God’s covenant-keeping love. Although they are currently a nation in unbelief, He is working within history to guide His people into “an everlasting salvation” (Isa. 45:17).

Will all of this take wisdom, courage and boldness—for all of us, and for some more than others? Of course—just as it did when The Friends of Israel was founded 85 years ago this December … even when there was no Israel to befriend.

The events of last Saturday are a huge weight to bear for Zion, and for all who love her (see Ps. 87:2). Jesus certainly warned us of such times, stating in Luke 21:24:

“Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

We know that Israel will indeed be the staging area for end-time events, and God must—and will—protect her. We thank Him for that glorious word until in the passage referenced above—which means that there is a purpose and a termination to all of this. The prophet Isaiah described it like this:

“I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off;
My salvation shall not linger.
And I will place salvation in Zion,
For Israel My glory” (Isa. 46:13).

In the end, those who refuse to carry this burden for the people of Israel and for their eternal salvation will learn how Jerusalem itself will become “a very heavy stone for all peoples” (Zech. 12:3).

Now is not the time to equivocate. This is our generation’s opportunity to stand with the people of Israel. I implore you to do so without hesitation or shame.

***

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.