Armageddon’s Trigger
Jerusalem sits atop land that would be among the least desirable in terms of real estate values. The natural inclination would be to look for more scenic, lusher beauty rather than the much-improved but still-arid landscape in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. But when considering Jerusalem, one is talking in terms not of the natural, but of the supernatural.
Since before the Lord led Abraham to Moriah with Isaac in tow, when the patriarch was willing to follow through on the sacrifice of his son, the area that is now Jerusalem has been at the very center of spiritual warfare—like no other place on the planet.
Moriah is the site where Abraham laid Isaac upon the makeshift altar and started the plunge of the knife toward his son’s heart. The angel of the Lord (likely the reincarnate Christ) stopped the test of the old man’s faith by providing the sacrificial ram, caught in the thicket by its horns (read Genesis 22:1-13).
Moriah, the tumultuous centerpiece of Jerusalem to this day, is where God directed David to the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, from whom he purchased the site. This would be the place where King David would not be allowed to build God a house because he had the blood of war on his hands. But it is where David’s son, Solomon, built the great temple of God (read 1 Chronicles 3).
This plateau on Jerusalem’s perimeter is where the Ark of the Covenant sat within the Holy of Holies. It is where the veil that separated man from God in the Jewish sacrificial system was torn in two from top to bottom by the hand of God. This occurred when His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for the sin of humankind—so people would forevermore have direct access to God the Father through the one mediator, the man Jesus Christ. This high place in the city of David is the most contested real estate on earth. It is scheduled to become such a cup of trembling that all nations of the world will be drawn to the Valley of Megiddo—Armageddon.
Lucifer couldn’t usurp God’s throne in Heaven, although He tried with all his might (see Isaiah 14). Moriah is the site where Satan will again try to usurp the throne of God—the Almighty’s earthly throne that is the Temple Mount, where the Ark once sat and where the King of all Kings will one day sit atop a supernaturally elevated Mount Zion.
We witness it daily, even hourly, through the news cycles. This real estate named Jerusalem provides the present impetus for the world’s call for a two-state solution to the conflict involving Israel and the Palestinians. It is supernatural, spiritual warfare that instigates hatreds in the region and particularly in this ancient city, which is mentioned more than any other in the Bible. Jerusalem is the trigger to Armageddon.
Efforts to divide this city and nation are relentless these days as we witness things going on with Israel and the international community of nations to bring peace to the Middle East, led by the US president. This excerpt makes the point that the Temple Mount is at the heart of the millennia-long dispute that causes perennial war in that volatile region.
Under the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty, Israel recognized Jordan’s “special role” in overseeing these [Temple Mount] religious sites, allowing the Waqf to manage daily operations, including access and religious activities, to preserve the Islamic character of the site.
The agreement prioritizes Muslim worship to maintain the Islamic character of al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and Israel enforces this by limiting non-Muslim religious activities to avoid escalating tensions.
The effect of the Israeli-Jordanian agreement has been disastrous for Jewish sovereignty. It concretized religious discrimination against Jews in the Jewish state, by the Jewish state, in the most sacred space in Judaism. Most Jews, and almost all Gentiles, assume that the Western Wall, a wall with no religious sanctity in Judaism, is the most sacred space for Jews. This is pure ignorance: The most sacred space has always been, is, and will always be the Temple Mount. (“Agreement on Temple Mount Pathetic Appeasement to Terrorism,” by Aliza Pilichowski, Israel News, The Jerusalem Post)
It is a spiritual, not a geophysical or geopolitical matter of satanic hatred that resides at the heart of the city God chose as His touchstone to humanity.
Jerusalem will be the nucleus of the covenant of false peace that will engulf the city, the Middle East, and all the world in a holocaust of God’s holy wrath and judgment. The world’s power-brokers elite will divide the city and, in God’s terminology, “divide My land.” The result will be to bring all nations into the battle of the Great Day of God Almighty.
“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3:1-2).
Of all the signals of these last of the last days, powerful issues surrounding Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount in particular are paramount. They constitute the trigger to Armageddon and Christ’s Second Advent.
The Rapture will preempt that time of cataclysm that will culminate at the last great battle. It is incumbent upon everyone who names the Name of Christ to get the Word out that there is safety from that horrendous time of judgment only in the Lord Jesus. You can be a part of that mission with your support of the Rapture Ready website ministry. And we thank you, our RR family, for that support, which is much-needed in this critical time while we see the approaching Tribulation–the Rapture of all believers—as imminent.
—Terry
Eternity Versus the Illusion of Normalcy
I have heard it said in many ways from both Christians and pastors. They say today is no different than any other previous period in history. They tell us that just like the past, the trends we bemoan will correct themselves. In other words, there’s no reason to think we live in the last days of human history.
In several ways, life has returned to more of a sense of normality since the lockdowns, business and church closures, and draconian restrictions of the COVID-19 era. Perhaps for many, this confirms their belief that our time is no different than any other of the past; normal always returns.
In America, this normality bias is especially strong. Even many believers plan their futures as though nothing will interfere with their distant aspirations. Their illusion of normalcy muffles the warning sirens loudly blaring all around them. “Things are not as bad as they seem,” they tell us, “we don’t share your pessimistic view of the future.” But does such optimism align with what the Bible says?
The Convergence of Signs Dispels Any Pretense of Normality
Yes, there have been times in history when immorality and lawlessness mirrored what we see today. The WWII era had many in that day thinking they were living in the last days; it was certainly a horrific and deadly time. For over a century, globalists have plotted world domination and population reduction. So, what makes today different?
It’s the great convergence of signs occurring at a time when Israel again exists as a nation.
Israel’s miraculous reemergence as a nation after two thousand years tells us by itself that we live at a time like no other. We are watching end-time prophecy unfold before our eyes as hostility toward the Jewish state and people rapidly intensifies throughout the world, just as the Bible said would happen in the last days. The nation’s fervor to build the third temple is also something the Bible said would occur. And we are watching that happen as well.
The convergence of a myriad of signs tells us the world will soon lose any pretense of normalcy. The nonstop threats of catastrophic wars and warnings of impending economic catastrophe point to the tragic conditions prophesied in Revelation 6:1-8. Lawlessness, government corruption, and deception are unlike anything I have seen in my life. The growing number and intensity of earthquakes and active volcanoes foretell the “birth pains” Jesus warned about in Matthew 24:3-8.
The murderous scheming of the globalists is nothing new. However, during the past decade, they have become remarkably transparent about their plans (although few are paying attention). A few years ago, they invited the press into a meeting where they openly discussed their plans for a one-world central bank digital currency (CBDC), something that will give them the domination they desire (and later fulfill the words of Revelation 13:16-18).
Yes, moral standards have been remarkably low at other times in world history, but has that ever coincided with a time of so much bloodshed? For example, the number of abortions worldwide during the past fifty years stands at over one billion. In America, that total exceeds sixty-two million. This alone tells us the world is living on borrowed time. How much longer before God says enough and intervenes (see Psalm 75:6-8)? I expected this to happen long ago.
There have been times in history, like today, that mirrored the days of Lot in terms of a blatant disregard for God’s moral standards. During other epochs, the world has experienced violence and bloodshed, perhaps reminiscent of Noah’s era. Today, however, we see both of them occurring at the same time and with an intensity that rivals any previous time, just as Jesus said would happen in the last days before His intervention in the world.
Even today’s illusion of normalcy fulfills prophecy, as it fits with the unawareness that Jesus warned would characterize the last days (see Matthew 24:36-39).
The convergence of biblical signs during the time of Israel’s miraculous reemergence and existence as a nation dispels any illusion that life will continue as it is for the foreseeable future.
The Comfort of Viewing Life from Eternity’s Vantage Point
Bible prophecy preserves my sanity. It’s my eternal focus that gives me peace amid the distressing headlines of our day. There’s no other way to make sense of all that’s happening in our world apart from what Scripture says about the future of this world. The only other alternative to an eternal perspective, if one wishes to remain sane, is to ignore the chaos and chase after the illusion of normality.
This focus also comforts us in our daily lives amid its many ups and downs. A few days ago, this quote from Paul David Tripp resonated deeply within me: “Without eternity in the center of our thinking, our picture of life is like a jigsaw puzzle missing a central piece.” The Apostle Paul put it like this, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19). It’s what happens when Jesus appears that puts everything in this life into its proper place (see 1 Corinthians 15:47-55 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11).
Don’t fall for the illusion of normalcy. We surely live in biblical times; the trends toward more lawlessness, corruption, deception, and violence will continue. But take heart: this all means Jesus is coming for us sometime soon.
It’s our anticipation of His appearing that keeps our hope of eternity alive in our hearts and enables us to view life from the perspective of 2 Corinthians 4:17-18:
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Maranatha!!
-Jonathan