The Prophetic Wind Swirling Around Israel :: By Bill Wilson

Published on: by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles

There is a prophetic wind swirling around Israel as we witness the ancient words of holy scripture playing out in historic fashion.

Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11 is the Torah portion called Va’etchanan, and it is read following the fast of Tisha B’Av, which began August 12th this year at sundown and continued until an hour after sundown on August 13th. Tishah B’Av is the saddest day of the Jewish year because it was on that date that the Sin of the Spies occurred, and both Temples were destroyed–among other national tragedies. Currently, Israel faces terrorist wars from Hamas, Hezbollah, and others sponsored and/or supported by prophetic end-times nations Iran (Persia) and Turkey.

Moses warned the people not to fall into idolatry, for as Deuteronomy 4:24 says, “ADONAI God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” This is repeated in Hebrews 12:29. Moses predicted that the people would serve other gods and enter into exile but that the LORD would have compassion on them when they repent.

Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy 4:30-31, “In your distress, when all these things have come upon you, in the acharit-hayamim (end of days), you will return to ADONAI your God and listen to what he says; for ADONAI your God is a merciful God.”

Notice that Moses says that the mercy of God will restore Israel in the latter days when they are in distress—tribulation.

Tribulation for Israel in the end times is also prophesied by the prophets Daniel, Jeremiah, and Zechariah.

Daniel 9:26 says, “…and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”

Zechariah 14:2-3 says, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations.”

Jeremiah 30:7: “…it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.”

This all aligns with the Matthew 24:21 prophecy of Jesus concerning Israel’s troubles in the latter days: “For there will be trouble then worse than there has ever been from the beginning of the world until now, and there will be nothing like it again.”

But that is not the end, for there is hope. Jesus says of Israel in Luke 13:35, “See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Jesus was quoting Psalm 118:26. It was the way people of that day were taught to welcome the Messiah. And when that time comes, the people of Israel will cry out to their Messiah, and He will deliver them.

Prophecy is often fulfilled in layers, and we may be witnessing the very events leading to the end of days.

Posted in The Daily Jot

Understanding the Times :: By Angel Torres

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles

One of my favorite pieces of literature from the library – that is, church history – was supposedly penned by a hymn writer named Ephraim the Syrian. A sermon attributed to him, On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World, testifies to an important truth first revealed in God’s inspired Word:

“And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment” (1 Chronicles 12:32 KJV; emphasis added).

For context, 1 Chronicles 12 is a record of the men who flocked to join David’s army and support him as the rightful king of Israel. The children of Issachar were noted as being men who had understanding of the times, a quality that the Lord Jesus taught believers to have as well:

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36 KJV).

While the sons of Issachar possessed a right understanding of the political and spiritual climate of Israel, we have been commanded by the Lord to watch for His imminent return.

Ephraim the Syrian (or perhaps someone writing in his name) understood this biblical teaching. In that aforementioned sermon, we read the following exhortation:

“And so, brothers most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of the world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord.”

Clearly, Ephraim believed that the Lord’s coming was near. The imagery he used demonstrated such knowledge. But this wasn’t intended to just be information that stuck in his listeners’ heads without moving their hearts, hands, and feet:

“Why therefore do we not reject every care of worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms all the world?”

My brothers and sisters, it can be easy to fix our minds on worldly business and the anxieties that affect us on a daily basis. It’s not sinful to be concerned about matters that affect our lives and the lives of our families. We mustn’t lose sight of what is on the horizon, however.

As Ephraim stated, we should be concerned most of all with preparing ourselves to meet the One who made us and saved us. I hope and pray that these words from our forefather in the faith will challenge and encourage us to live in light of what is to come!

Source:

https://orthochristian.com/101157.html