General Articles

Prophetic Roaring in Israel :: By Terry James

Published on: by RR10

Words of prophecy spoken by Jesus have special significance. He is God, the Second Person of the Godhead who spoke all that is into existence. He is the power that holds together all that was created. For Him and by Him all things were made.

How can any mortal even begin to comprehend the infinite power that flung the stars against that black, velvet curtain that separates our earthly abode from the eternal realm of Christ’s majesty?

So when we consider the words spoken by Jesus, we must understand they’re not mere utterances. His words are so profound, so powerful, that they have meaning above and beyond all others.

This isn’t to say other prophets and their prophecies throughout the Bible are less than 100 percent the Word of God. I only mean that words spoken by Jesus Christ should be considered of elevated importance. For example, we should pay extra attention to His words of prophecy while we consider them in light of issues and events we see unfolding in these days.

I preface with these words because I believe we might be witnessing the particular manifestation of Christ’s foretelling in a very specific way.

The Lord’s words I’m writing about involve an area of prophecy we’ve looked at many times:

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:25).

Although we could point to tremendous signals involving the first two prophetic indicators Jesus gives here, the third sign is relevant for this exploration: “the seas and waves” will be “roaring.”

We begin by emphasizing that the number-one signal in all of Bible prophecy is front and center; Israel is the first and foremost matter to consider. God’s chosen nation is, as we say, God’s prophetic clock. That timepiece has never been more central to determining where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline than at this moment.

Thus, it is prudent to look at what’s happening at present in Israel. That is, it’s wise to think on the Jewish state in terms of “the seas and waves roaring” that Jesus said will mark the end of the age.

Again, keep in mind our preface–that Jesus’ words are worthy of above-and-beyond consideration because He is God. Therefore, I suggest we must think on Israel and its present turmoil in light of our Lord’s exhortation to “watch.” We should watch carefully the chaos being fomented by satanic forces through the powerful indicator given us by the greatest of all prophets. We should ask the question while watching developments whether “the seas and waves roaring” today in Israel have profound meaning for just how near we are to the Rapture of the Church and the unfolding of the Tribulation.

Many consider the “seas and waves roaring” to indicate the literal seas and waves—the physical creation—roaring, as in destructive weather events. However, those who look more deeply conclude that the phrase alludes to people being in uproar. In other words, the prophecy is saying “seas” of people will be in chaos.

Jesus’ words, therefore, speak of a specific time of powerful turmoil that is beyond the ordinary turbulence experienced throughout history. It is therefore not out of the realm of likelihood, in my view, that Jesus was here telling about a time of uproar not only involving people of the world in general, but more specifically of an uproar within God’s prophetic timepiece, Israel.

Israel is experiencing tremendous upheaval at the moment, as we learn from hourly reports coming across the spectrum of media. Here’s one example:

Hundreds of thousands of protestors took part in the 12th series of protest rallies on Saturday night, with around 200,000 protestors gathered in Tel Aviv, closing roads, waving flags, and carrying signs.

Protest leaders estimated that more than 630,000 people attended rallies across the country this Saturday.

During the main protest event, an announcement was made about Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, calling for a pause to the judicial reforms to allow for negotiations. As a member of the Likud party, Gallant’s call received mixed reactions, including support from four other Likud members and the opposition, while being criticized by key government figures.

While many protestors cheered the announcement, protest leader Shikma Bressler reacted by saying, “We demand that the entire legislative package be scrapped.”

After thousands streamed onto the Ayalon Highway, blocking it for hours, police used water cannons to disperse protestors from the highway, detaining about 30 individuals.

Several dozen counter-protestors also turned out in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, many holding signs which read: “We are the majority, you are the minority.”

Hundreds of protestors blocked a main highway, Route 65, in northern Israel, with police detaining some individuals for disorderly conduct after they threw flares and blocked a busy junction. (“Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protest against governments judicial reforms in 12th week of rallies—Protests followed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to London,” All Israel News Staff, March 26, 2023)

A report from one Christian Jew, a top reporter with a Christian ministry and who lives in Israel, said he, for the first time ever, thought of leaving the nation because of the powerful forces at work. He instead is depending on the Lord’s direction and is staying.

Those powerful forces are the same that are fomenting chaos across the world. It shouldn’t surprise us that Satan is especially in attack mode as his time is getting short to do his devilish work.

We can, I’m convicted, look for greatly ramped-up assaults by the Ephesians 6:12 minions against Israel. Look for the “seas and waves,” instigated by the likes of the globalists and other Luciferian forces, to grow into an ever-increasing “roar.”

This all means that Jesus, the greatest of all prophets and our Blessed Hope, is soon going to step onto the clouds of glory and shout: “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:2).

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Revealed in the Upper Room: The Church :: By Paul J. Scharf

Published on: by RR10

As we’ve entered into Palm Sunday and Passion Week, it is appropriate that we focus our attention on the discourse that Jesus gave His disciples in the Upper Room—most of it after Judas left (John 13:30)—on the night before His death.

I asserted in the previous installment that Jesus took this opportunity to reveal many new truths associated with the church age to His apostles.

After all, it was these men who would become “the foundation” (Eph. 2:20) for the church. He was giving them advanced and intensive training in a realm that was brand new to them, and, amazingly, He was doing it at the most difficult time they had ever experienced in their lives.

It seems only natural that Christ would be thinking about the church during these moments, for He knew that within hours He would be going to the cross to die, bringing life to His church through His own crucifixion (see Eph. 5:25).

We remember that Jesus had given His disciples the first hints about this new church dispensation in Matt. 16:18 and 18:15-17. But here, in the Upper Room, He went far beyond that and spoke of the coming of a new era in God’s superintendence over the world—and gave that era a starting point (“at that day,” John 14:20). Then, He went on to speak about several features that would characterize this new dispensation, which we know as the church age.

Here are some of the astonishing things that Jesus revealed about this impending time as He spoke to His disciples:

  • There would be “a new commandment” (John 13:34) in place—evidencing a transition to a new dispensation with regard to law.
  • The disciples’ ministry focus would transition from following Jesus physically through Israel to leading a worldwide outreach, which they most certainly could not yet comprehend (John 14:12-14; 15:16).
  • There would soon be this new “day” (John 14:20), namely Pentecost Sunday, which would usher in a greater level of understanding for the disciples. This would only be possible because of the arrival of “the Helper” (John 14:26; 15:26).
  • This “day” would also involve a change of status for the apostles, who would be placed “in” Christ (John 14:20)—an introduction to the concept of “the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:27).
  • The disciples would now realize a different type of connection to Christ. Up to this point, they had followed Him physically. But now they would be united to Him spiritually (John 15:1-8), and their commitment must rise to an entirely different level. This again could only be accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit, who would empower them in a completely new way, by indwelling (John 14:17-18).
  • The disciples would face an unprecedented level of opposition in their new ministries (John 15:18-21; 16:2).
  • The disciples’ focus would involve conveying a “witness” regarding their time “with” Christ (John 15:27).
  • This new dispensation would be marked by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8-11).

Taken by themselves, these principles do not provide a comprehensive view of the coming church age. Looking back at them with the benefit of the completed revelation of the New Testament, however, we recognize how foundational and significant they are. They function somewhat like markers that guide us—that would have initially guided these apostles—through this new economy of the church.

Early on in this discourse, Jesus had taken His disciples straight to the end of the church age, revealing the rapture to them. He gave more general information about the structure of the church age throughout the four chapters that record His discourse.

But in order to carry out their new assignment, these disciples would need supernatural energy and encouragement—and much more intricate direction. And Jesus covered those topics, as well. In fact, He brought them together in a beautiful and reassuring fashion when He told them of “the Spirit of truth,” who was promised to “guide (them) into all truth” (John 16:13).

So, we will conclude this series next time by thinking about these closely intertwined subjects—the new ministry of the Holy Spirit and the new truths that He would use the apostles to communicate, which would govern God’s people throughout the entire age of the church.

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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.