From Zechariah’s “Cup of Trembling” to Trump’s “Board of Peace”

Prophetic progression has suddenly accelerated, but not exactly in the direction many Bible prophecy “watchers on the wall”—including yours truly—anticipated.

For a number of years, we’ve heard Israel is prophetically destined to be the victim of an attack from its immediately surrounding enemies. This is termed the “Psalm 83 war.” I have tried to see this threat in order to agree with many of my colleagues who propose that passage is about a literal military assault on the verge of taking place.

But I have continued to maintain that the Psalm 83 matter is an imprecatory prayer by God’s chosen people, Israel, pleading for God’s retribution against the enemies who have bedeviled the nation throughout the millennia. I continue to hold this view. Specifically, I believe it is a prayer that will be answered when the Lord destroys all but one-sixth of the Gog-Magog force that attacks (as recorded in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39).

Could I be wrong? Yes. The “prophecy” can be interpreted either way. I believe, however, that my view is correct based upon surrounding context. And I believe recent developments pointing to unfolding events regarding Israel and its surrounding nation-antagonists give further evidence that my view is likely correct.

Zechariah the prophet, as recorded in chapter 12 of the book with his name, said Israel will become “a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone” to the whole world. And, certainly, we’ve watched that condition developing, especially since Israel’s rebirth into modernity in 1948.

Israel was attacked from the moment of that rebirth. America’s President Harry S. Truman recognized the new Jewish state on behalf of America and the prophecy that it would again be a nation–and one born in a day.

Despite overwhelming odds of survival against relentless attacks by forces much larger than its own, Israel remained standing when the smoke cleared. The nation was attacked in overwhelming numbers by surrounding enemies in 1967 and 1973, and again its enemies were routed.

God said Israel would be His chosen nation forever. His promise has not failed. But the modern buildup against the Jewish state has been quite powerful in these days during which we see so many other circumstances and events setting the stage for prophetic fulfillment to take place. Zechariah’s prediction that Israel will become a “cup of trembling and a burdensome stone” for the world of nation-states certainly fits this time in which we find ourselves. Practically every country in the UN views Israel as a problem and votes against the Jewish state at every opportunity.

The nation chosen by God to be His own has continued to face down bitter enemies, both near and far.

Iran, the area of ancient Persia, has been its most directly threatening enemy. We all witnessed the buildup of Iran’s nuclear program—and its obliteration, with the help of America dropping the massive ordnance into Iran’s mountainous nuclear-weapons facilities. The entire time, there was a sense of that “trembling” Zechariah predicted. But with the success of destroying Iran’s weapons-development facilities came a strange change—not only within Iran, which was forced to acquiesce to the demands of Israel and America, but a change of attitude and comportment, almost immediately, within the leadership of all of Israel’s surrounding Arab-Islamic neighboring states. Middle Eastern States, most of which had great numbers within those nations, were shouting “death to Israel” and “death to America!”

So, have we seen Zechariah’s “cup of trembling and burdensome stone” prophecy fulfilled? I believe we have seen the first, perhaps, of several stages of that prophecy fulfilled. But more is to come. We know that because of the Gog-Magog assault that is yet to come.

What I find most fascinating is that Zechariah 12 seems to be setting the world up for an even greater “cup of trembling,” that of a prophetic fulfillment that will truly cause all nations that have come against God’s chosen people to be “cut to pieces,” as Zechariah also prophesied.

“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” (Zechariah 12:3).

We have watched within a week or two President Donald Trump perform what almost might be called a geopolitical/historical miracle. He has managed to gather most all of Israel’s enemy neighbors into a peace corral, of sorts. Those leaders who have perennially attacked Israel with a collective passion flowing from an eon of hate-filled rage are suddenly praising Trump’s efforts and are totally aboard the twenty-point peace plan, under what Trump terms the “Board of Peace.”

I always considered the prophecy Paul gave in his epistle to the Corinthians exclusively a cry for peace because of the fear of nuclear war that would bring worldwide destruction. Here is that prophecy:

“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

The fear of nuclear war—of worldwide destruction—will no doubt cause a future “cry for peace and safety,” as Paul predicted. However, we might be witnessing the first stage of this prophecy being set up for fulfillment.

The sudden climbing upon the Trump Board of Peace train by Israel’s blood-drenched, avowed enemies is not a “cry for peace and safety” out of fear of worldwide nuclear war, as I view this profound effort for Middle East peace led by the American president (a president, incidentally, the entire nation of Israel is cheering as a reincarnation of Cyrus the Great).

To my way of looking at this phenomenal turn of events, this is not a fear-engendered cry for peace, but rather a jubilant expression that now we have a real and—as Mr. Trump proclaims—everlasting peace.

This current “cry for peace and safety” smacks, perhaps, of the moment Paul referred to: the moment sudden destruction comes and those left behind will not escape.

Whatever the case, we know it is a sudden and strange turn of events, this peace that defies millennia of failed efforts to achieve. It is, to me, one of the most powerful newly developing indicators of how near this generation must be to the Rapture.

Here again is how to not miss that great event and be left behind to face the “sudden destruction” that, according to Jesus, will then befall those who cannot escape:

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

—Terry

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Signs In Unexpected Places

As the time of Jesus’ appearing approaches, our understanding of Bible prophecy continues to grow.

For example, we have much greater clarity today regarding the mark of the beast (see Revelation 13:16-18). The combination of technical advances in the following areas during the past twenty years not only makes it possible for one man, antichrist, to control worldwide buying and selling, but also increases its likelihood of happening in the not-too-distant future:

• 5G cellular technology that may increase to 6G.
• The creation of gigantic databases.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

Other biblical signs of the times are popping up in unexpected places.

The Many

For several years, one word in particular from Daniel 9:27 puzzled me:

“And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” (emphasis added)

It’s clear from the context, as well as from Isaiah 28:14-18, that this “covenant” will include the nation of Israel. But why the reference to the “many”? One clue from the text and another from just a few weeks ago might just explain it.

In the Hebrew, the sense of “make a strong covenant” is that of taking an existing agreement and making it better. This suggests that the antichrist will use an existing framework and strengthen it when he puts in place the agreement referred to in Daniel 9:27.

The other clue comes from the deal that recently sought to end the Gazan War. President Donald Trump included many other nations in his peace initiative as a way to make it more appealing to both sides. Please know I am not saying President Trump is the antichrist or that this deal is not the one referenced in the above verse. We will not be here when the antichrist inks this deal. But is it not possible that the antichrist will copy the current arrangement when he makes his deal? Just this past week, Vice President JD Vance said the current peace accord with Hamas would serve as a model for future peace agreements in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The Witnesses

In Acts 1:8, Jesus gave this command to His followers:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The church began in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost and spread to the entire world, just as Jesus instructed. In recent years, and in particular after the massacre of October 7, 2023, many are boldly proclaiming the Gospel message in the city of Zion. In recent Understanding the Times broadcasts, Davie Tal, former Israeli Army officer and prophecy expert, described the many ways that Israelis are hearing the good news.

I am also aware of other ministries, such as The Joshua Fund, founded by Joel Rosenberg, actively witnessing for Jesus in Jerusalem and the rest of Israel as charitable organizations.

Why is this prophetically significant?

First, we know that the remnant of Jewish people who survive the Tribulation will turn to Jesus shortly before He returns (Zechariah 12:10-13:1). They will recognize Him as their Messiah amid much weeping and repentance. Having escaped the antichrist’s terrors, they will realize their mistake in trusting this charlatan and turn to Jesus.

In Matthew 23:37-39, Jesus spoke of the day when the residents of Jerusalem, the Jewish people, would welcome Him with shouts of “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” I believe the impact of active Christian ministries in Israel is already preparing the Jewish people for what will happen at the end of the Tribulation (although many are already turning to the Savior).

Second, the presence of the two witnesses, recorded in Revelation 11:4-13, tells us something will change between now and when they begin their ministry during the first half of the Tribulation. Because the Lord charged His church with the task of being His witnesses in Jerusalem, the presence of other witnesses in Jerusalem signifies the absence of the church at this time.

The transfer of the Acts 1:8 mission from the church to these two witnesses in Jerusalem strongly supports a pre-Tribulation Rapture.

The Lie

In 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, Paul wrote that during the Day of the Lord, God would send a “strong delusion” among those who refuse to “believe the truth” so they would “believe what is false.” What might be the lie that many will believe after the Rapture?

In recent years, speculation has grown among students of Bible prophecy that the elite of the world will explain the disappearance of so many as an alien abduction. As possible verification of this, the claims of UFO sightings have grown from that of small mobile aircraft to that of gigantic alien vessels. Much speculation exists regarding 3I/Atlas, which has a width of up to seven miles. It’s unusual nature has many people speculating that it’s not a comet, but rather an enormous alien spacecraft.

Its gigantic size would accommodate the disappearance of a great many people. 3I/Atlas, and other similar large alien vessels receiving much speculation in our day, would make a suitable alternative to the truth regarding the Rapture. And based on what I read on social media and elsewhere, many would believe such a lie.

When we add these things to the multitude of other signs of the approaching Tribulation, we recognize today for what it is: the season of Jesus’ appearing to take us home. We do not know when the Rapture will occur, but if ever there was a time to eagerly watch for it, this is it!

-Jonathan

The Visitation

One solitary birth is the basis upon which the future hangs for every person who enters this mortal realm we call planet Earth. How each man, woman, and child who has reached an age to understand the salvation issue views this visitation determines where their home will be for eternity.

Many believe Jesus was sent by God to show us how to live a good life. Some believe He was a great prophet and teacher. Others believe He was a philosopher, right up there with Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the rest. A few among the billions who have lived since His birth have believed Jesus is the Son of God, but perhaps one among others of a created angelic order assigned to influence the affairs of humankind. Still fewer believe He was who He claimed to be–the Only Begotten Son of God; the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

No birth of any individual has ever caused the excitement and controversy that the birth of Jesus has engendered. Was this baby a stranger of an otherworldly order, sent to Earth to provide moral guidance? Was Jesus sent to philosophize on the ups and downs of the human existence? Or was this visitation something more?

Jesus came into the world through the Jewish race. Only those who are inalterably antagonistic to the truth of history will argue against that. So, we should examine this birth–this visitation—through the prism of Israel and its dealings with Jesus.

Although there are other histories about the era, the Bible’s historical account has, through archeological unveilings, proven time after time to be accurate in details concerning matters surrounding Jesus, the Jews, and Israel. (One such example is the relatively recent discovery of artifacts and evidence that someone called Pontius Pilate ruled the area of Judea during the times attributed to Jesus’ crucifixion. Until the discovery some years ago, Pilate’s existence was seriously doubted, even denied, by many historians.)

We can know the accuracy of how Israel–the religious Jews in particular—dealt with Jesus. We can know with assurance that He performed miracles and claimed to be God, Himself, by using the Bible’s documented veracity as proof that Jesus was born exactly as foretold in detail by Old Testament prophets. These Jewish religious leaders’ treatment of Christ’s first coming as a baby lays groundwork for understanding what that visitation means to the souls of all humankind. Understanding that will also help frame the importance of how each of us views Christ’s prophesied Second Advent.

Tragically, the pious Jewish leaders refused to accept that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah sent from Jehovah to be their King and Savior. They rejected Him despite the precise prophecies He fulfilled in His coming and His ministry. They chose to have Rome rather than Jesus rule over them. As our headlines attest, the results of their rejection continue to reverberate, not only in the Holy Land, but throughout the entire world. Armageddon is building, its nucleus grounded in satanic rage against God’s chosen people.

Jesus wept over God’s people of Israel and the city Jerusalem. He saw times ahead that would eventuate in calamity for them:

“And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation” (Luke 19:41-44).

Christ’s first visitation was ignored and scoffed at by the religious leaders of the time. Their choice was their own way rather than God’s way. Each preferred to do what was right in his own eyes. True to Jesus’ prophecy, Jerusalem was laid waste, the Temple was destroyed, and the Jews were scattered to every part of the world. Genocide was committed against them to the point that their very existence as a race was threatened.

Israel continues to pay the price. Anti-Semitism is growing in Europe and around the world. The nation is becoming marginalized, just as the prophet warned in Zechariah chapters 12 and 14.

But a bright day is coming for those who accept the Messiah’s second visitation. Paul the apostle warned believers not to feel superior to Jews. He forecast a time when Israel would shine among the nations:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25).

God foretold, again through the prophet Zechariah, that believing Israel will yet recognize the Lord Jesus upon His second visitation to the Earth:

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).

The Apostle Paul said:

“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob” (Romans 11:26).

A parallel can be drawn between the ecclesiastical Jewish leaders of the time of Jesus’ first visitation and many among mainstream evangelical clergy today. Neither group has considered prophecies of Christ’s coming as relevant to their times. Their attitude is akin to the one described by the Apostle Peter:

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).

This sin-darkened sphere is on the brink of another visitation. Unlike the first, when He came as a humble Baby, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, He will come the next time as the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords. Let us who claim Christ as Savior heed His words about His coming again. The first phase of that Second Coming will be unannounced, and in the twinkling of an eye–the Rapture!

“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13:35-37).

—Terry

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Peace or a Prelude to War

As I write, Israel celebrates the return of twenty living hostages who appear to be in fairly good health. But does this mark the end of the Gazan War or even of hostilities in the Middle East?

In one of his speeches celebrating the deal with Hamas, President Trump proclaimed the Gazan War “is over!” Later in the day, he said, “Let’s call it eternal peace in the Middle East.”

Is His optimism for lasting peace in the Middle East overblown? It is.

Several reports on Telegram quote Hamas as saying it will not disarm nor give up control of Gaza as required in the plan initiated by President Trump. He has issued severe warnings to Hamas if it does not abide by the terms of the agreement. And what about the threat from Iran?

I do not know what might happen between the time I finish this article and you read it, but I know what the Bible says about the time between now and Jesus’ Second Coming, and it isn’t peace in the Middle East or anywhere else in our world.

The Matter of “Sudden Destruction”

The elite powerbrokers of our world have been saying “peace and security” for several years. These words have become their mantra as they constantly repeat them in their speeches and agreements aimed at settling disputes, particularly those that concern Israel. This obsession partially fulfills the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3:

“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (vv.1-3).

As for people saying, “There is peace and security,” we are there. The arrival of the “sudden destruction,” which will mark the start of the Day of the Lord, has not yet happened. As New Testament saints, we won’t know that this has occurred until we are in the air. That’s because the Lord promises us, through the words of His apostle, deliverance via the Rapture from this future time of wrath upon the earth (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).

Jesus Said

When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age and the signs of His return to the earth, He included these words in His response:

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24:6-18).

Just like “birth pains,” Jesus said increased warfare and “rumors of wars” would characterize the era leading up to His return to the earth. This is already happening, and it will only get worse, not better. As for the war in Gaza, if Hamas carries through on its threats, it will flare up again with perhaps a greater intensity. If Iran continues on its path to acquire nuclear weapons, it will lead to a major war.

After Jesus opens the first four seals (see Revelation 6:1-8), the worst wars in the history of humanity will occur. Regardless of the intent of those proclaiming, “peace and security,” it’s just an illusion. Based on Jesus’ own words and those He revealed through the Apostle John, lasting peace will never happen until the Prince of Peace returns to the planet.

Only Jesus Will Bring Peace to the Middle East

I believe President Donald Trump genuinely desires to lead the way for the establishment of peace in the Middle East. Perhaps, like other presidents before him, he wants this as his legacy. Maybe he has other motivations.

Scripture, however, tells us that only Jesus will establish permanent peace between Israel and its adversaries, and that will not happen until He returns to the earth after the seven-year Tribulation.

The prophetic words of Psalm 46:8-10 describe the era of peace that will ensue with Jesus’ return:

“Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!’”

Jesus will fulfill these words at His coming. He alone will deliver Israel from the terrors of antichrist. He alone will end all warfare on the earth during His reign. Until then, the Middle East will remain a hotbed of conflict, and wars will continue.

Any period of Middle East peace in the coming weeks or months will only be a temporary respite in the Satan-inspired hostility toward Israel and the Jewish people. Until the day Jesus rules over the nations of earth, the world’s refrain of “peace and security” will remain an illusion, a bubble soon to burst.

As for us, as New Testament saints, our expectation is that of meeting Jesus in the air. I pray that it happens soon. Maranatha!!

-Jonathan