260624 Middle-east post 01

Israel today is under attack today by anti-God forces. These forces opposed to Israel are under the control of satan who hates the true God with great intensity. It is my contention that we are in the end-times of this world as we know it, and that these middle-east conflicts are but the beginning of the time of Jacob’s trouble as foretold in Jeremiah 30:6-9. If so, then the middle-east conflict will just continue to grow and expand to eventually take in the whole world in a final war that will end with Armageddon when Christ the Messiah returns to destroy the enemies of His people. There is so much that can be said about this time, so much that it would take a large volume to explain it all. I will commence today by merely setting out some initial points to ponder. More detailed discussions will follow on in further posts.

Israel has always been God’s chosen nation, promised by an everlasting covenant between God and Abraham (Genesis 17:1-8). That is, unless God has told a lie, the Abrahamic covenant remains in place; it will never be annulled nor altered in any way. (And God will never lie Numbers 23:19.) One day Israel will indeed be God’s people forever, and He will be their God forever (Ezekiel 37:21-28). One day Israel will be free from sin with everlasting righteousness granted to them; that is, they will be one day without sin forever (Daniel 9:24). All this is by promise of sovereign God who never lies and always keeps His promises.

Therefore today, while Israel may seem to be facing the prospect of being wiped out, God has promised that they will be His people forever. This guarantees their eternal existence in the face of all those who would seek to destroy them. Israel was granted a timeline in Daniel 9:24-27, a timeline that stopped seven years short of their eternal redemption when they rejected their Messiah; when He came they refused to know Him (John 1:11). Consequently Israel was sidelined for their unbelief. Thus the gentile (non-Jewish) Church was brought into existence to be God’s people, to bring salvation to the world. But one day the Church will be fulfilled (completed their calling), after which Israel will once again become God’s people to bring salvation to the world. Soon the Church will be taken away in an event known as the Rapture (= the snatching away) (Romans 11:25-27) and Israel’s final seven years will begin the countdown to Armageddon and the return of their Messiah.

We are now approaching the end of the Church today to make way for Israel to take over once again the task of being God’s ministry people. The people of satan, the avowed enemy of God and Israel, are combing to try and destroy Israel before she reaches the end of her final seven years. Jeremiah called this the time of Jacob’s trouble, a time of tribulation and affliction far worse that Israel has ever experienced before (Matthew 24:21). All those who oppose Israel will be destroyed and Israel will go into Christ’s millennial reign of peace under the rule of their Messiah.

More on this next post.