DO NOT BE TROUBLED
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Matthew 24: 3-8
This week all eyes have been on Florida and the Caribbean Islands which were hit by the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, Hurricane Irma. Around 6.5 million residents were under evacuation orders in Florida and the roads out of the State were clogged with fleeing people. The Hurricane has now passed leaving behind a trail of lost and disrupted lives, and destroyed property. Close on the tail of Irma another hurricane, Hurricane Jose, was gathering strength in the Atlantic. Though not as powerful as Irma, it was feared that Jose could be just as destructive if it brushed the Caribbean Islands or Florida, because of the damage already inflicted in those areas. It now appears to be unlikely it will make landfall. At the same time as Irma struck Florida, wildfires raged out of control in California, and a huge earthquake, measuring 8.2, struck Mexico and causing many deaths and the destruction of many buildings. In the Indian subcontinent monsoon rains continue to flood large areas leaving around 6 million people without shelter, clean water, food or medical supplies. This is a much greater humanitarian disaster than that in Florida and the Carribean because these poor countries do not have the resources to rescue the trapped, feed and bring water and medical care to those who have been made homeless, much less to rebuild those homes destroyed. In addition, around half a million Rohingya people have reached Pakistan fleeing the wholesale destruction of their villages as the Myanmar government carries out reprisals that are amounting to genocide or ethnic cleansing. Meanwhile, back in the USA, Texans are busy cleaning up and trying to restore their normal lives following the unprecedented floods caused by Hurricane Harvey. As if all this were not enough, the rogue nation, North Korea, continues to escalate tensions with the USA and neighboring countries, in a scenario that could easily lead to world war. In Iraq and Syria ISIS continues to be driven out as Iran and its proxies, supported by Russia, continue to increase power and threaten the stability of the Middle East.
In the face of so many natural and man-made disasters, it is perhaps natural to try and understand their spiritual significance. God does judge nations by means of natural disasters and wars, and the Bible is full of examples where this clearly occurred in the past and there are also many prophecies of such judgments in the future. For more on this see the excerpt below *. There are some who suggest that the recent natural disasters afflicting the United States are God's judgment resulting from Trump's failure to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, as he promised to do (1). I don't know if this is so, but it never hurts to consider some national 'soul searching' when disasters strike.
I cannot deny that it does seem somehow significant that so many things are shaking the world right now, and I have no doubt in my heart that we are rapidly approaching the end times and the disasters and wars predicted to precede the return of the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), and the final redemption. I do however hesitate to get over-excited about theories, prophecies and speculations relating to these events. Yeshua himself warned us not to be easily shaken by such reports. It is especially in times of chaos and trouble that we who are of the Kingdom of God need to stand strong and stable and sensible. We are called to be lights in the darkness. We cannot help the people around us if we fall into hysteria and panic. Rash predictions of the imminent return of Yeshua prompted by astronomical events and natural disasters have brought much scorn and ridicule upon the body of Christ in the past. We need to be careful to measure these things against Scripture, and pray diligently for the Lord to give us true understanding. So what should our response to the events of our time be?
First, we need to draw close to God. We need to shine as beacons of faith and hope for all the people around. God is in control and nothing on this Earth happens outside of his Will. Even all the suffering and loss is for a purpose and ultimately will work out for good. We must stand firm in this belief.
We also need to get our priorities right. How tightly do we hold on to our possessions? Are we ready to let them go? How tightly do we hold on to our lives? Are we ready to sacrifice our very lives for others? Perhaps these events are a call for us to re-evaluate the depth and reality of our faith. Jesus warned us that at the end we will face severe persecution and many will be martyred:
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24: 9-14
Jesus also warned us that love will grow cold. It is therefore time to stir up love for one another. As troubles grow we will need to help and support one another more and more. How ready are we to do that?
We need to beware of deception. We need to know the Word of God to counter to false prophets and teachers that are already in our midst. We need to have acute spiritual discernment to distinguish between true miracles and prophecies and those false ones worked by Satan.
Matthew 24: 23-24
Finally we need to be good and wise servants, going about our God-given tasks as He requires, faithful and steady:
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
Matthew 24: 45-46
Whatever our circumstances there are times of difficulty and trial and always at such times we can draw on the comfort of thanksgiving, praise and prayer. Here is a beautiful song, which is also a prayer for difficult times, sung by Sarit Hadad, one of Israel's most popular singers. The title means, "Hear O Israel, when the heart cries".
https://youtu.be/BVGVuyAnLTI
Some News from Israel
While all eyes have been on world events lately, Israel has been deceptively tranquil. The children enjoyed their summer vacation and are now back at school. The weather has been unusually hot with max. daytime temps never dropping below 30 Celsius for the last two months but we have not had any very unpleasant heatwaves, as yet anyway. This incessant heat following a drier than normal winter in the north has led to a serious drought situation. Over the last four years, rainfall has been far below average and the Water Authority says that ' this year appears to be one of the worst and most difficult years for the country's water resources' (2). The water desalination plants ensure the availability of drinking water but agriculture and natural ecosystems are being seriously affected. The Sea of Galilee is reaching new lows increasing the risk of upwelling of saline springs, and the Dead Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate, also increasing the occurrence of sinkholes which threaten settlements, hotels and roads in the area.
This sign used to be on the water's edge of the Dead Sea. Now the water is barely visible as the light blue line under the hills on the other side. This photo was taken in 2013 and the sea has receded even further since then.
Please pray for a good rainy season this winter in Israel to replenish our lakes, aquifers and reservoirs, and also to water the forests and natural areas. The rains can start any time from September to December so now is the time to pray. Traditionally Jews begin to recite the prayer for rain on Shemini Atzeret, the last day of the Succot holiday, and this year it begins at sundown on the 11th of October. Observant Jews continue to pray for rain three times a day, every day, until the first day of Passover when they begin the prayers for dew, which sustains life through the rainless summer months. Without the rain and dew life in Israel would be impossible. Please pray for good rains in Israel this winter.
Israel lies at the conjunction of three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa. This means that we have a varied and fascinating flora and fauna. One of my favorite Israeli animals is the tiny, endangered sand cat. I have never had the privilege of seeing these secretive, nocturnal cats in the wild but did see one once in the wild animal hospital in Tel Aviv. 'Cute' is an understatement. Recently the staff of the Ramat Gan Safari Park got a wonderful surprise when a female sand cat unexpectedly gave birth to three healthy kittens. You can see photos and a video of the kittens on the link below (3).
One of the main threats to our wildlife here is the spreading human population which destroys much wildlife habitat. Israel's population is now around 8.6 million, a 10 fold increase since the founding of the State in 1948. Immigration continues and Israel has one of the highest birth rates of any developed country, and now stands at 3.1 births for every Jewish woman (4). Estimates predict that Israel will double its current population by 2030. Already the country is bursting at its seams and, in spite of frantic building projects, housing is in short supply, pushing prices to impossible levels. Urban sprawl is eating up agricultural land and wildlife habitat. This is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, which says,
“For your waste and desolate places,
And the land of your destruction,
Will even now be too small for the inhabitants;
And those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20
The children you will have,
After you have lost the others,
Will say again in your ears,
‘The place is too small for me;
Give me a place where I may dwell."
Isaiah 49: 19-20
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| Israel's 'national bird' - the crane!!! https://cdnph.upi.com/svc/sv/upi/1341472734482/2016/1/c5366bd64c2afdafd351f494b00082a7/White-House-Israel-settlement-expansion-serious-threat-to-2-state-solution.jpg |
Please keep praying for our security situation here. The greatest threat to Israel, and indeed world peace, is the growing 'axis of evil' - Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Korea. It is not always easy to know how to pray but we are called to intercede for the nations, and especially for Israel, and we can be confident that the Spirit interprets the cries of our hearts even if our head does not know the words to say:
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us[b] with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Romans 8:26
References:
1. http://kehilanews.com/2017/09/11/trump-hurricanes-and-israel/
2. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5012004,00.html
3. Sand cat births https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/nature/Three-newborn-sand-kittens-melt-our-hearts
4. Israeli birthrate https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/94673/bucking-global-trend-israels-jewish-birthrate-rises-fulfillment-biblical-prophecy/#/
*An excerpt from my book (in progress) "The Roots of the Ancient Enmity: A Biblical perspective on the Israeli Palestinian conflict"
THE JUDGEMENT OF THE NATIONS
The Psalmist declared, “The LORD shall judge the peoples” (Psalm 8:8). Later in the same Psalm he outlines the principle upon which all nations are judged, saying,
Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
He made a pit and dug it out,
And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
His trouble shall return upon his own head.
And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.
(Psalm 8:14-16)
Nations, like individuals will reap what they sow (Galatians 6:6).
The judgment of the nations is an ongoing process, which works itself out through human history. Thus the study of human history can be seen as the study of God’s judgment on the nations. Indeed a large part of the Holy Scriptures is just that, an exposition of the way that God has dealt with and judged the nations throughout history.
The basic criterion of God’s judgment on the nations is set down in Scripture as early as Genesis 12:3. When God called out Abram and made of him a nation, Israel, He said to Abram, “And I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you”.In other words, those nations who accept God’s redemption plan and the purpose and centrality of the nation of Israel in that plan will be blessed, but those who fight against Israel and God’s redemption, will be cursed. This is once more the expression of what I have called the Cain Principle.
God declared his love for Israel through the prophet Zechariah, saying, "...For he who touches you touches the apple of my eye" (Zechariah 2:8).
We can see this principle manifesting in history in the judgment of God against Assyria and Babylon. Israel had fallen into sin against God and acted wickedly. Consequently God brought down upon Israel his judgment. He caused the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires to rise up and conquer Israel, driving them out into Diaspora, just as he promised he would do should Israel err (Leviticus 26:33). Even though God used those nations to execute his judgment upon Israel, he would judge them for doing so.
The judgment of Assyria
Although God chose Assyrian to carry out his sentence against Israel, the Assyrians would themselves come under judgment for having done so. The passage quoted above begins “Woe to Assyria…” (Isaiah 10:5) and goes on to say this,
Therefore it shall come to pass, when the LORD has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem , that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks …Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?.. therefore the LORD, the Lord of hosts, will send leanness among his fat ones…So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; it will burn and devour His thorns and briers in one day…”
(Isaiah 10:12-19)
And again,
Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass. And as I have purposed. So it shall stand; That I will break the Assyrian in My land. And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them. And his burden removed from their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations (Isaiah 14:24-26).
Note that the last sentence quoted here says that this is the hand (of judgment) that is stretched out over all nations. The principle stands. If a nation stretches forth its hand to hurt Israel, the Lord may allow it if he deems it fit for the chastisement of His people, but nevertheless that nation will be judged for desiring their harm.
Later on in the book of Isaiah we see the intensity of God’s anger against Assyria and all those who would harm Israel:
Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar,
Burning with his anger, And his burden is heavy; His lips are full of indignation, And his tongue is like a devouring fire. His breath is like an overflowing stream. Which reaches up to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of futility…For through the voice of the LORD Assyria will be beaten down…
(Isaiah 30:27-33)
And so it came to pass that, just 110 years after conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians, the Assyrian Empire itself collapsed. In 612 BC the capital city Nineveh was besieged for three months by the allied forces of the Medes, Scythians, Babylonians and Susanians.15 On one day (see Isaiah 10:19 above) in the month of Abu, the city was overthrown and sacked and the King of Assyria, Sin-shar-iskun, was killed.16 After the fall of Ninevah the former Assyrian Empire came under the rule of the Babylonian Empire.
The judgment of Babylon
Babylon not only conquered the Assyrians but also the southern kingdom of Judah. Therefore the LORD also promised retribution against Babylon saying,
For I will rise up against them,…And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant and offspring and posterity,…I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, And marshes of muddy water; I will sweep it with the broom of destruction (Isaiah 14:22-23).
And God declared, through the prophet Jeremiah,
And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity … and I will make it a perpetual desolation.
(Jeremiah 25:11-12)
Exactly 70 years later17 God’s words came to pass and Babylon was conquered by Cyrus II and came under the hegemony of the Persian Empire.18
The judgment of the nations
As it was for Assyria and Babylon, so it has been for every nation that has lifted up its hand to harm Israel. A more detailed exposition of this can be found in the next chapter.
Not only is this principle true in the past but it still stands today and will stand in the future. The Bible is crystal clear about a coming day when all nations will face judgment. It is written in Joel 3: 1-3, 12-21,
For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people,
My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land…
There are four important things to note about this passage.
1. First it begins with the words, ‘in those days and at that time’, which expression is normally understood by Bible interpreters to refer to the end time period, so it is a prophecy referring to some future time, the time of the final redemption.
2. Secondly, this judgment will occur at the time when the captives of Israel and Judah are regathered into their land. We at this time are privileged to be living in that time period. The modern State of Israel was formally declared in 1948 and even as I write the captives of Israel are being regathered from every corner of the earth.
3. The judgment of the nations will take place in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There are various interpretations regarding this Valley. Is it a specific geographical location or does it refer to a principal of judgment or both? Whatever the case, as we saw above, the name Jehoshaphat literally means ‘the LORD has judged’ or the ‘LORD judges’. This name may also be intended as a reference to the judgment of Israel’s enemies in the days of Jehoshaphat. As it was at that time so it will be in the last days when God judges Israel’s enemies.
4. This judgment will take place ‘on account of my people, my heritage, Israel’. In other words, the standard by which the nations will be judged is that relating to their treatment of the nation and people of Israel.
There are many prophetic passages in Scripture that refer to this end time judgment of the enemies of Israel. Here are just a few,
Behold, the day of the LORD is coming,…
For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem…
Then the LORD will go forth
And fight against those nations…
And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem;
Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand of their feet…
It shall come to pass in that day
That a great panic from the LORD will be among them…
(Zechariah 14, 1-2,3,12,13)
Now also many nations have gathered against you,
Who say, ‘Let her be defiled,
And let our eye look upon Zion.
But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD,
Nor do they understand his counsel;
For he will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor”
( Micah 4: 11-12)
Not only will the nations be judged when they rise up against Israel but at this time Israel will not only be vindicated but she will also repent and be restored spiritually. It is written,
And there shall no longer be a pricking brier or a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
Thus says the Lord GOD: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to my servant Jacob.’
And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
(Ezekiel 28:24-26)
Similarly, The LORD spoke through the prophet Zechariah saying,
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem,
And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it...."
In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem...
It will be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for him as one who mourns for his only son, and grieve for him as one grieves for a first-born....
In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness...."
(Zechariah 12:1 - 13:1)
After the judgment comes repentance and redemption. In the end the people of Israel will return to the full knowledge of their God, and will recognize him ‘whom they have pierced’, namely Yeshua, the promised Messiah. The dry bones of Ezekiel’s vision will not only be covered in flesh (physical life) but shall also be quickened spiritually by the breath (spirit) of God (Ezekiel 37). The remnant of the Gentile nations, those who have not raised themselves up against God, will also know redemption and restoration,
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles…
(Zechariah 14:16)
