For the
Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the
Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV
Have
you ever taken the time to consider what this world would be like without the presence
of God? Imagine if you can what life
would be like if there were only the forces of evil present, without the
influence of good to counterbalance the evil thoughts and deeds of a sinful
world. Jesus referred to this time to
come by comparing it with what life was like in Noah’s days.
“But as
the days of Noah were, so also will the
coming of the Son of Man be. Matthew
24:37 NKJV
We
only need to look back to Genesis to see how God describes this time, and what
man was like in those days.
Then
the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every intent of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5 NKJV
Did
you notice He says that every intent
of man’s thoughts will be evil continually? What do you think that will make everyday
life like when every man is looking to do evil?
In regards to our discussion of the order of events which make up this
period of time, I think this is all the explanation we need to understand the
how and why of the future conflicts that are prophesied to occur. Many believe that the destruction of Damascus
spoken of in Isaiah 17 is the next major event on God’s calendar, and I would
wholeheartedly agree. Yet many also
wonder why it has not yet occurred. I
would suggest my answer to that question is found in the following passage.
Do you
not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now
you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the
mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken
out of the way. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 NKJV
Have
you ever wondered about all that the Spirit might be restraining in the world
around us today? I believe that we only
need to look at what we are told will happen once He is removed to understand
all that He is holding back. Some hold
to the belief that the rapture of the Church begins the tribulation period but
personally I believe that it precedes it by a short time in order for the
conflicts that usher in the acceptance of the man of sin to occur. I believe that the destruction of Damascus is
the first event that will take place which begins the journey to the eventual
reign of the antichrist.
And
then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the
breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming
of the lawless one
is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not
receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 NKJV
It
seems only logical that if this man of sin will rise to power by enforcing a
peace between Israel and its enemies, there must be a conflict which demands
it. Obviously a situation exists in the
Middle East right now that many believe has the region primed for this conflict
to occur. If you look closely at a
passage from the book of Psalms you will find a situation described which many
believe is being fulfilled before our very eyes.
A Song.
A Psalm of Asaph. Do not keep silent, O
God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God! For behold, Your
enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They
have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against
Your sheltered ones. They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the
name of Israel may be remembered no more.” For they have consulted together
with one consent; They form a confederacy against You: The tents of Edom and
the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia
with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; They have
helped the children of Lot. Selah Psalm 83:1-8
NKJV
If we take these ancient names and place them on a map of
the Middle East today we find that what is described here is the very situation
which exists right now in the region surrounding Israel. Some have described this passage as a “war”
of Psalm 83, however if you read it carefully you will see it only describes a
geopolitical reality, and not an actual war.
I and many others believe that the prophecy of Isaiah 17 tells us
exactly what happens as a result of this situation when Israel’s enemies decide
to provoke her to such an extent that the result is the complete destruction of
Damascus.
The
burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will
be a ruinous heap. Isaiah 17:1
NKJV
Is
the Holy Spirit restraining the forces of evil that will soon seek the
destruction of Israel? In my opinion
there is no question that this is the case.
Certainly there have been conflicts and wars in Israel’s past, but the
future attempt at their total destruction prophesied in the Word of God has yet
to occur. One other thing we should also
consider is that Israel’s enemies realize that the United States is, at least
right now, Israel’s strongest ally. What
would the effect be on this nation if the rapture were to occur today?
How
many of the current population of America would disappear? How many of our troops in the armed forces
would vanish? Would we still be able to come
to Israel’s aid, or would their enemies see it as a perfect opportunity to
attack, setting in motion the events of Isaiah 17? As I see it, the first event on the prophetic
calendar will be the rapture, followed closely by Isaiah 17, and then by a
response from the world, the likes of which we have never seen. Next week, the rise of Gog.
Keep
watching.
