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“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”  2 Thessalonians 2:8-9  KJV 

"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. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."   2 Thessalonians 2:9-12  NKJV

The question I hear most often now, and one that is repeated among non believers as well as those who believe, is just what in the world is going on?  My reply is simply that Jesus not only told us to watch, but also told us we would see signs of His imminent return for the Church and the approach of the time of Jacobs trouble.  A fact that many miss is that much needs to happen in this world to prepare for the seventieth week of Daniel and the events which will take place during those seven years.  What we see happening in the world today is simply the preparation for that time which will shortly take place.

 

Most believers who are familiar with what the Bible teaches about the tribulation period which is soon to come upon this earth, will recognize the passage above from Thessalonians as referring to the coming world leader, most often called the antichrist.  Yet many miss the one word which helps to explain exactly what we are seeing in the world today, and the reason for the discontent, fear, and increasing resistance to authority which seems to be evolving into an almost daily occurrence.  The word I am referring to is found in verse 9, and it is the word “after”.  It is the Greek word “kata” which, while translated by the King James as “after”, also means “throughout” or “all along”.  In other words, the coming antichrist appears “after the working of Satan” which has been going on all along.

 

You see, we as believers are told, and most are willing to accept, that the individual behind the evil we are seeing today is none other than Satan.  Of course, some might well ask the question why all of a sudden it appears to be increasing to the extent we are seeing, with signs of only getting worse and not better. Personally, I see a parallel between what Satan is doing, and what a conductor of a symphony does as he conducts an orchestra.  I have had the opportunity to watch performances by some of the world’s great conductors and it is always amazing to me to watch the intensity build as the conductor slowly leads the orchestra to where he wants them to go, the grand finale.

"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 2:7  NKJV

 

Did you notice Paul’s comment, “already at work”?  Of course, Satan has been working against our Father since the Garden of Eden, but in the context of the preparation for the appearing of his minion the antichrist, Satan is now creating the conditions which will allow the antichrist to take power as easily as he will.  It seems a simple premise, but many miss the fact that in order for one man to become the world’s “Mr. Fixit”, the world has to be broken.  What we are seeing now with such an increase in events is Satan leading the world to the finale which will usher in the reign of his chosen one.

How much will we as a Church witness and/or experience before the rapture is an open question but I would submit that we are certainly witnessing things right now that we probably never thought we would see.  The upheaval in society, our nation, the economy, the government, as well as natural disasters are all signs that we are approaching that time of which the Bible speaks so much of, and as Jesus said, when you see these things begin to happen, look up.

 

Watching Satan do his evil work all around us can be upsetting and uncomfortable, yet we as believers understand that God has promised to give us the strength we need to endure until He comes. While the world yearns and hopes for a return to "normal", I would suggest that things are only going to get worse.  Paul refers to the rapture of the Church as "our blessed hope", (Titus 2:13), and as this world continues its descent into darkness we can rest in the assurance that we will be delivered. Of course, while the deliverance from the evil of this world is available to all, it’s guaranteed only to those who choose to accept it by believing on the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If you are reading this today and have never made that decision, you can do it right now wherever you might be by simply praying a prayer like this; 

 

Jesus I know that I am a sinner, and have sinned against you.  I believe you loved me enough to send your Son Jesus to die for my sins, and that He rose from the dead so that I can live.  Forgive me of my sins and come into my life and help me to live for you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

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

 

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Smelling Blood in the Water?

“Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: “You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’—“to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.”   Ezekiel 38:10-12  NKJV

Many of you will recognize the passage above as the description of the motivation for the attack on Israel by the coalition of nations in the conflict known as the War of Gog/Magog revealed to us by Ezekiel the prophet.  While many Bible scholars, commentators, and teachers are rightly pointing out the convergence of events pointing directly to the imminent fulfillment of this prophecy, it surprises me to find that even the secular press is referring to this account from Ezekiel in relation to the current events in the Middle East.

One of the questions I get when discussing this topic concerns the belief by this coalition that they can actually succeed in an attack on the nation of Israel when it is generally acknowledged that not only is the Israeli Defense Force one of the best armies in the world, the worst kept secret is that Israel also possesses nuclear weapons.  Of course, lets not forget to mention that since its inception as a nation in 1948, Israel has resoundingly won every war inflicted upon it by its enemies.  So the question remains, why would these nations feel that they could succeed?

smell blood

1. To recognize or detect a weakness or vulnerability (especially a new one) in an opponent, adversary, or subject over which one is trying to gain an advantage. The phrase implies that such a weakness will then be acted upon to gain victory or advantage. Likened to the literal presence of blood in water detected by aquatic predators, such as sharks. 

2. To be ready, willing, and eager to attack or fight. 

See also: blood, smell

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/smelling+blood

Most have become aware of the protests in Israel over the governments attempt to pass a law which will bring balance to what they see as an abuse of power by the judiciary.  These protests have become large enough that many have described the situation in Israel as approaching civil war.  Others believe that the refusal of many military reservists to serve has weakened the power of Israel’s ability to defend itself.  The question today, though, is do Israel's enemies perceive this current situation as a weakness that they could potentially exploit?

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-752356

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-753947

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202307256235

I'm sure that most of us have heard in one form or another the expression that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  Obviously, since Ezekiel tells us that an attempted invasion is going to occur, this is exactly what is going to happen.  For reasons unknown, Israel's enemies are going to ignore recent history and once again try to invade.  While successful in repelling invasions in the past, on this occasion Israel will not need to do a thing because the God of the universe will use this attempt to reveal Himself as Israel's protector.

“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, ‘so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ “I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. “And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’  Ezekiel 38:18-23  NKJV

Most would agree with the saying "you don't pick a fight unless you are sure you can win".  From the rhetoric coming from Israel's enemies lately it would appear they actually believe that they are finally in a position to do just that.  Imagine their surprise when they find the nation of Israel doesn't need to protect itself.  “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”   Even now we can see the signs that this event is on our immediate horizon.  All the alliances spoken about here are in place, and all the players are present and just waiting for the right circumstances to present themselves.

A great number of believers are of the opinion that because this is the time that God begins to deal with Israel;  the Church, the bride of Christ, has necessarily already been taken up to Heaven in the event we know as the rapture.  Would the removal of the Church, as well as the restrainer spoken about by Paul, present the perfect excuse for these things to take place?  I for one believe that scenario is extremely feasible, especially considering that this country is Israel's greatest ally and also home to the vast majority of Christians.   

If the rapture does indeed precede these events, it is readily apparent it could happen at any time.  My hope and prayer is that you have made the decision to believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior so you too can meet Him in the air when He returns to take us home.

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