"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth [month], The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.' Zecharaiah 8:19 NKJV
As you might expect, the recent targeted assassinations by Israel have certainly influenced the discussions to be found on many, if not most of the websites, blogs, and social media devoted to the subject of the end times. Of course, the overwhelming question concerns where we are on God’s calendar, and what should we expect to see next? Most Bible scholars agree that the prophetic events revealed in the Word concerning Israel’s future, in their order of occurrence are; the Isaiah 17 destruction of Damascus, the Ezekiel 38,39 Gog Magog Conflict, the Confirmation of the Covenant in Daniel 9:27a, the Abomination of Desolation also found in Daniel 9:27b, and the Battle of Armageddon followed by the Second Coming of Christ found in Revelation 16:16, and 19:11-21.
So it follows that the next major event that we are told to watch for is the Destruction of Damascus. It also makes sense that although this is the prophetic sign we should expect to see, there will also be signs which will lead up to its occurrence. I have no doubt that this is what we are witnessing today in the Middle East, especially if you consider that the Bible makes it clear that Persia/Iran is the instigator in all of what is to come. That said, the next question you would expect to hear would be, do we know when this event might take place? Know? No. Speculate? Why not?
Iran plans to attack Israel on Tisha B’Av - the Jewish day of disasters, Western intelligence says
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-813044
Amir Tsarfati posted the following; Several sources reported that the IRGC plans to use the Fatah-1 hypersonic missile for the first time. I’m not allowed to tell you here what we are going to use for the first time. t.me/beholdisraelchannel/36759
Many are familiar with the seven feast days appointed by God for the children of Israel to observe, but not all are aware that He also created four days of fasting to commemorate tragedies that occurred during Israel’s' history. Zechariah goes on to say that when the Messiah comes, these fast days will become days of celebration and feasting, but for now they are still days of mourning. One of these fast days seems to stand out from the rest by virtue of the number of tragedies that have occurred on this exact day throughout history. In the passage from Zechariah, it is called the fast of the fifth month. Just in case you are not familiar with this particular fast day in Israel, I thought I would talk a little about it today.
Called Tisha B'Av, this day of mourning and fasting reminds Israel of the day that the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Jews taken back to Babylon in captivity. This day has become, however, one of the most significant days in Israel's history due to the astonishing "coincidence" of numerous national disasters occurring on this exact day since its inception. These are:
...1312 BC... Spies return from 40 days in Israel with evil reports of the Land of Israel. Jewish people cry in despair, give up hope of entering the Land of Israel.
...587 BC... Destruction of First Temple by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezar. About 100000 Jews killed during invasion. Exile of remaining tribes in southern kingdom to Babylon and Persia.
...70 AD... Destruction of Second Temple by Romans, under Titus. Over 2,500,000 Jews die as a result of war, famine and disease. Over 1,000,000 Jews exiled to all parts of the Roman Empire. Over 100,000 Jews sold as slaves by Romans. Jews killed and tortured in gladiatorial "games" and pagan celebrations.
...71 AD... Turnus Rufus plows site of Temple. Romans build pagan city of Aelia Capitolina on site of Jerusalem.
...135 AD... Bar Kochba revolt crushed. Betar destroyed - over 100,000 killed.
...1095 AD... First Crusade declared by Pope Urban II. 10,000 Jews killed in first month of Crusade. Crusades bring death and destruction to thousands of Jews, totally obliterate many communities in Rhineland and France.
...1290 AD... Expulsion of Jews from England, accompanied by pogroms and confiscation of books and property.
...1492 AD... Inquisition in Spain and Portugal culminates in the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. King Ferdinand of Spain issued the expulsion decree, setting Tisha B'Av as the final date by which not a single Jew would be allowed to walk on Spanish soil. Families separated, many die by drowning, massive loss of property. With funds provided by Ferdinand, Christopher Columbus, a Messianic Jew, sets sail to locate the land which will become a Jewish refuge.
...1914 AD... Britain and Russia declare war on Germany. First World War begins. First World War issues unresolved, ultimately causing Second World War and Holocaust. 75% of all Jews in war zones. Jews in armies of all sides - 120,000 Jewish casualties in armies. Over 400 pogroms immediately following war in Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and Russia.
...1942 AD... Deportations from Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp begin.
...1989 AD... Iraq walks out of talks with Kuwait.
...1990 AD... The First Gulf War begins in and as a result Saddam Hussein launches missiles into Israel
...1994 AD... The deadly bombing the building of the AMIA (the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina) which killed 86 people and wounded some 300 others.
Now I would think that any reasonable person who looked at this list would conclude that this is much more than just coincidence. It is obviously a day throughout history where God in His infinite wisdom has chosen to send a message to the nation of Israel. I also believe it is fair to say that considering the prophecies in the Bible concerning Israel's future we could reasonably speculate that there is more in store for Israel on this particular day at some point in time. My question to you today though is does it appear that the potential for another national tragedy seems to be increasing as we speak?
That thought, apparently, has reportedly occurred to those in power in the government of Iran as stated in the article from the Jerusalem Post, and the expected date for this attack is August 12-13. What hasn’t occurred to them, obviously, is the fact that God has protected and delivered His people time and time again and any attempt to completely destroy them is fruitless. Ezekiel 39 makes it perfectly clear what the future holds for those who wish to destroy the nation of Israel.
“And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” Ezekiel 39:6 NKJV
That result, in my opinion, could accurately be described as "ending badly". Somehow I am of the opinion that those who choose to watch as Jesus commanded will not be taken by surprise when these coming events occur, unless of course, we are not here to witness them. By that I refer to an event called the rapture. I'm not in the prediction business, but I am in the “watching” business. God has revealed to us through the Bible what the future of Israel is, and we as His followers should be watching for the signs He has told us to look for. As I have said before, why would God tell us to watch and then not show us anything? I believe the next few months are going to be a very interesting time in the Middle East, and I for one will be watching closely to see what events transpire there.
If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner, be willing to turn away from your sins, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;
Jesus I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.” Psalms 122:6 NKJV
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