“While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3 ESV
“Trump says deal with Iran completed, ‘will bring peace and security to the whole region’”
“The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: "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 surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.” Zechariah 12:1-3 NKJV
Once again the headlines inform us of yet another attempt at forging a "mideast peace agreement" which, according to the Word of God, will end in failure. If you are a student of Bible prophecy this should certainly come as no surprise. As this passage from Zechariah makes clear, any effort to bring peace between Israel and its enemies is doomed to failure. Why you ask? Because what we are seeing is the groundwork being laid for the fulfillment of yet another well known prophecy in the Bible, this one from the book of Daniel.
“Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."
Daniel 9:27 NKJV
As most know, this verse refers to the coming world leader referred to most often as the "antichrist". When he appears on the scene he will "confirm", (a word meaning "enforce"), a peace agreement between Israel and its enemies. Why "enforce"? Simply because what we are being told is that it proves impossible for the parties to agree to any sort of peace on their own. As the passage from Zechariah tells us, anyone (other than the coming antichrist) who makes an attempt at forging a peace agreement will fail. The phrase translated to "be cut in pieces" also can be translated "tattooed", which I actually find very interesting. If you think about it, every president in recent memory who has tried to involve himself with the "peace process" comes away "tattooed" with his failure.
Time will prove that President Trump is also going to be tattooed when his attempt at forging a peace will fail as all others have. Although this attempt is courageous, the earth, and especially the Middle East, will never see peace until Jesus arrives at His second coming. I also found it interesting to read several commentaries which suggested that this so called peace agreement is actually opening the door for the fulfillment of the Ezekiel 38,39 prophecy, or the Gog- Magog War.
“And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. “Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.” Daniel 8:23-25 NKJV
The truth is, what we are witnessing today occurring all around the world is Satan preparing the way for the emergence of his lackey, the antichrist. Somehow this coming man of sin will rise to power by deceit and cunning while at the same time managing to broker and enforce a peace when so many before him have failed. If we are as close to the end as many believe, this man is currently active on the world stage and being positioned by Satan.
When discussing the coming antichrist, many have made the point of describing all of the attributes listed in God’s Word about this man as a way of explaining how he is able to somehow achieve the impossible. While not disagreeing about their importance I would like to suggest one simple explanation which may often be overlooked. You see, in the passage above from Daniel we are told that although this coming world leader will be extremely strong, “his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power”. So the question which follows is simply this; “if it’s not his power, who’s power is it?” If we look at it this way, I believe the answer is clear as to where his power originates.
If you have never taken the time to read and study the book of Zechariah, I invite you to start today. Often overlooked, the book is one of the "Minor Prophets" of the Old Testament, a name given to twelve books because of their small size, not their importance. In fact, next to Isaiah, there are more prophecies concerning the coming Messiah in it than any other book in the Old Testament. There are also plenty of prophecies concerning the time in history in which we find ourselves today. Oftentimes this book is referred to as the "Apocalypse of the Old Testament" because of the prophecies it contains concerning the future of Israel.
The stage is being set for the appearance of the antichrist. No one has had any success at forging any type of peace between Israel and her enemies, and according to the Bible, no one will. Until of course, the "man of sin" enforces a treaty which ushers in the seven year period of time we know as the Tribulation. So how close could that be? Many believe that time is in the immediate future as the signs we have been told to watch for are appearing all around us. Of course, if that is truly the case then there is one very important event we should all be watching for.
“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. 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 4:16-18 NKJV
“But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape. But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 RSV
In this passage we see the subject Paul is discussing is the rapture of the Church, and it is here we find that Paul makes a very interesting statement when he tells us that as “children of light, and children of the day,” we will not be surprised when Jesus returns and takes us away to be with Him. As I thought about this passage, one of the first things that I began to consider was why Paul uses the difference between day and night to show us why we will not be surprised. As I began to think more about this, there were a couple of things that seemed obvious, but possibly overlooked, that I had not really considered before.
The first one is that in the daylight it is much easier to not only see what surrounds us, but also to see what in fact, is right in front of us. Now if that seems to be an oversimplification simply try walking down a strange hallway in the dark when a few chairs have been scattered about. Yet turn on a light and it’s a very simple exercise to avoid bumping into any of them. So in truth, what Paul is telling us about the rapture of the Church is that those of us who are believers and have accepted the salvation offered to us by the death of Jesus on the cross will not be surprised by the rapture because we will see it coming!
Now if that sounds a little strange to you, consider how Paul also uses the illustration of a thief in the night to explain why believers won’t be surprised. A thief loves to use the cover of darkness simply because it makes it harder for people to see him, and therefore allows him to come and steal without you knowing he has been there. So it comes as a surprise to awaken and see what has happened under the cover of darkness. If the thief tried to break into your house in the middle of the day while you were awake and at home, how far would he get before you recognized what was happening? If you were watching and knew what to look for, I think you would have probably called the police long before he approached your door.
I believe what Paul is telling us here is that in the very same way, believers will not be surprised at the rapture because we will recognize “the times and the seasons”. How is that possible you ask? The answer to that is found in the phrase Paul uses in verse two where he says that we “know perfectly”. In my mind, when I examined the meaning of this phrase in the Greek, I immediately thought back to the illustration of the chairs in the hallway.
As I see it, the advantage to walking down the hall with the light on is that you can see with both perception and recognition. To my way of thinking, perception is seeing and knowing what is in front of me while recognition is the understanding of how to carefully deal with what I see. So I was surprised to find that the definitions of these two words seem to say that very thing. The word “know”, eido, means…to see, to perceive with the eyes, to perceive with any of the senses, to perceive, notice, discern, discover. The word “perfectly”, akribos, means…exactly, accurately, diligently, from the root word akribes…exactly, carefully.
So in essence Paul is telling us that when it comes to the “times and seasons” of the rapture of the Church, believers, as children of the day, will not be surprised because we will “know perfectly” or perceive and recognize that our blessed hope is near. When I first graduated from college my intent was to pursue a career as a coach. One of my first experiences was learning how to scout the next opponent of our team, and I was paired up with a coach who had more than forty years of experience doing just that. His method of teaching me was to constantly ask me what I was looking at and what I saw. I quickly learned from him, and knew I had learned well when I began to watch and see the same things he did.
There is no doubt in my mind, based on what I see that the rapture of the Church could happen at any moment. I am willing to say that anyone else who believes that is definitely a member of the “children of light, and children of the day,” that Paul speaks about. When Paul called us children of the light, he meant we’ve been given the knowledge to understand what’s coming. Is the end in sight? When so many in the body say they see the same thing, don’t you believe it’s a reasonable conclusion? As one very prominent Christian speaker has said, the more you know about the subject of Christ’s return, the more you recognize how close it is.
Attempting to forge “peace and security” in the Middle East is doomed to fail, yet I believe it is an important sign of where we are on God’s timeline for this earth. It certainly seems to myself and many others in the body of Christ that virtually every week we are being treated to more and more signs that the rapture of the Church is close at hand. If you have never made the decision to accept the gift of eternal life offered by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ I urge you to do it today. Simply tell God you accept His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and turn your life over to His control.
Father, 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.
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