I must say that
the news headlines today have my heart so conflicted. I am so excited to see things fall in line
more and more as scripture has foretold and to know that Jesus is coming to
take His own home to heaven soon. At the
same time, I am grieved over friends and loved ones that continue to refuse to
accept my LORD as their Savior. I hate
to think of them having to suffer through the times of God’s wrath; and more
importantly, to lose out on living in His presence for eternity.
President Trump
is certainly being used by God to position Jerusalem more firmly in the
position of a “cup of trembling unto all the people round about” and a “burdensome
stone for ALL people” as foretold by the prophet Zechariah.
Zechariah
12:1–3 “The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which
stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and
formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of
trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both
against Judah and against
Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all
people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all
the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”
His announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel has everyone in an uproar. The phrase
“a cup of trembling” makes reference to reeling and shaking from
intoxication. That is an apt description
of how the nations respond to anything that gives credence to the truth that
Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel as declared in scripture—or even the
right of Israel to exist as a nation.
They seem to lose control of their common sense and make irrational
statements calling for irrational acts of protest and terror. The phrase “a burdensome stone” makes reference to “a weight that is troublesome, painful and
hard to bear.” Again, that is an apt description of how the nations
perceive the issue of Jerusalem and its historical connection to Israel.
Even many who claim to be Christians refuse to
recognize the truth of scripture regarding Israel. God declared that He has chosen Jerusalem as
the city to which He has attached His name.
He established it as the capital of Israel and the place to which Jesus
will return to take His position on the throne of David as King of kings over
the whole earth.
2
Chronicles 6:4–6 “And he said, Blessed
be the Lord God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spake with his mouth
to my father David, saying, Since the day that I brought forth my people out of
the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an
house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler
over my people Israel: But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be
there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.”
Luke
1:26–33 “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city
of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary….And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou
hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and
bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall
be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the
throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for
ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Zechariah
14:9 & 16 “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall
there be one Lord, and his name one….And it shall come to pass,
that every one that is left of
all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year
to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.”
His action is also serving to more firmly establish the
alliance of Gog as foretold by the prophet Ezekiel (chapter 38). (See my
website for more detailed commentary.)
Though Turkey has an established relationship with Israel, President
Erdogan has quickly responded to denounce Trump’s action in the hopes of
inspiring even stronger support from his Islamic base. His actions in recent months have positioned
Turkey more firmly in alliance with Russia and Iran, just as foretold by the
prophet, essentially causing their relationship with Israel to deteriorate. That alliance has been referred to in the
news as the new real power brokers in Syria; e.g., from the Huffington Post,
The World Post, “Russia, Iran and Turkey: The Real Power Brokers in Syria.”
Consider this quote from the Jerusalem Post on November 12,
2017: “With
the winding down of the war in Syria, some pundits have seen an alliance of
Russia with Turkey and Iran in the Middle East as possible and even likely.
They see a rising authoritarian Russia and Iran uniting with an authoritarian
Turkey to dominate the Middle East.”
And this quote from The Daily Brief by Scroll.in on
December 12, 2017: “The emerging alliance among Russia, Iran and
Turkey gained its newest member in Qatar, thanks to a rash move by Saudi Crown
Prince Muhammad bin Salman. Most alarming for America: Turkey is the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s easternmost member with the second largest
military in the defence partnership. Qatar provides the Pentagon’s Central
Command with its forward base, the region’s largest.”
The important truth is that the Bible contains the truth of
the word of God—no matter whether men choose to accept it or not. I truly pray that my lost friends and loved
ones and others throughout the world will recognize their need to accept Jesus as
their Savior. He is not going to leave
His family to suffer through the wrath that He will soon pour out on planet
earth. He has promised to take us home
before that judgment begins.
1
Thessalonians 5:1–9 “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no
need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the
Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and
safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that
that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and
the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be
sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are
drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the
breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but
to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ….”
1
Thessalonians 4:16–17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead
in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
It will not surprise me to see the headline soon, “Damascus
Demolished,” as foretold by the prophet Isaiah.
It may even be that Israel’s hand is forced to serve as God’s vessel in
bringing about fulfillment of that prophecy.
Only time will tell—but God’s word will prove true!
If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, I pray you will
turn to Him in faith and repentance.
Romans
3:23 “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Romans
6:23 “For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans
5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans
10:9 “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.”
Romans
10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
John
14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
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