Friday, December 8, 2017
If you love Christ and believe Him in heart, mind, soul and strength, then, “magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psa. 34:3). “The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of the isles be glad” (Psa. 97:1). “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:5).
“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and all its fullness…For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth” (Psa. 96:11–13). “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up” (Mal. 4:1).
“Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible” (Isa. 13:9–11).
In the dread of the great tribulation God has a place of safety and provision for those who believe Him. “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is passed. For behold the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity” (Isa. 26:20–21). Think Passover, and, “That which has been is what will be…there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9).
“Then the woman [that is, “the freewoman” (Gal. 4:21–31), the prepared, discerning, watching and waiting true church] fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there [3 1/2 years] one thousand two hundred and sixty days” (Rev. 12:6). Many profess being of “the freewoman” but their traditions of unbelief belie their profession.
Are you prepared for that day? Have you confessed Christ and repented of your sins and unbelief? Are you certain that in that terrible day to come your Advocate will be Christ because you have been born again unto eternal life? “And this is eternal life, that they [you and I] may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
Now this breaking news event from ARUTZ SHEVA, 12/05/2017, “Embassy waiver lapses – is embassy move underway?” The article continues, “The security waiver used by every president since Bill Clinton to avoid implementation of a 1995 law requiring the US embassy in Israel be relocated to the capital city of Jerusalem lapsed Monday night amid speculation President Donald Trump could officially recognize the city as Israel’s capital or even announce an embassy move as early as this week.”
David Rosenberg, the editor of ARUTZ SHEVA, closes the article by saying, “I can’t see any legal way out of this, the President has begun the process of moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump has finally corrected 70 years of discriminatory policy towards Israel, make no mistake; this is huge!”
This past Wednesday the world awoke to electrifying headlines that U.S. President Trump has recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city! David Rosenberg’s assertion that “this is huge” is an understatement. Breaking Israel News’ 12/07/2017 headline said, “TRUMP’S JERUSALEM DECLARATION PAVES WAY FOR THIRD TEMPLE.” Orthodox Jews desperately want their Third Temple in which they will again offer animal sacrifices, see Revelation 11:1.
The BIN article continued, “President Donald Trump’s epic proclamation on Wednesday acknowledging Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people was a major step towards establishing the Third Temple and bringing the Messianic era, said a number of Jewish activists working to rebuild the Holy Temple.” Of course, the messiah for whom Orthodox Jews wait, will be none other than Antichrist who drafts a false seven-year peace “covenant with many”.
Fox News, 12/06/2017, had this headline: “Hamas plans ‘day of rage’ in response to Trump’s Jerusalem decision.” The terror group, Hamas, said, “We call on the people of Palestine to declare ‘rage day’ on Friday against Israel, denying the U.S. plan to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” the statement read.”
Advancing the end-times by formally acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel gives Israel cause to celebrate its 70th anniversary as that nation which was reborn on May 14, 1948. As a consequence of that rebirth, “this generation will by no means pass away till all these things [Antichrist, the falling away, the great tribulation and rapture] take place” (Matt. 24:34).
This event will likely embolden Antichrist, “the man of sin…the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3) to craft the biblically required, seven-year peace “covenant with many” (Dan. 9:27) which will trigger the beginning of the seven-year tribulation. We will soon find out, for we live in very exciting times; times that God’s Holy Spirit called end-time “labor pains” (1 Thess. 5:3).
God said, “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” (Zech. 12:2–3). We will see this!
Will you ascend the holy highway of testimony for Jesus to your lost neighbors, friends and co-workers when they see the Middle East explode with violence that extends globally? This is just one reason why knowing God’s prophetic truths is so important, to help people believe the truth of God’s offer and free gift of salvation, for He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).
Yes, amen! “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and all its fullness; let the field be joyful, and all that is in it…For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth” (Psa. 96:11–13).
Marlin J. Yoder
